Resilience of small-scale societies’ livelihoods: a framework for studying the transition from food gathering to food production

The origins of agriculture and the shift from hunting and gathering to committed agriculture is regarded as one of the major transitions in human history. Archeologists and anthropologists have invested significant efforts in explaining the origins of agriculture. A period of gathering intensification and experimentation and pursuing a mixed economic strategy seems the most plausible explanation for the transition to agriculture and provides an approach to study a process in which several nonlinear processes may have played a role. However, the mechanisms underlying the transition to full agriculture are not completely clear. This is partly due to the nature of the archeological record, which registers a practice only once it has become clearly established. Thus, points of transitions have limited visibility and the mechanisms involved in the process are difficult to untangle. The complexity of such transitions also implies that shifts can be distinctively different in particular environments and under varying historical and social conditions. In this paper we discuss some of the elements involved in the transition to food production within the framework of resilience theory. We propose a theoretical conceptual model in which the resilience of livelihood strategies lies at the intersection of three spheres: the environmental, economical, and social domains. Transitions occur when the rate of change, in one or more of these domains, is so elevated or its magnitude so large that the livelihood system is unable to bounce back to its original state. In this situation, the system moves to an alternative stable state, from one livelihood strategy to another.

O afecto na adaptação dos estudantes do primeiro ano do Ensino Superior e seus correlatos

A entrada e a adaptação ao Ensino Superior consistem num período muito emocional, causador de manifestações positivas, bem como de expressões negativas, como sejam a ansiedade e o stresse. Neste sentido, perspectiva-se que quanto mais os estudantes do ensino superior se sentem integrados e felizes mais irão evitar e minimizar as consequências associadas a afectos negativos, que podem, em grande parte dos casos, estar na origem ou contribuir para o insucesso académico e até mesmo para o abandono escolar. O presente estudo pretende investigar em que medida as variáveis afecto negativo e afecto positivo estão relacionadas com factores sociodemográficos idade, sexo, curso e saída de casa ou não aquando do ingresso no ensino superior, em estudantes do primeiro ano do ensino superior, assim como explorar a relação entre o afecto (positivo e negativo) e a percepção de saúde da amostra em estudo. Para o efeito foi utilizado o Questionário Sócio–Demográfico do Questionário de Vivências Académicas Reduzido (QVA-r) (Almeida, Soares & Ferreira, 2002), a Escala de Afecto Positivo e Negativo (PANAS), adaptado, por Galinha e Ribeiro (2005), e os itens 1 e 2 do Questionário de Estado de Saúde SF–36 (Ribeiro, 2005). Estes instrumentos foram administrados a uma amostra de 102 estudantes do 1º ano de ensino superior na região Norte de Portugal (26,5% do sexo masculino e 72,5% do sexo feminino). Os resultados obtidos permitem concluir que, a amostra em estudo, o sexo e a percepção de saúde dos participantes são factores diferenciadores no que concerne ao afecto (negativo e positivo), sendo que o curso, a saída ou não de casa e a idade não o são. Estes resultados têm implicações ao nível de intervenção no afecto no âmbito da adaptação ao Ensino Superior.

