Evolving trends in Latin American regimes of science, technology and innovation: the politics of the “GM soya model” in Argentina

Conference (2011, June 16)

Our interest is to understand the challenges to modern (national) science and innovation regimes under conditions of globalization and “multiple modernities” (Eisenstadt 2000). Different scholarly ... [more ▼]

Our interest is to understand the challenges to modern (national) science and innovation regimes under conditions of globalization and “multiple modernities” (Eisenstadt 2000). Different scholarly attention has been paid to existing institutions that may no longer be adequate to address those challenges. This may be because modern institutions are pressured for a greater reflexive opening up of their structures (Beck and Lau 2005) or because the modern world-system is facing severe turbulences that would ultimately lead to a time of structural dissolution (Wallerstein 2005). This renders interesting to trace the responses to these challenges, and we suggest to do it in the field of science, technology and society, one where we can make a contribution. Unlike many studies mainly focusing on European models and regimes, our ongoing multi-level comparative research takes Latin American countries as an entrance point to finding responses that are different from those occuring in European countries. Latin American countries are interesting to study in this respect because institutions of science and technology have not been set up in the same way as in Europe and the governance patterns have been different. Our presentation is based on one country, Argentina, and focuses on one important sector: biotechnology in agriculture. Argentina is taken as a central case study because in addition of being today the second largest exportator of GM crops (behind the US and before Brasil), it has been the first country in Latin America to establish a professional regulatory framework in the early 1990s, looking at ecological, health and commercial aspects. GM soya crops is specifically analysed because of its importance — GM soya represents 60% of the cultivated areas — and its controversial aspect : the « GM soya model » is presented at the same time as an elixir for agro-industrial ills and as a techno-economic network increasing the benefits of the global North while dramatically affecting public health and the environment in Argentina. We suggest to diagnose developments and perceptions of issues related to health, economy, ecological diversity, fertility of soils, regulation and intellectual property. Our methodology favours qualitative data collection (individual interviews with key actors of science and innovation) and analysis, while using quantitative data when available and relevant. [less ▲]

Ex vivo bioluminescent detection of alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 infection during malignant catarrhal fever induced in rabbits

Poster (2009, December 11)

Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), carried by wildebeest asymptomatically, causes malignant catarrhal fever (WD-MCF) when cross-species transmitted to a variety of susceptible species of the Artiodactyla ... [more ▼]

Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), carried by wildebeest asymptomatically, causes malignant catarrhal fever (WD-MCF) when cross-species transmitted to a variety of susceptible species of the Artiodactyla order. Experimentally, WD-MCF can be reproduced in rabbits. The lesions observed are very similar to those described in natural host species. Recently, we demonstrated that WD-MCF induced by AlHV-1 in rabbits is associated with the proliferation of CD8+ cells supporting a latent type of infection. In the present study, we investigated whether the virus could be detected ex vivo in the tissues of rabbits developing WD-MCF. Taking advantage of the recent cloning of the AlHV-1 genome as a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), we produced a recombinant plasmid encoding a firefly luciferase (LUC) expression cassette inserted in a non-coding region of the AlHV-1 genome. In vitro, the reconstituted AlHV-1 LUC strain replicated comparably to the parental strain in permissive cells and was able to induce a bioluminescent signal. In vivo, rabbits infected with the AlHV-1 LUC strain developed WD-MCF similarly to the parental wild-type strain with hyperthermia, increased CD8/CD4 ratio and viral genomic charge over time in PBMC and in lymph nodes at time of death. To identify the presence of AlHV-1 infection ex vivo, various organs of infected rabbits developing WD-MCF were analysed by bioluminescent imaging. Luciferase activity could be detected macroscopically at the time of death in most of analyzed organs including lung, popliteal and mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, liver, kidney and appendix. Infectious virus could be isolated following co-cultures of lymph node and permissive cells, and the isolated virus retained the ability to induce a bioluminescent signal. In conclusion, we produced an AlHV-1 LUC recombinant and we were able to detect the AlHV-1 infection ex vivo in many organs at the time of death. [less ▲]

Ex Vivo Evaluation of p-[18F]D-MPPF for the Study of 5-HT1A Receptors.

in Journal of Labelled Compounds & Radiopharmaceuticals (2005), 48

Ex vivo ruminal cellulosome for by-product biomass conversion

Conference (2011, April 27)

