Biogeografía de los vectores de la enfermedad de Chagas : influencia de las variables ambientales sobre la distribución de los triatominos en América

Tesis presentada para optar al Grado de Doctor en Ciencias NaturalesFil: Medone, Paula. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentin

Ciudadanía biológica y colectivos biosociales en torno a la problemática de Chagas

La problemática del Chagas, entendida solo como "una enfermedad" del ámbito rural, asociada a estigmas como "la pobreza" y reducida a los aspectos biomédicos, causa diferentes formas de discriminación de las personas afectadas.Las migraciones humanas cambian los escenarios epidemiológicos, por lo que -actualmente- el Chagas se presenta en la agenda de salud pública en múltiples contextos (rurales/ urbanos, latinoamericanos/ globales. La ciudadanía no escapa a estos cambios y surgen nuevas formas de relaciones entre las personas basadas en identidades biológicas comunes, enmarcadas dentro de los conceptos de "ciudadanía biológica" (Rose 2012) y "biosociabilidad" (Rabinow 1996).Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas BiológicosCentro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

The impact of climate change on the geographical distribution of two vectors of Chagas disease: Implications for the force of infection

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most important vector-borne disease in Latin America. The vectors are insects belonging to the Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae), and are widely distributed in the Americas. Here, we assess the implications of climatic projections for 2050 on the geographical footprint of two of the main Chagas disease vectors: Rhodnius prolixus (tropical species) and Triatoma infestans (temperate species).We estimated the epidemiological implications of current to future transitions in the climatic niche in terms of changes in the force of infection (FOI) on the rural population of two countries: Venezuela (tropical) and Argentina (temperate). The climatic projections for 2050 showed heterogeneous impact on the climatic niches of both vector species, with a decreasing trend of suitability of areas that are currently at high-to-moderate transmission risk. Consequently, climatic projections affected differently the FOI for Chagas disease in Venezuela and Argentina. Despite the heterogeneous results, our main conclusions point out a decreasing trend in the number of new cases of Tr. cruzi human infections per year between current and future conditions using a climatic niche approach.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de VectoresFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Demographic fitness of Belminus ferroae (Hemiptera: Triatominae) on three different hosts under laboratory conditions

Triatominae are widely recognised for their role as vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi. One of the main biological characteristics of this subfamily is their obligate haematophagous condition. However, previous studies on Belminus herreri and Belminus ferroae suggested that cockroaches are their principal hosts in domiciles. Due to this peculiar behaviour, the aim of this study was to analyse several demographic and reproductive parameters of B. ferroae fed on three different hosts (mice, cockroaches and Rhodnius prolixus) and relate B. ferroae fitness to these alternative hosts. The cohorts were reared under constant conditions. The egg hatching rate was similar for cohorts fed on cockroaches (69.4%) and R. prolixus (63.8%), but was much lower for the cohort fed on mice (16%). The development time from the nymph to adult stage and the average age of first reproduction (α) presented lower values in the cohort fed on cockroaches, which is consistent with the higher population growth rate associated with this host. Demographic parameters [intrinsic rate of natural increase, finite rate of population growth, net reproductive rate and damping ratio] showed statistically significant differences between the cohorts. Analysis of the life history of B. ferroae revealed a higher fitness related to the cockroach. The implications of these results for the origin of the subfamily are discussed.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

Demographic fitness of Belminus ferroae (Hemiptera: Triatominae) on three different hosts under laboratory conditions

Triatominae are widely recognised for their role as vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi. One of the main biological characteristics of this subfamily is their obligate haematophagous condition. However, previous studies on Belminus herreri and Belminus ferroae suggested that cockroaches are their principal hosts in domiciles. Due to this peculiar behaviour, the aim of this study was to analyse several demographic and reproductive parameters of B. ferroae fed on three different hosts (mice, cockroaches and Rhodnius prolixus) and relate B. ferroae fitness to these alternative hosts. The cohorts were reared under constant conditions. The egg hatching rate was similar for cohorts fed on cockroaches (69.4%) and R. prolixus (63.8%), but was much lower for the cohort fed on mice (16%). The development time from the nymph to adult stage and the average age of first reproduction (α) presented lower values in the cohort fed on cockroaches, which is consistent with the higher population growth rate associated with this host. Demographic parameters [intrinsic rate of natural increase, finite rate of population growth, net reproductive rate and damping ratio] showed statistically significant differences between the cohorts. Analysis of the life history of B. ferroae revealed a higher fitness related to the cockroach. The implications of these results for the origin of the subfamily are discussed.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

Structural and Mechanical Properties of Silica Mesoporous Films Synthesized Using Deep X-Rays: Implications in the Construction of Devices

In recent years, the use of X-Rays (XR) irradiation for the production of ordered mesoporous thin films has been well established. This technique allows obtaining porous materials that contain thermal sensitive moieties or nanoparticles. Additionally, in combination with lithographic masks, the generation of high aspect ratio patterns of several geometrical shapes with micrometric resolution is possible. In this work, the structural and mechanical properties of porous silica thin films obtained by sol-gel method along with the exposure to high intensity XR is presented. Two templates (CTAB and Brij 58) and several irradiation doses and post-synthesis treatments were evaluated by a combination of characterization techniques, including grazing incidence small-angle XR scattering, electronic microscopies, XR reflectometry and nanoindentation. The results demonstrate that all the irradiated oxides presented a highly ordered mesoporous structure, independently of the XR dose and post thermal treatment. Their mechanical properties, on the other hand, clearly depend on the irradiation dose; high hardness values were measured on samples irradiated at low doses but higher doses are necessary to obtain films with indentation modulus values similar to the obtained for thermally treated coatings. The accessible porosity, essential for the application of these films in devices for micro- and nanofluidics, is also dependent on the dose and the thermal treatment performed afterward. The same tendency is observed for the films contraction and rigidity. After this characterization, it was concluded that thermal treatments are needed after the consolidation with XR to increase the accessibility and structural integrity of these porous oxides. Finally, the production of composites with metallic (Au and Ag) nanoparticles was tested which envisioned their applications in sensing and catalysis. Moreover, diverse geometrical patterns of both pure and Ag nanoparticles doped silica mesostructured films were obtained, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed approach. The results presented in this work are of great importance to understand the transport mechanisms that operate in these silica porous films, in order to integrate them in different devices for lab-on-a-chip applications.Fil: Steinberg, Paula Yael. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Seguridad Nuclear y Ambiente. Gerencia de Química (CAC); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lionello, Diego Fernando. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Seguridad Nuclear y Ambiente. Gerencia de Química (CAC); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto Sabato; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Medone Acosta, Daiana Elizabeth. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Seguridad Nuclear y Ambiente. Gerencia de Química (CAC); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto Sabato; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área Investigaciones y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (CAC). Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada; ArgentinaFil: Zalduendo, María Mercedes. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Seguridad Nuclear y Ambiente. Gerencia de Química (CAC); ArgentinaFil: Amenitsch, Heinz. Graz University Of Technology.; AustriaFil: Granja, Leticia Paula. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia de Área Investigaciones y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia Física (CAC). Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Constituyentes | Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Constituyentes; ArgentinaFil: Marmiroli, Benedetta. Graz University Of Technology.; AustriaFil: Angelome, Paula Cecilia. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Seguridad Nuclear y Ambiente. Gerencia de Química (CAC); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Constituyentes | Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Constituyentes; ArgentinaFil: Fuertes, María Cecilia. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Seguridad Nuclear y Ambiente. Gerencia de Química (CAC); Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Constituyentes | Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología. Unidad Ejecutora Instituto de Nanociencia y Nanotecnología - Nodo Constituyentes; Argentin

The impact of climate change on the geographical distribution of two vectors of Chagas disease: Implications for the force of infection

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the most important vector-borne disease in Latin America. The vectors are insects belonging to the Triatominae (Hemiptera, Reduviidae), and are widely distributed in the Americas. Here, we assess the implications of climatic projections for 2050 on the geographical footprint of two of the main Chagas disease vectors: Rhodnius prolixus (tropical species) and Triatoma infestans (temperate species).We estimated the epidemiological implications of current to future transitions in the climatic niche in terms of changes in the force of infection (FOI) on the rural population of two countries: Venezuela (tropical) and Argentina (temperate). The climatic projections for 2050 showed heterogeneous impact on the climatic niches of both vector species, with a decreasing trend of suitability of areas that are currently at high-to-moderate transmission risk. Consequently, climatic projections affected differently the FOI for Chagas disease in Venezuela and Argentina. Despite the heterogeneous results, our main conclusions point out a decreasing trend in the number of new cases of Tr. cruzi human infections per year between current and future conditions using a climatic niche approach.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de VectoresFacultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Demographic fitness of Belminus ferroae (Hemiptera: Triatominae) on three different hosts under laboratory conditions

Triatominae are widely recognised for their role as vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi. One of the main biological characteristics of this subfamily is their obligate haematophagous condition. However, previous studies on Belminus herreri and Belminus ferroae suggested that cockroaches are their principal hosts in domiciles. Due to this peculiar behaviour, the aim of this study was to analyse several demographic and reproductive parameters of B. ferroae fed on three different hosts (mice, cockroaches and Rhodnius prolixus) and relate B. ferroae fitness to these alternative hosts. The cohorts were reared under constant conditions. The egg hatching rate was similar for cohorts fed on cockroaches (69.4%) and R. prolixus (63.8%), but was much lower for the cohort fed on mice (16%). The development time from the nymph to adult stage and the average age of first reproduction (α) presented lower values in the cohort fed on cockroaches, which is consistent with the higher population growth rate associated with this host. Demographic parameters [intrinsic rate of natural increase, finite rate of population growth, net reproductive rate and damping ratio] showed statistically significant differences between the cohorts. Analysis of the life history of B. ferroae revealed a higher fitness related to the cockroach. The implications of these results for the origin of the subfamily are discussed.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectore

The Career Readiness of Intercollegiate Athletes: Is There a Gender Gap?

Career development is one of the major objectives of universities. It is well-known that intercollegiate athletes have many time commitments that make it more challenging for them to focus on their career development. To compound this issue, the effectiveness of career development efforts may be impacted by the gender of the intercollegiate athlete. The purpose of this study was to examine the career readiness of student-athletes, focusing on differences based on gender. This was accomplished through the lenses of the social cognitive career theory and career decision self-efficacy. A total of 137 intercollegiate student-athletes at a large Midwestern university completed a career readiness instrument. It was found that there were differences between genders in the intercollegiate athlete’s perceived career readiness. Female intercollegiate student-athletes indicated lower levels of ability on career related skills, less confidence in their problem solving, higher levels of general indecisiveness about career choice, and a higher need for self-knowledge. There were similarities between the genders as well, such as the need for more career information and levels of career choice anxiety. Recommendations for programs to assist student-athletes in their career readiness and for areas of future research are provided