The generation and re-generation of social capital and enterprises in multi-stakeholders social cooperative enterprises: a system dynamic approach

Theories on social capital and on social entrepreneurship have mainly highlighted the attitude of social capital to generate enterprises and to foster good relations between third sector organizations and the public sector. This paper considers the social capital in a specific third sector enterprise; here, multi-stakeholder social cooperatives are seen, at the same time, as social capital results, creators and incubators. In the particular enterprises that identify themselves as community social enterprises, social capital, both as organizational and relational capital, is fundamental: SCEs arise from but also produce and disseminate social capital. This paper aims to improve the building of relational social capital and the refining of helpful relations drawn from other arenas, where they were created and from where they are sometimes transferred to other realities, where their role is carried on further (often working in non-profit, horizontally and vertically arranged groups, where they share resources and relations). To represent this perspective, we use a qualitative system dynamic approach in which social capital is measured using proxies. Cooperation of volunteers, customers, community leaders and third sector local organizations is fundamental to establish trust relations between public local authorities and cooperatives. These relations help the latter to maintain long-term contracts with local authorities as providers of social services and enable them to add innovation to their services, by developing experiences and management models and maintaining an interchange with civil servants regarding these matters. The long-term relations and the organizational relations linking SCEs and public organizations help to create and to renovate social capital. Thus, multi-stakeholder cooperatives originated via social capital developed in third sector organizations produce new social capital within the cooperatives themselves and between different cooperatives (entrepreneurial components of the third sector) and the public sector. In their entrepreneurial life, cooperatives have to contrast the "working drift," as a result of which only workers remain as members of the cooperative, while other stakeholders leave the organization. Those who are not workers in the cooperative are (stake)holders with "weak ties," who are nevertheless fundamental in making a worker's cooperative an authentic social multi-stakeholders cooperative. To maintain multi-stakeholder governance and the relations with third sector and civil society, social cooperatives have to reinforce participation and dialogue with civil society through ongoing efforts to include people that provide social proposals. We try to represent these processes in a system dynamic model applied to local cooperatives, measuring the social capital created by the social cooperative through proxies, such as number of volunteers and strong cooperation with public institutions. Using a reverse-engineering approach, we can individuate the determinants of the creation of social capital and thereby give support to governance that creates social capital.

The use of expert systems on the differential diagnosis of urinary incontinence

The differential diagnosis of urinary incontinence classes is sometimes difficult to establish. As a rule, only the results of urodynamic testing allow an accurate diagnosis. However, this exam is not always feasible, because it requires special equipment, and also trained personnel to lead and interpret the exam. Some expert systems have been developed to assist health professionals in this field. Therefore, the aims of this paper are to present the definition of Artificial Intelligence; to explain what Expert System and System for Decision Support are and its application in the field of health and to discuss some expert systems for differential diagnosis of urinary incontinence. It is concluded that expert systems may be useful not only for teaching purposes, but also as decision support in daily clinical practice. Despite this, for several reasons, health professionals usually hesitate to use the computer expert system to support their decision making process.

Nursing diagnoses and outcomes related to the circulatory-system terms (ICNP®) represented in an ontology

The aim of the present study was to develop titles of Nursing Diagnoses and Outcomes (ND/NO) through the relationship between the terms of the Focus axis, limited to the Circulatory System Process, and the terms of other ICNP® axes and to integrate these terms into an ontology. Titles were developed linking 17 terms of the focus axis, which were evaluated by expert nurses in five Brazilian cities. Titles whose use concordance was above 0.80 were included in the ontology. In total, 89 titles for ND/NO were supported in the literature, and 19 were not supported; 37 were assessed as eligible for use in healthcare practice and were included in the ontology. The construction of ND/NO titles based on the ICNP® and using a formal representation of knowledge is a task that requires deepening concepts used for nursing and adequate classification revisions. The elaborated titles will facilitate the composition of diagnostics that are more consistent with practice.

