Produtos agropecuários: para quem exportar?

The paper discussed the main factors that explain the Brazilian agricultural exports. In order to achieve this goal, the paper applied a gravity model that includes fixed and random effects estimations, besides the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) approach. Distance, trade partners´ GDP, and geographical localization were the significant variables. Moreover, puzzle effects are associated to exchange rate, partners´ agricultural exports profile and the partners´ agricultural share in GDP. Finally, this study highlights the potential change of the relevant variables because of specific characteristics of each commercial Brazilian partner.exports, gravity model, agricultural sector., Agribusiness, Q17, F13,

Spatial dynamics of labor markets in Brazil

There was substantial spatial variation in labor market outcomes in Brazil over the 1990s. In 2000, about one-fifth of workers lived in apparently economically stagnant municipios where real wages declined but employment increased faster than the national population growth rate. More than one-third lived in apparently dynamic municipios, experiencing both real wage growth and faster-than-average employment growth. These areas absorbed more than half of net employment growth over the period. To elucidate this spatial variation, the authors estimate spatial labor supply and demand equations describing wage and employment changes of Brazilian municipios. They use Conley's spatial GMM technique to allow for instrumental variable estimation in the presence of spatially autocorrelated errors. The main findings include: (1) a very strong influence of initial workforce educational levels on subsequent wage growth (controlling for possibly confounding variables such as remoteness and climate); (2) evidence of positive spillover effects of own-municipio growth onto neighbors'wage and employment levels; (3) an exodus from farming areas; (4) relatively elastic response of wages to an increase in labor supply; and (5) evidence of a local multiplier effect from government transfers.Labor Markets,Economic Theory&Research,Economic Growth,Municipal Financial Management,Achieving Shared Growth

Determinants of city growth in Brazil

The authors examine the determinants of Brazilian city growth between 1970 and 2000. They consider a model of a city that combines aspects of standard urban economics and the new economic geography literatures. For the empirical analysis, the authors construct a dataset of 123 Brazilian agglomerations and estimate aspects of the demand and supply side, as well as a reduced form specification that describes city sizes and their growth. Their main findings are that increases in rural population supply, improvements in interregional transport connectivity, and education attainment of the labor force have strong impacts on city growth. They also find that local crime and violence, measured by homicide rates, impinge on growth. In contrast, a higher share of private sector industrial capital in the local economy stimulates growth. Using the residuals from the growth estimation, the authors also find that cities that better administer local land use and zoning laws have higher growth. Finally, their policy simulations show that diverting transport investments from large cities toward secondary cities does not provide significant gains in terms of national urban performance.Economic Theory&Research,City Development Strategies,Municipal Financial Management,Achieving Shared Growth,Economic Growth

Caracterização eletrofisiológica das toxinas moduladoras de canais de sódio (Tst1 e Tst3) purificadas da peçonha do escorpião Tityus stigmurus

