This thesis was based on a collection of my published works. Chapter 1 introduced the idea that infections, both acute and chronic, were risk factors for stroke. Various infections and micro-organisms associated with stroke were discussed. Specifically, the relationship between micro-organisms such as Cytomegalovirus, Helicobacter pylori, dental pathogens, and stroke were discussed. The theories of the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis were presented. Chapter 1 also reviewed the association between Chlamydia pneumoniae, an atypical respiratory pathogen, and atherosclerosis in detail. Chapter 2 introduced the ‘Chlamydia pneumoniae in elderly patients with stroke’ or ‘C-PEPS’ study from which published works in subsequent chapters of this thesis were based. The C-PEPS was a case-control study that investigated the seroprevalence of C pneumoniae in 100 elderly acute stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) patients versus 87 control medical patients. The C-PEPS study showed a high seroprevalence (immunoglobulin IgG) of C pneumoniae infection in both cases and controls. There was no significant association between C pneumoniae seropositivity and stroke / TIA. Chapter 3 presented a study that investigated the reproducibility of a commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit (SeroCP, Savyon) used in the CPEPS study. The study concluded that SeroCP ELISA had a good reproducibility for the detection of C pneumoniae IgA and moderately good reproducibility for C pneumoniae IgG and IgM. In chapter 4, the ‘Mycoplasma pneumoniae in elderly patients with stroke’ or ‘MPEPS’ case-control study was based on the same cohort of patients as in the C-PEPS study. The M-PEPS study showed a high seroprevalence of M pneumoniae, another atypical respiratory pathogen, in the cohort. However, the study had ruled out M pneumoniae as a major risk factor for stroke / TIA. In chapter 5, the ‘Legionella pneumophila in elderly patients with stroke’ or ‘L-PEPS’ was another case-control study based on the same cohort of patients as in the C-PEPS 3 study. The L-PEPS study established that there was no statistical difference between the seroprevalence of L pneumophila, another atypical respiratory pathogen, in both the stroke / TIA patients and control medical patients. However, when the results of C-PEPS, M-PEPS and L-PEPS studies were analysed together, it appeared that the aggregate number or infectious burden of chronic atypical respiratory infections was associated with the risk of stroke / TIA. Chapter 6 presented a pilot study that investigated the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii, another atypical respiratory pathogen, in the same cohort of patients as in the C-PEPS study. Due to very low seropositivity and zero counts, a conclusion could not be made on any association between C burnetii seropositivity and stroke / TIA. Chapter 7 presented the electrocardiographic findings such as rhythms and ischaemic changes of the same cohort of patients as in the C-PEPS study. Atrial fibrillation was the commonest rhythm abnormality in both elderly stroke / TIA cases and medical controls. After adjusment for background history of ischaemic heart disease, there was a statistical trend to suggest an association between ischaemic elctrocardiographic changes and stroke / TIA. Chapter 8 presented a case-control study that investigated the relationsips between socioeconomic deprivation (SED) status, atypical respiratory infections and survival outcome in the same cohort of patients as in the C-PEPS study. The SED status of stroke / TIA cases and controls were similar. Although an association between acute atypical respiratory infection and SED was only found in the control medical patients, acute atypical respiratory infectious burden was found to associate with income deprivation in the whole cohort of elderly stroke / TIA and medical patients. SED on its own had only a modest effect on the association between chronic atypical respiratory infectious burden and stroke / TIA. Elderly patients’ duration of survival after an acute stroke / TIA appeared not to be affected by their background SED status. Chapter 9 was the concluding chapter. The main findings of the published works submitted for the thesis were summarised and discussed. Some directions for future research were also discussed.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-04-08T12:50:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Camila Flores Orth.pdf: 2246948 bytes, checksum: 8066e9a1d139e4e2b3ecd4e2ff6d1e61 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-08T12:50:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Camila Flores Orth.pdf: 2246948 bytes, checksum: 8066e9a1d139e4e2b3ecd4e2ff6d1e61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-24 / Nenhuma / A análise regional dos determinantes da corrupção faz com que elementos histórico-culturais e políticos sejam mais homogêneos, tornando os fatores socioeconômicos mais importantes. Assim, esta dissertação procurou determinar e analisar os fatores socioeconômicos da corrupção em nível municipal no Brasil. Para isso, utilizaram-se dados do Programa de Fiscalização de Recursos Federais a partir de Sorteios Públicos da Controladoria Geral da União (CGU) de municípios auditados entre 2006 e 2010. Para esta análise utiliza-se a avaliação por um modelo de regressão espacial. Os resultados obtidos através do estudo apontam para uma alta dependência espacial nos dados, indicando que, neste caso, o modelo de regressão espacial é o mais correto. Além disso, as variáveis mais significativas como determinantes da