Extreme environments as reservoirs of invasive plants: the case of the garbage dump in Huehuetlan El Grande, Puebla, Mexico

The study aimed to highlight the role of extreme environments (so-called because of the high accumulation of nutrients and other harmful products) as sites of reservoirs of invasive plants, taking as an example the community "dump" of the municipal seat of Huehuetlan el Grande, Puebla, Mexico. The results show that 56 species belonging to 52 genera and 25 families were found; the families with the highest number of species were Asteraceae and Solanaceae. The species found are from 30 different countries, being America and Ecuador with a greater number of records. According to the origin of sites, use, industrial possibilities and, if they are wild or cultivated species, it was found that there were 14 species on the roadside: 11 weeds, 9 cultivated, 8 forage, one with industrial possibilities and one threatened. The correlation analysis showed that only the number of species vs. precipitation had significant differences. It is a fact that the conditions of the "community garbage dump" represent an opportunity for invasive species to survive and persist in the seed bank, waiting for adequate conditions to germinate and settle in increasingly larger areas, favored by the growing deterioration that human activity has caused in recent years

“Creación de aplicativo móvil de lectura de inventario a través de realidad aumentada para laboratorio de electromecánica de la Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi Extensión - La Maná.”

The Technical University of Cotopaxi, La Maná extension, has humanistic and technical careers in the latter, we can find the career of Electromechanics which has laboratories with a variety of equipment and instruments for the use of professors and students to perform academic activities and practices. There is a lack of knowledge about the use and manipulation of the tools, and their characteristics, which is the reason the equipment and tools are not systematized. As a consequence of the above, we propose to create a mobile application for inventory reading through augmented reality for the laboratory. The augmented reality markers were used for the effect of the equipment modeled in 3D, taking the visualization of the same in the form of dynamic, interactive, and entertaining learning that allows the reading of the markers using the Vuforia camera and 3D modeling and the Unity engine, for the development process of the mobile application was applied the Mobile-D methodology. According to the user experience, the application is functional and useful and has elements of how to initiate, which is the access to augmented reality, the gallery presents all the objects modeled in 3D, resources are the triggers, and the inventory is generated by the application itself. To conclude, the application was developed in Unity and Vuforia for Android operating systems version 8 onwards and therefore for the respective installation and manipulation of professors and students were trained, who will perform the support and scalability.La Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi extensión La Maná, cuenta con carreras humanistas y técnicas, en esta última podemos encontrar la carrera de Electromecánica misma que cuenta con laboratorios que poseen una variedad de equipos e instrumentos para el uso de docentes y estudiantes donde realizan actividades y practicas académicas. Cabe mencionar que existe un desconocimiento del uso y manipulación de las herramientas, así también se desconoce las características, por ende, no se encuentra sistematizado las existencias de los equipos y herramientas. Para mitigar lo antes mencionado se propone la creación de aplicativo móvil de lectura de inventario a través de realidad aumentada para el laboratorio. Para lo cual se utilizó marcadores de realidad aumentada para el efecto de los equipos modelados en 3D, llevando la visualización de los mismo en forma de aprendizaje dinámico, interactivo y entretenido de tal forma que permite la lectura de los marcadores usando la cámara de Vuforia y la modelación en 3D mediante el motor de Unity, para el proceso de desarrollo de la aplicación móvil se aplicó la metodología Mobile-D. De acuerdo a la experiencia del usuario la aplicación es funcional y usable, dispone de elementos como iniciar que es el acceso a la realidad aumentada, galería se presenta todos los objetos modelados en 3D, en recursos se encuentran los disparadores y el inventario propio generado por la aplicación. Para finalizar se puede concluir que la aplicación se desarrolló en Unity y Vuforia para sistemas operativos Android versión 8 en adelante y por ende para la respectiva instalación y manipulación se capacitó a docentes y estudiantes, quienes realizarán el soporte y escalabilidad

Automatización de un sistema de ventilación mediante el uso fotovoltaico ON GRID para el laboratorio de alto voltaje de la carrera de Ingeniería Eléctrica.

In this research project, the design of a photovoltaic system connected to the network was carried out and the operation of fans was automated in the high voltage laboratory of the Technical University of Cotopaxi. Considering that inside the laboratory heat accumulates due to its zinc roof, fans were implemented to improve the working environment, automated using a LOGO! obtaining that its ignition is when the temperature exceeds 20ºC and turns off when it decreases of the 18ºC, whose energy required for its supply for 5 hours of operation was of 1.5 kWh. Using the PVsyst software, the solar radiation data available at the project site was obtained, With this, we started with the design of the photovoltaic system obtaining its conformation with 3 polycrystalline panels of 270W and an inverter ON GRID that acts autonomously without the need for the operator to keep monitoring. The project has been designed to use solar energy as a daily source of electricity within the high-voltage laboratory, with automatic interconnection by the equipment, which is kept in balance to supply the load either with photovoltaic panels or the grid. In conclusion, the automation of the fans helped to improve working conditions within the laboratory and with the photovoltaic system produced environmentally friendly energy helping to combat climate change.En el presente proyecto de investigación se efectuó el diseño de un sistema fotovoltaico conectado a la red y se automatizo el funcionamiento de ventiladores en el laboratorio de alto voltaje de la Universidad Técnica de Cotopaxi. Considerando que dentro del laboratorio se acumula calor debido a su techo de zinc, se implementó ventiladores para mejorar el ambiente de trabajo, automatizados mediante un LOGO! obteniendo que su encendido sea cuando la temperatura supera los 20ºC y se apague cuando baja de los 18ºC, cuya energía requerida para su abastecimiento por 5 horas de funcionamiento fue de 1.5 kWh. Mediante el software PVsyst se obtuvieron los datos de la radiación solar disponible en el lugar de instalación del proyecto, con ello se partió con el diseño del sistema fotovoltaico obteniendo su conformación con 3 paneles policristalinos de 270W y un inversor ON GRID que actúa de manera autónoma sin necesidad que el operador se mantenga supervisando. El proyecto se ha planteado para usar la energía solar como una fuente cotidiana en el uso de energía eléctrica dentro del laboratorio de alto voltaje, con una interconexión automática por parte del equipo, el cual se mantiene en equilibrio para suministrar la carga ya sea con los paneles fotovoltaicos o la red. En conclusión, mediante la automatización de los ventiladores se ayudó a mejorar las condiciones de trabajo dentro del laboratorio y con el sistema fotovoltaico se produjo energía amigable con el ambiente ayudando a combatir el cambio climático

Structural instrumentation and monitoring of the Block Island Offshore Wind Farm

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Placental vascular alterations are associated with early neurodevelopmental and pulmonary impairment in the rabbit fetal growth restriction model

Fetal growth restriction is one of the leading causes of perinatal mortality and morbidity and has consequences that extend well beyond the neonatal period. Current management relies on timely delivery rather than improving placental function. Several prenatal strategies have failed to show benefit in clinical trials after promising results in animal models. Most of these animal models have important developmental and structural differences compared to the human and/or are insufficiently characterized. We aimed to describe placental function and structure in an FGR rabbit model, and to characterize the early brain and lung developmental morbidity using a multimodal approach. FGR was induced in time-mated rabbits at gestational day 25 by partial uteroplacental vessel ligation in one horn. Umbilical artery Doppler was measured before caesarean delivery at gestational day 30, and placentas were harvested for computed microtomography and histology. Neonates underwent neurobehavioral or pulmonary functional assessment the day after delivery, followed by brain or lung harvesting, respectively. Neuropathological assessment included multiregional quantification of neuron density, apoptosis, astrogliosis, cellular proliferation, and oligodendrocyte progenitors. Brain region volumes and diffusion metrics were obtained from ex-vivo brain magnetic resonance imaging. Lung assessment included biomechanical tests and pulmonary histology. Fetal growth restriction was associated with labyrinth alterations in the placenta, driven by fetal capillary reduction, and overall reduced vessels volume. FGR caused altered neurobehavior paralleled by regional neuropathological deficits and reduced fractional anisotropy in the cortex, white matter, and hippocampus. In addition, FGR kittens presented functional alterations in the peripheral lung and structurally underdeveloped alveoli. In conclusion, in a uteroplacental insufficiency FGR rabbit model, placental vascular alterations coincide with neurodevelopmental and pulmonary disruption

Pulmonary hypertension in congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Antenatal prediction and impact on neonatal mortality

Objective: To determine the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PAH) in left-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH); how we could predict it; and how PAH contributed to the model for mortality prediction. Study Design: Retrospective analysis in three European centers. The primary outcome was the presence of PAH on postnatal day (d) 1, 7, and at discharge. Studied predictors of PAH were: observed/expected-lung/head-ratio (o/e LHR), liver-herniation, fetoscopic endoluminal tracheal occlusion (FETO), and gestational age (GA) at delivery. The combined effect of pre- and postnatal variables on mortality was modeled by Cox regression. Results: Of the 197 neonates, 56 (28.4%) died. At d1, 67.5% (133/197) had PAH and 61.9% (101/163) by d7. Overall, 6.4% (9/141) had PAH at discharge. At d1, o/e LHR (odds ratio (OR) 0.96) and FETO (OR 2.99) independently correlated to PAH (areas under the curve [AUC]: 0.74). At d7, PAH significantly correlated only with the use of FETO (OR 3.9; AUC: 0.65). None were significant for PAH at discharge. Combining the occurrence of PAH with antenatal biomarkers improved mortality prediction (p = 0.02), in a model including o/e LHR (HR: 0.94), FETO (HR: 0.35), liver herniation (HR: 16.78), and PAH (HR: 15.95). Conclusions: Antenatal prediction of PAH was only moderate. The postnatal occurrence of PAH further increases the risk of death. Whereas this may be used to counsel parents in the postnatal period, our study demonstrates there is a need to find more accurate antenatal predictors for PAH

Illuminating Hidden Harvests – The contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development

Small-scale fisheries account for at least 40 percent of the global catch from capture fisheries and provide employment across the value chain for an estimated 60.2 million people, about 90 percent of the total number employed in fisheries globally. The economic value of these fisheries, however, is only a part of their importance: for example, nearly 53 million additional people were estimated to be engaged in subsistence activities in 2016. Rightly considered from a holistic and integrated perspective, small-scale fisheries define the livelihoods, nutrition and culture of a substantial and diverse segment of humankind. This study, Illuminating Hidden Harvests: the contributions of small-scale fisheries to sustainable development (hereinafter Illuminating Hidden Harvests, or IHH), uncovers the contributions and impacts of small-scale fisheries through a multidisciplinary approach to data collection and analysis. The study provides information that quantifies and improves understanding of the crucial role of small-scale fisheries in the areas of food security and nutrition, sustainable livelihoods, poverty eradication and healthy ecosystems. It also examines gender equality as well as the nature and scope of governance in small-scale fisheries, and how this differs between different countries and fishery units. The IHH study was carried out in support of the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), themselves developed in recognition of the plight of small-scale fishers, fishworkers and associated communities. The SSF Guidelines provide advice and direction for the enhancement of responsible and sustainable small-scale fisheries, through the development and implementation of participatory, ecosystem-friendly policies, strategies and legal frameworks