Análise cladística da tribo Rhopalophorini Blanchard, 1845 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae)

Rhopalophorini is primarily a New World group. Of the 23 known genera, 19 were described from the Neotropical region. A cladistic analysis of the American genera was carried out with 91 morphological characters. The genera Ozodes Audinet-Serville and Lissozodes Bates, recently transferred to Necydalopsini, were included in the analysis in order to investigate their relationships with the Rhopalophorini. The results suggested that their shared similarities with the Rhopalophorini are symplesiomorphies at the level considered in the analysis, so they are maintained in Necydalopsini, and Neozodes Zajciw, indicated as the sister group of Ozodes, is herein transferred to this tribe. In the same way, Elaphopsis Audinet-Serville is transferred to Ibidionini. Rhopalophorini, as defined in the present work, is a monophyletic group and includes 17 American genera. Within Rhopalophorini, Argyrodines + Parozodes constitute the basalmost group, and Cycnoderus is the sister group of the two major clades formed, one by Ischionodonta, Disaulax, Cosmisoma, Closteropus and Gurubira, and the other, by Rhopalophora, Coremia, Merocoremia, Dirocoremia, Thalusia and Lathusia; the relationships of Rhopalophorella, Rhopalina and Muxbalia remain inconclusive. A phylogenetic classification of Rhopalophorini at the genus level is proposed.

Territórios de machos, acasalamento, distribuição e relação com plantas em Protomeliturga turnerae (Ducke, 1907) (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae)

Protomeliturga turnerae (Ducke, 1907) represents the monotypic tribe Protomeliturgini (Andrenidae, Panurginae). The species is oligolectic on flowers of Turnera L. (Turneraceae). A survey of bees on flowers of Turneraceae and of material in entomological collections showed that P. turnerae is common and endemic in Northeastern Brazil, occurring from the State of Maranhão to Alagoas. In João Pessoa, Paraíba, we studied the reproductive biology and mating behavior of P. turnerae and its relations to plants. At the study site, the species was univoltine with males emerging 5-8 days before the females. Soon after emergence the males established territories on flowers of Turnera subulata Smith which they occupied during several days. Parts of each territory overlapped with those of 1 to 3 other males. On the average, a territory comprised 124 flowers, 59 being shared with other males. Males showed two mating strategies: patrolling the flowers of T. subulata in which females collected pollen or waiting in a specific flower inside the territory for arriving females. P. turnerae showed multiple mating. On the average, a male mated 7 times a day, each copula lasting 3 to 25 sec. We observed 2 to 3 males attempting to copulate with the same female. At the end of anthesis of T. subulata the males stopped flying activity and remained inside flowers until their closure.

The implicit theory of historical change in the work of Alan S. Milward

Alan S. Milward was an economic historian who developed an implicit theory ofhistorical change. His interpretation which was neither liberal nor Marxist positedthat social, political, and economic change, for it to be sustainable, had to be agradual process rather than one resulting from a sudden, cataclysmicrevolutionary event occurring in one sector of the economy or society. Benignchange depended much less on natural resource endowment or technologicaldevelopments than on the ability of state institutions to respond to changingpolitical demands from within each society. State bureaucracies were fundamentalto formulating those political demands and advising politicians of ways to meetthem. Since each society was different there was no single model of developmentto be adopted or which could be imposed successfully by one nation-state onothers, either through force or through foreign aid programs. Nor coulddevelopment be promoted simply by copying the model of a more successfuleconomy. Each nation-state had to find its own response to the political demandsarising from within its society. Integration occurred when a number of nation states shared similar political objectives which they could not meet individuallybut could meet collectively. It was not simply the result of their increasinginterdependence. It was how and whether nation-states responded to thesedomestic demands which determined the nature of historical change.

Improving Transition Outcomes: Resource Mapping Workshop: Resource List

Resource Mapping resources shared during the Improving Transition Outcomes Resource Mapping Workshops

Improving Transition Outcomes: Resource Mapping Workshop: General Information

Information shared at the Improving Transition Outcomes Resource Mapping Workshops

Improving Transition Outcomes: Resource Mapping Workshop: Interview Tips

Interview tips developed by Lois Smidt with Beyond Welfare in Ames, Iowa and shared at the Improving Transition Outcomes Resource Mapping Workshops

Improving Transition Outcomes: Resource Mapping Workshop: What is Resource Mapping?

