Decision Support Systems And Promoting Socially Just Environmental Management

The Mauri Model DMF is unique in its approach to the management of water resources as the framework offers a transparent and inclusive approach to considering the environmental, economic, social and cultural aspects of the decisions being contemplated. The Mauri Model DMF is unique because it is capable of including multiple-worldviews and adopts mauri (intrinsic value or well-being) in the place of the more common monetised assessments of pseudo sustainability using Cost Benefit Analysis. The Mauri Model DMF uses a two stage process that first identifies participants’ worldviews and inherent bias regarding water resource management, and then facilitates transparent assessment of selected sustainability performance indicators. The assessment can then be contemplated as the separate environmental, economic, social and cultural dimensions of the decision, and collectively as an overall result; or the priorities associated with different worldviews can be applied to determine the sensitivity of the result to different cultural contexts or worldviews.

Mathematical analysis of maximum power generated by photovoltaic systems and fitting curves for standard test conditions

The rural electrification is characterized by geographical dispersion of the population, low consumption, high investment by consumers and high cost. Moreover, solar radiation constitutes an inexhaustible source of energy and in its conversion into electricity photovoltaic panels are used. In this study, equations were adjusted to field conditions presented by the manufacturer for current and power of small photovoltaic systems. The mathematical analysis was performed on the photovoltaic rural system I- 100 from ISOFOTON, with power 300 Wp, located at the Experimental Farm Lageado of FCA/UNESP. For the development of such equations, the circuitry of photovoltaic cells has been studied to apply iterative numerical methods for the determination of electrical parameters and possible errors in the appropriate equations in the literature to reality. Therefore, a simulation of a photovoltaic panel was proposed through mathematical equations that were adjusted according to the data of local radiation. The results have presented equations that provide real answers to the user and may assist in the design of these systems, once calculated that the maximum power limit ensures a supply of energy generated. This real sizing helps establishing the possible applications of solar energy to the rural producer and informing the real possibilities of generating electricity from the sun.

Respiratory metabolism of Camponotus rufipes ants: Brood and adults

The respiratory metabolism of immature forms (eggs, larvae, prepupae and pupae) of Camponotus rufipes (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) was studied at 25 degrees C, using a Warburg respirometer. Mean respiratory rates (mu l O gamma mg(-1) live weight.hr(-1)) for eggs, first instars, second instars, third instars, fourth instars, prepupae, and pupae were respectively: 2.53, 5.07, 1.23, 0.32, 0.22, 0.19 and 0.13. Adult workers with body mass between 20 and 30 mg had a mean respiratory rate of 0.43. The high respiratory rate in first instars probably reflects, besides the size influence, the metabolic costs of differentiation that occurs in this phase. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of different soil tillage systems and coverages on soybean crop in the Botucatu Region in Brazil

Nowadays, agricultural practices should combine high yields with a sustainable use of resources. Different tillage practices and crop covers, if combined, may help to achieve both objectives. In this work, several traits of a soybean (Glycine max L. Merr) cultivar were studied under different conditions of tillage and previous soil coverages. The experiment was installed at Lageado Research Station, Botucatu county, SP, Brazil, on a Paleudult. It consisted of nine treatments (combining three systems of soil tillage and three cover crops) and 4 replicates, yielding 36 plots of a randomized block experimental design. The soil tillage systems considered were: (i) conventional tillage with two heavy harrowing and a levelling harrowing; (ii) chiseling, and (iii) no-tillage with chemical drying of vegetation. The three cover crops used were: black oat, sorghum and spontaneous vegetation. Analyzed variables were: plant height, initial and final plant densities, height of first pod insertion, weight of a thousand grains, number of pods per plant, number of grains per pod, and crop yield. No significant differences were observed for most of the analyzed variables; however, conventional tillage produced significantly heavier grains and a higher number of pods per plant. The selected covers were considered an excellent coverage prior to planting soybean in a crop rotation. The three tillage systems can be used for deployment of culture without compromising the development of soybean.

