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This study describes an education for development experience related to health and quality of life implemented in the framework of an on-going university cooperation action in Central America. A space for debate on these issues was created to support and promote the implementation of local policies; provide technical support for the design, preparation and implementation of socio-educational research; train health mediators; and foster the exchange of experiences among professionals and institutions. Methodologically, the work comprises three phases: an analysis of the problem of HIV/AIDS using an applied research approach, a participatory diagnosis of the actual situation of risk groups in order to make decisions to construct a health prevention discourse adapted to the contextual reality and, finally, the coordinated promotion of educational actions for development. The consolidation of this inter-institutional alliance, which acts on real needs in this context, is producing substantial, tangible changes in the habits and quality of life of the local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isthmohyla insolita and Exerodonta catracha are Honduran hylids of uncertain phylogenetic relationships. In this paper we present a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes to study their relationships. Our results show that these species are, respectively, the sister taxon of and nested among the few available species of Plectrohyla, possibly the least studied genus of Hylini in terms of phylogenetic relationships. To solve the polyphyly of Exerodonta and Isthmohyla, both species are provisionally transferred to Plectrohyla, pending a broader phylogenetic study including all species in the genus. Consequently, Isthmohyla is restricted to a group of hylids endemic to the Isthmian highlands of Costa Rica and Panama in lower Central America. The inclusion of I. insolita in Plectrohyla implies another instance of independent evolution of terrestrial egg clutches in Hylini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing popularity of fusing adventure, humanitarianism, and travel has received attention from scholars within the fields of leisure and tourism studies, particularly regarding widespread activities such as volunteer tourism. Fewer have examined the phenomenon that we refer to as endurance philanthropy, in which participants journey long distances under challenging conditions to increase awareness and raise funds for specific causes. As more and more people become attuned to the idea, it is essential to interrogate the power dynamics and development discourses that frame such campaigns. To begin this necessary conversation, this paper investigates one subset of the endurance philanthropy movement: participants who have journeyed from North America to Central America to raise money and awareness for causes situated within the destination region. Using the lenses of spectacle and critical development, we analyze online media produced both by and about these journeyers. Our findings highlight key themes that weave across and through these events: actions not words, expedition completed, grit and determination, and donor commitment. We argue that these events – while emphasizing solidarity and advocating for social change – ultimately undermine the potential for such transformation due to the spectacular, individualizing, and apolitical characteristics of the campaigns. This results in the reproduction of neoliberal self-help models of progress, which reinforce the status quo and downplay larger structural issues that keep poverty and inequality in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection and the functioning of the mid-summer drought (MSD) represent valuable information due to its socio-economic implications for the Caribbean. Current methods using local-scale rainfall to define the MSD have some limitations. This paper presents a novel approach to detect MSD from regional-scale weather types (WT). Long sequences of a typical summertime anticyclonic WT allow the detection of the onset and demise dates of the MSD for most years in 1950–2021. The MSD defined with WT (MSD-WT) begins rather abruptly on June 13th and concludes on August 21st, on average. While the interannual variations of the MSD-WT onset are relatively weak, long-term trends since 1950 indicate progressive earlier onsets, longer durations, and weakening intensities of the MSD-WT. Our results do not show the anticipated westward shift of the North Atlantic subtropical high pressure typically related to MSD. Instead, they indicate a halt of its eastward shift close to the MSD-WT onset. The absence of significant correlations between MSD-WT onset and either the Tropical North Atlantic or the Eastern Tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) in May–June also suggests a mostly intrinsic atmospheric mechanism locked to the annual cycle, thus limiting the seasonal predictability of the MSD-WT onset. Furthermore, our results indicate a lag between the timing of increased subsidence, acceleration of the Caribbean low-level jet (CLLJ), and intensification of the deep convection over Central America and Mexico. This leads us to develop a novel hypothesis putting forward the monsoon circulation over Meso-America as a potential precursor of the increased subsidence over the Caribbean basin and the synchronous acceleration of CLLJ. The MSD-WT demise is more gradual and corresponds to a decrease in regional-scale mean sea level pressure and a weakening of the CLLJ. MSD-WT demise dates exhibit also relatively larger interannual variations but, unlike its onset, do not show any significant long-term trend. Anomalously warm (cold) Tropical North Atlantic and cold (warm) East Pacific SST from early June are correlated with an earlier (later) MSD-WT demise than usual. MSD-WT demise seems to involve regional-scale air-sea couplings and exhibits thus more seasonal predictability. Finally, despite a consistent response to the CLLJ, distinct processes seem to produce the relatively dry conditions observed over the Pacific coast of Central America and the Caribbean basin during the MSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Examine industrial trends in six Central American economies, and find that the industrial employment share has declined by an average of 2.5 percentage points over the past two decades. • Decline not due to a trade-driven deindustrialization but rather due to an increase in barriers that restrict the efficient flow of labor across sectors. • Policy interventions targeting these barriers could potentially lead to significant industrial expansion, but the economic impact may be marginal, with aggregate output projected to increase by 3.2 percent or less. • Boosting productivity could be a more prudent growth strategy. This paper analyses industrial trends in six Central American economies by assembling and harmonizing sectoral data from multiple sources. Industrial employment share has declined by an average of 2.5 percentage points over the past two decades. Contrary to a trade-driven deindustrialization hypothesis, which suggests that cheaper imports have replaced domestic production of industrial goods, the findings indicate that this decline is primarily driven by an increase in barriers that restrict the efficient flow of labor across sectors. The paper argues that policy interventions that target these barriers could potentially lead to significant industrial expansion. However, the economic impact of such policies may be marginal, with aggregate output projected to increase by 3.2 percent or less upon eliminating these barriers. Moreover, this approach also carries risks, as it may introduce new distortions that could further hinder economic efficiency. Perhaps a more prudent growth strategy will be to concentrate on boosting productivity, which though challenging, directly affects the output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Megalithic architecture is related to a series of ancient stone monuments of giant dimensions, which were constructed using almost untreated individual stones or stones grouped into certain structures, which was the subject of the previous paper of these authors, but also to numerous buildings of more recent cultures and civilizations, the so-called "more developed architecture", which are built entirely or partly from large stone blocks, most often of regular geometric shape, such as, for example, pyramids around the world, especially the stone ones, described in this paper. Pyramids represent perhaps the most significant buildings of human civilization in which the ancient builders incorporated complex knowledge not only in construction and architecture. The techniques used to build them were developed over centuries, which is best seen with the Egyptian pyramids... Although we often like to draw comparisons between the Egyptian pyramids and the pyramids of Central America (and other pyramids in the world), with which we try to look for their "lost" connection, the pyramids are still very different in their age, shape, size, geographical distribution and function, even in the material from which they were built. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While climate services for small-scale farmers are gaining recognition for contributing to adaptation and resilience to climate variability and change, their provision in developing countries remains a critical challenge. Effective climate services consider why and how farmers of varied socioeconomic background make relevant decisions avoiding the traditional prescriptive forms of transfer that merely focus on delivering climate information. Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa shows that climate services for agriculture generates transformations in how farmers access and use climate information, as well as changes in farmer decision-making. In this paper, we address the question of whether the same effect is also seen in Latin America, where farming systems, farming decisions, socioeconomic contexts and non-climate constraints are very different to those of Africa. A group of 209 farmers in the dry corridor in Honduras was studied. We find that 98% of the trained farmers did uptake and use the climate information, and some 73% expressed that the agroclimatic information was key to the success of their harvest despite the challenging 2019 season. Some 43% of the farmers made changes in farming practices. In particular, farmers changed the crop they grew, the crop and land management, the planting dates, inputs and crop varieties. These changes reportedly had positive effects on their food security, and income. These findings support the hypothesis that Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) plays a positive role in providing effective climate services in Central America, improving decision-making, and enabling farmers to make their own decisions based on the analysis of information and their demands regardless of their level of literacy. We pose that participatory climate services in agriculture can catalyse processes of long-term transformation in farming systems, notably through lifting farmers out of poverty and food insecurity and providing an integrated approach to make informed decisions in the face of climatic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central America is home to one of the most abundant herpetofauna in the Americas, occupying only 7% of the continent's total area. Vipers and lizards are among the most relevant venomous animals in medical practice due to the consequences of envenomation from the bite of these animals. A great diversity of biomolecules with immense therapeutic and biotechnological value is contained in their venom. This paper describes the prominent leading representatives of the family Viperidae, emphasizing their morphology, distribution, habitat, feeding, and venom composition, as well as the biotechnological application of some isolated components from the venom of the animals from these families, focusing on molecules with potential anti-thrombotic action. We present the leading protein families that interfere with blood clotting, platelet activity, or the endothelium pro-thrombotic profile. In conclusion, Central America is an endemic region of venomous animals that can provide many molecules for biotechnological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Inonotus linteus complex, predominantly reported from East Asia, Mesoamerica and Caribbean countries, was circumscribed into Tropicoporus as one of the new genera, based on morphological and phylogenetic data. The present paper describes four new species of Tropicoporus from India. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses, based on ITS and nLSU data, delimited the new species, which are named T. cleistanthicola, T. indicus, T. pseudoindicus and T. tamilnaduensis. The pairwise homoplasy index (PHI) test was done to confirm the distinctive nature of the new species. The traits of Indian species remain distinct from one another, except for the pileate basidiome with the mono-dimitic hyphal system, cystidioles and broadly ellipsoid basidiospores. Descriptions, illustrations, PHI test results and a phylogenetic tree to show the position of the new species are provided. In addition, an identification key to Tropicoporus in Asia and an African species is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize, one of the most popular cereal, originates from the Central America and is very versatile, being used in various fields. It is used in food, as feed and in industry. The purpose of the paper regards the choice of hybrids which is one of the most important factors influencing the productivity and quality of the maize. The area where the crop is located influences the choice of the most suitable hybrid, as it must be selected according to the average temperature during the growing period and the type of soil. In this study, the experiments were carried out in the climate and soil conditions of Moara Domneasca Research Station. To find the right hybrid, several hybrids were selected to grow and later to compare their harvest and choose the optimal variant. To obtain the highest production of maize, the chosen hybrid should be also as resistant as possible to extreme weather conditions, such as periods of drought grown in the Romanian Plain, on a specific soil and fertilized with different doses of chemical fertilizers. The economic efficiency of the applied fertilization system was also analyzed. As a conclusion, the two hybrids tested reacted positively to chemical fertilization. The SC4140 hybrid behaved better in the non-fertilized version, achieving higher yields than the P9903 hybrid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cylapocoris is a genus of the cylapine tribe Fulviini distributed in the Neotropics, with most species being recorded from Central America. By the descriptions of five new species and redescriptions of six species, we provide a robust amount of morphological data, including the novel study of female genitalia, offering an updated diagnosis and description of the genus. This paper also elucidates the phylogenetic position of the genus and the interrelationships of the species within it as well as confirming the monophyly of Cylapocoris. This paper provides descriptions of five new species of the Neotropical genus Cylapocoris Carvalho, 1954 (C. bimaculatus n. sp., C. brooksi n. sp., C. carvalhoi n. sp., C. scutellatus n. sp., and C. simplexoides n. sp.). Cylapocoris and Cylapocoroides Carvalho, 1989 are redescribed and rediagnosed. Illustrations of male genitalia, scanning electron micrographs of selected structures of certain taxa, and an identification key to species are provided. Female genitalia are described and illustrated for the first time for Cylapocoris in nine out of 19 known species. A cladistic analysis of the genus, based on 62 morphological characters, is presented as a contribution to the understanding of relationships within Cylapocoris and its relationships with other groups of Cylapinae. The analysis comprises 16 ingroup species and 15 outgroup taxa. Both equal and implied weighting parsimony analyses were used in the phylogenetic reconstruction. We confirm the monophyly of Cylapocoris and its sister-group relationship with Cylapocoroides. Additionally, we identify subgroupings within Cylapocoris. Intertribal relationships within Cylapinae are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving inclusion and equity in international business (IB) education remains a challenge, given the rising costs of college tuition and the increasingly diverse and non-traditional student population. These changes may reduce the feasibility and relevancy of activities, such as study abroad programs, and an MNE-centric IB curriculum for a significant number of college students today. To overcome these challenges, in this paper, we share our findings from a case study on a virtual service-learning project that fostered cross-border interactions between undergraduate students in North America and small business owners in Central America. Over the course of one semester, students worked to draw connections between their unique individual backgrounds and skill sets, connect IB and global strategy concepts to small business operations, and deepen their understanding of sustainable development. Our findings demonstrate that this practice can enhance student enjoyment, academic learning, professional growth, and civic learning. Overall, virtual service-learning can be effective as an alternative teaching and learning approach to address the significant challenges in IB education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fluvial flooding is a major cause of death and damages from tropical cyclones (TCs), so it is important to understand the predictability of river flooding in TC cases, and the potential of global ensemble flood forecast systems to inform warning and preparedness activities. This paper demonstrates a methodology using ensemble forecasts to follow predictability and uncertainty through the forecast chain in the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) to explore the connections between the skill of the TC track, intensity, precipitation, and river discharge forecasts. Using