An assessment method for GIS-T software

The objective of the research work summarized in this paper was to develop a method to assess, concerning its functional and performance characteristics, GIS software applied to transportation planning (the so-called GIS-T packages). Three computer packages were compared with the developed procedure, which focuses on several characteristics: descriptive aspects (e.g., learning time and customization possibilities, among others), basic GIS operational characteristics, advanced GIS features, and transportation planning routines. In order to conduct a more effective analysis of their potential as a transportation planning tool they were all applied for finding a solution of a problem involving the calculation of a simple, straightforward accessibility measure. The results found suggest that all three systems comply with the minimum configuration desired for GIS software. However, only two of them fit in the GIS-T category, since the third one did not supply the main necessary tools to solve the specific transportation problem proposed

A SDSS for integrated management of health and education facilities at the local level : challenges and opportunities in a developing country

The objective of this paper is to discuss challenges and opportunities met during the development of a SDSS (Spatial Decision Support System) for integrated management of health and education facilities at the local level in Brazil. The goal of the proposed system is to seek for an optimal arrangement of health and education facilities in medium-sized cities, in order to reduce both facilities construction costs and user's transportation costs that ought to be produced during a time span of two to four decades. Some of the operational difficulties observed during the early implementation steps of the proposed SDSS are discussed in this paper. Apparently, they can be relevant in the practical application of similar systems. The described experience also suggests that the implementation of systems like the one proposed here can be an opportunity to drive a change in the way that local governments in developing countries deal with planning

A data-driven approach for the definition of metropolitan regions

The objective of this paper is to present a data-driven approach for the definition of metropolitan regions. The proposed approach, which constitutes an option to avoid the endless confrontations that may be derived from the essentially subjective political criteria, explores two branches of Spatial Analyses: Spatial Statistics and Spatial Modeling. Spatial Statistics tools are used to identify the characteristics of local association and combined with Cellular Automata techniques in order to build prediction models. The analyses conducted with Exploratory Spatial Data Analyses (ESDA) tools and census data give a clear indication of clusters of zones with similar characteristics, which can be seen as uniform regions. Spatial dynamic models can then be used to foresee the global behavior of regions in terms of growth, although based on local (and historical) relationships among zones. The proposed approach is tested in a case study carried out in Portugal, where this is a timely issue

A spatial analysis approach for the definition of metropolitan regions : the case of Portugal

The objective of this paper is to present a combined, two-step spatial analysis approach for the definition of metropolitan regions. The proposed approach, which constitutes an option to avoid the endless confrontations that may be derived from the essentially subjective political criteria, explores two branches of spatial analysis: spatial statistics and spatial modelling. Spatial statistics tools are used to identify the characteristics of local association and are combined with a neural network in order to build prediction models. The analyses conducted with exploratory spatial data analysis tools and census data give a clear indication of clusters of zones with similar characteristics, which can be seen as uniform regions. Spatial models can then be used to foresee the global behaviour of regions in terms of growth, albeit the basis of local (and historical) relationships among zones. The proposed approach is tested in a case study carried out in Portugal, where this is a timely issue

Factors associated with the reproductive future of patients wishing pregnancy after being submitted to tubal ligation

