Effects of Socioeconomic Status and Sociodemographic Features on Cardiovascular Disease. Mortality and Morbidity in Finland

Despite declining trends in morbidity and mortality, cardiovascular diseases have a considerable impact on Finnish public health. A goal in Finnish health policy is to reduce inequalities in health and mortality among population groups. The aim of this study was to assess inequalities in cardiovascular diseases according to socioeconomic status (SES), language groups and other sociodemographic characteristics. The main data source was generated from events in 35-99 year-old men and women registered in the population-based FINMONICA and FINAMI myocardial infarction registers during the years ranging from 1988-2002. Information on population group characteristics was obtained from Statistics Finland. Additional data were derived from the FINMONICA and FINSTROKE stroke registers and the FINRISK Study. SES, measured by income level, was a major determinant of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) mortality. Among middle-aged men, the 28-day mortality rate of the lowest group of six income groups was 5.2 times and incidence 2.7 times as high when compared to the highest income group. Among women, the differences were even larger. Among the unmarried, the incidence of ACS was approximately 1.6 times as high and their prognosis was significantly worse than among married persons - both in men and women and independent of age. Higher age-standardized attack rates of ACS and stroke were found among Finnish-speaking compared to Swedish-speaking men in Turku and these differences could not be completely explained by SES. In these language groups, modest differences were found in traditional risk factor levels possibly explaining part of the found morbidity and mortality inequality. In conclusion, there are considerable differences in the morbidity and mortality of ACS and stroke between socioeconomic and sociodemographic groups, in Finland. Focusing measures to reduce the excess morbidity and mortality, in groups at high risk, could decrease the economic burden of cardiovascular diseases and thus be an important public health goal in Finland.

Hyperbolic type metrics and distortion of quasiconformal map pings

This Ph.D. thesis consists of four original papers. The papers cover several topics from geometric function theory, more specifically, hyperbolic type metrics, conformal invariants, and the distortion properties of quasiconformal mappings. The first paper deals mostly with the quasihyperbolic metric. The main result gives the optimal bilipschitz constant with respect to the quasihyperbolic metric for the M¨obius self-mappings of the unit ball. A quasiinvariance property, sharp in a local sense, of the quasihyperbolic metric under quasiconformal mappings is also proved. The second paper studies some distortion estimates for the class of quasiconformal self-mappings fixing the boundary values of the unit ball or convex domains. The distortion is measured by the hyperbolic metric or hyperbolic type metrics. The results provide explicit, asymptotically sharp inequalities when the maximal dilatation of quasiconformal mappings tends to 1. These explicit estimates involve special functions which have a crucial role in this study. In the third paper, we investigate the notion of the quasihyperbolic volume and find the growth estimates for the quasihyperbolic volume of balls in a domain in terms of the radius. It turns out that in the case of domains with Ahlfors regular boundaries, the rate of growth depends not merely on the radius but also on the metric structure of the boundary. The topic of the fourth paper is complete elliptic integrals and inequalities. We derive some functional inequalities and elementary estimates for these special functions. As applications, some functional inequalities and the growth of the exterior modulus of a rectangle are studied.

Numerical Simulation of the Cavitation in the Hydrodynamic Lubrication of Journal Bearings: a Parallel Algorithm

In this paper we present an algorithm for the numerical simulation of the cavitation in the hydrodynamic lubrication of journal bearings. Despite the fact that this physical process is usually modelled as a free boundary problem, we adopted the equivalent variational inequality formulation. We propose a two-level iterative algorithm, where the outer iteration is associated to the penalty method, used to transform the variational inequality into a variational equation, and the inner iteration is associated to the conjugate gradient method, used to solve the linear system generated by applying the finite element method to the variational equation. This inner part was implemented using the element by element strategy, which is easily parallelized. We analyse the behavior of two physical parameters and discuss some numerical results. Also, we analyse some results related to the performance of a parallel implementation of the algorithm.

