Multiple territories in dispute : water policies, participation and Mapuce indigenous rights in Patagonia, Argentina

This thesis is about the multiple territories which dispute the shape and control of the development of the Trahunco-Quitrahue watershed, at Cerro Chapelko, Neuquén province in Argentinean Patagonian. Built into these disputes are the struggles of Mapuce peoples -indigenous peoples of the region- for the recognition in practice of their indigenous rights and the implications these have for natural resources management policies and actions, as well as for participation in decision-making processes. This study began focusing on a proposal of local and provincial water agencies to resolve local water demands by creating a water users association proposed for a small watershed49, the Trahunco stream in San Martín de los Andes (SMA), Patagonia. This territory was claimed by Mapuce communities and hosted several tourism enterprises. As fieldwork developed, the unravelling of the multiple realities involved in the water policy process, whether through the WUA or outside of it, made me broaden the scope of the research. The interethnic character of the site is reflected in its multiple actors, which include among others, tourism investors and allied businessmen, employees and administrators of an International Ski resort, different state agencies relating to the use and control of water resources and the impact of development projects - and two Mapuce indigenous communities, one of them very active in a Mapuce political organisation. All have different views, interests, possibilities and rights in respect to how development is to be defined. Therefore, once into the writing of this text, I decided that the notion of territory was the most appropriate for bringing together into the analysis the multiple dimensions intertwined at this local water policy implementation process. Territory is a concept that allows articulating the processes of social interactions and relationships, disputes for resource uses and control and, identity formation. The main questions of the research are: -What are the social interfaces of the WUA in San Martín de los Andes and how and why are the different meanings, projects and representations negotiated? -What are the processes involved in creating alternative policy spaces as Mapuce countertendencies for furthering their indigenous rights and their notions of territory? For answering these and other nested questions, I followed an actor-oriented perspective which engages with ethnographic research and participant observation as one of my main research strategies. This implied social interaction with the groups researched within their daily activities, gathering information in a systematic, non intrusive way, in order to get a view from ‘within’ the location selected for study. It required entering the fieldwork without a “formal hypothesis” but only with a preliminary comprehension of the problem to be studied. These notions guided the first steps of fieldwork, allowing for an accommodation to the circumstances found and the identification of what the actors consider as the problem around the topic of my interest as a researcher. My primary interest was to do research on the processes of genesis and implementation of a Water Users Association. While doing participant observation I combined a number of research techniques such as informal and formal discussions, individual interviews and meetings with focus groups. Attendance at local meetings, works and other events such as street protests, celebrations, markets, also drew attention to some aspects of the research and led me to new, unexpected insights and questions. For carrying out the fieldwork of this research, several periods of time were spent at San Martín de los Andes: seven months during 2001, three months in 2004 and shorter (one or two weeks) visits in 2003, 2006 and 2007. During the year between September 2006 and August 2007, I was working as a consultant within the Directorate of Indigenous Peoples and Natural Resources, at the National Secretariat of Environment and Sustainable Development. In this opportunity I worked closely to the Director, who is also one of the main Mapuce representatives of the political organisation whose actions this study focuses on. In this period, I met and shared discussions with many indigenous people's representatives and other Mapuce actors. This study analyses Mapuce peoples struggles for carving alternative policy spaces for enforcing indigenous rights and establish a ‘new relationship with the state’. For doing so, I firstly focused on a participatory water intervention in which a variety of actors were involved. Acknowledging the politics of participation in policy processes aiming to regulate the management of such vital resource led me to other arenas of action where actors excluded from the formal intervention, were actually generating new spaces of negotiation, not without conflicts. The social fields of interaction and dispute related to territory and sovereignty in Cerro Chapelko, at San Martín de los Andes, in the province of Neuquén are contextualized in the historically constructed cultural repertoires which influence today’s relationships between the hegemonic elites in power, other members of society and the Mapuce indigenous peoples of the region. Despite the formal recognition of indigenous rights in the national Constitution and the state’s agreements to International Conventions, the indigenous peoples of Argentina do not have access to their enforcement. Contemporary debates about the pre-existence of indigenous peoples in the region still influence the practical recognition of their rights. This is not a minor issue due to the relevance it has for exercising the autonomy in their territories. This permeates into the workings of state institutions involved in water, natural resources and environment management and control. At local level, the study focuses in the particular workings of such institutions in the process of implementation of a participatory water policy that brings together the multiple users at the watershed level, leading to the creation of a Water Users Association. The dynamics of this process reveal the processes of inclusion and exclusion that emerge out of these interfaces, so much related to the denial or ignorance of indigenous rights. The study shows how contemporary local state agencies manage to reproduce the state’s historical notion of territory as a homogenizing process of control and the denial of the rights of indigenous peoples. The exclusion of Mapuce political organisation from the scheme to develop a Water Users Association was not a cul-de-sac for them to pursue their political project. The strategies and tactics that the Mapuce deployed to create alternative policy spaces for their exercise of territoriality, which is a main element of their struggle for the recognition of indigenous rights, resulted a much more effective way for their participation in decision making. The construction of these countertendencies, that Mapuce call in general ‘the new relationship with the state’, emerge as alternative modernities which by incorporating difference into policy agendas and institutions, start to put in practice a recognition that in general is still only on paper. Therefore, the watershed is a site where multiple notions of territory are being disputed through different means and for different interests. Tourism developments advance their economic territorial projects supported by the sector’s businesses at local and regional level, The state, which influences the control through interventions as tools, shapes the territory sometimes favouring such projects. Mapuce people’s community members and political organisation, and their allies from different civil society sectors, claim their rights to participate in such definitions and propose new forms of participation. The meanings of ‘participation’ therefore, become a central issue of debate among these different actors struggling to get their notions on the political agenda. A main issue for getting indigenous rights right therefore, is the notion of differential modes of citizenship rooted in the concept of autonomy expressed within a pluri-national state, whose institutions and parliament should include Mapuce -and other peoples, as such. This is the issue from which all other aspects of indigenous rights unfold, therefore, constituting the motor of Mapuce peoples political movement. However, state institutions approach participation as an invitation to stakeholders to be informed on policy programmes and actions. Participation is reduced to a method or technique even in the best of the cases. From the discourses of state functionaries and legal advisors, in this study it becomes clear that the issue of differentiated citizenship is not incorporated into how institutions work. The coexistence of multiple territories without conflict requires that the state and wider society acknowledge in practice these rights the Mapuce are defending. Otherwise, the meanings of participation that are embedded in institutional practices that in fact over-rule or ignore these rights, most probably will continue to generate conflicts and disputes. <br/

