Aiding multi-level decision-making processes for climate change mitigation and adaptation

Progress towards climate change aware regional sustainable development is affected by actions at multiple spatial scales and governance levels and equally impacts actions at these scales. Many authors and policy practitioners consider therefore that decisions over policy, mitigation strategies and capacity for adaptation to climate change require construction and coordination over multiple levels of governance to arrive at acceptable local, regional and global management strategies. However, how such processes of coordination and decision-aiding can occur and be maintained and improved over time is a major challenge in need of investigation. We take on this challenge by proposing research-supported methods of aiding multi-level decision-making processes in this context. Four example regionally focussed multi-level case studies from diverse socio-political contexts are outlined-estuarine management in Australia's Lower Hawkesbury, flood and drought management in Bulgaria's Upper Iskar Basin, climate policy integration in Spain's Comunidad Valenciana and food security in Bangladesh's Faridpur District-from which insights are drawn. Our discussion focuses on exploring these insights including: (1) the possible advantages of informal research-supported processes and specifically those that provide individual arenas of participation for different levels of stakeholders; (2) the complexity of organisation processes required for aiding multi-level decision-making processes; and (3) to what extent progress towards integrated regional policies for climate change aware sustainable development can be achieved through research-supported processes. We finish with a speculative section that provides ideas and directions for future research

Near Infrared Raman Spectroscopy To Detect The Calcification Of The Annular Mitral Valve

Cardiac valves are subjected to high repetitive mechanical stresses, particularly at the hinge points of the cusps and leaflets d ue to the over 40 millions cardiac cycles per year. These delicate structures can suffer cumulative lesions, complicated by the deposition of calcium phosphate mineral, which may lead to clinically important disease. Near Infrared Raman Spectroscopy gives important information about biological tissues composition and it is being used for diagnosis of some pathologies. The aim of this work was to detect trough the use of the Raman Spectroscopy technique the mitral annular calcification. A Ti:saphire laser operating at the near infrared wavelength of 785 nm was used for the excitation of the valve samples and the Raman radiation was detected by an optical spectrometer with a CCD liquid nitrogen cooled detector. In all, ten samples of normal and pathologic tissues were studied. They were approximately squared with the lateral size of 5 mm. It was observed that the Raman spectrum of the calcified mitral valve showed different behavior, when compared to normal tissues. Results indicate that this technique could be used to detect the deposition of the calcium phosphate mineral over the mitral valve.5622PART 16266Christensen, G., Cardiovascular and renal effects of atrial natriuretic factor (1993) Scand J. Clin Lab Invest, 53, pp. 203-207Peters, N.S., Cardiac arrhythmogenesis and the gap junction (1995) J Mol Cell Cardiol., 27, pp. 37-40Hanlon, E.B., Prospect for "in vivo" Raman spectroscopy (2000) Phys. Med. Biol., 45, pp. R1-59Lucas, A., Development of an avian model for restenosis (1996) Atherosclerosis, 119, pp. 17-41Sathaiah, S., Silveira Jr., L., Pasqualucci, C.A., Zangaro, R.A., Chavantes, M.C., Mtt, P., Correlated diagnosis of atherosclerosis with non-invasive Raman spectroscopy and pathological techniques (1996) International Laser Congress, p. 72. , GreeceSathaiah, S., Pasqualucci, C.A., Mtt, P., Application of near Infrared Raman spectroscopy for less invasive diagnosis of atherosclerosis (1997) Proc. International Conference on Lasers, 97. , U.S.AManoharan, R., UV resonance Raman spectroscopy for detection of colon cancer (1995) Lasers in Life Sci., 6, pp. 217-249Boustany, N.N., Analysis of normal and diseased colon mucosa using ultraviolet resonance Raman spectroscopy (1996) Proceedings of SPIE, 2679, pp. 66-70. , Advances in Lasers and Light Spectroscopy to Diagnose Cancer and other Diseases III: Optical Biopsy, San Jose CAPilotto, S., Mtt, P., Silveira Jr., L., Balbin Villaverde, A., Zangaro, R.A., Analysis of near-infrared Raman Spectroscopy as a new technique for a transcutaneous non-invasive diagnosis of blood components (2001) Laser Med. Sci, 16, pp. 2-9Jianan, Y., Wilson, B.C., Suria, D., Concentration measurements of multiple analytes in human sera by near-infrared laser Raman spectroscopy (1999) Appl Opt, 38 (25), pp. 5491-5497Berger, A., Koo, T.W., Itzhan, I., Horowitz, G., Feld, M.S., Multicomponent blood analysis by near-infrared Raman spectroscopy (1999) Appl Opt, 38 (13), pp. 2916-2916Otero, E.U., Sathaiah, S., Silveira Jr., L., Pma, P., Cag, P., Raman spectroscopy for diagnosis of calcification in human heart valves (2004) Spectroscopy: An International Journal, 18 (1), pp. 75-84Stone, N., Near-infrared Raman Spectroscopy for classification of epithelial pre-cancers and cancers (2002) J. Raman Spectrosc, 33, pp. 564-57

