Educación y cuidado de los hijos. Experiencia para madres y niños colombianos, 2003

Este trabajo analiza cómo las decisiones de tiempo de la madre y las características del hogar afectan el desarrollo de los hijos. El desarrollo de los menores es visto desde dos perspectivas: educación y cuidado infantil. Para la educación, se consideran la asistencia y la extraedad escolar de los menores, es decir, el número de años de retraso respecto al grado en que deberían estar de acuerdo con su edad. Para el cuidado infantil, se examina la elección de los padres entre las diferentes alternativas posibles para el cuidado del hijo durante el tiempo en el cual no asiste al colegio. La participación laboral de la madre y la presencia del padre en el hogar son determinantes y significativas en todos los modelos. Ellas aumentan la probabilidad de que el menor asista a la escuela y disminuyen la de que presente retraso escolar. No obstante, el hecho de que la madre trabaje horas extras afecta de manera negativa la calidad de vida de los hijos. La educación de la madre también resulta fundamental en la crianza de hijos de calidad, al igual que desincentiva el uso de alternativas no necesariamente beneficiosas para el cuidado del menor.educación, cuidado del hijo, oferta laboral femenina

El Clima i la producció d'olives a la Catalunya seca: el cas de Cabacés (el Priorat)

En un context de canvi climàtic cal estudiar les vulnerabilitats del territori a escala local. En aquest treball s'analitza la producció d'oli de qualitat en un indret de la Catalunya seca, Cabacés (el Priorat), i es posa en relació amb la variabilitat climàtica. Els resultats mostren que el clima té una influència important en la producció d'olives, sobretot les temperatures màximes del mes d'abril i les precipitacions del mes més sec, juliol. S'obté un model de regressió múltiple a partir d'aquestes dues variables climàtiques més influents en la producció. No obstant això, els valors del model s'allunyen dels reals a partir de l'any 2003 a causa d'un creixement molt elevat de la producció per l'extensió del reg de suport. Les futures vulnerabilitats no només depenen del canvi climàtic, sinó dels efectes del canvi global, fenomen que també engloba tots aquells canvis en els usos, hàbits i consums del territori.In the current context of climate change, proper studies of regional and local vulnerabilities are required. This study analyses the relationship between the high quality olive production in a municipality of southern Catalonia, Cabacés (Priorat), and climate variability. Results show the climate effects –maximum temperature in April, and rainfall in July– on olive production. Nevertheless, irrigation caused a high increase in olive production along the last decade. This fact leads to a disagreement in the multiple regressions, modelled by the climatic variables above-mentioned, after 2002. Thus, to define future vulnerabilities must be taken the global change into account, which considers climate change and other changes in land and water uses.En un contexto de cambio climático es necesario estudiar las vulnerabilidades del territorio a escala local. Este trabajo analiza la producción de aceite de calidad en una localidad de la Cataluña seca, Cabacés (Priorat), en relación con la variabilidad climática. Los resultados muestran que el clima tiene una influencia importante en la producción de aceitunas, sobre todo las temperaturas máximas de abril y las precipitaciones del mes más seco, julio. Se obtiene un modelo de regresión múltiple a partir de estas dos variables climáticas más influyentes en la producción. No obstante, los valores del modelo se alejan de los reales a partir de 2003 debido al importante aumento de la producción por la extensión del riego de soporte. Las futuras vulnerabilidades no dependen solamente del cambio climático, sino de los efectos del cambio global, fenómeno que también incluye todos aquellos cambios en los usos, hábitos y consumos del territorio

Characterization and evaluation of antifungal activity in vitro of Aloe vera fractions against postharvest fungi

Aloe vera leaves can be separated in a liquid fraction (exudate) and a mucilaginous pulp (gel). Recently, the antifungal activity of their components has been reported. The common technique for gel extraction from A. vera leaves are the traditional manual (in this case the liquid fraction is not separated) and a mechanical methods. Moreover, as a result of its processing the bagasse is obtained. The aim of this work was to recover and characterize the fractions of A. vera and to identify the fraction with highest antifungal activity against phytopathogen postharvest fungi (Botrytis cinerea and Penicillium spp.). A simple and inexpensive extraction method was used to obtain A. vera fractions from 50 kg leaves by means of a designed laboratory roll processor. The yields of extraction were as follows: 15.76% ± 4.0, 51.20% ± 5.20, and 33.02% ± 5.0 for gel, liquid fraction and bagasse, respectively. The three fractions were physico-chemically characterized (protein, monosaccharide composition, ashes, lipids) and resulted to be mainly composed by glucose and mannose in all the cases. Results showed the effectiveness of A. vera fractions in the growth control of phytopathogen postharvest fungi, with visible reduction of fungal growth

