Un análisis observacional de la circulación meridional somera del Pacífico tropical oriental utilizando datos YOTC y globos piloto de la Isla del Coco, Costa Rica

The low-level circulation of the atmosphere over Isla del Coco has been studied and the presence of a northerly wind at low levels of the atmosphere in the eastern tropical Pacific, in addition to the deep Hadley circulation cell, has been confirmed. Using data from pilot balloons (May 1997 through January 1999, October 2007 through April 2008), the northern flow is between 1 and 5 km high, depending on the time of year, with a maximum speed located between 2 and 3 km above the surface. The generating mechanism of the surface return flow in the Hadley circulation cell has been formulated as a sea breeze, Ekman pumping of the boundary layer, and it could even be a response to the Rossby wave generated by warming in the Chocó region. These results agree with those obtained from the ERA5 reanalysis (January 1979 through December 2020), which show that the southern return cell varies in position and height during the course of the year, with a poorly organized circulation in March and strengthening from July to February. The incorporation of data of low, medium and high cloud cover from Year of the Tropical Convection (boreal summer 2009) evidenced the presence of high-level clouds in the ITCZ region and low-level clouds to the south of the ITCZ, latitudes where the south surface circulation cell is located.Se ha estudiado la circulación de la atmósfera en niveles bajos sobre la Isla del Coco y se ha confirmado la presencia de un viento del norte en los niveles bajos de la atmósfera en el Pacífico Oriental Tropical, además de la celda de circulación profunda de Hadley. Utilizando datos de globos piloto (mayo 1997 a enero 1999, octubre 2007 a abril 2008), el flujo del norte está entre 1 y 5 km de altura, dependiendo de la época del año, con una velocidad máxima situada entre 2 y 3 km sobre la superficie. El mecanismo generador del flujo de retorno superficial en la celda de circulación de Hadley ha sido formulado como una brisa marina, bombeo de Ekman de la capa límite, e incluso podría ser una respuesta a la onda de Rossby generada por el calentamiento en la región del Chocó. Estos resultados concuerdan con los obtenidos del reanálisis ERA5 (enero 1979 a diciembre 20020), que muestran que la celda de retorno sur varía en posición y altura a lo largo del año, con una circulación mal organizada en marzo y fortaleciéndose de julio a febrero. La incorporación de datos de nubosidad baja, media y alta del Año de la Convección Tropical (verano boreal 2009) evidenció la presencia de nubes altas en la región de la ZCIT y nubes bajas al sur de la ZCIT, latitudes donde se encuentra la situada la celda de circulación superficial sur

A Study of Non-Neutral Networks with Usage-based Prices

Hahn and Wallsten wrote that network neutrality "usually means that broadband service providers charge consumers only once for Internet access, do not favor one content provider over another, and do not charge content providers for sending information over broadband lines to end users." In this paper we study the implications of non-neutral behaviors under a simple model of linear demand-response to usage-based prices. We take into account advertising revenues and consider both cooperative and non-cooperative scenarios. In particular, we model the impact of side-payments between service and content providers. We also consider the effect of service discrimination by access providers, as well as an extension of our model to non-monopolistic content providers

Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Metabolic Syndrome and Pre-Diabetes in Adolescents in the Sierra Region of Ecuador

Background: Excess weight (overweight and obesity) is the major modifiable risk factor for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other non-communicable diseases. However, excess weight may not be as predictive of diabetes risk as once thought. While excess weight and other obesity-related non-communicable diseases are of growing concern in low-middle income countries in Latin America, there is limited research on risk factors associated with T2DM in adolescents. This study investigated prevalence of overweight, obesity, prediabetes, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in adolescents in Ecuador. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 433 adolescents from two schools in a small urban center in southern Ecuador and two schools in a large urban center in Quito. Risk factors were measured, including: height, weight, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, fasting glucose, lipid panel, and HbA1c. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was separately applied to risk factors and demographic factors as a set of dependent variables with sex, location and their interaction included as predictors. An independent t test was run on the data at 95% confidence intervals for the mean difference. The values for the triglycerides, LDL and VLDL were positively skewed. A Mann–Whitney U test was run on these data. Results: Using IOTF standards, 9.8% were overweight and 1.9% were obese. Only 1.6% of the sample met the criteria for prediabetes by fasting glucose but 12.4% of the sample met the criteria for prediabetes by HbA1c. None of the participants met criteria for diabetes. There were 2.3% of the participants that met the IDF criteria for metabolic syndrome. Adolescents from the larger urban center had higher rates of prediabetes, higher mean HbA1c, blood pressure, lipid values, and lower HDL levels. Conclusions: Use of HbA1c identifed more adolescents with prediabetes than FBG. The HbA1c measure is an attractive screening tool for prediabetes in developing countries. Although rates of obesity in Ecuadorian adolescents are low there is significant evidence to suggest that prediabetes is permeating the smaller urban centers. Traditional screening tools may underestimate this risk

