Brazilian Border Research Articles

Tree Community Change across 700 km of Lowland Amazonian Forest from the Andean Foothills to Brazil

ABSTRACTWe describe patterns of tree community change along a 700‐km transect through terra firme forests of western Amazonia, running from the base of the Andes in Ecuador to the Peru–Brazil border. Our primary question is whether floristic variation at large scales arises from many gradual changes or a few abrupt ones. Data from 54 1‐ha tree plots along the transect support the latter model, showing two sharp discontinuities in community structure at the genus level. One is located near the Ecuador–Peru border, where the suite of species that dominates large areas of Ecuadorean forest declines abruptly in importance to the east. This discontinuity is underlain by a subterranean paleoarch and congruent with a change in soil texture. A second discontinuity is associated with the shift from clay to white sand soils near Iquitos. We hypothesize that the first discontinuity is part of an edaphic boundary that runs along the Andean piedmont and causes a transition from tree communities preferring richer, younger soils near the base of the Andes to those preferring poorer, older soils farther east. Because the floristic changes observed at this discontinuity are conserved for large distances to the east and west of it, the discontinuity is potentially key for understanding floristic variation in western Amazonia. The significant floristic turnover at the Ecuador–Peru border suggests that the only large protected area in the region—Ecuador's Yasuní National Park—is not adequate protection for the very diverse tree communities that cover vast areas of northern Peru.

Mobility and its liminal context: Exploring sexual partnering among truck drivers crossing the Southern Brazilian border

Mobile populations, including truck drivers, are at elevated risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). However, measures of mobility have been poorly operationalized and little research exists exploring the psychosocial context of mobility and sexual risk taking. A systematic sample of 1775 male truck drivers underwent interview at two customs stations on the Southern Brazilian international border in 2003. The psychosocial effect of being mobile was assessed by clustering truckers based on perceptions of the liminal environment, or being outside of one's normal social environment. The relationship between physical mobility (nights spent at home) and liminal cluster with sexual partnerships was assessed. The clustering procedure yielded three dispositions towards the liminal environment. Compared to truckers in the baseline cluster, those who perceive the environment as (1) very, or (2) moderately permissive had increased odds of reporting a commercial sex partner in the past six months and reported increased numbers of commercial partners. For each week slept at home, the odds of reporting a commercial partner decreased by a factor of 0.73 and the average number of commercial partners decreased by a rate of 0.76. Physical and psychosocial measures of mobility were associated independently with increased partnering on the road. Additional exploration of how the liminal environment shapes mobile populations’ sexual decision making and vulnerability to STI is warranted.

Avian Influenza Surveillance in Backyard Poultry of Argentina

Avian influenza (AI) is an exotic disease in Argentina. A surveillance program for AI was conducted in backyard poultry during 1998-2005 in two regions: 1) region A, which included the avian population in the provinces that border Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay, and 2) region B, which included the rest of the provinces of the country. More than 8000 serum samples were tested for antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and/or agar gel immunodiffusion tests, and more than 18,000 tracheal and cloacal swabs were tested for virus by isolation in embryonated specific-pathogen-free eggs. This study was part of the AI prevention program in Argentina, which includes other avian populations such as commercial poultry and all the controls for importation and exportation of live birds. The results from backyard poultry were negative for AI.

Integração de fronteiras: a saúde no contexto de uma política nacional de desenvolvimento

In recent decades, Brazil's borders with other South American countries have been associated with a negative agenda. Public intervention has aimed almost exclusively at guaranteeing national security through a variety of restrictions. In the current century, with a slow but steady shift in the geopolitical paradigm, integration among South American nations has become a priority. Border regions have now become a strategic area for South American integration and appear as such on the member countries' development agendas. Within this new context, the current study aims to contribute to the connection between the regional health and development agendas, with a focus on border regions, taking a dual approach, by analyzing the development agenda vis-à-vis the field of health and providing clues on how health actions can contribute to a more general perspective of development and integration.

