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This article advocates the transgression of incumbent theoretical divisions between rural and urban abodes of production and draws on new analyses of contemporary spaces of capital and labour antagonisms in Brazil. It does so to articulate a broadening of the definition of class and class struggle towards an emancipatory praxis that does not necessarily prioritise industrialised workers. The study has a particular focus on the reconfiguration of socio-spatial arrangements linked to 21st century commodity cultivation, extraction and trade and subsequent class tensions on the material and epistemological frontier between (hydro, agro and mineral) mega projects and the autonomous territories of rural subjects. The renewed degradation of conditions for a labour force that has always been precarious, the dissolving dichotomy between proletarianised and peasant labour, and the ongoing resistance to corporate capture by communities is evoked to contrast distinct metabolic relations within rural territories with the objectification of labour and nature under capitalism. The analysis reveals new configurations of class domination, tension and counter movements. Many critical scholars, particularly those in the Global South, have been attentive to alternate readings of the world by indigenous, African descendent, peasant and agro-extractivist communities that may be unfamiliar yet underpin vociferous, and often fatal, resistance to capital accumulation. The task to effectively situate these struggles within a theory of broader, heterogeneous class struggle and integrate this 'wealth' of collective struggle and knowledge towards societal transformation remains important work in progress. In this spirit, the paper offers some possibilities for making new conceptual and material connections between rural and urban productive spaces and across currently fragmented class formations and identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peacekeepers are seen as a UN tool for promoting domestic changes in host countries, but little is known about the political consequences when officers return home. During the last 10 years, Brazilian presidents appointed a significant number of former peacekeepers to key political functions. How and why do former peacekeepers end up so involved in government affairs? To answer this question, this paper focuses on the array of skills acquired by peacekeepers in domestic missions and reinforced abroad. Drawing on a set of semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to military, former political decision-makers, and researchers, as well as other primary and secondary sources, this paper details how political articulation, experience in conflict management, and prestige empowered Brazilian military officers to resume their tradition of intervention in politics. This paper also shows that peace operations can produce deleterious outcomes for troop-contributing countries in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent pandemic negatively affected the career development of women scientists drawing attention to the need for urgent actions to ensure that gains in gender equality in science are retained. In Brazil, women scientists contributed much to the fight against COVID-19 by supplying valuable information to the media, combating misinformation and looking for ways to reduce the impacts of the pandemic in homes and workplaces. This paper diagnoses inequalities of opportunities in science and emphasizes science communication as an important tool for increasing the visibility and empowerment of women scientists in Brazil. Science communication can strengthen the visibility, presence and voice of women in society and promote equitable practices in terms of gender and race. It can also enable women scientists to work as role models for the younger generations. This paper goes beyond a brief discussion on the impacts of science communication on increasing diversity and makes recommendations to accelerate gender and ethnic–racial equity within science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to present a comprehensive knowledge mapping of plastic pollution on coastal/marine tourism research. To achieve this objective, the present study employed a two-tier analysis, including a systematic review of literature and bibliometric analysis of 164 scholarly articles spanning 1999 to 2022. The results underline the multidisciplinary nature of this research domain, characterized by a significant upswing in publications. The dominant countries in this field are identified as Brazil, Australia, and the USA. A noteworthy collaboration dynamic between the Chinese Academy of Sciences, East China Normal University, and the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences has emerged, signaling opportunities for enhanced cross-border cooperation. Jambeck, who provided data support for this research field, is found as the most cited author. Marine Pollution Bulletin, Environmental Pollution, and Science of the Total Environment are the most prolific journals discussing such topics. The primary research clusters in this field include seasonal comparison, Qinghai Lake, and small plastic debris. Additionally, scholars have recently focused on new topics such as seasonal comparison, case study, spatial pattern, and the Southern Baltic Sea in the last 3 years. This research also reports 10 articles with the highest citations and 10 highly cited papers. Not only this, the present study presents the inaugural bibliometric analysis on plastic pollution in coastal and marine tourism. To the authors' knowledge, it stands as a pioneering investigation of its nature, offering a comprehensive view on the research domain by evaluating a time span exceeding two decades, with a specific emphasis on the literature pertaining to marine tourism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes a survey of individual microentrepreneurs' (MEI) access to credit for business, broken down by their color or race in two Brazilian cities: Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. The central hypothesis of this study was that color or race is a significant predictor for credit rationing in both cities. However, the most crucial variables to explain the difference in credit approval were primarily related to credit risk operation—adverse selection, moral hazard, and collateral—as expressed by predictor: loan size and credit restriction (inversely correlated to odds of credit approval). The city of the loan operation had a robust explanatory power, with credit more accessible in Rio de Janeiro than in Salvador. Evidence of racial discrimination in the credit markets for business affected not all Afro-Brazilian MEI but blacks compared with white and brown MEI. Lenders could treat potential borrowers based on a pigmentocratic pattern, with this issue appearing more clearly in Rio de Janeiro. Further inquiries in this realm are recommended, preferably with a larger sample and a survey covering all Brazilian domestic territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of how to generate development while preserving the environment is central to the history of the Brazilian Amazon. Many decades of top-down state interventions conceived and executed under a developmentalist framework have resulted in a socioenvironmental crisis. In response, the Sustainable Oil Palm Production Program (SPOPP) was launched in 2010. It promised to break with developmentalist visions and articulate environmental and sustainability concerns. This paper uses assemblage thinking to examine how these contrasting, often impossible-to-balance, views manifest within SPOPP implementation. We describe how non-human actors (trees, diseases, previous policies and agroecological zoning technologies) interact with human actors. However, powerful actors, in the state and beyond, continue to garner support for their developmentalist interests and thwart or depoliticize environmental and social concerns, thus limiting change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Environment & Urbanization is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

How do welfare programs affect beneficiaries' perceptions of social mobility? This paper uses the case of Brazil's Bolsa Família Program to assess whether, how, and to what degree the welfare program affects beneficiaries' views of their potential social mobility. It makes a key contribution to the understanding of social mobility by incorporating the role that race and gender play in beneficiary respondent's evaluation of social mobility. Use of an original field survey undergirds the finding that, in contrast to conventional understandings of Brazilian racial and social dynamics, beneficiary status operates differently for Afro-Brazilian and White beneficiaries, as well as for male and female beneficiaries. Specifically, that the program has significant empowerment effects for White women beneficiaries, but that it does not affect the evaluations of Afro-Brazilian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: In this paper, we report the long-term outcomes of the endovascular treatment of femoropopliteal occlusive disease, focusing on the importance of calcification and runoff outflow on limb salvage and patency, and the factors associated with these outcomes at a single center. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with femoropopliteal occlusive who underwent femoropopliteal angioplasty at the Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual, São Paulo, Brazil, between January 2015 and July 2017. Results: In total, 86 femoropopliteal occlusive angioplasties were performed in 86 patients, with an initial technical success rate of 95.34%. The mean ± standard deviation follow-up time was 880 ± 68.84 days. The analysis was performed at 720 days. Technical failure occurred in four patients, who were excluded from the analysis, leaving 82 patients and 82 femoropopliteal occlusive angioplasties. The estimated primary patency, secondary patency, limb salvage, and overall survival rates at 720 days were 60%, 96%, 90%, and 82.5%, respectively. In univariate and multivariate analyses, Cox regression showed worse primary patency rates in patients with one tibial vessel or isolated popliteal artery runoff (p = 0.005), calcification grade 4 (p = 0.019), calcification grade > 2 (p = 0.017), small vessel diameter < 4 mm (p = 0.03) or primary angioplasty without stenting (p = 0.021). A univariate analysis showed worse limb salvage in patients with one tibial vessel or isolated popliteal artery runoff (p = 0.039). Conclusions: In this study, the main factors associated with worse outcomes in the endovascular treatment of femoropopliteal occlusive in terms of loss of primary patency were one tibial vessel or isolated popliteal artery runoff, calcification grade 4, or calcification grade > 2, small vessel diameter < 4 mm, and no stents use. One tibial vessel or isolated popliteal artery runoff was also associated with limb loss in a univariate Cox regression analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, urban violence is a problem in the world, and traditional development models are sometimes inappropriate to rapidly changing urban contexts where the sense of ownership and appropriation of common space is key to effective programming. Faced with the relevance of the traditional North–South model, the growing importance of South–South Cooperation (SSC) as a form of development cooperation generates positive ways forward in overcoming the limitations of the existing model. This paper outlines the experience of Viva Rio, a Brazilian NGO that works through a community participatory framework that is unique in style and Brazilian in origin. Viva Rio has addressed urban conflict in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, by drawing on principles and techniques developed in Rio de Janeiro and strategically applying them to the Haitian context. The paper describes this experience and develops it into a framework of knowledge transfer. It describes Viva Rio’s modalities and how it has been productive because of its ability to adapt to on-the-ground realities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