MEDIACIÓN TECNOLÓGICA EN EL APRENDIZAJE DE LA SEGURIDAD DEL PACIENTE: CAÍDAS, FLEBITIS Y ÚLCERAS POR PRESIÓN

Los eventos de seguridad clínica son un problema que afecta a todas las instituciones de salud, en donde la responsabilidad primera es atribuida al personal de enfermería quienes proporcionan el cuidado directo al paciente las 24 horas del día. En investigaciones recientes y casos de estudio analizados, se presenta en un alto porcentaje tres eventos de riesgo para el paciente, caídas, flebitis y úlceras por presión (UPP). El presenta artículo muestra el desarrollo y la validación de una herramienta tecnológica que tiene como objetivo capacitar a estudiantes de enfermería en el manejo de eventos de seguridad en el paciente. La investigación realizada arrojó en una primera fase de diagnóstico que un 87.80% de los estudiantes de una institución de educación superior desconocen el manejo de estos eventos, de igual forma la implementación de la herramienta permitió mejorar el proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje evidenciado en los resultados de un test de evaluación final

Nodulation capacity in legume forest species (Fabaceae) according to their phylogeny and morphological characteristics

Gran parte del éxito de las plantas leguminosas (Familia Fabaceae) en los diferentes ecosistemas de Costa Rica podría deberse a su capacidad de establecer relaciones simbióticas con microorganismos de la familia Rhizobiaceae y al nitrógeno fijado que estas bacterias les pueden proveer. En este trabajo, evaluamos la presencia de nódulos, tejido donde se realiza la fijación de nitrógeno, en 24 especies forestales de leguminosas pertenecientes a cuatro subfamilias de Fabaceae y se anotaron varias características morfológicas de las raíces. Se detectó la presencia de nódulos en 14 de las 24 especies (58.3 %), sin embargo, hubo grandes diferencias entre las subfamilias. En las dos subfamilias consideradas las más basales (Detarioideae y Cercidoideae) no se detectaron nódulos. En la subfamilia Caesalpinioideae, se reportaron nódulos en el 58.3% de las especies, restringidas mayoritariamente al clado Mimosoideae. En la familia Papilionoideae, considerada la más derivada, se observó la presencia de nódulos en el 87.5 % de las especies evaluadas. La mayoría de especies con nódulos presentaron una coloración clara en sus raíces y las especies sin nódulos una coloración más oscura, con algunas excepciones. Estas tendencias están relacionadas con la historia filogenética de las subfamilias y los orígenes de la nodulación. Sin embargo, también podrían responder a diferentes mecanismos de infección e incluso podrían relacionarse con características fisiológicas de las plantas, como la producción de compuestos secundarios inhibitorios de la nodulación. De esta forma, este estudio establece un primer paso para entender mejor las interacciones entre los microorganismos fijadores de nitrógeno con sus hospederos.A large part of the success of legume plants (Fabaceae) in the different ecosystems of Costa Rica could be due to their ability to establish symbiotic relationships with microorganisms of the Rhizobiaceae family and to the fixed nitrogen that these bacteria can provide them. In this work, we evaluated the presence of nodules, the tissue where nitrogen fixation is carried out, in 24 forest species of legumes belonging to four subfamilies of Fabaceae, and several morphological characteristics of the roots were determined. The presence of nodules was detected in 14 of the 24 species (58.3 %); however, there were large differences between the subfamilies. In the two subfamilies considered the most basal (Detarioideae and Cercidoideae), no nodules were detected. In the Caesalpinioideae subfamily, nodules were reported in 58.3 % of the species, mostly restricted to the clade Mimosoideae. In the Papilionoideae family, considered the most derived, the presence of nodules was observed in 87.5 % of the evaluated species. Most species with nodules had a light coloration on their roots, and species without nodules had a darker coloration, with some exceptions. These trends are related to the phylogenetic history of the subfamilies and the origins of nodulation. However, they could also respond to different infection mechanisms and could even be related to physiological characteristics of plants, such as the production of secondary inhibitory compounds of the nodulation. In this way, this study constitutes. the first step to understand better the interactions between nitrogen-fixing microorganisms with their hosts.Universidad de Costa Rica/[111-B9-204]/UCR/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biologí

