The market system demand curve : a fundamental distortion

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Information Analysis and ManagementSince the mid-1970s, the global economy has been dominated by the spread of capitalist market economies, growing inequality and increasing ecological degradation. The latter may be the most serious of these trends. Human economic activities have reached a level that is bound to instigate irreversible change to the global environment, creating conditions likely to be less conducive to human development. The market system demand curve is distorted if inequality is sufficiently great and the purchasing power has a greater impact on allocation than preferences. If we attempt to internalize the ecological costs of essential resources into their market prices, driving up price, the best case scenario is that the poor reduce consumption by more than the rich, even though the rich have been the primary drivers of ecological degradation. The thesis focuses on the food allocation and demand curve distortion. Mainstream economists argue that it is impossible to objectively compare marginal utility across individuals, and the best we can do is equate willingness to pay with utility. However, food consumption is a physiological need, and it is quite possible to objectively compare the marginal utility it provides to different individuals. Certainly, a malnourished person gains more from additional food than an overfed one. A comprehensive econometric modeling of an aggregated and two-staged food demand systems is carried out for one hundred-seventy-seven countries. The data is retrieved from the 2011 round of the World Bank International Comparison Program. In the first stage, the Florida preference independence model is applied to the main broad groups of goods and services. In the second stage, a conditional demand system for food subcategories is estimated using the Florida Slutsky model. An Inaccuracy measure and the Stroble decomposition are used in the outliers detection procedure The system equations are corrected for both groupwise and scale heteroskedasticity. The iterated nonlinear seemingly unrelated regression (ITNLSUR) is applied in the final estimation, while the iterated nonlinear least squares (ITNLLS) produces the initial values. The gauss-newton method is used to approximate the maximums of the objective functions. Expenditures elasticities, Slutsky own price elasticities, Frisch own price elasticities and Cournot own price elasticities constitute the estimate of the elasticities structure. Expenditure and marginal expenditure shares are the most valued direct outcome of the models. In a perfect allocation system food marginal shares would be equal for every country. The discrepancies shown are an indicator of the market distortion. A redistribution towards poorer countries would increase total utility. Even if a pareto optimum is in place in every economy (normally it is not), the solution captured by the model seems to be far from a global optimum. It is of upmost importance to know what are the implications on the real income of the poor if ecological thresholds are put in place through a market based mechanism. The Cournot elasticity estimates make evident that the poorer countries have more elastic demand curves, resulting primarily from the impact of increasing prices on real income, since there are no substitutes for food. This means that in an unequal market economy, if market based instruments are used to reduce the ecological degradation caused by food production, the poor will reduce consumption by a much greater percentage than the rich in response to price increases. Since the rich are responsible for far more ecological degradation than the poor, this outcome is highly perverse. This distortion is associated with the food shares and the marginal food shares that are higher in less affluent countries

An interface between WebShops for eCommerce and ERP Systems at MM Software Consulting GmbH

This report intends to present the project developed and the experience lived during the accomplishment of the curricular internship for the conclusion of the Masters in Informatics Engineering of the University of Madeira. An internship is an excellent opportunity to apply the skills acquired during the academic education in real practical cases. The main objectives for this internship were to create contacts and acquire more professional and personal experience in a new culture. The internship was held at MMSC, a small company based in Germany. In this internship, a project was developed for the synchronization of data between Web stores for e-commerce and ERP systems. In this report, the motivations for the realization of this project will be exposed, as well as the tools and technologies used to develop it. Subsequently, the planning and implementation of this project will be presented.Este relatório pretende expor o projeto desenvolvido e a experiência vivenciada durante a realização do estágio curricular para a conclusão do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática da Universidade da Madeira. Um estágio curricular é uma excelente oportunidade para aplicar as competências adquiridas durante a formação académica em casos práticos reais. Os principais objetivos para este estágio foram criar contactos e adquirir mais experiência profissional e pessoal numa nova cultura. O estágio foi realizado na empresa MMSC, sediada na Alemanha. Neste estágio foi desenvolvido um projeto para a sincronização de dados entre lojas na Web para comércio eletrónico e sistemas ERP. Neste relatório serão expostas as motivações para a realização deste projeto assim como as ferramentas e tecnologias utilizadas para o desenvolvimento do mesmo. Posteriormente, o planeamento e a implementação deste projeto serão apresentados