After the return to democracy in the late 1980s, Brazil developed a new system of water governance with a decentralization of responsibilities and the formation of participatory, deliberative institutions that characterized the governance reforms in general. Tripartite “water basin committees”, with an equal representation of state, municipal and civil society actors, are now responsible for water resource management in each basin and for decisions that affect urban water governance. However, state representatives come from entities established long before the reforms, raising the question of whether the new participatory bodies can change water management practices. This paper suggests that despite the process of transition in water governance, the underlying power inequalities have not been addressed and major decisions are still being taken outside the new deliberative bodies. Technocratic government actors maintain a claim on authority through their economic superiority and their use of expert knowledge, ultimately inhibiting the influence of other actors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In Brazil’s large cities, more than half a million people survive by collecting and selling solid waste. Most face very poor working conditions and have very low incomes as the intermediaries to whom they sell pay low prices. Their activities are even considered illegal in some nations. But the waste pickers save city governments money, contribute to cleaner cities and reduce the volume of waste that has to be dumped (by up to 20 per cent). After describing the waste pickers and the city and national associations they have created, this paper describes the recycling industry and gives some examples of better methods of recycling. These include waste picker cooperatives that can sell the materials they collect direct to industries and that have partnerships with city governments who provide access to wastes, better prices and facilities to improve working conditions (including transferring the recycling from dumps to recycling centres). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The goal of this paper is to suggest that municipalities can facilitate the central government's ability to carry out its desired policy goals. Using three institutional variables that provide internal evidence for each case, I will argue that within some institutional configurations the center may seek uniformity of outcome by trying to circumvent governors and/or regional intermediation and forge a direct relationship with municipalities. Based on research from the area of social protection policy in Brazil and Argentina, I suggest that direct national-local collaboration contributed to the ability of the Brazilian central government to bypass governors and evenly spread non-contributory welfare goods across its territory and alleviate poverty. I argue that such policy collaboration is less likely to be institutionally feasible in a federal system like Argentina's, where such equivalent collaboration is impeded by the ability of its provinces to directly capture local units of government and undermine national policy outcomes and executive preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses organizational culture change from a longitudinal perspective. It analyses how the organizational culture of a major Brazilian telecommunications company changed during its 27-year history from a condition of integration to one of fragmentation and then differentiation. The paper identifies the sources of these changes, paying particular attention to the role of institutional and political factors. Based on the empirical data, a framework for analysing the dynamics of culture change in organizations is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environment & Urbanization is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The rise in extreme weather events, coupled with the acknowledgement by policymakers that vulnerable populations are disproportionately at risk, has led to an increase in demand for vulnerability assessments, and particularly composite vulnerability indices. This paper presents a flood hazard vulnerability index that incorporates socioeconomic, built environment and natural environment data, and that was used to measure the vulnerability of 1,276 municipalities in Brazil. Findings show that 83 of these municipalities (with 22 per cent of the Brazilian population) are at risk. Vulnerability stemming from lower levels of socioeconomic status is concentrated in the Northern regions; that related to poor governance is widespread across all regions. This analysis highlights the dangers of assessing vulnerability using aggregate measures of socioeconomic status in middle-income countries with high levels of inequality, where the presence of vulnerable populations in informal settlements within highly developed municipalities may be obscured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author reflects on the observations, suggestions, and comments regarding the studies published in the journal "Palliative Care: Research and Treatment." The author states that the journal allows its readers to leave comments related to any published paper, as it would help its authors get the perspective of the readers. Furthermore, the details of the visit made by Dr. Claudia Naylor, Director of the Cancer Hospital IV of the National Cancer Institute of Brazil, to the journal are discussed.

