Legal and political regulation of higher education in Portugal: an evolutionary perspective on the current policy issues and the problem of order

The higher education system in Europe is currently under stress and the debates over its reform and future are gaining momentum. Now that, for most countries, we are in a time for change, in the overall society and the whole education system, the legal and political dimensions have gained prominence, which has not been followed by a more integrative approach of the problem of order, its reform and the issue of regulation, beyond the typical static and classical cost-benefit analyses. The two classical approaches for studying (and for designing the policy measures of) the problem of the reform of the higher education system - the cost-benefit analysis and the legal scholarship description - have to be integrated. This is the argument of our paper that the very integration of economic and legal approaches, what Warren Samuels called the legal-economic nexus, is meaningful and necessary, especially if we want to address the problem of order (as formulated by Joseph Spengler) and the overall regulation of the system. On the one hand, and without neglecting the interest and insights gained from the cost-benefit analysis, or other approaches of value for money assessment, we will focus our study on the legal, social and political aspects of the regulation of the higher education system and its reform in Portugal. On the other hand, the economic and financial problems have to be taken into account, but in a more inclusive way with regard to the indirect and other socio-economic costs not contemplated in traditional or standard assessments of policies for the tertiary education sector. In the first section of the paper, we will discuss the theoretical and conceptual underpinning of our analysis, focusing on the evolutionary approach, the role of critical institutions, the legal-economic nexus and the problem of order. All these elements are related to the institutional tradition, from Veblen and Commons to Spengler and Samuels. The second section states the problem of regulation in the higher education system and the issue of policy formulation for tackling the problem. The current situation is clearly one of crisis with the expansion of the cohorts of young students coming to an end and the recurrent scandals in private institutions. In the last decade, after a protracted period of extension or expansion of the system, i. e., the continuous growth of students, universities and other institutions are competing harder to gain students and have seen their financial situation at risk. It seems that we are entering a period of radical uncertainty, higher competition and a new configuration that is slowly building up is the growth in intensity, which means upgrading the quality of the higher learning and getting more involvement in vocational training and life-long learning. With this change, and along with other deep ones in the Portuguese society and economy, the current regulation has shown signs of maladjustment. The third section consists of our conclusions on the current issue of regulation and policy challenge. First, we underline the importance of an evolutionary approach to a process of change that is essentially dynamic. A special attention will be given to the issues related to an evolutionary construe of policy analysis and formulation. Second, the integration of law and economics, through the notion of legal economic nexus, allows us to better define the issues of regulation and the concrete problems that the universities are facing. One aspect is the instability of the political measures regarding the public administration and on which the higher education system depends financially, legally and institutionally, to say the least. A corollary is the lack of clear strategy in the policy reforms. Third, our research criticizes several studies, such as the one made by the OECD in late 2006 for the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, for being too static and neglecting fundamental aspects of regulation such as the logic of actors, groups and organizations who are major players in the system. Finally, simply changing the legal rules will not necessary per se change the behaviors that the authorities want to change. By this, we mean that it is not only remiss of the policy maker to ignore some of the critical issues of regulation, namely the continuous non-respect by academic management and administrative bodies of universities of the legal rules that were once promulgated. Changing the rules does not change the problem, especially without the necessary debates form the different relevant quarters that make up the higher education system. The issues of social interaction remain as intact. Our treatment of the matter will be organized in the following way. In the first section, the theoretical principles are developed in order to be able to study more adequately the higher education transformation with a modest evolutionary theory and a legal and economic nexus of the interactions of the system and the policy challenges. After describing, in the second section, the recent evolution and current working of the higher education in Portugal, we will analyze the legal framework and the current regulatory practices and problems in light of the theoretical framework adopted. We will end with some conclusions on the current problems of regulation and the policy measures that are discusses in recent years

