Region Of Venezuela Research Articles

Impact of Technological Processes on the Formation of Furosine, Acrylamide and Furan in Traditional Venezuelan Cocoa.

The present study was conducted to determine and analyse the content of furosine, acrylamide and furan in fermented cocoa beans from the Chuao ("criollo variety") and Barlovento ("trinitario variety") regions of Venezuela, after roasting (in the shell at 110-180 °C for 15-60 min) and alkalisation (with sodium bicarbonate or potassium carbonate, at concentrations of 10-25 g/kg in order to evaluate the impact of these operations. The highest furosine contents (up to 249 mg/100 g of protein) were found in fermented, sun-dried samples, and were higher in the nibs than in the shells. The acrylamide content increased in line with the temperature, to 160 °C in the shells, and to 180 °C in the nibs. At temperatures of up to 140 °C, the acrylamide content was higher in the shells than in the nibs. The furan content increased in line with the temperature and in this case too, was greater in the shells. The content of both furosine and furan decreased with alkalisation, while the presence of acrylamide was irregular and determined by the roasting temperature and the alkalising agent employed. Although the furosine, acrylamide and furan contents varied between the beans from the two regions and the varieties considered (Chuao and Barlovento), these three compounds were correlated to a statistically significant degree.

Leveraging limited data from wildlife monitoring in a conflict affected region in Venezuela

Efficient monitoring of biodiversity-rich areas in conflict-affected areas with poor rule of law requires a combination of different analytical approaches to account for data biases and incompleteness. In the upland Amazon region of Venezuela, in Canaima National Park, we initiated biodiversity monitoring in 2015, but it was interrupted by the establishment of a large-scale mining development plan in 2016, compromising the temporal and geographical extent of monitoring and the security of researchers. We used a resource selection function model framework that considers imperfect detectability and supplemented detections from camera trap surveys with opportunistic off-camera records (including animal tracks and direct sighting) to (1) gain insight into the value of additional occurrence records to accurately predict wildlife resource use in the perturbated area (deforestation, fire, swidden agriculture, and human settlements vicinity), (2) when faced with security and budget constraints. Our approach maximized the use of available data and accounted for biases and data gaps. Adding data from poorly sampled areas had mixed results on estimates of resource use for restricted species, but improved predictions for widespread species. If budget or resources are limited, we recommend focusing on one location with both on-camera and off-camera records over two with cameras. Combining camera trap records with other field observations (28 mammals and 16 birds) allowed us to understand responses of 17 species to deforestation, 15 to fire, and 13 to swidden agriculture. Our study encourages the use of combinations of methods to support conservation in high-biodiversity sites, where access is restricted, researchers are vulnerable, and unequal sampling efforts exist.

Manhood

Manhood is a fictional short story under 4,000 words about Fernando, a Venezuelan teenager navigating gender expectations after his father's sudden death. The story takes place in 1968 in a small town of the Andes region of Venezuela.

Two new high Andean species of Liodessus diving beetles from Venezuela (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Bidessini)

Two new species of the diving beetle genus Liodessus Guignot, 1939 are described from high mountain regions in Venezuela: Liodessus meridensissp. nov. from Laguna de Mucabají, Mérida and L. venezuelensissp. nov. from Laguna de Mucabají and below Pico Bolívar, Mérida. We delineate the species using morphological characters such as male genital structure and beetle size, shape and color. Mitochondrial cox1 sequence data provided an additional character source. Both new species occur at altitudes above 3,500 m and were collected in shallow water at the edge of high-altitude ponds.

Characterization and Classification of Cocoa Bean Shells from Different Regions of Venezuela Using HPLC-PDA-MS/MS and Spectrophotometric Techniques Coupled to Chemometric Analysis.

The cocoa bean shell (CBS) is one of the main cocoa byproducts with a prospective to be used as a functional food ingredient due to its nutritional and sensory properties. This study aims to define the chemical fingerprint of CBSs obtained from cocoa beans of diverse cultivars and collected in different geographical areas of Venezuela assessed using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to photodiodes array and mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-MS/MS) and spectrophotometric assays combined with multivariate analysis for classification purposes. The study provides a comprehensive fingerprint and quantitative data for 39 compounds, including methylxanthines and several polyphenols, such as flavan-3-ols, procyanidins, and N-phenylpropenoyl amino acids. Several key cocoa markers, such as theobromine, epicatechin, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, procyanidin_A pentoside_3, and N-coumaroyl-l-aspartate_2, were found suitable for the classification of CBS according to their cultivar and origin. Despite the screening methods required a previous purification of the sample, both methodologies appear to be suitable for the classification of CBS with a high correlation between datasets. Finally, preliminary findings on the identification of potential contributors for the radical scavenging activity of CBS were also accomplished to support the valorization of this byproduct as a bioactive ingredient in the production of functional foods.

