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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had social and clinical effects over the healthcare system. Globally, over 314.019.135 confirmed cases and 5.507.370 deaths have been recorded at 12 January 2022, based on the Dashboard updated by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University. The continuous rise in the number of asymptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and symptomatic patients has developed efficient and accessible models for prediction using Open Source Libraries and Cloud Services. This paper proposes different machine-learning algorithms to analyse the COVID-19 OpenData Resources from Mexico and Brazil, which represent the two major populations, economics and affected by disease countries in Latin America. This model uses only the COVID-19 patient's geographical, social conditions, economics conditions, clinical risk factors, symptom reports, and demographic data to predict recovery and death. The model of Mexico has an accuracy of 93% and the perceived mean of recall and the precision (F1 Score) of 0.79 on the dataset used. On the other hand, the model of Brazil has an accuracy of 69% and F1 score of 0.75 on the dataset studied. The result considers data from patients under the age of 0 and 120 years. The contribution of the work is the application of Big Data technologies and Machine Learning algorithms using Open Resource Libraries and Amazon Web Services (AWS) with the vision to improve the clinical diagnosis, even infectious disease with mathematical approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violent conflicts involving non-State armed groups challenge conventional perceptions of war and armed conflict. Criminal enterprises (transnational organized criminal groups including gangs and cartels) are involved in violent competition for both profit and territorial control in many parts of the world. This paper examines the situation in Mexico and Brazil as case studies to assess the legal challenges to criminal armed violence when criminal groups battle among themselves and the State. The paper focuses on the operational challenges and considerations facing police, military, and security forces and justice institutions to illuminate the legal challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID - 19 affected severely worldwide. The pandemic has caused many causalities in a very short span. The IoT-cloud-based healthcare model requirement is utmost in this situation to provide a better decision in the covid-19 pandemic. In this paper, an attempt has been made to perform predictive analytics regarding the disease using a machine learning classifier. This research proposed an enhanced KNN (k NearestNeighbor) algorithm eKNN, which did not randomly choose the value of k. However, it used a mathematical function of the dataset's sample size while determining the k value. The enhanced KNN algorithm eKNN has experimented on 7 benchmark COVID-19 datasets of different size, which has been gathered from standard data cloud of different countries (Brazil, Mexico, etc.). It appeared that the enhanced KNN classifier performs significantly better than ordinary KNN. The second research question augmented the enhanced KNN algorithm with feature selection using ACO (Ant Colony Optimization). Results indicated that the enhanced KNN classifier along with the feature selection mechanism performed way better than enhanced KNN without feature selection. This paper involves proposing an improved KNN attempting to find an optimal value of k and studying IoT-cloud-based COVID - 19 detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its appearance in 2020, Brazil and Mexico have been among the most affected countries in the world by covid-19. Their respective presidents, Jair Bolsonaro and Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as AMLO), have played a leading role in specific policies during the pandemic. Their choices were both singular and counter- intuitive. On the health front, AMLO initially underplayed the seriousness of the situation, and the Brazilian president, Bolsonaro, defended a frankly negationist attitude, with a dramatic balance sheet, without his popularity being seriously affected. On the economic front, they have chosen policies that contradict not only each other but also their own supposed ideological stances. Bolsonaro, who is ranked on the far right, has implemented an emergency transfer program on a scale comparable to those of developed countries and the most massive the country has ever seen. Conversely, AMLO, considered a progressist, provided just a minimum policy package, maintaining his previous electoral program. By adopting a comparative approach and mobilizing a unique and diversified set of data, the objective of this paper is to explore these apparent contradictions. After having established the precise diagnosis of the policies implemented to deal with the crisis and the economic and health situation in the two countries during the 2020-2022 period, we propose an original interpretation grid of the central role played by the two presidents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Systematize the experience and identify challenges and lessons learned in the implementation of an initiative for integrated serosurveillance of communicable diseases using a multiplex bead assay in countries of the Americas. Methods. Documents produced in the initiative were compiled and reviewed. These included concept notes, internal working papers, regional meetings reports, and survey protocols from the three participating countries (Mexico, Paraguay, and Brazil) and two additional countries (Guyana and Guatemala) where serology for several communicable diseases was included in neglected tropical diseases surveys. Information was extracted and summarized to describe the experience and the most relevant challenges and lessons learned. Results. Implementing integrated serosurveys requires interprogrammatic and interdisciplinary work teams for the design of survey protocols to respond to key programmatic questions aligned to the needs of the countries. Valid laboratory results are critical and rely on the standardized installment and roll-out of laboratory techniques. Field teams require adequate training and supervision to properly implement survey procedures. The analysis and interpretation of serosurveys results should be antigen-specific, contextualizing the responses for each disease, and triangulated with programmatic and epidemiological data for making decisions tailored to specific population socioeconomic and ecologic contexts. Conclusions. Integrated serosurveillance as a complementary tool for functional epidemiological surveillance systems is feasible to use and key components should be considered: political engagement, technical engagement, and integrated planning. Aspects such as designing the protocol, selecting target populations and diseases, laboratory capacities, anticipating the capacities to analyze and interpret complex data, and how to use it are key. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore whether there is any causal combination of marketing conditions affecting the growth stage of social entrepreneurship proposals in two emerging countries: Brazil and Mexico. Method: An exploratory type of research was developed, applying a comparative qualitative configurational analysis with 18 case studies or study units, nine from each country, to discover the combination of key conditions of marketing variables associated with the growth stage of the ventures studied. Main Results: In Mexico, growth occurs with the presence of a distribution channel, approach to multiple target markets, hybrid mission, and penetration pricing strategy. In Brazil, on the other hand, growth is explained by penetration pricing, variety of products and services, multiple distribution channels, and loyalty programs. Relevance: This work is relevant for its contribution to the understanding of the role of marketing variables in the survival and extension of the growth phase of social enterprises. Theoretical/Methodological Contributions: The paper contributes to the advancement of knowledge of marketing capabilities in growth-stage social enterprises in emerging countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of the feedback relationship that exists between inflation, its uncertainty, and the economic growth of the two main Latin American economies. A Bivariate Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity model is developed, which also allows the identification of asymmetric impacts on the conditional volatility of the product and inflation, the sample period corresponds to January 1985 to June 2019. Additionally, causality tests are developed to identify the fulfillment of the main hypotheses raised. Among the main findings is the verification of the Friedman-Ball hypothesis for both countries in most of the lags. Regarding the second hypothesis, it is found that the central bank of Mexico has presented a stabilizing behavior, while in the Brazilian case an opportunistic behavior has been identified. In the third hypothesis, no causal relationship of inflationary uncertainty towards economic growth is identified, in the case of Mexico; while, in the case of Brazil, an ambivalent causality has been identified, regarding the number of lags. Finally, in the fourth hypothesis we find results that corroborate, mainly for both economies, a positive effect from inflation on economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although much industrial policy research addresses the "supply side' task of discerning superior policies, it pays less attention to 'demand side' questions of when and to what extent countries adopt reforms. And while exogenous shocks serve as the impetus for new industrial policy adoption across a broad array of empirical case studies, less is known about when such shocks register as salient enough to elicit policy shifts. This paper considers the conditions under which exogenous shocks motivate varying degrees of industrial policy change. We examine divergent reforms in Mexico and Brazil's petroleum industries after the 1973 Oil Shock, and automotive industries following the 1982 Debt Crisis. The evidence informs a 'satisficing' model, which suggests that the interaction between exogenous shocks and two main local factors – the 'goals' of a paradigm shared by industry decision-makers, and the aggregate levels of 'slack' resources available to quell dissent in times of uncertainty – shapes varying orders of policy response. This satisficing model proves useful in anticipating how responses to external crises might unfold at the industry level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of cadmium (Cd) in food produced in Latin America has been highlighted in recent years. Cadmium can be toxic to humans at low levels, and therefore monitoring its presence in food is relevant for public health. Cadmium concentrations from different sources, such as water, soil, sediment, food, and beverages were examined and discussed to address the non-occupational exposure of the Latin American population to Cd. A literature review was conducted examining publications from 2015 to 2020 and data available in the ScienceDirect and PubMed databases. Twenty-eight papers reported on Cd in water, 49 reported Cd in soil and sediments, and 86 reported on Cd in food. We have identified and discussed the factors affecting the environmental behavior and bioaccumulation of Cd, the main species used in monitoring studies, and the necessity for future research. Brazil and Mexico are the countries that provided the most available information, whereas for some countries in Central America, no information was found. The Cd levels in food examined in these studies (mostly fish and cacao) were generally below the established maximum levels, indicating a low risk. When considering the presence of Cd in food, water, and soil, Cd fractionation and chemical speciation studies are fundamental to understanding which forms of Cd are the most toxic. In turn, studies on bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Cd in food are also needed for more adequate risk assessment, but they are currently scarce within Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent world-wide trend of female chief executives struggling to maintain public support while facing corruption allegations and scandals poses the question of whether female politicians face stronger backlash for corruption than their male counterparts. Even though corruption scandals and allegations are not exclusive to countries led by female incumbents, notable figures such as former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and former Chilean President Michele Bachelet seem to have experienced more dramatic drops in public support when targeted by corruption allegations in comparison to male incumbents from their region. This paper tests whether beliefs about women's higher honesty and purity can lead voters to punish perceived transgressions by female politicians more harshly than when those are performed by men. Using survey-experiments conducted in Brazil and Mexico, the analyses find support for the gender-related backlash in Mexico and no evidence for it in Brazil. However, the backlash observed in Mexico is not larger among subjects holding views about women as less corrupt than men. Overall, the results suggest that the differential gender-related backlash against incumbents depends on individual and contextual-level factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity and counter-disciplinarity are the hallmark of cultural studies and qualitative research, as scholars over the past three decades have discussed through extensive self-reflexive inquiry into their own unstable and ever-shifting methods (Denzin and Lincoln, 2018; Dicks et al., 2006: 78; Grossberg, 2010). Building on the interdisciplinary thought of Jacques Rancière and Caroline Levine on the one hand and traditions of participatory action research and activist anthropology on the other, we bring the methods conversation forward by shifting the focus from disciplines