Los cambios en el modo de vida (1880 - 1914)

Seguramente, los habitantes de la Argentina finisecular a quienes les había tocado ser testigos y protagonistas de los últimos años de su historia hallaban, a cada paso, sobrados motivos para reflexionar acerca de los acontecimientos que se sucedían ante sus ojos. Dos décadas atrás, la unificación política había clausurado el cielo de los conflictos internos y a partir de entonces, puesto el país bajo la invocación del lema “paz y administración”, la afluencia de capitales e inmigrantes, la asimilación de las conquistas tecnológicas y el desarrollo de la red de transportes y del sistema de comunicaciones, habían hecho posible su integración en el mercado mundial como abastecedor de productos agropecuarios. Los cambios involucrados en este proceso alcanzaban a todas las esferas del quehacer social, pero no a todas con la misma magnitud e intensidad. En lo que hace a la estructura económica, por ejemplo, las mudanzas eran menos expresivas —más cuantitativas que cualitativas— que en el campo de las ideas, las formas institucionales y los modos de vida. El aumento de volumen de la producción y la reorientación de las inversiones no altera sustancialmente el carácter de la economía argentina, cuya gama de actividades se mantiene prácticamente igual. En cambio, sí eran profundas y significativas —tanto cuantitativas como cualitativas— las modificaciones de los patrones de consumo y de comportamiento, de las instituciones y de las ideas, de los valores, de los usos y de las costumbres. Estas circunstancias le otorgan, a las transformaciones registradas a partir del 80, más las características de la modernización que las del desarrollo, esto es, configuran un proceso en el cual los niveles estructurales de la economía y de la sociedad resultan menos afectados que los niveles culturales, actitudinales e institucionales.Universidad Nacional de La Plat

From Embryo to Adult Life: Differential Expression of Visual Opsins in the Flatfish Solea senegalensis Under Different Light Spectra and Photoperiods

Visual photoreceptors in fish are usually adjusted to the light environment to ensure the highest efficiency and best adaptation. In the Senegalese sole, metamorphosis determines migration from pelagic to benthic habitats, with marked differences in both light intensity and spectrum. Here, we analysed the ontogeny of six visual photopigments, namely, rod opsin (rh1), short wavelength-sensitive (sws1 and sws2), medium wavelength-sensitive (rh2.3 and rh2.4), and long wavelength-sensitive (lws) cone opsins, in sole specimens maintained in light-dark cycles of white (LDW), blue (LDB), red (LDR), and continuous white (LL) lights by using RT-qPCR and in situ hybridisation. Most of the opsins displayed a similar developmental expression pattern under all tested conditions. However, lower transcripts were detected under LDR and LL compared to LDW and LDB. A significant increase in gene expression was detected before and after metamorphosis, reaching minimum transcript levels at hatching and during metamorphosis. Interestingly, green opsins (rh2.3 and rh2.4) displayed a significant increase only before metamorphosis, with their expression remaining low during and after metamorphosis. The rod opsin and short-, medium-, and long-wavelength sensitive cone opsins were detected in retinal photoreceptors of the sole from pre-metamorphic to adult stages by in situ hybridisation. In adults, the short-wavelength cone opsins (sws1 and sws2) were found in single cones, whereas the medium- (rh2.4) and long-wavelength (lws) cone opsins were present in double cones. The results obtained by in situ hybridisation in the retina of developing sole, in terms of number of positive cells and/or intensity of labelling, were consistent with the ontogenetic transcript patterns found by RT-qPCR, suggesting that most of the visual opsin expressions detected in the whole specimens could correspond to retinal expression. Taken together, our results pointed out that the ontogeny of the Senegalese sole is accompanied by remodelling in opsin gene expression, with the green-cone opsins being the most abundant photopigments in pre-metamorphosis and rod opsin the dominant visual photopigment from the completion of metamorphosis onwards. These results enlarge our knowledge of flatfish metamorphosis and ecology and provide useful information to develop light protocols adapted to different ontogenetic stages that could improve welfare and production in sole aquaculture

LA GUADUA E L’INFORMALE. LA CONOSCENZA STRUTTURALE E LA QUALIFICAZIONE DEI MATERIALI NATURALI NEL BARRIO DE INVASIÓN NUEVA ESPERANZA, KM41, MANIZALES, COLOMBIA