corrupção foram o número de beneficiários do Programa Bolsa Família (utilizada como proxy para pobreza), a taxa de analfabetismo de pessoas entre 7 e 14 anos e o valor do PIB da agricultura municipal, que apresentaram correlação positiva com o nível de irregularidades. Ainda, outras duas variáveis socioeconômicas apresentaram significância estatística em pelo menos um dos modelos testados, as despesas de investimento, com correlação negativa, e a parcela de mulheres entre 10 e 14 anos que tiveram filhos, com sinal positivo. / Regional analysis of the determinants of corruption makes historical, cultural and political factors more homogeneous, making socioeconomic factors as the most important. This dissertation aimed to determine and analyze the socioeconomic factors of corruption at the municipal level in Brazil. For this, it was used data from a anti-corruption program based on the random auditing of municipal government’s expenditure, called in portuguese Programa de Fiscalização de Recursos Federais a partir de Sorteios Públicos, implemented by the Controladoria Geral da União (CGU) of municipalities audited between 2006 and 2010. For this analysis we use the evaluation by a spatial regression model. The results obtained from the study show a high spatial dependence in the data, indicating that in this case, the spatial regression model is more indicated. Moreover, the most significant variables as determinants of corruption is poverty (measured by the number of beneficiaries of the Program Bolsa Família), the illiteracy rate of people between 7 and 14 years and the value of GDP of agriculture, which correlated positively with the level of corruption. Still, two other socioeconomic variables showed statistical significance in at least one of the models tested, the investment expenditure, with negative correlation, and the share of women between 10 and 14 years who had children, with a positive sign.

Submitted by Eunice Novais (enovais@uepg.br) on 2018-05-15T19:49:13Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Helena Justus.pdf: 1454696 bytes, checksum: d08f157b9d74fdf070afc2cc11dc4f7d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-15T19:49:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Helena Justus.pdf: 1454696 bytes, checksum: d08f157b9d74fdf070afc2cc11dc4f7d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-23 / O objetivo do estudo foi caracterizar os Sistemas de Produção Leiteiros (SPL) nos municípios de Ponta Grossa, Carambeí, Castro e Palmeira, que geograficamente fazem parte da Microrregião de Ponta Grossa e assim identificar os pontos que possam estar influenciando positivamente ou negativamente o sistema. O estudo foi desenvolvido entre os meses de Junho à Setembro de 2017 e foram entrevistados 80 produtores de leite entre os municípios e aplicado um questionário contendo 162 perguntas abrangendo informações socioeconômicas e ambientais, manejo nutricional, manejo reprodutivo, manejo sanitário, manejo de ordenha e índices zootécnicos. O método utilizado para as análises estatísticas foi a Análise de Componentes Principais (ACP), utilizando-se o software SPSS 18.0. A microrregião de Ponta Grossa apresentou a formação de cinco grupos de Sistemas de Produção Leiteira, com diferentes níveis tecnológicos e produtivos. Quanto à caracteristicas dos produtores, ressalta-se que a maioria apresenta mão de obra familiar e contratada, idades entre 46 e 60 anos e escolaridade 2° grau completo, destaca-se a importância das culturas Holandesa e Alemã e o Cooperativismo principalmente na sucessão familiar que apresentou elevado percentual. A qualidade do leite e o manejo de ordenha das propriedades não apresentaram diferenças representativas, uma vez que grande parte delas observou-se uma padronização do manejo. A contagem de célula somática – CCS (células/ml) e contagem bacteriana total - CBT (UFC/ml) apresentaram-se dentro dos padrões exigidos pela IN-62, além disso, observou-se que a composição do leite estava dentro dos padrões de qualidade exigidos. / The objective of the study was characterize the Milk Production Systems (MPS) in the cities of Ponta Grossa, Carambeí, Castro and Palmeira, which are geographically part of the Microregion of Ponta Grossa and thus identify the points that may be positively or negatively influencing the system. The study was developed between June and September 2017 and 80 milk producers were interviewed among the cities and a questionnaire containing 162 questions covering socioeconomic and environmental information, nutritional management, reproductive management, sanitary management, milking management and indexes zootechnical. The method used for the statistical analyzes was Principal Component Analysis (PCA), using SPSS 18.0 software. The microregion of Ponta Grossa presented the formation of five groups of Milk Production Systems, with different technological and productive levels. As for the characteristics of the producers, it is worth nothing that most of them have a family and contracted workforce, ages between 46 and 60 years old and full secondary schooling, the importance of the Dutch and German cultures and the Cooperativism, especially in family succession which presented a high percentage. The quality of the milk and the management of milking of the properties did not present representative differences, since a great part of them was observed a standardization of the handling. The somatic cell count - CCS (cells/ml) and total bacterial count - CBT (CFU/ml) were within the standards required by the IN-62, in addition, it was observed that the milk composition was within the standards required.

