Vegetation near Santa Teresinha, NE Mato Grosso.

Os arredores da cidade de Santa Teresinha, no Nordeste do mato Grosso, têm uma variada vegetação, de floresta terra firme, floresta ribeirinha, estacionalmente inundada, cerrado sobre terreno plano com solo profundo e sobre topos de espigões com solo arenoso raso e rochoso, bem como algumas veredas estreitas e áreas mais extensas de buritizais. Entretanto, a maior parte dos arredores da cidade, como é também o caso na Ilha do Bananal, no outro lado do Rio Araguaia, é coberta com um tipo de pantanal chamado "varjão", terreno não florestado, anualmente encharcado ou rasamente inundado por 4 - 5 meses de dezembro a março ou abril e fortemente ressecado durante a estação seca de junho a setembro. O varjão é salpicado com "monchões", montículas de terra de 10-20 m de diâmetro e 1,5-2 m de altura, 10-40 por hectare, originados provavelmente pela erosão diferencial da água que estacionalmente cobre o varjão. Os topos dos monchões que quase nunca estão cobertos pela água, sustentam uma flora de cerrado, com ervas, semi-arbustos, arbustos e árvores baixas. O solo argiloso, plano, aluvial, entre os monchões traz uma flora não de cerrado, de somente uma camada rasteira dominada por gramíneas de até 0.5 m de altura mas com muitas espécies de ervas e sem plantas lenhosas.The Santa Tenesinha region in northeaster Mato Grosso has a varied vegetation which is principally hammock pantanal. The flat clayey alluvial ground between the hummocks is coveted with a continuous non-cerrado ground cover dominated by grasses but which harbors sedges and a lange herb flora. No woody plants grow in it. The tops of the 10-20m wide, slightly elliptical hummocks, 1.5-2 m high, 10-40 per hectare, are covered with cerrado plants: herbs, semlshrubs, thin- and thick-stemmed shrubs and low trees. For 4-5 months during the latter part of the rainy season, the regional water table rises to the surface and the ground between the hummocks becomes saturated or floods up to 1.5-2 m deep. The tops of the hummocks almost always remain above high water level. In the dry season the surface soil dries out completely. This alternation of saturation or shallow flooding and dryness, prevents woody plant, growth between the hummocks, and except for a few tolerant species, also prevents woody plant. growth on the lower part of the hummochs. The gallery forests in the pantanal are seasonally flooded more deeply but their soil does not dry out so thonoughly in the dry season so woody plant growth is not prevented

Echinopterys eglandulosa

Angiosperm

Princípios e métodos de estudo nos grupamentos vegetais: uma revisão

O presente trabalho é uma contribuição teórica no estudo das comunidades vegetais. Mostra como a fitossociologia influenciou nos estudos das comunidades vegetais. Os diversos métodos e técnicas aplicados na fitossociologia têm variado de escola para escola, não existindo nenhum sistema aceito como padrão no estudo das comunidades vegetais. No ambiente tropical, existe a necessidade de adaptar tais métodos e técnicas, por falta de estudos analíticos para a seleção dos métodos e conceitos que são utilizados em ambientes tropicais. O trabalho mostra ainda. A influência dos enfoques fisionômicos e florísticos nas análises da vegetação

Pediatric audiology in North America: Current clinical practice and how it relates to the American Academy of Audiology pediatric amplification guideline

Background: There is broad consensus that screening and diagnosis of permanent hearing loss in children must beembedded within a comprehensive, evidence-based, family-centered intervention program. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for pediatric hearing assessment and hearing aid verification aim to reduce variability in practice and increase the use of effective evidence-based diagnostic and treatment options so that optimal outcomes may be achieved. To be of value, guidelines must be translated and implemented into practice and ongoing monitoring of their use in practice should occur. Purpose: This paper provides the results of two studies that aim to examine current pediatric audiology and amplification practice in North America. Research Design: A concurrent embedded mixed methods design was used. Study Sample: An electronic survey was distributed to North American audiologists who delivered pediatric audiology services with 350 audiologists participating in study 1 and 63 audiologists participating in study 2. Data Collection and Analysis: A quantitative approach was the predominant method of data collection. Respondents were prompted to provide additional qualitative text and detail regarding their quantitative response choice. This qualitative text was used during the analysis phase and combined with quantitative results to assist understanding of respondents\u27 knowledge, skills, and barriers/facilitators to implement best practice in pediatric amplification. Results: Approximately 70% of audiologists reported using best-practice protocols for pediatric hearing aid fitting. Despite widespread knowledge and increased use of CPGs over the last 18 yrs, results of these studies show that variation in practice patterns continue to exist. Several examples of implementation challenges are discussed with recommendations provided. Conclusions: In order for audiologists working with children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families to achieve the principles of family-centered early intervention, practice guidelines must continue to be developed, disseminated, and translated as they have a positive impact on the services provided. Researchers and clinical audiologists who deliver services must continue to collaborate to understand the how and why of implementing guidelines into practice and to identify the barriers/facilitators encountered in trying to do so

Using the real-ear-to-coupler difference within the American Academy of audiology pediatric amplification guideline: Protocols for applying and predicting earmold RECDs

Background: Real-ear-to-coupler difference (RECD) measurements are used for the purposes of estimating degree and configuration of hearing loss (in dB SPL ear canal) and predicting hearing aid output from coupler-based measures. Accurate measurements of hearing threshold, derivation of hearing aid fitting targets, and predictions of hearing aid output in the ear canal assume consistent matching of RECD coupling procedure (i.e., foam tip or earmold) with that used during assessment and in verification of the hearing aid fitting. When there is a mismatch between these coupling procedures, errors are introduced. Purpose: The goal of this study was to quantify the systematic difference in measured RECD values obtained when using a foam tip versus an earmold with various tube lengths. Assuming that systematic errors exist, the second goal was to investigate the use of a foam tip to earmold correction for the purposes of improving fitting accuracy when mismatched RECD coupling conditions occur (e.g., foam tip at assessment, earmold at verification). Study Sample: Eighteen adults and 17 children (age range: 3-127 mo) participated in this study. Data Collection and Analysis: Data were obtained using simulated ears of various volumes and earmold tubing lengths and from patients using their own earmolds. Derived RECD values based on simulated ear measurements were compared with RECD values obtained for adult and pediatric ears for foam tip and earmold coupling. Results: Results indicate that differences between foam tip and earmold RECDs are consistent across test ears for adults and children which support the development of a correction between foam tip and earmold couplings for RECDs that can be applied across individuals. Conclusions: The foam tip to earmold correction values developed in this study can be used to provide improved estimations of earmold RECDs. This may support better accuracy in acoustic transforms related to transforming thresholds and/or hearing aid coupler responses to ear canal sound pressure level for the purposes of fitting behind-the-ear hearing AIDS

Performance of model 11, back-transformed to its power-law form (<i>y</i> = (409.047 · <i>v</i>^0.976) · 1.17), using the training data set (present study) and an independent validation set from Delitti et al. [17].

<p>Performance of model 11, back-transformed to its power-law form (<i>y</i> = (409.047 · <i>v</i>^0.976) · 1.17), using the training data set (present study) and an independent validation set from Delitti et al. [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0196742#pone.0196742.ref017" target="_blank">17</a>].</p

Effect of environmental factors on tree aboveground biomass density of 68 cerrado <i>sensu stricto</i> sites in Brazil, using LR models.

<p>Effect of environmental factors on tree aboveground biomass density of 68 cerrado <i>sensu stricto</i> sites in Brazil, using LR models.</p