A geography of illicit crops (coca leaf) and armed conflict in Colombia

Colombia is currently the world’s largest producer of coca leaf and the principal producer of opium poppies in the Americas; the plants are the basic raw materials used to produce cocaine and heroin. This document analyses the current relationship between these crops and illegal armed groups in Colombia, using the hypothesis that the geographical intensification of the conflict is the principal cause of expanding illicit crop production. This relationship was analysed using a theoretical model, in which an interaction between illegal armed activity and strategic territorial control lead to cocaine production. Spatial analysis techniques were then applied, especially spatial association indicators; and a clear spatial dynamic was observed, related to the two aspects mentioned above. Non-parametric exercises were also carried out using matching estimators, to determine the effect illegal armed groups have on coca crops, and also to analyse the efficiency of aerial eradication policies. The results suggest that a large percentage of coca production in Colombia is due to the effects of illegal armed activity. We therefore conclude that the expansion of illegal crop growing is a consequence of the expanding conflict. In contrast, coca crops can only be used to explain a small part of the armed conflict in Colombia. In addition, we found that crop eradication via aerial spraying has not been an efficient tool in the fight against coca production in the country

Wild edible plants as potential antioxidant or nutritional supplements for beverages minimally processed

Wild edible plants (WEP) with high antioxidant capacity, Rosa canina fruits, Quercus ballota acorns and Sanguisorba minor (young leaves and stems), were added to orange and kiwifruit juices for increase the nutritional properties. The addition of WEP to orange juice (OJ) and kiwifruit cremogenate (KC) does not affect, or it can even improve, some parameters of consumer's acceptance, although the mixtures increasing sweetness and intensifying the matrix colour without changing the tone are the best valued. The beverages minimally processed with higher TSS were the matrices fortified with Q. ballota, the same that were considered sweetest by the judges. The addition of WEP to OJ did not significantly change the levels of vitamin C (ascorbic acid plus dehydroascorbic acid). The addition of R. canina and S. minor increased the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity in both matrices (OJ and KC) in more than 30%. Beverages with a high interest for consumers and with high antioxidant properties have been obtained

Wild edible plants as potential antioxidants in vegetables oils

The effect of the addition of fruits of Rosa canina and Quercus ballota and leaves of Sanguisorba minor to sunflower, seed, and olive oils on lipid oxidation during the frying process was analyzed.The three underutilised edible plants increased the oxidative stability of the sunflower oil, since the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly decreased with respect to values of the control sunflower oil after the heating process. However, in olive oil, the effect of these edible plants on decreasing the lipid peroxidation was only evident for the highest concentration, while in seed oil the addition of the edible plant showed a prooxidant effect.Thus, these wild edible plants could be used to enrich vegetable oils with low content of natural antioxidant, such as sunflower oil, and avoid or decrease the use of synthetic antioxidant

Software Design Guidelines for Usability

For years, the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) community has crafted usability guidelines that clearly define what
characteristics a software system should have in order to be easy to use. However, in the Software Engineering (SE)
community keep falling short of successfully incorporating these recommendations into software projects. From a SE
perspective, the process of incorporating usability features into software is not always straightforward, as a large number
of these features have heavy implications in the underlying software architecture. For example, successfully including an
“undo” feature in an application requires the design and implementation of many complex interrelated data structures and
functionalities. Our work is focused upon providing developers with a set of software design patterns to assist them in the
process of designing more usable software. This would contribute to the proper inclusion of specific usability features
with high impact on the software design. Preliminary validation data show that usage of the guidelines also has positive
effects on development time and overall software design quality

Estudio de la actividad de la lipoproteina lipasa en pacientes con mutaciones APOA5 con hiperlipoproteinemia tipo I

