Health, human capital and economic growth in Brazil

The main objective of the research is to analyze the relationship between population health status, and processes of economic growth and social development in Brazil by exploring the use of the population's nutritional and health variables to assess the quality of human capital and the mechanisms through which these variables may impact the country’s economic performance in terms of human capital formation, long-term economic growth, and social development. This research includes considerations on recent advances in the economic growth theory that contains the relationship between health, human capital, and long-term economic growth, as well as empirical evidence obtained from the analysis of an important Brazilian database, the Living Standards Measurement Survey, (Pesquisa de Padrao de Vida - PPV), a household survey conducted between 1996 and 1997 in both the Southeast and Northeast Regions of Brazil. The first part of the study focuses on information from individuals belonging to the group of economically active population (people between 19 and 59 years-old, both genders) to analyze the connection of individuals' health variables, such as height and health status, with socioeconomic variables, like income and educational attainment, controlling by area of residence (rural vs urban) and region (Northeast vs Southeast) The second part of the study focuses on information from individuals belonging to the group of economically active population (19 to 59 years-old both genders) with at least one child to support (2 to 21 years-old, both genders) in order to evaluate the intergenerational transmission of human capital, that is, analyzing the relations among parents data on health and nutritional status, income and educational attainment and the investment he/she is providing to the formation of human capital of his/her own child, controlling by area of residence (rural vs urban) and region (Northeast vs Southeast). Results lead to the conclusion that improvements generated through human capital investments made in one individual by the family do not finish at the individual himself, but are propagated to the next generations, independently from mechanisms of income. That is, relevant investments in human capital development, as educational attainment, nutrition, and health, create better opportunities to the individual in terms of employment and income. However, beyond these primary effects, there are secondary effects, mainly based on the transmission of human capital formation through generations, that result in population lifestyle changes, economic growth and development.

Income Content of the World Coffee Exports

Coffee is the most widely commercialized tropical product on the international market. The 2009/10 crop had an estimated value of $15.4 billion, with 93.4 million bags exported. According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO, 2011), the coffee sector employed  around 26 million people in 56 producing countries and over 100 exporting countries. But how would coffee products rank, in terms of income content, in relation to other commercialized products, and how have they evolved? To answer this question, the annual income content of 5,111 products exported by 167 countries from the period between 2000 and 2009, was calculated. Data from the UNCOMTRADE (2011), and “sophistication” indicators proposed by Hausmann and Rodrik (2003) who classify different products according to their productivity, were used. An emphasis was put on five coffee products (whole grain, roasted, decaffeinated, caffeinated, and soluble), showing the evolution of the number of exporting countries and of the “sophistication” index (income content), whose temporal variation was decomposed by the effects of competitiveness and income per capita changes. The results showed that non-roasted, non-decaffeinated, whole grain coffee is still the most commercialized product, but with the lowest income content of all coffee products, occupying the twenty-fourth worst position in terms of income content in 2009. The roasted, decaffeinated coffee presented the greatest income growth in the period, placing itself in the 3,309th position in 2009. The decomposition of the index showed that for coffee products with the most processing, the greatest cause of export sophistication growth was the Revealed Comparative Advantage effect. Products with the least amount of processing presented a loss in relative market share, with the addition of values to the production chain occurring outside those countries producing the raw materials.El café es el producto tropical más comercializado en el mercado internacional. La cosecha de 2009/10 fue estimada en 15,4 mil millones de dólares, con 93,4 millones de sacos exportados. Según la Organización Internacional del Café (ICO, 2011), el sector cafetero ha empleado alrededor de 26 millones de personas en 56 países productores y en más de 100 países exportadores. Sin embargo, ¿cómo los tipos de café podrían ser clasificados, en cuanto al ingreso, en relación a otros productos comercializados, y cómo han evolucionado? Para contestar a esta pregunta, se han calculado los ingresos anuales de 5.111 productos exportados por 167 países en el período comprendido entre 2000 y 2009. Los datos fueron obtenidos a través del UNCOMTRADE (2011), y se han utilizado los indicadores de "sofisticación" propuestos por Hausmann y Rodrik (2003) que clasifican los diferentes productos en función de sus productividades. Se hizo especial hincapié en cinco tipos de café (grano entero, tostado, descafeinado, con cafeína y soluble), que muestra la evolución del número de países exportadores y del índice de "sofisticación" (relacionado a los ingresos), cuya variación temporal se ha descompuesto por los efectos de la competitividad y por los cambios en la renta per cápita. Los resultados mostraron que el café sin tostar, con cafeína y de grano entero sigue siendo el más comercializado, pero presenta el nivel más bajo de ingreso de todos los tipos de café, ocupando el vigésimo cuarto puesto de peor nivel de ingreso en 2009. El café tostado y descafeinado presentó el mayor crecimiento de ingresos en el período, ubicándose en el puesto 3309º en 2009. La descomposición del índice mostró que para los tipos de café con mayor procesamiento, la principal causa del crecimiento de la sofisticación de las exportaciones fue el efecto de la ventaja comparativa revelada. Los productos con menor cantidad de procesamiento presentaron una pérdida de cuota relativa de mercado, con el valor añadido a la cadena de producción llevado a cabo afuera de los países productores de materias primas

