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Abstract: Strategic partnership is a logical approach to face some of the public health problems. However, its application is somewhat more complex. In this paper our experience with three networks (Agita São Paulo, Physical Activity Network of Americas, and Agita Mundo Network) was described. In the case of Agita São Paulo even the name was a consequence of a partnership with a marketing company, and is an idiomatic expression that means much more than just to move your body. It also means to move psychologically and socially, with the concept of “active citizenship”. Among the important features of that intervention, we highlighted: (a) national and international intellectual partnership; (b) strong institutional partnerships, including government in one hand, and non-governmental and private sector in the other hand, in a so called: “two-hats approach”; (c) minimal formalization/maximal flexibility; (d) a signed letter of agreement: an active symbol of institutional commitment; (e) use the “mobile management” adaptation of the ecological model, in which attention was given to intrapersonal, social, and physical environmental factors, in a dynamic way; (f) attention to inter-sectoral as well as to intra-sectoral partners, in which creates incentives for participation of more than one representative from each sector; (g) the inclusion principle, that was not restricted to the institution, but affected the program actions, materials, and particularly the messages; (h) a high level of legitimacy of the coordination institution in the leadership; (i) special attention to improve environment supports for physical activity, such as: strategic partnerships established with the Metro System, that serves over 1 million persons/day; the Truck Drivers Radio Station; the State Secretariat of Environment, that built a walking path around its main building; the city of São Caetano do Sul, with the healthy sidewalk program; the city of Santana do Parnaiba building a walking path around the outpatients clinic, as well as the establishment of a fitness room in the basic unit of health; and Sorocaba, a city of 600,000 inhabitants, that after 4 years of the program of building walk and bike pathways, and parks, found a decrease in hospitalization of 50% by stroke, and 57% of diabetes type 2. A recent paper has shown that sedendarism has declined relatively about 70% from 2002 to 2008 in the State of Sao Paulo, and World Bank has reported that Agita represents a saving of 310 million US dollars per year in the health sector of Sao Paulo. All this scenario strongly suggests that the social issue in the developing countries facilitates the success of strategic partnerships. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fossil fuels dominate the current energy and chemicals' supply and this leads to a rapid growth in global greenhouse gas emissions. One mitigation option is using renewable feedstock for materials, chemicals (ethylene, propylene, acrylic acid and butanol) and, mostly, energy carriers (biodiesel, renewable jet fuel, ethanol and bioelectricity). This study demonstrates the effects of an economy based on biomass (bioeconomy) on macroeconomic aspects through a Computable General Equilibrium model. Three scenarios for 2030 were created to compare different levels of production (amount of chemicals and energy production through fossils versus biomass) for Brazil, based on sugarcane, soy and forest crops. Two important methodological aspects of this paper are the financial support provided by the government to enable the bioeconomy, and the limitations in land use established by the needs to reduce emissions. Overall, the results show that a bioeconomy could result in almost irrelevant negative impacts on GDP and in small increases in unemployment rate comparing to the reference scenario. However, these effects could be reversed, even with no deforestation, if the livestock and agriculture sectors increased their efficiency regarding land. Most importantly, if the livestock sector worked as a source of land for other crops in the event of a bioeconomy, the socioeconomic response would be more positive than if deforestation took place. • This study analyzes the impacts of a bioeconomy on the Brazilian economy in 2030. • It includes biochemicals, bioenergy and biomaterials based on sugars and lignocellulosic materials. • The analysis includes land use, restricting the increase in land endowment, or deforestation. • Results show that actions are needed regarding land productivities to prevent negative impacts on the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We investigated certification and auditing of soy in western Bahía, in the most dynamic agricultural frontier in Brazil. • We draw on 72 semi-structured interviews and a systematic analysis of public audit reports from RTRS-certified farms. • Certification and auditing have not successfully protected the access of local communities to land and water. • Shortcomings are explained by the business-dominated nature of RTRS, auditing practices and domestic contextual factors. The massive expansion of soy production in Brazil has contributed to a loss of access for local communities to land and water, particularly in highly dynamic frontier regions in the Cerrado. Soy certification standards like the Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) contain principles that are supposed to prevent such problems. In this paper, we examine the extent to which certification and auditing have served to protect local communities' access to land and water in western Bahía state in the Cerrado's Matopiba region. We draw on findings from field research in Brazil and western Bahía, 72 semi-structured interviews with corporate, state and civil society actors, and a systematic analysis of audit reports from RTRS-certified farms in Bahía. We find that auditing practices are not effective in protecting the rights and access of local communities to land and water due to three inter-related sets of factors: 1) the business-dominated nature of the drafting and content of the RTRS standard, 2) the structural limitations and everyday practices of auditing, and 3) domestic and local contextual factors in Brazil and western Bahía. This study aims to contribute to a re-thinking and re-assessment of certification and auditing practices and suggests that new approaches are required to govern global commodity chains in a more environmentally just way. We advocate for a locally embedded and community-sensitive perspective in research on certification and auditing, to complement previous research in the fields of critical political economy and sustainability governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper reports results from the first NDS in Brazil. • A safety comparison between non- and organized carpooling situations is performed. • Results indicate safer behaviour during carpooling in terms of MPU while driving. • Results partially confirm safer behaviour during carpooling in terms of speeding. Carpooling consists of drivers and passengers sharing a journey and its costs. Nowadays, in the context of mobility as a service, organized carpooling encompasses a service and trust relationship between drivers and passengers, by matching common routes and splitting cost through mobile phone applications. Therefore, passengers expect a certain level of travel quality and safety. In this context, this research aims to verify the hypothesis that drivers in an organized carpooling situation (CP) show safer driving behavior in terms of speeding (SP) and mobile phone use while driving (MPU) in comparison with non-carpooling (NCP) drivers. The research is based on data from the Brazilian Naturalistic Driving Study (NDS-BR) conducted in the City of Curitiba, with 40.45 driving hours and a traveled distance of 895.87 km. Methodology included the selection of safety performance indicators on SP and MPU, use of nonparametric Wilcoxon signed rank test for safety performance indicator comparisons and Pearson Chi-Square to test the association between CP or NCP and low or high indicator values. Hypothesis test results point in the same direction and partially confirm the initial assumption that CP induces safer behavior in terms of speeding. The statistically sound results showed that CP drivers engaged in less speeding episodes and mobile phone use duration in comparison to NCP drivers, as well as lower speed while using a mobile phone. In addition, driver behavior in CP and NCP situations also differed in terms of the type of MPU, with the proportion of types of use that demand a higher level of visual and manual distraction being higher among NCP drivers. In summary, these results confirm the initial hypothesis of safer driving behavior during carpooling in terms of MPU while driving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the world has raised concerns about the responsiveness of cities and healthcare systems during pandemics. Recent studies try to model how the number of COVID-19 infections will likely grow and impact the demand for hospitalization services at national and regional levels. However, less attention has been paid to the geographic access to COVID-19 healthcare services and to hospitals' response capacity at the local level, particularly in urban areas in the Global South. This paper shows how transport accessibility analysis can provide actionable information to help improve healthcare