A Note on Remittances in El Salvador and Ecuador: An Analysis of Household Survey Data

This study analyzes the impact of remittances as seen in household survey data from three small rural communities. OLS and multivariate anova regressions were used to analyze household survey data collected in Cumbe and Gualaceo (Ecuador) and in Ciudad Romero (El Salvador). The results contradict the findings of some studies concluding that in many countries remittances acted as “compensation for poor economic performance” rather than capital promoting economic development. Ce papier a pour objectif de proposer une étude de cas sur l’impact des transferts de fonds individuels des émigrés vers leur village d’origine. L’étude repose sur des données collectées dans le cadre d’entretiens individuels réalisés dans trois villages : Cumbe et Gualaceo (Equateur) et Ciudad Romero (El Salvador). Les résultats contredisent, dans le cadre de ces villages, certaines études précédentes qui concluaient en l’absence d’impacts de long-terme des fonds transférés. En utilisant un modèle simple fondé sur la méthode des moindres carrés ordinaires complété par une analyse de variance multi-variée, cette étude montre un impact positif des transferts de fonds sur l’investissement, en plus d’être un soutien financier pour les produits de première nécessité.remittances, Latin America, development, human capital, foreign aid , transferts de fonds, Amérique latine, développement économique, capital humain, aide internationale

“What Should I Like to Work on Today?” Assessing Student Response on Appointment Request Forms

Responses to appointment request forms, whether detailed or sparse, allow writing center tutors to initiate conversations with students about perceptions of their writing and their identities as writers. In this study, we examine how students answer the question, “What would you like to work on today?” from 26 appointment request forms submitted to The University of Toledo Writing Center during Fall 2018 along with an analysis of post-session tutor reports. It is an opportunity, as Muriel Harris (1986) writes, “to listen more closely to hear what is being said ‘behind’ the words” (p. 61). Our analysis is grounded in the idea of “threshold concepts” from Adler-Kassner and Wardle’s (2016) edited collection Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies. Included in this theoretical framework is inquiry into how students learn to use language to navigate their way into academia. One such threshold, we posit, takes place through their interaction within the space of an online text box in which they articulate expectations for their WC appointment. The text box becomes a valuable space for students to tell us something, even if they are not sure exactly what that is. Presenters ask the questions: Do we need to listen more carefully or ask better questions? When we ask, “What would you like to work on today?” are we really inviting students to ask us, “What Should I Like to Work on Today?” Finally, what are implications of this dialogue space for tutor methodology and training

The Effect of Proximity to a Highway on the Health of Malosma laurina Leaves

Due to an increase in air pollutants, heavy metal contaminates, and other adverse ecological conditions that plants near a road endure, it was hypothesized that plant species situated near a road would have a detectable decrease in photosynthetic performance when compared to plants away from the road. This investigation evaluated the in vivo photosynthetic status of two Malasma Laurina pairs with differing microhabitats, adjacent to the Pacific Coast Highway and 100 meters away from a Pacific Coast Highway. Maximum quantum yield and stomatal conductance measurements were recorded for each group. On average, the maximum quantum yield was greater on plants near the road

How effective is preening against mobile ectoparasites? An experimental test with pigeons and hippoboscid flies

ManuscriptBirds combat ectoparasites with many defences but the first line of defence is grooming behaviour, which includes preening with the bill and scratching with the feet. Preening has been shown to be very effective against ectoparasites. However, most tests have been with feather lice, which are relatively slow moving. Less is known about the effectiveness of preening as a defence against more mobile and evasive ectoparasites such as hippoboscid flies. Hippoboscids, which feed on blood, have direct effects on the host such as anaemia, as well as indirect effects as vectors of pathogens. Hence, effective defence against hippoboscid flies is important. We used captive Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) to test whether preening behaviour helps to control pigeon flies (Pseudolynchia canariensis). We found that pigeons responded to fly infestation by preening twice as much as pigeons without flies. Preening birds killed twice as many flies over the course of our week-long experiment as birds with impaired preening; however, preening did not kill all of the flies. We also tested the role of the bill overhang, which is critical for effective preening against feather lice, by experimentally removing the overhang and re-measuring the effectiveness of preening against flies. Birds without overhangs were as effective at controlling flies as were birds with overhangs. Overall, we found that preening is effective against mobile hippoboscid flies, yet it does not eliminate them. We discuss the potential impact of preening on the transmission dynamics of blood parasites vectored by hippoboscid flies

An experimental test of the effects of behavioral and immunological defenses against vectors: do they interact to protect birds from blood parasites?