Condiciones de vida, situación de la salud y disponibilidad de servicios de salud en la frontera de Brasil: un enfoque geográfico

The aim of this study was to identify critical health care areas along the Brazilian border. The distribution of health resources was analyzed by municipality and border area in 1999-2000 and subsequently analyzed according to living conditions, health status, geographic accessibility, and other aspects of the border dynamics. Secondary data were used from large national health and geographic databases, complemented by primary data collected in the field. Geographic information systems were used to analyze the data and to produce maps. The border area was heterogeneous in terms of the above-mentioned characteristics. The municipalities along the northern portion of the border strip showed the most unfavorable conditions and thus constitute the most critical area for health care. The central portion showed an intermediate situation, with a balanced proportion of sub-regions in critical versus non-critical situations. The southernmost portion showed a satisfactory situation in all its sub-regions. Health care heterogeneity along the border showed the need for a specific focus, taking the different sub-regions and border dynamics into account.

Ocorrência e distribuição geográfica do bacurizeiro

O bacurizeiro é espécie frutífera promissora, devido as amplas possibilidades que apresenta como planta de uso múltiplo (madeira e fruto), podendo vir a se constituir, em breve, em nova alternativa de cultura perene para a Amazônia. A ocorrência e a distribuição geográfica do bacurizeiro, apresentadas neste trabalho, baseiam-se em grande parte nos levantamentos sobre vegetação efetuados pela Comissão Executora do Projeto Radambrasil, por levantamentos em herbários, além de informações em inventários florísticos contidos na literatura. O objetivo deste trabalho foi registrar a distribuição geográfica do bacurizeiro, visando a estudos de disponibilidade genética e coleta de material para definir procedimentos adequados para seu cultivo e conseqüente redução de pressão sobre as populações nativas. Não existem dúvidas sobre a origem amazônica do bacurizeiro, sendo encontrado, no início do século vinte, tanto na margem esquerda como na margem direita do Rio Pará, abundante na costa sudeste da ilha do Marajó, onde se constitui em árvore característica das matas marginais. Em toda a Amazônia, a área de maior concentração da espécie é o estuário do Rio Amazonas. Do Estado do Pará, dispersou-se em direção ao nordeste do Brasil, alcançando os cerrados e chapadões dos Estados do Maranhão e Piauí. Na direção sul, a dispersão atingiu os Estados de Tocantins e Mato Grosso, chegando a romper as fronteiras do Brasil. Na direção norte, atingiu o Estado do Amapá, ocorrendo também, embora de forma rara, no Estado do Amazonas.

Nutrient Intake and Risk of Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Esophagus: A Case-Control Study in Uruguay

: In 1996-2004 a case-control study on nutrient intake, dietary constituents and risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus was conducted in Montevideo, Uruguay. In fact, Uruguay, and especially its northern provinces, which border Brazil, are high-risk areas. The study included 234 cases and 936 controls. The controls were hospitalized patients with non-neoplastic disease, which was not related to tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking, and without recent changes in their diets. Controls were frequency matched to cases on age (10-yr intervals), sex, and residence (Montevideo and other provinces). Dietary constituents were energy adjusted using the residuals method and then categorized in quartiles according to the distribution of the controls. The final model included linoleic acid, lycopene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, vitamin A, monounsaturated fat, total carbohydrates, β-carotene, and folate. The odds ratio (OR) for high intake of linoleic acid was 1.4 (95% confidence interval, CI = 1.2–1.6), whereas lycopene displayed a strong protective effect (OR = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.6–0.9). The possible role of these and other dietary constituents in esophageal carcinogenesis is discussed.

A mobilidade humana na tríplice fronteira: Peru, Brasil e Colômbia

OS MOVIMENTOS migratórios nas fronteiras amazônicas ainda são pouco abordados, tanto pela academia quanto pelas instituições que lidam com a temática da mi-gração. Há elementos novos que configuram características peculiares à mobilidade humana na tríplice fronteira Peru-Colômbia-Brasil que merecem uma abordagem mais profunda do ponto de vista dos estudos migratórios. Atualmente, há fluxos conside-ráveis de migração internacional nessa região adentrando na fronteira brasileira, desafiando o Estado brasileiro a implementar uma política migratória que consiga lidar com fenômenos, tais como a presença de peruanos em situação irregular em território brasileiro, a mobilidade dos povos indígenas nas regiões de fronteira e ainda, mais recentemente, a entrada crescente de colombianos desplazados pela guerrilha interna que pedem refúgio ao Estado brasileiro.

