PLA and Organoclays Nanocomposites: Degradation Process and Evaluation of ecotoxicity Using Allium cepa as Test Organism

In this study, nanocomposites of PLA and organoclays Cloisite 20A and Cloisite 30B were prepared by the melt intercalation method and the obtained samples were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Since composting is an important proposal to the final disposal of biopolymers, the influence of clays on the hydrolytic degradation process of PLA was evaluated by visual analysis and monitoring of molecular weight after periods of 15 and 30 days of degradation in compost. After degradation of the materials in composting environment, the evaluation of cytotoxic, genotoxic and mutagenic effects of compost aqueous extract was carried out using a bioassay with Allium cepa as test organism. The TEM micrographs permitted the observation of different levels of dispersion, including exfoliated regions. In the evaluation of hydrolytic degradation it was noted that the presence of organoclays can decrease the rate of degradation possibly due to the barrier effect of clay layers and/or the higher degree of crystallinity in the nanocomposite samples. Nevertheless, even in the case of nanocomposites, the molecular weight reduction was significant, indicating that the composting process is favorable to the chain scission of PLA in studied materials. In the analysis performed by the bioassay using A. cepa as test organism, it was found that after degradation of the PLA and its nanocomposites the aqueous extract of compost samples induced a decreasing in the mitotic index and an increasing in the induction of chromosomal abnormalities. These results were statistically significant in relation to the negative control (distilled water). By comparing the results obtained for the nanocomposites in relative to pure polymer, there were no statistically significant differences. The types of the observed chromosomal aberrations indicated a possible genotoxic effect of the materials, which may be related to an aneugenic action of PLA degradation products. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.

The fiscal impact of trade liberalization and commodity price fluctuation: the case of Costa Rica, 1980-1998

Includes bibliography

The Role of Technical Assistance in World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Negotiations

This issue of the Bulletin presents a brief review of trade facilitation negotiations from the specific viewpoint of technical assistance, capacity-building and special and differential treatment (SDT). Trade facilitation negotiations have focused on clarifying three articles of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT): article V (freedom of transit); article VIII (fees and formalities connected with importation and exportation); and article X (publication and administration of trade regulations). Although the stage of text-based negotiations has not yet been reached, the process of receiving and analysing proposals has made it possible to identify the aspects most urgently in need of correcting by means of trade facilitation measures. Consideration has been given to several formulas for the implementation of those measures and to how the associated technical assistance should be organized.

Report of the planning meeting of partners of the Caribbean Information Societies Measurement Initiative

The Planning Meeting of Partners was organized jointly by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, the Observatory for the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean (OSILAC - an ECLAC project supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the University of West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus and the Telecommunications Policy and Management Programme, Mona School of Business at UWI, Jamaica. The Caribbean Information Societies Measurement Initiative (CISMI) is a component of the research proposal entitled “Networks for Development: The Caribbean ICT Research Programme”, recently submitted to IDRC for funding approval. The main objective of this programme is to “promote multi-stakeholder knowledge exchange and dialogue about the potential contribution of Information and Communications Technology for economic development and poverty alleviation in the Caribbean” The proposed budget for the CISMI component within the aforementioned proposal is US$ 150,000. The main objectives of the CISMI component are twofold: (a) to conduct a comprehensive Information and Communications Technology (ICT) survey in the Caribbean subregion to cover baseline information needs for studies and analysis from different partners involved in the construction of the Caribbean Information Societies; and (b) to analyze the household-level data, including the status of broadband and mobile usage in selected Caribbean countries in order to promote evidence-based policy planning and implementation with respect to ICT development and its impact on social and economic development in the subregion. The Planning Meeting of Partners was convened to: (a) discuss the CISMI component partnership arrangements, (b) discuss the design and implementation mechanisms of the survey instrument (questionnaire); (c) inform and engage potential key stakeholders; and (d) obtain information from potential service providers (survey companies). The Planning Meeting of Partners took place on 28 and 29 September 2009 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

Trade and Development Nexus: reflections on the performance of trade in goods under the Cariforum-European Union Partnership agreement a Cariforum perspective

Given the asymmetry in the levels of development and capacity which exist between the EU and CARIFORUM States, the architects of the CARIFORUM-European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)1 anticipated the need for review and monitoring of the impacts of implementation. Article 5 and other provisions in the Agreement therefore specifically mandate that monitoring be undertaken to ensure that the Agreement benefits a wide cross-section of the population in member countries. The paper seeks to provide a preliminary assessment of the impact of the EPA on CARIFORUM countries. In so doing, it highlights some critical information and implementation gaps and challenges that have emerged during the implementation process. The analysis however, is restricted to goods trade. The services sector will be the subject of a separate report. The paper draws on a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses. While the paper undertakes a CARIFORUM-wide analysis for the most part, five CARIFORUM member states including Barbados, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Saint Lucia are examined more closely in some instances. These economies were selected by virtue of economic structure and development constraints, as a representative subset of CARIFORUM, which comprises the CARICOM membership as well as the Dominican Republic.

Summary of resolutions recently adopted by CDCC and resolutions of ECLAC and other organs of the United Nations which might be of special interest to member countries of ECLAC/CDCC

This paper brings to the attention of member countries of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) resolutions adopted by past sessions of the Committee, since 2000, and the process of their implementation. Resolutions 55 to 66 for the period 2000- 2006 have been extracted from the reports of the eighteenth to twenty first sessions of the CDCC Also included for the information of member countries are selected resolutions recently adopted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and other organs of the United Nations. These resolutions greatly influence the preparation of the programme of work and are expected guide the day-to-day functioning of the secretariat. It is a great source of information for delegations, given the perceived special relevance of the resolutions to the membership of the CDCC. The resolutions listed in this document are pertinent to all subprogrammes of ECLAC and indeed the CDCC subprogramme 12 of ECLAC. However, the content of these resolutions either marked no real advance on the outcomes of the corresponding conferences that were held within recent times or were cast in a globally relevant context that did not address specific concerns of Caribbean countries to any significant extent.

Budding Process During the Organogenesis of the Ventral Prostatic Lobe in Mongolian Gerbil

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

Thermodynamic and economic analysis of hydrogen production integration in the Brazilian sugar and alcohol industry

One of the biggest challenges today is to develop clean fuels, which do not emit pollutant and with viable implementation. One of the options currently under study is the hydrogen production process. In this context, this work aims to study the technical and economical aspects of the incorporation process of hydrogen producing by ethanol steam reforming in the sugar cane industry and MCFC (molten carbonate fuel cell) application on it to generate electric power. Therefore, it has been proposed a modification in the traditional process of sugar cane industry, in order to incorporate hydrogen production, besides the traditional products (sugar, ethylic, hydrated and anhydric alcohol). For this purpose, a detailed theoretical study of the ethanol production process, describing the considerations to incorporate the hydrogen production will be performed. After that, there will be a thermodynamic study for analysing the innovation of this production chain, as well as a study of economic engineering to allocate the costs of products of the new process, optimising it and considering the thermoeconomics as being as an analysis tool. This proposal aims to improve Brazil's position in the ranking of international biofuels, corroborating the nation to be a power in the hydrogen era. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Risk factors that may signify a propensity to the use of drugs in students at a public university

Introduction: We sought to evaluate the risk factors that may increase the propensity to use licit and illicit drugs among students at a public university. Methods: The project involved students (n = 268) enrolled in the first and fourth years of courses in the areas of the social and biological sciences at a public university. Data collection was conducted by means of self-administered, semistructured questionnaires, based on such standardized assessment instruments as Audit, Assist, Cage and Duse. Collected data were analyzed quantitatively by calculating the percentages and evaluating the data in terms of categories of risk, classifying them by age, gender, religion, schooling, use (before or after entering university) and contexts of use. By means of this survey the researchers were able to correlate the use of drugs to the risk factors that might increase the students’ propensity to use these substances. Results: The results revealed a high proportion of current drug-using students, but showed no significant differences between the first and fourth year students as regards contexts of use. However, 67% of students regarded the university environment as encouraging the use of drugs. Students pointed to such major risk factors as friends’ and fellow-students’ influence, university parties, excessive curiosity and desire to experiment. Conclusion: Due to the high rate of drug use among university students, by the determination of the risk factors related to the university environment and also knowing that the process of addiction is one of growing chemical dependence, the importance of the development and implementation of public health policies at all levels, especially in terms of approaches and specific interventions addressing this population, should be noted.

