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Since Sweden’s home market is relatively small, companies are forced to engage in international business. Researchers have stressed that companies with a small home market should find new markets to gain benefits which companies with large home markets possess. The Chinese market has great potential, which results in numerous Swedish companies entering and establish business operations in China. Swedish companies need to address the unique aspects of conducting business in China. One of the unique aspects which has been notably concerned is the phenomena of guanxi. Guanxi is well grounded in the Chinese business culture and can be perceived as relationship building. Previous research has shown upon limited research regarding B2B guanxi in the Chinese-Western business relationships. Hence, the purpose of this thesis, is to provide a deeper understanding of how Swedish companies build and manage B2B guanxi in China and explore its potential risks and benefits. To achieve the purpose of this thesis, three main concepts have been identified- building stages of guanxi, management strategies of guanxi and risks and benefits of guanxi. These create the theoretical approach of the study. By using a qualitative research method and a deductive approach, a deeper understanding regarding guanxi in relation to Swedish companies can be acquired. The data is collected from five companies in different industries, conducting business on the Chinse market. Practical and theoretical implications have arisen from this study, contributing to the theoretical synthesis of B2B guanxi and provided valuable insights on how Swedish companies can use B2B guanxi. Based on the analysis, the outcome of this study suggest guanxi is not a prerequisite for conducting business on the Chinese market. Although, it can be seen as a tool to ease relationship building and business operations. The empirical findings indicate the relevance of B2B guanxi and have identified new factors. The key findings imply Swedish companies use intermediaries to a larger extent in the building staged and as a management strategy. While gift-giving and favour exchange are less used management strategies. Smoother business operations are perceived as an additional benefit. Whereas relationships becoming too personal and a person taking the relationships with them when leaving the company are additional risks ought to be considered new findings. The study can be valuable for Swedish companies that wish to enter or have entered the Chinese market.

Fascioloides magna is a trematode originating in North America. It is a significant pathogen, especially in cervids, but it can also infect ruminants kept for agricultural purposes.Adult trematodes are found in the liver tissue of their definitive hosts, where they can survive for a long period of time and produce large quantity of eggs. Those are passed through bile ducts and intestine with feces into the external environment. This thesis is focused on the morphology of individual developmental stages of F. magna. To this date only very limited number of literary resources concerning the topic had been published. Recorded results are compared with literary resources on Fasciola hepatica, a closely related trematode. The morphological characteristics of the individual developmental stages were studied by using histological, electron-miscroscopical and other methods (fluorescent labelling). The thesis also describes pathological changes of the definitive hosts' liver tissue. By means of the stated methods, the thesis expands the existing knowledge on the morphology of F. magna especially of surface structures and the distribution of the senzoric organs, some of which have been described for the very first time. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Nutrition / Edgar Chambers IV / Because healthy food products do not have a specific tool used for consumer screening based on consumers’ diet or degree of healthy eating habits, this study aimed to determine a set of questions that could classify consumers who belong in a different status according to the Stages of Change model, including those who have a different diet quality based on their Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score. The surveys were conducted in the United States (US) and Thailand in order to determine applicability to varying countries. The Food Neophobia Scale (FNS), Food Involvement Scale (FIS), and Health and Taste Attitude Scale (HTAS) were included in the questionnaire together with a set of Stages of Change questions and a 7-day, self-administered food recall questionnaire. The HEI interpretation of US and Thai consumer scores illustrated that the majority of both belonged to the Need Improvement group. The Stages of Change model indicated most consumers thought they had healthy diets. According to FNS, FIS, and HTAS, US consumers are more involved in food activities and are more open to trying new foods or unfamiliar foods than Thais. Furthermore, consumers who belong in different groups, according to the Stages of Change model, responded differently to some HTAS subscales. However, statements from FNS, FIS, and HTAS were not capable of distinguishing consumers belonging in different groups according to HEI scores or belonging in different stages according to the Stages of Change Model. Considering all possible methods from those listed above for screening consumers, the Stages of Change model may be the best way to segment consumers interested in healthier eating. Using the Stages of Change required less time and the least effort from consumers because there were only three questions; and interpreting results does not require calculation or analysis.

