Relational analysis of the oil and gas sector of Mexico : Implications for Mexico's energy reform

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552This paper describes a novel tool-kit to analyze energy systems in relation to the bio-economic and environmental performance of society. It is illustrated with data from the oil and gas sector of Mexico. The approach combines relational analysis (as developed in theoretical biology) and Multi-Scale Integrated Assessment of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM). It integrates two non-equivalent views of the functioning of the oil and gas system starting from the identification and description of the relations between functional and structural elements. The metabolic pattern of the energy system is described as a sequential pathway generated by different functional elements (e.g., extraction, refining, transportation), each of which is made up of different structural elements (e.g., plants adopting different extraction techniques, diverse types of refineries, different methods of transportation), and operating at a given level of openness (imports and exports). The relations found over the elements of the energy system are described both in functional terms (what/why) and in spatial terms (where/how). The policy relevance of the information generated is discussed in relation to the Mexican Energy Reform

Evaluación económica en la producción agropecuaria de la finca Almorzadero vereda la India y la finca Buenavista vereda el Cucharo municipio Falan - Tolima.

El presente trabajo es realizar una investigación en la evaluación económica sobre la producción agropecuaria para evaluar la los costos de diversos cultivos en el norte del Tolima, en cultivos de cacao (Theobroma cacao), aguacate (Persea americana), guanábano (Annonaagrio muricata), maíz( Zea mayz) y sistema ganadero bovino, la producción agropecuaria son sistemas donde pueden ver afectados por diversos conceptos de cambios climáticos y manejo por parte de su agricultor que no tienen el incentivo completo para sostener el cultivo por ello se ve afectado el cultivo por poca rentabilidad y producción agrícola por diversos sistemas los altos costos de producción, sistema de cambio climático en épocas pueden ser buenas las producciones, pero en otras partes no, aun el agricultor no se recupera lo invertido, por lo tanto la vida económica de un campesino no está siendo la mejor rentable. El trabajo está encaminado a evaluar la economía del sector agropecuario y poder encaminar a un desarrollo de estrategias en el campo con un desarrollo de cultivos orgánicos y químicos para enfrentar cada uno de los problema que se tiene dentro del desarrollo en los cultivos, en las producción del cada uno de los sistemas agropecuarios que se están sosteniendo para mejorar la económica en el que agricultor teniendo un cuidado por el medio ambiente y los microorganismos del suelo, y poder tener un desarrollo y mantenimiento apropiado a cada uno se los sistemas siendo un desarrollo eficaz y sostenible para una mejor calidad de vida de cada uno de los agricultores. Las producciones agropecuarias son sistemas de inversión donde se debe de tener un incentivo activo para poder suministrar a las necesidades que requiera el cultivo o ganado, como se invierte se espera una buena ganancia económica las cuales son para el sostenimiento de cada una de las familias y a su vez un mejor desarrollo de vida. En si se dice que las bajas producciones agrícolas es un sistema de inversión y los cambios climáticos como pueden afectar como puede ayudar a que los cultivos sean rentables, donde una cosecha buena puede recupera la cosecha ya perdida por algún factor de vientos, verano, extensas lluvias.The present work is to evaluate the agricultural economy of several crops in the north of Tolima, in crops of cacao (Theobroma cacao), avocado (Persea americana), guanabano (Annonaagrio muricata), corn (Zea mayz) and bovine cattle system, agricultural production are systems where they can be affected by various concepts of climate change and management by their farmer who do not have the full incentive to sustain the crop, because of this, the crop is affected by low yield and agricultural production by various systems the high costs of production, climate change system in times can be good productions, but in other parts not, even the farmer does not recover the invested, therefore the economic life of a peasant is not being the best profitable. The work is aimed at evaluating the economy of the agricultural sector and to be able to develop strategies in the field with a development of organic crops to face each one of the problems that are in development in crops, in the production of each one of the agricultural systems that are being held to improve the economic in which farmer taking care for the environment and soil microorganisms being an effective and sustainable development for a better quality of life of each of the farmers. Agricultural production is an investment system where it must have an active incentive to be able to supply the needs that the crop or livestock requires, as it is invested, a good economic profit is expected, which are for the support of each of the families already turn a better development of life. In itself it is said that the low agricultural production is an investment system and the climatic changes as they can affect how it can help the crops to be profitable, where a good harvest can recover the harvest already lost by some factor of winds, summer, extensive rain

Identification and functional analysis of Penicillium digitatum genes putatively involved in virulence towards citrus fruit

