Durability Studies of Solar Reflectors Used in Concentrating Solar Thermal Technologies under Corrosive Sulfurous Atmospheres

Concentrating solar thermal (CST) technologies are a feasible and promising option to tackle worldwide energy problems. These solar facilities are sometimes located near industrial sites, where their main components—including concentrating solar reflectors—are prone to significant degradation caused by corrosive agents, especially in the presence of sulfurous atmospheres such as H2S and SO2. This paper focuses on analyzing the influence of sulfurous atmospheres on the durability of reflector materials used in CST technologies. To this end, accelerated aging tests were performed on the most commonly used materials found in solar reflectors (i.e., thick silvered glass and aluminum-based reflectors) by applying the same concentrations of H2S and SO2 under the same conditions of temperature and relative humidity. The results showed that the solar reflectors based on a silver reflective layer are significantly corroded by H2S atmospheres—several corrosion defects were found in the samples tested. However, those based on aluminum were barely affected by sulfurous environments in the conditions tested. Nonetheless, the study suggests that both reflector types are suitable candidates, depending on the purpose of the CST technology in question and the specific environmental conditions

Diseño de PMO para la empresa carrocera Busscar de Colombia S.A.S.

Busscar de Colombia S.A.S. es una empresa carrocera que desarrolla experiencias de movilidad, es una de las principales industrias del país que suministra vehículos para el transporte de pasajeros en los distintos segmentos de mercado. Hace más de 10 años, la empresa viene haciendo un proceso de apertura hacia el mercado latinoamericano, exportando sus productos a diferentes países. El mercado en el que se desenvuelve la compañía, la obliga a estar en movimiento y a mantenerse en constante desarrollo de nuevos procesos, productos y servicios, y a pesar de que durante los últimos años ha logrado desarrollar con éxito una serie de proyectos y objetivos, hoy en día la cantidad de necesidades simultáneas que se presentan al interior, están requiriendo que la compañía revise, ajuste, estandarice y centralice su proceso de gestión de proyectos. El presente documento hace referencia al proceso de diseño de una PMO para la empresa Busscar de Colombia S.A.S., que le permita promover una cultura de gestión de proyectos estandarizada y centralizada para todas las áreas, mejorando así todo su proceso de administración. En el presente estudio se realizará un diagnóstico general para determinar el estado de madurez de la compañía en cuanto a gestión de proyectos, se establecerá una metodología adecuada a las necesidades del negocio, y se construirá la hoja de ruta para la implementación de una PMO que permita establecer estándares, controles y estrategias que garanticen la salud de los proyectos que se desarrollen en su interior.Busscar de Colombia S.A.S. is a bodybuilder company that develops mobility experiences, is one of the most important industries in the country that supplies passenger’s transport vehicles in the different market segments. More than 10 years ago, the company has been making a market opening process towards Latin American market exporting his products to different countries. The market in which company operates, forces it to be in motion and to keep improving his processes, products, and services, and despite that during last years the company has reached the successful development of many objectives and projects, nowadays the number of simultaneous needs that the company must solve, are requiring that de company review, adjust, standardize, and centralize his Project Managment process. This document describes the design process of the Busscar de Colombia S.A.S. PMO, that will promote and improve the standardized and centralized Project Managment culture to all company departments, improving his whole administration. In this study, a general diagnosis will be carried out to determine the maturity status of the company in terms of project management, an appropriate methodology will be established to the needs of the business and will define the roadmap for the implementation of a PMO that allow to establish standards, controls and strategies that guarantee the health of the projects that are developed within the company

USO DE BORTEZOMIB, TALIDOMIDA Y DEXAMETASONA, COMO TERAPIA DE PRIMERA LÍNEA EN PACIENTES CON MIELOMA MÚLTIPLE DE RECIENTE DIAGNÓSTICO. CENTRO MÉDICO ISSEMYM. ARTURO MONTIEL ROJAS

El Mieloma Múltiple (MM) es una neoplasia maligna hematológica caracterizada por una proliferación clonal no controlada de células plasmáticas, las cuales producen una paraproteína monoclonal. El Mieloma Múltiple puede condicionar lesiones líticas, falla renal, hipercalcemia, Síndrome de Hiperviscosidad y una inmunodeficiencia, la cual es agravada por los esquemas terapéuticos ofrecidos en esta enfermedad. Según las escalas pronosticas más utilizadas a nivel mundial, la sobrevida global esperada en el mejor de los casos es de 4 años, la cual puede ser menor en los casos de estadios avanzados de la enfermedad. En la mayoría de las ocasiones, esta enfermedad es incurable y los pacientes terminan complicándose con procesos infecciosos que condicionan la muerte al enfermo

