How changes in the prices of milk and beef affect deforestation in Brazil

When prices increase, producers who are far from the market clear forest to make room for new pasture, write Francisco Fontes and Charles Palme

Does choice of drought index influence estimates of drought-induced rice losses in India?

Drought events have critical impacts on agricultural production yet there is little consensus on how these should be measured and defined, with implications for drought research and policy. We develop a flexible rainfall-temperature drought index that captures all dry events and we classify these as Type 1 (above-average cooling degree days) and Type 2 droughts (below-average cooling degree days). Applied to a panel dataset of Indian districts over 1966-2009, Type 2 droughts are found to have negative marginal impacts comparable to those of Type 1 droughts. Irrigation more effectively reduces Type 2 drought-induced yield losses than Type 1 yield losses. Over time, Type 1 drought losses have declined while Type 2 losses have risen. Estimates of average yield losses due to Type 1 droughts are reduced by up to 27 per cent when Type 2 droughts are omitted. The associated ex-post economic costs in terms of rice production are underestimated by up to 124 per cent

Sleep hypoventilation

Sleep hypoventilation is seen in patients with neuromuscular disease, as well as in those with obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), which is defined as the combination of obesity, chronic hypercapnia, and hypoxemia during wakefulness that is aggravated during sleep. In 90% of cases, OHS is accompanied by obstructive sleep apnea. The diagnosis of OHS is based on hypoventilation and pulmonary hypertension that cannot be explained by alterations in pulmonary function. The mortality of patients with OHS is greater than is that of obese patients without hypoventilation. The principal neuromuscular diseases associated with OHS are the muscular dystrophies. The progression to chronic respiratory failure results from respiratory muscle weakness and impaired airway secretion clearance, causing atelectasis and pneumonia. With a decrease of greater than 50% in respiratory muscle strength, there is a reduction in VC. Cough peak flow < 160 L/min is associated with impaired airway secretion clearance, and values near 270 L/min indicate the need for assisted cough techniques. Obstructive sleep apnea usually worsens sleep hypoventilation. Noninvasive ventilation during sleep can improve survival, symptoms, and hypoventilation during wakefulness, as well as being able to improve pulmonary function in patients with neuromuscular disease. Patients with OHS can require oxygen therapy.Tanto SHO como as doenças neuromusculares estão relacionadas à hipoventilação durante o sono. Define-se SHO como a combinação de obesidade, hipercapnia e hipoxemia crônica durante a vigília que se agrava durante o sono. Em 90% dos casos, SHO está associada à apneia obstrutiva do sono. O diagnóstico baseia-se na presença de hipoventilação diurna e hipertensão pulmonar que não são justificadas por alterações da função pulmonar. A mortalidade dos pacientes com SHO é maior que aquela de pacientes sem hipoventilação e controlados para obesidade. As doenças neuromusculares são representadas principalmente pelas distrofias musculares. A progressão para insuficiência respiratória crônica surge como consequência da fraqueza dos músculos respiratórios e da limpeza inadequada das vias aéreas, causando atelectasias e pneumonias. Quando há uma redução maior que 50% da forca muscular respiratória, ocorre uma diminuição na CV. A medida do pico de fluxo da tosse < 160 L/min está associada à limpeza inadequada das vias aéreas, e, com valores em torno de 270 L/min, há indicação de uso de técnicas de tosse assistida. A apneia obstrutiva do sono geralmente agrava a hipoventilação durante o sono. O suporte pressórico não invasivo durante a noite pode aumentar a sobrevida, melhorar os sintomas e a hipoventilação diurna. Além disso, no caso de doenças neuromusculares, pode diminuir o declínio da função pulmonar. A oxigenoterapia pode ser necessária nos casos de SHO.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Escola Paulista de Medicina Instituto do SonoEscola Federal de Medicina de Salvador Departamento de Clínica MédicaUNIFESP, EPM, Instituto do SonoSciEL

Mosteiro de São Martinho de Tibães : trabalhos arqueológicos 2004 : sondagens no sistema hidráulico do claustro do refeitório - relatório

Os trabalhos arqueológicos a que este relatório respeita decorreram entre Março e Setembro de 2004 e correspondem à execução da proposta adjudicada pelo Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico à Unidade de Arqueologia da Universidade do Minho em 12-11-2003 (Processo n.º 319\P/03)

