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Background: Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan with a worldwide distribution, in warm-blood animals, including humans. Local conditions and environmental disturbances may influence transmission dynamics of a zoonotic agent. This study evaluates the epidemiology of T. gondii based on toxoplasmosis prevalence in two populations of cats living in distinct urbanization conditions in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods: Among 372 domestic cats sampled, 265 were from a public shelter located downtown Rio and 107 from a relatively preserved wild environment in a residential area. Sera and eluates from dried blood spots were tested for detection of IgG antibodies against T. gondii by modified agglutination test (MAT). Results: Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 32/265 (12.08%) animals from the public shelter and in 4/107 (3.74%) cats from the residential area. Identical results were observed for sera and eluates. Conclusions: Filter paper provides a reliable accurate alternative storage option when conditions of sample collection and transportation in the field are unfavorable. The significantly lower prevalence in the residential area is discussed in terms of environmental, biological and behavioral features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art has always been an object of study and performance tool for Psychology professionals in Brazil. In order to increase the knowledge on this relationship, the present study aims to characterize as Art has been used by psychology professionals in the country. The method used was the bibliographical and exploratory research in databases on production of scientific papers on the use Art by Psychology in Brazil from 2004 to 2014. 318 abstracts from six categories of analysis of articles that had been analyzed were selected: year of publication, type of study, theoretical references, artistic expression type, field in Psychology and objective of the work. After the analysis it was concluded that, in Brazil, there is a predominance of theoretical and epistemological work in literary and visual arts, based on psychoanalytic theory, aimed at theoretical / conceptual expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of the Brazilian Central Bank (BCB) credibility on the outcomes of its monetary policy. In this sense, we seek to characterize periods in which the central bank can be categorized as strong (high credibility) or weak (low credibility) through a VAR methodology with an endogenously estimated threshold parameter. The econometric model includes the credibility variable, which defines the regimes, along with the output gap, inflation, 12 months ahead inflation expectations, the policy interest rate, and a long-term interest rate. Our dataset spans from 2003 to 2022, with monthly data. The estimations suggest a significant threshold parameter at 1%, with a value of 1.75 percentage points. Thus, we highlight that the BCB operates in a low credibility regime when inflation expectations exceed the tolerance bands around the inflation target. In fact, this occurred in 19% of the considered sample, equivalent to 46 months. Despite the relatively low frequency of periods in which the Brazilian Central Bank operated in a low credibility context, such a regime should be diligently avoided, as our evidence demonstrates that this regime is associated with a substantial reduction in the effectiveness of monetary policy in the country. We show, for example, that with low credibility, the BCB practically loses the ability to affect productive activity and the dynamics of prices (inflation and inflation expectations). When examining the possible causes of the reduction in the effectiveness of monetary policy conditional on the credibility regimes, we show that this variable can affect the existing trade-off between output and inflation in the economy. In other words, our results suggest that credibility regimes can influence the observed inclinations in the country's Phillips curve. Specifically, we point out that in a low credibility regime, inflation shocks generate recessionary effects on output, and inflation becomes more responsive to increases in inflation expectations, thereby reducing the degree of price rigidity. In conclusion, monetary policy in Brazil has effects that systematically depend on the credibility regime in operation. Therefore, maintaining a high credibility regime should remain a priority for the BCB, as it facilitates the achievement of favorable outcomes, including meeting inflation targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global diffusion of biotechnology has played a pivotal role in restructuring the global order in the post-Cold War era. Institution of a strong domestic base in biotech has arguably allowed emerging economies in the Global South to negotiate with developed countries from a position of strength. This paper critically examines the rise of Brazil as a case in point to examine the role of biotechnology as a great equaliser of power in North-South relations. It identifies the institution of a strong domestic biotechnology base as a primary facilitator of Brazil's emergence as a globally influential player. The paper does so through delineating the various means through which Brazil has drawn from biotechnology to boost its international image and influence. Firstly, it analyses the nuances within Brazil's domestic biotechnology strategy while underlining their catalytic effect in driving fast-paced advances in the field. Brazil's policy successes with respect to genomics and biofuels are highlighted. The paper discusses Brazil's employment of biotechnology as an effective foreign policy tool in niche diplomacy ventures of health, agriculture, and biofuels to grow its clout in the Global South. Brazil's tactful ability to combine its biotechnology expertise with skilful diplomatic manoeuvring to pioneer novel normative paradigms that favour the Global South has been studied. The paper concludes that Brazil's biotechnology strategy presents a good model for emerging economies in Asia and Africa to emulate to improve their relative standing in the multipolar world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the quality of prenatal care in Brazil from 2005 to 2015, regarding both access and appropriateness of care. This is a review conducted from recommendations proposed by the PRISMA protocol. The search extracted studies from databases: SciELO, LILACS and MEDLINE. Following the application of three filters based on pre-established criteria, 12 studies were selected for final analysis. The analysis showed cross-sectional studies, published nationally and internationally, focused on the evaluation of prenatal care in the cities and state from three major regions of Brazil and one nationwide. The findings show elevated prenatal care coverage over the past decade in almost all the country in spite of the quality which has been evaluated with low adequacy rates, ranging from 4.5% to 66.1% in several regions of the country, for reasons identified as non-realization of the ideal number of consultations and early assistance, and mainly lack of promotion of quantitative and qualitative contents set for such consultation. Variations are found in the adequacy of prenatal care, especially when compared to the application of different quality indicators. It is concluded that the evaluation studies are valuable tools to support future research seeking new actions in health care for pregnant women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and EPD-like demands have been gaining importance, particularly due to the release of Product Environmental Footprint by the European Union (EU). EPDs could be demanded in international