coverage and responsiveness. It analyzes accessibility to COVID-19 healthcare at high spatial resolution in the 20 largest cities of Brazil. Using network-distance metrics, we estimate the vulnerable population living in areas with poor access to healthcare facilities that could either screen or hospitalize COVID-19 patients. We then use a new balanced floating catchment area (BFCA) indicator to estimate spatial, income, and racial inequalities in access to hospitals with intensive care unit (ICU) beds and mechanical ventilators while taking into account congestion effects. Based on this analysis, we identify substantial social and spatial inequalities in access to health services during the pandemic. The availability of ICU equipment varies considerably between cities, and it is substantially lower among black and poor communities. The study maps territorial inequalities in healthcare access and reflects on different policy lessons that can be learned for other countries based on the Brazilian case. • Use of a Balanced Floating Catchment Area to calculate accessibility to healthcare. • Estimates access to healthcare in the 20 largest Brazilian cities during COVID-19. • Over 1.6 million people have poor access to healthcare for severe cases of COVID-19. • 41% of vulnerable population have poor access to ICU beds and mechanical ventilators. • Low income and black communities in urban periphery have less healthcare access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the rate of contamination in bovine meat and meat products with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in Brazil over the last fifteen years. Data were obtained from online databases in February 2020, and 25 papers were selected from 1036 articles identified in the literature search and 13 articles from gray literature, totaling 4286 samples analyzed. The overall rate of STEC was estimated to be 1% in Brazil. The highest rate (9%) was observed in Mato Grosso, followed by Rio Grande do Sul (1%), Goiás (1%), and São Paulo (1%). Regarding the sample type analyzed, hot carcasses had the highest rate (8%) of positive samples for STEC, followed by cold carcasses (2%) and beef samples (1%). As the available data were concentrated in the São Paulo state, the findings of this meta-analysis reveal the need for further studies in Brazil to allow better risk assessment and prevention of human STEC infections. • Meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the prevalence of STEC in Brazilian meats. • The studies were concentrated in the southeastern region, mainly in São Paulo state. • A great heterogeneity of contamination rate was observed among studies and regions. • The highest rate of contamination with STEC was observed in Mato Grosso state. • Hot carcasses had the highest rate of contamination among the sample types analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive urbanized areas, characterized by waterproofed soils, increase runoff, which reduces the rainwater infiltration into the ground. However, water, sewer, and rainwater distribution systems leak, as there is excess irrigation in green areas, resulting in anthropic recharging in urban aquifers larger than in rural areas with equivalent climates. This scenario occurs in the Upper Tietê Watershed (UTW), an area of 5,868 km2 that drains the principal rivers of the São Paulo's metropolitan region in Brazil, where groundwater plays a complementary role for domestic, industrial, and agricultural supplies, totalizing extraction rates higher than 11 m3/s. In this paper, a Geographical Information System (GIS) was established to assess regional groundwater availabilities using adaptations of classic recharge methods such as soil water budget calculations and estimation of minimum sustainable river flow. For this, a surface runoff map, based on soil and slope terrain data, was evaluated using the information on water and sanitation infrastructure and meteorological data. We found that recharge in urban areas (with water and sewer mains) was 437 mm/yr and 106–407 mm/yr in rural areas. Considering the need to maintain a minimum historical flow of 20 m3/s in the hydrographic basin of the Tietê River, the total exploitable groundwater is 33 m3/s. The compilation of various GIS methods can help decision-makers develop alternative water security management plans in complex urbanized-regions such as in the metropolis of São Paulo. • A GIS was established to assess regional groundwater availabilities through adapted classical recharge methods. • Recharge in urban areas is associated with natural infiltration, leakages from water distribution mains and sewer systems. • The compilation of various methods in a GIS can help decision-makers to develop alternative water security management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We propose two indexes to account for the vulnerability related to COVID-19. • The northern and northeastern regions of Brazil have the highest degree of vulnerability from exposure to COVID-19. • The Indigenous population is the most vulnerable to infection with COVID-19 and is the most impoverished monetarily. • The Brown and Black populations are also at a disadvantage compared to the White and Asian groups. • Most states with the highest vulnerability from exposure to COVID-19 have also had the largest increase in death rates. This paper aims to show how much and in which way people in Brazil are deprived in terms of indicators directly related to the capacity to prevent and recover from infection with COVID-19. We use the Alkire-Foster (AF) method and a fuzzy-set approach as complements to measure multidimensional poverty within the context of the coronavirus pandemic. We propose two pandemic-specific indexes to account for the vulnerability related to the capacity to prevent infection with and to recover from the disease. The outcomes reveal structural deprivations in the country and considerable inequality among regions and ethnic groups. Rank correlation analyses suggest that the proposed indexes can trace the trends in increasing infection and a higher mortality rate in vulnerable regions. Compared to headcount ratio results, the fuzzy measures have more precise outcomes and are better able to capture the evolution in mortality patterns. Our empirical evidence offers an additional warning that the pandemic responses need to prioritize the most vulnerable groups and reinforces the need for coordinated national action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are calls for increasing the uptake of visual methods in tourism research. This paper makes a distinct contribution to visual methodology by focusing on images generated by local residents. We examine the opportunities and challenges of utilising participant-generated photo-elicitation. Specifically, through participant-generated images, this research studies tourism impacts in the coastal destination of Imbassaí, in the state of Bahia in the Northeast of Brazil. The unusual experience of looking through a camera on their lives, enabled participants to reflect on and make sense of their social worlds in relation to tourism impacts. Photo-elicitation effectively engages participants and provides more nuanced insights into social phenomena. There are however organisational, ethical and practical challenges that need to be considered. • Visual methods offer opportunities for examining tourism phenomena and experiences. • We explore tourism impacts through participant-generated photo-elicitation. • This method facilitates access to vulnerable and marginalised groups. • Through reflection, participants reach greater awareness of their social world. • Participant-generated photo-elicitation supports the analysis of social hierarchy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In federal democracies, parties often invest in local politics as a strategy to improve their performance on upcoming national elections. In this study, I use the concept of reverse coattails to investigate how winning local elections affect upper-level electoral dynamics in Brazil. Using a regression discontinuity design (RDD), I show that parties in Brazil boost their national performance, earning more votes on House elections in districts where their members control local offices. I discuss how access to "pork" controlled by co-partisan House members and mechanical information gains explain these effects. Additionally, I use a Bayesian LASSO algorithm to address data sparsity in RDD designs, and to demonstrate the existence of pro-large party bias on the coattail effects. By disentangling the various effects of winning local elections, this paper contributes to a greater understanding of how parties build electoral strength in fragmented democracies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Agricultural productivity matters for poverty reduction and growth. • Land productivity declines with farm size in all regions of Brazil. • The farm size – total factor productivity relationship changes with modernization. • The relationship between farm size and TFP becomes U-shaped or positive by 2006. • TFP is more relevant than land productivity for policy and poverty. The relationship between farm size and productivity is a recurrent topic in development economics, almost as old as the discipline itself. This paper emphasizes the importance of choice of productivity measures in the inverse relationship literature. First, we seek to clarify the common measures, their relationships, and