A multi level analysis on pollination-related policies

The paper explores pollination from a multi level policy perspective and analyses the institutional fit and inter play of multi-faceted pollination-related policies. First, it asks what the major policies are that frame pollination at the EU level. Second, it explores the relationship between the EU policies and localised ways of understanding pollination. Addressed third is how the concept of ecosystem services can aid in under- standing the various ways of framing and governing the situation. The results show that the policy systems affecting pollination are abundant and that these systems create different kinds of pressure on stakeholders, at several levels of society. The local-level concerns are more about the loss of pollination services than about loss of pollinators. This points to the problem of fit between local activity driven by economic reasoning and biodiversity-driven EU policies. Here we see the concept of ecosystem services having some potential, since its operationalisation can combine economic and environmental considerations. Further- more, the analysis shows how, instead of formal institutions, it seems that social norms, habits, and motivation are the key to understanding and developing effective and attractive governance measures.

Optimization of amaranth flour films plasticized with glycerol and sorbitol by multi-response analysis

The optimal formulation for the preparation of amaranth flour films plasticized with glycerol and sorbitol was obtained by a multi-response analysis. The optimization aimed to achieve films with higher resistance to break, moderate elongation and lower solubility in water. The influence of plasticizer concentration (Cg, glycerol or Cs, sorbitol) and process temperature (Tp) on the mechanical properties and solubility of the amaranth flour films was initially studied by response surface methodology (RSM). The optimized conditions obtained were Cg 20.02 g glycerol/100 g flour and Tp 75 degrees C, and Cs 29.6 g sorbitol/100 g flour and Tp 75 degrees C. Characterization of the films prepared with these formulations revealed that the optimization methodology employed in this work was satisfactory. Sorbitol was the most suitable plasticizer. It furnished amaranth flour films that were more resistant to break and less permeable to oxygen, due to its greater miscibility with the biopolymers present in the flour and its lower affinity for water. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of luteal function in goats by ultrasonographic image attribute analysis

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Optimization of in situ derivatization SPME by experimental design for GC-MS multi-residue analysis of pharmaceutical drugs in wastewater

This paper presents the development of a procedure, which enables the analysis of nine pharmaceutical drugs in wastewater using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) associated with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) for the sample preparation. Experimental design was applied to optimize the in situ derivatization and the SPME extraction conditions. Ethyl chloroformate (ECF) was employed as derivatizing agent and polydimethylsiloxane-divinylbenzene (PDMS-DVB) as the SPME fiber coating. A fractional factorial design was used to evaluate the main factors for the in situ derivatization and SPME extraction. Thereafter, a Doehlert matrix design was applied to find out the best experimental conditions. The method presented a linear range from 0.5 to 10 mu g/L, and the intraday and interday precision were lower than 16%. Applicability of the method was verified from real influent and effluent samples of a wastewater treatment plant, as well as from samples of an industry wastewater and a river.

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in southern Brazil (Jaguaruna region, Santa Catarina state) based on multi-proxy analysis

This paper provides a paleoenvironmental reconstruction of a Late Quaternary lagoon system in the Jaguaruna region of Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. Integrated results of bulk sedimentary organic matter characterization (delta C-13, delta N-15 and C/N), microfossil (pollen and diatom) and grain-size analysis from three shallow cores (similar to 2.5m depth) allowed us to propose an evolving paleogeographic scenario in this coastal region for the last ca. 5500 cal a BP. The lagoonal system in this area was more extensive during the mid-Holocene than today, with a gradual and continuous lagoon-sea disconnection until the present. We add to the debate regarding relative sea-level (RSL) variations for the Brazilian coast during the Holocene and discuss the importance of sedimentary dynamics for interpreting changes in coastal ecosystems. The multi-proxy analysis suggests that changes in coastal ecosystems could be directly related to local sedimentary processes, which are not necessarily linked to RSL fluctuations and/or to climatic variations. Copyright (c) 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A general framework for multi-compartmental analysis of drug chemotherapy dynamics in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 infected individuals