trade, potentially creating a technical trade barrier for emerging economy countries. Thus, those countries should evaluate their readiness to successfully meet this demand. In this sense, this paper aims to analyse and propose strategies for EPD promotion in Brazil. Brazil's situation regarding life cycle assessment (LCA) and EPD development was analysed considering its business, academic, public policy and consumers contexts. In addition, an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) was elaborated based on interviews with EPD stakeholders in the country. These allowed some strategies to be proposed considering the principle of connecting strengths and opportunities, compensating for weaknesses and neutralizing threats. The results showed that Brazil has a technical and institutional context that enables EPD growth due to the initial stage of LCA database, EPD programs, stakeholders' engagement, and availability of experts. However, in general, these aspects aren't in an adequate level for successful EPD promotion. There is still a large path for EPD understanding and life cycle data availability. Besides, financial and technical restriction, especially considering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), present structural barriers. Nevertheless, by promoting EPD, Brazil could have gains in terms of credibility, access to global markets and environmental awareness. The opposite could happen if the country doesn't seize these opportunities. Furthermore, to influence Product Category Rule (PCR) definitions was said to be a key opportunity to avoid rules that disregard Brazilian singularities. Strategies for EPD promotion should focus on sensitizing and engaging different stakeholders in strategic sectors (civil construction, paper and pulp, coffee, ingredients derived from soya and livestock), enhancing technical capacities and life cycle data generation, and strengthening EPD programs to boost the Brazilian internal market and PCR development. Brazilian institutions should be encouraged to follow international discussions on EPD and internalize them, fostering sustainable production and consumption in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caminho da Caiçara II archaeological site is located in the village of Cadoz Velho, a rural area in the municipality of Piripiri, Piauí, Brazil. It consists of a large vertical wall and a small sandstone block containing 101 rock paintings in red and yellow colors. There are abstract figures and human handprints, as well as a bird's footprint and a spear-thrower. There are rock engravings in the shape of cupules. This paper reports the results of in situ monitoring of environmental parameters such as ambient air temperature and relative humidity, rock temperature in areas with and without rock paintings, as well as the speed of the winds that reach the archaeological site under investigation. The experimental data obtained indicate that the thermal action on the pictorial films of the rock paintings from the Caminho da Caiçara II site is clearly more intense than in other nearby archaeological sites. Direct sunlight on the rock paintings for most of the day and year is the main agent responsible for the high heating of the pictorial films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to propose new approaches for interpretations and inferences in the archaeological contexts of outdoor sites related to hunter-gatherer groups who occupied the ecosystems of the Brazilian Cerrado neotropical savannas which, due to the scarcity of elements that can corroborate the identification and characterization of a possible sociocultural dynamics around the use of natural resources, have their economic and subsistence models based on ethnographic analogies and correlations. From the perspective of archaeological and ethnoarchaeological studies, we propose the use of analogies, correlations and discussions with contemporary groups, using natural resources of the forests as their main source of food and materials, as a way to reconstruct past dynamics through the application of models in archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lajedo do Riacho Braço Forte is an open-air archaeological site located along the rocky bed of the aforementioned stream, in the rural area of Piripiri, northern Piauí, Brazil. The aim of this paper is to present the first data from the survey of the recently found archaeological site and its conservation problems. The practical procedure in the field consisted of (i) obtaining the geographic coordinates of location; (ii) surveying the fixed sharpeners-polishers, mortars or pestles, and cupules, as well as the degradation problems; (iii) panoramic and detailed photographic recording of the archaeological remains and the degradation problems; (iv) prospecting around the site; and (v) monitoring in different expeditions. The new site consists of six points of concentration of ancient human activity marks, such as fixed sharpeners-polishers (identified in the forms of channel or frieze, canoe and polishing basin), mortars or pestles, and cupules, in addition to some lithic remains. In numerical terms, more than 11 mortars or pestles, 6 lithic vestiges, more than 42 fixed sharpeners-polishers, as well as some cupules, were found. The site is used as a recreational area and for washing clothes, and therefore faces intense degradation problems caused by users, especially garbage dumping, in addition to the natural erosive effect and the accumulation of successive generations of microorganisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a brief yet comprehensive comparative analysis of historical and contemporary racial authoritarian violence in the United States and Brazil. Utilizing Black feminist historian and literary scholar Saidiya Hartman's theorization of the "afterlife of slavery" and Michael Dawson's linked fate, I examine how the processes of racialization and the racial logics of subordination have and continue to shape the contours of Black life in the United States and in Brazil. Moreover, in this work, I interrogate the afterlife of George Floyd and the afterlives of Black Brazilian victims and survivors of racial authoritarian violence; the political, transnational, and symbolic impacts of Floyd's death; and Diasporic understandings of linked fate on racial authoritarian violence between Black communities in the United States and in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite remote sensing data expedite crop yield estimation, offering valuable insights for farmers' decision making. Recent forecasting methods, particularly those utilizing machine learning algorithms like Random Forest and Artificial Neural Networks, show promise. However, challenges such as validation performances, large volume of data, and the inherent complexity and inexplicability of these models hinder their widespread adoption. This paper presents a simpler approach, employing linear regression models fitted from vegetation indices (VIs) extracted from MODIS sensor data on the Terra and Aqua satellites. The aim is to forecast cotton yields in key areas of the Brazilian Cerrado. Using data from 281 commercial production plots, models were trained (167 plots) and tested (114 plots), relating seed cotton yield to nine commonly used VIs averaged over 15-day intervals. Among the evaluated VIs, Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) and Triangular Vegetation Index (TVI) exhibited the lowest root mean square errors (RMSE) and the highest determination coefficients (R2). Optimal periods for in-season yield prediction fell between 90 and 105 to 135 and 150 days after sowing (DAS), corresponding to key phenological phases such as boll development, open boll, and fiber maturation, with the lowest RMSE of about 750 kg ha−1 and