Use of patients’ classification instruments: analysis of the brazilian production of knowledge

Objective To analyze the production of scientific knowledge about the use of patients’ classification instruments in care and management practice in Brazil. Method Integrative literature review with databases search in: Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System on-line (MEDLINE), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and SCOPUS, between January 2002 through December 2013. Results 1,194 studies were found, 31 met the inclusion criteria. We observed a higher number of studies in the category care plans and workload (n=15), followed by the category evaluation of psychometric properties (n=14). Conclusion Brazilian knowledge production has not yet investigated some purposes of using instruments for classifying patients in professional nursing practice. The identification of unexplored areas can guide future research on the topic.


Structure of bee-flower system in the coastal sand dune of Abaeté, northeastern Brazil

For twelve months (from January to December of 1996) we investigated bee-flower interactions in a sea coastal ecosystem in Bahia, Brazil. Samples were taken three times each month. 3983 individuals belonging to 49 bee species, grouped in 13 morph-functional categories, visited 66 plant species belonging to 39 botanic families. It was observed 310 interactions between bees and plants at species level. The use of floral resources by bees was not homogeneous; most of the plant species received a low number of visitors. No restricted plant-bee species relationship in resource use concerning the subset of analyzed interactions was detected. In Abaeté the generalist relationships predominated.

Influence of tree species on the herbaceous understory and soil chemical characteristics in a silvopastoral system in semi-arid northeastern Brazil

Studies from some semi-arid regions of the world have shown the beneficial effect of trees in silvopastoral systems, by promoting the formation of resource islands and increasing the sustainability of the system. No data are available in this respect for tree species of common occurrence in semi-arid Northeastern Brazil. In the present study, conducted in the summer of 1996, three tree species (Zyziphus joazeiro, Spondias tuberosa and Prosopis juliflora: ) found within Cenchrus ciliaris pastures were selected to evaluate differences on herbaceous understory and soil chemical characteristics between samples taken under the tree canopy and in open grass areas. Transects extending from the tree trunk to open grass areas were established, and soil (0-15 cm) and herbaceous understory (standing live biomass in 1 m² plots) samples were taken at 0, 25, 50, 100, 150 and 200% of the average canopy radius (average radius was 6.6 ± 0.5, 4.5 ± 0.5, and 5.3 ± 0.8 m for Z. joazeiro, P. juliflora, and S. tuberosa , respectively). Higher levels of soil C, N, P, Ca, Mg, K, and Na were found under the canopies of Z. joazeiro and P. juliflora: trees, as compared to open grass areas. Only soil Mg organic P were higher under the canopies of S. tuberosa trees, as compared to open grass areas. Herbaceous understory biomass was significantly lower under the canopy of S. tuberosa and P. juliflora trees (107 and 96 g m-2, respectively) relatively to open grass areas (145 and 194 g m-2). No herbaceous biomass differences were found between Z. joazeiro canopies and open grass areas (107 and 87 g m-2, respectively). Among the three tree species studied, Z. joazeiro was the one that presented the greatest potential for use in a silvopastoral system at the study site, since it had a larger nutrient stock in the soil without negatively affecting herbaceous understory biomass, relatively to open grass areas.

The use of total luminescence spectroscopy in the investigation of the effects of different rice management practices on humic substances of a planosol

In the Earth's carbon cycle, C stocks in the soil are higher than in vegetation and atmosphere. Maintaining and conserving organic C concentrations in the soil by specific management practices can improve soil fertility and productivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of agricultural management techniques and influence of water regime (flooded or drained) on the structure of humic substances by excitation/emission matrix fluorescence. Six samples of a Planosol (Planossolo by the Brazilian System of Soil Classification) were collected from a rice field. Humic substances (HS) were extracted from flooded and drained soil under different agricultural management techniques: conventional tillage, reduced tillage and grassland. Two peaks at a long emission wavelength were observed in the EEM spectra of HA whereas those of the corresponding FA contained a unique fluorophore at an intermediate excitation/emission wavelength pair (EEWP) value. The fluorescence intensity measured by total luminescence (FI TL) of HA was lower than that of the corresponding FA. A comparison of all samples (i.e., the HA values compared to each other) revealed only slight differences in the EEWP position, but the FI TL values were significantly different. In this soil, anoxic conditions and reduced tillage (little plowing) seem to favor a higher degree of humification of the soil organic matter compared with aerated conditions and conventional tillage.

