The economics of wage-led recovery: analysis and policy recommendations

The financial crisis and Great Recession have been followed by a jobs shortage crisis that most forecasts predict will persist for years given current policies. This paper argues for a wage-led recovery and growth program which is the only way to remedy the deep causes of the crisis and escape the jobs crisis. Such a program is the polar opposite of the current policy orthodoxy, showing how much is at stake. Winning the argument for wage-led recovery will require winning the war of ideas about economics that has its roots going back to Keynes’ challenge of classical macroeconomics in the 1920s and 1930s. That will involve showing how the financial crisis and Great Recession were the ultimate result of three decades of neoliberal policy, which produced wage stagnation by severing the wage productivity growth link and made asset price inflation and debt the engine of demand growth in place of wages; showing how wage-led policy resolves the current problem of global demand shortage without pricing out labor; and developing a detailed set of policy proposals that flow from these understandings. The essence of a wage-led policy approach is to rebuild the link between wages and productivity growth, combined with expansionary macroeconomic policy that fills the current demand shortfall so as to push the economy on to a recovery path. Both sets of measures are necessary. Expansionary macro policy (i.e. fiscal stimulus and easy monetary policy) without rebuilding the wage mechanism will not produce sustainable recovery and may end in fiscal crisis. Rebuilding the wage mechanism without expansionary macro policy is likely to leave the economy stuck in the orbit of stagnation.

Síntese e caracterização de ferrita ni-zn pelo método dos precursores poliméricos calcinada por energia de microondas

Magnetic ceramics have been widely investigated, especially with respect to intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of these materials. Among the magnetic ceramic materials of technological interest, there are the ferrites. On the other hand, the thermal treatment of ceramic materials by microwave energy has offered various advantages such as: optimization of production processes, high heat control, low consumption of time and energy among others. In this work were synthesized powders of Ni-Zn ferrite with compositions Ni1- xZnxFe2O4 (0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.75 mols) by the polymeric precursor route in two heat treatment conditions, conventional oven and microwave energy at 500, 650, 800 and 950°C and its structural, and morphological imaging. The materials were characterized by thermal analysis (TG/ DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), absorption spectroscopy in the infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray spectroscopy and energy dispersive (EDS) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The results of X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of ferrite with spinel-type cubic structure. The extrinsic characteristics of the powders obtained by microwave calcination and influence significantly the magnetic behavior of ferrites, showing particles ferrimagnéticas characterized as soft magnetic materials (soft), is of great technological interest. The results obtained led the potential application of microwave energy for calcining powders of Ni-Zn ferrite

Host-guest system of 4-nerolidylcatechol in 2-hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin: preparation, characterization and molecular modeling

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effects of caffeine on locomotor activity of horses: Determination of the no-effect threshold

Caffeine is the legal stimulant consumed most extensively by the human world population and may be found eventually in the urine and/or blood of race horses, the fact that caffeine is in foods led us to determine the highest no-effect dose (HNED) of caffeine on the spontaneous locomotor activity of horses and then to quantify this substance in urine until it disappeared. We built two behavioural stalls equipped with juxtaposed photoelectric sensors that emit infrared beams that divide the stall into nine sectors in a 'tic-tac-toe' fashion. Each time a beam was interrupted by a leg of the horse, a pulse was generated; the pulses were counted at 5-min intervals and stored by a microcomputer. Environmental effects were minimized by installing exhaust fans producing white noise that obscured outside sounds. One-way observation windows prevented the animals from seeing outside. The sensors were turned on 45 min before drug administration (saline control or caffeine), the animals were observed for up to 8 h after i.v. administration of 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 or 5.0 mg caffeine kg(-1). The HNED of caffeine for stimulation of the spontaneous locomotor activity of horses was 2.0 mg kg(-1). The quantification of caffeine in urine and plasma samples was done by gradient HPLC with UV detection. The no-effect threshold should not be greater than 2.0 mug caffeine ml(-1) plasma or 5.0 mug caffeine ml(-1) urine. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Use of near-infrared Raman spectroscopy to detect IgG and IgM antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii in serum samples of domestic cats

Near-infrared Raman spectroscopy (NIRS) is a particularly promising technique that is being used in recent years for many biomedical applications. Optical spectroscopy has gained increasing prominence as a tool for quantitative analysis of biological samples, clinical diagnostic, concentration measurements of blood metabolites and therapeutic drugs, and analysis of the chemical composition of human tissues. Toxoplasmosis is an important zoonosis in public health, and domestic cats are the most important transmitters of the disease. This disease can be detected by several serological tests, which usually have a high cost and require a long time. The goal of this work was to investigate a new method to diagnosis Toxoplasma gondii infections using NIRS. In order to confirm antibody detection, 24 cat blood scrum samples were analyzed by the Raman spectra, from which 23 presented positive serology to toxoplasmosis and one was a reference negative serum. Characteristic Raman peaks allowed differentiation between negative and positive sera, confirming the possibility of antibody detection by Raman spectroscopy. These results give the first evidence that this technique can be useful to quantify antibodies in cat sera.

Fotointerpretação comparativa de fotografias pancromáticas coloridas e infravermelhas coloridas através da drenagem

O presente trabalho teve por objetivo avaliar quantitativamente as informações obtidas por diferentes tipos de fotografias. Os estudos basearam-se em fotografias pancromáticas, coloridas e infravermelhas coloridas de uma área teste localizada no município de Campinas - SP. A cobertura fotográfica denominada Missão 96 resultou da colaboração científica entre INPE - Instituto de Pesquisas Espaciais, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration e IAC - Instituto Agronômico do Estado de São Paulo. A rede de drenagem foi o elemento de comparação tendo sido estudados dois parâmetros: número de segmentos de rios e comprimentos de rios. A rede de drenagem foi estudada em monoscopia e em estereoscopia, onde as medições foram efetuadas em amostras circulares de 10 km² (parcelas), sendo que o delineamento experimental foi o de parcelas inteiramente casualizadas. Os dados obtidos foram utilizados para avaliar a eficiência de cada tipo de fotografia, para; os parâmetros considerados. Para as condições estudadas, obteve-se as seguintes conclusões principais: a) a fotografia infravermelha forneceu maior número de informações comparativamente às fotografias pancromáticas e coloridas, as quais ofereceram resultados semelhantes; b) os resultados obtidos pela análise monoscópica da fotografia infravermelha foram semelhantes aos resultados obtidos pela análise estereoscópica da fotografia pancromática, o que pode facilitar bastante o processo fotointerpretativo.

Estimativa de safra para a cultura do milho através do filme infravermelho colorido

O sistema tradicional para estimativas de safra utiliza-se de relatórios técnicos de fontes diversas. A coleta de informações, se inicia antes da época do plantio e as estimativas são vendo ajustadas de acordo com o desenvolvimento das culturas. O trabalho em questão, pretende mostrar as possibilidades do filme infravermelho colorido na estimativa de safra para a cultura do milho. As informações quantitativas foram obtidas através da densitometria de transmissão. Os trabalhos foram conduzidos na Fazenda Experimental São Manuel da Faculdade de Ciências Agronômicas - Campus de Botucatu - UNESP. Os seis tratamentos consistiram em doses diferenciais de adubo, prevendo prováveis quedas em produção. A cultura foi fotografada com filme colorido (Kodak Ektachrome 64 ASA) e infravermelho colorido (Kodak Ektachrome Infrared Film) e a densidade ótica medida em um microdensitômetro de transmissão marca Weston, modelo 877 e abertura de 0,8 mm. Para avaliar a interação entre Produção e Densidade Ótica, utilizou-se das análises de correlação e regressão linear. A análise dos resultados permitiram as seguintes conclusões principais: a) Desde que se faça as necessárias calibrações, o filme infravermelho pode ser utilizado na estimativa de safra para a cultura do milho; b) A utilização do densitômetro de transmissão, para a interpretação quantitativa dos resultados, revelou-se importante sugerindo a aplicação do método em outros tipos de culturas.

Síntese e caracterização de tensoativos e estudo de equilíbrio de fase dos sistemas CnH2n+2/H2O/CnH2n+1COONa/But-OH

The growing utilization of surfactants in several different areas of industry has led to an increase on the studies involving solutions containing this type of molecules. Due to its amphiphilic nature, its molecule presents one polar part and one nonpolar end, which easily interacts with other molecules, being able to modify the media properties. When the concentration in which its monomers are saturated, the airliquid system interface is reached, causing a decrease in interfacial tension. The surfactants from pure fatty acids containing C8, C12 and C16 carbonic chains were synthesized in an alcoholic media using sodium hydroxide. They were characterized via thermal analysis (DTA and DTG) and via infrared spectroscopy, with the intention of observing their purity. Physical and chemical properties such as superficial tension, critical micelle concentration (c.m.c), surfactant excess on surface and Gibbs free energy of micellization were determined in order to understand the behaviour of these molecules with an aqueous media. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were obtained aiming to limit the Windsor equilibria conditions so it could be possible to understand how the surfactants carbonic chain size contributes to the microemulsion region. Solutions with known concentrations were prepared to study how the surfactants can influence the dynamic light scattering spectroscopy (DLS) and how the diffusion coefficient is influenced when the media concentration is altered. The results showed the variation on the chain size of the studied surfactant lipophilic part allows the conception of surfactants with similar interfacial properties, but dependent on the size of the lipophilic part of the surfactant. This variation causes the surfactant to have less tendency of microemulsionate oil in water. Another observed result is that the n-alcanes molecule size promoted a decrease on the microemulsion region on the obtained phase diagrams

Spray layer-by-layer films based on phospholipid vesicles aiming sensing application via e-tongue system

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

Deriving the magnitude of niobium off-center displacement in ferroelectric niobates from infrared spectroscopy

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effectiveness of Photogem (R) activated by LED on the decontamination of artificial carious bovine dentin

The aim of this study was the evaluation of the effectiveness of photodynamic therapy on the decontamination of artificially induced carious bovine dentin, using Photoge(R) as the photosensitizer agent and an LED device as a light source. Dentin samples obtained from bovine incisors were immersed in sterile broth supplemented by Lactobacillus acidophillus 10(8) colony formation units (CFU) and Streptococcus mutans 10 8 CFU. Different concentrations of photosensitizer, PA = 1 mg/ml, PB = 2 mg/ml, and PC = 3 mg/ml, and two fluences, D = 24 J/cm(2) and D = 48 J/cm(2), were investigated. After CFU counting per milligram of carious dentin and statistical analysis, we observed that the photodynamic therapy (PDT) parameters used were effective for bacterial reduction in the in vitro model under study. The best result was achieved with the application of Photoge(R) at 2 mg/ml and photoactivated under 24 J/cm(2) showing a survival factor of 0.14. At higher photosensitizer concentrations, a higher dark toxicity was observed. We propose a simple mathematical expression for the determination of PDT parameters of photosensitizer concentration and light fluence for different survival factor values. Since LED devices are simpler and cheaper compared to laser systems, it would be interesting to verify their efficacy as a light source in photodynamic therapy for the decontamination of carious dentin.

Estudo sistemático de estrelas variáveis na era dos grandes surveys

The interest in the systematic analysis of astronomical time series data, as well as development in astronomical instrumentation and automation over the past two decades has given rise to several questions of how to analyze and synthesize the growing amount of data. These data have led to many discoveries in the areas of modern astronomy asteroseismology, exoplanets and stellar evolution. However, treatment methods and data analysis have failed to follow the development of the instruments themselves, although much effort has been done. In present thesis, we propose new methods of data analysis and two catalogs of the variable stars that allowed the study of rotational modulation and stellar variability. Were analyzed the photometric databases fromtwo distinctmissions: CoRoT (Convection Rotation and planetary Transits) and WFCAM (Wide Field Camera). Furthermore the present work describes several methods for the analysis of photometric data besides propose and refine selection techniques of data using indices of variability. Preliminary results show that variability indices have an efficiency greater than the indices most often used in the literature. An efficient selection of variable stars is essential to improve the efficiency of all subsequent steps. Fromthese analyses were obtained two catalogs; first, fromtheWFCAMdatabase we achieve a catalog with 319 variable stars observed in the photometric bands Y ZJHK. These stars show periods ranging between ∼ 0, 2 to ∼ 560 days whose the variability signatures present RR-Lyrae, Cepheids , LPVs, cataclysmic variables, among many others. Second, from the CoRoT database we selected 4, 206 stars with typical signatures of rotationalmodulation, using a supervised process. These stars show periods ranging between ∼ 0, 33 to ∼ 92 days, amplitude variability between ∼ 0, 001 to ∼ 0, 5 mag, color index (J - H) between ∼ 0, 0 to ∼ 1, 4 mag and spectral type CoRoT FGKM. The WFCAM variable stars catalog is being used to compose a database of light curves to be used as template in an automatic classifier for variable stars observed by the project VVV (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) moreover it are a fundamental start point to study different scientific cases. For example, a set of 12 young stars who are in a star formation region and the study of RR Lyrae-whose properties are not well established in the infrared. Based on CoRoT results we were able to show, for the first time, the rotational modulation evolution for an wide homogeneous sample of field stars. The results are inagreement with those expected by the stellar evolution theory. Furthermore, we identified 4 solar-type stars ( with color indices, spectral type, luminosity class and rotation period close to the Sun) besides 400 M-giant stars that we have a special interest to forthcoming studies. From the solar-type stars we can describe the future and past of the Sun while properties of M-stars are not well known. Our results allow concluded that there is a high dependence of the color-period diagram with the reddening in which increase the uncertainties of the age-period realized by previous works using CoRoT data. This thesis provides a large data-set for different scientific works, such as; magnetic activity, cataclysmic variables, brown dwarfs, RR-Lyrae, solar analogous, giant stars, among others. For instance, these data will allow us to study the relationship of magnetic activitywith stellar evolution. Besides these aspects, this thesis presents an improved classification for a significant number of stars in the CoRoT database and introduces a new set of tools that can be used to improve the entire process of the photometric databases analysis

Thermoanalytical study of purine derivatives compounds

Os métodos térmicos em análises estão sendo atualmente muito utilizados nas investigações cientificas. Neste trabalho a termogravimetria-análise térmica diferencial simultânea (TG-DTA), difratometria de raios X pelo método do pó, espectroscopia de absorção na região do infravermelho foram utilizadas para estudar os compostos derivados da purina. Sendo estes: aminofilina. teofilina, cafeína e ácido úrico. Os resultados forneceram informações com respeito à estabilidade térmica e decomposição térmica sobre esses compostos.

Synthesis, characterization and thermal studies on solid 3-methoxybenzoate of some bivalent transition metal ions

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

Synthesis, characterization and thermal behaviour on solid pyruvates of light trivalent lanthanides

Foram sintetizados compostos Ln-L no estado sólido, onde Ln significa os lantanídeos leves trivalentes e L é o piruvato. Estes compostos foram caracterizados e estudados utilizando-se a Termogravimetria e Termogravimetria derivada (TG/DTG), calorimetria exploratória diferencial (DSC) difratometria de raios X pelo método do pó, espectroscopia na região do infravermelho, análise elementar e complexometria. Os resultados permitiram obter informações com respeito a composição, desidratação, sitio de coordenação, comportamento térmico e a decomposição térmica destes compotos.