Resposta de mamíferos silvestres do Pantanal ao encolhimento-e-expansão sazonal de habitats devido ao regime de enchente

The pantanal is a large savanna wetland (138,183 km2 in brazil), important for its wildlife, fed by tributaries of the upper paraguay River, center of south america (brazil, touching bolivia and paraguay). uplands are plateaus (250-1,200 m high, 215,000 km2 in brazil) and fatland is the pantanal (80-150 m high, 147,574 km2 in brazil). Rivers are slow moving when they meet the fatland (slope 0.3-0.5 m/km east-west; 0.03-0.15 m/km north-south), periodically overfowing their banks, creating a complex seasonal habitat range. Recurrent shallow fooding occupies 80% of the pantanal; during the dry season fooded areas dry up. fluctuating water levels, nutrients and wildlife form a dynamic ecosystem. a fooding regime forms distinct sub-regions within the pantanal. a mammal survey was carried out in the sub-region of the Rio negro from april, 2003 through March, 2004 to study the diversity and abundance of terrestrial mammals during the dry and fooding seasons. a total of 36 species were observed in the feld. The capybara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris was the most frequent species, followed by the crab-eating-fox Cerdocyon thous and the marsh deer Blastocerus dichotomus. The highest abundance of species was observed during the dry season (august and september), when there is a considerable expansion of terrestrial habitats, mainly seasonally fooded grassland. animal abundance (in terms of observed individual frequencies) varied during the dry and wet seasons and the seasonally fooded grassland was the most utilized habitat by mammals in the dry season. ________________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMOO pantanal é uma área inundável (138.183 km2 no brasil), importante globalmente por sua biodiversidade, alimentado por tributários da margem esquerda do alto Rio paraguai, no centro da américa do sul (brasil, tocando a bolívia e o paraguai). As terras altas do entorno são o planalto (250-1200 m de altitude, 215.000 km2 no brasil), e a planície é o pantanal (80-150 m de altitude, 147.574 km2 no Brasil). Os rios movem-se lentamente quando encontram a planície (declividade de 0,3-0,5 m/km leste-oeste; 0,03-0,15 m/km norte-sul), periodicamente transbordando suas margens, criando um complexo de habitats sazonais. inundação rasa e recorrente ocupa 80% do pantanal; áreas inundáveis secam na estação seca. Flutuação do nível da água, nutrientes e espécies silvestres formam um ecossistema dinâmico. Diferentes tipos de inundação formam diferentes tipos de pantanais. Um censo de mamíferos silvestres foi feito no pantanal do Rio negro, de abril de 2003 até março de 2004, para estudar a diversidade e a abundância de mamíferos terrestres durante as estações seca e cheia. Um total de 36 espécies de mamíferos foi observado no campo. a capivara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris foi a espécie mais freqüente, seguida do lobinho Cerdocyon thous e do cervo-do-pantanal Blastocerus dichotomus. a maior freqüência de espécies de mamíferos observada (abundância) foi registrada em agosto e setembro, coincidindo com a época de maior expansão de habitats sazonalmente inundáveis. A abundância de animais (em termos de freqüência de indivíduos observados) varia entre a estação seca e cheia, sendo que os campos sazonalmente inundáveis são os habitats mais utilizados pelos animais na estação seca

Diagnostic errors and reflective practice in medicine

Background: Adverse effects of medical errors have received increasing attention. Diagnostic errors account for a substantial fraction of all medical errors, and strategies for their prevention have been explored. A crucial requirement for that is better understanding of origins of medical errors. Research on medical expertise may contribute to that as far as it explains reasoning processes involved in clinical judgements. The literature has indicated the capability of critically reflecting upon one\'s own practice as a key requirement for developing and maintaining medical expertise throughout life. Objectives: This article explores potential relationships between reflective practice and diagnostic errors. Methods: A survey of the medical expertise literature was canducted. Origins of medical errors frequently reported in the literature were explored. The potential relationship between diagnostic errors and the several dimensions of reflective practice in medicine, brought to light by recent research, were theoretically explored. Results and Dissussion: Uncertainty and fallibility inherent to clinical judgements are discussed. Stages in the diagnostic reasoning process where errors could occur and their potential sources are highlighted, including the role of medical heuristics and biases. The authors discuss the nature of reflective practice in medicine, and explore whether and how the several behaviours and reasoning processes that constitute reflective practice could minimize diagnostic errors. Future directions for further research are discussed. They involve empirical research on the role of reflective practice in improving clinical reasoning and the development of educational strategies to enhancing reflective practice

