The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve: trajectories of agro-extractive development in Amazonia

The Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve (CMER) located in Acre, Brazil in the southwest Amazon is a powerful symbol of the rubber tapper social movement. Created in 1990, the Reserve is named after rubber tapper and union leader Francisco “Chico” Mendes, who was assassinated by ranchers in 1988. The concept of the extractive reserve, a type of sustainable-use protected area, was conceived by rubber tappers to secure land rights and to protect the forests from which they derived their livelihoods. Thirty years since its creation, non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction maintains a critical role in CMER resident livelihoods, but it is now one of multiple and dynamic trajectories of income generating activities in the CMER. The state government has promoted sustainable development policies aimed at productive and multiple use of forests, including community-based timber management (CBTM). Concomitantly, the scale and scope of small-scale cattle ranching reflecting a growing “cowboy culture” pervasive in Eastern Acre is growing. These forces have brought sociocultural changes to the reserve as CMER residents engage these intertwined trajectories to improve their livelihoods. This article explores the trajectories of multiple development strategies in the CMER. We do this by revisiting and expanding on the principal themes of research of the co-authors – NTFP extraction, cattle ranching, and CBTM.  Increasingly diverse CMER households demand multiple pathways to improve livelihoods, and these trajectories have created new economic opportunities for reserve residents. Although the NTFP sector has experienced some success in market development and valued-added initiatives, investments have not produced a sustainable and diversified extractive sector. Cattle ranching and CBTM have provided economic benefits to reserve residents’ livelihoods, but they have also created internal tensions across the social movement and governments agencies. A strategic vision is required that brings diverse government, non-government and reserve residents together and articulates how these dynamic, linked, and sometimes conflicting trajectories can synergize within a balanced, diversified livelihood framework to ensure long-term sustainability of the CMER

Emotional profiles regarding maths among primary school children – A two-year longitudinal study.

. . . Learning maths is challenging for many primary school students, and teachers must understand students’ learning and emotional processes specific to learning maths. The current research, grounded in control-value theory, focused on achievement emotions regarding maths. Primary school students (N = 71) were studied with the primary objective of examining the longitudinal trajectories of achievement emotions of third graders over two years. The Portuguese Achievement Emotions Questionnaire for Elementary Students was administered biannually to assess enjoyment, anxiety, and boredom regarding maths. The results indicate that enjoyment decreased and boredom increased over time, revealing three emotional profiles: positive, negative and moderate. The positive profile showed the highest scores in maths achievement. Profile membership was moderately stable and became increasingly stable and structured. In examining the complexity of students’ emotional profiles and processes, the importance of understanding them to enhance educational support, development, and learning was highlighted. .Fundação para Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Classroom talk: The ubiquity of feedback

Classroom interactions play an important role in the learning and teaching of mathematics, and feedback emanating from these interactions is a powerful tool for enhancing student learning. These exchanges have been widely studied in higher education, but very few investigations have been carried out at the level of elementary students and teachers. This study aimed to contribute to existing knowledge of feedback, and to formulate guidelines to improve teacher feedback in elementary school. The specific objectives were to analyse the focus of feedback (a) by lesson purpose and type of interaction, (b) by type of question and student's answer, and (c) by gender and student achievement. Participants comprised five teachers and their 82 third-grade students attending an elementary school in Portugal. Mathematics lessons were video-recorded and a categorisation system to assess teacher-student interaction was developed, based on a review of the literature and empirical data. The results showed that most of the teacher–student interactions contained feedback, which was usually focused on a specific task, and less frequently on the ways in which tasks were processed. In terms of lesson purpose, teachers' feedback was evaluative, especially when they had initiated the interaction. Feedback became more effective when the initial move was made by the students. The focus of feedback was not related to the type of question asked, but it was associated with the certitude of the students' answers. We also observed an interaction effect between the focus of feedback, gender and achievement, with high-achievement boys receiving advantages. Our results hold important implications for teachers' classroom practices and professional development.Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia - FCTinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Post hoc support vector machine learning for impedimetric biosensors based on weak protein-ligand interactions

