The importance of parental involvement in swimming lessons for person with disability

The Ecolological Theory of Human Development proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner assumes that the activities and people involved in an evironment are essential to stimulate the aquisition of new abilities . Analyze the strategy of parent’s presence with their children in a swimming class for PWD during the teaching process. Also, verify the parent’s views on this experience and the participation of their child during practice. It is a qualitative and action-research. To collect data was utilized observation during to analyse the activities developed in a swimming class for PWD, on the presence of parents with their children. A semi-structured interview was used to analyse the perception parents after the experience of the classroom. Analysis of activities and the interview were based on the assumption of Bronfenbrenner (1996). It was found that 100% of the parents rated the positive experience of being with their children in the pool. We found that only 25% of parents reported that had entered the pool to play with their children. We emphasize that 75% had never entered in the water with their children, whether because of fear, lack of opportunity or not knowing how to swim. The proposal of parents’ participation in the swimming class with the PWD generated a favorable environment for development the activities. Parents identified the improvement, the potential and difficulties of PWD.

Behavioral Repertoire of Basal Fungus-Growing Ant Sexuals (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Parental Nest

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Survey assessment of parental perceptions regarding head lice

Background Head lice constitute a problem in children. Each year, numerous cases of pediculosis occur worldwide. Little work has been performed to evaluate the understanding, opinions, and actions of populations regarding head lice. These areas are important as they enable clinicians and educators to alert parents on how to avoid treatments that are innocuous or of high risk to patients.Methods A cross-sectional study was performed by interviewing the heads of households of 100 randomly chosen residences within the study area.Results The results obtained showed that 13% were infested during the first week of the survey, and 86% in the 24 weeks prior to the study. The number of positive cases increased with increasing resident number, and decreased in families with parents with a higher educational level. Itching was the principal clinical manifestation and caused sleep compromise in 65% of respondents. Innocuous and unhealthy practices to combat infestation, such as the use of inflammables and home insecticides, were common.Conclusion The results showed that certain beliefs generated worry and confusion in parents, who blamed head lice as the cause of various health problems which were not due to this insect.

NESTLING BEHAVIOR and PARENTAL CARE of THE COMMON POTOO (NYCTIBIUS GRISEUS) IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

We recorded and quantified the nocturnal activity and parental care of a brooding Common Potoo (Nyctibius griseus) using an infrared camera in southeastern Brazil. Parents alternated care of the nestling and decreased their presence as the nestling grew. Nestling feeding on passing insects while sitting on the nest, movements on the nest, wing exercising, preening, and defecating were recorded primarily while it was alone. The frequency of begging calls per hour was higher when the nestling was accompanied by one of the parents. Nocturnal recordings of this species on the nest revealed behaviors that were not cited in past studies, including: feedings bouts on passing flies performed by the nestling and adults, nestling defecation, and nestling plumage maintenance. The well-known plus newly quantified behaviors of the Common Potoo reinforce their value to survival during the long nestling period. Received 24 May 2010. Accepted 14 September 2010.

Spawning and parental care in Hoplias malabaricus (Teleostei, Characiformes, Erythrinidae) in the Southern Pantanal, Brazil

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

Reproductive behavior and parental roles of the cichlid fish Laetacara araguaiae

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Larvas de Scinax rizibilis (Bokermann) (Anura, Hylidae): avaliando o efeito parental

A controlled experiment, related with the mating system of Scinax rizibilis (Bokermann, 1964), was conducted to assess if larval variation could be due to size of male or its ability to manage an amplexus. Adult individuals were caught during breeding activity (from February 1993 to January 1994), in a temporary pond in the municipality of Ribeirão Branco. São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil. The duration of the larval period was not different between tadpoles of large and small males, nor was it different between tadpoles coming from natural or artificial pairs. The reproductive status of the male (if it had managed an amplexus) also did not influence the total length nor the mass of the tadpoles close to metamorphosis. However, tadpoles of larger and heavier males were, on average, approximately 5.5% and 11% larger and heavier, respectively, than tadpoles of smaller males. These results indicate that the breeding system of S. rizibilis could potentially have a directional effect on the larval characteristics.

Parental care in the buffy-tufted-ear marmoset (Callithrix aurita) in wild and captive groups

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Coordinated views to assist exploration of spatio-temporal data: a case study

In this paper we focus on providing coordinated visual strategies to assist users in performing tasks driven by the presence of temporal and spatial attributes. We introduce temporal visualization techniques targeted at such tasks, and illustrate their use with an application involving a climate classification process. The climate classification requires extensive Processing of a database containing daily rain precipitation values collected along over fifty years at several spatial locations in the São Paulo state, Brazil. We identify user exploration tasks typically conducted as part of the data preparation required in this process, and then describe how such tasks may be assisted by the multiple visual techniques provided. Issues related to the use of the multiple techniques by an end-user are also discussed.

Territorial hypothesis predicts the trade-off between reproductive opportunities and parental care in three species of damselfishes (Pomacentridae: Actinopterygii)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Escalated aggressive behaviour and facultative parental care in the nest building gladiator frog, Hyla faber

Agonistic encounters and facultative parental care in Hyla faber were observed in two localities in southeastern Brazil. Maximum male density was 0.9 and 3.3 males/m2 in Campinas and Ribeirão Branco, respectively. Aggression was escalated and the highly variable aggressive calls were specific to each phase of the encounter. The last, more aggressive phases rarely occurred in Campinas; in Ribeirão Branco they occurred frequently. Male parental care (egg attendance) was common in Ribeirão Branco while it was never observed in Campinas. Egg attendance lasted one to two nights and was observed only during high male density. The main benefit of egg attendance seemed to be avoiding nest intrusion by other males (sunken eggs and/or embryos invariably die). Males may build additional nests during egg attendance, but attending males did not attract females (they did not call).

A Qualidade da Interação Positiva e da Consistência Parental na sua Relação com Problemas de Comportamentos de Pré-Escolares

Studies have shown a relationship to exist between behavior problems in children and quality of parental practices such as communication, expressivity, consistency, and monitoring. This study aimed at describing relationships that parents have with their preschool children, and also at relating parenting skills to child behavior. We compared fathers' and mothers' social educational skills in two groups of children, with or without behavior problems at school. Research was conducted in a town in the State of Sao Paulo, BR. Participants were biological mothers and fathers of 48 preschoolers; twenty-five children presented behavior problems at school, and 24 had high social skills. Parents were individually interviewed at home. Results showed that fathers and mothers of socially skilled children were more consistent in their practices. They were more able to identify and describe their children's socially skilled behaviors. They also reported they gave more positive feedbak for their children's good behavior.

Sexual differences in parental feeding effort during the nestling period of the White-headed Marsh-Tyrant (Arundinicola leucocephala)

Parental effort may influence the fitness and survivorship of adult birds and their offspring from one breeding season to the next. Although much is known about parental feeding effort in tyrant flycatchers, many species remain understudied. In this study, I examined parental feeding effort of the White-headed Marsh-Tyrant (Awndinicola leucocephala) at a pond in southeastern Brazil. I conducted 10.3 hrs of observations from two locations: a high place with all view of the whole pond, that allowed me to observe flight distances of parents hunting for prey; and from near the nest to observe frequency of visits to the nest. The female marsh-tyrant flew farther while hunting prey and made more visits to the nest than did the male. The adults (mainly the female) provided a variety of terrestrial and aquatic arthropods to the nestlings. Additionally, parents removed fecal sacs from the nest and nestlings eliminated arthropod remains from the nest, the first records of nest sanitation activities by this species. Nonexclusive hypotheses that may explain the lower level of parental care provided by the male include: higher predation risk due its more conspicuous plumage, commitment of male to territory defense, and its selfish behavior influenced by indirect genotype fitness inherited by the offspring. © The Neotropical Ornithological Society.