Electrónica interactiva con niños de educación primaria del estado de Yucatán

Se describe la experiencia de realizar actividades interactivas con grupos de niños yucatecos que cursan los seis grados de educación primaria. Durante las visitas a las escuelas se utilizan materiales eléctricos y electrónicos expuestos con el fin de explicar de manera interactiva algunos conceptos básicos relacionados con temas tales como la energía estática, el magnetismo, los circuitos eléctricos, los paneles solares, los imanes y la electricidad, entre otros. Se presenta un análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo de los resultados obtenidos al visitar 12 escuelas de educación primaria ubicadas en el oriente del estado de Yucatán. Los resultados indican que la metodología implementada consigue motivar e interesar a niños y profesores, quienes comprenden con mayor claridad algunos conceptos abstractos que se conocían en teoría pero no habían sido experimentados de manera práctica

Reflectometer comparison for assessment of back-silvered glass solar mirrors

This paper compares the two most common reflectometers used to assess the specular reflectance of back-silvered glass mirrors for Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) applications, namely the Device and Services (D&S) 15R-USB and the Abengoa Condor SR-6.1 instruments. Comparisons are first made between the two instruments themselves using a Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (R&R) study. Results are given for the as-cleaned collector mirrors and then as the mirrors become naturally soiled over a one month period. The results of the Gage R&R study show that for the D&S the gage itself contributes 40.97% of the variability, whilst 59.03% is due to part-to-part (location on the mirror under investigation) variability. For the Condor we show that the % Contribution from the gage is 62.18% of the total variability with only 37.82% of the contribution attributable to the location dependent reflectance. The Condor has a wider acceptance angle, and over the reflectance range of 0.91–0.95 the condor was found to measure higher than the D&S by an average of 1.53%. The differences between the soiling results obtained from the two instruments are explained, and the results are used to derive a predictive model for the soiling of solar collectors. In conclusion, both instruments have advantages and shortcomings, and the factors that influence which instrument to select are discussed

Comparative metabolomic study of transgenic versus conventional soybean using capillary electrophoresis–time-of-flight mass spectrometry

In this work, capillary electrophoresis–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE–TOF-MS) is proposed to identify and quantify the main metabolites found in transgenic soybean and its corresponding non-transgenic parental line both grown under identical conditions. The procedure includes optimization of metabolites extraction, separation by CE, on-line electrospray-TOF-MS analysis and data evaluation. A large number of extraction procedures and background electrolytes are tested in order to obtain a highly reproducible and sensitive analytical methodology. Using this approach, a large number of metabolites were tentatively identified based on the high mass accuracy provided by TOF-MS analyzer, together with the isotopic pattern and expected electrophoretic mobility of these compounds. In general, the same metabolites and in similar amounts were found in the conventional and transgenic variety. However, significant differences were also observed in some specific cases when the conventional variety was compared with its corresponding transgenic line. The selection of these metabolites as possible biomarkers of transgenic soybean is discussed, although a larger number of samples need to be analyzed in order to validate this point. It is concluded that metabolomic procedures based on CE-MS can open new perspectives in the study of transgenic foods in order to corroborate (or not) the equivalence with their conventional counterparts.Peer reviewe

Educar para a ciência. Elementos para delinear uma política de educação que apoia a formação de cientistas. O caso do México.

This article analyzes the structure and recent changes in the Mexican educational system. It characterizes some of the variables that relate to education research, and concludes with a review of studies that have recently been developed to identify patterns in the research training process. This paper will, in general terms, outline strategies to improve the training of researchers in México.En este artículo se analiza la estructura y cambios recientes en el sistema educativo mexicano; se caracterizan algunas de las variables que relacionan a la educación con la investigación; y se concluye con una revisión de los estudios que recientemente se han desarrollado para identificar patrones en el proceso formativo de investigadores. Lo anterior permitirá, a grandes rasgos, delinear estrategias para mejorar la formación de investigadores en México.Este artigo analisa a estrutura e as recentes mudanças no sistema educacional mexicano, caracterizam-se algumas das variáveis que se relacionam com a pesquisa em educação, e conclui com uma revisão de estudos que foram recentemente desenvolvidos para identificar padrões na processo de formação em investigação. Isso permitirá que, em linhas gerais, traçar estratégias para melhorar a formação de pesquisadores no México

Singular Temperatures Connected to Charge Transport Mechanism Transitions in Perylene Bisimides from Steady-State Photocurrent Measurements