An optimal control strategy for the highly active antiretroviral therapy associated to the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome should be designed regarding a comprehensive analysis of the drug chemotherapy behavior in the host tissues, from major viral replication sites to viral sanctuary compartments. Such approach is critical in order to efficiently explore synergistic, competitive and prohibitive relationships among drugs and, hence, therapy costs and side-effect minimization. In this paper, a novel mathematical model for HIV-1 drug chemotherapy dynamics in distinct host anatomic compartments is proposed and theoretically evaluated on fifteen conventional anti-retroviral drugs. Rather than interdependence between drug type and its concentration profile in a host tissue, simulated results suggest that such profile is importantly correlated with the host tissue under consideration. Furthermore, the drug accumulative dynamics are drastically affected by low patient compliance with pharmacotherapy, even when a single dose lacks. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multi-criteria analysis in the strategic environmental assessment of the sugar and alcohol sector

The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the sugar and alcohol sector guides a territorial and sectoral planning that benefits most of the local society and supports this economic activity in all its stages. In this way, the present work aims to determine an index of aggregation of the indicators generated in the baseline of the SEA process, called Index of Sustainability of Expansion of the Sugar and Alcohol Sector (IScana). For this, it was used the normalization of the indicators of each city by the fuzzy logic and attribution of weights by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Then, the IScana values had been spatialized in the region of 'Grande Dourados'-Mato Grosso do Sul State. The northern portion concentrated the highest values of IScana, 0.48 and 0.55, referring to the cities of Nova Alvorada do Sul and Rio Brilhante, while, in the central portion, the city of Dourados presented the lowest value, 0.10. The selection of the set of indicators forming the IScana, and their relative importance, was satisfactory for the application of fuzzy logic and AHP techniques. The IScana index supplies objective information regarding the diagnosis of the region for the application of SEA.

A three-pronged approach to social business: a Brazilian multi-case analysis

Social businesses present a new paradigm to capitalism, in which private companies, non-profit organizations and civil society create a new type of business with the main objective of solving social problems with financial sustainability and efficiency through market mechanisms. As any new phenomenon, different authors conceptualize social businesses with distinct views. This article aims to present and characterize three different perspectives of social business definitions: the European, the American and that of the emerging countries. Each one of these views was illustrated by a different Brazilian case. We conclude with the idea that all the cases have similar characteristics, but also relevant differences that are more than merely geographical. The perspectives analyzed in this paper provide an analytical framework for understanding the field of social businesses. Moreover, the cases demonstrate that in the Brazilian context the field of social business is under construction and that as such it draws on different conceptual influences to deal with a complex and challenging reality.

Evaluation of a multi variated analysis for the selection of t-tbar multijet events in the current CMS implemented environment at LHC

In the present study we are using multi variate analysis techniques to discriminate signal from background in the fully hadronic decay channel of ttbar events. We give a brief introduction to the role of the Top quark in the standard model and a general description of the CMS Experiment at LHC. We have used the CMS experiment computing and software infrastructure to generate and prepare the data samples used in this analysis. We tested the performance of three different classifiers applied to our data samples and used the selection obtained with the Multi Layer Perceptron classifier to give an estimation of the statistical and systematical uncertainty on the cross section measurement.

