Economic valuation of an offshore wind farm in Greece: the role of individual’s base-state influences and beliefs in the value formation process

The increased concern for the impacts of climate change on the environment, along with the growing industry of renewable energy sources, and especially wind power, has made the valuation of environmental services and goods of great significance. Offshore wind energy is being exploited exponentially and its importance for renewable energy generation is increasing. We apply a double-bound dichotomous Contingent Valuation Method analysis in order to both a) estimating the Willingness to Pay (WTP) of Greek residents for green electricity produced by offshore wind farm located between the islands of Tinos and Andros and b) identifying factors behind respondents’ WTP including individual’s behaviour toward environment and individual’s views on climate change and renewable energy. A total of 141 respondents participated in the questionnaire. Results show that the respondents are willing to pay on average 20€ every two months through their electricity bill in return for carbon-free electricity and water saving from the wind farm. Respondents’ environmental consciousness and their perception towards climate change and renewable energy have a positive effect on their WTP.

Why compatibilist intuitions are not mistaken: a reply to Feltz and Millan

In the past decade, a number of empirical researchers have suggested that laypeople have compatibilist intuitions. In a recent paper, Feltz and Millan (2015) have challenged this conclusion by claiming that most laypeople are only compatibilists in appearance and are in fact willing to attribute free will to people no matter what. As evidence for this claim, they have shown that an important proportion of laypeople still attribute free will to agents in fatalistic universes. In this paper, we first argue that Feltz and Millan’s error-theory rests on a conceptual confusion: it is perfectly acceptable for a certain brand of compatibilist to judge free will and fatalism to be compatible, as long as fatalism does not prevent agents from being the source of their actions. We then present the results of two studies showing that laypeople’s intuitions are best understood as following a certain brand of source compatibilism rather than a “free-will-no-matter-what” strategy.

Heme Impairs Prostaglandin E(2) and TGF-beta Production by Human Mononuclear Cells via Cu/Zn Superoxide Dismutase: Insight into the Pathogenesis of Severe Malaria

In many hemolytic disorders, such as malaria, the release of free heme has been involved in the triggering of oxidative stress and tissue damage. Patients presenting with severe forms of malaria commonly have impaired regulatory responses. Although intriguing, there is scarce data about the involvement of heme on the regulation of immune responses. In this study, we investigated the relation of free heme and the suppression of anti-inflammatory mediators such as PGE(2) and TGF-beta in human vivax malaria. Patients with severe disease presented higher hemolysis and higher plasma concentrations of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD-1) and lower concentrations of PGE(2) and TGF-beta than those with mild disease. In addition, there was a positive correlation between SOD-1 concentrations and plasma levels of TNF-alpha. During antimalaria treatment, the concentrations of plasma SOD-1 reduced whereas PGE(2) and TGF-beta increased in the individuals severely ill. Using an in vitro model with human mononuclear cells, we demonstrated that the heme effect on the impairment of the production of PGE(2) and TGF-beta partially involves heme binding to CD14 and depends on the production of SOD-1. Aside from furthering the current knowledge about the pathogenesis of vivax malaria, the present results may represent a general mechanism for hemolytic diseases and could be useful for future studies of therapeutic approaches. The Journal of Immunology, 2010, 185: 1196-1204.

Phylogenetic, morphological and behavioural analyses support host switching of Trypanosoma (Herpetosoma) lewisi from domestic rats to primates

We characterized four Brazilian trypanosomes isolated from domestic rats and three from captive nonhuman primates that were morphologically similar to T. lewisi, a considered non-pathogenic species restricted to rodents and transmitted by fleas, despite its potential pathogenicity for infants. These isolates were identified as T. lewisi by barcoding using V7V8 SSU rDNA sequences. In inferred phylogenetic trees, all isolates clustered tightly with reference T. lewisi and T. lewisi-like trypanosomes from Europe, Asia and Africa and despite their high sequence conservation formed a homogeneous clade separate from other species of the subgenus T. (Herpetosoma). With the aim of clearly resolving the relationships between the Brazilian isolates from domestic rats and primates, we compared sequences from more polymorphic ITS rDNA. Results corroborated that isolates from Brazilian rats and monkeys were indeed of the same species and quite close to T. lewisi isolates of humans and rats from different geographical regions. Morphology of the monkey isolates and their behaviour in culture and in experimentally infected rats were also compatible with T. lewisi. However, infection with T. lewisi is rare among monkeys. We have examined more than 200 free-ranging and 160 captive monkeys and found only three infected individuals among the monkeys held in captivity. The findings of this work suggest that proximity of monkeys and infected rats and their exposure to infected fleas may be responsible for the host switching of T. Iewisi from their natural rodent species to primates. This and previous studies reporting T. lewisi in humans suggest that this trypanosome can cause sporadic and opportunistic fleaborne infection in primates. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Numerical Solution of the Upper-Convected Maxwell Model for Three-Dimensional Free Surface Flows

