Developing a research agenda for promoting physical activity in Brazil through environmental and policy change

Objective. To identify the highest priorities for research on environmental and policy changes for promoting physical activity (PA) in Brazil; to uncover any gaps between researchers' and practitioners' priorities; and to consider which tools, methods, collaborative strategies, and actions could be useful to moving a research agenda forward.Methods. This was a mixed-methods study (qualitative and quantitative) conducted by Project GUIA (Guide for Useful Interventions for Activity in Brazil and Latin America) in February 2010-January 2011. A total of 240 individuals in the PA field (186 practitioners and 54 researchers) were asked to generate research ideas; 82 participants provided 266 original statements from which 52 topics emerged. Participants rated topics by "importance" and "feasibility;" a separate convenience sample of 21 individuals categorized them. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling were used to create concept maps and pattern matches.Results. Five distinct clusters emerged from the concept mapping, of which " effectiveness and innovation in PA interventions" was rated most important by both practitioners and researchers. Pattern matching showed a divergence between the groups, especially regarding feasibility, where there was no consensus.Conclusions. The study results provided the basis for a research agenda to advance the understanding of environmental and policy influences on PA promotion in Brazil and Latin America. These results should stimulate future research and, ultimately, contribute to the evidence-base of successful PA strategies in Latin America.

Dossiê agenda de pesquisas em políticas públicas

L'article présente un dossier à propos de l'agenda de recherches en politiques publiques, en affirmant le besoin de développement de cette discipline au Brésil. Les principaux obstacles à ce développement se trouvent dans les dimensions théorique et méthodologique, ainsi que dans la subordination de l'agenda de recherche à l'agenda politique du pays.

Environmental training in organisations: From a literature review to a framework for future research

Although the research on the relationship between human factors and environmental sustainability is slowly progressing, environmental training has attracted the most attention from researchers and practitioners. However, there remains a lack of research that integrates and systematises the available knowledge on organisational environmental training. Environmental training is fundamental to any successful activity of environmental management, conservation and recycling of resources. Thus, the aim of this paper was to present the results of a systematic literature review on environmental training in organisations. The main studies in this area were classified and coded, and a research agenda with 9 recommendations that may advance the field was presented. As a result of the gaps in the current literature, a framework was proposed aiming guide and strengthens the state-of-the-art research on environmental training. Additionally, results show that more research is needed on environmental training, combining training and green human resource management and defining/measuring the objectives of the environmental training actions. Future studies should also consider mixed methodologies and comparative perspectives. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Políticas participativas e a nova literatura de análise de políticas públicas: novos horizontes para agenda de pesquisa

From the organization of social movements in the late 1960s to the institutionalization of participatory politics in the Brazilian Federal Constitution in 1998 , the research agenda on participatory institutions in Brazil was not only consolidated in the academic setting as been growing and diversifying in the past decades. The main objective of this paper is to put the most recent literature of policy process applied to studies of participatory institutions. This paper assumes that the public policy are multidisciplinary epistemological field of knowledge. Thus, it is through the explanation of some of his theories and models of the policy process analysis that we aims to show new perspectives for the research agenda on participatory institutions.

Green supply chain management: Mapping the territory

The objective of this paper is to identify the main definitions, related practices and to point out future directions in green supply chain management (GSCM). After a literature review and systematisation of the published articles in this field, it was possible to identify: a) the main research objectives of analysed papers; b) the research methods adopted; c) the predominantly analysed industrial sectors; d) the GSCM practices considered by the researchers. Results are presented in each of these analytical perspectives. The main findings are: 1) there are various classifications, nomenclatures and types of GSCM practices, but the most commonly used by studies in GSCM are cleaner production, product design, reverse logistic and green purchasing; 2) from the highlighted definitions, the tonic is to adapt operating activities and incorporate the supply chain management philosophy (integration/ collaboration) to environmental concerns (impact reduction) in relations between links in the chain. These results can be useful for those interested in environmental management as well as supply chain management, considering the growing interest in GSCM. We also propose a research agenda on this subject. This is one of the most recent literature review and systematisation on green supply chain management. © 2013 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Biodiversity Can Help Prevent Malaria Outbreaks in Tropical Forests

