Translating Global Nature: Territoriality, Environmental Discourses, and Ecocultural Identities

In this study, I explore environmental discourses circulating among Indigenous transboundary organizations working on environmental initiatives at the border between Ecuador and Colombia. I focus on three global environmental discourses –sustainability, development, and climate change– as they are at the core of the global environmental governance vernacular. La Gran Familia Awá Binacional (GFAB), one of the few transboundary Indigenous organizations working along the binational border, utilizes these global concepts to frame their environmental initiatives and projects. I use a critical and interpretive qualitative approach to investigate, deconstruct, and rearticulate global environmental discourses circulating among and translated by two of the organizations forming the GFAB: Federación de Centros Awá del Ecuador (FCAE) and Unidad Indígena del Pueblo Awá (UNIPA) from Colombia. I conducted in-depth interviews with cultural and political elites working in, or related to, these Awá organizations. I analyze interview texts, Awá organizations’ community-based plans, official government documents, and NGOs reports to understand (1) How does the GFAB understand, construct, and reproduce their relationships with their territories?; (2) How does the GFAB translate the global environmental discourses of development, sustainability, and climate change at the level of the communities with which this organization works?; and (3) What are the politics of identity, ecocultural identities and positionings, that emerge from Awá’s translation of and engagement with development, sustainability, and climate change within Awá’s territoriality? To answer these questions, I investigate how transboundary Indigenous communities construct a sense of territory, navigate global environmental discourses, and negotiate multiple ecocultural identities. I describe the articulations among relationships and principles that configure Awá’s territoriality. Then, I situate the notion of translation in relation to Awá’s territory, katza su, to explore the system of meanings implicated in Awá’s translation of the global environmental discourses of development, sustainability, and climate change. I illustrate how Awá recontextualize and emplace these discourses once they enter the material and discursive realm of Awá’s territoriality. Finally, I further the notion of territory and territoriality to investigate the formation of Awá, mestizos, and Afros’ ecocultural identities. I illustrate how two dialectics, insider-outsider and respect-disrespect, work in the discursive positioning of these populations as restorative or unwholesome ecocultural identities. In closing, I propose a rhizomatic situational analysis framework to map factors, forces, and processes, and demonstrate its applicability by presenting a situational analysis of the Awá binational Indigenous people. The rhizome illuminates Awá’s translation of development, sustainability, and climate change, and the ecocultural identities that emerge through processes of translation. I end with some recommendations to rethink identity-based mediation in environmental conflicts, explore transversal forms of communication, agency, and dissent, and further processes of environmental peacebuilding at the border between Ecuador and Colombia

Estado de las relaciones internacionales en el continente americano: análisis y perspectivas

Históricamente, el continente americano ha estado dividido endos partes: América Latina y América del Norte. A través de los años, lasdiferencias entre las naciones americanas han sido muchas, ideológicas,religiosas, económicas, militares, etc. Sin embargo, en estos últimos sesentaaños los líderes americanos han advertido la imperiosa necesidad no sólode establecer relaciones con sus países vecinos sino con los países de todala región, pues esto implica que todos puedan trabajar en colaboración,crear juntos, alcanzar metas de manera conjunta y dejando de lado interesespersonales de tal manera que el bien común sea el que predomine.En esta oportunidad, Vicente Torrijos nos presenta la evolución de lasrelaciones entre Estados Unidos y América Latina desde el fin de la GuerraFría. En el nuevo escenario latinoamericano de nuevos actores y dinámicascomerciales ¿Cuál es el papel actual que la potencia del norte debe jugar?Además, ¿es posible pensar que Estados Unidos está perdiendo influencia enla región? Dentro del mismo escenario, Lissette Olave analiza las relacionescomerciales de Colombia, su posicionamiento en las redes internacionalesde intercambio, y las oportunidades que la economía colombiana tiene paramantenerse fuerte. Finalmente. José Castro Sotomayor realiza un ejercicioteórico al analizar desde el psicoanálisis la cumbre de la UNASUR.