advantages and limitations in empirical work. Second, we argue that total factor productivity (TFP), not land productivity, is the appropriate indicator for most policy questions. Lastly, using a pseudo-panel of Brazilian farms that are aggregated at the farm size and municipality levels over the period 1985–2006, we provide new evidence on the inverse relationship between farm size and both land productivity and TFP. The inverse relationship between size and land productivity is alive and well. The relationship between TFP and size, in contrast, has evolved with modernization during this period, becoming increasingly U-shaped or even positive. Policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a new parameterization of the temperature and H 2 O content dependence of the pure liquid viscosities of rhyolitic and dacitic magmas associated with representative volcanic products of the Caxias do Sul and Santa Maria eruptive sequences. The viscosities of silicic volcanic products from the Santa Maria rhyolite (SMr), Caxias do Sul (CSd) and Barros Cassal (BCd) eruptive sequences (Lower Cretaceous volcanism of Parana-Etendeka Large Igneous Province) were measured in the temperature range from ca. 1600 °C to the glass transition (T g). Anhydrous melt viscosities of representative samples from the main eruptive sequences were determined via concentric cylinder viscometry in the superliquidus regime. The quench products of SMr and CSd were then hydrated using an Internally Heated Pressure Vessel to generate two suites of samples with variable water content of up to 4.41 (CSd) and 5.27 (SMr) wt% as determined by Karl Fischer Titration (KFT). Finally, both anhydrous and hydrous samples were used for micropenetration viscosity measurements near T g. Both types of samples show a minor amount of Fe-Ti-oxide nanolites identified via Raman spectroscopy, which presence did not substantially interfere with viscosity determinations. Based on the results of the viscosity measurements we parameterized the viscosity dependence as a function of water content using the following Vogel Fulcher Tammann (VFT) expressions accounting for the water and temperature dependence of the viscosity: logη = −4.55 + (10065–176*H 2 O)/[T-(34.6 + 375.3/(1 + H 2 O))] for SMr. and logη = −4.55 + (9213–338.1*H 2 O)/[T-(148.5 + 301.3/(1 + H 2 O))] for CSd. where η is the viscosity in Pa s, T the absolute temperature and H 2 O the dissolved water content in wt%. This novel parameterization appears to solve a few inconsistencies associated with the variation of the main descriptive parameters of the effect of H 2 O, improving the performance of some previous parameterizations. These results are useful for scaling to the conditions extant during ascent and eruption and during flow, emplacement and welding, at temperatures above T g , for the dacitic and rhyolitic products investigated here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new Pleurodira turtle Itapecuruemys amazonensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Itapecuru Formation (Parnaíba Basin, Brazil) is described. The new species is represented only by its holotype, which consists of an almost complete carapace and plastron, with an oval-shaped outline. The most peculiar characters of Itapecuruemys amazonensis are: neural plates six and seven are separated by costal six, and the seventh neural plate contacts the sixth, seventh and eighth costal plates and a suprapygal. The phylogenetic hypothesis proposed in this paper suggests that Itapecuruemys amazonensis , together with Cearachelys and Galianemys spp., form a monophyletic assemblage and also widen the paleoherpetological diversity of the Itapecuru Formation in the Parnaíba Basin (Brazil). • A new species of Pleurodira from theItapecuru Formation (Parnaíba Basin, Lower Cretaceous). • The new pleurodira presents a gap in the neural series and seventh neural bone with seven sides. • Increase in the diversity of Brazilian fossil chelonians. • The new species allows a better understanding of the paleoenvironments and paleobiogeographic distribution of the Aptian Pleurodira. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We verified that infrastructure negatively affects the levels of household poverty in Brazil. • These effects are strengthened when infrastructure quality and access are greater. • Our results also indicate that there are important spatial heterogeneities in household poverty. • Infrastructure policies should take into account the heterogeneities of the infrastructure in the regional scope. Many scholars have highlighted the role of infrastructure investments in promoting economic growth along with poverty reduction and social inclusion. Developing economies show substantial discrepancies in terms of infrastructure in the rural–urban, regional and income dimensions. These disparities may be reinforcing a social and economic framework marked by a large portion of the population living in poverty. In a scenario characterized by immense regional and income heterogeneities, the present study aims to evaluate the effect of infrastructure investments on household poverty in Brazil. In addition, we verify whether these effects vary according to infrastructure characteristics such as provision, quality and access. The analysis is based on detailed household microdata from the Demographic Census and infrastructure variables at the municipal and state levels, captured from a variety of data sources. An additional contribution of the paper is the novel application of multilevel logistic models to investigate the relationship between infrastructure and poverty at household, municipal and state levels. Our results demonstrate negative effects of the infrastructure provision on poverty. These effects, in turn, are strengthened when infrastructure quality and access are greater, which allows us to infer about the importance of public policies aimed at achieving lower inequalities in access to basic sanitation, Internet, transportation, telephone services and electricity. These policies should also take into account the infrastructure heterogeneities at the regional level, since such heterogeneities have been important in explaining household poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mass migration effects on human capital formation in Brazil are heterogeneous based on nationality. • Italian, German and Japanese presence in 1920 are related to higher measures of human capital in the twenty-first century. • Portuguese and Spanish presence in 1920 are not associated with higher human capital today. • Heterogenous effects of immigrant presence appear in high and low immigrant-impact municipalities. This paper investigates the impact of the mass migration episode of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century (1888–1920) on human capital creation in Brazil. We argue that the presence of immigrants at the turn of the twentieth century has had a positive impact on current measures of human capital and that the effect is heterogeneous. Demand for education depends on an immigrants' experiences with public education, on their religious background, and on their migration objectives and demographics. The supply of education is contingent on social capital and size of immigrant community. Further, we indicate that this effect persisted over time and remained localized due to high mobility costs and network effects. We find a positive relationship between German, Japanese and Italian presence in 1920 and current human capital, while Portuguese and Spanish presence are not associated with human capital increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This systematic review evaluates data obtained from Brazilian congenital toxoplasmosis studies. • Children born from treated mothers have better outcomes than those born from untreated mothers, thus, gestational treatment is a watershed • Congenital toxoplasmosis is diagnosed late in Brazil, despite existing government guidelines. Congenital toxoplasmosis is a zoonosis caused by the intracellular Apicomplexa protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. This infection causes subclinical or clinical lesions, such as retinochoroiditis and central nervous system lesions. The severity of fetal infection is related to the stage of pregnancy and the efficacy of the gestational treatment on fetal infection, whether it is achieved, or if it starts early. South America is the region with the highest burden of congenital toxoplasmosis and the most pathogenic genotypes. Here, we present the results of a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of the congenital toxoplasmosis in Brazil. PubMed, Web of Science, and CAPES databases were used to search for relevant studies that were published between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2018. The final searching process yielded 21 papers. The studies accounted for 469 children with congenital toxoplasmosis. Of these, 269 (57%) had a diagnosis in the postnatal period. Concerning mothers, 209 (44.6%) underwent prenatal care, but 47 (22.5%) did not receive any drug for toxoplasmosis treatment. There were 226 (48.2%) children with retinochoroiditis; 83 (17.7%) with brain calcifications; 9 (1.9%) with neurosensory auditory dysfunction; and 2 (0.42%) with human immunodeficiency virus coinfection. A total of 460 (98%) children had a medical and multidisciplinary follow-up for at least one year and the most frequent genotype was #11(BRII), found in seven children. There