Brazil's Enormous Interest Rate Tax: Can Brazilians Afford It?

This paper looks at Brazil's unusually high interest rates. Brazil has the fourth-highest interest burden in the world on its federal debt (out of a total of 183 countries). The paper finds that this is not a result of known risk factors, but rather is due to unusually high interest rates set by the Central Bank -- Brazil's policy interest rates have also been among the highest in the world — and to the market and political power of a highly concentrated banking sector.  The authors warn that unless Brazil corrects its monetary policy, it could contribute to another severe, long-term growth failure comparable to the experience of 1980–2003. During that time, per capita GDP growth averaged about 0.2 percent per year

Brazil's Enormous Interest Rate Tax: Can Brazilians Afford It? Updated April 2017

This paper looks at Brazil's unusually high interest rates. Brazil has the fourth-highest interest burden in the world on its federal debt (out of a total of 183 countries). The paper finds that this is not a result of known risk factors, but rather is due to unusually high interest rates set by the Central Bank -- Brazil's policy interest rates have also been among the highest in the world -- and to the market and political power of a highly concentrated banking sector. While Brazil's policy interest rate has recently been cut, the real policy interest rate (inflation adjusted) is actually higher than it has been at any time since December 2008.The authors warn that unless Brazil corrects its monetary policy, it could contribute to another severe, long-term growth failure comparable to the experience of 1980–2003. During that time, per capita GDP growth averaged about 0.2 percent per year.This report updates a version released in December 2016

Decoding the digital border

We come to rely on computer hardware and digital software to generate and digitize the world around us and the degree of distortion latent in “street view” and public domain digital representations is rarely brought to the fore. Organized information made up of data scripts and RGB values within an intangible space have now become what many assume to be architecture. But where, between all that translation of information, does our sense of history and culture lie? What impressions remain and what memories are lost from the collective of digital representations when the only things left to define them are digital photographs and a short description on Wikipedia? Having been raised in a Mexican-American family and a large ethnic community, I know there is a divide between the actuality of my own heritage and what has come to be represented digitally. This is especially true when it comes to the site of Chicano Park under the Coronado Bridge in San Diego. There is a legacy of activism and cultural awareness brought forth by the Mexican community that is embodied through a variety of public art and murals embedded into the concrete structure of the bridge that does not get included in 3D models of the space and only get snapshots of moments through images and photographs. This project creates previously unseen perspectives and the misrepresentations they generate that are then built into physical constructs from digital meshes using tools such as 3D printers and stereoscopic cameras. By exploring concepts on the degradation of digital information, I manipulated and constructed impressions of depth and form using data points and RGB values as markers from static images. Images become juxtaposed with 3D models created by other humans online to bring attention to the content and history each digital manifestation fails to portray. It is that same sense of a cultural and historical misrepresentation that is realized throughout the evolution of this project

Ciencia y educación en América Latina: los entornos de su complejidad curricular y didáctica

A inicios del siglo XXI la identificación de los problemas regionales en América Latina parecen provenir de un denominador común: la educación, y más específicamente, del alfabetismo científico y tecnológico. A partir de ello es como se explica el marcado deterioro de sus economías, la inestabilidad de sus políticas públicas y el desgaste de su tejido social. Es así como se propone analizar las ventajas de una educación científica orientada desde la práctica cotidiana, a partir del ejercicio del aprendizaje para la vida, en el marco de un enfoque holista que asegure, en el mediano plazo, la consolidación de la cultura científica que se precisa para la convivencia armónica y con equidad, como una nueva forma de abordar el compromiso ineludible con la democracia

Calidad en la educación superior: un análisis reflexivo sobre la gestión de sus procesos en los centros educativos de América

El concepto de calidad y su establecimiento dentro de las instituciones educativas de nivel superior impone una serie de requisitos que hacen de él un problema a resolver. Los esfuerzos por alcanzar su comprensión y aseguramiento se han orientado hacia el adoctrinamiento del recurso humano, basados en la retórica academicista, lo que a llevado incluso a ignorar las concepciones rectoras que provienen de las ciencias sociales. Como es obvio, esta postura pragmática no contribuye a aclarar las causas que originan las resistencias sociales al tratar de implementarl

