Learning to hunt Crocodiles: social organization in the process of knowledge generation and the emergence of management practices among Mayan of Mexico

Background New kinds of knowledge, usage patterns and management strategies of natural resources emerge in local communities as a way of coping with uncertainty in a changing world.Studying how human groups adapt and create new livelihoods strategies are important research topics for creating policies in natural resources management. Here, we study the adoption and development of lagartos (Crocodylus moreletii) commercial hunting by Mayan people from a communal land in Quintana Roo state. Two questions guided our work: how did the Mayan learn to hunt lagartos? And how, and in what context, did knowledge and management practices emerge? We believe that social structures, knowledge and preexisting skills facilitate the hunting learning process, but lagarto ecological knowledge and organizational practice were developed in a learning by doing process. Methods We conducted free, semi-structured and in-depth interviews over 17 prestigious lagartos hunters who reconstructed the activity through oral history. Then, we analyzed the sources of information and routes of learning and investigated the role of previous knowledge and social organization in the development of this novel activity. Finally, we discussed the emergence of hunting in relation to the characteristic of natural resource and the tenure system. Results Lagarto hunting for skin selling was a short-term activity, which represented an alternative source of money for some Mayans known as lagarteros. They acquired different types of knowledge and skills through various sources of experience (individual practice, or from foreign hunters and other Mayan hunters). The developed management system involved a set of local knowledge about lagartos ecology and a social organization structure that was then articulated in the formation of ?working groups? with particular hunting locations (rumbos and trabajaderos), rotation strategies and collaboration among them. Access rules and regulations identified were in an incipient state of development and were little documented. Conclusions In agreement to the hypothesis proposed, the Mayan used multiple learning paths to develop a new activity: the lagarto hunting. On the one hand, they used their traditional social organization structure as well as their culturally inherited knowledge. On the other hand, they acquired new ecological knowledge of the species in a learning-by-doing process, together with the use of other sources of external information. The formation of working groups, the exchange of information and the administration of hunting locations are similar to other productive activities and livelihood practiced by these Mayan. Skills such as preparing skins and lagartos ecological knowledge were acquired by foreign hunters and during hunting practice, respectively. We detected a feedback between local ecological knowledge and social organization, which in turn promoted the emergence of Mayan hunting management practices.Fil: Zamudio, Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Instituto de Biologia Subtropical - Sede Puerto Iguazu; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Bello, Baltazar Eduardo. El Colegio de la Frontera del Sur; MéxicoFil: Estrada Lugo, Erin I. J.. El Colegio de la Frontera del Sur; Méxic

Effects of the use of active video games in balance and quality of life: systematic review

Introduction: In the past few years the interest about information and communication technologies has grown. Considering that the use of exergames is increasing, arousing the interest of the scientific community because of their innovative intervention’s strategies, it was considered important to study the effectiveness of it´s use in some aspects like balance and quality of live. Objective: To study (what is) the effectiveness of exergames intervention programs on outcomes like balance and quality of life along the life cycle. Methodology: The research was performed in the following databases: PUBMED, IEEE Xplore Database, CochraneLibrary, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Clinical Trials) and Health Technology Assessment Database (Technology Assessments)), EBSCO, PEDro, ACM the guide, Elsevier, Springer and Taylor & Francis. The selected search terms were video games, gaming, active video games, wii, Xbox, exergame, postural balance, quality of life. Different research’s equations were used with the following inclusion criteria: RCT studies in English, Spanish or Portuguese language, it couldn’t be studies accomplished before 2001 including that year. According to the criteria and the application of PEDro scale, 5 articles comprised the analyzed final sample after selection. Results: There is no consensus among the studies which were analyzed as to the true relation between balance gains and the utilization of the different exergames. However that relation has been verified in the outcome quality of life. In this second outcome it was considered the increasing on the motivation levels and interest in therapy. Those contribute to a better adhesion in the therapeutic treatment and consequently to functional gains. Conclusion: According to the reviewed studies in this systematic review, it was possible to verify that the utilization of game consoles may be recommended as an instrument to the rehabilitation of patients who have disturbance in balance and decreased levels of quality of life, since the feedback’s system promotes motor control and motor learning. This systematic review has a strong impact in Physiotherapy practice because it allows the comprehension of what studies were performed in the area so far, whereas the utilization of those instruments implies, as all the Physiotherapy interventions, better scientific evidence.N/

