Emitting conspicuous signals into the environment to attract mates comes with the increased risk of interception by eavesdropping enemies. As a defence, a commonly described strategy is for ...signallers to group together in leks, diluting each individual's risk. Lekking systems are often highly social settings in which competing males dynamically alter their signalling behaviour to attract mates. Thus, signalling at the lek requires navigating fluctuations in risk, competition and reproductive opportunities. Here, we investigate how behavioural defence strategies directed at an eavesdropping enemy have cascading effects across the communication network. We investigated these behaviours in the túngara frog (
), examining how a calling male's swatting defence directed at frog-biting midges indirectly affects the calling behaviour of his rival. We found that the rival responds to swat-induced water ripples by increasing his call rate and complexity. Then, performing phonotaxis experiments, we found that eavesdropping fringe-lipped bats (
) do not exhibit a preference for a swatting male compared to his rival, but females strongly prefer the rival male. Defences to minimize attacks from eavesdroppers thus shift the mate competition landscape in favour of rival males. By modulating the attractiveness of signalling prey to female receivers, we posit that eavesdropping micropredators likely have an unappreciated impact on the ecology and evolution of sexual communication systems.
El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo identificar competencias organizacionales y propiciar acciones para la mejora de las de organizaciones avícolas, específicamente en la empresas avícola GENÉTICA ...Nacional S.A, de Montecristi, Ecuador. Para ello se utilizó una metodología de tres fases que, partiendo de la descripción de la organización, definición de competencias organizacionales y la consolidación de acciones de mejora para la organización estudiada. Los resultados indican que son ocho las competencias organizacionales medulares: Innovación, Formación Aprendizaje Permanente, Bioseguridad, Comunicación, Trabajo Integrado en Equipo, Perseverancia del Medio Ambiente, Orientación a la Calidad, Orientación al Cliente; las mismas responden alas mismas responden a la misión y característica de la organización; las competencia con mayores deficiencias (nivel de desarrollo bajo) resultaron ser la innovación, aprendizaje permanente, la bio seguridad de la granja y preservación del medio ambiente. En función de ello, con la utilización de la técnica 5W+1H se elaboró el plan de mejora que asocia las acciones a cada competencia, para de esta manera canalizar ventajas competitivas para la empresa GENÉTICA Nacional S.A. Las competencias organizacionales elevan la competitividad de las empresas y potencian la mejora constante del desempeño.
Monitoring mosquito populations is essential to designing and implementing control strategies. Recent strategies based on releasing biologically modified mosquitoes have increased the need to ...effectively monitor mosquito abundance. Unfortunately, existing surveillance traps are of limited value due to their high cost and low capture rates. Here, we report the results of experiments designed to evaluate the effectiveness of an acoustic trap prototype. Stimuli synthesized from recordings of Ae. aegypti wingbeat signals and pure tones were evaluated as attractants to males in indoor and semi-field conditions. Overall, the acoustic trap's efficacy differed significantly between indoor and semi-field conditions. After two hours of indoor recapture, ∼69% of males were collected from acoustic traps broadcasting pure tones while ∼78% of males were collected using synthesized wingbeat signals. Under semi-field conditions, however, acoustic traps collected less than ∼1.7% of the males released. Increasing the intensity of the signals up to 90 dB (SPL re. 20 uPa at 1 m from the trap) did not improve the capture rate under semi-field conditions. Overall, our results indicate that acoustic signals synthesized from recordings of wingbeats can be used to enhance capture of male Ae. aegypti.
Introducción: En el marco de un proceso formativo en 5 ciudades de Colombia, impartido por la Universidad de Antioquia y financiado por PROTECCIÓN S.A. entre los años 2018 – 2020, se planteó como ...objetivo: analizar los significados del cuidado que construyen los cuidadores de personas mayores en las ciudades de Rionegro, Bogotá, Cali, Pereira y Medellín. Materiales y métodos: 202 participantes, con edades comprendidas entre los 21 y los 73 años. Se desarrolló un estudio etnográfico particularista y colaborativo. Se realizaron 6 entrevistas individuales a cuidadores y expertos; se desarrolló observación participante y no participante de las clases del diplomado y de algunos contextos de cuidado. Resultados: El amor, la preservación de la existencia, el servicio, el sentido de vida y la responsabilidad fueron los significados que sobresalieron en los cuidadores de personas mayores, la transformación de estos significados se denota en la dedicación que destinan para la persona mayor cuidada, permitiendo incluso, una perspectiva de autocuidado. Conclusiones: La labor de cuidar es un acto que compromete la vida emocional tanto del cuidador como de la persona mayor cuidada. Se identificó que el proceso de formación favoreció la creación de redes de cuidadores, los cuáles en la medida del proceso formativo, evidenciaron capacidad de transformar visiones y significados; replantear situaciones particulares; comprender la necesidad de cuidar de sí, para cuidar a otro; la creación de lazos de solidaridad; las experiencias del trabajo interdisciplinar y el interés por capacitarse y compartir conocimientos.
Summary Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an essential role in immune homeostasis. In infectious diseases Tregs may inhibit protective responses facilitating pathogen multiplication and dissemination, ...but they may also limit the inflammatory response diminishing tissue damage. Although there is experimental and clinical evidence that Tregs are induced during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, their role in the immunopathogenesis of tuberculosis is still not completely understood. In this study, the phenotype, frequency and activity of circulating Tregs in active and latent tuberculosis were evaluated. Phenotypic analysis showed that Tregs were CD4+ CD25high FOXP3+ CD45RO+ CD127- . High levels of circulating Tregs were found in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis, compared to individuals with latent infection. Treg activity was evaluated by ELISPOT by determining the effect of CD25+ cell depletion on the frequency of IFN-γ and IL-17 producing cells after in vitro stimulation with ESAT-6, CFP-10 and PPD. Treg depletion increased the frequency of IFN-γ producing cells, without affecting the frequency of IL-17 producing cells, in both active and latent tuberculosis, irrespective of the antigen used. Neutralization of IL-10 did not have any effect on the frequency of IFN-γ and IL-17 producing cells. Altogether, these results suggest that during active tuberculosis Tregs inhibit protective Th1 responses, but not the proinflammatory Th17 responses, facilitating mycobacterial replication and tissue damage.
The best scientific evidence is required to design effective Non-pharmaceutical interventions to help policymakers to contain COVID-19.
To describe which Non-pharmaceutical interventions used ...different countries and a when they use them. It also explores how Non-pharmaceutical interventions impact the number of cases, the mortality, and the capacity of health systems.
We consulted eight web pages of transnational organizations, 17 of international media, 99 of government institutions in the 19 countries included, and besides, we included nine studies (out of 34 identified) that met inclusion criteria.
Some countries are focused on establishing travel restrictions, isolation of identified cases, and high-risk people. Others have a combination of mandatory quarantine and other drastic social distancing measures. The timing to implement the interventions varied from the first fifteen days after detecting the first case to more than 30 days. The effectiveness of isolated non-pharmaceutical interventions may be limited, but combined interventions have shown to be effective in reducing the transmissibility of the disease, the collapse of health care services, and mortality. When the number of new cases has been controlled, it is necessary to maintain social distancing measures, self-isolation, and contact tracing for several months. The policy decision-making in this time should be aimed to optimize the opportunities of saving lives, reducing the collapse of health services, and minimizing the economic and social impact over the general population, but principally over the most vulnerable. The timing of implementing and lifting interventions could have a substantial effect on those objectives.
To explore the perceptions that Colombians have about voluntary private health insurance plans (VPHI) in the health system to identify the tensions that exist between the public and private systems.
...A qualitative case study approach with 46 semi structured interviews of patients, healthcare workers, healthcare administrators, decision-makers, and citizens. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, anonymized, digitally stored, and analyzed following grounded theory guidelines.
We developed a paradigmatic matrix that explores how, in a context mediated by both the commodification of health and social stratification, perceptions about the failures in the public health system related to lack of timely care, extensive administrative procedures, and the search for privileged care led to positioning VPHI as a solution to these failures. The interviewees identified three consequences of using VPHI: first, the worsening of problems of timely access to care in the public system; second, higher costs for citizens translated into double payment for technologies and services to which they are entitled; third, the widening of inequity gaps in access to health services between people with similar needs but different payment capacities.
