An investigation of the competitiveness hypothesis of the resource curse

In this paper I investigate the competitiveness explanation of the resource curse: to what extent slow growth in primary producer countries is related to the properties of this pattern of trade specialization. To address this hypothesis that has not been adequately explored in the literature, I estimate cross-country and system GMM panel data regressions, using a sample of 49 developed and developing countries. The empirical analysis explores most hypothetical explanations of the resource curse using a sensitivity approach and alternative trade specialization measures, elaborated with long-term trade disaggregated data, what constitutes an innovation regarding previous empirical work. The main findings of the paper are: i- that primary specialization hampers growth by reducing intraindustry trade and the dynamism of export demand, and ii- that it is the specialization in natural resource products with no or limited processing the one constraining economic growth, but not the specialization in industrialized resource products. Both facts support the competitiveness hypothesis of the resource curse and suggest that this growth paradox is linked to the limitations of resource abundant countries to diversify their tradable sector, and engage in the trade of products that facilitate the achievement of static and dynamic economies of scale

Modelo de economía dependiente con eslabonamientos productivos y el patrón de diversificación de los países con recursos naturales abundantes

This paper presents a dependent economy model extended to consider the role of productive linkages. The model shows that a positive natural resource shock, as the one experienced by South American countries in recent years, can encourage productive and export diversification, in contrast to the predictions of conventional models. This can occur when the shock promotes the expansion of productive linkages, which provide infrastructure and other specialised services that are essential to compete in modern manufacturing production. Diversification may occur directly in countries with natural resource intensive industries with productive linkages, or indirectly through policies to promote investment in infrastructure in the context of positive resource shocks.El presente trabajo incorpora eslabonamientos productivos al modelo de economía dependiente. El modelo muestra que un choque externo positivo en los sectores asociados a los recursos naturales, como el experimentado por los países Sudamericanos en años recientes, podría favorecer la diversificación de la estructura productiva y de las exportaciones, un resultado que contrasta con las predicciones de los modelos tradicionales. Ello puede suceder cuando los impulsos externos promueven la expansión de los eslabonamientos productivos que proveen servicios de infraestructura y otros servicios especializados esenciales para la producción de bienes industriales y servicios exportables. La diversificación puede verse favorecida de manera directa cuando el sector asociado a los recursos naturales es un sector moderno e integrado productivamente, o indirectamente, mediante políticas que canalicen parte del impulso externo hacia la expansión de los eslabonamientos productivos.&nbsp

Positive natural resource shocks and domestic adjustments in a semi-industrialized economy: Argentina in the 2004-2007 period

This paper evaluates the domestic adjustment to recent positive external shocks in Argentina's natural resource sectors. Although there is no single, exclusive determinant of Argentina's fast economic growth in the period 2003-2007, the paper illustrates the favourable contribution of certain economic policies to this outcome. According to counterfactual simulations performed with a dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model especially designed to capture structural features of the Argentine economy, export taxes on natural resource products and Argentina's competitive exchange rate policy have counteracted Dutch disease adjustments associated the positive terms of trade shock (which may be contractionary in the medium-term if no economic policies are implemented) contributing to productive and export diversification and to bring about output growth. The analysis also shows that in a context of strong demand impulses spending the income collected with export taxes may not be beneficial for the overall competitiveness of the economy, hence counteracting one of the purposes of the tax policy. This implies, first, that subsidies to producers of wage-goods may be ineffective to control overall price increases, and second, that optimizing the contribution of public investment in infrastructure to improve the competitiveness of the economy requires special attention to the timing of public investment

Análise da expressão do gene CHK1 em carcinomas mamários

Orientadora: Enilze Maria de Souza Fonseca RibeiroCoorientador: Iglenir João CavalliMonografia (Bacharelado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná. Setor de Ciências Biológicas. Curso de Graduação em Ciências BiológicasResumo : Mais de um milhão de mulheres são diagnosticadas com câncer de mama por ano em todo o mundo, sendo este tipo de câncer o mais incidente na população feminina, tanto nos países em desenvolvimento como nos desenvolvidos. Análises de expressão de genes envolvidos no reparo do DNA, assim como na regulação do ciclo celular, têm demonstrado que a elevada expressão destes genes está associada com o desenvolvimento de câncer. O gene CHK1 foi mapeado em 11q24.2 e está envolvido em mecanismos que preservam a integridade do genoma durante o ciclo normal das células. A fosforilação da proteína CHK1 ocorre na serina 317 e serina 345 em resposta à radiação ionizante, radiação ultravioleta e hidroxiuréia, ativando o ponto de checagem do ciclo celular em S e G2. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar a expressão do gene CHK1 em tumores primários de mama (n = 34) e em tecido não tumoral da mama contralateral (n = 8), assim como analisar os perfis de expressão entre tumores com a presença (n = 15) ou ausência (n = 19) de metástase e grau histológico I e II (n =25) em relação aos de grau III (n = 9). A expressão relativa desse gene foi determinada por qRT-PCR, utilizando o método de Quantificação Relativa 2-??Ct . A média dos valores de expressão relativa de CHK1 em tumores primários de mama foi igual a 3,52 ± 2,52 e no tecido não tumoral da mama contralateral igual a 0,81 ± 0,42. A média dos valores de expressão relativa em tumores que apresentavam metástase foi de 4,68 ± 3,21 e nos sem metástase igual a 2,60 ± 1,29. Tumores com grau I e II apresentaram, em média, expressão relativa de 3,02 ± 2,39, enquanto que em tumores de grau III a média foi igual a 4,90 ± 2,48. As diferenças entre as médias foram estatisticamente significativas. Estes dados sugerem que alterações nos níveis de expressão do gene CHK1 estejam envolvidas com a origem e progressão tumoral

