A methodological approach to gender analysis in natural disaster assessment: a guide for the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

The gender perspective in economic and labour policies: state of the art in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

The development of science and technology indicators in the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Gender equality, poverty and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the Caribbean subregion

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are fundamentally a set of eight global goals for the achievement of basic economic and social rights for all, with time-bound targets to be achieved by the year 2015. In adopting the Millennium Declaration in 2000, the member States of the United Nations pledged to “spare no effort to free our fellow men, women and children from the abject and dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty.”1 The focus of this report is on the progress made by Caribbean countries towards the achievement of Goal 1: the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; and Goal 3: the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women, and identifies linkages between the two goals.

Report of the AD HOC Expert Group meeting on social exclusion, poverty, inequality, crime and violence: Towardsa research agenda for informed public policy for Caribbean SIDS

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean convened an expert group meeting on Social Exclusion, Poverty, Inequality – Crime and Violence: Towards a Research Agenda for informed Public Policy for Caribbean SIDS on Friday 4 April 2008, at its conference room in Port of Spain. The meeting was attended by 14 experts drawn from, the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago; and Mona Campus, Jamaica; the St. Georges University, Grenada; the Trinidad and Tobago Crime Commission and the Ministry of Social Development, Government of Trinidad and Tobago and representative of Civil Society from Guyana. Experts from the United Nations System included representatives from the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Barbados; the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Port of Spain and UNDP Barbados/SRO and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). The list of participants appears as an annex to this report. The purpose of the meeting was to provide a forum in which differing theories and methodologies useful to addressing the issues of social exclusion, poverty, inequality, crime and violence could be explored. It was expected that at the end of the meeting there would be consensus on areas of research which could be pursued over a two to four-year period by the ECLAC Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean and its partners, which would lead to informed public policy in support of the reduction of the growing violence in Caribbean society.

Masculinidades em cena: o modo de ser e de pensar o metrossexual a partir das telenovelas

Procurei analisar as percepções dos sujeitos sobre o modo de ser e de pensar o metrossexual a partir das telenovelas. O uso de personagens desse programa para a investigação foi importante, pois as telenovelas são produções que contribuem para a visualização de comportamentos e divulgação do “novo”, além de possuir grande entrada nos lares brasileiros. Por conta disso, realizei dezesseis entrevistas com cinco mulheres e onze homens, todos residentes em Belém do Pará, universitários ou formados em diferentes cursos, com a finalidade de mostrar como essas pessoas veem os personagens masculinos que são veiculados nos folhetins eletrônicos e se elas percebem personagens metrossexuais ou com características metrossexuais nas telenovelas. Investiguei, ainda, o que pensam alguns operadores da comunicação – escritores, autores, atores e acadêmicos que estudam o tema telenovelas – sobre a relação do público masculino com esse tipo de programação, por meio de entrevistas que eles concederam a algum meio de comunicação e/ou trabalhos acadêmicos dos mesmos. Além disso, discuti a construção do corpo do metrossexual e a corrente associação que se faz desse tipo masculino com a homossexualidade. Destarte, abordei as compreensões dos/as meus/minhas interlocutores/as sobre três personagens que utilizei em minhas entrevistas: Narciso (Vladimir Brichta), de Belíssima (2005), Tomás (Leonardo Miggiorin), de Cobras e Lagartos (2006) e Carlos (Carlos Casagrande), de Viver a Vida (2009), verificando as características que fazem os homens representados nesses papéis serem ou não reconhecidos como vaidosos. Ver-se-á que a ideia de um masculino despreocupado com o que veste, que passa sabonete nos cabelos para não gastar muito tempo na hora do banho com xampus e condicionadores, por exemplo, tem perdido espaço na cena contemporânea, pois os homens, a cada dia, externalizam, mais e mais, sua vaidade, contribuindo para a “fabricação” de corpos belos e desejados.

Gênero, violência contra a mulher e teatro do(a) oprimido(a): construindo novas possibilidades de pesquisa e intervenção social

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Acute auditory stimulation with different styles of music influences cardiac autonomic regulation in men

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Archival Classification and Knowledge Organization: Theoretical Possibilities for the Archival Field

The main goal of this study is to outline a possible relation between archival classification and knowledge organization theory. In this sense, we seek to contribute to the conceptual classification in Archival Science, since there is a lack of systematization about archival classification; not just classification, but even the study of historical and conceptual aspects of the discipline. In the context of knowledge organization there is a considerable amount of research on how to build classification schemes and indexing systems that can help contribute to and expand archival classification theory. In order to comprehend this vast field of theories and methodologies we construct a parallel comparing the classification concepts in both areas and analyzing these concepts.

