The Implications of Closing Civic Space for Sustainable Development in Brazil

This report on Brazil is one of a set of four country case studies designed to study the implications of closing civic space for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The case study was commissioned in response to the wave of legal, administrative, political and informal means to restrict civic space and the activities of civil society actors in countries around the world in the past decade. Based on a literature review and conceptual framework developed for the study (see also Hossain et al 2018), the report documents how changing civic space in Brazil, a country characterized as a competitive developmental state at the outset of the period analysed, has impacted on development outcomes, with a focus on specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) outcomes including poverty, hunger, inequality and the preservation of biodiversity and water resources. The study found that: Almost three decades of imperfect and unequal democracy in Brazil saw a flourishing of civil society engagement with state poverty and development policies, particularly under the Workers’ Party government of 2003-2016. Inequalities declined and the poorest and most marginalized saw relatively rapid development gains. Brazil also played an international role in influencing development policies beyond the country’s borders and shaping the SDG agenda in the wake of the 2012 Rio+20 summit; Since the economic and political crisis surrounding the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff in 2016, there have been signs of rapid reversal. Backed by the increasingly powerful rural caucus, which represents groups with interests in land and natural resources in Congress, there has been a rise in attacks on and criminalization of agrarian movements, organisations and their leaders. Hundreds of activists and rights defenders have been killed since 2016. There are now fears that the situation will worsen still further under the government of the extreme right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, elected in October 2018; The crackdown on Brazil’s civil society disproportionately affects four million members of the ‘traditional peoples and communities’ (PCTs), the majority of the country’s rural poor and a significant proportion of all Brazilians living in poverty. PCTs are communities, often of indigenous and/or African descent, whose livelihood systems depend on collective management of diverse landscapes. These groups won significant government recognition and some strengthening of their rights over land during the Workers’ Party government, but progress has slowed, and in some instances reversed, since the 2016 impeachment; SDGs 1 and 2 (ending poverty and zero hunger) are particularly likely to be affected through changes in key participation spaces and policies (including land titling, cash transfers and food purchase programmes) with which civil society organisations have engaged in the past; SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) is affected, as organized civil society has been fundamental for giving visibility and promoting inclusion of PCTs and other marginalised rural populations in the Brazilian citizenship and social justice agenda. In the current climate of impunity for attacks on rural activism, the study examines the establishment of the National Council for Traditional Peoples and Communities (CNPCT), and the role of social movements and NGO allies in resisting pressure on PCT territories from agribusiness and extractive industries and attacks on rights defenders; SDG 6 (water and sanitation) and SDG 15 (life on land) are also being affected, substantially because the protection of PCT and other rural territories is not only of fundamental importance for human rights, but also for environmental goals. Civil society organizations, working with PCT groups and movements, have a key role to play in Brazil’s efforts to improve water management and halt biodiversity loss

Ethical Discourse on Epigenetics and Genome Editing: The Risk of (Epi-) genetic Determinism and Scientifically Controversial Basic Assumptions

