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Study of atmospheric dispersion of particulate matter using a meteorological model, a photochemical model and an emissions model in Asuncion, Paraguay
No full textThis work utilizes an integrated air quality modeling framework combining the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, and the Sparse Matrix Operator Kernel Emissions (SMOKE) model to examine fine particulate matter (PM2.5) dispersion in Asuncion, Paraguay. The study focuses on simulating PM2.5 concentrations and validating these against observations from Asunción's air quality monitoring network to elucidate the impact of urban emissions and meteorological conditions on particulate dispersion. It highlights the significant influence of weather patterns and vehicular emissions on particulate levels. Integrating CMAQ with WRF and SMOKE models for this purpose is a novel approach, offering detailed insights into the factor s driving air quality in this Capital City. Findings from this research reveal pronounced variabilities in PM2.5 concentrations, driven by seasonal meteorological changes and urban activities. This emphasizes the need for accurate emissions inventories and ground-stations in real-time in air quality prediction. The application of the CMAQ-WRF-SMOKE modeling system represents a significant contribution to atmospheric science, showcasing the potential of integrated modeling approaches in understanding and managing urban air quality. This contribution underscores the broader implications of our findings, suggesting a scalable and adaptable framework for air quality assessment and intervention in cities worldwide.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarrolloPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de creación y fortalecimiento de maestrías y doctorados de excelenci
Estructura espacial policéntrica del Área Metropolitana de Asunción (AMA)
No full textCorrespondencia: [email protected] la configuración de los territorios influye la localización del empleo. El objetivo de la investigación es determinar la estructura espacial policéntrica del AMA. Se propone un modelo basado en la variable empleo, considerando la localización y la densidad. Se utilizan distintos métodos econométricos para la validación de los resultados, incluyendo Mínimos Cuadrados Ponderados y técnicas bayesianas. Los resultados reflejan la estructura espacial policéntrica en el AMA, con Fernando de la Mora y San Lorenzo como subcentros de empleo identificados.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll
Divergence in toxin antigenicity and venom enzymes in Tityus melici, a medically important scorpion, despite transcriptomic and phylogenetic affinities with problematic Brazilian species
No full textCorresponding author at: Centro para el Desarrollo de la Investigación Científica, CEDIC, Asunción 1255, Paraguay. Adolfo Borges, [email protected] Brazilian scorpion Tityus melici, native to Minas Gerais and Bahia, is morphologically related to Tityus serrulatus, the most medically significant species in Brazil. Despite inhabiting scorpion-envenomation endemic regions, T. melici venom remains unexplored. This work evaluates T. melici venom composition and function using transcriptomics, enzymatic activities, and in vivo and in vitro immunological analyses. Next-Generation Sequencing unveiled 86 components putatively involved in venom toxicity: 39 toxins, 28 metalloproteases, seven disulfide isomerases, six hyaluronidases, three phospholipases and three amidating enzymes. T. serrulatus showed the highest number of toxin matches with 80–100 % sequence similarity. T. melici is of medical importance as it has a venom LD50 of 0.85 mg/kg in mice. We demonstrated venom phospholipase A2 activity, and elevated hyaluronidase and metalloprotease activities compared to T. serrulatus, paralleling our transcriptomic findings. Comparison of transcriptional levels for T. serrulatus and T. melici venom metalloenzymes suggests species-specific expression patterns in Tityus. Despite close phylogenetic association with T. serrulatus inferred from COI sequences and toxin similarities, partial neutralization of T. melici venom toxicity was achieved when using the anti-T. serrulatus antivenom, implying antigenic divergence among their toxins. We suggest that the Brazilian therapeutic scorpion antivenom could be improved to effectively neutralize T. melici venom.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa de repatriación y radicación de investigadores del exteriorPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Fortalecimiento de infraestructura y equipamiento para la investigaciónPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore
Jaguar at the Edge : movement patterns in human-altered landscapes
Full text linkCorresponding author. E-mail address: [email protected] (V. Bejarano Alegre)Human-caused habitat loss and fragmentation have significantly impacted the natural environments of large carnivores, altering their movement patterns and increasing risks such as hunting and road collisions. This study aims to understand the movement of jaguars (Panthera onca) through forests, agriculture of varying patch sizes, their distances to these structures, and roads and drainages. By analyzing movement speed, revisits, time spent inside these structures, and the timing of the last visit, data from 54 GPS-tagged jaguars in South America reveal a pronounced tendency to revisit the edges of these landscape variables. Additionally, jaguars showed a stronger affinity for natural areas, spending more time in large forest patches and reducing their speed in natural drainages. Areas with extensive agriculture had fewer revisits, and jaguars moved faster near roads. These results demonstrate the level of tolerance and the dangers this species faces in a landscape with anthropogenic aspects. This comprehensive assessment of movement patterns and landscape use provides valuable insights into how landscape structure influences habitat preference and mobility rates, which is crucial for future jaguar conservation and management strategies.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore
Bioprospection of bacterial strains from chromite process industry residues from Mexico for potential remediation
Full text linkCorrespondence: Remy Guyoneaud, [email protected] article belongs to the Special Issue Exclusive Papers Collection of Editorial Board Members and Invited Scholars in Applied Microbiology (2023, 2024).Industrial residues with high concentrations of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], characterized by an alkaline pH (between 9 and 13) and high salinity (around 100 psu), were used as a source for extremophilic chromium-resistant and -reducing microorganisms. An investigation of biodiversity through MiSeq showed the presence of 20 bacterial classes, with Bacilli (47%), Negativicutes (15%), Bacteriodia (8%), Gammaproteobacteria (7%) and Clostridia (5%) being the most abundant. The bioprospection allowed the cultivation of 87 heterotrophic bacterial colonies and 17 bacterial isolates at the end of the isolation, and screening procedures were obtained. The isolates were related to Cellulosimicrobium aquatile, C. funkei, Acinetobacter radioresistens, Staphylococcus equorum, S. epidermis, Brachybacterium paraconglometratum, Glutamicibacter creatinolyticus, Pseudomonas songnenensis, Microbacterium algeriense and Pantoea eucalypti, most of them being resistant to Cr(VI). Resistances of up to 400 mg.L−1 of chromate were obtained for four related strains (QReMLB55A, QRePRA55, QReMLB33A and QReMLB44C). The C. aquatile strain QReMLB55A and the P. songnenensis strain QReMLB33A were exposed to K2Cr2O7 (200 mg.L−1) under optimal conditions, diminishing 94% and 24% of the Cr(VI) in 6 days, respectively. These strains exhibited a high potential for chromium remediation biotechnologies.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Financiamiento para la vinculación de científicos y tecnólogo
Discipline and punishment in panoptical public goods games
Full text linkCorresponding author. Correspondence to Rocio Botta. Email: [email protected]ículo científico premiado con una Mención Honorífica por el Premio Nacional de Ciencias de la edición 2024, otorgado por la Honorable Cámara de Senadores del Congreso Nacional de la República del Paraguay.In Public Goods Games (PGG), the temptation to free-ride on others’ contributions poses a significant threat to the sustainability of cooperative societies. Therefore, societies strive to mitigate this through incentive systems, employing rewards and punishments to foster cooperative behavior. Thus, peer punishment, in which cooperators sanction defectors, as well as pool punishment, where a centralized punishment institution executes the punishment, is deeply analyzed in previous works. Although the literature indicates that these methods may enhance cooperation on social dilemmas under particular contexts, there are still open questions, for instance, the structural connection between graduated punishment and the monitoring of public goods games. Our investigation proposes a compulsory PGG framework under Panoptical surveillance. Inspired by Foucault’s theories on disciplinary mechanisms and biopower, we present a novel mathematical model that scrutinizes the balance between the severity and scope of punishment to catalyze cooperative behavior. By integrating perspectives from evolutionary game theory and Foucault’s theories of power and discipline, this research uncovers the theoretical foundations of mathematical frameworks involved in punishment and discipline structures. We show that well-calibrated punishment and discipline schemes, leveraging the panoptical effect for universal oversight, can effectively mitigate the free-rider dilemma, fostering enhanced cooperation. This interdisciplinary approach not only elucidates the dynamics of cooperation in societal constructs but also underscores the importance of integrating diverse methodologies to address the complexities of fostering cooperative evolution.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarrolloPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore
Understanding the genetic variation and structure of the Rustipollos chicken synthetic population locally adapted to Paraguay : opportunities for a sustainable chicken productivity