Nuestro objetivo fue estudiar la actividad de la lipoproteína lipasa en pacientes con mutaciones en APOA5 con presencia clara de hiperlipoproteinemia tipo I (HPLI). Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio de actividad LPL en 2 pacientes con mutaciones en APOA5 (1: homocigoto c.758T>C; 2: doble heterocigoto c.758T>C & c.326_327insC) sin variantes patogénicas en LPL, GPIHBP1, LMF1 y APOC2. Para cada muestra y un control sano, se efectuó un ensayo convencional de actividad de LPL postheparina utilizando como activador un plasma preheparina inactivado de sujetos normolipémicos. En un segundo ensayo, para cada paciente y un control sano, se utilizó plasma preheparina inactivado de los dos sujetos con mutación de APOA5. La presencia de HPLI fue analizada mediante ultracentrifugación secuencial y cálculo del cociente de triglicéridos en quilomicrones entre triglicéridos en VLDL. Resultados: En nuestro laboratorio, la actividad de LPL postheparina en sujetos normolipémicos es de 56±23mU/mL (deficitarioC mostró actividad LPL normal (94±13mU/mL), cuando fue ensayada con plasma preheparina control. Sin embargo, su plasma preheparina fue incapaz de activar la LPL postheparina propia (16±20mU/mL) y la del control (34±17mU/mL). En el paciente heterocigoto c.758T>C & c.326_327insC, al contrario que el anterior, mostró una actividad LPL casi nula (4±7) cuando fue ensayada con plasma preheparina control. El plasma preheparina de este paciente tampoco fue capaz de activar la LPL postheparina propia (0 mU/mL) y del sujeto control sano (22±7mU/mL). Conclusiones: Mutaciones de APOA5 son responsables de HLP tipo I. Estas mutaciones muestran valores dispares de actividad in vitro de LPL postheparina. En ambos casos su suero preheparina no es capaz de activar la LPL propia ni la de sujetos sanosUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

"El Almanaque de las Provincias". Crónica viva de una ciudad en transición (1970-1980)

El Almanaque de Las Provincias es una publicación centenaria que podemos enmarcar tanto en el género de revista literaria como en el tradicional almanaquecalendario entregado por los periódicos a sus suscriptores como regalo. En este caso, editado por el diario Las Provincias, decano de la prensa en Valencia, supone una miscelánea de textos (ensayos, artículos, reportajes, poemas), al tiempo que resume lo esencial del año periodístico. El prestigio de sus colaboradores es indiscutible, y el valor histórico de sus páginas, imprescindible para abordar el estudio de 150 años de la vida valenciana. Este trabajo se centra en una década esencial en nuestro pasado más reciente: los años 70, que marcaron el tránsito entre el franquismo y la transición a la democracia, en los que el diario Las Provincias jugó un importantísimo papel, y su Almanaque nos deja un testimonio de primer orden para la investigación histórica.The Almanaque de Las Provincias is a hundred year old publication which can be regarded as a literary magazine as well as the traditional calendar given by the newspapers as a gift for their subscribers. This one in particular, edited by the journal Las Provincias, the oldest diary in Valencia, is a mixture of tests (essays, articles, reports, poems) that summarizes the most important information of the year. With well known journalists and writers, its historical value is irreplaceable in the study of 150 years of Valencian life. This work regards an essential decade in our most recent past: the seventies, which supposed the transition between the dictatorship and the democracy, when Las Provincias played an important role. Its Almanaque leaves us a first class testimony for historical research

Los estudios feministas y de género

When considering gender studies, there is a tendency to reduce them to research exclusively related to women, particularly cisgender women, or topics related to socially and culturally constructed notions of “the feminine.” Similarly, when discussing feminist studies, it may seem unusual because feminism is often perceived solely as a social movement rather than an epistemological perspective. Another relevant aspect of these studies is that we place them in contemporary times, which hinders understanding why we are only now becoming familiar with them despite their long trajectory. In this issue of Calarma Journal, we aim to challenge these misconceptions and demonstrate how gender studies and feminist studies address diverse themes and issues across multiple areas of knowledge. What matters most is the viewpoint and epistemological stance these studies propose and allow us to adoptCuando se piensa en los los estudios de género hay una tendencia a reducirlos a investigaciones que tienen que ver exclusivamente con las mujeres, en particular las mujeres cisgénero, o a temas que se relacionan con lo social y culturalmente construido como “lo femenino”. Igualmente, cuando se habla de los estudios feministas, puede parecer extraño porque se considera al feminismo exclusivamente con un movimiento social, no como una perspectiva epistemológica. Otro aspecto relevante sobre estos estudios es que los ubicamos en la contemporaneidad, lo que impide comprender por qué hasta ahora los estamos conociendo a pesar de su larga trayectoria. Con este número de la Revista Calarma nos hemos propuesto enfrentar estos imaginarios para mostrar cómo, tanto los estudios de género como los feministas, abordan diversos temas/problemas y tienen lugar en múltiples áreas de los conocimientos, porque lo importante es el punto de vista y la postura epistemológica que dichos estudios proponen y permiten asumir