FIGHTING RURAL POVERTY IN LATIN AMERICA: NEW EVIDENCE AND POLICY

We synthesize recent case studies on rural poverty in six Latin American countries, plus two thematic studies. We find that the return to education in farming is surprisingly small; land redistribution increases total farm output, but has mixed effects on income; and urban economic growth significantly reduces rural poverty.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Food Security and Poverty,

Wrongful Living

Executing an advance directive that specifies a patient\u27s wishes regarding end-of-life medical care is an exercise of self-determination--a conscious choice about the degree and type of medical intervention one wishes to receive under end-of-life circumstances. Empirical studies, however, consistently report that healthcare professionals fail to comply with advance directives; violations of a patient\u27s interest in self-determination are alarmingly common. From a practical perspective, the conduct of either patients or healthcare professionals may make an advance directive unavailable, which results in noncompliance. Legally, courts have historically rejected claims for “wrongful living” associated with the prolongation of life that results from unwanted medical intervention. As a result, healthcare professionals fear the liability threatened by a wrongful death claim more than the legal exposure risked by keeping an individual alive despite a contrary mandate in an advance directive. In response to practical concerns regarding availability, this Article proposes the creation of a nationwide registry of advance directives and argues that sanctions for violations of professional responsibility as well as the risk of liability for legal malpractice encourage utilization of the proposed registry. To realign the skewed legal incentives, this Article argues that the compensable harms associated with battery and negligence claims filed in lieu of “wrongful living” claims should include the loss of enjoyment of life. Because damages for loss of enjoyment of life are rarely mentioned by courts or scholars in the context of violating advance directives, this Article describes loss of enjoyment of life damages and argues that such damages should be compensable in the same manner that tort law compensates for similar injuries that lack an objective market value. In combination, the practical and legal proposals incentivize compliance with an advance directive and thereby expand the protection afforded a patient\u27s interest in self-determination

A ringed pole-on outflow from DO Tauri revealed by ALMA

We present new ALMA Band 6 observations including the CO (2-1) line and 1.3 mmcontinuum emission from the surroundings of the young stellar object DO Tauri. TheALMA CO molecular data show three different series of rings at different radial ve-locities. These rings have radii around 220 au and 800 au. We make individual fits tothe rings and note that their centers are aligned with DO Tauri and its optical high-velocity jet. In addition, we notice that the velocity of these structures increases withthe separation from the young star. We discuss the data under the hypothesis that therings represent velocity cuts through three outflowing shells that are possibly drivenby a wide-angle wind, dragging the environment material along a direction close to theline of sight (i= 19◦). We estimate the dynamical ages, the mass, the momentum andthe energy of each individual outflow shell and those of the whole outflow. The resultsare in agreement with those found in outflows from Class II sources. We make a roughestimate for the size of the jet/wind launching region, which needs to be of.15 au.We report the physical characteristics of DO Tauri?s disk continuum emission (almostface-on and with a projected major axis in the north-south direction) and its velocitygradient orientation (north-south), indicative of disk rotation for a 1-2 Mcentral star.Finally we show an HST [SII] image of the optical jet and report a measurement of itsorientation in the plane of the sky.Fil: Fernandez Lopez, Manuel. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Zapata Gonzalez, Luis Alberto. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Instituto de Astronomia; MéxicoFil: Rodríguez, Luis F.. Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. Instituto de Astronomia; MéxicoFil: Vazzano, María Mercedes. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía; ArgentinaFil: Guzman, Andrés E.. National Astronomical Observatory Of Japan; JapónFil: López, Rosario. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Facultad de Física. Departamento Astronomía y Meteorología; Españ

A negative feedback between anthropogenic ozone pollution and enhanced ocean emissions of iodine

Naturally emitted from the oceans, iodine compounds efficiently destroy atmospheric ozone and reduce its positive radiative forcing effects in the troposphere. Emissions of inorganic iodine have been experimentally shown to depend on the deposition to the oceans of tropospheric ozone, whose concentrations have significantly increased since 1850 as a result of human activities. A chemistry-climate model is used herein to quantify the current ocean emissions of inorganic iodine and assess the impact that the anthropogenic increase in tropospheric ozone has had on the natural cycle of iodine in the marine environment since pre-industrial times. Our results indicate that the human-driven enhancement of tropospheric ozone has doubled the oceanic inorganic iodine emissions following the reaction of ozone with iodide at the sea surface. The consequent build-up of atmospheric iodine, with maximum enhancements of up to 70% with respect to pre-industrial times in continental pollution outflow regions, has in turn accelerated the ozone chemical loss over the oceans with strong spatial patterns. We suggest that this ocean-atmosphere interaction represents a negative geochemical feedback loop by which current ocean emissions of iodine act as a natural buffer for ozone pollution and its radiative forcing in the global marine environment.Fil: Prados Roman, C.. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Química Física; EspañaFil: Cuevas, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Química Física; EspañaFil: Fernandez, Rafael Pedro. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Química Física; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Kinnison, Douglas E.. National Center For Atmospheric Research. Amospheric Chemistry División; Estados UnidosFil: Lamarque, Jean Francoise. National Center For Atmospheric Research. Amospheric Chemistry División; Estados UnidosFil: Saiz-lopez, Alfonso. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto de Química Física; Españ

Reactivity of a Pt(100) cluster modified by adsorption of a nickel tetramer

The aim of this paper is to report a study of the reactivity of Pt(100) cluster and the same system modified by a nickel tetramer towards the atomic hydrogen adsorption. This study was carried out in the framework of density functional theory which provides global and local indexes that can be used to characterize the reactivity. The analyzed reactivity descriptors were: chemical potential, chemical hardness, electrophilicity index and Fukui function. The results showed that the global reactivity descriptor predicts that the platinum cluster modified by nickel is more reactive than the pure platinum cluster and that the local Fukui function provides information about the most susceptible site to electrophilic attack in platinum cluster.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicada

Reactivity of a Pt(100) cluster modified by adsorption of a nickel tetramer

The aim of this paper is to report a study of the reactivity of Pt(100) cluster and the same system modified by a nickel tetramer towards the atomic hydrogen adsorption. This study was carried out in the framework of density functional theory which provides global and local indexes that can be used to characterize the reactivity. The analyzed reactivity descriptors were: chemical potential, chemical hardness, electrophilicity index and Fukui function. The results showed that the global reactivity descriptor predicts that the platinum cluster modified by nickel is more reactive than the pure platinum cluster and that the local Fukui function provides information about the most susceptible site to electrophilic attack in platinum cluster.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicada

Detección de marcadores microsatélites asociados con la resistencia al añublo bacterial de la yuca (Manihot esculenta Crantz) en Colombia

Una de las principales estrategias para el manejo del Añublo Bacterial de la Yuca (CBB), causado por Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis es el uso de resistencia varietal, que implica desarrollar variedades de yuca con resistencia genética duradera. Para tal fin, es necesario conocer los genes que dominan la resistencia a la enfermedad, detectando inicialmente marcadores moleculares asociados con la respuesta fenotipica de la planta, siendo este el principal objetivo del presente estudio. Inicialmente, se evaluó la reacción a CBB de 4 familias de yuca BCI (retrocruce 1), se seleccionó la más segregante bajo presión natural de inóculo en Villavicencio (Meta, Colombia) y se confirmó la respuesta a CBB en condiciones de invernadero en CIAT (Palmira, Valle). La familia GM 315 presentó la mejor segregación, siendo la más adecuada para buscar asociación entre su reacción fenotípica y la presencia de un marcador molecular. Para esto, se evaluaron 486 cebadores microsatélites mediante análisis de grupos segregantes (BSA), encontrándose que 17 de ellos mostraron polimorfismo entre los grupos contrastantes y solo uno de ellos, el cebador SSRY 65, mostró diferencias significativas entre individuos resistentes y susceptibles. Al evaluar este cebador en toda la familia segregante se encontró asociación entre su presencia y los individuos evaluados fenotípicamente como resistentes en campo e invernadero, con una probabilidad mínima de P=0,OOl5 y P=0,OO7 respectivamente, en una prueba de Chicuadrado de independencia. Adicionalmente, a partir de los resultados obtenidos en el análisis estadístico, se calcularon los valores predictivos, especificidad y sensibilidad del marcador SSRY 65. Con base en los valores predictivos positivos generados, es posible sugerir la utilización de este marcador en pruebas diagnósticas para detectar la presencia de una banda específica en individuos resistentes de familias genéticamente relacionadas con la familia GM 315. = A major strategy for managing Cassava Bacterial blight (CBB), caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. manihotis, is to use varietal resistance, that is, to develop cassava varieties with lasting genetic resistance. A search for the genes that dominate resistance to the disease was initially conducted by seeking the molecular markers associated with the plant s phenotypic response to CBB. The response in four BC1 (backcross 1) cassava families was accordingly evaluated under natural disease pressure at Villavicencio (Meta, Colombia). The most segregating family was then selected, and its response to CBB was verified under greenhouse conditions at CIAT (Palmira, Valle). Family GM 315 presented the best segregation, so, it was the most suitable for seeking association between its phenotypic reaction and the presence of a molecular marker. Of 486 microsatellite primers evaluated by bulked segregant analysis (BSA), 17 showed polymorphism among contrasting groups. Only one primer, SSRY 65, showed significant differences between resistant and susceptible individuals. On evaluating this primer for the entire segregating family, an association was found between its presence and individuals evaluated phenotypically as resistant in the field and greenhouse (minimum P = 0.0015 and P = 0.007, respectively, in a chi-square test of independence). With the results of the statistical analysis, the predictive values, specificity, and sensibility of marker SSRY 65 were calculated. The positive predictive values generated indicate that this marker can be used in diagnostic tests to detect the presence of a specific band in resistant individuals of families genetically related to the GM 315 family

Seismic evidence for a slab tear at the Puerto Rico Trench

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2013. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 105 (2013): 2915-2923, doi:10.1002/jgrb.50227.The fore‐arc region of the northeast Caribbean plate north of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands has been the site of numerous seismic swarms since at least 1976. A 6 month deployment of five ocean bottom seismographs recorded two such tightly clustered swarms, along with additional events. Joint analyses of the ocean bottom seismographs and land‐based seismic data reveal that the swarms are located at depths of 50–150 km. Focal mechanism solutions, found by jointly fitting P wave first‐motion polarities and S/P amplitude ratios, indicate that the broadly distributed events outside the swarm generally have strike‐ and dip‐slip mechanisms at depths of 50–100 km, while events at depths of 100–150 km have oblique mechanisms. A stress inversion reveals two distinct stress regimes: The slab segment east of 65°W longitude is dominated by trench‐normal tensile stresses at shallower depths (50–100 km) and by trench‐parallel tensile stresses at deeper depths (100–150 km), whereas the slab segment west of 65°W longitude has tensile stresses that are consistently trench normal throughout the depth range at which events were observed (50–100 km). The simple stress pattern in the western segment implies relatively straightforward subduction of an unimpeded slab, while the stress pattern observed in the eastern segment, shallow trench‐normal tension and deeper trench‐normal compression, is consistent with flexure of the slab due to rollback. These results support the hypothesis that the subducting North American plate is tearing at or near these swarms. The 35 year record of seismic swarms at this location and the recent increase in seismicity suggest that the tear is still propagating