Nickel and copper accumulate at low concentrations in cacao beans cotyledons and do not affect the health of chocolate consumers

Aim of study: Nickel (Ni) and Copper (Cu) are essential metals for the growth and development of plants. In view of the above, the aim of this work was to quantify and correlate Ni and Cu concentrations in the leaf and the parts of the fruit [pod husk, pulp, tegument (seed coating) and cotyledons] of clonal cacao genotype PH 16.Area of study: Cacao genotypes were collected from adult plants grown on farms located in three different climatic regions of southern Bahia, Brazil.Material and methods: Plant material was collected in four plots of twenty farms, located under different edaphic and topographic conditions. They were subjected to chemical analysis and later to statistical analyses.Main results: There was high variability of Ni and Cu concentrations in all evaluated plant materials. Leaf, pulp, and tegument were the plant materials that accumulated more Ni. On the other hand, the greatest accumulation of Cu occurred in the tegument and in the pod husk, while in the cotyledons there was little accumulation of these metals. The concentrations of Ni were influenced by the three climatic regions, a fact not observed for Cu, except at the leaf level. There was interdependence between the accumulation of Ni in the leaves and in the different parts of the fruit, a fact not observed for Cu.Research highlights: Since Ni and Cu accumulated in low concentrations in the cacao beans cotyledons, raw material for the manufacture of chocolate and other food products, these metallic elements do not affect the consumers' health

Artificial neural networks in the prediction of soil chemical attributes using apparent electrical conductivity

Aim of study: To use artificial neural networks (ANN) to predict the values and spatial distribution of soil chemical attributes from apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) and soil clay contents.Area of study: The study was carried out in an area of 1.2-ha cultivated with cocoa, located in the state of Bahia, Brazil.Material and methods: Data collections were performed on a sampling grid containing 120 points. Soil samples were collected to determine the attributes: clay, silt, sand, P, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, S, pH, H+Al, SB, CTC, V, OM and P-rem. ECa was measured using the electrical resistivity method in three different periods related to soil sampling: 60 days before (60ECa), 30 days before (30ECa) and when collecting soil samples (0ECa). For the prediction of chemical and physical-chemical attributes of the soil, models based on ANN were used. As input variables, the ECa and the clay contents were used. The quality of ANN predictions was determined using different statistical indicators. Thematic maps were constructed for the attributes determined in the laboratory and those predicted by the ANNs and the values were grouped using the fuzzy k-means algorithm. The agreement between classes was performed using the kappa coefficient.Main results: Only P and K+ attributes correlated with all ANN input variables. ECa and clay contents in the soil proved to be good variables for predicting soil attributes.Research highlights: The best results in the prediction process of the P and K+ attributes were obtained with the combination of ECa and the clay content

Ensino público gratuito: flexibilidades e desvios Ensiñanza pública gratuita: flexibilidades y desvíos Public schools: flexibility and misguidance

O presente artigo discute o ensino público gratuito e os conceitos de princípio constitucional e de gratuidade. Esclarece como se aplica o Princípio da Gratuidade ao ensino público e enumera como este se apresenta no texto da LDB. Ao final, aponta uma grande contradição na Educação Superior, uma vez que as mesmas Instituições de Ensino Superior públicas e seus membros - gestores e docentes - que se manifestam publicamente contra a discussão de cobrança de mensalidades ou serviços para estudantes dos cursos superiores, em nome de um ensino público gratuito e de qualidade, cobram mensalidades nos cursos da Educação Superior por elas mantidas, utilizando-se de subterfúgios como as fundações de apoio.<br>Este artículo discute la enseñanza pública gratuita y los conceptos de principio constitucional y de gratuidad. Aclara como se aplica el Principio de la Gratuidad en la enseñanza pública y enumera como este se presenta en el texto da LDB. Por último, señala una gran contradicción en la Educación Superior, ya que estas mismas Instituciones de Enseñanza Superior pública y sus miembros - gestores y docentes - que se manifiestan públicamente contra la discusión de cobro de mensualidades o servicios para estudiantes de los cursos superiores, en nombre de una enseñanza pública gratuita y de calidad, cobran mensualidades en los cursos de Educación Superior por estas mantenidas, utilizando subterfugios como las fundaciones de apoyo.<br>This paper discusses the concepts of "constitutional principle" and "public education" regarding public educational policies in Brazil. It clarifies the meaning of "public education" as stated in the basic regulation of Brazilian educational public policy - LDB - Lei de Diretrizes e Bases. The paper shows that there is a contradiction in the Brazilian public universities. Some of the courses provided in the area of Education are being paid for by the students. This has been made possible through institutional associations with the universities' foundations. This private policy has been implemented by the same officials and professors, who are, allegedly, defendants of the constitutional principle of public education. These servants had indeed manifested in the past their opinion against the charging of students enrolled in public universities