Copper, zinc and manganese in soils of two watersheds in Santa Catarina with intensive use of pig slurry

Systematic pig slurry application to crop soils may lead to the accumulation of heavy metals in regions with intensive pig raising. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of Cu, Zn and Mn in soils under systematic pig slurry application. For this purpose, soil samples were collected from two of the most representative watersheds of Santa Catarina where the predominant activity is pig raising. In each watershed, 12 properties were chosen to evaluate the different systems of pig husbandry (complete cycle (CC), farrowing (FaU) and finishing units (FiU)). Based on information of the producers, soil samples were collected in areas with and without systematic manure application. To determine the total Cu, Zn and Mn content in soils and manure, a methodology proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States (USEPA), method nº 3050B, was used. For the available heavy metal content, Cu and Zn was extracted with HCl 0.1 mol L-1 and Mn with KCl 1 mol L-1. Data were subjected to multivariate analysis, using the canonical discriminant analysis to identify the metals that best differentiate the soils studied within each swine housing system. Successive pig slurry applications cause an increase in Cu, Zn and Mn availability in the soil and this indicates the need for monitoring of the metal concentrations over time. The critical values of Cu in the soil can be reached and exceeded more rapidly than Zn. The results showed that the soil type may be one of the attribute underlying the determination of public policies in pig raising and waste management because soils such as Inceptisols were shown to be more prone to possible contamination since they may more rapidly reach total critical Cu levels.

Microbial biomass and soil chemical properties under different land use systems in northeastern Pará

The increase in agricultural production in the Brazilian Amazon region is mostly a result of the agricultural frontier expansion, into areas previously influenced by humans or of native vegetation. At the same time, burning is still used to clear areas in small-scale agricultural systems, leading to a loss of the soil productive capacity shortly after, forcing the opening of new areas. This study had the objective of evaluating the effect of soil preparation methods that involve plant residue shredding, left on the surface or incorporated to the soil, with or without chemical fertilization, on the soil chemical and biological properties. The experiment was conducted in 1995, in an experimental field of Yellow Latosol (Oxisol) of the Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, northeastern Pará (Brazil). The experiment was arranged in randomized blocks, in a 2x6 factorial design, with two management systems and six treatments evaluated twice. The management systems consisted of rice (Oriza sativa), followed by cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) with manioc (Manihot esculenta). In the first system the crops were planted in two consecutive cycles, followed by a three-year fallow period (natural regrowth); the second system consisted of one cultivation cycle and was left fallow for three years. The following treatments were applied to the secondary forest vegetation: slash and burn, fertilized with NPK (Q+NPK); slash and burn, without fertilizer NPK (Q-NPK); cutting and shredding, leaving the residues on the soil surface, fertilized with NPK (C+NPK); cutting and shredding, leaving residues on the soil surface, without fertilizer (C-NPK); cutting and shredding, with residue incorporation and fertilized with NPK (I+NPK); cutting and shredding, with residue incorporation and without NPK fertilizer (I-NPK). The soil was sampled in the rainier season (April 2006) and in the drier season (September 2006), in the 0-0.1 m layer. From each plot, 10 simple samples were collected in order to generate a composite sample. In the more intensive management system the contents of microbial C (Cmic) and microbial N (Nmic) were higher, while the C (Corg) level was higher in the less intensive system. The treatments with highest Cmic and Nmic levels were those with cutting, shredding and distribution of biomass on the soil surface. Under both management systems, the chemical characteristics were in ranges that classify the soil as little fertile, although P and K (in the rainy season) were higher in the less intensive management system.

