LA LUCHA POR LA DIGNIDAD Y LA JUSTICIA DE LAS TRABAJADORAS DEL HOGAR EN LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS: EL CASO DE LA NATIONAL DOMESTIC WORKERS ALLIANCE Y EL MODELO DEL CENTRO DE TRABAJADORAS

RESUMEN: Es artículo discutirá como en los Estados Unidos las trabajadoras del hogar llevan años movilizándose por tener derechos laborales, y cambiar la noción de que el trabajo del hogar no es un “trabajo verdadero”. Se expondrá y discutirá cómo la creación de leyes para las trabajadoras del hogar en EEUU ayuda a que éstas generen una identidad colectiva que propicia una mayor participación política. Dicha acción ha sido encaminada por la National Domestic Workers Alliance. También se discutirá el modelo del centro de trabajadores (worker centers) seguido ampliamente por este sector laboral. Con ello se analizarán las capacidades disruptivas (FOX-PIVEN and CLOWARD, 1977) el poder simbólico (CHUN, 2009),  ideológico (LUI, 2015) y estructural (SILVER, 2003) que las trabajadoras del hogar tienen en EEUU, así como una revisión crítica a los centros de trabajadores, la forma en que toman decisiones y el financiamiento obtenido (FRANZ and FERNANDES, 2018; MCCARTHY and ZALD, 1977).RESUMO: Este artigo discutirá como as trabalhadoras domésticas nos Estados Unidos vêm se mobilizando há anos para ter direitos trabalhistas e para mudar a noção de que o trabalho doméstico não é um "trabalho de verdade". Será apresentado e discutido como a criação de leis para trabalhadoras domésticas nos Estados Unidos as ajuda a gerar uma identidade coletiva que incentiva uma maior participação política. Esta ação foi liderada pela National Domestic Workers Alliance. O modelo dos centros de trabalho, amplamente seguido por este setor de trabalho, também será discutido. Serão analisadas as capacidades disruptivas (FOX-PIVEN e CLOWARD, 1977), simbólicas (CHUN, 2009), ideológicas (LUI, 2015) e estruturais (SILVER, 2003) de poder que as trabalhadoras domésticas têm nos EUA, bem como um poder crítico revisão dos centros de trabalhadores, da forma como tomam decisões e dos financiamentos obtidos (FRANZ e FERNANDES, 2018; MCCARTHY e ZALD, 1977)

Dispersal of transgenes through maize seed systems in Mexico.

ObjectivesCurrent models of transgene dispersal focus on gene flow via pollen while neglecting seed, a vital vehicle for gene flow in centers of crop origin and diversity. We analyze the dispersal of maize transgenes via seeds in Mexico, the crop's cradle.MethodsWe use immunoassays (ELISA) to screen for the activity of recombinant proteins in a nationwide sample of farmer seed stocks. We estimate critical parameters of seed population dynamics using household survey data and combine these estimates with analytical results to examine presumed sources and mechanisms of dispersal.ResultsRecombinant proteins Cry1Ab/Ac and CP4/EPSPS were found in 3.1% and 1.8% of samples, respectively. They are most abundant in southeast Mexico but also present in the west-central region. Diffusion of seed and grain imported from the United States might explain the frequency and distribution of transgenes in west-central Mexico but not in the southeast.ConclusionsUnderstanding the potential for transgene survival and dispersal should help design methods to regulate the diffusion of germplasm into local seed stocks. Further research is needed on the interactions between formal and informal seed systems and grain markets in centers of crop origin and diversification

B-Function Expression in the Flower Center Underlies the Homeotic Phenotype of Lacandonia schismatica (Triuridaceae)

Spontaneous homeotic transformations have been described in natural populations of both plants and animals, but little is known about the molecular-genetic mechanisms underlying these processes in plants. In the ABC model of floral organ identity in Arabidopsis thaliana, the B- and C-functions are necessary for stamen morphogenesis, and C alone is required for carpel identity. We provide ABC model-based molecular-genetic evidence that explains the unique inside-out homeotic floral organ arrangement of the monocotyledonous mycoheterotroph species Lacandonia schismatica (Triuridaceae) from Mexico. Whereas a quarter million flowering plant species bear central carpels surrounded by stamens, L. schismatica stamens occur in the center of the flower and are surrounded by carpels. The simplest explanation for this is that the B-function is displaced toward the flower center. Our analyses of the spatio-temporal pattern of B- and C-function gene expression are consistent with this hypothesis. The hypothesis is further supported by conservation between the B-function genes of L. schismatica and Arabidopsis, as the former are able to rescue stamens in Arabidopsis transgenic complementation lines, and Ls-AP3 and Ls-PI are able to interact with each other and with the corresponding Arabidopsis B-function proteins in yeast. Thus, relatively simple molecular modifications may underlie important morphological shifts in natural populations of extant plant taxa

Comparative analysis of whole flower transcriptomes in the Zingiberales

The advancement of next generation sequencing technologies (NGS) has revolutionized our ability to generate large quantities of data at a genomic scale. Despite great challenges, these new sequencing technologies have empowered scientists to explore various relevant biological questions on non-model organisms, even in the absence of a complete sequenced reference genome. Here, we analyzed whole flower transcriptome libraries from exemplar species across the monocot order Zingiberales, using a comparative approach in order to gain insight into the evolution of the molecular mechanisms underlying flower development in the group. We identified 4,153 coding genes shared by all floral transcriptomes analyzed, and 1,748 genes that are only retrieved in the Zingiberales. We also identified 666 genes that are unique to the ginger lineage, and 2,001 that are only found in the banana group, while in the outgroup species Dichorisandra thyrsiflora J.C. Mikan (Commelinaceae) we retrieved 2,686 unique genes. It is possible that some of these genes underlie lineage-specific molecular mechanisms of floral diversification. We further discuss the nature of these lineage-specific datasets, emphasizing conserved and unique molecular processes with special emphasis in the Zingiberales. We also briefly discuss the strengths and shortcomings of de novo assembly for the study of developmental processes across divergent taxa from a particular order. Although this comparison is based exclusively on coding genes, with particular emphasis in transcription factors, we believe that the careful study of other regulatory mechanisms, such as non-coding RNAs, might reveal new levels of complexity, which were not explored in this work

Gene Flow in Genetically Modified Wheat

Understanding gene flow in genetically modified (GM) crops is critical to answering questions regarding risk-assessment and the coexistence of GM and non-GM crops. In two field experiments, we tested whether rates of cross-pollination differed between GM and non-GM lines of the predominantly self-pollinating wheat Triticum aestivum. In the first experiment, outcrossing was studied within the field by planting “phytometers” of one line into stands of another line. In the second experiment, outcrossing was studied over distances of 0.5–2.5 m from a central patch of pollen donors to adjacent patches of pollen recipients. Cross-pollination and outcrossing was detected when offspring of a pollen recipient without a particular transgene contained this transgene in heterozygous condition. The GM lines had been produced from the varieties Bobwhite or Frisal and contained Pm3b or chitinase/glucanase transgenes, respectively, in homozygous condition. These transgenes increase plant resistance against pathogenic fungi. Although the overall outcrossing rate in the first experiment was only 3.4%, Bobwhite GM lines containing the Pm3b transgene were six times more likely than non-GM control lines to produce outcrossed offspring. There was additional variation in outcrossing rate among the four GM-lines, presumably due to the different transgene insertion events. Among the pollen donors, the Frisal GM line expressing a chitinase transgene caused more outcrossing than the GM line expressing both a chitinase and a glucanase transgene. In the second experiment, outcrossing after cross-pollination declined from 0.7–0.03% over the test distances of 0.5–2.5 m. Our results suggest that pollen-mediated gene flow between GM and non-GM wheat might only be a concern if it occurs within fields, e.g. due to seed contamination. Methodologically our study demonstrates that outcrossing rates between transgenic and other lines within crops can be assessed using a phytometer approach and that gene-flow distances can be efficiently estimated with population-level PCR analyses

Organización, emociones y resistencia de las trabajadoras del hogar latinas y caribeñas en la Ciudad de Nueva York, Estados Unidos

Domestic work is one of the most exploited and politically disorganized jobs in the world. However, in New York, USA, domestic workers have been fighting for years to have labor rights, to be recognized by law as workers and to change the notion that domestic work is not a "real job". This article is an ethnography in three different periods with three different organizations of domestic workers in the city of New York. Two of the main strategies that Latina and Caribbean migrant domestic workers in New York use to improve their working conditions will be discussed: legislative work, and the creation and strengthening of their base. For this point, the professionalization and politicization of negative emotions in positive affiliates becomes crucial. This will analyze the disruptive and power capabilities that domestic workers have in that American city.El trabajo doméstico es uno de los empleos más explotados y desorganizados politicamente en el mundo. Sin embargo, en Nueva York, EEUU, las trabajadoras del hogar llevan años peleando por tener derechos laborales, ser reconocidas por la ley como trabajadoras y cambiar la noción de que el trabajo doméstico no es un "trabajo verdadero". Este articulo es una etnografia en tres periodos distintos con tres diferentes organizaciones de trabajadoras del hogar en la ciudad de Nueva York. Se expondrán dos de las principales estrategias que las trabajadoras del hogar latinas y caribeñas migrantes en Nueva York usan para mejorar sus condiciones laborales: el trabajo legislativo, y la creación y fortalecimiento de su base. Para este punto, la profesionalización y la politización de las emociones negativas en positivas de sus afiliadas se vuelve crucial. Con ello se analizarán las capacidades disruptivas y de poder que las trabajadoras del hogar tienen en dicha ciudad estadounidense