Democracy on the Edge: Limits and Possibilities in the Implementation of an Urban Reform Agenda in Brazil

The 1990s in Brazil were a time of institutional advances in the areas of housing and urban rights following the signing of the new constitution in 1988 that incorporated the principles of the social function of cities and property, recognition of the right to ownership of informal urban squatters and the direct participation of citizens in urban policy decision processes. These propositions are the pillars of the urban reform agenda which, since the creation of the Ministry of Cities by the Lula government, has come under the federal executive branch. This article evaluates the limitations and opportunities involved in implementing this agenda on the basis of two policies proposed by the ministry - the National Cities Council and the campaign for Participatory Master Plans - focusing the analysis on government organization in the area of urban development in its relationship with the political system and the characteristics of Brazilian democracy. Resume Au Bresil, les annees 1990 ont ete marquees par des progres institutionnels en matiere de logement et de droits urbains, dans le sillage de la Constitution de 1988 qui integre les principes d`une fonction sociale de la ville et de la propriete urbaine, ainsi que la reconnaissance du droit a la propriete pour les squatters urbains et la participation directe des citoyens aux processus d`elaboration des politiques urbaines. Ce sont egalement les piliers du programme de reforme urbaine qui releve de l`executif federal depuis la creation d`un ministere des Villes par le gouvernement Lula. Pour evaluer les limites et potentiels lies a la mise en place de ce programme, cet article s`appuie sur deux politiques publiques proposees par le ministere, le Conseil national des villes et la campagne en faveur des Plans directeurs participatifs, en analysant plus particulierement l`organisation gouvernementale en matiere d`urbanisme par rapport au systeme politique et aux caracteristiques de la democratie bresilienne.

Letters and cities: reading the urban environment with the help of perception theories

When wandering around a city such as Sao Paulo, we are surrounded by letters, numbers and symbols. These elements form part of an environment full of signs in many shapes and sizes that compete for our attention. Our perception of these elements contributes towards our spatial guidance and sense of place. The idea of `reading` the city, or urban environment, was introduced by Kevin Lynch, for whom reading the urban structure follows on from recognizing or identifying its numerous visual elements, not necessarily verbal ones. Beginning with a brief bibliographic review of perception theories, this article combines concepts from environmental psychology with concerns brought up by the fields of information design and epigraphy studies, setting out the basis of a methodological proposal for the study of typography and lettering in the urban environment.

Toxocariasis/cysticercosis seroprevalence in a long-term rural settlement, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Seroprevalence of Toxocara and Taenia solium and risk factors for infection with these parasites were explored in a long-term rural settlement in Sao Paula state, Brazil. An ELISA for the detection of anti-Toxocara IgG and IgE and anti-T. solium cysticerci was standardized using Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens (TES) obtained from the cultured second-stage larvae of T. canis and by vesicular fluid antigen from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci (VC). For cysticercosis, the reactive ELISA samples were assayed by Western blot using 18 kDa and 14 kDa proteins purified from VF. Out of 182 subjects, 25 (13.7%,) presented anti-Toxocora IgG and it positive correlation between total IgE and the reactive index of specific anti-TES IgE (P=0.0265) was found amongst the subjects found seropositive for anti-Toxocara IgG. In these individuals 38.0%. showed ocular manifestations. The frequency of anti-T. solium cysticerci confirmed by Western blot wits 0.6%, Seropositivity for Toxocara was correlated with low educational levels and the owning of dogs. Embryonated eggs of Toxocara spp. were found in 43.3% of the analysed areas.

Sero-epidemiology of toxocariasis in a rural settlement in Sao Paulo state, Brazil

The seroprevalence of Toxocara canis and risk factors for infection with this parasite were explored in a rural settlement in Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Total IgA and IgE levels in 79 subjects were determined by turbidimetry and chemiluminescence, respectively. Total counts of leucocytes and erythrocytes and differential counts of leucocytes were made by flow cytometry. ELISA for the detection of anti-Toxocara IgG, IgA and IgE were standardized using Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens (TES) obtained from the cultured second-stage larvae of T. canis. Seventeen (21.5%) of the subjects were found positive for anti-Toxocara IgG, with no significant differences in such seropositivity with age or gender. Thirty (38%) of the subjects showed eosinophilia and 70 (89%) had elevated levels of total IgE. Among the 17 subjects found seropositive for anti-Toxocara IgG, the percentage of leucocytes represented by eosinophils (P=0.0069) and total levels of IgE (P=0.0452) were positively correlated with the levels of anti-TES IgE. Although anti-TES IgA was detected in 10 (59%) of the subjects, there was no significant correlation between the levels of total IgA and those of Toxocara-specific IgA. Only one of the 17 subjects found positive for anti-Toxocara IgG had attended a secondary school and all but two belonged to households with monthly incomes of < U.S.$100. In the study community at least, seropositivity may be related to poor living standards and lack of basic sanitary conditions. The presence of anti-Toxocara IgE and IgA may facilitate the diagnosis of toxocariasis and may well be useful for monitoring the success of treatment.

