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The Caatinga, an exclusively Brazilian biome, stands as a reservoir of remarkable biodiversity. Its significance transcends ecological dimensions, given the direct reliance of the local population on its resources for sustenance and healthcare. While Myrtaceae, a pivotal botanical family within the Brazilian flora, has been extensively explored for its medicinal and nutritional attributes, scant attention has been directed towards its contextual relevance within the Caatinga's local communities. Consequently, this inaugural systematic review addresses the ethnobotanical roles of Myrtaceae within the Caatinga, meticulously anchored in the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. We searched Scopus, MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scielo, and LILIACS. No date‐range filter was applied. An initial pool of 203 articles was carefully scrutinized, ultimately yielding 31 pertinent ethnobotanical studies elucidating the utility of Myrtaceae amongst the Caatinga's indigenous populations. Collectively, they revealed seven distinct utilization categories spanning ~54 species and 11 genera. Psidium and Eugenia were the genera with the most applications. The most cited categories of use were food (27 species) and medicinal (22 species). The importance of accurate species identification was highlighted, as many studies did not provide enough information for reliable identification. Additionally, the potential contribution of Myrtaceae fruits to food security and human health was explored. The diversity of uses demonstrates how this family is a valuable resource for local communities, providing sources of food, medicine, energy, and construction materials. This systematic review also highlights the need for more ethnobotanical studies to understand fully the relevance of Myrtaceae species in the Caatinga, promoting biodiversity conservation, as well as support for local populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We chose the Jatobá Basin (JB) in the Borborema Province in northeastern Brazil to address two outstanding problems, basin tectonic inversion and stress propagation, because (a) evidence of tectonic inversion is conspicuous in the JB, and (b) the basin sits on intracontinental northeastern Brazil, far from plate boundaries and the most obvious stress sources. We found robust evidence of oblique reverse faulting inside the basin, putting sediments of the JB's depocenter hundreds of meters above the hard granitic host basement. We also found sound evidence of hydrographic flow reversal, that is, earlier basement‐to‐basin runoff, followed by basin‐to‐basement runoff. This change means that formerly the basement stood higher than the basin, and later the basin was uplifted (inverted) to currently stand hundreds of meters higher than the basement, especially where the gravity anomaly map shows the deepest depocenter. Coarse conglomerates, sourced in the uplifted basin and blanketing the adjacent basement for kilometers, are only cut by the current hydrographic network. From these main lines of evidence, we infer recent basin tectonic inversion (Quaternary, i.e., <2.6 Ma?). The WSW‐ENE orientation of the maximum compressive stress needed to invert the basin likely results from Mid‐Atlantic and Andean pushes. We conclude that lithospheric plates can deform in their cores because of stresses propagating from plate boundaries to distant plate interiors, where the lithosphere has been locally weakened and strain has concentrated. Key Points: The Jatobá Basin in NE Brazil has been tectonically inverted despite sitting far away from plate boundariesHydrographic flow has been inverted, from basement‐to‐basin to basin‐to‐basement by post‐rift differential upliftA weakened lithosphere can deform in its interiors far away from plate boundaries where major topographic forces act [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the northeastern region of Brazil (NEB) has a maize production system based on family farming, with no technological advances and totally dependent on the natural rainfall regime, which is concentrated in 4 to 5 months in most parts of the region. This means that the productivity of this crop is low in the NEB. In the northern mesoregions of the NEB, rainfall is concentrated between January and June, in the east of the NEB from April to September, and in the west of the NEB from October to March. The growing season takes place during these semesters. With this in mind, our objective was to develop a model based on canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to predict corn production in the mesoregions of the NEB between 1981 and 2010, using accumulated precipitation per semester as the predictor variable and predicting the observed production in kg/ha. Our results showed that the CCA model presented higher correlations between observed and simulated production than that obtained simply from the direct relationship between accumulated rainfall and production. The other two metrics used, RMSE and NRMSE, showed that, on average, in most mesoregions, the simulation error was around 200 kg/ha, but the accuracy was predominantly moderate, around 29% in most mesoregions, with values below 20% in six mesoregions, indicative of better model accuracy, and above 50% in two mesoregions, indicative of low accuracy. In addition, we investigated how the different combinations between two modes of climate variability with a direct influence on precipitation in the NEB impacted production in these 30 years, with the combination of El Niño and a positive Atlantic dipole being the most damaging to harvests, while years when La Niña and a negative Atlantic dipole acted together were the most favorable. Despite the satisfactory results and the practical applicability of the model developed, it should be noted that the use of only one predictor, rainfall, is a limiting factor for better model simulations since other meteorological variables and non-climatic factors have a significant impact on crops. However, the simplicity of the model and the promising results could help agricultural managers make decisions in all the states that make up the NEB.

Most of the northeastern region of Brazil (NEB) has a maize production system based on family farming, with no technological advances and totally dependent on the natural rainfall regime, which is concentrated in 4 to 5 months in most parts of the region. This means that the productivity of this crop is low in the NEB. In the northern mesoregions of the NEB, rainfall is concentrated between January and June, in the east of the NEB from April to September, and in the west of the NEB from October to March. The growing season takes place during these semesters. With this in mind, our objective was to develop a model based on canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to predict corn production in the mesoregions of the NEB between 1981 and 2010, using accumulated precipitation per semester as the predictor variable and predicting the observed production in kg/ha. Our results showed that the CCA model presented higher correlations between observed and simulated production than that obtained simply from the direct relationship between accumulated rainfall and production. The other two metrics used, RMSE and NRMSE, showed that, on average, in most mesoregions, the simulation error was around 200 kg/ha, but the accuracy was predominantly moderate, around 29% in most mesoregions, with values below 20% in six mesoregions, indicative of better model accuracy, and above 50% in two mesoregions, indicative of low accuracy. In addition, we investigated how the different combinations between two modes of climate variability with a direct influence on precipitation in the NEB impacted production in these 30 years, with the combination of El Niño and a positive Atlantic dipole being the most damaging to harvests, while years when La Niña and a negative Atlantic dipole acted together were the most favorable. Despite the satisfactory results and the practical applicability of the model developed, it should be noted that the use of only one predictor, rainfall, is a limiting factor for better model simulations since other meteorological variables and non-climatic factors have a significant impact on crops. However, the simplicity of the model and the promising results could help agricultural managers make decisions in all the states that make up the NEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A dense estuarine aggregation of Diadumene paranaensis Beneti, Stampar, Maronna, Morandini & Da Silveira, 2015 associated with Rhizophora mangle L. was found at the Arpoeiras Beach, mouth of Acaraú River, Ceará, Brazilian semi-arid coast. Here, we compare biological and taxonomical traits with the type material, collected from the portuary zone of Paranaguá Bay, and propose modifications in the diagnosis of the species, as well as of the family Diadumenidae and genus Diadumene, to align with the description of our specimens. In addition, we discuss its tolerance to high salinity and predict a much broader geographic range for this sea anemone in Brazil.

Rural communities often face problems of securing sustainable supply of water for drinking, domestic and agricultural uses, due to fluctuations in water availability, organizational problems maintaining collective networks, and weak connections with external actors. Using a water resilience lens, we present a participatory approach to develop an operational framework to characterize the resilience of rural water supply systems (RWSS) in communities in Northeast Brazil and Central Tunisia. An operational resilience framework was co-designed that incorporates the three key functions of a resilient RWSS, encompassing (1) the productive function: to provide water at all times, even in the case of shocks and stresses; (2) the internal regulation function: the community institutions enabling to organize water supply; and (3) the territorial integration function: the ways in which a community is integrated territorially. The operational framework gives practical content to the notion of rural water resilience by defining the features of water resilience for each function and by establishing the explanatory variables for these features at the intersection of scientific, practical, and local perspectives on rural water resilience. It provides an operational basis for building more resilient RWSSs and aims to increase the efficacy of development interventions in the field of rural water supply to build long lasting responses to shocks and stresses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tuxá people from Rodelas, in the Brazilian state of Bahia, traditionally live at the São Francisco riverbanks. Because of their historical dwelling in the place, many more-than-human relations have been established, especially with their ancestors, supernatural beings known as encantados who continue to live in the land. Nowadays, Tuxá teachers, working on a specific school curriculum, are revitalizing Dzubukuá, a language that they currently master only to a certain extent and within ritual contexts. Strengthening the relations with the encantados due to their continuous political struggle to guarantee Indigenous rights, the Tuxá have been emboldening their engagement with Dzubukuá revitalization through both the ritual communication with encantados and the linguistic studies based on a colonial bilingual catechism written in Portuguese and Dzubukuá. Here I demonstrate how Tuxá's understanding of territoriality, inhabited along with other cosmological entities, can offer a view of Indigenous knowledge, education, and resistance in Northeast Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nonhuman primates play an important role in the culture of many human societies and in ecosystem functions and services. However, the populations of most species are declining due to anthropogenic pressures. Assessing how sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, sex, educational level, and residence time) affect peoples' local ecological knowledge and attitudes towards a species can help further understanding of human-primate relationships at the local level and identify actors to promote effective conservation efforts. Thus, we investigated the local ecological knowledge and attitudes towards the conservation of Sapajus flavius, an endangered primate endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Northeast Brazil. We performed our study in two rural communities living in forest fragments, which are a key area for the conservation of S. flavius. We conducted 119 semistructured interviews, created indexes to measure respondents' knowledge and attitudes, and found that their knowledge about S. flavius was medium to high, their attitude towards its conservation was positive overall, and that there was a moderate positive relationship between knowledge of the species and attitude to conservation. The level of local ecological knowledge was positively related to being male, higher age, longer residence time in the area, and lower educational levels, while the attitude towards the conservation of the species was positively related only to age. Older males who have lived longer in the region and have a lower educational level proved to be the most knowledgeable about the species. The overall positive attitude of the respondents suggests that communities should be further encouraged to participate in environmental education programs and action plans designed to increase primate habitat and connectivity in the region. These findings brought insights to guide future studies and actions to develop effective methods for the protection of Sapajus flavius populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities have sought to characterize the students' mental health considering academic and social impacts. This study used a questionnaire to assess the prevalence and severity of stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. A convenience sample of 92 first-year students attending the Physical Therapy, Psychology, and Nutrition undergraduate programs at a public college in the Northeast, Brazil, aged between 17 and 38 (M = 20.50; SD = 3.50), participated in this study. The DASS-21 scale revealed that 48.90% experience mild or more severe symptoms in at least one of the factors, 35.90% experience stress, 26.10% depression, and 22.80% experience anxiety symptoms. Depression symptoms were the most severe. Differences were found between the programs, suggesting that the symptoms are not homogeneous across the institution. No statistically significant differences were found based on gender, and no significant correlations were found between symptoms and income, age, or the number of children. Future studies should explore which programs' characteristics influence the profile of symptoms. Practical implications are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brazilian Northeast has a rich native flora used for therapeutic purposes in folk medicine. National Policies and Programs encourage the use of folk medicine plants in their Health System, prioritizing local species as a strategy to make herbal medicine more credible among users. However, the lack of knowledge of plants by health professionals, the emphasis on allopathic medicine and the lack of knowledge of plant species on official lists in different regions of the country are some of the factors identified as barriers to the success of such programs. In this perspective, the present research reviewed the literature on ethnobotany in order to know the main species of native medicinal plants used in this region and with potential for phytotherapy. After consulting the Virtual Health Library (BVS) and PubMed, 58 articles published between January/2015 and December/2019 were selected, with 590 species of medicinal plants cited in ethnobotanical studies being recorded. Of these species, 129 (22%) were cited between 5 to 35 studies and 35 (27%) of the species have authorization for use as herbal medicines, of which only 11 species (31.43%) are native. It was found that of the 71 species listed in the National List of Medicinal Plants of Interest to the Unified Health System in Brazil, 60 are used by human communities in the Northeast, reinforcing the region's contribution to the theme. 57 native species are presented that still do not have authorization for simplified registration as herbal medicine, but are used in folk medicine. These data seek to minimize the lack of knowledge about native species and value their use in regional phytotherapy. It is suggested to encourage research in partnership with local communities that analyze the therapeutic action of medicinal plants and encourage their use in Primary Health Care, in accordance with Law 13.123/2015, in order to protect access to traditional knowledge and guarantee the benefit sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ceratocampinae (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is the second most diverse subfamily of Saturniidae with 300 species described in 30 genera from southern Canada to northern Argentina. Species of this subfamily are widely distributed in Southeast Brazil, with many endemics to the Cerrado, and important as indicators of ecosystem quality. Specimens of Ceratocampinae were collected in the Parque Estadual do Mirador, Maranhão state, Brazil. Adeloneivaia acuta (Schaus, 1896), Adeloneivaia schubarti Barros & O. Mielke, 1970, Eacles penelope (Cramer, 1775) and Megaceresa pulchra (Bouvier, 1923) are recorded for the first time in Maranhão state and Northeast Brazil and Eacles fairchildi May & Oiticica, 1941, only for Maranhão. The record of five Ceratocampinae (Saturniidae) species increases the knowledge on the diversity and the importance of preserving those of this subfamily in the Cerrado biome of Maranhão state and the Northeast region of Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intercropping between BRS Paiaguás (Bachiaria brizantha cv. BRS Paiaguás) and BRS Tamani (Panicum maximum cv. BRS Tamani) cultivars can ensure better utilisation of available abiotic resources, potentially promoting higher forage mass yield. The aim was to investigate the effect of BRS Tamani and BRS Paiaguás cultivars in different cropping systems (monoculture vs. intercropping) in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The experiment was designed with five treatments in randomised blocks, consisting of different proportions of an intercropping system composed of the cultivars mentioned: 100% Paiaguás; 75% Paiaguás and 25% Tamani; 50% Paiaguás and 50% Tamani; 25% Paiaguás and 75% Tamani; and 100% Tamani. The availability of forage mass and tissue flow was evaluated throughout the experimental period. There were differences in the total forage mass between the cultivation systems, with the highest values estimated in pastures with a consortium of 25% Paiaguás and 75% Tamani, 50% Paiaguás and 50% Tamani, and 75% Paiaguás and 25 Tamani, respectively. When there was lower participation of Tamani (25%), the Paiaguás cultivar had a longer leaf lifespan and phyllochron. To ensure balance in forage production in semi-arid regions, it is possible to recommend the implementation of intercropping with 50% Paiaguás and 50% Tamani. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue fever is among the most significant public health concerns in Brazil. To date, the highest number of Dengue notifications in the Americas has been reported in Brazil, with cases accounting for a total number of 3,418,796 reported cases as of mid-December 2022. Furthermore, the northeastern region of Brazil registered the second-highest incidence of Dengue fever in 2022. Due to the alarming epidemiological scenario, in this study, we used a combination of portable whole-genome sequencing, phylodynamic, and epidemiological analyses to reveal a novel DENV-1 genotype V clade and the persistence of DENV-2 genotype III in the region. We further report the presence of non-synonymous mutations associated with non-structural domains, especially the NS2A (non-structural protein 2A), as well as describe synonymous mutations in envelope and membrane proteins, distributed differently between clades. However, the absence of clinical data at the time of collection and notification, as well as the impossibility of monitoring patients in order to observe worsening or death, restricts our possibility of correlating mutational findings with possible clinical prognoses. Together, these results reinforce the crucial role of genomic surveillance to follow the evolution of circulating DENV strains and understand their spread across the region through inter-regional importation events, likely mediated by human mobility, and also the possible impacts on public health and outbreak management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coloniality is constructed through a tangle of multiple hierarchies. Moreover, peripheral Black women are often the ones affected by colonial violence. Strategies of reparation for these violations must be concrete for these historically violated groups. Thus, this study intends to analyze the basis of colonial violence against Black women in poverty and the possible governmental strategies of reparation developed by the Committee for the Prevention and Fight Against Violence (CPFV) and the Acolhe Network. The latter is a project of the General Public Defender's Office of Ceará aimed at assisting family members whose loved ones who are victims of homicide and victims who are survivors of acts of violence. We have the following questions to guide our discussion: How does violence against Black women go back to the origins of colonial gender violence? And how are resistance strategies being developed against this violence? In light of this, this article focuses on discussions about gender violence based on the deaths of young Black women in the state of Ceará in the dynamics of urban violence. Moreover, it outlines some strategies of governmental resistance against these acts of violence. Public Significance Statement: The results of this study present the intersectional effects of gender, race, and class in violence directed at Black women in the Northeast of Brazil. The public policies aimed at these women may reproduce racist, sexist, and classist practices. However, through reports of professional performances in public policies of reparation, strategies to decolonize the services offered to Black women who have suffered violence may be proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Climate change adaptation is a cross-cutting policy issue that accounts for a diversity of policy approaches, tools, and goals. Unclear conceptualization and the absence of comparable metrics are challenges that hinder the assessment of progress toward policy goals. This study draws on a policy mix approach to analyze adaptation efforts at the subnational level. It examines the complex pathways by which rural households in Northeast Brazil build resilience capacities and deal with drought with policy support. Particular emphasis is placed on the implementation of policy mixes composed of climate-related and broader development instruments as well as on the coordination of these instruments in the mix. The resilience of households benefiting from different instrument mixes is examined, and the results show a trend toward an intermediary value for our composite resilience metric highlighting the adoption of coping rather than transformative adaptive strategies. However, changing these trends toward enhanced resilience pathways depends on the improved implementation of the policy mixes and on political factors that include administrative issues, but also coordination and negotiation among policy actors.

