Avaliação regional da pressão ambiental de estradas sobre riachos no Rio Grande do Sul

Estradas e rios interagem de diferentes formas. Estruturas de engenharia viária, como pontes e bueiros, podem afetar profundamente os ecossistemas aquáticos. Esse trabalho propõe realizar um diagnóstico regional das estradas como potencial fator de pressão sobre conservação de rios, através de três indicadores mensuráveis em escala de paisagem: densidade de estradas na paisagem, densidade de estradas na zona ripária e densidade de cruzamentos entre estradas e rios. As análises foram realizadas através de Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG), em uma área de 281.189 km² (Estado do Rio Grande do Sul). A área foi dividida em 5360 hexágonos (paisagens) de 50 km². O primeiro indicador, densidade de estradas, foi medido como o somatório de comprimentos de todos os segmentos de estrada em cada hexágono, dividido pela área do hexágono (km/km²); o segundo indicador, a densidade de estradas na zona ripária, foi medido como o somatório do comprimento de todos os segmentos de estrada na zona ripária, dividido pela área de zona ripária em cada hexágono (km/km²). A zona ripária foi definida como um buffer de 100 m em ambos os lados dos segmentos de rio. O terceiro indicador de pressão de estradas foi a densidade de cruzamentos entre estradas e rios, calculada como o número de cruzamentos estrada-rio dividido pelo somatório do comprimento de todos os segmentos de rios em cada hexágono (n° de cruzamentos/km de rio). Foram definidas cinco classes de pressão, com limiares de classe apoiados na literatura: nenhuma pressão (0 km/km²), baixa (de 0 a 0,5 km/km²), intermediária (de 0,5 a 1,5 km/km²), alta (de 1,5 a 4 km/km²) e muito alta (mais de 4 km/km²). A pressão de estradas foi avaliada considerando sete subunidades regionais representando a combinação de dois biomas (Pampa e Mata Atlântica) e quatro ecorregiões aquáticas (Baixo Uruguai, Alto Uruguai, Laguna dos Patos e Tramandaí-Mampituba) encontradas na área de estudo. Ao todo, 65,7% dos hexágonos foram classificados como pressionados (pressão intermediária a muito alta) pelo indicador densidade de estradas, já o indicador densidade de estradas na zona ripária possui 38,8% dos hexágonos classificados como pressionados, a densidade de cruzamentos possui 76,3% dos hexágonos pressionados. Os três indicadores podem ser analisados de forma independente para avaliar diferentes aspectos da pressão de estradas sobre riachos, e podem ser utilizados conjuntamente para compor um indicador global de pressão de estradas. Os resultados gerais da avaliação regional mostraram que a pressão de estradas sobre riachos é ampla geograficamente e relativamente severa, pois quando analisamos o mapa de pressão total (soma dos três indicadores de pressão), vemos que 74% da área de estudo está pressionada por estradas indicando ser este um problema potencialmente relevante do ponto de vista ambiental.Roads and rivers interact in different ways. Road engineering structures, such as bridges and culverts, can profoundly affect aquatic ecosystems. This work presents a regional diagnosis of roads as a potential pressure factor on the integrity of streams and rivers, through three measurable indicators at the landscape scale: density of roads in the landscape, density of roads in the riparian zone and density of intersections between roads and rivers. The analyses were carried out in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, encompassing an area of 281,189 km² (the State of Rio Grande do Sul). The study area was divided into 5360 hexagons (landscapes) of 50 km². The first indicator, road density, was measured as the sum of the lengths of all road segments in each hexagon, divided by the area of the hexagon (km / km²); the second indicator, the density of roads in the riparian zone, was measured as the sum of the length of all road segments in the riparian zone, divided by the riparian area in each hexagon (km / km²). The riparian zone was defined as a 100 m buffer on both sides of the river segments. The third road pressure indicator was the density of intersections between roads and rivers, calculated as the number of road crossings divided by the sum of the length of all river segments in each hexagon (number of crossings / km of river). Five classes of pressure were defined, with class thresholds supported in the literature: no pressure (0 km/km²), low (0 to 0.5 km/km²), intermediate (0.5 to 1.5 km/km²), high (from 1.5 to 4 km/km²) and very high (more than 4 km/km²). Road pressure was evaluated considering seven sub-regional units representing the combination of two biomes (Pampa and Atlantic Forest) and four aquatic ecoregions (Baixo Uruguai, Alto Uruguai, Laguna dos Patos and Tramandaí-Mampituba) found in the study area. In all, 65.7% of hexagons were classified as significantly pressured (intermediate to very high pressure) by road density, while road density in the riparian zone had 38.8% of the hexagons classified as significantly pressured, the road crossing density had 76.3% of hexagons pressured. The three indicators can be analyzed independently to assess different aspects of road pressure on streams, or can be used together to compose a global road pressure indicator. The general results of the regional assessment showed that road pressure over streams is geographically wide and relatively severe, because when we analyze the total pressure map (sum of the three pressure indicators), 74% of the study area is under pressure from roads indicating that this is a potentially relevant problem from the environmental point of view

