Diversity, composition and phenology of araneid orb-weavers (Araneae, Araneidae) associated with riparian forests in southern Brazil

The Araneidae is a speciose family including web-spinning spiders that are very abundant in various terrestrial ecosystems. Several studies demonstrate that changes in vegetation surrounding rivers, streams and brooks affect the associated araneofauna. The aim of this research was to compare differences found in diversity (abundance and richness), composition and phenology of Araneidae spiders sampled in different habitats in four riparian forest catchments in southern Brazil. Samples were taken from riparian forests in four rivers of Rio Grande do Sul State: Piratini, Camaquã, Sinos and Maquiné rivers, each in a different hydrographic basin. Samples were taken twice seasonally on each basin during two years, sampling the araneofauna of the tree-shrub strata with beating tray. Six transects were employed on each basin, two per habitat: edge with grassland, forest interior and river edge. Araneids totalled 20 genera and 65 species. Comparing riparian forests significant differences are found. Spider abundance differed among riparian forests as well as species richness. Overall, Piratini river riparian forest had the higher abundance and richness for Araneidae; the lower values were in Sinos river forest. The stronger degradation and fragmentation of the riparian forests of Sinos river probably influenced the results, with human disturbance gradients associated negatively to web building. We present data on the diversity of these spiders, which were very abundant in the riparian forest interior and very rich in species in the grassland/riparian forest edge. Species composition also differs among the studied habitats (the above plus river/riparian forest edge). For the most abundant species the phenological pattern across the seasons was also analysed.

Genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium identified in clinical samples from cities in Brazil and Argentina

The identification and characterisation of Cryptosporidiumgenotypes and subtypes are fundamental to the study of cryptosporidiosis epidemiology, aiding in prevention and control strategies. The objective was to determine the genetic diversity ofCryptosporidium in samples obtained from hospitals of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Samples were analysed by microscopy and TaqMan polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays forCryptosporidium detection, genotyped by nested-PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the 18S rRNA gene and subtyped by DNA sequencing of the gp60 gene. Among the 89 samples from Rio de Janeiro, Cryptosporidium spp were detected in 26 by microscopy/TaqMan PCR. In samples from Buenos Aires,Cryptosporidium was diagnosed in 15 patients of the 132 studied. The TaqMan PCR and the nested-PCR-RFLP detected Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium hominis, and co-infections of both species. In Brazilian samples, the subtypes IbA10G2 and IIcA5G3 were observed. The subtypes found in Argentinean samples were IbA10G2, IaA10G1R4, IaA11G1R4, and IeA11G3T3, and mixed subtypes of Ia and IIa families were detected in the co-infections. C. hominis was the species more frequently detected, and subtype family Ib was reported in both countries. Subtype diversity was higher in Buenos Aires than in Rio de Janeiro and two new subtypes were described for the first time.

Diversity of Braconidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) of the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, Rondonia, Brazil

Braconidae is a highly diversified family of Hymenoptera and usually known by their role in biological control both in agricultural and natural ecosystems. Despite of that, little is known about its diversity in the Amazon region. The present work inventoried the braconid fauna of an Open Ombrophylous Forest with Palm Trees of the Parque Natural Municipal de Porto Velho, RO. Insects were collect from June/2008 to May/2009 using six Malaise traps in different parts of the reserve. A total of 377 wasps were captured, 17 subfamilies and 56 genera identified. Braconinae, Microgastrinae, Doryctinae and Rogadinae subfamilies were very abundant, and also the genera Aleiodes, Bracon, Capitonius, Compsobracon, Heterospilus, Hymenochaonia, Opius, Pedinotus, Rogas and Stantonia. The calculated Shannon diversity index was 2.15 and 3.3 for subfamily and genera, respectively, which were, generally, higher than the values found for other regions in Brazil. Generally, parasitoids were more abundant during the rainy season. The present work contributes with new genera records and faunistic data of Braconidae in Rondonia State, western Amazon.

Interaction between Tephritidae (Insecta, Diptera) and plants of the family Asteraceae: new host and distribution records for the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Twenty species of Tephritidae (Diptera) are recorded in association with capitula of plants in the family Asteraceae. The Tephritidae genus Tetreuarestais registered for Rio Grande do Sul for the first time. Five species of Tephritidae are newly recorded for Rio Grande do Sul, and new hosts are recorded for the following fly species: Dioxyna chilensis (Macquart), Plaumannimyia dolores (Hering), Plaumannimyia imitatrix (Hering), Plaumannimyia miseta(Hering), Plaumannimyia pallensHering, Tomoplagia incompleta (Williston), Tomoplagia matzenbacheriPrado, Norrbom & Lewinsohn, Tomoplagia reimoseriHendel, Xanthaciura biocellata(Thomson) and Xanthaciura chrysura(Thomson).

Diversity and genetic struture in cajá tree (spondias mombin l.) populations in northeastern Brazil

Spondias mombin L. is a fruit tree from the American continent from the Anacardiaceae family. In Brazil it is common in different vegetation types but is more frequent in the Atlantic and Amazonian rainforests. It is economically important because of its fruits, which are widely consumed raw or processed as fruit jellies, juices and ice creams. The leaves have great importance in the pharmaceutical industry because of their antibacterial properties. In the state of Pernambuco, cajá tree is widely distributed in the Zona da Mata region and less frequently in the Agreste and Sertão areas. In this work diversity and genetic structure were studied in four populations of cajá tree from Pernambuco's Zona da Mata, Northeast Brazil, using isozymes polymorphism analyses from electrophoreses. The result showed 100% of polymorphism (P) for nine alleles and the average of alleles per locus s was 2.4. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.530 to 0.574 and the observed heterozygosity , from 0.572 to 0.735. It was not observed inbreeding and the average F IT was -0.175, whereas within population inbreeding (f) varied from -0.08 to- 0.37. The genetic divergence among the populations (F ST) ranged from 0.006 to 0.028 and the average was 0.026. The average of estimated gene flow (Nm) was high (5.27). The CG-IPA population, corresponding to the germplasm collection of IPA, showed more than 96% of genetic similarity with other populations; therefore, it is a good representative of the existent genetic diversity in the Zona da Mata region.

Diversity and genetic structure in natural populations of Hancornia speciosa var. speciosa Gomes in northeastern Brazil

Hancornia speciosa Gomes is a fruit tree native from Brazil that belongs to Apocinaceae family, and is popularly known as Mangabeira. Its fruits are widely consumed raw or processed as fruit jam, juices and ice creams, which have made it a target of intense exploitation. The extractive activities and intense human activity on the environment of natural occurrence of H. speciosa has caused genetic erosion in the species and little is known about the ecology or genetic structure of natural populations. The objective of this research was the evaluation of the genetic diversity and genetic structure of H. speciosa var. speciosa. The genetic variability was assessed using 11 allozyme loci with a sample of 164 individuals distributed in six natural populations located in the States of Pernambuco and Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. The results showed a high level of genetic diversity within the species (e= 0.36) seeing that the most of the genetic variability of H. speciosa var. speciosa is within its natural populations with low difference among populations ( or = 0.081). The inbreeding values within ( = -0.555) and among populations ( =-0.428) were low showing lacking of endogamy and a surplus of heterozygotes. The estimated gene flow ( m ) was high, ranging from 2.20 to 13.18, indicating to be enough to prevent the effects of genetic drift and genetic differentiation among populations. The multivariate analyses indicated that there is a relationship between genetic and geographical distances, which was confirmed by a spatial pattern analysis using Mantel test (r = 0.3598; p = 0.0920) with 1000 random permutations. The high genetic diversity index in these populations indicates potential for in situ genetic conservation.

Genetic structure and diversity of Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. in Cerrado fragments of the São Paulo State, Brazil

The loss of large areas of Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) in Brazil can lead to reduced biodiversity and to the extinction of species. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the genetic fragility of populations of Copaifera langsdorffii Desf exposed to different anthropic conditions in fragments of Cerrado in the state of São Paulo. The study was carried out in two Experimental Stations operated by the Forest Institute (Assis and Itirapina), in one fully protected conservation unit (Pedregulho) and in one private property (Brotas). Analyses were conducted using leaf samples from 353 adult specimens and eight pairs of microsatellite loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 13 to 15 in all populations, but the mean number of effective alleles was approximately half this value (7.2 to 9-1). Observed heterozygosity was significant and lower than the expected in all populations. Consequently, all populations deviated from Hardy-Weinberg expected frequencies. Fixation indexes were significant for all populations, with the Pedregulho population having the lowest value (0.189) and Itirapina having the highest (0.283). The analysis of spatial genetic structure detected family structures at distance classes of 20 to 65 m in the populations studied. No clones were detected in the populations. Estimates of effective population size were low, but the area occupied by each population studied was large enough for conservation, medium and long term. Recent reductions or bottlenecks were detected in all four populations. Mean Gst’ (genetic divergence) indicated that most of the variation was within populations. Cluster structure analysis based on the genotypes detected K= 4 clusters with distinct allele frequencies patterns. The genetic differentiation observed among populations is consistent with the hypothesis of genetic and geographic isolation. Therefore, it is essential to adopt conservation strategies that raise the gene flow between fragments.

Genetic diversity in sugar apple (Annona squamosa L.) by using RAPD markers

Genetic diversity in a collection of 64 sugar apple accessions collected from different municipalities in northern Minas Gerais was assessed by RAPD analysis. Using 20 selected RAPD primers 167 fragments were generated, of which 48 were polymorphic (28.7%) producing an average of 2.4 polymorphic fragments per primer. Low percentage of polymorphism (< 29%) was observed by using the set of primers indicating low level of genetic variation among the 64 accessions evaluated. Genetic relationships were estimated using Jaccard's coefficient of similarity. Accessions from different municipalities clustered together indicating no correlation between molecular grouping and geographical origin. The dendrogram revealed five clusters. The first cluster grouped C19 and G29 accessions collected from the municipalities of Verdelândia and Monte Azul, respectively. The second cluster grouped G16 and B11 accessions collected from the municipalities of Monte Azul and Coração de Jesus, respectively. The remaining accessions were grouped in three clusters, with 8, 15 and 37 accessions, respectively. In summary, RAPD showed a low percentage of polymorphism in the germplasm collection.