R2 of 0.70. The best forecasts for early crop stages were provided by models at the peaks (maximum value of the VI time series) for EVI and TVI, which occurred around 80–90 DAS. The proposed approach makes the yield predictability more inferable along the crop time series just by providing sowing dates, contour maps, and their respective VIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Integration in health and care can improve quality and outcomes, but it is challenged by expansion of medical knowledge, social pressures on patient needs, and demands to deliver critical information. In Latin American and in other lower and middle-income countries integrated care remains in development. This paper examined the available literature on integrated care to understand how Latin American countries identify and measure integration, and what factors influence success. Methods: This integrative literature review included systematic searches in Global Health, PubMed, SciELO and BVSPsi databases for articles on integrated care in Spanish, Portuguese, and English in the period from January of 1999 to December 2020. The articles were screened for selection and assessed independently by five reviewers that used the inclusion criteria of papers about integration in health care systems. The sample excluded articles that did not deal with the integration of health care, which addressed issues related to public health campaigns, programs to control endemics and epidemics, reports on the experience of implementing health services, health promotion guidelines, food safety, oral health, and books evaluation. Results: 24 articles were included: qualitative (75%), quantitative (12,5%), and mixed-method research (4%) published between 2000 and 2017. All studies were undertaken in Brazil, and two of them were also conducted in Latin American countries. In 15 articles there was an interchangeable use between concepts of integration of services and integrated care, while nine studies did not define integration. Barriers to integration included absence of shared understanding of knowledge among members of interprofessional teams, lack of clarity on professional roles, missing consensus on a definition and measurement of integrated care, power struggles between professionals, poor institutional support, insufficient team preparation and training and unequal valuation of professions by society. Conclusion: Several types of integration and factors contributing to the success of implementation of integrated care in various contexts in Brazil were identified. The concept of integration reflected the varied local and regional realities including different health settings and levels of health and care, suggesting a need for further clarifications on its objective and components especially in LMIC contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of these interviews is to explore the development of Muslim philanthropy in Brazil as well as the role of dawah and its relation to philanthropy. The interviews deal with specific terms such as zakat, fitra, sadaqah, and waqf to explore how they are interpreted and applied in Latin American contexts. The interviews were conducted with the person in charge of Centro de Divulgação do Islam para América Latina (CDIAL, Center for the Promotion of Islam in Latin America) and the director of affairs at Al-Madina School in São Bernardo, São Paulo, Brazil. This paper also provides some perspective on how the Brazilian government provides facilities for Islamic institutions, the way Muslim nonprofit organizations spend their zakat, and how they manage to help others in Brazilian civil society. Both through interviews and the author's personal involvement, this paper offers multiple first-person accounts of Muslim philanthropy in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peacekeepers are seen as a UN tool for promoting domestic changes in host countries, but little is known about the political consequences when officers return home. During the last 10 years, Brazilian presidents appointed a significant number of former peacekeepers to key political functions. How and why do former peacekeepers end up so involved in government affairs? To answer this question, this paper focuses on the array of skills acquired by peacekeepers in domestic missions and reinforced abroad. Drawing on a set of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to military, former political decision-makers, and researchers, as well as other primary and secondary sources, this paper details how political articulation, experience in conflict management, and prestige empowered Brazilian military officers to resume their tradition of intervention in politics. This paper also shows that peace operations can produce deleterious outcomes for troop-contributing countries in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between culture and the individual is a central focus of social scientific research. This paper examines motivations that mediate between shared culture norms and individual actions. Inspired by the works of Leon Festinger and Melford Spiro, we posit that social network conformation (the perceived adherence of one's social network with norms) and internalization of cultural norms (incorporation of cultural models with the self-schema) will differentially shape behavior (cultural consonance) depending on the domain and individual characteristics. For the domain of gender roles among Brazilian men, religious affiliation results in different configurations of the individual and culture. Our findings suggest that, due to changing and competing cultural models, religious men are compelled to reflexively "think" about what masculinity means to them, rather than subconsciously conform to social (hegemonic) expectations. This study demonstrates the importance of considering the impetus of culturally informed behaviors and, in doing so, provides a methodological means for measuring and interpreting such motivations, an important factor in the relationship between culture and the individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the behaviour of credit rating agencies (CRAs) during the ebbing 'pink tide'. It claims that the actions of S&P Global, Moody's and Fitch contributed to dismantling left-wing regimes in Latin America, to the benefit of their right-wing competitors. The methodology draws on case studies of Brazil and Argentina, where the governments of Dilma Rousseff and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner were replaced by those of Michel Temer and Mauricio Macri, respectively. The research is based on sovereign ratings, reports and press releases the agencies issued during those transitions, which are analysed in the light of critical theories of their modus operandi and confronted with the political processes unfolding in both countries. This allows us to draw conclusions that are consistent with the presented argument, thereby contributing to advance the research agenda around the CRAs and to shed light on Brazil and Argentina's recent critical presidential transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the policy dismantling process in the Brazilian innovation system since mid-2010. The research describes how this policy change has been undertaken and explains the strategies deployed and major causes. The study is theoretically grounded in the debate of policy dismantling, meaning changes that result in cuts, reductions, or even abolition of budget, rules, capacities, and instruments of a governmental area. A mixed-methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative, is employed. First, it examines the dismantling process in the last years, focusing on the budget execution patterns of the major policy instruments and agencies in charge of innovation at the federal