A Comparison between African and Indian Transnational Migrant Families

UID/ANT/04038/2013This article discusses the potential role of parenting double bind interactions on the shifts in the balance and forms of coexistence between autonomy and relatedness across generations, using three case-studies conducted among Punjab (Sikh), Indo-Mozambican (Muslim) and Cape Verdean (Christian) migrant families settled in Portugal. Although the double bind construct has been applied mostly on psychological dysfunctional families, the comparative analysis shows that double binds within the mother–child relationship should be reconceptualised as potentially adaptive and creative responses to changing multilayered demands rather than as an inability to resolve a conflicting impasse. By adjusting, through caregiving, culture-specific developmental goals and practices to unequal balances between autonomy and relatedness in their current migration context, the mothers we worked with represent a stark contrast with official political discourse which tends to view migrant mothering as simply based on intergenerational continuity.publishersversionpublishe

A Comparative Review of Research

UIDB/04038/2020 UIDP/04038/2020 UIDB/00183/2020 UIDP/00183/2020publishersversionpublishe

Online exclusive distribution centre : impact on a Portuguese retailer

Objectives – To perform a comparative statistical analysis between two logistic methods to fulfil online orders (exclusive distribution centre and store) and compare performance indicators. Method – Analysis of an extensive dataset, composed by orders placed during a one-year period, with the purpose of finding significant differences between methods. Findings – This study found that (1) fulfilling online orders through an exclusive distribution centre is associated with a superior success rate; (2) customers served by the exclusive distribution centre order more often; (3) customers served by the exclusive distribution centre order more products on next orders than customers served by the store. Conclusions - Investing in an exclusive distribution centre to fulfil online orders would result in higher success rates and in a positive evolution of orders per customer, and products per order.Objetivos - Realizar uma análise estatística comparativa entre dois métodos logísticos para satisfazer encomendas online (centro de distribuição exclusivo e loja) e comparar indicadores de desempenho. Metodologia – Análise de uma extensa base de dados, composta por encomendas efetuadas durante o período de um ano, com o propósito de encontrar diferenças significativas entre métodos. Resultados – Este estudo concluiu que (1) satisfazer encomendas online através de um centro de distribuição exclusivo leva a uma taxa de sucesso superior; (2) clientes servidos pelo centro de distribuição exclusivo encomendam com mais frequência: (3) clientes servidos pelo centro de distribuição exclusivo compram mais produtos em encomendas seguintes que clientes servidos por loja. Conclusões – Investir num centro de distribuição para satisfazer encomendas online resultaria em taxas de sucesso mais elevadas e numa evolução positiva do número de encomendas por cliente e produtos por encomenda

Variability of black-hole accretion discs: a theoretical study

Accretion discs are fluid-dynamical entities which surround many black holes. Observations reveal that these systems exhibit variability on a range of time scales. This thesis investigates phenomena occurring in black-hole accretion discs which are likely to induce high-frequency quasi-periodic variability. Two classes of pseudo-relativistic theoretical models are investigated. The first is based on the stability of transonic accretion flows and its connection to a disc instability that takes the form of propagating waves (viscous overstability). The time-dependent study looks at the conditions under which the transition between subsonic disc-like accretion, which occurs at large radii, and the supersonic flow characteristic of the immediate vicinity of the black hole is stable. In agreement with previous findings, results indicate that the system reaches a steady state for low viscosity. Above that threshold the transonic solutions are unstable to viscous overstability. The overstable inertial-acoustic waves appear to be excited near the maximum of the epicyclic frequency and are global in the sense that their frequency is maintained for a wide range of radii. The second class of models looks at accretion-disc oscillations which are trapped due to the non-monotonic variation of the epicyclic frequency in relativistic flows. In particular, it focuses on inertial waves trapped below the maximum of the epicyclic frequency which are excited in deformed, warped or eccentric, discs. The excitation mechanism involves a non-linear coupling between the global deformation, an intermediate wave and the inertial mode and results, under a variety of conditions, in growth of the latter. Excitation is only effective when global deformations are capable of reaching the inner disc with non-negligible amplitude. With that in mind, the conditions favourable to the propagation of warped and eccentric modes from the outer to the inner regions are analysed. Another aspect that is taken into account is the influence of a transonic background, ignored in the coupling calculations, on the propagation of modes in the disc. It is found that, under certain conditions, inertial waves may be severely affected or destroyed in this background. On the other hand, results indicate that the decay rate of inertial waves due to the presence of the radial inflow is small in sufficiently thin discs. In this case, the coupling mechanism can still work to excite trapped inertial modes.This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal) through grant number SFRH/BD/22251/2005

