New objectives for the development of mining resources

Includes bibliography

Implications of intrauterine protein malnutrition on prostate growth, maturation and aging

Aims Maternal malnutrition by low protein diet is associated with an increased incidence of metabolic disorders and decreased male fertility in adult life. This study aimed to assess the impact of maternal protein malnutrition (MPM) on prostate growth, tissue organization and lesion incidence with aging. Main methods Wistar rat dams were distributed into two groups, which were control (NP; fed a normal diet containing 17% protein) or a restricted protein diet (RP, fed a diet containing 6% protein) during gestation. After delivery all mothers and offspring received a normal diet. Biometrical parameters, hormonal levels and prostates were harvested at post-natal days (PND) 30, 120 and 360. Key findings MPM promoted low birth weight, decreased ano-genital distance (AGD) and reduced androgen plasma levels of male pups. Prostatic lobes from RP groups presented reduced glandular weight, epithelial cell height and alveolar diameter. The epithelial cell proliferation and collagen deposition were increased in RP group. Incidences of epithelial dysplasia and prostatitis were higher in the RP offspring than in the NP offspring at PND360. Significance Our findings show that MPM delays prostate development, growth and maturation until adulthood, probably as a result of low testosterone stimuli. The higher incidence of cellular dysplasia and prostatitis suggests that MPM increases prostate susceptibility to diseases with aging. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

Green teams: Understanding their roles in the environmental management of companies located in Brazil

Green teams are frequently considered in the state-of-the-art literature as an essential factor for companies aiming to implement and improve environmental management approaches and practices. However, most of the available literature on green teams is conceptual and theoretical by nature. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to evaluate the main characteristics of green teams in Brazilian companies and to analyse the relationships between green teams and the maturity level of environmental management in those companies. Based on a conceptual background on corporate environmental management and green teams, a research was done in two complementary phases: a survey of 94 companies with ISO 14001 certification; and a multiple case study of four industrial companies. Survey results suggest that 82% of the studied companies have cross-functional green teams, i.e. involving various companies' departments; and 65% have functional green teams, i.e. individual department teams. The results of the case study suggest that the use of green teams is an instrument to the greening of companies with ISO 14001 in Brazil. The company with the most proactive and advanced environmental management is the same company which uses green teams more intensely. Green teams are especially necessary for implementing more technical environmental management practices, e.g. Life Cycle Assessment. Since this is one of the first studies analysing green teams, the results presented can be useful for companies and public policies aiming to implementation of environmental initiatives. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In Vitro Susceptibility of Environmental Isolates of Exophiala dermatitidis to Five Antifungal Drugs

Several dematiaceous fungi frequently isolated from nature are involved in cases of superficial lesions to lethal cerebral infections. Antifungal susceptibility data on environmental and clinical isolates are still sparse despite the advances in testing methods. The objective of this study was to examine the activities of 5-flucytosine, amphotericin B, itraconazole, voriconazole and terbinafine against environmental isolates of Exophiala strains by minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) determination. The strains were obtained from hydrocarbon-contaminated soil, ant cuticle and fungal pellets from the infrabuccal pocket of attine gynes. Broth microdilution assay using M38-A2 reference methodology for the five antifungal drugs and DNA sequencing for fungal identification were applied. Terbinafine was the most active drug against the tested strains. It was observed that amphotericin B was less effective, notably against Exophiala spinifera, also studied. High MICs of 5-flucytosine against Exophiala dermatitidis occurred. This finding highlights the relevance of studies on the antifungal resistance of these potential opportunistic species. Our results also contribute to a future improvement of the standard methods to access the drug efficacy currently applied to black fungi. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Draft annual report of the Commission: statement by the Executive Secretary on the preliminary financial implications of the programme of work

Includes bibliography

Acute toxicity and environmental risk of teflubenzuron to Daphnia magna, Poecilia reticulata and Lemna minor in the absence and presence of sediment

This study aimed to estimate the acute toxicity of teflubenzuron (1-(3,5-dichloro-2,4-difluorophenyl)-3-(2,6-difluorobenzoyl)urea) (TFB) for Daphnia magna, Lemna minor and Poecilia reticulata, in the absence and presence of sediment; evaluate the effect of sediment on the TFB bioavailability; and to classify this insecticide according to its environmental poisoning risk for agricultural and aquaculture uses. The tests of TFB acute toxicity were conducted in static system in a completely randomized design with increasing TFB concentrations, and a control group. The TFB has been classified according to the estimated values of EC50 and LC50 by its acute toxicity and environmental risk. The sediment significantly reduced toxicity and bioavailability of TFB in water column. Therefore, the insecticide can be classified as being highly toxic to Daphnia magna, which means the agricultural and aquacultural uses of TFB pose a high risk of environmental toxicity to non-target organisms. However, it was practically non-toxic to L. minor and P. reticulata. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Report of the working group on environmental statistics of the Statistical Conference of the Americas of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Algunas normas de política general que entraña la urbanización = Some policy implications of urbanization

Los documentos del Seminario fueron publicados por UNESCO en 1961 con el título: La urbanización en América Latina/Urbanization in Latin America

La dimensión ambiental de las políticas económicas en América Latina y el Caribe = The environmental dimension of economic policies in Latin America and the Caribbean

Incluye Bibliografía

La sustentabilidad ambiental del desarrollo y el cambio tecnológico en América Latina y el Caribe = The environmental sustainability of development and technological change in Latin America and the Caribbean

Incluye Bibliografía

Plan básico para la gestión ambiental del distrito de Cartagena de Indias, Colombia = Basic plan for the environmental management of the district of Cartagena, Colombia

Incluye Bibliografía