On the economic analysis of response to preventive measures

There are many circumstances in which the effectiveness of preventive measures depends to a large extent on the compliance of the patient in changing his or her behavior or lifestyle. It is shown how economic techniques can be used (i) to describe the rationale of individuals and predict their behavior (Section 2); and (ii) to assess preventive measures that, by requiring a change of conduct, imply "costs" to the individual due to a decline in the quality of life (Appendix). Cigarette smoking and coronary heart disease are used as an illustration. While the analysis of Section 2 uses graphical techniques, a simple textbook-type of lifetime utility model with a mathematical emphasis is used in the Appendix. It is also shown that techniques often used to assess health care programs such as the QALYs (Quality-Adjusted Life Years) are inappropriate to the evaluation of preventive programs aiming at behavioral changes. Finally, topics that call for further research are indicated.

Assessing the effects of global warming and local social and economic conditions on the malaria transmission

OBJECTIVE: To show how a mathematical model can be used to describe and to understand the malaria transmission. METHODS: The effects on malaria transmission due to the impact of the global temperature changes and prevailing social and economic conditions in a community were assessed based on a previously presented compartmental model, which describes the overall transmission of malaria. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The assessments were made from the scenarios produced by the model both in steady state and dynamic analyses. Depending on the risk level of malaria, the effects on malaria transmission can be predicted by the temperature ambient or local social and-economic conditions.

Os desafios da qualificação profissional pós-secundária não-superior (nível 4) para a inovação empresarial no contexto da União Europeia e dos países da OCDE

A maioria das nações mais desenvolvidas deve, em larga medida, a sua prosperidade à produtividade da sua força de trabalho. Esta produtividade relaciona-se, fundamentalmente, com dois aspectos essenciais. Por um lado, com o nível e adequação das qualificações e competências da população activa, as quais permitem desenvolver o empreendedorismo e criar riqueza e, por outro, com a qualidade e grau de sofisticação dos equipamentos, tecnologias, modelos de organização e sistemas de gestão de que as empresas dispõem. Nesta comunicação, elaborada por convite para apresentação na sessão comemorativa do 20º aniversário da AFTEM, no Porto, após a contextualização das exigências do mercado de trabalho em resultado da inovação empresarial e da emergência das economias baseadas no conhecimento, apresentam-se alguns estudos recentemente concluídos em diversos países e regiões da OCDE, nomeadamente, Austrália, Irlanda, Reino Unido e Escócia – nos quais se foca a necessidade de incrementar o nível de qualificações para responder às necessidades do tecido produtivo por forma a manter a competitividade da indústria e serviços desses países e regiões à escala global; em particular realça-se a importância de se aumentar a percentagem de população activa com nível 4 de qualificação profissional. Aborda-se, ainda, a situação da formação pós secundária não superior em Portugal (nível 4). Conclui-se, formulando algumas recomendações em termos de estratégias e de trabalho futuro com vista a dinamizar as oportunidades de qualificação de nível 4, em estreita articulação com as empresas, como forma de o tecido produtivo nacional dispor de níveis de qualificação de recursos humanos que permitam a mobilidade para novas actividades com maior valor acrescentado e, por esta via, atingir níveis de rentabilidade semelhante à dos restantes estados membros da UE e de outros países da OCDE.

Teaching and learning mathematics using moodle

This paper summarizes a project that is contributing to a change in the way of teaching and learning Mathematics. Mathematics is a subject of the Accounting and Administration course. In this subject we teach: Functions and Algebra. The aim is that the student understand the basic concepts and is able to apply them in other issues, when possible, establishing a bridge between the issues that they have studied and their application in Accounting. As from this year, the Accounting course falls under in Bologna Process. The teacher and the student roles have changed. The time for theoretical and practical classes has been reduced, so it was necessary to modify the way of teaching and learning. In the theoretical classes we use systems of multimedia projection to present the concepts, and in the practical classes we solve exercises. We also use the Excel and the mathematical open source software wxMaxima. To supplement our theoretical and practical classes we have developed a project called MatActiva based on the Moodle platform offered by PAOL - Projecto de Apoio Online (Online Support Project). With the creation of this new project we wanted to take advantage already obtained results with the previous experiences, giving to the students opportunities to complement their study in Mathematics. One of the great objectives is to motivate students, encourage them to overcome theirs difficulties through an auto-study giving them more confidence. In the MatActiva project the students have a big collection of information about the way of the subject works, which includes the objectives, the program, recommended bibliography, evaluation method and summaries. It works as material support for the practical and theoretical classes, the slides of the theoretical classes are available, the sheets with exercises for the students to do in the classroom and complementary exercises, as well as the exams of previous years. Students can also do diagnostic tests and evaluation tests online. Our approach is a reflexive one, based on the professional experience of the teachers that explore and incorporate new tools of Moodle with their students and coordinate the project MatActiva.

Do economic and financial firm's situation affect the quality if financial reports?

