Antes del Naufragio. La política exterior de Argentina durante el gobierno de De la Rúa

El ciclo de la Alianza comenzó con expectativas sociales favorables originadas en el perfil de su principales figuras y en un discurso de renovación y rectificación de los defectos del modelo menemista. En la dimensión externa la presidencia De la Rúa había anticipado, al comenzar el periodo, que moderaría algunos aspectos del diseño externo del “menemismo” y buscaría una inserción internacional más autónoma. Sin embargo a poco de andar, la vacilación se apoderó de la acción oficial y la incertidumbre dominó el curso de los acontecimientos. La imagen de cambio y perfeccionamiento que la Alianza había ofrecido como propuesta electoral se desvaneció al poco tiempo de haber comenzado el mandato y las continuidades con la era menemista terminaron por prevalecer en una red de sucesos encaminados hacia un desenlace crítico. El presente trabajo tiene por objeto caracterizar la política exterior de Argentina durante la compleja etapa de la presidencia De la Rúa.The cycle of the “Alianza” began with favorable social expectations originated in the profile of its main figures and in the discourse of renewal and rectification of the defects of the Menem’s political model. In the international dimension the De la Rúa administration had anticipated when started the period that would have to moderate some aspects of the international design of the “menemismo” and would have to pursue a more autonomous international insertion. But, soon the hesitation defined the official action and the uncertainty dominated the course of events. The image of change and improvement that the “Alianza” had offered during the election soon faded after starting the mandate and continuities with the “Menem era” eventually prevailed in a network of events geared toward a critical outcome. This paper aims to characterize the Argentine foreign policy of Argentina during the complex period of the presidency of De la Rúa.Fil: Torres, Miguel Agustín. Universidad Católica de Santiago del Estero; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Los riesgos de mercado en el portafolio de la deuda pública peruana en el período 2002-2014

El objetivo de la presente investigación es el de describir “Los riesgos de mercado en el portafolio de la deuda pública del Perú en el período 2002-2014”. En esta investigación se evaluó los riesgos de mercado de la deuda pública del Perú en el indicado periodo de análisis, comprendido entre los gobiernos de Alejandro Toledo Manrique, Alan García Pérez y Ollanta Humala Tasso, a través de indicadores diseñados y utilizados por organismos multilaterales de crédito, como el Banco Internacional de Reconstrucción y Fomento (BIRF), o más conocido como Banco Mundial, y el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI), así como de otras entidades que hicieron estudios relacionados a la deuda externa. En este estudio se empleó el tipo de investigación básica. La investigación se realizó tomando como base las estadísticas de la deuda pública peruana en el período 2002-2014, y la proyección de la misma, a efectos de medir su sostenibilidad. A la luz de los resultados, dada la estructura actual de la deuda pública peruana, se infiere que al cierre del año 2014 existen riesgos potenciales de mercado en la deuda pública que pueden afectar la política fiscal vigente. Asimismo, es preciso indicar que la deuda pública ha estado siendo gestionada adecuadamente, con el objetivo de ir modificando gradualmente su estructura para mitigar los riesgos de mercado, entre otros. Como resultado final, se puede afirmar que la deuda pública es sostenible, en términos fiscales, en el mediano plazo, si se continúa o afianza con las políticas de gestión actuales, salvo que en los próximos años se produzca una nueva crisis financiera internacional

Description of the pupa and redescription of the third larval stage of Ligyrus ruginasus LeConte, 1856 (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae)

Se describe la pupa y se redescribe la larva de tercer estadio de Ligyrus ruginasus LeConte, 1856, con ejemplares colectados en localidad de Ocolome, municipio de El Fuerte, Sinaloa, México. Las larvas se colectaron en parcelas cultivadas con frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) y sandía (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)), y en suelo con materia orgánica de excremento de equino. Se incluyen ilustraciones de las estructuras y comentarios que permiten la identificación de L. ruginasus, así como una modificación a la clave de identificación para las larvas de L. gibbosus (De Geer, 1774), L. nasutus (Burmeister, 1847), L. (Ligyrodes) sallaei Bates, 1888, y L. (Ligyrodes) relictus (Say, 1825) de tercer estadio que se distribuyen en México y Estados Unidos.The third instar larva and pupa of Ligyrus ruginasus LeConte, 1856 are redescribed, with collected specimens in Ocolome, municipality of El Fuerte, Sinaloa, Mexico. The larvae were collected in plots cultivated with beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.)), and in soil with organic matter from equine excrement. Illustrations of the structures and comments that allow the identification of L. ruginasus are included, as well as a modification to the identification key for the third instar larvae of L. gibbosus (De Geer, 1774), 1888, L. nasutus (Burmeister, 1847), L. (Ligyrodes) sallaei Bates, and L. (Ligyrodes) relictus (Say, 1825) distributed in Mexico and the United States

