Movilidades e In-Movilidades en Tiempos de Covid-19: Jornalerxs estacionales varadxs en Mendoza durante pandemia

This paper focuses on (in)mobilizations of temporary agricultural field laborers declared as essential workers during the imposition of the nationwide lockdown due to Covid-19 in Mendoza, Argentina, who yearly arrive to the state to harvest the seasonal crops. Under the mobility paradigm, it investigates situations of mobility, in-mobility, control and borders. It finds out that during the pandemic, in-mobility, and border restrictions have been exacerbated. Happened not only by the intensification of control but also because the Covid-19 situation come about in a tremendously unequal space devastating even further the precarious lives that are in a human mobility condition.Este trabajo se enfoca sobre la in-movilización de jornalerxs agrícolas temporales que llegan a la provincia de Mendoza, Argentina a levantar las cosechas estacionales, que en tiempos de Covid-19 son declaradxs trabajadorxs esenciales y quedan varadxs en la Terminal del Sol al tratar de movilizarse y retornar a sus lugares. Bajo el paradigma de las movilidades indaga sobre situaciones de movilidad, control y fronteras. Observa que durante el aislamiento obligatorio establecido a partir de la declaración de pandemia debido a Covid-19, la in-movilidad y las restricciones de fronteras se han exacerbado no solo por la intensificación del control sino porque Covid-19 arremetió en un espacio tremendamente desigual que asola aún más las vidas precarizadas que están en condición de movilidad humana

GC Insights: Diversifying the geosciences in higher education: a manifesto for change

There is still a significant lack of diversity and equity in geoscience education, even after decades of work and widespread calls for improvement and action. We join fellow community voices in calls for improved diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the geosciences. Here, in this manifesto, we present a list of opportunities for educators to bring about this cultural shift within higher education: (1) advocating for institutional change, (2) incorporating diverse perspectives and authors in curricula, (3) teaching historical and socio-political contexts of geoscience information, (4) connecting geoscience principles to more geographically diverse locations, (5) implementing different communication styles that consider different ways of knowing and learning, and (6) empowering learner transformation and agency

Role of Ras Oncogene and Selective Mutant on Differentionation of 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes

According to the Center for Disease Control, in the years between 2011-2014, the prevalence for obesity was 36.5%. Obesity is characterized by an increase in adipocytes. Adipocytes, also known as fat cells, store energy in the form of triglycerides which can then be released as fatty acids when energy levels are low. Adipocytes are formed through a process called adipogenesis, where cells modify their genetic environment to specifically differentiate into fat cells. Adipogenesis can be regulated by various proteins, including Ras. Ras is a proto-oncogene that codes for proteins that regulate cell growth and differentiation in several biological processes. Although extensively investigated, the specific role of Ras GTPases on differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes is not well understood. When Ras is activated, or GTP bound, it has many downstream effector proteins that can carry out selective biological processes. These effector proteins include MAP(K) kinase (i.e., Raf-1), PI3(K) kinase and Rin1. A defective hydrolysis mutant of the human-Ras (H-Ras), Ras:G12V, was used along with several selective mutations, in order to determine signaling transduction pathways responsible for fat formation in vitro. These pathwats, PI3(K) kinase and MAP(K) kinase, are responsible for Ras-dependent adipogenesis and provide relevent information on what is the potential role of H-Ras mutants. Preadipocytes were first differentiated into adipocytes by adding an induction medium, which contained both glucose and insulin. Lipid drops were then qualified by examining the accumulation of Oil red O into lipid drops. Adipocytes which had been transfected with Ras:G12V, stimulated 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation with requiring induction media. The second mutation, Ras:G12V;E37G, which blocks the activation of the MAP(K) kinase pathway, inhibited preadipocyte differentiation strongly. The other Ras double mutants (Ras:G12V;S35T and V12G;C40Y) inhibited 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation moderately. These results indicate that Ras plays a selective role in 3T3-L1 preadipocyte differentiation. By understanding which pathway Ras employs and how it can be manipulated, a link on how to decrease body fat production could be found. These results could lead to methods to prevent obesity and in turn, obesity related diseases such as diabetes. C.S. was supported by NIH/NIGMS T34 GM083688. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does no necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health

Biomedical properties of sesquiterpene lactones, with a focus on dehydroleucodine

Dehydroleucodine, a sesquiterpene lactone, belongs to the terpenoid class of secondary metabolites. Dehydroleucodine and other Artemisia-derivedphytochemicals evolved numerous biodefenses that were first co-opted for human pharmacological use by traditional cultures in the Middle East, Asia, Europeand the Americas. Later, these phytochemicals were modified through the use of medicinal chemical techniques to increase their potency. All sesquiterpenelactones contain an α-methylene-γ-lactone group, which confers thiol reactivity, which is responsible, in part, for their therapeutic effects. A wide range oftherapeutic uses of sequiterpene lactones has been found, including anti-adipogenic, cytoprotective, anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-malarial and,anti-migraine effects. Dehydroleucodine significantly inhibits differentiation of murine preadipocytes and also significantly decreases the accumulation oflipid content by a dramatic down regulation of adipogenic-specific transcriptional factors PPARγ and C-EBPα. Dehydroleucodine also inhibits secretion ofmatrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2), which is a known protease involved in migration and invasion of B16 cells. In addition to these anti-adipogenic and anticancereffects, dehydroleucodine effectively neutralizes several bacterial species, including Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aueus (MRSA) and S. epidermis (MRSE). The compound also inhibits thegrowth and secretion of several toxins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, possesses gastro-protective qualities and possesses anti-parasitic properties againstTrypanosoma cruzi, responsible for Chagas disease. Other sesquiterpene lactones, such as parthenolide, costunolide, and helanin, also possess significanttherapeutic utility.Fil: Abood, Steven. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Mustafi, Sushmita. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Veisaga, Maria-Luisa. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Lopez, Luis Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cienicas Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Barbieri, Manuel Alejandro. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; Estados Unido