Identificación de las características geotécnicas y evaluación de riesgo de las construcciones realizadas sobre la ribera de la margen derecha del río Magdalena ubicadas dentro de la zona urbana del municipio de Girardot, Cundinamarca

Evaluar las condiciones geotécnicas del material que conforma los depósitos en la rivera de la margen derecha del río magdalena dentro de la zona urbana del municipio de Girardot.Este proyecto de investigación se realizó con el fin de reconocer las características geotécnicas del área ubicada sobre la margen derecha del río Magdalena, en la zona urbana del municipio de Girardot, evaluando aquellos aspectos que podrían afectar las condiciones actuales de las construcciones que aquí se desarrollaron y analizando cuales amenazas naturales comprometerían la estabilidad de la zona, ocasionando impactos negativos sobre toda la población. Para llevarlo a cabo, inicialmente se elaboró una revisión bibliográfica de material técnico y académico en las plataformas institucionales y una recolección de documentos producidos por los entes gubernamentales, acordes al tema de investigación. Luego de este primer paso, se hicieron una serie de visitas de campo para reconocer los puntos más vulnerables de la zona de estudio. Posteriormente, se ejecutó un sondeo para la recolección de las muestras de suelo siguiendo la normatividad establecida. Finalmente, se midieron las propiedades del suelo que pueden afectar las condiciones de material depositado y se relacionó dichos resultados con aspectos geológicos, geomorfológicos e hidrológicos que alterarían el comportamiento natural de las estructuras. Una vez analizada toda la información se pudo establecer que la capa de suelo depositada está conformada por arena bien gradada en la parte superior y arcilla de baja compresibilidad con buenas condiciones de humedad y plasticidad para ofrecer soporte a las obras ya construidas. Pese a esto, las alteraciones que ha sufrido el material debido al procesos de inundación, erosión y remoción son evidentes, condicionando la vulnerabilidad del área en futuros eventos naturales.This research project was carried out in order to recognize the geotechnical characteristics of the area located on the right bank of the Magdalena River, in the urban area of the Girardot municipality, evaluating those aspects that could affect the current conditions of the constructions that were developed here and analyzing which natural hazards would compromise the stability of the area, causing negative impacts on the entire population. To carry it out, initially a bibliographic review of technical and academic material was prepared in institutional platforms and a collection of documents produced by government entities, according to the research topic. After this first step, a series of field visits were made to identify the most vulnerable points in the study area. Subsequently, a survey was carried out to collect the soil samples following the established regulations. Finally, the properties of the soil that can affect the conditions of deposited material were measured and these results were related to geological, geomorphological and hydrological aspects that would alter the natural behavior of the structures. Once all the information had been analyzed, it was possible to establish that the deposited layer of soil is made up of well graded sand on the upper part and low compressibility clay with good humidity and plasticity conditions to offer support to the works already built. Despite this, the alterations that the material has suffered due to the processes of flooding, erosion and removal are evident, conditioning the vulnerability of the area in future natural events

Identificación de las características geotécnicas y evaluación de riesgo de las construcciones realizadas sobre la ribera de la margen derecha del río Magdalena ubicadas dentro de la zona urbana del municipio de Girardot, Cundinamarca

Evaluar las condiciones geotécnicas del material que conforma los depósitos en la rivera de la margen derecha del río magdalena dentro de la zona urbana del municipio de Girardot.Este proyecto de investigación se realizó con el fin de reconocer las características geotécnicas del área ubicada sobre la margen derecha del río Magdalena, en la zona urbana del municipio de Girardot, evaluando aquellos aspectos que podrían afectar las condiciones actuales de las construcciones que aquí se desarrollaron y analizando cuales amenazas naturales comprometerían la estabilidad de la zona, ocasionando impactos negativos sobre toda la población. Para llevarlo a cabo, inicialmente se elaboró una revisión bibliográfica de material técnico y académico en las plataformas institucionales y una recolección de documentos producidos por los entes gubernamentales, acordes al tema de investigación. Luego de este primer paso, se hicieron una serie de visitas de campo para reconocer los puntos más vulnerables de la zona de estudio. Posteriormente, se ejecutó un sondeo para la recolección de las muestras de suelo siguiendo la normatividad establecida. Finalmente, se midieron las propiedades del suelo que pueden afectar las condiciones de material depositado y se relacionó dichos resultados con aspectos geológicos, geomorfológicos e hidrológicos que alterarían el comportamiento natural de las estructuras. Una vez analizada toda la información se pudo establecer que la capa de suelo depositada está conformada por arena bien gradada en la parte superior y arcilla de baja compresibilidad con buenas condiciones de humedad y plasticidad para ofrecer soporte a las obras ya construidas. Pese a esto, las alteraciones que ha sufrido el material debido al procesos de inundación, erosión y remoción son evidentes, condicionando la vulnerabilidad del área en futuros eventos naturales.This research project was carried out in order to recognize the geotechnical characteristics of the area located on the right bank of the Magdalena River, in the urban area of the Girardot municipality, evaluating those aspects that could affect the current conditions of the constructions that were developed here and analyzing which natural hazards would compromise the stability of the area, causing negative impacts on the entire population. To carry it out, initially a bibliographic review of technical and academic material was prepared in institutional platforms and a collection of documents produced by government entities, according to the research topic. After this first step, a series of field visits were made to identify the most vulnerable points in the study area. Subsequently, a survey was carried out to collect the soil samples following the established regulations. Finally, the properties of the soil that can affect the conditions of deposited material were measured and these results were related to geological, geomorphological and hydrological aspects that would alter the natural behavior of the structures. Once all the information had been analyzed, it was possible to establish that the deposited layer of soil is made up of well graded sand on the upper part and low compressibility clay with good humidity and plasticity conditions to offer support to the works already built. Despite this, the alterations that the material has suffered due to the processes of flooding, erosion and removal are evident, conditioning the vulnerability of the area in future natural events