Contenido de la Renta de las exportaciones mundiales de café

Coffee is the most widely commercialized tropical product on the international market. The 2009/10 crop had an estimated value of $15.4 billion, with 93.4 million bags exported. According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO, 2011), the coffee sector employed around 26 million people in 56 producing countries and over 100 exporting countries. But how would coffee products rank, in terms of income content, in relation to other commercialized products, and how have they evolved? To answer this question, the annual income content of 5,111 products exported by 167 countries from the period between 2000 and 2009, was calculated. Data from the UNCOMTRADE (2011), and “sophistication” indicators proposed by Hausmann and Rodrik (2003) who classify different products according to their productivity, were used. An emphasis was put on five coffee products (whole grain, roasted, decaffeinated, caffeinated, and soluble), showing the evolution of the number of exporting countries and of the “sophistication” index (income content), whose temporal variation was decomposed by the effects of competitiveness and income per capita changes. The results showed that non-roasted, non-decaffeinated, whole grain coffee is still the most commercialized product, but with the lowest income content of all coffee products, occupying the twenty-fourth worst position in terms of income content in 2009. The roasted, decaffeinated coffee presented the greatest income growth in the period, placing itself in the 3,309th position in 2009. The decomposition of the index showed that for coffee products with the most processing, the greatest cause of export sophistication growth was the Revealed Comparative Advantage effect. Products with the least amount of processing presented a loss in relative market share, with the addition of values to the production chain occurring outside those countries producing the raw materials.El café es el producto tropical más comercializado en el mercado internacional. La cosecha de 2009/10 fue estimada en 15,4 mil millones de dólares, con 93,4 millones de sacos exportados. Según la Organización Internacional del Café (ICO, 2011), el sector cafetero ha empleado alrededor de 26 millones de personas en 56 países productores y en más de 100 países exportadores. Sin embargo, ¿cómo los tipos de café podrían ser clasificados, en cuanto al ingreso, en relación a otros productos comercializados, y cómo han evolucionado? Para contestar a esta pregunta, se han calculado los ingresos anuales de 5.111 productos exportados por 167 países en el período comprendido entre 2000 y 2009. Los datos fueron obtenidos a través del UNCOMTRADE (2011), y se han utilizado los indicadores de "sofisticación" propuestos por Hausmann y Rodrik (2003) que clasifican los diferentes productos en función de sus productividades. Se hizo especial hincapié en cinco tipos de café (grano entero, tostado, descafeinado, con cafeína y soluble), que muestra la evolución del número de países exportadores y del índice de "sofisticación" (relacionado a los ingresos), cuya variación temporal se ha descompuesto por los efectos de la competitividad y por los cambios en la renta per cápita. Los resultados mostraron que el café sin tostar, con cafeína y de grano entero sigue siendo el más comercializado, pero presenta el nivel más bajo de ingreso de todos los tipos de café, ocupando el vigésimo cuarto puesto de peor nivel de ingreso en 2009. El café tostado y descafeinado presentó el mayor crecimiento de ingresos en el período, ubicándose en el puesto 3309º en 2009. La descomposición del índice mostró que para los tipos de café con mayor procesamiento, la principal causa del crecimiento de la sofisticación de las exportaciones fue el efecto de la ventaja comparativa revelada. Los productos con menor cantidad de procesamiento presentaron una pérdida de cuota relativa de mercado, con el valor añadido a la cadena de producción llevado a cabo afuera de los países productores de materias primas

Oral infection by the Human Papilloma Virus in women with cervical lesions at a prison in São Paulo, Brazil

Carcinoma of the head and neck is the 6th cause of death by cancer in the world. In recent decades the human papillomavirus (HPV) has been implicated in the etiology of this disease. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the types of HPV detected in the oral mucosa in women with cytological abnormalities suggesting intraepithelial squamous lesions in the uterine cervix. METHODS: four-hundred-nine cervical-vaginal and oral pap-smears of women interned in a Female Prison in São Paulo were examined. The relationship between cervical and oral lesion was analyzed by PCR/RFLP and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Of 27 (6.67%) specimens showing cervical cytological abnormalities suggesting LSIL and HSIL, 22 (81.48%) had oncogenic high-risk HPV infection, of which HPV 59 was the most prevalent. Three (11.1%) samples showed cytological changes suggesting mild dysplasia in the oral cavity. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests an association between carcinoma of the oral cavity and HPV infection, regardless of the virus type.O carcinoma de cabeça e pescoço é 6ª maior causa de mortes por neoplasia no mundo. Nas últimas décadas, tem-se associado a relação da infecção pelo Papilomavírus Humano (HPV) e seu envolvimento na etiologia desta doença, bem como acontece com o câncer de colo de útero. OBJETIVO: A caracterização molecular dos tipos de HPV diagnosticados na mucosa oral de mulheres que apresentavam alterações citológicas compatíveis com lesão escamosa no colo uterino. MÉTODOS: Foram estudadas 409 amostras cérvico-vaginais e de cavidade oral de mulheres internas no Presídio Feminino da cidade de São Paulo. A correlação entres lesões cervicais e orais foram avaliadas em 27 mulheres que apresentavam lesões pré-malignas e malignas no colo uterino pela caracterização molecular dos tipos de HPV por PCR/ RFLP e Sequenciamento. RESULTADOS: Das 27 (6,67%) amostras compatíveis com LSIL e HSIL no colo uterino, 22 (81,48%) apresentaram infecção pelo HPV de alto risco oncogênico, sendo o HPV 59 o mais prevalente, dentre elas, três amostras (11,1%) evidenciaram alterações celulares compatíveis com displasia leve na cavidade oral. CONCLUSÃO: Nosso estudo sugere uma relação entre o desenvolvimento de lesões da cavidade oral e a infecção pelo HPV, independentemente do tipo viral presente.UNIFESPLaboratório Afip departamento de biologia molecularUNIFESPSciEL

Birds of the Estação Ecológica de Itirapina, State of São Paulo, Brazil

O cerrado é um dos biomas mais ameaçados no mundo, apresentando algumas das maiores taxas de destruição causadas principalmente pela agropecuária. Poucos estudos têm avaliado a diversidade local de aves no cerrado, especialmente em áreas marginais desse bioma. A Estação Ecológica de Itirapina (EEI) contém um dos últimos remanescentes de campos naturais e cerrados do estado de São Paulo. Um levantamento das aves desta unidade de conservação, feito tanto por observações casuais como sistemáticas entre 1998 e 2007, e complementado por revisão de literatura, revelou que 231 espécies apresentaram ocorrência recente na área. Desse total, 38 espécies (16,4%) encontram-se na lista de espécies ameaçadas para o estado de São Paulo e/ou são endêmicas do Cerrado, um alto número quando comparado com outras áreas de cerrados paulistas ou mesmo em relação ao Brasil Central. Tal fato reforça a importância da EEI em relação à conservação da avifauna e demonstra que a mesma está mantendo sua função de conservar a biodiversidade. Adicionalmente, ao longo dos 10 anos de estudo foram detectadas várias ameaças à EEI, e neste sentido são recomendadas aqui algumas sugestões de manejo que consideramos essenciais para essa unidade de conservação manter ou mesmo aumentar sua diversidade de aves.Currently the Cerrado biome is one of the most threatened in the world because high taxes of destruction, mostly by agriculture and cattle. Few assessments of local bird diversity have been made in this biome, particularly in non core areas. The Estação Ecológica de Itirapina (EEI) maintains one of the last natural grassland savannah remnants of state of São Paulo, south-east Brazil. We conducted casual and systematic observations of birds in this reserve between 1998 and 2007, which altogether with additional literature revision yielded 231 species with recent occurrence. We report 38 species (16.4%) threatened with extinction in São Paulo and/or endemic to the Cerrado Region, an impressive result in comparison to other cerrado areas in São Paulo and even in Central Brazil. These results reinforce the importance of EEI for bird conservation and mean EEI is maintaining its function as a conservation unity. However, as a result of several menaces observed to this reserve during our ten years study, we suggest some management practices for the maintenance or even increasing of bird diversity in this reserve