to forms and by making a case for aesthetic practice as qualitative research process. In this paper, the question of methods is approached through the action-based Cartonera Publishing Project with editoriales cartoneras in Latin America – community publishers who make low-cost books out of materials recovered from the street in the attempt to democratise and decolonise literary/artistic production – and specifically through our process-oriented, collaborative work with four cartonera publishers in Brazil and Mexico. Guided by the multiple forms of cartonera knowledge production, which are rooted not in academic research but rather in aesthetic practice and community relations, we offer an innovative 'trans-formal' methodological framework, which opens up new pathways for practitioners and researchers to work, think and act across social, cultural and aesthetic forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: this paper aims to describe the first phase of a project whose general goal was to develop a consensus-based set of advanced practice nurse competencies applicable to Latin American countries and, based on these competencies, produce an advanced practice nurse curricular prototype adapted to Latin American countries. The project was framed in a competency-based approach to advanced practice nursing education. The specific aims of the first phase of the project described in this paper were: 1) to identify a set of potential advanced practice nurse competencies that would serve as the template for Core Advanced Practice Nurse Competencies in Latin American countries and 2) to establish consensus for Core Advanced Practice Nurse Competencies in Latin American countries. Method: advanced practice nurse competencies were derived from a comprehensive review of published competencies and informed the development of a survey designed to assess the relevance of advanced practice nurse competencies in Latin American countries. The survey was distributed to nurse leaders and nurse educators. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: consensus for Core Competencies was established. Conclusion: the Core Advanced Practice Nurse Competencies presented can provide a structured framework to build educational programs aligned to the needs of the regional environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes debt securitization in underdeveloped countries, using the case of Argentina, Mexico, and Brazil. We argue that the three countries have had a significant increase in the issuance of debt securities. However, the nature of the securities issued is different in each nation. In the case of Argentina, the increase in international debt securities in circulation has to do with the issuance of government securities. In Mexico, the increase is more related to the new financing needs of Mexican non-financial corporations. While in Brazil, the increase in the issuance of debt securities is due to a combination of both factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-term productivity dynamics of Latin America have been the focus of vast research looking to understand the origins of the growth underperformance of the region. Based on new estimates from official industrial censuses from 1935 to 1975, this paper reassesses whether there was a process of structural change within the manufacturing industries of Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. It presents a quantitative reassessment of the dynamics of productivity in these industries providing a new decomposition of labor productivity growth at a more disaggregated level. The overall results from a shift-share analysis are unable to find substantial evidence of structural change within manufacturing in these countries over the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of carbon pricing mechanisms implemented in developing countries is increasing. Even though there is regional fragmentation in terms of climate change strategies in Latin America, market-based initiatives are taking shape also in this region. Post-2020, combining these efforts towards carbon integration via an Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) could be an option for Latin America to adhere to more cohesive and ambitious climate policy actions. Given the lack of quantitative studies, this paper aims to provide preliminary evidence on the appropriateness of this mitigation policy, highlighting potential environmental and economic outcomes in Latin America, as well as identifying trade patterns and the effects of revenue recycling for the region. Using a dynamic-recursive computable equilibrium model, a hypothetical Latin American ETS regulates only carbon emissions from the electricity generation and energy-intensive sectors. Regional carbon-integration among developing countries in this way demonstrates that it is possible to curb emissions at minimum cost. The distributional effect of linking shows a financial flow from Brazil and Mexico to the rest of Latin America, comprising a wider abatement effort within a shared carbon price. There are opportunities from revenue-recycling, which plays an important role in alleviating the additional costs from the policy. The advantage of this approach is to culminate in broad participation where competitiveness concerns may be addressed along with transformations of the energy system. However, to effectively address climate change, additional sectors should be considered for inclusion in the proposed ETS, in line with the region's energy and economic profiles. Key policy insights A regional carbon policy based on emissions trading in Latin America would expand opportunities for mitigation at lower cost. Brazil and Mexico would import allowances more cost-effectively from the rest of Latin America in the linked scenario. Further energy substitution towards low-carbon sources would be achieved with revenue recycling. A linked ETS system should include land use and forestry-related emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Diplostomidae include a large group of flatworms with complex life cycles and are frequently found parasitizing the eyes and central nervous system of freshwater fishes. The morphological identification of the metacercariae at species level is not always possible. Thus, molecular tools have become essential to assist in the parasite species determination. This study was aimed at describing two diplostomid metacercariae found in freshwater fish in São Paulo, Brazil, based on morphological characters and in the genetic characterization of COI sequences. Our results showed that the two recognized taxa (Tylodelphys sp. and Diplostomidae gen. sp.) appear to be different from the species already described in South America. Tylodelphys sp. differs morphologically from Tylodelphys xenopi, T. mashonense, T. jenynsiae, and T. scheuringi. The metacercariae of T. clavata and T. conifera are smaller than Tylodelphys sp., while T. podicipina is larger than the metacercariae described here. The phylogenetic analysis of COI sequences yielded Tylodelphys sp. as the sister species of Tylodelphys sp. 4, a