O desenvolvimento comportamental de um recém-nascido a termo é influenciado pelas experiências sensoriais durante a vida pós-uterina. No caso de crianças nascidas pré-termo, essas experiências são prejudicadas, uma vez que as abordagens realizadas em um ambiente de terapia intensiva ou semi-intensiva não são favoráveis ao desenvolvimento. O posicionamento em ninho é uma estratégia de cuidado desenvolvimental capaz de reduzir os efeitos deletérios dos ambientes nocivos das unidades de terapia intensiva e semi-intensiva, auxiliando em um melhor desenvolvimento do recém-nascido. O objetivo do estudo foi comparar os efeitos do posicionamento em ninho nos decúbitos dorsal (DD) e lateral direito (DLD) em relação aos estados de sono e vigília, frequência cardíaca (FC) e saturação periférica de oxigênio (SpO2) em recém-nascidos pré-termo. Trata-se de um ensaio clinico randomizado, controlado e cruzado (crossover), composto por 30 recém-nascidos pré- termo, saudáveis, com idade pós-conceptual >= 32 semanas e idade pós-natal > 24 horas no dia da intervenção, de ambos os sexos, internados em Unidade de Cuidados Intermediários Neonatais do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brasil. A intervenção foi realizada mediante posicionamento dos recém-nascidos nos decúbitos dorsal e lateral direito, sendo randomizados em dois grupos, de acordo com a ordem de posicionamento nos decúbitos por meio de sorteio. Permaneceram por 30 minutos em cada postura e neste período foram coletados indicadores comportamentais e fisiológicos. Nos resultados, o DLD favoreceu a maior permanência em sono ativo, em valores absolutos, enquanto que o DD favoreceu a permanência em alerta ativo quieto. Quanto às variáveis fisiológicas, a SpO2 foi menor no DLD comparado ao DD, porém, sem relevância clínica. Não houve diferença estatística quanto à FC. Concluímos que ambos os posicionamentos favoreceram a menor ativação comportamental, porém o DLD manteve os lactentes em maior permanência nos estados de sono em relação ao DD, em valores absolutos / The behavioral development of a newborn at term is influenced by sensory experiences during intrauterine life. In the case of children born preterm, these experiences are harmed, since the approaches taken in an environment of intensive or semi-intensive therapy are not favorable to development. The positioning in nest is a developmental care strategy able to reduce the deleterious effects of harmful providing a better development of the newborn. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of positioning in nest in the dorsal (DP) and right lateral position (RLP) in relation to the states of sleep and wakefulness, cardiac frequency and peripheral oxygen saturation in pre-term newborns. This is a randomized clinical trial, controlled crossover study, composed of 30 preterm newborns, healthy, with postconceptional age >= 32 weeks and postnatal age > 24 hours in the day of the intervention, of both sexes, hospitalized in the neonatal intermediate care unit of the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil. The intervention was performed by positioning the newborns in the dorsal and right lateral positions, being randomized in two groups, according to the order of positioning in the decubitus by means of a draw. They remained for 30 minutes in each posture and during this period were collected behavioral and physiological indicators. In the results, the RLD favored a greater permanence in active sleep, in absolute values, while DP favored permanence in the active alert quiet. Regarding physiological variables, the peripheral oxygen saturation was lower in the RLD compared to DP, but without clinical relevance. There was no statistical difference regarding the cardiac frequency. We conclude that both positions have favored lower behavioral activation, however RDL kept infants in greater permanence in the states of sleep in relation to the DD, in absolute values

