Introduction. Genetic diversity, registration, and traceability of cacao planting material are the essential tripod to support its sustainable cultivation. In Nicaragua, cocoa planting material is mostly obtained from seeds, which leads to great variability in yield, bean quality, and tolerance to pests and diseases. Farmers, technical staff, development projects, and investors depend on a limited supply of elite trees as a reliable source of genetic material to support new cacao fronts and meet market quality standards. Therefore, the development of a national genetic improvement program and a planting material traceability system in Nicaragua are necessary to improve the sustainability of cacao cultivation. Objective. To evaluate the genetic resources on farms and provide information for future breeding programs, as well as to lay foundation for a national traceability and certification system. Materials and methods. Fourty-nine elite trees selected by farmers in the main producing regions in Nicaragua between 2018 and 2020 were sampled. Ninety-three SNP markers were used to characterize them and resolve their genetic origins. Results. The evaluated cacao trees had a narrow genetic background, mainly composed of hybrids with Amelonado (36 %), Criollo (17 %) and Iquitos (15 %) origins. A set of trees with high genetic diversity that could be incorporated into a selection and breeding program was identified. Conclusion. Fingerprinting with SNP markers was a useful tool for evaluating the genetic links of cultivated cacao and can be used for varietal identity test at the farm level. The study provided the basis for developing both a breeding program and a traceability system of cacao planting material in Nicaragua.

Postharvest processing of coffee has been shown to impact cup quality. Yeasts are known to modulate the sensory traits of the final cup of coffee after controlled fermentation at the farm. Here, we enumerated native coffee yeasts in a Nicaraguan farm during dry and semidry postharvest processing of Arabica and Robusta beans. Subsequently, 90 endogenous yeast strains were selected from the collected endogenous isolates, identified, and subjected to high-throughput fermentation and biovolatile generation in a model system mimicking postharvesting conditions. Untargeted volatile analysis by SPME-GC-MS enabled the identification of key aroma compounds generated by the yeast pool and demonstrated differences among strains. Several genera, including Pichia, Candida, and Hanseniaspora, showed both strain- and species-level variability in volatile generation and profiles. This fermentation platform and biovolatile database could represent a versatile opportunity to accelerate the development of yeast starter cultures for generating specific and desired sensory attributes in the final cup of coffee.

Genomic prediction has revolutionized crop breeding despite remaining issues of transferability of models to unseen environmental conditions and environments. Usage of endophenotypes rather than genomic markers leads to the possibility of building phenomic prediction models that can account, in part, for this challenge. Here, we compare and contrast genomic prediction and phenomic prediction models for 3 growth-related traits, namely, leaf count, tree height, and trunk diameter, from 2 coffee 3-way hybrid populations exposed to a series of treatment-inducing environmental conditions. The models are based on 7 different statistical methods built with genomic markers and ChlF data used as predictors. This comparative analysis demonstrates that the best-performing phenomic prediction models show higher predictability than the best genomic prediction models for the considered traits and environments in the vast majority of comparisons within 3-way hybrid populations. In addition, we show that phenomic prediction models are transferrable between conditions but to a lower extent between populations and we conclude that chlorophyll a fluorescence data can serve as alternative predictors in statistical models of coffee hybrid performance. Future directions will explore their combination with other endophenotypes to further improve the prediction of growth-related traits for crops.

ABSTRACT Background: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) self-help interventions have become a popular tool in High-Income Countries (HIC) to support people living with psychosis. There is limited research of this in Low–and Middle-Income Country (LMIC) contexts. We report findings of a qualitative investigation of a self-help book for psychosis in Nicaragua in Central America. Methods: Ten service users who self-identified as having psychosis were recruited from a mental health non-governmental organisation (NGO). Participants were given a Spanish version of a popular self-help book developed in the UK. They had four weeks to familiarise themselves with the book. Following this, we asked participants about their experiences of the book via an open ended questionnaire and a focus group discussion. Results: We conducted an inductive content analysis on the data. Evaluations of the book were positive. The book was considered easy to understand. The exercises were useful for coping with symptoms, as well as for recognising and managing relapse. Case studies were perceived useful in terms of reducing stigma and promoting self-acceptance. Conclusion: The data highlight potential acceptability of CBT self-help books in the Nicaraguan context. We make recommendations for further research and evaluation to build on this signal of acceptability.

