This dissertation consists of three essays in International Trade. The first essay studies the impact of changing tariffs on the range of goods countries export to the United States. The empirical analysis shows that tariffs tend to have a statistically significant but small impact: at best 5 percent of the increasing extensive margin for 1989-1999 and 12 percent for 1996-2006 is explained by tariff reductions. This suggests the extensive margin has not amplified the impact of tariffs on trade flows to such an extent that the relatively moderate tariff reductions since WW II can explain the strong growth of world trade. The second essay investigates the sector and country determinants of the range of goods that countries export to the United States. Besides relating the traditional determinants of comparative advantage, sectors’ factor intensities interacted with countries’ factor abundance to the extensive margin in a sector, the empirical investigation includes interactions between sector-level measures of intermediate intensity and trade frictions. Consistent with hypotheses about fragmentation, the results show that closer countries and countries with lower tariffs imposed on them export a wider range of goods in sectors that have large intermediate cost shares. The impact of trade frictions is, however, far less pronounced for the more skilled-labor intensive sectors that are characterized by use of a greater range of intermediates. The third essay studies the impact of trade liberalizations on U.S. bilateral trade from 1989-2001 with a focus on the influence of exporting country liberalizations which matter when exports are produced with imported intermediates. Guided by extensions of the Eaton and Kortum (2002) model which allows for production to involve the use of imported intermediates, the essay estimates a structural equation that links U.S. bilateral trade flows to both intermediate tariffs imposed by countries exporting to the United States and U.S. tariffs. The empirical estimates suggest that especially for less developed countries their own liberalizations have been quantitatively much more important in explaining bilateral trade growth with an effect 3 times larger than the impact of U.S. liberalizations. / text

Sport specialization is defined as a year-round, highly structured commitment to training for and competing in a single sport. Children who begin the process of specialization at an early age are potentially susceptible to several undesirable outcomes, including an increased risk of orthopedic injury, psychological burnout, and limited social development. Despite these inherent risks, the practice of early sport specialization has become prevalent in the United States. This study uses a grounded theory methodology to examine the role of parents in early sport specialization practices. Drawing on in-depth interviews with twelve parents of adolescent soccer players, the study finds that parents are drawn to early sport specialization because of multiple perceived benefits for their children. The two most prominent of these benefits are positive socialization and the use of the sport as a lever for higher education. Parents act on limited information when making decisions regarding early sport specialization, relying on advice and information from coaches, soccer clubs, and other parents to make their decisions. In this manner, the parents themselves are socialized into the culture of early specialized sport, adopting the established values and beliefs of the practice, and furthering the advancement of the practice of early specialization in youth sport. / text

Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti didelio meistriškumo jaunimo grupių ir elito slidininkių varžybų krūvio apimtį, struktūrinę sudėtį, specifiškumą iki pagrindinių sezono varžybų ir nustatyti varžybinės veiklos taktinius ypatumus, rezultatyvumą, amžiaus rodiklius ir jų sąsają su sportiniais rezultatais pasaulio slidinėjimo čempionate ir Pasaulio slidinėjimo taurės varžybose. Tyrimo objektas – didelio meistriškumo jaunimo grupių (iki 20 metų ir iki 23 metų grupės) slidininkių ir elito slidininkių (užimančių 1–10 vietas pasaulio čempionate, Pasaulio slidinėjimo taurės varžybose) dalyvavimo varžybose sistemos ypatumai, varžybinė veikla ir jos rezultatyvumas, veiksniai, turintys įtakos varžybinės veiklos rezultatyvumui. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti jaunimo grupės (iki 23 metų) slidininkių varžybinės veiklos apimtį, struktūrinę sudėtį ir specifiškumą per slidinėjimo sezoną iki startų pasaulio jaunimo čempionate. 2. Ištirti didelio meistriškumo slidininkių varžybinę veiklą per 2008/2009 m. sezoną iki pasaulio slidinėjimo čempionato Liberece. 3. Išnagrinėti didelio meistriškumo slidininkių nuotolių įveikimo taktiką pasaulio slidinėjimo čempionate. 4. Nustatyti didelio meistriškumo slidininkių sportinių rezultatų ir amžiaus sąsają. 5. Išnagrinėti Lietuvos rinktinės slidininkių varžybinės veiklos rodiklius pasaulio jaunimo ir suaugusiųjų čempionate. Tyrimo rezultatai. Tyrimo rezultatai leidžia teigti, kad jaunimo ir elito grupių slidininkių rengimas vyksta trimis kryptimis: rengimas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Research aim was to establish the scope, structural components and specificity of the contest loads of high-mastery youth group and elite female skiers before the main contest of the season, and to reveal the tactical peculiarities of contest activities, resultativity, age indices and their links with sports results in the World skiing championship and World Cup Skiing Competition. Research object was the peculiarities of the system of participation in the contest activities of high-mastery youth group (up to 20 years and up to 23 years of age) female skiers and elite female skiers (having taken the 1st – 10th places in the World championship, World Cup Skiing Championship), their contest activities and resultativity, and factors influencing the resultativity of contest activities. Research objectives: 1. To establish the scope, structural components and specificity of contest activities of youth group (up to 23 years of age) female skiers during the skiing season before the starts in the World Youth Skiing Championship. 2. To study the contest activities of elite female skiers during the season of 2008/2009 before the World Ski Championship in Liberec. 3. To analyze the tactics of covering distances of elite female skiers in the World Skiing Championship. 4. To establish the links between the sports results of elite female skiers and their age. 5. To analyze the indices of contest activities of Lithuanian national team elite female skiers in the World Youth and Adult... [to full text]

