5 research outputs found
Harnessing Offshore Wind Energy along the Mexican Coastline in the Gulf of MexicoâAn Exploratory Study including Sustainability Criteria
Mexico has more than 40 years of researching, investing, and obtaining electric power through wind energy. Within the country, there are highly windy areas, such as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec or the state of Tamaulipas, and there are about 2500 MW installed and 70,000 MW tested, all onshore. There are still no offshore wind farms in Mexico, despite having two main coasts, the East and the West, with the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, respectively. Although the Mexican coastal states of the Gulf of Mexico are Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, and YucatĂĄn, this work focuses on the study and feasibility of offshore wind energy use on the coasts of the states of Tabasco, Campeche, and YucatĂĄn. This is because of the availability of data in that region; however, sustainability criteria that can be used in other regions are also presented. MERRA-2 and ERA5 data were used employing WAsP and Windographer software. It was found that the capacity factor in the area of Tabasco, Campeche, and YucatĂĄn is 32%, 37%, and 46%. It can be noted that, in the WF100% scenario, each of the wind farms could contribute more than 35% of the regionâs electricity consumption; those of Campeche and YucatĂĄn stand out with contributions of more than 70%
Advantages of dynamic âclosed loopâ stable isotope flux phenotyping over static âopen loopâ clamps in detecting silent genetic and dietary phenotypes
In vivo insulin sensitivity can be assessed using âopen loopâ clamp or âclosed loopâ methods. Open loop clamp methods are static, and fix plasma glucose independently from plasma insulin. Closed loop methods are dynamic, and assess glucose disposal in response to a stable isotope labeled glucose tolerance test. Using PPARαâ/â mice, open and closed loop assessments of insulin sensitivity/glucose disposal were compared. Indirect calorimetry done for the assessment of diurnal substrate utilization/metabolic flexibility showed that chow fed PPARαâ/â mice had increased glucose utilization during the light (starved) cycle. Euglycemic clamps showed no differences in insulin stimulated glucose disposal, whether for chow or high fat diets, but did show differences in basal glucose clearance for chow fed PPARαâ/â versus SV129J-wt mice. In contrast, the dynamic stable isotope labeled glucose tolerance tests reveal enhanced glucose disposal for PPARαâ/â versus SV129J-wt, for chow and high fat diets. Area under the curve for plasma labeled and unlabeled glucose for PPARαâ/â was â1.7-fold lower, P < 0.01 during the stable isotope labeled glucose tolerance test for both diets. Area under the curve for plasma insulin was 5-fold less for the chow fed SV129J-wt (P < 0.01) but showed no difference on a high fat diet (0.30 ± 0.1 for SV129J-wt vs. 0.13 ± 0.10 for PPARαâ/â, P = 0.28). This study demonstrates that dynamic stable isotope labeled glucose tolerance test can assess âsilentâ metabolic phenotypes, not detectable by the static, âopen loopâ, euglycemic or hyperglycemic clamps. Both open loop and closed loop methods may describe different aspects of metabolic inflexibility and insulin sensitivity
Low-Cost Light-Based GelMA 3D Bioprinting via Retrofitting: Manufacturability Test and Cell Culture Assessment
Light-based bioprinter manufacturing technology is still prohibitively expensive for organizations that rely on accessing three-dimensional biological constructs for research and tissue engineering endeavors. Currently, most of the bioprinting systems are based on commercial-grade-based systems or modified DIY (do it yourself) extrusion apparatuses. However, to date, few examples of the adoption of low-cost equipment have been found for light-based bioprinters. The requirement of large volumes of bioinks, their associated cost, and the lack of information regarding the parameter selection have undermined the adoption of this technology. This paper showcases the retrofitting and assessing of a low-cost Light-Based 3D printing system for tissue engineering. To evaluate the potential of a proposed design, a manufacturability test for different features, machine parameters, and Gelatin Methacryloyl (GelMA) concentrations for 7.5% and 10% was performed. Furthermore, a case study of a previously seeded hydrogel with C2C12 cells was successfully implemented as a proof of concept. On the manufacturability test, deviational errors were found between 0.7% to 13.3% for layer exposure times of 15 and 20 s. Live/Dead and Actin-Dapi fluorescence assays after 5 days of culture showed promising results in the cell viability, elongation, and alignment of 3D bioprinted structures. The retrofitting of low-cost equipment has the potential to enable researchers to create high-resolution structures and three-dimensional in vitro models