How Substitutable is Natural Capital?

One of the recurring themes in the sustainability literature has been the legitimacy of using an economic framework to account for natural resources. This paper examines the potential for substituting between different inputs in the generation of income, where the inputs include natural resources such as land and energy resources. A nested CES production function is used to allow flexibility in the estimated elasticities of substitution. Also, with this specification, natural resources and other inputs are combined in different levels of the function, thus allowing for different levels of substitutability. Institutional and economic indicators are also incorporated in the production function estimated. Results show that the elasticities derived from functions involving land resources were generally around one or greater. Furthermore, changes in trade openness and private sector investment have a statistically significant and direct relationship with income generation. No statistically significant relationship between income and any of the institutional indicators was found.Wealth accounting, Natural resources, Nested CES production function

Commentary: Dedication of Additional Resources to Evaluation and Low-Income Schools is Critical to Increasing Levels of Safe Walking and Bicycling to School

A commentary on Mendoza et al.\u27s article entitled, Ethnic Minority Children’s Active Commuting to School and Association with Physical Activity and Pedestrian Safety Behaviors

Silagem de Cana-de-açúcar tratada com cal hidratada - Ca(OH)2 - na terminação de bovinos da raça Canchim, em confinamento.

O presente trabalho foi conduzido no confinamento experimental da Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, em São Carlos, SP, de maio a julho de 2011, a fim de avaliar o potencial da silagem de cana-de-açúcar tratada com 1% de cal hidratada (base matéria verde) como fonte de volumoso para terminação de bovinos em confinamento. Quarenta e cinco bovinos machos castrados da raça Canchim , com idade média de 22 meses e peso vivo médio de 345 kg, ao início do trabalho, foram alojados em baias individuais de 30 m2 e distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado entre 3 tratamentos (rações completas com diferentes volumosos): T1- ração com cana in natura; T2 - ração com silagem de cana e T3 - ração com silagem de milho. As rações experimentais foram formuladas segundo o modelo do NRC (1996) para que os tratamentos fossem isoenergéticos, proporcionando o mesmo ganho de peso, e contivessem teores semelhantes de fibra em detergente neutro. Os animais que receberam a ração contendo cana fresca apresentaram menor consumo de matéria seca e menor rendimento de carcaça que os demais (P0,05). Os dados obtidos no presente ensaio permitem concluir que a silagem de cana tratada com cal hidratada equivale a volumosos tradicionais como a cana-de-açúcar in natura ou a silagem de milho para terminação de bovinos em confinamento

Association of albumin or protamine to lipoplexes: enhancement of transfection and resistance to serum

The successful application of gene therapy depends on the availability of carriers to efficiently deliver genetic material into target cells. Such efficacy is strongly related to key parameters including serum resistance and protection of DNA.The complexes were tested in terms of their biological activity, in the absence or presence of serum, by following transfection activity. Interaction with plasma proteins was evaluated by immunoblotting, while cytotoxicity was assessed by the Alamar Blue assay. Extent of DNA protection was determined both by using ethidium bromide intercalation and DNase I digestion assays.Our results show that, depending on the charge ratio and on the lipid composition, albumin and protamine can be used (either individually or co-associated) to generate cationic liposome/DNA complexes fulfilling in vivo requirements, while exhibiting high levels of transfection activity. In the present work a novel cationic lipid was tested. It was demonstrated that 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-ethylphosphocholine (EPOPC):cholesterol (Chol) liposomes constitute a very promising carrier for gene delivery as illustrated by their enhancing effect on transfection, as compared with DOTAP-containing liposomes. Moreover, the biological activity of EPOPC-containing complexes is significantly improved upon association of albumin, even in the presence of 60% serum (namely for the 4/1 lipid/DNA charge ratio). Nevertheless, our studies also show that transfection activity mediated by DOTAP-containing complexes can be significantly enhanced upon pre-condensation of DNA with protamine.Co-association of HSA and protamine to lipoplexes ensures a high degree of DNA protection and results in high levels of transfection activity even in the presence of serum. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Kidney transplantation in a patient with preformed and exclusively anti-HLA-Cw donor specific antibody

We report a patient who had received a first kidney transplant and had preformed DSA anti-HLA-Cw, developing AMR C4d+ soon after transplant. Classically anti-HLA-Cw are considered less immunogenic and are not considered in many organ allocation systems or immunologic risk stratification algorithms, including in Portugal. However, data from literature confirms that their presence is as deleterious as DSA anti-HLA A/B/DR/DQ. Thus we should take HLA-C typing and respective antibody identification into account in sensitized patients, in order to access risk stratification and establish the need for correct induction or desensitization therapies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pericardial and pleural effusions associated with sirolimus and discussion of possible mechanisms

Sirolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, is an increasingly used immunosuppressant in solid-organ transplantation. There are an increasing number of reports of unusual oedematous adverse effects associated with this drug, including lymphoedema, ascites and pleural effusions, and a few reports of pericardial effusions. No pathophysiological explanation for these phenomena has been disclosed. We report a 33-year-old sirolimus-treated kidney transplant recipient with chronic pericardial and pleural effusions identified nine years after transplantation. He was initially treated for a presumed tuberculous pericarditis, even though cultures for Mycobacterium tuberculosis were negative. After 12 months of antitubercular therapy, visceral effusions persisted. Pericardial effusion was drained and stabilised. After exclusion of other causes, sirolimus toxicity was considered the most likely cause. Two months after discontinuation of sirolimus, visceraleffusions disappeared. Interaction of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors with mediators of lymphangiogenesis may be a common link in oedematous states associated with sirolimus

Identification of two conserved aspartic acid residues required for DNA digestion by a novel thermophilic Exonuclease VII in Thermotoga maritima

Exonuclease VII was first identified in 1974 as a DNA exonuclease that did not require any divalent cations for activity. Indeed, Escherichia coli ExoVII was identified in partially purified extracts in the presence of EDTA. ExoVII is comprised of two subunits (XseA and XseB) that are highly conserved and present in most sequenced prokaryotic genomes, but are not seen in eukaryotes. To better understand this exonuclease family, we have characterized an ExoVII homolog from Thermotoga maritima. Thermotoga maritima XseA/B homologs TM1768 and TM1769 were co-expressed and purified, and show robust nuclease activity at 80°C. This activity is magnesium dependent and is inhibited by phosphate ions, which distinguish it from E. coli ExoVII. Nevertheless, both E. coli and T. maritima ExoVII share a similar putative active site motif with two conserved aspartate residues in the large (XseA/TM1768) subunit. We show that these residues, Asp235 and Asp240, are essential for the nuclease activity of T. maritima ExoVII. We hypothesize that the ExoVII family of nucleases can be sub-divided into two sub-families based on EDTA resistance and that T. maritima ExoVII is the first member of the branch that is characterized by EDTA sensitivity and inhibition by phosphate

Safe community

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE:To analyze the effectiveness of prevention programs for intentional and unintentional injuries, based on safe community principles, in children and adolescents. SOURCES OF DATA: An electronic search was performed in the MEDLINE and LILACS database, corresponding to the period from 2000 to 2005. For prevention of unintentional injuries, we used the following keywords: injury and prevention and community or population and intervention. For prevention of intentional injuries, we used the following keywords: violence and prevention and community or population and intervention; the age range from zero to 18 years was used as a threshold. The inclusion criteria were: original articles which evaluated the effectiveness of interventions using more than one strategy, involving a whole community or group, published in Portuguese, English or Spanish. SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS: 152 studies were obtained as a result. Considering the inclusion criteria, five articles were found on unintentional injury prevention, one about intentional injury prevention and one paper addressing these two issues. All studies analyzed demonstrate benefits to children and adolescents, but in different proportions. CONCLUSIONS: A restricted number of programs using the safe community concept were found. The investigations analyzed in this study presented positive results. Increased efforts to further develop this evidence are still needed, respecting local characteristics, and developing evaluation indicators that allow for a better comparison between different studies.OBJETIVO: Analisar a efetividade de programas de prevenção de injúrias intencionais e não intencionais, em crianças e adolescentes, embasados nos princípios da comunidade segura. FONTES DE DADOS: Pesquisa eletrônica nas bases de dados MEDLINE e LILACS, correspondendo ao período de 2000 a 2005. Para prevenção de injúrias não intencionais, usaram-se os descritores: injury and prevention and community or population and intervention; para prevenção de injúrias intencionais, violence and prevention and community or population and intervention; foi tomada como limite a faixa etária de 0 a 18 anos. Critérios de inclusão: artigos originais, que estudaram a efetividade de intervenções utilizando mais de uma estratégia e abrangendo toda uma comunidade ou grupo, abordando injúrias intencionais e não intencionais, publicados em português, inglês ou espanhol. SÍNTESE DOS DADOS: Foram obtidos 152 estudos como resultado. Considerando os critérios de inclusão, foram encontrados cinco artigos sobre prevenção de injúrias não intencionais, um sobre prevenção de injúrias intencionais e um artigo que aborda as duas questões. As pesquisas analisadas evidenciam benefícios para crianças e adolescentes, em diferentes proporções. CONCLUSÕES: Os programas que trabalham com o conceito de comunidade segura ainda são em número restrito. As investigações analisadas neste estudo apresentam resultados positivos. É preciso aumentar esforços para o desenvolvimento dessa base de evidência, respeitando as características locais, desenvolvendo indicadores de avaliação que permitam melhor comparação entre diferentes trabalhos.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP)UNIFESPSciEL