Cup of Tea

“Such a beautiful photograph,” she marvels As she sits down where I used to lie. You look at the picture as she asks you who I am. For what seems like an eternity in your mind You plead with God to help you mask the clouds That are now thundering about in your head. “Just an old friend,” you reply coolly, After an uncomfortable second. ~ poem excerpt

A (re)presentación de Galiza na obra de Fialho de Almeida

A finais do século XIX e principios do XX funcionan dúas imaxes sobre Galiza e os galegos en Portugal: unha negativa, asociada ao fenómeno migratorio, e outra de afinidade, baseada nos vínculos históricos, lingüísticos e culturais entre os dous lados do río Miño. O obxectivo desta disertación de mestrado é demostrar que estas dúas imaxes están presentes na obra de Fialho de Almeida e, asemade, analizar como o escritor alentexano vai evolucionando da imaxe negativa á de afinidade a medida que coñece a realidade galega.Between the end of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century, two images of Galicia and of the Galicians circulated in Portugal. The first image is a negative one, as it is associated with migration phenomena. The second is one of affinity, based on the existing historic, linguistic and cultural ties on both sides of Minho. This MA dissertation aims at demonstrating that both images are present in the works of Fialho de Almeida, while analyzing how the writer born in the Alentejo evolves from a negative impression of Galicia and its people until one of affinityas he gets to know the region more profoundly

Comparison of quiet and outgoing language minority students through journal writing

Outgoing students have the advantage over quiet students in oral class participation. Our problem was to determine whether this relationship was the same in the medium of writing by studying differences in quantity and quality of writing between a quiet and an outgoing group

Perovskite as a High-Energy radiation detector

Treballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2018, Tutors: Federico Sánchez , Lluís GarridoThis project is mainly focused on extracting interesting properties of the perovskite when working as a High-Energy radiation detector and afterwards, analysing them in order to understand better its behaviour. Furthermore, detecting single High-Energy photons with them has become a firm short-term objective

Effectiveness and Efficiency of Polymers in Enhanced Oil Recovery of High Water Cut Reservoirs of Varying Salinities and Temperatures via Reservoir Simulations

The world‟s energy demand is increasing and all indications are that oil will be the leading energy supply for the foreseeable future. However, a significant amount of the world‟s „easy to produce oil‟, has been produced. Additionally, some of the remaining oil is rendered immobile due to capillary forces (residual oil) and some oil will be bypassed and remains trapped (bypassed oil) even after a reservoir has undergone secondary recovery. This remaining oil can account for 45- 70% of the original oil in a hydrocarbon reservoir. Therefore, methods to both improve and enhance oil recovery are highly sought. Enhanced oil recovery methods serve to recover such oil through techniques such as: thermal recovery, gas injection, and chemical injection. The latter is the subject of this thesis. Chemical injection involves the use of a surfactant to reduce the surface tension between the oil and the oil bearing rock layer and/ or polymers to increase the viscosity of the injected fluid and thereby improving sweep efficiency and mobility of oil, thus increasing production. In general, the polymers are not effective in removing residual oil and has some associated problems. Conventional polymers have been reported to plug oil reservoirs, biodegrade (biopolymers), or become impuissant in reservoirs with high salinity or high temperatures. Therefore a better solution is needed. This project will evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of a cassava starch- based polymer with the aim of increasing producibility of residual and bypassed oil, while eliminating negative effects of conventional polymers. Laboratory experiments and computationally efficient models will be employed to simulate the physical performance of the starch- based polymer in reservoir regimes of varying salinities and temperatures. Lastly, a sensitivity analysis will be undertaken to compare the recovery factor, concentration and profitability of starch- based polymer to that of two conventional polymers (Xanthan Gum and Hydrolysed Polyacrylamide (HPAM)). Through the above methods, it was observed, that when compared to conventional HPAM and Xanthan Gum polymers, the cassava starch- based polymer provides substantive viscosities at low concentration, is more effective in high salinity and high temperature regimes than Xanthan Gum and HPAM but is highly susceptible to biodegradation unless treated with additives. In addition, the oil production capability is comparable to HPAM and Xanthan gum. Residual oil production was inconclusive, pending core flooding experiments.