O conhecimento das preferências ecológicas de espécies de foraminíferos planctônicos tem sido muito utilizada em investigações paleoceanográficas obtendo bons resultados. O presente estudo realizou inferências sobre as condições oceanográficas das águas superficiais da porção sudoeste do Atlântico Sul nos últimos 450.000 anos através da variação da abundância de foraminíferos planctônicos em dois testemunhos da Bacia de Campos. A partir da Análise de Correspondência foram identificados os três principais fatores responsáveis pela variação dos foraminíferos planctônicos encontrados em cada um dos testemunhos. No testemunho KF-13 os três fatores principais foram interpretados como temperatura, espessura da camada de mistura e sazonalidade; enquanto para o testemunho KF-14 os fatores foram definidos como espessura da camada de mistura, produtividade e sazonalidade. Com esses fatores foram identificados os intervalos de maior intensidade de ventos e produtividade na região. As principais mudanças climáticas do Atlântico Sul encontram-se relacionadas às mudanças de intensidade de ventos e dos sistemas dependentes deles como o Giro Subtropical do Atlântico e a Zona de Convergência Subtropical. / Paleoceanographic investigations based on planktonic foraminifera ecologic preferences are widely and succesfully applied. The present study infered surface waters oceanographic conditions from the South Atlantic southwest margin in the past 450.000 years through the planktonic foramifera abundance variation in two cores from Campos Basin. Correspondence Analysis defined three principal factors responsible for the planktonic foraminifera abundance variation in each core. The three KF-13 main factors were interpreted as temperature, mixed layer thickness and sazonality; KF-14 principal factors were defined as mixed layer thickness, productivity and sazonality. These factors made it possible to identify higher wind stress and higher productivity intervals in this region. The main climatic variations in South Atlantic are due to changes in wind stress and the systems which depend on it such as the Atlantic Subtropical Gyre and the Subtropical Convergence Zone.

O propósito desta tese é analisar as contribuições da gestão de recursos humanos ao longo dos estágios evolutivos da gestão ambiental empresarial. Para tanto, realizou-se uma fundamentação teórica sobre a evolução da gestão ambiental nas empresas e sobre como as principais dimensões funcionais e competitivas da gestão de recursos humanos podem contribuir com os objetivos de gestão ambiental. Esta fundamentação teórica apoiou o desenvolvimento de uma triangulação da pesquisa empírica, pautada em duas fases complementares. Na primeira delas, dados foram coletados junto a 94 empresas possuidoras de certificação ISO 14001, para posterior análise e processamento, por meio de técnicas estatísticas descritivas, de correlação e de análise fatorial, gerando diretrizes analíticas relevantes para subsidiar a segunda fase da pesquisa empírica. Essa segunda fase constou da realização de um estudo de múltiplos casos junto a quatro empresas para a análise em profundidade das contribuições da gestão de recursos humanos para a gestão ambiental empresarial. Os resultados permitem constatar que a evolução da gestão ambiental empresarial requer o apoio de diferentes dimensões da gestão de recursos humanos, em termos de quantidade e intensidade das interações estabelecidas. / The purpose of this research is to analyze the contributions of human resources management along the evolution stages of environmental management in companies. Thus a theoretical framework about environmental management and its evolution and the greening of the functional and competitive dimensions of human resource management was elaborated. This revision of literature supports the development of a triangular empirical research which is developed in two complimentary phases. In the first phase, data was collected from 94 brazilian companies with ISO 14001 certification, for further analysis and processing through statically descriptive techniques, Spearman correlation and factor analysis. These statistical methods provide relevant analytical directions to support the second phase of this empirical research. The second phase consists of a study of multiple cases in four brazilian companies to further understand the contributions of human resources management to environmental management mainly in the context of production function. The results give evidence that the evolution of environmental management requires support from the various dimensions of human resource management in terms of variety and intensity of the relationship established.