These findings can help decision makers to understand citizens´ perceptions about the implications that VPHI may have in worsening equity gaps in the Colombian health system. It also shows, how VPHI is perceived as a double payment for services covered within social security plans and suggests that the perceived lack of timely access to care in the public systems and the fear that citizens have for themselves or their family members when using suboptimal healthcare are important drivers to purchase these private insurances.
Objetivo.
Contextualizar una síntesis de evidencia sobre intervenciones en salud mental estudiantil durante la pandemia de la enfermedad por el coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19, por su sigla en inglés) por ...medio de un diálogo deliberativo con universidades iberoamericanas.
Métodos.
Se realizó previamente una síntesis de evidencia y un diálogo sincrónico, que consistió en la discusión en subgrupos acerca del diseño y aplicación de las intervenciones en salud mental. Se realizó un análisis de datos dialógicos y se sintetizó por temas.
Resultados.
Cincuenta y siete miembros de 17 universidades iberoamericanas públicas y privadas participaron en el encuentro. En el diseño de las intervenciones, se percibe la salud mental como desatendida, y visibilizada con la pandemia. La detección de necesidades es la que orienta las intervenciones y rara vez se utiliza evidencia científica para diseñarlas. Se considera importante conformar un equipo interdisciplinario con capacitación continua para diseñar un programa específico, que cubra también familias y personal docente y administrativo. En la aplicación, existen problemas como la saturación de los servicios por la alta demanda y la falta de recursos básicos de los estudiantes. Es innegable la influencia del contexto macro e institucional por la disposición de recursos. El diálogo fue percibido como oportunidad para construir un consolidado nuevo de intervenciones.
Conclusiones.
Este diálogo permitió enriquecer la descripción de intervenciones en salud mental estudiantil durante la pandemia de COVID-19 ya descritas en la literatura, aunque llevarlas a la práctica en nuestro contexto supone hacer frente a la deuda por la desatención previa y las altas necesidades básicas insatisfechas.
Anopheles albimanus is a malaria vector in Central America, northern South America and the Caribbean. Although a public health threat, An. albimanus precopulatory mating behaviors are unknown. ...Acoustics play important roles in mosquito communication, where flight tones allow males to detect and attract potential mates. The importance of sound in precopulatory interactions has been demonstrated in Toxorhynchites brevipalpis, Aedes aegypti, Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles gambiae; convergence in a shared harmonic of the wing beat frequency (WBF) during courtship is thought to increase the chance of copulation. To our knowledge, An. albimanus precopulatory acoustic behaviors have not been described to date. Here, we characterized An. albimanus (i) male and female flight tones; (ii) male-female precopulatory acoustic interactions under tethered and free flight conditions; and (iii) male-male acoustic interactions during free flight.
We found significant increases in the WBFs of both sexes in free flight compared to when tethered. We observed harmonic convergence between 79% of tethered couples. In free flight, we identified a female-specific behavior that predicts mate rejection during male mating attempts: females increase their WBFs significantly faster during mate rejection compared to a successful copulation. This behavior consistently occurred during mate rejection regardless of prior mating attempts (from the same or differing male). During group flight, males of An. albimanus displayed two distinct flying behaviors: random flight and a swarm-like, patterned flight, each associated with distinct acoustic characteristics. In the transition from random to patterned flight, males converged their WBFs and significantly decreased flight area, male-male proximity and the periodicity of their trajectories.
We show that tethering of An. albimanus results in major acoustic differences compared to free flight. We identify a female-specific behavior that predicts mate rejection during male mating attempts in this species and show that male groups in free flight display distinct flying patterns with unique audio and visual characteristics. This study shows that An. albimanus display acoustic features identified in other mosquito species, further suggesting that acoustic interactions provide worthwhile targets for mosquito intervention strategies. Our results provide compelling evidence for swarming in this species and suggests that acoustic signaling is important for this behavior.
Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have spread worldwide as a new form of social assistance for the poor. Previous evaluations of CCT programs focus mainly on rural settings, and little is ...known about their effects in urban areas. This paper studies the short-term (1- and 2-year) effects of the Mexican Oportunidades CCT program on urban children/youth. The program provides financial incentives for children/youth to attend school and for family members to visit health clinics. To participate, families had to sign up for the program and be deemed eligible. Difference-in-difference propensity score-matching estimates indicate that the program is successful in increasing school enrollment, schooling attainment and time devoted to homework for girls and boys and in decreasing working rates of boys.
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