Women cotton farmers: Their perceptions and experiences with transgenic varieties: A case study for Colombia

This paper explores gender differences in cotton cultivation and looks into the perceptions and experiences of women and men with transgenic varieties. With few exceptions, researchers in the area of impact evaluation of crop biotechnology have only marginally included gender considerations in their work. This exploratory pilot study was developed in order to incorporate gender into our quantitative evaluation work. This study used a participatory and descriptive approach that allowed us to listen to women and men farmers' perceptions and insights. The project was conducted in the main cotton-producing regions of Colombia where a handful of transgenic varieties have been in the market for the past six years.crop biotechnology, Genetically modified crops, Genetic engineering, Cotton, Gender,

Estrategias de suavización del consumo y del ingreso de las madres beneficiarias del programa Familias en Acción: un análisis cualitativo

Los programas de transferencias condicionadas en Latinoamérica han venido desarrollando diferentes mecanismos para distribuir más eficientemente los subsidios entre las familias beneficiarias. En Colombia, desde el año 2009, se inició un Plan de Bancarización cuyo propósito, además de mejorar la eficiencia en la entrega del subsidio y reducir los inconvenientes presentados bajo otros mecanismos de pago, es favorecer el acceso a servicios financieros, particularmente depósitos, de las madres beneficiarias del programa Familias en Acción (FA). En el marco de una evaluación preliminar del Plan de Bancarización del programa, llevada a cabo entre 2009 y 2010, este documento identifica y analiza las estrategias formales e informales que tienen los hogares beneficiarios del programa de transferencias condicionadas colombiano, para suavizar sus sendas de consumo y de ingreso; el objetivo último de este análisis es entender el papel que el acceso a servicios financieros formales podría jugar en estos hogares para enfrentar las variaciones en los ingresos generadas por shocks y estacionalidades. Como parte del análisis cualitativo, se aplicaron 73 encuestas semi- estructuradas a madres receptoras de transferencias condicionadas del programa FA en seis ciudades de Colombia. Los resultados muestran que los hogares beneficiarios del programa cuentan con una amplia variedad de estrategias de ahorro y crédito, en su mayoría informales y de alto costo, que les permiten enfrentar variaciones en el ingreso y que afectan su consumo; la bancarización a través de programas de transferencias condicionadas puede ser un mecanismo que facilite a los beneficiarios enfrentar esas variaciones a menores costos.suavización del ingreso, suavización del consumo, acceso a servicios financieros, transferencias condicionadas, Colombia, pobreza

A method of localizing the spectra of sequences of orthogonal polynomials

AbstractOne of the trends in the theory of orthogonal polynomials is to get as much information on their behaviour as possible from the recurrence relation they satisfy. Our intention is to propose a method which in any particular case allows to localize the spectra of polynomial sequences orthogonal either on the real line or on the complex plane

Does native Trypanosoma cruzi calreticulin mediate growth inhibition of a mammary tumor during infection?

Indexación: Web of Science.Background: For several decades now an antagonism between Trypanosoma cruzi infection and tumor development has been detected. The molecular basis of this phenomenon remained basically unknown until our proposal that T. cruzi Calreticulin (TcCRT), an endoplasmic reticulum-resident chaperone, translocated-externalized by the parasite, may mediate at least an important part of this effect. Thus, recombinant TcCRT (rTcCRT) has important in vivo antiangiogenic and antitumor activities. However, the relevant question whether the in vivo antitumor effect of T. cruzi infection is indeed mediated by the native chaperone (nTcCRT), remains open. Herein, by using specific modified anti-rTcCRT antibodies (Abs), we have neutralized the antitumor activity of T. cruzi infection and extracts thereof, thus identifying nTcCRT as a valid mediator of this effect. Methods: Polyclonal anti-rTcCRT F(ab')(2) Ab fragments were used to reverse the capacity of rTcCRT to inhibit EAhy926 endothelial cell (EC) proliferation, as detected by BrdU uptake. Using these F(ab')(2) fragments, we also challenged the capacity of nTcCRT, during T. cruzi infection, to inhibit the growth of an aggressive mammary adenocarcinoma cell line (TA3-MTXR) in mice. Moreover, we determined the capacity of anti-rTcCRT Abs to reverse the antitumor effect of an epimastigote extract (EE). Finally, the effects of these treatments on tumor histology were evaluated. Results: The rTcCRT capacity to inhibit ECs proliferation was reversed by anti-rTcCRT F(ab')(2) Ab fragments, thus defining them as valid probes to interfere in vivo with this important TcCRT function. Consequently, during infection, these Ab fragments also reversed the in vivo experimental mammary tumor growth. Moreover, anti-rTcCRT Abs also neutralized the antitumor effect of an EE, again identifying the chaperone protein as an important mediator of this anti mammary tumor effect. Finally, as determined by conventional histological parameters, in infected animals and in those treated with EE, less invasive tumors were observed while, as expected, treatment with F(ab')(2) Ab fragments increased malignancy. Conclusion: We have identified translocated/externalized nTcCRT as responsible for at least an important part of the anti mammary tumor effect of the chaperone observed during experimental infections with T. cruzi.http://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12885-016-2764-

Estudio de mundos virtuales para mejorar el aprendizaje

Este trabajo de investigación está basado en el tema de tesis de doctorado de Calixto Maldonado, dirigida por el Dr. Manuel Perez Cota de la Universidad de Vigo, que tiene como uno de sus objetivos el estudiar y desarrollar pautas, estrategias y materiales que permitan aprovechar las ventajas del uso de Mundos Virtuales (de aquí en adelante MV) sobre todo aquellos mundos virtuales masivos de juegos de rol o en su sigla en Ingles MMORPG (por Massive Multiuser Online Role Play Games), para impartir educación mejorando la aceptación del mensaje por venir de un canal novedoso, atractivo y familiar para la nueva generación de educandos.Eje: Tecnología Informática Aplicada en EducaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Estudio de mundos virtuales para mejorar el aprendizaje

Este trabajo de investigación está basado en el tema de tesis de doctorado de Calixto Maldonado, dirigida por el Dr. Manuel Perez Cota de la Universidad de Vigo, que tiene como uno de sus objetivos el estudiar y desarrollar pautas, estrategias y materiales que permitan aprovechar las ventajas del uso de Mundos Virtuales (de aquí en adelante MV) sobre todo aquellos mundos virtuales masivos de juegos de rol o en su sigla en Ingles MMORPG (por Massive Multiuser Online Role Play Games), para impartir educación mejorando la aceptación del mensaje por venir de un canal novedoso, atractivo y familiar para la nueva generación de educandos.Eje: Tecnología Informática Aplicada en EducaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Estudio del mecanismo de eliminación demagnesio de aleaciones Al-Si en estado líquido mediante inyección de minerales base sílice

RESUMEN Se empleó el método de inyección sumergida de polvos por medio de un gas de arrastre inerte (Ar) con el fin de eliminar el magnesio de la aleación Al-Si A380 a 750 °C. Los polvos inyectados al baño de metal fundido fueron zeolita mineral, arena sílice y mezclas de ambas. Las variables de respuesta medidas fueron el contenido de magnesio en el baño metálico respecto al tiempo de inyección y las mermas de metal al final de cada experimento. En el análisis de resultados, la mezcla sílice:zeolita 66:34 % e.p. obtuvo la mayor eficiencia, lográndose una disminución en el contenido de magnesio en el baño metálico de 1 a 0.0066 % e.p. Los productos de reacción se analizaron por difracción de rayos-X, microscopía electrónica de barrido y de transmisión. Los resultados de estos análisis y el empleo del paquete termodinámico FactSage, versión 6, permitieron justificar el mecanismo de reacción entre los minerales y el aluminio líquido. ABSTRAC In order to eliminate magnesium from an A 380 Al-Si alloy at 750°C, the submerged powder injection method, using an inert carrier gas (Ar), was applied. The injected powders in the liquid aluminum bath were zeolite, silica and mixtures of zeolite-silica minerals. For each experiment the response variables were: eliminated magnesium versus injection time and quantity of drosses produced. Chemical analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry showed that mixtures of silica-zeolite 66:34 wt% have the best results with regarding to the removal magnesium from 1 to 0.0066 wt%. During the elimination of magnesium complex stoichiometry compounds were formed due to the reactions among zeolite, water steam and liquid aluminum. These compounds were analyzed by XRD, SEM and TEM. The results obtained, along with using the FactSage 6 thermodynamic software, allowed to elucidate the reaction mechanism between the minerals used and liquid aluminum

Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins in human cervical cancer

BACKGROUND: It has been shown that IAPs, in particular XIAP, survivin and c-IAP1, are overexpressed in several malignancies. In the present study we investigate the expression of c-IAP1, c-IAP2, XIAP and survivin and its isoforms in cervical cancer. METHODS: We used semiquantitative RT-PCR assays to analyze 41 cancer and 6 normal tissues. The study included 8 stage I cases; 16 stage II; 17 stageIII; and a control group of 6 samples of normal cervical squamous epithelial tissue. RESULTS: c-IAP2 and XIAP mRNA levels were similar among the samples, cervical tumors had lower c-IAP1 mRNA levels. Unexpectedly, a clear positive association was found between low levels of XIAP and disease relapse. A log-rank test showed a significant inverse association (p = 0.02) between XIAP expression and tumor aggressiveness, as indicated by disease relapse rates. There were no statistically significant differences in the presence or expression levels of c-IAP1 and c-IAP2 among any of the clinical variables studied. Survivin and its isoforms were undetectable in normal cervical tissues, in contrast with the clear upregulation observed in cancer samples. We found no association between survivin expression and age, clinical stage, histology or menopausal state. Nevertheless, we found that adenocarcinoma tumors expressed higher levels of survivin 2B and DeltaEx3 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.04 respectively, by Kruskal-Wallis). A multivariate Cox's partial likelihood-based analysis showed that only FIGO stage was an independent predictor of outcome. CONCLUSION: There are no differences in the expression of c-IAP2 and XIAP between normal vs. cancer samples, but XIAP expression correlate in cervical cancer with relapse of this disease in the patients. Otherwise, c-IAP1 was downregulated in the cervical cancer samples. The expression of survivin was upregulated in the patients with cervical cancer. We have found that adenocarcinoma presented higher levels of survivin isoforms 2B and DeltaEx3

Towards a scalable framework for evaluating and prioritizing climate-smart agriculture practices and programs. [P42]

Governments, donors, and non-governmental organizations are recognizing the need to integrate climate change and agriculture development goals in planning. Incorporating the climate-smart agriculture (CSA) concept can strengthen integration by explicitly emphasizing tradeoffs between investment options. Given the complex relationships between the food security, adaption, and mitigation goals of CSA, decision-support frameworks are needed that integrate stakeholder priorities, draw on the best scientific evidence available, and present complex results simply. Here we present a four phase stakeholder-driven framework for prioritizing CSA investment, designed to be globally applicable, for various users, for use from regional to sub-national levels, and adjustable given data and resource constraints. In the first phase, the scope and next-users of CSA portfolios are clarified, relevant practices are identified, and roughly ten indicators are selected/adapted from a suggested set of 29, based on scientific literature, to evaluate practices against CSA outcomes. A participatory workshop is used in phase 2 to short-list practices based on the results of the indicator evaluation and additional stakeholder criteria. A cost-benefit analysis is then conducted (phase 3) on these priority practices. In phase 4, stakeholders are reconvened to develop CSA investment portfolios that minimize trade-offs, maximize benefits and synergies, and address end user priorities. Barriers to adoption of practices and pathways to overcome these are used to adjust priorities or implementation plans. We present lessons learned from Guatemala and Mali, which demonstrate the scalability of the process, modifications based on institutional contexts, and strategies for refining the framework for use in Africa and Asia in 2015 with users including national agriculture ministries, agriculture development alliances, and bilateral and multilateral donors. (Résumé d'auteur