Bone-Munching Symbionts Found in the Abyss

south from its origin in Brazil, marking the borders of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina and draining South America's second largest watershed. it descends through rainforest to the Great Chaco savannah and on to the delta wetlands, a series of human interventions transform the river's ecology. In September 2005, a coalition of scientists, fishermen, and environmentalists from Entre Rios Province, Argentina, met at the Senate building in Parana City to report that fish populations are collapsing and to demand the enactment of conservation measures currently before the second chamber. The growth of soya plantations and a series of upstream dams have brought changes to the Parana's hydrology. As the agrarian frontier expands, we are seeing heavy floods and prolonged droughts linked to Par na River feels the strain

Studies on the poisonous skin secretion of individual red bellied toads, Melanophryniscusmontevidensis (Anura, Bufonidae), from Uruguay

Toads belonging to the genus Melanophryniscus contain toxic alkaloids in their skin. From six locations in south-eastern Uruguay 81 specimens of Melanophryniscus montevidensis were collected. In whole animal methanolic extracts of individual specimens, alkaloids of the pumiliotoxin (PTX) group and indolizidines were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry; the predominant component PTX 251D was assayed quantitatively. The PTX-content of the various toad populations was found to be highly variable among individual specimens as well as among the populations. Very high levels of PTX 251D were detected in toads of the western part of the collection area, whereas very low levels of this alkaloid were assayed in toads near the Brazilian border. Remarkably high concentrations of the non-alkaloid hydroquinone were found to be present in all toads. The analysis of extracts from 125 arthropod samples (Arachnida and Insecta, including termites, ants and beetles), which may represent a potential food source, revealed no alkaloids of the PTX group.

GEOLOGIA E CONTROLE ESTRUTURAL DOS DEPÓSITOS DE OURO DO GRUPO AGUAPEÍ - REGIÃO DA LAVRINHA, SUDOESTE DO CRÁTON AMAZÔNICO

GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURAL CONTROL OF THE GOLD DEPOSITS IN THE AGUAPEI GROUP - LAVRINHA REGION, SOUTHWESTERN OF THE AMAZONIAN CRATON - BRAZIL The southwestern portion of the Amazonian Craton, in the Mato Grosso state, Central Brazil contains important gold concentrations that are associated with the tectonic and therm al evolution of the Aguapei folded belt. In these concentrations gold is associated with metasedimentary rocks of the Aguapei Grou p that cross the Brazilian border and has been called as Sunsas Group in Bolivia. The Lavrinha region at the central portion of the Ag uapei folded belt, is located in the fold-hinge of the Cagado anticline and represents a domain of low angle tangencial tectonism tha t demonstrate an allochthonism of the Aguapei Group sediments from SW to NE. In this site, the deformation on the Aguapei group generates a boundary of this group with the basement rocks which is represented by granitic-gnaissic rocks. The boundary forms a 2 to 3 metres large shear zone, called Morro Solteiro Shear Zone. Nine gold deposits are mapped at the Lavrinha region, distrib uted in three levels (inferior, intermediate and superior). The inferior level is represented by the Morro Solterio Shear Zone, and has been considered to be the most important for gold exploration. The intermediate level is represented by a series of stick-slip movem ents along the bedding plane developed in the metaconglomerate and quartzites with metassiltites and metamudstone intercalation. The superior level is associated with metassiltites and metasandstone. Gold mineralization is generated by the percolation of hydro thermal- metamorphic fluids of aqueous to aqueous-carbonic composition presenting a elevated H 2 O/CO 2 ratio, low salinite and high sulphur activity. These fluids were generated by the end of the Sunsas-Aguapei orogeny (1.1 - 0.95Ga). The mineralogical assemblage is represented by pyrite, magnetite, hematite, ilmenite and chalcopyrite. The presence of pyrite boxworks and hematite associated with magnetite and leucoxene represents the weathering of the sulphide and oxide minerals. Thus, native gold disseminated in the hydrothermal altered mylonites indicate a secondary enrichment of gold at the Lavrinha region.

What is a museum for? The Magüta Museum for the Ticuna people, Amazonas, Brazil

After working for several years in the Ethnography Section of Brazil's National Museum, Maria JussaraGomes Gruber helped found the Magüta Museum in the town of Benjamin Constant, in Amazonas (close to Brazil's border with Peru and Colombia). Jussara Gruber believed that an ethnographic museum, with objects selected, displayed and explained in ways that made sense to the Ticuna Indians of the area, would help them to sustain social and cultural values in the face of continuing colonization by non-Indian society. The Ticuna are one of Brazil's most populous indigenous groups, with some 95 villages mainly scattered along the banks of the Upper Solimões River and its tributaries. Ticuna efforts to establish land boundaries and reclaim their own territory have met substantial opposition from non-Indian loggers, landowners and storekeepers. In this article (compiled from a letter and subsequent telephone interview translated by Maria Renata Franco Peters and edited by Bill Sillar) Constantino Ramos Lopes explains his role as director of the museum and its significance for the Ticuan people.

