EMBODIED FATNESS IN BOYS: A CRITICAL PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY

This dissertation was an exploratory study of experiences of fatness in boyhood using a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative method. The author conducted in-depth, open-ended interviews with participants who identify as men and for whom fatness or related body-difference was an issue in childhood or adolescence to gather data on the meanings of fatness for boys and the men they become. Data analysis was organized around the existential dimensions of embodiment, temporality, and relationality. Themes emerging from this analysis included a) the discovery of fatness as ambiguous meanings mediated by others, b) fatness as a problem in a horizon that does not include its solution, c) fatness as care - care as a problem for masculinity; d) moments of arrest, in which hitherto ambiguous meanings are crystalized and intrusive; e) the oscillating character of fat experience; f) fatness’s as complicating factor or threat to masculine identification. Themes were discussed in dialogue with critical phenomenological and intersectional frameworks, including exploring fatness as a productive site for problematizing narrow constraints of masculinity

Creación de un plan participativo de comunicación del Instituto Monteverde con la comunidad

Trabajo final de graduación de 198 páginas en formato pdf.El siguiente trabajo plantea una metodología para elaborar una estrategia que fomente la comunicación participativa de una comunidad en temas de sostenibilidad social y ambiental. El proyecto se elabora desde la perspectiva de que las organizaciones que trabajan con y para una comunidad deben de facilitar procesos de empoderamiento comunitario por medio de la comunicación participativa, y de esta manera fomentar el que las iniciativas vengan desde la base y no desde los mandos jerárquicos. Las estrategias de comunicación participativas deben de variar y ajustarse a las necesidades de la población, por ende, son específicas de un lugar y momento. Este trabajo procura desarrollar una manera de fomentar la comunicación participativa del Instituto Monteverde con la comunidad local de Monteverde en temas de sostenibilidad social y ambientalUniversidad Estatal a Distancia de Costa Ric

PATH DEPENDENCE (TRAYECTORIAS DEPENDIENTES) EN LA MATRIZ ELÉCTRICA DE COSTA RICA

Common research interests between geography and energy studies represent an opportunity for carrying out an in-depth examination for understanding the relationship between different trajectories of energy transition and the geographical conditions from which they emerge. By Considering Costa Rica as an empirical case study and applying theories shared between the fields of economic geography and neo-institutional theories, this research analyzes the development of Costa Rica’s energy matrix by identifying three forms of path dependence mechanisms: technological lock-in; positive externalities; and institutional hysteresis. With an electricity sector almost 100% renewable and national commitments of achieving carbon neutrality, this article sheds light towards understanding a pathway that is difficult to reverse despite the issues surrounding the exploitation of conventional sources. It offers a practical example of applying economic geography theory from an evolutionary perspective in order to achieve an interpretation of Costa Rica’s energy progression and serve as a basis for decision-making processes required to guarantee future sustainability of the energy sector in a scenario in which climate change is a serious issue compromising the current hydroelectricity pathway

Tandem repeat regions within the Burkholderia pseudomallei genome and their application for high resolution genotyping

BACKGROUND: The facultative, intracellular bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a serious infectious disease of humans and animals. We identified and categorized tandem repeat arrays and their distribution throughout the genome of B. pseudomallei strain K96243 in order to develop a genetic typing method for B. pseudomallei. We then screened 104 of the potentially polymorphic loci across a diverse panel of 31 isolates including B. pseudomallei, B. mallei and B. thailandensis in order to identify loci with varying degrees of polymorphism. A subset of these tandem repeat arrays were subsequently developed into a multiple-locus VNTR analysis to examine 66 B. pseudomallei and 21 B. mallei isolates from around the world, as well as 95 lineages from a serial transfer experiment encompassing ~18,000 generations. RESULTS: B. pseudomallei contains a preponderance of tandem repeat loci throughout its genome, many of which are duplicated elsewhere in the genome. The majority of these loci are composed of repeat motif lengths of 6 to 9 bp with 4 to 10 repeat units and are predominately located in intergenic regions of the genome. Across geographically diverse B. pseudomallei and B.mallei isolates, the 32 VNTR loci displayed between 7 and 28 alleles, with Nei's diversity values ranging from 0.47 and 0.94. Mutation rates for these loci are comparable (>10(-5 )per locus per generation) to that of the most diverse tandemly repeated regions found in other less diverse bacteria. CONCLUSION: The frequency, location and duplicate nature of tandemly repeated regions within the B. pseudomallei genome indicate that these tandem repeat regions may play a role in generating and maintaining adaptive genomic variation. Multiple-locus VNTR analysis revealed extensive diversity within the global isolate set containing B. pseudomallei and B. mallei, and it detected genotypic differences within clonal lineages of both species that were identical using previous typing methods. Given the health threat to humans and livestock and the potential for B. pseudomallei to be released intentionally, MLVA could prove to be an important tool for fine-scale epidemiological or forensic tracking of this increasingly important environmental pathogen

