Proyecto De Transformación Biológica De Residuos Agrícolas Energía Limpia Para Todos

Figuras, tablasEl proyecto se desarrolla con el fin de acoplar la experiencia en investigación aplicada en ciencias, con la metodología en gestión de proyectos. Se plantea la adaptación de un prototipo de Biorreactor integrado específico para la transformación de residuos agrícolas en energía eléctrica, con la consecuente producción de metano y abono orgánico de calidad; teniendo como fundamento desarrollar una tecnología que esté al alcance y específicamente diseñada para las actividades productivas del pequeño y mediano agricultor en Boyacá. En primera instancia, y luego de plantear las necesidades de ejecución del proyecto, se realiza un recorrido por los principales ejes temáticos que involucran el uso de tecnologías renovables de transformación energética, se recrea el panorama agrícola y las necesidades de manejo de residuos para esta actividad; además, se describen los principios técnicos y biológicos que anteceden la construcción del prototipo. En una segunda fase se encuentra el marco metodológico, que describe los pasos propuestos para el desarrollo de esta tecnología en tres etapas: iniciación y planeación, ejecución y etapa post-mortem. Finalmente el documento presenta lo referente a los planes de gestión del proyecto, entre los que se encuentran la gestión del alcance, gestión de recursos humanos, gestión de costos, entre otros. Se encontraron algunos riesgos asociados a la falta de experiencia en el desarrollo de este tipo de tecnologías, las debilidades para la consecución de recursos de financiación y a la viabilidad de los insumos, frente a esto se plantean alternativas de contingencia específicas. Para el proyecto en sus tres fases, se estimó una necesidad de inversión cercana a los 86 millones de pesos, para la cual se elaboró un plan determinado de financiación. La planeación específica en este tipo de proyectos, transfiere a los procesos la eficiencia y eficacia requerida para la consecución precisa de objetivos.This Project affords bringing together the science research experience and project management methodologies. The adaptation of a new model of Biorreactor with integrated characteristics is suggested here. This prototype will allow the transformation of agricultural residues in electrical energy and the consequent methane and organic compost production. The main objective of this project is to provide to average farmers from Boyacá an affordable agricultural transformation technology. The first part brings up the problem description, and then it is presented the main theme axes dealing with renewable technologies, agricultural needs, and technic and biological foundations about the prototype put forward. The second part describes the specific methodology suggested for the project. This methodology is divided by three stages: initiating & planning, executing & monitoring, and closing stage. Finally, the document presents aspects related to the project management plans as well. This is human resources plan, financial plan, risk plan, communication plan, among others. As the result of this project planning there were found some risks linked to the inexperience in this kind of technologies, some weaknesses for the financial resources attainment, and the materials viability. Some contingency alternatives were suggested for that and other risks. The necessary invest for the three stage of that project were estimated in 41.000 dollars and the financial plan was established by this estimated cost. It is known that the specific planning of this kind of project provides to the processes the efficiency and effectiveness required for the goals approach

Estudio de prefactibilidad para la implementación de una planta de helados con alcohol en Lima

