On paternalistic leadership fit: exploring cross-cultural endorsement, leader-follower fit, and the boundary role of organizational culture

Although cross-cultural leadership research has thrived in international business literature, little attention has been devoted to understanding the effectiveness of non-western theories beyond their original contexts. The purpose of this study is to examine the cross-cultural endorsement of paternalistic leadership, an emerging non-western leadership theory, using data from GLOBE project. Using multigroup confirmatory factor analyses we found measurement equivalence of a scale derived from GLOBE’s data, which enabled us to compare the endorsement of paternalistic leadership dimensions across 10 cultural clusters and 55 societies. Our study revealed that there are significant differences in the importance societies give to each dimension, suggesting that paternalism as leadership style is not universally nor homogeneously endorsed. Furthermore, results suggest that different patterns of endorsement of each of these dimensions give rise to idiosyncratic shades of paternalistic leadership across societies. Implications for theory and future research on international business are discussed.

A saída : uma análise da deslistagem na Bovespa

Por meio da determinação das características que diferenciam empresas brasileiras listadas em bolsa a solicitarem a sua desalistagem e empresas brasileiras listadas que mantêm a sua condição de companhia aberta, o estudo explora, de forma preliminar, as motivações que levam companhias a fecharem o capital. Há evidências de que companhias cujo crescimento é pequeno, as ações são ilíquidas e possuem baixo percentual de ações em circulação (freefloat) apresentam maior probabilidade de fechar o capital. Esses resultados são consistentes com a noção de que a desalistagem ocorre quando a companhia não tem perspectivas de se beneficiar das vantagens em ser empresa de capital aberto, isto é, não necessita do mercado como fonte de financiamento, uma vez que não há crescimento; seus acionistas originais não atingiram a liquidez patrimonial, já que o free-float é baixo; e devido à iliquidez das suas ações, possivelmente os custos da seleção adversa devem ser elevados.

Entry on the Brazilian renewable power market: a case study

Conferências internacionais sobre o clima, bem como crescente conscientização sobre as questões de sustentabilidade lançaram luz sobre o papel fundamental que as energias renováveis poderiam desempenhar na transição energética. Ao contrário de combustíveis fósseis, elas podem ser regeneradas em um curto período de tempo e, por conseguinte, espera-se que sejam uma parte da solução para reduzir o aquecimento global. O Brasil sempre teve um forte setor hidrelétrico, mas agora está na vanguarda em relação a todas as outras fontes de energias alternativas, como energia eólica, biomassa o energia solar. Estas indústrias são uma promessa para um futuro próspero, graças ao potencial natural do país, bem como uma legislação de apoio, e estão atraindo muitas empresas locais e internacionais. Este estudo tem como objetivo preencher uma lacuna na literatura analisando o exemplo de uma empresa estrangeira que entra no mercado da energia renovável no Brasil. Baseando-se na literatura como um fundo conceptual, um único estudo de caso têm sido realizados para delinear todos os aspectos do processo de entrada. Neste desenvolvimento, relações causais entre as orientações estratégicas e a evolução do negócio foram identificadas. Esta pesquisa traz uma contribuição para as discussões acadêmicas sobre as dinâmicas de entrada no setor de energia renovável através de evidências do mercado brasileiro.

Papel da informatização na pequena e média empresa brasileira: investimentos em TI, percepção da gestão e impacto nos resultados

No ambiente de competição globalizada que vemos nos dias atuais, há um crescente reconhecimento do papel central da Tecnologia de Informação (TI) para determinar o sucesso da empresa, levando-a a resultados melhores. As pequenas e médias empresas também adotam a TI com o mesmo objetivo de obter benefícios desse uso, porém sua realidade é, na maioria dos casos, bastante diferente da das grandes empresas, especialmente por não possuírem os mesmos recursos e competências na área de TI. Além da competição algumas vezes outros fatores, tais como exigências legais, no caso brasileiro, obrigam as empresas a buscar maior informatização. Como as empresas se encontram em momentos diferentes no que diz respeito ao estágio de informatização, sobretudo ao papel que a área de TI desempenha para cada uma, esta tese tem por objetivo verificar se existe associação entre os gastos e investimentos em TI e o desempenho da pequena e média empresa brasileira. O trabalho busca captar as diferenças no resultado da empresa advindas do uso de TI. Para tanto, observa dados financeiros levando em consideração também a percepção dos executivos sobre os estágios de informatização e o papel que a TI desempenha na empresa. A metodologia adotada envolveu a aplicação de questionários para obtenção de dados quantitativos sobre o perfil do uso de TI e informações financeiras; bem como dados qualitativos sobre a percepção do papel que TI desempenha nas empresas. Posteriormente foi aplicada a técnica de análise de cluster, que apresentou quatro agrupamentos com comportamentos distintos em relação às variáveis, denominados “Digitais”; “Prudentes”; “Conservadores” e “Analógicos”. Os resultados encontrados apontam evidências da relação existente entre os gastos e investimentos em TI e o aumento da lucratividade da empresa, especialmente diante da presença de percepções específicas dos gestores acerca do papel que TI desempenha na empresa. Empresas que apresentam um nível de gastos e investimentos em TI mais elevado, associados com uma forte percepção dos gestores de que a TI pode contribuir positivamente com os objetivos da empresa, resultam em um nível de lucratividade superior; enquanto empresas cujos gestores percebem, de maneira intensa, que a TI não pode contribuir positivamente com os objetivos da empresa, mesmo que façam níveis considerados acima da média de gastos e investimentos em TI, apresentam um nível de lucratividade inferior. Foram estudadas 355 pequenas e médias empresas brasileiras, e a principal conclusão foi que quanto maior a percepção dos gestores do impacto positivo da TI nos processos de negócio da empresa como um todo, tanto maior é o impacto dos gastos e investimentos em TI na lucratividade da empresa.

Escândalos políticos e o clima econômico dos países sul-americanos: evidências baseadas na confiança de especialistas

Qual o impacto dos escândalos políticos sobre o clima econômico dos países sul-americanos? O presente trabalho busca responder essa pergunta ao avaliar a confiança de especialistas na economia de sete países sul-americanos durante a ocorrência de escândalos políticos em um recorte temporal de 10 anos (de 2005 até 2014). Entendemos os escândalos políticos como sendo eventos noticiados pela mídia envolvendo os presidentes das repúblicas sul-americanas em episódios de corrupção ou abuso de poder. Já o clima econômico é medido a partir da avaliação da economia por especialistas regularmente consultados pela Sondagem Econômica da América Latina, uma pesquisa que gera a construção do Índice de Clima Econômico da América Latina. Evidências apontam a influência de determinantes políticos sobre a avaliação econômica realizada pelo público geral. Poucos estudos exploram o processo de formação da confiança econômica de especialistas. Utilizamos o modelo de regressão em painel para verificar a correlação entre escândalos políticos e o Índice de Clima Econômico. Nenhuma correlação pôde ser verificada quando adotamos um modelo relacionado à economia internacional. Surpreendentemente, encontramos uma correlação significante e positiva quando adicionamos variáveis econômicas domésticas à análise. Acreditamos que futuras contribuições para o tema devam levar em conta a importância do papel das instituições como elemento fundamental na confiança de especialistas.

"Não compre, plante"? A tipificação penal das situações de cultivo de Canábis pelo Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo

A Lei nº 11.343 de 23 de agosto de 2006 (Lei de Drogas) instituiu o Sistema Nacional de Políticas Públicas sobre Drogas e criou as diretrizes para a política de drogas brasileira. Dentre o conjunto de medidas trazidas pela lei em seu dispositivo criminal está a criação de um tipo penal específico de cultivo de plantas para produção de drogas para consumo pessoal (art. 28, §1º). O plantio para consumo recebe o mesmo tratamento jurídico-penal que o porte para consumo (art. 28), sendo previstas sanções alternativas à privação de liberdade. O §2º do art. 28 da Lei de Drogas estabelece os critérios que as autoridades competentes do sistema de justiça criminal deverão considerar na tipificação penal das situações de cultivo. Este trabalho se debruça sobre a tipificação penal de situações de cultivo de canábis em acórdãos do Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo. A problemática de pesquisa aqui desenvolvida discute especificamente quais são os argumentos e como eles são apresentados nas decisões para justificar a determinação de que uma situação de cultivo é para fins de tráfico ou de consumo pessoal. O trabalho busca identificar como os critérios do §2º do art. 28 da Lei de Drogas são apresentados na fundamentação de decisões judiciais em que se discute na esfera criminal se uma situação de cultivo é para “consumo pessoal” ou “destinada a terceiros”. Uma pergunta central norteia a pesquisa realizada: quais os elementos e de que forma eles são utilizados nas decisões analisadas para tipificação do plantio para consumo pessoal (art. 28, §1º, da Lei de Drogas) e do plantio destinado a fornecer drogas a terceiros (art. 33, §1º, II)? Para enfrentar a problemática de pesquisa utilizamos a ferramenta de busca de acórdãos disponibilizada no sítio eletrônico do Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo. Foram analisados 135 acórdãos do TJSP que enfrentam diretamente a controvérsia relativa à tipificação penal de situações de cultivo de canábis. Os acórdãos foram proferidos entre os anos de 1998 e 2014 e foram selecionados segundo os critérios especificados no capítulo metodológico da dissertação. Os resultados quantitativos da pesquisa dizem respeito às informações gerais dos processos, elementos de prova mencionados nos acórdãos, características das situações de cultivo e fundamentação da tipificação penal. A discussão qualitativa sobre os resultados da pesquisa é promovida em quatro frentes: (i) interpretação e valoração da quantidade de drogas; (ii) antecedentes criminais, circunstâncias da prisão e do agente; (iii) materiais de venda e outros elementos relevantes na tipificação penal; e (iv) características do conjunto probatório. As questões discutidas nestas frentes circunscrevem o problema de pesquisa e é a partir delas que é feita a análise apresentada neste trabalho. Esperamos conseguir contribuir para melhor compreensão (i) da determinação da finalidade do cultivo e (ii) das implicações jurídicas que decorrem da opção legislativa pela não utilização de critérios quantitativos na definição dos crimes de tráfico de drogas e plantio para consumo.