How to focus ASAR raw data of the ENVISAT satellite with a low computacional cost tool

This document details how to use the ASAR sensor parameters of the ENVISAT satellite to focus the raw data from the level 0 files using the Omega-κ algorithm. In addition, it serves as an alternative to focus through an Open Source tool with a low computational cost. As a preliminary result, pseudo-images of two regions of Venezuela were processed with the developed algorithm and a qualitative comparison with pseudo-images of level 1 of the same regions provided by the European Space Agency is discussed.

A stem delphinidan from the Caribbean region of Venezuela

The dense Miocene record of cetaceans is known from localities along the coasts of all continents, mostly in the northern Atlantic or the eastern Pacific regions, but Antarctica. Fossils from the Caribbean region are few and include of a couple of findings from Panama and Venezuela. Here, we report a partly complete skull from the Caujarao Formation (middle Miocene), Falcon State, Caribbean region of Venezuela. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that the Caujarao specimen is a ‘stem delphinidan’, a group that includes several taxa of early diverging odontocetes whose phylogenetic affinities remain a matter of debate. The fossil record has shown that this group of stem delphinidans was taxonomically diverse, but displayed a somewhat homogeneous cranial patterning, with most of the variations being found within the mandible or tympanoperiotic characters. As other stem delphinidans the Caujarao odontocete displays an enlarged temporal fossa and a fairly symmetrical cranium. Because the skull is missing several key diagnostic characters due to the preservation state of the specimen, a more precise taxonomic identification is not possible. Despite this, the finding of this specimen highlights the importance of the fossil record from the Neogene of Venezuela, and the importance of the area to understand cetacean evolution in the proto-Caribbean.

Gold and gold-bearing volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits of the Central Cuba

Background. Volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits (VMS) are the most important sources of Cu and Zn; they account for a large share of the world production of Pb, Ag, Au, Se, Te, Bi and Sb, as well as small amounts of many other metals. The polymetallic VMS deposits of economic value of varying degrees are known in the rocks of the Los Pasos Cretaceous Formation, Cuba.Aim. To show the potential of the Cretaceous volcanic deposits of Central Cuba for gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead deposit prospecting.Materials and methods. The study characterises the San Fernando, Independencia, Antonio, Los Cerros VMS deposits and the Boca del Toro and El Sol ore occurrences located in the Los Pasos Formation. The similarities and differences in the mineral and elemental composition and structures of the ores of these objects are described, which underlie the assessment of their economic importance.Results. The latitudinal zoning of VMS and noble metal mineralisation of the Central Cuban ore region is outlined. In the west, copper-VMS deposits with accompanying gold ore objects prevail. In the east, copper-zinc VMS deposits with barite and gold-silver objects are widespread.Conclusions. It is necessary to assume the different erosional sections corresponding to the blocks of the Cretaceous volcanic arc of Central Cuba, which is larger in the west and smaller in the east. Proceeding from the presence of veinlet gold ores, their confinement to tectonic zones and the lack of correlation between noble and chalcophile metals at the San Fernando deposit, as well as significantly different gold-silver ratios in the considered ore objects, it could be assumed that some of the gold-silver ores were formed after VMS. The obtained Au/Ag ratios are close to the ores of the high sulphidation type (high sulphide ores) from similar ore regions of Venezuela and the Kur-il island arc. In this regard, one can expect hidden gold deposits in the west and gold-silver deposits in the east of the studied area.

SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity in Venezuela: Predominance of D614G variants and analysis of one outbreak.