Gestão de informação pessoal em saúde

O sistema de gestão de proteção de dados pessoais e estudos clínicos em Portugal levanta controvérsia e uma interpretação distinta, dada a sensibilidade ética do tema, a integridade humana. Além deste fato, estamos diante de um problema que envolve diversos interesses e, assim, um confronto de posições. Pretende-se, ao longo deste artigo, abordar a percepção da forma como os profissionais da área da saúde, no seu quotidiano, lidam com a questão do tratamento de dados clínicos, numa tentativa de harmonizar pontos de vista e de conteúdo, verificando se há realmente um esforço das instituições hospitalares para facilitarem este processo e permitirem que os usuários sejam universalmente protegidos e bem tratados. Os resultados obtidos no documento de consulta de profissionais de saúde indicam que há uma preocupação com a confidencialidade em 100% dos inquiridos, embora existam sistemas de gestão de dados clínicos diferenciados (seis distintos). Espera-se uma tendência ascendente na procura dessas informações úteis e de interesse para deter essa informação, tomada por profissionais de saúde, instituições de saúde, seguradoras etc. O problema surge no confronto entre a proteção da vida privada, o interesse específico de usuários, o interesse público e as políticas institucionais e governamentais vigentes. Partindo do pressuposto de que a garantia de confidencialidade é uma realidade em termos de segurança, é necessário determinar se os meios utilizados para atingir essa tarefa são os mais eficientes e permitem uma gestão sustentável dos dados de saúde.The management system of protection of personal data and clinical studies in Portugal raises controversy and different interpretation due to the ethical sensitivity of the subject, human integrity. Beyond this fact, we face a problem that involves many interests, and thus a clash of positions. It is intended throughout this article to get answers from professionals in their daily lives to deal with the issue of treatment of clinical data in an attempt to harmonize views and content, checking if there really is an effort by hospitals to facilitate this process and allow users to be universally protected and treated well. The results obtained in the consultation document of health professionals indicate that there is a concern with confidentiality in 100% of respondents, although there are systems of different clinical data management (six distinct). An upward trend, in demand for this useful and of interest to hold this information, is expected and taken by health professionals, health institutions, insurance companies etc. The problem arises in the confrontation between the protection of privacy, the specific interest of users, the public interest and institutional policies and government regulations. Assuming that the guarantee of confidentiality is a reality in terms of security, it is necessary to determine whether the means used to achieve this task are the most efficient and allow a sustainable management of health data

Preços de Transferência — estrutura do problema e suas consequências para os métodos de determinação

A busca de critérios e métodos que permitam distinguir, com rigor, a licitude da ilicitude dos preços de transferência é, hoje, no Direito Tributário Internacional, uma questão de central importância. O crescimento do comércio internacional e a intensificação da ética liberal de lucro que lhe subjaz, por um lado, e os sentidos, por vezes contraditórios, de certos dispositivos e objectivos de política económica e fiscal dos Estados (v.g., favorecendo a existência de paraísos fiscais), por outro lado, provam que certas soluções desejáveis não podem, sem mais, ser importadas entre sistemas (v.g., federais e não federais) ou universalizáveis. Nesse debate, quase infindável, têm vindo a intervir Estados e organizações internacionais de Estados de âmbito universal e regional (a OCDE, as Nações Unidas e a União Europeia), estando em causa renovados interesses estratégicos das empresas e prerrogativas de soberania fiscal. Os mecanismos e os instrumentos jurídicos de controlo social que, nessa senda, têm vindo a ser instituídos revelam essas contradições, e podem mesmo ser paradoxais em sede de interpretação. O alcance das soluções de compromisso e a necessidade e o sentido da reforma são apontados, através de uma visão original, predominantemente metodológica, em que o autor desvenda, comparativamente, os limites actuais do problem

Antecipação e surpresa monetária e seus efeitos nas taxas de juros de mercado

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of Monetary Policy Committee (COPOM) actions on the yield curve of the Brazilian economy, in a scenario where the market is concerned to understand the monetary authority behavior through a Taylor-type rule. The results suggest that the market has been able to anticipate adequately the changes in the Selic rate target and monetary surprises has led the market to revise its DI futures contracts, influencing the market interest rates.O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar os efeitos das ações do Comitê de Política Monetária (COPOM) sobre a curva de juros da economia brasileira, em um ambiente onde o mercado se preocupa em compreender o comportamento da autoridade monetária através de uma regra do tipo Taylor. Os resultados sugerem que o mercado tem sido capaz de antecipar adequadamente as mudanças na meta taxa Selic e que surpresas monetárias tem levado o mercado a rever seus contratos de juros DI-futuros, influenciando, assim, as taxas de juros de mercado