the case of Hurricane Iota, which brought severe flooding to Central America in November 2020, we assess the performance of each ensemble member at each stage of the forecast, along with the overall spread and change between forecast runs, and analyze the connections between each forecast component. Strong relationships are found between track, precipitation, and river discharge skill. Changes in TC intensity skill only result in significant improvements in discharge skill in river catchments close to the landfall location that are impacted by the heavy rains around the eyewall. The rainfall from the wider storm circulation is crucial to flood impacts in most of the affected river basins, with a stronger relationship with the post-landfall track error rather than the precise landfall location. We recommend the wider application of this technique in TC cases to investigate how this cascade of predictability varies with different forecast and geographical contexts in order to help inform flood early warning in TCs. Significance Statement: This study demonstrates a methodology to analyze the cascade of predictability and uncertainty through the various stages of the tropical cyclone (TC) flood forecasting chain, illustrating how it can provide useful information to modelers interested in optimizing flood forecast skill, and to those who prepare and communicate flood forecasts with stakeholders and end-users in TC cases. The results highlight the importance of improving verification of ensemble TC precipitation forecasts, and of focusing on more than just the category of the storm and landfall location when forecasting and communicating flood impacts in TC cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we describe 18 new species of the Marattialean genus Danaea: D. alba, D. ampla, D. antioquiana, D. elongata, D. kessleri and D. panamensis (all in D. subg. Danaea); D. dilatata and D. opaca (in D. subg. Arthrodanaea); and D. andina, D. cuspidopsis, D. erosa, D. nasua, D. peruviana, D. polypinna, D. pumila, D. robbinmoranii, D. ubatubensis, and D. velona (in D. subg. Holodanaea). We provide illustrations, maps of geographical distribution, and nomenclatural notes for the new species. We also lectotypify the name D. media and propose that its recent resurrection was a mistake: both D. media and D. elata are synonyms of D. nodosa, which is widespread in Central America and the Greater Antilles; we find that D. pterorachis is a valid name applicable to the Costa Rican material that has been referred to D. media. We consider D. sellowiana and D. nigrescens as distinct species and these names applicable to D. subg. Danaea material from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and Amazonia, respectively, and we also lectotypify the name D. nigrescens here. We accept D. cuspidata and D. betancurii as species distinct from D. moritziana. Evolutionary relationships and an identification key for the 79 species we currently recognize in Danaea are published in a parallel paper (Keskiniva & al. 2024). Citation: Keskiniva V. & Tuomisto H. 2024: Danaea (Marattiaceae) keeps diversifying, part 1: eighteen new species. – Willdenowia 53: 173–228 Version of record first published online on 22 January 2024. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Grande de Tárcoles River in Costa Rica is one of the most polluted and degraded river basins in Central America. At the same time Costa Rica is a country internationally recognized for progressive environmental management. At least on paper, the country fosters sustainable river management in the form of integrated water resources management (IWRM). In the specific case of the Grande de Tárcoles River there is the General Integral Commission of the Grande Tárcoles River basin (CGICRGT) assigned to manage the basin in an integral manner. How this works in practice has so far not been investigated. Therefore, in this article we examine the formal and informal design and working practices of the CGICRGT and determine which type of river basin organization (RBO) it represents. Based on a mixed-method approach combining document analysis with semi-structured qualitative interviews we found that the CGICRGT contains elements of both, an agency RBO and a coordinating RBO. Although coordinating the river management works well to a certain extent, critical challenges remain that hinder a fully successful management of the basin and in consequence the improvement of its ecological status. Amongst them count the overlapping responsibilities of national and local institutions, the missing participation of some important institutions, the lack of financial and personnel resources, slow progress in terms of time, and a lack of motivation of the participating institutions. Although the CGICRGT presents an excellent platform for the integrated management of the Tárcoles river basin its progress will be too slow and its impact too small as long as all participants do not prioritize its work and integrate and motivate all important actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the fall of Tenochtitlan in 1521, the first groups of friars arrived in Mexico to Christianize the native inhabitants of Mesoamerica. This task was anything but easy, as explaining Christian doctrine to the Indigenous people posed both a linguistic and a theological challenge. The need to learn Indigenous languages and to prepare doctrinal materials dedicated specifically to the Christianization of this land was a task that might have seemed almost impossible to conduct in a short period of time, yet by the 1540s, the first printed catechisms (doctrinas) in Nahuatl began to appear. One of the earliest and broadest of these works is the 1548 Dominican Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Española y Mexicana, in which the friars attempted to explain all of the principles of Catholic theology to the Indigenous people. This paper analyses how through highly detailed descriptions and a meticulous choice of vocabulary, the authors strove to impart the tenets of Christian doctrine to the Nahuas in such a way as to make it both fully understandable and as unlikely as possible to be misinterpreted. It points to the sources on which the friars relied while writing the text. The article formulates a theory that the creation of the Doctrina Christiana would not have been possible without the participation of the native speakers of Nahuatl in the project, even though their role in writing the catechism would have had to be hidden from the religious authorities. The Indigenous authors served as cross-cultural bridges in the process of preparing the doctrinal materials. On the one hand, they could therefore help to explain crucial parts of the doctrine to the Indigenous audience. On the other hand, allowing Indigenous concepts to permeate the Christian discourse often led to the creation of ambiguity and provided a space of contestation that could influence the understanding of the Catholic concepts by the Indigenous audience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of deformation dynamics in Guatemala city and its surrounding region presented in this paper holds significant relevance due to the high vulnerability of this area to natural disasters, combined with its rapid urbanization, similar to most Central American cities, contrasting with a lack of InSAR and deformation studies in the region. A total of 226 SAR images from Sentinel-1 A and B satellites in both ascending and descending geometries were processed with the Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) technique employing the SNAP-StaMPS integrated processing chain. The study area encompasses the Metropolitan Region of Guatemala, which is characterized by a diverse and active geological framework, with a historical record of earthquakes, intense groundwater extraction, and local subsidence phenomena, causing fissures and sinkholes. Four active areas were identified in the study area, each covering more than 50 hectares, with subsidence velocities greater than 10 mm/yr. This study provides valuable insights into fostering the sustainable development of this region by identifying deformation patterns, characterizing main active areas, and evaluating associated risks for disaster management and prevention. The results can also aid informed decision-making processes and guide urban planning and resource management strategies in other Central American countries. The application of InSAR studies is crucial for improving safety and sustainability in urban environments and natural resource management in vulnerable regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the potential responses of international labor mobility to the recent COVID-19 health shocks, using a New Economic Geography model inspired by recent events in Central and North America. The model suggests that the restraining impact of COVID-19 on migratory flows may retain potential emigrants in Mexico and Central America, enlarge the home market in the region, attract foreign and local businesses, and increase real wages. Moreover, this prediction unveils opportunities for the future from the opening of new, regular migratory pathways