Integración mercantil de la milpa campesina y transformación de los conocimientos locales agrícolas

El maíz es la planta principal del sistema agrícola tradicional mexicano llamado "milpa" y en el desarrollo de la agricultura moderna en México. Analizaremos la evolución del sistema de conocimientos del cultivo del maíz ("savoir-faire": prácticas, conocimientos, representaciones) para comprender la forma de integración de innovaciones agrícolas a dicho cultivo. A partir de una investigación de antropología cualitativa en dos ejidos del sureste del estado de Veracruz documentamos las lógicas culturales y mercantiles. La producción del maíz es un fenómeno social total, componente constitutivo de las sociedades rurales mexicanas en toda su complejidad, pedestal de la evolución de los conocimientos locales agrícolas; los cuales se han adaptado a las transformaciones del entorno ecológico, económico y socio-político. El abandono masivo de variedades de maíz nativo -10% de la producción local hoy en día- y la valorización de variedades mejoradas son indicadores de la preponderancia de lógicas mercantiles sobre aquellas de consumo familiar. Encontramos que la conservación de maíces nativos depende de la estructura social, de sus formas de adaptación al modelo agrícola comercial, y en particular de la resiliencia de las prácticas de la agricultura de autoconsumo e intercambio de productos a nivel de las redes socialesMaize is the main plant of "milpa", a Mexican traditional agricultural system. It played a key role in the development of both, the "traditional" and the modern agriculture in Mexico. This article analyzes the evolution of knowledge around this crop, to understand the ways that agricultural innovations are integrated in household agriculture. Our anthropological research in two ejidos in the southeast of Veracruz documents cultural and market logics that guide agricultural practices linked to the maize crop. The production of the maize is considered a total social phenomenon because it is related in complex ways to all components of rural Mexican societies. The abandonment of native maize varieties -today, only 10% of local production- and the emphasis on hybrid varieties are indicators of the supremacy of the market logics over those of household consumption. We find that the conservation of native varieties depends on the social structure, on the ways in which rural communities adapt to a commercial agricultural model, and in particular on the resilience of social relations and social networks related to agricultural practices and exchange of products

Multidimensional Signals and Analytic Flexibility: Estimating Degrees of Freedom in Human-Speech Analyses

Recent empirical studies have highlighted the large degree of analytic flexibility in data analysis that can lead to substantially different conclusions based on the same data set. Thus, researchers have expressed their concerns that these researcher degrees of freedom might facilitate bias and can lead to claims that do not stand the test of time. Even greater flexibility is to be expected in fields in which the primary data lend themselves to a variety of possible operationalizations. The multidimensional, temporally extended nature of speech constitutes an ideal testing ground for assessing the variability in analytic approaches, which derives not only from aspects of statistical modeling but also from decisions regarding the quantification of the measured behavior. In this study, we gave the same speech-production data set to 46 teams of researchers and asked them to answer the same research question, resulting in substantial variability in reported effect sizes and their interpretation. Using Bayesian meta-analytic tools, we further found little to no evidence that the observed variability can be explained by analysts’ prior beliefs, expertise, or the perceived quality of their analyses. In light of this idiosyncratic variability, we recommend that researchers more transparently share details of their analysis, strengthen the link between theoretical construct and quantitative system, and calibrate their (un)certainty in their conclusions

Human Rabies and Rabies in Vampire and Nonvampire Bat Species, Southeastern Peru, 2007

After a human rabies outbreak in southeastern Peru, we collected bats to estimate the prevalence of rabies in various species. Among 165 bats from 6 genera and 10 species, 10.3% were antibody positive; antibody prevalence was similar in vampire and nonvampire bats. Thus, nonvampire bats may also be a source for human rabies in Peru

Global Retinoblastoma Presentation and Analysis by National Income Level.

