The causal effect of an extra year of schooling on skills and knowledge in Latin America. Evidence from PISA Marchionni, Mariana; Vazquez, Emmanuel In this paper, we estimate the causal effect of an extra year of schooling on mathematics performance for seven Latin American countries based on PISA 2012. To that end we exploit exogenous variation in students’ birthdates around the school entry cut-off date using both sharp and fuzzy Regression Discontinuity designs. We find strong effects of an extra year of schooling in most countries, which amount to a 30% increase in PISA test scores in Brazil, 18% in Uruguay, 7% in Argentina and 6% in Costa Rica. These effects differ from the typical estimates obtained from simple regressions or multilevel models and are large enough to allow 15-year-old students to reach higher proficiency levels, suggesting significant potential gains of reducing dropout rates in the region. Finally, we stress the importance of taking into account the effects of school entry cut-off dates on PISA samples to avoid making unfair international comparisons.

A preliminary study of Hello Barbie in Brazil and Argentina Fantinato, Marcelo; Hung, Patrick C.K.; Jiang, Ying; Roa, Jorge; Villarreal, Pablo David; Melaisi, Mohammed; Amancio, Fernanda A smart city is an urban development vision based on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the Internet of things (IoT) for the city?s management and operations. The smart city concept is raised simultaneously in many modern societies. IoT is always playing an important role as smart devices to support complex scenarios in smart cities. A smart toy, such as ?Hello Barbie,? is a smart device consisting of a physical toy component that connects to a computing system with online services through networking to enhance the functionality of a traditional toy. In this research, we particularly studied Brazilian and Argentinian consumers? perceived innovativeness, risks and benefits of smart toys and their purchase intention toward such toys. Results indicate that Brazilian consumers have better perception and evaluation of the toy and thus higher purchase intention than Argentinian consumers do. Such difference may be explained by the cultural differences between the two countries, such as relatively low vs. high uncertainty avoidance. We also provide our recommendations for smart toys manufacturers to address these issues for the future products.

Stage-dependent expression of deltamethrin toxicity and resistance in triatoma infestans (hemiptera: Reduviidae) from Argentina Germano, Mónica Daniela; Picollo, Maria Ines Triatoma infestans Klug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) is the main vector of Chagas disease in Latin America.This insect has been controlled with pyrethroids since the 1980s, although the emergence of resistance to deltamethrin has decreased control success in some areas of the Gran Chaco ecoregion.The response of T. infestans to deltamethrin was evaluated per developmental stage. In addition, we evaluated the possible stage-dependent expression of deltamethrin resistance.The bioassays were conducted by topical application of the insecticide in acetone.The drop size, age at the time of exposure, and mortality measuring time were standardized per stage. The lethal dose of deltamethrin moderately increased with the developmental stage.The resistance to deltamethrin was expressed in every instar, and was the highest in the fourth- and fifth-instar nymphs.While increasing, weight plays a relevant role in lethal dose stage dependency, a number of contributing factors such as degradative metabolism are probably involved in the variability of insecticide effect and resistance described for different T. infestans developmental stages. Possible explanations for these differences and their implications on resistance management and chemical control are discussed.

"Somos cuerpo, alma y espíritu" : Persona, enfermedad y procesos de sanación y exorcismo en el catolicismo contemporáneo en Argentina; “We are body, soul and spirit”: Person, disease and processes of healing and exorcism in contemporary Catholicism in Argentina Gimenez Beliveau, Veronica; Fernandez, Natalia Soledad En la intersección entre religión y salud, las demandas de sanación, liberación y exorcismo expresan malestares indefinidos que van desde afecciones físicas y psiquiátricas hasta problemas psicológicos y relacionales. Para comprender esta demanda creciente, este estudio se propone analizar, por un lado, las concepciones de persona y enfermedad y, por otro, las terapéuticas que los sacerdotes y sus asistentes ponen en funcionamiento, a partir de una investigación etnográfica con observación participante y entrevistas en profundidad realizadas entre 2013 y 2017 en parroquias de la ciudad de La Plata y otras localidades de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Los resultados nos permiten comprender que la concepción de persona –sobre la cual se desarrollan las terapéuticas– supone un ensanchamiento del individuo hacia los planos físico, psicológico y espiritual, y que las nociones de enfermedad y bienestar abarcan a la persona, a su entorno y a las generaciones pasadas.; At the intersection of religion and health, demands for healing, liberation and exorcism express undefined discomforts that span from physical and psychiatric conditions to relational and psychological problems. To understand this growing demand in the population, this study seeks to analyze, on the one hand, the underlying conceptions of person and disease and, on the other, the therapeutics that priests and their assistants put into action, based on an ethnographic study with participant observation and in-depth interviews carried out between 2013 and 2017 in parishes in the city of La Plata and other localities of the province of Buenos Aires. The results enable us to understand that the conception of person based upon which therapeutic actions are carried out involves an expansion of the individual to the physical, psychological and spiritual planes, and that the notions of disease and wellbeing include the person, their environment and past generations.