species reported from the brain of the eleotrid Gobiomorus maculatus in Oaxaca, Mexico. The metacercariae identified as Diplostomidae gen. sp. are morphologically different from the known diplostomid metacercariae and did not match with other diplostomid sequences available. Diplostomidae gen. sp. is recovered as the sister species of Diplostomum ardeae. Although the morphological evidence and the COI sequences differentiate the metacercariae found, the absence of adult specimens of both species precludes the specific designation. This is one of the first papers that use an integrative taxonomy approach to describe the species diversity of diplostomid trematodes in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This paper presents updated prevalence estimates of awareness, ever‐use, and current use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) from 14 International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) countries that have varying regulations governing NVP sales and marketing. Design, Setting, Participants and Measurements: A cross‐sectional analysis of adult (≥ 18 years) current smokers and ex‐smokers from 14 countries participating in the ITC Project. Data from the most recent survey questionnaire for each country were included, which spanned the period 2013–17. Countries were categorized into four groups based on regulations governing NVP sales and marketing (allowable or not), and level of enforcement (strict or weak where NVPs are not permitted to be sold): (1) most restrictive policies (MRPs), not legal to be sold or marketed with strict enforcement: Australia, Brazil, Uruguay; (2) restrictive policies (RPs), not approved for sale or marketing with weak enforcement: Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand; (3) less restrictive policies (LRPs), legal to be sold and marketed with regulations: England, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, United States; and (4) no regulatory policies (NRPs), Bangladesh, China, Zambia. Countries were also grouped by World Bank Income Classifications. Country‐specific weighted logistic regression models estimated adjusted NVP prevalence estimates for: awareness, ever/current use, and frequency of use (daily versus non‐daily). Findings NVP awareness and use were lowest in NRP countries. Generally, ever‐ and current use of NVPs were lower in MRP countries (ever‐use = 7.1–48.9%; current use = 0.3–3.5%) relative to LRP countries (ever‐use = 38.9–66.6%; current use = 5.5–17.2%) and RP countries (ever‐use = 10.0–62.4%; current use = 1.4–15.5%). NVP use was highest among high‐income countries, followed by upper–middle‐income countries, and then by lower–middle‐income countries. Conclusions: With a few exceptions, awareness and use of nicotine vaping products varied by the strength of national regulations governing nicotine vaping product sales/marketing, and by country income. In countries with no regulatory policies, use rates were very low, suggesting that there was little availability, marketing and/or interest in nicotine vaping products in these countries where smoking populations are predominantly poorer. The higher awareness and use of nicotine vaping products in high income countries with moderately (e.g. Canada, New Zealand) and less (e.g. England, United States) restrictive policies, is likely due to the greater availability and affordability of nicotine vaping products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to gather elements to propose a sustainability assessment tool (SAT) to be used in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Brazil and the related program to be created for SAT dissemination and HEI monitoring, publication of results and benchmarking.Design/methodology/approach The characteristics of eight SATs were identified, seven of which are applied through widely known international programs to identify aspects to be considered in the definition of the Brazilian model.Findings In Brazil, stakeholders usually do not know how HEIs develop their potential to contribute with the construction of a sustainable development model.Research limitations/implications The research limitation is the difficulty to obtain information allowing a deeper understanding of sustainability-related activities developed by Brazilian HEIs.Practical implications This paper provides a base on which to construct SAT and program models tailored for Brazil.Originality/value This is the first paper that stresses the importance of adopting a SAT tailored for Brazil, by comparing and discussing models that may be used for that purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between fiscal and monetary policy coordination and fiscal multipliers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. To do so, we first look at the theoretical framework of the New Consensus Macroeconomics (NCM), and then analyze the trends in the four countries for variables including consumption, investment, government spending, and interest rates. Finally, we present an estimate of the spending and monetary multipliers with proxy variables. The contribution of this paper consists of one, showing the inexistence of the crowding out effect, and two, quantifying the multipliers for the aforementioned countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the relationship between the financial instability generated by shortterm capital flows in the absence of control mechanisms and the restrictions facing the implementation of counter-cyclical fiscal policies in the inflation-targeting regime, using as a springboard the recent financial crises in, specifically, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, showing how an increase in the issuance of public bonds to, via interventions in the exchange rate market, sterilize the effects of short-term capital flows on the monetary base is a source of endogenous instability, because this mechanism entails risks for the exchange rate and interest rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves distributing resources, especially human resources for health (HRH), to match population needs. This paper explores the policy lessons on HRH from four countries that have achieved sustained improvements in UHC: Brazil, Ghana, Mexico and Thailand. Its purpose is to inform global policy and financial commitments on HRH in support of UHC. The paper reports on country experiences using an analytical framework that examines effective coverage in relation to the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality (AAAQ) of HRH. The AAAQ dimensions make it possible to perform tracing analysis on HRH policy actions since 1990 in the four countries of interest in relation to national trends in workforce numbers and population mortality rates. The findings inform key principles for evidence-based decision-making on HRH in support of UHC. First, HRH are critical to the expansion of health service coverage and the package of benefits; second, HRH strategies in each of the AAAQ dimensions collectively support achievements in effective coverage; and third, success is achieved through partnerships involving health and