Hacia una desmitificación del mestizaje (Paper 462)

El propósito de este artículo es desmitificar el mestizaje a partir de una desconstrucción y reconstrucción epistemológica de este fenómeno en su aspecto biológico y cultural. Este objetivo es importante porque considero que los significados que subyacen en el mestizaje encubren un paradigma ideológico homogeneizante y hegemónico, además de fusionar de manera aleatoria, indiscriminada y errónea el cerco epistémico que separa el campo de la biología con el cultural (o vice-versa). Ante esta crítica, propongo el “mestizaje en resistencia” (“resistant mestizaje”, Pérez y Perozo 2003) no solo como herramienta analítica para ser utilizada en la desmitificación del mestizaje, sino también como una alternativa en cómo debería percibirse y asumirse el mestizaje. Por ello, he estructurado este articulo en dos secciones: 1. el mestizaje y su aspecto biológico desde una perspectiva antropológica que sólo refleja las inquietudes de la autora como antropóloga; y 2. el mestizaje y su aspecto cultural a partir del “mestizaje en resistencia” a través del cual se cuestiona el mestizaje como constructo social y se ofrece una nueva manera de (re)interpretar y (re)construir la existencia del mestizaje como un proceso natural e inherente para la supervivencia y resistencia física (biológica) y cultural de la especie humana

Prospects of mestizaje and pluricultural democracy: the Venezuelan Case of an imagined and a real Venezuelan society

This essay is a historic-political analysis of mestizaje from which a new interpretation is proposed. Such new perspective is aimed at examining the biological and/or cultural mixing among different cultural segments or individuals for “what it is,” rather than to continue viewing it from “what it has become.” From this latter aspect, mestizaje is “(...) an elite-generated myth of national identity (...) [that] tends to obscure the conditions of its own creation, to cover its own tracks” (Hale 1996: 2). But once unmasked, it is an ideological instrument of power fabricated by and utilized among the elite for the preservation of its own socio-economic and political interests

Conocimiento etnobotánico de la palma Mauritia flexuosa L.f. entre los aripaeños, descendientes de cimarrones, Aripao, Bolívar, Venezuela

Los aripaeños, descendientes de cimarrones de la comunidad de Aripao, estado Bolívar, Venezuela, tienen una estrecha relación con su entorno ambiental y los diversos recursos naturales que este ofrece. Esta se refleja en sus actividades tradicionales de subsistencia, como en la recolección de diversos productos forestales no maderables (PFNMs). En este artículo argumentamos que los aripaeños aún conservan un conocimiento etnobotánico profundo y amplio sobre los PFNMs, corroborado por medio de nuestra investigación de la palma de moriche (Mauritia flexuosa L.f.). Se realizaron varios trabajos de campo en períodos de lluvia y de sequía, empleando varias técnicas de recolección de datos, como observación participativa, entrevistas abiertas y semi-estructuradas. Desde la perspectiva del conocimiento ecológico local (CEL), nuestro análisis indica que existe una correspondencia entre el conocimiento etnobotánico que ellos poseen sobre los PFNMs y su continuidad cultural a través de la práctica de sus actividades tradicionales de subsistencia

Patient perception about the need for antibiotics after tooth extractions : a cross-sectional study

Although the current scientific literature does not support the routine use of antibiotics after dental extractions, patients believe that these drugs offer clear benefit during the postoperative period. The main objective of this study was to describe p

