ATIVIDADES ESPORTIVAS NA NATUREZA EM PORTO ALEGRE: DESAFIOS E OPORTUNIDADES

This study looked into the challenges and opportunities for developing outdoor sports in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Twenty-nine interviews were conducted with members of organizations working with the subjects as well as eight observations of groups of participants. The results indicated the challenges posed to selecting proper sites and measures to avoid overcrowding. Furthermore, the potential for involving participants, instructors and local communities in keeping the natural environment and in managing outdoor sports provide opportunities. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that outdoor sports must be avoided in some areas of the city. However, opportunities can mitigate the challenges through proactive management and promotion of outdoor sports. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los desafíos y oportunidades para el desarrollo de actividades deportivas en la naturaleza en Porto Alegre, Brasil. Se realizaron 29 entrevistas con representantes de organizaciones vinculadas a estas actividades, además de ocho observaciones de grupos que las practican. Los resultados indicaron que la selección de sitios apropiados para la realización de estas actividades y las medidas para evitar el hacinamiento de los locales de práctica representan desafíos, y que el potencial de compromiso de practicantes, instructores y comunidades locales en el mantenimiento del medio ambiente natural y en la gestión de actividades deportivas en la naturaleza representa oportunidades. En conclusión, el estudio demostró que estas actividades deben evitarse en algunas áreas de la ciudad. Sin embargo, a través de una gestión proactiva y de la promoción de actividades deportivas en la naturaleza las oportunidades pueden mitigar los desafíos. .Este estudo teve por objetivo analisar os desafios e as oportunidades para o desenvolvimento de atividades esportivas na natureza em Porto Alegre, Brasil. Foram realizadas 29 entrevistas com representantes de organizações ligadas a essas atividades e oito observações de grupos de praticantes. Os resultados indicaram que a escolha de locais apropriados para a realização dessas atividades e as medidas para evitar a superlotação dos locais de prática representam desafios; e o potencial de envolvimento de praticantes, instrutores e comunidades locais na manutenção do meio natural e na gestão de atividades esportivas na natureza representam oportunidades. Em conclusão, o estudo demonstrou que existem áreas da cidade em que essas atividades devem ser evitadas. No entanto, por meio de gerenciamento proativo e promoção de atividades esportivas na natureza, as oportunidades podem mitigar os desafios.

Efeitos da percep??o visual de est?mulos afiliativos na variabilidade da frequ?ncia card?aca em humanos e a influ?ncia comportamental autorrelatada : uma abordagem evolucionista.

Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Ci?ncias Biol?gicas. N?cleo de Pesquisas em Ci?ncias Biol?gicas, Pr?-Reitoria de Pesquisa de P?s Gradua??o, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto.A socialidade ? uma importante ocorr?ncia na hist?ria evolutiva de muitas esp?cies, e os humanos s?o animais descritos como essencialmente sociais. No n?vel proximal de an?lise, v?rios estudos investigam como mecanismos neurais podem regular a socialidade. O sistema nervoso aut?nomo desempenha um papel fundamental no entendimento dessas rela??es, e sua atividade pode ser medida pela variabilidade da frequ?ncia card?aca (VFC), uma ferramenta promissora no campo da psicofisiologia. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a influ?ncia da percep??o visual de est?mulos afiliativos na VFC e avaliar a influ?ncia de medidas comportamentais subjetivas autorrelatadas. Este estudo foi aprovado pelo Comit? de ?tica da Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (CAAE: 32885314.2.0000.5150). A amostra foi composta por 72 estudantes de gradua??o (44 mulheres e 28 homens) com idades entre 18 e 33 anos (M = 23,37, DP = 3,04). Os volunt?rios foram expostos a est?mulos de afilia??o (14 fotografias com pessoas em intera??o social direta, envolvendo pistas como toque e contato visual), pareados com est?mulos controle (14 fotografias com pessoas sem intera??o social). Ambos os est?mulos foram precedidos e sucedidos por um per?odo de 3 minutos sem est?mulo. O primeiro per?odo sem est?mulo foi considerado a linha de base. O sinal eletrocardiogr?fico foi registrado durante todo o experimento para an?lise posterior da VFC, a partir da qual foram extra?dos os componentes do dom?nio do tempo (SDNN e RMSSD) e do dom?nio da frequ?ncia (HF e LF). Foi realizada uma avalia??o psicom?trica de alguns aspectos sociais do comportamento por meio de escalas de autorrelato validadas, especificamente foram avaliados a empatia, toque social e solid?o. Os resultados mostraram que a percep??o de est?mulos afiliativos induziu mudan?as f?sicas na VFC (SDNN: p = 0,04; RMSSD: p = 0,007; HF: p = 0,022). Especificamente, a percep??o desses est?mulos provocou uma diminui??o no SDNN (p = 0,01), RMSSD (p = 0,04) e HF (p = 0,045) quando comparados aos n?veis basais. Nenhuma diferen?a significativa foi observada para o LF (p = 0,12). Ap?s a exposi??o a esses est?mulos, o RMSSD (p = 0,006) e HF (p = 0,03) n?o retornaram aos n?veis basais. Em rela??o ? percep??o dos est?mulos controle, nenhuma mudan?a f?sica significativa foi detectada para o SDNN (p = 0,43), RMSSD (p = 0,11) e HF (p = 0,41). Uma diferen?a significativa foi detectada para o LF (p = 0,03), o qual diminuiu quando comparado aos n?veis basais (p = 0,02). Comparou-se tamb?m as mudan?as (?) percentuais da VFC em rela??o aos n?veis basais em ambas as condi??es, controle e afiliativa. A percep??o de est?mulos afiliativos induziu uma maior diminui??o no RMSSD em compara??o ao controle (p = 0,003). Nenhuma diferen?a significativa foi detectada para SDNN (p = 0,90), HF (p = 0,50) e LF (p = 0,97). O toque social e a solid?o n?o tiveram correla??o significativa com mudan?as basais ou f?sicas na VFC durante a percep??o de est?mulos afiliativos (p> 0,01 para todas as correla??es). A empatia n?o se correlacionou significativamente com a VFC basal (p> 0,01 para todas as correla??es). Por outro lado, uma correla??o significativa foi detectada entre a empatia e o ?SDNN (p = 0,003). Uma an?lise de regress?o linear (?VFC durante a percep??o de est?mulos afiliativos como vari?vel dependente) mostrou que a empatia foi respons?vel por 12% da varia??o no ?SDNN (p = 0,002). Esta rela??o foi descrita mais adequadamente com um modelo quadr?tico do tipo U invertido. Em conclus?o, a percep??o de est?mulos afiliativos induziu redu??es f?sicas na VFC, sugerindo que a intera??o social com indiv?duos desconhecidos n?o implica necessariamente em contextos de seguran?a necess?rios para um aumento da atividade vagal. A empatia foi a ?nica medida subjetiva autorrelatada que influenciou as mudan?as f?sicas na VFC, as quais foram mais adequadamente explicadas por uma fun??o do tipo U invertido, o que ressalta a necessidade de se considerar modelos n?o-lineares no estudo do comportamento humano. Por fim, este estudo est? em concord?ncia com os pressupostos que consideram a heran?a ancestral na evolu??o do comportamento humano, os quais preveem a presen?a de mecanismos cognitivos evolu?dos subjacentes ? regula??o de processos sociais.Sociality is an important occurrence in the evolutionary history of many species, and humans are animals described as essentially social. At the proximal level of analysis, several studies investigate how neural mechanisms can regulate sociality. The autonomic nervous system plays a fundamental role in understanding these relationships, and its activity can be measured by heart rate variability (HRV), a promising tool in the field of psychophysiology. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of visual perception of affiliate stimuli on HRV and to evaluate the influence of self-reported subjective behavioral measures. This study was approved by the Federal University of Ouro Preto's Ethical Commission (CAAE: 32885314.2.0000.5150). The sample consisted of 72 undergraduate students (44 female and 28 male) aged between 18 and 33 years (M = 23.37, SD = 3.04). Volunteers were exposed to social affiliative stimuli (14 pictures with people in direct social interaction, comprising features as touch and gaze), paired with control stimuli (14 pictures with people without social interaction). Both stimuli were preceded and succeeded by a blank screen which lasted 3 minutes. The first 3-min blank screen was used as baseline. The electrocardiographic signal was recorded throughout the experiment for further HRV analysis from which time domain (SDNN and RMSSD) and frequency domain components (HF and LF) were extracted. A psychometric assessment of some social aspects of behavior was performed using validated self-report scales, specifically empathy, social touch and loneliness were assessed.. Results showed that perception of affiliative social stimuli induced phasic changes in HRV (p= 0.04; RMSSD: p= 0.007; HF: p= 0.022). Specifically, perception of affiliative stimuli led to a decrease in SDNN (p= 0.01), RMSSD (p= 0.04) and HF (p= 0.045) when compared to baseline levels. No significant difference was observed for LF (p= 0.12). After exposure to affiliative stimuli RMSSD (p= 0.006) and HF (p= 0.03) did not return to baseline levels. Regarding perception of control stimuli, no significant phasic change was detected to SDNN (p= 0.43), RMSSD (p= 0.11) and HF (p= 0.41). A significant difference was detected in LF (p= 0.03), which decreased when compared to baseline levels (p= 0.02). Percentage changes (?) of HRV between both conditions, control and affiliative, were compared relative to baseline levels. Perception of affiliative social stimuli induced a greater decrease in RMSSD compared to control (p = 0.003). No significant difference was detected to SDNN (p = 0.90), HF (p= 0.50) and LF (p= 0.97). Allo-grooming and loneliness had no significant correlation with baseline or phasic changes in HRV during affiliative social perception (p> 0.01 for all correlations). Empathy did not correlate significantly with baseline HRV (p> 0.01 for all correlations). On the other hand, a significant correlation between empathy and ?SDNN was detected (p = 0.003). Linear regression analysis (?HRV during affiliative social perception as dependent variable) showed that empathy accounted for 12% of variation in ?HRV (p= 0.002). This relationship was more accurately described with an inverted-U shaped quadratic model. In conclusion, the perception of affiliative stimuli induced phasic reductions in HRV, suggesting that social interaction with unknown individuals does not necessarily imply the safety contexts necessary for an increase in vagal activity. Empathy was the only self-reported subjective measure that influenced phasic changes in HRV, which were more adequately explained by an inverted U-type function, which highlights the need to consider nonlinear models in the study of human behavior. Finally, this study is in agreement with the assumptions that consider ancestral inheritance in the evolution of human behavior, which predict the presence of evolved cognitive mechanisms underlying the regulation of social processes

Darwin em quadrinhos : uma an?lise de obras que divulgam a vida e a obra do cientista.

Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Educa??o. Departamento de Educa??o, Instituto de Ci?ncias Humanas e Sociais, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto.Essa disserta??o tem como objetivo investigar como Charles Darwin e a teoria da evolu??o s?o apresentados em hist?rias em quadrinhos com propostas educativas e apontar como esse tipo de m?dia pode ser relevante como meio para comunica??o cient?fica. Com o intuito de fornecer o aporte te?rico para a realiza??o dessa pesquisa, tentamos definir o que caracteriza uma Hist?ria em quadrinhos, buscamos dois autores chave Mccloud (1995) e Eisner (1989) e a partir desses escritores, tra?amos uma pequena retrospectiva da hist?ria dos quadrinhos moderna e a as caracter?sticas principais que as distinguem dos outros tipos de m?dia. Tamb?m tra?amos como a divulga??o cient?fica se organiza como campo de circula??o do discurso para tal nos baseamos principalmente nos trabalhos de Bueno (2009), Rojo (2008) e Grillo (2006). Posto isso, buscamos verificar como os quadrinhos podem e s?o utilizados como ve?culos de comunica??o do conhecimento cientifico. Outro ponto importante do trabalho ? a figura de Charles Darwin. Por tanto, realizamos uma investiga??o da vida de Darwin e de como sua figura est? associada a cultura popular, em especial aos quadrinhos, para se possamos analisar de forma mais assertiva as obras em quadrinhos. Tais obras foram selecionadas pela sua intencionalidade como objeto de transmiss?o de conhecimento e por darem foco ao naturalista como tema principal para sua publica??o. Ent?o foi realizada uma an?lise dial?gica entre os enunciados apresentados nas mesmas, levando em conta os aspectos subjetivos da ci?ncia conforme descritos por Afonso (2008). Nas obras analisadas ? poss?vel observar uma desvincula??o entre a narrativa da biografia do naturalista com os quadrinhos. Elementos que s?o caracter?sticos dos quadrinhos, como bal?es e linhas de movimento, n?o s?o utilizados nos trechos da biografia, onde as informa??es s?o apresentadas na forma de verbetes, o que poderia tornar a leitura n?o atrativa para o p?blico-alvo que elas se destinam. Em contrapartida, quando os autores combinam a linguagem dos quadrinhos com os conceitos da teoria da evolu??o, temos como resultado um material que pode ser utilizado com efici?ncia para transmitir conhecimento cient?fico.This dissertation has as its main goal investigate how Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution is presented in comic books in education programs and how relevant this kind of media can be for spreading science information. To provide the theoretical support for conducting this research, we defined what characterizes a comic book story. To do this, we study two key authors to help us, McCloud (1995) e Eisner (1989). From these writers, we trace back a small retrospective of modern comic book history and its main characteristics that distinguish them from other types of media. We also traced back how science was spread and organized as a field of discussion. For such, we based mainly on the work of Bueno (2009), Rojo (2008) e Grillo (2006). From that, we searched a way to verify how comic books can and are used as vehicles of transmission of scientific knowledge. Another important topic about Charles Darwin?s work is an investigation about his life and how his image is associated to popular culture, especially in comic books so that we can more assertively analyze that kind of media. Such works were selected for their intentionality as an object of knowledge transmission and for giving focus to the naturalist as the main theme for their publication. Then, a dialogical analysis was carried out between the statements presented in them, taking into account the subjective aspects of science as described by Afonso (2008). In the analyzed works it is possible to observe a disconnection between the narrative of the naturalist's biography and the comics. Elements that are characteristic of comics, such as balloons and lines of movement, tend to not be used in these sections. Bringing the information in the form of entries, which could make the reading unattractive to the target audience they are intended for. On the other hand, when the authors combine the language of comics with the concepts of the theory of evolution, we have as a result a material that can be used as efficiency to transmit scientific knowledge

