Radon surveys in Brazil using CR-39

In this work results of two radon daughters survey in Brazil are presented and discussed. Some methodological problems concerning the first survey are pointed out which were corrected for the second survey in order to make a realistic long-term measurement of radon decay products in the air. The technique employed in both surveys was the alpha-spectroscopy using CR-39. The reliability of this technique as well as the results of the second survey are discussed, which indicate a poor correlation between radon and its decay products in the air at the researched dwellings. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health surveys and use of maternal and child health care services in three municipalities within the São Paulo metropolitan area

Objectives. To describe the changes in the use of maternal and child health care services by residents of three municipalities-Embu, Itapecerica da Serra, and Taboao da Serra-in the São Paulo metropolitan area, 12 years after the implementation of the Unified Health System (SUS) in Brazil, and to analyze the potential of population-based health care surveys as sources of data to evaluate these changes.Methods. Two population-based, cross-sectional surveys were carried out in 1990 and 2002 in municipalities located within the São Paulo metropolitan area. For children under 1 year of age, the two periods were compared in terms of outpatient services utilization and hospital admission; for the mothers, the periods were compared in terms of prenatal care and deliveries. In both surveys, stratified and multiple-stage conglomerate sampling was employed, with standardization of interview questions.Results. The most important changes observed were regarding the location of services used for prenatal care, deliveries, and hospitalization of children less than 1 year of age. There was a significant increase in the use of services in the surrounding region or hometown, and decrease in the utilization of services in the city of São Paulo (in 1990, 80% of deliveries and almost all admissions for children less than 1 year versus 32% and 46%, respectively, in 2002). The use of primary care units and 24-hour walk-in clinics also increased. All these changes reflect care provided by public resources. In the private sector, there was a decrease in direct payments and payments through company-paid health insurance and an increase in payments through self-paid health insurance.Conclusions. The major changes observed in the second survey occurred simultaneous to the changes that resulted from the implementation of the SUS. Population-based health surveys are adequate for analyzing and comparing the utilization of health care services at different times.

The signature of dark energy perturbations in galaxy cluster surveys

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

The application of biochemical responses to assess environmental quality of tropical estuaries: field surveys

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

As crônicas do Inca Garcilaso de La Vega: um discurso de legitimação

A literatura latino-americana está marcada pela heterogeneidade existente na América Latina, e a crônica é considerada o início desta heterogeneidade, devido ao fato de narrar um mundo desconhecido a leitores que fazem parte de outra realidade, gerando assim, uma situação de conflito. Os relatos escritos das civilizações andinas, em sua maioria, são de cronistas espanhóis, no entanto, também nos deparamos com alguns cronistas “índios” e mestiços, como o Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Ele se destaca não somente por representar esta pequena parcela, ou seja, por ser um mestiço, mas, principalmente por ser herdeiro de duas nobrezas: a nobreza espanhola e a nobreza incaica. O cronista Inca Garcilaso era filho do capitão espanhol Garcilaso de la Vega, que possuía uma família que se destacava na guerra e na literatura; e de Chimpu Ocllo, uma princesa Inca, neta do Imperador Túpac Inca Yupanqui. Porém, este privilégio em relação aos outros mestiços, não lhe garantia o reconhecimento como nobre diante da coroa espanhola. Por isso, veremos neste trabalho que um dos seus intuitos ao escrever as crônicas Comentarios Reales de los Incas e Historia General del Perú, era o de tentar legitimar o seu status social diante dos espanhóis por meio de relatos que descrevem todos os feitos e avanços dos Incas, bem como afirmar, como uma de suas justificativas, que a colonização foi aceita pelos indígenas e estes estavam aptos à catequização, sendo uma maneira do Rei da Espanha e a Igreja Católica “salvarem” este povo da barbárie. Desta maneira, o Inca Garcilaso cria um discurso contraditório, pois, ao mesmo tempo que defende os espanhóis, ele glorifica o Império Inca