Submitted by Eunice Novais (enovais@uepg.br) on 2018-06-26T18:06:46Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Valeria Christino da Silva Amari.pdf: 1457650 bytes, checksum: 36d1c16d18bce8f0fe740dcc77307f0e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-26T18:06:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Valeria Christino da Silva Amari.pdf: 1457650 bytes, checksum: 36d1c16d18bce8f0fe740dcc77307f0e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-05-18 / Devido ao aumento descontrolado da taxa de cesáreas no Brasil e no mundo, tem havido maior preocupação em relação às consequências para a saúde materno-infantil, tanto imediatas quanto a longo prazo, principalmente quando estas são realizadas de maneira cada vez mais frequente5 e sem indicação clínica. Diversos fatores podem influenciar a escolha do tipo de parto, estando os indicadores socioeconômicos entre os mais importantes. Este estudo objetivou avaliar as proporções e a tendência temporal das cesáreas nas Regionais de Saúde Estado do Paraná e correlacionar espacialmente com fatores socioeconômicos. Trata-se de um estudo ecológico com delineamento misto, descritivo de série temporal e transversal, com dados coletados do Sistema de Informações sobre Nascidos Vivos e do Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. As análises das proporções e da tendência temporal das cesáreas foram realizadas entre 2003 e 2014, por triênios. O mesmo foi feito para o Estado do Paraná e Brasil, para fins de comparação. Aplicou-se a estatística de Moran Global para detecção de agregados de eventos no espaço. Utilizou-se o Coeficiente de Correlação de Pearson para avaliar a correlação das proporções de cesáreas no triênio de 2009 a 2011 com a média dos indicadores socioeconômicos de cada Regional de Saúde do Estado do Paraná, de acordo com os dados do Censo Demográfico de 2010, sendo construídos mapas espaciais com as variáveis significativas. As maiores proporções de cesáreas ocorreram no triênio entre 2012 e 2014, exceto para a 1a Regional de Saúde (Paranaguá), com maiores proporções entre 2009 e 2011. Todas as regionais apresentaram tendência crescente na proporção de cesáreas, exceto a 1a regional que permaneceu com tendência estacionária. Na análise estatística espacial (Teste de Moran Global) para o triênio 2009 a 2011 as seguintes variáveis apresentaram-se significativas na análise univariada: proporções de cesáreas (p=0,01), percentual de domicílios com água encanada (p<0,01), coeficiente de Gini (p<0,001), razão de renda (p<0,001), percentual da população com renda menor que meio salário mínimo (p<0,001) e Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (p=0,01). Houve correlação positiva entre a proporção de cesáreas e percentual de domicílios com água encanada (r=0,47; p=0,03) e Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (r=0,60; p<0,001) e correlação negativa com coeficiente de Gini (r=-0,75; p<0,001), razão de renda (r=-0,72; p<0,001) e percentual da população com renda menor que meio salário mínimo (r=- 0,61; p<0,01). As proporções de cesáreas e os cinco indicadores socioeconômicos que apresentaram significância estatística foram representados espacialmente. A grande maioria das Regionais de Saúde do Paraná apresentou proporção de cesáreas superior à média do país e tendência crescente. Melhores indicadores socieconômicos foram correlacionados à maiores proporções de cesáreas. Enfatiza-se a necessidade de medidas interdisciplinares para redução nas proporções de cesáreas. / Due to the uncontrolled increase in cesarean rates in Brazil and in the world, there has been greater concern regarding the consequences for maternal and child health, both immediate and long term, especially when these are performed increasingly and without clinical indication. Several factors may influence the choice of delivery type, with socioeconomic indicators being the most important. This study aimed to evaluate the proportions and temporal trend of cesarean sections in the State of Paraná Health Region and correlate spatially with socioeconomic factors. An ecological study with a mixed and descriptive design of a temporal and transverse series, with data collected from the Information System on Live Births and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The analyzes of the proportions and the temporal trend of cesareans were performed between 2003 and 2014, for three years. The same was done for the State of Paraná and Brazil, for comparison purposes. The Moran Global statistic was applied to detect aggregates of events in space. The Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used to evaluate the correlation of the cesarean proportions in the triennium from 2009 to 2011 with the average of the socioeconomic indicators of each Health Region of the State of Paraná, according to data from the Demographic Census of 2010, spatial maps were