Contributions of Matrilineal and Patrilineal Kin Alloparental Effort to the Development of Life History Strategies and Patriarchal Values: A Cross-Cultural Life History Approach

Childrearing behaviors are often shaped by familial and cultural principles that function as guides for socialization goals and effective childrearing practices. For an increasing number of Latino families, the extended kin often acts as a source of childcare support. Due to a scarcity of research on the familial support configurations of Latin American families, the current study utilizes a cross-cultural retrospective approach to explore the associations between matrilineal/ patrilineal kin and life history strategies in relation to childrearing. Applying a family system and life history framework, the present model tested 200 university students from Mexico and Costa Rica on measures of family emotional environment and traditional social values (e.g., familismo/simpatía and patriarchal values). Results found that childcare assistance from patrilineal and matrilineal kin was associated with positive family emotional environment, which weakly mediated the association between kin care and slow life history. Positive associations were also found between matrilineal kin childcare and traditional Latin social values. However, patriarchal values were only predicted by higher levels of patrilineal kin aid. The results are consistent with the general theoretical literature of life history theory and family systems theory, suggesting that high levels of childcare produce positively emotional family climates, which in turn perpetuate the development of prosocial individuals with slow life history strategies. Implications for further research are discussed.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Instituto de Investigaciones Psicológicas (IIP

Barack Obama ¿La Era del Cambio?

El Centro de Estudios y Análisis Económico, CEAE dedica este nuevo número al balance de los primeros cien días de Barack Obama como cabeza del pueblo estadounidense. Este primer periodo de gobierno, se ha convertido en un ritual evaluador para medir el progreso y pronosticar las tendencias, dentro de la gestión del líder de una nación.Relaciones Internacionales, Barack Obama, Estados Unidos

Omisión del cierre peritoneal en la operación cesárea

Se realizó un estudio preliminar del tipo de ensayo de técnica quirúrgica sin cierre peritoneal en 140 mujeres cesareadas en el Hospital Ginecobstetrico Docente “Manuel “Piti” Fajardo” del municipio Güines, Provincia Habana y se comparó con 140 controles a los que se aplicó la técnica clásica, en el periodo comprendido entre enero 2005 y diciembre 2006. Ambos grupos fueron elegidos mediante el método aleatorio simple, teniendo en cuenta los criterios de inclusión y exclusión. Como objetivo principal se propone la evaluación de cierre del peritoneo en la operación cesárea. Los resultados principales fueron, el tiempo quirúrgico y la exposición anestésica fueron menores en las pacientes sin cierre peritoneal con respecto a la técnica clásica. Se realizó esta misma comparación con respecto a la aparición de ruidos hidroaéreos y la motilidad intestinal siendo más favorable en el grupo estudio. Se concluye que los beneficios de esta nueva técnica con menor tiempo quirúrgico y anestésico y más rápida recuperación son el resultado de realizar un menor daño durante la cirugía y excluir pasos innecesarios

Misoprostol sub-lingual para la inducción del parto en rotura prematura de membranas

Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, experimental y longitudinal en el Hospital Docente Materno- Infantil “Comandante Piti Fajardo”, del municipio Güines, provincia La Habana, entre los meses de enero a mayo del 2003, para evaluar la eficacia y seguridad del misoprostolsub-lingual en la inducción del parto en la rotura prematura de membranas en embarazos a término, tanto en nulíparas como multíparas. Se seleccionaron 60 gestantes de forma aleatoria, y se dividieron en dos grupos de 30, a uno de ellos se le administro 50 mcg de misoprostolsub-lingual, dosis que se administro en intervalos de 6 horas, de ser necesario. Al otro grupo (control) se le administró oxitocina por vía endovenosa en venoclisis. Se observó que el misoprostol es más eficaz que la oxitocina en cuanto a una evolución más corta, logrando más parto vaginales espontáneos en las primeras 10 horas de inducción con resultados favorables, Se evidenciaron los logros obtenidos con el uso del misoprostolsub-lingual en la inducción del parto en la rotura prematura de las membranas

