Post-imperialism, postcolonialism and beyond: towards a periodisation of cultural discourse about colonial legacies

Taking German history and culture as a starting point, this essay suggests a historical approach to reconceptualising different forms of literary engagement with colonial discourse, colonial legacies and (post-) colonial memory in the context of Comparative Postcolonial Studies. The deliberate blending of a historical, a conceptual and a political understanding of the ‘postcolonial’ in postcolonial scholarship raises problems of periodisation and historical terminology when, for example, anti-colonial discourse from the colonial period or colonialist discourse in Weimar Germany are labelled ‘postcolonial’. The colonial revisionism of Germany’s interwar period is more usefully classed as post-imperial, as are particular strands of retrospective engagement with colonial history and legacy in British, French and other European literatures and cultures after 1945. At the same time, some recent developments in Francophone, Anglophone and German literature, e.g. Afropolitan writing, move beyond defining features of postcolonial discourse and raise the question of the post-postcolonial

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors

Background Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors. Results Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged. Conclusions Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.Peer reviewe

Food habits and ontogenetic diet shifts of the litter dwelling frog proceratophrys boiei (wied)

Here is described the diet of Proceratophrys boiei (Wied, 1825), a leaf litter frog of the Atlantic Forest, and test for relationships between frog size and prey size and type. The diet was determined by stomach content analysis. In 38 frogs, was found 76 prey items belonging to 23 taxa. Insects predominate in the diet and the most frequent categories were coleopterans (39.4% of total volume) and orthopterans (25.0%). There was a positive correlation between frog size and volume of prey taken. The most important ontogenetic shift in prey type was an increase in the consume of coleopterans and insect larvae with increasing frog size

Uso e qualidade da água subterrânea para irrigação no semi-árido piauiense Use and quality of groundwater for irrigation in semi-arid region of the Piauí State, Brazil

A região semi-árida do Estado do Piauí é caracterizada por baixa intensidade pluviométrica e elevadas taxas de evapotranspiração. Porém a reserva de água subterrânea torna possível o desenvolvimento de atividades antrópicas, potencializada, na maioria dos casos, pelas características hidrogeológicas do subsolo, que permitem explotações de alta vazão de água com boa qualidade; todavia, alguns poços atingem formações de baixa vazão e qualidade de água com concentração de sais elevada e que, se utilizada para irrigação, pode ocasionar a salinização e a sodificação dos solos. Dessa forma, objetivou-se caracterizar as formas de uso e a qualidade das águas subterrâneas em parte da região semi-árida do Piauí, visando ao seu uso para irrigação. Coletaram-se amostras em 225 poços distribuídos espacialmente, nas quais foram analisadas as seguintes variáveis: condutividade elétrica, sódio, cálcio, magnésio, relação de adsorção de sódio, carbonato, bicarbonato, cloreto e sulfato. Em relação ao uso da água, predominou o uso doméstico (53,61%), seguido pela irrigação (21,17%), com os seguintes métodos: gotejamento (14,03%); microaspersão (3,83%); aspersão convencional (16,11%); canhão e autopropelido (13,66%); superfície (16,76%) e outros métodos artesanais (35,52%). Os mapas de classes de risco de uso para irrigação, gerados a partir da qualidade da água subterrânea, evidenciam a ocorrência de sub-áreas com as seguintes classes: nenhuma restrição, moderada restrição e severa restrição.<br>The semi-arid region in the State of Piauí, Brazil, is characterized by low rain fall and high evapotranspiration. However, the groundwater reserves make possible the economic development by underground hydrogeology characteristics, which allow extractions of high water flow with good quality, in most of the cases. However, some wells reached formations that have low discharge and water with high salt concentration, which if used for irrigation may cause salinization and sodification. The main goal of this work was to characterize the different uses and quality of groundwater in a part of the semi-arid area of Piauí, with a view to its use for irrigation. Samples were collected in 225 wells distributed spatially in the area, in which the following variables were analyzed: electrical conductivity, Na, Ca, Mg, SAR, CO3, HCO3, Cl and SO4. Regarding water use, the domestic use prevailed (53.61%), followed by irrigation (21.17%), with the following irrigation methods: drip irrigation (14.03%); microsprinkler (3.83%); conventional sprinkler (16.11%); gun sprinkler and traveler irrigation machine (13.66%); surface irrigation (16.76%) and other handmade methods (35.52%). The maps of classes of use risk irrigation generated from groundwater quality showed the occurrence of sub-areas with the following classes: no restriction, moderate restriction and severe restriction

Diversity and abundance of litter frogs at altitudinal sites at Serra do Japi, southeastern Brazil

