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American Nations (american + nation)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences50%

Selected Abstracts

SACRAMENTAL SUFFERING: THE FRIENDSHIP OF FLANNERY O'CONNOR AND ELIZABETH HESTER1

MODERN THEOLOGY, Issue 3 2008
RALPH C. WOOD
As the only orthodox Christian writer the American nation has yet produced, Flannery O'Connor created a remarkable body of fiction rooted in a profoundly sacramental theology. The depth of O'Connor's sacramentalism has recently been revealed with the opening of her remarkable letters to Elizabeth Hester, her most important epistolary friend. Their eleven-year correspondence centers upon two inseparable matters: conversion and suffering. The aim of this essay is to explore how the gift (or refusal) of faith comes through the embrace (or rejection) of a participation in God's own life through a life of sacramental suffering. [source]

International Migration and Gender in Latin America: A Comparative Analysis

INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, Issue 5 2006
Douglas S. Massey
ABSTRACT We review census data to assess the standing of five Latin American nations on a gender continuum ranging from patriarchal to matrifocal. We show that Mexico and Costa Rica lie close to one another with a highly patriarchal system of gender relations whereas Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic are similar in having a matrifocal system. Puerto Rico occupies a middle position, blending characteristics of both systems. These differences yield different patterns of female relative to male migration. Female householders in the two patriarchal settings displayed low rates of out-migration compared with males, whereas in the two matrifocal countries the ratio of female to male migration was much higher, in some case exceeding their male counterparts. Multivariate analyses showed that in patriarchal societies, a formal or informal union with a male dramatically lowers the odds of female out-migration, whereas in matrifocal societies marriage and cohabitation have no real effect. The most important determinants of female migration from patriarchal settings are the migrant status of the husband or partner, having relatives in the United States, and the possession of legal documents. In matrifocal settings, however, female migration is less related to the possession of documents, partner's migrant status, or having relatives in the United States and more strongly related to the woman's own migratory experience. Whereas the process of cumulative causation appears to be driven largely by men in patriarchal societies, it is women who dominate the process in matrifocal settings. Sur la base des données des recensements, nous situons cinq nations d'Amérique latine sur une échelle d'organisation sociale entre les sexes allant du partriarcat à la matrifocalité. Nous montrons que le Mexique et le Costa Rica occupent des positions voisines avec un système de relations entre les sexes foncièrement patriarcal alors que le Nicaragua et la République dominicaine fonctionnent tous deux selon un système matrifocal. Puerto Rico se situe au milieu, avec un mélange de caractéristiques des deux systèmes. De ces divergences découlent différents modèles de répartion de la migration selon le sexe. Dans les deux environnements patriarcaux, les femmes à la tête d'un ménage présentaient de bas taux d'émigration par rapport aux hommes, alors que dans les deux pays matrifocaux le ratio entre migration féminine et migration masculine était bien plus élevé, la première dépassant parfois la seconde. Des analyses à variables multiples ont montré que dans les sociétés patriarcales toute union avec un homme, qu'elle soit officielle ou officieuse, fait considérablement baisser les chances d'émigration d'une femme, alors que dans les sociétés matrifocales, le mariage et la cohabitation n'ont aucune incidence réelle. Les facteurs qui déterminent avant tout la migration féminine dans les sociétés patriarcales sont : le statut de migrant du mari ou du partenaire, l'existence de parenté aux Etats-Unis et la possession de papiers en règle. Toutefois, dans un environnement matrifocal la migration féminine ne dépend pas tant des facteurs susmentionnés que de la propre expérience migratoire des intéressées. Alors que dans les sociétés patriarcales, le processus de causalité cumulative semble être généré principalement par les hommes, dans les sociétés matrifocales il est dominé par les femmes. Se pasa revista a datos cenales para evaluar la situació encinco países latinoamericanos en un conjunto de modelos de relaciones entre los géneros, que va del patriarcal al matrifocal. Se demuestra que Máxico y Costa Rica tienen una situación muy parecida, con un sistema muy patriarcal, mientras que Nicaragua y la República Dominicana se asemejan por tener un sistema matrifocal. Puerto Rico ocupa un lugar intermedio, con un sistema que combina las características de ambos modelos. Esas diferencias producen distintos modelos de migración femenina y masculina. Las familias encabezadas por mujeres en los dos sistemas patriarcales mostraron tasas bajas de emigración en comparación con los hombres, mientras que en los dos países con sistemas matrifocales, la relación entre migració femenina y masculina fue mucho más elevada, excediendo en algunos casos la correspondiente a los hombres. Distintos tipos de análisis demostraron que en las sociedades patriarcales, una unión formal o informal con un hombre reduce considerablemente las posibilidades de emigración de la mujer, mientras que en las sociedades matrifocales, ni el matrimonio ni la convivencia afectan realmente esas posibilidades. Los elementos determinantes de mayor importancia para la migración de la mujer en los sistemas patriarcales son la situación de migrante del esposo o compañero, el hecho de tener familiares en los EstadosUnidos, y la posesión de documentos legales. En las sociedades matrifocales, sin embargo, la migración de la mujer guarda menos relación con la posesión de documentos, la sitación de migrante del compañero o el tener familiares que residan en los Estados Unidos, y está más vinculada a la propia experiencia migratoria de la mujer. Mientras que en las sociedades patriarcales el proceso de acumulación de causas parece ser impulsado mayormento por el hombre, es la mujer la que domina el proceso en las sociedades matrifocales. [source]

