The master's thesis is divided into three research questions. The method of a comparative case study was applied for the first two research questions. Methodology for a single case study was used for the third research question. Additionally, conceptualization, operationalization, and a brief historical description precede the main research question. The first question focused on comparing the characteristics of the Torrijos and Noriega authoritarian regimes. The second research question analyzed the diplomatic relations of the regimes with the United States. The third research question focused on techniques mentioned in the literature specializing in small states. I tried to find mentions of such techniques during the negotiations about the future of the Panama Canal during the Torrijos era. In relation to the first question, significant differences between the characteristics of the regimes were witnessed. Those were further discovered for the second research question as well. The Torrijos regime had good, intensive diplomatic relations with the United States for the majority of its existence. The Panama Canal Treaties are a testament to the fact. Although Noriega's regime had relatively normal diplomatic relations with the US until 1986. The diplomatic relations deteriorated in a dramatic...

This thesis examines the consequences of tourism in Bocas del Toro, Panamá and how tourism impacts residents, both those who prosper more from tourism and also those who benefit less. Utilizing qualitative research methods, residents were interviewed about how they think about and understand tourism development and its impact on the island. These findings are then put into conversation with critical development and planning literature, specifically focusing on people’s understandings of tourism in Bocas del Toro and how this affects the social relationships between foreigners and locals. These relationships are then discussed within the broader social and economic context that shapes tourism development in Latin America. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 529-547). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xxvi, 547 leaves, bound in 2 v. ill., maps, plans 29 cm

O presente trabalho objetivou o estudo do transporte de madeira em toras da Província do Darién-Panamá, até a cidade do Panamá maior centro de consumo nacional daquele produto. A motivação maior para o estudo deve-se ao fato de que a Província do Darién é possuidora de 4&% das florestas do Panamá além de ser, inegavelmente, a maior produtora de madeiras. Grande parte desta nova posição ocupada pela Província é originada da construção da Rodovia panamericana que propiciou o uso intenso do transporte rodoviário na movimentação da madeira até o grande centro consumidor que é a cidade do Panamá. Os elementos básicos para execução do presente trabalho foram oriundos de pesquisa de campo conduzida nos meses de janeiro e fevereiro de 1985. Os veículos utilizados no transporte de madeira foram agregados de acordo com o conceito de Peso Bruto Total Combinado . (PBTC) originando as classes ditas leves, médias, semi-pesadas e pesadas. Através de estudo de tempo envolvendo as atividades de carregamento, descarga, viagem e espera nos terminais foi possível diagnosticar o tempo total de ciclo de uma viagem a qual está ao redor de 12 horas. O estudo considerou várias alternativas de distância média de transporte para permitir maior amplitude de variação e análise dos resultados. O cálculo do custo de veículos foi processado levando-se em consideração os custos fixos e variáveis. Os fixos foram calculados em base mensal enquanto os variáveis em função da quilometragem. Os resultados mostraram que de um modo geral existe um razoável grau de adequação técnica dos veículos atualmente empregados no que tange aos critérios utilizados quais sejam de capacidade de carga, relação peso/potência, capacidade de subida de rampa e distribuição de peso nos eixos de tração. A análise econômica mostrou que a frota em uso não é adequada economicamente. O veiculo que proporciona o menor custo unitário de transporte compõe somente 3% da frota empregada. Uma das prováveis razões para tal está baseada na relação custo/frete. De um modo geral, e em qualquer circunstância o frete atualmente pago é mais do que suficiente para cobrir o custo do transporte de madeira pelas empresas que atuam nesta prestação de serviços. Uma das causas para este grande lucro das transportadoras pode residir no fato de que a alternativa apresentada para o transporte de madeira via sistema marítimo seja de custo tão elevado que ainda seja mais viável comparativamente, pagar muito bem o transporte rodoviário do que usar o marítimo.

