U.S. Unemployment Duration: Has Long Become Longer or Short Become Shorter?

The U.S. labor market has been experiencing unprecedented high average unemployment duration. The shift in the unemployment duration distribution can be traced back to the early nineties. In this study, censored quantile regression methods are employed to analyze the changes in the US unemployment duration distribution. We explore the decomposition method proposed by Machado and Mata (2005) to disentangle the contribution of the changes generated by the covariate distribution and by the conditional distribution. The data used in this inquiry are taken from the nationally representative Displaced Worker Surveys of 1988 and 1998. We provide evidence that the change in the unemployment duration distribution is mainly produced by the opposing effects of a sharp rise in job-to-job transition rates and an increased sensitivity of unemployment duration to unemployment rates. Compositional changes in the labor force played a limited role. We rationalize our findings by arguing that improved screening technology is likely to be the relevant underlying mechanism at work.

Cuidados centrados no paciente e adesão aos tratamentos de fertilidade: resultados da validação da versão portuguesa do PCQ-Infertilidade

Dissertação de mestrado em Psicologia Clínica (Intervenções Cognitivo-Comportamentais nas Perturbações Psicológicas e Saúde), apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra.Os principais objetivos deste estudo foram investigar as propriedades psicométricas da versão portuguesa do PCQ-Infertilidade e analisar a relação entre os cuidados centrados nos pacientes e as suas intenções de adesão ao tratamento. Metodologia: Estudo transversal realizado com 265 mulheres e 83 homens inférteis a realizar diagnóstico ou tratamentos de fertilidade em Portugal, recrutados através da internet e em contexto clínico. O protocolo de avaliação incluiu o PCQ-Infertilidade e outros questionários de autorresposta que avaliam a qualidade dos cuidados, o bem-estar e as intenções de adesão aos tratamentos. Resultados: A análise fatorial confirmatória do modelo estrutural do PCQ-Infertilidade revelou bom ajustamento. Todas as dimensões do PCQInfertilidade revelaram boa consistência interna (excetuando a organização: alfa = .57). De forma geral os cuidados centrados no paciente estavam associados a maior bem-estar e qualidade dos serviços. O instrumento discriminou pacientes em diferentes fases de tratamentos e com e sem educação superior. A disponibilização de informação, o respeito pelos pacientes, a continuidade no atendimento e a competência da equipa estiveram diretamente associadas a intenções mais fortes de adesão. Maior acessibilidade, envolvimento do paciente e boa comunicação estiveram indiretamente associadas a intenções mais fortes de adesão aos tratamentos, através da diminuição das preocupações acerca do tratamento. Conclusão: A versão portuguesa do PCQ-Infertilidade é válida e fidedigna. Para promover a adesão aos tratamentos, as clínicas devem tentar diminuir as preocupações dos seus pacientes sobre os procedimentos médicos, promovendo o fácil acesso a profissionais com quem estes possam discutir as suas preocupações e que os envolvam no processo de tratamento e tomadas de decisão associadas.The main goals of this study were to investigate the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the PCQ-Infertility and to analyse the relationship between patient centered care and patients’ intentions to comply with treatment. Methods: The sample was composed of 265 infertile women and 83 infertile men undergoing any stage of fertility treatment in Portugal. Participants were recruited online and at clinical setting and completed the Portuguese version of the PCQ-Infertility and other self-reported questionnaires assessing quality of care, wellbeing and intentions to comply with treatment. Results: The Confirmatory Factor Analysis for the PCQ-Infertility indicated good fit. All PCQ-Infertility dimensions showed good internal consistency (excepting for organization: alpha = .57). In general, patient centered care was associated with higher wellbeing and with better quality care. The instrument was able to discriminate between patients across different treatment stages and between patients with and without college education. The information provision, respect for patients’values, continuity of care and competence of the team were directly associated with higher intentions to comply with treatment. Greater accessibility, patient involvement and good communication were indirectly associated with higher intentions to comply with treatment, by diminishing patients’ concerns about treatment. Conclusion: The Portuguese version of the PCQ-Infertility is valid and reliable. To promote treatment compliance, clinics alike should decrease patients’ concerns about medical procedures by promoting the access to professionals with whom patients can talk in order to discuss their concerns. Professionals should also involve patients in treatment process and decision-making

Cooking effects on iron and proteins content of beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) by GF AAS and MALDI-TOF MS