Development of 31 cultivars of quince grafted in the japanese rootstock

Os marmeleiros sempre foram propagados comercialmente através de enraizamento de estacas. Devido à falta de vigor das mudas, principalmente nos primeiros anos após o plantio, uma série de trabalhos foram desenvolvidos no Brasil a fim de viabilizar a utilização do marmeleiro 'Japonês' (Chaenomeles sinensis Koehne) como porta-enxerto para marmelos. Frente à falta de informações, desenvolveu-se este experimento com o objetivo de verificar o desenvolvimento de diferentes cultivares de marmeleiros enxertadas sobre esse porta-enxerto. Os marmeleiros 'Japonês', 'MC', 'Adams', 'Van Deman', 'Provence', 'Cheldow', 'Smyrna', 'Rea's Mamouth', 'De Patras', 'De Vranja', 'Lajeado', 'Champion', 'Mendoza Inta-37', 'Alongado', 'Meech Prolific', 'Bereckzy', 'Alaranjado', 'Kiakami', 'Du Lot', 'Radaelli', 'CTS 207', 'D'Angers', 'Zuquerinetta', 'BA 29', 'Constantinopla', 'Marmelo Pêra', 'Apple', 'Portugal', 'Füller', 'Meliforme' e 'Pineapple' foram enxertados através de garfagem em mudas de 'Japonês', pelo método em fenda cheia. Foram utilizados garfos com três gemas, coletados de plantas-matrizes. As mudas foram mantidas em viveiro, sendo avaliadas, após 60 dias, a porcentagem de garfos brotados. O comprimento e diâmetro médio do enxerto foram avaliados aos 60; 90; 120 e 150 dias após a realização da enxertia. Concluiu-se que os marmeleiros apresentaram boa afinidade com o porta-enxerto 'Japonês'. As cultivares 'Van Deman', 'Japonês', 'Smyrna', 'De Vranja', 'Lajeado', 'Mendoza Inta-37', 'Alongado', 'Meech Prolific', 'Meliforme', 'Cheldow', 'Champion', 'Bereckzy' e 'De Patras' foram as que tiveram o maior vigor na fase de viveiro.The quinces have always been commercially propagated by means of rooting stem cuttings. Due to the lack vigor of the seedlings, especilly afer the first years whih followed the planting season, a sequency of studies were developed in Brazil aiming to permit the use of 'Japanese' quinces (Chaenomeles sinensis Koehne) as a rootstock for the quinces. Beacuse of lack of information, this experiment was developed with the aim of verifying the development of different rootstock cultivars. The 'Japanese' quinces, 'MC', 'Adams', 'Van Deman', 'Provence', 'Cheldow', 'Smyrna', 'Rea's Mamouth', 'De Patras', 'De Vranja', 'Lajeado', 'Champion', 'Mendoza Inta-37', 'Alongado', 'Meech Prolific', 'Bereckzy', 'Alaranjado', 'Kiakami', 'Du Lot', 'Radaelli', 'CTS 207', 'D'Angers', 'Zuquerinetta', 'BA 29', 'Constantinopla', 'Marmelo Pêra', 'Apple', 'Portugal', 'Füller', 'Meliforme' and 'Pineapple' were grafted by means of clevis process in 'Japanese' seedlings, by the full slit method. Clevis with three gems were used, collected from parent plants. The seedlings were kept in greenhouse, and the percentage of sprout clevis was evaluated after 60 days. The length and medium diameter of the graft were evaluated in the 60; 90; 120 e 150 days after the grafting. It was concluded that the quinces presented good affinity. with the 'Japanese' rootstock. The cultivars 'Van Deman', 'Japonês', 'Smyrna', 'De Vranja', 'Lajeado', 'Mendoza Inta-37', 'Alongado', 'Meech Prolific', 'Meliforme', 'Cheldow', 'Champion', 'Bereckzy' and 'De Patras'were the ones that had the highest vigor in the greenhouse phase

Antecipação e surpresa monetária e seus efeitos nas taxas de juros de mercado

O objetivo deste artigo é avaliar os efeitos das ações do Comitê de Política Monetária (COPOM) sobre a curva de juros da economia brasileira, em um ambiente onde o mercado se preocupa em compreender o comportamento da autoridade monetária através de uma regra do tipo Taylor. Os resultados sugerem que o mercado tem sido capaz de antecipar adequadamente as mudanças na meta taxa Selic e que surpresas monetárias tem levado o mercado a rever seus contratos de juros DI-futuros, influenciando, assim, as taxas de juros de mercado.The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effects of Monetary Policy Committee (COPOM) actions on the yield curve of the Brazilian economy, in a scenario where the market is concerned to understand the monetary authority behavior through a Taylor-type rule. The results suggest that the market has been able to anticipate adequately the changes in the Selic rate target and monetary surprises has led the market to revise its DI futures contracts, influencing the market interest rates

