Resources Grabbing and Human Rights: Building a Triangular Relationship Between States, Indigenous Peoples and Corporations

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of a chapter accepted for publication in Angelica Bonfanti, Francesca Romanin Jacur, Francesco Seatzu (eds), Natural Resources Grabbing: Natural Resources Grabbing: An International Law Perspective, (Brill, 2016). The version of record is available at: http://www.brill.com/products/book/natural-resources-grabbing

Partial Privatization of State Holding Corporations

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Bacterial communities of the specialty crop phyllosphere: response to biological soil amendment use, rainfall, and insect visitation

Microorganisms in the plant rhizosphere, the zone under the influence of roots, and phyllosphere, the aboveground plant habitat, exert a strong influence on plant growth, health, and protection. Tomatoes and cucumbers are important players in produce safety, and the microbial life on their surfaces may contribute to their fitness as hosts for foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes. External factors such as agricultural inputs and environmental conditions likely also play a major role. However, the relative contributions of the various factors at play concerning the plant surface microbiome remain obscure, although this knowledge could be applied to crop protection from plant and human pathogens. Recent advances in genomic technology have made investigations into the diversity and structure of microbial communities possible in many systems and at multiple scales. Using Illumina sequencing to profile particular regions of the 16S rRNA gene, this study investigates the influences of climate and crop management practices on the field-grown tomato and cucumber microbiome. The first research chapter (Chapter 3) involved application of 4 different soil amendments to a tomato field and profiling of harvest-time phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbial communities. Factors such as water activity, soil texture, and field location influenced microbial community structure more than soil amendment use, indicating that field conditions may exert more influence on the tomato microbiome than certain agricultural inputs. In Chapter 4, the impact of rain on tomato and cucumber-associated microbial community structures was evaluated. Shifts in bacterial community composition and structure were recorded immediately following rain events, an effect which was partially reversed after 4 days and was strongest on cucumber fruit surfaces. Chapter 5 focused on the contribution of insect visitors to the tomato microbiota, finding that insects introduced diverse bacterial taxa to the blossom and green tomato fruit microbiome. This study advances our understanding of the factors that influence the microbiomes of tomato and cucumber. Farms are complex environments, and untangling the interactions between farming practices, the environment, and microbial diversity will help us develop a comprehensive understanding of how microbial life, including foodborne pathogens, may be influenced by agricultural conditions.

Managing knowledge flows in Mauritian multinational corporations: empirical analysis using the SECI model

This research was conducted to investigate the management of knowledge flows in a Mauritian multinational organisation. A case study research method was used to gather data which was analysed using the SECI model. Results show that all the four quadrants of this model were applied by the conglomerate in transferring knowledge to its newly acquired manufacturing operations in Madagascar. This paper discusses some of the knowledge management strategies employed.

An Evaluative Model to Assess the Organizational Efficiency in Training Corporations

In an organisation any optimization process of its issues faces increasing challenges and requires new approaches to the organizational phenomenon. Indeed, in this work it is addressed the problematic of efficiency dynamics through intangible variables that may support a different view of the corporations. It focuses on the challenges that information management and the incorporation of context brings to competitiveness. Thus, in this work it is presented the analysis and development of an intelligent decision support system in terms of a formal agenda built on a Logic Programming based methodology to problem solving, complemented with an attitude to computing grounded on Artificial Neural Networks. The proposed model is in itself fairly precise, with an overall accuracy, sensitivity and specificity with values higher than 90 %. The proposed solution is indeed unique, catering for the explicit treatment of incomplete, unknown, or even self-contradictory information, either in a quantitative or qualitative arrangement.

Soil amendment and slow release fertilizer preparation from castor meal.

2008

Lessons from the Terra Preta de Índios of the Amazon region for the utilisation of charcoal for soil amendment.

