To Be or Not To Be in Office Again: Political Business Cycles with Local Governments

Most opportunistic-type models of political business cycles tend to posit a given objective for incumbents: maximisation of re-election chances. Though taking an opportunistic view too, we suggest a new explanation for a fiscal policy cycle: the incumbent’s concern with her own welfare in cases of victory and defeat. This rationale addresses local policy-making in particular. An equilibrium perfect-foresight model is designed which totally dispenses with any form of irrationality (namely, on the part of voters) or the common objective functions (re- election chances). Being well grounded in basic microeconomic theory (welfare maximisation by the individual agent), our model provides another foundation for the emergence of political business cycles at the local level. The empirical plausibility of theoretical predictions is then tested on Portuguese municipal data. The estimation of an error- components econometric framework finds evidence in favour of the proposed explanation during the period 1986 to 1993, and enlightens the role played by several politico-economic determinants of local governments’ investment outlays, such as electoral calendar, re- candidacy decisions, political cohesion and intergovernmental capital transfers.local public finance; public choice; political business cycle; elections; Portugal

To Be or Not To Be in Office Again, That is the Question: Political Business Cycles with Local Governments

Most opportunistic -type models of political business cycles tend to posit a given objective for incumbents: maximisation of re-election chances. Though taking an opportunistic view too, we suggest a new explanation for a fiscal policy cycle: the incumbents concern with her own welfare in cases of victory and defeat. This rationale addresses local policy-making in particular. An equilibrium perfectforesight model is designed which totally dispenses with any form of irrationality (namely, on the part of voters) or the common objective functions (re-election chances). Being well grounded in basic microeconomic theory (welfare maximisation by the individual agent), our model provides another foundation for the emergence of political business cycles at the local level. The empirical plausibility of theoretical predictions is then tested on Portuguese municipal data ranging from 1977 to 1993. The estimation of an error-components econometric framework finds evidence in favour of the proposed explanation and enlightens the role played by several politicoeconomic determinants of local governments investment outlays, such as electoral calendar, re-candidacy decisions, political cohesion and intergovernmental capital transfers.local public finance; public choice; political business cycles; elections; Portugal

Globalisation process, urban and regional dynamics in Portugal

The globalisation process has been changing the Portuguese productive structure but also the urban and regional economic geography, phenomenon particularly important after Portuguese integration in the European Community in 1986. The increase of foreign direct investment (FDI), the growth of the service sector, the industrial restructuring and the change of exports constitute the main economic effects of globalisation in Portugal. In the present paper we will present a brief empirical analysis of these recent trends and their urban and regional dynamics.N/

Aspectos da biologia e ecologia de Pachycara thermophilum Geistdoerfer, 1994 (Pisces: Zoarcidae)

Relatório de Estágio da Licenciatura em Biologia Marinha.A espécie Pachycara thermophilum foi originalmente descrita com base em espécimes capturados no campo hidrotermal Snake Pit da Dorsal Medio-Atlântica. A descrição do habitat em que se insere P. thermophilum é feita com base em vídeos capturados pelo submersível Alvin nos campos hidrotermais Snake Pit, Logatchev e Broken Spur, durante a campanha oceanográfica “DIVERSExpedition”. Neste trabalho, peixes desta espécie capturados no Snake Pit foram estudados, com o objectivo de comparar as suas características diagnosticantes com as características anteriormente descritas para a espécie. Para tal fez-se uma contagem dos traços merísticos e fizeram-se medições das diferentes partes do corpo. Os otólitos de cada espécime foram observados para determinação de idades. O indivíduo mais novo tinha três anos de idade e o mais velho tinha oito. Foram feitas análises da concentração de mercúrio (Hg) nos músculos e fígados de forma a relacioná-las com o meio tóxico em que se insere P. thermophilum. A análise das gónadas destes indivíduos revelou que as fêmeas se encontravam em fase de postura enquanto os machos se apresentavam na fase de repouso. Em dois indivíduos verificaram-se estruturas com dimensões muito superiores às dos oócitos o que presumivelmente poderão ser embriões em desenvolvimento. Estes dois factores parecem indicar que a fecundação é interna