Importance: Early diagnosis of retinoblastoma, the most common intraocular cancer, can save both a child's life and vision. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that many children across the world are diagnosed late. To our knowledge, the clinical presentation of retinoblastoma has never been assessed on a global scale. Objectives: To report the retinoblastoma stage at diagnosis in patients across the world during a single year, to investigate associations between clinical variables and national income level, and to investigate risk factors for advanced disease at diagnosis. Design, Setting, and Participants: A total of 278 retinoblastoma treatment centers were recruited from June 2017 through December 2018 to participate in a cross-sectional analysis of treatment-naive patients with retinoblastoma who were diagnosed in 2017. Main Outcomes and Measures: Age at presentation, proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, and tumor stage and metastasis. Results: The cohort included 4351 new patients from 153 countries; the median age at diagnosis was 30.5 (interquartile range, 18.3-45.9) months, and 1976 patients (45.4%) were female. Most patients (n = 3685 [84.7%]) were from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Globally, the most common indication for referral was leukocoria (n = 2638 [62.8%]), followed by strabismus (n = 429 [10.2%]) and proptosis (n = 309 [7.4%]). Patients from high-income countries (HICs) were diagnosed at a median age of 14.1 months, with 656 of 666 (98.5%) patients having intraocular retinoblastoma and 2 (0.3%) having metastasis. Patients from low-income countries were diagnosed at a median age of 30.5 months, with 256 of 521 (49.1%) having extraocular retinoblastoma and 94 of 498 (18.9%) having metastasis. Lower national income level was associated with older presentation age, higher proportion of locally advanced disease and distant metastasis, and smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma. Advanced disease at diagnosis was more common in LMICs even after adjusting for age (odds ratio for low-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 17.92 [95% CI, 12.94-24.80], and for lower-middle-income countries vs upper-middle-income countries and HICs, 5.74 [95% CI, 4.30-7.68]). Conclusions and Relevance: This study is estimated to have included more than half of all new retinoblastoma cases worldwide in 2017. Children from LMICs, where the main global retinoblastoma burden lies, presented at an older age with more advanced disease and demonstrated a smaller proportion of familial history of retinoblastoma, likely because many do not reach a childbearing age. Given that retinoblastoma is curable, these data are concerning and mandate intervention at national and international levels. Further studies are needed to investigate factors, other than age at presentation, that may be associated with advanced disease in LMICs

Diagnosis and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Argentine Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, year 2019

El hígado graso no alcohólico (HGNA) es la enfermedad hepática crónica más frecuente en todo el mundo, con una prevalencia aproximada de 25% a nivel global. Su prevalencia es mucho mayor en pacientes con sobrepeso, obesidad y diabetes tipo 2 y es considerada como la manifestación hepática del síndrome metabólico. El espectro de la enfermedad hepática es muy amplio, desde la esteatosis simple a la esteatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrosis y sus complicaciones, como el hepatocarcinoma. La mayoría de los pacientes afectados no progresará a la fibrosis avanzada/cirrosis. A pesar de esto, se ha descripto que la hepatopatía es la tercera causa de muerte entre los pacientes con HGNA, luego de las enfermedades cardiovasculares y las malignas. Entre la enorme cantidad de afectados, lo más importante es identificar a los que están en riesgo de evolución a la cirrosis o sus complicaciones y conocer las opciones de diagnóstico y tratamiento. En esta Guía organizada por la Asociación Argentina para el Estudio de las Enfermedades del Hígado se revisan las definiciones, los aspectos epidemiológicos, la historia natural y un enfoque práctico sobre algoritmos posibles para estimar la gravedad de la hepatopatía en cada caso, además de analizar los avances en el tratamiento y recomendaciones para el seguimiento. Es importante señalar que no se han publicado datos sobre incidencia o prevalencia de la enfermedad en población general de Argentina, y se alienta a la realización de los mismos.. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most frequent chronic liver disease worldwide, with an estimated global prevalence of approximately 25%, that is much higher in patients with overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes. NAFLD is considered as the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome. It has a wide spectrum, from simple steatosis to steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and its complications, such as hepatocellular carcinoma. Most of the affected patients will not evolve to advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. Despite this, it has been described that the hepatic disease is the third cause of death among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver, after cardiovascular and malignant diseases. Among the huge number of patients affected, the main challenge is to identify those who are at risk of developing cirrhosis or its complications and to recognize the diagnostic and treatment options. In this Guideline, endorsed by the Argentine Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, the definitions, epidemiological aspects, natural history and a practical approach to possible algorithms to estimate the severity of liver disease in the individual patient are reviewed; in addition to analyzing advances in treatment and proposing recommendations for follow-up. It is important to note that no data on the incidence or prevalence of the disease have been published in the general population of Argentina, and it is encouraged to carry them out.Fil: Fassio, Eduardo. Hospital Nacional Profesor Alejandro Posadas; ArgentinaFil: Dirchwolf, Melisa. Hospital Privado de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Barreyro, Fernando Javier. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Químicas y Naturales. Departamento de Microbiología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Adrover, Raúl. No especifíca;Fil: Alonso, M. Inés. No especifíca;Fil: Amante, Marcelo. No especifíca;Fil: Ameigeiras, Beatriz. No especifíca;Fil: Barreyro, Fernando J.. No especifíca;Fil: Benavides, Javier. No especifíca;Fil: Bessone, Fernando. No especifíca;Fil: Cairo, Fernando. No especifíca;Fil: Camino, Alejandra. No especifíca;Fil: Cañero Velasco, M. Cristina. No especifíca;Fil: Casciato, Paola. No especifíca;Fil: Cocozzella, Daniel. No especifíca;Fil: Daruich, Jorge. No especifíca;Fil: De Matteo, Elena. No especifíca;Fil: Dirchwolf, Melisa. No especifíca;Fil: Fassio, Eduardo. No especifíca;Fil: Fernández, José Luis. No especifíca;Fil: Fernández, Nora. No especifíca;Fil: Ferretti, Sebastián. No especifíca;Fil: Figueroa, Sebastián. No especifíca;Fil: Galoppo, Marcela. No especifíca;Fil: Godoy, Alicia. No especifíca;Fil: González Ballerga, Esteban. No especifíca;Fil: Graffigna, Mabel. No especifíca;Fil: Guma, Carlos. No especifíca;Fil: Lagues, Cecilia. No especifíca;Fil: Marino, Mónica. No especifíca;Fil: Mendizábal, Manuel. No especifíca;Fil: Mesquida, Marcelo. No especifíca;Fil: Odzak, Andrea. No especifíca;Fil: Peralta, Mirta. No especifíca;Fil: Ridruejo, Ezequiel. No especifíca;Fil: Ruffillo, Gabriela. No especifíca;Fil: Sordá, Juan A.. No especifíca;Fil: Tanno, Mario. No especifíca;Fil: Villamil, Alejandra. No especifíca;Fil: Colombato, Luis. No especifíca;Fil: Fainboim, Hugo. No especifíca;Fil: Gadano, Adrián. No especifíca;Fil: Galoppo, Cristina. No especifíca;Fil: Villamil, Federico. No especifíca

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Multidimensional signals and analytic flexibility: Estimating degrees of freedom in human speech analyses

Recent empirical studies have highlighted the large degree of analytic flexibility in data analysis which can lead to substantially different conclusions based on the same data set. Thus, researchers have expressed their concerns that these researcher degrees of freedom might facilitate bias and can lead to claims that do not stand the test of time. Even greater flexibility is to be expected in fields in which the primary data lend themselves to a variety of possible operationalizations. The multidimensional, temporally extended nature of speech constitutes an ideal testing ground for assessing the variability in analytic approaches, which derives not only from aspects of statistical modeling, but also from decisions regarding the quantification of the measured behavior. In the present study, we gave the same speech production data set to 46 teams of researchers and asked them to answer the same research question, resulting insubstantial variability in reported effect sizes and their interpretation. Using Bayesian meta-analytic tools, we further find little to no evidence that the observed variability can be explained by analysts’ prior beliefs, expertise or the perceived quality of their analyses. In light of this idiosyncratic variability, we recommend that researchers more transparently share details of their analysis, strengthen the link between theoretical construct and quantitative system and calibrate their (un)certainty in their conclusions