Metal embryotoxicity from urban particles in Sao Paulo city: An experimental study in chicken embryos

Chicken eggs were inoculated with suspensions of ambient air particles (<= 10 mu m, PM(10)) from Sao Paulo city in 3, 0.3 or 0.03 mu g doses on one of the four early days of embryo development. On the eleventh day of development alterations were observed on embryos inoculated with PM(10) 3 mu g on the third day. Particles analysis showed high content of metals. Hence, embryos were also inoculated with PM(10) (3 mu g) combined with metal chelating EDTA. PM(10) (3 mu g) embryos presented underdevelopment (stage 29.44 +/- 11.4) compared to vehicle and positive controls (stage 36.44 +/- 0.51 Saline and stage 31.20 +/- 9.7 Cyclophosphamide, p <= 0.05); higher (47%) mortality rate (23% Saline and 42% Cyclophosphamide) and low (68%) viability (100% Saline and 70% Cyclophosphamide, p = 0.04). Effects were attenuated when embryos received PM(10) + EDTA (stage 33.63 +/- 0.94, 18.9% mortality rate and 82% viability). PM(10) from Sao Paulo city is embryotoxic and metal may be implicated in the toxic mechanism. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Movements and the Dynamics of Rural Territorial Development in Latin America

This special section brings together 4 of the 12 studies conducted within a research program analyzing the relationships among social mobilization, governance. and rural development in contemporary Latin America. The introduction Lives an overview of the contemporary significance of social movements For rural development dynamics in the region, and of the principal insights of the section papers and the broader research program of which they were a part. This significance varies Lis an effect of two distinct and uneven geographics: the geography of social movements themselves and the geography of the rural political economy. The effects that movements have oil the political economy of rural development also depend significantly oil internal characteristics of these movements. The paper identifies several such characteristics. The general pattern is that movements have had far more effect oil widening the political inclusiveness of rural development than they have oil improving its economic inclusiveness and dynamism. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Salinity tolerance in Schinopsis quebracho colorado: Seed germination, growth, ion relations and metabolic responses

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress influencing plant productivity worldwide. Schinopsis quebracho colorado is one of the most important woody species in the Gran Chaco, an and and salt-prone subtropical biome of South America. To gain a better understanding of the physiological mechanisms that allow plant establishment under salt conditions, germination and seedling growth of S. quebracho colorado were examined under treatment with a range of NaCl solutions (germination: 0-300 mmol l(-1) NaCl; seedling growth: 0-200 mmol l(-1) NaCl). The aim was to test the hypothesis that S. quebracho colorado is a glycophite that shows different salt tolerance responses with development stage. Proline content, total soluble carbohydrates and Na+, K+ and Cl- concentrations in leaves and roots of seedlings, and the chlorophyll concentration and relative water content of leaves were measured. Germination was not affected by 100 mmol l(-1) NaCl, but decreased at a concentration of 200 mmol l(-1). At 300 mmol l(-1) NaCl, germination did not occur. Seedling growth decreased drastically with increasing salinity. An increase in NaCl from 0 to 100 mmol l(-1) also significantly reduced the leaf relative water content by 22% and increased the proline concentration by 60% in roots. In contrast, total soluble carbohydrates were not significantly affected by salinity. Seedlings showed a sodium exclusion capacity, and there was an inverse correlation between Cl- concentration and the total chlorophyll concentration. S. quebracho colorado was more tolerant to salinity during germination than in the seedling phase. The results suggest that this increased tolerance during germination might, in part, be the result of lower sensitivity to high tissue Na+ concentrations. The significant increment of proline in the roots suggests the positive role of this amino acid as a compatible solute in balancing the accumulation of Na+ and Cl- as a result of salinity. These results help clarify the physiological mechanisms that allow establishment of S. quebracho colorado on salt-affected soils in arid and semi-arid Gran Chaco. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Wet deposition of major ions in a rural area impacted by biomass burning emissions