Publishing data to support the fight against human vector-borne diseases

Vector-borne diseases are responsible for more than 17% of human cases of infectious diseases. In most situations, effective control of debilitating and deadly vector-bone diseases (VBDs), such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika and Chagas requires up-to-date, robust and comprehensive information on the presence, diversity, ecology, bionomics and geographic spread of the organisms that carry and transmit the infectious agents. Huge gaps exist in the information related to these vectors, creating an essential need for campaigns to mobilise and share data. The publication of data papers is an effective tool for overcoming this challenge. These peer-reviewed articles provide scholarly credit for researchers whose vital work of assembling and publishing well-described, properly-formatted datasets often fails to receive appropriate recognition. To address this, GigaScience 's sister journal GigaByte partnered with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to publish a series of data papers, with support from the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Here we outline the initial results of this targeted approach to sharing data and describe its importance for controlling VBDs and improving public health

Phylogenetic diversity of Amazonian tree communities

Aim: To examine variation in the phylogenetic diversity (PD) of tree communities across geographical and environmental gradients in Amazonia. Location: Two hundred and eighty-three c. 1 ha forest inventory plots from across Amazonia. Methods: We evaluated PD as the total phylogenetic branch length across species in each plot (PDss), the mean pairwise phylogenetic distance between species (MPD), the mean nearest taxon distance (MNTD) and their equivalents standardized for species richness (ses.PDss, ses.MPD, ses.MNTD). We compared PD of tree communities growing (1) on substrates of varying geological age; and (2) in environments with varying ecophysiological barriers to growth and survival. Results: PDss is strongly positively correlated with species richness (SR), whereas MNTD has a negative correlation. Communities on geologically young- and intermediate-aged substrates (western and central Amazonia respectively) have the highest SR, and therefore the highest PDss and the lowest MNTD. We find that the youngest and oldest substrates (the latter on the Brazilian and Guiana Shields) have the highest ses.PDss and ses.MNTD. MPD and ses.MPD are strongly correlated with how evenly taxa are distributed among the three principal angiosperm clades and are both highest in western Amazonia. Meanwhile, seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) and forests on white sands have low PD, as evaluated by any metric. Main conclusions: High ses.PDss and ses.MNTD reflect greater lineage diversity in communities. We suggest that high ses.PDss and ses.MNTD in western Amazonia results from its favourable, easy-to-colonize environment, whereas high values in the Brazilian and Guianan Shields may be due to accumulation of lineages over a longer period of time. White-sand forests and SDTF are dominated by close relatives from fewer lineages, perhaps reflecting ecophysiological barriers that are difficult to surmount evolutionarily. Because MPD and ses.MPD do not reflect lineage diversity per se, we suggest that PDss, ses.PDss and ses.MNTD may be the most useful diversity metrics for setting large-scale conservation priorities

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Aim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types

Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora

Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution

Consistent patterns of common species across tropical tree communities

Trees structure the Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystem, tropical forests. The vast number of tree species presents a formidable challenge to understanding these forests, including their response to environmental change, as very little is known about most tropical tree species. A focus on the common species may circumvent this challenge. Here we investigate abundance patterns of common tree species using inventory data on 1,003,805 trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm across 1,568 locations1,2,3,4,5,6 in closed-canopy, structurally intact old-growth tropical forests in Africa, Amazonia and Southeast Asia. We estimate that 2.2%, 2.2% and 2.3% of species comprise 50% of the tropical trees in these regions, respectively. Extrapolating across all closed-canopy tropical forests, we estimate that just 1,053 species comprise half of Earth’s 800 billion tropical trees with trunk diameters of at least 10 cm. Despite differing biogeographic, climatic and anthropogenic histories7, we find notably consistent patterns of common species and species abundance distributions across the continents. This suggests that fundamental mechanisms of tree community assembly may apply to all tropical forests. Resampling analyses show that the most common species are likely to belong to a manageable list of known species, enabling targeted efforts to understand their ecology. Although they do not detract from the importance of rare species, our results open new opportunities to understand the world’s most diverse forests, including modelling their response to environmental change, by focusing on the common species that constitute the majority of their trees.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe