The provision of wage insurance by the firm: evidence from a longitudinal matched employer-employee dataset

We evaluate the impact of product market uncertainty on workers wages, addressing the questions: To what extent do firms provide insurance to their workforce, insulating their wages from shocks in product markets? How does the amount of insurance provided vary with firm and worker attributes? We use a longitudinal matched employer-employee dataset of remarkable quality. The empirical strategy is based on Guiso et al. (2005). We first estimate dynamic models of sales and wages to retrieve consistent estimates of shocks to firms’ sales and to workers’ earnings. We are then able to estimate the sensitivity of wages to permanent and transitory shocks to firm performance. Results point to the rejection of the full insurance hypothesis. Workers’ wages respond to permanent shocks to firm performance, whereas they are not sensitive to transitory shocks. Managers are not fully insured against transitory shocks, while they receive the same protection against permanent shocks as workers in other occupations. Firms with higher variability in their sales, and those operating in di?erent industries, o?er more insurance against permanent shocks. Comparison with Guiso et al. (2005) indicates that Portuguese firms provide less insurance than Italian firms, corroborating evidence on the high degree of wage flexibility in Portugal.

Demand for higher education programs: the impact of the Bologna process

The Bologna process aims at creating a European Higher Education Area where intercountry mobility of students and sta?, as well as workers holding a degree, is facilitated. While several aspects of the process deserve wide public support, the reduction of the length of the first cycle of studies to three years, in several continental European countries where it used to last for four or five years, is less consensual. The paper checks the extent of public confidence in the restructuring of higher education currently underway, by looking at its implications on the demand for academic programs. It exploits the fact that some programs have restructured under the Bologna process and others have not, in Portugal. Precise quantification of the demand for each academic program is facilitated by the rules of access to higher education, in a nation-wide competition, where candidates must list up to six preferences of institution and program. We use regression analysis applied to count data, estimating negative binomial models. Results indicate that the programs that restructured to follow the Bologna principles were subject to higher demand than comparable programs that did not restructure, as if Bologna were understood as a quality stamp. This positive impact was reinforced if the institution was a leader, i.e. the single one in the country that restructured the program. Still an additional increase in demand was experienced by large programs that restructured to offer an integrated master degree, thus conforming to Bologna principles while not reducing the program duration.education policy; European Higher Education Area; economic, social and cultural integration; count data.

Demand for Higher Education Programs: The Impact of the Bologna Process

The Bologna process aims at creating a European Higher Education Area where inter-country mobility of students and staff, as well as workers holding a degree, is facilitated. While several aspects of the process deserve wide public support, the reduction of the length of the first cycle of studies to three years, in several continental European countries where it used to last for four or five years, is less consensual. The paper checks the extent of public confidence in the restructuring of higher education currently underway, by looking at its implications on the demand for academic programs in Portugal. Precise quantification of the demand for each academic program is facilitated by the rules of access to higher education, in a nation-wide competition, where candidates must list up to six preferences of institution and program. We use regression analysis applied to count data, estimating negative binomial models. Results indicate that the programs that restructured to follow the Bologna principles were subject to higher demand than comparable programs that did not restructure, as if Bologna were understood as a quality stamp. This positive impact was reinforced if the institution was a leader, i.e. the single one in the country that restructured that program. Still an additional increase in demand was experienced by large programs that restructured to offer an integrated master degree, thus conforming to Bologna principles while not reducing the program duration.education policy, European Higher Education Area, economic, social and cultural integration, count data

Efeito do exercício terapêutico nos défices dos doentes com Alzheimer: revisão sistemática

Projeto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciada em FisioterapiaA doença de Alzheimer (DA) é uma desordem neurodegenerativa irreversível, levando a amnésia progressiva com aparecimento posterior de perda cognitiva, comportamental e alterações que prejudicam a função e actividades da vida diária (AVD’s). Vários estudos têm demonstrado que o exercício terapêutico apresenta benefícios na DA. Objectivo: O objectivo da presente revisão sistemática foi verificar os efeitos do exercício terapêutico nos défices dos doentes com Alzheimer. Metodologia: Pesquisa na base de dados PubMed, para identificar os estudos randomizados controlados, publicados na língua inglesa entre 2009 e 2014, que abordassem os efeitos dos exercícios terapêuticos com pessoas com a DA. Os critérios de inclusão foram: doentes com a DA e programas de reabilitação com participação do fisioterapeuta. Critérios de exclusão: estudos em que os participantes tenham a coexistência com outras doenças e estudos que não descrevem programas de exercícios. Resultados: Foram identificados 9 artigos randomizados controlados, com classificação metodológica de 7,4 na escala de PEDro, incluíram 1025 participantes. Conclusão: Os resultados dos estudos sugerem que exercícios terapêuticos são benéficos nos principais défices da DA.Alzheimer´s Disease (AD) is irreversible neurodegenerative disorder, leading to a progressive amnestic disorder with subsquent appearance of other cognitive, behavioural and neuropsychiatric changes that impair social function and activites of daily living. Several studies have demonstrated that exercise has a therapeutic benefit in AD. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of exercise therapy in patients with deficits of Alzheimer´s. Methods: Search in the PubMed database to identify randomized controlled trials, published in english between 2009 and 2014, that adress the effects of therapeutic exercises for people with AD. Inclusion criteria were: patients with AD and rehabilitation programs with participation of the physiotherapist. Exclusion criteria: studies in wich participants have coexistence with other diseases and studies that did not describe exercise programs. Results: 9 randomized controlled articles, with methodological rating of 7.4 in the PEDro scale, included 1025 participants. Conclusion: The results of the studies suggest that therapeutic exercises are beneficial in the main deficits of AD

