Natural equilibrium states for multimodal maps

This paper is devoted to the study of the thermodynamic formalism for a class of real multimodal maps. This class contains, but it is larger than, Collet-Eckmann. For a map in this class, we prove existence and uniqueness of equilibrium states for the geometric potentials $-t \log|Df|$, for the largest possible interval of parameters $t$. We also study the regularity and convexity properties of the pressure function, completely characterising the first order phase transitions. Results concerning the existence of absolutely continuous invariant measures with respect to the Lebesgue measure are also obtained

Symmetry of anisotropic exchange interactions in semiconductor nanostructures

The symmetry of exchange interaction of charge carriers in semiconductor nanostructures (quantum wells and quantum dots) is analysed. It is shown that the exchange Hamiltonian of two particles belonging to the same energy band can be universally expressed via pseudospin operators of the particles. The relative strength of the anisotropic exchange interaction is shown to be independent of the binding energy and the isotropic exchange constant

A global research priority agenda to advance public health responses to fatty liver disease

Background & aims An estimated 38% of adults worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). From individual impacts to widespread public health and economic consequences, the implications of this disease are profound. This study aimed to develop an aligned, prioritised fatty liver disease research agenda for the global health community. Methods Nine co-chairs drafted initial research priorities, subsequently reviewed by 40 core authors and debated during a three-day in-person meeting. Following a Delphi methodology, over two rounds, a large panel (R1 n = 344, R2 n = 288) reviewed the priorities, via Qualtrics XM, indicating agreement using a four-point Likert-scale and providing written feedback. The core group revised the draft priorities between rounds. In R2, panellists also ranked the priorities within six domains: epidemiology, models of care, treatment and care, education and awareness, patient and community perspectives, and leadership and public health policy. Results The consensus-built fatty liver disease research agenda encompasses 28 priorities. The mean percentage of ‘agree’ responses increased from 78.3 in R1 to 81.1 in R2. Five priorities received unanimous combined agreement (‘agree’ + ‘somewhat agree’); the remaining 23 priorities had >90% combined agreement. While all but one of the priorities exhibited at least a super-majority of agreement (>66.7% ‘agree’), 13 priorities had 90% combined agreement. Conclusions Adopting this multidisciplinary consensus-built research priorities agenda can deliver a step-change in addressing fatty liver disease, mitigating against its individual and societal harms and proactively altering its natural history through prevention, identification, treatment, and care. This agenda should catalyse the global health community’s efforts to advance and accelerate responses to this widespread and fast-growing public health threat. Impact and implications An estimated 38% of adults and 13% of children and adolescents worldwide have fatty liver disease, making it the most prevalent liver disease in history. Despite substantial scientific progress in the past three decades, the burden continues to grow, with an urgent need to advance understanding of how to prevent, manage, and treat the disease. Through a global consensus process, a multidisciplinary group agreed on 28 research priorities covering a broad range of themes, from disease burden, treatment, and health system responses to awareness and policy. The findings have relevance for clinical and non-clinical researchers as well as funders working on fatty liver disease and non-communicable diseases more broadly, setting out a prioritised, ranked research agenda for turning the tide on this fast-growing public health threat

Can Brazil Replace 5% Of The 2025 Gasoline World Demand With Ethanol?

Increasing use of petroleum, coupled with concern for global warming, demands the development and institution of CO 2 reducing, non-fossil fuel-based alternative energy-generating strategies. Ethanol is a potential alternative, particularly when produced in a sustainable way as is envisioned for sugarcane in Brazil. We consider the expansion of sugarcane-derived ethanol to displace 5% of projected gasoline use worldwide in 2025. With existing technology, 21 million hectares of land will be required to produce the necessary ethanol. This is less than 7% of current Brazilian agricultural land and equivalent to current soybean land use. New production lands come from pasture made available through improving pasture management in the cattle industry. With the continued introduction of new cane varieties (annual yield increases of about 1.6%) and new ethanol production technologies, namely the hydrolysis of bagasse to sugars for ethanol production and sugarcane trash collection providing renewable process energy production, this could reduce these modest land requirements by 29-38%. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.345655661Leite, R.C.C., Silva, C.E.T.G., (2002) Energy for Brazil: a survival model (Energia para o Brasil: um modelo de sobrevivência), , Expressão e Cultura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [in Portuguese]Leite RC. Study of large scale production of ethanol, its possibilities and impacts, aiming the partial substitution of world gasoline (Estudo sobre as possibilidades e impactos da produção de grandes quantidades de etanol visando à substituição parcial de gasolina no Mundo), 2005 [in Portuguese]. 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A Promessa do Etanol no Brasil (The ethanol promisse in Brazil). Scientific American, Edição Especial Brasil. Ano 5, No. 53Outubro 2006 [in Portuguese]Cortez LAB. A 30 years balance of the proalcool program (Um Balanço de 30 Anos do Proálcool). Event for the proalcool 30th anniversary. Ethanol: present and perspectives. UNICAMP 16-17/November, Campinas, Brazil. 2005. See also: 〈http://www.nipeunicamp.org.br/proalcool/Palestras/16/proalcool30%5 B1%5D-Cortez.ppt〉 [in Portuguese]Brazilian Federal Government (2007) Empresa de Pesquisa Energética, , Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy [Ministério de Minas e Energia-MME] Brazilian Energy Balance BEN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [in PortugueseDatagro. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Sugar Commodity Note, 2007. See also: 〈http://www.fao.org/es/esc/en/highlight10872en.html〉Licht FO. 2007 In renewable fuels association-industry statistics, 2008. See also: 〈http://www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/statistics〉Rosillo-Calle, F., Cortez, L.A.B., Towards proalcool II. A review of the Brazilian bioethanol programme (1998) Biomass & Bioenegy, 14 (2), pp. 115-124União da Agroindústria Canavieira de São Paulo-UNICA. Statistics. 2008. See also: 〈www.portalunica.com.br〉 [in Portuguese]International Energy Agency-IEA Energy Statistic. Oil in World in 2005. See also: 〈http://www.iea.org./Textbase/stats/oildata.asp?〉(2003) Annual Energy Outlook, Table A2. Energy Consumption by Sector and Source, , Energy Information AdministrationJoseph Jr, H. The vehicle adaptation to ethanol fuel. Presentation to the Royal Society Biofuels Meeting. The Royal Society, 23-24 April 2007, London, UK. See also: 〈www.royalsoc.ac.uk/downloaddoc.asp?id=4248〉Bailey, K., Performance of ethanol as a transportation fuel (1996) Handbook of bioethanol: production and utilization, pp. 3-60. , Wyman C.E. (Ed), Taylor and Francis, WashingtonBraunbeck, O., Macedo, I., Cortez, L., Increasing the available biomass from sugarcane for energy conversion (2001) International workshop implementation strategies for biomass utilization in Europe and developing countries, , 19-21 November, SwedenBrazilian Ministry of Environment [Ministério do Meio Ambiente-MMA]. Federal Law Nr. 4.771, dated September, 15, 1965, Article 16th. 〈http://www.lei.adv.br/4771-65.htm〉. See also: 〈http://www.cetesb..sp.gov.br/licenciamentoo/legislacao/estadual/de cretos/2006_Dec_Est_50889.pdf〉USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. GAIN report. Brazil Bio-Fuels Annual. Ethanol GAIN report number: BR7011, 2007. See also: 〈http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200707/146291791.pdf〉Jank, M.S., The Old Sugarcane (2007) Fórum Internacional sobre o Futuro do Álcool, pp. 12-16. , Revista Opiniões Ed. Out-Dez:, São Paulo, in PortugueseConservation International. Cerrado 2008. See also: 〈http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/cerrado/Pages/defa ult.aspx〉 [Last accessed June 30, 2008]Fargione, J., Hill, J., Tilman, D., Polasky, S., Hawthorne, P., Land clearing and the biofuel carbon debt (2008) Science, 319, pp. 1235-1238Searchinger, T., Heimlich, R., Houghton, R.A., Dong, F., Elobeid, A., Fabiosa, J., Use of US croplands for biofuels increase greenhouse gases through emissions from land use change (2008) Science, 319, pp. 1238-1240Landers, J.N., (2007) Tropical crop livestock system in conservation agriculture. The Brazilian experience. Integrated crop management, 5-2007. , Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome(2007), www.transportes.gov.br, Brazilian Ministry of Transportation [Ministério dos Transportes, HomepagePrograma de Aceleração do Crescimento-PAC 2007-2010, Casa Civil, Presidência da República] (2007) Material para a Imprensa, , Federal Government Development Program, BrasíliaTranspetro Transportes Petrobrás, 2008. Homepage: 〈htt://www.transpetro.com.br/www.transpetro.com.br/TranspetroSite/a ppmanager/transpPortal〉Cunha, M.P., Scaramucci, J.A., Bioethanol as basis for regional development in Brazil: An input-output model with mixed technologies (2006) 46th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA), , VolosPatzek, T.W., Pimentel, D., Thermodynamics of energy production from biomass (2005) Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, 24, pp. 327-364Pimentel, D., Ethanol fuels: energy balance, economics, and environmental impacts are negative (2003) Natural Resources Research, 12, pp. 127-134Pimentel, D., Ethanol fuels: energy, economics and environmental impact (2001) International Sugar Journal, 103, p. 491Giampietro, M., Ulgiati, S., Pimentel, D., Feasibility of large-scale biofuel production (1997) BioScience, 47, pp. 587-600Graboski MS. Fossil energy use in the manufacture of corn ethanol. Prepared for the National Corn Growers Association, 2002. See also: 〈http://www.ncga.com/ethanol/pdfs/energy_balance_report_final_R1.PD F〉 [last accessed June 15, 2008]Shapouri, H., McAloon, A., (2004) The 2001 net energy balance of corn-ethanol, , US Department of Agriculture, Washington, DCWang M. Development and use of GREET 1.6 fuel-cycle model for transportation fuels and vehicle technologies. Technical report no. ANL/ESD/TM-163. Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Transportation Research, Argonne, IL, 2001. See also: 〈http://www.transportation.anl.gov/modeling_simulation/GREET/public ations.html〉Farrell, A.E., Plevin, R.J., Turner, B.T., Jones, A.D., O'Hare, M., Kammen, D.M., Supporting online material to ethanol can contribute to energy and environmental goals (2006) Science, 311, pp. 506-508. , http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/311/5760/506/DC1, See also: 〈http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/311/5760/506/DC1〉Farrell, A.E., Plevin, R.J., Turner, B.T., Jones, A.D., O'Hare, M., Kammen, D.M., Ethanol can contribute to energy and environmental goals (2006) Science, 311, pp. 506-508Kim, S., Dale, B.E., Environmental aspects of ethanol derived from no-tilled corn grain: nonrenewable energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (2005) Biomass & Bioenergy, 28, pp. 475-489Macedo I, Leal M, Silva J. da. Assessment of greenhouse gas emissions in the production and use of fuel ethanol in Brazil. 2004. See also: 〈www.unica.com.br/i_pages/files/pdf_ingles.pdf〉von Blottnitz, H., Curran, M.A., A review of assessments conducted on bio-ethanol as a transportation fuel from a net energy, greenhouse gas, and environmental life cycle perspective (2007) Journal of Cleaner Production, 15, pp. 607-619Adler, P.R., Del Grosso, S.J., Parton, W.J., Life-cycle assessment of net greenhouse-gas flux for bioenergy cropping systems (2007) Ecological Applications, 17, pp. 675-691Leibtag, E., Corn prices near record high, but what about food costs? (2008) AmberWaves, 6, pp. 10-15National Academy of Science-NAS. Water implications of biofuels production in the United States. 2007. Report in brief. See also: 〈http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/biofuels_brief_final.pdf〉 [Last accessed June 15, 2008]Keeney, D., Muller, M., (2006) Water use by ethanol plants: potential challenges, , Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Minneapolis, MNMacedo I. A Energia da Cana-de-Açúcar (sugar cane's energy: twelve studies on Brazilian sugar cane agribusiness and its sustainability). UNICA (Sao Paulo Sugarcane Agro industry Union). Sao Paulo, Brazil. 2005. See also: 〈http://www.portalunica.com.br/portalunica/?Secao=referên cia&SubSecao=publicações&SubSubSecao=livros〉Kim, S., Dale, B.E., Life cycle assessment of various cropping systems utilized for producing biofuels: Bioethanol and biodiesel (2005) Biomass & Bioenergy, 29, pp. 426-439Spatari, S., Zhang, Y.M., MacLean, H.L., Life cycle assessment of switchgrass and corn stover derived ethanol fueled automobiles (2005) Environmental Science & Technology, 39, pp. 9750-9758Kim, S., Dale, B.E., Cumulative energy and global warming impact from the production of biomass for biobased products (2004) Journal of Industrial Ecology, 7, pp. 147-162Sheehan, J.A., Aden, K., Paustian, K., Kilian, J., Brenner, Walsh, M., Nelson, R., Energy and environmental aspects of using corn stover for fuel ethanol (2004) Journal of Industrial Ecology, 7, pp. 117-146The Gallagher Review. The Gallagher review of indirect effects of biofuels production. Report to UK Renewable Fuels Agency, 2008. See also: 〈http://www.renewablefuelsagency.org/_db/documents/Report_of_the_Ga llagher_review.pdf〉Smeets E, Junginger M, Faaij A, Walter A, Dolzan P. Sustainability of Brazilian bio-ethanol. Universiteit Utrech. Copernicus Institute, Department of Science, Technology and Society. Report NWS. 2006, E-2006-110. See also: 〈http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/chem/2007-0628-202408/UUindex. html〉Crutzen, P.J., Mosier, A.R., Smith, K.A., Winiwarter, W., N 2O release from agro-biofuel production negates global warming reduction by replacing fossil fuels (2007) Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussion, 7, pp. 11191-11205Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics [Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística-IBGE]. Evolução da Produtividade da Cana-de-Açúcar no Brasil. 2008. See also: 〈www.ibge.gov.br〉Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Sugarcane and Agroenergy [Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento. Cana-de-Açúcar e Agroenergia-MAPA], 2008. See also: 〈www.agricultura.gov.br〉Wooley R, Ruth M, Sheehan J, Ibsen K, Majdeski H, Galvez A. Lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol process design and economics utilizing co-current dilute acid prehydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis current and futuristic scenarios, National Renewable Energy Laboratory NREL/TP-580-26157, 1999Hassuani, S., Leal, M., Macedo, I., (2005) Biomass power generation, , Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento and Centro de Tecnologia Canavieir, Piracicab