The Effect of Heart Failure Education on Reducing Readmissions

Management of heart failure is a significant financial challenge for the health care industry, costing approximately $33.2 billion annually. Common reasons for preventable heart failure readmissions include inadequate discharge education and lack of self-care and health management activities. Education at discharge is a vital component of improving heart failure outcomes. Following a review of the literature, high quality evidence supports that heart failure education should focus on medication adherence, sodium and fluid restriction, daily weights, activity tolerance, identification of deteriorating signs and symptoms of heart failure, and smoking cessation. The purpose of this EBP project was to reduce heart failure 30 day readmission rates by implementing an educational intervention to patients with a primary diagnosis of HF prior to discharge. The Rosswurm & Larrabee Model for evidence-based practice change and Orem’s Self Care theory guided the implementation of this project. All patients with a primary discharge diagnosis of HF were referred to the APNs from the heart failure clinic located in Northwest Indiana from October to November 2012. The intervention utilized a teaching tool developed by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill highlighting the best practices related to educating patients and their families on the management of heart failure to potentially reduce hospital readmission rates. Participants were monitored for 30 days post discharge and readmission rates were evaluated. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to describe the sample and to compare the effect of the educational intervention on readmission rates. The results of this EBP project positively supported that heart failure education significantly reduced readmission rates

Changes induced by UV radiation in the presence of sodium benzoate in films formulated with polyvinyl alcohol and carboxymethyl cellulose

This work was focused on: i) developing single and blend films based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) studying their properties, ii) analyzing the interactions between CMC and PVOH and their modifications UV-induced in the presence of sodium benzoate (SB), and iii) evaluating the antimicrobial capacity of blend films containing SB with and without UV treatment. Once the blend films with SB were exposed to UV radiation, they exhibited lower moisture content as well as a greater elongation at break and rougher surfaces compared to those without treatment. Considering oxygen barrier properties, the low values obtained would allow their application as packaging with selective oxygen permeability. Moreover, the characteristics of the amorphous phase of the matrix prevailed with a rearrangement of the structure of the polymer chain, causing a decrease of the crystallinity degree. These results were supported by X-rays and DSC analysis. FT-IR spectra reflected some degree of polymer–polymer interaction at a molecular level in the amorphous regions. The incorporation of sodium benzoate combined with UV treatment in blend films was positive from the microbial point of view because of the growth inhibition of a wide spectrum of microorganisms. From a physicochemical perspective, the UV treatment of films also changed their morphology rendering them more insoluble in water, turning the functionalized blend films into a potential material to be applied as food packaging.Fil: Villarruel, S.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas; ArgentinaFil: Giannuzzi, Leda. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Rivero, Sandra G. M.. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Pinotti, Adriana Noemi. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimentos; Argentin

Estudio preliminar de caracoles y otros macroinvertebrados terrestres en la isla San Cristobal, Galápagos

The soil is one of the most important resources because it allows life to occur. In the Galapagos Islands there has being a drastic change of land use due to agriculture and human settlements. However we know little about the effect of this change on the diversity of soil macroinvertebrates and on nutrient dynamics. In this study we choose four habitats that are used by the humans: a coffee plantation, a guava and pasture plantation, a urban area and a place of reforestation with native plants. We analyzed the diversity of soil macroinvertebrates, focusing on snails, and related it to the concentration of carbon and nitrogen in samples of soil and leaves collected in each habitat. We identify five snail species; of which at least two are introduced and identified also to genus level three of them. The greatest diversity of snails was found in the coffee plantations. The results suggest that the diversity of invertebrates is not influenced by nutrients concentrations. This study was carried out with the research permit of PC-30-11 of the Parque Nacional Galápagos to Stella de la Torre.El suelo es uno de los recursos más importantes ya que permite la vida. En las Islas Galápagos ha habido un fuerte cambio en su estructura debido a actividades agropecuarias. Se conoce poco acerca de cuál ha sido el efecto sobre la diversidad de macroinvertebrados edáficos y sobre la dinámica de nutrientes. En este estudio se escogieron cuatro hábitats afectados por actividades humanas: un sembrío de café, un sembrío de guayaba y pasto donde hay vacas, un área urbana y un área de reforestación con especies nativas. Se estimó la diversidad de macroinvertebrados a nivel de órdenes, con un enfoque en caracoles y se la relacionó con la concentración de carbono y nitrógeno de muestras de suelo y hojas tomadas en cada uno de los hábitats. Se identificaron cinco especies de caracoles, de las cuales por lo menos dos son introducidas; adicionalmente se identificaron tres especies a niveles de género. La mayor diversidad de caracoles se encontró en el café. Los resultados sugieren que la concentración de carbono y nitrógeno de suelo y hojas no influye significativamente en la diversidad de caracoles ni de otros invertebrados edáficos. Este estudio se realizó con el permiso de investigación PC-30-11 del Parque Nacional Galápagos para Stella de la Torre