Excerpt: 1. Introduction This chapter provides insight into the diverse ethical debates on genetics and epigenetics. Much controversy surrounds debates about intervening into the germline genome of human embryos, with catchwords such as genome editing, designer baby, and CRISPR/Cas. The idea that it is possible to design a child according to one’s personal preferences is, however, a quite distorted view of what is actually possible with new gene technologies and gene therapies. These are much more limited than the editing and design metaphors suggest. Such metaphors are therefore highly problematic phrases in the context of new gene technologies, for two reasons. On one hand, to design a child of choice by modifying the genome would require modifying any gene of choice, which is more than can be done with current gene technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas. On the other hand, a modification of genes would need to be enough to create any characteristic of choice in the future child. The latter presupposes the assumption of genetic determinism. Moreover, the CRISPR/Cas technology can not only be used in a potentially therapeutic manner at the germline level. In addition, there is the (more likely) scenario of a future clinical therapeutic use of these new gene technologies for modifying the DNA sequence of other cells of the body (somatic genome editing). There is also the option of modifying the epigenome, that is, the spatial configuration of DNA (epigenome editing) (see table 1). Like genetics and genome editing, epigenetics has been at the center of recent popular scientific and ethical discourse as well as scientific debates. The concept of epigenetics has given rise to very different notions of inheritability and responsibility for health, which, however, are oftentimes based on scientifically controversial basic assumptions. That there continues to be covert genetic determinism in the form of epigenetic determinism (see table 2) in debates about epigenetics has been pointed out in ethical analyses of epigenetics. Neither genetic determinism nor epigenetic determinism has been confirmed scientifically. It is therefore important to recognize the concepts that are discussed (and sometimes harshly criticized) in debates about genome editing and epigenetics—for example, concepts about the causal role of DNA for our own life course. This importance is based on the fact that if we understand such controversial concepts, we will be able to remain critical when evaluating scientific knowledge and ethical arguments about genome editing and epigenetics. This chapter, therefore, explains some of these concepts. For an ethical analysis of epigenetics as well as of genome editing, it is necessary to understand and critically reflect upon the underlying concepts of genetic determinism and other, related -isms. The following section offers a detailed introduction to these -isms (section 2; see also table 2). Section 3 provides an ethical analysis of genome editing and epigenetics based on the explanations in section 2. Section 3 focuses on inheritability and responsibility, justice, safety, the problem of consent, and the effects of genome editing and epigenetics on embryos and future generations. This section does not discuss in detail further points that can be found in ethical debates about epigenetics as well as in ethical debates about genome editing. These points include (among others): • fear that the findings of epigenetics and that the methods of genome editing are misused—this also with respect to eugenics and enhancement; • naturalness—an issue we mention in passing a few times in the following analysis; • a possible connection between the genome/epigenome and the concept of human dignity, and the derived danger of instrumentalization and infringement of autonomy when intervening in the genome or epigenome. Since current discourse about ethical issues associated with genome editing focuses mainly on germline interventions, which are, for instance, interventions into a human embryo’s genome, we mainly focus on germline interventions when comparing the debates on genome editing and on epigenetics in section 3

Forage Availability and Quality of No-till Forage Crops for Grazing Cattle

No-till forage crops were planted to determine forage quantity and quality for grazing cattle. Seven combinations were evaluated using different mixtures containing forage peas, oats, winter triticale, turnips, radishes, clover, vetch, and sunflower. The cover crops were planted April 9 and sampled three times (day 54, 70, and 86 after planting) to determine forage mass and nutrient content. Mixtures containing forage peas and oats yielded the greatest quantity of DM/acre. The NDF and CP content of the mixtures are comparable to native range during the growing season. When used in place of fallow in crop rotations, grazing cover crops may provide an alternativeto native range

Programa de ejercicios para adultos mayores institucionalizados, una revisión narrativa

Tesis (Licenciatura en Kinesiología)Según datos de la Organización Mundial de la Salud entre los años 2000 y 2050 la cantidad de los habitantes del planeta mayores de 60 años se duplicará, pasando del 11% al 22%. Esto ocurre debido al aumento de la esperanza de vida y a la disminución de la tasa de fecundidad, generando que la proporción de personas mayores de 60 años aumente de manera más rápida que cualquier otro grupo de edad en casi todos los países. El envejecimiento de la población constituye en sí un desafío para la sociedad, que debe adaptarse a esta realidad para mejorar al máximo la salud y la capacidad funcional de las personas mayores, así como su participación social y su seguridad. Habitualmente se creía que cuando se llega a la vejez, las personas mayores se ven enfrentadas a múltiples complicaciones que alteran tanto su salud física como mental, lo que los conduce a padecer una disminución o incapacidad para poder llevar a cabo las tareas básicas de la vida diaria con normalidad. Pero al contrario hoy en día se considera que este grupo etario se ha adaptado al paso de los años a tener una mejor integración dentro de sus familias y participación en la comunidad. De esta manera se han transformado en potenciales recursos para la sociedad a través de actividades remuneradas y voluntarias según sus necesidades, deseos y capacidades manteniendo activo su potencial de bienestar físico, social y mental durante el transcurso los años de vida. Por otra parte los adultos mayores que no tienen esta oportunidad de envejecer activamente, se les ha considerado como personas vulnerables, debido a que en ocasiones sufren discriminación por la sociedad e incluso por sus familias. Es por ello, que existen centros donde los acogen y les dan cuidados especializados que requieran según sus necesidades para mejorar su calidad de vida. Dentro de los servicios entregados por estos centros se encuentran el de Médicos especialistas en Geriatría, Enfermería, Kinesiología, Nutrición, etc. Enfocándose en la kinesiología se encuentra el rol del Kinesiólogo en estos centros, el cual resulta fundamental para realizar terapias de rehabilitación, promoción y prevención del al adulto mayor, y para lograr esto, se utiliza la actividad física, la cual es considerada como una herramienta con resultados positivos en la promoción de la salud, y que con el tiempo se ha convertido en una estrategia efectiva y de bajo costo para contrarrestar la problemática que gira en torno al sedentarismo (característica frecuente entre las personas mayores). Es por esto, que la actividad física se debe promover entre las personas, especialmente en la tercera edad mediante diversos programas dando a conocer así, sus beneficios (físicos, mentales y sociales) y los resultados que se obtendrían al realizar ejercicio de forma regular, contribuyendo de esta forma a una mejora de la calidad de vida. En relación a lo anterior, nuestro estudio se basará en buscar y revisar diversos programas de actividad física para adultos mayores institucionalizados, y mediante estos, discutir acerca de las características que deben poseer cada uno para generar cambios a nivel de la capacidad funcional y la función cognitiva en esta población ya que son dos importantes factores que se alteran a medida que avanzan los años y producen limitaciones en la actividad y en la participación social

