Assessing the freshwater quality of a large-scale mining watershed : the need for integrated approaches

Water quality assessments provide essential information for protecting aquatic habitats and stakeholders downstream of mining sites. Moreover, mining companies must comply with environmental quality standards and include public participation in water quality monitoring (WQM) practices. However, overarching challenges beyond corporate environmental responsibility are the scientific soundness, political relevance and harmonization of WQM practices. In this study, a mountainous watershed supporting large-scale gold mining in the headwaters, besides urban and agricultural landuses at lower altitudes, is assessed in the dry season. Conventional physicochemical and biological (Biological Monitoring Water Party-Colombia index) freshwater quality parameters were evaluated, including hydromorphological and land-use characteristics. According to the indicators used, water quality deterioration by mining was absent, in contrast to the effects of urban economic activities, hydromorphological alterations and (less important) agricultural pollutants. We argue that mining impacts are hardly captured due to the limited ecological knowledge of high-mountain freshwaters, including uncharacterized mining-specific bioindicators, environmental baselines and groundwater processes, as well as ecotoxicological and microbial freshwater quality components. Lessons for overcoming scientific and operational challenges are drawn from joint efforts among governments, academia and green economy competitiveness. Facing a rapid development of extractive industries, interinstitutional and multidisciplinary collaborations are urgently needed to implement more integrated freshwater quality indicators of complex mining impacts

El mercado de trabajo y empleo de profesionales en turismo en Misiones. Análisis de la inserción, movilidad y nivel de salarios. 16H321

El turismo es una actividad económica que crece en la Argentina y en la provincia de Misiones. Sin embargo, se desconoce el grado de crecimiento del empleo en general en el sector y especialmente de los profesionales (Licenciados, Técnicos y Guías) matriculados en el Colegio profesional. Asimismo se destaca la movilidad y la temporalidad de este empleo que es condicionado por la estacionalidad y otras variables económicas. En esta investigación se estudiará mediante encuestas la percepción de los alumnos avanzados de las carreras universitarias de turismo de la Provincia acerca de su inserción laboral, se analizará la situación de empleo de los profesionales, tanto desempleados, en relación de dependencia, free lance y los emprendedores matriculados, a fin de medir su inserción, movilidad, evaluación de su formación académica por competencias y proponer mecanismos de formación continua. Por último se busca medir mediante el Índice de Demanda Laboral, la demanda de empleo turístico en la provincia en el periodo 2011-2012 y se realizarán entrevistas a funcionarios, empresarios y referentes institucionales acerca de la situación actual y evolución del mercado laboral del turismo en Misiones

Compact CH4 sensor system based on a continuous-wave, low power consumption, room temperature interband cascade laser

A tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy-based methane sensor, employing a dense-pattern multi-pass gas cell and a 3.3 μm, CW, DFB, room temperature interband cascade laser (ICL), is reported. The optical integration based on an advanced folded optical path design and an efficient ICL control system with appropriate electrical power management resulted in a CH4 sensor with a small footprint (32 × 20 × 17 cm3) and low-power consumption (6 W). Polynomial and least-squares fit algorithms are employed to remove the baseline of the spectral scan and retrieve CH4 concentrations, respectively. An Allan-Werle deviation analysis shows that the measurement precision can reach 1.4 ppb for a 60 s averaging time. Continuous measurements covering a seven-day period were performed to demonstrate the stability and robustness of the reported CH4 sensor system

Bridging the Epochs of Ledoux and Da Vinci

Undergraduate Student: Nancy Sanchez Research Mentor(s): Ehsan Sheikholharam Mashhadi Bridging the Epochs of Ledoux and Da Vinci From two different periods of time, Claude-Nicholas Ledoux and Leonardo Da Vinci have transformed the history of architecture and art. Their work has helped shape the two eras they were a part of. Leonardo Da Vinci was from the 16th century and was coined as the ‘Italian Polymath of the High Renaissance era’, due to his extensive knowledge in engineering, painting, architecture, and science. Claude-Nicolas Ledoux was an 18th century neoclassical architect from France. Ledoux produced architecturally innovative work that influenced social changes in pre-revolutionary France. In particular, his most notable work, Salines de Chaux, helped represent the future of urban design by adopting utopian societies and ideology. This utopian ideology challenged the traditional concept of design and introduced a new standard of thinking in rational architecture. On the other hand, Leonardo da Vinci\u27s extraordinary methods and ways of thinking were reflected in his works of art, such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. His methods of drawing set new standards in forms of artistic expression. His thoughts and methods in science and technology were far ahead for his time, but were highly influential in Da Vinci’s era and in the subsequent modern period. By comparing the works of both Ledoux and Da Vinci, readers will have a better understanding of the significance their works had made in architecture and the artists’ receptive fields

Thalamic innervation of the direct and indirect basal ganglia pathways in the rat: Ipsi- and contralateral projections

The present study describes the thalamic innervation coming from the rat parafascicular nucleus (PF) onto striatal and subthalamic efferent neurons projecting either to the globus pallidus (GP) or to the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) by using a protocol for multiple neuroanatomical tracing. Both striatofugal neurons targeting the ipsilateral SNr (direct pathway) as well as striatal efferent neurons projecting to the ipsilateral GP (indirect pathway) were located within the terminal fields of the thalamostriatal afferents. In the subthalamic nucleus (STN), both neurons projecting to ipsilateral GP as well as neurons projecting to ipsilateral SNr also appear to receive thalamic afferents. Although the projections linking the caudal intralaminar nuclei with the ipsilateral striatum and STN are far more prominent, we also noticed that thalamic axons could gain access to the contralateral STN. Furthermore, a small number of STN neurons were seen to project to both the contralateral GP and PF nuclei. These ipsi- and contralateral projections enable the caudal intralaminar nuclei to modulate the activity of both the direct and the indirect pathway

