Haemosporidian parasite prevalence, parasitemia, and diversity in three resident bird species at a shrubland dominated landscape of the Mexican highland plateau

"Background: Studies of avian haemosporidians allow understanding how these parasites affect wild bird populations, and if their presence is related to factors such as habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, and climate change. Considering the importance of the highland Plateau of Mexico as part of the North American bird migratory route and as a region containing important habitat for numerous bird species, the purpose of this study was to document haemosporidian species richness and how habitat degradation, bird body condition, and distance from water sources correlate with bird parasitemia. Methods: We assessed the presence of avian haemosporidians in three resident bird species through microscopy and PCR amplification of a fragment of the haemosporidian cytochrome b gene. Average parasitemia was estimated in each species, and its relationship with habitat degradation through grazing, bird body condition and distance from water bodies was assessed. Results: High levels of parasitemia were recorded in two of the three bird species included in this study. Four lineages of haemosporidians were identified in the study area with nearly 50 % prevalence. Areas with highly degraded shrublands and villages showed higher parasitemia relative to areas with moderately degraded shrublands. No strong relationship between parasitemia and distance from water bodies was observed. There were no significant differences in prevalence and parasitemia between the two bird species infected with the parasites. Two of the sequences obtained from the fragments of the parasite's cytochrome b gene represent a lineage that had not been previously reported. Conclusions: Haemosporidian diversity in arid zones of the Mexican highland plateau is high. Shrubland habitat degradation associated to the establishment of small villages, as well as tree extraction and overgrazing in the surroundings of these villages, significantly enhances parasitemia of birds by haemosporidians.

Trust and knowledge contribution to agricultural cluster performance

Purpose This paper aimed to analyze the contribution of the interorganizational relationship (IOR) factors trust and knowledge resources to the relational and transactional performance of a Brazilian agricultural cluster formed by small farmers. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted using a questionnaire divided into groups of variables, each group seeking to identify one of the three constructs: trust, knowledge resources and relational and transactional performance. A theoretical framework was elaborated and later compared with survey results, which were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings Correlations between trust and relational and transactional cluster performance varied according to actors involved, being significant between some actors and not significant between others. Knowledge resources, on the other hand, proved to be significantly relevant for cluster performance, considering both relational and transactional measures. Research limitations/implications It was made in a Brazilian single cluster and its conclusions cannot be generalized. Practical implications Farmers cannot innovate with the efficiency and effectiveness that the process demands. They need complementary capacity that apparently is not in the agricultural cluster. Research and development involve knowledge and techniques that empirical knowledge alone may not provide. And much of the formal knowledge is embedded in universities and research institutes. If there were investments by public entities in research and development to improve the culture and its by-products, this could contribute to improving the income of farmers. Social implications This study provided a photograph of the current scenario of a Brazilian agricultural cluster. Changes in trust and knowledge resources could affect cluster relational and transactional performance. Special attention is deserved to the important role of scientific research on agricultural clusters to strengthen the capacity of critical analysis by the researcher who, with the results in hand, makes them public, hoping that the shared information can contribute with the research of other scholars and improve the quality of life of farmers involved. Originality/value This study offers empirical evidence that trust and knowledge resources can contribute to a Brazilian agricultural cluster performance, which can be analyzed considering both relational and transactional measures. These findings brought new fact to Singh and Shrivastava’s (2013) research

Big Data as a differentiating sociocultural element of data journalism: the perception of data journalists and experts

The use of methods of the social sciences and computational tools to analyze databases in journalism has had several definitions since Philip Meyer called it precision journalism (PJ). In the last decade, this specialty has had an important development under the term data journalism (DJ), in a differentiating technological and sociocultural environment: Big Data. This research aims to differentiate DJ from PJ and computer assisted reporting (CAR) with a perspective taken from the science and technology studies, focusing the news as a boundary object between programmers, designers, journalists and other actors that now are part of the news production process. For this purpose, 14 in-depth interviews have been made from 2015 to 2017 to data journalists from Spain (8), EEUU (1) and Finland (1); PP, PD and transparency academic experts from Spain (1) and Finland (2); and one expert in transparency acts y access to public information in Spain, Europe and Latin American. As a result, it can be affirmed that big data is differentiating element of DJ because it is a sociocultural context where the open data philosophy, free software, collaborative and team work are part of its identity

