Uruguay: el estreno de la izquierda

El debut de la izquierda en Uruguay abre una nueva etapa y plantea nuevas interrogantes. La izquierda uruguaya nucleada en el Frente Amplio ganó las elecciones de octubre 2004 y su estreno en el gobierno –que se suma a las experiencias de Brasil, Chile y Argentina– implica una alternancia trascendente, aunque de perfil moderado, en el marco de uno de los sistemas de partidos más antiguos del mundo, que experimenta cambios considerables, pero preserva su alto grado de institucionalización y competitividad. Tal acontecimiento tiene repercusiones para el Mercosur y América Latina, que interesan a su vez a las relaciones con EEUU y Europa. Este artículo aporta claves explicativas del ascenso del Frente Amplio y esboza el escenario de gobierno que puede plantear el debut de una izquierda, que mantiene su identidad, pero ha hecho un recorrido hacia el centro

Out of Mind: Undergraduate Predictors of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

Demographic factors associated with anxiety have been studied extensively and are often characterized by interconnected relationships. These associations between variables provide insight into the predictive ability of anxiety in undergraduate populations. However, few studies if any have investigated the relationships between class level, sex, honors status, and undergraduate specialization as predictors of anxiety among an undergraduate American university sample. The results of this study provide key insight into the psychopathological development of undergraduate students and anxiety levels as it pertains to academic and demographic variables. By using a multiple linear regression analysis, demographic variables of American undergraduate students are compared to Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) scores. Participants have been selected at a medium sized university through the usage of emails containing a survey questionnaire. Once completed, the participant\u27s responses to class level and sex are compared to PSWQ scores, allowing associations to be quantified. Findings suggest that female students experience higher levels of anxiety symptoms; class rank, major, and honors status are not significant predictors of symptom presentation in the sample

Gene flow among populations of Anopheles gambiae: a critical review

The success of genetic-control programmes aimed at introducing genes into wild Anopheles gambiae populations depends on our understanding of the genetic structure of these populations. Population-genetic studies are required for identifying discrete population groups across Africa, determining their geographical distribution and evaluating the degree to which they may be reproductively isolated. Population studies are also needed to estimate the rate at which genes may spread within and between populations at various spatial scales and to identify biological and physical features of the environment that may interfere with their movement. Studies of the mechanisms of reproductive isolation between molecular/chromosomal forms of An. gambiae can be used to validate the results of population-genetic approaches and aid in the development of reproductively competitive laboratory strains. In the following, we review past and recent studies that cover these aspects of An. gambiae population genetics and ecology. We critically discuss the validity of the designs and methodologies involved in an attempt to provide a sound basis for future undertakings. We also discuss new directions and priorities in the light of the recent developments toward a genetic-control strategy for An. gambia

A new robust diagnostic polymerase chain reaction for determining the mating status of female Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes.

The principal malaria vector in Africa, Anopheles gambiae, contains two pairs of autosomes and one pair of sex chromosomes. The Y chromosome is only associated with males and other Y chromosome-specific DNA sequences, which are transferred to women during mating. A reliable tool to determine the mating status of dried wild An. gambiae females is currently lacking. DNA was extracted from dried virgin and mated females and used to test whether Y chromosome-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) markers can be successfully amplified and used as a predictor of mating. Here we report a new PCR-based method to determine the mating status among successfully inseminated and virgin wild An. gambiae females, using three male-specific primers. This dissection-free method has the potential to facilitate studies of both population demographics and gene flow from dried mosquito samples routinely collected in epidemiologic monitoring and aid existing and new malaria-vector control approaches

Abundance of conserved CRISPR-Cas9 target sites within the highly polymorphic genomes of Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes.

A number of recent papers report that standing genetic variation in natural populations includes ubiquitous polymorphisms within target sites for Cas9-based gene drive (CGD) and that these "drive resistant alleles" (DRA) preclude the successful application of CGD for managing these populations. Here we report the results of a survey of 1280 genomes of the mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae, An. coluzzii, and Aedes aegypti in which we determine that ~90% of all protein-encoding CGD target genes in natural populations include at least one target site with no DRAs at a frequency of ≥1.0%. We conclude that the abundance of conserved target sites in mosquito genomes and the inherent flexibility in CGD design obviates the concern that DRAs present in the standing genetic variation of mosquito populations will be detrimental to the deployment of this technology for population modification strategies

Uruguay: a social democratic government in Latín America

El debut de la izquierda uruguaya en el gobierno abre una alternativa de tipo social democrático en América Latina, que se suma a las experiencias del mismo género que surgen en Brasil y Chile (Lula da Silva, Ricardo Lagos y Michelle Bachelet), en un estreno que puede compararse con los ejemplares europeos «clásicos» y «tardíos». El artículo establece las características distintivas de estas figuras «periféricas», que sobrevienen en el global south y a diferencia de otros gobiernos contemporáneos de la región, son protagonizadas por una izquierda institucional. A continuación el texto esboza un análisis comparativo del «potencial social democrático», que varía considerablemente en los tres países, en función de los recursos políticos de cada gobierno: legados institucionales, coeficiente de poder, «pilar» corporativo conformado con los sindicatos, conexión con otros sectores populares. En esta comparación, el gobierno uruguayo presenta los rasgos más propicios para desarrollar una alternativa social democrática «criolla»

Colonization of malaria vectors under semi-field conditions as a strategy for maintaining genetic and phenotypic similarity with wild populations

Background Malaria still accounts for an estimated 207 million cases and 627,000 deaths worldwide each year. One proposed approach to complement existing malaria control methods is the release of genetically-modified (GM) and/or sterile male mosquitoes. As opposed to laboratory colonization, this requires realistic semi field systems to produce males that can compete for females in nature. This study investigated whether the establishment of a colony of the vector Anopheles arabiensis under more natural semi-field conditions can maintain higher levels of genetic diversity than achieved by laboratory colonization using traditional methods.<p></p> Methods Wild females of the African malaria vector An. arabiensis were collected from a village in southern Tanzania and used to establish new colonies under different conditions at the Ifakara Health Institute. Levels of genetic diversity and inbreeding were monitored in colonies of An. arabiensis that were simultaneously established in small cage colonies in the SFS and in a large semi-field (SFS) cage and compared with that observed in the original founder population. Phenotypic traits that determine their fitness (body size and energetic reserves) were measured at 10th generation and compared to founder wild population.<p></p> Results In contrast to small cage colonies, the SFS population of An. arabiensis exhibited a higher degree of similarity to the founding field population through time in several ways: (i) the SFS colony maintained a significantly higher level of genetic variation than small cage colonies, (ii) the SFS colony had a lower degree of inbreeding than small cage colonies, and (iii) the mean and range of mosquito body size in the SFS colony was closer to that of the founding wild population than that of small cage colonies. Small cage colonies had significantly lower lipids and higher glycogen abundances than SFS and wild population.<p></p> Conclusions Colonization of An. arabiensis under semi-field conditions was associated with the retention of a higher degree of genetic diversity, reduced inbreeding and greater phenotypic similarity to the founding wild population than observed in small cage colonies. Thus, mosquitoes from such semi-field populations are expected to provide more realistic representation of mosquito ecology and physiology than those from small cage colonies.<p></p&gt