Does international trade produce convergence?

In spite of increasing globalization around the world, the effects of international trade on economic growth are not very clear. I consider an endogenous economic growth model in an open economy with the Home Market Effect (HME) and non-homothetic preferences in order to identify some determinants of the different results in this relationship. The model shows how trade between similar countries leads to convergence in economic growth when knowledge spillovers are present, while trade between very asymmetric countries produces divergence and may become trade in a poverty or growth trap. The results for welfare move in the same direction as economic growth since convergence implies increases in welfare for both countries, while divergence leads to increases in welfare for the largest country and the opposite for its commercial partner in the absence of knowledge spillovers. International trade does not implicate greater welfare as is usual in a static context under CES preferences.

A relação entre Escola e Família na perspectiva de futuros Educadores de Infância e de Professores do 1º ciclo do Ensino Básico: influências da formação inicial e supervisão pedagógica na promoção desta relação

Este estudo procura caracterizar a relação entre Escola e Família na perspectiva de alunos futuros Educadores de Infância e Professores do Ensino Básico do 1º ciclo, no contexto do seu estágio final de quarto ano. Partindo do pressuposto que as concepções dos alunos não se formulam num vazio, procura-se compreender as concepções teóricas e práticas acerca da relação entre Escola e Família destes alunos, no contexto da formação que os enquadra e igualmente no contexto das escolas onde realizam o seu estágio final. Realizámos um estudo de caso em duas Instituições de Ensino Superior, a Escola Superior de Educação de Beja e a Universidade de Évora, nomeadamente a quatro turmas de quarto ano das duas licenciaturas já referidas. Como instrumentos de recolha de dados fizemos uma análise das disciplinas do plano de estudos de cada licenciatura, assim como fizemos também uma análise dos instrumentos de planificação e avaliação que estes estabelecimentos de ensino utilizam, e ainda aplicámos aos alunos um inquérito por questionário. Os resultados que obtivemos mostram que os alunos dão importância à relação de complementaridade e de relação entre Escola e Família, não considerando assim a separação entre estes dois agentes educativos. Como tal, estes alunos consideraram que os professores e educadores devem ter em consideração o envolvimento das Famílias nas suas planificações de actividades e assumir os pais como agentes educativos activos. Estes dados só fazem sentido, uma vez que quer a Escola Superior de Educação de Beja, quer a Universidade de Évora, parecem fornecer aos seus alunos, formação para que estes estejam sensibilizados para a promoção da relação entre Escola e Família, através de vários propósitos que exigem aos seus alunos. Contudo salientamos uma formação inicial mais abrangente e exigente na Universidade de Évora. Ainda assim, é um facto que estes alunos encontraram factores que dificultaram o estabelecimento da relação entre Escola e Família ao longo dos seus estágios finais, no entanto, conseguiram estabelecer estratégias de modo a ultrapassá-las, estratégias estas, na sua maioria inseridas nos tipo 2 e 3 da tipologia de Joyce Epstein, assim como estratégias ligadas à comunicação e promoção da participação conjunta em actividades realizadas tanto dentro como fora da sala e/ou Instituição. ABSTRACT: This study characterizes the school-family relationships from the point of view of pre­school and primary student-teachers in their final year of initial training. Assuming that the student’s conceptions are not build in an empty context, we seek to understand the theoretical and practical concepts about the school-family relationships of these students, in the context of their experience at the University and at the schools where they undergo their final practicum. This is a case-study of two higher education institutions: Escola Superior de Educação de Beja and Universidade de Évora, and two courses in each institution: Pre-school Education and Primary School Teaching; the students belong to the four final years of these courses. Data included documentary analysis of the courses plans and the planning and evaluation instruments used within each course and a questionnaire to all students of each course. Results point out to an understanding of school-family relationships characterized by complementarity and reciprocity, rejecting a view of separation between school and family. These students considered important that teachers include in their plans opportunities to involve families and that they consider families as active educational agents. These results seem to be associated with the higher education institutions programs which encourage and require students to adopt such approach. The results seem to suggest that the teachers' training at the Universidade de Évora is slightly broader and more demanding. Despite these students having found some resistances and difficulties during their practicum in relation to implementing school and family links, they were also able to implement some strategies to overcome these difficulties. The strategies students used were mainly within Joyce Epstein's type tow and tree; strategies were mainly directed to promote communication and joint participation in activities inside as well as outside the classroom and the school.