Elongation Factor TFIIS Prevents Transcription Stress and R-Loop Accumulation to Maintain Genome Stability

Although correlations between RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription stress, R-loops, and genome instability have been established, the mechanisms underlying these connections remain poorly understood. Here, we used a mutant version of the transcription elongation factor TFIIS (TFIISmut), aiming to specifically induce increased levels of RNAPII pausing, arrest, and/or backtracking in human cells. Indeed, TFIISmut expression results in slower elongation rates, relative depletion of polymerases from the end of genes, and increased levels of stopped RNAPII; it affects mRNA splicing and termination as well. Remarkably, TFIISmut expression also dramatically increases R-loops, which may form at the anterior end of backtracked RNAPII and trigger genome instability, including DNA strand breaks. These results shed light on the relationship between transcription stress and R-loops and suggest that different classes of R-loops may exist, potentially with distinct consequences for genome stability.Cancer Research UK FC001166UK Medical Research Council FC001166Wellcome Trust FC001166European Research Council 693327, ERC2014 AdG669898Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BFU2013-42918-P, BFU2016-75058-

CARACTERIZACIÓN FÍSICA-QUÍMICA-ENERGÉTICA DE PELLETS DE HOJARASCA RESIDUAL COMO BIOCOMBUSTIBLE RENOVABLE

En el campus central de la Universidad de Antioquia se generan alrededor de 2.8 ton/mes de hojarasca (base seca). El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar este material residual como alternativa energética mediante la estimación de su potencial energético y la caracterización física y termoquímica de la biomasa residual sometida a un pretratamiento de densificación (peletizado). Para la obtención del combustible se utilizó una peletizadora a escala de laboratorio (30-40 kg/h), para la preparación de los pellets se evaluó el contenido de humedad y de glicerol como agentes aglomerantes dentro de la mezcla. El material densificado posee una densidad energética entre 5500-7300 MJ/m3 frente a 2800 MJ/m3 de la hojarasca sin pretratamiento. El aumento de este parámetro muestra un mejoramiento de las propiedades energéticas del combustible para ser usado en procesos termoquímicos. Con el aumento del contenido de humedad se encuentra una disminución del 15% en la cantidad de material volátil del combustible. Evaluando las propiedades físicas se encuentra que la resistencia a la tracción de los pellets varía entre 220-240 kPa y que con el aumento del contenido de glicerol los pellets tienen una mayor capacidad de deformación (deformaciones entre 0.5-2.25 mm), lo que se relaciona con una mayor durabilidad de los pellets.

The consistency condition for the three-point function in dissipative single-clock inflation

We generalize the consistency condition for the three-point function in single field inflation to the case of dissipative, multi-field, single-clock models. We use the recently introduced extension of the effective field theory of inflation that accounts for dissipative effects, to provide an explicit proof to leading (non-trivial) order in the generalized slow roll parameters and mixing with gravity scales. Our results illustrate the conditions necessary for the validity of the consistency relation in situations with many degrees of freedom relevant during inflation, namely that there is a preferred clock. Departures from this condition in forthcoming experiments would rule out not only single field but also a large class of multi-field models.Comment: 26+11 page

Preliminary data on cold-water corals and large sponges by-catch from Spanish/EU bottom trawl groundfish surveys in NAFO Regulatory Area (Divs. 3LMNO) and Canadian EEZ (Div. 3L): 2005-2007 period

