Ecoturismo en comunidades rurales: análisis de los impactos negativos para la población local. Un estudio de caso

En los últimos años han aparecido nuevas formas de turismo más sostenibles, donde existen elementos relacionados con el descanso, el disfrute y la protección del medio ambiente o el conocimiento de la cultura local, a través de políticas que favorecen la sostenibilidad del destino. En este sentido, el ecoturismo se configura como una tipología turística que se desarrolla en contacto con la naturaleza. Este turismo ayuda a mejorar el desarrollo socioeconómico de las comunidades locales, a la vez, que fomenta la conservación de los recursos naturales y el respeto hacia el medio ambiente. Aunque, esta tipología de turismo también genera importantes impactos negativos. El objetivo principal de esta investigación es analizar los impactos socioeconómicos, culturales y medioambientales percibidos por el ecoturismo por parte de los residentes de comunidades rurales de República Dominicana. La técnica de recolección de datos utilizada ha consistido en un cuestionario. Entre las principales conclusiones, cabe destacar que actualmente no se perciben impactos negativos, pero si hay una serie de elementos que hay que ir considerando, con la finalidad de que no se conviertan en un impacto a corto plazo para la comunidad rural.

The radiation-inducible pE9 promoter driving inducible nitric oxide synthase radiosensitizes hypoxic tumour cells to radiation

Driving high-level transgene expression in a tumour-specific manner remains a key requirement in the development of cancer gene therapy. We have previously demonstrated the strong anticancer effects of generating abnormally high levels of intracellular NO• following the overexpression of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene. Much of this work has focused on utilizing exogenously activated promoters, which have been primarily induced using X-ray radiation. Here we further examine the potential of the pE9 promoter, comprising a combination of nine CArG radio-responsive elements, to drive the iNOS transgene. Effects of X-ray irradiation on promoter activity were compared in vitro under normoxic conditions and various degrees of hypoxia. The pE9 promoter generated high-level transgene expression, comparable with that achieved using the constitutively driven cytomegalovirus promoter. Furthermore, the radio-resistance of radiation-induced fibrosarcoma-1 (RIF-1) mouse sarcoma cells exposed to 0.1 and 0.01% O2 was effectively eliminated following transfection with the pE9/iNOS construct. Significant inhibition of tumour growth was also observed in vivo following direct intratumoural injection of the pE9/iNOS construct compared to empty vector alone (P<0.001) or to a single radiation dose of 10?Gy (P<0.01). The combination of both therapies resulted in a significant 4.25 day growth delay compared to the gene therapy treatment alone (P<0.001). In summary, we have demonstrated the potential of the pE9/iNOS construct for reducing radio-resistance conferred by tumour cell hypoxia in vitro and in vivo, with greater tumour growth delay observed following the treatment with the gene therapy construct as compared with radiotherapy alone.

The distribution of Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica within southern Tanzania - constraints associated with the intermediate host

In East Africa, Fasciola gigantica is generally the causative agent of fasciolosis but there have been reports of F. hepatica in cattle from highland regions of Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Zaire. The topography of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania provides an environment where the climatic conditions exist for the sustenance of lymnaeid species capable of Supporting both Fasciola hepatica and F. gigantica. Theoretically this would allow interaction between fasciolid species and the possible creation of hybrids. In this report we present molecular data confirming the existence of the snail, Lymnaea truncatula, at high altitude on the Kitulo Plateau of the Southern Highlands, Tanzania, along with morphometric and molecular data confirming the presence of F. hepatica in the corresponding area. At lower altitudes, where climatic conditions were unfavourable for the existence of L. truncatula, the presence of its sister species L. natalensis was confirmed by molecular data along with its preferred fasciolid parasite, F. gigantica. Analysis based on a 618 bp sequence of the 28S rRNA gene did not reveal the presence of hybrid fasciolids in our fluke samples.

Universal primers for the amplification of chloroplast microsatellites in grasses (Poaceae)

Attempts to design truly universal primers to amplify chloroplast microsatellites have met with limited success due to nonconservation of repeat loci across widely divergent taxa. We have used the complete chloroplast genome sequences of rice, maize and wheat to design five pairs of primers that amplify homologous mononucleotide repeats across the Poaceae (grasses). Sequencing confirmed conservation of repeat motifs across subfamilies and a preliminary study in Anthoxanthum odoratum revealed polymorphism at two loci with a haplotype diversity value of 0.495. These primers provide a valuable tool to study cytoplasmic diversity in this extensively studied and economically important range of taxa.

Effects of Accretion Flow on the Chemical Structure in the Inner Regions of Protoplanetary Disks

Aims. We study the dependence of the profiles of molecular abundances and line emission on the accretion flow in the hot (100 K) inner region of protoplanetary disks.
Methods. The gas-phase reactions initiated by evaporation of the ice mantle on dust grains are calculated along the accretion flow. We focus on methanol, a molecule that is formed predominantly by the evaporation of warm ice mantles, to demonstrate how its abundance profile and line emission depend on the accretion flow.
Results. Our results indicate that some evaporated molecules retain high abundances only when the accretion velocity is sufficiently high, and that methanol could be useful as a diagnostic of the accretion flow by means of ALMA observations at the disk radius of 10 AU.