This work concerns the influence of industrialized agriculture in the tropics on precipitation chemistry. A total of 264 rain events were sampled using a wet-only collector in central Sao Paulo State, Brazil, between January 2003 and July 2007. Electroneutrality balance calculations (considering H(+), K(+), Na(+), NH(4)(+), Ca(2)(+), Mg(2)(+), Cl(-), NO(3)(-), SO(4)(2-), F(-), PO(4)(3-), H(3)CCOO(-), HCOO(-), C(2)O(4)(2-) and HCO(3)(-)) showed that there was an excess of cations (similar to 15%), which was attributed to the presence of unmeasured organic anion species originating from biomass burning and biogenic emissions. On average, the three ions NH(4)(+), NO(3)(-) and H(+) were responsible for >55% of the total ion concentrations in the rainwater samples. Concentrations (except of H(+)) were significantly higher (t-test; P = 0.05), by between two to six-fold depending on species, during the winter sugar cane harvest period, due to the practice of pre-harvest burning of the crop. Principal component analysis showed that three components could explain 88% of the variance for measurements made throughout the year: PC1 (52%, biomass burning and soil dust resuspension); PC2 (26%, secondary aerosols); PC3 (10%, road transport emissions). Differences between harvest and non-harvest periods appeared to be mainly due to an increased relative importance of road transport/industrial emissions during the summer (non-harvest) period. The volume-weighted mean (VWM) concentrations of ammonium (23.4 mu mol L(-1)) and nitrate (17.5 mu mol L(-1)) in rainwater samples collected during the harvest period were similar to those found in rainwater from Sao Paulo city, which emphasizes the importance of including rural agro-industrial emissions in regional-scale atmospheric chemistry and transport models. Since there was evidence of a biomass burning source throughout the year, it appears that rainwater composition will continue to be affected by vegetation fires, even after sugar cane burning is phased out as envisaged by recent Sao Paulo State legislation. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Relativizing Minimality for A-movement: phi- and theta-relations

This paper discusses two arguments raised against Hornstein`s (1999, 2001) Movement Theory of Control (MTC): Landau`s (2003) contrast between raising and passivized subject control predicates and Culicover and Jackendoff`s (2001) contrast between control and raising within nominals. I show that rather than counter-arguments, the data they present can actually be analyzed as arguments in favor of the MTC. More specifically, I argue that the puzzling contrasts discussed by these authors can be adequately accounted for within the MTC if minimality computations regarding A-movement are relativized in terms of phi- or theta-relations.

Sweeping democracy: considerations on the political relations between Janio Quadros and the National Congress

This article examines the relation between President Janio Quadros and the National Congress during the early 1960`s. Based on the analysis of the discourse of these figures, it proposes that Quadros maneuvered to diminish the legitimacy of the Congress in the public opinion, thus disrespecting its constitutional competencies. Consequently, it shows that not only did the Congress structure political mechanisms in an attempt to recover its credibility with society, but also that this dispute and its results had important effects on President Joao Goulart`s administration and even on the 1964 military coup.

Social Science; black movement; racial relations; identityThe Brazilian black movement in the social sciences (1950-2000)

When and how did the Brazilian Black movement appear in the social sciences? What are the theoretical approaches and explanations for the 20th century emergence and development? This article will address these principal issues by analyzing studies that have taken on the topic of collective black mobilization from various disciplinary vantage points, particularly, Sociology, History and Anthropology.

Predictors of Lethality in Severe Leptospirosis in Urban Brazil

To ascertain prognostic factors associated with fatal outcomes in severe leptospirosis, a retrospective case-control study was done using population-based surveillance data. Centralized death certificate reporting of leptospirosis mortality was combined with details of patients` hospitalizations, which were obtained from hospitals representing all sectors of Sao Paulo city. Among identified leptospirosis cases, 89 lethal cases and 281 survivor cases were analyzed. Predictors of death included age > 40 years, development of oliguria, platelet count < 70,000/mu L, creatinine > 3 mg/dL. and pulmonary involvement. The latter was the strongest risk Factor with all estimated odds ratio of 6.0 (95% confidence interval: 3.0-12.0). Serologic findings with highest titer against Leptospira interrogans serovar Copenhageni did not show significant differences between survivors and non-survivors. Lung involvement was an important predictor of death in leptospirosis in Sao Paulo, of relevance in leptospirosis-endemic regions where this complication is common.