DNA sequence variation of drought-response candidate genes in Austrocedrus chilensis

Background: Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Pic. Ser. et Bizzarri commonly known as Patagonian cypress is a member of the Cupressaceae family, characterized by a high adaptive potential for growing in marginal areas and good timber quality. The species grows over a wide area and under a wide range of rainfall. This study assessed adaptive genetic variation at SNP level in candidate genes involved in response to drought stress. Results: A total of 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found among 1,428 bp. Average nucleotide diversity value (π = 0.00312) was similar to those previously reported in other Cupressaceae. The Fst average among genes and populations was 0.163 and the lowest differentiation was observed in continuous and humid populations. A number of neutrality tests were applied to find evidence of positive selection in our candidate gene set, but only AcAQP2 gene in Pedregoso and San Ramón populations revealed significant departures from neutrality with positive values suggesting balancing selection. Conclusions: In this study we report the levels of nucleotide diversity searched in some drought stress candidate genes in Austrocedrus chilensis and the selective factors that may be acting on this species.Fil: Pomponio, Maria Florencia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Inv. Agropecuarias. Centro de Invest.de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biologicos; ArgentinaFil: Torales, Susana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Inv. Agropecuarias. Centro de Invest.de Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Recursos Biologicos; ArgentinaFil: Gallo, Leonardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Reg.patagonia Norte. Estacion Exptal.agrop.s.c.de Bariloche. Grupo de Genetica Forestal; ArgentinaFil: Pastorino, Mario Juan. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Reg.patagonia Norte. Estacion Exptal.agrop.s.c.de Bariloche. Grupo de Genetica Forestal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marchelli, Paula. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Reg.patagonia Norte. Estacion Exptal.agrop.s.c.de Bariloche. Grupo de Genetica Forestal; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Cervera, María Teresa. Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria. Centro de Investigación Forestal; EspañaFil: Marcucci Poltri, Susana Noemí. Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Agropecuaria. Centro Nacional de Inv. Agropecuarias. Centro de Invest.de Cs.veterinarias y Agronomicas. Instituto de Biotecnologia; Argentin

Percepción y experiencia de pacientes convivientes con Vih/Sida sobre la consulta odontológica.

La atención odontológica oportuna e incluyente tiene un papel importante en las personas que viven con VIH/SIDA, debido a que de esta forma se pueden prevenir y darle tratamiento a las múltiples lesiones orales que acompañan a la enfermedad de base de estos paciente, mejorando así la calidad de vida de esta población, por lo que esta investigación tiene como objetivo determinar la percepción y experiencia de pacientes convivientes con VIH/SIDA sobre la consulta odontológica. Para lo que se realiza una investigación descriptiva y transversal en la cual participaron 65 pacientes convivientes con VIH/SIDA de una IPS de la ciudad de santa marta, quienes diligenciaron un instrumento de recolección de datos diseñado para la investigación, dando como resultado que los pacientes que viven con VIH/SIDA en la ciudad de Santa Marta han experimentado una atención odontológica buena en un 68%, aunque el 28% considera que es regular, el 5% la califica como mala, por último el 35% afirma que siempre percibe rechazo por parte del entorno. Lo que nos permite concluir que la atención odontológica prestada a pacientes que viven con VIH/SIDA en cada región está determinada por el hecho que la atención se preste en una entidad especializada en estos pacientes o no, debido a que una clínica dedicada a la atención de estos pacientes la percepción de rechazo disminuye notoriamente, como es el caso de esta investigación

Estudio comparativo de las mallas curriculares de las escuelas de bibliotecología en los países de Ecuador, Chile y Perú