This work presents a finite difference technique for simulating three-dimensional free surface flows governed by the Upper-Convected Maxwell (UCM) constitutive equation. A Marker-and-Cell approach is employed to represent the fluid free surface and formulations for calculating the non-Newtonian stress tensor on solid boundaries are developed. The complete free surface stress conditions are employed. The momentum equation is solved by an implicit technique while the UCM constitutive equation is integrated by the explicit Euler method. The resulting equations are solved by the finite difference method on a 3D-staggered grid. By using an exact solution for fully developed flow inside a pipe, validation and convergence results are provided. Numerical results include the simulation of the transient extrudate swell and the comparison between jet buckling of UCM and Newtonian fluids.

Two New Ternary Complexes of Copper(II) with Tetracycline or Doxycycline and 1,10-Phenanthroline and Their Potential as Antitumoral: Cytotoxicity and DNA Cleavage

This paper reports on the synthesis and characterization of two new ternary copper(II) complexes: [Cu(doxy-cycline)(1,10-phenanthroline)(H(2)O)(ClO(4))](ClO(4)) (1) and [Cu(tetracycline)(1,10-phenanthroline)(H(2)O)(ClO(4))](ClO(4)) (2). These compounds exhibit a distorted tetragonal geometry around copper, which is coordinated to two bidentate ligands, 1,10-phenanthroline and tetracycline or doxycyline, a water molecule, and a perchlorate ion weakly bonded in the axial positions. In both compounds, copper(II) binds to tetracyclines`. via the oxygen of the hydroxyl group and oxygen of the amide group at ring A and to 1,10-phenanthroline via its two heterocyclic nitrogens. We have evaluated the binding of the new complexes to DNA, their capacity to cleave it, their cytotoxic activity, and uptake in tumoral cells. The complexes bind to DNA preferentially by the major groove, and then cleave its strands by an oxidative mechanism involving the generation of ROS. The cleavage of DNA was inhibited by radical inhibitors and/or trappers such as superoxide dismutase, DMSO, and the copper(I) chelator bathocuproine. The enzyme T4 DNA ligase was not able to relegate the products of DNA cleavage, which indicates that the cleavage does not occur via a hydrolytic mechanism. Both complexes present an expressive plasmid DNA cleavage activity generating single- and double-strand breaks, under mild reaction conditions, and even in the absence of any additional oxidant or reducing agent. In the same experimental conditions, [Cu(phen)(2)](2+) is approximately 100-fold less active than our complexes. These complexes are among the most potent DNA cleavage agents reported so far. Both complexes inhibit the growth of K562 cells With the IC(50) values of 1.93 and 2.59 mu mol L(-1) for compounds I and 2, respectively. The complexes are more active than the free ligands, and their cytotoxic activity correlates with intracellular copper concentration and the number of Cu-DNA adducts formed inside cells.

The Nine Circles of Surveillance Hell: An Institutional View of Information Flows and Information Threats in Libraries

In the past few years, libraries have started to design public programs that educate patrons about different tools and techniques to protect personal privacy. But do end user solutions provide adequate safeguards against surveillance by corporate and government actors? What does a comprehensive plan for privacy entail in order that libraries live up to their privacy values? In this paper, the authors discuss the complexity of surveillance architecture that the library institution might confront when seeking to defend the privacy rights of patrons. This architecture consists of three main parts: physical or material aspects, logical characteristics, and social factors of information and communication flows in the library setting. For each category, the authors will present short case studies that are culled from practitioner experience, research, and public discourse. The case studies probe the challenges faced by the library—not only when making hardware and software choices, but also choices related to staffing and program design. The paper shows that privacy choices intersect not only with free speech and chilling effects, but also with questions that concern intellectual property, organizational development, civic engagement, technological innovation, public infrastructure, and more. The paper ends with discussion of what libraries will require in order to sustain and improve efforts to serve as stewards of privacy in the 21st century.

