Play behaviour in nonhuman animals and the animal welfare issue

The mission of defining animal welfare indicators is methodologically difficult, limited, and possibly impossible. A promising alternative, however, to evaluate suitable environmental conditions is the assessment of play behaviour. In the present review, we summarise the general aspects of play behaviour in nonhuman animals and propose its use as a potential indicator of animal welfare. Play behaviour probably occurs in most vertebrates and some invertebrates, but predominately in mammals. It is also more frequent in young males and is associated with the environmental context in which animals find themselves. Animals play if they are healthy and well-fed, but not if they are under stressful conditions or if they are in a stressful state. We can therefore use the prevalence of play behaviour as an indicator of suitable environmental conditions, considering the specificity associated with the above-mentioned modifying factors.

Introduction to Focus Issue: Statistical mechanics and billiard-type dynamical systems

Dynamical systems of the billiard type are of fundamental importance for the description of numerous phenomena observed in many different fields of research, including statistical mechanics, Hamiltonian dynamics, nonlinear physics, and many others. This Focus Issue presents the recent progress in this area with contributions from the mathematical as well as physical stand point. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4730155]

As Relações Públicas em contextos de internacionalização organizacional: um estudo de caso sobre a aquisição da Tilibra

The objective of this study is to demonstrate how Public Relations can deal with the issue of culture clash between companies undergoing mergers and acquisitions. Within this environment of organizational change, there is the question of human and social as well as the importance of the relationship with all the publics. The Public Relations professional should be part of the organization systems to inform and promote a culture present, and participated in the climates changes and its consequences within these environments

Um estudo sobre a influência do sistema de gestão ambiental ISO 14001 sobre a imagem de organizações industriais e o papel das relações públicas

The consumers' requirements are constantly growing, as well as the concern for the environment. Considering this change of scenario, industrial companies started paying more attention to environmental issues and decided to resort to solutions such as the adoption of the Environmental Management System based on the ISO 14001 model. It is believed that the adoption of this model changes the organizational image, both internally and externally. This possible change was the focus of this research, considering that many publics related to certified companies may have the wrong idea about what being a green company really means. The objective of this study is to verify, through a survey research, the relation between the Environmental Management System based on ISO 14001 with organizational image of Brazilian firms. At first, this paper presents a theoretical review on Environmental Management System, IS0 14001, Organizational image, green Marketing, Greenwashing and Public Relations. Next, the research method is presented, as well as the results obtained through theoretical study, the research application and data analysis, and a brief analysis of the Public Relations' role in the organizational environment at issue. Finally, it presents the results obtained by tabulating the questionnaires, analysis of related data, and consideration about these

On the long standing issue of an R phi(2) coupling between gravity and a massless free scalar field

Using 2-body trees on a flat space background, it is shown that the actions A[g, φ] = (Latin small letter esh) d4x√-g [(R/2K) + (1/2)(gμν ∂μφ∂νφ + λRφ2)] and Ā[ḡ, φ̄] = (Latin small letter esh) d4x√ - ḡ [(R̄/2k) + (1/2) ḡμν∂μφ̄∂ νφ] describe the same theory at the tree-level in this case. We also demonstrate the quantum equivalence (at one-loop) of the barred and unbarred systems for λ == -1/6 (conformal coupling).

The Challenges of Psychology at Work in Mental Health: the drugs issue.

This article aims to show that the challenges of psychology in working with mental health in the field of drugs is traversed by both the conceptions molded by biopolitical forces (FOUCAULT) as the decadence of modern democracy (AGAMBEN), and visible features in the current treatment given in Brazil to issue of smoking (SILVA), as well as urbanistic projects such as the case of Luz district in São Paulo (LEITE & CASTRO). In this sense, it leads us to question about what is prohibited, about who actually suffers the punishment, in short, about what do we really take care when we take into account the Unheimlich (FREUD) and other social interdicts (BATAILLE).