non-health actors. Facing the unprecedented health and development challenges that affect all countries and transforming HRH evidence into policy and practice must be at the heart of UHC and the post-2015 development agenda. It is a political imperative requiring national commitment and leadership to maximize the impact of available financial and human resources, and improve healthy life expectancy, with the recognition that improvements in health care are enabled by a health workforce that is fit for purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Paper studies wages differentials across levels of governments in Brazil, Mexico, and Uruguay. • National government employees earn on average higher wages than observationally similar subnational employees, but difference disappears once individual heterogeneity is considered. • National and subnational public employees receive on average a wage premium with respect to private sector employment. • Results indicate public sector employees are positively selected in terms of their earnings potential in the private sector. Workers at subnational governments play a prominent role in the delivery of public services in most countries. Yet, information about their remuneration is scarce. Using data for Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay, we document that national government employees earn on average higher wages than observationally similar subnational employees; consequently, public–private sector wage gaps vary significantly by level of government. Then we use individual fixed-effects to estimate the wage premium to public sector employment (the wage gap net of selection effects) for Brazil and Mexico. We find that (i) both national and subnational public employees receive a significant wage premium with respect to private sector employment; and (ii) the difference between the national and subnational wage premiums is small in Brazil and null in Mexico. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between infrastructure and total factor productivity (TFP) in the four major Latin American economies: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Design/methodology/approach – The authors hypothesise that an increase in infrastructure has an indirect effect on output by raising productivity. To assess this theory, the traditional Johansen methodology was used for testing the cointegration between TFP and physical measures of infrastructure stock, such as energy, roads, and telephones. The Lütkepohl, Saikkonen and Trenkler Test, which considers a possible level shift in the series and has better small sample properties, was applied to the same data set and the two tests were compared. Findings – The results do not support a robust long-term relationship between the series; the authors do not find strong evidence that cuts in infrastructure investment in some Latin American countries were the main reason for the fall in TFP during the 1970s and 1980s. Originality/value – The present paper addresses the empirical relationship between infrastructure and economic growth for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico between 1950 and 2000, using new time series econometric methods finding new evidences on this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Cissus verticillata (L.) Nicolson and C.E. Jarvis is best known for its hypoglycaemic and anti-lipemic action. In Brazilian ethnopharmacy it is called “plant-insulin” and used mostly against diabetes, as well as in abscesses, haemorrhage and epilepsy. In the present paper we study the past significance of this plant recorded between 1571 and 1829 both in ethnic (Mexico, Haiti) and official (European) pharmacies. Aim of the study (1) We are able to identify Carolus Sanctus and Lupulus Mechiocanus from Renaissance and later sources as Cissus verticillata . The specific identity of its historical herbal stock has not been proposed yet. (2) The identification we propose enables us to extract a number of historical ethnopharmacological usages from historical texts, not mentioned so far. (3) We try to find links between historical and present popular usages of C. verticillata . Material and methods The identity of Carolo Sancto and Lupulus Mechiocanus as Cissus verticillata has been proposed on the grounds of: (1) analysis of pre-Linnaean synonymic polynomials, (2) critical evaluation of old illustrations in botanical and pharmaceutical works, compared to living plants, (3) comparison of morphological, anatomical and histochemical characters of C. verticillata with old pharmacognostical descriptions of the plant and the herbal stock which it delivered. Results We have recognised the specific identity on the basis of: (1) subsequent botanical works published between 1574 and 1763; (2) Hans Sloane׳s herbarium specimen No. BM589925; (3) morphology and organoleptic characteristics of the bark and roots published in the 16th and 17th century which are confirmable in living plants. Cissus verticillata was discovered by Nicolás Monardes in Mexico in 1571 and first published in Europe under the name Carolo Sancto in 1574. In European pharmacy the plant was also called Lupulus Mechiocanus. In official European pharmacy the root ( Radix Caroli Sancti = Rad. Indica , later its sole bark) was appreciated for its action to teeth and gums when chewed. Internal usages (ascribed initially to this medicament) were gradually discarded in the late 1700s. Roots were met in the European trade until 1795. Conclusions Cissus verticillata is common in Americas and could have been imported to Europe since the 16th century. Complete plants were not seen knowingly in European pharmacy; taxonomical investigation of this species developed independently. Ethnopharmacological usages described between 1582 and 1829 were not adopted in Europe with the exception of two recommendations: “weakness of the stomach” and fevers. Gastroprotective and anti-inflammatory actions were re-discovered in the 2000s. Two other historical usages: antiepileptic and styptic, are observed in today׳s ethnomedicine of Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years electricity sectors worldwide have undergone major transformations, referred to as the "energy transition". This has required energy planning to quickly adapt to provide useful inputs to the regulation activity so that a cost-effective electricity market emerges to facilitate the integration of renewables. This paper analyzes the role of system planning and regulations on two specific elements in the energy market design: the concept of firm capacity and the presence of distributed energy resources, both of which can be influenced by regulation. We assess the total cost of different regulatory mechanisms in the Brazilian and Mexican systems using optimization tools to determine optimal long-term expansion for a given regulatory framework. In particular, we quantitatively analyze the role of the current regulation in the total cost of these two electricity systems when compared to a reference "efficient" energy planning scenario that adopts standard cost-minimization principles and that is