Full text linkCorrespondence: [email protected] (L.A.C.R.); [email protected] (S.C.)The production of backyard chickens is an activity of great importance in the economy of rural families in Paraguay. The Rustipollos population was created through directed crosses between a commercial meat line and a local population belonging to non-specific breeds but phenotypically assimilated to Creole breeds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity, relationship, and structure of Rustipollos using 29 microsatellite markers. Analysis was performed on 50 Rustipollos animals and 926 other individuals as reference breeds/populations from Europe, Africa, South, and North America. A total of 318 alleles were detected, with a mean of 10.97 per locus. The polymorphic information content indicated that 80% of all loci were highly to moderately informative. Only two breeds/populations showed loci that did not deviate from the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. The results of genetic diversity indexes suggested moderate levels of genetic variability in Rustipollos population and low inbreeding level. The genetic differentiation index indicates a high genetic differentiation between populations. The results of the Neighbor-Net tree and STRUCTURE analyses indicate the existence of distinct gene pools, with some genetic relationships between Rustipollos, the commercial chicken strain, and south Spanish breeds. The Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components confirmed the observed genetic distances between breeds/populations. The results will be useful for sustainable use and official recognition of this population.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Proyectos de investigación y desarroll
Analysis of patterns related to wildlife roadkill in the Humid Chaco of Paraguay
Full text linkCorresponding author: José Luis Cartes Yegros ([email protected]), Pier Cacciali ([email protected])Paved roads are a solution for communication between human societies, but at the same time, their expansion is detrimental to wildlife. In this work, vertebrate mortality events due to traffic collisions on National Route N° 5, in a 50 km stretch from the town of Pozo Colorado to the east, are evaluated. Vehicle journeys were carried out at a constant speed of 40 km/h every two months, from November 2020 to May 2022. All findings of roadkill were recorded by photograph. To analyse spatial patterns, the Kernel density was estimated, assessing the randomness of Ripley's K collisions and standardised roadkill rates were assessed for each species. A total of 272 individuals were recorded, corresponding to 87 amphibians, 38 birds and 35 mammals. In terms of the number of species, the composition was as follows: reptiles with 20 species, birds with 13 species, mammals with 11 and amphibians with at least 12 species. The species with the highest number of dead individuals was the common toad (Rhinella diptycha), followed by snakes. According to the standardised roadkill rates, the most affected animals are Cerdocyon thous, Rhinella diptycha, Caiman yacare and Dryophylax hypoconia with more than 200 individuals per kilometre per year. A bat, Lasiurus ega, was identified for the first time for Paraguay. Climatic conditions seems to have no strong effect on the occurrence pattern of the different taxa, with the exception of birds that decrease with stronger winds. The greatest coincidences occurred in three sections: km 5–5.5, km 33.5–34.5 and km 40–43. There was a correlation with crossroads areas, watercourses and forest islands. In view of the road development policy in the region, it is necessary to carry out studies of its impacts in the longer term.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore
Electrophoretic mobility assay to separate supercoiled, catenated, and knotted DNA molecules
Full text linkFor correspondence: María José Fernández Nestosa, [email protected] (2D) agarose gel electrophoresis is the method of choice to analyze DNA topology. The possibility to use E. coli strains with different genetic backgrounds in combination with nicking enzymes and different concentrations of norfloxacin improves the resolution of 2D gels to study the electrophoretic behavior of three different families of DNA topoisomers: supercoiled DNA molecules, post-replicative catenanes, and knotted DNA molecules. Here, we describe the materials and procedures required to optimize their separation by 2D gels. Understanding the differences in their electrophoretic behavior can help explain some important physical characteristics of these different types of DNA topoisomers.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma Paraguayo para el Desarrollo de la Ciencia y Tecnología. Programa Nacional de Incentivo a los Investigadore
Diseño y desarrollo de un sistema con inteligencia artificial para coordinar la cadena de abastecimiento de la industria de salud del Paraguay
No full textContacto: [email protected]ño y desarrollo de una plataforma analítica que incorpora motores que utilizan algoritmos de Machine Learning que permite estimar el consumo de medicamentos en base a pronósticos de enfermedades estacionales y el clima, calculando las reposiciones entre los diferentes componentes de la cadena de abastecimiento, dotando de paneles analíticos permitiendo visibilizar a diferentes audiencias la operativa de compras y logística (compras, proveedores, distribución, logística, directores).
Conclusiones. El uso Machine Learning, subcampo de la IA, ha demostrado en esta investigación y a lo largo de los últimos años su eficiencia en comparación con técnicas tradicionales de predicción de series temporales. Animamos a la industria de Salud su adopción, acompañado por políticas de Estado que permitan su incorporación de manera gradual, priorizando medicamentos de consumo masivos.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y TecnologíaPrograma de Innovación en Empresas Paraguayas. Proyectos Individuales de Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológic