Biologia do caranguejo-uçá, Ucides cordatus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura), na Baía da Babitonga, Santa Catarina, Brasil

O objetivo deste estudo é caracterizar pela primeira vez alguns aspectos da reprodução do caranguejo-uçá em manguezais da Baía da Babitonga (Santa Catarina). Além disso, a densidade e o tamanho do estoque deste recurso pesqueiro foram também estimados. Os exemplares foram coletados mensalmente, de maio de 2002 a abril de 2003, em duas áreas distintas: Iperoba e Palmital; um total de 2265 espécimes (1623 machos e 642 fêmeas) foi analisado. Os machos com gônadas maturas foram registrados durante todo o ano, enquanto as fêmeas com gônadas maturas ocorreram em apenas cinco meses. As fêmeas ovígeras foram registradas apenas em dezembro e janeiro. O etograma do fenômeno de migração reprodutiva (andada) esteve em concordância com a maior atividade de caranguejos associada às luas cheias e novas, com maior intensidade em dezembro e janeiro, relacionados ao verão austral. A densidade total no Manguezal de Iperoba foi de 2,05 ± 0,97 ind./m², não diferindo significativamente daquela registrada para o Manguezal do Palmital (2,06 ± 1,08 ind./m²) (p < 0,05). A média global para a estimativa de densidade na Baia da Babitonga foi de 2,05 ± 1,00 ind./m², correspondendo a 1,42 ± 0,89 ind./m² com base nas galerias abertas e 0,64 ± 0,63 ind./m² para as galerias fechadas.

SEDIMENT BIOTURBATION POTENTIAL of UCA RAPAX and UCA URUGUAYENSIS AS A RESULT of THEIR FEEDING ACTIVITY

Bioturbation of mangrove sediments by Uca uruguayensis (Nobili, 1901) and U. rapax (Smith, 1870) was compared based on the grain-size composition and organic content in surface sediment around the burrow and feeding pellets in two mangrove zones of the Sao Vicente Estuary, state of São Paulo, Brazil. For each species, 25 burrows with active crabs were selected. All pellets within a 15-cm radius of each burrow were carefully collected; samples of substrate were taken; and the crab occupant was excavated, sexed, and measured for carapace width (CW). The number of spoon-tipped setae on the second maxilliped of each species was estimated; U. uruguayensis showed more of these setae than U. rapax. For both species, the sediment post-processed by feeding activity (feeding pellets) showed a similar increase of coarser fractions and a smaller organic content. However. U. uruguayensis was more efficient in removing organic matter (88.1%) from the sediment than U. rapax (37.5%). These results suggest that different numbers of spoon-tipped setae on the second maxillipeds of the fiddler crabs do not affect the potential for grain-size selection, but result in differing abilities to remove organic matter from the sediment.

Icnofósseis (paleotocas e crotovinas) atribuídos a mamíferos extintos no sudeste e sul do Brasil

ICHNOFOSSILS (PALEO-BURROWS and CROTOVINES) ATTRIBUTED TO EXTINCT MAMMALS IN SOUTHEASTERN and SOUTH BRAZIL. This work presents information regarding tunnels which are attributed to large extinct mammals. These structures can be found in several places in southeastern and southern Brazil, in different types of substrate, occurring as hollow structures (paleo-burrows) or those filled with sediments (crotovines). The dimensions and osteoderm and claw imprints found along the internal walls of the paleo-burrow found on aluvial fan deposits near the town of Cristal (Rio Grande do Sul State) suggest that a dasypodid xenarthran might have dug this structure. Comparison with similar structures found in Argentina can provide more detailed information regarding the paleoecology and biostratigraphy of the organisms that made these burrows.

Fotodegradação de pesticidas: caso do fenarimol

Tese dout. em Química, Unidade de Ciências Exactas e Humanas, Univ. do Algarve, 1997

Prosecutors' perspectives on clarifying sexual acts in child abuse interviews

For the successful prosecution of child sexual abuse offences, investigative interviews of alleged victims must establish beyond reasonable doubt the nature of each sexual offence alleged. One limitation of interviews from an evidential (prosecution) perspective is that they often include unnecessary questions about sexual acts, which risk damaging the witness's credibility in the eyes of the jury. The aim of this study, using focus group methodology, was to elicit further guidance from prosecutors about when, and how, interviewers should clarify details about sexual acts. Overall, the prosecutors advised that three factors need to be considered before asking clarifying questions: whether the detail already provided by the witness would be clear to juries; the developmental age of the child; and the strength of the evidence available to support the allegations. These findings and their implications for investigative interviewers are discussed.

Libraries and the digital humanities: partnership, collaboration and shared agendas

Digital humanities is a rapidly growing global interdisciplinary field, reflected in a proliferation of conferences, events, journals, associations, research centres, grants, and courses. Digital humanities has a high profile because of its collaborative activity in building tools, developing services, carrying out projects, and producing ground- breaking research findings. There is a high level of interest from the library community in the digital humanities. This paper looks at the relationship between libraries and the digital humanities from an Australian perspective. The paper draws on the authors’ involvement within the digital humanities community, and especially their experience with developing HuNI: the Humanities Networked Infrastructure, a major digital infrastructure service for the humanities.

A guide to clarifying evidence in Australian child forensic interviews

Purpose – Interviewing victims of child sex abuse requires considerable care in order to minimise error. Due to children’s heightened suggestibility any question asked of a child could potentially incite error that could undermine the witness’s credibility. A focus group was conducted in order to facilitate the development of guidance for interviewers around the circumstances in which it is necessary to ask children follow-up questions in an interview. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach – Seven Crown prosecutors representing every Australian state and territory (with the exception of one small state) were issued with 25 hypothetical narrative accounts of child abuse and asked to indicate what information, if any, required follow-up in the child’s narrative. Their responses and rationale for requiring following up in some cases and not others were discussed.

Findings – Thematic analysis revealed three recommendations to guide questioning: whether the case involved identification or recognition evidence; the presence of contextual features that may influence the witness’s memory, or that should trigger a particular line of questioning; and whether the information can or should be sought at a later stage by the trial prosecutor, rather than by the interviewer. Practical implications – The recommendations are discussed within the context of their implications for interviewing, that is, how each recommendation could be implemented in practice.

Originality/value – The present study extends prior literature by elucidating principles to guide decision making across interview topic areas. The need for such guidance is highlighted by research suggesting that topics such as offender identity, offence time and place, and witnesses are a source of overzealous questioning in interviews.

Validity of short food questionnaire items to measure intake in children and adolescents: a systematic review

BACKGROUND: Short food questions are appealing to measure dietary intakes. METHODS: A review of studies published between 2004 and 2016 was undertaken and these were included in the present study if they reported on a question or short item questionnaire (≤50 items, data presented as ≤30 food groups) measuring food intake or food-related habits, in children (aged 6 months to 18 years), and reported question validity or reliability. Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Most questions assessed foods or food groups (n = 29), with the most commonly assessed being fruit (n = 22) or vegetable intake (n = 23), dairy foods and discretionary foods (n = 20 studies each). Four studies assessed food habits, with the most common being breakfast and meal frequency (n = 4 studies). Twenty studies assessed reliability, and 25 studies determined accuracy and were most commonly compared against food records. Evaluation of question performance relied on statistical tests such as correlation. CONCLUSIONS: The present study has identified valid and reliable questions for the range of key food groups of interest to public health nutrition. Questions were more likely to be reliable than accurate, and relatively few questions were both reliable and accurate. Gaps in repeatable and valid short food questions have been identified that will provide direction for future tool development.

Aggregating data for social linking in the humanities and creative arts : the "Humanities Networked Infrastructure (HuNI)"

This paper reports on the development of the Humanities Networked Infrastructure (HuNI), a service which aggregates data from thirty Australian data sources and makes them available for use by researchers across the humanities and creative arts, and more widely by the general public. We discuss the methods used by HuNI to aggregate data, as well as the conceptual framework which has shaped the design of HuNI’s Data Model around six core entity types. Two of the key functions available to users of HuNI – building collections and creating links – are discussed, together with their design rationale.

