The Development of the Brazilian Bio-electricity Market: An Historical Analysis of the Institutional Changes in the Sugarcane and Electricity Markets

Crop Production/Industries, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Subtropical Gyre Variability as Seen from Satellites

A satellite multi-sensor approach is used to analyse the biological response of open ocean regions of the subtropical gyres to changes in physical forcing. Thirteen years (1998-2010) of SeaWiFS chlorophyll a (Chl-a), combined with concurrent satellite records of sea-surface temperature (SST) and sea level height, were analysed to investigate the seasonal and interannual variability of Chl-a concentration within these immense so-called ocean deserts. The seasonal variability of Chl-a within the gyres is driven mostly by the warming/cooling of surface waters. Summer warming promotes shallower mixed layers and lower Chl-a due to a reduction of vertical mixing and consequently a decrease in nutrient supply. The opposite happens during the winter cooling period. Therefore, long-term trends in SST have the potential to cause an impact on the interannual variability of Chl-a. Our analyses show that, during the 13 whole years of SeaWiFS data record, the North Pacific, Indian Ocean, and North Atlantic gyres experienced a decrease in Chl-a of 9%, 12%, and 11%, respectively, with corresponding SST increases of 0.27 C, 0.42 C, and 0.32 C. The South Pacific and South Atlantic gyres also showed warming trends but with weak positive trends in Chl-a that are not statistically significant. We hypothesize that the warming of surface waters in these two gyres are counterbalanced by other interacting physical and biological driving mechanisms, as indicated in previous studies

Remote Versus Local Forcing of Chlorophyll Variability in the South Atlantic Bight

This TM documents results of analyses addressing the local versus remote forcing of chlorophyll variability on the shelf and slope regions of the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) based on satellite-derived products and a limited amount of in situ data. This study is part of a larger multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional effort to study the Eastern U.S. Continental Shelf carbon budget (U.S. Eastern Continental Shelf Carbon Budget: Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Analysis, U.S. ECoS), a project funded by the NASA Earth System Enterprise Interdisciplinary Science Program that started in the summer of 2004

Extended Optical Model Analyses of Elastic Scattering, Direct Reaction, and Fusion Cross Sections for the 9Be + 208Pb System at Near-Coulomb-Barrier Energies

Based on the extended optical model approach in which the polarization potential is decomposed into direct reaction (DR) and fusion parts, simultaneous $\chi^{2}$ analyses are performed for elastic scattering, DR, and fusion cross section data for the $^{9}$Be+$^{208}$Pb system at near-Coulomb-barrier energies. Similar $\chi^{2}$ analyses are also performed by only taking into account the elastic scattering and fusion data as was previously done by the present authors, and the results are compared with those of the full analysis including the DR cross section data as well. We find that the analyses using only elastic scattering and fusion data can produce very consistent and reliable predictions of cross sections particularly when the DR cross section data are not complete. Discussions are also given on the results obtained from similar analyses made earlier for the $^{9}$Be+$^{209}$Bi system.Comment: 5 figure

Extended Optical Model Analyses of Elastic Scattering and Fusion Cross Sections for 6Li + 208Pb System at Near-Coulomb-Barrier Energies by using Folding Potential

Based on the extended optical model approach in which the polarization potential is decomposed into direct reaction (DR) and fusion parts, simultaneous $\chi^{2}$ analyses are performed for elastic scattering and fusion cross section data for the $^{6}$Li+$^{208}$Pb system at near-Coulomb-barrier energies. A folding potential is used as the bare potential. It is found that the real part of the resultant DR part of the polarization potential is repulsive, which is consistent with the results from the Continuum Discretized Coupled Channel (CDCC) calculations and the normalization factors needed for the folding potentials. Further, it is found that both DR and fusion parts of the polarization potential satisfy separately the dispersion relation.Comment: 6 figure

A Simulation of Biological Prosesses in the Equatorial Pacific Warm Pool at 165 deg E

A nine-year simulation (1984-1992) of biological processes in the equatorial Pacific Warm Pool is presented. A modified version of the 4-component (phytoplankton, zooplankton, nitrate and ammonium) ecosystem model by McClain et al. (1996) is used. Modifications include use of a spectral model for computation of PAR and inclusion of fecal pellet remineralization and ammonium nitrification. The physical parameters (horizontal and vertical velocities and temperature) required by the ecosystem model were derived from an improved version of the Gent and Cane (1990) ocean general circulation model (Murtugudde and Busalacchi, 1997). Surface downwelling spectral irradiance was estimated using the clear-sky models of Frouin et al. (1989) and Gregg and Carder (1990) and cloud cover information from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP). The simulations indicate considerable variability on interannual time scales in all four ecosystem components. In particular, surface chlorophyll concentrations varied by an order of magnitude with maximum values exceeding 0.30 mg/cu m in 1988, 1989, and 1990, and pronounced minimums during 1987 and 1992. The deep chlorophyll maximum ranged between 75 and 125 meters with values occasionally exceeding 0.40 mg/cu m. With the exception of the last half of 1988, surface nitrate was always near depletion. Ammonium exhibited a subsurface maximum just below the DCM with concentrations as high as 0.5 mg-atN/cu m . Total integrated annual primary production varied between 40 and 250 gC/sq m/yr with an annual average of 140 gC/sq m/yr. Finally, the model is used to estimate the mean irradiance at the base of the mixed layer, i.e., the penetration irradiance, which was 18 Watts/sq m over the nine year period. The average mixed layer depth was 42 m