Since 2005, by-catch of vulnerable invertebrates, such as cold-water corals and large sponges, has been studied with special attention in the Spanish/EU bottom trawl groundfish surveys in Northwest Atlantic (NAFO Divs. 3LMNO). Based on this research, twenty-nine different taxa of cold-water corals have been preliminarily identified in the study area: five alcyonaceans, ten gorgonaceans, ten pennatulaceans, three solitary scleractinians and one antipatharian. No colonial scleractinians were recorded during these surveys and reef structures are unlikely to occur in the study area. The main large sponges found belong to the family Geodiidae. The volume of cold-water corals and large sponges in the by-catches was generally low in the regularly-used fishing grounds studied. Most of the by-catches were recorded in hauls carried out in areas outside of regular fishing grounds for the bottom trawlers. By-catches of large gorgonians were recorded in three small areas located in Divs. 3LM (two in Div. 3L and one in Div. 3M), indicating that Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs) could occur there. Pennatulaceans, solitary scleractinians, alcyonaceans and antipatharians were also observed as part of bycatch in some hauls carried out in Divs. 3LMO, but it is not clear if these by-catches indicate presence of VMEs in the area sampled. Highest diversity of coral species was found in Div. 3M. Large sponges occurred in deep waters, in a narrow band along Northern slope of the Grand Banks (Div. 3N) and Southern Flemish Pass (Div. 3L) as well as in several patches located in North-eastern and Eastern Flemish Cap. The preliminary information presented here, derived solely from bottom trawl survey by-catch records, it is not enough for identification of VMEs accurately, but it is very valuable to give a general view of where VMEs like to occur or not occur. Previous experience from other North Atlantic high-seas fishing grounds (e.g. NEAFC Regulatory Area) suggests that additional geohabitat mapping and information on fishery footprint will be needed for the accurate delineation of VMEs and for the subsequent adoption of suitable habitat conservation measures such as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to preserve cold-water corals and large sponges in NAFO Area

Clinical and Molecular Study of the NOG Gene in Families with Mandibular Micrognathism

Q1Pacientes con Micrognatismo mandibularObjectives: Previous studies showed that noggin gene (NOG) sequence alterations, as well as epigenetic factors, could influence mandibular development. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical characteristics, NOG gene sequences, and promoter methylation sites in patients with mandibular micrognathism. Materials and Methods: A total of 35 individuals of five Colombian families were subject to clinical and cephalometric analysis for mandibular micrognathism. One nonaffected individual of each family was included as a control. DNA was isolated from whole blood sample from all individuals by salting out method. Nine NOG gene fragments were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. Identification of CpG islands for methylation analysis at the NOG gene promoter was performed by MSP-PCR kit (Qiagen R). Statistical Analysis: A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out evaluating the presence or absence of genetics variants and the methylation sites in the NOG gene. Results: NOG sequence results of affected individuals with mandibular micrognathism for one of the families studied demonstrated that they were heterozygous for 672 C/A (new mutation). For a second family, individuals were heterozygous for 567 G/C (single nucleotide polymorphism [SNP] RS116716909). For DNA analyzed from all patients studied, no methylations were observed at the NOG gene promoter region. Conclusion: Our results suggested that 672 C/A and 567 G/C variants could be involved in the presence of mandibular micrognathism. Moreover, lack of methylation sites at the NOG gene promoter region of all individuals studied suggests possibly other epigenetic factors could modulate mandibular growth. The search of genetic variants related with mandibular micrognathism will allow to predict in an integral way the development patterns of the patients and therefore establish a better clinical treatment.https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2112-2563https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9879-9775https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0770-9138https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2527-3593Revista Internacional - IndexadaA2N

Active study: undetected prevalence and clinical inertia in the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP)

Aims To prove if there is clinical inertia in the identification and treatment of episodes of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP), comparing actual results from clinical practice with clinical oncologists’ prior perception. Design Observational and descriptive study, using information collected by practising medical oncologists, at three moments: (a) questionnaire regarding their professional judgement of the handling of patients with BTcP in their practice, (b) cross-sectional clinical screening, to detect possible existing cases of BTcP in a representative sample of their patients, (c) retrospective self-audit of clinical case histories of patients diagnosed with BTcP to find out about how it has been handled. Participants and study period A random sample on a state level of 108 specialists in medical oncology. 540 patients who suffer some type of cancer pain on the designated study date for each specialist (July–December 2016). Results The global prevalence of BTcP in the study sample covered 91.3% of the patients who were suffering some type of cancer pain. Barely 2% of the doctors surveyed suspected figures around this mark. 40.9% of the cases had not been previously detected as BTcP by their doctors. Although 90% of the patients who had previously been diagnosed with BTcP received a specific analgesic treatment for the symptoms, 42% of those patients with known BTcP were not able to control their episodes of pain. Conclusions Clinical inertia is a serious problem in the handling of BTcP in medical oncology services, where it is the subject of a significantly low level of detection and treatment, despite the contrasting perception of specialists.pre-print339 K

