Assessing Pension expenditure determinants : the case of Portugal

Pension expenditure is a concern for the sustainability of public finances in the European Union. Therefore, assessing pension expenditure determinants is crucial. This study aims to disentangle the impact of demographic and economic variables, such as ageing, productivity, and unemployment, on pension expenditure. Using Portuguese time-series data, from 1975 to 2014, statistical evidence was found of co-integration between unemployed people aged between 15 and 64 years old, apparent productivity of labour, the old-age dependence index and pension expenditure as a share of gross domestic product. The use of a vector error correction model, with impulse-response functions and variance decomposition, showed that ageing has an almost insignificant impact in the long-run, when compared with unemployment and productivity.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pension expenditure determinants: the case of Portugal

Assessing pension expenditure determinants is crucial for the sustainability of public finances. This study aims to disentangle the impact of demographic and economic variables, such as ageing, productivity, and unemployment, on pension expenditure in Portugal. With the use of time-series data, from 1975 to 2014, statistical evidence was found of co-integration between unemployed people aged between 15 and 64 years old, apparent productivity of labour, the old age dependency ratio and pension expenditure as a share of gross domestic product. The use of a vector error correction model, with impulse-response functions and variance decomposition, showed that ageing has an almost insignificant impact in the long-run, when compared with unemployment and productivity

Mortar with pet—Preliminary results

ICEER2019 - 6th International Conference on Energy and Environment Research: “Energy and environment: challenges towards circular economy”, 22 -25 July 2019, Aveiro, PortugalThe objective of this work is to evaluate the performance and feasibility of the use of coating mortars with the incorporation of ground polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste. It was studied the performance of 1: 4 mortars in weight with partial replacement of the aggregate by PET residuals in different percentages (0%, 5% and 10%). Obtained results showed a decrease of the mechanical resistance of mortars in the inverse proportion of the use of PET residues of the mixture, an increase in resistance to water absorption by capillary action and a decrease in thermal conductivity. These results support the potential use of PET waste in coating mortars, thereby contributing to reduce the environmental impact caused by plastic waste. However, in order to be considered energy efficient, this new material needs further improvements.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

"Como faço a conta?” – esquemas mentais e registros de representações das operações do campo aditivo

Este artigo fomenta uma discussão sobre o ensino de diferentes esquemas de pensamento e de registros escritos relativos aos processos resolutivos das operações do campo aditivo. O aporte teórico engloba as ideias de Vergnaud sobre o campo conceitual aditivo e de Humphreys e Parker sobre a prática das conversas numéricas como auxiliares na criação de estratégias de resolução. Os dados foram coletados em uma atividade de ensino realizada com 35 estudantes concluintes do 5º ano do ensino fundamental de uma escola municipal do interior do Estado de Sergipe - Brasil. Os resultados da análise dos processos resolutivos das operações do campo aditivo apresentados pelos estudantes revelam que eles tiveram melhor desempenho nas situações menos complexas, e mais dificuldade em utilizar a estratégia que requeria decompor o subtraendo. Também sinalizaram que o ensino de diferentes formas de solução permite aos estudantes a criação ou adaptação de esquemas mentais que favorecem a compreensão dos procedimentos resolutivos

New alkaloid antibiotics that target the DNA topoisomerase I of Streptococcus pneumoniae

Streptococcus pneumoniae has two type II DNA-topoisomerases (DNA-gyrase and DNA topoisomerase IV) and a single type I enzyme (DNA-topoisomerase I, TopA), as demonstrated here. Although fluoroquinolones target type II enzymes, antibiotics efficiently targeting TopA have not yet been reported. Eighteen alkaloids (seven aporphine and 11 phenanthrenes) were semisynthesized from boldine and used to test inhibition both of TopA activity and of cell growth. Two phenanthrenes (seconeolitsine and N-methyl-seconeolitsine) effectively inhibited both TopA activity and cell growth at equivalent concentrations (∼17 μM). Evidence for in vivo TopA targeting by seconeolitsine was provided by the protection of growth inhibition in a S. pneumoniae culture in which the enzyme was overproduced. Additionally, hypernegative supercoiling was observed in an internal plasmid after drug treatment. Furthermore, a model of pneumococcal TopA was made based on the crystal structure of Escherichia coli TopA. Docking calculations indicated strong interactions of the alkaloids with the nucleotide-binding site in the closed protein conformation, which correlated with their inhibitory effect. Finally, although seconeolitsine and N-methyl-seconeolitsine inhibited TopA and bacterial growth, they did not affect human cell viability. Therefore, these new alkaloids can be envisaged as new therapeutic candidates for the treatment of S. pneumoniae infections resistant to other antibiotics.The work was supported by Comunidad de Madrid Grant CM-BIO0260-2006, COMBACT (to J. H. and A. G. C.); Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation Grants BIO2008-02154 (to A. G. C.), BFU2008-01711 (to J. A. H.), and SAF2008-03477 (to M. J. S.); and Spanish Ministry of Health, Carlos III Health Institute Grants RIER, RD08/0075/0016 (to M. J. S.).S

Gender and hemispheric differences in temporal lobe epilepsy: A VBM study

Purpose: Gender differences are recognized in the functional and anatomical organization of the human brain. Differences between genders are probably expressed early in life, when differential rates of cerebral maturation occur. Sexual dimorphism has been described in temporal lobe epilepsy with mesial temporal sclerosis (TLE-MTS). Several voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have shown that TLE-MTS extends beyond mesial temporal structures, and that there are differences in the extent of anatomical damage between hemispheres, although none have approached gender differences. Our aim was to investigate gender differences and anatomical abnormalities in TLE-MTS.Methods: VBM5 was employed to analyze gender and hemispheric differences in 120 patients with TLE-MTS and 50 controls.Results: VBM abnormalities were more widespread in left-TLE; while in women changes were mostly seen in temporal areas, frontal regions were more affected in men.Conclusions: Our study confirmed that gender and laterality are important factors determining the nature and severity of brain damage in TLE-MTS. Differential rates of maturation between gender and hemispheres may explain the distinct areas of anatomical damage in men and women. (C) 2013 British Epilepsy Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias UNIPETE, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Lab Interdisciplinar Neurociencias Clin LiNC, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagem, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Unidade Pesquisa & Tratamento Epilepsias UNIPETE, Dept Neurol & Neurosurg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Psychiat, Lab Interdisciplinar Neurociencias Clin LiNC, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagem, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Auras in temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis: Relation to seizure focus laterality and post surgical outcome

We examined the relationship between presence and frequency of different types of auras and side of lesion and post surgical outcomes in 205 patients with medically intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) with unilateral hippocampal sclerosis (HS). With respect to the number of auras, multiple auras were not associated with side of lesion (p=0.551). the side of HS was not associated with the type of auras reported. One hundred fifty-seven patients were operated. the occurrence of multiple auras was not associated with post-surgical outcome (p=0.740). the presence of extratemporal auras was significantly higher in patients with poor outcome. in conclusion, this study suggests that the presence of extratemporal auras in patients with MTLE-HS possibly reflects extratemporal epileptogenicity in these patients, who otherwise showed features suggestive of TLE. Therefore, TLE-HS patients undergoing pre-surgical evaluation and presenting clinical symptoms suggestive of extratemporal involvement should bemore extensively evaluated to avoid incomplete resection of the epileptogenic zone. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirurgia, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagem, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Neurol & Neurocirurgia, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Diagnost Imagem, BR-04024002 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Microstructure and hardness of cement pastes with mineral admixture

Portland cement pastes are highly heterogeneous material and exhibits heterogeneous features over a widerange of length scales. Mechanical properties of microstructure can be determined using depth-sensing indentation.Coupled indentation/SEM technique can be used to location the indents and provides a way to determinethe mechanical properties of a specific phase. Thus, the present paper aims to determine the hardness ofdifferent phases of cement pastes prepared with different mineral admixtures including sugarcane bagasseash. The microstructure of cement pastes prepared with different mineral admixtures is analyzed by X raydiffraction, scanning electron microscopy and dynamic hardness tests on polished sections. The differentbackscatter coefficient allows to differentiate anhydrous phases from C-S-H, calcium hydroxide, silica fumeand quartz. A grid of indentation is used to determine the hardness of the different phases and a completephase segmentation of the different samples is achieved. The results show that the hardness of the differentphases follow the sequence (from higher to lower hardness) quartz, anhydrous particles, calcium hydroxide,C-S-H and agglomerated silica fume. The presence of agglomerated silica fume is clearly observed in scanningelectron microscopy images and the poor mechanical properties of these areas might compromise thecement pastes. The microstructure of cement pastes prepared with sugarcane bagasse ashes is similar to theobserved in samples with crushed quartz