Tese (doutorado) — Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Biologia Celular, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Molecular, 2022.imadamente 1,5% das espécies de aracnídeos existentes. Dentro do território brasileiro, são encontradas diversas espécies de escorpiões, estando presente em todos os estados do país. Dentre as espécies de maior importância e abundância estão os animais pertencentes ao gênero Tityus, tendo em vista o grande número de acidentes e problemas graves causados. Uma espécie de destaque é o Tityus stigmurus, espécie endêmica do Nordeste do Brasil. Essa espécie se destaca por ser a maior causadora de picadas nesta região do país, sendo responsável pelo grande número de casos acidentes graves, desencadeando altos índices de internações e morte. A peçonha destes animais é formada por diversos compostos diferentes, no qual os que mais se sobressaem são peptídeos, também conhecidos como neurotoxinas. Essas neurotoxinas são capazes de interagir e afetar o funcionamento de canais iônicos dependentes de voltagem tais como potássio (Kv), cálcio (Cav) e sódio (Nav), responsáveis pela propagação e iniciação de sinais nervosos. Neste trabalho, a peçonha do escorpião Tityus stigmurus foi extraída e submetida ao processo de fracionamento utilizando a técnica de Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência em Fase Reversa (RP-HPLC). As frações coletadas foram analisadas em Espectrômetro de Massa (MALDI-TOF) e as frações de interesse para este trabalho foram separadas e sequenciadas de forma parcial pelo método de ISD. Após o processo de purificação e identificação, as toxinas purificadas, correspondente às toxinas Tst1 e Tst3, foram testadas em canais de sódio dependentes de voltagem (subtipos Nav 1.1 a 1.7) utilizando a técnica de patchclamp no modo whole cell. A toxina Tst1 demonstrou uma atividade característica da classe das β-toxinas, alterando o potencial de abertura dos canais de sódio (Nav) e inibindo a corrente dos mesmos, tendo uma ação superior no subtipo Nav 1.3. Já a toxina Tst3 manifestou uma atividade característico das α-toxinas, alterando a inativação rápida dos canais de sódio, sendo os subtipos Nav 1.3, 1.6 e 1.7 os mais comprometidos. Assim, as toxinas Tst1 e Tst3 são as primeiras toxinas purificadas da peçonha de Tityus stigmurus amplamente caracterizadas em diferentes isoformas de canais de sódio (Nav).Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) e Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal (FAP/DF).Belonging to the Arthropoda phylum, scorpions represent approximately 1.5% of arachnid species. In Brazil several species of scorpions are found, being present in all regions. Among them, the most important and abundant species are the animals belonging to the genus Tityus, due to their great variety and medical importance. One of the most important ones is Tityus stigmurus, an endemic species from the Northeast region of Brazil. This species stands out for the high number of accidents in the Northeast region of the country, being responsible for a large number of accidents, leading to hospitalization and cases of death. The venom of these animals is composed of several different compounds, in which the most prominent are peptides, also known as neurotoxins. These neurotoxins are able to interact and affect the functioning of ion channels such as potassium (Kv), calcium (Cav), and voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav), responsible for the propagation and initiation of nerve signals. In this work, the venom of the scorpion Tityus stigmurus was extracted and fractioned using Reverse Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RPHPLC) technique. The fractions collected were analyzed in a Mass Spectrometer (MALDI-TOF) and the fractions of interest were separated and partially sequenced using ISD method. After the purification and identification, the purified toxins, corresponding to toxins Tst1 and Tst3, were tested in voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav 1.1 to 1.7) using the patch-clamp technique in whole cell mode. The toxin Tst1 demonstrated a characteristic activity of β-toxin, altering the opening potential of sodium channels (Nav) and inhibiting current, having a greater action on the Nav 1.3 subtype. The toxin Tst3 showed a characteristic of α-toxins, altering the rapid inactivation of sodium channels, with subtypes Nav 1.3, 1.6, and 1.7 the most compromised ones. Tst1 and Tst3 toxins are the first toxins purified from Tityus stigmurus venom widely characterized in different isoforms of sodium channels (Nav)

Produtividade e desempenho exportador das firmas na indústria de transformação brasileira

O processo de abertura comercial trouxe mudanças importantes para a economia brasileira. As empresas melhoraram a produtividade a fim de se inserirem de forma competitiva no mercado internacional. Este trabalho analisou as diferenças de produtividade entre firmas exportadoras e firmas não exportadoras no Brasil. Utilizando o teste não paramétrico de Kolmogorov-Smirnov, comparam-se as distribuições de produtividade com dados ao nível de firmas. Os resultados encontrados mostram claramente maiores níveis de produtividade para as firmas exportadoras do que para as firmas não exportadoras. Ademais, as evidências encontradas mostram-se mais robustas para o grupo de firmas de pequeno porte vis-à-vis as firmas de grande porte. Quanto à explicação dessas diferenças, os resultados encontrados parecem dar suporte à hipótese de seleção, ou seja, o maior nível de produtividade das firmas exportadoras aparenta ser fruto de processos de seleção das firmas não apenas na entrada, mas também na saída do mercado de exportação. Por outro lado, os resultados encontrados não confirmam a existência de processos de aprendizado no mercado exportador brasileiro. Durante o período considerado, as diferenças entre as taxas de crescimento da produtividade das firmas exportadoras e das não exportadoras não foram significantes.The trade opening process made important adjustments in the Brazilian economy. Several firms enhanced their productivity in order to enter foreign market competitively. This paper analyzed the productivity differences between exporting and non-exporting firms in Brazil. Using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov nonparametric test, we compare productivity difference in firm-level data. The results reveal higher productivity levels in exporting firms compared to non-exporting ones. Besides, the findings are more robust to the group of smaller firms. Concerning the explanation of those differences, the results appear to support the hypothesis of selection, i.e., the reason for the higher productivity level of exporting firms seems due to selection processes not only accrued of entering foreign markets, but also of exiting them. On the other hand, the results do not confirm the existence of a learning process in the exporting market. During the period under analysis, the firms' productivity growth divergences were not significant