Differential Expression of Apoptosis Related Genes in Selected Strains of Aedes aegypti with Different Susceptibilities to Dengue Virus

Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of Dengue viruses worldwide. We identified field collected insects with differential susceptibility to Dengue-2 virus (DENv-2) and used isofemale selection to establish susceptible and refractory strains based on midgut infection barriers. Previous experiments had identified higher expression of apoptosis-related genes in the refractory strain. To identify potential molecular mechanisms associated with DENv susceptibility, we evaluated the differential expression of Caspase-16, Aedronc, Aedredd, Inhibitor of apoptosis (AeIAP1) and one member of the RNAi pathway, Argonaute-2 in the midguts and fat body tissues of the selected strains at specific times post blood feeding or infection with DENv-2. In the refractory strain there was significantly increased expression of caspases in midgut and fatbody tissues in the presence of DENv-2, compared to exposure to blood alone, and significantly higher caspase expression in the refractory strain compared with the susceptible strain at timepoints when DENv was establishing in these tissues. We used RNAi to knockdown gene expression; knockdown of AeIAP1 was lethal to the insects. In the refractory strain, knockdown of the pro-apoptotic gene Aedronc increased the susceptibility of refractory insects to DENv-2 from 53% to 78% suggesting a contributing role of this gene in the innate immune response of the refractory strain

Differential Gene Expression from Midguts of Refractory and Susceptible Lines of the Mosquito, Aedes aegypti, Infected with Dengue-2 Virus

Suppressive subtractive hybridization was used to evaluate the differential expression of midgut genes of feral populations of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) from Colombia that are naturally refractory or susceptible to Dengue-2 virus infection. A total of 165 differentially expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were identified in the subtracted libraries. The analysis showed a higher number of differentially expressed genes in the susceptible Ae. aegypti individuals than the refractory mosquitoes. The functional annotation of ESTs revealed a broad response in the susceptible library that included immune molecules, metabolic molecules and transcription factors. In the refractory strain, there was the presence of a trypsin inhibitor gene, which could play a role in the infection. These results serve as a template for more detailed studies aiming to characterize the genetic components of refractoriness, which in turn can be used to devise new approaches to combat transmission of dengue fever

Aplicativo web para la incripción de las prácticas y control en el Centro de Emprendimiento, Innovación y Desarrollo Empresarial CEIDEUL de la Universidad Libre Seccional Pereira

CD-T 005.12 M76;193 p.se elaboró un aplicativo web, con el cual el estudiante puede interactuar llenando unos campos de información requeridos para la inscripción en la práctica, de ésta forma se alimenta la base de datos y será más rápido y en menos tiempo y la información será más fiable, ya que el mismo estudiante ingresa la información requerida.Universidad Libre Seccional Pereir

Periglacial activity in the Central and Southern Andes

The Andes Mountain range runs along the western margin of South America for ~7500 km, from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, next to the Caribbean Sea, to Cape Horn, at the southern tip of the continent. Based on structural differences, the Northern Andes (11ºN-1ºS), Central Andes (1º-47ºS) and Southern Andes (47º-68ºS) have been differentiated. In the Central Andes the mountain range is divided into Western and Eastern Andes, between which the Altiplano, a plateau of 300x500 km and 3800- 4900 m surrounded by peaks that reach 6000 m in altitude. Only the Himalayas and Tibet are higher and larger than Andes-Altiplano. Glaciers are preserved on many peaks of the Andes, and on their slopes, there are moraines revealing a much larger glacial extent in the past. Today, in the deglaciated areas there are extensive periglacial landscapes. However, the extent to which altitude and latitude modify periglacial forms and processes has not yet been investigated. Our team aims to make a first approach to the problem by analyzing three representative Study areas of a north- south transect of the Central and Southern Andes: Nevado Coropuna volcanic complex (16ºS, 73ºW, 6377 m), in the Arequipa region (Peru); Cerro Aconcagua (33ºS, 70ºW, 6960 m), in Mendoza (Argentina) and Cerro Alvear (54ºS, 68ºW, 1490 m), in the Argentinean side of Tierra del Fuego. In the last 20 years we have identified different periglacial processes linked to permafrost, such as: rock glaciers, protalus ramparts, debris lobes, patterned grounds including tundra polygons associated with active ice wedges, cryo-ejected clast, tors, nivation hollows or boulder (clast) pavements. This periglacial activity probably records aspects of current interests, as climate change, interhemispheric teleconnections, or ENSO phenomenon, which modify snow cover. Understanding this record is an interesting geomorphological challenge that we begin to address by presenting this work