Estatuto da Cidade: aspectos epistemológicos, sociopolíticos e jurídicos Statute of the City: epistemological, social political and legal aspects

Este artigo contribui com o debate sobre o Estatuto da Cidade (EC), vinculando-o a diferentes abordagens e clivagens subjacentes à crise da modernidade. Aspectos epistemológicos e teóricos são relevantes, mas têm sido negligenciados no debate. Neste artigo tais aspectos são abordados introdutoriamente. Faz-se também uma breve comparação de três enfoques especializados em direito urbanístico sobre artigos do EC, evidenciando-se a ausência de consenso e a necessidade de uma reflexão mais abrangente. Conclui-se que o que está em disputa no debate do EC são os recursos para a compreensão dos desafios de sua implementação, que envolvem especialmente três fatores: a abordagem comparativa entre os enfoques de especialistas do direito urbanístico; abordagem inter e transdisciplinar, com a contribuição do paradigma da complexidade; e a abordagem democrático-participativa, com políticas públicas orientadas pelas teorias e experiências relativas à terceira via e à formação de capital social.<br>This article brings a contribution to the debate on the Statute of the City (SC), linking it to different approaches and underlying cleavages of the crisis of modernity. The article introduces relevant epistemological and theoretical aspects that have been neglected in this debate and briefly compares three specialized urban law approaches to articles of the SC, showing absence of consensus and the need for a comprehensive reflexion. To conclude, what is in dispute in the EC debate are the resources for the understanding of the challenges of its implementation, which involves especially three factors: the comparative approach to the views of urban law specialists; an inter and trans-disciplinary approach, with the contribution of the complexity paradigm; a democratic-participative perspective, with public policies oriented by the theories and experiences of the third way and the formation of social capital

O cargo público de livre provimento na organização da administração pública federal brasileira: uma introdução ao estudo da organização da direção pública na perspectiva de estudos organizacionais Public position filled by appointment in the Brazilian federal administration: an introduction to the study of public management organization from the organizational studies perspective

A organização da administração pública federal brasileira é raramente abordada na pesquisa no campo de estudos organizacionais (EOs). Privilegia-se a tomada de decisão, seguindo-se a tradição de pesquisa operacional de cunho funcionalista. Contudo, direção é mais complexa e inclui decisão. A direção na administração pública federal brasileira se dá exclusivamente por meio de cargos de livre provimento. Tal realidade permite entender a direção como ação eminentemente política, cristalizada na organização da administração pública. Este artigo possui caráter metodológico e demonstra que o cargo público de livre provimento possui centralidade na organização da administração pública federal brasileira. Identifica, ainda, práticas de operação e interações no exercício da direção pública.<br>The organization of the Brazilian federal public administration is seldom addressed by organizational studies (OS) research. The decision-making process is privileged, according to the tradition of functionalist operational research. However, managing is more complex than decision-making, which is included by it. Management level in Brazilian federal public administration is completely filled by appointment. This reality makes us understand management as an utterly political action, crystallized in the public administration organization. This article has a methodological perspective and demonstrates that public positions filled by appointment are central to the Brazilian federal public administration,. It also identifies practices and interactions of public management