Influence of liming on residual soil respiration and chemical properties in a tropical no-tillage system

Because of the climate changes occurring across the planet, especially global warming, the different forms of agricultural soil use have attracted researchers´ attention. Changes in soil management may influence soil respiration and, consequently, C sequestration. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the long-term influence of liming on soil respiration and correlate it with soil chemical properties after two years of liming in a no-tillage system. A randomized complete block design was used with six replications. The experimental treatments consisted of four lime rates and a control treatment without lime. Two years after liming, soil CO2 emission was measured and the soil sampled (layers 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm). The P, Ca2+ e Mg2+ soil contents and pH and base saturation were determined. CO2 emission from soil limed at the recommended rate was 24.1 % higher, and at twice the recommended rate, 47.4 % higher than from unlimed soil. Liming improved the chemical properties, and the linear increase in soil respiration rate correlated positively with the P, Ca2+ and Mg2+ soil contents, pH and base saturation, and negatively with H + Al and Al3+ contents. The correlation coefficient between soil respiration rate and chemical properties was highest in the 10-20 cm layer.

Soybean root growth and crop yield in reponse to liming at the beginning of a no-tillage system

Analyzing the soil near crop roots may reveal limitations to growth and yield even in a no-tillage system. The purpose of the present study was to relate the chemical and physical properties of soil under a no-tillage system to soybean root growth and plant yield after five years of use of different types of limestone and forms of application. A clayey Oxisol received application of dolomitic and calcitic limestones and their 1:1 combination in two forms: surface application, maintained on the soil surface; and incorporated, applied on the surface and incorporated mechanically. Soil physical properties (resistance to mechanical penetration, soil bulk density and soil aggregation), soil chemical properties (pH, exchangeable cations, H+Al, and cation exchange capacity) and plant parameters (root growth system, soybean grain yield, and oat dry matter production) were evaluated five years after setting up the experiment. Incorporation of lime neutralized exchangeable Al up to a depth of 20 cm without affecting the soil physical properties. The soybean root system reached depths of 40 cm or more with incorporated limestone, increasing grain yield an average of 31 % in relation to surface application, which limited the effect of lime up to a depth of 5 cm and root growth up to 20 cm. It was concluded that incorporation of limestone at the beginning of a no-tillage system ensures a favorable environment for root growth and soybean yield, while this intervention does not show long-term effects on soil physical properties under no-tillage. This suggests that there is resilience in the physical properties evaluated.

Physical quality of an Oxisol under an integrated crop-livestock-forest system in the Brazilian Cerrado

Soil physical quality is an important factor for the sustainability of agricultural systems. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate soil physical properties and soil organic carbon in a Typic Acrudox under an integrated crop-livestock-forest system. The experiment was carried out in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Treatments consisted of seven systems: integrated crop-livestock-forest, with 357 trees ha-1 and pasture height of 30 cm (CLF357-30); integrated crop-livestock-forest with 357 trees ha-1 and pasture height of 45 cm (CLF357-45); integrated crop-livestock-forest with 227 trees ha-1 and pasture height of 30 cm (CLF227-30); integrated crop-livestock-forest with 227 trees ha-1 and pasture height of 45 cm (CLF227-45); integrated crop-livestock with pasture height of 30 cm (CL30); integrated crop-livestock with pasture height of 45 cm (CL45) and native vegetation (NV). Soil properties were evaluated for the depths of 0-10 and 10-20 cm. All grazing treatments increased bulk density (r b) and penetration resistance (PR), and decreased total porosity (¦t) and macroporosity (¦ma), compared to NV. The values of r b (1.18-1.47 Mg m-3), ¦ma (0.14-0.17 m³ m-3) and PR (0.62-0.81 MPa) at the 0-10 cm depth were not restrictive to plant growth. The change in land use from NV to CL or CLF decreased soil organic carbon (SOC) and the soil organic carbon pool (SOCpool). All grazing treatments had a similar SOCpool at the 0-10 cm depth and were lower than that for NV (17.58 Mg ha-1).

