The molecular mechanisms that control organ shape during flower development are largely unknown. By using differential hybridization techniques, a cDNA designated GEG (for Gerbera hybrida homolog of the gibberellin [GA]-stimulated transcript 1 [GAST1] from tomato) was isolated from a library representing late stages of corolla development in Gerbera. GEG expression was detected in corollas and carpels, with expression spatiotemporally coinciding with flower opening. In corollas and styles, GEG expression is temporally correlated with the cessation of longitudinal cell expansion. In plants constitutively expressing GEG, reduced corolla lengths and carpels with shortened and radially expanded stylar parts were found, with concomitant reduction of longitudinal cell expansion in these organs. In addition, in styles, an increase in radial cell expansion was detected. Taken together, these observations indicate a regulatory role for the GEG gene product in determining the shape of the corolla and carpel. The deduced amino acid sequence of the GEG gene product shares high similarity with previously characterized putative cell wall proteins encoded by GA-inducible genes, namely, GAST1, GIP (for GA-induced gene of petunia), and the GASA (for GA-stimulated in Arabidopsis) gene family. Our studies suggest that GEG, the expression of which can also be induced by application of GA3, plays a role in phytohormone-mediated cell expansion.

Brazil's Movimento de Trabalhadores Sem Teto (MTST, Homeless Workers' Movement) has grown dramatically in recent years. This growth was partly provided for by the use of a large government housing programme, Minha Casa Minha Vida (MCMV, My House My Life), which allowed the MTST to construct housing for its members and swell its ranks with thousands of new members. Yet some have argued that the MCMV programme used by the MTST may compromise the autonomy of civil society organisations. This article, by contrast, argues that while the MCMV programme encouraged bureaucratic practices, it also helped to promote the cultural politics of the MTST.

City master plans assumed a central role in urban planning in Brazil with the promulgation of a new constitution in 1988 and the passage of enacting legislation in 2001. Citizen participation became an important part of this new urban planning framework. In contrast to some of Brazil's other democratic experiments, participation in urban planning has been received critically or with only cautious optimism. A comparison of two participatory forums in Santo André, São Paulo, shows that established patterns of administrative power can decisively influence the participation of the public in city planning. Differences in the executive structures of the two institutions enabled one of them but not the other to foster open-ended deliberation on policies with members of disadvantaged groups. The study suggests that participation might be enhanced by reserving executive positions for civil society participants, including the public at all stages of policy development, choosing participants largely from disadvantaged groups, and keeping the forum small. Planos diretores para cidades desempenharam papel fundamental no planejamento urbano brasileiro com a promulgação da Constituição de 1988 e o sancionamento da legislação em 2001. Demais, a participação de cidadãos tornou-se importante elemento dessa nova moldura de planejamento urbanístico. Ainda assim, em contraste com outros experimentos democráticos no Brasil, a participação no planejamento urbano tem sido recebida de maneira crítica ou no máximo com otimismo cauteloso. Contudo, uma comparação entre dois forums participativos em Santo André, São Paulo, demonstra que padrões estabelecidos de poder administrativo tiveram influência decisiva na participação pública no planejamento urbano. Diferenças na estrutura executiva das duas instituições permitiram que uma delas, mas não a outra, promovesse deliberações transparentes sobre iniciativas enquanto permitia a participação de grupos menos privilegiados. O estudo sugere que a participação pode ser ampliada com a nomeação de participantes da sociedade civil a cargos executivos, incluindo-se o público em todos os estágios da política de desenvolvimento e escolhendo-se indivíduos majoritariamente entre segmentos mais desfavorecidos da população. O forum deve, ainda, manter-se pequeno.City master plans assumed a vital role in urban planning with the passage of Brazil's federal constitution in 1988. They became obligatory for cities of over 20,000 people and the sole means through which the urban planning powers devolved to municipalities in the constitution could be exercised following the 650673L APXXX10.1177/0094582X16650673LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVESAlbert / CITIZEN PARTICIPATION IN BRAZIL research-article2016

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