Relationship between national culture, democracy and environmental performance: A panel data analysis

This paper demonstrates the significance of culture in examining the relationshipbetween democratic capital and environmental performance.The aim is to examine the relationship among scores on the Environmental Performance Index and the two dimensions of cross cultural variation suggested by Ronald Inglehart and Christian Welzel. Significantional interrelationships among democracy, cultural and environmental sustaintability measures could be found, following the regression results. Firstly, higher levels of democratic capital stock are associated with better environmental performance. Secondly importance to distinguish between cultural groups could be confirmed.

A marketing plan for Companhia das Quintas to strengthen its position in the Chinese wine market

Companhia das Quintas, Limited Company wishes to conquer the Chinese market with its wines. For that, it decided to enter in a partnership with a local importer and distributor. This project analyses the macroeconomic factors of the country, the local market and the consumer behavior, using on-site research that included interviews with professionals of the industry, unstructured observation of the consumer and existing statistical data analysis. Finally, the project presents a marketing plan to make this partnership a success.

The role of humor in television advertisement: A study regarding Portuguese consumers’ emotions and reactions

The purpose of this study is to explore the humorous side of television advertisement and its impact on Portuguese consumers’ hearts, minds and wallets. Both qualitative (through in-depth interviews) and quantitative (through an on-line survey and subsequent statistical data analysis) methods were used, guaranteeing a more consistent, strong and valid research. Twenty-five interviews with randomly chosen consumers were conducted face-to-face and three interviews via e-mail with marketers and television advertisers were performed in order to explore profoundly the subject. Moreover, 360 people have answered the on-line survey. Through the analysis of the data collected humor perception was found to be positively correlated with persuasion and intention to purchase the product; intention to share the advert; message comprehension; product liking and development of positive feelings towards the brand and brand credibility variables. The main implication of these findings relies on the fact that humor in advertising is able to boost its effectiveness.

Spatial analysis of crime evolution in Portugal between 1995 and 2013

The main objective of this survey was to perform descriptive analysis of crime evolution in Portugal between 1995 and 2013. The main focus of this survey was to analyse spatial crime evolution patterns in Portuguese NUTS III regions. Most important crime types have been included into analysis. The main idea was to uncover relation between local patterns and global crime evolution; to define regions which have contributed to global crime evolution of some specific crime types and to define how they have contributed. There were many statistical reports and scientific papers which have analysed some particular crime types, but one global spatial-temporal analysis has not been found. Principal Component Analysis and multidimensional descriptive data analysis technique STATIS have been the base of the analysis. The results of this survey has shown that strong spatial and temporal crime patterns exist. It was possible to describe global crime evolution patterns and to define crime evolution patterns in NUTS III regions. It was possible to define three to four groups of crimes where each group shows similar spatial crime dynamics.

SDAR: a package for plotting and analyzing stratigraphy data in R

Stratigraphic Columns (SC) are the most useful and common ways to represent the eld descriptions (e.g., grain size, thickness of rock packages, and fossil and lithological components) of rock sequences and well logs. In these representations the width of SC vary according to the grain size (i.e., the wider the strata, the coarser the rocks (Miall 1990; Tucker 2011)), and the thickness of each layer is represented at the vertical axis of the diagram. Typically these representations are drawn 'manually' using vector graphic editors (e.g., Adobe Illustrator®, CorelDRAW®, Inskape). Nowadays there are various software which automatically plot SCs, but there are not versatile open-source tools and it is very di cult to both store and analyse stratigraphic information. This document presents Stratigraphic Data Analysis in R (SDAR), an analytical package1 designed for both plotting and facilitate the analysis of Stratigraphic Data in R (R Core Team 2014). SDAR, uses simple stratigraphic data and takes advantage of the exible plotting tools available in R to produce detailed SCs. The main bene ts of SDAR are: (i) used to generate accurate and complete SC plot including multiple features (e.g., sedimentary structures, samples, fossil content, color, structural data, contacts between beds), (ii) developed in a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics, (iii) run on a wide variety of platforms (i.e., UNIX, Windows, and MacOS), (iv) both plotting and analysing functions can be executed directly on R's command-line interface (CLI), consequently this feature enables users to integrate SDAR's functions with several others add-on packages available for R from The Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN).

