Perception of self-efficacy and self-report of prospective and retrospective memory failures

The general perception of self-efficacy in young and old people was taken as the basis for the study of the differences among self-reported prospective and self-reported retrospective memory. The participants were 642 aged between 16 and 81 years old (26,62±13,89), who have answered the Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the General Perception of Self-efficacy Scale (GPSES), and the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ-10). Self-efficacy showed higher correlation with self-reported prospective memory failures while years of formal education and age correlated with self-reported retrospective memory failures. As a further result it was verified reciprocity between self-reported memory failures and performance in memory tasks, suggesting a strong association between the dimensions of self-efficacy and prospective memory.   Keywords: self-efficacy; memory; self-report.A percepção de auto-eficácia geral em jovens e idosos serviu de base para o estudo das diferenças entre o auto-relato de falhas de memória prospectiva e retrospectiva. Uma amostra de 642 participantes, com idade entre 16 e 81 anos (26,62±13,89), respondeu ao Questionário Sociodemográfico, à Escala de Auto-eficácia Geral Percebida (EAEGP), e ao Questionário de Memória Prospectiva e Retrospectiva (PRMQ-10). De acordo com os resultados obtidos, auto-eficácia geral apresentou maior correlação com o auto-relato de falhas de memória prospectiva, enquanto idade e escolaridade correlacionaram com o auto-relato de falhas de memória retrospectiva. Como resultado adicional, verificou-se que existem pontos de reciprocidade entre auto-relato de falhas de memória e resultados de desempenho em tarefas de memória. Tais resultados assinalam maior vinculação entre as dimensões de auto-eficácia e a memória prospectiva. Palavras-chave: auto-eficácia; memória; auto-relato

Genetic Demography of the Centra! Pano and Kanamari Indians of Brazil

Four populations of Brazilian Indians were studied demographically and genetically. Overall, their estimated average ages are low, but the Kanamari are somewhat older. Intermixture with non-Indians is small, and intertribal marriages are seen mostly among the Katukina. Migration to the Central Pano (Cashinawa + Katukina) communities occurred mainly from southern places located at an average distance of 150 km. Migration to the Kanamari can be characterized as centripetal, taking place from communities situated at a mean distance of 235 km. Fertility and mortality are high. These results were integrated with genetic marker data and three indices of population variability (one based on demographic variables and the other two on genetic factors) calculated for them and four other South American tribes. These indices showed no significant relationships among themselves. It is suggested that such comparisons should be extended to populations biologically more differentiated, in attempts to unravel the intricate connections that exist between population structure and genetic variability

Can the reproductive system of a rare and narrowly endemic plant species explain its high genetic diversity?

ABSTRACT The reproductive system of flowering plants can be highly variable, affecting their biology, gene flow and genetic variability among populations. Petunia secreta is a rare annual endemic species of Pedra do Segredo, located in the municipality of Caçapava do Sul, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Although rare, the species possesses a high level of genetic variability. We investigated the reproductive system of P. secreta, including fruit production and seed germinability, in order to determine if its reproductive system can explain its genetic diversity. We sampled five populations and conducted five greenhouse hand-pollination treatments: 1) autonomous apomixis; 2) self-pollination; 3) hand self-pollination; 4) geitonogamy; and 5) cross-pollination. We analysed a total of 40 plants, 468 flowers, and 6,500 seeds. Only autonomous apomixis and self-pollination did not produce fruit. No differences in fruit weight were observed among pollination treatments (P > 0.05). Seeds of two colours were produced, with no differences in germinability. Considering all plants, populations, and treatments, the average germinability was 73 % (range 9 % to 100 %). These results, along with other previous studies, indicate that the reproductive systems of P. secreta, and its large effective population size, can explain its high genetic diversity

Valor adaptativo em índios xavante

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Cannabinoid Type-1 Receptor Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Central Obesity in a Southern Brazilian Population

The CB1 cannabinoid receptor and its endogenous ligands, the endocannabinoids, are involved in energy balance control, stimulating appetite and increasing body weight in wasting syndromes. Different studies have investigated the relationship between polymorphisms of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) gene and obesity with conflicting results. In the present study, we investigated the 1359G/A (rs1049353), 3813A/G (rs12720071) and 4895A/G (rs806368) polymorphisms in the CNR1 gene in a Brazilian population of European descent. To verify the association between these variants and obesity-related traits in this population, 756 individuals were genotyped by PCR-RFLP methods. The 4895G allele was associated with waist to hip ratio (WHR) (P = 0.014; P = 0.042 after Bonferroni correction). An additive effect with the GAA haplotype was associated with WHR (P = 0.028), although this statistical significance disappeared after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.084). No significant association was observed between the genotypes of the 1359G/A and 3813A/G polymorphisms and any of the quantitative variables investigated. Our findings suggest that CNR1 gene polymorphism is associated with central obesity in this Brazilian population of European ancestry

Demography and genetics at the tribal level : the Xavante as a test case

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