Osmoadaptation mechanisms in prokaryotes: distribution of compatible solutes

Microorganisms respond to osmotic stress mostly by accumulating compatible solutes, either by uptake from the medium or by de novo synthesis. These osmotically activ molecules preserve the positive turgor pressure required for cell division. The diversity of compatible solutes is large but falls into a few major chemical categories; they are usually small organic molecules such as amino acids or their derivatives, and carbohydrates and their derivatives. Some are widely distributed in nature while others seem to be exclusively present in specific groups of organisms. This review discusses the diversity and distribution of known classes of compatible solutes found in prokaryotes as well as the increasing knowledge of the genes and pathways involved in their synthesis. The alternative roles of some archetypal compatible solutes not subject to osmoregulatory constraints are also discussed

Plano de negócios para a construção de uma unidade fabril de misturas complementares

A Cooperativa Agrícola de Vila do Conde desenvolve um negócio de fabrico e comercialização de misturas complementares para alimentação bovina, sobretudo para vacas leiteiras. Há alguns anos a esta parte, esta Cooperativa sabe que terá que deslocalizar a unidade fabril existente devido a imposições da Direção Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária, relacionadas com questões de natureza ambiental. A necessidade de ser realizado um novo investimento, para garantir a sustentabilidade do negócio mais rentável gerido por esta Cooperativa, levou a pensar-se na possibilidade de construção de uma nova unidade fabril, de dimensão superior, capaz de servir outras cooperativas, visando o desejado entendimento das cooperativas em torno de um objetivo comum, logrando a obtenção de economias de escala, de extrema importância para a sobrevivência do setor leiteiro na região do Entre Douro e Minho. Para o efeito será constituída uma nova sociedade por quotas, designada por AGRIVIL XXI, Lda., de capital exclusivamente cooperativo, possibilitando que, em cada momento, se possa aferir a situação económica e financeira do negócio de forma mais rigorosa e autónoma. Esta realidade foi conducente à elaboração do presente Plano de Negócios que se espera profícuo para definição dos objetivos e metas a atingir num futuro próximo pela Cooperativa Agrícola de Vila do Conde. As análises de viabilidade e do risco do projeto demonstraram estarem criadas as condições de aceitação do mesmo, sendo expectável um VAL de 1.371.764 euros, uma TIR de 12,04% e um pay-back period próximo dos 11 anos. No entanto é notório a existência de um risco inerente ao investimento na medida em que o montante dos fluxos gerados tende a aproximar-se dos fluxos investidos, não gerando um excedente de riqueza significativo.The Agricultural Cooperative of Vila do Conde develops a manufacturing and marketing business of complementary mixtures for cattle feeding, especially for dairy cows. For some years now, this Cooperative knows that the existing plant must be relocated, due to the General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Office impositions, related to environmental issues. The need for a new investment to be made, to ensure the sustainability of the most profitable business managed by this Cooperative, led them to think about the possibility of building a new plant, of higher dimension, able to serve other cooperatives, targeting the desired understanding of cooperatives around a common goal, and this way, achieving the economies of scale of the utmost importance for the survival of the dairy sector in the region of Entre Douro e Minho. For this purpose a new private and limited company shall be set, called AGRIVIL XXI Ltd., with exclusively cooperative capital, allowing, in every moment, the economic and financial situation of the business to be assessed in a more rigorous and independent way. This fact lead to the development of this Business Plan, that is expected to be proficuous in the definition of the goals and targets of the Agricultural Cooperative of Vila do Conde in the near future. The feasibility and project risk analysis showed that conditions are created for the acceptance of the same, and it is expected a NPV of 1,371,764 euros, an IRR of 12.04% and a pay-back period around the next 11 years. However, it is clear that there is an inherent risk in the investment, since the amount of flows generated tends to come near the flows invested, not generating a significant surplus of wealth

User friendly knowledge acquisition system for medical devices actuation

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia BiomédicaInternet provides a new environment to develop a variety of applications. Hence, large amounts of data, increasing every day, are stored and transferred through the internet. These data are normally weakly structured making information disperse, uncorrelated, non-transparent and difficult to access and share. Semantic Web, proposed by theWorldWideWeb Consortium (W3C), addresses this problem by promoting semantic structured data, like ontologies, enabling machines to perform more work involved in finding, combining, and acting upon information on theWeb. Pursuing this vision, a Knowledge Acquisition System (KAS) was created, written in JavaScript using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) as the data structure and JSON Schema to define that structure. It grants new ways to acquire and store knowledge semantically structured and human readable. Plus, structuring data with a Schema generates a software robust and error – free. A novel Human Computer Interaction (HCI) framework was constructed employing this KAS, allowing the end user to configure and control medical devices. To demonstrate the potential of this tool, we present the configuration and control of an electrostimulator. Nowadays, most of the software for Electrostimulation is made with specific purposes, and in some cases they have complicated user interfaces and large, bulky designs that deter usability and acceptability. The HCI concedes the opportunity to configure and control an electrostimulator that surpasses the specific use of several electrostimulator software. In the configuration the user is able to compile different types of electrical impulses (modes) in a temporal session, automating the control, making it simple and user-friendly