level. The research relies on the stakeholders' perception by conducting semi-structured interviews with experts regarding strategies, rationale, reactions, and effects. The empirical findings show the dismantling occurs in both dimensions: density (number of tools reduced) and, mainly, the intensity (budget cuts), varying according to government areas. The interviewees highlighted the prevailing strategy as active dismantling, in which the fiscal austerity aggravated by the COVID-19 crisis, an ideological shift in the government coalition, policy particularities, and a low level of prioritization in innovation by the domestic business community are the main factors that affect the politicians' preferences to dismantle. Finally, the process seriously affects the national innovation system, such as the loss of bureaucratic and policy capacity, brain drain, and lag in technology, productivity, and consequently, in the country's economic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since being selected to host the 2016 Olympic Games, numerous studies have addressed the legacy of the event in Rio de Janeiro. The significance and sensitivity of the issues raised, namely the displacement of favela residents, has raised serious questions during and immediately after the Games about whether mega-events are fundamentally worthwhile. This paper revisits the topic and shares the findings of four focus groups reflecting non-favela youths’ thoughts about the Games after years. The findings show that while many still have positive attitude to few aspects of the Olympic Games, social justice issues significantly adversely affected respondents’ views of the event’s legacy. Some believe that discrimination continues a long-standing trend in the city, exacerbated by the Games. We believe that the International Olympic Committee always needs a Plan B if things do not work correctly in the host city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the behavior of a group of industrial multinational subsidiaries located in Brazil in the period 2003-2019. In this context, their surplus increased substantially because of the rise in commodity prices. For this reason, we intend to analyze the destination of the surplus towards non-productive uses. The methodology used incorporated accounting data that were processed to construct useful variables within the disciplinary framework of political economy and economics for economic development. Through this, it was possible to measure the capital flight and financial investments of the selected companies. This paper ties in with the debate on financialization, global productive changes and the forms these phenomena take in developing countries. Despite the surplus increase, the selected firms lost productive density because they promoted non-productive uses, in a general context of the Brazilian economy characterized by financialization and deindustrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an evaluation of the information literacies used by community representatives when engaging with participatory budgeting in São Paulo City, Brazil. Using questions established from context-setting interviews with stakeholders, a focus group was held in 2019 with eight participative councillors, with in situ interpretation, resulting in a translated transcript of the discussion. Thematic analysis was used to understand information issues faced by community representatives in relation to past research. It was found that the community representatives face informational barriers to their engagement with participatory budgeting, in (a) learning about their role (b) understanding the information needs of the communities served and (c) gathering and sharing information about local issues with stakeholders. These findings allow the refining of CILIP's definition of information literacy (IL) for citizenship and provide the basis for proposing a model for the IL of community representatives. It is also proposed that future IL research could further develop the role of digitally-enabled place and community in shaping the landscape of literacy and the role of hyperlocal representation. Additionally, the role of translation in cross-lingual IL research is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genus Culex has 817 species subdivided into 28 subgenera. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, being most abundant in countries with a tropical climate. Understanding the ecology and diversity of viruses circulating in the species of this genus is important for understanding their role as arbovirus vectors in Brazil. To conduct an integrative review to identify the importance of the Culex genus as arbovirus vectors in Brazil. A search was carried out for scientific papers in the PubMed, BVSalud, Patuá-IEC and International Catalogue of Arboviruses: including certain other viruses of vertebrates databases. 36 publications describing arbovirus detections in Culex mosquitoes collected in the field in Brazil were evaluated. A total of 42 arbovirus species were detected, as well as studies analyzing the vector competence of C. quinquefasciatus for the transmission of four different arboviruses. The study of the Culex genus and its role as a vector of arboviruses in Brazil is essential for understanding transmission cycles, with the main aim of reducing cases of human infection. Thus, entomovirological surveillance guides the implementation of actions to detect circulating arboviruses among vectors to anticipate measures aimed at preventing or reducing the risk of arbovirus outbreaks in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its appearance in 2020, Brazil and Mexico have been among the most affected countries in the world by covid-19. Their respective presidents, Jair Bolsonaro and Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as AMLO), have played a leading role in specific policies during the pandemic. Their choices were both singular and counter- intuitive. On the health front, AMLO initially underplayed the seriousness of the situation, and the Brazilian president, Bolsonaro, defended a frankly negationist attitude, with a dramatic balance sheet, without his popularity being seriously affected. On the economic front, they have chosen policies that contradict not only each other but also their own supposed ideological stances. Bolsonaro, who is ranked on the far right, has implemented an emergency transfer program on a scale comparable to those of developed countries and the most massive the country has ever seen. Conversely, AMLO, considered a progressist, provided just a minimum policy package, maintaining his previous electoral program. By adopting a comparative approach and mobilizing a unique and diversified set of data, the objective of this paper is to explore these apparent contradictions. After having established the precise diagnosis of the policies implemented to deal with the crisis and the economic and health situation in the two countries during the 2020-2022 period, we propose an original interpretation grid of the central role played by the two presidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the restrictions imposed by financialization on domestic policy space, especially in emerging economies, in light of the actions of credit rating agencies. The working hypothesis is that these agencies, in their interaction with governments, act to constrain the policy space from their position in the international financial system. Thereby, they operate in favor of the financial markets' agenda through the issuance of sovereign ratings and at the discursive level. The methodology draws on the case study of Brazil, based on sovereign ratings and reports issued by S&P Global, Moody's, and Fitch Ratings, which shows that such agencies have a vast repertoire to promote the orthodox neoliberal agenda in the national political and economic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper has as a theoretical framework the diversity management and cultural competence. It aims to identify ways of managing diversity in a public library in the interior of the state of São Paulo, establishing a theoretical reflection between this management and the development of cultural competence in the organization. The relations between the purposes of organizational planning and the actions developed by the library team, was evaluated. The importance of information and communication to promote diversity was identified, and the perception of conflicts in the library was also evaluated. Cultural diversity and cultural competence were considered in the organizational processes. The Case Study research method was applied. The findings consist of the following: the library has a management approach aligned with the goal of being a cultural reference locally for the various cultures, experiences, and subjectivities; library staff itself indicates the library's diversity perception and the importance of representativeness for the development and execution of intercultural projects; the information and communication between the library and the public assist with the commitment of diversity; the library aims to promote activities that help different social groups. The survey concluded that the development of competences at the individual and organizational levels is the solution to achieve coexistence and integration of multicultural groups. Thus, cultural competence demands actions that involve efficient information and communication flows between groups of distinct individuals; this can enhance the diversity management in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2022, a new version of the Brazilian indicator for the evaluation of scientific journals Qualis Periodicos was published, corresponding to the period 2017-2020. This new version of the indicator is the only official version since the previous one was published in 2016, in spite of the leaks in recent years of some estimates and discussions on the new values of the journals according to new criteria, in which citations and values from other bibliometric indicators such as CiteScore, Scopus, and Clarivate-JIF percentiles and Google’s h, h5, or h10 indexes have gained more relevance. Qualis Periodicos, practically ubiquitous in Brazil, corresponds to the main factor and motivation that Brazilian researchers have in deciding where to publish their best papers, so its situation and values are of special interest for journals that want to attract quality research from a country as large as Brazil, where recent political changes are expected to prompt greater investment in its scientific system and more resources for publications. This paper presents the values of the Spanish journals in Communication and Information, based on the Fecyt 2021 list and the Documentation and Communication categories of Dialnet Métricas, and identifies some anomalies in the system that should be considered by editors and authors when publishing their results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inequality refers to the extent to which income is evenly distributed across a population (IMF, 2022). The World Inequality Report (WIR, 2022) reveals the latest trends in global income inequality. It shows that the richest 10% of the global population currently earns 52% of global income, while the poorest half of the population takes 8.5% of it. In emerging market economies, indications are that income inequality is rising; sometimes accompanied by accelerating economic growth. Reports reveal that Brazil's six richest individuals command the same wealth associated with the poorest 50% of the population, or about 100 million people. The World Inequality Report (2021) reveals India as a poor and unequal country, with the bottom half of the population earning only 13% of the nation's income, while the top 10% controls 57% by 2021. In South Africa, the IMF (2020) acknowledges that the nation's inequality has remained at high levels, perhaps the highest in the world. This is characterized by a highly skewed income distribution pattern, with the top 20% of the population controlling 68% of national income. These developments hold grave implications for emerging markets, particularly their ability to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The main objective of this paper is to explore income inequality in emerging market economies, with a multi-country study of Brazil, India and South Africa. The methodological approach to the study involves both qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques. It relies on secondary data in publications from various sources, complemented by interviews of stakeholders in the study areas. Findings reveal the income inequality is undermining economic growth and development in emerging markets, fueling conflicts and triggering migration in some countries. The paper presents recommendations, underpinned by progressive taxation, social safety nets, gender equality, development of social services, and leveraging economic and financial incentives for labour-intensive industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article advocates the transgression of incumbent theoretical divisions between rural and urban abodes of production and draws on new analyses of contemporary spaces of capital and labour antagonisms in Brazil. It does so to articulate a broadening of the definition of class and class struggle towards an emancipatory praxis that does not necessarily prioritise industrialised workers. The study has a particular focus on the reconfiguration of socio-spatial arrangements linked to 21st century commodity cultivation, extraction and trade and subsequent class tensions on the material and epistemological frontier between (hydro, agro and mineral) mega projects and the autonomous territories of rural subjects. The renewed degradation of conditions for a labour force that has always been precarious, the dissolving dichotomy between proletarianised and peasant labour, and the ongoing resistance to corporate capture by communities is evoked to contrast distinct metabolic relations within rural territories with the objectification of labour and nature under capitalism. The analysis reveals new configurations of class domination, tension and counter movements. Many critical scholars, particularly those in the Global South, have been attentive to alternate readings of the world by indigenous, African descendent, peasant and agro-extractivist communities that may be unfamiliar yet underpin vociferous, and often fatal, resistance to capital accumulation. The task to effectively situate these struggles within a theory of broader, heterogeneous class struggle and integrate this 'wealth' of collective struggle and knowledge towards societal transformation remains important work in progress. In this spirit, the paper offers some possibilities for making new conceptual and material connections between rural and urban productive spaces and across currently fragmented class formations and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential access to life-saving COVID-19 vaccines reveals the inequitable distribution of wealth and power in the global system. While several countries have developed homegrown vaccines to avoid being priced out of markets dominated by transnational drug companies, Brazil—a country with a significant research and pharmaceutical base—lagged behind those of other middle-income countries. Why? This paper blends insights from dependency theory and the theory of global capitalism to demonstrate how political coalitions, leadership, and normative frameworks negatively affect state capacity and