Cryptosporidium infection in Brazil: implications for veterinary medicine and public health

O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar, por meio de revisão de literatura, os resultados de pesquisas sobre a criptosporidiose no Brasil, com ênfase em sua ocorrência em animais e suas implicações em medicina veterinária e em saúde pública. Um número crescente de trabalhos sobre a infecção por Cryptosporidium spp. no Brasil está disponível na literatura nacional e internacional. Nestes trabalhos, são abordados principalmente aspectos relacionados à ocorrência de Cryptosporidium spp. em alimentos, amostras ambientais, no homem e em diversas espécies animais, particularmente em aves, bovinos, cães e gatos. Por meio de técnicas de biologia molecular, a maioria das espécies e alguns genótipos identificados em outros países foram descritos no Brasil. em mamíferos, houve identificação de C. bovis, C. canis, C. felis, C. meleagridis, C. parvum e o genótipo cervídeo; em diversas espécies de aves, foi descrita infecção por C. baileyi, C. galli, C. meleagridis, C. parvum e pelos genótipos I, II e III de aves. Várias espécies foram descritas no homem, como C. parvum e C. hominis, além de algumas espécies adaptadas a hospedeiros animais, como C. canis, C. felis e C. meleagridis.

Sustainability and supply chain management:Publications in Brazil

The number of research papers linking sustainability with supply chain management is increasing around the world. The purpose of this paper is to analyse how the publications in Brazil are considering the relationship between sustainability and supply chain management. The methodology applied consists in five major steps: (1) selection of databases and journals, (2) selection of the papers, (3) reading of papers' abstracts to select only papers that are related to business and sustainability, (4) qualitative and quantitative analysis of the selected papers' abstracts to define the main dimension of sustainability and sustainability aspect, and finally, (5) an evaluation of experts' responses to a questionnaire in the field of sustainability and supply chain in Brazil. The literature review was conducted in 120 Brazilian academic journals in which 124 papers were identified as being published in relation to sustainability, business management and companies, from 2008 until 2013. When considering the traditional Triple Bottom Line approach, the results of the analysis show that sustainability research in Brazil is focusing on the environmental dimension and SCM research is focusing on the economic dimension. Additional inputs are provided by integrating the governance dimension in the analysis to underline which actions and policies are discussed in Brazilian literature at a corporate level. The consultation of experts in the field of sustainability in Brazil was aimed at understanding better the results of the conducted literature review. One of the main conclusions is that there are large opportunities to increase publications about sustainability and SCM in the country.

As primeiras vinte reuniões anuais da SBQ: uma visão da evolução da química no Brasil

An analysis of the different activities carried out during the first twenty annual meetings (1978-1997) of the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ) is presented. The number of papers in the abstract book increased from around 300 in the biennium 78/79 to around 1230 in 96/97. The papers contained in the different sections of the abstract book in the 1st (1978), 10th (1987) and 19th (1996) annual meetings were grouped according to the regions of Brazil the authors' institutions were from, or abroad, and also considering whether the paper came from one institution or was a collaboration between two or more institutions. The relative contribution of the southeastern and northern regions decreased from 77% and 3.0% of the total in 1978 to 63% and 1.2% in 1996, respectively, while those of the northeastern, southern and midwestern regions increased from 12%, 4.8% and 0.6% to 15%, 13%, and 2.6%, respectively; the relative contribution of institutions from abroad also increased from 2.4% to 4.0%. Chemistry of Natural Products and Organic Chemistry decreased their relative contribution from around 55% in 1978 to around 28% in 1996, an evolution towards a more balanced development of the different areas of chemistry in Brazil.

Desenvolvimento da Química Inorgânica no Brasil

This article focuses on the development of Inorganic Chemistry in Brazil, including historical perspectives, scientific production (WEB-ISI data), international cooperation, teaching, literature and human resources, with particular emphasis on the last 25 years.

Química de materiais em 25 anos de SBQ

Communications on Chemistry of Materials topics were already presented in the first annual meetings of the Brazilian Chemical Society, dispersed throughout various meeting sections. The SBQ Materials Chemistry division was organized in 1993, attracting those members with an interest in the composition, structure and properties of materials, as related to their functions. This paper is an account of the development of Materials Chemistry research in Brazil, based on the SBQ annual meetings data.

Química de materiais em 25 anos de SBQ

Communications on Chemistry of Materials topics were already presented in the first annual meetings of the Brazilian Chemical Society, dispersed throughout various meeting sections. The SBQ Materials Chemistry division was organized in 1993, attracting those members with an interest in the composition, structure and properties of materials, as related to their functions. This paper is an account of the development of Materials Chemistry research in Brazil, based on the SBQ annual meetings data.

Access to knoledge in Brazil: new research on intellectual property, innovation and development

The present volume is the fruit of a research initiative on Access to Knowledge begun in 2004 by Yochai Benkler, Eddan Katz, and myself. Access to Knowledge is both a social movement and an approach to international and domestic policy. In the present era of globalization, intellectual property and information and communications technology are major determinants of wealth and power. The principle of access to knowledge argues that we best serve both human rights and economic development through policies that make knowledge, knowledge-creating tools, and nowledgeembedded goods as widely available as possible for decentralized innovation and use. Open technological standards, a balanced approach to intellectual property rights, and expansion of an open telecommunications infrastructure enable ordinary people around the world to benefit from the technological advances of the information age and allow them to generate a vibrant, participatory and democratic culture. Law plays a crucial role in securing access to knowledge, determining whether knowledge and knowledge goods are shared widely for the benefit of all, or controlled and monopolized for the benefit of a few.

Epidemiological aspects in leptospirosis. Research of anti-Leptospira spp antibodies, isolation and biomolecular research in bovines, rodents and workers in rural properties from Botucatu, SP, Brazil.

Leptospirosis is a worldwide infection, transmitted between man and animals that causes a decrease in the production of bovine flocks, and offer risks for public health, as an important zoonosis. The rodents are the main reservoirs of leptospires. It was studied 27 dairy farm properties located in or near from Botucatu-SP, Brazil. In these farms were collected blood and kidney samples from rodents, blood and urine samples from bovines and blood samples from the workers. The serology was performed with microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Samples of bovine urine and rodent kidneys were cultivated searching for leptospires isolation. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of the kidneys of the rodents was performed. In MAT, 46/ 140 (32.85%) bovine and 8/34 (23.53%) human sera samples were positive, respectively. In human samples, the serovar Brastilava (37.51%) presented the highest occurrence, while in bovines, the serovars Hardjo and Castellonis were most frequent, with 26.08% each one. All of the rodents were negatives in serology. No leptospire was isolated, and kidney samples were negative in PCR. In bovines, the dam water and the bad hygiene quality of milking process were considered important risks of infection in the affected properties (p<0.05), where other reproductive problems, except abortion, can be related. In other side, to human beings the drainage system was the most important risk factor in the studied properties. Thus, it was verified the necessity of an improvement in zoosanitary handling of the properties, mainly of water supply.

Developing a research agenda for promoting physical activity in Brazil through environmental and policy change

Objective. To identify the highest priorities for research on environmental and policy changes for promoting physical activity (PA) in Brazil; to uncover any gaps between researchers' and practitioners' priorities; and to consider which tools, methods, collaborative strategies, and actions could be useful to moving a research agenda forward.Methods. This was a mixed-methods study (qualitative and quantitative) conducted by Project GUIA (Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America) in February 2010-January 2011. A total of 240 individuals in the PA field (186 practitioners and 54 researchers) were asked to generate research ideas; 82 participants provided 266 original statements from which 52 topics emerged. Participants rated topics by "importance" and "feasibility;" a separate convenience sample of 21 individuals categorized them. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling were used to create concept maps and pattern matches.Results. Five distinct clusters emerged from the concept mapping, of which " effectiveness and innovation in PA interventions" was rated most important by both practitioners and researchers. Pattern matching showed a divergence between the groups, especially regarding feasibility, where there was no consensus.Conclusions. The study results provided the basis for a research agenda to advance the understanding of environmental and policy influences on PA promotion in Brazil and Latin America. These results should stimulate future research and, ultimately, contribute to the evidence-base of successful PA strategies in Latin America.

Effects of research and extension on agricultural growth and equity in Brazil.

Studies the effects of investment in research and extension on total agricultural production and on production of individual crops. Some distributional effects are briefly discussed. Due to the lack of data, the first part of the analysis is restricted to the State of Sao Paulo, and the second part covers the entire country.-from Author

Bacillus thuringiensis development from 1971 to 1996: Cases of a research group in Brazil

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

Coordinated, network-based research as a strategic component of science in Brazil

Scientific research plays a fundamental role in the health and development of any society, since all technological advances depend ultimately on scientific discovery and the generation of wealth is intricately dependent on technological advance. Due to their importance, science and technology generally occupy important places in the hierarchical structure of developed societies, and they receive considerable public and private investment. Publicly funded science is almost entirely devoted to discovery, and it is administered and structured in a very similar way throughout the world. Particularly in the biological sciences, this structure, which is very much centered on the individual scientist and his own hypothesis-based investigations, may not be the best suited for either discovery in the context of complex biological systems, or for the efficient advancement of fundamental knowledge into practical utility. The adoption of other organizational paradigms, which permit a more coordinated and interactive research structure, may provide important opportunities to accelerate the scientific process and further enhance its relevance and contribution to society. The key alternative is a structure that incorporates larger organizational units to tackle larger and more complex problems. One example of such a unit is the research network. Brazil has utilized such networks to great effect in genome sequencing projects, demonstrating their relevance to the Brazilian research community and opening the possibility of their wider utility in the future.

Dynamics of change of mathematics education in Brazil and a scenario of current research

Mathematics education in Brazil, if we consider what one may call the scientific phase, is about 30 years old. The papers for this special issue focus mainly on this period. During these years, many trends have emerged in mathematics education to address the complex problems facing Brazilian society. However, most Brazilian mathematics educators feel that the separation of research into trends is a theoretical idealization that does not respond to the dynamics of the problems we face. We raise the conjecture that the complexity of Brazilian society, where pockets of wealth coexist with the most shocking poverty, has contributed to the adoption and generation of different strands in mathematics education, crossing the boundaries between trends. At a more micro level, we also raise the conjecture that Brazilian trends in research are interwoven because of the way that Brazilian mathematics educators have experienced the process of globalization over these 30 years. This tapestry of trends is a predominant characteristic of mathematics education in Brazil. © FIZ Karlsruhe 2009.