CATCHING THE CELTIC TIGER BY ITS TAIL

The paper attempts to assess the major sources behind the exceptional Irish growth performance in the 1990s. Contrary to other Tigers, Ireland's growth is due to efficiency gains, rather than capital deepening, but the causes for the swift growth in total factor productivity cannot be pinned down to a single factor. Human capital, foreign direct investment, Social Partnership agreements, sound budget and economic policies since the late 1980s, EU membership, all seemed to have interacted to produce this high-growth economy. This paper focuses on the two mostly quoted catalysts - i.e. FDI and human capital. It provides evidence that - although crucial as enablers for the Irish economic performance - neither the rapid expansion of the compulsory education system in the 1970s and 1980s nor the sheer volume of FDI inflows can by themselves explain why Ireland has grown so much faster than other world economies. Instead, it argues that higher education, especially the vocational/technical slant of educational provision, and the sector composition of FDI in favour of high-tech industries, were self-reinforcing factors and have been decisive for the Republic's extraordinary boom.Irish growth; Foreign Direct Investment; Human Capital; High Education

Mathematical models for educational simulation of uterine contractions during labor

Tese de mestrado. Engenharia Biomédica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

Poverty and inequality during structural adjustment in rural Tanzania

The author measures structural adjustment's impact on growth and on the poor in Tanzania. Adjustment reforms have contributed to robust growth. The rural average per capita income in 1991 was, in real terms, significantly higher than in 1983. The Economic Recovery Program, launched in 1986, has positively affected income, although the increase is not yet reflected in such basic social indicators as infant mortalityrates or levels of primary schooling. Structural adjustment appears to have benefited many poor households. The population in poverty declined from 65 percent in 1983 to 51 percent in 1991. The population near the poverty line benefited the most, while those with extremely low incomes appear to have become somewhat poorer. Increases in the inequality of income distribution eroded some of the potential for poverty reduction that would have otherwise resulted from growth. In both years, the stock of human capital was low for the poor, as measured by educational achievement. Possibly the lower incidence but greater severity of poverty is attributable to a liberalization process that rewards those with education, who are better able to respond to new opportunities. This suggests the importance of improving the quantity and quality of education to increase the ability of the poor to benefit from market reforms. Targeting human capital investments to the very poor should be a high priority during adjustment.Health Economics&Finance,Environmental Economics&Policies,Services&Transfers to Poor,Economic Conditions and Volatility,Poverty Reduction Strategies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Achieving Shared Growth,Poverty Assessment,Governance Indicators,Economic Conditions and Volatility

Surficial sediment texture database for the south-western Iberian Atlantic margin

Assessing the impact of changes on the environment driven by natural or anthropogenic forcers includes the comparison between antecedent and post-event conditions. The latter is particularly relevant in order to better understand to which extent those changes actually impact or alter a particular environment and associated services and to determine the resilience of a system. In this regard, it becomes essential to create or provide databases to inform about baseline conditions. Here, we present a database that integrates surficial sediment samples collected and analysed for textural characterization within the framework of a series of research projects over circa 20 years. Collected samples along the south-western Atlantic margin of the Iberian Peninsula extend from estuaries and beaches to the adjacent continental shelf. For the case of the more dynamic environments, namely coastal sandy barriers, samples were repeated over time in order to capture the intrinsic variability of the system. Examples of the utility of this data set for a variety of purposes and environments are also included within this paper through three examples. Therefore, here we show the added value of the database as it can be used to assess the impact of a particular event or activity at an estuary by providing baseline conditions, evaluate the continental shelf sediment suitability for nourishment activities, or contribute to the understanding of the morphodynamics and classification of beaches. Finally, it is worth stating the importance of such databases to analyse medium- to long-term variability as the one induced by sea level rise, changes in storminess, or human activities.FCT Investigator programme [IF/01047/2014]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Services innovation and economic performance: An analysis at the firm

In this paper we estimate a model linking innovation effort and economic performance, along the lines of the Mairesse and Mohnen (2003) model. We examine this relationship in the context of services sectors instead of Research and Development intensive manufacturing sectors. Much effort has already been made to explore the innovation-performance relationship for manufacturing sectors but it is still much understudied for services, particularly for Portugal. In this paper we aim to take a step in fulfilling this gap. We use new firm level data for ten services sectors from the Second Community Innovation Survey of Portugal, to estimate the model.IET, Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia-MCTE

Satisfação do cliente cirúrgico com os cuidados intraoperatórios: uma revisão scoping

Background: patient satisfaction with nursing care is a valid indicator of the quality of care and a useful tool for continuous quality improvement. Nonetheless, studies concerning patient satisfaction with perioperative nursing care in the operating room have been lacking, which limits the development of nursing interventions that may promote it. Objective: to map dimensions of patient satisfaction with perioperative nursing care in the operating room. Methodology: scoping review, oriented by The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews, 2020 version. 8 articles were included in the scoping review after inclusion criteria application. Results: relevant dimensions of patient satisfaction with perioperative nursing care in the operating room were identified, namely: information, nurse-patient relationship, satisfaction of physiological needs and operating room environment. Nursing interventions that meet these dimensions were also identified. Conclusion: patient´s empowerment, therapeutic relationship, physiological homeostasis and operating room efficiency are the most frequently identified dimensions and the more relevant to patient satisfaction with perioperative nursing care in the operating room.Marco contextual: la evaluación de la satisfacción del cliente con la atención de enfermería es un indicador válido de la calidad de atención y una herramienta utilizada para mejorar la calidad de la atención. Sin embargo, parece que el tema há sido poco explorado en el período intraoperatório, lo que hace imposible identificar y desarrollar intervenciones de enfermería que la promuevan. Objetivo: mapear las dimensiones de la satisfacción del cliente com el cuidado de enfermería en quirófano. Metodologia: revisión "scoping" guiada por la metodologia de The Joanna Biggs Institute, en la 2020. Despues de la aplicación de los critérios de inclusión, se incluyeron 8 artículos en la revisión. Resultados: se han identificado algunas dimensiones relevantes en la satisfacción del cliente com la atención de enfermería en quirófano (información recebida, relación establecida con el personal de enfermería, satisfacción de las necessidades fisiológicas y entorno físico del quirófano) y las intervenciones capaces de satisfacerlas. Conclusión: Las necesidades de información y relacionales del cliente, su homeostasis física y emocional y el funcionamento eficiente del quirófano son las dimensiones mas identificadas y com mayor impacto en la satisfacción del cliente con los cuidados de enfermeria en quirófano.Enquadramento: a avaliação da satisfação do cliente com os cuidados de enfermagem é um indicador válido da qualidade dos cuidados e uma ferramenta útil para a melhoria contínua da qualidade dos mesmos. Porém, verifica-se que a temática tem sido pouco explorada no período intraoperatório, impossibilitando a identificação e desenvolvimento de intervenções de enfermagem que a promovam. Objetivo: mapear as dimensões da satisfação do cliente com os cuidados de enfermagem no bloco operatório. Metodologia: revisão scoping, orientada pela metodologia do The Joanna Briggs Institute, na sua versão de 2020. Após aplicação dos critérios de inclusão, foram incluídos 8 artigos na revisão scoping. Resultados: foram identificadas algumas dimensões relevantes da satisfação do cliente com os cuidados de enfermagem no bloco operatório (informação fornecida, relação estabelecida com os enfermeiros, satisfação das necessidades fisiológicas e ambiente físico do bloco operatório) e intervenções de enfermagem capazes de as satisfazer. Conclusão: As necessidades informacionais e relacionais do cliente, a sua homeostasia física e emocional e o funcionamento eficiente do bloco operatório são as dimensões mais amiúde identificadas e com maior relevância para a satisfação do cliente com os cuidados de enfermagem no bloco operatório

Influence of enzymes and technology on virgin olive oil composition

This work aims at presenting the state-of-the-art about the influence of the activity of olive endogenous enzymes, as well as of the application of adjuvants in olive oil technology, discussing their influence on the composition of virgin olive oil, especially in phenols and volatile compoundsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Nannochloropsis oceanica biomass enriched by electrocoagulation harvesting with promising agricultural applications

ABSTRACT: Electrocoagulation is a promising technology to harvest and concentrate microalgae while saving costs on secondary dewatering steps. However, the sacrificial electrodes release salts that impact the media and the harvested biomass. This study evaluated the effects of Fe, Zn, and Mg electrodes on Nannochloropsis oceanica harvesting and elementary composition of biomass and supernatants. Moreover, plant bioavailability of electrocoagulation minerals attached to biomass was assessed in the tomato plant model Solanum lycopersicum (cv. ‘Cherry’). Fe electrodes had better performance at lower power consumption and operation costs, followed by Zn and Mg. Electrocoagulation changes biomass and supernatant nutrient composition. Electrodes precipitated Mg and Ca from the nutrient media, enriching N. oceanica biomass, but increased Pb 2–4 times and depleted P in supernatants. Finally, Fe and Mg electrode metals in the biomass were proven bioavailable to S. lycopersicum seedlings, making electrocoagulation harvested biomass a promising bioresource to agricultural applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio