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

Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena) is one of the 22 Leucaena species that originated in Central America. There are two major subspecies of leucaena, L. leucocephala subsp. glabrata (giant leucaena) and L. leucocephala subsp. leucocephala (common leucaena). Giant leucaena is a medium size fast-growing tree important for agroforestry while common leucaena is a small bushy shrub that is considered to be an invasive weed. Giant leucaena can be grown as a woody tree of up to ~ 20 m in height or maintained as a bushy fodder legume by repeated harvest of its foliage several times a year. Giant leucaena grown for fodder can produce forage dry mater yield of up to 34 Mg ha−1 year−1. High forage yield together with high protein content makes leucaena an ideal fodder legume for the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Although mimosine present in the leucaena foliage has toxicity, it should not be a big concern because ruminants can be successfully inoculated with the mimosine-metabolizing rumen bacterium Synergistis jonesii. Alternatively, mimosine present in the leucaena foliage can be removed easily and inexpensively through simple processing. Giant leucaena cultivars are generally free from diseases and are highly tolerant to drought. Although infestation by psyllids may be a problem, a number of psyllid-resistant cultivars of giant leucaena have been developed through interspecies hybridization. The wood of giant leucaena can be used for timber, paper pulp, or biofuel production. Leucaena foliage and wood may serve as raw materials for development of new industry for production of phytochemicals such as mimosine, tannins and anthocyanins, wood products, and high-protein animal feed for farm animals in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the relationship between gender occupational intensity and wages in the Northern Triangle of Central America using national surveys carried out in 2014. Design/methodology/approach: A harmonized occupational classification at the -digit level is built with the objective of analyzing the occupational distribution across countries. Then, quantile regressions (QRs) are estimated to explore in detail which factors are affecting the wages of both females and males; in particular, this paper pays special attention to female occupational intensity (the share of females within each occupation). Findings: The comparative analysis suggests that women are overrepresented in certain occupations, and they are much more likely to be working in part-time jobs than men in all countries. Furthermore, findings reveal that working in female-dominated occupations has a negative effect on wages along the distribution across countries. However, the effect of this variable is higher at the lower quantile of the distribution for women, especially in El Salvador and Honduras. Originality/value: This paper first proposes a new typology of occupations, which allows a consistent and comparable analysis of the occupational structure. The results then provide a picture to address gender occupational intensity and its links with wages. Further, the characteristics of the labor market and differences in trends across these countries suggest that this topic requires challenging research for the region. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2021-0165 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Copyright of e-Zbornik: Electronic Collection of Papers of the Faculty of Civil Engineering is the property of University of Mostar, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture & Geodesy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates ionospheric response characteristics from multiple perspectives based on globally distributed GNSS data and products, ionosonde data, FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2 occultation data, and Swarm satellite observations caused by the total solar eclipse of 8 April 2024 across North and Central America. The results show that both GNSS-derived TEC products have detected the ionospheric TEC degradation triggered by the total solar eclipse, with the maximum degradation exceeding 10 TECU. The TEC data from nine GNSS stations in the path of the maximum eclipse reveal that the intensity of ionospheric TEC degradation is related to the spatial location, with the maximum degradation value of the ionospheric TEC being about 14~23 min behind the moment of the maximum eclipse. Additionally, a negative anomaly of foF2 with a maximum of more than 2.7 MHz is detected by ionosonde. In the eclipse region, NmF2 and hmF2 show trends of decrease and increase, with percentages of variation of 40~70% and 4~16%, respectively. The Ne profile of the Swarm-A satellite is significantly lower than the reference value during the eclipse period, with the maximum negative anomaly value reaching 11.2 × 105 el/cm3, and it failed to show the equatorial ionization anomaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Emerging from in-depth research on mobility and displacement in relation to gender and sexual diversity on the Mexico-Guatemala border, this paper reflects on the complexities of lived, queer mobility over space and time as told by Andrea, a 27-year-old Salvadoran trans woman. Her narrative – told to the reader through video – provides a rich account of her affective journeys and the forces behind them, which go beyond movement as migration. The work is part of an improvised mobile, longitudinal ethnography which evolved as a way of exploring the small and large-scale realities of mobility as lived over time. The discussion engages with Andrea’s mobility as non-linear, multi-scalar, spatially and sensorially significant, and emotionally ambiguous. It invites reflection about the powerfully productive and damaging edges of precarious queer mobility, and points to the radical potential of an affective engagement with queer narratives. The queerness of mobility and survival exists not only as an abstract or symbolic edginess, but rather in, and as, constant frictions produced by the struggle for a life worth living. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Malinche was an indigenous slave woman who helped Cortés communicate with and understand native chiefs during the conquest of Mexico. This paper analyzes the way the Denver Art Museum represented cultural metaphors of Malinche in visual culture in its 2022 show titled "Traitor, Survivor, Icon: The Legacy of La Malinche." The exhibition distinguishes five key metaphors in the reception of Malinche from the sixteenth century through today. The paper highlights the theme of Malinche as the mother of the nation and its diverse appearances in visual culture among the images displayed. The paper surveys the ways in which images of motherhood interact in museum space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Executive SummaryThis paper examines the experiences of Central American youth who have attempted internal relocation before migrating internationally. Based on interviews and participant observation with Guatemalan, Honduran, and Salvadoran youth migrating through Mexico, this paper shows how youth from the Northern Countries of Central America turn to their domestic networks to escape labor exploitation and gang violence before undertaking international journeys. The paper further demonstrates how those domestic networks lead youth into contexts of poverty and violence similar to those they seek to escape, making their internal relocation a disappointment. The failure of their internal relocation attempts makes them turn to international migrant networks as their next option. This paper sheds light on the underexplored issue of internal migration among Central American youth and that migration's synergy with Central American youths' migration to the United States. The paper finds that internal relocation is unsuccessful when the internal destination fails to resolve the issues from which youth are attempting to escape. This failure ultimately triggers their departure from their home country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ameryka Łacińska Kwartalnik Analityczno-Informacyjny is the property of University of Warsaw 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.)

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

Introduction: Coleoptera is the most species-rich order of animals with the widest distribution area; however, little is known about its global suitability distribution, and a substantial number of species are experiencing silent extinction. Most of Earth's biocommunities are concentrated in biodiversity hotspots, and these hotspots receive the largest investment of conservation funds. The survival of beetles is closely related to the richness of biodiversity, so habitat loss in hotspots results in a high extinction risk for beetles. Methods: We used the MaxEnt model to simulate the spatial suitable distribution in six time periods (1970-1980,1980-1990,1990-2000, 2000-2010, 2010-2020, and 1970-2020). Furthermore, we determined the priority suitable regions in hotspots after coupling the current biodiversity zones and evaluated the congruence between the suitable habitat of beetles and hotspots. Results: The results revealed that less than 30% of suitable regions were located in hotspots, and approximately 49.08% of the suitable habitat remained constant in all six periods, and can be regarded as climatically stable refugia. The Mediterranean Basin had the largest suitable area in each period and was always ranked first; other regions, such as Indo-Burma, Irano-Anatolian, and Mesoamerica, also had large areas of suitable habitat. Nine excellent, ten stable, and seventeen lower hotspots were identified based on their dynamic changes in 36 hotspots. Discussion: Based on these results, corresponding planning and management measures should be implemented in different biodiversity hotspots according to the changes in geographic distribution. In this paper, we propose practical advice for different regions to improve isolated and fragmented habitats, which will support the conservation of Coleoptera taxa and the restoration of biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) was used as a super food from ancient times. In recent days with increase in the health awareness throughout the world, it demands for healthy food, using chia seeds in daily diet may prevent many diseases (diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular). Chia was domesticated almost 4,500 years ago in Mesoamerica and it was used as food and medicine. Chia seed is composed of high dietary fibre (18-30%), ash (4-5%), protein (15-25%), fats (30-33%), lipids (31-35%), carbohydrates (26-41%), minerals, vitamins and a high amount of antioxidants. It is having higher concentration of PUFAs (Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids) of omega-3 (58-64% of the total lipids) and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Notably, chia seeds are free of gluten. It may be added to other foods as topping materials. Nutritional composition and health benefits of chia are presented here to create awareness. In recent years, India is one of the major producers and exporters of chia. Karnataka alone occupies more than 50 per cent of area of our country. Research on chia is gaining momentum for increasing productivity, but crop improvement research is lacking because of limited germplasm in this crop. Chia seeds are among the majorly exported commodities as the production of the commodity is limited to a few geographies. However, the COVID pandemic has increased the health consciousness among consumers, which has opened an opportunity for super foods, including chia seeds. This factor is anticipated to propel the market during the 2020-26. The Global Chia Seeds Market is projected to grow at a significant rate of 8.86 per cent from 2019 to 2024 to reach a market value of USD 450 million by the end of 2024. Information contained in this review can be useful for health conscious people who want to be healthy through natural foods. This paper describes the huge nutritional and therapeutic potential of chia seed to make it the part of an average diet for better health and longevity. Present scenario in the country and future market potential in the country are also reviewed. Successful cultivation of chia crop in India will improve economic condition, living standards and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