Genomic islands from five strains of Burkholderia pseudomallei

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Burkholderia pseudomallei </it>is the etiologic agent of melioidosis, a significant cause of morbidity and mortality where this infection is endemic. Genomic differences among strains of <it>B. pseudomallei </it>are predicted to be one of the major causes of the diverse clinical manifestations observed among patients with melioidosis. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of genomic islands (GIs) as sources of genomic diversity in this species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that genomic islands (GIs) vary greatly among <it>B. pseudomallei </it>strains. We identified 71 distinct GIs from the genome sequences of five reference strains of <it>B. pseudomallei</it>: K96243, 1710b, 1106a, MSHR668, and MSHR305. The genomic positions of these GIs are not random, as many of them are associated with tRNA gene loci. In particular, the 3' end sequences of tRNA genes are predicted to be involved in the integration of GIs. We propose the term "tRNA-mediated site-specific recombination" (tRNA-SSR) for this mechanism. In addition, we provide a GI nomenclature that is based upon integration hotspots identified here or previously described.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our data suggest that acquisition of GIs is one of the major sources of genomic diversity within <it>B. pseudomallei </it>and the molecular mechanisms that facilitate horizontally-acquired GIs are common across multiple strains of <it>B. pseudomallei</it>. The differential presence of the 71 GIs across multiple strains demonstrates the importance of these mobile elements for shaping the genetic composition of individual strains and populations within this bacterial species.</p

Identification of Melioidosis Outbreak by Multilocus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Analysis

One-sentence summary for table of contents: This analysis can identify a clonal outbreak of this disease within 8 hours of receipt of bacterial isolates

Global Genetic Population Structure of Bacillus anthracis

Anthrax, caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, is a disease of historical and current importance that is found throughout the world. The basis of its historical transmission is anecdotal and its true global population structure has remained largely cryptic. Seven diverse B. anthracis strains were whole-genome sequenced to identify rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), followed by phylogenetic reconstruction of these characters onto an evolutionary model. This analysis identified SNPs that define the major clonal lineages within the species. These SNPs, in concert with 15 variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) markers, were used to subtype a collection of 1,033 B. anthracis isolates from 42 countries to create an extensive genotype data set. These analyses subdivided the isolates into three previously recognized major lineages (A, B, and C), with further subdivision into 12 clonal sub-lineages or sub-groups and, finally, 221 unique MLVA15 genotypes. This rare genomic variation was used to document the evolutionary progression of B. anthracis and to establish global patterns of diversity. Isolates in the A lineage are widely dispersed globally, whereas the B and C lineages occur on more restricted spatial scales. Molecular clock models based upon genome-wide synonymous substitutions indicate there was a massive radiation of the A lineage that occurred in the mid-Holocene (3,064–6,127 ybp). On more recent temporal scales, the global population structure of B. anthracis reflects colonial-era importation of specific genotypes from the Old World into the New World, as well as the repeated industrial importation of diverse genotypes into developed countries via spore-contaminated animal products. These findings indicate humans have played an important role in the evolution of anthrax by increasing the proliferation and dispersal of this now global disease. Finally, the value of global genotypic analysis for investigating bioterrorist-mediated outbreaks of anthrax is demonstrated

Phylogeographic reconstruction of a bacterial species with high levels of lateral gene transfer

Background Phylogeographic reconstruction of some bacterial populations is hindered by low diversity coupled with high levels of lateral gene transfer. A comparison of recombination levels and diversity at seven housekeeping genes for eleven bacterial species, most of which are commonly cited as having high levels of lateral gene transfer shows that the relative contributions of homologous recombination versus mutation for Burkholderia pseudomallei is over two times higher than for Streptococcus pneumoniae and is thus the highest value yet reported in bacteria. Despite the potential for homologous recombination to increase diversity, B. pseudomallei exhibits a relative lack of diversity at these loci. In these situations, whole genome genotyping of orthologous shared single nucleotide polymorphism loci, discovered using next generation sequencing technologies, can provide very large data sets capable of estimating core phylogenetic relationships. We compared and searched 43 whole genome sequences of B. pseudomallei and its closest relatives for single nucleotide polymorphisms in orthologous shared regions to use in phylogenetic reconstruction. Results Bayesian phylogenetic analyses of >14,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms yielded completely resolved trees for these 43 strains with high levels of statistical support. These results enable a better understanding of a separate analysis of population differentiation among >1,700 B. pseudomallei isolates as defined by sequence data from seven housekeeping genes. We analyzed this larger data set for population structure and allele sharing that can be attributed to lateral gene transfer. Our results suggest that despite an almost panmictic population, we can detect two distinct populations of B. pseudomallei that conform to biogeographic patterns found in many plant and animal species. That is, separation along Wallace's Line, a biogeographic boundary between Southeast Asia and Australia. Conclusion We describe an Australian origin for B. pseudomallei, characterized by a single introduction event into Southeast Asia during a recent glacial period, and variable levels of lateral gene transfer within populations. These patterns provide insights into mechanisms of genetic diversification in B. pseudomallei and its closest relatives, and provide a framework for integrating the traditionally separate fields of population genetics and phylogenetics for other bacterial species with high levels of lateral gene transfer