Evolutifon of decision support system architectures: applications to land planning and management in Cuba

The main objective of this paper centers on reviewing the evolution of Decision Support System´s (DSS) architectures, particularly as they apply to natural resources. Today it is difficult to conceive the existence of a rural planning automated system that doesn't include spatial analysis functionality and that does not consider the integrated use of different analytical modules. This wider range of functions allow for solving problems from resource and environmental management. Geographical Information Systems (GIS), automated land evaluation, multi-criteria participatory analysis in decision making are but the most salient technologies in a DSS. DSS have evolved; their architecture, mode of implementation, as well as their functionality and the incorporation of new computational techniques have advanced lately. In the particular case of Cuba,the first steps in materializing this evolution have begun. At present, the National Sugar Cane Research Institute (INICA)leads a research project oriented towards the development and building of a dedicated DSS for sugar cane cropping.This is conceived as an integrated SDSS (Spatial DSS)to support decision -making and multiple problem- solving in such a fundamental productive activity such as sugar cane agriculture in Cuba.Facultad de Informátic

Alternative networks: toward global access to the Internet for all

It is often said that the Internet is ubiquitous in our daily lives, but this holds true only for those who can easily access it. In fact, billions of people are still digitally disconnected, as bringing connectivity to certain zones does not make a good business case. The only solution for these unsatisfied potential users is to directly undertake the building of the infrastructure required to obtaining access to the Internet, typically forming groups in order to share the corresponding cost. This article presents a global classification and a summary of the main characteristics of different Alternative Network deployments that have arisen in recent years with an aim to provide Internet services in places where mainstream network deployments do not exist or are not adequate solutions. The Global Access to the Internet for All Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force, where all authors actively participate, is interested in documenting these emerging deployments. As an outcome of this work, a classification has converged by consensus, where five criteria have been identified and, based on them, four different types of Alternative Networks have been identified and described with real-world examples. Such a classification is useful for a deeper understanding of the common characteristics behind existing and emerging Alternative Networks

Zest: REST over ZeroMQ

In this paper, we introduce Zest (REST over ZeroMQ), a middleware technology in support of an Internet of Things (IoT). Our work is influenced by the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) but emphasises systems that can support fine-grained access control to both resources and audit information, and can provide features such as asynchronous communication patterns between nodes. We achieve this by using a hybrid approach that combines a RESTful architecture with a variant of a publisher/subscriber topology that has enhanced routing support. The primary motivation for Zest is to provide inter-component communications in the Databox, but it is applicable in other contexts where tight control needs to be maintained over permitted communication patterns

MORFOANATOMÍA FOLIAR COMO EVIDENCIA TAXONÓMICA EN LA DELIMITACIÓN DE LAS ESPECIES QUE FORMAN EL COMPLEJO Varronia bullata (CORDIACEAE)

The neotropical genus Varronia P. Browne is one of the most problematic, taxonomically, among the Boraginales. This may be due to the frequency of overlapping the boundaries between intra and interspecific variation of some characters. The purpose of this project was to explore the potential of foliar morpho-anatomic characters for the delimitation of the species found within the Varronia bullata complex in Panama: Varronia inermis (Mill.) Borhidi, Varronia bullata L. and Varronia linnaei (Stearn) J.S. Windmill. For this purpose, mature leaves were collected in different populations for each species. Cross sections were made, and superficial sections of the leaf lamina were obtained, which were used to quantify and qualify previously selected morphoanatomic characters. The quantitative information was subjected to a discriminant canonical analysis. The results of the discriminating canonical analysis that detect the density of simple trichomes in the abaxial epidermis and the length of simple trichomes in the adaxial epidermis, are the characters that have the greatest influence on species separation. On the other hand, a descriptive way is reflected that the presence of crystalline sales, the type of trichomes and the distribution of stomata also contribute to the taxonomic separation of species.El género neotropical Varronia P. Browne es uno de los más problemáticos, taxonómicamente, entre las Boraginales. Esto puede deberse a la frecuente superposición de los límites entre la variación intra e interespecífica de algunos caracteres. La finalidad de este trabajo fue explorar el potencial de los caracteres morfoanatómicos foliares para la delimitación de las especies que se encuentran dentro del complejo Varronia bullata en Panamá: Varronia inermis (Mill.) Borhidi, Varronia bullata L. y Varronia linnaei (Stearn) J.S. Mill. Para esto, se colectaron hojas maduras en diferentes poblaciones de cada especie. Se realizaron cortes transversales y se obtuvieron secciones superficiales de la lámina foliar, los cuales fueron utilizados para cuantificar y cualificar caracteres morfoanatómicos previamente seleccionados. La información cuantitativa fue sometida a un análisis canónico discriminante. Los resultados del análisis canónico discriminante mostraron que la densidad de los tricomas simples en la epidermis abaxial y la longitud de los tricomas simples en la epidermis adaxial, son los caracteres que presentan mayor influencia en la separación de las especies; por otro lado, a manera descriptiva se refleja que la presencia de sales cristalinas, el tipo de tricomas y la distribución de los estomas también contribuyen en la separación taxonómica de las especies

Estimativa da ploidia de bananeira pela avaliação da turgescência foliar com wiltmeter®.

A duplicação cromossômica de diploides permite produzir plantas autotetraploides férteis que ao se cruzarem com diploides melhorados geram triploides secundários, podendo, assim, introduzir resistência a pragas e outras características desejáveis nos híbridos gerados (SILVA et al., 2011). No entanto, em trabalhos dessa natureza, há geração de grande número de plantas com diferentes ploidias, tendo necessidade de identificar rapidamente os autotetraplóides a serem mantidos, com o descarte das plantas com as demais ploidias. Para isso, faz-se necessário o uso de métodos diretos (contagem de cromossomos e citometria de fluxo) e indiretos (caracterização anatômica, como diâmetro do grão de pólen, número e tamanho de cloroplastídeos, tamanho de células) (SOUZA; QUEIROZ, 2004), para estimar a ploidia das plantas duplicadas

Uso de Trichoderma harzianum y Bacillus subtilis para el control de la Marchitez (Falso Mal de Panamá) por Fusarium en banano (Musa AAA ‘Cavendish’)

Esta investigación tuvo por objetivo evaluar técnica y económicamente la aplicación de Trichoderma harzianum y Bacillus subtilis para el control de Fusarium sp. y microorganismos asociados a este complejo de patógenos, causantes de la enfermedad conocida como marchitez (Falso mal de Panamá) en banano (‘Cavendish’), en la Finca Guacarito, municipio José Ángel Lamas, estado Aragua, Venezuela. En el estudio se aplicaron seis tratamientos con dosis diferenciadas de Trico-plus-A (Trichoderma harzianum), Prophytex (Bacillus subtilis) y una base de arroz con Trichoderma harzianum, además de un testigo sano en la finca referencial El Rodeo de las Flores. Se realizaron mediciones progresivas en todas las plantas por cada tratamiento, evaluándose altura de la planta, número de hojas (quincenal) y la observación de síntomas (semanal) desde su aparición. El análisis técnico económico se realizó estimando los costos por hectárea de las cantidades requeridas para cada biocontrolador y para la mano de obra utilizada en su aplicación. Los tratamientos no tuvieron efectos significativos para altura de planta y número de hojas, para el ANAVAR ; en el análisis de correspondencia múltiple, los tratamientos T4 (98 g/ha Trico-plus-A y 692 cc/ha Prophytex) y T5 ( 197 g/ha Trico-plus-A y 1.730 cc/ha Prophytex), obtuvieron mayor porcentaje de plantas sanas con 55,0 y 60,7%, respectivamente, con relaciones beneficio-costos (B/C) de 5,01 y 2,67, para T4 y T5, generando beneficios netos por tratamiento de 9.072.972,00 y 10.815.409,00 Bs·ha-1,respectivamente. ABSTRACT This research evaluated technical and economically the Trichoderma harzianum and Bacillus subtilis on the biological control of Fusarium sp., and other microorganisms associated to this pathogenic complex. This association induces the disease known as banana wilt (false Panama disease.) in Cavendish banana. The Rev. Fac. Agron. (UCV) 43 (2): 67-75. 2017. experiments were located at the Guacarito farm, Jose Angel Lamas Municipality, Aragua state, Venezuela. Six treatments of different doses of Trico-plus A (Trichoderma harzianum), Prophitex (Bacillus subtilis), and a rice Trichoderma harzianum mix were applied, plus a healthy control, at El Rodeo de las Flores nearby farm. Progressive measurements were made in all the plants in each treatment, evaluating plant height, leaves number (biweekly) and disease symptoms (weekly).The economic and technical analyses costs for one hectare for each biocontroler and for the labor used in its application, were estimated. . The analyses of variance did not showed any statistically difference for plant height and leaves number; but, the analyses of multiple correspondence (AMC) showed that two treatment (T4: 98 g/ha Trico-plus-A y 692 cc/ha Prophytex and T5: 197 g/ha Trico-plus-A y 1.730 cc/ha Prophytex) obtained the higher percentage of healthy plants (55.06 and 60.7%, respectively) with benefit-cost ratios (B / C) of 5.01 and 2.67, for T4 and T5, generating net benefits for treatment of 9,072,972.00 and 10,815,409.00 Bs · ha-1, respectively