A crucial aspect of attentional control is the capacity of anticipating a stimulus appearance in order to improve the speed and effectiveness of its subsequent processing. Preparatory attention (PA) is the ability to modulate (enhance) the intensity of attention directed to a selected stimulus prior to its occurrence, preventing subjects from being distracted by interfering stimuli. Some studies propose that PA is lateralized to the right hemisphere (RH) while others suggest that both the left hemisphere (LH) and the RH participate in the modulation of PA. The aim of the present thesis was to examine the role of each brain hemisphere in the modulation of PA directed to a spatial location. We developed a lateralized version of the Attentional Preparatory Test, (APT, proposed par LaBerge, Auclair & Siéroff, 2000), named the Lateralized APT or LAPT. The APT measures the ability of subjects to modulate PA directed to a target location when the probability of a distractor occurrence varies across several blocks of trials. In the APT, the response times increased as the probability of a distractor appearing in the preparatory phase preceding the target presentation increased, showing that PA is modulated by the events occurring prior to the target appearance. We developed the LAPT using the divided visual field paradigm in which stimuli can occur in the left (LVF) or the right (RVF) visual fields. The visual field differences in subjects' performance are assumed to reflect differences in the processing strategies of both hemispheres (RVF/LH vs LVF/RH). In a series of studies we showed that the modulation of PA by the expected probability of events was different in each visual field/hemisphere, depending on task configuration. In the RVF/LH, PA is modulated by the expected probability of distractor events, especially when this probability is explicit. In addition, the LH seems to play a crucial role in modulating PA when the target and the distractor are hard to discriminate. In the LVF/RH, PA is modulated by the temporal probability of events and may depend on the most probable delay in which the target is expected, but only when the discrimination between the target and the distractor is easy. Most importantly, our findings suggest that the differences between RVF/LH and LVF/RH in the modulation of PA take place at the perceptual level of processing because they are independent of the hand use in executing the response, thus also independent of the processes taking place at the motor programming level. Taken together our results, they suggest that each hemisphere uses a different strategy to modulate PA when directed to a spatial location.

På ingenjörsutbildningar får studenter fördjupa sina kunskaper i programmets senare del i form av specialinriktningar eller valbara kurser. Detta är något som inte är tillgängligt för studenter som läser till sjöingenjör vid Sjöfartshögskolan i Kalmar men något som infördes på sjöingenjörsutbildningen vid Chalmers Tekniska Högskola 2009. Studiens syfte är att undersöka intresset för valbara kurser på 7,5 högskolepoäng (hp) vardera för sjöingenjörsstudenter vid Sjöfartshögskolan i Kalmar. En enkätstudie svarade på frågorna om vilka ämnesområden som var av intresse, hur många kurser eleven ville läsa, när under utbildningen önskas kursen läsas, om intresset för valbara kurser saknas och i så fall varför. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att de ämnesområden som är av störst intresse för studenterna på grundnivå är offshore/oljerigg och landkurser. På fördjupningsnivå är el- och reglerteknik samt maskinteknik önskvärda. Studien visade att studenterna vill läsa två valbara kurser under utbildningens sista termin. Det går inte att få ett svar på varför studenterna inte vill införa valbara kurser p.g.a. stor spridning av svaren. / In engineering courses, students deepen their knowledge in the later part of the program in form of specializations or elective courses. This is something that is not available to students who study for marine engineer at Kalmar Maritime Academy, a situation that has been present at Chalmers University of Technology since 2009. The purpose of the study is to explore the interest in elective courses of 7.5 credits apiece for marine engineer students at Kalmar Maritime Academy. A questionnaire study was carried out to ascertain as to wheather which topics were of interest, how many courses the student wanted to read, the durability of the course, if interest in the elective course was missing, and if so why. The survey results showed that the subjects of most interest to students at the bachelor level were offshore/oil rig and ashore courses. At the advanced level, electric and control engineering together with mechanical engineering were desirable. The study showed that students want to read two elective courses during the last term. A result cannot be obtained as to why students do not wish to introduce elective courses, this can be attributed to the large spread of responses.