between Central America and Mexico. These would concentrate population and industry in Mexico, raise the market potential in the area and boost real wages in Mexico – and possibly in Central America as well – despite the partial deindustrialization of the Central American hinterland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A researcher's worldview shapes the research methodology, design, and ensuing relationship with participants and the local environment. Western research has traditionally been carried out on, rather than in collaboration with Indigenous Peoples and has largely been conducted through eurocentric and ethnocentric knowledge systems, methods, values, and beliefs which have perpetuated extractions, racisms, and harm. To counteract harmful research, Indigenous scholarship stresses the necessity of articulating and clarifying researcher positionality and self-location prior to embarking on research with or by Indigenous communities. A fundamental component of positionality and self-location is clarifying one's own relationships with colonialism and embarking on a process of self-decolonization. With this focus in mind, this paper shares methodological insights from an Anishinaabe community-led pilot project for Indigenous language revitalization in the Great Lakes Region of Turtle Island (also known as North and Central America) with participants to whom the researcher is related by marriage or known. This paper adds to existing qualitative methodological knowledge by introducing and operationalizing Dùthchas—a millennia-old Scottish Gaelic concept, worldview, and way of life—as kincentric methodology. The researcher begins the methodological inquiry with his own positionality and self-location as a Gàidheal (Scottish Gael) who is not Indigenous to Turtle Island. Following Dùthchas, the researcher identifies five key methodological principles that informed a kincentric and relational approach to community-led research. The paper demonstrates how Dùthchas has served as a guide for the researcher's ongoing self-decolonization processes and for emplaced ethical relations. The paper illustrates how Dùthchas enabled the researcher to be in-relation to the lands and Peoples where the research project took place and to conceptualize and conduct research as part of a greater Indigenous Anishinaabe research paradigm, Mino-Bimaadiziwin (The Good Life). Dùthchas has implications for Indigenous—non-Indigenous reconciliatory relations and for the conceptualization and implementation of future (qualitative) research in-relation methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of nearly three decades of partnership between feminist researchers and activists to prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) in Nicaragua. A household survey conducted in 1995 in León, the country's second-largest city, revealed that 55 per cent of women had experienced lifetime physical intimate partner violence (IPV), and 27 per cent had experienced IPV in the last 12 months. The study results were instrumental in changing domestic violence laws in Nicaragua. A follow-up study in 2016 found a decrease of 63 per cent in lifetime physical IPV and 70 per cent in 12-month physical IPV. This paper examines possible explanations for the reduction, including the policy reforms resulting from feminist advocacy. We compare risk and protective factors for physical IPV, such as changes in women's attitudes towards violence, their use of services, and knowledge of laws, using data from both the 1995 and 2016 surveys, as well as three waves of Demographic and Health Surveys. We conclude that the decline in IPV can be partially attributed to the efforts of the Nicaraguan women's movements to reform laws, provide services for survivors, transform gender norms, and increase women's knowledge of their human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, Central American countries have seen a steady increase in their energy needs. Luckily, the region has abundant renewable energy resources and, as a result, has been busy constructing wind and photovoltaic power facilities. However, while these renewable sources are promising, they come with some risks—mainly, their variable power generation can pose a challenge to the interconnected regional system. This paper explores the current state of the Central American power system and the obstacles it faces as it strives to transition to a more environmentally-friendly energy system. To do so, the authors employed power flow analysis and transient stability studies, which were conducted using ETAP (Electrical Transient Analyzer Program) to model and simulate the power system. Their study revealed that the Central American power system is at risk of instability, and they suggest that integrating ancillary services and storage solutions could strengthen its resilience. Additionally, the authors advocate for the development of microgrids, energy management, and sustainable decarbonization plans. Lastly, the authors emphasize the importance of short-, medium-, and long-term power planning to make better decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the history of remote sensing for mapping ancient Maya wetland fields in Central America and provides a new assessment using machine learning with LiDAR data. We evaluate past uses of radar, multispectral, and LiDAR datasets in Northwest Belize across well-studied wetland field complexes that occur under different vegetation conditions. Next, we compare topographic products derived from LiDAR data commonly used for archaeology and geomorphology. Lastly, we train a machine learning algorithm to detect ancient canals with LiDAR data and test the algorithm on a newly rediscovered field system. The spatial resolution of any dataset must be sufficiently high (2-m or finer resolution) to detect most of these canals reliably. High resolution multispectral sensors can detect canals in open areas, but most wetland complexes are under dense tropical forest impenetrable to multispectral instruments. LiDAR data were the most useful due to the high spatial resolution (0.5-m) and the ability to penetrate canopy, but still have limitations under certain conditions. The intensity of the LiDAR returns with multispectral LiDAR systems can reveal differences in soil and vegetation between ancient canals and fields in places leveled by modern farmers. The algorithm successfully maps ancient canals but has many false positives in natural depressions and drainages. Although the machine learning approach tested here cannot be used on its own, we used it with the LiDAR visualizations to refine the canal estimates from previous studies, mapping nearly 50% more canals in the Central Rio Bravo floodplain than originally published. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While ubiquitous among ancient Maya sites in Mesoamerica, archaeological analysts frequently overlook the interpretive potential of ground stone tools. The ancient Maya often made these heavy, bulky tools of coarse‐grained, heterogeneous materials that are difficult to chemically source, unlike obsidian. This paper describes an application of handheld, energy‐dispersive X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) to provenance ground stone artifacts (tools and architectural blocks) composed of granite: a nonhomogenous, phaneritic stone. We present a multicomponent methodology that independently tested whole‐rock, thin‐sectioned, and powdered samples by petrographic microscope, conventional, lab‐based XRF, and portable XRF units, which yielded comparable results. After establishing distinct geochemical signatures for the three geographically restricted granite plutons in Belize, we devised a field‐based XRF application on a whole rock that could replicate the compositional readings of lab‐based XRF on powdered materials with sufficient accuracy and reliability. We applied this multishot XRF technique to granite ground stone items from a range of ancient Maya sites throughout Belize; we discuss two specific case studies herein. Our results underscore the widespread potential of multishot XRF applications for determining the provenance of coarse‐grained, heterogeneous rock materials. These results can help push the boundaries from one‐dimensional, functional explanations of ground stone items to their social and ideological dimensions, alongside deeper understandings of granite resource management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall in the Moist Tropical Caribbean Region (MTCR) in Costa Rica occurs practically throughout the year, with the quarters June–August (JJA) and December–February (DJF) concentrating over 70% of annual rainfall. Contrarily, in March–April and September–October, it rains below 100 mm per month. This seasonal rainfall behavior makes the region ideal for producing bananas (Musa spp.