Paraboeremia yungensis sp. nov., a new fungal species isolated from Las Yungas, South America, with promising tyrosinase production potential Peralta, Maria Patricia; Aliaga, Joaquin; Delgado, Osvaldo Daniel; Fariña, Julia Ines; Lechner, Bernardo Ernesto In the context of a bioprospection programme for tyrosinase/L-DOPA- and melanin-producing fungal strains forbiotechnological purposes, a hyperproducer isolate was obtained from Las Yungas rainforest, a relevant biodiverse ecoregionin North-Western Argentina. The selected strain was preliminarily identified as Paraboeremia sp. This is, to the best of ourknowledge, the first native reported species of this genus in South America. Single-gene and multi-locus analyses of theinternal transcribed spacer nuclear ribosomal RNA gene region (ITS), partial large subunit 28S nrDNA region (LSU), RNApolymerase II region (RPB2) and partial β-tubulin gene (TUB2) alignments were carried out to define the phylogeneticidentity of this strain. As part of a polyphasic identification approach, these results were combined with morphologicalstudies of active cultures growing on malt extract, oatmeal and potato dextrose agar plates. Incubation was performedunder diverse conditions to stimulate sporulation for the subsequent micromorphological analysis. Microphotographs ofpycnidia and conidia were taken with a scanning electron microscope. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian Inference analysessupported the location of the strain within the genus Paraboeremia, whilst morphological features allowed distinguishing itfrom previously described species within this genus. Based on the results herein reported, the new South-American speciesParaboeremia yungensis is described and proposed.

Excess weight and thinness over two decades (1996–2015) and spatial distribution in children from Jujuy, Argentina Bustamante, María José; Alfaro Gómez, Emma Laura; Dipierri, Jose Edgardo; Román, María Dolores Background: The increase of excess weight around the world is progressive and sustained in children. This is the most prevalent form of malnutrition in this population and they represent the major public health problem in developed and developing countries. The aim of this study was to analyze the magnitude of change in thinness and excess weight prevalence in 4–7 years-old schoolchildren from Jujuy (Argentina), between 1996 and 2015 and to examine the association according to sex and school location. Methods: Cross-sectional study. Data was obtained from databases of School Health programs and it is representative of the city school population. For the analysis, 31,014 schoolchildren between 4 and 7 years old were evaluated, 20,224 from the first period (1996–2001) and 10,790 from the second (2010–2015). The city was partitioned in three different areas determined by the rivers that cross it. Nutritional status was determined by BMI for age with the criteria suggested by the International Obesity Task Force. The percentage of malnutrition change between periods was calculated and a binomial regression model was adjusted. Results: Between periods, a significant (p-value< 0.0001) increase in the prevalence of overweight from 15.1% (CI 14.6–15.6%) to 18.1% (CI 17.4–18.8%) and obesity from 5% (CI 4.7–5.3) to 10.7% (CI 10.1–11.3%), and a decrease of thinness prevalence from 6.3% (CI 6.0–6.7%) to 4.7% (CI 4.3–5.1%) were observed. The percentage of change in the prevalence of obesity was very high in all areas and in both sexes (103.5% girls; 125.6% in boys), being higher in the south for girls (122.4%) and in the north for boys (158.8%). Besides, being a boy was inversely associated with the presence of excess weight and, as the age increases, the presence of obesity does it too. By analyzing the effect of the school location, the south and north zones had an inverse association with the presence of obesity. The period has a direct association with the presence of excess weight. Conclusion: The study contributes with valuable information on the magnitude of the increase in obesity in schoolchildren and suggests a possible correlation with sex and spatial distribution in the capital city of Jujuy.

"Temporada de Revoluciones": Las agencias internacionales de noticias y la política latinoamericana durante la primera guerra fría; “Revolutions are in season”: International news agencies and latinamerican politics during the cold war Espeche Gilardoni, Ximena Las batallas por la información en las revoluciones boliviana y cubana se superponen con las de la Guerra Fría, donde el tópico información/ ideología tiene un rol fundamental. Por ello es clave estudiar las actividades de las agencias internacionales de noticias en la cobertura de ambos sucesos. Me detengo en las acciones de la agencia Associated Press. Analizo su papeleo interno, así como estudios de la UNESCO, y las críticas de los líderes revolucionarios sobre el manejo informativo. Sostengo que se trató de una batalla entre diversos actores por estabilizar la información sobre las características de una revolución latinoamericana, a la vez por definir el interés/desinterés de la noticia sobre la revolución según determinados criterios de análisis, incluyendo los comerciales.; The information battles of the Bolivian and Cuban Revolutions overlaps the ones of the Cold War, where information/ideology topic was fundamental. It is vital to study the international news agencies activities that covered those revolutions. In this case, I will study Associated Press actions. In this battle, several actors participated in the stabilization of the information on the characteristics of a Latin American revolution, based on the selection of news, including commercial ones.

