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Objective: To assess the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil and its macro-regions, considering disease incidence and mortality rates, as well as identifying territories with still rising disease indices and evaluating vaccine coverage and population adherence to COVID-19 immunization. Methods: An ecological study conducted in Brazil with COVID-19 cases and deaths reported between February 2020 and April 2024, obtained through the Coronavirus Panel. Historical series were constructed from incidence and mortality rates to assess the pandemic's evolution, and temporal trends were estimated using the Seasonal Trend Decomposition using Loess (STL) method. The Spatial Variation in Temporal Trends (SVTT) technique was employed to identify clusters with significant variations in temporal trends. Vaccination was analyzed considering the percentage of vaccinated and unvaccinated population in each municipality of the country. Results: Brazil recorded a total of 38,795,966 cases and 712,038 deaths from COVID-19 during the study period. Incidence and mortality rates showed three waves of the disease, with a fourth wave of smaller amplitude. Four clusters with significant case growth and two with increased deaths were identified. Vaccine coverage varied among municipalities, with some regions showing low vaccination rates and others with high immunization adherence. Conclusion: The study provided a comprehensive overview of coronavirus behavior in Brazil, and its results highlight the ongoing importance of vaccination and the need to direct efforts and resources to areas of higher risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to detect high-risk areas for deaths of children and adolescents 5 to 14 years of age in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, from 2009 to 2020. This was an exploratory ecological study with municipalities as the units of analysis. Considering mortality data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and demographic data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the study used multivariate statistics to identify space-time clusters of excess mortality risk in this age group. From 5 to 9 years of age, two clusters with high mortality risk were detected; the most likely located in the state's southern mesoregion (RR: 1.6; LRT: 8,53). Among the 5 clusters detected in the 10-14- year age group, the main cluster was in the state's northern mesoregion (RR: 2,26; LRT: 7,84). A reduction in mortality rates was observed in the younger age group and an increase in these rates in the older group. The identification of these clusters, whose analysis merits replication in other parts of Brazil, is the initial stage in the investigation of possible factors associated with morbidity and mortality in this group, still insufficiently explored, and for planning adequate interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the notification of new VL cases in Brazil in 2020. It is an ecological and time-series study (2015–2020) with spatial analysis techniques, whose units of analysis were the 5570 Brazilian municipalities. The study population consisted of all new cases of VL recorded between 2015 and 2020. The P-score was calculated to estimate the percentage variation in new VL cases. Global and local univariate Moran's Indices and retrospective space–time scan statistics were used in spatial and space–time analyses, respectively. It was expected that there would be 3627 new cases of VL in Brazil in 2020, but 1932 cases were reported (−46.73%). All Brazilian regions presented a negative percentage variation in the registration of new VL cases, with the Southeast (−54.70%), North (−49.97%), and Northeast (−44.22%) standing out. There was spatial dependence of the disease nationwide in both periods, before and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant reduction in the incidence of new VL cases in Brazil during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings reinforce the need for better preparedness of the health system, especially in situations of new epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Biology is the property of Instituto Internacional de Ecologia 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.)