Jornal da Fundação Beatriz Gama

Este trabalho apresenta a experiência da produção de um jornal para a Fundação Beatriz Gama (FBG), entidade ligada à prefeitura de Volta Redonda. Em uma parceria com a assessoria de comunicação da prefeitura, a coordenação do curso de Jornalismo do UniFOA verificou a possibilidade dos alunos criarem um informativo, para divulgar os trabalhos desenvolvidos pela FBG. Inicialmente houve a proposta da diagramação do novo veículo e em seguida a reunião de pauta para definir os temas que poderiam ser abordados na publicação. Os acadêmicos participantes do projeto fizeram visita à sede da FBG para conhecer de perto o trabalho social da entidade, nesse mesmo dia foi feita a cobertura fotográfica para ilustrar o jornal. As reportagens produzidas destacaram principalmente os cursos profissionalizantes da FBG que proporcionam oportunidade de trabalho para os jovens da comunidade de Volta Redonda. A experiência foi fundamental para que os alunos de jornalismo conhecessem outra realidade da nossa sociedade, despertando assim uma análise mais apurada de como a comunicação pode ajudar a divulgar ações exemplares de projetos como o da FBG. A última reportagem produzida para o Jornal da Fundação Beatriz Gama foi com a formatura dos alunos dos cursos profissionalizantes. Neste evento a equipe de reportagem fez a cobertura realizando entrevista com os familiares, alunos e funcionários envolvidos naquela cerimônia. Depois de todo o material apurado, fizemos a diagramação de fotos e textos, revisão completa do conteúdo e por fim, a apresentação aos diretores da Fundação Beatriz Gama que aprovaram o produto final desenvolvido. A prefeitura de Volta Redonda informou que o jornal será publicado após o período eleitoral para evitar algum tipo de problema com a justiça eleitoral. Esse foi mais um dos produtos que o Centro Universitário de Volta Redonda UniFOA doou à prefeitura de Volta redonda

Polycrystalline Ni nanotubes under compression: a molecular dynamics study

Mechanical properties of nanomaterials, such as nanowires and nanotubes, are an important feature for the design of novel electromechanical nano-architectures. Since grain boundary structures and surface modifications can be used as a route to modify nanostructured materials, it is of interest to understand how they affect material strength and plasticity. We report large-scale atomistic simulations to determine the mechanical response of nickel nanowires and nanotubes subject to uniaxial compression. Our results suggest that the incorporation of nanocrystalline structure allows completely flexible deformation, in sharp contrast with single crystals. While crystalline structures at high compression are dominated by dislocation pinning and the multiplication of highly localized shear regions, in nanocrystalline systems the dislocation distribution is significantly more homogeneous. Therefore, for large compressions (large strains) coiling instead of bulging is the dominant deformation mode. Additionally, it is observed that nanotubes with only 70% of the nanowire mass but of the same diameter, exhibit similar mechanical behavior up to 0.3 strain. Our results are useful for the design of new flexible and light-weight metamaterials, when highly deformable struts are required.Fil: Rojas Nunez, J.. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Baltazar, S. E.. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Gonzalez, R. I.. Universidad Mayor; ChileFil: Bringa, Eduardo Marcial. Universidad Mayor; Chile. Universidad de Mendoza. Facultad de Ingeniería; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Allende, S.. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Kiwi, M.. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; ChileFil: Valencia, F. J.. Universidad de Santiago de Chile; Chile. Universidad Mayor; Chil

Quasi-static compression tests of overwrapped composite pressure vessels under low velocity impact.