Cambios de usos de suelo en Paso de los Libres, Corrientes, Argentina entre 1990 y 2016: impacto del proceso de expansión urbana; Changes in land use in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes, Argentina between 1990 and 2016: Impact of the urban expansion process Gomez, Laura Fabiana El presente trabajo presenta un análisis de los cambios de usos de suelo ocurrido entre los años 1990 y 2016 en la ciudad de Paso de los Libres, Provincia de Corrientes, haciendo especial énfasis sobre aquellos resultantes de la expansión urbana de la ciudad. Se utilizaron imágenes del satélite Landsat 5 -sensor TM- y Landsat 8 -sensor OLI- para cada uno de los momentos citados, Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) y se realizó el análisis de una matriz de tabulación cruzada para detectar información más específica de los cambios ocurridos en el territorio, con el fin de generar evidencia, información y conocimiento sobre las características de la expansión urbana de la ciudad.Las imágenes se clasificaron en cinco categorías: área urbana consolidada, área periurbana, infraestructura, cuerpos y cursos de agua, áreas verdes y cobertura vegetal urbana. Los resultados muestran las particularidades de la expansión urbana reciente, el creciente consumo de suelo urbano, los cambios y la variabilidad en el uso del suelo y la consolidación de una ciudad de bajas densidades.; This paper presents a study of changes in land use occurred between 1990 and 2016 in the city of Paso de los Libres, Province of Corrientes, with special emphasis on those resulting from the urban expansion of the city. Images from the Landsat 5 satellite -sensor TM- and Landsat 8 -sensor OLIwere used for each of the moments mentioned, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the analysis of a cross-tabulation matrix was carried out to detect more specific information of the changes occurred in the territory, in order to generate evidence, information and knowledge about the characteristics of the urban expansion of the city. The images were classified into five categories: consolidated urban area, peri-urban area, infrastructure, bodies and water courses, green areas and urban vegetation cover.

The density-magnetic field relation in the atomic ISM Gazol, A.; Villagran Azuara, Marco Adrian We present numerical experiments aimed to study the correlation between the magnetic field strength, B, and the density, n, in the cold atomic interstellar medium (CNM). We analyse 24 magnetohydrodynamic models with different initial magnetic field intensities (B 0 = 0.4, 2.1, 4.2, and 8.3 μG) and/or mean densities (2, 3, and 4 cm -3 ), in the presence of driven and decaying turbulence, with and without self-gravity, in a cubic computational domain with 100 pc by side. Our main findings are as follows: (i) For forced simulations that reproduce the main observed physical conditions of the CNM in the solar neighbourhood, a positive correlation between B and n develops for all the B 0 values. (ii) The density at which this correlation becomes significant (≲30 cm -3 ) depends onB 0 but is not sensitive to the presence of self-gravity. (iii) The effect of self-gravity, when noticeable, consists of producing a shallower correlation at high densities, suggesting that, in the studied regime, self-gravity induces motions along the field lines. (iv) Self-gravitating decaying modelswhere theCNMis subsonic and sub- Alfvénic with β ≲ 1 develop a high-density positive correlation whose slopes are consistent with a constant β(n). (v) Decaying models where the low-density CNM is subsonic and sub- Alfvénic with β > 1 show a negative correlation at intermediate densities, followed by a high-density positive correlation.

Application of geoarchaeological evolutionary models for the interpretation of complex archaeological structures in the central Ebro Basin (Spain) Peña Monné, José Luis; Sampietro Vattuone, Maria Marta; Picazo Millán, Jesús V.; Longares, Luis Alberto; Pérez Lambán, Fernando; Badia, D. In landscapes that are extremely sensitive to small environmental changes, like some Mediterranean areas, archaeological contexts could present some problems to their interpretation and evolutionary reconstruction. This is the case of Los Pedregales archaeological site, located in the Hoya de Huesca (NE of Spain), where several stone mounds of unknown age and function were found in an extensive badland. The geomorphological, edaphological, and archaeological study, together with radiocarbon and OSL datings and contextualization into the geomorphological regional framework, made it possible to interpret these structures and to establish an evolutionary model. It was determined that they were silos excavated in Pleistocene sands and silts (Unit 1) during the Visigothic and Early Muslim epochs (6th-7th centuries), and that they were later filled with limestone blocks. Successive aggradational and degradational stages (Units 2, 3 and 4) during MCA (Medieval Climatic Anomaly) and LIA (Little Ice Age) periods covered and incised the area, leaving the shape of positive structures included in the badland.

Ecology of freshwater ostracods from Northern Patagonia and their potential application in paleo-environmental reconstructions Coviaga, Corina Anabel; Cusminsky, Gabriela Catalina; Perez, Alejandra Patricia In order to generate a database of the auto-ecology and distribution of Argentinian North Patagonian ostracods (Argentina), a survey in 40 aquatic systems has been carried out. For this purpose, we report the ostracod diversity and assess the relationships between ostracod occurrence and abundance considering abiotic environmental variables. Twenty-two ostracod species have been found, three of which first record for Neotropical region and one for Argentina. Conductivity, temperature, and energy level have significantly explained ostracod distribution and abundance. Based on host waters features, three ostracod assemblages have been recognized: (1) temperate waters with moderate to high conductivity have presented in Sarscypridopsis aculeata, Potamocypris unicaudata, Heterocypris hyalinus, and Cypridopsis vidua as typical fauna; (2) environments with flowing waters were dominated by Ilyocypris ramirezi and Heterocypris incongruens, whereas (3) in cold and low conductivity environments, Tonnacypris lutaria, Eucypris virens, and Bradleystrandesia fuscata were the characteristic taxa. Our data indicate that Patagonian ostracods are largely influenced by host waters features, mainly conductivity and temperature. Likewise, due to the fact that eight of the twenty-two identified taxa in this survey were recovered in Holocene sequences from Patagonia, this study provides valuable information for future paleo-environmental reconstructions in North Patagonia.

Lewis x Antigen is Associated to Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Survival Rabassa, Martín Enrique; Pereyra, Adrian Ignacio; Pereyra, Liliana Valentina; Segal Eiras, Amada; Abba, Martín Carlos; Croce, María Virginia Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis without appropriate prognostic markers. Previous research shows that Lewis antigens have been involved in carcinoma dissemination and patients´ survival. Fucosyl and sialyltransferases are the enzymes implicated in the Lewis antigens synthesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic utility of Lewis antigens in HNSCC. We conducted a prospective research including histological samples from 79 patients with primary HNSCC. Lewis x and sialyl Lewis x expression were detected by immunohistochemistry; patient’s data, progression free, and overall survival were documented. A statistical correlation study of antigenic expression and patients´ histopathological variables was performed. Cox regression models with internal validation procedures were employed to analyze survival data. By immunohistochemistry, Lewis x was detected in 34/79 (43%) tumor samples, while sialyl Lewis x only in 11/79 (14%). Lewis x expression showed a positive correlation with tumor differentiation and a better overall survival for Lewis x + patients was detected. Moreover, multivariate Cox’s regression analysis showed that Lewis x is an independent predictor of better overall survival. The in silico analysis supported the presence of deregulated fucosyl (FUT4) and sialyltransferase (ST3GAL4) in the Lewis synthetic pathway related to patient survival. These results suggest that Lewis x expression is associated with a better outcome in patients with HNSCC.