Avaliação da influência do nacl em pastas de cimento portland para cimentação de poços de petróleo em zonas evaporíticas

One of the major current challenges for oilwell companies is the extraction of oil from evaporitic zones, also known as pre-salt basins. Deep reservoirs are found under thick salt layers formed from the evaporation of sea water. Salt layers seal the flow of oil from underneath rock formations, which store hydrocarbons and increase the probability of success in oil and gas exploration. Oilwells are cemented using Portland-based slurries to promote mechanical stability and zonal isolation. For pre-salt oilwells, NaCl must be added to saturate the cement slurries, however, the presence of salt in the composition of slurries affects their overall behavior. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of 5 to 25% NaCl on selected properties of Portland-based slurries. A series of tests were carried out to assess the rheological behavior, thickening time, free water and ultrassonic compressive strength. In addition, the slurries were also characterized by thermal analysis, X ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the addition of NaCl affected the thickening time of the slurries. NaCl contents up to 10% shortened the thickening time of the slurries. On the other hand, concentrations in excess of 20% not only extended the thickening time, but also reduced the strength of hardened slurries. The addition of NaCl resulted in the formation of a different crystalline phase called Friedel´s salt, where free chlorine is bonded to tricalcium aluminate

Paraquat-loaded alginate/chitosan nanoparticles: Preparation, characterization and soil sorption studies

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

Spermathecae of the mangrove crab Ucides cordatus: a histological and histochemical view

Ucides cordatus is the most commercially, important mangrove crab in Brazil. In spite of its economic importance, there are few studies of its reproduction, in particular the female reproductive system. The present study describes the histology and histochemistry of the spermathecae of U. cordatus. Adult females were can lit monthly from July 2004 through June 2005, at Iguape, State of São Paulo. The crabs were anaesthetized, and their spermathecae removed and fixed in Davidson's fluid, following the histological routine for paraffin. The slides were stained with HE, xylidine Ponceau, PAS, alcian blue (pH 1.0 and 2.5), Sudan black B and picrosirius-haematoxylin. Histologically, the spermathecae possesses a capsule of conjunctive tissue, rich in collalgen fibres, which surrounds the secretory columnar epithelium. In the lumen, individual sperm packets are not observed; the spermatophores are intermixed with the seminal fluid and secretions of the spermathecae itself. A large proportion of the free spermatozoids and spermatophores are arranged in homogeneous masses in the proximal part of the spermathecae. The secretion produced by the columnar epithelium appears to promote the movement of the gametes to the fertilization chamber, in a ventral position, allowing fertilization of the oocytes. Histochemically, the secretion produced by the columnar epithelium was strongly positive for neutral polysaccharides, positive for acid polysaccharides, and weakly positive for proteins and lipids. Tills secretion forms a glycoprotein matrix which is associated with maintenance of the spermatophores, which can remain stored for long periods.

Biochemical and physiological responses of sugarcane cultivars to soil water deficiencies

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Adult attractiveness and oviposition preference of Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) B-biotype in cotton genotypes

Considerada importante praga do algodoeiro, a mosca-branca Bemisia tabaci biótipo B pode através de sua alimentação, diminuir o vigor das plantas, trasmitir vírus e prejudicar a qualidade da fibra. Visando avaliar a resistência de genótipos de algodoeiro, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), à mosca-branca Bemisia tabaci biótipo B, realizaram-se testes de atratividade e não-preferência para oviposição, com e sem chance de escolha, em telado, a temperatura ambiente. Verificou-se baixa atratividade das plantas dos genótipos Fabrika, CNPA Ita 90, Makina, Coodetec 407 e IAC 01-639 CPA 02-24 a adultos dessa mosca-branca, o que pode representar um componente de resistência destes materiais genéticos ao inseto. Os genótipos BRS Aroeira, Coodetec 406, Fabrika e Coodetec 401 apresentaram resistência do tipo não-preferência para oviposição, nos testes com e sem chance de escolha. Os números de tricomas e de glândulas de gossipol por cm² não foram adequados para se avaliar a não-preferência para oviposição de adultos da mosca-branca em genótipos de algodoeiro.

Cryptic lineages and Pleistocene population expansion in a Brazilian Cerrado frog

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Cocaine induces cell death and activates the transcription nuclear factor kappa-b in pc12 cells

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

Biased Atmospheric, Sub-Atmospheric, and Low-Pressure Air Plasmas for Material Surface Improvements

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