Museu Anchieta de Ciências Naturais : um espaço científico-pedagógico de aprendizagens

Durante meu percurso escolar, tive o privilégio de estudar no Colégio Anchieta, uma das melhores escolas de Porto Alegre. Ao longo da minha escolarização básica, em especial, no Ensino Fundamental, tive a oportunidade de conhecer e frequentar um espaço de ensino-aprendizagem do colégio, atualmente denominado Museu Anchieta de Ciências Naturais. Os assuntos e conteúdos apresentados e ensinados no museu, eu entendia e aprendia com muito mais facilidade. O Museu Anchieta de Ciências Naturais é o museu escolar mais antigo do estado, sendo referência na área de História Natural e na relação entre Museologia e Educação. Considerando o valor e a importância das experiências e vivências no Museu Anchieta de Ciências Naturais definiu-se o principal objetivo desta investigação: identificar as especificidades deste museu, nos campos científico-pedagógicos, analisando-as de modo a evidenciar as peculiaridades das relações ensino e ciência, deste museu. O percurso metodológico foi composto por visitas ao Museu Anchieta, consulta ao acervo histórico e científico, observação da atividade Uma Noite no Museu e entrevista com a professora de Ciências responsável pelas atividades desta área no museu. Os dados obtidos foram transcritos e analisados baseando-se na técnica de pesquisa Análise de Conteúdo. A discussão e análise dos resultados mostrou que o Museu Anchieta de Ciências Naturais realiza com excelência um trabalho científico-pedagógico à comunidade escolar e, também, ao público em geral. Neste sentido, afirma-se o seu grande diferencial na medida em que promove e realiza atividades de caráter integrador, ou seja, àquelas que estabelecem relações entre ensino, ciência, música, dança, vídeo, luz, som, desenho, pintura, jogos e outros recursos. Museus escolares são valiosos espaços de ensino-aprendizagem e merecem ser difundidos por toda a rede de ensino

Age and input effects in the acquisition of mood in Heritage Portuguese

The present study analyses the effect of age and amount of input in the acquisition of European Portuguese as a heritage language. An elicited production task centred on mood choice in complement clauses was applied to a group of 50 bilingual children (6–16-year-olds), who are acquiring Portuguese as a minority language in a German dominant environment. The results show a significant effect of the age at testing and the amount of input in the acquisition of the subjunctive. In general, acquisition is delayed with respect to monolinguals, even though higher convergence with the monolingual grammar is observed after 12 years of age. Results also reveal that children with more exposure to the heritage language at home show faster acquisition than children from mixed households: the 8–9 year old age boundary seems relevant for those speakers with more exposure and the 12–13 year old age boundary for those with less exposure.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Portuguese as a Heritage Language in contact with German and French: a comparative study on the acquisition of verbal mood

This study focuses on the acquisition of verbal mood in complement clauses by two groups of heritage speakers of European Portuguese (EP) (7-16 years) with similar sociolinguistic profiles and two different dominant languages, German and French. The production of finite complement clauses was elicited through a sentence completion task. By comparing two bilingual groups with different dominant languages (a Romance language with a subjunctive mood encoding the same semantic values as EP and a Germanic language with no similar linguistic category), we discuss the relative weight of cross-linguistic influence and of amount of exposure in bilingual acquisition. The results show protracted development of both bilingual groups concerning the subjunctive, with no negative effect observed in the bilingual speakers who are dominant in German. We conclude that cross-linguistic influence cannot explain this performance and suggest that amount of input plays a role.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Citizen participation in food systems policy making: : A case study of a citizens’ assembly

