Abstract:We propose an index to measure gender violence in university students (women and men). To build this index, a questionnaire about violence is applied to a representative sample of students. Then, the information is organized through an ecological model and the result is integrated in an index through the analytic hierarchy process. The proposed index was exemplified for students in the Chapingo Autonomous University (UACh). In the UACh, both women and men showed similar grades of direct violence, but women exhibited more social and emotional consequences. The proposed index allows us: 1) to identify factors that influence the reproduction of violence, 2) to incorporate opinions of experts, 3) to get information of multiple factors and perceptions that people have about violence. Finally, this index can be extended to evaluate others social issues. Key words: aggression, school environment, stereotypes, gender studies, young. Resumen: Proponemos un índice para medir violencia de género entre hombres y mujeres universitarios(as). Para construir dicho índice se aplicó un cuestionario sobre violencia a una muestra representativa de estudiantes. Posteriormente, se organizó la información mediante un modelo ecológico, y el resultado se integró en un índice vía el proceso jerárquico analítico. El índice propuesto se ejemplificó con datos de alumnos de la Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (UACh). En ésta, tanto hombres como mujeres reportaron grados similares de violencia directa, aunque las mujeres señalaron más consecuencias emocionales y sociales. El índice propuesto permite: 1) identificar los factores que influyen en la reproducción de la violencia, 2) incorporar la opinión de los expertos, 3) obtener información de múltiples factores y percepciones que las personas tienen sobre el fenómeno. Finalmente, este índice puede extenderse para evaluar otros fenómenos sociales.

Species richness, abundance and diversity patterns in palm communities in the Yucatan Peninsula were compared at three sites with different forest types (semi-deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen), as well as different precipitation, geomorphology and soil depth. All individual palms, including seedlings, juveniles and adults, were identified and counted in forty-five (0.25 ha) transects. A total of 46 000 individual palms belonging to 11 species from nine genera and two subfamilies were recorded. Palm richness, diversity and abundance were highest in the evergreen forest. Species from the subfamily Coryphoideae dominated the semi-deciduous and semi-evergreen forests while species from the subfamily Arecoideae dominated the evergreen forest. Seven species were found only in the evergreen forest. Chamaedorea seifrizii and Sabal yapa were found in all three forest types, while Thrinax radiata was found in the semi-deciduous and semievergreen forests and Cocothrinax readii only in the semi-evergreen forest. Compared to other neotropical palm communities, the richness and diversity in the Yucatan Peninsula are lower than in the western Amazon basin. Although palm richness and diversity on the Yucatan Peninsula were positively associated with precipitation, other variables, in particular soil depth and fertility as well as habitat heterogeneity (microtopography and canopy cover), need to be considered to better understand the observed patterns.

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Plants have evolved defense mechanisms to suppress viral transcription and replication by transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing mediated by virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). Based on this response, virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS)-based technology has been developed to silence target genes on either host plants or insect pests. This mechanism could also be used for the silencing of genes of interest in the medical field. We used the VIGS vector pEuMV-YP:Krt18, which was obtained by inserting the Mus musculus (M. musculus) Krt18 sequence into pEuMV-YP:ΔAV1. The objective was to evaluate the capacity of pEuMV-YP:Krt18 to induce Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana) production of vsiRNAs of a specific sequence that belongs to neither the plant genome nor the wild virus genome, which were used to induce cross-kingdom gene silencing between plants and mammals. The percentage of vsiRNA for each viral gene was calculated from an sRNA library of N. benthamiana plants infected by pEuMV-YP: Krt18. When the vsiRNAs were characterized, it was found that they corresponded to all the genes of the pEuMV-YP:Krt18 vector. These vsiRNAs induced the silencing of the Krt18 gene in M. musculus macrophages, supporting the ability to use VIGS vectors in plants as biofactories for the production of sRNAs that induce gene silencing in mammals.