pre-printBackground: Blood-feeding arthropods can harm their hosts in many ways, such as through direct tissue damage and anemia, but also by distracting hosts from foraging or watching for predators. Blood-borne pathogens transmitted by arthropods can further harm the host. Thus, effective behavioral and immunological defenses against blood-feeding arthropods may provide important fitness advantages to hosts if they reduce bites, and in systems involving pathogen transmission, if they lower pathogen transmission rate. Methods: We tested whether Rock Pigeons (Columba livia) have effective behavioral and immunological defenses against a blood-feeding hippoboscid fly (Pseudolynchia canariensis) and, if so, whether the two defenses interact. The fly vectors the blood parasite Haemoproteus columbae; we further tested whether these defenses reduced the transmission success of blood parasites when birds were exposed to infected flies. We compared four experimental treatments in which hosts had available both purported defenses, only one of the defenses, or no defenses against the flies. Results: We found that preening and immunological defenses were each effective in decreasing the survival and reproductive success of flies. However, the two defenses were additive, rather than one defense enhancing or decreasing the effectiveness of the other defense. Neither defense reduced the prevalence of H. columbae, nor the intensity of infection in birds exposed to infected flies. Conclusions: Flies experience reduced fitness when maintained on hosts with immunological or preening defenses. This suggests that if vectors are given a choice among hosts, they may choose hosts that are less defended, which could impact pathogen transmission in a system where vectors can choose among hosts

The role of social capital and community belongingness for exercise adherence: An exploratory study of the CrossFit gym model

This is the first study to measure the ‘sense of community’ reportedly offered by the CrossFit gym model. A cross-sectional study adapted Social Capital and General Belongingness scales to compare perceptions of a CrossFit gym and a traditional gym. CrossFit gym members reported significantly higher levels of social capital (both bridging and bonding) and community belongingness compared with traditional gym members. However, regression analysis showed neither social capital, community belongingness, nor gym type was an independent predictor of gym attendance. Exercise and health professionals may benefit from evaluating further the ‘sense of community’ offered by gym-based exercise programmes

High-field CW EPR with Gd(III) spin labels for structure studies of membrane proteins

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) in combination with site-directed spin labeling (SDSL) is a powerful tool for elucidating the structure, organization, and dynamics of biomolecules in native-like environments. With EPR and SDSL, we can site-specically label pairs of sites in a biomolecule and accurately measure the distance, or distribution of distances, between them on length scales ranging from Angstroms to several nanometers. Of particular interest are membrane proteins and higher-order membrane protein complexes, which have historically resisted traditional biophysical characterization techniques. EPR as a means to measure protein structure becomes even more powerful at high fields and using Gd(III) spin labels, which together provide much improved sensitivity. This work expands on the capabilities of high-field continuous-wave (CW) EPR for distance measurement with spin labels based on Gd(III) complexes. First, we investigate a model system of and show that CW EPR with Gd(III) labels allows for distance measurements in the range of at least 1.2 - 3.4 nm at cryogenic temperatures. We additionally show that distance measurements are possible up to room temperature. Next, we investigate the zero-field splitting - a property of great importance for determining the EPR lineshape of high-spin systems - for a variety of different Gd(III) complexes. Combining EPR spectra measured at 35 GHz, 95 GHz, and 240 GHz, we compare literature models for the broadly distributed second-order ZFS parameters D and E. We test these results against a superposition model for predicting the magnitude of the ZFS based on knowledge of the structure of a Gd(III) complex, which can potentially be useful for designing new Gd(III) complexes tailored for use as spin labels with high-field EPR. Finally, we apply high-field CW EPR with Gd(III) spin labels to the study of proteorhodopsin (PR), a transmembrane protein that functions as a light-driven proton pump for marine bacteria. Inter-PR CW EPR distance measurements in the range of ~1.5 - 3 nm are used to elucidate the functionally relevant oligomeric structure of PR, demonstrating the usefulness of this technique in targeting complex oligomeric systems. Finally, we present the development of methods which will allow CW EPR with Gd(III) to be used as a probe of protein dynamics, by measuring at a distance change induced by motions of the E-F loop region of PR upon light activation

Local to global policy as a catalyst for change: key messages

Feeding and nourishing a growing and changing global population in the face of rising numbers of chronically hungry people, slow progress on malnutrition, environmental degradation, systemic inequality, and the dire projections of climate change, demands a transformation in global food systems. Policy change at multiple levels is critical for catalysing an inclusive and sustainable transformation in food systems; global and regional policy are transformative only insofar as they are translated into ambitious national action with adequate support, including both public and private investment. Three areas of policy change show potential to be catalytic: 1) reducing emissions and increasing resilience, 2) tackling food loss and waste, and 3) shifting diets to promote nutrition and sustainability. Trade-offs mean a multi-sectoral approach to policymaking is needed, while inequalities in food systems necessitate transparent, inclusive processes and results. Gender inequality, in particular, must be addressed. Transformation demands participation and action from all actors