Comportamento de variedades de arroz de sequeiro em diferentes populações de plantas, com e sem irrigação suplementar

Four experiments were carried out in a cerrado soil to study the effect of row spacing and seed density on rice (Oryza sativa) yield and some byometric characteristics, with and without supplemental sprinkler irrigation. Two experiments used the Araguaia variety and the other two, the Guarani variety. Irrigation enhanced in 90 and 35% the yield of the varieties Araguaia and Guarani, respectively. Irrigation significantly affected biometric characteristics. The highest yield of Guarani v. was obtained with 30 cm row spacing and density of 130 seeds per m², and its harvest index (HI) was linearly and positively correlated with grain yield. The highest yield of Araguaia v. was obtained with 40 cm spacing, independently of the density and presence of irrigation. The variety Guarani showed to be more competitive than the Araguaia, having smaller HI and its grain yield being more affected by plant population.Visando determinar os efeitos do espaçamento entre linhas (30, 40 e 50 cm) e da densidade de semeadura (50, 100 e 150 sementes/m²) sobre o rendimento de grãos e algumas características biométricas de duas variedades de arroz (Oryza sativa L.), com e sem irrigação suplementar, foram conduzidos quatro experimentos em solo de cerrado, sendo dois com a variedade Araguaia e os outros com a 'Guarani'. A irrigação propiciou incremento de 90 e 35% no rendimento de grãos das v. Araguaia e Guarani, respectivamente, influenciando significativamente todas as características biométricas estudadas. A v. Guarani apresentou maior produção de grãos no menor espaçamento e na densidade de 130 sementes por m², e o seu índice de colheita (IC) foi correlacionado linear e positivamente com o rendimento de grãos. Na v. Araguaia, o maior rendimento de grãos foi observado no espaçamento de 40 cm, independente da irrigação e da densidade de semeadura. A 'Guarani' mostrou ser uma variedade mais competitiva que a 'Araguaia', apresentando menor IC e maior influência da densidade de semeadura, sobre o rendimento de grãos

Mozambique's Future: Modeling Population and Sustainable Development Challenges

What are the prospects for sustainable development over the next 20 years in Mozambique? Although it looks as if much of the development prospects are determined by such inherently unpredictable events as war, peace, and weather calamities, there are also many changes and patterns which have a long-term stability and which change only slowly over time. For example, socio-demographic changes, such as labor force skills, and population health have a long momentum. These are very important indicators for the economic development potential of a country. Also, although it is impossible to predict a particular year of heavy rains or droughts, there are long time series of weather from which we can calculate the country's vulnerability to single- or multiple-year weather disasters. To focus our efforts in answering this bold question, we concentrate on four issues: (1) Can poverty be erased in the next 20 years? (2) How will school enrollment lead to higher skills in the labor force by 2020? (3) What role will water play in development, in particular, water provision by rain to rural areas, and infrastructure to cities? (4) And, most importantly, what will be the impacts of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the next decades