A new lea gene is induced during osmopriming of Capsicum annuum L. seeds

The aim of this study was to characterize the transcriptional expression patterns of a new lea gene isolated in a previous work from C. annuum cv. caballero seeds when osmoprimed with PEG and GA3. Capsicum annuum is one of the main horticultural crops in México and routinely their seeds have problems when germinating. To correct this problem, osmopriming treatments based on PEG and GA has been used to improve their vigor. Osmopriming is a strategy developed to improve vigor during seed storage, which causes a reduction in germinability and seedling establishment. Osmopriming consists of the pre-imbibition of seeds in a solution containing an inert osmotic agent such as polyethylene glycol (PEG). In combination with PEG, several other compounds such as gibberellic acid (GA) can be used in order to improve the vigor of seeds. Several ESTs with high induced expression in the osmopriming treatment displayed high homology to LEA proteins and one of them corresponded to a complete cDNA coding a new LEA protein of 73 amino acids (Calea 73 gene). This gene was highly induced in osmoprimed treatments in which KNO3 instead of GA3 was used in combination with PEG on C. annuum cv. caballero seeds. To our knowledge this is the shortest lea gene reported so far. © 2008 Asian Network for Scientific Information

Morbidity of breast cancer and cervico-uterine cancer in women from the occidental region of Mexico

Background. The incidences of breast cancer (BC) and cervico-uterine cancer (CC) vary widely from country to country. In Mexico, BC mortality has doubled in the last 20 years to become the second leading cause of death for women aged 30 to 54 years. CC is the most common cause of death from neoplasia in women over 25 years old. In 2006, the state of Nayarit had one of the highest mortality rates for these types of cancers in Mexico. Objective. To analyze and characterize the current demographics and morbidities associated with BC and CC in the state of Nayarit. Material and methods. In this retrospective study, the clinical histories of patients who were diagnosed with BC or CC at the State Cancer Center from January 2006 to December 2010 were analyzed. Results. A total of 406 patients with BC and 328 patients with CC were registered. The most common clinical stage for both cancer types was IIB. The municipalities of San Pedro Lagunillas and El Nayar presented the highest prevalences of BC and CC, respectively. Conclusion. Our results suggest that women living in poorer and more marginalized regions have a higher possibility of developing BC and CC. Because BC and CC are preventable and treatable in their early stages, demographic information from population records for these cancers is helpful in determining the incidence rates and patterns and improving decision-making processes.Antecedentes. La incidencia de cáncer de mama (CaMa) y cervicouterino (CaCu) varía ampliamente entre países. En México, la mortalidad por CaMa se ha duplicado en los últimos 20 años y se ha convertido en la segunda causa de muerte en mujeres de 30 a 54 años de edad. Mientras que el CaCu representa la primera causa de muerte por neoplasia en mujeres mayores de 25 años. Para 2006 Nayarit ocupó uno de los primeros lugares a nivel nacional en mortalidad por estos tipos de cáncer. Objetivo. Analizar y describir las tendencias actuales de distribución demográfica y morbilidad derivada de CaMa y CaCu en el estado de Nayarit. Material y métodos. Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo donde se analizaron los expedientes clínicos de las pacientes a quienes se les diagnosticó CaMa o CaCu en el Centro Estatal de Cancerología, durante enero 2006 y diciembre 2010. Resultados. Se registraron 406 pacientes con CaMa y 328 con CaCu. El estadio clínico más frecuente para ambos tipos de cáncer fue el IIB. Los municipios de San Pedro Lagunillas y El Nayar presentaron la mayor prevalencia de CaMa y CaCu, respectivamente. Conclusión. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos del presente estudio, se puede sugerir que las mujeres que viven en la región más pobre y marginada, probablemente tienen mayor posibilidad de desarrollar CaMa y CaCu. Debido a que CaMa y CaCu son prevenibles y tratables en sus etapas iniciales, la información demográfica de los registros poblacionales para estos tipos de cáncer, ayudará a determinar las tasas de incidencia y coadyuvará en la toma de decisiones