Alasdair Gray`s 1982 Janine (1984): a postmodernist scottish novel

Alasdair Gray is now an established figure in the Scottish literary scene and has numerous claims to be considered an important voice writing in English. First Lanark: A Life in Four Books (1981) and then 1982 Janine (1984) contributed to the recognition of Gray as one of the founding fathers of the new Scottish writing and as a figure of importance in international contemporary fiction due to his innovative, experimental and postmodernist novels. As the title of this dissertation - “Alasdair Gray’s 1982 Janine (1984): A Postmodernist Scottish Novel” - suggests, it aims at analysing the author’s second novel, 1982 Janine (1984), in a thematic and formal perspective, in order to justify the choice of the terms - Postmodernist and Scottish - to classify this novel. 1982 Janine projects a world through Jock McLeish’s mind and is a powerful stream-of-consciousness narrative. Jock is an alcoholic who lives a personal crisis and, therefore, tries to escape from his depressing reality through sexual fantasies and political diatribes. During a single night in a Scottish hotel room, he drinks and dreams, and spends the whole night alone with his fantasies and fears, his memories and hopes. In Chapter 11, the most daring experimental section of the novel, Jock attempts to commit suicide by taking an overdose of tablets with alcohol but fails. Following this, he decides to review his life and make for a new beginning; the novel thus closing with an optimistic note. Also, the narrative is based on a constant interweaving of sex fantasy with political satire, that is, it is through his protagonist that Gray manages to convey the state of Scotland as well as the concerns and aspirations of the Scottish people and then, proceed to a political and social critique. This dissertation appears structured in three chapters. In Chapter I - “Alasdair Gray: A Postmodernist Scottish Writer” - I present Gray as a powerful postmodernist writer who also sees himself as a Scottish author, and more particularly as a Glaswegian, who concentrates on Scottish subject matter in his literary work. In a first section, I offer a brief survey of the Scottish literary scene from the fourteenth to the twentieth century, in order to understand Gray’s choice of setting and themes and to check his influence or indebtedness to previous Scottish authors. As 1982 Janine is also a good example of selfconscious experimental writing, in a second section, I present various seminal fictional works that introduced and developed experimentalism in British fiction, in order to evaluate the influence of modernist developments in form and technique on recent experimental writing. The third section consists of an introduction to Gray’s work for he is not only a novelist, but also an artist, a playwright, a poet, an activist and a scholar. Chapter II - “Postmodernist Features in 1982 Janine” - aims at listing and examining the postmodernist devices that the novel includes, in what content and form are concerned. On the one hand, the use of a developed type of the modernist stream of consciousness, the presence of a protagonist who feels entrapped in a specific system, the quest for freedom, the incoherence and fragmentation of time, the nonchronological order of the narrative, the blending of fantasy and “reality”, as well as the importance of the Scottish material are definitely current aspects within postmodernist literature that can be found in Gray’s novel. On the other hand, the handling of literary self-conscious devices, such as typographical experimentation, presence of metafiction and intertextuality, and inclusion of an Epilogue, are likewise among recurrent postmodernist features. As the title - “A Narratological Analysis of 1982 Janine” - evidences, Chapter III offers a description of the mechanics of the narrative and its functioning in order to better understand the narrative technique of postmodernist fiction. This study is based primarily on Gérard Genette’s theoretical framework and terminology, presented in Narrative Discourse: An Essay in Method, an analytical tool that allows me to provide a more objective and scientific analysis. Hence, I follow the Genettian division of narrative discourse in Time, Mood and Voice while examining the novel. Finally, I proceed to a description of the intertextual relationships 1982 Janine establishes with other texts.

Ecology and conservation of bottlenose dolphins in Madeira Archipelago, Portugal

This study aimed to provide an insight on the ecology of the bottlenose dolphin population in Madeira archipelago. To achieve this, population structure; group dynamics, site-fidelity, residency and movement patterns within and out of the study area; survival and abundance estimates and spatial and temporal distribution and habitat preferences related to physiographic parameters using data collected between 2001-2011, were investigated. Photo-identification data analysis revealed strong evidences that bottlenose dolphins seen in the archipelago of Madeira belong to an open population with regular recruitment of new animals to the area. This population exhibited a typical fission-fusion society, in which short-term acquaintances prevail, with only a few long-lasting associations. Photo-identification methods demonstrated that there is a large variability in residency pattern, with resident, transient and migrant individuals. Only a small number of dolphins were found to be resident (4.3%). Social network diagram as well as SLAR analysis supported the existence of a mixed population of residents, migrants and transients. Mark-recapture methods estimated a high survival rate, within the range of other long-lived cetacean species. The resident community is composed of app. 180 individuals. In addition, around 400 dolphins of different residency patterns were found to use the south area of Madeira Island. Spatial distribution indicated that bottlenose dolphins were regularly found in shallow and closer to shore areas, suggesting the existence of biological processes influenced by bathymetry. Moreover, temporal patterns revealed no strong seasonal fluctuation in the presence of bottlenose dolphins in Madeira archipelago waters. Bottlenose dolphins are listed under the Annex II of the EU habitats Directive that requires the designation of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for this species; as such, the knowledge gained through this work can be used by governmental authorities to the establishment and management of areas for the conservation of bottlenose dolphin in Madeira archipelago.