Nueva Esperanza è un insediamento di tipo informale situato nella regione andina colombiana, nel Dipartimento di Caldas, a cavallo del Río Cauca e sulla via che collega Manizales a Medellín. Come occupazione autogestita con ambizione di legalizzazione, è un modello non estraneo alla gestione colombiana, la cui emergenza abitativa è il risultato dell’instabilità politica e della lunga condizione di guerriglia, concentrata soprattutto in scenario rurale. Il lavoro che presentiamo investiga le forme dell’abitare sviluppatesi in questa comunità, alla luce delle differenti origini sociali e geografiche, formazione e competenze dei residenti. L’oggetto della ricerca è lo studio delle modalità di autocostruzione delle abitazioni in materiali locali (guadua angustifolia) e dell’efficacia delle soluzioni tecniche e costruttive adottate in tale contesto. Conseguente ai risultati dell’attività di rilievo e restituzione dei manufatti architettonici è l’individuazione di tre casi studio rappresentativi per diversi livelli di qualità d’esecuzione, qualità di conservazione, complessità della composizione. Si intravede, allora, un progetto ex novo che assolverà alla duplice intenzione di realizzare un luogo di socializzazione (ad oggi assente) e di sperimentare un cantiere autogestito a scopo didattico, per la valorizzazione del materiale e della tecnologia opportuna al fine di una ricostruzione consapevole delle abitazioni

About the effect of eye blinking on drug release from pHEMA-based hydrogels: an in vitro study

"The development of new ophthalmic drug delivery systems capable of increasing the residence time of drugs in the eye and improve its bioavailability relatively to eyedrops has been object of intense research in recent years. Several studies have shown that drug loaded therapeutic soft contact lenses (SCLs) constitute a promising approach, with several potential advantages as compared with collyria. The main objective of this work is to study the effect of repetitive load and friction cycles caused by the eye blinking, on the drug release from hydrogels used in SCLs which, as far as we know, was never investigated before. Two poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate based hydrogels, pHEMA-T and pHEMA-UV, were used as model materials. Levofloxaxin was chosen as model drug. The hydrogels were fully characterized in what concerns structural and physicochemical properties. PHEMA-UV revealed some superficial porosity and a lower short range order than PHEMA-T. We observe that the load and friction cycles enhanced the drug release from pHEMAUV hydrogels. The application of a simple mathematical model, which takes into account the drug dilution caused by the tear flow, showed that the enhancement of the drug release caused by blinking on this hydrogel may be relevant in in vivo conditions. Conversely, the more sustained drug release from pHEMA-T is not affected by load and friction cycles. The conclusion is that, depending on the physicochemical and microstructural characteristics of the hydrogels, blinking is a factor that may affect the amount of drug delivered to the eye by SCLs and should thus be considered.

Controlled drug delivery from ophthalmic lenses

Poster apresentado no Ciência 2016 – Encontro com a Ciência e Tecnologia em Portugal. Centro de Congressos de Lisboa, 4-6 julho 2016N/

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) applied to microalgal production.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) will become one of the world's most important light sources and their integration in microalgal production systems (photobioreactors) needs to be considered. LEDs can improve the quality and quantity of microalgal biomass when applied during specific growth phases. However, microalgae need a balanced mix of wavelengths for normal growth, and respond to light differently according to the pigments acquired or lost during their evolutionary history. This review highlights recently published results on the effect of LEDs on microalgal physiology and biochemistry and how this knowledge can be applied in selecting different LEDs with specific technical properties for regulating biomass production by microalgae belonging to diverse taxonomic groups

Evaluating the Impact of Nature-Based Solutions: A Handbook for Practitioners

The Handbook aims to provide decision-makers with a comprehensive NBS impact assessment framework, and a robust set of indicators and methodologies to assess impacts of nature-based solutions across 12 societal challenge areas: Climate Resilience; Water Management; Natural and Climate Hazards; Green Space Management; Biodiversity; Air Quality; Place Regeneration; Knowledge and Social Capacity Building for Sustainable Urban Transformation; Participatory Planning and Governance; Social Justice and Social Cohesion; Health and Well-being; New Economic Opportunities and Green Jobs. Indicators have been developed collaboratively by representatives of 17 individual EU-funded NBS projects and collaborating institutions such as the EEA and JRC, as part of the European Taskforce for NBS Impact Assessment, with the four-fold objective of: serving as a reference for relevant EU policies and activities; orient urban practitioners in developing robust impact evaluation frameworks for nature-based solutions at different scales; expand upon the pioneering work of the EKLIPSE framework by providing a comprehensive set of indicators and methodologies; and build the European evidence base regarding NBS impacts. They reflect the state of the art in current scientific research on impacts of nature-based solutions and valid and standardized methods of assessment, as well as the state of play in urban implementation of evaluation frameworks