Proyectos

El objetivo general de este proyecto es analizar las condiciones, prácticas y discursos feministas en el campo de las ciencias sociales en Chile, desde las experiencias de personas y comunidades que históricamente han ocupado posiciones subordinadas en la producción de conocimiento, como mujeres, disidencias y personas indígenas, desde una perspectiva feminista. El proyecto espera contribuir a sistematizar y difundir los avances y desafíos en términos de equidad de género en el campo de ciencias sociales en Chile. Objetivos específicos: 1. Caracterizar las condiciones de trabajo y criterios de productividad académica en las ciencias sociales según grupos de posiciones subordinadas. 2. Identificar discursos y prácticas feministas en el área de las ciencias sociales en Chile. 3. Analizar el contexto territorial a partir del cual se desarrollan las condiciones, prácticas y discursos feministas en las ciencias sociales en Chile. 4. Visibilizar la experiencia y las investigaciones de cientistas sociales, especialmente mujeres, disidencias y personas indígenas, que analizan la producción de conocimiento y configuración de la academia en Chile utilizando epistemologías feministas.

The state of Rio de Janeiro presents very varied relief forms, with marked topographic contrasts, with expressive spatial and temporal climatic variability. Besides these factors, the history of colonization and differentiated policies have contributed for the agricultural production in Rio de Janeiro to present distinct regional dynamics, with differentiation in land occupation and use and diversification of economic activities, which, as a function of the different levels of soil fragility, have generated different degrees of degradation. Carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and stoichiometry play important roles in biogeochemical cycles of the ecosystems, yet it is still unclear how the allocations of C, N and P concentrations and stoichiometry of soils and its coexisting vegetation, including leaf litter, are related. Thus, the general objective of the project is to determine whether there are significant differences and influence of C:N:P stoichiometry ratios of the soil and coexisting vegetation including litter in each study area and examine how and to what extent soil and soil management conditions it influence the physical and soil chemistry in two contrasting physiographic regions of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Two regions of the State were selected to be studied, namely: Norte Fluminense and Costa Verde regions. These regions present different degrees of soil degradation due to different forms of use and occupation, soils and climate. The current scenario in some regions of the State of Rio de Janeiro shows that natural vulnerability and inadequate soil management can compromise the sustainability of the soil in the medium and long term. This proposal is associated with the thematic project entitled “Soil quality indicators in areas with different histories of use and occupation in the State of Rio de Janeiro” funded by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) by through the Support Program for Thematic Projects in the State of Rio de Janeiro, FAPERJ Notice No. 28/2021. In this context, it is essential to develop research that can serve as a guide for the adoption of conservationist soil management, essential for the sustainability of agricultural production. Furthermore, the results of studies developed with the collaboration of farmers in the field encourage them to adopt new habits in agricultural activities

Los nematodos entomopatógenos (NEP) son organismos que habitan en el suelo y que se han utilizado como agentes de control biológico de insectos en las últimas cuatro décadas . Estos organismos han ganado mucha atención debido a su capacidad para buscar y matar a su huésped. El único estadio capaz de matar insectos es el llamado juvenil infectivo (IJ). Una vez que los IJ han ingresado al hospedador, se libera un simbionte bacteriano y la muerte ocurre por septicemia entre las 48 a 96h. Los NEP son seguros para los organismos no-diana, amigables con el ambiente y pueden producirse en masa en grandes fermentadores. A pesar de todas las ventajas mencionadas, en ocasiones, el performance de estos nematodos no es tan bueno como se espera. Uno de los principales problemas relacionados con dichas fallas es la existencia de grandes vacíos en su caracterización biológica y ecológica. Por ejemplo, la distribución de NEP en el suelo (como una matriz tridimensional) después de su aplicación en el campo no se conoce totalmente porque la determinación de su presencia depende de pruebas indirectas usando insectos trampas. Otra opción es el uso de RT-PCR para correlacionar la cantidad de ADN de una especie de NEP con una cantidad de individuos en una muestra de suelo, requiriendo mucho tiempo y esfuerzo. Aún existen muchas preguntas que resolver, incluida la distribución y persistencia en el suelo de los NEO, y la competencia entre las "poblaciones naturales" y las "aplicadas comercialmente", que siguen sin respuesta debido a la complejidad de la matriz del suelo. La opción más precisa para comprender cómo se comportan los NEP en el suelo sería, marcarlos individualmente y en grandes cantidades para rastrearlas en tiempo real. El marcaje NEP nos permitirá extraerlos directamente del suelo y contarlos bajo cualquier diseño óptico. Desafortunadamente, el único método disponible para marcar nematodos hasta el momento se basa en la inserción de proteínas fluorescentes, que son costosas, consumen mucho tiempo e imposibles de aplicar a grandes lotes de nematodos (decenas de millones). Esta situación puede ser revertida con el uso de puntos cuánticos de carbono (C-dots),ya que son baratos de producir, fluorescentes, no tóxicos y listos para usar en grandes lotes de NEP. El objetivo de este proyecto es desarrollar tecnologías de marcaje de NEP con c-dots para poder mejorar su actividad en condiciones de campo.

