Fatores determinantes da política de distribuição de dividendos: Evidência empírica para as empresas não financeiras da Euronext Lisbon

Dividends and their distribution decisions, being a component of the compensation of investors are a constant financial worry within companies, thus revealing one of the themes highlighted in the context of the financial literature. Study will address the factors determining the dividend policy practiced by companies listed in the Portuguese stock market. The latter will be 47 non-financial companies listed on the Euronext Lisbon during 2009 until 2011. The two samples that have been investigated include the representative of the majority of non-financial companies listed on Euronext Lisbon and the other financial companies members of the PSI 20. The methodology adopted is one of the ordinary least squares regression and the amount of dividends per share distributed was used in determining the dependent variable. In relation to the independent variables, six explanatory factors were chosen. These include profitability, stability of dividend policy, size, growth, risk and investment opportunities. The conclusion suggests that the most important factors to explain the amount of dividends distributed are profitability and stability of dividend policy. There after, growth and risk factors, as well as factors that explain the amount of dividends distributed are also relevant. The remaining variables obtained were insufficient evidence pointing to a significant effect in explaining the dividend policy of Portuguese companies in the sample. The conclusion also states that differences exist in the importance of the explanatory factors to the amount of dividends distributed between the study samples, given the differentiation of dividend policies, followed by companies from each group analyzed.

OC/EC ratio observations in Europe: Re-thinking the approach for apportionment between primary and secondary organic carbon

This study explores a large set of OC and EC measurements in PM(10) and PM(2.5) aerosol samples, undertaken with a long term constant analytical methodology, to evaluate the capability of the OC/EC minimum ratio to represent the ratio between the OC and EC aerosol components resulting from fossil fuel combustion (OC(ff)/EC(ff)). The data set covers a wide geographical area in Europe, but with a particular focus upon Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom, and includes a great variety of sites: urban (background, kerbside and tunnel), industrial, rural and remote. The highest minimum ratios were found in samples from remote and rural sites. Urban background sites have shown spatially and temporally consistent minimum ratios, of around 1.0 for PM(10) and 0.7 for PM(2.5).The consistency of results has suggested that the method could be used as a tool to derive the ratio between OC and EC from fossil fuel combustion and consequently to differentiate OC from primary and secondary sources. To explore this capability, OC and EC measurements were performed in a busy roadway tunnel in central Lisbon. The OC/EC ratio, which reflected the composition of vehicle combustion emissions, was in the range of 03-0.4. Ratios of OC/EC in roadside increment air (roadside minus urban background) in Birmingham, UK also lie within the range 03-0.4. Additional measurements were performed under heavy traffic conditions at two double kerbside sites located in the centre of Lisbon and Madrid. The OC/EC minimum ratios observed at both sites were found to be between those of the tunnel and those of urban background air, suggesting that minimum values commonly obtained for this parameter in open urban atmospheres over-predict the direct emissions of OC(ff) from road transport. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are explored. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Valorização de lamas de tratamento de águas residuais urbanas para utilização agrícola

Trabalho de Dissertação de Natureza Científica para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Civil na Área de Especialização em Hidráulica

Dynamics and orchestral effects in late Eighteenth-Century portuguese organ music: the works of José Marques e Silva (1782-1837) and the organs of António Xavier Machado e Cerveira (1756-1828)

A maioria dos órgãos históricos portugueses data dos finais do século XVIII ou do princípio do século XIX. Durante este período foi construído um invulgar número de instrumentos em Lisboa e nas áreas circundantes por António Xavier Machado e Cerveira (1756-1828) e outros organeiros menos prolíficos. O estudo desses órgãos, muitos dos quais (restaurados ou não) se encontram próximos das condições originais, permite a identificação de um tipo de instrumento com uma morfologia específica, claramente emancipada do chamado «órgão ibérico». No entanto, até muito recentemente, não era conhecida música que se adaptasse às idiossincrasisas daqueles instrumentos. O recente estudo das obras para órgão de José Marques e Silva (1782-1837) permitiu clarificar esta situação. Bem conhecido durante a sua vida como organista e compositor, José Marques e Silva foi um dos ultimos mestres do Seminário Patriarcal. A importância da sua produção musical reside não só num substancial número de obras com autoria firmemente estabelecida – escritas, na maior parte, para coro misto com acompanhamento de órgão obbligato – mas também na íntima relação entre a sua escrita e a morfologia dos órgãos construídos em Portugal durante a sua vida. Este artigo enfatiza a importância de José Marques e Silva (indubitavelmente, o mais significativo compositor português para órgão do seu tempo) sublinhando a relevância das suas obras para órgão solo, cujo uso extensivo de escrita idiomática e indicações de registação fazem delas um dos mais importantes documentos só início do século XIX sobre a prática organística em Portugal.

Business micro-location: factors, preferences and indicators to assess the influence factors

The paper presents a study on business micro-location behaviour as well as corresponding factors of influence, conducted in two metropolitan areas, Bucharest-Ilfov (Romania) and Greater Porto (Portugal). By business micro-location we refer to a specific site such as a building or facility, accommodating a business within a small, compact geographical area (e.g. metropolitan area). At this geographical scale, the macroeconomic layer factors were excluded, applicable when discern between regions or countries. The factors derived from location theory and previous empirical studies were surveyed, completing a cross-sectional analysis in order to find out the specific weights of the location factors and preferences, by region and by industry. Based on already established firms’ feedback on location, the specific weights were granted by each industry to the main location factors, types of areas, and types of accommodation facilities. The authors also suggested a model to integrate these results into a Geographical Information System (GIS).

Interpretação tectónica de um conjunto de lineamentos WNW-ESE observados em imagens landsat da margem oeste ibérica

The existence of satellite images ofthe West Iberian Margin allowed comparative study of images as a tool applied to structural geology. Interpretation of LANDSAT images of the Lusitanian Basin domain showed the existence of a not previously described WNW-ESE trending set oflineaments. These lineaments are persistent and only observable on small scale images (e.g. approx. 11200000 and 11500 000) with various radiometric characteristics. They are approximately 20 km long, trend l200±15° and cross cut any other families oflineaments. The fact that these lineaments are perpendicular to the Quaternary thrusts of the Lower Tagus Valley and also because they show no off-set across them, suggests that they resulted from intersection oflarge tensile fractures on the earth's surface. It is proposed in this work that these lineaments formed on a crustal flexure of tens ofkm long, associated with the Quaternary WNW-ESE oriented maximum compressive stress on the West Iberian Margin. The maximum compressive stress rotated anticlockwise from a NW -SE orientation to approximately WNW-ESE, from Late Miocene to Quaternary times (RIBEIRO et aI., 1996). Field inspection of the lineaments revealed zones of norm~1.J. faulting and cataclasis, which are coincident with the lineaments and affect sediments of upper Miocene up to Quaternary age. These deformation structures show localized extension perpendicular to the lineaments, i.e. perpendicular to the maximum compressive direction, after recent stress data along the West Portuguese Margin (CABRAL & RIBEIRO, 1989; RIBEIRO et at., 1996). Also, on a first approach, the geographical distribution of these lineaments correlates well with earthquake epicenters and areas of largest Quaternary Vertical Movements within the inverted Lusitanian Basin (CABRAL, 1995).

Public works policy in Portugal: a case study in unsustainability

International Journal of Engineering and Industrial Management, nº 1, p. 195-208

The revolution of lusophone musics in the city of Lisbon

Dissertação apresentada para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ciências Musiciais. Variante de Etnomusicologia

Adolescents and School Asthma Knowledge and Attitudes

Introduction: bronchial asthma is a chronic disease that affects a high percentage of adolescents, with a significant restriction of daily activities, and is a cause of school absenteeism. The relationships between adolescents and asthma disease in school were assessed, with a view to improving knowledge about the asthmatic adolescent. Methods: a survey was conducted in the Lisbon metropolitan area, covering urban (Lisbon) and rural (Lourinh˜a ) zones and including 1879 students and 81 teachers from the 7th to 9th high school years. The study groups were asthmatic students, their peers, and teachers. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to collect information. The results were compared with a reference group of 91 asthmatic students attending our Department of Immunoallergy-Hospital Dona Estefânia. Cotinine urinary measurements were made in a sample of asthmatics and a control group. Results: the prevalence of current asthma among students was 10%. Estimates of asthma annual burden among 7th to 9th year students from Lisbon and Lourinh˜a high schools included 4,307 days missed from school, 4,148 medical consultations and a minimum of 351 hospital emergency care and 80 hospital admissions. Exposure to passive smoking was not significantly different between asthmatic students and theirs peers. Cotinine urinary measurements did not discriminate between exposed and non-exposed individuals. Cigarette smoking was almost as common among adolescent asthmatics (5.4%) as it was in non-asthmatic subjects (6.7%). However, 55% of asthmatics mentioned active and passive smoking as an asthma exacerbating factor. Asthmatic students, theirs peers and teachers showed a deficient knowledge about asthma (mean group scores: 17.6; 14.2 and 17.7 of a possible 30), particularly in the areas related to asthma recognition and its management. Asthmatics attending our Allergy Department had the highest scores. All groups showed tolerance in the sense of a positive and understanding attitude toward a person with asthma. However, traditional beliefs about asthma disease (dependence, inferiority...) were confirmed. A positive correlation between knowledge levels and tolerance attitudes was found. Conclusion: in view of the dimension of the asthma problem in adolescence and its social and economic impact, it is justifiable to assess the need for the implementation of asthma education programs in schools in order to improve asthma management by the adolescents and their schools.

Spatial and temporal analysis of recent drought using vegetation temperature condition index: case of Somali regional state of Ethiopia

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Environment and Health in Children Day Care Centres (ENVIRH) - Study Rationale and Protocol

Background: Indoor air quality (IAQ) is considered an important determinant of human health. The association between exposure to volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, house dust mite, molds and bacteria in day care centers (DCC) is not completely clear. The aim of this project was to study these effects. Methods --- study design: This study comprised two phases. Phase I included an evaluation of 45 DCCs (25 from Lisbon and 20 from Oporto, targeting 5161 children). In this phase, building characteristics, indoor CO2 and air temperature/relative humidity, were assessed. A children’s respiratory health questionnaire derived from the ISAAC (International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Children) was also distributed. Phase II encompassed two evaluations and included 20 DCCs selected from phase I after a cluster analysis (11 from Lisbon and 9 from Oporto, targeting 2287 children). In this phase, data on ventilation, IAQ, thermal comfort parameters, respiratory and allergic health, airway inflammation biomarkers, respiratory virus infection patterns and parental and child stress were collected. Results: In Phase I, building characteristics, occupant behavior and ventilation surrogates were collected from all DCCs. The response rate of the questionnaire was 61.7% (3186 children). Phase II included 1221 children. Association results between DCC characteristics, IAQ and health outcomes will be provided in order to support recommendations on IAQ and children’s health. A building ventilation model will also be developed. Discussion: This paper outlines methods that might be implemented by other investigators conducting studies on the association between respiratory health and indoor air quality at DCC.

Incidência do cancro do estômago e do pulmão : um estudo espacio-temporal na região sul de Portugal Continental entre 2000-2008

RESUMO - Enquadramento/Objectivos: As doenças oncológicas constituem a segunda causa de morte em Portugal, e têm um profundo impacto psicossocial, não só pela sua elevada incidência e mortalidade mas também pelos enormes custos envolvidos na sua prevenção, tratamento e reabilitação. De acordo com estudos anteriores, existem disparidades geográficas na incidência da doença oncológica. É por isso indispensável caracterizar e analisar as diferentes distribuições espaciais no tempo e no espaço, para controlar a doença e promover a saúde, contribuindo ao mesmo tempo para uma melhor compreensão da etiologia da doença. Este projecto compreende 3 objectivos principais que são: a caracterização de distribuição espacio-temporal do cancro do pulmão e do cancro do estômago, separadamente e em conjunto, na região sul de Portugal Continental (abrangida pelo ROR-Sul) no espaço temporal de 2000 a 2008, procurando identificar potenciais áreas de risco no desenvolvimento destes tumores. Metodologia: Numa primeira fase realizou-se um estudo descritivo das taxas de incidência dos tumores aqui retratados por idades, por sexo, por ano e por distritos. Posteriormente com o objectivo de identificar a presença de áreas de elevada incidência, procedeu-se à análise de clustering espacio-temporal das taxas de incidência ao nível dos concelhos na região do estudo, em 2000-2008. Resultados: Os resultados da análise descritiva revelaram que ambos os tumores são mais incidentes nos homens do que nas mulheres e que estes são igualmente mais incidentes em pessoas com mais de 75 anos. A análise de clustering espacio temporal permitiu verificar a existência um padrão geográfico heterogéneo da incidência de ambos os tumores, da qual resultaram 3 clusters para o cancro do estômago e 2 clusters para o cancro do pulmão (p <0,001). Os clusters do estômago pertencem maioritariamente à região do Alentejo e os clusters do cancro do pulmão à região da grande Lisboa. Conclusões: Os resultados da análise de clustering demonstraram um padrão heterogéneo da distribuição da incidência dos dois cancros na região e período temporal do estudo. As zonas identificadas de elevado risco são diferentes para ambos o tumores. A região que apresenta maior risco para o desenvolvimento do cancro do estômago é o Alentejo e do pulmão é o distrito de Lisboa.

Atitudes, conhecimentos e práticas dos médicos de família face aos rastreios de autonomia funcional multidimensional em pessoas idosas

RESUMO - O envelhecimento demográfico é uma constatação e ao mesmo tempo uma oportunidade para viver de forma mais saudável e autónoma o mais tempo possível. A principal razão para a admissão de pessoas idosas em instituições e para o uso desproporcionado de serviços de saúde é o declínio funcional que acompanha o envelhecimento. Os Cuidados de Saúde Primários apresentam‐se como contexto ideal para promover cuidados antecipatórios. A avaliação da autonomia funcional multidimensional permite a detecção de perturbações incipientes. Os programas de rastreios facilitam o desencadear de recursos para a detecção precoce e tratamento. Os médicos sentem diversas barreiras na aplicação dos rastreios, como a falta de familiaridade com os testes, bem como a falta de tempo ou recursos. O estudo aqui proposto visa conhecer, a título exploratório, as atitudes dos médicos de família face aos rastreios de autonomia funcional multidimensional em pessoas idosas; avaliar o grau de conhecimento sobre esta abordagem multidimensional, no que diz respeito às áreas e instrumentos a avaliar; caracterizar as práticas na prestação de cuidados preventivos às pessoas idosas e caracterizar as condições genéricas necessárias para a aplicação destes rastreios no contexto dos cuidados de saúde primários. Para tal, irá basear‐se num questionário auto‐administrado aos médicos de família dos 22 Agrupamentos de Centros de Saúde, na Região de Saúde de Lisboa e Vale do Tejo. As suas conclusões poderão contribuir para uma uniformização do conceito de autonomia funcional multidimensional e para a realização de um levantamento de necessidades de formação sobre a abordagem multidimensional e interdisciplinar.

Detection of HTLV-IIa in blood donors in an urban area of the Amazon Region of Brazil (Belém, PA)

The human lymphotropic viruses type I (HTLV-I) and type II (HTLV-II) are members of a group of mammalian retroviruses with similar biological properties, and blood transfusion is an important route of transmission. HTLV-I is endemic in a number of different geographical areas and is associated with several clinical disorders. HTLV-II is endemic in several Indian groups of the Americas and intravenous drug abusers in North and South America, Europe and Southeast Asia. During the year of 1995, all blood donors tested positive to HTLV-I/II in the State Blood Bank (HEMOPA), were directed to a physician and to the Virus Laboratory at the Universidade Federal do Pará for counselling and laboratory diagnosis confirmation. Thirty-five sera were tested by an enzyme immune assay, and a Western blot that discriminates HTLV-I and HTLV-II infection. Two HTLV-II positive samples were submitted to PCR analysis of pX and env genomic region, and confirmed to be of subtype IIa. This is the first detection in Belém of the presence of HTLV-IIa infection among blood donors. This result emphasizes that HTLV-II is also present in urban areas of the Amazon region of Brazil and highlights the need to include screening tests that are capable to detect antibodies for both types of HTLV.

Local Development Initiatives: the case of São Paulo and ABCD Municipalities

MARQUES, B.P. (2008) “Local Development Initiatives: the case of São Paulo and ABCD Municipalities”, in Actas do 14.º Congresso da APDR, Tomar, pp. 253-279, ISBN 978-972-98803-9-1.