Comparación de la percepción social en playas recreativas arenosas de dos bahías localizadas en el Pacífico Mexicano

En el presente trabajo se desarrollaron dos formatos de encuesta, para incorporar la percepción de los usuarios a la evaluación de la calidad de las playas (Cervantes, 2006 y Silva-Iñiguez, 2006); ambos basados en un modelo cuantitativo para revelar la percepción social de las playas localizadas en la bahía de Santiago, Manzanillo, Col (MZO) y en Acapulco, Gro (ACA). Se aplicaron un total de 790 encuestas (ACA: 390 y MZO: 400), que permitieron conocer el perfil de los usuarios, sus hábitos de recreación y sus opiniones sobre las condiciones biofísicas y de infraestructura de cada playa. En ambas playas la mayoría prefirieron asistir acompañados por sus familias; las principales actividades recreativas fueron nadar, descansar, comer y beber. En general las demandas en ambos sitios coincidieron con incrementar el número de botes de basura, la frecuencia en el servicio de recolección y limpieza, baños y regaderas. Las razones por la que los usuarios seleccionaron la playa a visitar fueron la seguridad y vigilancia, así como las características biofísicas de la misma. La incorporación de esta información a modelos y/o esquemas de evaluación y gestión de playa (a través de índices ambientales) permitió realizar la valoración integral de la playa.In this paper it was developed two survey formats, to include the perception of users on the assessment of the quality of the beaches (Cervantes, 2006 and Silva-Iñiguez, 2006), both based on a quantitative model to reveal the social perception of the beaches on Santiago Bay, Manzanillo, Col (MZO) and Acapulco, Guerrero (ACA). We did a total of 790 surveys (ACA: 390 and MZO: 400), which allowed the user profile, recreation habits and their views on the biophysical and infrastructure of each beach. In both beaches, most people, attended with their families, the main recreational activities were swimming, resting, eating and drinking. In general the demands on both sites agreed to increase the number of waste baskets, the frequency of collection service and cleaning bathrooms and showers. The reasons why the users selected to visit the beach were the safety and security, as well as the biophysical characteristics of the same. Incorporating this information to models and / or evaluation schemes and beach management (through environmental ratings) allowed the comprehensive assessment of the beach

Fabrication and characterization of a nanostructured TiO2/In2S3-Sb2S3/CuSCN extremely thin absorber (eta) solar cell

CuSCN extremely thin absorber solar cell. Nanostructured TiO2 deposited by screen printing on an ITO substrate was used as an n-type electrode. An ∼80 nm extremely thin layer of the system In2S3-Sb2S3 deposited by successive ionic layer adsorption and a reaction (silar) method was used as an absorber. The voids were filled with p-type CuSCN and the entire assembly was completed with a gold contact. The solar cell fabricated with this heterostructure showed an energy conversion efficiency of 4.9%, which is a promising result in the development of low cost and simple fabrication of solar cells

Stenocarpella maydis and Sporisorium reilianum: Two Pathogenic Fungi of Maize

Stenocarpella maydis and Sporisorium reilianum are phytopathogenic fungi that cause white rot in corn cob and head smut in maize (Zea mays L.) respectively, diseases that are spread worldwide and cause many economic losses. In this chapter the characteristics of the above diseases, such as their life cycle, pathogenicity factors, control methods, as well as the biotechnological potential of the fungi involved in this processes are described, specifically in connection to their extracellular enzymes

Biochemical characterization of recombinant Candida albicans mannosyltransferases Mnt1, Mnt2 and Mnt5 reveals new functions in O- and N-mannan biosynthesis

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Effects of coffee with different roasting degrees on obesity and related metabolic disorders

This study aimed to assess the effect of unroasted, dark and very dark roasted coffee on obesity and metabolic disorders in obese rats. All coffee samples significantly reduced weight gain (∼17%) compared to obese control. Coffee reduced glucose levels (∼17%) upon a glucose tolerance test in all cases compared to the control, while fasting glucose only decreased (∼26%) with very dark coffee. Insulin levels and insulin resistance significantly decreased (∼77% and 65% respectively) with all coffee samples compared to the control. Unroasted and dark roasted coffee decreased triglycerides (∼21% and ∼ 11%, respectively), and unroasted coffee also reduced free fatty acids (∼43%) and adipocyte size. Coffee decreased liver steatosis (∼55%) and Caspase-3 levels (∼27%), regardless of the roasting degree. Overall, coffee plays a positive role in restraining obesity and related metabolic disorders but, depending on the metabolic pathway and relevant marker, an effect of roasting could be either found or not

Non-L\'evy mobility patterns of Mexican Me'Phaa peasants searching for fuelwood

We measured mobility patterns that describe walking trajectories of individual Me'Phaa peasants searching and collecting fuelwood in the forests of "La Monta\~na de Guerrero" in Mexico. These one-day excursions typically follow a mixed pattern of nearly-constant steps when individuals displace from their homes towards potential collecting sites and a mixed pattern of steps of different lengths when actually searching for fallen wood in the forest. Displacements in the searching phase seem not to be compatible with L\'evy flights described by power-laws with optimal scaling exponents. These findings however can be interpreted in the light of deterministic searching on heavily degraded landscapes where the interaction of the individuals with their scarce environment produces alternative searching strategies than the expected L\'evy flights. These results have important implications for future management and restoration of degraded forests and the improvement of the ecological services they may provide to their inhabitants.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures. First version submitted to Human Ecology. The final publication will be available at http://www.springerlink.co

