Rapid isolation and characterization of soybean group IX ERF promoters using two different validation tools

Promoters are DNA sequences located upstream of gene coding regions that play enormous role in controlling gene expression. Promoters are also important in transgenic crops as they contain the main elements that directly regulate the introduced transgene. Because of their importance, large efforts in our laboratory have recently focused on identification and characterization of plant promoters. Promoters are usually characterized in stably-transformed plants, which take some time to generate. The main goal of this study was to isolate and characterize a soybean ERF group IX promoter family using two new gene expression validation tools. Ten GmERF (Glycine max Ethylene Response Factor) promoters were identified, cloned and initially characterized using quantitative analysis of transient GFP expression in bombarded lima bean cotyledons. Some of the GmERF promoters gave high levels of transient GFP expression, while profiles of transient GFP expression over varies among GmERF promoters. Generation of stably-transformed soybean hairy roots was also evaluated as an additional validation tool for analysis of the GmERF promoter family. Soybean cotyledon explants, inoculated with Agrobacterium rhizogenes, exhibited numerous GFP-positive hairy roots 14-20 days after inoculation. GFP detection in these roots was greatly facilitated by the lack of chlorophyll, which could otherwise interfere with GFP detection. GFP expression intensity was somewhat variable between different events but consistent within events. In summary, 10 different soybean GmERF promoters were isolated and partially characterized in both transiently expressing and stably-transformed tissues.OARDC/The Ohio State UniversityUnited Soybean Boar

El significado de la vejez y su relación con la salud en ancianas y ancianos integrados a un programa de envejecimiento activo

Revista electrónicaEl presente trabajo busca analizar las percepciones que tiene un grupo de ancianas y ancianos de la comunidad de San Cristóbal Ecatepec, Estado de México, acerca de su vejez y su relación con la salud. El modelo teórico de la Gerontología Social y del Capital Social de Bourdieu, permiten adentrarnos en el análisis de estas percepciones. La metodología cualitativa, a través de entrevistas a profundidad, fueron las vías para recuperar la información. Las ancianas y ancianos forman parte del programa de “Envejecimiento Activo” diseñado en el Centro Universitario Ecatepec, de la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, y la presente investigación es uno de los productos de dicho programa. Los resultados nos muestran que las personas reconocen los cambios físicos que han presentado con el paso de los años, los cuales implican la disminución de sus capacidades físicas; sin embargo, también presentan estrategias que les permiten enfrentar dichos cambios, de tal manera que buscan seguir estando activos en su vida diaria a partir de una actividad ajustada, lo que representa una acción de resistencia ante los estereotipos que la modernidad le ha impuesto al anciano: como una persona en declive y decadencia.Sin financiamient

Application of the biomization technique in the Eastern Colombian Andes

Two pollen records (Lake Fuquene and Pantano de Martos) are analyzed in order to test the usefulness of the Biomization technique to management on forest adaptation to climate change. This work focuses on Biomes and Plant Functional Types response to climate changes on specific dates (18, 14, 12.5, 8 and 6 Kyr) along the Late Quaternary, as deduced from the pollen composition. Results show different responses of vegetation to changes in past environmental conditions, which can be attributed to the different altitudes of the two study sites. While biomes in Lake Fuquene (2500 m a.s.l.) shift from Cool Grassland at 18 Kyr to Cool Mixed Forest and Cool evergreen Forest at 6 Kyr ago, no biome shift is detected in Pantano de Martos (3200 m a.s.l.) through the Late Quaternary. A look to the different Plant Functional Types taking part on the surroundings of the study sites at different ages, together with the analyses of Arboreal / Non Arboreal pollen percentages, give a detailed idea of the ecosystem response to past climate changes. This study shows the potential of the Biomization technique as a simple and powerful tool to analyze ecosystem responses at local and regional scales

Una actividad física eficiente ante el reto de una sociedad de jóvenes influenciada por el modernismo y la tecnología

Actualmente los jóvenes se encuentran influenciados por un estilo de vida dominado por la modernidad y los avances tecnológicos, lo que deriva en una vida sedentaria que produce efectos nocivos en todos los sentidos y todos los ámbitos. Esto, aunado a los programas de un sistema institucional educativo y deportivo con innumerables carencias, nos lleva a una situación más complicada, en la que se añaden factores perjudiciales que abarcan la ignorancia, la incapacidad y los intereses personales, que no nos ayudan a edificar alternativas que comiencen a funcionar. Es primordial el establecimiento de una solución pronta y efectiva, encaminada a sistematizar una actividad física adecuada, basada en argumentos científicos y métodos acordes, que nos provean los diversos beneficios que su práctica otorga y nos ayuden a detener el proceso de deterioro físico, al cual el ritmo de vida actual no arroja

Identificación de áreas críticas de erosión en el Curso Alto del Río Lerma

El Curso Alto del Río Lerma (carl) tiene una extensión de 2 117.9 km2, presenta en su parte alta, el Volcán Nevado de Toluca, elevaciones de 4 560 msnm y en su parte baja la presa José Antonio Alzate una elevación de 2 569 msnm. La abrupta topografía, las altas precipitaciones y la intervención humana (tala de bosques y prácticas agrícolas inadecuadas), presentes en la cuenca, generan anualmente una importante pérdida de suelo. En este trabajo se identifican las áreas del carl que producen mayor pérdida de suelo. Se hizo un esfuerzo para identificar los municipios más afectados con el fin de instarles a tomar medidas preventivas. Estos municipios corresponden a Santiago Tianguistenco, Lerma y Ocoyoacac que juntos representan 60% de las zonas con grado de erosión extrema. En índices de erosión alta a los anteriores se le suman Otzolotepec, Temoaya, Xalatlaco, Toluca en las faldas del Nevado y Zinacantepec

Robotics and Dynamic Image Analysis for Studies of Gene Expression in Plant Tissues

Gene expression in plant tissues is typically studied by destructive extraction of compounds from plant tissues for in vitro analyses. The methods presented here utilize the green fluorescent protein (gfp) gene for continual monitoring of gene expression in the same pieces of tissues, over time. The gfp gene was placed under regulatory control of different promoters and introduced into lima bean cotyledonary tissues via particle bombardment. Cotyledons were then placed on a robotic image collection system, which consisted of a fluorescence dissecting microscope with a digital camera and a 2-dimensional robotics platform custom-designed to allow secure attachment of culture dishes. Images were collected from cotyledonary tissues every hour for 100 hours to generate expression profiles for each promoter. Each collected series of 100 images was first subjected to manual image alignment using ImageReady to make certain that GFP-expressing foci were consistently retained within selected fields of analysis. Specific regions of the series measuring 300 x 400 pixels, were then selected for further analysis to provide GFP Intensity measurements using ImageJ software. Batch images were separated into the red, green and blue channels and GFP-expressing areas were identified using the threshold feature of ImageJ. After subtracting the background fluorescence (subtraction of gray values of non-expressing pixels from every pixel) in the respective red and green channels, GFP intensity was calculated by multiplying the mean grayscale value per pixel by the total number of GFP-expressing pixels in each channel, and then adding those values for both the red and green channels. GFP Intensity values were collected for all 100 time points to yield expression profiles. Variations in GFP expression profiles resulted from differences in factors such as promoter strength, presence of a silencing suppressor, or nature of the promoter. In addition to quantification of GFP intensity, the image series were also used to generate time-lapse animations using ImageReady. Time-lapse animations revealed that the clear majority of cells displayed a relatively rapid increase in GFP expression, followed by a slow decline. Some cells occasionally displayed a sudden loss of fluorescence, which may be associated with rapid cell death. Apparent transport of GFP across the membrane and cell wall to adjacent cells was also observed. Time lapse animations provided additional information that could not otherwise be obtained using GFP Intensity profiles or single time point image collections

Thickness dependent magnetic anisotropy of ultrathin LCMO epitaxial thin films

The magnetic properties of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 (LCMO) manganite thin films were studied with magnetometry and ferromagnetic resonance as a function of film thickness. They maintain the colossal magnetoresistance behavior with a pronounced metal-insulator transition around 150-200 K, except for the very thinnest films studied (3 nm). Nevertheless, LCMO films as thin as 3 nm remain ferromagnetic, without a decrease in saturation magnetization, indicating an absence of dead-layers, although below approx. 6 nm the films remain insulating at low temperature. Magnetization hysteresis loops reveal that the magnetic easy axes lie in the plane of the film for thicknesses in the range of 4-15 nm. Ferromagnetic resonance studies confirm that the easy axes are in-plane, and find a biaxial symmetry in-plane with two, perpendicular easy axes. The directions of the easy axes with respect to the crystallographic directions of the cubic SrTiO3 substrate differ by 45 degrees in 4 nm and 15 nm thick LCMO films.Comment: Presented at Intermag conference (Madrid, 2008). Accepted for publication in IEEE Transactions on Magnetic

Electron Sources for Future Lightsources, Summary and Conclusions for the Activities during FLS 2012

This paper summarizes the discussions, presentations, and activity of the Future Light Sources Workshop 2012 (FLS 2012) working group dedicated to Electron Sources. The focus of the working group was to discuss concepts and technologies that might enable much higher peak and average brightness from electron beam sources. Furthermore the working group was asked to consider methods to greatly improve the robustness of operation and lower the costs of providing electrons.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, summary paper from working group Future Light Sources 2012 Workshop at Newport News, Virginia, USA (http://www.jlab.org/conferences/FLS2012/

Las contradicciones en el Trabajo SociaL: una crítica al ejercicio profesional

Hablar de trabajo social podría convertirse en una de las hazañas más difíciles de cumplir, pues, verdaderamente es una disciplina compleja, diversa y llena de matices. Es que para hablar de trabajo social, debemos hablar de realidades, de contextos, de sujetos, de problemáticas, de perspectivas, de conceptos; en fin, son tantos y tantos temas que componen nuestra profesión, que fácilmente llenamos páginas completas intentando explicar alguno de estos tópicos.

Aporte económico de los juegos de suerte a la salud en Colombia

El presente articulo pretende determinar y reflexionar sobre el aporte económico de los juegos de suerte y azar al sistema de salud en Colombia, partiendo desde un análisis descriptivo de los aspectos más relevantes desde el proceso de adquisición de los recursos de la salud partiendo desde un antes y un después de acuerdo a la legislación colombiana la cual determina la asignación, diferenciando las fuentes y los usos de los recursos, de las diferentes instituciones beneficiarias tanto de carácter público como privado, al igual que las entidades recaudadoras de estos recursos, su destinación y del como las transferencias de los derechos de explotación ayudan al crecimiento, sostenibilidad del sistema de salud en Colombia.Universidad Libre Seccional Pereira -- Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Administrativas y Contables -- Especialización en Alta GerenciaThis article intends to determine and reflect on the economic contribution of games of chance to the health system in Colombia, starting from a descriptive analysis of the most relevant aspects from the process of acquisition of the health resources starting from a before and an after according to the Colombian legislation which determines the allocation, differentiating the sources and uses of the resources, of the different beneficiary institutions, both public and private, as well as the entities that collect these resources, their destination and how the transfers of the exploitation rights help the growth and sustainability of the health system in Colombia