Plantas invasoras no sul de Portugal: uma abordagem biogeográfica

As espécies invasoras são uma das principais ameaças à biodiversidade causando impactes ecológicos, económicos e nos serviços dos ecossistemas. O conhecimento conjunto da dinâmica das séries de vegetação e da ecologia das plantas invasoras é uma ferramenta útil na recuperação ecológica de áreas invadidas e na prevenção de invasões. Este trabalho tem como objectivo principal averiguar a relação entre a distribuição das plantas invasoras e as comunidades vegetais terrestres do Sul de Portugal. Para tal, fez-se corresponder a distribuição de nove plantas invasoras selecionadas com as séries de vegetação e territórios biogeográficos, em 60 quadrículas com 1 Km2. A Província Lusitana-Andaluza Costeira revelou-se a mais invadida, com predomínio de Acacia dealbata, Acacia longifolia e Opuntia maxima no potencial climatófilo de sobreiral psamófilo; A. longifolia dominou no potencial edafoxerófilo de zimbral de Juniperus turbinata e A. dealbata e Arundo donax no potencial edafo-higrófilo de freixial. Com base nos resultados, estabeleceram-se áreas prioritárias para intervenção; INVASIVE PLANTS IN SOUTHERN PORTUGAL A BIOGEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH Abstract: Invasive species are one of the main threats to biodiversity worldwide and are responsible for negative impacts at ecological, economic and ecosystem services level. Complementarity between vegetation series dynamics and invasive plants ecology knowledge is essential to address ecological restoration and to prevent invasions. The main goal of this work is to investigate the relationship between invasive plants distribution and terrestrial plant communities of Southern Portugal. Fieldwork was conducted in 60 1 Km2 sampling plots and a correspondence was made between nine selected invasive plants and the vegetation series and the biogegraphic units The Andalusian-Lusitanian Coastal province was the most invaded biogeographic unit and revealed the dominance of Acacia dealbata, Acacia longifolia and Opuntia maxima in the cork oak psammophilous series; A. longifolia dominated in the maritime turbinate juniper edapho-xerophilous series and A. dealbata and Arundo donax in the ash edaphohygrophilous groves potential. Based on the results, priority areas for intervention were defined.

The Impact of Cooperation on Defendants' Rights before the ICC: A Contextual Approach

The present study locates the challenges faced by defendants during cooperation proceedings in the context of the unique structural system of the Court, and the inherent tensions and limitations that characterize the ICC’s functioning. The study is divided into two parts. The first part sets out the institutional and jurisdictional context in which cooperation plays out at the ICC. Chapter 2 addresses the ICC dependence on cooperation from an institutional, a political and a normative dimension, showing that compliance with requests for cooperation is ultimately tied to State political willingness and international political pressure; Chapter 3 delves into the connection between cooperation and the complementary jurisdiction of the Court, criticising the ‘positive approach’ to complementarity endorsed by the Prosecutor in order to enhance states cooperation. The second part of the study addresses the impact that cooperation occurring in the above-explained context has on the right to liberty of defendants and on equality of arms. Chapter 4 and 5 analyse the ICC’s law protecting the selected rights, as well as the practice regarding allegations of violations of these rights brought forward by some defendants. It concludes that, so far, the organs of the Court (i.e., the Prosecutor and the judges) have failed to engage with the structural tensions and limitations of the Court with a view of protecting the rights of suspects and accused.

A holistic approach for the investigation of bee health

Despite current evidence is in strong disagreement with an emergency for the conservation of Apis mellifera, great concern is related to profitability of beekeeping operations. A growing involvement of veterinary science in addressing bee health topics will therefore be fundamental to preserve and protect the entire sector. The experiments in this thesis focused on two different and interdependent levels related to bee health: the biochemical level and the parasitological level. At the biochemical level the impact of plant protection products on bee physiology and survival was studied, elucidating synergistic interactions between poor nutrition and pesticide exposure in A. mellifera and between an insecticide and a fungicide in Osmia bicornis. Moreover, an innovative fingerprinting approach on honey bee haemolymph was applied to detect population imbalances in the hive. The control of Varroa infestations was studied both at the biochemical and parasitological level. A panel of biomarkers in honey bee haemolymph was applied to compare different mite control protocols. This resulted in relevant indications for beekeeping operations pursuing the least impact on nutritional status of the colonies. To guide the decision making of beekeepers, a new formic acid evaporator was tested in comparison with a more established one. Considering its widespread distribution in the country, efforts were directed also towards N. ceranae. In particular, the pivotal aspect of diagnosis was studied, proposing a new qPCR method to overcome some limits of the existing ones. In conclusion, this works fills some of the knowledge gaps of the beekeeping sector. However, many of them still need to be addressed and the upcoming menaces of climate change and dispersal of pathogens via globalization should be targeted by research efforts in the near future. Therefore, a multifaceted vision of bee health is of capital importance, aware of the complementarity of reductionist and holistic approaches.

Dietro le quinte della satira. Rapporti tra cittadini e contadini nel basso Medioevo italiano

Questa tesi indaga la relazione tra la letteratura anticontadina, fiorente in Italia a partire dalla metà del Trecento, e la realtà dei rapporti tra cittadini e contadini nel basso Medioevo italiano, con un’attenzione particolare all’area padana. Al centro dell’analisi vi sono due stereotipi satirici: il rustico ladro nei campi, che attirava su di sé l’odio feroce della classe padronale, e il villano rozzo, che mangiava alimenti poveri e del tutto estranei alla raffinata cultura alimentare cittadina. L’esame delle fonti giudiziarie, soprattutto bolognesi, conferma che l’immagine del rustico ladro aveva un saldo appiglio nella realtà, ma lo avevano anche i lamenti letterari dei contadini, riguardanti la disonestà dei padroni: vi sono infatti processi in cui i rustici riuscirono a dimostrarsi innocenti da accuse rivelatesi infondate o addirittura false. Inoltre, alcuni processi per ingiurie contro i campagnoli, insieme a episodici riferimenti in epistolari governativi e fonti normative, mostrano come il disprezzo per i villani fosse ben radicato a tutti i livelli della società cittadina. Per quanto riguarda la seconda figura – il rustico rozzo – l’esame dei libri di cucina italiani, unitamente alle descrizioni dei grandi banchetti, mostra chiaramente che non solo i prodotti, ma anche intere ricette associate in letteratura al mondo contadino rientravano nell’alimentazione delle élites: non vi era pertanto una rigida separazione tra l’ambito alimentare cittadino e quello campagnolo. La satira aveva dunque un profondo legame con la realtà, in quanto partiva sempre da un dato reale ed esprimeva un sentimento provato da una larga fascia della cittadinanza. Se ne discostava, tuttavia, quando esasperava la subalternità sociale e culturale dei contadini, negando gli evidenti aspetti di complementarità e integrazione di quel rapporto città-campagna che vedeva la prima in posizione dominante, ma la seconda tutt’altro che passiva o inerme.

Incompressible limit and well-posedness of PDE models of tissue growth

Both compressible and incompressible porous medium models are used in the literature to describe the mechanical aspects of living tissues. Using a stiff pressure law, it is possible to build a link between these two different representations. In the incompressible limit, compressible models generate free boundary problems where saturation holds in the moving domain. Our work aims at investigating the stiff pressure limit of reaction-advection-porous medium equations motivated by tumor development. Our first study concerns the analysis and numerical simulation of a model including the effect of nutrients. A coupled system of equations describes the cell density and the nutrient concentration and the derivation of the pressure equation in the stiff limit was an open problem for which the strong compactness of the pressure gradient is needed. To establish it, we use two new ideas: an L3-version of the celebrated Aronson-Bénilan estimate, and a sharp uniform L4-bound on the pressure gradient. We further investigate the sharpness of this bound through a finite difference upwind scheme, which we prove to be stable and asymptotic preserving. Our second study is centered around porous medium equations including convective effects. We are able to extend the techniques developed for the nutrient case, hence finding the complementarity relation on the limit pressure. Moreover, we provide an estimate of the convergence rate at the incompressible limit. Finally, we study a multi-species system. In particular, we account for phenotypic heterogeneity, including a structured variable into the problem. In this case, a cross-(degenerate)-diffusion system describes the evolution of the phenotypic distributions. Adapting methods recently developed in the context of two-species systems, we prove existence of weak solutions and we pass to the incompressible limit. Furthermore, we prove new regularity results on the total pressure, which is related to the total density by a power law of state.

Modeling Ultrafast Spectroscopy of the NADH Dimer: From UV-VIS to X-rays

Ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy is a conceptually simple and versatile tool for resolving photoinduced dynamics in molecular systems. Due to the fast development of new experimental setups, such as synchrotron light sources and X-ray free electron lasers (XFEL), new spectral windows are becoming accessible. On the one hand, these sources have enabled scientist to access faster and faster time scales and to reach unprecedent insights into dynamical properties of matter. On the other hand, the complementarity of well-developed and novel techniques allows to study the same physical process from different points of views, integrating the advantages and overcoming the limitations of each approach. In this context, it is highly desirable to reach a clear understanding of which type of spectroscopy is more suited to capture a certain facade of a given photo-induced process, that is, to establish a correlation between the process to be unraveled and the technique to be used. In this thesis, I will show how computational spectroscopy can be a tool to establish such a correlation. I will study a specific process, which is the ultrafast energy transfer in the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dimer (NADH). This process will be observed in different spectral windows (from UV-VIS to X-rays), accessing the ability of different spectroscopic techniques to unravel the system evolution by means of state-of-the-art theoretical models and methodologies. The comparison of different spectroscopic simulations will demonstrate their complementarity, eventually allowing to identify the type of spectroscopy that is best suited to resolve the ultrafast energy transfer.