Pressure Vessels are being utilised in different applications that are indispensable including automobile, aerospace, underwater vehicles, oil and gas, chemical engineering among other applications. However, there is lack of knowledge on the influence of induced damage and the resulting performance of such vessels under quasi-static loading and axial compression. Specifically, the vessels studied in this study is made up of a high-density polyethylene liner and glass fibre overwraps. Therefore, this research investigated the load bearing capacities and the energy absorbed of the indented vessels in axial and hoop directions to determine the resistance of the vessels after such damaged using experiment, and damage characterisation microscopy, non-destructive testing and analysis. Quasi-static transverse and axial compression testing was performed on composite cylinders made of polyethylene liner and glass fibre overwraps. Both quasi-static and axial compression tests were performed with the Instron Machine 3382, quasi-static compression was performed at speed of 500 mm/min, while the axial compression test was performed at speed of 2.5 mm/min. The results for the damage profile and the effect on compressive strength of the composite damaged and two non-damaged cylinders was found to be relatively similar. Additionally, the results demonstrate that the quasi-static compression have little or no influence on the axial strength of the cylinders. The microscopic and Dolphicam2 results for damage characterisation on the cylinders revealed fibre break and delamination. On the other hand, visual examination results show local bucking and brooming failure at the bottom of the cylinders

Forecasting shifts in habitat suitability across the distribution range of a temperate small pelagic fish under different scenarios of climate change

Climate change often leads to shifts in the distribution of small pelagic fish, likely by changing the match-mismatch dynamics between these sensitive species within their environmental optima. Using present-day habitat suitability, we projected how different scenarios of climate change (IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways 2.6, 4.5 and 8.5) may alter the large scale distribution of European sardine Sardina pilchardus (a model species) by 2050 and 2100. We evaluated the variability of species-specific environmental optima allowing a comparison between present-day and future scenarios. Regardless of the scenario, sea surface temperature and salinity and the interaction between current velocity and distance to the nearest coast were the main descriptors responsible for the main effects on sardine's distribution. Present-day and future potential “hotspots” for sardine were neritic zones ( 20 (PSU), on average. Most variability in projected shifts among climatic scenarios was in habitats with moderate to low suitability. By the end of this century, habitat suitability was projected to increase in the Canary Islands, Iberian Peninsula, central North Sea, northern Mediterranean, and eastern Black Sea and to decrease in the Atlantic African coast, southwest Mediterranean, English Channel, northern North Sea and Western U.K. A gradual poleward-eastward shift in sardine distribution was also projected among scenarios. This shift was most pronounced in 2100 under RCP 8.5. In that scenario, sardines had a 9.6% range expansion which included waters along the entire coast of Norway up and into the White Sea. As habitat suitability is mediated by the synergic effects of climate variability and change on species fitness, it is critical to apply models with robust underlying species-habitat data that integrate knowledge on the full range of processes shaping species productivity and distribution.Preprin

Synoptic attributions of extreme precipitation in the Atacama Desert (Chile)

Northern Chile is a region characterised by an extremely dry climate; however, there is a brief rainy season from December to March (austral summer), mainly above 3000 m a.s.l. It is interesting to consider where the humid air masses that generate such rain come from. For this purpose, daily precipitation data from 161 meteorological stations located in this area (18° S–19° S) were considered, and four clusters formed by k-means clustering. For each cluster, days of extreme precipitation (above 90th percentile) were selected to obtain flow strength (F), direction (D), and vorticity (Z) for each event according to the Jenkinson and Collison (JC) method. The back trajectory, for the previous 72 h, of air masses affecting the centroid of each cluster was determined by means of the Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. The analyses were carried out at sea level (1013 hPa) and in the middle (500 hPa) and upper (250 hPa) troposphere. Surface circulation was not a determining factor in the occurrence of extreme events, but it did influence circulation at 500 and 250 hPa. For stations located in the northern Altiplano, moisture advection from the Amazon basin is evident due to the configuration of the Bolivian high—an upper level anticyclone that develops over the Bolivian Altiplano during austral summer. For stations located in the southern part of the study area, the main source of moisture is the Pacific Ocean, and the weather is related to the arrival of frontal systems and to the configuration of cut-off low pressure systems in the mid-troposphere.The authors want to thank the FONDECYT Project 11160059 of the Chilean Government, the Climatology Group (2017SGR1362, Catalan Government) and the CLICES Project (CGL2017-83866-C3-2-R) for the institutional support. R.S.N. is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant no. FJCI-2017-31595)