Diferenças intra e interespecíficas na atividade da fosfatase alcalina em microalgas marinhas costeiras selecionadas

A incorporação de fósforo (P) foi avaliada através da técnica de marcador enzimático fluorescente a fim de determinar a atividade da fosfatase alcalina (PA) em dois clones de Phaeodactylum tricornutum (Bohlin), Ub3 e Ub7, isolados de Ubatuba (SP), em Tetraselmis aff. chui (Butcher) e Prorocentrum minimum (Pavillard) J. Schiller, isoladas da Baía de Guanabara (RJ) e na Comunidade Natural da Baía de Guanabara (RJ). A fosfatase alcalina (PA) é uma enzima extracelular associada à membrana que catalisa a hidrólise de compostos orgânicos de fósforo em resposta à limitação de fosfato. Sua análise, a partir do marcador ELF-97, proporciona uma avaliação individual e, portanto, determina as condições nutricionais de fósforo inorgânico em células fitoplanctônicas. Os clones de P. tricornutum apresentaram diferenças no desenvolvimento quando incubados no tratamento P-repleto. O clone Ub7 de P. tricornutum apresentou a maior atividade enzimática quando comparado às demais espécies testadas, em condições P-repletas. Enquanto P. minimum apresentou a maior atividade da fosfatase alcalina em condições P-limitadas. Entre as espécies T. aff. chui e P. minimum, a maior atividade enzimática ocorreu durante a fase estacionária de desenvolvimento, entretanto diferenças foram observadas somente nas menores concentrações de fosfato. P. tricornutum, T. aff. chui e P. minimum, ao longo dos experimentos, utilizaram duas estratégias para incorporação de fosfato, aumentando a atividade da fosfatase alcalina, assim como alterando o biovolume ou a máxima dimensão linear para manter a relação S/V estável. Em P. tricornutum os sítios da atividade enzimática ocorreram na membrana celular, em T. aff. chui encontrados intracelularmente, enquanto em P. minimum observados tanto nas membranas, quanto no interior das células. No experimento realizado com a comunidade natural, houve predomínio das diatomáceas entre todos os grupos e tratamentos; as espécies foram agrupadas nas estratégias adaptativas C e R e classificadas principalmente como R-estrategistas. Os dinoflagelados da Ordem Prorocentrales utilizaram a incorporação do fósforo orgânico como estratégia para obtenção de fósforo em condições limitantes. Entretanto, as diatomáceas apresentaram tal estratégia de forma mais variável. Quanto às prasinofíceas, embora Tetraselmis sp. tenha apresentado baixa atividade enzimática nos experimentos unialgais, as concentrações de fosfato ao longo do experimento não resultaram na utilização de P orgânico para o grupo. Os resultados destacaram as diferenças intra e interespecíficas na atividade da fosfatase alcalina, e, consequentemente, na incorporação de fósforo orgânico, uma vez que as espécies testadas regularam a atividade enzimática de acordo com as diferentes concentrações externas de fosfato.

Adaptive agent-based manufacturing control and its application to flow shop routing control

The manufacturing industry is currently facing unprecedented challenges from changes and disturbances. The sources of these changes and disturbances are of different scope and magnitude. They can be of a commercial nature, or linked to fast product development and design, or purely operational (e.g. rush order, machine breakdown, material shortage etc.). In order to meet these requirements it is increasingly important that a production operation be flexible and is able to adapt to new and more suitable ways of operating. This paper focuses on a new strategy for enabling manufacturing control systems to adapt to changing conditions both in terms of product variation and production system upgrades. The approach proposed is based on two key concepts: (1) An autonomous and distributed approach to manufacturing control based on multi-agent methods in which so called operational agents represent the key physical and logical elements in the production environment to be controlled - for example, products and machines and the control strategies that drive them and (2) An adaptation mechanism based around the evolutionary concept of replicator dynamics which updates the behaviour of newly formed operational agents based on historical performance records in order to be better suited to the production environment. An application of this approach for route selection of similar products in manufacturing flow shops is developed and is illustrated in this paper using an example based on the control of an automobile paint shop.

...e eles viveram felizes até seu fim.: narrativas contemporâneas sobre a morte e o morrer na literatura infantil brasileira