Sedimentology and ichnology of two lower Triassic sections in South China: implications for the biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction

Biotic recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction was investigated using trace fossil and facies analysis of two Lower–Middle Triassic sections in South China. The Susong section (Lower Yangtze Sedimentary Province) comprises a range of carbonate and mudstone facies that record overall shallowing from offshore to intertidal settings. The Tianshengqiao section (Upper Yangtze Sedimentary Province) consists of mixed carbonate and siliciclastic facies deposited in shallow marine to offshore settings. Griesbachian to Dienerian ichnological records in both sections are characterized by low ichnodiversity, low ichnofabric indices (1–2) and low bedding plane bioturbation indices (1–2). Higher ichnofabric indices (3 and 4), corresponding to a dense population of diminutive ichnotaxon, in the Tianshengqiao section suggest opportunistic infaunal biotic activity during the earliest Triassic. Ichnological data from the Susong section show an increase in ichnodiversity during the late Smithian with 11 ichnogenera identified and increased ichnofabric indices of 4–5 and bedding plane bioturbation indices of 3–5. Although complex traces such as Rhizocorallium are present in Spathian-aged strata in this section, low ichnodiversity and ichnofabric indices and diminutive Planolites suggest a decline in recovery. In the Tianshengqiao section, ichnofabric indices are moderate to high (3–5) although only six ichnogenera are present and Planolites burrows are consistently small in Smithian and Spathian strata. Complex traces, such as large Rhizocorallium and Thalassinoides, and large Planolites, did not appear until the Anisian. Ichnological results from both sections record the response of organisms to unfavourable environmental conditions although the Susong section shows earlier recovery during the Smithian prior to latest Smithian–Spathian decline. This decline may have resulted from a resurgence of euxinic to anoxic marine environment in various regions of South China. Ichnological data from the Tianshengqiao section indicate protracted recovery throughout the Early Triassic as previously found elsewhere in South China. Comparison of the South China trace fossil records with global ichnological data show a diachronous pattern of recovery of trace makers and highlights the heterogeneous development of oxic facies on the marked variation in recovery rate.

Proliferation of MISS-related microbial mats following the end-Permian mass extinction in the northern Paleo-Tethys: evidence from southern Qilianshan region, western China

As a consequence of the end-Permian mass extinction, microbes proliferated in the post-extinction shallow marine ecosystems, in which they grew as various microbially induced sedimentary structures (MISSs) in siliciclastic settings. This paper reports, for the first time, the discovery of abundant MISSs from the lowest Triassic sandstones of shallow-water margin origin in the Zhihema sections of the southern Qilianshan region, West China. The sandstones are characterized by well-developed cross-beddings and ripple marks, and a Claraia-dominated bivalve assemblage of middle-late Griesbachian age. These sedimentary structures, together with the bivalves, suggest a high-energy peritidal zone of a shoreface setting in a clastic shallow sea environment. Seven types of MISSs are recognized and described here: pictograph-like sand cracks/crack-fills, polygonal sand crack-fills, erosional remnants, multidirectional linear grooves, sinuous crack-fills, fusiform sand cracks/crack-fills, and leveled ripple marks. Most of the newly found MISSs are morphologically comparable with their ancient and modern counterparts. Detailed optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses reveal that thin clayey laminae and filamentous mica grains are aligned parallel to bedding plane, and that the matrix-supported quartz grains, overall, are oriented; both of which are interpreted to indicate biogenic origin. The biogenic origin of these MISSs is reinforced by the presence of copious putative nanoglobules and filamentous biofilm-like organic objects in the interspaces of clay minerals in laminated layers. These nanometer-scale objects are interpreted as bacterial bodies or remains that have been replaced with inorganic minerals upon fossilization. The presence of MISSs on the northern margins of Paleo-Tethys indicates that the post-extinction microbial mats had expanded their distributions from low-latitude to moderate-high latitude regions. Moreover, unlike some previously reported microbial mats that contain very rare body and trace fossils, the southern Qilianshan MISSs were found in association with abundant vertical burrows and bivalves, suggesting that the MISS-forming microbial mats may have served as oases for trace-making organisms and opportunistic bivalves to flourish in shallow-marine habitats immediately after the end-Permian mass extinction.

El exceso de confianza y el statu quo dentro de la estructuración de capital: una perspectiva de las finanzas corporativas del comportamiento

El presente artículo, presenta un análisis de las decisiones de estructuración de capital de la compañía Merck Sharp & Dome S.A.S, desde la perspectiva de las finanzas comportamentales, comparando los métodos utilizados actualmente por la compañía seleccionada con la teoría tradicional de las finanzas, para así poder evaluar el desempeño teórico y real. Incorporar elementos comportamentales dentro del estudio permite profundizar más sobre de las decisiones corporativas en un contexto más cercano a los avances investigativos de las finanzas del comportamiento, lo cual lleva a que el análisis de este artículo se enfoque en la identificación y entendimiento de los sesgos de exceso de confianza y statu quo, pero sobre todo su implicación en las decisiones de financiación. Según la teoría tradicional el proceso de estructuración de capital se guía por los costos, pero este estudio de caso permitió observar que en la práctica esta relación de costo-decisión está en un segundo lugar, después de la relación riesgo-decisión a la hora del proceso de estructuración de capital.

Estudio molecular en dos hermanas afectadas por ictiosis congénita autosómica recesiva : descripción de una nueva mutación causal en TGM1

Se describe la variante homocigota c.320-2A>G de TGM1 en dos hermanas con ictiosis congénita autosómica recesiva. El clonaje de los transcritos generados por esta variante permitió identificar tres mecanismos moleculares de splicing alternativos.

Living on the intertidal/subtidal edge: ecology of the stalked barnacle Pollicipes Pollicipes and of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus

This thesis contributes to the knowledge of temperate rocky shore ecology, with direct implications in the management and conservation of two important local marine resources that inhabit the very edge of subtidal and intertidal habitats on wave-swept rocky shores: the sessile filter feeding stalked barnacle Pollicipes pollicipes and the mobile keystone herbivore sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Research was conducted along gradients of wave exposure on rocky shores of Southern Europe. The abundance of P. lividus was four times higher in SW Portugal than in NW Italy. Most of the variation in urchin abundance occurred at small spatial scales, probably shaped by habitat complexity. In SW Portugal, sea urchin attachment forces while in burrows were measured and related to burrow shape, urchin size and habitat. Burrowing behaviour enhances sea urchin attachment force and might be an adaptive response to hydrodynamic stress. Abundance of P. pollicipes in SW Portugal is highly and positively related to wave exposure at local and regional scales. Predation and recruitment processes seem to be important drivers of these abundance patterns. A distribution model of P. pollicipes abundance in relation to wave exposure was developed for the SW coast of Portugal and might be used for improvement of its management and conservation. Growth of P. pollicipes was studied by applying a novel method using fluorescent calcein for marking and to estimate growth. Growth rate decreased with barnacle size and was highly variable amongst individuals, particularly in smaller barnacles. No effect of shore level on barnacle growth was detected. An assessment of the state of the fishery, conservation and management of the stalked barnacle in different regions of continental Portugal was made, highlighting an overall negative tendency of this state and recommending a change into a co-management system; Resumo: Viver no limite intertidal / subtidal: ecologia do percebe Pollicipes pollicipes e do ouriço-do-mar Paracentrotus lividus Esta tese contribui para o conhecimento da ecologia do litoral rochoso e tem implicações diretas na gestão e conservação de dois recursos marinhos locais que habitam o interface subtidal/intertidal de costas rochosas sujeitas a agitação marinha: o percebe Pollicipes pollicipes, animal séssil e filtrador e o ouriço-do-mar Paracentrotus lividus, animal móvel e herbívoro. Foram realizados vários estudos ao longo de gradientes de hidrodinamismo em costas rochosas do sul da Europa. A abundância de P. lividus foi quatro vezes superior no sudoeste de Portugal relativamente ao noroeste de Itália. Grande parte da variação na abundância de P. lividus ocorreu a pequenas escalas espaciais, provavelmente influenciada pela complexidade do habitat. A força com que o ouriço-do-mar se fixa ao substrato foi medida no terreno no sudoeste de Portugal, tendo esta sido relacionada com a forma da depressão que ocupa, o tamanho individual e o habitat. O comportamento escavador desta espécie aumenta a sua força de fixação ao substrato e poderá ser uma resposta adaptativa ao hidrodinamismo.. A abundância de P. pollicipes na costa sudoeste de Portugal, a diferentes escalas espaciais, está relacionada de forma positiva com a agitação marinha, e é influenciada pela predação e pelo recrutamento desta espécie. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de distribuição e abundância de P. pollicipes para esta costa baseado na relação com a agitação marinha, cujos resultados podem ser usados para melhorar a gestão e conservação deste recurso. Um novo método com recurso a calceina fluorescente foi desenvolvido para marcar percebes e estudar o seu crescimento. A taxa de crescimento diminuiu com o tamanho do animal, sendo altamente variável entre indivíduos, sobretudos nos de menores dimensões. O estado da apanha, conservação e gestão do percebe em diferentes regiões de Portugal Continental apresentou uma tendência global negativa, e recomenda-se uma alteração para um sistema de cogestão deste recurso.