Anxiety, Depression and Anger: Application of a Bifactor Model to Identify Common Symptoms García Batista, Zoilo Emilio; Guerra Peña, Kiero; Flores Kanter, Pablo Ezequiel; Moretti, Luciana Sofía; Medrano, Leonardo Adrián Anger manifestations, depression and anxiety are strongly related to individual´s discomfort and well-being. The aim of the present study is to investigate the fit of a bifactor model applied on emotional disposition measures emphasizing the specification of a general factor through the identification of specific responses or indicators that can account for the communality between depression, anxiety and anger. The results obtained show two large groups of indicators that would be common in these affective disposition types: affective and cognitive responses. On the one hand, affective responses include agitation, irritability, and tension or nervousness. On the other hand, cognitive symptoms are linked to the presence of repetitive worrying and uncontrollable thoughts. In this way, it is possible to identify a general stress response in this group of indicators.

Effect of Thymus vulgaris essential oil on soybeans seeds infected with Pseudomonas syringae Sotelo, Jesica Paola; Oddino, Claudio Marcelo; Giordano, Damian Francisco; Carezzano, Maria Evangelina; Oliva, Maria de Las Mercedes Pseudomonas savastanoi pv glycinea is responsible for bacterial blight in soybean. The control of this phytopathogen usually involves the use of toxic pesticides for the environment that quickly generates bacterial resistance. As an alternative, the application of eco-friendly products such as essential oils (EO) from aromatic plants with antimicrobial activity is being assayed. The aim of this work was to carry out a preliminary study of the antimicrobial activity of Thymus vulgaris EO (TEO) on soybean seeds infected with P. savastanoi pv. glycinea B076 and Pseudomonas syringae M7-C1 in a greenhouse scale. Firstly, the non-phytotoxic concentration of TEO on seeds was determined and then the antimicrobial activity at this concentration on soybean seeds infected with both strains was analyzed. The determinations for this were: germination, plant growth, incidence, severity and effect of EO on the soil microbiome. The non phytotoxic concentration of TEO was 1.76 mg/ml, the germination of the treated seeds was 73%, whereas for the infected seeds it was only 55 and 49%. Bacteria counts in seeds dropped 6 logs when treated with TEO. The growth parameters of the plants were similar in all treatments. The soil microbiome was not affected by EO. The incidence and severity of the disease were significantly lower in the plants that received the seed treatment with TEO.

Predictors of parasite and pathogen infections in urban rodents of central Argentina Fitte, Bruno; Cavia, Regino; Robles, Maria del Rosario; Dellarupe, Andrea; Unzaga, Juan Manuel; Navone, Graciela Teresa Urban rodents are associated with parasites and pathogens, which present health risks forhumans, but information on factors related to parasite and pathogen infection in rodentsin cities of Latin America is scarce. This study analyzes the hosts, host community structureand environmental characteristics of parasite and pathogen fauna present in the three speciesof urban rodents in an urban area of South America. Rodents were captured seasonally inseven different neighborhoods. Digestive tracts were dissected under stereoscopic microscopyand feces were processed using a sedimentation technique. Protozoa and bacteria weredetected through polymerase chain reaction and indirect immunofluorescence techniques.In Rattus norvegicus, Rattus rattus and Mus musculus, ten helminths, three protozoa andtwo bacteria were found. Six were zoonotic: Toxoplasma gondii; Hymenolepis diminuta;Rodentolepis nana; Strobilocercus fasciolaris; Leptospira borgpetersenii; and Leptospira interrogans. The parasite and pathogen infections were influenced by the host species, the hostcommunity structure, the season, and the presence of streams in the neighborhood. Urbanrodents may be the infection source of many zoonotic diseases and it is important to generatepublic policies for this problem. This study is one example of the situation of many cities ofLatin America, where peripheral neighborhoods are growing dramatically.

