Reform of abortion law in Uruguay: context, process and lessons learned

In October 2012, a new law was approved in Uruguay that allows abortion on demand during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, 14 weeks in the case of rape, and without a time limit when the woman's health is at risk or in the case of foetal anomalies. This paper analyses this legal reform. It is based on 27 individual and group interviews with key informants, and on review of primary documents and the literature. The factors explaining the reform include: secular values in society, favourable public opinion, a persistent feminist movement, effective coalition building, particular party politics, and a vocal public health sector. The content of the new law reflects the tensions between a feminist perspective of women's rights and public health arguments that stop short of fully recognizing women's autonomy. The Uruguayan reform shows that, even in Latin America, abortion can be addressed politically without electoral cost to the parties that promote it. On the other hand, the prevailing public health rationale and conditionalities built into the law during the negotiation process resulted in a law that cannot be interpreted as a full recognition of women's rights, but rather as a modified protectionist approach that circumscribes women's autonomy.Fil: Wood, Susan. Program Learning and Evaluation; Estados UnidosFil: Abracinskas, Lilián. Mujer y Salud Uruguay; UruguayFil: Correa, Sonia. Sexuality Policy Watch; BrasilFil: Pecheny, Mario Martín. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones "Gino Germani"; Argentin

Mixed-breed guarding dogs reduce conflict between goat herders and native carnivores in Patagonia

Goat husbandry is the main rural livelihood in the northern Patagonian steppe of Argentina, and herders kill any carnivore that they believe threatens their herds, including the endangered Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita). We evaluated the use of local, mediumsized, mixed-breed guarding dogs to reduce predation and retaliatory killing of carnivores. We interviewed 64 herders, and delivered 37 puppies to 25 herders. Most economic loss was attributed to cougars (Puma concolor) and culpeos (Lycalopex culpaeus). All herders with dogs that reached the working stage reported reduced rates of predation, and 88% reported that they no longer kill carnivores. Among herders who were not using dogs, 89% of them reported increased predation, and 100% of them confirmed that they kill carnivores. Mixedbreed dogs can be effective in reducing both predation losses and retaliatory killing, but their success depends on the ability and willingness of herders to train and use them properly

Incorporation of the intangibles into the spanish start-ups by activity sector and region. Improving their economic sustainability

Nowadays, start-ups, assuming increasing importance, have the possibility to include intangible knowledge as another resource on which they can carry out planning exercises, impact studies, evaluation and monitoring, protection, accumulation and exploitation. The study carried out in this paper allows us to analyze the influence that intangible knowledge has on the financial status of a start-up and, therefore, on its economic sustainability. This enables start-ups to present a good image, become more transparent, have more opportunities, reduce uncertainty, improve sustainability, etc. Moreover, the study presents a descriptive analysis of intangibles according to regions and activity sectors. An analysis of variance was carried out, to see if there is a relationship between the investment in intangible assets and the activity sector and/or regions to which the company belongs. The study concludes that, among all sectors, the differences in the incorporation of intangible assets into financial statements are most recognized in tourism, which may be a key factor for the sustainability of this sector, especially in periods of economic crisis, such as the one Europe and the planet are currently facin

Bioelectrochemical Systems for Energy Valorization of Waste Streams

Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) encompass a group of technologies derived from conventional electrochemical systems in which the electrodic reactions are directly or indirectly linked to the metabolic activity of certain types of microorganisms. Although BES have not yet made the leap to the commercial scale, these technologies hold a great potential, as they allow to valorize different liquid and gas waste streams. This chapter is devoted to exploring some of the possibilities that BES offer in the management and valorization of wastes. More specifically, it focuses on analyzing practical aspects of using BES for energy valorization of wastewaters and CO2-rich streams. Here, it is shown how BES can compete, in terms of energy usage, with conventional wastewater treatment technologies by exploiting the energy content of some of the chemicals present in the wastewater. Moreover, it explores how BES could enable using wastewater treatment plants as load regulation system for electrical grids. It also includes some insights on the capability of BES to recover valuable products such as fertilizers form wastes, a feature that allows this technology to promote energy efficiency in the fertilizers industry, and a sector that demands substantial amounts of energy in our world today. Finally, some of the most relevant scale-up experiences in the field are also covered

Genetic variation of populations of Citrus psorosis virus

Citrus psorosis virus (CPsV), the type species of genus Ophiovirus, has a segmented, negative-stranded RNA genome. We examined the population structure and genetic variation of CPsV in three coding regions located in RNAs 1, 2 and 3, analysing 22 isolates from Argentina, California, Florida, Italy and Spain. Most isolates contained a predominant sequence and some minor variants. Estimations of the genetic diversity and phylogenetic clustering of isolates disclosed two populations, one comprising isolates from Spain, Italy, Florida and California and the other including the Argentinean isolates. Isolate CPV-4 (from Texas) included for comparison was distant from both groups, suggesting that it belongs to a third group. The low ratio between non-synonymous and synonymous nucleotide substitutions indicated strong selection for amino acid sequence conservation, particularly in the coat protein gene. Incongruent phylogenetic relationships in different genomic regions suggested that exchange of genomic segments may have contributed to CPsV evolution.Instituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula

Genetic variation of populations of Citrus psorosis virus

Citrus psorosis virus (CPsV), the type species of genus Ophiovirus, has a segmented, negative-stranded RNA genome. We examined the population structure and genetic variation of CPsV in three coding regions located in RNAs 1, 2 and 3, analysing 22 isolates from Argentina, California, Florida, Italy and Spain. Most isolates contained a predominant sequence and some minor variants. Estimations of the genetic diversity and phylogenetic clustering of isolates disclosed two populations, one comprising isolates from Spain, Italy, Florida and California and the other including the Argentinean isolates. Isolate CPV-4 (from Texas) included for comparison was distant from both groups, suggesting that it belongs to a third group. The low ratio between non-synonymous and synonymous nucleotide substitutions indicated strong selection for amino acid sequence conservation, particularly in the coat protein gene. Incongruent phylogenetic relationships in different genomic regions suggested that exchange of genomic segments may have contributed to CPsV evolution.Instituto de Biotecnologia y Biologia Molecula

Requirement of Two Acyltransferases for 4-O-Acylation during Biosynthesis of Harzianum A, an Antifungal Trichothecene Produced by Trichoderma arundinaceum

Trichothecenes are sesquiterpenoid toxins produced by multiple fungi, including plant pathogens, entomopathogens, and saprotrophs. Most of these fungi have the acyltransferase-encoding gene tri18. Even though its function has not been determined, tri18 is predicted to be involved in trichothecene biosynthesis because of its pattern of expression and its location near other trichothecene biosynthetic genes. Here, molecular genetic, precursor feeding, and analytical chemistry experiments indicate that in the saprotroph Trichoderma arundinaceum the tri18-encoded acyltransferase (TRI18) and a previously characterized acyltransferase (TRI3) are required for conversion of the trichothecene biosynthetic intermediate trichodermol to harzianum A, an antifungal trichothecene analog with an octa-2,4,6-trienedioyl acyl group. On the basis of the results, we propose that TRI3 catalyzes trichothecene 4-O-acetylation, and subsequently, TRI18 catalyzes replacement of the resulting acetyl group with octa-2,4,6-trienedioyl to form harzianum A. Thus, the findings provide evidence for a previously unrecognized two-step acylation process during trichothecene biosynthesis in T. arundinaceum and possibly other fungiSIThe Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness supported this work (MINECO-AGL2015-70671-C2-2-R to S.G.), and the University of León granted L.L. a fellowshi

Analysis of substrate specificity of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases involved in trichothecene toxin biosynthesis

[EN]Trichothecenes are a structurally diverse family of toxic secondary metabolites produced by certain species of multiple fungal genera. All trichothecene analogs share a core 12,13-epoxytrichothec-9-ene (EPT) structure but differ in presence, absence and types of substituents attached to various positions of EPT. Formation of some of the structural diversity begins early in the biosynthetic pathway such that some producing species have few trichothecene biosynthetic intermediates in common. Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) play critical roles in formation of trichothecene structural diversity. Within some species, relaxed substrate specificities of P450s allow individual orthologs of the enzymes to modify multiple trichothecene biosynthetic intermediates. It is not clear, however, whether the relaxed specificity extends to biosynthetic intermediates that are not produced by the species in which the orthologs originate. To address this knowledge gap, we used a mutant complementation-heterologous expression analysis to assess whether orthologs of three trichothecene biosynthetic P450s (TRI11, TRI13 and TRI22) from Fusarium sporotrichioides, Trichoderma arundinaceum, and Paramyrothecium roridum can modify trichothecene biosynthetic intermediates that they do not encounter in the organism in which they originated. The results indicate that TRI13 and TRI22 could not modify the intermediates that they do not normally encounter, whereas TRI11 could modify an intermediate that it does not normally encounter. These findings indicate that substrate promiscuity varies among trichothecene biosynthetic P450s. One structural feature that likely impacts the ability of the P450s to use biosynthetic intermediates as substrates is the presence and absence of an oxygen atom attached to carbon atom 3 of EPT.SIOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.Publicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Dimensiones de la competencia comunicativa intercultural (CCI) y sus implicaciones para la práctica educativa

Intercultural Communicative Competence is defined as skills used by culturally different individuals to promote an efficient communication level, by establishing effective and appropriate behaviour within a social and cultural context. From this perspective, this paper aims to: (a) analyse the intercultural communication concept by describing its dimensions – cognitive, behavioural, and affective; (b) provide some points for reflection for the development of intercultural communicative competence in educational practices. In the educational environment, it is expected that teachers and students develop the best interaction possible, foreseeing misunderstandings caused by contrary values, meanings and beliefs among involved players; therefore they can manage both affective and cognitive demands.La competencia comunicativa intercultural se entiende como las habilidades que emplean los individuos culturalmente diferentes para favorecer un grado de comunicación suficientemente eficaz, estableciendo comportamientos apropiados y efectivos en determinado contexto social y cultural. Desde esta perspectiva, el trabajo tiene como objetivos: (a) analizar el concepto de la comunicación intercultural describiendo sus dimensiones: cognitiva, comportamental y afectiva; (b) proporcionar elementos de reflexión para el desarrollo de la competencia comunicativa intercultural en las prácticas educativas. En el ámbito educativo, se espera que profesores y alumnos desarrollen de la mejor manera posible la interacción, anticipen malentendidos causados por las diferencias en valores, significados y creencias entre los actores involucrados, y puedan hacer frente tanto a demandas afectivas como cognitivas en la interacción

Animal-borne tags provide insights into the acoustic communication of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) on the calving grounds

Funding: This study was supported by the Marine Mammal Commission under Grant No. MMC17-230. Additional support was provided by Cetacean Society International and VIVA Baleias, golfinhos ecia.This study investigated the repertoire, call-type variability and call rates of southern right whales on a calving ground off Brazil in the western South Atlantic. Acoustic tag data were collected from four lactating females and one juvenile. Pulsive, hybrid, and upcalls showed the greatest variability among call-types with up to 23% of non-standard forms detected. Quiet sounds (grunt, single, and double pulse) were detected for the first time in this species on the calving grounds. Although the sample size was limited, results suggest that social interaction increased call-type diversity and call rates, in line with other acoustic studies on right whales.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe