A note on financial regulation and the brazilian response to the 2008‐09 financial crisis

Brazil was frequently criticized for its interventionist and heavy financial regulation up until the 2008‐09 world financial crisis.  According to the neo‐liberal or pro‐market view that predominated in academic and financial circles during the early 2000s, economic development came together with financial deepening, which in its turn could only be achieved through financial liberalization and deregulation. The currency crises of the 1990s notwithstanding, by the mid‐2000s Brazil’s segmented financial market and its restrictive reserve and capital requirements were seen as a symbol of inefficiency and backwardness by most financial specialists.  To the luck of the Brazilian population, most of the advices of such specialists were ignored by the Brazilian authorities, so that, when the 2008 financial crisis hit the world economy, Brazil still had powerful and efficient instruments to deal with the problem.  The objective of this note is to present the mains aspects of the Brazilian financial regulation and how they helped the economy to deal with the consequences of 2008‐09 financial meltdown.

Rede de controle em ambiente hospitalar: um protocolo multiciclos para automação hospitalar sobre IEEE 802.3 com IGMP Snooping

VALENTIM, R. A. M. ; MORAIS, A. H. F. ; SOUZA, V. S. V ; ARAUJO JUNIOR, H. B. ; BRANDAO, G. B. ; GUERREIRO, A. M. G. . Rede de Controle em Ambiente Hospitalar: um protocolo multiciclos para automação hospitalar sobre IEEE 802.3 com IGMP Snooping. Revista Ciência e Tecnologia, v. 11, p. 19, 2009

A cultura de índio, seu menino, vem de longe aqui : formação histórica e territorialização dos Tremembé/CE

This dissertation is based on the ethnography of a strategic selection of three Tremembé ethnic situations, which are situated in the backlands of Acaraú and Itarema, municipalities located in Ceará State (Northeast Brazil). My main aims are the following. Firstly, I reconstitute the historical and social formation of three localities, called Lagoa dos Negros, Telhas, and Queimadas, related to a particular origin myth which refers to Almofala, an extinct colonial Aldeamento in the seashore, where the Tremembé indians and other native populations were converted and gathered under missionary administration. According to the origin myth, these three localities were set up after a strong drought which happened in 1888 (the so called three eights) when a group of Tremembé families moved to the countryside and established close to the Lagoa dos Negros and, later on, they were segmented into smaller groups which started to live in other areas and places not far from the former location. Notably, I develop an anthropological approach to understand the historical formation of these three localities. Secondly, I analyze some processes of territorialization, which were emerged from the 1980s and had important consequences to these indigenous families throughout the next two decades. This historical dimension is re-appropriated and ressignified in ethnic terms. A third point of my work is the analysis of the construction of territorialities and also the cultural and symbolic dimensions which are formulated by the Tremembé Indians who live in these localities. Therefore, I investigate some cultural traditions and rituals, such as the Torém dance, but I also examine their multiple semantics, which constitute a transversal direction throughout the history understood by the Tremembé of the different social situations I researched. To sum up, there is a process of cultural actualization, which is still going on and presents itself through the ludic sphere as well as their political and religions dimensions, which are usually associated to the ritual presentation of the Torém

Análise fractal da vasculatura arteriolar e venular da retina em pessoas sem doença ocular

Although it has been suggested that retinal vasculature is a diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) fractal, no study has been dedicated to standardizing its fractal analysis . The aims of this project was to standardize a method to estimate the fractal dimensions of retinal vasculature and to characterize their normal values; to determine if this estimation is dependent on skeletization and on segmentation and calculation methods; to assess the suitability of the DLA model and to determine the usefulness of log-log graphs in characterizing vasculature fractality . To achieve these aims, the information, mass-radius and box counting dimensions of 20 eyes vasculatures were compared when the vessels were manually or computationally segmented; the fractal dimensions of the vasculatures of 60 eyes of healthy volunteers were compared with those of 40 DLA models and the log-log graphs obtained were compared with those of known fractals and those of non-fractals. The main results were: the fractal dimensions of vascular trees were dependent on segmentation methods and dimension calculation methods, but there was no difference between manual segmentation and scale-space, multithreshold and wavelet computational methods; the means of the information and box dimensions for arteriolar trees were 1.29. against 1.34 and 1.35 for the venular trees; the dimension for the DLA models were higher than that for vessels; the log-log graphs were straight, but with varying local slopes, both for vascular trees and for fractals and non-fractals. This results leads to the following conclusions: the estimation of the fractal dimensions for retinal vasculature is dependent on its skeletization and on the segmentation and calculation methods; log-log graphs are not suitable as a fractality test; the means of the information and box counting dimensions for the normal eyes were 1.47 and 1.43, respectively, and the DLA model with optic disc seeding is not sufficient for retinal vascularization modeling

Egg production curve fitting using nonlinear models for selected and nonselected lines of White Leghorn hens

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Habitus e territorialidade na composição da dinâmica imobiliária em Natal/RN

Many have sought to understand the spatial processes, which originate from land development and real estate dynamics, seeking also to build new categories of analysis to put some light on the less evident aspects of this process. The discussion about production of space has been adopted in this study, but has proved insufficient to explain this complex urban reality. Here, it is analysed the ways that, in Natal, the market fosters the material basis for capital accumulation. The research had as methodological basis, the analysis of discourse, having full interviews with institutional agents as background. It aimed at understanding the complex, material configuration in urban space. It thus investigates the theory of practices of existing (private and public) agents towards the real estate market, using several concepts, like production of space (Lefèbvre and Harvey); habitus (Bourdieu); spatial fix (Harvey); and territoriality (Haesbaert). Evidence shows that there has been a process of ‗naturalization of certain practices in the market that has had implications for the production of an urban space that is both segmented and segregated, giving rise also to complex material configurations, including different forms of heterotopies (Foucault). These spaces result from capital s own creative dynamics and of the reach for social realization for different groups of people making a living under different economic conditions of income.

Quantificação de subpopulações linfocitárias no sangue do cordão umbilical de eqüinos

Este estudo visou a determinar os valores eritroleucométricos e quantificar as subpopulações linfocitárias no sangue do cordão umbilical (SCU) e no sangue jugular de eqüinos neonatos. Foi realizada a colheita de SCU e do sangue jugular de 20 potros ao nascimento. As amostras foram submetidas às determinações dos valores eritroleucométricos e à quantificação de subpopulações de linfócitos-T, pela técnica citofluorométrica. Não foram verificadas diferenças significativas (P<0,05) entre os valores médios de tais parâmetros, entre o sangue jugular de neonatos e o SCU eqüino. O valor total para neutrófilos segmentados, no SCU e na jugular dos neonatos, foi inferior ao reportado para eqüinos ao nascimento. As contagens de linfócitos CD5+ e CD4+ no SCU e jugular de neonatos eqüinos foram inferiores àquelas admitidas para o sangue periférico de eqüinos adultos, indicando um componente imunológico imaturo. No entanto, a contagem de linfócitos CD8+ foi semelhante à descrita em sangue periférico de eqüinos adultos. A proporção CD4:CD8 obtida nesse ensaio, tanto para o SCU (2,64±0,91), como no sangue jugular de eqüinos neonatos (2,41±0,81), demonstrou uma dominância das células T CD4+ sobre os linfócitos T CD8+.

Hemograma e hemogasometria de eqüinos submetidos à obstrução experimental de jejuno

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Models for the analysis of growth curves for rearing tinamous (Rhynchotus rufescens) in captivity

Growth curves models provide a visual assessment of growth as a function of time, and prediction body weight at a specific age. This study aimed at estimating tinamous growth curve using different models, and at verifying their goodness of fit. A total number 11,639 weight records from 411 birds, being 6,671 from females and 3,095 from males, was analyzed. The highest estimates of a parameter were obtained using Brody (BD), von Bertalanffy (VB), Gompertz (GP,) and Logistic function (LG). Adult females were 5.7% heavier than males. The highest estimates of b parameter were obtained in the LG, GP, BID, and VB models. The estimated k parameter values in decreasing order were obtained in LG, GP, VB, and BID models. The correlation between the parameters a and k showed heavier birds are less precocious than the lighter. The estimates of intercept, linear regression coefficient, quadratic regression coefficient, and differences between quadratic coefficient of functions and estimated ties of quadratic-quadratic-quadratic segmented polynomials (QQQSP) were: 31.1732 +/- 2.41339; 3.07898 +/- 0.13287; 0.02689 +/- 0.00152; -0.05566 +/- 0.00193; 0.02349 +/- 0.00107, and 57 and 145 days, respectively. The estimated predicted mean error values (PME) of VB, GP, BID, LG, and QQQSP models were, respectively, 0.8353; 0.01715; -0.6939; -2.2453; and -0.7544%. The coefficient of determination (RI) and least square error values (MS) showed similar results. In conclusion, the VB and the QQQSP models adequately described tinamous growth. The best model to describe tinamous growth was the Gompertz model, because it presented the highest R-2 values, easiness of convergence, lower PME, and the easiness of parameter biological interpretation.

Fatores de correção de escores visuais de conformação, precocidade e musculatura, à desmama, para idade da vaca ao parto, data juliana de nascimento e idade à desmama em bovinos da raça Nelore

Neste estudo, após a edição dos dados, foram utilizadas 87.372 informações de escores visuais de conformação (C), precocidade (P) e musculatura (M) à desmama de animais Nelore, provenientes de rebanhos comerciais. Os objetivos, neste trabalho, foram estudar os efeitos da idade da vaca ao parto (IDV), data Juliana de nascimento (DJN) e idade à desmama (ID) sobre C, P e M e estimar os fatores de correção para os mesmos. Os modelos utilizados incluíram os efeitos fixos de grupo contemporâneo (rebanho, retiro, ano e mês de nascimento, sexo e grupo de manejo ao nascimento e à desmama) e, como covariáveis, os efeitos de idade da vaca (para cada sexo do bezerro), de data juliana de nascimento e da idade do bezerro à desmama. Para a idade da vaca, usou-se um polinômio segmentado quadrático-quadrático. Para a data juliana de nascimento, foi utilizado um polinômio segmentado com três segmentos quadráticos, enquanto, para a idade do bezerro à desmama, foi empregado um polinômio ordinário quadrático. Todos os efeitos considerados no modelo influenciaram significativamente os escores visuais. A simples inclusão da estação ou do mês de nascimento no grupo contemporâneo não foi suficiente para corrigir diferenças em escores decorrentes do efeito da data de nascimento. Para avaliação genética dos animais para escores visuais à desmama, os mesmos devem ser ajustados para idade da vaca ao parto, data juliana de nascimento e idade do bezerro à desmama.

Bayesian analysis of random regression models using B-splines to model test-day milk yield of Holstein cattle in Brazil

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Efeito da idade da vaca e da data juliana de nascimento sobre o ganho médio diário de bezerros de corte no período pré-desmame

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Técnicas de inteligência artificial para a geração dinâmica de set points para uma coluna de destilação

Artificial Intelligence techniques are applied to improve performance of a simulated oil distillation system. The chosen system was a debutanizer column. At this process, the feed, which comes to the column, is segmented by heating. The lightest components become steams, by forming the LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). The others components, C5+, continue liquid. In the composition of the LPG, ideally, we have only propane and butanes, but, in practice, there are contaminants, for example, pentanes. The objective of this work is to control pentane amount in LPG, by means of intelligent set points (SP s) determination for PID controllers that are present in original instrumentation (regulatory control) of the column. A fuzzy system will be responsible for adjusting the SP's, driven by the comparison between the molar fraction of the pentane present in the output of the plant (LPG) and the desired amount. However, the molar fraction of pentane is difficult to measure on-line, due to constraints such as: long intervals of measurement, high reliability and low cost. Therefore, an inference system was used, based on a multilayer neural network, to infer the pentane molar fraction through secondary variables of the column. Finally, the results shown that the proposed control system were able to control the value of pentane molar fraction under different operational situations

Modelos matemáticos para estimar as exigências de lisina digestível para aves de corte ISA Label

O objetivo neste estudo foi avaliar diferentes modelos ajustados às respostas de ganho de peso obtidas em experimento com aves da linhagem ISA Label no período de 1 a 28 dias de idade. Foram utilizados 480 pintos de ambos os sexos, distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, em arranjo fatorial 4 X 2 (níveis de lisina X sexo), com três repetições, com 20 aves por unidade experimental. Uma ração basal foi formulada para atender às exigências das aves, exceto em lisina. Essa ração foi suplementada com L-lisina HCl em substituição ao ácido L-glutâmico, resultando em rações experimentais isonitrogênicas e isoenergéticas contendo 0,85; 0,97; 1,09 e 1,21% de lisina digestível. As respostas de ganho de peso foram ajustadas de acordo com os níveis de lisina da ração pelos modelos Linear Reponse Plateau (LRP), segmentado de duas inclinações, polinomial quadrático e exponencial. A primeira intersecção da equação quadrática com o platô do LRP também foi utilizado para estimar o nível ótimo. Os níveis de lisina digestível estimados pelos modelos LRP, segmentado e quadrático, foram 0,999; 1,010 e 1,116%, respectivamente. Na combinação do modelo quadrático com o LRP, a estimativa da exigência de lisina digestível foi de 1,041%. O modelo exponencial proporcionou estimativa de 1,066%, considerando 95% da resposta assintótica. Com base nos custos com alimentação, esse mesmo modelo gerou estimativas de 1,000 e 1,030% quando o custo do quilograma de L-lisina HCl foi R$ 8,50 e R$ 6,50, respectivamente. Considerando as limitações de cada um dos modelos propostos, o procedimento para estimar as exigências de lisina digestível pela primeira intersecção da equação quadrática com o platô do LRP foi o mais adequado para melhorar o ganho de peso das aves quando variáveis econômicas não foram consideradas.

Random regression analyses using B-spline functions to model growth of Nellore cattle

The objective of this study was to estimate (co)variance components using random regression on B-spline functions to weight records obtained from birth to adulthood. A total of 82 064 weight records of 8145 females obtained from the data bank of the Nellore Breeding Program (PMGRN/Nellore Brazil) which started in 1987, were used. The models included direct additive and maternal genetic effects and animal and maternal permanent environmental effects as random. Contemporary group and dam age at calving (linear and quadratic effect) were included as fixed effects, and orthogonal Legendre polynomials of age (cubic regression) were considered as random covariate. The random effects were modeled using B-spline functions considering linear, quadratic and cubic polynomials for each individual segment. Residual variances were grouped in five age classes. Direct additive genetic and animal permanent environmental effects were modeled using up to seven knots (six segments). A single segment with two knots at the end points of the curve was used for the estimation of maternal genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects. A total of 15 models were studied, with the number of parameters ranging from 17 to 81. The models that used B-splines were compared with multi-trait analyses with nine weight traits and to a random regression model that used orthogonal Legendre polynomials. A model fitting quadratic B-splines, with four knots or three segments for direct additive genetic effect and animal permanent environmental effect and two knots for maternal additive genetic effect and maternal permanent environmental effect, was the most appropriate and parsimonious model to describe the covariance structure of the data. Selection for higher weight, such as at young ages, should be performed taking into account an increase in mature cow weight. Particularly, this is important in most of Nellore beef cattle production systems, where the cow herd is maintained on range conditions. There is limited modification of the growth curve of Nellore cattle with respect to the aim of selecting them for rapid growth at young ages while maintaining constant adult weight.