Smallholder perceptions of land restoration activities: rewetting tropical peatland oil palm areas in Sumatra, Indonesia

The Indonesian government committed to restoring over 2 million ha of degraded peatland by the end of 2020, mainly to reduce peat fires and greenhouse gas emissions. Although it is unlikely the government will meet this target, restoration projects are still underway. One restoration strategy involves blocking peatland drainage canals, but the consequences of this for smallholder farmers whose livelihoods are dependent on agriculture are unclear. This paper investigates perceived impacts of canal blocks on smallholder farmers and identifies factors that affect their willingness to accept canal blocks on their land. We use data from 181 household questionnaires collected in 2018 across three villages in Jambi province, Sumatra. We found that the majority of respondents would accept canal blocks on their farms, perceiving that the blocks would have no impact on yields or farm access, and would decrease fire risk. Respondents who would not accept blocks on their farms were more likely to use canals to access their farms and perceive that canal blocks would decrease yields. The majority of farmers unwilling to accept canal blocks did not change their mind when provided with an option of a block that would allow boat travel. Our results improve understanding of why some smallholders may be unwilling to engage with peatland restoration. Further research is needed to understand the impact of canal blocks on smallholders’ yields. Engaging with stakeholders from the outset to understand farmers’ concerns, and perceptions is key if the government is to succeed in meeting its peatland restoration target and to ensure that the costs and benefits of restoration are evenly shared between local stakeholders and other actors

Animación sociocultural mediante el deporte en la Unidad de Salud Mental del establecimiento carcelario La Modelo de Bogotá

Servicio Social ComunitarioInvestigación realizada tuvo como objetivo la realización de una animación sociocultural en el establecimiento carcelario la Modelo ubicado en la ciudad de Bogotá- Colombia, específicamente en la unidad de salud mental, a través de metodologías participativas y alternativas de intervención como el Aprendizaje Servicio Solidario (ASS); de esta manera fue posible identificar en un primer momento algunas de las necesidades sentidas, percibidas e inferidas, tanto de la institución, como de las personas privadas de la libertad (PPL), a través del arte y el deporte. En un segundo momento se desarrolló una intervención a través de las metodologías ya mencionadas, utilizando el deporte como herramienta principal, buscando potencializar en los internos diferentes alternativas para la solución de problemas y la transformación de las necesidades evaluadas. En cuanto a este último objetivo de la intervención no todas las necesidades pudieron tener alguna modificación, puesto que algunas de ellas se encuentran vinculadas con lineamientos institucionales fuera del alcance de esta investigación. Para este estudio no se contó con una muestra estable, ya que para cada sesión los PPL podían elegir su participación de manera voluntaria y en casos particulares se evidenciaban traslados de patio o de establecimiento carcelario y, además, se presentaron situaciones de inseguridad en el patio, que no permitieron el desarrollo adecuado de las últimas sesiones de intervención.140 p.1. Marco Teórico 2. Marco Metodológico 3. Diseño Metodológico de la Intervención 4. Categorías de Análisis 5. Análisis de Contenido 6. Matriz Operativa del Proyecto 7. Análisis de Procesos 8. ReferenciasPregradoPsicólog

A fresh look at the evolution and diversification of photochemical reaction centers

In this review, I reexamine the origin and diversification of photochemical reaction centers based on the known phylogenetic relations of the core subunits, and with the aid of sequence and structural alignments. I show, for example, that the protein folds at the C-terminus of the D1 and D2 subunits of Photosystem II, which are essential for the coordination of the water-oxidizing complex, were already in place in the most ancestral Type II reaction center subunit. I then evaluate the evolution of reaction centers in the context of the rise and expansion of the different groups of bacteria based on recent large-scale phylogenetic analyses. I find that the Heliobacteriaceae family of Firmicutes appears to be the earliest branching of the known groups of phototrophic bacteria; however, the origin of photochemical reaction centers and chlorophyll synthesis cannot be placed in this group. Moreover, it becomes evident that the Acidobacteria and the Proteobacteria shared a more recent common phototrophic ancestor, and this is also likely for the Chloroflexi and the Cyanobacteria. Finally, I argue that the discrepancies among the phylogenies of the reaction center proteins, chlorophyll synthesis enzymes, and the species tree of bacteria are best explained if both types of photochemical reaction centers evolved before the diversification of the known phyla of phototrophic bacteria. The primordial phototrophic ancestor must have had both Type I and Type II reaction centers

Effects of drip irrigation promotion policies on water use and irrigation costs in Valencia, Spain

The aim of this study is to conduct an ex post analysis of the generalized implementation of drip irrigation in the last two decades in the Valencia Region (Spain). Due to the important role played by water users’ associations (WUAs) in this socio-technological change in the region, this research was based on 77 interviews with different WUAs that provided information prior and subsequent to modernization. Firstly, we review the published studies concerning the effects generated by this technological change and describe the drip irrigation promotion policies implemented by national and regional governments. Subsequently, we analyse the consequences for irrigation associations, including effects on water use and irrigation costs. The reduction of water withdrawals has been generally significant. This was possible because the regional contextual factors prevented, in most cases, crop intensification and areal expansion. Nevertheless, due to the enormous investment effort and the resulting maintenance costs, the technological change has increased irrigation costs, generating some uncertainties concerning the financial sustainability of some WUAs. In conclusion, a thorough assessment of contextual factors and accompanying measures such as technical assistance and monitoring appear to be indispensable to avoid unforeseen effects and to achieve the potential goals of conversion to drip technologiesThis study has been supported by the IMPADAPT project (CGL2013-48424-C2-1-R) with Spanish MINECO (Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad) and European FEDER funds.Sanchis Ibor, C.; García Molla, M.; Avellá Reus, LF. (2017). Effects of drip irrigation promotion policies on water use and irrigation costs in Valencia, Spain. Water Policy. 19(1):165-180. https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2016.025S16518019

E-Cadherin Acts as a Regulator of Transcripts Associated with a Wide Range of Cellular Processes in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

We have recently shown that expression of the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin is required for LIF-dependent pluripotency of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells.In this study, we have assessed global transcript expression in E-cadherin null (Ecad-/-) ES cells cultured in either the presence or absence of LIF and compared these to the parental cell line wtD3.We show that LIF has little effect on the transcript profile of Ecad-/- ES cells, with statistically significant transcript alterations observed only for Sp8 and Stat3. Comparison of Ecad-/- and wtD3 ES cells cultured in LIF demonstrated significant alterations in the transcript profile, with effects not only confined to cell adhesion and motility but also affecting, for example, primary metabolic processes, catabolism and genes associated with apoptosis. Ecad-/- ES cells share similar, although not identical, gene expression profiles to epiblast-derived pluripotent stem cells, suggesting that E-cadherin expression may inhibit inner cell mass to epiblast transition. We further show that Ecad-/- ES cells maintain a functional β-catenin pool that is able to induce β-catenin/TCF-mediated transactivation but, contrary to previous findings, do not display endogenous β-catenin/TCF-mediated transactivation. We conclude that loss of E-cadherin in mouse ES cells leads to significant transcript alterations independently of β-catenin/TCF transactivation