Peer effects on locus of control

Eu analiso o papel que a interação entre pares tem na determinação do Locus de Controle, uma medida de quão pessoalmente responsável as pessoas se sentem com relação a diferentes aspectos de suas vidas. Eu estabeleço identificação através de variação no tamanho do grupo e de variáveis instrumentais baseadas na estrutura de painel dos dados. Eu estudo a questão no contexto escolar, utilizando os dados de alunos no Ensino Fundamental de um município brasileiro, que inclui o questionário de Tel Aviv de Locus de Controle. Minhas estimativas não apresentam sinais de peer effects endógenos ou contextuais.

Essays on health care reform, wealth inequality, and demography

This thesis contains three chapters. The first chapter uses a general equilibrium framework to simulate and compare the long run effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and of health care costs reduction policies on macroeconomic variables, government budget, and welfare of individuals. We found that all policies were able to reduce uninsured population, with the PPACA being more effective than cost reductions. The PPACA increased public deficit mainly due to the Medicaid expansion, forcing tax hikes. On the other hand, cost reductions alleviated the fiscal burden of public insurance, reducing public deficit and taxes. Regarding welfare effects, the PPACA as a whole and cost reductions are welfare improving. High welfare gains would be achieved if the U.S. medical costs followed the same trend of OECD countries. Besides, feasible cost reductions are more welfare improving than most of the PPACA components, proving to be a good alternative. The second chapter documents that life cycle general equilibrium models with heterogeneous agents have a very hard time reproducing the American wealth distribution. A common assumption made in this literature is that all young adults enter the economy with no initial assets. In this chapter, we relax this assumption – not supported by the data – and evaluate the ability of an otherwise standard life cycle model to account for the U.S. wealth inequality. The new feature of the model is that agents enter the economy with assets drawn from an initial distribution of assets. We found that heterogeneity with respect to initial wealth is key for this class of models to replicate the data. According to our results, American inequality can be explained almost entirely by the fact that some individuals are lucky enough to be born into wealth, while others are born with few or no assets. The third chapter documents that a common assumption adopted in life cycle general equilibrium models is that the population is stable at steady state, that is, its relative age distribution becomes constant over time. An open question is whether the demographic assumptions commonly adopted in these models in fact imply that the population becomes stable. In this chapter we prove the existence of a stable population in a demographic environment where both the age-specific mortality rates and the population growth rate are constant over time, the setup commonly adopted in life cycle general equilibrium models. Hence, the stability of the population do not need to be taken as assumption in these models.

Proposta de localização de uma unidade de tratamento de óleo e gordura residual de fritura na cidade do Natal/RN para produção de biodiesel

This work addresses biodiesel by transesterification from the use of waste frying oil as a possible technological alternative for both reducing greenhouse gas emissions and by presenting themselves as an environmental call to designate a rational use of oil when no longer played in the environment to become renewable energy. It has proposed location of a residual oil and fat treatment plant to produce biodiesel, using models of Location and Routing for the improvement of routes. To achieve the goal, questionnaires were administered in establishments that use oil or vegetable fat in their productive activities in order to quantify the residue, to analyze actions and environmental perception of people who work directly with the residue on the destination you are being given to oil and fat used. It has indicated using of two single setup location, the method of Center of Gravity and the model of Ardalan, a geographical point that minimizes the costs of transporting waste to the treatment plant. Actions have been proposed for the improvement of collection routes this residue using the Routing Method of Scanning, as an illustration. The results demonstrated the lack of knowledge of the people who deal directly with large amounts of waste, on the environmental impacts caused by their incorrect disposal. The models used were uniform since point out to neighborhoods in similar regions. The neighborhoods of Lagoa Nova / Morro Branco (Ardalan) and Nova Descoberta (Center of Gravity) as ideal for the installation of treatment plant. However, it is suggested to be tested other models that take into account new variables than those used (supply of waste and the distance between points). The routing through the method of scanning has shown that it is possible, in a simple way to optimize routes in order to reduce distances and therefore the logistics costs in the collection of such waste. Introducing a route as a test to gather the twenty largest oil suppliers used in sample frying, using as a main factor time 8 hour of working shift every day

Desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta computacional para aplicação em métodos de elevação por bombeio centrífugo submerso

The Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) has been one of the most appropriate solutions for lifting method in onshore and offshore applications. The typical features for this application are adverse temperature, viscosity fluids and gas environments. The difficulties in equipments maintenance and setup contributing to increasing costs of oil production in deep water, therefore, the optimization through automation can be a excellent approach for decrease costs and failures in subsurface equipment. This work describe a computer simulation related with the artificial lifting method ESP. This tool support the dynamic behavior of ESP approach, considering the source and electric energy transmission model for the motor, the electric motor model (including the thermal calculation), flow tubbing simulation, centrifugal pump behavior simulation with liquid nature effects and reservoir requirements. In addition, there are tri-dimensional animation for each ESP subsytem (transformer, motor, pump, seal, gas separator, command unit). This computer simulation propose a improvement for monitoring oil wells for maximization of well production. Currenty, the proprietaries simulators are based on specific equipments manufactures. Therefore, it is not possible simulation equipments of another manufactures. In the propose approach there are support for diverse kinds of manufactures equipments

Propriedades de resistência e rigidez da madeira juvenil e adulta de Pinus taeda L.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi o estudo da variabilidade das propriedades de resistência e rigidez à flexão estática e à densidade aparente (12%) entre a madeira juvenil e adulta de Pinus taeda L., de 37 anos de idade, procedente do Horto Florestal de Manduri, Estado de São Paulo. Na primeira parte do trabalho foram determinadas a região de madeira juvenil, a região de transição e a região de madeira adulta, por meio de estudos anatômicos (comprimento dos traqueídes axiais), segundo as recomendações das normas ABNT e IAWA. Os resultados mostraram que a região de madeira juvenil dessa espécie ocorre aproximadamente até o 18º anel de crescimento. Na segunda parte do trabalho foram analisados a resistência (módulo de ruptura - MOR) à flexão, o módulo de elasticidade (MOE) nessa mesma solicitação e a densidade aparente (12%) para as madeiras juvenil e adulta. Os resultados mostraram que o MOE e o MOR da madeira juvenil foram menores e mais variáveis que aqueles obtidos para madeira adulta. A densidade apresentou a mesma tendência observada nas propriedades avaliadas no ensaio de flexão estática.

Controle inteligente de pressão para uma rede sem reservatório de abastecimento urbano de água

The sanitation companies from Brazil has a great challenge for the XXI century: seek to mitigate the rate of physical waste (water, chemicals and electricity) and financial waste caused by inefficient operating systems drinking water supply, considering that currently we already face, in some cases, the scarcity of water resources. The supply systems are increasingly complex as they seek to minimize waste and at the same time better serve the growing number of users. However, this technological change is to reduce the complexity of the challenges posed by the need to include users with higher quality and efficiency in services. A major challenge for companies of water supplies is to provide a good quality service contemplating reducing expenditure on electricity. In this situation we developed a research by a method that seeks to control the pressure of the distribution systems that do not have the tank in your setup and the water comes out of the well directly to the distribution system. The method of pressure control (intelligent control) uses fuzzy logic to eliminate the waste of electricity and the leaks from the production of pumps that inject directly into the distribution system, which causes waste of energy when the consumption of households is reduced causing the saturation of the distribution system. This study was conducted at Green Club II condominium, located in the city of Parnamirim, state of Rio Grande do Norte, in order to study the pressure behavior of the output of the pump that injects water directly into the distribution system. The study was only possible because of the need we had to find a solution to some leaks in the existing distribution system and the extensions of the respective condominium residences, which sparked interest in developing a job in order to carry out the experiments contained in this research

Estudo de Superfícies Seletivas de Frequência com o Uso de Inteligência Computacional

