Operation modes for the electric vehicle in smart grids and smart homes : present and proposed modes

This paper presents the main operation modes for an electric vehicle (EV) battery charger framed in smart grids and smart homes, i.e., are discussed the present-day and are proposed new operation modes that can represent an asset towards EV adoption. Besides the well-known grid to vehicle (G2V) and vehicle to grid (V2G), this paper proposes two new operation modes: Home-to-vehicle (H2V), where the EV battery charger current is controlled according to the current consumption of the electrical appliances of the home (this operation mode is combined with the G2V and V2G); Vehicle-for-grid (V4G), where the EV battery charger is used for compensating current harmonics or reactive power, simultaneously with the G2V and V2G operation modes. The vehicle-to-home (V2H) operation mode, where the EV can operate as a power source in isolated systems or as an off-line uninterruptible power supply to feed priority appliances of the home during power outages of the electrical grid is presented in this paper framed with the other operation modes. These five operation modes were validated through experimental results using a developed 3.6 kW bidirectional EV battery charger prototype, which was specially designed for these operation modes. The paper describes the developed EV battery charger prototype, detailing the power theory and the voltage and current control strategies used in the control system. The paper presents experimental results for the various operation modes, both in steady-state and during transients.

Caracterización de moléculas de rizobacterias y de leguminosas con alto impacto productivo y tecnológico en la provincia de Córdoba. Characterization of rhizobacteria and legumes molecules with high production and technological impact in the province of Córdoba.

La provincia de Córdoba cuenta con alto desarrollo agrícola a base de cereales y leguminosas, como por ejemplo el maní. Pero este cultivo con los años ha trasladado su zona de siembra original y se ha extendido hacia otras áreas de mayor riesgo ambiental a raíz de la implantación de la soja. Diversas son las consecuencias de estas dos acciones y que se extienden desde lo agroecológico hasta lo científico-técnico. Este previo estado del arte y las referencias bibliográficas que apuntan a la necesitad de aumentar el valor agregado de los cultivos, nos ha llevado a formular una hipótesis de trabajo y es que las plantas de maní y soja así como las rizobacterias que se asocian con ellas, son productoras de diversas moléculas con potencial uso biológico en la productividad del cultivo y en aplicaciones tecnológicas, biológicas e industriales. Sumado a lo anterior y a las ideas gubernamentales de la necesidad de obtener conocimiento y capitalizarlo como riqueza, y la imperiosa urgencia de responder a demandas regionales, se presenta este proyecto cuyo objetivo general apunta a estudiar la producción de diversas moléculas de rizobacterias y leguminosas con el fin de mejorar la productividad de los cultivos y desarrollar nuevas aplicaciones tecnológicas en la provincia de Córdoba. Para cumplir dentro de los dos años de trabajo solicitados con lo expuesto anteriormente, la investigación será dividida en objetivos específicos y que consisten en investigar la producción de moléculas de raíces de maní y soja, analizar la respuesta microbiana a las rizodeposiciones de ambas leguminosas y evaluar el posible papel biológico y aplicación tecnológica de moléculas de ambos tipos de organismos. Nuestro grupo es de caracter multidisciplinar y ahondará en la diversidad molecular producida por raíces de maní y soja en direfentes días y la respuesta de las rizobacterias que se asocian ellas utilizando técnicas químicas (HPLC, GC, GC-masa) y herramientas microbiológicas y bioquímicas clásicas. Con fines de aplicación tecnológica se determinará la posible acción antioxidante de los extractos vegetales sobre sistemas modelos de ensayo así como la búsqueda de enzimas y hormonas microbianas aplicables en otros campos de la ciencia. De esta forma se pretende atender algunas demandas de diferentes sectores del centro sur de Córdoba y del país pero fundamentalmente posibilitar nuevas aplicaciones de las leguminosas y de las rizobacterias además de permitir la formación académicas de alumnos de grado y posgrado de la UNRC. The province of Cordoba has high agricultural development based on cereals and legumes such as peanuts. But the crop over the years has transferred his original planting area and has spread to other areas of greatest environmental risk following the introduction of soybeans. The previous state and regional art references that point to the necessity of increasing the value-added crops, has led us to formulate a working hypothesis is that the peanut and soybean plants and rhizobacteria associated with they are products of various biological molecules with potential use in crop productivity and biological technology and industrial applications. The general objective is aimed at studying the production of various molecules and legumes rhizobacteria to improve crop productivity and develop new technological applications in the Cordoba province. This form is intended to meet some demands of different sectors of the center south of Cordoba and the country but enabling new applications of legumes and rhizobacteria in addition to allowing the academic training of undergraduates and graduate of the UNRC.