Neste trabalho faz-se a divulgação do potencial de carvões e resíduos orgânicos parcialmente carbonizados visando obter materiais que mimetizam a matéria orgânica do solo das Terras Pretas de Índio da Amazônia, e que sirvam como condicionadores de solo e seqüestrem carbono de forma recalcitrante e reativa. Pesquisas desenvolvidas por grupos brasileiros e estrangeiros têm contribuído para o entendimento do surgimento e utilização das Terras Pretas de Índio da Amazônia. Aqui são divulgados resultados de estudos químicos no sentido do desenvolvimento do conhecimento científico e tecnológico e de inovação no aproveitamento de subprodutos orgânicos, principalmente de indústrias de biocombustíveis, carvão vegetal metalúrgico e outros, buscando imitar a excelente performance da chamada Terras Pretas de Índio da Amazônia.

O judo; do modelo artesanal ao modelo cientifico : um estudo sobre as lutas, formação profissional e a construção do Hbitus

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Mudanças no Código Florestal e seu impacto na ecologia e diversidade dos mamíferos no Brasil

Os ecossistemas florestais do Brasil abrigam um dos mais altos níveis de diversidade de mamíferos da Terra, e boa parte dessa diversidade se encontra nas áreas legalmente protegidas em áreas de domínio privado. As reservas legais (RLs) e áreas de proteção permanente (APPs) representam estratégias importantes para a proteção e manutenção dessa diversidade. Mudanças propostas no Código Florestal certamente trarão efeitos irreversíveis para a diversidade de mamíferos no Brasil. Os mamíferos apresentam papéis-chave nos ecossistemas, atuando como polinizadores e dispersores de sementes. A extinção local de algumas espécies pode reduzir os serviços ecológicos nas RLs e APPs. Outra consequência grave da redução de áreas de vegetação nativa caso a mudança no Código Florestal seja aprovada será o aumento no risco de transmição de doenças, trazendo sério problemas a saúde pública no Brasil.

Sustentabilidade financeira e econômica do gasto público em saúde no nível municipal: reflexões a partir de dados de municípios mato-grossenses

O financiamento do SUS é regido pelo modelo de federalismo fiscal, pelas regras de partilha do Orçamento da Seguridade Social (OSS), por normas do Ministério da Saúde, e pela Emenda Constitucional nº. 29 (EC-29), que vincula à saúde recursos dos entes federados brasileiros. Discute-se aqui a sustentabilidade do gasto público com saúde no nível municipal. Foram estudados 21 municípios, utilizando-se dados dos balanços municipais. De 1996 a 2006 as receitas correntes gerais per capita subiram 280% acima da inflação acumulada e do Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) nacional, variando conforme o porte do município, o qual também definiu a composição dos orçamentos municipais. Já o orçamento que conforma a base da EC-29 elevou-se bem menos (178%), impondo limitações ao incremento da contrapartida municipal em saúde. Acredita-se que o observado nesses municípios se reproduza em milhares de municípios brasileiros e comprometa a capacidade de investimento municipal em saúde, principalmente a partir de 2008. A situação ainda pode se agravar tendo em vista a extinção da Contribuição Provisória sobre a Movimentação ou Transmissão de Valores e de Créditos e Direitos de Natureza Financeira (CPMF), a tramitação dos Projetos de Lei nº. 306/08 e nº. 233/08, e a recessão mundial, a partir da crise do sistema financeiro norte-americano.

THE RELEVANCE OF SUBSIDIARY INITIATIVES FOR BRAZILIAN MULTINATIONALS

The put-pose of this paper is to analyze relationship patterns between headquarters and subsidiaries of Brazilian Multinationals Enterprises (BrMNEs). The key construct for that investigation is Subsidiary Initiative, which comprises Subsidiary Entrepreneurial Orientation, Autonomy, Integration, Local Competitive Context and Business Network. A survey was carried out in a sample of 65 subsidiaries of 29 BrMNEs. The main outcome is that subsidiaries are highly integrated and receive Entrepreneurial Orientation from Headquarters (HQs), but Initiative is limited. Actually, the main determinants of subsidiary's initiatives are Local Context and Business Networking in the host country. This apparent paradox may be explained by what we call 'rebellious subsidiaries', which take initiatives based on their business environment and connections, regardless of their HQs' directions or delegation of autonomy.