Estrés percibido y estrategias de afrontamiento durante el confinamiento por COVID-19 en cinco países

Several studies have shown how mental health could be affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led us to wonder about the psychological impact that the initial period of lockdown could have. We conducted a multicentric study that sought to describe, compare, and analyze the association between perceived stress, coping strategies and sociodemographic characteristics in a snowball-style convenience sample of 1169 participants from Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, and Spain who responded to an online survey. There were differences in perceived stress and coping strategies between countries and depending on sociodemographic characteristics. The variables positively associated with perceived stress were the coping strategies alcohol-drug use, focus on emotions and venting, being a woman, and living in Brazil, Italy, and Spain. The variables negatively associated with perceived stress were planning and active coping, positive reinterpretation, being over 45 years old, and being a worker. These results contribute to understanding the stress responses to lockdown and help identify vulnerability factors in order to design prevention and intervention programs.  Varios estudios han demostrado cómo la salud mental pudo verse afectada durante la pandemia de COVID-19, lo que nos llevó a preguntarnos sobre el impacto psicológico que podría tener el período inicial de confinamiento. Llevamos a cabo un estudio multicéntrico que buscó describir, comparar y analizar la asociación entre el estrés percibido, las estrategias de afrontamiento y las características sociodemográficas en una muestra de conveniencia tipo bola de nieve de 1169 participantes de Colombia, Brasil, México, Italia y España que respondieron un cuestionario en línea. Se encontraron diferencias en el estrés percibido y las estrategias de afrontamiento entre países y según características sociodemográficas. Las variables asociadas positivamente con el estrés percibido fueron las estrategias de afrontamiento consumo de alcohol y drogas, centrarse en las emociones y desahogo, ser mujer y vivir en Brasil, Italia y España. Las variables asociadas negativamente con el estrés percibido fueron planificación y afrontamiento activo, reinterpretación positiva, ser mayor de 45 años y ser trabajador. Estos resultados contribuyen a comprender las respuestas de estrés al confinamiento y ayudan a identificar factores de vulnerabilidad para diseñar programas de prevención e intervención.

Measurement of electroweak WZ boson production and search for new physics in WZ + two jets events in pp collisions at √s=13TeV

A measurement of WZ electroweak (EW) vector boson scattering is presented. The measurement is performed in the leptonic decay modes WZ→ℓνℓ′ℓ′, where ℓ,ℓ′=e,μ. The analysis is based on a data sample of proton-proton collisions at √s=13 TeV at the LHC collected with the CMS detector and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The WZ plus two jet production cross section is measured in fiducial regions with enhanced contributions from EW production and found to be consistent with standard model predictions. The EW WZ production in association with two jets is measured with an observed (expected) significance of 2.2 (2.5) standard deviations. Constraints on charged Higgs boson production and on anomalous quartic gauge couplings in terms of dimension-eight effective field theory operators are also presented

Functional genomics in insect immunology: identification and characterization of Rhodnius prolixus immune genes.