The climatic rhythm and blooms of cyanobacteria in a tropical reservoir in São Paulo, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Grade 3 Varicocele in Fertile Men: A Different Entity

Purpose: Although varicocele size has an inverse relationship with baseline semen parameters and a direct relationship with seminal reactive oxygen species in infertile patients, to our knowledge the effect of varicocele grade in fertile men is unknown. We evaluated the impact of varicocele grade on seminal parameters, testicular size and seminal reactive oxygen species in fertile men. Materials and Methods: We prospectively evaluated 194 men from July 2004 to April 2010. Of the men 156 were fertile and classified by presence of varicocele. A total of 38 infertile patients with varicocele as the only identifiable cause of infertility comprised the control group. Physical examination, semen parameters and seminal reactive oxygen species were compared between the groups. Results: Of 156 fertile men 43 (24.3%) had clinical varicocele, which was grade 1 to 3 in 22, 11 and 10, respectively. The remaining 113 men (72.7%) had no varicocele. Infertile men had smaller testes, decreased semen parameters and higher seminal reactive oxygen species than the fertile groups. Testicular size, reactive oxygen species and semen parameters did not differ between fertile men with vs without varicocele. Fertile men with varicocele grade 3 had higher seminal reactive oxygen species than those with lower grade varicocele. As varicocele grade increased, seminal reactive oxygen species increased and sperm concentration decreased. Conclusions: Although fertile men have more efficient defense mechanisms to protect against the consequences of varicocele on testicular function, these mechanisms may not be sufficient in those with varicocele grade 3. Further research is needed to clarify whether they are at increased risk for future infertility.

Sugar intake is correlated with adiposity and obesity indicators and sedentary lifestyle in Brazilian individuals with morbid obesity

Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by increased accumulation of body fat. We evaluated the socioeconomic aspects, body composition, risk of metabolic complications associated with obesity, eating habits and lifestyle in both women and men adults and elderly with body mass index (BMI) 40 kg/m(2). Among the subjects studied, 79% (n = 32) are female, 5% (n = 2) smokers, 39% (n = 16) use alcohol and only 24% (n = 10) are practitioners of physical exercise. The higher food intake was breads, followed by rice. The daily intake of fruits and vegetables is low. Positive correlation between consumption of sugar and BMI and abdominal circumference (AC) was observed. In summary, was found that morbidly obese patients that looking for nutritional counseling presents increased body fat, poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle.

Material embodiment and energy flows as efficiency indicators of soybean (Glycine max) production in Brazil

As the requirement for agriculture to be environmentally suitable there is a necessity to adopt indicators and methodologies approaching sustainability. In Brazil, biodiesel addition into diesel is mandatory and soybean oil is its main source. The material embodiment determines the convergence of inputs into the crop. Moreover, the material flows are necessary for any environmental analysis. This study evaluated distinct production scenarios, and also conventional versus GMO crops, through the material embodiment and energy analysis. GMO crops demanded less indirectly applied inputs. The energy balance showed linearity with yield, whereas for EROI, the increases in input and yield were not affected.

Integrated analisis of building and users: a way to reduce energy consuption

In many countries buildings are responsible for a substantial part of the energy consumption, nd it varies according to their energetic and environmental performances. The potential for major reductions in buildings consumption have bee well documented in Brazil. Opportunities have been identified throughout the life cycle of the buildings, due of projects in diverse locations without the proper adjustments. This article offers a reflection about project processes and how its understanding can be conducted in an integrated way, favoring the use of natural resources and lowering energy consumption. It concludes by indicating that the longest phase in the life cycle of a building is also the phase responsible for its largest energy consumption, not only because of its duration but also for the interaction with the end user. Therefore, in order to harvest the energy cost reduction potential from future buildings designers need a holistic view of the surrounding, end users, materials and methodologies.

Sustainability indicators for environmental management and decision making

The general objective of this research is to explore theories and methodologies of sustainability indicators, environmental management and decision making disciplines with the operational purpose of producing scientific, robust and relevant information for supporting system understanding and decision making in real case studies. Several tools have been applied in order to increase the understanding of socio-ecological systems as well as providing relevant information on the choice between alternatives. These tools have always been applied having in mind the complexity of the issues and the uncertainty tied to the partial knowledge of the systems under study. Two case studies with specific application to performances measurement (environmental performances in the case of the K8 approach and sustainable development performances in the case of the EU Sustainable Development Strategy) and a case study about the selection of sustainable development indicators amongst Municipalities in Scotland, are discussed in the first part of the work. In the second part of the work, the common denominator among subjects consists in the application of spatial indices and indicators to address operational problems in land use management within the territory of the Ravenna province (Italy). The main conclusion of the thesis is that a ‘perfect’ methodological approach which always produces the best results in assessing sustainability performances does not exist. Rather, there is a pool of correct approaches answering different evaluation questions, to be used when methodologies fit the purpose of the analysis. For this reason, methodological limits and conceptual assumptions as well as consistency and transparency of the assessment, become the key factors for assessing the quality of the analysis.