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Visceral leishmaniasis remains a serious public health issue, and Brazil was among the seven countries with the highest prevalence of this disease worldwide. The measures to control this disease are not easily developed, and the improvement of its diagnosis, surveillance, and control is still needed. This study aimed to carry out the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnosis of Leishmania infantum in vector samples in some municipalities of the State of São Paulo, which included two municipalities with human disease transmission and two with dog transmission only. Vectors were collected in traps with luminous bait. Next, they were killed at −4 °C and kept in 70% alcohol. Groups of ten female insects (pools) were mashed on cation exchange paper (fine cellulose phosphate with 18 µEq/cm² ionic exchange capacity) for DNA extraction. The PCR was carried out to identify the natural infection of the Leishmania genus in female Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lu. Longipalpis). Out of the 3,880 Lu. longipalpis phlebotomines, 1060 were female and 2820 were male (3:1). The method used to extract the DNA in pools of ten phlebotomines and the PCR resulted in sensitivity, specificity, practicality, and faster analyses when compared to the individual analysis method. The procedure described can be used on a large scale in the leishmaniasis epidemiological surveillance, enabling a higher number of analyses and the optimization of human resources because the traditional diagnostic method is carried out via desiccation of the insect digestive system and microscopic examination, which is time-demanding and there is the need of manual skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Lead (Pb) contamination in the black paper that recovers intraoral films (BKP) has been investigated. BKP samples were collected from the Radiology Clinics of the Dental School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil. For sake of comparison, four different methods were used. The results revealed the presence of high lead levels, well above the maximum limit allowed by the legislation. Pb contamination levels achieved after the following treatments: paper digestion in nitric acid, microwave treatment, DIN38414-54 method and TCLP method were 997μgg−1, 189μgg−1, 20.8μgg−1, and 54.0μgg−1, respectively. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) were employed for lead determination according to the protocols of the applied methods. Lead contamination in used BKP was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDS). All the SEM imaging was carried out in the secondary electron mode (SE) and backscattered-electron mode (QBSD) following punctual X-ray fluorescence spectra. Soil contamination derived from this product revealed the urgent need of addressing this problem. These elevated Pb levels, show that a preliminary treatment of BKP is mandatory before it is disposed into the common trash. The high lead content of this material makes its direct dumping into the environment unwise. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Measurements of suspended sediment discharge are greatly significant and represent a basic need for the initial assessment of the effects caused by this process and for the subsequent formulation of management actions. Also, considering that obtaining direct hydrosedimentological data is not a trivial and low-cost task due mainly to the special and temporal variability of the phenomenon, substitute technologies are well employed for monitoring watersheds. Among these are turbidity measurements, described in many papers. An adaptation of this technique was designed and performed in this study for the verification and secondary use of turbidimetric data carried out by a drinking water treatment company at the closing point of the upper part of the Jundiaí river watershed, in the city of Campo Limpo Paulista, São Paulo state. Direct measurements with traditional samplers and valuations of particle size distribution throughout the hydrological year were used to establish empirical correlations between the suspended sediments concentration and turbidity. The definition of the most appropriate adjustment was carried out based on the statistical analysis of the linear regression parameters (R2, Value-p, MSPE, and PRESS) and residue statistics, thus adopting the model with piecewise regression by turbidimetric ranges (250 NTU), which in turn, presented low overestimation of the SSC for high values of turbidity. The definition of the historical series of suspended sediment discharge with hourly temporal resolution for the study site validated the main objective of reusing secondary data with hydrosedimentological purposes, highlighting the plausible applications for different places where there are insufficient resources for the installation and use of in situ turbidity equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The programming of cultural events (literary festivals) in the cities of Vale do Paraíba (São Paulo, Brazil) often includes the participation of local literary authors. Thus, this paper intents to analyse how the participant fiction authors and poets articulate their creative process to these events. The main objective is to understand if and how the participation in these events impacts the fictional and poetic creation, the entry into the publishing circuit and the possibility of reaching and dialoguing with more readers. To understand this cultural phenomenon, the research is guided by the theoretical conceptions of Candido (2000) and Even-Zohar (2013), about literary systems, and Schollhammer (2009), about contemporary literature. The results reveal that these events represent for the authors the possibility to divulge their works and have contact with the readers, although they express that the creative process is not always impacted by the contact with the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past three decades, agrarian reform areas have transformed urban and rural spaces across Brazil. Although these areas' creation reduced inequalities and environmental problems, their residents still experience several constraints and vulnerabilities associated with water, energy, and food provision. Drawing on the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus' critical and territorial perspectives, this paper aims to better understand the agrarian reform areas' challenges in peri-urban interfaces towards social justice. We analyse a territory in the Northeast portion of the São Paulo State, where it is located the Sepé Tiaraju agrarian reform settlement in interface with two municipalities. We suggest that agrarian reform areas can activate a progressive and concrete environmental change at the local level where food is the key element to redefining the area's nexus. However, socio-political and spatial dynamics involving water and energy for the sugarcane sector, the municipal government, and tense relationships among residents around food also reproduce unequal access to resources. This paper contributes to the emerging critical literature and its efforts to politicize the nexus debate, giving more nuanced views to the complex and contradictory dynamics involving environmental problems and social justice struggles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing research on public security policy in the context of urban crime and insecurity largely re-flects a shifting paradigm towards a new culture of control. At the same time, research has rarely asso-ciated descriptive studies about the emergence of insecurities with discourses, policies and measures that aim at the production of greater urban security. This paper seeks to address this comparison through exploring the interwovenness of security