Estandarización del Coagulante Tipo A en el Módulo II de la Planta de Tratamiento de Agua Potable Tixán, mediante la elaboración de una Curva de Dosificación

El objetivo de este estudio es obtener la curva de dosificación de coagulante sulfato de aluminio tipo A, para el módulo II de la Planta de Tratamiento de Agua Potable Tixán. Para dicho proceso se basó en la obtención de dos curvas de dosificación, la primera con agua sintética y la segunda con agua cruda, conformadas por dosis optima vs turbiedad. Las curvas fueron obtenidas mediante el análisis estadístico en el programa Microsoft Excel. Además, se analizaron los costos dentro del proceso de coagulación y floculación con los dos tipos de sulfato de aluminio (A y B), donde se obtuvo que el costo de operación con coagulante sulfato de aluminio tipo A es menor en comparación con el sulfato de aluminio tipo B. El muestreo, transporte y conservación de las muestras de agua cruda se realizó bajo las normas NTE INEN 2176 y NTE INEN 2169. Por las fluctuaciones climáticas en la ciudad de Cuenca durante los meses de enero, febrero, marzo, abril y mayo se tomaron muestras de agua cruda con distintos valores de turbiedad. Las muestras de agua sintética fueron preparadas en el laboratorio al mezclar agua cruda con caolín. Las dosis óptimas de cada una de las muestras de agua, tanto para la sintética como para la cruda, fueron encontradas mediante pruebas de jarras, tomando en cuenta los valores iniciales y finales del pH, color y turbiedad, estos ensayos fueron desarrollados en el laboratorio de Análisis Ambiental de la Universidad de Cuenca.The objective of this study is to obtain the dosing curve of type A aluminum sulfate coagulant, for module II of the Tixán Drinking Water Treatment Plant. For this process, it was based on obtaining two dosing curves, the first with synthetic water and the second with raw water, made up of optimal dose vs. turbidity. The curves were obtained through statistical analysis in the Microsoft Excel program. In addition, the costs within the coagulation and flocculation process with the two types of aluminum sulfate (A and B) were analyzed, where it was obtained that the operating cost with type A aluminum sulfate coagulant is lower compared to aluminum sulfate. type B aluminum. The sampling, transport and conservation of the raw water samples were carried out under the NTE INEN 2176 and NTE INEN 2169 standards. Due to climatic fluctuations in the city of Cuenca during the months of January, February, March, April and Raw water samples with different turbidity values were taken in May. The synthetic water samples were prepared in the laboratory by mixing raw water with kaolin. The optimal doses of each of the water samples, both for the synthetic and for the raw, were found through jar tests, taking into account the initial and final values of pH, color and turbidity. These tests were developed in the laboratory of Environmental Analysis of the University of Cuenca.0000-0002-5583-867

Elaboración de una bebida (sucedánea) al café a base de noni (Morinda citrifolia)