Dinámica y cinética de los procesos físicos y químicos del radical OH con compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COVs) de relevancia atmosférica. Dynamics and kinetics of the physical and chemical processes of OH radicals with atmospheric relevant volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

El objetivo del presente proyecto es estudiar los procesos físicos y químicos del radical OH con compuestos orgánicos volátiles (COVs), con los cuales sea factible la formación de agregados de van der Waals (vdW) responsables de la curvatura en los gráficos de Arrhenius, empleando técnicas modernas, complementarias entre si y novedosas en el país. El problema será abordado desde tres perspectivas complementarias: 1) estudios cinéticos, 2) estudios mecanísticos y de distribución de productos y 3) estudios de la dinámica de los procesos físicos y químicos. La finalidad es alcanzar una mejor comprensión de los mecanismos que intervienen en el comportamiento químico de especies presentes en la atmósfera y obtener datos cinéticos de alta calidad que puedan alimentar modelos computacionales capaces de describir la composición de la atmósfera, presente y futura. Los objetivos son estudiar: 1) mediante fotólisis láser pulsada con detección por fluorescencia inducida por láser (PLP-LIF), en reactores de flujo, la cinética de reacción del radical OH(v”=0) con COVs que presentan gráficos de Arrhenius curvos con energías de activación negativas, tales como alcoholes insaturados, alquenos halogenados, éteres halogenados, ésteres alifáticos; 2) en una cámara de simulación de condiciones atmosféricas de gran volumen (4500 L), la identidad y el rendimiento de productos de las reacciones mencionadas, a fines de evaluar su impacto atmosférico y dilucidar los mecanismos de reacción; 3) mediante haces moleculares y espectroscopía láser, la estructura y reactividad de complejos de vdW entre alcoholes insaturados o aromáticos (cresoles) y el radical OH, como modelo de los aductos propuestos como responsables de la desviación al comportamiento de Arrhenius de las reacciones mencionadas; 4) mediante PLP-LIF y expansiones supersónicas, las constantes específicas estado a estado (ksts) de relajación/reacción del radical OH(v”=1-4) vibracionalmente excitado con los COVs mencionados. Los resultados experimentales obtenidos serán contrastados con cálculos ab-initio de estructura electrónica, los cuales apoyarán las interpretaciones, permitirán proponer estructuras de estados de transición y aductos colisionales, como así también calcular las frecuencias de vibración de los complejos de vdW para su posterior asignación en los espectros LIF y REMPI. Asimismo, los mecanismos de reacción propuestos y los parámetros cinéticos medidos experimentalmente serán comparados con aquellos obtenidos por cálculos teóricos. The aim of this project is to study the physical and chemical processes of OH radicals with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with which the formation of van der Waals (vdW) clusters, responsible for the observed curvature in the Arrhenius plots, might be feasible. The problem will be addressed as follow : 1) kinetic studies; 2) products distribution and mechanistic studies and 3) dynamical studies of the physical and chemical processes. The purpose is to obtain a better understanding of the mechanisms that govern the chemical behavior of species present in the atmosphere and to obtain high quality kinetic data to be used as input to computational models. We will study: 1) the reaction kinetics of OH (v”=0) radicals with VOCs such as unsaturated alcohols, halogenated alkenes, halogenated ethers, aliphatic esters, which show curved Arrhenius plots and negative activation energies, by PLP-LIF, in flow systems; 2) in a large volume (4500 L) atmospheric simulation chamber, reaction products yields in order to evaluate their atmospheric impact and reaction mechanisms; 3) using molecular beams and laser spectroscopy, the structure and reactivity of the vdW complexes formed between the unsaturated or aromatic alcohols and the OH radicals as a model of the adducts proposed as responsible for the non-Arrhenius behavior; 4) the specific state-to-state relaxation/reaction rate constants (ksts) of the vibrationally excited OH (v”=1-4) radical with the VOCs by PLP-LIF and supersonic expansions. Ab-initio calculations will be carried out to support the interpretation of the experimental results, to obtain the transition state and collisional adducts structures, as well as to calculate the vibrational frequencies of the vdW complexes to assign to the LIF and REMPI spectra. Also, the proposed reaction mechanisms and the experimentally measured kinetic parameters will be compared with those obtained from theoretical calculations.