practices and arrangements in everyday life. Drawing on the theory of social practices and the interaction of agencies and structures – institutions, policies and discourses at different scales – we argue that there is a mutual interrelation between public and private security policies on the one hand and the space-related everyday practices of urban middle-class residents on the other hand. Taking two districts located in the city of São Paulo as examples, the paper presents the results of 70 qualitative interviews with inhabitants concerning the nexus of doings and sayings in everyday practices in the context of different (in-)security production processes. We discuss how these security practices emerge as the grounding concept of shifting public security and neighbourhood at the local level. Thus, the main purpose of the paper is to theoretically overcome the conceptual dualism of reading sociality in public and private (in-)security by putting social practices theory empirically into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growth of the organic food market in Brazil, these foods remain restricted to a minor part of the population. In this scenario, the short circuits are presented as an alternative to the predominant food distribution model, which is characterized by impersonality and long distances. This paper aims to analyze the motivation of the organic products consumers and this market in Sorocaba (in the state of São Paulo). For this purpose, two methodological procedures were used: an online survey (quantitative approach) and semi-structured interviews (qualitative approach). As results, the consumers habits revealed two different positions: an appreciation of practicality and a search for diversity, both in products and in ways of purchasing them. Because of these choices the consumers alternate between short and long circuits possibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at quantifying natural and artificial radionuclides, trace and major elements in sediments collected along the Tietê River basin. The results obtained for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn, indicated that the region of "High Tietê" is highly polluted, followed by the region of "Middle Tietê" and the region of "Low Tietê" does not present evidence of contamination. The natural radionuclide concentrations were of the same order of magnitude of world average values and can be defined as basal levels of the region. Cesium-137 activity concentration ranged from 0.22 ± 0.08 Bq kg−1 to 0.96 ± 0.12 Bq kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Police and military officers have been migrating to institutional party politics since the democratization period in Brazil. Analyzes former officer's discourses at São Paulo's state parliament in different contexts. Drawing from document analysis, the so-called "bullet caucus" of the 18th legislature (2015-2019) was compared to the "security caucus" elected for the first time in the 11th legislature (1987-1991). Although these groups have shown similarities concerning public security, new negotiation strategies, and a dispute over human rights policy have been observed. The paper argues that the "bullet caucus" reorganizes conservatism in the political field by opening spaces of connection with diverse groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cerrado has been severely impacted by anthropogenic disturbances, with a tiny proportion of its original extent remaining in its southern portions. In the state of São Paulo, only 7% of this vegetation remains and relatively little is known about the biodiversity of these fragments. To fill this knowledge gap, we inventoried medium and large-sized terrestrial mammals of a neglected region, including a sustainable use protected area, Cajuru State Forest (CSF), adjacent native vegetation remnants protected by the Native Vegetation Protection Law and owned by a paper and cellulose company (Dois Córregos Farm; DCF), and their surroundings. We recorded 20 native mammal species, five of which are endangered with extinction, including the giant anteater, puma, and maned wolf. We found no significant differences in species richness between CSF and DCF but we found higher estimated species richness for the surrounding areas. Besides encompassing a larger and more heterogeneous area, the surrounding area still has a relatively high proportion (>30%) of native vegetation, providing habitat and resources for many species. The estimated mammal species richness for the entire study area was similar to that found in the largest protected area of the Cerrado in São Paulo State, the Jataí Ecological Station and its surroundings. We conclude that our study area still harbors a relatively rich community of large mammals and is important for the conservation of endangered species. This finding is particularly timing since the current State administration is considering to transfer the economic exploitation of CSF to the private sector. We therefore endorse an existing proposal to uplist this protected area, which still lacks a management plan, to a more restricted management category. Besides actions regarding this governmental PA, we argue that it is also important to involve the private sector in a conservation plan for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atlantic Forest is the most fragmented and threatened domain in Brazil. The main remnants are in the coastal regions. This paper describes a study performed at a protected federal reserve in Brazil located in western of São Paulo state, which is a transition with the Savannah. A forestry survey was made for understanding the forest structure, diversity, and floristic composition of an inland Atlantic Forest area. A total of 3,181 individuals with a Diameter at Breast Height over 3.5 cm were sampled. The data sample was composed of 29 families and 64 species from 15 plots. Forty-seven percent of the species were classified as a pioneer, 42% as secondary, and 11% as climax. The species Eugenia uniflora presented the highest importance value index. The values of Shannon-Weaver diversity and Pielou equitability index indicate the area has less diversity than others in the same phytophysiognomy and was dominated by a few species with many individuals. Several anthropogenic disturbances altered the forest cover of the Ponte Branca Forest remnant, which is in the process of secondary succession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, different types of rocks exploited in a quarry located in the Limeira region (São Paulo State, Brazil) were studied to investigate its main petrographic characteristics, physical–mechanical (apparent specific weigh ρa, apparent porosity ηa, water absorption αa and uniaxial compressive strength UCS) and thermoanalytical properties, whose curves of each of the rocks were obtained from thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis and thermomechanical analysis (TMA). Four main petrographic types were evaluated: an aphanitic rock (APH), a diabase (DIA) and two monzodiorites with distinct granulations designated as MOMM and MONMC. In terms of mineralogical composition APH is the only rock that presents volcanic glass, while for the other rocks the main mineralogy was always associated with plagioclases, clinopyroxenes and opaque minerals. The results of the physical and mechanical characterization indicate the good aptitude of these materials to be used as aggregates in engineering works. The obtained values of apparent porosity (ηa) were less than 1% for all rocks. The value of resistance rates for all samples showed that the APH has the larger value, which is attributed to the grain size of the rock. The TG curves of each of the four samples contain small mass losses between the initial temperature and around 105 °C, which