Mangrove Forests and Sedimentary Processes on the South of Coast of Sao Paulo State (Brazil)

Mangrove structure and distribution is conditioned by geomorphic processes. This paper describes the response of mangroves to sedimentary processes at the Cananeia-Iguape Coastal System on the south coast of Sao Paulo State (Brazil), between latitudes 24 degrees 40`S and 25 degrees 20`S. Within six study areas 41 plots were established along 14 transects. Plot size varied according to stem density from 2mx2m to 20mx20m. Here mangroves are strongly coupled to sedimentary processes, forming discrete architectural elements within particular depositional environments or topographic settings. These sedimentary structures and progradation environments are colonized by Laguncularia racemosa, associated with the smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora. Rhizophora mangle occurs typically near creeklets where tidal flooding is more frequent. Where tidal influence is restricted Avicennia schaueriana becomes dominant. Erosive margins are dominated by A. schaueriana or R. mangle. Single linkage cluster analysis yields three groups (A, B and C), with high levels of similarity, providing support to the classification of the data into two broad landform categories: depositional and erosive. Group A includes plots with the least structural development (nominal stem diameter d(n) between 1.05 and 4.61cm). Group B is composed of stems of intermediate diameter (4.99 cm <= d(n) <= 5.63cm). Group C plots have the largest structural development (5.50 cm <= d(n) <= 11.10cm). The structure of mangroves (dominance and structural development) reflects responses to geomorphology and habitat change.

Environmental lead poisoning among children in Porto Alegre state, Southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of lead poisoning in children and to identify associated factors, as well as possible local sources of contamination. METHODS: A cross-sectional prevalence study conducted in 2006 with a random sample of 97 children age zero to five years from a neighborhood in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Blood lead levels were measured and a questionnaire administered to collect information on sociodemographics, recycling and dwelling. A preliminary environmental evaluation was carried out with direct analysis of soil and indirect analysis of air pollution with bioindicators to identify possible sources of contamination. To analyze lead concentrations from the different collection sites, for each type of material studied, ANOVA was performed with a Brown-Forsythe adjustment for heteroscedasticity and with Dunnett's T3 procedure for multiple comparisons of unequal variances. RESULTS: Blood lead levels >= 10.0 mu g/dL was found in 16.5% of children. Recycling of waste at home, low father's education level, and increased age of children were associated with increase blood lead levels. High lead levels were found in soil, and there was little indication of lead air pollution. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of lead poisoning was identified, and the potential sources of contamination in this community appear related to waste recylcing activities. Studies should be conducted with other populations of Brazilian children and evaluate potential sources of local and general contamination, to accurately characterize this issue in Brazil.

The State as Part of the Republic

The State as Part of the Republic The main objective of this article is to analyze an ideal of civic life, the Republic, based on the form of the sovereign state. Historically, the convergence between Republic and sovereign state has been truncated by the former's commitment to the thesis of royal absolutism. However, as the democratic issue (translated in the values of equality and pluralism) was absorbed by sovereignism, such convergence became more plausible. As viewed in this article, the theoretical bridge of that passage is the concept of political representation. The issue is thus to show in what way a certain vision of the political form (that of the state) can fit into a theory of political representation that contemplates the above-mentioned values.

Metropolitan and regional health planning: dilemmas of the Pact for Health in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Area, Sao Paulo State, Brazil

This paper focuses on the relationship between metropolitan and regional health planning based on the processes of regionalization and the Pact for Health in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Area, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The method used was a case study in two stages, namely during initial implementation of the Pact for Health (2007) and the Regional Administration Committees (CGR) and in 2010. Municipal and regional health systems managers and the director of the Metropolitan Agency were interviewed, and records were analyzed from ten years of meetings of the Regional Inter-Administration Committee and the Regional Development Council. Four issues emerged: financing and infrastructure; health services utilization; inefficiency of the Regional Health Administration's instruments and decision-making levels; and the relationship between different levels in the Administration. Metropolitan health management remained as an underlying issue, appearing only incidentally or tangentially to regional management. Despite some limitations, the CGR has been legitimized as a space for regional health management.

Stand-level patterns of carbon fluxes and partitioning in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation across a gradient of productivity, in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Wood production represents a large but variable fraction of gross primary production (GPP) in highly productive Eucalyptus plantations. Assessing patterns of carbon (C) partitioning (C flux as a fraction of GPP) between above- and belowground components is essential to understand mechanisms driving the C budget of these plantations. Better knowledge of fluxes and partitioning to woody and non-woody tissues in response to site characteristics and resource availability could provide opportunities to increase forest productivity. Our study aimed at investigating how C allocation varied within one apparently homogeneous 90 ha stand of Eucalyptus grandis (W. Hill ex Maiden) in Southeastern Brazil. We assessed annual above-ground net primary production (ANPP: stem, leaf, and branch production) and total belowground C flux (TBCF: the sum of root production and respiration and mycorrhizal production and respiration), GPP (computed as the sum of ANPP, TBCF and estimated aboveground respiration) on 12 plots representing the gradient of productivity found within the stand. The spatial heterogeneity of topography and associated soil attributes across the stand likely explained this fertility gradient. Component fluxes of GPP and C partitioning were found to vary among plots. Stem NPP ranged from 554 g C m(-2) year(-1) on the plot with lowest GPP to 923 g C m(-2) year(-1) on the plot with highest GPP. Total belowground carbon flux ranged from 497 to 1235 g C m(-2) year(-1) and showed no relationship with ANPP or GPP. Carbon partitioning to stem NPP increased from 0.19 to 0.23, showing a positive trend of increase with GPP (R-2 = 0.29, P = 0.07). Variations in stem wood production across the gradient of productivity observed at our experimental site were a result of the variability in C partitioning to different forest system components.

Transverse pseudo-nonlinear effects measured in solid-state laser materials using a sensitive time-resolved technique

We present a detailed study of the Baryscan technique, a new efficient alternative to the widespread Z-scan technique which has been demonstrated [Opt. Lett. 36:8, 2011] to reach among the highest sensitivity levels. This method is based upon the measurement of optical nonlinearities by means of beam centroid displacements with a position sensitive detector and is able to deal with any kind of lensing effect. This technique is applied here to measure pump-induced electronic refractive index changes (population lens), which can be discriminated from parasitic thermal effects by using a time-resolved Baryscan experiment. This method is validated by evaluating the polarizability variation at the origin of the population lens observed in the reference Cr3+:GSGG laser material.

Description of Rhodnius montenegrensis n. sp (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) from the state of Rondonia, Brazil

We present here a multisource approach that takes advantage of several disciplines to address a taxonomic issue. A triatomine related to Rhodnius robustus Larrousse, 1927 was recently found in the state of Rondonia, Brazil. The name Rhodnius montenegrensis n. sp. is suggested because it was found in the municipality of Monte Negro. The main differences between these two species can be detected in the female and male genitalia, but there are also noticeable differences in their eggs. Molecular analysis using PCR-RFLP technique and Bayesian inferences based on a fragment of the Cytochrome b (Cyt b) gene corroborated the morphological findings. We used this integrative approach to address the taxonomic decision for a new Rhodnius species and its relationship with others of this genus. Results obtained herein stress that morphology must be used as the major approach for obtaining phenotypic information, and molecular data should be taken as a complementary tool.

Temperature impact on the tunnel fet off-state current components

In this work, the temperature impact on the off-state current components is analyzed through numerical simulation and experimentally. First of all, the band-to-band tunneling is studied by varying the underlap in the channel/drain junction, leading to an analysis of the different off-state current components. For pTFET devices, the best behavior for off-state current was obtained for higher values of underlap (reduced BTBT) and at low temperatures (reduced SRH and TAT). At high temperature, an unexpected off-state current occurred due to the thermal leakage current through the drain/channel junction. Besides, these devices presented a good performance when considering the drain current as a function of the drain voltage, making them suitable for analog applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Blood alcohol levels in suicide by hanging cases in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Suicide is one of the main causes of violent death worldwide, and has become a public health issue. Since alcohol consumption is associated with the increase in the number of suicides and hanging is one of the main methods used worldwide, the present study consists of an epidemiological analysis of BACs in victims of suicide by hanging autopsied in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. The objective of the present work was to establish an epidemiological profile and evaluate blood alcohol concentrations in victims of suicide by hanging in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the year of 2007. A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted by collection of secondary data from autopsy reports of victims of hanging. According to the present study, positive results for alcohol were higher in male victims, but the mean BAC was higher in women. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.