Evaluation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) adoption in potato production using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach

Potato production and consumption play a big role in the central highlands of Ecuador. Two main biotic constraints hinder the development of potato crops on the field: the Late Blight (Phytophtora infestans) and the Andean potato Weevil (Premnotrypes vorax). The use of agro‐chemicals started in Ecuador during the agrarian reform in the sixties, and still nowadays small‐scale potato producers customarily apply pesticides to reduce their losses. Overuse/abuse of pesticides in Ecuador represents a threat to human health, to the environment, and a high production cost for some farmers. It can cause the development of pest resistance in crops, and it influences negatively the national food sovereignty. Integrated Pest Management (IPM)has already been proved to be a valid solution to avoid the negativities connected to pesticide use. Yet IPM is not widely employed by potato farmers in Ecuador, and a call for a more holistic IPM evaluation is felt necessary by many stakeholders to move forward. The overarching objectives of this thesis are 1) to assess in which way the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach could evaluate consequences of IPM potential adoption for Late Blight and Andean potato Weevil and 2) to investigate how this potential adoption could influence the livelihood assets of the farmers part of the IssAndes project. To reach these objectives, five research questions were developed on 1) the perceived change over time regarding farming practices, pest/disease gravity and farming knowledge, 2) current pest/disease management practices, 3) current sources of information on pest/disease management, 4) perception on IPM, 5) the most relevant livelihood assets to evaluate IPM adoption in this specific context. To address these questions, focus groups, semi‐structured interviews and PRA methods were carried out with six farmer groups living in the provinces of Tungurahua, Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. Here potato production and pesticide use add to issues related to poverty and social exclusion of indigenous groups. Moreover, key informants and experts were consulted to acquire deep information about the potato sector. As it turns out, farmers perceived, during the last three/four decades, an overall simplification of farming practices, an increased attack of pests and diseases, and a progressive loss of farming knowledge. They nowadays apply many different chemical inputs, that ranges from slightly to very toxic. They acquire information about pest/disease management using formal and informal networks, and they value more positively information coming from other farmers, and from technicians during demonstrative harvests/sowings. Respondents knew only few IPM methods, but they showed a big interest in implementing new technologies that could eventually lower the amount of pesticides they spray; they would do it mainly 1) for the health hazards related to pesticide use, 2) for the high cost of pesticides, 3) and to preserve their natural resource base. The human (i.e. decision making capacity and farming knowledge)and social (i.e. networking capacity)assets resulted to be most significant to evaluate IPM in this specific context. IPM adoption carried out with participatory approaches could trigger experiential learning processes among farmers, enabling them to create valuable local knowledge, thus increasing their access to the human asset. It could also engage them to participate in common activities, creating trust between different communities, thus helping them to expand their networks, and increasing their access to the social asset. This process would have as a livelihood outcome to reduce the vulnerability felt by some farmers towards increasing pest/disease gravity, and the social exclusion experienced by some groups, particularly indigenous

La nueva Belgrano : Un modelo diferente de radio pública (gestión 1984/85)

Investigación que pone en valor una fracción pequeña, pero importante, de la historia de una emisora radiofónica con larga trayectoria en nuestro país. Brinda luz sobre una gestión particular de los años 1984 y 1985 en Radio Belgrano, un propuesta comunicacional muy particular, experimental, democrática, innovadora, pluralista, independiente y de un significativo aporte para el futuro. Una vez recuperada la democracia, después de muchos años de represión, desaparición, miedo, prohibición y censura, surgió una despareja, desordenada y necesaria apertura cultural donde asomaron casos muy particulares e independientes que dejaron una impronta en la sociedad argentina. La gestión de Daniel Divinsky, Rubén Zanoni, Jorge Palacios, Ricardo Horvath y otros, al frente de LR3 Radio Belgrano entre el 26 de diciembre de 1983 y agosto de 1985, fue una experiencia comunicacional que puede considerarse como la base para un nuevo estilo radiofónico moderno con destacada interacción de los oyentes. El Proyecto Belgrano no fue planificado ni organizado previamente, teniendo en cuenta las teorías comunicacionales; fue diagramado en la práctica cotidiana a partir de la conjunción casual de hombres con ideas, proyectos profesionales y experiencias disímiles. Aplicaron un culto muy ortodoxo y general, necesario para el momento, el respeto democrático por las ideas y los pensamientos de todos y todas.Facultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Socia

Communication and the Pragmatic Condition

Presented March 9, 201

Regulation of Marginal Zone B-Cell Differentiation by MicroRNA-146a.