The role of automatic shape and position recognitionin streamlining manufacturing

The main features of most components consist of simple basic functional geometries: planes, cylinders, spheres and cones. Shape and position recognition of these geometries is essential for dimensional characterization of components, and represent an important contribution in the life cycle of the product, concerning in particular the manufacturing and inspection processes of the final product. This work aims to establish an algorithm to automatically recognize such geometries, without operator intervention. Using differential geometry large volumes of data can be treated and the basic functional geometries to be dealt recognized. The original data can be obtained by rapid acquisition methods, such as 3D survey or photography, and then converted into Cartesian coordinates. The satisfaction of intrinsic decision conditions allows different geometries to be fast identified, without operator intervention. Since inspection is generally a time consuming task, this method reduces operator intervention in the process. The algorithm was first tested using geometric data generated in MATLAB and then through a set of data points acquired by measuring with a coordinate measuring machine and a 3D scan on real physical surfaces. Comparison time spent in measuring is presented to show the advantage of the method. The results validated the suitability and potential of the algorithm hereby proposedCMAT, the Research Centre of Mathematics of the University of Minho with the Portuguese Funds from the “Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia”, through the Project PEstOE/MAT/UI0013/2014; MEtRICs – (Mechanical Engineering and Resource Sustainability Center); CGIT - Centro de Gestão Industrial e da Tecnologi

Repeat pulmonary thromboendarterectomy after recurrence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy has been established as the standard method for the treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, with excellent results. However, repeat pulmonary thromboendarterectomy due to recurrence of pulmonary embolism has never been reported in the Brazilian literature. Its safety and effectiveness remain obscure. We report the case of a patient presenting recurrence of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension five years after the first pulmonary thromboendarterectomy and requiring a second operation for resolution of the symptoms.A cirurgia de tromboendarterectomia tem se estabelecido como método padrão de tratamento do tromboembolismo pulmonar crônico hipertensivo, com excelentes resultados. Entretanto, a reoperação na recidiva do embolismo pulmonar não tem relato na literatura nacional, permanecendo obscuras a sua segurança e efetividade. Relatamos o caso de uma paciente com recorrência de tromboembolismo pulmonar crônico hipertensivo ocorrido cinco anos após a primeira cirurgia de tromboendarterectomia pulmonar, e que necessitou de reoperação para resolução dos sintomas.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de MedicinaUNIFESP, EPMSciEL

Pesquisa de microdeleções AZF em homens inférteis na população portuguesa

A infertilidade conjugal, definida como a incapacidade de conceção de um casal ao fim de um ano de relações sexuais desprotegidas, afeta 10 a 15% dos casais em idade reprodutiva, sendo que as causas masculinas constituem 30 a 40% das causas de infertilidade dos casais. Etiologicamente, a infertilidade masculina pode ter origem genética e não genética. De entre as causas genéticas mais frequentes destacam-se as alterações numéricas ou estruturais dos cromossomas, as mutações no gene CFTR e as microdeleções do cromossoma Y. No braço longo do cromossoma Y, em Yq11.2, localizam-se três regiões AZF (Azoospermia factor), AZFa, AZFb e AZFc, fundamentais para a fertilidade masculina uma vez que possuem múltiplos genes com expressão testicular implicados nas diferentes etapas da espermatogénese (1,2). As microdeleções do Y podem abranger uma ou mais destas regiões, e dependendo da região AZF delecionada ou ausente, a fertilidade pode ser mais ou menos afetada, observando-se diferentes padrões histológicos testiculares, que vão desde o síndrome de só-células-de-sertoli (deleção de AZFa), a paragem de maturação dos gâmetas durante a meiose (deleção AZFb) e a hipoespermatogénese (deleção de AZFc). Estas microdeleções representam a segunda causa genética mais frequente de falha espermatogénica em homens inférteis a seguir ao síndrome de klinefelter (cariotipo 47,XXY). O diagnóstico molecular das microdeleções AZF no cromossoma Y é um teste genético recomendado por rotina em homens inférteis que apresentem oligozoospermia grave (<5x106 espermatozoides/ml de sémen ejaculado) ou azoospermia secretora de causa desconhecida