Advisor: Frank I. Moore. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 152-169).

Objetivou-se nesse estudo identificar os fatores de risco psicossocial que o enfermeiro residente encontra-se exposto em unidades especializadas; descrever as repercussões dos fatores de risco psicossocial para a saúde do enfermeiro residente em unidades especializadas e analisar as formas de enfrentamento adotadas pelo enfermeiro residente diante dos riscos psicossociais em unidades especializadas. Pesquisa qualitativa do tipo exploratória descritiva, cujo campo foi um hospital universitário situado no município do Rio de Janeiro. A partir dos critérios de seleção adotados participaram do estudo 20 enfermeiros residentes do 1 e 2 anos, lotados em unidades especializadas (CTI adulto, UTI neonatal, CTI cardíaco, UI clínica, Unidade Coronariana e Unidade de Doenças Infecto Parasitárias). O estudo obedeceu aos aspectos éticos em conformidade com a Resolução 466/12 sendo aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa (067/2012). Utilizou-se a técnica de entrevista semiestruturada mediante um instrumento contendo em sua primeira parte as características dos sujeitos e na segunda um roteiro com questões abertas que possibilitaram ao residente falar sobre os riscos no ambiente laboral, o modo como era afetado e os mecanismos de enfrentamento adotados. Ao término das entrevistas, realizadas no segundo semestre de 2012 e registradas em meio digital, aplicou-se a técnica de análise de conteúdo, sendo os resultados discutidos a luz da Psicodinâmica do Trabalho. Os resultados evidenciaram que o enfermeiro residente de unidades especializadas encontra-se exposto a inúmeros fatores de risco psicossocial e entre eles: a sobrecarga física e psíquica do trabalho, a ambiguidade de papéis, o relacionamento interpessoal conflituoso, a pouca autonomia, o baixo controle em relação ao processo de trabalho e a precariedade das condições de trabalho. Tais fatores, além de afetarem o processo de formação do residente, acarretam prejuízos a sua saúde física e mental; identificados a partir de queixas como: cansaço, estresse, desgaste, padrão de sono ruim, problemas gastrintestinais, dermatológicos e osteomusculares. Diante do sofrimento no trabalho, o enfermeiro residente elabora estratégias de manejo centradas na emoção (autocontrole, aceitação das responsabilidades, fuga, confronto e resignação) e no problema (negociação, tentativa de solução, suporte social, reavaliação positiva). Concluiu-se que o enfermeiro residente encontra-se exposto a inúmeros fatores de risco psicossocial em unidades especializadas que afetam a sua saúde física e mental. No intuito de concluir a residência e preservar a saúde, o residente elabora estratégias de manejo, que apesar de essenciais não eliminam o sofrimento no trabalho e os problemas vivenciados no dia a dia. Cabe ao órgão formador identificar, monitorar e combater os riscos referidos pelo residente no intuito de promover a capacitação, a satisfação e o bem estar no trabalho, ao se considerar a responsabilidade social pela formação, saúde e inserção do futuro profissional no mercado de trabalho. / This study aimed to identify the psychosocial risk factors to which the resident nurse is exposed in specialized units; describe the impact of psychosocial risk factors for the resident nurse's health in specialized units and examine coping methods adopted by resident nurses towards psychosocial risks in specialized units. An exploratory descriptive qualitative study whose field was a university hospital located in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. From the selection criteria, adopted 20 nurses participated in the study residents from the 1st and 2nd years, crowded into specialized units (adult ICU, NICU, ICU, CIU, IU clinic, Cardiac Care and Infectious and Parasitic Diseases Unit). The study followed the ethical aspects in accordance with the Resolution 466/12 being approved by the Committee for Ethics in Research (067/2012). The semi-structured interview technique was used through an instrument containing the characteristics of the subjects in its first part and in the second a script with open-ended questions that allowed the resident talk about risks in the work environment, how they were affected and the adopted coping mechanisms. At the end of the interviews, carried out in the second half of 2012 and recorded by digital medium, a content analysis technique was applied, and the results discussed in light of Psychodynamics of Work. The results showed that the specialized unit resident nurse is exposed to numerous psychosocial risk factors and among them: the physical and mental burdens of work, the ambiguity of roles, the interpersonal relationship confrontational, little autonomy, the low control in relation to the work process and the precarious work conditions. Such factors, besides affecting the resident training process, impairing their physical and mental health; identified from complaints such as fatigue, stress, wear, poor sleep patterns as well as gastrointestinal, dermatological and musculoskeletal problems. Given the suffering at work, the nurse prepares resident management strategies focused on emotion (self, acceptance of the responsibilities, escape confrontation and resignation) and the problem (negotiation, attempted solution, social support, and positive revaluation). It was concluded that the resident nurse is exposed to numerous psychosocial risk factors in specialized units that affect their physical and mental health. In order to complete the residence and preserve their health, the resident produces management strategies, which although not essential eliminate suffering at work and the problems experienced in their everyday life. The agency instructor identifying, monitoring and combating the risks referred to by the resident in order to promote empowerment, satisfaction and well-being at work, when considering social responsibility for education, health and of future professionals integration in the labor market.