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo principal analisar as mudanças ocorridas no Eixo Leste de expansão urbana da cidade de Barreiras - BA, sob a perspectiva da Geomorfologia Antropogênica. Os procedimentos metodológicos foram baseados nas obras de Lima (1990), Rodrigues (1997), Nir (1983) e Moroz-Caccia Gouveia (2010) que referem-se à interpretação das interferências humanas sobre os sistemas físicos terrestres, que neste caso foi interpretado dentro de uma área urbana. Ainda foram feitos trabalhos de laboratório para elaboração de produtos cartográficos como mapas e perfis topográficos, além de diversos trabalhos de campo no sentido de verificar as transformações geomorfológicas e antropogênicas existentes. De maneira geral a área foi dividida em cinco patamares geomorfológicos, descritos entre Serra do Mimo até a margem direita do rio Grande. A geomorfologia da área se configura entre relevo tabuliforme da serra, áreas de encosta com relevo suave-ondulado e áreas planas na margem direita do rio Grande. A intensa presença de empreendimentos imobiliários ocasionada pela acelerada expansão urbana é responsável pela transformação do meio físico. A área de estudo ainda não encontra-se totalmente transformada, mas já apresenta sinais de mudanças, as quais foram categorizadas por distintos estágios de perturbação e suas respectivas respostas relacionadas as formas, processos e materiais correlativos a estas perturbações. / The present research has as main objective to analyze how changes occurred in the East Side of Urban Expansions of the city of Barreiras - BA, from an Anthropogenic Geomorphology perspective. The methodological experts were based on the works of Lima (1990), Rodrigues (1997), Nir (1983) and Moroz-Caccia Gouveia (2010) that refer to the interpretation of human interferences on terrestrial physical systems wich in this case was interpreted within an urban area. Laboratory work was also carried out for the elaboration of cartographic products such as maps and topographic profiles, as well as several field works in the sense of verification as existing geomorphological and anthropogenic transformations. In general, the area was divided into five geomorphological levels, described between the Serra do Mimo and the right bank of the Grande river. The geomorphology of the area is between tabuliform relief of the mountain range, sloping areas with soft-wavy relief and flat areas on the right bank of the Grande river. The intense presence of real estate developments through urban acceleration is responsible for the transformation of the physical environment. The area is not fully transformed yet, but it has already shown signs of changes, such as which were categorized by different stages of perturbation and their related responses as forms, processes and materials correlative to these perturbations.

The psychometric properties of a parent-completed developmental questionnaire for children at 6 years of age were investigated. Currently, few developmental screening instruments for 6-year-old children have been validated, and most available instruments are designed to be completed by teachers or professionals, who may not witness an optimal sample of child behavior. Thus a screening tool with robust psychometric properties is needed that can be completed by parents or caregivers who see the child across settings and time. A total of 169 children participated in this research. Data collection included online and paper completion during well child visits, in clinics, at preschool programs, and in parents' homes. A random subsample was asked to participate in reliability and convergent validity studies. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to measure internal consistency reliability. Results indicated a Cronbach alpha of agreement with the Child Development Inventory was used. A Confirmatory Factor Analysis with categorical data confirmed the 6-Year Ages and Stages Questionnaire domains, e.g., communication, personal social, fine motor, gross motor, and problem solving. Limitations of the current study and directions for future research are discussed. / 10000-01-01

Juntamente com o estágio larval, o estágio ninfal de carrapatos do gênero Amblyomma é o mais agressivo para seres humanos que adentram áreas habitadas por animais silvestres e alguns domésticos. No entanto, devido à inexistência de descrição morfológica do estágio ninfal de muitas das espécies de Amblyomma que ocorrem no Brasil, juntamente com a falta de uma chave taxonômica para esses carrapatos, muito pouco se sabe sobre a biologia e ecologia das ninfas de Amblyomma spp que parasitam humanos e animais no país. A grande maioria dos estudos tem se concentrado no estágio adulto de Amblyomma spp, por se tratar do único em que há descrições morfológicas e chave taxonômica para todas as espécies conhecidas. No presente estudo, a descrição morfológica do estágio ninfal, com características importantes ilustradas através da microscopia eletrônica de varredura, foi realizada para ninfas das seguintes 15 espécies de carrapatos do gênero Amblyomma que ocorrem no Brasil, para as quais o estágio ninfal permanecia sem descrição: Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas, 