Noni (Morinda citrifolia) is a fruit that has michas nutritional properties, however, due to its peculiar flavor and odor, it is little used as raw material for the creation of attractive products within the market, with added value that improves its palatability. The objective of the research was to take advantage of the fruits of noni in the production of coffee substitute drink as an alternative to caffeinated beverages. To do this, a randomized block statistical design was used, with three treatments and the repetitions were represented by 40 penalists who gave their respective results in the selection of the best formula. All the variables were subjected to the analysis of the variance by means of the Tukey test at 5% probability. It was subjected to roasting and grinding until obtaining a fine granulometry; mixtures were made using sugar, water, cinnamon and vanilla essence, the proportion of noni was 5 kg for each treatment. The drink was prepared for the tasting, determining the highest acceptance rate, as well as the sensory characterization. From the results obtained, the sample of greatest acceptability for its pleasant aroma and flavor was the drink of treatment two, using noni 5 kg, sugar 4 kg, water 2 liters, cinnamon 10 g and vanilla essence 150 cc.El noni (Morinda citrifolia) es un fruto que posee michas propiedades nutricionales, sin embargo, por su peculiar sabor y olor es poco aprovechado como materia prima para la creación de productos atractivos dentro del mercado, con valor agregado que mejore su palatabilidad. El objetivo de la investigación fue aprovechar las frutas del noni en la elaboración de bebida sucedánea al café como una alternativa a las bebidas cafeinadas. Para ello se utilizó un diseño estadístico de bloques completamente al azar, con tres tratamientos y las repeticiones fueron representadas por 40 penalistas que dieron sus respectivos resultados en la selección de la mejor fórmula. Todas las variables se sometieron al análisis de la varianza mediante la prueba de Tukey al 5% de probabilidad. Se sometió al tostado y molido hasta obtener una granulometría fina; se efectuaron mezclas utilizando azúcar, agua, canela y esencia de vainilla, la proporción de de noni fue 5 kg para cada tratamiento. Se preparó la bebida para la degustación determinándose la proporción de mayor aceptación, así como la caracterización sensorial. De los resultados obtenidos la muestra de mayor aceptabilidad por su agradable aroma y sabor fue la bebida del tratamiento dos, utilizando noni 5 kg, azúcar 4 kg, agua 2 litros, canela 10 g y esencia de vainilla 150 cc. &nbsp

Biomass burning emission disturbances of isoprene oxidation in a tropical forest

We present a characterization of the chemical composition of the atmosphere of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest based on trace gas measurements carried out during the South AMerican Biomass Burning Analysis (SAMBBA) airborne experiment in September 2012. We analyzed the observations of primary biomass burning emission tracers, i.e., carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ozone (O3), isoprene, and its main oxidation products, methyl vinyl ketone (MVK), methacrolein (MACR), and isoprene hydroxy hydroperoxide (ISOPOOH). The focus of SAMBBA was primarily on biomass burning emissions, but there were also several flights in areas of the Amazon forest not directly affected by biomass burning, revealing a background with a signature of biomass burning in the chemical composition due to long-range transport of biomass burning tracers from both Africa and the eastern part of Amazonia. We used the [MVK+MACR+ISOPOOH]∕[isoprene] ratio and the hydroxyl radical (OH) indirect calculation to assess the oxidative capacity of the Amazon forest atmosphere. We compared the background regions (CO<150ppbv), fresh and aged smoke plumes classified according to their photochemical age ([O3]∕[CO]), to evaluate the impact of biomass burning emissions on the oxidative capacity of the Amazon forest atmosphere. We observed that biomass burning emissions disturb the isoprene oxidation reactions, especially for fresh plumes ([MVK+MACR+ISOPOOH]∕[isoprene] = 7) downwind. The oxidation of isoprene is higher in fresh smoke plumes at lower altitudes (∼500m) than in aged smoke plumes, anticipating near the surface a complex chain of oxidation reactions which may be related to secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation. We proposed a refinement of the OH calculation based on the sequential reaction model, which considers vertical and horizontal transport for both biomass burning regimes and background environment. Our approach for the [OH] estimation resulted in values on the same order of magnitude of a recent observation in the Amazon rainforest [OH]≅106 (moleculescm−3). During the fresh plume regime, the vertical profile of [OH] and the [MVK+MACR+ISOPOOH]∕[isoprene] ratio showed evidence of an increase in the oxidizing power in the transition from planetary boundary layer to cloud layer (1000–1500m). These high values of [OH] (1.5×106moleculescm−3) and [MVK+MACR+ISOPOOH]∕[isoprene] (7.5) indicate a significant change above and inside the cloud decks due to cloud edge effects on photolysis rates, which have a major impact on OH production rates

