Does it Take a Lula to go to Davos? A Brief Overview of Brazilian Reforms, 1980-2000

What are the determinants of economic reform efforts? This paper tries to throw light on this question by examining recent reforms in Brazil, a country which followed a gradualist approach and was a late-starter among Latin American economies. We argue that these first generation reforms (trade liberalization, stabilization, privatization and the adoption of a new macro-policy framework) were driven by the drastic growth slowdown and redemocratization of the 1980s. We argue that their gradual and democratic implementation not only respond for their sustainability but also shows that the country is ready for a second generation of reforms focusing explicitly on institutional deficiencies.Reform, Stabilization, Economic Policy, Growth, Brazil

The high andean Cordillera of Central Argentina and chile along the Piuquenes pass-cordon del Portillo transect: Darwin's pioneering observations compared with modern Geology

The geological observations made by Darwin in 1835 during his crossing of the Andes from Santiago to Mendoza via the Piuquenes Pass and Cordón del Portillo are compared with the present geological knowledge of the Cordillera Principal and Cordillera Frontal at 33°-34°S. The analysis of the complex stratigraphy of the Cordillera Principal, the imbricated structure of the Aconcagua fold and thrust belt, as well as the stratigraphy and structure of the inter mountain foreland Tunuyán Basin, allows to assess the pioneer observations of Darwin. He recognized the old metamorphic basement and the granitoids and volcanic sequences of late Paleozoic to Triassic age of the Cordillera Frontal, established the Cretaceous age of the marine successions cropping out along the eastern Cordillera Principal and studied the conglomeratic deposits associated with the uplift of the Cordillera in the Alto Tunuyán Basin. Based on the study of clast provenance of the synorogenic deposits of the Alto Tunuyán Basin, Darwin recognized that the Cordillera Frontal was uplifted later than the Cordillera Principal. The present knowledge of this sector of the Andean Cordillera confirms his pioneer observations and show that Darwin was one of the first scientists ever in realizing that in an orogenic system the sequence of uplift and deformation proceeds from hinterland towards foreland, according to a process that is exceptionally well-illustrated along the Piuquenes-Cordón del Portillo transect.Fil:Giambiagi, L. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Tunik, M. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Ramos, V.A. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Electron delocalization in planar metallacycles : Hückel or Möbius aromatic?

In this work the relationship between the formal number of π-electrons, d-orbital conjugation topology, π-electron delocalization and aromaticity in d-block metallacycles is investigated in the context of recent findings concerning the correlation of π-HOMO topology and the magnetic aromaticity indices in these species. It is demonstrated that for π-electron rich d-metallacycles the direct link between aromaticity, the number of π-electrons and the frontier π-orbital topology does not strictly hold and for such systems it is very difficult to unambiguously associate their aromaticity with the '4n+2' (Hückel) and '4n' (Möbius) rules. It is also shown that the recently proposed electron density of delocalized bonds (EDDB) method can successfully be used not only to quantify and visualize aromaticity in such difficult cases, but also - in contrast to magnetic aromaticity descriptors - to provide a great deal of information on the real role of d-orbitals in metallacycles without the ambiguity of bookkeeping of electrons in the π-subsystem of the molecular ring. Interestingly, some of the metallacycles studied cannot be classified exclusively as Hückel or Möbius because they have a hybrid Hückel-Möbius or even quasi-aromatic natur

Triassic-Jurassic development and evolution of the Atuel depocentre, Neuquén basin, Mendoza province

The Atuel depocentre corresponds to a Late Triassic - Early Jurassic NNW-trending subbasin, located in the northern sector of the Neuquén basin. Based on pre-existing stratigraphical data and present structural analysis we propose that the Atuel depocentre is bounded by the presence of two NNW-trending major normal faults, named Alumbre and La Manga. These faults are inferred to have controlled the development of two west-facing half-grabens: the Río Blanco, a completely emerged half-graben, and the western Arroyo Malo, a completely submerged half-graben. The structural model presented here is based on the assumption that both, the basement structural grain and the regional extension direction, exerted a first-order control in the development and evolution of the Atuel depocentre. During the early stage of rifting (pre-Rhaetian - Middle Hettangian) the pre-Triassic Alumbre and La Manga faults reactivated in an oblique mode. During the second episode of rifting, both Alumbre and La Manga faults continued to play, while WNW-trending normal fault developed in order to accommodate the strain inside both half-grabens. The third extensional event began with an abrupt marine rise inside the Arroyo Malo half-graben during late Middle Hettangian, as a result of the last displacement of the Alumbre fault, and finished with an abrupt marine drop associated with the desactivation of the La Manga fault.Fil:Giambiagi, L. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Bechis, F. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Lanés, S. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Tunik, M. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:García, V. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Suriano, J. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.Fil:Mescua, J. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Antibiotic resistance genes detected in the marine sponge <i>Petromica citrina</i> from Brazilian coast

Although antibiotic-resistant pathogens pose a significant threat to human health, the environmental reservoirs of the resistance determinants are still poorly understood. This study reports the detection of resistance genes (ermB, mecA, mupA, qnrA, qnrB and tetL) to antibiotics among certain culturable and unculturable bacteria associated with the marine sponge Petromica citrina. The antimicrobial activities elicited by P. citrina and its associated bacteria are also described. The results indicate that the marine environment could play an important role in the development of antibiotic resistance and the dissemination of resistance genes among bacteria

Accurate identification of atypical Staphylococcus chromogenes plasma-clotting strains causing bovine mastitis.

