Gender equality and investments in adolescents in the rural Philippines:

"...Many studies have looked at the way resources are distributed to men, women, and especially to small children, but one age group within the family has been largely ignored: the adolescents. Adolescence is a crucial period in that teenagers can make major contributions to their families' welfare through their labor and earnings, in and outside the household, but may sacrifice their own wishes and future well-being in the process if such contributions come at the expense of investments in their education. The research methodology in this report, combining regression analysis with ethnography, provides a lesson in how complementarities between methodological approaches can be exploited...The research finds that parents are not unduly influenced by short-term needs and are ready to make substantial sacrifices in terms of current consumption in order to invest in their children's future. The research also concludes that boys and girls in this rural area of the Philippines are generally treated equally, provid ing a contrast with other Asian settings where discrimination by gender is common." (Forward by Per Pinstrup- Andersen)Teenagers Philippines Social conditions., Rural families Philippines., Gender, Health and nutrition, Education Economic aspects Philippines., Household resource allocation, Health.,

Maternal immunization: A call to accelerate progress

Maternal immunization provides an excellent evidence-based strategy for preventing severe disease and decreasing neonatal and infant mortality. A substantial proportion of these deaths are due to infectious diseases, most of them vaccine-preventable, then, there is a real opportunity for intervention. Maternal immunization has been an underexploited area for many years, with the exception of neonatal tetanus. There are now programs for influenza and acellular pertussis vaccination in many countries and two maternal vaccine targets under development are focused on decreasing the burden of infant respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Bodies like the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization established by the WHO, the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, have recognized the relevance of maternal immunization on several occasions. However, why is the field not moving faster, as one might expect? Major initiatives and programs should consider spelling out more clearly the role and benefits of this intervention and calling for specific actions, including future strategic approaches for the post 2020 immunization strategy following the GVAP; and single out the area as one of its priorities as a key component of immunization across the life course. While waiting for the new vaccines like RSV and GBS and optimizing the use of influenza and pertussis there is momentum now to coordinate efforts, address the missing information and action gaps, and call to accelerate progress

Pyrolysis-GC-MS for the Rapid Environmental Forensic Screening of Contaminated Brownfield Soil

An abandoned chemical plant in Asturias (Spain) was studied using a multi-faceted molecular fingerprinting approach, demonstrating that it is possible to: (1) carefully unravel tangled evidence resulting from multiple pollution sources, and (2) recognize major contaminants largely ignored by conventional analyses. This methodology employed a battery of GC-MS analyses of liquid chromatographic fractions of soil extracts, plus the pyrolysis products of the soil extract\u27s asphaltene fraction and the whole soil itself. In this example, coal tar distillation and the subsequent production of naphthalene, phenols and polymer resins are responsible for most of the soil contamination. Styrene, naphthalene, indene, and their methylated derivatives and dimers (most notably, naphthyl-methylnaphthalene) are particularly abundant and/or distinctive. It is remarkable that most of the contaminants were detected simply by pyrolysis-GC-MS, demonstrating its effectiveness for rapid environmental forensic screening of organic contamination. Commonly used environmental analytical approaches would likely have overlooked the predominant pollutants at this site. This could lead to serious shortcomings in remediation planning and implementation. The novel methodology presented herein appears practical and applicable to complexly-contaminated brownfield sites around the world

¿Recomposición de la industria y el empleo industrial? Un análisis de la situación en la provincia de Mendoza, Argentina

Interesa en este trabajo observar las características que asume el sector industrial en la provincia de Mendoza, teniendo en cuenta las secuelas que se hacen visibles en las economías provinciales, como punto de partida para definir las perspectivas en términos de participación de la industria en el producto y su aporte al empleo. En particular, se focaliza en el periodo que se inicia en el año 2002, momento en el cual, luego de un proceso recesivo y del colapso en el año 2001 (corralito, devaluación, default, saqueos, corridas, quiebras, desempleo, pobreza, crisis política e institucional), la economía comienza a recuperarse.Jornadas realizadas junto con el I Encuentro Latinoamericano de Metodología de las Ciencias Sociales.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

La perspectiva teórica, social y política de los estudiantes a la hora de construir conocimiento científico sobre las realidades que abordan

En el transcurso de los últimos diez años, en el marco de la cátedra de Metodología de las Ciencias Sociales de la carrera de Licenciatura en Sociología de la FCPyS-UNCuyo, se ha afianzado una intensa labor de problematización y reflexión acerca de los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje de la metodología que se vienen desarrollando al interior de estacátedra. El equipo conformado por docentes y ayudantes alumnos/as ha orientado la mirada hacia las diferentes aristas de este proceso, tales como la práctica pedagógica que implementa el equipo, la elaboración del proyecto de investigación por parte de los/as estudiantes en cuanto instrumento de mediación pedagógica y puesta en acto de los contenidos de la metodología de la investigación, el modo en que los/as estudiantes se inician en la práctica investigativa y transitan el proceso de construcción de un objeto de estudio, identificando para tal fin un tema de investigación.Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educació