Geologia e controle estrutural dos depósitos de ouro do

The southwestern portion of the Amazonian Craton, in the Mato Grosso state, Central Brazil contains important gold concentrations that are associated with the tectonic and thermal evolution of the Aguapei folded belt. In these concentrations gold is associated with metasedimentary rocks of the Aguapei Group that cross the Brazilian border and has been called as Sunsas Group in Bolivia. The Lavrinha region at the central portion of the Aguapei folded belt, is located in the fold-hinge of the Cagado anticline and represents a domain of low angle tangencial tectonism that demonstrate an allochthonism of the Aguapei Group sediments from SW to NE. In this site, the deformation on the Aguapei group generates a boundary of this group with the basement rocks which is represented by granitic-gnaissic rocks. The boundary forms a 2 to 3 metres large shear zone, called Morro Solteiro Shear Zone. Nine gold deposits are mapped at the Lavrinha region, distributed in three levels (inferior, intermediate and superior). The inferior level is represented by the Morro Solterio Shear Zone, and has been considered to be the most important for gold exploration. The intermediate level is represented by a series of stick-slip movements along the bedding plane developed in the metaconglomerate and quartzites with metassiltites and metamudstone intercalation. The superior level is associated with metassiltites and metasandstone. Gold mineralization is generated by the percolation of hydrothermalmetamorphic fluids of aqueous to aqueous-carbonic composition presenting a elevated H 2 O/CO 2 ratio, low salinite and high sulphur activity. These fluids were generated by the end of the Sunsas-Aguapei orogeny (1.1 – 0.95Ga). The mineralogical assemblage is represented by pyrite, magnetite, hematite, ilmenite and chalcopyrite. The presence of pyrite boxworks and hematite associated with magnetite and leucoxene represents the weathering of the sulphide and oxide minerals. Thus, native gold disseminated in the hydrothermal altered mylonites indicate a secondary enrichment of gold at the Lavrinha region.

I speak like the guys on TV: Palatalization and the urbanization of Uruguayan Portuguese

This article investigates the sociolinguistic distribution of palatalization in Uruguayan Portuguese (UP), based on data collected in a bilingual town on the Uruguayan–Brazilian border. It shows that palatalization of /di/ /ti/ has entered UP as a result of recent urbanization, which has allowed greater reception of and sensitivity to urban Brazilian Portuguese (BP). Following the tradition of variationist studies, this study identifies internal and external variables that determine the distribution of palatalization in the community, and argues that the groups that acquire BP do so as a reflection of an urban orientation, different from the border cultural and linguistic tradition. Qualitative data support the idea that this process is indirectly accelerated by exposure to Brazilian television, which provides a linguistic model for the groups that seek one. This is a new interpretation, in that previous studies have claimed that UP, as an oral minority language, is monostylistic dialect with no linguistic model.Preliminary versions of this paper were presented at the 2001 American Association of Applied Linguistics and 2002 NWAVE meetings.

Efficacy of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and mefloquine for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in the Amazon basin of Peru.

In vivo antimalarial drug efficacy studies of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria at an isolated site in the Amazon basin of Peru bordering Brazil and Colombia showed >50% RII/RIII resistance to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine but no evidence of resistance to mefloquine.

Mapping the Past and the Future: Geomatics and Indigenous Territories in the Peruvian Amazon

Since the early 1970s, indigenous Amazonians of Peru have received property title or other forms of government recognition to over 10 million hectares of tropical forested land. The largest single area is in the Rio Galvez Basin, east of Iquitos near the Brazilian border, where a 400,000-hectare native community was titled to the Matses peoples in the 1990s. Developing and implementing management plans and related economic initiatives for these areas is the next urgent chapter in the long history of their struggle for survival and recognition. The authors examine both conceptual and methodological steps to establish a mapbased Native Communities Information System (SICNA) as the foundation for future land-use planning in Peru’s indigenous territories. The information system includes two types of data for Peru’s native communities: geographic data that include the hydrographic system with community boundaries among other elements, and tabular data on demography, ethnic affiliation, legal-administrative sta...

