« Nouvelle » immigration, marché du travail et compétitivité des régions portugaises"New" immigration, labour market and competitivity of the Portuguese regions
In: Géographie, économie, société, Band 5, Heft 2, S. 161-181
ISSN: 1958-5802
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In: Géographie, économie, société, Band 5, Heft 2, S. 161-181
ISSN: 1958-5802
In: Sociological bulletin: journal of the Indian Sociological Society, Band 12, Heft 2, S. 14-33
ISSN: 2457-0257
World Affairs Online
__Abstract__ We survey the theoretical and empirical literature on local and international tax competition in Economics. On the basis of this survey, we discuss whether EU countries should harmonise tax policies to prevent a race to the bottom. Much of the evidence suggests that tax competition does not lead to significant reductions in tax revenues. Therefore, we conclude that tax coordination is in all likelihood unnecessary to prevent inefficiently low levels of taxation in the EU. But since the evidence against the adverse effects of tax competition is not unambiguous, we also discuss whether intergovernmental transfers might be a less invasive means than outright tax harmonisation to prevent a race to the bottom.
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In: Journal of policy modeling: JPMOD ; a social science forum of world issues, Band 11, Heft 1, S. 67-90
ISSN: 0161-8938
Attempts to identify key sectors in an economy with input-output models have been a source of considerable debate. In this paper, several old and new approaches to the problem are evaluated with reference to the Brazilian economy using the input-output models for 1959, 1970 and 1975. Two alternative approaches are suggested
World Affairs Online
Wood energy data are reported in forest products and energy statistics but current use of heterogeneous units can result in major inconsistencies. Harmonization of wood energy statistics can benefit data quality and improve measuring sustainable practices, better informing policy-makers and analyzing feedstock competition. Harmonization of wood energy data and subsequent application in the forest product and energy sectors require appropriate conversion factors. We provide conversion factors for forest energy products relative to weight and volume for the residential sectors of EU28 member states. Selected forest products include wood from primary, secondary and tertiary sources considering differences in properties affecting conversion factors. Proposed conversion factors were derived from information on moisture content, heating value, density and changes in wood volumes due to swelling and shrinkage of wood. Heating values relative to weight denote conversion factors to transform weight to energy units that ranged from 13.88 to 17.14 MJ/kg. Computation of heating values relative to volume ranged from 7316 to 11,053 MJ/m3. The use of extreme conversion factors in a sensitivity assessment showed that the ranges between minimum and maximum values accounted for as much as 27% of total wood energy consumption. Application of conversion factors to EU28 residential wood energy consumption revealed inconsistencies between forest products and energy statistics. Closer collaboration between experts and use of universal conversion factors at national levels will likely improve data quality and direct comparability. Conversion factors used in the residential sector can facilitate harmonization in nonresidentia sectors, but sector-specific product characteristics require further adjustment.
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In: International journal of information management, Band 13, Heft 2, S. 113-124
ISSN: 0268-4012
Municipal solid waste (MSW) is massively generated all over the world. Its organic fraction (OFMSW), which represents a high percentage of MSW, mainly contains biodegradable materials, namely food waste, paper and garden waste. The social cost of OFMSW treatment and/or disposal is a serious and widespread problem, particularly in highly populated areas. Thus, effective and innovative solutions, which include the upgrading of OFMSW, are being currently sought. In fact, the OFMSW abundance, availability and average composition suggest its considerable potential within the circular economy desideratum, paving the way to valorisation approaches. In this context, an OFMSW sugar-rich hydrolysate and its validation as a substrate for the production of the polyester poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (P(3HB)), to date the only bioplastic easily biodegradable in marine environment, were successfully obtained in a previous study. Based on those results, this work addresses the upscaling of the fermentative production, in fed-batch mode, of P(3HB) by Burkholderia sacchari. The OFMSW hydrolysate was used as cultivation medium due to its balanced nutrient composition, while a plum waste juice, also rich in sugars, was applied as feed to the bioreactor. By implementing this strategy, a maximum P(3HB) production of 30 g·L−1 with an accumulation of 43% g (P(3HB))/g cell dry weight (CDW) after 51 h, was achieved. The use of the hydrolysate as initial medium resulted in higher CDW (71 g·L−1) than that of the simulated hydrolysate (62 g·L−1 in average), probably because the OFMSW hydrolysate favours biomass growth in detriment of P(3HB) production. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd ; Acknowledgements The authors are thankful for the technical and human support provided by SGIker of UPV/EHU and for the European funding ( ERDF and ESF ). Jon Kepa Izaguirre would like to acknowledge the Basque Government for awarding a predoctoral fellowship to achieve his PhD degree in the context of this research project. Funding received by iBB-Institute for ...