In this article, we offer a contribution to the emerging debate on the role of citizen participation in food system policy making. A key driver is a recognition that solutions to complex challenges in the food system need the active participation of citizens to drive positive change. To achieve this, it is crucial to give citizens the agency in processes of designing policy interventions. This requires authentic and reflective engagement with citizens who are affected by collective decisions. One such participatory approach is citizen assemblies, which have been used to deliberate a number of key issues, including climate change by the UK Parliament’s House of Commons (House of Commons., 2019). Here, we have undertaken analysis of a citizen food assembly organized in the City of York (United Kingdom). This assembly was a way of hearing about a range of local food initiatives in Yorkshire, whose aim is to both relocalise food supply and production, and tackle food waste. These innovative community-based business models, known as ‘food hubs’, are increasing the diversity of food supply, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Among other things, the assembly found that the process of design and sortation of the assembly is aided by the involvement of local stakeholders in the planning of the assembly. It also identified the potential for public procurement at the city level, to drive a more sustainable sourcing of food provision in the region. Furthermore, this citizen assembly has resulted in a galvanizing of individual agency with participants proactively seeking opportunities to create prosocial and environmental change in the food system

Positive impact of pre-stroke surgery on survival following transient focal ischemia in hypertensive rats

We describe a positive influence of pre-stroke surgery on recovery and survival in a commonly used experimental stroke model. Two groups of male, stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs) underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO). Group 1 underwent the procedure without any prior intervention whilst group 2 had an additional general anaesthetic 6 days prior to tMCAO for a cranial burrhole and durotomy. Post-stroke recovery was assessed using a 32 point neurological deficit score and tapered beam walk and infarct volume determined from haematoxylin–eosin stained sections. In group 2 survival was 92% (n = 12) versus 67% in group 1 (n = 18). In addition, post-tMCAO associated weight loss was significantly reduced in group 2. There was no significant difference between the two groups in experimental outcomes: infarct volume (Group 1 317 ± 18.6 mm<sup>3</sup> versus Group 2 332 ± 20.4 mm<sup>3</sup>), and serial (day 0–14 post-tMCAO) neurological deficit scores and tapered-beam walk test. Drilling a cranial burrhole under general anaesthesia prior to tMCAO in SHRSP reduced mortality and gave rise to infarct volumes and neurological deficits similar to those recorded in surviving Group 1 animals. This methodological refinement has significant implications for animal welfare and group sizes required for intervention studies

Mulheres com deficiência vivendo em contexto rural: situações de vulnerabilidade e proteção

Objective: to analyze the situations of vulnerability and protection experienced by women with disabilities in the rural context. Method: qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study, carried out with ten women with disabilities living in rural areas of five municipalities in the north and northwest regions of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The interviews took place in the households from January to June 2019. The empirical material was recorded, transcribed and subjected to thematic content analysis. Results: the revealed vulnerabilities were: restrictions on responsibility, education, work, income, autonomy and social benefit. As for the conditions improving the protection against vulnerabilities, strong links were observed with the Rural Family Health Strategy and the Association of Parents and Friends of Exceptional Children, besides the receipt of the Continuous Cash Benefit. Conclusion: actions of rural health teams articulated in the care network help to overcome the weaknesses of women with disabilities.Objetivo: analizar las situaciones de vulnerabilidad y protección que viven las mujeres con discapacidad en el contexto rural. Método: estudio cualitativo, descriptivo y exploratorio, realizado con diez mujeres con discapacidad residentes en áreas rurales de cinco ayuntamientos de las regiones norte y noroeste de Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Las entrevistas tuvieron lugar en los hogares de enero a junio de 2019. El material empírico fue grabado, transcrito y sometido al análisis de contenido temático. Resultados: las vulnerabilidades reveladas fueron: restricciones de responsabilidad, educación, trabajo, ingreso, autonomía y beneficio social. En cuanto a las condiciones que potencian la protección contra las vulnerabilidades, se observaron fuertes vínculos con la Estrategia de Salud Familiar Rural y la Asociación de Padres y Amigos de los Excepcionales, además de la recepción del Beneficio de la Provisión Continua. Conclusión: las acciones de los equipos de salud rural articuladas en la red de atención ayudan a superar las debilidades de las mujeres con discapacidad.Objetivo: analisar as situações de vulnerabilidade vivenciadas por mulheres com deficiência   em contexto rural. Método: estudo qualitativo, descritivo e exploratório, realizado com dez mulheres com deficiência residentes em áreas rurais das regiões norte e noroeste do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. As entrevistas ocorreram nos domicílios nos meses de janeiro a junho de 2019. O material empírico foi gravado, transcrito e submetido à análise temática de conteúdo. Resultados: as vulnerabilidades desveladas foram: limitações relacionadas à deficiência; gênero como determinante das atividades domésticas e da ausência de apoio familiar, de amigos e da comunidade, de transporte, benefícios e, participação social restrita. Como fatores protetores observaram-se a Estratégia Saúde da Família Rural e a Associação de Pais e Amigos dos Excepcionais com vínculos fortes e recebimento do Benefício de Prestação Continuada. Conclusão: ações de equipes de saúde rural articuladas na rede de atenção auxiliam a superação de fragilidades de mulheres com deficiência