Prevalência e fatores associados à hesitação vacinal contra a covid-19 no Maranhão, Brasil

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with hesitancy in getting the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in Maranhão, Brazil. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional population-based study conducted from October 19 to 30, 2020. The estimates were calculated based on clustering, stratification, and non-response. A three-stage sampling was adopted, considering stratum, census tracts, and domicile. After systematic analysis, thirty sectors were selected in each stratum, totaling 150 sectors. Each sector contained a fixed number of 34 households, thus totaling 5,100 households. One individual within each household (resident for at least six months and aged one year or more) was selected by a simple random sampling. We questioned participants about their vaccination intention. Univariate association between independent variables and the outcome were verified using descriptive analysis (weighted frequencies) and Pearson's chi-square test (p < 0.05). Robust multivariate analysis was performed using a three-level hierarchical model. RESULTS: We found 17.5% (95%CI 16.1–19.1%) of the 4,630 individuals interviewed to report hesitancy to be vaccinated against covid-19. After final model adjustment, vaccination hesitancy was statistically higher among residents of the cities of Imperatriz (24.0%; RP = 1.48; IC95% 1.09–2.02) and municipalities of the Grande Ilha de São Luís (20.7%; RP = 1.34; 95%CI 1.02–1.76), female individuals (19.8%; RP = 1.44; 95%CI 1.20–1.75), older adults (22.8%; RP = 1.79; IC95% 1.30–2.46), evangelicals (24.1%; RP = 1.49; 95%CI 1.24–1.79), and those without reported symptoms (18.6%; RP = 1.24; 95%CI 1.02–1.51). We found no statistical differences for other socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, as well as variables related to the labor market, behaviors, and health conditions of the interviewees. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of vaccine hesitancy in Maranhão and its association with individual, contextual, and clinical factors enable us to identify the groups and contexts of greatest resistance, requiring special attention from public strategies to ensure wide vaccination.OBJETIVOS: Estimar a prevalência e fatores associados à hesitação ao uso da vacina contra o vírus SARS-CoV-2 no Maranhão, Brasil. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal de base populacional realizado de 19 a 30 de outubro de 2020. As estimativas consideraram agrupamento, estratificação e não resposta. A seleção da amostra foi realizada em três estágios (estrato, setores censitários e domicílio). Após análise sistemática, em cada estrato foram selecionados trinta setores, totalizando 150 setores, sendo o número de domicílios em cada setor fixado em 34, totalizando 5.100 domicílios e um indivíduo por domicílio (residente pelo menos há seis meses e com um ano de idade ou mais) selecionado por amostra aleatória simples. A intenção de ser vacinado foi questionada aos participantes. Foi realizada análise descritiva (frequências ponderadas) e teste do qui-quadrado de Pearson para verificar associação univariada entre as variáveis independentes e o desfecho (p < 0,05). Realizou-se análise multivariada robusta utilizando-se modelagem hierarquizada em três níveis. RESULTADOS: Foram entrevistados 4.630 indivíduos. A prevalência de hesitação vacinal foi de 17,5% (IC95% 16,1–19,1%). Após ajuste final do modelo, a hesitação vacinal foi estatisticamente maior entre moradores das cidades de Imperatriz (24,0%; RP = 1,48; IC95% 1,09–2,02) e de munícipios da Grande Ilha de São Luís (20,7%; RP = 1,34; IC95% 1,02–1,76), pessoas do sexo feminino (19,8%; RP = 1,44; IC95% 1,20–1,75), idosos (22,8%; RP = 1,79; IC95% 1,30–2,46), pertencentes às religiões de denominação evangélica (24,1%; RP = 1,49; IC95% 1,24–1,79) e entre aqueles sem relato de sintomas (18,6%; RP = 1,24; IC95% 1,02–1,51). Outras características socioeconômicas e demográficas, assim como variáveis relacionadas ao mercado de trabalho, comportamentos e condições de saúde dos entrevistados, não tiveram diferença estatística. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de hesitação vacinal no Maranhão e sua associação com fatores individuais, contextuais e clínicos revelam os grupos e contextos mais resistentes e que devem merecer atenção especial das estratégias públicas para garantir a ampla vacinação