was a statistical correlation between the mother's treatment and asymptomatic children. The gestational treatment seems to protects the fetus since children of mothers who received anti-T. gondii medications have a better prognosis. The retinochoroiditis was the main finding among children, followed by brain calcifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Changes in the PISA eligibility is correlated with an artificial improvement in the Brazil national average performance. • With a correction to the distribution of students per grade in PISA, there is a more modest increase in Math. • The observed change in the PISA eligibility does not seems to be driven by distinct results across school type. • Controlling the sample to show the same distribution in each state, results in a reordering of states and worse math scores. PISA is one of the most widely used instruments to assess student performance in the world. This paper investigates how changes in testing dates and students' dates of birth (eligibility) between 2000 and 2018 have affected results in Brazil. Controlling for changes in students' grade distribution over time, we show that changes in grade composition are correlated with increases in average score. We estimate that about 60 % of improvements in math are unrelated to student improvement. Since changes in testing date and eligibility are unrelated to the school system, performance increases over time might not be a result of a country's educational policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water Safety Plan is an international tool developed by the World Health Organization to enable the implementation of better water quality guarantees regarding human health issues. This current tool´s template deals with water quantity suring the occurrence of floods and droughts only as emergency situations. The key issues of this paper are how we may integrate proactive drought and flood planning into the so-called Water Safety Plans. The city of Caraguatatuba, north coast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, has a large tourist flow a high rate of population growth, and is currently drafting the Water Safety Plan. This article aims to analyze the Caraguatatuba Water Safety Plan and compare its elaboration steps and respective contents to the international practices related to the management of water conflicts with spatial guidelines in order to propose improvements. The methodology starts with an overall view of the Brazilian water system and steps and procedures of Caraguatatuba Water Safety Plan. The case of Caraguatatuba was compared with international practices, and more detailed comparison with a Spanish practice. The key findings were: the need of establishing a legal framework to ensure the plans' successful implementation and accomplishment of recording the occurrence of extreme water events and its incorporation in the diagnostic step in the planning system, and the elaboration of multiple progressive scenarios establishing land use and occupation guidelines. The spatial guidelines improvements are: specific construction criteria for flood zones, targeting activities compatible with flood zones, patrimony insurance for flood management and creation of catchment points for temporary supply, limitation of non-essential uses as swimming pool and car washers, reduce irrigated land for agricultural crops, adoption an exchange bank for the granting of water resources, proportional fee by water quality and improve water use in industrial processes for drought management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing composition of the atmosphere, driven by anthropogenic emissions, is the cause of anthropogenic climate change as well as deteriorating air quality. Emission inventories are essential to understand the contribution of various human activities, model and predict the changing atmospheric composition, and design cost-effective mitigation measures. At present, national emission inventories in South America (SA) focus on Greenhouse Gases (GHG) as part of their obligation to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCC) within the framework of their national communications. Emission inventories other than GHG in SA focus mainly on growing urban areas and megacities. Therefore, studies examining air quality at national, regional or continental scales in SA depend on (down-scaled) global emission inventories. This paper examines the emission estimates of air pollutants from various global inventories for five SA countries, namely Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru. A more detailed analysis is conducted for the EDGAR and ECLIPSE emission inventories, in particular comparing local city-scale inventories of a major city in each country. Although total emissions between down-scaled global inventories and local city inventories are often comparable, large discrepancies exist between the sectoral contributions. This is critical, as the mitigation of poor air quality will depend on addressing the right sources. Potential sources of discrepancies between global and local inventories include the spatial distribution proxies, difference in emission factors used and/or the use of generic statistical country data when estimating emissions. This highlights the importance of using local information when generating national emission inventories, especially for air quality modeling and development of effective mitigation measures. This study represents the first step towards an increased understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of emissions information in SA. • Emissions from various inventories for 5 South American (SA) countries are examined. • Downscaled Global & city emissions present large discrepancies for the same domain. • Global emission inventory to derive city emission for AQ modeling is not suggested. • Increasing the understanding of strengths and weaknesses of emissions data for SA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compulsory voting is known for boosting electoral turnout, even when sanctions for abstaining are small or loosely enforced. Much less is known, however, about the consequences of compulsory voting on vote choice, and, in particular, about the quality of electoral decisions. In this paper, we explore the extent to which voters meaningfully engage in the electoral process or simply vote randomly because voting is required by law. We conducted a large online survey in Brazil during the 2018 national elections to assess if voters engage in random voting. We evaluate random voting for low-profile, low-information elected offices (state and federal legislators) and others that receive greater media coverage (governor and president) and evaluate the determinants of random voting for each of them. We find that: 1) random voting does not appear to be affected by social desirability bias; 2) there is substantial random voting under compulsory voting; 3) more voters tend to engage in random voting in low-profile, low-information elections, as compared to elections that receive greater media coverage; and, 4) interest in politics, education, and disposition to vote if voting were to be voluntary reduce random voting. Our findings carry important implications for the study of citizen participation and civic competence under compulsory voting and for democratic representation, more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fossil record of anurans in South America is scarse, especially for Mesozoic-aged beds. The aim of the present paper is to describe a new neobatrachian anuran coming from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Crato Formation from Brazil. The specimen, represented by a nearly complete skeleton is reminiscent to the extant clade Hyloidea. In contrast with recent claims, this finding, together with previously known fossils from South America indicates that modern frog clades were present and well-diversified by 40 million years before the K/T boundary. In the same sense, the analysis of Mesozoic and Paleogene anuran record in South America contradicts the hypothesis of massive anuran extinction at the K/T boundary. • A new neobatrachian anuran coming from the Early Cretaceous (Aptian) Crato Formation from Brazil is described. • Present record constitutes an important addition to the scarse fossils of Mesozoic anurans in South America. • Present finding indicates that modern frog clades were well-diversified by 40 million years before the K/T boundary. • In Patagonia, the K/T boundary does not accounts for a massive anuran extinction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evolution of the geographic concentration of the Brazilian air transport network with a focus on its determinants and possible detachments from the spatial patterns of socioeconomic activity. We develop an econometric framework employing and contrasting the results of Gini, Herfindahl-Hirschman and Theil indexes, with and without normalisation to account for economic and demographic spatial dynamics. Our results suggest that the spatial dynamics of the air network and that of the country's economy and population are strongly tied for the majority of the considered determinants. However, we find suggestive evidence that the time trend after deregulation has produced some asymmetries in the evolution of these dimensions. As such, our analysis presents some implications for airline network planning and regulators, as it offers additional information to be