This thesis examines the relationship between the political opposition and populism. The goal is to identify when, how, and under what circumstances an opposition to a populist leader affects change to the political system. A comparative historical analysis is employed as five case studies from South America are examined. The evidence presented in these case studies demonstrates that the political oppositions in each country were unsuccessful in affecting change to their respective political systems. They were unable to demobilize the support base that the populist leaders had created. Change came to the political systems in four out of the five case studies only when the populist leader's actions demobilized his support and not from the actions of the opposition. / by Morgan Alissa Weiss. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar a evolução do regionalismo latinoamericano, sobretudo confrontando-se as principais características dos modelos de regionalismos no continente, caracterizados como aberto e pós-hegemônico. Ambos os regionalismos demarcam os períodos de criação e desenvolvimento do principal bloco econômico da América do Sul, o Mercosul, e determinaram suas transformações e seu desempenho. Tendo-se em vista sua relevância na história e nas mudanças do modelo da integração na região, por meio da análise histórica, o presente trabalho estuda os motivadores quando de sua criação, estrutura, relevância regional e como, ao longo dos anos, sofreu alterações devido às influências externas e domésticas de seus países membros, fatores estes fortemente influenciadores dos modelos de integração específicos que conformaram o bloco, denominados como regionalismos estratégico, social e produtivo. Com isso, busca-se demonstrar que o Mercosul reflete as transformações econômicas, políticas e sociais ocorridas ao final do século XX, culminando em sua criação, e transformando-o substancialmente na primeira década do século XXI. / This paper focuses on the analysis of the Latin Americas regionalism evolution, especially confronting the main features of regionalism models in the continent characterized as \"open\" and \"post-hegemonic. Both regionalisms characterize the periods of creation and development of the main economic bloc in South America, Mercosur, and determine its transformations and performance. Due to its relevance in history as well as in the transformation of the regional integration pattern, through a historical analysis, this paper studies the issues that motivated its creation, structure, importance in the region and how, over the years, has changed due to external and domestic influences of its members, which strongly influenced in specific models of integration that composed the Mercosur, called strategic, social and productive regionalisms. Thus, it aims to demonstrate that Mercosur reflects the economic, political and social changes that occurred at the end of the twentieth century, culminating in its creation and development, modifying it substantially in the first decade of the current century.

Skeletal remains provide an exceptional opportunity to document the biological adaptations that a population undergoes in response to environmental, political and economic changes (Perry, 2007). For over 35 years, bioarchaeological analyses have documented such changes indigenous Ecuadorians. In 2007, Victoria Dominguez excavated remains at the Plaza San Marcos in Quito, Ecuador. I analyzed these remains, documented evidence of pathologic conditions and trauma, and compared this native population to other indigenous populations and to European cohorts. My analyses revealed increased violence and pathologic conditions in the Plaza San Marcos population when compared to populations occupying Quito prior to colonization and during Spanish control. Indigenous remains also exhibited more pathologic conditions and trauma than European remains. Historic accounts of life in Quito describe increased violence and hardships for natives following emancipation from Spain. My analyses did not reveal increased interpersonal violence, but did demonstrate evidence of increased general pathologies following independence. / by Ronda R. Graves. / Thesis M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

A atmosfera é um complexo sistema termodinâmico na qual a geração, conversão e dissipação de energia desempenham um papel fundamental no desenvolvimento e manutenção dos diversos sistemas de movimento de escala sinótica e na circulação geral. Neste trabalho, o ciclo de energia de Lorenz em área limitada foi aplicado para três casos de ciclogêneses, onde cada um desses se formou em uma das três principais regiões ciclogenéticas da costa leste da América do Sul. Além disso, foram analisadas as condições sinóticas, bem como a evolução da estrutura tridimensional de cada sistema desde o período prévio à formação até o seu decaimento. As análises mostraram que o ciclone que se formou na costa sul/sudeste do Brasil originou-se a partir de uma baixa desprendida nos níveis médios em uma região de fraca baroclinia. As conversões de energia mostraram que o sistema extraía energia cinética do escoamento zonal médio indicando, assim, que a instabilidade barotrópica foi dominante na sua formação. O sistema que se desenvolveu região da foz do Rio da Prata apresentou características de uma ciclogenêse do tipo bomba, com rápida intensificação. Além disso, devido à esse rápido crescimento foi observado a seclusão das frentes quente e fria. O ciclo de energia mostrou uma natureza baroclínica com forte contribuição de geração de energia potencial disponível pela liberação de calor latente da convecção. Já o sistema da região da costa sul da Argentina apresentou um desenvolvimento baroclínico clássico (com conversão de energia potencial disponível para energia cinética da perturbação) de uma ciclogenêse extratropical, desde a amplificação da onda até oclusão final das frentes associadas. Com base nessas análises observa-se que as ciclogêneses que se formam na América do Sul podem apresentar características variadas, tanto de desenvolvimento como de estrutura, que não são muitas vezes relacionadas à ciclogenêse clássica. / The atmosphere is a complex thermodynamic system in which energy generation, conversion and dissipation play a key role in the development and maintenance of the synoptic scale movement systems. In this paper, the Lorenz energy cycle in a limited area was applied for three cases of cyclogenesis, where each one of them formed in an important cyclogenetic region in the east of South America. Furthermore, the synoptic conditions were analyzed, as well as the evolution of the tridimensional structure, from its early formation until its decay. The analysis showed that the cyclone, which formed on Brazil south/southeastern coast, originated through a cut off low in the mid levels on a weak baroclinic region. The energy conversions indicated the system extracted kinetic energy from the basic flow, showing that the barotropic instability was dominant in its development. The system that occurred in the Rio da Prata mouth had features of a bomb-type cyclogenesis with fast intensification. Moreover, due to this event, the fronts seclusion were observed. The baroclinic nature with a strong contribution from the available potential energy generation term, through the latent heat release of the convection, can be observed by the conversion terms. Meanwhile, the system of the Argentina south coast presented a classical baroclinic development (which has the conversion from eddy available potential energy to eddy kinetic energy) of an extratropical cyclogenesis, from the wave amplification until the final occlusion of the associated frontal system. Based in this analysis, it is worthy to note that both the development and structure of the cyclogenesis that occur in the South American eastern coast can present varied features, which are often not related to classical cyclogenesis.

This dissertation examines the role the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America played in shaping Greek education in New York City during the period 1959-1979. Beginning in 1959, when Archbishop Iakovos was appointed as the fourth Archbishop by the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Archdiocese focused its attention on expanding and modernizing educational institutions. The Archbishop advocated for a “resurrection of a Greek Orthodox consciousness” in education that would instill knowledge of the Greek language, as well as the historical, cultural, and religious legacy of the Greek Orthodox nation. As parish communities in New York City and the new wave of Greek immigrants heeded the call to build and expand parochial schools over the course of the 1960s and 1970s, the Archdiocese’s Department of Education also sought to modernize its curriculum and books, in addition to the challenging task of upgrading the teacher training program at St. Basil’s Academy. Modernization, however, did not entail assimilation and a diminishing of Hellenism, but a renewal of a Hellenic Orthodox identity within a religiously and ethnically pluralistic society. In part, several factors influenced the educational agenda of the Archdiocese: the historical position of the Church in relation to education, the needs of the new immigrants within the broader context of Greek Americans in the US, and the politics of Greece in relation to Cyprus and Turkey. This study ends in 1979 when shifts in demographics, declining enrollments, and competition with public schools compelled the Archdiocese and parish communities to reassess the future of their educational programs. This work weaves the Greek American immigrant experience into the broader narrative of immigration to New York in the post-1965 period. A more complex and dynamic portrait of Greek American education in New York emerges as well as the central role played by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. The insights from this work contribute the Greek American educational experience to the larger body of scholarship on the history of education in the United States.

This thesis is a critique of the idea that genocide is a domestic process and that only some groups are worthy of protection against genocide. By looking at the destruction of the Unión Patriótica in the con-text of a genocidal geopolitical conjuncture, in which a polarised circulation of sympathy, antipathy, indifference and oblivion occurred, the thesis not only challenges the notion that genocides occur in locations detached from the international community, but also unveils how affect is mobilised through narratives which support and contest this fantasy. Thus, the thesis contends that geopolitical narratives can help solidify a genocidal conjuncture by allowing the amalgamation of various actors into a perpetrator bloc, but also disintegrate it by bringing about a fluid transnational network of resistance to genocide. In contrast to the two-dimensional geopolitical imagery that genocide takes place within the borders of the nation-state, it is argued, instead, that a fragmented geography, galvanised by a continuous victimisation-resistance spiral that links different actors, places, and dramas together, enables genocide to unfold. The thesis therefore proposes con-textualisation as a new method to research genocide as a geopolitical phenomenon.

This study investigates effects of a conditional cash transfer programme (CCT) in Brazil – Bolsa Família (BF) – on school outcomes, particularly children's achievements on standardised tests, pass-grade rates, and dropout rates. The educational conditionality of the programme, requiring enrolment in school and minimum school attendance, figures as a major justification for public investment in BF. It is expected that BF will reduce short-term poverty and boost children's human capital, thus inducing long-term socioeconomic improvement. In order to achieve its long-term objective, BF should be able to improve not only enrolment and attendance rates, but also learning outcomes and grade promotion amongst beneficiary children. However, these effects, particularly learning outcomes, have not yet been reported in the literature. The hypothesis investigated in this thesis is that length of time of participation in the programme and per capita cash amounts received by families are key variables in assessing BF's effects on children's educational outcomes. As the programme improves household income, requires a high rate of school attendance, and monitors children's health and nutritional conditions, a positive effect on children's performance should be expected over time. Similarly, the amount of cash paid to families should have an impact on changes induced in the home environment that are beneficial for children's educational outcomes. Empirically, the dissertation combines three national datasets from governmental agencies for the years 2005 and 2007. These data contain information on test scores in Portuguese Language and Mathematics for fourth grade pupils, school context, and BF parameters (intake, time of participation, and cash value), which are used in cross-sectional and panel analyses to test the above hypotheses. The results show that although beneficiaries tend to attend less well-resourced schools, the influence of individual and household characteristics on test scores overshadow that of school resources, suggesting that demand-side interventions might result in gains in children's performances. The cross-sectional analysis at the school level suggests that BF's contribution to school outcomes depends on the length of time of participation and the per capita cash value paid to families. In addition, these two BF parameters have substitute effects, that is, as the per capita cash increases, school performance increases; however, the contribution of time of participation to gains in school performance diminishes and vice-versa. As a sensitive analysis to test the direct effects of length of time of participation and per capita cash on school outcomes, a subsample was used, which includes only schools in which more than 80% of pupils are beneficiaries. Results from this subsample confirm the positive effects of time and cash on school outcomes, although only cash is statistically significant. Furthermore, a school-and-time fixed effects model is estimated using panel data for 2005 and 2007 for the same school outcomes. The results also suggest that improvements in school outcomes are expected over time as a result of exposure to the programme, although this varies across regions. The findings support the idea that improvements in educational opportunities and outcomes for children of low-income families in Brazil require a non-educational policy measure – the reduction of the immediate income poverty – as intended by BF. Nevertheless, there is also an urgent need to address inequalities in standards of education supply and special attention should be given to children whose families are recipients of BF in promoting access to pre-school programmes. Even though educational policies are necessary, they are insufficient to promote human capital amongst the poorest families in Brazil. In this sense, CCTs do not represent an opportunity cost for educational policies. Instead, they are important allies in promoting education access and equity.

