Effects of Urbanization and the Sustainability of Marine Artisanal Fishing: A Study on Tropical Fishing Communities in Brazil

Marine fishing occurs along the coast and oceanic islands within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Brazil and is practiced mainly in an industrial fashion in the southern and southeastern regions of the country as well as in an artisanal fashion in the northern and northeastern regions. Artisanal marine fishing is practiced by fishermen who use sailing rafts or mid-size motorboats in daily fishing activities or activities that surpass 20 days at sea. To face the ocean and extract sustenance and income, the majority of artisanal fishermen do not have advanced fishing technologies, but rather empirical knowledge passed from one generation to another, which has allowed fishermen to maintain their activities for hundreds of years. The shared knowledge with regard to fishing and gear as well as fishing territories and the discovery of new territories allows artisanal fishermen to maintain catches while resources have become scarce. However, different factors in urban areas have been contributing to changes in artisanal marine fishing, such as the facility to education and jobs in other sectors of the economy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the experiences of artisanal fishermen in traditional communities of northeastern Brazil in the occurrence of urbanization. Traditionally in artisanal fishing, the transmission of knowledge occurs in the family, generally from father to son. However, this traditional transmission of knowledge is being lost in urban fishing communities. The urban environment facilitates access to formal education and provides opportunities for both formal and informal jobs, leading to income in more attractive sectors to the sons of fishermen than the activity of fishing. This is caused by changes in schooling and has triggered the avoidance of youths with regard to fishing activities. Moreover, urban pressures, such as the loss of areas of embarkation and landing, further hinder the maintenance of fishing in such areas. Thus, issues related to urbanization have been changing the structure of fishing communities and compromising the maintenance and sustainability of marine artisanal fishing activities in urban areas

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Awake Bruxism with a Smartphone Application Requires Prior Patient Instruction for Enhanced Terminology Comprehension : A Multi-Center Study

The prevalence of awake bruxism (AB) has been reported as being 30%, with sleep bruxism (SB) at 9-15%. Most studies have focused on SB, emphasizing the importance of AB research. For epidemiological evaluations of AB, a smartphone application based on ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was introduced. The aims of this multi-center study were: (1) to investigate how well lay subjects comprehend the AB terminology used in the smartphone application, and (2) to find out whether professional instruction improved their comprehension. The study population consisted of lay subjects from Italy, Portugal, and Finland comprising 307 individuals (156 men, 151 women; 18-86 years). Subjects first completed a five-item questionnaire about the meanings of the five AB terms used in the smartphone application. Each question offered four answer options, with one being correct. Immediately afterwards, the meanings of the terms were instructed. Lastly, the subjects were re-tested with the same questionnaire. In Finland and Italy, the re-tested correct answer scores for the single terms were at 89-97% per term. Improved comprehension was seen across sex, education, and age groups. In the Portuguese data, no improvement was found. Significant differences were found between countries in the improved scores for all terms that were correct following the instruction (Finland, 16.3% to 72.1%; Italy, 32.3% to 83.8%; Portugal, 23.1% to 33.7%) (p < 0.001). In conclusion, standardized instruction on AB terminology prior to EMA is recommended to improve the reliability of collected data.Peer reviewe

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Awake Bruxism with a Smartphone Application Requires Prior Patient Instruction for Enhanced Terminology Comprehension: A Multi-Center Study

The prevalence of awake bruxism (AB) has been reported as being 30%, with sleep bruxism (SB) at 9–15%. Most studies have focused on SB, emphasizing the importance of AB research. For epidemiological evaluations of AB, a smartphone application based on ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was introduced. The aims of this multi-center study were: (1) to investigate how well lay subjects comprehend the AB terminology used in the smartphone application, and (2) to find out whether professional instruction improved their comprehension. The study population consisted of lay subjects from Italy, Portugal, and Finland comprising 307 individuals (156 men, 151 women; 18–86 years). Subjects first completed a five-item questionnaire about the meanings of the five AB terms used in the smartphone application. Each question offered four answer options, with one being correct. Immediately afterwards, the meanings of the terms were instructed. Lastly, the subjects were re-tested with the same questionnaire. In Finland and Italy, the re-tested correct answer scores for the single terms were at 89–97% per term. Improved comprehension was seen across sex, education, and age groups. In the Portuguese data, no improvement was found. Significant differences were found between countries in the improved scores for all terms that were correct following the instruction (Finland, 16.3% to 72.1%; Italy, 32.3% to 83.8%; Portugal, 23.1% to 33.7%) (p < 0.001). In conclusion, standardized instruction on AB terminology prior to EMA is recommended to improve the reliability of collected data

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Awake Bruxism with a Smartphone Application Requires Prior Patient Instruction for Enhanced Terminology Comprehension: A Multi-Center Study

