Education, Work and Crime: Evidence from Educational Reforms

This thesis studies the interactions between education, work and crime as a response to highly relevant and debated educational policy reforms: changes in compulsory school laws. In Chapter 1 a study of the recent trends of crime in the United States (US) is presented, along with a general theoretical model of crime as a rational individual decision shaped by different incentives. In the empirical section of the chapter, the use of individual-level data and exogenous variation in compulsory schooling laws helps to establish causality between educational attainment and incarceration in the US between 1960 to 2010 using an instrumental variable design. Chapter 2 looks more closely at the relationship between the policy reforms, education and crime in the recent period since 1980. Using arrest, incarceration and education data for males it establishes a fading response of educational attainment to changes in the laws, through a prevalent reduction effect stemming from the stricter law requirements adopted. In Chapter 3, the negative effect unveiled in Chapter 2 is carefully analysed through a multiple discontinuity design so as to better understand the channels through which compulsory schooling laws operate to reduce crime. Using detailed arrest data since 1974, evidence is found in favour of strong incapacitation effects in the short-run, complemented with dynamic incapacitation effects in the medium-run among young males. Finally, Chapter 4 looks at the response of females to these educational reforms in terms of crime and teenage pregnancy outcomes. Using a multiple discontinuity design, it is found that females respond similarly to their male counterparts with respect to crime and furthermore show a reduction in teenage pregnancy rates as a response to the same changes in compulsory schooling laws. Nevertheless in this chapter it is shown that the crime reducing effects of the laws are heterogeneous according to demographic, labour market and school quality regional conditions

Development of ligament tissue biodegradable devices: A review

This bibliographic review is focused on ligament tissue rehabilitation, its anatomy-physiology, and, mainly, on the dimensioning considerations of a composite material solution. The suture strength is problematic during the tissue recovering, implying reduction of mobility for several months. However, early postoperative active mobilization may enable a faster and more effective recovering of tissue biomechanical functions. As the risk of tendon rupture becomes a significant concern, a repair technique must be used to withstand the tensile forces generated by active mobilization. However, to avoid stress shielding effect on ligament tissue, an augmentation device must be designed on stiffness basis, that preferably will decrease. Absorbable biocomposite reinforcements have been used to allow early postoperative active mobilization and avoid the shortcomings of current repair solutions. Tensile strength decrease of the repair, during the initial inflammatory phase, is expected, derived from oedema and tendon degradation. In the fibroblastic phase, stiffness and strength will increase, which will stabilize during the remodeling phase. The reinforcement should be able to carry the dynamic load due to locomotion with a mechanical behavior similar to the undamaged natural tissue, during all rehabilitation process. Moreover, the degradation rate Must also be compatible with the ligament tissue recovering. The selection and combination of different biodegradable materials, in order to make the biocomposite reinforcement functionally compatible to the damaged sutured tissue, in terms of mechanical properties and degradation rate, is a major step on the design process. Modelling techniques allow pre-clinical evaluation of the reinforcement functional compatibility, and the optimization by comparison of different composite solutions in terms of biomechanical behavior

Fat area and lipid droplet morphology of porcine oocytes during in vitro maturation with trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid and forskolin

Lipid droplets (LD) in porcine oocytes form a dark mass reaching almost all cytoplasm. Herein we investigated changes in fat areas, cytoplasmic tone and LD morphology during in vitro maturation (IVM) of porcine oocytes cultured with 100mM trans-10, cis-12 conjugated linoleic acid (t10,c12 CLA) or 10mM forskolin at different time periods. Four groups were constituted: control, excipient, t10,c12 CLA and forskolin, with drugs being supplemented during 44 to 48h and the initial 22 to 24h in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. In Experiment 3, forskolin was supplemented for the first 2 h. Matured oocytes were inseminated with frozen-thawed boar semen and cleavage rate recorded. Before and during IVM, samples of oocytes were evaluated for LD, total and fat areas and fat gray value or for meiotic progression. Results showed that forskolin supplementation during 44 to 48 h or 22 to 24 h inhibits oocyte maturation (exp. 1: forskolin = 5.1±8.0%, control = 72.6±5.0%; exp. 2: forskolin =24.3±7.4%, control =71.6±5.6%) and cleavage (exp. 1: forskolin=0.0±0.0%, control=55.4±4.1%; exp. 2: forskolin=8.3±3.3%, control=54.5±3.0%). Forskolin also reduced oocyte and fat areas. In Experiment 3, forskolin negative effect on oocyte maturation and cleavage disappeared, although minor (P<0.03) LD and oocyte fat areas were identified at 22 to 24 h of IVM. Oocytes supplemented with t10,c12 CLA during 44 to 48h presented a lighter (P<0.04) colour tone cytoplasm than those of control and forskolin. In conclusion, t10,c12 CLA and forskolin were capable of modifying the distribution and morphology of cytoplasmic LD during porcine oocyte maturation, thus reducing its lipid content in a time-dependent manner

Focal Malignant Liver Lesions: Diagnosis by Dynamic Incremental CT, Early Phase

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the accuracy of dynamic incremental bolus-enhanced conventional CT (DICT) with intravenous contrast administration, early phase, in the diagnosis of malignancy of focal liver lesions. A total of 122 lesions were selected in 74 patients considering the following criteria: lesion diameter 10 mm or more, number of lesions less than six per study, except in multiple angiomatosis and the existence of a valid criteria of definitive diagnosis. Lesions were categorized into seven levels of diagnostic confidence of malignancy compared with the definitive diagnosis for acquisition of a receiver-operator-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the technique. Forty-six and 70 lesions were correctly diagnosed as malignant and benign, respectively; there were 2 false-positive and 4 false-negative diagnoses of malignancy and the sensitivity and specificity obtained were 92 and 97%. The DICT early phase was confirmed as a highly accurate method in the characterization and diagnosis of malignancy of focal liver lesions, requiring an optimal technical performance and judicious analysis of existing semiological data

A Neuroanatomical Signature for Schizophrenia Across Different Ethnic Groups

Schizophrenia is a disabling clinical syndrome found across the world. While the incidence and clinical expression of this illness are strongly influenced by ethnic factors, it is unclear whether patients from different ethnicities show distinct brain deficits. In this multicentre study, we used structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging to investigate neuroanatomy in 126 patients with first episode schizophrenia who came from 4 ethnically distinct cohorts (White Caucasians, African-Caribbeans, Japanese, and Chinese). Each patient was individually matched with a healthy control of the same ethnicity, gender, and age (±1 year). We report a reduction in the gray matter volume of the right anterior insula in patients relative to controls (P < .05 corrected); this reduction was detected in all 4 ethnic groups despite differences in psychopathology, exposure to antipsychotic medication and image acquisition sequence. This finding provides evidence for a neuroanatomical signature of schizophrenia expressed above and beyond ethnic variations in incidence and clinical expression. In light of the existing literature, implicating the right anterior insula in bipolar disorder, depression, addiction, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety, we speculate that the neuroanatomical deficit reported here may represent a transdiagnostic feature of Axis I disorders

White matter integrity as a predictor of response to treatment in first episode psychosis

The integrity of brain white matter connections is central to a patient's ability to respond to pharmacological interventions. This study tested this hypothesis using a specific measure of white matter integrity, and examining its relationship to treatment response using a prospective design in patients within their first episode of psychosis. Diffusion tensor imaging data were acquired in 63 patients with first episode psychosis and 52 healthy control subjects (baseline). Response was assessed after 12 weeks and patients were classified as responders or non-responders according to treatment outcome. At this second time-point, they also underwent a second diffusion tensor imaging scan. Tract-based spatial statistics were used to assess fractional anisotropy as a marker of white matter integrity. At baseline, non-responders showed lower fractional anisotropy than both responders and healthy control subjects (P < 0.05; family-wise error-corrected), mainly in the uncinate, cingulum and corpus callosum, whereas responders were indistinguishable from healthy control subjects. After 12 weeks, there was an increase in fractional anisotropy in both responders and non-responders, positively correlated with antipsychotic exposure. This represents one of the largest, controlled investigations of white matter integrity and response to antipsychotic treatment early in psychosis. These data, together with earlier findings on cortical grey matter, suggest that grey and white matter integrity at the start of treatment is an important moderator of response to antipsychotics. These findings can inform patient stratification to anticipate care needs, and raise the possibility that antipsychotics may restore white matter integrity as part of the therapeutic response

Mixture models for distance sampling detection functions

Funding: EPSRC DTGWe present a new class of models for the detection function in distance sampling surveys of wildlife populations, based on finite mixtures of simple parametric key functions such as the half-normal. The models share many of the features of the widely-used “key function plus series adjustment” (K+A) formulation: they are flexible, produce plausible shapes with a small number of parameters, allow incorporation of covariates in addition to distance and can be fitted using maximum likelihood. One important advantage over the K+A approach is that the mixtures are automatically monotonic non-increasing and non-negative, so constrained optimization is not required to ensure distance sampling assumptions are honoured. We compare the mixture formulation to the K+A approach using simulations to evaluate its applicability in a wide set of challenging situations. We also re-analyze four previously problematic real-world case studies. We find mixtures outperform K+A methods in many cases, particularly spiked line transect data (i.e., where detectability drops rapidly at small distances) and larger sample sizes. We recommend that current standard model selection methods for distance sampling detection functions are extended to include mixture models in the candidate set.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Factors influencing sleep quality of people in an intensive care unit