Proyecto que aborda el uso del compost como sustrato en la viverización de especies nativas. Se participó en el diseño y desarrollo de la propuesta pero finalmente se optó por ser prestadores de servicios, además de montar los ensayos asociados al proyecto.

EL proyecto busca asociar exposiciones ambientales, alimentarias y genéticas con la enfermedad renal crónica de causa idiopática en la Cohorte del Maule MAUCO, Molina, Chile

The NetForSur project will evaluate the vulnerability of forests to climate change along a latitudinal gradient in the Andes Cordillera; to achieve this goal, we will build a research network including 4 countries (Argentina, Chile, France, Peru) to develop synergies using similar methodologies in dendroecology, ecophysiology and remote sensing. The results will complete worldwide inventories of forest dieback and to propose updating of the species status in national and international red lists. Obj 1 : We will assess the level of forest decline and tree mortality in the Andes Cordillera, through a bibliographic analysis including published and grey literature, since many studies are not yet available in international literature or only in Spanish. We will seek to identify the species at stake, the significance of decline in symptoms and surface area affected, the abiotic events associated to the decline and the mechanisms underlying the observed decline. Obj 2: The growth dynamics of endangered, declining or protected tree species will be analyzed. We will use a common methodology to study tree growth response to climate change, building a database to share existing data in dendro-ecology and field stand monitoring over the whole latitudinal gradient, and over local environmental gradients. We will explore several remote sensing tools to upscale the analyses at landscape and regional. Obj 3: Our third objective is to evaluate the ecophysiological adaptive strategies to climate change of endangered or declining tree species (Araucaria araucana, Austrocedrus chilensis, Nothofagus spp, Polylepis spp.). We will set up a common methodology to study tree ecophysiology, measuring adaptive traits characteristic of plant response to abiotic stress (hydraulic traits, energy dissipation traits) associating lab-measured species-specific traits and field based ecophysiological campaigns. Obj 4: Tree mortality risk will be assessed using model simulations associated to current and future climatic conditions using the SUREAU ecophysiological model. It will be adapted to local species and environmental conditions of the Andean Cordillera, and parameterized using data from objectives 2 and 3. Mortality risks predicted by the model will be evaluated in front of decline estimated in the field. Model simulations will be further considered under climate change scenario. Obj 5: A major goal will be to build a long-term research network on forest adaptation to climate change. The collaboration, data sharing and methodology integration will focus on strengthening the international network between all countries in a formalized framework such as 2RI (https://www.inrae.fr/en/2ri-international-research-networks), and to visualize other calls in conjunction with the project to develop and disseminate new joint results on the adaptation of forests to climate change.