En épocas de pandemia, en donde la necesidad de incurrir en nuevas experiencias para pasar con la familia o amigos cae cada vez más dentro de las prioridades de la sociedad limeña, se plantea el presente proyecto sobre la elaboración de helados con alcohol como una forma innovadora de consumo del mismo. Este tiene como objetivo determinar la factibilidad técnica, económica y social de la implementación de una planta productora de helados con alcohol. El proyecto está enfocado en personas a partir de los 18 hasta los 55 años del NSE AB de Lima Moderna, representado por un grupo de personas cuyo ingreso mensual promedio es de S/. 7960 y viven en los distritos de Santiago de Surco, Miraflores, San Isidro, San Borja, entre otros. Se refleja una oportunidad de negocio para ofrecer el producto en mención como una manera de llevar a casa el entretenimiento en forma de postre alcoholizado, ya que dentro de este grupo aumentará la preferencia de entretenimiento en casa. El producto a ofrecer será en base a ron con la diversidad de 3 sabores. Para la distribución no se tendrá una fuerza de ventas o intermediarios, ya que se usará la aplicación de Rappi, que cobra entre el 18% al 25% de las ventas como comisión. Asimismo, como parte de este proyecto se evalúa la ubicación de la planta y se propone colocarla en Santiago de Surco. Además, se analiza la viabilidad económica y financiera a lo largo de 5 años. Según las proyecciones realizadas, a partir del segundo año la empresa obtiene una rentabilidad positiva. Finalmente, se obtuvo un TIR económico de 35% y un TIR financiero de 43%, ambos siendo mayores que el costo de oportunidad del 13%.In times of pandemic, when the need to have new experiences with family or friends is within the priorities of Lima’s society, the present project on the preparation of ice cream with alcohol as an innovative way of consumption is proposed. This project aims to determine the technical, economic and social feasibility of the implementation of a production plant of ice cream with alcohol. The target audience are people from 18 to 55 years old from the NSE AB of Lima Moderna, represented by a group of people whose average monthly income is S/. 7960 and live in the districts of Santiago de Surco, Miraflores, San Isidro, San Borja, among others. The business opportunity to offer the product in question is reflected as a way of bringing home entertainment in the form of alcoholic dessert, since within this group of people the preference for home entertainment will increase. The product will have rum as its base and there will be a variety of 3 flavors for the customers to choose from. Instead of managing a sales force or intermediaries, the Rappi application will be used for distribution and the commission for being part of this market place is between 18% and 25% of sales. Likewise, as part of this project, the location of the plant is evaluated and it is proposed to place it in Santiago de Surco. In addition, the economic and financial viability is analyzed over 5 years. According to the projections made, starting from the second year the company will obtain a positive profitability. Finally, an economic IRR of 35% and a financial IRR of 43% were obtained, both being greater than the opportunity cost of 13%

Genotypic and phenotypic characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clones with high-level mupirocin resistance

An elevated proportion (27.2%) of high-level mupirocin-resistant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (HLMUPR-MRSA) isolates were found in our environment in one year period. HLMUPR-MRSA isolates were mainly collected from skin and soft tissue samples, and diabetes was the main related comorbidity condition. These isolates were more frequently found in vascular surgery. HLMUPR-MRSA were more resistant to aminoglycosides than mupirocin-susceptible MRSA, linked to the presence of bifunctional and/or nucleotidyltransferase enzymes with/without macrolide resistance associated with the msr(A) gene. Most of HLMUPR-MRSA isolates belonged to ST125/t067. Nine IS257-ileS2 amplification patterns (p3 was the most frequent) were observed in HLMUPR-MRSA isolates, suggesting the presence of several mupirocin-resistance-carrying plasmids in our environment and promoting the emergence of mupirocin resistance. The presence of the same IS257-ileS2 amplification pattern p3 in 65% of HLMUPR-MRSA, all of them ST125/t067, suggests a clonal spread in our hospital and community environment which could explain the high prevalence of HLMUPR-MRSA during the study period. An outbreak situation or an increase in mupirocin consumption was not observed

Insights into the response of coral biomineralisation to environmental change from aragonite precipitations in vitro

Funding: This work was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/S001417/1) to NA, KP, RK, MC and AF. We thank Gavin Peters, University of St Andrews, for assistance with BET analyses. Electron microscopy was carried out in the Aberdeen Centre for Electron Microscopy, Analysis and Characterisation (ACEMAC).Precipitation of marine biogenic CaCO3 minerals occurs at specialist sites, typically with elevated pH and dissolved inorganic carbon, and in the presence of biomolecules which control the nucleation, growth, and morphology of the calcium carbonate structure. Here we explore aragonite precipitation in vitro under conditions inferred to occur in tropical coral calcification media under present and future atmospheric CO2 scenarios. We vary pH, ΩAr and pCO2 between experiments to explore how both HCO3- and CO32- influence precipitation rate and we identify the effects of the three most common amino acids in coral skeletons (aspartic acid, glutamic acid and glycine) on precipitation rate and aragonite morphology. We find that fluid ΩAr or [CO32-] is the main control on precipitation rate at 25°C, with no significant contribution from HCO3- or pH. All amino acids inhibit aragonite precipitation at 0.2-5 mM and the degree of inhibition is inversely correlated with ΩAr and, in the case of aspartic acid, also inversely correlated with seawater temperature. Aspartic acid inhibits precipitation the most, of the tested amino acids (and generates changes in aragonite morphology) and glycine inhibits precipitation the least. Previous work shows that ocean acidification increases the amino acid content of coral skeletons and probably reduces calcification media ΩAr, both of which can inhibit aragonite precipitation. This study and previous work shows aragonite precipitation rate is exponentially related to temperature from 10-30°C and small anthropogenic increases in seawater temperature will likely offset the inhibition in precipitation rate predicted to occur due to increased skeletal aspartic acid and reduced calcification media ΩAr under ocean acidification.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Insights into the response of coral biomineralisation to environmental change from aragonite precipitations in vitro

This work was supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NE/S001417/1) to NA, KP, RK, MC and AF. We thank Gavin Peters, University of St Andrews, for assistance with BET analyses. Electron microscopy was carried out in the Aberdeen Centre for Electron Microscopy, Analysis and Characterisation (ACEMAC).Precipitation of marine biogenic CaCO3 minerals occurs at specialist sites, typically with elevated pH and dissolved inorganic carbon, and in the presence of biomolecules which control the nucleation, growth, and morphology of the calcium carbonate structure. Here we explore aragonite precipitation in vitro under conditions inferred to occur in tropical coral calcification media under present and future atmospheric CO2 scenarios. We vary pH, ΩAr and pCO2 between experiments to explore how both HCO3- and CO32- influence precipitation rate and we identify the effects of the three most common amino acids in coral skeletons (aspartic acid, glutamic acid and glycine) on precipitation rate and aragonite morphology. We find that fluid ΩAr or [CO32-] is the main control on precipitation rate at 25°C, with no significant contribution from HCO3- or pH. All amino acids inhibit aragonite precipitation at 0.2-5 mM and the degree of inhibition is inversely correlated with ΩAr and, in the case of aspartic acid, also inversely correlated with seawater temperature. Aspartic acid inhibits precipitation the most, of the tested amino acids (and generates changes in aragonite morphology) and glycine inhibits precipitation the least. Previous work shows that ocean acidification increases the amino acid content of coral skeletons and probably reduces calcification media ΩAr, both of which can inhibit aragonite precipitation. This study and previous work shows aragonite precipitation rate is exponentially related to temperature from 10-30°C and small anthropogenic increases in seawater temperature will likely offset the inhibition in precipitation rate predicted to occur due to increased skeletal aspartic acid and reduced calcification media ΩAr under ocean acidification.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Turnover time of fluorescent dissolved organic matter in the dark global ocean

Research articleMarine dissolved organic matter (DOM) is one of the largest reservoirs of reduced carbon on Earth. In the dark ocean (4200 m), most of this carbon is refractory DOM. This refractory DOM, largely produced during microbial mineralization of organic matter, includes humic-like substances generated in situ and detectable by fluorescence spectroscopy. Here we show two ubiquitous humic-like fluorophores with turnover times of 435±41 and 610±55 years, which persist significantly longer than the B350 years that the dark global ocean takes to renew. In parallel, decay of a tyrosine-like fluorophore with a turnover time of 379±103 years is also detected. We propose the use of DOM fluorescence to study the cycling of resistant DOM that is preserved at centennial timescales and could represent a mechanism of carbon sequestration (humic-like fraction) and the decaying DOM injected into the dark global ocean, where it decreases at centennial timescales (tyrosine-like fraction).Versión del editor10,015

Glucocerebrosidase Mrna Is Diminished In Brain Of Lewy Body Diseases And Changes With Disease Progression In Blood

Parkinson disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are Lewy body diseases characterized by abnormal alpha-synuclein deposits and overlapping pathological features in the brain. Several studies have shown that glucocerebrosidase (GBA) deficiency is involved in the development of LB diseases. Here, we aimed to find out if this deficiency starts at the transcriptional level, also involves alternative splicing, and if GBA expression changes in brain are also detectable in blood of patients with LB diseases. The expression of three GBA transcript variants (GBAtv1, GBAtv2 and GBAtv5) was analyzed in samples from 20 DLB, 25 PD and 17 control brains and in blood of 20 DLB, 26 PD patients and 17 unaffected individuals. Relative mRNA expression was determined by real-time PCR. Expression changes were evaluated by the Delta Delta Ct method. In brain, specific expression profiles were identified in the temporal cortex of DLB and in the caudate nucleus of PD. In blood, significant GBA mRNA diminution was found in both DLB and PD patients. Early PD and early-onset DLB patients showed lowest GBA levels which were normal in PD patients with advanced disease and DLB patients who developed disease after 70 years of age. In conclusion, disease group specific GBA expression profiles were found in mostly affected areas of LBD. In blood, GBA expression was diminished in LB diseases, especially in patients with early onset DLB and in patients with early PD. Age of disease onset exerts an opposite effect on GBA expression in DLB and PD

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the early-onset colorectal cancer

COVID-19 pandemic; Early-onset colorectal cancerPandemia de COVID-19 Cáncer colorrectal precozPandèmia de COVID-19; Càncer colorectal precoçThe COVID19 pandemic has affected the spectrum of cancer care worldwide. Early onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is defined as diagnosis below the age of 50. Patients with EOCRC faced multiple challenges during the COVID19 pandemic and in some institutions it jeopardized cancer diagnosis and care delivery. Our study aims to identify the clinicopathological features and outcomes of patients with EOCRC in our Centre during the first wave of the pandemic in comparison with the same period in 2019 and 2021. Patients with EOCRC visited for the first time at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Spain from the 1st March to 31st August of 2019, 2020 and 2021 were included in the analysis. 177 patients with EOCRC were visited for the first time between 2019 and 2021, of which 90 patients met the inclusion criteria (2019: 30 patients, 2020: 29 patients, 2021: 31 patients). Neither differences in frequency nor in stage at diagnosis or at first visit during the given periods were observed. Of note, indication of systemic therapy in the adjuvant or metastatic setting was not altered. Days to treatment initiation and enrollment in clinical trials in this subpopulation was not affected due to the COVID-19 outbreak.This work was supported by the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) grant OPTIMISTICC (C10674/A27140)

A Multitrait Genetic Study of Hemostatic Factors and Hemorrhagic Transformation after Stroke Treatment

BACKGROUND: Thrombolytic recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) treatment is the only pharmacologic intervention available in the ischemic stroke acute phase. This treatment is associated with an increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhages, known as hemorrhagic transformations (HTs), which worsen the patient\u27s prognosis. OBJECTIVES: to investigate the association between genetically determined natural hemostatic factors\u27 levels and increased risk of HT after r-tPA treatment. METHODS: Using data from genome-wide association studies on the risk of HT after r-tPA treatment and data on 7 hemostatic factors (factor [F]VII, FVIII, von Willebrand factor [VWF], FXI, fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and tissue plasminogen activator), we performed local and global genetic correlation estimation multitrait analyses and colocalization and 2-sample Mendelian randomization analyses between hemostatic factors and HT. RESULTS: Local correlations identified a genomic region on chromosome 16 with shared covariance: fibrinogen-HT, P = 2.45 × 10 CONCLUSION: We identified 4 shared loci between hemostatic factors and HT after r-tPA treatment, suggesting common regulatory mechanisms between fibrinogen and VWF levels and HT. Further research to determine a possible mediating effect of fibrinogen on HT risk is needed

Allelic Variation, Alternative Splicing and Expression Analysis of Psy1 Gene in Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schult

Background: The wild barley Hordeum chilense Roem. et Schult. is a valuable source of genes for increasing carotenoid content in wheat. Tritordeums, the amphiploids derived from durum or common wheat and H. chilense, systematically show higher values of yellow pigment colour and carotenoid content than durum wheat. Phytoene synthase 1 gene (Psy1) is considered a key step limiting the carotenoid biosynthesis, and the correlation of Psy1 transcripts accumulation and endosperm carotenoid content has been demonstrated in the main grass species. Methodology/Principal findings: We analyze the variability of Psy1 alleles in three lines of H. chilense (H1, H7 and H16) representing the three ecotypes described in this species. Moreover, we analyze Psy1 expression in leaves and in two seed developing stages of H1 and H7, showing mRNA accumulation patterns similar to those of wheat. Finally, we identify thirtysix different transcripts forms originated by alternative splicing of the 59 UTR and/or exons 1 to 5 of Psy1 gene. Transcripts function is tested in a heterologous complementation assay, revealing that from the sixteen different predicted proteins only four types (those of 432, 370, 364 and 271 amino acids), are functional in the bacterial system. Conclusions/Significance: The large number of transcripts originated by alternative splicing of Psy1, and the coexistence of functional and non functional forms, suggest a fine regulation of PSY activity in H. chilense. This work is the first analysis of H. chilense Psy1 gene and the results reported here are the bases for its potential use in carotenoid enhancement in duru