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This paper presents some preliminary results of the research project entitled 'Development of a methodology for conducting the inventory, characterization and verification of sites potentially contaminated with Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS) in major agricultural areas of the state of Sonora': First, some approaches that emerge from the risk society regarding environmental issues in general and POPs in particular. Then, an approach to the problem of POPs that gave rise to the Stockholm Convention; the evidence of such a problem in Mexico, in Sonora and the obligations assumed by subscribing to such agreement. Nationally, the emphasis is placed on the analysis of environmental regulations related to toxics, and at state level, evidence shows the presence of POPs and their impact on the environment and on human health. Finally, the paper presents some reflections on the challenges and areas of opportunity for Mexico when dealing with problems associated to the presence of POPS, on the basis of following international guidelines, official regulations and analysis suggestions from the perspective of risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the northwestern corner of Sonora, México, there exists an arid region covered by a volcanic shield that is close to both a singular sea of sand dunes and the Sea of Cortez. Temperature in this place may reach 56.7°C in the summer and -8.3°C during winter. In addition, with only 52 millime- ters of annual rain, one could assume that this is an uninhabited landscape. However, the Desert of Altar and the volcanic shield of El Pinacate has characterized since the Pleistocene Era because of the existence of a singular biodiversity of which many specimens of fauna and flora transcend the current times. For these characteristics of this area, the Mexican government declared it, in 1993, a protected natural area with the name of Biosphere Reserve El Pinacate and the Great Desert of Altar. Moreover, this region has been historically relevant not only because of its physiographic and environmental singularities, but also because of the long presence of man. This place was inhabited by human beings since the Paleoindian and the Late Prehistoric periods, and has repeatedly been explored since the 17th Century to present by missioners, colonizers, gold seekers, hunters, and on the top of all scientists. Among the most important visitors to this land should be mentioned Fray Eusebio Francisco Kino, Carl Lumholtz, William Hornaday and Julian Hayden. This paper presents these two histories, the natural and the cultural, and discusses geological, morphological and physiographic aspects of this reserve, as well as those about biodiversity, early presence of man and ulterior explorations. This paper is the result of a wider project financed by the National Commission for the Protected Natural Areas (CONANP). The purpose of this research was to elaborate a museum exhibition in the Visitors Center of that place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the characteristics of parenting methods in a Mayo indigenous community in the state of Sonora, Mexico. A documentary analysis of the Non-school Initial Education Model of CONAFE is conducted in order to check the results of rearing practices with the expected skills of parents and children attending the program. Based on that, the paper also tries to identify the effectiveness of the program's implementation for social reproduction in the Mayo ethnic group. Participants included 50 mothers and children from the Mayo community El Júpare, located in Huatabampo, Sonora. The instruments used were Parental Stress Index (Abidin, 1990), Interaction Father-Mother-Son (Peña, 2004), Stimulation of the Child at Home (Caldwell and Bradley, 1967), and Scale of Integral Development of Children (EDIN) (Atkin, 1987). In the evaluation of development, 54% of the children had normal growth; however, 26% are located in the category of development at risk, and 20% show weaknesses in development. The Nonschool Initial Education Program requires substantial modifications to respond to the particular parenting methods developed in the Mayo communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the study of traditional cuisines can contribute to the knowledge of the characteristics of social, economic and productive life of the social groups or the communities in which they are developed. It also helps to identify those changes that have occurred in people's style of life and their impact on feeding, particularly in the disappearance or adaptation of culinary knowledge and practices. On the other hand, the paper analyzes the effects of urbanization, globalization and the market's new conditions in the process of food transformation. Also, we emphasize that regional traditional cuisines constitute part of the intangible heritage of societies and communities, as factors of identity, and also represent a fundamental piece in regional and local economies. A study case in a rural community going through an urbanization process helps to illustrate these arguments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subnational governments in Mexico have been creating citizens' advisory councils on a regular basis. Through these mechanisms, governments seek to incorporate forces to challenge administrations and/or legitimize any decisions. What is really achieved? From a critical perspective, this paper studies an episode based on the work of a citizens' advisory council where the governor of Sonora, a state in northern Mexico, appointed his citizens' advisory council. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that spatial distribution in sectors of an economy is not always a consequence of regional externalities. The behavior of twenty three sectors of Sonora economy is analyzed considering first its spatial distribution and later the influence of the space in such distribution. To achieve it, Moran's I and Local Indicators of Spatial Association methods were applied. A high concentration or spatial specialization it is observed, as well as a very low spatial correlation. These results allow us to conclude that the location of the analyzed sectors does not respond to regional externalities, but rather to economies of urbanization or some other non- regional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Cardiovascular malformations in children with Down Syndrome are common. The surgeries are performed with either palliative or corrective purposes and the use of extracorporeal circulation was used according to the procedure. The purpose of this paper is to present the experience on children with Down Syndrome operated by various congenital and acquired cardiovascular diseases. Material and Methods: The clinical records of 40 cases with Down Syndrome patients and heart surgery were reviewed during the period of 1992 to 2011, the aim was to record several variables of interest, analyze and apply them to formulas for statistical analysis. Results: In this report of 40 cases, 33 (83%) were diagnosed with congenital heart disease within the first six months of life, 21 (52%) cases presented pulmonary hypertension prior to surgery. 27 (68%) cases had congenital hear t disease with an isolated defect, 12 (30%) patients had more than one heart defect, and 1 (2%) patient had congenital heart disease with additional bacterial endocarditis. The most common congenital heart disease corrected was persistant ductus arteriosus and was 17 (43%) cases, followed by 10 (25%) AV canal complex heart disease patients, ventricular septal defect in 7 (18%) cases. Corrective surgery was performed in 29 (72%) cases and 11 (28%) palliative surgery. In 28 (70%) cases had postoperative complications and overall mortality was 19 cases (48%). Discussion: Corrective surgery at an early age took place in 10 (25%) cases during the study period and with high mortality compared with other reports. Corrective surgery for congenital heart disease in Down syndrome is an acceptable option to improve survival and provide better quality of life. Early evaluation is important in cardiovascular clinical syndrome in order to establish the accurate diagnosis and timely surgical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the results of an assessment of the current situation of gender violence in different scenarios, in Sonora, Mexico, based on data from the National Survey on the Dynamics of Household Relation-ships (2006). Violence more frequently reported by women was that of community. Mobbing and bullying occur in smaller proportions. The results suggest the need of expanding areas of analysis in Endireh to enhance its ability to identify violence in different settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides information on the background, social regulation and problems faced by the Civil Society Organizations that take care of street kids in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico and the role these institutions play in society. For this purpose, we applied a survey to 30 users and 15 employees working in these organizations in the state of Sonora, Mexico. The findings indicate that although there is a legal framework that protects kids, teens and young adults, and that there is a number of organizations with broad experience in their care, most of these young ones are not integrated into one of the institutions. Our conclusion is that the state government has not solved the homeless kids issue, and the organizations that take care of them do not meet the objectives for which they were created, thus limiting the possibilities of integrating the social group they are supposed to be serving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After assessing Sonora's industrialization, this paper explores whether, during the period from 1993 to 2003, its municipalities have tended towards a greater or lesser differentiation in their added manufacturing value, and whether this pattern has been influenced by the criteria for geographical allocation of state investment in infrastructure. It uses this information to review the policies that in theory, should serve as a counterweight to regional disparities. It concludes that, although the rate of municipal convergence in Sonora is relatively high, it has tended to decline. It also confirms the state's limited capacity to use its resources, to influence the regional pattern of manufacturing development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the growth and development in the municipalities of Sonora. The statistical method of principal components helps estimate an Index of Socioeconomic Development Municipal (IDSEM), which shows the concentration of development in the state; then uses an econometric model and identifies the factors that encourage the development of population in the municipalities. It also applies the methodology of Mankiw, Romer and Weill (1992), who first considered the model of Solow (1956) and then include human capital. We found that poor municipalities do not tend to grow faster than the rich municipalities, meaning that there is no process of convergence in the municipalities of Sonora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows a descriptive analysis about the characterization of the consumption's pattern in Mexico and Sonora, by determining how much money is spent in households and the proportion that those intended to consume on goods and services. Income level is considered to account for such classification. A comparison between the patterns of consumption is made for Mexico and Sonora in 2005, by emphasizing on food expenditures and some specific food products such as vegetables; including tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers. The study also performs a look into the spending behavior in Mexico from 2000 to 2006, by contrasting the hypothesis of Modigliani and Friedman (Dornbusch, 2004; Camacho, 2000) and the mathematical formulation of Campbell and Mankiw (1989) on the assumption of the society's consumption. It finally outlines a series of proposals for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an approach to three different aspects of the relation between culture and nutrition risk. The first of them deals with the food habits of the Sonoran people, its nutritional preferences, its impacts in health, as well as the meaning and symbolic representations that orient these actions. The second one makes reference to the influence of the market and the large agro-business companies in the production and assimilation of risks. And third emphasizes the different forms of organization, and the institutional and non institutional responses from the civil society to face the risks caused by food ingestion. The article highlights the problems and agreements of nourishing consumption that induce the local globalization and traditions, like two of the social forces that configure and transform the nutritional security of the Sonoran people and its culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authors like Carton de Grammont (2004) and Sepulveda (2003) consider Mexico's Sustainable Rural Development Law, promulgated in December 2001, as an intent to promote rural development from a territorial perspective, recognizing the present complex rural reality and the role that rural society plays in a globalized socioeconomic context. This law recognizes and revalues the multifunctional and pluriactive nature of the peasant economy and proposes a rural development with equity, social justice and ecological balance. However, after more than six years from its publication, the rural population in poverty conditions faces problems to access the support programs. Even though the change of the government's vision on rural development represents an opportunity for poor people, the institutional supply cannot satisfy the Law's offerings. This paper presents the experiences of a group of peasant women from Tesopaco, Sonora, Mexico, in their process of looking for public resources to support a productive project, emphasizing the challenges and opportunities they have faced to initiate and maintain the project, within the context of the above law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the Rio Sonora Region, tourism is considered as an attractive option of regional development, as well as a challenge for the management of its natural and cultural heritage. The communities in the region have been losing economic dynamism particularly since the last decades, as showed by the region's struggling primary sector, and a declining population rate provoked by the lack of economic alternatives. This paper looks at the opportunities and constraints presented by natural and cultural factors of that region, as the foundations of a sustainable tourism development strategy. The results of this work indicate that the so-called Ruta del Rio Sonora largely represents an itinerary based on an area with a remarkable historical-cultural contents, which is defined particularly by the visitors market. It is the significance of such legacy alongside a natural environment, what makes a unique region, and constitutes an important part of its scenery. Thus, there is a need of recognizing the value of the region's natural, historic and cultural resources in order to enhance the tourist product development, in particular, the sustainable management of the region in the long term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the main results of the design, development and implementation of a technology platform to record, organize and distribute information on the knowledge production at the Technological Institute of Sonora (ITSON). With that in mind we formed an interdisciplinary team and hired an outside firm to develop a knowledge management system (KMS). The platform counts with modules for electronic administration of content, applications, management of the knowledge pieces and interaction with other institutional systems. Tools to generate, access, store and transfer knowledge in the University. As an added value for the school it was used to promote a culture of sharing intellectual resources and the creation of learning communities. The successful implementation of a technological tool depends on human factors, organizational processes and culture. We need technology as a means to manage the assets and keep the organization together. Knowledge management is not only the creation of a centralized data base but also it encompasses a variety of sources that contribute to the development of knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact that the Mexican Revolution had on the main mining centers located in Sonora, Mexico. Its purpose is to widen the historical view which sustains that large mining centers did not interrupt their productivity because of revolution. In a new perspective, based on archival documents, it has been shown that mining towns polarized their social and political lives during every revolution phase. That is, the workers, organized in embryonic unions, took advantage of the political context to claim, trough the usage of stoppages and strikes, old aspirations regarding wages, health and housing. In times or stages of the revolutionary movement, especially during the factional struggle, they managed to form true communes of mine workers, imposing their hegemony. In sum, we think that the mine workers, especially the emblematic ones of Cananea, need to be considered as a social movement in the Mexican Revolution that distill the struggles of the early twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify the existence of convergence, absolute as much as conditional, in municipalities that make up the state of Sonora. Based on the methodological work of Mankiw, Romer and Weill (1992), who consider the first model of Solow (1956) and extend it to include human capital, evidence shows that there is no tendency for poor municipalities to grow more quickly than rich municipalities, which means that there is no process of convergence —either absolute or conditional— in the municipalities of Sonora, regardless of the level of development by which these municipalities are classified: municipalities with high, average or low development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Specialized literature offers numerous arguments that support the postulate on the positive relation between the processes of integration and economic growth of regions. However, analyzing the results after few more than ten years of NAFTA had demonstrated that the economic growth has not arrived homogeneously to all regions, nor the states that inside them. So is the case of Sonora, located in the North border of Mexico, whose strategic geographical position promised better expectations. This paper has as objective to demonstrate again, that an economic growth model found on exogenous basis turns out pour results in medium and long term and does not leave room to enhance local capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a study conducted with small and medium producers of the Valley of the Yaqui in southern Sonora, Mexico, to identify synergies between technological and organizational strategies which have had an influence on growers' organizations in the history of the Valley of the Yaqui region. The experiences of the social agents are examined to review, over a brief regional historical period, what has happened with the organizations and how technological, political and organizational aspects have evolved. Finally, whether the ambivalent agrarian policy undermined the possibility of development for the social strata growers is discussed and reflections are made on whether the social organizations have a propitious atmosphere for their survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The scholar drop out is not an individual decision. It is conditioned by contextual factors which are identified and analyzed in this research paper among high school students. A survey was applied to 147 high school students to know their family situation, scholar history, reasons why they drop out and their future plans, among other relevant reasons. The results indicated that 86% of the surveyed students abandoned the school between the first and the third semester. Their grade average during the last semester studied was 7.49. The main reasons of the desertion of these students were: economic factors, failure in some subjects, and the lack of interest in their studies. 93% of the participants were not satisfied with the academic level they reached. Nonetheless, they did not plan to resume their studies. The results demonstrated the necessity of an intervention model based on educational policies with higher incentives to add to the school system, flexibility of the transit among subsystems and restructuration of the communication network among the principal actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the pending assignments of Sonora's economy, is to reach an industrialization stage from the use of its raw materials, its own institutional efforts and its working and entrepreneurial classes, that is, from its endogenous potentialities. This paper describes and discusses the historical itinerary of the industrialization process of Sonora, based on the study of the different strategies undertaken by the governments, especially those from 1961 to 1967. This period is considered as the main institutional effort of internal bases to guide Sonora towards an industrial alternative, which even though its goodnesses, has succumbed before the legitimization of the 'maquiladora' project. It is argued that the governmental initiatives have been restricted by the existence of an entrepreneurial class, with little or none industrial vision. In this sense, the intention of giving to the state an industrial identity is into the hands of foreign capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has the purpose of showing that after the first years of North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) operations, Mexico's northern border states have been benefited differentially by improving their economic integration to United States and Canada, conducting to a distinct ranking of productive capabilities within this region. It is shown that after this restructuring process, winners are not necessarily those entities with prior best economic performance. Particularly, considering the employment growth Baja California, appears as the great winner and Sonora as the loser. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the contemporary global scenery, regions acquire new relevancy when being the geographic establishments where productive processes that promote the international economy take shape. However, the kind of insertion a region accomplishes in this concert is determined by the particular conditions of its historic development in the economic, social and political spheres and by virtue of the participation modalities its social actors assume. With this perspective, the present paper offers a first approach to the conformation process of an economic region and a management elite, the sonorenses. This as a preamble to explain the role management groups are performing today as opposed to commercial opening and the new challenges of the world economic competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]