Search

Simple Summary: This study was conducted to estimate the rate of Salmonella spp. isolation from cage papers, located in the bottom of canaries' cages and those of other exotic pet birds, in the 2015 Argentinean canary breeder championship. Furthermore, we determined the antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolates for antibiotics and commercial disinfectants. One pool of 258 cage paper pools was positive for Salmonella spp. (0.4%). Two strains of Salmonella serotype Glostrup were isolated, which were only resistant to sulfonamides and erythromycin and sensitive to alkali-based product PL301 AS. Although the rate of Salmonella spp. isolation from cage papers in an Argentinean canary breeder championship is low, this is the first study conducted in Argentina on Salmonella spp. isolation from these materials of pet birds. However, Salmonella ser. Glostrup isolated strains could be a source of human Salmonella outbreaks, and they show high resistance to disinfecting products. Birds, including canaries and other birds, have become increasingly popular as pets. Bird fairs, where breeders gather and show their production in a championship setting, present a setting for possible Salmonella spp. contamination and transmission. Therefore, this study estimated the rate of Salmonella spp. isolation from cage papers, located in the bottom of cages of exotic pet birds, including canaries. Collected Salmonella isolates were used to determine the antimicrobial resistance profile to 52 antibiotics and 17 commercial disinfectants, based on pure or a mixture of acids, alcohols, aldehydes, alkalis, halogens, peroxygen, and quaternary ammonium compounds. The samples consisted of 774 cage papers taken in the 2015 Argentinean canary breeder championship, pooling three cage papers into one sterile sampling bag. Only one pool of the cage papers was positive for Salmonella spp. (0.4%), which belonged to the sample from three frill canary cages. Two strains of Salmonella serotype Glostrup were isolated, which were only resistant to sulfonamides and erythromycin and sensitive to alkali-based product PL301 AS. Although the rate of Salmonella spp. isolation from cage papers in an Argentinean canary breeder championship is low, it should not be discounted because Salmonella ser. Glostrup can be a source of human Salmonella outbreaks and they show high resistance to disinfecting products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this work was to evaluate thermal paper (TP) tickets used in Argentina as a potential source of bisphenol A (BPA) that could impact humans and the environment. BPA in TP was measured by HPLC ranging from 11.1 to 30.5 mg BPAg−1. In order to estimate the impact on humans, dermal BPA estimated daily intake was calculated as being 79.3 ± 19.5 μgd−1 for workers and 1.6 ± 0.4 μgd−1 for the general population. To evaluate TP's impact on the environment, BPA migration from TP to water and soil was studied. In the case of water, 99.6% of the BPA tickets content migrated in 30 h, while 78.0% moved into the soil in 96 h. BPA degradation kinetics in soil and water were also carried out; while in soil 61.9% of BPA degraded in 120 h, no degradation was observed up to 120 h in tap or river water. Additionally, ecotoxicological effects of BPA on the earthworm Eisenia andrei, a representative terrestrial indicator, were studied performing bioassays on lethality, avoidance, and reproductive and enzymatic activity. BPA showed to be very toxic to E. andrei (LC50 value in contact paper test of 17 μgcm−2, 95% confidence interval 6–46 μgcm−2, 24 h exposure) and also caused an increase of total cocoons for earthworms exposed to 10 and 50 mg BPA kg−1 soil. Evasion response was observed at a concentration of 50 mg BPA kg−1 soil, while no effect was observed on cholinesterases, carboxylesterases, and glutathione S-transferases activities (1, 10, and 50 mg BPA kg−1 soil). Finally, a simple BPA degradation technology using water peroxide and radish (Raphanus sativus) tissue as catalyst was explored as a simple and domestic potential treatment to avoid BPA migration to the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This discussion focuses on one aspect of Farber's work: the birth of the tango (this issue). The tango was created as a fusion of African and European immigrant culture in Argentina between the second half of the nineteenth century and the first twenty years of the twentieth century. The tango was one of the tools used by immigrants to socialize the pain of the loss of common roots, the lack of identity, and the sense of loneliness. The author reflects on the overlaps between tango and relational psychoanalysis, and muses on the impact of the loss of hugs and embraces in this worldwide pandemic caused by Covid and the collective trauma that it entails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveillance of meningococcal disease (MD) is crucial after the implementation of vaccination strategies to monitor their impact on disease burden. Adolescent vaccination could provide direct and indirect protection. Argentina, Brazil, and Chile have introduced meningococcal conjugate vaccines (MCV) into their National Immunization Programs (NIP), while Uruguay has not. Here, we analyze the epidemiology of MD and vaccination experience from these four South American countries to identify needs and plans to improve the current vaccination programs. Methodology: Descriptive study of MD incidence rates, serogroup distribution, case fatality rates (CFR), and MCV uptakes during the period 2010–2021 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Data were extracted from national surveillance programs, reference laboratories, NIPs, and Pubmed. Results: MD overall incidence from 2010 to 2021 have a decreasing trend in Argentina (0.37 [IQR = 0.20–0.61]), Brazil (0.59 [IQR = 0.54–1.22]), and Chile (0.45 [IQR = 0.40–0.77]), while a significant increase in Uruguay (0.47 [IQR = 0.33–0.69]) was found from 2016 to 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic, all countries sharply reduced their MD incidence. The highest incidence rates were observed among infants, followed by children 1–4 years of age. No second peak was evident in adolescents. A reduction in serogroup C, W, and Y cases has occurred in Argentina, Brazil, and Chile after introduction of MCV, serogroup B becoming predominant in all four countries. Median CFR was 9.0%, 21%, 19.9%, and 17.9% in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, respectively. Median uptake of MCV for Argentina and Brazil were 66.6% and 91.0% for priming in infants; 54.7% and 84.5% for booster in toddlers; and 47.5% and 53% for adolescents; while for Chile, 95.6% for toddlers. Conclusions: Experience after the implementation of MCV programs in South America was successful, reducing the burden of MD due to the vaccine serogroups. High vaccine uptake and the inclusion of adolescents will be crucial in the post-pandemic period to maintain the protection of the population. The increase in the proportion of serogroup B cases emphasizes the importance of continuous surveillance to guide future vaccination strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Definition of passive envelope indexes and caracterization of libraries in La Plata. • Environmental monitoring: achievement of preventive conservation indexes. • Correlation between passive envelope indexes and preventive conservation indexes. • Determination of the most influential passive envelope indexes for the achievement of preventive conservation indexes. Abstract The common approach for libraries to preserve their paper-based collections from irreversible deterioration is by controlling quantitative parameters, such as temperature and relative humidity. Variations of these parameters for preventive conservation can be expressed by the "performance index" (PI) and the "amplitude index" (AI). Building envelope is the first filter of the external climate, buffering the external weather fluctuations and maintaining the building's indoor climate stable. Its shape, window areas and envelope materials are the most influential parameters. As they capture the relationship of a few geometric and physical variables with the building's performance, the envelope characteristics can be expressed as certain passive envelope indexes. This paper studies the relationship of certain passive envelope indexes and the preventive conservation indexes for books for several libraries and archives located in La Plata, Argentina. The results show the impact of every passive envelope index upon the preventive conservation indexes. The compactness, heaviness, adjacency to spaces and adjacency to ground have a positive linear correlation meanwhile transparency and global transmittance are parameters with a negative correlation. In general, the most influential parameter is the relative area adjacent to other spaces, followed by global transmittance, transparency, heaviness, relative area adjacent to ground and compactness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Borealis: An International Journal of Hispanic Linguistics is the property of Nordic Council for Reindeer Husbandry Research 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 article presents the author's perspective on how indigenous people of the Argentinean Chaco used fetishization of ID papers, which have been previously denied to them, to accept their past alienation from citizenship rights. The author examines the oddities of ID-paper fetishism in the Chaco through the concept of state fetishism. Moreover, he focuses on the historical as well as the present experiences of the Western Toba and the Wichi on ID-papers.

