Análise Mensal, Sazonal e Interanual da Evapotranspiração Potencial para o Leste do Estado do Acre, Brasil

The aim of this study was to investigate climatological aspects (characterization) in seasonal potential evapotranspiration east of Acre, with the unit of study is the city of Rio Branco, capital of the State, considering a period of 34 years from 1980 to 2013, from monthly data from a weather station in a conventional surface. The methodology was adopted to realize the consistency of meteorological data in this way, first, was made the gap filling through the imputation of missing data in time series by means of Multivariate Time Series Data imputation and statistical tests of homogeneity of data (test or Run sequence) suggested by the World Meteorological Organization through its technical note 81 the indirect method Penmann-Montheith was used to calculate the potential Evapotranspiração. The results of this work through examination of the descriptive statistics showed that the average annual ETp is 3.54 mm d-1, with a very marked seasonality in June featuring a minimum of 2.93 mm d-1 and a maximum in October from 4.13 mm d-1 with an average annual accumulated 1290.99 mm and Standard Deviation of 53.41 mm and the months of June and August are what have higher variability and the interval from October to February the lowest variability.O objetivo deste trabalho foi de investigar aspectos climatológicos (caracterização) sazonais na Evapotranspiração potencial para o leste do estado do Acre, tendo como unidade de estudo o município de Rio Branco, capital do Estado, considerando um período de 34 anos: 1980 a 2013, a partir de dados mensais de uma estação meteorológica de superfície convencional. Como metodologia adotou-se realizar, primeiramente, a consistência dos dados meteorológicos desta forma foi feito o preenchimento de falhas através da imputação de dados faltosos na série temporal por meio do MTSDI e testes estatísticos de homogeneidade dos dados (Run teste) sugerido pela OMM. O método indireto de Penmann-Montheith foi utilizado para o cálculo da ETp. Os resultados deste trabalho, mediante análise da estatística descritiva, permitiram concluir que a média anual da ETp é de 3,54 mm d-1, com uma sazonalidade bastante marcante apresentando um mínimo em junho de 2,93 mm d-1 e um máximo no mês de outubro de 4,13 mm d-1 com um acumulado médio anual de 1290,99 mm e D.P de 53,41 mm e que os meses de junho e agosto são o que apresentam maior variabilidade e o intervalo de outubro a fevereiro o de menor variabilidade

Desmatamento e incêndios florestais transformando a realidade da Reserva Extrativista Chico Mendes

A Reserva Extrativista Chico Mendes (RECM) é uma unidade de conservação de uso sustentável que cobre quase um milhão de hectares, localizada no estado do Acre, no sudoeste da Amazônia brasileira. Ela tem 10 mil habitantes estimados. É um exemplo concreto do legado de Chico Mendes e emblemático dos desafios enfrentados pelas unidades de conservação na Amazônia. Mudanças significativas ocorreram desde que a reserva foi criada, em 1990, com relação ao desmatamento e degradação florestal. Cerca de 5,6% da RECM, 54.741ha, foi desmatado entre 1997 a 2016, segundo dados do Prodes/Inpe. Uma comparação das taxas de desmatamento registradas pelo Prodes e pelo Projeto de Mudança Florestal Global (GFC) mostrou resultados enganosamente semelhantes para o período de 2000 a 2016: 31.485ha e 34.102ha, respectivamente. Somente durante o período de 2007 a 2011, os dois monitoramentos deram resultados semelhantes. De 2012 a 2016, o GFC registrou taxas anuais cerca de 75% mais altas do que as taxas anuais do Prodes. O tamanho médio dos polígonos por ano aumentou três vezes nos últimos 10 anos, de 3 ha/ano (2001 a 2006) para 8 ha/ano (2007 a 2016), sendo 92% expansão de desmatamentos existentes. A distribuição espacial do desmatamento concentrou-se em 10 dos 46 seringais da RECM, alguns dos quais registraram mais de 50% de desmatamento até 2016 segundo o Prodes. Os incêndios florestais têm sido a grande preocupação para a Reserva Extrativista Chico Mendes, devido ao impacto de 50.363ha de florestas degradadas pelo fogo, área igual ao total de desmatamento. Essa degradação afeta o estoque de carbono e danifica as espécies utilizadas no extrativismo. Cicatrizes dos incêndios florestais contíguas > 1.000ha formaram mais da metade da área total queimada e ocorreram em áreas pouco povoadas da RECM. Secas severas parecem ser fundamentais para a propagação de incêndios florestais que tiveram origem em queimadas de limpeza e preparo do solo para pastagem e/ou agricultura de menos de 30ha, propiciando um novo paradigma de degradação florestal pelo fogo. Com o aumento do tamanho médio dos polígonos de desmatamento, a RECM enfrenta uma situação que vai contra o legado de Chico Mendes: a expansão das áreas desmatadas para pastagens e a degradação das florestas em pé, a base para a manutenção do extrativismo, pelo fogo.The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve (RECM) is a sustainable use conservation unit that covers almost one million hectares, located in the state of Acre, in Brazil’s southwestern Amazon. Withten thousand in habitants estimated, it is a concrete example of the legacy of Chico Mendes and an emblematic one of the challenges faced by conservation units in the Amazon. Significant changes occurred since the reserve was created in 1990 in relation to deforestation and forest degradation. About 5.6% of the RECM, 54,741ha, was deforested between 1997 and 2016, according to Prodes / Inpe data. A comparison of deforestation rates recorded by Prodes and the Global Forest Change Project (GFC) showed deceptively similar results for the period 2000 to 2016: 31,485ha and 34,102ha, respectively. Only during the period 2007 to 2011, the two monitoring systems gave similar results. From 2012 to 2016, the GFC recorded annual rates about 75% higher than the annual Prodes rates. The average size of polygons per year increased 3x in the last 10 years, from 3 ha/year (2001 to 2006) to 8 ha/year (2007 to 2016), with 92% expansion of existing deforestation. The spatial distribution of deforestation was concentrated in ten of the 46 RECM rubber plantations, some of which recorded more than 50% deforestation by 2016, according to Prodes. Forest fires have been a major concern for the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, due to the impact of 50,363ha of forests degraded by fire, an area equal to total deforestation.  This degradation affects carbon stocks and damages the species used for extractivism. Scars from contiguous forest fires > 1,000ha formed more than half of the total burned area and occurred in sparsely populated areas of RECM. Severe droughts appear to be fundamental for the propagation of forest fires that originated in cleaning and tillage fires for pasture and/or agriculture of less than 30ha, providing a new paradigm of forest degradation by fire. With the increase in the average size of deforestation polygons, the RECM faces a situation that goes against the legacy of Chico Mendes: an expansion of deforestation for pastures and fire degradation of the forests that form the base of extractivism

O uso de dados de satélite para estudar a relação entre chuva e doenças diarreicas em uma bacia na amazônia sul-ocidental

The North region is the second region in Brazil with the highest incidence rate of diarrheal diseases in children under 5 years old. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between rainfall and water level during the rainy season principally with the incidence rate of this disease in a southwestern Amazon basin. Rainfall estimates and the water level were correlated and both of them were correlated with the diarrheal incidence rate. For the Alto Acre region, 2 to 3 days’ time-lag is the best interval to observe the impact of the rainfall in the water level (R = 0.35). In the Lower Acre region this time-lag increased (4 days) with a reduction in the correlation value was found. The correlation between rainfall and diarrheal disease was better in the Lower Acre region (Acrelândia, R = 0.7) and rainfall upstream of the city. Between water level and diarrheal disease, the best results were found for the Brasiléia gauging station (Brasiléia, R = 0.3; Epitaciolândia, R = 0.5). This study’s results may support planning and financial resources allocation to prioritize actions for local Civil Defense and health care services before, during and after the rainy season. © 2016, Associacao Brasileira de Pos – Graduacao em Saude Coletiva. All rights reserved

Cohort study of the impact of direct acting antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C and decompensated cirrhosis

