Traineeship Report at the European Banking Authority – A critical assessment of the EBA’s stance on its 10 years of activity

Internship Report presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Law and Financial MarketsFrom the outset of its edification, the European Banking Authority’s (EBA) governance arrangements, procedures, and structure have been called into question, in particular in the context of the establishment of the Banking Union (BU) and consequently the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). The extant studies have been treating the EBA with open criticism of its powers, decision-making processes, and regulatory independence. Since the EBA just turned 10 years old, it is appropriate to consider the recent advances in the EU’s supervisory and regulatory landscape. In the plea for a new fresh impetus on the EBA’s contribution to the Europeanisation of Banking Regulation and Supervision, this Report aims at shedding light on the academic research about the Agency, which was afforded by the unique opportunity of engaging in a traineeship at the EBA. Thus, we aim at answering the following research question by recuring to an interview process that collected the EBA’s staff viewpoints on the literature’s outstanding criticism points: Over the course of its 10 years of activity, has the EBA been meeting the expectations that were placed on it and rectified the shortcomings pointed out to its predecessor? While touching upon the EBA’s role in building up a Single Rulebook, supporting national supervisors with the necessary technical expertise, and spreading good practices which are paramount to walking towards a ‘more’ European setting, this Report finds that the legislator’s expectations placed on the EBA of advancing micro-prudential supervision and mitigating its predecessor’s regulatory gaps are progressively being attained. Contrary to the academic literature’s scepticism, the EBA remains a valuable piece in ensuring regulatory convergence, and financial stability, and has proven to be properly equipped to adapt to the potential pitfalls that might arise within the EU banking supervisory and regulatory framework.Desde os primórdios da sua edificação que os mecanismos, procedimentos e estrutura de governação da Autoridade Bancária Europeia (EBA) têm vindo a ser postos em causa, especialmente no contexto do estabelecimento da União Bancária e consequentemente do Mecanismo Único de Supervisão (MUS). Os estudos existentes têm criticado fortemente os poderes, o processo decisório e a independência regulatória da EBA. Uma vez que a EBA celebrou recentemente o seu 10º aniversário, é pertinente considerar os avanços recentes no campo regulatório e de supervisão europeu. Perante a necessidade de abrir espaço para uma nova perspetiva a respeito do contributo da EBA para a europeização da Regulação e Supervisão Bancária, o presente Relatório pretende dar a conhecer a investigação académica que foca na Agência, cuja oportunidade foi proporcionada pela ocasião de realizar um estágio na EBA. Neste sentido, procuramos responder à seguinte pergunta de pesquisa, recorrendo a um processo de entrevistas que visou recolher os pontos de vista dos funcionários da EBA sobre as críticas tecidas pela literatura existente: Ao longo dos seus 10 anos de atividade, a EBA tem correspondido às expectativas que lhe foram depositadas e retificado as deficiências apontadas ao seu antecessor? Ao abordar o papel da EBA na construção de um conjunto único de regras para toda a Europa, num esforço para providenciar a sua perícia técnica aos supervisores nacionais e difundir boas práticas que são primordiais para caminhar para um cenário 'mais' europeu, este Relatório considera que as expectativas do legislador depositadas na EBA de promover supervisão microprudencial e mitigar as lacunas regulatórias apontadas ao seu antecessor estão a ser progressivamente alcançadas. Contrariamente ao ceticismo manifestado pela literatura académica, a EBA permanece enquanto peça essencial para garantir a convergência regulatória e estabilidade financeira, e provou estar devidamente equipada para se adaptar aos possíveis entraves que podem surgir no quadro regulatório e de supervisão bancária da União Europeia

o caso do nº. 2 do artigo 1083º do Código Civil e a jurisprudência

La Loi n. 6/2006, du 17 février, qui a approuvée le Nouveau Régime du Logement Urbain, par application de l’article 1083° du Code Civil portugais, est manifestement venue élargir les fondements de résiliation du contrat de location de logement urbain à la disposition du propriétaire. La rédaction de l’article 1083º du Code Civil portugais, en particulier son deuxième paragraphe et ses alinéas, suscitent certains doutes quant à son interprétation et application. Favorisant un abordage éminemment pratique qui se résume, de manière générale, par l’analyse des décisions (récentes) proférées par les Tribunaux nationaux de deuxième instance, la présente thèse de maitrise énonce la/les question/s suscitée/s par le susmentionné paragraphe 2 de l’article 1083º du Code Civil portugais, procède à l’exposition des critères sous-jacents aux différentes opinions accueillies par la Jurisprudence sur cette matière et procède à l’analyse de quelques fondements de résiliation de contrat de location de logement urbain à la disposition du propriétaire.A Lei nº. 6/2006, de 17 de Fevereiro, que aprovou o Novo Regime do Arrendamento Urbano, através do art. 1083º do Código Civil, veio manifestamente alargar os fundamentos de resolução do contrato de arrendamento urbano ao dispor do senhorio. A redacção do art. 1083º do Código Civil, em especial, do seu nº. 2 e suas alíneas, suscita dúvidas quanto à sua interpretação e aplicação. Privilegiando uma abordagem iminentemente prática consubstanciada, no essencial, na análise das decisões (actuais) proferidas pelos Tribunais da Relação, na presente dissertação enuncia(m)-se a(s) questão(ões) suscitada(s) pelo mencionado nº. 2 do art. 1083º do Código Civil, procede-se à exposição dos critérios subjacentes aos diferentes entendimentos acolhidos pela Jurisprudência sobre a matéria e analisam-se alguns dos fundamentos de resolução do contrato de arrendamento urbano por parte do senhorio

Continuous measurements of central blood pressure during mental stress monitoring

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Desenvolvimento do modelo para avaliação de parâmetros hemodinâmicos do sistema mãe-placenta

Uma das principais causas de mortalidade durante a gravidez está relacionada com variações na pressão arterial materna, tal como a pré-eclâmpsia. Esta dissertação surgiu da necessidade de compreender o que provoca alterações na pressão arterial, a sua relação com o fluxo e velocidade e os efeitos nas artérias uterinas. De forma a perceber os efeitos da pressão no fluxo sanguíneo, modelou-se o sistema arterial materno, desde a aorta até às artérias uterinas, numa ferramenta de desenho tridimensional. Neste modelo foi aplicado um método de cálculo utilizando uma ferramenta de dinâmica de fluídos computacional, no qual se simulou o fluxo sanguíneo. Utilizaram-se como parâmetros de entrada, na aorta ascendente, uma função de velocidade e um valor saudável de pressão arterial central, e como parâmetro de saída introduziram-se vários valores de pressão arterial periférica normal e típicos de situações patofisiológicas, tais como hipertensão e pré-eclâmpsia. Obtiveram-se diagramas de velocidade, pressão e tensão de corte ao longo de todo o modelo arterial. Em cada saída do modelo, obtiveram-se os valores de fluxo calculados automaticamente, para cada pressão de saída introduzida. Alguns dos valores de fluxo obtidos foram comparados com valores existentes na literatura, de forma a avaliar a eficácia do modelo desenhado, concluindo-se que este produzia valores próximos dos reais. Desta forma efectuaram-se várias simulações, através das quais se percebeu que aumentando a pressão nas artérias uterinas, e mantendo constante a pressão de entrada, o fluxo de saída também aumenta

Colecções de culturas microbianas como centro de recursos biológicos

Tese de mestrado. Biologia (Microbiologia Aplicada). Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2012Em pouco mais de 100 anos as colecções de culturas (CC) estabeleceram-se como infraestruturas fundamentais de apoio a actividades de I&D nas áreas das ciências da vida e da biotecnologia. A sua importância na conservação da diversidade biológica e de recursos genéticos de enorme valor para o desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico tem vindo a ser reconhecida por governos e instituições internacionais. Ao longo do século XX diferentes tipos de CC foram estabelecidas um pouco por todo o mundo, inclusive em Portugal: a Colecção Portuguesa de Culturas de Leveduras (PYCC) foi estabelecida em 1952. O papel tradicional destas colecções foi o de providenciar acesso a culturas autenticadas e informação sobre as suas características, preservação e cultivo à comunidade científica. Nos anos recentes, outros serviços têm sido adjudicados às CC tais como o fornecimento de culturas para controlo de qualidade e/ou o depósito de culturas para efeitos de patente. Por outro lado, no plano actual de desenvolvimento económico têm surgido vários constrangimentos ao nível financeiro, que podem por em causa a subsistência das CC. É neste contexto, que em 2001 a Organização para Cooperação e o Desenvolvimento Económico (OECD) lança o conceito de Centros de Recursos Biológicos (BRCs), de forma a providenciar padrões de qualidade exigidos pela comunidade internacional de cientistas e da indústria no fornecimento de informação e de materiais biológicos e garantir a sobrevivência das colecções. De facto, são muitas as colecções de serviço que têm evoluído para BRCs em resposta ao desenvolvimento em várias áreas que vão da biologia molecular à bioinformática. Nos anos mais recentes tem sido reconhecida a importância da cooperação internacional entre os vários BRCs com o objectivo de agregar valor às colecções, incluindo os seus materiais, serviços, conhecimentos e competências, de forma a garantir a sua auto sustentabilidade. Um dos projectos de cooperação europeia mais recente é o MIRRI (Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure) como o objectivo de providenciar às CC europeias as ferramentas que lhes permitam evoluir para BRCs. Uma análise comparativa das principais CC europeias que mantêm fungos mostrou que a maioria preserva diferentes tipos de organismos e apenas 6 são colecções especializadas. A mesma análise revelou que o tipo de financiamento determina decisivamente a quantidade de pessoal adstrito às colecções e o número e tipo de serviços que são oferecidos. Nos últimos anos a PYCC passou por profundas alterações começando pela constituição de uma Comissão de Acompanhamento e publicação do regulamento da colecção. Um dos aspectos mais importantes daquela restruturação foi a digitalização de toda a informação sobre as suas estirpes numa base de dados e posterior publicação do catálogo online e website. Actualmente a PYCC contem um conjunto de estirpes de leveduras muito diversificadas (cerca de 3000) em que 28% são estirpes isoladas em Portugal e cerca de 46% são estirpes exclusivas. Com vista à obtenção da certificação da colecção foi realizado um estudo comparativo entre a PYCC e as colecções congéneres, concluindo-se que as características que mais contribuem para o desenvolvimento actual da PYCC são investigação em métodos de cultura, investigação em métodos de preservação, investigação na biodiversidade, controlo da pureza das culturas e oferta de outros serviços. Estas características contribuem para que a certificação da PYCC. Para que isto se verifique uma série de procedimentos terão de ser seguidos com base nas recomendações da OECD, nomeadamente a implementação de um Sistema de Gestão da Qualidade (SGQ). O posterior desenvolvimento da PYCC em BRC depara com alguns constrangimentos ao nível financeiro e logístico que decorrem dos regulamentos da instituição de acolhimento. Contudo o facto de a PYCC ser actualmente a única colecção portuguesa de leveduras com um catálogo online e uma base de dados muito completa, constitui uma mais-valia para o seu desenvolvimento num BRC, o que poderá vir acontecer em associação com outras colecções portuguesas no âmbito do projecto MIRRI.In just over 100 years the culture collections (CC) have established themselves as key infrastructure to support R&D in the areas of life sciences and biotechnology. Its importance in the conservation of biological diversity and genetic resources of enormous value to the scientific and technological development has been recognized by governments and international institutions. Throughout the XX century several types of CC were established all over the world including Portugal: the Portuguese Yeast Culture Collection (PYCC) was established in 1952. The traditional role of the collections was to provide access to authentic cultures and information about its preservation and cultivation to the scientific community. In recent years, other services have been awarded to CC such as the provision of cultures for quality control and/or deposit of cultures for patent purposes. Moreover, in the current plan of economic development several constraints have emerged, which may jeopardize the livelihoods of CC. In this context, in 2001, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) launched the concept of Biological Resource Centers (BRC’s) in other to provide the scientific and industrial world with access to properly maintained cultivable biological material and regarded information in associated databases in other to assure the survival of the collections. Indeed there has been several services collections that have evolved into BRC’s in response of the molecular biology and bio-informatics development. In the more recent years it has been recognized that high quality services must be provided and international linkages established between several BRC’s with the goal to add value to the collections, including the materials, services, knowledge and competences as a way to ensure the sustainability of the collections. One of the most recent European project is MIRRI (Microbial Resource Research Infrastructure) with the objective to provide European CCs the tools that allow them to develop into BRCs. A comparative analysis of the major European fungi collections showed that most of them preserves different kind of microorganisms and only 6 of them are specialized. The same analysis reveals that the type of financing decisively determines the amount of personnel attached to the collections and the number of services that are offered. In the final years PYCC has been through some changes, starting with the formation of a Steering Committee and publication of the regulations. One of the first steps was to digitalized all the information of the strains existing in the collection on an associated database followed by the online publication of the catalogue and own website. Nowadays PYCC contains a set of yeast strains very diversified (about 3000), 28% are isolated in Portugal and 46% are exclusive to PYCC. A comparative study was made between PYCC and other similar collections to see what steps PYCC should implement in order to obtain certification. The characteristics that contribute to the presently development of PYCC are the investigation in culture methods, investigation in preservation methods, investigation in biodiversity, control of the cultures purity and existence of other services. These characteristics contribute in order to PYCC in obtaining certification. For this to happen a number of procedures have to be followed based on the recommendations of the OECD including the implementation of a Quality Management System (QMS). The subsequent development of PYCC into BRC has a number of constrains mainly on a financial level and regulations of the institution to which PYCC belongs. However the fact that PYCC is currently the only Portuguese collection of yeasts strains with an online catalog and a very complete and searchable database allows the development of PYCC into BRC with other Portuguese collections under the MIRRI project

Blood absorption capacity of different xenograft bone substitutes. An in-vitro study

Commercially available xenograft blocks, claim to have adequate characteristics to interact with biological media and thus permitting biological fluid absorption. The objective of this in vitro study was to compare the blood absorption capacity of four different xenograft block materials of different composition of collagen and porosity. Four brands of xenograft block materials were used (NuOss®, Bio-Oss®, Osteobiol® and Smartbone®). Five samples of each brand were analyzed, making a total of 20 tests. Human blood was used as the absorption liquid for the present experiment. The time period, in which the block remains in contact with the blood, was registered at 30 seconds (T1), 60 seconds (T2) and 5 minutes (T3). The xenograft blocks were evaluated according to their absorption capacity. The absorption capacity of the different biomaterials were statistical significant different (p<0,001) at T1, T2 and T3 time points. At 30 seconds, Smartbone® absorbed significantly less blood than NuOss® and Bio-Oss®, however, without differences comparing with Osteobiol®. The NuOss®, Bio-Oss® and Osteobiol® did not register any significant difference between them. At 60 seconds, the Smartbone® absorbed significantly less blood than the other biomaterials. The NuOss® was significantly superior than Osteobiol®, but without differences relatively with Bio-Oss®. Also the Bio-Oss® and Osteobiol® did not register any difference between them. At 5 minutes, the Smatbone® continued to significantly absorbed less blood than any other biomaterial, nevertheless, NuOss®, Bio-Oss® and Osteobiol® not register again any significant difference between them. Despite of small sample size, it can be concluded that NuOss® was superior, in terms of blood absorption capacity, comparing with the other block biomaterials at 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 5 minutes. However, more investigation in a clinical setting are needed to know the clinical implications of the absorption capacity of such biomaterials

P6 CFD Modelling of Arterialized Venous Flap

The knowledge about the required quantity of blood to irrigate an angiosome is important on ischemia (disruption on blood perfusion) prediction, diagnosis and treatment. An angiosome (or flap) is an anatomic unity (or flap) of tissue, it is constituted by skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscle, it is irrigated by an artery and drain by specific veins [1]. Since 70’s, flaps have been used on clinical practice for reconstruction of complex anatomical structures. Different model configurations have been created, to find a flap’s model that allows a better flap perfusion. In previous work [2] the four models with an average flap survival area of 76.86% ± 13.67% were tested in 53 male rats: I - conventional model of flap’s blood supply formed by femoral and epigastric arteries; II – Arterialized Venous Flap (AVF) produced by femoral side-to-side anastomosis; III - AVF produced by femoral side-to-side anastomosis and proximal ligation of the femoral vein; IV - AVF produced by terminal lateral anastomosis of the epigastric vein to the femoral artery). The experimental results have shown that the AVFs in group IV represent an optimized model of unconventional perfusion flap. In the present work the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods, an ANSYS®-Fluent code, were used for simulating a blood flow and flap perfusion in AVFs of group IV in order to find an optimum geometry for lateral anastomosis of the epigastric vein to the femoral artery with an angle variation from 90,0º to 45,0º. We find that the optimum angle is 86,5º. Three other models, conventional and unconventional, was also tested by CFD, finding that unconventional AVF of group III provides a greater blood flow through the epigastric vein, allowing a better perfusion of the flap.publishersversionpublishe

Effect of noise exposure on hearing of pavilion athletes

Background, Traditionally, hearing is divided into peripheral (how much we listen) and central (as we hear - quality). Exaggerated exposure to noise in reverberant environment can have negative effects on how much we hear but on the discrimination capacity and auditory memory of the word its effects can be positive. Pavilion athletes are subject to constant noise in a closed and reverberant environment, are a good example to ascertain the impact of noise on hearing. The present study aims to understand the effects of noise exposure on hearing athletes (training 3 to 4 times a week), comparing the results with the results of a matched non-sports control group in age and sex. Material and Methods, For the study, the sample consisted of 32 individuals, 16 non-athletes and 16 athletes of pavilion, aged between 18 and 25 years. A simple tonal audiogram was performed by air, a repetition test of words, in the silence and with noise and a test of repetition of pseudo words in the silence and with noise. Results, In the simple tonal audiogram, only in the right ear in the frequencies of 1000 and 10000 Hz, we found statistically significant differences, with worse thresholds in the athletes group. In the repetition tests of words and pseudo words, the performance of athletes was better, both in silence and in noise, with statistically significant differences in word repetition in silence and repetition of pseudo words in noise. Conclusion, The need for verbal communication in a noisy and reverberant environment, evidenced during a sports training in pavilion, trains the abilities to discriminate and memorize the word heard in noise, having a positive impact on these abilities of the central auditory nervous system.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biological and phytochemical evaluation of methanolic extracts from ennyroyal and lavender species of the portuguese flora

Medicinal and aromatic plants represent a healthier alternative to synthetic phenolic compounds, with a positive impact on therapeutic, aromatic and dietetic or gastronomic purposes. The in vitro biological activities of the phenolic compounds are an important parameter to select the most promising extracts for use in industrial applications. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial and cytotoxicity properties of 17 pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.) and 18 lavender (Lavandula pedunculata L.) accessions from the Portuguese flora, conserved in the Portuguese Genebank (BPGV), in order to select the accessions with the highest yield and high content of active ingredients for use in the different industrial sectors.The authors are grateful to the PDR2020-7.8.4-FEADER-042741- Recursos genéticos – Conservação e melhoramento de recursos genéticos e vegetais (2018-2022) UIDB/00195/2020, and to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2020) and through the institutional scientific employment program-contract for C.P., M.I.D. and L.B. contracts .info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Arterial Stiffness vs Sarcopenia in Portuguese Elderly Population

Aging often results in the appearance of sarcopenia, which is characterized by loss of muscle mass and strength. The incidence of sarcopenia in the elderly is a quite common and leads to weakness and disability, as well as a lower quality of life, also assuming a high social and economic impact. One previous study has shown an independent negative association between arterial stiffness and skeletal muscle mass decline [1], which suggest its relationship with sarcopenia. This work aims to evaluate the relation between sarcopenia and the arterial stiffness, in Portuguese elderly population A cohort of 38 elderly volunteers between 67 and 95 years, with and without Sarcopenia, were selected from nursing homes and day centers of Portuguese charity institution - Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Almada. All volunteers have the same living condition, meals and lifestyle routine, excepting the medications. The diagnosis and degree (severe or moderate) of sarcopenia were performed according to the European consensus on definition and diagnosis of sarcopenia [2] at the same day with arterial stiffnesses measurements assessed by carotid-femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (cfPWV). Our data show a positive correlation for cfPWV with the sarcopenia severity degree, which represents an increasing in arterial stiffness and might be explained by the fact that the loss of muscle mass is often associated with chronic inflammation [3]. Despite of the small cohort size, the male gender held a bigger mean value of cfPWV, with significant p-value (0.014), in comparison to the female gender, which estimates a higher CV risk for the male elders of the region of Almada and Greater Lisbon compared to the female gender. Further investigations would be desirable in order to obtain larger samples and ascertain the estimates for the respective groups.publishersversionpublishe