Teoria da mente e competências sociais em crianças em idade escolar

A Teoria da Mente (TM) é uma competência cognitiva que permite ao individuo reconhecer os seus próprios estados mentais bem como o das outras pessoas. Trata-se de uma capacidade que se desenvolve desde os primeiros meses de vida até à idade escolar e que faz com que sejamos capazes de compreender e antecipar o comportamento do outro: compreender os sentimentos, pensamentos, crenças, desejos e intenções (ver glossário). É a TM que permite ao indivíduo compreender o contexto social em que está inserido, demonstrando comportamentos sociais adequados. A linguagem está intimamente relacionada com a TM, nomeadamente com a capacidade de compreender falsas crenças, expressões idiomáticas, duplos sentidos e ironias (marcadores ao nível do seu desenvolvimento). A semântica e a sintaxe (sob ponto de vista expressivo e recetivo) têm um papel fulcral na compreensão dos estados mentais. É nesta relação entre TM, Competências Sociais (CS) e linguagem que se enquadra a presente investigação. Esta teve como objetivos analisar a relação existente entre TM e CS em crianças com desenvolvimento neurotípico, bem como a sua relação existente entre fatores sociais e demográficos, comparar a perceção dos pais e professores sobre as CS e analisar algumas variáveis preditoras da TM. Para isso, constituiu-se uma amostra de 103 crianças de ambos os sexos (54 do sexo feminino e 49 do sexo masculino) com idades compreendidas entre os 6 e os 9 anos com desenvolvimento neurotípico que frequentassem o 1º ciclo do ensino básico. Para a recolha de dados, os encarregados de educação preencheram um questionário sobre dados socio – demográficos e o questionário de CS (também preenchidos pelo professores). As competências de TM foram avaliadas através duas sequências do Teste Doctor Martin – Brune. Esta investigação encontrou correlações efetivas entre competências de TM e CS, nomeadamente nos domínios do altruísmo, iniciação e orientação pró – social bem como na reciprocidade. Tal como se esperava após a revisão bibliográfica, encontraram-se correlações entre alguns fatores sociais e demográficos, TM e CS ainda que alguns resultados tenham sido inconclusivos. De qualquer forma, verificou-se a existência de relações com a idade, escolaridade, número de irmãos, idade dos irmãos, escolaridade e idade dos pais. Os resultados acerca da perceção de pais e professores acerca das CS da criança foram igualmente curiosos e passiveis de nova investigação: as CS nos diferentes contextos em que a criança se insere e a avaliação que diferentes interlocutores fazem das suas competências. Foram encontradas correlações positivas entre CS e alguns fatores socio – demográficos anteriormente referidos pela investigação (escolaridade da mãe, número de irmãos, idade, anos de escolaridade). No entanto, outros fatores surgiram como estando relacionados (fatores relacionados com o pai) sem que exista mais informação acerca destes dados. Os resultados demonstraram também que os pais avaliam as CS dos filhos de modo superior aos professores no que se refere à orientação pró – social e iniciação social, mas inferior no domínio do altruísmo. De acordo com o Teste de Pearson, existem correlações positivas entre a avaliação realizada pelos pais e professores no que diz respeito à orientação pró – social, iniciação social e altruísmo bem como no total do Questionário. Todavia, é fundamental continuar a desenvolver estudos nesta área de investigação tendo em consideração a pouca informação existente acerca de algumas variáveis, nomeadamente, em relação ao papel do pai no desenvolvimento da TM.

The ecology and evolution of invasive Potamopyrgus antipodarum in Australia

The spread of invasive organisms is one of the greatest threats to ecosystems and biodiversity worldwide. Understanding the evolutionary and ecological factors responsible for the transport, introduction, establishment and spread of invasive species will assist the development of control strategies. The New Zealand mudsnail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum (Gray 1843) (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae), is a global freshwater invader, with populations established in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australia. While sexual and asexual P. antipodarum coexist in the native range, invasive populations reproduce by parthenogenesis, producing dense populations that compete for resources with native species. Potamopyrgus antipodarum is a natural model system for the study of evolutionary and ecological processes underlying invasion. This thesis assesses the invasion history, genetic diversity and ecology of P. antipodarum in Australia, with particular focus on: a) potential source populations, b) distribution and structure of populations, and c) species traits related to the establishment, persistence and spread of invasive P. antipodarum. Genetic analyses were carried out on specimens collected for this study from New Zealand and Australia, along with existing museum samples. In combination with published data, the analyses revealed low genetic diversity among and within invasive populations in south-eastern Australia, relative to New Zealand populations. Phylogenetic relationships inferred from mitochondrial sequences indicated that the Australian populations belong to clades dominated by parthenogenetic haplotypes that are known to be present in Europe and the US. These ‘invasive clades’ are likely to originate from the North Island of New Zealand, and suggest a role for selection in determining genetic composition of invasive populations. The genotypic diversity of Australian P. antipodarum was low, with few, closely related clones distributed across south-eastern Australia. The pattern of clone distribution was not consistent with any assessed geographical or abiotic factors; instead a few, widely-distributed clones were present in high frequencies at most sites. Differences in clone frequencies were found, which may indicate differential success of clonal lineages. A range of traits have been proposed as facilitators of invasion success, and within-species variation in these traits can promote differential success of genotypes. Using laboratory-based experiments, the performance of the three most common Australian clones was tested across a suite of invasion-relevant traits. Ecologically-relevant variation in traits was found among the clones. These differences may have determined the spatial distribution of clones, and may continue to do so into the future. This thesis found that the P. antipodarum invasion of Australia is the result of few introductions of a small number of globally-invasive genotypes that vary in ecologically-relevant traits. From a source of considerable genetic diversity in the native range, very few genotypes have become invasive. Those that are invasive appear to be very successful at continental scales. These findings highlight a capacity in asexual invaders to successfully invade, and potentially adapt to, a broad range of ecosystems. The P. antipodarum invasion system is amenable to research using combinations of field-based studies, molecular and laboratory approaches, and is likely to yield significant, broadly-applicable insights into invasion.