Contribuição ao estudo da circulação e do transporte de volume da corrente do Brasil entre o Cabo de São Tomé e a Baía de Guanabara

During the periods of April, July, 1970 and July, 1973, océanographic cruises were conducted in order to investigate the variability of the Brazil Current in the region between Cabo de Sao Tomé and Guanabara Bay. The geostrophic model of ocean circulation was applied using the hydrographie data collected during the cruise. From this study, a maximum velocity of 70 cm/sec and a volume trans port of 14 x 10(6) m³/sec were reported. The dynamic topography with reference to the 500 db surface, showed the presence of anticyclonic eddies during the periods of April, 1970, and July, 1973. The thermohaline structure within a meander of the Brazil Current is also presented utilizing the data coming from a continuous salinity and temperature recorder in conection with the data coming from a simultaneous BT section.Tal estudo teve por finalidade avaliar a velocidade e o transporte de volume da Corrente do Brasil, no seu trecho entre Cabo de São Tomé e Cabo Frio, fazendo uso do calculo geostrofico aplicado às secções amostradas durante os cruzeiros de abril e julho de 1970 e de julho de 1973. Foram localizados dois vórtices anticiclônicos, um durante o período de abril de 1970 e o outro durante julho de 1973. O valor máximo de velocidade da corrente na superfície foi de aproximadamente 70 cm/s e o transporte de volume foi de 14 x 10(6) m³/s. Foi possível também confirmar a existência de um meandro da Corrente do Brasil através da utilização de uma secção de BT (batitermografo mecânico) associada a um registro contínuo de salinidade e de temperatura obtido com um termosalinografo

The "safe falls, safe schools" multicentre international project: Evaluation and analysis of backwards falling ability in Italian secondary schools

Problem statement: Different studies have reported on the epidemiology related to injuries resulting from falls, which are the most common causes of injury in Italy. The World Health Organization considers falls as the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional deaths worldwide. However, it has been demonstrated that the Safe Fall, Safe Schools Programme (SFSSP) based on 10-min warm-up sessions is able to teach techniques for falling backwards in safe way during physical education (PE) classes. Unfortunately, there are no studies that have analysed extensive warm-up and detraining effects related to the age. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess extensive specific warm-up (20 min) and detraining effects after five weeks on the SFSSP on Italian secondary school students according to age. Methods: Eighty-seven secondary school students took part in this investigation. Students were divided into two groups, equally distributed by age. The trial-control group (TC=39) and the control-trial group (CT=48) performed the same PE lesson for 10 weeks. In the first five weeks, two different 20-min warm-up exercises were performed (TC=SFSSP; CT=conventional warm-up); after five weeks, the warm-ups were inverted (TC=conventional warm-up; CT=SFSSP). The backwards falling ability test carried out among both groups was evaluated in relation to the position of the neck, trunk, knees, hips and hands, before and after five and 10 weeks. Results: McNemar\u2019s test showed significant differences (between pre-and mid-time points, P<0.05) for the neck, trunk, hip and hands, while no significant differences were found in the knee value (P=0.581 in TC). No differences were found between the mid-and post-time points for TC. In CT, no differences were found in-between (pre-and mid-time points, P>0.05) for all variables studied. Significant differences (P<0.05) were found in-between the mid-and post- time points for CT in all variables studied. Analysis of the total scores for SFSSP showed significantly differences in TC and CT (P<0.0001). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no significant differences (total scores: first year=1.68\ub11.05 AU; fifth year=1.47\ub10.86 AU; P=0.34) before the SFSSP intervention, while the SFSSP was able to improve the ability after intervention (total scores: first year=4.47\ub10.84 AU; fifth year=3.91\ub11.40 AU; P<0.01). Conclusions: The SFSSP was able to improve motor ability for both groups and the detraining effect was found to maintain the same ability level compared to that after the SFSSP intervention. Participants started with the same level of backwards falling ability and each group, after the intervention, significantly raised its score, confirming the efficacy of the intervention. Therefore, the SFSSP could be included in the standard national programme without changing the standard training lesson

The relevance of sperm morphology in male infertility

This brief report concerns the role of human sperm morphology assessment in different fields of male infertility: basic research, genetics, assisted reproduction technologies, oxidative stress. One of the best methods in studying sperm morphology is transmission electron microscopy (TEM) that enables defining the concept of sperm pathology and classifying alterations in non-systematic and systematic. Non-systematic sperm defects affect head and tail in variable ratio, whereas the rare systematic defects are characterized by a particular anomaly that marks most sperm of an ejaculate. TEM analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization represent outstanding methods in the study of sperm morphology and cytogenetic in patients with altered karyotype characterizing their semen quality before intracytoplasmic sperm injection. In recent years, the genetic investigations on systematic sperm defects, made extraordinary progress identifying candidate genes whose mutations induce morphological sperm anomalies. The question if sperm morphology has an impact on assisted fertilization outcome is debated. Nowadays, oxidative stress represents one of the most important causes of altered sperm morphology and function and can be analyzed from two points of view: 1) spermatozoa with cytoplasmic residue produce reactive oxygen species, 2) the pathologies with inflammatory/oxidative stress background cause morphological alterations. Finally, sperm morphology is also considered an important endpoint in in vitro experiments where toxic substances, drugs, antioxidants are tested. We think that the field of sperm morphology is far from being exhausted and needs other research. This parameter can be still considered a valuable indicator of sperm dysfunction both in basic and clinical research