RingDings market analysis

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Management from the NOVA – School of Business and Economics

Statistics as a basis for discrimination in the insurance business

The European Court of Justice has held that as from 21 December 2012 insurers may no longer charge men and women differently on the basis of scientific evidence that is statistically linked to their sex, effectively prohibiting the use of sex as a factor in the calculation of premiums and benefits for the purposes of insurance and related financial services throughout the European Union. This ruling marks a sharp turn away from the traditional view that insurers should be allowed to apply just about any risk assessment criterion, so long as it is sustained by the findings of actuarial science. The naïveté behind the assumption that insurers’ recourse to statistical data and probabilistic analysis, given their scientific nature, would suffice to keep them out of harm’s way was exposed. In this article I look at the flaws of this assumption and question whether this judicial decision, whilst constituting a most welcome landmark in the pursuit of equality between men and women, has nonetheless gone too far by saying too little on the million dollar question of what separates admissible criteria of differentiation from inadmissible forms of discrimination.

The effectiveness of the “Processo Especial de Revitalização” as an instrument of corporate restructuring in the context of the current economic crisis

This work project intends to evaluate the effectiveness of the Portuguese Government’s strategy to promote the orderly deleveraging of the corporate sector in the context of the current economic crisis. The recommendations of the Troika and the commitments assumed under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Government in 2011 required the creation of formal processes to avoid disorderly deleveraging. Conclusions and recommendations were drawn based on past experiences of large-scale corporate restructuring strategies in other countries and on the analysis of financial and statistical data on companies applying for “Programa Especial de Revitalização”.

Classificação Internacional de Funcionalidade, Incapacidade e Saúde : uma dimensão do neurodesenvolvimento