Geographic variations in the composition of myotoxins from Bothrops neuwiedi snake venoms: biochemical characterization and biological activity

(1) Venom pools from Bothrops neuwiedi (Bn) and from two subspecies, namely Bothrops neuwiedi pauloensis (Bnp) and Bothrops neuwiedi urutu (Bnu), collected in the States of São Paulo (SP) and Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil, were electrophoretically examined. Basic toxins with different isoelectric points were identified in the venom collected in São Paulo (BnSP). These toxins were absent in the corresponding pools from Minas Gerais (BnMG, BnpMG and BnuMG). (2) BnSP, but not BnMG, BnpMG or BnuMG, showed two myotoxins (pI congruent to 8.6 and 8.8, respectively) which were isolated by ion-exchange chromatography on CM-Sepharose. (3) From BnMG, three myotoxic isoforms (pI congruent to 8.2 and M-r = 13600) were isolated by chromatography on CM-Sepharose followed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. (4) the chemical and biological characterization of these toxins showed a high similarity with the Lys-49 myotoxins from other bothropic venoms. (5) Doses up to 5 LD50 (i.p.) of p-bromophenacyl bromide alkylated BnSP-7 caused a total loss of lethality in 18-22-g mice, thus indicating that the LD50 was increased by greater than 5-fold. At this dose myotoxicity was also not detectable, but the edematogenic activity on the rat paw apparently did not change. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metabolic changes in Brycon cephalus (Teleostei, Characidae) during post-feeding and fasting

Metabolic changes during the transition from post-feeding to fasting were studied in Brycon cephalus, an omnivorous teleost from the Amazon Basin in Brazil. Body weight and somatic indices (liver and digestive tract), glycogen and glucose content in liver and muscle, as well as plasma glucose, free fatty acids (FFA), insulin and glucagon levels of B. cephalus, were measured at 0, 12, 24, 48, 72, 120, 168 and 336 h after the last feeding. At time 0 h (the moment of food administration, 09.00 h) plasma levels of insulin and glucagon were already high, and relatively high values were maintained until 24 h post-feeding. Glycemia was 6.42 +/- 0.82 mM immediately after food ingestion and 7.53 +/- 1.12 MM at 12 h. Simultaneously, a postprandial replenishment of liver and muscle glycogen reserves was observed. Subsequently, a sharp decrease of plasma insulin occurred, from 7.19 +/- 0.83 ng/ml at 24 h of fasting to 5.27 +/- 0.58 ng/ml at 48 h. This decrease coincided with the drop in liver glucose and liver glycogen, which reached the lowest value at 72 h of fasting (328.56 +/- 192.13 and 70.33 +/- 14.13 mumol/g, respectively). Liver glucose increased after 120 h and reached a peak 168 h post-feeding, which suggests that hepatic gluconeogenesis is occurring. Plasma FFA levels were low after 120 and 168 h and increased again at 336 h of fasting. During the transition from post-feeding to fast condition in B. cephalus, the balance between circulating insulin and glucagon quickly adjust its metabolism to the ingestion or deprivation of food. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of temperature and hypercapnia on ventilation and breathing pattern in the lizard Uromastyx aegyptius microlepis

In most reptiles, the ventilatory response to hypercapnia consists of large increases in tidal volume (V-T), whereas the effects on breathing frequency (f(R)) are more variable. The increased V-T seems to arise from direct inhibition of pulmonary stretch receptors. Most reptiles also exhibit a transitory increase in ventilation upon removal of CO2 and this post-hypercapnic hyperpnea may consist of changes in both V-T and f(R). While it is well established that increased body temperature augments the ventilatory response to hypercapnia, the effects of temperature on the post-hypercapnic hyperpnea is less described. In the present study, we characterise the ventilatory response of the agamid lizard Uromastyx aegyptius to hypercapnia and upon the return to air at 25 and 35 degreesC. At both temperatures, hypercapnia caused large increases in V-T and small reductions in f(R), that were most pronounced at the higher temperature. The post-hypercapnic hyperpnea, which mainly consisted of increased fR, was numerically larger at 35 compared to 25 degreesC. However, when expressed as a proportion of the levels of ventilation reached during steady-state hypercapnia, the post-hypercapnic hyperpnea was largest at 25 degreesC. Some individuals exhibited buccal pumping where each expiratory thoracic breath was followed by numerous small forced inhalations caused by contractions of the buccal cavity. This breathing pattern was most pronounced during severe hypercapnia and particularly evident during the post-hypercapnic hyperpnea. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Red blood cells from the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus terrificus) regulate volume incompletely following osmotic shrinkage and swelling in vitro

