Alteração da fertilidade do solo como indicador do processo de antropização e presença de atividades não agrícolas no assentamento rural Horto Aimorés, municípios de Bauru e Pederneiras/SP =: Change of soil fertility as an indicator of the anthropization process and presence of non agricultural activities at the rural settlement Horto Aimorés, cities of Bauru and Pederneiras/ SP

Pós-graduação em Geografia - FCT

Application of fuzzy logic for the evaluation of livestock slaughtering

A lógica fuzzy admite infinitos valores lógicos intermediários entre o falso e o verdadeiro. Com esse princípio, foi elaborado neste trabalho um sistema baseado em regras fuzzy, que indicam o índice de massa corporal de animais ruminantes com objetivo de obter o melhor momento para o abate. O sistema fuzzy desenvolvido teve como entradas as variáveis massa e altura, e a saída um novo índice de massa corporal, denominado Índice de Massa Corporal Fuzzy (IMC Fuzzy), que poderá servir como um sistema de detecção do momento de abate de bovinos, comparando-os entre si através das variáveis linguísticas )Muito BaixaM, ,BaixaB, ,MédiaM, ,AltaA e Muito AltaM. Para a demonstração e aplicação da utilização deste sistema fuzzy, foi feita uma análise de 147 vacas da raça Nelore, determinando os valores do IMC Fuzzy para cada animal e indicando a situação de massa corpórea de todo o rebanho. A validação realizada do sistema foi baseado em uma análise estatística, utilizando o coeficiente de correlação de Pearson 0,923, representando alta correlação positiva e indicando que o método proposto está adequado. Desta forma, o presente método possibilita a avaliação do rebanho, comparando cada animal do rebanho com seus pares do grupo, fornecendo desta forma um método quantitativo de tomada de decisão para o pecuarista. Também é possível concluir que o presente trabalho estabeleceu um método computacional baseado na lógica fuzzy capaz de imitar parte do raciocínio humano e interpretar o índice de massa corporal de qualquer tipo de espécie bovina e em qualquer região do País.

Insights into the concept of fish welfare

Fish welfare issues are predicated on understanding whether fish are sentient beings. Therefore, we analyzed the logic of the methodologies used for studying this attribute. We conclude that empirical science is unable to prove or to disprove that fish are sentient beings. Thus, we propose a combined ethical-scientific approach for considering fish as sentient beings. The most difficult ongoing question is to determine which conditions fish prefer. Approaches to assess fish preferences should be rigorously and cautiously employed. In light of these considerations, attempts to establish physiological standards for fish welfare are discouraged, and a preference-based definition of fish welfare is proposed.

The igapó of the Negro River in central Amazonia: Linking late-successional inundation forest with fluvial geomorphology

Despite important progress on Amazonian floodplain research, the flooded forest of the Negro River igapó has been little investigated. In particular, no study has previously focused the linkage between fluvial geomorphology and the floristic variation across the course of the river. In this paper we describe and interpret relations between igapó forest, fluvial geomorphology and the spatial evolution of the igapó forest through the Holocene. Therefore, we investigate the effect of geomorphological units of the floodplain and channel patterns on tree diversity, composition and structural parameters of the late-successional igapó forest. Our results show that sites sharing almost identical flooding regime, exhibit variable tree assemblages, species richness and structural parameters such as basal area, tree density and tree heights, indicating a trend in which the geomorphologic styles seem to partially control the organization of igapó's tree communities. This can be also explained by the high variability of well-developed geomorphologic units in short distances and concentrated in small areas. In this dynamic the inputs from the species pool of tributary rivers play a crucial role, but also the depositional and erosional processes associated with the evolution of the floodplain during the Holocene may control floristic and structural components of the igapó forests. These results suggest that a comprehensive approach integrating floristic and geomorphologic methods is needed to understand the distribution of the complex vegetation patterns in complex floodplains such as the igapó of the Negro River. This combination of approaches may introduce a better comprehension of the temporal and spatial evolutionary analysis and a logic rationale to understand the vegetation distribution and variability in function of major landforms, soil distributions and hydrology. Thus, by integrating the past into macroecological analyses will sharpen our understanding of the underlying forces for contemporary floristic patterns along the inundation forests of the Negro River. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

ADHD and medicalization: consideration of the senses and meanings of symptoms presented by children diagnosed

The present paper is a reflection on the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and its relations to the process of medicalization as well as the meanings and perspectives apprehended through three case studies of children diagnosed with such disorder in a doctoral research in which the main purpose was to understand the meanings and peculiarities of ADHD symptomatology .We’ve utilized the model of qualitative research, grounded in psychoanalytic perspective, and conducted the psychodiagnosis for three children who were referred for psychological treatment. The survey found that those children had few experiences of both continence and frustration tolerance. It was evidenced how the school uses the logic of medicalization to try solving the problems with their children when it came to the school dimension. The variety of symptomatic manifestations and psychic dynamics presented by the cases that were studied revealed the weaknesses and inconsistencies of the referred diagnosis.