ϵ\epsilon-Subgradient Algorithms for Bilevel Convex Optimization

This paper introduces and studies the convergence properties of a new class of explicit $\epsilon$-subgradient methods for the task of minimizing a convex function over the set of minimizers of another convex minimization problem. The general algorithm specializes to some important cases, such as first-order methods applied to a varying objective function, which have computationally cheap iterations. We present numerical experimentation regarding certain applications where the theoretical framework encompasses efficient algorithmic techniques, enabling the use of the resulting methods to solve very large practical problems arising in tomographic image reconstruction

A Duplicação da Rodovia Fernão Dias:Uma Análise de Equilíbrio Geral

This paper quantifies the aggregate and regional welfare effects of the duplication of the Fernão Dias highway (BR-381), as well as its impact on the regional equity, using a spatial applied general equilibrium model, which incorporates transportation costs. The consequences in terms of efficiency and equity are quantified by simulating the travel time reduction and the freight decrease due the duplication of the highway. The general equilibrium model is specified for five industries (agriculture and living stock, mining industries, manufacturing industries, construction and services), twelve domestic regions, three external regions and two production factors (labor and other factors). In aggregate terms, the results reveal that the travel time effect does not yield social welfare gains at all, although it enhances regional income inequalities. The freight effect dominates the travel time effect in the simulations. The spatial distribution of the results, in turn, shows that the “winning” regions are those where the duplicated sections of the BR-381 highway cross overModelo de Equilíbrio Geral Aplicado Espacial, Custos de Transporte, Rodovia Fernão Dias (BR-381)

Evaluation of non-market goods: the relevance of considering “behavioural anomalies”

Texto da comunicação apresentada a International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE) 2012 Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, 16-19 de junho de 2012Environmental valuation techniques are intended to provide valuable insights in helping scientists and decision-makers to make informed choices about the trade-offs that are inherent to the scarcity restrictions of our daily decisions. However, among other limitations, values obtained on the assumption of a rational behaviour may only be of use for policy guidance if people make consistent and systematic choices. This research embraces the challenge of contributing to organize the complexities of valuation of non-market goods, rather than just ignoring them. We address the ongoing debate on symptoms of bounded rationality in studies applying stated or revealed preferences methods by examining the theoretically consistency of preferences using observed and intended behaviour without monetary values being directly asked. The environmental good considered in our empirical approach is a national wood (Mata do Bussaco), located in a European country (Portugal). Overall, the results reveal that visitors are sensitive to both price and quality changes. In the deterioration scenario, the intended number of trips would be seriously reduced and respondents would suffer an important welfare loss. Another key finding is the apparent inconsistency between preferences expressed by revealed and observed behaviour. As inconsistencies are detected for changes resulting from manager’s action, it is argued that they are likely the outcome of strategic behaviour

Crisis and Territory in Economic Thought

One of the thematic branches which had motivated the consolidation of XVIIIth Century´s Economic Thought was the economic crisis itself. The majority of the earlier economists exposed their ideas in a context which could be understood as a running crisis, or an upcoming crisis (as David Ricardo, with his “steady state” or Thomas Malthus, with his “population dilemma”), or proposing ways to avoid it.Crisis; Territory; Economic Thought; Economics

Mindfulness, Autocompaixão e Bem-Estar Espiritual na Depressão Crónica

A depressão é uma das principais causas de incapacidade a nível mundial. Vários investigadores e técnicos de saúde mental estão em concordância que a prática de mindfulness, a promoção de autocompaixão e o bem-estar espiritual são benéficas para indivíduos que sofrem de vários problemas, nomeadamente a depressão. Este estudo procurou analisar as associações entre os índices de compaixão, mindfulness e bem-estar espiritual na Depressão Crónica, durante e após uma intervenção terapêutica (em comunidade terapêutica, em regime de internamento durante um período de 6 a 8 meses), numa amostra com diagnóstico de perturbação depressiva persistente. O protocolo foi composto pelos seguintes instrumentos: Inventário Depressivo de Beck (BDI II), Questionário das Cinco Facetas de Mindfulness (QCFM), Escala de Autocompaixão (SELFCS) e Questionário de Bem-Estar Espiritual (QBEE). Nesta investigação participaram 63 sujeitos com idades entre os 15 e os 57 os anos (M = 32,84, DP = 10,24), entre os quais 28 são do sexo feminino e 35 são do sexo masculino, divididos em dois grupos: durante e após tratamento. Um dos grupos foi composto por 32 sujeitos que estavam a beneficiar da intervenção terapêutica e do outro grupo fizeram parte 31 sujeitos que já tinham concluído a intervenção pelo menos há um ano. Os principais resultados demonstraram que existem diferenças nas variáveis mindfulness, autocompaixão, bem-estar espiritual e depressão em função do sexo, da existência de tratamentos psiquiátricos anteriores, do grupo de pertença (durante e após a intervenção) e dos níveis de depressão. Assim, o grupo após intervenção apresenta maiores níveis de mindfulness e autocompaixão (condição humana) e menores níveis de sobreidentificação (dimensão da autocompaixão, com a qual mantém uma relação oposta), comparativamente ao grupo durante o tratamento. Por fim, destacam-se como preditores de menor depressão as dimensões de mindfulness (Não reagir, Não julgar) e do Bem-estar espiritual (Bem-estar pessoal) e, como preditor de maior depressão, sobretudo a dimensão autocrítica (dimensão da autocompaixão). Em conclusão, estes resultados vão no mesmo sentido da literatura existente sobre a relação entre as variáveis em estudo e a psicopatologia. Assim, a discussão dos resultados reforçou as novas abordagens “positivistas”, podendo ainda ser um contributo para o aperfeiçoamento de programas de prevenção na recaída da depressão. / Depression is one of the main causes of incapacity worldwide. Several researchers and mental health professionals are in agreement that the practice of mindfulness, promotion of self-compassion and spiritual well-being are beneficial for individuals suffering from various problems, namely depression. This study sought to analyze the associations between compassion, mindfulness and spiritual well-being indexes, during and after a therapeutic intervention. Patients were treated in a residential therapeutic community for a period of six to eight months. They had been diagnosed with chronicle depression disorder. The protocol was composed of the following instruments: Beck Depression Inventory (BDI II), Questionnaire of the Five Facets of Mindfulness (QFFM), Self-Compassion Scale (SELFCS) and Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire (SWBQ). This research included 63 participants, between 15 and 50 years old (M = 32.84, SD = 10.24), 28 females and 35 male, divided into two groups: during and after treatment. One of the groups included 32 participants that continued to benefit from the therapeutic intervention and another included 31 participants that have already concluded the intervention less than a year ago. The main results showed that there are differences in the variables (mindfulness, selfcompassion, spiritual well-being and depression) according to sex, the existence of previous psychiatric treatment, the group (during and after the intervention) and depression levels results showed aspects relevant to the investigation. The group after the intervention has higher levels of mindfulness and self-compassion (common humanity) and lower levels of over-identification (self-compassion dimension, with which has the opposite relationship) compared to the group during the treatment. Finally, it stands out as predictors of minor depression dimensions of mindfulness (do not react, do not judge) and spiritual well-being (personal well-being) and as a predictor of major depression, especially self-judgment dimension (self-compassion dimension). In conclusion, these results along similar lines of the existing literature on the relationship between the study variables and psychopathology. The discussion allowed to highlight the new “positive” approaches to the conceptualization of depression as a much more than a negative state that must be “repaired”

