Search

Objectives: This study examines the role of law enforcement procedures for environmental offenses. We test whether reaching the statute of limitations is associated with the recidivism of offenses against the flora in Brazil. Methods: We analyze the universe of infractions issued by Brazil's Federal Environmental Agency from 2000 to 2010 using survival analysis and reweighting methods. Results: Findings indicate that reaching the statute of limitations in administrative procedures increases the risk of recidivism for individuals by 188% and firms by 34%. Conclusion: Ineffective sentencing practices stimulate repeated offenses against the environment and have significant consequences for environmental degradation in Brazil, a country that is central for actions to mitigate global environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric transducers with high directional-dependent response are of interest in several applications because of their ability to sense and actuate along specific directions where they can distinguish individual principal strain components. This paper presents an improved unidirectional sensor obtained using a multi-laminate piezocomposite that maximizes the electromechanical coupling factor or the piezoelectric strain constant in one direction with respect to the other directions. Furthermore, multi-laminate structures provide significant design potential by the variation of the orientation and stacking sequence of fibers to obtain the desired properties. The effective properties depend on the number of layers, the fibers orientation as well as the thickness of each layer, and they are estimated by the variational asymptotic method for unit cell homogenization. A design that guarantees maximum directional dependence in terms of piezoelectric strain constant is determined by a global optimization technique using a genetic algorithm. Layered transducers composed of several orthotropic passive layers and a single active layer are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of brassinosteroids (BRs) has been reported to alleviate heat stress. This study investigated the effect of 7,8-dihydro-8α-20-hydroxyecdysone (DHECD)-a BR mimic-by comparison with 24-epibrassinolide (EBR) on the changes in photosynthetic performance, lipid peroxidation, and rice seed set. The results demonstrated that 10 M EBR and 10 M DHECD had the best actions to counteract the lethal heat temperature of 47 °C for 2 h indicated by a reduction in the number of wilted leaves and an increase in the relative water content and leaf greenness. Moreover, plants treated with EBR or DHECD were exposed to high day/night temperatures of 40/30 °C for 7 days. EBR-treated and DHECD-treated plants showed a high shoot fresh weight, leaf area, chlorophyll content, and carotenoid content. High temperature significantly decreased the leaf net CO assimilation rate as well as increased lipid peroxidation. The application of EBR and DHECD maintained the high level of the net CO assimilation rate by increasing the stomatal conductance and photochemical quenching. On the other hand, EBR and DHECD decreased the intracellular CO content and non-photochemical quenching leading to enhance photosynthesis under heat stress. EBR-treated and DHECD-treated plants significantly reduced their malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide contents as well as increasing their total soluble sugar contents. Moreover, BR treatments increased the filled seed of rice. This study confirmed that DHECD-a BR mimic-has activities of heat stress alleviation similar to EBR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of high-speed interleaved echo-planar imaging (EPI) to achieve diagnostic image quality comparable to T2-weighted imaging in patients with brain tumors. Seventeen patients with intra-axial, supratentorial tumors (10 untreated gliomas, 7 radiated gliomas) were investigated on a 1. 5-T scanner. The conventional scan (SE, TR/TE = 2200/80 ms, 18 slices) was acquired in 8 min, 4 s, and EPI (TR/TE = 3000/80 ms, 18 slices) was completed in 25 s. The films were compared in a blinded trail by three radiologists. On the general impression and anatomic display, both sequences were rated to be of similar quality. Artifacts were slightly more pronounced at the skull base and around surgical clips using EPI. Tumor delineation was nearly equivalent using EPI, compared with the T2-weighted sequence. Echo-planar imaging reached diagnostic quality in all patients. Interleaved high-resolution EPI yielded sufficient quality to depict intra-axial, supratentorial brain tumors. Since EPI can be obtained in a small fraction of the time needed for conventional spin echo, in addition to other indications it could be considered to study patients unable to cooperate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biochemical markers are crucial to the development of early diagnosis of infantile autism. The blood concentrations of neuroanalytes epinephrine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin were elevated in autistic subjects ( n = 13) as compared to normal controls ( n = 10). Autistic subjects had peptide patterns (peaks I-V, Sephadex G-25) that were different from those of normal controls. Methionine-enkephalin has been tentatively identified from fraction I of autistic subjects by HPLC as one of a large number of peptides that appears to be elevated. The HPLC chromatographic patterns of fraction V from all autistic subjects show a peak with retention time of 7.6 min. The HPLC of control urine fraction V revealed no comparable peaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly synchronous cultures of the erythrocyte stages of Plasmodium falciparum were used to determine the effects of a number of protease inhibitors on parasite development and merozoite invasion. Leupeptin, N-tosyl-L-lysyl chloromethylketone and pepstatin at a concentration greater than 0.05 mM were deleterious to both parasite development and merozoite invasion whereas aprotinin, antipain, α-1-antitrypsin and soybean trypsin inhibitor had no effect at a concentration of 0.5 mM. On the other hand, N-tosyl-L-phenylalanyl chloromethylketone and phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride at a concentration of 1 mM and chymostatin at a concentration of 0.15 mM inhibited merozoite invasion but were not deleterious to parasite development. Pretreatment of red cells with these three inhibitors did not block merozoite invasion. These results suggested that a chymotrypsin-like activity of the merozoite is important in the invasion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. These guidelines, which summarise the views of the Paediatric Committee of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, provide a framework which may prove helpful to nuclear medicine teams in daily practice. They contain information on the indications, acquisition, processing and interpretation of direct radioisotope cystography in children. The guidelines should be taken in the context of "good practice" and any local/national rules which apply to nuclear medicine examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. These guidelines on the use of radioiodinated [SUP99m]Tc-MIBG scintigraphy in children, which summarise the views of the Paediatric Committee of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine, provide a framework which may prove helpful to nuclear medicine teams in daily practice. They have been influenced by the conclusions of the "Consensus Guidelines for MIBG Scintigra-phy" (Paris, November 6, 1997) of the European Neuro-blastoma Group and by those of the Oncological Committee of the French Society of Nuclear Medicine. The guidelines should be taken in the context of "good practice" and any local/national rules which apply to nuclear medicine examinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]