attributed to the water absorption. Besides, the APH sample had a mass loss attributed to the carbonate compound. The TMA curves showed that form DIA and MOMM are similar between them, while the APH differ from both. Further, the MONMC has not presented an appreciable thermal expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, interest in considering multiple facets of diversity has grown among community ecologists. Biological communities are complex systems, and exploring multiple facets can help reveal the main processes that drive diversity patterns. In this paper, we used a metacommunity framework to study the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional facets of beta diversity in assemblages of aquatic insects (Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera) with data from mountain streams collected in 2 study systems in the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) of Brazil: 22 streams from the northern coast of the São Paulo State and 33 streams from the southern coast of São Paulo State. We assessed the following: 1) the relative contributions of turnover and nestedness for different facets of beta diversity and 2) the relationships between environmental and spatial factors on the different facets and components of beta diversity. Beta diversities were high for all facets, and turnover was the main component of the taxonomic (based on incidence and abundance) and phylogenetic facets. In contrast, nestedness was an important component of the functional facet. The roles played by environmental and spatial variables varied erratically between the studied facets, insect orders, and study systems. Environment and space were both poor predictors of the different facets of beta diversity. Our results demonstrated that the difficulty of explaining the taxonomic beta diversity observed in other studies of aquatic insect stream metacommunities also arises for other facets of beta diversity (phylogenetic and functional). The high values of turnover found for most facets suggest that conservation strategies should seek to preserve as many streams as possible within a hydrographic network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), is one of the main pests of livestock in Brazil, especially in areas where cattle is raised next to sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) fields in which vinasse is used as a fertilizer. Knowledge about the predatory mites associated with this parasite in the field may be helpful in designing programs to control it biologically. Mites of the family Macrochelidae are known to attack fly immatures, and thus could be helpful in reducing the population of the stable fly in the field. The aim of this paper is to report the macrochelid species found in surveys conducted in northwestern São Paulo state, where the fly is known to be present, including a new species here described, Holostaspella paulista Borges & Azevedo sp. nov., to provide complementary descriptions of the other species collected, and to present a key to the caelata group of Holostaspella. In total, 2,946 macrochelid specimens were collected from 264 samples of soil-litter or soil-cow obtained from two areas of sugarcane plantations, a pasture area and a disturbed patch of the Atlantic Forest in 2018 and 2019. Four species of Macrocheles, two of Holostaspella and one of Glyptholaspis were identified. The predominant species was Macrocheles merdarius (Berlese). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sought to analyze, from a psychosocial perspective, what young brazilian college students think about the current situation. Participated in this research 45 undergraduate students between 18 and 26 years old from the Administration, Accounting, and Psychology courses at a public university located in the state of São Paulo. The idea of a conservative wave, identified in narratives of previous studies (2015-2018), was confirmed with the strengthening of rightwing and far-right social movements, by the daily realization of antidemocratic acts and by the result of the 2018 presidential elections. At the time of the present study (2019), the conservative wave was already a reality and this was observed among the participants as a fact not impossible to be overcome, although consolidated. The conservative wave was identified among the participants as being responsible for the precarization of public services, mischaracterization of social rights, criminalization of social movements, use of Fake News, and for fostering a social polarization based on the construction of the image of the political opponent as an enemy. Thus, conservatism is translated in the narratives as a phenomenon that generates fear and hopelessness. From Lula to Bolsonaro, would fear have taken the place of hope? This is the question that we seek to answer - not definitively - at the endo f this text. We conclude that the perspectives and horizons of transformation are shy among the participants, as well as the engagement in political parties, entities, and movements. However, the scenario is uncertainty and new configurations emerge in the logics of political participation and representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the first decade of the 21st century, São Paulo's State Government, in Brazil, promoted the construction of a series of schools designed by different local architectural firms, using a system of prefabricated pieces that allowed adapting the projects to the sites and demands of each region, keeping the budget under control. This initiative allowed building dozens of buildings, relieving the school deficit of the most impoverished regions of the state and promoting the construction of public buildings with great social impact by a whole generation of architects. This paper presents the Prefabricated Schools Program guidelines, promoted by the Foundation for the Development of Education (FDE, in Portuguese) illustrating it with seven projects that showcase the architectural richness achieved by the firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, Chomsky & Herman's "propaganda model" was applied on the examination of the news coverage practiced by Brazilian mass media regarding the exclusion of candidates due to legal processes in the 2018 Brazilian and Venezuelan presidential elections. To this end, this research employs the chomskyan methodology of conducting a comparative study of the news content concerning the excluded candidates from each election produced by Brazilian newspaper O Estado de São Paulo between January 1st and May 31st of 2018. The analysis focused on: how the paper framed the matter in each case through representation techniques, the plurality of opinions presented, and how authors of opinion pieces positioned themselves. The results show that the newspaper's coverage corroborates claims of attacks on the freedom of candidacy in the Venezuelan election, whilst rejecting such claims in the Brazilian election. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information is essential for organizations' competitiveness, in which software processes a large amount of data. Programmers develop technologies based on the creation and sharing of knowledge. Tacit knowledge is strategic, resulting from work experience requiring socialization and a favorable context to be developed. A cooperative environment results from a positive organizational climate and satisfaction of the employees' needs. Organizational climate reflects the culture, which determines corporate values and practices. However, academic literature shows that there is considerable stress among software professionals, resulting from workload. This paper objective is to verify, in a software company, the relationship between organizational culture, climate and knowledge sharing. A case study was carried out in a company in Marília City, São Paulo State, Brazil, which has a Local Productive Arrangement of Information Technology. Knowledge Management, Psychology, Administration, organizational behavior and software development theoretical contributions were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses questions related to the continuing education of school principals in Brazil, based on available information about these professionals in the Questionnaire of the Director of the Brazil Examination (2013, 2015 and 2017) available by the National Institute of Studies and Educational Research Anisio Teixeira (INEP). The information refers to a sample of 186,104 respondents considering that the participants of the three editions of "Prova Brasil" were added. These indicators are discussed basing in theoretical reference that deals with the subject, as well as other information that contribute to analyze the continuing education of school principals in Brazil. The data show that the number of school managers with specialization (about 70% of the sample) is quite significant, while a very small number of professionals with a master's degree (4%) and a doctoral degree (0.5%) at the national level. With regard to the State of São Paulo, continuing education also at the level of specialization is lower than the national average, around 60%. These characteristics of the continuing education of school principals in Brazil show the need for more in-depth studies of a hybrid nature (quantitative-qualitative) in order to provide elements for the design of public policies more articulated with the demands of these professionals and the public basic education network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile geolocation data is a valuable asset in the assessment of movement patterns of a population. Once a highly contagious disease takes place in a location the movement patterns aid in predicting the potential spatial spreading of the disease, hence mobile data becomes a crucial tool to epidemic models. In this work, based on millions of anonymized mobile visits data in Brazil, we investigate the most probable spreading patterns of the COVID-19 within states of Brazil. The study is intended to help public administrators in action plans and resources allocation, whilst studying how mobile geolocation data may be employed as a measure of population mobility during an epidemic. This study focuses on the states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro during the period of March 2020, when the disease first started to spread in these states. Metapopulation models for the disease spread were simulated in order to evaluate the risk of infection of each city within the states, by ranking them according to the time the disease will take to infect each city. We observed that, although the high-risk regions are those closer to the capital cities, where the outbreak has started, there are also cities in the countryside with great risk. The mathematical framework developed in this paper is quite general and may be applied to locations around the world to evaluate the risk of infection by diseases, in special the COVID-19, when geolocation data is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the radio program named Dick Danello Parlando d’Amore which stayed on the air of stations in the state of São Paulo from 1981 to 2016. The program can be understood as a document that integrates the radio memory of Brazil and reveals an understudied genre: programs for immigrants and their descendants. The article aims to analyze this language as letters from listeners, music selection, the language used by the performer Dick Danello. The theoretical basis of this study is formed by theories of the radio, of listening and affections pointing to the relevance of the sense of hearing and the bonds involving performers and listeners for the radio experience as well as studies on love and romantic songs. Interviews and consultations to archive documents are also part of its methodological route. This article is expected to demonstrate the importance of love bonds for the construction of memory that programs targeting the community of Italian immigrants have produced throughout the history of the radio in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper presents a simple methodology to identify sea breeze frontal passage in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, based in hourly wind direction data. Fifty-year time series of annual frequency of sea breeze frontal passage and of its time of arrival in São Paulo are generated and related to global climate indicators and local variables. The frequency of occurrence and time of arrival of sea breeze shows long-term oscillations in the interannual and decadal time scales. Multiple regression is used to identify the variables that explain the observed variance of both frequency of occurrence and timing of the sea breeze in São Paulo. Local variables such as air temperature in São Paulo and sea surface temperature ( SST) in the vicinity of the coast explain more than 95% of the total R2 ( R2 = 51%) in a multiple regression model of the frequency of sea breeze frontal passage. Global climate indices such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, the Southern Oscillation Index ( SOI) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation explain about 85% of the total R2 ( R2 = 52%) in a multiple regression model of the time of arrival of the sea breeze in São Paulo. The sea breeze circulation is shown to impact the rainfall in São Paulo and vicinity and to be associated with extreme rainfall events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing amount of global waste reflects the social, environmental, and economic trajectories of the local environment. This study addresses this multifaceted problem that requires a holistic view with an ecosystem-level perspective on waste. The research objective is to analyze how the waste business ecosystem enables value capture and creation. Thus, this study contributes to the literature by using a business ecosystem approach that acknowledges several stakeholders, value networks, and the social and environmental issues of the local environment. We qualitatively examine the structure and process of value capture in the waste business ecosystem in two different environments, Finland and Sao Paulo metropolitan area, Brazil. We identify the key stakeholders and their roles, as well as contrast the waste business ecosystem between a developing country and a developed country to unveil differences in value networks. The comparative qualitative case study described relies on the interview and observation of multiple stakeholders. Theoretically, this research builds on the business ecosystem literature, value capture and creation literature, and the extant literature on waste business management. As its key result, the study maps two different ecosystems and their value creation and value capture mechanisms. The findings show that notwithstanding the strong role of regulators in both local environments and their business ecosystems, some private companies engage in value capture. However, the process and structure of the value capture differ in the two case studies. We also found that the stakeholders and their roles in the value capture structure and process vary between these two local environments and with regard to collaboration for value creation. In Finland, ecosystem-level value creation is not rare, but in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area, business models are typically single-firm-centric in terms of value creation and capture. The results presented in this paper delineate and structure the waste business ecosystems in both local environments and provide implications for stakeholders by suggesting