It was sampled the litter frogs at altitudinal sites of a semideciduous mesophytic forest located at Sena do Japi (Jundiaí, São Paulo, 23º17'S, 47º00'W, 800-1300m altitude, 1500mm rain/year). Forty two plots of 8x8m were sampled in the dry/cold season of 1995: 21 at a Higher Site (HS) (1000m) and 21 at a Lower Site (LS) (850m). The plots were evenly located near, mid-distance, and far from the stream-bed. It was found a total of five species, three at each site. Eleutherodactylus guentheri comprised 83% of the individuals at HS and E. juipoca 67% at LS. The density of individuals was higher at HS and near the stream. The greater density at HS may be due to greater humidity there, provided by mist. The frogs may aggregate in wetter places (stream edges) in the dry/cold season. The studied sites represent harsh and early successional environments and both these factors may be acting together to produce the low observed diversity

Efeitos da suplementação de creatina na força máxima e na amplitude do eletromiograma de mulheres fisicamente ativas Effect of creatine supplementation in maximal strength and electromyogram amplitude of physically active women

A suplementação de creatina apresenta ação ergogênica na força muscular. Entretanto, não há consenso deste efeito na força isométrica máxima e na amplitude do eletromiograma (EMG). Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi analisar os efeitos da suplementação de creatina na força isométrica máxima e na amplitude do EMG em mulheres fisicamente ativas. Vinte e sete mulheres (idade 23,04 ± 1,82 anos, massa corporal 58,37 ± 6,10kg, estatura 1,63 ± 0,05m e índice de massa corporal 21,93 ± 2,02kg/m²) foram designadas aleatoriamente para os grupos creatina (GCr) (n = 13) e placebo (GPL) (n = 14), os quais ingeriram diariamente, durante seis dias, 20g de creatina mono-hidratada e 20g de maltodextrina, respectivamente. Antes e depois da suplementação, a força foi medida em um dinamômetro isométrico durante contração isométrica voluntária máxima (CIVM) de extensão unilateral do joelho (três séries de 6s intervaladas por 180s), com captação simultânea dos valores root mean square (RMS) do EMG obtido no músculo vasto lateral. A ANOVA de dois critérios de classificação (dois momentos x dois grupos) e o teste de Wilcoxon foram utilizados na análise estatística dos dados paramétricos e não paramétricos (p < 0,05). Após a suplementação, o GCr aumentou significativamente a força, com incrementos de 7,85% (p = 0,002), 7,31% (p = 0,001) e 5,52% (p = 0,001) para a primeira, segunda e terceira séries, respectivamente. Para este mesmo grupo, os valores RMS aumentaram significativamente na terceira série (p = 0,026). O GPL não apresentou alterações significativas. Os resultados sugerem que a suplementação de creatina aumenta a força isométrica máxima e que a amplitude do EMG pode ser utilizada como indicador dessas alterações de desempenho.<br>Creatine supplementation has shown to enhance muscular strength. However, there is not a consensus on this effect on maximal isometric strength neither on electromyogram (EMG) amplitude. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze the creatine supplementation effects on maximal isometric strength and EMG amplitude in physically active women. 27 women (age 23.04 ± 1.82 years, body mass 58.37 ± 6.10kg, height 1.63±0.05m and body mass index 21.93 ± 2.02kg/m²) were randomly assigned in creatine (CrG) (n = 13) or placebo group (PLG) (n = 14). The CrG and PLG ingested 20g/day of creatine and 20g/day of maltodextrin during six days, respectively. The strength was measured before and after supplementation using a isometric dynamometer during a maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC) of a unilateral knee extension (3 sets of 6s with 180s rest period), and the EMG was acquired from the vastus lateralis muscle and its amplitude quantified using the root mean square (RMS) values. Two-way ANOVA (2 groups x 2 moments) was used for parametric data and Wilcoxon test for non-parametric analysis (p < 0.05). After supplementation, CrG significantly enhanced strength, with increase of 7.85% (p = 0.002); 7.31% (p = 0.001) and 5.52% (p = 0.000) for the first, second and third trials, respectively. In CrG, the RMS values significantly increased on the third trial (p = 0.026). No changes were found in GPL. Results suggest that creatine supplementation enhance maximal isometric strength and EMG amplitude can be useful to identify these performance modifications

Dismantling Brazil's science threatens global biodiversity heritage

In the middle of a political and fiscal crisis, the Brazilian government is applying successive budget cuts, including in science funding. Recent cuts radically affect research programs on biodiversity that are crucial components for the design and monitoring of public policies for nature conservation and sustainable development. We analyze the consequences of such cuts on the Research Program on Biodiversity (PPBio), the largest biodiversity research network in Brazil (626 researchers, nine networks in all Brazilian biomes). Brazil holds a substantial part of the world's biodiversity and of tropical forests that play a significant role for regional and global climate stability. If underfunding is maintained, the dismantling of the Brazilian PPBio will have consequences that go beyond biodiversity knowledge itself but affect society as a whole. Brazil will likely fail to reach the National Targets for Biodiversity 2011–2020, and it will be difficult to fulfill the restoration target of the Brazilian NDC and to advance with the sustainable development goals. © 2017 Associação Brasileira de Ciência Ecológica e Conservaçã