constructed with the significant variables. The largest proportions of cesareans occurred in the triennium between 2012 and 2014, except for the 1st Regional Health (Paranaguá), with larger proportions between 2009 and 2011. All the regional ones showed an increasing tendency in the proportion of cesarean sections, except the regional one that remained with steady trend. In the spatial statistical analysis (Global Moran's Test) for the triennium 2009-2011, the following variables were significant in the univariate analysis: cesarean proportions (p = 0.01), percentage of households with running water (p <0.01) ), Gini coefficient (p <0.001), income ratio (p <0.001), percentage of the population with income less than half a minimum wage (p <0.001) and Human Development Index (p = 0.01). There was a positive correlation between the proportion of cesareans and percentage of households with running water (r = 0.47, p = 0.03) and Human Development Index (r = 0.60, p <0.001) and negative correlation with coefficient of (R = -0.72, p <0.001), and percentage of the population with income less than half a minimum wage (r = -0.61, p < 0.01). The proportions of cesareans and the five socioeconomic indicators that presented statistical significance were represented spatially. The vast majority of the Health Region of Paraná presented a higher proportion of caesarean sections than the country average and a growing trend. Better socioeconomic indicators were correlated with the higher proportions of cesarean sections. It is emphasized the need for interdisciplinary measures to reduce the proportion of cesarean sections.

Submitted by Fabricia Fialho Reginato (fabriciar) on 2015-07-06T22:24:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 WagnerFraga.pdf: 725600 bytes, checksum: babf8f01e69058beb20dced3a858e983 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-06T22:24:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 WagnerFraga.pdf: 725600 bytes, checksum: babf8f01e69058beb20dced3a858e983 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-11-20 / CNPQ – Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O objetivo do estudo é identificar os determinantes socioeconômicos relacionados às altas taxas de mortalidade por suicídio nos municípios do Brasil e, principalmente, no Rio Grande do Sul. Como metodologia, empregaram-se métodos para dados de contagem: Regressão de Poisson, Regressão Binomial Negativa e Regressão Quantílica para Dados de Contagem. Os resultados mostraram que entre os indicadores socioeconômicos desenvolvidos pela FIRJAN, apenas o IFDH Saúde demonstrou ser importante na determinação das mortes por suicídio nos municípios brasileiros. Contudo, os suicídios ocorridos nos municípios do Rio Grande do Sul, no período analisado, não demonstram ser influenciados pelo IFDH Saúde e Educação. Além de apresentar uma relação positiva com óbitos por violência auto infligida, a pobreza contribuiu de forma importante nos municípios com elevado número de mortes. A associação entre a taxa de desemprego e o número de mortes por suicídio mostra uma relação inversa, de maneira que se a taxa de desemprego dos municípios aumenta, a tendência é diminuir as mortes por suicídio. Mostrou-se também que um dos principais fatores que afetam o número de casos de suicídio tanto no Brasil quanto no Rio Grande do Sul é o nível de dependência agropecuária. Por fim, foi possível diagnosticar, também, que a característica cor/raça branca e indígena está entre os principais fatores determinantes das mortes por suicídio nos munícipios brasileiros. / This study aims to identify the socioeconomic factors related to high rates of suicide mortality in the cities of Brazil and, especially, in Rio Grande do Sul. The methodology employed involved methods for count data: Poisson regression, negative binomial regression, and quantile regression for count data. The results showed that among socioeconomic indicators developed by the FIRJAN, just the Health IFDH proved important in determining the suicide deaths in Brazilian cities. However, the suicides occurred in the cities of Rio Grande do Sul, in the period analyzed, not demonstrating being influenced by the Health and Education IFDH. In addition to presenting a positive relation with suicide deaths by self-inflicted violence, poverty is a major contributor in cities with high numbers of deaths. The association between the unemployment rate and the number of suicide deaths shows an inverse relationship; if the unemployment rate of cities increases, the tendency is to reduce deaths by suicide. It was also shown that one of the main factors affecting the number of suicide cases in Brazil and in Rio Grande do Sul is the level of agricultural dependence. Finally, it was possible to identify, also, that the characteristic color/ white and Indian race is among the main determinants of suicide deaths in Brazilian cities.