well suited to the most relevant features of the new energy transformation scenario. We show that two very common features of regulatory designs that can lead to distortions are: (i) renewables commonly having a lower "perceived cost" under the current regulations, either due to direct incentives such as tax breaks or due to indirect access to more attractive contracts or financing conditions; and (ii) requirements for reliability are often defined more conservatively than they should be, overstating the hardships imposed by renewable generation on the existing system and underestimating their potential to form portfolios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioethanol as fuel oxygenator is currently being introduced in Mexico with an estimated yearly demand of 3 billion liters expected to be produced mainly from sugarcane. This paper studies how to employ some of the expertise acquired by Brazil during its transition from typical mills into advanced biorefineries to retrofit the Mexican sucroalcohol industry. A typical Mexican sugarcane factory design is retrofitted to three biorefinery designs commonly found in Brazil, which are an autonomous distillery, a biorefinery with 50:50 feedstock ratio for ethanol and sugar production and a molasses distillery. The results of a techno-economic analysis considering these four designs under Mexican conditions are presented, followed by an economic comparison of the autonomous distillery design operating under Mexican and Brazilian conditions. Sustainability analysis is then carried out to identify the advantages and drawbacks of each design. The analysis compares an environment-driven scenario promoting bioethanol production and use for phasing out fossil fuels, against a commercially focused framework considering only environmental and economic issues affecting stakeholders' profit. Results show in monetary terms the impact of each indicator of a retrofitting path from currently profitable biorefineries coproducing sugar and alcohol to sustainable distilleries using molasses and juice as feedstock to produce bioethanol. • Retrofitting the Mexican sugar industry with Brazilian expertise for ethanol production. • Techno-economic and sustainability analyses of all designs. • Calculation with same tools and bases, thus highlighting differences between countries. • Comparison of environment-driven sustainability versus current commercial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyze the entry strategy of Spanish companies into the market, companies which have followed an implementation process in some emerging countries such as China, Brazil and Mexico. For this reason, a bibliographic revision has been made to determine internationalization methods as well as a field work based on polls applied to Spanish company executives that are implementing them in their developing economies. After that, a descriptive data analysis has been made. The outcomes of this research suggest that China and Brazil have more big entry barriers than Mexico for Spanish firms, and also these huge difficulties are reflected through the market entry method. In the first two former cases, joint ventures are usually applied, and in the other case, the establishment of subsidiaries is preferably applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The present paper investigates five episodes of currency collapse from the perspective of non-financial firms operating in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. We focus on two aspects: wealth and income transfers from borrowing firms to lenders and firm heterogeneity. At the firm level, we find that the currency collapses are preceded and associated with sharply rising financial transfers from firms to lenders. The debt and income structure is central in explaining the asymmetric firm dynamics. Most affected are firms with high levels of unhedged foreign-currency debt. At the country level, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico display three contrasting examples. Argentina has a large currency mismatch, Brazil balances the currency denomination of debt and income (natural hedge), and Mexico occupies an intermediate position. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports the susceptibility profile to rifabutin (RFB) 1 and six recently synthesized RFB analogs 3–8, of either rifampicin (RFP) susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis and resistant clinical isolates from two sources: Mexico and Brazil. Taking into account that about 95% of M. tuberculosis strains resistant to RFP present mutations in the rpoB gene, with some of these mutations being determinant also to RFB resistance, the RFB analogs were screened for activity against a set of known RFP susceptible and resistant strains. N′-Acetyl-RFB 5 and N′-(undec-10″-enoyl)-RFB 8 showed the best results, in particular with mutations in the codon 516, 522 and 531 of the rpoB gene, and were therefore selected for in vivo assessment of their efficacy. Studies conducted with tuberculous Balb/C mice previously infected with Ser531Leu mutated clinical isolate, evidenced both 5 and 8 as promoters of a significant decrease on tubercle bacilli burden in lungs associated with lower tissue damage, thus confirming them as good leads for drug discovery. The SAR of the acylated compounds 5 and 8 envisaging the identification of pharmacophore features, highlights the importance of profiling more clearly the chemistry within the molecular aspects for elucidation of the mode of action of RFB and analogs, in relation to mutations in Multidrug-Resistant (MDR) strains. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper examines the relationship between the performance of Latin American stock markets with their real economies, applying seven econometric models for the cases of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico. The relationship between stock market yields in these countries and their respective GDPS is examined and compared, applying to the series for each country unit root tests, cointegration analysis, error correction model analysis, Granger causality modeling, self-regression vector analysis, stimulus and response functions, and variance decomposition analysis. The series comprise the following stock markets: Argentina's MERVAL, Brazil's BOVESPA, Chile's IGPA, and Mexico's IPC, as compiled by Economática. The GDP series were obtained from the Cepalstat data base. The series are monthly and are for the period 1993-2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the impact of international rules internally in developing countries. For such a comparison is made between the rules of the GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) and the policy of privatization of telecommunications in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Aims to assess the extent to which trading in the GATS and the rules were instrumental in the process of privatization of telecommunications in these countries or the privatization of the sector went beyond what was negotiated in this organization. That is, we seek to verify that the policy set