The Deliberation on Reader Commentary by Portuguese Online Newspaper Readers

Partindo do modelo de democracia deliberativa e da abordagem a alguns dos seus autores, procura analisar-se o discurso que se desenvolve nos espaços de comentário a notícias nos media portugueses. Se a tecnologia favorece a participação democrática, de que modo a comunicação através dela cumpre as exigências para que a deliberação tenha as condições necessárias para se desenvolver na esfera pública virtual? Os fóruns criados pelos jornais online são espaços de potencial deliberação. Dão a oportunidade aos participantes de comunicarem e discutirem livremente ideias sobre um determinado assunto. Este artigo apresenta um estudo de caso de deliberação online, analisando os comentários a notícias sobre a desfiliação de José Sócrates do Partido Socialista, publicadas na edição online do Jornal de Notícias e no meio eletrónico Observador. Conclui-se que os espaços de comentários dos jornais tendem a não cumprir os requisitos normativos de esfera pública. Embora apresentem os constrangimentos comuns à conversação pública online, conseguem ainda desenvolver uma interação democrática. Com um olhar diferente dos jornais hospedeiros sobre os espaços de comentários, poderão melhorar o seu potencial para o debate de temas relevantes no espaço público. / Starting with the deliberative democracy model, and the approach by some of its authors, this article aims to analyze the discourse developed in commentary sections of news on Portuguese online media. If technology favors democratic participation, in what way can the communication done through it obey the requirements for the deliberation to have the necessary conditions to develop in the virtual public sphere? Forums created by online newspapers are potential deliberation spaces. They give participants the opportunity to freely communicate and discuss ideas on a particular topic. This paper presents a case study on online deliberation, analyzing the commentary on news on José Sócrates’ disaffiliation from the Portuguese Socialist Party, published on the online outlets of Jornal de Notícias and Observador. In conclusion, the commentary sections tend not to comply with the normative requirements of the public sphere. Although they present the common constraints of online public conversation, they still manage to develop democratic interaction. With the host newspapers taking a closer look on the commentary sections, their potential for debating relevant topics in the public sphere could be improved

COVID-19 frames in the State of Emergency:analysis of the editorials of three Portuguese newspapers

Este artigo analisa os editoriais que três media portugueses publicaram sobre a COVID-19, procurando perceber os modos como o tema é enquadrado e percecionado no discurso público. Se o editorial é o género jornalístico que expressa a ideologia do jornal, através dele pode vislumbrar-se que mensagens, interpretações e posicionamentos são assumidos e colocados à discussão no espaço público. Os três media escolhidos foram o jornal diário Público, a revista semanal Visão e o semanário regional da Beira Baixa Reconquista, todos eles de informação generalista. Dos dois de difusão nacional foram selecionados os editoriais das edições impressa e digital, e do regional, de inspiração cristã, apenas os da edição em papel. Definiram-se dois períodos de análise durante o Estado de Emergência, março de 2020 e janeiro de 2021, meses do primeiro e do segundo confinamento geral da população. O corpus é constituído por 48 editoriais, 30 do primeiro confinamento e 18 do segundo, sendo 41 do Público, cinco da Visão e dois do Reconquista. Da análise realizada conclui-se que do primeiro para o segundo período se alteram os temas e enquadramentos (frames), e que o posicionamento maioritariamente positivo, em março de 2020, muda para negativo em janeiro de 2021, a penalizar as falhas na gestão política e sanitária da pandemia. / This article analyses the editorials on COVID-19 published by three Portuguese media in order to understand how the topic is framed and perceived in public discourse. Being the editorial the journalistic genre that expresses the ideology of the newspaper, it can be shown that messages, interpretations and positions are assumed and put up for discussion in the public space. The three media chosen were the national daily newspaper Público, the national weekly magazine Visão and a regional weekly magazine of Beira Baixa, Reconquista, all of which present generalist information. From Público and Visão, the printed and the online version were selected, and the print version from the regional, Christian inspired magazine Reconquista. Two review periods during the state of emergency were defined: March 2020 and January 2021, dates which correspond to the first and the second general lockdown. The corpus consists of 48 editorials, 30 from the first lockdown and 18 from the second, with 41 from Público, five from Visão and two from Reconquista. The analysis shows that themes and frames change from the first to the second period, and that the mostly positive positions in March 2020 shifted to negative in January 2021, penalising failures in the political and health management of the pandemic

The impact of rebranding on fox comedy

In the context of the Portuguese television market, this thesis aims to quantify the effects of rebranding on Fox Comedy. We find that, on average, rebranding results in a 0,05% increase in the share of audience, indirectly influencing the share of investment in advertising, by producing effects in different variables of the TV channel. Moreover, we provide a forecasting model for the share of investment in advertising, where we tackle the jump in the time series data carried out by the rebranding process. The predictions are of a 3 p.p. increase within the next 12 months

Threshold effects of extreme weather events on cereal yields in India

Climate change is driving a rise in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Such events are characterised as thresholds beyond which cereal yields significantly change. We apply a threshold model to district-level data collected in India over 1966-2011 and objectively identify thresholds, measured by the Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index, before estimating their yield effects, for rice, wheat, maize, millet, sorghum and barley. Heterogeneous, crop-specific thresholds are identified for all crops except wheat. Thresholds are identified at normal climatic conditions but have smaller negative marginal effects than those of thresholds identified at dry conditions. The extent to which agro-ecological conditions and irrigation influence the location of thresholds and the size of their marginal effects varies by crop. Thresholds identified at dry climatic conditions severely reduce yield yet are rarely crossed; those at normal conditions moderately affect yield but are frequently crossed. A threshold’s total impact on production is found to be inverse to the severity of its marginal effect. Severe-effect thresholds have been crossed with increasing frequency over time, contributing to growth in the size of total impacts. Our results have welfare implications and have the potential to inform predictions about the impacts of extreme weather events