O pulo do gato da pequena indústria precária

This paper presents the main research findings of a study conducted in two industrial districts and what I refer to here as Local Industrial Arrangements - LIAs. The research focuses on the transition from a situation characterized by informal or illegal production, low wages and precarious work conditions, to one characterized by high levels of productivity/quality/fair labour conditions. The findings of the empirical study reveal the importance of specific institutions in the transition from a widespread informality to the more stable and sustainable situation of the LIAs. In the case of Jaraguá (GO), it was the legal framework that enabled this change and the subsequent impact on local development, while in the case of Toritama (PE), transition was stimulated by the cooperation between legal and environmental institutions.O artigo apresenta os resultados de pesquisa sobre o processo de transição da ilegalidade e/ou informalidade para a formalidade, vivenciado por arranjos produtivos intensivos em mão-de-obra e inseridos em mercados precários nas regiões Nordeste e Centro-oeste do Brasil. A pesquisa revelou que o processo de mudança resultou de momentos de crise ou rupturas, e não de uma evolução em que os atores teriam sentido necessidade de cooperar para a solução de problemas de interesse coletivo. Essa cooperação foi posterior ou, mais especificamente, só foi possível pela atuação de instituições que deram origem à crise e estiveram presentes em seu enfrentamento. Em Jaraguá (GO), a instituição determinante da mudança foi o aparato legal necessário para a inserção no mercado formal; em Toritama (PE), a promotoria pública e a agência governamental de meio ambiente levaram à necessidade de buscar soluções menos poluentes entre os empresários locais

Modeling the risk of malaria for travelers to areas with stable malaria transmission

BACKGROUND: Malaria is an important threat to travelers visiting endemic regions. The risk of acquiring malaria is complex and a number of factors including transmission intensity, duration of exposure, season of the year and use of chemoprophylaxis have to be taken into account estimating risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A mathematical model was developed to estimate the risk of non-immune individual acquiring falciparum malaria when traveling to the Amazon region of Brazil. The risk of malaria infection to travelers was calculated as a function of duration of exposure and season of arrival. RESULTS: The results suggest significant variation of risk for non-immune travelers depending on arrival season, duration of the visit and transmission intensity. The calculated risk for visitors staying longer than 4 months during peak transmission was 0.5% per visit. CONCLUSIONS: Risk estimates based on mathematical modeling based on accurate data can be a valuable tool in assessing risk/benefits and cost/benefits when deciding on the value of interventions for travelers to malaria endemic regions

Quantitative-spatial assessment of soil contamination in S. Francisco de Assis due to mining activity of the Panasqueira mine (Portugal)

Through the years, mining and beneficiation processes produces large amounts of As-rich mine wastes laid up in huge tailings and open-air impoundments (Barroca Grande and Rio tailings) that are the main source of pollution in the surrounding area once they are exposed to the weathering conditions leading to the formation of AMD and consequently to the contamination of the surrounding environments, in particularly soils. In order to investigate the environmental contamination impact on S. Francisco de Assis (village located between the two major impoundments and tailings) agricultural soils, a geochemical survey was undertaken to assess toxic metals associations, related levels and their spatial distribution, and to identify the possible contamination sources. According to the calculated contamination factor, As and Zn have a very high contamination factor giving rise to 65.4 % of samples with a moderate to high pollution degree; 34.6 % have been classified as nil to very low pollution degree. The contamination factor spatial distribution put in evidence the fact that As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn soils contents, downstream Barroca Grande tailing, are increased when compared with the local Bk soils. The mechanical dispersion, due to erosion, is the main contamination source. The chemical extraction demonstrates that the trace metals distribution and accumulation in S. Francisco de Assis soils is related to sulfides, but also to amorphous or poorly crystalline iron oxide phases. The partitioning study allowed understanding the local chemical elements mobility and precipitation processes, giving rise to the contamination dispersion model of the study area. The wind and hydrological factors are responsible for the chemical elements transport mechanisms, the water being the main transporter medium and soils as one of the possible retention media

