A systematic mapping study

Corte-Real, N., Ruivo, P., & Oliveira, T. (2014). The diffusion stages of business intelligence & analytics (BI&A):: A systematic mapping study. In Procedia Technology (Vol. 16, pp. 172-179). (Procedia Technology). DOI: 10.1016/j.protcy.2014.10.080Business intelligence & analytics (BI&A) has evolved to become a foundational cornerstone of enterprise decision support. Since the way BI&A is implemented and assimilated is quite different among organizations is important to approach BI&A literature by four selected diffusion stages (adoption, implementation, use and impacts of use). The diffusion stages assume a crucial importance to track the BI&A evolution in organizations and justify the investment made. The main focus of this paper is to evidence BI&A research on its several diffusion stages. It provides an updated bibliography of BI&A articles published in the IS journal and conferences during the period of 2000 and 2013. A total of 30 articles from 11 journals and 8 conferences are reviewed. This study contributes to the BI&A research in three ways. This is the first systematic mapping study focused on BI&A diffusion stages. It contributes to see how BI&A stages have been analyzed (theories used, data collection methods, analysis methods and publication source). Finally, it observes that little attention has been given to BI&A post-adoption stages and proposes future research line on this area.publishersversionpublishe

Avaliação do efeito oblíquo na visão central

O objetivo fundamental do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito oblíquo na visão central utilizando franjas de interferência produzidas por um interferómetro desenvolvido e implementado por Santos, 2012. A partir das franjas de interferência produzidas e que são projetadas no olho de um indivíduo, com orientação e contraste variáveis foram medidas e determinadas as Funções Sensibilidade ao Contraste Neuronais médias de oito indivíduos. As orientações a estudar foram a 180º, 45º, 90º e 135º, e para cada uma destas orientações foram estudadas frequências espaciais de 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 e 24 cpg. O método psicofísico utilizado para a recolha de dados nas experiências realizadas foi o “stair-case” que permite estimar, com base em respostas do tipo SIM/NÃO, os limiares de sensibilidade ao contraste de cada individuo. A partir dos resultados obtidos foram construídas curvas representativas da Função sensibilidade ao contraste neuronal média individual. Posteriormente foram feitos testes estatísticos que mostraram a existência de diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as diversas frequências espacial mas não entre as quatro orientações estudadas. No entanto, foi verificado significado estatístico quando se consideram as interações frequências vs orientações. Foram ainda realizados outros testes estatísticos para mostrar a variação da sensibilidade ao contraste para as frequências médias e altas. Estes resultados mostram ter significado estatístico quando são consideradas combinações entre as orientações horizontais, verticais e oblíquas. Desta forma, tornou-se evidente a existência do efeito oblíquo na visão central do ser humano que também se mostrou ser mais acentuado com o aumento da frequência espacial. Os objetivos esperados foram plenamente atingidos

Calibration of transition intensities for a multistate model: Application to long-term care

UID/MAT/00297/2020We consider a non-homogeneous continuous time Markov chain model for Long-Term Care with five states: the autonomous state, three dependent states of light, moderate and severe dependence levels and the death state. For a general approach, we allow for non null intensities for all the returns from higher dependence levels to all lesser dependencies in the multi-state model. Using data from the 2015 Portuguese National Network of Continuous Care database, as the main research contribution of this paper, we propose a method to calibrate transition intensities with the one step transition probabilities estimated from data. This allows us to use non-homogeneous continuous time Markov chains for modeling Long-Term Care. We solve numerically the Kolmogorov forward differential equations in order to obtain continuous time transition probabilities. We assess the quality of the calibration using the Portuguese life expectancies. Based on reasonable monthly costs for each dependence state we compute, by Monte Carlo simulation, trajectories of the Markov chain process and derive relevant information for model validation and premium calculation.publishersversionpublishe

Climate and Landuse Change Impacts on hydrological processes and soil erosion in a dry Mediterranean agro-forested catchment, southern Portugal