A utilização majoritária da malha ferroviária brasileira para o transporte de cargas e a sua incompatibilidade para desenvolvimento de altas velocidades inviabiliza a oferta de serviços competitivos para o transporte intermunicipal de passageiros. A questão explorada nesta tese é sobre qual tecnologia ferroviária provê melhores resultados socioeconômicos no contexto de uma nova rede para o transporte intermunicipal de passageiros com operação exclusiva de Trens de Alto Desempenho (High Performance Trains - HPTs) ou Trens de Alta Velocidade (High Speed Trains - HSTs), caracterizados por velocidades médias de 150 km/h e 300 km/h respectivamente. Nesse sentido, a hipótese é que a diferença entre benefícios e custos socioeconômicos da oferta de serviços de HSTs resultam em valores positivos e maiores do que aquelas decorrentes da operação de HPTs, mediante parâmetros específicos de avaliação socioeconômica e uma configuração hipotética de rede na Região Sudeste do Brasil. Assim, o objetivo principal da tese é estimar e comparar os custos e benefícios socioeconômicos de uma rede ferroviária pela estimativa dos investimentos para a construção de novos traçados ferroviários, estimativa do número de viagens intermunicipais na Região Sudeste em um horizonte de planejamento estratégico e a propensão à escolha modal, estabelecimento de uma formulação de Análise Custo-Benefício (Cost Benefit Analysis - CBA) e aplicação dos modelos em cenários considerando a operação exclusiva de HPTs ou de HSTs. A resolução do problema de otimização de traçados ferroviários, com uma abordagem de computação paralela aplicada a um Algoritmo Genético, indica que os investimentos em infraestrutura variam majoritariamente em função da topografia, os custos de desapropriações são proporcionalmente pequenos e as restrições geométricas dos traçados não influenciam significativamente nesses resultados. Após a projeção do número de viagens intermunicipais por modelos analíticos, os dados coletados em uma pesquisa de preferência declarada são utilizados para modelagem da propensão à escolha modal. Finalmente, uma proposta de formulação para o cálculo dos principais itens de custos e benefícios de uma avaliação socioeconômica para o transporte ferroviário de passageiros viabiliza a análise de cenários em função de produtividade da construção da infraestrutura, variabilidade dos investimentos estimados e capacidade de atração de demanda reprimida. Os resultados dos cenários indicam que a diferença entre os benefícios estritamente econômicos (receita operacional e valor residual dos investimentos em infraestrutura) e os custos de construção e operacionais são negativos para qualquer tarifa ferroviária, apesar dos resultados para a rede de HSTs serem maiores do que para a de HPTs. Considerando os aspectos sociais, os benefícios totais da operação ferroviária sobrepõem-se aos seus custos em situações tarifárias específicas, novamente com resultados maiores para uma rede de HSTs, cuja tendência também é observada quando apenas os benefícios sociais são relacionados com custos totais através de uma Razão Benefício-Custo (Benefit-Cost Ratio - BCR). Portanto, segundo as premissas desta tese, há indícios que o investimento em uma infraestrutura ferroviária aparentemente não é uma decisão promissora em termos de viabilidade socioeconômica, apesar da operação de HSTs ser mais conveniente do que HPTs nas condições analisadas. / The major use of the Brazilian railway network for freight transport and its incompatibi-lity with high speed trains does not enable running competitive services of intercity passenger transport. The research question of this thesis is which rolling stock technology provides better socioeconomic results on a new intercity passenger network with exclusive operation of High Performance Trains (HPTs) or High Speed Trains (HSTs) with average speeds of 150 km/h and 300 km/h respectively. The hypothesis is that the difference between the socioeconomic benefits and costs of operating HSTs results in positive values and greater than those from the operation of HPTs given specific socioeconomic parameters and a hypothetical network in the Southeastern region of Brazil. The main goal of this research is to estimate and compare the major socioeconomic costs and benefits of a hypothetical railway network by first estimating the required investments of new alignments. Furthermore, the number of trips among cities in the Southeastern Region over a strategic planning horizon and the mode choice are estimated and a Cost-Benefit Analysis formulation is provided to be applied to scenarios of exclusive operation of HPTs or HSTs. The solution of the railway alignment optimization problem with a parallel computing approach applied to a Genetic Algorithm shows that the infrastructure investments vary mainly due to the topography, whereas the expropriation costs are proporti-onally