Visit to Pakistani Women's Madrasas: April 2007

I visited five women's madrasas, in addition to meeting separately with other male madrasa leaders and briefly sitting in on Hafiz Khalil and Shabbir Ahmed's own 10-day workshop. The report documents the experiences of the author touring women's madrasas in Pakistan

Contrast sensitivities in the Gaia Data Release 2

The source detection sensitivity of Gaia is reduced near sources. To characterise this contrast sensitivity is important for understanding the completeness of the Gaia data products, in particular when evaluating source confusion in less well resolved surveys, such as in photometric monitoring for transits. Here, we statistically evaluate the catalog source density to determine the Gaia Data Release 2 source detection sensitivity as a function of angular separation and brightness ratio from a bright source. The contrast sensitivity from 0.4 arcsec out to 12 arcsec ranges in DG = 0-14 mag. We find the derived contrast sensitivity to be robust with respect to target brightness, colour, source density, and Gaia scan coverage.Comment: Accepted to A&A. 3 pages, two figure

Does It Pay to Be Productive? The Case of Age Groups

Using longitudinal matched employer-employee data for the period 1999-2006, we investigate the relationship between age, wage and productivity in the Belgian private sector. More precisely, we examine how changes in the proportions of young (16-29 years), middle-aged (30-49 years) and older (more than 49 years) workers affect the productivity of firms and test for the presence of productivity-wage gaps. Results (robust to various potential econometric issues, including unobserved firm heterogeneity, endogeneity and state dependence) suggest that workers older than 49 are significantly less productive than prime age and young workers. In contrast, the productivity of middle-age workers is not found to be significantly different compared to young workers. Findings further indicate that average hourly wages within firms increase significantly and monotonically with age. Overall, this leads to the conclusion that young workers are paid below their marginal productivity while older workers appear to be "overpaid" and lends empirical support to theories of deferred compensation over the life-cycle (Lazear, 1979).aging, matched panel data, wages, productivity

Evaluación de programas hipermedia educativos de producto final y en un contexto similar al de aplicación

Siguiendo con la temática de la construcción de hipermedias (Cataldi, Lage et al., 2001), en este artículo se presenta la evaluación del software educativo hipermedial como una herramienta para la selección de las aplicaciones. A través de la evaluación preliminar de los 25 programas más utilizados en todos los niveles del sistema educativo, se detectó la necesidad de estandarizar el diseño y la evaluación de los hipermedias didácticos. Se presentan las grillas de evaluación en forma exhaustiva considerando los aspectos pedagógicos y didácticos, comunicacionales, organizativos y, técnicos y económicos. Éstas se aplican de un hipermedia utilizado como programa didáctico para cursos de iniciales de algoritmia, como así la evaluación efectuada en forma contextualizada. Esta evaluación surge como complemento de las evaluaciones interna y externa que se realizan en el caso de los programas educativos. Se presenta también un modelo de ficha general del programa, la que debería acompañar a la aplicación para facilitar la elección del docente. Finalmente se realiza una evaluación contextualizar de una aplicación, detallando cada una de las etapas de la misma y el tratamiento estadístico de los resultados de la misma y las conclusiones a las que se arribó.Following the thematic of the hypermedia construction (Cataldi, Lage et al., 2001), in this article it is presented the evaluation of hypermedial educative software as a tool for the applications selection. Through the preliminary evaluation of the 25 most used programs in all the levels of the educative system, the necessity to standardize the design and the evaluation of the didactic hypermedia was detected. We present the evaluation grids in an exhaustive form, considering the pedagogical, didactic, communicational, organizational aspects as well as the economics and technicians facets. The grids applied to a hypermedia program used like a didactic tool for initials courses of algorithms, as therefore the evaluation conducted in a contextualized form. This evaluation arises as a complement of the internal and external evaluations made in the educational software. A general card model of the program also appears to accompany the application to facilitate the tutor selection. Finally, a contextualized evaluation of an application is made, detailing each of the steps of the procedure, the stages of the statistical treatment of the results and the conclusions at which we have arrived

Il genere Saxifraga sulle Alpi Apuane: status delle conoscenze e aspetti di conservazione

L’obiettivo del presente lavoro è lo studio della distribuzione sulle Alpi Apuane di alcune specie critiche del genere Saxifraga. Sono stati raccolti dati bibliografici e di erbario sulla distribuzione di tutto il genere Saxifraga nella regione apuana, dal XIX secolo a oggi; tra i più significativi lavori consultati si ricordano i contributi di Pellegrini (1942) e di Ferrarini e Marchetti (1994). I dati sono stati raccolti in tabelle e riportati su cartografia digitale. Quindi sono state selezionate le specie critiche da sottoporre a indagini sul campo, volte a verificarne l’attuale effettiva consistenza. I taxa selezionati sono Saxifraga aspera, S. exarata ssp. pseudoexarata, S. granulata e S. adscendens. Per tre delle entità indagate si è osservata una riduzione dell’area di distribuzione, rispetto a quella ricavata dai dati bibliografici e d’erbario, integrati da segnalazioni in verbis; massima per S. aspera, di poco inferiore per S. adscendens, più contenuta per S. exarata ssp. exarata. Gli esiti dei sopralluoghi sul campo, inoltre, non consentono di confermare la presenza di S. granulata in territorio apuano. Tutte le stazioni delle entità indagate ricadono nell’ambito dei Siti di Importanza Regionale definiti dalla Legge Regionale 56/2000

