Comparación química de suelos en distintas coberturas vegetales del PNC mediante métodos de clúster análisis

La vegetación y el suelo son indicadores importantes de la salud del páramo. La capa vegetal del páramo es importante para la protección del suelo y como hábitat para la fauna nativa (Hofstede et al., 2003). La evaluación de las características del suelo requiere medir sus propiedades físicas y químicas. El Parque Nacional Cajas (PNC) es uno de los principales suministros de agua para la ciudad de Cuenca, puesto que sus suelos retienen grandes cantidades de líquido vital, especialmente el páramo de almohadillas; los suelos del pajonal resultan importantes en el secuestro de carbono atmosférico, mientras que los suelos de los bosques de Polylepis y bosques alto-andinos originan ecosistemas únicos evidenciado en un alto endemismo presente en el PNC; razón por lo cual el estudio de las características físico químicas del suelo resulta importante en la investigación de las interacciones sustrato-vegetal. El análisis de conglomerados o clúster es una técnica de análisis exploratorio de datos que permite descubrir asociaciones y estructuras en los datos que no son evidentes a priori,ordenando objetos en grupos de asociación/similitud de forma que los objetos de un mismo grupo sean muy similares entre sí,y los objetos de clústeres diferentes sean distintos (Figueras, 2001). El método KNN o k-Nearest Neighbors, basado en el reconocimiento de patrones de criterios de vecindad. Parte de la idea de que una nueva muestra será clasificada a la clase a la cual pertenezca la mayor cantidad de vecinos más cercanos del (reconocimiento de patrones patrón) del conjunto de entrenamiento más cercano a esta (Figueras, 2001). El objetivo general de este estudio es investigar las relaciones entre las características químicas del suelo (Ca, Mg, Fe, K, Na, pH, conductividad, nitrógeno total, fósforo, y materia orgánica) y el tipo de coberturas vegetales presentes en el PNC (páramo de pajonal,páramo de almohadilla, bosque de Polylepis y bosque altoandino), mediante métodos de análisis clúster y clasificación KNN

O-AUPA-Observatorio de agricultura urbana, periurbana y agroecología: conflictos ambientales y gobernanza alimentaria

INTA. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. O-AUPAFil: Giobellina, B. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Benitez, Roger Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. O-AUPA; Argentina.Fil: Mari, Mari, Nicolás Alejandro. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. AER Cruz del Eje; Argentina.Fil: Vitale, Juan Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentina. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Ermini, Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Anguil. AER Santa Rosa; ArgentinaFil: Barsky, A. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentina. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Quinteros, M. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; Argentina. O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Lobos, D. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Celiz, Yuliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-INTA O-AUPA; ArgentinaFil: Bisio, C. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Agropecuarias; ArgentinaFil: Pons, Diego Hernan. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi. Grupo de Manejo de Cultivo y Recursos Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Baldini, C. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentin

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Silver Nanoparticles: Biosynthesis Using an ATCC Reference Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Activity as Broad Spectrum Clinical Antibacterial Agents

Currently, the biosynthesis of silver-based nanomaterials attracts enormous attention owing to the documented antimicrobial properties of these ones. This study reports the extracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using a Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain from a reference culture collection. A greenish culture supernatant of P. aeruginosa incubated at 37°C with a silver nitrate solution for 24 h changed to a yellowish brown color, indicating the formation of Ag-NPs, which was confirmed by UV-vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. TEM analysis showed spherical and pseudospherical nanoparticles with a distributed size mainly between 25 and 45 nm, and the XRD pattern revealed the crystalline nature of Ag-NPs. Also it provides an evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of the biosynthesized Ag-NPs against human pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms, namely, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus mirabilis, Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, P. aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumonia. Ag-NPs were found to be bioactive at picomolar concentration levels showing bactericidal effects against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. This work demonstrates the first helpful use of biosynthesized Ag-NPs as broad spectrum bactericidal agents for clinical strains of pathogenic multidrug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant S. aureus, A. baumannii, and E. coli. In addition, these Ag-NPs showed negligible cytotoxic effect in human neutrophils suggesting low toxicity to the host

Spatio-temporal distribution of particulate matter and wood-smoke tracers in Temuco, Chile:a city heavily impacted by residential wood-burning

Temuco, like most Southern Chile cities, has a long-standing air pollution problem due to residential wood heating. Here, we study the temporal and spatial distribution of PM2.5 and the biomass-burning tracers levoglucosan and water soluble potassium (Ksol). PM2.5 samples were collected at 40 sites throughout the city and sampled four times in four different sessions between 2017 and 2018. Large concentrations were observed for all species, particularly in winter. Signs of spatial and temporal correlation were observed from multilevel models for the different concentrations and ratios. Ratios of levoglucosan and Ksol to PM2.5 were lower in summer. Spatial clustering was observed both from spatial autocorrelation tests and kriging, with clusters of higher ratios for of all three species (comparing rotating to central site) observed in some neighborhoods. Clusters correlated with lower socioeconomic status (SES), which may reflect population density and lower quality stoves. Clusters of higher Ksol to PM2.5 ratios in some neighborhoods were moderately correlated with higher SES, which may reflect the use of better-quality stoves (e.g., pellets). The current work provides a case study and example of the investigation of wood burning as an air pollution source in a city where many inhabitants use wood as a fuel for heating and cooking. It reveals key temporal and spatial patterns which can assist the design of mitigation strategies.This work was supported as part of the project: “Impact of Wood Burning Air Pollution on Preeclampsia and other Pregnancy Outcomes in Temuco, Chile” (DPI20140093) by CONICYT and Research Councils UK. Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit is supported by the Generalitat Valenciana - Regional Ministry of Education, Research, Culture and Sport under the Talented Researcher Support Programme - Plan GenT (CIDEGENT/2019/064). María Elisa Quinteros was supported by a doctoral scholarship by CONICYT Beca Doctorado Nacional No 21150801, Chile. Estela Blanco acknowledges ANID - MILENIO - NCS 2021_013