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Studies of institutional change have focused on several themes. Yet, examinations of small innovations still require attention. This question is important because a new logic is usually only recognized after several modifications have taken place; thus, noticing it early becomes relevant. The emergence of a new logic presupposes new prescriptions about what is appropriate for both businesses and society. This article examines Brazilian health regulations that have undergone several alterations and suggests that this occurrence can be identified only when actors begin to react to the impact of such an event by changing their daily practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper analyses the economic impacts of China's reemergence on Brazil, looking at both the direct effects of China on Brazil in terms of bilateral trade and investment flows and the indirect effects through increased competition in export markets for manufactured goods and higher world prices for primary commodities. Despite a surge in Chinese FDI in Brazil in 2010, the main driver of bilateral relations is trade. While bilateral trade has grown rapidly, the pattern that has emerged has given rise to concern because Brazil's exports are concentrated in a small number of primary products while imports from China are almost entirely of manufactured goods that are becoming more technologically sophisticated over time. Brazil has benefitted in the short term from the high prices of primary commodities (partly caused by growing Chinese demand), but has lost export markets to China in manufactures, contributing to the "primarization" of the country's export basket. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the result of a survey of 40 young deaf people from different social classes in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The aim is to discuss issues related to the dynamic of accessibility in contemporary urban spaces and its relation to deaf people. In this sense, arguments emerge relating to communication, especially with regard to the use of the Brazilian sign language, LIBRAS. In this context, it is necessary to recognize deaf culture, a field of study within cultural studies, which places the deaf subjects in a position of cultural difference in relation to the listeners, so that these youngsters are often grouped in some public spaces as a way of claiming rights and living as equals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper studies the responses of a traditional Brazilian firm to recession and increasing foreign competition as expressed in its subcultural dynamics. A strong association was found between involuntary turnover in the top management team and affiliation with certain clusters of subcultural and even personal values. Although many of the effects found are expressive of themes in the literature on organizational adaptation to adversity, results also suggest unexpected challenges and extensions to current thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the two case studies presented in this work, this article aims to evaluate identification technology used in the Brazilian cattle market. Although Brazil possesses large companies in this sector (one of which is the largest exporter of meat in the world) some of them have yet to implement information technology (IT) for cattle identification purposes. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an IT that identifies cattle using electronic ear tags. This particular form of technology is especially accurate and dependable as it can be used to trace a product from the origin of conception to the consumer. This paper utilizes a qualitative approach - two case studies - which were created with the application of a questionnaire (open and closed questions). Using RFID for internal control purposes only, each of the sample companies has limited use of the technology. Instead, these companies use barcode systems to trace and identify cattle and to send important information to their supply chain partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we apply the concept of entrepreneurial powers to analyze Brazil's participation and influence in international crises. Following Ravenhill (this journal issue), we consider three dimensions of entrepreneurship: (a) the intention to convince others according to an actor's interests; (b) the use of skilful politicians and bureaucracies to persuade partners; and (c) a proactive foreign policy that "sells" its position regarding the issues at stake. We argue that two other factors should be considered for a more encompassing view of entrepreneurial powers. First, the position of the involved great power on the crisis or in its negotiation. Second, that regional politics matter to entrepreneurial powers. We develop our argument using two case studies of success and failure respectively: the 1995 Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador mediated by Brazil, and the 2010 Iranian nuclear deal sponsored by Brazil and Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Politics in Latin America is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Environment & Urbanization is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Environment & Urbanization is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Environment & Urbanization is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction/Purpose: Brazil experiences a late participation in total ankle arthroplasty, which could have positive and negative aspects. The positive view argues about the modern implants that Brazil has received in the past years, skipping the early TAR generation who present more complications and low survival rate in the literature. The negative aspects are related to gap of experience, Brazilian surgeon could not participate in the development of the technique and implants designs during all these years. This paper present the aspects of the Brazilian experience with total ankle replacement since the earliest procedures performed. Methods: Data since the first series of TARs in Brazil were colect from university institution, personal data base from surgeons and previous publication, survivalship, complications, number of each implant and implant availability were recorded. Results: In Brazil, indications for TAR are not so different from around the world, the data we had access demonstrate 65% of post-traumatic arthritis, 26 % of inflammatory arthritis, 2% post-infectious arthritis and 7 % of primary arthritis. In fortheen years 263 surgeries were performed, in different parts of the country, but only one surgeon performed 43 cases (27,3% of the total). Table 1 demonstrate the number of procedures performed per year. Survivor rate of each implant available in the country in the first year were 94%, 86,19% in the second year, 82,84% in the third year, 81,62% in the fourth year and 71,47% in the fifth year. Conclusion: In Brazil there are limited and different ankle arthroplasty systems available for use. The procedure itself continues to be technically demanding and require surgical sophistication and expertise. A national registry to justify the procedure indication; report the outcomes and survivorship has not been developed. This procedure is growing around the county, as well as the surgeon experience, but we should remember that TAR is not for every patient and that the appropriate indication, based on the evidence available, is fundamental to obtaining durable and predictable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article summarizes the conference papers presented at the ninth biennial conference of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM). The IASFM conference was held January 9-13, 2005 in São Paulo, Brazil and was hosted by the Pontifical Catholic University and the Latin American Parliament. The conference featured 168 papers, primarily of applied research, presented by 200 academics, policymakers, practitioners, and government representatives. This was the first time that IASFM met in Latin America; the conference was simultaneously translated in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. The conference focused on the number of cases and causes of forced migration as well as possible repatriation of migrants. Smuggling and human trafficking was also addressed.

This paper shows that regulatory actions can work as an instrument to correct the shortcomings of the private health insurance market. However, despite rules that defend both competition and consumer rights, these actions can, paradoxically, bring about a more marked concentration of the market if the power of the oligopolies is not challenged. To critique this sort of management, we first discuss the political context in which the Agência Nacional de Saúde Suplementar -- ANS (National Supplementary Health Agency) arose, and describe the nature of the economic crisis facing the market. Considering these issues, we suggest an alternative proposal, in which the Agency would play a key role in overcoming the crisis, particularly by supporting public health principles and reducing the price of health insurance. We finally argue for the institutional reform of the market, restoring the meaning of the Agency's rules and preventing the ANS from falling under the power of the oligopolies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using policy cycle model as a heuristic, this article studies Indian, Brazilian, and South African engagement with Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) by (a) comparing NAMA policy process and (b) identifying factors driving or limiting the framework’s domestic application. India largely remained uninterested in NAMAs, Brazil aligned its domestic climate policy and NAMAs, while South Africa had a more nuanced engagement when formulating NAMAs. Four factors influenced these countries’ NAMA engagements: the level and necessity of international support, the availability of domestic policy provisions to tackle climate change, the domestic institutional capacity to coordinate interministerial functioning, and the role of individuals in the institutional apparatus. As an international climate policy framework, studying NAMA engagement provides learnings for nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement for designing the instrument, ensuring clarity on support provisions for ratcheting up ambitions, and enhancing institutional capacity, to expedite transition from policy formulation to implementation and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper links the rapid deforestation taking place in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest to the alliance of the Brazilian government with world-systemic or global institutions in developing Amazonia. This alliance accelerated the pace of destruction