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus) for export (10% and 8% of total exports in 2021, respectively). A national-scale study determined that agriculture in the MTCR is one of the most vulnerable sectors to climate changes. However, the climate in this region has been poorly studied so far. This research analyzed the spatial and temporal variability of annual, monthly, and seasonal (DJF, JJA, SO) rainfall in the MTCR and how they change in the study period based on quality-checked series of daily rainfall from 28 weather stations in two periods: 1985–2009 and 1997–2019. The results show that rainfall regimes in the region are variable in space and throughout the year, with peaks occurring close to the mountain range and minimum values close to the coast. Trends were statistically significant in the period 1985–2009 with a predominance of significant positive trends in DJF and significant negative trends in SO. No significant trends (positive or negative) were observed in the period 1997–2019. JJA rainfall has uneven regional distribution and presents a positive and significant trend in the mountain region. This paper contributes to filling the knowledge gap in rainfall seasonality, variability, and trends in a region where banana and pineapple commercial plantations are fundamental to the country's economy thus providing information to decision-making in the agri-food sector to reduce the negative impacts of changing rainfall regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on two years of ethnographic data gathered, including 81 h of life-history interviews and 70 h of participant observation with 10 youth who migrated to the United States from Central America, this paper argues that negative labels that often stereotypically depict immigrant youth experiences are often socially imposed on immigrant youth prior to migration. More specifically, this article examines youths' understanding and perceptions of the ways in which family members employ socially available "stigmatizing scripts." Stigmatizing scripts, as described by study participants, are often used by family members in an attempt to protect youth. Analysis of the data suggests that the youth experienced stigmatizing scripts as a way to describe their lives "at-risk" and in need of protection, while simultaneously criminalizing many of their experiences. Furthermore, the article details youth description of the transnational continuity of stigmatizing scripts by describing family members 'usage of scripts but in the US context. The article expands on immigrant families' scholarship, highlighting family dynamics and their impacts on youths' wellbeing and families' unintentional contribution in youths' stigmatization and criminalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stone raw material in the past was often extracted, processed, and used by different individuals. The relationships among these practices make quarries important spaces for understanding how economic interactions function within society and what role access to resources plays in economic organization. This paper addresses the acquisition of raw materials through a focus on chert and limestone quarrying practices in the Maya area. Using three Classic period (200–950 a.d.) case studies from different sub-regions of the Maya lowlands, we highlight both shared and distinct practices and illustrate the roles that these extraction spaces played within Classic Maya economies. We find that heterogeneous aspects of quarrying techniques throughout the Maya lowlands result from variability in local geologic conditions, management structures, and the intended uses of the raw materials. As a result, this paper establishes methods for archaeologists to integrate quarries into their studies of past economies and anthropogenic landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity of Papilionoidea is still poorly known in much of Central America, especially within families such as Hesperiidae. Honduras remains one of the least studied of all the countries in the region, but efforts are underway to expand on a recent list of species and have already produced noticeable results. This paper discusses an ongoing, long-term assessment that is being conducted at a single site, Emerald Valley Nature Reserve, and provides a list of 704 species recorded to date. Finds of particular significance include the discovery of the recently described Emesis eleanorae Gallardo & Grishin, 2021 (Riodinidae) and at least 111 new records for Honduras. This survey demonstrates the importance of conserving species-rich, Premontane Wet Forest formations which remain under constant threat by human encroachment and ensuing anthropogenic practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing the Malpighiaceae treatment for an upcoming volume of the Flora Mesoamericana has revealed a number of new species, new combinations, and typifications of taxa from different genera of Neotropical Malpighiaceae requiring publication. Nine new species are proposed in this paper from the Mesoamerica flora area: three Bunchosia Kunth (B. bifurcata A. Pool, B. chiapensis A. Pool, and B. heterotricha A. Pool), one Carolus W. R. Anderson (C. yucatanensis A. Pool), one Glicophyllum R. F. Almeida (G. mortonianum A. Pool), two Malpighia L. (M. inclinata A. Pool and M. verrucifolia A. Pool), one Psychopterys W. R. Anderson & S. Corso (P. nicaraguensis A. Pool), and one Tetrapterys Cav. (T. argyrophylla A. Pool). A lectotype and epitype are selected for Malpighia polystachia Andrews [≡ Bunchosia polystachia (Andrews) DC.], lectotypes for Heteropterys beecheyana A. Juss. var. beecheyana f. glabriuscula Nied. [= Heteropterys brachiata (L.) DC.] and Tritomopterys albida (Schltdl. & Cham.) Nied. var. subtomentosa Nied. [≡ Gaudichaudia albida Schltdl. & Cham. var. subtomentosa (Nied.) Nied.], and a neotype for Gaudichaudia chamorrii Ram. Goyena [= G. albida var. albida]. Three generic transfers are proposed: Bunchosia squarrosa Griseb. [≡ Tetrapterys squarrosa (Griseb.) Griseb.] to Glicophyllum as G. squarrosum (Griseb.) A. Pool, Banisteria sanguinea Rusby to Heteropterys Kunth as H. sanguinea (Rusby) A. Pool, and Mascagnia macrobracteata Lundell to Tetrapterys, as T. macrobracteata (Lundell) A. Pool. Finally, one combination is made to elevate Heteropterys laurifolia (L.) A. Juss. var. brevibracteolata Cuatrec. & Croat to the rank of species as H. brevibracteolata (Cuatrec. & Croat) A. Pool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As scholars and practitioners, we need to invest more in understanding what makes a successful foster care placement for children from Central America who are unaccompanied immigrants. In this paper, we draw on the experiences of service providers (n = 79) to share lessons learned working with unaccompanied immigrant children from Central America served through the Office of Refugee Resettlement's Long Term-Foster Care Program. Our results indicate that culturally responsive service delivery includes: supportive and lasting relationships with foster parents, a welcoming home environment, cultural orientation, cultivating independence, bilingual/bicultural staff, and safety protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes how presidential candidates Fabricio Alvarado and Nayib Bukele used Facebook during the elections in Costa Rica (2018) and El Salvador (2019) respectively to develop a particular style of communication that blended populist elements and religious discourse. This style of communication extended traditional modes of populism that have prevailed in Latin America since the turn of the century (emphasizing the notion of the hero who comes to rescue "the people") but expressed them in an explicitly religious way (stressing the role of a "messiah" who comes to alter the established political order). We conducted both content and multimodal discourse analyses of 838 posts made by these candidates on Facebook during their respective electoral campaigns. We argue that the study of these campaigns would be incomplete without accounting for the relationship between populism, religion, and social media. While populism gave political validity to religious discourse, a religious imaginary provided populism with charismatic and messianic authority. This populist/religious reason found an ideal expression in Facebook and, simultaneously, was resignified by this platform's affordances. In this way, we assess how fundamentalist Christianity has become a legitimating force of knowledge and politics in the context of epistemic tensions that shape contemporary Latin-American societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observations show that the seasonal cycle of precipitation in parts of southern Mexico and Central America exhibits a bimodal signal, known as the Midsummer drought (MSD), but there is no consensus on which processes are most relevant for the two-peak structure of the rainy season. This paper evaluates three hypotheses that could explain the MSD: the SST cloud-radiative feedback, the solar declination angle and the Caribbean Low-Level Jet (CLLJ) moisture transport hypotheses. Model experiments produced by the Met Office Hadley Centre (MOHC) for CMIP6 as well as ERA5 reanalysis data are used to critically assess the predictions of each hypothesis. The simulations capture the double peak signal of precipitation well and reasonably simulate the spatial and temporal variations of the MSD and other relevant climate features such as the