Materiales cerámicos de La Ciénega (Departamento de Tafí, Tucumán); Ceramic materials from La Ciénega (Tafí department, Tucuman) Cremonte, Maria Beatriz; Lopez, Valeria Maria del Milagro Se presenta un catálogo de cerámicas procedentes de sitios arqueológicos de la quebrada de LaCiénega datados en el primer milenio de la Era Cristiana. El objetivo de este informe es divulgar lavariabilidad alfarera registrada en La Ciénega como resultado de las investigaciones arqueológicasllevadas a cabo por una de las autoras en la década de 1980, debido a que gran parte de estamaterialidad ha permanecido inédita a lo largo de los años. Como resultado de la selección previade los ejemplares más conspicuos del universo alfarero recuperado, se describen e ilustran 23fragmentos, una vasija pequeña y una figurina zoomorfa, en fichas descriptivas que incorporanestados de atributos morfométricos y decorativos, datos de procedencia y tipológicos. Se espera quela información presentada contribuya a ampliar el conocimiento que actualmente se posee de lasaldeas agropastoriles localizadas en La Ciénega, y sea de utilidad en futuros análisis comparativosque involucren a las distintas manifestaciones culturales de la Tradición Tafí.; A ceramic catalog from archaeological sites located in La Ciénega valley, which are dated from the first millennium of the Christian Era, is presented. The purpose of this report is to spread abroad the pottery variability registered in La Ciénega valley as a result of archaeological researches carried out by one of the authors in the 1980’s, considering that the majority of this materiality has remained unpublished throughout the years. As a result of the previous selection of the most conspicuous specimens of the recovered pottery universe, 23 sherds, one small vessel and one zoomorphic figurine are described and illustrated in descriptive cards which incorporate morphometric and decorative attributes, provenance and typological data. It is expected that the information presented contributes to the knowledge that currently exists about the agropastoralist villages located in La Ciénega, and shows its usefulness in future comparative analyzes that involve different cultural manifestations of the Tafí Tradition.

The Puna Pastoralist System: A Coproduced Landscape in the Central Andes Arzamendia, Yanina; Rojo, Veronica; González, Natividad María; Baldo, Jorge Luis; Zamar, María Inés; Lamas, Hugo Eduardo; Vila, Bibiana Leonor In mountain socioecological systems, the interaction between nature and people is at the core of planning local long-term sustainable development strategies. Pastoralism is the main traditional socioeconomic livelihood in dryland mountains. It is strongly associated with long-established land use practices that provide essential material and relational contributions, both of which shape human populations and nature. The aim of this work is to characterize the traditional pastoralist system of the Puna (northwest Argentina) in a framework that highlights its diverse values and valuations within nature?people coproductions. We use the conceptual framework of the Intergovernmental Science?Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services as a tool to analyze and understand these socioecological systems. We also identify 3 coproduction types at different steps of the benefit flow from ecosystems to quality of life. Pastoral livelihood persists in the Argentine Puna, cocreating a landscape with natural and anthropic (water sources, grasslands, wildlife, livestock, and techniques) elements interacting through complex mechanisms involving environmental conditions and cultural and economic practices. Some drivers that threaten the system´s sustainability are overexploitation and land use change. These are visible as poaching or conversion of pasturelands into mining areas. Finally, we identify a number of knowledge gaps. These include lack of information on some regulatory contributions of nature to people, biodiversity status, and trends and statistical information on Indigenous Peoples and local communities; the flow of relationships; and coproductions related to the local expression of the quality of life. We also highlight the need for spatially explicit information and comprehensive knowledge of drivers and socioecological dynamics of the landscape.

Militando la danza y la identidad en pandemia. Un análisis desde la perspectiva del patrimonio cultural inmaterial; Militating dance and identity in pandemic. An analysis from the perspective of the intangible cultural heritage Mariano, Mercedes; Baier, Micaela Maria La pandemia del año 2020 generó profundas modificaciones en la dinámica de la vida cotidiana que se tradujeron en un real confinamiento de la población al interior de sus hogares. Los procesos de activación, gestión y puesta en valor del patrimonio cultural no quedaron ajenos a este contexto inédito. El aislamiento social preventivo y obligatorio restringió al conjunto de prácticas colectivas y comunitarias, anuló los espacios de encuentro y alteró significativamente los modos de salvaguardar determinadas manifestaciones culturales. En consecuencia, se comenzaron a registrar otras formas de representación de las identidades y de socialización del patrimonio que incorporaron herramientas digitales. En este marco, en el presente trabajo se busca articular una discusión teórica en torno a la salvaguarda del patrimonio cultural inmaterial en el contexto de la pandemia con el análisis de un ejemplo concreto de un grupo de danzas alemanas en una ciudad intermedia del centro de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. El fin último es producir conocimiento nuevo sobre los aportes que promueven las prácticas comunitarias para configurar nuevos espacios mediatizados de resignificación, socialización y comunicación del patrimonio cultural.; The 2020 pandemic generated profound changes in the dynamics of daily life that resulted in a real confinement of the population inside their homes. The processes of activation, management and enhancement of cultural heritage were not alien to this unprecedented context. Preventive and compulsory social isolation restricted the set of collective and community practices, annulled meeting spaces and significantly altered the ways of safeguarding certain cultural manifestations. Consequently, other forms of representation of identities and socialization of heritage began to be recorded that incorporated digital tools. Within this framework, the present work seeks to articulate a theoretical discussion around the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage in the context of the pandemic with the analysis of a concrete example of a group of German dances in an intermediate city in the center of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina. The ultimate goal is to produce new knowledge about the contributions that community practices promote to configure new mediated spaces of resignification, socialization and communication of cultural heritage.

Design of super-paramagnetic bilayer films based on chitosan and sodium alginate Kloster, Gianina Andrea; Moscoso Londoño, Oscar; Pirota, Kleber R.; Mosiewicki, Mirna Alejandra; Marcovich, Norma Esther Bilayer films that combine chitosan and alginate, two natural polysaccharides, and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (MNPs) were obtained. Physical and microscopic observations revealed that chitosan and alginate interact strongly through their surfaces, which is attributed to the formation of a polyelectrolyte complex at the interface. The diameter of the individual MNPs was about 10 nm, although in the films they appear arranged in clusters with sizes ranging from 23 nm to several times larger that are formed by collapsed individual particles. All bilayers containing MNP behave as super-paramagnetic materials, exhibiting magnetic synergic effects in comparison to single carbohydrate films. Thus, obtained films could find novel and interesting applications as pH responsiveness systems, pad dressings including hyperthermia, adsorption of positive and negative charged pollutants, etc.

Estudio geoarqueológico inicial de la formación de aleros y sus rellenos en la localidad de Punta Pórfido (Río Negro, Argentina); Initial geoarcheaological study of the formation of rockshelters and their fillings in Punta Pórfido (Río Negro, Argentina) Favier Dubois, Cristian Mario; Herrera Villegas, Dalila Viviana; Alcaraz, Ana Paula; Cardillo, Marcelo; Vitale, Paula En la costa semiárida del norte de Patagonia (Golfo San Matías, Río Negro) se observan serranías constituidas por riolitas que ilustran diferentes etapas en la evolución de cavidades rocosas. Un estudio comparativo sobre las mismas en el área de Punta Pórfido permitió comenzar a evaluar los procesos de formación de aleros y sus rellenos sedimentarios. La morfología de las cavidades eneste sector resulta del patrón romboidal de diaclasas que presenta la roca de caja y de procesos de meteorización, principalmente el desarrollo de tafoni. Los rellenos se hallan constituidos principalmente por derrubios tamaño grava y bloque derivados de la meteorización de la riolita, a lo que se suma el aporte de sedimentos finos de origen eólico y de sales marinas que han colaborado en la preservación de restos orgánicos inusuales. En la principal cavidad relevada, el Alero 2, se realizaron dos excavaciones y cuatro dataciones radiocarbónicas que proporcionaron edades sobre carbón entre ca. 2200 y 7500 años cal. AP. En esta contribución se presentan los resultados iniciales del estudio geoarqueológico de estas cavidades en la zona costera de Punta Pórfido, orientado a comprender su desarrollo y algunas propiedades del registro arqueológico y tafonómico que contienen sus rellenos.; Along the semi-arid coast of northern Patagonia (Golfo San Matías, Río Negro) mountain ranges composed of rhyolites illustrate different stages in the evolution of rock cavities. A comparative study carried out in the Punta Pórfido area allows us to evaluate rockshelter formation processes and their sedimentary fillings. Cavity morphology in this sector results from the romboidal pattern of joints in the volcanic rock and weathering processes, mainly the development of tafoni. The fillings are made up of gravel and blocks derived from the weathering of the rhyolite, with the contribution of fine sediments originating from wind and marine salts that have collaborated in the preservation of unusual organic remains. At the main cavity surveyed, Alero 2, two excavations were carried out and four radiocarbon dating samples determined the ages on charcoal to be between ca. 2200 and 7500 years cal. AP. In this contribution, we present the initial results of the geoarchaeological study of these cavities in the coastal area of Punta Pórfido to understand their development and some properties of the archaeological and taphonomic record contained in their fillings.

