Confederações indígenas em luta por participação política, comercial e territorial: Argentina, 1852 - 1859

Entre 1852 e 1859, a atual Argentina se encontrava politicamente dividida entre Buenos Aires e a Confederação, que congregava as demais Províncias. Nesse período, diferentes grupos étnicos dos pampas, dos Andes e da Patagônia se organizaram em confederações indígenas com o objetivo de enfrentar os avanços territoriais, defender suas autonomias e a participação em lucrativas redes de comércio. Nesta luta por autonomia política, territorial e comercial, negociaram com os grupos criollos em luta pelo poder, avaliaram seus projetos e aderiram a aquele que os reconheceu enquanto interlocutores políticos e aliados militares. Participantes ativos da política argentina, conseguiram reconquistar territórios e oferecer intensas resistências aos criollos.

Trabalho e imigração: uma comparação Brasil-Argentina

O artigo busca discutir um novo padrão migratório da Bolívia para o Brasil e para a Argentina, especialmente vinculado à precarização do trabalho e à inserção desses imigrantes em formas de trabalho precário. Esse padrão & aparentemente novo em relação à integração dos contingentes migrantes ao longo do século XX & vem produzindo consequências que ainda estão por ser mapeadas. Uma delas é a presença de um contingente de bolivianos confinado ao setor de costura, trabalhando e vivendo em oficinas clandestinas, com pouca visibilidade pública, como face de uma precarização mundializada, resultante do assim chamado “custo chinês”. Resultante de um balanço bibliográfico e de uma incursão exploratória na pesquisa de campo tanto em São Paulo como em Buenos Aires, o artigo pretende apontar para aspectos específicos do fenômeno, combinando olhares e perspectivas que cruzam as dimensões migratórias, geracionais e de gênero.

Narrowing socioeconomic inequality in child stunting: the Brazilian experience, 1974–2007

Objective To assess trends in the prevalence and social distribution of child stunting in Brazil to evaluate the effect of income and basic service redistribution policies implemented in that country in the recent past. Methods The prevalence of stunting (height-for-age z score below \22122 using the Child Growth Standards of the World Health Organization) among children aged less than 5 years was estimated from data collected during national household surveys carried out in Brazil in 1974\201375 (n = 34 409), 1989 (n = 7374), 1996 (n = 4149) and 2006\201307 (n = 4414). Absolute and relative socioeconomic inequality in stunting was measured by means of the slope index and the concentration index of inequality, respectively. Findings Over a 33-year period, we documented a steady decline in the national prevalence of stunting from 37.1 per cent to 7.1 per cent. Prevalence dropped from 59.0 per cent to 11.2 per cent in the poorest quintile and from 12.1 per cent to 3.3 per cent among the wealthiest quintile. The decline was particularly steep in the last 10 years of the period (1996 to 2007), when the gaps between poor and wealthy families with children under 5 were also reduced in terms of purchasing power; access to education, health care and water and sanitation services; and reproductive health indicators.Conclusion In Brazil, socioeconomic development coupled with equity-oriented public policies have been accompanied by marked improvements in living conditions and a substantial decline in child undernutrition, as well as a reduction of the gap in nutritional status between children in the highest and lowest socioeconomic quintiles. Future studies will show whether these gains will be maintained under the current global economic crisis

Contaminated sites and brownfield management State of art in Brazil and in Germany

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to briefly present aspects of public brownfield management policies from Brazilian and German points of view. Design methodology approach - The data collection method combined literature and documental research. The bibliography included Brazilian and German literature about brownfield management. The documental research includes Brazilian and German legislation and official documents published by CETESB, the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Furthermore, publications of German governmental research institutions have been integrated in the paper. Findings - In Brazil, despite the lack of a federal public policy, the State of São Paulo has approved specific rules to deal with contaminated sites. Topics that could be targets of scientific studies have been identified. Experiences in Germany show that it is essential to have political will and cooperation between the different political levels and technical disciplines. Partnerships between German and Brazilian universities would be welcome as there is a wide range of opportunities for academic post-graduation studies and research focusing on human resources capacitation in environmental management. Originality value - The paper makes an original contribution of exploring an area (brownfield management) that is at the forefront of discussion in academe and industry

Composite materials of thermoplastic starch and fibers from the ethanol-water fractionation of bagasse

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of the fibrous material obtained from ethanol-water fractionation of bagasse as reinforcement of thermoplastic starches in order to improve their mechanical properties. The composites were elaborated using matrices of corn and cassava starches plasticized with 30 wt%glycerin. The mixtures (0,5,10 and 15 wt% bagasse fiber) were elaborated in a rheometer at 150 degrees C. The mixtures obtained were pressed on a hot plate press at 155 degrees C. The test specimens were obtained according to ASTM D638. Tensile tests, moisture absorption tests for 24 days (20-23 degrees C and 53% RH, ASTM E104), and dynamic-mechanical analyses (DMA) in tensile mode were carried out. Images by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction were obtained. Fibers (10 wt% bagasse fiber) increased tensile strength by 44% and 47% compared to corn and cassava starches, respectively. The reinforcement (15 wt% bagasse fiber) increased more than fourfold the elastic modulus on starch matrices. The storage modulus at 30 C (E(30 degrees C)`) increased as the bagasse fiber content increased, following the trend of tensile elastic modulus. The results indicate that these fibers have potential applications in the development of biodegradable composite materials. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.