Heavy Ion Physics with ALICE

ALICE will study the physics of the strongly interacting matter produced in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC where the formation of the Quark Gluon Plasma is expected. The experimental setup, the capabilities of the detector, and a few selected heavy-ion topics are presented and discussed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Contribution to "XLVII International Winter Meeting on Nuclear Physics, Bormio (Italy), Jan. 26-30, 2009

Conservation and use of genetic resources of underutilized crops in the Americas - A continental analysis

Latin America is home to dramatically diverse agroecological regions which harbor a high concentration of underutilized plant species, whose genetic resources hold the potential to address challenges such as sustainable agricultural development, food security and sovereignty, and climate change. This paper examines the status of an expert-informed list of underutilized crops in Latin America and analyses how the most common features of underuse apply to these. The analysis pays special attention to if and how existing international policy and legal frameworks on biodiversity and plant genetic resources effectively support or not the conservation and sustainable use of underutilized crops. Results show that not all minor crops are affected by the same degree of neglect, and that the aspects under which any crop is underutilized vary greatly, calling for specific analyses and interventions. We also show that current international policy and legal instruments have so far provided limited stimulus and funding for the conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of these crops. Finally, the paper proposes an analytical framework for identifying and evaluating a crop’s underutilization, in order to define the most appropriate type and levels of intervention (international, national, local) for improving its statu

Bioversity International’s contributions to the implementation of article 6 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

In the last 20 years, Bioversity International has coordinated or has been involved in a number of initiatives, projects and activities that contribute to the implementation of Article 6 of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). In this note, we summarize how Bioversity International’s work has contributed to each of the measures indicated in Article 6.2 from a) to g) and present examples of projects that are aligned with these measures. This summary was prepared as a contribution to the Third Meeting of the Ad Hoc Technical Committee on Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources, Vienna, October 2016

Crecimiento postraumático en padres de niños y adolescentes con cáncer.

El cáncer puede provocar reacciones psicológicas negativas. No obstante, la lucha al abordar los problemas oncológicos también puede dar lugar a cambios psicológicos positivos que demuestran la fortaleza del ser humano, siendo una de ellas el crecimiento postraumático (CPT). El objetivo de esta revisión narrativa fue revisar y analizar los artículos, publicados durante los años 2000 a 2018 y disponibles en distintas bases de datos, sobre el CPT en padres y madres de niños y adolescentes con cáncer en el ámbito pediátrico. Se identificaron 20 estudios que incluían 2.422 sujetos, mayoritariamente madres (n=1.788), y que analizaban el CPT en función del parentesco, evolución y tipo de enfermedad del hijo, así como factores predictores del mismo. Tanto padres como madres, son capaces de desarrollar CPT como consecuencia de la experiencia del cáncer de sus hijos, siendo ellas quienes experimentan mayores niveles. En comparación con otras muestras como progenitores de niños con diabetes tipo I o de niños sanos, o pacientes adultos con osteosarcoma, los padres y madres de niños con cáncer refieren mayor CPT. Asimismo, se observan factores que influyen en el desarrollo del CPT, como el contexto cultural, el procesamiento cognitivo, el ajuste a la enfermedad y ciertos rasgos de personalidad. La evidencia científica publicada avala la existencia de CPT en madres y padres de hijos con cáncer. No obstante, sería necesario realizar estudios objetivos, longitudinales, con muestras homogéneas de mayor tamaño, para diseñar intervenciones dirigidas a promocionar ese CPT y no centrarse solo en los aspectos negativos de la enfermedad.post-print213 K

La clase para pensar en la enseñanza de la geometría a través de la resolución de problemas

El siguiente curso tiene como propósito orientar a los docentes de matemática en la construcción y desarrollo de la clase de la “Clase para Pensar” en Geometría, como estrategia innovadora para la enseñanza de procesos cognitivos y metacognitivos y estrategias de resolución de problemas. En él se realizará una fundamentación teórica básica que debe conocer el docente de tal manera que pueda comprender, crear y aplicar una Clase Para Pensar en geometría al finalizar el mismo

Smallholder access to quality and diverse seed in Uganda: implications for food security

This policy briefs presents smallholder farmers' preferences and major challenges when accessing seed in Uganda. It reflects on the weaknesses of the formal and informal seed production and distribution systems and presents some practical recommendations for putting in place alternative and integrative seed quality control systems that can help fill in the gaps that the formal and informal systems cannot address separately

Agricultural biodiversity in climate change adaptation planning

Climate change is one of the biggest threats to food production worldwide. Recently, an increasing number of initiatives have embraced the concept of climate smart agriculture to respond to climate change adaptation and mitigation challenges. A central component of this approach is the use of agricultural biodiversity at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels for increasing productivity, adaptability and resilience of agricultural production systems. This paper analyses the extent to which the use of agricultural biodiversity is included in the National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) developed by 50 least developed countries to guide their actions in relation to climate adaptation. The results of the analyses indicate that in the majority of the NAPAs, agricultural biodiversity has not been incorporated in a comprehensive manner and that increased efforts can be done at national and international levels for effectively making agricultural biodiversity work for most vulnerable countries’ adaptation to climate change

Improving seed systems for smallholder farmers' food security. Report of the mid-term workshop of the project

The project "Improving Seed Systems for Smallholder Farmers' Food Security" aims to contribute to a future in which farmers successfully use crop diversity to ensure their food security and that of their communities, to thrive in challenging conditions and to make their farms resilient. The project addresses to particular issues vital to this goal: i) crop diversity available for farmers through seed systems; and ii) the policies that regulate such systems. The project is funded by the Swiss Development and Cooperation Agency, coordinated by Bioversity International and carried out in Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Nepal, Uganda and Uzbekistan. The project started in 2012. In October 2015, one year before the ending date of the project, Bioversity International and the Nepali organization LI-BIRD organized a project-wide workshop in Pokhara, Nepal, with the following objectives: To exchange experiences and share approaches and methods that have been tested during the life of the project; to review advances in project implementation in each of the countries and prioritize remaining activities; to discuss and agree on project-wide products that can be promoted at international level to allow project results to scale up; and to identify areas of work for a possible second phase of the project. This report presents the main discussions held at the workshop and the agreed actions