Spatial exploration of Streptococcus pneumoniae clonal clustering in São Paulo, Brazil

OBJECTIVES: To examine the spatial distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae and its clonal patterns collected between 2002 and 2006 in São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: As part of an observational study in São Paulo city, Brazil, S. pneumoniae isolates routinely cultured from blood, respiratory specimens, or cerebrospinal and other profound fluids were selected. Additionally, only isolates with either penicillin (PEN) intermediate (I) or resistant (R) status on routine antibiogram were included, in order to obtain a higher probability of clonal isolates. A single I/R S. pneumoniae isolate per patient was included and submitted to genotypic determination by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined for the isolates by Etest® to PEN and other antimicrobials. Each isolate was geocoded in a digital map. The Kernel function and ratio methods between total isolates vs. clones were used in order to explore possible cluster formations. RESULTS: Seventy-eight (78) S. pneumoniae community isolates from two major outpatient centers in São Paulo, Brazil, were selected from the databank according to their penicillin susceptibility profile, i.e. R or I to penicillin assessed by oxacillin disc diffusion. Of these, 69 were submitted to PFGE, 65 to MIC determination, and 48 to spatial analytical procedures. Preliminary spatial analysis method showed two possible cluster formation located in southwest and southeast regions of the city. CONCLUSION: Further analyses are required for precisely determining the existence of S. pneumoniae clusters and their related risk factors. Apparently there is a specific transmission pattern of S. pneumoniae clones within certain regions and populations. GIS and spatial methods can be applied to better understand epidemiological patterns and to identify target areas for public health interventions.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Special Laboratory of Clinical MicrobiologyHospital Israelita Albert EinsteinGC-2 Gestão do Conhecimento Científico LtdInstituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais Department of Image ProcessingUNIFESP, Special Laboratory of Clinical MicrobiologySciEL

Optimum experimental design for model discrimination and generalized linear models.

The main subject of this thesis concerns the optimum design of experiments for discriminating between two rival mathematical models. In addition, optimality of designs for parameter estimation is investigated although restricted to binary response models. Optimal design theory and generalized linear models form the background for this work. The former provides the tools for construction of the optimum designs whereas the latter provides the framework in which the methods are developed. For model discrimination the procedures which are proposed may not only be applied to compare two regression models but also to compare two generalized linear models as long as they belong to the same subclass. The principle of the so called T-optimality criterion, originally introduced for discriminating between two regression models, is extended to other classes such as generalized linear models. Within each context a theorem based on the General Equivalence Theorem from the optimal design theory is shown to hold thus allowing both constructing and checking optimum designs. Optimum experimental designs to estimate the parameters of a binary response model is the other subject of this thesis. Initially, well known link functions such as logit, probit and complementary log-log are considered. Later, this range is widened by introducing a family of link functions which includes the logit and the complementary log-log links as particular members. One common feature of these two problems is that classical optimal designs depend on the unknown values of the model parameters. Therefore, only locally optimal designs can be obtained unless observations may be taken sequentially, in which case several methods to search for the optimum are available in the literature. As an alternative to locally and sequentially optimal experiments, Bayesian designs are introduced for both model discrimination and parameter estimation

O trem do sertão : as primeiras estorias e a sabedoria chinesa

Orientador: Suzi Frankl SperberDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da LinguagemResumo: Estudo da sabedoria chinesa em Primeiras Estórias a partir de elementos de linguagem que, devidamente avaliados, constituem o ponto nevrálgico da trama e da cosmovisão da obra. Fazendo-se sentir por todos os seus poros -léxicos, sintáticos e poéticos - embora hegemônica, o livro não se restringe àquela sabedoria. Seguindo a tradição crítica, o autor indica, na Introdução, pontos distintivos e de contacto no profundo e constante diálogo com religiões como o cristianismo e o budismo, outras filosofias como o existencialismo, o platonismo e mesmo a sabedoria pré-socrática. Diferenças e semelhanças incidem decisivamente no estilo utilizado pelo escritor mineiro. o "foco narrativo", constituinte do olhar infantil, articula a fatura da prosa poética e da cosmovisão e, portanto é o elemento dinamizador e de descanso propagado pelo "amarelinho" - jeito carinhoso de Guimarães Rosa denominar Primeiras Estórias. As estórias escolhidas para exame procuram revelar a estruturação da obra e os principais temas narrativos: a constituição e construção do novo homem, o governo dos "homens verdadeiros", a transitoriedade da vida e a superação do medo, a graça e a predestinação, o encanto infantil. Finalizando, o texto procura amarrar pontos e aspectos revelados sem transformá-Ios em nós, porque as estórias roseanas indicam o eterno refazer da vida e não se estaria fazendo jus a elas concluir a dissertação de modo axiomáticoAbstract: This study delineates, through the analysis of the language that form the nexus of the work, the presence of a tradicional Chinese Weltanschauung in Guimarães Rosa's Primeiras Estórias. Within the history of criticism the worl has received, these elements - lexical, syntactic or poetic - that permeate the work enter into dialogue with religious systems (Christianity and Buddism), and Pre-Socratic, Platonic and Existencial outlook also present in the stories, style ultimately being a product of similarities and differences among these elements. The narrative focus, constituting a childlike way of seeing, articulates dynamic and static elements from the poetic prose and Weltanschauung of' amarelinho [little yellow book]', Guimarães Rosa's affectionate way of referring to Primeiras Estórias. The stories chosen for analysis reveal the overall structure of the work and its principal narrative themes: the constitution and creation of New Man, the govemment of 'authentic men', the transitory nature of life, grace and predestination, childlike wonder and the overcoming of fear. The dissertation attempts to finalize specific points or aspects exposed by the analysis without transforming these into conundrums. Rosa' s stories indicate an Eternal recycling of life. Thus, it would be ill-advised to have concluded the dissertation in an axiomatic fashionMestradoMestre em Teoria e História Literári

Rheological behaviour of cement mortars reinforced with acrylic fibres

The fibre reinforcement efficacy of mortar is dependent upon many factors, including the properties of the matrix as well as the fibre geometry, size, type, volume and dispersion. Among the plastic fibres typically used in mortars, little or nothing is known about the rheological behaviour of acrylic fibres. Thus, in this study the influence of different acrylic fibres characteristics on the rheological behaviour of cement mortars was investigated. The method selected is based on factorial design of experiments in which the parameters considered are the length, diameter and acrylic fibre content. The test results indicate that Herschel-Bulkley model better simulate the rheological behaviour of acrylic fibres reinforced mortars. It was also observed that the yield stress increases with the reduction of fibre length and diameter and the plastic viscosity increases as the fibre length increases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Observational Δν\Delta\nu-ρˉ\bar\rho relation for δ\delta Sct stars using eclipsing binaries and space photometry

Delta Scuti ($\delta$ Sct) stars are intermediate-mass pulsators, whose intrinsic oscillations have been studied for decades. However, modelling their pulsations remains a real theoretical challenge, thereby even hampering the precise determination of global stellar parameters. In this work, we used space photometry observations of eclipsing binaries with a $\delta$ Sct component to obtain reliable physical parameters and oscillation frequencies. Using that information, we derived an observational scaling relation between the stellar mean density and a frequency pattern in the oscillation spectrum. This pattern is analogous to the solar-like large separation but in the low order regime. We also show that this relation is independent of the rotation rate. These findings open the possibility of accurately characterizing this type of pulsator and validate the frequency pattern as a new observable for $\delta$ Sct stars.Comment: 11 pages, including 2 pages of appendix, 2 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in ApJ