Modelling the Effect of Climate Change on Environmental Pollution Losses from Dairy Systems in the UK

21 p.

Alterations of the global water cycle and their effects on river structure, function and services

River structure and functioning are governed naturally by geography and climate but are vulnerable to natural and human-related disturbances, ranging from channel engineering to pollution and biological invasions. Biological communities in river ecosystems are able to respond to disturbances faster than those in most other aquatic systems. However, some extremely strong or lasting disturbances constrain the responses of river organisms and jeopardise their extraordinary resilience. Among these, the artificial alteration of river drainage structure and the intense use of water resources by humans may irreversibly influence these systems. The increased canalisation and damming of river courses interferes with sediment transport, alters biogeochemical cycles and leads to a decrease in biodiversity, both at local and global scales. Furthermore, water abstraction can especially affect the functioning of arid and semi-arid rivers. In particular, interception and assimilation of inorganic nutrients can be detrimental under hydrologically abnormal conditions. Among other effects, abstraction and increased nutrient loading might cause a shift from heterotrophy to autotrophy, through direct effects on primary producers and indirect effects through food webs, even in low-light river systems. The simultaneous desires to conserve and to provide ecosystem services present several challenges, both in research and management.

Políticas públicas e direito à cidade: conflitos sociais e cidadania no Rio de Janeiro

A tese reflete criticamente sobre o Estatuto da Cidade lei promulgada em 2001 que regulamenta o capítulo da constituição federal referente à Reforma Urbana - e suas implicações sociais, especialmente em cidades com um percentual elevado de população vivendo em submoradias (favelas, cortiços e autoconstruções). Neste quadro, identificou-se uma maior densidade das experiências democráticas de participação popular na gestão urbana (como o Orçamento Participativo) que trouxeram um novo relevo aos seus novos atores e suas novas formas de atuação.Analisou-se também o novo cenário político implementado a partir de 2003, com a criação do Ministério das Cidades que reforçou uma política participava na gestão municipal via a criação do Plano Diretor Participativo, instrumento obrigatório estabelecido pelo Estatuto das Cidade. Identificou-se, no entanto que, apesar do novo marco regulatório urbano e do diagnóstico da drástica situação de grande parte da população pobre nas cidades brasileiras, a agenda das políticas públicas municipais continua excludente e fechada ao debate mais amplo e politizado de uma efetiva implementação dos direitos sociais para a população excluída. A presente tese visou contribuir para com esse debate, trazendo novas questões e novas percepções em torno dos movimentos sociais, da cidadania e do direito à cidade e enfrentando também a discussão acerca do papel do judiciário e da efetividade da Constituição Federal no campo dos direitos sociais. Discutiu-se as políticas públicas relacionadas ao papel do Estado, inclusive no que tange às atuações e intervenções do Poder Judiciário e dos movimentos sociais. Para isso, adotou-se a metodologia qualitativa e elaborou-se um questionário de entrevistas aplicado a 11 pessoas vinculadas à uma significativa atuação política, legislativa, de pesquisa científica, técnica e/ou jurídica em relação aos conflitos urbanos na cidade do Rio de Janeiro, abrangendo ativistas dos movimentos sociais, do poder judiciário, pesquisadores e legislativo municipal. Os objetivos desta tese foram contemplados ao evidenciar as possibilidades de expansão da cidadania via a gestão democrática das cidades, tendo como referência o novo marco legal trazendo esse debate para o campo das políticas públicas concernentes praticadas pelo Poder Executivo e ainda, apontar a existência de espaços de luta para a busca da efetividade dos direitos sociais dentro do judiciário.

Pesca artesanal na Baía de Ilha Grande, RJ: conflitos e novas possibilidades de gestão compartilhada

Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar os conflitos socioambientais envolvendo os pescadores artesanais na Baía de Ilha Grande e as iniciativas institucionais que buscam dar tratamento a esses conflitos de forma compartilhada. Neste sentido, foram consideradas duas iniciativas institucionais: i) o Projeto Desenvolvimento e Gerenciamento dos Sistemas de Gestão da Pesca e Aquicultura na baía de Ilha Grande GPESCA-BIG; e ii) o Termo de Compromisso entre a Estação Ecológica de Tamoios e as comunidades pesqueiras de Angra dos Reis e Paraty. A metodologia envolveu a observação direta da autora em reuniões de conselhos consultivos e grupos de trabalho em unidades de conservação, em especial, os espaços envolvendo a Estação Ecológica de Tamoios, além de apresentações e audiências públicas sobre a proposta de Acordos de Pesca. Utilizou-se também a observação participante em reuniões e oficinas no âmbito do projeto GPESCA-BIG. De forma complementar, a pesquisa se baseou em entrevistas (formais e informais) e análise de documentos diversos elaborados por entidades representativas dos pescadores e demais atores direta e indiretamente envolvidos no conflito. Foram identificadas três grandes grupos de conflitos relacionados aos pescadores artesanais: (1) sobreposição de territórios de pesca/pesqueiros e as áreas protegidas, principalmente aqueles relacionados à ESEC Tamoios; (2) conflitos associados à pesca industrial, identificados pelos pescadores como barcos de fora, e em menor escala, as embarcações de petróleo/gás e do turismo e; (3) conflitos resultantes da falta de regularização/permissionamento da atividade. Em síntese, estes conflitos envolvem políticas de desenvolvimento e de conservação, que se confrontam com o modo de vida tradicional dos pescadores artesanais e caiçaras. Além dos conflitos oriundos das diferentes formas de apropriação do espaço marinho, estes conflitos também estiveram relacionados ao papel paradoxal do Estado no estabelecimento das regras e normas de ordenamento (incluindo-se a fiscalização/monitoramento ambiental), à burocracia e às diversas instituições existentes para tratar de problemas comuns, tornado confuso o gerenciamento da atividade. No que se refere às iniciativas em análise, os resultados demonstram a existência de instituições relativamente bem constituídas na região, com a atuação de órgãos de gestão pública e ambiental nos mais variados níveis: municipal estadual e federal. Além destes, registra-se também a participação da sociedade civil, em especial, dos pescadores artesanais de Paraty e de suas representações, na busca pelo tratamento dos conflitos nos quais estão inseridos. Por outro lado, evidencia-se a falta de articulação e integração entre as políticas e atores, bem como entre as experiências institucionais em curso. Portanto, um dos maiores desafios existentes na implantação de um modo compartilhado de gestão dos recursos pesqueiros na BIG consiste justamente em superar tais limitações institucionais, de maneira que possam promover ações articuladas visando não apenas a conservação integrada do ecossistema, como também a reprodução das práticas tradicionais de pesca e a sua co-existência com os demais tipos de usos

Aquatic coleoptera and hemiptera taken at light in some Asian countries with a note on Sphaerodema (Hemiptera-Belostomatidae)

Aquatic insects are relatively common at artificial lights and are often taken in light traps operated for catching other insects. They are however seldom recorded. These records are however of importance in understanding their distribution and abundance. Aquatic Coleoptera and Hemiptera are of importance in fisheries because some of them are predators on small fish whilst others serve as food for fishes of all sizes. Some like the Corixidae are of special interest because they can utilize the bottom ooze which is abundant especially in small habitats. Fernando (1961a) gave a comprehensive bibliography of records at light. In the present paper a number of records are given from various parts of Asia, where in the past records were very few. They are based on collections made by the author and also on material in the Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. Amongst specimens sent for study by the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, were a few specimens which had been recorded at light.

Species identification in salted products of red snappers by semi-nested PCR-RFLP based on the mitochondria 12S rRNA gene sequence

A molecular approach was developed to distinguish species of red snappers among commercial salted fish products. The specific fragments of the mitocliondrial 12S rRNA gene, which were about 450 bp, were obtained using the semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (semi-nested PCR). Subsequently, PCR amplicons were sequenced, aiming to select restriction endonucleases that generated species-specific restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles. Discrimination of red snappers Lutjanus sanguineus, L. erythopterus from L. argentintaculatus, L. malabarius and other morphologically similar fishes such as Lethrinus leutjanus and Pinjalo pinjalo was feasible by one restriction digestion reaction with three endonucleases Hae III, Sca I and SnaB I, however, for differentiation of L. sattguineus and L. erythopterus, another restriction digestion reaction with single restriction endonuclease Mae II was needed. The seminested PCR-RFLP was demonstrated to be reliable in species identification of salted fish products in this study. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Species identification in salted products of red snappers by semi-nested PCR-RFLP based on the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene sequence

A molecular approach was developed to distinguish species of red snappers among commercial salted fish products. The specific fragments of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene, which were about 450bp, were obtained using the semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (semi-nested PCR). Subsequently, PCR arnplicons were sequenced, aiming to select restriction endonucleases that generated species-specific restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) profiles. Discrimination of red snappers Lutjanus sanguineus, Lutjanus erythopterus from Lutjanus argentimaculatus, Lutjanus malabarius and other morphologically similar fishes such as Lethrinus leutjanus and Pinjalo pinjalo was feasible by one restriction digestion reaction with three endonucleases Hae III, Sca I and SnaB I, however, for discrimination of L. sanguineus and L. erythopterus, another restriction digestion reaction with single restriction endonuclease Mae II was needed. The semi-nested PCR-RFLP was demonstrated to be reliable in species identification of salted fish products in this study. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nurturing Change: Lilly Martin Spencer's Images of Children

