Additions to the Azorean lichen flora.

Ongoing lichenological research in the Azores yielded records of 38 new species for the lichen flora of the Archipelago: Agonimia papillata (O. Eriksson) Diederich & Aptroot, Amandinea lecideina (Mayrh. & Poelt) Scheid. & Mayrh., Arthonia ilicinella Nyl., Arthonia muscigena Th. Fr., Arthonia stellaris Kremp., Bacidia canariensis Erichsen, Buellia dives (Th. Fr.) Th. Fr., Caloplaca canariensis (Follman & Poelt) Breuss, Cliostomum flavidulum Hafellner & Kalb, Collema crispum (Huds.) Weber ex Wigg., Dimelaena radiata (Tuck.) Hale & W. Culb., Lecania hutchinsiae (Nyl.) A.L. Sm., Lecanora cenisia Ach., Lecanora hagenii (Ach.) Ach., Lecanora leprosa Fée, Lecanora orosthea (Ach.) Ach., Lecanora pulicaris (Pers.) Ach., Lecanora strobilina (Spreng.) Kieffer, Leptogium teretiusculum (Flörke) Arnold, Ochrolechia androgyna (Hoffm.) Arnold, Opegrapha calcarea Sm., Opegrapha herbarum Mont., Opegrapha multipuncta Coppins & P. James, Opegrapha niveoatra (Borr.) J.R. Laundon, Opegrapha prosodea Ach., Opegrapha varia Pers., Parmelinopsis minarum (Vainio) Elix & Hale, Pertusaria amarescens Nyl., Pertusaria lactea (L.) Arnold, Phaeographis smithii (Leight.) de Lesd., Phlyctis argena (Spreng.) Flot., Placidium squamulosum (Ach.) Breuss, Pyrrhospora quernea (Dicks.) Körb., Pyxine subcinerea Stirt., Ramalina lusitanica H. Magn., Rinod, Thelidium pyrenophorum (Ach.) Mudd, Verrucaria hydrela Ach. and Waynea adscendens V.J. Rico. The species Agonimia papillata, Caloplaca canariensis, Lecanora leprosa, and Pyxine subcinerea do not occur in continental Europe. The first species is also reported here from La Palma (Canary Islands)

The implementation of social policy through the nonprofit sector: a political market framework

The uneven geographic distribution of nonprofit organizations has been an issue of debate in the implementation of social policy since the 1980s. This paper proposes a political market framework to test an integrated explanation for the geographic distribution of nonprofits. Government failure theory attributes this variation to the distribution of social problems, so that nonprofit organizations are more prevalent in jurisdictions displaying larger and more diverse service needs that governments are not prepared or willing to tackle. In contrast, entrepreneurship theory argues that nonprofit organizations are created in jurisdictions with higher levels of prosperity and resources and a stronger tradition of generosity. This second explanation suggests that nonprofit organizations are established by entrepreneurs seeking to maximize non-monetary returns. Our framework argues that both demand-side and supply-side market forces help to explain the variation in the geographical distribution of nonprofit organizations. The hypotheses are tested using data assembled from nonprofit organizations established at the local level in continental Portugal. The variation in nonprofit sector activities is measured by the number of users and by the number of nonprofit organizations operating by block groups responsible for the implementation of social policy in each local jurisdiction. These groups constitute our dependent variables and include nursing homes, day care centers, home care organizations, leisure centers, and homeless care organizations. The paper employs a series of economic, social and demographic features of the local jurisdictions as explanatory factors to test the propositions derived from the political market framework for the formation and size of nonprofit organizations. Our findings indicate that citizen donations, demand heterogeneity, income, and population size are relevant predictors of the dimension of the local nonprofit sector

Numerical uncertainty and its implications

A scrutiny of the contributions of key mathematicians and scientists shows that there has been much controversy (throughout the development of mathematics and science) concerning the use of mathematics and the nature of mathematics too. In this work, we try to show that arithmetical operations of approximation lead to the existence of a numerical uncertainty, which is quantic, path dependent and also dependent on the number system used, with mathematical and physical implications. When we explore the algebraic equations for the fine structure constant, the conditions exposed in this work generate paradoxical physical conditions, where the solution to the paradox may be in the fact that the fine-structure constant is calculated through different ways in order to ob-tain the same value, but there is no relationship between the fundamental physical processes which underlie the calculations, since we are merely dealing with algebraic relations, despite the expressions having the same physi-cal dimensions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

From civil servants to liberal professionals: an empirical analysis of the reform of Portuguese notaries