Padrões de Esforço Tecnológico da Indústria Brasileira: Uma Análise Setorial a Partir de Técnicas Multivariadas

The aim of this paper is to apply principal components and cluster analysis on a set of technological effort indicators calculated using the Brazilian Innovation Survey (PINTEC). Such indicators are employed in order to consider innovative effort in the broadest possible way. Thus, these indicators take into account as the R&D expenditures and graduated staff in R&D as acquisition of external technology and knowledge. The results highlight a clear contrast between two groups of sectors. The first are called “suppliers dominated” whereas the second is composed by sectors in which the innovative effort with R&D is relevant. Some peculiarities of the technical change in Brazil are emphasized to the extent that those sectors with the greatest technological opportunities present a very limited R&D-based innovative effort. This empirical evidence is explained by the nature of the technological absorption process in developing countries, which is characterized as passive and dependent on international means of technology transfer. Furthermore, sectors with the majority of the innovative expenditures in Brazil are “scale intensive”, have significant productive performance and were supported by industrial policies in the 1960’s and 1970’s.Padrões Setoriais de Mudança Técnica, PINTEC, Análise Multivariada, Brasil

The cost of transportation as a barrier to trade in economic integration: the case of northeast

The Brazilian integration strategy has been focused on agreements based upon North-South and South-South negotiations. However, this kind of negotiations face serious troubles to be done. Consequently, the option of the internal economic integration might be more viable in terms of social welfare gains and promotion of regional equity. To do this, an spatial applied general equilibrium model was elaborated for analyzing economic integration policies in the country. This model incorporates explicitly transport cost as a trade barrier. The model is specified for five Brazilian macro-regions and five external regions (Nafta, Asia, European Union, Alcsa and rest of the World). Several economic integration options were simulated in order to analyze what are the best ones for the country and for Nordeste, appraised in terms of economic efficiency and regional equity.economic integration, spatial applied general equilibrium model, transport costs, Nordeste

A contribuição de P&D Agropecuário para Convergência e Crescimento da Renda Agropecuária no Brasil

Este artigo estuda o crescimento econômico e a convergência de renda Agropecuária dos estados Brasileiros de 1986 a 2004. Para este fim, utiliza-se um modelo econométrico de efeitos fixos, controlando-se a dependência espacial. Além de comprovar convergência condicional, o modelo econométrico revelou que o crescimento do PIB per capita agropecuário foi afetado por variáveis como capital físico agropecuário, infra-estrutura telefônica, infra-estrutura de armazenagem, crédito rural, número de trabalhadores rurais, e por externalidades espaciais. Além disso, ficou evidenciada a importância de P & D agropecuário para o crescimento e convergência de renda per capita no setor agropecuário e ainda a geração de externalidades espaciais positivas.--------------------------This article examines the economic growth and the convergence of income farming Brazilian states from 1986 to 2004. For this purpose, use is an econometric model of fixed effects, managing to spatial dependence. Besides prove conditional convergence, the econometric model showed that the growth in GDP per capita farming was affected by variables such as farming physical capital, infrastructure telephone, storage infrastructure, rural credit, number of rural workers, and by externalities spatial. Furthermore, it was demonstrated the importance of R & D, for growth and convergence of per capita income in the agricultural sector and the generation of positive externalities spatial.convergência de renda agropecuária, nova geografia econômica, modelo de efeitos fixos com dependência espacial, income convergence, new economic geography, fixed effect model with spatial dependence, Agricultural Finance, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, O18, O47, R11, R23,