Regional Competitiveness of Tourism Cluster: A Conceptual Model Proposal

Tourism is characterized for being a sector that has been highlighted as one of the activities with greatest potential for expansion on a global scale. For its growth potential and for being a product that can only be consumed in loco, tourism accepts the prominence role of being a strategy for local development. In this context the search for competitiveness is one of the key concerns of companies around the world. As clusters being a competent tool in companies’ performance, in regional development and in countries’ competitiveness, it is important to analyze its potential in tourism. This research aims to propose a conceptual model to analyze how a tourism cluster encourages its regional competitiveness.Cluster, Tourism, Regional Development, and Competitiveness

Ewé: a web-based ethnobotanical database for storing and analysing data

Ethnobotanical databases serve as repositories of traditional knowledge (TK), either at international or local scales. By documenting plant species with traditional use, and most importantly, the applications and modes of use of such species, ethnobotanical databases play a role in the conservation of TK and also provide access to information that could improve hypothesis generation and testing in ethnobotanical studies. Brazil has a rich medicinal flora and a rich cultural landscape. Nevertheless, cultural change and ecological degradation can lead to loss of TK. Here, we present an online database developed with open-source tools with a capacity to include all medicinal flora of Brazil. We present test data for the Leguminosae comprising a total of 2078 records, referred to here as use reports, including data compiled from literature and herbarium sources. Unlike existing databases, Ewé provides tools for the visualization of large datasets, facilitating hypothesis generation and meta-analyses. The Ewé database is currently available at www.ewedb.com

A pré-história da significação de ousia: Uma análise da interpretação heideggeriana de ousia enquanto presentidade (Anwesenheit)

How did the Greeks understand the significance of οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î± before it became an expression dominated by the platonic and aristotelic thought? Is Heidegger correct to interpret this pre-philosophical comprehension as constant presentness (ständige Anwesenheit) or is such interpretation a characteristic distortion from the German thinker? Through the establishment of etymological and philological criteria and of the philosophical use of the word οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î±, it is aimed not only to clarify its daily use, that means, pre-philosophical, but also to prove the heideggerian interpretation. From the undertaken examination it resulted that the pre-philosophical comprehension of οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î± carries the meanings of “ownership”, “goods”, “residence”, “fortune”. However, the undertaken examination also demonstrated that it is only possible as such and in coherence to the philosophical use of the term if such a daily comprehension is already orientated from a pre-comprehension of οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î± as constant presentness. The reached conclusion is that the heideggerian interpretation under no circumstances constitutes a misrepresentation or distortion of the analysed term, but an authentic immersion in the Greek language and, above all, a legitimate appropriation of the Greek thought and vocabulary.Como compreendiam os gregos o significado de οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î± antes de ela se tornar uma expressão dominada pelo pensamento platônico e aristotélico? Heidegger tem razão em interpretar esta compreensão pré-filosófica como presentidade constante (ständige Anwesenheit) ou será tal interpretação uma distorção característica do pensador alemão? Através do estabelecimento de critérios etimológicos, filológicos e do uso filosófico da palavra οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î± buscou-se não só clarificar seu uso cotidiano, isto é, pré-filosófico, mas pôr à prova a interpretação heideggeriana. Do exame empreendido resultou que a compreensão pré-filosófica de οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î± carrega o significado de “posse”, “bens”, “morada”, “fortuna”. Entretanto, a inquirição dessa significação também demonstrou que ela só é possível enquanto tal e em coerência com o uso filosófico do termo se tal compreensão cotidiana já se orientar desde uma pré-compreensão de οá½ÏƒÎ¯Î± enquanto presentidade constante. A conclusão obtida é que a interpretação heideggeriana de modo algum constitui um falseamento ou distorção do termo em análise, mas uma autêntica imersão na língua grega e, sobretudo, uma apropriação legitima do pensamento e do vocabulário grego

Homosexualidades indígenas y descolonialidad: algunas reflexiones a partir de las críticas two-spirit

n uestra contribución en este artículo consistirá en el levantamiento y análisis de literatura sobre homosexualidades indígenas en Brasil, buscando señalar eventuales posibilidades de análisis a la luz, tanto de la literatura disponible como de la teoría queer , de las críticas two - spirit y de autores que trabajen con los conceptos de decolonialidad y colonialidad de género. Percibimos que existen varias posibilidades, en términos de investigación, que van más allá de los estudios que buscan determinar cuáles étnias tienen prácticas homosexuales o como representan esas prácticas, por ejemplo. l o que se propone es el análisis a partir de formas de convivencia y reflexiones en el campo de la alteridad (incluso interna); zonas de intersticios (fronteras) marcadas por ser espacios de redefiniciones de sujetos e identidades de los grupos involucrados en esos procesos, los cuales no pueden ser vistos como «pérdidas culturales»

