Lessons of spin and torsion: Reply to Consistent coupling to Dirac fields in teleparallelism

In reply to the criticism made by Mielke in the preceding Comment on our recent paper, we once again explicitly demonstrate the inconsistency of the coupling of a Dirac field to gravitation in the teleparallel equivalent of general relativity. Moreover, we stress that the mentioned inconsistency is generic for all sources with spin and is by no means restricted to the Dirac field. In this sense the SL(4,R)-covariant generalization of the spinor fields in the teleparallel gravity theory is irrelevant to the inconsistency problem.

Documenting the advantages and limitations of different classes of molecular markers in a well-established phylogeographic context: lessons from the Iberian endemic Golden-striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica (Caudata: Salamandridae)

Previous analyses of mitochondrial (mt)DNA and allozymes covering the range of the Iberian endemic golden-striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica, suggested a Pleistocene split of the historical species distribution into two population units (north and south of the Mondego river), postglacial expansion into the northernmost extant range, and secondary contact with neutral diffusion of genes close to the Mondego river. We extended analysis of molecular variation over the species range using seven microsatellite loci and the nuclear P-fibrinogen intron 7 (beta-fibint7). Both microsatellites and beta-fibint7 showed moderate to high levels of population structure, concordant with patterns detected with mtDNA and allozymes; and a general pattern of isolation-by-distance, contrasting the marked differentiation of two population groups suggested by mtDNA and allozymes. Bayesian multilocus analyses showed contrasting results as populations north and south of the Douro river were clearly differentiated based on microsatellites, whereas allozymes revealed differentiation north and south of the Mondego river. Additionally, decreased microsatellite variability in the north supported the hypothesis of postglacial colonization of this region. The well-documented evolutionary history of C. lusitanica, provides an excellent framework within which the advantages and limitations of different classes of markers can be evaluated in defining patterns of population substructure and inferring evolutionary processes across distinct spatio-temporal scales. The present study serves as a cautionary note for investigations that rely on a single type of molecular marker, especially when the organism under study exhibits a widespread distribution and complex natural history. (C) 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 95, 371-387.

Methodological contributions towards the study of health care production: lessons from a research study on barriers and access in mental health

This article presents methodological contributions and a conceptual innovation for thinking about the production of health care, stemming from a study on access and barriers in mental health carried out in the municipality of Campinas (São Paulo, Brazil). The study used a cartographic approach and, after an initial identification of the most complex cases (on the part of the teams of workers), adopted the users as guides to explore the different levels of production of their lives and to evaluate the possibility of forming a network of existential connections that produce life as a fundamental analyzer of access or barriers to care.

The influence of the flexibility of the chair seat on pressure peak and distribution of the contact area in individuals with cerebral palsy during the execution of a task

This study aimed to determine the influence of flexibility of the chair seat surface on the pressure peak and on the contact area during the execution of a task of handling an object on the seated position by individuals with spastic cerebral palsy. Ten individuals of both genders with diagnosis of spastic cerebral palsy, who had some control to voluntarily move the body and the upper limbs, participated in this study. Quantification of data was carried out in two experimental situations: (1) execution of a task of fitting with upper limbs, and with the individual placed on an adapted canvas seat; (2) execution of a task of fitting with the participant positioned on an adapted wooden seat. Data obtained were submitted to a non-parametric and descriptive statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon test. Results indicated that the use of canvas seat increased the contact area and decreased the pressure peak and the medio-lateral displacement of centre pressure on the seated posture. © 2011 Informa UK, Ltd.

Contribuições da implantação da tecnologia de informação MES - Manufacturing Execution System - para a melhoria das dimensões competitivas da manufatura: estudo de caso Novelis Brasil Ltda

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Phenomenology of OCD: Lessons from a large multicenter study and implications for ICD-11

This study aimed to investigate the phenomenology of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), addressing specific questions about the nature of obsessions and compulsions, and to contribute to the World Health Organization's (WHO) revision of OCD diagnostic guidelines. Data from 1001 patients from the Brazilian Research Consortium on Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders were used. Patients were evaluated by trained clinicians using validated instruments, including the Dimensional Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, the University of Sao Paulo Sensory Phenomena Scale, and the Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale. The aims were to compare the types of sensory phenomena (SP, subjective experiences that precede or accompany compulsions) in OCD patients with and without tic disorders and to determine the frequency of mental compulsions, the co-occurrence of obsessions and compulsions, and the range of insight. SP were common in the whole sample, but patients with tic disorders were more likely to have physical sensations and urges only. Mental compulsions occurred in the majority of OCD patients. It was extremely rare for OCD patients to have obsessions without compulsions. A wide range of insight into OCD beliefs was observed, with a small subset presenting no insight. The data generated from this large sample will help practicing clinicians appreciate the full range of OCD symptoms and confirm prior studies in smaller samples the degree to which insight varies. These findings also support specific revisions to the WHO's diagnostic guidelines for OCD, such as describing sensory phenomena, mental compulsions and level of insight, so that the world-wide recognition of this disabling disorder is increased. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.