Credit ratings and stock markets : an event-study approach

The impact of sovereign credit downgrades on financial markets was deeply scrutinized on the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, especially in Southern Europe. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the impact of sovereign credit rating downgrades both on National and Foreign stock markets through an Event-Study methodology. The main focus is the impact generated by S&P and Moody’s downgrades on market indexes from advanced economies throughout the world. This approach was taken to compare the impact felt by the downgraded countries with the impact on other countries belonging to that same region. Even though I find little evidence of national impact outside Europe, where the abnormal returns range from -0,03% to -0,2% on the event date, my analysis suggests that there is evidence of spillover effects throughout the developed world, as one of the models used finds significant negative abnormal returns on the event date in 2 out of the 3 estimation windows considered, the third being marginally insignificant. Regardless of the model the spillover creates abnormal returns that go from 0% to -0,4%.O impacto dos downgrades da dívida soberana nos mercados financeiros foi profundamente escrutinado depois da crise de 2008, especialmente no Sul da Europa. O propósito desta tese é analisar o impacto do downgrade do rating da dívida soberana nos mercados de acções nacionais e internacionais através da metodologia Event-Study. O foco principal é o impacto gerado por downgrades da S&P e da Moody’s nos índices de mercado de várias economias desenvolvidas. Esta abordagem foi seguida de modo a comparar o impacto sentido pelos países que sofreram um downgrade com o impacto gerado noutros países da região. Ainda que encontre poucas evidências de um impacto nacional fora da Europa, onde os retornos anormais variam entre -0,03% e -0,2% no dia do evento, a minha análise sugere que existem evidências de efeitos de spillover nas várias economias analisadas, dado que um dos modelos usados encontrou retornos anormais significantes em 2 das 3 janelas usadas, sendo que a 3ª foi marginalmente insignificante. Ignorando os modelos usados, os retornos anormais no dia do evento variam entre 0% e -0,4%