This study's purpose was to investigate the phenomenon of hemispheric specialization for the pitch and rhythmic aspects of melody. Its research problems were to investigate the Influence of pitch, rhythm, and training on hemispheric specialization for pitch-plus-rhythm melodic fragments. A final problem was to examine the relationship between dlchotic ear scores and eye movements evidenced during melodic processing. Twenty musicians and twenty nonmuslcians, right-handed and equally divided as to gender, participated in the project. Accepted dlchotic testing and eye behavior indexing procedures were implemented to investigate each research problem. The dlchotic tape produced for the study contained five subtests In which pitch activity was variously greater than, less than, or equal to rhythmic activity.

Sports are changing along with the development of society; commercialization and professionalization of the sports movement is today demanding more of the athletes than before. These demands have created a trend of early specialization, not only amongst the biggest global sports, but also the less practiced ones. This study investigated the sport of wrestling, in Sweden, focusing on socioeconomic factors in the families of the wrestlers, when they were growing up. Furthermore, how family members influenced the athletes, as well as their thoughts of early specialization in order to reach the national team, was included in the research. The conclusion of this study was that the majority of the wrestlers who reached the national team, grew up in families where both parents where present, and their parents had a great interest in sport. Moreover, the families had a medium to high socioeconomic status, indicating that this might have been a contributing factor to the success of the athletes. The wrestlers in the national team started training when they were between five and nine years old, whilst making a debut in competition one year later, and started training for an elite career around the ages of 15 to 16. Still, they had divided opinions whether an early specialization is necessary in order to reach a very high level of the sporting society.

De acordo com vários estudos econômicos, a China vem despontando, em termos de crescimento do PIB (Produto Interno Bruto), em comparação tanto com economias desenvolvidas quanto em desenvolvimento. Sua taxa de crescimento média de 2 dígitos observada, em especial, durante a última década do novo milênio, tem chamado atenção para as possíveis implicações disso, dentro de um horizonte de longo prazo, para o desempenho econômico global. Nesse sentido, em termos dos desdobramentos disto em países já acostumados, historicamente, a exportar commodities, também já existem inúmeras análises contribuindo para avaliar as prováveis consequências deste fato para o desempenho econômico, de longo prazo, destes. O Brasil, por sua vez, parece se encaixar perfeitamente dentro desse contexto. De fato, durante os últimos dez anos, os brasileiros aumentaram, significativamente, suas relações comerciais com os chineses em termos tanto de exportações quanto de importações, principalmente, em relação a outros parceiros comerciais tradicionais como os Estados Unidos e a Argentina. Além disso, uma grande parte das pesquisas sobre esse assunto tem chamado atenção que esta intensificação do comércio bilateral, entre China e Brasil, tem implicado, ao mesmo tempo, em uma igual tendência não apenas de especialização, como também de primarização da pauta exportadora do último. Posto isso, o objetivo desta dissertação é analisar o comportamento geral da pauta exportadora brasileira, entre 2000 e 2010, tendo em vista detectar se vem ocorrendo algum processo, tanto de especialização, quanto de primarização das exportações totais brasileiras influenciado, essencialmente, pelo crescimento, cada vez maior, da importância do mercado chinês para o comércio exterior brasileiro. / According to several economic studies, China has been emerging in terms of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth in comparison with both developed and developing economies. Its average growth rates of 2 digits observed, specially, during this last decade of the new millennium, has pointed out for the possible implications of that, within a long term, for the overall economic performance. Hence, in terms of the impact of that on countries already used, historically, to export commodities, also already exist many analyses contributing to evaluate the probable consequences of this fact for the long-term economic performance of those. Brazil, in turn, seems to fit perfectly in this context. In fact, during the last ten years, brazilians increased, significantly, their commercial relations with the chineses in terms both of exports and imports, principally, in relation to other traditional trade partners like the USA and Argentina. Furthermore, a large part of the researches on this topic has pointed out that the intensification of this bilateral trade, between China and Brazil, has implied, at the same time, in an equal tendency not only of specialization, but also of primarization of the exports list of the last. Having said that, the objective of this dissertation is to analyze the overall behavior of brazilian exports list, between 2000 and 2010, in order to recognize if has been occurring some process of both specialization and primarization of Brazil`s total exports influenced, essentially, by the growth, even bigger, of the importance of the chinese market for the brazilian international trade.