Conceptions and Frameworks: Key Trends on the Rule of Law in Latin America

Latin America, like the rest of the world, does not escape the apparent tension between a formal and a material concept of the rule of law (second part). The formal concerns with the abuse of public power as shown by the many dictatorships that have plagued the region and the subsequent transitions (third part). The material concerns social conditions, the paradigmatic case being Colombia’s 1991 constitution, but also previous welfare policies and recent constitutional case law (fourth part). Notwithstanding, from the end of the 20th century onwards, the question of frameworks became gradually more relevant in the region: that is to say, neither the formal nor the material conception of the rule of law can be accurately accounted for without its conditions of possibility. Since the 2000s, it has become increasingly clear that it is necessary to question the frameworks of these conceptions as both took for granted that nation-states were the ultimate guarantors of the rule of law. However, in Latin America, states face political, financial, and economic forces (Lasalle 1942) that condition their capacity to guarantee the rule of law. This is why a third trend, complementary to the previous ones, appears (third part). If the state is to guarantee the rule of law, then this requires making these frameworks visible – and accountable. The regulation of global actors and local elites is inseparable from the discussion on both, the formal and the material concepts of the Rule of Law.Fil: Aldao, Martin Maria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Derecho. Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas y Sociales "Dr. Ambrosio L. Gioja"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Clérico, María Laura. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Derecho. Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas y Sociales "Dr. Ambrosio L. Gioja"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Towards a reconstruction of equality case-law trends in Latin America and the Caribbean: on non-discrimination, anti-subordination, redistribution and recognition

Fruto de una de las líneas de investigación del equipo que integro, el presente trabajo fue escrito en colaboración por la magnitud de la información relevada en materia de jurisprudencia regional. Mi intervención en el artículo se concentró en el análisis conceptual de las diversas fórmulas de igualdad, en particular en sus versiones más avanzadas; y en el relevamiento, selección y análisis de la jurisprudencia vinculada a pobreza, nacionalidad y orientación sexual. En el mismo se propone establecer la medida en que la jurisprudencia de los tribunales superiores y constitucionales de la región puede ser reconstruida como un indicador de la receptividad (o no) del enfoque de la desigualdad estructural. Sostenemos que es necesario ampliar la fórmula de igualdad como principio de no-dominación o no-sometimiento. Desde esa perspectiva se analizan con detenimiento los casos llegados a la Cortes y Tribunales de diversos Estados de América Latina y el Caribe sobre desigualdad por razón de pobreza, de nacionalidad, de etnia, de la situación de discapacidad, de la edad o de la orientación sexual. excluimos la jurisprudencia en materia de género o de pueblo o comunidades originarias por haber sido objeto de otros trabajos.The article begins by 1) presenting the reader to some generalities concerning the equality test (the concept of formal equality and substantive equality in terms of antisubordination and the perspectives of redistribution and recognition). It then reviews decisions from a number of Latin American countries ' high courts as well as others rendered by the Inter American Commission on Human Rights (I/A CHR) and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IA Court HR) related to discrimination based on nationality, age, disability, and sexual orientation. The analysis of the cases shall contribute to determine the concept of equality that prevails in each decision (as evidenced in the grounds provided by the judge as well as in the remedies awarded). Finally we attempt to draw some conclusions over the prevailing trend in the region concerning equality.Fil: Clérico, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Derecho; ArgentinaFil: Ronconi, Liliana Mabel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Derecho; ArgentinaFil: Aldao, Martin Maria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Derecho. Instituto de Investigaciones Jurídicas y Sociales "Dr. Ambrosio L. Gioja"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Neutron Autoradiography Combined With UV-C Sensitization: Toward the Intracellular Localization of Boron

Our group has reported the imprint formation of biological material on polycarbonate nuclear track detectors by UV-C exposure, which is used as an approach to simultaneously visualize cell imprints and nuclear tracks coming from the boron neutron capture reaction. Considering that the cell nucleus has a higher UV-C absorption than the cytoplasm and that hematoxylin preferentially stains the nucleus, we proposed to enhance the contrast between these two main cell structures by hematoxylin staining before UV-C sensitization. In this study, several experiments were performed in order to optimize UV-C exposure parameters and chemical etching conditions for cell imprint formation using the SK-BR-3 breast cancer cell line. The proposed method improves significantly the resolution of the cell imprints. It allows clear differentiation of the nucleus from the rest of the cell, together with nuclear tracks pits. Moreover, it reduces considerably the UV-C exposure time, an important experimental issue. The proposed methodology can be applied to study the boron distribution independently from the chosen cell line and/or boron compounds.Fil: Gadan, Mario Alberto. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Lloyd, Rodrigo. Ministerio de Ciencia. Tecnología e Innovación Productiva. Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Saint Martin, María Laura Gisela. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Olivera, María S.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Policastro, Lucia Laura. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Oficina de Coordinacion Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia - Nodo Constituyentes | Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnologia - Nodo Constituyentes.; ArgentinaFil: Portu, Agustina Mariana. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Staphylococcus sp, tratamiento antimicrobiano y resistencia en pioderma bacteriana superficial canina

