Traditional Knowledge and Potential Use of Stingless Bees (Hymenoptera: Meliponinae) in the Manantlan Sierra, Jalisco, Mexico

Stingless bees (meliponines) play an important role in ecosystems; they pollinate different plant species, assist in the reproduction and conservation of floral biodiversity and their products can be obtained and sold, with the consequent economic benefit for stingless beekeepers. Surveys were conducted to find out how much knowledge inhabitants of two marginalized communities of the Manantlan Sierra in Jalisco, Mexico, have on the use and exploitation of stingless bees. In addition, several stingless bee species of this region were captured and identified, and wild nests of those bees were located and recorded in their natural habitats. Information about the knowledge and culture of stingless bees in the region was analyzed and based on that as well as on the most abundant species captured, those with more potential are suggested for management in a sustainable manner. Unlike other areas of Mexico where meliponiculture is practiced, in Jalisco there is no record of traditional culture of meliponines. However, a certain level of knowledge and a high degree of interest was found among the respondents for engaging in keeping and managing stingless bees, mainly because their management does not involve the risk of stinging incidents. Nine stingless bee species were identified in total. Of these, the most abundant were Scaptotrigona hellwegeri, Trigona fulviventris, Partomona bilineata, Friseomelita nigra and Nannotrigona perilampoides. It is recommended that studies are conducted to develop management practices for these bee species. The implementation of courses on how to keep these meliponines is also recommended, so that in the future, the inhabitants of these communities can benefit from the integral and sustainable use of stingless bees

Vigilancia y preparacion para prevenir la raza 4 tropical de la marchitez por Fusarium de las bananas en la region.

Concepto región implica el Continente Americano y el Caribe, especialmente Latinoamérica como la principal zona productora y exportadora de banano en el mundo. La coordinación de Organismos Nacionales de Protección fitosanitaria (ONPFs) representadas por las Direcciones de Sanidad Vegetal con sus Organismos Regionales (ORPFs), así como la cadena de producción y exportación del banano y la sumatoria de cuadros de científicos y técnicos especializados son equipo esencial en las medidas de exclusión para la marchitez de las bananas (Foc R4T) en esta región. El aporte de OIRSA y de centros de investigación y académicos tiene como productos a dos planes, uno para enfrentar la eventualidad de un brote en la región y el otro para definir las estrategias de prevención o exclusión, que fueron actualizados en 2016. El análisis de Riesgo de plagas a Foc R4T coincide en la necesidad de preparación de las ONPFs para fortalecer las capacidades legales, de diagnóstico, cuarentena, y vigilancia para la preparación en primer lugar de minimizar el riesgo de introducción de Foc R4T y posteriormente para enfrentar los primeros brotes o diseminaciones localizadas. Estas estrategias son preparadas por un ?Comando Latinoamericano para la atención de Foc R4T?, conformado a la fecha por funcionarios de las ONPFs, ORPF-OIRSA, e Investigadores de EMBRAPA, CORBANA y académicos, que estará disponible como ente asesor de los gobiernos en las medidas de exclusión, prevención y manejo de la plaga. La capacitación a más de 2000 técnicos de cuarentena y al fortalecimiento de diagnóstico se realizará en el primer semestre de 2017, al igual los simulacros de R4T para evaluar la capacidad de respuesta de los países, donde se espera las mejoras pertinentes y la armonización de las medidas en los países del continente

Agroecology and Health: Lessons from Indigenous Populations.

Purpose of reviewThe article aims to systematize and disseminate the main contributions of indigenous ancestral wisdom in the agroecological production of food, especially in Latin America. For this purpose, it is necessary to ask whether such knowledge can be accepted by academia research groups and international forums as a valid alternative that could contribute to overcome the world's nutritional problems.Recent findingsAlthough no new findings are being made, the validity of ancestral knowledge and agroecology is recognized by scientific research, and by international forums organized by agencies of the United Nations. These recommend that governments should implement them in their policies of development, and in the allocation of funds to support these initiatives. Agroecology and ancestral knowledge are being adopted by a growing number of organizations, indigenous peoples and social groups in various parts of the world, as development alternatives that respond to local needs and worldviews. Its productive potential is progressively being recognized at an international level as a model that contributes to improve the condition of people regarding nutritional food

VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad

Acta de congresoLa conmemoración de los cien años de la Reforma Universitaria de 1918 se presentó como una ocasión propicia para debatir el rol de la historia, la teoría y la crítica en la formación y en la práctica profesional de diseñadores, arquitectos y urbanistas. En ese marco el VIII Encuentro de Docentes e Investigadores en Historia del Diseño, la Arquitectura y la Ciudad constituyó un espacio de intercambio y reflexión cuya realización ha sido posible gracias a la colaboración entre Facultades de Arquitectura, Urbanismo y Diseño de la Universidad Nacional y la Facultad de Arquitectura de la Universidad Católica de Córdoba, contando además con la activa participación de mayoría de las Facultades, Centros e Institutos de Historia de la Arquitectura del país y la región. Orientado en su convocatoria tanto a docentes como a estudiantes de Arquitectura y Diseño Industrial de todos los niveles de la FAUD-UNC promovió el debate de ideas a partir de experiencias concretas en instancias tales como mesas temáticas de carácter interdisciplinario, que adoptaron la modalidad de presentación de ponencias, entre otras actividades. En el ámbito de VIII Encuentro, desarrollado en la sede Ciudad Universitaria de Córdoba, se desplegaron numerosas posiciones sobre la enseñanza, la investigación y la formación en historia, teoría y crítica del diseño, la arquitectura y la ciudad; sumándose el aporte realizado a través de sus respectivas conferencias de Ana Clarisa Agüero, Bibiana Cicutti, Fernando Aliata y Alberto Petrina. El conjunto de ponencias que se publican en este Repositorio de la UNC son el resultado de dos intensas jornadas de exposiciones, cuyos contenidos han posibilitado actualizar viejos dilemas y promover nuevos debates. El evento recibió el apoyo de las autoridades de la FAUD-UNC, en especial de la Secretaría de Investigación y de la Biblioteca de nuestra casa, como así también de la Facultad de Arquitectura de la UCC; va para todos ellos un especial agradecimiento

The Challenges of the First European Cultural Itinerary: The Way to St. James

The pilgrimage route to St James is one of the oldest religious itineraries. The Camino (Way) came into being as a major pilgrim route in the Middle Ages. Although, in later centuries, it saw long periods of neglect, in the last fifty years, its potential has been rediscovered. It received formal and institutional recognition from the Council of Europe on 23 October 1987, as the first European Cultural Route, then, in 1993, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Throughout this time, the final destination has remained the same, the city of Santiago de Compostela (declared a World Heritage Site in 1985), but the itinerary has turned into a polysemic cultural, tourist, monumental, spiritual and sport route. In view of such complexity, we examine how its original religious essence is undergoing semantic changes, which make it attractive for groups of different faiths and creeds, and with varying motivations. For this purpose, we study the tangible (huge monumental heritage) and intangible heritage (rituals and practices) that enriches and characterises this pilgrimage route. In explaining its polysemy, we will demonstrate why and how the Camino can satisfy the needs of pilgrims and tourists with different motivations and expectations. Finally, we set out the factors that determine the transferability of practices from the Way of St James to other European Cultural Itineraries, for instance the Via Francigena.

Oscillations in SIRS model with distributed delays

The ubiquity of oscillations in epidemics presents a long standing challenge for the formulation of epidemic models. Whether they are external and seasonally driven, or arise from the intrinsic dynamics is an open problem. It is known that fixed time delays destabilize the steady state solution of the standard SIRS model, giving rise to stable oscillations for certain parameters values. In this contribution, starting from the classical SIRS model, we make a general treatment of the recovery and loss of immunity terms. We present oscillation diagrams (amplitude and period) in terms of the parameters of the model, showing how oscillations can be destabilized by the shape of the distributions of the two characteristic (infectious and immune) times. The formulation is made in terms of delay equations which are both numerically integrated and linearized. Results from simulations are included showing where they support the linear analysis and explaining why not where they do not. Considerations and comparison with real diseases are presented along

Novel tick glutathione transferase inhibitors as promising acaricidal compounds

Ticks are important ectoparasites with a worldwide distribution. The most commonly used method for tick control involves the use of acaricides. The main problem is that its indiscriminate use has led to the selection of resistant tick populations. Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are enzymes that play an important role in the detoxification of several types of compounds used in commercial tick control products. This work aims to find new bioactive molecules through in vitro assays with a panel of 160 molecules with putative inhibitory activity on the Rhipicephalus microplus GST enzyme (RmGST). Also, selected molecules were tested against GSTs from other tick species; Rhipicephalus decoloratus, Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, and Haemaphysalis longicornis. The first screening on RmGST identified 30 compounds with the ability to modify the enzymatic activity of this enzyme. These compounds included different chemical families, like chalcones, diarylideneketones, flavone, thiazoles, thiourea, steroids, thiadiazines, indazoles, and hydrazine. The most potent compounds against RmGST belong to the diarylideneketones family with an inhibition concentration of 50% of activity (IC50) between 7-50 μM. Interestingly, one of the most potent compounds was also an inhibitor of the GST from other tick species. Experiments with R. microplus adults and larvae showed toxicity at 150 μM, suggesting a potential acaricidal effect of these molecules

Sustainable and Low Greenhouse Gas Emitting Rice Production in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Review on the Transition from Ideality to Reality.

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Writing and Methodology : Literary Texts as Ethnographic Datra and Creative Writing as a Means oif Investigation

The chapter will discuss the relation between writing and ethnography from two radically different perspectives. Firstly, writing as method. In academic research, the writing process is often regarded as merely a means of conveying results, and ”good writing” is even met with suspicion. Drawing from my own experience of both literary, journalistic and academic writing I will discuss the interrelations between these three writing practices, with specific focus on creative forms of academic writing and even the deployment of fictional elements in ethnographic research. Examples will be taken from the extensive discussion on the relation between Literature and Anthropology after Anthropology’s “literary turn” in the 1980s, which has implications for many other disciplines, not least Media and Communication studies. I will argue that writing itself constitutes a methodology that is under-researched in the context of Communication for Development. The second part of the chapter will ”turn the tables” and look at literary texts (books, films or other formats) as ethnographic data. Again, primarily founding my argument on my research in South Africa and Argentina, I will claim that literature may hold key information about processes of development and social change that cannot be assessed by other means. I will specifically focus on the notion of the conceptual repertoire (Appadurai) and fiction’s role in the production of collective memory and self-understanding