Avalia??o patrimonial de pr?dios urbanos no ?mbito tribut?rio

Mestrado em Engenharia Civil e do Ambiente : Especializa??o em Constru??es Civis na Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gest?o do Instituto Polit?cnico de Viana do CasteloEsta disserta??o pretende estudar a ?Avalia??o Patrimonial de Pr?dios Urbanos no ?mbito Tribut?rio?, que constitui por si, uma ?rea n?o muito vis?vel na avalia??o imobili?ria, n?o obstante a sua import?ncia no tecido socio-econ?mico do pa?s. Inicialmente, haver? uma introdu??o ao conceito do acto de avaliar e de valor de mercado e aos m?todos de avalia??o tradicionais, numa abordagem est?tica, nomeadamente o m?todo comparativo, o m?todo de custo (vertente evolutiva e involutiva) e o m?todo do rendimento. A abordagem ? avalia??o imobili?ria tribut?ria ter? como enfoque o C?digo do Imposto Municipal sobre Im?veis (CIMI), publicado pelo DL n? 287/2003 de 12 de novembro, na reda??o atualizada e portarias conexas, procurando uma s?ntese geral do mesmo. A avalia??o patrimonial tribut?ria com as suas regras espec?ficas, ter? o seu enfoque exclusivamente nos pr?dios urbanos, n?o levando em aten??o os pr?dios r?sticos. Atrav?s da proposta de resolu??o de dois casos de estudo, nomeadamente o caso 1 (Avalia??o de moradia sujeita a amplia??o n?o suscet?vel de utiliza??o independente) e o caso 2 (Avalia??o de terreno com capacidade construtiva), como casos t?picos e comuns da avalia??o tribut?ria, pretende-se tornar p?blico o m?todo de avalia??o que est? por detr?s do CIMI, que manifestamente est? envolto em algum desconhecimento para o p?blico em geral.This dissertation intends to study the "Patrimonial Evaluation of Urban Buildings in the Tax Area", which in itself constitutes an area not very visible in the real estate appraisal, despite its importance to the country economy. Initially, there will be an introduction to the concept of valuation act and market value and to traditional valuation methods, in a static approach, namely the comparative method, the cost method (evolutionary and involutionary) and the yield method. The approach to tax real estate evaluation will focus on the Municipal Property Tax Code (CIMI), published by Decree number 287/2003 of November 12, in the updated version and related directives, seeking a general summary of the same. The tax assessment with its specific rules, will focus exclusively on urban buildings, not taking into account the rustic buildings. Through the proposed resolution of two case studies, namely case 1 (Evaluation of housing subject to extension not susceptible of independent use) and case 2 (Evaluation of land with constructive capacity), as typical and common cases of tax assessment, it is intended to make public the method of evaluation that lies behind CIMI, which is manifestly involved in some unfamiliarity for the general public. KEYWORDS

Actividades deportivas en la naturaleza en Porto Alegre: desafíos y oportunidades

The aim of this study was to analyse the challenges and opportunities of developing outdoor sports in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Twenty-nine interviews were conducted with different stakeholders. Eight observations were conducted while participants were engaged in outdoor sports. The results indicated that selecting appropriate sites in terms of safe practice and prevention of overuse of the sites represent challenges; and the potential for the involvement of participants, instructors and local communities in the maintenance of the natural environment and in the management of outdoor sports represent opportunities. In conclusion this study demonstrated that outdoor sports must be avoided in some areas of the city. However, through proactive management and promotion of outdoor sports opportunities can mitigate the challenges.Este estudo teve por objetivo analisar os desafios e as oportunidades para o desenvolvimento de atividades esportivas na natureza em Porto Alegre, Brasil. Foram realizadas 29 entrevistas com representantes de organizações ligadas a estas atividades e oito observações de grupos de praticantes. Os resultados indicaram que a escolha de locais apropriados para a realização destas atividades e medidas para evitar a superlotação dos locais de prática, representam desafios; e o potencial de envolvimento de praticantes, instrutores e comunidades locais na manutenção do meio natural e na gestão de atividades esportivas na natureza, representam oportunidades. Em conclusão, o estudo demonstrou que existem áreas da cidade em que essas atividades devem ser evitadas. No entanto, por meio de gerenciamento proativo e promoção de atividades esportivas na natureza as oportunidades podem mitigar os desafios.El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los desafíos y oportunidades de desarrollar actividades deportivas en la naturaleza en Porto Alegre, Brasil. Veintinueve entrevistas fueron conducidas con diferentes partes interesadas. Se realizaron ocho observaciones mientras los participantes se dedicaban a las actividades. Los resultados indicaron que la selección de sitios apropiados en términos de prácticas seguras y prevención de hacinamiento representa un desafío; y el potencial para la participación de practicantes, instructores y comunidades locales en el mantenimiento del medio ambiente natural y en la gestión de actividades deportivas en la naturaleza representa oportunidades. En conclusión, este estudio demostró que estas actividades deben evitarse en algunas áreas de la ciudad. Sin embargo, a través de una gestión proactiva y la promoción de actividades deportivas al aire libre, las oportunidades pueden mitigar los desafíos

Towards harmonizing natural resources as an area of protection in life cycle impact assessment

