1,724 research outputs found
Testing Intra-Industry Trade Between Portugal and Spain [1990-1996]
This paper shows how, in the period 1990-1996, economic integration between the two Iberian economies has deepened through intra-industry trade. The enquiry was led at the level of the main forty traded products. In this context, several tests have been made. Our analysis combines first the application of the Grubel and Lloyd index of the main forty products and the marginal intra-industry trade of Brulhart, and Brulhart and Elliot. On the basis of these indexes we defined our criterion for the selection of the competitive cluster of Portugal throughout the period. We have also considered the global intra-industry trade, in nominal and real terms, according to the method of Greenaway et al. In econometric terms we have tried to know which is the relation between the intra-industry trade index and the marginal intra-industry trade at the level of the main forty products, the results however were not unequivocal. The same is true as far as concerns the relation between the intra-industry trade index and the net export position at the level of the same products. Despite the fact that some attempts have been inconclusive, knowledge about Iberian trade has developed in a field essential to its upgrading, and the way is open for further research.intra-industry trade; marginal intra-industry trade; competitive cluster; net export position.
Asking simultaneously about truth and familiarity may disrupt truth effects
Tell me something that sounds familiar and I will believe it to be true. This is a statement that we should believe because it summarizes a well-documented and empirically supported effect: the illusion of truth effect (see Dechêne, Stahl, Hansen, & Wänke, 2010 for a review). The fact is we are more likely to believe a statement if we have been previously exposed to it (e.g., Bacon, 1979; Hasher, Goldstein, & Toppino, 1977). Repetition increases truth-value generating the illusion that repeated statements are more valid than information we never heard or read before. A general assumption of the explanations of the truth effect is that the subjective experience of processing a familiar statement is interpreted as informing about the validity of the statement (see Dechêne et al, 2010). This implies that a process of misattribution underlies repetition’s effect on judgments of truth (e.g., Bornstein & D’Agostino, 1994; Mandler, Nakamura, & Van Zandt, 1987; Schwarz, & Clore, 1983). In this paper we present an experiment that tests such misattribution process by making more or less explicit the real source of the feeling of familiarity with statements. In this way we test whether illusions of truth decrease when it is clear (vs. unclear) that familiarity is due to previous exposure
Skin byproducts of reinhardtius hippoglossoides (Greenland Halibut) as ecosustainable source of marine collagen
Collagen is a ubiquitous protein present in the extracellular matrix of all major metazoan
animals, with approximately 28 different human collagen types described in the literature, each
with unique physicochemical properties. Collagens found broad application in the cosmeceutical,
pharmaceutical, and biomedical fields and can be isolated from environmentally sustainable sources
such as marine byproducts, which are abundant in the fish processing industry and are highly
appealing low-cost sources. In this study, marine collagen was isolated from the skins of Greenland
halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), an unexplored byproduct from fish processing plants, using
three different collagen extraction methods, due to the use of distinct salting-out methods using a
solution of 2.6 M NaCl + 0.05 M Tris-HCl pH = 7.5, (method I); a combination of 0.7 M NaCl followed
by a solution of 2.3 M NaCl + 0.05 M Tris-HCl pH = 7.5 (method II); and one method using only
0.9 M NaCl (method III), yielding COLRp_I, COLRp_II, and COLRp_III collagens. These extracted
type I collagens were produced with a yield of around 2 and 4% and characterized regarding the
physicochemical properties, considering possible biotechnological applications. This work evidenced
that the typical triple helix structure conformation was preserved in all extraction methods, but
influenced the thermal behavior, intrinsic morphology, and moisture capacity of the collagens, with
interest for biotechnological application, as the incorporation as an ingredient in cosmetic formulation.
Furthermore, the use of collagen isolated from skin byproducts represents a high economic value
with decreasing collagen cost for industrial purposes and is also an environmentally sustainable
source for industrial uses
The impact of family ownership on capital structure of firms: exploring the role of zero-leverage, size, location and the global financial crisis
In this article, we investigate the influence of family ownership on firm leverage across different subgroups of family and non-family firms. In addition, we examine the influence of firm size, geographical location and the 2008 global financial crisis on the capital structure of family firms. In both cases, we study the probability of firms using debt and, conditional on its use, the proportion of debt issued. We find that family ownership affects both decisions positively, namely, when the firm is large or located in a metropolitan area. For small firms located outside metropolitan areas, there is no clear family ownership effect. We also find the 2008 crisis had a substantial, but diversified, impact on family firm leverage. On the one hand, all family firms were more prone to use debt after 2008; on the other, the proportion of debt held by levered family firms decreased for micro and small firms, but increased for large firms. Overall, the crisis effects on family firm leverage seem to be the result of both supply- and demand-side factors, with the former particularly affecting the availability of debt to micro and small firms.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Pheochromocytoma during pregnancy - a rare diagnose with a complex multidisciplinary approach
Hypertension is a common problem in pregnancy that can result in significant maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The common causes include pre-eclampsia, gestational hypertension and essential hypertension. Although pheochromocytoma is a rare of hypertension in pregnancy, it can lead to potentially life-threatening cardiovascular complications for the mother and increased fetal mortality if left undiagnosed and untreated. Early diagnosis and timely, appropriate management reduce possible maternal and fetal complications. We report a case of a 32-week pregnant woman diagnosed with hypertension secondary to pheochromocytoma. An elective caesarian section was performed at 37 weeks of gestational age and underwent a laparoscopic left adrenalectomy with success. A multidisciplinary approach is of utmost importance and essential during the management of this life-threatening condition during pregnancy
Ionic liquids as foaming agents of semi-crystalline natural-based polymers
In this work, the ability to foam semi-crystalline natural-based polymers by supercritical fluid technology
is evaluated. The application of this technique to natural polymers has been limited due to the fact that
they are normally semi-crystalline polymers, which do not plasticize in the presence of carbon dioxide.
