When emergent countries reform global governance of climate change: Brazil under Lula

Due to its recent economic success, Brazil is considered an emerging country, but is it an emerging power concerning global environmental governance? This article argues that although Brazil has a sui generis profile, it can only be considered an emerging power in some environmental regimes, such as global climate change. Thus, international relations theory needs more analytical instruments to assess the impact of emerging powers in global environmental governance

Governance of global climate change in the Brazilian Amazon: the case of Amazonian municipalities of Brazil

With regards to the debate about governance of climate change, it should be assumed that the Amazon region plays an important role, as this large area is highly vulnerable to its effects. In this sense, this article aims to discuss how some Amazonian municipalities of Brazil have been taking part in the complexes and multilayered processes of climate governance.

Regional governance: strategies and disputes in health region management

OBJECTIVE To analyze the regional governance of the health systemin relation to management strategies and disputes.METHODOLOGICAL PROCEDURES A qualitative study with health managers from 19 municipalities in the health region of Bahia, Northeastern Brazil. Data were drawn from 17 semi-structured interviews of state, regional, and municipal health policymakers and managers; a focus group; observations of the regional interagency committee; and documents in 2012. The political-institutional and the organizational components were analyzed in the light of dialectical hermeneutics.RESULTS The regional interagency committee is the chief regional governance strategy/component and functions as a strategic tool for strengthening governance. It brings together a diversity of members responsible for decision making in the healthcare territories, who need to negotiate the allocation of funding and the distribution of facilities for common use in the region. The high turnover of health secretaries, their lack of autonomy from the local executive decisions, inadequate technical training to exercise their function, and the influence of party politics on decision making stand as obstacles to the regional interagency committee’s permeability to social demands. Funding is insufficient to enable the fulfillment of the officially integrated agreed-upon program or to boost public supply by the system, requiring that public managers procure services from the private market at values higher than the national health service price schedule (Brazilian Unified Health System Table). The study determined that “facilitators” under contract to health departments accelerated access to specialized (diagnostic, therapeutic and/or surgical) services in other municipalities by direct payment to physicians for procedure costs already covered by the Brazilian Unified Health System.CONCLUSIONS The characteristics identified a regionalized system with a conflictive pattern of governance and intermediate institutionalism. The regional interagency committee’s managerial routine needs to incorporate more democratic devices for connecting with educational institutions, devices that are more permeable to social demands relating to regional policy making.

Relative growth and morphological sexual maturity of Chasmagnathus granulatus (Crustacea, Varunidae) from a mangrove area in southeastern Brazilian coast

The relative growth and morphological sexual maturity of Chasmagnathus granulatus Dana, 1851 are presented for the first time to a mangrove population. The crabs were obtained during low tide periods, in the mangrove of Jabaquara Beach, Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. All crabs in intermolt stage were sexed and had their body parts measured as follows: body height (BH), carapace length (CL) and width (CW), major cheliped propodus height (PH) and length (PL) for each sex, gonopod length (GL) and abdomen width (AW) for males and females, respectively. The relative growth was described using the allometric equation y=ax b and the size at onset sexual maturity was achieved using the software Mature I. The size of specimens ranged from 4.1 mm to 39.5 mm CW. The growth pattern was different between sexes in the cheliped relationships; the relationships BH vs. CW evidenced positive allometry for juveniles; PL vs. CW and PH vs. CW positive allometry for most crabs except juvenile females; AW vs. CW and GL vs. CW evidenced positive allometry for juveniles and isometry for adults. The relationships that best indicated the change from the juvenile to the adult phase were PH vs. CW for males and AW vs. CW for females. The size in which 50% of males from this population are mature is at 19.7 mm of CW (F=144.14; p<0.05) and for females it is at 19.2 mm of CW (F=166.54; p<0.05). The sizes obtained in this mangrove population are larger than those from previous studies, that could be attributed to a species plasticity concerning the habitat structure.

Relative growth and sexual maturity of the freshwater shrimp Palaemon pandaliformis (Crustacea, Palaemonidae) in northeastern of Brazil (Canavieiras, Bahia)

This study comprises the description of relative growth and sexual maturity of a population of Palaemon pandaliformis Stimpson, 1871 in Salsa River (Northeastern Brazil). Samples were collected monthly between September 2009 and August 2010. Females were larger, heavier, and showed a greater allometric coefficient (b) than male specimens. Only carapace length vs. pleura length in females presented a significant difference in the relative growth pattern, indicating a puberty moult. This relationship is strictly correlated to reproduction and its success rate in female shrimps. Estimated carapace length in 50% of mature females (CL50) was 4.53 mm. It was not possible to compare obtained CL50 results due to a lack of studies on this species. Comparison was based on the size of the smallest captured ovigerous female (3.81 CL mm), which is within the scope of recorded size for estuaries located in higher latitudes. This study reveals the lack of research on this genre in freshwater environments on a national and global scale.