Derechos de participación e información en programas dirigidos a adolescentes en escuelas secundarias de la Ciudad de Córdoba: cumplimiento progresivo y estrategias de promoción. Participation and information rights in programs for adolescents in secondary schools in Cordoba City: progressive implementation and promotion strategies.

Abordar la infancia desde el enfoque de derechos (ED) implica una lectura de los derechos de los cuales los niños, niñas y adolescentes (NNA) son titulares y de las acciones estatales que se implementan para viabilizar el ejercicio concreto de ellos. Esta perspectiva exige comprender los contenidos de las políticas púb,el grado de participación que se les asigna y los sentidos que ellas toman en términos de progresividad de los derechos. Los cambios de concepción de la infancia desde la Convención Internacional de los Derechos del Niño (CIDN) y los cambios legislativos interpelan al Estado y la sociedad a modificar la visión hegemónica. Nuestra hipótesis gira alrededor de las siguientes considerac.: se han producido algunas modificaciones en las políticas y acciones estatales, aún no se dan las transformaciones necesarias de las lógicas institucionales y de los operadores que estimulen la participación de NNA en el ámbito escolar. Esto se visualiza en la ausencia de análisis cuali de los contenidos de las acc. y la falta de ftes estadísticas específicas, que muestren la orientac.de los contenidos en los principios de la protecc.integral. Estos presupuestos plantean interrogantes que delimitan el problema de investigación: ¿cómo se construye y reconstruye el ejercicio de la ciudadanía a través de la participación de los NNA, en su paso por la escuela, y cuáles son las lógicas institucionales que habilitan u obstaculizan ese ejercicio? Y ¿cuáles son los recursos institucionales que permitan que los programas y acciones redunden en el ejercicio efectivo de los derechos?.Obj.gral: Describir, analizar e interpretar la progresividad en el ejercicio de los derechos de participación e informacióin que tienen los adolescentes en escuelas secundarias de la cd de Cba, durante 2005 / 2010, para promover espacios públicos de construcción de ciudadanía. Se analizarán tres escuelas de Córdoba, escuela pública provincial, púb. nacional y privada. Obj. Espec.: Analizar las prácticas participativas formales e informales en las escuelas seleccionadas.- Aplicar indicadores cuanti y cualitativos del “Sistema de Indicadores para los derechos de la Infancia” Describir y analizar los recursos materiales y humanos. Elaborar y proponer procedim. para la confec. de registros de datos estadísticos - Elaborar y proponer lineamientos para la elaborac.e implementac.de acciones. Diseñar herramientas de difusión sobre los ds de participación e información.Esta investigac. es de carácter descriptivo e interpretativo, analizará diferentes ftes de informac.con técnicas cuanti y cualitativas, durante período la promulgación de la Ley 26061/05 y la adhesión prov. 9396/07. Se tomarán del Sistema de Indicadores, el derecho a la educación, el tema transversal “Acceso a la información y participación”, y las categorías de análisis “Recepción del Derecho y Capacidades estatales”. Se trabajaran indicadores cuanti y señales de progreso (cualitativos): estructurales, proceso y resultados. Serán analizados los Programas implementados durante el período de estudio. Estrategias cuali observac. participante, entrevistas, grupos focales, talleres de sensibilización, etc .Otras ftes de info: doc. institucionales, registros, evaluac, contenidos de programas y campañas y de difusión, prensa escrita, legislaciones, etc. La info se analizará a través Programa Atlas Ti, y del análisis estadístico. Algunos resultados esperados: Evaluac.y ajuste del Sistema de indicadores, la sensibilizac. desde el EF de autorid. escol. para la formulac. de planes y programas para el monitoreo adecuado de los mismos y para la rendic. de ctas de su gestión. Estimular la participac. de NNA en la escuela. Realizac.de