`When I'm sixty-four': old age, family values, and private financial transfers

Private financial transfers are becoming more and more important as ageing levels increase in Europe, with elders acting as both givers and receivers. Our study is divided in two main parts. In the first part we analyse the determinants of private financial transfers, using the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). In the second part we analyse the importance of family values for these transfers, combining SHARE with European Values Study. We show that family functions as the main agent of private transfers. We conclude that family values drive financial transfers, mainly gifts provided by elderly individuals. We find that receipts by old-aged people are more related with need cases, such as illness and poorness; moreover, for these particular cases, family network plays a very important role, working as a safety net.

Leverage instability and persistence: Evidence from the United States and Europe

We find that leverage behavior both in level and time-series variation is very similar between the United States and Europe throughout the 1990-2013 period. Leverage regimes are simultaneously unstable and persistent for both regions. We define instability as the extent to which firms largely deviate from their long-term leverage mean, while persistence as the extent to which today’s leverage influences its future levels. We then show that this simultaneous evidence imply a mean-reversion behavior of leverage and discuss some of its implications for future research on this field.

Which communication strategy should a male luxury (fashion) brand – associated with a luxury car brand – develop, in order to increase its awareness in Europe

This work project explores how a male luxury (fashion) brand (subsidiary) that is associated with a luxury car brand (parent company) should develop its communication strategy in order to increase awareness in Europe. For this purpose a quantitative research was conducted. The aim was to find out whether the company in question had low brand awareness among European luxury consumers. Hereafter, a qualitative research revealed important insights in regard to luxury communication among male luxury consumers. Both the results of the research and the recommendations of luxury experts laid the foundation for the development of a solution-oriented communication strategy. The result of the analysis crystallizes the importance of the shared heritage and the synergistic effects, of which the subsidiary should make vast use when communicating.

The relationship between liquidity and profitability in the food & beverage industry evidence from Europe and United States

This Work Project clarifies the relationship between liquidity and profitability based on a sample in the Food & Beverage (F&B) industry, and comparing the largest European and United States companies. The research concludes that liquidity, proxied by current ratio or quick ratio, correlates with return on assets taken as the measure of profitability, and so does the cash conversion cycle and its components. Moreover, company size correlates with liquidity, and indirectly affects ROA. This research contributes and addresses to managers in the F&B industry and recommends how they should act in order to improve profitability in the industry.

Influence of ageing on the properties of bitumen from asphalt mixtures with recycled concrete aggregates

The reuse of recycled concrete aggregates in new hot-mix asphalt can be a more sustainable method of production, but these mixtures may need a heat treatment before compaction to improve their water sensitivity performance. A direct consequence of this treatment is an increase in the hot-mix asphalt resilient modulus. The aim of this paper is to analyse the effect of ageing on the stiffness of asphalt mixtures with different amounts of recycled concrete aggregates, before and after a heat treatment, which was analysed through the assessment of its bitumen properties. Moreover, this paper also aims to analyse whether the rolling thin-film oven test is able to simulate the ageing effect of the heat treatment. In the laboratory work, a paving grade bitumen B50/70 has been used to produce asphalt mixtures with 0% and 30% recycled concrete aggregates, and the bitumen was later characterised (using penetration, softening point, dynamic viscosity and dynamic shear rheometer tests) in various situations, such as when using virgin bitumen, short-term aged bitumen, aged bitumen after heat treatment (simulated with 4 h of rolling thin-film oven test) and bitumen samples recovered from asphalt mixtures with different production mixes (0% and 30% recycled concrete aggregate) and heat treatment conditions (0 and 4 h of curing time in the oven). Based on the results obtained, it could be concluded that the ageing resulting from the heat treatment is the primary cause of the hot-mix asphalt's increased stiffness, while recycled concrete aggregate content has a small influence. Moreover, it could be concluded that when there is no curing time, the recycled concrete aggregate protects the bitumen against ageing. Additionally, it could be stated that the rolling thin-film test is able to adequately simulate the ageing effect of the heat treatment. Thus, this test is useful for determining the ageing suffered by the bitumen when the recycled concrete aggregate mixture is manufactured using a heat treatment.

Interdisciplinary knowledge transfer and technological applications for assessment, strengthening and monitoring of timber structures in Europe

COST (European Co-operation in the field of scientific and technical research) is the longest running framework for research co-operation iri Europe, having been established in 1971 by a Ministerial Conference attended by Ministers for Science and Technology from 19 countries. Today COST is used by the scientific communities of 35 European countries to cooperate in exchanging knowledge and technology developed within research projects supported by national or European funds. The main objective of COST is to contribute to the realization of the European Research Área (ERA) anticipating and complementing the activities of the' Framework Programmes, constituting a "bridge" towards the scientific communities of emerging countries, increasing the mobility of researchers across Europe and fostering the establishment of "Networks of Excelience". Another essential objective is the knowledge transfer between the scientific soc'iety and industry. It is widely acknowledged that European scientific performance in relation to investment in science is excellent but technological and commercial performance has steadily worsened. The present paper discusses how the COST Action's instruments, from training schools to short scientific missions and workshops have been used within The COST ACTION FP11O1 Assessment, Reinforcement and Monitoring of Timber Structures to achieve such objectives.

Effect of environmental ageing on the numerical response of FRP-strengthened masonry walls

Recent durability studies have shown the susceptibility of bond in fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) strengthened masonry components to hygrothermal exposures. However, it is not clear how this local material degradation affects the global behavior of FRP-strengthened masonry structures. This study addresses this issue by numerically investigating the nonlinear behavior of FRP-masonry walls after aging in two different environmental conditions. A numerical modeling strategy is adopted and validated with existing experimental tests on FRP-strengthened masonry panels. The model, once validated, is used for modeling of four hypothetical FRP-strengthened masonry walls with different boundary conditions, strengthening schemes, and reinforcement ratios. The nonlinear behavior of the walls is then simulated before and after aging in two different environmental conditions. The degradation data are taken from previous accelerated aging tests. The changes in the failure mode and nonlinear response of the walls after aging are presented and discussed.

Assessment of national parks affected by naturbanization processes in Southern Europe

This paper assesses land-use changes related to naturbanization processes on three biosphere reserves in Southern Europe. A comparative analysis has been done on the National Parks in Peneda-Ger^es in North Portugal, C_evennes in South France and Sierra Nevada in South Spain, using Corine Land Cover data from 1990 until 2006. Results indicate that the process of land-use intensification is taking place in the frame of naturbanization dynamics that could jeopardize the role of Protected Areas. Focusing on the trends faced by National Parks and their surrounding territories, the analysis demonstrates, both in quantitative and spatial terms, the intensification processes of land-use changes and how it is important to know them for coping with increasing threats. The article concludes that in the current context of increasing stresses, a broader focus on nature protection, encompassing the wider countryside, is needed if the initiatives for biodiversity protection are to be effective.

Assessment of a protease inhibitor peptide for anti-ageing

Ageing and skin exposure to UV radiation induces production and activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and human neutrophil elastase (HNE). These enzymes are known to break down the extracellular matrix (ECM) which leads to wrinkle formation. Here, we demonstrated the potential of a solid-in-oil nanodispersion containing a competitive inhibitor peptide of HNE mixed with hyaluronic acid (HA), displaying 158 nm of mean diameter, to protect the skin against the ageing effects. Western blot analysis demonstrated that activation of MMP-1 in fibroblasts by HNE treatment is inhibited by the solid-in-oil nanodispersion containing the peptide and HA. The results clearly demonstrate that solid-in-oil nanodispersion containing the HNE inhibitor peptide is a promising strategy for anti-ageing effects. This effect can be seen particularly by ECM regulation by affecting fibroblasts. The formulation also enhances the formation of thicker bundles of actin filaments.