SARS-CoV-2 is the new coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 disease. The first two cases of COVID-19 were detected in Venezuela on March 13, 2020. The aim of this study was the genetic characterization of Venezuelan SARS-CoV-2 isolates. A total of 7 full SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences were obtained by Sanger sequencing, from patients of different regions of Venezuela, mainly from the beginning of the epidemic. Ten out of 11 isolates (6 complete genomes and 4 partial spike genomic regions) belonged to lineage B, bearing the D614G mutation in the Spike protein. Isolates from the first outbreak that occurred in the Margarita Island harbored an in-frame deletion in its sequence, without amino acids 83-85 of the NSP1 of the ORF1. The search for deletions in 48,635 sequences showed that the NSP1 gene exhibit the highest frequency of deletions along the whole genome. Structural analysis suggests a change in the N-terminal domain with the presence of this deletion. In contrast, isolates circulating later in this island lacked the deletion, suggesting new introductions to the island after this first outbreak. In conclusion, a high diversity of SARS-CoV-2 isolates were found circulating in Venezuela, with predominance of the D614G mutation. The first small outbreak in Margarita Island seemed to be associated with a strain carrying a small deletion in the NSP1 protein, but these isolates do not seem to be responsible for the larger outbreak which started in July.

Primer registro de leucismo en el género Coendou Lacépède, 1799 (Rodentia: Erethizontidae)

Se reporta por primera vez un caso de leucismo en la especie Coendou prehensilis. El individuo fue hallado de forma fortuita en una zona de bosque perturbado en la región de Los Andes en Venezuela.

Shade tree species affect gas exchange and hydraulic conductivity of cacao cultivars in an agroforestry system.

Shade tolerance is a widespread strategy of rainforest understory plants. Many understory species have green young stems that may assimilate CO2 and contribute to whole-plant carbon balance. Cacao commonly grows in the shaded understory and recent emphasis has been placed on diversifying the types of trees used to shade cacao plants to achieve additional ecosystem services. We studied three agricultural cacao cultivars growing in the shade of four timber species (Cedrela odorata L., Cordia thaisiana Agostini, Swietenia macrophylla King and Tabebuia rosea (Bertol) A.D.C.) in an agroforestry system to (i) evaluate the timber species for their effect on the physiological performance of three cacao cultivars; (ii) assess the role of green stems on the carbon economy of cacao; and (iii) examine coordination between stem hydraulic conductivity and stem photosynthesis in cacao. Green young stem photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate was positive and double leaf CO2 assimilation rate, indicating a positive contribution of green stems to the carbon economy of cacao; however, green stem area is smaller than leaf area and its relative contribution is low. Timber species showed a significant effect on leaf gas exchange traits and on stomatal conductance of cacao, and stem water-use efficiency varied among cultivars. There were no significant differences in leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity among cacao cultivars, but sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity varied significantly among cultivars and there was an interactive effect of cacao cultivar × timber species. Hydraulic efficiency was coordinated with stem-stomatal conductance, but not with leaf-stomatal conductance or any measure of photosynthesis. We conclude that different shade regimes determined by timber species and the interaction with cacao cultivar had an important effect on most of the physiological traits and growth variables of three cacao cultivars growing in an agroforestry system. Results suggested that C. odorata is the best timber species to provide partial shade for cacao cultivars in the Barlovento region in Venezuela, regardless of cultivar origin.

Age and growth of the shark, Mustelus higmani (Carcharhiniformes: Triakidae) from Venezuela

Abstract. Introduction: Mustelus higmani is one of the shark species most commonly caught in the northeastern region of Venezuela; however, this species has been poorly studied. Objective: to evaluate the age and growth of M. higmani on the basis of the optical analysis of vertebrae. Methods: Between August 2016 and July 2017, the vertebral samples were collected in the fishing port of Juan Griego, Margarita Island. The growth study was based on a sample of 238 individuals, 86 males (24.1-59.5 cm TL) and 152 females (24.4-69.5 cm TL) and the use of growth modeling approaches. Results: The RMI analysis indicated an annual periodicity for the deposition of growth rings. Ages assigned varied between 0 and 5 years in males, and between 0 and 6 years in females. The estimates of growth parameters obtained were L∞ = 60.8 cm TL, k = 0.54 years-1 and t0 = -1.04 years in males; and L∞ = 72.4 cm TL, k = 0.40 years-1 and t0 = -1.31 years in females. The ages at maturity and longevities resulted respectively in 2.5 and 6.4 years for males; and in 2.0 and 8.7 years for females. Conclusions: In general, results indicate that M. higmani has a rapid growth, early maturity, short longevity, and continuous reproduction, characterizing it as a biologically productive species.
 Key words: Caribbean; ecology; elasmobranchs; fishery; sharks.

Most LAM Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Venezuela, but not SIT605, belong to the RDRio subfamily

Tuberculosis is a global public health problem that is resurgent in Venezuela, with 13 thousand estimated new cases in 2018. Strains of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis RDRio, subfamily belong to the Latín American Mediterranean (LAM) family and are a major cause of TB in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. LAM strains predominate in Venezuela, where spoligotype SIT605 is common, but surprisingly not found elsewhere. We sought to assess the presence of RDRio strains in tuberculosis patients in different regions of Venezuela and determine whether SIT605 also belongs to the RDRio subfamily. Using spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR 24 loci, we identified 86 clinical LAM and SIT605 isolates from the Venezuelan capital Caracas and several Venezuelan states. Region of difference deletion loci RD174 and RDRio, and also IS1561 were used to identify strains of the RDRio subfamily, while IS6110 at position 932,204 and the Ag85C103 polymorphism were used to validate SIT 605 as a LAM family strain. We found that 69.8% of the isolates were RDRío, including 94.3% of strains isolated in Caracas, 17.9% isolated in the state of Carabobo, the two strains analyzed from Delta Amacuro, and one each from Sucre, Apure and Aragua states. RDRio was in 100% of: SIT17 (LAM 2); SIT20 (LAM 1); SITs 93, 1694, 1696, 960, 1367 (LAM 5); and SITs 216 (LAM 9); but only 75% of SIT42 (LAM 9) strains. Thus, most of the LAM strains in Venezuela belong to the RDRío subfamily. SIT 605 strains, although LAM, are not in the RDRío subfamily.

Participatory Video at the UN Global Migration Film Festival: engaging displaced indigenous Venezuelans in filmmaking at a shelter in Brazil

From August 2017 to September 2018, IOM (International Organization for Migration) experimented for the first time, participatory video methodology integrated in the activities of its Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF). The main purpose was to innovate and enable communities in the frontlines of displacement and different humanitarian action settings into creating through film their own narratives with their own hands and style. Their videos would then integrate the film festival that traditionally curates professionally produced movies. Amongst the six countries and areas with displaced population reached by the project is Roraima, Brazil, that has been hosting thousands of Venezuelans that crossed the Brazilian border fleeing from degrading living conditions. In May 2018 the authors spent a week at Pintolândia Indigenous Shelter located in the capital Boa Vista, facilitating displaced Venezuelans of the ethical groups of Warao and Eñepas make their own films to be screened locally and around the world. Furthermore, the facilitators would observe the potential benefits of the method to generate some level of social cohesion and integration between the participating displaced communities that came from different regions of Venezuela.

Planificación Estratégica en Instituciones de Educación Superior en Venezuela

El propósito del presente trabajo es evaluar el proceso de planificación estratégica corporativa de las dependencias coordinadas por los directivos de los institutos universitarios tecnológicos del sector oficial de la región occidental de Venezuela. Se efectuó un estudio de tipo descriptivo, en la modalidad de campo, seleccionando una muestra de 40 directivos a quienes se les aplicó el cuestionario específico sobre Planificación Estratégica Corporativa. La aplicación estadística rigurosa de los resultados de la encuesta permitió determinar que la planificación estratégica corporativa en los planes de gestión se ubicó en el criterio de medianamente adecuada, presentando dificultades en la formulación de objetivos corporativos, relacionados con las necesidades de recursos humanos, fortalecimiento de programas de extensión universitaria y desarrollo de los sistemas de bienestar estudiantil. Además, se detectaron limitaciones relacionadas con el logro de la articulación de los objetivos institucionales con otros planes de carácter oficial y la disponibilidad de recursos financieros.

The astronomical heritage of pre-Hispanic societies in Venezuela: Total Eclipses of Sun reported in Petroglyphs

AbstractAstronomical observations have been documented in pre-Hispanic cultures. However, little is known about the astronomical heritage of pre-Hispanic societies in Venezuela, since there are no evidence of an ancestral material culture as other regions of Meso and South America, and these native Venezuelan groups lacked a written, alphabetic or ideographic language. There are innumerable petroglyph deposits in almost all regions of Venezuela, especially near Lake Valencia (Carabobo state) and those of the Andean foothills (Barinas state). By means of computerized simulation and archaeoastronomy techniques, the occurrence of a total solar eclipse is verified: in July 1, 577 at the Vigirima site; and another total solar eclipse at noon on May 16, 1398 at the Bum Bum site. It is concluded that the contemplation of the total eclipses of the Sun, must lead to the need for communication and recording, and lacking any type of writing, they drew the phenomenon, using the techniques and means at their disposal: engraving on rocks.

