Spatial expansions and travelling waves of rabies in vampire bats

A major obstacle to anticipating the cross-species transmission of zoonotic diseases and developing novel strategies for their control is the scarcity of data informing how these pathogens circulate within natural reservoir populations. Vampire bats are the primary reservoir of rabies in Latin America, where the disease remains among the most important viral zoonoses affecting humans and livestock. Unpredictable spatiotemporal dynamics of rabies within bat populations have precluded anticipation of outbreaks and undermined widespread bat culling programs. By analysing 1146 vampire bat-transmitted rabies (VBR) outbreaks in livestock across 12 years in Peru, we demonstrate that viral expansions into historically uninfected zones have doubled the recent burden of VBR. Viral expansions are geographically widespread, but severely constrained by high elevation peaks in the Andes mountains. Within Andean valleys, invasions form wavefronts that are advancing towards large, unvaccinated livestock populations that are heavily bitten by bats, which together will fuel high transmission and mortality. Using spatial models, we forecast the pathways of ongoing VBR epizootics across heterogeneous landscapes. These results directly inform vaccination strategies to mitigate impending viral emergence, reveal VBR as an emerging rather than an enzootic disease and create opportunities to test novel interventions to manage viruses in bat reservoirs

Desarrollo de algoritmo y prototipo móvil para medir el grado de madurez del aguacate Hass mediante procesamiento digital de imágenes

La producción de aguacate Hass está presente en diferentes regiones de Colombia. Los agricultores cosechan el aguacate cuando ha alcanzado su madurez fisiológica y desde allí puede ser dispendioso conocer su estado de madurez para los comercializadores o consumidores. Por ello se hace necesario tener conocimiento sobre el estado de maduración del fruto con ayuda de herramientas tecnológicas para facilitar su clasificación en base a su madurez y determinar su tiempo de vida, proporcionando detalles precisos para su exportación y venta regional. Los principales criterios de maduración son el cambio de color y pérdida de brillo de la fruta, los cuales pueden ser poco precisos debido a la subjetividad de cada persona. La idea principal es capturar el color y brillo del aguacate por medio de imágenes digitales para analizar su estado y obtener su clasificación

Políticas públicas para la sostenibilidad ambiental en Colombia

La política pública de interés y de investigación, es la relacionada con la Política Pública que Colombia ha desarrollado para atacar la problemática, que se observa a nivel mundial, referente al cambio climático; se realizó una exploración o acercamiento a las investigaciones de análisis de la temática escogida, buscando características significativas e información que permitiera analizar, a partir de esta, las primeras explicaciones sobre qué ocurre con la política ambiental y las acciones del Gobierno, encaminadas a solucionar los efectos del cambio climático en Colombia y como llevarlo a niveles manejable, considerando factores internos y externos. Factores que demuestran como el calentamiento global está atacando, con fuerza, el derretimiento de los glaciares, el blanqueamiento de corales, la pérdida de playas y erosión costera y como estos eventos afectan la presencia de fauna y flora, en peligro y tendiendo a desaparecer. Entre las posibles soluciones se vienen planteado, especialmente la del cuidado de ecosistemas terrestres y marinos y la conservación de los bosques; proteger los ecosistemas de manglares en Colombia, la protección de la biodiversidad del Caribe colombiano, los parques nacionales naturales, proteger la diversidad de las diferentes Cuencas, entre otros, y así evitar el acelerado cambio climático y el surgimiento de conflictos sociales causados por la escasez de agua, por la pérdida de acuíferos, de fertilidad del suelo y procurar, al mismo tiempo que la comunidad participe en proyectos productivos sostenibles, en donde la fauna y la flora cuenten con espacios óptimo para vivir.One of the most challenging worldwide issues is climate change, melting of glaciers, coral beaching, loss of beaches and coastal erosion, endangered animal are some of the factors that show how climate change has affected our planet; in Colombia, the situation is not the exception, the government has developed the climate change public policy and strategies to face the climate crisis. After checking different research related to the state of implementation of environmental policy in Colombia and the activities undertake by the government to mitigate the factors caused by climate change, in this monograph I will present actions took by government to fulfill commitments arising from the signing of international treaties and the Current status of compliance such commitment

Implementación de Lean Logistic para mejorar la gestión de compras en la librería AVZ papelera E.I.R.L, Chimbote - 2021

