The language of ethnicity and self‐identity in American Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese*

This article investigates whether cultural models of behaviour can explain the persistently higher unemployment rate of non-whites in the UK. Such models argue that the prevalence of unemployment among non-whites may induce a greater tolerance of joblessness and poorer attitudes towards working which act to further reduce their employment chances. However, estimates from a hazard model of unemployment durations indicate that such factors play no role in explaining longer ethnic minority spells. This casts some doubt on the power of cultural models to account for the UK experience.     

Psychometric Validation Study of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale - Self-Reported Version for Brazilian Portuguese

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is prevalent and rarely diagnosed due to the difficulty in recognizing its symptoms as belonging to a disorder. Therefore, the evaluation/screening scales are of great importance for its detection, with the most used being the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS). Thus, this study proposed to evaluate the psychometric properties of internal consistency and convergent validity, as well as the confirmatory factorial analysis and reliability of the self-reported version of the LSAS (LSAS-SR), translated into Brazilian Portuguese, in a sample of the general population (N = 413) and in a SAD clinical sample (N = 252). The convergent validity with specific scales for the evaluation of SAD and a general anxiety scale presented correlations ranging from 0.21 to 0.84. The confirmatory factorial analysis did not replicate the previously indicated findings of the literature, with the difficulty being in obtaining a consensus factorial structure common to the diverse cultures in which the instrument was studied. The LSAS-SR presented excellent internal consistency (α = 0.90–0.96) and test-retest reliability (Intraclass Correlation Coefficient = 0.81; Pearson’s = 0.82). The present findings support those of international studies that attest to the excellent psychometric properties of the LSAS-SR, endorsing its status as the gold standard.     

Hospital Medical Staff By-laws: An Instrument for Self-Government

Hospital medical staff by-laws are important. By them the governing board of a hospital can and does confer on the medical staff the power to set up a form of organization by which that staff can give assurance of quality hospital medical care. The form of medical staff organization is patterned on familiar concepts of democratic self-government as we know it on this continent. Within the ordered society of the hospital medical staff, as in society at large, there is control of citizenship, classification of citizens as to their citizen rights, licence to do differing kinds of work, election of representatives, definition of rules for conduct, application of the cabinet principle, law enforcement by appointed judges, the right of appeal and, importantly, incentive for voluntary effort. Traditional professional freedom, self-determination and voluntary association of colleagues are guarded by this method of hospital conduct which is unique to the voluntary hospital system on this continent. Knowledge of the democratic process and of the motivation required to make it work well are essential for its preservation.     

An Instrument for Biofeedback Applied to Vision

One hundred and ten patients (179 eyes) with reduced visual acuity caused by different ocular disorders underwent visual rehabilitation with an instrument for biofeedback: improved biofeedback integrated system (Ibis). One hundred and fourteen eyes had age-related macular degeneration, 39 eyes had myopic macular degeneration, and 26 eyes were affected by different ocular disorders. A placebo training was developed on 34 patients (47 eyes). Thirty-three eyes had age-related macular degeneration and 15 eyes had myopic macular degeneration. Visual acuity was found to be improved in 130/179 eyes (72.62%). Mean visual acuity was 0.24 before training and 0.36 at the last follow-up. A review of the literature and possible mechanisms are discussed.     

The Hegemonic Male: Masculinity in a Portuguese Town

The Hegemonic Male: Masculinity in. Portuguese Town. Miguel Vale de Almeida Providence, RI; Berghahn Books, 1996. 186 pp.     