Diabetes affects multiple systems in complex manners. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are a result of diabetes‐induced microarterial vessel disease and peripheral neuropathy. The presence of arteriosclerosis‐induced macroarterial disease can further complicate DFU pathophysiology. Recent studies suggest that mesenchymal stromal cell therapies can enhance tissue regeneration. This phase I study was designed to determine the safety and explore the efficacy of local injections of autologous adipose‐derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells to treat nonhealing DFUs greater than 3 cm in diameter. Sixty‐three patients with type 2 diabetes with chronic DFU—all amputation candidates—were treated with 30 × 106 SVF cells injected in the ulcer bed and periphery and along the pedal arteries. Patients were seen at 6 and 12 months to evaluate ulcer closure. Doppler ultrasounds were performed in a subset of subjects to determine vascular structural parameters. No intervention‐related serious adverse events were reported. At 6 months, 51 subjects had 100% DFU closure, and 8 subjects had ≥75% closure. Three subjects had early amputations, and one subject died. At 12 months, 50 subjects had 100% DFU healing and 4 subjects had ≥85% healing. Five subjects died between the 6‐ and 12‐month follow‐up visits. No deaths were intervention related. Doppler studies in 11 subjects revealed increases in peak systolic velocity and pulsatility index in 33 of 33 arteries, consistent with enhanced distal arterial runoff. These results indicate that SVF can be safely used to treat chronic DFU, with evidence of efficacy (wound healing) and mechanisms of action that include vascular repair and/or angiogenesis.

Background The experience of psychosis is individual and influenced by a complex intersection of identity, thought processes, perceptions and culture. Little is known about the lived experience of psychosis in Nicaragua. Aim To explore the subjective experience of psychosis in Nicaragua from the perspectives of service users. Methods Focus groups with 28 service users with experience of psychosis. A qualitative analysis using both inductive and deductive approaches was used to analyse these data. Results Participants mostly attributed the onset of psychosis to external factors such as physical or psychological trauma and highlighted the impact of long-term conflict in the area. Whilst medication was generally viewed positively where this was available participants foregrounded lay and community support networks and engagement in valued activities in their narratives about the management of psychosis. Religious and magical forces were salient in participants’ accounts of causal pathways, wider Nicaraguan culture and management practices. Stigma, social exclusion and limited access to formal health services and psychological interventions in particular were the major barriers reported to recovery from psychosis. Conclusion Our findings point to the potential utility of culturally adapted psychological interventions in Nicaragua as well as the value of lay and community workforces in delivering such interventions.

Este articulo contiene los principales resultados de la investigación realizada en la Empresa AGROCOMSA que comercializa productos agroquímicos, y está ubicada en la ciudad de Jalapa, al norte de Nicaragua. En el estudio se aborda el “Posicionamiento de la empresa AGROCOMSA con respecto a las casas comerciales de agroquímicos de la ciudad de Jalapa en el año 2018”. Configurando de esta forma un mapa competitivo de este sector con los demás agro servicios químicos, y los atributos importantes para los consumidores al momento de decidir la compra. El diseño metodológico es mixto porque incluye el análisis de variables cualitativas y cuantitativas validadas para el estudio del posicionamiento, es de tipo aplicada y se basa en un paradigma pragmático. De corte trasversal y muestreo probabilístico aleatorio simple. El universo de investigación consta de 2000 productores de la ciudad de Jalapa, y cinco agros servicios químicos, uno de ellos es AGROCOMSA. La información fue recolectada utilizando instrumentos como encuestas a consumidores, y entrevistas a los gerentes. La encuesta fue analizada en Microsoft Excel. Los principales resultados del estudio demuestran que el AGROCOMSA está posicionado como uno de los tres agro servicios de reconocimiento por las empresas de la ciudad de Jalapa, este segmento de mercado es altamente identificable y muy rígido para realizar sus compras.

Este artículo de revisión documental, recorre la historia describiendo aspectos relevantes de corrientes filosóficas de la ciencia, hace una conexión con la realidad enfocándose en la influencia de cada corriente en aspectos relacionados con el rendimiento académico. Se concluye que la corriente positivista se basa en métodos cuantitativos para evaluar el aprendizaje del estudiantado, la corriente hermenéutica se rige en el paradigma constructivista para la comprensión de los contenidos abordados, la corriente crítica promueve nuevos conocimientos en el estudiante de una manera más abierta por medio del raciocinio y el paradigma de la complejidad, promueve la aplicación del cooperativismo en el aprendizaje promoviendo la descripción y acción sobre los fenómenos estudiados. Todas las corrientes hicieron aportes significativos para el estudio del rendimiento académico y no se pueden adoptar por separado.

Los partidos políticos nacen con el propósito de lucha por el poder en un determinado país bajo una u otra doctrina que determina la forma de este poder. La democracia y los gobiernos que buscan bienestar de todos los pobladores sin excepción, son los nuevos enfoques de nueva sociedad de convivencia pacífica y armónica de todos sus miembros. En este ensayo se pretende realizar una interpretación del Discurso de paz del Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN); el presente ensayo se ha estructurado en tres partes: En la primera parte se presenta una revisión teórica sobre los conceptos de la paz y el discurso político; en la segunda parte se describe el contexto político y socio-económico del nacimiento de FSLN; la tercera parte narra sobre la necesidad de la paz sentida por el pueblo nicaragüense, y de la pérdida y recuperación del poder de FSLN en las últimas décadas y la relación del fracaso y triunfo con el discurso de paz.