Acta Universitaria

Number 6, 2013

3-9
Antifungal activity of propolis obtained at three Cuban provinces against fungal contaminants in plant tissue culture

Authors: René Dionisio Cupull-Santana, Remigio Cortés-Rodríguez, Ervelio Eliseo Olazábal-Manso, Carlos Alberto Hernández Medina

Abstract

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Number of views: 619

The present research was carried out with the objective of evaluating the physicochemical characteristics and the antifungal activity in propolis from Apis mellifera, coming from the Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spíritus counties in Cuba. Scraping harvesting methods were used to establish wax, ash, insoluble material and resin contents in raw propolis. In addition, in vitro antifungal activity of ethanolic extract of propolis was evaluated for fungi Aspergillus sp., Penicillium sp., Fusarium sp., Trichoderma sp., Colletotrichum sp., and Monilia sp.: the extracts presented high antifungal activity in a wide range of concentrations; also, the physicochemical parameters presented similar values and inside the established ones for international regulations. This study provides information to select propolis according to the wanted applications

10-25
Regional climatic indices for the Sierra Gorda of Guanajuato

Authors: J. C. Martínez Arredondo, V. M. Ortega-Chávez, Y. R. Ramos Arroyo

Abstract

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Number of views: 945

We performed a climate classification in the Sierra Gorda of Guanajuato (SGG) region, analyzing available data from 48 climatological stations as well as topographic characteristics of the area. The continental factor (distance to the coast) and the orographic shadow effect of Sierra Madre Oriental are the main factors that influence the climate of the SGG. The variables that control climate were mapped, such as minimum temperature, maximum temperature, precipitation and potential evaporation. From resultant maps, we explored other climatic classifications related to watershed management, such as drought and aridity indices. According to elevation above sea level and winter rainfall distribution, the more frequent climates are dry semi-warm and subhumid temperate. Additionally the rainfall regime in the SGG is dominated by drought at midsummer heat in period know in the area as “canícula”. These climate scenarios place the SGG in a region vulnerable to the effects of dry climate. However, the area has a wet hydrological regime due to groundwater discharge (from fractured and karstic aquifers). The largest volume of rainwater comes from cyclones in the Gulf of Mexico during September and October. This study aims to impact the development of an integral strategy to improve water management, in order to diminish vulnerability to climatic variations and the presence of extreme meteorological events.

26-33
Job insecurity of youth employed in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina

Authors: Estefanía Solari

Abstract

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Number of views: 621

In this paper, we analyze the job insecurity of youth employed in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to the dimensions of temporality, insufficient pay and lack of employment protection. First, indicators are generated to evaluate the above dimensions, then it was determined how individual factors affect them thanks to logistic regression models. From the analysis it could be highlighted that the higher the age, having completed secondary education, being head of the household and being in a relationship, the odds of having pension contributions, and earning the minimum wage, increase; the opposite happens in case of being a woman. The same happens in the case of workers who have completed high school education and are in a relationship. Conversely, in the case of women the probability decreases. Finally, the findings emphasize the great importance of high school completion in youth and the importance of establishing public policies to mitigate the problem.

34-42
Human development index. An approach from the central bajio region

Authors: Juan Antonio Rodríguez González, Alex Ricardo Caldera Ortega

Abstract

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Number of views: 691

The study of development has been a priority in Latin America. for the past several decades The United Nations Program for Development (UNDP) has launched an initiative to all UN member nations to achieve development. In this research, we set out to identify the level of development of the central bajio region from inter-and intra-municipal analysis, evaluating measurement indicators in order to make them useful to improving design and evaluation tools of local public policies that impact regional strategy.

43-50
Mexican votive offerings and altarpieces. From acts of faith to the plastic statement

Authors: Lucía Elena Acosta Ugalde

Abstract

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Number of views: 709

The Spanish word Exvoto (votive offering) comes from the latin: ex, of and votus, promise. It is a symbol of gratitude on the part of an individual or group of individuals for favors received. Without a doubt, these are materials that represent a way of believing and living the Catholic religion and whose disappearance or devaluation would certainly be regrettable. The purpose of this article is to recover the value of exvotos as a cultural practice; observe their formal structure; and, from this, think about their prospects of continuity or disappearance. The triad of Peirce is used to conceptualize the exvoto as sign, as well as opacity as an element of the discourse and the proposal of a model that seeks to bring us closer to intertextuality in this specific type of cultural product.