Exploring eco-industrial development in the global south: recognizing informal waste-picking as urban-industrial symbiosis?

Industrial ecology (IE) is discussed as a suitable approach to resolve three widespread socio-ecological problems in the so-called global south: waste accumulation, unemployment, and lack of adequate housing. As the IE framework was developed mainly in the global north, its applicability in the global south is uncertain. The issue is discussed along the use of municipal waste as building materials as a concrete application of circular economy (CE) and IE principles, which could contribute to the alleviation of the aforementioned social-ecological problems. The study focuses on San Martin, a district in the Buenos Aires metropolitan areawhich suffers from these problems dispite its industrial capacities. A SWOT analysis that includes all PESTLE dimensions was applied to identify risks for the success of an IE-based strategy, including the main actors and stakeholders of local waste management. Key issues include the informality and low agency of non-profit organizations, fluctuations in the national economy, inefficiencies in waste collection and recovery, and a lack of awareness and policies on waste separation. One major challenge is the undervaluation of the relevance, expertise and efficiency of waste sorting and processing by informal waste pickers and non-profit organizations. These practices should be recognized as a symbiosis of the urban with the industrial metabolism. This way, the epistemic basis for the eco-industrial development (EID) framework can be layed to make it capable to empower them rather than further displace the people involved. In this way, urban EID could become a useful strategy to channel different scientific disciplines, knowledge and actors, knowledge and actors towards sustainable development.Fil: Tröger, Danny. University of Kassel; AlemaniaFil: Becerra Araneda, Abraham Alexis. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Arquitectura y Urbanismo; ArgentinaFil: Busnelli, Roberto. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Arquitectura y Urbanismo; ArgentinaFil: Yajnes, Marta Edith. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Arquitectura y Urbanismo; ArgentinaFil: Williams, Fernando. Universidad Nacional de San Martin. Instituto de Arquitectura y Urbanismo; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Braun, Andreas Christian. University of Kassel; Alemani

Design and characterization of superpotent bivalent ligands targeting oxytocin receptor dimers via a channel-like structure

Dimeric/oligomeric states of G-protein coupled receptors have been difficult to target. We report here bivalent ligands consisting of two identical oxytocin-mimetics that induce a three order magnitude boost in G-protein signaling of oxytocin receptors (OTRs) in vitro and a 100- and 40-fold gain in potency in vivo in the social behavior of mice and zebrafish. Through receptor mutagenesis and interference experiments with synthetic peptides mimicking transmembrane helices (TMH), we show that such superpotent behavior follows from the binding of the bivalent ligands to dimeric receptors based on a TMH1-TMH2 interface. Moreover, in this arrangement, only the analogues with a well-defined spacer length (∼25 Å) precisely fit inside a channel-like passage between the two protomers of the dimer. The newly discovered oxytocin bivalent ligands represent a powerful tool for targeting dimeric OTR in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders and, in general, provide a framework to untangle specific arrangements of G-protein coupled receptor dimers

Anales del III Congreso Internacional de Vivienda y Ciudad "Debate en torno a la nueva agenda urbana"

Acta de congresoEl III Congreso Internacional de Vivienda y Ciudad “Debates en torno a la NUEVa Agenda Urbana”, ha sido una apuesta de alto compromiso por acercar los debates centrales y urgentes que tensionan el pleno ejercicio del derecho a la ciudad. Para ello las instituciones organizadoras (INVIHAB –Instituto de Investigación de Vivienda y Hábitat y MGyDH-Maestría en Gestión y Desarrollo Habitacional-1), hemos convidado un espacio que se concretó con potencia en un debate transdisciplinario. Convocó a intelectuales de prestigio internacional, investigadores, académicos y gestores estatales, y en una metodología de innovación articuló las voces académicas con las de las organizaciones sociales y/o barriales en el Foro de las Organizaciones Sociales que tuvo su espacio propio para dar voz a quienes están trabajando en los desafíos para garantizar los derechos a la vivienda y los bienes urbanos en nuestras ciudades del Siglo XXI

Increase of erosion and land degradation for anthropogenic actions and climatic variations, Tucumán

Los procesos erosivos son aquellos que reflejan cambios ambientales, eventos climáticos extremos como grandes tormentas, desaparición de la vegetación de forma natural o antrópica y otra causa que genere discontinuidad en el modelado del paisaje. La explotación agrícola irrestricta a expensas del desmonte masivo durante décadas húmedas, ocasionó la degradación de los suelos por aceleración de procesos erosivos debidos a la acción hídrica y pérdida de nutrientes. El cultivo permanente produjo pérdida de la productividad edáfica aún cuando se implementó la siembra directa como un sistema de manejo sustentable en los últimos años. Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron evaluar y caracterizar los procesos erosivos, avance agrícola y variaciones pluviométricas en la llanura ondulada del departamento Burruyacú al noreste de la provincia de Tucumán. Los procesos erosivos generados por acción hídrica y remoción en masa, son: la erosión mantiforme en los interfluvios convexos y las cárcavas y barrancos por retroceso de cabeceras y paredes laterales en las áreas deprimidas longitudinales. Estas formas de erosión se ven favorecidas por las características limo loéssicas de los suelos, de alta erodabilidad en condiciones húmedas. El análisis pluviométrico evidencia dos incrementos del volumen de precipitaciones: en 1950 y 1970 con tendencia al aumento en los años subsiguientes. A partir de 1970 se inicia el desmonte, eliminando el monte chaqueño durante tres décadas e implementando la agricultura. La cartografía morfodinámica se efectuó con fotografías aéreas (1985 y 2001) y se digitalizó con ILWIS.Erosive processes reflect environmental changes and extreme climatic events as intense storms. Natural vegetation coverage clearance, carried out by anthropic actions, generates discontinuities in landscape modeling. Unrestricted agricultural exploitation through massive deforestation during humid decades, has promoted soils degradation through erosive processes and nutrients losses decreasing topsoil productivity even though the implementation of direct sow in the last few years. The aims of this research were to analysis erosive processes, agricultural advances, and pluviometric variations at the northeast of Tucumán province. As geoindicators of erosive process acceleration on crop areas are: sheet runoff and erosion in convex surface, headwater erosion and b anthropogenic bankfull lateral walls in gullies and ravines. These erosive landforms are favored by silt loessic contents from high erodability soils in humid conditions. Erosive process cartography was done using aerial photographs of 1985 and 2001, and then, all data were digitalized using ILWIS (Integrated Land and Water Information System).Fil: Neder, Liliana del Valle. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Geociencias y Medio Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Busnelli, Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Geociencias y Medio Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Sampietro Vattuone, Maria Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Instituto de Geociencias y Medio Ambiente; Argentin

Full and Partial Agonists of Thromboxane Prostanoid Receptor Unveil Fine Tuning of Receptor Superactive Conformation and G Protein Activation

The intrahelical salt bridge between $E/D^{3.49}$ and $R^{3.50}$ within the E/DRY motif on helix 3 (H3) and the interhelical hydrogen bonding between the E/DRY and residues on H6 are thought to be critical in stabilizing the class A G protein-coupled receptors in their inactive state. Removal of these interactions is expected to generate constitutively active receptors. This study examines how neutralization of $E^{3.49/6.30}$ in the thromboxane prostanoid (TP) receptor alters ligand binding, basal, and agonist-induced activity and investigates the molecular mechanisms of G protein activation. We demonstrate here that a panel of full and partial agonists showed an increase in affinity and potency for E129V and E240V mutants. Yet, even augmenting the sensitivity to detect constitutive activity (CA) with overexpression of the receptor or the G protein revealed resistance to an increase in basal activity, while retaining fully the ability to cause agonist-induced signaling. However, direct G protein activation measured through bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) indicates that these mutants more efficiently communicate and/or activate their cognate G proteins. These results suggest the existence of additional constrains governing the shift of TP receptor to its active state, together with an increase propensity of these mutants to agonist-induced signaling, corroborating their definition as superactive mutants. The particular nature of the TP receptor as somehow "resistant" to CA should be examined in the context of its pathophysiological role in the cardiovascular system. Evolutionary forces may have favored regulation mechanisms leading to low basal activity and selected against more highly active phenotypes

The Timing of the Excitatory-to-Inhibitory GABA Switch Is Regulated by the Oxytocin Receptor via KCC2

Oxytocin and its receptor (Oxtr) play a crucial role in the postnatal transition of neuronal GABA neurotransmission from excitatory to inhibitory, a developmental process known as the GABA switch. Using hippocampal neurons from Oxtr-null mice, we show that (1) Oxtr is necessary for the correct timing of the GABA switch by upregulating activity of the chloride cotransporter KCC2, (2) Oxtr, in a very early and narrow time window, directly modulates the functional activity of KCC2 by promoting its phosphorylation and insertion/stabilization at the neuronal surface, and (3) in the absence of Oxtr, electrophysiological alterations are recorded in mature neurons, a finding consistent with a reduced level of KCC2 and increased susceptibility to seizures observed in adult Oxtr-null mice. These data identify KCC2 as a key target of oxytocin in postnatal events that may be linked to pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders

Oxytocin receptors in the Magel2 mouse model of autism: Specific region, age, sex and oxytocin treatment effects

