Divorce, dispersal and incest avoidance in the cooperatively breeding superb fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus

1. Between 1988 and 2001, we studied social relationships in the superb fairy-wren Malurus cyaneus (Latham), a cooperative breeder with male helpers in which extra-group fertilizations are more common than within-pair fertilizations. 2. Unlike other fairy-wren species, females never bred on their natal territory. First-year females dispersed either directly from their natal territory to a breeding vacancy or to a foreign 'staging-post' territory where they spent their first winter as a subordinate. Females dispersing to a foreign territory settled in larger groups. Females on foreign territories inherited the territory if the dominant female died, and were sometimes able to split the territory into two by pairing with a helper male. However, most dispersed again to obtain a vacancy. 3. Females dispersing from a staging post usually gained a neighbouring vacancy, but females gaining a vacancy directly from their natal territory travelled further, perhaps to avoid pairing or mating with related males. 4. Females frequently divorced their partner, although the majority of relationships were terminated by the death of one of the pair. If death did not intervene, one-third of pairings were terminated by female-initiated divorce within 1000 days. 5. Three divorce syndromes were recognized. First, females that failed to obtain a preferred territory moved to territories with more helpers. Secondly, females that became paired to their sons when their partner died usually divorced away from them. Thirdly, females that have been in a long relationship divorce once a son has gained the senior helper position. 6. Dispersal to avoid pairing with sons is consistent with incest avoidance. However, there may be two additional benefits. Mothers do not mate with their sons, so dispersal by the mother liberates her sons to compete for within-group matings. Further, divorcing once their son has become a breeder or a senior helper allows the female to start sons in a queue for dominance on another territory. Females that do not take this option face constraints on their ability to recruit more sons into the local neighbourhood.

Habitat-predator association and avoidance in rainbowfish (Melanotaenia spp.)

The ability to recall the location of a predator and later avoid it was tested in nine populations of rainbowfish (Melanotaenia spp.), representing three species from a variety of environments. Following the introduction of a model predator into a particular microhabitat, the model was removed, the arena rotated and the distribution of the fish recorded again. In this manner it could be determined what cues the fish relied on in order to recall the previous location of the predator model. Fish from all populations but one (Dirran Creek) were capable of avoiding the predator by remembering either the location and/or the microhabitat in which the predator was recently observed. Reliance on different types of visual cues appears to vary between populations but the reason for this variation remains elusive. Of the ecological variables tested (flow variability, predator density and habitat complexity), only the level of predation appeared to be correlated with the orientation technique employed by each population. There was no effect of species identity, which suggests that the habitat that each population occupies plays a strong role in the development of both predator avoidance responses and the cues used to track predators in the wild.

Active and passive shoulder range of motion in healthy older people

This study was conducted to determine the effect of increasing age on four shoulder movements and to explore the need for normative data for shoulder range of motion (ROM) in people aged 50 years and older. Forty-one participants were conveniently recruited according to four age categories: 50-59 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years and 80 years and over. Goniometric measurement of bilateral active and passive ROM for flexion, abduction, internal rotation and external rotation was analysed using paired sample t-tests and compared with the norms of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) using one sample t-tests. Passive ROM was greater than active ROM for all movements (p

Human Rights promotion in Serbia: a difficult task for the European Union

This article explores the role of the European Union in the human rights protection, implementation and promotion in Serbia. It is clear that the EU demands on democratisation in the region of Western Balkans are crucial to achieve the respect for human rights. The human rights standards as part of the conditionality criteria of the EU is a clear message towards the countries aspiring membership. However, Serbia progress in the field has been difficult due to several internal constraints. This paper aims to uncover the democratisation process of Serbia on its path towards the EU, and its progress (or not) regarding human rights protection and implementation.

Estudo das diferenças de género nas cognições antecipatórias, estratégias de coping e depressão em adultos

RESUMO: A presente dissertação tem o objectivo de estudar a relação das diferenças de género nas cognições antecipatórias, estratégias de coping e depressão. Para o efeito, constituiu-se duas amostras, uma de indivíduos do género feminino (n=224) de 57,9% (com uma média de idades de 36,2 e um DP=10,5), e outra por indivíduos do género masculino (n=163), perfazendo uma percentagem de 42,1% (com uma média de idades de 41,1 e um DP=12,5). Foi elaborado um protocolo de investigação composto por: Questionário de dados sócio-demográficos, Questionário de Cognições Antecipatórias (QCA), de Figueira & Ramos, 1995, o Questionário de Modos de Lidar com os Acontecimentos (QMLA), de J. Pais Ribeiro, C. Santos, 2001 e o Inventário de Avaliação Clínica da Depressão (IACLIDE), de A, Vaz Serra, 1995. Os resultados demonstraram que não existem diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre géneros nas cognições antecipatórias (p=0,594). Em relação às estratégias de coping, os resultados foram estatisticamente significativos, com as mulheres a recorrerem mais à procura de suporte social (p=0,042) e à fuga-evitamento (p=0,006). O índice de depressão mostra, de forma estatisticamente significativa, que o género feminino apresenta valores mais elevados (p=0,038). A escala de depressão permitiu ainda verificar de forma estatisticamente significativa que as mulheres revelam mais dificuldades no desempenho das tarefas associadas a queixas biológicas e cognitivas (p=0,003), tal como nas dimensões biológica (p=0,002) e de desempenho da tarefa (p=0,007). A relação entre as três variáveis, permite concluir que o índice global da escala de depressão está relacionado positivamente com as Cognições Antecipatórias (p=,000), e nas estratégias de coping, as dimensões fuga-evitamento (p=,002), resolução planeada do problema (p=,000) e a reavaliação positiva (p=,034) também estão relacionadas com esta escala da depressão de forma estatisticamente significativa. ABSTRACT: This dissertation aims to study the relationship of gender differences in anticipatory cognitions, coping strategies and depression. For this purpose, it was constituted two samples, one for female gender (n = 224) 57.9% (with a mean age of 36.2 and a SD=10.5), and other of male gender (n = 163), giving a percentage of 42.1% (with an average age of 41.1 and a SD=12.5). It was prepared a research protocol composed of data questionnaire included social-demographic, Anticipatory Cognitions Questionnaire (QCA), Figueira & Ramos, 1995, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), J. Pais Ribeiro, C. Santos, 2001, and the Inventory and Evaluation of Clinical Depression (IACLIDE) A, Vaz Serra, 1995. The results have shown no statistically significant differences between genders in anticipatory cognitions (p= 0.594). In the coping strategies, the results were statistically significant, with women looking to take more advantage of social support (p= 0.042) and escape-avoidance (p= 0.006). The rate of depression shows a statistically significant with females having higher values (p=0.038). The depression scale allowed us to verify statistically significant that women shows more difficulty in performing tasks associated with biological and cognitive complaints (p=0,003), as in the biological (p=0,002) and task performance (p=0,007). The relationship between the three variables, shows that the overall rate of depression scale is positively related to the Anticipatory Cognitions (p =, 000), and strategies for coping, escape-avoidance dimensions (p =, 002), resolution of the planned problem (p =, 000) and positive reappraisal (p =, 034) are also related to the scale of depression and were also statistically significant.

Monitorização e caracterização de uma UTA com tecnologia exsicante-evaporativa assistida por energia solar de acordo com a metodologia definida no âmbito da AIE SHC task 38

A presente dissertação fundamenta-se na monitorização e análise de uma “Unidade de Tratamento de Ar” baseada em tecnologia exsicante evaporativa assistida por energia solar. Primeiramente é apresentado um conjunto de conceitos associados ao tema abordado, de modo a facilitar a compreensão dos fenómenos termodinâmicos envolvidos. Após a abordagem inicial que serve de consolidação, é feito o ponto da situação actual, quer em termos tecnológicos, quer em termos de instalações existentes. A etapa seguinte da dissertação descreve pormenorizadamente a instalação do LNEG e seus princípios de funcionamento, nesta fase também é contemplada a descrição sumária dos equipamentos, dos componentes e dos elementos de medição e controlo presentes no sistema. A metodologia seguida assenta fortemente em dois pontos; primeiro, a monitorização do sistema através do software “Agilent VEE Pro” e pela análise dos dados recolhidos com auxílio da folha de cálculo do LNEG, desenvolvida especialmente para este sistema. Em segundo lugar, a metodologia seguida será a imposta pela “Tarefa 38” de acordo com a Agência Internacional de Energia, no âmbito do programa de Aquecimento e Arrefecimento Solar o que permite a comparação de sistemas a nível internacional. Alias a “Tarefa 38” pretende desenvolver esta tecnologia, ao nível da concepção, estandardização, optimização das instalações, conceder o fácil acesso à informação e promover a comparabilidade de resultados. O desempenho global do sistema é bastante positivo, o bom comportamento do sistema é ilustrado na análise gráfica feita nos modos de aquecimento e arrefecimento. O grau de satisfação dos utilizadores é bom e o sistema demonstra capacidade para manter o conforto térmico dos espaços a climatizar de acordo com as normas e regulamentos em vigor. A utilização das energias renováveis nos dias de hoje, como por exemplo a energia solar é mais do que uma obrigação, é um dever.

Active and passive behaviors of soft tissues: Pelvic floor muscles

: A new active-contraction visco-elastic numerical model of the pelvic floor (skeletal) muscle is presented. Our model includes all elements that represent the muscle constitutive behavior, contraction and relaxation. In contrast with the previous models, the activation function can be null. The complete equations are shown and exactly linearized. Small verification and validation tests are performed and the pelvis is modeled using the data from the intra-abdominal pressure tests

Seasonal variation of total particulate matter and children respiratory diseases at Lisbon primary schools using passive methods

In this work, 14 primary schools of Lisbon city, Portugal, followed a questionnaire of the ISAAC - International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Program, in 2009/2010. The questionnaire contained questions to identify children with respiratory diseases (wheeze, asthma and rhinitis). Total particulate matter (TPM) was passively collected inside two classrooms of each of 14 primary schools. Two types of filter matrices were used to collect TPM: Millipore (IsoporeTM) polycarbonate and quartz. Three campaigns were selected for the measurement of TPM: Spring, Autumn and Winter. The highest difference between the two types of filters is that the mass of collected particles was higher in quartz filters than in polycarbonate filters, even if their correlation is excellent. The highest TPM depositions occurred between October 2009 and March 2010, when related with rhinitis proportion. Rhinitis was found to be related to TPM when the data were grouped seasonally and averaged for all the schools. For the data of 2006/2007, the seasonal variation was found to be related to outdoor particle deposition (below 10 μm).

From unthinned continent to ocean: The deep structure of the West Iberia passive continental margin at 38 degrees N

The crustal and lithospheric mantle structure at the south segment of the west Iberian margin was investigated along a 370 km long seismic transect. The transect goes from unthinned continental crust onshore to oceanic crust, crossing the ocean-continent transition (OCT) zone. The wide-angle data set includes recordings from 6 OBSs and 2 inland seismic stations. Kinematic and dynamic modeling provided a 2D velocity model that proved to be consistent with the modeled free-air anomaly data. The interpretation of coincident multi-channel near-vertical and wide-angle reflection data sets allowed the identification of four main crustal domains: (i) continental (east of 9.4 degrees W); (ii) continental thinning (9.4 degrees W-9.7 degrees W): (iii) transitional (9.7 degrees W-similar to 10.5 degrees W); and (iv) oceanic (west of similar to 10.5 degrees W). In the continental domain the complete crustal section of slightly thinned continental crust is present. The upper (UCC, 5.1-6.0 km/s) and the lower continental crust (LCC, 6.9-7.2 km/s) are seismically reflective and have intermediate to low P-wave velocity gradients. The middle continental crust (MCC, 6.35-6.45 km/s) is generally unreflective with low velocity gradient. The main thinning of the continental crust occurs in the thinning domain by attenuation of the UCC and the LCC. Major thinning of the MCC starts to the west of the LCC pinchout point, where it rests directly upon the mantle. In the thinning domain the Moho slope is at least 13 degrees and the continental crust thickness decreases seaward from 22 to 11 km over a similar to 35 km distance, stretched by a factor of 1.5 to 3. In the oceanic domain a two-layer high-gradient igneous crust (5.3-6.0 km/s; 6.5-7.4 km/s) was modeled. The intra-crustal interface correlates with prominent mid-basement, 10-15 km long reflections in the multi-channel seismic profile. Strong secondary reflected PmP phases require a first order discontinuity at the Moho. The sedimentary cover can be as thick as 5 km and the igneous crustal thickness varies from 4 to 11 km in the west, where the profile reaches the Madeira-Tore Rise. In the transitional domain the crust has a complex structure that varies both horizontally and vertically. Beneath the continental slope it includes exhumed continental crust (6.15-6.45 km/s). Strong diffractions were modeled to originate at the lower interface of this layer. The western segment of this transitional domain is highly reflective at all levels, probably due to dykes and sills, according to the high apparent susceptibility and density modeled at this location. Sub-Moho mantle velocity is found to be 8.0 km/s, but velocities smaller than 8.0 km/s confined to short segments are not excluded by the data. Strong P-wave wide-angle reflections are modeled to originate at depth of 20 km within the lithospheric mantle, under the eastern segment of the oceanic domain, or even deeper at the transitional domain, suggesting a layered structure for the lithospheric mantle. Both interface depths and velocities of the continental section are in good agreement to the conjugate Newfoundland margin. A similar to 40 km wide OCT having a geophysical signature distinct from the OCT to the north favors a two pulse continental breakup.

Exposure to dust in poultry: the importance of task differences for detailed exposure assessment

Dust is a complex mixture of particles of organic and inorganic origin and different gases absorbed in aerosol droplets. In a poultry unit include dried faecal matter and urine, skin flakes, ammonia, carbon dioxide, pollens, feed and litter particles, feathers, grain mites, fungi spores, bacteria, viruses and their constituents. Dust particles vary in size and differentiation between particle size fractions is important in health studies in order to quantify penetration within the respiratory system. A descriptive study was developed in order to assess exposure to particles in a poultry unit during different operations, namely routine examination and floor turn over. Direct-reading equipment was used (Lighthouse, model 3016 IAQ). Particle measurement was performed in 5 different sizes (PM0.5; PM1.0; PM2.5; PM5.0; PM10). The chemical composition of poultry litter was also determined by neutron activation analysis. Normally, the litter of poultry pavilions is turned over weekly and it was during this operation that the higher exposure of particles was observed. In all the tasks considered PM5.0 and PM10.0 were the sizes with higher concentrations values. PM10 is what turns out to have higher values and PM0.5 the lowest values. The chemical element with the highest concentration was Mg (5.7E6 mg.kg-1), followed by K (1.5E4 mg.kg-1), Ca (4.8E3 mg.kg-1), Na (1.7E3 mg.kg-1), Fe (2.1E2 mg.kg-1) and Zn (4.2E1 mg.kg-1). This high presence of particles in the respirable range (<5–7μm) means that poultry dust particles can penetrate into the gas exchange region of the lung. Larger particles (PM10) present a range of concentrations from 5.3E5 and 3.0E6 mg/m3.

Effects of the length and timing of nighttime naps on task performance and physiological function

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of the length and timing of nighttime naps on performance and physiological functions, an experimental study was carried out under simulated night shift schedules. METHODS: Six students were recruited for this study that was composed of 5 experiments. Each experiment involved 3 consecutive days with one night shift (22:00-8:00) followed by daytime sleep and night sleep. The experiments had 5 conditions in which the length and timing of naps were manipulated: 0:00-1:00 (E60), 0:00-2:00 (E120), 4:00-5:00 (L60), 4:00-6:00 (L120), and no nap (No-nap). During the night shifts, participants underwent performance tests. A questionnaire on subjective fatigue and a critical flicker fusion frequency test were administered after the performance tests. Heart rate variability and rectal temperature were recorded continuously during the experiments. Polysomnography was also recorded during the nap. RESULTS: Sleep latency was shorter and sleep efficiency was higher in the nap in L60 and L120 than that in E60 and E120. Slow wave sleep in the naps in E120 and L120 was longer than that in E60 and L60. The mean reaction time in L60 became longer after the nap, and faster in E60 and E120. Earlier naps serve to counteract the decrement in performance and physiological functions during night shifts. Performance was somewhat improved by taking a 2-hour nap later in the shift, but deteriorated after a one-hour nap. CONCLUSIONS: Naps in the latter half of the night shift were superior to earlier naps in terms of sleep quality. However performance declined after a 1-hour nap taken later in the night shift due to sleep inertia. This study suggests that appropriate timing of a short nap must be carefully considered, such as a 60-min nap during the night shift.

Task-force para revitalização dos sistemas de informação

Este trabalho descreve as actividades desenvolvidas no âmbito de uma task-force para revitalizar a função Sistemas de Informação de uma grande empresa nacional. Apresenta, em particular, o sistema de indicadores de gestão definido nesse contexto