The main objective of this work is to optimize the performance of frequency selective surfaces (FSS) composed of crossed dipole conducting patches. The optimization process is performed by determining proper values for the width of the crossed dipoles and for the FSS array periodicity, while the length of the crossed dipoles is kept constant. Particularly, the objective is to determine values that provide wide bandwidth using a search algorithm with representation in bioinspired real numbers. Typically FSS structures composed of patch elements are used for band rejection filtering applications. The FSS structures primarily act like filters depending on the type of element chosen. The region of the electromagnetic spectrum chosen for this study is the one that goes from 7 GHz to 12 GHz, which includes mostly the X-band. This frequency band was chosen to allow the use of two X-band horn antennas, in the FSS measurement setup. The design of the FSS using the developed genetic algorithm allowed increasing the structure bandwidth

Nitrogen fertilization of fall panicum cultivars (Panicum dichotomiflorum Michx.): biochemical and agronomical aspects

São escassas as informações sobre cultivares melhoradas e técnicas culturais adequadas à cultura do painço. Este experimento objetivou avaliar o efeito da aplicação de níveis de nitrogênio (N) em cobertura no desenvolvimento e nos atributos bioquímicos de duas cultivares de painço. Para tanto, instalou-se um experimento em Botucatu (SP), em caixas de cimento amianto, mantidas em túnel plástico. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, em esquema fatorial 2x6, com dois cultivares de painço (AL Mogi e AL Tibagi) e seis níveis de adubação nitrogenada (0, 40, 80, 120, 160 e 200 mg L-1), aplicada em cobertura, no início do perfilhamento. Os dois cultivares utilizados tiveram comportamento semelhante em relação às variáveis avaliadas, em resposta à aplicação de N em cobertura. A aplicação de doses de N na cultura do painço proporcionou incrementos nos teores relativos de clorofila, aminoácidos totais, nitrogênio total e altura das plantas, e redução dos teores de açúcares na matéria seca, até o intervalo entre 120 e 160 mg de N L-1. O perfilhamento e produção de grãos tiveram aumento linear com a aplicação de N. A adubação nitrogenada não afetou a produção de matéria seca.

Efeito do déficit hídrico na eficiência de herbicidas e nas características bioquímicas de picão-preto

The objective of this work was to evaluate conditions the effectiveness of acetolactate synthase (ALS) and protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PROTOX) inhibitors in the Bidens pilosa control under two water deficit conditions, as well as to determine the influence of water deficit under the contents of soluble carbohydrates and protein of weed. The experimental design was randomized completely design with the treatments, with four replications, setup in a factorial scheme 4x2, with four herbicides (fomesafen lactofen, chlorimuron-ethyl and imazethapyr), and two water conditions (-0.5 MPa and -0.01MPa). At 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after application (DAA), was assessed visually control efficiency of herbicides. For the determination of organic solutes plants were collected at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after application (HAA). Herbicides controlled efficiently plants of B. pilosa, except lactofen, whereas the water deficit affected the efficiency of control of all the herbicides. The soluble carbohydrate content increased with the imposition of water deficit, however, herbicides and water deficit further reduction of soluble proteins in plants of B. pilosa.

Análise aerodinâmica de perfis de asa para aeronaves experimentais tipo jn-1

The great importance in selecting the profile of an aircraft wing concerns the fact that its relevance in the performance thereof; influencing this displacement costs (fuel consumption, flight level, for example), the conditions of flight safety (response in critical condition) of the plane. The aim of this study was to examine the aerodynamic parameters that affect some types of wing profile, based on wind tunnel testing, to determine the aerodynamic efficiency of each one of them. We compared three types of planforms, chosen from considerations about the characteristics of the aircraft model. One of them has a common setup, and very common in laboratory classes to be a sort of standard aerodynamic, it is a symmetrical profile. The second profile shows a conFiguration of the concave-convex type, the third is also a concave-convex profile, but with different implementation of the second, and finally, the fourth airfoil profile has a plano-convex. Thus, three different categories are covered in profile, showing the main points of relevance to their employment. To perform the experiment used a wind tunnel-type open circuit, where we analyzed the pressure distribution across the surface of each profile. Possession of the drag polar of each wing profile can be, from the theoretical basis of this work, the aerodynamic characteristics relate to the expected performance of the experimental aircraft, thus creating a selection model with guaranteed performance aerodynamics. It is believed that the philosophy used in this dissertation research validates the results, resulting in an experimental alternative for reliable implementation of aerodynamic testing in models of planforms