B-cell development in the bone marrow is followed by specification into functional subsets in the spleen, including marginal zone (MZ) B-cells. MZ B-cells are classically characterized by T-independent antigenic responses and require the elaboration of distinct gene expression programs for development. Given their role in gene regulation, it is not surprising that microRNAs are important factors in B-cell development. Recent work demonstrated that deficiency of the NFκB feedback regulator, miR-146a, led to a range of hematopoietic phenotypes, but B-cell phenotypes have not been extensively characterized. Here, we found that miR-146a-deficient mice demonstrate a reduction in MZ B-cells, likely from a developmental block. Utilizing high-throughput sequencing and comparative analysis of developmental stage-specific transcriptomes, we determined that MZ cell differentiation was impaired due to decreases in Notch2 signaling. Our studies reveal miR-146a-dependent B-cell phenotypes and highlight the complex role of miR-146a in the hematopoietic system

Industrial wastewater reuse in inter-plant water networks / Reúso de águas e efluentes entre plantas industriais

This work aims to use a Process Integration method to extend a methodology that involves the selection of water reuse networks among industrial processes. A case study from data representative of an oil refinery and a petrochemical complex was carried out. The results with the inter-plant water networks indicated external sources that can be used for the unidirectional reutilization of the water processes from the refining to the petrochemical. Refining processes with maximum reuse had a 39% reduction in relation to the original consumption, while petrochemicals reduced by around 36%. The scenario involving the integration of both plants, with the incorporation of a distribution central tank and a regenerative process, reached a complementary reduction of about 7% of the water catchment. This integration allows the achievement of new opportunities for reuse, making it an important strategy in environmental decision making in organizations

Smart use of microbial-rich vermicomposting to enhance tripartite plant-microbe-soil interactions

Vermicomposting is a natural process that utilizes earthworms and associated microbiome to transform organic wastes into vermicompost by-products that are rich in beneficial microorganisms and nutrients such as carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, and calcium. Liquid vermicompost extract (LVE), a derivative of the vermicomposting process, has recently gained interest among scientists and organic farmers due to their potential ability to enhance tripartite plant-microbe-soil interactions that would lead to improved plant and root growth, soil health and overall crop yield productivity. To investigate the short-term effect of LVE on soil mycorrhizal inoculum potential (MIP) and plant-mycobiome interactions, a field trial was carried out at CiRAA E. Avanzi, San Piero a Grado, Pisa, Italy. The effect of LVE and its associated microbial and chemical components on soil MIP and AMF root colonization was evaluated on five summer crops, i.e. chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.), berseem clover (Trifolium alexandrinum L.), lentil (Lens culinaris L.), soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.). The test plants were grown with or without the application of LVE in a split-plot trial with five replicates. Freshly made LVE from vermicomposting of wheat straws mixed with horse manure was screened for microbial properties using the Illumina Miseq sequencing platform. Seed inoculation with LVE was done before planting while field inoculation was done at the stem-elongation stage. Un-inoculated seeds and plots were used as controls. Soil MIP was assessed before planting and after harvesting, while AMF root colonization was evaluated at the mid-flowering stage of each crop. The bacterial 16S and fungal ITS sequence analyses showed a high bacteria and fungal abundance and taxonomic alpha diversity present in the LVE. The most dominant taxa included Mucor, Citrobacter, Pseudomonas, Arcobacter, Azomonas and Clostridium. These microbes are commonly found in agricultural soil and are linked to the hydrolysis of complex organic matter, nutrient recycling, production of growth-promoting factors and siderophores, while others are known to produce peptide antimycotics and antibiotics that protect plants against pathogenic soil microorganisms. The soil MIP significantly (p < 0.0001) differed between the two soil sampling times (before planting and after harvesting). It was evident that both seed and field inoculation with LVE significantly enhanced the soil MIP and this could benefit the next crop under rotation. AMF root colonization varied significantly across the crop species (p < 0.0001) and LVE treatment (p = 0.006). Highly nodulated lentils and berseem clover roots recorded significantly higher AMF root colonization than all the other crops. LVE inoculation had an overall positive effect on AMF root colonization with an average increase of 6.2% compared to the un-inoculated crops. These short-term results indicate that there could be a positive effect of the LVE inoculation on the soil MIP and AMF root colonization of our test crops, which could be attributed to the beneficial additive effects of the LVE that enhanced the tripartite plant-microbe-soil interactions

