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Emissions of NO from soils in the Amazon rain forest were measured at 66 locations (224 measurements) using an enclosure technique, and continuous vertical profiles of NO and 03 were measured between the ground and 41-m altitude. Fluxes of NO averaged 8.9 (+1.5) x 109 molecules crn -2 s -1 from the dominant (yellow clay) soils of the region, with larger fluxes (33.7 (_+6.5) x 109 molecules cm -2 s -1) observed from adjacent white sand softs. Fluxes from clay softs were lower by more than a factor of 5 than fluxes observed during the dry season at a nearby site. Low soil emission rates were reflected in lower concentrations of NO at the top of the forest canopy in the wet season, only 30-50 pptv (parts per trillion by volme) during the daytime. The measured fluxes are consistent with chemical mass balances for NO within the forest canopy, calculated from the NO and 03 profiles taken at night, and with observations of NO between 150 and 5000 m altitude (A. L. Torres and K. R. Hooks, unpublished manuscript, 1989). Measurements of NO emission rates from soil plots fertilized using NaNO3, NH4C1 or sucrose indicated that a reducfive pathway (alenitrification) may have been primarily responsible for production of the NO released by both clay and sand softs.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate, by means of a systematic literature review, the adherence and motivation presented by diabetic patients that participate in health intervention programs, which stimulate the adoption of a healthy life style. The ingestion of an adequate diet and the increase in physical activity, focusing in the disease perception, considering the diabetic patient knowledge, making evident the recommendations that should be followed to reach a better life quality, demonstrating that it is possible to live well even if you have a chronic disease such as diabetes. A literature research in the main public health databases (Medline, Lilacs, Scielo, among others) was conducted from 1994 to 2006. A total of 37 studies focused in the interaction among the subject health and disease versus diabetes were selected. This study mentions some daily difficulties felt by the diabetic patient and his family to control the disease. These difficulties can directly affect the patient adhesion to the prescribed treatment. Therefore, the behavioral and emotional factors presented by each patient must be considered when the health activities are being planned to reach total assistance to this population.

Rates for emission of NO and deposition of O3 were measured at a tropical forest site in Reserve Adolfo Ducke, near Manaus, Brazil. Two independent techniques were used to determine the NO flux: (1) a soil enclosure method and (2) a method based on simultaneous observations of NO and O3 vertical profiles at night, when NO is irreversibly removed by reaction with O3. Results obtained using the two techniques agreed well, giving an average NO flux of 5.2±1.7×1010 molecules cm−2 s−1 and an average vertical exchange coefficient of 2.2×103 cm3 s−1. Sources of NO from tropical forest soils may be important for global atmospheric chemistry. Rapid removal of O3 was observed in the lowest levels of the forest. The nocturnal deposition rate was estimated to be 5.6±2.5 ×1011 molecules cm−2 s−1 through the 6 m level. The large deposition rate for O3 is consistent with the strong sink inferred from observations of ozone in the Amazon region.

Measurements of the emission of 222Rn from Amazon forest soils, and profiles of 222Rn in air were used to study the ventilation of the soil atmosphere and the nocturnal forest canopy. The emission of 222Rn from the yellow clay soils dominant in the study area averaged 0.38±0.07 atom cm−2 s−1. Nearby sand soils had similar fluxes, averaging 0.30 ± 0.07 atom cm−2 s−1. The effective diffusivity in the clay soil (0.008±0.004 cm2 s−1), was lower than that for the sand soil (0.033±0.030 cm2 s−1). Profiles of 222Rn and CO2 in air showed steepest concentration gradients in the layer between 0 and 3 m above the soil surface. Aerodynamic resistances calculated for this layer from 222Rn and CO2 varied from 1.6 to 18 s cm−1, with greater resistance during the afternoon than at night. Time averaged profiles of 222Rn in the forest canopy measured during the evening and night were combined with the soil flux measurements to compute the resistance of the subcanopy to exchange with overlying air. The integrated nocturnal rate of gas exchange between the canopy layer (0 to 41 m) and overlying atmosphere based on 222Rn averaged 0.33±0.15 cm s−1. An independent estimate of gas exchange, based on 13 nights of CO2 profiles, averaged 0.21±0.40 cm s−1. These exchange rates correspond to flushing times for the 41 m canopy layer of 3.4 and 5.5 hours, respectively. Comparison of 222Rn and CO2 profiles show that the nocturnal production of CO2 by above‐ground vegetation was about 20% of the soil emission source, consistent with data from eddy‐correlation experiments (Fan et al., this issue).