Use of novel biomarkers (Homocysteine, vitamin B6, B9 and B12) on the assessing the progression of cardiovascular disease

A large number of evidences correlate elevated levels of homocysteine (Hcys) with a higher cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk, especially, atherosclerosis. Similarly, abnormal low levels of the vitamins B6, B9 and B12 are associated to an instability in the methionine cycle with an over production of Hcys. Thus, biomedical sciences are looking forward for a cheaper, faster, precise and accurate analytical methodology to quantify these compounds in a suitable format for the clinical environment. Therefore the objective of this study was the development of a simple, inexpensive and appropriate methodology to use at the clinical level. To achieve this goal, a procedure integrating a digitally controlled (eVol®) microextraction by packed sorbent (MEPS) and an ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to a photodiode array detector (PDA) was developed to identify and quantify Hcys vitamins B6, B9 and B12. Although different conditions were assayed, we were not able to combine Hcys with the vitamins in the same analytical procedure, and so we proceeded to the optimization of two methods differing only in the composition of the gradient of the mobile phase and the injected volume. It was found that MEPS did not bring any benefit to the quantification of the Hcys in the plasma. Therefore, we developed and validate an alternative method that uses the direct injection of treated plasma (reduced and precipitated). This same method was evaluated in terms of selectivity, linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), matrix effect and precision (intra-and inter-day) and applied to the determination of Hcys in a group composed by patients presenting augmented CVD risk. Good results in terms of selectivity and linearity (R2> 0.9968) were obtained, being the values of LOD and LOQ 0.007 and 0.21 mol / L, respectively. The intra-day precision (1.23-3.32%), inter-day precision (5.43-6.99%) and the recovery rate (82.5 to 93.1%) of this method were satisfactory. The matrix effect (>120%) was, however, higher than we were waiting for. Using this methodology it was possible to determine the amount of Hcys in real plasma samples from individuals presenting augmented CVD risk. Regarding the methodology developed for vitamins, despite the optimization of the extraction technique and the chromatographic conditions, it was found that the levels usually present in plasma are far below the sensitivity we obtained. Therefore, further optimizations of the methodology developed are needed. As conclusion, part of the objectives of this study was achieved with the development of a quick, simple and cheaper method for the quantification of Hcys.

Qualidade de vida no trabalho da Emater-RN: validação de um instrumento síntese de pesquisa e diagnóstico

The theoretical recital of the present study it is initiated of the evidence that the work occupies an important space in the man s life in way that the majority of the people works and passes great part of its time inside organizati ons. However, it is verified that the relation between man and work is becoming increasingly disagreement a time that the employees had started to complain work s routines, stress, not use all their potential and inadequate work s conditions. It can be observed by the way of Dejours (1994) studies. Thus, as contribution for the quality of work life s (QWL) studies the research developed here objectified to characterize the public employees quality of work life at EMATER -RN taking as reference an instrumen t of research synthesized from the typical academic literature of the subject. The synthesis of an ampler instrument is a necessity not taken care to the literature that treats on the subject but already perceived by some studies like Moraes et al (1990); Rodrigues (1989); Siqueira & Coleta (1989); Moraes et al (1992); Carvalho & Souza (2003); El -Aouar & Souza (2003) and Mourão, Kilimnick & Fernandes (2005); Adorno, Marques & Borges (2005) amongst others. These studies point out weak points of the existing models in the QWL s literature, as well as they recommend the elaboration of a model more flexible, that contemplates Brazilian cultural characteristics, and that contemplates the entire variable studied in the main existing models. For reach this objectiv e the adopted methodology was characterized as a case study with collected data in qualitative and quantitative way. Questionnaires and comments had been used as sources of evidences. These evidences had been tabulated through of statistical package SPSS ( Statistical Package for Social Science), in which the main technique of multivariate analysis used were the factorial analysis. As for the gotten results, it was verified the grouping of the quality of work life s indicators in 11 factors which are: Work s execution, Individual accomplishment, Work s equity, Relation individual and organization, Work s organization, Adequacy of the remuneration, Relation between head and subordinate, Effectiveness of the communication and the learning, Relation between work and personal life, Participation and Effectiveness of the work processes. Whatever to the characterization of the EMATER -RN s quality of work life it was clearly that to the measure that the satisfaction s evaluation with the QWL in the organization walks to intrinsic factors for extrinsic factors this level of satisfaction goes diminishing what points to the importance to improve these extrinsic factors in the institution. In summary it is possible to conclude that the organization studied has offered a significant set of referring variable to the quality of work life of the individual

