A multi-level approach to analyze the effects of renewable energy in the wine sector

The objective of this paper is to design a map of the positive effects caused by the implementation, in a winery, of a series of prototypes for substituting non-renewable energies for clean energies. For this aim, we propose the use of a multi-level approach including three analyses: a multi-stakeholder analysis to determine all the interest groups affected by this intervention; a multi-dimensional analysis in order to identify the effects from the triple bottom line of sustainability; and a multi-term analysis to classify the effects depending on when they take place: immediate, intermediate and long-term

The impact of terrigeneous inputs on the Bay of Ouinne (New Caledonia) phytoplankton communities : a spectrofluorometric and microscopic approach

The impact of terrigeneous inputs on the phytoplankton composition was studied during a 2.5 months daily survey in the Bay of Ouinne, a deep cove on the south-eastern coast of New Caledonia. Surface waters benefited from nutrients originating from nearby land drainage and the Ouinne river outflow during periods of heavy rain. The nutrient composition mirrored the composition of the drained soils, with concentrations reaching 3-4 mu M for nitrate and 0.13 mu M for phosphate at the river mouth. In addition to nutrient inputs, significant quantities of particulate matter (inorganic and organic compounds) were discharged into the lagoon during heavy rain periods, resulting in transitory decreases of the photic layer depth and enrichments of the water column through remineralization processes. Changes in contributions of the main phytoplankton groups in response to terrigeneous inputs were shown by chlorophyll and phycobiliprotein spectrofluorometric analyses. While dry periods were marked by the dominance of pico-(Prochlorococcus, and high-phycourobilin (PUB) Synechococcus) and microcyanobacteria (Trichodesmium spp.), developments of various eukaryote populations resulted from land drainage occurring during the wet periods. This was indicated by the increase of accessory chlorophyll pigments that doubled at a depth of 15 m: chlorophyll b (chlorophytes), chlorophyll c(1) + c(2) (associated with diatoms and dinoflagellates), chlorophyll c(3) (associated with c(1) and/or c(2) in prymnesiophytes, chrysophytes and/or pelagophytes). In addition, Synechococcus with a high phycoerythrobilin (PEB) content also appeared to be stimulated by river outputs. Finally, microscopic observations of the > 35 mu m net plankton confirmed the greater presence of diatoms and dinoflagellates during periods of rain compared to Trichodesmium, particularly in the surface layer. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

PROPOSED MODEL FOR GRAIN ALIGNMENT IN YBa2Cu3O7-x SUPERCONDUCTORS PREPARED BY MELT PROCESSING

PROPOSED MODEL FOR GRAIN ALIGNMENTIN YBa2Cu3O7-x (123) SUPERCONDUCTORS PREPAREDBYMELTPROCESSING. Amodel for grain alignment in YBa2Cu3O7-x is proposed. The proposed model is based on experimental results that the grain alignment in coarse samples with average grain diameter of 57 μm is higher than that of fine samples with average grain diameter of 1.6 μm which were prepared bymelt processing. Other evidence, supported the proposed model, is the difference inmicrostructure of both samples, i.e. the grain in the fine samples tend to form domain-like structure, while in the coarse sample some large grain randomly oriented in the bulk and some grain aligned on the surface. The alignment of grain in coarse sample is due to capillary mechanism while in the fine samples the alignment could be due to capillary mechanism or sympathetic nucleation

Hobbes versus Locke: A contribuição do estado de natureza para as perspectivas realista e pluralista das Relações Internacionais

Os pensadores clássicos da Teoria Política exercem grande influência sobre as teorias que buscam explicar a política internacional. Esse trabalho pretende apontar as contribuições das obras de Hobbes e Locke para o desenvolvimento das perspectivas realista e pluralista das Relações Internacionais. Mais precisamente, o entendimento desses autores sobre o estado de natureza é fundamental devido ao paralelo que pode ser estabelecido entre a ausência de um governo na sociedade e a realidade do sistema internacional

