Abstract
Although MNEs are important players in the present global world, there has been a debate regarding, on one hand, how MNEs contribute to the development of indigenous firms in host countries, and on the other hand, how indigenous suppliers are able to cope with their international technology demanding clients. This chapter analyzes the patterns of technology acquisition of 40 firms that supply eight multinational firms that belong to four different industries. It is possible to conclude that there are certain differences among foreign and indigenous suppliers as well across the industries they belong to. These differences are the result of a cumulative process over time, which reflect the different performances of the companies and their relationships with the environment.

Abstract
The hospitalization of patients with Heart Failure represents an increasing burden for the healthcare system with more than 23 million worldwide suffering from this disease. In this paper we explore methods to detect fluid retention in the lungs by measuring the thoracic impedance, so that is possible to monitor Heart Failure patients, and physicians can early detect acute episodes. A small and portable device was developed to measure the thoracic impedance of the patient. From the measured thoracic impedance it can estimate the accumulation of fluid in the lungs. This device is a low cost, friendly to use equipment that can be operated by a big range of users: Moreover, it was designed for low power consumption with a rechargeable battery for portable use. The device empowers the patient to monitor his own body fluid at home, and a physician can follow him remotely. This procedure would help to drastically reduce the number of hospitalizations and, consequently, improve the quality of life of people diagnosed with Heart Failure.

Abstract
This study addresses long-term sea level variability in Macaronesia from a holistic perspective using all available instrumental records in the region, including a dense network of GPS continuous stations, tide gauges and satellite observations. A detailed assessment of vertical movement from GPS time series underlines the influence of the complex volcano-tectonic setting of the Macaronesian islands in local uplift/subsidence. Relative sea level for the region is spatially highly variable, ranging from -1.1 to 5.1 mm yr(-1). Absolute sea level from satellite altimetry exhibits consistent trends in the Macaronesia, with a mean value of 3.0 +/- 0.5 mm yr(-1). Typically, sea level trends from tide gauge records corrected for vertical movement using the estimates from GPS time series are lower than uncorrected estimates. The agreement between satellite altimetry and tide gauge trends corrected for vertical land varies substantially from island to island. Trends derived from the combination of GPS and tide gauge observations differ by less than 1 mm yr(-1) with respect to absolute sea level trends from satellite altimetry for 56 per cent of the stations, despite the heterogeneity in length of both GPS and tide gauge series, and the influence of volcanic-tectonic processes affecting the position of some GPS stations.

Abstract
The use of Fourier methods in wave-front reconstruction can significantly reduce the computation time for large telescopes with a high number of degrees of freedom. However, Fourier algorithms for discrete data require a rectangular data set which conform to specific boundary requirements, whereas wave-front sensor data is typically defined over a circular domain (the telescope pupil). Here we present an iterative Gerchberg routine modified for the purposes of discrete wave-front reconstruction which adapts the measurement data (wave-front sensor slopes) for Fourier analysis, fulfilling the requirements of the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and providing accurate reconstruction. The routine is used in the adaptation step only and can be coupled to any other Wiener-like or least-squares method. We compare simulations using this method with previous Fourier methods and show an increase in performance in terms of Strehl ratio and a reduction in noise propagation for a 40x40 SPHERE-like adaptive optics system. For closed loop operation with minimal iterations the Gerchberg method provides an improvement in Strehl, from 95.4% to 96.9% in K-band. This corresponds to ~ 40 nm improvement in rms, and avoids the high spatial frequency errors present in other methods, providing an increase in contrast towards the edge of the correctable band.

Abstract
The penetration of micro-generation brings complex problems to the energy field. In this way, various simulators were designed to give decision support for the stakeholders, however, they intent to solve very specific problems. The proposed tool enables the interoperability between heterogeneous simulators, to simulate more complex problems.

Abstract
This paper introduces a novel control design method for stabilization of input constrained non-holonomic wheeled systems. Important classes of mobile robots can be controlled by the proposed method, namely differential drive robots and car like systems where certain constraints are imposed on the system inputs and states. The proposed control is based on the recently developed Constrained Directions Method (CDM). CDM guarantees stabilization and preservation of the constraints on the inputs and provides control over the transient performance of robot. Moreover, it has been shown that CDM has a built-in preventive measure against wheel slip due to the inverse proportionality of robot forward velocity to the curvature of the path. Simulation results are used to show the validity of the proposed stabilizing control and to compare the performance of CDM with several well-known methods from the literature.