Application of air quality combination forecasting to Bogota

The bulk of existing work on the statistical forecasting of air quality is based on either neural networks or linear regressions, which are both subject to important drawbacks. In particular, while neural networks are complicated and prone to in-sample overfitting, linear regressions are highly dependent on the specification of the regression function. The present paper shows how combining linear regression forecasts can be used to circumvent all of these problems. The usefulness of the proposed combination approach is verified using both Monte Carlo simulation and an extensive application to air quality in Bogota, one of the largest and most polluted cities in Latin America. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Environmental migration and capital mobility

Based on utility equalization, this paper considers a developing economy with labor migration. Pollution and capital taxes are imposed on producers in the polluted sector. The optimal policy combinations of capital taxes and pollution taxes for the host economy are examined. A zero capital tax is required for increasing mobility of capital to raise real GDP, while a larger than Pigovian pollution tax is needed for enhancing environmental amenities. The impacts on those two optimal tax rates are examined theoretically and numerically if foreign countries adopt higher environmental standards or if foreign countries impose tax credits on foreign investments.

Elaboração e caracterização de revestimentos nanocompósitos Ni-P-Sic eletrodepositados

Revestimentos compósitos com incorporação de SiC (com tamanho médio 600nm e 30nm) à matriz metálica de Ni-P foram elaborados por eletrodeposição a partir de uma solução de sais de níquel, contendo um precursor fosforoso H3PO3, na qual as partículas foram colocadas em suspensão. A partir de medidas de viscosidade e velocidade de sedimentação foi evidenciado que o tamanho das partículas de SiC é uma característica importante que influencia na estabilidade das suspensões. Além disso, a presença de aditivos orgânicos, como SDS ou CTAHS, modifica as características das suspensões podendo ter, de acordo com o tamanho das partículas, um efeito sobre a taxa de incorporação da mesma no depósito durante o crescimento da matriz. Observou-se que acima de uma certa concentração de partículas em suspensão, a taxa de incorporação avaliada em função da fração em volume atinge um patamar, quando, no entanto, a mesma continua a aumentar se avaliada pelo número de partículas incorporadas. Para as suspensões com elevada concentração de partículas, o processo de incorporação torna-se seletivo, e as partículas de menor tamanho são preferencialmente incorporadas. Medidas de microdureza, análise térmica e ensaios eletroquímicos (voltametria cíclica e impedância eletroquímica) foram realizados com o objetivo de investigar o efeito da quantidade e do tamanho das partículas de SiC incorporadas, sobre o comportamento térmico, a microdureza, e a resistência à corrosão dos revestimentos compósitos Ni-P-SiC com teor em fósforo igual a 17 %at.

Uma chama na Amazônia

O campesinato santareno (lavradores, pescadores,posseiros, colonos etc. é extremamente diversificado, guindo-se três trajetórias: a) a do campesinato de beirario, oriundo do tempo do Brasil-colônia; b) a do campesinato do planalto, formado por nordestinos fugidos das secas e do latifúndio e por sobreviventes do auge da borracha; c) a do campesinato das estradas, que se origina na penetração da Amazônia em consequência do modelo capitalista dominante. Porém todos se identificam pela mesma ameaça de exclusão frente a este modelo que lhes atinge direta ou indiretamente.

Uma chama na Amazônia: campesinato, consciência de classe e educação: o movimento sindical dos trabalhadores rurais de Santarém (PA), (1974-85)

O campesinato santareno (lavradores, pescadores, posseiros, colonos etc.) é extremamente diversificado, guindo-se três trajetórias: a) a do campesinato de beirario, oriundo do tempo do Brasil-colônia; b) a do campesinato do planalto, formado por nordestinos fugidos das secas e do latifúndio e por sobreviventes do auge da borracha; c) a do campesinato das estradas, que se origina na penetração da Amazônia em consequência do modelo capitalista dominante. Porém todos se identificam pela mesma ameaça de exclusão frente a este modelo que lhes atinge direta ou indiretamente. As condições econômico-sociais criadas pela história, a conjuntura e a ação de determinados agentes sociais - da Pastoral, educadores e lavradores - propiciaram, em meados dos anos 70, a eclosão de um movimento de trabalhadores rurais. Este movimento é visto num primeiro período (1974-78) como comunitário, de ação e perspectivas limitadas; num segundo período (1978-82) se define, predominantemente, como movimento voltado para a organização sindical dos trabalhadores rurais; no terceiro período analisado (1983-85),a organização sindical dos camponeses impõe a sua força relativa à "cidade política", presente na cidade de Santarém, na CUT e com uma ativa participação deles no PT. Em cada período, combinam-se de modo diferente três "graus" ou "momentos", constitutivos, segundo Gramsci, da consciência de classe: o "momento econômico-corporativo", o momento sindical e o momento político. Neste processo de interacão, concretizado nas suas lutas (por terra, saúde, estrada, melhores preços para a sua produção, contra a pesca predatória, etc.) e na sua organização, o campesinato santareno forja a sua identidade coletiva, sua consciência de classe. Esta história é vista, ao mesmo tempo, como "político-militar", em que um grupo social luta para manter e ampliar o seu espaço físico-social, e como pedagógica, em que o grupo se socializa e constrói uma nova visão do mundo, adquirindo/ forjando os instrumentes conceituais e operacionais necessários para sobreviver como classe em que seus componentes se impõem como cidadãos.

Fine root isotropy in Eucalyptus grandis plantations. Towards the prediction of root length densities from root counts on trench walls

The objectives of the study were to assess changes in fine root anisotropy and specific root lengths throughout the development of Eucalyptus grandis ( W. Hill ex Maiden) plantations and to establish a predictive model of root length density (RLD) from root intercept counts on trench walls. Fine root densities (<1 mm in diameter) were studied in 6-, 12-, 22-, 28-, 54-, 68- and 72-month-old E. grandis plantations established on deep Ferralsols in southern Brazil. Fine root intercepts were counted on 3 faces of 90-198 soil cubes (1 dm(3) in volume) in each stand and fine root lengths (L) were measured inside 576 soil cubes, sampled between the depths of 10 cm and 290 cm. The number of fine root intercepts was counted on one vertical face perpendicular to the planting row (N(t)), one vertical face parallel to the planting row (N(l)) and one horizontal face (N(h)), for each soil cube sampled. An overall isotropy of fine roots was shown by paired Student's t-tests between the numbers of fine roots intersecting each face of soil cubes at most stand ages and soil depths. Specific root lengths decreased with stand age in the upper soil layers and tended to increase in deep soil layers at the end of the rotation. A linear regression established between N(t) and L for all the soil cubes sampled accounted for 36% of the variability of L. Such a regression computed for mean Nt and L values at each sampling depth and stand age explained only 55% of the variability, as a result of large differences in the relationship between L and Nt depending on stand productivity. The equation RLD=1.89*LAI*N(t), where LAI was the stand leaf area index (m(2) m(-2)) and Nt was expressed as the number of root intercepts per cm(2), made it possible to predict accurately (R(2)=0.84) and without bias the mean RLDs (cm cm(-3)) per depth in each stand, for the whole data set of 576 soil cubes sampled between 2 years of age and the end of the rotation.

