Prognostic modelling of breast cancer patients: a benchmark of predictive models with external validation

Dissertação apresentada para obtenção do Grau de Doutor em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores – Sistemas Digitais e Percepcionais pela Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia

The adoption of cloud computing by SMEs: identifying and coping with external factors.

Comunicação apresentada na CAPSI 2011 - 11ª Conferência da Associação Portuguesa de Sistemas de Informação – A Gestão de Informação na era da Cloud Computing, Lisboa, ISEG/IUL-ISCTE/, 19 a 21 de Outubro de 2011.

Studying the impact of co-authorship with external researchers:the case of research community in Portugal using social network analysis.

Project work presented as a partial requirement to obtain a Master Degree in Information Management

Determinants of Portuguese external imbalances

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

Essay on external imbalances within the Euro Area

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

External brand extensions impact on Diesel's brand image

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

Adjusting to external imbalances within the EMU, the case of Portugal

From 1995 to 2010 Portugal has accumulated a negative international asset position of 110 percent of GDP. In a developed and aging economy the number is astonishing and any argument to consider it sustainable must rely on extremely favorable forecasts on growth. Portuguese policy options are reduced in number: no autonomous monetary policy, no currency to devaluate, and limited discretion in changing fiscal deficits and government debt. To start the necessary deleveraging a remaining possible policy is a budget-neutral change of the tax structure that increases private saving and net exports. An increase in the VAT and a decrease in the employer’s social security contribution tax can achieve the desired outcome in the short run if they are complemented with wage moderation. To obtain a substantial improvement in competitiveness and a large decrease in consumption, the changes in the tax rates have to be large. While a precise quantitative assessment is difficult, the initial increase in the effective VAT rate needed to allow the social security tax to decrease by 16 percentage points (pp) is approximately 10 pp. Such a large increase in the effective VAT rate could be obtained by raising most of the reduced VAT rates to the new general VAT rate of 23 percent. The empirical analysis shows that over time the suggested tax swap could generate surpluses and improve the trade balance. A temporary version of the suggested tax-swap has the attractiveness to achieve a sharper increase in the private saving rate maintaining the short run gains in competitiveness. Finally, the temporary version of the fiscal devaluation could be the basis for an automatic stabilizer to external imbalances within a monetary union.Portugal has been running large current account deficits every year since 1995. These deficits have accumulated to an astonishing 110 percent of GDP negative external asset position. The sustainability of such a large external position is questionable and must rely on fantastic productivity growth expectations. The recent global financial crisis appears to have anticipated the international investors reality check on those future expectations with the result of a large increase in the cost of external financing. Today the rebalancing of the current account through an increase in national savings and an improvement in competitiveness must be at the top of the Portuguese authorities “to do” list as the cost of a pull out from international investors is of the order of 10% of GDP. The external rebalancing is difficult as the degrees of freedom of the Portuguese authorities are limited in number: they have no autonomous monetary policy, no currency to devaluate, and little discretion in fiscal policy as deficit limits and debt targets are set by the Stability Growth Pact and the postcrisis consensus on medium-term fiscal consolidation. One possibility that remains is to change the fiscal policy mix for a given budget deficit. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of a “fiscal devaluation”1 obtained through a tax swap between employers’ social security contributions and taxes on consumption2. The paper begins by illustrating Portugal’s current account evolution during the euro period. The second section section lays out a model to offer a qualitative assessment of the dynamic outcomes of the the tax swap. I show that the suggested tax swap can in theory achieve the desired outcomes in terms of competitiveness and consumption if complemented with moderation (stickiness) in wages. I also study the effects of a temporary version of the tax swap and show that it achieves a sharper improvement in the current account that accelerate the rebalancing. The third section moves to the empirical analysis and estimates the likely effects of the tax swap for the Portuguese economy. The fourth section concludes.

Corporate social responsibility: How internal and external CSR perceptions influence employee outcomes

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

Rehabilitation and reintegration needs of female inmates and promotion mental health in Georgian prison