considered for the understanding of extra-economic and extra-demographic impacts which may be inducive of significant changes in air transport markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Terra Legal had no overall impact on deforestation as of 2012. • Deforestation levels increased following Terra Legal in highly registered counties. • Spatial spillovers from Terra Legal were minimal in the short term. • Temporary crop cultivation decreased with greater registered area. • Investment loans increased in counties with more area registered by small and medium farms. This paper estimates the early impacts of Terra Legal , a large property rights reform, on deforestation and farming in the Brazilian Amazon. Twelve and a half million hectares, more than 2.5% of the Brazilian Amazon, have been registered under this program. The establishment of property rights may increase a farmer's incentive to invest in his land and expand his farm due to a lower risk of expropriation. On the other hand, the enforcement of conservation requirements may be easier when farmers have legal titles to their land. We use county level data from 2007 to 2012 on farm registrations, deforestation, crop choice and bovine management to test the impact of the Terra Legal land reform. While we find no overall impact of the program on deforestation during the period in our sample, we do show that there is substantial heterogeneity in impacts across counties. Counties with the largest area registered do have an increase in the level of area deforested, but they also have a decrease in the rate of deforestation. We investigate the extent to which changes in deforestation are related to the amount of registration that occurs among small, medium and large farms, and find limited support for less deforestation among counties with more area registered by small farms; more area registered by large farms is associated with a higher level of deforestation, but a decreased deforestation rate. Our results suggest that land tenure reform can create incentives to decelerate deforestation. Farm size has a strong impact on the farm management changes generated by improved property rights; coupling land tenure reforms with incentives to intensify production rather than expand could lead to reduced deforestation, particularly among small farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While much of the literature on social resilience is concerned with how cities overcome "shocks" to the urban system, much less is known about the strategies of survival and adaptation among its poorest residents. We argue that residents in poor, often informal, neighborhoods are faced with chronic shocks , or constantly recurring disasters, such as floods, severe illness, or violent police invasions. In this paper, we draw on focus groups, participant-observation and a survey (n = 989) based on a participatory action research methodology in Cidade de Deus, one of Rio de Janeiro's poor neighborhoods (or "favelas"). We examine how concentrated poverty and violence affect residents' well-being and survival strategies. We find that residents in these areas address chronic shocks along varying levels of: (1) 'formality,' or engagement with the state apparatus or formal economy; (2) contentious politics; and (3) collectivity, from addressing the needs of the individual or kinship network to the neighborhood. We conclude that the variability in strategies reflects residents' ability to adapt to an uneven and unjust urban environment. Poor residents seek the same rights, resources, and privileges of other urban citizens. • The urban poor face chronic shocks, or constantly recurring disasters in a context of poverty, fragility and violence. • Poor urban residents deal with chronic shocks along varying levels of: (1) formality; (2) contention; and (3) collectivity. • Participatory action research helps to identify the concerns and resilience strategies of the urban poor. • Residents in Cidade de Deus, Rio de Janeiro must constantly navigate between multiple strategies of social resilience. • Policymakers should not expect the poor to be resilient, but provide them the same resources as other urban citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Studies the impact of the expansion of the road network on municipal population and economic activity between 1970 and 2000. • Addresses endogeneity in road location using as natural experiment the creation of the capital city Brasilia in 1960. • Identification strategy combines inconsequential unit approach and use of planned routes as instruments. • Improvement in access to State capitals generated agglomeration effects in terms of population and GDP growth. • Effects were stronger up to 200 km around cities and for areas with good amenities and a high share of non-agricultural GDP. This paper studies the impact of the rapid expansion of the Brazilian road network, which occurred from the 1960s to the 2000s, on the growth and spatial allocation of population and economic activity across the country's municipalities. It addresses the problem of endogeneity in infrastructure location by using an original empirical strategy, based on the historical natural experiment constituted by the creation of the new federal capital city Brasília in 1960. It highlights long term center-periphery agglomeration effects and shows heterogeneous effects of roads depending on the characteristics of metropoles they lead to and on the location of the municipalities themselves, in line with predictions in terms of agglomeration economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new biostratigraphic data and paleobiogeographic inferences obtained from the nannofossil content of the cored well UFRJ-2-LRJ-01-SE, drilled in the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, Brazil. This material represents one of the best and most complete recovered sections of the mid-Cretaceous in the whole South America. Quantitative analyzes of calcareous nannofossils were performed on 78 samples and a total of 127 nannofossil taxa were identified. Eleven biostratigraphic intervals (BC26–UC7) were recognized, allowing to assign a late Albian–early Turonian age for the section. The absence of marker-taxa in the lower part of the Zone UC1 (early Cenomanian) associated with the indication of tectonic activity (fault) suggests a stratigraphic break/unconformity within the section. Nannofossil taxa with known stratigraphic distribution restricted to the Aptian (e.g., Nannoconus quadriangulus and Nannoconus troelsenii) were considered reworking. Nannofossil assemblages showed an abundance of nannofossil taxa with cosmopolitan and Tethyan affinities. However, the occurrence of Sollasites horticus , species with Boreal affinity, seems to be related to an increase in the effectiveness of the ocean circulation pattern coming from northern part of South Atlantic between the latest Albian and the late Cenomanian. The decrease in the abundance of Tethyan-affinity taxa recorded from the upper Cenomanian to the top of the section may be related to the development of more open oceanic condition. The absence of Austral taxa in the studied samples may be related to a low efficiency of ocean circulation pattern coming from the southern part of the South Atlantic, probably due to influence of geological barriers (e.g., Rio Grande Rise-Walvis Ridge) until the latest early Turonian. This study establishes the first bio-chronostratigraphic framework for the well UFRJ-2-LRJ-01-SE, providing the context and basis for further research that will contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of the South Atlantic during the middle Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments geochemical data from Araxá city, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, have provided new insights on the pollutants inputs in different drainage systems of Araxá city, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The sediments profiles (6) provided from a lake (Grand Hotel) and streams (Sal, Areia, Fundo, and Feio). The local municipality uses some waters (Areia, Fundo, and Feio streams) in water-supply systems. Because of the Brazilian environmental agency does not establish concentration guidelines for several heavy metals occurring in freshwater sediments, the values reported in this paper were compared with limits proposed elsewhere. Enrichment Factor (EF) values of 20–40 (very high enrichment) and EF > 40 (extremely high enrichment) were found for Ba (in two sediment core), Nb (in three sediment core) and Se (in four sediment core). The 210Pb chronological method was useful for tracking some major events that occurred in the history of Araxá city, showing concentration peaks around 1962 and 1993 for BaO, Nb 2 O 5 , Fe 2 O 3 , P 2 O 5 , SO 3 , SrO and CeO 2 and around 1972 and 1999 for SeO 2. • Application of the 210Pb chronological CRS model at drainages from Araxá city, Brazil. • Cr, Zn, Cu and Pb levels in the sediments above of the PEL standards for freshwater; -Ba concentration in sediment cores exceeding the limiting value of 750 μg/g for agricultural land use. •Enrichment Factor (EF) values suggesting extremely high enrichment for Ba, Nb and Se. •Historical fluxes of BaO, Nb 2 O 5 , Fe 2 O 3 , P 2 O 5 , SO 3 , SrO and CeO 2 showed concentration peaks around 1962 and 1993, coinciding with important events that occurred at Barreiro area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the incentives of large shareholders to implement