Perylene bisimides (PBIs) are n-type semiconducting and photogenerating materials widely used in a variety of optoelectronic devices. Particularly interesting are PBIs that are simultaneously water-soluble and liquid-crystalline (PBI-W+LC) and, thus, attractive for the development of high-performing easily processable applications in biology and “green” organic electronics. In this work, singular temperatures connected to charge transport mechanism transitions in a PBI-W+LC derivative are determined with high accuracy by means of temperature-dependent photocurrent studies. These singular temperatures include not only the ones observed at 60 and 110 °C, corresponding to phase transition temperatures from crystalline to liquid-crystalline (LC) and from LC to the isotropic phase, respectively, as confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), but also a transition at 45 °C, not observed by DSC. By analyzing the photocurrent dependence simultaneously on temperature and on light intensity, this transition is interpreted as a change from monomolecular to bimolecular recombination. These results might be useful for other semiconducting photogenerating materials, not necessarily PBIs or even organic semiconductors, which also show transport behavior changes at singular temperatures not connected with structural or phase transitions.We appreciate support from the Spanish government (MINECO) and the European Community (FEDER) through Grant MAT-2011-28167-C02-01, as well as the University of Alicante. We gratefully acknowledge financial support from MINECO (MAT2014-52305-P) and the UCM-BSCH joint project (GR3/14-910759). A. de la Peña thanks Universidad Complutense for a predoctoral fellowship

The Potential of Mangifera indica L. Peel Extract to Be Revalued in Cosmetic Applications

This research was funded by the Regional Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Enterprise, and Universities of Andalusia grant number P18-TP-3589. The author A.G.-V. expresses gratitude to the project P18-TP-3589, as well as to the University of Granada and AGR274 group for her contract. Á.F.-O. would like to thank the Regional Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Enterprise and Universities of Andalusia for the contract for Young Researchers (PAIDI) at the University of Granada. A.R.-G. would like to thank the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities for the grant FPU21/02714. M.d.l.L.C.-G. thanks her contract RYC2021-032119-I founded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and NextGenerationEU/PRTR. The authors are also grateful to the Company “Grupo Empresarial La Caña” for ensuring traceability assurance of the samples and for its commitment to the research group and I+D+i.The constant growth of the cosmetic industry, together with the scientific evidence of the beneficial properties of phytochemicals, has generated great interest in the incorporation of bioactive extracts in cosmetic formulations. This study aims to evaluate the bioactive potential of a mango peel extract for its incorporation into cosmetic formulations. For this purpose, several assays were conducted: phytochemical characterization; total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant potential; free-radical scavenging capacity; and skin aging-related enzyme inhibition. In addition, the extract was incorporated into a gel formulation, and a preliminary stability study was conducted where the accelerated (temperature ramp, centrifugation, and heating/cooling cycles) and long-term (storage in light and dark for three months) stability of the mango peel formulations were evaluated. The characterization results showed the annotation of 71 compounds, gallotannins being the most representative group. In addition, the mango peel extract was shown to be effective against the center dot NO radical with an IC50 of 7.5 mg/L and against the hyaluronidase and xanthine oxidase enzymes with IC50 of 27 mg/L and 2 mg/L, respectively. The formulations incorporating the extract were stable during the stability study. The results demonstrate that mango peel extract can be a by-product to be revalorized as a promising cosmetic ingredient.University of GranadaAGR274Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities FPU21/02714MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033NextGenerationEU/PRTR RYC2021-032119-IRegional Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Enterprise, and Universities of Andalusia grant number P18-TP-358

Determination of the Bioactive Effect of Custard Apple By-Products by In Vitro Assays

Annona cherimola fruit, known as cherimoya or custard apple, is an exotic fruit from South America but is strongly produced in Andalusia, Spain. Its by-products (seeds and peel) are recognised as important sources of antioxidants, including phenolic acids, flavonoids and procyanidins. Therefore, the aim of this study was to carry out the characterization of its phenolic composition and to in vitro evaluate the bioactivity of custard apple seed and peel. Therefore, high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS) was performed in order to tentatively identify their phenolic composition. In the end, 19 compounds were identified and quantified, some of them for the first time in the custard apple matrix. Then, seed and peel total phenolic content, as well as antioxidant properties, radical scavenging capacity (O-2, NO, HOCl) and inhibition of enzymes involved in different pathologies (hyaluronidase, elastase, collagenase, tyrosinase, acetylcholinesterase and xanthine oxidase), were evaluated. Although both extracts showed almost similar antioxidant capacities, custard apple seed stood out slightly more than peel (171 +/- 2 vs. 130.0 +/- 0.4 mu mol TE/g DE, resp.), especially as center dot NO scavenger (IC50 1.5 +/- 0.2 vs. 11.8 +/- 0.3 mg/L, resp.) and hyaluronidase inhibitor (IC50 170 +/- 10 vs. 460 +/- 20mg/L, resp.). Finally, the application of extracts on a real human model of platelet aggregation was performed, reporting antiaggregatory effects in agonist-promoted platelet thrombus formation. All these results show that custard apple by-products are stated as interesting sources of bioactive compounds with multiple industrial applications for the development of high-added-value products, such as functional foods, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals, promoting the circular bioeconomy of these by-products.Regional Ministry of Economy, Knowledge, Enterprise and Universities of Andalusia P18-TP-3589University of Granada P18-TP-3589Spanish Government FPU19/01146 AGR27