Submitted by PPG Psicologia (psicologia-pg@pucrs.br) on 2018-03-21T13:20:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TES_BRENO_SANVICENTE_VIEIRA.pdf: 6222146 bytes, checksum: d1e5e710fc5ec0e52c03bb4ffe92d0f8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Tatiana Lopes (tatiana.lopes@pucrs.br) on 2018-04-03T20:11:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TES_BRENO_SANVICENTE_VIEIRA.pdf: 6222146 bytes, checksum: d1e5e710fc5ec0e52c03bb4ffe92d0f8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-03T20:22:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TES_BRENO_SANVICENTE_VIEIRA.pdf: 6222146 bytes, checksum: d1e5e710fc5ec0e52c03bb4ffe92d0f8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-07 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / In Brazil, 1.4% of the population reports lifetime use of smoked cocaine (crack). The use of the drug relates to social and economic issues for society and poses serious health problems, including early death. Crack cocaine use disorder (CUD) is the medical condition which refers the pathological use of the drug. CUD relates to several negative outcomes such as higher rates of HIV and HCV infections, familiar problems and crime involvement, in addition to a higher prevalence of concurrent mental disorders. Scientific agendas promote evidence-based studies as a need for better therapeutics. In this regard, some gaps in the field require attention. In this line, distinct factors confer vulnerability for crack cocaine use in males and females: more males use the drug (a 3:1 proportion), but females show a faster transition from initial drug use to CUD. The course of the disease also show differences; females report a higher craving for the drug, while males have more frequent involvement with violent crimes. Thus, scientific commitments highlight a calling for the integration of those biopsychosocial models that consider individual characteristics in addition to those who consider addictive disorders as ?brain diseases.? A more consistent interdisciplinary integration of knowledge from classical theories in combination with advances provided for technologic methods is a promising route. Hence, the aim of this doctoral thesis was to investigate sex differences in crack cocaine users. To address the main objective, the thesis has two studies with groups of participants diagnosed with CUD and hospitalized for drug detoxification. These two groups were one of males (CK-M) and a second of females (CK-F). Study 1 had as its objective to get a picture of sex differences in the psychosocial profile. Study 2 had as its objective the identification of sex differences in brain functioning level. Study 1 had 798 CK-M and 546 CK-F. Results consistently revealed CK-M as having a more severe alcohol use history and higher rates of concurrent alcohol use disorder than CK-F. On the other hand, CK-F showed an earlier crack cocaine use onset, higher drug use severity, and more familiar and work problems along with a higher prevalence for lifetime mental disorders. Particularly, CK-F showed higher rates for trauma and stress. Study 2 had a sample of 80 participants: CK-M (n = 20), CK-F (n = 20), a group of males (HC-M, n = 20), and another of healthy female controls (HC-F, n = 20). Participants did a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scan. The method makes it possible to investigate temporal associations between nonspatially related brain areas by using as a measure fluctuations in the blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) level. It is an indirect measure of energy consumption, and by testing those correlations, functional connectivity (FC) can be investigated. Results supported CK-M as having an overall higher intra- and internetwork FC, while CK-F showed an overall lower FC in this regard. Taking both studies, the conclusions of this thesis point toward the existence of sex differences in all biopsychosocial domains. Thus, the interpretation of studies in crack cocaine use, particularly those testing interventions, need to resemble the possible existence of sex differences. Therefore, a hope from studies like this is that sex-specific models for crack cocaine use and CUD emerge and become tested. Similarly, possible interventions, also need to be aware of such backgrounds and consider possible sex differences when developing interventions, researches and public health policies as well. / No Brasil, cerca de 1.4% da popula??o refere j? ter feito uso de coca?na atrav?s de sua forma fumada (crack). O uso da droga gera repercuss?es sociais e econ?micas para a sociedade, al?m de ser um grave problema de sa?de relacionado, inclusive, com a morte precoce. Considerando o Transtorno por Uso de Coca?na (TUC) a manifesta??o patol?gica relacionada ao uso da droga, alguns dos desfechos desfavor?veis incluem: maiores taxas de infec??o por HIV e HCV; problemas judiciais e familiares, al?m maior preval?ncia de transtornos mentais em comorbidade. Iniciativas cient?ficas estimulam que propostas baseadas em evid?ncias sejam realizadas na tentativa de melhores resultados para o tratamento e preven??o do TUC. Neste sentido, maiores aprofundamentos em lacunas do conhecimento na ?rea s?o importantes. Assim, homens e mulheres possuem fatores de vulnerabilidade ao uso da droga distintos: Mais homens usam coca?na (propor??o de 3:1), mas mulheres apresentam uma evolu??o mais r?pida ao TUC ap?s o in?cio do uso. O curso da doen?a tamb?m ? diferente, mulheres sentem mais fissura pela droga, enquanto homens tem mais consequ?ncias relacionadas a crimes violentos. Assim sendo, iniciativas cient?ficas destacam a necessidade de integra??o de modelos biopsicossociais, que levem em conta as caracter?sticas individuais, mas que tamb?m considerem transtornos aditivos ?doen?as do c?rebro?, favorecendo a interdisciplinaridade entre antigas e robustas bases te?ricas e avan?os tecnol?gicos. Neste sentido, o objetivo desta tese foi investigar diferen?as entre homens e mulheres usu?rios de crack. Para tanto, dois estudos foram realizados com grupos de portadores de TUC internados para desintoxica??o do uso de crack, tendo sempre um grupo de homens (TUC-H) e outro de mulheres (TUC-M). No Estudo 1, o objetivo foi tra?ar um claro perfil de diferen?as psicossociais e de gravidade do uso de drogas, enquanto no Estudo 2 o objetivo foi identificar a exist?ncia de diferen?as em um n?vel de funcionamento cerebral. O Estudo 1 teve 798 TUC-H e 546 TUC-M. Resultados identificaram robustas diferen?as, com TUC-H possuindo uma hist?ria mais grave de uso de ?lcool, bem como uma maior preval?ncia para o transtorno por uso de ?lcool. Em contrapartida, TUC-M apresentam uma idade mais precoce do in?cio do uso de crack, maior severidade do uso de drogas em geral, preju?zos mais significativos nas esferas de trabalho e fam?lia, al?m taxas mais altas de preval?ncia de transtornos mentais (em especial transtornos relacionados a trauma e estresse). No Estudo 2, com 80 participantes al?m dos grupos TUC-H (n = 20) e TUC-M (n=20), participaram 20 homens saud?veis e 20 mulheres saud?veis. O m?todo utilizado foi um exame de Resson?ncia Magn?tica funcional (fMRI) em estado de repouso (rs-fMRI). Rs-fMRI permite avaliar associa??es na flutua??o do sinal BOLD (blood oxygen-level dependente, do ingl?s n?vel dependente de oxig?nio no sangue), que ? uma medida indireta de consumo energ?tico, entre ?reas cerebrais anatomicamente distintas, o que ? aceito como um dado de conectividade funcional (CF). Os resultados indicaram que de maneira geral, TUC-H apresentam um aumento na CF entre diferentes redes cerebrais, enquanto TUC-F apresentam redu??o na CF. Com base nos resultados, a tese conclui que homens e mulheres usu?rios de crack apresentam diferen?as em caracter?sticas que permeiam todos os dom?nios biopsicossociais, o que deve ser considerado ao levar em conta interpreta??es de estudos na ?rea e, principalmente, ao planejarem-se poss?veis interven??es no futuro. Portanto, espera-se que modelos sexo-espec?ficos para o uso de coca?na e do TUC sejam formulados, bem como que interven??es, pesquisas e inclusive pol?ticas de sa?de p?blica considerem poss?veis diferen?as em suas fundamenta??es.