RESUMO: Objetivo Principal • Determinar a consistência da utilização dos instrumentos de avaliação da capacidade intelectual – escalas de Griffiths e WISC III – no enquadramento dos domínios e dos qualificadores da CIF-CJ, restrita às funções mentais do corpo. Objetivo secundário: • Estudar a efetividade e concordância inter-observador da aplicação da CIF, com base na leitura dos dados obtidos em avaliação efetuada com os instrumentos referidos, por duas observadoras independentes, em contexto de articulação saúde, respetivamente educação e segurança social Métodos • Estudo observacional, descritivo, transversal e prospetivo. • Foi estudada uma amostra de conveniência 355 crianças, num período de três anos (Maio de 2010 a 30 de Abril de 2013), com patologia da área da pediatria do neurodesenvolvimento (total de 4000 consultas) no Centro de Desenvolvimento (CD) do Hospital de Dona Estefânia (HDE), Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, EPE (CHLC, EPE). • Critérios de inclusão: crianças de ambos os sexos, observadas no CD do HDE, CHLC (primeiras consultas e consultas de reavaliação) com idade ≥12 meses e ≤17 anos e incapacidade intelectual definida de acordo com os critérios da DSM-IV-TR, DSM 5 e CID-10. • Critérios de exclusão: crianças com autismo, perturbações específicas da linguagem, hiperatividade, défice de atenção e concentração, défices sensoriais congénitos (baixa visão e ou audição), ou com outros diagnósticos de perturbações de neurodesenvolvimento. • O estudo teve duas fases: na primeira, a investigadora principal colheu ou atualizou a história clínica, observou clinicamente as crianças solicitando os exames complementares considerados necessários e foi efetuada avaliação psicológica com os instrumentos adiante descritos, pela mesma psicóloga clínica, devidamente credenciada, e com larga experiência nas escalas referidas. Com base nos dados colhidos, quer por observação direta, quer através dos resultados das escalas Griffiths e WISC – III, a investigadora aplicou a CIF-CJ, circunscrita aos domínios e funções (variáveis): 1. FUNÇÕESMENTAIS GLOBAIS (b110- Funções da consciência, b114- Funções da orientação no espaço e no tempo, b117 – Funções intelectuais, b122- Funções psicossociais globais, b125- Funções intrapessoais, b126- Funções do temperamento e da personalidade); 2.FUNÇÕES MENTAIS ESPECÌFICAS (b140- funções da atenção, b147- Funções psicomotoras, b152- Funções emocionais, b156- Funções da perceção, b163- Funções cognitivas básicas, b164- Funções cognitivas de nível superior, b167- Funções mentais da linguagem 3. FUNÇÕES DA VOZ E DA FALA (b320- Funções da articulação, b330- Funções da fluência e do ritmo da fala). Numa segunda fase, foi solicitada a colaboração de duas co-investigadoras, com formação específica nas escalas utilizadas e na CIF-CJ, a aplicação da CIF nos mesmos domínios e funções. Estas observadoras não efetuaram observações diretas das crianças envolvidas. • Para efetuar a análise estatística e analisar a relação entre os qualificadores (0 a 4) das variáveis da CIF em estudo (b117, b122, b147, b163, b164, b167, b320 e b330) e os instrumentos psicométricos (escalas de Griffiths e WISC III), que constitui a primeira parte do estudo, recorreu-se à técnica estatística não paramétrica do coeficiente de correlação de Spearman, que quantifica a intensidade e sinal da eventual correlação existente entre as variáveis em estudo. • Para determinar as correlações referentes à segunda parte do estudo, foram utilizados os programas SPSS®, (IBM SPSS Statistics) e Statistica® (StatSoft, Inc., 2011). STATISTICA (data analysis software system, version 10. www.statsoft.com.), tendo-se dado preferência aos gráficos deste último. Resultados 1. Observou-se um predomínio do sexo masculino (relação de 1:1,9); relativamente à idade no momento de avaliação, 242 crianças (68,1%) tinham entre zero e seis anos e, dentro destas, a maioria (189) situava-se entre os três e os seis anos. 2. De acordo com a DSM-IV e DSM-5, 261 (73,4%) crianças apresentavam incapacidade intelectual ligeira. 3. A avaliação da competência intelectual pelas escalas de Ruth Griffiths e WISC III (QI), revelaram correlação negativa predominantemente forte e muito forte (índice de Spearman) com os qualificadores das funções do corpo estudadas (funções mentais, mentais específicas e da voz). Os resultados obtidos pela co-investigadora A foram sobreponíveis aos da investigadora principal. Os resultados obtidos pela co-investigadora B revelaram correlação negativa moderada e forte, correlação inferior à da investigadora principal; Conclusões Os resultados permitem inferir que as escalas de Ruth Griffiths e WISC-III são instrumentos adequados para caracterizar a incapacidade intelectual na CIF-CJ; a concordância inter-observador, moderada, nos qualificadores atribuídos nas funções em análise pela investigadora e co-investigadoras, permite concluir que as escalas de Ruth Griffiths e WISC IIIl são bons instrumentos para caracterizar os qualificadores nos domínios e funções estudados, por diferentes grupos de profissionais ligados à infância. Subsistem dificuldades na diferenciação entre qualificadores, designadamente entre os qualificadores 1 e 2, o que tem necessariamente implicações na elegibilidade das crianças para os apoios preconizados pelo DL 