Parents' physical victimization in childhood and current risk of child maltreatment: the mediator role of psychosomatic symptoms

Objective: To test the potential mediation effect of psychosomatic symptoms on the relationship between parents' history of childhood physical victimization and current risk for child physical maltreatment. Methods: Data from the Portuguese National Representative Study of Psychosocial Context of Child Abuse and Neglect were used. Nine-hundred and twenty-four parents completed the Childhood History Questionnaire, the Psychosomatic Scale of the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory. Results: Mediation analysis revealed that the total effect of the childhood physical victimization on child maltreatment risk was significant. The results showed that the direct effect from the parents' history of childhood physical victimization to their current maltreatment risk was still significant once parents' psychosomatic symptoms were added to the model, indicating that the increase in psychosomatic symptomatology mediated in part the increase of parents' current child maltreatment risk. Discussion: The mediation analysis showed parents' psychosomatic symptomatology as a causal pathway through which parents' childhood history of physical victimization exerts its effect on increased of child maltreatment risk. Somatization-related alterations in stress and emotional regulation are discussed as potential theoretical explanation of our findings. A cumulative risk perspective is also discussed in order to elucidate about the mechanisms that contribute for the intergenerational continuity of child physical maltreatment.

Equity offerings, stock price crash risk, and the impact of securities regulation: international evidence

We examine whether earnings manipulation around seasoned equity offerings (SEOs) is associated with an increase in the likelihood of a stock price crash post-issue and test whether the enactment of securities regulations attenuate the relation between SEOs and crash risk. Empirical evidence documents that managerial tendency to conceal bad news increases the likelihood of a stock price crash (Jin and Myers, 2006; Hutton, Marcus, and Tehranian, 2009). We test this hypothesis using a sample of firms from 29 EU countries that enacted the Market Abuse Directive (MAD). Consistent with our hypothesis, we find that equity issuers that engage in earnings management experience a significant increase in crash risk post-SEO relative to control groups of non-issuers; this effect is stronger for equity issuers with poor information environments. In addition, our findings show a significant decline in crash risk post-issue after the enactment of MAD that is stronger for firms that actively manage earnings. This decline in post-issue crash risk is more effective in countries with high ex-ante institutional quality and enforcement. These results suggest that the implementation of MAD helps to mitigate managers’ ability to manipulate earnings around SEOs.

Filamentous fungi in free water and biofilms from Brazilian drinking water systems

In some regions of Brazil, especially where the water is scarce, drinking water is stored in water storage tanks. This practice gives the consumer the guarantee of available water. The water storage conditions such as the exposure to hot weather when the tanks are on rooftops allow the development of microorganisms and microbial biofilms which can deteriorate the water quality and increase the risk to human health [1,2]. This study describes the filamentous fungi (FF) detected in free water and biofilms in drinking water storage tanks in Recife - Pernambuco, Brazil. Five sampling times in triplicate were performed at two distinct points. Colony-forming units (CFU) of FF fungi were determined with 0.45 µm filtration membranes using peptone glucose rose Bengal agar (PGRBA). From the 30 samples analysed a total of 1136 CFU were obtained. The water biofilms were collected from samplers consisting of polyethylene coupons, previously installed in the reservoirs. These coupons were transferred to PGRBA plates and incubated using with the same conditions described for free FF. For the in situ detection of FF in biofilms the Calcofluor White staining technique was used. This procedure demonstrated FF forming biofilms on the surfaces of the coupons. Brazilian legislation does not define limits for FF in drinking water. However considering the potential risk of fungal contamination, the data obtained in this study will contribute to developing future quantitative and qualitative parameters for the presence of fungi in drinking water distribution systems in Brazil. [1] HageskaL, G, Lima, N, Skaar, I. The study of fungi in drinking water. Mycological Research, 113, 2009, 165-172. [2] Skaar I, Hageskal G. Fungi in Drinking Water. In.: Paterson RRM, Lima N. (Eds.) Molecular Biology of Food and Water Borne Mycotoxigenic and Mycotic Fungi. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, 2015, 597-606.

Filamentous fungi occurrence in free water and biofilms from drinking water storage tanks

In some regions of Brazil, especially where the water is scarce, drinking water is stored in water storage tanks. This practice gives the consumer the guarantee of available water. The water storage conditions such as the exposure to hot weather when the tanks are on rooftops allow the development of microorganisms and microbial biofilms which can deteriorate the water quality and increase the risk to human health [1,2]. This study describes the filamentous fungi (FF) detected in free water and biofilms in drinking water storage tanks in Recife - Pernambuco, Brazil. Five sampling times in triplicate were performed at two distinct points. Colony-forming units (CFU) of FF fungi were determined with 0.45 μm filtration membranes using peptone glucose rose Bengal agar (PGRBA). From the 30 samples analysed a total of 1136 CFU were obtained. The water biofilms were collected from samplers consisting of polyethylene coupons, previously installed in the reservoirs. These coupons were transferred to PGRBA plates and incubated using with the same conditions described for free FF. For the in situ detection of FF in biofilms the Calcofluor White staining technique was used. This procedure demonstrated FF forming biofilms on the surfaces of the coupons. Brazilian legislation does not define limits for FF in drinking water. However considering the potential risk of fungal contamination, the data obtained in this study will contribute to developing future quantitative and qualitative parameters for the presence of fungi in drinking water distribution systems in Brazil.

A cumulative risk model of child physical maltreatment potential: findings from a community-based study

"Published online before print November 20, 2015"

The real economic effects of cross-delistingfrom the united states: evidence on post-operating performance, financial constraints and stock crash risk

Tese de Doutoramento em Ciências Empresariais.