Altered interferon-γ expression in lymphocytes as a potential peripheral marker of chronic stress-induced cognitive deficit Palumbo, María Laura; Di Rosso, María Emilia; Simon, Elias Hugo; Gonzalez Murano, Maria Rosa; Genaro, Ana Maria It is known that long-term exposure to stressful situations can produce severe consequences affecting behavioral, endocrine and immunological parameters. We have previously shown that stressed BALB/c mice had poor learning performance, which was reverted by glatiramer acetate treatment through a mechanism that likely involved the regulation of the cytokine balance and adult neurogenesis. In addition, recent results suggest that cytokine and neurotrophin expression in the hippocampus displayed similar tendencies as those in the serum. However, if lymphoid cells could be good candidates as peripheral markers of memory impairment have not yet been investigated. For this purpose, we analyzed the spatial memory and the neutrophin and cytokine mRNA levels in lymph nodes and hippocampus in mice submitted to chronic stress treated or not with glatiramer acetate. Results indicated that there was a correlation between the cytokine and neurotrophin mRNA levels in the hippocampus and in the peripheral lymph nodes, and the cognitive performance in BALB/c mice. In particular, our results suggest that altered IFN-γ levels could be used as peripheral biomarker of cognitive deficit and treatment response.

Computational comparison of availability in CTL/gag epitopes among patients with acute and chronic HIV-1 infection Damilano, Gabriel Dario; Sued, Omar Gustavo; Ruiz, María Julia; Ghiglione, Yanina Alexandra; Canitano, Flavia; Pando, María de los Ángeles; Turk, Gabriela Julia Ana; Cahn, Pedro Enrique; Salomon, Horacio Eduardo; Dilernia, Darío Alberto Background: Recent studies indicate that there is selection bias for transmission of viral polymorphisms associated with higher viral fitness. Furthermore, after transmission and before a specific immune response is mounted in the recipient, the virus undergoes a number of reversions which allow an increase in their replicative capacity. These aspects, and others, affect the viral population characteristic of early acute infection. Methods: 160 single gag-gene amplifications were obtained by limiting-dilution RT-PCR from plasma samples of 8 ARV-naïve patients with early acute infection (<30 days, 22 days average) and 8 ARV-naive patients with approximately a year of infection (10 amplicons per patient). Sanger sequencing and NGS SMRT technology (Pacific Biosciences) were implemented to sequence the amplicons. Phylogenetic analysis was performed by using MEGA 6.06. HLA-I (A and B) typing was performed by SSOP-PCR method. The chromatograms were analyzed with Sequencher 4.10. Epitopes and immune-proteosomal cleavages prediction was performed with CBS prediction server for the 30 HLA-A and -B alleles most prevalent in our population with peptide lengths from 8 to 14 mer. Cytotoxic response prediction was performed by using IEDB Analysis Resource. Results: After implementing epitope prediction analysis, we identified a total number of 325 possible viral epitopes present in two or more acute or chronic patients. 60.3% (n = 196) of them were present only in acute infection (prevalent acute epitopes) while 39.7% (n = 129) were present only in chronic infection (prevalent chronic epitopes). Within p24, the difference was equally dramatic with 59.4% (79/133) being acute epitopes (p < 0.05). This is consistent with progressive viral adaptation to immune response in time and further supported by the fact that cytotoxic responses prediction showed that acute epitopes are more likely to generate immune response than chronic epitopes. Interestingly, only 27.5% of acute epitopes match the population-level consensus sequence of the virus. Conclusions: Our results indicate that certain non-consensus viral residues might be transmitted more frequently than consensus-residues when located in immunological relevant positions (epitopes). This observation might be relevant to the rationale behind development of an effective vaccine to reduce viral reservoir and induce functional cure of HIV infection based in prevalent acute epitopes.

Interaction between macrophage migration inhibitory factor and CD74 in human immunodeficiency virus type I infected primary monocyte-derived macrophages triggers the production of proinflammatory mediators and enhances infection of unactivated CD4+ T cells Trifone, César Ariel; Salido, Jimena Patricia; Ruiz, María Julia; Leng, Lin; Quiroga, María Florencia; Salomon, Horacio Eduardo; Bucala, Richard; Ghiglione, Yanina Alexandra; Turk, Gabriela Julia Ana Understanding the mechanisms of human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) pathogenesis would facilitate the identification of new therapeutic targets to control the infection in face of current antiretroviral therapy limitations. CD74 membrane expression is upregulated in HIV-1-infected cells and the magnitude of its modulation correlates with immune hyperactivation in HIV-infected individuals. In addition, plasma level of the CD74 activating ligand macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is increased in infected subjects. However, the role played by MIF/CD74 interaction in HIV pathogenesis remains unexplored. Here, we studied the effect of MIF/CD74 interaction on primary HIV-infected monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and its implications for HIV immunopathogenesis. Confocal immunofluorescence analysis of CD74 and CD44 (the MIF signal transduction co-receptor) expression indicated that both molecules colocalized at the plasma membrane specifically in wild-type HIV-infected MDMs. Treatment of infected MDMs with MIF resulted in an MIF-dependent increase in TLR4 expression. Similarly, there was a dose-dependent increase in the production of IL-6, IL-8, TNFα, IL-1β, and sICAM compared to the no-MIF condition, specifically from infected MDMs. Importantly, the effect observed on IL-6, IL-8, TNFα, and IL-1β was abrogated by impeding MIF interaction with CD74. Moreover, the use of a neutralizing αMIF antibody or an MIF antagonist reverted these effects, supporting the specificity of the results. Treatment of unactivated CD4+ T-cells with MIF-treated HIV-infected MDM-derived culture supernatants led to enhanced permissiveness to HIV-1 infection. This effect was lost when CD4+ T-cells were treated with supernatants derived from infected MDMs in which CD74/MIF interaction had been blocked. Moreover, the enhanced permissiveness of unactivated CD4+ T-cells was recapitulated by exogenous addition of IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, and TNFα, or abrogated by neutralizing its biological activity using specific antibodies. Results obtained with BAL and NL4-3 HIV laboratory strains were reproduced using transmitted/founder primary isolates. This evidence indicated that MIF/CD74 interaction resulted in a higher production of proinflammatory cytokines from HIV-infected MDMs. This caused the generation of an inflammatory microenvironment which predisposed unactivated CD4+ T-cells to HIV-1 infection, which might contribute to viral spreading and reservoir seeding. Overall, these results support a novel role of the MIF/CD74 axis in HIV pathogenesis that deserves further investigation.

Synthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Extracts from Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis) Wastes Arreche, Romina; Montes de Oca Vásquez, Gabriela; Vega Baudrit, José; Vazquez, Patricia Graciela Synthesis of metallic nanoparticles by an eco-friendly and sustainable process is an important target to be developed in nanotechnology area. In the present work, two different commercial brands of yerba mate from Argentina and their wastes (PYM and TYM samples) were used for the preparation of aqueous extracts, in order to synthesize silver nanoparticles at room temperature (25 °C). The silver nanoparticles obtained were spherical, hexagonal and, triangular in shape with the average particle size of 50 nm and, shows a surface plasmon peak around 460 nm. The antimicrobial activity of the silver nanoparticles obtained with the extracts from yerba mate wastes was evaluated against E. coli and S. aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentrations required for E. coli were 7.66 and 17.66 µg ml−1 using the treatment T2YE and P2YE, respectively and, for S. aureus were 23.25 and 50.60 µg ml−1 for the treatment T2YE and P2YE, respectively. The study suggests that polyphenols present in I. paraguariensis leaf extract act as reducing agent and stabilizer of the nanoparticles.

Visión en color: análisis estadístico de la absorción de fotones en la retina y sus consecuencias perceptuales; Color vision: a statistical model of fhoton absortion in the retina and its perceptual consequences. Da Fonseca, María de Los Angeles El color es una sensación subjetiva originada en el cerebro, basada en la información que llega por la vía visual sobre la distribución de energía de la luz que incide sobre la pupila. Los fotorreceptores constituyen la primera etapa en el procesamiento neuronal de la información cromática, por lo tanto, es esperable que parte de las características de la visión en color puedan explicarse en términos de la fisiología del proceso de absorción de fotones. Sin embargo, existen numerosas etapas de procesamiento posteriores, todas ellas requeridas para que un observador sea capaz de reportar qué color ve, así como para informar si nota diferencias entre dos estímulos o si los percibe comoiguales. Por lo tanto, no hay motivos para creer que basta comprender la fisiología de los fotorreceptores para poder explicar todas las características de la percepción cromática. Para determinar la relevancia del proceso de absorción, en esta tesis modelamos estadísticamente la forma en que los conos de la retina capturan los fotones incidentes. Bajo la suposición de que la estocasticidad del proceso de absorción constituye el factor fundamental que limita la precisión de la percepción cromática, utilizando técnicas estadísticas y de la teoría de la información, predecimos el resultado de diversos experimentos comportamentales reportados en la literatura. La precisión con que se reproducen los resultados experimentales sustenta la hipótesis de que las etapas de procesamiento posteriores operan de manera óptima, o cercana a la óptima, alterando sólo mínimamente las limitaciones impuestas por la etapa de absorción.; Colour is a subjective sensation originated in the brain, based on the information that enters through the visual pathway about the energy distribution of the light impinging on the pupil. Fotoreceptors constitute the first stage in the neuronal processing of chromatic information, so the physiology of the absorption process is expected to be relevant in the understanding of colour vision. There are, however, multiple subsequent processing stages, all of them required for an observer to be able to report the colour of a stimulus, and to determine whether he or she perceives two stimuli as chromatically equal or not. There is no reason, hence, to believe that photoreceptors suffice to explain all the properties of chromatic perception. To determine the relevance of the absorption process, in this thesis we construct a statistical model of the way incident photos are captured by the cones of the retina. Under the assumption that the stochasticity in the absorption process is the fundamental factor limiting the precision of chromatic perception, using statistical and information-theoretical tools, we predict the result of several behavioral experiments reported in the literature. The precision with which the model reproduces the experimental results supports the hypothesis that subsequent processing stages operate optimally, or near optimality, altering only minimally the limitations imposed by the absorption process.

