Multi-level governance and social cohesion in the European Union: the assessment of local agents, a study case inside Galicia

Implementing multi-level governance has been a key priority in EU cohesion policy. This study assesses the perceived achievements and shortcomings in implementing European Social Fund by analyzing the deficits and weaknesses as well as the poor participation of local agents who are in direct contact with the beneficiaries in order to design and implement this fund, which is the main financial instrument of EU social policy.

Budgeting and resource allocation in universities: a public choice approach

The calls for colleges and universities to improve their productivity are coming thick and fast in Brazil. Many studies are suggesting evaluation systems and external criteria to control the quality of teaching and research in universities. Since universities and colleges are not profit-oriented organizations (considering only the legitimate and serious research and teaching organizations, of course), the traditional microeconomics and administrative variables used to measure efficiency do not have any direct function. An alternative would be to create an "as if" market control system to evaluate performance in universities and colleges. Internal budget and resources allocation mechanism can be used as incentive instruments to improve quality and productivity. It will be the main issue of this article.

Network dynamics in scientific knowledge acquisition: an analysis in three public universities in the state of Bahia

This paper aims to cast some light on the dynamics of knowledge networks in developing countries by analyzing the scientific production of the largest university in the Northeast of Brazil and its influence on some of the remaining regional research institutions in the state of Bahia. Using a methodology test to be employed in a larger project, the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA) (Federal University of Bahia), the Universidade do Estado da Bahia (Uneb) (State of Bahia University) and the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (Uesc)'s (Santa Cruz State University) scientific productions are discussed in one of their most traditionally expressive sectors in academic production - namely, the field of chemistry, using social network analysis of co-authorship networks to investigate the existence of small world phenomena and the importance of these phenomena in research performance in these three universities. The results already obtained through this research bring to light data of considerable interest concerning the scientific production in unconsolidated research universities. It shows the important participation of the UFBA network in the composition of the other two public universities research networks, indicating a possible occurrence of small world phenomena in the UFBA and Uesc networks, as well as the importance of individual researchers in consolidating research networks in peripheral universities. The article also hints that the methodology employed appears to be adequate insofar as scientific production may be used as a proxy for scientific knowledge.

Gastrópodes límnicos do Campus de Manguinhos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ

Um levantamento da malacofauna límnina do Campus de Manguinhos, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, foi realizado nos últimos dois anos visando comparar as espécies hoje existentes com aquelas encontradas no início deste século. Foram pesquisadas 18 coleções hídricas numa extensão de 880.000m², sendo encontradas em 13 delas as seguintes espécies: Antillorbis nordestensis, Biomphalaria glabrata, Biomphalaria straminea, Lymnaea columella, Melanoides tuberculatus, Physa cubensis, Pomacea glauca e Pomacea lineata. Destacam-se o desaparecimento de Biomphalaria tenagophila, registrada por Lutz em 1918, a introdução de B. straminea e da espécie asiática M. tuberculatus. Nenhum molusco apresentou infecção por Schistosoma mansoni.

Monitoramento do mosquito Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (Diptera: Culicidae), por meio de ovitrampas no Campus da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Estado de Mato Grosso

A dengue é uma das mais importantes arboviroses que atinge o homem e constitui um sério problema de saúde nas áreas tropicais, cujas condições climáticas são favoráveis à ocorrência de focos de Aedes aegypti. Armadilhas de oviposição acrescidas de infusão de feno foram instaladas em 19 pontos no Campus da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso com o objetivo de verificar mensalmente o nível de infestação do vetor da dengue e a influência dos fatores abióticos. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com dados abióticos de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar, e de precipitação pluviométrica, mensais e dos dias que as armadilhas permaneceram no campo. A chuva é o único fator abiótico que apresenta influência no nível de infestação dos vetores da dengue no local. Existem diferenças significativas entre as quantidades de ovos de Aedes aegypti encontrados em diferentes locais de coleta na mesma área de estudo. O número de ovos encontrados em cada ponto ao longo do ano não obedece a um padrão de distribuição único.

Studies on Phlebotominae (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the Campus FIOCRUZ Mata Atlântica, Jacarepaguá, in the City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: The presence of American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in the communities of the Campus FIOCRUZ Mata Atlântica (CFMA) in the City of Rio de Janeiro initiated the investigation of the Phlebotominae fauna in the Atlantic Forest to determine the occurrence of putative ACL vectors associated with the enzootic cycle. METHODS: For 24 consecutive months, sand flies were captured inside the forest and in the border area near the communities. RESULTS: The following sand fly species were identified: Brumptomyia brumpti, Brumptomyia cunhai, Brumptomyia nitzulescui, Lutzomyia edwardsi, Lutzomyia pelloni, and Lutzomyia quinquefer. Other identified sand fly vectors, such as Lutzomyia intermedia (the predominant species), Lutzomyia migonei, Lutzomyia whitmani, Lutzomyia fischeri, and Lutzomyia hirsuta hirsuta, are associated with ACL transmission, and the vector for American visceral leishmaniases (AVL), Lutzomyia longipalpis, was also found. CONCLUSIONS: All sand fly vectors were found in both studied environments except for Lutzomyia whitmani, which was only identified in the forest. This study represents the first identification of Lutzomyia longipalpis in the CFMA, and the epidemiological implications are discussed.

Soil mineral N dynamics beneath mixtures of leaves from legume and fruit trees in Central Amazonian multi-strata agroforests

Long term applications of leguminous green mulch could increase mineralizable nitrogen (N) beneath cupuaçu trees produced on the infertile acidic Ultisols and Oxisols of the Amazon Basin. However, low quality standing cupuaçu litter could interfere with green mulch N release and soil N mineralization. This study compared mineral N, total N, and microbial biomass N beneath cupuaçu trees grown in two different agroforestry systems, north of Manaus, Brazil, following seven years of different green mulch application rates. To test for net interactions between green mulch and cupuaçu litter, dried gliricidia and inga leaves were mixed with senescent cupuaçu leaves, surface applied to an Oxisol soil, and incubated in a greenhouse for 162 days. Leaf decomposition, N release and soil N mineralization were periodically measured in the mixed species litter treatments and compared to single species applications. The effect of legume biomass and cupuaçu litter on soil mineral N was additive implying that recommendations for green mulch applications to cupuaçu trees can be based on N dynamics of individual green mulch species. Results demonstrated that residue quality, not quantity, was the dominant factor affecting the rate of N release from leaves and soil N mineralization in a controlled environment. In the field, complex N cycling and other factors, including soil fauna, roots, and microclimatic effects, had a stronger influence on available soil N than residue quality.

Aspectos reprodutivos e dieta alimentar dos ninhegos de Rhinoptynx clamator (Aves: Strigidae) no campus Marco Zero da Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá-AP

Este trabalho tem como objetivo relatar os aspectos comportamentais de nidificação, alimentação e desenvolvimento dos ninhegos de Rhinoptynx clamator (Strigidae) em um fragmento florestal no Campus Marco Zero da Universidade Federal do Amapá. Apenas um ninho foi encontrado, no solo e na base de um tucumã Astrocaryum oleatum. Três ovos brancos com manchas marrons foram observados, cuja medida foi de 41 x 35 mm em média. A incubação durou 28 dias e foi efetuada pela fêmea, e o último filhote a nascer viveu apenas dois dias. Os filhotes sobreviventes foram medidos durante o seu desenvolvimento. Durante a estação reprodutiva foram coletadas algumas pelotas de regurgitação, sendo encontrados três tipos de vertebrados: Rattus sp., Micoureus cf. regina e Columbina talpacoti.

Multi-temporal analysis of radiometric changes in satellite images of forest edges to infer selective-logging areas in the Amazon forest

Radiometric changes observed in multi-temporal optical satellite images have an important role in efforts to characterize selective-logging areas. The aim of this study was to analyze the multi-temporal behavior of spectral-mixture responses in satellite images in simulated selective-logging areas in the Amazon forest, considering red/near-infrared spectral relationships. Forest edges were used to infer the selective-logging infrastructure using differently oriented edges in the transition between forest and deforested areas in satellite images. TM/Landsat-5 images acquired at three dates with different solar-illumination geometries were used in this analysis. The method assumed that the radiometric responses between forest with selective-logging effects and forest edges in contact with recent clear-cuts are related. The spatial frequency attributes of red/near infrared bands for edge areas were analyzed. Analysis of dispersion diagrams showed two groups of pixels that represent selective-logging areas. The attributes for size and radiometric distance representing these two groups were related to solar-elevation angle. The results suggest that detection of timber exploitation areas is limited because of the complexity of the selective-logging radiometric response. Thus, the accuracy of detecting selective logging can be influenced by the solar-elevation angle at the time of image acquisition. We conclude that images with lower solar-elevation angles are less reliable for delineation of selecting logging.