Purpose: Using sentiment analysis (SA), this study aims to examine the impact of COVID-19 on mental health and virtual learning experiences among 1,125 students at a public Argentinean faculty. Design/methodology/approach: A study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, surveying 1,125 students to gather their opinions. The survey data was analysed using text mining tools and SA. SA was used to extract the students' emotions, views and feelings computationally and identify co-occurrences and patterns in related words. The study also examines educational policies implemented after the pandemic. Findings: The prevalent emotions expressed in the comments were trust, sadness, anticipation and fear. A combination of trust and fear resulted in submission. Negative comments often included the words "virtual", "virtual classroom", "virtual classes" and "professor". Two significant issues were identified: teachers' inexperience with virtual classes and inadequate server infrastructure, leading to frequent crashes. The most effective educational policies addressed vital issues related to the "virtual classroom". Practical implications: Text mining and SA are valuable tools for decision-making during uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. They can also provide insights to recover quality assurance processes at universities impacted by health concerns or external shocks. Originality/value: The paper makes two main contributions: it conducts a SA to gain insights from comments and analyses the relationship between emotions and sentiments to identify optimal educational policies. The study pioneers exploring the link between emotions, policies and the pandemic at a public university in Argentina. This area of research still needs to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at contributing to better comprehend the opportunities for innovation in the mining sector that are leveraged by local knowledge-intensive mining suppliers (KIMS) in developing mineral-rich countries. Drawing on the innovation and global value chain (GVC) bodies of literature as well as previous empirical studies on KIMS in developing mining countries, we analytically distinguish among three types of innovation approaches that local KIMS can pursue. Each of them is associated with main sources of innovation opportunities, type of inputs supplied, and prevailing market structures and entry barriers. The distinction among innovation strategies together with an analysis that combines firm- and market-level dimensions helped us to better comprehend the types of innovation opportunities that local KIMS in Argentina are adopting and the nature of challenges they encounter. The empirical analysis is based on the novel fieldwork data collected in 2019 and 2022. The findings of the paper hold significance to inform productive and innovation policies regarding the type of interventions that may be more effective for Argentina in the current technological and market circumstances that the mining industry is facing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To estimate the long-term and short-term effects on cigarette demand in Argentina based on changes in cigarette price and income per person >14 years old. Method Public data from the Ministry of Economics and Production were analysed based on monthly time series data between 1994 and 2010. The econometric analysis used cigarette consumption per person >14 years of age as the dependent variable and the real income per person >14 years old and the real average price of cigarettes as independent variables. Empirical analyses were done to verify the order of integration of the variables, to test for cointegration to capture the long-term effects and to capture the short-term dynamics of the variables. Results The demand for cigarettes in Argentina was affected by changes in real income and the real average price of cigarettes. The long-term income elasticity was equal to 0.43, while the own-price elasticity was equal to −0.31, indicating a 10% increase in the growth of real income led to an increase in cigarette consumption of 4.3% and a 10% increase in the price produced a fall of 3.1% in cigarette consumption. The vector error correction model estimated that the short-term income elasticity was 0.25 and the short-term own-price elasticity of cigarette demand was −0.15. A simulation exercise showed that increasing the price of cigarettes by 110% would maximise revenues and result in a potentially large decrease in total cigarette consumption. Conclusion Econometric analyses of cigarette consumption and their relationship with cigarette price and income can provide valuable information for developing cigarette price policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transition from communications (abstracts) of an Argentinean congress and their publication as full papers was analyzed. No similar report was found for clinical laboratory in Latin America. Methods: A total of 388 communications from five congresses were identified, and searches were performed on the internet to find the publications. Pairs were established (1 communication, 1 publication), and characteristics were analyzed. Results: In total, 10.8% of the communications were published. Mean time elapsed was 2±1.0 years . A total of 62% of the publications appeared in Argentinean journals and 38% in foreign journals (5 in Spanish, 11 in English). Mean author number was 4.8±2.4 for communications and 5.1±2.3 for publications. In total, 59.5% of the publications changed the number and order of authors. Clinical Chemistry was the main topic (45.4% for communications, 38.1% for publications), followed by Microbiology (21.1%, 23.8%). Universities participated in 217 communications (55.9%) and 32 publications (76.2%), while other institutions participated in 171 communications (44.1%) and 10 publications (23.8%). Conclusions: Publication index was lower than for other congresses. Time elapsed was consistent with others. Preference for Argentinean journals may indicate a focus on local readers but also limitations in language skills. Variations in authorship arise from modifications of individual participation in the final work. More publications from all institutions are desirable. Differences of content were below those reported by others. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:1568–74. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assesses the performance of the economy in the River Plate area in Argentina from the 1820s to the 1860s. Expansion of the rural economy; Micro- and macroeconomic consequences of inflationary financing; Contemporary financial and monetary circumstances; Buenos Aires' implementation of a 40-year process of dealing with inconvertible paper money.

School site leadership has commanded the attention of researchers and policymakers in Anglo-American jurisdictions for at least two decades, but little is known about how many other parts of the globe have addressed this topic. This paper reviews published research and policy documents related to school leadership in Latin America between 2000-2016. Applying rapid mapping techniques used for scoping studies, we review 359 research and policy documents and give "coherent, meaningful shape" to what we know and what we don't know about school leadership in the region. Attention in research and policy to school leadership in Latin America was relatively slow to arrive: whilst it grew steadily in the first decade of this century it remains low compared to other regions of the world. We provide an overview of the school leadership policy environment in several countries, describing recruitment, selection, evaluation, and job responsibilities of principals; relevant leadership frameworks; and requirements for training or professional development. We speculate on what might explain the diverse ways that school leadership has been taken up in the region: degree of school system centralization; policy borrowing; stage of development; technocratic problem solving; and neoliberal accountability.

The pulp mill conflict between Argentina and Uruguay is a topical environmental local-global dispute including various time-space levels (local-regional-national-global). It is also a politico-economic battle among business, civil society and governments in the two South American countries. This article highlights the widely analysed Argentine and Uruguayan perspectives, but it also brings to the fore the Finnish case (of mass media, the global Finnish paper industry, Finnish NGOs and the government). The article seeks to come to an understanding of the characteristics of the conflict as portrayed by the media in Finland and, critically, to examine the effects of the stereotypical Finnish image — 'iconic model' — on Argentina and Uruguay.The article is a study of the discussions in the Finnish mass media, mainly in Helsingin Sanomat (HS), the key national newspaper, and in the television coverage of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE.The analysis shows that the Finnish media, too, have created stereotypes that harden attitudes and make conflict resolution more difficult. What is virtually absent in the Finnish media is a democratic multicultural learning culture that fosters and itself is fostered through a more transnational and interdisciplinary perspective. The global and national media have an increasingly important task in such situations of cultural conflict resolution, situations which are also attached to the recent discussions of corporate social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty-two dikaryotic and 42 monokaryotic isolates, and 34 pairings were examined by horizontal polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) for six enzymatic activities, viz. EST, 6PGD, IDH, MDH, SHDH and SOD. 44 bands were analysed. Numerical analysis of the isoenzymatic patterns was undertaken and compared with those from morphological characters. The analysis of six enzymatic systems showed the existence of four monomorphic systems (IDH, MDH, SHDH and SOD). The sterease system (EST) appears to be polymorphic in Polyporus ciliatus and in populations of P. tenuiculus from Argentina, being monomorphic in the remaining species studied. The 6PGD system is polymorphic in P. tucumanensis and monomorphic in the other species. Predominance of monomorphic enzymes and a clear distribution of the electromorphs among the species, indicates that isoenzymatic analysis is a good taxonomic tool within Polyporus. The low intraspecific variability allowed the use of interspecific differences to separate species. Numerical analysis showed a good correlation between morphological and molecular characters. In the isoenzymatic phenogram the similarity index is high only among very close species, showing a stressed separation of species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the variability of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current system produced by purely intrinsic nonlinear oceanic mechanisms is studied through a sigma-coordinate ocean model, implemented in a large portion of the Southern Ocean at an eddy- permitting resolution under steady surface heat and momentum fluxes. The mean transport through Drake Passage and the structure of the main Antarctic Circumpolar Current fronts are well reproduced by the model. Intrinsic variability is found to be particularly intense in the Subantarctic Front and in the Argentine Basin, on which further analysis is focused. The low-frequency variability at interannual time scales is re10 lated to bimodal behavior of the Zapiola Anticyclone, with transitions between a strong and collapsed anticyclonic circulation in substantial agreement with altimeter observations. Variability on smaller time scales shows clear evidence of topographic Rossbymode propagation along the eastern and southern flanks of the Zapiola Rise and of mesoscale eddies, also in agreement with satellite altimeter observations. The analysis of the relationship between the low- and high-frequency variability suggests possible mechanisms of mutual interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the dispute between Argentina and Uruguay at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2006. Argentina questioned Uruguay's decision in constructing a polluting paper mill at the Uruguay River without consultations since it may cause environmental damage. The ICJ ruled the the plant will continue to operate despite Uruguay's violation of a treaty that permitted them to construct but it informed Uruguay of its failure to inform Argentina of its plan to build the mill.

This paper argues that ideas about tax matter as much as interests and institutions for understanding social attitudes and responses to attempts by the state to raise revenues for development agendas. Tax is a profoundly political problem, reflecting different and sometimes opposing ideas about the role of the state, the market and business-state relationships, and tax rises in developing countries can become linked to wider conflicts of development. Using the case of Argentina, the paper examines, empirically, the attempts by the government of Cristina Kirchner to finance state expenditure and social welfare via raising taxes on commodity exports after 2008. It argues that ideas of tax became embedded with deeply contested ideas of what the state's role in development should be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a court case involving the Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay. The case was brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on April 20, 2010 when Argentina instituted proceedings against Uruguay for alleged breaches of the provisions of the Statute of the River Uruguay, arising out of the proposal of Uruguay to put up two pulp mills on the river. Argentina argued that the procedure followed by Uruguay in authorizing the establishment of the pulp mills violated the Statute. The decision of the ICJ on the case is presented.

This paper studies whether the mining sector can represent a true engine of growth for selected Latin American countries through the suppliers' entry and upgrading within mining value chains. We start by using international trade data to study where mining value is added and how rents are distributed across countries. Despite their importance in the production and exports of copper ores and concentrate, the participation of the selected Latin American countries in copper value chains is still confined to the upstream segment. Moreover, their share of innovation relevant for the sector remains very limited, although new data on patenting and publications show that the sector is becoming increasingly innovative worldwide. Then, we use new microeconomic evidence from case-studies in Latin America to explore the specific opportunities and obstacles faced by mining suppliers in entering the value chain and upgrading within it, and how the regulatory and innovation systems have influenced this process. We show that barriers related to the contractual practices, lead firms' attitudes, and the hierarchical industrial organization of the sector, coupled with the countries' weaknesses in local innovation and regulatory systems, have been contributing to hamper suppliers' entry into mining value chains and upgrading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes how news management strategies coupled with journalistic conventions affect news coverage of the Asamblea Ciudadana Ambiental de Gualeguaychú in Argentina, a social movement against the establishment of two paper mill plants on the Rio Uruguay. Since 2003, the Asamblea has received wide attention in local and national news. Media advocacy has been central to the Asamblea's political goals. This case offers an opportunity to examine the role of the news media in the definition of environmental risk in a country with weak environmental policies and a weak tradition of environmental reporting. News coverage of the Asamblea confirms the media's penchant for sensational and dramatic events. Also, it suggests that the mainstream media does not necessarily portray social movements negatively. Because the media largely relies on official sources in setting news frames, shifting views about the movement among political elites on news events take attention away from structural processes and environmental policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last years, history education has become a highly developed field, which is receiving considerable attention not only from educators but also from historians, philosophers of history, and social scientists in general. In this vein, seminal empirical and theoretical papers have focused on how history is taught to students and what are the different abilities that should be developed with the end to critically understand historical processes. These abilities are related to key concepts in the field such as historical thinking, historical consciousness, and historical culture. The aim of this paper is to focus on a matter not much considered in any of these approaches. This is to say, "where" the historical processes occurred. Usually the "where" implies a specific territory that is under dispute. In this vein, territories and their transformation through different time periods are represented by historical maps reproduced in atlas and textbooks. But these