the corporate governance system that favors their interests within a framework of highly concentrated ownership and poor legal protection for investors. A metric for corporate governance based on the fulfillment of non-mandatory rules of good corporate governance is used. System GMM (Generalized Method of Moments) estimates for a balanced panel data of Brazilian firms reveal that the ownership concentration is detrimental to corporate governance quality and the quality of board composition. In accordance with the expropriation effect on principal-principal agency conflicts, by weakening the corporate governance system and board composition, large controlling shareholders may use private benefits of control. As proposed by the substitution effect, in a complementary way, controlling shareholders may renounce strong boards and directly perform management monitoring, mitigating agency conflicts with managers. Finally, the ability of large shareholders other than the main blockholder is not enough to contest his/her power to shape the corporate governance system. The work provides evidence of the prominence of the principal–principal agency problem in an emerging market, by analyzing the effect of ownership concentration over the quality of the corporate governance system, and also that other large non-controlling shareholders are not able to contest the power of the main blockholder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the mobilization of power by health workers during policy implementation, showing how in a context of discretion and resource scarcity they can reproduce inequalities in access to health services. The argument innovates theoretically by supplementing the 'street-level bureaucracy' literature, which emphasizes frontline worker discretion, with a conceptualization of power as domination encompassing the shaping of behavior, the constitution of subjects and the reproduction of inequality. Empirically, the article focuses on Brazilian community health workers (agentes comunitários de saúde , CHWs). CHWs are a neglected but highly important segment of the health workforce that traditionally functions as a link between the health system and disadvantaged groups. The article examines how Brazilian CHWs act as street-level bureaucrats mobilizing power in their interactions with users. They operate within a severely under-resourced public health system, the Sistema Único de Saúde , which places constraints upon their action and forces them to make allocation decisions with little training and support. The article highlights the ways in which inequalities in access to health services are reproduced (inadvertently or not) through the practices, discursive styles and classifications of CHWs. Methodologically, the paper is based on ethnography with 24 CHWs and interviews with 77 other CHWs in Brazil. • Develops a novel framework for analysing health worker discretion and power. • Supplements the street-level bureaucracy approach with the concept of domination. • Explores the mobilization of power by Brazilian community health workers. • Shows how policy implementation can reproduce inequality in access to healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing rise of climate-related disasters in the world, knowledge of risk, monitoring and early warning, dissemination and communication, and disaster preparedness have become demanded. Early Warning Systems (EWS) have been proposed as a strategy for reducing the vulnerability of populations living in at-risk areas. A current challenge in knowledge of risk and disaster preparedness is the inclusion of sociodemographic characteristics of the population in EWS. In order to contribute for an initial comprehension of the dimensions of vulnerability in Brazil, the aim of this paper is to understand the conditions of at-risk populations at an intra-urban scale and the potential application in the Brazilian EWS (BEWS). Through an integration of demographic data and landslide and flood risk mappings of 825 municipalities historically affected by disasters in Brazilian territory, an estimation of 8,266,566 people and 2,470,506 households was achieved. This result indicates that for every 100 inhabitants, 9 lived in disaster risk areas in Brazil. A novel database containing sociodemographic and infrastructure basic services data is available for specific analysis of those who are exposed to disasters. These data, associated with hazard forecast, are essential for effective early warnings, which allow actions focusing the reduction of human losses. The knowledge of at risk population in Brazil may contribute to the identification of the more critical areas that require priority response actions, such as the ones with more presence of elderly, children and a higher concentration of residents in households without sanitation, which are indicators of vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most European countries have committed to ambitious emissions reduction goals. Energy generation in particular is responsible for more than 30% of global emissions, where significant focus has been placed on renewable energy generation, including biomass. On the one hand, there are countries, like the UK, where the biomass stock is insufficient to meet the demand; on the other hand, there are countries, like Brazil, where the stock significantly exceeds the demand. To promote a natural symbiosis, it is necessary to take on the challenge of transporting biomass through long distances in an environmentally and economically efficient manner. This paper aims to assess the efficiency of alternative pathways of international biomass supply-chains. The alternatives involve different biomass origin regions, transportation modes, export ports and processing technologies, including torrefaction. Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) has been used for the first time to assess the efficiency of the alternative biomass supply chain pathways in a Latin American context, considering multiple-criteria relating to economic and environmental performance simultaneously, such as the biomass delivered cost, the environmental impact and the fossil energy consumption. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to analyse the robustness of the results under uncertainty in parameter values. The DEA approach presented can assist the process of planning biomass sourcing and improve decision-making under multiple decision criteria. The results can support medium- and long-term strategic decisions for decision- and policy-makers. • Efficiency assessment of biomass supply chain pathways between Brazil and the UK. • 56 alternative pathways considered with different supply chain structure. • Data Envelopment Analysis used for multi-criteria efficiency assessment. • Results can support decision and policy making. • Trade-offs between different criteria identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every year, studies about food handlers' food safety knowledge, attitudes, and practices are published. Some results of these papers have been rather controversial, especially those related to food safety practices. The two most common methods for evaluating food safety practices - self-assessment and observation - are generally treated as interchangeable, but they can have different meanings. The objective of this study was, therefore, to differentiate between the observed and self-reported food safety practices of food handlers, verifying the effect of different variables in these food safety indicators through structural equation modeling, and examining the relationship between cognitive factors and these practices. A questionnaire with 37 questions was given to 183 food handlers to evaluate their food safety knowledge, attitudes, self-reported practices, and risk perceptions. For the observed assessment method of evaluating the food handlers' practices (observed practices), a checklist was developed, and food handlers were observed during one workday. Two models were developed based on the results of these two assessment methods. In the first model a significant positive effect of knowledge and a negative effect of risk perception on self-reported practices were observed. Food handlers with high risk-perception about their practices reported less adequate practices. Positive food safety attitudes acted as a moderator dampening the positive effect between knowledge and self-reported practices. In the second model a significant positive effect of knowledge on observed practices. Attitudes strengthened the positive effect between knowledge and observed practices. On the other hand, a direct effect of attitude on observed practices was not observed. In conclusion, self-reported practices and observed practices are different and should be used and discussed properly. Unlabelled Image • A positive effect of knowledge on observed practices was found. • Attitudes acted as a moderator of the effect of knowledge on observed practices. • A positive effect of risk perception on self-reported practices was observed. • Observed practices presented a slight correlation with self-reported practices. • Self-reported and observed practices are noninterchangeable assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Rio Grande Rise is an extensive seamount region in the South-western Atlantic, with potential for deep-sea mining activities in the future. Such activities pose significant long-term disturbances and potentially severe impacts to both ecosystem