A responsabilidade enunciativa em Itinéraire d un Voyage en Allemagne

Nossa pesquisa se circunscreve nos estudos da Análise Textual dos Discursos, proposta pelo linguista Jean-Michel Adam. Nosso foco principal está voltado para o fenômeno da Responsabilidade Enunciativa (doravante RE). Além das categorias de análise para se estudar a RE, conforme Adam (2008, 2010, 2011), também seguiremos outros estudiosos no assunto, como Oswald Ducrot (1984), os teóricos Teoria Escandinava da Polifonia Linguística, (2004), Zlatka Guentchéva (1994), Jean-Pierre Desclés (2009) e Jacqueline Authier-Revuz (1998, 2004). Utilizaremos os pressupostos apresentados por Alain Rabatel (2004, 2008, 2009, 2010), sobretudo, no que concerne às noções de locutor/enunciador, ponto de vista ou vozes que podem ser encontradas em um texto. Para tanto, analisaremos um relato de viagem, Itinéraire d un Voyage en Allemagne (doravante Itinéraire), escrito no século XIX por Nísia Floresta, uma norte-rio-grandense que fez residência na França e ficou conhecida como uma das primeiras feministas do Brasil. O relato de viagem é um gênero diferenciado para se analisar a RE, sobretudo o Itinéraire, pois nele também podemos encontrar a presença de outros gêneros, quais sejam: epistolar e autobiográfico. Assim, percorreremos, primeiramente, algumas abordagens sobre gêneros de discurso, utilizando-nos, principalmente, dos pressupostos de Mikhail Bakhtin (1992, 2003), Geneviève Bordet (2011), Jean Michel Adam (2011) e Luiz Antônio Marcuschi (2008) e, posteriormente, apresentaremos algumas características que envolvem os gêneros citados. Por fim, para análise dos dados, estamos seguindo a abordagem qualitativa de natureza interpretativista. Nossa pesquisa comprovou que o Itinéraire apresenta muitas marcas de assunção da RE, mas que, apesar de Nísia Floresta ser locutora e enunciadora, é possível encontrar marcas de não assunção da RE, ou seja, outros PDV

Modeling the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of deforestation-driven carbon emissions: the INPE-EM framework applied to the Brazilian Amazon

We present a generic spatially explicit modeling framework to estimate carbon emissions from deforestation (INPE-EM). The framework incorporates the temporal dynamics related to the deforestation process and accounts for the biophysical and socioeconomic heterogeneity of the region under study. We build an emission model for the Brazilian Amazon combining annual maps of new clearings, four maps of biomass, and a set of alternative parameters based on the recent literature. The most important results are as follows: (a) Using different biomass maps leads to large differences in estimates of emission; for the entire region of the Brazilian Amazon in the last decade, emission estimates of primary forest deforestation range from 0.21 to 0.26 similar to Pg similar to C similar to yr-1. (b) Secondary vegetation growth presents a small impact on emission balance because of the short duration of secondary vegetation. In average, the balance is only 5% smaller than the primary forest deforestation emissions. (c) Deforestation rates decreased significantly in the Brazilian Amazon in recent years, from 27 similar to Mkm2 in 2004 to 7 similar to Mkm2 in 2010. INPE-EM process-based estimates reflect this decrease even though the agricultural frontier is moving to areas of higher biomass. The decrease is slower than a non-process instantaneous model would estimate as it considers residual emissions (slash, wood products, and secondary vegetation). The average balance, considering all biomass, decreases from 0.28 in 2004 to 0.15 similar to Pg similar to C similar to yr-1 in 2009; the non-process model estimates a decrease from 0.33 to 0.10 similar to Pg similar to C similar to yr-1. We conclude that the INPE-EM is a powerful tool for representing deforestation-driven carbon emissions. Biomass estimates are still the largest source of uncertainty in the effective use of this type of model for informing mechanisms such as REDD+. The results also indicate that efforts to reduce emissions should focus not only on controlling primary forest deforestation but also on creating incentives for the restoration of secondary forests.

Effect of cerium on structure modifications of a hybrid sol-gel coating, its mechanical properties and anti-corrosion behavior

An organic-inorganic hybrid coating was developed to improve the corrosion resistance of the aluminum alloy AA 2024-T3. Organic and inorganic coatings derived from glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and aluminum tri-sec-butoxide Al((OBu)-Bu-s)(3), with different cerium contents, were deposited onto aluminum by dip-coating process. Corrosion resistance and mechanical properties were investigated by electrochemical impedance measurements and nano-indentation respectively. An optimal cerium concentration of 0.01 M was evidenced. To correlate and explain the hybrid coating performances in relation to the cerium content, NMR experiments were performed. It has been shown that when the cerium concentration in the hybrid is higher than 0.01 M there are important modifications in the hybrid structure that account for the mechanical properties and anti-corrosion behavior of the sol-gel coating. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A constraints generator in structural determination by microcomputer

We present a new expert system: a constraints generator for structure determination of natural products. The constraints that the system furnishes are: skeleton (reliability: 95%), large substructures (reliability: 98%) and their associated assignments (reliability: 90%) This system is intended for structure determination of carbon-rich compounds (sesqui-, di- and triterpenes, sterols etc.) for which most structures generators are not very effective. We also present a new algorithm that can avoid the combinatorial explosion during subspectrum/substructure analysis.

L'etude des signaux de 13C PAR microordinateur un programme simple et rapide

We present an unsophisticated and prompt software for the study of the spectroscopic properties of natural products. The main program searches substructures into the data set, selects the matching substructures and tests the selectivity of its chemical shifts for each skeleton. Some applications are presented. © 1990.

Ten years of NO2 comparisons between ground-based SAOZ and satellite instruments (GOME, SCIAMACHY, OMI)

SAOZ (Systeme d'Analyse par Observations Zenithales) is a ground-based UV-Visible zenith-sky spectrometer installed between 1988 and 1995 at a number of NDSC stations at various latitudes on the globe. The instrument is providing ozone and NO2 vertical columns at sunrise and sunset using the Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) technique in the visible spectral range. The ERS-2 GOME Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) in 1995 was the first satellite mission to provide a global picture of atmospheric NO 2 with reasonable spatial and temporal resolution. It was then followed by SCanning ImAging spectroMeter for Atmospheric ChartographY (SCIAMACHY) onboard ENVISAT in 2002, and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) onboard EOS-AURA in 2004, with a similar capacity to monitor total NO 2. All these instruments are nadir viewing mapping spectrometers, applying the DOAS technique in the visible for deriving the NO2 total column. Here we present the results of NO2 long-term comparisons between GOME and SAOZ for the whole period of GOME operation since 1995 at all latitudes - tropics, mid-latitudes and polar regions - in both hemispheres. Comparisons are also shown with the most recently available SCIAMACHY and OMI data in 2004-2005. Overall, the daytime satellite measurements (around noon) are found consistent with sunrise ground-based data, with an average smaller difference at the tropics and mid-latitudes than in the polar areas in the summer. The agreement is even improved after correcting for the NO2 photochemical change between sunrise and the satellite overpass using a box model. However, some seasonal dependence of the difference between ground-based and satellite total NO2 still remains, related to the accuracy of photochemical simulations and the set of NO2 air mass factors used in the retrievals of both systems.

TroCCiBras and its partner projects HIBISCUS and TROCCINOX: The 2004 field campaign in the state of São Paulo

This overview paper summarizes the objectives of the Tropical Convection and Cirrus Brasil project, as well as those of the European Commission sponsored HIBISCUS and TROCCINOX projects, which conducted a joint field campaign in the State of São Paulo from January to March 2004. Emphasis is given on the description of different types of lidars and their deployment for obtaining meteorological data during the joint field campaign in 2004. © Sociedad Española de Óptica.

Photosynthetic and anatomical responses of Eucalyptus grandis leaves to potassium and sodium supply in a field experiment

Although vast areas in tropical regions have weathered soils with low potassium (K) levels, little is known about the effects of K supply on the photosynthetic physiology of trees. This study assessed the effects of K and sodium (Na) supply on the diffusional and biochemical limitations to photosynthesis in Eucalyptus grandis leaves. A field experiment comparing treatments receiving K (+K) or Na (+Na) with a control treatment (C) was set up in a K-deficient soil. The net CO2 assimilation rates were twice as high in +K and 1.6 times higher in +Na than in the C as a result of lower stomatal and mesophyll resistance to CO2 diffusion and higher photosynthetic capacity. The starch content was higher and soluble sugar was lower in +K than in C and +Na, suggesting that K starvation disturbed carbon storage and transport. The specific leaf area, leaf thickness, parenchyma thickness, stomatal size and intercellular air spaces increased in +K and +Na compared to C. Nitrogen and chlorophyll concentrations were also higher in +K and +Na than in C. These results suggest a strong relationship between the K and Na supply to E. grandis trees and the functional and structural limitations to CO2 assimilation rates. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.