Social inequality and perinatal health: comparison of three Brazilian cohorts

The objective of the present study was to estimate and compare social inequality in terms of three indicators, i.e., low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth (PTB) and small for gestational age (SGA) birth, in three birth cohorts. Two cohorts were from the city of Ribeirão Preto, where data were collected for all 6748 live born singletons in 1978/79 and for one third of live born singletons (2846) in 1994. The third cohort consisted of 2443 singletons born in São Luís over a period of one year (1997/98). In Ribeirão Preto, LBW and PTB rates increased in all social strata from 1978/79 to 1994. Social inequalities regarding LBW and PTB disappeared since the increase in these rates was more accelerated in the groups with higher educational level. The percentage of SGA infants increased over the study period. Social inequality regarding SGA birth increased due to a more intense increase in SGA births in the strata with lower schooling. In São Luís, in 1997/98 there was no social inequality in LBW or PTB rates, whereas SGA birth rate was higher in mothers with less schooling. We speculate that the more accelerated increase in medical intervention, especially due to the increase in cesarean sections in the more privileged groups, could be the main factor explaining the unexpected increase in LBW and PTB rates in Ribeirão Preto and the decrease or disappearance of social inequality regarding these perinatal indicators in the two cities.

A globalização no Brasil: responsável ou bode expiatório?

After the sequence of structural adjustments decisions suggested by the IMF, Brazilian economy became wider opened, as the consequences from financial globalization were stronger than those from commercial globalization. Nevertheless, social and economical reality didn't show much improvement. On the contrary, figures on economic increase and inequalities show Brazil behind the average of developing countries. Even if the effects caused by "mondialisation" on weakened economies are well known, globalization can not be taken as the only guilty of weak economic increase, for maintaining the high level of inequalities or for the increase of precariousness. Responsibility must be searched on high inequalities in where operates "mondialisation", on weakness of public policies, on irresponsible way of opening of the economy and in fiscal policy in favor of financial sector. Other countries have reached quite different results, once the have adopted different public policies, which goal was to establish control and reduction upon the negatives effects of globalization.

Banking and regional inequality in Brazil: an empirical note

The paper investigates a neglected aspect of regional inequality in Brazil, namely regional inequalities related to financial flows. A synthetic regional financial inequality index is proposed and calculated in a semester basis over the 02-1994/02-2000 period. The inequality measure attempts to capture to what extent deposits in a given state translate into credit operations in that locality. Two main results emerge. First, non-negligible inequality patterns emerge when one considers the segment of private banks and those are consistent with an important proportion of states with a predominantly exporting pattern, for which deposits surpasses loans in that locality. Second, if one focus on the segment of public banks, an opposite pattern appears, that is consistent with decision patterns that might have, in part, a regional development motivation.

Para medir as desigualdades raciais no mercado de trabalho

Measuring racial inequalities in the labor market. How much racial inequality is there in Brazilian labor market? What has been the impact of the latest transformations in work relations on it? Can we compare the Brazilian situation to other countries? These questions don't have today an objective answer. This is due, mostly, to the absence of measures which could allow us to make long term and regional comparisons of different racial inequalities situations. Our proposal is to provide new indicators to evaluate racial inequalities in both the occupational and income structure in Brazil. Our results show that whites/non-whites gaps widened since the 1980s. They allow us to affirm, in addition, that racial inequalities are today worst in Brazil than in countries that adopted affirmative action laws to fight discrimination.

Coping with globalization: Asian versus Latin American strategies of development, 1980-2010

When compared to Latin America, Asian economies since 1980 have grown faster and have done so with relatively modest inequalities. Why? A comparison of Asia and Latin America underlines the superiority of the nationalist capitalist model of development, which has often been pursued more explicitly in Asia, over that of a dependent capitalist model, which has often been pursued in Latin America. In comparison to Latin America, the Asian model has facilitated higher and less volatile rates of economic growth and a greater political room to pursue social democratic policies. The "tap root" of these alternate pathways is relative autonomy from global constraints: states and economies in Asia have been more nationalist and autonomous than in Latin America.

Ignacy Sachs e a nave espacial Terra

This paper is a short survey of the work of Ignacy Sachs - one of the pioneers of structuralist development economics and an outstanding economist dedicated to environmental economics. Sachs is Polish and a disciple of Michael Kalecki, but he is also a Brazilian and a French, given his strong ties with these two countries. He knows the importance of markets in the coordination of the economy, but, as a developmental economist, he attributes a key role to economic planning. Only through the deliberate action of the state it will be possible to achieve economic growth, reduction of inequalities, and protection of the environments - only through deliberate action way men and women will be able to conduct the Spaceship Earth to economic, social and environmental development and assure a decent work to all.