Impedimetric biosensors for measuring small molecules based on weak/transient interactions between bioreceptor and target analyte are a challenge for detection electronics, particularly in field studies or in analysis of complex matrices. Protein-ligand binding sensors have enormous potential for biosensing, but accuracy in complex solutions is a major challenge. There is a need for simple post hoc analytical tools that are not computationally expensive, yet provide near real time feedback on data derived from impedance spectra. Here, we show use of a simple, open source support vector machine learning algorithm for analyzing impedimetric data in lieu of using equivalent circuit analysis. We demonstrte two different protein-based biosensors to show that the tool can be used for various applications. We conclude with a mobile phone-based demonstration focused on measurement of acetone, an important biomarker related to onset of diabetic ketoacidosis. In all conditions tested, the open source classifier was capable of performing as well, or better, than equivalent circuit analysis for characterizing weak/transient interactions between a model ligand (acetone) and a small chemosensory protein derived from tsetse fly. In addition, the tool has a low computational requirement, facilitating use for mobile acquisition systems such as mobile phone. The protocol is deployed through Jupyter notebook (an open source computing environment available for mobile phone, tablet, or computer use) and the code was written in Python. For each of the applications we provide step-by-step instructions in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Portuguese to facilitate widespread use. All codes were based on scikit-learn, an open source software machine learning library in the Python language, and were processed in Jupyter notebook, an open-source web application for Python. The tool can easily be integrated with mobile biosensor equipment for rapid detection, facilitating use by a broad range of impedimetric biosensor users. This post hoc analysis tool can serve as a launchpad for convergence of nanobiosensors in planetary health monitoring applications based on mobile phone hardware

How useful is preoperative imaging for tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging of gastric cancer? A meta-analysis

Background Surgery is the fundamental curative option for gastric cancer patients. Imaging scans are routinely prescribed in an attempt to stage the disease prior to surgery. Consequently, the correlation between radiology exams and pathology is crucial for appropriate treatment planning.Methods Systematic searches were conducted using Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 1, 1998 to December 1, 2009. We calculated the accuracy, overstaging rate, understaging rate, Kappa statistic, sensitivity, and specificity for abdominal ultrasound (AUS), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography (PET) with respect to the gold standard (pathology). We also compared the performance of CT by detector number and image type. A meta-analysis was performed.Results for pre-operative T staging MRI scans had better performance accuracy than CT and AUS; CT scanners using >= 4 detectors and multi-planar reformatted (MPR) images had higher staging performances than scanners with <4 detectors and axial images only. for pre-operative N staging PET had the lowest sensitivity, but the highest specificity among modalities; CT performance did not significantly differ by detector number or addition of MPR images. for pre-operative M staging performance did not significantly differ by modality, detector number, or MPR images.Conclusions the agreement between pre-operative TNM staging by imaging scans and post-operative staging by pathology is not perfect and may affect treatment decisions. Operator dependence and heterogeneity of data may account for the variations in staging performance. Physicians should consider this discrepancy when creating their treatment plans.Canadian Cancer SocietyOntario Ministry of Health and Long-Term CareHanna Family Chair in Surgical OncologySunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Sunnybrook Res Inst, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaSunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Dept Med Imaging, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilQueens Univ, Dept Community Hlth & Epidemiol, Kingston, ON, CanadaUniv Toronto, Div Biostat, Dalla Lana Sch Publ Hlth, Toronto, ON, CanadaInst Clin Evaluat Sci, Toronto, ON, CanadaSunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Div Surg Oncol, Odette Canc Ctr, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaUniv Toronto, Dept Hlth Policy Management & Evaluat, Toronto, ON, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilCanadian Cancer Society: 019325Web of Scienc

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the utility of EUS for preoperative staging for gastric cancer

Background Accurate preoperative staging is important in determining the appropriate treatment of gastric cancer. Recently, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been introduced as a staging modality. However, reported test characteristics for EUS in gastric cancer vary. Our purpose in this study was to identify, synthesize, and evaluate findings from all articles on the performance of EUS in the preoperative staging of gastric cancer.Methods Electronic literature searches were conducted using Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1 January 1998 to 1 December 2009. All search titles and abstracts were independently rated for relevance by a minimum of two reviewers. Meta-analysis for the performance of EUS was analyzed by calculating agreement (Kappa statistic), and pooled estimates of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for all EUS examinations, using histopathology as the reference standard. Subgroup analyses were also performed.Results Twenty-two articles met our inclusion criteria and were included in the review. EUS pooled accuracy for T staging was 75% with a moderate Kappa (0.52). EUS was most accurate for T3 disease, followed by T4, T1, and T2. EUS pooled accuracy for N staging was 64%, sensitivity was 74%, and specificity was 80%. There was significant heterogeneity between the included studies. Subgroup analyses found that annual EUS volume was not associated with EUS T and N staging accuracy (P = 0.836, 0.99, respectively).Conclusion EUS is a moderately accurate technique that seems to describe advanced T stage (T3 and T4) better than N or less advanced T stage. Stratifying by EUS annual volume did not affect EUS performance in staging gastric cancer.Canadian Cancer SocietyMinistry of Health and Long Term CareCIHRHanna Family Chair in Surgical OncologySunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Sunnybrook Res Inst, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaSunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Div Surg Oncol, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaOdette Canc Ctr, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaInst Clin Evaluat Sci, Toronto, ON, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilSunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Div Gastroenterol, Dept Med, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilCanadian Cancer Society: 019325Web of Scienc