(Ex-)smoking asthma patients in general and specialized Belgian practice.

in Respiratory medicine (2011), 105(8), 1203-1210

INTRODUCTION: Smokers are often excluded from asthma studies. In the present study, data are presented on the prevalence, characteristics and management approach of this patient population in the Belgian ... [more ▼]

INTRODUCTION: Smokers are often excluded from asthma studies. In the present study, data are presented on the prevalence, characteristics and management approach of this patient population in the Belgian practice both at the level of general practitioners (GPs) and specialists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and nineteen smoking, non-smoking and ex-smoking patients (25-65 yrs) with asthma, COPD or both, were recruited by 33 GPs and 33 specialists. Data were obtained retrospectively from medical records. However, only a small number of files were complete. RESULTS: The majority of COPD patients were (ex-)smokers: 94% in the specialist group, 78% in the GP group. Cardiovascular comorbidity appeared in both groups in the same frequency order: COPD>(ex-)smoking patients with asthma (AS)>non-smoking patients with asthma (ANS), with a significant difference between AS and ANS in the specialist population. Chronic cough during more than 3 months in two consecutive years was reported in 97% of COPD patients, in 71% of the AS patients and in only 25% of the ANS patients. The type of cough differed between AS and ANS in the GP group, with a higher prevalence of productive cough in the former. Treatment patterns observed were as expected according to diagnosis except for a disproportionate use of Tiotropium in AS in the GP group. CONCLUSION: AS were somewhere in between COPD patients and ANS for a large number of the characteristics studied, suggesting that they are an intermediate phenotype between COPD and asthma. [less ▲]

An ex-vivo study of the skin compatibility of new cyclodextrin derivatives: the phospholipidyl-cyclodextrins

Conference (2003, May)

Exact Model Reduction of Combinatorial Reaction Networks

in BMC Systems Biology (2008), 2

Exact solution of the dynamic epidemic model on the Bethe lattice

in Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications (1996), 230(1-2), 1-10

The dynamic epidemic model considers the spreading of a cluster in a medium containing a fraction x of mobile particles which are pushed by the propagation front. This model is analytically studied on the ... [more ▼]

The dynamic epidemic model considers the spreading of a cluster in a medium containing a fraction x of mobile particles which are pushed by the propagation front. This model is analytically studied on the Bethe lattice for any branching rate z. We give the exact solution x(c)= (z(2) - 1)/z(2) for the percolation threshold. This is in contrast with the x(c) = (z - 1)/z result for static particles. Moreover, we calculate the critical exponents y = 1 and v = 1 characterizing respectively the divergence of the cluster mass and the correlation length at x(c). These exponents are found to be the same as for the case of static particles, i.e. for random percolation on the Bethe lattice. [less ▲]

Exactitude de la mesure continue de la concentration de glucose par microdyalise sous cutanée chez les patients de soins intensifs

in Réanimation (2006), 15(S1), 58-255

EXAFS study of halato-telechelic polymers and-capped with group IVb metal carboxylates at room and low temperature

in Journal of Physics II France (1995), 5(5), 665-675

The EXAFS analysis at 300, 70 and 5 K has shown that the thermal disorder is very low in a carboxylato telechelic polybutadiene neutralized with an increasing excess of Zr isopropoxide. Two types of Zr-O ... [more ▼]

The EXAFS analysis at 300, 70 and 5 K has shown that the thermal disorder is very low in a carboxylato telechelic polybutadiene neutralized with an increasing excess of Zr isopropoxide. Two types of Zr-O bonds in the first shell account for the experimental data. The Zr-O distances and number of oxygen neighbours in the two subshells are found to be independent of temperature in the investigated range. The proportion of Zr in the samples has no effect on the total number of oxygen atoms around Zr, in contrast to their relative distribution in the two subshells. The number of Zr atoms increases in the second shell with the total amount of this metal. Upon increasing degree of neutralization from 200 to 600%, the static disorder increases together with a strong reduction of the dynamic part of the Debye-Waller (DW) factor. At a high degree of neutralization (> 400%), the DW factor for the Zr-Zr bond is largely independent of temperature. These observations agree with formation of Zr polynuclear microdomains, the size and rigidity of which increase with the Zr content, in good agreement with the profound changes previously reported in the viscoelastic properties of these materials. [less ▲]