documental. Brindar herramientas al Edo para superv de la aplicación progresiva del ejercicio de los derechos de participación e información de NNA Promov la continua evaluac. de los programas y acc.desde el ED para estimular el reconoc. de la nec.de ajuste de la política. The issue of children from the rights focus implies a reading of the rights in which children and adolescents are the holders and the state actions that are implemented to enable the exercise of them. This perspective requires understanding the contents of the public policies, the participation level that is assigned, and the senses that they take in terms of rights progressivity of. The conception changes about children since the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and legislative changes challenge to the State and society to modify hegemony vision. Our hypothesis revolves around the following considerations: there have been some public policies and state actions changes, but they not turn out, yet, transformations in logical institutional and actors whose are encourages children participation in school. This could be reflects in the absence of qualitative analysis in the actions contents and the lack of sources specific statistics, that will be showing the control of the principal contents of integral protection. These, raise the questions that delimit our problem research: how is built citizenship exercise through children and adolescent’s participation in the school, and what are the institutional logical that empowers or turns difficult that exercise? And What are the institutional resources that make possible the effective exercise of the rights, through different programs and actions?. General Objective: To describe, analyze and interpret exercise progressivity participation and information rights that have the adolescents in secondary schools in Córdoba City during 2005 / 2010, in order to promote public spaces for the construction of citizenship. It will analyze three schools in Cordoba, provincial public school, national public school and private school. . Obj. Specifics: To analyze the formal and informal participative practices in the schools selected. - To apply quantitative and qualitative indicators of the “Indicators System for Infa

Variations in the Prevalence of Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease in Rio Grande do Sul-Brazil: A Comparative Analysis between 2002 and 2014

Abstract Background: Due to the importance of coronary artery disease (CAD), continuous investigation of the risk factors (RFs) is needed. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of RFs for CAD in cities in Rio Grande do Sul State, and compare it with that reported in a similar study conducted in the same cities in 2002. Methods: Cross-sectional study on 1,056 healthy adults, investigating the prevalence and absolute and relative frequencies of the following RFs for CAD: obesity, systemic arterial hypertension (SAH), dyslipidemias, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, diabetes mellitus, and family history, as well as age and sex. Data was collected in 19 cities, host of the Offices of the Regional Coordinators of Health, as in the 2002 study. Results: Twenty-six percent of the sample consisted of older adults and 57% were women. The prevalence of sedentary lifestyle was 44%, history family 50%, smoking 23%, overweight/obesity 68%, dyslipidemia (high cholesterol levels) 43%, SAH 40%, and diabetes 11%. When compared to the 2002 study, the prevalence of active smoking and sedentary behavior decreased, whereas the prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia and obesity increased. Obesity is the most prevalent RF in women, and SAH the most prevalent in men. Conclusions: The prevalence of RFs for CAD in Rio Grande do Sul State remains high. Hypertension, obesity and dyslipidemia are still prevalent and require major prevention programs. Smoking and physical inactivity have decreased in the state, suggesting the efficacy of related campaigns.