Diretrizes para execução dos estudos geológico-geotécnicos e ambientais voltados à implantação de dutovias

Due to the new discoveries of oil and gas reservoirs, and also the increasing production of bio-fuels, the brazilian general pipeline system is being vertiginously extended. On the other hand, there is a lack of clear parameters that would allow a better utilization of the geological-geotechnical studies in the process of environmental licensing of pipeline systems. Therefore, this paper presents guidelines that would orientate the environmental licensing procedures to build pipeline systems, and also the geological-geotechnical studies that would support the characterization of the physical context. The method applied in this study consisted in the existing data survey and in their organization, analysis and review. In doing so, there is a well-subsidy integration of the many steps of the pipeline system implementation, the required environmental licenses and the investigation methods of the correlated physical context. As a result, it’s presented a flowchart of the guidelines, detailing the interaction between the environmental licensing, the geological-geotechnical studies and the phases of the pipeline’s project.

Physical-chemical characterization of biomass samples for application iin pyrolysis process

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Alteração da fertilidade do solo como indicador do processo de antropização e presença de atividades não agrícolas no assentamento rural Horto Aimorés, municípios de Bauru e Pederneiras/SP =: Change of soil fertility as an indicator of the anthropization process and presence of non agricultural activities at the rural settlement Horto Aimorés, cities of Bauru and Pederneiras/ SP

Pós-graduação em Geografia - FCT

Recovery of anchovy (Engraulis anchoita) and whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) proteins by alkaline solubilisation process

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physical, chemical, and functional properties of recovered proteins of anchovy (Engraulis anchoita) and whitemouth croaker (Micropogonias furnieri) through the process of alkaline solubilisation and isoelectric precipitation, using different solubilisation (NaOH and KOH) and precipitation (HCl and H3PO4) reagents. The tests showed high protein level, and the lowest lipid reduction (94.5%) was found in the recovered protein of anchovy, the lowest yield of the process was 76.1%. The highest whiteness (78.8 and 74.2) was found in whitemouth croaker proteins. The solubilisation of the recovered protein was studied in the pH range (3, 5, 7, 9, and 11). The maximum solubility was at pHs 3 and 11 and minimum solubility was at pH 5 in the species under study.

Perception of brazilian citizens about Darwinism and the (Non) Influence of God in the evolutionary process

The current context is unique in relation to the teaching of evolution in Brazil and the population's perception of evolution. On the one hand, it is said often about Darwinism in various media, especially due to the relatively recent commemoration of the two hundred years of the birth of Charles Darwin and one hundred and fifty years of the launch of the book The Origin of Species. On the other hand, it is clear, in recent years, a timid movement, more worryingly, in favor of equitable approach of creationist and evolutionist theories in the classroom. This article is a part of a research whose goal is to raise the design that Brazilian respondents have about the Darwinian view (which disregards the divine influence in the evolution of the species). The instrument used for data collection is a questionnaire, type Likert scale, which consists of a series of statements in which respondents must express their degree of agreement or disagreement with each statement. In this study, we present the results of the statement. "The thought of Darwin, which does not consider God as a participant in the process of evolution, is...". Analysis correlated with data on religion and education of the respondents are also held. The results point to a tendency of respondents not to accept the Darwinian view that disregards God's interference in the evolutionary process. The data also show that respondents' choices are influenced by religion and education. The frequency of responses that tend to accept the Darwinian view (which disregards the divine participation in the evolution of the species) is higher among respondents with higher levels of education. Adherents to religions "evangelical" tend to deny this view more often than followers of other religions. Given the potential risks of inserting creationist approaches in school education, it is necessary a discussion of the possible impacts of this rejection of Darwin's thinking (which does not consider God as a participant in the evolutionary process), indicated here, in the teaching of evolution. This work was supported by FAPEMIG.

Biossorção & biodegradação de azo corante: desenvolvimento de processos utilizando resíduos como fonte de microorganismos = Azo dye biosorption & biodegradation : process development with residues as source of microorganisms

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)