Tecnociencia

Description of aquatic macroinvertebrates assemblages, associated to leaf packs, and its relationship with physical variables, in Quebrada Ancha Colón, Panamá, during 2018-2019 period

Yolanda Águila S — 2025-07-11

We studied Quebrada Ancha (Colón) from October 2018 to June 2019, to describe leaf packs macroinvertebrates assemblages, and to relate physical and biological variables. We established a 30m long reach, and during nine (9) months we estimated physical variables (width, depth, velocity, flow, grain profile), and collected three handful leaf packs (g), per month. Flow was higher during the rainy season, and grain profile was variable, although silt particles decline during the dry season. We collected 8310 leaf packs macroinvertebrates, with richness of 44 or 60 taxa, depending on precision level, family or genus, respectively. We determine 27 families in 9 insects orders, 7 Mollusk taxa, 2 groups of Collembola, Chelicerata, Crustacea, and one group of Turbellaria, Hirudinea, Oligochaeta, and Myriapoda. The more abundant families were Thiaridae (Melanoides sp.), Chironomidae, Hydrobiidae, Leptohyphidae (Vacupernius), Ancylidae, Hydropsychidae (Smicridea), Turbellaria, Elmidae (Microcylloephus) y Leptophlebiidae (Farrodes), in decreasing order. Positive significant correlations were estimated for: a) Flow vs Richness, No.Ind. and No.Ind/g; b) Coarse sand vs No.Ind/g, leaf pack weight, and silt; c) fine sand vs silt.

How the study of emulsions has emerged, and their transition to Nanocellulose Pickering emulsions

Leslie Oses-Chaves — 2025-07-11

This bibliometric study analyzes the development of emulsions and their evolution to nanocellulose Pickering emulsions from their emergence in 2014 to 2023. The Scopus database was accessed, and three specific search equations were used. The first equation identified a total of 164,392 publications on emulsions across various disciplines. The second, revealed 5,619 publications specifically on Pickering emulsions, with a notable increase in scientific output since 2004. The third, focused on nanocellulose Pickering emulsions and showed a total of 212 publications, more than 50 of which were published in 2023. China leads the research in this field, followed by Japan, Canada, and Finland. Key applications are found in material science, agriculture, and the food industry, with notable research in areas such as thermal insulation and biodegradable composites, indicating a promising future for nanocellulose in sustainable industrial innovation.

Characterization by Gas Chromatography coupled to a biodiesel mass detector (GC-MS) obtained from reused oil

Lourdes Arjona — 2025-07-11

In this work, biodiesel was obtained and characterized from used cooking oil and methanol by means of the transesterification reaction, with the aim of using waste oil (a low-value triglyceride resource) as a raw material and thus contributes to minimizing environmental impact. With the methodology used, biodiesel produced from waste oil shows characteristics like biodiesel obtained from virgin oil, as could be seen when characterizing each of the samples characterized by means of various physicochemical tests and by GC-MS chromatography. The realization of this research project generated relevant information and know-how regarding the methodology for the correct characterization by GC-MS of the main components (FAME) present in the biodiesels produced. Among the FAMEs that were characterized are the methyl octanoic, decanoic and octadecanoic esters. These results confirm that biodiesel obtained from cooking oil is a viable and sustainable alternative. In addition, the analytical characterization by GC-MS provided information on FAME, which facilitates its comparison with quality standards and its possible application in diesel engines. In this way, the study contributes to affirming that the scaling of the methodology proposed here is feasible and could contribute to the development of biofuels in Panama, promoting environmental management within the framework of the circular economy.

Triennial evaluation of the nesting activity of the sea turtle Chelonia mydas in Playa Lagarto, Los Santos, Panama

Jorge M. Castillo-Beitia — 2025-07-11

To evaluate the nesting activity of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) over a three-year period at Playa Lagarto, nighttime monitoring was conducted from May 2021 to April 2024. The beach was divided into nine segments to determine whether the turtles preferentially use specific areas for nesting. For each turtle, data on date, nesting time, nesting activity number, biometric measurements, tracks, track types, nest count, and nesting segment were recorded. A total of 535 nesting events were documented, categorized as false nesting (41.12%), false crawls (26.36%), successful nests (21.87%), and unknown cases (10.65%). Chelonia mydas was found to nest most frequently between December and April, predominantly between 21:00 and 23:00 hours. Biometric data were recorded for 193 nesting females, with an average curved carapace length of 92.4 ± 7.12 cm and an average curved carapace width of 86.1 ± 6.35 cm. Among the 110 observed nests, 87.27% were successful, while 12.73% were poached. This study aids in optimizing conservation efforts by informing the design of effective strategies to protect essential habitats and ensure the long-term survival of green turtles.

Characterization of Soil Periods and Estimation of Site Effects in the District of Arraiján, Panama Oeste Province, Panama

Katherine M. Flores — 2025-07-11

Earthquakes represent one of the most significant geological hazards, as they possess the highest destructive potential worldwide (Benito Oterino, 2013). Rapid urban growth, driven by increasing housing demand, has led to the expansion of settlements into areas lacking territorial planning (INEC, 2023), which may be exposed to geological hazards. This absence of planning has sparked interest in conducting investigations aimed at characterizing ground conditions. To this end, an analysis of ambient vibrations is proposed using the Nakamura H/V technique (Nakamura, 2019) with broadband seismometers, to identify areas with

potential local wave amplification, along with the assessment of the geotechnical characteristics of the zone, which includes materials ranging from the Oligocene to the Quaternary (Cowan et al., 1998; García, 2010; Rockwell et al., 2010). Field campaigns have identified various types of rocks, residual soils, and colluvial deposits, each exhibiting specific weathering and compositional characteristics.