Fatores críticos de sucesso das empresas familiares: uma abordagem competitiva

The present objective study to inside identify the critical factors of success of the local family companies of a competitive boarding. For in such a way the same it understands the culture and the management of the family companies of success, identifies the essential areas of performance, it establishes the restrictive factors of the success, and analyzes the level of influence of the critical factors of success in the competitiveness of this type of company. In function of the subject little to be explored, and of this study to provide a general vision concerning the factors that take the family companies to get success, this research is explorer. On the other hand, for describing characteristic of the familiar companies in prominence in the local scene and for being worried about the practical performance, the same one also is descriptive. The sample in turn is the not-probabilist one of the intentional type, for accessibility. For operacionalization of the collection of data, the direct contact was used, being the composed instrument of research for variable as management, culture, critical factors of success and competitiveness. The study it evidences that in regards to the management and the culture of the family companies of success, some variable are turned aside from the standard of the conventional family companies cited by literature. Of general form in the familiar companies of success it has a bigger level of professionalization of the management. As for the value given to the knowledge, the study sample that the conventional family companies give little importance to it, in contrast of the family companies in prominence, who value of significant form the search for the knowledge. He is demonstrated despite the family companies of success, even so total are not professionalized, possess a bigger level of professionalization of the management, ratifying of certain forms the reason for which the majority develops the Strategical Planning formal periodically. In short, the results point 17 critical factors of success with respect to the family companies, in special factors as the product quality and services, and the use of the technology

O gerenciamento de impressões e a qualidade dos serviços nos hotéis da Paraíba

The present study has got as its aim to show how the impressions management is being used by the hotels in Paraiba State. For that, the dramma or role play perspective has been adopted as a model for service management. From the theater metaphor, the physical environment and its components can be seen as a scenery of the service show. We conduct the reader to notice the importance of the consummer about the service quality demand and its influence on his satisfaction. A methodology with exploring and qualifying nature has been adopted by using the analyses of content technique in interviews applied to hotel managers lebeled as having 4 and 5 stars in the State, trying to check how impression management takes place, identifying impression management tools used in relation to the physical evidences and to contacting people, as well as checking managers views in the survey about the use of impression management for client satisfaction make. The information revealed that managers, maybe for being unaware about impression management theory, haven t considered neither the physical evidences yet, nor contacting people as marketing tools. About the physical evidences, we could see that hotels take actions in a pulverized way referring to environment decoration and colors, however there isn t a global usage of physical evidences to highlight the service. Contacting people by their turn, receive better importance and attention. It was possible to make sure that managers are aware about the influence of the employee over the attendance quality. This way, we may come into a conclusion that impression management at Paraiba hotels has been under used, as long as managers seem to be, most times, turned to actions related to contacting people, not having realized the planning importance and national-wide use of service scenery in a genaral way yet

O argumento de inclusão enquanto política de acesso à universidade pública

There are a great number of evidences showing that education is extremely important in many economic and social dimensions. In Brazil, education is a right guaranteed by the Federal Constitution; however, in the Brazilian legislation the right to the three stages of basic education: Kindergarten, Elementary and High School is better promoted and supported than the right to education at College level. According to educational census data (INEP, 2009), 78% of all enrolments in College education are in private schools, while the reverse is found in High School: 84% of all matriculations are in public schools, which shows a contradiction in the admission into the universities. The Brazilian scenario presents that public universities receive mostly students who performed better and were prepared in elementary and high school education in private schools, while private universities attend students who received their basic education in public schools, which are characterized as low quality. These facts have led researchers to raise the possible determinants of student performance on standardized tests, such as the Brazilian Vestibular exam, to guide the development of policies aimed at equal access to College education. Seeking inspiration in North American models of affirmative action policies, some Brazilian public universities have suggested rate policies to enable and facilitate the entry of "minorities" (blacks, pardos1, natives, people of low income and public school students) to free College education. At the Federal University of the state Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), the first incentives for candidates from public schools emerged in 2006, being improved and widespread during the last 7 years. This study aimed to analyse and discuss the Argument of Inclution (AI) - the affirmative action policy that provides additional scoring for students from public schools. From an extensive database, the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) technique was used as well as a Quantile Regression considering as control the variables of personal, socioeconomic and educational characteristics of the candidates from the Brazilian Vestibular exam 2010 of the Federal University of the state Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). The results demonstrate the importance of this incentive system, besides the magnitude of other variables