O gênero Tapirus (Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) é de origem holártica e entre o Mioceno e Plioceno final é amplamente distribuído na América do Norte, Europa e Ásia. Os tapires aparecem na América do Sul após a formação do Istmo de Panamá, durante o Grande Intercâmbio Biótico Americano, Pleistoceno inicial - médio. Neste trabalho, é revisado o material tipo das espécies atribuídas ao gênero na América do Sul; descrito material inédito proveniente da Venezuela e Brasil; realizado estudo comparativo morfológico e morfométrico; e proposto hipóteses quanto à origem e filogenia dos tapires na América do Sul. A partir da revisão das espécies de Tapirus do Quaternário da América do Sul, foi possível considerar válidas as espécies: T. greslebini, T. rioplatensis, e T. mesopotamicus (todas para a Argentina); T. oliverasi (Uruguai); T. tarijensis (Bolívia); T. cristatellus e T. rondoniensis (Brasil). A análise morfométrica permitiu estabelecer dois morfótipos para as espécies fósseis sulamericanas com base no tamanho do dentário. Um morfótipo que está dentro da variação de tamanho de T. terrestris, constituído pelas espécies T. rondoniensis e T. mesopotamicus, e outro, um morfótipo maior, com tamanho superior ao máximo de variação encontrado em T. terrestris, como T.tarijensis, T. rioplatensis, T. greslebini, e alguns espécimes de T. cristatellus. O gênero Tapirus apresentou-se como um clado monofilético, sendo Nexuotapirus marslandensis seu táxon-irmão. Os tapires sulamericanos não formam um clado monofilético, sendo T. pinchaque o grupo-irmão dos demais tapires sul-americanos atuais e fósseis, bem como das formas derivadas norte-americanas; e T. cristatellus seria o táxon irmão do clado T. indicus + T. bairdii +T. polkensis + T. lundeliusi + T. haysii + T. veroensis. O resultado da análise filogenética sugere uma relação próxima entre os tapires sul-americanos e T. webbi, o que corrobora a hipótese de um evento de dispersão da América do Norte para a América do Sul durante o Mioceno. Por outro lado, nossos dados indicam um segundo evento de dispersão da América do Sul para a América do Norte, possivelmente a partir de uma forma proximamente relacionada a T. cristatellus, que teria dado origem às formas derivadas do sudoeste da América do Norte. / The genus Tapirus (Perissodactyla, Tapiridae) is of Holarctic origin and between the Miocene and late Pliocene is widely distributed in North America, Europe and Asia. Tapirs appeared in South America after the formation of the Isthmus of Panama, during the Great American Biotic Interchange, early – middle Pleistocene. In this work is reviewed the type specimen of the species assigned to the genus in South America; described new material from Venezuela and Brazil; conducted comparative morphological and morphometric study; and proposed hypotheses regarding the origin and phylogeny of South American tapirs. Based on the review of the species of Tapirus of Quaternary from South America, could be considered as valid species: T. greslebini, T. rioplatensis, and T. mesopotamicus (all from Argentina); T. oliverasi (Uruguay); T. tarijensis (Bolivia); T. cristatellus and T. rondoniensis (Brazil). Morphometric analysis allowed us to establish two morphotypes for the South American fossil species based on the size of the teeth. A morphotype which is within the size variation of T. terrestris, comprising the species T. rondoniensis and T. mesopotamicus, and another, larger one morphotype, much larger than the maximum of variation found in T. terrestris, as T. tarijensis, T. rioplatensis, T. greslebini, and some specimens of T. cristatellus. The genus Tapirus appeared as a monophyletic clade and Nexuotapirus marslandensis as its sister taxon. The South American tapirs do not constitute a monophyletic clade, since T. pinchaque is the sister group of other extant and fossil South American tapirs, and of the forms derived from North American; and T. cristatellus would be the sister taxon of the clade T. indicus + T. bairdii +T. polkensis + T. lundeliusi + T. haysii + T. veroensis. The result from phylogenetic analysis suggests a close relationship between the South American tapirs and T. webbi, which supports the hypothesis of a dispersal event from North America to South America during the Miocene. Moreover, our data indicate a second dispersal event from South America to North America, possibly from a form closely related to T. cristatellus, which would have resulted to the derived forms of southeast North America.

In October 2000 the Initiative for the Integration of Regional Infrastructure in South America (IIRSA) was launched. The purpose of the IIRSA is to improve integration of the South American countries and intraregional trade between them. One of the ultimate goals is to promote sustainable growth. The purpose of this paper is to find out if a better quantity and quality of transport infrastructure increases intraregional trade in South America. It is found that the quantity of transport infrastructure increases intraregional trade. On the other hand, there is no evidence for the quality of transport infrastructure increasing intraregional trade in South America. Furthermore, this paper investigates whether economic growth can be obtained through more trade. In other words, this paper examines if trade causes growth. The results do not confirm the trade-growth causality for all countries. The difference between the existence of a trade-growth causal relationship or not could be explained by the core commodities that the different South American countries export.

One of mankind’s most important needs is the need for shelter. All around the world people live in lack of this basic need. Colombia is a South American country heavily burdened by civil war for many years. This has led to that many people have moved to the larger cities with large slum areas and bad living conditions. This thesis is aiming to give a solution to the problem with bad housing and it is performed in cooperation with Ankarstiftelsen. Ankarstiftelsen is a Swedish charity organisation that works with the suffering people in various places in Colombia. This thesis examines the possibility to build a house in a sandwich technique with a core of rigid plastic foam and a skin material of fibre reinforced plastic. The construction should be as easy as possible to manufacture, and the construction is also intended to be self carrying. The final proposition is to build the house using polyurethane rigid foam as the core, and a glass fibre reinforced polyester as the skin. This combination combines good mechanical behaviour with a relatively low price. Tests have been performed to evaluate the constructions ability to withstand some basic loads, with the help of computer aided engineering. The program that has been used to create a model is ProEngineer, and the application ProMechanica has been used to perform the analysis. The loads that have been tested are: gravity loads, wind loads, maintenance loads and earthquake loads.  Colombia is located in the so called Pacific Ring of Fire, where earthquakes are a bitter reality.  The Colombian building code is, as a result of this, much focused on the issue of earthquake safety. The Colombian building code has been used in order to create reliable earthquake testing models. The authors come to the conclusion that the house is possible to build with the given data. However, further investigations regarding manufacturing techniques and practical tests have to be made before the house can be built in reality.