The employment situation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Crisis in the labour markets and countercyclical responses

As predicted in the first bulletin, produced jointly by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), the impact of the economic crisis continued to be felt in Latin America and the Caribbean during the second quarter of 2009. Regional exports of goods and services contracted in response to sluggish demand on international markets, while remittances and foreign direct investment flows continued to fall, credit lost its buoyancy and the total wage bill diminished, owing mainly to job losses. As a result, the growth forecasts of many countries had to be adjusted downwards. Since the end of 2008, the countries of the region had started to implement countercyclical policies —albeit with significant differences— in an effort to use public spending to counter flagging investment and consumer-spending levels and boost aggregate demand. In this second bulletin, ECLAC and ILO show how the impact of the crisis has deepened in labour markets in the region in the first half of the year and examine existing options and the outcome of public-infrastructure and emergency employment programmes designed to mitigate the impact of the crisis on the labour market. The unemployment rate has risen in practically all countries compared with the previous year and this situation worsened further in the second quarter, when urban unemployment exceeded the rate of the corresponding period in 2008 by 1 percentage point (to stand at 8.5%, up from 7.5%), while in the first quarter, the variation was 0.6 of a percentage point. Labour indicators also point to an increase in informality, a decline in employment with social protection and a decrease in full-time employment. Labour-market trends observed in the first half-year, together with the forecast for a 1.9% decline in regional GDP in 2009, suggest that the average annual rate of urban unemployment in the region will be close to 8.5%. This forecast is slightly less pessimistic than the estimate given in the first bulletin; this is attributable to the fall in the participation rate in the first half-year to levels that are expected to remain low for the rest of the year. Without this reduction in the labour supply, due largely to the “discouragement effect”, the annual average urban unemployment rate would stand at between 8.8% and 8.9%. Thus, the open urban unemployment figure would increase by 2.5 million and if the “discouraged job-seekers” are included, then the number of additional persons not finding a niche in the urban labour market would climb to 3.2 million. In the region, as in the rest of the world, there are signs that the crisis may have reached bottom in the middle of the year. In many countries, production levels have ceased their decline and there are indications of an incipient recovery leading to cautious optimism that there may be a moderate upturn in labour markets in the fourth quarter. The pace of recovery will vary from one country to the next and is expected to be gradual at best. Even with the return to a growth path, there should be no illusion that the labour problems will immediately disappear. First, the recovery in employment is expected to lag behind the upturn in economic activity. Second, since economic growth is likely to remain moderate in the short term and well below the rates recorded between late 2003 and mid-2008, demand for labour and consequently the generation of good-quality jobs will continue to be weak. Thus, countries should not relax their efforts to defend and create decent jobs, but rather should take steps to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of available instruments. In this way, the region will be in a better position not only to confront the challenges of economic recovery, but also to strengthen the foundations for social inclusion and for advancing under more favourable conditions towards fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals.

An assessment of the economic impact of climate change on the health sector In Jamaica