CLLJ. Evidence from our analysis suggests that the Eastern Pacific SSTs do not increase in late summer in ERA5 data and only slightly increase in the simulations. More importantly, the Eastern Pacific SST variability in ERA5 and in the model experiments cannot explain the differences in the seasonality of precipitation. The net shortwave radiation at the surface shows a two-peak seasonal cycle; however, this behaviour appears to result from a strong anti-correlation of the incoming shortwave and convective activity due to cloud radiative-effects. There was no evidence found by this study of a causal link in which absorption of shortwave energy forces precipitation variations, as suggested by the solar declination angle hypothesis. The moisture convergence, CLLJ and the precipitable water vapor variations best explain the characteristics of the observed and simulated MSD, particularly for the onset of the MSD. The diagnosed variations of moisture convergence, which are synchronous with the timing of the MSD, point to a dynamic mechanism in which the low-level inflow from the Caribbean is more important for the MSD than other radiative mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The travertine-lined irrigation canal networks of the Tehuacán Valley, Mexico allowed pre-Hispanic indigenous communities to overcome risks of crop failures in an arid setting. Segments of these systems are still in use today, therefore understanding when and how these irrigation networks functioned allows us to identify which attributes of a coupled socio-hydrological system are important for maintaining the long-term resilience of irrigation systems in drylands. This paper summarizes the results of an interdisciplinary study of this prehispanic irrigation network involving mapping, radiometric dating, and diatom analyses of materials extracted from the travertine lined canals. All of the canal networks were functioning by ca. 2000 BC, at the transition from the Late Archaic to the Formative period, which is before archeological evidence for widespread community-level aggregation. Provocatively, some canals are potentially as old as 6000–4000 BC, which would mean that hunter-gatherers initiated irrigation coevally with the introduction of semi-domesticated maize, a tropical species which would require supplemental water in this arid context. The canals both facilitated agricultural intensification and enhanced the distribution of aquatic ecosystems. The resilience of these systems to their unique spring dependent context demanded frequent maintenance and the integration of multiple canal networks to mitigate geohydrological vulnerabilities of reduced discharge. These conditions set up a long-term reciprocal dynamic between people and water in the Tehuacán Valley. The results demonstrate that rigidities inherent to tightly coupled socio-hydrological systems in dryland settings were overcome by institutional arrangements first developed by indigenous communities deep in prehistory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the course of the 2015–2017 outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas, the emerging virus was recognized as a congenital infection that could damage the developing brain. As the Latin American ZIKV outbreak advanced, the scientific and public health community questioned if this newly recognized neurotropic flavivirus could affect the developing brain of infants and young children infected after birth. We report here the study design, methods and the challenges and lessons learned from the rapid operationalization of a prospective natural history cohort study aimed at evaluating the potential neurological and neurodevelopmental effects of postnatal ZIKV infection in infants and young children, which had become epidemic in Central America. This study enrolled a cohort of 500 mothers and their infants, along with nearly 400 children 1.5–3.5 years of age who were born during the initial phase of the ZIKV epidemic in a rural area of Guatemala. Our solutions and lessons learned while tackling real-life challenges may serve as a guide to other researchers carrying out studies of emerging infectious diseases of public health priority in resource-constrained settings. Author summary: During the 2015–17 Zika outbreak in the Americas, many research sites struggled to rapidly establish cohorts to study the neurodevelopmental outcomes of exposed infants and children, due to both logistical difficulties and a lack of appropriately adapted/validated neurodevelopmental tools. During this time period, we conducted a study evaluating the neurodevelopmental outcomes of post-natal ZIKV and dengue virus (DENV) infection among of infants (<3 months at enrollment) and children (1.5–3.5 years at enrollment) at a site in rural, southwest Guatemala. The study, which enrolled a cohort of 500 mother-infant pairs and 400 children, was a collaborative effort that leveraged expertise at multiple institutions to rapidly implement a study protocol in a resource-limited region of Guatemala. In this Methods paper, we describe the study methodology, how we implemented our research protocol in this rural, resource-limited community, and challenges and lessons learned during its operationalization. Specifically, we address how we adapted neurodevelopmental testing tools to the local language and cultural context, trained and managed a research team recruited from the local community, maintained competency and quality control in this workforce, developed critical laboratory infrastructure, and engaged with local community stakeholders. Our approach may serve as a guide to other researchers carrying out future studies focusing on child neurodevelopment as well as clinical evaluation of ZIKV and other emerging infectious diseases of public health priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how government support interacts with firm-level resilience capabilities in the reduction of layoffs among formal firms in Central America. Our analysis suggests that government support measures play a role in reducing the probability of layoffs among firms with only dynamic resilience capabilities (i.e., those that are developed after the pandemic onset). The effect of government support is not statistically different from the effect of static resilience capabilities alone (i.e., those that were present before the pandemic); thus, in firms with such capabilities, the effect of government support will be marginal. These results hold across sectors - exhibiting a marginally higher treatment effect in service sectors. Our results do not imply that Covid-19 supportive measures are to be disregarded, but instead raise the question of how government support policies could improve the allocation of support among firms in times of crises. Moreover, it underlines the necessity of policies that enhance resilience more broadly – a task that hints at structural issues and requires continuous government support in lieu of ad-hoc measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we determine operations on intuitionistic fuzzy graphs. The purpose is to apply the results to the combination of human trafficking routes. However, we use arbitrary dual t -norms and t -conorms to form these combinations since they determine more accurate models than maximum and minimum. We illustrate our results by combining two human trafficking routes from Central America to the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnohistoric sources describe the market of Postclassic Cholula as featuring goods from throughout Mesoamerica. Furthermore, the merchant guilds centered in the city, followers of the god Yacatecuhtli/Quetzalcoatl, were elevated to princely status. Contact‐period sources also describe the political organization of the city, in which these merchant princes played a prominent role. The far‐flung influence of the religio‐commercial diaspora is represented through the distinctive symbolism of the Mixteca‐Puebla stylistic tradition, found throughout Postclassic Mesoamerica and as far south as Pacific Nicaragua. This paper uses the ethnohistorical evidence to construct a model of Cholula's urban economy and its international influence, with archaeological evidence to critically evaluate the sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The North American Monsoon (NAM) is a critical component of the hydrologic cycle in southwestern North America. However, our understanding of the long‐term evolution of this monsoon system is incomplete due to a paucity of long‐term paleoclimatic records from the core and periphery of the NAM domain. C. Routson et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gl099772) leverage a new compilation of Holocene proxy records to generate a new composite index of NAM evolution over the Holocene. They identify a relationship between NAM strength and the latitudinal temperature gradient over the Holocene. The authors suggest that shifts in the strength of the westerlies altered NAM convection via ventilation, a process whereby the large‐scale circulation imports low moist entropy air into the monsoon domain. These results highlight the importance of paleoclimatic records, especially