small and the railway geometric constraints do not significantly affect the results. The number of trips by transport mode over a planning horizon is expanded analytically and the collected data of a stated preference survey is applied to a mode choice modeling approach. Finally, a formulation for the major items of costs and benefits of a socioeconomic assessment for a rail passenger transport project is proposed and it is applied to specific scenarios where the effects of the infrastructure building productivity, variability of the estimated investments, and the ability to attract new passengers are analyzed. The results from these scenarios show that the difference between the operating income and the net residual value of investments in infrastructure, construction and operating costs are negative for any rail fare, despite the results for the network of HSTs being higher than for HPTs. Furthermore, the overall benefits of the railway operation outweigh the costs in specific pricing policies with better results for a network operating HSTs. This trend is also noticed when only the social benefits are compared to the total costs by a Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR). Therefore, there is evidence that the investment in railway infrastructure for passenger transport apparently is not a promising decision in terms of socioeconomic feasibility under the assumptions of this thesis, despite the operation of HSTs being more attractive than HPTs under the specified conditions.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-09-26T12:21:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Beatriz Santos Samara.pdf: 13499929 bytes, checksum: 0b1d97dd5d3788184e4f791c5ec0509f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-26T12:21:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Beatriz Santos Samara.pdf: 13499929 bytes, checksum: 0b1d97dd5d3788184e4f791c5ec0509f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-16 / Based on the hypothesis of the emergence of the Lower Middle Class, in recent years in Brazil, this research inquires about the way of use and cell phone purchase reason by these segment individuals. Through reading several authors, this study aimed substantiate the problem that is appointed for this thesis, in other words, how the cell phone goes beyond the concept of being an asset and becomes an objective of social and cultural life, consumed by the Lower Middle Class. Its purpose, assumptions and objectives were developed, which led to a need for research, using a qualitative methodology with cell phone users, this already mentioned class. The authors mentioned here were: Souza, Torreta, Neri, Silva, Singer, Bourdieu, Appadurai, Canclini, Sato and Perez, Lemos, McCracken, Douglas and Isherwood and Certeau, who contributed in their works to think about the objectives and hypothesis of this study, which led us to conclude that cell phone for Lower Middle Class is essential and inseparable from the subject under study / Baseada na hipótese da emergência da denominada classe C nos últimos anos no Brasil, esta investigação indaga sobre o modo de uso e o motivo de compra dos celulares por indivíduos desse segmento. Mediante leitura de diversos autores, este trabalho buscou fundamentar o problema que ora é levantado para este estudo, isto é, de que maneira o celular ultrapassa o conceito de ser um bem e constitui-se em um objetivo de vida social e cultural consumido pela classe C. Com essa finalidade, foram levantadas hipóteses e objetivos que levaram à necessidade de pesquisa utilizando a metodologia qualitativa junto aos usuários dessa classe já mencionada. Os autores que fundamentam este estudo são: Souza, Torreta, Neri, Silva, Singer, Bourdieu, Appadurai, Canclini, Sato e Perez, Lemos, McCracken, Douglas e Isherwood e Certeau, os quais contribuíram com suas obras para pensar sobre os objetivos e hipóteses deste estudo, que nos levou a concluir que o celular, para a classe C, é fundamental e inseparável do sujeito em estudo

Introdução: A tuberculose (TB) continua sendo um grave problema de saúde global, sendo classificada como a principal causa de morte por doenças infecciosas em todo o mundo. Objetivou-se analisar a distribuição e risco espacial e espaço-temporal da mortalidade por TB e sua relação com marcadores de desenvolvimento social em Natal/RN. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo ecológico. Os setores censitários e as Unidades de Desenvolvimento Humano (UDHs) foram utilizados como unidades de análise. A população do estudo foi composta de casos de óbito por TB como causa básica, registrados no Sistema de Informações sobre Mortalidade no período de 2008 a 2014. Realizou-se análise univariada das variáveis socioeconômicas com cálculo de frequências absolutas e relativas. Para a construção dos marcadores de desenvolvimento social considerou-se a técnica de análise de componentes principais, utilizando-se da base de informações de variáveis das UDHs. A geocodificação dos endereços foi processada no TerraView versão 4.2.2. Posteriormente, seguiu-se com a análise da estimativa de Kernel. Para detecção de aglomerados espaciais e espaço-temporais foi aplicada a técnica de varredura espacial. Taxas brutas e bayesianas empíricas globais de mortalidade foram calculadas. A existência de autocorrelação espacial da mortalidade por TB foi verificada pelos índices de Moran Global e Local. Para analisar a relação entre mortalidade por TB e os marcadores de desenvolvimento social realizaram-se análises de regressão linear múltipla. Os resíduos da regressão linear foram investigados quanto à existência de autocorrelação espacial por meio do Teste Global de Moran. Para escolha do modelo final foi considerado o critério de informação de Akaike (AIC). Para as análises foram considerados os softwares Statistica versão 12.0, ArcGIS versão 10.2, SaTScan(TM) versão 9.2 e OpenGeoDa versão 1.0.1. Em todos os testes estatísticos foi fixado o nível de significância em 5% (p< 0,05). Resultados: Identificaram-se 154 óbitos por TB, desse total, 91,5% dos endereços foram geocodificados. A estatística de Kernel mostrou áreas quentes para a mortalidade por TB. A técnica de análise de varredura espacial identificou três aglomerados estatisticamente significativos, sendo dois de alto risco (RR=5,77 IC95% = 5,19 - 6,34; RR= 3,82 IC95% = 3,38 - 4,24) e um de baixo risco (RR = 0,34 IC95% = 0,08 - 0,76). Já a análise de varredura espaço-temporal apresentou apenas um aglomerado de alto risco (RR= 5,97; IC95% =5,26 - 6,66) no ano de 2008. As maiores taxas bayesianas foram identificadas no distrito de saúde leste. Foi identificada autocorrelação espacial dessas taxas (I = 0,324, p = 0,002). Para a construção dos marcadores de desenvolvimento social, duas componentes principais apresentaram 85,3% de variância total. O primeiro marcador foi denominado de áreas de menor desenvolvimento social (DS-) e o segundo, de áreas de maior desenvolvimento social (DS+). Na modelagem estatística, observou-se uma associação negativa entre a mortalidade por TB e áreas de maior desenvolvimento social (R2 = 0,207; p=0,03). Sendo o modelo final escolhido o Spatial Lag. Conclusão: A identificação de áreas vulneráveis à ocorrência do óbito por tuberculose e sua relação com o desenvolvimento social permitem o direcionamento das ações intersetoriais de controle da doença às populações conhecidamente mais afetadas / Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) continues a serious global health problem and has been classified as the leading cause of death from infectious diseases worldwide. The objective of this study was to analyze spatial and spatial-temporal risk for TB mortality, the spatial distribution of this event and its relationship with index of social development in Natal / RN. Methods: This is an ecological study. The census tracts and the Human Development Units (HDUs) were used as units of analysis. The study\'s population was composed by cases of death due to TB as a basic cause, registered in the Mortality Information System from 2008 to 2014. A univariate analysis of the socioeconomic variables was performed estimating absolute and relative frequency. For the construction social development index we have used the technique Principal Components considering the variables obtained from HDUs. The geocoding of Address was performed through TerraView version 4.2.2. In addition, we applied the Kernel estimation analysis. Scan Statistic was used to detection of spatial and spatial-temporal clusterd. The authors calculated TB mortality rate, it was smoothed by Empirical Bayes Method. Autocorrelation of TB mortality was analyzed by Moran Global and Local Indexes. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to analyze the relation of social development index with TB mortality. The residues of linear regression model were investigated to identify the existence of spatial autocorrelation through the Moran Global Test. The final model was defined considering the Akaike information criterion (AIC). Statistica version 12.0, ArcGIS version 10.2, SaTScan (TM) version 9.2 and OpenGeoDa version 1.0.1 were used in the analysis. It was defined level of significance at 5% as statistically significant (p <0.05) for all statistical tests. Results: We identified 154 deaths per TB, of this total, 91.5% of the addresses were geocoded. Hot spots for TB mortality has been showed by Kernel statistics . Three statistically significant clusters were observed when applied Sat Scan, two of which were higher risk (RR=5.77 CI 95% = 5.19 - 6.34; RR= 3.82 CI 95% = 3.38 - 4.24) and one with lower risk (RR = 0.34 CI95% = 0.08 - 0.76). The spatial-temporal scan statistic analysis revealed only one cluster with high risk (RR = 5.97, CI95%= 5.26 - 6.66) in the year 2008. The highest Bayesian rates were identified in the Eastern health district. Spatial autocorrelation of these rates was identified (I = 0.324, p = 0.002). For the construction of social development index, two first Principal Components (PC) accumulated 85.3% from total variance. The first PC was named areas with lower social development (SD-) and the second one was designed area with higher social development (SD +). In statistical modeling, a negative association was observed with areas of higher social development with TB mortality (R2 = 0.207, p = 0.03). The final model has been chosen by Spatial Lag. Conclusion: The study evidenced areas vulnerable to tuberculosis mortality and its relationship with social development, which allows addressing of intersectoral actions to TB elimination especially in the populations in risks

This study is inspired by a desire to revisit Anyon's Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work (1980) in a more contemporary context, one that responds to calls in the research on the socioeconomic achievement gap for deeper investigation into the heterogeneity of the middle class. More specifically, the research examines five middle class American high schools in Massachusetts, and asks the question, 'How is classroom 'work' different across these schools, thirty years after Anyon's study'? This study employs several methods of analysis including Anyon's ethnographic observational analysis and a corpus linguistic analysis. It also uses reflexive interviews to review initial findings and integrate participant input into the data itself. I also draw upon the data in light of previous frameworks to develop a new framework for looking at smaller differences in teacher talk, lessons and classroom instruction that is more fit for purpose. Through these ethnographic observations and reflexive interviews, this study reveals that even across schools that are considered to belong to the same socioeconomic class - the middle class - differences in instruction and lessons can be clearly observed. The body of literature discussing the middle class, in terms of the diversity within it, is very small, this extensive study contributes to this knowledge, and hopefully creates avenues for further research. Using Anyon's approach of observing 'work' across social class in classrooms this research builds on Anyon's findings in a contemporary context. Insight into the ways in which difference manifests in smaller ways in the classroom may be fundamental in understanding how small differences compound across the socioeconomic spectrum. The impact of this research on the socioeconomic achievement gap is a better, more complete, look at the picture of how the distribution of resources across the socioeconomic spectrum plays a role in classroom differences.

Hong Kong's language policy has come under close scrutiny since the creation of the region as a colony of Great Britain in 1843. Throughout Hong Kong's time as a colony of Great Britain, and post-1997 as a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, language use and the policy that aims to dictate this use has told us a great deal about Hong Kong's hierarchy of socioeconomic power and the languages used by those in 'high' and 'low' positions on this hierarchy. Previous research into language policy in Hong Kong makes note of the ways in which the colonial and postcolonial governments have enacted policies aimed at directing the people of Hong Kong towards specific patterns of language use. Since the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the role of Putonghua in contemporary Hong Kong has been an issue of debate, both within the public domain and within the Hong Kong Legislative Council. As the official language of the People's Republic of China, the role of Putonghua in contemporary Hong Kong requires closer analysis. Current policy places Putonghua within a linguistic trichotomy alongside English and Cantonese - the 'three languages' of Hong Kong. The ways in which Putonghua is treated in the Legislative Council, in the education system, and in the daily lives of Hong Kong's citizens requires further exploration. In order to explore the nature of the role of Putonghua in contemporary Hong Kong society, this thesis makes use of two complementary methodologies that explore the use of Putonghua in different domains. The first of these methodologies is rooted in the tradition of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The second of these methodologies is based on corpus linguistic methods, through the creation of and subsequent analysis of a corpus of job advertisements, and an analysis of the position of Putonghua in these job adverts - its necessity or lack thereof. This thesis comprises four papers in total, three research papers and one review article, that collaboratively shed light on the status of Putonghua in contemporary Hong Kong.