ABSTRACT - We compared the potential of routine techniques used for the identification of Staphylococcus species, aiming to evaluate their accuracy in the detection of 43 Staphylococcus chromogenes strains isolated from bovine mastitis that, despite being a coagulase-negative species, are able to clot plasma. These strains could be mistakenly suspected to be S. aureus and lead to an unappropriated treatment of the disease. MALDI-TOF, PCR-RFLP of the chaperonine gene groEL, and sequencing of the 16S rRNA and elongation factor Tu gene tuf were employed. Results from the four methods were coincident for only half of the strains because of the low accuracy of the groEL PCR-RFLP (51.2% accuracy). Even though all the sequencing results were identical, the high accuracy of the MALDI-TOF results (97.7% accuracy, with only one strain misidentified) encourage the use of this technique, since it does not require laborious sample preparation, being fast and simple to perform. RESUMO - Nós comparamos o potencial de técnicas rotineiras utilizadas para a identificação de espécies de Staphylococcus, com o objetivo de avaliar a acurácia delas na detecção de 43 isolados de Staphylococcus chromogenes envolvidos com mastite bovina que, apesar de ser uma espécie coagulase-negativa, são capazes de coagular o plasma. Essas cepas poderiam ser erroneamente suspeitas de serem S. aureus e levarem a um tratamento não adequado da doença. MALDI-TOF, PCR-RFLP do gene da chaperonina groEL e sequenciamento do gene do rRNA 16S e do gene do fator de elongação Tu, tuf, foram avaliados. Os resultados dos quatro métodos foram coincidentes para apenas metade das cepas, devido à baixa precisão da PCR-RFLP com groEL (51,2% de acurácia). Apesar de todos os resultados do sequenciamento serem idênticos, a alta precisão dos resultados do MALDI-TOF (97,7% de acurácia, com apenas uma cepa identificada incorretamente) encoraja o uso dessa técnica, pois, não requer preparação laboriosa de amostras, sendo rápida e simples de executar.Made available in DSpace on 2019-12-30T18:13:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CiRuralLangeAccurate.pdf: 877367 bytes, checksum: 11a9ad9344b2a3ea9d23d91cc8175974 (MD5) Previous issue date: 201

Does it Take a Lula to go to Davos? A Brief Overview of Brazilian Reforms, 1980-2000

What are the determinants of economic reform efforts? This paper tries to throw light on this question by examining recent reforms in Brazil, a country which followed a gradualist approach and was a late-starter among Latin American economies. We argue that these first generation reforms (trade liberalization, stabilization, privatization and the adoption of a new macro-policy framework) were driven by the drastic growth slowdown and redemocratization of the 1980s. We argue that their gradual and democratic implementation not only respond for their sustainability but also shows that the country is ready for a second generation of reforms focusing explicitly on institutional deficiencies.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39966/3/wp580.pd

Characterization of Staphylococcus spp. strains in milk from buffaloes with mastitis in Brazil: the need to identify to species level to avoid misidentification.

ABSTRACT - Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland that affects dairy cattle worldwide causing economic losses. Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are the predominant cause of this type of infection. We have recently showed that coagulase-positive staphylococci could be misidentified. So, the aim of this study was to characterize the Staphylococcus spp. strains initially classified as coagulase-negative Staphylococci, isolated from buffalo with subclinical mastitis. Milk of buffaloes with mastitis in herds was collected and 9 strains were identified as CNS by phenotypic tests. Molecular methodologies latter identified the strains as coagulase-negative Staphylococcus chromogenes (5), coagulase-positive Staphylococcus hyicus (2) and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus (2). Our results strongly support the need to identify the isolates to a species level in order to avoid misidentification and to be aware of the classification using the coagulase test alone. RESUMO - A mastite é uma inflamação da glândula mamária que afeta o gado leiteiro em todo o mundo, causando perdas econômicas. Staphylococcus coagulase-negativa (SCN) são a causa predominante desse tipo de infecção. Mostrou-se recentemente que Staphylococcus coagulase-positiva podem ser identificados erroneamente. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar cepas de Staphylococcus spp. inicialmente classificados como Staphylococcus coagulase-negativa, isolados de búfalas com mastite subclínica. O leite de búfalas com mastite foi coletado, e nove cepas foram identificadas como SCN por testes fenotípicos. Metodologias moleculares identificaram as cepas como Staphylococcus chromogenes coagulase-negativa (5) Staphylococcus hyicus coagulase-positiva (2) e Staphylococcus aureus coagulase-positiva (2). Os resultados reforçam a necessidade de identificar as cepas em termos de espécie, a fim de se evitarem erros de identificação e estar atento à classificação utilizando o teste de coagulase sozinho