Embarazo ectopico ovarico: presentacion de 2 Casos

El embarazo ectópico es una patología que en los últimos años ha aumentado su incidencia en el país y el responsable del 4-10% de todas las muertes maternas durante el embarazo y aproximadamente el 16% de estas muertes por hemorragias según la bibliografía revisada. El objetivo del presente trabajo es presentar 2 casos de embarazos ectópicos ováricos diagnosticados, operados y confirmados histológicamente en nuestro centro, los cuales constituyen de los menos frecuentes de todas las gestaciones ectópicas

Impact of surface topography on the bacterial attachment to micro- and nano-patterned polymer films

The development of antimicrobial surfaces has become a high priority in recent times. There are two ongoing worldwide health crises: the COVID-19 pandemic provoked by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the antibiotic-resistant diseases provoked by bacteria resistant to antibiotic-based treatments. The need for antimicrobial surfaces against bacteria and virus is a common factor to both crises. Most extended strategies to prevent bacterial associated infections rely on chemical based-approaches based on surface coatings or biocide encapsulated agents that release chemical agents. A critical limitation of these chemistry-based strategies is their limited effectiveness in time while grows the concerns about the long-term toxicity on human beings and environment pollution. An alternative strategy to prevent bacterial attachment consists in the introduction of physical modification to the surface. Pursuing this chemistry-independent strategy, we present a fabrication process of surface topographies [one-level (micro, nano) and hierarchical (micro+nano) structures] in polypropylene (PP) substrates and discuss how wettability, topography and patterns size influence on its antibacterial properties. Using nanoimprint lithography as patterning technique, we report as best results 82 and 86% reduction in the bacterial attachment of E. coli and S. aureus for hierarchically patterned samples compared to unpatterned reference surfaces. Furthermore, we benchmark the mechanical properties of the patterned PP surfaces against commercially available antimicrobial films and provide evidence for the patterned PP films to be suitable candidates for use as antibacterial functional surfaces in a hospital environment.This work is funded by the European Commission, under the project FLEXPOL (H2020-NMBPPILOT-2016-721062). The present study was carried out as part of a European project called “Antimicrobial FLEXible POLymers for its use in hospital environments” (FLEXPOL grant agreement No. 721062) funded by Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020)

An alternative method to measure electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) in salt-affected soil extracts

Soil degradation due to salts affects over 100 countries, especially in arid and semi-arid regions where salts migrate to the plant root zone via capillary action when evapotranspiration exceeds rainfall. Soil salinity reduces germination, growth, and root development, impacting crop yields, while excess sodium decreases water movement into the soil. Soil properties, namely, electrical conductivity (ECe), sodium adsorption ratio (SARe), and pH (pHe), affected by sparingly and soluble salts, are typically analyzed using soil saturated paste (SP). However, a simpler and cost-effective alternative is assessing soil salinity using soil:water solutions at ratio 1:5 (SW). This study developed empirical models between EC1:5-ECe, SAR1:5-SARe, and pH1:5-pHe to monitor soil salinity and sodicity in Lajas Valley, Puerto Rico, an agricultural reserve with 1,140 mm of mean annual rainfall and soils classified as saline and/or sodic. The ECe Sampling, Assessment, and Prediction software for Response Surface Sampling Design (ESAP-RSSD) optimized soil sampling with 48 points. Measurements of EC, pH, cations (Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+), and SAR were conducted using SP and 1:5 SW extracts. Simple linear regression models estimated ECe (R2 > 0.93, p < 0.0001) and SARe (R2 > 0.98, p < 0.0001) from 1:5 extracts. The pHe models varied with depth, showing a strong correlation (R2 > 0.62, p < 0.0001) from 0 to 30 cm and weakening (R2 > 0.27, p < 0.0022) from 90 to 120 cm. The simple linear regression models generally perform well for EC and pH variables, with better performance observed at shallower depths. SW proves to be a practical, cost-effective, and efficient method for assessing salt-affected soils in Lajas Valley. By enabling regular soil salinity analysis, the developed estimation models combined with SW extraction could improve soil management practices and agricultural productivity

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men