Deaths in police custody in the Cape Town Western Metropole 2000-2009

Includes bibliographical referencesDeaths in police custody are a global phenomenon which continues to beset policing services worldwide. Research into these deaths has provided insight into the complexity of detention and led to the institution of preventative strategies which have seen a reduction in mortality internationally. An improved understanding of the South African detention milieu may similarly assist in reducing the mortality burden in this country. This study retrospectively reviewed deaths in custody in the Cape Town Western Metropole between 2000 and 2009, with the aim of identifying local, modifiable factors to aid in death prevention. Sixty two (62) cases were reviewed. Males predominated (90.3%) in the sample, with the racial profile mirroring that of the general population. The median age of the detainees was 30.5 years. Unnatural causes of death accounted for 82% (n=51) of cases, with suicidal hanging the commonest cause (n=40). Items of clothing were used as ligatures in 80% of hangings, with gate and window bars the most common points of suspension. Time in detention averaged 863 minutes for the sample. Clinical signs of intoxication at the time of arrest was identified as a statistically significant determinant (p=0.02) of a shorter detention time (446 minutes). Ten (10) detainees were identified as either injured at the time of arrest or physically ill during detention, of which 9 succumbed to their injuries or disease. Only three of these detainees received medical attention. These findings highlight the need for urgent review of local police cell architecture to ensure an environment conducive to safe detention, with particular attention to reducing potential points of suspension for hangings. Further, the healthcare needs of detainees must be prioritised through effective training of police personnel with regard to the assessment and management of ill detainees, particularly those intoxicated at the time of arrest

The evolution of the East African margin offshore Mozambique : geotectonic history and petroleum system analysis

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Metal ion binding properties of Triticum aestivum Ec-1 metallothionein: evidence supporting two separate metal thiolate clusters

Metallothioneins are ubiquitous low molecular mass, cysteine-rich proteins with an extraordinary high metal ion content. In contrast to the situation for the vertebrate forms, information regarding the properties of members of the plant metallothionein family is still scarce. We present the first spectroscopic investigation aiming to elucidate the metal ion binding properties and metal thiolate cluster formation of the Tricium aestivum (common wheat) early cysteine-labeled plant metallothionein (Ec-1). For this, the protein was overexpressed recombinantly in Escherichia coli. Recombinant Ec-1 is able to bind a total of six divalent d 10 metal ions in a metal thiolate cluster arrangement. The pH stability of the zinc and cadmium clusters investigated is comparable to stabilities found for mammalian metallothioneins. Using cobalt(II) as a paramagnetic probe, we were able to show the onset of cluster formation taking place with the addition of a fourth metal ion equivalent to the apo protein. Limited proteolytic digestion experiments complemented with mass spectrometry and amino acid analysis provide clear evidence for the presence of two separate metal thiolate clusters. One cluster consists of four metal ions and is made up by a part of the protein containing 11 cysteine residues, comparable to the situation found in the mammalian counterparts. The second cluster features two metal ions coordinated by six cysteine residues. The occurrence of the latter cluster is unprecedented in the metallothionein superfamily so fa

Estratégias de coping nas famílias com menores em risco psicossocial

As famílias com menores em risco psicossocial estão muitas vezes expostas a uma série de situações de risco, potenciadoras de stresse. Neste sentido, nem sempre os pais conseguem exercer a sua parentalidade da forma mais adequada e promotora do desenvolvimento da criança. As famílias monoparentais são apontadas como sendo mais vulneráveis em situações de stresse. A presente investigação debruçar-se-á acerca das estratégias de coping vivenciadas e a acumulação de acontecimentos de vida stressantes e de risco por parte das famílias em risco psicossocial, tendo em conta a mono e biparentalidade. Foram entrevistados 67 pais de famílias algarvias em risco psicossocial. Para avaliar as dimensões em estudo utilizámos o Brief COPE (Carver, 1997), o Inventário de Situações Stressantes e de Risco (ISER) (Hidalgo, Menéndez, Sánches, López, Jiménez, & Lorence, 2005), o PSI-SF (Abidin, 1995), e um Questionário de Dados Sociodemográficos e Familiares. Os resultados mostraram que o stress experienciado pelos sujeitos no exercício do seu papel parental, as situações de risco atual e as estratégias de coping utilizadas não diferem de acordo com a mono ou biparentalidade das famílias em risco psicossocial.Universidade do Algarve, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociai

The tourism clusters role in regional development : presenting a competitiveness conceptual model

Tourism is characterized for being a sector that has stood apart, as one of the business activities of the greatest expansion potential worldwide, and as an economical growth engine, which national impact is significant. But, if on a national level the importance of tourism is significant, on a more regional level this sector presents itself as an essential tool in regional development, as a mean to avoid regional desertification and stagnation of regions, by thrusting the natural and historical-cultural potential of the more undeveloped regions. On a world evermore global and competitive, it is of the most importance that companies develop strategic management, so that they may keep up to date with their environmental complexity, with the market trends and competitiveness, to obtain competitive advantage. Since it is unanimous that clusters increase the competiveness of a regional industry, and, since tourism is a powerful regional development tool, it is relevant and crucial to discuss the role of clusters in tourism. Clusters have become one of the most popular concepts of local and regional development, of research and exercise, because one of the goals of a tourism cluster is to lead companies that in a general manner work alone, to cooperate in the construct of a successful tourism product, to a given region. The aim of this paper is to present a competitiveness conceptual model, for a tourism cluster, for regional development. The main model characteristic is to emphasize the interaction between the determinants, to achieve competitiveness. Each determinant also enclosures a set of agents that promote pressure over the other determinant elements, so that the interaction degree defines the regional competitive advantage. In this model, competitiveness is the determining factor to a cluster’s success