La Bibliotecología como carrera institucionalizada universalmente se fundamenta en la formación teórica y metodológica necesaria para la organización, sistematización y clasificación de la información bibliográfica, la formación de colecciones documentales en medios tanto impresos como electrónicos; la organización de sistemas bibliotecarios y la gestión de servicios para el uso de información de libros, revistas y otros medios de publicación. Por lo tanto, para esta carrera también es de vital significación la actualización constante de conocimientos a partir de los adelantos científicos – técnicos que se van generando. En este sentido juega un papel preponderante las mallas curriculares como soporte metodológico de cualquier carrera; resultando entonces significativo realizar estudios comparativos en este sentido para asegurar el nivel de competencia óptimo y la profesionalidad requerida en nuestros egresados. Es objetivo de este artículo realizar un estudio comparativo de las mallas curriculares de las escuelas de Bibliotecología en los países de Ecuador, Chile y Perú. En su elaboración, se emplearon métodos de investigación del nivel teórico que permitieron el procesamiento de la información, la caracterización del objeto de investigación, determinar sus fundamentos teóricos y metodológicos. Como conclusión se destaca la gran importancia que reviste la realización de estudios de este tipo en nuestras carreras, pues permite integrar saberes entre las cátedras y tejer un soporte sustentado en ejes disciplinares que pueden tener similitudes o diferencias entre países, y resulta útil estudiarlos para atemperar el nivel cognitivo de los estudiantes y homogenizar el nivel profesional de los egresados. PALABRAS CLAVE: Bibliotecología; malla curricular;  sistematización; información bibliográfica; estudio comparativo. Comparative study of the curricular meshes of the librarianship schools in the countries of Ecuador, Chile and Peru ABSTRACT Librarianship as a universally institutionalized career is based on the theoretical and methodological training necessary for the organization, systematization and classification of bibliographic information, the formation of documentary collections in both print and electronic media; the organization of library systems and the managementof services forthe use of information frombooks, magazines and other means of publication. Therefore, for this career it is also vitally important to constantly update knowledge based on the scientific and technical advances that are being generated. In this sense, curricular meshes play a preponderant role as a methodological support for any career; Therefore, it is significant to carry out comparative studies in this regard to ensure the optimum level of competence and professionalism required of our graduates. The objective of this article is to carry out a comparative study of the curricular meshes of the Librarianship schools in the countries of Ecuador, Chile and Peru. In its elaboration, research methods of the theoretical level were used that allowed the processing of information, the characterization of the research object, determine its theoretical and methodological foundations. In conclusion, the great importance of carrying out studies of this type in our careers stands out, since it allows integrating knowledge between the chairs and weaving a support based on disciplinary axes that may have similarities or differences between countries, and it is useful to study them to temper the cognitive level of the students and homogenize the professional level of the graduates. KEYWORDS: Librarianship; curriculum mesh; systematization; bibliographic information; comparative study

Water-Energy-Food nexus index proposal as a sustainability criterion on dairy farms

Cow milk is a fundamental nutrients source for the human diet at all stages of life. However, the decline in cow milk consumption over the years has been driven by increased consumer awareness of animal welfare and the environmental burdens associated. In this regard, different initiatives have emerged to mitigate the impacts of livestock farming, but many of them without addressing the multi-perspective view of environmental sustainability. Thus, the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus emerges as a framework to consider the complex synergies among carbon emissions, water demand, energy requirements and food production. In this study, a novel and harmonised WEF nexus approach has been proposed and applied to evaluate a set of 100 dairy farms. For that, the assessment, normalisation, and weighting of three lifecycle indicators such as carbon, water and energy footprints, as well as the milk yield were carried out to obtain a single value, the WEF nexus index (WEFni), which varies from 0 to 100. Results show that the WEF nexus scores obtained vary from 31 to 90, demonstrating large differences among the farms assessed. A cluster ranking was performed to identify those farms with the worst WEF nexus indexes. For this group, consisting of 8 farms with an average WEFni of 39, three improvement actions focused on the feeding, digestive process and wellbeing of the cows were applied to determine the potential reduction in the two main hotspots identified: cow feeding and milk production level. The proposed methodology can establish a roadmap for promoting a more environmentally sustainable food industry, although further studies are still required in the pathway of a standardised WEFniThis research was co-funded by CEPES (118.831059.02) and the EAPA_576/2018 NEPTUNUS project, supported by Interreg Atlantic Area. E.E.B., R.R.L., G.F., M.T.M., and S.G.G. belong to the Galician Competitive Research Groups (GRC) ED431C-2021/37, co-funded by Xunta de Galicia and FEDER (EU). E.E.B is funded by Xunta de Galicia PhD Grant (ED481A-2021/164). L.V.I is funded by CONICYT PFCHA/DOCTORADO BECAS CHILE/2018–21180701S