Introdução: O sono desempenha um papel fundamental na manutenção de uma boa saúde física e mental. As unidades de cuidados intensivos, devido à sua estrutura e funcionalidade, são locais propícios à alteração do padrão de sono dos pacientes aí internados, contribuindo para a sua privação. Todavia, existem factores nestas unidades que influenciam a qualidade do sono destes pacientes e que podem ser minimizados e/ou modificados pelas equipes de saúde multidisciplinares. Objectivo: Identificar quais os factores que influenciam a qualidade do sono da pessoa internada em unidade de cuidados intensivos. Material e método: Pesquisa de revisão sistemática. Para a sua elaboração precedeu-se à leitura de artigos existentes na base de dados EBSCO host entre os anos 2011 a 2016, obtendo-se um total de 84 artigos, tendo sido seleccionados 4 para estudo. Resultados: A privação do sono ocorre frequentemente em unidades de cuidados intensivos e decorre da existência de determinados factores, como a evidência científica demonstra, tais como o ruído, a luminosidade as actividades desempenhadas pelos próprios profissionais de saúde, sobretudo os enfermeiros. Conclusão: Os factores apontados prejudicam a qualidade de sono do paciente, entretanto, são por vezes descurados. É fundamental que as equipes de saúde que atuam nestas unidades desenvolvam protocolos ou bundles sobre a qualidade do sono destes pacientesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Intra- and inter-firm dynamics in combinatorial knowledge bases