Modular framework for a breast biopsy smart navigation system

Dissertação de mestrado em Informatics EngineeringBreast cancer is currently one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Its treatment has a higher survivorship rate when diagnosed in the disease’s early stages. The screening procedure uses medical imaging techniques, such as mammography or ultrasound, to discover possible lesions. When a physician finds a lesion that is likely to be malignant, a biopsy is performed to obtain a sample and determine its characteristics. Currently, real-time ultrasound is the preferred medical imaging modality to perform this procedure. The breast biopsy procedure is highly reliant on the operator’s skill and experience, due to the difficulty in interpreting ultrasound images and correctly aiming the needle. Robotic solutions, and the usage of automatic lesion segmentation in ultrasound imaging along with advanced visualization techniques, such as augmented reality, can potentially make this process simpler, safer, and faster. The OncoNavigator project, in which this dissertation integrates, aims to improve the precision of the current breast cancer interventions. To accomplish this objective various medical training and robotic biopsy aid were developed. An augmented reality ultrasound training solution was created and the device’s tracking capabilities were validated by comparing it with an electromagnetic tracking device. Another solution for ultrasound-guided breast biopsy assisted with augmented reality was developed. This solution displays real-time ultrasound video, automatic lesion segmentation, and biopsy needle trajectory display in the user’s field of view. The validation of this solution was made by comparing its usability with the traditional procedure. A modular software framework was also developed that focuses on the integration of a collaborative medical robot with real-time ultrasound imaging and automatic lesion segmentation. Overall, the developed solutions offered good results. The augmented reality glasses tracking capabilities proved to be as capable as the electromagnetic system, and the augmented reality assisted breast biopsy proved to make the procedure more accurate and precise than the traditional system.O cancro da mama é, atualmente, um dos tipos de cancro mais comuns a serem diagnosticados e a quinta principal causa de mortes relacionadas ao cancro. O seu tratamento tem maior taxa de sobrevivência quando é diagnosticado nas fases iniciais da doença. O procedimento de triagem utiliza técnicas de imagem médica, como mamografia ou ultrassom, para descobrir possíveis lesões. Quando um médico encontra uma lesão com probabilidade de ser maligna, é realizada uma biópsia para obter uma amostra e determinar as suas características. O ultrassom em tempo real é a modalidade de imagem médica preferida para realizar esse procedimento. A biópsia mamária depende da habilidade e experiência do operador, devido à dificuldade de interpretação das imagens ultrassonográficas e ao direcionamento correto da agulha. Soluções robóticas, com o uso de segmentação automática de lesões em imagens de ultrassom, juntamente com técnicas avançadas de visualização, nomeadamente realidade aumentada, podem tornar esse processo mais simples, seguro e rápido. O projeto OncoNavigator, que esta dissertação integra, visa melhorar a precisão das atuais intervenções ao cancro da mama. Para atingir este objetivo, vários ajudas para treino médico e auxílio à biópsia por meio robótico foram desenvolvidas. Uma solução de treino de ultrassom com realidade aumentada foi criada e os recursos de rastreio do dispositivo foram validados comparando-os com um dispositivo eletromagnético. Outra solução para biópsia de mama guiada por ultrassom assistida com realidade aumentada foi desenvolvida. Esta solução exibe vídeo de ultrassom em tempo real, segmentação automática de lesões e exibição da trajetória da agulha de biópsia no campo de visão do utilizador. A validação desta solução foi feita comparando a sua usabilidade com o procedimento tradicional. Também foi desenvolvida uma estrutura de software modular que se concentra na integração de um robô médico colaborativo com imagens de ultrassom em tempo real e segmentação automática de lesões. Os recursos de rastreio dos óculos de realidade aumentada mostraram-se tão capazes quanto o sistema eletromagnético, e a biópsia de mama assistida por realidade aumentada provou tornar o procedimento mais exato e preciso do que o sistema tradicional