RNA Isolation of Aphids

Pea aphids (Acyrthesiphon pisum) are the model organisms of aphid species. These aphids pose enormous economic stress when it comes to agriculture, and current management methods involving pesticides have major downsides. RNA Interference provides an alternative management method for this specific species. “The introduction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) complementary to each of the target genes of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) in the pea aphid, coupled with a carrier, has shown significant changes in expression of gene products and subsequently has shown decreased survivorship and reduced fecundity in the organism.

Reality television and its impact on women\u27s body image

Previous research has found that both print media and television may affect the body image of young women. Tiggerman and Pickering (1996) found that it was not just the amount of television viewed, but the viewing of appearance focused shows that affected body image. Schooler, Ward, Merriwether and Caruthers (2004) came to the conclusion that women\u27s viewing of shows with predominantly white casts lead to greater body dissatisfaction. To date, no investigations have looked at a new and popular genre, categorized as, `reality television\u27. The purpose of this study was examine the effects of viewing this new genre and its impact on women\u27s body image. The research participants were 82 female undergraduate students at Eastern Kentucky University who were asked to fill out two surveys. One survey assessed television-viewing habits. This survey was made up of the twelve highest rated scripted television shows and the twelve highest rated reality television shows, as reported by the Nielsen Company. To measure the frequency of television viewing, a Likert scale with values ranging from 1 (I have never watched it) to 5 (I watch it every week/ I\u27ve never missed an episode) was used. To measure body image, the three subscales of the Body-Esteem Scale were used (Franzoi & Shields, 1984). The results indicated that there was no relationship between television viewing and body image. None of three subscales of the Body-Esteem Scale (Weight Concern, Sexual Attractiveness, and Physical Condition), were significantly correlated with either reality television or scripted television viewing. Discussion focuses on both the limitations of the research and the possible implications of the null results

Import and export process: the impact of bureaucratic simplification in customs clearance

The procedures for importing and exporting merchandise in Brazil involve many bureaucratic matters, including federal and international laws. When something overseas arrives, along with its property certificate documents, the owner or company should proceed to the customs clearance to free its entrance. The updating of import and export declarations resulted in redesigning many dispatch companies' internal operation processes. This study aims to analyze the impacts on customs clearance and the advantages and disadvantages caused by simplifying the Brazilian bureaucratic process of importing and exporting. The opportunity was identified to carry out an empirical evaluation of the Brazilian policy of bureaucratic simplification in the import and export processes and its impact on a company's activities. This work has qualitative and descriptive research and presents a case study that sought to analyze the scenario faced by Brasiliense Comissária de Despachos company, located in the city of Campinas in São Paulo, Brazil. The results show that international trade became shorter, more centralized, and transparent with simplifying the import and export process. There was a saving of time and money reported by the company under study by applying DU-E and the possibility of attending more processes in the same period. This article intends to impact society practically through the case study, giving other international trade companies a perspective on the mapping of operations that have been restructured to meet the new simplifications. As for the theory, the impact will be realized by exposing the functioning and existing information on Brazil's import and export system to future researchers

Hexavalents in spermatocytes of Robertsonian heterozygotes between Mus m. domesticus 2n 26 from the Vulcano and Lipari Islands (Aeolian Archipelago, Italy)

The size and shape of the chromosomes, as well as the chromosomal domains that compose them, are determinants in the distribution and interaction between the bivalents within the nucleus of spermatocytes in prophase I of meiosis. Thus the nuclear architecture characteristic of the karyotype of a species can be modified by chromosomal changes such as Robertsonian (RB) chromosomes. In this study we analysed the meiotic prophase nuclear organization of the heterozygous spermatocytes from Mus musculus domesticus 2n=26, and the synaptic configuration of the hexavalent formed by the dependent Rb chromosomes Rbs 6.16, 16.10, 10.15, 15.17 and the telocentric chromosomes 6 and 17. Spreads of 88 pachytene spermatocytes from two males were studied and in all of them five metacentric bivalents, four telocentric bivalents, one hexavalent and the XY bivalent were observed. About 48% of the hexavalents formed a chain or a ring of synapsed chromosomes, the latter closed by synapsis between the short arms of telocentric chromosomes 6 and 17. About 52% of hexavalents formed an open chain of 10 synapsed chromosomal arms belonging to 6 chromosomes. In about half of the unsynapsed hexavalents one of the telocentric chromosome short arms appears associated with the X chromosome single axis, which was otherwise normally paired with the Y chromosome. The cluster of pericentromeric heterochromatin mostly determines the hexavalent’s nuclear configuration, dragging the centromeric regions and all the chromosomes towards the nuclear envelope similar to an association of five telocentric bivalents. These reiterated encounters between these chromosomes restrict the interactions with other chromosomal domains and might favour eventual rearrangements within the metacentric, telocentric or hexavalent chromosome subsets. The unsynapsed short arms of telocentric chromosomes frequently bound to the single axis of the X chromosome could further complicate the already complex segregation of hexavalent chromosomes

Minority Voice in Community Design Building Processes

AbstractAn old lady's words during the building process of a participatory design with a community: “But this is what we thought might be ideal?” Versus her husband, a construction worker: “But this is the way it should be done!” When dealing with participatory design processes sometimes the opinion of the experts are the ones always honoured and the minorities, not in quantity but in voice, are underestimated. This paper is based on a case study of three different design processes taken place on the rural community of San Jose de Olaes- Ecuador, dealing with the importance of the voice of the minority, in this case represented by the women of a community, and the men's voice, usually the working force. We will illustrate this process and how it has both positive and negative consequences on the project and community relationships

Editorial

Editoria

Enseñanza y aprendizaje de etnomatemática en los primeros grados: logros y dificultades

Sintetizamos los 12 últimos años de experiencias educativa de la implementación de la etnomatemática de parte del proyecto EBI Guna, en la comarca Gunayala de Panamá en los tres primeros grados de la educación básica. Para la sistematización de la experiencia se enmarcó en método investigación cualitativa con nota de campo y participando como técnico del proyecto. Para crear un currículo propio que responda a las necesidades de nuestros contextos se realiza las consultas a los sabios conocedores de la cultura, padres de familia, responsables de la educación. Para recoger insumos. Los aportes de investigadores matemáticos gunas y pedagogos guna fueron clave para proponer nuestro propio modelo pedagógico de matemática. Nuestro sistema de numeración guna ligado por la característica del lenguaje que usa los clasificadores numérica es la base para entender el mundo de la matemática guna y la vez ayuda a revitalizar la lengua materna

Understanding migration and education choices under uncertainty

Defence date: 23 May 2023Examining Board: Prof. Sule Alan, (European University Institute, supervisor); Prof. Michèle Belot, (Cornell University, co-supervisor); Prof. Raquel Carrasco, (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Prof. Marco Francesconi, (University of Essex)This thesis is composed of two related and one independent chapters. The first two chapters use rich data on subjective expectations about migration decisions of highly educated young adults from a lagging-behind region of Spain (Andalusia) that I collected myself during their migration decision-making process. In Chapter 1, I study how expected pecuniary and nonpecuniary factors influence these individuals’ migration decisions. To do so, I estimate a life-cycle model of migration choice that takes expected migration duration into account. Crucially, the collected data allow me to separate preferences from beliefs and to distinguish between pecuniary and nonpecuniary factors. Although there is sorting on expected labor market outcomes, my results show that the set of nonpecuniary factors, such as being close to family and quality of social life, play a larger role in choosing whether to migrate. Additionally, counterfactual exercises reveal that a human capital acquisition strategy has a limited effect on temporary migration plans, which are primarily driven by nonpecuniary factors. Chapter 2 studies their self-selection intentions into internal and international migration. I find that individuals who plan to migrate internationally come from the highest end of the grade distribution and are from more privileged family backgrounds relative to the other two groups. Despite being positively selected, students who plan to migrate internationally have the most pessimistic views about their career prospects in their home region. With their migration plans, they expect higher labor market returns to migration than internal migrants. International migrants are more likely than internal migrants to plan a long term migration as opposed to a temporary migration. If individuals follow their plans, my results suggest a future brain drain from the region as well as from the country. Chapter 3, joint with Josep Amer-Mestre and Marta C. Lopes, studies the impact of COVID19 school closures on differences in online learning usage by regional academic performance in Italy. Using real-time data from Google Trends, we find that students in regions with a previously lower academic performance increased their searches for e-learning tools more than those with higher academic performance. Given evidence from survey and administrative data that lower performing regions were using no less online learning before the pandemic, our results suggest that the COVID-19 shock widened the e-learning usage gap between academically lower and higher-performing regions in Italy.1. Determinants of migration choices : the role of beliefs about pecuniary and nonpecuniary outcomes -- 2. Understanding the self-selection into internal and international migration of young individuals : evidence using subjective expectations data -- 3. E-learning engagement gap during school closures : differences by academic -- A. Appendix to Chapter 1 -- B. Appendix to Chapter 2 -- C. Appendix to Chapter 3 -

Draft Genome Sequences of Type Strain Sediminibacterium salmoneum NJ-44T and Sediminibacterium sp. C3, a Novel Strain Isolated from Activated Sludge

The genus Sediminibacterium comprises species present in diverse natural and engineered environments. Here, we report for the first time the genome sequences of the type strain Sediminibacterium salmoneum NJ-44T (NBRC 103935) and the strain Sedi- minibacterium sp. strain C3 (BNM541), isolated from activated sludge, a valuable model for the study of substrate-dependent autoaggregation.Fil: Ayarza, Joaquín M.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Figuerola, Eva Lucia Margarita. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Erijman, Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ingeniería Genética y Biología Molecular; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular; Argentin

Assisted Therapy with dogs in teenagers with cerebral palsy and difficulties in fine motor skills. Clinical trial

RESUMEN: Introducción: la parálisis cerebral (PC) se considera como un grupo de trastornos del desarrollo del movimiento y la postura, causantes de la limitación de la actividad. La espasticidad es una de las secuelas más frecuentes, cuya alteración interfiere en la rehabilitación y en las actividades de la vida diaria de estos niños. Una de las terapias alternativas con las que se trata es la terapia con perros. Su principio de aplicación se basa en que la interacción con los perros a la hora de realizar las actividades, hace que se involucren más y realicen los ejercicios con más concentración, y por lo tanto eficacia. Objetivo: El objetivo de este ensayo clínico es determinar la eficacia y los efectos que tiene la terapia asistida con perros en personas con discapacidad intelectual y motricidad fina. Metodología: se hizo una búsqueda de artículos para determinar la situación actual de las terapias asistidas con perros en las principales bases de datos; Medline, Cochrane Library y PEDro . Se llevó a cabo un ensayo clínico en 3 pacientes con parálisis cerebral y problemas de motricidad fina de edad comprendida entre los 14 y los 15 años. Resultados: en el ensayo clínico realizado se ha apreciado cambios en el tono de los sujetos después de la terapia con el perro de hasta 1,74 de media. También se ha recogido mejoras en el tiempo de realización de la actividad de un 32% Conclusión: a pesar de que los resultados no son concluyentes, este estudio sirve de inicio para poder profundizar más en los efectos de la terapia asistida con animales.ABSTRACT:Introduction: Cerebral palsy (CP) is considered as a group of developmental disorders of movement and posture, causing limitation of activity, spasticity is one of the most frequent sequelae, whose alteration interferes with rehabilitation and the activities of daily life for these children. One alternative therapies with which it comes therapy is dogs. Its principle application is based on the interaction with the dogs when performing activities, makes them more involved and do the exercises with more concentration, and therefore effectiveness. Objective: The objective of this clinical trial is to determine the efficacy and the effects it has assisted therapy dogs for people with intellectual disabilities and fine motor skills. Methodology: This clinical trial start with a research to determine the current status of assisted therapy dogs in the major databases; Medline, Cochrane Library, and PEDro. 3 patients with cerebral palsy and fine motor problems participates in this clinical trial. The 3 patients age was between 14 and 15 years old. Results In the clinical trial has appreciated changes in tone of subjects after therapy with the dog. It has also been collected improvements over time of completion of the activity. Conclusion: Although the results are not conclusive, this study serves as a home to go deeper into the effects of animal-assisted therapy.Grado en Fisioterapi