Social inequalities in health among children and adolescents in Germany : an investigation of political approaches

The present diploma thesis analyses the German political understanding of social inequalities in health (SIH) among children and adolescents, and explores the political strategies that are perceived as most effective to tackle SIH. The study is based on the qualitative content analysis of official political documents developed at different political levels, which were the national level as well as two purposefully selected counties, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Niedersachsen. The study's findings indicate a beginning awareness of the existence of SIH in Germany. Nevertheless, this judgement refers to few publishing ministries only, both at national and county levels. The suggested approaches to tackle SIH vary significantly among the analysed documents, and no consensus can be identified with regard to the preference of upstream or downstream policies. The existence of the social gradient is not criticised in any of the analysed data. However, there seems to be a common agreement on the importance of setting related interventions and the contribution of both the national, regional, and local politic levels. As the absence of a central coordinator can explain these highly heterogeneous findings, key recommendations concern the establishment of a nation-wide coordinator and a nation-wide collection of best practice examples. Here, the Federal Centre for Health Education has an adequate position and the required competences to act as a coordinator and facilitator. Further requirements for a successful reduction of SIH in Germany are the extension of a continuous communication between all actors, the adoption of the planned German Prevention Law, and the nation-wide and early promotion of children as part of education policies in the federal states.

Social capital and government in the production of public goods

As a response to the rapidly growing empirical literature on social capital and the evidence of its correlation with government performance, we build a theoretical framework to study the interactions between social capital and government's action. This paper presents a model of homogeneous agents in an overlapping generations framework incorporating social capital as the values transmitted from parent to child. The government's role is to provide public goods. First, government expenditure is exogenously given. Then, it will be chosen at the preferred level of the representative agent. For both setups the equilibrium outcomes are characterized and the resulting dynamics studied. Briefly we include an analysis of the effect of productivity growth on the evolution of social capital. The results obtained caution caution against both the crowding out effect of the welfare state and the impact of sustained economic growth on social capital.

Resting metabolic rate and protein turnover in apparently healthy elderly Gambian men.

Body composition, resting energy expenditure (REE), and whole body protein metabolism were studied in 26 young and 28 elderly Gambian men matched for body mass index during the dry season in a rural village in The Gambia. REE was measured by indirect calorimetry (hood system) in the fasting state and after five successive meals. Rates of whole body nitrogen flux, protein synthesis, and protein breakdown were determined in the fed state from the level of isotopic enrichment of urinary ammonia over a period of 12 h after a single oral dose of [15N]glycine. Expressed in absolute value, REE was significantly lower in the elderly compared with the young group (3.21 +/- 0.07 vs. 4.04 +/- 0.07 kJ/min, P < 0.001) and when adjusted to body weight (3.29 +/- 0.05 vs. 3.96 +/- 0.05 kJ/min, P < 0.0001) and fat-free mass (FFM; 3.38 +/- 0.01 vs. 3.87 +/- 0.01 kJ/min, P < 0.0001). The rate of protein synthesis averaged 207 +/- 13 g protein/day in the elderly and 230 +/- 13 g protein/day in the young group, whereas protein breakdown averaged 184 +/- 13 g protein/day in the elderly and 203 +/- 13 g protein/day in the young group (nonsignificant). When values were adjusted for body weight or FFM, they did not reveal any difference between the two groups. It is concluded that the reduced REE adjusted for body composition observed in elderly Gambian men is not explained by a decrease in protein turnover.

Mutations of the Serine Protease CAP1/Prss8 Lead to Reduced Embryonic Viability, Skin Defects, and Decreased ENaC Activity.

