Liberalização do comércio, integração regional e Mercado Comum do Sul: o papel do Brasil

RESUMO Este artigo adota uma abordagem evolutiva e sistêmica da questão da integração regional na América Latina, revisando os principais instrumentos de comércio preferencial na região, desde a experiência da LAIA (Associação de Integração Latino-Americana, Aladi) até o mercado comum do sul (Mercosul), e seu estágio intermediário, o programa de integração Argentina-Brasil. Especial atenção é dada à posição do Brasil, sendo o principal parceiro no comércio intrarregional dos países membros da Aladi e o país-chave para o sucesso do Mercosul, o experimento mais recente no processo de integração latino-americana. Os acordos comerciais preferenciais de Aladi foram profundamente afetados por suas crises econômicas dos anos 80, que atingiram praticamente todos os seus países membros, reduzindo assim os fluxos comerciais intrarregionais e as virtudes de criação de comércio de seu principal mecanismo multilateral, o Preferência Tarifária Regional (PTR). Em meados da década de 80, o Brasil e a Argentina já haviam decidido iniciar um novo processo de integração bilateral, que expandiu e abarcou os acordos setoriais assinados sob a estrutura Aladi. Após concordar com os procedimentos institucionais do processo de integração bilateral, os dois países negociaram e concluíram um Acordo de Complementação Econômica (ACE), que se tornou a base do Tratado de Assunção, assinado em março de 1991 com a adesão do Paraguai e Uruguai. O novo experimento de integração sub-regional ocorre no meio dos processos de liberalização do comércio e do desmantelamento das políticas de substituição de importações nos quatro países

Determination of lead concentration in breast milk and blood of lactanting women in an interior city of Brasil

Background: breast milk offers numerous advantages biological and emotional. However, in some situations, can transfer harmful elements for the health of infants. Objective: to determine lead levels in the blood and milk of mothers whose children frequent a primary mother-child health care. Methods: a cross-sectional, observational and descriptive study of 70 healthy women who were breast-feeding babies younger than six months during 01/04/2011 to 30/09/2011. Lead determination was performed by mass spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma. A linear regression model was adjusted to determine the association between lead concentrations in maternal milk and blood. The estimated values of the difference between means and their 95% confidence intervals were obtained. Results: mean lead concentration in milk was 1.462 ng/mL and blood lead concentration was 1.801 μg/dL. Conclusions: human milk is not a source of contamination for the babies in this area. However, more studies are needed in other regions of the country in view of the growing evidence of foci of lead contamination, which may represent an occult risk for the population

Dynamical aspects of supercooled TIP3P–water in the grooves of DNA

We investigate by molecular dynamics simulations the mobility of the water located at the DNA minor and major grooves. We employ the TIP3P water model, and our system is analyzed for a range of temperatures 190–300 K. For high temperatures, the water at the grooves shows an Arrhenius behavior similar to that observed in the bulk water. At lower temperatures, a departure from the bulk behavior is observed. This slowing down in the dynamics is compared with the dynamics of the hydrogen of the DNA at the grooves and with the autocorrelation functions of the water hydrogen bonds. Our results indicate that the hydrogen bonds of the water at the minor grooves are highly correlated, which suggests that this is the mechanism for the slow dynamics at this high confinemen

Hitchhiking Trypanosoma cruzi minicircle DNA affects gene expression in human host cells via LINE-1 retrotransposon

The horizontal transfer of Trypanosoma cruzi mitochondrial minicircle DNA to the genomes of naturally infected humans may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Chagas disease. Minicircle integrations within LINE-1 elements create the potential for foreign DNA mobility within the host genome via the machinery associated with this retrotransposon. Here we document integration of minicircle DNA fragments in clonal human macrophage cell lines and their mobilization over time. The movement of an integration event in a clonal transfected cell line was tracked at three months and three years post-infection. The minicircle sequence integrated into a LINE-1 retrotransposon; one such foreign fragment subsequently relocated to another genomic location in association with associated LINE-1 elements. The p15 locus was altered at three years as a direct effect of minicircle/LINE-1 acquisition, resulting in elimination of p15 mRNA. Here we show for the first time a molecular pathology stemming from mobilization of a kDNA/LINE-1 mutation. These genomic changes and detected transcript variations are consistent with our hypothesis that minicircle integration is a causal component of parasite-independent, autoimmune-driven lesions seen in the heart and other target tissues associated with Chagas disease

Potencial genético da aveia, como produtora de grãos no sul do Brasil

Yield and other agronomic traits were studied in six experiments with oats (Avena sativa L.) established in the Southern Brazil, during the years 1982 to 1984. The grain yield and hectoliter wight in different genotypes showed high progress; however, plant stature and heading time did not change in the last three years. The results suggest that plant breeding programmes should release new genotypes to increase stability and yield potential. O rendimento de grãos e outros caracteres de importância agronômica foram estudados em seis experimentos de aveia estabelecidos na região sul do Brasil, entre os anos de 1982 a 1984. O rendimento de grãos e o peso do hectolitro nos diferentes genótipos demonstraram um alto progresso; entretanto, a estatura e o ciclo de desenvolvimento de planta não apresentaram alterações nos últimos três anos. Os resultados sugerem que os programas de melhoramento devem continuar criando e testando novos genótipos anualmente, com o objetivo de incrementar a estabilidade e o potencial de rendimento de grãos.

Study of reactions induced by 6He on 9Be

We present the results of experiments using a 6He beam on a 9Be target at\ud energies 7 − 9 times the Coulomb barrier. Angular distributions of the elastic, inelastic\ud scattering (target breakup) and the -particle production in the 6He+9Be collision have\ud been analysed. Total reaction cross sections were obtained from the elastic scattering\ud analyses and a considerable enhancement has been observed by comparing to stable systems.FAPESPFundação Araucári

The Li-8(p, alpha)He-5 reaction at low energies, and Be-9 spectroscopy around the proton threshold

We present a direct measurement of the low-energy Li-8(p, alpha)He-5 cross section, using a radioactive Li-8 beam impinging on a thick target. With four beam energies, we cover the energy range between E-c.m. = 0.2 and 2.1 MeV. An R-matrix analysis of the data is performed and suggests the existence of two broad overlapping resonances (5/2(+) at E-c.m. = 1.69 MeV and 7/2(+) at E-c.m. = 1.76 MeV). At low energies our data are sensitive to the properties of a subthreshold state (E-x = 16.67 MeV) and of two resonances above threshold. These resonances were observed in previous experiments. The R-matrix fit confirms spin assignments, and provides partial widths. We propose a new Li-8(p, alpha)He-5 reaction rate and briefly discuss its influence in nuclear astrophysics. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevC.86.064321Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP) [2003/10099-2, 2004/07379-6, 2008/09341-7]Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Comissao de Aperfeicoamento do Ensino Superior (CAPES)Comissao de Aperfeicoamento do Ensino Superior (CAPES