Modularization as a path to Efficiency

SIIUE is Universidade de Évora’s Management Integrated Information System, in use since 1999 when it started as a semi-academic project. Today, SIIUE has grown to be the main institutional management tool. In 15 years of existence SIIUE has had many twists and changes. Development architecture and procedures are well defined and known by everyone, yet pressure, timing and fast decisions often speak louder. The need to keep up with all the requests and to achieve quick results frequently leads to unstructured development. With this in mind, the need (and opportunity) to have an IS development methodology that guarantees higher sustainability and reduces the cost of changes became very clear. The goal we aim to achieve is to turn SIIUE into a modular set of reusable building blocks, instead of the monolithic structure it has now. SIIUE has faced many changes since its birth. What is presented here is probably the most drastic of all, because it goes straight to the core and leads to a full re-organization of the IS. Also, it is probably the most important and future-oriented change. In our vision, a real need to guarantee the service and support quality and to open new doors for SIIUE and for Universidade de Évora

Impairment losses: causes and impacts

Purpose - To analyze recognition of impairment losses in tangible and intangible assets, and their relevance to investors in companies listed in the Lisbon and Madrid Stock Exchange (2007-2011).Methodology - Quantitative analysis of a panel data sample of 80 companies listed in the Lisbon and Madrid Stock Exchange (2007-2011) was carried out. Panel data linear and non-linear regression models were estimated.Findings - We found that the amount of impairment losses showed an upward trend, and that these losses are most significant among intangibles, especially goodwill (GW). We also found that the probability of recognition of impairment losses is positively influenced by the dimension of entities and negatively by market value (p < 0.10). Portuguese export-oriented companies have a higher probability of not recognizing impairments. However, Portuguese companies with higher market values have greater probability of recognizing impairment losses, contrary to the sample as a whole, in which the relationship is negative (p < 0.10). The results also suggest that there is a smoothing effect on results because of impairments, especially in IBEX35 companies. As to the relevance of impairment losses to market value, we confirm a significant negative relationship, in line with conclusions from previous studies.Originality/value - This study contributes to the introduction of the cultural factor in this analysis, highlighting the differentiated behaviors between Portuguese and Spanish companies

Non-Relativistic Maxwell Chern-Simons Gravity

We consider a non-relativistic (NR) limit of $(2+1)$-dimensional Maxwell Chern-Simons (CS) gravity with gauge algebra [Maxwell] $\oplus \ u(1)\oplus u(1)$. We obtain a finite NR CS gravity with a degenerate invariant bilinear form. We find two ways out of this difficulty: To consider i) [Maxwell] $\oplus\ u(1)$, which does not contain Extended Bargmann gravity (EBG); or, ii) the NR limit of [Maxwell] $\oplus\ u(1)\oplus u(1)\oplus u(1)$, which is a Maxwellian generalization of the EBG.Comment: 19 pages, 1 table, subsection 3.3 added, abstract and references modifie

The GMT/MATLAB Toolbox

The GMT/MATLAB toolbox is a basic interface between MATLAB (R) (or Octave) and GMT, the Generic Mapping Tools, which allows MATLAB users full access to all GMT modules. Data may be passed between the two programs using intermediate MATLAB structures that organize the metadata needed; these are produced when GMT modules are run. In addition, standard MATLAB matrix data can be used directly as input to GMT modules. The toolbox improves interoperability between two widely used tools in the geosciences and extends the capability of both tools: GMT gains access to the powerful computational capabilities of MATLAB while the latter gains the ability to access specialized gridding algorithms and can produce publication-quality PostScript-based illustrations. The toolbox is available on all platforms and may be downloaded from the GMT website.US National Science Foundation [OCE-1029874

Between-groups within-gene heterogeneity of residual variances in microarray gene expression data

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The analysis of microarray gene expression data typically tries to identify differential gene expression patterns in terms of differences of the mathematical expectation between groups of arrays (e.g. treatments or biological conditions). Nevertheless, the differential expression pattern could also be characterized by group-specific dispersion patterns, although little is known about this phenomenon in microarray data. Commonly, a homogeneous gene-specific residual variance is assumed in hierarchical mixed models for gene expression data, although it could result in substantial biases if this assumption is not true.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this manuscript, a hierarchical mixed model with within-gene heterogeneous residual variances is proposed to analyze gene expression data from non-competitive hybridized microarrays. Moreover, a straightforward Bayes factor is adapted to easily check within-gene (between groups) heterogeneity of residual variances when samples are grouped in two different treatments. This Bayes factor only requires the analysis of the complex model (hierarchical mixed model with between-groups heterogeneous residual variances for all analyzed genes) and gene-specific Bayes factors are provided from the output of a simple Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This statistical development opens new research possibilities within the gene expression framework, where heterogeneity in residual variability could be viewed as an alternative and plausible characterization of differential expression patterns.</p

Use of water-based carbonyl-functional polymers on a cross-linker-free highperformance leather finish

The present paper aims to study a new high-performance coating formulation while avoiding the use of cross-linkers. By using acrylic polymers with carbonyl functional groups, the negative environmental effects of the finishing process can be minimized. These new polymers can give very good physical properties without losing the inherent properties of flexibility and elasticity needed in upholstery leatherPostprint (published version

Origin of passivation in hole-selective transition metal oxides for crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) have recently demonstrated to be a good alternative to boron/phosphorous doped layers in crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells. In this work, the interface between n-type c-Si (n-Si) and three thermally evaporated TMOs (MoO3, WO3, and V2O5) was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, secondary ion-mass, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For the oxides studied, surface passivation of n-Si was attributed to an ultra-thin (1.9–2.8 nm) SiOx~1.5 interlayer formed by chemical reaction, leaving oxygen-deficient species (MoO, WO2, and VO2) as by-products. Carrier selectivity was also inferred from the inversion layer induced on the n-Si surface, a result of Fermi level alignment between two materials with dissimilar electrochemical potentials (work function difference ¿¿ = 1 eV). Therefore, the hole-selective and passivating functionality of these TMOs, in addition to their ambient temperature processing, could prove an effective means to lower the cost and simplify solar cell processing.Postprint (author's final draft

Use of water-based carbonyl-functionalpolymers on a cross-linker-free highperformanceleather finish

The present paper aims to study a new high-performancecoating formulation while avoiding the use of cross-linkers.By using acrylic polymers with carbonyl functional groups,the negative environmental effects of the finishing processcan be minimized. These new polymers can give very goodphysical properties without losing the inherent propertiesof flexibility and elasticity needed in upholstery leather