CAP1/Prss8 is a membrane-bound serine protease involved in the regulation of several different effectors, such as the epithelial sodium channel ENaC, the protease-activated receptor PAR2, the tight junction proteins, and the profilaggrin polypeptide. Recently, the V170D and the G54-P57 deletion mutations within the CAP1/Prss8 gene, identified in mouse frizzy (fr) and rat hairless (fr(CR)) animals, respectively, have been proposed to be responsible for their skin phenotypes. In the present study, we analyzed those mutations, revealing a change in the protein structure, a modification of the glycosylation state, and an overall reduction in the activation of ENaC of the two mutant proteins. In vivo analyses demonstrated that both fr and fr(CR) mutant animals present analogous reduction of embryonic viability, similar histologic aberrations at the level of the skin, and a significant decrease in the activity of ENaC in the distal colon compared with their control littermates. Hairless rats additionally had dehydration defects in skin and intestine and significant reduction in the body weight. In conclusion, we provided molecular and functional evidence that CAP1/Prss8 mutations are accountable for the defects in fr and fr(CR) animals, and we furthermore demonstrate a decreased function of the CAP1/Prss8 mutant proteins. Therefore, fr and fr(CR) animals are suitable models to investigate the consequences of CAP1/Prss8 action on its target proteins in the whole organism.

Ecoepidemiological aspects of american cutaneous leishmaniasis in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

The aim of this study is to review some of the ecoepidemiological aspects of american cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. During the first half of this century ACL occured in São Paulo, predominantly on the bank of the Tietê river, where there were railroad constructions and there was inevitable contact between and forested areas. Man's activities resulted in a drastic reduction of the forested regions of the state and molded the present landscape found in São Paulo, which brought a gradual change in the epidemiology of ACL during this century. Currently ACL can be considered as an endemic disease. Nowadays, ACL is found in different regions of São Paulo state, and is no longer limited to the bank of the Tietê river. The disease occurs in all age groups and sexes. Lack of knowledge about wild reservoir hosts of Leishmania (V.) braziliensis has simulated speculation about the possible role played by domestic animals (dogs and equines). Man's activities also favoured Lutzomyia intermedia a sandfly species which can clearly thrive in changed environments L. (V.) braziliensis continues to be transmitted, even after decades of forest destruction in São Paulo.

Dichelacera (Dichelacera) corumbaensis n. sp. (Diptera: Tabnidae) from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Dichelacera (Dichelacera) corumbaensis n. sp. is described from two female specimens collected in the urban area of Corumbá city, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. This is one of the six species of Dichelacera occuring in the state and the twenty-eighth species of the subgenus known from Brazil. The head in lateral view, frons, antenna, palpi and wings are illustrated. A differential diagnosis is given related to D. rubricosa, D. unifasciata, D. albifasciata and d. fuscipes.

Mechanisms of postprandial hyperglycemia in liver transplant recipients: comparison of liver transplant patients with kidney transplant patients and healthy controls.

Impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus are frequent complications after organ transplantation, and are usually attributed to glucocorticoid and immunosuppressive treatments. Liver transplantation results in total hepatic denervation which may also affect glucoregulation. We therefore evaluated postprandial glucose metabolism in a group of patients with liver cirrhosis before and after orthotopic liver transplantation. Seven patients with liver cirrhosis of various etiologies, 6 patients having received a kidney transplant, and 6 healthy subjects were studied. Their glucose metabolism was evaluated in the basal state and over 4 hours after ingestion of a glucose load with 6.6 (2) H glucose dilution analysis. The patients with liver cirrhosis were studied before, and again 4 weeks (range 2-6) and 38 weeks (range 20-76, n=6) after orthotopic liver transplantation. Basal glucose metabolism was similar in liver and kidney transplant recipients. Impaired glucose tolerance was present in both groups, but postprandial hyperglycemia was exaggerated and lasted longer in liver transplant patients. Postprandial insulinemia was lower in liver transplant recipients, while C-peptide concentrations were comparable to those of kidney transplant recipients, indicating increased insulin clearance. Glucose turnover was not altered in both groups of patients during the initial 3 hours after glucose ingestion, but was higher in liver transplant early after transplantation during the fourth hour. Postprandial hyperglycemia remained unchanged in liver transplant recipients 38 weeks after liver transplantation, despite substantial reduction of immunosuppressive and glucocorticoid doses. We conclude that liver transplant recipients have severe postprandial hyperglycemia which can be attributed to insulinopenia (secondary, at least in part, to increased insulin clearance) and a late increased glucose turnover. These changes may be secondary to hepatic denervation.