Lightweight Tag-Aware Personalized Recommendation on the Social Web Using Ontological Similarity Xu, Zhenghua; Tifrea-Marciuska, Oana; Lukasiewicz, Thomas; Martinez, Maria Vanina; Simari, Gerardo; Chen, Cheng With the rapid growth of social tagging systems, many research efforts are being put intopersonalized search and recommendation using social tags (i.e., folksonomies). As users can freely choosetheir own vocabulary, social tags can be very ambiguous (for instance, due to the use of homonymsor synonyms). Machine learning techniques (such as clustering and deep neural networks) are usuallyapplied to overcome this tag ambiguity problem. However, the machine-learning-based solutions alwaysneed very powerful computing facilities to train recommendation models from a large amount of data,so they are inappropriate to be used in lightweight recommender systems. In this work, we propose anontological similarity to tackle the tag ambiguity problem without the need of model training by usingcontextual information. The novelty of this ontological similarity is that it first leverages external domainontologies to disambiguate tag information, and then semantically quantifies the relevance between userand item profiles according to the semantic similarity of the matching concepts of tags in the respectiveprofiles. Our experiments show that the proposed ontological similarity is semantically more accurate thanthe state-of-the-art similarity metrics, and can thus be applied to improve the performance of content-based tag-aware personalized recommendation on the Social Web. Consequently, as a model-training-freesolution, ontological similarity is a good disambiguation choice for lightweight recommender systems anda complement to machine-learning-based recommendation solutions.

Timoshenko theory effect on the vibration of axially functionally graded cantilever beams carrying concentrated masses Rossit, Carlos Adolfo; Bambill, Diana Virginia; Gilardi, Gonzalo José In this paper is studied the effect of considering the theory of Timoshenko in the vibration of AFG beams that support ground masses. As it is known, Timoshenko theory takes into account the shear deformation and the rotationalinertia, provides more accurate results in the general study of beams and is mandatory in the case of high frequencies or non-slender beams. The Rayleigh-Ritz Method is employed to obtain approximated solutions of the problem. The accuracy of the procedure is verified through results available in the literature that can be represented by the model under study. The incidence of the Timoshenko theory is analyzed for different cases of beam slenderness, variation of its cross section and compositionsof its constituent material, as well as different amounts and positions of the attached masses.

Prostaglandin E2 Antagonizes TGF-β actions during the differentiation of monocytes into dendritic cells Remes Lenicov, Federico; Paletta, Ana Luz; Gonzalez Prinz, Melina; Varese, Augusto; Pavillet, Clara E.; López Malizia, Álvaro; Sabatte, Juan Atilio; Geffner, Jorge Raúl; Ceballos, Ana Inflammatory dendritic cells (DCs) are a distinct subset of DCs that derive from circulating monocytes infiltrating injured tissues. Monocytes can differentiate into DCs with different functional signatures, depending on the presence of environment stimuli. Among these stimuli, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) have been shown to modulate the differentiation of monocytes into DCs with different phenotypes and functional profiles. In fact, both mediators lead to contrasting outcomes regarding the production of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Previously, we have shown that human semen, which contains high concentrations of PGE2, promoted the differentiation of DCs into a tolerogenic profile through a mechanism dependent on signaling by E-prostanoid receptors 2 and 4. Notably, this effect was induced despite the huge concentration of TGF-β present in semen, suggesting that PGE2 overrides the influence exerted by TGF-β. No previous studies have analyzed the joint actions induced by PGE2 and TGF-β on the function of monocytes or DCs. Here, we analyzed the phenotype and functional profile of monocyte-derived DCs differentiated in the presence of TGF-β and PGE2. DC differentiation guided by TGF-β alone enhanced the expression of CD1a and abrogated LPS-induced expression of IL-10, while differentiation in the presence of PGE2 impaired CD1a expression, preserved CD14 expression, abrogated IL-12 and IL-23 production, stimulated IL-10 production, and promoted the expansion of FoxP3+ regulatory T cells in a mixed lymphocyte reaction. Interestingly, DCs differentiated in the presence of TGF-β and PGE2 showed a phenotype and functional profile closely resembling those induced by PGE2 alone. Finally, we found that PGE2 inhibited TGF-β signaling through an action exerted by EP2 and EP4 receptors coupled to cyclic AMP increase and protein kinase A activity. These results indicate that PGE2 suppresses the influence exerted by TGF-β during DC differentiation, imprinting a tolerogenic signature. High concentrations of TGF-β and PGE2 are usually found in infectious, autoimmune, and neoplastic diseases. Our observations suggest that in these scenarios PGE2 might play a mandatory role in the acquisition of a regulatory profile by DCs.

Las revistas Militancia Peronista para la Liberación y De Frente, con las Bases Peronistas: una propuesta "alternativa" para la identidad política del peronismo revolucionario, 1973-1974 Stavale, Mariela Este trabajo investiga los procesos de transformación de la identidad política de dos revistas político-culturales que hasta ahora no han sido analizadas: Militancia Peronista para la Liberación (MPL) y su continuación en De Frente, con las bases peronistas (DF) publicadas entre Junio de 1973 y Julio de 1974. Ambas publicaciones surgen en el particular contexto del tercer gobierno peronista, luego de años de proscripción política y buscan constituirse como un órgano de expresión amplio de un colectivo heterogéneo: la Tendencia Revolucionaria del Peronismo. Esta tesis doctoral busca problematizar la experiencia editorial y militante del grupo político que surgió en torno a MPL-DF para dar cuenta de los procesos de transformación en su identidad política que constituyeron, a su vez, una propuesta para el conjunto del peronismo revolucionario. Las experiencias que articulan ambas revistas y el interés por identificar elementos de cambios y continuidades de las identidades políticas, nos llevaron a jerarquizar dos dimensiones relevantes. Por un lado, una dimensión diacrónica, buscando tejer puentes con el período previo, es decir, con el proceso de confluencia entre tradiciones político-culturales y la conformación de nuevas identidades políticas que, lejos de cristalizarse, siguieron redefiniendo sus límites. Por otro lado, la dimensión sincrónica nos centró en el período en el que MPL y luego DF fueron publicadas, es decir 1973 y 1974, analizando la experiencia del tercer gobierno peronista y los debates político-ideológicos que, en esta coyuntura, tomaron forma en el seno del peronismo revolucionario.; This work searches the political identity transformation of two political-cultural magazines which have not been analysed until now: “Peronist Militancy for Liberation” (Militancia Peronista para la Liberación - MPL) and its continuation in “Head On, together with Peronist Militant Core” (De Frente, con las bases peronistas - DF) that were published between June 1973 and July 1974. Both magazines arise within the particular context of the third peronist government, after years of political proscription and pursue to be constituted as a wide expression organ for a heterogeneous group: The Revolutionary Peronist Tendency. This doctoral thesis seeks to problematize the publishing and militant experience of the political group which arose around MPL and DF, in order to account for the transformation processes within its political identity which constituted at the same time, a proposal for the whole revolutionary peronism. The experiences that join both magazines and the interest to identify change elements and continuities led us to rank two relevant dimensions. On one hand, a diachronic dimension, by seeking to weave bridges with the previous period, that is to say, with the junction process between political-cultural traditions and the conformation of new political identities, which far from crystallized, they kept on redefining their limits. On the other hand, the synchronic dimension made us focused in the period in which MPL and then DF were published, i.e. 1973 and 1974, by analysing the third peronist government experience and the politicalideological discussions that, within that moment, took shape in the revolutionary peronist core.

Diderot, apologista de Séneca: ¿un proyecto fallido?; Diderot as an apologist for seneca’s image: a failed endeavor? Ratto, Gustavo Adrián El objetivo del artículo es demostrar que la ambivalente interpretación que Diderot realiza de la figura de Séneca pone en peligro el propósito que persigue en uno de sus últimos trabajos, el Essai sur Sénèque le philosophe, sur ses écrits et sur les règnes de Claude et de Néron, publicado en 1778 y reeditado en 1782. En las primeras páginas del texto el filósofo francés se propone defender la imagen de Séneca frente a sus críticos antiguos y modernos. La figura del filósofo romano ofrecía a Diderot y a sus amigos, los miembros del salón del barón d’Holbach, la posibilidad de presentar una moral laica, independiente de los valores religiosos, y de luchar contra los espiritualismos. Diderot, sin embargo, se encuentra a lo largo del texto con una serie de obstáculos que parecen poner en riesgo su empresa. El escrito, por otra parte, arroja algunas luces sobre el vínculo entre historia y filosofía en la obra del editor de la Encyclopédie.; The aim of this paper is to demonstrate that Diderot’s ambivalent interpretation of the image of Seneca jeopardized the object he pursues in one of his last works, Essai sur Sénèque le philosophe, sur ses écrits et sur les règnes de Claude et de Néron, published in 1778 and reissued in 1782. In the first pages of the text, the French philosopher strives to defend the figure of Seneca before his early and modern critics. The Roman philosopher offered Diderot and his friends, the members of d’Holbach’s salon, the possibility of presenting a secular morality independent of religious values and of fighting against spiritualism. Along the text, however, Diderot encounters a series of obstacles that seem to compromise his endeavor. Moreover, the text sheds light on the relationship between history and philosophy throughout the work of the editor of Encyclopédie.

Reproductive endpoints of Rhinella arenarum (Anura, Bufonidae): Populations that persist in agroecosystems and their use for the environmental health assessment Babini, María Selene; Bionda, Clarisa de Lourdes; Salinas, Zulma Anahí; Salas, Nancy Edith; Martino, Adolfo Ludovico Degradation of the environment by agriculture affects the persistence and health of the amphibian populations. Characteristics related to reproduction of anuran can be used to evaluate the status of populations and as endpoints in environmental health assessment. In this in situ study the aspects related to the amplexus and ovipositions of the bioindicator species Rhinella arenarum that inhabits agroecosystems were analyzed. The hypothesis of this study is that perturbations of agroecosystems have a negative impact on the size of reproductive adults, on the size of ovipositions and eggs, and on the survival of eggs and embryos. Study area is located in the rural landscape of central Argentina. Four sampling sites were selected: C1, C2 and C3 are ponds on agroecosystems; and SM is a reference site that is not affected by agriculture or livestock. Abundance of amplexus pairs, oviposition and tadpoles per site was recorded. Individuals´ snout–vent length (SVL) in amplexus was measured. The fecundity was calculated like number of eggs per oviposition. The eggs’ Gosner stage, the diameter eggs and the frequency of dead and abnormal eggs were recorded by oviposition. Killing-power between egg-embryo and egg-tadpole was calculated. The higher phosphate concentration was detected in all agroecosystems and nitrate was detected in C1 and C2. Conductivity, salinity and SDT were higher in C1 site Male SVL from the SM site was lower than the other sites while the largest SVL was of female from the C3 site. The higher frequencies of sprouted eggs and of dead eggs were recorded in the C2 site. Egg diameter was associated with SM and correlated negatively to SVL of the male and female. No correlation between female SVL and oviposition size was recorded. Killing-power in the passage from egg to tadpole classes was higher in the three agroecosystems. The hypothesis of this study was corroborated in part. Reproductive adults in agroecosystems did not have smaller body size. However, in the agroecosystem ponds, the eggs with smaller diameter were registered, the oviposition had higher frequency of abnormal eggs and the higher mortality was registered. This confirms the high sensitivity of the early stages to environmental disturbances and sustains their use as endpoints for the environmental health assessment.