We know not the worth of water until the well runs dry: Assessing municipal water use for fifteen incorporated cities in Hidalgo County, Texas for the years 1984-2005

This paper studied municipal water use in fifteen incorporated cities of Hidalgo County, Texas using historical water use data provided by the Texas Water Development Board\u27s Texas Water Use Survey for the years 1984 to 2005. The cities studied were Alamo, Alton, Donna, Edcouch, Edinburg, Elsa, Hidalgo, La Joya, La Villa, McAllen, Mission, Mercedes, Pharr, San Juan, and Weslaco. This paper examined five key areas that supported this study: population growth, city sales tax revenue, Gross Domestic Product, water demand, and water use. This research concludes with a set of recommendations to assist municipal leadership as they prepare for the future

O líder e o processo de aprendizagem organizacional: um estudo em grupos de trabalho de atendimento aos clientes em agências bancárias

This article refers to the influence of the leaders in facilitating the learning process at the bank agencies (branches), of the Client Service Team, understanding that this service is a competitive deferential for the organizations. It is based on an exploratory research accomplished in the city of São Paulo, in which it proceeded to a survey of qualitative data by means of interview in depth with 12 bank employees at the bank agencies of three different private national banks. For the interpretation of the obtained data, “Content Analysis” was used. The results show us that the leaders with the features of leadership characteristically transformable, managed to conciliate a more favorable environment to the learning of the employees than those who had the transactional features, even though the working environments that have been researched were highly controlled, based on the routine length, demanding the administration a leadership that is more concerned to relieve the frustrations than to generate transformations.Este artigo trata da influência dos líderes na facilitação do processo de aprendizagem, em agências bancárias, do grupo de atendimento a clientes, entendendo que esse serviço é um diferencial competitivo para as organizações. Fundamenta-se em uma pesquisa exploratória realizada na cidade de São Paulo, por meio da qual se procedeu ao levantamento de dados qualitativos, em entrevista com 12 funcionários de atendimento de agências bancárias de três diferentes bancos privados nacionais. Para interpretação dos dados obtidos, utilizou-se a Análise de Conteúdo. Os resultados mostraram que os líderes com traços de liderança de características transformacionais conseguiam propiciar um ambiente mais favorável à aprendizagem dos funcionários do que aqueles com traços transacionais, muito embora os ambientes de trabalho pesquisados fossem altamente controlados, baseados no cumprimento de rotinas, exigindo da gerência uma liderança voltada mais para aliviar frustrações do que para gerar transformações

Community Stakeholder Perspectives Around the Strengths and Needs of Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors

Unaccompanied immigrant minors (UIM) are youth who lack lawful immigration status and who are without a parent or guardian in the U.S. who can provide custody and care. By all accounts, UIM experience stressful and traumatic circumstances before, during and postmigration. Most UIM left their home countries due to economic stagnation, poverty, crime and gang-related violence (Kandel et al., 2014); almost half described fleeing societal violence and one in five described experiencing domestic abuse (UNHCR, 2014). During migration, UIM are vulnerable to human trafficking, kidnapping, and other abuses (Kandel et al., 2014). Upon resettlement, UIM sometimes experience extended stays in detention centers, community violence exposure in resettlement areas, and an uncertain future in the U.S., all without family support to buffer these stressors (Alvarez & Alegria, 2016). Not surprisingly, UIM are at increased risk for mental health problems compared to accompanied immigrant youth (Derluyn & Broekaert, 2008; Huemer et al., 2009). Research on protective factors is emerging, but scarce.This presentation describes community stakeholder perspectives around the strengths and needs of UIM. Stakeholders include academic researchers with experience working with UIM; key decision makers in agencies serving UIM; professionals with insider knowledge (e.g., immigration attorneys, psychologists with expertise in asylum evaluations); and community members participating in immigrant-focused coalitions. Stakeholder interviews identified significant need for support for UIM. They noted that UIM need emotional support before, during and after legal interviews when youth must recount traumatic events. Families need support during periods of separations and reunions, which can lead to uncertainty and unanticipated conflict, and foster families sponsoring UIM need parenting support for raising children facing difficult circumstances. Stakeholders also noted role conflicts that arise when simultaneously addressing the legal and mental health needs of UIM and the emotional toll that this work takes on professionals serving UIM

Central nervous system commitment in Chagas disease

The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) during human acute and chronic Chagas disease (CD) has been largely reported. Meningoencephalitis is a frequent finding during the acute infection, while during chronic phase the CNS involvement is often accompanied by behavioral and cognitive impairments. In the same vein, several studies have shown that rodents infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) display behavior abnormalities, accompanied by brain inflammation, in situ production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and parasitism in diverse cerebral areas, with involvement of microglia, macrophages, astrocytes, and neurons. However, the mechanisms used by the parasite to reach the brain remain now largely unknown. Herein we discuss the evidence unravelling the CNS involvement and complexity of neuroimmune interactions that take place in acute and chronic CD. Also, we provide some clues to hypothesize brain infections routes in human and experimental acute CD following oral infection by T. cruzi, an infection route that became a major CD related public health issue in Brazil.Fil: Useche, Yerly. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Perez, Ana Rosa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Inmunología Clinica y Experimental de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Inmunología Clinica y Experimental de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: de Meis, Juliana. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Bonomo, Adriana. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Savino, Wilson. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; Brasi

Large scale sex typing of ostriches using DNA extracted from feathers

BACKGROUND: Ostrich (Struthio camelus) breeds have been gaining increasing significance around the world. The large-scale sex determination of chicks is an important task in the development of these breeds. To date, two PCR-based methods have been established for ostrich sex typing, neither of them intended for large-scale analyses. Here, we report on a protocol adapted to carry out large-scale gender scoring using DNA obtained from chick feathers. RESULTS: The DNA was extracted using a fast and simple alkaline extraction protocol that provided sufficient template for an early diagnosis. Tests with several primer sets enabled us to determine the best internal control primers associated with the sex-specific primers, avoiding spurious bands. Using DNA extracted from a single bulb and the best set of primers, we applied this protocol to simultaneously sex-type 96 individuals accurately. CONCLUSION: We have established a fast, safe, accurate and inexpensive procedure for large-scale sex typing of ostriches using DNA extracted from feathers. This procedure is useful for the gender identification of chicks in the first days of nestling life

Cinema, Educação e Interculturalidade: Martírio, o filme

In this work, we started from critical intercultural education to think about cinema, education and interculturality focusing on the indigenous point in the context about the retrocession of social achievements imposed on Brazil by the political-legal and media coup of 2016, which resulted in the deepening of the neoliberal logic in the school. After showing some questions about critic interculturality, followed with considerations about cinema and art, we dedicated special attention to the movie Martírio (Brazil, Carelli, Carvalho & Tita, 2016). We bet on its ethical, aesthetic and political power, exponentially multiplied by passing through the classrooms of schools in Brazil and all America.No presente trabalho, partimos da educação intercultural crítica para pensar o cruzamento entre cinema, educação e interculturalidade com foco na questão indígena, no contexto do retrocesso das conquistas sociais imposto ao Brasil pelo golpe políticojurídico e midiático de 2016, que resultou no aprofundamento da lógica neoliberal na escola.  Nesse sentido, após apresentarmos algumas questões sobre interculturalidade crítica, seguido de consideraçōes sobre cinema como arte, dedicamos especial atenção ao filme Martírio (Brasil; Carelli, Carvalho & Tita; 2016). Apostamos na sua potência ética, estética e política, multiplicada exponencialmente se transitar pelas  salas de aula das escolas do Brasil e de América toda

Violeta Parra e suas arpilleras decoloniais

O presente trabalho debruça-se sobre a vida e obra da folclorista e multiartista Violeta Parra com foco em sua produção de arpilleras como uma contribuição fundamental para a constituição do legado artístico e cultural decolonial dos povos latino-americanos. Para tanto partimos do estudo analítico de Estivil (2016; 2018) que compreende a obra de Violeta Parra como expressão de uma arte decolonizadora determinada a emancipar a tradição popular chilena e andina do lastro da colonialidade/modernidade, o que a situa como uma das precursoras da Arte Contemporânea Latino-Americana. Para dialogar sobre a sua produção artística, seu processo criativo e sua missão artístico-cultural, tomamos como fonte principal o documentário Violeta Parra, Pintora Chilena (2007), de Ignacio Agüero. O texto está constituído por um breve histórico de vida e obra de Violeta, seguido de apresentação e análise de sua produção de arpilleras, concluindo com o desdobramento de sua contribuição para movimentos de resistência de mulheres de camadas populares no Chile e no Brasil. This paper focuses on the life and work of the folklorist and multi-artist Violeta Parra. It has an emphasis on her production of arpilleras (embroidering resistance) as a fundamental contribution to the constitution of the decolonial artistic and cultural legacy of Latin American peoples. To this end we start from the analytical study of Estivil (2016; 2018), who understands the work of Violeta Parra as an expression of a decolonizing art determined to emancipate the Chilean and Andean folk tradition from the ballast of colonialism and modernity, which situates her as one of the precursors of Latin American Contemporary Art. To discuss her artistic production, her creative process, and her artistic-cultural mission, we take as our main source the documentary Violeta Parra, Pintora Chilena (2007), by Ignacio Agüero. The text is constituted by a brief history of Violeta's life and work, followed by the presentation and analysis of her production of arpilleras, concluding with the unfolding of her contribution to resistance movements of working class women in Chile and Brazil.El presente trabajo se centra en la vida y obra de la folclorista y multiartista Violeta Parra enfocando su producción de arpilleras como aporte fundamental a la constitución del legado artístico y cultural descolonial de los pueblos latinoamericanos. Para ello partimos del estudio analítico de Estivil (2016; 2018), que entiende la obra de Violeta Parra como expresión de un arte descolonizador decidido a emancipar la tradición popular chilena y andina del lastre de la colonialidad / modernidad, que la sitúa como una de las precursoras del Arte Contemporáneo Latinoamericano. Para hablar de su producción artística, su proceso creativo y su misión artístico-cultural, tomamos como fuente principal el documental Violeta Parra, Pintora Chilena (2007), de Ignacio Agüero. El texto está compuesto por una breve historia de la vida y obra de Violeta, seguida de una presentación y análisis de su producción de arpilleras, concluyendo con el desarrollo de su contribución a los movimientos de resistencia de mujeres de clases populares en Chile y Brasil