The use of market mechanisms has been progressively introduced as an alternative solution to public service delivery since the 1980s. This work addresses an uncommon public service function – civil law notaries – and seeks to analyse the factors that led to the formation of diverse market structures as a result of the choice of the privatization path over civil service status by public notaries. The Portuguese government allowed public notaries the choice to go private and regulated a numerus clausus of notaries by district. After the reform was completed, a diversity of market structures prevails throughout the 278 notarial districts. Our key hypothesis is that markets with multiple agents formed in jurisdictions having a larger and more profitable number of notary and legal acts that provided financial survival and profit. In contrast, monopolies formed as a result of a perceived absence of market opportunities and demand. During the period 2010-2011 we collected data from official statistics of the notary system supplemented by data on the economic and demographic features of each jurisdiction. Multinomial logistic regression is used to test the key hypothesis regarding market arrangements in the 278 notarial districts of Continental Portugal.This work was supported by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia – FCT) (grant number PEst-OE/CJP/UI0758/2011

The contribution of the history of science to science teaching: a study on the reproduction of living beings

We believe that the incorporation of the History of Science in education can provide students with a better understanding of the mechanisms of production and reconstruction of knowledge and contribute to preparing scientifically educated citizens and allow them to be able to make decisions about social issues based on personal understanding of scientific and technological processes about the world they live in. According to some authors the initial training of teachers of Biology / Geology, has not significantly valued the using of the History of Science as a teaching tool. This study has as main objectives to identify the level of knowledge of the sample students as far as the reproduction of living beings is concerned; to contribute to a better understanding of the scientific contents based on the History of Science and to develop materials and teaching strategies based on historical examples. The methodology used was Research – Action. The sample consisted of 18 students who attended the 11th form in a school in the municipality of Vila Real - Portugal in the academic year of 2011/12. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The data collected in the questionnaire (pre-test and post-test) were treated by qualitative content analysis and compared with those obtained in another class - pilot class. The data showed that there was a significant level of acquisition and understanding of knowledge concerning the reproduction of living beings when the History of Science was used. The knowledge of the History of Science allows us to understand the processes through which scientific ideas have been built and developed and have culminated in the current state of science. These new perspectives present new challenges to science teachers and require new approaches to their training, if we really want it to be effective and to result in better learning by students. We therefore consider it necessary to create opportunities for future teachers to reflect on the possible uses of the History of Science in order to implement it in their teaching practice.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Trends of reform in Portuguese local government: alternative mechanisms in service delivery

The influence on local government organization and management of new public management practices promoted by national administrative reforms remains an issue of contention. On one hand, some authors argue that these reforms have produced similar results at both the central and local levels of government (John 2001; Sanderson 2001; Van Gramberg & Teicher 2000). Others consider that the political nature of elected mayors and their legitimacy derived from close proximity with voters has limited its impact at the local level (McLaughlin 2002). However, it is unquestionable that local governance has changed over the years, distancing itself from traditional management involving clearly defined hierarchical relations, long-lasting career systems, bureaucratic control mechanisms, and in-house production. The influence of Public Choice theory and the New Public Management reforms have transformed local governance, albeit the degree of change remains under dispute. These changes resulted in the adoption of alternative mechanisms to deliver public services based on the externalization of service delivery, either using market approaches or employing partnerships with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The influence of New Public Management reforms brought about new service delivery arrangements replacing traditional bureaucratic in-house supply. Examples of these arrangements include: 1) CCT (Compulsory Competitive Tendering) replacing service delivery through in-house formal hierarchy with contracting (Fenwick, Shaw, & Foreman 1994); 2) Best Value relying on the comparison between delivery by the local government bureaucracy and alternative solutions provided by the market (Sanderson, 2001; Martin & Hartley 2000); 3) Local Government Amendment stressing the separation of municipal functions and highlighting the need for a corporate approach to commercial type functions (Wallis & Dollery 2001); and 4) New Steering Model (NSM) promoting functional decentralization and service autonomy to accomplish efficiency gains and quality in service delivery (Reichard 2003). Currently, local governments are responsible for the provision of an ever growing number of public services, including education, social services, land use planning and management, water supply, wastewater management, solid waste collection and management, and the promotion of local economic development. The mayoral system at the local level associated with the traditional administrative culture has produced resistance to the introduction and implementation of New Public Management reforms. In-house bureaucratic solutions still represent a large proportion of service delivery choices among Portuguese local governments. Nevertheless, the adoption of new governance mechanisms based on market competition and contracting out began increasing by the end of the 1990s. In recent years, we also witnessed the rise of alternatives to both market and hierarchy, through solutions relying on network partnerships and municipal cooperation. The large number of functions assumed by local governments as a result of central government delegation generated a substantial increase in the number and diversity of alternative governance mechanisms. We analyse the choice between these governance mechanisms in light of current trends of administrative reform. Our central hypothesis follows Robert Stein’s 1993 assertion that service characteristics influence the choice among governance mechanisms (hierarchy, market or network). We match three types of municipal services with these governance mechanisms and develop our hypotheses accordingly. First, we expect regulatory and monitoring activities to be provided by hierarchy type mechanisms (Lowi 1964; Peterson 1981; Barney 1999). Second, for activities involving the delivery of private goods and services (rival consumption and exclusion), local government officials will be inclined to use market-type mechanisms (Brown & Potoski 2003a; Ostrom & Ostrom 1977). Finally, social services, generally involving redistributive and social policies are most likely provided by network type mechanisms (Lamothe, Lamothe, & Feiock 2007; Brandsen & Pestoff 2006; Osbourne & McLaughlin 2004; Lowi 1964). The empirical analysis employs data collected from a sample of 102 Portuguese local governments between February and October 2008

The effects of amalgamations on voter turnout: evidence from sub-municipal governments in Portugal

The 2013 territorial reform of sub-municipal units (SMUs) of government in Portugal presents an interesting opportunity to understand the effect of amalgamations on democratic outcomes. Like other reforms of its kind, the Portuguese amalgamation reform was triggered by economic motivations, aimed at improving local services but seeking mostly to reduce the level of public expenditures. Much less relevance was given to the political impacts of territorial consolidation. The aim of this research is to assess the impacts of the Portuguese territorial reform on political participation measured as voter turnout in SMU elections. We use data from five election cycles (2001–2017) to compare turnout levels in amalgamated jurisdictions vis-à-vis the ones that did not amalgamate as a result of the process of territorial reform. The results of this quasi-experimental design indicate that turnout levels after the reform have decreased in the 2013 election and recovered in the 2017 election, but the negative effects were much more pronounced in amalgamated SMUs than in non-amalgamated SMUs.Previous versions of this paper were presented at the 2018 European Urban and Regional Association conference in Tilburg, The Netherlands and at the 2018 European Consortium of Political Research meeting in Hamburg, Germany. The authors would like to thank our colleagues Adam Gendzwill, Kurt Houlberg, Pawel Swianiewicz, and Filipe Teles for providing useful comments to these earlier versions of this manuscript. This research is partially supported by the "Programa Operacional da Regiao Norte", NORTE2020, in the context of project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000037 (SmartEGOV) and by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation (Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) [grant no PEst-OE/CJP/UI0758/2019]. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation

A prestação de serviços públicos nas autarquias locais

O presente artigo visa analisar as modificações ao nível das configurações organizacionais identificadas nos governos locais inerentes ao processo de modernização e reforma administrativa. Desta forma, o artigo pretende analisar três dimensões distintas. Primeiro, procura explorar o conceito de Nova Gestão Pública analisando a sua amplitude e as consequências na estrutura organizacional da Administração Pública. Depois, procura contextualizar o processo de reforma e mudança administrativa à realidade da Administração Local. Para tal, identifica e explora alguns casos de modernização administrativa experimentada em diferentes países da OCDE. Finalmente, converge para o caso português. Procura identificar as diferentes alternativas organizacionais para a prestação de bens e serviços públicos a nível local. Fruto da sua exploração mas detalhada e fazendo uso das três dimensões escolhidas (controlo directo/competição/cooperação) procede então à classificação das diferentes alternativas organizacionais, pelos três mecanismos de governação conhecidos: Hierarquia/Mercado/Networks

Dialectical polyptych: an interactive movie

Most of the known video games developed by big software companies usually establish an approach to the cinematic language in an attempt to create a perfect combination of narrative, visual technique and interaction. Unlike most video games, interactive film narratives normally involve an interruption in time whenever the spectator has to make choices. “Dialectical Polyptych” is an interactive movie included in a project called “Characters looking for a spect-actor”, which aims to give the spectator on-the-fly control over film editing, thus exploiting the role of the spectator as an active subject in the presented narrative. This paper presents a system based on a 3D sensor for tracking the spectator's movements and positions, which allows seamless real-timeinteractivity with the movie. Different positions of the body prompt a change in the angle or shot within each narrative, and hand swipes allow the spectator to alternate between the two parallel narratives, both producing a complementary narrative.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese local government: exploring alternatives of service delivery

Nowadays, Local Governments have a heavy burden of dealing with much of the services with added value to citizens. Their competences kept on growing at the expenses of central government responsibilities’ cope with all these challenges, local governments use several mechanisms to deliver public services to their citizens. In this paper we analyze New Public Management (NPM), and post-NPM as mains reform paradigms with impact in the governance alternatives