Análisis y modelado de un sistema para tomografía optoacústica basado en interferometría óptica heterodina; Analysis and modeling of a system for optoacoustic tomography based on heterodyne optical interferometry Insabella, Roberto Mariano; González, Martín Germán En este trabajo se analizan y caracterizan las fuentes de los artefactos introducidos en las imágenes obtenidas con un sistema para tomografía optoacústica basado en el concepto de optoelectrónica definida por software. Se muestra que las señales medidas están afectadas tanto por la geometría cilíndrica del sensor óptico como por el ruido eléctrico. Este último posee frecuencias bien definidas dentro del espectro atribuibles a la electrónica usada en el proceso de heterodinaje del detector óptico de ultrasonido. Se propone una forma de incluir estos efectos en señales simuladas y se prueba el modelo comparándolo con mediciones. Los resultados de este trabajo permitirán el uso de la técnica de aprendizaje profundo para mejorar la calidad de las imágenes obtenidas con este tipo de sistemas tomográficos.; In this work, the source of the artifacts introduced in the images obtained with an optoacoustic tomography system based on the software-defined optoelectronics concept are analyzed and characterized. It is shown that the measured signals are affected both by the cylindrical geometry of the optical sensor and by electrical noise. The latter has well-defined frequencies within the spectrum caused by the electronics used in the heterodyning process of the ultrasound optical detector. A way to include these effects in simulated signals is proposed and the model is tested against measurements. The results of this work will allow the use of the deep learning technique to improve the quality of the images obtained with this type of tomographic systems.

Are there still shared values to sustain multilateralism? Discourse in World Trade Organization reform debates Zelicovich, Julieta What is the role of values and principles in sustaining and reforming trade multilateralism? After several years of crisis and gridlock, by the end of 2018 the reform process became a central issue at World Trade Organization (WTO) discussions. Whereas members agreed on the idea that WTO reform was a necessary condition for the preservation of trade multilateralism, whether and how that reform is still possible is uncertain. While the discrepancies in the positions among the proposals have been considered in several papers, the role of the values and principles behind them has been overlooked. In this paper, recalling Ruggie’s theory on multilateralism, I propose to identify whether in the reform debates countries still share a core of principles and values that could sustain trade multilateralism and move the WTO beyond its current paralysis. To do so, I use evidence based on a data set of coded statements of WTO members at the General Council meetings in the period 2019–2020. The paper shows that, although sharing a willingness to support multilateralism, members diverge in the values and principles that give meaning and shape to this type of international cooperation, challenging the capacity of the WTO to find its way through the reform.

Coffea arabica: Del desayuno a la prevención del COVID-19 Marrassini, Carla; Alonso, María Rosario; Anesini, Claudia Alejandra A partir de las semillas de la Coffea arabica se prepara una de las bebidas más populares en el mundo, el café. Según la OMS hoy en día se utilizan aproximadamente 7 millones de toneladas de semillas de café para la preparación de la famosa bebida. El café fue consumido desde la antigüedad como una bebida estimulante pero una de las acciones más importantes encontradas en él es la capacidad de modular al sistema inmune. Hoy en día millones de personas en todo el mundo están sufriendo el covid-19 causado por una nueva cepa de coronavirus, el síndrome respiratorio agudo severo coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Este virus puede causar desequilibrio en el sistema inmune llevando a neumonía e incluso a la muerte en aproximadamente el 5% de los casos. En esta revisión, se describe la actividad potencial de Coffea arabica contra el SARS-CoV-2. Para ello, se considerará la composición química, la actividad antimicrobiana, antiinflamatoria, antioxidante, inmunomoduladora y antiviral, junto con los estudios de acoplamiento “docking” realizados hasta el momento con los principales compuestos químicos.