Development of Spatio-Temporal Land Use Regression Models for Fine Particulate Matter and Wood-Burning Tracers in Temuco, Chile

Biomass burning is common in much of the world, and in some areas, residential wood-burning has increased. However, air pollution resulting from biomass burning is an important public health problem. A sampling campaign was carried out between May 2017 and July 2018 in over 64 sites in four sessions, to develop a spatio-temporal land use regression (LUR) model for fine particulate matter (PM) and wood-burning tracers levoglucosan and soluble potassium (Ksol) in a city heavily impacted by wood-burning. The mean (sd) was 46.5 (37.4) μg m−3 for PM2.5, 0.607 (0.538) μg m−3for levoglucosan, and 0.635 (0.489) μg m−3 for Ksol. LUR models for PM2.5, levoglucosan, and Ksol had a satisfactory performance (LOSOCV R2), explaining 88.8%, 87.4%, and 87.3% of the totalvariance, respectively. All models included sociodemographic predictors consistent with the pattern of use of wood-burning in homes. The models were applied to predict concentrations surfaces and to estimate exposures for an epidemiological study.<br/

Development of Spatio-Temporal Land Use Regression Models for Fine Particulate Matter and Wood-Burning Tracers in Temuco, Chile

Biomass burning is common in much of the world, and in some areas, residential wood-burning has increased. However, air pollution resulting from biomass burning is an important public health problem. A sampling campaign was carried out between May 2017 and July 2018 in over 64 sites in four sessions, to develop a spatio-temporal land use regression (LUR) model for fine particulate matter (PM) and wood-burning tracers levoglucosan and soluble potassium (Ksol) in a city heavily impacted by wood-burning. The mean (sd) was 46.5 (37.4) μg m−3 for PM2.5, 0.607 (0.538) μg m−3for levoglucosan, and 0.635 (0.489) μg m−3 for Ksol. LUR models for PM2.5, levoglucosan, and Ksol had a satisfactory performance (LOSOCV R2), explaining 88.8%, 87.4%, and 87.3% of the totalvariance, respectively. All models included sociodemographic predictors consistent with the pattern of use of wood-burning in homes. The models were applied to predict concentrations surfaces and to estimate exposures for an epidemiological study.<br/

Spatial distribution of particulate matter on winter nights in Temuco, Chile:studying the impact of residential wood-burning using mobile monitoring

Temuco, a medium-sized city in the south of Chile, is heavily impacted by residential wood-burning particularly in winter, which causes strong episodes of air pollution. We spatially characterized the distribution of particulate matter (PM) during winter nights in Temuco using mobile measurements. In winter 2016 (June 8-July 15th), continuous monitors for PM ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and ultrafine particles <0.1 μm (UFP) were deployed in a vehicle along with a positioning system during 20 nights (20:00 to 2:00) in assigned routes that crossed the city and additional sampling was conducted at a central site. Measurements were expressed as concentrations and ratios to central site concentrations and collapsed by spatial grids of 50, 100, 200, and 400 m. Average PM2.5 concentrations were ∼100 μg m−3, while UFP ∼30,000 counts cm−3. Some neighborhoods had concentrations of PM2.5 nearly double those measured at a centrally located site, while other neighborhoods had less than half the measured level. We identified hotspots and cold spots of PM2.5 and UFP throughout the urban area—and observed some neighborhoods in which over 20% of the area was categorized as a hotspot for one of the pollutants (14 for PM2.5 and 11 for UFP out of 34). Using mobile monitoring—a relatively simple and inexpensive methodology— we characterized the spatial distribution of pollutants and likely clusters for the time period, which may guide future spatial campaigns and help targeting local interventions aimed at air pollution mitigation.This work was supported by “Impact of Wood-burning Air Pollution on Preeclampsia and other Pregnancy Outcomes in Temuco, Chile” (DPI2140093) by CONICYT and Research Councils UK. Estela Blanco, María Elisa Quinteros, and Salvador Ayala were supported by a doctoral scholarship by ANID Beca Doctorado Nacional, Chile No. 21201332, No. 21150801 and No. 21191111, respectively. Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 750531

Temporal and Spatial Trends of Adverse Pregnancy and Birth Outcomes in a Sample of Births from a Public Hospital in Chile

Understanding temporal and spatial trends in pregnancy and birth outcomes within an urban area is important for the monitoring of health indicators of a population. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all births in the public hospital of Temuco, a medium-sized city in Southern Chile between 2009 and 2016 (n = 17,237). Information on adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, as well as spatial and maternal characteristics (insurance type, employment, smoking, age, and overweight/obesity), was collected from medical charts. Home addresses were geocoded and assigned to neighborhood. We tested whether births and prevalence of adverse pregnancy outcomes changed over time, whether birth events were spatially clustered (Moran’s I statistic), and whether neighborhood deprivation was correlated to outcomes (Spearman’s rho). We observed decreases in eclampsia, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and small for gestational age, while gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and low birth weight increased over the study period (all p < 0.01 for trend), with little changes after adjusting for maternal characteristics. We observed neighborhood clusters for birth rate, preterm birth, and low birth weight. Neighborhood deprivation was negatively correlated with low birth weight and preterm birth, but not correlated with eclampsia, preeclampsia, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, small for gestational age, gestational diabetes, nor stillbirth. Several encouraging downward trends and some increases in adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, which, overall, were not explained by changes in maternal characteristics were observed. Identified clusters of higher adverse birth outcomes may be used to evaluate preventive health coverage in this setting