Techniques and Methods for a multi-scale analysis of neuromuscular fatigue

This thesis proposes an integrated holistic approach to the study of neuromuscular fatigue in order to encompass all the causes and all the consequences underlying the phenomenon. Starting from the metabolic processes occurring at the cellular level, the reader is guided toward the physiological changes at the motorneuron and motor unit level and from this to the more general biomechanical alterations. In Chapter 1 a list of the various definitions for fatigue spanning several contexts has been reported. In Chapter 2, the electrophysiological changes in terms of motor unit behavior and descending neural drive to the muscle have been studied extensively as well as the biomechanical adaptations induced. In Chapter 3 a study based on the observation of temporal features extracted from sEMG signals has been reported leading to the need of a more robust and reliable indicator during fatiguing tasks. Therefore, in Chapter 4, a novel bi-dimensional parameter is proposed. The study on sEMG-based indicators opened a scenario also on neurophysiological mechanisms underlying fatigue. For this purpose, in Chapter 5, a protocol designed for the analysis of motor unit-related parameters during prolonged fatiguing contractions is presented. In particular, two methodologies have been applied to multichannel sEMG recordings of isometric contractions of the Tibialis Anterior muscle: the state-of-the-art technique for sEMG decomposition and a coherence analysis on MU spike trains. The importance of a multi-scale approach has been finally highlighted in the context of the evaluation of cycling performance, where fatigue is one of the limiting factors. In particular, the last chapter of this thesis can be considered as a paradigm: physiological, metabolic, environmental, psychological and biomechanical factors influence the performance of a cyclist and only when all of these are kept together in a novel integrative way it is possible to derive a clear model and make correct assessments.

Projected 21st century decrease in marine productivity: a multi-model analysis

Changes in marine net primary productivity (PP) and export of particulate organic carbon (EP) are projected over the 21st century with four global coupled carbon cycle-climate models. These include representations of marine ecosystems and the carbon cycle of different structure and complexity. All four models show a decrease in global mean PP and EP between 2 and 20% by 2100 relative to preindustrial conditions, for the SRES A2 emission scenario. Two different regimes for productivity changes are consistently identified in all models. The first chain of mechanisms is dominant in the low- and mid-latitude ocean and in the North Atlantic: reduced input of macro-nutrients into the euphotic zone related to enhanced stratification, reduced mixed layer depth, and slowed circulation causes a decrease in macro-nutrient concentrations and in PP and EP. The second regime is projected for parts of the Southern Ocean: an alleviation of light and/or temperature limitation leads to an increase in PP and EP as productivity is fueled by a sustained nutrient input. A region of disagreement among the models is the Arctic, where three models project an increase in PP while one model projects a decrease. Projected changes in seasonal and interannual variability are modest in most regions. Regional model skill metrics are proposed to generate multi-model mean fields that show an improved skill in representing observation-based estimates compared to a simple multi-model average. Model results are compared to recent productivity projections with three different algorithms, usually applied to infer net primary production from satellite observations.

Market Prices and Food Aid Local and Regional Procurement and Distribution: A Multi-Country Analysis

To date, no research has rigorously addressed the concern that local and regional procurement (LRP) of food aid could affect food prices and food price volatility in food aid source and recipient countries. We assemble spatially and temporally disaggregated data and estimate the relationship between food prices and their volatility and local food aid procurement and distribution across seven countries for several commodities. In most cases, LRP activities have no statistically significant relationship with either local price levels or food price volatility. The few exceptions underscore the importance of market monitoring. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is the relation between early post-session reports and treatment outcome an epiphenomenon of intake distress and early response? A multi-predictor analysis in outpatient psychotherapy

The early phase of psychotherapy has been regarded as a sensitive period in the unfolding of psychotherapy leading to positive outcomes. However, there is disagreement about the degree to which early (especially relationship-related) session experiences predict outcome over and above initial levels of distress and early response to treatment. The goal of the present study was to simultaneously examine outcome at post treatment as a function of (a) intake symptom and interpersonal distress as well as early change in well-being and symptoms, (b) the patient's early session-experiences, (c) the therapist's early session-experiences/interventions, and (d) their interactions. The data of 430 psychotherapy completers treated by 151 therapists were analyzed using hierarchical linear models. Results indicate that early positive intra- and interpersonal session experiences as reported by patients and therapists after the sessions explained 58% of variance of a composite outcome measure, taking intake distress and early response into account. All predictors (other than problem-activating therapists' interventions) contributed to later treatment outcomes if entered as single predictors. However, the multi-predictor analyses indicated that interpersonal distress at intake as well as the early interpersonal session experiences by patients and therapists remained robust predictors of outcome. The findings underscore that early in therapy therapists (and their supervisors) need to understand and monitor multiple interconnected components simultaneously