1772), Amblyomma auricularium (Conil, 1878), Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma coelebs Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma fuscum Neumann, 1907, Amblyomma humerale Koch, 1844, Amblyomma incisum Neumann, 1906, Amblyomma latepunctatum Tonelli-Rondelli, 1939, Amblyomma naponense (Packard, 1869), Amblyomma nodosum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma ovale Koch, 1844, Amblyomma pacae Aragão, 1911, Amblyomma pseudoconcolor Aragão, 1908, Amblyomma scalpturatum Neumann, 1906, Amblyomma varium Koch, 1844. Em adição, o estágio ninfal das seguintes 12 espécies de Amblyomma, que haviam sido previamente descritas, foram redescritas: Amblyomma brasiliense Aragão, 1908, Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787), Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844, Amblyomma dubitatum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma longirostre (Koch, 1844), Amblyomma oblongoguttatum Koch, 1844, Amblyomma parkeri Fonseca e Aragão, 1952, Amblyomma parvum Aragão, 1908, Amblyomma romitii Tonelli-Rondelli, 1939, Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844, Amlyomma tigrinum Koch, 1844, Amblyomma triste Koch, 1844. As descrições e redescrições totalizaram 27 espécies, não contemplando apenas duas (Amblyomma geayi Neumann, 1899 e Amblyomma goeldii Neumann, 1899) das 29 espécies de Amblyomma que ocorrem de forma estabelecida no Brasil. As ninfas utilizadas para a descrição ou redescrição morfológica foram provenientes de colônias de laboratório, iniciadas com fêmeas adultas previamente identificadas e colhidas na natureza. A única exceção foi A. parkeri, que foi redescrita a partir de um único exemplar disponível em coleção. Para cada espécie, são apresentadas ilustrações obtidas através de microscopia eletrônica de varredura de pelo menos quatro regiões anatômicas dos carrapatos: capítulo dorsal, capítulo ventral, escudo dorsal e coxas I, II, III, IV. Por fim, foi construída uma chave dicotômica para auxílio na identificação taxonômica do estágio ninfal de 27 espécies de Amblyomma estabelecidas no Brasil. / Together with the larval stage, the nymphal stage of ticks of the genus Amblyomma are the most aggressive ticks for humans entering in areas inhabited by wild life and some domestic animals. However, due to the inexistence of morphological description of the nymphal stage of many Amblyomma species that occur in Brazil, together with the lack of a taxonomic key for these ticks, little or nothing is known about the biology and ecology of Amblyomma spp nymphs that parasitize humans and animals in the country. The great majority of the studies have concentrated in the tick adult stage, for which morphological descriptions and taxonomic keys are available for all known species. In the present study, the morphological description of the nymphal stage, illustrating important characters through scanning electron microscopy, was performed for nymphs of following 15 Amblyomma species that occur in Brazil, for which the nymphal stage had never been described: Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas, 1772), Amblyomma auricularium (Conil, 1878), Amblyomma calcaratum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma coelebs Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma fuscum Neumann, 1907, Amblyomma humerale Koch, 1844, Amblyomma incisum Neumann, 1906, Amblyomma latepunctatum Tonelli-Rondelli, 1939, Amblyomma naponense (Packard, 1869), Amblyomma nodosum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma ovale Koch, 1844, Amblyomma pacae Aragão, 1911, Amblyomma pseudoconcolor Aragão, 1908, Amblyomma scalpturatum Neumann, 1906, Amblyomma varium Koch, 1844. In addition, the nymphal stage of the following 12 Amblyomma species, which had been previously described, were redescribed: Amblyomma brasiliense Aragão, 1908, Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787), Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844, Amblyomma dubitatum Neumann, 1899, Amblyomma longirostre (Koch, 1844), Amblyomma oblongoguttatum Koch, 1844, Amblyomma parkeri Fonseca e Aragão, 1952, Amblyomma parvum Aragão, 1908, Amblyomma romitii Tonelli-Rondelli, 1939, Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844, Amblyomma tigrinum Koch, 1844, Amblyomma triste Koch, 1844. The descriptions and redescriptions totalized 27 species. Only two species (Amblyomma geayi Neumann, 1899 and Amblyomma goeldii Neumann, 1899) out of the 29 Amblyomma species established in Brazil were not included in the present study. Nymphal specimens used for morphological descriptions or redescriptions were derived from laboratory colonies that were started with field-collected adult ticks, previously identified to species. The only exception was A. parkeri, which was redescribed from a single nymphal specimen that was available in a tick collection. For each tick species, scanning electron microscopy-photographs are presented for at least four anatomic regions: dorsal capitulum, ventral capitulum, dorsal scutum, and coxae I, II, III, IV. Finally, a dichotomic key was constructed to support taxonomic identification of the nymphal stage of 27 Amblyomma species established in Brazil.