The project focused on the collection of data from 40 sampling points using broadband seismometers, soil sampling to identify geotechnical and geophysical properties, and the analysis of borehole data from constructions within the study area, with the objective of developing a stratigraphic model to be implemented in DEGTRA (Lermo & Chávez-García, 1994). Consequently, to enhance the level of detail, a seismicity histogram was incorporated, comprising a total of 213 seismic events recorded by the Institute of Geosciences of the University of Panama during the period between 2016 and 2023, in order to support the assessment of seismic activity.

Use of sound recorders to document the biocultural diversity of the Avifauna of the Emberá Collective High Lands of Balsa, Darién, Panama

Catherine Potvin — 2025-07-11

The Darién region of Panama is one of the world's last frontier forests. Indigenous peoples play a critical role as stewards of intact forests, and Darién is no exception. Here, we used sound recorders to document the bird community. Bird identification was performed by Euclides Campos, a Panamanian bird guide, and Doug Robinson, an ornithologist knowledgeable about Panama's avifauna. We retained only the species reported by both co-authors. The analysis of bird songs was complemented by observations made by Emberá technicians along 1-km transects. The analysis of bird songs allowed us to identify species sounds. This, in turn, allowed us to calculate species richness. Species accumulation curves were generated by pooling all recorders, separating the dry and wet seasons. Bird species were grouped according to their food preferences. A correspondence analysis was performed on bird communities by site to determine if bird communities differed across the sampled landscape. The bird list obtained served to stimulate discussion among the holders of traditional Emberá bird knowledge. The information on traditional bird knowledge was validated in a meeting with traditional authorities from the Balsa region (the regional chief, the president of Congress, and the six Nokos) and men and women (40 people). One of the Emberá's motivations in joining forces with us is to document and showcase their success in forest conservation. As the world faces a sixth mass extinction crisis, the Emberá people of the Balsa River coexist peacefully with the forest.

Diversity of aquatic hyphomycemycetes in foam and submerged leaf litter in rural and urbanized areas of the Caimito River, Boqueron, Chiriquí, Panama

Victor J. Reyes — 2025-07-11

Aquatic hyphomycetes are a group of asexual fungi specialized in the decomposition of organic matter and nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems. The study of the diversity of aquatic hyphomycetes is of great ecological importance, since these fungi are indicators of the quality of aquatic ecosystems. In this research, the diversity of aquatic hyphomycetes was analyzed from samples of foam and submerged leaf litter with evidence of decomposition, collected from the upper, middle and lower course of Caimito river, using the Shannon-Wiener index to evaluate diversity. A total of 51 morphospecies were identified, of which 43 were classified at the species level, distributed in 35 genera. The distribution within the Caimito river course was 27 morphospecies in the upper course, 26 in the middle course and 25 in the lower course. The total diversity index was 2.65, which indicates a medium diversity and suggests a relative stability in the aquatic ecosystem, although possibly affected by anthropogenic activities.

Characterization of the site effect with the Nakamura technique in the Panama City Old Quarter as support for the preservation of Panama historical heritage of

Néstor Luque — 2025-07-11

Areas prone to the generation of earthquakes that leave considerable damage require seismic hazard studies. Performing a site effect analysis is one of the most important parameters in this process. To know the site effect, there are various techniques, one of them is the empirical methodology of the H/V spectral ratio (that is, the ratio between the Fourier amplitude spectrum of the horizontal and vertical components of microseisms). The technique developed by Nogoshi and Igarashi (1971) and disseminated by Nakamura (1989) as the H/V spectral ratio, allows obtaining the fundamental periods of the ground in the study region. This is one of the techniques that microtremors use for seismic microzonation (Rivera-Alvarez, 2019).

We apply this technique at different points, especially near important buildings, in the Casco Viejo of Panama City as support for the preservation of the historical heritage of Panama, with broadband seismometers. Resulting in soils that mostly comprise hard to compact soils with short periods, less than 0.25 seconds.

Wood anatomy of Dalbergia retusa (Fabaceae

Janitce A. Harwood — 2025-07-11

We aimed to characterize the anatomical features of Dalbergia retusa and clarify the identity of two wood samples labeled “cocobolo” from East Panama. Each wood sample was morpho-anatomically described, measured, and compared following the International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA) Committee standards. Basic density and fluorescence tests were also conducted. The wood anatomy of both samples aligns with the typical characteristics of the order Fabales and the genus Dalbergia. The combination of these features: vessel frequency, vessel element length, axial parenchyma, fibers and wood density reveals significant structural and functional differences among the three tree samples, which are typically associated with distinct ecological environments. Fluorescence tests did not reveal distinct differences between the samples; however, the density measurements provided useful separation. D. retusa exhibited very high-density values, while sample 1 showed high-density, and sample 2 showed medium density, both of wich suggest variability in the wood properties. The observed anatomical and density differences indicate that the two “cocobolo” samples might represent a distinct taxon, separate from Dalbergia retusa.

Editorial

Eduardo Camacho Astigarrabía — 2025-07-11