the value capture trajectories that can be reached. Finally, fruitful avenues for further research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Souza and Perez Filho (2019) inferred two transgressive events in the Late Holocene record of lower Ribeira de Iguape River and Ilha Comprida barrier, Southeastern Brazil, based on luminescence ages and paleoenvironmental interpretation of four columnar sections. In the present paper, we discuss inconsistencies on the methods applied and sample design adopted by those authors, which lead to an incorrect model of coastline evolution for the region over the time period covered by the dates obtained. The dataset presented by Souza and Perez Filho (2019) allows the reinterpretation of the deposits studied as regressive and fits into previous models of regional coastal evolution. • We discuss methods inconsistencies and sample design adopted by the original study. • OSL ages were reinterpreted and fit into previous regional coastal evolution models. • No regional transgressive events were observed during the Late Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the use of gamma ray spectrometry in the study of rock samples from the Irati Formation, Paraná sedimentary basin, São Paulo State, Brazil. This technique allowed to measure the natural radiation emitted by 40K, as well the radionuclides belonging to the decay series of 238U (eU = 226Ra = 214Bi) and 232Th (eTh = 228Th = 208Tl) which occur in the analyzed samples. Four gamma ray spectrometers have been utilized for comparing the results obtained: a portable sodium iodide [NaI(Tl)] scintillation detector (Digidart), a handheld bismuth germanate oxide (BGO) detector and two bench NaI(Tl) crystals, differing in their geometry (Planar and Well types). This study involved the calibration of the spectrometers, except in the case of the BGO that is factory calibrated. Afterwards, gamma ray analysis was done for 122 rock samples colleted at Partecal Quarry located at Assistência District, Rio Claro city, which have been of interest for the oil and gas sector. For comparison purposes, the obtained datasets were subjected to different statistical tests, including the analysis of variance (ANOVA) that proved to be of great value for checking the differences of the mean concentration values of eU, eTh and K. The results pointed out several factors that affect the gamma ray analysis for the natural radioelements uranium, thorium, and potassium such as the samples size, shape and geometry, detector type, shielding and counting time. These factors are of difficult control in order to get reliable radiometric measurements by this technique. • Comparison of the responses of BGO and NaI(Tl) gamma ray detectors. • Little variability of the measured eU, eTh and K values on BGO readings for rock samples. • Limited performance of the BGO detector for determining known eU, eTh and K concentration of different standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb production in Brazil has the state of São Paulo as its largest consumer market, but due to competition for area with other agricultural activities, sheep farming in São Paulo underwent an intensification of the production system to achieve better economic profitability. This intensification can compromise the sustainability of the system. There is no research concerning about emergy evaluation on lamb production systems applied in Brazil, so this is the first paper to discuss the sustainability of lamb production systems using this method. Therefore, this article proposes to discuss the importance of considering environmental aspects in the economic analysis of production systems, aiming at the sustainable development of the sector. This study assessed the economic and emergy performance of three different sheep farms in Brazil managed under different levels of technology: Intensive, Semi-intensive, and Feedlot. Results show that from an economic perspective, the Feedlot system is more attractive (9,800 US$/yr for net profit) than Intensive and Semi-intensive ones, while emergy synthesis show that Semi-intensive system (30% for renewability) should be prioritized. On the other hand, when emergy is analyzed from an economic perspective based on Emdollars (Em$, with an 'm'), the economic advantage regarding the production cost of Feedlot on the Semi-intensive system becomes less evident. The Intensive system obtained the worst performance for economic, and emergy indicators. More than contributing to the discussions about the importance in considering a systemic perspective when quantifying the economic performance of production systems, this study also (i) establishes the most sustainable sheep farm system that could be supported in Brazil, and (ii) make available new unit emergy values that would enrich the existing emergy databases. • The synthesis emergy together with the economic assessment are performed for three sheep production systems with different levels of technology. • Intensive systems (Intensive and Feedlot) are economically profitable, but generate greater pressure on the environment. • Semi-intensive systems present less pressure on the environment, but are not economically viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental degradation of urban rivers and streams in large cities has led to the development of a variety of public policies. In the city of São Paulo, Brazil, a policy for recovering watercourses and valley floors has been developed with the implementation of riverside parks. This represents a new paradigm for the city in terms of its relationship with rivers and streams. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study, which aimed to analyse riverside parks in the city of São Paulo during the last decade. The study analysed the main management difficulties in relation to these types of urban park during their post-implementation stage, assessing their performance in relation to their social and environmental functions. It addressed issues such as the state of the site before and after the implementation of the riverside park, levels of user satisfaction in relation to the state of the watercourse, sports and leisure facilities, green space, security and the way the park is used. The study showed that riverside parks are recognised as elements that improve the quality of public spaces, socially legitimised as public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Over one million workers commute daily to São Paulo City center, using different modes of transportation. The São Paulo subway network reaches 74.2 km of length and is involved in around 20% of the commuting trips by public transportation, enhancing mobility and productivity of workers. This paper uses an integrated framework to assess the higher-order economic impacts of the existing underground metro infrastructure. We consider links between mobility, accessibility and labor productivity in the context of a detailed metropolitan system embedded in the national economy. Simulation results from a spatial computable general equilibrium model integrated to a transportation model suggest positive economic impacts that go beyond the city limits. While 32% of the impacts accrue to the city of São Paulo, the remaining 68% benefit other municipalities in the metropolitan area (11%), in the State of São Paulo (12.0%) and in the rest of the country (45%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the synchronization of price changes in the context of retail tire dealers in Sao Paulo-Brazil and selected items in supermarkets for cleaning supplies and food in Rio de Janeiro-Brazil. Results indicate similar and non-negligible synchronization for different brands, although magnitudes are distant from a perfect synchronization pattern. We find imeresting patterns in inter-firm competition, with