Supporting intra-task parallelism in real-time multiprocessor systems

Os sistemas de tempo real modernos geram, cada vez mais, cargas computacionais pesadas e dinâmicas, começando-se a tornar pouco expectável que sejam implementados em sistemas uniprocessador. Na verdade, a mudança de sistemas com um único processador para sistemas multi- processador pode ser vista, tanto no domínio geral, como no de sistemas embebidos, como uma forma eficiente, em termos energéticos, de melhorar a performance das aplicações. Simultaneamente, a proliferação das plataformas multi-processador transformaram a programação paralela num tópico de elevado interesse, levando o paralelismo dinâmico a ganhar rapidamente popularidade como um modelo de programação. A ideia, por detrás deste modelo, é encorajar os programadores a exporem todas as oportunidades de paralelismo através da simples indicação de potenciais regiões paralelas dentro das aplicações. Todas estas anotações são encaradas pelo sistema unicamente como sugestões, podendo estas serem ignoradas e substituídas, por construtores sequenciais equivalentes, pela própria linguagem. Assim, o modo como a computação é na realidade subdividida, e mapeada nos vários processadores, é da responsabilidade do compilador e do sistema computacional subjacente. Ao retirar este fardo do programador, a complexidade da programação é consideravelmente reduzida, o que normalmente se traduz num aumento de produtividade. Todavia, se o mecanismo de escalonamento subjacente não for simples e rápido, de modo a manter o overhead geral em níveis reduzidos, os benefícios da geração de um paralelismo com uma granularidade tão fina serão meramente hipotéticos. Nesta perspetiva de escalonamento, os algoritmos que empregam uma política de workstealing são cada vez mais populares, com uma eficiência comprovada em termos de tempo, espaço e necessidades de comunicação. Contudo, estes algoritmos não contemplam restrições temporais, nem outra qualquer forma de atribuição de prioridades às tarefas, o que impossibilita que sejam diretamente aplicados a sistemas de tempo real. Além disso, são tradicionalmente implementados no runtime da linguagem, criando assim um sistema de escalonamento com dois níveis, onde a previsibilidade, essencial a um sistema de tempo real, não pode ser assegurada. Nesta tese, é descrita a forma como a abordagem de work-stealing pode ser resenhada para cumprir os requisitos de tempo real, mantendo, ao mesmo tempo, os seus princípios fundamentais que tão bons resultados têm demonstrado. Muito resumidamente, a única fila de gestão de processos convencional (deque) é substituída por uma fila de deques, ordenada de forma crescente por prioridade das tarefas. De seguida, aplicamos por cima o conhecido algoritmo de escalonamento dinâmico G-EDF, misturamos as regras de ambos, e assim nasce a nossa proposta: o algoritmo de escalonamento RTWS. Tirando partido da modularidade oferecida pelo escalonador do Linux, o RTWS é adicionado como uma nova classe de escalonamento, de forma a avaliar na prática se o algoritmo proposto é viável, ou seja, se garante a eficiência e escalonabilidade desejadas. Modificar o núcleo do Linux é uma tarefa complicada, devido à complexidade das suas funções internas e às fortes interdependências entre os vários subsistemas. Não obstante, um dos objetivos desta tese era ter a certeza que o RTWS é mais do que um conceito interessante. Assim, uma parte significativa deste documento é dedicada à discussão sobre a implementação do RTWS e à exposição de situações problemáticas, muitas delas não consideradas em teoria, como é o caso do desfasamento entre vários mecanismo de sincronização. Os resultados experimentais mostram que o RTWS, em comparação com outro trabalho prático de escalonamento dinâmico de tarefas com restrições temporais, reduz significativamente o overhead de escalonamento através de um controlo de migrações, e mudanças de contexto, eficiente e escalável (pelo menos até 8 CPUs), ao mesmo tempo que alcança um bom balanceamento dinâmico da carga do sistema, até mesmo de uma forma não custosa. Contudo, durante a avaliação realizada foi detetada uma falha na implementação do RTWS, pela forma como facilmente desiste de roubar trabalho, o que origina períodos de inatividade, no CPU em questão, quando a utilização geral do sistema é baixa. Embora o trabalho realizado se tenha focado em manter o custo de escalonamento baixo e em alcançar boa localidade dos dados, a escalonabilidade do sistema nunca foi negligenciada. Na verdade, o algoritmo de escalonamento proposto provou ser bastante robusto, não falhando qualquer meta temporal nas experiências realizadas. Portanto, podemos afirmar que alguma inversão de prioridades, causada pela sub-política de roubo BAS, não compromete os objetivos de escalonabilidade, e até ajuda a reduzir a contenção nas estruturas de dados. Mesmo assim, o RTWS também suporta uma sub-política de roubo determinística: PAS. A avaliação experimental, porém, não ajudou a ter uma noção clara do impacto de uma e de outra. No entanto, de uma maneira geral, podemos concluir que o RTWS é uma solução promissora para um escalonamento eficiente de tarefas paralelas com restrições temporais.