Rhodnius prolixus is a bloodfeeding hemipteran insect and a vector of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease. This disease affects over 18 million people in Latin America, and there are no vaccines or efficacious drugs. Because of the unique lifecycle of T. cruzi within the vector, and its avoidance of the hemocoel where the primary immune response occur, we investigated the role of the innate immune response of R. prolixus to pathogens and parasites, including T. cruzi. Insect immunity is based on three principles: pathogen recognition, induction of appropriate regulatory pathways; and the production of molecules to eliminate the pathogens. In this dissertation, I use functional genomics (Suppressive Subtractive Hybridization) to identify and describe genes involved in the immune response of R. prolixus and the implications for T. cruzi. Initially we identified expressed sequence tags (ESTs) corresponding to genes that are differentially expressed in response to parasites and bacteria, and assigned putative gene functions based on sequence similarities. This thesis focuses on four genes of interest including a transcription factor (Dorsal), which may function in the regulation of expression of immune peptides, and three antimicrobial peptides (Defensin, Lysozyme and Prolixin) that serve directly to eliminate pathogens. Transcriptional factor binding motifs (NF-KB) present in the promoters of two of these genes (lysozyme and defensin) suggest they are transcriptionally regulated by Dorsal, whereas prolixin is not. We evaluated the temporal and spatial expression profiles of the antimicrobial peptide genes, using real time quantitative PCR, to establish molecular relationships between parasite and vector. Subsequently, we expressed dorsal and prolixin in bacteria and tested their functions. We concluded that invasion of the hemocoel of R. prolixus activates components of the immune system and the production of compounds lethal to T. cruzi, but the pathogen survives by living exclusively in the intestine avoiding vector responses. This study contributes to our overall knowledge of insect immunity, the arsenal of immune molecules available to different insects, and identifies novel and highly conserved immune molecules found in higher and lower insects

Efecto de la suplementación con forrajes arbustivos sobre el desempeño productivo de conejos (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Currently there is a high demand for balanced feeds intended for fattening animals that are expensive, therefore, unconventional balanced feeds are an alternative to obtain good results at low cost, consequently, the objective was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of different forages in the productive and carcass performance of 24 male New Zealand breed rabbits, distributed in 4 treatments with 6 individuals each one, measuring weight gain, carcass weight and feeding costs. It performed a repeated measures analysis over time with the SAS statistical package, there are no significant differences (p≤0,05) between Mexican sunflower and commercial feed, with respect to carcass performance, identifying a decrease in costs, concluding that supplementation with unconventional raw materials is an alternative to reduce production costs, up to 21,3%.Actualmente existe una alta demanda de alimentos balanceados destinados a la ceba de animales que resultan costosos, por lo tanto, los alimentos balanceados no convencionales son una alternativa para obtener buenos resultados a bajo costo; planteando como objetivo evaluar el efecto de la suplementación de diferentes forrajes en el desempeño productivo y rendimiento de la canal de 24 conejos machos raza Nueva Zelanda, distribuidos en 4 tratamientos con 6 individuos cada uno, determinando ganancia de peso, rendimiento de canal y costos de alimentación. Se realizó un análisis de medidas repetidas en el tiempo con el paquete estadístico SAS, encontrando que no hay diferencias significativas (p≤0,05) entre el Botón de oro y el alimento comercial, con respecto a peso final y rendimiento de la canal, identificando una disminución en costos, concluyendo que la suplementación con materias primas no convencionales es una alternativa para reducir los costos de producción, hasta un 59%. Currently there is a high demand for balanced feeds intended for fattening animals that are expensive, therefore, unconventional balanced feeds are an alternative to obtain good results at low cost, consequently, the objective was to evaluate the effect of supplementation of different forages in the productive and carcass performance of 24 male New Zealand breed rabbits, distributed in 4 treatments with 6 individuals each one, measuring weight gain, carcass weight and feeding costs. It performed a repeated measures analysis over time with the SAS statistical package, there are no significant differences (p≤0,05) between Mexican sunflower and commercial feed, with respect to carcass performance, identifying a decrease in costs, concluding that supplementation with unconventional raw materials is an alternative to reduce production costs, up to 21,3%