To determine the changes on the root-to-canopy system temperatura gradient and their effect of NSC concentration and allocations on different European plum tree organs and tissue, and to establish their relationship with phenology stages undes a scenario the climate change

Estudio de problemas de optimización y juegos con incertidumbre dependiente de decisiones. Estudio a nivel teórico y algorítmico. Estudio de aplicaciones.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a phenomenon that happens when bacteria become tolerant to antibiotics used to treat the infections they cause. Antibiotics are key therapeutic tools to treat many human and animal infectious diseases; consequently, keeping their activity on bacteria is fundamental for public and animal health. Aquaculture farming is known for using large amounts of antibiotics, making this activity particularly relevant in development and spread of AMR in aquatic environments. There is evidence in Chile that aquaculture activity increases the presence of resistant bacteria and their corresponding genes in marine sediments directly impacted by salmon farms; however, these evaluations are limited to few locations which hampers a generalization of these conclusions to other salmon farming sites in Chilean waters. There is also evidence suggesting that aquaculture-associated resistance genes present in marine sediments might be transferred to bacteria with pathogenic potential in humans such as Escherichia coli, but no studies have reported the presence of resistance traits in such bacteria in the marine environment from areas impacted by salmon farming in Chile. In countries like Norway, bivalve mollusks are used to monitor antibiotic resistance in Enterobacteria in the marine environment; therefore, they could also be useful for monitoring AMR associated with salmon farming and other anthropogenic sources in Chile. Sampling of bivalve mollusks represents an important logistical advantage to complex and expensive seabed sediment sampling. Los Lagos is the region with the highest historical production of farmed salmon in Chile; then, it is a suitable area to investigate the impact of aquaculture-sourced AMR in the marine environment. The general objective of this proposal is to investigate aquaculture-associated AMR in the marine environment of Los Lagos region from an epidemiologic approach, using bivalve mollusks as sentinel organisms and E. coli as the indicator bacterium. Specific objectives include: 1) to detect, characterize and estimate the prevalence of AMR in E. coli isolated from bivalve mollusks in the Los Lagos region, through a region-level sampling; 2) to study the spatial variability of AMR in E. coli isolated from bivalve mollusks from Los Lagos region; 3) to evaluate the effect of salmon farming activity on the richness and intensity of AMR in E. coli isolated from bivalves from Los Lagos region, controlling for potential confounding factors; and 4) to determine whether significant differences exist in the accumulation of E. coli and resistant E. coli in bivalve mollusks between the sampled bivalve species, accounting for environmental and biological factors. Bivalve mollusks samples will be obtained the 130 sampling stations set along the coast of Los Lagos by the National Program for Surveillance and Control of Harmful Algal Blooms Intoxications (red tides) coordinated by the Ministry of Health. Thirty-three additional sampling stations will be set in the same study area in order to achieve the calculated total sample size of 163 sampling stations. At each sampling station bivalve mollusks will be sampled to quantify E. coli and to detect and characterize both phenotypic and genotypic AMR in this bacterium. The study will be focused in 29 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and 20 antibiotics commonly used in salmon farming or for which resistance has been detected in previous studies. The antimicrobial susceptibility will be performed by estimating the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for each antibiotic using the VITEK2 technology. The genotypic analysis will be carried out by means of the detection target ARGs, through PCR. Spatial clustering will be examined for each antibiotic tested using MIC values and the ARG richness index; global clustering will be evaluated through the Moran’s I statistic, while local clustering will be examined by means of the spatial scan statistic. ARG richness will be modeled as a function of the local salmon farming intensity expressed as the number of active salmon farms within 10 km seaway distance from the bivalve sampling location, using a Poisson mixed-effects model in order to control for other AMR sources and important environmental variables. Similar models will be constructed using MICs as the outcome for antimicrobials that show substantial variability in this parameter. Finally, the abundance of both total and resistant E. coli (MPN/100g) found in bivalve mollusks will be modeled as a function of the bivalve species sampled, accounting for bivalve size, water temperature, local salmon farming intensity and distance to other AMR sources, using a mixed-effect linear regression model. This study will contribute to characterize and to identify the main drivers of the environmental AMR in an area with intense salmon farming activity, and it will help to understand how this AMR can impact public health through potential pathogenic bacteria. In practice, this proposal will be the first extensive epidemiological study in this matter in Chile. Moreover, this proposal will help to determine which bivalve mollusks species are suitable to monitor AMR in environments impacted by salmon farming. All this information will be crucial to set the foundations for a future AMR monitoring program in areas of intense aquaculture.