Re-evaluating the impact of natural resources on economic growth

In this study we re-evaluate the impact of natural resources on economic growth. The reassessment is based on a growth model where, using panel-data analysis, natural-resource variables (geographically diffused and concentrated) affect the efficiency gains of labour and capital in production. We find an overall positive effect on growth arising from the increase in capital efficiency associated with concentrated resources, exactly the kind of resources that explain the resource curse in recent cross-section studies. We detect a negative effect of concentrated resources on labour efficiency only when either the resource proxies are unadjusted for re-export distortion (even with a fixed institutional quality, contrary to cross-section studies), or both the fixed country and time effects are not considered after the referred adjustment. Our results also dismiss a negative effect of the adjusted diffuse resources measure on capital efficiency if we assume a constant institutional quality, and fixed country and time effects.Natural resources; Economic growth; Economywide Country Studies; Panel data

Natural resources, economic growth and institutions – a panel approach

This study re-evaluates the impact of natural resources on growth using panel data and a factor-efficiency accounting framework. The resource-curse thesis is dismissed as capital efficiency is improved by geographically-concentrated natural resources, which hinder institutional quality in recent cross-section studies. This consensus does not hold in our case even when we use unadjusted resource proxies and the standard institutional approach, as both concentrated and diffuse resources show negative effects in low institutional-quality countries. Adequate fiscal policy seems to prevent the curse in that case, but reduces the positive effect of concentrated resources found with our adjusted proxy.Natural resources, Economic growth, Institutions, Country Studies, Panel data

muSEAum – Branding the Sea Museums of Portugal Research findings and perspectives of an innovation journey

The presence of the sea in Portuguese museums, monuments and sites is formidable, a multifaceted heritage providing experiences transposing history, exploration, industry, commerce, lifestyles, technologies, architecture, popular and fine arts. muSEAum focused on management competencies for the competitive exploration of museums’ characteristics, environment, and collection. The co-innovation project with a nationwide sample of sea-themed museological institutions – not just maritime or marine museums -- addressed the definition, management and communication of the museum brand, the benefits of a Sea Museum of Portugal collective brand, visitor experience technologies, national and international reach and awareness, spirit of belonging, new learning partnerships, and local tourism. Research on audiences and management practices provided a solid evaluation basis. Notwithstanding some noteworthy, good practices, most institutions suffer from insufficient funding and administrative autonomy. Promotional efforts are geared towards local constituencies leading to residual national and international visibility, affecting particularly those off tourist circuits. Incipient or inexistant brands, inefficient or non-existent websites, inconspicuous SEO and digital marketing activities, own domain names a rarity keep many museums absconded in the internet maelstrom. Key words: maritime heritage; museum; Portugal; branding; museau

Introduction

Apresentação do Dossier dedicado aos Museus

Awareness of new payment technologies in the digital banking transformation - Accelerated by the COVID 19 pandemia

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Risk Analysis and ManagementThis dissertation intends to determine and identify the consumer’s level of awareness and acceptance of payment methods and digital transformation in the Banking Sector. Consumers demand new tools to face the new challenges in the market as fast adapting competition and new players arise. Banks provide to consumers, products and means to access accounts and cash that follow the need for a growing internet-based economy cross-borders, demonetization of the currencies, and fast pacing need for more direct access between supply and demand. Financial and credit institutions play a critical role in the economy within the multiple Line of business (further called LoB) and provide services, being payment methods the scope of our study. The world economy, companies, and corporations have pursued the e-commerce trend, as technology has become a standard tool in the everyday living of world societies. The competition was a driving force compelling banks to move forward to improve their offer in payment products and resort to new technology. Consumers are also the driver of these breakthroughs and have a faster adhesion for cheaper payment solutions, creating the need for different solutions incorporating technological development

Discrete-Time Fractional Variational Problems

We introduce a discrete-time fractional calculus of variations on the time scale $h\mathbb{Z}$, $h > 0$. First and second order necessary optimality conditions are established. Examples illustrating the use of the new Euler-Lagrange and Legendre type conditions are given. They show that solutions to the considered fractional problems become the classical discrete-time solutions when the fractional order of the discrete-derivatives are integer values, and that they converge to the fractional continuous-time solutions when $h$ tends to zero. Our Legendre type condition is useful to eliminate false candidates identified via the Euler-Lagrange fractional equation.Comment: Submitted 24/Nov/2009; Revised 16/Mar/2010; Accepted 3/May/2010; for publication in Signal Processing

Psychological Evaluation in Rosacea Patients: A Case- Control Study using Symptom Checklist -90 - Revised