Determinants of intensive insulin therapeutic regimens in patients with type 1 diabetes: data from a nationwide multicenter survey in Brazil

Background: To evaluate the determinants of intensive insulin regimens (ITs) in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D).Methods: This multicenter study was conducted between December 2008 and December 2010 in 28 public clinics in 20 Brazilian cities. Data were obtained from 3,591 patients (56.0% female, 57.1% Caucasian). Insulin regimens were classified as follows: group 1, conventional therapy (CT) (intermediate human insulin, one to two injections daily); group 2 (three or more insulin injections of intermediate plus regular human insulin); group 3 (three or more insulin injections of intermediate human insulin plus short-acting insulin analogues); group 4, basal-bolus (one or two insulin injections of long-acting plus short-acting insulin analogues or regular insulin); and group 5, basal-bolus with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII). Groups 2 to 5 were considered IT groups.Results: We obtained complete data from 2,961 patients. Combined intermediate plus regular human insulin was the most used therapeutic regimen. CSII was used by 37 (1.2%) patients and IT by 2,669 (90.2%) patients. More patients on IT performed self-monitoring of blood glucose and were treated at the tertiary care level compared to CT patients (p < 0.001). the majority of patients from all groups had HbA1c levels above the target. Overweight or obesity was not associated with insulin regimen. Logistic regression analysis showed that economic status, age, ethnicity, and level of care were associated with IT (p < 0.001).Conclusions: Given the prevalence of intensive treatment for T1D in Brazil, more effective therapeutic strategies are needed for long term-health benefits.Farmanguinhos/Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz/National Health MinistryBrazilian Diabetes SocietyFundacao do Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de JaneiroConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ Estado Rio de Janeiro, Unit Diabet, BR-20551030 Rio de Janeiro, BrazilBaurus Diabet Assoc, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo State, Diabet Unit, São Paulo, BrazilFed Univ Hosp Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, BrazilUniv Hosp São Paulo, Diabet Unit, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Fed Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilSanta Casa Misericordia, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilSanta Casa Misericordia São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Amazonas, Manaus, Amazonas, BrazilHosp Geral de Bonsucesso, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilHosp Univ Clementino Fraga Filho IPPMG, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Hosp São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilFac Ciencias Med Santa Casa São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Crianca, Hosp Clin, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med Ribeirao Preto, Hosp Clin, Ribeirao Preto, BrazilAmbulatorio Fac Estadual Med Sao Jose Rio Preto, Ribeirao Preto, BrazilEscola Paulista Med, Ctr Diabet, Ribeirao Preto, BrazilClin Endocrinol Santa Casa Belo Horizonte, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilUniv Estadual Londrina, Londrina, BrazilUniv Fed Parana, Hosp Clin, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilInst Crianca Com Diabet Rio Grande Sul, Rio Grande Do Sul, RS, BrazilGrp Hosp Conceicao, Inst Crianca Com Diabet, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilHosp Univ Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, SC, BrazilInst Diabet Endocrinol Joinville, Joinville, BrazilHosp Reg Taguatinga, Brasilia, DF, BrazilHosp Geral Goiania, Goiania, Go, BrazilCtr Diabet & Endocrinol Estado Bahia, Goiania, Go, BrazilUniv Fed Maranhao, Sao Luis, BrazilCtr Integrado Diabet & Hipertensao Ceara, Fortaleza, Ceara, BrazilUniv Fed Sergipe, Aracaju, BrazilHosp Univ Alcides Carneiro, Campina Grande, BrazilHosp Univ Joao de Barros Barreto, Belem, Para, BrazilFed Univ São Paulo State, Diabet Unit, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Hosp São Paulo, Diabet Unit, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Hosp São Paulo, São Paulo, BrazilEscola Paulista Med, Ctr Diabet, Ribeirao Preto, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran\u27s eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R$^{2}$ = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R$^{2}$ = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Aim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types

Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora

Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution