Envelhecimento e saúde: Escala de Autoeficácia para a Autodireção na Saúde

OBJETIVO Validar a Escala de Autoeficácia para a Autodireção no domínio da Saúde (EAAS). MÉTODOS Estudo quantitativo não experimental de validação da EAAS, por meio de análises fatoriais confirmatórias, avaliando amostra de 508 seniores e idosos provenientes das regiões Norte e Centro de Portugal com média etária de 71.67 (51 a 96 anos), a quem foram aplicadas a Escala de Autoeficácia para a Autodireção na Saúde, a Escala de Autoestima de Rosenberg, a Escala de Afeto Positivo e Afeto Negativo, a Escala de Satisfação Com a Vida e a escala de Atividades Instrumentais da Vida Diária. A EAAS foi desenvolvida a partir dos construtos teóricos da autoeficácia e da aprendizagem autodirigida no âmbito do projeto europeu PALADIN, visando constituir um instrumento apto a avaliar até que ponto os seniores cuidam bem da sua saúde. RESULTADOS A consistência interna encontrada foi de 0.87 (alfa de Cronbach) e as análises fatoriais confirmatórias permitiram encontrar um modelo próximo ao proposto teoricamente, indicando uma estrutura constituída por quatro dimensões: exercício físico, alimentação saudável, envolvimento em aprendizagens relativas à saúde e visitas a profissionais de saúde. Do ponto de vista psicométrico, o modelo em quatro fatores mostrou indicadores de ajustamento bastante satisfatórios. CONCLUSÕES A Escala de Autoeficácia para a Autodireção na Saúde, com 16 itens, é adequada para avaliar em que medida os seniores têm confiança na sua capacidade para tomar conta da própria saúde, com elevado grau de autonomia.OBJECTIVE To validate the Escala de Autoeficácia para a Autodireção na Saúde (EAAS – Self-efficacy for Self-direction in Health Scale). METHODS Non-experimental quantitative study of EAAS validation, by confirmatory factorial analyses, evaluating a sample of 508 older adults from the north and the center of Portugal with mean age of 71.67 (from 51 to 96 years), to whom the Self-efficacy for Self-direction in Health Scale, the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale were applied. The EAAS was developed from the theoretical constructs of self-efficacy and from self-directed learning within the PALADIN European project framework, aiming to develop an instrument able to assess the extent to which older adults take good care of their health. RESULTS The internal consistency was 0.87 (Cronbach’s alpha) and confirmatory factorial analyses enabled to find a model near the one theoretically proposed, indicating a structure consisting of four dimensions: physical exercise, healthy diet, engaging in health-related learning, and visits to health professionals. From the psychometric point of view, the model in four factors showed quite satisfactory fit indicators. CONCLUSIONS The Self-efficacy for Self-direction in Health Scale, with 16 items, is adequate to evaluate to what extent older adults have confidence in their ability to take care of their own health, with high degree of autonomy

Cytogenetic Analysis Of Four Central Amazonian Species Of Colostethus (anura - Dendrobatidae) With A Diploid Complement Of 22 Chromosomes.

Colostethus marchesianus from the type locality and three related species had 2n = 22 chromosomes, which differed from most other Colostethus species that have 2n = 24 chromosomes. The species analyzed were morphologically similar and showed a conservative karyotype, although they could be distinguished from each other by their C-banding pattern. Additional NOR sites, heteromorphism in NOR size and heterochromatin, and an additional rDNA site detected by FISH, were observed. These data suggest that chromosomal rearrangements and hetrochromatin-related events may have contributed to the karyotype differentiation of these Colostethus.139189-9

The peculiar breeding biology of the Amazonian frog Allobates subfolionidificans (Aromobatidae)

Allobates subfolionidificans is a vulnerable and endemic leaf-litter frog from the state of Acre, Brazilian Amazonia. We monitored a population of A. subfolionidificans through regular censuses and mark-recapture of 181 individuals during an entire breeding season to characterize its reproductive behavior. The space use of A. subfolionidificans individuals differed between sexes, with males using smaller and more segregated spaces. Males defended territories and were aggressive against same-sex individuals, which was not the case in females. The daily cycle of calling activity showed peaks in the morning and in the afternoon, and the occurrence of reproductive events was positively correlated with monthly rainfall. The breeding behavior comprised vocal and tactile interactions, although the species lacked reproductive amplexus. Egg and larvae attendance, as well as tadpole transport to water environments was performed mostly by males but occasionally by females, probably in cases of desertion by the father. This species is characterized by performing courtship, mating, oviposition, as well as egg and larvae attendance exclusively on the under surface of leaves, a unique behavior among members of the superfamily Dendrobatoidea

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Different environmental gradients affect different measures of snake β-diversity in the Amazon rainforests

Mechanisms generating and maintaining biodiversity at regional scales may be evaluated by quantifying β-diversity along environmental gradients. Differences in assemblages result in biotic complementarities and redundancies among sites, which may be quantified through multi-dimensional approaches incorporating taxonomic β-diversity (TBD), functional β-diversity (FBD) and phylogenetic β-diversity (PBD). Here we test the hypothesis that snake TBD, FBD and PBD are influenced by environmental gradients, independently of geographic distance. The gradients tested are expected to affect snake assemblages indirectly, such as clay content in the soil determining primary production and height above the nearest drainage determining prey availability, or directly, such as percentage of tree cover determining availability of resting and nesting sites, and climate (temperature and precipitation) causing physiological filtering. We sampled snakes in 21 sampling plots, each covering five km2, distributed over 880 km in the central-southern Amazon Basin. We used dissimilarities between sampling sites to quantify TBD, FBD and PBD, which were response variables in multiple-linear-regression and redundancy analysis models. We show that patterns of snake community composition based on TBD, FBD and PBD are associated with environmental heterogeneity in the Amazon. Despite positive correlations between all β-diversity measures, TBD responded to different environmental gradients compared to FBD and PBD. Our findings suggest that multi-dimensional approaches are more informative for ecological studies and conservation actions compared to a single diversity measure

Contributions of C 3 and C 4 plants to higher trophic levels in an Amazonian savanna

Abstract We studied the energy¯ow from C 3 and C 4 plants to higher trophic levels in a central Amazonian savanna by comparing the carbon stable-isotope ratios of potential food plants to the isotope ratios of species of dierent consumer groups. All C 4 plants encountered in our study area were grasses and all C 3 plants were bushes, shrubs or vines. Dierences in d 13 C ratios among bushes (" x = A30.8, SD = 1.2), vines (" x = A30.7, SD = 0.46) and trees (" x = A29.7, SD = 1.5) were small. However the mean d 13 C ratio of dicotyledonous plants (" x = A30.4, SD = 1.3) was much more negative than that of the most common grasses (" x = A13.4, SD = 0.27). The insect primary consumers had d 13 C ratios which ranged from a mean of A29.5 (SD = 0.47) for the grasshopper Tropidacris collaris to a mean of A14.7 (SD = 0.56) for a termite (Nasutitermes sp.), a range similar to that of the vegetation

On the distinctive call of a threatened phenotype of Allobates femoralis (Anura: Aromobatidae) and its recognition by allopatric conspecific males

ABSTRACT The brilliant-thighed frog [Allobates femoralis (Boulenger, 1884)]; is distributed across the Amazon basin and aggregates several allopatric evolutionary lineages, some of which present variation in their advertisement calls. In 2009, an unregistered call phenotype was discovered in the region of Altamira and Vitória do Xingu, State of Pará, Brazil, where males emit advertisement calls formed by six notes, differing from the typical four-note calls described for other A. femoralis populations. In this study, we describe in detail these untypical calls. Additionally, we test whether the aggressive responses of males of a 4-note reference population (Reserva Ducke - RFAD, in Manaus, State of Amazonas) is differential towards the 6-note calls of males recorded in Altamira (Pará State), and towards 4-note calls recorded in one location at the Tapajós-Xingu interfluve (Belterra, Pará State), and in RFAD. Playback experiments were conducted between 2011-2012, and used standardized stimuli produced from natural call recordings. A total of 30 independent experiments were conducted, 10 for each stimuli class. We measured the phonotaxis of focal males in relation to the loudspeaker, considering the time to orientation and the time to approach the loudspeaker. We found that not all A. femoralis males at RFAD promptly recognize calls from males recorded in Altamira. However, when considering only males who approached the loudspeaker, differences in aggressive reactions were not seen between stimuli classes. Our findings show that the ability to recognize calls from Altamira as belonging to co-specific males is not universal among males at RFAD. The new A. femoralis phenotype occurs in areas potentially impacted by the Belo Monte hydroelectric complex and complementary studies indicate that no gene flow exists between this group and A. femoralis from adjacent regions. Hence, developments in Altamira may put this incipient speciation process at risk

A new amazonian species of Colostethus with sky blue digits

We describe a new species of Colostethus that is unusual in that males have blue digits on the hands and blue toe discs; females have blue discs on the fingers and toes but lack blue digits. The new species occurs in lowland tropical rainforest south of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, in the municipality of Castanho, at km 12 on the road to Autazes. Six species of Colostethus occur in the vicinity of Manaus; two, C. stepheni and C. marchesianus, occur north of the Amazon River, and four, including the new species and three undescribed species, occur south of the river. Four of these six species have small body size; i.e., adult male SVLs are ≤18.0 mm. Two of the species, both undescribed, from south of the Amazon have adult male SVLs ≥19.5 mm. Calls of all six species are unique; calls are produced either continuously, as inthe case of the new species, C. marchesianus, and one of the large undescribed species south of the Amazon river, or in bouts of varying lengths. The function of the blue digits in males of the new species is unknown but may be associated with visual communication during reproductive behavior. Blue toes or discs were present only in adults during the breeding season