The effects of domestic cooking on proteins, organic compounds and Fe distribution in beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were investigated. Sequential extraction with different extractant solutions (mixture of methanol and chloroform 1:2 v/v, water, 0.5 mol L-1 NaCl, 70% v/v ethanol and 0.5 mol L-1 NaOH) were used for extracting lipids, albumins, globulins, prolamins and glutelins, respectively. Iron determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS), proteins by Bradford method and organic compounds by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) were carried out in this work. High concentration of albumins, globulins and glutelins were found in raw beans, while in the cooked beans, albumins and glutelins are main proteins types. The MALDI-TOF MS spectra of raw and cooked beans revealed that the domestic cooking altered the molecular weight of the organic compounds, since that in the cooked beans were found compounds between 2 and 3.5 kDa, which were not presented in the raw beans. Besides this, in cooked beans were also observed the presence of four compounds of high molecular weight (12-16 kDa), being that in the raw grains there is only one (ca. 15.2 kDa). In raw grains is possible to observe that Fe is mainly associated to albumins, globulins and glutelins. For cooked grains, Fe is associated to albumins and globulins.Os efeitos do cozimento doméstico na distribuição de proteínas, compostos orgânicos e Fe em feijão (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) foram investigados. Extração seqüencial com diferentes agentes extratores (mistura de metanol e clorofórmio 1:2 v/v, água, NaCl, etanol e NaOH) foi usada para extrair lipídeos, albuminas, globulinas, prolaminas e glutelinas, respectivamente. A determinação de Fe por espectrometria de absorção atômica com forno de grafite (GF AAS), de proteínas pelo método de Bradford e compostos orgânicos por espectrometria de massas por tempo de vôo acoplada à ionização dessortiva de matriz por laser (MALDI-TOF MS) foram feitas nesse trabalho. Altas concentrações de albuminas, globulinas e glutelínas foram encontradas em feijão cru, enquanto que em grãos cozidos, albuminas e glutelínas foram os principais tipos de proteínas. Os espectros de MALDI-TOF MS do feijão cru e cozido revelaram que o cozimento doméstico alterou os pesos moleculares dos compostos orgânicos, uma vez que nos grãos cozidos foram encontrados compostos entre 2 e 3,5 kDa, os quais não estavam presentes no feijão cru. Além disso, no feijão cozido foi também observada a presença de quatro compostos de alto peso molecular (12-16 kDa), sendo que em grãos crus há somente um (ca.15,2 kDa). Nos grãos crus foi possível observar que Fe está principalmente associado a albuminas, globulinas e glutelínas. Para os grãos cozidos, Fe está presente em alta concentração em albuminas e globulinas.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)Universidade de São Paulo Instituto de Química Departamento de Química FundamentalUNIFESPSciEL

US unemployment duration: has long become longer or short become shorter?

The U.S. labor market has been experiencing unprecedented high average unemployment duration. The shift in the unemployment duration distribution can be traced back to the early nineties. In this study, censored quantile regression methods are employed to analyze the changes in the US unemployment duration distribution. We explore the decomposition method proposed by Machado and Mata (2005) to disentangle the contribution of the changes generated by the covariate distribution and by the conditional distribution. The data used in this inquiry are taken from the nationally representative Displaced Worker Surveys of 1988 and 1998. We provide evidence that the change in the unemployment duration distribution is mainly produced by the opposing effects of a sharp rise in job-to-job transition rates and an increased sensitivity of unemployment duration to unemployment rates. Compositional changes in the labor force played a limited role. We rationalize our findings by arguing that improved screening technology is likely to be the relevant underlying mechanism at work

Relapse of cervical cancer 12 years after the treatment

Cervical cancer is the third most common gynecologic cancer in women and it remains one of the main causes of death. With rare exceptions, it results from an HPV infection and about 5% of this infection will culminate in the development of CIN 2 or CIN 3 lesions. After treatment with surgery or radiotherapy, 10 to 20% of the patients will have a relapse and/or metastases usually in the first two years after completing their treatment. In this article, we present a clinical case of a lymph node relapse 12 years after treatment in a 43-year-old patient with a microinvasive cervical cancer history, Figo stage IA1, without lymphovascular invasion

Estudo da durabilidade do efeito de termoregulação em malhas com materiais de mudança de fase