Um dos maiores impactos antrópicos aos ecossistemas terrestres é a fragmentação do habitat. Este processo afeta fortemente os padrões de movimentação das espécies, implicando em alterações consideráveis na conectividade entre as manchas de habitat remanescentes. Por sua vez, isso interfere na distribuição espacial e na dinâmica das populações de uma espécie. Nesta dissertação, foram estudados alguns aspectos dos movimentos rotineiros e dispersivo de Pyriglena leucoptera, uma espécie de ave endêmica da Mata Atlântica. Estes dois tipos de movimentação atuam em escalas distintas, afetando diferentemente os parâmetros que regulam a estrutura das populações. Com o uso da técnica de playback, foi verificado se a capacidade desta espécie atravessar áreas abertas, em movimentos rotineiros entre fragmentos, é afetada pela distância entre eles. A partir desta relação, foram obtidas probabilidades de cruzar áreas abertas, as quais foram usadas para parametrizar índices de conectividade funcional (um binário e outro probabilístico) baseados na teoria dos grafos. Em uma abordagem de seleção de modelos, estes dois índices de conectividade mais um outro estrutural (i.e. área do fragmento) foram comparados para se estabelecer qual deles melhor prediz a incidência de P. leucoptera em fragmentos florestais. Quanto aos movimentos dispersivos, foram realizados experimentos de translocação e telemetria para verificar se a dispersão desta espécie em áreas fragmentadas é afetada pela distância entre os fragmentos, assim como para averiguar se este efeito é diferente entre os sexos. Os resultados mostraram que distância entre os fragmentos florestais limita tanto a movimentação rotineira, quanto a dispersiva para esta espécie. Na escala dos movimentos rotineiros, verificou-se que fragmentos distanciados a mais de 45 m estão totalmente isolados. A incidência da espécie foi melhor descrita pelo índice de conectividade funcional probabilístico (PCS), mostrando que a conectividade é fundamental para se compreender a distribuição espacial da espécie, sendo que este atributo da paisagem deve ser visto de forma probabilística. Ademais, a dispersão foi enviesada para fêmeas, as quais possuíram maior propensão a emigrar, assim como foram mais eficientes em sua movimentação pela matriz. As conseqüências deste viés foram discutidas, destacando-se que, em áreas altamente fragmentadas, a probabilidade de colonização de áreas desocupadas diminui, bem como o fluxo gênico entre as populações da espécie pode estar comprometido. Portanto, ambos os tipos de movimento devem ser considerados para que se possa compreender mais precisamente os efeitos da conectividade do habitat para a sobrevivência de uma espécie em paisagens fragmentadas. Por fim, foi sugerido um modelo hierárquico de estrutura populacional, a fim de integrar as informações obtidas pelos dois tipos de movimentação em uma única estrutura conceitual. Esse modelo possui um grande potencial para ser usado no planejamento e manejo ambiental. / Habitat fragmentation is one of the major human impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. This process highly affects the species movement pattern, implying in considerable alterations on the connectivity between the remaining habitat patches. Consequently, it interferes in the spatial distribution and in the population dynamics of species. In this dissertation, some aspects of the routine and dispersal movements of Pyriglena leucoptera, an endemic bird of the Atlantic rainforest, were studied. These two movement types act in distinct scales, affecting, differently, the parameter regulating the structure of the populations. Using the playback technique, we verified if the gap-crossing capacity of this species, by routine movements, is affected by gap width. From this relation, we obtained gap-crossing probabilities, which were used to parameterize functional connectivity indices (one binary and one probabilistic) based on graph theory. In a model selection approach, these two indices plus another structural one (i.e. patch area) were compared to establish which one is the best to predict P. leucopteras incidence in forest fragments. About the dispersal movements, we done translocation and telemetry experiments to investigate if the species dispersal ability in fragmented landscapes is affected by the distance between forest patches, and to verify if there are sexual differences in this effect. The results showed that distance between forest patches limits both the routine movements and the dispersal one to this species. In the routine movements scale, we verified that patches are completely isolated when the gap width is higher than 45 m. The species incidence was better described by the probabilistic connectivity index (PCS), evincing that it is essential to consider connectivity to understand the spatial distribution of P. leucoptera, and this attribute must be viewed in its probabilistic form. Furthermore, dispersal is female-biased, since females are more prone to emigrate and were more efficient in their movement in the matrix. We discussed the consequences of this sex-bias, highlighting that, in severely fragmented landscapes, the colonization probability of empty patches is decreased and the genetic flux between populations should be imperiled. Thus, to comprehend the effects of habitat connectivity on species survival in fragmented landscapes, both movement types must be considered. Finally, we suggested a hierarchically structured population model in order to integrate the two movement type information in one conceptual framework. This model has a great potential to be used in environmental planning and management.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disorder with currently no known cure. PD has a significant impact on quality of life of the patients, as well as, the caregivers and family members. It is the second most common cause of chronic neurological disability in US and Europe. According to National Parkinson's Foundation, there are almost 1 million patients in the Unites States and 50,000 to 60,000 new cases of PD are diagnosed each year. The total number of cases of PD is predicted to double by 2030. The annual cost associated with this disease is estimated to be $10.8 billion in the United States, including the cost of treatment and the cost of the disability. Although it is primarily thought of as a movement-disorder and is clinically diagnosed based on motor symptoms, non-motor symptoms such as cognitive and emotional deficits are thought to precede the clinical diagnosis by almost 20 years. By the time of clinical diagnosis, there is 80% loss in the dopamine content in the striatum and 50% degeneration of the substantia nigra dopamine cells. The research presented in this thesis was an attempt to develop an animal model of PD in its pre-motor stages. Such a model would allow us to develop pre-clinical markers for PD, and facilitate the development and testing of potential treatment strategies for the non-motor symptoms of the disorder. Specific Aims: There were five specific aims for this research: * The first specific aim dealt with development of a rat model of PD with slow, progressive onset of motor deficits, determination of timeline for future studies, and quantification the dopamine depletion in this model at a pre-motor stage. * The second and the third specific aims focused on testing for emotional (aversion) deficits and cognitive (executive functioning) deficits in this rat model at the 3 week timepoint determined during specific aim 1. * The fourth specific aim was to determine the brain network changes associated with the behavioral changes observed our rat model using resting state connectivity as a measure. * The fifth and the final specific aim was to test sodium butyrate, a drug from the histone deacetylase inhibitor family, as a potential treatment option for cognitive deficits in PD. Results: The 6-hydroxy dopamine based stepwise striatal lesion model of pre-motor PD, developed during this research, exhibits delayed onset of Parkinsonian gait like symptoms by week 4 after the lesions. At 3 weeks post lesion (3WKPD), the rats exhibit 27% reduction in striatal dopamine and 23%reduction in substantia nigra dopamine cells, with lack of any apparent motor deficits. The 3WKPD rats also exhibited changes in aversion. The fMRI study with the aversive scent pointed towards possible amygdala dysfunction sub-serving the aversion deficits. The executive function deficits tested using a rat analog of the Wisconsin card sorting test, divulged an extra-dimensional set shifting deficit in the 3WKPD rats similar to those reported in PD patients. The resting state connectivity study indicated significant changes in the 3WKPD rats compared to age matched controls. We observed increased overall connectivity of the motor cortex and increased CPu connectivity with prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, and hypothalamus in the 3WKPD rats compared to the controls. These observations parallel the observations in unmedicated early-stage PD patients. We also observed negative correlation between amygdala and prefrontal cortex as reported in humans. This negative correlation was lost in 3WKPD rats. Sodium butyrate treatment, tested in the cognitive deficit study, was able to ameliorate the extra-dimensional set shifting deficit observed in this model. This treatment also improved the attentional set formation. Conclusion: Taken together, our observations indicate that, the model of pre-motor stage PD developed during this research is a very high face validity rat model of late Braak stage 2 or early Braak stage 3 PD. Sodium butyrate was able to alleviate the cognitive deficits observed in our rat model. Hence, along with the prior reports of anti-depressant and neuroprotective effects of this drug, our results point towards a possible treatment strategy for the non-motor deficits of PD.