from past "warm" intervals, for generating new insights about the evolution of regional monsoons. Plain Language Summary: The North American Monsoon is a circulation that brings summer rain to regions of the US southwest and western Mexico. Despite the fact that this circulation provides a majority of the precipitation in many parts of the arid southwest, we do not fully understand the factors that govern long‐term changes in this monsoon. A new paper by C. Routson et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022gl099772) uses proxy indicators of past summer rainfall, stretching from Central America to Arizona, to reconstruct changes in the monsoon over the geologic epoch known as the Holocene, or the last 11,000 years of Earth history. The results of this study suggest that Holocene changes in the temperature difference between the equator to pole, known as the "latitudinal temperature gradient," exerted an important influence over monsoon strength in the southwest. This has implications for the future of the summer monsoon, especially as the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere are expected to warm in the future. Key Point: The strength North American Monsoon tracks changes in the position of the midlatitude westerlies over the Holocene [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the author reflects on her own work in the agritourism field as a Latina woman in the Midwest. Connecting place to lived experience, the author describes how her gender, ethnicity, language, and education are positioned within the food industry and within her career trajectory. By examining her individual journey, the author reveals systems of oppression that continue to maintain colonial divisions of labor in ways often overlooked or ignored in the everyday. Her story is an example of the struggle many women of color face as they navigate upward mobility within White and/or male-dominated arenas. Utilizing logics based in intersectionality, feminism, raciolinguistic, and racial capitalism, this story bears witness to the ways identities continue to be perceived, performed, accepted, and rejected against dominant narratives in small-town America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the nature of governance of early states and cities is a major challenge for archaeology today. Blanton and Fargher's (Blanton and Fargher, 2008) influential model of early state governance has proven difficult to operationalize using archaeological data. In this paper, we explore a possible material correlate of collective and autocratic governance: the amount of formal open space in a capital city. We use a sample of premodern Mesoamerican cities to evaluate whether or not these spaces functioned as public goods provided by collective governments. Our assumption is that a positive relationship between the amount of public space and the size of cities indicates that plazas functioned as public goods. In our sample of Mesoamerican cities, we find that the plaza-city size relationship does indeed imply that plazas were public goods. This finding is inconsistent with prior analysis of an expanded cross-cultural sample where no such relationship existed, suggesting that the relationship between the formal public space and the form of governance may be culturally specific to Mesoamerica. These results reflect the complexity of the dynamics of early cities and their governance and suggest that the classification of public goods must be attentive to cross-cultural variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between the perceived presence of state forces and non-state actors and the levels of criminal violence affecting Central America. It contends that state presence in some communities does not necessarily lead to lower crime levels than communities where state institutions are absent. The data of this study come from three nationally representative surveys conducted in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The findings suggest that state forces, such as the police and the military, have a limited role in reducing criminal violence rates. In contrast, non-state armed actors, such as vigilantes and community groups, may have a more significant role in reducing violence in some circumstances. We analyze these findings as evidence of the complex relationships between state actors, non-state actors, and criminal violence in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper, based on interviews with 95 human smugglers (coyotes) involved in agriculture and 51 in prostitution, is to provide a comparative analysis of the networks transporting (mostly) male migrants intending to work in US agriculture and those recruiting women/girls for the US sex industry. Networks carrying females for sex work are bigger and use more fraudulent recruitment strategies. However, migrant smuggling for agriculture is not totally different from sex trafficking; similarities between the types of networks analysed dwarf their differences. Smugglers frequently use some form of deception to convince their would-be clients/victims to undertake risky journeys. I conclude that both networks are demand-driven. Smugglers serve the interests of US agribusinesses and sex business owners rather than those of the males and females they recruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new conformable fractional opposite-direction accumulation is proposed. • The CFGNOM (1,1) model is more reliable and effective than other fractional grey models. • The application idea of a grey model for emergencies is accurate. • The CFGNOM (1,1) model is used to predict the per capita primary energy consumption of South and Central America. To better reflect the principle of new information priority, this paper proposes a new conformable fractional opposite-direction accumulation operator and constructs a new grey prediction model, the CFGNOM (1,1) model. Three cases are used to verify the effectiveness of the CFGNOM (1,1) model, and a grey modeling prediction idea for emergencies is proposed. The CFGNOM (1,1) model is used to predict the per capita primary energy consumption of South and Central America over the next three years. The following conclusions can be drawn. First, the new conformable fractional opposite-direction accumulation method is effective and reasonable and can make full use of the information contained in the latest data to form new sequences. Second, compared with other existing fractional grey models and the BP and SVM models, the CFGNOM (1,1) model has higher prediction accuracy and can make better use of new information for modeling. Third, the application idea of a grey model for emergencies is accurate and can also be applied to the future economic and social prediction affected by the pandemic situation. Fourth, the prediction results show that the per capita energy consumption of South and Central America in 2021 is 49.9–52.7 gigajoules, the per capita energy consumption in 2022 is 48.4–51.8 gigajoules, and the per capita energy consumption in 2023 is 46.8–50.1 gigajoules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a vast load of literature concerning how data collection can be conducted. This literature provides guidelines and recommendations on how data collection might be done, however, only a very limited part of this literature describes in detail how data actually are collected in the field. This paper is intended to be an example, where the methodology is explained in detail to assist and inspire other researchers, on their way to conduct interesting and important research. The data collection and fieldwork described in this paper were conducted to complete two case studies in Belize, Central America. The core of the paper is data collection methods applied in these case studies, which include selection and arrangement of interviewees, and conducting the interviews, and how secondary information was obtained. It also includes the considerations related to timing and fieldwork locations, and thoughts on positioning, power, and ethics related to the fieldwork conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the third in a series providing distributional and biological notes on blister beetles (Meloidae) in North and Central America. This paper covers 45 species in the U.S.A., Canada, Guyana, and Mexico in the genera Epicauta Dejean, 1834, Gnathium Kirby, 1818, Linsleya MacSwain, 1951, Lytta Fabricius, 1875, Megetra LeConte, 1859, Meloe Linnaeus, 1758, Phodaga LeConte, 1858, Pseudozonitis Dillon, 1952, Spastonyx Selander, 1954, Tetranoyx Latreille, 1805, and Zonitis Fabricius, 1775. These records include three new country records, 12 new state/provincial records, seven new host records, and numerous range extensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological invasions are one of the main drivers of modern human-induced species losses. Research on the distribution of alien species and their pathways of introduction is essential for understanding and tackling the invasion process. A comprehensive overview on invasive alien plant (IAP) species in Romania is lacking. With this paper, we aim to contribute to filling this gap and to provide a visualization of national patterns regarding plant species invasions, geographical origins and pathways of introductions. Based on plant species occurrence records in the published literature and herbaria we compiled a national database of 102 invasive and potentially invasive alien plant species. We georeferenced 42776 IAP species occurrences and performed an analysis of their spatial patterns. The spatial analyses revealed a biased sampling, with clear hotspots of increased sampling efforts around urban areas. We used chord diagrams to visualize the pathway of introduction and geographical origins of the IAP species, which revealed that species in Romania originate mainly in North and Central America, while the dominant pathway of plant introduction was horticulture. Our results provide an important baseline in drafting management and action plans, as invasive alien plant species represent a priority for the European Union through the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and a good starting point for various analyses as the database is further developed and regularly updated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capacity building is defined as a process by which stakeholders increase their knowledge, skills and resources in order to improve their ability to adapt in a fast-changing world. Universities play a key role in the promotion of sustainability and implementation of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through capacity building. However, universities in developing countries face significant challenges in the implementation of capacity building programmes for sustainability given the lack of procedures that facilitate the systematic integration of multiple stakeholderś epistemologies, methodologies and objectives. In this paper, we present a capacity building approach as a problem-focused process that follows a multi-domain/multi-stakeholder scheme, and provides alignment with the functions and responsibilities of different sectors of society. The approach involves the use of a decision-support tool for sustainability that enables stakeholders to actively participate in decision-making processes. We illustrate the implementation of the capacity building approach through two case studies and show how general and specific capacities tailored to the different stakeholders can be developed. Our approach to capacity building accentuates the role of universities in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean as research and innovation hubs that could help design and implement flexible, transparent and robust strategies towards achievement of sustainability in the region. Key policy insights Capacity building to address the sustainable development goals should aim to develop sets of interlinked capacities for sustainability across stakeholder groups. Capacity building should take into account the regional institutional contexts in which universities in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean are embedded. Effective implementation of capacity building must be tailored to the different roles and functions of the actors involved. Thematic, technical, evaluative and procedural domains provide a comprehensive framework to build capacities, which can be continuously adapted according to the functions and responsibilities of the actors. Capacity building approaches to address climate change vulnerability require decision-support tools to inform policy-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The demand for estimates of biological nitrogen (N) fixation inputs in agricultural systems is driven by the need to effectively manage the global N cycle. Scope: We present a methodology for quantifying N2 fixation by the grain legume-rhizobia symbioses that can be used for any year or sequence of years for which area and production statistics for legume oilseed and pulse crops were available and at country-to-global scales. The coefficients used in the templates – harvest index, N harvest index, %N shoots, %N grain and a factor to account for below-ground N – were aggregated from 224 reports containing > 4,000 observations. Values for the % total crop N derived from atmospheric N2 (%Ndfa) for specific grain legumes and regions were determined in a companion paper. The grain legumes were estimated to fix a global total of 35.5 Tg N in the year 2018 - 25.0 Tg for soybean (Glycine max), 7.2 Tg for the pulses and 3.3 Tg for groundnut (Arachis hypogaea). Soybean dominated global grain legume N2 fixation, with 38 % of total N fixed associated with soybean in South and Central America and a further 22 % by soybean in North America. Conclusions: The updated estimates of N2 fixation by the grain legumes inform us of a substantial and increasing role that biological N2 fixation plays in global agricultural systems. The challenge remains to reliably estimate N inputs from other N2-fixing organisms that are active in these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Zika virus (ZIKV) incidence was studied in a prospective cohort of travellers. • During the 2016 outbreak in the Americas, ZIKV incidence was 17% per month of travel. • Only one of nine ZIKV cases (11%) was asymptomatic. Abstract Background The incidence rate of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in travellers from non-endemic areas to the Americas during the ZIKV outbreak in 2016 is unknown. Methods Belgian adults who planned to travel to South America, Central America, and the Caribbean were recruited prospectively to study the incidence and characteristics of ZIKV. Demographic data and sera were collected at baseline. Participants were trained to collect capillary blood on filter paper (BFP). When ill during travel, the participants completed a questionnaire and they sampled BFP for post-hoc analysis. All symptomatic participants were screened for ZIKV using ZIKV-specific RT-PCR on serum or urine, or BFP, and antibody detection assays (ELISA). Follow-up sera of asymptomatic travellers, obtained at least 20 days post travel, were tested by ZIKV ELISA only. All positive ELISA results were subject to confirmation by virus neutralization testing (VNT). Results Forty-nine participants completed follow-up: 38 women and 11 men, with a median age of 32 years (range 19–64 years). Travel destinations were countries in South America (n = 20), Central America (n = 24), and the Caribbean (n = 5). The total travel duration was 67.8 person-months. Illness was reported by 24 participants (49.0%). ZIKV infection was confirmed in nine cases, by RT-PCR (n = 5) and by VNT (n = 4). Only one of nine ZIKV cases (11.1%) was asymptomatic. The ZIKV incidence rate was 17.0% (95% confidence interval 7.8–32.2%) per month of travel. Conclusions The ZIKV incidence rate in adult travellers from non-endemic countries to the epidemic territories during the 2016 outbreak was high. Asymptomatic ZIKV infection was rare in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a case study, this paper explores the pedagogy and logistical best practices of leading short-term study trips to the indigenous highlands of Guatemala. The goals of community-engagement are to have students: 1) interact with people of different cultural, linguistic, political, and economic world views, expanding their range of diversity-training; and 2) think critically about poverty and human agency in a global context. Logistical considerations are a key component of the learning experience when markets suffer from asymmetric information and moral hazard. This paper contributes to the literature by highlighting the ways that planning, programming, and logistics need to be woven into sustainable approaches to community engagement. For this to be an ethical endeavor, local peoples should be involved with the development and execution of the program. A barrier to learning can be a perception by students that, given their comparative economic privilege, they are there to "help" poor families. Students learn from host families about a different and holistic worldview, and gain insights into business development and its barriers. After the trip, students have a new way of thinking about diversity, agency, and workable approaches to ethical and sustainable self-help business developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between police presence and political legitimacy in countries with limited statehood. Using cross-sectional, national-based survey data in Central America's northern triangle countries, this article measures the impact of the territorial police presence and other security-related groups on attitudes of support for the political system and democracy. The findings show that the perceived police presence at the community level is associated with higher political legitimacy in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Such presence is also associated with elevated attitudes of support for democracy in El Salvador and Honduras. However, the results also indicate that other non-state actors can contribute to the support for the political system. The article discusses the implications of these findings in states with limited territorial reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]