An evolutionary model explaining the Neolithic transition from egalitarianism to leadership and despotism.

The Neolithic was marked by a transition from small and relatively egalitarian groups, to much larger groups with increased stratification. But the dynamics of this remain poorly understood. It is hard to see how despotism can arise without coercion, yet coercion could not easily have occurred in an egalitarian setting. Using a quanti- tative model of evolution in a patch-structured population, we demonstrate that the interaction between demographic and ecological factors can overcome this conundrum. We model the co-evolution of individual preferences for hierarchy alongside the degree of despotism of leaders, and the dispersal preferences of followers. We show that voluntary leadership without coercion can evolve in small groups, when leaders help to solve coordination problems related to resource production. An example is coordinating construction of an irrigation system. Our model predicts that the transition to larger despotic groups will then occur when: 1. surplus resources lead to demographic expansion of groups, removing the viability of an acephalous niche in the same area and so locking individuals into hierarchy; 2. high dispersal costs limit followers' ability to escape a despot. Empirical evidence suggests that these conditions were likely met for the first time during the subsistence intensification of the Neolithic.

Primary prevention of neural tube defects: data from the portuguese national registry of congenital anomalies (RENAC)

Background: In Portugal folic acid supplementation is recommended to start at least 2-3 months before conception for primary prevention of Neural Tube Defects. The aim of this study was to evaluate, within gestations with at least one congenital anomaly, possible association between maternal socio-demographic factors and the use of folic acid. Methods: Using data from the Portuguese national registry of congenital anomalies, for the 2004-2013 period, the association between folic acid use during pregnancy and maternal characteristics was studied using the chi-square test. Results: Considering all reported cases with congenital anomaly, the use of folic acid before conception was reported by 12.7% (n = 1233) of the women; 47.8% (n = 4623) started supplementation during the 1st trimester, 7% (n = 680) did not take folic acid and 32.5% (3143) of the records had no information on folic acid use. Women with professions that require higher academic differentiation started the use of supplements before pregnancy (p <0.001); women under 19 years old and with Arab ethnicity (p <0.001) did not take folic acid. Mothers with a previous pregnancy reported less use of folic acid (11.5% versus 14.7%) than mothers without a previous pregnancy (p <0.001). Conclusions: The results suggest some degree of association between maternal characteristics and use of folic acid. To increase the consumption of folic acid before pregnancy new measures are need to promote this primary prevention, among couples and health professionals. This study highlights some maternal characteristics and subgroups of mothers for who the measures should be reinforced.

Les Millepora (Hydrozoaires) de la Baie de Nhatrang

The importance of the variation of Millepora in connection with their habitat is so well known. Boschma (1948) describes some relationships between those variations and some ecological factors. The present paper establishes the taxonomy of Millepora living in the Nhatrang Bay and describes their distribution on the different parts of the coral reef of this bay. Some observations on the variations of some species in relationship with their habitat seem to agree with Boschma's opinion about the action of some ecological factors.

Desenvolvimento de produtos à base de anchoíta e comportamento do mercado consumidor

Anchoíta (Engraulis anchoita) é uma espécie pelágica encontrada no Sudoeste do Oceano Atlântico. Estima-se que 135000 toneladas/ano desse peixe possam ser exploradas ao longo do litoral sul do Brasil. Entretanto, os recursos pesqueiros do país são ainda inexplorados, o que torna esta matéria prima candidata em potencial para a fabricação de novos produtos a base desse pescado. Com o apoio de programas governamentais sociais, a tendência para o Brasil é para o desenvolvimento de produtos de anchoíta alternativos e que sejam capazes de suprir as necessidades específicas de cada grupo de consumo alvo. Dentro desse cenário, um estudo de novos produtos de pescado frente ao mercado se faz necessário, na tentativa de compreender as variáveis influentes do setor. Para tanto, na presente tese teve objetivou-se desenvolver produtos à base de anchoíta e estudar o comportamento do mercado consumidor frente a esses novos produtos de pescado. Um total de seis artigos foi gerado. O primeiro artigo intitulou-se: “Potencial de inserção de empanados de pescado na merenda escolar mediante determinantes individuais”. Neste objetivou-se detectar os determinantes individuais do consumo de pescado com adolescentes em idade de 12 a 17 anos, visando à inserção de empanados de pescado na merenda escolar. Foi verificado que as variáveis que melhor discriminaram a frequência de consumo foram “gosta de pescado” e “grau de escolaridade dos pais”. Os resultados indicaram um potencial de consumo de empanados de pescado por adolescentes, associado à necessidade de educação alimentar. O segundo artigo “Elaboração de hambúrguer a partir de base proteica de anchoíta (Engraulis anchoita)” no qual se objetivou avaliar o efeito de diferentes combinações de solventes para a obtenção de base proteica de anchoíta visando à elaboração de hambúrguer de pescado. As lavagens com ácido fosfórico e mais dois ciclos de água foram as que apresentaram os melhores valores para a obtenção da base proteica, baseando-se na remoção de nitrogenados e respostas sensoriais. No terceiro artigo “Aceitação de empanados de pescado (Engraulis anchoita) na merenda escolar no extremo sul do Brasil” o objetivo foi avaliar a aceitação de empanados de pescado (Engraulis anchoita) com alunos (n = 830) da rede pública de ensino, em idades entre 5 e 18 anos, de duas cidades do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Os resultados indicaram relação inversa entre a aceitação de empanados de pescado e o aumento da idade das crianças. O quarto artigo estudou “Razões subjacentes ao baixo consumo de pescado pelo consumidor brasileiro.” Neste objetivou-se investigar o comportamento referente ao consumo de pescado de uma população com baixo consumo de pescado (Brasil), aplicando a Teoria do Comportamento Planejado (TCP). Os resultados indicaram que tanto a intenção como a atitude provou serem determinantes significativos na frequência de comer pescado, sendo a atitude inversamente correlacionada com o consumo de pescado. Hábito apareceu como uma importante variável discriminante para o consumo de pescado. O quinto artigo intitula-se “Modelagem de equações estruturais e associação de palavras como ferramentas para melhor compreensão do baixo consumo de pescado”. O objetivo foi desenvolver um modelo e explicar o conjunto das relações entre os construtos do consumo de pescado em uma população com baixo consumo de pescado (Brasil) através da aplicação da TCP e pelo Questionário das Escolhas dos Alimentos. Além disso, a percepção cognitiva de produtos de pescado (Engraulis anchoíta) foi avaliada pela mesma população. Os resultados indicaram um bom ajuste para o modelo proposto e mostraram que os construtos “saúde” e “controle de peso” são bons preditores da intenção. A técnica associação de palavras provou ser um método útil para a análise de percepção de um novo produto de pescado, além de ajudar a explicar os resultados obtidos pelas equações estruturais. O sexto e último artigo “Percepção de saudável em produtos de pescado em uma população com alto consumo de pescado. Uma investigação por eye tracking” em que se objetivou explorar o uso do método eye tracking para estudar a percepção de saudável em diferentes produtos de pescado. Dois pontos importantes podem ser salientados como influentes na percepção de saudável: produtos de pescado processados e alimentos fritos.

Ecologie de la baie de Nhatrang: étude des peuplements animaux du faciès rocheux intertidal

From the analysis of typical animal populations, the author tries to draw an outline of a general bionomic system and to describe the effects of predominant ecological factors (wave action, insolation, salinity and contents of sea water) on the characteristic species (Tectarius nodulosus, Tectarius novaezelandiae, Chthamalus stellatus, Tetraclita porcsa, Ostrea forskali, Balanus tintinna bulum and Madreporaria). He also outlined a rapid sketch of seasonal variations of the biota.

The commodification of culture in the Thai tourism context: a study of culinary experiences in touristic traditional markets

The purpose of the thesis is to examine the relationship between tourism and the local culture expressed in culinary experiences offered in the traditional, nostalgic-themed markets that have arisen as popular attractions in the 21 st century. Central to the thesis is an examination of how the traditional cultural values are articulated in the production, promotion and consumption of culinary experiences in order to understand the value of culture when embedded in the process of commodification, as well as to understand influential socio-cultural factors. The thesis investigates the potential of traditional markets to promote food as the main attraction in the market. Field studies were conducted from December 2012–March 2014 in eight traditional markets in the central region of Thailand. Based on the ethnographic approach in studying the narratives in the markets, a variety of methods were implemented in the process of data collection. Besides observational analysis of the venue, semi-structured interviews and the self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from actors who engage in food experiences, including management team members, food traders and visitors. Data was also collected from interviews with officers working for Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).  Keys findings of the thesis reveal that the cultural expressions of food experience in each market is an outcome of both the interactions of worldviews expressed by actors involved in the traditional market and the socio-cultural condition of Thailand. The relationships between stakeholders’ attitudes towards food experiences and the commercial potentials and limitations of food were analysed. The analysis of the cultural value of culinary experiences demonstrates that the existing academic discussions of the authenticity of tourism are insightful in explaining the character of food experiences offered in this tourism scenario. Most importantly, authenticity in tourism experiences, being a desirable element in culinary experiences, is a reflection of the how the pre-modern aspect of Thai society is embraced in a contemporary context. In addition, the commodification of culinary culture generates multidimensional consequences on the value of traditional culture and local lives. Moreover, the performance of culinary experiences can be viewed from the perspective of how Thai society interacts with globalization. The thesis also points out that it is possible to compare the situation of the traditional markets with the marketing positioning of food in Thai tourism marketing policy.

