A Management Indicator Program For Water Operating Agencies

The management indicator program for operating agencies (PIGOO, for its initials in Spanish) specifies a set of 28 management indicators that help to measure the operational aspects, financial aspects and efficiencies of potable water supply systems. Ideally, the performance indicators of an operating agency should be linked to an objective or strategy established by that same agency. The performance indicators are calculated based on annual data, variables such as the volume of water produced, the number of employees, total income and expenditures, rate of leaks and claims. The Mexican Institute of Water Technology has conducted PIGOO since 2005. From 2005 to 2013, the number of operating agencies has increased from 50 to 130. Correspondingly, the number of management indicators has increased from 12 to 28. Information is available for the 185 participating agencies at http://www.pigoo.gob.mx/. The quality of service offered by an operating agency can be measured according to the following criteria: the efficiency and effectiveness with which it provides water and collects and treats wastewater; the satisfaction of its customers; whether the water supply is continuous in terms of quantity and quality; knowledge of all elements that make up its infrastructure; whether there is a reliable record of its users; knowledge of how much water is produced and how much is delivered to consumers; whether it uses the full capacity of its treatment units; whether all complaints from users are addressed in a reasonable time and in turn if payment is received for the service; and the ability to recoup all operating, maintenance and administrative costs of the system. The webpage provides, among other options, the possibility of comparing indicators. Information can also be found in the geographical search section, where it is possible to use search filters related to demographical and geographical aspects, as well as to examine the value ranges of the management indicators. The present article will address the diverse topics covered by PIGOO and provide an analysis of the results

Metodología para la generación de mapas de riesgo por inundación en zonas urbanas

En el presente artículo se expone una metodología para la generación de mapas de riesgo que articula los mapas de peligro y vulnerabilidad por inundación. Se expone el procedimiento a realizar bajo un criterio que permite ser adaptable a distintas zonas urbanas; estos mapas son utilizados para estimar los costos por daños estructurales y de menaje de las viviendas. Se revisan distintos criterios para establecer el peligro de las inundaciones usados en varios países; consideran como base para su cálculo el tirante y la velocidad del agua alcanzados en las calles, arroyos y ríos. Asimismo, se plantean dos factores que se consideran importantes: resistencia al vuelco y deslizamiento. Para el cálculo de la vulnerabilidad de las edificaciones ante un evento de inundación, se plantea una metodología que permite con base en información generada por el INEGI y contenida en las Áreas Geoestadísticas Básicas (AGEB), determinar los mapas de vulnerabilidad de toda una zona urbana. El caso de estudio es la ciudad de Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, México, donde se generaron los mapas de peligro, vulnerabilidad y riesgo por inundación con la metodología propuesta. Se generan costos estimados para el daño estructural y menaje de las viviendas; además, se desarrollaron rutas de evacuación y se revisó la localización de los refugios

NLRP3 inflammasome suppression improves longevity and prevents cardiac aging in male mice

While NLRP3‐inflammasome has been implicated in cardiovascular diseases, its role in physiological cardiac aging is largely unknown. During aging, many alterations occur in the organism, which are associated with progressive impairment of metabolic pathways related to insulin resistance, autophagy dysfunction, and inflammation. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms through which NLRP3 inhibition may attenuate cardiac aging. Ablation of NLRP3‐inflammasome protected mice from age‐related increased insulin sensitivity, reduced IGF‐1 and leptin/adiponectin ratio levels, and reduced cardiac damage with protection of the prolongation of the agedependent PR interval, which is associated with atrial fibrillation by cardiovascular aging and reduced telomere shortening. Furthermore, old NLRP3 KO mice showed an inhibition of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and autophagy improvement, compared with old wild mice and preserved Nampt‐mediated NAD+ levels with increased SIRT1 protein expression. These findings suggest that suppression of NLRP3 prevented many age‐associated changes in the heart, preserved cardiac function of aged mice and increased lifespan.Andalusian regional government; Consejería de Salud de la Junta de Andalucia, Grant/ Award Number: PI‐0036‐2014; Ministerio de economía y competitividad, Grant/Award Number: SAF2017‐84494‐C2‐1‐

Defective CD2 pathway T cell activation in systemic lupus erythematosus

CD2 (T11; sheep erythrocyte receptor) is the surface component of an alternative, antigen-independent pathway of human T cell activation. The response to certain anti-CD2 antibodies is relatively independent of accessory cell signals and therefore provides a direct measurement of T cell function. The CD2 pathway may be important in the differentiation of thymocytes, on which the expression of CD2 precedes the appearance of the CD3–T cell receptor complex. In view of the impaired T cell regulation of immune responses in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we examined the activation of peripheral blood lymphocytes by anti-CD2 antibodies in 57 SLE patients and 32 normal control subjects. The CD2 pathway response was lower in the SLE patients ( P < 0.0001); 18 of the 57 SLE patients had a lower response than any of the control subjects. The SLE low-responder patients did not differ from the normal-responder patients in terms of disease activity or use of antiinflammatory and immunosuppressive medications. Low responses to anti-CD2 were corrected to normal by the coaddition of a submitogenic amount of phorbol myristate acetate (1 ng/ml). In some low-responder patients, the responses were normalized by the removal of non–T cells. The data indicate that some SLE patients have impaired responses to CD2 pathway activation and that this may reflect intrinsic T cell defects and/or regulatory influences of non–T cells.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37788/1/1780340508_ftp.pd