Objetivo: analisar os fatores associados ao futuro reprodutivo de mulheres submetidas previamente à laqueadura tubária (LT), que desejavam nova gestação, atendidas em serviço público. MétodoS: realizou-se estudo prospectivo, no qual foram incluídos 98 pacientes, submetidas previamente a LT, que procuraram o serviço de reprodução humana no período de janeiro de 1996 a janeiro de 2004 desejando nova gestação. Utilizou-se, como instrumento de pesquisa, o seguimento dessas mulheres desde a primeira consulta, na qual solicitaram a reversão do procedimento, até a aplicação do questionário estruturado no final do período do estudo, abordando aspectos sociodemográficos das pacientes nos momentos da solicitação da laqueadura e da reversão do procedimento. Resultadosos: a média da idade na época da ligadura era de 25 anos, sendo que 55,1% tinham menos de 25 anos, 46,9% tinham três ou mais filhos, e dez tinham apenas um filho. As causas mais comuns para a indicação da LT foram: desejo de contracepção (48%), problemas financeiros (25,5%), e problemas conjugais (15,3%). As principais razões para tentativa de nova gravidez foram: novo matrimônio/novo parceiro (80,6%), ter um novo filho com o mesmo parceiro (8,2%), e morte de um filho (6,1%). O tempo de arrependimento informado pela maioria das mulheres foi entre dois e quatro anos, e a procura pela reversão, no intervalo de seis a dez anos. Para 83,6% da amostra, faltou informação a respeito da laqueadura e dificuldades da reversão. Em 20 pacientes foi realizada recanalização tubária e, das dez mulheres que ficaram grávidas, seis tiveram filhos a termo. Para oito pacientes foi indicada fertilização in vitro, e, destas, quatro mulheres ficaram grávidas e duas conceberam recém-nascidos a termo. Conclusões: LT em mulheres jovens, vulneráveis e não informadas a respeito do caráter definitivo do método pode aumentar a demanda em serviços de reprodução assistida e comprometer o futuro reprodutivo, uma vez que apenas uma minoria dessas pacientes alcançam os objetivos.Purpose: to analyze the factors associated with the reproductive future of patients wishing to become pregnant after having being submitted to tubal ligation (TL), attended at a public service. Methods: a prospective study including 98 patients previously submitted to TL, who came to the Human Reproduction Center of the University Hospital of Brasilia (HUB), from January 1996 to January 2004, wishing to become pregnant again These patients were followed up from their first appointment till the end of the study, when they answered a structured questionnaire about the social demographic aspects at both the moment they asked for the TL and the reversion of the procedure. Results: the patients’ average age at the TL procedure was 25 years old. Among them, 55.1% were younger than 25, 46.9% had three or more children, and ten of them had only one child. The most common reasons for the TL procedure were: contraception (48%), financial difficulties (25.5%) and marital problems (15.3%). The major causes for wishing a new pregnancy were: a new relationship/marriage (80.6%), the desire of having another child with the same partner (8.2%), and the death of a child (6.1%). The regret time informed by most of the patients was between two and four years, and the search for reversion was between six and ten years. About 83.6% of the sample referred lack of information about the procedure and the difficulties of reversion. Twenty patients were submitted to TL reversal procedure; from the ten who became pregnant, only six delivered babies, after a full-term pregnancy. Eight patients were referred to in vitro fertilization treatment, four of them became pregnant and two delivered healthy babies. Conclusions: TL in young vulnerable women, not informed about the definitive condition of the method, may increase the search for attended reproduction services and impair their reproductive future, as far as only 8.1% of the sample delivered babies and reached their goal

The Influence of Collateral on Capital Requirements in the Brazilian Financial System: an approach through historical average and logistic regression on probability of default

Using data drawn from the Brazilian Central Bank Credit Information System, this paper evaluates the impact of the use of collateral on the probability of default and, consequently, on capital requirement levels in the Brazilian financial system. Literature suggests that the existence of collateral in some credit operations increases the debtor's readiness to honor its commitment and, therefore, could result in a lower probability of default. The methodology used to calculate capital requirements is based on the Basel II IRB-Foundation Approach, although the probabilities of default have been estimated by historical averages following Basel II orientation, and corroborated by a logistic regression model. The test of hypothesis about difference between collateralized and uncollateralized probabilities of default for each risk class indicates that they are statistically different. This result was obtained both from historical average probability of default as from logistic regression model.Sob condições específicas, incluindo o requerimento de capital de 11% adotado no Brasil e a Perda dado Default (ou LGD da sigla em inglês) estabelecida em 45%, este artigo também procura identificar um fator de equivalência da razão entre os requerimentos de capital para risco de crédito na Abordagem Padronizada Simplificada e aqueles calculados pela Abordagem Básica do IRB. Para a amostra utilizada, os resultados indicam que operações de não-varejo com garantia possuem uma probabilidade média de default de 2,46% e um fator de equivalência de 60%. Em contrapartida, operações não garantidas possuem uma probabilidade média de default de 6,66% e um fator de equivalência de 93%, aproximando-se bastante do fator de ponderação de 100% da Abordagem Padronizada Simplificada.