Other Black Atlantic borders: escape routes, 'mocambos', and fears of sedition in Brazil and French Guiana (eighteenth to nineteenth centuries)

Analyzes cultural exchanges and the formation of identities, specifically looking at Maroon societies established on the borders of colonial Brazil and French Guiana. Author identifies forms of micropolitical agency among slaves and escaped (former) slaves in this area in light of Portuguese and French colonial policies in the 18th and 19th c. First, he reconstructs the history of slavery in French Guiana and bordering Brazil, and especially of slave escapes across colonial borders, resulting in Maroon communities, and how the colonial authorities dealt with these escapes. He points out that the created Maroon societies affected and altered the world of those who were still enslaved, as well as of the entire surrounding society. Further he discusses transnational connections, particularly the impact of the Haitian Revolution on slaves, and of other ideas regarding freedom.

A imprensa platina e a Missão Especial do Brasil ao Uruguai, abril de 1964

A imprensa platina em geral, e a uruguaia particularmente, adotou uma postura hostil ao movimento militar de 31 de março de 1964 no Brasil, conferindo-lhe o perfil de "golpe de gorilas", diante da opinião pública da região. Nesse sentido, a atuação da imprensa tornou-se mais explícita quando desembarcaram em Montevidéu, no mês de abril daquele ano, os integrantes da Missão Especial do Brasil ao Uruguai. Pretendia-se, sob forte pressão, obter do governo uruguaio o compromisso formal de que o ex-Presidente Goulart e seus acompanhantes fossem confinados em área distante da fronteira brasileira, no Departamento de Montevidéu, onde poderiam ter suas atividades controladas, com maior facilidade, pelas autoridades uruguaias. Diante da negativa da República vizinha, a Missão retornou, trazendo, curiosamente, o que não fora buscar, isto é, o reconhecimento do novo Governo do Brasil, obtido por estreita margem de votos do Conselho Nacional de Governo e sob forte oposição da imprensa e da opinião pública uruguaias.

Brazil’s Petroleum Sector

With the 17th World Petroleum Congress being held in Brazil in September 2002 the JCPT is pleased to include two articles on the Brazilian industry and economy with particular emphasis on its energy sector and rapidly growing oil and gas industry. In the first article, Annette Hester captures the current political and economic flavour of Brazil. In the second, Dr. Abbas Naini provides background information and reviews the development of each sector of the energy industry. Brazil - The Land of New Beginnings by Annette Hester September in Brazil! It is spring there and the days are just perfect, warm but not too hot. Spring is a time of new beginnings. It's a perfect lime to visit Rio de Janeiro, especially in 2002. As delegates start arriving in Rio to take part in the World Petroleum Congress 2002 (WPC), the one thing that is likely not to go unnoticed - aside from the signature landmarks of the Sugar Loaf, Christ the Redeemer, and the beautiful beaches - is the overwhelming abundance of electoral posters and electoral propaganda of all kinds, including people in the streets dressed with shirts coloured to identify their candidates blowing horns and handing out material. Brazil's Economy and Energy Industry by Abbas Naini The Federated Republic of Brazil with 8.511,965 km2 is the largest country in South America and the world's fifth largest, after Russia, Canada, China, and the USA. Brazil borders every country in South America except Chile and Ecuador. In the 1980s (after 20 years of military rule) the country slowly returned to democracy and in 1988 enacted a new constitution, which allows the president who is also commander-in-chief of the armed forces to choose ministers of State, initiate legislation, and maintain foreign relations. Brazil is administratively divided into 26 states and one Federal District. The presidential powers are balanced by a bicameral legislature, which consists of a 72-seat senate and a 487-seat chamber of deputies. Presidential, state, and congressional elections are held every four years.

Detecção de tracoma e doenças corneanas em índios da região do Alto Rio Negro

Objetivo: Avaliar as condições oftalmológicas da população indígena do Alto Rio Negro, fronteira do Brasil com a Colômbia. Métodos: Exame oftalmológico de 179 índios habitantes do Rio Tiquié, afluente do Rio Negro, em julho de 1999. Resultado: Opacidades numulares corneanas 28,5%; pterígio 12,8%; tracoma 55%. Do total de índios examinados 2,8% apresentavam visão inferior a contar dedos a 5 metros, devido a lesões corneanas secundárias ao tracoma.