La significación de una Economía Ecológica radical

El surgimiento de la Economía Ecológica (EE) como campo articulador de disciplinas le ha proporcionado un importante espacio de legitimidad para abordar la relación economía-sociedad-naturaleza, requiriendo de la incorporación de un pluralismo metodológico. Ello ha derivado en la manifestación de una heterogénea expresión de corrientes contrastants entre los practicantes de este campo; cada una partiendo de diferentes premisas epistemológicas y éticas para abordar la relación entre la racionalidad económica y la (in)sustentabilidad. La racionalidad económica (neoclásica) ha tenido fuerte presencia en los enfoques de la EE. Otros intentos metodológicos críticos evidencian el papel de tal racionalidad en la imposición de lenguajes de valoración (monetaria) de la naturaleza y en la generación de los conflictos económicos distributivos. Dado el contexto de una crisis de civilización manifestado en los ámbitos socio-económicos y ambientales, el ejercicio crítico de pluralismo metodológico es altamente relevante. En este artículo se plantea que la perspectiva marxista puede enriquecer a dicho enfoque, no solo en la comprensión de la crisis socio-ambiental y económica que padecemos actualmente, sino también en la identificación de estrategias para su transformación. Esta exploración es identificada como una aportación al necesario debate de la significación de una versión radical de la EE.The emergence of Ecological Economics (EE) as a field of study to articulate a number of diverse disciplines has conferred its legitimacy on the study of the relationship economy-society-nature, with methodological pluralism as one of its central tenets. This has led to a multiplicity of contrasting analytical currents among its practitioners, each taking as its point of departure different epistemological and ethical premises to confront the relation between economic rationality and (un)sustainability. Neoclassical economic rationality maintains a strong presence in EE. Other critical methodological approaches make it clear that the role of monetary valuations of nature and the lack of consideration of distributive conflicts contribute to social and environmental problems that are part of the "crisis of civilization". To face the challenge posed by these problems, the relevance of methodological pluralism for analysis is clear. This article suggests that a Marxist perspective can enrich the analysis, not only by aiding in the understanding of today's economic and socioenvironmental crises but also by identifying strategies for overcoming them. The text argues that these additional considerations provide a contribution to the necessary debate for the consolidation of a radical version of EE

Nanocellulose-Based Inks—Effect of Alginate Content on the Water Absorption of 3D Printed Constructs

2,2,6,6-tetramethylpyperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were used as ink for three-dimensional (3D) printing of porous structures with potential as wound dressings. Alginate (10, 20, 30 and 40 wt%) was incorporated into the formulation to facilitate the ionic cross-linking with calcium chloride (CaCl2). The effect of two different concentrations of CaCl2 (50 and 100 mM) was studied. The 3D printed hydrogels were freeze-dried to produce aerogels which were tested for water absorption. Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM) pictures demonstrated that the higher the concentration of the cross-linker the higher the definition of the printed tracks. CNF-based aerogels showed a remarkable water absorption capability. Although the incorporation of alginate and the cross-linking with CaCl2 led to shrinkage of the 3D printed constructs, the approach yielded suitable porous structures for water and moisture absorption. It is concluded that the 3D printed biocomposite structures developed in this study have characteristics that are promising for wound dressings devices

Strategies Employed by Community-Based Service Providers to Address HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Challenges: A Qualitative Study

Background: HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and other causes of neurocognitive challenges experienced by people living with HIV (PLWH) persist as public health concerns in developed countries. Consequently, PLWH who experience neurocognitive challenges increasingly require social support and mental health services from community-based providers in the HIV sector. Methods: Thirty-three providers from 22 AIDS service organizations across Ontario, Canada, were interviewed to determine the strategies they used to support PLWH experiencing neurocognitive difficulties. Thematic analysis was conducted to determine key themes from the interview data. Results: Three types of strategies were identified: (a) intrapersonal, (b) interpersonal, and (c) organizational. Intrapersonal strategies involved learning and staying informed about causes of neurocognitive challenges. Interpersonal strategies included providing practical assistance, information, counseling, and/or referrals to PLWH. Organizational strategies included creating dedicated support groups for PLWH experiencing neurocognitive challenges, partnering with other organizations with services not available within their own organization, and advocating for greater access to services with expertise and experience working with PLWH. Conclusion: Through concerted efforts in the future, it is likely that empirically investigating, developing, and customizing these strategies specifically to address HIV-associated neurocognitive challenges will yield improved social support and mental health outcomes for PLWH

The Differentiation and Stress Response Factor XBP-1 Drives Multiple Myeloma Pathogenesis

Multiple myeloma (MM) evolves from a highly prevalent premalignant condition termed MGUS. The factors underlying the malignant transformation of MGUS are unknown. We report a MGUS/MM phenotype in transgenic mice with Eμ-directed expression of the XBP-1 spliced isoform (XBP-1s), a factor governing unfolded protein/ER stress response and plasma-cell development. Eμ-XBP-1s elicited elevated serum Ig and skin alterations. With age, Eμ-xbp-1s transgenics develop features diagnostic of human MM, including bone lytic lesions and subendothelial Ig deposition. Furthermore, transcriptional profiles of Eμ-xbp-1s lymphoid and MM cells show aberrant expression of known human MM dysregulated genes. The similarities of this model with the human disease, coupled with documented frequent XBP-1s overexpression in human MM, serve to implicate XBP-1s dysregulation in MM pathogenesis

Determination of the respiratory compensation point by detecting changes in intercostal muscles oxygenation by using near-infrared spectroscopy

This study aimed to evaluate if the changes in oxygen saturation levels at intercostal muscles (SmO2-m.intercostales) assessed by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) using a wearable device could determine the respiratory compensation point (RCP) during exercise. Fifteen healthy competitive triathletes (8 male; 29±6 years; height 167.6±25.6 cm; weight 69.2±9.4 kg; V ̇O2-máx 58.4±8.1 mL·kg-1·min-1) were evaluated in a cycle ergometer during the maximal oxygen-uptake test (V ̇O2-máx), while lung ventilation (V ̇E), power output (watts, W) and SmO2-m.intercostales were measured. RCP was determined by visual method (RCPvisual: changes at ventilatory equivalents (V ̇E·V ̇CO2-1, V ̇E·V ̇O2-1) and end-tidal respiratory pressure (PetO2, PetCO2) and NIRS method (RCPNIRS: breakpoint of fall in SmO2-m.intercostales). During exercise, SmO2-m.intercostales decreased continuously showing a higher decrease when V ̇E increased abruptly. A good agreement between methods used to determine RCP was found (visual vs NIRS) at %V ̇O2-máx, V ̇O2, V ̇E, and W (Bland-Altman test). Correlations were found to each parameters analyzed (r=0.854; r=0.865; r=0.981; and r=0,968; respectively. p<0.001 in all variables, Pearson test), with no differences (p<0.001 in all variables, t-student test) between methods used (RCPvisual and RCPNIRS). We concluded that changes at SmO2-m.intercostales measured by NIRS could adequately determine RCP in triathletes

Visual Performance Fields: Frames of Reference

Performance in most visual discrimination tasks is better along the horizontal than the vertical meridian (Horizontal-Vertical Anisotropy, HVA), and along the lower than the upper vertical meridian (Vertical Meridian Asymmetry, VMA), with intermediate performance at intercardinal locations. As these inhomogeneities are prevalent throughout visual tasks, it is important to understand the perceptual consequences of dissociating spatial reference frames. In all studies of performance fields so far, allocentric environmental references and egocentric observer reference frames were aligned. Here we quantified the effects of manipulating head-centric and retinotopic coordinates on the shape of visual performance fields. When observers viewed briefly presented radial arrays of Gabors and discriminated the tilt of a target relative to homogeneously oriented distractors, performance fields shifted with head tilt (Experiment 1), and fixation (Experiment 2). These results show that performance fields shift in-line with egocentric referents, corresponding to the retinal location of the stimulus

Use of attribute association error probability estimates to evaluate quality of medical record geocodes

BACKGROUND: The utility of patient attributes associated with the spatiotemporal analysis of medical records lies not just in their values but also the strength of association between them. Estimating the extent to which a hierarchy of conditional probability exists between patient attribute associations such as patient identifying fields, patient and date of diagnosis, and patient and address at diagnosis is fundamental to estimating the strength of association between patient and geocode, and patient and enumeration area. We propose a hierarchy for the attribute associations within medical records that enable spatiotemporal relationships. We also present a set of metrics that store attribute association error probability (AAEP), to estimate error probability for all attribute associations upon which certainty in a patient geocode depends. METHODS: A series of experiments were undertaken to understand how error estimation could be operationalized within health data and what levels of AAEP in real data reveal themselves using these methods. Specifically, the goals of this evaluation were to (1) assess if the concept of our error assessment techniques could be implemented by a population-based cancer registry; (2) apply the techniques to real data from a large health data agency and characterize the observed levels of AAEP; and (3) demonstrate how detected AAEP might impact spatiotemporal health research. RESULTS: We present an evaluation of AAEP metrics generated for cancer cases in a North Carolina county. We show examples of how we estimated AAEP for selected attribute associations and circumstances. We demonstrate the distribution of AAEP in our case sample across attribute associations, and demonstrate ways in which disease registry specific operations influence the prevalence of AAEP estimates for specific attribute associations. CONCLUSIONS: The effort to detect and store estimates of AAEP is worthwhile because of the increase in confidence fostered by the attribute association level approach to the assessment of uncertainty in patient geocodes, relative to existing geocoding related uncertainty metrics

RELICS: Strong Lens Models for Five Galaxy Clusters From the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey

Strong gravitational lensing by galaxy clusters magnifies background galaxies, enhancing our ability to discover statistically significant samples of galaxies at z>6, in order to constrain the high-redshift galaxy luminosity functions. Here, we present the first five lens models out of the Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey (RELICS) Hubble Treasury Program, based on new HST WFC3/IR and ACS imaging of the clusters RXC J0142.9+4438, Abell 2537, Abell 2163, RXC J2211.7-0349, and ACT-CLJ0102-49151. The derived lensing magnification is essential for estimating the intrinsic properties of high-redshift galaxy candidates, and properly accounting for the survey volume. We report on new spectroscopic redshifts of multiply imaged lensed galaxies behind these clusters, which are used as constraints, and detail our strategy to reduce systematic uncertainties due to lack of spectroscopic information. In addition, we quantify the uncertainty on the lensing magnification due to statistical and systematic errors related to the lens modeling process, and find that in all but one cluster, the magnification is constrained to better than 20% in at least 80% of the field of view, including statistical and systematic uncertainties. The five clusters presented in this paper span the range of masses and redshifts of the clusters in the RELICS program. We find that they exhibit similar strong lensing efficiencies to the clusters targeted by the Hubble Frontier Fields within the WFC3/IR field of view. Outputs of the lens models are made available to the community through the Mikulski Archive for Space TelescopesComment: Accepted to Ap