Macro and micro issues related to natural resource-based economic growth

Bibliografia: p. 201-203O olhar de Fabio sobre a economia foi fortemente moldado pela forma como ele entendia as interações macro/micro e a economia política do mundo da manufatura. O crescimento baseado nos recursos naturais que decorre da ampla exportação de commodities industriais tem se tornado objeto de acalorado debate entre os economistas. Enquanto alguns consideram tal estratégia uma "maldição", por forçar o mercado a depender muito mais da volatilidade dos preços mundiais das matérias-primas e, portanto, deixá-lo mais exposto a turbulências externas, outros apontam para o fato de que os setores de processamento de recursos naturais proporcionam um caminho precioso para a introdução de novas tecnologias, abrindo, assim, uma janela de oportunidade para as atividades intensivas em conhecimento nas áreas de biotecnologias, máquinas e equipamentos, logística etc. Consequências macro e microeconômicas resultam do crescimento da exportação de commodities baseadas em recursos naturais. A literatura especializada já examinou tais consequências sob nomes exóticos, como "Doença Holandesa" e a "Tragédia dos Comuns". Impulsionados pela expansão rápida da demanda chinesa por commodities industriais, muitos países da América Latina conseguiram registrar um crescimento significativo durante essa última década. Argentina, Brasil e Chile são três grandes exemplos que serão comparados neste trabalho.Fabio’s way of looking at Economics was strongly shaped by the way in which he understood macro-to-micro interactions and the political economy of the world of manufacturing. Natural resource based growth resulting from expanding exports of industrial commodities has been the subject of heated debate among economists. While some of them consider such strategy a "curse" due to the fact that it makes the economy more exposed to the volatility of world prices for raw materials and therefore more exposed to externally induced turbulence, others point out to the fact that natural resource processing industries provide a valuable road for the introduction of new technologies opening up a "window of opportunity" for skill intensive activities in biotechnologies, machinery and equipment, logistics and more. Macro and microeconomic consequences result from expanding exports of natural resource based commodities. Specialized literature has examined said consequences under such exotic names as the "Dutch Disease" syndrome and the "Tragedy of the Commons". Propelled by the rapid expansion of Chinese demand for the industrial commodities, many countries in Latin America have attained significant growth over the past decade. Argentina, Brazil and Chile constitute three major examples whose comparison is undertaken in this paper

Tools for Deconstructing Gauge Theories in AdS5

We employ analytical methods to study deconstruction of 5D gauge theories in the AdS5 background. We demonstrate that using the so-called q-Bessel functions allows a quantitative analysis of the deconstructed setup. Our study clarifies the relation of deconstruction with 5D warped theories.Comment: 30 pages; v2: several refinements, references adde

NLRP6 Inflammasome Orchestrates the Colonic Host-Microbial Interface by Regulating Goblet Cell Mucus Secretion

SummaryMucus production by goblet cells of the large intestine serves as a crucial antimicrobial protective mechanism at the interface between the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells of the mammalian intestinal ecosystem. However, the regulatory pathways involved in goblet cell-induced mucus secretion remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the NLRP6 inflammasome, a recently described regulator of colonic microbiota composition and biogeographical distribution, is a critical orchestrator of goblet cell mucin granule exocytosis. NLRP6 deficiency leads to defective autophagy in goblet cells and abrogated mucus secretion into the large intestinal lumen. Consequently, NLRP6 inflammasome-deficient mice are unable to clear enteric pathogens from the mucosal surface, rendering them highly susceptible to persistent infection. This study identifies an innate immune regulatory pathway governing goblet cell mucus secretion, linking nonhematopoietic inflammasome signaling to autophagy and highlighting the goblet cell as a critical innate immune player in the control of intestinal host-microbial mutualism.PaperCli