Análise do número de cópias dos genes GSPTP1, CCND1 e FOLSL1 em diferentes subtipos de carcinomas primários de mama

Orientadora : Profª Drª Enilze Maria de Souza Fonseca RibeiroCo-orientador : Prof. Dr. Iglenir João CavalliDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética. Defesa: Curitiba, 27/03/2015Inclui referências : f. 80-92Área de concentraçãoResumo: O câncer de mama é uma das principais causas de morte nas mulheres em todo o mundo, sendo este tipo de câncer o mais incidente na população feminina, desconsiderando o de pele não melanoma. Os tumores mamários são divididos em diferentes subtipos de acordo com o padrão de expressão gênica, no entanto, na prática laboratorial, usa-se a imuno-histoquímica como forma de classificação, baseando-se no status dos receptores hormonais e do HER2, subdividindo os tumores nos subtipos Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2+ e Triplo-Negativos. A região cromossômica 11q13 é comumente encontrada amplificada em tumores de mama e os genes FOSL1, GSTP1 e CCND1, localizados nesta região, têm sido apontados como genes alvos para a iniciação e progressão tumoral. Com o objetivo de avaliar a presença ou ausência de alteração do número de cópias dos referidos genes de acordo com os subtipos de tumores de mama, 77 amostras foram analisadas, sendo 26 luminal A, 29 luminal B, 10 HER2+ e 12 triplo-negativas. Verificamos que houve ganho de cópias nos três genes analisados, sendo 70% para o FOSL1, 23% para o GSTP1 e 26% para o CCND1. Através do teste de Kruskal-Wallis, observamos que FOSL1 foi o único gene que apresentou diferença estatisticamente significativa (p < 0,0001) entre os subtipos de tumor, tendo maior número de cópias os tumores triplo-negativos em relação aos luminais A e B. Pelo teste de regressão linear, foi possível observar que a alteração do número de cópias deste gene é dependente do subtipo de tumor (b = 0,79 ± 0,20; t = 3,95; p < 0,001) e independente das alterações nos outros dois genes. Análises de alteração do número de cópias de acordo com os parâmetros clínicos e histopatológicos não apresentaram diferença estatisticamente significativa para nenhum dos genes. Em conclusão, a alteração observada no gene FOSL1 sugere que este é um potencial marcador prognóstico e para a diferenciação dos subtipos de tumores. Palavras-chave: Câncer de mama. FOSL1, GSTP1, CCND1. Subtipo tumoral. Número de cópias de DNA.Abstract: Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women worldwide. This type of cancer is the most frequent in the female population, after non-melanoma skin cancer. Mammary tumors are divided into subtypes according to the pattern of gene expression, however, in the laboratory routine, it is used a immunohistochemistry classification, based on the hormonal receptor and HER2 status, thus subdividing the tumors in subtypes Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2+ and triple-negative. The 11q13 region is commonly found amplified in breast tumors. FOSL1, GSTP1 and CCND1 genes are located in this region, and have been identified as target genes for tumor initiation and progression. Aiming to evaluate the copy number of these genes according to the subtypes of breast tumors, 77 samples were analyzed, 26 out of those were luminal A, 29 luminal B, 10 HER2+ and 12 triple-negative. We found gain in the copy number in all genes analyzed, 70% for FOSL1, 23% for GSTP1 and 26% for CCND1. Through Kruskal-Wallis test, we found that FOSL1 was the only one that showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001) among tumor subtypes, with more copies in triple-negatives tumors compared to luminal A and luminal B. By linear regression test, we found that the change in the number of copies of this gene is dependent on the tumor subtype (b = 0.79 ± 0.20; t = 3.95; p < 0.001) and independent of the alterations in the other two genes. Copy number alteration according to the clinical and histopathological parameters showed no statistically significant differences for any of the genes. In conclusion copy number alterations in FOSL1 suggest that this gene may be a potential prognostic marker and for the differentiation and tumor subtypes. Keywords: Breast Cancer. FOSL1, GSTP1, CCND1. Tumor subtype. DNA copy number

Scaling Development Finance for Our Common Future

The G-20 and the broader world community has committed to ambitious goals to close global infrastructure gaps, mitigate climate change, and advance the 2030 Agenda for development. We call on G20 leaders to task development finance institutions (DFIs) such as the development banks in member countries and the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) of which G-20 countries are members, to commit to scaling up resources by 25 percent, to calibrate new financing to international commitments to mitigate climate change and the 2030 agenda, and to work together as an inclusive system toward achieving those shared goals

FANCD2 and BRCA1 have differential expression among the FA-BRCA genes in primary breast cancer/ Expressão diferencial de FANCD2 e BRCA1 no câncer de mama primário

The molecular pathways of DNA repair in tumors may play a role in tailoring patient therapy. The Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway operates in the repair of DNA interstrand crosslink induced by several chemotherapeutic drugs. In this study we evaluated the expression of Fanconi anemia DNA repair genes (FANCA, C, D2, F, BRCA1 and PALB2) in 46 primary breast tumors and ten non-compromised breast samples, by Real-Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription PCR, and to correlated gene expression with breast cancer subtypes and clinico-pathological parameters. Tumor samples were classified in subtypes based on immunohistochemistry markers, and clinico-pathological parameters were obtained from the medical reports. FANCD2 was twice more expressed in tumors than in the non-compromised group (p= 0.02). BRCA1 showed a differential expression in the luminal group, three times less expressed in Luminal-B than in Luminal-A group (p= 0.01). In conclusion, the higher level of expression of FANCD2 in tumors may indicate activation of the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway, which has been implicated in breast carcinogenesis and in chemotherapeutic resistance. The loss of BRCA1 expression in the Luminal-B group may indicate that the use of cisplatin-based neo/adjuvant therapies is preferable, and that the use of taxol-based therapies should be avoided due to the risk of drug resistance

Characterization of MTAP gene expression in breast cancer patients and cell lines

MTAP is a ubiquitously expressed gene important for adenine and methionine salvage. The gene is located at 9p21, a chromosome region often deleted in breast carcinomas, similar to CDKN2A, a recognized tumor suppressor gene. Several research groups have shown that MTAP acts as a tumor suppressor, and some therapeutic approaches were proposed based on a tumors\ub4 MTAP status. We analyzed MTAP and CDKN2A gene (RT-qPCR) and protein (western-blotting) expression in seven breast cancer cell lines and evaluated their promoter methylation patterns to better characterize the contribution of these genes to breast cancer. Cytotoxicity assays with inhibitors of de novo adenine synthesis (5-FU, AZA and MTX) after MTAP gene knockdown showed an increased sensitivity, mainly to 5-FU. MTAP expression was also evaluated in two groups of samples from breast cancer patients, fresh tumors and paired normal breast tissue, and from formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) core breast cancer samples diagnosed as Luminal-A tumors and triple negative breast tumors (TNBC). The difference of MTAP expression between fresh tumors and normal tissues was not statistically significant. However, MTAP expression was significantly higher in Luminal-A breast tumors than in TNBC, suggesting the lack of expression in more aggressive breast tumors and the possibility of using the new approaches based on MTAP status in TNB

Differences on the socioeconomical local characteristics for the migrations study

Esta ponencia busca verificar si las reformas económicas implementadas en la economía argentina a inicios de los noventa, con sus consecuencias sobre el mercado de trabajo, generaron incentivos a la movilidad territorial de los trabajadores. El análisis de los cambios que presentaron los principales factores de atracción y expulsión de población, identificados a partir de la teoría económica, mostró que las diferencias interregionales fueron más importantes a inicios de los años noventa, en coincidencia con el proceso de reformas. Por otro lado, los resultados de los ensayos de agrupaciones de los aglomerados más afectados y beneficiados por las transformaciones de inicios de los noventa, variaron según el indicador del mercado de trabajo utilizado. Se observó que la creación de puestos de trabajo fue mayor en los aglomerados pequeños y que la menor dinámica laboral se correspondió con menor crecimiento o caída de los ingresos.This article attemps to know if changes in labour market conditions in the nineties –caused by argentine economic reforms– originated incentives for the geographical movement of workers. The empirical analysis showed that changes in push-pull economic factors increased interregional differences at the beginning of the nineties, in concordance with the economic reforms process. Alternatively, attemps to cluster local labour markets according to its performance after economic transformation were not succecsfull. Job creation was more important in smaller labour markets. Poor or negative job creation was associated to declining or reduced growth of labour incomes but the opposite didn’t happen