Chikungunya and Zika have been neglected as emerging diseases. This study aimed to analyze the space-time patterns of their occurrence and co-occurrence and their associated environmental and socioeconomic factors. Univariate (individually) and multivariate (co-occurrence) scans were analyzed for 608,388 and 162,992 cases of chikungunya and Zika, respectively. These occurred more frequently in the summer and autumn. The clusters with the highest risk were initially located in the northeast, dispersed to the central-west and coastal areas of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (2018–2021), and then increased in the northeast (2019–2021). Chikungunya and Zika demonstrated decreasing trends of 13% and 40%, respectively, whereas clusters showed an increasing trend of 85% and 57%, respectively. Clusters with a high co-occurrence risk have been identified in some regions of Brazil. High temperatures are associated with areas at a greater risk of these diseases. Chikungunya was associated with low precipitation levels, more urbanized environments, and places with greater social inequalities, whereas Zika was associated with high precipitation levels and low sewage network coverage. In conclusion, to optimize the surveillance and control of chikungunya and Zika, this study's results revealed high-risk areas with increasing trends and priority months and the role of socioeconomic and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Did urbanism in Brazil appropriate the urban tradition to the same extent as pioneering modern architecture? This article builds an answer to this question, which goes through the theoretical unraveling of the definition of the term space from the recognition of two historically accepted conceptions. It starts with a brief presentation of the main genealogies and principles of these conceptions, as methodological support to read their impact on the work of Oscar Niemeyer. It looks at the design strategies used in two works of the architect: the project for Praça XV in Rio de Janeiro (1991) and the urban complex of Pena Furada, in Portugal (1965). With notions borrowed from other disciplinary fields an interpretation of the incorporation of time as a mediating element of spatial experience is proposed: as a literal landmark - printed in concrete references to tradition - and as a generating element of spatial decisions - when incorporated into the experience of displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Congenital syphilis (CS) is a problem of great concern for public health, especially in Brazil. The aim of this study was to analyse the time trends and the space–time dynamics of morbidity and mortality from CS in Brazil. Methods An ecological and time series study, which included all cases and deaths from CS recorded in a national Brazilian database from 2013 to 2019 was performed. Time trends in CS incidence and mortality were assessed using segmented linear regression. Univariate global and local Moran indices and space–time scan statistics were used in the space and space–time analyses. Results A total of 183 171 cases and 2401 deaths from CS were recorded in Brazil, with the highest number of cases being observed in the Southeast Region (n=82 612 [45.1%]). Only 21.1% of pregnant mothers with syphilis received adequate treatment. There was an upward trend in CS rates among mothers ages 20–29 y (average annual percent change [AAPC] 1.4 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.0 to 1.7]) and with <8 y of schooling (AAPC 6.6 [95% CI 5.3 to 7.9]). The primary space–time cluster involved 338 municipalities in the Southeast Region (relative risk 3.06, p<0.001) and occurred between 2017 and 2019. Conclusions To reduce the trends in CS rates, it is necessary to develop actions to improve the quality of prenatal care and expand early diagnosis and adequate treatment of syphilis in pregnant women and their sexual partners, especially in groups with upward trends (mothers ages 20–29 y and <8 y of schooling) and living in higher-risk regions (Southeast, North and Northeast). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geography of what happens is an expression linked to works associated with Non-representational Theories (TNR), an acronym coined by Nigel Thrift in the mid-1990s and which commonly came to be understood as a participant in more-than-representational geography. The expression "geography of what happens" is associated with representational transcendence and the quest to narrate space-time through the daily pursuit of actors involved in heterogeneous networks. This paper, essentially epistemological, aims to elucidate the geography of what happens, little explored in geographic works in Brazil, pointing out its theoretical framework, exposing its assumptions and critically evaluating its potentialities and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest based power plants are alternatives in the diversification of domestic energy supply in Brazil, given the growing demand for electricity in recent decades. Evidences of space-time clusters contribute to the understanding of regional development associated with correlated activity. Therefore, this paper analyzed the space-time conglomerates for Brazilian forest-based power plants, from 2000 to 2019. The data used were from the Generation Information System of the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL)-SIGA. It detected the existence of clusters by means of scan statistics via space-time permutation, considering the high level of conglomeration. The results show the Center-South region of Brazil with the highest concentration of conglomerates, with black liquor and forest residues being the most used energy resources. The clusters with the highest installed power were in the early 2010s, with the black liquor plants. The regions with the formation of fast-growing forest plantations promoted the existence of conglomerates associated with the pulp and paper and steel industry complexes. It is concluded that there