Search

While internationalization is among the top strategic priorities of universities and colleges globally, research into the expanse of internationalization in the kinesiology discipline is not well researched. Given this gap, critical consideration of the state and status of the phenomenon is needed. Knowing more about what is being done in the name of internationalization within kinesiology and reflecting on how those actions and outcomes are aligned, or not, with key theoretical guidance is necessary in order to plan for improvement accordingly. For these reasons, this paper first provides a primer on internationalization in higher education, including how the phenomenon has come to be defined as well as key contemporary critiques associated with it. In particular, we highlight Beck's (2012) theoretical concept of 'eduscape' to critically consider the influences of globalization on internationalization within higher education kinesiology as well as Khoo, Taylor, and Andreotti's (2016) principles of intelligibility, dissent, and solidarity to consider the ways kinesiology scholars engage critically with internationalization processes. Presented next is a review of the kinesiology literature that is explicitly focused on internationalization. Then, the results of a pilot survey into the views of National Association for Kinesiology in Higher Education (NAKHE) members and other Western kinesiology scholars on internationalization is reported next. The paper concludes with recommendations as to how NAKHE and the broader community of Western kinesiology scholars might best navigate internationalization moving forward. We recommend the complexity-informed and principle-driven approach of inclusive leadership as a means of pursuing cognitive justice in the 21st century.

Research in the UK suggests that multi-componential interventions focusing on language and pre-literacy skills can improve children's reading and language skills. However, simple translations of such programmes may not produce equivalent effects in diverse communities. The reasons for this are multi-faceted and include factors beyond the rationale and content of the intervention programmes themselves. Understanding these factors is critical for creating programmes that will generalise across settings. In this review, we reflect upon challenges encountered in two reading and language intervention programmes in South America to identify community and cultural contextual factors that can influence the implementation and scalability of educational programmes. We use our findings to develop an education-specific framework to guide the development and implementation of high-quality evidence-based approaches to language and literacy intervention. Our model guides implementation practices in diverse contexts and stresses the importance of the evidence-base and communication.

The relevancy of linear algebra (LA) in different areas and also the difficulties faced by undergraduate engineering students studying this content are well known. Grounded on this premise, we aimed at articulating papers related to the teaching and learning of LA in engineering undergraduate programs through a mapping of the main investigations on the teaching and learning of LA carried out since 2000, by the Work Group Mathematical Education in Higher Education, associated with the Brazilian Society of Mathematical Education (SBEM), together with work produced between 2007 and 2018 by other Latin American studies on this subject in Mathematical Education societies with a representation similar to that of SBEM. We focused specifically on the link between the content of LA and that studied in specific courses. Methodologically, we followed the principles of Content Analysis and, based on a body of eight papers, we noted the following: (1) examples of situations through which it is possible to establish links between LA and contexts of engineering; (2) the role played out by the Technologies of Information and Communication (TIC) in the implementation of these links; (3) the importance of the concepts of eigenvalue and eigenvector in the resolution of problems of engineering; (4) the need to facilitate the mobilization of students to use different registers of semiotic representation, while working with the concepts of LA; (5) the importance of reflecting upon the (initial and continued) training of teachers who teach LA in engineering and ultimately, (6) the use of links between LA and contexts of engineering as an element of motivation for students and for their recognition of when to use them.

This paper deals with library professionals education in Mercosur--the Common Market of South America--established on 29 March, 1991 to expand the national markets of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and promote free circulation of goods, services and production agents in that region. The paper presents, through a descriptive study, the undergraduate and graduate courses in Library Science, how many and what schools there are, and what programs are developed. It ends by identifying the directions in which they are moving and the challenges they are now facing.

This study involves 35 research participants: 20 immigrant parents (primarily mothers from South America, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East) and 15 primary school children, aged 10-11. These children were born outside Italy and primary school was their first encounter with the Italian educational system. We observed their processes of integration through their stories and those of their parents. Our investigation aims to identify factors that support or inhibit their school integration. We adopt an ecological research paradigm, proposing a vision of knowledge as rooted in natural life contexts, focusing on subjectivity. Analysis of the data led to identification of core categories concerning these families' experiences and their children's encounters with Italian schools. This paper focuses on the children's perspectives of their experiences with school.