Enhanced gold nanoparticle-tumor cell recognition by albumin multilayer coating Achilli, Estefanía Edith; Flores, Constanza Yanel; Temprana, Carlos Facundo; Alonso, Silvia del Valle; Radrizzani Helguera, Martin; Grasselli, Mariano Background: In a biological environment, nanoparticles are rapidly coated with serum proteins, which affects the NPs transport through biological medium, cellular uptake and response, all of which can impair therapeutic efficiency. Reduction of non-specific adsorption of proteins is mandatory to overcome this drawback. Aim: We propose to use albumin to prepare a multilayer coating of NPs to reduce the non-specific protein interactions in biological media. Materials & methods: Biohybrid NPs (bioHNPs) prepared by coating gold NPs with a multilayer of albumin and finally decorated with Bombesin-related peptides (BD-bioHNPs). Results: BioHNPs/biological media interaction was characterized by physicochemical and biological techniques under near-physiological conditions. A significant reduction of the Corona effect and enhanced in vitro uptake to PC-3 cells was demonstrated for BD-bioHNPs. Conclusion: This methodology to prepare decorated bioHNPs allows the preparation of ‘stealth’ NPs with improved cell targeting and the ability to avoid non-specific interactions with the biological media.

Culex quinquefasciatus carrying Wolbachia is less susceptible to entomopathogenic bacteria Díaz Nieto, Leonardo Martín; Gil, María Florencia; Lazarte, Jorge Nicolás; Perotti, Maria Alejandra; Berón, Corina Marta In an attempt to evaluate the susceptibility of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus to bacterial agents, a population naturally infected with a Wolbachia pipientis wPipSJ native strain was tested against the action of three bacterial mosquitocides, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, Bacillus wiedmannii biovar thuringiensis and Lysinibacillus sphaericus. Tests were carried out on mosquito larvae with and without Wolbachia (controls). Cx. quinquefasciatus naturally infected with the native wPipSJ strain proved to be more resistant to the pathogenic action of the three mosquitocidal bacterial strains. Additionally, wPipSJ was fully characterised using metagenome-assembled genomics, PCR–RFLP (PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) and MLST (MultiLocus Sequence Typing) analyses. This Wolbachia strain wPipSJ belongs to haplotype I, group wPip-III and supergroup B, clustering with other mosquito wPip strains, such as wPip PEL, wPip JHB, wPip Mol, and wAlbB; showing the southernmost distribution in America. The cytoplasmic incompatibility phenotype of this strain was revealed via crosses between wildtype (Wolbachia+ ) and antibiotic treated mosquito populations. The results of the tests with the bacterial agents suggest that Cx. quinquefasciatus naturally infected with wPipSJ is less susceptible to the pathogenic action of mosquitocidal bacterial strains when compared with the antibiotic-treated mosquito isoline, and is more susceptible to B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis than to the other two mosquitocidal agents.

Probing the structure–function relationship with neural networks constructed by solving a system of linear equations Mininni, Camilo Juan; Zanutto, Bonifacio Silvano Neural network models are an invaluable tool to understand brain function since they allow us to connect the cellular and circuit levels with behaviour. Neural networks usually comprise a huge number of parameters, which must be chosen carefully such that networks reproduce anatomical, behavioural, and neurophysiological data. These parameters are usually fitted with off-the-shelf optimization algorithms that iteratively change network parameters and simulate the network to evaluate its performance and improve fitting. Here we propose to invert the fitting process by proceeding from the network dynamics towards network parameters. Firing state transitions are chosen according to the transition graph associated with the solution of a task. Then, a system of linear equations is constructed from the network firing states and membrane potentials, in a way that guarantees the consistency of the system. This allows us to uncouple the dynamical features of the model, like its neurons firing rate and correlation, from the structural features, and the task-solving algorithm implemented by the network. We employed our method to probe the structure–function relationship in a sequence memory task. The networks obtained showed connectivity and firing statistics that recapitulated experimental observations. We argue that the proposed method is a complementary and needed alternative to the way neural networks are constructed to model brain function.

Sensitivity and vulnerability of international tourism by covid crisis: South America in context Navarro Drazich, Diego; Lorenzo, Cristian A. The aim of this research is to visualize those countries that would have the greatest impact in terms of sensitivity and vulnerability due to the drop in travels, as a product of the pandemic, with special emphasis on South America. For this, the participation of tourism in the economy of certain countries prior to the coronavirus crisis was measured by analysing three groups of countries: the ten most tourist countries in the world according to their receipts; countries whose economies are most dependent on tourism; and the twelve South American countries, contextualized through the other two groups. Thus, multiple combinations of high, low and medium sensitivity and vulnerability were identified for South American and for the countries with the highest absolute receipts from tourism, but an alarming scenario for the most dependent countries on international tourism, many of them small island countries in development (SIDS). Additionally, the ideas of low apparent sensitivity and that of low sensitivity due to role inversion offer new ways to interpret a low sensitivity. Likewise, and with respect to vulnerability, three possible stages of recovery of international tourism activity were noted.

