Transcranial direct current stimulation combined with upper limb functional training in children with spastic, hemiparetic cerebral palsy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

The aim of the proposed study is to perform a comparative analysis of functional training effects for the paretic upper limb with and without transcranial direct current stimulation over the primary motor cortex in children with spastic hemiparetic cerebral palsy

A invenção como ofício: as máquinas de preparo e benefício do café no século XIX

The article studies the Brazilian coffee-growing society from the point of view of the generation of inventions and machine innovations aimed at the preparation and processing of coffee beans in the period between 1860 and 1882. Under the protection of the 1830 Patents Law, the machinistas developed their inventions and submitted them to the National Industry Auxiliary Society (Sociedade Auxiliadora da Indústria Nacional - SAIN) for the concession of industrial privilege and later manufacture and commercialization. It is demonstrated how the coffee machinery developed by these inventors-entrepreneurs in Brazil brought to the slave-labour coffee plantation the technological update of agricultural machines existing in the industrial countries and how that has propitiated an improvement in the quality of large-scale coffee bean processing. This fact has made possible not only the consolidation of the country as the largest exporter in the international market, but has also has allowed for changes in the productive structure of the slave-labour plantations.Aborda-se a sociedade cafeeira brasileira sob o aspecto da geração de invenções e inovações de máquinas destinadas ao preparo e benefício do café no período de 1860 a 1882. Sob a proteção da Lei de Patentes de 1830, os machinistas desenvolviam seus inventos, que eram examinados pela Sociedade Auxiliadora da Indústria Nacional (SAIN) para concessão do privilégio industrial e posterior fabricação e comercialização. Demonstra-se como as máquinas de café desenvolvidas por estes inventores-empresários no Brasil trouxeram para a fazenda cafeeira escravista a atualização tecnológica de máquinas agrícolas existentes nos países industriais e propiciaram uma melhoria de qualidade do benefício em grandes quantidades de café. Tal fato tornou possível não só a consolidação do país como maior exportador no mercado internacional, mas permitiu alterações na estrutura produtiva das fazendas escravistas

Modelling human choices: MADeM and decision‑making

Research supported by FAPESP 2015/50122-0 and DFG-GRTK 1740/2. RP and AR are also part of the Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics FAPESP grant (2013/07699-0). RP is supported by a FAPESP scholarship (2013/25667-8). ACR is partially supported by a CNPq fellowship (grant 306251/2014-0)

Challenges in adopting turtle excluder devices (TEDs) in Brazilian penaeid-trawl fisheries

The incidental capture and mortality of endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) marine species remains a global problem. Among the most problematic fishing methods is penaeid trawling, which is responsible for one quarter of the world's discarded bycatch and remains a key threatening process to ETP species (turtles and some elasmobranchs). So-called ‘turtle excluder devices’ (TEDs) legislated among USA penaeid trawlers and subsequently fleets in other countries during the 1990s alleviated some concerns over impacts to ETP species, but adoption has not been global. One country characterised by resistance to TEDs is Brazil—despite federal legislation mandating usage for almost 25 years. The reasons for this deficit, reiterated here via interviews with 64 southern penaeid-trawler captains, are threefold. First, are perceived issues with mandated designs and minimal third-party expertise, leading to a sustained misconception that TEDs simply do not work in Brazilian penaeid trawls. Second, is the perpetuated belief of minimum negative impacts to ETP species; exacerbated by few quantitative data. Third, is jurisdictional failure to promote the concept that slight economic loss associated with not catching ETP species (elasmobranchs) is necessary for broader ecological sustainability. We propose TED use among Brazilian penaeid-trawl fisheries might be promoted via a co-management strategy facilitated by sustained education and technical expertise from research providers encouraging fishers to develop fishery-specific solutions. If industries can be encouraged to accept the concept of TEDs, they might then be expected to refine and develop ownership of the most appropriate configurations

Quantifying the morphology of key species caught in the southern Brazilian penaeid-trawl fishery as a precursor to improving selection

Penaeid trawls are poorly selective fishing gears; contributing towards approximately 27% of global marine fisheries discards. Various options are available for mitigating penaeid-trawl bycatch, including gear modifications such as 'bycatch reduction devices' (BRDs) or codend mesh-size regulations. A precursor to developing modifications is information about the key target and bycatch species in terms of their sizes and morphology. Here we describe the relationships between these characteristics for the southern Brazilian industrial penaeid-trawl fishery within a broader objective of proposing more selective trawl configurations. Catches were sampled during 37 tows. Fifty-two species were caught, including two loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, one green turtle, Chelonia mydas, as well as 61 individuals of seven ray species classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered. One penaeid (Pleoticus muelleri) and 11 teleosts were assessed for various morphological relationships. The data demonstrated that both the existing conventionally used 26 mm (stretched mesh opening; SMO) mesh and a legislated size of 30 mm SMO are too small. Using morphological relationships, we propose testing a minimum diamond-shaped mesh size of at least 35 mm and a square-mesh window in the top of the codend comprising at least 48 mm mesh. Such a configuration would probably retain penaeids and larger teleosts, but allow many small teleosts to escape. Anteriorly located grids are also required to reduce the bycatch of charismatic species like turtles and rays. Wide-scale use of such BRDs should considerably reduce bycatches and the ancillary impacts of regional penaeid-trawl fisheries