Effect of butadiene/styrene ratio, block structure and carbon nanotube content on the mechanical and electrical properties of thermoplastic elastomers after UV ageing

Thermoplastic elastomers based on a triblock copolymer styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) with different butadiene/styrene ratios, block structure and carbon nanotube (CNT) content were submitted to accelerated weathering in a Xenontest set up, in order to evaluate their stability to UV ageing. It was concluded that ageing mainly depends on butadiene/styrene ratio and block structure, with radial block structures exhibiting a faster ageing than linear block structures. Moreover, the presence of carbon nanotubes in the SBS copolymer slows down the ageing of the copolymer. The evaluation of the influence of ageing on the mechanical and electrical properties demonstrates that the mechanical degradation is higher for the C401 sample, which is the SBS sample with the largest butadiene content and a radial block structure. On the other hand, a copolymer derivate from SBS, the styrene-ethylene/butadiene-styrene (SEBS) sample, retains a maximum deformation of ~1000% after 80 h of accelerated ageing. The hydrophobicity of the samples decreases with increasing ageing time, the effect being larger for the samples with higher butadiene content. It is also verified that cytotoxicity increases with increasing UV ageing with the exception of SEBS, which remains not cytotoxic up to 80 h of accelerated ageing time, demonstrating its potential for applications involving exposition to environmental conditions.

Prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness in Brazilian community-dwelling older adults with very low levels of schooling, and its association with sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle: the Bambuí Health and Ageing Study (BHAS)

OBJECTIVE: Population-based studies on excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in older adults living in less developed countries are scarce. The purpose of this paper was to estimate the prevalence of EDS and its association with sociodemographic characteristics and lifestyle factors in Brazilian community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The study was carried out in Bambuí, a city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. EDS was defined as the presence of sleepiness in the last month occurring three or more times per week, with any interference in usual activities. The exploratory variables were: gender, age, skin color, marital status, schooling level, current employment status, religion, recent migration, smoking, binge drinking and physical activities during leisure time. RESULTS: Of 1,742 residents aged > 60 years, 1,514 (86.9%) participated. The prevalence of EDS was 13%. After adjustment for confounders, female gender and low schooling level remained positively and independently associated with EDS. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of EDS in the study population was within the range observed in studies carried out in developed countries. The most impressive finding was the association of EDS with schooling, indicating that even in a population with low levels of schooling, this was an important factor to explain the distribution of EDS.

Europe du Sud: Italie, Espagne et Portugal: priorité à l'éducation aux médias

(Excerto) Partant d'une perspective comparative de plusieurs recherches realisees en ltalie au cours des demieres annees sur les mineurs et Ia television, Elisa Manna, de Ia Fondation Censis souligne le besoin pour Ia recherche de rompre avec les hyperspecialisations academiques. Elle propose des pistes de comparaisons et de confrontations de methodes, de techniques et de resultats, sans jamais perdre de vue les recherches empiriques sur le terrain. II est impensable aujourd'hui, souligne Elisa Manna, de continuer a separer, d'un cote le monde institutionnel de Ia culture qui, prive des outils de connaissance necessaires, serait oblige d'agir a l'aveuglette, et d'autre part celui de Ia recherche academique et privee, fragmentee, divisee et frustree par l'impossibilite de faire valoir ses efforts d 'un point de vue operationnel.

Hypertension and clustering of cardiovascular risk factors in a community in Southeast Brazil: the Bambuí Health and Ageing Study

OBJECTIVE - A population-based prospective study was analysed to: a) determine the prevalence of hypertension; b) investigate the clustering of other cardiovascular risk factors and c) verify whether older differed from younger adults in the pattern of clustering. METHODS - The data comprised a representative sample of the population of Bambuí, Brazil. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the independent association between hypertension and selected factors. RESULTS - A total of 820 younger adults (82.5%) and 1494 older adults (85.9%) participated in this study. The overall prevalence of hypertension was 24.8% (SE=1.4 %), being higher in women (26.9±1.5%) than in men (22.0± 1.7%) (p=0.033). Hypertension was positively and significantly associated with physical inactivity, overweight, hypercholesterolemia hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia. The coexistence of hypertension with 4 or more of these risk factors occurred 6 times more than expected by chance, after adjusting for age and sex (OR=6.3; 95%CI: 3.4-11.9). The pattern of risk factor clustering in hypertensive individuals differed with age. CONCLUSION - Our results reinforce the need to increase detection and treatment of hypertension and to approach patients' global risk profiles.