First Record of the Dolichoderine Ant Genus Gracilidris Wild & Cuezzo (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Southern Brazil

ABSTRACT - The dolichoderine ant species Gracilidris pombero, sole representative of the genus, is recorded for the first time in southern Brazil. Until now, the species was known only for the open fields of the South American dry diagonal and for a single locality in the Colombian Amazon. The specimens reported here were collected with pitfall traps in grasslands of the Pampa biome, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. This record represents the southernmost occurrence for the genus, extending its distribution in approximately 450 km to the south in the Neotropics and in almost 1,150 km to the south in Brazil

Ground-Dwelling and Vegetation Ant Fauna in Southern Brazilian Grasslands

Non-forest ecosystems, as natural grasslands from Southern Brazil, are still neglected in conservation policies. Measuring their biodiversity is one of the main steps to generate management strategies for these habitats. This study aims to (i) describe grassland ant richness and composition in Rio Grande do Sul state, and (ii) compare ant communities sampled on the ground and in grassland vegetation, adding to our knowledge of habitat use patterns and vegetation associated species. Six sites were sampled, three belonging to the Pampa biome and three in highland region from the Atlantic Forest biome. Ant fauna was collected once per year in summer during four years in each site with pitfalls traps and sweeping nets. Overall, 29,812 ant individuals were sampled belonging to eight subfamilies, 30 genera e 106 species. The grasslands of Pampa accumulated 91 species and 45 exclusive species, while highland grasslands summed up 61 species and only 15 exclusive species. Species composition differs between biomes as well as between sampling methods. Ant communities sampled from vegetation represented a clear subset of the fauna sampled with pitfall traps, and indication analysis showed only two species associated with this stratum: Myrmelachista gallicola and Pseudomyrmex nr. flavidulus. This study highlights the importance of Southern Brazilian grasslands and the need for specific conservation strategies for the natural grasslands from each biome

As atitudes face às marcas de distribuidor e a sensibilidade ao preço / valor dos consumidores: estudo internacional

Trabalho apresentado no XIX SEMEAD, Seminários em Administração, 9-11 de novembro de 2016, São Paulo, BrasilNo presente trabalho, pretende-se compreender quais são as diferenças de atitude dos consumidores face à marca de distribuidor (MD) no varejo supermercadista e as justificativas desse evento por meio da análise das escalas de atitude, e da sensibilidade e consciência ao preço e valor. Em Portugal as MD têm uma quota seis vezes superior à brasileira (Nielsen, 2011). O questionário realizado mostra que cerca de 40% dos portugueses compram mais da metade de seus produtos, itens de MD, enquanto nenhum brasileiro apresentou esse comportamento. A percepção dos portugueses é mais favorável face às MD em face de características especificas dos consumidores, designadamente um menor nível de indulgência (Hofstede, Hofstede, & Minkov, 2010). Por outro lado, tendo como base a relação entre atititude MD e valor de uso e valor de troca do produto, foram testadas as hipóteses de que a atitude MD influencia positivamente tanto o valor de uso quanto o valor de troca dos produtos. Assim, conhecer melhor as atitudes e os valores que apoiam os consumidores auxiliam em um melhor entendimento e compreensão da percepção do valor de uso do produto e consequentemente, dos limites e posições de precificação do valor de troca. O modelo visto por meio do programa SmartPLS permite responder por 25% do construto valor de troca e por cerca de 18% para a questão do valor de uso.N/

Distribution extension in Colombia and new records for Brazil of Micrurus isozonus (Cope, 1860) (Squamata, Serpentes, Elapidae)

Micrurus isozonus is a triadal coralsnake occurring in northern Venezuela, eastern Colombia, southern Guyana, and in the extreme northern Brazil. In this paper we firstly publish vouchers to Brazil, and report additional records from three localities in the mountainous region of Taião and Apiaú, state of Roraima. We also extend its known range to the Trans-Andean region in the Atlantic coast of northern South America, municipality of Cartagena at the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Additionally, we present meristic and morphometric data, including the species sintypes

First record of Micrurus diana Roze, 1983 (Serpentes: Elapidae) for Brazil and extension of its distribution in Bolivia, with notes on morphological variation