representations could have several bias and also tend to provide a number of incomplete ideas among the students and citizens in general. In relation to this, it is necessary study not only the features of historical maps but, also, how students appropriate them. This appropriation could be influenced by an essentialist view of the nation through historical master narratives. This is what we have found in our initial empirical studies in Spain and Argentina. Additional empirical studies are needed to improve history education studies from the point of view of the development of historical thinking and historical consciousness taking into account how historical maps and territorial changes are represented by both students and textbooks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of E-L@tina is the property of E-L@tina. Revista Electronica de Estudios Latinoamericanos 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 article examines how trauma and affective injustice permeate the school life trajectory of a female student (Sofia) in Argentina. The study is theoretically grounded in the field of trauma studies in education and contributes to this literature by attending to affective injustice, a concept that has not received much attention yet. This study foregrounds Sofia's experience of affective injustice and demonstrates that this concept is crucial in further understanding students' experiences of affective trauma in school. Assembling rich materials (report cards, interviews, psychologists' reports, social media posts, autobiographical texts) that span over a period of 17 years, the study uses qualitative perspectives to show how Sofia understands and experiences affective injustice in various phases of her school life. In particular, these experiences are presented in the form of an assemblage of expressions showing how Sofia communicates her claims of affective injustice using varied means and resources ranging from linguistic, behavioural, biographical, creative, emotional, bodily, and artistic expression. The paper concludes with a discussion of the educational implications of the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses slavery in the Les Malouines/Las Malvinas/Falklands Islands to advance the historical study of the geographies of race in Argentina with reference to marronage and critical place naming. These islands are an example of an assemblage of colonial military extractive powers. There still are disputes with Argentina since the armed conflict of 1982. However, Las Malvinas were a part of the Spanish Empire since the French colonial authorities sold this territory in 1766. Despite being seen as at the margins of this Empire, an infertile terrain with unbearable weather, and a place of punishment for those who defied colonial rule, it was of strategic value, expensive but worth maintaining to keep the British Empire removed from Buenos Aires and Montevideo. To reduce the islands' expenses, the plan was to relocate recaptured fugitives to this territory as a labour force. Archival records collected from the National General Archive of Uruguay, General Archive of the Indies, and National Historical Archive of Madrid show that Las Malvinas were not exempt from slavery. In 1770, Antonio and Miguel, ‘royal slaves’, were part of the islands' population among white Europeans and indigenous people held captive there. They were allowed to leave the islands to live and serve the King and they navigated through the ports of Montevideo and Buenos Aires, where their tracks end. This paper demonstrates how this insular space, meant for penance, was also a place where resistance linked with marronage broke an assemblage of colonial military powers. It also highlights that the historical geographies of slavery in Argentina are intrinsically assembled with the dispossession of indigenous and other disadvantaged groups proposing an Afro‐Marrón approach to their analysis with a potential extension to other racialised Latin American geographies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dominant perspective within the field of development economics is that structural change away from the industries that developing countries traditionally specialize in, such as agriculture and mining, is necessary to support a broad process of development. In this paper, we ask whether and how structural change within, as well as away from, such industries might help create more economically successful, socially just and environmentally benign trajectories of progress. Combining insights from innovation studies of economic development with ideas from socio-technical transitions studies, we analyse two cases of alternative, potentially transformative agricultural ventures in Argentina. We explore their practices, relative to mainstream ventures, and reflect on their potential to contribute to more sustainable trajectories of change within and out of the mainstream agricultural sector, and the ways in which they can be supported to do so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of the International Baccalaureate (IB) has grown impressively on a global scale. In Latin America, the IB has been mainly introduced in private schools that cater for the most affluent sectors of society and, consequently, has been mostly interpreted as contributing to