Simulation of sugarcane residue decomposition and aboveground growth

Due to the worldwide increase in demand for biofuels, the area cultivated with sugarcane is expected to increase. For environmental and economic reasons, an increasing proportion of the areas are being harvested without burning, leaving the residues on the soil surface. This periodical input of residues affects soil physical, chemical and biological properties, as well as plant growth and nutrition. Modeling can be a useful tool in the study of the complex interactions between the climate, residue quality, and the biological factors controlling plant growth and residue decomposition. The approach taken in this work was to parameterize the CENTURY model for the sugarcane crop, to simulate the temporal dynamics of aboveground phytomass and litter decomposition, and to validate the model through field experiment data. When studying aboveground growth, burned and unburned harvest systems were compared, as well as the effect of mineral fertilizer and organic residue applications. The simulations were performed with data from experiments with different durations, from 12 months to 60 years, in Goiana, TimbaA(0)ba and Pradpolis, Brazil; Harwood, Mackay and Tully, Australia; and Mount Edgecombe, South Africa. The differentiation of two pools in the litter, with different decomposition rates, was found to be a relevant factor in the simulations made. Originally, the model had a basically unlimited layer of mulch directly available for decomposition, 5,000 g m(-2). Through a parameter optimization process, the thickness of the mulch layer closer to the soil, more vulnerable to decomposition, was set as 110 g m(-2). By changing the layer of mulch at any given time available for decomposition, the sugarcane residues decomposition simulations where close to measured values (R (2) = 0.93), contributing to making the CENTURY model a tool for the study of sugarcane litter decomposition patterns. The CENTURY model accurately simulated aboveground carbon stalk values (R (2) = 0.76), considering burned and unburned harvest systems, plots with and without nitrogen fertilizer and organic amendment applications, in different climates and soil conditions.

Behavior of Ceriporiopsis subvermispora during Pinus taeda biotreatment in soybean-oil-amended cultures

Pinus taeda wood chips were treated with the biopulping fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora in soybean-oil-amended cultures The secretion of oxalic acid and the accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were significantly increased in soybean-oil-amended cultures By contrast the secretion of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes was not altered in the cultures Biotreated wood samples were characterized for weight and component losses as well as by in-situ thioacidolysis Residual lignins were also extracted from biotreated wood using a mild-non-razing extraction procedure The lignins were characterized by (31)P nuclear magnetic resonance ((31)P-NMR) spectroscopy Soybean oil amendment in the cultures was found to affect lignin degradation routes however it inhibited depolymerization reactions detectable in the residual lignin that was retained in the biotreated wood As a consequence chemithermomechanical pulping of the biotreated samples was not improved by soybean oil amendment in the cultures Crown Copyright (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved

Anaerobic treatment of sulfate-rich wastewater in an anaerobic sequential batch reactor (AnSBR) using butanol as the carbon source

Biological sulfate reduction was studied in a laboratory-scale anaerobic sequential batch reactor (14 L) containing mineral coal for biomass attachment. The reactor was fed industrial wastewater with increasingly high sulfate concentrations to establish its application limits. Special attention was paid to the use of butanol in the sulfate reduction that originated from melamine resin production. This product was used as the main organic amendment to support the biological process. The reactor was operated for 65 cycles (48 h each) at sulfate loading rates ranging from 2.2 to 23.8 g SO(4)(2-)/cycle, which corresponds to sulfate concentrations of 0.25, 0.5,1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 g SW(4)(2-)L(-1). The sulfate removal efficiency reached 99% at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 g SO(4)(2-)L(-1). At higher sulfate concentrations (2.0 and 3.0 g SO(4)(2-)L(-1)), the sulfate conversion remained in the range of 71-95%. The results demonstrate the potential applicability of butanol as the carbon source for the biological treatment of sulfate in an anaerobic batch reactor. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the strategies of late-movers in International Manufacturing

This paper analyzes the internationalization of new multinationals from emerging countries. It also focuses on Production`s role in firm internationalization, a subject seldom addressed because the discipline of International Manufacturing is still embryonic, while International Business tends to overlook production. The authors integrate International Business and International Manufacturing concepts and frameworks in order to analyze new multinationals from emerging countries, using the empirical evidence of a survey plus case studies of Brazilian multinationals for understanding late-movers` strategies and competences, with emphasis on production. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.