Nature or nurture BMI and blood pressure at 90. Findings from the Belfast Elderly longitudinal free-living aging study Belfast

Hypertension is a key risk factor for stroke, cardiovascular disease and dementia. Although the link between weight, sodium and hypertension is established in younger people, little is known about their inter-relationship in people beyond 80 years of age. Associations between blood pressure, anthropometric indices and sodium were investigated in 495 apparently healthy, community-living participants (age 90, SD 4.8; range 80–106), from the cross-sectional Belfast Elderly Longitudinal Free-living Aging STudy (BELFAST) study. In age-sex-adjusted logistic regression models, blood pressure =140/90 mmHg significantly associated with body mass index (BMI) [odds ratio (OR)?=?1.28/ kg/m2], with weight (OR?=?1.22/kg) approaching significance (P?=?0.07). In further age-sex-adjusted models, blood pressure above the 120/80 mmHg normotensive reference value significantly associated with BMI (OR?=?1.44/kg/m2), weight (OR?=?1.36/kg), skin-fold-thickness (OR?=?1.33/mm) and serum sodium (OR?=?1.37 mmol/l). In BELFAST participants over 80 years old, blood pressure =140/90 mmHg is associated with BMI, in apparently similar ways to younger groups.

El significado de la prosopopeya de las Leyes en el "Critón" de Platon

El objeto de este trabajo es realizar un estudio iusfilosófico sobre la aparición de las Leyes (nómoi) personificadas de Atenas en el Critón de Platón. La prosopopeya de las Leyes resulta ser un aspecto central para poder comprender la obra, ya que éstas entablan un diálogo imaginario con Sócrates en el cual instalan diversos argumentos filosóficos para fundamentar la autoridad de la pólis. A los fines de identificar el valor argumentativo de este recurso en la obra, analizaré el significado del nómos en la Atenas del siglo V a. C. y la naturaleza de las Leyes en el contexto general del diálogo. Se busca demostrar la importancia que tienen aquéllas para explicar la decisión de Sócrates de beber la cicuta.

Ultraviolet and extreme-ultraviolet line ratio diagnostics for O IV.

Aims: We generate theoretical ultraviolet and extreme-ultraviolet emission line ratios for O IV and show their strong versatility as electron temperature and density diagnostics for astrophysical plasmas.
Methods: Recent fully relativistic calculations of radiative rates and electron impact excitation cross sections for O IV, supplemented with earlier data for A-values and proton excitation rates, are used to derive theoretical O IV line intensity ratios for a wide range of electron temperatures and densities.
Results: Diagnostic line ratios involving ultraviolet or extreme-ultraviolet transitions in O IV are presented, that are applicable to a wide variety of astrophysical plasmas ranging from low density gaseous nebulae to the densest solar and stellar flares. Comparisons with observational data, where available, show good agreement between theory and experiment, providing support for the accuracy of the diagnostics. However, diagnostics are also presented involving lines that are blended in existing astronomical spectra, in the hope this might encourage further observational studies at higher spectral resolution.

First record of minimum Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus Bell 1837) longevity in the wild.

Average longevity of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus L., 1758) has been estimated at nine years in the wild (Macdonald D. and Barrett, P. 1993 Mammals of Britain and Europe. Harper Collins Publishers, London) with a maximum recorded age of 18 years for one marked animal (Angerbjörn, A. and Flux, J. E. C. 1995 Lepus timidus. Mammalian Species 495: 1–11). However, the longevity of the Irish hare (L. t. hibernicus Bell 1837) is entirely unknown. A total of 14 Irish hares was trapped and tagged at Belfast International Airport, Co. Antrim from February to April 2005. The sex, age (juvenile or adult) and weight of each animal were recorded. Adults were taken as those individuals >8-10 months old defined by the fusing of the notch between the apophysis and diaphysis of the tibia and humerus (Flux, J. E. C. 1970 Journal of Zoology 161: 75-123). Individual identification was made by a system of colourcoded ear tags (Roxan iD Ltd. Selkirk, Scotland) being inserted in the centre of the pinna of each ear. Each ear tag (6 × 34 mm) and puncture site was disinfected with 70 per cent ethanol prior to insertion. An adult male, #001/002 ‘Blue/Blue’, was tagged on 3 March 2005 weighing 3.8 kg and was sighted during a return site visit on 4 April 2007. An adult female, #026/003 ‘Green/Yellow’, was tagged on 15 April 2005 weighing 4.0 kg and was sighted during return visits on 25 March 2010 and 19 October 2010. The latest possible date of birth for both individuals was spring/summer 2004. Consequently, they were at least 3 years and 6.5 years old, respectively. This is the first record of minimum Irish hare longevity in the wild. These observations suggest that ear tagging does not compromise animal welfare and is an effective means of long-term monitoring. Future research may utilize capture-mark-recapture methods.