Central Government Transfers and Regional Convergence in Portugal

Over the last decades, the Portuguese economy exhibited an outstanding growth performance. This period of fast economic growth allowed the country to consistently reduce its income gap with respect to the EU average. In spite of this, regions in Portugal exhibited large differences between each other in terms of GDP per capita. Yet, the Portuguese government did make attempts at regional intervention by means of some policy instruments, namely public transfers to local (and regional) government. How successful these policies have been in terms of achieving their goal is still an open question, especially as far as Portuguese Central Government transfers are concerned. The main purpose of the paper is to evaluate if the system of Central Government transfers has affected the intra-regional Portuguese convergence. We haven’t found unquestionable evidence that these policies have been effective at stimulating convergence among Portuguese regions and at improving the overall economies of the poorer regions. Keywords: Regional convergence, Central Government transfers, Regional policy JEL Classification: H71; O18; R58

Filament Hunting: Integrated HI 21cm Emission From Filaments Inferred by Galaxy Surveys

Large scale filaments, with lengths that can reach tens of Mpc, are the most prominent features in the cosmic web. These filaments have only been observed indirectly through the positions of galaxies in large galaxy surveys or through absorption features in the spectra of high redshift sources. In this study we propose to go one step further and directly detect intergalactic medium filaments through their emission in the HI 21cm line. We make use of high resolution cosmological simulations to estimate the intensity of this emission in low redshift filaments and use it to make predictions for the direct detectability of specific filaments previously inferred from galaxy surveys, in particular the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Given the expected signal of these filaments our study shows that HI emission from large filaments can be observed by current and next generation radio telescopes. We estimate that gas in filaments of length $l \gtrsim$ 15 $h^{-1}$Mpc with relatively small inclinations to the line of sight ($\lesssim 10^\circ$) can be observed in $\sim40-100$ hours with telescopes such as GMRT or EVLA, potentially providing large improvements over our knowledge of the astrophysical properties of these filaments. Due to their large field of view and sufficiently long integration times, upcoming HI surveys with the Apertif and ASKAP instruments will be able to detect large filaments independently of their orientation and curvature. Furthermore, our estimates indicate that a more powerful future radio telescope like SKA-2 can be used to map most of these filaments, which will allow them to be used as a strong cosmological probe.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, Accepted for publication in MNRA

Tomographic Intensity Mapping versus Galaxy Surveys: Observing the Universe in H-alpha emission with new generation instruments

The H-alpha line emission is an important probe for a number of fundamental quantities in galaxies, including their number density, star formation rate (SFR) and overall gas content. A new generation of low-resolution intensity mapping probes, e.g. SPHEREx and CDIM, will observe galaxies in H-alpha emission over a large fraction of the sky from the local Universe till a redshift of z ~ 6 to 10, respectively. This will also be the target line for observations by the high-resolution Euclid and WFIRST instruments in the z ~ 0.7 - 2 redshift range. In this paper, we estimate the intensity and power spectra of the H-alpha line in the z ~ 0 - 5 redshift range using observed line luminosity functions (LFs), when possible, and simulations, otherwise. We estimate the significance of our predictions by accounting for the modelling uncertainties (e.g. SFR, extinction, etc.) and observational contamination. We find that Intensity Mapping (IM) surveys can make a statistical detection of the full H-alpha emission between z ~ 0.8 - 5. Moreover, we find that the high-frequency resolution and the sensitivity of the planned CDIM surveys allow for the separation of H-alpha emission from several interloping lines. We explore ways to use the combination of these line intensities to probe galaxy properties. As expected, our study indicates that galaxy surveys will only detect bright galaxies that contribute up to a few percent of the overall H-alpha intensity. However, these surveys will provide important constraints on the high end of the H-alpha LF and put strong constraints on the AGN LF.Comment: Submitted to MNRA

Integration of bioprocess design with transcriptomic and metabolomic characterization for the expansion of human pluripotent stem cells

