Influência de fotoperíodo artificial no comportamento de um primata neotropical diurno (Callithrix jacchus)

One of the main environmental cues for the adjustment of temporal organization of the animals is the light-dark cycle (LD), which undergoes changes in phase duration throughout the seasons. Photoperiod signaling by melatonin in mammals allows behavioral changes along the year, as in the activity-rest cycle, in mood states and in cognitive performance. The aim of this study was to investigate if common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) exhibits behavioral changes under short and long photoperiods in a 24h cycle, assessing their individual behaviors, vocal repertoire, exploratory activity (EA), recognition memory (RM) and the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity (CRA). Eight adult marmosets were exposed to a light-dark cycle of 12:12; LD 08:16; LD 12:12 and LD 16:08, sequentially, for four weeks in each condition. Locomotor activity was recorded 24h/day by passive infrared motion detectors above the individual cages. A video camera system was programmed to record each animal, twice a week, on the first two light hours. From the videos, frequency of behaviors was registered as anxiety-like, grooming, alert, hanging position, staying in nest box and feeding using continuous focal animal sampling method. Simultaneously, the calls emitted in the experimental room were recorded by a single microphone centrally located and categorized as affiliative (whirr, chirp), contact (phee), long distance (loud shrill), agonistic (twitter) and alarm (tsik, seep, see). EA was assessed on the third hour after lights onset on the last week of each condition. In a first session, marmosets were exposed to one unfamiliar object during 15 min and 24h later, on the second session, a novel object was added to evaluate RM. Results showed that long days caused a decreased of amplitude and period variance of the CRA, but not short days. Short days decreased the total daily activity and active phase duration. On long days, active phase duration increased due to an advance of activity onset in relation to symmetric days. However, not all subjects started the activity earlier on long days. The activity offset was similar to symmetric days for the majority of marmosets. Results of EA showed that RM was not affected by short or long days, and that the marmosets exhibited a decreased in duration of EA on long days. Frequency and type of calls and frequency of anxiety-like behaviors, staying in nest box and grooming were lower on the first two light hours on long days. Considering the whole active phase of marmosets as we elucidate the results of vocalizations and behaviors, it is possible that these changes in the first two light hours are due to the shifting of temporal distribution of marmoset activities, since some animals did not advance the activity onset on long days. Consequently, the marmosets mean decreased because the sampling was not possible. In conclusion, marmosets synchronized the CRA to the tested photoperiods and as the phase angle varied a lot among marmosets it is suggested that they can use different strategies. Also, long days had an effect on activity-rest cycle and exploratory behaviors

Ecologia de comunidades e comportamento reprodutivo de anfíbios anuros em savana amazônica

The Amazon savannas occur as isolated patches throughout extensive areas of forest in the states of Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, and Roraima. There is a considerable variation in the composition of anuran assemblages in the localities and phytophysiognomies of Amazon savannas and given the absence of studies on reproductive behavior, a systematic and geographically wide sampling has been carried out in the Amapá savanna, located in the Eastern Amazon. The study was conducted in a savanna area in the state of Amapá to examine the composition, ecology, and reproductive behavior of anuran amphibians. We carried out 24 field trips in each phytophysiognomy (gramineous-woody savana, gramineous-herbaceous-woody savana, park savana, and arboreal savanna); for analysis of reproductive behavior observations were made during the period January to December 2013, lasting four consecutive days. Samples were collected by active and acoustic search along 20 plots of 100x50 meters. Twenty-one anuran species were recorded, of which four are new records for the state of Amapá: Dendropsophus walfordi, Scinax fuscomarginatus, Pseudopaludicola boliviana e Elachistocleis helianneae. The KruskalWallis ANOVA revealed significant differences between richness and species diversity in the phytophysiognomies (p < 0.05). The Bray-Curtis similarity coefficient divided the phytophysiognomies into three groups: arboreal savana, gramineous-woody savanna and gramineous-herbaceous-woody savanna, and park savanna. According to the non-metric multidimensional scaling, the structure of the anuran community resulted in a separation into three phytophysiognomies, with significant differences in the structure of communities (ANOSIM, R = 0.823; p < 0.001). In the study of community ecology, the results obtained for spatial, temporal, and trophic niche breadth suggest that the assemblage of anurans of the Amapá savanna is not composed of predominantly generalist species. Also, the presence of other specialist anurans may explain the processes of speciation associated with the isolation of habitats, resulting in heterogeneity and spatial discontinuity in the phytophysiognomies with open formations. The null model analysis revealed that the community is structured based on temporal and trophic niche, indicating a significant influence of contemporary ecological factors on the assemblage. The absence of structure based on spatial niche might be explained by the spatial segregation in the distribution and occupation of anurans in the different phytophysiognomies of the Amapá savanna. Regarding the reproductive behavior of anurans, 11 species were classified as having a long breeding season, intrinsically associated with the rainy season and the reproductive mode of most species that lay egg clutches in lentic water bodies. Six reproductive modes were recorded and parental care was observed in Leptodactylus macrosternum and L. podicipinus, whose reproductive mode is characterized by foam nests. Regarding behavioral reproductive strategies, calling males were observed in all species of anurans, satellite males were recorded only for D. walfordi, Hypsiboas multifasciatus, S. nebulosus and S. fuscomarginatus; active search for females was observed for Phyllomedusa hypochondrialis and L. fuscus, and male displacement was recorded only for Rhinella major and R. margaritifera. Of the reproductive behaviors observed, throat and vocal sac display is associated with courtship and territorial behavior exhibited by males. In addition to courtship behavior, visual signals associated with courtship strategies were recorded for the anurans of the Amapá savanna.

Validação do instrumento dos indicadores observáveis da qualidade do cuidado em instituições de longa permanência para idosos

The Nursing Homes are an important alternative care in the world, but Brazil still has no valid instrument to monitor the quality these institutions. In the United States, the Observable Indicators of Nursing Home Care Quality Instrument (OIQ) is used to assess the quality of Nursing Home care using 30 indicators of structure (2 dimensions) and process (5 dimensions) related to quality person-centered care. The present study aimed at cross-culturally adapting the OIQ in order to evaluate the quality of Nursing Home care in Brazil. Conceptual and item equivalence were determined to assess the relevance and viability of OIQ in the Brazilian context, using the Content Validity Index (CVI) and a group of specialists composed of 10 participants directly involved in the object of study. Next, operational, idiomatic and semantic equivalence were carried out concurrently. This consisted of 5 phases: (1) two translations and (2) their respective back translations; (3) formal appraisal of referential and general meaning; (4) review by a second group of specialists; (5) application of the pretest at three Nursing Homes by different social entities: health professionals, sanitary surveillance regulators and potential consumers. Measurement equivalence was evaluated by the Cronbach’s alpha test to verify the internal consistency of the instrument. To measure inter-evaluator agreement, the General Agreement Index (ICG) and Kappa coefficient were used. Timely compliance and 95% Confidence Interval of indicators, dimensions and total construct were estimated. The CVI obtained high results for both relevance (95.3%) and viability (94.3%) in the Brazilian context. With respect to referential meaning, similarity was observed, ranging between 90-100% for the first back translation and 70-100% for the second. In relation to general meaning, version 1 was better, classified as “unchanged” in 80% of the items, whereas in version 2 it was only 47%. In the pretest, the OIQ was easy to understand and apply. The following outcomes were obtained: a high Cronbach’s alpha (0.93), satisfactory ICG (75%) and substantial agreement between the pairs of evaluators (health professionals, regulators from the Superintendency of Sanitary Surveillance –SUVISA-, and potential consumers), according to the Kappa coefficient (0.65). It´s possible take the operational equivalence held since it preserved the original layout in the Brazilian version from the maintenance in application mode, response options, number of items, statements and scores. The performance of nursing homes obtained approximate average scores of 87, a variation 55-111 considering a range from 30 to 150 points. The worst outcomes were related to process indicators with a mean of 2.8 per item, while structure was 3.75 on a scale of 1 to 5. The lowest score was obtained for the care dimension (mean 2). The OIQ version was deemed to be a valid and reliable instrument in the Brazilian context. It is recommended that health professionals, regulators and potential consumers adopt it to access and monitor the quality of Nursing Home care and demonstrating opportunities for improvement.

The song of humpback whale and the potential effects of whale-watching in the abrolhos bank, BA, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

The song of humpback whale and the potential effects of whale-watching in the abrolhos bank, BA, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Formação profissional do cuidador de idosos em instituições de longa permanência

The old caretaker's work seeks to minimize suffering and morbidity resulting from physical, cognitive and emotional limitations of these individuals, being a practice permeated by the uniqueness of the subjects involved, therefore, a process in constant construction. In this notion, the caregiver's role is crucial to assist the elderly in everyday life, aiming at improving their quality of life. This study has descriptive and analytical character with quantitative and qualitative approach aimed to investigate the professional training of active caregivers in long-term stay institutions for the Elderly (ILPIs) in Natal/RN in the year 2014. For this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 63 caregivers employed in nine ILPIs, representing 75% of the professionals performing activities in these institutions. The interviews captured data on the socioeconomic profile, the perception about the profession and training of caregivers. Data were analyzed by observation of absolute and relative measures of central tendency of the numeric variables frequencies. It was found that most caregivers had poor socioeconomic status and had no specific training course to practice caregiver role. However, among those who carried out courses, most reported that the content covered during the training gave security to perform the practice, although they have shown a contradiction when referred to the need to build capacity. The perception of care is mainly related to love and care for the other while the choice of profession is associated with care practice itself. The results also indicate the presence of a low level of formal training for the exercise of the occupation, also revealing the weaknesses ranging from the absence of a core curriculum that can guide the formation, compounded by the low educational professionals in focus.