Background and Aims: All oral direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) effectively treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, but the benefits in advanced liver disease are unclear. We compared outcomes in treated and untreated patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Methods: Patients with HCV and decompensated cirrhosis or at risk of irreversible disease were treated in an Expanded Access Programme (EAP) in 2014. Treatment, by clinician choice, was with sofosbuvir, ledipasvir or daclatasvir, with or without ribavirin. For functional outcome comparison, untreated patients with HCV and decompensated cirrhosis who were registered on a database 6 months before treatment was available were retrospectively studied. Primary endpoint was sustained virological response 12 weeks post antiviral treatment (treated cohort) and the secondary endpoint (both cohorts) was adverse outcomes (worsening in MELD score or serious adverse event) within 6 months. Results: 467 patients received treatment (409 decompensated cirrhosis). Viral clearance was achieved in 381 patients (81.6%) – 209 from 231 (90.5%) with genotype 1 and 132 from 192 (68.8%) with genotype 3. MELD scores improved in treated patients (mean change -0.85) but worsened in untreated patients (mean + 0.75) (p65 or with low (<135 mmol/L) baseline serum sodium concentrations were least likely to benefit from therapy. Conclusions: All oral DAAs effectively cured HCV in patients with advanced liver disease. Viral clearance was associated with improvement in liver function within 6 months compared to untreated patients. The longer term impact of HCV treatment in patients with decompensated cirrhosis remains to be determined

Climate seasonality limits leaf carbon assimilation and wood productivity in tropical forests

The seasonal climate drivers of the carbon cycle in tropical forests remain poorly known, although these forests account for more carbon assimilation and storage than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Based on a unique combination of seasonal pan-tropical data sets from 89 experimental sites (68 include aboveground wood productivity measurements and 35 litter productivity measurements), their associated canopy photosynthetic capacity (enhanced vegetation index, EVI) and climate, we ask how carbon assimilation and aboveground allocation are related to climate seasonality in tropical forests and how they interact in the seasonal carbon cycle. We found that canopy photosynthetic capacity seasonality responds positively to precipitation when rainfall is < 2000ĝ€-mmĝ€-yrĝ'1 (water-limited forests) and to radiation otherwise (light-limited forests). On the other hand, independent of climate limitations, wood productivity and litterfall are driven by seasonal variation in precipitation and evapotranspiration, respectively. Consequently, light-limited forests present an asynchronism between canopy photosynthetic capacity and wood productivity. First-order control by precipitation likely indicates a decrease in tropical forest productivity in a drier climate in water-limited forest, and in current light-limited forest with future rainfall < 2000ĝ€-mmĝ€-yrĝ'1. Author(s) 2016.Fil: Wagner, Fabien H.. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais; BrasilFil: Hérault, Bruno. Ecologie Des Forets de Guyane; BrasilFil: Bonal, Damien. Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique; FranciaFil: Stahl, Clment. Universiteit Antwerp; BélgicaFil: Anderson, Liana O.. National Center For Monitoring And Early Warning Of Natural Disasters; BrasilFil: Baker, Timothy R.. University Of Leeds; Reino UnidoFil: Sebastian Becker, Gabriel. Universidad de Hohenheim; AlemaniaFil: Beeckman, Hans. Royal Museum For Central Africa; BélgicaFil: Boanerges Souza, Danilo. Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia; BrasilFil: Cesar Botosso, Paulo. Ministerio da Agricultura Pecuaria e Abastecimento de Brasil. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria; BrasilFil: Bowman, David M. J. S.. University of Tasmania; AustraliaFil: Bräuning, Achim. Universitat Erlangen-Nuremberg; AlemaniaFil: Brede, Benjamin. Wageningen University And Research Centre; Países BajosFil: Irving Brown, Foster. Universidade Federal Do Acre; BrasilFil: Julio Camarero, Jesus. Instituto Boliviano de Investigacion Forestal Bolivia; BoliviaFil: Camargo, Plnio Barbosa. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Cardoso, Fernanda C.G.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Carvalho, Fabrcio Alvim. Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora; BrasilFil: Castro, Wendeson. Universidade Federal Do Acre; BrasilFil: Koloski Chagas, Rubens. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Chave, Jrome. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Chidumayo, Emmanuel N.. University Of Zambia; ZambiaFil: Clark, Deborah A.. University Of Missouri-st. Louis; Estados UnidosFil: Regina Capellotto Costa, Flavia. Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia, Inovações. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia; BrasilFil: Couralet, Camille. Royal Museum For Central Africa; BélgicaFil: Henrique Da Silva Mauricio, Paulo. Universidade Federal Do Acre; BrasilFil: Dalitz, Helmut. Universidad de Hohenheim; AlemaniaFil: Resende De Castro, Vinicius. Universidade Federal de Vicosa; BrasilFil: Milani, Jaanan Eloisa De Freitas. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Roig Junent, Fidel Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael - Ianigla | Provincia de Mendoza. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael - Ianigla | Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales. Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael - Ianigla; Argentin

