Recognising Indigenous plant-use histories for inclusive biocultural restoration.

Indigenous Peoples have manipulated environments and species for millennia. However, restoration science often overlooks ancient human plant dispersal, niche construction, and selection pressures that may have resulted in plant 'cultural traits'. Concerted efforts to acknowledge Indigenous plant-use histories in restoration could help to abate the coextinction of species and cultures.

What Are Group Level Traits and How Do They Evolve?

Cultural traits are seldom atomic, are distributed over multiple social domains, and undergo differential selection. This makes it important to study the nature and evolution of these traits from a global viewpoint. This paper considers group level cultural traits-what sort of traits are there, how do they evolve, and what is the relationship between cultural traits and their representation in individual worldviews. While not providing a concise theory, important aspects of cultural traits are elaborated and directions of further research indicated. Group level traits arising from individual biological traits are distinguished from those that are intrinsic to a group. The latter are formative of individual worldviews and are emotionally salient for group members. Children are saturated with culture from birth, it provides the scaffolding for their developing worldviews. Affective links between cultural ideas, social behavior, and material elements of culture develop so that the affordances in perceived situations carry biases influencing behavior toward culturally acceptable responses. Intrinsic traits are not, however, acted on directly by group level selection; rather, this selection acts on the behavior of group members and only indirectly on intrinsic cultural ideas through social exchange processes between group members.

Flexible societies excelled in saving lives in the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Previous studies have shown that national cultural traits, such as collectivism-individualism and tightness-looseness, are associated with COVID-19 infection and mortality rates. However, although East Asian countries have outperformed other countries in containing COVID-19 infections and lowering mortality in the first pandemic waves, no studies to date have examined flexibility-monumentalism, a cultural trait that uniquely distinguishes East Asia from the rest of the world. Moreover, none of the previous studies have explored mechanisms underpinning the association between national culture and COVID-19 mortality. Aims: Our study fills in these gaps by examining the association between flexibility-monumentalism and COVID-19 mortality, adjusting for important covariates and by analyzing mask wearing and fear of COVID-19 during the first weeks of the pandemic as plausible mechanisms underpinning this association. Methods: We constructed and analyzed a dataset including 37 countries that have valid information on flexibility-monumentalism, COVID-19 deaths as of 31 October 2020 (before the start of vaccination campaigns), and relevant covariates including two other national cultural traits (individualism-collectivism and tightness-looseness) and other national characteristics (economic, political, demographic and health). Multiple linear regression with heteroscedasticity-consistent standard errors was used to assess the independent effect of flexibility-monumentalism on COVID-19 mortality. Mediation was assessed by examining the indirect effects of flexibility through mask wearing and fear of COVID-19 and determining the statistical significance through bootstrapping. Graphical and delete-one analysis was used to assess the robustness of the results. Results: We found that flexibility was associated with a significant reduction in COVID-19 mortality as of 31 October 2020, independent of level of democracy, per capita GDP, urbanization, population density, supply of hospital beds, and median age of the population. This association with mortality is stronger and more robust than for two other prominent national cultural traits (individualism-collectivism and tightness-looseness). We also found tentative evidence that the effect of flexibility on COVID-19 mortality may be partially mediated through mask wearing in the first weeks of the pandemic.

Prácticas ancestrales para el control del dengue en una comunidad indígena Embera Katío, Córdoba, Colombia / Ancestral Practices for Dengue Control in the Indigenous Community of Embera Katío in Córdoba, Colombia

Introducción: El dengue es una enfermedad de interés para la salud pública por el difícil control, la expansión acelerada en países tropicales y subtropicales, la inexistencia de vacunas o medicamentos específicos y la desatención de comunidades con altos niveles de vulnerabilidad y riesgos de enfermar o morir. Objetivo: Explorar las prácticas ancestrales en el control del dengue utilizadas por indígenas de una comunidad embera katío en Córdoba, Colombia. Métodos: Estudio cualitativo con diseño microetnográfico, desarrollado con 20 miembros de una de las comunidades indígenas embera katío del Departamento de Córdoba, Colombia, entre junio de 2019 y mayo de 2020. La recolección de datos se hizo mediante una entrevista a profundidad, desde los postulados de Leininger. Los hallazgos se organizaron, sistematizaron e interpretaron bajo la técnica de análisis de contenido. Resultados: Se pudo constatar que, en la comunidad sujeto de estudio, persiste el uso de prácticas ancestrales, dentro de las cuales se destaca la utilización de plantas en forma de baños y bebidas. Asimismo, el control de las enfermedades se vincula con costumbres basadas en rituales, cantos y procedimientos realizados por el Jaibaná, donde se integra la conexión entre el mundo espiritual, cultural y corporal. Conclusiones: Las plantas de mayor uso para el control del dengue son balsamina (Momordica charantia), corrata (Simaba cedron Planch.), gavilán (Simarouba glauca DC.), matarratón (Gliricidia sepium) y limoncillo (Cymbopogon citratus). Se requiere implementar miradas transdisciplinares y transculturales que potencien la capacidad de las familias como cuidadoras primarias, y de enfermería como agente en la identificación precoz de necesidades e implementación de planes de cuidado(AU)

Introduction: Dengue is a disease of public health concern, due to its difficult control, accelerated expansion in tropical and subtropical countries, the nonexistence of vaccines or specific drugs, as well as the neglect of communities with high levels of vulnerability and morbidity and mortality risks. Objective: To explore the ancestral practices of dengue control used by indigenous people from the Embera Katío community in Córdoba, Colombia. Methods: Qualitative study, with a microethnographic design, developed with twenty members from Embera Katío, one of the indigenous communities in the Córdoba Department, Colombia, between June 2019 and May 2020. Data collection was carried out through in-depth interview, following Leininger postulates. The findings were organized, systematized and interpreted using the content analysis technique. Results: It was found that, in the community under study, the use of ancestral practices persists, among which the use of herbs in the form of baths and drinks stands out. Likewise, disease control is linked to customs based on rituals, chants and procedures performed by the Jaibaná, integrating the spiritual, cultural and corporeal worlds. Conclusions: The most commonly used herbs for dengue control are balsam-pear (Momordica charantia), cedron (Simaba cedron [Planch.]), paradise tree (Simarouba glauca [DC.]), quickstick (Gliricidia sepium) and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus). It is necessary to implement transdisciplinary and transcultural approaches, in order to enhance the capacity of families as primary caregivers, as well as of nurses as agents in the early identification of needs and the implementation of care plans(AU)

Cross-correlations of American baby names.

The quantitative description of cultural evolution is a challenging task. The most difficult part of the problem is probably to find the appropriate measurable quantities that can make more quantitative such evasive concepts as, for example, dynamics of cultural movements, behavioral patterns, and traditions of the people. A strategy to tackle this issue is to observe particular features of human activities, i.e., cultural traits, such as names given to newborns. We study the names of babies born in the United States from 1910 to 2012. Our analysis shows that groups of different correlated states naturally emerge in different epochs, and we are able to follow and decrypt their evolution. Although these groups of states are stable across many decades, a sudden reorganization occurs in the last part of the 20th century. We unambiguously demonstrate that cultural evolution of society can be observed and quantified by looking at cultural traits. We think that this kind of quantitative analysis can be possibly extended to other cultural traits: Although databases covering more than one century (such as the one we used) are rare, the cultural evolution on shorter timescales can be studied due to the fact that many human activities are usually recorded in the present digital era.

Cultura organizacional brasileira pós-globalização: global ou local? / Brazilian cultural organization in post-globalization: global or local?

Um dos grandes desafios para pesquisadores de gestão internacional é compreender a diversidade institucional e cultural dos ambientes de negócios nacionais. Para responder a tal desafio, os pesquisadores recorrem a agrupamentos e generalizações. Embora tal recurso metodológico apresente inegáveis méritos, pode prover quadros relativamente pobres sobre a realidade de cada país. Este artigo procura endereçar essa lacuna. Realizamos uma pesquisa exploratória sobre os traços da cultura organizacional brasileira hoje, após 17 anos de abertura econômica e transformações institucionais, as quais geraram profundos impactos na sociedade e nas organizações. Exploramos a literatura existente sobre traços da cultura organizacional brasileira e apresentamos um estudo de campo baseado em entrevistas com profissionais estrangeiros que trabalham no Brasil e com profissionais brasileiros que já trabalharam fora do país. A comparação entre os estudos anteriores e o presente estudo revela um quadro híbrido, transitório e com ressignificações, típico de um período de transição marcado pela convivência entre traços pré-globalização e traços pós-globalização.

A great challenge facing international management researchers is understanding the institutional and cultural diversity of national business environments. In response to this challenge, researchers often resort to pooling and generalizations. Despite the undeniable merits of such a methodological approach, it may provide relatively poor descriptions of each country's reality. The purpose of this article is to address this gap. We carried out an exploratory research of Brazil's organizational culture today, after 17 years of economic openness and institutional changes that have led to deep impacts on society and organizations. We explored the existing literature on traits of Brazil's organizational culture and present a field study based on interviews with foreign professionals working in Brazil and with Brazilian professionals with overseas experience. Comparison of the present study with previous ones shows a hybrid picture typical of a transition period marked by the coexistence of pre-and post-globalization traits.

Determinação da variabilidade em isolados de Colletotrichum lindemuthianum por meio de marcadores morfológicos e culturais / Determination of variability in isolates of Colletotrichum lindemuthianum based on morphological and cultural markers

Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (teleomorfo Glomerella cingulata f. sp. phaseoli) apresenta ampla variabilidade genética, demonstrada por suas características morfológicas. Com este trabalho, objetivou-se caracterizar, por meio de marcadores morfológicos, diferentes isolados de C. lindemuthianum e identificar marcadores morfológicos com uso potencial em análises genéticas. Foram avaliados os seguintes caracteres morfológicos e culturais: cor e textura das colônias, compatibilidade vegetativa e sexual, índice de velocidade de crescimento micelial (IVCM), diâmetro colonial (DC), capacidade de esporulação (CE), dimensões e formas conidiais, dimensões dos ascósporos, formação de estruturas reprodutivas e formação de anastomoses entre hifas e conídios. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que os isolados de C. lindemuthianum possuem ampla variabilidade genética para todas as características avaliadas e que a forma do conídio pode ser usada como marcador morfológico em análises genéticas.

Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (teleomorfo Glomerella cingulata f. sp. phaseoli) presents wide genetic variability, demonstrated by its morphological traits. The objective of this study was to characterize morphological markers in different isolates of C. lindemuthianum and, to identify useful morphological markers in genetic analyses. The following morphological and cultural traits were evaluated: color and texture of the colonies, vegetative and sexual compatibility, micelial growth index (MGI), colonial diameter (CD), esporulation capacity (EC), conidia dimensions and form, ascospores dimensions and formation of reproductive structures. The data showed wide genetic variability for all traits and that conidial form can be used as morphological marker in genetic analysis.