On the reliability of visual communication in vertebrate-dispersed fruits

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Visual communication in Brazilian species of anurans from the Atlantic forest

Visual communication is widespread among several anuran families, but seems to be more common than currently thought. We investigated and compared visual communication in six species of an anuran community in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Four are nocturnal species: Hyalinobatrachium uranoscopum (Centrolenidae), Hyla albomarginata, Hyla sp. (aff. ehrhardti), and Scinax eurydice (Hylidae), and two are diurnal species: Hylodes phyllodes and Hylodes asper ( Leptodactylidae). For H. uranoscopum, H. albomarginata, S. eurydice, and H. phyllodes, this is the first record of visual communication. Observations were made at Nucleo Picinguaba, Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, in the Municipality of Ubatuba, State of São Paulo, Brazil. Descriptions of behaviour were based on individuals observed in the field, using sequence sampling with continuous tape recording for behavioural observations. Eight new behaviours are described: body wiping, face wiping, jump display, leg kicking, limb lifting, mouth opening, toe flagging, and vocal sac display. of the 42 anuran species known from Nucleo Picinguaba, at least six ( approximately 14%) display visual communication. The evolution of visual signals in these species may be related to the availability of ambient light, the structural complexity of the habitat, and/or the ambient noise. They may also have evolved to aid in the location of the individual, to avoid physical combat, and/or may be a by-product of seismic communication.

Paulo Freire para crianças

The experiences lived in the Read and Write Program (Programa Ler e Escrever), through the scholarship project Public School and University at literacy (Escola Pública e Universidade na alfabetização), were the starting point for the preparation of this research. From this observations obtained in the classroom, it was noticed gaps present in the process of teaching-learning in the system imposed by the state government of Sao Paulo, preponderant factors to understand how and when children learn. This way, was noted that only one literacy proposal to be adopted by all schools revealed not being efective to meet different contexts, also disregards the individuality of each student. Thus, we applied the Paulo Freire's Method with children from Second year (Former First series) adapted in a playful way, during reinforcement classes at state shcool “Torquato Minhoto”, located in Bauru/SP. Sought to promote, properly, the comprehension of the language code and the development of learning in reading and writing. This manner, some barriers prevented a more thorough job covering a wider range of studantes over an extended period, however, the results were generally positives about the startup of literacy

A construção da novidade: diálogos (im)pertinentes entre as teorias de Jean Piaget e Paulo Freire

Pós-graduação em Psicologia - FCLAS

A dimensão dialógica e a prática educativa: reflexões a partir de Paulo Freire e Humberto Maturana

Ao observarmos o cotidiano nas escolas é possível constatar que nem sempre se reconhece e se valoriza a diferença e a singularidade que caracteriza cada sujeito envolvido, pois ocorrem situações de negação mútua entre alunos, entre alunos e professores e entre outras relações do espaço escolar que ferem a dignidade humana. Uma alternativa a essa realidade é a promoção de vivências dialógicas. Nesse sentido, objetivamos com este trabalho: Refletir sobre as contribuições teórico-conceituais desenvolvidas por Paulo Freire e por Humberto Maturana acerca da vivência do diálogo, suas possibilidades e impasses nas relações sociais e na relação educativa; e identificar, a partir de um estudo de caso realizado em uma escola da Rede Pública Estadual, as concepções dos educadores sobre a prática dialógica no cotidiano escolar. Para Freire, o diálogo é o encontro e a partilha de concepções de A com B e não de A sobre B ou vice versa, sendo que nesta relação é importante que ambos se disponham à escuta mútua reconhecendo a diversidade de concepções que estimula a curiosidade epistemológica. Para Maturana, a partir da Biologia, cada ser vivo se constitui como uma organização autopoiética, ou seja, tem a tarefa de produzir-se a si próprio, estabelecendo relações com o meio. Na existência humana, essas interações com o meio e entre os humanos se estabelecem num entrelaçamento de emoções e ações, que ele nomeia de conversação. A partir das reflexões pelos autores e o diálogo estabelecido com sujeitos da pesquisa destacamos: 1) As relações sociais se mantêm quando há aceitação do outro como legítimo outro na convivência, o que implica a aceitação de si próprio; 2) O diálogo cria um clima de aceitação para com a história e a diferença do outro, o que favorece relações de partilha de ideias e de releitura coletiva do mundo. Tanto Maturana e Freire, quanto os entrevistados valorizam o ...

A educação de adultos como socialização: Hannah Arendt versus Paulo Freire

This paper analyzes data under diametrically opposed theoretical frameworks. Encouraged by the sudden and recent popularity of Hannah Arendt, we decided to submit the data of a already presented dissertation to a “new” reference, extracted from Arendt’s famous text on the education crisis in the United States in the 1950. Data had been interpreted in the light of Paulo Freire’s epistemology. In further analyzes, from Arendt, our interpretations gained even more strength. However, in the final comparison between the two thinkers stand out irreconcilable differences: For Arendt, it is impossible to educate adults and the world of education should be detached from the world of politics, since the responsibility of the educator is based on tradition and authority while for Freire is indeed possible to educate adults and the responsibility of the educator – as in Sartre – leads to freedom. Our conclusion is to be possible the social education of adults if we educate ourselves with them in a dialogic relationship.

Cadmium stress antioxidant responses and root-to-shoot communication in grafted tomato plants

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Chemical communication in isoptera

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

GRAMMAR and COMMUNICATION IN PORTUGUESE AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE A Study in the Context of Teletandem Interactions

This paper presents a study about the role of grammar in on-line interactions conducted in Portuguese and in English, between Brazilian and English-speaking interactants, with the aim of teaching Portuguese as a foreign language (PFL). The interactions occurred by means of chat and the MSN Messenger, and generated audio and video data for language analysis. Grammar is dealt with from two perspectives, an inductive and a deductive approach, so as to investigate the relevance of systematization of grammar rules in the process of learning PFL in teletandem interactions.

Visual and acoustic communication in the Brazilian torrent frog, Hylodes asper (Anura : Leptodactylidae)

We studied the signaling, territorial, and courtship behaviors of the diurnal frog Hylodes asper. Visual and acoustic communication were used during intraspecific interactions involving males, females. and subadults. Hylodes aspcr has a complex visual communication system, of which foot-flagging is the most distinctive display observed in the repertoire of visual signals. The splash zone produced by the waterfalls and torrents creates a high, nearly constant, humidity near the streams, reducing the risk of desiccation which enables the diurnal activity of H. asper. Although the ambient sound pressure levels (SPL), measured at the calling sites, are similar to the SPL of the advertisement calls, the high-pitched calls of H, asper, are spectrally different from the noise produced by the water current. Thus. The ambient noise produced by the water current may not interfere significantly with the acoustic communication of this species. The noise and the nearly constant and high humidity produced by the torrents and waterfalls, along with the availability of Light, probably favored the evolution of contrasting colors and visual communication in H. asper: Males of H, aspcr excavate underwater chambers that are probably used to shelter the eggs and to prevent the clutch from being drifted downstream.

Modulation of intercellular communication in macrophages: possible interactions between GAP junctions and P2 receptors

Gap junctions are connexin-formed channels that play an important role in intercellular communication in most cell types. In the immune system, specifically in macrophages, the expression of connexins and the establishment of functional gap junctions are still controversial issues. Macrophages express P2X(7) receptors that, once activated by the binding of extracellular ATP, lead to the opening of transmembrane pores permeable to molecules of up to 900 Da. There is evidence suggesting an interplay between gap junctions and P2 receptors in different cell systems. Thus, we used ATP-sensitive and -insensitive J774.G8 macrophage cell lines to investigate this interplay. To study junctional communication in J774-macrophage-like cells, we assessed cell-to-cell communication by microinjecting Lucifer Yellow. Confluent cultures of ATP-sensitive J774 cells (ATP-s cells) are coupled, whereas ATP-insensitive J774 cells (ATP-i cells), derived by overexposing J774 cells to extracellular ATP until they do not display the phenomenon of ATP-induced permeabilization, are essentially uncoupled. Western-blot and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assays revealed that ATP-s and ATP-i cells express connexin43 (Cx43), whereas only ATP-s cells express the P2X(7) receptor. Accordingly, ATP-i cells did not display any detectable ATP-induced current under whole-cell patch-clamp recordings. Using immunofluorescence microscopy, Cx43 reactivity was found at the cell surface and in regions of cell-cell contact of ATP-s cells, whereas, in ATP-i cells, Cx43 immunoreactivity was only present in cytosolic compartments. Using confocal microscopy, it is shown here that, in ATP-s cells as well as in peritoneal macrophages, Cx43 and P2X(7) receptors are co-localized to the membrane of ATP-s cells and peritoneal macrophages.

Chemical communication in Apis mellifera: Temporal modulation of alarm behaviors

The effect of pheromones and their chemical analogues in honeybee alarm behaviors was studied in observation boxes. Defensive behaviors, as follows: a) attraction to scent source, b) elevation of wings in 'V', c) abdomen elevation, d) abdomen elevation and pumping and e) first leg pair elevation had been temporarily registered when the following compounds were presented: isoamyl alcohol, octyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, n-butyl acetate, n-octyl acetate, isopentyl acetate, benzyl acetate and 2-heptanone. The results were as follows: 1. the bees elicited some characteristic behaviors when chemical alarm messages were presented, 2. agression (stinging) was not completed with any compound tested, probably because there was not a target (visual stimulus), 3. in all situations the attraction to scent source was low, 4. all the behaviors were elicited in a temporarily different way, 5. the compounds that elicited stronger responses and a greater number of the investigated behaviors were: isopentyl acetate, 2-heptanone, octyl acetate and n-octyl alcohol. In all situations, the first behavior response (and the most intense one) was the elevation and pumping the abdomen. This suggests that the chemical message was promptly recognized and then transmitted to each worker. So, the results obtained in the present work, suggest that chemical alarm messages may be recognized by different mechanisms of neural integration.

Short Communication: In vitro evaluation of the abrasiveness of acidic dentifrices.

AIM: This in vitro study evaluated the abrasiveness of acidic fluoride (F) dentifrices with different F concentrations on bovine enamel. METHODS: Enamel blocks (4.0 x 4.0 mm2, n=120) were selected according to their surface microhardness and divided into 12 groups. Slurries of dentifrices were used containing 0 (placebo), 275, 412, 550 and 1,100 ppm F (pH 4.5 or 7.0), as well as testing two commercial dentifrices (Crest, positive control, 1,100 ppm F and Colgate Baby, 500 ppm F). Enamel blocks were partially protected with an adhesive tape (control area) and then brushed by an automated toothbrushing machine (16,000 strokes). During this process, 0.4 ml of the slurries were injected every 2 mins on the enamel blocks. After toothbrushing, enamel wear was determined by profilometry. STATISTICS: Results were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test (p<0.05). RESULTS: The mean values for pH in the suspensions during treatment were 6.93, 4.32, 7.56 and 8.19 for neutral experimental dentifrices, acidic experimental dentifrices, Crest and Colgate baby, respectively. The abrasiveness of the acidic dentifrices was similar (p<0.05) to the neutral ones, whereas commercial dentifrices yielded lower abrasion (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that a reduction of the pH of dentifrices does not increase their abrasiveness.

Alcohol Impairs Predation Risk Response and Communication in Zebrafish

The effects of ethanol exposure on Danio rerio have been studied from the perspectives of developmental biology and behavior. However, little is known about the effects of ethanol on the prey-predator relationship and chemical communication of predation risk. Here, we showed that visual contact with a predator triggers stress axis activation in zebrafish. We also observed a typical stress response in zebrafish receiving water from these conspecifics, indicating that these fish chemically communicate predation risk. Our work is the first to demonstrate how alcohol effects this prey-predator interaction. We showed for the first time that alcohol exposure completely blocks stress axis activation in both fish seeing the predator and in fish that come in indirect contact with a predator by receiving water from these conspecifics. Together with other research results and with the translational relevance of this fish species, our data points to zebrafish as a promising animal model to study human alcoholism. © 2013 Oliveira et al.