NOTES ON THE NEST, BREEDING SEASON, AND ELEVATIONAL RANGE OF A RARE HUMMINGBIRD, THE PURPLE-BACKED SUNBEAM (AGLAEACTIS ALICIAE)

Abstract The breeding biology and phenology of the endangered hummingbird Purple-backed Sunbeam (Aglaeactis aliciae) are not well known. We report observations of nesting A. aliciae near El Molino, in La Libertad Department, Peru. On 11 March 2018, we found a female building a nest while on 10 March 2019 we found an incubating female. We describe specific characteristics of the nest and breeding behavior of nesting females. Based on our observations and that of others, the timing of nesting for this species seems to correspond to the mid-to-late rainy season, extending from at least March to May. Additionally, our sightings suggest a higher upper elevational range limit for this range-restricted Andean hummingbird than previously reported; the elevational range should be considered to be 2900–3700 m a.s.l.Resumen ∙ Notas sobre el nido, temporada reproductiva y rango elevacional del Colibrí de Alicia (Aglaeactis aliciae) La biología reproductiva y la fenología del Colibrí de Alicia (Aglaeactis aliciae) – una especie de colibrí amenazada – son poco conocidas. Aquí reportamos observaciones de nidificación de A. aliciae en El Molino, Departamento La Libertad, Perú. El 11 de marzo de 2018 encontramos una hembra construyendo un nido, mientras que el 10 de marzo de 2019 encontramos a una hembra incubando. Describimos las características del nido y el comportamiento reproductivo de las hembras. En base a nuestras observaciones e información previa sugerimos que la temporada de nidificación se desarrolla desde mediados a fines de la temporada húmeda, extendiéndose desde marzo a mayo. Nuestras observaciones también indican que la especie se encuentra a mayores altitudes que lo reportado previamente y que su rango altitudinal seria 2900–3700 m s.n.m

Investigación en Matemáticas, Economía, Ciencias Sociales y Agronomía

Cada trabajo del libro incluye conclusiones para los interesados en las temáticas aludidas y en ellos nos enteramos de aspectos como los siguientes: - El mayor incremento del precio de los insumos como el maíz, sorgo y en menor medida desperdicio de pan, en relación con el menor crecimiento del precio del ganado en pie, dará como consecuencia un desabasto de carne bovina. - El agua es un recurso primordial en las zonas áridas y semiáridas de México, en tanto que su aporte limita la producción de la agricultura. En este estudio se observó que el precio real del agua es muy bajo en relación a otras zonas agrícolas del mundo. - Hoy en día en el país se consumen alrededor de 718 mil barriles diarios de gasolinas, un aproximado de 113.7 millones de litros, una cantidad tan grande que nuestro país se ve en la necesidad de importar cerca del 39 % de las gasolinas que consumimos. - Los jaliscienses radicados en Estados Unidos tienen una mayor capacidad de financiamiento del bienestar en la entidad, que el propio gobierno de ese estado. - México continuará basando sus finanzas públicas y su política de desarrollo económico en la extracción de combustibles fósiles (petróleo). Este modelo acelerará el deterioro y agotamiento de los recursos naturales. -La importancia de la agricultura orgánica radica en que retoma los tres ámbitos de la sustentabilidad; el ámbito ambiental, el económico y el social. - Es fundamental motivar la organización de los productores de haba para que ellos puedan captar una mayor proporción de los altos márgenes de precios que los consumidores están dispuestos a pagar. - Las condiciones del clima afectan a la producción agraria. Debido al fenómeno de cambio climático, es necesario contar con herramientas informáticas que proporcionen información climatológica para poder tomar medidas preventivas a favor de una mayor cantidad y calidad de producción. La herramienta de software permite la consulta del clima por localidades evitando la necesidad de contar con una estación meteorológica

Association between convalescent plasma treatment and mortality in COVID-19: a collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Funder: laura and john arnold foundationBACKGROUND: Convalescent plasma has been widely used to treat COVID-19 and is under investigation in numerous randomized clinical trials, but results are publicly available only for a small number of trials. The objective of this study was to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment compared to placebo or no treatment and all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19, using data from all available randomized clinical trials, including unpublished and ongoing trials (Open Science Framework, https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/GEHFX ). METHODS: In this collaborative systematic review and meta-analysis, clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform), the Cochrane COVID-19 register, the LOVE database, and PubMed were searched until April 8, 2021. Investigators of trials registered by March 1, 2021, without published results were contacted via email. Eligible were ongoing, discontinued and completed randomized clinical trials that compared convalescent plasma with placebo or no treatment in COVID-19 patients, regardless of setting or treatment schedule. Aggregated mortality data were extracted from publications or provided by investigators of unpublished trials and combined using the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman random effects model. We investigated the contribution of unpublished trials to the overall evidence. RESULTS: A total of 16,477 patients were included in 33 trials (20 unpublished with 3190 patients, 13 published with 13,287 patients). 32 trials enrolled only hospitalized patients (including 3 with only intensive care unit patients). Risk of bias was low for 29/33 trials. Of 8495 patients who received convalescent plasma, 1997 died (23%), and of 7982 control patients, 1952 died (24%). The combined risk ratio for all-cause mortality was 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.92; 1.02) with between-study heterogeneity not beyond chance (I2 = 0%). The RECOVERY trial had 69.8% and the unpublished evidence 25.3% of the weight in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Convalescent plasma treatment of patients with COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality. These results provide strong evidence that convalescent plasma treatment for patients with COVID-19 should not be used outside of randomized trials. Evidence synthesis from collaborations among trial investigators can inform both evidence generation and evidence application in patient care

Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (−9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth’s climate

Gestión del conocimiento: perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 11

El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, Volumen 11, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro cuenta con el apoyo de los grupos de investigación: Universidad Sur del Lago “Jesús María Semprúm” (UNESUR), Zulia – Venezuela; Universidad Politécnica Territorial de Falcón Alonso Gamero (UPTAG), Falcón – Venezuela; Universidad Politécnica Territorial de Mérida Kleber Ramírez (UPTM), Mérida – Venezuela; Universidad Guanajuato (UG) - Campus Celaya - Salvatierra - Cuerpo Académico de Biodesarrollo y Bioeconomía en las Organizaciones y Políticas Públicas (C.A.B.B.O.P.P), Guanajuato – México; Centro de Altos Estudios de Venezuela (CEALEVE), Zulia – Venezuela, Centro Integral de Formación Educativa Especializada del Sur (CIFE - SUR) - Zulia - Venezuela, Centro de Investigaciones Internacionales SAS (CIN), Antioquia - Colombia.y diferentes grupos de investigación del ámbito nacional e internacional que hoy se unen para estrechar vínculos investigativos, para que sus aportes científicos formen parte de los libros que se publiquen en formatos digital e impreso

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Propuesta de una empresa de inteligencia de negocios en el sector de educación tecnológica

El alcance acordado para el presente proyecto consiste en desarrollar una empresa que brinde herramientas de Inteligencia de Negocio a instituciones educativas del nivel tecnológico con el fin de identificar múltiples variables (económicas, académicas, etc.), y la interrelación entre ellas, que puedan incrementar la satisfacción del estudiante con la institución, su permanencia en ella y, como resultado de esto, la rentabilidad financiera de la institución. El costo total estimado para este proyecto corresponde al valor de $65.282.667. Adicionalmente se estimó una reserva de contingencia de$6.528.267 que se utilizaría en caso de que los riesgos identificados llegaran a materializarse durante la ejecución del proyecto. Y finalmente se estimó una reserva de gestión de $3.264.133 producto de aplicar el 5% del costo del proyecto sin tener en cuenta la reserva de contingencia

Inoculación de Trichoderma longibrachiatum en algodón transgénico: Cambios en compuestos fenólicos y enzimas de estrés oxidativo

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the activity of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), peroxidase (POX) and the production of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in transgenic cotton plants in response to inoculation with Trichoderma longibrachiatum (ICA-4). Ninety days after inoculation with T. longibrachiatum, leaves of the cotton plants were collected and the enzymes PAL, POX and phenolic compounds were determined. The results showed that inoculation increased the content of phenolic compounds and flavonoids by 18% and 45%, respectively, compared to non-inoculatedplants. The activity of the enzymes peroxidase (4.88 Ux10-5/mg protein), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (0.0176 U/mg protein) showed significant differences compared to the enzymatic activity of uninoculated plants (3, 48x10-5 U/mg proteinfor POX and 0.01 U/mg proteinfor PAL). These results suggest the induction of a systemic resistance response induced by seed inoculation with the Trichoderma ICA-4 strain.El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar la actividad de las enzimas fenilalanina amonio-liasa (PAL), peroxidasa (POX) y la producción de compuestos fenólicos y flavonoides en plantas de algodón transgénico en respuesta a la inoculación con Trichoderma longibrachiatum (ICA-4). Noventa días después de la inoculación con T. longibrachiatum, hojas de las plantas de algodón fueron colectadas y las enzimas PAL, POX y los compuestos fenólicos fueron determinados. Los resultados mostraron que la inoculación aumentó el contenido de compuestos fenólicos y flavonoides en 18% y 45%, respectivamente; comparadas con plantas no inoculadas. La actividad de las enzimas peroxidasa (4,88 Ux10-5/mg de proteína), y fenilalanina amonia-liasa (0,0176 U/mg de proteína) mostraron diferencias significativas en comparación con la actividad enzimática de plantas no inoculadas (3,48x10-5 U/mg proteína para POX y 0,01 U/mg de proteína para PAL). Estos resultados sugieren la inducción de una respuesta de resistencia sistémica inducida por la inoculación de las semillas con la cepa Trichoderma ICA-4

Oral health in older adults with cancer

Cancer is a disease of older adults, with 60% of cancer diagnoses and 70% of cancer deaths occurring in individuals &ge; 65 years. Normal oral aging may transition to disease in the presence of one or more potential modifiers, such as a new oncological diagnosis or a new treatment. Oral conditions in patients with cancer cause significant morbidity. Previous work suggests that oral conditions are neither elicited/assessed/reassessed nor well-managed or investigated in older patients. However, frequently reported oral conditions in patients undergoing cancer therapy include xerostomia, dysgeusia, candidiasis, mucositis, and dental caries. Some oncological treatments such as hematopoietic stem cell transplant or chemotherapy/radiotherapy for head and neck cancers entail higher risks of oral complications. No specific recommendations in the case of older adults with cancer-associated oral conditions are available. Treatment recommendations are based on low levels of evidence and/or evidence extrapolated from younger patients with cancer.</p