was a conglomeration of forest power plants in the central-south region of Brazil, in which they help in decision-making and guidance of public policies for forestry projects for energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background We analysed the spatial distribution and the socio-economic and environmental factors (SEFs) associated with Schistosoma mansoni infection in the state of Alagoas, an important tourist area in northeastern Brazil. Methods We conducted an ecological time-series study (2007–2016) on schistosomiasis cases and SEFs. We evaluated the temporal trends of schistosomiasis cases (annual percentage change [APC]) and their correlation with SEFs. Spatial analysis maps were built using QGIS and TerraView software. Results We observed that 4.9% of the municipalities had a high prevalence of S. mansoni infection and were located mainly in the coastal strip of Alagoas state. The positivity rate for schistosomiasis decreased during the period (8.1% in 2007 to 4.9% in 2016; APC=−5.71). There was a reduction in the number of tests performed (APC=−5.05). There was a negative correlation between S. mansoni infection and the municipal human development index (ρ=−0.34) and schooling rate (ρ=−0.24). The main species of snail was Biomphalaria glabrata (94.79%), but Biomphalaria straminea showed a higher percentage of S. mansoni detection (10.11%). Lastly, Biomphalaria tenagophila specimens were identified for the first time in Alagoas (n=28). Conclusions Despite a reduction in the number of cases, intestinal schistosomiasis still represents a serious public health concern in Alagoas. It urgently requires planning and improvements in diagnosis, prevention programs and the state's socio-economic indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This article is an effort to understand part of the genesis and of the processes that took place in the protection of the right to access mineral wealth over space-time. In addition to the laws that directly interfered with the use and occupation of the soil / subsoil, and the way in which the space is produced, with most of the deposits located in the countryside, this debate also runs through geographic science, the agrarian question, the reflection about nature and the territory category. The route covered important periods in the history of the formation of Brazilian territory, reaching the implementation of the New Mineral Code (2019). Thus, it corroborates for the understanding of the injustices in the legal propositions in the formation of the extractive-mineral territories, demonstrating the popular absence in the decisions and formulations of mineral public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical weather predictions (NWPs) are systematically subject to errors due to the deterministic solutions used by numerical models to simulate the atmosphere. Statistical postprocessing techniques are widely used nowadays for NWP calibration. However, time-varying bias is usually not accommodated by such models. The calibration performance is also sensitive to the temporal window used for training. This paper proposes space–time models that extend the main statistical postprocessing approaches to calibrate NWP model outputs. Trans-Gaussian random fields are considered to account for meteorological variables with asymmetric behavior. Data augmentation is used to account for the censoring of the response variable. The benefits of the proposed extensions are illustrated through the calibration of hourly 10-m height wind speed forecasts in Southeastern Brazil coming from the Eta model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Pedagogía y Saberes is the property of Universidad Pedaggica Nacional 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.)

Background: Despite visceral leishmaniasis (VL) being epidemic in most Brazilian regions, the Northeast region is responsible for the highest morbidity and mortality outcomes within the country. Objective: To analyse the spatiotemporal dynamics of VL cases to identify the temporal trends and high-risk areas for VL transmission, as well as the association of the disease with social vulnerability in Brazilian Northeast. Methods: We carried out an ecological time series study employing spatial analysis techniques using all VL confirmed cases of 1,794 municipalities of Brazilian Northeast between the years 2000 to 2017. The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was used to represent the social vulnerability. Incidence rates were standardized and smoothed by the Local Empirical Bayesian Method. Time trends were examined through segmented linear regression. Spatiotemporal analysis consisted of uni- and bivariate Global and Local Moran indexes and space-time scan statistics. Results: Incidence rate remained stable and ranged from 4.84 to 3.52 cases/100,000 inhabitants. There was higher case prevalence between males (62.71%), children and adolescents (63.27%), non-white (69.75%) and urban residents (62.58%). Increasing trends of new cases were observed among adult male subjects (≥ 40 years old) and urban residents. Importantly, VL incidence showed a direct spatial dependence. Spatial and space-time clusters were identified in sertão and meio-norte sub-regions, overlapping with high social vulnerability areas. Conclusions: VL is a persistent health issue in Brazilian Northeast and associated with social vulnerability. Space-time clustering of VL cases in socially vulnerable municipalities demands intersectoral public policies of surveillance and control, with focus on reducing inequalities and improving living conditions for regional inhabitants. Author summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) remains a worldwide health issue, with increasing rates of mortality being observed. Brazil has an epidemiological scenario of expanding VL transmission, especially in the Northeast region. In the present study, we analysed spatiotemporal dynamics of VL cases and its association with social vulnerability in Brazilian Northeast. Briefly, data was analysed of all VL confirmed cases during the years of 2000 to 2017 and the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) from 1,794 municipalities of Brazilian Northeast. Results revealed that VL continues to spread heterogeneously, with space-time high-risk clusters in the most socially vulnerable areas. We observed increasing trends of new cases among male subjects ≥ 40 years of age and urban residents. Our study represents the first investigation that demonstrates associations between VL and social vulnerability in the Northeast region of Brazil. These findings could contribute to VL prevention, surveillance, and control through better understanding of disease distribution, affording effective prioritization of municipalities with higher vulnerability. Thus, reduction of social inequality and better living conditions should be part of the planning of public health policies related to VL control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first case of COVID-19 in South America occurred in Brazil on February 25, 2020. By July 20, 2020, there were 2,118,646 confirmed cases and 80,120 confirmed deaths. To assist with the development of preventive measures and targeted interventions to combat the pandemic in Brazil, we present a geographic study to detect "active" and "emerging" space–time clusters of COVID-19. We document the relationship between relative risk of COVID-19 and mortality, inequality, socioeconomic vulnerability variables. We used the prospective space–time scan statistic to detect daily COVID-19 clusters and examine the relative risk between February 25–June 7, 2020, and February 25–July 20, 2020, in 5570 Brazilian municipalities. We apply a Generalized Linear Model (GLM) to assess whether mortality rate, GINI index, and social inequality are predictors for the relative risk of each cluster. We detected 7 "active" clusters in the first time period, being one in the north, two in the northeast, two in the southeast, one in the south, and one in the capital of Brazil. In the second period, we found 9 clusters with RR > 1 located in all Brazilian regions. The results obtained through the GLM showed that there is a significant positive correlation between the predictor variables in relation to the relative risk of COVID-19. Given the presence of spatial autocorrelation in the GLM residuals, a spatial lag model was conducted that revealed that spatial effects, and both GINI index and mortality rate were strong predictors in the increase in COVID-19 relative risk in Brazil. Our research can be utilized to improve COVID-19 response and planning in all Brazilian states. The results from this study are particularly salient to public health, as they can guide targeted intervention measures, lowering the magnitude and spread of COVID-19. They can also improve resource allocation such as tests and vaccines (when available) by informing key public health officials about the highest risk areas of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista da Faculdade de Direito da Uerj is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) 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.)

Background Reducing TB mortality is a great challenge in Brazil due to its territorial extension, cultural variations and economic and political crises, which impact the health system. This study aimed to estimate in space and time the risk of TB mortality and test its relationship with social inequities. Methods This was an ecological study that included deaths from TB between 2006 and 2016 in Cuiabá, Brazilian Legal Amazon. Bayesian models based on the integrated nested Laplace approximation approach were used to estimate spatio-temporal RRs. RRs for TB mortality were obtained according to the covariables representative of social inequities. Results The risk of TB mortality was stable between 2006 and 2016 and high-risk areas were identified throughout the municipality studied. Regarding social inequities, income was an important factor associated with TB mortality risk, as an increase of 1 SD in income resulted in a 35.4% (RR 0.646; CI 95% 0.476 to 0.837) decrease in risk. Conclusions The results provided evidence of areas with higher TB mortality risks that have persisted over time and are related to social inequities. Advancing social policies and protections in these areas will contribute to achieving the WHO's End TB strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Understanding how ecological traits have changed over evolutionary time is a fundamental question in biology. Specifically, the extent to which more closely related organisms share similar ecological preferences due to phylogenetic conservation – or if they are forced apart by competition – is still debated. Here, we explored the co‐occurrence patterns of freshwater cyanobacteria at the sub‐genus level to investigate whether more closely related taxa share more similar niches and to what extent these niches were defined by abiotic or biotic variables. We used deep 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and measured several abiotic environmental parameters (nutrients, temperature, etc.) in water samples collected over time and space in Furnas Reservoir, Brazil. We found that relatively more closely related Synechococcus (in the continuous range of 93%–100% nucleotide identity in 16S) had an increased tendency to co‐occur with one another (i.e. had similar realized niches). This tendency could not be easily explained by shared preferences for measured abiotic niche dimensions. Thus, commonly measured abiotic parameters might not be sufficient to characterize, nor to predict community assembly or dynamics. Rather, co‐occurrence between Synechococcus and the surrounding community (whether or not they represent true biological interactions) may be a more sensitive measure of realized niches. Overall, our results suggest that realized niches are phylogenetically conserved, at least at the sub‐genus level and at the resolution of the 16S marker. Determining how these results generalize to other genera and at finer genetic resolution merits further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the 1970s in South Asia and Latin America, there was a surge of experiences of offering small loans through innovative practices. Following these successes, the dissemination of microfinance institutions is seen all over the globe. Brazil stands out for being a pioneer in this field, having developed a microcredit program even before Grameen Bank, from Bangladesh, the main institution responsible for the spread of microfinance worldwide. This paper aims to understand the social practices, power relations and institutional infrastructure surrounding microfinance, taking the Global South as a starting point and focusing on Brazil. In so doing, it looks at the policy mobility of microfinance, shining light on how policy diffusion and transfer are entangled in the practices and processes of different institutions, actors and networks. It identifies two approaches within the formulation and practice of microfinance historically. Four illustrative cases are discussed in order to present the mobility of microfinance policies in Brazil drawing from the international scenario. The paper's point of departure for the analysis of the mobility of microfinance is that policy trajectories are fraught with ambivalence and contradiction. They are part of a complex universe permeated by hybridism over time and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On March 11th, 2020, the COVID-19 disease has declared a pandemic. In Brazil, the first official record of the disease was on February 25, 2020, a total of 90,982 cases and 6,367 deaths were counted until May 1st of the same year. Using the spatial and space-time statistical tools of the SaTScan™ software, it is possible to develop a robust retrospective and prospective scanning analysis to identify and monitor the occurrence of the spread of the disease. In this context, the MONITORA-CLUSTERS project was created, which aims to verify and monitor high-risk clusters of confirmed cases and deaths by COVID-19 in Brazil. Throughout the study period, the results showed spatial and space-time significant clusters. To identify active clusters of cases and deaths, the prospective spatio-temporal analysis shows where and when such clusters began, pointing out critical locations for control measures. It was noticed in both approaches that all Brazilian macro-regions present clusters with an excess of registered cases and/or deaths. This powerful epidemiological tool has the potential to collaborate in assisting pandemic decision-making in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It investigates how the Information Science in Brazil establishes its interdisciplinary dynamics with the French Discourse Analysis, which has unfolded in different theoretical and methodological orders. In addition, it analyzes, from a diachronic perspective, the epistemological interactions between the French aspect of Discourse Analysis and Information Science, especially with regard to the Organization of Information and Knowledge. Through a literature review, it shows the main historical contributions of discourse theory to the informational field in the Brazilian context. Among the theoretical contributions of Discourse Analysis is the The article explores the dialogical relationship that can be established between the French theory of discourse analysis in the Information and Knowledge Organization in the Brazilian context. In the broad sense, the reflective path comprises a possible gnosiology present in the Science of Information and the discursive studies. The focus of this analytical study is on the interdisciplinary issues, as well as on the epistemological relationships, that this dialogue presents for Documentary Analysis. The objective is to establish the interdisciplinary relations of the two areas of study in the Brazilian context, having as a methodological path for the understanding of this diachronic perspective the critical epistemology. Three lines of discourse analysis were chosen for the purpose of the dialogical relationship: the line of Michel Pêcheux, the line of Sociolinguistics and the line of Michel Foucault. The first and third are present in works carried out in the field of Information Science, especially in the convergences with Documentary Analysis, having as confluence information as discourse, subject, language and pragmatics. Possible paths point to a scenario affected by power disputes. Thus, this scenario produces meaning effects and needs to be analyzed by a reading gesture, taking into account the historical issues of time and space, because depending on the cultural and temporal moment, information and discourse can produce different effects of meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the great variability of the precipitation in the Brazilian Northeast, it is necessary to use climate indexes for its monitoring. In this sense, this work aims to present a study of the space-time variation in the rainfall at the Salgado Basin, located in the state of Ceará, using the Rainfall Anomaly Index (RAI) as a tool. In order to do so, daily precipitation data from seven meteorological stations were used for the period between 1974 and 2015. From the data obtained, the RAI was calculated and plotted in spatial distribution maps. It was possible to observe that the rainy season at the basin lasts from January to April, and the driest period of the year lasts from July to October. The historical series presented drier years than rainy ones. A variation in the RAI within the basin was evidenced, and the region corresponding to Chapada do Araripe was wetter. The years with the extreme anomalies were related to sea surface temperature anomaly events, which favored its occurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Antropología Social is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid 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.)

Death and the "catholic funeral ritual complex" are events that may inspire ethnographic reflections about the relations between death (particularly its ritual dimension), time, space, memory and saudade. Here I want to explore some of these possibilities by looking at the events occurring after the death of catholic people in the Casa Amarela neighbourbood of Recife (Brazil). It seems to be possible to establish a structural-temporal relationship between these dimensions and hence to construct different times/types of memories based upon, on the one hand, an affective dimension (particularly saudade), and, on the other, a ritual dimension (as in the Day of the Dead), in the production of the "beloved being". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Prospective Space-Time scan statistic (PST) is widely used for the evaluation of space-time clusters of point event data. Usually a window of cylindrical shape is employed, with a circular or elliptical base in the space domain. Recently, the concept of Minimum Spanning Tree (MST) was applied to specify the set of potential clusters, through the Density-Equalizing Euclidean MST (DEEMST) method, for the detection of arbitrarily shaped clusters. The original map is cartogram transformed, such that the control points are spread uniformly. That method is quite effective, but the cartogram construction is computationally expensive and complicated. Results: A fast method for the detection and inference of point data set space-time disease clusters is presented, the Voronoi Based Scan (VBScan). A Voronoi diagram is built for points representing population individuals (cases and controls). The number of Voronoi cells boundaries intercepted by the line segment joining two cases points defines the Voronoi distance between those points. That distance is used to approximate the density of the heterogeneous population and build the Voronoi distance MST linking the cases. The successive removal of edges from the Voronoi distance MST generates sub-trees which are the potential space-time clusters. Finally, those clusters are evaluated through the scan statistic. Monte Carlo replications of the original data are used to evaluate the significance of the clusters. An application for dengue fever in a small Brazilian city is presented. Conclusions: The ability to promptly detect space-time clusters of disease outbreaks, when the number of individuals is large, was shown to be feasible, due to the reduced computational load of VBScan. Instead of changing the map, VBScan modifies the metric used to define the distance between cases, without requiring the cartogram construction. Numerical simulations showed that VBScan has higher power of detection, sensitivity and positive predicted value than the Elliptic PST. Furthermore, as VBScan also incorporates topological information from the point neighborhood structure, in addition to the usual geometric information, it is more robust than purely geometric methods such as the elliptic scan. Those advantages were illustrated in a real setting for dengue fever space-time clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many important questions and theories in demography focus on changes over time, and on how those changes differ over geographic and social space. Space-time analysis has always been important in studying fertility transitions, for example. However demographers have seldom used formal statistical methods to describe and analyze time series of maps. One formal method, used widely in epidemiology, criminology, and public health, is Knox 's space-time interaction test. In this article, we discuss the potential of the Knox test in demographic research and note some possible pitfalls. We demonstrate how to use familiar proportional hazards models to adapt the Knox test for demographic applications. These adaptations allow for nonrepeatable events and for the incorporation of structural variables that change in space and time. We apply the modified test to data on the onset offertility decline in Brazil over 1960-2000 and show how the modified method can produce maps indicating where and when diffusion effects seem strongest, net of covariate effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conformation of a city and the organization of its spaces form a material base starting from which it is possible to think a possible range of sensations and social practices. The city, while interaction and hybridity space, builds and reconstructs in time identities, it produces and reflects meanings, moving the attention to those social processes. It is presupposed that to understand the urban space through the consideration of its culture and of its intermediate spaces - streets, neighborhoods and equipments such as bars and restaurants - it is a way of looking for best means to manage it. This study has as objective to describe the cultural meanings attributed to the intermediate spaces, involving the emerging of bars and restaurants in three contiguous neighborhoods of Fortaleza, discussing the reflexes in terms of social-territorial development of the city. For such it was used, as methodological focus, an ethnographic research, combining varied collection techniques. The Thematic Analysis technique, which belongs to the Analysis of Content techniques group, was applied in the analysis of the collected information. Simultaneous times and differentiated spaces were evidenced, in which "places" and "non places" coexist meaning the "between places" and characterizing the emerging of intermediate spaces in the context of a city divided in two, rich in symbolisms and interaction, fragmented and solitary, unable to share the cultural codes suggesting challenges to its administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data collected during ethnographic fieldwork in the Palikur lands known as Arukwa along the Rio Urucauá in the Área Indígena do Uaçá, in Amapá, Brazil, we seek to expand current understandings of Arawakan oral forms of mapping that involve the listing of place-names. This article argues