No description available.

Background: Dementia is a public health priority due to the growth in the ageing population, resulting in an increase of people living with dementia both nationally and internationally. Whilst dementia has been framed as an economic and societal burden, this is not the whole story. People living with dementia have rights and an asset-based approach outlines the contribution that they bring to relationships in the everyday places and spaces where life is lived. To continue to enable people living with dementia to stay in their own home and community and to offer opportunities for social participation and contribution, the neighbourhood is one focus of ageing and dementia policy supporting enabling environments. Although the literature illustrates the significant impact, from multiple dimensions, of the neighbourhood on people living with dementia and their carers, there is a scarcity of evidence about how they define, construct, and interact with their neighbourhood. Aims: This longitudinal study employed narrative inquiry as a methodological frame and used a participatory approach, together with multiple data collection methods, to uncover the meaning, construction and place of neighbourhood in the lives of people with mild dementia and their carers to gain in-depth knowledge of the dynamic relationships between people and environment and of their daily lived experience of dementia. Findings: A total of five couples, where one partner had mild dementia, located in an East Midlands county of England, participated in the study and the age range for people living with dementia was from 66 to 86 years. Participation was longitudinal with the researcher conducting a total of 65 home visits and collecting over 57 hours of interview data alongside other data sources, such as participatory neighbourhood maps. Each case was outlined using the same headings allowing for cross-case analysis and emphasis was placed on the creation and pictorial representation of the neighbourhood maps with data collection led by the persons living with dementia and/or their carers. A cross-case analysis was then applied to the data set where a meta-theme of biographical connectivity to the neighbourhood emerged, supported by two themes of connecting to people and connecting to places. The meta-theme highlighted the significance of personal biographies in influencing neighbourhood connectivity, which further shaped personal biographies. Within this cumulative process, resources and relationships had an effect on biographical connections to the neighbourhood, particularly affecting how the persons living with dementia negotiated environmental opportunities and challenges. The resulting model illustrated the fluid, dynamic relationships between participants and their neighbourhood through the lens of personal biographies. Conclusions: The meta-theme of biographical connectivity to the neighbourhood presented the significance of personal and relational biographies in influencing the subjective view of the experiences of interactions with the neighbourhood. This is the first study where people living with dementia and their carers co-produced neighbourhood maps with the researcher to bring their understanding of spaces, places, and people to life. The study is also an early attempt to support a bottom-up approach to neighbourhood constructions and meanings where the intersection of the life of the person to their self-identified neighbourhood becomes the focal point for supportive interventions. The thesis concludes with a re-contextualisation of biographical connectivity to the neighbourhood and its supporting properties to the literature and outlines its implications for policy, practice, education, and research.