Optimizing preservation protocols to extract high-quality RNA from different tissues of echinoderms for Next Generation Sequencing

Transcriptomic information provides fundamental insights into biological processes. Extraction of quality RNA is a challenging step, and preservation and extraction protocols need to be adjusted in many cases. Our objectives were to optimize preservation protocols for isolation of high‐quality RNA from diverse echinoderm tissues and to compare the utility of parameters as absorbance ratios and RIN values to assess RNA quality. Three different tissues (gonad, oesophagus and coelomocytes) were selected from the sea urchin Arbacia lixula. Solid tissues were flash‐frozen and stored at −80 °C until processed. Four preservation treatments were applied to coelomocytes: flash freezing and storage at −80 °C, RNAlater and storage at −20 °C, preservation in TRIzol reagent and storage at −80 °C and direct extraction with TRIzol from fresh cells. Extractions of total RNA were performed with a modified TRIzol protocol for all tissues. Our results showed high values of RNA quantity and quality for all tissues, showing nonsignificant differences among them. However, while flash freezing was effective for solid tissues, it was inadequate for coelomocytes because of the low quality of the RNA extractions. Coelomocytes preserved in RNAlater displayed large variability in RNA integrity and insufficient RNA amount for further isolation of mRNA. TRIzol was the most efficient system for stabilizing RNA which resulted on high RNA quality and quantity. We did not detect correlation between absorbance ratios and RNA integrity. The best strategies for assessing RNA integrity was the visualization of 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA bands in agarose gels and estimation of RIN values with Agilent Bioanalyzer chips

Prototype of a Conversational Assistant for Satellite Mission Operations

The very first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was launched in 1957 marking a new era. Concurrently, satellite mission operations emerged. These start at launch and finish at the end of mission, when the spacecraft is decommissioned. Running a satellite mission requires the monitoring and control of telemetry data, to verify and maintain satellite health, reconfigure and command the spacecraft, detect, identify and resolve anomalies and perform launch and early orbit operations. The very first chatbot, ELIZA was created in 1966, and also marked a new era of Artificial Intelligence Systems. Said systems answer users’ questions in the most diverse domains, interpreting the human language input and responding in the same manner. Nowadays, these systems are everywhere, and the list of possible applications seems endless. The goal of the present master’s dissertation is to develop a prototype of a chatbot for mission operations. For this purpose implementing a Natural Language Processing (NLP) model for satellite missions allied to a dialogue flow model. The performance of the conversational assistant is evaluated with its implementation on a mission operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), implying the generation of the spacecraft’s Database Knowledge Graph (KG). Throughout the years, many tools have been developed and added to the systems used to monitor and control spacecrafts helping Flight Control Teams (FCT) either by maintaining a comprehensive overview of the spacecraft’s status and health, speeding up failure investigation, or allowing to easily correlate time series of telemetry data. However, despite all the advances made which facilitate the daily tasks, the teams still need to navigate through thousands of parameters and events spanning years of data, using purposely built user interfaces and relying on filters and time series plots. The solution presented in this dissertation and proposed by VisionSpace Technologies focuses on improving operational efficiency whilst dealing with the mission’s complex and extensive databases.O primeiro satélite artificial, Sputnik, foi lançado em 1957 e marcou o início de uma nova era. Simultaneamente, surgiram as operações de missão de satélites. Estas iniciam com o lançamento e terminam com desmantelamento do veículo espacial, que marca o fim da missão. A operação de satélites exige o acompanhamento e controlo de dados de telemetria, com o intuito de verificar e manter a saúde do satélite, reconfigurar e comandar o veículo, detetar, identificar e resolver anomalias e realizar o lançamento e as operações iniciais do satélite. Em 1966, o primeiro Chatbot foi criado, ELIZA, e também marcou uma nova era, de sistemas dotados de Inteligência Artificial. Tais sistemas respondem a perguntas nos mais diversos domínios, para tal interpretando linguagem humana e repondendo de forma similar. Hoje em dia, é muito comum encontrar estes sistemas e a lista de aplicações possíveis parece infindável. O objetivo da presente dissertação de mestrado consiste em desenvolver o protótipo de um Chatbot para operação de satélites. Para este proposito, criando um modelo de Processamento de Linguagem Natural (NLP) aplicado a missoões de satélites aliado a um modelo de fluxo de diálogo. O desempenho do assistente conversacional será avaliado com a sua implementação numa missão operada pela Agência Espacial Europeia (ESA), o que implica a elaboração do grafico de conhecimentos associado à base de dados da missão. Ao longo dos anos, várias ferramentas foram desenvolvidas e adicionadas aos sistemas que acompanham e controlam veículos espaciais, que colaboram com as equipas de controlo de missão, mantendo uma visão abrangente sobre a condição do satélite, acelerando a investigação de falhas, ou permitindo correlacionar séries temporais de dados de telemetria. No entanto, apesar de todos os progressos que facilitam as tarefas diárias, as equipas ainda necessitam de navegar por milhares de parametros e eventos que abrangem vários anos de recolha de dados, usando interfaces para esse fim e dependendo da utilização de filtros e gráficos de series temporais. A solução apresentada nesta dissertação e proposta pela VisionSpace Technologies tem como foco melhorar a eficiência operacional lidando simultaneamente com as suas complexas e extensas bases de dados