Purpose. In this paper, we summarize the discussion and present the findings of an expert group effort under the umbrella of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)/Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Life Cycle Initiative proposing natural resources as an Area of Protection (AoP) in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA). Methods: As a first step, natural resources have been defined for the LCA context with reference to the overall UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) framework. Second, existing LCIA methods have been reviewed and discussed. The reviewed methods have been evaluated according to the considered type of natural resources and their underlying principles followed (use-to-availability ratios, backup technology approaches, or thermodynamic accounting methods). Results and discussion. There is currently no single LCIA method available that addresses impacts for all natural resource categories, nor do existing methods and models addressing different natural resource categories do so in a consistent way across categories. Exceptions are exergy and solar energy-related methods, which cover the widest range of resource categories. However, these methods do not link exergy consumption to changes in availability or provisioning capacity of a specific natural resource (e.g., mineral, water, land etc.). So far, there is no agreement in the scientific community on the most relevant type of future resource indicators (depletion, increased energy use or cost due to resource extraction, etc.). To address this challenge, a framework based on the concept of stock/fund/flow resources is proposed to identify, across natural resource categories, whether depletion/dissipation (of stocks and funds) or competition (for flows) is the main relevant aspect. Conclusions. An LCIA method—or a set of methods—that consistently address all natural resource categories is needed in order to avoid burden shifting from the impact associated with one resource to the impact associated with another resource. This paper is an important basis for a step forward in the direction of consistently integrating the various natural resources as an Area of Protection into LCA

Beneficial effects of intercellular interactions between pancreatic islet cells in blood glucose regulation

Glucose homeostasis is controlled by the islets of Langerhans which are equipped with alpha-cells increasing the blood glucose level, beta-cells decreasing it, and delta-cells the precise role of which still needs identifying. Although intercellular communications between these endocrine cells have recently been observed, their roles in glucose homeostasis have not been clearly understood. In this study, we construct a mathematical model for an islet consisting of two-state alpha-, beta-, and delta-cells, and analyze effects of known chemical interactions between them with emphasis on the combined effects of those interactions. In particular, such features as paracrine signals of neighboring cells and cell-to-cell variations in response to external glucose concentrations as well as glucose dynamics, depending on insulin and glucagon hormone, are considered explicitly. Our model predicts three possible benefits of the cell-to-cell interactions: First, the asymmetric interaction between alpha- and beta-cells contributes to the dynamic stability while the perturbed glucose level recovers to the normal level. Second, the inhibitory interactions of delta-cells for glucagon and insulin secretion prevent the wasteful co-secretion of them at the normal glucose level. Finally, the glucose dose-responses of insulin secretion is modified to become more pronounced at high glucose levels due to the inhibition by delta-cells. It is thus concluded that the intercellular communications in islets of Langerhans should contribute to the effective control of glucose homeostasis.Comment: 42 pages, 7 figures, and will appear in Journal of Theoretical Biolog

From cheek swabs to consensus sequences : an A to Z protocol for high-throughput DNA sequencing of complete human mitochondrial genomes

Background: Next-generation DNA sequencing (NGS) technologies have made huge impacts in many fields of biological research, but especially in evolutionary biology. One area where NGS has shown potential is for high-throughput sequencing of complete mtDNA genomes (of humans and other animals). Despite the increasing use of NGS technologies and a better appreciation of their importance in answering biological questions, there remain significant obstacles to the successful implementation of NGS-based projects, especially for new users. Results: Here we present an ‘A to Z’ protocol for obtaining complete human mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes – from DNA extraction to consensus sequence. Although designed for use on humans, this protocol could also be used to sequence small, organellar genomes from other species, and also nuclear loci. This protocol includes DNA extraction, PCR amplification, fragmentation of PCR products, barcoding of fragments, sequencing using the 454 GS FLX platform, and a complete bioinformatics pipeline (primer removal, reference-based mapping, output of coverage plots and SNP calling). Conclusions: All steps in this protocol are designed to be straightforward to implement, especially for researchers who are undertaking next-generation sequencing for the first time. The molecular steps are scalable to large numbers (hundreds) of individuals and all steps post-DNA extraction can be carried out in 96-well plate format. Also, the protocol has been assembled so that individual ‘modules’ can be swapped out to suit available resources