We investigate whether firms’ economic and financial situation influence the Quality of their Financial Reports (FRQ). FRQ is fundamental for investors and it affects the international capital movements [Bradshaw et al. (2004)] and Gelos and Wei (2005)]. Following Schipper and Vicent (2003) we use two issues to access earnings quality: abnormal accruals and earnings persistence. For seventeen European countries, we find evidence that the economic performance affects FRQ. Big firms and those with high current earnings exhibit better financial information. These results are robust since they don’t depend on FRQ proxy and we have the same evidence when we estimate regression with economical and financial factors separately or together. About financial situation, it seems not to affect FRQ. However, in high leveraged firms, the capital structure becomes determinant.

Teaching with Moodle in higher education

Nowadays, with the use of technology and the Internet, education is undergoing significant changes, contemplating new ways of teaching and learning. One of the widely methods of teaching used to promote knowledge, consists in the use of virtual environments available in various formats, taking as example the teaching-learning platforms, which are available online. The Internet access and use of Laptops have created the technological conditions for teachers and students can benefit from the diversity of online information, communication, collaboration and sharing with others. The integration of Internet services in the teaching practices can provide thematic, social and digital enrichment for the agents involved. In this paper we will talk about the advantages of LMS (Learning Management Systems) such as Moodle, to support the presential lectures in higher education. We also will analyse its implications for student support and online interaction, leading educational agents to a mixing of different learning environments, where they can combine face-to-face instruction with computer-mediated instruction, blended-learning, and increases the options for better quality and quantity of human interaction in a learning environment. We also will present some tools traditionally used in online assessment and that are part of the functionalities of Moodle. These tools can provide interesting alternatives to promote a more significant learning and contribute to the development of flexible and customized models of an evaluation which we want to be more efficient.

Becoming a teacher: student teachers´ experiences and perceptions about teaching practice

In an attempt to build a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of the complexity, dynamics and idiosyncrasies involved in becoming a teacher, this study focussed on the experiences of 295 student teachers. Their feelings, cognitions and perceptions regarding teaching practice were analysed using the short version of the Inventory of Experiences and Perceptions of the Teaching Practice. Results emphasise some of the difficulties experienced during this period (e.g., stress, sense of weariness and ‘vulnerability’), as well the positive perceptions of these student teachers regarding their growing knowledge and skilfulness, as well as their sense of efficacy, flexibility and spontaneity in their performance and interactions. Their perception of their accomplishments in achieving reasonable levels of acceptance and recognition within the school community and their positive evaluation of the guidance and support provided by their supervisors are also emphasised. Differences were found – in terms of gender and graduate course background – in the way these student teachers experienced some aspects of teaching practice.

Experiencing flow while teaching and learning in individual tuition settings

Conferência anual da ISME

Effective teaching and optimal experiences: possible link

ISME, Thessaloniki, 2012

Multilingualism and interpreting: training for the EU

AGM and Conference in Mechelen 27 – 30 April 2010

A new wind farm in Santiago Island, cape verde - simulation and economic studies

Ensuring sustainable development conditions is presently world widely recognized as a critically important goal. This makes the use of electricity generation technologies based on renewable energy sources very relevant. Developing countries depend on an adequate availability of electrical energy to assure economic progress and are usually characterized by a high increase in electricity consumption. This makes sustainable development a huge challenge but it can also be taken as an opportunity, especially for countries which do not have fossil resources. This paper presents a study concerning the expansion of an already existent wind farm, located in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde Republic. The paper includes results from simulation studies that have been undertaken using PSCAD software and some economic considerations.

Technical and economic resources management in smart grids using heuristic optimization methods

Intensive use of Distributed Generation (DG) represents a change in the paradigm of power systems operation making small-scale energy generation and storage decision making relevant for the whole system. This paradigm led to the concept of smart grid for which an efficient management, both in technical and economic terms, should be assured. This paper presents a new approach to solve the economic dispatch in smart grids. The proposed methodology for resource management involves two stages. The first one considers fuzzy set theory to define the natural resources range forecast as well as the load forecast. The second stage uses heuristic optimization to determine the economic dispatch considering the generation forecast, storage management and demand response

Information and communication technologies in education – a web-based intelligent tutoring system on teaching and learning electrical project

Electrical activity is extremely broad and distinct, requiring by one hand, a deep knowledge on rules, regulations, materials, equipments, technical solutions and technologies and assistance in several areas, as electrical equipment, telecommunications, security and efficiency and rational use of energy, on the other hand, also requires other skills, depending on the specific projects to be implemented, being this knowledge a characteristic that belongs to the professionals with relevant experience, in terms of complexity and specific projects that were made.

A web-based intelligent tutoring system on teaching and learning electrical project

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) provide new strategies for disseminating information and new communication models in order to change attitudes and human behaviour concerning to education. Nowadays the internet is crucial as a means of communication and information sharing. To education or tutorship will be required to use ICT, supported on the internet, to establish the communication of teacher-student and student-student, disseminating the content of the subjects, and as a way of teaching and learning process. This paper presents an intelligent tutor that aims to be a tool to support teaching and learning in the field of the electrical engineering project.

Open-source software in operations research in engineering teaching

ENEGI 2013: Atas do 2º Encontro Nacional de Engenharia e Gestão Industrial, Universidade de Aveiro, 17 e 18 de maio de 2013, Aveiro, Portugal.