technological development. First, austerity in public investment in research, development, and innovation prior to and during the pandemic limited the amount of resources necessary to create homegrown vaccine candidates. Second, political leadership informed by science denialism did not prioritize the development of vaccines and even discouraged their use. The analysis of vaccine development in Brazil reveals that having a pharmaceutical base and strong leadership committed to scientific principles and backed by a political coalition seeking to expand social democratic rights play a vital role in developing treatments and responding to health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper intends to briefly provide a historical panorama of the public policies that shaped housing in Portugal and Brazil. In a sequential approach, it elaborates on the initial enterprises and actions towards housing issues, going through periods of dictatorship and re-democratization, until reaching current times of intensive financing in Portugal and the shift of housing policies in fostering the economy of Brazil. Subsequently, some general analyses and comparisons of these routes are introduced, dealing with the social impact of the considered policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on Brazilian Naturology over the last decades. It evaluates the incorporation of TCM principles and practices into Brazilian naturology courses, emphasizing the historical and cultural factors that have influenced this health movement. The paper contends that the integration of TCM has significantly influenced the development of naturology in Brazil, providing essential insights into its progression. However, it points out that the TCM training in Brazilian naturology does not meet the World Health Organization's recommendations. The article delves into the appropriation of TCM knowledge through Orientalism, noting that Chinese-born instructors are often employed merely as tokens to draw students instead of being assigned active, meaningful roles in the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we start from extreme right-wing discourses about indigenous peoples and their territories to map how they are retaken and subverted in indigenous resistance in Brazil. We highlight how the discursive production resulting from the largest Brazilian indigenous congress - Acampamento Terra Livre (ATL) -, in the editions from 2019 to 2022, responded to the attacks of the federal executive, acting on discourses. For this, we recover some concepts of the decolonial turn relevant to the discussion, outline contexts of attack and resistance to the rights of indigenous peoples in the period, summarize results of our previous analysis on discourses by the executive and present analyzes of ATL letters. Our analyzes point to an increase in indigenous mobilization in response to political attacks by the far-right government between 2019 and 2022. Indigenous peoples organized in their movements managed to assume a leading role in social resistance to fascism in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyze whether self-efficacy and entrepreneurial characteristics (e.g., risk-taking, planning, opportunity recognition, persistence, sociability, innovation, and leadership) differ in the explanation of entrepreneurial intention models, having entrepreneurial education as a moderator of relationships. Originality/value: This paper offers an in-depth perspective on which behavioral characteristics fit best into entrepreneurial intention models and helps to fill a theoretical and practical gap on the need for university education to increase its positive impact on human capital, particularly on students' professional skills, demonstrating which characteristics are most impacted by entrepreneurial education. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative methodology was employed, and data were analyzed with structural equation modeling. The sample consisted of 1,004 Brazilian university students from public and private universities. The research was conducted in a non-proba bilistic way and with a convenience sample. In order to address the research hypothesis and objectives, all constructs were adapted from relevant literature on entrepreneurship. Findings: The results indicate it seems more appropriate to use a set of entrepreneurial characteristics when investigating an entrepreneurial intention model if you are looking for a higher explanatory factor and a more robust model; also, entrepreneurial characteristics represent a more sensitive model, which brings accurate assessments on factors that affect entrepreneurial intention. With these findings, entrepreneurial education can be planned to shape certain characteristics through actions in the university environment, making it possible to measure the impact of education on entrepreneurial intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the midst of changes related to Industry 4.0, the preparation of engineers is essential. Thus, this paper aims to point out the effectiveness of evaluation instruments of Brazilian universities or courses to portray the adequacy of production engineers' training to the needs of production methods for Industry 4.0. This paper analyzes two systems: the ENADE, an official evaluation of higher education, and the RUF, a university ranking applied by a large Brazilian newspaper. ENADE intends to evaluate the absorption of specific program content in accordance with national guidelines, in addition to the assessment of general knowledge related to contemporary issues of social and economic impact; it is mandatory and applied throughout the National territory. The RUF is an annual assessment of Brazilian higher education and is subdivided by institutions and courses. As a result, it was identified that the joint application of these two systems promotes a reading of the adequacy of the courses to industry 4.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review aims to give an overview of the diversity of research areas related to human biometeorology in Brazil. The main focus of this paper addresses research trends, represented by published papers with national and international authorship, main contributions and shortcomings, as well as challenges and prospects of research in this area of study. An extensive literature search was conducted in the Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct databases so as to identify relevant publication output up to July 2021 related to the research area. The screening resulted in 96 studies chosen for full-text reading. Overall, results indicated a reduced amount of articles on the subject matter published internationally, with noticeable gaps in research in some regions of the country, such as the Amazon region and in the Brazilian Midwest region. Research gaps in relevant areas have been identified with limited output in the climate dimensions of tourism, vector-borne diseases, mortality and morbidity in urban centers. Such gaps should further encourage researchers to engage in research focused on those areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical-social psychology has great relevance in different areas of knowledge, including discourses involving Scientific Communication (SC). In this sense, this paper made a literature review about the publications on SC relate to the process of Scientific Education (SE) that used Bakhtin as a theoretical reference, in order to show the author's relevance to the area of Popularization of Science and Technology (PS) in Brazil. This is because it is understood that the SC process is rooted in ideologies and interests in its discourse. Thereby, this papers will be presented, briefly, in chronological (and alphabetical order within the same year) of