The de facto independence of regulatory agencies and its consequences for policy making and regulatory outcomes

This dissertation focuses on the practice of regulatory governance, throughout the study of the functioning of formally independent regulatory agencies (IRAs), with special attention to their de facto independence. The research goals are grounded on a "neo-positivist" (or "reconstructed positivist") position (Hawkesworth 1992; Radaelli 2000b; Sabatier 2000). This perspective starts from the ontological assumption that even if subjective perceptions are constitutive elements of political phenomena, a real world exists beyond any social construction and can, however imperfectly, become the object of scientific inquiry. Epistemologically, it follows that hypothetical-deductive theories with explanatory aims can be tested by employing a proper methodology and set of analytical techniques. It is thus possible to make scientific inferences and general conclusions to a certain extent, according to a Bayesian conception of knowledge, in order to update the prior scientific beliefs in the truth of the related hypotheses (Howson 1998), while acknowledging the fact that the conditions of truth are at least partially subjective and historically determined (Foucault 1988; Kuhn 1970). At the same time, a sceptical position is adopted towards the supposed disjunction between facts and values and the possibility of discovering abstract universal laws in social science. It has been observed that the current version of capitalism corresponds to the golden age of regulation, and that since the 1980s no government activity in OECD countries has grown faster than regulatory functions (Jacobs 1999). Following an apparent paradox, the ongoing dynamics of liberalisation, privatisation, decartelisation, internationalisation, and regional integration hardly led to the crumbling of the state, but instead promoted a wave of regulatory growth in the face of new risks and new opportunities (Vogel 1996). Accordingly, a new order of regulatory capitalism is rising, implying a new division of labour between state and society and entailing the expansion and intensification of regulation (Levi-Faur 2005). The previous order, relying on public ownership and public intervention and/or on sectoral self-regulation by private actors, is being replaced by a more formalised, expert-based, open, and independently regulated model of governance. Independent regulation agencies (IRAs), that is, formally independent administrative agencies with regulatory powers that benefit from public authority delegated from political decision makers, represent the main institutional feature of regulatory governance (Gilardi 2008). IRAs constitute a relatively new technology of regulation in western Europe, at least for certain domains, but they are increasingly widespread across countries and sectors. For instance, independent regulators have been set up for regulating very diverse issues, such as general competition, banking and finance, telecommunications, civil aviation, railway services, food safety, the pharmaceutical industry, electricity, environmental protection, and personal data privacy. Two attributes of IRAs deserve a special mention. On the one hand, they are formally separated from democratic institutions and elected politicians, thus raising normative and empirical concerns about their accountability and legitimacy. On the other hand, some hard questions about their role as political actors are still unaddressed, though, together with regulatory competencies, IRAs often accumulate executive, (quasi-)legislative, and adjudicatory functions, as well as about their performance.

Dengue in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1986-1998

This paper presents epidemiological, laboratory, and clinical data on 12 years of dengue virus activity in the State of Rio de Janeiro from the time the disease was first confirmed virologically in April 1986 through April 1998. DEN-1 and DEN-2 viruses are the serotypes circulating in the state and were responsible for the epidemics reported during the last 12 years. The results published here show both the impact of dengue virus infections on the population and laboratory advances that have improved dengue diagnosis.