A novel thymidylate synthase from the Vibrionales, Alteromonadales, Aeromonadales, and Pasteurellales (VAAP) clade with altered nucleotide and folate binding sites

Thymidylate synthase (TS, E.C. 2.1.1.45) is a crucial enzyme for de novo deoxythymidine monophosphate (dTMP) biosynthesis. The gene for this enzyme is thyA, which encodes the folate-dependent TS that converts deoxyuridine monophosphate group (dUMP) into (dTMP) using the cofactor 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate (mTHF) as a carbon donor. We identified the thyA gene in the genome of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus strain FIM-S1708+ that is innocuous to humans but pathogenic to crustaceans. Surprisingly, we found changes in the residues that bind the substrate dUMP and mTHF, previously postulated as invariant among all TSs known (Finer-Moore, Santi & Stroud, 2003). Interestingly, those amino acid changes were also found in a clade of microorganisms that contains Vibrionales, Alteromonadales, Aeromonadales, and Pasteurellales (VAAP) from the Gammaproteobacteria class. In this work, we studied the biochemical properties of recombinant TS from V. parahemolyticus FIM-S1708+ (VpTS) to address the natural changes in the TS amino acid sequence of the VAAP clade. Interestingly, the Km for dUMP was 27.3 ± 4.3 µM, about one-fold larger compared to other TSs. The Km for mTHF was 96.3 ± 18 µM, about three- to five-fold larger compared to other species, suggesting also loss of affinity. Thus, the catalytic efficiency was between one or two orders of magnitude smaller for both substrates. We used trimethoprim, a common antibiotic that targets both TS and DHFR for inhibition studies. The IC50 values obtained were high compared to other results in the literature. Nonetheless, this molecule could be a lead for the design antibiotics towards pathogens from the VAAP clade. Overall, the experimental results also suggest that in the VAAP clade the nucleotide salvage pathway is important and should be investigated, since the de novo dTMP synthesis appears to be compromised by a less efficient thymidylate synthase

Association of the lactate-albumin index and mortality in older adults with sepsis and septic shock in an emergency service in a tertiary hospital Quito-Ecuador

La sepsis es un proceso inflamatorio sistémico relacionado a una disfunción orgánica (1). Mundialmente representa una de las principales causas de mortalidad y en países en vías de desarrollo o grupos vulnerables como adultos mayores esta debería ser mayor (2). El manejo temprano de esta patología es fundamental para mejorar estratificar con mayor riesgo de mortalidad y estimar el pronóstico de estos pacientes, de allí la necesidad de una herramienta (1–3). Por esta razón se hacen esfuerzos por estudiar marcadores serológicos costo-efectivos como el índice lactato-albúmina (4). Objetivo: Determinar la asociación del índice lactato-albúmina y la mortalidad de pacientes adultos mayores con sepsis y shock séptico. Métodos: Estudio observacional retrospectivo. Resultados: La mortalidad de los participantes con índice lactato/albumina mayor a 1.7 es de 68.7% y los pacientes con índice lactato albumina inferiores a 1.7 la mortalidad fue de 3.9 %. Conclusiones: El índice de lactato albumina con valores superior 1.7 se muestra como un buen indicador pronóstico de mortalidad en pacientes adultos mayores con sepsis y shock sépticoSepsis is a systemic inflammatory process related to organ dysfunction (1). Worldwide it represents one of the leading causes of mortality and in developing countries or vulnerable groups such as the elderly this should be higher (2,3,2). Early management of this pathology is essential to better stratify the risk of mortality and to estimate the prognosis of these patients, hence the need for a tool (1,3). For this reason, efforts are being made to study cost-effective serological markers such as the lactate-albumin index (4). Objective: To determine the association between the lactate-albumin index and mortality in older adult patients with sepsis and septic shock. Methods: Retrospective observational study. Results: Mortality of participants with lactate-albumin index greater than 1.7 is 68.7% and patients with lactate albumin index less than 1.7 mortality was 3.9 %. Conclusions: The lactate albumin index with values above 1.7 is shown to be a good prognostic indicator of mortality in older adult patients with sepsis and septic shock

