Consequences of Electricity Restructuring on the Environment: a Survey

The aim of this paper is to assess theoretical consequences of restructuring electricity markets on the environment. We examine changes in potential behaviours in consumption-side as well as in supply-side. We show that restructuring and following access to competition is not neutral from an environmental standpoint. Deregulation could induce some negative externalities due to requirements in cost-effciency. The principal result of this paper is the need of strong incentives in public policies to compensate the new short-term horizon in which energy sector's firms are evolving, particularly concerning R&D.ELECTRICITY RESTRUCTURING; ENVIRONMENT; GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS; REGULATION; INNOVATION.

Inquietud: Año IV Número 41 - (18/11/52)

Several experimental techniques are available to investigate materials but microscopic techniques based on hyperfine interaction form a subclass that can characterize materials at the smallest possible atomic scale. The interaction of the nuclear electromagnetic moments with the hyperfine fields arising from the extranuclear electronic charges and spin distributions forms the basis of hyperfine methods. In this review article, one of the hyperfine methods, known as perturbed angular correlation (PAC), has been described as it provides local-scale fingerprints about the formation, identification, and lattice environment of defects and/or defect complexes in semiconductors at the PAC probe site. In particular, the potential of the PAC technique has been demonstrated in terms of measured electric field gradient, its orientation, and the symmetry at the probe site for a variety of defects in semiconductors such as Si, InP, GaAs, InAs, ZnO, GaP, and InN

Sources of Community Health Worker Motivation: A Qualitative Study in Morogoro Region, Tanzania.

There is a renewed interest in community health workers (CHWs) in Tanzania, but also a concern that low motivation of CHWs may decrease the benefits of investments in CHW programs. This study aimed to explore sources of CHW motivation to inform programs in Tanzania and similar contexts. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 CHWs in Morogoro Region, Tanzania. Interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and coded prior to translation and thematic analysis. The authors then conducted a literature review on CHW motivation and a framework that aligned with our findings was modified to guide the presentation of results. Sources of CHW motivation were identified at the individual, family, community, and organizational levels. At the individual level, CHWs are predisposed to volunteer work and apply knowledge gained to their own problems and those of their families and communities. Families and communities supplement other sources of motivation by providing moral, financial, and material support, including service fees, supplies, money for transportation, and help with farm work and CHW tasks. Resistance to CHW work exhibited by families and community members is limited. The organizational level (the government and its development partners) provides motivation in the form of stipends, potential employment, materials, training, and supervision, but inadequate remuneration and supplies discourage CHWs. Supervision can also be dis-incentivizing if perceived as a sign of poor performance. Tanzanian CHWs who work despite not receiving a salary have an intrinsic desire to volunteer, and their motivation often derives from support received from their families when other sources of motivation are insufficient. Policy-makers and program managers should consider the burden that a lack of remuneration imposes on the families of CHWs. In addition, CHWs' intrinsic desire to volunteer does not preclude a desire for external rewards. Rather, adequate and formal financial incentives and in-kind alternatives would allow already-motivated CHWs to increase their commitment to their work

Interleukin-33 contributes to both M1 and M2 chemokine marker expression in human macrophages

Abstract Background Interleukin-33 is a member of the IL-1 cytokine family whose functions are mediated and modulated by the ST2 receptor. IL-33-ST2 expression and interactions have been explored in mouse macrophages but little is known about the effect of IL-33 on human macrophages. The expression of ST2 transcript and protein levels, and IL-33-mediated effects on M1 (i.e. classical activation) and M2 (i.e. alternative activation) chemokine marker expression in human bone marrow-derived macrophages were examined. Results Human macrophages constitutively expressed the membrane-associated (i.e. ST2L) and the soluble (i.e. sST2) ST2 receptors. M2 (IL-4 + IL-13) skewing stimuli markedly increased the expression of ST2L, but neither polarizing cytokine treatment promoted the release of sST2 from these cells. When added to naïve macrophages alone, IL-33 directly enhanced the expression of CCL3. In combination with LPS, IL-33 blocked the expression of the M2 chemokine marker CCL18, but did not alter CCL3 expression in these naive cells. The addition of IL-33 to M1 macrophages markedly increased the expression of CCL18 above that detected in untreated M1 macrophages. Similarly, alternatively activated human macrophages treated with IL-33 exhibited enhanced expression of CCL18 and the M2 marker mannose receptor above that detected in M2 macrophages alone. Conclusions Together, these data suggest that primary responses to IL-33 in bone marrow derived human macrophages favors M1 chemokine generation while its addition to polarized human macrophages promotes or amplifies M2 chemokine expression.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78250/1/1471-2172-11-52.xmlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/78250/2/1471-2172-11-52.pdfPeer Reviewe

Side effects assessment in glicolyc acid peelings in patients with acne type I

Chemical peeling implies the application of a chemical agent to the skin, which causes controlled destruction of a part or the entire epidermis, with or without the dermis, leading to exfoliation and removal of superficial lesions, followed by regeneration of new epidermal and dermal tissues. The present study was directed toward safety concerns associated with superficial chemical peeling with glycolic acid (GA) in different concentrations at patients with acne tip I. A sample of 90 patients of either sex, aged between 17 to 21 years, were included in the study and submitted to superficial chemical peeling for acne vulgaris. The study lasted eight weeks and peeling sessions were carried out in each patient. Tolerance to the procedure and any undesirable effects noted during these sessions were recorded. For data statistical analysis and interpretation of results, software program SPSS version 13 was used. Results were expressed through the descriptive statistics, as simple frequencies and percentages, while for establishing of statistically significant differences, in use was Friedman's test of significance. Almost all the patients tolerated the procedure well. Of totally 90 patients, only six, at the end of therapy experienced hard erythema, only ten, at the end of therapy experienced hard desquamation and only eleven, at the end of therapy experienced hard sensation of pulling of facial skin. Chemical peeling with glycolic acid is a well tolerated and safe treatment modality in acne type I. © 2011 Association of Basic Medical Sciences of FBIH

Procreative sex in infertile couples: the decay of pleasure? A letter to the editor

A response to Marci et al. ‘Procreative sex in infertile couples: the decay of pleasure?’ This is a reply to http://www.hqlo.com/content/pdf/1477-7525-11-52.pdf

A low-frequency study of recently identified double-double radio galaxies

In order to understand the possible mechanisms of recurrent jet activity in radio galaxies and quasars, which are still unclear, we have identified such sources with a large range of linear sizes (220 $-$ 917 kpc), and hence time scales of episodic activity. Here we present high-sensitivity 607-MHz Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) images of 21 possible double-double radio galaxies (DDRGs) identified from the FIRST survey to confirm their episodic nature. These GMRT observations show that none of the inner compact components suspected to be hot-spots of the inner doubles are cores having a flat radio spectrum, confirming the episodic nature of these radio sources. We have indentified a new DDRG with a candidate quasar, and have estimated the upper spectral age limits for eight sources which showed marginal evidence of steepening at higher frequencies. The estimated age limits (11 $-$ 52 Myr) are smaller than those of the large-sized ($\sim$ 1 Mpc) DDRGs.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 14 pages, 7 figure