Background: Plasmodium vivax is a widely distributed, neglected parasite that can cause malaria and death in tropical areas. It is associated with an estimated 80-300 million cases of malaria worldwide. Brazilian tropical rain forests encompass host- and vector-rich communities, in which two hypothetical mechanisms could play a role in the dynamics of malaria transmission. The first mechanism is the dilution effect caused by presence of wild warm-blooded animals, which can act as dead-end hosts to Plasmodium parasites. The second is diffuse mosquito vector competition, in which vector and non-vector mosquito species compete for blood feeding upon a defensive host. Considering that the World Health Organization Malaria Eradication Research Agenda calls for novel strategies to eliminate malaria transmission locally, we used mathematical modeling to assess those two mechanisms in a pristine tropical rain forest, where the primary vector is present but malaria is absent. Methodology/Principal Findings: The Ross-Macdonald model and a biodiversity-oriented model were parameterized using newly collected data and data from the literature. The basic reproduction number (R0) estimated employing Ross-Macdonald model indicated that malaria cases occur in the study location. However, no malaria cases have been reported since 1980. In contrast, the biodiversity-oriented model corroborated the absence of malaria transmission. In addition, the diffuse competition mechanism was negatively correlated with the risk of malaria transmission, which suggests a protective effect provided by the forest ecosystem. There is a non-linear, unimodal correlation between the mechanism of dead-end transmission of parasites and the risk of malaria transmission, suggesting a protective effect only under certain circumstances (e.g., a high abundance of wild warm-blooded animals). Conclusions/Significance: To achieve biological conservation and to eliminate Plasmodium parasites in human populations, the World Health Organization Malaria Eradication Research Agenda should take biodiversity issues into consideration. © 2013 Laporta et al.

Entorno da sustentabilidade: a reserva da biosfera do Cinturão Verde da cidade de São Paulo (1971 – 2008)

Pós-graduação em História - FCLAS

Cerrado vegetation and global change: the role of functional types, resource availability and disturbance in regulating plant community responses to rising CO2 levels and climate warming

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

O programa de pós-graduação em educação da UNESP de Marília: contribuições para uma agenda de discussões sobre aspectos da política de pós-graduação no Brasil

Apresentam-se parte dos resultados obtidos com as atividades de pesquisa desenvolvidas em nível de estágio pós-doutoral junto à Fundação Carlos Chagas, entre abril de 2009 e março de 2010, com o objetivo geral de identificar, reunir, analisar e interpretar os aspectos da Pós-Graduação em Educação da Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências - FFC - Unesp/Campus de Marília (1988-2008) e suas contribuições para a Pós-Graduação no Brasil. Tal pesquisa se justifica considerando-se que, a avaliação dos aspectos da trajetória pregressa e da evolução de cada Programa de Pós-Graduação e seu contexto institucional, bem como as suas perspectivas de trajetória futura, concorrem para a história, para a redefinição e aperfeiçoamento dos aspectos da política de Pós-Graduação no Brasil. Particularmente neste texto, apresentamos os resultados dos trabalhos desenvolvidos mediante análise dos aspectos da configuração textual dos relatos orais de ex-partícipes do Programa que evidenciaram desafios que, historicamente, permanecem em aberto, dentre eles, os referentes ao desequilíbrio quanto à representatividade dos Programas das universidades estaduais com relação aos das estaduais nos órgãos colegiados centrais e à exigência de super especialização dos Programas quanto às suas propostas de investigação.

A temática financeira na agenda da política externa do governo Lula: o BNDES e o modelo de participação e exposição financeira do Brasil na América do Sul

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Análise socioambiental da cidade de Juazeiro do Norte: subsídios para a construção da Agenda 21 local

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE

O governo Lula e a agenda dos anos 90: ambigüidade na política administrativa

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Políticas públicas de educação ambiental: um estudo sobre a agenda 21 escolar

Pós-graduação em Educação para a Ciência - FC

A influência da agenda mercosulina na criação do Conselho de Defesa Sul-Americano

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Agenda 21 local e sustentabilidade socioambiental urbana de Limeira/SP

Pós-graduação em Geografia - IGCE