An Empirical Analysis of the External Finance Premium of Public Non-Financial Corporations in Brazil

Our objective in this paper is to analyze empirically the relationship between the external finance premium of non-financial corporations in Brazil with their default probability and with their demand for inventories. As for the former relation, we find that corporations that have greater external finance premium have greater probability of default. As for the latter, we find that the external finance premium is positive and statistically significantly correlated. The results confirm previous results of the literature that indicate that the balance sheet channel of monetary policy is relevant in Brazil.

Influence of dietary vitamin E supplementation on cholesterol oxidation and fresh colour in beef aged for 3 and 14 days

The effects of dietary vitamin E supplementation on the susceptibility to lipid oxidation and colour of the Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle aged in vacuum packaged conditions for 3 or 14 days were studied. For this purpose, Charolais cattle were fed on a diet providing daily 60 mg (control) or 5500 mg of vitamin E per animal (supplemented) for 30 and 60 days before slaughter. Dietary vitamin E supplementation increased the liver vitamin E content, but not in the LT muscle of treated animals. The vitamin supplementation for 30 and 60 days has shown non-consistent effects in reducing cholesterol oxidation products of vacuum-packed aged meat. However, the vitamin E supplementation for 60 days was effective on Lightness stability in LT muscle during vacuum-packed ageing. Overall, from the practical standpoint, this study suggests that supranutritional supplementation up to 60 days may not increase the vitamin E content of Charolais LT muscle giving little, if any, benefits on meat colour and cholesterol oxidation. However, the present study suggests that it would be interesting to determine in which extent specific oxysterols are related to the meat colour and whether colour parameters can be useful for predicting the formation of cholesterol oxidation products along the industrial meat production chain.The effects of dietary vitamin E supplementation on the susceptibility to lipid oxidation and colour of the Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle aged in vacuum packaged conditions for 3 or 14 days were studied. For this purpose, Charolais cattle were fed on a diet providing daily 60mg (control) or 5500mg of vitamin E per animal (supplemented) for 30 and 60 days before slaughter. Dietary vitamin E supplementation increased the liver vitamin E content, but not in the LT muscle of treated animals. The vitamin supplementation for 30 and 60 days has shown non-consistent effects in reducing cholesterol oxidation products of vacuum-packed aged meat. However, the vitamin E supplementation for 60 days was effective on Lightness stability in LT muscle during vacuum-packed ageing. Overall, from the practical standpoint, this study suggests that supranutritional supplementation up to 60 days may not increase the vitamin E content of Charolais LT muscle giving little, if any, benefits on meat colour and cholesterol oxidation. However, the present study suggests that it would be interesting to determine in which extent specific oxysterols are related to the meat colour and whether colour parameters can be useful for predicting the formation of cholesterol oxidation products along the industrial meat production chain

Analyzing the Galactic Pulsar Distribution with Machine Learning

We explore the possibility of inferring the properties of the Galactic population of neutron stars through machine learning. In particular, in this paper we focus on their dynamical characteristics and show that an artificial neural network is able to estimate with high accuracy the parameters that control the current positions of a mock population of pulsars. For this purpose, we implement a simplified population-synthesis framework (where selection biases are neglected at this stage) and concentrate on the natal kick-velocity distribution and the distribution of birth distances from the Galactic plane. By varying these and evolving the pulsar trajectories in time, we generate a series of simulations that are used to train and validate a suitably structured convolutional neural network. We demonstrate that our network is able to recover the parameters governing the distribution of kick velocity and Galactic height with a mean relative error of about 10−2. We discuss the limitations of our idealized approach and study a toy problem to introduce selection effects in a phenomenological way by incorporating the observed proper motions of 216 isolated pulsars. Our analysis highlights that by increasing the sample of pulsars with accurate proper-motion measurements by a factor of ∼10, one of the future breakthroughs of the Square Kilometre Array, we might succeed in constraining the birth spatial and kick-velocity distribution of the neutron stars in the Milky Way with high precision through machine learning.M.R., V.G., A.G., and N.R. acknowledge support from the H2020 ERC Consolidator Grant “MAGNESIA”’ under grant agreement No. 817661 (PI: Rea), and grants SGR2017-1383 and PGC2018-095512-B-I00. J.A.P. acknowledges support by the Generalitat Valenciana grant PROMETEO/2019/071 and by AEI grant PGC2018-095984-B-I00. This work has also been partially supported by the PHAROS COST Action (CA16214)

Espécies de Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) capturadas em pomar de goiabeira (Psidium guajava L., Myrtaceae) em Boa Vista, Roraima, Brasil

The guava fruit (Psidium guajava) is among the most strongly affected by fruit flies in Brazil. In the Brazilian Amazon, 11 species of Anastrepha have been reported in guava orchards to date. This work aimed to identify the species of Anastrepha present in a guava orchard in the municipality of Boa Vista, determine the species infesting the fruits, and identify any parasitoids present. Two McPhail traps with food bait were installed and weekly collections were made between January and December 2008. Fruits were also collected systematically during this period, with a view to determining the association between host plant and tephritid species. Nine species of Anastrepha were identified, in addition to one specimen belonging to a probable new species. Anastrepha striata Schiner, Anastrepha sororcula Zucchi, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), and Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedemann) were the dominant species in the orchard, accounting for 84.8% of all captured individuals. All females collected directly from fruits were A. striata. Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti) was the only parasitoid species obtained. In this work, Anastrepha ethalea (Walker) is reported for the first time in the state of Roraima

