Prenatal development of skull and brain in a mouse model of growth restriction

Patterns of covariation result from the over-lapping effect of several developmental processes. By perturbing certain specific developmental processes, ex-perimental studies contribute to a better understanding of their particular effects on the generation of phenotype. The aim of this work was to analyze the interactions among morphological traits of the skull and the brain during late prenatal life (18.5 days postconception) in mice exposed to maternal protein undernutrition. Images from the skull and brain were obtained through micro-computed tomography and 3D landmark coordinates were digitized in order to quantify shape and size of both structures with geometric morphometric techniques. The results highlight a systemic effect of protein restriction on the size of the skull and the brain, which were both significantly reduced in the under-nourished group compared to control group. Skull shape is partially explained by brain size, and patterns of shape variation were only partially coincident with previous re-ports for other ontogenetic stages, suggesting that allomet-ric trajectories across pre- and postnatal ages change their directions. Within the skull, neurocranial and facial shape traits covaried strongly, while subtle covariation was found between the shape of the skull and the brain. These find-ings are in line with former studies in mutant mice and reveal the importance of carrying out analyses of pheno-typic variation in a broad range of developmental stages. The present study contributes to the basic understanding of epigenetic relations among growing tissues and has di-rect implications for the field of paleoanthropology, where inferences about brain morphology are usually derived from skull remains.Los patrones de covariación entre rasgos fenotí-picos resultan de la acción de diversos procesos que se sola-pan durante el desarrollo. Los estudios experimentales cons-tituyen la aproximación más adecuada para evaluar el efecto de procesos específicos en la generación de tales patrones. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar las interacciones entre rasgos morfológicos craneofaciales y cerebrales durante la vida prenatal tardía (18,5 días posconcepción) en ratones ex-puestos a desnutrición proteica materna. Se obtuvieron imá-genes del cráneo y cerebro a partir de microtomografía com-putada y se digitalizaron landmarks en 3D para cuantificar la forma y tamaño con técnicas de morfometría geométrica. Los resultados subrayan un efecto sistémico de la restricción proteica en el tamaño del cráneo y el cerebro. La forma del cráneo es parcialmente explicable por el tamaño cerebral y los patrones de variación en forma fueron sólo en parte coin-cidentes con los reportados antes para otras edades, lo cual sugiere que las trayectorias alométricas a lo largo de la vida pre- y posnatal cambian su dirección. Los rasgos de forma del neurocráneo y el esqueleto facial covariaron fuertemen-te, aunque se encontró una asociación débil entre la forma del cráneo y del cerebro. Estos resultados concuerdan con estudios previos en ratones mutantes y revelan la relevancia de analizar la variación fenotípica en distintas etapas. El pre-sente estudio contribuye al conocimiento básico de las inte-racciones epigenéticas entre tejidos en crecimiento y tiene implicancias en el campo paleoantropológico en el que las inferencias acerca de la morfología cerebral son usualmen-te derivadas del análisis del cráneo.Fil: Barbeito Andrés, Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Paula Natalia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico CONICET- La Plata. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria "Ing. Fernando Noel Dulout". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Instituto de Genética Veterinaria; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Hallgrimsson, Benedikt. University of Calgary; Canad

Acculturation and the association to alcohol use and contraception decisions in Hispanic women

Prenatal exposure to substances of abuse is a significant public health problem in the United States. Alcohol use among women has increased over the past decade and the gender gap between men and women related to drinking continues to narrow, creating the potential for alcohol-related, adverse health effects, including alcohol-exposed pregnancy. Furthermore, there appears to be a change in drinking patterns when it comes to Hispanic women who are more highly acculturated. Despite this, few studies have examined the association between acculturation levels and decisions about alcohol and contraception use. This study utilizes the transtheoretical model of behavior change, the social cognitive model, and the social ecological model to understand the most relevant individual and systemic elements that affect behavior change. The current study analyzes data from a parent study, two-group randomized clinical trial of 261 women of reproductive age receiving services in primary care clinics receiving either CHOICES Plus or Brief Advice. The results showed differences between alcohol and contraception use outcomes for Hispanic versus non-Hispanic women. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that acculturation was also associated with differences in some of the transtheoretical model constructs. Further research should explore differences in acculturation among Hispanic subgroups. The data also support existing literature that suggests the need for components of interventions to be adapted based on ethnicity and level of acculturation.Social Wor

Aproximaciones al Amazonas como Bien Común Natural: Entre el Pluralismo Jurídico y la Seguridad Ambiental

El creciente deterioro ambiental planetario y la consecuente preocupaci n de movimientos ambientalistas y de los gobiernos por proteger los ecosistemas que a n sobreviven al esquema de explotaci n y extracci n de recursos naturales con el fin de detener o bien disminuir los efectos nocivos del cambio clim tico sobre el planeta ha provocado numerosas iniciativas por parte de las potencias para cooperar con los pa ses que poseen dichos ecosistemas en torno a su protecci n Actualmente la situaci n de calentamiento global junto al creciente deterioro d e los diferentes ecosistemas y de recursos naturales no renovables han llevado a que tanto gobiernos como organizaciones no gubernamentales y emergentes movimientos ambientalistas de car cter transnacional sean cada vez m s conscientes de la amenaza mundial que implica no proteger el medio que nos otorga la subsistencia esto es la naturaleza Es por ello que la mayor a de gobiernos en conjunto con movimientos sociales han intentado generar pol ticas que disminuyan y mitiguen el impacto nocivo del calentamiento global pero poco han hecho frente a la verdadera causa del problema que es el desarrollo de actividades productivas y extractivista

Three essays on environmental economics and intra-household decision making

This dissertation is divided into two major topics. The first two chapters belong to the field of environmental economics and the third chapter belongs to development and behavioral economics. The work on environmental economics is divided into two parts: Chapter 1 studies the design of environmental markets when pollutants are complements and Chapter 2 studies the effectiveness of a subsidy program that promotes cover crops, a new pollution abatement technology in agriculture, in Iowa. Lastly, the work on development economics in Chapter 3 studies intra-household dynamics using a lab-in-the-field risk experiment in rural Cameroon. As environmental concerns are gaining more attention, the need for more research on environmental markets seem pertinent. Among the topics that require more attention is the usage or prohibition of double-dipping or stacking, which occurs when a firm is allowed to obtain payments for two environmental services that come from the same action. Given the various implementations of payments for ecosystem/environmental services (PES), understanding the usage of payments for several environmental services becomes very relevant for policy makers. Motivated by the relevance of this subject, Chapter 1 includes a theoretical framework on the design of environmental programs for pollutants that are complements and Chapter 2 includes an empirical assessment of a payment program to increase the adoption of a new pollution abatement technology. The interest in the design of environmental programs for pollutants that are complements is motivated by the current state of the literature. In particular, the literature lacks a consensus on whether program participants should be compensated for reductions of both pollutants, which is commonly referred to as double-dipping or stacking (Woodward 2011, Murray et al. 2012, Cooley & Olander 2012, Greenhalgh 2008, Moslener & Requate 2005). Several authors have attempted to understand the implications of double-dipping, but there are unresolved questions in need of additional study. Chapter 1\u27s contribution to the literature is to further expand the understanding of different environmental program designs (e.g. prices versus quantities (Ambec & Coria 2011, Weitzman 1974)). Chapter 1 includes a theoretical framework that expands Woodward\u27s model to consider more policy designs. Chapter 1 compares quantities with prices. Under prices, a regulator can allow or prohibit double-dipping. Hence, three policy choices are essentially compared. The chapter starts with a regulator who has full information. Then, it moves to a second-best setting modeling two scenarios in which full information is absent for the regulator. The first scenario is based on two uncoordinated regulators who set either prices or quantities without taking into account the other regulator\u27s environmental program. The second scenario is based on a regulator who designs two environmental programs ignoring complementarity. A contribution of Chapter 1 is to explicitly model the regulators\u27 behavior. Under each scenario, there are market characteristics that favor one policy over the other. In particular, the curvature of the marginal benefit curves favors the usage of prices versus quantities, not ruling out prices with stacking. By understanding different environmental program designs, policy makers can design better programs that attain pollution abatement more efficiently. The motivation for Chapter 2 is based on water quality problems that remain severe across much of the United States. Improvements are particularly challenging in agricultural regions where upwards of 90 percent of the pollution load comes from sources that fall outside regulatory control under the Clean Water Act. These nutrient sources are responsible for a large “dead” zone in the Gulf of Mexico, the closure of Toledo\u27s drinking water facility, and ubiquitous damage to recreational amenities. In Iowa, several state and federal programs encourage the adoption a new agricultural pollution abatement technology, cover crops, through cost-share funding opportunities, in which farmers receive matching funds or incentive payments to cover a proportion of the conservation costs. The promotion of cover crops through cost-share funding combined with a longitudinal data set with large Iowa farm operators including information on farmers both before and after introduction of the subsidy program provides an identification strategy to evaluate the effectiveness of funding for this promising new abatement technology. Using propensity score matching and a Tobit estimator that takes into account non-adoption, Chapter 2 finds that cost-share funding significantly increases the proportion of cover crops planted and cover crops acres among both recipients of funds and among adopters. These results have critical implications for finding solutions to address persistent water quality problems with limited conservation budgets. Lastly, Chapter 3 is motivated by the importance of intra-household dynamics and spouses\u27 relative influence on household expenditure decisions for the success of development strategies. The study is based on the results from a lab-in-the-field risk experiment in rural Camerooon, in which husband and wife individually participated in isolation and then participated together as a couple. Using the experimental results, Chapter 3 focuses on risk preference differences between spouses, spouses\u27 individual influence over the couple\u27s joint decision, and the relation between this relative influence and different expenditure decisions. Chapter 3 answers the following research questions: (i) Are there differences in risk preference between husbands and wives within households?; (ii) are there differences in the relative influence of each spouse over joint decisions involving risk?; and (iii) how does this relative influence affect household educational and medical expenditure decisions? Chapter 3 finds evidence of risk aversion among husbands, wives, and couples (i.e. husband and wife together) on average, in which husbands are more risk averse than wives and couples. The study identifies some factors influencing the heterogeneity in risk preferences between spouses including whether the wife chose her husband for marriage and whether the wife worked during the past year. For the relative influence of spouses over couple\u27s decisions under risk, Chapter 3 finds variables that increase the likelihood that one spouse is closer to the couple. Moreover, using a proxy for female bargaining power based on the difference in choices between each spouse and the couple, the study finds that monogamous wives are more likely to be more empowered than polygamous wives. At the same time, monogamous wives married to Muslim husbands are more likely to be less empowered than monogamous wives married to non-Muslim husbands. Lastly, the proxy for female bargaining power is positively correlated with educational and medical expenditures. Chapter 3\u27s results provide a deeper insight into intra-household dynamics in the studied area, but more research is required to continue informing policy and supporting the generation of more effective development strategies in the region

Agricultural Land Use Change in the Corn Belt

The conversion of grass-like land to row crops (in our case, corn or soybeans) and general land use change in the Corn Belt region has important water quality implications. Additional agricultural production can increase nutrient runoff into the Upper Mississippi River Basin, thereby increasing the size of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. We use two data sources from the National Agricultural Statistical Services (NASS) to obtain detailed land use information in the Corn Belt from 2006 to 2014. We also identify and analyze any similarities and discrepancies between both data sources

Communicating Sustainability through Packaging Graphic Design: Associated Sociodemographic Factors

[EN] Although increasingly valued and demanded by consumers, sustainability qualities regarding both product and packaging are not always transmitted effectively. In many packages, we find contradictory messages because the texts, graphics, and materials do not communicate the same about sustainability. To improve the communication of sustainability through the graphic elements of the packaging, this research seeks to determine which visual variables (color, fonts, and images) better convey the concept of sustainability to consumers and whether social¿demographic factors (age and level of education) influence consumers¿ perception. The research is two-phased: first, semi-structured interviews with expert packaging graphic designers and, second, a survey of 544 consumers. The results state that color is the element that communicates better sustainability in packaging and that the graphic design that transmits a sustainable look is the one that bets on strategies that entail saving on resources: fewer inks and images or backgrounds without dyeing. In turn, age and educational level influence the communication capacity that graphic design has to transmit a product¿s sustainability. The research conclusions constitute a guide to improving the communication of the concept of sustainability, and guarantee that the visual elements will connect with the structural and verbal elements of the packaging.Ampuero-Canellas, O.; Gonzalez-Del-Rio, J.; Tarazona-Belenguer, N. (2023). Communicating Sustainability through Packaging Graphic Design: Associated Sociodemographic Factors. Design Principles and Practices An International Journal¿Annual Review. 17(1):1-21. https://doi.org/10.18848/1833-1874/CGP/v17i01/1-2112117