Respiratory viral infections and effects of meteorological parameters and air pollution in adults with respiratory symptoms admitted to the emergency room

Background Respiratory viral infections (RVIs) are the most common causes of respiratory infections. The prevalence of respiratory viruses in adults is underestimated. Meteorological variations and air pollution are likely to play a role in these infections. Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the number of emergency visits for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and to evaluate the association between ILI/SARI, RVI prevalence, and meteorological factors/air pollution, in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, from November 2008 to October 2010. Methods Eleven thousand nine hundred and fifty-three hospitalizations (adults and children) for respiratory symptoms were correlated with meteorological parameters and air pollutants. In a subset of adults, nasopharyngeal aspirates were collected and analyzed through IFI test. The data were analyzed using time-series analysis. Results Influenza-like illness and SARI were diagnosed in 3698 (30 9%) and 2063 (17 7%) patients, respectively. Thirty-seven (9 0%) samples were positive by IFI and 93 of 410 (22 7%) were IFI and/or PCR positive. In a multivariate logistic regression model, IFI positivity was statistically associated with absolute humidity, use of air conditioning, and presence of mold in home. Sunshine duration was significantly associated with the frequency of ILI cases. For SARI cases, the variables mean temperature, sunshine duration, relative humidity, and mean concentration of pollutants were singnificant. Conclusions At least 22% of infections in adult patients admitted to ER with respiratory complaints were caused by RVI. The correlations among meteorological variables, air pollution, ILI/SARI cases, and respiratory viruses demonstrated the relevance of climate factors as significant underlying contributors to the prevalence of RVI

Integrated Soybean Biorefinery

The concept of biorefinery is analogous to that of petroleum refineries, but it uses renewable raw materials. However, the main objective of the biorefinery is to transform renewable agricultural materials into numerous and different commercially applicable products, allowing a viable economic competitiveness to traditional petrochemical refineries. In this chapter, we present a proposal for a biorefinery integrated from soybean as raw material, demonstrating its potential in this sector. In addition, special focus was given to the high value-added products present in the soybean oil deodorizer distillate (SODD), such as tocopherol, fatty acids, and squalene, which can be applied in the food, pharmacy, and cosmetic industries. In conclusion, the use of soybean raw material as a biomass in a biorefinery presents numerous environmental and economic advantages as high value-added products are formed. It is important to highlight that in this highly evolved integrated biorefinery model, the additional benefits of operational and administrative synergies will emerge over time

Disease and fire interact to influence transitions between savanna-forest ecosystems over a multi-decadal experiment

Global change is shifting disturbance regimes that may rapidly change ecosystems, sometimes causing ecosystems to shift between states. Interactions between disturbances such as fire and disease could have especially severe effects, but experimental tests of multi-decadal changes in disturbance regimes are rare. Here, we surveyed vegetation for 35 years in a 54-year fire frequency experiment in a temperate oak savanna-forest ecotone that experienced a recent outbreak of oak wilt. Different fire regimes determined whether plots were savanna or forest by regulating tree abundance (r(2) = 0.70), but disease rapidly reversed the effect of fire exclusion, increasing mortality by 765% in unburned forests, but causing relatively minor changes in frequently burned savannas. Model simulations demonstrated that disease caused unburned forests to transition towards a unique woodland that was prone to transition to savanna if fire was reintroduced. Consequently, disease-fire interactions could shift ecosystem resilience and biome boundaries as pathogen distributions change

Abordagem Híbrida em Redes de Água TOTAL SITE / Hybrid Approach in Total Site Water Networks

As vantagens no uso de abordagens de otimização ou de programação matemática com o uso de superestruturas voltadas para a síntese de redes de água em plantas industriais são de amplo conhecimento, as quais podem ser mencionadas: (1) capacidade de lidar com um grande número de alternativas estruturais e operacionais, simultaneamente, (2) possibilidade de automatização do procedimento de síntese da rede em um nível superior e (3) habilidade de lidar de maneira eficiente com diversas situações, como restrições de correntes do processo etc. No entanto, esta abordagem não elimina as não linearidades que são inerentes aos sistemas e a transparência e visualização do procedimento de síntese é praticamente perdida. Este artigo apresenta uma abordagem sistemática que combina a metodologia do Diagrama de Fontes de Água (DFA) com um procedimento de programação matemática para o reúso de água  TOTAL SITE em plantas industriais. Os resultados obtidos mostram que a abordagem híbrida é extremamente útil para o entendimento geral do problema e para a determinação de um melhor resultado.