This article synthesises findings from two systematic reviews that examined evidence of the link between large-scale assessments (LSAs) and education policy in economically developing countries and in countries of the Asia-Pacific. Analyses summarise evidence of assessment characteristics and policy goals of LSAs that influence education policy, when LSAs are used in the policy-making cycle and types of education policies impacted, and factors that influence the use of LSAs in policy-making. Results show national assessments conducted at both primary and secondary school levels to have an impact on education policy. LSAs are used more often for monitoring education quality and equity purposes followed by accountability purposes. International assessments are more often used to leverage policy priorities than other assessment types. LSAs feature mainly at the monitoring and evaluation stage of the policy cycle. The education policies impacted by LSAs relate considerably more to curricular reforms and performance standards as well as assessment bodies and activities and far less to resource allocation and teaching and learning policies. Finally, whereas the quality of assessment programmes facilitate impact, financial constraints and uncertainty as well as weak assessment bodies hinder the impact of LSAs on education policy.

This paper exposes how colonial ways of knowing and being shape judicial behaviour in Brazil, where pre-trial detention is excessively used against racialised groups. I argue that judges continue to conceptualise and operationalise justice according to colonial logics and thus reveal the coloniality of justice. Drawing on decolonial theory from across South America and from interviews and court observations in Rio de Janeiro, I reveal how judges understand themselves as heroic crime fighters, acting beyond the law in a modern moral crusade. I examine how violence remains a central component of justice and consider how judges deal with the contradiction of neutrality and aggression. I argue that judges, by endorsing or tolerating violence, become agents of coloniality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How and why does legacy news media move from protecting to undermining democracy? Several studies argue that journalism can facilitate and shape democratic backsliding. However, evidence is scarce and, to some extent, limited to the content analysis of news outputs and editorials. The causal mechanisms of an anti-democratic role for the press and how it is operationalised into specific processes of news production remain largely misunderstood. Using 36 semi-structured qualitative interviews and three case studies, this paper analyses journalistic practices and role perceptions in Brazil within a period of constant decline in the quality of democracy (2016-2021). The results show that labour precarity is a crucial driver in journalistic practices capable of damaging democracy, which challenges previous assumptions that media capture is mostly influenced by the political economy of news organisations. This research also indicates that journalists are not homogeneously dominated by the interests of elites and can engage with them on their own terms to advance personal agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Archivos de Ciencias de la Educacion is the property of Universidad Nacional de La Plata and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the introduction to this special issue on Latin American housing policies, we address the common elements evident in this collection of papers with the aim of enabling a better knowledge exchange between the 'global North' and the 'global South' on potentially common issues. These include the changing relationship between state and capital, with special emphasis on the new role adopted by the State as a facilitator for financial private capital in an increasingly privatised housing sector; the need to address precarious housing conditions among vast sectors of the population, including international migrants; and the various innovative roles played by civil society in housing provision. Notwithstanding these similarities between world regions, our editorial introduction highlights a number of particularities in housing research in the Latin American region, underscoring the need to reflect critically on the applicability of concepts and models created in different geographical contexts with different historical, social and political realities. Within this editorial, we also introduce the main themes discussed in the specific articles and attempt to place them within the more general scope of earlier research on housing policies in the region. We conclude by acknowledging that a solution to long lasting housing inequality in Latin America remains an unfulfilled promise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cadernos Argentina Brasil is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Defining cases of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection is a critical challenge for epidemiological research. Due to ZIKV’s overlapping clinical features and potential immunologic cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses and the current lack of an optimal ZIKV-specific diagnostic assay, varying approaches for identifying ZIKV infections have been employed to date. This paper presents the laboratory results and diagnostic criteria developed by the Microcephaly Epidemic Research Group for defining cases of maternal ZIKV infection in a cohort of pregnant women with rash (N = 694) recruited during the declining 2015–2017 epidemic in northeast Brazil. For this investigation, we tested maternal sera for ZIKV by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG3 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT50). Overall, 23.8% of participants tested positive by qRT-PCR during pregnancy (range of detection: 0–72 days after rash onset). However, the inter-assay concordance was lower than expected. Among women with qRT-PCR-confirmed ZIKV and further testing, only 10.1% had positive IgM tests within 90 days of rash, and only 48.5% had ZIKV-specific PRNT50 titers ≥20 within 1 year of rash. Given the complexity of these data, we convened a panel of experts to propose an algorithm for identifying ZIKV infections in pregnancy based on all available lines of evidence. When the diagnostic algorithm was applied to the cohort, 26.9% of participants were classified as having robust evidence of a ZIKV infection during pregnancy, 4.0% as having moderate evidence, 13.3% as having limited evidence of a ZIKV infection but with uncertain timing, and 19.5% as having evidence of an unspecified flavivirus infection before or during pregnancy. Our findings suggest that integrating longitudinal data from nucleic acid and serologic testing may enhance diagnostic sensitivity and underscore the need for an on-going dialogue regarding the optimization of strategies for defining cases of ZIKV in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Austrian Journal of Forest Science / Centralblatt für das Gesamte Forstwesen is the property of Osterreichischer Agrarverlag Druck und Verlags Gesellschaft m.b.H. Nfg. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Primary health care has been recognized as a critical strategy for improving population health in developing countries. This paper investigates the effect of primary care physicians on the infant mortality rate in Brazil using a dynamic panel data approach. This method accounts for the endogeneity problem and the persistence of infant mortality over time. The empirical analysis uses an eight-year panel of municipalities between 2005 and 2012. The results indicate that primary care physician supply contributed to the decline of infant mortality in Brazil. An increase of one primary care physician per 10,000 population was associated with 7.08 fewer infant deaths per 10,000 live births. This suggests that, in addition to other determinants, primary care physicians can play an important role in accounting for the reduction of infant mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 2015 Paris Agreement, nations worldwide pledged emissions reductions (Nationally Determined Contributions—NDCs) to avert the threat of climate change, and agreed to periodically review these pledges to strengthen their level of ambition. Previous studies have analyzed NDCs largely in terms of their implied contribution to limit global warming, their implications on the energy sector or on mitigation costs. Nevertheless, a gap in the literature exists regarding the understanding of implications of the NDCs on countries’ Energy-Water-Land nexus resource systems. The present paper explores this angle within the regional context of Latin America by employing the Global Change Assessment Model, a state-of-the-art integrated assessment model capable of representing key system-wide interactions among nexus sectors and mitigation policies. By focusing on Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia, we stress potential implications on national-level water demands depending on countries’ strategies to enforce energy-related emissions reductions and their interplays with the land sector. Despite the differential implications of the Paris pledges on each country, increased water demands for crop and biomass irrigation and for electricity generation stand out as potential trade-offs that may emerge under the NDC policy. Hence, this study underscores the need of considering a nexus resource planning framework (known as “Nexus Approach”) in the forthcoming NDCs updating cycles as a mean to contribute toward sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Measures to ensure research integrity have been widely discussed due to the social, economic and scientific impact of research integrity. In the past few years, financial support for health research in emerging countries has steadily increased, resulting in a growing number of scientific publications. These achievements, however, have been accompanied by a rise in retracted publications followed by concerns about the quality and reliability of such publications. Objective: This systematic review aimed to investigate the profile of medical and life sciences research retractions from authors affiliated with Brazilian academic institutions. The chronological trend between publication and retraction date, reasons for the retraction, citation of the article after the retraction, study design, and the number of retracted publications by author and affiliation were assessed. Additionally, the quality, availability and accessibility of data regarding retracted papers from the publishers are described. Methods: Two independent reviewers searched for articles that had been retracted since 2004 via PubMed, Web of Science, Biblioteca Virtual em Saúde (BVS) and Google Scholar databases. Indexed keywords from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and Descritores em Ciências da Saúde (DeCS) in Portuguese, English or Spanish were used. Data were also collected from the Retraction Watch website (). This study was registered with the PROSPERO systematic review database (CRD42017071647). Results: A final sample of 65 articles was retrieved from 55 different journals with reported impact factors ranging from 0 to 32.86, with a median value of 4.40 and a mean of 4.69. The types of documents found were erratum (1), retracted articles (3), retracted articles with a retraction notice (5), retraction notices with erratum (3), and retraction notices (45). The assessment of the Retraction Watch website added 8 articles that were not identified by the search strategy using the bibliographic databases. The retracted publications covered a wide range of study designs. Experimental studies (40) and literature reviews (15) accounted for 84.6% of the retracted articles. Within the field of health and life sciences, medical science was the field with the largest number of retractions (34), followed by biological sciences (17). Some articles were retracted for at least two distinct reasons (13). Among the retrieved articles, plagiarism was the main reason for retraction (60%). Missing data were found in 57% of the retraction notices, which was a limitation to this review. In addition, 63% of the articles were cited after their retraction. Conclusion: Publications are not retracted solely for research misconduct but also for honest error. Nevertheless, considering authors affiliated with Brazilian institutions, this review concluded that most of the retracted health and life sciences publications were retracted due to research misconduct. Because the number of publications is the most valued indicator of scientific productivity for funding and career progression purposes, a systematic effort from the national research councils, funding agencies, universities and scientific journals is needed to avoid an escalating trend of research misconduct. More investigations are needed to comprehend the underlying factors of research misconduct and its increasing manifestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to show how employees' work cultural values in three cities of two different South American countries (Buenos Aires, San Paolo, and Rio de Janeiro) differ, and how these differences are related to the manner in which people perceive risk and construe the meaning of danger. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 220 line employees of a multinational enterprise in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires participated in this study. The paper compared the means of reported job satisfaction and cultural values among the cities. Furthermore, regressions are used for cultural values on perceptions of risks from job hazards. Findings There are different cultural values across the cities. These cultural values are associated with the manner people understand risk and respond to risk management programs. This could eventually influence the success of the implementation of safety management programs. Research limitations/Implications - This is a study carried out in a single organization within the transportation industry. Managers and scholars must he careful in generalizing these findings across geographical locations and industries. Practical implications - The findings challenge the assumption that safety-training methods can be applied indiscriminately in every country without taking into account national culture and intra-national subculture differences. Originality/value - This study explores the importance of culture in the transfer and administration of US-made safety programs to South America within the context of the high-risk transportation industry segment. Its findings are important for multinational enterprises concerned with the safety of workers in high-risk industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fire plays an increasingly significant role in tropical forest and savanna ecosystems, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and impacting on biodiversity. Emerging research shows the potential role of Indigenous land-use practices for controlling deforestation and reducing CO2 emissions. Analysis of satellite imagery suggests that Indigenous lands have the lowest incidence of wildfires, significantly contributing tomaintaining carbon stocks and enhancing biodiversity. Yet acknowledgement of Indigenous peoples' role in fire management and control is limited, and in many cases dismissed, especially in policy-making circles. In this paper, we review existing data on Indigenous fire management and impact, focusing on examples from tropical forest and savanna ecosystems in Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. We highlight how the complexities of community owned solutions for fire management are being lost as well as undermined by continued efforts on fire suppression and firefighting, and emerging approaches to incorporate Indigenous fire management into market- and incentive-based mechanisms for climate change mitigation. Our aim is to build a case for supporting Indigenous fire practices within all scales of decision-making by strengthening Indigenous knowledge systems to ensure more effective and sustainable fire management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the historical evolution and geographic biases of the Initiative for the Integration of South America’s Regional Infrastructure (IIRSA). The study presents an analysis of the initiative’s origins in the neoliberalization of Brazilian planning in 1990s; the characteristics of its first round of cross-border infrastructure investments during the 2000–2010 period and its unaltered incorporation into the UNASUR institution, following South America’s recent post-neoliberal transition. The paper conceptualizes IIRSA’s spatial planning framework of ‘integration and development axes’ as an enduring form of neoliberal territorial design. By prioritising public investment in logistics corridors, IIRSA has privileged the global competitiveness of select export sectors over all other infrastructure provision and macro-regional planning considerations. It also aggravates geographically uneven development and fails to reflect extensive urbanization dynamics. The analysis is supported by archival research, a careful reading of policy documents and primary fieldwork conducted in the borderland Brazilian state of Roraima which illustrates the socio-spatial impacts that IIRSA has produced on the ground through its selective roadway development and lack of comprehensive planning in the Guianese Shield Axis – the designated corridor with the lowest level of investment. In addition to presenting a comprehensive empirical assessment of IIRSA, the paper aims to contribute to the literature on the variegated geographies of neoliberalism and emerging debates on planetary urbanization by emphasizing the ways in which state intervention (re)shapes extensive networked infrastructures, which, in turn, condition urbanization processes and inter-urban relations. The paper’s conclusion includes policy recommendations and suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lusitania Sacra is the property of Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, Centro de Estudos de Historia Religiosa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Phellinus piptadeniae (Hymenochaetaceae, Hymenochaetales) as currently accepted is characterized by having applanate to ungulate basidiome with the pilear surface concentrically sulcate, radially cracked in old specimens, and a sinuous black line in the context. The species has been recorded in seasonally dry forests of different Brazilian domains, often associated with legume hosts. It occurs highly specifically associated with Piptadenia gonoacantha in semideciduous forest of the Atlantic Forest domain in southeastern Brazil. In the Caatinga dry woodlands, northeastern Brazil, Phellinus piptadeniae occurs as host recurrent of different Piptadenia species. During recent polypore surveys, specimens that are morphologically similar to the type were collected in seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) of northwestern Peru also on legume hosts ( Libidibia glabrata and Pithecellobium excelsum). In this paper, we discuss the morphological variation, host range, and distribution of Phellinus piptadeniae in the context of the historical biogeography of the neotropical SDTF biome. Some taxonomic implications that should be further investigated in a molecular phylogenetic framework are also addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first report of the occurrence of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in South America. Several samples were collected during various seasons in 2012 and 2013, and a significant number of individuals were obtained and identified. Based on the data recorded during each sampling campaign, including the locality, temperature, time of year, and number of individuals collected, several conclusions were drawn about the development of this invasion in southern Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the idea of the EU as a ‘model' of regional integration, linking it to the literature on Europe as a normative power. The second part discusses the influence of the EU model on regional cooperation and integration in South America. In particular, it focuses on the discursive use of the model in Brazilian foreign policy during the two tenures of President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva as a dominant rhetoric for the promotion of regional integration, especially in the case of the Mercado Común del Sur(Common Market of the South, MERCOSUR) and the Unión de Naciones Suramericanas (Union of South American Nations, UNASUR). The last part looks at the impact of the financial crisis on the ‘deconstruction' of this ideal model of European integration and attempts to discern how this will influence the future discourse on regional cooperation integration in South America, and primarily in Brazil. To illustrate the shift that has occurred in Brazilian views of regionalism, this part also discusses the Brazilian support of a new form of regional integration, as embodied in the creation of CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence and extent of past climatic changes on South American biota. To this end, we establish phylogeographical hypotheses for a monophyletic group of four cactophilic species of Drosophila (the Drosophila serido haplogroup) found in xeromorphic vegetation in Brazil. The effects of Quaternary palaeoclimatic oscillations on the demographic fluctuations of our biological model and its sister group Drosophila antonietae are investigated. Location Areas of eastern Brazil with open vegetation, including seasonally dry tropical forest ( SDTF) areas and montane savannas, which are disjunctly distributed in eastern Brazil. We also analysed populations of sand dune vegetation from littoral areas in Brazil. Methods Nucleotide information from 630 bp of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene from 441 individuals was used to perform a series of statistical analyses to infer a phylogeographical hypothesis for each species and to date the divergence time between the D. serido and D. antonietae haplogroups. Results All of the analysed species experienced population expansion during the Pleistocene, probably following the historical migratory routes that have been proposed for the expansion of SDTFs in Brazil. A bottleneck event in the Holocene was inferred for Drosophila seriema, probably due to ecological factors related to the geographical distribution of the host plant. The divergence time for the D. serido and D. antonietae haplogroups was calculated to have occurred during the early Pleistocene. Main conclusions Geographical and chronological evidence suggests that the major vicariant events between the D. serido and D. antonietae haplogroups, as well as the demographic fluctuations in each of the species within these lineages, could be related to the causal effects of Quaternary palaeoclimatic changes on the spatial dynamics of the SDTFs in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Caatinga is an ecologically unique semi-arid region of northeast Brazil characterized by high levels of endemism and severe anthropogenic threats from agricultural development and climate change. It is also one of the least known biomes in Brazil due to a combination of inadequate investment, low regional research capacity and difficult working conditions. However, while the lack of scientific knowledge of the Caatinga is well known, the spatial and temporal distribution of knowledge production has not been investigated. This is important because such biases undermine the development of effective conservation policy and practice and increase the uncertainty associated with conservation actions. Here, we map the geography of conservation knowledge production in the Caatinga and use an innovative hurdle model to identify the presumptive factors driving these patterns. Our analysis revealed strong geographic patterns, with research sites concentrated in the east of the region and in areas close to roads and research centres. There was also a positive association between conservation knowledge production and risk of desertification, indicating that conservation scientists are responding to conservation challenges faced by Caatinga’s fauna and flora arising from climate change. Our results also highlight the pivotal role of pioneer scientists (those who develop research sites in previously unstudied/understudied areas) in determining the future geographic patterns of knowledge production. We conclude our article with a brief discussion of potential policies for increasing the spatial representativeness of conservation research in this remarkable ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes to take up the roots of Marxist Theory of Dependence as a part of Marxist thought dedicated to explaining the process of capitalist development in dependent economies, especially in Latin America. Using the dialectical method and the economic categories developed in Capital, Rui Mauro Marini, along with other authors, found a theoretical framework that explains the reality of peripheral economies, without falling into a simplistic revisionism. In order to deepen the reflection, this paper presents the main concepts of the Marxist Theory of Dependence as particularities of the reproduction of capital in Latin America. Later we will use these interpretative foundations to clarify the current austerity in Brazil, examining the set of counter-reforms in progress and to be implemented: New Fiscal Regime, Labor Reform and the “New Social Security” in order to legitimize the contemporaneousness of TMD and its powerful vector interpretive and transformative in times of structural crisis of capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Uruguaya de Ciencia Política is the property of Instituto de Ciencia Politica (Universidad de la Republica de Uruguay) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Given the importance of the assertion or prevention of regional leadership for the future global order, this paper examines the strategies and resources being used to assert regional leadership as well as the reactions of other states within and outside the respective regions. Secondary powers play a key role in the regional acceptance of a leadership claim. In this article we identify the factors motivating secondary powers to accept or contest this claim. Two regional dyads, marked by different degrees of "contested leadership" are analyzed: Brazil vs. Venezuela and India vs. Pakistan. The research outcomes demonstrate that the strategies of regional powers and the reactions of secondary powers result from the distribution of material capabilities and their application, the regional powers' ability to project ideational resources, the respective national interests of regional and secondary powers, and the regional impact of external powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech delivered sixty years ago in Washington, DC. It begins by pointing to the concept of "dream" as it is understood in current language and how Dr. King used it in a theological way. Next, the essay compares this with what Pope Francis has frequently said about dreams, including his own. Reflecting on King's words and the sense that the dream he spoke about is still not a reality but a horizon of hope that stimulates struggle, the article presents a comparative study of racism in the United States, according to King, and Brazil, where structural racism permeates the whole society, delaying indefinitely the dream of equality and justice. I also show how liberation theology has been a helpful element in the struggle to keep the dream of equality alive. I conclude that in both countries, frustration remains because the dream has not been fulfilled. But in both situations, to continue dreaming is the only option. And that means not being satisfied with the little steps made but embracing the desire for more. Only by always desiring more and more fulness of life will salvation be experienced concretely for our generation and the next. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The research combines economic, historical and anthropological data on the role of forests in local livelihoods in three South American countries. • Results showed the strong economic importance of forests to Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, despite different contexts and histories. • Non-economic values of forests were also remarkably strong among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples inhabiting forests for varied time scales. • The utilitarian notion behind nature valuation is not sufficient to comprehensively understand how local populations benefit from forests. • Development policies should support and leverage non-economic forest values and cosmologies, and provide sustainable economic alternatives. Research on the contribution of forests to local livelihoods has so far had a strong focus on quantifying the monetary value of forest-derived products and services. In this paper, we move beyond monetary valuation and integrate the less tangible and sometimes culturally complex dimensions through which forests support local livelihoods. We look at four local contexts in the Brazilian, Bolivian and Ecuadorian Amazon, which differ markedly in terms of their biophysical, sociocultural and geopolitical settings. Combining economic and anthropological data, we used quantitative and qualitative methods, and measures of the ecological impacts of local forest uses. Quantitative analyses drew on datasets from 48 communities, and 510 households, while the qualitative analyses relied on semi-structured interviews with 78 families in 22 communities. Forest-based livelihoods exhibited complex portfolios, diversified production systems, seasonal variation of activities, and different specialization strategies. Beyond a source of subsistence and cash incomes, forests were locally valued by people across all sites in terms of identities, worldviews, territorial attachment, governance, and conservation. Populations with a longer history of interactions with the environment displayed more complex forest-related cultural systems, but even among people who had migrated into the forest in a more recent historical period, forest-based self-cultural identification was evident. At all sites, forests were unanimously recognized as critical to people's health and wellbeing, despite substantial differences in local histories, policy and market environments. The findings underscore the persistent importance of non-economic values of forests as both Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups constantly adapt their forest and land use practices based on transcultural exchange and changing conditions. A focus on economic value as the rationale for forest conservation disregards the striking resilience of cultural values in promoting forest conservation and use by diverse local and Indigenous communities, especially when supported by favorable policies and markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myxozoans are a diverse group of parasitic cnidarians of wide distribution. A new species, Myxobolus matogrossoensis n. sp., is herein described infecting wild specimens of tetra mato-grosso Hyphessobrycon eques, caught in the Pantanal biome, the world's largest tropical wetland area. Cysts were found in 3 of the 30 examined fishes. Mature myxospores were ovoid in shape in frontal and measured 6.6 ± 0.4 µm (6.2–7.0 µm) in length and 3.5 ± 0.2 µm (3.3–3.7 µm) in width. The two polar capsules were elongated in shape, equal in size and occupying almost half of the myxospore body. They measured 3.3 ± 0.2 µm (3.1–3.5 µm) in length and 1.8 ± 0.1 µm (1.7–1.9 µm) in width. The polar tubules presented three to four turns. Phylogenetic analysis placed the new species within a clade containing myxobolid species from South American characiforms fish and appears as a close species of Myxobolus piraputangae and Myxobolus umidus. Nevertheless, the sequences of the new species and P. umidus and P. piraputangae have a large genetic divergence of 12 and 12.2% in their 18S rDNA gene, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a Myxobolus species parasitizing the tetra fish mato-grosso, thus increasing our knowledge of cnidarian myxosporean diversity from South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical taxonomic and nomenclatural review of the Brazilian species of Acalypha (Euphorbiaceae, Acalyphoideae) is presented. As a result, 40 species (44 taxa including six subspecies) are accepted, 37 of them native (17 endemic) and three introduced; also, 132 names are considered synonyms, 28 of them for the first time. Two new combinations are proposed: Acalypha brasiliensis subsp. asterotricha and A. brasiliensis subsp. psilophylla, previously considered varieties of A. brasiliensis. Information about types is provided for all the valid names, and 54 lectotypes and one neotype are designated. Identification keys and detailed distribution maps of all the native taxa are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A positive correlation between cave size and bat diversity has been recorded by some authors for different cave areas in South America. We analyzed published and otherwise available data from three Brazilian karst areas and phytogeography domains, including NE and SE Atlantic Forest and Cerrado (savannah-like vegetation), encompassing a wide range of cave sizes. We found no such correlation, as expected in view of previous observations by researchers and speleologists. We discuss the ecological implications of different ways to measure bat diversity, i.e. the accumulative number of species (sequential use of caves) vs. the number of species at a given occasion (species in actual cohabitation) vs. bat abundance (numbers of individuals), as well as speleological topics related to the concept of caves (based on an anthropomorphic definition, not applicable to other species), the problems of estimating topographic variables such as cave area and volume, and the value of including cave temperatures in the analyses. Multiple interacting variables may influence the composition of cave bat communities and bat species richness and abundance. The most important ones would be the density of caves in a given area (related to lithology - calcareous vs. siliciclastic caves), regional climates, and degree of preservation of epigean habitat. Cave morphology, number and size of entrances, and presence of water bodies, as well as interactions with other species, must also be considered. In conclusion, as a general statement for tropical and subtropical bats, cave size (in the human sense) by itself does not matter, except perhaps for one-off situations. Finally, a brief overview of the diversity of cave bats in Brazil is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Colombia Internacional is the property of Universidad de los Andes and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Químico-Farmacéuticas is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims to understand Brazilian trade negotiations strategy in the last decades, which has combined priority to trade multilateralism with preferential trade negotiations with different scopes and timings with countries inside and outside South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article a study that presents seven new species of Latongena and describes males of Latonigena. The type species of Latonigena is the target of a specific redescription and ecological paper to be published by Uruguayan taxonomists. The material studied were deposited in the arachnological collections of the Museu de Ciécas Naturas, Fundacão Zoobotânica do Rio Grande do Sul, South America. These species include the Latonigena Simon, the Latonigena beni sp. nov. and the Latonigena colombo sp. nov. It cites suggestions for the African species of said genus be transferred based on the constant morphological patterns found at Latonigena species.