Integración mercantil de la milpa campesina y transformación de los conocimientos locales agrícolas

El maíz es la planta principal del sistema agrícola tradicional mexicano llamado "milpa" y en el desarrollo de la agricultura moderna en México. Analizaremos la evolución del sistema de conocimientos del cultivo del maíz ("savoir-faire": prácticas, conocimientos, representaciones) para comprender la forma de integración de innovaciones agrícolas a dicho cultivo. A partir de una investigación de antropología cualitativa en dos ejidos del sureste del estado de Veracruz documentamos las lógicas culturales y mercantiles. La producción del maíz es un fenómeno social total, componente constitutivo de las sociedades rurales mexicanas en toda su complejidad, pedestal de la evolución de los conocimientos locales agrícolas; los cuales se han adaptado a las transformaciones del entorno ecológico, económico y socio-político. El abandono masivo de variedades de maíz nativo -10% de la producción local hoy en día- y la valorización de variedades mejoradas son indicadores de la preponderancia de lógicas mercantiles sobre aquellas de consumo familiar. Encontramos que la conservación de maíces nativos depende de la estructura social, de sus formas de adaptación al modelo agrícola comercial, y en particular de la resiliencia de las prácticas de la agricultura de autoconsumo e intercambio de productos a nivel de las redes socialesMaize is the main plant of "milpa", a Mexican traditional agricultural system. It played a key role in the development of both, the "traditional" and the modern agriculture in Mexico. This article analyzes the evolution of knowledge around this crop, to understand the ways that agricultural innovations are integrated in household agriculture. Our anthropological research in two ejidos in the southeast of Veracruz documents cultural and market logics that guide agricultural practices linked to the maize crop. The production of the maize is considered a total social phenomenon because it is related in complex ways to all components of rural Mexican societies. The abandonment of native maize varieties -today, only 10% of local production- and the emphasis on hybrid varieties are indicators of the supremacy of the market logics over those of household consumption. We find that the conservation of native varieties depends on the social structure, on the ways in which rural communities adapt to a commercial agricultural model, and in particular on the resilience of social relations and social networks related to agricultural practices and exchange of products

Influência de vórtices na concentração de clorofila da confluência Brasil-Malvinas: Mecanismos inferidos por sensoriamento remoto

This study aims to (a) identify the spatial patterns in the surface phytoplankton abundance, here indexed as satellite chlorophyll-a concentration ([chla]), associated with mesoscale eddies of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence (BMC) and (b) infer which are the physical mechanisms responsible for such patterns. In this work, the 57 largest eddies in the broad BMC region were selected from a global eddy dataset based on merged satellite altimetry data. Using those eddies, the main mechanisms which may eddies affect the [chla] were tested: (a) the eddy-pumping, (b) the eddy Ekman pumping and (c) the eddy advection of meridional [chla] gradients. Mean spatial chlorophyll and chlorophyll patterns associated with the selected eddies, as well as correlations between variables that describe the [chla], and its spatial anomalies (Δ[chla]), distribution and the eddies’ physical characteristics, were calculated. Positive and negative anomalies associated with cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies’ interiors, respectively, and significant inverse correlations between eddies’ amplitudes and the difference between Δ[chla] inside and outside the eddies, were found as evidence of eddy-pumping mechanism. The [chla] spatial pattern associated to the eddy advection of meridional gradients was evident in the eastern side of the features, as low (high) [chla] being advected from south (north) in anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies. The magnitude of the difference between Δ[chla] in the east and west eddies’ hemispheres presented itself more dependent on the [chla] meridional gradient intensity than on the eddy rotational velocity. Furthermore, the non-linear parameter of the studied eddies suggest that BCM eddies are capable to transport the water parcels trapped inside them, helping in the propagation of the eddy-pumping signature