Leung, Kai Man. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-68). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2 --- Background --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Graph Connectivity --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Preliminaries --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Edge Connectivity --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.3 --- Vertex Connectivity --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1.4 --- Algorithms for Graph Connectivities --- p.9 / Chapter 2.1.5 --- All Pairs Edge Connectivities --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1.6 --- Edge Splitting-off --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.7 --- Graph Separator --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1.8 --- Expander Graphs --- p.15 / Chapter 2.1.9 --- Superconcentrator --- p.17 / Chapter 2.2 --- Network Coding --- p.19 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Concept --- p.19 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Linear Network Coding --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Random Linear Network Coding --- p.25 / Chapter 2.3 --- Algebraic Tools --- p.26 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Linear Algebraic Algorithms --- p.26 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Nested Dissection --- p.28 / Chapter 3 --- Algorithms for Graph Connectivities --- p.35 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.35 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Our Results --- p.36 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Related Work --- p.39 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Techniques --- p.40 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Organization --- p.41 / Chapter 3.2 --- New Algebraic Characterization --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3 --- Connectivities in Acyclic Graph --- p.46 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Faster Encoding Algorithms --- p.47 / Chapter 3.4 --- Directed Planar Graphs --- p.49 / Chapter 3.5 --- All Pairs Edge Connectivities --- p.53 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- Connections with Previous Work --- p.55 / Chapter 3.6 --- Edge Splitting-off --- p.56 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Edge Splitting-off in Directed Graphs --- p.57 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- Edge Splitting-off in Undirected Graphs --- p.58 / Concluding Remarks --- p.61 / Bibliography --- p.62

A presente dissertação visa estabelecer que a Internet, enquanto técnica participa da constituição territorial, nesse sentido, colabora na regulação da vida humana. Busca-se, neste projeto, compreender as relações entre o desenvolvimento da Internet e seus impactos na organização e ordenação territorial. / This dissertation seeks to establish that the Internet, as a technique, takes part in the territorial constitution, in this sense, collaborating on the regulation of human life. This project will pursue the comprehension of the relationship between the development of the Internet and its impacts on the organization and arrangement of the territory.

Um dos maiores impactos antrópicos aos ecossistemas terrestres é a fragmentação do habitat. Este processo afeta fortemente os padrões de movimentação das espécies, implicando em alterações consideráveis na conectividade entre as manchas de habitat remanescentes. Por sua vez, isso interfere na distribuição espacial e na dinâmica das populações de uma espécie. Nesta dissertação, foram estudados alguns aspectos dos movimentos rotineiros e dispersivo de Pyriglena leucoptera, uma espécie de ave endêmica da Mata Atlântica. Estes dois tipos de movimentação atuam em escalas distintas, afetando diferentemente os parâmetros que regulam a estrutura das populações. Com o uso da técnica de playback, foi verificado se a capacidade desta espécie atravessar áreas abertas, em movimentos rotineiros entre fragmentos, é afetada pela distância entre eles. A partir desta relação, foram obtidas probabilidades de cruzar áreas abertas, as quais foram usadas para parametrizar índices de conectividade funcional (um binário e outro probabilístico) baseados na teoria dos grafos. Em uma abordagem de seleção de modelos, estes dois índices de conectividade mais um outro estrutural (i.e. área do fragmento) foram comparados para se estabelecer qual deles melhor prediz a incidência de P. leucoptera em fragmentos florestais. Quanto aos movimentos dispersivos, foram realizados experimentos de translocação e telemetria para verificar se a dispersão desta espécie em áreas fragmentadas é afetada pela distância entre os fragmentos, assim como para averiguar se este efeito é diferente entre os sexos. Os resultados mostraram que distância entre os fragmentos florestais limita tanto a movimentação rotineira, quanto a dispersiva para esta espécie. Na escala dos movimentos rotineiros, verificou-se que fragmentos distanciados a mais de 45 m estão totalmente isolados. A incidência da espécie foi melhor descrita pelo índice de conectividade funcional probabilístico (PCS), mostrando que a conectividade é fundamental para se compreender a distribuição espacial da espécie, sendo que este atributo da paisagem deve ser visto de forma probabilística. Ademais, a dispersão foi enviesada para fêmeas, as quais possuíram maior propensão a emigrar, assim como foram mais eficientes em sua movimentação pela matriz. As conseqüências