Clinical, radiologic, pathologic, and molecular characteristics of long-term survivors of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG): a collaborative report from the International and European Society for Pediatric Oncology DIPG registries

Purpose Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is a brainstem malignancy with a median survival of < 1 year. The International and European Society for Pediatric Oncology DIPG Registries collaborated to compare clinical, radiologic, and histomolecular characteristics between short-term survivors (STSs) and long-term survivors (LTSs). Materials and Methods Data abstracted from registry databases included patients from North America, Australia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Croatia. Results Among 1,130 pediatric and young adults with radiographically confirmed DIPG, 122 (11%) were excluded. Of the 1,008 remaining patients, 101 (10%) were LTSs (survival ≥ 2 years). Median survival time was 11 months (interquartile range, 7.5 to 16 months), and 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-year survival rates were 42.3% (95% CI, 38.1% to 44.1%), 9.6% (95% CI, 7.8% to 11.3%), 4.3% (95% CI, 3.2% to 5.8%), 3.2% (95% CI, 2.4% to 4.6%), and 2.2% (95% CI, 1.4% to 3.4%), respectively. LTSs, compared with STSs, more commonly presented at age < 3 or > 10 years (11% v 3% and 33% v 23%, respectively; P < .001) and with longer symptom duration ( P < .001). STSs, compared with LTSs, more commonly presented with cranial nerve palsy (83% v 73%, respectively; P = .008), ring enhancement (38% v 23%, respectively; P = .007), necrosis (42% v 26%, respectively; P = .009), and extrapontine extension (92% v 86%, respectively; P = .04). LTSs more commonly received systemic therapy at diagnosis (88% v 75% for STSs; P = .005). Biopsies and autopsies were performed in 299 patients (30%) and 77 patients (10%), respectively; 181 tumors (48%) were molecularly characterized. LTSs were more likely to harbor a HIST1H3B mutation (odds ratio, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.5; P = .002). Conclusion We report clinical, radiologic, and molecular factors that correlate with survival in children and young adults with DIPG, which are important for risk stratification in future clinical trials

Functional characterization of the Arabidopsis transcription factor bZIP29 reveals its role in leaf and root development

Plant bZIP group I transcription factors have been reported mainly for their role during vascular development and osmosensory responses. Interestingly, bZIP29 has been identified in a cell cycle interactome, indicating additional functions of bZIP29 in plant development. Here, bZIP29 was functionally characterized to study its role during plant development. It is not present in vascular tissue but is specifically expressed in proliferative tissues. Genome-wide mapping of bZIP29 target genes confirmed its role in stress and osmosensory responses, but also identified specific binding to several core cell cycle genes and to genes involved in cell wall organization. bZIP29 protein complex analyses validated interaction with other bZIP group I members and provided insight into regulatory mechanisms acting on bZIP dimers. In agreement with bZIP29 expression in proliferative tissues and with its binding to promoters of cell cycle regulators, dominant-negative repression of bZIP29 altered the cell number in leaves and in the root meristem. A transcriptome analysis on the root meristem, however, indicated that bZIP29 might regulate cell number through control of cell wall organization. Finally, ectopic dominant-negative repression of bZIP29 and redundant factors led to a seedling-lethal phenotype, pointing to essential roles for bZIP group I factors early in plant development

Calidad de vida laboral de las enfermeras en un hospital público de Lambayeque – 2017

La enfermería está avanzando en su desarrollo profesional y reconocimiento social, pero a la vez se ve afectada, en algunas áreas asistenciales por condiciones de precarización que afecta el ejercicio del cuidado y configura su calidad de vida laboral. El objetivo del trabajo fue caracterizar, analizar y discutir la calidad de vida laboral de las enfermeras considerando las dimensiones subjetivas y objetivas desde la perspectiva de Segurado y Agulló, (2009). La investigación de tipo exploratoria descriptiva con enfoque cualitativo y abordaje de estudio de caso, fue desarrollado en un hospital público y utilizó como técnica de recolección de datos la entrevista semi estructurada a profundidad aplicada a 26 enfermeras asistenciales. Los resultados fueron tratados utilizando la técnica de Asociación de Contenido de Setenta Porto et al (2005); revelando dos categorías: El macro sistema de salud en el estudio de calidad de vida laboral enfermera, donde se discute la dimensión objetiva centralizada en las condiciones de trabajo y los elementos estructurales de la organización, contextualizado por aspectos sociopolítico y económico de las instituciones que buscan sus propios intereses organizacionales. La segunda categoría: El proceso de la interrelación humana en la calidad de vida laboral, abordó la dimensión subjetiva o psicológica de las enfermeras. Los hallazgos pusieron en evidencia la influencia negativa del mal relacionamiento entre enfermera-enfermera y enfermera-médico, teniendo un impacto importante como una dimensión insatisfactoria del trabajo, quediscurre en un proceso dialéctico y contextualizado por un entorno micro y macro-sistémico obedeciendo las tendencias determinadas por el mundo globalizado