A gold mine: four more new species of Tovomita (Clusiaceae: Clusieae) from Amazonia

Four new species of Tovomita endemic to Amazonia are here described. Tovomita caudata and T. grandis occur in the Department of Loreto in Amazonian Peru, and T. caudata also occurs in W Amazonian Brazil. Tovomita nervosa and T. nidiae are endemic to the Amazonian region of Venezuela, in the states of Amazonas and Bolivar, respectively. Descriptions, illustrations, a distribution map, and taxonomic comments about similar species are provided.

La Amazonía en disputa: agencias políticas y organizaciones indígenas de la Amazonía venezolana frente al Arco Minero del Orinoco

A partir del concepto de agencia y desde una sociología fundamentada en la teoría de la estructuración, analizamos el fenómeno de la participación política de las organizaciones indígenas amazónicas y sus respuestas al plan de desarrollo minero de la región amazónica de Venezuela conocido como el Arco Minero del Orinoco. Para ello, prestamos atención a los mecanismos de presión política y participación popular (asambleas, protestas, denuncias, comunicados, etc.) llevados adelante por las organizaciones indígenas entre 2016 y 2018, así mismo, a los resultados electorales en los territorios amazónicos desde 2013 hasta 2017. La realización de este trabajo fue posible a través de una estrategia multi método, considerando datos históricos, observación participante y entrevistas con líderes indígenas, intelectuales y participantes de los movimientos sociales. Los datos se organizaron siguiendo el método de Mapeo de Actores Clave. Concluimos que el Arco Minero del Orinoco representó una ruptura en el plano político y electoral de las organizaciones indígenas con el chavismo, en el marco de una intensificación del extractivismo minero en la Amazonía venezolana.

In search of El Dorado: U.S. experts and the promise of development in the Guayana region of Venezuela

ABSTRACTWhen urban planners from MIT and Harvard University began to design a new city in Venezuela in 1961, euphoria soon gave way to a skeptical appraisal of urban planning. Unrealistic ambitions, inadequate implementation, social tensions, and diverging interests by US American und Venezuelan experts complicated the building of Ciudad Guayana. The evolving city did not live up to initial expectations and remained a work in progress. Tracing the many voices involved including critics within the American team, helps understand the dynamics, challenges, and limitations of knowledge transfers in 1960s modernization programs. Scientific planning knowledge proved an unstable and less powerful commodity than Americans had expected. Problems on the ground took the gloss off the Western hegemonic scientific repertoire. They led to an appropriation of knowledge by Venezuelan experts who harnessed their US American counterparts to advance their own political aims.

ESTUDIO DE LOS ÍNDICES DE CONFORT TÉRMICO DE UNA ESCUELA EN LA ZONA CLIMÁTICA DE LOS ANDES VENEZOLANOS

At the present, the demand of a global society increasingly aware of the scarcity of natural resources has oriented its vision to stimulate the development of appropriate technologies to make more efficient the consumption of energy. This idea makes us ask ourselves certain concerns, based on the gaps that exist in the construction forms in Venezuela and the energy situation, as it is evident in the current scenario, the electricity crisis that the country suffers in addition to the lack of regulations for the design of educational building, that contemplate aspects that favor better comfort conditions and lower energy consumption. In this regard, the main objective of this research is the study of a school building, located in the Andean region of Venezuela, by analyzing the thermal comfort of the occupants in the building, in order to determine whether the design of a Constructive typology of schools in the country, help to ensure that the thermal comfort indexes of occupants are within acceptable ranges. The methodology applied for this analysis is based on the approximation of results through computer simulations, obtaining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) results. This results predict the movement of the fluids, being able to define temperatures and thermal comfort indexes (specifically those established by Povl Ole Fanger), for the critical days of the dry season (summer) and the rainy season (winter) in Venezuela. The results of the simulation show that there is greater thermal dissatisfaction during the rainy season in a large part of the spaces that make up the school and that, the application of small architectural strategies of improvement, in turn contribute to an improvement of the comfort conditions in 11% during the rainy season and 7% in relation to the condition of a totally closed environment during the dry season.