Currently distributed business process (re) design (resulting in components of business networks) basically relies on technical criteria. And that are the main purposes of most research projects supported by EC. Through the process of building a European Research Area, this means a strong influence in the national research programmes. However it is generally accepted that it should also take into account social criteria and aspects such as the quality of working life, or participation in decision processes. Those were some of the objectives of projects in de 80s decade, and framed some of the main concepts and scientific approaches to work organisation. The democratic participation of network and organisations members in the design process is a critical success factor. This is not accepted by everyone, but is based in sufficient case studies. Nevertheless, in order to achieve an optimization that can satisfying the requirements of agility of a network of enterprises, more complex design methods must be developed. Thus, the support to the collaborative design of distributed work in a network of enterprises, through a concurrent approaching business processes, work organisation and task content is a key factor to achieve such purposes. Increasing needs in terms of amounts of information, agility, and support for collaboration without time and space constrains, imposes the use of a computer-based model.

Currently distributed business process (re) design (resulting in components of business networks) basically relies on technical criteria. And that are the main purposes of most research projects supported by EC. Through the process of building a European Research Area, this means a strong influence in the national research programmes. However it is generally accepted that it should also take into account social criteria and aspects such as the quality of working life, or participation in decision processes. Those were some of the objectives of projects in de 80s decade, and framed some of the main concepts and scientific approaches to work organisation. The democratic participation of network and organisations members in the design process is a critical success factor. This is not accepted by everyone, but is based in sufficient case studies. Nevertheless, in order to achieve an optimization that can satisfying the requirements of agility of a network of enterprises, more complex design methods must be developed. Thus, the support to the collaborative design of distributed work in a network of enterprises, through a concurrent approaching business processes, work organisation and task content is a key factor to achieve such purposes. Increasing needs in terms of amounts of information, agility, and support for collaboration without time and space constrains, imposes the use of a computer-based model.

No abstract is available for this item.

The aim of the TeleRisk Project on labour relations and professional risks within the context of teleworking in Portugal – supported by IDICT – Institute for Development and Inspection of Working Conditions (Ministry of Labour), is to study the practices and forms of teleworking in the manufacturing sectors in Portugal. The project chose also the software industry as a reference sector, even though it does not intend to exclude from the study any other sector of activity or the so-called “hybrid” forms of work. However, the latter must have some of the characteristics of telework. The project thus takes into account the so-called “traditional” sectors of activity, namely textile and machinery and metal engineering (machinery and equipment), not usually associated to this type of work. However, telework could include, in the so-called “traditional” sectors, other variations that are not found in technologically based sectors. One of the evaluation methods for the dynamics associated to telework consisted in carrying out surveys by means of questionnaires, aimed at employers in the sectors analysed. This paper presents some of the results of those surveys. It is important to mention that, being a preliminary analysis, it means that it does not pretend to have exhausted all the issues in the survey, but has meant that it shows the bigger tendencies, in terms of teleworking practices, of the Portuguese industry.

No abstract is available for this item.

The aim of the TeleRisk Project on labour relations and professional risks within the context of teleworking in Portugal – supported by IDICT – Institute for Development and Inspection of Working Conditions (Ministry of Labour), is to study the practices and forms of teleworking in the manufacturing sectors in Portugal. The project chose also the software industry as a reference sector, even though it does not intend to exclude from the study any other sector of activity or the so-called “hybrid” forms of work. However, the latter must have some of the characteristics of telework. The project thus takes into account the so-called “traditional” sectors of activity, namely textile and machinery and metal engineering (machinery and equipment), not usually associated to this type of work. However, telework could include, in the so-called “traditional” sectors, other variations that are not found in technologically based sectors. One of the evaluation methods for the dynamics associated to telework consisted in carrying out surveys by means of questionnaires, aimed at employers in the sectors analysed. This paper presents some of the results of those surveys. It is important to mention that, being a preliminary analysis, it means that it does not pretend to have exhausted all the issues in the survey, but has meant that it shows the bigger tendencies, in terms of teleworking practices, of the Portuguese industry.

This article outlines the initial draft of a PhD project which investigates refurbishment or rehabilitation projects in two German cities. The study focuses on obstacles, restraints and deficits as well as factors of success, which can be identified during the execution of the refurbishments. Moreover the study examines the process of the refurbishment itself, the general conditions under which the refurbishments are being executed as well as the implementation of sustainability criteria. First the article gives a short summary of the theoretical considerations of the study. In this respect it shortly outlines the global conditions of urban development and conducting challenges for cities in the 21st century, guiding principles of a sustainable urban development as well as goals of sustainable refurbishments. Finally the article shortly describes the case studies and presents the initial results of the empirical work.

Superoxide reductase is a 14 kDa metalloprotein containing a catalytic non-haem iron centre [Fe(His)4Cys]. It is involved in defence mechanisms against oxygen toxicity, scavenging superoxide radicals from the cell. The oxidized form of Treponema pallidum superoxide reductase was crystallized in the presence of polyethylene glycol and magnesium chloride. Two crystal forms were obtained depending on the oxidizing agents used after purification: crystals grown in the presence of K3Fe(CN)6 belonged to space group P2(1) (unit-cell parameters a = 60.3, b = 59.9, c = 64.8 A, beta = 106.9 degrees) and diffracted beyond 1.60 A resolution, while crystals grown in the presence of Na2IrCl6 belonged to space group C2 (a = 119.4, b = 60.1, c = 65.6 A, beta = 104.9 degrees) and diffracted beyond 1.55 A. A highly redundant X-ray diffraction data set from the C2 crystal form collected on a copper rotating-anode generator (lambda = 1.542 A) clearly defined the positions of the four Fe atoms present in the asymmetric unit by SAD methods. A MAD experiment at the iron absorption edge confirmed the positions of the previously determined iron sites and provided better phases for model building and refinement. Molecular replacement using the P2(1) data set was successful using a preliminary trace as a search model. A similar arrangement of the four protein molecules could be observed.

Flexibilisation and complexification of working places, due to the information technologies, requires an holistic approach to the labour reality, in an integrative and wide perspective of different scenarios and operational contexts. Such new changes implies the development of new personal and professional features that are beyond the restrict frame of the autonomous, discrete and specialised work. The knowledge needed for the work in organisations can be searched in the working processes modelling. And that can be a constructive basis of a “knowledge map”. Thus, are described the activities of different working processes, and that induces the emergence of a group of informations (indicators) necessary to the construction of each competence that supports the execution of those processes. This action even allows the existence of possible gaps in the strategies of long-life education and training. They assume more and more a critical support to the need of updating and maintenance of professional competences. How to identify and operationalise the professional competences in a working complex system is one of the main issues in this paper. The case study presented in this paper is refered to the air traffic control and it presents the methodology used for the identification and validation of a group of structuring professional competencies that are evident in a complex working system.

Flexibilisation and complexification of working places, due to the information technologies, requires an holistic approach to the labour reality, in an integrative and wide perspective of different scenarios and operational contexts. Such new changes implies the development of new personal and professional features that are beyond the restrict frame of the autonomous, discrete and specialised work. The knowledge needed for the work in organisations can be searched in the working processes modelling. And that can be a constructive basis of a “knowledge map”. Thus, are described the activities of different working processes, and that induces the emergence of a group of informations (indicators) necessary to the construction of each competence that supports the execution of those processes. This action even allows the existence of possible gaps in the strategies of long-life education and training. They assume more and more a critical support to the need of updating and maintenance of professional competences. How to identify and operationalise the professional competences in a working complex system is one of the main issues in this paper. The case study presented in this paper is refered to the air traffic control and it presents the methodology used for the identification and validation of a group of structuring professional competencies that are evident in a complex working system.

A nitrate reductase was solubilized with Triton X-100 from the membranes of Pseudomonas chlororaphis DSM 50135 grown microaerobically in the presence of nitrate. Like other membrane-bound nitrate reductases, it contains three subunits, of 129, 66 (64) and 24 kDa, referred to in the literature as alpha, beta and gamma, respectively. Electrocatalytic studies revealed that only the membrane-bound, not the solubilized form of the enzyme, can accept electrons from a menaquinone analog, menadione, whereas both forms can accept electrons from methylviologen. The isolated enzyme possesses several iron-sulfur clusters and a molybdopterin guanine dinucleotide active center. The iron-sulfur clusters can be grouped in two classes according to their redox properties, the high-potential and low-potential clusters. In the as-isolated enzyme, two forms of the molybdenum center, high- and low-pH, are detectable by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The low-pH form shows a hyperfine splitting due to a proton, suggesting the presence of an -OHx ligand. Dithionite reduces the Mo(V) center to Mo(W) and subsequent reoxidization with nitrate originates a new Mo(V) signal, identical to the oxidized low-pH form but lacking its characteristic hyperfine splitting. The isolated preparation also contains heme c (in a sub-stoichiometric amount) with the ability to relay electrons to the molybdenum center, suggesting that this nitrate reductase may contain heme c instead of the heme b usually found in this class of enzymes. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

This paper presents and discusses two case studies in the Portuguese motor vehicle industry – Salvador Caetano’s Ovar Industrial Division (SCOID), a ‘Brownfield site’ with minority Toyota ownership; and Autoeuropa, a ‘Greenfield site’ wholly owned by Volkswagen. Basically, it considers the scope for the meaningful application of ‘Japanese’ organisational methods in these contexts, focusing on the human factor – i.e. as close as possible to the actors on the shop floor. After providing some insights into the Portuguese automotive industry, it profiles both SCOID and Autoeuropa and assesses each of their methods of work, within this balance of commitment between global and local. The main findings reveal the lag that can exist between theoretical models (namely those following a geographical criteria) and the actual practice carried out by manufacturers when tested outside their point of geographical origin.