Control of the plasmonic resonance of a graphene coated plasmonic nanoparticle array combined with a nematic liquid crystal

We report on the fabrication and characterization of a switchable plasmonic device based on a conductive graphene oxide (cGO) coated plasmonic nanoparticle (NP) array, layered with nematic liquid crystal (NLC) as an active medium. A monolayer of NPs has been immobilized on a glass substrate through electrostatic interaction, and then grown in place using nanochemistry. This monolayer is then coated with a thin (less then 100nm) cGO film which acts simultaneously as both an electro-conductive and active medium. The combination of the conductive NP array with a separate top cover substrate having both cGO and a standard LC alignment layer is used for aligning a NLC film in a hybrid configuration. The system is analysed in terms of morphological and electro-optical properties. The spectral response of the sample characterized after each element is added (air, cGO, NLC) reveals a red-shift of the localized plasmonic resonance (LPR) frequency of approximately 62nm with respect to the NP array surrounded by air. The application of an external voltage (8Vpp) is suitable to modulate (blue shift) the LPR frequency by approximately 22nm

Draft genome sequences of Escherichia coli O157: H7 strains Rafaela_II (clade 8) and 7.1_Anguil (clade 6) from cattle in Argentina

Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a major etiologic agent of diseases in humans that cause diarrhea, hemorrhagic colitis, and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of two strains isolated from cattle that had high levels of Shiga toxin 2 and high lethality in mice.Fil: Amadio, Ariel Fernando. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Amigo, Natalia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro Regional Santa Fe. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Puebla, Andrea Fabiana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Farber, Marisa Diana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Cataldi, Ángel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentin

Prospection and Evaluation of (Hemi) Cellulolytic Enzymes Using Untreated and Pretreated Biomasses in Two Argentinean Native Termites

Saccharum officinarum bagasse (common name: sugarcane bagasse) and Pennisetum purpureum (also known as Napier grass) are among the most promising feedstocks for bioethanol production in Argentina and Brazil. In this study, both biomasses were assessed before and after acid pretreatment and following hydrolysis with Nasutitermes aquilinus andCortaritermes fulviceps termite gut digestome. The chemical composition analysis of the biomasses after diluted acid pretreatment showed that the hemicellulose fraction was partially removed. The (hemi) cellulolytic activities were evaluated in bacterial culture supernatantsof termite gut homogenates grown in treated and untreated biomasses. In all cases, we detected significantly higher endoglucanase and xylanase activities using pretreated biomasses compared to untreated biomasses, carboxymethylcellulose and xylan. Several protein bands with (hemi) cellulolytic activity were detected in zymograms and two-dimensionalgel electrophoresis. Some proteins of these bands or spots were identified as xylanolytic peptides by mass spectrometry. Finally, the diversity of cultured cellulolytic bacterial endosymbionts associated to both Argentinean native termite species was analyzed. This study describes, for the first time, bacterial endosymbionts and endogenous (hemi) cellulases of two Argentinean native termites as well as their potential application in degradation of lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol production.Fil: Ben Guerrero, Emiliano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; ArgentinaFil: Arneodo Larochette, Joel Demián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Microbiología y Zoología Agrícola; ArgentinaFil: Bombarda Campanha, Raquel. Ministerio da Agricultura Pecuaria e Abastecimento de Brasil. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria; BrasilFil: Oliveira, Patrícia Abrão de. Ministerio da Agricultura Pecuaria e Abastecimento de Brasil. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria; BrasilFil: Labate, Mônica T. Veneziano. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Cataldi, Thaís Regiani. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Campos, Eleonora. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cataldi, Ángel Adrián. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Labate, Carlos A.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Rodrigues, Clenilson Martins. Ministerio da Agricultura Pecuaria e Abastecimento de Brasil. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuaria; BrasilFil: Talia, Paola Monica. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria. Centro de Investigación en Ciencias Veterinarias y Agronómicas. Instituto de Biotecnología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Metodología extendida para la creación de software educativo desde una visión integradora

En este artículo se resume el trabajo de investigación que llevamos a cabo durante los últimos años, en el área de las metodologías para el diseño, desarrollo y evaluación de software educativo. La metodología que se describe, es aplicable al proceso de desarrollo de software educativo, ya que contempla en las distintas etapas metodológicas los aspectos de naturaleza pedagógicodidácticas que no son tenidos en cuenta en las metodologías convencionales para el desarrollo de software. Debido a la diversidad y a la multiplicidad de las actividades que se requieren para elaborar el producto software, la metodología da soporte a un desarrollo tecnológico interdisciplinario, que tiene como pilares a la ciencia informática y a las teorías del aprendizaje.Este artigo se resume em um trabalho de investigação que desenvolvemos durante os últimos anos, na área de metodologia de projetos, desenvolvimento e avaliação de programas (software) educativos. A metodologia que se descreve, e aplicável ao processo de desenvolvimento de software educativo, já que contemplam nas distintas etapas metodológicas os aspectos da natureza pedagógico-didática que não são tidas em conta nas metodologias convencionaispara o desenvolvimento de software. Devido à diversidade e da multiplicidade de atividades que se requer para elaborar o produto software, a metodologia da suporte para um desenvolvimento tecnológico interdisciplinar, que tem como pilares a ciência da informática e as teorias da aprendizagem