Evaluación del riesgo por metales pesados en suelos ácidos bajo diferentes sistemas agrícolas en el Piedemonte Llanero de Colombia

Agricultural soils may become polluted by heavy metals as a result of receiving a significant amount of pollutants from different sources of land applications, such as fertilizers, animal manure, sewage sludge, pesticides, and wastewater irrigation. Given that information on the distribution of heavy metals (HMs) in the Piedemonte Llanero of Colombia is still quite limited, the main objectives of this work were to characterize the content of these elements and their potential pollution level in acidic soils under different agricultural systems. The hypothesis is to verify if the type of land use poses an environmental threat. To achieve these goals, the concentrations of seven metals were determined in the soils of three agricultural production systems: oil palm, pastures, and semi-annual crops. Soil contamination was evaluated based on the Geo-Accumulation Index (I-geo), contamination factor (CF), Pollution Load Index (PLI), and Nemerov Integrated Pollution Index (NIPI). One outstanding result was that the average concentrations of HMs in the collected topsoil samples were as follows: Mn (110.5 mg kg-1), Zn (31.93 mg kg-1), Cr (8.85 mg kg-1), Ni (11.68 mg kg-1), Cu (11.28 mg kg-1), Pb (9.42 mg kg-1) and Cd (0.21 mg kg-1). The results obtained from this study provide an estimation of the pollution status of HMs. Agricultural activities, especially the overuse of phosphate fertilizer, were the main source of nutrients across the study area. This information can become a fundamental tool to establish monitoring and follow-up processes for sustainable soil management in the Piedemonte Llanero. In conclusion, the present study highlights and provides specific information in a hyperhumid environment.Los suelos agrícolas pueden contaminarse con metales pesados como consecuencia de recibir una cantidad significativa de contaminantes procedentes de diferentes fuentes de aplicaciones terrestres, tales como fertilizantes, estiércol animal, lodos de depuradora, pesticidas y/o riego con aguas residuales. Dado que la información sobre la distribución de metales pesados (MP) en el Piedemonte llanero de Colombia es aún bastante limitada, el objetivo principal de este trabajo fue caracterizar el contenido de estos elementos y su potencial nivel de contaminación en suelos ácidos bajo diferentes sistemas agrícolas. La hipótesis es verificar si el tipo de uso representa una amenaza ambiental. Para lograr estos objetivos, se determinaron las concentraciones de siete metales en los suelos de tres sistemas de producción agrícola: palma aceitera, pastos y cultivos semestrales. La contaminación del suelo se evaluó con base al índice de geo-acumulación (I-geo), el factor de contaminación (FC), el índice de carga contaminación (ICC) y el índice de contaminación integrada de Nemerov (ICIN). Un resultado sobresaliente fue que las concentraciones promedio de MP en las muestras de suelo recolectadas fueron en general: Mn (110.5 mg kg-1), Zn (31.93 mg kg-1), Cr (8.85 mg kg-1), Ni (11.68 mg kg-1), Cu (11.28 mg kg-1), Pb (9.42 mg kg-1) y Cd (0.21 mg kg-1). Las actividades agrícolas, especialmente el uso excesivo de fertilizantes fosfatados, fueron la principal fuente de nutrientes en toda el área de estudio. Esta información puede convertirse en una herramienta básica para establecer procesos de monitoreo y seguimiento que permitan establecer un manejo sustentable del suelo en el Piedemonte llanero. Además, los resultados obtenidos de este estudio constituyen una estimación del estado de contaminación de los MP en el contexto específico de un ambiente hiperhúmedo

Emergency drills for agricultural drought response: A case study in Guatemala

Drills are an important element of disaster management, helping to increase preparedness and reduce the risk of real‐time failure. Yet, they are not applied systematically to slow‐onset disasters such as a drought, which causes damage that is not instantly apparent and thus does not solicit immediate action. This case study evaluates how drills inform institutional responses to slow‐onset disasters. It spotlights Guatemala, a country where drought has severe impacts on livelihoods and the food security of small farmers. By implementing part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food's institutional response plan for drought, it explores how drills can help to detect issues in emergency response and to foster an institutional focus on improvements in preparedness. The results reveal that drills alone do not trigger institutional improvements if unsupported by a wider strategy that seeks to enhance capacities and protocols. These findings are valuable, however, in making problems transparent and in creating the space for discussion

Indicadores de uso aeroportuario

El presente trabajo contiene un registro de indicadores de uso aeroportuario y es de naturaleza descriptiva. Los datos utilizados en el mismo fueron obtenidos de información publicada en red por diversos Operadores Aeroportuarios, Organismos Internacionales y otras Instituciones, complementándose con algunos que fueron generados por los autores en el marco de este trabajo. Es dable destacar que si bien el listado engloba una cantidad adecuada de indicadores, es posible definir un número mucho mayor de éstos, dependiendo de la profundidad con que quiera analizarse cada uno de los subsistemas del sistema aeroportuario, para la consecuente generación de diagnósticos, diseño de políticas, estrategias, etc.Grupo de Transporte Aéreo - Grupo de Ingeniería Aplicada a la Industria (GTA-GIAI

Neonatal infrared thermography images in the hypothermic ruminant model: Anatomical-morphological-physiological aspects and mechanisms for thermoregulation

Hypothermia is one factor associated with mortality in newborn ruminants due to the drastic temperature change upon exposure to the extrauterine environment in the first hours after birth. Ruminants are precocial whose mechanisms for generating heat or preventing heat loss involve genetic characteristics, the degree of neurodevelopment at birth and environmental aspects. These elements combine to form a more efficient mechanism than those found in altricial species. Although the degree of neurodevelopment is an important advantage for these species, their greater mobility helps them to search for the udder and consume colostrum after birth. However, anatomical differences such as the distribution of adipose tissue or the presence of type II muscle fibers could lead to the understanding that these species use their energy resources more efficiently for heat production. The introduction of unconventional ruminant species, such as the water buffalo, has led to rethinking other characteristics like the skin thickness or the coat type that could intervene in the thermoregulation capacity of the newborn. Implementing tools to analyze species-specific characteristics that help prevent a critical decline in temperature is deemed a fundamental strategy for avoiding the adverse effects of a compromised thermoregulatory function. Although thermography is a non-invasive method to assess superficial temperature in several non-human animal species, in newborn ruminants there is limited information about its application, making it necessary to discuss the usefulness of this tool. This review aims to analyze the effects of hypothermia in newborn ruminants, their thermoregulation mechanisms that compensate for this condition, and the application of infrared thermography (IRT) to identify cases with hypothermia

Thermal Imaging to Assess the Health Status in Wildlife Animals under Human Care: Limitations and Perspectives

Ensuring the welfare of wildlife under human care requires tools to monitor their health and well-being. Infrared thermography is a non-invasive technique for assessing thermal states that measure the radiation emitted from the skin in distinct anatomical areas, known as thermal windows—anatomical regions with abundant capillaries and arteriovenous anastomosis that facilitate heat exchange with the environment. However, thermal windows for wildlife species have not yet been established due to the different characteristics of their skin, coats, fur, or coloring. This review discusses published information on the usefulness of the ocular, nasal, thoracic, abdominal, and podal anatomical regions as thermal windows for evaluating these animals’ thermal responses and health status and monitoring habitat design. Another aspect that must be considered for wildlife under human care is the limitations of distinct species due to differences between animals and critical factors. Future studies should focus on establishing a precise application for each thermal window according to the specific characteristics of distinct animal species