This article analyzes experiences of sustainable entrepreneurship in the José Gomes rural community in Northeast Brazil, reflecting on the relevance of local development policies in the construction of local collective projects. This qualitative, exploratory, and descriptive study adopted rapport techniques, semi-structured interviews (82 dwellers), direct observation, field diary, and bibliographic research. Local development policies were understood as mechanisms for advances and improvements in the quality of life, economic organization, and environmental conservation, which must be incorporated into municipal planning and governmental actions. The results pointed to socio-productive potentials and structural and infrastructural limitations, which hamper the possibilities of spreading sustainable entrepreneurship and consolidating local development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the portrayal of racial bias against northeastern Brazilians film Bacurau (2019). The white-centred racial dynamics involving Northeastern Brazilians, a Southeastern Brazilian couple, and a group of US-Americans and German foreigners expose two conflicting notions of whiteness: a local one, within the long-standing Southeast/Northeast Brazil divide, and a global one, opposing Global South and Global North. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air temperature and precipitation are the elements that most impact the development of plants and are essential for good agricultural planning. Thus, it aimed to evaluate climate change in Maranhão of Brazil using the Thornthwaite (Geographical Review 38:55–94, 1948) climate classification. It used historical series of precipitation and air temperature between 1980 and 2016, obtained by the National Institute of Meteorology of Brazil (INMET). Reference evapotranspiration (ETo) was estimated using the Thornthwaite (Geographical Review 38:55–94, 1948) method and thus calculated the water balance by Thornthwaite and Mather (Laboratory of Climatology 8:104) for all locations in the studied state. Thornthwaite (Geographical Review 38:55–94, 1948) moisture index was used to classify localities to their level of humidity or aridity. We used the scenarios RCP-2.6, RCP-4, RCP-6, and RCP-8.5 for analyzing twenty-first-century projections (2041–2060 and 2061–2080 periods). The average values of air temperature, rainfall, and reference evapotranspiration in the state of Maranhão were 27.30(± 0.53) °C, 1678.52 (± 377.70) mm, and 1067.98 (± 73.36) mm, respectively. The average annual climatic characterization of the state of Maranhão was 53.4 (± 38.6) mm of the soil water storage, 698.71 (81.07) mm of the water surplus, and 395.85 (± 65.91) mm of the water deficit. Maranhão had seven climatic indexes. The most prevalent in the state was the Humid (B1, B2, B3, and B4), with 61% of the entire territory. RCP2.6 and RCP 8.5 are the driest. RCP6.0 and RCP8.5 show the most significant changes in the current situation. The humidity index's reduction will harm various economic activities in Maranhão, such as agriculture, livestock, and fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the seasonal influence on the chemical composition, somatic cell count (SCC), and total bacterial count (TBC) of raw bulk-tank milk in northeastern Brazilian states. Data were obtained from milk samples from tanks collected monthly by industries registered with the Federal Inspection Service. According to normative instruction #62 (IN-62), two validity periods were considered. The highest recorded averages for chemical composition were between May and July. The mean fat content varied from 3.51% to 3.69%, and the protein content ranged from 3.07% to 3.17%. The averages of SCC ranged from 4.66 to 4.90 × 1,000 cells/ml, with the highest being recorded in July. At the same time, the TBC ranged from 2.34 to 2.53 cfu/ml. The highest TBC was recorded in March. The mean values of fat, protein, defatted dry extract, SCCs, and TBC were influenced by the months of the year. The means for these variables decreased in periods when Brazilian legislation was more severe. However, the SCC and TBC averages found in this study were still high, considering the quality of raw milk production. SCC and TBC presence still did not comply with the limits established by the legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) is the main component of the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Off northeast Brazil, the DWBC breaks up into southwestward‐propagating anticyclones. In this study, we investigate the breakup mechanism with hydrographic observations, eddy‐resolving numerical model outputs, and theory. Here, we present a quasi‐synoptic map of geostrophic velocities and stream function at the DWBC core level between 2.5°S and 11°S. We observe, in horizontal distributions of velocities, that the DWBC breakup site is linked to a topographic feature of the Brazilian continental margin centered at 8°S: the Pernambuco Plateau (PP). Moreover, both observations and model outputs hint at a possible DWBC separation near the PP preceding anticyclone genesis. We test, with three different theories from the literature, whether or not the DWBC separates at 8°S. The results of the tests converge to indicate that the DWBC undergoes a local and intermittent inertial separation while contouring the PP. Downstream of its separation at the plateau, the DWBC sheds eddies similarly to previously reported laboratory experiments. In addition, a regional analysis of energy transfer shows that barotropic instability significantly contributes to the anticyclones growth between 8°S and 13°S. Analysis of the energy budget and separation of waters related to the AMOC pathways into the basin interior provide a better understanding for later studies about heat fluxes and ventilation in the deep tropical South Atlantic. Plain Language Summary: The Deep Western Boundary Current transports southward the cold and dense waters linked to the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Among many properties, these waters transport energy from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere, thousands of meters below the surface. Along the deep ocean off northeast Brazil, this current breaks up into large whirlpools of water that rotate counterclockwise while propagating southwestward. These whirlpools in the ocean are know as eddies. We observe that the eddy formation is linked to a feature of the Brazilian continental margin: the Pernambuco Plateau (PP). Moreover, both shipboard data and numerical model outputs hint at a possible separation of the deep current near the PP prior to the eddy formation. We test the separation with theories and the results converge to indicate that the deep current undergoes a local separation off the continental slope while contouring the PP. In addition, we present that the eddies grow by feeding off the energy from the deep current. The local separation and regional energy exchange along this deep current contribute to further discussions about the pathways of the AMOC and heat fluxes in the South Atlantic. Key Points: Part of the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) separates inertially off the continental slope while crossing the Pernambuco Plateau at 8°SThe DWBC separation plays a crucial role in the formation of the DWBC deep anticyclonic eddiesBarotropic instability significantly contributes to the growth of the deep anticyclonic eddies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is causing an intensification of extreme climate events with significant changes in frequency, duration, and intensity over many regions. Understanding the current and future influence of this warming in northeastern Brazil (NEB) is important due to the region's greater vulnerability to natural disasters, as historical records show. In this paper, characteristics of climate change projections (precipitation and air temperature) over NEB are analyzed using 15 models of Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) under four Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs: SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5) scenarios. By using the Taylor diagram, we observed that the HadGEM3-GC31-MM model simulates the seasonal behavior of climate variables more efficiently. Projections for NEB indicate an irreversible increase in average air temperature of at least 1 °C throughout the 21st century, with a reduction of up to 30% in annual rainfall, as present in scenarios of regional rivalry (SSP3-7.0) and high emissions (SSP5-8.5). This means that a higher concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) will increase air temperature, evaporation, and evapotranspiration, reducing rainfall and increasing drought events. The results obtained in this work are essential for the elaboration of effective strategies for adapting to and mitigating climate change for the NEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing body of archaeological and genomic evidence has hinted at a complex settlement process of the Americas by humans. This is especially true for South America, where unexpected ancestral signals have raised perplexing scenarios for the early migrations into different regions of the continent. Here, we present ancient human genomes from the archaeologically rich Northeast Brazil and compare them to ancient and present-day genomic data. We find a distinct relationship between ancient genomes from Northeast Brazil, Lagoa Santa, Uruguay and Panama, representing evidence for ancient migration routes along South America's Atlantic coast. To further add to the existing complexity, we also detect greater Denisovan than Neanderthal ancestry in ancient Uruguay and Panama individuals. Moreover, we find a strong Australasian signal in an ancient genome from Panama. This work sheds light on the deep demographic history of eastern South America and presents a starting point for future fine-scale investigations on the regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A regional investigation of precipitation extremes could help the local authorities to develop strategies against potential climatic disasters, especially in regions of large climate vulnerability. In this context, this study focused on the homogeneity and trend analysis of eleven extreme precipitation indices from a daily rainfall dataset of rain gauges of the state of Ceará, located in the north of Northeast Brazil, from 1974 to 2018 at annual and seasonal time scales. The data were first submitted to gap-filling and quality control processes. Homogeneity, trend, and correlation coefficient were performed subsequently. Homogeneity results showed that most of the precipitation series were classified as “useful.” Significant break years in the series agreed well with moderate and very strong El Niño and La Niña events, suggesting a further investigation of this possible connection. Wet and dry day precipitation indices mainly indicated a decrease in the rainfall regime and an increase in dry days, mainly in the central-eastern, northwestern, and southern regions of the Ceará, especially during the annual time scale and the rainy season. The Locally Weighted Scatterplot Smoothing (LOWESS) curve showed changes in almost all series during the 1980s and 1990s, coinciding with the homogeneity breaks and years of severe droughts that strongly hit the region. Correlation coefficients were strong and significant between rainfall total index and the other precipitation indices.