The effects of land use and soil management on the physical properties of an Oxisol in Southeast Brazil

Soils of the tropics are prone to a decrease in quality after conversion from native forest (FO) to a conventional tillage system (CT). However, the adoption of no-tillage (NT) and complex crop rotations may improve soil structural quality. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the physical properties of an Oxisol under FO, CT, and three summer crop sequences in NT: continuous corn (NTcc), continuous soybean (NTcs), and a soybean/corn rotation (NTscr). Both NT and CT decreased soil organic carbon (SOC) content, SOC stock, water stable aggregates (WSA), geometric mean diameter (GMD), soil total porosity (TP), macroporosity (MA), and the least limiting water range (LLWR). However they increased soil bulk density (BD) and tensile strength (TS) of the aggregates when compared to soil under FO. Soil under NT had higher WSA, GMD, BD, TS and microporosty, but lower TP and MA than soil under CT. Soil under FO did not attain critical values for the LLWR, but the lower limit of the LLWR in soils under CT and NT was resistance to penetration (RP) for all values of BD, while the upper limit of field capacity was air-filled porosity for BD values greater than 1.46 (CT), 1.40 (NTscr), 1.42 (NTcc), and 1.41 (NTcs) kg dm-3. Soil under NTcc and NTcs decreased RP even with the increase in BD because of the formation of biopores. Furthermore, higher critical BD was verified under NTcc (1.62 kg dm-3) and NTcs (1.57 kg dm-3) compared to NTscr and CT (1.53 kg dm-3).

FERTILIZER RECOMMENDATION SYSTEM FOR MELON BASED ON NUTRITIONAL BALANCE

Melon is one of the most demanding cucurbits regarding fertilization, requiring knowledge of soils, crop nutritional requirements, time of application, and nutrient use efficiency for proper fertilization. Developing support systems for decision-making for fertilization that considers these variables in nutrient requirement and supply is necessary. The objective of this study was parameterization of a fertilizer recommendation system for melon (Ferticalc-melon) based on nutritional balance. To estimate fertilizer recommendation, the system considers the requirement subsystem (REQ), which includes the demand for nutrients by the plant, and the supply subsystem (SUP), which corresponds to the supply of nutrients through the soil and irrigation water. After determining the REQtotal and SUPtotal, the system calculates the nutrient balances for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and S, recommending fertilizer application if the balance is negative (SUP < REQ), but not if the balance is positive or zero (SUP ≥ REQ). Simulations were made for different melon types (Yellow, Cantaloupe, Galia and Piel-de-sapo), with expected yield of 45 t ha-1. The system estimated that Galia type was the least demanding in P, while Piel-de-sapo was the most demanding. Cantaloupe was the least demanding for N and Ca, while the Yellow type required less K, Mg, and S. As compared to other fertilizer recommendation methods adopted in Brazil, the Ferticalc system was more dynamic and flexible. Although the system has shown satisfactory results, it needs to be evaluated under field conditions to improve its recommendations.

Cover Crops and Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Nitrogen Soil Fractions under Corn Cultivation in a No-Tillage System

ABSTRACT The use of cover crops has recently increased and represents an essential practice for the sustainability of no-tillage systems in the Cerrado region. However, there is little information on the effects of nitrogen fertilization and cover crop use on nitrogen soil fractions. This study assessed changes in the N forms in soil cropped to cover crops prior to corn growing. The experiment consisted of a randomized complete block design arranged in split-plots with three replications. Cover crops were tested in the plots, and the N topdressing fertilization was assessed in the subplots. The following cover species were planted in succession to corn for eight years: Urochloa ruziziensis, Canavalia brasiliensis M. ex Benth, Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp, and Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. After corn harvesting, the soil was sampled at depths of 0.00-0.10 and 0.10-0.20 m. The cover crops showed different effects at different soil depths. The soil cultivated with U. ruziziensis showed higher contents of total-N and particulate-N than the soil cultivated with C. cajan. Particulate-N was the most sensitive to changes in the soil management among the fractions of N assessed. The soil under N topdressing showed a lower content of available-N in the 0.10-0.20 m layer, which may be caused by the season in which the sampling was conducted or the greater uptake of the available-N by corn.