similar magnitudes across different tire types. Intra-chain synchronization is substantial, indicating that a common price adjustment policy tends to he sustained for each chain across different products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the results obtained from a group of simple and basic procedures used to assess slope instability in terms of shallow landslides on data-scarce hillsides at the slope unit scale. The procedures are based on engineering geological mapping to obtain geological and geotechnical data and on an adapted Hovland 3D safety factor (SF 3D) associated with a van Genuchten infiltration model to simulate the rainfall percolation. The procedures were applied on a data-scarce hillside in the Campos do Jordão municipality located in the Mantiqueira Mountains, São Paulo state, Brazil. This area was chosen because it is affected by shallow landslides due to a loss of shear strength when suction decreases or dissipates due to rainfall infiltration. The combined procedures permitted the total SF 3D to be obtained from the partial SF of each grid cell (considering 4 different rainfall events and quasi-saturation conditions) and the failure probability (SF 3D < 1) and marginal probability (1

Retailers face a complex task in formulating prices strategies. While the goal of pricing is to lay down a general course of action, pricing methods are procedures which enable organizations to make their pricing decisions. The scope of this paper is to explore retail pricing goals along with the methods that are employed for pricing, and to investigate whether the methods employed succeed in achieving the objectives. It was found that the companies used in the sample are basically pursuing quantitative rather than qualitative objectives and that they lay emphasis on achieving sales and making profits by following market developments. Another significant factor was that, the firms in the sample seemed to attach less importance to customer-oriented methods and employ the traditional methods of costing, probably due to their simplicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous papers, faunistic and preliminary taxonomic data on the gastrotrich communities along the coastline of the Brazilian states of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were reported; among the over 40 records, the occurrence of several species new to science was highlighted. One of such new taxa is described here based on observation carried out on living and SEM prepared specimens. Pseudostomella dolichopoda sp. n. (Gastrotricha: Thaumastodermatidae) is the only species in the genus that attains 420 µm in total length, is covered by pentancres and possesses, among others, caudal pedicles up to 45 µm in length. Additional differences with co-generic taxa characterized by a pentancrous covering are discussed. Furthermore, a key to the described Pseudostomella species of the world based on easily discernible traits, visible in both living and formalin-fixed specimens, is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Family members of first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients are regarded as key components of the patient''s evaluation, recovery and treatment. This paper aimed to investigate 75 FEP caregivers'' appraisal, psychological morbidity and quality of life in the initial phase of treatment in a specialized FEP outpatient program in São Paulo, Brazil, and evaluate the validation of the Brazilian version of the Experience of Caregiving Inventory (ECI). Caregivers were also scored through Self Report Questionnaire-20 and Short Form-36. It was found that 29% of them might be a case for minor psychiatric disorder, that the worst domains of quality of life concerned emotional aspects, vitality and bodily pain, and that they were particularly affected by patients'' negative symptoms, dependency and difficult behaviors. Additionally, internal consistency of ECI was very satisfactory (Cronbach''s alpha=0.95) with subscales ranging from 0.57 (stigma) to 0.94 (total negative score). The Brazilian version of the ECI is not only a facile, reliable and valid instrument to describe the experience of caring for a relative with serious mental illness. It offers mental health professionals an opportunity to access caregivers'' global experience and their evaluation of a severe mental disease, as well as to predict their psychological suffering, which is harmful to both patient and caregiver. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This work is the result of a survey into the relationship between rural settlements infrastructure and economic development in São Paulo (Brazil) and it makes comparisons between Araraquara and Pontal do Paranapanema areas. This paper proposes a study of group dynamics with the social relations model seeking to understand the socio-political contexts in which the settlements are integrated. We discussed the particular circumstances that have caused social tensions, emphasizing the settled families, social movements, technicians and public managers, the presence of agro-industrial complexes, and other regional economic agents. An examination of different types of partnerships with the agro-industrial complexes - for production of commodities - was performed and, as indicative of new perspectives, other forms of improvement and the integration of settlements in urban areas through public policies for food security. Accordingly, we seek to give the study an interdisciplinary character, integrating dimensions of social, environmental and economic analysis on these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is part of an activity being carried out in Rua da Palha community, located in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. This community is basically remnants of Quilombolas (group of people) engaged in fishing activities as a form of subsistence way of living over some generations. By snow ball technic, focusing on the local reality as the main object, 25 families were selected for interview considering: the socioeconomic relationships involved in fishing, the governmental supports to their necessities, their link to the environment and to how the same have survived over the last decades. Result demonstrated that the community is still living in a state of privation and poverty that makes many members to move out by the preference to live in the state capital or other cities. However, in order to minimize the negative influence, life improvement was observed in their living conditions, especially after the State and Federal Government supports against death occurrence of crabs and shellfish in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: in the last two decades teacher's voice has been the target of many researches due to the high incidence of voice disturbances in this professional class; therefore, the need for these professionals to take part in actions that ensure the vocal health has been reinforced. Few papers in the literature describe vocal health programs and their results. Procedures: describe a Vocal Health Program of Educators from public schools (kinder garden and elementary schools) from the countryside of São Paulo inland, developed from 2002 to 2005, that was made up by basic voice group to offer essential theoretical and practical knowledge about vocal care, including the participants' vocal screening; advanced voice group to reorganize the phonation process and the voice use in classroom. Results: the average of 56% of total enrolment participated in the actions; 62.9% of voice disturbance is the result of vocal screening, most of it with discreet vocal deviation; 100% of participants referred 3 or more voice symptoms at the beginning of advanced voice group, and after the group had finished, 45% still had 4 to 13 symptoms; data about