publication. It can be said that Bakhtin has great importance in the discussions for the construction of a more critical society in relation to SC and SE practices, which in turn are directly related to the processes of PS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has never been so much flexibility and organizational capacity to adjust to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on work. This article examines beliefs and perceptions related to new arrangements imposed by compulsory telework on skills and performance management practices, as well as identifying related advantages and disadvantages associated. This paper draws on 17 in-depth interviews using the collaborative interactive action research method. The authors study how leaders acted in multiple ways, aiming to reduce the negative effects on workers and work design and provide greater balance of actions. The perspective of multiple levels of action was adopted, considering human and social behavior and organizational arrangements made at a macro level. The sense of collectivity and the search for the standardization of routines were privileged in the interpretation of the answers. The main results reflect the influence of compulsory telework to performance factors, essential competencies required, and the main advantages and disadvantages associated to the construct. This study is relevant for organization studies, especially in the kinds of organizational contexts where there is still unpreparedness to deal with the effects of the pandemic or have uncoordinated telework practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forests serve a crucial role in our fight against climate change. Secondary forests provide important potential for conservation of biodiversity and climate change mitigation. In this paper, we explore whether collective property rights in the form of indigenous territories (ITs) lead to higher rates of secondary forest growth in previously deforested areas. We exploit the timing of granting of property rights, the geographic boundaries of ITs and two different methods, regression discontinuity design and differencein-difference, to recover causal estimates. We find strong evidence that indigenous territories with secure tenure not only reduce deforestation inside their lands but also lead to higher secondary forest growth on previously deforested areas. After receiving full property rights, land inside ITs displayed higher secondary forest growth than land outside ITs, with an estimated effect of 5% using our main RDD specification, and 2.21% using our difference-in-difference research design. Furthermore, we estimate that the average age of secondary forests was 2.2 y older inside ITs with secure tenure using our main RDD specification, and 2.8 y older when using our difference-indifference research design. Together, these findings provide evidence for the role that collective property rights can play in the push to restore forest ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Violence is a worldwide public health challenge and has been linked to depression in many settings. Depression is higher in women and differential exposure to violence is a potential risk factor – especially in countries with high-levels of violence. This paper provides a comprehensive characterization of the association between violence victimization and depression in Brazil, focusing on sex/gender inequalities. Methods: We used data from the 2019 wave of the National Health Survey (PNS) in Brazil to assess whether respondents had depression (using PHQ-9) and if they were victims of violence, differentiating by the type of violence, the frequency of victimization, and the primary aggressor. We used logit models to assess the association between victimization and the likelihood of having depression. We predicted probabilities of being depressed, considering the interaction between violence victimization and sex/gender, to analyze the differences between men and women. Results: Rates of violence victimization and depression were higher among women than among men. The odds of being depressed were 3.8 (95%CI: 3.5–4.2) times higher among victims of violence than among non-victims, and 2.3 (95%CI: 2.1–2.6) times higher among women than among men, adjusting for socioeconomic factors. For any given income level, racial/ethnic or age group, victims of violence who were women had the highest predicted probabilities of being depressed – e.g., 29.4% (95%CI: 26.1–32.8) for lower-income women, 28.9% (95%CI: 24.4–33.2) for black women, and 30.4% (95%CI: 25.4–35.4) for younger women that suffered violence. Over one in three women that suffered multiple types of violence, experienced violence more frequently, or where the aggressor was an intimate partner or another family member were predicted to have depression. Conclusions: Being a victim of violence was strongly associated with higher risk of depression in Brazil, with women more likely to be both victims of violence and develop depression. Frequent, sexual, physical or psychological violence, and intimate partners or family member perpetrators were major risk factors for depression and should be a public health priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to verify the income differential between pluriactive, agricultural and non-agricultural families in rural Brazil. For this purpose, the microdata the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD) of 2014 were used, through non parametric method of Ñopo (2008) was used. The results showed that pluriactive households earn approximately 64% the more than agricultural households and around 6% the less than non-agricultural households. Econometric estimates reinforced income disparities favorable of pluriactive households (0.1169 Lnw) in relation to agricultural households, and negative income differentials (-0.0647 Lnw) for pluriactivity, compared to non agricultural activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This text is based on Pietzak's Master dissertation (2023), developed in the Postgraduate Program in Education - Academic Master in Education - of the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Santa Catarina - IFC Campus Camboriú, in the line of Educational Processes and Inclusion, which aimed to analyze in official documents and academic literature the education of deaf children in the early years of elementary education in a bilingual context and in school inclusion. To this end, it was necessary to describe the legal and political landmarks of deaf education in Brazil. In this paper, we emphasize chapter three of the dissertation which describes the legal and political landmarks of deaf education in Brazil, as we understand that these milestones are basic aspects in ensuring equality and equity in the educational process as a right for all, thus meeting the real needs of deaf students in their educational process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do state courts in Brazil participate in the debate about Covid-19 policies? I argue that state courts had a role in making decisions on key policies when political actors couldn't agree on how to handle the crisis. This paper compares its findings to what previous research has found on the role of the stf at the federal level. The results show that subnational institutions tried to use state courts to halt such policies in a similar way to what happened in the stf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the path of the profit rate and its components in Brazil between 1950 and 2020. The high growth in developmentalism, 1950-1980, in contrast to the great stagnation in neoliberalism, 1980-2020, is interpreted based on the rate of profit and its components: the profit share, the productivity of capital and the level of capacity utilization. The