Relationship between electrocardiographic characteristics of left bundle branch block and echocardiographic findings

Background: Complete left bundle branch block (CLBBB) is an electrocardiographic (ECG) dromotropic disorder seen in patients with various structural heart diseases and sometimes is associated with poor prognosis. Its presence confounds the application of standard ECG criteria for the diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), myocardial infarction (MI) in the chronic phase, and pathologies that produce changes on ST-T segment. The aim of this investigation was to establish the relationship between CLBBB and cardiac structural abnormalities assessed by echocardiography. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study included ECG with CLBBB from 101 patients who also had transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) performed within 6 months. Results: The prevalence of structural heart disease on TTE was 90%. No ECG criterion was useful to diagnose LVH since no relationship was observed between 9 different ECG signs and increased left ventricular mass index. QRS duration (p = 0.16) and left axis deviation (p = 0.09) were unrelated to reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Eight ECG signs proposed for the diagnosis of the chronic phase of MI demonstrated similar effectiveness, with high specificity and reduced sensitivity. Conclusions: CLBBB is associated with elevated prevalence of cardiac structural disease and hinders the application of common ECG criteria for the diagnosis of LVH, reduced LVEF, or chronic phase of MI. No ECG finding distinguished patients with structural heart disease from those with normal hearts. Electrocardiographic criteria for the diagnosis of MI in the chronic phase are useful when present, but when absent cannot rule it out.

Evolution of the odorant-binding protein gene family in Drosophila

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are encoded by a gene family involved in the perception of olfactory signals in insects. This chemosensory gene family has been advocated as a candidate to mediate host preference and host shifts in insects, although it also participates in other physiological processes. Remarkable differences in the OBP gene repertoire have been described across insect groups, suggesting an accelerated gene turnover rate. The genus Drosophila, is a valuable resource for ecological genomics studies since it comprises groups of ecologically diverse species and there are genome data for many of them. Here, we investigate the molecular evolution of this chemosensory gene family across 19 Drosophila genomes, including the melanogaster and repleta species groups, which are mostly associated with rotting fruit and cacti, respectively. We also compared the OBP repertoire among the closely related species of the repleta group, associated with different subfamilies of Cactaceae that represent disparate chemical challenges for the flies. We found that the gene family size varies widely between species, ranging from 39 to 54 candidate OBPs. Indeed, more than 54% of these genes are organized in clusters and located on chromosomes X, 2, and 5, with a distribution conserved throughout the genus. The family sizes in the repleta group and D. virilis (virilis-repleta radiation) were smaller than in the melanogaster group. We tested alternative evolutionary models for OBP family size and turnover rates based on different ecological scenarios. We found heterogeneous gene turnover rates (GR) in comparisons involving columnar cactus specialists, prickly pear specialists, and fruit dwellers lineages, and signals of rapid molecular evolution compatible with positive selection in specific OBP genes. Taking ours and previous results together, we propose that this chemosensory gene family is involved in host adaptation and hypothesize that the adoption of the cactophilic lifestyle in the repleta group accelerated the evolution of members of the family.Fil: Rondón Guerrero, Johnma José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Moreyra, Nicolás Nahuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Pisarenco, Vadim A.. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Rozas, Julio. Universidad de Barcelona; EspañaFil: Hurtado, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; ArgentinaFil: Hasson, Esteban Ruben. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución; Argentin