O objectivo do presente trabalho foi estudar o efeito das lavagens domésticas em substratos acabados com um acabamento de termoregulação à base de materiais de mudança de fase microencapsulados (PCM´s). Neste estudo utilizou-se uma malha Jersey tingida com corante reactivo com média substantividade e reactividade. A análise da influência das lavagens foi estudada com base nas propriedades térmicas e na análise da dispersão de microcápsulas através de microscopia electrónica. Os resultados obtidos mostram que as lavagens fazem com que se verifique uma diminuição do número de microcápsulas no substrato, influenciando o desempenho de termoregulação. Este efeito é particularmente visível a partir da 15ªlavagem

Factors associated with cardiovascular disease risk among employees at a portuguese higher education institution

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and to assess the CVD risk (CVDRisk) in a sample of workers at a specific workplace: a higher education institution in Portugal. Data were collected using a questionnaire (e.cuidHaMUs.QueST®) with 345 HEI workers from June 2017-June 2018 with a high response rate (93.3%). Two constructs of risks for CVD were considered: (i) metabolic risk and hypertension (CVDRisk1); and (ii) modifiable behavioural risk (CVDRisk2). Logistic regression analyses were used to establish a relationship between risk indexes/constructs (CVDRisk1 and CVDRisk2) and groups of selected variables. The most prevalent CVD risk factor was hypercholesterolaemia (43.2%). Sixty-eight percent of participants were in the construct CVDRisk1 while almost half of the respondents were in CVDRisk2 (45.2%). The consumption of soft drinks twice a week or more contributed to a significantly increased risk of CVD in CVDRisk1. Lack of regular exercise and lack of daily fruit consumption significantly increased the risk of CVD in CVDRisk2. The challenge to decision makers and the occupational medical community is to incorporate this information into the daily practices of health surveillance with an urgent need for health promotional education campaigns in the workplace.publishe

The consumer’s perception on sustainability

The term sustainability is an expression that has been widely used and disclosed today by several companies, either for durable goods and nondurable goods. This term is quite complex to be defined, because for a product to be considered sustainable it has to go through some pre-requisites such as social, environmental and economic, varying from environmental care to social consciousness related to the product. Therefore, this article aims at making a reflection about how the consumer has been realizing the issue of sustainability in the fashion segment. This is done through the analysis of the signs that lead people to believe that the consumer is becoming aware of the impacts of unbridled consumption over time and their reaction in relation to this idea. In order to do so, we aim at detecting the signs that have taken place within contemporary society and that can affect the fashion market. We also aim at addressing sustainability from the perspective of fashion products that are being developed, since their establishment, including raw materials, processes and management, aimed at social and economic development as well as environmental protection. To do so, we make a parallel between sustainable development, the direction of consumption and the designer's role in relation to the product and the consumer, in order to understand, and monitor the consumer perception from his/her power and responsibilities as an agent who transforms his/her space. We also report the emerging lifestyles in response to the economic crisis that spreads worldwide, and to environmental impact. So, we focus on a particular style named slow fashion, which arises in response to what as been made so far and only last a short period of time, because of the so-called fast fashion that currently is questioned as a global problem. Finally, we show the changing factors that are being decisive at the moment of the purchase, and assisting designers during these changes

Here today, gone tomorrow : political ambition, coalitions, and accountability as determinants of ministerial turnover in the Brazilian multiparty presidential system

The article aims at understanding the determinants of ministerial turnover in presidential systems. There are essentially three key factors that govern the propensity for ministerial turnover in a presidential system: 01. political ambition - reflected in the individual or collective strategies and tactics employed by the party-affiliated actors represented in the cabinet; 02. the presence or absence of a governing coalition - which has bearing on the degree of ideological distance between the president and such political parties as form part of any governing coalition, with consequences for ministerial scrutiny; and 03. accountability - a determinant in responding to such external pressures as may be brought to bear by public opinion. In order to investigate the impacts of these factors, this inquiry seeks to analyze the new and dynamic democracy of Brazil. Brazil's presidential system presents interesting features that make it an excellent laboratory in which to test hypotheses concerning every aspect of ministerial turnover. To this end, this paper employs a multivariate methodology, as well as descriptive and survival analyses, based on a comprehensive and original database of cabinet ministers that draws on three presidencies over five democratically elected governments from 1995 to 2014. Among other results, our most original finding was that there is an inverse correlation between the degree of ministerial politicization (political ambition) and ideological distance from the president during political scandals (interaction between the governing coalition and accountability) on the one hand, and the length of ministerial tenure on the other