Transnational Arenas, Public Policies And The Environment: The Case Of Palm In The Amazon

This paper discusses the emergence of non-state actors involved in developing rules on environmental and social standards in transnational arenas that are outside the control of governments and International Organizations. This work is the result of a field research conducted between January and March 2012 in the main palm producing region of Brazil, located in the state of Pará, encompassing the municipalities of Moju, Tailândia and Acará. It comprises a case study of a palm oil producing company based in the Amazon region. The synergy of this company with governmental policy has projected Brazil's soft power, not through foreign policy and diplomacy but by influencing transnational private regulation with the use of labels and certification schemes recognized by stakeholders engaged in the palm oil global chain. The authors use the academic literature on regulation and private governance to highlight the rise of non-state actors as rule-makers in contemporary international relations.19412

Task complexity, age and gender effect on functional motor asymmetry of right- and left-handed children

Manual asymmetry was assessed in different complexity coincidence-anticipation tasks in 59 right- and 56 left-handed children of both genders divided into two age groups (7-8 years and 9-10 years). Results revealed that (i) manual asymmetry increased with task complexity in both handedness groups without reaching statistical significance for the left-handed group; (ii) for the left-handed group, manual asymmetry was evident in all measured errors; (iii) better performance was presented when executing simpler tasks for both handedness groups; (iv) maturational effect was more pronounced in the complex task; (v) in both handedness groups, the 9-10-year-old group was more accurate and less variable when compared to the 7-8 year-old group; (vi) interaction between age and task complexity revealed that males outperformed females in both handedness. These results favor the perspective in which handedness is seen as a dynamic process, where motor preference interacts with task complexity

Oriented Tailoring of Plastic Antibodies for Prostate Specific Antigen and Application of the Imprinted Material as Ionophore in Potentiometric Detection

Poster, presented at Nanobio Europe, Varese, Italy, 18 - 20 June, 2012.Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is the biomarker of choice for screening prostate cancer throughout the population, with PSA values above 10 ng/mL pointing out a high probability of associated cancer1. According to the most recent World Health Organization (WHO) data, prostate cancer is the commonest form of cancer in men in Europe2. Early detection of prostate cancer is thus very important and is currently made by screening PSA in men over 45 years old, combined with other alterations in serum and urine parameters. PSA is a glycoprotein with a molecular mass of approximately 32 kDa consisting of one polypeptide chain, which is produced by the secretory epithelium of human prostate. Currently, the standard methods available for PSA screening are immunoassays like Enzyme-Linked Immunoabsorbent Assay (ELISA). These methods are highly sensitive and specific for the detection of PSA, but they require expensive laboratory facilities and high qualify personal resources. Other highly sensitive and specific methods for the detection of PSA have also become available and are in its majority immunobiosensors1,3-5, relying on antibodies. Less expensive methods producing quicker responses are thus needed, which may be achieved by synthesizing artificial antibodies by means of molecular imprinting techniques. These should also be coupled to simple and low cost devices, such as those of the potentiometric kind, one approach that has been proven successful6. Potentiometric sensors offer the advantage of selectivity and portability for use in point-of-care and have been widely recognized as potential analytical tools in this field. The inherent method is simple, precise, accurate and inexpensive regarding reagent consumption and equipment involved. Thus, this work proposes a new plastic antibody for PSA, designed over the surface of graphene layers extracted from graphite. Charged monomers were used to enable an oriented tailoring of the PSA rebinding sites. Uncharged monomers were used as control. These materials were used as ionophores in conventional solid-contact graphite electrodes. The obtained results showed that the imprinted materials displayed a selective response to PSA. The electrodes with charged monomers showed a more stable and sensitive response, with an average slope of -44.2 mV/decade and a detection limit of 5.8X10-11 mol/L (2 ng/mL). The corresponding non-imprinted sensors showed smaller sensitivity, with average slopes of -24.8 mV/decade. The best sensors were successfully applied to the analysis of serum samples, with percentage recoveries of 106.5% and relatives errors of 6.5%

Exploring the Involvement of the Alternative Respiratory Pathway in Pisum sativum L. Seed Germination

Proceeding PaperOrganic agriculture, recognized as a more sustainable agricultural system, strongly de-pends on the use of highly resilient genotypes. Resilient seeds, with increased tolerance to germinate and provide vigorous seedlings under environmental stresses, currently represent one of the most important agronomical traits. Seed germination involves the activation of several metabolic path-ways, including cellular respiration. Alternative oxidase (AOX), a key enzyme in the alternative respiratory pathway, plays a crucial role in regulating cell reprogramming by controlling metabolic transitions related to the cellular redox state and the variable carbon balance. The involvement of the alternative respiratory pathway during germination was explored by analysis of PsAOX gene/protein expression. Seeds of four Pisum sativum L. cultivars (‘Respect-1′, ‘S134′, ‘G78′ and ‘S91′) were imbibed in sterile tap water for 16 h and metabolic parameters measured by calorespirometry (heat and CO2 emission rates) in a Multi-Cell Differential Scanning Calorimeter in isothermal mode at 25 °C. The involvement of PsAOX was evaluated by transcript quantification (PsAOX1, PsAOX2a, and PsAOX2b) through RT-qPCR, and by of analysing the PsAOX expression through Western blot. The results demonstrate that the cv. ‘S91′, characterized by a low germination rate, exhibited the lowest metabolic heat and CO2 emission rate. However, contrary to expectations, PsAOX transcript accumulation and PsAOX protein expression were significantly higher for ‘S91′ than for the other cultivars. These results indicate that higher levels of AOX (transcript and protein) could be linked to lower metabolic rates for embryo growth when seed germination is compromisedinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

iSensA - A System for Collecting and Integrating Sensor Data

The idea of monitoring several types of parameters in various environments has been motivating significant research works in Internet of Things (IoT). This paper presents the design and construction of iSensA, a system for integrating and collecting information from sensors. The solution implements a multi-sensor monitoring system and then expands the monitoring concept to an IoT solution, by employing multi-network access, Web services, database and web and mobile applications for user interaction. iSensA system is highly configurable, enabling several monitoring solutions with different types of sensors. Experiments have been performed on real application scenarios to validate and evaluate our proposition.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Improved Source/Absorber Preparation for Radionuclide Spectrometry Based on Low-Temperature Calorimetric Detectors

High-resolution beta spectrometry based on low-temperature calorimetric detectors requires high-quality source/absorber combinations in order to avoid spectrum artifacts and to achieve optimal detection efficiency. In this work, preparation techniques and quality control methods to fabricate reliable source/absorber assemblies with the radionuclide under investigation embedded into them are discussed. © 2019, The Author(s)

Preparation of hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on a di-ureasil matrix doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide

In this presentation we describe the preparation of solvent-free solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) by the sol-gel route with the incorporation of controlled quantities of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI) into the host matrix. The host framework of these xerogels, designated as di-ureasils and represented by d-U(900), contains oxyethylene oligomers with about 15 repeat units bonded at each end to a siliceous backbone through urea bridging links. Electrolytes were characterized by ionic conductivity measurements, cyclic voltammetry at a gold microelectrode and thermal analysis. The results obtained reveal that these hybrid materials are completely amorphous and exhibit appropriate electrochemical characteristics for a variety of applications.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia - POCI/QUI/59856/2004; POCTI/3/686; SFRH/BD/22707/2005

Qualidade nutricional de plântulas de cultivares de trigo submetidas à inoculação com Azospirillum, bioestimulante e triadimenol

This study aimed to evaluate the nutritional quality of wheat seedlings subjected to treatments with biostimulant, triadimenol and Azospirillum brasilense. The experimental design was completely randomized, with four replications in a factorial scheme 3 x 8: three wheat cultivars and eight seed treatments. The cultivars used were CD-150, CD-116 and CD-104, and the treatments were a combination of the following: 150 g L-1 of triadimenol (TRI), 90 mg L-1 of kinetin + 50 mg L-1 of gibberellic acid + 50 mg L-1 of indolebutyric acid (KGA), and strains Ab-V5 and Ab-V6 of A. brasilense at the concentration of 2.0 x 108 viable cells mL-1, organized as follows: control, TRI, KGA, AZO, TRI+KGA, TRI+AZO, AZO+KGA and TRI+KGA+AZO. Germination (%), shoot and root dry matter, and the levels of N and K in plant shoot and root were evaluated. The results showed that: TRI, KGA and AZO do not interfere with seed germination of CD-150, CD-116 and CD-104; germination of wheat cultivar CD-104 is greater than of the cultivars CD-150 and CD-116; nutritional quality is affected by the performance of triadimenol in wheat seedlings in both shoot and root, and the isolated use of CGA increases the dry matter portion of the cultivars CD-150, CD-116 and CD-104; treatment KGA+AZO raises the nitrogen levels in the shoot and root in wheat seedlings in the early development of wheat cultivar CD-116.Objetivou-se avaliar a qualidade nutricional de plântulas de trigo submetidas aos tratamentos com bioestimulante, triadimenol e bactéria Azospirillum brasilense. O delineamento utilizado foi inteiramente casualizado, quatro repetições, esquema fatorial 3 x 8 (três cultivares de trigo e oito tratamentos de sementes). As cultivares foram CD-150, CD-116 e CD-104, e os tratamentos foram obtidos da combinação entre: 150 g L-1 de triadimenol (TRI); 90 mg L-1 de cinetina + 50 mg L-1 de ácido giberélico + 50 mg L-1 de ácido indolbutírico (CGA) e estirpes Ab-V5 e Ab-V6 de A. brasilense na concentração de 2,0 x 108 células viáveis mL-1, organizados da seguinte forma: testemunha; TRI; CGA; AZO; TRI+CGA; TRI+AZO; CGA+AZO e TRI+CGA+AZO. Foram avaliadas a germinação (%), matéria seca da parte aérea e raiz e o teor de N e K na parte aérea e raiz. Os resultados evidenciaram que: TRI, CGA e AZO não interferem na germinação das sementes da CD-150, CD-116 e CD-104; a germinação da cultivar de trigo CD-104 é maior que as cultivares CD-150 e CD-116; a qualidade nutricional é prejudicada pela atuação do triadimenol em plântulas de trigo tanto na parte aérea como na raiz, e a utilização isolada de CGA incrementa a massa de matéria seca de parte nas cultivares CD-150, CD-116 e CD-104; O tratamento CGA+AZO eleva o conteúdo de nitrogênio na parte aérea e raiz em plântulas de trigo e no desenvolvimento inicial da cultivar CD-116 de trigo

MetroMMC: Electron-Capture Spectrometry with Cryogenic Calorimeters for Science and Technology

Accurate decay data of radionuclides are necessary for many fields of science and technology, ranging from medicine and particle physics to metrology. However, data that are in use today are mostly based on measurements or theoretical calculation methods that are rather old. Recent measurements with cryogenic detectors and other methods show significant discrepancies to both older experimental data and theory in some cases. Moreover, the old results often suffer from large or underestimated uncertainties. This is in particular the case for electron-capture (EC) decays, where only a few selected radionuclides have ever been measured. To systematically address these shortcomings, the European metrology project MetroMMC aims at investigating six radionuclides decaying by EC. The nuclides are chosen to cover a wide range of atomic numbers Z, which results in a wide range of decay energies and includes different decay modes, such as pure EC or EC accompanied by γ- and/or β+-transitions. These will be measured using metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs), cryogenic energy-dispersive detectors with high-energy resolution, low-energy threshold and high, adjustable stopping power that are well suited for measurements of the total decay energy and X-ray spectrometry. Within the MetroMMC project, these detectors are used to obtain X-ray emission intensities of external sources as well as fractional EC probabilities of sources embedded in a 4 π absorber. Experimentally determined nuclear and atomic data will be compared to state-of-the-art theoretical calculations which will be further developed within the project. This contribution introduces the MetroMMC project and in particular its experimental approach. The challenges in EC spectrometry are to adapt the detectors and the source preparation to the different decay channels and the wide energy range involved, while keeping the good resolution and especially the low-energy threshold to measure the EC from outer shells. © 2019, The Author(s)