Climate change is a naturally occurring phenomenon in which the earth‘s climate goes through cycles of warming and cooling; these changes usually take place incrementally over millennia. Over the past century, there has been an anomalous increase in global temperature, giving rise to accelerated climate change. It is widely accepted that greenhouse gas emissions from human activities such as industries have contributed significantly to the increase in global temperatures. The existence and survival of all living organisms is predicated on the ability of the environment in which they live not only to provide conditions for their basic needs but also conditions suitable for growth and reproduction. Unabated climate change threatens the existence of biophysical and ecological systems on a planetary scale. The present study aims to examine the economic impact of climate change on health in Jamaica over the period 2011-2050. To this end, three disease conditions with known climate sensitivity and importance to Jamaican public health were modelled. These were: dengue fever, leptospirosis and gastroenteritis in children under age 5. Historical prevalence data on these diseases were obtained from the Ministry of Health Jamaica, the Caribbean Epidemiology Centre, the Climate Studies Group Mona, University of the West Indies Mona campus, and the Meteorological Service of Jamaica. Data obtained spanned a twelve-year period of 1995-2007. Monthly data were obtained for dengue and gastroenteritis, while for leptospirosis, the annual number of cases for 1995-2005 was utilized. The two SRES emission scenarios chosen were A2 and B2 using the European Centre Hamburg Model (ECHAM) global climate model to predict climate variables for these scenarios. A business as usual (BAU) scenario was developed using historical disease data for the period 2000-2009 (dengue fever and gastroenteritis) and 1995-2005 (leptospirosis) as the reference decades for the respective diseases. The BAU scenario examined the occurrence of the diseases in the absence of climate change. It assumed that the disease trend would remain unchanged over the projected period and the number of cases of disease for each decade would be the same as the reference decade. The model used in the present study utilized predictive empirical statistical modelling to extrapolate the climate/disease relationship in time, to estimate the number of climate change-related cases under future climate change scenarios. The study used a Poisson regression model that considered seasonality and lag effects to determine the best-fit model in relation to the diseases under consideration. Zhang and others (2008), in their review of climate change and the transmission of vector-borne diseases, found that: ―Besides climatic variables, few of them have included other factors that can affect the transmission of vector-borne disease….‖ (Zhang 2008) Water, sanitation and health expenditure are key determinants of health. In the draft of the second communication to IPCC, Jamaica noted the vulnerability of public health to climate change, including sanitation and access to water (MSJ/UNDP, 2009). Sanitation, which in its broadest context includes the removal of waste (excreta, solid, or other hazardous waste), is a predictor of vector-borne diseases (e.g. dengue fever), diarrhoeal diseases (such as gastroenteritis) and zoonoses (such as leptospirosis). In conceptualizing the model, an attempt was made to include non-climate predictors of these climate-sensitive diseases. The importance of sanitation and water access to the control of dengue, gastroenteritis and leptospirosis were included in the Poisson regression model. The Poisson regression model obtained was then used to predict the number of disease cases into the future (2011-2050) for each emission scenario. After projecting the number of cases, the cost associated with each scenario was calculated using four cost components. 1. Treatment cost morbidity estimate. The treatment cost for the number of cases was calculated using reference values found in the literature for each condition. The figures were derived from studies of the cost of treatment and represent ambulatory and non-fatal hospitalized care for dengue fever and gastroenteritis. Due to the paucity of published literature on the health care cost associated with leptospirosis, only the cost of diagnosis and antibiotic therapy were included in the calculation. 2. Mortality estimates. Mortality estimates are recorded as case fatality rates. Where local data were available, these were utilized. Where these were unavailable, appropriate reference values from the literature were used. 3. Productivity loss. Productivity loss was calculated using a human capital approach, by multiplying the expected number of productive days lost by the caregiver and/or the infected person, by GDP per capita per day (US$ 14) at 2008 GDP using 2008 US$ exchange rates. 4. No-option cost. The no-option cost refers to adaptation strategies for the control of dengue fever which are ongoing and already a part of the core functions of the Vector Control Division of the Ministry of Health, Jamaica. An estimated US$ 2.1 million is utilized each year in conducting activities to prevent the post-hurricane spread of vector borne diseases and diarrhoea. The cost includes public education, fogging, laboratory support, larvicidal activities and surveillance. This no-option cost was converted to per capita estimates, using population estimates for Jamaica up to 2050 obtained from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN, 2006) and the assumption of one expected major hurricane per decade. During the decade 2000-2009, Jamaica had an average inflation of 10.4% (CIA Fact book, last updated May 2011). This average decadal inflation rate was applied to the no-option cost, which was inflated by 10% for each successive decade to adjust for changes in inflation over time.

Perfil transcricional de Bradyrhizobium elkanii SEMIA 587 in vitro e em simbiose com soja (Glycine max L. Merrill) através de microarranjo de DNA

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estratégias de controle de ordem fracionária aplicadas ao amortecimento de oscilações eletromecânicas em sistemas elétricos de potência

Neste trabalho é proposta uma nova metodologia de projeto de estabilizadores de sistemas de potência baseada em teoria de sistemas de ordem fracionária (ESP-OF). A estratégia é baseada em uma generalização do projeto de compensadores do tipo rede avançoatraso (lead-lag) para o domínio de funções de transferência de ordem fracionária. Uma nova variável de projeto, a qual define a ordem da dinâmica fracionária do controlador, é sintonizada para se obter um compromisso entre um bom desempenho no amortecimento do modo eletromecânico dominante e uma robustez ampliada do ESP-OF. O desempenho do ESP-OF foi avaliado experimentalmente, em um sistema de potência em escala reduzida, localizado no Laboratório de Sistemas de Potência da Universidade Federal do Pará. A referida planta de teste apresenta uma estrutura típica do tipo gerador síncrono conectado a um barramento infinito e exibe um modo dominante de oscilação eletromecânica, de amortecimento extremamente reduzido, cujo valor da frequência natural é em torno de 1,2 Hz. O ESP-OF foi então projetado para ampliar o amortecimento relativo desse modo alvo, para toda a faixa de operação admissível. Para fins de implementação prática, primeiramente foram realizados testes experimentais para a identificação de um modelo nominal da planta, sob a forma de uma função de transferência pulsada, para uso na fase de projeto. O modelo obtido experimentalmente foi então validado e posteriormente utilizado tanto para o projeto do ESP-OF quanto para o projeto de um ESP convencional (utilizado para fins de comparação de desempenho). As leis de controle amortecedor do ESP-OF foram calculadas, convertidas para a forma de equações a diferenças e, subsequentemente, embarcadas em sistema digital baseado em microcontrolador DSPIC. Diversos testes de resposta ao impulso foram realizadas sob diferentes condições operacionais. As respectivas respostas dinâmicas dos sinais de saída da planta (desvio de potencia ativa) e do esforço de controle foram registradas para fins de análise. Os resultados experimentais mostraram que o ESP fracionário apresentou um desemprenho dinâmico e robustez similar em comparação com o desempenho obtido por um ESP convencional, para toda a faixa de operação investigada.