Climate change is expected to increase aridity in the Mediterranean rim of Europe, due to decreasing rainfall and increasing temperatures. This could lead to impacts on soil erosion, since the lower rainfall could nevertheless become concentrated in higher intensity events during the wet season, while the more arid conditions could reduce vegetation cover, also due to climate-induced land-use changes. In consequence, there is an interest in understanding how climate change will affect the interaction between the timing of extreme rainfall events, hydrological processes, vegetation growth, soil cover and soil erosion. To study this issue, the SWAT eco-hydrological model was applied to Guadalupe, an agro-forested catchment (446 ha) located close to the city of Évora, with a Mediterranean inland climate. The landcover is a mix of dispersed cork oak forests (“montado”), annual crops, and agroforesty regions where the cork oaks are associated with crops or pasture; this land cover is representative of the dry regions of southern Portugal and Spain. The catchment has been instrumented since 2011 with a hydrometric station (water discharge and suspended sediment concentration data) and a soil moisture measurement station. There is also observed data of actual evapotranspiration, LAI and biomass production (in pasture; from 1999 and 2008) and runoff data and sediment yield measured in six 16m2 plots. Water balance, vegetation growth, soil erosion and sediment yield in SWAT was calibrated with this dataset. This work will present the dataset, modeling process, results for impacts of climate and land-use change scenarios for vegetation growth, soil erosion and sediment export, considering the climate and socio-economic scenarios A1b and B1 (based on SRES storylines). Climate scenarios were created by statistical downscaling from Global Circulation Models (GCMs) for the period 2071-2100 (30 years). The reference period was 1971-2000 (30 years). The SWAT model was used to estimate long-term erosion rates for the reference period, as well as the role of extreme events, particularly those falling in the late autumn and early winter (when the soil cover is minimal); the model was then used to examine the impacts of changing temporal patterns of low vegetation cover and extreme events for erosion and sediment yield

The paradox of ageing

Paper prepared for presentation at the 28th International Congress of Actuaries, Paris 2006In this paper, we discuss the so-called paradox of ageing, with respect to the members of the age group 55-64 years of age. This generation is (currently) too young to retire, despite the length of their working lives - for some in excess of forty years - and high earnings, yet is too old to continue working, since employers prefer to hire younger, more flexible and less expensive workers. Furthermore, official statistics show that the longevity of this generation is higher than its predecessors, an evolution that would apparently call for a gradual increase in the retirement age. The argument put forward by its advocates is that by keeping people at work for some more years, additional contributions will be received while delaying pension expenditure, thus compensating for the longer longevity prospects. We argue that, from the point of view of the long-term financial sustainability of the Social Security system, it would be preferable to provide this generation with an option to anticipate the retirement age, while penalising their retirement pension until they reach the age of 65. Such an option would serve as an alternative to a scenario of long-term unemployment in which individuals are granted unemployment benefits, normally exceeding the amount of the "anticipated pension", at the same time as they continue to accumulate pension rights with no contributions to the system. Faced with a situation in which rationing exists in the supply of individual life annuities by the insurance market, we discuss the creation of a financial reserve fund to support life-expectancy increases for all generations, funded by a supplementary contribution, which would be used to pay for the pensions in excess of those resulting from a constant lifespan at the age of retirement for all of the generations. Since the "ageing equation" has no single solution, our aim is to broaden the current debate on the long-term financial sustainability of the Social Security systems towards a richer perspective, in which raising the age of retirement is not the only solution

Suscetibilidade da Bacia do Rio Bengalas a deslizamentos de terra

Resumo: Deslizamentos de terra vêm ocorrendo frequentemente nos últimos anos, devido ao crescimento desordenado das cidades e à ocupação de áreas de risco pela população mais carente, causando impactos sociais, ambientais e econômicos. Áreas urbanas em sua expansão avançam para áreas geologicamente instáveis e topograficamente inclinadas, como é o caso da Bacia do Rio Bengalas, localizada no Município de Nova Friburgo, Região Serrana do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar o levantamento realizado para avaliar a suscetibilidade da Bacia do Rio Bengalas a deslizamentos de terra, que em janeiro de 2011, com a ocorrência de fortes chuvas, estes desastres impactaram na morte de 429 pessoas no Município de Nova Friburgo. Para este artigo foram feitas diversas investigações relacionadas às áreas da bacia, como declividade, pedologia, litologia, uso e cobertura do solo, curvatura vertical, curvatura horizontal. Com este estudo foi possível compreender como os elementos naturais e antrópicos do local de estudo estão relacionados com a dinâmica local dos desastres no que diz respeito às suas interferências na indução dos deslizamentos de terra, possibilitando assim a melhoria da gestão pública do Município no tocante ao uso e parcelamento do solo, a partir da identificação de áreas da Bacia do Rio Bengalas suscetíveis a deslizamentos de terra. Abstract: Landslides have frequently occurred in last years, due to the disorderly grownth of the cities and the occupation of risk areas by the poor population, causing social, environmental and economic impacts. Urban areas in expansion move to geologically unstable areas and topographically inclined, such as the Basin of River Bengalas, located in the city of Nova Friburgo, mountainous region of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This article aims to present the model survey to assess the susceptibility of the Basin of River Bengalas to landslides, which in January 2011, with the occurrence of heavy rains, caused landslides that impacted in the death of 429 people in city of Nova Friburgo. For the case study, several investigations have been made related to the areas of the basin, such as slope, soil conditions, lithology, land use and cover, vertical curvature and horizontal curvature. With this study it was possible to understand how the natural and anthropics elements of the basin are related to the local dynamics of the disasters regarding to their interferences in the induction of landslides, thus enabling improved public management of the Municipality regarding the use and division of land, from the identification of areas Basin of River Bengalas susceptible to landslides