processes of social reproduction and the widening of inequalities However, since the mid-2000s the IB has been promoted in state schools in countries such as Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica and in the City of Buenos Aires in Argentina. This paper analyses the enactment of the IBDP in public schools in Costa Rica and Peru drawing on a mixed methods multiple case study. It shows how, in countries with significant socioeconomic disparities, the possibility of offering the IBDP to students at public schools was mostly justified as a matter of equity, understood as opening access to an educational programme that was only available to the most privileged sectors of society. By problematising the notions of privilege and eliteness, we discuss the complex relations between inequalities and educational opportunities and question the extent to which these programmes are affecting social structures in Costa Rica and Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic Agriculture and Agroecology are production systems considered relevant for building up sustainable food systems at an environmental, social and economic level. In recent years there has been a growing interest in considering which processes can contribute to upscaling these systems. At a global level Agroecological Local Agri-food Systems and Bio-districts are becoming beacons for that purpose. This paper presents a case study of an organic and agroecological group of producers in the Argentinian Pampa Region where we used the Participatory Action Research (PAR) approach in implementing three interconnected methodologies: (i) Sustainability assessment using the FAO Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE), (ii) Participatory Value chain Development and (iii) Stakeholder Analysis. This was done to verify if the combination of methodologies can be useful to (i) evaluate the current situation of the group in terms of LAFS development and (ii) identify which possible activities would be required for upscaling organic and agroecological practices at a regional level with a neo-endogenous approach. We conclude that the participative assessment implemented was useful to identify the group stage in terms of LAFS development and also to identify the activation requirements for upscaling the system at the same time that the participatory process addressed and organized a set of procedures in the hands of the group for implementing that process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work studies the different materials used in the production of Argentine postage stamps from 1888 to 2016 and explains how the use of these materials has changed over time, thus contributing to knowledge of the national philatelic heritage. Analyses of more than 40 Argentine postage stamps were carried out non-invasively in situ without the need for prior preparation, using portable X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (p-XRF) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR). Paper, ink, coatings, and adhesives were analysed and the period of use of each material was established. Some notable results include the continuous use of Prussian blue until its replacement by an organic copper phthalocyanine pigment. In addition, it was possible to establish the substitution date of gum arabic as an adhesive by PVA. In general, the variation of the materials used was accompanied by changes in printing techniques. This is the first time that information on the materiality of these historical-artistic objects is published, contributing to the knowledge and conservation of the philatelic heritage of the Argentine Republic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ioannidis et al. (2020) reported a standardized estimate of scientific productivity obtained from a worldwide database of 6,880,389 scientists who published at least 5 papers picked up by the Scopus database, and elaborated a ranking of ca. 120,000 scientists by both whole trajectory (career-long) impact and their current impact at year 2019. The goal of our paper is to contextualize Latin American ecologists' contribution at the world level based on the four most scientifically productive countries in the region. Methods and findings: Ioannidis et al. (2020) proposed a composite index that is the sum of six scientometric indicators: (1) The number of allocites, (2) the h index, (3) a per capita corrected version of h, (4) the allocites received as single author, (5) those received as single + first author, and (6) those as single + first + last author. We selected data for ecologists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico and comparatively analyzed their productivity according to the proposed index. We also compared these data with those obtained from a global sample of the top ecologists worldwide. Conclusions: Based on Ioannidis et al.'s proposition to evaluate scientific productivity we extract three lessons: (1) It does not pay to publish many papers; what counts is the number of allocites (i.e., self-citations do not add up). (2) Either be single, first, or last author; it does not pay to be in the middle of an authorship line. (3) Even worse it is to be among many co-authors because the proposed index allocates credits on a per capita basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]