3/2008. ------------------------ ABSTRACT: Main objective • To determine the consistency of the use of assessment tools for intellectual ability - Griffiths and WISC III scales - in the context of domains and qualifiers for the ICF-CY, restricted to the mental functions of the body. Secondary objective • Studying the effectiveness and inter-observer concordance concerning the application of the ICF, based on the data recovered from the assessment made with the mentioned instruments, carried out by two independent observers including their perspective on health, education and social security. Methods • Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective study. • A convenience sample of 355 children was studied over a period of three years (May 2010 to April 2013), with a pathology in the area of pediatric neurodevelopment – intellectual disability (total of 4000 consultations, including first consultations and revaluations) were observed in the Development Centre (CD) in Hospital de Dona Estefânia (HDE), Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central, EPE (CHLC). • Inclusion criteria: children of both sexes aged ≥12 months and years ≤17 and intellectual disability defined according to the criteria in the DSM-IV-TR, DSM 5 and ICD-10. • Exclusion criteria: children with autism; specific language impairment, hyperactivity; attention deficit disorder; severe birth sensory deficits (eg, impaired vision and hearing); amongst other diagnoses for neurodevelopmental disorders. • The study was conducted in two phases: in the first phase the principal investigator collected or updated medical history, clinically observed children requesting additional investigations if she deemed necessary. Psychological evaluation was performed by a single, duly licensed clinical psychologist with extensive experience in the referred scales using the instruments described below. Based on data collected, either by direct observation or through the results of Griffiths scales and WISC - III, the researcher applied the ICF-CY confined to the following fields and functions (variables): 1. GLOBAL MENTAL FUNCTIONS (b110- functions of consciousness, b114- Functions referring to space and time orientation , b117 - intellectual functions, b122- global psychosocial functions, b125- intrapersonal functions, b126- functions related to temperament and personality); 2. SPECIFIC MENTAL FUNCTIONS ( b140- attention functions, b147-psychomotor functions, b152- Emotional functions, b156- perception functions, b163- basic cognitive functions and cognitive functions b164- top level b167- language related mental functions. ) 3. VOICE AND SPEECH FUNCTIONS (b320-articulation functions, b330- fluency and rhythm of speech functions). • In the second phase, two co-investigators, with specific training on the scales used and the ICF-CY have applied the ICF in the domains and functions mentioned above, based on the scales results. These co-investigators did not make any direct observation of the studied children. • To perform the statistical analysis and analyze the relationship between the qualifiers (0-4) of the variables in the ICF study (b117, b122, b147, B163, B164, b167, b320 and B330) and psychometric instruments (Griffiths scale and WISC III), which is the first part of the study, the statistical technique of non-parametric Spearman correlation coefficient was used, which quantifies the strength and sign of the possible correlation between the variables under study. • For submission of correlations related to the second part of the study, SPSS (IBM SPSS) and Statistica (StatSoft, Inc., 2011) programs were used. STATISTICA (data analysis software system, version 10 www.statsoft.com.). Preference was given to graphs computed in Statistica. Results • Male predominated (ratio of 1: 1.9). 242 children (68.1% of the sample) were aged between zero and six years and, among these, the majority (189) was aged largest number between three and six years. • According to the DSM-IV and DSM-5, 261 (73.4%) children had mild intellectual disability. The correlation between the assessment of intellectual competence by Ruth Griffiths scales and WISC III (QI), was predominantly negative strong and very strong correlation with the qualifiers of body functions studied (specific mental functions, mental and voice functions using Spearman index). The levels of correlation obtained by the co-investigatores were in agreeance with the results from the principal investigator. The results obtained by co-investigator B showed moderate to strong negative correlation, levels that were lower to the those registered by the principal investigator; Conclusions These results indicate that Ruth Griffiths and WISC-III scales are adequate tools to characterize intellectual disability in the ICF-CY; moderate inter-observer agreement in the qualifiers assigned the functions under analysis by the researcher and co-researchers, shows that the scales are also good tools to measure CIF qualifyers by diferent technicians with different professional orientations, related to children. However, there are still difficulties in differentiating qualifiers, namely between qualifiers 1/2 and 3/4, which necessarily has implications for the eligibility of children for the state support advocated by the Portuguese Decret Law 3/2008.