Temperature and Salinity Effect on Tolerance and Lipid Accumulation in Halamphora coffeaeformis: an Approach for Outdoor Bioenergy Cultures Navarro, Francisco Ezequiel; Damiani, Maria Cecilia; Leonardi, Patricia Ines; Popovich, Cecilia Angelines Biodiesel production from the microalgal oil of the estuarine diatom Halamphora coffeaeformis has proven to be technically viable. However, a fuller understanding of the environmental factors that regulate its tolerance and neutral lipid accumulation is required for improved mass cultivation in seawater-based outdoor raceway ponds. Meteorological conditions and evaporation processes can significantly influence factors such as the salt levels, water temperature and nutrient and light availability in these systems. Laboratory experiments with H. coffeaeformis growing in f/2 medium were therefore carried out in order to evaluate the effect of temperature and salinity on its growth and tolerance ranges and the effect of salinity on its total lipid and lipid fraction content and fatty acid methyl ester profile. Results indicate that the temperature and salinity ranges of the species were 5 °C to 30 °C and 5‰ to 95‰, respectively. The optimum temperature was between 20 and 25 °C, and the optimum salinity was 20‰. Neutral lipid accumulation increased in cells adapted at 45‰ with respect to those growing at 20‰. Total lipid composition at 45 ‰ was characterized by 85.5% neutral lipids, 2.5% phospholipids and a high percentage of C16.1 (36.4% of total fatty acids). These properties are important for an adequate quality of biodiesel. The eurytolerant behaviour of H. coffeaeformis and the effect of salinity stress on its growth and neutral lipid accumulation are demonstrated. The findings indicate the beneficial attributes of this strain for the development and feasibility of seawater-based outdoor raceway ponds for biodiesel production.

Cross-Cultural Validation of a New Version in Spanish of Four Items of the Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) in Twelve Latin American Countries Caicho Rodriguez, Tomás; Vilca, Lindsey W.; Valencia, Pablo D.; Carabajal Leon, Carlos; Vivanco Vidal, Andrea; Saroli Aranibar, Daniela; Reyes Bossio, Mario; White, Michael; Rojas Jara, Claudio; Polanco Carrasco, Roberto; Gallegos de San Vicente, Miguel Omar; Cervigni, Mauricio Alejandro; Martino, Pablo Luis; Palacios, Diego Alejandro; Moreta Herrera, Rodrigo; Samaniego Pinho, Antonio; Lobos Rivera, Marlon Elías; Ferrari, Ilka Franco; Flores Mendoza, Carmen; Buschiazzo Figares, Andrés; Puerta Cortéz, Diana Ximena; Corrales Reyes, Ibraín Enrique; Calderón, Raymundo; Pinto Tapia, Bismarck; Arias Gallegos, Walter L. The invariance of the Preventive COVID-19 Infection Behaviors Scale (PCIBS) was evaluated in 12 Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay). A total of 5183 people from the aforementioned countries participated, selected using the snowball sampling method. Measurement invariance was assessed by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MG-CFA) and Multi-Group Factor Analysis Alignment (CFA-MIAL). In addition, item characteristics were assessed based on Item Response Theory. The results indicate that the original five-item version of the PCIBS is not adequate; whereas a four-item version of the PCIBS (PCIBS-4) showed a good fit in all countries. Thus, using the MG-CFA method, the PCIBS-4 achieved metric invariance, while the CFA-MIAL method indicated that the PCIBS-4 shows metric and scalar invariance. Likewise, the four items present increasing difficulties and high values in the discrimination parameters. The comparison of means of the PCIBS-4 reported irrelevant differences between countries; however, Mexico and Peru presented the highest frequency of preventive behaviors related to COVID-19. It is concluded that the PCIBS-4 is a unidimensional self-report measure which is reliable and invariant across the twelve participating Latin American countries. It is expected that the findings will be of interest to social and health scientists, as well as those professionals directly involved in public health decision making.