Glycosylation-dependent galectin-receptor interactions promote Chlamydia trachomatis infection

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) constitutes the most prevalent sexually transmitted bacterium worldwide. Chlamydial infections can lead to severe clinical sequelae including pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and tubal infertility. As an obligate intracellular pathogen, Ct has evolved multiple strategies to promote adhesion and invasion of host cells, including those involving both bacterial and host glycans. Here, we show that galectin-1 (Gal1), an endogenous lectin widely expressed in female and male genital tracts, promotes Ct infection. Through glycosylation-dependent mechanisms involving recognition of bacterial glycoproteins and N-glycosylated host cell receptors, Gal1 enhanced Ct attachment to cervical epithelial cells. Exposure to Gal1, mainly in its dimeric form, facilitated bacterial entry and increased the number of infected cells by favoring Ct–Ct and Ct–host cell interactions. These effects were substantiated in vivo in mice lacking Gal1 or complex β1–6-branched N-glycans. Thus, disrupting Gal1–N-glycan interactions may limit the severity of chlamydial infection by inhibiting bacterial invasion of host cells.Fil: Lujan, Agustin Leonardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cs.medicas. Area Quimica Biologica; ArgentinaFil: Croci Russo, Diego Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Gambarte Tudela, Julian Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cs.medicas. Area Quimica Biologica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Losinno, Antonella Denise. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cs.medicas. Area Quimica Biologica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Cagnoni, Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Mariño, Karina Valeria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Damiani, María Teresa. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Cs.medicas. Area Quimica Biologica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Instituto de Histología y Embriología de Mendoza Dr. Mario H. Burgos; ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentin

Metabolite and lipoprotein profiles reveal sex-related oxidative stress imbalance in de novo drug-naive Parkinson’s disease patients

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the neurological disorder showing the greatest rise in prevalence from 1990 to 2016. Despite clinical definition criteria and a tremendous effort to develop objective biomarkers, precise diagnosis of PD is still unavailable at early stage. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have used omic methods to unveil the molecular basis of PD, providing a detailed characterization of potentially pathological alterations in various biological specimens. Metabolomics could provide useful insights to deepen our knowledge of PD aetiopathogenesis, to identify signatures that distinguish groups of patients and uncover responsive biomarkers of PD that may be significant in early detection and in tracking the disease progression and drug treatment efficacy. The present work is the first large metabolomic study based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) with an independent validation cohort aiming at the serum characterization of de novo drug-naive PD patients. Here, NMR is applied to sera from large training and independent validation cohorts of German subjects. Multivariate and univariate approaches are used to infer metabolic differences that characterize the metabolite and the lipoprotein profiles of newly diagnosed de novo drug-naive PD patients also in relation to the biological sex of the subjects in the study, evidencing a more pronounced fingerprint of the pathology in male patients. The presence of a validation cohort allowed us to confirm altered levels of acetone and cholesterol in male PD patients. By comparing the metabolites and lipoproteins levels among de novo drug-naive PD patients, age- and sex-matched healthy controls, and a group of advanced PD patients, we detected several descriptors of stronger oxidative stress

Abundance and distribution of cigarette butts on the sand of five touristic beaches in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cigarette butts (CB) and cigarette butt fibers (CBF) are highly abundant and frequent residues on beach sand. Also, they are hazardous waste due to their significant toxicity and potential risk to the ecosystems’ biota and the health of beach tourists. This study aimed to determine the abundance and density of CB and CBF found on the active, rest, and service zones of five pilot beaches in Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, and Mexico. The methodology involved collecting CB and CBF in 500 m2 transects of urban tourist beaches using a citizen scienceadapted methodology between June 2021 and May 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The abundance and density of CB and CBF, and the Cigarette Butt Pollution Index (CBPI) were calculated. The highest proportion of CB was found in service and rest areas. Bocagrande (CO) reported the highest generation of CB and CBF and a severe CBPI.APCs y acuerdos transformativos 2023, Elsevie