Analysis and control of the intermediate memory states of RRAM devices by means of admittance parameters

Producción CientíficaA thorough study of the admittance of TiN/Ti/HfO2/W bipolar resistive memories [resistance random access memory (RRAM)] was carried out under different bias conditions and in a wide range of ac signal frequencies. We demonstrate that a continuum of intermediate states can be obtained by applying appropriate dc bias waveforms. Cumulative writing and erasing admittance cycles were performed by applying triangular voltage waveform of increasing amplitude. The influence of the initial conditions on the variation of the real (conductance) and imaginary (susceptance) components of the admittance is described. An accurate control of the memory state is achieved both in terms of the conductance and the susceptance by means of an adequate selection of the voltage values previously applied. A method to obtain three-dimensional voltage-conductance-susceptance state-plots is described in detail. Memory maps of admittance parameters as a function of the programming voltage are made by sensing the memory state at 0 V, without static power consumption. The multilevel nature of RRAM devices and their suitability for neuromorphic computation are demonstrated.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (grants TEC2014-52152-C3-3-R and TEC2014- 52152-C3-1-R

Cytochrome P450/ABC transporter inhibition simultaneously enhances ivermectin pharmacokinetics in the mammal host and pharmacodynamics in Anopheles gambiae

Mass administration of endectocides, drugs that kill blood-feeding arthropods, has been proposed as a complementary strategy to reduce malaria transmission. Ivermectin is one of the leading candidates given its excellent safety profile. Here we provide proof that the effect of ivermectin can be boosted at two different levels by drugs inhibiting the cytochrome or ABC transporter in the mammal host and the target mosquitoes. Using a mini-pig model, we show that drug-mediated cytochrome P450/ABC transporter inhibition results in a 3-fold increase in the time ivermectin remains above mosquito-killing concentrations. In contrast, P450/ABC transporter induction with rifampicin markedly impaired ivermectin absorption. The same ketoconazole-mediated cytochrome/ABC transporter inhibition also occurs outside the mammal host and enhances the mortality of Anopheles gambiae. This was proven by using the samples from the mini-pig experiments to conduct an ex-vivo synergistic bioassay by membrane-feeding Anopheles mosquitoes. Inhibiting the same cytochrome/xenobiotic pump complex in two different organisms to simultaneously boost the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic activity of a drug is a novel concept that could be applied to other systems. Although the lack of a dose-response effect in the synergistic bioassay warrants further exploration, our study may have broad implications for the control of parasitic and vector-borne diseases

Identificación de bacterias de la familia Anaplasmataceae en un albergue canino del municipio de Caldas, Antioquia

Objetive. It was to detect the circulation of microorganisms of the family Anaplasmataceae in a canine albergo of the municipality of Caldas. Materials and methods. In view of the above, a descriptive study was conducted in 46 dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) to evaluate the presence of Ehrlichia spp. and Anaplasma spp. by molecular techniques or by immunodiagnostic, in a dog shelter of the municipality of Caldas. The DNA extraction was done in whole blood samples with EDTA. Primers were used against dsb and groEL genes to detect Ehrlichia and Anaplasma sequences respectively and phylogenetic analyzes of the sequences obtained were also carried out. On the other hand, SNAP 4DX® was used for serodiagnosis. Results. In the molecular testing, five positive samples were obtained for the Ehrlichia test and three for the Anaplasma test. In the serological tests, three individuals were positive for Ehrlichia spp., three for Anaplasma spp. and for the other trials measured by the SNAP (Dirofilaria immitis y Borrelia burgdorfe) the result was negative. Conclusions. It demonstrated the circulation of Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma platys in a dog shelter of the municipality of Caldas, Antioquia.Objetivo. Fue detectar la circulación de microorganismos de la familia Anaplasmataceae en un alberge canino del municipio de Caldas. Materiales y métodos. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo en 46 perros (Canis lupus familiaris) para evaluar por técnicas moleculares o por inmunodiagnóstico la presencia de Ehrlichia spp. y Anaplasma spp., en un albergue canino del município de Caldas. Se hizo extracción de ADN en muestras de sangre entera con EDTA y se utilizaron cebadores contra los genes dsb y groEl, para detectar secuencias de Ehrlichia y Anaplasma respectivamente y análisis filogenéticos de las secuencias obtenidas. Por otro lado se usó el SNAP 4DX® para el serodiagnóstico. Resultados. En las pruebas moleculares se obtuvieron cinco muestras positivas para Ehrlichia y tres para Anamaplasma. En las pruebas serológicas, tres individuos fueron positivos para Ehrlichia spp., tres para Anaplasma spp. y negativos para los demás ensayos medidos por el SNAP (Dirofilaria immitis y Borrelia burgdorferi). Conclusiones. Se demostró la circulación de Ehrlichia canis y Anaplasma platys en un albergue del municipio de Caldas, Antioquia