En la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, existen pocos estudios sobre la frecuencia del tratamiento antimicrobiano en pioderma canina y el nivel de resistencia antimicrobiana de Staphylococcus sp. Los principales objetivos de este estudio fueron analizar la resistencia antimicrobiana de Staphylococcus sp, la frecuencia del tratamiento antimicrobiano y sus recidivas en caninos con pioderma. Se analizaron 39 caninos con diagnóstico clínico de pioderma, procedentes de clínicas veterinarias privadas del área de Buenos Aires. Se recogieron, en el momento de la pioderma activa, hisopados de lesiones cutáneas para cultivo bacteriano y análisis por espectrometría de masas. Además, se registró raza, sexo, clasificación clínica de la pioderma, tratamiento antimicrobiano y recaídas de la enfermedad. El 76% de los animales estudiados recibieron cefalexina por vía oral después del examen clínico, y dentro de este porcentaje, el 31,6% también recibió otros tipos de agentes antimicrobianos debido a recaídas. El 24% restante recibió como tratamiento antimicrobiano lincomicina, minociclina y/o doxiciclina. En el 60% de los animales estudiados, la pioderma diagnosticada tenía una causa alérgica, que a su vez coincidió con las recaídas y fue similar al porcentaje de resistencia a la meticilina (51%) de los diferentes aislamientos de Staphylococcus sp. El 80% de las resistencias a meticilina observadas se trataron previamente con cefalexina. Inesperadamente, el mayor porcentaje de resistencia observada fue a eritromicina, clindamicina (demostrando fenotipo constitutivo MLSB) y sulfatrimetoprima.In Buenos Aires, Argentina, few studies are available regarding the frequency of the antimicrobial treatment for canine pyoderma and the level of antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus sp. The main objectives of this study were to analyze the antimicrobial resistance of Staphylococcus sp and the frequency of antimicrobial treatment of canines with pyoderma and their relapses. A total of 39 canines with clinical diagnosis of pyoderma from private veterinary clinics in Buenos Aires area, were analyzed. Skin lesions swabs for both bacterial culture and mass spectrometry analysis were collected at the time of active pyoderma. Additionally, breed, sex, pyoderma classification, antimicrobial treatment and relapses of disease were recorded. Seventy-six percent of the studied animals received oral cephalexin after the clinical checkup, and within this percentage 31.6% also received other types of antimicrobial agents due to relapses. The remaining 24% had only antimicrobial treatment with lincomycin, minocycline and/or doxycycline. In sixty percent of the animals, pyoderma was related to allergy, which in turn was in concordance with relapses and was similar to the percentage of methicillin resistance (51%) of the different isolates of Staphylococcus sp. Eighty percent of the methicillin resistances were previously treated with cephalexin. Surprisingly, the highest percentages of resistance were to erythromycin, clindamycin (demonstrating constitutive MLSB phenotype), and sulfatrimethoprim.Fil: Meneses, María Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Micología Molecular; ArgentinaFil: Martin, P. L.. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; ArgentinaFil: Manzuc, Pablo. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; ArgentinaFil: Arauz, María Sandra. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; ArgentinaFil: Pardo, Alejandro Guillermo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes; Argentin

Training-induced changes in drag-flick technique in female field hockey players

The penalty corner is one of the most important goal plays in field hockey. The drag-flick is used less by women than men in a penalty corner. The aim of this study was to describe training-induced changes in the drag-flick technique in female field hockey players. Four female players participated in the study. The VICON optoelectronic system (Oxford Metrics, Oxford, UK) measured the kinematic parameters of the drag-flick with six cameras sampling at 250 Hz, prior to and after training. Fifteen shots were captured for each subject. A Wilcoxon test assessed the differences between pre-training and post-training parameters. Two players received specific training twice a week for 8 weeks; the other two players did not train. The proposed drills improved the position of the stick at the beginning of the shot (p<0.05), the total distance of the shot (p<0.05)and the rotation radius at ball release (p<0.01). It was noted that all players had lost speed of the previous run. Further studies should include a larger sample, in order to provide more information on field hockey performance

Ethical challenges in the development of virtual assistants powered by large language models

