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Waste-to-fuel coupled with carbon capture and storage is forecasted to be an effective way to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions, reduce the waste sent to landfill and, simultaneously, reduce the dependence of fossil fuels. This study evaluated the techno-economic feasibility of sorption enhanced gasification, which involves in-situ CO2 capture, and benchmarked it with the conventional steam gasification of municipal solid waste for H2 production. The impact of a gate fee and tax levied on the fossil CO2 emissions in economic feasibility was assessed. The results showed that the hydrogen production was enhanced in sorption enhanced gasification, that achieved an optimum H2 production efficiency of 48.7% (T = 650 °C and SBR = 1.8). This was 1.0% points higher than that of the conventional steam gasification (T = 900 °C and SBR = 1.2). However, the total efficiency, which accounts for H2 production and net power output, for sorption enhanced gasification was estimated to be 49.3% (T = 650 °C and SBR = 1.8). This was 4.4% points lower than the figure estimated for the conventional gasification (T = 900 °C and SBR = 1.2). The economic performance assessment showed that the sorption enhanced gasification will result in a significantly higher levelised cost of hydrogen (5.0 €/kg) compared to that estimated for conventional steam gasification (2.7 €/kg). The levelised cost of hydrogen can be reduced to 4.5 €/kg on an introduction of the gate fee of 40.0 €/tMSW. The cost of CO2 avoided was estimated to be 114.9 €/tCO2 (no gate fee and tax levied). However, this value can be reduced to 90.1 €/tCO2 with the introduction of an emission allowance price of 39.6 €/tCO2. Despite better environmental performance, the capital cost of sorption enhanced gasification needs to be reduced for this technology to become competitive with mature gasification technologies.

The present study aims to identify regions of extreme precipitation in mainland Portugal and to create a single index of extreme precipitation susceptibility (EPSI). For this purpose, twelve extreme precipitation indices were selected from the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices between 1950 and 2003. By considering only six extreme precipitation indices: R×1day, R×5day, SDII, R20, CWD and R95PTOT for the 10-year return period, between 1950 and 2003, the EPSI was developed to both annual data and meteorological season. The regionalization of extreme precipitation in Portugal were determined using a principal component analysis in T-mode. The results, show three spatial regions obtained from PCA. The three regions were analyzed separate. In the annual EPSI, the highest susceptibility areas are the mountainous regions in northern (e.g. Geres, Peneda, Alvao, Marao and Montesinho) and central Portugal (e.g. Serra da Estrela), as well as in the Algarve (southern Portugal). Conversely, the lower susceptibility classes are in municipalities of the northeast, Alentejo and along the central-western coast. The results of EPSI show similar results in autumn and winter. In spring, however, the high susceptibility class increases in the Lisbon region and in the Sado Basin. In summer, there is an increase in susceptibility in the northeast, while susceptibility is low over much of Alentejo and Algarve, where precipitation is neglectful. This work presents a first attempt to implement this type of index for mainland Portugal. The first results are very promising, showing a consistent representation of the overall spatial distribution of extreme precipitation susceptibility. The combination of this information by municipalities can be of foremost relevance to civil protection and risk management.

Floods and landslides are the natural hazards that most affect Northern Portugal. This paper presents the DISASTER database results for Northern Portugal, containing occurrences of floods and landslides between 1865 and 2010. The research carried out was based on press articles published in national and regional newspapers, but focusing exclusively the occurrences that caused personal damage, including deaths, injured, missing, evacuees and displaced people, regardless of the number of people affected and the economic value of damages. A total of 613 occurrences were recorded, which 18% are landslides and 82% are floods. These occurrences were responsible for 198 deaths, 58 injured, 34 disappeared, 1804 evacuated and 15,918 displaced. The trend analysis shows an increase of 0.17 occurrences/decade. The obtained results show the occurrences concentration in the more urbanized areas and along larger rivers.

This study focuses on the spatial and temporal variability of selected extreme precipitation indices in Northern Portugal. Data were collected in the period of 1950–2000 from 39 meteorological and gauge stations. Tests of homogeneity (e.g., Pettit, SNHT, Buishand and Von Neumann tests) were performed for all the data collected from the gauge series, in order to identify and select the useful series to time variability analysis. Four extreme precipitation indices were investigated: total precipitation in wet days, with daily precipitation ≥ 1 mm (PRCPTOT); number of days with precipitation amount ≥ 30 mm (R30mm); the maximum 5 day precipitation amount (R×5day); and total precipitation amount ≥ 95th percentile (R95p). The Mann–Kendall non-parametric test was applied to detect long term (1950–2000) trends in the aforementioned indices of extremes. Annual and seasonal trends were analyzed in this study. The results showed a decrease in extreme precipitation indices during annual scale, spring, winter and summer but showed a slight increase during autumn. For most series, there is no statistically significant trend in the parameters of extreme precipitation analyzed. Out of all of the indices examined, only three rain-gauges showed significant trends on annual scale. On a seasonal timescale, extreme precipitation indices tended to decrease in winter, spring and summer in more than 80% of the precipitation series. The opposite was observed in autumn in which the four indices studied showed that more than 70% of the series had a positive trend. However, only 15% of the series showed a significant trend in winter, 46% in spring, only 2% in summer and 4% in autumn.