The Essential Toxin: Impact of Zinc on Human Health

Compared to several other metal ions with similar chemical properties, zinc is relatively harmless. Only exposure to high doses has toxic effects, making acute zinc intoxication a rare event. In addition to acute intoxication, long-term, high-dose zinc supplementation interferes with the uptake of copper. Hence, many of its toxic effects are in fact due to copper deficiency. While systemic homeostasis and efficient regulatory mechanisms on the cellular level generally prevent the uptake of cytotoxic doses of exogenous zinc, endogenous zinc plays a significant role in cytotoxic events in single cells. Here, zinc influences apoptosis by acting on several molecular regulators of programmed cell death, including caspases and proteins from the Bcl and Bax families. One organ where zinc is prominently involved in cell death is the brain, and cytotoxicity in consequence of ischemia or trauma involves the accumulation of free zinc. Rather than being a toxic metal ion, zinc is an essential trace element. Whereas intoxication by excessive exposure is rare, zinc deficiency is widespread and has a detrimental impact on growth, neuronal development, and immunity, and in severe cases its consequences are lethal. Zinc deficiency caused by malnutrition and foods with low bioavailability, aging, certain diseases, or deregulated homeostasis is a far more common risk to human health than intoxication

Garotas de loja, história social e teoria social [Shop Girls, Social History and Social Theory]

Shop workers, most of them women, have made up a significant proportion of Britain’s labour force since the 1850s but we still know relatively little about their history. This article argues that there has been a systematic neglect of one of the largest sectors of female employment by historians and investigates why this might be. It suggests that this neglect is connected to framings of work that have overlooked the service sector as a whole as well as to a continuing unease with the consumer society’s transformation of social life. One element of that transformation was the rise of new forms of aesthetic, emotional and sexualised labour. Certain kinds of ‘shop girls’ embodied these in spectacular fashion. As a result, they became enduring icons of mass consumption, simultaneously dismissed as passive cultural dupes or punished as powerful agents of cultural destruction. This article interweaves the social history of everyday shop workers with shifting representations of the ‘shop girl’, from Victorian music hall parodies, through modernist social theory, to the bizarre bombing of the Biba boutique in London by the Angry Brigade on May Day 1971. It concludes that progressive historians have much to gain by reclaiming these workers and the service economy that they helped create

Can strong consumer and producer effects be reconciled to better forecast 'catastrophic' phase-shifts in marine ecosystems?

The indirect effects of climate on species interactions were initially surprising, but ecological models that account for ecosystem decline have long underestimated their ubiquity and strength. Indirect effects not only yield "unexpected results", but also some of the strongest ecological effects (i.e. phase-shifts) that have been regarded as "catastrophes" on coral reefs, "collapses" of kelp forests and "crises" in seagrass meadows. Such effects went unanticipated because the impact of one species on another required knowledge of a third element that was inadequately understood. Subsequent debate over the causes of habitat loss has often been polarised by two extreme points of view, i.e. consumer versus producer effects. It is our perspective that these debates will persist unless we clarify the context-dependency of two kinds of indirect effect; those driven by strong consumer effects and those driven by strong producer effects. On human-dominated coasts, loss of coral, kelp and seagrass can occur as a function of change in trophic cascades (i.e. consumer effects) as well as change to competitive hierarchies (i.e. producer competition for resources). Because production and consumption are under strong physiological control by climate (providing predictable responses), there is merit in recognising the type and context of indirect effects to reduce errors associated with model-based forecasting. Indeed, forecasts of how global (e.g. elevated temperature and CO2) and local drivers (e.g. fishing and pollution) combine to drive ecological change will often depend on the relative strength of different kinds of indirect effects (i.e. consumer effects vs producer effects). By recognising the context-dependency of the indirect effects under investigation, the information content of forecasts may not only increase, but also provide an improved understanding of indirect effects and community ecology in general. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.Sean D. Connell, Bayden D. Russell, Andrew D. Irvin