Artículos FC IIBZ

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Browsing Artículos FC IIBZ by Author "José David Hernández Martich"

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    Innovative assembly strategy contributes to undesrtanding the evolution and conservation genetics of the endangered Solenodonparadoxus from the island of Hispaniola.
    (2018-03-16) José David Hernández Martich
    Solenodons are insectivores that live in Hispaniola and Cuba. They form an isolated branch in the tree of placental mammals that are highly divergent from other eulipothyplan insectivores The history, unique biology, and adaptations of these enigmatic venomous species could be illuminated by the availability of genome data. However, a whole genome assembly for solenodons has not been previously performed, partially due to the difficulty in obtaining samples from the field. Island isolation and reduced numbers have likely resulted in high homozygosity within the Hispaniolan solenodon (Solenodon paradoxus). Thus, we tested the performance of several assembly strategies on the genome of this genetically impoverished species. The string graph–based assembly strategy seemed a better choice compared to the conventional de Bruijn graph approach due to the high levels of homozygosity, which is often a hallmark of endemic or endangered species. A consensus reference genome was assembled from sequences of 5 individuals from the southern subspecies (S. p. woodi). In addition, we obtained an additional sequence from 1 sample of the northern subspecies (S. p. paradoxus). The resulting genome assemblies were compared to each other and annotated for genes, with an emphasis on venom genes, repeats, variable microsatellite loci, and other genomic variants. Phylogenetic positioning and selection signatures were inferred based on 4,416 single-copy orthologs from 10 other mammals. We estimated that solenodons diverged from other extant mammals 73.6 million years ago. Patterns of single-nucleotide polymorphism variation allowed us to infer population demography, which supported a subspecies split within the Hispaniolan solenodon at least 300 thousand years ago.
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    The state of higher education in the Dominican Republic
    (2022-03-06) José David Hernández Martich
    Knowledge is the new wealth! Apple and Google, two of the most valuable companies in the world, are prime examples of this new reality. Driven mostly by novel advances in science and technology, these global brands have significantly changed our way of life. This awareness is now forcing countries around the world to seek new ways to keep up with this everevolving economy. These countries also agree to the concept of scientific innovation being synonymous to higher education. Therefore, in order to remain competitive in a globalized market, developing countries in particular are now called upon, to train a new cadre of future workers to a higher standard. Training skilled workers and making them available to the wider economy have become a daunting challenge for the developing world. Case in point, the oldest university in the Americas, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo UASD, just received its first patent in 2020, after more than 500 years of existence. For too long, higher education has been assigned a relatively low priority, as one of the major economic sectors in the Dominican Republic, the tourism and hospitality industry, does not require highly technical trained workers. By any measure, making the leap from teaching to research intensive universities is not a small task for the Dominican government, especially, considering their current situation of chronic underfunding, underpaid faculty, and underdeveloped curricula. With an everincreasing student population, institutions of higher learning in the Dominican Republic can barely maintain their current position, let alone catch up to the MITs and Oxfords of the world, which are constantly raising the stakes. Here we propose a few scenarios that may help academic institutions in the Dominican Republic or the developing world as a whole, increase their potential of promoting growth and economic development in this global economy.
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    The State of Higher Education in the Dominican Republic
    (2022) José David Hernández Martich
    Knowledge is the new wealth! Apple and Google, two of the most valuable companies in the world, are prime examples of this new reality. Driven mostly by novel advances in science and technology, these global brands have significantly changed our way of life. This awareness is now forcing countries around the world to seek new ways to keep up with this ever-evolving economy. These countries also agree to the concept of scientific innovation being synonymous to higher education. Therefore, in order to remain competitive in a globalized market, developing countries in particular are now called upon, to train a new cadre of future workers to a higher standard. Training skilled workers and making them available to the wider economy have become a daunting challenge for the developing world. Case in point, the oldest university in the Americas, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo UASD, just received its first patent in 2020, after more than 500 years of existence. For too long, higher education has been assigned a relatively low priority, as one of the major economic sectors in the Dominican Republic, the tourism and hospitality industry, does not require highly technical trained workers. By any measure, making the leap from teaching to research intensive universities is not a small task for the Dominican government, especially, considering their current situation of chronic underfunding, underpaid faculty, and underdeveloped curricula. With an everincreasing student population, institutions of higher learning in the Dominican Republic can barely maintain their current position, let alone catch up to the MITs and Oxfords of the world, which are constantly raising the stakes. Here we propose a few scenarios that may help academic institutions in the Dominican Republic or the developing world as a whole, increase their potential of promoting growth and economic development in this global economy
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    Waste as a Sustainable Source of Nutrients for Plants and Humans: A Strategy to Reduce Hidden Hunger,
    (2024-08-21) José David Hernández Martich
    Worldwide, over half of all preschool-aged children and two-thirds of non-pregnant women of reproductive age suffer from hidden hunger. This situation may worsen due to the expected increase in the world population and the effects of climate change. The objective of this paper is to conduct a review of the relationship between soil, plants, and humans at the nutritional level, factors that affect the availability of nutrients, and sustainable strategies to reduce hidden hunger from an organic waste utilization point of view. Nutritional deficiency in people begins with nutrient-deficient soil, followed by crops that do not meet humans’ nutritional needs. According to previous studies, most agricultural soils are deficient in nutrients; however, organic residues containing high concentrations of minerals are present in the non-edible parts that are discarded. New opportunities (based on the circular economy strategy) are opening up to take advantage of the nutrient pool of organic residues, such as the preparation of substrates (technosols) or amendments. Their incorporation into the soil may consider various circumstances to ensure the mineralization and bioavailability of nutrients for crops. Several agronomic practices and methods to monitor soil and crop nutrient depletion can be considered among the best strategies to mitigate and reduce hidden hunger through determining which foods and which parts should be ingested, and how to process them to ensure mineral bioavailability.