Supernova Remnants and Star Formation in the Large Magellanic Cloud

It has often been suggested that supernova remnants (SNRs) can trigger star formation. To investigate the relationship between SNRs and star formation, we have examined the known sample of 45 SNRs in the Large Magellanic Cloud to search for associated young stellar objects (YSOs) and molecular clouds. We find seven SNRs associated with both YSOs and molecular clouds, three SNRs associated with YSOs but not molecular clouds, and eight SNRs near molecular clouds but not associated with YSOs. Among the 10 SNRs associated with YSOs, the association between the YSOs and SNRs can be either rejected or cannot be convincingly established for eight cases. Only two SNRs have YSOs closely aligned along their rims; however, the time elapsed since the SNR began to interact with the YSOs' natal clouds is much shorter than the contraction timescales of the YSOs, and thus we do not see any evidence of SNR-triggered star formation in the LMC. The 15 SNRs that are near molecular clouds may trigger star formation in the future when the SNR shocks have slowed down to <45 km/s. We discuss how SNRs can alter the physical properties and abundances of YSOs.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, Accepted for publication in the August 2010 edition of the Astronomical Journa

New Dynamic Monte Carlo Renormalization Group Method

The dynamical critical exponent of the two-dimensional spin-flip Ising model is evaluated by a Monte Carlo renormalization group method involving a transformation in time. The results agree very well with a finite-size scaling analysis performed on the same data. The value of $z = 2.13 \pm 0.01$ is obtained, which is consistent with most recent estimates

Nomenclature for renal replacement therapy and blood purification techniques in critically ill patients: practical applications

This article reports the conclusions of the second part of a consensus expert conference on the nomenclature of renal replacement therapy (RRT) techniques currently utilized to manage acute kidney injury and other organ dysfunction syndromes in critically ill patients. A multidisciplinary approach was taken to achieve harmonization of definitions, components, techniques, and operations of the extracorporeal therapies. The article describes the RRT techniques in detail with the relevant technology, procedures, and phases of treatment and key aspects of volume management/fluid balance in critically ill patients. In addition, the article describes recent developments in other extracorporeal therapies, including therapeutic plasma exchange, multiple organ support therapy, liver support, lung support, and blood purification in sepsis. This is a consensus report on nomenclature harmonization in extracorporeal blood purification therapies, such as hemofiltration, plasma exchange, multiple organ support therapies, and blood purification in sepsis

Integrative analyses identify modulators of response to neoadjuvant aromatase inhibitors in patients with early breast cancer

Introduction Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a vital component of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer treatment. De novo and acquired resistance, however, is common. The aims of this study were to relate patterns of copy number aberrations to molecular and proliferative response to AIs, to study differences in the patterns of copy number aberrations between breast cancer samples pre- and post-AI neoadjuvant therapy, and to identify putative biomarkers for resistance to neoadjuvant AI therapy using an integrative analysis approach. Methods Samples from 84 patients derived from two neoadjuvant AI therapy trials were subjected to copy number profiling by microarray-based comparative genomic hybridisation (aCGH, n = 84), gene expression profiling (n = 47), matched pre- and post-AI aCGH (n = 19 pairs) and Ki67-based AI-response analysis (n = 39). Results Integrative analysis of these datasets identified a set of nine genes that, when amplified, were associated with a poor response to AIs, and were significantly overexpressed when amplified, including CHKA, LRP5 and SAPS3. Functional validation in vitro, using cell lines with and without amplification of these genes (SUM44, MDA-MB134-VI, T47D and MCF7) and a model of acquired AI-resistance (MCF7-LTED) identified CHKA as a gene that when amplified modulates estrogen receptor (ER)-driven proliferation, ER/estrogen response element (ERE) transactivation, expression of ER-regulated genes and phosphorylation of V-AKT murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1). Conclusions These data provide a rationale for investigation of the role of CHKA in further models of de novo and acquired resistance to AIs, and provide proof of concept that integrative genomic analyses can identify biologically relevant modulators of AI response

Expected Performance of the ATLAS Experiment - Detector, Trigger and Physics

A detailed study is presented of the expected performance of the ATLAS detector. The reconstruction of tracks, leptons, photons, missing energy and jets is investigated, together with the performance of b-tagging and the trigger. The physics potential for a variety of interesting physics processes, within the Standard Model and beyond, is examined. The study comprises a series of notes based on simulations of the detector and physics processes, with particular emphasis given to the data expected from the first years of operation of the LHC at CERN