Investigando a ocupação das “tribos” nos espaços de lazer da Orla de Atalaia, em Aracaju/SE

Rede Cede

Desarrollo y validación de un modelo multidimensional de la producción ajustada

In the last 30 years of research of lean manufacturing many different questionnaires was proposed to check the degree of the use of the concept. The set of the items used changed considerably from one investigation to another one. Until now isn’t appreciate a movement that converge towards the use, by the investigators, of a few instruments whose validity and reliability have been compared in different surroundings. In fact, the majority of investigations are based on ad-hoc questionnaires and a few of them present the questionnaire validation checking only the unidimensionality and -Cronbach. Nevertheless it seems to have a consensus in identifying 5 big constructs that compose the lean manufacturing (TQM, JIT, TPM, supply chain management and high-involvement). Our research has consisted of identifying and summarizing the models that have been published previously to add the items in constructs or sub-scales of constructs. Later we developed an integrating questionnaire, starting off of the items that appeared in previous investigations. Finally we realized the sub-scales and models validation through a confirmatory factorial analysis, using date of a sample of Spanish Sheltered Work Centre’s (N=128). Of all proposed models, the best an adjustment takes place with the first order model with 20 sub-scales. Our investigation contributes to an integrating vision of the published models and the lean manufacturing sub-scales validity and reliability verification raised by other investigators. Due to his confirming approach, it can serve as generalization of studies that had been realized in contexts with different samples to which we have used for the replication.En los últimos 30 años de investigación sobre producción ajustada se han propuesto deferentes cuestionarios para diagnosticar el grado de uso de este concepto. El conjunto de ítems empleado ha variado notablemente de una investigación a otra. No se aprecia todavía un movimiento que converja hacia la utilización, por parte de los investigadores, de unos pocos instrumentos cuya validez y fiabilidad se haya contrastado en diferentes entornos. De hecho, la mayoría de las investigaciones se basan en cuestionarios ad-hoc y pocas de ellas presentan una validación del cuestionario más allá de verificar la unidimensionalidad y el de Cronbach. Sin embargo, parece haber consenso en identificar 5 grandes constructos que componen la producción ajustada (gestión de la calidad, flujo interno de producción, mantenimiento, gestión de la cadena de suministro y la implicación de los operarios). Nuestro trabajo ha consistido en identificar y resumir los modelos de producción ajustada, identificando el modo en que agregan los ítems en constructos o sub-escalas de constructos. Posteriormente hemos desarrollado un cuestionario partiendo de los ítems que figuraban en los modelos publicados. Finalmente, hemos realizado la validación de sub-escalas y modelos mediante un análisis factorial confirmatorio, usando datos de una muestra de Centros Especiales de Empleo españoles (N=128). De todos los modelosplanteados, el mejor ajuste se produce con el modelo de 20 sub-escalas de primer orden. Nuestro trabajo aporta una visión integradora comparando los modelos publicados previamente y la comprobando la validez y fiabilidad de las sub-escalas de producción ajustada planteadas por otros investigadores. Debido a su enfoque confirmatorio, puede servir de generalización de estudios que se habían realizado en contextos con muestras diferentes a las que nosotros hemos empleado para la replicación.Peer Reviewe

The Determinants of Systematic Risk: A Firm Lifecycle Perspective

This paper investigates how of systematic risk varies over the lifecycle of the firm. If market equity beta is determined by firm characteristics as the literature on the determinants of systematic risk holds, and if those characteristics change over the lifecycle of the firm following a definite pattern as firm lifecycle theory suggests, then market equity beta should change over the lifecycle of the firm following a predictable pattern. Our findings indicate that, holding other determinants of beta constant, the coefficient of systematic risk tends to fall in magnitude following a nonlinear pattern as firm age increases. In addition, we find that the volatility of market equity beta also tends to fall over the lifecycle of the firm. We argue that our main variable of concern, i.e. firm age, proxies for variables that have hitherto been omitted in the literature on the determinants of systematic risk. In particular, we maintain that firm age may proxy for the positive reputation that firms acquire over time with shareholders. This research is useful for both practitioners and researchers in that it may suggest ways to adjust empirical estimates of systematic risk. In addition, our results are important for research on beta forecasting as they show that the length of the stationary interval of betas is shorter for young companies, so that beta forecasting may be less accurate for firms in the early stages of their lifecycle compared to beta forecasting for mature firms