Contemporary genetic, historical genetic and morphological data sets for the Yellow-tufted Honeyeater Lichenostomus melanops

Understanding the evolutionary history of threatened populations can improve their conservation management. Re-establishment of past but recent gene flow could re-invigorate threatened populations and replenish genetic diversity, necessary for population persistence. One of the four nominal subspecies of the common yellow-tufted honeyeater, Lichenostomus melanops cassidix, is critically endangered despite substantial conservation efforts over 55 years. Using a combination of morphometric, genetic and modelling approaches we tested for its evolutionary distinctiveness and conservation merit. We confirmed that cassidix has at least one morphometric distinction. It also differs genetically from the other subspecies in allele frequencies but not phylogenetically, implying that its evolution was recent. Modelling historical distribution supported the lack of vicariance and suggested a possibility of gene flow among subspecies at least since the late Pleistocene. Multi-locus coalescent analyses indicated that cassidix diverged from its common ancestor with neighbouring subspecies gippslandicus sometime from the mid-Pleistocene to the Holocene, and that it has the smallest historical effective population size of all subspecies. It appears that cassidix diverged from its ancestor with gippslandicus through a combination of drift and local selection. From patterns of genetic subdivision on two spatial scales and morphological variation we concluded that cassidix, gippslandicus and (melanops + meltoni) are diagnosable as subspecies. Low genetic diversity and effective population size of cassidix may translate to low genetic fitness and evolutionary potential, thus managed gene flow from gippslandicus is recommended for its recovery.

Stausberg, M. Contemporary Theories of Religion. A Critical Companion, New York, Routledge, Nueva York, 2009, 309 pp. ISBN: 978-0415463478

Fil: Bogdan, Guillermina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Poetry for export : Contemporary Argentine Poetry (1969), de William Shand, una antología poética argentina en inglés

La traducción se planta como el medio para que un público ajeno a la lengua de origen de un texto pueda acceder a él. En el caso de la poesía, debido a su difícil traducción y a su escasa publicación, la problemática de la traducción se torna doble. A partir de entonces, la presentación de una antología poética argentina en inglés como carta de presentación de la literatura nacional en el mundo resulta una obra interesante en cuanto a sus contenidos y repercusiones en el canon internacional

Poetry for export : Contemporary Argentine Poetry (1969), de William Shand, una antología poética argentina en inglés

La traducción se planta como el medio para que un público ajeno a la lengua de origen de un texto pueda acceder a él. En el caso de la poesía, debido a su difícil traducción y a su escasa publicación, la problemática de la traducción se torna doble. A partir de entonces, la presentación de una antología poética argentina en inglés como carta de presentación de la literatura nacional en el mundo resulta una obra interesante en cuanto a sus contenidos y repercusiones en el canon internacional

Stausberg, M. Contemporary Theories of Religion. A Critical Companion, New York, Routledge, Nueva York, 2009, 309 pp. ISBN: 978-0415463478

Fil: Bogdan, Guillermina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Gambling with Liberalization: Smallholder Livelihoods in Contemporary Rural Malawi

This paper examines the livelihoods of smallholder households in Malawi based on information derived from six villages in various parts of the country. Through detailed analysis of own-farm production and off-farm economic activities, the study explores similarities, diversities, and disparities in rural livelihoods. Liberalization policies and the high risk of crop failure have produced large disparities between those who achieve high income from own-farm production and those who do not. Off-farm income can help to reduce the risk of own-farm production, but is also a source of income disparity and provides little opportunity for upward economic mobility to escape poverty.

Extension of Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall: A Contemporary Application of Irregular Reciprocal Frames

Reciprocal frame structures, formed by a set of self-supported elements in a closed circuit, have long been used since antiquity to cover large spans with small elements. The roof structure of the Euskalduna conference centre and concert hall extension in Bilbao, covering an irregu- lar geometry of 3000 m2 with a maximum span of 45 m, presented an interesting opportunity to revisit the concept and to apply these classical systems. Furthermore, its analysis and develop- ment led to an interesting discussion on reciprocal frames. They showed great sensitivity of these systems to the local modification of a particular element, establishment of irregular load paths, mobilisation of almost the entire sys- tem when locally applying a punctual load and, finally, its large deformability. Besides, reciprocal frames present particular construction complexities and possibilities due to the moderate length of the structural elements, the predominance of shear-only connec- tions and the necessity of the entire system to be completely erected to guarantee its stability. Euskalduna extension, completed in 2012, is one of the largest and a very par- ticular case of irregular reciprocal frame structures built in the world. It shows the formal possibilities and potentiality of reciprocal frames to respond to free and irregular geometries.