Impacts of climate change on erosion in humid and dry Mediterranean regions of Portugal

Soils in the Mediterranean regions of Europe are often vulnerable to soil erosion, due to a combination of annual plant cover cycles, centuries of human use, the concentration of rainstorms in a short period of the year, and other factors. Climate change could bring about a warmer and drier climate, limiting vegetation growth while bringing heavier storms during winter. This could eventually lead to higher risks of soil losses and the consequential problems of land degradation and desertification. Project ERLAND, which began in 2009, is assessing these risks for two Mediterranean research catchments in Portugal, with four main goals: (i) collect data to understand hydrological and erosion processes in representative catchments; (ii) use this data to parameterize the SWAT eco-hydrological and erosion model as accurately as possible; (iii) use future socio-economic scenarios to estimate both impacts on climate change and on future land-use practices; and (iv) apply the SWAT model for these scenarios and estimate the consequences for soil erosion rates. The Macieira catchment is in a wet Mediterranean climate region, with high rainfall (c. 1300 mm.y-1) but a distinct summer dry season; erosion processes are associated with periods of sparse cover in autumn in fields with a pasture-corn rotation, but also with forest plantations after clear-cutting and especially after forest fires. The occurrence of a forest fire inside the catchment in 2011 allowed an analysis of the role played by this kind of disturbances on soil erosion. Climate change could bring less erosive rainfall events, but an increase in fire frequency, and therefore a potential shift of erosion from agriculture to forest land-uses. The Guadalupe catchment has a dry Mediterranean climate (rainfall of c. 550 mm.y-1); erosion processes occur mostly in permanent crops (olive trees) and winter cereal fields. Climate change could bring a concentration of rainfall in winter, as well as an increase in the area with permanent crops, bringing additional exposure to erosion. This communication presents the overall concept and work performed in project ERLAND, including an assessment of the large impact of the fire in the wet catchment (Macieira) on soil erosion rates, where results indicate that soil losses after soil preparation for forest replanting might be equivalent, in long-term, to soil losses in agricultural fields. It also provides preliminary results for the impacts of climate change on soil erosion in the dry catchment (Guadalupe), which indicate a potential increase of soil loss rates by 2100 in the most vulnerable areas (winter cereal fields and olive groves) due to a higher concentration of rainfall in winter. The foreseen replacement of some winter cereals and pastures by sunflower cultivation for biofuel production could also lead to important changes in erosion rates

Tolerance to salinity in Jatropha curcas are genotype-dependent/ A tolerância à salinidade em pinhão manso é dependente do genótipo

Dissonant results in Jatropha curcas tolerance to salinity obtained by different research groups in several countries suggest that tolerance is connected to variation of the genetic origin of the genotypes used. To verify this hypothesis, this work compared the physiological, photochemical and nutritional responses of different genotypes from J. curcas under to saline stress. Seeds of six genotypes of J. curcas (CNPAE112, CNPAE114, JCAL171, CNPAE183, CNPAE218, and CNPAE304) were germinated and fertirigated for three months with a Hoagland nutrient solution at 50%. After that, the plants received different concentrations of NaCl (0, 250, 500 and 750 mM) added to the nutritious solution for 48 h (maximum stress). Later, the salt was washed out from the substrate with solutions free from NaCl for 914 h to plant recovery. Gas exchanges, fluorescence chlorophyll a, osmotic potential and concentration of macro- and micronutrients of leaves were quantified. Physiological analyzes showed that genotypes CNPAE112, CNPAE114, and JCAL171 were more tolerant to salt stress due to complete recovery of their gas exchange rates after transferring plants to salt-free media. The genotypes CNPAE218 and CNPAE304 were more sensitive to saline stress, showing no recovery of the gas exchange and no recovering of maximum quantum efficiency of PSII, besides having high concentrations of Na+ in leaf after transferring plants to salt-free media. The genotype CNPAE183 was shown to be intermediate to the two previously situations. Therefore, we can suggest that CNPAE112, CNPAE114, and JCAL171 presented higher tolerance to saline stress, while CNPAE218, CNPAE304 showed to be more sensitive