Cognitive debiasing 2: Impediments to and strategies for change

In a companion paper, we proposed that cognitive debiasing is a skill essential in developing sound clinical reasoning to mitigate the incidence of diagnostic failure. We reviewed the origins of cognitive biases and some proposed mechanisms for how debiasing processes might work. In this paper, we first outline a general schema of how cognitive change occurs and the constraints that may apply. We review a variety of individual factors, many of them biases themselves, which may be impediments to change. We then examine the major strategies that have been developed in the social sciences and in medicine to achieve cognitive and affective debiasing, including the important concept of forcing functions. The abundance and rich variety of approaches that exist in the literature and in individual clinical domains illustrate the difficulties inherent in achieving cognitive change, and also the need for such interventions. Ongoing cognitive debiasing is arguably the most important feature of the critical thinker and the well-calibrated mind. We outline three groups of suggested interventions going forward: educational strategies, workplace strategies and forcing functions. We stress the importance of ambient and contextual influences on the quality of individual decision making and the need to address factors known to impair calibration of the decision maker. We also emphasise the importance of introducing these concepts and corollary development of training in critical thinking in the undergraduate level in medical education

The case of social organizations

Silveira, C., Reis, L., Santos, V., & Mamede, H. S. (2020). Creativity in prototypes design and sustainability: The case of social organizations. Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems, 5(6), 1237-1243. https://doi.org/10.25046/AJ0506147The role of creativity techniques in the design of prototypes is of particular interest given its potential for innovation. At same time, despite the efforts of decades in terms of policies and programs of action, humanity has not yet come close to global sustainability. Sustainability design must involve society and creatively employ all available knowledge sources for creating sustainable software. This paper proposes a prototype design approach rooted in employing creativity techniques, while being guided by the dimensions and principles of the Karlskrona Manifesto. This approach is applied to the development of a multidisciplinary aggregator for the optimization of social services. As a result. guidelines for the use of creativity in requirements engineering will be presented, as well as on how to include sustainability issues, namely the Sustainable Development Goals and the five dimensions of sustainability in the design of prototypes.publishersversionpublishe

Introduced species in the Pantanal : implications for conservation

O uso da terra e a ocupação humana nos hábitats naturais do Pantanal têm facilitado a introdução de espécies invasivas de plantas e animais, incluindo espécies domésticas. As espécies exóticas ameaçam a biodiversidade regional porque modificam a estrutura das comunidades ecológicas, alteram hábitats e afetam a biodiversidade. A organização internacional União Internacional para a Conservação da Natureza (IUCN) e o Governo brasileiro identificam as espécies invasoras como a terceira maior ameaça para a biodiversidade, seguida da perda de hábitat e do efeito direto sobre espécies. Além disso, espécies exóticas são portadoras de patógenos ou podem funcionar como vetores ou reservatórios de doenças que afetam a biota. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTLand use and human occupation within the natural habitats of the Pantanal have facilitated introduction of invasive species of plants and animals, including domestic species. Exotic species threaten regional biodiversity because they modify ecological community structure, alter natural habitats and affect local biodiversity. An international organisation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the Brazilian government, identify invasive species as the third most important threat to biodiversity, following habitat loss and direct effect on species. In addition, exotic species carry pathogens or may function as vectors or reservoirs for diseases that affect regional biota

Efeito da endogamia sobre pesos aos 120 e 210 dias de idade de bovinos da raça Nelore mocho criado no bioma cerrado.

Objetivou-se com este trabalho estudar os efeitos da endogamia sobre pesos calculados aos 120 e 210 dias de idade, em bovinos da raça Nelore pertencentes ao rebanho da Embrapa Cerrados. Os dados foram coletados no período de 1990 a 2010. O coeficiente de endogamia foi calculado por meio do aplicativo MTDFREML. A matriz de parentesco incluiu 23.513 animais, cuja estimativa média e máxima dos animais endogâmicos foi 2,17% e 14,10%, respectivamente. Os resultados indicaram que a endogamia direta provocou redução dos pesos calculados aos 120 e 210 dias de idade, possivelmente, devido à redução na variância genética aditiva. A endogamia é um processo prejudicial para as características de interesse econômico, quando utilizada indiscriminadamente e deve ser utilizada com parcimônia e bastante cuidado ao se promover acasalamentos entre animais consanguíneos

Producción de lípidos funcionales y antioxidantes naturales a partir de semillas de maracuyá

The wild passion fruit species Passiflora setacea, Passiflora alata, and Passiflora tenuifila are native to the Brazilian biomass. The seed waste generated from the extraction of passion fruit juice contains functional polyunsaturated fatty acids and phenolic compounds. The aims of this study were to obtain lipids and natural antioxidants from passion fruit seeds. Passion seed oils were extracted using a lab-scale continuous press and their oxidative stability was evaluated using the Rancimat® method. Higher antioxidant extract capacity was observed when using an ethanol-water solution (70:30) at 45 ºC. In these cases, the total phenolic contents expressed as gallic acid equivalents from P. setacea, P. alata, and P. tenuifila cakes were approximately 1800, 600 and 900 mg·100g−1 of extract. Induction periods increased up to two-fold when adding these extracts to their respective seed oil. Therefore, passion fruit seed extract can contribute to increasing the oxidative stability of polyunsaturated oils.Las especies de maracuyá silvestre Passiflora setacea, Passiflora alata y Passiflora tenuifila son nativas de la biomasa brasileña. El desecho de semillas generado después de la extracción del jugo de maracuyá contiene ácidos grasos poliinsaturados funcionales y compuestos fenólicos. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron obtener lípidos y antioxidantes naturales de las semillas de maracuyá. Los aceites de semillas de la pasión se extrajeron usando una prensa continua a escala de laboratorio y su estabilidad oxidativa se evaluó usando el método Rancimat®. Se observó una mayor capacidad antioxidante del extracto cuando se usó una solución de etanol-agua (70:30) a 45 ºC. En estos casos, el contenido fenólico total expresado como equivalentes de ácido gálico de las tortas de P. setacea, P. alata y P. tenuifila fue de aproximadamente 1800, 600 y 900 mg·100g−1 de extracto. Los períodos de inducción aumentaron hasta dos veces al agregar estos extractos a sus respectivos aceites de semillas. Por lo tanto, el extracto de semillas de maracuyá puede contribuir a aumentar la estabilidad oxidativa de los aceites poliinsaturados

Does the new International Diabetes Federation Definition of Metabolic Syndrome Improve Prediction of Coronary Artery Disease and Carotid Intima-Media Thickening

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is associated with increased incidence of diabetes and atherosclerotic complications. The new definition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) increases the population with this entity, compared to the NCEP ATP III definition. OBJECTIVES: To study the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in patients with and without MS, according to the NCEP ATP III and IDF definitions, and the predictive ability of carotid IMT for CAD. METHODS: We studied 270 consecutive patients admitted for elective coronary angiography due to suspicion of CAD. All patients underwent ultrasound study of the carotid arteries to measure IMT (the highest value between the right and left common carotid arteries was used in the analysis). Coronary stenosis of > or =70% (or 50% for the left main coronary artery) was considered significant. RESULTS: By the ATP III definition, 14% of the patients had MS, and these patients had a higher prevalence of CAD (87% vs. 63%, p = 0.004), but no significant difference was found for carotid IMT (1.03 +/- 0.36 mm vs. 0.95 +/- 0.35 mm, p=NS). With the IDF definition, 61% of the patients had MS; this group was slightly older and included more women. There were no differences in terms of CAD (68% vs. 63%) or carotid IMT (0.97 +/- 0.34 vs. 0.96 +/- 0.39 mm). On multivariate analysis, the ATP III definition of MS predicts CAD (OR 4.76, 95% CI 1.71-13.25, p = 0.003), but the IDF definition does not (OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.74-2.27, p = 0.37). On ROC curve analysis, an IMT of > or = 0.95 mm predicts CAD (AUC 0.66, p < 0.001), with a sensitivity of 52% and specificity of 75%. CONCLUSIONS: The new IDF definition increases the population with MS, decreasing the capacity to predict the presence of CAD. In our population, neither the ATP III nor the IDF definition showed differences in terms of carotid IMT. Carotid IMT can predict CAD, but with only modest sensitivity

Relações entre o mérito genético dos touros e suas progênies para as características de crescimento, fertilidade e carcaça de bovinos da raça Nelore de provas de ganho em peso a pasto.

Objetivou-se com este estudo predizer os valores genéticos bovinos da raça Nelore provenientes de provas de ganho em peso a pasto e avaliar a relação touro x progênie com base em seus respectivos valores genéticos. As características avaliadas foram peso calculado aos 210 dias (P210), aos 365 dias (P365) e aos 450 dias de idade (P450), ganho médio diário pré desmame e pós desmame (GPPRE e GPPOS), perímetro escrotal aos 365 dias e 450 dias de idade (PE365 e PE450), área de olho de lombo (AOL) e acabamento de carcaça (ACAB), avaliadas no teste de desempenho de touros jovens conduzidos a pasto na Embrapa Arroz e Feijão e Embrapa Cerrados. As analise estatística dos dados foram estimadas por meio do aplicativo SAS e os valores genéticos dos animais foram estimados por meio do programa MTDFREML. Para os inter-relacionamentos genéticos dos touros e de suas respectivas progênies foram realizadas analises de correlação de Spearman e correlação canônica. Os valores de correlação encontrados são de alta magnitude para todas as características avaliadas 0,71 (PE365), 0,67 (PE450), 0,77 (ACAB), 0,73 (AOL), 0,63 (P210), 0,68 (P365), 0,62 (P450), 0,64 (GPPRE), 0,66 (GPPOS). Os valores genéticos e correlações encontrados nesse estudo mostraram que houve relação positiva e crescente entre valor genético dos touros e de suas respectivas progênies. Portanto, a seleção dos melhores touros, tem sido eficientes em termos de progresso genético