Whither Latin America? trends and challenges of science in Latin America

IUBMB LIFE, Issue 4-5 2007
Marcelo Hermes-Lima
Abstract Science in Latin America has experienced vigorous growth in the past decade, as demonstrated by the fact that the Latin American share of the world's scientific publications increased from 1.8% in 1991 - 1995 to 3.4% in 1999 - 2003. Significant growth has also taken place in the numbers of PhDs in science and engineering (S&E) awarded in Latin American countries in recent years, including those in the natural sciences. Importantly, albeit at different rates, growth has been verified in almost all countries in the region, indicating a general effort to promote the development of S&E. In most research fields, however, the recognition or relative impact of Latin American science, as measured by the average number of citations received by published articles (CpP), is still below world averages and much lower than in developed nations. We show that average CpP values for a set of 34 representative developing and developed countries correlate significantly with gross expenditure in research and development (GERD), with gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and with the number of researchers per million inhabitants (RpM). Among those countries, Latin American nations present some of the lowest average values of CpP (<6), GERD (,1% of GDP) and RpM (<2,000). We also examined recent trends in scientific activity in Latin America, with focus on the natural sciences and on biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB). In terms of citation scores, publications in BMB compare favorably to those in other research fields within Latin America. At the same time, however, Latin American BMB is one of the areas for which relative impact - compared to developed nations or normalized to world averages - is lowest. These observations clearly indicate the need to establish effective policies to increase competitiveness in terms of the quality and international recognition of Latin American natural sciences in general, and BMB in particular, as opposed to merely increasing the absolute numbers of publications or the numbers of PhDs awarded in the region. IUBMB Life, 59: 199-210, 2007 [source]

Risk factors for allergic rhinitis in Costa Rican children with asthma

ALLERGY, Issue 2 2010
S. Bunyavanich
To cite this article: Bunyavanich S, Soto-Quiros ME, Avila L, Laskey D, Senter JM, Celedón JC. Risk factors for allergic rhinitis in Costa Rican children with asthma. Allergy 2010; 65; 256,263 DOI: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.2009.02159.x. Abstract Background:, Risk factors for allergic rhinitis (AR) in asthmatics are likely distinct from those for AR or asthma alone. We sought to identify clinical and environmental risk factors for AR in children with asthma. Methods:, We performed a cross-sectional study of 616 Costa Rican children aged 6,14 years with asthma. Candidate risk factors were drawn from questionnaire data, spirometry, methacholine challenge testing, skin testing, and serology. Two outcome measures, skin test reaction (STR)-positive AR and physician-diagnosed AR, were examined by logistic regression. Results:, STR-positive AR had high prevalence (80%) in Costa Rican children with asthma, and its independent risk factors were nasal symptoms after exposure to dust or mold, parental history of AR, older age at asthma onset, oral steroid use in the past year, eosinophilia, and positive IgEs to dust mite and cockroach. Physician-diagnosed AR had lower prevalence (27%), and its independent risk factors were nasal symptoms after pollen exposure, STR to tree pollens, a parental history of AR, inhaled steroid and short-acting ,2 agonist use in the past year, household mold/mildew, and fewer older siblings. A physician's diagnosis was only 29.5% sensitive for STR-positive AR. Conclusions:, Risk factors for AR in children with asthma depend on the definition of AR. Indoor allergens drive risk for STR-positive AR. Outdoor allergens and home environmental conditions are risk factors for physician-diagnosed AR. We propose that children with asthma in Costa Rica and other Latin American nations undergo limited skin testing or specific IgE measurements to reduce the current under-diagnosis of AR. [source]