A influência do Facebook nas vendas : a perceção dos consumidores de moda

Um dos fenómenos sociais atualmente mais em foco, e que tem vindo a crescer de forma intensa, são as redes sociais materializadas na Internet. Surgiram como meio de fomentar o contacto entre pessoas conhecidas, no entanto, têm vindo a crescer como forma de divulgação nos mais diversos contextos. As pessoas passam uma parte cada vez maior do seu tempo livre online, e cada vez mais são adeptas das redes sociais. O Facebook é das redes sociais que mais sucesso tem alcançado nos últimos tempos. Diversas marcas comerciais usam-no como uma nova forma de comunicarem diretamente com os consumidores e receberem feedback, tentando assim criar uma relação mais próxima com o cliente. Neste trabalho é feito um estudo no sentido de aferir se esta nova ferramenta apresenta potencial para o aumento das vendas online de produtos de moda.One of the social phenomena currently more in focus, and that has been growing extensively, are the social networks materialized in the Internet. They emerged as ways of reinforcing contact between people, however, they have been growing as a form of dissemination in various contexts. People spend an increasing part of their free time online, and are increasingly enthusiastic about social networks. Facebook is one of the social networks that has achieved more success in recent times. Various brands use it as a new way to communicate directly with consumers and receive feedback, trying to create a closer relationship with the client. In this work a study to assess if this new tool offers potential to increase online sales of fashion products is being conducted

Sports career termination in football players: systematic review

This article aimed to characterize the termination of the sports career in football players. A systematic literature search was performed according to the PRISMA method. From all the publications, eight were selected that fulfilled all the inclusion criteria. The results revealed that, in general, the former football players finish their career between the ages of 31 and 35, reported a career span between eight and eleven years, and secondary education level. Regarding the quality of retirement, it was reported that voluntary retirement was mainly due to age and associated with psychological and social problems. Few data were reported regarding the available resources, highlighting, however, coping strategies through support from family and friends, and players maintain a career linked to sports. Only one study revealed the existence of a program to support the retirement of a sports career. © 2018, Facultad de Formacion del Profesorado.Este artigo teve como objetivo caraterizar o abandono da carreira desportiva de jogadores de futebol. Para tal, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de acordo com o método PRISMA. De todas as publicações, foram selecionadas oito que cumpriam com todos os critérios de inclusão. Os resultados revelaram que, em geral, os jogadores de futebol terminam a sua carreira entre os 31 e os 35 anos, a sua carreira tem uma duração compreendida entre oito e onze anos, e o seu nível de educação predominante é o ensino secundário. Em relação à qualidade de abandono foi reportado sobretudo o abandono voluntário, devido à idade estando associados problemas psicológicos e sociais. Foram reportados poucos dados relativos aos recursos disponíveis, salientando-se estratégias de coping através de suporte família e de amigos, e o desenvolvimento de uma carreira ligada ao desporto. Apenas um estudo revelou a existência de um programa de suporte ao abandono da carreira desportiva. © 2018, Facultad de Formacion del Profesorado.El objetivo de este artículo es caracterizar el retiro profesional deportivo en los jugadores de fútbol. Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática de la literatura disponible basada en el método PRISMA. Entre todas las publicaciones, se seleccionaron ocho qué cumplían con los criterios de inclusión. Los resultados demuestran que los exjugadores de fútbol terminan su actividad profesional entre los 31 y los 35 años, la duración de su recorrido profesional fue entre 8 a 11 años, y su nivel de escolaridad es el de enseñanza secundaria. Con respecto a la calidad del abandono fue reportado casi siempre el retiro voluntario, en especial debido a la edad y con problemas psicológicos o sociales asociados. Se han encontrado muy pocos datos con relación a los recursos disponibles, destacándose, aun así, estrategias de coping a través del auxilio de la familia y amigos, y el desarrollo de una profesión conectada con el deporte. Solo uno de los estudios reveló la existencia de un programa de auxilio al retiro de la profesión deportiva. © 2018, Facultad de Formacion del Profesorado.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A APLICAÇÃO DO QUADRO NORMATIVO DE PORTUGUESE CURRENT RESEARCH INFORMATION SYSTEM (PTCRIS) AOS REPOSITÓRIOS INSTITUCIONAIS DO REPOSITÓRIO CIENTÍFICO DE ACESSO ABERTO DE PORTUGAL (RCAAP) - IDENTIFICADORES INDIVIDUAIS ÚNICOS

O Portuguese Current Research Information System (PTCRIS) é um programa estruturante para a gestão de ciência e tecnologia em Portugal e visa promover a integração de vários sistemas de informação de suporte à atividade científica utilizados pelos investigadores, pelos gestores de ciência e público em geral. O ecossistema PTCRIS é composto por vários tipos de sistemas: Curricula, gestão de investigadores e organizações, gestão de projetos, gestão de financiamento e também os sistemas de gestão de outputs e outcomes, dos quais faz parte o Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP). O RCAAP tem por missão promover, apoiar e facilitar a adoção do acesso aberto ao conhecimento científico em Portugal através de uma rede organizada de repositórios. A integração de cada um dos tipos de sistemas anteriormente referidos no ecossistema PTCRIS passa pela adoção de um conjunto de standards e normas a que designamos quadro normativo PTCRIS e que está alinhado com as normas de referência internacionais. Uma das normas emanadas por este quadro são os identificadores, em particular os identificadores individuais únicos de investigadores. Seguindo as boas práticas internacionais o PTCRIS selecionou o ORCID, uma iniciativa de base comunitária, aberta e sem fins lucrativos, para este fim. Para além de disponibilizar um registo de identificadores únicos de investigadores, o ORCID disponibiliza serviços que, no contexto do PTCRIS, têm como finalidade assegurar que neste ecossistema um item é inserido uma única vez. A comunicação descreve o processo de levantamento e identificação dos requisitos técnico-funcionais dos repositórios do RCAAP para a integração com ORCID, a análise comparativa entre cada uma das três plataformas DSpace e os esforços feitos pelas equipas RCAAP / PTCRIS junto da comunidade internacional e entidades responsáveis (DuraSpace, ORCID e CINECA) no sentido de abraçarem o quadro normativo PTCRIS que, sendo baseado em normas internacionais, é de interesse geral para a comunidade. Em resultado destes esforços, podemos desde já afirmar que uma das variações do DSpace será totalmente compatível com os requisitos definidos pelo PTCRIS, permitindo dessa forma aplicar no contexto real os pressupostos do projeto

Anti-Signal Recognition Particle Myopathy in a Geriatric Patient

Anti-signal recognition particle (SRP) myopathy is a rare idiopathic inflammatory myositis that usually affects middle-age women, and is characterized by rapidly progressive proximal and symmetrical muscle weakness, elevated creatine kinase levels, severe necrotizing immune-mediated myopathy, presence of anti-SRP autoantibodies and poor response to steroid therapy. We report a geriatric case of a previously independent patient, presenting with slow onset of proximal paraparesis, myalgia and severe gait impairment. The patient was treated with steroid and azathioprine, with laboratory and pain response but modest muscle strength improvement. The clinical presentation of this unusual patient was atypical, which hampered the correct diagnosis

New Instrument for Oral Hygiene of Children with Cleft Lip and Palate

Patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) have several oral alterations that make the removal of bacterial plaque in the cleft area difficult, which is the main cause of the high incidence of oral health problems. The aim of this study is to develop a toothbrush especially designed to perform the hygiene of the cleft area. This device, called Cleft Toothbrush, is an add-on to a conventional toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach areas that are not accessible by using conventional brush shapes. The design was made in SOLIDWORKS®(Waltham, MA, USA) 3D and a sample of this device was produced by CURAPROX (Kriens, Switzerland). The efficacy of the Cleft Toothbrush was tested in a preliminary study performed in a four years old child with CLP, compared to that of a conventional toothbrush. A significantly higher reduction of the bacterial plaque was achieved with the Cleft Toothbrush. The child’s parents also felt more confident with this device, as it deals better with sensitive areas, as it did not hurt the child. This innovative toothbrush adapter appears to greatly improve the cleaning areas of high bacterial plaque retention in patients with CLP, together with excellent acceptance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comparison between classical and molecular (FISH and PCR) methods for Lactobacillus spp. detection in clinical samples

Lactobacillus species constitute the main beneficial bacteria in our body by inhibiting the growth from pathogenic microorganisms. Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) is an ideal method for cultivation-independent detection of microorganisms in microbial communities or clinical samples. Therefore, the current aims of this research are to identify and discriminate Lactobacillus spp. contained in clinical samples by the use of PNA-FISH methodology. In spite this method is proved to be useful to visualize target cells in natural habitats, it wasn't possible to find a Lactobacillus spp. 16S conservative region that allowed an unique and efficient identification in clinical samples. To overcome this problem, we used morphological visualization to differentiate Lactobacillus genus from another relative genera of the same Lactobacillaceae order. In addition, we also needed to overcome some methodological limitations, such as minimizing probe penetration problems and increasing hybridization efficiencies. As a result, we investigated the effect of different pre-treatment procedures of the exopolymer cell walls prior to the hybridization step, such as, several types of fixation compounds (paraformaldehyde and ethanol percentages), buffer steps and enzymatic (lysozyme and protease) pre-treatment. Furthermore, we modified PNA FISH protocol in several steps, for instance, hybridization and washing steps. In resume, the use of PNA probe specific for Lactobacillus spp. in situ hybridization by fluorescence microscopy could be perfectly used to study the complex and spatial organization of vaginal microbial samples. To conclude, we validate Lactobacillus spp. PNA probe by FISH to quantify and characterize in mixed microbiologic populations present in clinical samples