Geochemical Variability of the Rapakivi Itu Province, State of São Paulo, SE Brazil

This paper describes the chemical variability of the Late Precambrian Itu Rapakivi Province (IRP), State of São Paulo, SE Brazil, based on 187 selected analyses from the Itu, São Francisco, Sorocaba, Campina do Veado and Sguario/ Correa granites. The IRP has an almost uniform petrographic character conferred by the overall dominance of subalkaline biotite granites. Monzogranites (adamellites), granodiorites, quartz syenites, quartz monzonites are rare to very rare rock types and tonalites and quartz diorites are almost restricted to enclaves. Typical chemical features are the high FeO*/MgO ratio, a clustering of the K2O values between 4.5 and 6.0 wt.% and K2O/Na2O ratios which define the IRP as mildly potassic although more potassic rocks also occur. The overal Peacock Alkalinity Index is 54 defining the Province as alkali-calcic. In the Shand diagram the data cluster near the metaluminous/peraluminous boundary. Relationships between Nb, Rb and Y stress the within plate character of the IRP and the relationships between Rb, Ba and Sr reveal the importance of feldspar fractionation in magma evolution. The data also show an interbody and an intrabody chemical variability due to the variation in the composition of the crustal magma protoliths, as assigned by K/Rb relations. The presence of several magmatic cycles which built up the major intrusions reflects a magma ascent from collecting chambers successively drained and recharged, a feature in agreement with the clear link between the bodies and long lived, successively reactivated, transcurrent faults. Most of the chemical features of the IRP correspond to those of the classical Finnish rapakivi granites.

Factors affecting somatic cell counts and their relations with milk and milk constituent yield in buffaloes

Data concerning daily milk yield (MY), percentage of milk fat (%F), protein (%P), lactose (%LT), and total solids (%TS), and somatic cell counts (SCC) for a herd of 222 Murrah buffalo reared in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were collected monthly from 1997 to 2000 in order to study the factors affecting SCC and their relation to milk production and constituents during lactation. SCC decreased in the second month of lactation and increased thereafter, up to the ninth month of lactation. The interaction of month of lactation x order of calving was significant. Mean MY observed during the first month of lactation was 6.87 kg, which increased to 7.65 kg during the second month, and then decreased until the ninth month of lactation (3.83 kg). During the different months of lactation, %F, %P, %LT, and %TS ranged from 6.28 to 8.38%, 4.05 to 4.59%, 4.96 to 5.34%, and 16.94 to 18.55%, respectively. Calving year, calving order, and order of month of lactation significantly affected MY, %F, %P, %LT, and %TS. The regression coefficients of transformed SCC on MY and %LT were negative and significant during all months of lactation, showing that milk and lactose yield decreased with increased transformed SCC, causing losses to buffalo milk producers.

Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC): new biregional trade and investment relations in a changing world economic environment$c

Includes bibliography

India and Latin America and the Caribbean: opportunities and challenges in trade and investment relations

Includes Bibliography

Ant diversity in a sugarcane culture without the use of straw burning in southeast, são paulo, Brazil

Problem statement: One of the current requirements of agroecosystem management is the maintenance of biodiversity. Manual sugarcane harvesting with the previous burning of straw has been gradually replaced by mechanical harvesting in Brazil. However, the diversity of Formicidae, which can be a natural pest controller, has not been studied in this new system yet. Approach: This study was carried out to assess the diversity of ants in an exclusively mechanically harvested sugarcane culture based on the hypothesis that species richness and abundance will increase with the deposition of straw in this culture system. Ants were sampled using pitfall traps in six sugarcane cultivars during three consecutive harvest cycles. Results: A total of 8,139 ants, distributed in 39 species, were collected. Richness, abundance and diversity differed between harvest cycles, especially in the first cycle, when the soil did not have any straw and in the two last cycles and the straw layer was about 10-15 cm thick. The communities found in the second and third cycles were similar and the maintenance of straw in the culture contributed to a greater species diversity, particularly of generalist predaceous taxa, which may contribute to the natural control of pests. Conclusion: The diversity of ants increased with straw deposition, including of taxa that may be beneficial to the sugarcane culture. However, new studies of the predatory and competition relations in this agroecosystem are necessary. © 2010 Science Publications.

Structural reforms, macroeconomic fluctuations and income distribution in Brazil

Includes bibliography

Environmental management and operational performance in automotive companies in Brazil: The role of human resource management and lean manufacturing

The main objective of this study is to verify the influence of Environmental Management (EM) on Operational Performance (OP) in Brazilian automotive companies, analyzing whether Lean Manufacturing (LM) and Human Resources (HR) interfere in the greening of these companies. Therefore, a conceptual framework listing these concepts was proposed, and three research hypotheses were presented. A questionnaire was elaborated based on this theoretical background and sent to respondents occupying the highest positions in the production/operations areas of Brazilian automotive companies. The data, collected from 75 companies, were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The main results are as follows: (a) the model tested revealed an adequate goodness of fit, showing that overall, the relations proposed between EM and OP and between HR, LM and EM tend to be statistically valid; (b) EM tends to influence OP in a positive and statistically weak manner; (c) LM has a greater influence on EM when compared to the influence HR has over EM; (d) HR has a positive relationship over EM, but the statistical significance of this relationship is less than that of the other evaluated relationships. The originality of this paper lies in its gathering the concepts of EM, LM, HR and OP in a single study, as they generally tend not to be treated jointly. This paper also provided valid empirical evidence for a littlestudied context: the Brazilian automotive sector. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relative growth and reproduction in Achelous spinicarpus (Crustacea: Portunidae) on the south-eastern continental shelf of Brazil

This investigation aimed to study the relative growth, morphological sexual maturity and fecundity of the swimming crab Achelous spinicarpus in a tropical region, on the south-eastern continental shelf of Brazil (25°S). Biometry of all specimens was conducted, including measurements of the cephalothorax, cheliped, abdomen and gonopods. Relative growth was described based on the equation for allometry (y = axb), and size at sexual maturity was determined from inflections in relations involving the cheliped, gonopods (males), and abdomen (females), as dependent variables, related to the cephalothorax width (independent variable). Fecundity was estimated by the gravimetric method. The relations of the length of the chelar propodus and carpal spine to the carapace width without the lateral spines (CW) showed positive allometry in both sexes, with a significant variation in the constant 'b' for males between the developmental stages (juvenile and adult) and the size at maturity estimated at 37 mm CW. In females, the abdomen was most appropriate for the estimate of morphological maturity, which occurred at a smaller size (32 mm CW), with a change in the growth pattern between the stages, passing from isometric (juveniles) to positive allometric (adults). The gonopods also showed different growth rates between developmental stages, in synchrony with the variables of the cheliped. Mean fecundity for the species was 53,984 eggs, with a positive correlation between the number of eggs exteriorized and the size of the female; the equations allowed interconversion between these variables, due to the adjustment of the power function (r2 ≥ 86%). © 2012 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

Seasonal variation in leaf traits between congeneric savanna and forest trees in Central Brazil: Implications for forest expansion into savanna

The ecology of forest and savanna trees species will largely determine the structure and dynamics of the forest-savanna boundaries, but little is known about the constraints to leaf trait variation imposed by selective forces and evolutionary history during the process of savanna invasion by forest species. We compared seasonal patterns in leaf traits related to leaf structure, carbon assimilation, water, and nutrient relations in 10 congeneric species pairs, each containing one savanna species and one forest species. All individuals were growing in dystrophic oxisols in a fire-protected savanna of Central Brazil. We tested the hypothesis that forest species would be more constrained by seasonal drought and nutrient-poor soils than their savanna congeners. We also hypothesized that habitat, rather than phylogeny, would explain more of the interspecific variance in leaf traits of the studied species. We found that throughout the year forest trees had higher specific leaf area (SLA) but lower integrated water use efficiency than savanna trees. Forest and savanna species maintained similar values of predawn and midday leaf water potential along the year. Lower values were measured in the dry season. However, this was achieved by a stronger regulation of stomatal conductance and of CO2 assimilation on an area basis (A area) in forest trees, particularly toward the end of the dry season. Relative to savanna trees, forest trees maintained similar (P, K, Ca, and Mg) or slightly higher (N) leaf nutrient concentrations. For the majority of traits, more variance was explained by phylogeny, than by habitat of origin, with the exception of SLA, leaf N concentration, and A area, which were apparently subjected to different selective pressures in the savanna and forest environments. In conclusion, water shortage during extended droughts would be more limiting for forest trees than nutrient-poor soils. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Digital proficiency and digital inclusion: Comparison between students of computer science, public relations and engineering

New information and communication technologies may be useful for providing more in-depth knowledge to students in many ways, whether through online multimedia educational material, or through online debates with colleagues, teachers and other area professionals in a synchronous or asynchronous manner. This paper focuses on participation in online discussion in e-learning courses for promoting learning. Although an important theoretical aspect, an analysis of literature reveals there are few studies evaluating the personal and social aspects of online course users in a quantitative manner. This paper aims to introduce a method for diagnosing inclusion and digital proficiency and other personal aspects of the student through a case study comparing Information System, Public Relations and Engineering students at a public university in Brazil. Statistical analysis and analysis of variances (ANOVA) were used as the methodology for data analysis in order to understand existing relations between the components of the proposed method. The survey methodology was also used, in its online format, as a research instrument. The method is based on using online questionnaires that diagnose digital proficiency and time management, level of extroversion and social skills of the students. According to the sample studied, there is no strong correlation between digital proficiency and individual characteristics tied to the use of time, level of extroversion and social skills of students. The differences in course grades for some components are partly due to subject 'Introduction to Economics' being offered to freshmen in Public Relations, whereas subject 'Economics in Engineering' is offered in the final semesters of Engineering and Information Systems courses. Therefore, the difference could be more tied to the respondent's age than to the course. Information Systems students were observed to be older, with access to computers and Internet at the workplace, compared to the other students who access the Internet more often from home. This paper presents a pilot study aimed at conducting a diagnosis that permits proposing actions for information and communication technology to contribute towards student education. Three levels of digital inclusion are described as a scale to measure whether information technology increases personal performance and professional knowledge and skills. This study may be useful for other readers interested in themes related to education in engineering. © 2013 IEEE.

Evolução termocronológica do sudoeste de Angola e correlação com o sudoeste brasileiro: termocronologia por traços de fissão em apatita

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

O padrão de atuação das empresas de segurança privada: o caso de Angola

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Subordinação discursiva no português à luz da gramática discursivo-funcional

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

Changes in the relationship between society and nature in the Mezzo-region of Southeastern Pará, Amazon, Brazil

Neste texto, busca-se demonstrar algumas das alterações ocorridas nos padrões de relações existentes entre sociedade e natureza ocorridas no século XX, nos vales dos rios Parauapebas, Itacaiúnas e em parte do vale rio Tocantins, no sudeste do estado do Pará, o que é feito realizando um resgate das descrições decorrentes do olhar de Coudreau (1889) e transcritas em "Voyage a Itaboca et a L'Itacayuna", publicado em 1897, no qual se descreve uma área quase que integralmente coberta pela floresta. Em seguida, realiza-se uma contraposição, recorrendo a outro olhar, o que é viabilizado pelos sensores do satélite Landsat 5, que imagiaram a área destes vales em 2001, explicitando conseqüências das transformações da sociedade e da pressão sobre recursos naturais mas, sobretudo, a drástica redução da floresta a 52% dos 63 mil km² analisados.