The prevalence of awake bruxism (AB) has been reported as being 30%, with sleep bruxism (SB) at 9–15%. Most studies have focused on SB, emphasizing the importance of AB research. For epidemiological evaluations of AB, a smartphone application based on ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was introduced. The aims of this multi-center study were: (1) to investigate how well lay subjects comprehend the AB terminology used in the smartphone application, and (2) to find out whether professional instruction improved their comprehension. The study population consisted of lay subjects from Italy, Portugal, and Finland comprising 307 individuals (156 men, 151 women; 18–86 years). Subjects first completed a five-item questionnaire about the meanings of the five AB terms used in the smartphone application. Each question offered four answer options, with one being correct. Immediately afterwards, the meanings of the terms were instructed. Lastly, the subjects were re-tested with the same questionnaire. In Finland and Italy, the re-tested correct answer scores for the single terms were at 89–97% per term. Improved comprehension was seen across sex, education, and age groups. In the Portuguese data, no improvement was found. Significant differences were found between countries in the improved scores for all terms that were correct following the instruction (Finland, 16.3% to 72.1%; Italy, 32.3% to 83.8%; Portugal, 23.1% to 33.7%) (p < 0.001). In conclusion, standardized instruction on AB terminology prior to EMA is recommended to improve the reliability of collected data

Effects of urban development on socioeconomic aspects of a tropical artisanal fishing community

637-646As urbanization exerts an influence on the socioeconomic aspects of a community, the aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of urbanization on the socioeconomic profile of artisanal fishermen in Brasília Teimosa, city of Recife in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Information was acquired through semi-structured interviews with 98 fishermen between January 2010 and February 2011. Local marine fishing was defined as an exclusively male activity, formed mainly by adults with a mean of 29.1 years of fishing experience. Most were married and had a low level of schooling. The father was the most important figure in the transmission of fishing knowledge. However, only 7.0% of interviewees cited having children involved in the activity. The majority of homes in the community were owned by the fishermen themselves and made of bricks and mortar. Fishing is economically and culturally important to the community, with 79.1% of fishermen depending exclusively on fishing as a source of income. As an urban community, Brasília Teimosa has social and economic advantages, but suffers from a number of social and environmental problems stemming from the disorganized occupation of the community. While generating economic benefits and social aggregation, urbanization also withdraws the youth from the fishing community, thereby endangering the continuity of local fishing activities

The Avifauna of the Rio Branco, an Amazonian evolutionary and ecological hotspot in peril

The Rio Branco is a river with unique biogeographic and ecological features, threatened by the Brazilian Government's plan to build a major hydroelectric dam and associated hydroway along its course. The river crosses one of Amazonia's largest rainfall gradients and a major geomorphological boundary along a savanna/forest ecotone, marked by the Bem Querer rapids. Above the rapids, the upper Rio Branco runs through the Boa Vista sedimentary formation and crosses the crystalline rocks of the Guiana Shield, and its margins are flanked by gallery forests. Downriver, it runs through a low-lying sedimentary basin, with Amazonian floodplain forests along its margins. Here, we present the results of ∼ 15 years of ornithological research on the Branco and its major tributaries, providing baseline data and evaluating potential threats to the riverine avifauna. Our surveys included opportunistic observations and standardized surveys along the entire length of the river in 16 systematically distributed localities. We catalogued 439 bird species, 87% of which are documented by physical evidence (specimens, recordings, photographs). Forty-six percent are restricted to single habitats, suggesting a high degree of habitat specialisation. A third of the species are widely distributed along the river, whereas 45% are restricted to either the upper or the lower Rio Branco, including 40 and 30 Indicator Species, respectively. Twenty-five species are threatened at global or national levels, including two 'Critically Endangered', nine 'Vulnerable', and 14 'Near Threatened'. We present a list of 50 bird species that are candidates for monitoring studies. Threats to the avifauna from dam construction include permanent flooding above the dam, eliminating gallery forests, river islands, and sandy beaches, and the disruption of the flood pulse along the river, affecting river island and floodplain forest specialists, many of which are globally threatened with extinction. If built, the Bem Querer dam will wipe out the ecotone region and affect dramatically the river's avifauna. © BirdLife International 2019

Educação para a sensibilização ambiental: Uma construção de toda a sociedade

The Environmental Awareness Project (PROSA) was created to link environmental education to university extension projects at Pernambuco University. It also aims at increasing the environmental awareness of people that take part of the community of that region. This paper aims to report the experiences and actions of PROSA, which has an interdisciplinary and interagency character, promoting discussions about global degradation and ways to contribute to minimize the negative impacts. Actions are carried out through lectures and photographic exhibitions; recreational activities and workshops with recycled materials; participation in cultural, thematic and scientific events; initiatives related to International Coastal Cleanup Day. So far, the results achieved have been contributing to the training of students committed to its social and environmental mission. Besides that, it seeks to raise critical interest of the community on the environment situation of the place where they live.O PROSA – Projeto de Sensibilização Ambiental, da Universidade de Pernambuco, foi formado com o objetivo de aliar a educação ambiental com o papel da extensão universitária, junto à comunidade na qual está inserida, com o intuito de contribuir para a sensibilização e uma nova consciência ecológica. Este artigo visa relatar as experiências e ações do PROSA, que possuem um caráter interdisciplinar e interinstitucional, promovendo discussões sobre a degradação planetária e formas de contribuir para a minimização dos impactos negativos. As ações são compostas por palestras e exposições fotográficas; atividades lúdicas e/ou artísticas e oficinas com materiais recicláveis; participação em eventos culturais, temáticos e científicos; movimentos em alusão ao Dia Mundial de Limpeza dos Rios e Praias. Os resultados alcançados até o presente momento vêm contribuindo para a formação de discentes comprometidos com sua missão social e ambiental, além de despertar na comunidade um olhar crítico acerca da situação do meio ambiente onde estão inseridos