Towards an understanding of Pakistani undergraduates’ current attitudes towards learning and speaking English

The English language has an important place in Pakistan and in its education system, not least because of the global status of English and its role in employment. Realising the need to enhance language learning outcomes, especially at the tertiary level, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has put in place some important measures to improve the quality of English language teaching practice through its English Language Teaching Reforms (ELTR) project. However, there is a complex linguistic, educational and ethnic diversity in Pakistan and that diversity, alongside the historical and current role of English in the country, makes any language teaching reform particularly challenging. I argue, in this thesis, that reform to date has largely ignored the issues of learner readiness to learn and learner perceptions of the use of English. I argue that studying learner attitudes is important if we are to understand how learners perceive the practice of learning and the use of English in their lives. This study focuses on the attitudes of undergraduate learners of English as a foreign language at two universities in the provinces of Sindh and Balochistan in Pakistan. These provinces have experienced long struggles and movements related to linguistic and ethnic rights and both educate students from all of the districts of their respective provinces. Drawing on debates around linguistic imperialism, economic necessity, and linguistic and educational diversity, I focus on learners’ perceptions about learning and speaking English, asking what their attitudes are towards learning and speaking English with particular reference to socio-psychological factors at a given time and context, including perceived threats to their culture, religion, and mother tongue. I ask how they make choices about learning and speaking English in different domains of language use and question their motivation to learn and speak English. Additionally, I explore issues of anxiety with reference to their use of English. Following a predominantly qualitative mixed methods research approach, the study employs two research tools: an adapted Likert Scale questionnaire completed by 300 students and semi-structured interviews with 20 participants from the two universities. The data were analysed through descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis, with each set of data synthesised for interpretation. The findings suggest that, compared with the past, the majority of participants hold positive attitudes towards learning and speaking English regardless of their ethnic or linguistic backgrounds. Most of these undergraduate students do not perceive the use of English as a threat to their culture, mother tongue or religious values but, instead, they have a pragmatic and, at the same time, aspirational attitude to the learning and use of English. I present these results and conclude this thesis with reference to ways in which this small-scale study contributes to a better understanding of learner attitudes and perceptions. Acknowledging the limitations of this study, I suggest ways in which the study, enhanced and extended by further research, might have implications for practice, theory and policy in English language teaching and learning in Pakistan.

Diabetes mellitus among tuberculosis patients: a cross sectional study from Pakistan

Background: The co-occurrence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and tuberculosis (TB) is largely associated with high frequency of morbidity. Objective: To determine the prevalence of DM among TB patients and describe the socio-demographic and behavioral factors associated with TB-DM co-occurrence . Methods: We enrolled 500 TB patients from September, 2014 to August 2015 at four major public sector hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. A questionnaire was used to collect information regarding associated socio-demographic and behavioral factors of the patients. We monitored the fasting blood sugar of each patient by using a semi automated clinical chemistry analyzer followed by an HbA1c level check of all hyperglycemic patients. Results: The prevalence of TB-DM co-occurrence was 14.8%. The prevalence of TB-DM was higher (62.2%) among males. The >57 year age group had the highest proportion of patients (35.1%), with co-existent TB-DM. Most were illiterate (73.0%) and unemployed (48%). Moreover, among the 74 patients positive for TB-DM had a history of smoking. Age and education level were significantly associated with DM-TB while gender, occupation and smoking were not associated. Conclusion: The study revealed a 14.8% prevalence of DM among TB patients. This was associated with several socio-demographic factors, including age, unemployment, literacy and polluted environment. Thus, poor and unhealthy lifestyles were the factors associated with DM among immunologically compromised individuals due to TB.

Satisfação sexual: Como e para quê? Um estudo sobre diferenças de género nos determinantes e contributos da satisfação sexual

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada ao Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada para obtenção de grau de Mestre na especialidade de Psicologia Clínica.