The ability of rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus terrificus) red blood cells to volume regulate in vitro has been investigated. Blood was drawn through a catheter inserted in the dorsal aorta and equilibrated to gas mixtures of different composition. Cells shrunken osmotically by increasing the extracellular osmolarity from approximate to 291 mosm l(-1) (n = 3) to approximate to 632 mosm l(-1) (calculated) only partially regulated their volume back towards the original volume either at pH 7.51 +/- 0.05 (mean +/- S.D., n = 5) or pH 7.20 +/- 0.06 (mean +/- S.D., n = 3), There was no improvement of the regulatory volume increase at low haemoglobin oxygen saturation. The limited volume restoration was inhibited by separate additions of amiloride (10(-4) M) or DIDS (10(-4) M) suggesting involvement of the Na+/H+ and Cl-/HCO3- exchangers. Cells that were swollen osmotically by an approximate to 30% dilution of the extracellular medium also exhibited a limited ability to recover their volume. Therefore, these cells show little ability to volume regulate when exposed to in vitro conditions that shrink or swell the cell. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of temperature on lung and blood gases in the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus

The effects of temperature on lung and blood gases were measured in the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus terrificus). Arterial blood and lung gas samples were obtained from chronically cannulated animals at 15, 25, and 35 degrees C. As expected for reptiles, arterial pH fell with increased temperature (0.018 U degrees C-1 between 15 and 25 degrees C and 0.011 U degrees C-1 between 25 and 35 degrees C) while lung gas PCO2 rose from 5.8 mmHg at 15 degrees C to 13.2 mmHg at 35 degrees C. Concurrently, lung gas PO2 declined from 132 mmHg at 15 degrees C to 120 mmHg at 35 degrees C, and arterial PO2 increased from 33 to 76 mmHg in that temperature range. Arterial haemoglobin O-2 saturation rose from 0.53 at 15 degrees C to 0.83 at 25 degrees C but became slightly reduced (0.77) with a further elevation of temperature to 35 degrees C. Arterial haemoglobin concentration increased from 1.96 to 2.53 mM between 15 and 35 degrees C, consistent with higher demands on oxygen delivery to tissues at elevated temperatures. Moreover, the substantial increase of haemoglobin O-2 saturation between 15 and 25 degrees C conforms to the idea that reduction of the central vascular right-to-left shunt (pulmonary bypass of systemic venous return) is associated with high metabolic demands. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metabolic, hygric and ventilatory physiology of a hypermetabolic marsupial, the honey possum (Tarsipes rostratus)

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

Metabolic, ventilatory, and hygric physiology of a South American marsupial, the long-furred woolly mouse opossum

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

The effect of sodium chloride on the formation of W/O microemulsions in soy bean oil/surfactant/water systems and the solubilization of small hydrophilic molecules

Partial pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed for soy bean oil (SBO)/surfactant/NaCl aqueous solution systems, at 25 degrees C, using the anionic sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (ACT) and zwiterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) or mixtures of these surfactants. The isotropic single phase of water-in-oil (W/O) microemulsions (MEs) is shown in the phase diagram and their viscosity reported. ME samples containing small amount of surfactant exhibit slightly higher viscosity than pure SBO, and were used in the solubilization of small water soluble molecules. NaCl enhances the area of the ME phase and MEs with different surfactant composition exhibit different induction time as obtained from tests of oxidative stability, and so are the MEs enriched with ascorbic acid, folic acid and FeSO4, with the latter exhibiting lower stability. The so prepared enriched soy bean oil has potential application in food industry since the surfactants are food grade. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Non-involutive constrained systems and Hamilton-Jacobi formalism

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Cold-atom systems and the scaling limit

With perspective to applications of cold-atom systems, some aspects of few-body physics at very low energies will be reviewed. By exploring the possibilities of varying the two-body interaction via the Feshbach resonance mechanism, some recent results are reported for condensed systems in optical lattices.

On the existence of infinite heteroclinic cycles in polynomial systems and its dynamic consequences

In this work we consider the dynamic consequences of the existence of infinite heteroclinic cycle in planar polynomial vector fields, which is a trajectory connecting two saddle points at infinity. It is stated that, although the saddles which form the cycle belong to infinity, for certain types of nonautonomous perturbations the perturbed system may present a complex dynamic behavior of the solutions in a finite part of the phase plane, due to the existence of tangencies and transversal intersections of their stable and unstable manifolds. This phenomenon might be called the chaos arising from infinity. The global study at infinity is made via the Poincare Compactification and the argument used to prove the statement is the Birkhoff-Smale Theorem. (c) 2004 WILEY-NCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.