fall in the rate of profit due to the decline in capital productivity resulted in a slowdown in the rate of capital accumulation and economic growth. In the 1980-2020 period there was a structural break in the relationship between productive investment and profits with the adoption of neoliberalism, the same profit rate resulted in lower capital accumulation. The great stagnation is explained by the fall in the profit rate and the adoption of neoliberalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to discuss a historical record of Brazil, based on a complimentary and even euphoric look, about it in the British newspaper The Economist during the second term of former President Lula. The vehicle is regarded by economists and financial market experts from around the world as the bible of world liberalism; with this "brand" The Economist goes from panic with the imminent victory of the former union leader in 2002 to enthusiasm for the former Head of State of Latin America's greatest economic power house in less than a decade! This paper, with theoretical foundation surrounded by discourse analysis and important folkcommunicational aspects, makes a return to a recent historical past, however, extremely distant from the current Brazilian reality, in which the crisis permeates various sectors and the folk language, light, peaceful gave way to the discourse of "denialism" in the face of social demands of emergency order, as is the case of hunger, employment, public health. Finally, what was "marolinha" in the economy of the Lula Government, turning into praise and example for the whole planet, today seems a distant historical record. It is the aforementioned record that now presents itself, involving the speech as the central axis of the folk image of a former Brazilian president who brought praise and euphoria to his country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perspectives on the Environmental Implications of Sustainable Hydropower gathers scientific papers from three of the worlds most important hydropower producers to discuss aspects of sustainable hydropower and the means by which it can be studied and achieved. The papers examine the application and use of new technologies and protocols for studying hydropower, adaptive management and the implications and use of long-term data sets for minimizing hydropower impacts on fish populations. The papers include a cross section of biological and hydrological experts. The implicit among country comparisons highlight a number of common hydropower themes, particularly the need to expand from single species studies to include broader consideration of the ecosystem, the importance of maintaining habitat, trait and species diversity and the need for consistently collected long-term data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the displacement of Brazilian exports of matching products by China in selected countries markets in South America: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. These countries are relevant to Brazilian international trade, especially in manufactured products. The paper uses the Constant Market Share (CMS) methodology, with data from the period 2005 to 2019. The results indicate losses for Brazil in trade with the countries analyzed, while there are gains for China. Such losses are more significant in the periods 2005-2009 and 2010-2014, and in trade for Argentina. Still, the displacement of Brazilian exports by China is concentrated on Medium-Low and Medium-High technological intensity products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: Sugarcane would not be enough to meet the ethanol targets set for Brazil Corn ethanol may be an attractive secondary feedstock to help supply the demand In Brazil, sugarcane ethanol has more advantages when compared to corn ethanol Ethanol production in Brazil started in the early 1930s due to laws created by the Brazilian government. However, ethanol production only increased significantly with the National Program of Ethanol implementation in 1975. This program was another action taken by the Brazilian government aiming to provide conditions for the development of the ethanol industry in the country. With the program, it was possible to achieve significant progress; however, it finished in the mid-1980s. Currently, ethanol is produced on a large scale by more than 300 sugarcane mills all over the country. In 2016, the Brazilian government provided another incentive for ethanol production by creating the RenovaBio Program, which aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Besides the environmental aspect, Brazil's ethanol industry needs to develop to supply future biofuel demand. According to the forecast provided in this paper, and considering technical, economic, and environmental aspects regarding the Brazilian ethanol industry, the current and only feedstock used is likely to be insufficient. Thus, the ethanol produced from corn would be an attractive secondary feedstock to complement sugarcane ethanol as the primary feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This short commentary discusses the continuing role of war and militarism in the development of biotechnologies. I follow current and past events in the US related to the establishment of a formal structure - an intelligence community-led advanced research projects agency - where the military can interact with the market and act as an incubator and a consumer of new (bio)technologies. I contrast this traditional united-statian approach with the current way the Brazilian Science, Technology and Innovation System is organized. The paper discusses the implications of these fundamentally different ways of producing (bio)technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies David Lowenthal's 1968 Geographical Review article "The American Scene" and John Dos Passos' 1963 travelogue Brazil on the Move to develop a notion of the Brazilian scene. It argues for the importance of "scene" as a concept in geographic inquiry and the relevance of Brazil to concerns across the discipline. Scene matters to geographers because it provides immense pedagogical value in explaining the character and most important features of a place. As a demographic and socioeconomic "microcosm of the world," Brazil is fertile ground for constructing a theory of scene. Three interrelated concepts are integral to the Brazilian scene: ufanismo (pride in abundance of land and natural resources), a belief in the promise of the future, and movement inward from the Atlantic. A close reading of Brazil on the Move advances the concept of scene beyond the "long succession of idealized images and visual stereotypes" posed by Lowenthal, and toward including visions that better account for issues of contemporary interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global media have reported widely on the (in)actions of the Brazilian federal government, particularly of president Jair Bolsonaro, in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper aims to describe media representations in terms of their transitivity choices (HALLIDAY; MATTHIESSEN, 2004) and to discuss how emerged language patterns may be indicative of particular ways life and death have been controlled in terms of a coupled conceptualization between biopolitics (FOUCAULT, 2008) and necropolitics (MBEMBE, 2019) which we call necrobiopolitics. Overall results indicate how the death of babies and mothers, the collapse of hospital and health service, the spike in hunger, the dismissal of the severity of the pandemic, and the purposeful delay in purchasing vaccines are instrumental in the way president Jair Bolsonaro has implemented a political agenda that defines whose lives are worthy and whose deaths are tolerated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]