Block Bone Graft Fixation ( Onlay): A Modification of the Surgical Technique

Several reconstructive methods of the alveolar ridge have been reported to make possible future rehabilitations with implants. Many of these methods come from studies done in animals, mainly rats. With this clinical practice based on scientific evidence, any experimental procedure that can be undertaken in real life is fundamental. Thus, any research that emulates as closely as possible those techniques used in humans are important. This study describes the modification of the technique for block bone graft fixation (onlay) in rats using the lag screw-type technique, normally used in clinical procedures for grafts in humans. The conclusion was that the execution of the described procedures minimizes interference of blood flow in the area because of the maintenance of the muscle insertion in the buckle aspect of the most anterior region of the mandible, providing better stability to the graft and better contact interface of the graft and receptor bed.

Leaf synchrony and insect herbivory among tropical tree habitat specialists

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Associação entre exposição ao material particulado e internações por doenças respiratórias em crianças

The aim of this study was to estimate the association between exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter and hospitalization for respiratory diseases. It was an ecological time series study with daily indicators of hospitalization for respiratory diseases in children up to 10 years, living in Piracicaba, SP, Southeastern Brazil, between August 1, 2011 and July 31, 2012. We used generalized additive model for the Poisson regression. The relative risks were RR = 1.008; 95%CI 1.001; 1.016 for lag 1 and RR = 1.009; 95%CI 1.001; 1.017 for lag 3. The increment of 10 mu g/m(3) in particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter implies increase in relative risk between 7.9 and 8.6 percentage points. In conclusion, exposure to particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter was associated with hospitalization for respiratory diseases in children.

In vitro fermentation parameters and biohydrogenation of vegetable oils without glycerol

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo da correlação linear entre a dimensão da largura maxilar e as dimensões das larguras de outras grandezas, lineares, transversas da face, em portadores de fissura transforame incisivo unilateral, através da cefalometria radiográfica, em norma frontal

This research presents the results of a cephalometric radiography study, in frontal norm, that was used to measure the possible linear correlations between several linear dimensions of the face, in a sample of a 140 caucasian brazilians, with an average age of 20 years, who were distributed in 2 groups as follows: Control group - formed of 35 males and 35 females, with no apparent facial deformities and with dental oclusion, not necessarily, in Angle's Class I; Unilateral cleft lip and palate group - formed of 35 males and 35 females with surgical correction of the up in the first year and of the palate until the third year of life, without orthodontic treatment. ln each teleradiography, the following parameters were measured using a computer: - Lateral orbit width or external orbit width (LOe) - Medial orbit width or internal orbit width (LOI) - Zygomatic width or facial width (LZI) - Mastold width (LMa) - Maxilar width (LMx) - Nasal width (LNa) - Condilar width (LCo) - Antigonial width (LGa) The values obtained were treated statistically using quantitative analysis (arithmetic mean, standard deviation, standard mean error, Person's variation factor and Pearson factor linear correlation). Theirs significance was established by Student's t test. The Pearson factor linear correlations determined between transverse linear cephalometric width dimensions of face in frontal norm for individuals of both groups and sex, with an average age of 20 years, were: ...

Visuomotor processing and hand force coordination in dyslexic children during a visually guided manipulation task

Developmental Dyslexia negatively affects children's reading and writing ability and, in most cases, performance in sensorimotor tasks. These deficits have been associated with structural and functional alterations in the cerebellum and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC). Both neural structures are active during visually guided force control and in the coordination of load force (LF) and grip force (GF) during manipulation tasks. Surprisingly, both phenomena have not been investigated in dyslexic children. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare dyslexic and non-dyslexic children regarding their visuomotor processing ability and GF-LF coordination during a static manipulation task. Thirteen dyslexic (8-14YO) and 13 age- and sex-matched non-dyslexic (control) children participated in the study. They were asked to grasp a fixed instrumented handle using the tip of all digits and pull the handle upward exerting isometric force to match a ramp-and-hold force profile displayed in a computer monitor. Task performance (i.e., visuomotor coordination) was assessed by RMSE calculated in both ramp and hold phases. GF-LF coordination was assessed by the ratio between GF and LF (GF/LF) calculated at both phases and the maximum value of a cross-correlation function (r(max)) and its respective time lag calculated at ramp phase. The results revealed that the RMSE at both phases was larger in dyslexic than in control children. However, we found that GF/LF, rmax, and time lags were similar between groups. Those findings indicate that dyslexic children have a mild deficit in visuomotor processing but preserved GF-LF coordination. Altogether, these findings suggested that dyslexic children could present mild structural and functional alterations in specific PPC or cerebellum areas that are directly related to visuomotor processing. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel automated alternating current biosusceptometry method to characterization of controlled-release magnetic floating tablets of metronidazole

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

Significados e expectativas de crianças das camadas populares em relação à escolarização

Nowadays, we understand the childhood as a result of historical and social changes. This work aims to comprehend representations and expectations made by children from the popular classes in the initial years of Fundamentaql Education. We conducted a research with six students from a public school that attends children from urban popular layer's families. The research examines the meanings and representations of educational practices developed in the relationships established among teachers, students and families through their life stories. Among the results, we can say that the environment of differentiation in the school id perceived to the students because they introject teacher's representations about their performance. Scientific studies show that children crystallize a positive image of the shool when the speech and posture of the institution value and encourage learning. However, the students are challenged to produce better results in order to participate in extracurricular activities, which they are excluded todue indiscipline or learning difficulties. The mean of the schooling is highly influenced by the performance of students and also by the attitude of educators in the family and in the school. The theoretical review points out that when students have a good performance, the merit is attributed to stress and ease they have to acquire the learning contents. In other hand, struggling students or with a lag of content explains the academic problems stems from the lack of capacity and potential for acquisition of learning compatible with age, defining schooling as something necessary for training, but which is inaccessible in their life stories

Análise da frequência de micronúcleos frente á utilização de colutório bucal com base alcoólica em indivíduos fumantes e não fumantes

Micronuclei (MN) originate from chromosome fragments or whole chromosomes that lag behind at anaphase during cell division can occur due to excessive exposure to harmful agents, defects in mitosis and / or DNA repair process. The study evaluated the frequency of micronuclei in cytological samples after daily use of alcohol -based mouthwash mouth in smokers and non-smokers. We assessed 30 subjects, aged between 17-42 years and established as exclusion criteria: alcohol consumption; periodontal disease; systemic diseases that may interfere with the integrity of the oral mucosa; individuals with medical or pharmacological history that affect the performance of the study, family history of malignancies. For smokers the inclusion criterion was a minimum consumption of 20 cigarettes / day, and the contrast required for non-smokers. The sample was divided into 02 experimental groups: Group 1 Smokers and Group 2 Non-Smokers, both groups performed mouthwash (alcohol 21,6%) with Listerine® Defense of Teeth and Gums for 04 weeks cytological collection were performed on buccal mucosa and portion median border of the tongue, one for initial, week 0 control, and subsequent three weeks with continued use of mouthwash. The collected material was stained by specific staining Feulgen / Fast Green. The analysis of 3000 cells / individual was performed by light microscopy statistics used Kruskal- Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests for frequency MN. The frequency of micronuclei in buccal mucosa was 1.6 ± 1.75 and 1.46 ± 2.06 for the site language to Group 1 Smokers of showing a slight increase compared with Group 2 Non-smoking, which showed a variation of 1.2 ± 1.53 for the buccal mucosa site and 0.86 ± 1.41 for the site language. However, this difference was not statistically significant. The results suggest that alcohol-based mouthwash tested is not an inducer of genotoxic changes, thus not changing the frequency...

Estudos sobre as defasagens de Prometeu e Pandora

Pós-graduação em Física - FEG

Cinética de crescimento do fungo termófilo Myceliophthora thermophila M. 7.7 em cultivo no estado sólido

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)