Detekcija polimorfizama jednog nukleotida (SNP-a) u HER2, MUC1, ESR1 i BRCA1 gena povezanih s tumorom mliječne žlijezde kuja

Worldwide, canine mammary cancer (CMC) is the most frequent type of neoplasia in female dogs, and it is three times more frequent in dogs than in humans. In Colombia, CMC is the second most frequent type of cancer, after skin neoplasia. Genetics is one of the most important factors involved in any type of cancer, and the genetic basis of this disease is reflected through line breeding due to changes in allelic frequencies that are traceable using molecular markers. This study aimed to detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with CMC in blood samples collected from collected from healthy and CMC female dogs at Diego Villegas Toro Veterinary Hospital of Universidad de Caldas (Manizales, Colombia). We designed primers using Primer-BLAST and Primer3, and gene fragments from HER2, MUC1, ESR1, and BRCA1 were amplified to identify SNPs through genome mapping using the UCSC Genome Institute genome browser. We used the genome of Canis lupus familaris Boxer breed [GCF_000002285.3, (CanFam 3.1)] as a reference to compare the gene fragments and SNPs. We associated SNPs with the CMC and control groups by testing odds ratios (OR) through Fisher’s exact tests to determine an association or risk for CMC. We detected two SNPs for ESR1, three for MUC1, six for HER2, and one for BRCA1. MUC1 was the only gene to display an SNP in an exonic region that resulted in an amino acid substitution (Pro>Thr). No significant differences based on the OR were found, though the majority of SNPs, with the exception of four, were found in females with CMC. We report a novel molecular marker for HER2 that amplifies exons 25–26 and introns 24-25, and highlight the importance of conducting further studies on MUC1 and elucidating the role of introns and splicing in candidate genes associated with CMC.Diljem svijeta, tumor mliječne žlijezde kuja (CMC) najčešća je skupina neoplazija kuja te je tri puta učestalija u pasa nego u ljudi. U Kolumbiji, CMC je bio druga najčešća vrsta tumora, nakon neoplazija na koži. Nadalje, genetika je jedan od najvažnijih čimbenika uključenih u bilo koju vrstu tumora, a genetska baza ove bolesti održava se kroz linijski uzgoj uslijed promjena alelnih frekvencija, koje se mogu pratiti preko molekularnih markera. Ova studija imala je za cilj detektirati polimorfizme jednog nukleotida (SNP-e) povezane s CMC-om u uzorcima krvi prikupljenih od kuja s CMC-om i zdravih kuja u veterinarskoj bolnici Diego Villegas Toro Sveučilišta Caldas (Manizales, Kolumbija). Dizajnirali smo početnice uporabom Primer-BLAST i Primer3 te su fragmenti gena HER2, MUC1, ESR1 i BRCA1 pojačani za identifikaciju SNP-a preko mapiranja genoma uporabom preglednika genoma Instituta za genom Sveučilišta Santa Cruz u Kaliforniji (UCSC). Rabili smo genom Canis lupus familaris pasmine bokser [GCF_000002285.3, (CanFam 3.1)] kao referencu za usporedbu fragmenata gena i SNP-a. Povezali smo SNP-e s CMC-om i kontrolnim skupinama testiranjem omjera izgleda (OR) pomoću Fisherovih egzaktnih testova za određivanje povezanosti ili rizika od CMC-a. Detektirali smo dva SNP-a za ESR1, tri za MUC1, šest za HER2 i jedan za BRCA1. MUC1 je bio jedini gen koji je pokazao SNP u regiji egzona što je rezultiralo supstitucijom aminokiseline (Pro>Thr). Nismo pronašli značajne razlike na temelju OR-a, premda je većina SNP-a, izuzev četiri, pronađena u kuja s CMC-om. Prijavljujemo novi molekularni marker za HER2 koji pojačava egzone 25 - 26 i introne 24 - 25 te naglašavamo važnost provođenja dodatnih studija na MUC1, kao i pojašnjenja uloge introna i izrezivanja u gena kandidata poveznih s CMC-om