This dissertation is the first full-length study to concentrate on American genre painter Lilly Martin Spencer's images of children, which constituted nearly one half of her saleable production during the height of her artistic career from 1848 to 1869. At this time, many young parents received advice regarding child rearing through books and other publications, having moved away from their families of origin in search of employment. These literatures, which gained in popularity from the 1830s onward, focused on spiritual, emotional, and disciplinary matters. My study considers four major themes from the period's writing on child nurture that changed over time, including depravity and innocence, parent/child bonding, standards of behavior and moral rectitude, and children's influence on adults. It demonstrates how Spencer's paintings, prints, and drawings featuring children supported and challenged these evolving ideologies, helping to shed light not only on the artist's reception of child-rearing advice, but also on its possible impact on her middle-class audience, to whom she closely catered. In four chapters, I investigate Spencer's images of sleeping children as visual equivalents of contemporary consolation literature during a time of high infant and child mortality rates; her paintings of parent/child interaction as promoting separation from mothers and emotional bonding with fathers; her prints of mischievous children as both considering changing ideals about children's behavior and comforting Anglo-American citizens afraid of what they saw as threatening minority groups; and her pictures with Civil War and Reconstruction subject matter as contending with the popular concept of the moral utility of children. By framing my interpretations of Spencer's output around key issues in the period's dynamic child-nurture literature, I advance new comprehensive readings of many of her most well-known paintings, including Domestic Happiness, Fi, Fo, Fum!, and The Pic Nic or the Fourth of July. I also consider work often overlooked by other art historians, but which received acclaim in Spencer's own time, including the lithographs of children made after her designs, and the allegorical painting Truth Unveiling Falsehood. Significantly, I provide the first in-depth analysis of a newly rediscovered Reconstruction-era painting, The Home of the Red, White, and Blue.

The Terror that Underpins the “Peace”: The Political Economy of Colombia's Paramilitary Demobilization Process

Studies on terrorism have traditionally focused on non-state actors who direct violence against liberal states. These studies also tend to focus on political motivations and, therefore, have neglected the economic functions of terrorism. This article challenges the divorce of the political and economic spheres by highlighting how states can use terrorism to realise interconnected political and economic goals. To demonstrate this, we take the case of the paramilitary demobilisation process in Colombia and show how it relates to the US-Colombian free trade agreement. We argue that the demobilisation process fulfils a dual role. First, the process aims to improve the image of the Colombian government required to pass the controversial free trade agreement through US Congress to protect large amounts of US investment in the country. Second, the demobilisation process serves to mask clear continuities in paramilitary terror that serve mutually supportive political and economic functions for US investment in Colombia.

Effect of two different rice dehusking procedures on total arsenic concentration in rice

Pollution of subterranean water by arsenic (As) in Asia has resulted in the worst chemical disaster in human history. For populations living on subsistence rice diets, As contamination of rice grain contributes greatly to dietary As exposure. The main objectives of this study were to compare two dehusking processes: (a) wet process (soaking of rice, boiling and mechanical hulling) and (b) dry process (mechanical hulling), and recommend the method leading to a lower As content in commercial rice. In general, hulling of paddy rice (373 mu g As kg(-1)) significantly decreased As content in rice grain (311 mu g As kg(-1)). The final As concentrations in boiled rice (final product of the wet process) and atab rice (dry process) were 332 and 290 mu g kg(-1). Thus, the dry method is recommended for dehusking paddy rice if not As-free water is available. However, villagers can reduce the As content in the wet system by discarding the soaking water and using new water for the light boiling. Finally, it is not recommended to use rice husk for feeding animals because the As concentration is very high, approximately 1,000 mu g As kg(-1).

Judges, Conflict, and the Past

Drawing upon interviews with senior judicial figures in Northern Ireland, South Africa and elsewhere, this article considers the role of the judiciary in a political conflict.1 Using the socio-legal literature on judicial performance and audience as well as transitional justice, the article argues that judges in Northern Ireland ‘performed’ to a number of ‘imagined’ audiences including Parliament, ‘the public’ and their judicial peers - all of which it is argued shaped their view of the judicial role. In light of ongoing efforts to deal with the past in the jurisdiction, and the experiences of other transitional societies, the article argues that the judiciary can and should engage in a mature, reflexive and, where appropriate, self-critical examination of the good and bad of their own institutional history during the conflict. It also argues that such a review of judicial performance requires an external audience in order to encourage the judiciary to see truth beyond the limits of legalism.

Atmospheric cold plasma process for vegetable leaf decontamination: A feasibility study on radicchio (red chicory, Cichorium intybus L.)

Cold plasma is an emerging non-thermal processing technology that could be used for large scale leaf decontamination as an alternative to chlorine washing. In this study the effect of an atmospheric cold plasma apparatus (air DBD, 15 kV) on the safety, antioxidant activity and quality of radicchio (red chicory, Cichorium intybus L.) was investigated after 15 and 30 min of treatment (in afterglow at 70 mm from the discharge, at 22 °C and 60% of RH) and during storage. Escherichia coli O157:H7 inoculated on radicchio leaves was significantly reduced after 15 min cold plasma treatment (-1.35 log MPN/cm²). However, a 30 min plasma treatment was necessary to achieve a significant reduction of Listeria monocytogenes counts (-2.2 log CFU/cm²). Immediately after cold plasma treatment, no significant effects emerged in terms of antioxidant activity assessed by the ABTS and ORAC assay and external appearance of the radicchio leaves. Significant changes between treated and untreated radicchio leaves are quality defects based on the cold plasma treatment. Atmospheric cold plasma appears to be a promising processing technology for the decontamination of leafy vegetables although some criticalities, that emerged during storage, need to be considered in future studies.