Espécies de Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae), seus hospedeiros e parasitoides no extremo norte do Brasil

This work was carried out in five municipalities of the State of Roraima, Brazil, aiming to record the occurrence of Anastrepha species, their host plants and parasitoids. Fleshy fruits of 21 species of 10 families were sampled from September/2007 to September/2008. We collected 10 species of Anastrepha (Anastrepha bahiensis Lima and Anastrepha montei Lima were reported for the first time in Roraima) and five species of parasitoids (4 Braconidae and 1 Figitidae). Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti) was the most abundant parasitoid

European Territorial Trends - Facts and Prospects for Cities and Regions Ed. 2017

This report analyses a set of territorial trends at continental and sub-national scale, looking at patterns and determinants of regional growth, while considering pan-European and national characteristics. Past and prospective demographic and economic trends are analysed to provide a picture of ‘what, where, when and how’ things happen in European cities and regions. Specific emphasis is placed on urban areas since acknowledged sources of both opportunities and challenges. The indicators used in the analysis herein presented are freely and openly accessible in the Territorial Dashboard of the Knowledge Centre for Territorial Policies at: http://urban.jrc.ec.europa.eu/t-board/index.htmlJRC.B.3-Territorial Developmen

MEDIDOR DE ESTRESSE TÉRMICO

O projeto desenvolvido tem o objetivo de construir um equipamento de medição de estresse térmico a baixo custo, utilizando a plataforma de prototipagem eletrônica Arduíno. Tal equipamento é de fundamental importância para verificação da insalubridade em locais de trabalho com exposição ao calor tanto em ambientes externos quanto em ambientes internos, com ou sem carga solar direta. A norma regulamentadora NR15 estabelece limites para exposição do trabalhador que serão utilizados como indicadores na avaliação, na prevenção e no controle de riscos decorrentes da exposição ao calor. A exposição ao calor é avaliada através do IBUTG - “Índice de Bulbo Úmido Termômetro de Globo”, sendo que para o cálculo do IBUTG é necessário fazer as aquisições das temperaturas de bulbo úmido natural, bulbo seco e de globo. Para fazer a aquisição das temperaturas e cálculo do IBUTG será utilizado o Arduíno e termistores calibrados, sendo que o primeiro é placa de aquisição de sinais e o segundo os sensores de temperatura.Palavras-chave:IBUTG. Arduíno. NR 15. Insalubridade. Segurança do Trabalho

TWNK in Parkinson's Disease: A Movement Disorder and Mitochondrial Disease Center Perspective Study

Background: Parkinsonian features have been described in patients harboring variants in nuclear genes encoding for proteins involved in mitochondrial DNA maintenance, such as TWNK. Objectives: The aim was to screen for TWNK variants in an Italian cohort of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and to assess the occurrence of parkinsonism in patients presenting with TWNK-related autosomal dominant progressive external ophthalmoplegia (TWNK-adPEO). Methods: Genomic DNA of 263 consecutively collected PD patients who underwent diagnostic genetic testing was analyzed with a targeted custom gene panel including TWNK, as well as genes causative of monogenic PD. Genetic and clinical data of 18 TWNK-adPEO patients with parkinsonism were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Six of 263 PD patients (2%), presenting either with isolated PD (n = 4) or in combination with bilateral ptosis (n = 2), carried TWNK likely pathogenic variants. Among 18 TWNK-adPEO patients, 5 (28%) had parkinsonism. Conclusions: We show candidate TWNK variants occurring in PD without PEO. This finding will require further confirmatory studies. © 2022 Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson Movement Disorder Society

Control of Transdermal Permeation of Hydrocortisone Acetate from Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Formulations

The purpose of this research was the preparation of four formulations containing hydrocortisone acetate (HCA) for topical application, including two aqueous systems (hydrophilic microemulsion and aqueous gel) and two systems with dominant hydrophobicity (hydrophobic microemulsion and ointment). The formulations were tested for the release and permeation of HCA across an animal membrane. The release of HCA was found comparable for the four systems. The two microemulsions promote permeation across an ex-vivo membrane, examined by means of a Franz cell. Hydrophobic microemulsion guarantees the highest solubility (2,370 μg/ml) and flux (133 μg/cm2.h) of the drug, since it contains almost 40% Transcutol, a permeation enhancer. Gel and ointment provide lower solubility and flux, being the values, related to the ointment, the lowest ones (562 μg/ml and 0.4 μg/cm2.h). Experimental results allow the conclusion that gel and ointment can be suitable when it is desirable to minimize absorption of topically applied HCA as to keep the drug restricted to the diseased area and prevent side effects of the systemic presence of HCA