static and dynamic strategic portfolio analysis: The positioning of Iberian seaports

The various changes that have occurred in the seaport industry have had a continuous and substantial impact on seaport activities and management in recent decades. The highly competitive and rapidly changing environment faced by business has greatly increased the need for strategic planning. Thus, it is relevant and appropriate to apply strategic positioning tools to seaports given how competitive strategies play a key role in the growth and development of this industry. This research aims to analyse the strategic positioning of the leading Iberian Peninsula seaports using the BCG matrix from a static and dynamics perspective for the period between 1997 and 2008. The findings reveal a better positioning of Spanish seaports in relation to total traffic. Furthermore, considering container traffic, the results point to the seaports of Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona as having attained a remarkable position of leadership. However, according to the time series analysed, the ranking of seaports has not changed significantly

Design Specifications for an Auxiliary Incision Retractor in Dacryocystorhinostomy Surgeries

It is presented the design specifications for a Retractor Robotic System (RRS) based on the surgical necessities in the incisions procedure for a dacryocystorhinostomy. The specifications are conformed by a mathematical model, the experimental data measured, a modular flexible architecture, energy supplier system, the mechanical group, and the safety system. The specifications suggest that the use of flexible polymeric materials for the RRS provide a mayor adaptability of the system with the biological tissue; so a pneumatic actuator could be a suitable option.This research was funded by CONACYT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) Grant No. 86356

UPLC-MS-ESI-QTOF analysis and antifungal activity of the spondias tuberosa arruda leaf and root hydroalcoholic extracts

The aim of this study was to identify and evaluate the chemical compositions and effects of the S. tuberosa leaf and root hydroalcoholic extracts (HELST and HERST) against different strains of Candida. Chemical analysis was performed by Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Quadrupole/Time of Flight System (UPLC-MS-ESI-QTOF). The Inhibitory Concentration of 50% of the growth (IC50) as well as the intrinsic and combined action of the extracts with the antifungal fluconazole (FCZ) were determined by the microdilution method while the minimum fungicidal concentrations (MFCs) and the effect on fungal morphological transitions were analyzed by subculture and in humid chambers, respectively. From the preliminary phytochemical analysis, the phenols and flavonoids were the most abundant. The intrinsic IC50 values for HELST ranged from 5716.3 to 7805.8 \ub5g/mL and from 6175.4 to 51070.9 \ub5g/mL for the HERST, whereas the combination of the extracts with fluconazole presented IC50 values from 2.65 to 278.41 \ub5g/mL. The MFC of the extracts, individually, for all the tested strains was 6516384 \ub5g/mL. When fluconazole was combined with each extract, the MFC against CA URM 5974 was reduced (HELST: 2048 and HERST: 4096 \ub5g/mL). Synergism was observed against standard C. albicans (CA) and C. tropicalis (CT) strains and with the root extract against the CT isolate. The leaf extract inhibited the morphological transition of all strains while the root extract inhibited only CT strains

Herança da resistência em feijoeiro à murcha causada por Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens pv. flaccumfaciens

O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar a herança da resistência à murcha de Curtobacterium em feijoeiro. Foram realizados dois experimentos: no primeiro, cinco genótipos de feijoeiro, com diferentes reações de resistência à murcha de Curtobacterium, foram cruzados em arranjo dialélico; e no segundo, dois cruzamentos entre genótipos resistentes e suscetíveis - IAC Carioca Aruã x SCS Guará e IAC Carioca Pyatã x Pérola - foram realizados para dar origem às gerações P1, P2, F1, F2, RC1 e RC2. Em ambos os experimentos, a resistência do feijoeiro à murcha bacteriana foi avaliada por meio da inoculação do isolado Cff 2634. A análise dialélica mostrou que, embora efeitos aditivos e não aditivos estejam envolvidos, houve maior participação de genes com efeito aditivo no controle genético da resistência à murcha bacteriana, o que mostra a possibilidade de se obter sucesso com a seleção. A herança da resistência à murcha de Curtobacterium é complexa, com mais de três genes envolvidos, e herdabilidade no sentido restrito de 29%, para o cruzamento 'IAC Carioca Aruã' x 'SCS Guará', e de 44%, para o cruzamento 'IAC Carioca Pyatã' x 'Pérola'

Measurement of the p-pbar -> Wgamma + X cross section at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV and WWgamma anomalous coupling limits

The WWgamma triple gauge boson coupling parameters are studied using p-pbar -> l nu gamma + X (l = e,mu) events at sqrt(s) = 1.96 TeV. The data were collected with the DO detector from an integrated luminosity of 162 pb^{-1} delivered by the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. The cross section times branching fraction for p-pbar -> W(gamma) + X -> l nu gamma + X with E_T^{gamma} > 8 GeV and Delta R_{l gamma} > 0.7 is 14.8 +/- 1.6 (stat) +/- 1.0 (syst) +/- 1.0 (lum) pb. The one-dimensional 95% confidence level limits on anomalous couplings are -0.88 < Delta kappa_{gamma} < 0.96 and -0.20 < lambda_{gamma} < 0.20.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. D Rapid Communication

Measurement of the ttbar Production Cross Section in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s} = 1.96 TeV using Kinematic Characteristics of Lepton + Jets Events

We present a measurement of the top quark pair ttbar production cross section in ppbar collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 230 pb**{-1} of data collected by the DO detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We select events with one charged lepton (electron or muon), large missing transverse energy, and at least four jets, and extract the ttbar content of the sample based on the kinematic characteristics of the events. For a top quark mass of 175 GeV, we measure sigma(ttbar) = 6.7 {+1.4-1.3} (stat) {+1.6- 1.1} (syst) +/-0.4 (lumi) pb, in good agreement with the standard model prediction.Comment: submitted to Phys.Rev.Let