Maya hieroglyphic script (300 BCE-1500 CE) is a semi-deciphered logographic and syllabic autochthonous writing system from the Americas and is one of the most significant writing traditions of the ancient world. Because of its incomplete state of decipherment, complexity and variation in graphematics, and partially lost lexicon, transliterations cannot be used within the encoding. The project Text Database and Dictionary of Classic Mayan approaches this challenge with an encoding strategy relying on stand-off markup, which is enriched with additional information sources. Using different formats (RDF, XML) and standards (CIDOC CRM, TEI P5), the inscriptions are encoded in a multilevel corpus: (1) a tei_all-compliant schema defining values and rules for the encoding of the text's topological and structural features, (2) a "Sign Catalogue" for the classiffication of Maya hieroglyphs, and (3) the tool ALMAH (Annotator for the Linguistic analysis of MAya Hieroglyphs) for linguistic analyses. In this paper, we focus on the TEI schema and highlight our strategy for encoding hieroglyphs without using linguistic transliterations and transcriptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Creating a suitable travel package has become increasingly difficult for businesses within the tourism industry because of various factors affecting tourists' decision-making behavior and businesses' desire to make profits. This paper proposes a novel approach to service design within the tourism industry by integrating the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the theory of inventive problem solving (TRIZ) to design a suitable travel package while taking into account both consumer and business perspectives. Through a case study application, we identify the most important consumer and business factors with AHP and the Delphi method and then solve the existing contradiction with TRIZ. We collect both qualitative and quantitative data from experts and visitors through a survey approach consisting of 56 fully completed responses for a target of only 35 responses as required by AHP. We analyze these data using Super Decisions software to obtain the necessary results. AHP helps weigh and rank the 4 criteria and 16 sub-criteria, whereas TRIZ provides recommendations to resolve the contradiction, based on the 40 inventive principles, to create a cost-effective travel package to Belize in Central America. The main contradiction was feasibility versus cost, and the most applicable corresponding principles were dynamization, self-service, local quality, and prior action. Overall, this paper gives vital insights into the tourism sector to anyone interested in this topic and provides a precise AHP-TRIZ application framework with clear procedures. The results and methodologies could also help scholars and academics with future AHP-TRIZ applications in other research fields or possible expansions of this new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

Tropical coastal karst areas represent dynamic, fragile, and biodiverse environments. Central America's karst regions have been scarcely studied, with most of the research focused on the northern part of the region and on several larger cave systems. The coastal carbonate zones of the Central American region represent a unique karstic landscape, which, so far, has been insufficiently studied. Therefore, in this paper, we aim to describe the (i) landscape geomorphology and (ii) chemical conditions that define Ciénega de El Mangle in Panama as a distinctive karstic site. Carried geomorphological mapping and the characterization of karstic features have resulted in the identification of the different karstic forms and processes that are present within this unique karstic area. Considering that the chosen karstic study area is located in a marine–coastal fringe on the periphery of a lagoon, it is affected by a combination of several factors and processes, including seawater intrusion (through sinkholes), the formation of conchiferous limestone (CaCO3), and NaCl precipitation related to efflorescence. Due to the seasonally humid tropical climate, the chemical weathering processes are intense, thus forming alkaline soils that are hindering the development of mangrove vegetation. The geomorphology of the area results from intense evaporation combined with an influx of brackish groundwater, due to which a landscape has evolved in the marine–coastal strips, of seasonal tropical climates, that exhibit saline beaches, known as a littoral shott. In total, 24 karstic microdolines have evolved within the shott, of which six represent domical geoforms formed by gradual evaporitic precipitation, while seven other geoforms represent active karstic sinkholes filled with brackish water. These results are key for understanding the past and present climate interactions and conditions that have led to the formation of tropical karst environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

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

This paper assesses the state of knowledge of climate change and tourism in South and Central America, with a special focus on the characteristics of the tourism sector, the particularities of climate risks of the region and the sectoral GHG contribution. We conducted a scientific literature review (by region and by country) in Spanish, Portuguese and English using publications in the Scopus and Google databases to the end of 2021. In parallel, we performed a search for institutional publications, programs, and strategies on climate change and tourism in South and Central American countries. This analysis identified the main challenges and potentialities between tourism and climate change in the region. Among the main findings is the limited number of studies and lack of primary data to inform policy formulation and tourism planning. Likewise, national, and regional public policies specific to tourism are scarce, while multisectoral climate plans have only recently been developed and, consequently, are difficult to evaluate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive literature has shown that women's employment contributes to increasing rates of household savings and economic growth. Likewise, evidence has been reported that in an economic integration scheme, such as that of Central America, the strong economic interdependence existing between countries, because of their relatively high trade flows of imports and exports, gives rise to the spread of economic developments occurring in a country. This paper investigates the extent to which the increase in female employment in the countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras) leads to the increase in growth rates in the other countries (Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama). For this purpose, principal components, which is a data compression methodology, is used. The variables that are included in the vector of principal components are the female-to-male employment ratios in the industrial sectors of the Northern Triangle countries. All data used in the analyses were taken from the World Bank's World Development Indicators. The first principal component of these variables explains 77 percent of the variance, and its decrease represents the deindustrialization of the respective countries. The second principal component accounts for 17 percent of the variance, and its increase represents the expansion of the service sector in the countries. The estimation of error correction equations showed that the first principal component of the female-to-male employment ratios of the industrial sector in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, exerted positive impacts on the economic growth rates of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, while the second principal component exerted negative impacts. The results also showed that the ratios of female to male industrial employment, as well as the first principal component, fell as tariffs on imports were reduced, reflecting a process of deindustrialization which has led to losses in economic growth, and a decrease in trade flows, and rising youth unemployment and increases of the underground economy with adverse impacts on productivity. Likewise, trends towards economic stagnation and rising unemployment have led to increases in irregular emigration and remittances. Another important result is that the process of deindustrialization, fueled by the extreme openness of economies, has generated a substantial increase in the homicide rate. In summary, the results show that female employment generates increases in the economic growth rate of the respective country and in the other member countries. However, this process of regional employment induction is undermined by the extreme openness of economies, which means that the main beneficiaries of the economic dynamism imparted by the increase in female employment may be the countries from which it is imported. In other words, "globalization" or "openness" frustrates national efforts at economic and social development. It should be noted that in the 1960s and 1970s, when the model of import substitution prevailed, the Central American economies grew at rates twice as high as those prevailing after the "reforms." The economic policy recommendations are based on the promotion of women's employment by increasing the levels of female schooling, the establishment of national networks of childcare centers, combating discrimination against women in the workplace, etc. Efforts to increase women's employment will be better developed if they are structured within the framework of a national/regional employment strategy, in which objectives and targets would be established for each country, and the actions to be carried out in the areas of obtaining resources, identifying, approving and supervising projects would be outlined, and the results goals would be established with the respective indicators to be achieved in the medium and long term. But it should be pointed out that these actions cannot yield the results sought in the current structure of extreme openness of economies, which makes it necessary to design and implement policies to achieve the reindustrialization and re-agriculturalization of the economies, seeking, in addition to increasing economic dynamism, the increase of quality employment, and the reduction of violence and irregular emigration, the achievement of self-sufficiency and sustained increases in the production of goods of special importance. The results of this work have shown that in efforts to reignite economic growth, women's employment and Central American economic integration can play important roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study of the San Isidro archaeological site in El Salvador, providing significant insights into the development of Preclassic settlements in the region. Through analysis of ceramic sequences, radiocarbon dating, and excavations, the study traces the site's evolution and its contextual significance within Mesoamerican and Isthmo-Colombian spheres. We report on the discovery of over 50 mounds constructed around 400 b.c., indicating the emergence of a complex social structure at that time. The unearthed artifacts, including jade objects and Bolinas-type figurines, suggest cultural exchange with often distant regions of Mesoamerica and the Isthmo-Colombian area. This research not only contributes to understanding the chronological and geographic development of San Isidro but also highlights the site's role in broader Preclassic Mesoamerican cultural dynamics. Our findings challenge existing perceptions of cultural peripherality and emphasize the need for nuanced regional studies in reconstructing ancient Central American history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

For decades, governments have sought to deter migration by investing in the development of migrant-sending communities, despite macroeconomic data that shows that development can increase emigration. However, emerging research suggests that well-designed aid can promote rootedness in home communities. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has increasingly attempted to use development to deter migration from the Northern Triangle states of Central America. Is this policy sound? This paper argues that development should not be instrumentalized to discourage people from migrating. It examines migration and development policies from the lens of Catholic social teaching, which recognizes the need for states to respect the agency of individuals. This is particularly important when it comes to complex and consequential decisions like whether to migrate. The Catholic Church recognizes both a right to migrate, when necessary, and the responsibility of states, particularly wealthy nations, to help people realize the right not to migrate; that is, to thrive in their home communities. The paper argues for US government assistance to alleviate poverty and invest in human capital in Central America, but independently of efforts to deter migration. Prioritizing aid to potential migrants risks reducing its effectiveness. The United States should instead pursue a whole-of-government strategy that emphasizes the right relationships with aid recipients, and that prioritizes and empowers the poor and marginalized. The paper is strongly influenced by the author's 15 years of work for Catholic agencies on migration and development, more than one-half of those with Catholic Relief Services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]