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Vitamin A deficiency and intestinal parasitism coexist in developing countries. This study evaluated whether a national program of vitamin A supplementation (200,000IU retinyl palmitate every 6 months), if combined with deworming (400mg albendazole), slows reinfection with Ascaris . A baseline survey of 595 indigenous preschool children in the Bocas del Toro region of Panama showed high rates of stunting (61%) and nematode infection (Ascaris 79.5%, Trichuris 19%). All children were dewormed and 328 were included in the 5 month follow-up study. Of these, 106 children received vitamin A supplementation through the Ministry of Health (Vit A S+) and 222 children received no supplementation (Vit A S-). At 3 months post deworming, both the prevalence (P= 0.0004) and intensity (P= 0.0124) of Ascaris infection were higher in Vit A S- children than in Vit A S+ children, indicating that reinfection occurred more slowly in supplemented children. When the two supplement groups were further sub-divided by stature, Vit A S+ resulted in lower reinfection rates (P=0.0002) only in normal height children, and not in stunted children. Despite the tendency of public health policy to target malnourished children our study provides evidence of increased benefit of vitamin A supplementation in normal height children living in areas with chronic parasitosis.

Land-use change, and in particular tropical deforestation, is the leading cause of species extinctions globally, and is the second most important source of CO2 emissions after fossil fuel combustion. I examine two policy-relevant questions that relate to tropical deforestation and land use change: (1) At regional scales, what biophysical and infrastructure-related factors are associated with deforestation? and (2) At a local scale, what are some of the impacts of land use change on above- and below-ground carbon stocks and on tree-species richness? The first question was examined for the Brazilian Amazon through spatially-explicit correlation analyses of deforestation and a series of predictor variables that included highways and roads, annual rainfall, dry season length, soil characteristics, site accessibility, and population density. The proximity of a site to roads and highways was the strongest predictor of deforestation, with more accessible sites more likely to be deforested. Dry season length was also a strong, positive predictor of deforestation. The results suggest that current plans to expand road infrastructure in Amazonia will have a significant impact on the forests of the areas transected. / The second question was examined in the context of a 3,198 ha area in Eastern Panama that is managed collectively by an Indigenous Embera community.

The following research study analyze and interpret collaborative learning process phenomenon and the influence of the culturalcontext.. For this research, the process of collaborative learning is defined as people who "labor together to construct something that did not exist before the collaboration, something that does not and cannot fully exist in the lives of individual collaborators" (Peters & Armstrong, 1998, p. 75). This study was based on a workshop in which the participants learned about collaborative learning and had the opportunity to experience the process. The qualitative research paradigm used as the framework for this study was a modify Phenomenology. Fifteen Panamanian faculty members who work at different public and private universities were the participants. They were nine females and six males who had diversified academic backgrounds such as architects, lawyers, psychologists, and educators among other professions. In this study, qualitative data was collected through semi-structured phenomenological interviews that were recorded, transcribed, and then translated. The data analysis covered four phases and was thematic.Once the analysis and interpretation were completed, participants were interviewed for a second time in order to cross-check the accuracy of the translation of the interview transcripts, to clarify the interpretation of the interviewee's quotes, ask any questions, and discuss the tentative findings. From the data collected two main themes emerged (the process of collaborative learning and the cultural context) and nine sub-themes (dialogue,reflection, values, interpersonal relationships, conflicts, facilitator's role, learner's role, transformation, and meaningful experiences). The nine sub-themes lay within the two major themes. Finally, the findings and conclusions of this study suggest that the process of collaborative learning was perceived as a dialogic way to work in collective interdependence in which all participants in the group were compelled to engage and be active participants. Also, it was found that even though the collaborative learning process should be considered neither a panacea nor cure all, it has the potential to transform the dynamic of the traditional classroom setting.Indeed, findings in this study indicate that the collaborative learning process demands a change in the perceptions educators and learners have about the teaching and learning process. It also requires a shift in the roles that both should perform.Last but not least, it was found that there was reciprocal influence between the collaborative learning process, the participants' Panamanian cultural context, and the cultural context created by the participants as a learning community. / Department of Educational Studies