A proposta desta tese é analisar a abordagem dos temas da morte, do morrer, da perda e do luto pela literatura infantil brasileira contemporânea. Com base em livros disponibilizados no mercado (lojas físicas e virtuais), portanto acessíveis ao público, busca compreender como a morte é narrada em seus textos e ilustrações, conjunto que, na literatura infantil, assume papel essencial. Nesta trajetória, faz-se igualmente necessária a reflexão sobre a concepção infantilizada da infância, que, na hipermodernidade, culmina na fragilização de sua autonomia e na noção equivocada, dentre outras, de que crianças não são capazes de vivenciar dores intensas e devem ser poupadas do contato com a morte. A abordagem dos livros de literatura infantil sobre a morte torna ainda imprescindível colocar em discussão as possibilidades que a literatura proporciona para a compreensão do homem diante deste evento no contexto histórico e social hipermoderno. Para tanto, o percurso escolhido desconstrói a noção vigente sobre a literatura, na qual é considerada como elemento ilustrativo, reconhecendo-a como importante recurso para as ciências humanas e sociais. Para além desta proposta, cabe ainda considerar a literatura não a partir de uma perspectiva utilitarista (o ler é importante), nem tão pouco como um recurso meramente terapêutico, mas como perspectiva de ressignificação de experiências de vida, de conhecimento do humano, de abertura para o outro e de inserção social e política. Num movimento recíproco, lemos e somos lidos pelos textos e pelas imagens; construímos nossas narrativas ao mesmo tempo em que elas nos constroem. Neste sentido, nosso momento histórico é uma folha em branco que traz em si o potencial de escrevermos as próximas linhas, páginas, capítulos... até o fim

Investigation of rising nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the Eden Valley, Cumbria: Phase 1 project scoping study

This is the Investigation of rising nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the Eden Valley, Cumbria report produced by the Environment Agency in 2003. This report focuses on groundwater nitrate concentrations in the Eden Valley. Most boreholes in the Eden Valley had nitrate concentrations less than 20 mg/l but a significant number had higher concentrations, some exceeding the EC maximum admissible concentration for drinking water of 50 mg/l. The main objectives of this report were to investigate the causes of rising nitrate concentrations in groundwater in the Permo-Triassic sandstone aquifers of the Eden Valley area and provide sufficient understanding of the groundwater and surface water flow system, including the sources of the nitrate contamination and the processes controlling nitrate movement, so that possible management options for reversing this trend can be considered.

The socio-economic effects of trawling on the present day fishermen

1. The introduction of trawlers to Lake Victoria to harvest fish will have far reaching effects on the men (and women) presently engaged in the fishery, on the diet of the nation as a whole. 2. However, the whole concept of trawling is so different to present techniques and the scale of operation so great, that disruption to the socio-economy of many people is possible. 3. The sociological studies outlined below will assist the governments in the formulatlon of policies aimed at minimising disruptive effects on the lives of many individuals.

硅反型层中热功率的磁量子振荡

于2010-11-23批量导入

我国彩票购买人群的心理行为特征及购彩成瘾倾向研究

The aims of this research were to explore Chinese lottery buyers’ and addictive buyers’ characteristics and influencing factors of lottery buying．Three studies were carried out: study 1 was to find out the psychological and behavioral characteristics of Chinese lottery buyers. Study 2 was to find out the psychological and behavioral characteristics of addictive lottery buyers. High addictive tendency group and control group were selected, and general information, personality traits and lottery buying behavior characteristics were compared between the two groups. Study 3 was to explore the influences of locus of control and coping style on Chinese lottery buyers’ addictive tendency. 7,160 subjects were rectuited from the Welfare Betting shops in 114 cities of the 31 provinces of China. It was found that: 1. The main characteristics of Chinese lottery buyers are: male, marride, non-religious, 26-45 years old, having at least high school level of education. 2. Chinese lottery buyer’s reasons of first buying were curiosity, to donate for charity, to have amusement, to chase big prize and others’ influence. At present the main reasons of lottery buying were charity, amusment and big prize. 3. 40 percent of Chinese lottery buyers spent more than 20% of their income on lottery. Higher income buyers spent more than the lower ones, but the lower income buyers’ ratio of lottery buying money per month was higher than that of the higher income ones. 4. Chinese high addictive lottery buyers’ characteristics were middle-aged, married, low educational and low-income males . 5. Lottery buyers’ buying behavior is reinforced with lottery winning ratio during the first lottery buying . The addictive tendency of lottery buying is unrelated with the length of lottery buying experience. 6. External control, negative coping style and education level, are associated with the high addictive lottery buying behavior.

O consumo de café expresso no Brasil (2000).

Nos ultimos anos, o consumo mundial de cafe tem-se modificado substancialmente. Observa-se crescente procura por produtos de boa qualidade, tornando possivel a segmentacao do mercado com produtos de alto valor agregado. As projecoes indicam que o consumo mundial de cafe para o ano 2010 sera de 120 milhoes de sacas, sendo 70% da especie arabica e 30%, da robusta. Do consumo total estimado, 15% sao de cafes especiais, ou seja: cerca de 18 milhoes de sacas (Anuario Estatistico do Cafe, 1998). O conjunto de cafes especiais engloba, principalmente, as seguintes classes: expresso, organico, ecologico, descafeinado, aromatizado e cappuccino. O cafe expresso e um dos principais responsaveis pelo crescimento do segmento de cafes especiais. Seu consumo tomou impulso no Brasil a partir da decada de 1980, com a proliferacao de shopping centers por todo o Pais. Atualmente, domina boa parte do mercado interno nas principais cidades brasileiras, ocupando aproximadamente 100% dos pontos de vendas em shopping centers e em cafeterias (coffee-shops). Mesmo em restaurantes e padarias, tradicionais usuarios do cafe de coador, o expresso conquistou um espaço importante. O trabalho visa a analisar as informacoes estatisticas existentes no agronegocio do cafe com enfase no cafe expresso. Teve como referencias: informacoes de 1991 e 1997, obtidas da base de dados da InterScience - Informacao e Tecnologia Aplicada; pesquisa realizada pela Associacao Brasileira da Industria de Cafe (ABIC), em 1998, observando o perfil da industrializacao e da producao de cafe expresso; e Anuario Estatistico do Cafe (1998 e 1999). Com base nas informacoes estatisticas de consumo, industrializacao e participacao brasileira na producao e observando os dados de producao de cafes especiais, fez-se uma sintese das informacoes estatisticas existentes no agronegocio do cafe, para visualizar, com base na situacao atual, as perspectivas de mercado para o consumo do cafe expresso no Brasil. Esse consumo tem dado sinais de recuperacao nos ultimos anos visto que no periodo de 1990 a 1998 passou de 8,2 para 12,5 milhoes de sacas, aumentando 52,3%. O agronegocio do cafe brasileiro tem uma crescente oportunidade nos mercados interno e externo para o cafe expresso. Seus agentes devem estar atentos a esse importante mercado com perspectivas de expansao nos proximos anos. O aumento nos investimentos em marketing e necessario para criar o habito de adquirir produtos de boa qualidade, aumentando o mercado do cafe expresso que atualmente responde por 5% do consumo de cafe no Brasil.

Broadening public input into science policy decision making: can the democratic model for science communication influence scientific, innovation and technological trajectories?

This PhD thesis investigates the potential use of science communication models to engage a broader swathe of actors in decision making in relation to scientific and technological innovation in order to address possible democratic deficits in science and technology policy-making. A four-pronged research approach has been employed to examine different representations of the public(s) and different modes of engagement. The first case study investigates whether patient-groups could represent an alternative needs-driven approach to biomedical and health sciences R & D. This is followed by enquiry into the potential for Science Shops to represent a bottom-up approach to promote research and development of local relevance. The barriers and opportunities for the involvement of scientific researchers in science communication are next investigated via a national survey which is comparable to a similar survey conducted in the UK. The final case study investigates to what extent opposition or support regarding nanotechnology (as an emerging technology) is reflected amongst the YouTube user community and the findings are considered in the context of how support or opposition to new or emerging technologies can be addressed using conflict resolution based approaches to manage potential conflict trajectories. The research indicates that the majority of communication exercises of relevance to science policy and planning take the form of a one-way flow of information with little or no facility for public feedback. This thesis proposes that a more bottom-up approach to research and technology would help broaden acceptability and accountability for decisions made relating to new or existing technological trajectories. This approach could be better integrated with and complementary to government, institutional, e.g. university, and research funding agencies activities and help ensure that public needs and issues are better addressed directly by the research community. Such approaches could also facilitate empowerment of societal stakeholders regarding scientific literacy and agenda-setting. One-way information relays could be adapted to facilitate feedback from representative groups e.g. Non-governmental organisations or Civil Society Organisations (such as patient groups) in order to enhance the functioning and socio-economic relevance of knowledge-based societies to the betterment of human livelihoods.

Neural mechanisms of context effects on face recognition: automatic binding and context shift decrements.

Although people do not normally try to remember associations between faces and physical contexts, these associations are established automatically, as indicated by the difficulty of recognizing familiar faces in different contexts ("butcher-on-the-bus" phenomenon). The present fMRI study investigated the automatic binding of faces and scenes. In the face-face (F-F) condition, faces were presented alone during both encoding and retrieval, whereas in the face/scene-face (FS-F) condition, they were presented overlaid on scenes during encoding but alone during retrieval (context change). Although participants were instructed to focus only on the faces during both encoding and retrieval, recognition performance was worse in the FS-F than in the F-F condition ("context shift decrement" [CSD]), confirming automatic face-scene binding during encoding. This binding was mediated by the hippocampus as indicated by greater subsequent memory effects (remembered > forgotten) in this region for the FS-F than the F-F condition. Scene memory was mediated by right parahippocampal cortex, which was reactivated during successful retrieval when the faces were associated with a scene during encoding (FS-F condition). Analyses using the CSD as a regressor yielded a clear hemispheric asymmetry in medial temporal lobe activity during encoding: Left hippocampal and parahippocampal activity was associated with a smaller CSD, indicating more flexible memory representations immune to context changes, whereas right hippocampal/rhinal activity was associated with a larger CSD, indicating less flexible representations sensitive to context change. Taken together, the results clarify the neural mechanisms of context effects on face recognition.