Ecuadorian Migration: An Ethnographic Approach to Analyzing Socio-Cultural Influences on Migration

This research project is about national and transnational migration, as experienced by one Andean Ecuadorian family, currently living in the New York Metropolitan area in the United States. Through the collection of their life histories and an analysis of literature on this particular migrant group, I explore the different cultural trends that played a role in their migration from; rural Andean towns to large urban centers, from rural communities and urban centers into the Amazon jungle and their later migration to the United States of America. Using Social Network Theory as an analytical framework, I am focusing on these individuals’ social networks, as a factor in their internal migration in Ecuador and to the United States, finding that often times, people that are not a part of their closest networks, such as acquaintances, neighbors and distant relatives can play a very influential role in creating the opportunity to migrate, through funding, loans, as well as becoming hosts to the migrants. The use of these social networks in my informants’ migration history is extracted from hours of interviews and my personal observations. Their stories are injected into the text and in their own voice, allowing the reader to hear from the migrants themselves and draw further conclusions. The findings are consistent with those of other studies on migration, asserting that social and cultural factors play an important role in the decision to migrate and migrants’ settlement patterns

Evaluation of salt tolerance of in vitro-grown grapevine rootstock varieties

The response of 11 grapevine rootstock varieties to increasing salt concentrations (0, 50, 85, 120, 155 mM NaCl) was studied under in vitro and growth chamber conditions. The effect of salinity on the mortality of explants was compared with that of plantlets grown under growth chamber conditions and with data in literature on rootstock resistance under field conditions. In addition, in vitro stem elongation bud number, and rooting ability were related to salinity. The rootstock varieties can be divided into sensitive (41 B, R.Lot, 110 R, 140 R and 161-49), moderately tolerant (13.5 and Ramsey) and tolerant (196-17, CH-1, CH-2 and Superior). Measurements of the water and nutrient contents of plantlets indicate that increasing salt concentrations decreased the hydration of aerial parts and roots of all plants; however, the decrease of hydration was smaller in salt tolerant varieties. Increasing salt concentrations significantly reduced the K content and, to a smaller extent, the P and Ca contents. With and without salt treatments the levels of K and P were lower in sensitive plants. Na and Cl accumulated to a higher extent in tolerant plants. The tolerance to NaCl of in vitro-grown rootstocks seems to be due to their capacity to accumulate salt, to increase K concentration in the tissue and to maintain a high water content. Our results indicate that salt tolerance of grapevine varieties may be tested under growth chamber conditions and using in vitro explants

Cross-talk and regulatory interactions between the essential response regulator RpaB and cyanobacterial circadian clock output

The response regulator RpaB (regulator of phycobilisome associated B), part of an essential two-component system conserved in cyanobacteria that responds to multiple environmental signals, has recently been implicated in the control of cell dimensions and of circadian rhythms of gene expression in the model cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. However, little is known of the molecular mechanisms that underlie RpaB functions. In this study we show that the regulation of phenotypes by RpaB is intimately connected with the activity of RpaA (regulator of phycobilisome associated A), the master regulator of circadian transcription patterns. RpaB affects RpaA activity both through control of gene expression, a function requiring an intact effector domain, and via altering RpaA phosphorylation, a function mediated through the N-terminal receiver domain of RpaB. Thus, both phosphorylation cross-talk and coregulation of target genes play a role in the genetic interactions between the RpaA and RpaB pathways. In addition, RpaB∼P levels appear critical for survival under light:dark cycles, conditions in which RpaB phosphorylation is environmentally driven independent of the circadian clock. We propose that the complex regulatory interactions between the essential and environmentally sensitive NblS-RpaB system and the SasA-RpaA clock output system integrate relevant extra- and intracellular signals to the circadian clock.This work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity Grant BFU2012-33364 (to A.C.); Generalitat Valenciana Grants ACOMP/2014/144 (to A.C.) and GV/2014/073 (to J.E.); National Institutes of Health Grant R01GM062419 (to S.S.G.); and European Molecular Biology Organization postdoctoral Fellowship ASTF 74–2013 (to J.E.)