Entre serras e sertões A(s) (trans)formaç(ões) de centralidade(s) da Região Metropolitana do Cariri/CE

This study reviews the spatial configuration from the road network of an urban compound formed by the cities of Crato, Juazeiro do Norte and Barbalha (the Crajubar - core of the Cariri metropolitan region, in the State of Ceará, Brazil), in order to establish nexus (or relations) between different levels of accessibility and the formation/ transformation and specialization of centralities in local and metropolitan scales. Stemming from the Social Logic of Space theoretical and operational apparatus, the study explores modeling possibilities (with axial lines, segments and lines of continuity) which is then confronted to empirical observations concerning movement flows and land use, within a Geographic Information System database. At different scales of analysis, the results suggest evidences of continuity were found in the permanence of intra-urban centres and sub-centres within each town, whereas evidences of change pointed out to the formation of a new centrality of metropolitan magnitude in the neighbourhood referred to as the Triângulo, in the municipality of Juazeiro, where high levels of topological accessibility coincides with the appearance of new business buildings as well as with the emergence of urban equipment of a scale more adequate to meet a regional demand

Papel da proteína de reparo XPC na regulação das proteínas de reparo APE1, OGG1 e PARP-1 em células humanas e de camundongos

studies using UV as a source of DNA damage. However, even though unrepaired UV-induced DNA damages are related to mutagenesis, cell death and tumorigenesis, they do not explain phenotypes such as neurodegeneration and internal tumors observed in patients with syndromes like Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP) and Cockayne Syndrome (CS) that are associated with NER deficiency. Recent evidences point to a role of NER in the repair of 8-oxodG, a typical substrate of Base Excision Repair (BER). Since deficiencies in BER result in genomic instability, neurodegenerative diseases and cancer, it was investigated in this research the impact of XPC deficiency on BER functions in human cells. It was analyzed both the expression and the cellular localization of APE1, OGG1 e PARP-1, the mainly BER enzymes, in different NER-deficient human fibroblasts. The endogenous levels of these enzymes are reduced in XPC deficient cells. Surprisingly, XP-C fibroblasts were more resistant to oxidative agents than the other NER deficient fibroblasts, despite presenting the highest of 8-oxodG. Furthermore, subtle changes in the nuclear and mitochondrial localization of APE1 were detected in XP-C fibroblasts. To confirm the impact of XPC deficiency in the regulation of APE1 and OGG1 expression and activity, we constructed a XPC-complemented cell line. Although the XPC complementation was only partial, we found that XPC-complemented cells presented increased levels of OGG1 than XPC-deficient cells. The extracts from XPC-complemented cells also presented an elevated OGG1 enzimatic activity. However, it was not observed changes in APE1 expression and activity in the XPCcomplemented cells. In addition, we found that full-length APE1 (37 kDa) and OGG1- α are in the mitochondria of XPC-deficient fibroblasts and XPC-complemented fibroblasts before and after induction of oxidative stress. On the other hand, the expression of APE1 and PARP-1 are not altered in brain and liver of XPC knockout mice. However, XPC deficiency changed the APE1 localization in hypoccampus and hypothalamus. We also observed a physical interaction between XPC and APE1 proteins in human cells. In conclusion, the data suggest that XPC protein has a role in the regulation of OGG1 expression and activity in human cells and is involved mainly in the regulation of APE1 localization in mice. Aditionally, the response of NER deficient cells under oxidative stress may not be only associated to the NER deficiency per se, but it may include the new functions of NER enzymes in regulation of expression and cell localization of BER proteins