Progress in developing a sweetpotato ontology for breeders

Crop ontologies have been identified under the Generation Challenge Program and at the International Potato Center (CIP) as a crucial tool for managing and analyzing crop related information. Here we report progress on applying ontological concepts on sweetpotato traits important for breeders and varietal development. We defined a general strategy of identifying important traits based on their re-use in catalogs and experience in usage. A list of about 40 descriptors was identified, including 17 morphological and 22 evaluation traits. Those traits were crosschecked against other crop-ontologies (cassava, barley, maize, solanaceae) on the community site ‘crop ontology’ for consistency. Where appropriate, we annotated linkages. The current draft list of traits is still work-in-progress and subject to further review and refinement. This will include completion of traits, further consistency checks and translation before depositing on the crop-ontology site. The 39 descriptors include morphological (17), agronomical (3), resistance (4), biochemical (11) and post-harvest (4) traits

Progress in developing a potato ontology for breeders.

The potato ontology is part of a community effort to establish a set of related crop ontologies. The advantage of an ontology is that both humans and software applications can understand a data domain. This will allow the application of numerical or data mining techniques that may help to uncover previously unknown correlations. Building on previous draft versions, here we focus on traits important to breeding: we identified so far 70 descriptors. These include: morphological (36), agronomical performance (7), resistance traits (7), biochemical (6), reaction to abiotic stresses (2), molecular (1 ) and post-harvest (9). We anticipate further refinements and cross-checks

Associated factors, inequalities, and spatial distribution of the use of modern contraceptive methods among women of reproductive age in Peru: a population-based cross-sectional study

Background: The use of contraceptive methods in Peru has remarkably increased in recent decades. Nevertheless, despite the completeness and accessibility of family planning methods, modern contraceptive methods utilization in Peru remains below the South American average. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the factors associated with modern contraceptive use, as well as the presence of inequalities and the spatial distribution in Peruvian women aged 15–49 years in 2019. Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted using information from the 2019 Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey. We performed descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and Poisson multiple regression. Inequalities were estimated through concentration curves and Erreygers’ normalized concentration index. Spatial analysis included choropleth map, Global Moran’s I, Kriging interpolation and Getis-Ord-Gi* statistic. Results: The prevalence of modern contraceptive use was 39.3% among Peruvian women of reproductive age. Modern contraceptive use was directly associated with youth (aPR 1.39), women having their first sexual intercourse before the age of 18 (aPR 1.41), and being married but not together (aPR 1.87). In addition, speaking Quechua or Aymara (aPR 0.87) and having no children (aPR 0.59) were inversely associated with utilization of modern contraceptives. We found the presence of inequalities in the use of contraceptive methods (pro-rich distribution), although the magnitude was low. Spatial analysis unveiled the presence of a clustered distribution pattern (Moran’s Index = 0,009); however, there was inter-departmental and intra-departmental heterogeneity in the predicted prevalence of the use of modern contraceptives. In addition, significant hot and cold spots were found in Peru. Conclusion: Two out of five Peruvian women of reproductive age used modern contraceptives. It was associated with younger women’s age, younger age at first sexual intercourse, being married or cohabitant, among others. No substantial inequality was found in modern contraceptive use. The prevalence was heterogeneous at the intra- and inter-departmental level. Those departments located in the south, south-east, and north-east had the lowest prevalence. Therefore, nonfinancial barriers must be tackled through multi- and cross-sectoral efforts and continue to universally provide modern contraceptives.Revisión por pare

Resolución algebraica de problemas estequiométricos

La resolución de problemas, entendida como la metodología para enfrentar situaciones nuevas que impliquen un reto personal, es una estrategia didáctica eficaz que permite generar, consolidar e integrar conocimientos. La resolución de un problema típico en ciencias parte de la comprensión de su enunciado, constituido por un texto corto escrito en lenguaje natural; la traducción de dicha situación al lenguaje matemático constituye un obstáculo en el proceso de resolución de problemas con estructura matemática subyacente. Para desarrollar en los estudiantes de ingeniería química las habilidades matemática y de traducción de lenguajes coloquial-científico-algebraico, se diseñaron enunciados de problemas basados en la estequiometría de compuestos y reacciones, los cuales involucran el planteamiento y resolución de sistemas de ecuaciones algebraicas lineales

Benefits of homemade chocolate consumption on human health

Objective: To describe the benefits of homemade chocolate consumption on human health in La Chontalpa, Tabasco, Mexico. Design/Methodology/Approach: We interviewed 49 persons in La Chontalpa, along with 30 contacts from social networks; additionally, a participatory workshop was held with 15 persons trained in making homemade chocolate. A traditional specialist doctor who uses cacao as a medicinal base was interviewed and we were observers during cacao ceremonies. The information was analyzed using opinion analysis and the Chi-square test. Results: Ninety-seven-point nine percent of the interviewees agreed that consuming homemade chocolate is beneficial for health, while 89.8% mentioned that consuming chocolate makes them feel good. Fifty-five percent of the consumers consider that chocolate provides them energy; 51.1% say that it helps them to control hunger and thirst; and 36.7% feel that consuming it takes away sadness and laziness. The benefits of chocolate consumption reported in the ceremonies, workshops, and interviews were that it controls depression, promotes concentration, and causes joy; it also cures diarrhea, anemia, headaches, and stomach ache. Study Limitations/Implications: The sanitary restrictions derived from the COVID-19 pandemic limited face-to-face interviews in 2021, which were instead carried out using social networks. It is forbidden to record and take photos and videos of cacao ceremonies; therefore, we were unable to document them. Findings/Conclusions: In La Chontalpa, Tabasco, the population consumes homemade chocolate because they believe that chocolate provides mental and physical health benefits

Mode Engineering in Large Arrays of Coupled Plasmonic–Dielectric Nanoantennas

Strong electromagnetic field confinement and enhancement can be readily achieved in plasmonic nanoantennas, however, this is considerably more difficult to realize over large areas, which is essential for many applications. Here, dispersion engineering in plasmonic metamaterials is applied to successfully develop and demonstrate a coupled array of plasmonic–dielectric nanoantennas offering an ultrahigh density of electromagnetic hot spots (10 cm ) over macroscopic, centimeter scale areas. The hetero-metamaterial is formed by a highly ordered array of vertically standing plasmonic dipolar antennas with a ZnO gap and fabricated using a scalable electrodeposition technique. It supports a complex modal structure, including guided, surface and gap modes, which offers rich opportunities, frequently beyond the local effective medium theory, with optical properties that can be easily controlled and defined at the fabrication stage. This metamaterial platform can be used in a wide variety of applications, including hot-electron generation, nanoscale light sources, sensors, as well as nonlinear and memristive devices. 11 −

Plant Litter Quality Affects the Accumulation Rate, Composition, and Stability of Mineral-associated Soil Organic Matter

Mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) is a relatively large and stable fraction of soil organic matter (SOM). Plant litters with high rates of mineralization (high quality litters) are hypothesized to promote the accumulation of MAOM with greater efficiency than plant litters with low rates of mineralization (low-quality litters) because litters with high rates of mineralization maximize the synthesis of microbial products and most MAOM is microbial-derived. However, the effect of litter quality on MAOM is inconsistent. We conducted four repeated short-term incubations (46-d each) of four plant litters (alfalfa, oats, maize and soybean) in two low-carbon subsoils (sandy loam and silty loam) with and without nutrient addition. Our short-term incubations focused on the initial stage of litter decomposition during the time when litter quality has a measureable effect on mineralization rates. Plant litter quality had a much greater effect on litter-C mineralization rate and MAOM-C accumulation than did soil type or nutrient addition. Soils amended with high-quality oat and alfalfa litters had greater MAOM-C accumulation than soils amended with low-quality maize and soybean litters. However, soils amended with high-quality litters also had greater litter-C mineralization than soils amended with low-quality litters. As a result, the accumulation of MAOM-C per unit of litter-C mineralization was lower in soils amended with high-vs. low-quality litters (0.65 vs. 1.39 g MAOM-C accumulated g−1 C mineralized). Cellulose and hemicelluose indices of accumulated MAOM were greater for maize and soybean than oats and alfalfa, however, most carbohydrates in MAOM were plant-derived regardless of litter quality. At the end of the incubations, more of the accumulated MAOM-N was potentially mineralizable in soils amended with high quality litters. Nevertheless, most of the litter-C remained as residual litter; just 12% was mineralized to CO2 and 13% was transferred to MAOM. Our results demonstrate several unexpected effects of litter quality on MAOM stabilization including the direct stabilization of plant-derived carbohydrates