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar el impacto de la aplicación del Lean Logistic en la gestión de compras de la empresa Librería AVZ. La población fueron las diversas compras realizadas. La muestra fue la compra de productos con mayor rotación. El muestreo fue no probabilístico. Se utilizaron técnicas de análisis descriptivo, la observación directa y la investigación documental. Los instrumentos empleados fueron el diagrama de operaciones, mapa de flujo de valor, checklist de diagnóstico de las causas de los problemas e inventarios. Antes de la aplicación de las herramientas del Lean Logistic, los requerimientos recibidos a tiempo fueron de 79,72%, la calidad de los requerimientos recibidos fue de 67.92% y la calidad de los proveedores fue 83.47 %. Después de la implementación de la metodología, el indicador de los requerimientos recibidos a tiempo fue de 98.33%, la calidad de los requerimientos recibidos fue de 90% y la calidad de los proveedores poseía un valor de 91.39%, presentando así, incrementos de 23%, 33 % y 9%, respectivamente. Conla aplicación de la metodología se logró una reducción en los tiempos de espera y los defectos en el producto final; en consecuencia, incrementaron los principales indicadores de gestión de compras

Epidemiología molecular de la rabia silvestre en el Perú, periodo 1997-2015

Descargue el texto completo en el repositorio institucional de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona: http://hdl.handle.net/10803/672047La rabia es una enfermedad zoonótica que afecta a un sin número de especies incluyendo el humano, muchos de los reservorios de la rabia son animales silvestres por tanto incorpora en su estudio a muchas disciplinas como la biología, ecología, historia natural, genética, veterinaria, medicina, permitiendo integrar de manera transversal los conceptos como nichos ecológicos, análisis filogenéticos, epidemiología molecular, teoría de la coalescencia, etc. Los enfoques de salud ecosistémica, salud compartida o un mundo convergen de una manera perfecta si se habla de la rabia, para su prevención y control obliga a trabajar con una perspectiva integral y multidisciplinaria. Analizar los determinantes sociales que permiten la emergencia de esta enfermedad de importancia para la salud pública, es prioritario. La rabia como enfermedad infecciosa es compleja en el medio natural, y se ve impulsada hasta cierto punto por cambios ecosistémicos que se asocian con el crecimiento de la población humana en las zonas de riesgo, el aumento de la demanda de proteína animal y por ende el aumento de la crianza de animales domésticos, el consumo insostenible de los recursos naturales, la pérdida de biodiversidad y la fragmentación del hábitat son factores que se traducen en una disminución de servicios ecosistémicos, de esta manera, la rabia, como enfermedad emergente aumenta los riesgos para la salud de todas las especies de un ecosistema, los seres humanos, los animales domésticos y la fauna silvestre. Además, del cambio climático y la pérdida de resiliencia ecosistémica que son factores que preparan el terreno para la irrupción de nuevas amenazas como la rabia trasmitida por murciélagos, se suma la sinantropía de los murciélagos hematófagos y los factores antropogénicos que favorecen su desplazamiento, contribuyen directamente en la emergencia, incremento e incidencia de la rabia en el Perú

Host-pathogen evolutionary signatures reveal dynamics and future invasions of vampire bat rabies

Anticipating how epidemics will spread across landscapes requires understanding host dispersal events that are notoriously difficult to measure. Here, we contrast host and virus genetic signatures to resolve the spatiotemporal dynamics underlying geographic expansions of vampire bat rabies virus (VBRV) in Peru. Phylogenetic analysis revealed recent viral spread between populations that, according to extreme geographic structure in maternally inherited host mitochondrial DNA, appeared completely isolated. In contrast, greater population connectivity in biparentally inherited nuclear microsatellites explained the historical limits of invasions, suggesting that dispersing male bats spread VBRV between genetically isolated female populations. Host nuclear DNA further indicated unanticipated gene flow through the Andes mountains connecting the VBRV-free Pacific coast to the VBRV-endemic Amazon rainforest. By combining Bayesian phylogeography with landscape resistance models, we projected invasion routes through northern Peru that were validated by real-time livestock rabies mortality data. The first outbreaks of VBRV on the Pacific coast of South America could occur by June 2020, which would have serious implications for agriculture, wildlife conservation, and human health. Our results show that combining host and pathogen genetic data can identify sex biases in pathogen spatial spread, which may be a widespread but underappreciated phenomenon, and demonstrate that genetic forecasting can aid preparedness for impending viral invasions

A Framework for Successful Research Experiences in the Classroom: Combining the Power of Technology and Mentors

Authentic research opportunities in the classroom are most impactful when they are student-driven and inquiry-based. These experiences are even more powerful when they involve technology and meaningful connections with scientists. In today's classrooms, activities are driven by state required skills, education standards, and state mandated testing. Therefore, programs that incorporate authentic research must address the needs of teachers. NASA's Expedition Earth and Beyond (EEAB) Program has developed a framework that addresses teacher needs and incorporates the use of technology and access to mentors to promote and enhance authentic research in the classroom. EEAB is a student involvement program that facilitates student investigations of Earth or planetary comparisons using NASA data. To promote student-led research, EEAB provides standards-aligned, inquiry-based curricular resources, an implementation structure to facilitate research, educator professional development, and ongoing support. This framework also provides teachers with the option to incorporate the use of technology and connect students with a mentor, both of which can enrich student research experiences. The framework is structured by a modeled 9-step process of science which helps students organize their research. With more schools gaining increased access to technology, EEAB has created an option to help schools take advantage of students' interest and comfort with technology by leveraging the use of available technologies to enhance student research. The use of technology not only allows students to collaborate and share their research, it also provides a mechanism for them to work with a mentor. This framework was tested during the 2010/2011 school year. Team workspaces hosted on Wikispaces for Educators allow students to initiate their research and refine their research question initially without external input. This allows teams to work independently and rely on the skills and interests of team members. Once teams finalize their research question, they are assigned a mentor. The mentor introduces himself/herself, acknowledges the initial work the team has conducted, and asks a focused question to help open the lines of communication. Students continue to communicate with their mentor throughout their research. As research is completed, teams can share their investigation during a virtual presentation. These live presentations allow students to share their research with their mentor, other scientists, other students, parents, and school administrators. After the initial year of testing this authentic research process, EEAB is working to address the many lessons learned. This will allow the program to refine and improve the overall process in an effort to maximize the benefits. Combined, these powerful strategies provide a successful framework to help teachers enhance the skills and motivation of their students, preparing them to become the next generation of scientists, explorers, and STEM-literate citizens of our nation

Spheres of Earth: An Introduction to Making Observations of Earth Using an Earth System's Science Approach. Student Guide

Scientists from the Image Science and Analysis Laboratory (ISAL) at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) work with astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) who take images of Earth. Astronaut photographs, sometimes referred to as Crew Earth Observations, are taken using hand-held digital cameras onboard the ISS. These digital images allow scientists to study our Earth from the unique perspective of space. Astronauts have taken images of Earth since the 1960s. There is a database of over 900,000 astronaut photographs available at http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov . Images are requested by ISAL scientists at JSC and astronauts in space personally frame and acquire them from the Destiny Laboratory or other windows in the ISS. By having astronauts take images, they can specifically frame them according to a given request and need. For example, they can choose to use different lenses to vary the amount of area (field of view) an image will cover. Images can be taken at different times of the day which allows different lighting conditions to bring out or highlight certain features. The viewing angle at which an image is acquired can also be varied to show the same area from different perspectives. Pointing the camera straight down gives you a nadir shot. Pointing the camera at an angle to get a view across an area would be considered an oblique shot. Being able to change these variables makes astronaut photographs a unique and useful data set. Astronaut photographs are taken from the ISS from altitudes of 300 - 400 km (~185 to 250 miles). One of the current cameras being used, the Nikon D3X digital camera, can take images using a 50, 100, 250, 400 or 800mm lens. These different lenses allow for a wider or narrower field of view. The higher the focal length (800mm for example) the narrower the field of view (less area will be covered). Higher focal lengths also show greater detail of the area on the surface being imaged. Scientists from the Image Science and Analysis Laboratory (ISAL) at NASA s Johnson Space Center (JSC) work with astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) who take images of Earth. Astronaut photographs, sometimes referred to as Crew Earth Observations, are taken using hand-held digital cameras onboard the ISS. These digital images allow scientists to study our Earth from the unique perspective of space. Astronauts have taken images of Earth since the 1960s. There is a database of over 900,000 astronaut photographs available at http://eol.jsc.nasa.gov . Images are requested by ISAL scientists at JSC and astronauts in space personally frame and acquire them from the Destiny Laboratory or other windows in the ISS. By having astronauts take images, they can specifically frame them according to a given request and need. For example, they can choose to use different lenses to vary the amount of area (field of view) an image will cover. Images can be taken at different times of the day which allows different lighting conditions to bring out or highlight certain features. The viewing angle at which an image is acquired can also be varied to show the same area from different perspectives. Pointing the camera straight down gives you a nadir shot. Pointing the camera at an angle to get a view across an area would be considered an oblique shot. Being able to change these variables makes astronaut photographs a unique and useful data set. Astronaut photographs are taken from the ISS from altitudes of 300 - 400 km (approx.185 to 250 miles). One of the current cameras being used, the Nikon D3X digital camera, can take images using a 50, 100, 250, 400 or 800mm lens. These different lenses allow for a wider or narrower field of view. The higher the focal length (800mm for example) the narrower the field of view (less area will be covered). Higher focal lengths also show greater detail of the area on the surface being imaged. There are four major systems or spheres of Earth. They are: Atmosphere, Biosphere, Hydrosphe, and Litho/Geosphere

Image Detective 2.0: Engaging Citizen Scientists with NASA Astronaut Photography

Image Detective 2.0 engages citizen scientists with NASA astronaut photography of the Earth obtained by crew members on the International Space Station (ISS). Engaged citizen scientists are helping to build a more comprehensive and searchable database by geolocating this imagery and contributing to new imagery collections. Image Detective 2.0 is the newest addition to the suite of citizen scientist projects available through CosmoQuest, an effort led by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) and supported through a NASA Science Mission Directorate Cooperative Agreement Notice award. CosmoQuest hosts a number of citizen science projects enabling individuals from around the world to engage in authentic NASA science. Image Detective 2.0, an effort that focuses on imagery acquired by astronauts on the International Space Station, builds on work initiated in 2012 by scientists and education specialists at the NASA Johnson Space Center. Through the many lessons learned, Image Detective 2.0 enhances the original project by offering new and improved options for participation. Existing users, as well as new Image Detective participants joining through the CosmoQuest platform, gain first-hand experience working with astronaut photography and become more engaged with this valuable data being obtained from the International Space Station. Citizens around the world are captivated by astronauts living and working in space. As crew members have a unique vantage point from which to view our Earth, the Crew Earth Observations (CEO) online database, referred to as the Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth (https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/), provides a means for crew members to share their unique views of our home planet from the ISS with the scientific community and the public. Astronaut photography supports multiple uses including scientific investigations, visualizations, education, and outreach. These astronaut images record how the planet is changing over time, from human-made changes like urban growth and agriculture, to natural features and landforms such as tropical cyclones, aurora, coastlines, volcanoes and more. This imagery provides researchers on Earth with data to understand the planet from the perspective of the ISS, and is a useful complement to other remotely sensed datasets collected from robotic satellite platforms

Caracterización beta, gamma y de oscilaciones de alta frecuencia para localización de diana en procedimientos de Estimulación Cerebral Profunda

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has been successfully used to treat patients with Parkinson’s Disease. DBS employs an electrode that regulates the oscillatory activity of the basal ganglia, such as the subthalamic nucleus (STN). A critical point during the surgical implantation of such electrode is the precise localization of the target. This is done using presurgical images, stereotactic frames, and microelectrode recordings (MER). The latter allows neurophysiologists to visualize the electrical activity of different structures along the surgical track, each of them with well-defined variations in the frequency pattern; however, this is far from an automatic or semi-automatic method to help these specialists make decisions concerning the surgical target. To pave the way to automation, we analyzed three frequency bands in MER signals acquired from 11 patients undergoing DBS: beta (13-40 Hz), gamma (40-200 Hz), and high-frequency oscillations (HFO – 201-400 Hz). In this study, we propose and assess five indexes in order to detect the STN: variations in autoregressive parameters and their derivative along the surgical track, the energy of each band calculated using the Yule-Walker power spectral density, the high-to-low (H/L) ratio, and its derivative. We found that the derivative of one parameter of the beta band and the H/L ratio of the HFO/gamma bands produced errors in STN targeting like those reported in the literature produced by image-based methods (<2 mm). Although the indexes introduced here are simple to compute and could be applied in real time, further studies must be conducted to be able to generalize their results.La estimulación cerebral profunda (DBS por sus siglas en inglés) ha sido usada exitosamente en el tratamiento de pacientes con enfermedad de Párkinson. La DBS tiene un electrodo que regula la actividad oscilatoria de los ganglios basales involucrados, como el núcleo subtalámico (STN). Un aspecto crítico en el implante de dicho electrodo es la localización precisa de la diana quirúrgica. Esta se realiza mediante imágenes pre-quirúrgicas, marcos estereotácticos y registros de micro-electrodos (MER). Este último permite visualizar la actividad eléctrica de diferentes estructuras a través del recorrido quirúrgico, cada una de ellas con un patrón de variaciones bien definidas en frecuencia; sin embargo, esto dista de ser un método automático o semi-automático que ayude al neurofisiólogo a tomar decisiones en cuanto a la diana quirúrgica. Con el ánimo de contribuir a la automatización, analizamos tres bandas de frecuencias de señales MER adquiridas en 11 pacientes sometidos a DBS: beta (13-40 Hz), gamma (40-200 Hz) y oscilaciones de alta frecuencia (HFO – 201-400 Hz). Se propusieron y evaluaron 5 índices para detectar el STN: variaciones de parámetros auto-regresivos y su derivada a lo largo del recorrido quirúrgico, la energía de cada banda a partir de la densidad espectral de potencia mediante el método de Yule-Walker, la relación de frecuencias altas a bajas y su derivada. Encontramos que la derivada de un parámetro de la banda beta y la relación alta-bajas de las bandas HFO/gamma alcanzaron errores en la localización del STN, similares a los reportados en la literatura (<2mm). Aunque los índices propuestos son sencillos de calcular y de fácil implementación en tiempo real, se deben seguir explorando para incrementar la capacidad de generalización de los resultados obtenidos