Boosting precision crop protection towards agriculture 5.0 via machine learning and emerging technologies: A contextual review

Crop protection is a key activity for the sustainability and feasibility of agriculture in a current context of climate change, which is causing the destabilization of agricultural practices and an increase in the incidence of current or invasive pests, and a growing world population that requires guaranteeing the food supply chain and ensuring food security. In view of these events, this article provides a contextual review in six sections on the role of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and other emerging technologies to solve current and future challenges of crop protection. Over time, crop protection has progressed from a primitive agriculture 1.0 (Ag1.0) through various technological developments to reach a level of maturity closelyin line with Ag5.0 (section 1), which is characterized by successfully leveraging ML capacity and modern agricultural devices and machines that perceive, analyze and actuate following the main stages of precision crop protection (section 2). Section 3 presents a taxonomy of ML algorithms that support the development and implementation of precision crop protection, while section 4 analyses the scientific impact of ML on the basis of an extensive bibliometric study of >120 algorithms, outlining the most widely used ML and deep learning (DL) techniques currently applied in relevant case studies on the detection and control of crop diseases, weeds and plagues. Section 5 describes 39 emerging technologies in the fields of smart sensors and other advanced hardware devices, telecommunications, proximal and remote sensing, and AI-based robotics that will foreseeably lead the next generation of perception-based, decision-making and actuation systems for digitized, smart and real-time crop protection in a realistic Ag5.0. Finally, section 6 highlights the main conclusions and final remarks

Análisis de los efectos producidos en el Bienestar Psicológico por motivo de la pandemia Covid-19

Introduction. During the month of January 2020 the World Health Organization notified the appearance of a new genome known as sarcov-2, since then the population worldwide has had to face the health crisis due to the covid-19 pandemic, which worsened during the year 2021 in Ecuador and the city of Ambato; the problem of the health emergency and the confinement had an impact on the physical health of people, which generated effects on the mental health, emotions and feelings of individuals. Objective. The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychological well-being and the effects produced by the Covid-19 pandemic in the families of the Pradera neighborhood. Methodology. The study was carried out during the Covid-19 pandemic in several families of the Pradera neighborhood in the city of Ambato, the research work was developed under a mixed approach, a descriptive methodology was applied; the study sample consisted of 20 subjects, all heads of household belonging to the residential neighborhood of the Pradera, the data were collected and analyzed in the strongest stage of sanitary confinement in the city of Ambato; the instrument for the collection of information presents categories corresponding to the psychological well-being for adults (BIEPS-A), which is divided into five categories: Self-acceptance, control of situations, social bonds, autonomy and life projects, which was applied by means of technological tools to avoid contagions. Results. The data reveal that 95% of the respondents have a high level of acceptance of their mistakes, that is, self-confidence to make the best decisions to face their family problems in the pandemic stage, however, 50% of the respondents have doubts in making their decisions alone, they depend on their relatives, it could be observed that 65% consider that the effects of the pandemic are in the economic part, 20% in health, 10% in education and only 5% mention the affectation of employment.  Conclusions. In the Pradera neighborhood of the city of Ambato, it was found that in the pandemic health stage, total support is needed from the family to face the psychological and social aspects produced by the pandemic.Introducción. Durante el mes de enero del 2020 la Organización Mundial de la Salud notificó la aparición de un nuevo genoma conocido como sarcov-2, desde allí la población a nivel mundial ha tenido que afrontar la crisis sanitaria por motivo de la pandemia del covid-19, la cual se agudizó durante el año 2021 en Ecuador y la ciudad de Ambato; la problemática de la emergencia sanitaria y el confinamiento repercutió en la salud física de las personas, lo cual generó efectos en la salud mental, las emociones y los sentimientos de los individuos. Objetivo. El presente estudio tuvo como propósito analizar el bienestar psicológico y los efectos producidos por motivo de la pandemia Covid-19 en las familias del barrio la pradera. Metodología. El estudio se realizó durante la pandemia del Covid-19 en varias familias del barrio La Pradera de la ciudad de Ambato, el trabajo investigativo fue desarrollado bajo un enfoque mixto, se aplicó una metodología tipo descriptiva; la muestra de estudio estuvo conformada por 20 sujetos todos cabeza de hogar pertenecientes al barrio residencial la pradera, los datos fueron tomados y analizados en la etapa más fuerte de confinamiento sanitario en la ciudad de Ambato; el instrumento para la recolección de la información presenta categorías correspondientes al bienestar psicológico para adultos (BIEPS-A), el mismo que se divide en cinco categorías: Aceptación de sí mismo, control de situaciones, vínculos sociales, autonomía y proyectos de vida, el cual fue aplicado mediante herramientas tecnológicas para evitar los contagios. Resultados. Los datos revelan que el 95 % de los encuestados poseen un nivel alto de aceptación de sus equivocaciones, es decir, autoconfianza para tomar las mejores decisiones para afrontar sus problemas familiares en la etapa de pandemia, sin embargo, el 50% de los encuestados tienen dudas en tomar sus decisiones solos, dependen de sus familiares, se pudo observar que el 65 % consideran que los efectos de la pandemia son en la parte económica, un 20 % en la salud, el 10 % en la educación y tan solo el 5 % mencionan la afectación de empleo.  Conclusiones. En el barrio la pradera de la ciudad de Ambato se encontró que en la etapa de pandemia sanitaria se necesita total apoyo por parte de la familia para afrontar los aspectos psicológicos y sociales producidos por la pandemia

