The Labor Market Impacts of Youth Training in the Dominican Republic: Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation

This paper summarizes the findings from the first randomized evaluation of a job training program in Latin America. Between 2001 and 2005 the government of the Dominican Republic operated a subsidized training program for low-income youth in urban areas. The program featured several weeks of classroom instruction followed by an internship at a private sector firm. A random sample of eligible applicants was selected to undergo training, and information was gathered 10-14 months after graduation on both trainees and control group members. Although previous non-experimental evaluations of similar programs in Latin America have suggested a positive impact on employment, we find no evidence of such an effect. There is a marginally significant impact on hourly wages, and on the probability of health insurance coverage, conditional on employment. Finally, we develop an operational definition of the impact of training on "employability" in the context of a dynamic model with state dependence and unobserved heterogeneity. Consistent with our main results, we find no significant impact of the training program on the subsequent employability of trainees.

Zon-Optimus merger: case study: the rise of a major player in the Portuguese telecom/media market

The present Work Project was performed as a Case Study, analysing the merger between Zon, a leading Portuguese Pay TV operator and Optimus, the third largest mobile company in Portugal. The Case Study was developed with the purpose of understanding the value creation of the Zon-Optimus merger, being analysed the: (i) industry trends, (ii) parties’ contribution, (iii) pre-merger events, (iv) merger rationale, (v) deal structure and valuation, (vi) competition authority decision and (vii) competitive advantages and future strategy. Was also attached a Teaching Note where synergies, implied valuations, exchange ratios, shareholder agreements, swot analysis, among others, were duly analysed

Glocalizing action in the Anthropocene:understanding the potential roles of sport for development and peace

The Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) sector employs sport to stimulate social and personal development beyond sports. However, limited attention has been given to environmental sustainability and SDP's role within the Anthropocene. This study examines how SDP stakeholders interpret macro policies and navigate climate action challenges. The concept of glocalization helps reveal the complexities of addressing climate change at a local level. Semi-structured interviews (N = 4) were conducted with SDP practitioners from NGOs in Brazil and the UK. Findings reveal two key themes: the barriers and opportunities presented by the SDGs and the role of personal experiences in making environmental engagement relevant. The findings shed new light on the diverse motivations that drive SDP NGOs in addressing environmental concerns, as well as the challenges they encounter in contributing to environmental sustainability. This study emphasizes the need for SDP-specific environmental policies, practices, and glocalized responses to the Anthropocene on various levels

Application of machine learning techniques on the discovery and annotation of transposons in genomes

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informática e computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

Listening to the language of the context:problematizing researcher positionality in cross-cultural sport for development ethnographies

Despite the significant progress in critical debates around sport for development (SfD) research throughout the last decade, there is still a tendency for researchers to utilise traditional dichotomies such as ‘insider/outsider’, ‘foreign/native’, and ‘Global North/South’ when it comes to reflections on ethnographic positionality. This paper aims to go beyond these by introducing the concept of ‘listening to the language of the context’, which involves a continuous reflection of the power structures involved in the relationships between the researcher and the research site. The development and application of this concept is explained through the use of two examples from SfD ethnographic studies; one located in the Northwest of England and the other in the Southeast of Brazil. Despite their geographical differences, we found that we encountered similar issues when it came to understanding our positionality within the research site, which centred around issues of ‘language’ and ‘power’. Through our reflections, we discuss how we strove to become immersed within the research site by attempting to listen to the ‘language of the context’, which involved both familiarisation of the context beyond the immediate research setting and acknowledging the privileges associated with being granted ‘access’ to settings through NGOs and formal educational institutions. Conclusions are provided regarding how this cross-contextual comparison has highlighted the need to continue the pursuit of reflexive methodologies which amplify unheard voices in SfD, as well as the importance of ‘listening to the language of the context’ at all stages of the research process

Evaluating purifying selection in the mitochondrial DNA of various mammalian species

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the circular DNA molecule inside the mitochondria of all eukaryotic cells, has been shown to be under the effect of purifying selection in several species. Traditional testing of purifying selection has been based simply on ratios of nonsynonymous to synonymous mutations, without considering the relative age of each mutation, which can be determined by phylogenetic analysis of this non-recombining molecule. The incorporation of a mutation time-ordering from phylogeny and of predicted pathogenicity scores for nonsynonymous mutations allow a quantitative evaluation of the effects of purifying selection in human mtDNA. Here, by using this additional information, we show that purifying selection undoubtedly acts upon the mtDNA of other mammalian species/genera, namely Bos sp., Canis lupus, Mus musculus, Orcinus orca, Pan sp. and Sus scrofa. The effects of purifying selection were comparable in all species, leading to a significant major proportion of nonsynonymous variants with higher pathogenicity scores in the younger branches of the tree. We also derive recalibrated mutation rates for age estimates of ancestors of these various species and proposed a correction curve in order to take into account the effects of selection. Understanding this selection is fundamental to evolutionary studies and to the identification of deleterious mutations

Efficience et volatilité des marchés agricoles spot et à termes: L'impact de la fréquence des transactions

In efficient markets, asset prices are equal to their fundamentals. This classical view is considered valid for agricultural commodities' spot and futures markets. However, fragmentation of orders impacts price dynamics, leading to modification in spot and futures' trade frequency, relative trade frequency, and quantities exchanged. To highlight public policies on the impacts of fragmentation of orders, it is necessary to improve the understanding of its theoretical consequences. Based on a sequential trading framework, our main result showed that unbiased prices and a minimal volatility of fundamental basis are achieved not with optimal trade frequencies but with an optimal relative trade frequency