Based on a mixed-methods study involving triad tasks and ethnobiological models, we analyze local categories and knowledge of key ethnospecies of fish exploring partial overlaps between artisanal fishers' and academic knowledge in a fishing community in northeast Brazil. We argue that fishers' and academic knowledge overlaps may provide common ground for transdisciplinary collaboration, while their partiality requires reflection on epistemological and ontological differences. Here, we show how knowledge of artisanal fishers can complement academic knowledge and bring about tensions that need to be addressed through intercultural dialogue. By integrating a general philosophical framework of partial overlaps with a mixed-methods study on fishers' knowledge, we show how ethnobiology can contribute to reflective and empirically-grounded transdisciplinary practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is a significant lack of epidemiological data on hereditary cancer in Northeast Brazil. This is the largest study on the prevalence and mutational spectrum of cancer predisposition genes conducted in this region and the first in the State of Ceará. Methods: Patients ≥18 years of age that were referred to CHANCE (Grupo de Câncer Hereditário do Ceará) from March 2014 to December 2020 with testing criteria for breast cancer susceptibility genes according to NCCN v.1.2021 were eligible to participate. The inclusion of patients was limited to one individual per family and to those born in the State of Ceará. All patients underwent a hereditary cancer panel testing with at least 30 genes. Results: A total of 355 patients were included, and 97 (27.3%) carried a P/LP germline variant in 18 different genes. Among the 97 P/LP carriers, BRCA1 (31, 31.9%) and BRCA2 (25, 25.7%) were the most frequently mutated genes, followed by PALB2 (10, 10.3%), CHEK2 (7, 7.2%) and ATM (4, 4.1%). A small number of recurrent variants (detected in three or more individuals) in BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2 and ATM represented the majority of the P/LP variants described in this cohort. Conclusion: In this cohort, the prevalence of L/PL was high, particularly involving the BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, CHEK2 and ATM genes and, to a lesser extent than expected, the TP53 gene. A high frequency of recurrent variants was also observed, for which further and larger analyses should clarify the presence of any possible founder effect. Characterizing the mutational profile of cancer predisposition genes in diverse populations may contribute to cancer prevention and therapeutic management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article verifies the culture public policies implemented in nine northeastern Brazilian states between the years 2016 and 2020, considering the edition of the 'Programa Nacional de Ecnonomia da Cultura' (PNEC). Utilizing a qualitative, exploratory, descriptive approach, with documentary data survey in official electronic sites of the States' culture portfolios, considering the categories 'economy of culture' and 'creative economy', the analysis of the selected documents suggests that the Economy of Culture or Creative Economy was little explored in the culture policies of the researched States, as well as the concept of innovation, is rarely mentioned. This study contributes by providing a glimpse of how the economic dimension of culture is approached, considering the perspective of innovation, and, thus, to encourage investigations and actions that demonstrate the contribution of culture to local development and promote better articulation of these conceptions and practices based on the relations between innovation, culture and economy for the development of public policies for the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The present study aimed to apply and assess an exponential filter that calculates the root-zone soil moisture using surface data from the soil moisture and ocean salinity (SMOS) satellite, as well as to assess soil moisture simulated in land-surface models from global databases. The soil water index (obtained after application of the exponential filter) and soil moisture simulated using land surface models (GLDAS-CLSM, GLDAS-Noah, and ERA5-Land) from global databases were compared with in situ data to evaluate their efficiency in estimating soil water content at different depths. Surface measurements from the SMOS satellite allowed the estimation of soil moisture at depths of 20 and 40 cm by applying the exponential filter. At both depths, the application of the exponential filter significantly improved the estimation of soil moisture measured by the SMOS satellite. The GLDAS-Noah model had the best root mean square error values, whilst the GLDAS-CLSM and ERA5-Land models overestimated the soil moisture. Nevertheless, the seasonal variation was well represented by all land surface models.

The Northeast region of Brazil registered the second-highest incidence proportion of Chikungunya fever in 2019. In that year, an outbreak consisting of patients presenting with febrile disease associated with joint pain was reported by the public primary health care service in the city of Natal, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, in March 2019. At first, the aetiological agent of the disease was undetermined. Since much is still unknown about chikungunya virus' (CHIKV) genomic diversity and evolutionary history in this northeasternmost state, we used a combination of portable whole-genome sequencing, molecular clock, and epidemiological analyses that revealed the reintroduction of the CHIKV East-Central-South-African (ECSA) lineage into Rio Grande do Norte. We estimated that the CHIKV ECSA lineage was first introduced into Rio Grande do Norte in early June 2014, while the 2019 outbreak clade diverged around April 2018, during a period of increased Chikungunya incidence in the Southeast region, which might have acted as a source of virus dispersion towards the Northeast region. Together, these results confirm that the ECSA lineage continues to spread across the country through interregional importation events, likely mediated by human mobility.

• Chagas disease (CD) is endemic to the Northeast region of Brazil. • Notification of acute CD in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), is mandatory. • From 2001 to 2006, a total of 1303 cases of acute CD were reported to the SINAN. • From 2007 to 2021, a total of 141 cases of acute CD were reported to the SINAN. • During the analyzed period, all known routes of infection were reported in Northeast Brazil. Chagas disease (CD), caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi), is a neglected disease endemic to some Latin American countries, including Brazil. Soon after infection, individuals develop an acute phase, which in most cases is asymptomatic and may go undetected. However, when CD is detected early, notification in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), is mandatory. This study aimed to evaluate the information registered in the SINAN database and to determine the epidemiological profile of acute CD in Northeast Brazil, an endemic region, from 2001 to 2021. According to this survey, 1,444 cases of acute CD were reported in the Northeastern region of Brazil during this period. During the first six years, referred to as period 1, 90.24% of the notifications were registered, while the number of notifications significantly decreased in the subsequent years, referred to as period 2. Most individuals diagnosed with acute CD were Afro-Brazilian adults. All known routes of infection by the parasite were reported. Vector-borne transmission was predominant during period 1 (73.29%) and oral transmission during period 2 (58.87%). All nine states in Northeast Brazil reported cases in both periods. A higher incidence of disease was reported in Rio Grande do Norte (RN) during period 1, and in Maranhão (MA) during period 2. Our results show that CD remains a significant public health challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue fever is among the most significant public health concerns in Brazil. To date, the highest number of Dengue notifications in the Americas has been reported in Brazil, with cases accounting for a total number of 3,418,796 reported cases as of mid-December 2022. Furthermore, the northeastern region of Brazil registered the second-highest incidence of Dengue fever in 2022. Due to the alarming epidemiological scenario, in this study, we used a combination of portable whole-genome sequencing, phylodynamic, and epidemiological analyses to reveal a novel DENV-1 genotype V clade and the persistence of DENV-2 genotype III in the region. We further report the presence of non-synonymous mutations associated with non-structural domains, especially the NS2A (non-structural protein 2A), as well as describe synonymous mutations in envelope and membrane proteins, distributed differently between clades. However, the absence of clinical data at the time of collection and notification, as well as the impossibility of monitoring patients in order to observe worsening or death, restricts our possibility of correlating mutational findings with possible clinical prognoses. Together, these results reinforce the crucial role of genomic surveillance to follow the evolution of circulating DENV strains and understand their spread across the region through inter-regional importation events, likely mediated by human mobility, and also the possible impacts on public health and outbreak management.

Climate change adaptation is a cross-cutting policy issue that accounts for a diversity of policy approaches, tools, and goals. Unclear conceptualization and the absence of comparable metrics are challenges that hinder the assessment of progress toward policy goals. This study draws on a policy mix approach to analyze adaptation efforts at the subnational level. It examines the complex pathways by which rural households in Northeast Brazil build resilience capacities and deal with drought with policy support. Particular emphasis is placed on the implementation of policy mixes composed of climate-related and broader development instruments as well as on the coordination of these instruments in the mix. The resilience of households benefiting from different instrument mixes is examined, and the results show a trend toward an intermediary value for our composite resilience metric highlighting the adoption of coping rather than transformative adaptive strategies. However, changing these trends toward enhanced resilience pathways depends on the improved implementation of the policy mixes and on political factors that include administrative issues, but also coordination and negotiation among policy actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was accomplished to compare different populations of fiddler crabs from two mangroves with different degree of antropic impact, located in southern Pernambuco. A total of 7,874 fiddler crabs were sampled in the preserved mangrove of the Ariquindá River (3,705) and in the impacted mangrove of the Mamucabas River (4,169). They belonged to seven species: Minuca burgersi (Holthuis, 1967), M. rapax (Smith, 1870), M. victoriana (von Hagen, 1987), Leptuca cumulanta (Crane, 1943), L. leptodactyla (Rathbun, in Rankin, 1898), L. thayeri (Rathbun, 1900) and Uca maracoani (Latreille, 1803) (only in Ariquindá River). Most species were recorded in all months of the study period. Leptuca leptodactyla and L. thayeri strongly dominated in both mangroves. Leptuca leptodactyla males were larger than females, but the inverse was observed in L. thayeri, and in M. burgersi and L. cumulanta, males and females had the same average size. The unimodality in the distribution of size-frequency in M. burgersi, L. cumulanta, L. leptodactyla, M. rapax, and L.thayeri shows the stability of these populations. The sex ratio was deviated towards males in most species, probably because males spend more time on the surface, more susceptible to the sampling. Fiddler crabs are opportunistic species and they can maintain a stable populations even in impacted mangroves such as Mamucabas River. However, a healthy mangrove as Ariquindá River promotes higher species diversity and larger CW fiddler crabs, but not more abundant populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In scholarship on informal politics in Brazil, clientelism is a well-studied phenomenon. While studies of clientelism generally concentrate on elections, campaigning and vote buying, clientelist practices and their impact extend well beyond this temporal and thematic focus. This article develops an approach that builds on theories of brokerage in anthropology and social network studies. Based on long-term ethnographic fieldwork in low-income neighbourhoods in Recife, Brazil, it shows how clientelism is based on informal exchanges both within and outside election periods. Through a study of community leaders, their projects and their search for resources, the article advances a more comprehensive understanding of how clientelism works as a social mechanism in the ordering of life in these neighbourhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Anthropology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

The present study analysed aspects of reproductive biology based on macroscopic and microscopic structures of whitespotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari captured by artisanal fishing off the coast of Paraíba and Pernambuco (7° 30′ S, 34° 49′ W; 7° 47′ S, 34° 51′ W), northeast Brazil. Of the 71 individuals in the sample, 55% were female (disc width – WD: 532–1698 mm) and 45% were male (WD: 442–1410 mm). The body size at which 50% of the individuals are mature (WD50) for males was 1155.8 mm; the clasper length varied between 24 and 184 mm. The WD50 for females was 1293.9 mm; the diameter of the largest vitellogenic follicle varied between 11 and 31 mm; and only the left ovary and uterus were functional. The microanatomy of the reproductive tract of males and females agrees with that of other elasmobranch species. In males, the highest hepato‐somatic index (IH) average and gonado‐somatic index (IG) average occurred in the third bimester of the year, whereas in females the highest values (average IH and IG, respectively) were in the second bimester of the year. Based on the information on reproduction of A. narinari from this study, it will be possible to contribute to the correct management and protection of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reconstruct paleoredox conditions in the Western Equatorial Atlantic (WEA) over the glacial-interglacial cycle (~130 ka) by using new high-resolution REEs data and their anomalies from a marine sediment core (GL-1248) collected from the equatorial margin off the continental shelf of NE Brazil. This approach aims to improve the understanding of the dynamics of paleoclimatic and sedimentary inputs on the coast of northeastern Brazil. Marine sediments were analyzed via Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) after total digestion with HF/HNO3. REEs proxies are a useful tool in understanding the transport and origin of sediments due to their physicochemical properties. Our data showed the Parnaíba River was the main source of REEs content in the western South Atlantic. Fe minerals (Fe-oxyhydroxides) produced via weathering of continental and tropical soils were the principal REE-carrier phase during transportation and ultimate deposition at core site GL-1248. Several regional climatic factors mainly rainfall changes contributed significantly to continental-REEs erosion of sedimentary layers of the Parnaíba Basin, and transport and deposition of the mobilized REEs from the continent to the study site. Furthermore, changes in the negative Ce-anomaly showed low variation along the core indicating a reduction in deep ocean oxygenation during the interglacial relative to the last glacial period. That variation, probably, was associated with glacial-interglacial variations in sea level with the exposure of the continental shelf. The origin of positive Eu anomalies in siliciclastic sediment, also observed in the core, was explained by preferential retention by feldspars such as plagioclases and potassium feldspars mostly from the assimilation of felspar during fractionation crystallization of felsic magma in the Parnaíba basin since the Last Interglacial.