that the practice demonstrates a form of cartographic imagination that is based on a different theorization of the relationship between space and time. Contrasting the formal technology of cartography with the Palikur performative representations of "spatiotemporality," this article argues that the former approach is inadequate to the task of understanding the practice of listing place-names insofar as it separates body, temporality, and sky from place. Moreover, the spatiotemporal approach described indexes not one but multiple temporalities, including the autobiographical, ecological, astronomical, genealogical, and historical. Drawing on the notion of "topokinetic memory" described by neuroscientist Alain Berthoz (2000) and on ethnographic material collected during a journey on the Rio Urucauá, this analysis distinguishes between story maps as the practice of representational memory of space (such as the listing of landmarks on routes) and "story tracks" as performances of orientation that accompany the telling of stories about journeys, or along them. Proposing that both modes of memory are important in everyday life, we argue that the story track constitutes a practice of topographic memory that relies on the perspective of earth, sky, and underworld afforded by the moving, perceiving, conscious, and responsive person. Understood in this way, the listing of place-names is a form of cartographic imagination that incorporates history, geography, astronomy, ethics, and the self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: to analyze composing aspects of verbal narratives of 5 and 6-year-old children. Methods: 50 children took part in this research. There were 23 boys and 27 girls in pre-school classes of four private schools in Praia do Canto, an upper class neighborhood of Vitoria, Espirito Santo. The sample is composed of a verbal narrative of a story and personal account in a formal interaction in which the child was asked to tell the story Little Red Riding Hood, as it is a well-known story, and make a personal narrative. The analysis criteria were based on Perroni (1992) and Brandão & Spinillo (2001). Results: the analyzed group displayed knowledge of narrative structures; satisfactory domain of temporal relations in narrated events; use of clauses which express temporal dependence with action verbs in past tenses; use of connectors with the predominance of "'aí" (a colloquial form similar to then) and "depois" (after that); proper use of time and space reference points; well-organized space-time relations and causative relations being developed. The study also pointed out the importance of the participation of an interlocutor in structuring the narratives. Conclusion: the children showed more ease in structuring the story rather than the personal narrative; they answered all kinds of eliciting questions; most of them needed mediation only in the personal narrative; they followed the time sequence not only in the story, using correctly the story-related flashcards, as for the personal narrative, they use "aí" as the main connector for causative and temporal cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the richness of the association between space, culture, and memory. It starts by indicating the importance of migration in the formation of Brazil and moves on to explore the relation between memory and space by showing how memories can be inscribed in the visible spatiality of a city. It goes briefly back to Marcel Proust's work in order to further suggest links between spatiality and remembrance. Finally Félix Guattari's notion of affect is used to account for the impact that spatial experiences may have upon us. The two spaces--previous and present--eventually superimpose forming a complex arrangement that conveys the idea of displacement. Throughout the article, selected, in-depth interviews with Italian and French immigrants who live in Rio de Janeiro--and who relate memories brought about by the experience of space--provide a lively and consistent background to the arguments proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about the art works of Lygia Clark in 1959-1968, including an introduction by Yve-Alain Bois. It presents her account of the formation of the Neo-concrete movement in Brazil in 1959, which she said was based on Max Bill's systematic-concrete art. Clark's works include the Beasts, which was observed with the arrangement of metal plates determining the position of the beast. Her other works are Trailings, Concerning the Instant, Concerning the Magic of the Object, and those related to art, religiosity, and space-time.

The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed framework to use the spatiotemporal kriging to model the space-time variability of precipitation data in Paraíba, which is located in the northeastern region of Brazil (NEB). The NEB is characterized by an irregular, highly variable distribution of rainfall in space and time. In this region, it is common to find high rates of rainfall at locations adjacent to those with no record of rain. Paraíba experiences localized periods of drought within rainy seasons and distinct precipitation patterns among the state's mesoregions. The mean precipitation values observed at several irregularly spaced rain gauge stations from 1994 to 2014 showed remarkable variations among the mesoregions in Paraíba throughout the year. As a consequence of this behavior, there is a need to model the rainfall distribution jointly with space and time. A spatiotemporal geostatistical methodology was applied to monthly total rainfall data from the state of Paraíba. The rainfall data indicate intense spatial and temporal variabilities that directly affect the water resources of the entire region. The results provide a detailed spatial analysis of sectors experiencing precipitation conditions ranging from a scarcity to an excess of rainfall. The present study should help drive future research into spatiotemporal rainfall patterns across all of NEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]