If we take a look at developments on the labour market, we find that the rate of employment stands in a close relationship to the introduction of new technologies and their social and cultural consequences. The immediate effects of new technologies on new forms of work-structures are, in fact, difficult to determine empirically. In order to avoid a strong technological bias in the scientific perspective, it seems important to consider carefully the normative objectives and goals, which are connected with the introduction of IC-technologies. But nevertheless it is difficult to define clearly the causes and the effects of new technologies as well as the technical changes and its social consequences. The intention of the article is to present the concept of social exclusion within the SOWING-project. Of course this concept is embedded in the scientific debate of the Information Society, which has a strong technological focus and represents the discussion of the Western, highly industrialized societies. But nevertheless the empirical findings of the SOWING project come to the general conclusion, that the rise of new forms of social exclusion cannot be considered as the result of the introduction of ICT, but as the result of the normative idea of a more effective and global organized economy. The social consequences of this development depend strongly on the establishment of a democratic procedure, which integrates the concerning social groups.

This paper presents and discusses two case studies in the Portuguese motor vehicle industry – Salvador Caetano’s Ovar Industrial Division (SCOID), a ‘Brownfield site’ with minority Toyota ownership; and Autoeuropa, a ‘Greenfield site’ wholly owned by Volkswagen. Basically, it considers the scope for the meaningful application of ‘Japanese’ organisational methods in these contexts, focusing on the human factor – i.e. as close as possible to the actors on the shop floor. After providing some insights into the Portuguese automotive industry, it profiles both SCOID and Autoeuropa and assesses each of their methods of work, within this balance of commitment between global and local. The main findings reveal the lag that can exist between theoretical models (namely those following a geographical criteria) and the actual practice carried out by manufacturers when tested outside their point of geographical origin.

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Thiol-linked DNA-gold nanoparticles were used in a novel colorimetric method to detect the presence of specific mRNA from a total RNA extract of yeast cells. The method allowed detection of expression of the FSY1 gene that encodes a specific fructose/H+ symporter in Saccharomyces bayanus PYCC 4565. FSY1 is strongly expressed when the yeast is grown in fructose as the sole carbon source, while cells cultivated in glucose as the sole carbon source repress gene expression. The presence of FSY1 mRNA is detected based on color change of a sample containing total RNA extracted from the organism and gold nanoparticles derivatized with a 15-mer of complementary single stranded DNA upon addition of NaCl. If FSY1 mRNA is present, the solution remains pink, changing to blue-purple in the absence of FSY1 mRNA. Direct detection of specific expression was possible from only 0.3 microg of unamplified total RNA without any further enhancement. This novel method is inexpensive, very easy to perform as no amplification or signal enhancement steps are necessary and takes less than 15 min to develop after total RNA extraction. No temperature control is necessary and color change can be easily detected visually.

The authors report the case of a 39-year-old male patient who had an ischemic stroke (complete infarction of right anterior cerebral circulation) and an acute myocardial infarction during the same year. Molecular study revealed he was homozygous for the 677C-->T mutation in the gene coding for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, a key enzyme of folate metabolism; deficiency of this enzyme is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and neurological lesions. Some considerations are put forward about hyperhomocysteinemia and the MTHFR 677C-->T mutation as cardiovascular risk factors.

Among the biotargets interacting with vanadium is the calcium pump from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). To this end, initial research efforts were launched with two vanadium(V)-citrate complexes, namely (NH(4))(6)[V(2)O(4)(C(6)H(4)O(7))(2)].6H(2)O and (NH(4))(6)[V(2)O(2)(O(2))(2)(C(6)H(4)O(7))(2)].4H(2)O, potentially capable of interacting with the SR calcium pump by combining kinetic studies with (51)V NMR spectroscopy. Upon dissolution in the reaction medium (concentration range: 4-0.5mM), both vanadium(V):citrate (VC) and peroxovanadium(V):citrate (PVC) complexes are partially converted into vanadate oligomers. A 1mM solution of the PVC complex, containing 184microM of the PVC complex, 94microM oxoperoxovanadium(V) (PV) species, 222microM monomeric (V1), 43microM dimeric (V2) and 53microM tetrameric (V4) species, inhibits Ca(2+) accumulation by 75 %, whereas a solution of the VC complex of the same vanadium concentration, containing 98microM of the VC complex, 263microM monomeric (V1), 64microM dimeric (V2) and 92microM tetrameric (V4) species inhibits the calcium pump activity by 33 %. In contrast, a 1 mM metavanadate solution, containing 460microM monomeric (V1), 90.2microM dimeric (V2) and 80microM tetrameric (V4) species, has no effect on Ca(2+) accumulation. The NMR signals from the VC complex (-548.0ppm), PVC complex (-551.5ppm) and PV (-611.1ppm) are broadened upon SR vesicle addition (2.5mg/ml total protein). The relative order for the half width line broadening of the NMR signals, which reflect the interaction with the protein, was found to be V4>PVC>VC>PV>V2=V1=1, with no effect observed for the V1 and V2 signals. Putting it all together the effects of two vanadium(V)-citrate complexes on the modulation of calcium accumulation and ATP hydrolysis by the SR calcium pump reflected the observed variable reactivity into the nature of key species forming upon dissolution of the title complexes in the reaction media.