An Instrument for Measuring Crop Density by Light Absorbance

A portable instrument is described which measures simultaneouslythe light intensity above and below a leaf canopy, calculatesthe absorbance (extinction) and displays it continuously ona meter. It measures the capacity of the crop to absorb lightand so provides an estimate of its density and, by inference,the approximate photosynthetic potential. The measurements,which are simple and non destructive, have been shown to correlatewith seed-rate, sowing date, seed-vigour and final yield inwheat. Although originally designed for cereals, the instrumentmay also find application with other crops. crop density measurement, creals, light abrbanace     

BraX-Ray: An X-Ray of the Brazilian Computer Science Graduate Programs

Research productivity assessment is increasingly relevant for allocation of research funds. On one hand, this assessment is challenging because it involves both qualitative and quantitative analysis of several characteristics, most of them subjective in nature. On the other hand, current tools and academic social networks make bibliometric data web-available to everyone for free. Those tools, especially when combined with other data, are able to create a rich environment from which information on research productivity can be extracted. In this context, our work aims at characterizing the Brazilian Computer Science graduate programs and the relationship among themselves. We (i) present views of the programs from different perspectives, (ii) rank the programs according to each perspective and a combination of them, (iii) show correlation between assessment metrics, (iv) discuss how programs relate to another, and (v) infer aspects that boost programs'' research productivity. The results indicate that programs with a higher insertion in the coauthorship network topology also possess a higher research productivity between 2004 and 2009.     

Magnetohydrodynamic Sap Flux Meters: An Instrument for Laboratory Use and the Theory of Calibration

A magnetohydrodynamic sap flux meter with a mains energisedelectromagnet is described, and its calibration discussed. Thewhole apparatus was designed to operate from the mains supply,to obviate the need for batteries when working in the laboratory.The calibration curve for the instrument was not that expectedfor a single pipe. If the stem was treated as a large numberof pipes in parallel a theoretical curve was obtained that wasvery similar to the empirical one.     

Evidence for deviations from uniform changes in a Portuguese watershed illustrated by CORINE maps: An Intensity Analysis approach

We apply a method to evaluate the strength of the evidence for deviations from uniform land change in a coastal area, in the context of Intensity Analysis. The errors in the CORINE maps at 1990 and 2006 can influence the apparent change, but the errors are unknown because error assessment of the 1990 map has never been released, while the error of the 2006 map has been checked for only some countries. The 1990 and the 2006 maps of a coastal watershed in Portugal served as the data to compute the intensities of changes among eight categories. We evaluate the sizes and types of errors that could explain deviations from uniform intensities. Errors in 2.0% of the 2006 map can explain all apparent deviations from uniform gains. Errors in 1.5% of the 1990 map can explain all apparent deviations from uniform losses. Errors in less than 0.7% of the 1990 map can explain all apparent deviations from uniform transitions to each gaining category. We analyse the strength of the evidence for deviations from uniform intensities in light of historical processes of change. Historical processes can explain some transitions that the data show, while the hypothesised errors in the data are the explanation for other transitions that are not consistent with known processes. Inconsistent transitions are an indication of the misclassification errors that could propagate to other land cover change applications, as in the assessment of hydrological processes.     

The rise of the Brazilian Network for Ecological Restoration (REBRE): what Brazilian restorationists have learned from networking

As ecological restoration is gaining importance worldwide, researchers, practitioners, and interested people are beginning to self‐organize, in order to exchange knowledge and experiences in this growing area. Latin America has recently shown some examples, and the Brazilian Network for Ecological Restoration (REBRE) is one of them. Working on a nonhierarchical basis, its members, some of whom are important actors in the proposing and implementing of public policies, are able to freely express their doubts and share experiences, thereby contributing to legislative improvements, developing relevant restoration initiatives, and adopting novel approaches and paradigms. Through its three main communication platforms (website, Google Groups, and Facebook), REBRE has reached more than 2,300 members, and although a more equitable distribution through Brazilian regions should still be reached, it is gradually becoming stronger and more representative. In this scenario, REBRE will act with its branch organization, SOBRE (Brazilian Society for Ecological Restoration), to host the next Society for Ecological Restoration Conference, to be held in Brazil, in 2017, exchanging relevant experiences and welcoming restorationists from all over the world.     

An African twin to the Brazilian Calamopleurus (Actinopterygii: Amiidae)

A new species of amiid fish, Calamopleurus africanus sp. nov., is described on the basis of fragmentary material from ?Albian Kem Kem beds of southern Morocco. The new species shows several derived characters of the genus Calamopleurus such as ossified dermopterotic ribs, an inferred loose association between the dermosphenotic and the skull roof, a gular plate with a scalloped posterior margin, and a hyomandibular with a very long posterior (opercular) process. It differs from the type species in the proportions of the frontals, supramaxilla and gular. The distribution of Calamopleurus and some other Lower Cretaceous fishes is discussed in the context of the presumed adjacency of west Africa and eastern Brazil during much of the Mesozoic.     

The legacy of cultural landscapes in the Brazilian Amazon: implications for biodiversity

For centuries Amazonia has held the Western scientific and popular imagination as a primordial forest, only minimally impacted by small, simple and dispersed groups that inhabit the region. Studies in historical ecology refute this view. Rather than pristine tropical forest, some areas are better viewed as constructed or 'domesticated' landscapes, dramatically altered by indigenous groups in the past. This paper reviews recent archaeological research in several areas along the Amazon River with evidence of large pre-European (ca 400-500 calendar years before the present) occupations and large-scale transformations of forest and wetland environments. Research from the southern margins of closed tropical forest, in the headwaters of the Xingu River, are highlighted as an example of constructed nature in the Amazon. In all cases, human influences dramatically altered the distribution, frequency and configurations of biological communities and ecological settings. Findings of historical change and cultural variability, including diverse small to medium-sized complex societies, have clear implications for questions of conservation and sustainability and, specifically, what constitutes 'hotspots' of bio-historical diversity in the Amazon region.     

The use of microsatellites for germplasm management in a Portuguese grapevine collection

To initiate the characterization of the Portuguese grapevine genepool, we have genotyped 49 Portuguese grapevine cultivars at 11 microsatellite loci. The markers proved to be informative in the Portuguese cultivars, with expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.67 to 0.84. At most loci, an excess of heterozygous individuals was observed, while the deficiency of heterozygotes at 1 locus (VVMD6) indicated the presence of null alleles. On the basis of the microsatellite allele data several previously assumed synonyms were verified: (1) ’Fernão Pires’=’Maria Gomes’, (2) ’Moscatel de Setúbal’=’Muscat of Alexandria’, (3) ’Boal Cachudo’=’Boal da Madeira’=’Malvasia Fina’, (4) ’Síria’=’Crato Branco’= ’Roupeiro’ and (5) ’Periquita’=’Castelão Francês’=’João de Santarém’=’Trincadeira’. Although the three varieties ’Verdelho da Madeira’, ’Verdelho dos Açores’, and ’Verdelho roxo’ are regarded by the Lista Nacional de Sinónimos as distinct cultivars, they displayed identical SSR profiles at 17 loci and appear to represent types of 1 single cultivar. The genetic profiles of all 49 cultivars were searched for possible parent-offspring groups. The data obtained revealed the descendence of ’Boal Ratinho’ from ’Malvasia Fina’ and ’Síria’.     

Alternatives of Informed Consent for Storage and Use of Human Biological Material for Research Purposes: Brazilian Regulation

Informed consent is recognized as a primary ethical requirement to conduct research involving humans. In the investigations with the use of human biological material, informed consent (IC) assumes a differentiated condition on account of the many future possibilities. This work presents suitable alternatives for IC regarding the storage and use of human biological material in research, according to new Brazilian regulations. Both norms – Resolution 441/11 of the National Health Council, approved on 12 May 2011, and Ordinance 2.201 (NATIONAL GUIDELINES FOR BIOREPOSITORIES AND BIOBANKS OF HUMAN BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL FOR RESEARCH PURPOSE) of the Brazil Ministry of Health, approved on 14 September 2011 – state that the consent of subjects for the collection, storage and use of samples stored in Biobanks is necessarily established by means of a Free and Informed Consent Form (ICF). In order to obtain individual and formal statements, this form should contain the following two mutually exclusive options: an explanation about the use of the stored material in each research study, and the need for new consent or the waiver thereof when the material is used for a new study. On the other hand, ICF suitable for Biorepositories must be exclusive and related to specific research. Although Brazilian and international regulations identify the main aspects to be included in the IC, efforts are still necessary to improve the consent process, so that the document will become a bond of trust between subject and researcher.