Redundancy, Feedback, and Robustness in the Arabidopsis thaliana BZR/BEH Gene Family

Organismal development is remarkably robust, tolerating stochastic errors to produce consistent, so-called canalized adult phenotypes. The mechanistic underpinnings of developmental robustness are poorly understood, but recent studies implicate certain features of genetic networks such as functional redundancy, connectivity, and feedback. Here, we examine the BZR/BEH gene family, whose function contributes to embryonic stem development in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, to test current assumptions on functional redundancy and trait robustness. Our analyses of BZR/BEH gene mutants and mutant combinations revealed that functional redundancy among these gene family members is not necessary for trait robustness. Connectivity is another commonly cited determinant of robustness; however, we found no correlation between connectivity among gene family members or their connectivity with other transcription factors and effects on developmental robustness. Instead, our data suggest that BEH4, the earliest diverged family member, modulates developmental robustness. We present evidence indicating that regulatory cross-talk among gene family members is integrated by BEH4 to promote wild-type levels of developmental robustness. Further, the chaperone HSP90, a known determinant of developmental robustness, appears to act via BEH4 in maintaining robustness of embryonic stem length. In summary, we demonstrate that even among closely related transcription factors, trait robustness can arise through the activity of a single gene family member, challenging common assumptions about the molecular underpinnings of robustness

Homophobia and violence at the workplace in the Federal District

Neste artigo se analisam formas de violência moral no trabalho, envolvendo homossexuais masculinos do Distrito Federal. Foram realizadas entrevistas com trabalhadores desse grupo, com o intuito de registrar suas histórias de vida e situações de constrangimento em função de sua orientação sexual. O material coletado foi tratado mediante a análise de conteúdo, tendo sido discutidas duas categorias principais: a vida em sociedade e a vida em organizações. Os principais resultados revelam a existência de um contexto de violência moral, explícita ou velada, e de omissão dos superiores hierárquicos em relação a tais situações. Conclui-se que este estudo pode auxiliar na compreensão da violência moral no ambiente de trabalho, evidenciando a necessidade de as organizações trabalharem na prevenção e no combate à discriminação em qualquer nível.In this paper we deal with forms of moral violence at work involving male homosexuals in the Distrito Federal, (Brazil). We interviewed Brazilian gay workers to register their life histories and their reports of discrimination suffered because of their sexual orientation. The collected data underwent content analysis under two main categories: life in society and life in organizations. The main results reveal the existence of an explicit and non-explicit moral violence context, and of omission by the upper hierarchy as regards these practices. We conclude that this study contributes to an understanding of moral violence at work, showing the need for organizations to work on the prevention and combat of discrimination at any level

“I Felt Like a Superhero”: The Experience of Responding to Drug Overdose Among Individuals Trained in Overdose Prevention

BACKGROUND: Overdose prevention programs (OPPs) train people who inject drugs and other community members to prevent, recognise and respond to opioid overdose. However, little is known about the experience of taking up the role of an overdose responder for the participants. METHODS: We present findings from qualitative interviews with 30 participants from two OPPs in Los Angeles, CA, USA from 2010 to 2011 who had responded to at least one overdose since being trained in overdose prevention and response. RESULTS: Being trained by an OPP and responding to overdoses had both positive and negative effects for trained responders . Positive effects include an increased sense of control and confidence, feelings of heroism and pride, and a recognition and appreciation of one\u27s expertise. Negative effects include a sense of burden, regret, fear, and anger, which sometimes led to cutting social ties, but might also be mitigated by the increased empowerment associated with the positive effects. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that becoming an overdose responder can involve taking up a new social role that has positive effects, but also confers some stress that may require additional support. OPPs should provide flexible opportunities for social support to individuals making the transition to this new and critical social role. Equipping individuals with the skills, technology, and support they need to respond to drug overdose has the potential to confer both individual and community-wide benefits