Cognitive decline in the elderly : epidemiologic studies on cognitive function and dementia

In the last decades, the awareness has grown among the public, as well as among health politicians, that dementia is highly prevalent in older age, that it causes much distress to patients and their families, and that it poses a large burden on public health care resources.Initially, research focused chiefly on Alzheimer's disease, the most frequent type of dementia. In recent years, there is also increasing interest in vascular dementia. The reasons for this are that vascular dementia may be more prevalent than previously recognized, that vascular causes may be involved in the clinical picture of other dementia syndromes as well, and, perhaps most importantly, that vascular causes of cognitive decline can potentially be influenced by available measures of intervention. In studies of the frequency and etiology of dementia, much emphasis has been put on differentiating demented subjects from cognitively unimpaired individuals. However, there is little evidence to support the idea of a sharp distinction between demented and non-demented persons. Cognitive impairment is a quantitative rather than a qualitative characteristic, and consequently its distribution in the population shows a continuum of severity. The fact that cognitive dysfunction is common in old age does not imply that it is intrinsic to aging; it may be normal in the sense of usual, not in the sense of natural This thesis focuses on epidemiologic studies on cognitive function and dementia. The main part is devoted to investigations of the relation between vascular risk factors and cognitive function; in these studies cognitive function was evaluated as a continuously distributed variable. In the other studies in this thesis, risk factors for dementia were investigated with dementia as a dichotomous outcome variable

Utilization of personal protective equipment among sawmill workers in Ilorin metropolis, north-central Nigeria

Objective: Wood dust becomes a potential health problem when wood particles from processes such as sanding, cutting, drilling, sawing or turning to sap wood becomes airborne. Occupational exposure in sawmills has suggested that workers in sawmills are at risk of developing allergenic disorders, cancers and lung disease. This study assessed the utilization of personal protective equipment among sawmill workers in Ilorin metropolis.Methods: The study was descriptive cross-sectional by design assessing utilization of personal protective devices among sawmill workers in Ilorin metropolis involving 250 sawmill workers that were registered under the Ilorin Plank Sellers' Association. Data was collected using semi-structured, intervieweradministered questionnaires from the participants. The participants were recruited using multistage sampling technique. Data collected from the questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS 16.0 software package.Results: The majority 144 (57.6%) of the respondents own at least one of the personal protective devices while 134 (53.6%) of the respondents utilized at least one of the personal protective devices. Only 54 (21.6%) and 95 (38.0%) of the respondents possess aprons and hand gloves respectively. The least owned PPEs were earmuffs (10.8%) and safety boots (16.8%). Among the 166 respondents who never use PPE, 86 (74.1%) reported inconveniency as the reason for non-utilization of PPE.Conclusion: There is a need to improve the level of knowledge, availability and use of protective devices among the workers through subsequent sensitization and enlightenment on the need to use PPE.Keywords: Sawmill, Utilization, Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, Worker

Advanced soft tissue sarcoma: prognostic factors and aspects of trial methodology

A general description of soft tissue sarcomas and their treatments is given in Chapter 1. The chapter also provides an introduction to the work on prognostic factors that is described in this thesis.A general description of soft tissue sarcomas and their treatments is given in Chapter 1. The chapter also provides an introduction to the work on prognostic factors that is described in this thesis. In chapter 2, we have identified the characteristics of the patients (and of their disease) influencing the survival expectation and the probability to respond to first line chemotherapy for advanced disease. Not surprisingly, advanced age is an adverse prognostic factor of survival and response to therapy. Poor performance adversely affects survival but not the probability of response to first line therapy. The number and size of the lesions does not affect response and neither survival, at the time of diagnosis of advanced disease. The survival prognosis is more favorable if the sarcoma was diagnosed at least 2 years before chemotherapy was needed. Patients who were initially diagnosed with low grade disease have a longer survival expectation, despite the fact that they respond less frequently to chemotherapy; and they are probably not appropriate candidates to test the activity of new drugs, especially if response is used as principal end-point