Genome of the Avirulent Human-Infective Trypanosome—Trypanosoma rangeli

Background: Trypanosoma rangeli is a hemoflagellate protozoan parasite infecting humans and other wild and domestic mammals across Central and South America. It does not cause human disease, but it can be mistaken for the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, Trypanosoma cruzi. We have sequenced the T. rangeli genome to provide new tools for elucidating the distinct and intriguing biology of this species and the key pathways related to interaction with its arthropod and mammalian hosts.  Methodology/Principal Findings: The T. rangeli haploid genome is ,24 Mb in length, and is the smallest and least repetitive trypanosomatid genome sequenced thus far. This parasite genome has shorter subtelomeric sequences compared to those of T. cruzi and T. brucei; displays intraspecific karyotype variability and lacks minichromosomes. Of the predicted 7,613 protein coding sequences, functional annotations could be determined for 2,415, while 5,043 are hypothetical proteins, some with evidence of protein expression. 7,101 genes (93%) are shared with other trypanosomatids that infect humans. An ortholog of the dcl2 gene involved in the T. brucei RNAi pathway was found in T. rangeli, but the RNAi machinery is non-functional since the other genes in this pathway are pseudogenized. T. rangeli is highly susceptible to oxidative stress, a phenotype that may be explained by a smaller number of anti-oxidant defense enzymes and heatshock proteins.  Conclusions/Significance: Phylogenetic comparison of nuclear and mitochondrial genes indicates that T. rangeli and T. cruzi are equidistant from T. brucei. In addition to revealing new aspects of trypanosome co-evolution within the vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, comparative genomic analysis with pathogenic trypanosomatids provides valuable new information that can be further explored with the aim of developing better diagnostic tools and/or therapeutic targets

Competencias básicas para la aplicación de la medicina regenerativa en la clínica de pequeños animales

Depto. de Medicina y Cirugía AnimalFac. de VeterinariaFALSEsubmitte

Transformar para educar 5: ambientes de aprendizaje naturalmente críticos

Este quinto libro de la colección "Transformar para Educar''.-producto de las investigaciones de aula adelantadas por docentes de la Universidad del Norte, con el apoyo del Centro para la Excelencia Docente (CEDU), en el marco del programa Transformación de curso-, busca difundir innovaciones en la práctica pedagógica, con el fin de mejorar las experiencias educativas de los estudiantes con base en la implementación de ambientes de aprendizaje naturalmente críticos. Son críticos porque los estudiantes razonan con sus propios argumentos y naturales porque se da de manera espontánea. Contiene nueve capítulos que recopilan las experiencias realizadas por los docentes del área de introducción a la Ingeniería. Confiamos en que los hallazgos que aquí se presentan sean de interés para los lectores y puedan ser compartidos de manera amplia entre distintos públicos