Assessing Energy Poverty Vulnerability in the European Union Islands

Energy Poverty (EP) is a situation in which households experience inadequate levels of energy services such as space heating and cooling. EP is a complex multidimensional phenomenon and one of the most significant societal challenges in the European Union (EU), currently affecting millions of people, resulting in negative consequences for the health, quality of life, and well-being of the population. Studies and metrics to identify and measure energy poverty usually focus on a country level. Although several analyses have been developed at higher resolution spatial scales, some territorial contexts, such as the EU Islands, are still overlooked. The present work aims to assess energy poverty vulnerability among EU Island regions by focusing on available metrics and indicators frequently referred to in literature to measure this state of condition. Altogether, 13 energy poverty indicators were analysed for 19 NUTS2 regions, covering 11 member states. The method used to evaluate energy poverty in the EU islands involves the development of three types of analysis carried out for each indicator, which could potentially lead to awareness about energy poverty vulnerability. Firstly, it was provided an overview with an EU Map concerning each indicator's results, aiming to detect the main regional hotspots. Secondly, the evolution of the results for each region with a three-year time horizon was explored. Finally, the variation between regions for each indicator was calculated to determine whether the performance on the island NUTS2 regions is lower, higher, or equal when compared to the average value of their matching overall country data. Results reveal a wide-ranging distinction across the EU island regions, which can be explained by the differences in geography, climate, income levels, and local-policy action. Considering the EU and several member states' goals on tackling energy poverty, as well as improving energy efficiency, such analysis may contribute with some valuable insights for the development of regionally tailored policy to eradicate energy poverty in the EU islands, towards an improvement in the population wellbeing and lower expenditure on health care.A Pobreza Energética é um fenómeno multidimensional bastante complexo e um dos maiores desafios inerentes à União Europeia (UE) que, atualmente, afeta milhões de cidadãos e, que resulta em consequências bastante negativas ao nível da saúde, qualidade de vida e bem-estar da população. Os consumidores em situação de pobreza energética experienciam níveis inadequados dos principais serviços energéticos como arrefecimento e aquecimento. A maioria dos estudos e índices desenvolvidos para monitorizar e identificar pobreza energética foca-se, normalmente, apenas ao nível dos países. Apesar de várias análises terem já sido desenvolvidas com resoluções espaciais mais complexas, alguns territórios como as ilhas constituintes da União Europeia continuam ainda por explorar face a este fenómeno. O presente estudo tem como principal objetivo a análise de Pobreza Energética existente nas Ilhas pertencentes à UE, através do foco em métricas e indicadores frequentemente referidos na literatura para identificar este estado de condição. No total, foram analisados 13 indicadores de pobreza energética relativos a 19 regiões NUTS2, correspondentes a 11 estados-membros distintos. O método utilizado para avaliar pobreza energética nas Ilhas da UE consiste no desenvolvimento de três tipos de análise diferentes para cada indicador, que poderão conduzir a uma tomada de consciência acerca da condição de vulnerabilidade a pobreza energética existente nestes territórios. Primeiramente, foi fornecida uma perspetiva ao redor da União Europeia através de mapas para cada indicador, onde foi possível detetar os principais hotspots. Em segundo lugar, foi explorada a evolução dos resultados para os indicadores relativos a cada região com um horizonte temporal de três anos. Por fim, foi calculada a variação entre as diferentes regiões, com vista a determinar se a performance nas Ilhas (NUTS2) é menor, maior ou igual quando comparando com o valor médio dos seus países associados, para cada indicador. Os resultados revelam uma ampla distinção nas diferentes ilhas da UE, que pode ser explicada em função das disparidades existentes ao nível da geografia, clima, rendimentos e políticas locais. Tendo em conta os objetivos da UE em acabar com a pobreza energética, assim como melhorar a eficiência energética, tal análise poderá contribuir perspetiva bastante valiosas para o desenvolvimento de políticas regionais à medida. Desta forma, através da erradicação de pobreza energética nas ilhas da UE, será possível atingir uma melhoria do bem-estar da população e uma diminuição das despesas associadas aos cuidados de saúde

A comparative analysis and assessment of Portuguese adolescents’ arguments, views, and concerns

UID/FIL/00183/2013 UID/ANT/04038/2019 DL 57/2016/CP1453/CT0066Fifty adolescents (7th and 10th grades) participated in a ten-session argumentation programme as part of which they produced dialogues and written texts on the topic of whether or not Portugal should receive more refugees. Applying social identity and intergroup threat theories as frameworks, causes for flight and seeking asylum were felt to be the most important reasons, expressed by 80% of adolescent students, for welcoming refugees. While students’ concern regarding the ascribed characteristics of refugees was of minor importance, both age groups reported a significant concern with the decline of the host group’s socio-economic conditions. Also, despite the fact that all students were exposed to information and facts that could inform their views, their discourse still contained argumentative reasoning fallacies such as hasty generalisation and appeal to fear. Based on these findings, we recommend explicit work in education on engaging students in cultural literacy practices.publishersversionpublishe

Misbehavior vs market efficiency in the context of international football a special view on academy players

This paper tackles the reality of academy players in the context of the international football world. A set of behavioral and non-behavior phenomena are studied to understand if clubs are biased towards buying players in the market rather than betting in their own players. A mathematical analysis is conducted to analyzeboththenon-academy and academyplayer’s variation of the market value in a window of 1 year and conclude if indeed there is anunderestimation towards academy players.This paper allows for a financial study on football players valuation in a short-term window of timeand the consequent return to clubs

The great depression vs the great recession

The Great Depression and the Great Recession are the financial catastrophes that have defined the last century. This paper sets out to explore the main reasons that led to both events and compared them, to then provide an overview of the lessons that can be taken from the past. A critical review of literature and data from both periods is presented and analysed in the direction of establishing the previously mentioned comparison. This paper comprises a qualitative analysis based on the main research papers concerning both topics as well as a quantitative analysis of data to better compare them