structure and functioning, as well as associated ecosystem services. The Rio Grande Rise presents a severely understudied area, with very little knowledge on either local and regional scales. Most detailed knowledge available is centered on highly localised geological information and interpolated and/or modelled environmental data, while high-resolution data on biogeography, ecosystem processes and functioning are lacking. The Rio Grande Rise is most likely a remnant of the Paraná-Etendeka igneous province, and formed when the African and South-American plates separated to form the Southern Atlantic basin, about 75 million years ago. More recent cruises have generated very local and high-resolution acoustic impedance data on the substrate, showing extremely dense layers, likely to be cobalt-rich crusts and underlying bedrock, interspersed with thick sediment layers. Literature studies revealed that nowadays the Rise appears to be located within a relatively low-productivity oceanic region. Open-database mining yielded large-scale, extrapolated environmental data rasters, which show the Rise to be an oceanic region relatively free of pollution and anthropogenic disturbances, with high geomorphological heterogeneity and potential for high biodiversity. This image was confirmed in a small number of scientific submarine cruises, where a diverse range of seascapes was observed, from soft sediment to carbonate pavement and cobalt crust outcrops. Especially the latter substrata were found to be inhabited by diverse benthic communities, dominated by sessile organisms, presenting three-dimensional structural heterogeneity and with associated vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Cobalt-rich crusts appear to grow at an extremely slow rate of several mm per million years, in the deep ocean where biological and ecological processes such as reproduction, growth and recolonisation are characterised by slow dynamics. The main disturbances posed by deep-sea mining of cobalt-rich crusts on the Rio Grande Rise consist of (1) complete removal of substrate with its particular benthic communities, (2) strong localised increases in suspended particulate matter, causing smothering of breathing apparatus and dilution of food particles, (3) crushing by tailings and overburden and (4) toxicity effects by released metals and other toxic substances, likely to be increased under high pressure. These impacts will likely change the deep-sea ecosystem at the Rio Grande Rise and its functioning for time scales in the order of decades to centuries. State-of-the-art geological, environmental and ecological modelling, complemented with high-quality, fine-resolution data are needed to provide a detailed evaluation of the impacts of cobalt-rich ferromanganese crust mining in the Rio Grande Rise, with the goal to formulate strategic environmental management plans. Highlights • The Rio Grande Rise is an extremely data-poor area, with hardly any information on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. • A comprehensive baseline of the deep-sea environmental settings of the Rio Grande Rise is provided. • For the first time, a characterisation of Ecosystem Services derived from a deep sea area is undertaken. • A thorough assessment of deep-sea mining impacts in the Rio Grande Rise is performed. • The impact assessment directly serves the formulation of a Strategic Environmental Management Plan for the region. • Climate change effects are explicitly taken into account and present shifting baselines, rather than additive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Passive acoustic monitoring techniques provide a useful alternative to visual surveys for monitoring of marine mammals since they are less affected by adverse weather conditions. An autonomous unmanned Wave Glider, equipped with a towed hydrophone and recording system was used to collect acoustic data in the Brazilian offshore waters of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean between 6 and 25 February 2016. Nearly continuous data were obtained during this period (light and dark hours) for the 750 km traveled. There were 165,130 high-frequency detections in 31 encounters, including 1789 whistles, 389 burst-pulse sounds, and 162,952 echolocation clicks. A total of 705 low-frequency tonal signals were recorded in 5 encounters. Although high-frequency detections occurred at all hours of the day, the majority occurred during dark hours. Low-frequency detections were not evenly spread through all hours of the day, with the majority of them occurring during dark hours. High-frequency and low-frequency detections represented 26% and 3% of the recording hours, respectively. Duration, the number of emissions, and ocean depth varied among acoustic encounters. Encounters composed by high-frequency sounds were separated into seven different groups, probably different species. One of the encounters presented whistles that were previously recorded in the Rio de Janeiro Coast for Steno bredanensis (Rough-toothed dolphins). All of the low-frequency encounters were composed of a type of Balaenoptera brydei (Bryde's whales) call. This type of data collection is un-precedented for the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean and highlighted the use of the sampled area by delphinids on different days and different times of the day, including the dark hours. Highlights • A Wave Glider with a PAM system was first-ever used to collect acoustic data in the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, between 6 and 25 February 2016. • There were 165,130 high-frequency detections, and 705 low-frequency tonal signals recorded in 31 and five encounters, respectively. • One of the encounters presented whistles that were previously recorded in the Rio de Janeiro Coast for Steno bredanensis (Rough-toothed dolphins). • All of the low-frequency encounters were composed of a type of Balaenoptera brydei (Bryde's whales) call. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labor entrapment in Brazilian agriculture is not limited to 'marginal geographies' or sectors, but is a troubling presence at the core ofsome of the country's most developed and urbanized agricultural regions. This paper looks at the conditions of labor resistance and control in a dynamic and highly urbanized agricultural region of central Brazil that may explain the use there by employers of entrapped workers from distant regions. Commercial agriculture is intensely seasonal and sensitive to the quality and timing of delivery, so the fulfillment of labor demand continues to be a central concern of rural employers despite arguments for surplus labor. In the context of rural exodus, Brazilian farmers can no longer count on a flexible supply of residential workers. The article considers the importance of two 'urban freedoms' derived from the migration of rural workers to cities duringthe last 35 years. One is the increasing presence of labor unions and regulation in wage markets. The other is the creative strategies that households develop to weaken their dependence on agricultural work. To understand these strategies, gender relations within and outsideof the household are taken into account. The paper ends by critically examining the argument that wage compression is the reason that employers in Brazilian agriculture resort to labor replacement in dynamic regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The universities have realized the importance of extending their knowledge to the population through the provision of services. Thus, this paper presents the data obtained in an agreement between UNESP/Laboratory of Paternity and Public Defender Service in São Paulo State to make DNA paternity tests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reports on the cyanobacterial population, its ecology, dominance and coexistence characteristics in one annual cycle of a eutrophicated Gargalheiras reservoir (Marechal Dutra) of Acari, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte of Brazil. The study was conducted between November 1999 and May 2000, which included the dryand wet seasons. It is an old, man-made impounded water reservoir. The methodology included the collection of phytoplankton samples from the surface to the bottom in a fixed station to include four vertical profiles and to analyse them for physico-chemical and algological characteristics. Ecological indices, such as Shannon-Weaver for species diversity, Margalef’s species richness and Pielou’s evenness were calculated. The results reveal the characteristics of the eutrophic to the hyper trophic state for the Gargalheiras reservoir with the dominance of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Raphidiopsis curvata, Microcystis aeroginosa and Oscillatoria sp during the dry period. Cages were suspended to culture Amazonian fish, Tambaqui, at the beginning of the wet period close to the sampling stations in the reservoir and treated for point source nutrient loading and disturbance factor. This localised disturbance stimulated the growth of Chlorophyceae species, which co-existed along with the species of cyanobacteria to finally dominate; coinciding with the stability of monsoon rain in May. The conclusion drawn from the study period revealed that the reservoir with high inorganic nutrients had reduced transparency, anoxic hypolimnion, elevated levels of electrical conductivity and the dominance of cyanobacteria during the dry period and the dominance of chlorophyceae in the wet period. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report the occurrence and distribution of Carapidae larvae in the southwest Atlantic Ocean, between Real River (12°S) and São Tomé Cape (22°S), off Brazil. Carapidae larvae were collected during three oceanographic cruises: spring 1998, winter 1999 and autumn 2000. The hauls were conducted obliquely from a maximum depth of 200m, during day and night, with bongo nets 330- and 500-μm mesh size. Three species were recorded in this study: Carapus bermudensis, Echiodon dawsoni and Snyderidia canina. Only one C. bermudensis was collected during the winter cruise off the Salvador coast (13°S). Twenty-one larvae of E. dawsoni were collected during the three cruises between 14.5° and 22°S, including some at the banks of Vitória–Trindade Ridge. One S. canina larva occurred, during the spring in the north coast of Rio de Janeiro (22°S). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: There is little meiofauna data from the southwest Atlantic, and especially lacking are studies examining deep-sea communities. In this study, the structure of meiofauna communities, particularly nematodes, was analyzed from data derived from 101 samples (48 samples on the continental-slope and 53 samples at a deep-sea site) collected at Campos Basin, SE Brazil. Differences in the meiofauna densities and in the number of taxa between continental slope and deep-sea sites depended on the taxonomic level examined. While total meiofauna abundance did not differ significantly between sites, nematode densities were significantly higher in the deep sea (mean of 157 inds.10cm−2) than on the slope (mean of 129 inds.10cm−2). The number of meiofauna taxa was significantly higher at the continental slope site. Yet for the most abundant meiofaunal group, the nematodes, whilst the number of families did not differ between continental slope and deep sites, the number of genera was significantly higher in the deep sea. The remarkable resemblance between the dominant nematodes (Halalaimus, Acantholaimus, Daptonema, Theristus and Sabatieria) from SE Brazil and other deep sea studies confirmed earlier suggestions of a typical deep-sea nematode community with a broad geographical distribution. Multivariate analysis derived from meiofauna and nematode data showed that the structure of the fauna differed significantly between sites. Correlations detected between meiofauna and some sediment properties, such as grain size and sediment heterogeneity, although significant, were very low. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper focuses on the main problems identified along the Brazilian coast that can be solved or attenuated through adequate human education. Existing human capacity can be trained in order to properly deal with these problems. A description of how these problems were identified, the skills, knowledge and attitudes of personnel necessary toadequately perform their tasks and the structure of a training course proposed to improve human resource are included. (c) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep-sea coral communities are poorly known in the Southwestern Atlantic (SWA), particularly in the equatorial/subequatorial latitudes embraced by the northeastern Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Such knowledge gap has lead to the idea that the latter has low species richness when compared to southern Brazilian regions. Recent studies, however, indicate the northeastern slope as highly suitable for deep-sea coral habitats. Herein, based on recent sampling efforts, we confirm that deep-sea coral richness in that region is higher than previously thought. Trawl surveys carried out in 2011 at the Potiguar Basin, Rio Grande do Norte State, yielded the identification of at least 51 coral species, including 28 octocorals, 16 scleractinians, and seven antipatharians, including five new records for the South Atlantic and 11 new occurrences for the northeastern Brazilian waters. Comprising 29 species, the upper slope communities (102–200 m) showed the highest richness. Species richness between northeastern and southern Brazil is briefly compared, indicating a decrease of species richness southwards. Since most of the studied area is under influence of the same water masses, proximity to the Caribbean fauna may explain the species richness found in the northern Brazilian external shelf and slope. Finally, we suggest that biogeographic units within the Brazilian upper and middle slope are closer to shallow-water provinces than to deep-sea ones. • Models suggest a high richness of octocorals in the Northeastern Brazilian margin. • Trawl surveys yielded 51 deep-sea coral species from that area, 28 are octocorals. • Upper slope communities (102–200 m) showed the highest species richness. • Proximity whit the Caribbean may explain the species composition in NE Brazil. • Biogeographic delimitations place upper and middle slope closer to shallow-water provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Characterizing the patterns of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes at the base of the food webs (baseline) is essential in ecological studies for assessing the feeding habits and migration patterns of marine predators. We analysed δ13C and δ15N in zooplankton samples collected in spring and autumn (2012–2015), along the south (SCM) and southeast (NCSM) Brazilian oceanic waters. An increase in δ13C from the shelf break towards the offshore was associated with the influence of continental water input and upwellings along the shelf break, which introduce 13C-depleted inorganic carbon to the surface, where it will be incorporated into the biological system through phytoplankton growth. An opposite trend was observed in δ15N, with higher values along the shelf break related to the intrusion of upwelled deep-water nutrients, contrasting with the oligotrophic offshore waters where N 2 fixation takes place, resulting in primary and secondary production that is relatively more depleted in 15N. A latitudinal (north-south) decrease in δ13C along the offshore area coincided with known isotopic patterns in inorganic carbon, which were more 13C-depleted towards higher latitudes. On the other hand, an increase in δ15N was observed towards the south, reflecting the contrast between the N 2 fixation in the more oligotrophic waters in the NCSM and the higher nutrient availability in the SCM. Additionally, δ13C was significantly higher in autumn and δ15N was higher in spring. Although inter-annual differences in δ15N were non-significant, δ13C was significantly lower in 2012 than in the later years. This study provides novel information regarding the patterns of baseline δ13C and δ15N in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, which will be useful for future investigation of the ecology of higher trophic-level organisms occurring in this area. • Isoscapes are influenced by environmental gradients in Brazilian oceanic waters. • There are seasonal differences in baseline δ13C and δ15N values. • Zooplankton δ13C was lower along the shelf break than in the offshore area. • Higher δ15N values were observed in zooplankton collected along the shelf break. • There is a latitudinal (north-south) gradient in zooplankton δ13C and δ15N values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The use of remote sensing is necessary for monitoring forest carbon stocks at large scales. Optical remote sensing, although not the most suitable technique for the direct estimation of stand biomass, offers the advantage of providing large temporal and spatial datasets. In particular, information on canopy structure is encompassed in stand reflectance time series. This study focused on the example of Eucalyptus forest plantations, which have recently attracted much attention as a result of their high expansion rate in many tropical countries. Stand scale time-series of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were obtained from MODIS satellite data after a procedure involving un-mixing and interpolation, on about 15,000ha of plantations in southern Brazil. The comparison of the planting date of the current rotation (and therefore the age of the stands) estimated from these time series with real values provided by the company showed that the root mean square error was 35.5days. Age alone explained more than 82% of stand wood volume variability and 87% of stand dominant height variability. Age variables were combined with other variables derived from the NDVI time series and simple bioclimatic data by means of linear (Stepwise) or nonlinear (Random Forest) regressions. The nonlinear regressions gave r-square values of 0.90 for volume and 0.92 for dominant height, and an accuracy of about 25m3/ha for volume (15% of the volume average value) and about 1.6m for dominant height (8% of the height average value). The improvement including NDVI and bioclimatic data comes from the fact that the cumulative NDVI since planting date integrates the interannual variability of leaf area index (LAI), light interception by the foliage and growth due for example to variations of seasonal water stress. The accuracy of biomass and height predictions was strongly improved by using the NDVI integrated over the two first years after planting, which are critical for stand establishment. These results open perspectives for cost-effective monitoring of biomass at large scales in intensively-managed plantation forests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]