Nuevas especies de mamíferos para el Bajo Delta del Paraná y bajíos ribereños adyacentes, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Se reportan los primeros registros de presencia para cuatro especies de mamíferos (Dasypus novemcinctus, Cerdocyon thous, Procyon cancrivorus y Axis axis) en el sector bonaerense del Bajo Delta del río Paraná y bajíos ribereños adyacentes, Argentina. La inexistencia de datos previos para estas especies en la zona, pese a que se trata de un área previamente bien relevada, sugiere que su ingreso habría sido reciente. El número de registros obtenidos, su dispersión en el área y las observaciones de los pobladores respecto de la frecuencia de avistajes sugerirían que estas especies poseen actualmente poblaciones establecidas en la zona.We report the first records of presence of four mammal species (Dasypus novemcinctus, Cerdocyon thous, Procyon cancrivorus, and Axis axis) for the Lower Delta of the Paraná river and adjacent coastal lowlands, Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The absence of previous records of these species in the area, although it is a previously well surveyed area, suggests that their dissemination would be recent. The obtained number of records, their dispersion in the area, and comments from local people regarding the frequency of sightings would suggest that these species currently have established populations in the area.EEA Delta del ParanáFil: Fracassi, Natalia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Delta del Paraná; ArgentinaFil: Fracassi, Natalia. Asociación para la Conservación y el Estudio de la Naturaleza; ArgentinaFil: Moreyra, Pedro A. Administración de Parques Nacionales. Parque Nacional Campos del Tuyú; ArgentinaFil: Lartigau, Bernardo V. Asociación para la Conservación y el Estudio de la Naturaleza; ArgentinaFil: Teta, Pablo. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; ArgentinaFil: Landó, Roberto. FAPLAC S.A.; ArgentinaFil: Pereira, Javier A. Asociación para la Conservación y el Estudio de la Naturaleza; ArgentinaFil: Pereira, Javier A. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”; Argentin

Risk stratification for arrhythmic death in an emergency department cohort: a new method of nonlinear PD2i analysis of the ECG

Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects both cardiac autonomic function and risk of sudden arrhythmic death (AD). Indices of HRV based on linear stochastic models are independent risk factors for AD in postmyocardial infarction (MI) cohorts. Indices based on nonlinear deterministic models have a higher sensitivity and specificity for predicting AD in retrospective data. A new nonlinear deterministic model, the automated Point Correlation Dimension (PD2i), was prospectively evaluated for prediction of AD. Patients were enrolled (N = 918) in 6 emergency departments (EDs) upon presentation with chest pain and being determined to be at risk of acute MI (AMI) >7%. Brief digital ECGs (>1000 heartbeats, ∼15 min) were recorded and automated PD2i results obtained. Out-of-hospital AD was determined by modified Hinkle-Thaler criteria. All-cause mortality at 1 year was 6.2%, with 3.5% being ADs. Of the AD fatalities, 34% were without previous history of MI or diagnosis of AMI. The PD2i prediction of AD had sensitivity = 96%, specificity = 85%, negative predictive value = 99%, and relative risk >24.2 (p ≤ 0.001). HRV analysis by the time-dependent nonlinear PD2i algorithm can accurately predict risk of AD in an ED cohort and may have both life-saving and resource-saving implications for individual risk assessment

Caracterización de la resistencia al pulgón verde de los cereales (Schizaphis graminum) en cultivares de cebada bajo condiciones controladas

Con el objetivo de identificar fuentes de resistencia a Schizaphis graminum, una de las principales plagas que afectan a los cereales de invierno, se evaluaron variedades comerciales y líneas experimentales de cebada en condiciones de laboratorio. La tolerancia de las plantas a la alimentación del pulgón verde de los cereales fue evaluada a través de la medición de la pérdida de peso seco aéreo y del contenido de clorofila en plantas infestadas en comparación con sus respectivos controles sin infestación. Además, fueron clasificadas mediante el daño efectuado por el insecto luego de un período de infestación, según una escala de 1 a 9, donde 1= planta sin daño y 9= planta muerta. Los materiales que presentaron valores de 1 a 3 fueron consideradas plantas resistentes, de 4 a 6 moderadamente resistentes a moderadamente susceptibles y de 7 a 9 susceptibles. Se determinó el efecto de antibiosis que ejercen los distintos genotipos sobre la longevidad y la fecundidad de los insectos confinados en ellos. Los análisis estadísticos evidenciaron diferencias significativas en la resistencia a S. graminum entre los germoplasmas evaluados. Entre ellos, las variedades Quilmes Carisma, Sylphide, Sunshine y la línea experimental LE 3 fueron las más tolerantes a la alimentación del áfido y a su vez, Sylphide mostró efectos antibióticos. Sin embargo, estas variedades no son las más representativas de la producción de cebada en Argentina. En tanto, las variedades que ocupan la mayor superficie de producción (Andreia, Shakira y Scarlett) fueron caracterizadas como susceptibles o moderadamente susceptibles. Los resultados destacan la importancia de conocer la resistencia a una determinada plaga, ya que puede ser un factor condicionante en la elección de las variedades en especial en las regiones donde la plaga puede generar daños de importancia. Además, la información obtenida representa un recurso de valor para ser utilizado en los programas de mejoramiento en la búsqueda de cultivares con resistencia genética al pulgón verde de los cereales.In order to identify sources of resistance to Schizaphis graminum, main pests affecting winter cereals, commercial varieties and experimental lines of barley were evaluated under laboratory conditions. Plant tolerance to greenbug feeding was assessed by measuring dry air weight loss and chlorophyll content in infested plants compared with respective not infested controls. In addition, genotypes were classified by damage insect done after a period of infestation, using a scale of 1 to 9, where 1 = plant without damage and 9 = dead plant. Genotypes with values from 1 to 3 were considered resistant plants, from 4 to 6 moderately resistant to moderately susceptible and from 7 to 9 susceptible. Genotypes antibiotics effect was determined by longevity and fecundity of the insects. Significant differences in resistance to S. graminum among evaluated germplasm were found. Among them, Quilmes Carisma, Sylphide, Sunshine and LE 3 (experimental line) were the most tolerant to aphid feed, and Sylphide showed antibiotic effect. However, these varieties are not most representative barley production in Argentina. Meanwhile, Andreia, Shakira and Scarlett were characterized as susceptible or moderately susceptible and these varieties are most representative barley production in Argentina. The results shown the importance of knowing the resistance to a particular pest, due it can be a conditioning factor in choice of varieties especially in regions where the pest can generate important damages. In addition, information obtained represents a valuable resource to be used in breeding programs in the search for cultivars with genetic resistance to green aphid from cereals.EEA BordenaveFil: Tocho, Erica Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Tacaliti, María Silvia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Musa, A. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Germán Andrés. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bordenave; ArgentinaFil: Moreyra, Federico. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bordenave; ArgentinaFil: Gimenez, Fernando Jose. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bordenave; Argentin

African mountain thistles: generic delimitation problems analyzed with NGS

Póster presentado en el III Simposio Anual de Botánica Española celebrado en el Institut Botànic de Barcelona, 25-26 de noviembre de 202

Serum lipid responses to psyllium fiber: differences between pre- and post-menopausal, hypercholesterolemic women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women and men. Psyllium, a soluble fiber has been known to reduce serum lipids. In this pilot study, we evaluated whether menopausal status would affect the serum lipid responses to psyllium fiber in women.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Eleven post-menopausal and eight pre-menopausal women with serum total cholesterol >200 mg/dL were included in the study. Subjects consumed their habitual diet and 15 g psyllium/d for 6 weeks. Psyllium was incorporated into cookies. Each cookie contained ≈5 g of psyllium fiber. Subjects ate one cookie in each meal.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>With psyllium fiber, total cholesterol concentration was significantly lower (≈5.2%, P < 0.05) in post-menopausal women but not in pre-menopausal women (≈1.3%). Also, there was a significant decrease in HDL-cholesterol in post-menopausal women (≈10.2%, P < 0.05). There were no significant changes observed in concentrations of LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, apolipoprotein A1, and apolipoprotein B in both pre- and post-menopausal women with psyllium.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In this pilot study, post- and pre-menopausal, hypercholesterolemic women responded differently to psyllium fiber supplementation. Post-menopausal women would benefit from addition of psyllium to their diets in reducing the risk for heart diseases. The results of this study should be used with caution because the study was based on a small sample size.</p