National public investment systems in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tabago

Includes bibliography

National mechanism for gender equality and empowerment of women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Incluye Bibliografía

The institutionality of gender in the State: new analytical perspectives

Includes bibliography

Hydrochemical evaluation of bottled mineral waters and spring at Corumbataí city, São Paulo State, Brazil

This investigation was carried out within São Paulo State, Brazil, and involved the sampling of well-known mineral bottled waters for performing a comparative hydrochemical study and of a spring occurring at Corumbataí city, in order to evaluate its suitability for bottling. Several methods were utilized for acquiring the hydrochemical data like the methyl orange end-point titration, potentiometry, ion selective electrode, colorimetry, flame photometry and inductively-coupled plasma spectrometry. The results obtained for the analyzed samples were compared with the guideline values established by the National Commission of Rules and Standards for Food of the Brazilian Health Ministry published in 1976. The Brazilian Code for Mineral Waters that was established by Register 7841 published on 8 August 1945 was also taken into account for verifying if the spring waters are mineralized. The hydrochemical data allowed identify some constituents impoverishing the water quality, thus, implying on its nonutilization for commercial purposes (bottling). In one specific case, the spring water only can become appropriate for human consumption after previous chemical treatment. © 201 WIT Press.

Geoelectrical prospection of disseminated sulfide mineral occurrences in Camaquã Sedimentary Basin, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil

The mineral exploration is a complex activity that should involve a combination of direct and indirect techniques of geological investigation. The growing demand for base metals in the national and international market provides the revaluation of mineral occurrences that can become deposits and mines. This paper presents the results of the electrical resistivity and induced polarization geophysical methods in azimuthal arrangement, applied in a mineral occurrence of disseminated copper sulfides, previously studied through trenches and core drilling, located in the Camaquã Sedimentary Basin, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The inversion models indicate the coincidence of high chargeability and low resistivity values. The integration of geophysical data permitted the elaboration of 3D attributes visualization models for the mineralization enclosed in volcanic tuffs. The integrated geophysical and geological analysis indicates the potential of a new mineralized area. © 2012 Sociedade Brasileira de Geofísica.

Directorio de organismos nacionales a cargo de las políticas y programas para las mujeres de América Latina y el Caribe = Directory of national organizations dealing with programmes and policies on women in Latin America and the Caribbean

Publicación bilingüe

What does the National High School Exam (enem) tell Brazilian society?

This article assesses the limitations and potentials of the National High School Exam (ENEM) as an indicator of school effectiveness in Brazil, and considers the effects of introducing contextual variables. A multilevel regression analysis was performed on three levels (individual, school and state) using microdata on 17,359 schools from 2009 and 2010. Contextual factors made it possible to explain 79% of the difference between schools. The raw average and value-added (random effect at the school level) produced contrasting evaluations in 34% of cases; and the average was more stable (r = 0.8) than value-added (r = 0.5) in both years. Various shortcomings in the ENEM as an indicator of school effectiveness were identified. The results show that this league table reveals more about socioeconomic conditions than the schools' own merit, in other words the value-added they are supposedly providing to the students.

Digital inclusion in education in Tarija, Plurinational State of Bolivia

This study analyses digital inclusion in secondary education in the Tarija School District in the Plurinational State of Bolivia for the 2012-2013 school year, using the indicators in the Plan of Action for the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean (Plan of Action elac). This is an exploratory and descriptive analysis based on a sample of 311 students, 108 teachers and 15 school principals. According to the findings, teenagers use the Internet to look for information and entertainment; the expansion of mobile technology among them offers numerous educational opportunities; and insufficient training for teachers on how to integrate information and communications technologies (icts) into the learning process is a top challenge. The existence of icts in schools has been confirmed, but not their use. Local and national efforts are helping to reduce the digital divide and promote equality of opportunity for young people.

The cost of hunger: Social and economic impact of child undernutrition in the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) jointly with the World Program of Food (WFP) and recognized experts of the region developed a methodology that, using secondary information, estimate the opportunity cost derived from undernutrition. This methodology has been successfully applied in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic, where the cost of undernutrition was estimated at 6.7 billion dollars in 2004. The present study covers four countries in South America: Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru. The results indicate that the cost of the malnutrition in these countries reached 4.3 billion dollars in 2005, which is equivalent to 3.3 per cent of the GDP of these countries. The results strongly point out that child undernutrition is not only a problem of health or an unacceptable situation ethically, but it is a national problem, given the enormous social costs and the loss of opportunities that it imposes on the national economy.

Classification of honeys from Pará State (Amazon region, Brazil) produced by three different species of bees

Vinte e sete amostras de mel, produzidas em dez cidades do Estado do Pará (Região Amazônica, norte do Brasil) por três espécies diferentes de abelhas (Apis mellifera, Melipona fasciculata e Melipona flavoneata), foram analisadas em seus teores de elementos minerais (Al, As, Ba, Be, Bi, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Sr e Zn) e alguns parâmetros fisicoquímicos (cor, umidade, densidade, pH, sólidos insolúveis e solúveis totais, cinzas, condutividade elétrica, índice de formol, acidez livre, hidroximetilfurfural, açúcares redutores e totais e sacarose). Os teores minerais foram determinados via espectrometria de emissão atômica por plasma acoplado indutivamente (ICP OES) e as análises dos parâmetros físico-químicos seguiram metodologias oficiais. Os resultados das análises físico-químicas apresentaram-se de acordo com a legislação nacional e internacional, bem como com outros trabalhos similares ao redor do mundo. A análise estatística multivariada (análise por agrupamento hierárquico (HCA) e por componentes principais (PCA)) foi aplicada aos resultados dos teores metálicos e aos parâmetros físico-químicos, sendo possível a separação das amostras de mel conforme a espécie produtora.

A gap analysis of ornithological research in the brazilian state of Roraima

Neste artigo, o esforço de investigação ornitológica no estado de Roraima será investigado utilizando abordagens de análises de lacunas. Basicamente, apresentaremos uma síntese sobre todo o esforço ornitológico feito até o momento em Roraima, visando responder as seguintes questões: (a) quais os locais bem amostrados para aves? (b) quais são as lacunas geográficas de investigação? (c) em que estágio de descobertas está o inventário das espécies de aves em Roraima? (d) quais são os macro-hábitats prioritários para investigação? (e) quais os tipos de vegetação bem investigados e quais os que podem ser classificados como prioritários para investigação? Como resultados, detectamos Oitenta e duas localidades com algum tipo de informação ornitológica. Dentre essas, a Estação Ecológica de Maracá (442 sp), seguido pelo Parque Nacional do Viruá (420 sp), Colônia do Apiaú (320 sp), Mucajaí (267 sp), e Pacaráima (212 sp), são as cinco localidades com maior grau de conhecimento ornitológico dentro do estado. Nos últimos 20 anos apenas duas localidades ornitológicas em Roraima podem ser acrescidas à lista de sítios bem estudados de acordo com o critério de pelo menos 100 espécies registradas (peles, gravações de voz e observações visuais): Parque Nacional do Viruá e a Fazenda Paraense. Cinco áreas são aqui apontadas como lacunas de amostragem da avifauna de Roraima e devem receber prioridade para novos inventários e estudos sobre a avifauna dessa região, são elas: Noroeste do estado, nas áreas junto à fronteira com a Venezuela e divisa com o Estado do Amazonas; Baixo Rio Branco, desde a cidade de Caracaraí à sua foz; Florestas de terra firme no sudeste do Estado; As savanas do nordeste junto à fronteira com a Guiana e as regiões de floresta montana e os tepuis.

Yellow fever: reemerging in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2009

OBJECTIVE: To describe the investigation of a sylvatic yellow fever outbreak in the state of Sao Paulo and the main control measures undertaken.METHODS: This is a descriptive study of a sylvatic yellow fever outbreak in the Southwestern region of the state from February to April 2009. Suspected and confirmed cases in humans and in non-human primates were evaluated. Entomological investigation in sylvatic environment involved capture at ground level and in the tree canopy to identify species and detect natural infections. Control measures were performed in urban areas to control Aedes aegypti. Vaccination was directed at residents living in areas with confirmed viral circulation and also at nearby cities according to national recommendation.RESULTS: Twenty-eight human cases were confirmed (39.3% case fatality rate) in rural areas of Sarutaia, Piraju, Tejupa, Avare, and Buri. The deaths of 56 non-human primates were also reported, 91.4% were Allouatta sp. Epizootics was confirmed in two non-human primates in the cities of Itapetininga and Buri. A total of 1,782 mosquitoes were collected, including Haemagogus leucocelaenus, Hg. janthinomys/capricornii, and Sabethes chloropterus, Sa. purpureus and Sa. undosus. Yellow fever virus was isolated from a group of Hg. Leucocelaenus from Buri. Vaccination was carried out in 49 cities, with a total of 1,018,705 doses. Nine serious post-vaccination adverse events were reported.CONCLUSIONS: The cases occurred between February and April 2009 in areas with no recorded yellow fever virus circulation in over 60 years. The outbreak region occurred outside the original recommended vaccination area with a high percentage of susceptible population. The fast adoption of control measures interrupted the human transmission within a month and the confirmation of viral circulation in humans, monkeys and mosquitoes. The results allowed the identification of new areas of viral circulation but further studies are required to clarify the dynamics of the spread of this disease.

Diatoms (Bacillariophyceae) of Iguacu National Park, Foz do Iguacu, Brazil

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Spatial Distribution of the Risk of Dengue and the Entomological Indicators in Sumare, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

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

Hospitalizations for Conditions Sensitive to Primary Care: A Geo-Epidemiological Profile Analysis of in a Hospital in the Sao Paulo State, From July 2010 to June 2011

The primary health care has been recognized as one of the key components of an effective health system. In its most developed form, the primary health care is the first contact with the health system and the site responsible for the organization of health care over time: individuals, their families and the general population; seeks to provide balance between the two goals of a national health system, which are improving the health of the population and provide equitable distribution of resources. Hospitalizations for primary care sensitive conditions (HPCSC) may be associated with deficiencies of service coverage primary health care or its effectiveness. Hospitalization rates can and should represent a warning sign, triggering mechanisms for analysis and search for explanations for these problems. The use of hospitalization data for HPCSC can serve as indicators of inequality in the health system, contributing to the evaluation of the deployment and implementation of health policies.