STRATEGIC DECISIONS OF FAMILY FIRMS ON CASH ACCUMULATION

ABSTRACTGiven the particular strengths, weaknesses, and peculiarities of family firms as well as the importance of liquidity in today’s marketplace, we analyze the distinct characteristics and strategies of family businesses related to the amount of cash a firm holds. We look beyond the traditional factors that influence decisions related to cash management to examine factors that are particularly important for family firms. Specifically, we outline the relevance of strategic decisions guided by family firms’ conservatism, flexibility, long-term view, and the active control that they have over family members. To our knowledge, no prior studies exist regarding family firms and their strategic adjustment of cash holding. Therefore, we investigate whether the ownership structure of the firm (through the presence of a controlling family) moderates decisions on cash holding. We found that family firms tend to accumulate cash for strategic reasons and as a result of their own idiosyncrasies. Thus, family firms can achieve optimal cash accumulation more efficiently than non-family firms.

Family expectation, social adjustment and gender differences in a sample of schizophrenic patients

A case series to study factors related to family expectation regarding schizophrenic patients was conducted in an out-patient setting in the city of S. Paulo, Brazil. Patients diagnosed as presenting schizophrenia by the ICD 9th Edition and having had the disease for more than four years were included in the study. Family Expectation was measured by the difference between the Katz Adjustment Scale (R2 and R3) scores based on the relative's expectation and the socially expected activities of the patient (Discrepancy Score), and social adjustment was given by the DSM-III-R Global Assessment Scale (GAS) . Outcome assessments were made independently, and 44 patients comprised the sample (25 males and 19 females). The Discrepancy mean score was twice as high for males as for females (p < 0.02), and there was an inverse relationship between the discrepancy score and social adjustment (r =-0.46, p < 0.001). Moreover, sex and social adjustment exerted independent effects on the discrepancy score when age, age at onset and number of psychiatric admissions were controlled by means of a multiple regression technique. There was an interaction between sex and social adjustment, the inverse relationship between social adjustment and discrepancy score being more pronounced for males. These findings are discussed in the light of the potential association between the family environment, gender and social adjustment of schizophrenic patients, and the need for further research, i.e. ethnographic accounts of interactions between patient and relatives sharing households particularly in less developed countries.

Diversity and equity: dealing with biological and social differences

In the context of the design of working hours inequities in health associated with biological, psychological, social, and socioeconomic diversities can be observed. The paper first tries to set up a frame of reference for a discussion of this topic, relating to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and some recent discussions on equity in health and then goes into some factors that produce inequities in health in the context of the design of working hours, dealing with sex or gender, age and job age, personality traits, marital status, social support, diversities in values, and socio-economic differences; the discussion deals with approaches on how to deal with these differences and inequities.

Versão em português da Family Environment Scale: aplicação e validação

OBJETIVO: Traduzir a Escala do Ambiente Familiar (Family Environment Scale) para a língua portuguesa e aplicar o instrumento para sua validação. MÉTODOS: A tradução foi aplicada a membros de famílias brasileiras, visando avaliação da consistência interna e a concordância entre membros da mesma família. Foram selecionados 154 voluntários não sujeitos a qualquer intervenção para lidar com problemas familiares, residentes na cidade de São Paulo, em 2003. As pontuações médias nas dez subescalas do instrumento foram comparadas entre homens e mulheres e entre membros da mesma família. Avaliou-se a consistência interna pelo alfa de Cronbach. RESULTADOS: A pontuação máxima possível era nove em cada subescala (bom funcionamento familiar), exceto em relação a conflito e controle. Na maioria das subescalas, a pontuação média da amostra estudada esteve entre 5,1 e 7,6 (homens) e entre 5,4 e 7,7 (mulheres). Nas subescalas conflito e controle as médias variaram entre 1,8 e 4,6 (homens) e entre 1,6 e 4,6 (mulheres), sendo semelhantes às relatadas em estudos internacionais, exceto maior pontuação nas subescalas coesão e organização, e menor na subescala conflito. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre as pontuações atingidas por homens e mulheres. A confiabilidade da escala avaliada pelo alfa de Cronbach variou entre 0,61 e 0,78 para as dez subescalas. CONCLUSÕES: Fatores culturais podem ter influenciado os resultados obtidos em algumas subescalas. A versão em português da Escala do Ambiente Familiar apresentou razoável consistência interna que permite sua utilização para avaliar alterações no ambiente ou funcionamento familiar, e após intervenções terapêuticas.