Aplicación de un modelo para predecir las reservas de carbono orgánico en un suelo monocultivado con caña de azúcar en condiciones tropicales de cuba

Para la simulación del carbono orgánico del suelo se utilizó el modelo RothC26.3 (Coleman y Jenkinson, 1999), que trabaja a una escala de tiempo mensual y permite determinar el recambio mensual del C mediante procesos cinéticos de primer orden, donde las tasas de descomposición de sus cuatro reservorios activos, son moduladas por la temperatura, la humedad y la cubierta de residuos. La investigación se realizó tomando como base la información de carbono orgánico del  suelo  y rendimientos  agrícolas  de experimentos  desarrollados  en áreas  agrícolas  de la Estación Provincial de Investigaciones de la Caña de Azúcar (EPICA) ubicada en Jovellanos, provincia  Matanzas  en el periodo  comprendido entre  1981  y 2010.  Los datos  de  carbono orgánico de la capa cultivable del suelo (0-20 cm), clasificado como Ferralsol plantado con caña de azúcar, correspondientes al ciclo caña planta, sirvieron de base para parametrizar el modelo, cuyo comportamiento fue modificado por las variables climáticas, procedentes de la estación meteorológica asociada al lugar. La comparación entre los datos de carbono orgánico del suelo simulados y los observados en el período 1981-2010, resultó en que los primeros expresaron 95,58% de la varianza de los datos experimentales. Se encontró que la cantidad necesaria de carbono orgánico para mantener el nivel que tenía el suelo en 1981fue de 6,28 t ha-1 año-1. Los resultados soportan el uso del modelo RothC26.3 como una herramienta para predecir el comportamiento del COS en condiciones tropicales

High expression of antiviral proteins in mucosa from individuals exhibiting resistance to human immunodeficiency virus

ABSTARCT: Several soluble factors have been reported to have the capacity of inhibiting HIV replication at different steps of the virus life cycle, without eliminating infected cells and through enhancement of specific cellular mechanisms. Yet, it is unclear if these antiviral factors play a role in the protection from HIV infection or in the control of viral replication. Here we evaluated two cohorts: i) one of 58 HIV-exposed seronegative individuals (HESNs) who were compared with 59 healthy controls (HCs), and ii) another of 13 HIV-controllers who were compared with 20 HIV-progressors. Peripheral blood, oral and genital mucosa and gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) samples were obtained to analyze the mRNA expression of ELAFIN, APOBEC3G, SAMHD1, TRIM5α, RNase 7 and SerpinA1 using real-time PCR. RESULTS: HESNs exhibited higher expression of all antiviral factors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), oral or genital mucosa when compared with HCs. Furthermore, HIV-controllers exhibited higher levels of SerpinA1 in GALT. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the activity of these factors is compartmentalized and that these proteins have a predominant role depending on the tissue to avoid the infection, reduce the viral load and modulate the susceptibility to HIV infection