Female emancipation in a male dominant, sexually dimorphic primate under natural conditions

In most group-living animals, a dominance hierarchy reduces the costs of competition for limited resources. Dominance ranks may reflect prior attributes, such as body size, related to fighting ability or reflect the history of self-reinforcing effects of winning and losing a conflict (the winner-loser effect), or both. As to prior attributes, in sexually dimorphic species, where males are larger than females, males are assumed to be dominant over females. As to the winner-loser effect, the computational model DomWorld has shown that despite the female’s lower initial fighting ability, females achieve some degree of dominance of females over males. In the model, this degree of female dominance increases with the proportion of males in a group. This increase was supposed to emerge from the higher fraction of fights of males among themselves. These correlations were confirmed in despotic macaques, vervet monkeys, and in humans. Here, we first investigate this hypothesis in DomWorld and next in long-term data of 9,300 observation hours on six wild groups of robust capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus; S. nigritus, and S. xanthosternos) in three Brazilian sites. We test whether both the proportion of males and degree of female dominance over males are indeed associated with a higher relative frequency of aggression among males and a higher relative frequency of aggression of females to males. We confirm these correlations in DomWorld. Next, we confirm in empirical data of capuchin monkeys that with the proportion of males in the group there is indeed an increase in female dominance over males, and in the relative frequency of both male-male aggression and aggression of females to males and that the female dominance index is significantly positively associated with male male aggression. Our results reveal that adult sex ratio influences the power relation between the sexes beyond predictions from socioecological models.</p

Boletín NUESTRA AMÉRICA XXI - Desafíos y alternativas, num.27, Enero 2019

Una excelente iniciativa del Grupo de Trabajo Crisis y economía mundial, coordinado por María Josefina Morales y Gabriela Roffinelli

Ecos de la academia: Revista de la Facultad de Educación, Ciencia y Tecnología - FECYT Nro 2

Ecos de la academia, Revista de la Facultad de Educación Ciencia y Tecnología es una publicación científica de la Universidad Técnica del Norte, con revisión por pares a doble ciego que publica artículos en idioma español, quichua, portugués e inglés. Se edita con una frecuencia semestral con dos números por año.En ella se divulgan trabajos originales e inéditos generados por los investigadores, docentes y estudiantes de la FECYT, y contribuciones de profesionales de instituciones docentes e investigativas dentro y fuera del país, con calidad, originalidad y relevancia en las áreas de ciencias sociales y tecnología aplicada.Relación Universidad-Sociedad en la Universidad Técnica del Norte. Estudio crítico. Seducción y erotismo en la publicidad. Estudio para la implementación de vehículos eléctricos en la ciudad de Ibarra. Determinación del perfil antropométrico en escolares del Colegio Universitario UTN de Ibarra. Una maldad desapasionada. Reflexiones etnográficas sobre dos requerimientos de las prácticas violentas en sociedades modernas: distancia y legitimación. Sociabilidad y movimientos sociales en la crisis (sistémica) capitalista. Procesos lingüísticos y factores que influyen en la adquisición del idioma inglés. “Castillos en la costa”: una pintura del paisajista romántico español Genaro Pérez Villamil en el Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes de La Habana. Gestión y visibilidad de las publicaciones científicas en Ecuador. La ética en la inclusión de estudiantes con capacidades diferentes en la educación superior en Ecuador. La Universidad latinoamericana y su vinculación a la sociedad. Tisuacryl, estudio de caso sobre la innovación. Implementación del equipo de intervención psicosocial de emergencia en el Cuerpo de Bomberos de Ibarra. La opinión pública y la Televisión Universitaria-UTN. Momento político de la campaña electoral. Líneas de investigación: importancia para las instituciones de educación superior. El desarrollo de la crítica responsable en el estudiante universitario como parte de su formación ciudadana. Fábrica Imbabura. Ayer y hoy en imágenes. Patrimonio de la arquitectura religiosa de Ibarra. Un estudio histórico-artístico. Georreferenciación y reconocimiento de los sitios arqueológicos del Cantón Ibarra

The influence of diet on primates spatial patterns: a methodological approach applied to a group of Sapajus nigritus