Treatment impact on recidivism of family only vs. generally violent partner violence perpetrators

Background/objective: The outcome of a treatment program for a large sample of male perpetrators on probation for intimate partner violence (IPV) was evaluated with particular reference to the differential impact on family only (FO) versus generally violent (GV) perpetrators. Method: Official rates of recidivism for three years post termination of treatment and probation were examined for 456 perpetrators after they were classified as FO and GV. Results: Both treatment completion and type of perpetrator were predictive of IPV recidivism and time to recidivism. However, analyses conducted separately for the two groups indicated that participation in the intervention predicted both recidivism and time to recidivism for the GV but not FO perpetrators who participated in treatment. Specifically, GV men were responsive to treatment whereas FO men were not. Results were somewhat different depending on who was included in the no treatment comparison group. Conclusions: Implications of these findings for one size fits all interventions in IPV are discussed with specific reference to the need to develop different interventions for GV and FO perpetrators

Estudio de las mineralizaciones de Plomo-Zinc-Cobre del Permotrías del Complejo Maláguide en los alrededores de Vélez-Rubio (Almería)

Tras un breve encuadre geológico regional del área estudiada, se comentan someramente las características del Complejo Maláguide en las inmediaciones de Vélez Rubio. Posteriormente se describen los aspectos litoestratigráficos y sedimentológicos de los materiales permotriásicos del Complejo Maláguide, con los cuales se ligan las mineralizaciones de Pb-Zn-Cu objeto de esta nota. Se distinguen cinco tramos litológicos fundamentales, que han sido correlacionados entre las diversas zonas con indicios de Pb-Zn. Los estudios sedimentológicos parecen indicar que la sucesión de estos tramos constituyen una secuencia positiva que abarca desde depósitos típicamente fluviales a sedimentos formados en medio lacustre o de aguas marinas someras. La mineralización, sobre todo de Pb, es objeto de un detallado estudio mineralógico y textural, en el cual se apoya la interpretación genética, que aboga por un origen sedimentario de la misma

The Impact of School Heads’ Technology Leadership on Teachers’ Technological Proficiency and Academic Optimism

The adoption, integration, and use of technology in the classroom should be planned by school leaders and teachers, who should also arm themselves with the newest technological developments. This study was designed to determine the impact of school heads’ technology leadership to teachers’ instructional innovation and academic optimism during the COVID-19 period. The study utilized a quantitative research design and a descriptive-correlational research method and was confined among 31 school heads and 651 teachers in Candelaria East and West Districts during the S.Y. 2021-2022. The survey-questionnaire, which was developed by the researcher and validated by research practitioners and experts, was the primary data gathering tool. From the findings, it was deduced that there is no significant difference between the perception of the elementary and secondary teachers on the school head’s technology leadership, teachers’ technological proficiency, and teachers’ academic optimism. It revealed that the social, legal, and ethical issues; and the leadership and vision significantly predict the teachers’ technological proficiency while the social, legal, and ethical issues; leadership and vision; productivity and professional practice and support; and management, operations, and finance significantly predict the teachers’ academic optimism. In light of the findings and conclusion, the study recommends that DepEd may include the nature and concept of digital citizenship in school management and leadership

Protection and reversion role of a pure stilbene extract from grapevine shoot and its major compounds against an induced oxidative stress

Sulfur dioxide is a controversial preservative used in winemaking. Given its potential toxicity, it is of great interest to find alternatives aimed at replacing or reducing sulfur dioxide. The objective was to assess the antioxidant effects of a grapevine-shoot extract with 99% of stilbenes (ST-99), its major compounds (trans-resveratrol and trans-?-viniferin) and their mixture (1:3.9) by measuring reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH) levels in vitro. Their ability to protect against or reverse the effects of H2O2 on cells were also studied. The results showed that ST-99, followed by trans-ε-viniferin and the mixture, were able to reduce ROS levels, increased GSH content and exhibited antioxidant ability against an induced oxidative stress. Trans-resveratrol significantly reduced ROS content only at the highest concentrations. ST-99 at non-cytotoxic concentrations is more effective than the other compounds, which might be attributed to increased levels of GSH. The results suggest a promising use of ST-99.Développement d'une infrastructure française distribuée pour la métabolomique dédiée à l'innovatio

Translation initiation downstream from annotated start codons in human mRNAs coevolves with the Kozak context