Mecanismos de desgaste de poliuretano em ensaios de microabrasão

Wear mechanisms and thermal history of two non-conforming sliding surfaces was investigated in laboratory. A micro-abrasion testing setup was used but the traditional rotative sphere method was substituted by a cylindrical surface of revolution which included seven sharp angles varying between 15o to 180o. The micro-abrasion tests lead to the investigation on the polyurethane response at different contact pressures. For these turned counterfaces with and without heat treatment. Normal load and sliding speeds were changed. The sliding distance was fixed at 5 km in each test. The room and contact temperatures were measured during the tests. The polyurethane was characterized using tensile testing, hardness Shore A measurement, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermomechanical Analyze (TMA). The Vickers micro-hardness of the steel was measured before and after the heat treatment and the metallographic characterization was also carried out. Worn surface of polyurethane was analysed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and EDS (Electron Diffraction Scanning) microanalyses. Single pass scratch testing in polyurethane using indenters with different contact angles was also carried out. The scar morphology of the wear, the wear mechanism and the thermal response were analyzed in order to correlate the conditions imposed by the pressure-velocity pair to the materials in contact. Eight different wear mechanisms were identified on the polyurethane surface. It was found correlation between the temperature variation and the wear scar morphology.

Participação do colmo principal e dos afilhos na produtividade do arroz irrigado, em função da densidade de semeadura

Entre as práticas culturais a serem consideradas na implantação da cultura do arroz destaca-se a densidade de semeadura, que deve estabelecer, em grande parte, a participação do colmo principal e dos afilhos nos componentes da produção, possibilitando a obtenção da máxima produtividade. O trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a participação do colmo principal e dos afilhos na produtividade de grãos de arroz, cv. IAC 102, no sistema irrigado por inundação, em função da densidade de semeadura. O experimento foi desenvolvido sob túnel plástico, em Botucatu (SP), em caixas d'água de cimento amianto de 500 L, contendo Neossolo Flúvico Ta Eutrófico, com profundidade de 30 cm. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições. As densidades de semeadura foram: 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 e 600 sementes viáveis por m², em 4 linhas de 1 m por caixa, espaçadas com 20 cm. A elevação da densidade de semeadura diminui o afilhamento e proporciona a maior participação dos colmos principais, porém, não resultando em incremento de produtividade, devido à plasticidade das plantas de arroz, que proporciona o ajustamento dos componentes da produção.

Multi-population genetic algorithm to solve the synchronized and integrated two-level lot sizing and scheduling problem

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

Piezoelectric biosensors for real-time monitoring of hybridization and detection of hepatitis C virus

The piezoelectric quartz crystal resonators modified with oligonucleotide probes were used for detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in serum. The gold electrodes on either rough or smooth surface crystals were modified with a self-assembled monolayer of cystamine. After activation with glutaraldehyde, either avidin or streptavidin were immobilized and used for attachment of biotinylated DNA probes (four different sequences). Piezoelectric biosensors were used in a flow-through setup for direct monitoring of DNA resulting from the reverse transcriptase-linked polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of the original viral RNA. The samples of patients with hepatitis C were analyzed and the results were compared with the standard RT-PCR procedure (Amplicor test kit of Roche, microwell format with spectrophotometric evaluation). The piezoelectric hybridization assay was completed in 10 min and the same sensing surface was suitable for repeated use. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

g-acceleration of gravity: its measurement from the shape of water by using a computerized rotational system

This paper proposes a different experimental setup compared with the traditional ones, in order to determine the acceleration of gravity, which is carried out by using a fluid at a constant rotation. A computerized rotational system-by using a data acquisition system with specific software, a power amplifier and a rotary motion sensor-is employed in order to evaluate the angular velocity and g. An equation to determine g is inferred from fluid mechanics. For this purpose, the fluid's parabolic shape inside a cylindrical receptacle is considered using a rotational movement.