The impact of bilingualism on the executive control and orienting networks of attention

The main objective of this article is to provide new evidence regarding the impact of bilingualism on the attentional system. We approach this goal by assessing the effects of bilingualism on the executive and orienting networks of attention. In Experiment 1, we compared young bilingual and monolingual adults in a numerical version of the Stroop task, which allowed the assessment of the executive control network. We observed more efficient performance in the former group, which showed both reduced Stroop Interference and larger Stroop Facilitation Effects relative to the latter. Conversely, Experiment 2, conducted with a visual cueing task in order to assess the orienting network, revealed similar Cueing Facilitation and Inhibition (Inhibition of Return - IOR) Effects for both groups of speakers. The implications of the results of these two experiments for the origin and boundaries of the bilingual impact on the attentional system are discussed

Effect Of Etching Time And Light Source On The Bond Strength Of Metallic Brackets To Ceramic

This study evaluated the bond strength of brackets to ceramic testing different etching times and light sources for photo-activation of the bonding agent. Cylinders of feldspathic ceramic were etched with 10% hydrofluoric acid for 20 or 60 s. After application of silane on the ceramic surface, metallic brackets were bonded to the cylinders using Transbond XT (3M Unitek). The specimens for each etching time were assigned to 4 groups (n=15), according to the light source: XL2500 halogen light, UltraLume 5 LED, AccuCure 3000 argon laser, and Apollo 95E plasma arc. Light-activation was carried out with total exposure times of 40, 40, 20 and 12 s, respectively. Shear strength testing was carried out after 24 h. The adhesive remnant index (ARI) was evaluated under magnification. Data were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=0.05). Specimens etched for 20 s presented significantly lower bond strength (p0.05) were detected among the light sources. The ARI showed a predominance of scores 0 in all groups, with an increase in scores 1, 2 and 3 for the 60 s time. In conclusion, only the etching time had significant influence on the bond strength of brackets to ceramic.223245248Barghi, N., Fischer, D.E., Vatani, L., Effects of porcelain leucite content, types of etchants, and etching time on porcelaincomposite bond (2006) J Esthet Restor Dent, 18, pp. 47-52Nagayassu, M.P., Shintome, L.K., Uemura, E.S., Araújo, J.E., Effect of surface treatment on the shear bond strength of a resin-based cement to porcelain (2006) Braz Dent J, 17, pp. 290-295Shimada, Y., Yamaguchi, S., Tagami, J., Micro-shear bond strength of dual-cured resin cement to glass ceramics (2002) Dent Mater, 18, pp. 380-388Chen, J.H., Matsumura, H., Atsuta, M., Effect of different etching periods on the bond strength of a composite resin to a machinable porcelain (1998) J Dent, 26, pp. 53-58Guler, A.U., Yilmaz, F., Yenisey, M., Guler, E., Ural, C., Effect of acid etching time and a self-etching adhesive on the shear bond strength of composite resin to porcelain (2006) J Adhes Dent, 8, pp. 21-25Kasuya, K., Miyazaki, Y., Ogawa, N., Maki, K., Manabe, A., Itoh, K., Efficacy of experimental dual-cure resin cement for orthodontic direct bond system (2006) Orthod Waves, 65, pp. 107-111Meguro, D., Hayakawa, T., Kasai, K., Efficacy of using orthodontic adhesive resin in bonding and debonding characteristics of a calcium phosphate ceramic bracket (2006) Orthod Waves, 65, pp. 148-154Dall'igna, C.M., Marchioro, E.M., Spohr, A.M., Mota, E.G., Effect of curing time on the bond strength of a bracket-bonding system cured with a light-emitting diode or plasma arc light (2011) Eur J Orthod, 33, pp. 55-59Correr, A.B., Sinhoreti, M.A., Sobrinho, L.C., Tango, R.N., Schneider, L.F., Consani, S., Effect of the increase of energy density on Knoop hardness of dental composites light-cured by conventional QTH, LED and xenon plasma arc (2005) Braz Dent J, 16, pp. 218-224Cekic-Nagas, I., Egilmez, F., Ergun, G., The effect of irradiation distance on microhardness of resin composites cured with different light curing units (2010) Eur J Dent, 4, pp. 440-446Thind, B.S., Stirrups, D.R., Lloyd, C.H., A comparison of tungstenquartz- halogen, plasma arc and light-emitting diode light sources for the polymerization of an orthodontic adhesive (2006) Eur J Orthod, 28, pp. 78-82Filipov, I.A., Vladimirov, S.B., Residual monomer in a composite resin after light-curing with different sources, light intensities and spectra of radiation (2006) Braz Dent J, 17, pp. 34-38Park, J.K., Hur, B., Ko, C.C., García-Godoy, F., Kim, H.I., Kwon, Y.H., Effect of light-curing units on the thermal expansion of resin nanocomposites (2010) Am J Dent, 23, pp. 331-334Price, R.B., Labrie, D., Rueggeberg, F.A., Felix, C.M., Irraciance differences in the violet (405 nm) and blue (460 nm) spectral ranges among dental light-curing units (2010) J Esthet Restor Dent, 22, pp. 363-377Yen, T.W., Blackman, R.B., Baez, R.J., Effect of acid etching on the flexural strength of a feldspathic porcelain and a castable glass ceramic (1993) J Prosthet Dent, 70, pp. 224-233Reynolds, I.R., Composite filling materials as adhesives in orthodontics (1975) Br Dent J, 138, p. 83Rueggeberg, F., Contemporary issues in photocuring (1999) Compend Contin Educ Dent, (SUPPL.), pp. 4-15Olsen, M.E., Bishara, S.E., Boyer, D.B., Jakobsen, J.R., Effect of varying etching times on the bond strength of ceramic brackets (1996) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 109, pp. 403-409Sant'anna, E.F., Monnerat, M.E., Chevitarese, O., Stuani, M.B., Bonding brackets to porcelain - in vitro study (2002) Braz Dent J, 3, pp. 191-196Canay, S., Hersek, N., Ertan, A., Effect of different acid treatments on a porcelain surface (2001) J Oral Rehabil, 28, pp. 95-10