This can be overcome by the use of plasticizers, such as glycerol, which is a commonly used plasticizer,
or ionic liquids, which have recently been proposed as plasticizing agents for different polymers.
Following the green chemistry principles, the main aim is, hereafter, the design and development of new
3D architectures of natural-based polymers, combining ionic liquids (IL) and supercritical fluid (SCF)
technology. A polymeric blend of starch, one of the most abundantly occurring natural polymers, and
poly-ε-caprolactone, a synthetic polymer, which is a biodegradable aliphatic polyester commonly used in
an array of biomedical applications (SPCL), was processed by supercritical fluid foaming, at different
operating conditions, namely pressure (10.0 up to 20.0 MPa), temperature (35 up to 60 °C) and soaking
time (30 min up to 3 h). The ionic liquid tested in this work was 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate
([bmim]Ac). The interactions between SPCL and [bmim]Ac or glycerol were analysed by Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and by mechanical tests, using both
tensile and compressive modes. Morphological analysis, porosity, interconnectivity and pore size
distribution of the matrixes were evaluated and the morphology was analyzed by scanning electron
microscopy and by micro-computed tomography. To our knowledge the use of ionic liquids as foaming
agents is reported here for the first time. The results obtained suggest that this approach can further
promote the development of composite polymer–IL materials, particularly for catalysis, chromatography,
extraction and separation purposes.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. KBBE-2010-266033 (project SPECIAL). S. S. Silva would like to thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for her post-doctoral fellowship (SFRH/BPD/45307/2008)
Biological saline produced water treatment, a sustainable process towards lipids production
Oil and gas industry is responsible for the generation of large volumes of oil-contaminated
wastewaters, such as saline produced water (PW), that without proper treatment can cause
environmental contamination. Alcanivorax borkumensis SK2 is a biosurfactant producer
capable of degrading and converting hydrocarbons into bacterial lipids under nutrient limiting
conditions (e.g. nitrogen and/or oxygen). Recently, the industrial interest in biosurfactants and
bacterial lipids for biotechnological applications (e.g. bioremediation or biofuels production) is
increasing. Pursuing the interest of treating and simultaneously valorizing PW, a sequencing
batch airlift reactor (SBAR) strategy consisting of sequential cycles of feast and famine stages
was developed. A. borkumensis SK2 was used as bioreactor inoculum and the effect of cycle
duration, total petroleum hydrocarbon to nitrogen ratio (TPH/N) and dissolved oxygen (DO)
concentration (7-8 mg L-1 and 2-3 mg L-1 (famine and feast stage); and 7-8/1-2 mg L-1
(famine/feast stage)) were investigated. The system provided an efficient PW treatment,
achieving TPH removal efficiencies in a narrow range from 90 ± 2.1 to 96 ± 1.8 %. Intracellular
lipid production increased from 0.48 to 0.74 g g-1 of cellular dry weight (CDW) with the
application of higher feast stage duration and lower TPH/N ratios suggesting that nitrogen
availability is the most relevant factor to promote accumulation. Under 2-3 mg L-1 and 7-8/1-2
mg L-1 of oxygen, lipid accumulation dropped to 0.50 g g-1 of CDW. Intracellular lipid profile
changed according to the DO concentration. Triacylglycerols (TAG) and wax esters (WE) were
accumulated under maximum and limiting DO concentrations, while polyhydroxyalkanoates
(PHA) accumulation was triggered by the application of alternated DO conditions, indicating
that the type of intracellular compound can be selected by manipulating the oxygen
concentration in the SBAR. Extracellular lipid production (TAG and WE) was not significantly
affected by none of the operational conditions applied (0.06 g L-1). Moreover, the production of
a cell-bound and an extracellular glycolipid biosurfactant capable of reducing the medium
surface tension from 65 to approximately 41 mN m-1 was observed. The proposed strategy showed that biological PW treatment in a SBAR can be a sustainable process through the
production of added-value compounds contributing to a circular economy model.This research was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT I.P.) and
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the scope of project SaltOil+ (POCI-01-
0145- FEDER-030180) (Portugal 2020, COMPETE 2020); Rita M. Silva PhD grant
(SFRH/BD/116154/2016) was funded by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Hybrid sol-gel coatings: smart and green materials for corrosion mitigation
Corrosion degradation of materials and metallic structures is one of the major issues
that give rise to depreciation of assets, causing great financial outlays in their recovery and or
prevention. Therefore, the development of active corrosion protection systems for metallic substrates
is an issue of prime importance. The promising properties and wide application range of hybrid
sol-gel-derived polymers have attracted significant attention over recent decades. The combination of
organic polymers and inorganic materials in a single phase provides exceptional possibilities to tailor
electrical, optical, anticorrosive, and mechanical properties for diverse applications. This unlimited
design concept has led to the development of hybrid coatings for several applications, such as
transparent plastics, glasses, and metals to prevent these substrates from permeation, mechanical
abrasion, and corrosion, or even for decorative functions. Nevertheless, the development of new
hybrid products requires a basic understanding of the fundamental chemistry, as well as of the
parameters that influence the processing techniques, which will briefly be discussed. Additionally,
this review will also summarize and discuss the most promising sol-gel coatings for corrosion
protection of steel, aluminium, and their alloys conducted at an academic level.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
- …