Improving skin picking diagnosis among Brazilians : validation of the Skin Picking Impact Scale and development of a photographic instrument

Background Skin picking disorder is a prevalent disorder frequently comorbid with depression and anxiety, which is underdiagnosed mainly by dermatologists. Assessment of skin picking disorder is based on instruments influenced by the awareness about skin picking disorder and comorbid symptoms. To date, there is no validated instrument for Brazilian individuals nor an instrument to evaluate the severity of skin lesions in an objective way. Objectives Validate the Skin Picking Impact Scale for Brazilian Portuguese and create a photographic measurement to assess skin lesions. Methods The sample was assessed through the Skin Picking Impact Scale translated into Brazilian Portuguese, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Clinical Global Impression Scale. The patients’ skin lesions were photographed. Photos were evaluated regarding active excoriation, crust/bleeding, exulceration, and linear lesions. Results There were 63 patients included. The Skin Picking Impact Scale translated into Brazilian Portuguese had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88), which tests of goodness-of-fit, showing a suitable model. The reliability of photographic measurement was 0.66, with a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.87). Photographic measurement was not correlated with the Skin Picking Impact Scale, the Clinical Global Impression Scale, or comorbid symptoms. Study limitations Lack of a previously validated instrument to evaluate dermatillomania in the Brazilian population for comparison. Conclusion The Skin Picking Impact Scale validated in Brazilian Portuguese is a good instrument to evaluate skin picking disorder. Photographic measurement is a consistent way of assessing skin lesions, but it does not reflect the impact of skin picking disorder on the individual's life

Parkes Weber syndrome associated with two somatic pathogenic variants in RASA1

Parkes Weber syndrome is associated with autosomal dominant inheritance, caused by germline heterozygous inactivating changes in th

Optic Foraminotomy for Clipping of Superior Carotid-Ophthalmic Aneurysms

Background: Carotid-ophthalmic aneurysms usually cause visual problems. Its surgical treatment is challenging because of its anatomically close relations to the optic nerve, carotid artery, ophthalmic artery, anterior clinoid process, and cavernous sinus, which hinder direct access. Despite recent technical advancements enabling risk reduction of this complication, postoperative deterioration of visual function remains a significant problem. Therefore, the goal of preserving and/or improving the visual outcome persists as a paramount concern. Objective: We propose optic foraminotomy as an alternative microsurgical technique for dorsal carotid-ophthalmic aneurysms clipping. As a secondary objective, the step by step of that technique and its benefits are compared to the current approach of anterior clinoidectomy. Methods: We present as an example two patients with superior carotid-ophthalmic aneurysms in which the standard pterional craniotomy, transsylvian approach, and optic foraminotomy were performed. Surgical techniques are presented and discussed in detail with the use of skull base dissections, microsurgical images, and original drawings. Results: Extensive opening of the optic canal and optic nerve sheath was successfully achieved in all patients allowing a working angle with the carotid artery for correct visualization of the aneurysm and further clipping. Significant visual acuity improvement occurred in both patients because of decompression of the optic nerve. Conclusion: Optic foraminotomy is an easy and recommended technique for exposing and treating superior carotid-ophthalmic aneurysms and allowing optic nerve decompression during the first stages of the procedure. It shows several advantages over the current anterior clinoidectomy technique regarding surgical exposure and facilitating visual improvement