A dieta é considerada um dos fatores que mais influencia o comportamento espacial dos primatas. Muitas pesquisas que abordam essa relação apresentam similaridades nos seus delineamentos, mas não existe uma metodologia padrão comum. Para compreender melhor a relação entre dieta e padrões espaciais dos primatas, é preciso investigar o efeito de alguns problemas metodológicos. No presente estudo, descrevemos quatro:o problema da descontinuidade do registro, que é o efeito da dependência temporal sobre registros distribuídos desigualmente ao longo do tempo; o problema de filtragem, que descreve a dificuldade para isolar o efeito da variável independente, dieta; o problema do fracionamento, que alerta sobre os perigos de transportar conclusões a grande escala com dados de pequena escala; e o problema da linearidade fechada, que discute a validade das medidas de superfície quando o tempo registrado é muito curto. Desenvolvemos uma metodologia para controlar esses problemas. A metodologia foi aplicada com registros da dieta e localizações de um grupo de Sapajus nigritus do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, São Paulo, coletados em dois períodos, 2007-2008 e 2009-2010. Também utilizamos um delineamento mais convencional e comparamos os resultados obtidos com ambas asmetodologias. Os resultados foram similares com ambos os delineamentos, mas em alguns aspectosa metodologia nova teve melhor desempenho. A dieta foi analisada utilizando as categorias alimentos agregados e dispersos. Essa classificação tem sido criticada pela amplitude das suas categorias, mas no presente estudo foi sensível a mudanças nos padrões espaciais de Sapajus. Os resultados não foram conclusivos com períodos grandes descontínuos, mas foram visíveis com períodos curtos e contínuos. Com o aumento de consumo de itens dispersos diminuiu a distância diária percorrida e o espaço foi utilizado de forma mais uniforme. As maiores áreas foram observadas com períodos de consumo misto. Os padrões espaciais desses primatas foram bem descritos com base na energia obtida e os custos do deslocamentoDiet is considered one of the most influential factors on primates spatial patterns. Many studies that have addressed this relationship present methodological similarities, but there is no common standard methodology. In order to better understand the relationship between diet and spatial patterns of primates we need to investigate the effect of some methodological problems. In thisstudy we describe four of these problems: the problem of the discontinuous data, that is, the effect of autocorrelation when observations are distributed unevenly over time; the filtering problem, that describes the difficulties to isolate the effect of the independent variable, in this case, the diet; the partialness problem, that calls our attention to the risk of making large scale conclusions based on small scale data; and the problem of fenced linearity, that discusses the validity of area estimations, when time sampling is too small. We developed a methodology to control these problems and tested it on the data collected for one group of Sapajus nigritus in Carlos Botelhos State Park, São Paulo (Brazil), during two periods, 2007-2008 and 2009-2010. We also used a more conventional methodology to compare results. Although the results obtained using both methodologies were similar, in some cases, the new one performed better. Diet was analyzed byusing the categories patchy and dispersed food items. This dichotomous classification has been criticized because of the broadness of its categories, but in the present study it was sensitive to changes in Sapajus spatial patterns. Results were inconclusive when analyzing data from large discontinuous periods, but some conclusions were obtained when considering data from short continuous periods: daily path length decreased and the use of space was more uniform with the increase of dispersed items on the diet. The largest ranging areas were observed when the diet was mixed. Spatial patterns of these primates can be explained in terms of energy obtained and travel cost

The individual and the social structure in Sapajus xanthosternos

A Análise de Redes Sociais (Social Network Analysis, SNA) é uma ferramenta que vem se demonstrando muito útil para o estudo da estrutura social dos primatas, apresentando métricas que permitem quantificar vários aspectos das sociedades. Para compreender o padrão de associações de um grupo devemos atentar às diferenças individuais que existem entre os sujeitos, que promovem ou evitam o estabelecimento de relações sociais. Dentre essas diferenças individuais, tradicionalmente se estudam o sexo, a idade e a dominância, mas, ultimamente, tem sido destacada a importância da personalidade dos indivíduos, uma variável que pode ter um papel fundamental na construção da estrutura social, mas cujo estudo ainda apresenta um desafio metodológico, sobretudo com animais de vida livre. Alguns estudos demostram como alguns indivíduos chave podem ter uma relevância especial dentro da estrutura social do grupo. O objetivo do presente estudo é investigar a importância de características individuais, incluindo a personalidade, assim como o papel de indivíduos chave, sobre a estrutura social de um grupo de Sapajus xanthosternos na reserva ReBio Una no estado de BahiaSocial Network Analysis (SNA) is a tool that has proved very useful for the study of the social structure of primates, presenting metrics that allow quantification of various aspects of societies. In order to understand the pattern of associations of a group we must pay attention to the individual differences that exist between-subjects, that promote or avoid the establishment of social relations. Among these individual differences, sex, age and dominance have traditionally been studied, but recently the importance of individuals\' personality has been highlighted, a variable that may play a fundamental role in the construction of social structure, but whose study still presents a methodological challenge, especially with free-living animals. Some studies show how some key (keystone) individuals may have special relevance within the social structure of the group. The objective of the present study is to investigate the importance of individual characteristics, including personality, as well as the role of keystone individuals, on the social structure of a Sapajus xanthosternos group in Una Biological Reserve in the state of Bahia, Brazi

Glucosylpolyphenols as inhibitors of Aβ-induced Fyn kinase activation and Tau phosphorylation: synthesis, membrane permeability, and exploratory target assessment within the scope of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease

Despite the rapidly increasing number of patients suffering from type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes-induced dementia, there are no disease-modifying therapies able to prevent or block disease progress. In this work, we investigate the potential of nature-inspired glucosylpolyphenols against relevant targets, including islet amyloid polypeptide, glucosidases and cholinesterases. Moreover, with the premise of Fyn kinase as a paradigm-shifting target in Alzheimer’s drug discovery, we explore glucosylpolyphenols as blockers of Aβ-induced Fyn kinase activation, while looking into downstream effects leading to Tau hyperphosphorylation. Several compounds inhibit Aβ-induced Fyn kinase activation and decrease pTau levels at 10 μM concentration, particularly the per-O-methylated glucosylacetophloroglucinol and the 4-glucosylcatechol dibenzoate, the latter inhibiting also butyrylcholinesterase and β-glucosidase. Both compounds are non-toxic with ideal pharmacokinetic properties for further development. This work ultimately highlights the multitarget nature, fine structural tuning capacity and valuable therapeutic significance of glucosylpolyphenols in the context of these metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders

Ongoing declines for the world’s amphibians in the face of emerging threats

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. We find that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class (40.7% of species are globally threatened). The updated Red List Index shows that the status of amphibians is deteriorating globally, particularly for salamanders and in the Neotropics. Disease and habitat loss drove 91% of status deteriorations between 1980 and 2004. Ongoing and projected climate change effects are now of increasing concern, driving 39% of status deteriorations since 2004, followed by habitat loss (37%). Although signs of species recoveries incentivize immediate conservation action, scaled-up investment is urgently needed to reverse the current trends