Eukaryotic translation initiation involves preinitiation ribosomal complex 5′ -to-3′ directional probing of mRNA for codons suitable for starting protein synthesis. The recognition of codons as starts depends on the codon identity and on its immediate nucleotide context known as Kozak context. When the context is weak (i.e., nonoptimal), leaky scanning takes place during which a fraction of ribosomes continues the mRNA probing. We explored the relationship between the context of AUG codons annotated as starts of protein-coding sequences and the next AUG codon occurrence. We found that AUG codons downstream from weak starts occur in the same frame more frequently than downstream from strong starts. We suggest that evolutionary selection on in-frame AUGs downstream from weak start codons is driven by the advantage of the reduction of wasteful out-of-frame product synthesis and also by the advantage of producing multiple proteoforms from certain mRNAs. We confirmed translation initiation downstream from weak start codons using ribosome profiling data. We also tested translation of alternative start codons in 10 specific human genes using reporter constructs. In all tested cases, initiation at downstream start codons was more productive than at the annotated ones. In most cases, optimization of Kozak context did not completely abolish downstream initiation, and in the specific example of CMPK1 mRNA, the optimized start remained unproductive. Collectively, our work reveals previously uncharacterized forces shaping the evolution of protein-coding genes and points to the plurality of translation initiation and the existence of sequence features influencing start codon selection, other than Kozak context.Russian Science Foundation (RSF) 20-14-00121Science Foundation Ireland 210692/Z/18/ZScience Foundation Ireland 12/RC/2276_P2Erasmus+ ProgrammePlan Propio de Investigacion 2019 de la Universidad de GranadaMinistry of Economy of Spain DPI2017-84439-REuropean Union (EU) DPI2017-84439-

BCL7A is silenced by hypermethylation to promote acute myeloid leukemia

The online version contains supplementary material available at https:// doi. org/ 10. 1186/ s40364‑ 023‑ 00472‑x. Additional file 1: Supplementary Figure 1. Diagram displaying CpG‑ methylation status around the BCL7A TSS. Genomic DNA from the NB4 cell line was subjected to bisulfite conversion and used for subsequent TA‑ cloning. Supplementary Figure 2. Schematic representation of the differ‑ ent lentiviral plasmids used in the experimental procedures. The specific region of the long isoform of BCL7A is colored in blue. Supplementary Figure 3. Western blot including the Decitabine (DAC) treatment over the NB4 cell line shown in Fig. 2c. Supplementary Figure 4. Protein‑protein interactions between BCL7A and SMARCA4 as determined by Mashtalir et al (2020). Supplementary Figure 5. DepMap AML cell lines collection data showing BCL7A Methylation Fraction (1kb upstream TSS) vs BCL7Aex‑ pression level. NB4 and M07e are marked. Supplementary Figure 6. Competition cell growth effect of BCL7A expression restoration on in vitro proliferation. Supplementary Table 1. Additional file 2: Supplementary Table 2. Differential expression analysis resultsP.P.M.’s laboratory is funded by Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación de la Junta de Andalucía and FEDER (P20‑00688), Aula de Investigación sobre la Leucemia infantil: Heroes contra la Leucemia, the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (grant PID2021‑126111OB‑I00), Junta de Andalucía (grants PIGE‑0440–2019, PI‑0135–2020), the University of Granada (grants B‑CTS‑126‑UGR18, B‑CTS‑480‑UGR20, and E‑CTS‑304‑UGR20), and the Spanish Association for Cancer Research (LABORATORY‑AECC‑2018). J.R.P‑M, A.A, and M.S.B‑C were supported by fellowships FPU18/03709, FPU17/00067, and FPU19/00576 respectively funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and UniversitiesBackground Recent massive sequencing studies have revealed that SWI/SNF complexes are among the most fre‑ quently altered functional entities in solid tumors. However, the role of SWI/SNF in acute myeloid leukemia is poorly understood. To date, SWI/SNF complexes are thought to be oncogenic in AML or, at least, necessary to support leuke‑ mogenesis. However, mutation patterns in SWI/SNF genes in AML are consistent with a tumor suppressor role. Here, we study the SWI/SNF subunit BCL7A, which has been found to be recurrently mutated in lymphomas, but whose role in acute myeloid malignancies is currently unknown. Methods Data mining and bioinformatic approaches were used to study the mutational status of BCL7A and the correlation between BCL7A expression and promoter hypermethylation. Methylation‑specific PCR, bisulfite sequenc‑ ing, and 5‑aza‑2’‑deoxycytidine treatment assays were used to determine if BCL7A expression was silenced due to promoter hypermethylation. Cell competition assays after BCL7A expression restoration were used to assess the role of BCL7A in AML cell line models. Differential expression analysis was performed to determine pathways and genes altered after BCL7A expression restoration. To establish the role of BCL7A in tumor development in vivo, tumor growth was compared between BCL7A‑expressing and non‑expressing mouse xenografts using in vivo fluorescence imaging. Results BCL7A expression was inversely correlated with promoter methylation in three external cohorts: TCGA‑LAML (N = 160), TARGET‑AML (N = 188), and Glass et al. (2017) (N = 111). The AML‑derived cell line NB4 silenced the BCL7A expression via promoter hypermethylation. Ectopic BCL7A expression in AML cells decreased their competitive ability compared to control cells. Additionally, restoration of BCL7A expression reduced tumor growth in an NB4 mouse xenograft model. Also, differential expression analysis found that BCL7A restoration altered cell cycle pathways and modified significantly the expression of genes like HMGCS1, H1-0, and IRF7 which can help to explain its tumor sup‑ pressor role in AML. Conclusions BCL7A expression is silenced in AML by promoter methylation. In addition, restoration of BCL7A expres‑ sion exerts tumor suppressor activity in AML cell lines and xenograft models.Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación de la Junta de Andalucía and FEDER (P20‑00688)Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain (grant PID2021‑126111OB‑I00)Junta de Andalucía (grants PIGE‑0440–2019, PI‑0135–2020)University of Granada (B‑CTS‑126‑UGR18, B‑CTS‑480‑UGR20, E‑CTS‑304‑UGR20)Spanish Association for Cancer Research (LABORATORY‑AECC‑2018)Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities FPU18/03709, FPU17/00067, FPU19/0057