Information shared at the Improving Transition Outcomes Resource Mapping Workshops

Improving Transition Outcomes: Capacity Building Forum: Dissemination of Promising Transition Practices

Information on the Promising Transition Practices shared at the September 28, 2007 Capacity Building Forum sponsored by Improving Transition Outcomes with Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

Organisational values as "attractors of chaos": An emerging cultural change to manage organisational complexity

Business organisations are excellent representations of what in physics and mathematics are designated "chaotic" systems. Because a culture of innovation will be vital for organisational survival in the 21st century, the present paper proposes that viewing organisations in terms of "complexity theory" may assist leaders in fine-tuning managerial philosophies that provide orderly management emphasizing stability within a culture of organised chaos, for it is on the "boundary of chaos" that the greatest creativity occurs. It is argued that 21st century companies, as chaotic social systems, will no longer be effectively managed by rigid objectives (MBO) nor by instructions (MBI). Their capacity for self-organisation will be derived essentially from how their members accept a shared set of values or principles for action (MBV). Complexity theory deals with systems that show complex structures in time or space, often hiding simple deterministic rules. This theory holds that once these rules are found, it is possible to make effective predictions and even to control the apparent complexity. The state of chaos that self-organises, thanks to the appearance of the "strange attractor", is the ideal basis for creativity and innovation in the company. In this self-organised state of chaos, members are not confined to narrow roles, and gradually develop their capacity for differentiation and relationships, growing continuously toward their maximum potential contribution to the efficiency of the organisation. In this way, values act as organisers or "attractors" of disorder, which in the theory of chaos are equations represented by unusually regular geometric configurations that predict the long-term behaviour of complex systems. In business organisations (as in all kinds of social systems) the starting principles end up as the final principles in the long term. An attractor is a model representation of the behavioral results of a system. The attractor is not a force of attraction or a goal-oriented presence in the system; it simply depicts where the system is headed based on its rules of motion. Thus, in a culture that cultivates or shares values of autonomy, responsibility, independence, innovation, creativity, and proaction, the risk of short-term chaos is mitigated by an overall long-term sense of direction. A more suitable approach to manage the internal and external complexities that organisations are currently confronting is to alter their dominant culture under the principles of MBV.

Track analysis of the Mexican species of Cerambycidae (Insecta, Coleoptera)

A track analysis of 221 species belonging to 68 genera of Mexican Cerambycidae was undertaken in order to identify their main distributional patterns. Based on the comparison of the individual tracks, fifteen generalized tracks were obtained: six are placed in the Neotropical region, seven are shared by the Neotropical region and the Mexican Transition Zone, one is situated in the Mexican Transition Zone, and one is shared by the Nearctic region and the Mexican Transition Zone. Eight nodes were found in the intersection of these generalized tracks, five of them located in the Neotropical region and three in the Mexican Transition Zone. Distributional patterns of Mexican Cerambycidae show two basic patterns: one mostly Neotropical, in the Mesoamerican dominion (Mexican Pacific Coast and Mexican Gulf biogeographic provinces) and another in the Mexican Transition Zone (Transmexican Volcanic Belt and Balsas Basin biogeographic provinces).

Prime property institutions for a subprime era: Toward innovative models of homeownership

This Article breaks new ground toward contractual and institutional innovation in models of homeownership, equity building, and mortgage enforcement. Inspired by recent developments in the affordable housing sector and other types of public financing schemes, we suggest extending institutional and financial strategies such as time- and place-based division of property rights, conditional subsidies, and credit mediation to alleviate the systemic risks of mortgage foreclosure. Two new solutions offer a broad theoretical basis for such developments in the economic and legal institution of homeownership: a for-profit shared equity scheme led by local governments alongside a private market shared equity model, one of "bootstrapping home buying with purchase options".

Position statement--altitude training for improving team-sport players' performance: current knowledge and unresolved issues.

Despite the limited research on the effects of altitude (or hypoxic) training interventions on team-sport performance, players from all around the world engaged in these sports are now using altitude training more than ever before. In March 2013, an Altitude Training and Team Sports conference was held in Doha, Qatar, to establish a forum of research and practical insights into this rapidly growing field. A round-table meeting in which the panellists engaged in focused discussions concluded this conference. This has resulted in the present position statement, designed to highlight some key issues raised during the debates and to integrate the ideas into a shared conceptual framework. The present signposting document has been developed for use by support teams (coaches, performance scientists, physicians, strength and conditioning staff) and other professionals who have an interest in the practical application of altitude training for team sports. After more than four decades of research, there is still no consensus on the optimal strategies to elicit the best results from altitude training in a team-sport population. However, there are some recommended strategies discussed in this position statement to adopt for improving the acclimatisation process when training/competing at altitude and for potentially enhancing sea-level performance. It is our hope that this information will be intriguing, balanced and, more importantly, stimulating to the point that it promotes constructive discussion and serves as a guide for future research aimed at advancing the bourgeoning body of knowledge in the area of altitude training for team sports.

Comunidade política, imigração e coesão social: o caso português

This work contributes to an understanding of how the existence of multiple ethnic- cultural belongings in the political community concurs with the maintenance of a socially cohesive and politically united community. Considering the immigration reality in Portugal, we tried to identify the bonds that link immigrants to the political community and how those bonds can be mobilized to integrate immigrants in a common living project inside the national territory. Methodologically, this investigation is based in a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the policies and measures applied in Portugal in the immigration sphere, as well as the results of the empirical work we carried out with two immigration groups (Brazilians and Cape Verdeans) living in Lisbon’s metropolitan area, and the answers to a survey we sent to immigrant associations. The results of this research revealed the existence of a certain political ambivalence concerning the immigrant integration process, which expresses itself to a certain degree in the way national citizens and immigrants appraise the immigrant contribution to Portuguese society. The prevailing and blurred idea states that immigration expenses don’t make up for the benefits, and that is likely to influence the mutual relationship established between the two. Despite the existence of objective situations of social and economic disparity and despite a feeling of discrimination shared between immigrants, it is possible to identify a progressive citizenship universalization and the formal acceptance of immigrant religious and cultural traditions, even though the Portuguese parliament does not reflect such diversity. Thus, we perceive the possibility of warranting specific ethnic and cultural minority rights without the ethnicization or culturalization of political representation, and the general standards that serve as a backbone to the national political community might be enough to warrant that protection. Notwithstanding, some signs suggest that immigrant access to public sphere might not be easy, and this might have repercussions in the visibility and in the public discussion of demands, with outcomes on the type of integration policies Portugal applies.

Comportamentos de saúde e doença numa comunidade Cabo-Verdiana em Lisboa

O objetivo foi compreender como os indivíduos se comportam em termos de saúde e o que fazem em caso de doença. Análise comparativa realçou semelhanças e divergências de práticas de saúde ou em caso de doença. O estudo foi efetuado numa amostra de 40 cabo-verdianos da primeira geração residentes na região de Lisboa, dividida em subgrupos: grupo social, geração e genero. Baseou-se em metodologia qualitativa com entrevistas semi-estruturadas. As práticas analisadas foram agrupadas em preventivas e de saúde, práticas utilizadas em episódios de doença, recursos para prevenção e tratamento, utilização de remédios caseiros e outros recursos ou terapeutas. Indivíduos experimentaram, ao nível das práticas, três sistemas de saúde que coexistiam em Cabo Verde, oficial, popular e tradicional e o recurso à religião. O discurso acerca das práticas de saúde e de doença demonstrou existirem diferenças, em alguns aspectos, entre grupos sociais e entre generos e gerações. Práticas de saúde destes imigrantes são idênticas às dos portugueses em contextos socioeconomicos semelhantes. Resultados sugerem existência de diferenças entre grupos sociais relativamente às práticas, na esfera da saúde e da doença. Mais que cultura e etnicidade, que se moldam às condições materiais de existência, neste estudo, o nível socioeconomico determinou as maiores diferenças a interferir nas práticas de saúde e doença, de grupo com cultura de base comum. Em geral, os indivíduos sobrevalorizaram sua identidade étnica e cultura de origem. Pertencimento a grupos sociais diferentes dá origem a partilha do sentimento de pertença cultural, mas não a comportamentos e práticas idênticos.