vocal self-perception show low scores in vocal impact in professional activities. Conclusion: the description showed the need for constant regulation of the program in order to reach its goals. The low participation in actions might be related to the discreet impact of voice in professional activities, although this fact requires further investigation. The highest measured benefit of the participation in the advanced vocal groups was the reduction in the volume e of vocal symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development steps and core ideas used by the USP Farmers herding team, that has participated in the 2010 edition of the Multi-Agent Programming Contest (MAPC 2010). This is the third year that the competitors must design a team of herding agents, whose global goal is to lead a maximum number of cows to their own corral. As this is a very complex task and requires coordination of the team, we have developed the individual agents using the Jason (Bordini et al. ) interpreter for AgentSpeak(L) (Rao ). Moreover, the coordination strategy was defined using the $\mathcal{M}$ OISE (Hübner et al. , ) organizational model. We have also used the idea of artifact (Ricci et al. ) to develop global services, available to all the agents. Moreover, it is clear that for this contest some pure procedural processing should be developed in a lower abstraction level (Hübner et al. ); therefore some calculation and pre-defined global decisions were implemented by Java classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vehicular illumination system has undergone considerable technological advances in recent decades such as the use of a Light Emitting Diode (LED) Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS), which represents an industry breakthrough in lighting technology and is rapidly becoming one of the most important innovative technologies around the world in the lighting community. This paper presents AFS control alternatives using fuzzy logic (types 1 and 2) to determine its operating parameters taking into consideration the road conditions in the state of São Paulo (Brazil). Fuzzy logic is a well-known extension of the conventional (Boolean) logic that enables the treatment of uncertainty present in the information through the definition of intermediary membership values between the 'completely true' and the 'completely false'. This technique or modeling strategy is particularly important when a multi-parameter decision must be taken or the decisions are based on the human knowledge. The results show the potential of the methodology proposed and its suitability for light control providing safer nighttime driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper intends to consider the role of schools in prison. Its aim is not only to understand how students and teachers see it, but also try to find ways of improving the quality of life for those deprived of freedom. The nature of the study is qualitative. The subjects of the study are teachers and students in a penitentiary school in the State of São Paulo/Brazil. Methodological procedures used for data collection were observation, informal conversations, and interviews. Data analysis of the study conducted was based on authors working on this theme in Latin America. This study demonstrates that the school is an effective space for socialization, identity construction and learning, therefore fulfilling its most important role of knowledge, culture, and reality intermediation, offering possibilities of preserving the human rights of young people and adults deprived of their liberty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes data from the Value Added Tax and Employee Links of São Paulo industry in the period 1995-2008. Proposes the observation results of a comparison of means model known in the literature as "difference-in-differences". These results indicated that all the Administrative Regions of São Paulo increased VAF compared with the capital region, which did not happen at the same intensity with the Employee. It was possible to identify regions that increased industrial production, as in the administrative regions of Campinas Santos, Sao Jose do Rio Preto and Ribeirão Preto. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Sugar and ethanol production are key components of Brazil’s rural development and energy strategies, yet in recent years sugar production has been widely criticized for its environmental and labor practices. This study examines the relationship between rural development and sugarcane, ethanol, and cattle production in the state of São Paulo. Our results suggest that the value added components of sugarcane production, which include sugar refining and ethanol production, may have a strong positive affect on local human development in comparison to primary agricultural production activities and other land uses. These results imply that sugar production, when accompanied by a local processing industry can stimulate rural development. However, this paper also highlights the significant environmental and social harms generated by the sugar industry at large, which may undermine its development benefits if not addressed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper discusses the implementation in eight municipalities in Sao Paulo state of the commitments concerning the management of work composing the Management Pact, signed in 2006 by the three levels of the Unified Health System (SUS ). Among the municipalities studied, three are centers of metropolitan areas and five had in 2008 population over 500,000 inhabitants. Data were collected, particularly concerning the Career, Positions and Wages Plan (PCCS) and interviews were accomplished with managers and representatives of workers and users in Municipal Health Councils. The categories analyzed were derived from the Management Pact: democratization of labor relations, social rights and social security, juridical regime and working arrangements, career progression and permanent training. The results showed irrelevant repercussion of the collective-bargaining mechanisms' decisions on personnel policy; partial incorporation of the guidelines of PCCS-SUS in only three municipalities, staff training policy characterized by specific initiatives decoupled from career progression. It was also possible to identify a restricted view by the counselors interviewed about their participation in the work management discussion; Municipal Health Councils' peripheral approach of the issues related to the management of the workforce; deficiencies in the decentralization of management positions for municipal SUS ; tendency for private treatment by managers of the data concerning staff. In spite of the incipient implementation of the commitments stated in the Management Pact, we highlight the innovative inclusion of the work management on the Public Health System managers' agenda as a definite policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population access to the secondary health care services is being pointed, by managers and researchers, as one of the challenges to the implementation of integrality in the Brazilian National Health System (SUS). This paper aims to evaluate the mechanisms used by SUS manager's, in the city of São Paulo, to guarantee medical assistance, from 2005 to 2008. The strategy of case study was chosen, using as data sources such as managers interviews, focus groups with SUS users, and participative observation. Thematic analysis was performed on health services organization, with theoretical references of the integrality concept. We tried to describe the path covered by the users to have access to the services, based on the view of users and managers. Secondary health care services were identified by managers as the "neck of a bottle" and one of the main obstacle to the SUS integrality. To overcome this situation, the municipal manager invested in the computerization of services, as an isolated step, and still, without considering user's needs. However, this technological incorporation had low impact on the improvement of the population access to the secondary health care services, which was confirmed by user's source. It is argued that to face such complex problem it will be necessary to articulate actions, not only in health politics but also in health services organization and also in the (re)organization of the working process in any other level of the health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the Afro-Brazilian afoxé as a form of cultural struggle that critically contests narratives and practices that reproduce racial inequality in contemporary Brazil. Through their afoxé in the interior of São Paulo, the Orùnmilá Cultural Center mobilizes Afro-Brazilian knowledge and cultural practices to challenge culturalist treatments of Afro-Brazilian 'difference' in the management and representation of carnaval. I explore how such treatments reflect broader state-orchestrated attempts to undermine black anti-racism and the implementation of substantive policies to address racial inequality in various spheres, including education and culture. The afoxé and the Orùnmilá Center's broader work constitute an important, contemporary means through which black organizations in Brazil make visible and vocal public claims for representation and self-determination. Such work pushes policy-makers and academics to reinterpret the terms of black inclusion vis-à-vis subaltern or 'other' cultures, historical experiences, perspectives, and participation in societal transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western region of São Paulo state, Brazil, became one of several sites of global cotton production during the first half of the twentieth century in response to increased global demand and fears of cotton shortages. The cotton boom tapped a ‘forest rent’ that helped Brazil rise to become the largest producer in Latin America, providing both export revenue and critical raw material to a growing industrial economy that would become the largest in South America. This paper uses an organizational and institutional perspective to analyze causes and effects of the mid-century cotton boom that centered on São Paulo state. Organizations and institutions relating to cotton production are considered using oral histories, judicial documents, agronomic texts, and the sediment record in small catchments as empirical evidence. The state dramatically reformed some organizations to provide the key inputs to cotton production, while most contemporary observers ignored institutions, such as sharecropping and tenant farming, that supported cotton. São Paulo's institutions and organizations were characterized by the borrowing and adaptation of existing labor institutions, the creation of new state organizations that subsidized elite producers, and the weak development of institutions or organizations in response to soil fertility issues and labor supply. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

One of the major challenges for the mining industry is to supply the processing plant with ore that meets its specifications for maximizes production. This can only be achieved if proper knowledge of the geological domains of the orebody is acquired. However, this condition is not sufficient: once the geological domains of the orebody are properly known, it is also necessary to model the geological grades using estimation techniques such as kriging. The challenge for mining companies is to establish sampling processes and techniques that allow the appropriate estimation of the geological grades of the mined out ore. This paper presents a comparative analysis between three sampling methods and their impact on the estimation of the geological grade at the mine face in a case study carried out at the Cajati mine of Bunge Fertilizantes S/A, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper features a tool to carry out environmental performance evaluation in highway rehabilitation works, as a component of environmental supervision activities. The procedure involves (i) evidence gathering by conducting technical inspections and reviewing environmental compliance reports, (ii) ranking nonconformities according to a proposed weighting framework, and (iii) calculation of an environmental conformity index. For the sake of testing and calibration, the procedure was applied to five road segments that were submitted to rehabilitation works in São Paulo State and the results were treated qualitatively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Leaching is disadvantageous, both for economical and environmental reasons since it may decrease the ecosystem productivity and may also contribute to the contamination of surface and ground water. The objective of this paper was to quantify the loss of nitrogen and sulfur by leaching, at the depth of 0.9m, in an Ultisol in São Paulo State (Brazil) with high permeability, cultivated with sugarcane during the agricultural cycle of crop plant. The following ions were evaluated: nitrite, nitrate, ammonium, and sulfate. Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphate were also evaluated at the same depth. The sugarcane was planted and fertilized in the furrows with 120kgha−1 of N-urea. In order to find out the fate of N-fertilizer, four microplots with 15N-enriched fertilizer were installed. Input and output of the considered ions at the depth of 0.9m were quantified from the flux density of water and the concentration of the elements in the soil solution at this soil depth: tensiometers, soil water retention curve and soil solution extractors were used for this quantification. The internal drainage was 205mm of water, with a total loss of 18kgha−1 of N and 10kgha−1 of S. The percentage of N in the soil solution derived from the fertilizer (%NSSDF) was 1.34, resulting in only 25gha−1 of N fertilizer loss by leaching during all agricultural cycle. Under the experimental conditions of this crop plant, that is, high demand of nutrients and high incorporation of crop residues, the leached N represented 15% of applied N and S leaching were not considerable; the higher amount of leached N was native nitrogen and a minor quantity from N fertilizer; and the leached amount of Ca, Mg, K and P did not exceed the applications performed in the crop by lime and fertilization. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a cost-benefit analysis of a hypothetical project for converting urban diesel buses into compressed natural gas (CNG) in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo (MRSP). Environmental valuation techniques were used to estimate the benefits of the air quality improvement due to fuel switch, due to the reduction of particulate matter (PM10) concentration. The costs of the project were calculated by the costs of converting diesel buses into CNG. The results show that the social benefits from the project largely exceed the conversion costs, thus indicating that it would contribute significantly to the welfare of the affected population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we compiled a fish list obtained from field collections performed between 1999 and 2005 in four tributaries of the Rio Mogi Guaçu, upper Rio Paraná basin, São Paulo State, Brazil. The collected fishes belong to six orders, 21 families, 60 genera and 82 species. The number of species represents 20 to 30% of the fish richness for the entire upper Rio Paraná basin according to recent estimates. A comparison to earlier published fish lists of the Rio Mogi Guaçu basin, chiefly from its main river channel, is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]