Soft Elastomers Based on the Epoxy-Amine Chemistry and Their Use for the Design of Adsorbent Amphiphilic Magnetic Nanocomposites

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based soft elastomers, bearing tertiary amine and hydroxyl groups, were synthesized in bulk from the epoxy–amine reaction between poly(ethylene glycol) diglycidyl ether (PEGDE) and a poly(etherdiamine), Jeffamine ED600. High gel fractions (≥0.95) and low glass transition temperatures (Tg ≈ −50 ◦C) were attained after complete curing of the systems in bulk. The amphiphilicity of the network allowed the swelling of the materials in both aqueous solutions and a variety of organic solvents. Magnetic nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ coprecipitation of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) in the elastomeric matrix. The obtained materials were processed by cryogenic milling to obtain powders that were tested as potential magnetic adsorbents and that showed a fast and strong response to the action of a permanent magnet. These materials showed removal rates of at least 50% in 10 min when used in the adsorption of Cu+2 ions from an aqueous solution, making them interesting candidates for the design of magnetically separable metal ion adsorbents.Fil: Arciniegas Vaca, Magda Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Jimena Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Hoppe, Cristina Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentin

Composite Gels Based on Poly (Vinyl alcohol) for Biomedical Uses

Nowadays, poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels are being studied for several biomedical applications such as joint replacement, wound dressings and controlled drug-releasing devices, among others. Reinforced PVA hydrogels show good mechanical properties and are a suitable option to replace cartilages. Furthermore, these materials can prevent loss of body fluids, be a barrier against bacteria and also permeable to oxygen, for these all interesting properties, they are used like wound dressings. For drug delivery systems a material that can control the dose and release at the site of action is desirable, this can be accomplished using hydrogels, which are loaded with a drug, and then they can release it when an external stimulus (light, temperature, magnetic field, etc.) takes place. The aim of this work was to obtain composite hydrogels for the previously mentioned biomedical applications. Hydroxyapatite (HA) reinforced PVA gels were prepared for potential uses as cartilage replacement, HA improves the mechanical, tribological and fixing properties of the polymer, reaching values similar to that of the cartilages. For wound dressings, the hydrogel was reinforced with bentonite (clay) in order to increase the dimensional stability and antimicrobial properties. Gels with controlled drug release capability under magnetic stimulation (ferrogels) were also synthesized and characterized here.Fil: Hoppe, Cristina Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Vera Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); ArgentinaFil: Maiolo, Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Jimena Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); Argentin

Elastomers obtained by crosslinking of α,ω-bis(glycidylether) poly(dimethylsiloxane) as versatile platforms for functional materials

Elastomers with an interesting set of properties were synthesized by crosslinking α,ω-bis(glycidylether)poly(dimethylsiloxane,PDMS), using two different strategies. The first one was the anionic homopolymerization of terminal epoxy groups initiated by 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP); the second strategy was the crosslinking with a polyoxypropylenediamine (Jeffamine D2000). Reaction conditions were selected to achieve complete conversion of epoxy groups. Resulting soft elastomers (PDMS-Homop and PDMS-D2000) were transparent materials with gel fractions higher 95%. PDMS-D2000 exhibited an outstanding damping capacity (maximum tan δ > 2) in a temperature range located between −50 °C and −75 °C, assigned to a high viscous dissipation during the relaxation of polyoxypropylene blocks. PDMS-Homop showed also good damping properties in a broader low-temperature range. A significant property of both elastomers was the capacity to re-organize their nanostructures, as shown by SAXS spectra and contact angle measurements, in response to the hydrophilic or hydrophobic nature of the liquid in contact. Hydroxyl groups present in the chemical structure of PDMS-D2000 could be used as reducing agents for the in situ generation of gold nanoparticles from an infused Au(III) compound. The synthesis was also performed using a sacrificial template to provide macroporosity to the resulting materials. These macroporous elastomers were used to remove organic components from water. Magnetic nanoparticles were infused and stabilized inside the macroporous structure to allow magnetic separation of the materials after use.Fil: Gonzalez, Jimena Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Hoppe, Cristina Elena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; ArgentinaFil: Williams, Roberto Juan Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ingeniería. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales; Argentin