In recent years, Brazil is becoming a global power and, at the same time, it is often considered as the regional leader. In this paper, we tackle with the growing role of Brazil in the international arena while tensions among neighbors are also increasing. What are Brazilian foreign policy priorities: regional bonds or global affairs? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Exporting has been upheld as the “Golden Standard” for industrial upgrading. However, research using the value chain approach shows that upgrading for developing country firms is often limited to the lowest value-added activities. Based on comparative research carried out in two Brazilian clusters (furniture and footwear industries), this paper shows that domestic and regional value chains can offer greater upgrading opportunities, providing space for activities of higher value-added, better remunerated and difficult to replicate, notably design, marketing, and branding. Moreover, this study highlights that many firms simultaneously serve multiple value chains (multichain) and that multichain firms have better upgrading prospects than those primarily exporting via Global Value Chains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Scientia Medica is the property of EDIPUCRS - Editora Universitaria da PUCRS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: High proportions of bark pieces (up to 85% of the charcoal content) were found in several hearths from Morro Grande archaeological site (Southeastern Brazil). This site, dated between 3220–2840 and 1820–1390yrscalBP, is associated to the Tupiguarani Tradition, attributed to supposed ancestors of Tupinambá native populations, who occupied the major part of the Brazilian coast in the XVIth century. Bark hearths, archaeologically associated with the mortuary ritual, were found encircling a funerary urn and associated with ceramic fragments painted with elaborated patterns in black, white, and red. Other hearths, spatially isolated from the funerary area, were associated to fragments of utilitarian non-painted ceramics and therefore attributed to domestic contexts. These ones presented few or no bark fragments. It is clear that bark was intentionally selected as fuel for the funerary hearths. Although bark is related, in historic accounts, as a specialized firewood for ceramics firing, its presence in ritual context has not been previously recorded. In this paper, the anthracological record is discussed in the light of ethnographic and historic accounts. A possible explanation for the presence of bark hearths in funerary context is proposed, suggesting it might be a symbolic parallel with the quotidian: the potency and power of transformation of bark as a fuel would be regarded in a spiritual level, achieving the transformation of the body soul in the revered soul – an Ancestor. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Gallery forests are important to the maintenance of a substantial portion of the biodiversity in neotropical savanna regions, but management guidelines specific to this forest type are limited. Here, we use birds as study group to assess if: (1) functional traits can predict the abundance and occupancy of forest species within a savanna landscape, (2) habitat structures influence the taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity of forest assemblages, and (3) less diverse gallery forest assemblages are a nested subset of more diverse assemblages living near continuous forests. Then, we propose strategies on how gallery forests can be managed to maintain their species assemblages amidst the fast expansion of human activities across tropical savanna landscapes. We studied 26 sites of gallery forests in an Amazonian savanna landscape and found that: (1) habitat specificity is the only functional trait that predicts species abundance and occupancy across a landscape; (2) phylogenetic diversity is negatively correlated with understory foliage density; (3) the percentage of forests and savannas around sites is positively correlated with both phylogenetic and functional diversity; (4) increasing human activities around gallery forest negatively influences taxonomic and functional diversity; and (5) forest bird assemblages are not distributed at random across the landscape but show a nested pattern caused by selective colonization mediated by habitat filtering. Our combined findings have three implications for the design of conservation strategies for gallery forest bird assemblages. First, maintaining the connectivity between gallery forests and adjacent continuous forests is essential because gallery forest bird assemblages are derived from continuous forest species assemblages. Second, because most species use the savanna matrix to move across the landscape, effectively managing the savanna matrices where gallery forests are embedded is as important to maintaining viable populations of forest bird species as managing the gallery forest themselves. Third, in savanna landscapes planned to be used for agriculture production, protecting gallery forests alone is not enough. Instead, gallery forests should be protected with surrounding savanna buffers to avoid the detrimental effects (edge effects and isolation) of human activities on their biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]