Regulation and marketisation in the Portuguese higher education system

This paper builds on the ongoing discussion on regulation and marketisation of higher education. It aims at investigating the higher education market (des)equilibrium. Teixeira, Rosa and Amaral (2004) have analysed the presence/absence of market mechanisms in the Portuguese higher education sector. We go a step further in quantifying the (mis)mactching between demand and supply, by suggesting and computing a set of indicators, which provide the starting point for a ranking-based analysis. Institutional rankings are central to overcome the problem of absence of information on quality in higher education systems, which is a basic requirement for a real higher education market.higher education market, demand, supply

The innovation in the continuity : the list of existing periodicals in health libraries and documentation services in portugal

The “Associação Portuguesa de Documentação e Informação de Saúde” (APDIS) arouse from a network of libraries and documentation & information centres that work in Portugal with health institutions. Association main purpose is to increment healthcare investigation, training and development towards better healthcare delivery, by helping to provide healthcare information and improve information exchange both at national and international levels. The List of Existing Periodicals in Health Libraries and Documentation Services in Portugal is one of the first professional tools edited by the Association and results from a strong cooperation between health institutions. This effort lead by all APDIS members is already on its sixth edition so far.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

CONSTRUÇÃO DE MATERIAL DIDÁTICO SOBRE CONTROLE BIOLÓGICO: UM OLHAR PARA O ENSINO DE CIÊNCIAS

PISA (2018) demonstrated that 55% of Brazilian students have a low performance in Science, highlighting the need to introduce new methodologies in order to reframe the teaching-learning of the discipline. It was then proposed to build a booklet on Biological Pest Control by students, a theme that starts from the reality of the subjects. The objective was to build knowledge from textual and illustrative production on the topic, considering the development of scientific literacy indicators: writing in science, creating, articulating ideas and problematizing. Were carried out: bibliographic survey; socialization; textual and illustrative production - in pairs; correction; textual and illustrative production (second version); organization and assembly of the booklet for further reading to the Didactic Book. The students demonstrated appropriation of knowledge from the productions, corroborating that writing and illustrative production practices are favorable in the Science discipline, which is intensified by the relationship between scientific knowledge and everyday knowledge.O PISA (2018) demonstrou que 55% dos estudantes brasileiros estão com um baixo rendimento em Ciências, evidenciando a necessidade de introduzir novas metodologias com vistas em ressignificar o ensino-aprendizagem da disciplina. Foi, então, proposta a construção de um livreto sobre o Controle Biológico de pragas pelos estudantes, temática que parte da realidade dos sujeitos.  O objetivo foi construir conhecimento a partir da produção textual e ilustrativa sobre o tema, considerando o desenvolvimento dos indicadores de Alfabetização Científica: escrever em ciências, criar, articular ideias e problematizar. Foram realizados: levantamento bibliográfico; socialização; produção textual e ilustrativa em dupla; correção; produção textual e ilustrativa (segunda versão); organização e montagem do livreto para leitura complementar ao Livro Didático. Os estudantes demonstraram apropriação do conhecimento a partir das produções, corroborando que práticas de escrita e produção ilustrativa são favoráveis na disciplina de Ciências, sendo isto intensificado pela relação do conhecimento científico com conhecimento cotidiano