Climate change increases threat to plant diversity in tropical forests of Central America and southern Mexico.

Global biodiversity is negatively affected by anthropogenic climate change. As species distributions shift due to increasing temperatures and precipitation fluctuations, many species face the risk of extinction. In this study, we explore the expected trend for plant species distributions in Central America and southern Mexico under two alternative Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) portraying moderate (RCP4.5) and severe (RCP8.5) increases in greenhouse gas emissions, combined with two species dispersal assumptions (limited and unlimited), for the 2061-2080 climate forecast. Using an ensemble approach employing three techniques to generate species distribution models, we classified 1924 plant species from the region's (sub)tropical forests according to IUCN Red List categories. To infer the spatial and taxonomic distribution of species' vulnerability under each scenario, we calculated the proportion of species in a threat category (Vulnerable, Endangered, Critically Endangered) at a pixel resolution of 30 arc seconds and by family. Our results show a high proportion (58-67%) of threatened species among the four experimental scenarios, with the highest proportion under RCP8.5 and limited dispersal. Threatened species were concentrated in montane areas and avoided lowland areas where conditions are likely to be increasingly inhospitable. Annual precipitation and diurnal temperature range were the main drivers of species' relative vulnerability. Our approach identifies strategic montane areas and taxa of conservation concern that merit urgent inclusion in management plans to improve climatic resilience in the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot. Such information is necessary to develop policies that prioritize vulnerable elements and mitigate threats to biodiversity under climate change.

Acoustical engineering: A complete academic undergraduate program in Brazil.

Acoustics is a broad field of knowledge that extends branches all over the physics of wave phenomena, psychology, natural sciences, and engineering. It is taught, in general, as part of engineering, physics, or architecture programs, or even in graduate programs specialized in the theme. In Brazil, acoustics was taught in graduate programs, until the creation of Acoustical Engineering in 2009, at the Federal University of Santa Maria, an integral undergraduate program dedicated to acoustics, audio, and vibration (lasting ten semesters). This article presents its complete academic program, its creation process, and the professional establishment of the acoustical engineer. In the following, the program of study and subjects are elucidated and detailed, and the teaching methodologies used are also discussed. The program employs several active learning strategies, like project-based learning, aiming to transform abstract into concrete knowledge. The interaction of the university, the acoustical engineer, and society is also presented and clarified. The placement of graduates in fields and their workplaces are presented as outcomes. As a fundamental part of the engineer's formation, the infrastructure used, whether state-of-the-art or cost-effective equipment, is detailed in the context of teaching and research. Finally, some of the ongoing research projects of the students are described.

An algorithmic approach to electroacoustical analogies.

The low-frequency behavior of acoustical transducers can be simulated with the so-called electroacoustical analogies (or lumped parameters). The main idea is that visual inspection of the transducer allows the derivation of an electroacoustic circuit that can be analyzed. The technique is computationally efficient and provides significant physical insight into the transducer. Electroacoustical analogies are taught today in many courses around the world. However, it is difficult to find reading material with an algorithmic approach to derive the electroacoustic circuit from the visual inspection of the transducer. This paper presents algorithms to derive the mechanical and acoustical circuits of transducer systems and how to couple the electrical, mechanical, and acoustical circuits for electrodynamic and capacitive transducers. A number of examples of the derivation are presented in detail. These techniques were conceived from an extensive search of the classical literature in acoustics and adapted to the teaching needs of undergraduate and graduate students of the Acoustical Engineering at the Federal University of Santa Maria in Brazil.

Distribuição do Profissional Médico na Macrorregião Norte do Paraná: Inequidade entre os Municípios de Diferentes Portes Populacionais / The Distribution of Medical Professionals in the Northern Paraná Macroregion: Inequality between Municipalities with Populations Varying in Size

RESUMO A inadequada distribuição do profissional médico nas diferentes localidades do território nacional ocorre de várias formas: entre as regiões do País; entre capital e interior; entre áreas urbanas e rurais; entre áreas centrais e periféricas das regiões metropolitanas e entre assistência pública e privada. Desse modo, mesmo que se apresente uma relação medico/habitante adequada, a distribuição desses profissionais tende a se concentrar em determinadas áreas. Com o objetivo de analisar a distribuição dos médicos nos 97 municípios que compõem a macrorregião norte do Paraná, realizou-se estudo exploratório, descritivo,com base em dados secundários – Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE) e Sistema de Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde(SCNES)– acessados em outubro e novembro de 2014. Os resultados indicam uma distribuição desigual da população e dos médicos entre os 97 municípios da macrorregião. Os três municípios maiores abrangem 39,3% da população e 56,1% dos médicos, enquanto nos outros 94 municípios em que residem 60,7% da população atuam 43,9% dos médicos. Porém, a distribuição dos profissionais que fazem parte do Programa Mais Médicos ocorre de forma inversa, ou seja, metade desses médicos atua nos pequenos municípios em que reside aproximadamente um terço da população, o que demonstra que a distribuição destes profissionais contribui para melhorar o índice de médicos nos pequenos municípios. O enfrentamento das desigualdades na distribuição dos médicos nas diferentes regiões do País é complexo, não havendo soluções únicas e isoladas, sendo necessárias intervenções que articulem a gestão federal, estadual e municipal, estratégias de financiamento, formação dos profissionais de saúde e a regulação da formação e do processo de trabalho em saúde, políticas que fortaleçam as vulnerabilidades dos municípios menores. Investir na redução dessa desigualdade torna-se fundamental para a garantia da integralidade da atenção, sobretudo em localidades de difícil acesso, para assegurar o direito à saúde, especialmente em relação à carência de profissionais no âmbito do SUS.

ABSTRACT Inappropriate distribution of medical professional in different areas of the country occurs in several ways: between the regions of the country; between capital and countryside; between urban and rural areas; between central and peripheral areas of metropolitan regions and between public and private assistance. Thus, even if you submit a medical/proper inhabitant ratio, the distribution of these professionals tends to concentrate in certain areas. In order to analyze the distribution of physicians in the 97 municipalities that compose the Northern Paraná Macroregion, held exploratory, descriptive study based on secondary data (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics – IBGE and National Registration System of Health Establishments – SCNES), accessed in October and November 2014. The results indicate an unequal distribution of population and physicians among the 97 municipalities of the macro-region. The three largest municipalities cover 39.3% of the population and 56.1% of physicians while in the other 94 municipalities in which they reside 60.7% of the population, 43.9% of physicians work. However, when analyzing the distribution of professionals who are part of the more medical program, its distribution occurs in reverse, because half of these physicians work in small municipalities in which resides about a third of the population. These shows that the distribution of these professionals contributes to improving the health index in small municipalities. Addressing inequalities in the distribution of physicians in different regions of the country is complex, with no unique and isolated solutions, requiring interventions that coordinate federal, state and municipal management, financing strategies, training of health professionals and the regulation of health work process, policies that strengthen the vulnerabilities of smaller municipalities. Investing in reducing this inequality is fundamental to ensuring comprehensive care, especially in hard to reach locations, to ensure the right to health, especially in relation to the lack of professionals in the SUS.