internally allowed a larger opening than expected and negotiated in the GATS. The study allowed to note that changes in domestic politics do not necessarily follow the changes in international organizations. Instead, they often occur before changes in the international regime. However, this finding does not imply ignoring the importance of international standards in the economic game. If, in fact, they do not shy away from the predominance of the interests of powerful countries on the other hand can stop the absolute subjection of the weak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a long and intensive debate within the scientific community about the role of international trade in the development of countries. During the last decades, the focus of attention has moved from the pure economic level to the environmental aspects of international trade. Establishing a simplified system of North–South trade for one reference period (2003), this paper attempts to test empirically the extent of potential asymmetries with regard to extracted material flows, and contrasts the results with the economic benefits from trade (in terms of value-added). The South is thereby represented by a selection of Latin American countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico), the North comprises one of their main commercial partners, the United States. At the methodological level, a multi-regional input–output analysis is used as the tool of investigation. Results generally support the hypothesis that the South was feeding the North's societal metabolism. South–North material exports were 1.6 times larger than North–South material exports, resulting in a net deficit for the South of 324 million tons. Moreover, material intensity of exported commodities from the South was twice as high as that from the North. It is worth highlighting, however, that part of the North-South hypothesis fails for the sample of countries since the larger part of the economic surplus has remained in the South, contrarily to what would have been expected. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyses the implementation of Terrestrial Digital Technology (TDT) standards in Latin America. The analysis suggests that while some governments have chosen the standard attending to their industrial objectives, others have been influenced by the relevance of network externalities and scale economies and by the political and commercial relationship with their neighbours. The discussion about the technical characteristics of the systems was only relevant in the first years of the process, when the leading countries of the region had still not made their selection. Brazil decided to create its own version of the Japanese ISDB standard in 2006, and in the following years it has persuaded a significant part of the continent to choose it. Another block of countries has adopted the US ATSC standard. The most prominent case is that of Mexico, which has a preferential access to the US market. Only three countries have chosen the European DVB standard, the most widely used standard in the world. Colombia has tried to lead its introduction in the continent, but the results so far have been meagre. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In many Third Wave democracies large classes of people experience diminished forms of citizenship. The systematic exclusion from mandated public goods and services significantly injures the citizenship and life chances of entire social groups. In democratic theory civil associations have a fundamental role to play in reversing this reality. One strand of theory, known as civic engagement, suggests that associations empower their members to engage in public politics, hold state officials to account, claim public services, and thereby improve the quality of democracy. Empirical demonstration of the argument is surprisingly rare, however, and limited to affluent democracies. In this article, we use original survey data for two large cities in Third Wave democracies-São Paulo and Mexico City-to explore this argument in a novel way. We focus on the extent to which participation in associations (or associationalism) increases 'active citizenship'-the effort to negotiate directly with state agents access to goods and services legally mandated for public provision, such as healthcare, sanitation, and security-rather than civic engagement, which encompasses any voluntary and public spirited activity. We examine separately associationalism's impact on the quality of citizenship, a dimension that varies independently from the level of active citizenship, by assessing differences in the types of citizenship practices individuals use to obtain access to vital goods and services. To interpret the findings, and identify possible causal pathways, the paper moves back-and-forth between two major research traditions that are rarely brought into dialogue: civic engagement and comparative historical studies of democratization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the results of four country studies (Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico) on the relative effectiveness of channels of interactions between public research organisations (PROs) and industry in driving specific types of benefits for researchers and firms. All studies used micro-datasets developed by a joint project using common questionnaires. Channels of interactions were classified into four groups (traditional, services, bi-directional and commercial) while benefits were classified into two groups for firms (short-term production and long-term innovation) and for researchers (economic and intellectual). It is found that the bi-directional (knowledge flows in both directions) and the services (knowledge flows mainly from PROs to firms) channels drive intellectual benefits for researchers. Firms tend to value the traditional channel (i.e. graduates, publications, conferences) more than any other channel. However, it is the bi-directional channel that drives the best benefits, especially those related to contributions to innovation activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work is to identify if there was some link between the use of foreign savings and the deterioration of indicators of external vulnerability in the period preceding the exchange crises in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina, which occurred between 1994 and 2001. For that, one needs to provide a brief theoretical discussion on the issue of external vulnerability and the ways to measure it, in order to establish the possible relations between this and the use of foreign savings. Among the methodological procedures needed to develop this work, let us first point out the gathering of data from the countries analyzed; these data are: national accounts, net foreign debt, short-term external debt, external debt service, exports of goods and services, international reserves, and GDP, which were obtained from international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. These data allowed us to calculate different indicators of vulnerability, as the ratios external