The Gendered Nature of Asset Accumulation in Urban Contexts

This paper examines the gendered nature of asset accumulation between 1978 and 2004 in Indio Guayas, a low-income community on the periphery of the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador. In so doing, it emphasizes both the importance of combining quantitative and qualitative intra-household data, as well as taking a longitudinal perspective rather than at a single point in time. This paper seeks to examine the relationship not only between gender and urban income poverty but also, more importantly, between gender and urban asset accumulation, illustrating how the combination of quantitative econometric measurement of assets and qualitative in-depth anthropological findings on the complex underlying gender relations both contribute to a far more comprehensive analysis of asset accumulation processes in urban contexts than can be gained from any single methodological approach.gender, assets, asset accumulation, urban

Surviving in the Suburbios

SUMMARY The form of women's participation in casual work and its implications in terms of their subordination is determined by a complex inter?relationship of economic and non?economic (specifically ideological) factors. This paper uses a case study from Guayaquil, Ecuador, to examine the function and importance of women's work in the survival strategies of low?income households, in a situation where the majority of men are excluded from secure ‘formal’ wage?sector employment. RESUME Survivre dans les ‘Suburbios’ Le mode de participation des femmes au travail occasionnel et ses conséquences en termes de subordination sont déterminés par un réseau complexe de facteurs économiques et non économiques (spécifiquement idéologiques). Cet article part d'une étude de cas sur Guayaquil (Equateur) pour examiner la fonction et l'importance du travail féminin dans les stratégies de survie des ménages à faibles revenus, dans une situation où la majorité des hommes sont exclus de l'emploi ‘formel’ présentant une certaine sécurité. RESUMEN La supervivencia en los suburbios La forma de participación de las mujeres en el trabajo fortuito y sus repercusiones en relación con su subordinación depende de una compleja relación reciproca de factores económicos y no económicos (concretamente, los ideológicos). En este articulo se recurre a un estudio de un caso procedente de Guayaquil, Ecuador, para examinar la función y la importancia del trabajo de las mujeres en las estrategias de supervivencia de los hogares de bajos ingresos, en una situación donde la mayoría de los hombres están excluidos de empleo seguro en el sector “oficial” asalariado

Women of the Working Poor

SUMMARY This article discusses the debate on the relationship between the informal sector [IS] and the formal or capitalist sector, and notes that the link between the two argued in terms of the functionality of the IS to capital, is similar to the arguments made in the domestic labour debate, in which it is argued that women's unpaid housework is functional to capital since it lowers the cost of the reproduction of labour power. The authors suggest that any simple economistic explanation for the existence and growth of the informal sector, and women's work within it, is inadequate. They argue for a conceptual scheme which includes both social and political factors. RESUME Les femmes des travailleurs pauvres Cet article présente le débat sur le lien entre le secteur informel et le secteur formel ou capitaliste et observe que le rapport de fonctionnalité constaté entre le secteur informel et le capital rappelle un argument du débat sur le travail domestique, à savoir que le travail ménager gratuit de la femme sert le capital puisqu'il abaisse le coût de reproduction de la main?d'oeuvre. Les auteurs suggèrent qu'une explication purement économique de l'existence et de la croissance du secteur informel, et du travail féminin dans ce secteur, ne saurait être suffisante et souhaite voir adopter une démarche conceptuelle prenant également en compte les facteurs sociaux et politiques. RESUMEN Las mujeres de los trabajadores pobres En este artículo se analiza el debate sobre la relación entre el sector no oficial y el oficial o capitalista, y pone de relieve que el vínculo entre los dos, planteado en términos de la funcionalidad del sector no oficial hacia el capital, es semejante a los argumentos que se presentan en el debate sobre la mano de obra para servicios domésticos, en los que se alega que la labor sin remuneración de las mujeres en el hogar es funcional para el capital, ya que reduce el costo de la reproducción de la fuerza laboral. Las autoras sugieren que toda explicación economista sencilla de la existencia y crecimiento del sector no oficial y el trabajo de las mujeres dentro de él es inadecuada. Propugnan un sistema conceptual que incluya tanto los factores sociales como los políticos

A perfusion culture system for assessing bone marrow stromal cell differentiation on PLGA scaffolds for bone repair

Biomaterials development for bone repair is currently hindered by the lack of physiologically relevant in vitro testing systems. Here we describe the novel use of a bi-directional perfusion bioreactor to support the long term culture of human bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) differentiated on polylactic co-glycolic acid (PLGA). Primary human BMSCs were seeded onto porous PLGA scaffolds and cultured in static vs. perfusion culture conditions for 21 days in osteogenic vs. control media. PLGA scaffolds were osteoconductive, supporting a mature osteogenic phenotype as shown by the upregulation of Runx2 and the early osteocyte marker E11. Perfusion culture enhanced the expression of osteogenic genes Osteocalcin and Osteopontin. Extracellular matrix deposition and mineralisation were spatially regulated within PLGA scaffolds in a donor dependant manner. This, together with the observed upregulation of Collagen type X suggested an environment permissive for the study of differentiation pathways associated with both intramembranous and endochondral ossification routes of bone healing. This culture system offers a platform to assess BMSC behavior on candidate biomaterials under physiologically relevant conditions. Use of this system may improve our understanding of the environmental cues orchestrating BMSC differentiation and enable fine tuning of biomaterial design as we develop tissue-engineered strategies for bone regeneration

Waste management in Zabrze: Pathways to a More Sustainable System

Zabrze is a medium size town of 200 000 inhabitants in the region of Upper Silesia, Poland. The development of the town was originally based on the exploitation of heavy industries. In the past few years Zabrze has, however, moved towards more service and tourism oriented industries. As part of this journey, the city of Zabrze sees the need to improve its existing waste management system. This report provides possible pathways to reduce municipal solid waste and help Zabrze on its path to become a more sustainable city. In Poland, it is at present not clear who is responsible for municipal waste unlike in Sweden where responsibility lies in the hand of municipalities. Additionally, environmental awareness and understanding for recycling in the Polish population is very low. As a result, the existing system faces many challenges such as extensive illegal dumping, poor waste separation, mixed waste containing hazardous material, inefficient collection, poor waste collection coverage, loopholes, lack of enforcement and fraudulent waste reporting. Other issues are the lack of funding for infrastructural improvements and for educational and informational campaigns. The city also faces the challenge that many factors such as the introduction of a new waste law, EU fines and targets, producer responsibility and deposit systems need to be approached on a national level. The looming change in waste law which will hand-over responsibility of municipal waste to municipalities is a particular challenge for the city of Zabrze. The uncertainty on the timeframe and implementation leads to insecurity on how to finance and adapt the waste management system. Another challenge is the weak collaboration within the region of Upper Silesia not allowing for strong regional solutions and lobbying on a national level. On the positive side, waste management can comprise potentials for the city, especially with regards to funding for waste management projects and educational campaigns from the EU. Additionally, investments from private companies for biogas production and recycling could become an interesting business case in the future. Through this project, experiences from Sweden and particularly the city of Lund as well as the city of Pszczyna in Poland were used and applied to Zabrze. Concrete starting points for improvements include a more proactive approach to waste management, clear decisions on treatment methods and the need for a concrete action plan and schedule. Main recommendations are to strengthen educational activities and raise awareness to prevent and reduce waste. It is crucial that Zabrze chooses a path which leads to a holistic solution in the region, not relying on one specific solution such as incineration. Most importantly the report shows that change towards a sound waste management system takes time, education, good planning and long-term future vision

Using Leaf Fluorescence for Evaluating Atrazine Tolerance of Three Perennial Warm-season Grasses

Atrazine [6-chloro-N-ethyl-N’-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] blocks photosymthetic electron transport in susceptible plants. The energy from the interrupted electron transport is fluoresced from the leaves of atrazine-treated plants. The purpose of this study was to evaluate leaf fluorescence as a nondestructive bioassay of the relative atrazine tolerance of 3 perennnial, warm-season grasses. Leaf section of switchgrass [Panicum virgatum L.] (high tolerance), indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash] (intermediate tolerance), and sideoats grama [Boutelouacurtipendula (Michx.) Torr.] (lower tolerance) were placed in distilled water for 20 minute and then in atrazine solutions. Fluorescence readings were taken prior to and after the atrazine treatment with a portable fluorometer. The difference between the 2 readings provided a reliable measure with low variability of the relative atrazine tolerance of the grasses studied and was effective on greenhouse- and field-grown plants. Optiumum atrazine concentrations and incubation periods were 10-3 M (atrazine in distilled H2O) and 30 min, respectively