by extending the capitalist frontier into the region, with devastating consequences for the people of the forest, (i.e Indians, rubber tappers, etc.) The paper argues that changes in the ecopolitics of the world-system beginning in the mid-1980's strengthened the cause of the people of the forest against the systemic agents of destruction. They won important allies abroad, while the Brazilian government lost allies. The political leverage gained by the people of the forest allowed them to win a few important victories in attempting to preserve their lands and livelihoods. Pressured by international demand, the Brazilian government agreed to create extractive reserves and to demarcate Indian lands. The paper concludes that a country-by-country approach to the problem of deforestation is insufficient. The world-system must be taken into account for a more comprehensive picture of the problem. I also argue, however, that infernal or national processes are also critical for our understanding of environmental problems in the Third World. The world-system and national processes interact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlighting the under-researched interrelationship between workplace humour and resistance, this paper examines employee opposition in a Brazilian telecommunications company. Much of the literature on corporate culture and humour has emphasized the way that `having fun' can facilitate production. Functionalist in perspective, such studies treat organizational joking both as a means by which employees can `let off steam' and as a flexible tool for managers in reinforcing corporate culture. Questioning the universality of this `safety-valve' theory of humour, our empirical analysis suggests that humour may be a relatively effective means of expressing employee dissatisfaction especially where more overt forms of resistance might provoke managerial reprisals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we assess the effects of and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in the Brazilian peripheries by relying on resilience theory and the experiences of peripheral actors during the first year of the pandemic. We consider these experiences to examine whether the initial responses to the crisis had the potential to bring about long-term positive change. We rely on thematic analysis of 80 interviews with leaders of grassroots organizations of different nature all over the country between October 2020 and January 2021. We argue that we cannot speak of resilience and system change unless we engage with the voices of those most affected by adversity. While in its first year the pandemic brought important traces of structural violence to the surface, providing an opportunity for structural change, peripheral views at that moment cast doubts about the extent to which those changes could lead to long-term structural changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world experienced social distancing that resulted in changes in habits and lifestyle. Such changes can compromise healthy eating habits and the practice of physical activities, known risk factors for developing weight gain and obesity. Objective: The main objective of this study was to describe the change in eating habits, lifestyle, and cognition of the population of Rio Grande do Sul, a state in Southern Brazil, during social distancing due to COVID-19. Methods: The study was conducted from July 21 to August 10, 2020, through a structured online questionnaire that asked for sociodemographic information (age, gender, and education), anthropometric (reported weight and height), change in eating habits, lifestyle (sleep quality and physical activity), and cognition. Chi-square, McNemar tests, and univariate and multivariate analysis were used to evaluate the variables. Confidence intervals were calculated with a significance level of 5%. Results: Of a total of 1072 participants, 57.3% of respondents reported weight gain, and an increased percentage of people were classified as obese. Nearly half of the participants (46%) reported changes in their eating habits for the worse. Body mass index (BMI) was significantly associated with increased consumption of unhealthy foods. Our results identified high physical inactivity (46.9%) and obesity (19%) during social distancing. The changes in eating habits and lifestyle also increased the risk for decreased cognition. Conclusions: These findings highlighted that social distancing impacted eating habits and lifestyle, which increased obesity rates and might predispose to decreased cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study advocates a novel spatio-temporal method for accurate prediction of COVID-19 epidemic occurrence probability at any time in any Brazil state of interest, and raw clinical observational data have been used. This article describes a novel bio-system reliability approach, particularly suitable for multi-regional environmental and health systems, observed over a sufficient time period, resulting in robust long-term forecast of the virus outbreak probability. COVID-19 daily numbers of recorded patients in all affected Brazil states were taken into account. This work aimed to benchmark novel state-of-the-art methods, making it possible to analyse dynamically observed patient numbers while taking into account relevant regional mapping. Advocated approach may help to monitor and predict possible future epidemic outbreaks within a large variety of multi-regional biological systems. Suggested methodology may be used in various modern public health applications, efficiently using their clinical survey data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social movements are purposeful, organized groups of people addressing the creation and reproduction of inequality, rights and access issues, seeking to transform sectoral policies. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, social movements have been acting in articulation with government and private companies and through other actions formulated within their networks, as service deliverers to the poor and vulnerable populations most heavily affected, often filling a gap created by unfulfilled policies. Our research with waste picker organizations in Brazil illustrates how their struggle for recognition has taken action in this context. Academic and government documents, social media and online material (blogs, posts, websites, etc.) and virtual meetings inform this research. We found that multiple actors have contributed to mitigate the urgent needs of waste pickers during the pandemic, but that at the same time, pre-existing challenges in waste management and the lack of wide-ranging social and economic inclusion have been further intensified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article theorizes and analyzes the relationship between populist leaders and government transparency. Employing a paired comparison of leaders in Brazil and the United States before and during the pandemic, it illuminates three interlocking tactics: (a) the weakening of transparency institutions, (b) erasure and suppression of transparency, and (c) corruption of transparency via misuse and misinformation. Populist efforts to subvert pandemic transparency elicited a striking response in both countries: the emergence of "compensatory transparency initiatives" (CTIs). By collating and disclosing subnational pandemic data to fill transparency gaps at the federal level, CTIs drew attention to populist failings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arapaima gigas, known as Pirarucu in Brazil, is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world. Some individuals could reach 3 m in length and weight up to 200 kg. Due to extinction risks and its economic value, the species has been a focus for preservation and reproduction studies. Thyrotropin (TSH) is a glycoprotein hormone formed by 2 subunits α and β whose main activity is related to the synthesis of thyroid hormones (THs)—T3 and T4. In this work, we present a combination of bioinformatics tools to identify Arapaima gigas βTSH (ag-βTSH), modeling its molecular structure and express the recombinant heterodimer form in mammalian cells. Using the combination of computational biology, based on genome-related information, in silico molecular cloning and modeling led to confirm results of the ag-βTSH sequence by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and transient expression in human embryonic kidney (HEK293F) cells. Molecular cloning of ag-βTSH retrieved 146 amino acids with a signal peptide of 21 amino acid residues and 6 disulfide bonds. The sequence has a similarity to 39 fish species, ranging between 43.1% and 81.6%, whose domains are extremely conserved, such as cystine knot motif and N-glycosylation site. The Arapaima gigas thyrotropin (ag-TSH) model, solved by AlphaFold, was used in molecular dynamics simulations with Scleropages formosus receptor, providing similar values of free energy ΔGbind and ΔGPMF in comparison with Homo sapiens model. The recombinant expression in HEK293F cells reached a yield of 25 mg/L, characterized via chromatographic and physical-chemical techniques. This work shows that other Arapaima gigas proteins could be studied in a similar way, using the combination of these techniques, recovering more information from its genome and improving the reproduction and preservation of this prehistoric fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study to assess the effects of different protocols of physical exercise on the domains of the quality of life (QoL), sexual function, anxiety, and depression scores in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Data of 112 women with PCOS were extracted from 2 trials with different protocols of physical exercise: continuous aerobic training (ContinuousAT, n = 23), intermittent aerobic training (IntermittentAT, n = 22), and progressive resistance training (ResistanceT, n = 43) alongside a control group (CG, n = 24). Volunteers who completed self-report questionnaires—Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) for QoL—preprotocol and postprotocol of physical exercise were included. Within groups, from baseline to week 16, all ContinuousAT, IntermittentAT, and ResistanceT protocols promoted improvements in multiple FSFI domains and HADS scores. However, ResistanceT did not improve the QoL aspects. Between groups, from other physical training protocols, the IntermittentAT was most effective for QoL and FSFI domains as well as HADS scores. It is concluded that all interventions were effective and improved indicators of sexual function, anxiety, and depression. When comparing protocols, interval training with high-intensity stimuli and active recovery was more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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