South America, especially the Amazon region, is considered a hotspot of biosphere–atmosphere interactions and presents a unique challenge for regional climate modeling. Here, we evaluate the performance of a regional model in simulating the climate–vegetation system in South America and use the model to investigate the potential role of large‐scale warming in the recently observed trend of hydroclimate and vegetation. Compared with prescribing vegetation based on observational data, adding the predictive vegetation capacity to the regional climate model enabled the model to simulate the vegetation response to climate while sustaining the model performance in reproducing the mean, variability and extremes of the regional climate. The coupled vegetation–climate model captures the recent trends in hydroclimate and vegetation productivity and their spatial contrasts, including a trend toward warmer, drier, and less productive conditions in the Amazon and Nordeste regions and a trend toward cooler, wetter, and more productive condition in the La Plata region. Results from sensitivity experiment driven by detrended boundary forcing for the regional climate suggest that much of the trends in the Amazon and Nordeste regions can be attributed to the effects of large‐scale warming, but contribution from decadal variability also plays a role especially for the most recent decade. However, the trend in the La Plata region cannot be attenuated by the removal of the boundary forcing trend, indicating the role of large‐scale circulation pattern changes. The recent trends in vegetation productivity may be early manifestation of future changes in the Amazon and surrounding regions. Key Points: A regional model performs well in simulating the vegetation–climate system in South AmericaBoth the vegetation productivity and water availability show a decreasing trend over the Amazonia and NordesteWarming is a major cause for the recent trend, but multidecadal variability also plays a role [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia 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 This checklist of parasites of Kerodon rupestris, an endemic rodent from the Brazilian semiarid region, revealed records of 25 enteroparasite taxa comprising Cestoda (Anoplocephalidae), Trematoda, Acanthocephala and Nematoda (Ancylostomidae, Ascarididae, Heterakidae, Oxyuridae, Pharyngodonidae, Trichuridae, Capillariidae, Trichostrongylidae, and Strongyloididae), and two taxa of coccidian. Paleoparasitological and parasitological studies published until 2019 were assessed in the present study and locality information, site of infection, sample dating, and host data were summarized from each reference. Analyses of recent feces and coprolites revealed the highest species richness in the Piauí State. The chronological data corroborated that Trichuris spp. and oxyurids are part of the parasitic fauna of K. rupestris. This represents the first checklist of intestinal parasites from K. rupestris.

ABSTRACTBetween June 2017 and August 2018, several municipalities located in Bahia state (Brazil) reported a large increase in the number of patients presenting with febrile illness similar to that of arboviral infections. Using a combination of portable whole genome sequencing, molecular clock and epidemiological analyses, we revealed the return of the CHIKV-ECSA genotype into Bahia. Our results show local persistence of lineages in some municipalities and the re-introduction of new epidemiological strains from different Brazilian regions, highlighting a complex dynamic of transmission between epidemic seasons and sampled locations. Estimated climate-driven transmission potential of CHIKV remained at similar levels throughout the years, such that large reductions in the total number of confirmed cases suggests a slow, but gradual accumulation of herd-immunity over the 4 years of the epidemic in Bahia after its introduction in 2014. Bahia remains a reservoir of the genetic diversity of CHIKV in the Americas, and genomic surveillance strategies are essential to assist in monitoring and understanding arboviral transmission and persistence both locally and over large distances.

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OBJECTIVES: To analyse and map the leprosy risk areas in the state of Alagoas, an endemic region in the Northeastern Brazil, between 2001 and 2019. METHODS: Ecological and time series study, using spatial analysis techniques. First, we analyse the epidemiological aspects of leprosy cases, using the data available in the Notifiable Diseases Information System; then, we used the segmented log‐linear regression model to assess time trends. Spatial distribution was analysed by the Local Empirical Bayesian Estimator and by calculating the Global and Local Moran Index. Finally, spatiotemporal clusters were identified through scanning statistics, using the Kulldorf method of retrospective analysis. RESULTS: We observed that Alagoas showed an average new case detection rate of 14.43/100,000 inhabitants between 2001 and 2019, being classified as highly endemic. The area of highest risk was the 9th health region (state hinterland), with increasing time trend (Annual Percentage Change/APC = 7.2; p‐value < 0.05). Several clusters of high risk of leprosy transmission were verified in Alagoas, including the state capital and hinterland municipalities. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that active M. leprae transmission persists in Alagoas; that diagnosis is delayed and that there are high‐risk areas, especially in inland municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]