This study examines the nature and intensity of collective action in five Central American nations during the period 1950-1980. Using a historical comparative analysis, I found that Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua have had guerrilla movements and Honduras and Costa Rica have not. Instead, Honduras and Costa Rica have developed workers and peasant movements that are important political forces in their respective societies. These differences are explained by comparing and contrasting the five countries in terms of distribution of land and income, their political structure and their political influence of the United States. Unequal distribution of land and income is commonly thought to produce frustration and discontent, and in turn, higher frequencies of collective action. In Central America, land and income inequality have remained, for the most part, constant, while the nature and intensity of collective action varies over time and across country. Consequently, I concluded that inequality alone does not facilitate the origin and development of forms of collective protest. More compelling theoretical arguments can be made for the political structure of each country and the political influence of the United States as preconditions for the nature and intensity of collective action. The strength of worker and peasant organizations, and their ability to protest non-violently during these times, occurred when the United States encouraged democratic government in these nations. These forms of governance provided freedom and protection for organizing and collective protest. But as the United States supported and encouraged repressive governments, non-violent actions were repressed, and in turn, violent forms of protest originated. Then guerrilla movements appeared and developed when the United States reduced or withdrew military assistance to these repressive governments.

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The improved dry matter digestibility of the brown midrib (bmr) sorghum cultivars is attributed to constitutive deficiencies of the lignin biosynthesis pathways which results in lower lignin concentrations. The lower lignin concentrations are expressed only in a homozygous recessive genotypes and it is phenotypically identified by a brown to tan vascular coloration present in the mid-rib of the leaf blades. Utilizing this trait increases forage consumption and productivity of both dairy and beef production. There is a need to extend this trait into more forage production systems, including those in Central America where forages constitute a major portion of the ruminants’ diets. To achieve this goal, the bmr12 gene was incorporated via conventional breeding, into 16 lines derived from commonly used Central American sorghum varieties. These experimental lines were tested for agronomic performance during 2010 and 2011 in the Central American region. In addition, grain and biomass composition were estimated using near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) whereas the dry biomass digestibility was evaluated using an in vitro approach. The combined analysis indicated the bmr trait increased in vitro dry matter digestibility and reduced acid detergent lignin and acid detergent fiber levels. This combination results in improved sorghum forage quality. Furthermore, negative traits typically associated with bmr mutants such as plant height reduction, delayed flowering, and lodging problems were not observed and the bmr trait had no effect on grain composition. Additionally, post hoc tests identified CI0947bmr as the best experimental line for dry both biomass and grain yield across multiple environments. Stability analysis, identified CI0947bmr as the most stable genotype for both traits. Finally, the “which-won-where” biplot analysis graphically identified CI0947bmr as the best bmr inbred for Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua across several environments.

Thesis (M.A. in International Security and Civil-Military Relations)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 2002. / Thesis advisor(s): Harold A. Trinkunas, Jeanne Giraldo. Includes bibliographical references (p. 65-70). Also available online.

Tesis (licenciatura en psicología)--Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2005. / Supervisor: Charles R. Hale. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Tesis (licenciatura en psicología)--Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Davis, 2005. / Degree granted in Ecology. Also available via the World Wide Web. (Restricted to UC campuses)

Few Pleistocene paleontological faunas are published in detail for most of Central America. Probably the richest locality of vertebrates in Central America is at Tomayate, El Salvador, and dates to the early-middle Pleistocene. Literature about late Pleistocene vertebrate species from Guatemala is especially scarce. The purpose of the present paper is to introduce the late Pleistocene mammalian remains from Chivacabé, in the western highlands of Guatemala. The Chivacabé fauna radiocarbon dates to between 15,700 and 12,920 calendar years ago. The specimens recovered from excavations between 1977 and1992 are probably only a small portion of the entire fauna likely to exist under 4 to 5 m of redeposited tephra and valley alluvium. Recovered specimens include at least one individual of Glyptotherium sp., three individuals of Cuvieronius cf. C. hyodon, one individual of Equus sp., and two individuals of Odocoileus cf. O. virginianus. One specimen that originally was thought to represent a deer antler is in fact a hyoid bone of Cuvieronius. Previous reports of 'peccary' and Eremotherium from Chivacabé are not supported by archived fossils. No faunal specimens exhibit supposed human modification marks purported by previous investigators; all aberrations observed on the bones and teeth can be explained by other taphonomic processes. The Chivacabé fauna represents one of the very few late Pleistocene faunas from Guatemala described thus far. A preliminary list of late Pleistocene localities known in Guatemala suggests that detailed studies of these faunas are warranted.