Is Mercosur an optimum currency area?

We find that generalized purchasing power parity does not hold for Mercosur, and thus that the South American trade group does not constitute an optimum currency area. We also find that the role of the United States cannot be neglected in the region, and that high short run volatility of real exchange rates is accompanied by slow adjustment processes of between 2 and 16 years (PPP puzzle).generalized purchasing power parity; optimum currency area; Mercosur; PPP puzzle

Is Mercosur an optimum currency area? An assessment using generalized purchasing power parity

We consider the cointegration approach of generalized purchasing power parity to show that a necessary condition for Mercosur to be an optimum currency area is met. Yet there are still large cross-country differences as to cast doubt on the success of either monetary union or official dollarization. The PPP puzzle is also found to occur in Mercosur.

A model of the reflection distribution in the vacuum ultra violet region

A reflection model with three components, a specular spike, a specular lobe and a diffuse lobe is discussed. This model was successfully applied to describe reflection of xenon scintillation light (175 nm) by PTFE and other fluoropolymers and can be used for Monte Carlo simulation and analysis of scintillation detectors. The measured data favors a Trowbridge-Reitz distribution function of ellipsoidal micro-surfaces. The intensity of the coherent reflection increases with increasing angle of incidence, as expected, since the surface appears smoother at grazing angles. The total reflectance obtained for PTFE is about 70% for VUV light at normal incidence in vacuum and estimated to be up to 100% in contact with liquid xenon

Research and the teaching in Design and Music

Um livro com diversas perspetivas sobre projetos e processos de investigação nas áreas do design e da música. São 50 escritos por autores de diferentes países, que contribuem para uma perspectiva ampla nestes domínios.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

3D finite element analysis and optimization of cap ply production system in the tire industry

30th International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM2020) 15-18 June 2020, Athens, GreeceIn automotive industry, tires play a key role. They are a composite structure formed by multiple layers of different materials such as rubber compounds, steel and polyamide cords. Between the tread and steel belts, a cap ply layer is used to restrict the growth of the tire, due to centrifugal forces. Cap ply is produced by using a pultrusion process that impregnates polyamide cords with rubber, resulting in a rubberized strip. When the controlling of the process is incorrect, premature vulcanization or lack of impregnation is often observed. To optimize the production process, CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations were performed to study the flow of rubber inside the extrusion head channels by modelling the fluid properties and the domain. Laboratory tests were also conducted to determine the physical and cure properties of the rubber compound used. Crossing the results of the simulations with the laboratory tests was found that the temperature control used was inadequate. Simulations were also supported with the results provided by a temperature sensor controlled by an external device (Arduino). By using a proportional integral derivative controller and changing the setpoints for the thermal resistance, the amount of scrap generated by vulcanized rubber and lack of rubber in the cap ply strips was reduced by 100%.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perceived ethical reputation: Scale development and validation

Ethical reputation reflects organizations’ commitment to ethics (Jaramillo, Grisaffe, Chonko, & Roberts, 2009; Mulki & Jaramillo, 2011), based on perceived occurrences of ethical problems (Armstrong, 1996) and ways organizations treat their employees and customers (Dawkins & Lewis, 2003). Having a favorable reputation may lead to favorable consequences, such as attracting higher-quality applicants, enhanced job attitudes, and increased employee ethical conduct (Fombrun & Shanley, 1990; Turban & Cable, 2003). However, a comprehensive measure to assess employees’ perceptions of the ethical reputation of their organizations is still missing. Therefore, the present study attempts to develop and validate such a measure. A pool of items reflecting the different dimensions of the construct was drawn from the existing literature on business ethics and organizational reputation. The relevance and clarity of those items was assessed by experts to assure content validity. In order to assess the psychometric characteristics of the scale, data are being collected via convenience sampling. The target sample comprises employees from organizations of different business sectors. Subsequently, analyses to determine construct validity and reliability will be performed. Results will be presented at the conference. The present research is expected to provide a new and useful tool for measuring ethical reputation of organizations, to be used in future research on the issue.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neurological Manifestations in Primary Immunodeficiencies

As imunodeficiências primárias são um grupo heterogéneo de doenças individualmente raras. A sua associação a manifestações neurológicas não é rara, sendo os mecanismos fisiopatológicos implicados distintos consoante a patologia em causa. As manifestações neurológicas podem ser a característica predominante da doença ou estar presentes de forma ligeira e/ou inconstante. O correto reconhecimento desta associação pode permitir um diagnóstico atempado destas doenças e o desenvolvimento de estratégias preventivas e terapêuticas. Os autores fazem uma revisão e sistematização das imunodeficiências primárias em que se verifica esta relação, sumariando as manifestações neurológicas e imunes de cada uma das patologias.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The influence of planning and response inhibition on cognitive functioning of Non-Psychotic unipolar depressed suicide attempters

Depression is one of the main risk factors for suicide. However, little is known about the intricate relationships among depressive symptomatology in unipolar depression, suicide risk, and the characteristics of executive dysfunction in depressed patients. We compared 20 non-psychotic unipolar depressed suicide attempters to 20 matching depressed non-attempters and to 20 healthy controls to further investigate the possible differences in neuropsychological performance. Depressed subjects were controlled for current suicidal ideation, and their neuropsychological profile was assessed using a range of measures of executive functioning, attention, verbal memory, processing speed, and psychomotor speed. Depressed groups were outperformed by healthy controls. Depressed attempters presented more cognitive impairment than depressed non-attempters on a simple Go/No-go response inhibition task and performed better than non-attempters on the Tower of London planning task. Depressed attempters were clearly distinguished by a deficit in response inhibition (Go/No-go commission errors). The normative planning performance (Tower of London extra moves) of the suicide attempters was unexpected, and this unanticipated finding calls for further research. Normative planning may indicate an increased risk of suicidal behavior.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Stochastic petri-net models to predict the degradation of ceramic claddings

A stochastic Petri-net formalism is proposed to predict the degradation of ceramic claddings over time in order to understand how different environmental exposure conditions contribute to the overall degradation of these claddings. For that purpose, the degradation condition of 195 ceramic claddings located in Lisbon, Portugal, is evaluated through in situ visual inspections. In the first part of the study, a stochastic deterioration Petri-net model is proposed for the entire sample. In the second part, the original sample is divided according to the environmental exposure conditions, evaluating the influence of these conditions on the deterioration process of ceramic claddings. Four main degradation agents are analyzed: exposure to moisture; distance from the sea; orientation; and wind–rain action. The results reveal that Petri nets can accurately describe the deterioration process of ceramic claddings, providing relevant information regarding the performance of these claddings through their life cycle and according to the environmental exposure conditions to which they are subject. These results are extremely relevant for different practitioners: the approach allows the adoption of more sustainable and durable solutions at the design stage, as well as improving the durability of the ceramic claddings by performing optimized maintenance plans and strategies