A survey of the clinicopathological and molecular characteristics of patients with suspected Lynch syndrome in Latin America

Background: Genetic counselling and testing for Lynch syndrome (LS) have recently been introduced in several Latin America countries. We aimed to characterize the clinical, molecular and mismatch repair (MMR) variants spectrum of patients with suspected LS in Latin America. Methods: Eleven LS hereditary cancer registries and 34 published LS databases were used to identify unrelated families that fulfilled the Amsterdam II (AMSII) criteria and/or the Bethesda guidelines or suggestive of a dominant colorectal (CRC) inheritance syndrome. Results: We performed a thorough investigation of 15 countries and identified 6 countries where germline genetic testing for LS is available and 3 countries where tumor testing is used in the LS diagnosis. The spectrum of pathogenic MMR variants included MLH1 up to 54%, MSH2 up to 43%, MSH6 up to 10%, PMS2 up to 3% and EPCAM up to 0.8%. The Latin America MMR spectrum is broad with a total of 220 different variants which 80% were private and 20% were recurrent. Frequent regions included exons 11 of MLH1 (15%), exon 3 and 7 of MSH2 (17 and 15%, respectively), exon 4 of MSH6 (65%), exons 11 and 13 of PMS2 (31% and 23%, respectively). Sixteen international founder variants in MLH1, MSH2 and MSH6 were identified and 41 (19%) variants have not previously been reported, thus representing novel genetic variants in the MMR genes. The AMSII criteria was the most used clinical criteria to identify pathogenic MMR carriers although microsatellite instability, immunohistochemistry and family history are still the primary methods in several countries where no genetic testing for LS is available yet. Conclusion: The Latin America LS pathogenic MMR variants spectrum included new variants, frequently altered genetic regions and potential founder effects, emphasizing the relevance implementing Lynch syndrome genetic testing and counseling in all of Latin America countries.Radium Hospital Foundation (Oslo, Norway) in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript, Helse Sør-Øst (Norway) in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript, the French Association Recherche contre le Cancer (ARC) in the analysis, and interpretation of data, the Groupement des Entreprises Françaises dans la Lutte contre le Cancer (Gefluc) in the analysis, and interpretation of data, the Association Nationale de la Recherche et de la Technologie (ANRT, CIFRE PhD fellowship to H.T.) in the analysis, and interpretation of data and by the OpenHealth Institute in the analysis, and interpretation of data. Barretos Cancer Hospital received financial support by FINEP-CT-INFRA (02/2010)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Tejiendo diálogos. Reflexiones contemporáneas sobre la expresión y el sentido

El presente libro se divide en tres grandes bloques temáticos que contienen a los conceptos guía del título: Complejidad, expresión y sentido y, se organizan de acuerdo con lo que podría considerarse manifestaciones contextuales de las relaciones complejas y manifestaciones de sentido, que emergen como organizadoras a partir de diferentes formas en las que se manifiesta el diseño, las artes y la comunicación, El primer bloque obedece al principio dialógico de la no exclusión en donde que reza: “A no puede ser A y no A” y se titula: Complejidad y expresiones de la cultura contemporánea componiéndose por cinco textos que tocan dimensiones problemáticas en contextos contemporáneos como la intervención urbana y el feminismo como diálogo a través de la imagen y la educación; los discursos de odio como emergencia y la aparición de nuevas necesidades de formación universitaria ante ámbitos de competencia complejos. La primera sección titulada Condiciones emergentes de organización y sentido se presentan los textos en los que la expresión y el sentido aparecen como formas específicas a través de los cuáles es posible no solo asegurar las fronteras de operaciones sociales sino proyectarlas hacia nuevas condiciones de organización y sentido como sería el mundo de la virtualidad. En la segunda sección compuesta por cinco ensayos que de algún modo coinciden en la importancia de los puntos de conexión e interacciones en los fenómenos complejos como inductores de orden-desorden-complejidad, ponen de manifiesto su papel como productores de relaciones que permiten dar cuenta de la incertidumbre, comprender y exponer acontecimientos a nivel educativo, social y artístico. Finalmente en la tercera sección, el bloque que cierra el contenido del libro, se compone por cinco textos que dentro de su argumentación podrían verse alineados con el postulado de Nicolescu del Tercero incluido en donde A no puede ser A y a la vez existe no A, aludiendo a dimensiones problemáticas en contextos contemporáneos como: la intervención urbana y el feminismo como diálogo a través de la imagen y la educación; los discursos de odio como emergencia y la aparición de nuevas necesidades de formación universitaria ante ámbitos de competencia complejos.Olivia Fragoso Susunaga, María Teresa Olalde Ramos y Gustavo Garduño Oropeza, coordinadores

TLR9 activation dampens the early inflammatory response to paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Impacting host survival

Background: Paracoccidioides brasiliensis causes paracoccidioidomycosis, one of the most prevalent systemic mycosis in Latin America. Thus, understanding the characteristics of the protective immune response to P. brasiliensis is of interest, as it may reveal targets for disease control. The initiation of the immune response relies on the activation of pattern recognition receptors, among which are TLRs. Both TLR2 and TLR4 have been implicated in the recognition of P. brasiliensis and regulation of the immune response. However, the role of TLR9 during the infection by this fungus remains unclear.J.F. Menino was supported by a grant from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal (SFRH/BD/33446/2008). This work was supported by a grant from FCT (PTDC/BIA-MIC/108309/2008). M. Saraiva is a Ciencia 2007 fellow and M. Sturme is a Ciencia 2008 fellow. We would also like to thank FAPESP (Fundacao para Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico) for financial support. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

HTLV-1 infection in solid organ transplant donors and recipients in Spain

HTLV-1 infection is a neglected disease, despite infecting 10-15 million people worldwide and severe illnesses develop in 10% of carriers lifelong. Acknowledging a greater risk for developing HTLV-1 associated illnesses due to immunosuppression, screening is being widely considered in the transplantation setting. Herein, we report the experience with universal HTLV testing of donors and recipients of solid organ transplants in a survey conducted in Spain. All hospitals belonging to the Spanish HTLV network were invited to participate in the study. Briefly, HTLV antibody screening was performed retrospectively in all specimens collected from solid organ donors and recipients attended since the year 2008. A total of 5751 individuals were tested for HTLV antibodies at 8 sites. Donors represented 2312 (42.2%), of whom 17 (0.3%) were living kidney donors. The remaining 3439 (59.8%) were recipients. Spaniards represented nearly 80%. Overall, 9 individuals (0.16%) were initially reactive for HTLV antibodies. Six were donors and 3 were recipients. Using confirmatory tests, HTLV-1 could be confirmed in only two donors, one Spaniard and another from Colombia. Both kidneys of the Spaniard were inadvertently transplanted. Subacute myelopathy developed within 1 year in one recipient. The second recipient seroconverted for HTLV-1 but the kidney had to be removed soon due to rejection. Immunosuppression was stopped and 3 years later the patient remains in dialysis but otherwise asymptomatic. The rate of HTLV-1 is low but not negligible in donors/recipients of solid organ transplants in Spain. Universal HTLV screening should be recommended in all donor and recipients of solid organ transplantation in Spain. Evidence is overwhelming for very high virus transmission and increased risk along with the rapid development of subacute myelopathy