Introdução: A rosácea, uma prevalente dermatose facial crónica, é classicamente considerada uma “psicodermatose” já que factores psicológicos são determinantes no seu desencadeamento ou evolução. Os doentes padecendo de rosácea foram descritos como imaturos, ansiosos, com reduzida auto-estima, com sentimentos de vergonha ou culpa, ou como “psiconeuróticos”, com configurações histéricas ou obsessivo-compulsivas.Objectivo: Neste estudo foi investigado o distress psicopatológico de doentes com rosácea, comparados com um grupo de dermopatas sofrendo de dermatoses agudas, acidentais, não conspícuas. Um objectivo adicional foi o de avaliar a influência determinada pelos dados demográficos e características clínicas sobre os resultados finais.Material e Métodos: Os participantes foram 53 doentes com rosácea e 190 outros dermopatas, com idades compreendidas entre os 18 e os 72 anos foram recrutados duma consulta externa hospitalar de Dermatologia. A rosácea foi clinicamente avaliada e classificada bem como registada a duração da doença. Foi aplicado a todos os doentes o questionário de auto-resposta SCL-90-R para avaliar o distress psicológico e registar as queixas emocionais e psico-vegetativas.Resultados: As análises estatísticas revelaram uma efectiva influência independente das variáveis rosácea, género, nível escolar/educacional e da Interacção rosácea/género nas variáveis psicométricas. Os doentes com Rosácea revelaram valores superiores aos da população do grupo controlo nas dimensões sensibilidade interpessoal (F[1,241]=3,57, p<0,01). No que concerne às diferenças entre géneros, as doentes com rosácea registaram valores superiores aos dos da população controlo nas dimensões ansiedade, depressão, sensibilidade interpessoal, obsessões e compulsões, ideação paranóide e somatização, ao contrário dos doentes do género masculino em que tal apenas se verificou na sensibilidade interpessoal. No que se refere aos efeitos da duração da doença, os doentes com rosácea com mais de 1 ano de duração registaram scores significativamente mais elevados de ideação paranóide do que os doentes com durações de doença inferiores a um ano (F[2,52]=3,79, p<0,05).Conclusões: Os doentes sofrendo de rosácea – em contraste com outros doentes com outras dermatoses – revelam um distress psicossocial significativo, o qual não se correlaciona no entanto com o sub-tipo clínico da dermatose.Background: Rosacea, a prevalent chronic facial skin condition, is classically referred to as a “psychodermatosis”, in that psychological factors are relevant both in its initiation and course. Rosacea patients have been described as immature, anxious, with diminished self-esteem and with feelings of guilt and shame, or as psychoneurotic, with hysterical or obsessive compulsive configurations.Objective: In this study we investigated the psychopathological distress experienced by rosacea patients, as compared to a group of dermatological patients suffering from acute, non-conspicuous, accidental dermatoses. One additional purpose was to assess the influence that demographic features and clinical factors had on final results.Patients/Methods: A total of 243 patients with rosacea, aged from 18 to 72 years’ old were enrolled from an outpatient dermatology clinic in a hospital setting. Rosacea was objectively rated and disease duration recorded. The SCL-90 (R) was used to assess participants psychological distress and to record emotional and psycho vegetative complaints.Results: Statistical analysis revealed a definite independent influence of the variables rosacea, gender, school level, and also of the interaction rosacea/gender on the psychometrical variables. Rosacea patients scored higher than controls with respect to interpersonal sensitivity (F[1,241]=3.57, p<0.01). Concerning gender differences, female patients scored always higher than controls in anxiety, depression, interpersonal sensitivity, obsession-compulsion, paranoid ideation and somatization, whereas male patients did so only for interpersonal sensitivity. As to the effects of disease duration, rosacea patients’ for more than one year revealed significantly higher scores of paranoid ideation than patients’ with less than one year duration (F[2,52]=3.79, p<0.05).Conclusions: Patients suffering from rosacea – as opposed to other dermatoses – do experience significant psychosocial distress, which was nevertheless found to be unrelated to disease clinical sub-type

Integrated perspective on microbe-based production of itaconic acid: from metabolic and strain engineering to upstream and downstream strategies

ABSTRACT: The discovery of itaconic acid as a product of citric acid pyrolytic distillation in 1837 opened the possibility of using it as a polymer building block. Itaconic acid, featuring two carboxylic acids and an unsaturated group, can potentially be used as a building block in several chemical syntheses, with a particular emphasis on polymer manufacture. The elucidation of biochemical pathways originating from itaconic acid, first in Aspergillus terreus and, recently, in several species of the Ustilago genus, has intensified and diversified research focused on microbe-based itaconic acid production, including at an industrial scale. These efforts include the engineering of naturally producing species/strains along with the exploration of other species that do not naturally produce itaconic acid but may offer potential benefits. The use of renewable wastes or sugar-enriched residues as substrates to produce itaconic acid, from a circular bioeconomy perspective, is another important aspect of the advancements in microbial itaconic acid production. This review provides an overview of the achievements as well as the challenges concerning the engineering of the producing strains/species, substrate selection, optimisation of bioreactor operation, and downstream itaconic acid purification methods.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio