AGROBIODIVERSIDAD, MANEJO DEL HUERTO FAMILIAR Y CONTRIBUCIÓN A LA SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA

In México, population growth and government policies have contributed to the vulnerability of the communities in terms of gaining access to foods and adequate diets. The objective of this study was to analyze the agrobiodiversity and management of the family backyard, and to determine its contribution to food security in the locality of Bandera de Juárez, Veracruz, México. The management and agrobiodiversity were determined through semi-structured interviews and the dietary pattern of the community through the PESA-FAO survey. Seventy-five (75) plant species in ten categories of use were found, with a dietary pattern based on maize (Zea mays) as principal food and products from the family vegetable garden. More than 50 % of the plants reported as edible are consumed, which contribute 4 % of the total energy of the diet, concluding that, although there are deficits in protein intake, the relationship between the familygardens and the diet is very valuable to the families in rural areas.En México el crecimiento de la población y las políticas gubernamentales, han contribuido a la vulnerabilidad de las comunidades para acceder a alimentos y dietas adecuadas. El objetivo del presente trabajo, fue analizar la agrobiodiversidad y manejo del huerto familiar, y determinar su contribución a la seguridad alimentaria en la localidad de Bandera de Juárez, Veracruz, México. El manejo y la agrobiodiversidad se determinaron a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas y el patrón alimentario de la comunidad mediante la encuesta PESA-FAO. Se registraron 75 especies de plantas en diez categorías de uso, con un patrón alimentario basado en maíz (Zea mays) como principal alimento y productos del huerto familiar. Más del 50% de las plantas reportadas como comestibles se consumen, las cuales aportan 4% de la energía total de la dieta, concluyendo que, aunque existen déficits en la ingesta de proteínas, la relación entre los huertos familiares y alimentación es muy valiosa para familias del ámbito rural

Pesticide evaluation in water, sediment and in oyster shells (Crassostrea rhizophorae) in the Manzanillo- Niquero coastal area, Cuba

Occasionally pesticides have been used excessively for the pest control in agriculture, and many of these compounds become toxic for living organisms, including man. Adjacent lands to Guacanayabo gulf, Cuba, show an important use in agriculture, mainly in rice due to the contribution of fluvial waters from several hydrographical basins. The coastal area from Manzanillo to Niquero, Granma province, is the habitat of commercial shrimps, oysters and fish. The objective of the study was to determine in that region the presence of chemical residues from pesticides in the waters, sediments and shells of the mangrove oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae, Guilding (1828), as indicators of contamination. Samplings were carried out in maximum rainfall months. Besides samples for pesticide determination by gas chromatography, hydrology was studied, and there were carried out surveys (85 farmers) to know about pesticide types, dose and application frequency per crop, for conceptual analysis of the study objective. Results indicate a non-affectation by chemical residues of pesticides in any of the evaluated matrixes; and satisfactory quality of the waters for fishing use according to the used hydrological indicators. Ignorance exists on the farmer part on the application and dose of these chemical products, and recommendations are offered on pesticide use to prevent future impacts on the ecosystems

Entorno de juegos para el desarrollo de prácticas de Inteligencia Artificial

En este artículo se presenta una herramienta que permite implantar prácticas de aplicación de técnicas de Inteligencia Artificial utilizando un entorno de juegos. Se describirán las principales herramientas ya existentes para este objetivo, analizando sus ventajas e inconvenientes, y se describirá la herramienta aquí presentada y sus principales características. Por último se mostrarán algunos ejemplos de su uso para la definición de una práctica para la asignatura de Inteligencia Artificial

MiR-219a-5p Enriched Extracellular Vesicles Induce OPC Differentiation and EAE Improvement More Efficiently Than Liposomes and Polymeric Nanoparticles

Remyelination is a key aspect in multiple sclerosis pathology and a special effort is being made to promote it. However, there is still no available treatment to regenerate myelin and several strategies are being scrutinized. Myelination is naturally performed by oligodendrocytes and microRNAs have been postulated as a promising tool to induce oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation and therefore remyelination. Herein, DSPC liposomes and PLGA nanoparticles were studied for miR-219a-5p encapsulation, release and remyelination promotion. In parallel, they were compared with biologically engineered extracellular vesicles overexpressing miR-219a-5p. Interestingly, extracellular vesicles showed the highest oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation levels and were more effective than liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles crossing the blood–brain barrier. Finally, extracellular vesicles were able to improve EAE animal model clinical evolution. Our results indicate that the use of extracellular vesicles as miR-219a-5p delivery system can be a feasible and promising strategy to induce remyelination in multiple sclerosis patients.This work was supported by Carlos III Institute, (PI17/00189 and DTS15/00069), by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional—FEDER, by the Gipuzkoa Regional Council (DFG 15/006), by grant from the Basque Government (RIS3/DTS/2018222025), by the Department of Industry of the Basque Country (ELKARTEK 16/014), and the Spanish State Research Agency (SAF2017-87670-R) and Maria de Maeztu Units of Excellence Program Grant MDM-2017-0720). I.O.-Q., A.A. and L.I. were supported by the Department of Education of the Basque Government. IOQ and LAN were supported by EMBO short Term Fellowship Programme. LAN was supported by a Canadian graduate scholarship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CGS-D CIHR).PRC was supported by Ikerbasque, the Basque Foundation for Science

MIS Transistor with Integrated Waveguide for Electrophotonics and the Effect of Channel Length in Light Detection

In this work, we study the optical response of MOS-like transistors with a Si3N4 integrated waveguide which serves also as the dielectric of the gate, and P-type substrate with 1´1012 cm-3 acceptor concentration and different channel length. Simulation results show the possibility to integrate this kind of MIS transistor as detectors in an electrophotonic circuit compatible with CMOS fabrication process and obtaining electrical gain for low power light signals (below 400 nW)

Empirical agent-based modelling of everyday pro-environmental behaviours at work

We report on agent-based modelling work in the LOCAW project (Low Carbon at Work: Modelling Agents and Organisations to Achieve Transition to a Low Carbon Europe). The project explored the effectiveness of various backcasting scenarios conducted with case study organisations in bringing about pro-environmental change in the workforce in the domains of transport, energy use and waste. The model used qualitative representations of workspaces in formalising each scenario, and decision trees learned from questionnaire responses to represent decision-making. We describe the process by which the decision trees were constructed, noting that the use of decision trees in agent-based models requires particular considerations owing to the potential use of explanatory variables in model dynamics. The results of the modelling in various scenarios emphasise the importance of structural environmental changes in facilitating everyday pro-environmental behaviour, but also show there is a role for psychological variables such as norms, values and efficacy. As such, the topology of social interactions is a potentially important driver, raising the interesting prospect that both workplace geography and organisational hierarchy have a role to play in influencing workplace pro-environmental behaviours

Agriculture 4.0: Is Mexico Ready?

Objective: To analyze the possibilities and actions required to foster the introduction of technologies consistent with the term “agriculture 4.0” in Mexico.Design/Methodology/Approach: To identify providers of technology in Mexico. To present the cost-benefit equation regarding the adoption of said technology as applied to the cultivation of maize in different regions. Todesign and construct an adoption propensity index that will serve as a basis to propose focused and adequate actions to remove technology access barriers.Results: Mexico has a young and wide offer of technology, both tangible and intangible, where digital platforms of agricultural management, mobile apps, and remote monitoring predominate. The cost-benefit relationshipoffers a large margin to adopt new technologies. However, there are adoption barriers (related to education or infrastructure, for instance) that represent a challenge to different regions of the country: the northern,northeastern, and western states of Mexico are more likely to adopt new technologies.Study limitations/Implications: Further experimental and field analysesare required to delve deeper into potential additional barriers (culture-related, for example). Agro productividad 2022. https://doi.org/10.32854/xxxxxx (Los autores no deben realizar ningún cambio en este apartado) 2 of 8 Findings/Conclusions: The cost-benefit analysis offers a large margin foradoption. However, the propensity to adopt is associated to restrictingfactors such as the producers’ educational level, the production unit’s sizeand level of mechanization, the access to and use of Information andCommunication Technologies, and the telecoms infrastructure, whosegeographic disparity is significant. The public sector’s intervention isdesirable to reduce the gap between the supply and demand oftechnologies, as well as the access barriers to the latter

Structural, Vibrational, and Electronic Study of Sb2S3 at High Pressure

Antimony trisulfide (Sb2S3), found in nature as the mineral stibnite, has been studied under compression at room temperature from a joint experimental and theoretical perspective. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering measurements are complemented with ab initio total-energy, lattice-dynamics, and electronic structure calculations. The continuous changes observed in the volume, lattice parameters, axial ratios, bond lengths, and Raman mode frequencies as a function of pressure can be attributed to the different compressibility along the three orthorhombic axes in different pressure ranges, which in turn are related to the different compressibility of several interatomic bond distances in different pressure ranges. The structural and vibrational properties of Sb2S3 under compression are compared and discussed in relation to isostructural Bi2S3 and Sb2Se3. No first-order phase transition has been observed in Sb2S3 up to 25 GPa, in agreement with the stability of the Pnma structure in Bi2S3 and Sb2Se3 previously reported up to 50 GPa. Our measurements and calculations do not show evidence either for a pressure-induced second-order isostructural phase transition or for an electronic topological transition in Sb2S3.This work has been performed under financial support from Spanish MINECO under Projects MAT2013-46649-C4-2/3-P and MAT2015-71070-REDC. This publication is fruit of "Programa de Valoracion y Recursos Conjuntos de I+D+i VLC/CAMPUS" and has been financed by the Spanish Ministerio de Educacion, Cultura y Deporte, as part of "Programa Campus de Excelencia Internacional" through Projects SP20140701 and SP20140871. These experiments were performed at BL04-MSPD beamline at ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. Supercomputer time has been provided by the Red Espanola de Supercomputacion (RES) and the MALTA cluster. J.A.S. acknowledges financial support through Juan de la Cierva fellowship.Ibáñez, J.; Sans-Tresserras, JÁ.; Popescu, C.; López-Vidrier, J.; Elvira-Betanzos, J.; Cuenca Gotor, VP.; Gomis, O.... (2016). Structural, Vibrational, and Electronic Study of Sb2S3 at High Pressure. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 19(120):10547-10558. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.6b01276S10547105581912