11,012 research outputs found
Water Management Efficiency in the Food and Beverage Industry
Water is critical for food production, food security, and health. Water quality management influences freshwater sustainability, land, and energy administration. Global agriculture accounts for more than 70% of all water consumption; the fertilizer, manure, and pesticide overspills are chief sources of water pollution worldwide. On a global scale, food-related waste directly impacts local food production and water resource management. The purpose of this multiple-case study on the food and beverage (FB) industry in the State of Georgia was to identify successful strategies for improving water management efficiency. The concepts of systems thinking, adaptive resource management, and integrated water resource management provided the conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected via personal interviews with 2 global supply chain leaders in the FB industry and 1 water expert in the public water utility system in Georgia. The findings showed 10 themes: sustainability; mission-driven culture; ethical responsibility; water quality and governance; food safety and sanitation; water conservation and climatic trends; waste management; nutrition and the freeze drying method; knowledge sharing and collaboration; and water detention and retention systems. The study results are intended to contribute to social change by providing information to global supply chain leaders, policy makers, entrepreneurs, and sustainability leaders to implement sustainability beyond the environmental value; these findings will also help achieve a positive posture on resource overconsumption and waste management for efficient and complex decision making within a worldwide spectrum
09-05 "The Environmental Impacts of Soybean Expansion and Infrastructure Development in Brazil’s Amazon Basin"
For decades, the development of transportation infrastructure in the Brazilian Amazon has been the government’s main social and economic development policy in the region. Reductions in transportation costs have not only opened the agricultural frontier to cattle ranching and logging but have also caused more than two-thirds of Amazonian deforestation. Currently, soybean cultivation is a new economic force demanding improvements to roads in the region. Profitable soybean crops have spread over the Mato Grosso’s cerrados and now head toward the core of the Amazon rain forest. One of the main constraints for soy expansion into the Amazon has been the poor condition of roads. In this study, we analyze the effect Amazon transportation infrastructure programs have on soybean expansion by lowering transport costs. The analysis is based on spatial estimates of transportation costs for the soybean sector, first using current road networks and then projecting changes based on the paving of the Cuiabá-Santarém road. Our results indicate that paving the Cuiabá-Santarém road would reduce transportation costs by an average of 180 million for soybean farmers over a period of twenty years. These benefits, however, ignore the project’s environmental impacts. If the destruction of ecological services and products provided by the existing forests is accounted for, then the Cuiabá-Santarém investment would generate a net loss of between 1.9 billion. This result shows the importance of including the value of the natural capital in feasibility studies of infrastructure projects to reflect their real benefits to society as a whole.
Policy about initial teacher training for rural education in Argentina
En este artículo se presentan algunos puntos centrales de las políticas de formación docente inicial de Educación Rural en Argentina. Se trata de los primeros resultados de un estudio mayor que abarca a cuatro países del Mercosur. El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar los aspectos normativos de la formación docente y mostrar la complejidad que asume la práctica docente en espacios sociales ruralesThis article discusses some key points of the initial teacher training policies Rural Education in Argentina are presented. These are the first results of a larger study encompassing four Mercosur countries. The aim of this paper is to analyze the normative aspects of teacher training and show the complexity assumes the teaching practice in rural social space
Designing Eden:: The future of rule based city-making
The omnipresence of the algorithmic gaze is not just easing the capacity to crawl, index, and rank everything according to rule-based praxises but also shifting the dimensions of where, when, and how citizens move or circulate through the urban commons (O'Brien, 2018). In the absence of urban thinkers or participatory planning, these new alterations take place within the invisible peripheries of algorithms. This paper examines the change, and the spatial currencies reconditioned by the interplay of city-making and city-indexing as infrastructure, urban spaces, and built settings become indistinctively itemized. It recognizes that this is an ongoing process that continues to flatten, catalog, and index the physical characteristics of space which produces a virtual inventory of urban proportions subjecting city officials to accelerate the re-privatization, deregulation, and re-colonization of vast territories. It is within these transactions that we see a re-territorializing of the city's context and the uneven usage of spatial distribution underway. In the case of the American city, the range of impact caused by these emerging transactions is seemingly local, but we claim that the dynamics of city- indexing reverberate across different scales extending from local to regional, and national proportions. To depict our work, we choose a comparative method that aims to associate the impact of rule- base praxis with changes at the urban and regional scale. To start, we correlate the re-scaling of territories at a suburban sector in 5ilicon Valley with the re-development plans for downtown Las Vegas. We then linked those actions to the 2017-2018 bids enacted by Amazon and the likely effect it may yield from the northeastern region of the U5A (a zone first identified by Jean Gottmann as a co-dependent megalopolis in 1961 and later coined as BO5WA5H by Herman Khan in 1967) to the Midwest
Mirabilia Coralii. Capolavori barocchi in corallo tra maestranze ebraiche e trapanesi
La pregevole lavorazione del corallo trapanese ricostruita attraverso la puntuale analisi delle fonti documentarie, manoscritte e bibliografiche. L’organizzazione della maestranza e il ruolo che la committenza,sia laica che ecclesiastica, ha esercitato nella realizzazione di capolavori oggi presenti in rinomate collezioni pubbliche e private e nei principali musei nazionali ed internazionali. Una rassegna di importanti manufatti, un tempo mirabili opere da Wunderkammer, criticamente commentata, che bene evidenzia l’aulica produzione siciliana ricercata da Sovrani, Viceré ed alti prelati. Un’originale ed inedita trattazione che per la prima volta rende noti nomi e biografie di gran parte degli artisti specializzati, tra XVI e XIX secolo, nella trasformazione del prezioso materiale marin
Activation of iNKT Cells Prevents Salmonella-Enterocolitis and Salmonella-Induced Reactive Arthritis by Downregulating IL-17-Producing γδT Cells
Reactive arthritis (ReA) is an inflammatory condition of the joints that arises following an infection. Salmonella enterocolitis is one of the most common infections leading to ReA. Although the pathogenesis remains unclear, it is known that IL-17 plays a pivotal role in the development of ReA. IL-17-producers cells are mainly Th17, iNKT, and γδT lymphocytes. It is known that iNKT cells regulate the development of Th17 lineage. Whether iNKT cells also regulate γδT lymphocytes differentiation is unknown. We found that iNKT cells play a protective role in ReA. BALB/c Jα18−/− mice suffered a severe Salmonella enterocolitis, a 3.5-fold increase in IL-17 expression and aggravated inflammation of the synovial membrane. On the other hand, activation of iNKT cells with α-GalCer abrogated IL-17 response to Salmonella enterocolitis and prevented intestinal and joint tissue damage. Moreover, the anti-inflammatory effect of α-GalCer was related to a drop in the proportion of IL-17-producing γδT lymphocytes (IL17-γδTcells) rather than to a decrease in Th17 cells. In summary, we here show that iNKT cells play a protective role against Salmonella-enterocolitis and Salmonella-induced ReA by downregulating IL17-γδTcells.Fil: Noto Llana, Mariangeles. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Sarnacki, Sebastian Hernan. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Morales, Andrea Lorena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Aya Castañeda, Maria del Rosario. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Giacomodonato, Mónica Nancy. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; ArgentinaFil: Blanco, Guillermo Armando C.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral Prof. Ricardo A. Margni; ArgentinaFil: Cerquetti, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Médica; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Departamento de Microbiología; Argentin
Impact of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure on cognitive function and neurodegeneration in humans:A systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: This article documents an emerging body of evidence concerning the neurological effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure with regard to cognitive function and increased risk of neurodegeneration. METHODS: Two electronic databases, PubMed and Web of Science, were systematically searched. RESULTS: The 37/428 studies selected included outcomes measuring cognitive function, neurobehavioral symptoms of impaired cognition, and pathologies associated with neurodegeneration from pre-natal (21/37 studies), childhood (14/37 studies), and adult (8/37 studies) PAH exposure. Sufficient evidence was found surrounding pre-natal exposure negatively impacting child intelligence, mental development, average overall development, verbal IQ, and memory; externalizing, internalizing, anxious, and depressed behaviors; and behavioral development and child attentiveness. Evidence concerning exposure during childhood and as an adult was scarce and highly heterogeneous; however, the presence of neurodegenerative biomarkers and increased concentrations of cryptic “self” antigens in serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples suggest a higher risk of neurodegenerative disease. Associations with lowered cognitive ability and impaired attentiveness were found in children and memory disturbances, specifically auditory memory, verbal learning, and general memory in adults. DISCUSSION: Although evidence is not yet conclusive and further research is needed, the studies included supported the hypothesis that PAH exposure negatively impacts cognitive function and increases the risk of neurodegeneration in humans, and recommends considering the introduction of a variable “rural vs. urban” as covariate for adjusting analyses, where the neurological functions affected (as result of our review) are outcome variables
Factores de riesgo asociados a hemorragia post- parto, en las mujeres que fueron atendidas en el servicio de Gineco-Obstetricia, del HECAM, Matagalpa en el período 2010-2013
El presente estudio se realizó para poder tomar medidas sobre los principales factores de riesgo asociados a hemorragia postparto por ser una de las principales complicaciones obstétricas a nivel mundial y principal causa de Muerte Materna el 99% se presenta en los países en vías de desarrollo. (Abou & zahr, 2003)
La presente investigación Factores asociados a hemorragia post- parto en las mujeres que fueron atendidas en el servicio de Gineco-Obstetricia del HECAM, Matagalpa en el periodo 2010-2013 que tuvo como objetivo describir factores más importantes para la morbimortalidad provocada por esta complicación.
El estudio estuvo constituido por 138 mujeres a las que se les atendió parto vía vaginal y cesárea siendo este de tipo descriptivo, retrospectivo, de corte transversal, Con enfoque cuali –cuantitativo, la información se obtuvo de fuente secundaria como el expediente clínico se procesó y analizo en el programa estadístico spss.
Encontramos que de 27,998 partos vía vaginal y cesárea atendidos se registró una incidencia
La mayoría de las pacientes están en la segunda y tercera década de la vida, son de procedencia rural y no tienen escolaridad.
Los factores antes del parto más importantes son: ser Primigesta, tener anemia, ser gran multípara y el SHG; durante el parto los más destacados partos extra hospitalarios, parto precipitado, parto domiciliar, y el trabajo de parto prolongado; al final del parto se presentan en mayor frecuencia: la hipotonía uterina, los desgarros obstétricos, la retención placentaria y de restos placentarios.
Tenemos presente que el esfuerzo para disminuir esta complicación tiene que seguir asiéndose a nivel primario con la vigilancia, seguimiento y charlas educativas a las embarazadas: lo que debe ser complementario a nivel secundario con la capacidad de poder manejar los casos con un equipo multidisciplinario y equipamiento adecuad
A microstructural study of superconductive nanocrystalline diamond
A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of superconducting nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) continuous layers is reported. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) and the diffraction contrast modes of observations are used to reveal the nanograins configuration. Three types of them are observed: first, close to the interface with the Si/SiO2 substrate, 10 to 20 nm-sized diamond
16 seeds resulting from the 5nm size diamond powder deposition before growth that show some regrowth during CVD process, second a diamond overgrown layer, quasi-epitaxially by coalesced columnar NCD grains, and finally, up to the free surface, a thin disordered region composed of nanocrystallites smaller than 6 nm. This last layer was not nominally expected and is attributed to a renucleated-like (RND) diamond layer embedding ultra nanocrystalline grains. Diffraction contrast observations confirm this HREM observed behaviour.6 page
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