Fiscal policies and increased trade openness: poverty impacts in Ecuador

Includes bibliography.

Climate change in Latin America: impacts and mitigation policy options

Includes bibliography.

Using tree population size structures to assess the impacts of cattle grazing and eucalypts plantations in subtropical South America

To evaluate the effects of distinct management of the matrix in which forest fragments are found upon plant populations thriving in forest remnants in south Brazil, we assessed the conservation status of populations of four woody species (Campomanesia rhombea, Diospyros incontans, Myrciaria cuspidata and Sebastiania commersoniana) through analyses of size structure. Analyzes were carried out at two scales. At a local scale, we consider populations in fragments surrounded by pastures or eucalypts forest plantations, and at a regional scale we also consider larger forest tracts taken as reference areas (Rio Grande do Sul Forest Inventory databank). Population size structures were summarized using the symmetry of height distributions. Small individual size classes prevailed at the local scale in fragments surrounded by eucalypts plantations, whereas in areas exposed to cattle ranching, populations of the same species consistently lack small individuals. At the regional scale, populations in fragments surrounded by pastures presented greater skewness (prevalence of small plants) than populations in reference areas, while populations surrounded by eucalypts plantations presented intermediate skewness. These results reinforce the notion that plantations have a higher conservation value for forest ecosystems than other commercial land uses, like cattle ranching. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Poverty impacts of trade integration with the European Union: lessons for Ecuador

Includes bibliography

The migration of health care workers in the Western Hemisphere: issues and impacts

Includes bibliography

Socio-economic impacts of natural disasters: a gender analysis

Includes bibliography

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

Includes bibliography

Trade and sustainable development: spatial distribution of trade policies impacts on agriculture

Incluye Bibliografía

Environmental impacts of urban sprawl in Londrina, Paraná, Brazil

Public policies encouraging the insertion of large industrial and commercial developments near highways, associated to exclusionary housing policies, have shaped over the past decades a new urbanization phenomenon; the sprawl. This is largely characterized by discontinuous and fragmented occupation, with random population densities. This phenomenon brings environmental and social impacts to the urban and rural population, in addition to a great burden for the Government. In line with this and considering the lack of discussion about the topic, this paper discusses some of those impacts observed in Londrina - PR, Brazil. The influence of urban sprawl in this city has shown to impact traffic, waterproofing rates and green areas, in addition to underutilizing the infrastructure due to large urban voids and vacant lots. With the data presented here, it is hoped that debates emerge on the importance of rethinking the plan, so that everyone can have legal access to the city (endowed with infrastructure), as well as the importance of developing strategies to contain urban sprawl. © 2011 Journal of Urban and Environmental Engineering (JUEE). All rights reserved.

Sprawling and Urban transportation system: Impacts in the city of Londrina, Parana, Brazil

After nearly 80 years since the construction of its core, represented today by the city's central area, Londrina, located in the state of Parana, has the appearance of a new city but its features and trends of planning policies depict the bad examples of Brazilian cities. With a booming urban growth, from north to south of the county, the urban interstices represented by big voids in the middle of the city created speculation and the concept of an ideal city slowly disappeared. With a metropolitan appearance and, at the same time, with small town aspects, Londrina stands out as an automobile-oriented city, a fact that has impacted the livelihood of the population, generating environmental impacts for all social classes. This paper discusses how the form of occupation in Londrina, characterized by the sprawl phenomenon and its relation to car preference as a mode of transportation has generated urban environmental impacts. It was concluded that the choice of using cars in Londrina, as well in other medium-sized Brazilian cities studied by the comparative method, has increased and has generated bottlenecks in traffic. As a consequence, there is a constant expropriation of properties for widening roads and at the same time, the presence of various densities and urban voids that form an uneven urban space and an obstacle to efficient urban planning. © 2012 WIT Press.

Impacts of enemy-mediated effects and the additivity of interactions in an insect trophic system

In this study, we used data from both experiments and mathematical simulations to analyze the consequences of the interacting effects of intraguild predation (IGP), cannibalism and parasitism occurring in isolation and simultaneously in trophic interactions involving two blowfly species under shared parasitism. We conducted experiments to determine the short-term response of two blowfly species to these interactions with respect to their persistence. A mathematical model was employed to extend the results obtained from these experiments to the long-term consequences of these interactions for the persistence of the blowfly species. Our experimental results revealed that IGP attenuated the strength of the effects of cannibalism and parasitism between blowfly host species, increasing the probability of persistence of both populations. The simulations obtained from the mathematical model indicated that IGP is a key interaction for the long-term dynamics of this system. The presence of different species interacting in a tri-trophic system relaxed the severity of the effects of a particular interaction between two species, changing species abundances and promoting persistence through time. This pattern was related to indirect interactions with a third species, the parasitoid species included in this study. © 2012 The Society of Population Ecology and Springer Japan.

Treatments for invasive carcinoma of the cervix: What are their impacts on the pelvic floor functions?

Aims: Describe the impact of surgery, radiotherapy and chemoradiation in the pelvic floor functions in cervical cancer patients. Materials and Methods: A prospective study with women submitted to radical hysterectomy (RH) (n = 20),exclusive radiotherapy (RT) (n= 20)or chemoradiation (CT/RT)(n = 20)for invasive cervical cancer. Urinary, intestinal and sexual function, as well as vaginal length and pelvic floor musclecontraction were evaluated. Comparisons between groups were performed by Kruskal-Wallis and Chi-square tests (p < 0.05). Results: The groups were similar in stress urinary incontinence incidence (p = 0.56), urinary urgency (p = 0.44),urge incontinence (p = 0.54),nocturia(p = 0.53), incomplete bowel emptying (p = 0.76),bowel urgency(p = 0.12)and soilage(p = 0.43). The CT/ RT group presented a higher urinary frequency(p < 0.001)and diarrhea(p = 0.025). Patients in the RH group were more sexually active(p = 0.01) and experienced less dyspareunia (p = 0.021). Vaginal length was shorter in RT group (5.5 ± 1.9 cm) and CT/ RT(.3 ± 1.5 cm) than in the RH group (7.4 ± 1.1 cm) (p < 0.001). Pelvic floor muscle contraction was similar (p = 0.302). Conclusions: RT and CT/RT treatment for cervical carcinoma are more associated to sexual and intestinal dysfunctions.

Static and dynamic impacts of MERCOSUR: the case of the pharmaceutical sector

Includes bibliography

Agricultural and trade policy reforms in Latin America: impacts on markets and welfare

Includes bibliography

Production of an axial piston: Impacts resulting from the substitution of steel by a polymer-based material

The substitution of steel as a raw material in the production of axial pistons for pressure washers by polyphthalamide, polytetrafluoroethylene and glass fiber-based composite was studied. The new production process with composite consists of only two steps, while the production of the steel piston is to comprise of thirteen steps. This replacement would result in an estimated reduction of 80% of water consumption, 83% of electricity consumption, 73% of the total cost and 88% of the final mass. With regard to the main mechanical properties required for the end product, the composite was found to withstand the critical axial loads and it shows acceptable wear resistance in an environment without lubrication, an additional advantage of this replacement. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.