Publisher Summary Current evidence points out the importance of dietary fat in aging-related regulation of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. Lifelong intake of sunflower oil has been reported to cause a worse preservation of mitochondrial structure in livers of aged rats, and these changes were attenuated in animals fed with olive oil. In addition to the animal models in vivo, stimulation of apoptosis by olive oil or by some of its constituents has also been demonstrated in cellular models in vitro and this effect has been attributed mainly to minor constituents contained in this oil, such as the polyphenols. Squalene was inactive in the induction of hepatic apoptosis. Alterations of Bcl-2/Bax ratio may be a common mechanism of apoptosis induction by olive oil in mitotic liver and gastrointestinal cells. The effect of virgin olive oil, which increases the apoptotic response of old liver in comparison with sunflower oil, might resemble that of calorie restriction, the best-defined dietary intervention that increases lifespan. Many reports have demonstrated that calorie restriction increases hepatic apoptosis during aging. Since decreased apoptotic potential likely contributes to the increased incidence of liver cancer in old rodents, stimulation of apoptosis by calorie restriction could be related with its beneficial effects on aging by eliminating preneoplastic cells and antagonizing carcinogenesis in rat liver. Mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis is also increased in αMUPA mice, a transgenic model for increased longevity induced by calorie restriction. The use of olive oil as dietary lipid resource also plays a clear beneficial role in gastric defense mechanisms favoring mucosal barrier efficiency, through mucus secretion and apoptotic effects, and reducing the inflammatory responses.

12 páginas, 7 figuras, 1 tabla.-- et al., D-Galactosamine (D-GalN) induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and cell death in cultured hepatocytes. The aim of the study was to evaluate the cytoprotective properties of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), coenzyme Q(10) (Q(10)) and the superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic against the mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death in D-GalN-treated hepatocytes. Hepatocytes were isolated from liver resections. NAC (0.5 mM), Q(10) (30 microM) or MnTBAP (Mn(III)tetrakis(4-benzoic acid) porphyrin chloride (1mg/mL) were co-administered with D-GalN (40 mM) in hepatocytes. Cell death, oxidative stress, mitochondrial transmembrane potential (MTP), ATP, mitochondrial oxidized/reduced glutathione (GSH) and Q(10) ratios, electronic transport chain (ETC) activity, and nuclear- and mitochondria-encoded expression of complex I subunits were determined in hepatocytes. d-GalN induced a transient increase of mitochondrial hyperpolarization and oxidative stress, followed by an increase of oxidized/reduced GSH and Q(10) ratios, mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death in hepatocytes. The cytoprotective properties of NAC supplementation were related to a reduction of ROS generation and oxidized/reduced GSH and Q(10) ratios, and a recovery of mitochondrial complexes I+III and II+III activities and cellular ATP content. The co-administration of Q(10) or MnTBAP recovered oxidized/reduced GSH ratio, and reduced ROS generation, ETC dysfunction and cell death induced by D-GalN. The cytoprotective properties of studied antioxidants were related to an increase of the protein expression of nuclear- and mitochondrial-encoded subunits of complex I. In conclusion, the co-administration of NAC, Q(10) and MnTBAP enhanced the expression of complex I subunits, and reduced ROS production, oxidized/reduced GSH ratio, mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death induced by D-GalN in cultured hepatocytes., This study has been supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (FIS 02/0181, FIS 05/0703) and the Consejería de Salud (SAS 50/03). CIBERehd is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is common in Europe affecting up to 1:500 people. In an effort to identify genes influencing susceptibility to the disease, we have performed a population-based whole genome screen for association. In this study, 6000 microsatellite markers were typed in separately pooled DNA samples from MS patients (n = 188) and matched controls (n = 188). Interpretable data was obtained from 4661 of these markers. Refining analysis of the most promising markers identified 10 showing potential evidence for association., SERONO (Portugal)., Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - grant FRH/BD/9111/2002., British Council/ICCTI., Wellcome Trust, Multiple Sclerosis Societies of the United States and Great Britain, Multiple Sclerosis International Federation - GAMES project - grant 057097.