A study of governance practices in corporate foundations

Implementation of social investments through corporate foundations is growing and, therefore, it is important to study their governance aspects better. Governance is conceptualized as a set of control and incentive mechanisms to overcome the so-called agency conflicts, which originate from the separation of property and management in for-profit organizations, a concept also applied to nonprofit institutions. It is argued that corporate foundations have the characteristics both of companies and of civil society organizations, which distinguishes them from both types of organizations. This paper analyses a study in which a set of governance mechanisms, adapted from those identified by a literature review of corporate and nonprofit governance, was selected for study. It is an exploratory descriptive case study, which analyzed data about eight organizations collected through publications and interviews with their CEOs. The data analysis indicates that it is appropriate to distinguish the different organization types and to apply the agency theory. Research results indicate that the selected governance mechanisms may be adapted and used in corporate foundations. However, they are only partially applied in the observed cases, which suggests the need for further studies that might consolidate these practices in such organizations.

Understanding the hierarchy governance choice of some wineries in Brazil - case study of 3 Brazilian wineries

ABSTRACT This study aims to contribute towards understanding the multiple factors, which influence firm's governance decisions. To identify some of these factors, three cases in the Brazilian wine industry were analyzed: Miolo located in Vale dos Vinhedos (South of Brazil) and in Vale do Rio São Francisco (Northeast of Brazil); Don Laurindo located in Vale dos Vinhedos; and ViniBrasil located in Vale do Rio São Francisco. For the most part, all three firms procure the grapes they use for their wine production in-house. Only Miolo purchases an insignificant amount of grapes outside of its production. By Brazilian standards, these regions have a long tradition of grape production and it is not difficult to purchase sufficient quantity of grapes to produce wine. However, the wineries are concerned also about the quality of the grapes they use and purchasing high-quality grapes might be critical issue. On the other hand, the quality of grapes is easily measured and the cost to buy in the market is cheaper than producing in-house. Furthermore, also the level of asset specificity present in the grape-grower-wine-producer transaction seems, by itself, insufficient to justify the use of hierarchical governance forms. Then, the aim of the article is to analyze the reasons why these wineries largely rely on hierarchy governance forms to procure their grape-inputs. What explains their use of hierarchy governance, given that both asset specificity and measurement problems appear to be relatively low?

Effect of aminoethoxyvinilglycine (AVG) on preharvest fruit drop and maturity of apples

Apple trees cultivars Gala and Fuji were sprayed four weeks before commercial harvest with aminoethoxyvinilglycine (AVG), at doses of 0, 125, or 250 mg L-1, and assessed for preharvest fruit drop, fruit growth, and maturation on tree. In 'Gala', 64 days after AVG spraying, fruit drop for control treatment was 85%, and AVG (at 125 and 250 mg L-1) reduced it to 10%. In 'Fuji', 64 days after AVG spraying, fruit drop for control was 6%, while treatments with AVG (at 125 and 250 mg L-1) increased fruit drop to 10%. AVG was a powerful retardant of fruit maturation for 'Gala' but not for 'Fuji'. In 'Gala', the most affected attribute was the skin background color, followed, in decreasing order, by soluble solids content, the starch index, skin red color, the flesh firmness, and titratable acidity. In 'Gala', only flesh firmness retention was improved by increasing AVG dose from 125 mg L-1 to 250 mg L-1. The AVG at 250 mg L-1 inhibited "Gala" late fruit growth but not 'Fuji'.

Maturity indexes for 'Kumagai' and 'Paluma' guavas

Harvest time is one of the main factors related to guava fruit postharvest losses. It is subjectively determined by fruit size and skin color, without any consensual standardization among the growers. The use of maturity indexes enables growers to know the ideal harvest time according to each market situation. The objective of this work was to determine the maturity indexes to identify the harvest time for guava fruit cv. Kumagai and Paluma. Skin color, fruit firmness, soluble solids, titratable acidity, ratio and ascorbic acid were analyzed. The most adequate maturity indexes for 'Kumagai' guava fruit were skin color and pulp firmness, while for 'Paluma' guava fruit, the best indexes were skin color, pulp firmness, titratable acidity and ratio.

Physiological maturity of seeds and colorimetry of fruits of Jatropha curcas L.

The objective was to relate the coloration of fruits of Jatropha curcas L during the maturation process with morphometric (fruits and seeds) and germinative characteristics (seeds). Fruits were collected at various maturation stages from mast trees located in Eldorado/MS, and six maturation stages were visually classified based on fruit's epicarp color. Epicarp digital colorimetry was used to characterize maturation stages in addition to morphometric variables of length and width of fruits and seeds, as well their water content. For determining the physiological potential it was used germination test, emergence velocity index and first count of germination. Results indicated that seeds of J. curcas should be harvested when fruit epicarp shows a reading equal or smaller than 82, 70 or 65 nm of red, green or blue scales from a digital color analyzer. Seeds of fruits with that colorimetry can be harvested in virtue of the maxim acumululation of dry mass, water content below 38,5% and higher physiological potential.

New-consensus macroeconomic governance in a Keynesian world, and the Keynesian alternative

The paper presents both the New Consensus and Keynesian equilibrium within the usual four competitive macro-markets structure. It gives theoretical explanations of the pernicious effects that the NCM governance, which has been designed for ergodic stationary regimes, brings about in Keynesian non-ergodic regimes. It put forward Keynesian principles of governance which include monetary, budgetary and fiscal instruments, and suggest new directions for the positive and normative analysis of macro-policies.

Knowledge governance, innovation and development

This paper aims to be a very preliminary effort to contribute to a better understanding of the interaction among innovation, competition and intellectual property policies from an evolutionary-developmental perspective. As such, it seeks to build a more coherent framework within which the discussions of both institution building and policy design for development can proceed. In order to accomplish that, the paper introduces the concept of "Knowledge Governance" as an alternative analytical and policy-oriented approach, and suggests that from a public policy/public interest perspective, and within an evolutionary framework, it is a better way to address the problems concerning the production, appropriability and diffusion of knowledge. In doing so, it also intends contribute to broaden the ongoing discussions on the "New Developmentalism".

Comparação entre os questionários IT-MAIS e MUSS com vídeo-gravação para avaliação de crianças candidatas ao implante coclear

Existe uma grande dificuldade para determinar precocemente crianças que se beneficiariam ou não com o implante coclear, até porque devido à pouca idade são muito sutis as respostas apresentadas. OBJETIVO: Comparar os resultados obtidos através da vídeo-gravação de situações de interação de crianças candidatas ao implante coclear com os resultados obtidos através de protocolos de avaliação. MÉTODO: Fizeram parte da amostra 7 crianças com idade média de 39,7 meses, portadores de perda auditiva neurossensorial profunda. Foram aplicados os questionários IT-MAIS e MUSS aos pais e os resultados foram comparados com a observação da vídeo-gravação destas crianças. RESULTADOS: Foi possível observar que os dados são compatíveis no que se refere às etapas auditivas. No entanto, no que se refere ao questionário MUSS, os dados obtidos na observação lúdica são bastante diferentes. O questionário leva em consideração apenas a uso da linguagem oral e, portanto, a maioria das crianças apresentou um escore muito baixo. CONCLUSÃO: A observação lúdica permitiu traçar um perfil mais amplo do comportamento lingüístico e de aspectos relativos à linguagem apresentando diferenças do questionário.

Climate governance in an international system under conservative hegemony: the role of major powers

In the last five years, climate change has been established as a central civilizational driver of our time. As a result of this development, the most diversified social processes - as well as the fields of science which study them - have had their dynamics altered. In International Relations, this double challenge could be explained as follows: 1) in empirical terms, climate change imposes a deepening of cooperation levels on the international community, considering the global common character of the atmosphere; and 2) to International Relations as a discipline, climate change demands from the scientific community a conceptual review of the categories designed to approach the development of global climate governance. The goal of this article is to discuss in both conceptual and empirical terms the structure of global climate change governance, through an exploratory research, aiming at identifying the key elements that allow understanding its dynamics. To do so, we rely on the concept of climate powers. This discussion is grounded in the following framework: we now live in an international system under conservative hegemony that is unable to properly respond to the problems of interdependence, among which - and mainly -, the climate issue.