The neurohormone oxytocin (OXT) has been implicated in the regulation of social behavior and is intensively investigated as a potential therapeutic treatment in neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by social deficits. In the Magel2-knockout (KO) mouse, a model of Schaaf-Yang Syndrome, an early postnatal administration of OXT rescued autistic-like behavior and cognition at adulthood, making this model relevant for understanding the actions of OXT in (re)programming postnatal brain development. The oxytocin receptor (OXTR), the main brain target of OXT, was dysregulated in the hippocampus of Magel2-KO adult males, and normalized upon OXT treatment at birth. Here we have analyzed male and female Magel2-KO brains at postnatal day 8 (P8) and at postnatal day 90 (P90), investigating age, genotype and OXT treatment effects on OXTR levels in several regions of the brain. We found that, at P8, male and female Magel2-KOs displayed a widespread, substantial, down-regulation of OXTR levels compared to wild type (WT) animals. Most intriguingly, the postnatal OXT treatment did not affect Magel2-KO OXTR levels at P8 and, consistently, did not rescue the ultrasonic vocalization deficits observed at this age. On the contrary, the postnatal OXT treatment reduced OXTR levels at P90 in male Magel2-KO in a region-specific way, restoring normal OXTR levels in regions where the Magel2-KO OXTR was upregulated (central amygdala, hippocampus and piriform cortex). Interestingly, Magel2-KO females, previously shown to lack the social deficits observed in Magel2-KO males, were characterized by a different trend in receptor expression compared to males; as a result, the dimorphic expression of OXTR observed in WT animals, with higher OXTR expression observed in females, was abolished in Magel2-KO mice. In conclusion, our data indicate that in Magel2-KO mice, OXTRs undergo region-specific modifications related to age, sex and postnatal OXT treatment. These results are instrumental to design precisely-timed OXT-based therapeutic strategies that, by acting at specific brain regions, could modify the outcome of social deficits in Schaaf-Yang Syndrome patients

Dual modulation of inward rectifier potassium currents in olfactory neuronal cells by promiscuous G protein coupling of the oxytocin receptor

Oxytocin receptor is a seven transmembrane receptor widely expressed in the CNS that triggers G(i) or G(q) protein-mediated signaling cascades leading to the regulation of a variety of neuroendocrine and cognitive functions. We decided to investigate whether and how the promiscuous receptor/G protein coupling affects neuronal excitability. As an experimental model, we used the immortalized gonadotropin-releasing hormone-positive GN11 cell line displaying the features of immature, migrating olfactory neurons. Using RT-PCR analysis, we detected the presence of oxytocin receptors whose stimulation by oxytocin led to the accumulation of inositol phosphates and to the inhibition of cell proliferation, and the expression of several inward rectifier (IR) K+ channel subtypes. Moreover, electrophysiological and pharmacological inspections using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings evidenced that in GN11 cells, IR channel subtypes are responsive to oxytocin. In particular, we found that: (i) peptide activation of receptor either inhibited or stimulated IR conductances, and (ii) IR current inhibition was mediated by a pertussis toxin-resistant G protein presumably of the G(q/11) subtype, and by phospholipase C, whereas IR current activation was achieved via receptor coupling to a pertussis toxin-sensitive G(i/o) protein. The findings suggest that neuronal excitability might be tuned by a single peptide receptor that mediates opposing effects on distinct K+ channels through the promiscuous coupling to different G proteins

Per scaldare, per cuocere e per produrre. Le strutture da fuoco dell’abitato etrusco del Forcello di Bagnolo S. Vito: aspetti tipologici e funzionali

The Forcello site (Bagnolo S. Vito, Mantua) is the main Etruscan settlement north of the Po in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. It is approximately 12-hectare wide, with a fully urban pattern. It’s characterized by an orthogonal plan, defined by main and secondary roads that intersect each other orthogonally and outline blocks, occupied by both residential and productive buildings. The archaeological investigations are carried out in the settlement’s core area, over about 900 m2. After more than thirty years of excavations, nine archaeological phases have been recognized, resulting by the stratification of domestic activities, craft activities and catastrophic events. The extension and the long duration of the researches have brought to light dozens of fire structures: hearths, pit furnaces to cast bronze or to forge iron objects, remains of kilns. The wide typological variety of the fire structures can be evaluated according to the function of the buildings in which they are located, detected by study of archaeological findings and building techniques.Il Forcello di Bagnolo S.Vito (MN) è il principale abitato dell’area di espansione etrusca a nord del Po nel VI e V secolo a.C. Si tratta di un insediamento esteso circa 12 ettari dalla struttura pienamente urbana: un impianto ortogonale caratterizzato da assi viari principali e strade minori che si intersecano ortogonalmente e individuano quartieri, occupati da edifici sia di tipo residenziale che produttivo. Le indagini archeologiche, estese su un’area di circa 900 m2 nel nucleo centrale dell’insediamento, si susseguono da oltre trent’anni e hanno permesso di riconoscere nove fasi insediative, definite dallo stratificarsi di attività domestiche, attività artigianali ed eventi catastrofici. L’estensione e la lunga durata delle ricerche hanno permesso di riportare alla luce decine di strutture da fuoco: focolari, forni a fossa per attività pirotecnologiche, resti di fornaci per la cottura della ceramica. L’ampia varietà tipologica delle strutture da fuoco rinvenute è così associata alla funzione degli ambienti in cui esse si trovano, interpretata a sua volta grazie allo studio parallelo dei reperti associati e delle tecniche edilizie