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In: Waste management: international journal of integrated waste management, science and technology, Band 118, S. 534-540
ISSN: 1879-2456
Agar extraction from Gelidium and Gracilaria red seaweed species produces hundred thousand ton of carbohydrate-rich residues annually. Gelidium sesquipedale waste biomass obtained after agar extraction, still contained 44.2 % w/w total carbohydrates (dry-weight basis). These residues were biologically up-graded to poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) after saccharification of their carbohydrate fraction to simple sugars. A combined hydrolysis treatment using sulfamic acid followed by enzymatic hydrolysis with cellulases produced a glucose-rich hydrolysate with a negligible content of inhibitors. With this treatment a sugar yield of circa 30 % (g glucose/g biomass) was attained. The algal hydrolysates were assessed as carbon source for the production of P3HB by the halotolerant bacteria Halomonas boliviensis. A cell concentration of 8.3 g L−1 containing 41 % (w/w) of polymer and a yield (YP/S) of 0.16 gpolymer/gglucose were attained in shake flask assays. In this work, cellulose-rich seaweed waste was shown to be an upgradable, sustainable source of carbohydrates. © 2020 ; Acknowledgements This work has received funding from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the project (PTDC/BII-BIO/29242/2017). Funding received by iBB-Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences from FCT (grant UIDB/04565/2020) and from Programa Operacional Regional de Lisboa 2020 (Project N. 007317) is also acknowledged. Štepan Tuma acknowledges support from the ERASMUS Plus program (EU) and Jon Kepa Izaguirre acknowledges the Basque Government for the pre-doctoral fellowship that supported his staying at iBB-IST. The authors would like to acknowledge IBERAGAR S.A., Portugal for kindly supplying the Gelidium residues.
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In: Alcohol and alcoholism: the international journal of the Medical Council on Alcoholism (MCA) and the journal of the European Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ESBRA), Band 49, Heft suppl 1, S. i64-i64
ISSN: 1464-3502
"NOTICE: this is the author's version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Vol. 71, Special issue, (November 2014). DOI 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.04.054 " ; "Burkholderia sacchari DSM 17165 is able to grow and produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) both on hexoses and pentoses. In a previous study, wheat straw lignocellulosic hydrolysates (WSH) containing high C6 and C5 sugar concentrations were shown to be excellent carbon sources for P(3HB) production. Using a similar feeding strategy developed for P(3HB) production based on WSH, fedbatch cultures were developed aiming at the production of the copolymer P(3HB-co- 4HB) (poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-4-hydroxybutyrate)) by B. sacchari. The ability of this strain to synthesize P(3HB-co-4HB) was first shown in shake flasks using gammabutyrolactone (GBL) as precursor of the 4HB units. Fed-batch cultures using glucose as carbon source (control) and GBL were developed to achieve high copolymer productivities and 4HB incorporations. The attained P(3HBco- 4HB) productivity and 4HB molar % were 0.7 g/(L·h) and 4.7 molar %, respectively. The 4HB incorporation was improved to 6.3 and 11.8 molar % by addition of 2 g/L propionic and acetic acid, respectively. When WSH were used as carbon source under the same feeding conditions, the values achieved were 0.5 g/(L·h) and 5.0 molar %, respectively. Burkholderia sacchari, a strain able to produce biopolymers based on xylose-rich lignocellulosic hydrolysates, is for the first time reported to produce P(3HB-co-4HB) using gamma butyrolactone as precursor." ; This work has received funding from the European Union 7th Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement number 246449 / Project: Bugworkers - New tailor-made PHB-based nanocomposites for high performance applications produced from environmentally friendly production routes. ; Financial support: Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (fellowships SFRH/BPD/68587/2010 and SFRH/BPD/26678/2006).
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Using a new fossil-calibrated mitogenome-based approach, we identified macroevolutionary shifts in mitochondrial gene order among the freshwater mussels (Unionoidea). We show that the early Mesozoic divergence of the two Unionoidea clades, Margaritiferidae and Unionidae, was accompanied by a synchronous split in the gene arrangement in the female mitogenome (i.e., gene orders MF1 and UF1). Our results suggest that this macroevolutionary jump was completed within a relatively short time interval (95% HPD 201–226 Ma) that coincided with the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction. Both gene orders have persisted within these clades for ~200 Ma. The monophyly of the so-called "problematic" Gonideinae taxa was supported by all the inferred phylogenies in this study using, for the first time, the M- and F-type mitogenomes either singly or combined. Within Gonideinae, two additional splits in the gene order (UF1 to UF2, UF2 to UF3) occurred in the Mesozoic and have persisted for ~150 and ~100 Ma, respectively. Finally, the mitogenomic results suggest ancient connections between freshwater basins of East Asia and Europe near the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, probably via a continuous paleo-river system or along the Tethys coastal line, which are well supported by at least three independent but almost synchronous divergence events. ; The authors wish to thank the Editor and the three anonymous reviewers for helpful remarks and suggestions that improved the quality of the manuscript. This research was developed under ConBiomics: the missing approach for the Conservation of freshwater Bivalves Project No NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-030286, cofinanced by COMPETE 2020, Portugal 2020 and the European Union through the ERDF, and by FCT through national funds (UID/Multi/04423/2019). FCT also supported MLL (SFRH/BD/115728/2016). The Russian Ministry of Education and Science (project no. 6.2343.2017/4.6), the Federal Agency for Scientific Organizations (project no. 0409-2015-0143), the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (scientific ...
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PKS 1510-089 is a flat spectrum radio quasar strongly variable in the optical and GeV range. To date, very high-energy (VHE, > 100 GeV) emission has been observed from this source either during long high states of optical and GeV activity or during short flares. Aims. We search for low-state VHE gamma-ray emission from PKS 1510-089. We characterize and model the source in a broadband context, which would provide a baseline over which high states and flares could be better understood. Methods. PKS 1510-089 has been monitored by the MAGIC telescopes since 2012. We use daily binned Fermi-LAT flux measurements of PKS 1510-089 to characterize the GeV emission and select the observation periods of MAGIC during low state of activity. For the selected times we compute the average radio, IR, optical, UV, X-ray, and gamma-ray emission to construct a low-state spectral energy distribution of the source. The broadband emission is modeled within an external Compton scenario with a stationary emission region through which plasma and magnetic fields are flowing. We also perform the emission-model-independent calculations of the maximum absorption in the broad line region (BLR) using two different models. Results. The MAGIC telescopes collected 75 hr of data during times when the Fermi-LAT flux measured above 1 GeV was below 3? × 10 -8 ? cm -2 ? s -1 , which is the threshold adopted for the definition of a low gamma-ray activity state. The data show a strongly significant (9.5¿) VHE gamma-ray emission at the level of (4.27 ± 0.61 stat ) × 10 -12 ? cm -2 ? s -1 above 150 GeV, a factor of 80 lower than the highest flare observed so far from this object. Despite the lower flux, the spectral shape is consistent with earlier detections in the VHE band. The broadband emission is compatible with the external Compton scenario assuming a large emission region located beyond the BLR. For the first time the gamma-ray data allow us to place a limit on the location of the emission region during a low gamma-ray state of a FSRQ. For the used model of the BLR, the 95% confidence level on the location of the emission region allows us to place it at a distance > 74% of the outer radius of the BLR. © ESO 2018. ; The financial support of the German BMBF and MPG, the