debt/exports, reserves/foreign debt, the debt service/exports, and the debt service/GDP, in order to make a comparative analysis of the economies involved. It is important to highlight that the economies analyzed had in common the indiscriminate use of foreign savings in the periods that preceded their respective crises. However, the economic growth of the countries in that period was negligible when compared to the average growth of the emerging economies. The study shows it is due to the fact that these countries did not direct the bulk of capital raised abroad to the productive sector, as evidenced by the low proportion of gross fixed capital formation in relation to GDP in that period. The data analyzed also reveal a deterioration of indicators of external vulnerability in Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina. The paper concludes that this deterioration is associated to the way of using foreign savings, since they replaced the domestic savings instead of complementing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper shows the results of an assessment on the current extent of Neotropical dry forests based on a supervised classification of MODIS surface reflectance imagery at 500-m resolution. Our findings show that tropical dry forests extend for 519,597km2 across North and South America. Mexico, Brazil and Bolivia harbor the largest and best-preserved dry forest fragments. Mexico contains the largest extent at 181,461km2 (38% of the total), although it remains poorly represented under protected areas. On the other hand, Brazil and Bolivia contain the largest proportion of protected tropical dry forests and the largest extent in continuous forest fragments. We found that five single ecoregions account for more than half of the tropical dry forests in the Americas (continental and insular) and these ecoregions are: the Chiquitano dry forests, located in Bolivia and Brazil (27.5%), the Atlantic dry forests (10.2%), the Sinaloan dry forests in Mexico (9.7%), the Cuban dry forests (7.1%) and the Bajio dry forests in Mexico (7%). Chiquitano dry forests alone contain 142,941km2 of dry forests. Of the approximately 23,000km2 of dry forest under legal protection, 15,000km2 are located in just two countries, Bolivia and Brazil. In fact, Bolivia protects 10,609km2 of dry forests, where 7600km2 are located within the Chiquitano dry forest ecoregion and protected by a single park. Low extent and high fragmentation of dry forests in countries like Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Peru means that these forests are at a higher risk from human disturbance and deforestation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper is concerned with the analysis of the Post Cold-War International Political System and the corresponding Inter-American System, as important frameworks to carry out the research of regional mediating powers, in general, and of two regional mediating powers in particular, cases in point: Brazil and Mexico. Consequently, two pictures of the states' structural positioning are constructed, a general one (in the International Political System) and an individual one (in the Inter-American System), which makes it possible for us to identify the regional mediating powers in the world and in America. This way, Brazil and Mexico are identified as States that exhibit important capabilities and play mediating roles among the world powers and the neighboring States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology, which is the manipulation of matter at a scale of one billionth of a meter, is poised to be one of the main technological developments of the twenty-first century. Although great uncertainty still surrounds it, the advances in nanotechnology have been impressive, and, given its potential, capitalist competition in the field is becoming increasingly intense. This paper addresses nanotechnology from a socio- political and geo-economic perspective in order to highlight the dynamics and interests at stake, the social networks and power relations involved, and the existing tensions due to capitalist competition and contradiction, among other aspects. This case study of nanotechnology in the Western hemisphere allows us to show and discuss some of the principal ways high technology is fomented in the metropolis (the United States in this case) and how this research agenda is adopted in the periphery (in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the conference paper on musical nationalism presented by Gerard Béhague in July 1994. The ideology of musical nationalism as applied to case studies of Mexico, Peru and Brazil is discussed in an attempt to analyze the motivation of certain composers for relying on indigenous musical traditions and the resulting national qualities of these traditions. As one of the main concerns of contemporary ethnomusicology, the article raises representation, misrepresentation and appropriation.

• Artificial intelligence and GIS in the study of Acrocomia aculeata fruits quality. • The prediction model for macauba fruit components showed considerable reliability. • Some geographic regions revealed optimum suitability for macauba fruit development. • Temperature was the most important factor influencing six of eight fruit components. • Macauba agroclimatic zoning can lead to a more sustainable agriculture practice. Macauba palm (Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd.) is an emergent oleaginous crop with undeniable economical potential that occurs naturally from south Mexico to south Brazil. Besides its oils, every biomass component from its fruit has a great manufacturing value, for either food or energy-based sectors. Thus, this paper main objective is to estimate the productive potential of eight fruit components (among oil content, weight, volume and internal structures dry mass) for a wide natural occurrence area of macauba trees, the Minas Gerais State, in Brazil. Prediction was based on six environmental attributes: terrain altitude; temperature; precipitation; solar radiation; distance from hydrography; and water deficit, utilizing Random Forest regression methodology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and ecophysiological assumptions. All eight fruit components presented high predictability. Temperature was the most influencing factor in almost all evaluated fruit components. The generated predictive maps can support decision making regarding planting orientation or industrial implantation. It is worth mentioning that a given location may have good productivity for a specific fruit component while being disadvantageous for others. This indicates the need for proper planning, management and/or cultivation objective. The study area presents a broad variety of environmental features, suggesting a promising productive potential for the entire specie natural occurrence area. Crop cultivation in adapted ecophysiological areas require fewer resources, what leads to a more sustainable agricultural system, with reduced environmental stress and risk of economic loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]