Efecto de la deshidratación osmótica sobre la intensidad respiratoria y la actividad de agua de cubos de anco (<i>Cucurbita moschata</i>)

La técnica de deshidratación osmótica (DO) actualmente ha cobrado gran interés debido a las bajas temperaturas de operación utilizadas (25-50 °C), que evitan el daño de productos termolábiles, además de reducir los costos de energía para el proceso. El objetivo de este trabajo fue determinar la variación de la intensidad respiratoria (IR) y actividad de agua (aw) de cubos de anco sometidos a DO, variando el tamaño de corte y la concentración de la solución osmodeshidratante. Se utilizaron ancos (Cucurbita moschata), obtenidos del mercado local, que luego de lavados y pelados, se cortaron manualmente en cubos de 1,0 y 1,5 cm de lado los cuales se colocaron en canastas metálicas. Estas se sumergieron en soluciones de sacarosa de 45°, 55° y 65°Bx a 30 °C con agitación forzada. Se extrajeron muestras a 0,5, 1, 2 y 3 horas de tratamiento. Para medir la IR, se utilizó el método de confinamiento midiendo la concentración de dióxido de carbono generado por cromatografía gaseosa. La aw se determinó con un medidor electrónico (ROTRONIC). Se observó una disminución de la aw a medida que avanzó el tiempo de deshidratación, siendo más marcada para los cubos de 1,0 cm a partir de 0,5-1 h. Al comparar el efecto de la concentración del medio osmótico, en las muestras de 1,0 cm no hubo diferencia significativa entre 55° y 65°Bx a partir de las 2 h, alcanzándose valores de, aproximadamente, 0,944 al final del tratamiento, significativamente menor que el alcanzado con la solución de 45°Bx. Por otra parte, para la mayor dimensión característica, se alcanzó el menor valor de aw (0,958) a las 3 h con la solución de 65°Bx, sin encontrarse diferencia entre 45° y 55°Bx. La IR fue mayor para cubos de 1,0 cm inmediatamente después de producido el daño mecánico manteniéndose, en general, esta tendencia durante todo el proceso. Durante la DO, estos evidenciaron, a partir de las 2 h, una mayor IR con 65°Bx no encontrándose diferencias entre 45° y 55°Bx. Sin embargo, para los de 1,5 cm los mayores valores se encontraron a 55° y 65°Bx, sin registrarse diferencia entre estas dos concentraciones. La DO ocasiona un incremento en la IR de los cubos de anco que se contrapone con la disminución de la aw alcanzada durante el proceso por lo que sería necesario encontrar la mejor combinación de las variables estudiadas para prolongar la vida útil del producto.Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo en Criotecnología de Alimento