A systematic review of the accuracy and indications for diagnostic laparoscopy prior to curative-intent resection of gastric cancer

Background Despite improved preoperative imaging techniques, patients with incurable or unresectable gastric cancer are still subjected to non-therapeutic laparotomy. Diagnostic laparoscopy (DL) has been advocated by some to be essential in decision-making in gastric cancer. We aimed to identify and synthesize findings on the value of DL for patients with gastric cancer, in this era of improved preoperative imaging.Methods Electronic literature searches were conducted using Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2009. We calculated the change in management and avoidance of laparotomy based on the addition of DL and laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS). the accuracy, agreement (kappa), sensitivity, and specificity of DL in assessing tumor extent, nodal involvement, and the presence of metastases with respect to the gold standard (pathology) were also calculated.Results Twenty-one articles were included. DL showed moderate to substantial agreement with final pathology for T stage, but only fair agreement for N stage. for M staging, DL had an overall accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity ranging from 85-98.9%, 64.3-94%, and 80-100%, respectively. the use of DL altered treatment in 8.5-59.6% of cases, avoiding laparotomy in 8.5-43.8% of cases. LUS provided additional benefit in 5.8-7.2% of cases.Conclusions Despite evolving preoperative imaging techniques, diagnostic laparoscopy continues to be of substantial value in staging patients with gastric cancer and in avoiding unnecessary laparotomy. the current data support DL for all patients with advanced gastric cancer.Canadian Cancer SocietyOntario Ministry of Health and Long-Term CareHanna Family Chair in Surgical OncologyUniv Toronto, Dept Surg, Toronto, ON, CanadaSunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Sunnybrook Res Inst, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilDalhousie Univ, Dept Surg, Halifax, NS B3H 4H2, CanadaQueens Univ, Dept Community Hlth & Epidemiol, Kingston, ON, CanadaUniv Toronto, Sunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Div Surg Oncol, Odette Canc Ctr, Toronto, ON, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilCanadian Cancer Society: 019325Web of Scienc

A systematic review of the accuracy and utility of peritoneal cytology in patients with gastric cancer

Background There is lack of uniformity in the utilization of peritoneal cytology in gastric cancer management. the identification of intraperitoneal free cancer cells (IFCCs) is believed to confer poor prognosis. However, while some of these patients are palliated, others may undergo more aggressive therapies. in this review, we aimed to identify and synthesize findings on the use of peritoneal cytology in predicting peritoneal recurrence and overall survival in curative gastric cancer patients.Methods Electronic literature searches were conducted using Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2009. We determined the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of peritoneal cytology in predicting peritoneal recurrence based on four techniques-conventional cytology, immunoassay, immunohistochemistry, and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Recurrence rates and overall survival rates for curative patients were determined, based on positivity or negativity for IFCCs.Results Twenty-eight articles were included. All four techniques showed wide variations in accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity in predicting peritoneal recurrence. Recurrence rates for patients positive for IFCCs ranged from 11.1 to 100%, while those negative for IFCCs had recurrence rates of 0-51%. Overall survival was significantly reduced for patients with positive IFCCs. Short follow-up periods and possible duplication of results may limit result interpretation.Conclusion the presence of IFCCs appears to increase the risk of peritoneal recurrence and is associated with worse overall survival in gastric cancer patients. Further incorporation of peritoneal cytology in clinical decision-making in gastric cancer depends on the development of a consistently accurate and rapid IFCC detection method.Canadian Cancer SocietyOntario Ministry of Health and Long-Term CareUniv Toronto, Dept Surg, Toronto, ON, CanadaSunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Sunnybrook Res Inst, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilDalhousie Univ, Dept Surg, Halifax, NS B3H 4H2, CanadaQueens Univ, Dept Community Hlth & Epidemiol, Kingston, ON, CanadaSunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Dept Anat Pathol, Toronto, ON M4N 3M5, CanadaUniv Toronto, Div Surg Oncol, Sunnybrook Hlth Sci Ctr, Odette Canc Ctr, Toronto, ON, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Surg, São Paulo, BrazilCanadian Cancer Society: 019325Web of Scienc

Caracterização de redes de coautoria: um repositório de informações topológicas

Choosing a dataset for social network research like recommendation systems or link prediction could require the execution of several preliminary experiments. This paper describes the research that creates a co-authorship network characteristics database. The first public version of this repository will have more than ten thousand subsets, including some of the major public academic networks available. A cloud computing infrastructure has been used to make this work possible. The created metrics repository may help data mining and social network researchers, especially those interested in academic or coauthorship networks