[EN] Research on innovation has often concentrated on a narrow set of sectors and activities, and on the experiences of the most advanced regions in the world. However, innovation, when defined in a broad sense, incorporates a variety of processes and outputs that cut across organisational, sectoral, territorial and knowledge boundaries. This paper seeks to make a contribution to this literature by focusing on the experiences of less developed regions, and by examining how different knowledge bases contribute to technological upgrading and higher added value for firms. It argues that in regions where access to advanced knowledge and technology is restricted, or where firms do not have the absorptive capacity to access, absorb and exploit such knowledge, combining existing knowledge in innovative ways may be the best strategy for firms to become more innovative and competitive. It also argues that this combination can happen through vertical integration within the firm, or by the creation and maintenance of inter-firm mechanisms that stimulate knowledge dissemination. These themes are discussed by drawing on the evolution of the wine industry in three Portuguese regions. These regions have all experienced different trajectories, in terms of the renewal of their wine industry, and it is argued that this is in part the result of endogenous regional characteristics.This work was supported by an Early Career Grant by the Regional Studies Association and by the German Research Foundation/European Science Foundation [grant number 10-ECRP-007].Marques, P. (2019). Intra- and inter-firm dynamics in combinatorial knowledge bases. European Urban and Regional Studies. 26(2):186-204. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969776418779116S186204262Asheim, B. T., Boschma, R., & Cooke, P. (2011). Constructing Regional Advantage: Platform Policies Based on Related Variety and Differentiated Knowledge Bases. Regional Studies, 45(7), 893-904. doi:10.1080/00343404.2010.543126Balland, P.-A., & Rigby, D. (2016). The Geography of Complex Knowledge. Economic Geography, 93(1), 1-23. doi:10.1080/00130095.2016.1205947Christopherson, S., & Clark, J. (2007). Power in Firm Networks: What it Means for Regional Innovation Systems. Regional Studies, 41(9), 1223-1236. doi:10.1080/00343400701543330Cusmano, L., Morrison, A., & Rabellotti, R. (2010). Catching up Trajectories in the Wine Sector: A Comparative Study of Chile, Italy, and South Africa. World Development, 38(11), 1588-1602. doi:10.1016/j.worlddev.2010.05.002Dosi, G., Faillo, M., & Marengo, L. (2008). Organizational Capabilities, Patterns of Knowledge Accumulation and Governance Structures in Business Firms: An Introduction. Organization Studies, 29(8-9), 1165-1185. doi:10.1177/0170840608094775Giuliani, E. (2007). The selective nature of knowledge networks in clusters: evidence from the wine industry. Journal of Economic Geography, 7(2), 139-168. doi:10.1093/jeg/lbl014Giuliani, E., & Bell, M. (2005). The micro-determinants of meso-level learning and innovation: evidence from a Chilean wine cluster. Research Policy, 34(1), 47-68. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2004.10.008Giuliani, E., Morrison, A., & Rabellotti, R. (2011). Innovation and Technological Catch-Up. doi:10.4337/9780857930514Grant, R. M. (1996). Toward a knowledge-based theory of the firm. Strategic Management Journal, 17(S2), 109-122. doi:10.1002/smj.4250171110Halkier, H., James, L., Dahlström, M., & Manniche, J. (2012). Knowledge Dynamics, Regions and Public Policy. European Planning Studies, 20(11), 1759-1766. doi:10.1080/09654313.2012.723419Hatch, C. J. (2013). Competitiveness by Design: An Institutionalist Perspective on the Resurgence of a «Mature» Industry in a High-Wage Economy. Economic Geography, 89(3), 261-284. doi:10.1111/ecge.12009Helfat, C. E. (2015). Vertical firm structure and industry evolution. Industrial and Corporate Change, 24(4), 803-818. doi:10.1093/icc/dtv027Malerba, F., Nelson, R., Orsenigo, L., & Winter, S. (2008). Vertical integration and disintegration of computer firms: a history-friendly model of the coevolution of the computer and semiconductor industries. Industrial and Corporate Change, 17(2), 197-231. doi:10.1093/icc/dtn001Manniche, J. (2012). Combinatorial Knowledge Dynamics: On the Usefulness of the Differentiated Knowledge Bases Model. European Planning Studies, 20(11), 1823-1841. doi:10.1080/09654313.2012.723423Manniche, J., Moodysson, J., & Testa, S. (2016). Combinatorial Knowledge Bases: An Integrative and Dynamic Approach to Innovation Studies. Economic Geography, 93(5), 480-499. doi:10.1080/00130095.2016.1205948Marques, P. (2017). From toys to automobiles: foreign investment, firm heterogeneity and intermediaries in a Portuguese industry. European Planning Studies, 25(8), 1375-1393. doi:10.1080/09654313.2017.1303822Marques, P. (2017). Human capital and university–business interactions: an example from the wine industry. Regional Studies, Regional Science, 4(1), 154-160. doi:10.1080/21681376.2017.1341818Martin, R., & Moodysson, J. (2011). Comparing knowledge bases: on the geography and organization of knowledge sourcing in the regional innovation system of Scania, Sweden. European Urban and Regional Studies, 20(2), 170-187. doi:10.1177/0969776411427326Martin, R., & Sunley, P. (2003). Deconstructing clusters: chaotic concept or policy panacea? Journal of Economic Geography, 3(1), 5-35. doi:10.1093/jeg/3.1.5Moulaert, F., & Sekia, F. (2003). Territorial Innovation Models: A Critical Survey. Regional Studies, 37(3), 289-302. doi:10.1080/0034340032000065442Pina, K., & Tether, B. S. (2016). Towards understanding variety in knowledge intensive business services by distinguishing their knowledge bases. Research Policy, 45(2), 401-413. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2015.10.005Polenske, K. R. (Ed.). (2007). The Economic Geography of Innovation. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511493386Rabellotti, R., & Schmitz, H. (1999). The Internal Heterogeneity of Industrial Districts in Italy, Brazil and Mexico. Regional Studies, 33(2), 97-108. doi:10.1080/00343409950122909Tödtling, F., & Grillitsch, M. (2015). Does Combinatorial Knowledge Lead to a Better Innovation Performance of Firms? European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1741-1758. doi:10.1080/09654313.2015.1056773WILLIAMSON, O. E. (1995). Hierarchies, Markets and Power in the Economy : An Economic Perspective. Industrial and Corporate Change, 4(1), 21-49. doi:10.1093/icc/4.1.2

Essential genetic findings in neurodevelopmental disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) represent a growing medical challenge in modern societies. Ever-increasing sophisticated diagnostic tools have been continuously revealing a remarkably complex architecture that embraces genetic mutations of distinct types (chromosomal rearrangements, copy number variants, small indels, and nucleotide substitutions) with distinct frequencies in the population (common, rare, de novo). Such a network of interacting players creates difficulties in establishing rigorous genotype-phenotype correlations. Furthermore, individual lifestyles may also contribute to the severity of the symptoms fueling a large spectrum of gene-environment interactions that have a key role on the relationships between genotypes and phenotypes.Herein, a review of the genetic discoveries related to NDDs is presented with the aim to provide useful general information for the medical community.This work was financed by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, in the framework of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274 to i3S and UID/ BIM/04501/2013 and UID/BIM/04501/2019 to iBiMED, as well as by national funds (OE), through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19 to RMS, and by FCT research project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-29723. ARC and CS hold FCT PhD fellowships (SFRH/BD/141702/2018-ARC and SFRH/BD/137925/2018-CS). Funders had no role in the design, collection, analysis, interpretation of the data, and writing of the manuscript