The time course of vasoconstriction and endothelin receptor A expression in pulmonary arterioles of mice continuously exposed to ambient urban levels of air pollution

The present study aimed to verify the time course of the effects of environmental levels of urban air pollution toxicity on lung arterioles. BALB/c mice (n = 56) were continuously exposed to selective chambers equipped with (filtered, F) or without (non-filtered, NF) filter devices for particles and toxic gases for 24 h/day, over 14, 21, 30 or 45 days. After exposure, we evaluated the lumen-wall relationship (an estimator of arteriolar narrowing), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and endothelin type A receptor (ETAr) expression in the vascular wall and inflammatory influx of the peribronchiolar area. Concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM <= 2.5 mu g/m(3)), nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), black smoke (BS), humidity and temperature in both the environment and inside the chambers were measured daily. Filters cleared 100% of BS and 97% of PM inside the F chamber. The arteriole wall of the lungs of mice from NF chamber had an increased ETAr expression (p <= 0.042) concomitant to a decrease in the lumen/wall ratio (p = 0.02) on the early days of exposure, compared to controls. They also presented a progressive increment of inflammatory influx in the peribronchiolar area during the study (p = 0.04) and decrement of the eNOS expression on the 45th day of exposure in both vascular layers (p <= 0.03). We found that after 14 days of exposure, the ambient levels of air pollutants in Sao Paulo induced vasoconstriction that was associated with an increase in ETAr expression. These vascular results do not appear to be coupled to the progressive inflammatory influx in lung tissue, suggesting a down-regulation of vasoconstrictive mechanisms through an imbalance in the cytokines network. It is likely that these responses are protective measures that decrease tissue damage brought about by continuous exposure to air pollutants. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Derivation and external validation of a simple prediction model for the diagnosis of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in the Brazilian urban population

A risk score model was developed based in a population of 1,224 individuals from the general population without known diabetes aging 35 years or more from an urban Brazilian population sample in order to select individuals who should be screened in subsequent testing and improve the efficacy of public health assurance. External validation was performed in a second, independent, population from a different city ascertained through a similar epidemiological protocol. The risk score was developed by multiple logistic regression and model performance and cutoff values were derived from a receiver operating characteristic curve. Model`s capacity of predicting fasting blood glucose levels was tested analyzing data from a 5-year follow-up protocol conducted in the general population. Items independently and significantly associated with diabetes were age, BMI and known hypertension. Sensitivity, specificity and proportion of further testing necessary for the best cutoff value were 75.9, 66.9 and 37.2%, respectively. External validation confirmed the model`s adequacy (AUC equal to 0.72). Finally, model score was also capable of predicting fasting blood glucose progression in non-diabetic individuals in a 5-year follow-up period. In conclusion, this simple diabetes risk score was able to identify individuals with an increased likelihood of having diabetes and it can be used to stratify subpopulations in which performing of subsequent tests is necessary and probably cost-effective.

Metabolic syndrome determinants in an urban population from Brazil: Social class and gender-specific interaction

Introduction: The metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by multiple cardiovascular risk factors such as central obesity, arterial hypertension, dislipidemia and hyperinsulinemia and is associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular events and mortality. The aim of the present work is to describe the prevalence of MS in an urban population from a highly admixed developing country and to characterize the different correlations between this diagnosis, cardiovascular risk factors and demographic variables distributed in this population. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases was performed in the urban population of Vitoria, Brazil (n= 1507). Major cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking habits, alcohol intake, amount of physical activity, diabetes and hypertension were inquired. Blood biochemical assays were performed by standard techniques in 12 h fasting blood sample and Metabolic Syndrome (MS) was characterizes following the ATP III criteria. Results: The analysis of 1507 individuals showed a 25.43% general prevalence of MS without any significant difference between sexes, but a clear relation of the prevalence with progressing age (p=<0.0001). Even though both sexes showed similar prevalence rates, distribution of risk factors that defined MS was different between men and women, with the prevalence of hypertension, fasting hyperglycemia and hypertriglyceridemia being higher in men. Race was not an important risk factor for MS in this population as opposed to social economic class that was highly associated with the risk of MS in women as their social class was lower, but not in men. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study from a large urban population in Brazil showed a high general prevalence of MS (25.4%), which is increased as the population becomes older (especially in women) and poorer. Although prevalence was very similar in both genders, the frequency of components defining the syndrome varied greatly amongst them. In particular, a significant interaction between gender and social class was observed and may shed light in our understanding of the complex interplay between demographic and biological risk factors for metabolic syndrome. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.