In vitro effect of comercial pesticides on Trichoderma harzianum strain A- 34

El trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto in vitro de seis plaguicidas comerciales sobre el crecimiento micelial, la esporulación y la germinación de los conidios de Trichoderma harzianum cepa A-34. El ensayo fue llevado a cabo con los siguientes productos: folpet (Folpam 80 PH), mancozeb (Mancozeb 75 PH) y zineb (Zineb 80 PH), así como de tres insecticidas: cipermetrina (Cipermetrina 10 EC), lambda cialotrina (Karate 5 EC) y abamectina (Abamectina 1,8 EC) a las concentraciones de 10, 100, 200, 500, 1000 y 2000 mg L-1. Fue evaluada la inhibición del crecimiento micelial de la colonia del hongo y la acción sobre la producción y la germinación de los conidios. Los plaguicidas fueron clasificados por su toxicidad sobre el antagonista de acuerdo con la escala de la OILB y por su compatibilidad según el valor T. Los tres fungicidas folpet, mancozeb y zineb tienen efecto inhibitorio sobre el crecimiento del micelio del hongo T. harzianum al igual que abamectina y son clasificados como ligeramente tóxicos. Sin embargo al considerar el valor T se clasifica a zineb, como muy tóxico, y a mancozeb y folpet como moderadamente tóxicos, mientras que los insecticidas resultaron no tóxicos. Los fungicidas afectan la germinación de los conidios del antagonista pero los insecticidas no.The work aims to evaluate the in vitro effect of six commercial pesticides on the mycelia growth, the spore production and conidia germination of Trichoderma harzianum strain A-34. The assay was carried out with the following products: folpet (Folpam 80 PH), zineb (Zineb 80 PH), mancozeb (Mancozeb 75 PH), cipermetrina (Cipermetrina 10 EC), lambda cialotrina (Karate 5 EC) and abamectina (Abamectin 1.8 EC) to the concentrations of 10, 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg L-1. The growth inhibition of the fungus colony, the effect of the pesticides on the spore production and the conidia germination were evaluated. The pesticides were classified according to their toxicity on the antagonist by the OILB scale and their compatibility according to the T value. The folpet, mancozeb and zineb fungicides, and the abamectina insecticide have inhibitory effect on the growth of the mycelia of the fungus T. harzianum, and they are classified as lightly toxic. However, when considering the T value, zineb is classified as very toxic, and mancozeb and folpet as moderately toxic, while the insecticides are not toxic to the antagonist. Fungicides affect the germination of the antagonist's conidia but insecticides do not.Fil: Castellanos González, Leónides . Universidad de Cienfuegos (Cuba)Fil: Lorenzo Nicao, María E.. Cienfuegos (Cuba). Laboratorio Provincial de Sanidad Vegetal Cienfuegos.Fil: Lina Muiño, Berta. Instituto de Investigación de Sanidad Vegetal (La Habana, Cuba)Fil: Hernández Pérez, Ricardo. Centro Agrobiotecnológico (México)Fil: Guillen Sánchez, Dagoberto. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos (México). Escuela de Estudios Superiores de Xalosto

Peripheral giant cell granuloma associated with a dental implant : a case report

Peripheral giant cell granuloma (PGCG) is a reactive exophytic lesion classified as a benign tumor of the oral mucosa. Although its etiology is not clear, it may be a consequence of local chronic irritation or persistent trauma. The objective of this ca

Swept source optical coherence tomography to early detect multiple sclerosis disease. The use of machine learning techniques

Objective To compare axonal loss in ganglion cells detected with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) in eyes of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) versus healthy controls using different machine learning techniques. To analyze the capability of machine learning techniques to improve the detection of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and the complex Ganglion Cell Layer–Inner plexiform layer (GCL+) damage in patients with multiple sclerosis and to use the SS-OCT as a biomarker to early predict this disease. Methods Patients with relapsing-remitting MS (n = 80) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 180) were enrolled. Different protocols from the DRI SS-OCT Triton system were used to obtain the RNFL and GCL+ thicknesses in both eyes. Macular and peripapilar areas were analyzed to detect the zones with higher thickness decrease. The performance of different machine learning techniques (decision trees, multilayer perceptron and support vector machine) for identifying RNFL and GCL+ thickness loss in patients with MS were evaluated. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to display the ability of the different tests to discriminate between MS and healthy eyes in our population. Results Machine learning techniques provided an excellent tool to predict MS disease using SS-OCT data. In particular, the decision trees obtained the best prediction (97.24%) using RNFL data in macular area and the area under the ROC curve was 0.995, while the wide protocol which covers an extended area between macula and papilla gave an accuracy of 95.3% with a ROC of 0.998. Moreover, it was obtained that the most significant area of the RNFL to predict MS is the macula just surrounding the fovea. On the other hand, in our study, GCL+ did not contribute to predict MS and the different machine learning techniques performed worse in this layer than in RNFL. Conclusions Measurements of RNFL thickness obtained with SS-OCT have an excellent ability to differentiate between healthy controls and patients with MS. Thus, the use of machine learning techniques based on these measures can be a reliable tool to help in MS diagnosis

Herschel PEP: The star-formation rates of 1.5<z<2.5 massive galaxies

The star formation rate (SFR) is a key parameter in the study of galaxy evolution. The accuracy of SFR measurements at z~2 has been questioned following a disagreement between observations and theoretical models. The latter predict SFRs at this redshift that are typically a factor 4 or more lower than the measurements. We present star-formation rates based on calorimetric measurements of the far-infrared (FIR) luminosities for massive 1.5<z<2.5, normal star-forming galaxies (SFGs), which do not depend on extinction corrections and/or extrapolations of spectral energy distributions. The measurements are based on observations in GOODS-N with the Photodetector Array Camera & Spectrometer (PACS) onboard Herschel, as part of the PACS Evolutionary Probe (PEP) project, that resolve for the first time individual SFGs at these redshifts at FIR wavelengths. We compare FIR-based SFRs to the more commonly used 24 micron and UV SFRs. We find that SFRs from 24 micron alone are higher by a factor of ~4-7.5 than the true SFRs. This overestimation depends on luminosity: gradually increasing for log L(24um)>12.2 L_sun. The SFGs and AGNs tend to exhibit the same 24 micron excess. The UV SFRs are in closer agreement with the FIR-based SFRs. Using a Calzetti UV extinction correction results in a mean excess of up to 0.3 dex and a scatter of 0.35 dex from the FIR SFRs. The previous UV SFRs are thus confirmed and the mean excess, while narrowing the gap, is insufficient to explain the discrepancy between the observed SFRs and simulation predictions.Comment: Accepted for publication in the A&A Herschel first results special issue. v2 Correction to the meta data onl

Protective effect of bovine lactoferrin against Cronobacter sakazakii in human intestinal Caco-2/TC7 cells

Milk is a source of bioactive proteins with defensive properties of great value for protecting the newborn. The activity of bovine milk lactoferrin (LF) was investigated as an antibacterial agent in the internalisation of the emergent pathogen Cronobacter sakazakii into Caco-2/TC7 cells, a model of human intestinal epithelium. The effect of LF on oxidative stress and expression of Toll-like receptors (TLR) was also investigated. LF exerted a clear antibacterial activity against C. sakazakii, as well as an inhibitory effect on C. sakazakii adhesion and internalisation into Caco-2/TC7 cells. Incubation with C. sakazakii induced an increase in oxidative stress on the lipid fraction of Caco-2/TC7 cells, which was reversed by LF. Additionally, LF altered the expression of TLR, with a clear decrease in the expression levels of TLR4 at 24 h of incubation. These results suggest that LF has very interesting properties as a potential ingredient for functional foods

Temporal variation of diversity and abundance of hymenopteran parasitoids attacking Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) larvae in tomato crops of Tucumán (Argentina)

Se presentan los resultados de investigaciones de 15 años (1997-2012) sobre el complejo de himenópteros parasitoides que atacan a Tuta absoluta en plantaciones comerciales de tomate del centro de la provincia de Tucumán (Argentina). Mediante muestreos de hojas de tomate dañadas por la plaga, se identificaron 13 especies de parasitoides, siendo el gremio de los endoparasitoides larvales el más representado. Pseudapanteles dignus y Dineulophus phthorimaeae tuvieron presencia constante en todo el período de estudio y dominaron numéricamente el complejo. Earinus sp. exhibió altos valores de parasitoidismo en los primeros años, siendo reemplazado en años posteriores por Neochrysocharis formosa.This work summarizes the results of a 15-year research (1997 – 2012) on the hymenopteran parasitoid complex that attacks Tuta absoluta in commercial tomato plantations in Central Tucumán province, Argentina. By sampling tomato leaves with signs of T. absoluta damage, 13 species of parasitoids were identified, being the larval endoparasitoid guild the most represented guild. Pseudapanteles dignus and Dineulophus phthorimaeae had a constant presence throughout the studied period and numerically dominated the complex. Earinus sp. exhibited high values of parasitoidism in the early years, being replaced later by Neochrysocharis formosa.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore