Suchergebnisse

This paper estimates WTP for drinking water quality in Brazil by combining averting behavior with contingent valuation data. Using bivariate probit models, alternative structures allowing for heteroscedasticity between and within data sources are incorporated by taking advantage of the different information content that characterizes each data source. We look at two covariates not yet examined in the literature when combining stated and revealed preferred data to explain the variance in the models: income and the bid in the contingent valuation questionnaire. Tests for parameter equality across data sets are performed. The results suggest that the specification of heteroscedasticity has a significant impact in WTP estimates and is crucial to legitimate the combination of data sets from different origins. The significant differences found in WTP between the two sources are discussed.

ABSTRACT: This work evaluates the daily precipitation and mean temperature of eight CORDEX-EUR11 ERA-Interim-driven simulations of EURO-CORDEX over the Iberian Peninsula (IP) for the period 1989-2008. To this aim, three observational data sets (Iberia01, E-OBS-v19e, and MESAN-0.11) were considered as reference and compared with the models by means of several indices reflecting the mean and extreme regimes over the IP. For precipitation the Lamb weather types were considered to identify synoptic conditions related with higher observational uncertainty. RCMs are able to reproduce the spatial pattern and the variability observed in the IP. However, there is a higher agreement between models and observations for mean temperature than for precipitation, decreasing when extremes are analyzed. For the observational uncertainty analysis, also extreme daily temperatures were considered to obtain a wider picture of this topic. A higher dependence on the observational data set has been found for precipitation than for temperature. This uncertainty is particularly significant when the 50-year return value is considered for which the observational uncertainty doubles the model uncertainty. Only the wet-day frequency presents values lower than 0.5 for all seasons, with most of the rest of values reflecting a similar contribution of both components to the uncertainty. In the case of temperatures, the main contribution of the observations has been found when the lower (MAE01) and upper (MAE99) extremes are considered, with values lower than 0.5. For precipitation the observational uncertainty increases when synoptic patterns affecting the Mediterranean Basin are considered, reflecting the difficulty to properly capture the Mediterranean precipitation regimes. ; This work was partially funded by the Spanish Government R&D Programme (Exp. CGL2010-21869 and CGL2010-22158-C02) and the European Comission (INDECIS: H2020-690462). Pedro M. M. Soares and Rita M. Cardoso wish to acknowledge the SOLAR (PTDC/GEOMET/7078/2014) Project and the funding by the Instituto Dom Luiz (Project FCT UID/GEO/50019/2019).

A set of 24 glandes plumbeae found at Alto dos Cacos, a Roman Republican military camp located in the Tagus valley, Portugal, was analysed by a quadrupole based ICP-MS to determine the tin (Sn) content and lead (Pb) isotope ratios. Results were compared with similar data previously obtained for fistulae plumbeae aquariae from Conimbriga, an important Lusitanian Roman centre during the Empire. Low Sn contents (≤0.01 wt%) were observed in 25% of glandes plumbeae indicating that were probably made with non-recycled lead. A similar situation was perceived for the set of fistulae aquariae, although most of the remaining fistulae present systematically higher Sn concentrations than those of glandes suggesting that lead recycling increased during the Empire. Pb isotope ratios distribution differentiated the analysed samples into two distinct groups: one composed by most of glandes plumbeae (15) and the other by the remaining glandes plumbeae (9) and all fistulae aquariae. The comparison with Pb isotope ratios of the published data for several lead ore deposits, exploited by the Roman in Iberian Peninsula, suggests that lead used in the manufacture of most of the glandes plumbeae would come from Linares-La Carolina, Alcudia Valley and Ossa Morena Zone. Also, some glandes could have been made using these ores, probably mixed with lead ores from Gallia Narbonensis (Southern France) or from Sardinia in the Mediterranean region. On the other hand, lead used in most fistulae aquariae came from Iberian mines, namely from Sierra Morena (Alcudia Valley and Linares-La Carolina mines) and Ossa Morena mining district, although in some cases, probably mixed with lead from the Iberian Pyrite Belt. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Acute organophosphorus (OP) intoxication is a worldwide clinical and public health problem. In addition to cholinergic crisis, neurodegeneration and brain damage are hallmarks of the severe form of this toxidrome. Recently, we generated a chemical model of severe acute OP intoxication in zebrafish that is characterized by altered head morphology and brain degeneration. The pathophysiological pathways resulting in brain toxicity in this model are similar to those described in humans. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive power of this zebrafish model by testing the effect of a panel of drugs that provide protection in mammalian models. The selected drugs included "standard therapy" drugs (atropine and pralidoxime), reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (huperzine A, galantamine, physostigmine and pyridostigmine), N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists (MK-801 and memantine), dual-function NMDA receptor and acetylcholine receptor antagonists (caramiphen and benactyzine) and anti-inflammatory drugs (dexamethasone and ibuprofen). The effects of these drugs on zebrafish survival and the prevalence of abnormal head morphology in the larvae exposed to 4 µM chlorpyrifos oxon [1 × median lethal concentration (LC50)] were determined. Moreover, the neuroprotective effects of pralidoxime, memantine, caramiphen and dexamethasone at the gross morphological level were confirmed by histopathological and transcriptional analyses. Our results demonstrated that the zebrafish model for severe acute OP intoxication has a high predictive value and can be used to identify new compounds that provide neuroprotection against severe acute OP intoxication. © 2016, The Author(s). ; This work was supported in part by the US Army ERDC-IRO (W912HZ-13-BAA-01; D.R.), the NATO SfP project MD.SFPP 984777 (D.R.), the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology Grant SFRH/BPD/78342/2011 (Programme POPH—QREN through the Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science and the European Social Fund; M.F.) and the Spanish Government (CTM2014-51985-R; D.R., E.P, M.F.). We also are grateful to Dr. Martí Pumarola from the Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals of the UAB for their valuable comments on neuropathology. ; Peer reviewed

The use of buffers to maintain the pH within a desired range is a very common practice in chemical, biochemical and biological studies. Among them, zwitterionic N-substituted aminosulfonic acids, usually known as Good's buffers, although widely used, can complex metals and interact with biological systems. The present work reviews, discusses and updates the metal complexation characteristics of thirty one commercially available buffers. In addition, their impact on biological systems is also presented. The influences of these buffers on the results obtained in biological, biochemical and environmental studies, with special focus on their interaction with metal ions, are highlighted and critically reviewed. Using chemical speciation simulations, based on the current knowledge of the metal-buffer stability constants, a proposal of the most adequate buffer to employ for a given metal ion is presented. ; This work has been supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), from the Portuguese Government, through the grants Strategic project-LA23/2013-2014 (IBB) and PEST-C/EQB/ LA0006/2011 (REQUIMTE). Soares EV also thanks the Project "BioInd-Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes", REF. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER- 000028 Co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), QREN, ...