Virtual assistants (VAs) have gained widespread popularity across a wide range of applications, and the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs), such as ChatGPT, has opened up new possibilities for developing even more sophisticated VAs. However, this integration poses new ethical issues and challenges that must be carefully considered, particularly as these systems are increasingly used in public services: transfer of personal data, decision-making transparency, potential biases, and privacy risks. This paper, an extension of the work presented at IberSPEECH 2022, analyzes the current regulatory framework for AI-based VAs in Europe and delves into ethical issues in depth, examining potential benefits and drawbacks of integrating LLMs with VAs. Based on the analysis, this paper argues that the development and use of VAs powered by LLMs should be guided by a set of ethical principles that prioritize transparency, fairness, and harm prevention. The paper presents specific guidelines for the ethical use and development of this technology, including recommendations for data privacy, bias mitigation, and user control. By implementing these guidelines, the potential benefits of VAs powered by LLMs can be fully realized while minimizing the risks of harm and ensuring that ethical considerations are at the forefront of the development process.Agencia Gallega de Innovación (GAIN)Xunta de Galicia | Ref. ED431B 2021/2

Markers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease in recently diagnosed celiac disease patients

AIM: To evaluate novel risk factors and biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in celiac disease (CD) patients compared with healthy controls.METHODS:Twenty adult patients with recent diagnosis of CD and 20 sex, age and body mass index-matched healthy controls were recruited during a period of 12 mo.Indicators of carbohydrate metabolism, hematological parameters and high sensitive C reactive protein were determined. Moreover, lipoprotein metabolism was also explored through evaluation of the lipid profile and the activity of cholesteryl ester transfer protein and lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2, which is also considered a specific marker of vascular inflammation. The protocol was approved by the Ethic Committee from School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Buenos Aires and from Buenos Aires Italian Hospital, Buenos Aires, Argentina.RESULTS: Regarding the indicators of insulin resistance, CD patients showed higher plasma insulin levels [7.2 (5.0-11.3) mU/L vs 4.6 (2.6-6.7) mU/L, P < 0.05], increased Homeostasis Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance [1.45 (1.04-2.24) vs 1.00 (0.51-1.45), P < 0.05] and lower Quantitative Sensitive Check index [0.33 (0.28-0.40) vs 0.42 (0.34-0.65), P < 0.05] indexes. Folic acid concentration [5.4 (4.4-7.9) ng/mL vs 12.2 (8.0-14.2) ng/mL, P < 0.01] resulted to be lower and High-sensitivity C reactive protein levels higher (4.21 ± 6.47 mg/L vs 0.98 ± 1.13 mg/L, P < 0.01) in the patient group. With respect to the lipoprotein profile, CD patients showed lower high density lipoproteincholesterol (HDL-C) (45 ± 15 mg/dL vs 57 ± 17 mg/dL, P < 0.05) and apo A-I (130 ± 31 mg/dL vs 155 ± 29 mg/ dL, P < 0.05) levels, as well as higher total cholesterol/ HDL-C [4.19 (3.11-5.00) vs 3.52 (2.84-4.08), P < 0.05] and apo B/apo A-I (0.75 ± 0.25 vs 0.55 ± 0.16, P < 0.05) ratios in comparison with control subjects. No statistically significant differences were detectedin lipoprotein-associated lipid transfer protein and enzymes.CONCLUSION: The presence and interaction of the detected alterations in patients with CD, would constitute a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.Fil: Tetzlaff, Walter Francisco. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Meroño, Tomás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Menafra, Martín. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Martin, Maximiliano. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Botta, Eliana Elizabeth. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Matoso, María Dolores. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Sorroche, Patricia Beatriz. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: De Paula, Juan A. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Boero, Laura Estela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; ArgentinaFil: Brites, Fernando Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica; Argentin

Native and foreign mitochondrial and nuclear encoded proteins conform the OXPHOS complexes of a holoparasitic plant

The intimate contact between the holoparasitic plant Lophophytum mirabile (Balanophoraceae) and its host plant (Fabaceae) facilitates the exchange of genetic information, increasing the frequency of horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Lophophytum stands out because it acquired a large number of mitochondrial genes (greater than 20) from its legume host that replaced the majority of the native homologs. These foreign genes code for proteins that form multisubunit enzyme complexes, such as those in the oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) and cytochrome c maturation (ccm) system, together with dozens of nuclear-encoded subunits. However, the existence and the origin of the nuclear subunits that form the major part of the OXPHOS and ccm system in Lophophytum remain unknown. It was proposed that nuclear-encoding genes whose products interact with foreign mitochondrial proteins are also foreign, minimizing the incompatibilities that could arise in the assembly and functioning of these multiprotein complexes. We identified a nearly complete set of OXPHOS and ccm system subunits evolving under selective constraints in the transcriptome of Lophophytum, indicating that OXPHOS is functional and resembles that of free-living angiosperms. Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analyses revealed a single case of HGT in the nuclear genes, which results in mosaic OXPHOS and ccm system in Lophophytum. These observations raise new questions about the evolution and physiology of this parasitic plant. A putative case of cooperation between two foreign (one mitochondrial and one nuclear) genes is presented.Fil: Gatica Soria, Leonardo Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Ceriotti, Luis Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Laura Evangelina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biología; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez Puerta, María Virginia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin