“Who Cares?”: the acceptance of decentralized wastewater systems in regions without water problems

There is a growing interest in decentralized wastewater treatment systems, especially in regions with water scarcity problems or water management issues. This study aims to determine whether the perceived advantages and disadvantages (leading to acceptance) of decentralized wastewater plants in such regions are the same in regions where the population is not aware of these water issues. Firstly, this study systematically reviews previous findings on public perceptions of the acceptance of decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Then, the study details the results of a focus group study to determine whether the elements identified in the literature are also relevant in a region where people are unaware of water problems. The results show that a lack of awareness of water issues seems to be a critical factor influencing acceptance. Reframing the usefulness of these systems by focusing on other aspects, such as environmental sustainability, is key.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Scaling laws in the diffusion limited aggregation of persistent random walkers

We investigate the diffusion limited aggregation of particles executing persistent random walks. The scaling properties of both random walks and large aggregates are presented. The aggregates exhibit a crossover between ballistic and diffusion limited aggregation models. A non-trivial scaling relation $\xi\sim\ell^{1.25}$ between the characteristic size $\xi$, in which the cluster undergoes a morphological transition, and the persistence length $\ell$, between ballistic and diffusive regimes of the random walk, is observed.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures; Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, In Press, Uncorrected Proof, Available online 8 July 2011, ISSN 0378-437

Mass-Enhanced Fermi Liquid Ground State in Na1.5_{1.5}Co2_2O4_4

Magnetic, transport, and specific heat measurements have been performed on layered metallic oxide Na$_{1.5}$Co$_2$O$_4$ as a function of temperature $T$. Below a characteristic temperature $T^*$=30$-$40 K, electrical resistivity shows a metallic conductivity with a $T^2$ behavior and magnetic susceptibility deviates from the Curie-Weiss behavior showing a broad peak at $\sim$14 K. The electronic specific heat coefficient $\gamma$ is $\sim$60 mJ/molK$^2$ at 2 K. No evidence for magnetic ordering is found. These behaviors suggest the formation of mass-enhanced Fermi liquid ground state analogous to that in $d$-electron heavy fermion compound LiV$_2$O$_4$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev. B 69 (2004

Modelagem do crescimento de culturas: aplicações à cultura do milho.

Características gerais dos modelos de culturas; Principais modelos de culturas; Possibilidades de aplicação dos modelos de cultura; Aplicação no manejo da cultura; Aplicação na análise da resposta de culturas à irrigação e no planejamento do uso de recursos hídricos; Aplicação no manejo de nitrogênio; Aplicação na avalização de risco climático e no prognóstico de safras; Aplicação na análise da sustentabilidade de sistemas de sucessão de culturas; Aplicação em estudos de variabilidade espacial e em manejo sítio-específico; Aplicação no planejamento de uso da terra e dos recursos naturais; Aplicação na genética e melhoramento e na análise da interação genótipo x ambiente; Aplicação na simulação do efeito de pragas, doenças e plantas daninhas; Aplicação nos estudos de mudanças climáticas; Aplicação como ferramenta de educação e transferência de tecnologia; Limitações dos modelos de crescimento de culturas; Potencialidades de aplicação de modelos de simulação de culturas no Brasil.bitstream/CNPMS-2010/22537/1/Doc-91.pd

Definition of the σW regulon of Bacillus subtilis in the absence of stress

Bacteria employ extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factors for their responses to environmental stresses. Despite intensive research, the molecular dissection of ECF sigma factor regulons has remained a major challenge due to overlaps in the ECF sigma factor-regulated genes and the stimuli that activate the different ECF sigma factors. Here we have employed tiling arrays to single out the ECF σW regulon of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis from the overlapping ECF σX, σY, and σM regulons. For this purpose, we profiled the transcriptome of a B. subtilis sigW mutant under non-stress conditions to select candidate genes that are strictly σW-regulated. Under these conditions, σW exhibits a basal level of activity. Subsequently, we verified the σW-dependency of candidate genes by comparing their transcript profiles to transcriptome data obtained with the parental B. subtilis strain 168 grown under 104 different conditions, including relevant stress conditions, such as salt shock. In addition, we investigated the transcriptomes of rasP or prsW mutant strains that lack the proteases involved in the degradation of the σW anti-sigma factor RsiW and subsequent activation of the σW-regulon. Taken together, our studies identify 89 genes as being strictly σW-regulated, including several genes for non-coding RNAs. The effects of rasP or prsW mutations on the expression of σW-dependent genes were relatively mild, which implies that σW-dependent transcription under non-stress conditions is not strictly related to RasP and PrsW. Lastly, we show that the pleiotropic phenotype of rasP mutant cells, which have defects in competence development, protein secretion and membrane protein production, is not mirrored in the transcript profile of these cells. This implies that RasP is not only important for transcriptional regulation via σW, but that this membrane protease also exerts other important post-transcriptional regulatory functions

IQGAP1 Is Involved in Post-Ischemic Neovascularization by Regulating Angiogenesis and Macrophage Infiltration

Neovascularization is an important repair mechanism in response to ischemic injury and is dependent on inflammation, angiogenesis and reactive oxygen species (ROS). IQGAP1, an actin-binding scaffold protein, is a key regulator for actin cytoskeleton and motility. We previously demonstrated that IQGAP1 mediates vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced ROS production and migration of cultured endothelial cells (ECs); however, its role in post-ischemic neovascularization is unknown.Ischemia was induced by left femoral artery ligation, which resulted in increased IQGAP1 expression in Mac3(+) macrophages and CD31(+) capillary-like ECs in ischemic legs. Mice lacking IQGAP1 exhibited a significant reduction in the post-ischemic neovascularization as evaluated by laser Doppler blood flow, capillary density and α-actin positive arterioles. Furthermore, IQGAP1(-/-) mice showed a decrease in macrophage infiltration and ROS production in ischemic muscles, leading to impaired muscle regeneration and increased necrosis and fibrosis. The numbers of bone marrow (BM)-derived cells in the peripheral blood were not affected in these knockout mice. BM transplantation revealed that IQGAP1 expressed in both BM-derived cells and tissue resident cells, such as ECs, is required for post-ischemic neovascularization. Moreover, thioglycollate-induced peritoneal macrophage recruitment and ROS production were inhibited in IQGAP1(-/-) mice. In vitro, IQGAP1(-/-) BM-derived macrophages showed inhibition of migration and adhesion capacity, which may explain the defective macrophage recruitment into the ischemic tissue in IQGAP1(-/-) mice.IQGAP1 plays a key role in post-ischemic neovascularization by regulating, not only, ECs-mediated angiogenesis but also macrophage infiltration as well as ROS production. Thus, IQGAP1 is a potential therapeutic target for inflammation- and angiogenesis-dependent ischemic cardiovascular diseases

Peanut contamination by Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 in granaries of villages and markets of Mali, West Africa

Peanut (Arachis hypogoea) is an important crop in Mali, West Africa. However, one of the main problems related to peanut production and commercialization is the detection of high levels of aflatoxin B1 in peanut-derived products for consumption. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the rate of progress of Aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin B1 in granaries located in 26 villages and also in the granaries located in the corresponding 26 markets in Mali and 2) to correlate the progress of the A. flavus and aflatoxin B1 with environmental variables outside the peanut granaries. The results showed that peanuts stored and consumed in rural areas are highly contaminated by A. flavus and aflatoxin B1, with average rates of aflatoxin B1 significantly above the accepted international standards especially between the months of June and December. There was a moderate relationship (r2 = 0.58) between the aflatoxin B1 levels for two granary types, located at the villages and the corresponding granaries in the markets. The analysis of the aflatoxin B1 levels in the villages and its relation with the weather conditions outside the granaries revealed that for one village (Tiele), high relative air humidity was a contributing factor in the development of A. flavus and levels of the aflatoxin B1 in the granary. The results indicated that maximum aflatoxin B1 production occurs in presence of warm temperatures and relative humidity above 80%

Follow-up nationwide survey on predictive genetic testing for late-onset hereditary neurological diseases in Japan

A follow-up nationwide survey on predictive genetic testing for late-onset neurological diseases in Japan was conducted. A questionnaire was sent to 89 institutional members of the Japan's National Liaison Council for Clinical Sections of Medical Genetics, and was returned by 60 (67.4%). A total of 301 clients with an interest in predictive testing were accumulated from April 2006 to March 2011. The greatest interest was shown for spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD, n = 110), followed by myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1, n = 69), Huntington's disease (HD, n = 52) and familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP, n = 35). The ratios of clients who actually underwent predictive testing were: SCD, 21.8%; DM1, 39.1%; HD, 26.9%; and FAP, 74.3%, indicating that predictive testing was conducted very cautiously for untreatable neurological diseases in Japan. Clinical geneticists were predominantly involved in genetic counseling, whereas the participation of non-medical doctor (non-MD) staff, including nurses, clinical psychologists and genetic counselors, was not common. Lack of non-MD counseling staff was one of the most serious issues in conducting predictive testing, which has not been improved since the previous survey performed in 2006. Institutional arrangements, such as revision of medical insurance system regarding genetic testing and counseling, might be necessary to resolve this issue.ArticleJOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS. 58(8):560-563 (2013)journal articl