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC), including human embryonic stem cells (hESC), have an enormous potential as source for cell replacement therapies. However, the clinical application of hPSC has been hindered by the lack of robust protocols able to sustain production of high cell numbers maintaining their phenotype. To facilitate the bioprocess optimization aiming at higher cell yields, the analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic profiling would provide important insights about stem cell phenotype in different culture conditions. Within this context, we developed a robust and well-characterized bioprocess for hESC expansion under fully defined conditions using stirred-tank bioreactors. Moreover, we explored the potential of transcriptomic and metabolomic tools for a more comprehensive assessment of culture system impact on cell proliferation, metabolism, and phenotype. In this study two hESC lines displaying different growth characteristics: a feeder-dependent hESC line (growing as a colony) and a feeder-free hESC line (growing as a monolayer) (both from Cellectis Bioresearch) were cultured on different synthetic microcarriers (kindly provided by Corning Inc.) in stirred-tank bioreactors. Cell growth profile of all cultures was monitored daily and the undifferentiated phenotype was characterized by immunofluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, RT-qPCR and in vitro pluripotency assays. Finally, both transcriptional and metabolic profiles of hESC cultured in stirred-tank bioreactors were analyzed and compared to the culture in 2-dimensional (2D) monolayer system. Our results showed the efficiency of Synthemax-II polystyrene microcarriers to expand both hESC lines in stirred-tank bioreactors, with high viable cell recovery yields. Both hESC lines maintained the expression of stemness markers and presented high pluripotency scores (according to the PluriTest bioinformatic platform), showing similar values compared with 2D culture. Transcriptome signatures of both hESC lines were compared during the expansion process, showing clear convergence of hESCs when cultured on synthetic microcarriers using stirred culture systems. The most significant changes steering this convergence, were found at the level of central carbon metabolism and cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix rearrangements. Under low-oxygen tension, hESCs displayed a metabolic rearrangement with upregulation of the glycolytic machinery favoring an anaerobic glycolysis Warburg-effect-like phenotype, with no evidence of hypoxic stress response, in contrast to 2D culture [1]. This study provided relevant findings on the hESC physiological and metabolic changes during expansion, which can contribute to the design of improved scale-up production strategies as well as for media optimization to generate cells in higher quantity with improved quality, critical for their translation into clinic

Essays on the portuguese labour market: the effects of flexibility at the margin

JEL Classification: J31, J41, J68, C21, C24, C33This thesis aims to study the effects of the promotion of flexibility at the margin in the Portuguese labour market through the facilitation of the use of fixed-term contracts. We present three empirical essays that assess the effects of the 2004 change in legislation that extended the maximum legal duration of fixed-term contracts from three to six years. Given the high labour market segmentation and representativeness of fixed-term contracts in the Portuguese labour market, we consider that these studies may contribute to the design of future public policies. The empirical analysis is conducted using the linked employer-employee database Quadros de Pessoal for the period between 2002 and 2011. The results of the three essays suggest that fixed-term contracts may play different roles in the labour market, namely as screening devices and quantitative adjustment tools, and that this fact should be taken into account when the effects of asymmetric employment protection reforms are analysed. After controlling for several micro and macro variables, we find evidence that the extension of the fixed-term contract for a longer period had negative effects on the probability of conversion of the contract and contributed to increase the wage inequality between workers on permanent or converted fixed-term contracts and those that did not obtain a more stable employment relationship. Besides, we find evidence that this change in legislation did not contribute to increase employment growth and decrease the rate of creation of fixedterm jobs, especially due to the effects of the proportion of non-converted fixed-term contracts. This research suggests that labour market segmentation should be tackled and policy makers should promote measures aiming to stimulate the conversion of fixedterm into open-ended contracts.Esta tese pretende estudar os efeitos da promoção da flexibilidade à margem, através da facilitação do uso dos contratos a termo, no mercado de trabalho português. Para tal, apresentam-se três ensaios onde se analisam empiricamente os efeitos de uma alteração de legislação que ocorreu em 2004 e que aumentou a duração legal máxima dos contratos a termo certo de três para seis anos. Dada a elevada segmentação do mercado de trabalho e a representatividade dos contratos a termo, considera-se que estes estudos podem contribuir para a definição de políticas públicas no futuro. A análise empírica é realizada utilizando a base de dados Quadros de Pessoal para o período compreendido entre 2002 e 2011. Os resultados dos três ensaios sugerem que os contratos a termo podem desemprenhar papéis diferentes no mercado de trabalho, como processos de seleção e de ajustamentos quantitativos, e que isso deve ser tido em consideração quando se analisam os efeitos de reformas assimétricas da protecção ao emprego. Após controlar por diversas variáveis micro e macro, encontra-se evidência de que a possibilidade de utilizar o contrato a termo por um maior período de tempo teve efeitos negativos na probabilidade de conversão do contrato e contribuiu para aumentar a desigualdade salarial entre trabalhadores com contratos sem termo ou contratos convertidos em sem termo e trabalhadores que não obtiveram uma relação de emprego mais estável. Para além disso, mostra-se que esta alteração de legislação não se traduziu num aumento do crescimento do emprego e que teve inclusivamente um efeito negativo na criação de emprego com contratos a termo, devido principalmente ao efeito da não conversão dos contratos. Esta tese sugere que se deve combater a segmentação do mercado de trabalho português e promover medidas para estimular a conversão dos contratos a termo em contratos sem termo