Representações de Maria Augusta em As Três Marias, de Rachel de Queiroz: uma proposta de análise

O presente artigo busca fazer a análise literária através do percurso narrativo da protagonista Maria Augusta na obra As três Marias, de Rachel de Queiroz (2005[1939]), com o objetivo de compreender o que poderia ocorrer com as mulheres da primeira metade do século XX que não atendessem aos ideais da sociedade da época que era imposto para com elas. Tendo isso em vista, utilizaremos como corpus fragmentos da própria obra As três Marias para assim traçarmos esse percurso sobre a vida da mulher naquela época. Nesta perspectiva nos embasaremos na teoria literária de Candido (2011) no que se refere à representação do personagem da ficção para analisarmos a protagonista do corpus da nossa pesquisa, bem como fazer uma comparação da personagem Guta com a imagem prototípica da mulher ideal para aquela primeira metade do século. Nossa metodologia baseia-se na perspectiva bibliográfica, de caráter qualitativo. Portanto, conseguiremos chegar as discussões sobre a inferioridade da figura feminina na época, tendo em vista sua luta por emancipaçã

An analysis of energy consumption for transportation in Portuguese cities using artificial neural networks

Empirical studies carried out in several parts of the world have highlighted the existence of a strong relationship between the physical planning of cities and energy use for transportation. Despite the economic and environmental costs produced by urban sprawl, several countries have not yet started to study the phenomenon in order to better understand it and to somehow control it. Thus, this study tries to bring a contribution to the subject through an analysis of the situation found in some of the main Portuguese cities, which however do not include Lisbon and Oporto. The main objective of this work is to identify the variables related to physical aspects of the cities and socioeconomic characteristics of urbanized areas in Portugal that significantly influence energy consumption for transportation. After the spatial and socioeconomic data were comb ined in a single database, they were analyzed using Artificial Neural Network models, in order to identify variables that are relevant to energy consumption for transportation, along with their relative weights. The results found in the current study confirmed the trend observed in several countries worldwide, in which the characteristics of urban form and population distribution played an important role influencing energy use for transportation

An agent-based model as a tool of planning at a sub-regional scale

This paper describes an agent-based model developed to simulate the impact that different planning policies may have in enhancing the attractiveness of the industrial estates located in a network of four municipalities located in the North of Portugal. The policies were simulated using three scenarios that can be distinguished by the municipal level of coordination they are implemented and by the type of action performed. In the model, enterprises are agents looking for a suitable location and the estates attractiveness is based on their level of facilities, amenities, accessibility and in the cost of soil. The coordinated qualification of the industrial estates is the most effective policy to strengthen their attractiveness. It was in this scenario that more industrial estates become attractive and more enterprises relocated. Results also indicate that the promotion of diffused and unqualified industrial estates is an inefficient policy to attract enterprises.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/48567/2008 grant

Entrepreneurs’ perspectives and perceptions about the conditions offered by the industrial estates of the quadrilátero urbano

O objetivo do artigo consiste em apresentar as principais conclusões de um inquérito aos empresários instalados nas áreas de acolhimento empresarial do Quadrilátero Urbano, designação dada à rede constituída pelos municípios de Barcelos, Braga, Guimarães e Vila Nova de Famalicão. Este inquérito, que foi elaborado no âmbito de um estudo mais vasto de ordenamento dos espaços empresariais destes quatro municípios, procurou identificar o comportamento locativo dos empresários e o seu grau de satisfação em relação às condições oferecidas por estes espaços. O objetivo foi o de perceber onde estavam localizadas as empresas anteriormente, que motivos levaram à sua deslocalização para aquelas áreas, que avaliação os empresários fazem das condições existentes nesses espaços e quais são as suas intenções de localização futura. Os resultados mostram que a maior parte das empresas tinha uma localização difusa (fora de um espaço empresarial), que os empresários têm uma opinião globalmente favorável das condições oferecidas pelos espaços empresariais do Quadrilátero, mesmo considerando a baixa cobertura em termos de infraestruturas e de serviços. Apenas uma minoria dos inquiridos manifestou intenção de se deslocalizar para outros espaços.This article presents the results of a study undertaken in the Quadrilátero Urbano, designation given to a network composed by the municipalities of Barcelos, Braga, Guimarães and Vila Nova de Famalicão, which aimed at assessing how entrepreneurs perceive the conditions offered by the industrial estates located in this territory. The survey is part of a broader planning study and was performed with the purpose of understand the locative behaviour of entrepreneurs. The goal was to perceive where the entrepreneurs were located before, to identify which reason(s) explained their relocation to an industrial estate and to understand their evaluation regarding the conditions offered by the industrial estates. Furthermore, the survey was also implemented to disclose the future locative intentions of the entrepreneurs. The results show that mostly of the enterprises initially had a diffuse location (outside an industrial estate), the entrepreneurs have a general favourable opinion of the conditions offered by the industrial estates, despite the low coverage in terms of facilities and amenities diagnosed. Only a few entrepreneurs intends to relocate to other spaces in the future