RESUMO: As mulheres presas encontram-se num sistema essencialmente dirigido por e concebido para homens. As mulheres que entram na prisão geralmente vêm de ambientes marginalizados e desfavorecidos e muitas vezes têm histórias de violência e abuso físico e sexual. As mulheres presas são um grupo particularmente vulnerável, uma vez que dentro do sistema prisional as suas necessidades de saúde e higiene são muitas vezes negligenciadas. O primeiro passo para o desenvolvimento de programas e práticas sensíveis ao género é compreender as características das mulheres delinquentes e definir fatores de vida específicos que contribuem para a formação do comportamento criminoso de mulheres. Em junho de 2012 foi realizada uma investigação na única prisão feminina da Geórgia, para estudar as necessidades mentais e psicossociais das mulheres presas. O objetivo da pesquisa foi o desenvolvimento de programas de apoio pertinentes para a reabilitação, ressocialização e reintegração, e a elaboração de recomendações práticas para a gestão das prisões. Foi desenvolvido um instrumento de pesquisa (inquérito) com uma fundamentação conceptual baseada em quatro principais teorias: Teoria dos Caminhos (Pathways Theory), teoria do desenvolvimento psicológico da mulher (Theory of Women’s Psychological Development), Trauma e Teorias da Dependência (Trauma and Addiction Theories). Foram inquiridas 120 mulheres presas. Os resultados deste estudo mostram que muitas das necessidades das mulheres presas são diferentes das dos homens e requerem estratégias adaptadas às suas características e situações psicossociais específicas. A maioria das mulheres encarceradas é jovem, enérgica, pode trabalhar, tem profissão e família. As presas sofrem de problemas psicológicos e muitas vezes são rejeitadas pelas suas famílias. Uma parte substancial das mulheres presas tem múltiplos problemas de saúde física e mental. A maioria delas tem filhos e sofre com o facto das crianças estarem a crescer longe da mãe. Com base nos resultados desta investigação é possível elaborar um contexto promotor do planeamento e desenvolvimento de serviços com um enfoque de género na prisão. Na perspetiva de longo prazo, o conhecimento das necessidades básicas e a introdução de programas e serviços com necessidades específicas pertinentes irá beneficiar as presas e as suas famílias, e melhorar a eficácia do sistema de justiça criminal.----------ABSTRACT: Female inmates find themselves in a system essentially run by men for men. Women who enter prison usually come from marginalized and disadvantaged backgrounds and are often characterized by histories of violence, physical and sexual abuse. Female prisoners constitute an especially vulnerable group given their specific health and hygienic needs within the system are often neglected. The first step in developing gender-sensitive program and practice is to understand female offenders’ characteristics and the specific life factors that shape women’s patterns of offending. In June 2012 a research was carried out in the Georgian only female prison facility to assess the mental and psychosocial needs of women prisoners, aiming to develop effective support programs for their rehabilitation, re-socialization and reintegration, as well as to elaborate new recommendations concerning prison management. A survey instrument (questionnaire) was developed within a theoretical framework based on four fundamental theories: Pathways Theory, Theory of Women’s Psychological Development and Trauma and Addiction Theories. Sample size was defined to be 120 surveyed persons. The study showed that needs of incarcerated women were different from those of men, thus requiring approaches tailored to their specific psychosocial characteristics and situations. The basic population of imprisoned women consisted of young, energetic, working-age females, most often with a professional qualification. Female prisoners suffered from psychological problems and are were more likely to be rejected by their families. Most of them had children and suffered that the children were growing without mothers. A substantial proportion of women offenders had multiple physical and mental health problems. Based on the study findings a conceptual framework can be elaborated towards planning and developing gender-sensitive services in prison. In the long-term perspective, acknowledgement of baseline needs and introduction of the relevant needs-specific programs and services may benefit women prisoners as well as their families, improving the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.

Corporate social reponsability strategic corporate social responsability: External and internal outcomes

This study investigates the importance and benefits of having a strategic Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program by testing the interrelationships between strategic CSR with three external (reputation, corporate image, and customer loyalty) and four internal (organizational commitment, job satisfaction, performance, and organizational deviance) variables. 269 clients and non-clients along with 190 employees and their direct supervisors completed the survey. Strategic CSR has shown to have a positive impact on all the variables studied with the exception of organizational deviance. Practical implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Paving the way? Female leadership and attitudes toward gender

In a male dominant political world, the cases of female leadership are still a novelty. Looking at the episodes where a woman was head of state or government, the impact on attitudes and perceptions toward gender equality is evaluated. By instrumenting the presence of a female in government with the proportion of female seats in parliament, the results seem to suggest that individuals, when exposed to a woman as an executive political leader, report a higher tendency to agree with statements of gender discrimination.

Investigation of Novel Circuits Involved in Virgin Female Receptivity of Drosophila melanogaster

Courtship is a behavior that allows the display of fitness of one sex to the other and gates possible subsequent mating. This behavior is crucial for reproduction and has strong innate components in all animals. Courtship in Drosophila melanogaster consists of a series of highly stereotyped actions that the male performs towards the female. He sings with vibrations of the wings, touches and licks her abdomen, while she evaluates the information presented to her.(...)