PROTOTIPO DE CABEZA ANIMATRÓNICA DE BAJO COSTO, UTILIZANDO MICROCONTROLADORES, SERVOMOTORES Y COMPONENTES 3D PARA APRENDER A MANIPULAR ROBOTS HUMANOIDES REALES (LOW COST ANIMATRONIC HEAD PROTOTYPE, USING MICROCONTROLLERS, SERVOMOTORS AND 3D COMPONENTS TO LEARN TO HANDLE REAL HUMANOID ROBOTS)

ResumenDentro del doctorado en Ingeniería del Lenguaje y del Conocimiento (LKE, por sus siglas en ingles) de la Facultad de Ciencias de la Computación (FCC) de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), se está trabajando en áreas de: lenguaje natural, razonamiento, visión por computadora, robótica, entre otras; todas estas encaminadas a crear y desarrollar algoritmos que permitan a los agentes inteligentes tangibles (robots humanoides) la capacidad de interactuar en ambientes específicos. Prueba de ello es la reciente adquisición de dos robots humanoides por el Laboratorio LKE. Sin embargo, debido al alto costo de los equipos, es necesario tener prototipos alternativos, que puedan ser utilizados por los estudiantes e investigadores para sus experimentos preliminares antes de ser implementados en los humanoides. En este proyecto se lleva a cabo el diseño y construcción de un prototipo de cabeza animatrónica, el cual consta de tres elementos. En la parte mecánica se utilizan piezas 3D, cámaras de vídeo y una mandíbula. Para la parte electrónica se utilizan servomotores, microcontroladores Raspberry y Arduino. Y por último, se implementa un mecanismo de control, para el funcionamiento de cada uno los elementos mecánicos del prototipo y que están asociados a los componentes electrónicos. Aunque resulta complejo modelar de manera fiel una cabeza humana, se obtuvo un prototipo rústico con un sistema de visión con movimientos horizontales y verticales; cuyo costo es de $2000 pesos y permite realizar pruebas experimentales.Palabra(s) Clave: Animatrónica, Impresión 3D, Microcontroladores, Modelado, Robots, Servomotores. AbstractThe Ph. D. program on Language and Knowledge Engineering (LKE) from the Computer Sciences Department at the BUAP works in areas such as natural language, reasoning, computer vision and robotics among others, all of them focused on creating and developing algorithms that allow to bestow on tangible intelligent agents (humanoids robots) the capability of interacting in specific ambiances. Proof of this is the acquisition of two humanoid robots by the LKE laboratory. However, due to the high cost of these equipment, it is necessary to have alternative prototypes with which students and researchers could make preliminary experiments before implementing them in the humanoids. In this project the design and construction of an animatronic head prototype, which consists of three elements, is carried out. In the mechanical part, 3D parts, video cameras and a jaw are used. Servomotors, Raspberry microcontrollers and Arduino are used for the electronic part. And finally, a control mechanism is implemented, this is used for the operation of each one of the mechanical elements of the prototype and that are associated with the electronic components. Although it is complex to model a human head faithfully, a rustic prototype was obtained with a vision system with horizontal and vertical movements; whose cost is$120 dollars and which allows experimental tests.Keywords: Animatronics, 3D Printing, Microcontrollers, Modeling, Robots, Servomotors

Identification of simple sequence repeat markers for sweetpotato weevil resistance

The development of sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam] germplasm with resistance to sweetpotato weevil (SPW) requires an understanding of the biochemical and genetic mechanisms of resistance to optimize crop resistance. The African sweetpotato landrace, ‘New Kawogo’, was reported to be moderately resistant to two species of SPW, Cylas puncticollis and Cylas brunneus. Resistance has been associated with the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids esters (HCAs), but the underlying genetic basis remains unknown. To determine the genetic basis of this resistance, a bi-parental sweetpotato population from a cross between the moderately resistant, white-fleshed ‘New Kawogo’ and the highly susceptible, orange-fleshed North American variety ‘Beauregard’ was evaluated for SPW resistance and genotyped with simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to identify weevil resistance loci. SPW resistance was measured on the basis of field storage root SPW damage severity and total HCA ester concentrations. Moderate broad sense heritability (H2 = 0.49) was observed for weevil resistance in the population. Mean genotype SPW severity scores ranged from 1.0 to 9.0 and 25 progeny exhibited transgressive segregation for SPW resistance. Mean genotype total HCA ester concentrations were significantly different (P < 0.0001). A weak but significant correlation (r = 0.103, P = 0.015) was observed between total HCA ester concentration and SPW severity. A total of five and seven SSR markers were associated with field SPW severity and total HCA ester concentration, respectively. Markers IBS11, IbE5 and IbJ544b showed significant association with both field and HCA-based resistance, representing potential markers for the development of SPW resistant sweetpotato cultivars