Italian INFN and INAF, the Swiss National Fund SNF, the ERDF under the Spanish MINECO (FPA2015-69818-P, FPA2012-36668, FPA2015-68378-P, FPA2015-69210-C6-2-R, FPA2015-69210-C6-4-R, FPA2015-69210-C6-6-R, AYA2015-71042-P, AYA2016-76012-C3-1-P, ESP2015-71662-C2-2-P, CSD2009-00064), and the Japanese JSPS and MEXT is gratefully acknowledged. This work was also supported by the Spanish Centro de Exce-lencia "Severo Ochoa" SEV-2012-0234 and SEV-2015-0548, and Unidad de Excelencia "María de Maeztu" MDM-2014-0369, by the Croatian Science Foundation (HrZZ) Project IP-2016-06-9782 and the University of Rijeka Project 13.12.1.3.02, by the DFG Collaborative Research Centers SFB823/C4 and SFB876/C3, the Polish National Research Centre grant UMO-2016/22/M/ST9/00382, and by the Brazilian MCTIC, CNPq and FAPERJ. IA acknowledges support from a Ramón y Cajal grant of the Ministerio de Economía, Industria, y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain. Acquisition and reduction of the POLAMI and MAPCAT data was supported in part by MINECO through grants AYA2010-14844, AYA2013-40825-P, and AYA2016-80889-P, and by the Regional Government of Andalucía through grant P09-FQM-4784. ; Peer Reviewed
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The very high energy (VHE ¿ 100 GeV) -ray MAGIC observations of the blazar S4 0954+65, were triggered by an exceptionally high flux state of emission in the optical. This blazar has a disputed redshift of z = 0.368 or z ¿ 0.45 and an uncertain classification among blazar subclasses. The exceptional source state described here makes for an excellent opportunity to understand physical processes in the jet of S4 0954+65 and thus contribute to its classification. Methods. We investigated the multiwavelength (MWL) light curve and spectral energy distribution (SED) of the S4 0954+65 blazar during an enhanced state in February 2015 and have put it in context with possible emission scenarios. We collected photometric data in radio, optical, X-ray, and ¿-ray. We studied both the optical polarization and the inner parsec-scale jet behavior with 43 GHz data. Results. Observations with the MAGIC telescopes led to the first detection of S4 0954+65 at VHE. Simultaneous data with Fermi-LAT at high energy ¿-ray(HE, 100 MeV < E < 100 GeV) also show a period of increased activity. Imaging at 43 GHz reveals the emergence of a new feature in the radio jet in coincidence with the VHE flare. Simultaneous monitoring of the optical polarization angle reveals a rotation of approximately 100. Conclusions. The high emission state during the flare allows us to compile the simultaneous broadband SED and to characterize it in the scope of blazar jet emission models. The broadband spectrum can be modeled with an emission mechanism commonly invoked for flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs), that is, inverse Compton scattering on an external soft photon field from the dust torus, also known as external Compton. The light curve and SED phenomenology is consistent with an interpretation of a blob propagating through a helical structured magnetic field and eventually crossing a standing shock in the jet, a scenario typically applied to FSRQs and low-frequency peaked BL Lac objects (LBL). © ESO 2018. ; The financial support of the German BMBF and MPG, the Italian INFN and INAF, the Swiss National Fund SNF, the ERDF under the Spanish MINECO (FPA2015-69818-P, FPA2012-36668, FPA2015-68378-P, FPA2015-69210-C6-2-R, FPA2015-69210-C6-4-R, FPA2015-69210-C6-6-R, AYA2015-71042-P, AYA2016-76012-C3-1-P, ESP2015-71662-C2-2-P, CSD2009-00064), and the Japanese JSPS and MEXT is gratefully acknowledged. This work was also supported by the Spanish Centro de Excelencia "Severo Ochoa" SEV-2012-0234 and SEV-2015-0548, and Unidad de Excelencia "María de Maeztu" MDM-2014-0369, by the Croatian Science Foundation (HrZZ) Project IP-2016-06-9782 and the University of Rijeka Project 13.12.1.3.02, by the DFG Collaborative Research Centers SFB823/C4 and SFB876/C3, the Polish National Research Centre grant UMO-2016/22/M/ST9/00382 and by the Brazilian MCTIC, CNPq, and FAPERJ. IA acknowledges support by a Ramón y Cajal grant of the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain. The research at the IAA–CSIC was supported in part by the MINECO through grants AYA2016–80889–P, AYA2013–40825–P, and AYA2010–14844, and by the regional government of Andalucía through grant P09–FQM–4784. ; Peer Reviewed
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