Summary of the presentation at the seminar on the regulation of public utilities: water and electricity

Includes bibliography

Summary of the presentation at the seminar on the regulation of public utilities: water and electricity

Includes bibliography

Trade between Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Central American Common Market (CACM) countries: the role to play for ports and shipping services

Includes bibliography

Modernization and new services of the Brazilian active control network

The Brazilian Network for Continuous Monitoring of GNSS - RBMC is a national network of continuously operating reference GNSS stations. Since its establishment in December of 1996, it has been playing an essential role for the maintenance and user access of the fundamental geodetic frame in the country. In order to provide better services for RBMC, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics - IBGE and the National Institute of Colonization and Land Reform - INCRA are both partners involved in the National Geospatial Framework Project - PIGN. This paper provides an overview of the recent modernization phases the RBMC network has undergone highlighting its future steps. These steps involve the installation of new equipment, provide real time data from a group of core stations and compute real-time DGPS corrections, based on CDGPS (The real-time Canada-Wide DGPS Service) (The Real-Time Canada-Wide DGPS Service. http://www.cdgps.com/ 2009a). In addition to this, a post-mission Precise Point Positioning (PPP) service has been established based on the current Geodetic Survey Division of NRCan (CSRS-PPP) service. This service is operational since April 2009 and is in large use in the country. All activities mentioned before are based on a cooperation signed at the end of 2004 with the University of New Brunswick, supported by the Canadian International Development Agency and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency. The Geodetic Survey Division of NRCan is also participating in this modernization effort under the same project. This infrastructure of 66 GNSS stations, the real time, post processing services and the potentiality of providing Wide Area DGPS corrections in the future show that the RBMC system is comparable to those available in USA and Europe. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012.

The Andean peasant, water and the role of the State

Includes bibliography

Evaluation of metals in water and sediments of micro-basins in the city of Americana, São Paulo state, Brazil

Water pollution found in major rivers in Brazil has its origin from urban sewage discharges and industrial effluent, carried out by small streams and rivers crossing cities. Therefore, studies related to hydrographic micro-basins offer the opportunity to establish environmental management strategies for restoring water resources, based on diagnosis of the water quality. Despite this understanding, few studies in urban and rural areas have been performed in a systematic manner in Brazilian micro-basins. The main goal of this research was to diagnose the water resources in micro-basins in the region of the district of Americana, São Paulo state, Brazil, through the quantification of metals in water and sediment. The methodology was based on the investigation of metals (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn), in four micro-basins, determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). The most significant result showed high concentration levels of chromium (969 μg L-1), downstream of the discharge of sewage from the city of Nova Odessa. This concentration in the river was above the allowed limit of Brazilian regulation agency (50 μg L-1 for Cr). Also high levels of Cr were found in the sediment (98.9 μg g-1) collected at the same monitored site. These results are important indicators of environmental performance and anthropogenic activities to help the government establish environmental management strategies aimed at the reduction of water pollution. © 2013 WIT Press.

Periodontal disease reduces water and sodium intake induced by injection of muscimol into the lateral parabrachial nucleus

Objective: Gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptor activation with muscimol in the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) induces water and 0.3 M NaCl intake. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a local inflammatory event, such as periodontal disease (PD), is able to alter the effects of muscimol on water and 0.3 M NaCl intake in fluid-replete rats and in rats treated with furosemide (FURO) combined with captopril (CAP) injected subcutaneously. Design: Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups: with PD and those without PD (control condition). Fifteen days after PD, both groups had cannulas implanted bilaterally into the LPBN. Results: In fluid-replete rats without PD, injections of muscimol (0.5 nmol/0.2 μl) into the LPBN induced 0.3 M NaCl and water intake and a pressor response. In fluid-replete rats with PD, a decrease was observed in water intake and pressor response but not in 0.3 M NaCl intake. In control rats with FURO + CAP treatment, injections of muscimol into the LPBN increased 0.3 M NaCl and water intake. In PD rats with FURO + CAP treatment, a decrease was observed in 0.3 M NaCl and water intake after muscimol in the LPBN. Alveolar bone loss and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) plasmatic concentration were higher in PD rats in comparison with controls. Conclusion: These results suggest that PD is able to reduce the pressor response and the dipsogenic and natriorexigenic effects induced by the activation of GABAA receptors in the LPBN, probably due to the elevation of the plasmatic concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Provision of drinking water and sanitation to the rural population in Latin America

Includes bibliography

Progresos realizados en la privatización de los servicios públicos relacionados con el agua: reseña por países de Sudamérica = Progress in the privatization of water-related public services: a country-by-country review for South America

Incluye Bibliografía

Concentration in liner shipping: its causes and impacts for ports and shipping services in developing regions

Includes bibliography

Natural resources: status and trends towards a regional development agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean. Contribution of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean to the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States

Includes bibliography.

Towards diversification of the tourism sector: A recreational demand study of yachting and marina services in the Caribbean

Includes bibliography.

Upgrading value chains through professional and supporting services: Lessons from three agro-industry chains in El Salvador and Guatemala

Includes bibliography