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MAim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types

Geographic patterns of tree dispersal modes in Amazonia and their ecological correlates

Aim: To investigate the geographic patterns and ecological correlates in the geographic distribution of the most common tree dispersal modes in Amazonia (endozoochory, synzoochory, anemochory and hydrochory). We examined if the proportional abundance of these dispersal modes could be explained by the availability of dispersal agents (disperser-availability hypothesis) and/or the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits (resource-availability hypothesis). Time period: Tree-inventory plots established between 1934 and 2019. Major taxa studied: Trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 9.55 cm. Location: Amazonia, here defined as the lowland rain forests of the Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield. Methods: We assigned dispersal modes to a total of 5433 species and morphospecies within 1877 tree-inventory plots across terra-firme, seasonally flooded, and permanently flooded forests. We investigated geographic patterns in the proportional abundance of dispersal modes. We performed an abundance-weighted mean pairwise distance (MPD) test and fit generalized linear models (GLMs) to explain the geographic distribution of dispersal modes. Results: Anemochory was significantly, positively associated with mean annual wind speed, and hydrochory was significantly higher in flooded forests. Dispersal modes did not consistently show significant associations with the availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits. A lower dissimilarity in dispersal modes, resulting from a higher dominance of endozoochory, occurred in terra-firme forests (excluding podzols) compared to flooded forests. Main conclusions: The disperser-availability hypothesis was well supported for abiotic dispersal modes (anemochory and hydrochory). The availability of resources for constructing zoochorous fruits seems an unlikely explanation for the distribution of dispersal modes in Amazonia. The association between frugivores and the proportional abundance of zoochory requires further research, as tree recruitment not only depends on dispersal vectors but also on conditions that favour or limit seedling recruitment across forest types

Estimating the global conservation status of more than 15,000 Amazonian tree species

Estimates of extinction risk for Amazonian plant and animal species are rare and not often incorporated into land-use policy and conservation planning. We overlay spatial distribution models with historical and projected deforestation to show that at least 36% and up to 57% of all Amazonian tree species are likely to qualify as globally threatened under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria. If confirmed, these results would increase the number of threatened plant species on Earth by 22%. We show that the trends observed in Amazonia apply to trees throughout the tropics, and we predict thatmost of the world’s >40,000 tropical tree species now qualify as globally threatened. A gap analysis suggests that existing Amazonian protected areas and indigenous territories will protect viable populations of most threatened species if these areas suffer no further degradation, highlighting the key roles that protected areas, indigenous peoples, and improved governance can play in preventing large-scale extinctions in the tropics in this century

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

Aim: Amazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types. Location: Amazonia. Taxon: Angiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots). Methods: Data for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran\u27s eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny. Results: In the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R$^{2}$ = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R$^{2}$ = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types. Main Conclusion: Numerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions

Geography and ecology shape the phylogenetic composition of Amazonian tree communities

AimAmazonia hosts more tree species from numerous evolutionary lineages, both young and ancient, than any other biogeographic region. Previous studies have shown that tree lineages colonized multiple edaphic environments and dispersed widely across Amazonia, leading to a hypothesis, which we test, that lineages should not be strongly associated with either geographic regions or edaphic forest types.LocationAmazonia.TaxonAngiosperms (Magnoliids; Monocots; Eudicots).MethodsData for the abundance of 5082 tree species in 1989 plots were combined with a mega-phylogeny. We applied evolutionary ordination to assess how phylogenetic composition varies across Amazonia. We used variation partitioning and Moran's eigenvector maps (MEM) to test and quantify the separate and joint contributions of spatial and environmental variables to explain the phylogenetic composition of plots. We tested the indicator value of lineages for geographic regions and edaphic forest types and mapped associations onto the phylogeny.ResultsIn the terra firme and várzea forest types, the phylogenetic composition varies by geographic region, but the igapó and white-sand forest types retain a unique evolutionary signature regardless of region. Overall, we find that soil chemistry, climate and topography explain 24% of the variation in phylogenetic composition, with 79% of that variation being spatially structured (R2 = 19% overall for combined spatial/environmental effects). The phylogenetic composition also shows substantial spatial patterns not related to the environmental variables we quantified (R2 = 28%). A greater number of lineages were significant indicators of geographic regions than forest types.Main ConclusionNumerous tree lineages, including some ancient ones (>66 Ma), show strong associations with geographic regions and edaphic forest types of Amazonia. This shows that specialization in specific edaphic environments has played a long-standing role in the evolutionary assembly of Amazonian forests. Furthermore, many lineages, even those that have dispersed across Amazonia, dominate within a specific region, likely because of phylogenetically conserved niches for environmental conditions that are prevalent within regions