1,963 research outputs found

    Detection of ionospheric signatures from GPS-derived total electron content maps

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    The processing of measurement data from satellite constellations such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including the well-known Global Positioning System (GPS), have been successfully applied to virtually all areas of geophysical sciences. In this work, a method is described where Geographical Information Systems (GIS) are employed to build hourly ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC) maps for 2011 over the southern Iberian Peninsula. The maps used GPS-derived geometryfree linear combinations attained from station data from the Algarve, Alentejo (Portugal), Andalusia, Murcia and Valencia (Spain) regions. Following the construction of the ionospheric maps, it was possible to relate these results to natural phenomena. The observed phenomena included diurnal and seasonal variations: daytime TEC maxima, nighttime TEC peaks, summer TEC value decreases, and spring and fall TEC maxima. After validation of these periodic phenomena, detection of non-periodic changes, such as solar flares and tectonic interactions with the ionosphere were attempted. The results showed a TEC increase following a selected solar flare event and a potential TEC build-up prior to the 2011 Lorca earthquake. Further studies could open up the possibility of building early warning systems. The presented methods, based on available software packages, are also of value in monitoring the effect of the ionosphere on radio signals, satellite and mobile communication, power grids, and for accurate GNSS navigation

    O Mundo da Urticária, Com e Sem Alergia

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    A urticária é uma entidade clínica comum a um grupo heterogéneo de doenças, devendo ser entendida como um sintoma e não como uma doença. As lesões cutâneas características são pápulas eritematosas ou com zona central pálida e eritema circundante, pruriginosas, que desaparecem à digitopressão e regridem completamente em menos de 24 horas. Embora na maioria dos casos se apresente de forma isolada, pode acompanhar-se de angioedema. A urticária pode atingir até 25% da população em qualquer momento da vida. A forma aguda (duração inferior a 6 semanas), mais frequente em crianças, é mais prevalente que a forma crónica. Nos casos em que a etiologia é identificada, as infecções, os alimentos e os fármacos são as causas mais frequentes. As picadas de insectos e as doenças sistémicas mais raramente estão implicadas. Na urticária crónica é muito raro o envolvimento de fenómenos de alergia IgE mediada. O recurso a exames auxiliares de diagnóstico deve ser criterioso e sustentado por dados clínicos relevantes, não sendo recomendável a requisição de avaliações analíticas exaustivas. Na sua maioria, os episódios de urticária são de curta duração e resolução espontânea. A urticária aguda tem uma duração média de 7 dias; já a forma crónica tem uma evolução muito variável. No que respeita à terapêutica, a eliminação do agente causal é a abordagem ideal, embora nem sempre possível. O tratamento sintomático de eleição são os antihistamínicos H1 não sedativos, em dosagem superior à habitualmente recomendada. Terapêuticas alternativas podem associar-se a estes fármacos, embora não existam fortes evidências científicas que comprovem a sua eficácia. Em algumas situações é importante referenciar a consulta especializada (Dermatologia ou Imunoalergologia); são exemplo as situações IgE mediadas (alergia alimentar ou medicamentosa), ausência de resposta à terapêutica optimizada ou alterações sugestivas de doença sistémica

    Can Productive Change and Income Redistribution be Compatible with Global Financial Asymmetries?

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    The 2000s have brought a renewed debate on strategies of ‘developmentalism’ in emerging market economies, especially in Latin America. We consider new concepts of developmentalism to be strategies in which the state deliberately pushes the process of development, in terms of structural change, and aims at income redistribution. In our paper, we seek to systematize this debate, comparing the concepts of new developmentalism and social developmentalism. We argue that of particular relevance for this discussion are the policy space constraints for emerging market economies imposed by international monetary and financial asymmetries. We conclude that the latter of the two approaches does not consider appropriately the policy constraints related to these asymmetries, which reduce the space for the implementation of developmentalist policies, while the former sees redistribution as a mere result of export-led industrialization

    Implications for Macroeconomic Policies in Emerging Economies

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    We translate the structuralist center-periphery approach to international currency relations and analyze the implications for macroeconomic policies of emerging market countries. While the Post Keynesian literature offers a rather clear concept for growthoriented policies, it is necessary to adapt them for peripheral emerging economies. We base our analysis of an appropriate Keynesian policy mix for these countries on the concept of currency hierarchy, where the currencies of peripheral emerging economies have a lower liquidity premium than the currencies of advanced economies. Under these conditions, we argue that domestic economic policy coordination should lay a major focus on a low policy rate and, especially, a competitive exchange rate for obtaining, at least, a balanced current account, in order to prevent boom-bust-cycles in capital flows with subsequent financial crises and their damaging effects on employment and growth. We conclude that it is a rather ambitious and long term goal to climb up the currency hierarchy, especially under the current conditions of financial globalization

    Conjugated linoleic acid reduces permeability and fluidity of adipose plasma membranes from obese Zucker rats

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    NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. July 2010; 398 (2): 199-204.Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a dietary fatty acid frequently used as a body fat reducing agent whose effects upon cell membranes and cellular function remain unknown. Obese Zucker rats were fed atherogenic diets containing saturated fats of vegetable or animal origin with or without 1% CLA, as a mixture of cis(c)9,trans(t)11 and t10,c12 isomers. Plasma membrane vesicles obtained from visceral adi- pose tissue were used to assess the effectiveness of dietary fat and CLA membrane incorporation and its outcome on fluidity and permeability to water and glycerol. A significant decrease in adipose membrane fluidity was correlated with the changes observed in permeability, which seem to be caused by the incor- poration of the t10,c12 CLA isomer into membrane phospholipids. These results indicate that CLA supple- mentation in obese Zucker rats fed saturated and cholesterol rich diets reduces the fluidity and permeability of adipose membranes, therefore not supporting CLA as a body fat reducing agent through membrane fluidification in obese fat consumers

    Caracterização ambiental dos componentes estruturais de duas regiões do bioma Mata Atlântica no Estado do Paraná.

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