Effects Of Thermocycling And Light Source On The Bond Strength Of Metallic Brackets To Bovine Teeth

This study evaluated the effects of thermocycling and different light sources on the bond strength of metallic brackets to bovine tooth enamel using an adhesive resin. Bovine teeth were etched with 35% phosphoric acid gel for 20 s. After application of primer, metallic brackets were bonded to the buccal surface using Transbond XT, forming 8 groups (n=20), depending on the light source used for photoactivation (AccuCure 3000 argon laser - 20 s, Apollo 95E plasma arc - 12 s, UltraLume 5 LED - 40 s and XL2500 halogen light - 40 s) and experimental conditions without (Groups 1 to 4) or with thermocycling (Groups 5 to 8). Shear bond testing was carried out after 24 h of distilled water storage (Groups 1 to 4) or storage and thermocycling in distilled water (groups 5 to 8; 1,500 cycles - 5°/55°C). Data were subjected to two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=0.05). The Adhesive Remnant Index (ARI) was evaluated at ×8 magnification. No significant differences (p>0.05) in bond strength were found when the conditions without and with thermocycling were compared for any of the light sources. No significant differences (p>0.05) in bond strength were found among the light sources, irrespective of performing or not thermocycling. There was a predominance of ARI scores 1 in all groups. In conclusion, light sources and thermocycling had no influence on the bond strength of brackets to bovine enamel.226486489Sfondrini, M.F., Cacciafesta, V., Scribante, A., Klersy, C., Plasma arc versus halogen light curing of orthodontic brackets: A 12-month clinical study of bond failures (2004) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 125, pp. 342-347Dall'igna, C.M., Marchioro, E.M., Spohr, A.M., Mota, E.G., Effect of curing time on the bond strength of a bracket-bonding system cured with a light-emitting diode or plasma arc light (2011) Eur J Orthod, 33, pp. 55-59Correr, A.B., Sinhoreti, M.A., Sobrinho, L.C., Tango, R.N., Schneider, L.F., Consani, S., Effect of the increase of energy density on Knoop hardness of dental composites light-cured by conventional QTH, LED and xenon plasma arc (2005) Braz Dent J, 16, pp. 218-224Cekic-Nagas, I., Egilmez, F., Ergun, G., The effect of irradiation distance on microhardness of resin composites cured with different light curing units (2010) Eur J Dent, 4, pp. 440-446Thind, B.S., Stirrups, D.R., Lloyd, C.H., A comparison of tungsten- quartz halogen, plasma arc and light-emitting diode light sources for the polymerization of an orthodontic adhesive (2006) Eur J Orthod, 28, pp. 78-82Filipov, I.A., Vladimirov, S.B., Residual monomer in a composite resin after light-curing with different sources, light intensities and spectra of radiation (2006) Braz Dent J, 17, pp. 34-38Park, J.K., Hur, B., Ko, C.C., García-Godoy, F., Kim, H.I., Kwon, Y.H., Effect of light-curing units on the thermal expansion of resin nanocomposites (2010) Am J Dent, 23, pp. 331-334Price, R.B., Labrie, D., Rueggeberg, F.A., Felix, C.M., Irradiance differences in the violet (405 nm) and blue (460 nm) spectral ranges among dental light-curing units (2010) J Esthet Restor Dent, 22, pp. 363-377Gonçalves, P.R.A., Moraes, R.R., Costa, A.R., Correr, A.B., Nouer, P.R.A., Sinhoreti, M.A.C., Effect of etching time and light source on the bond strength of metallic brackets to ceramic (2011) Braz Dent J, 22, pp. 245-248Swanson, T., Dunn, W.J., Childers, D.E., Taloumis, L.J., Shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets bonded with light-emitting diode curing units at various polymerization times (2004) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 125, pp. 337-341Usumez, S., Buyukyilmaz, T., Karaman, A.I., Effect of light-emitting diode on bond strength of orthodontic brackets (2004) Angle Orthod, 74, pp. 259-263Talbot, T.Q., Blankenau, R.J., Zobitz, M.E., Weaver, A.L., Lohse, C.M., Rebellato, J., Effect of argon laser irradiation on shear bond strength of orthodontic brackets: An in vitro study (2000) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 118, pp. 274-279Klocke, A., Korbmacher, H.M., Huck, L.G., Kahl-Nieke, B., Plasma arc curing lights for orthodontic bonding (2002) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 122, pp. 643-648Bishara, S.E., Ostby, A.W., Laffoon, J.F., Warren, J., Shear bond strength comparison of two adhesive systems following thermocycling (2007) Angle Orthod, 77, pp. 337-341Faltermeier, A., Müssig, D., A comparative evaluation of bracket bonding with 1-, 2-, and 3-component adhesive systems (2007) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 132, pp. 144.e1-144.e5Gale, M.S., Darvell, B.W., Thermal cycling procedures for laboratory testing of dental restorations (1999) J Dent, 27, pp. 89-99Trites, B., Foley, T.F., Banting, D., Bond strength comparison of 2 self-etching primers over a 3-month storage period (2004) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 126, pp. 709-716Yuasa, T., Iijima, M., Ito, S., Muguruma, T., Saito, T., Mizoguchi, I., Effects of long-term storage and thermocycling on bond strength of two self-etching primer adhesive systems (2010) Eur J Orthod, 32, pp. 285-290Artun, J., Berglund, S., Clinical trials with crystal growth conditioning as an alternative to acid-etch enamel pretreatment (1984) Am J Orthod, 85, pp. 333-340Oesterle, L.J., Newman, S.M., Shellhart, W.C., Rapid curing of bondingcomposite with a xenon plasma arc light (2001) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 119, pp. 610-616Staudt, C.B., Mavropoulos, A., Bouil, L.S., Kiliaridis, S., Krejcid, I., Light-curing time reduction with a new high-power halogen lamp (2005) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop, 128, pp. 749-754Yu, H.S., Lee, K.J., Jin, G.C., Baik, H.S., Comparison of the shear bond strength of brackets using the LED curing light and plasma arc curing light: Polymerization time (2007) World J Orthod, 8, pp. 129-135Rueggeberg, F., Contemporary issues in photocuring (1999) Compend Contin Educ Dent Suppl, pp. 4-15de Munck, J., van Landuyt, K., Peumans, M., Poitevin, A., Lambrechts, P., Braem, M., A critical review of the durability of adhesion of tooth tissue: Methods and results (2005) J Dent Res, 84, pp. 118-132Reynolds, I.R., Composite filling materials as adhesives in Orthodontics (1975) Br Dent J, 138, p. 8

Tachyons in Compact Spaces

We discuss condensations of closed string tachyons localized in compact spaces. Time evolution of an on-shell condensation is naturally related to the worldsheet RG flow. Some explicit tachyonic compactifications of Type II string theory is considered, and some of them are shown to decay into supersymmetric theories known as the little string theories.Comment: 14 page

Phytoestrogen agathisflavone ameliorates neuroinflammation-induced by LPS and IL-1β and protects neurons in cocultures of glia/neurons

Inflammation and oxidative stress are common aspects of most neurodegenerative diseases in the central nervous system. In this context, microglia and astrocytes are central to mediating the balance between neuroprotective and neurodestructive mechanisms. Flavonoids have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Here, we have examined the anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective potential of the flavonoid agathisflavone (FAB), which is derived from the Brazilian plant Poincianella pyramidalis, in in vitro models of neuroinflammation. Cocultures of neurons/glial cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 1 µg/mL) or interleukin (IL)-1β (10 ng/mL) for 24 h and treated with FAB (0.1 and 1 µM, 24 h). FAB displayed a significant neuroprotective effect, as measured by nitric oxide (NO) production, Fluoro-Jade B (FJ-B) staining, and immunocytochemistry (ICC) for the neuronal marker β-tubulin and the cell death marker caspase-3, preserving neuronal soma and increasing neurite outgrowth. FAB significantly decreased the LPS-induced microglial proliferation, identified by ICC for Iba-1/bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and CD68 (microglia M1 profile marker). In contrast, FAB had no apparent effect on astrocytes, as determined by ICC for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Furthermore, FAB protected against the cytodestructive and proinflammatory effects of IL-1β, a key cytokine that is released by activated microglia and astrocytes, and ICC showed that combined treatment of FAB with α and β estrogen receptor antagonists did not affect NF-κB expression. In addition, qPCR analysis demonstrated that FAB decreased the expression of proinflammatory molecules TNF-α, IL-1β, and connexins CCL5 and CCL2, as well as increased the expression of the regulatory molecule IL-10. Together, these findings indicate that FAB has a significant neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory effect in vitro, which may be considered as an adjuvant for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases

Scaling up health knowledge at European level requires sharing integrated data: An approach for collection of database specification

Computerized health care databases have been widely described as an excellent opportunity for research. The availability of “big data” has brought about a wave of innovation in projects when conducting health services research. Most of the available secondary data sources are restricted to the geographical scope of a given country and present heterogeneous structure and content. Under the umbrella of the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing, collaborative work conducted by the partners of the group on “adherence to prescription and medical plans” identified the use of observational and large-population databases to monitor medication-taking behavior in the elderly. This article describes the methodology used to gather the information from available databases among the Adherence Action Group partners with the aim of improving data sharing on a European level. A total of six databases belonging to three different European countries (Spain, Republic of Ireland, and Italy) were included in the analysis. Preliminary results suggest that there are some similarities. However, these results should be applied in different contexts and European countries, supporting the idea that large European studies should be designed in order to get the most of already available databases