Assessing development and the idea of development in the 1950s in Brazil

The decade of 1950s was a crucial period of the industrialization of the Brazilian economy. The dominant school of thought was the national-developmentalism, which was not restricted to the sphere of economic production but also encompassed political and socio-cultural processes of change. Combining repression, persuasion and paternalism, the national state took a significantly political and economic responsibility in the social, material and symbolic modernization during the Vargas and Kubitschek administrations. However, internal disputes, foreign demands and a long legacy of socio-spatial inequalities prevented the achievement of more socially inclusive goals, leading a legacy of unanswered questions that still have currency today.

Exclusão financeira no Brasil: uma análise regional exploratória

Financial exclusion in Brazil: a regional investigation. Despite the fact that after the second half of the nineties the studies of financial exclusion have gained strength among the studies about poverty and regional and social inequalities, a few studies about this problem had appear in the Brazilian economic literature. The present work aims to contribute to this discussion by doing a regional investigation about the phenomenon of financial exclusion inside Brazil. The main hypothesis of the study is that this phenomenon is not disassociated of the space in which it happens. Thought of the use of proxies two dimensions of financial exclusion had been studied: the access to financial services and the suitability of it.

Bases políticas das transferências intergovernamentais no Brasil (1985-2004)

The politics of intergovernmental transfers in Brazil. This article examines the political economy of public resources distribution in Brazil's federal system in 1985-2004. We propose an empirical exercise to analyze how the country's federal governments deal with the tradeoff between the provision of material wellbeing to sub-national governments (the states in our study) and the pursuit of political support from the latter. To identify the determinants of the transfer of resources from the federal government to the states, a set of economic, political, and institutional variables is econometrically tested. Based upon instrumental variables estimation for panel-data models, our estimates indicate that in Brazil the pursuit of political goals prevails over social equity and economic efficiency criteria: higher levels of per capita transfers are associated with the political makeup of governing coalitions, while larger investments in infrastructure and development by the states are associated with a lower amount of per capita resources transferred to sub-national governments. Our findings also suggest a trend toward the freezing of interregional inequalities in Brazil, and show the relevance of fiscal discipline laws in discouraging the use of the administrative apparatus for electioneering.

Economic growth, labor and productivity in Brazil and the United States: a comparative analysis

The aim of this paper is to analyze the relation between economic growth and labor market dynamics in Brazil between 1981 and 2009, making a comparison with the United States. Among the findings, one can mention that economic growth in Brazil has been related to a massive incorporation of labor force in labor intensive activities, whereas, in the United States, to a substantial improvement of labor productivity in high-technology activities. Despite the favorable economic context in the 2000s, huge inequalities between these countries have widened since the structure of the Brazilian labor market remained with few or no changes.

Weighing the Details: Gender Dualisms in Lightweight Women's Rowing

The purpose of this research project was to explore how women lightweight rowers in Ontario negotiate their gender and body identity. Through a feminist post-structural lens I investigated both ‘acceptable’ and contradictory gender and sport performances that exist in the culture of rowing in order to understand how identity is constructed at the intersection of these discourses. My goal was to learn how human experiences are shaped by discourses of power, and resulting constructions of acceptable gender attributes. Seven university-aged lightweight women’s rowers were interviewed, and the following themes were uncovered: the women are constantly engaging in acts of bodily control; often body image is affected by participation in the sport; there are instances of femininity that exist within the culture of lightweight rowing; inequalities are present within the culture, as are excuse making practices; and the potential for resistance is extremely complicated.

Travailler autrement: critiques et pratiques alternatives

La « critique sociale » doit être comprise comme étant la capacité d’exprimer, d’afficher et d’exercer sa différence. Par ailleurs, la capacité d’exprimer sa différence est étroitement liée à l’état d’égalité. En revanche, ce sont les inégalités sociales qui poussent à l’homogénéisation. Alors, comment les personnes qui subissent les inégalités sociales peuvent-elle échapper à l’homogénéisation et devenir agents de critique sociale et moteurs de changement ? Autrement dit, faut-il donner raison à Marcuse sur le fait qu’une véritable remise en question du modèle dominant ne peut qu’émerger à la marge ? On peut penser que c’est là le rôle des organismes communautaires, même s’il arrive que le modèle dominant les récupère pour en faire un organe d’intégration des forces en opposition. Notre premier objectif de recherche est donc de voir s’il existe une critique concernent le travail chez les personnes interviewées. En outre, notre second objectif est de voir si le fait d’être à la marge permet de développer un rapport contestataire au modèle dominant de travail.