Cosmology with intensity mapping techniques using atomic and molecular lines

We present a systematic study of the intensity mapping technique using updated models for the different emission lines from galaxies and identify which ones are more promising for cosmological studies of the post reionization epoch. We consider the emission of ${\rm Ly\alpha}$, ${\rm H\alpha}$, H$\beta$, optical and infrared oxygen lines, nitrogen lines, CII and the CO rotational lines. We then identify that ${\rm Ly\alpha}$, ${\rm H\alpha}$, OII, CII and the lowest rotational CO lines are the best candidates to be used as IM probes. These lines form a complementary set of probes of the galaxies emission spectra. We then use reasonable experimental setups from current, planned or proposed experiments to access the detectability of the power spectrum of each emission line. Intensity mapping of ${\rm Ly\alpha}$ emission from $z=2$ to 3 will be possible in the near future with HETDEX, while far-infrared lines require new dedicated experiments. We also show that the proposed SPHEREx satellite can use OII and ${\rm H\alpha}$ IM to study the large-scale distribution of matter in intermediate redshifts of 1 to 4. We found that submilimeter experiments with bolometers can have similar performances at intermediate redshifts using CII and CO(3-2).Comment: 18 pages, 21 figures, 5 tables, published in MNRAS, typos correcte

Análisis del papel de la enfermera en la primera mitad del siglo XIX en la obra de Dickens

En este trabajo se describen los personajes sanitarios que aparecen en la novela “Vida y aventuras de Martin Chuzzlewit” escrita en el siglo XIX por Charles Dickens. Principalmente, centrándose en la figura de la Sra. Sarah Gamp. El objetivo principal es analizar la imagen de la enfermera inglesa del siglo XIX a través de la obra de Dickens. También se van a comparar los puntos en común y los que difieren entre lo descrito por Dickens y lo que plasman los artículos de manera objetiva. Además se detallan las características de las enfermeras británicas del siglo XIX, sus labores, sus relaciones con otros sanitarios y sus lugares de trabajo. Para obtener los datos se ha hecho una revisión bibliográfica de documentación existente sobre la imagen y el trabajo de las enfermeras británicas del siglo XIX. Se ha utilizado la obra de Charles Dickens Vida y Aventuras de Martin Chuzzlewit, y se ha realizado una búsqueda de artículos sobre la Enfermería durante el siglo XIX. Al contrastar los datos, se puede afirmar que la representación realizada por Dickens se acerca bastante a la realidad, pero de manera exagerada y caricaturizada, al tratarse de un personaje de un libro.Departamento de EnfermeríaGrado en Enfermerí

Unveiling CCBE1 role as a modulator of cardiomyocyte differentiation

"Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Within CVD, myocardial infarction (MI) is associated with a massive and permanent loss of cardiomyocytes (CM). Advanced therapies based (...) numerous preclinical studies. Nonetheless, their clinical efficacy to improve the heart function remains elusive and controversial. The lack of validated and standardized cell culture protocols and characterization tools are among the contributing factors for this translational failure. Moreover, understanding the key cellular mechanisms underlying cardiac regeneration may also expose a multiplicity of therapeutic targets, paving the way for improved therapies by controlling cardiac tissue remodeling and/or to impose a pro-regenerative state. This thesis aimed at the implementation of novel strategies that could contribute for improved cardiac regenerative therapies. This work was divided into two main sections covering (A) the implementation of robust and scalable protocols for the expansion of human stem cells and (B) the interrogation of the functional role of a putative therapeutic molecule, CCBE1 (collagen and calcium- EGF binding domain 1), on cardiac commitment.(...)

Forest Land Ownership Changes in Portugal

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