Micrurus diana is a rare coral snake species poorly represented in museum collections. Based on two recently identified specimens, we report its occurrence for the first time in Brazil and for the Bolivian Yungas, substantially extending its known range. In addition, we also extend the limits of its known morphological variation, based on examination of 11 specimens. Our findings revealed the need of a better characterization for M. diana, and the need of preservation efforts for this species and its habitat in Brazil

HMS: Um Sistema Aberto para Automação Residencial

HMS (House Management System) é um sistema para automação residencial, desenvolvido na plataforma JAVA, que permite controlar aparelhos eletrônicos utilizando uma unidade de controle local ou uma unidade de controle remota, que deve estar conectada por Internet ou rede sem fio. Uma das principais características deste sistema é a facilidade de inserção de aparelhos eletrônicos de tipos diversificados sem precisar realizar mudanças na estrutura do sistema

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH INFANT MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLITAN REGION OF CARIRI, CEARÁ, BRAZIL

Introduction: The identification of factors related to children’s deaths is very important in planning public health actions for restructure and improve the mother and child assistance, aimed in reducing child mortality. Objective: Analyze the factors associated with infant mortality in the metropolitan area of Cariri, Ceará, Brazil. Method: This is a cross-sectional study. All deaths occurring in children under one year old of the metropolitan region of Cariri, Ceará, Brazil, contained in the mortality information system and in live births’s information system, from January 2009 to December 2013. Newborn variables (sex, race/color, weight, age); maternal variables (maternal age and education and type of gestation); assistance variables (labor type) were extracted from the SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde/Unified Health System) Informatics Department and presented in chart and tables in absolute and percentage frequency form. Results: In the five-year period, 816 infant deaths in 48321 births were registered associated to the following factors: 453 (55.5%) male, 471 (57.7%) drab and 514 (63%) low weight in birth, 458 (56.1%) with 20 to 34 years of age, 353 (43.2%) 8 years or more of schooling, 657 (80.5%) only pregnancy and 414 (50.7%) vaginal birth. Conclusion: Infant mortality variables in the metropolitan region of Cariri, Ceará, Brazil were associated mostly with deaths occurring in drab boys with birth weight below the normal, whose mothers were young, with good education and who had just one gestation, born of vaginal birth

Planning, Implementing, and Running a Multicentre Preterm Birth Study with Biobank Resources in Brazil: The Preterm SAMBA Study

Background. Our aim was to describe the steps in planning, implementing, and running a multicentre cohort study of maternal and perinatal health using a high-quality biobank comprised of maternal serum, plasma, and hair samples collected from five sites in Brazil. The Preterm SAMBA study, conducted by the Brazilian Network for Studies on Reproductive and Perinatal Health, was an innovative approach used to identify women at higher risk for preterm birth. It is also of great importance in the study of other maternal and perinatal complications in the context of Brazil, which is a middle-income country. Methods. We described phases of planning, implementing, and running the Preterm SAMBA study, a multicentre Brazilian cohort study of low-risk nulliparous pregnant women, to validate a set of metabolite biomarkers for preterm birth identified in an external cohort. Procedures and strategies used to plan, implement, and maintain this multicentre preterm birth study are described in detail. Barriers and experience cited in the current narrative are not usually discussed in the scientific literature or published study protocols. Results. Several barriers and strategies were identified in different phases of the Preterm SAMBA study at different levels of the study framework (steering committee; coordinating and local centres). Strategies implemented and resources used in the study are a legacy of the Brazilian Network, aimed at training collaborators in such complex settings. Conclusion. The Brazilian Network for Studies on Reproductive and Perinatal Health has gained some experience in conducting a multicentre cohort study using a resourceful biobank which may be helpful to other research groups and maternal/perinatal health networks that plan on employing a similar approach to a similar background.201

"Síndrome de Marcapasso" em Paciente sem Marcapasso

O bloqueio atrioventricular de primeiro grau pode nao ser tao benigno. Há pacientes que necessitam de implante de marcapasso dupla-câmara para ressincronizar as contraçoes atrial e ventricular e dessa maneira aliviar sintomas decorrentes da simultaneidade entre ambas contraçoes, que pode ocorrer durante o esforço físico. Nesses casos a indicaçao do marcapasso objetiva melhorar a qualidade de vida do paciente, tal como exemplifica o caso descrito