deste viés foram discutidas, destacando-se que, em áreas altamente fragmentadas, a probabilidade de colonização de áreas desocupadas diminui, bem como o fluxo gênico entre as populações da espécie pode estar comprometido. Portanto, ambos os tipos de movimento devem ser considerados para que se possa compreender mais precisamente os efeitos da conectividade do habitat para a sobrevivência de uma espécie em paisagens fragmentadas. Por fim, foi sugerido um modelo hierárquico de estrutura populacional, a fim de integrar as informações obtidas pelos dois tipos de movimentação em uma única estrutura conceitual. Esse modelo possui um grande potencial para ser usado no planejamento e manejo ambiental. / Habitat fragmentation is one of the major human impacts on terrestrial ecosystems. This process highly affects the species movement pattern, implying in considerable alterations on the connectivity between the remaining habitat patches. Consequently, it interferes in the spatial distribution and in the population dynamics of species. In this dissertation, some aspects of the routine and dispersal movements of Pyriglena leucoptera, an endemic bird of the Atlantic rainforest, were studied. These two movement types act in distinct scales, affecting, differently, the parameter regulating the structure of the populations. Using the playback technique, we verified if the gap-crossing capacity of this species, by routine movements, is affected by gap width. From this relation, we obtained gap-crossing probabilities, which were used to parameterize functional connectivity indices (one binary and one probabilistic) based on graph theory. In a model selection approach, these two indices plus another structural one (i.e. patch area) were compared to establish which one is the best to predict P. leucopteras incidence in forest fragments. About the dispersal movements, we done translocation and telemetry experiments to investigate if the species dispersal ability in fragmented landscapes is affected by the distance between forest patches, and to verify if there are sexual differences in this effect. The results showed that distance between forest patches limits both the routine movements and the dispersal one to this species. In the routine movements scale, we verified that patches are completely isolated when the gap width is higher than 45 m. The species incidence was better described by the probabilistic connectivity index (PCS), evincing that it is essential to consider connectivity to understand the spatial distribution of P. leucoptera, and this attribute must be viewed in its probabilistic form. Furthermore, dispersal is female-biased, since females are more prone to emigrate and were more efficient in their movement in the matrix. We discussed the consequences of this sex-bias, highlighting that, in severely fragmented landscapes, the colonization probability of empty patches is decreased and the genetic flux between populations should be imperiled. Thus, to comprehend the effects of habitat connectivity on species survival in fragmented landscapes, both movement types must be considered. Finally, we suggested a hierarchically structured population model in order to integrate the two movement type information in one conceptual framework. This model has a great potential to be used in environmental planning and management.

Esse estudo teve como objetivo comparar duas formas de manejo de cultivos de banana em relação ao seu potencial de abrigar espécies florestais. Nós assumimos que o registro de espécies florestais utilizando um elemento da matriz mostra que a espécie não evita a matriz totalmente e pode ser capaz de cruzá-la, indicando a importância dessas estruturas para a manutenção de conectividade funcional entre as áreas de hábitat. Foram amostrados 30 cultivos incluindo áreas sob manejo convencional e agroflorestal. Em cada unidade amostral foram realizadas transecções para acessar a proporção de aves florestais, generalistas e de áreas abertas. Variáveis descritoras da estrutura interna e da estrutura da paisagem do entorno dos cultivos foram consideradas para verificar se a avifauna responde à características intrínsecas dos cultivos ou ao contexto de paisagem em que os cultivos estão inseridos. A proporção de espécies florestais foi maior em cultivos agroflorestais (F28;0,001=19,29; p<0,0004), enquanto a proporção de generalistas não apresentou diferença significativa (F28;0,001=0,22; p<0,22) e a de espécies de áreas abertas foi maior em cultivos convencionais (F28;0,001=8,92; p<0,006). Os dois conjuntos de variáveis considerados, isto é, a estrutura interna do cultivo e do entorno deste foram importantes para predizer a proporção de espécies florestais. Embora tenhamos observado o efeito da paisagem na proporção de espécies florestais, salientamos aqui que sistemas convencionais, mesmo em contextos de paisagem similares à sistemas agroflorestais, não apresentaram a mesma proporção de espécies florestais. Esse resultado indica um diferencial de cultivos agroflorestais de banana para a ocorrência de espécies florestais. Em nível de paisagem, a proporção de florestas e consequentemente a diminuição do isolamento entre manchas é o responsável pela presença potencial de espécies em fragmentos. No entanto, em nível de mancha, mesmo esta apresentando um contexto de paisagem favorável para que seja ocupada por espécies de áreas fonte, o mecanismo que influencia a presença das espécies é a elevada estrutura interna dos bananais. / This study aimed to compare two management of banana crops in relation to its potential to host forest bird species. We assume that the record of forest bird species using a matrix element shows that the species does not entirely avoid this area and may be able to cross it, indicating the importance of these structures for the maintenance of functional connectivity between areas of habitat. We sampled 30 areas including crops under conventional and agroforestry management. In each sampling unit we used transects to access the composition and abundance of bird species. Descriptive variables of the internal structure and the structure of the surrounding landscape of crops were considered to determine whether the bird responds to the intrinsic characteristics of the crops or the landscape context in which crops are inserted. The proportion of forest species was higher in agroforestry crops (F28, 0,001 = 19.29, p <0.0004), while the proportion of generalists showed no significant difference (F28, 0,001 = 0.22, p <0.22) and species of open areas was greater in conventional crops (F28, 0,001 = 8.92, p <0.006). The two sets of variables considered, i.e. the internal structure of the crop and of surroundings, were important to predict the proportion of forest birds species. Although we observed the effect of landscape in the proportion of forest species, we note here that conventional systems, even in contexts similar to the landscape agroforestry systems, did not show the same proportion of forest species. This result indicates a upper value of agroforestry crops for the occurrence of forest bird species. At landscape level, the proportion of forests and consequently the lower isolation between patches is responsible for the potential presence of species in fragments. However, at patch level, even it is presenting a landscape context favorable to be occupied by a species of source areas, the mechanism that influences the presence of the species is the high internal structure of the banana plantations.

Previous studies have reported altered glutamate (Glu) concentrations in the blood and brain of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to neurotypical controls (NC), but the direction (increased or decreased) of metabolite differences is still unclear. Moreover, the relationship between Glu and both brain function and clinical manifestations of the disorder require further investigation. Within this study, we investigated metabolite concentrations within the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a brain region functionally associated with inhibitory executive control tasks and also part of the salience network. There were 19 participants with ASD and 20 NCs between the ages of 23 and 58 years who participated in this study. A study clinician administered the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) to individuals with ASD to further confirm their diagnosis. In addition, all participants in this study completed assessments of general intelligence and attention, which included an inhibitory executive control task. Researchers also acquired in vivo single-voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the dACC to quantify both Glu and combined Glu and glutamine (Glx) concentrations. We hypothesised that these metabolite concentrations would be altered (decreased or increased) in adult participants with ASD compared to NCs and would correlate with inhibitory performance and ASD severity in individuals with ASD. Participants also underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan to assess the relationship between functional connectivity and Glu and Glx concentrations. We also hypothesised that there would be an altered relationship between local Glu and Glx concentrations and seed-based functional connectivity in adults with ASD compared to NCs. There were no significant group differences in Glu or Glx concentrations between individuals with ASD and NCs. Furthermore, we did not find any relationship between metabolite concentrations and either inhibitory performance or clinical symptoms of the disorder. This evidence suggests that increased or decreased Glu and Glx concentrations were not a core marker of altered brain function in the dACC in this group of adult individuals with ASD. When individuals taking psychotropic medications were excluded from the analysis, there was a significant interaction between age and group for Glx concentrations. This evidence weakly suggests disease-specific variations in Glx concentrations over the lifespan of an individual with ASD. Nevertheless, this result did not survive correction for multiple comparisons and requires further replication. In our final experiment, we reported that Glu concentrations were negatively correlated with right and left dACC seed-based resting-state functional connectivity to the left medial temporal lobe only in individuals with ASD. We also reported an interaction between groups in the association between Glx concentrations and both left and right dACC functional connectivity to other salience network regions including the insular cortex. This evidence suggests that local Glu and Glx concentrations were incongruent with long-distance functional connectivity in individuals with ASD. This analysis was largely exploratory, but further investigation and replication of these relationships may further explain the pathophysiology of the disorder as well as provide a useful marker for therapeutic intervention.