Browsing by Autor "Paola A. Vargas"

Filter results by typing the first few letters
Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Book Review: Modern Epidemics, From Spanish Flu to COVID-19 by Salvador Macip Maresma
    (Frontiers Media, 2021) Paola A. Vargas; Lucia Elena Alvarado-Arnez; Natalia Montellano Duran
    Citation: Vargas PA, Alvarado-Arnez LE and Montellano Duran N (2021) Book Review: Modern Epidemics, From Spanish Flu to COVID-19 by Salvador Macip Maresma. Front. Polit. Sci. 3:709290. doi: 10.3389/fpos.2021.709290
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Internet-enabled lab-on-a-chip technology for education
    (Nature Portfolio, 2024) Tyler Sano; Mohammad Julker Neyen Sampad; Jesus Gonzalez-Ferrer; Sebastían Hernández; Samira Vera-Choqqueccota; Paola A. Vargas; Roberto Urcuyo; Natalia Montellano Duran; Mircea Teodorescu; David Haussler
    Despite many interventions, science education remains highly inequitable throughout the world. Internet-enabled experimental learning has the potential to reach underserved communities and increase the diversity of the scientific workforce. Here, we demonstrate the use of lab-on-a-chip (LoC) technologies to expose Latinx life science undergraduate students to introductory concepts of computer programming by taking advantage of open-loop cloud-integrated LoCs. We developed a context-aware curriculum to train students at over 8000 km from the experimental site. Through this curriculum, the students completed an assignment testing bacteria contamination in water using LoCs. We showed that this approach was sufficient to reduce the students' fear of programming and increase their interest in continuing careers with a computer science component. Altogether, we conclude that LoC-based internet-enabled learning can become a powerful tool to train Latinx students and increase the diversity in STEM.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Molecular Testing of Environmental Samples as a Potential Source to Estimate Parasite Infection
    (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2024) Rojelio Mejía; Barton E. Slatko; María Cristina Almazán; Rubén O. Cimino; Alejandro Krolewiecki; Natalia Montellano Duran; Jacob Edwin Valera Aspetty; Paola A. Vargas; Chiara Cássia Oliveira Amorim; Stefan Michael Geiger
    We discuss the potential usefulness of molecular testing of soil, dust, and water samples to detect medically important parasites, and where such testing could be used to supplement stool sampling in humans. A wide variety of parasites including protozoa and helminths, many of which are zoonotic, have an important infection reservoir in the environment. In some cases, this environmental period is essential for further parasite development. We describe the progress in implementing methods for the molecular detection of these parasites in soil across eight collaborating centers in Latin America and represent a variety of potential applications in improving our understanding of parasite epidemiology and mapping, surveillance, and control of these parasites. This methodology offers new opportunities for improving our understanding of a wide variety of parasites of public health importance and novel tools for their control.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Open-loop lab-on-a-chip technology enables remote computer science training in Latinx life sciences students
    (2023) Tyler Sano; Mohammad Julker Neyen Sampad; Jesus Gonzalez-Ferrer; Sebastían Hernández; Samira Vera-Choqqueccota; Paola A. Vargas; Roberto Urcuyo; Natalia Montellano Duran; Mircea Teodorescu; David Haussler
    Despite many interventions, science education remains highly inequitable throughout the world. Among all life sciences fields, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology suffer from the strongest underrepresentation of racial and gender minorities. Internet-enabled project-based learning (PBL) has the potential to reach underserved communities and increase the diversity of the scientific workforce. Here, we demonstrate the use of lab-on-a-chip (LoC) technologies to train Latinx life science undergraduate students in concepts of computer programming by taking advantage of open-loop cloud-integrated LoCs. We developed a context-aware curriculum to train students at over 8,000 km from the experimental site. We showed that this approach was sufficient to develop programming skills and increase the interest of students in continuing careers in Bioinformatics. Altogether, we conclude that LoC-based Internet-enabled PBL can become a powerful tool to train Latinx students and increase the diversity in STEM.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item type: Item ,
    Strongyloides stercoralis and Trypanosoma cruzi coinfections in a highly endemic area in Argentina
    (Public Library of Science, 2022) Pedro Fleitas; Noelia Floridia-Yapur; Elvia Nieves; Adriana Echazú; Paola A. Vargas; Rita Nicanor Nicolás; Ramiro Aveldaño; Walter López; Mariana Fernández; Favio Crudo
    We found that coinfection between S. stercoralis and T. cruzi is not more frequent than chance in endemic areas. However, the high prevalence for both parasites, raises the need for an integrated strategy for the control of STH and Chagas disease.