The fungus Penicillium digitatum, the causal agent of green mould rot, is the most destructive post-harvest pathogen of citrus fruit in Mediterranean regions. In order to identify P.digitatum genes up-regulated during the infection of oranges that may constitute putative virulence factors, we followed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based suppression subtractive hybridization and cDNA macroarray hybridization approach. The origin of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) was determined by comparison against the available genome sequences of both organisms. Genes coding for fungal proteases and plant cell wall-degrading enzymes represent the largest categories in the subtracted cDNA library. Northern blot analysis of a selection of P.digitatum genes, including those coding for proteases, cell wall-related enzymes, redox homoeostasis and detoxification processes, confirmed their up-regulation at varying time points during the infection process. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation was used to generate knockout mutants for two genes encoding a pectin lyase (Pnl1) and a naphthalene dioxygenase (Ndo1). Two independent P.digitatum Δndo1 mutants were as virulent as the wild-type. However, the two Δpnl1 mutants analysed were less virulent than the parental strain or an ectopic transformant. Together, these results provide a significant advance in our understanding of the putative determinants of the virulence mechanisms of P.digitatum. Molecular Plant PathologyLGC research is funded in part by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Innovation (AGL-2008-04828-C03-02 and AGL2011-30519-C03-01) and the Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2010/010, PROMETEOII/2014/027 and ACOMP/2011/250). MLP was supported by a FPI scholarship (BES-2006-12983). ARB acknowledges the support of the JAE-Doc program from CSIC cofounded by FSE.Peer Reviewe

Dysregulation of mTOR Signaling after Brain Ischemia

In this review, we provide recent data on the role of mTOR kinase in the brain under physiological conditions and after damage, with a particular focus on cerebral ischemia. We cover the upstream and downstream pathways that regulate the activation state of mTOR complexes. Furthermore, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of mTORC1 and mTORC2 status in ischemia–hypoxia at tissue and cellular levels and analyze the existing evidence related to two types of neural cells, namely glia and neurons. Finally, we discuss the potential use of mTORC1 and mTORC2 as therapeutic targets after stroke. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerlan

Beta Oscillations Distinguish Between Two Forms of Mental Imagery While Gamma and Theta Activity Reflects Auditory Attention

Visual sensory processing of external events decreases when attention is internally oriented toward self-generated thoughts and also differences in attenuation have been shown depending on the thought’s modality (visual or auditory thought). The present study aims to assess whether such modulations occurs also in auditory modality. In order to investigate auditory sensory modulations, we compared a passive listening condition with two conditions in which attention was internally oriented as a part of a task; a visual imagery condition and an inner speech condition. EEG signal was recorded from 20 participants while they were exposed to auditory probes during these three conditions. ERP results showed no differences in N1 auditory response comparing the three conditions reflecting maintenance of evoked electrophysiological reactivity for auditory modality. Nonetheless, time-frequency analyses showed that gamma and theta power in frontal regions was higher for passive listening than for internal attentional conditions. Specifically, the reduced amplitude in early gamma and theta band during both inward attention conditions may reflect reduced conscious attention of the current auditory stimulation. Finally, different pattern of beta band activity was observed only during visual imagery which can reflect cross-modal integration between visual and auditory modalities and it can distinguish this form of mental imagery from the inner speech. Taken together, these results showed that attentional suppression mechanisms in auditory modality are different from visual modality during mental imagery processes. Our results about oscillatory activity also confirm the important role of gamma oscillations in auditory processing and the differential neural dynamics underlying the visual and auditory/verbal imagery

Performance comparison between the SRP and DFP synchronization protocols in MaRTE OS

The Deadline Floor Protocol (DFP) is a mutual exclusion synchronization protocol designed as an alternative to the Baker's Stack Resource Protocol (SRP) to access shared resources in a system scheduled under the Earliest Deadline First (EDF) policy. We have implemented both protocols in the real-time operating system MaRTE OS and we have compared their performance. Overall, DFP is easier to implement and performs better than SRP for the same data structure, a doubly-linked list (DLL). More significantly, there is a more efficient data structure (the binary heap) that cannot be used with SRP and outperforms the DLL with both protocols

Development of a green fluorescent tagged strain of Aspergillus carbonarius to monitor fungal colonization in grapes

An enhanced green fluorescent protein has been used to tag an OTA-producing strain of Aspergillus carbonarius (W04-40) isolated from naturally infected grape berries. Transformation of the fungus was mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The most efficient transformation occurred when the co-cultivation was done with 104 conidia due to higher frequency of resistance colonies (894 per 104 conidia) and lower background obtained. To confirm the presence of the hph gene in hygromycin resistant colonies, 20 putative transformants were screened by PCR analysis. The hph gene was identified in all the transformants. Variation on the expression levels of the eGFP was detected among the transformants and 50% of them appeared bright green fluorescent under the microscope. Microscopic analysis of all the bright fluorescent transformants revealed homogeneity of the fluorescent signal, which was clearly visible in the hyphae as well as in the conidia. eGFP expression in A. carbonarius was shown to be stable in all transformants. Confocal Laser scanning microscopy images of grape berries infected with the eGFP transformant demonstrated fungal penetration into the berry tissues. OTA production was importantly increased in the eGFP transformant in comparison with the wild type strain and pathogenicity on grape berries was slightly decreased after four days of inoculation. However, no differences in virulence were found after seven days of inoculation, thus allowing utilization of this eGFP mutant for in situ analysis of A. carbonarius infection of grape berries. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the construction of a GFP-tagged strain belonging to Aspergillus section Nigri for monitoring Aspergillus rot on grape berries.This research was supported by AGL2005-00707/ALI and AGL2008-04828-C03-02 grants from the Spanish Government.Peer Reviewe

Morphometric and Meristic Characterization of Native Chame Fish (Dormitator latifrons) in Ecuador Using Multivariate Analysis

Ecuador, a country exhibiting large developments in fish farming, has a great variety of freshwater native fish. Among these fish is the Dormitator latifrons or chame, which has characteristics that make its farming prone to occur at a quite-developed stage. However, morphological characterization is required to establish a conservation program. In this study, 300 chames were captured in the Manabi province (Ecuador) to analyze their morphostructural model and to evaluate the effects of sex and the production system through multivariant techniques. The fish from the farm presented morphological measurements that were statistically (p 0.05). The percentage of correct adscription was 84%, with larger errors in wild fish. The morphostructural model had a high homogeneity, with 89.95% significant correlations (p < 0.05), and wild male and female fish were more homogeneous. The farm fish were larger because of the higher food availability. Moreover, the species exhibited sexual dimorphism, although there were no great differences in the morphometric measurements. This study shows the great biodiversity that naturally exists in Ecuadorian rivers. Therefore, it is of great interest to develop a chame breeding and conservation program

Occupational Nursing Intervention in cardiovascular assessment in health professionals in the Spanish Mediterranean area

Introducción: Las enfermedades cardiovasculares son la primera causa de muerte en el mundo y guardan una estrecha relación con diferentes factores de riesgo modificables a través de un cambio en el estilo de vida de las personas. Los profesionales sanitarios presentan riesgo para su salud por ser una profesión ejercida bajo estrés y desgaste profesional. Objetivo: Identificar el nivel de riesgo cardiovascular según el grupo de profesional sanitario. Materiales y métodos: Estudio retrospectivo y transversal en 8475 profesionales sanitarios (6645 mujeres y 1830 varones) del área mediterránea española. Se valoran variables antropométricas relacionadas con riesgo cardiovascular, índices aterogénicos, síndrome metabólico, escalas de riesgo cardiovascular y escalas de riesgo de diabetes tipo 2. Se realiza análisis multivariante mediante regresión logística y se determinan las odss ratio. Resultados: La mayor prevalencia de riesgo cardiovascular se obtiene en auxiliares y la menor en Enfermería. Los varones presentan mayor riesgo que las mujeres en todos los parámetros analizados. El hábito tabáquico, consumo de alcohol y obesidad afectan negativamente al riesgo cardiovascular. La realización de ejercicio y una alimentación saludable afectan de manera positiva. Discusión: La existencia de diferentes factores de riesgo cardiovasculares en personas aparentemente sanas muestra la necesidad de más estudios para proporcionar las medidas preventivas más adecuadas. Es importante la figura del especialista en Enfermería del Trabajo, crucial para realizar una adecuada vigilancia de la salud de los trabajadores y detectar posibles patologías y alteraciones desconocidas en ese momento.Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world and are closely related to different modifiable risk factors through a change in people’s lifestyle. Health professionals are in risk for their health because it is a profession exercised under stress and professional wear. Objective: To identify the level of cardiovascular risk according to the group of health professionals. Methods: Retrospective and transversal study of 8475 health professionals (6645 women and 1830 men) in the Spanish Mediterranean area. Anthropometric variables related to cardiovascular risk, atherogenic indexes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular risk scales and risk scales of developing type 2 diabetes are evaluated. A multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression and odss ratios were estimated. Results: The highest prevalence of cardiovascular risk is obtained in auxiliaries and the lowest in Nursing. Males are at higher risk than females in all parameters analyzed. Smoking, alcohol consumption and obesity negatively affect cardiovascular risk negatively. Physical exercise and healthy eating affect positively. Discussion: The existence of different cardiovascular risk factors in apparently healthy individuals shows the need for more studies to provide the most appropriate preventive measures. It is important the figure of the specialist in Occupational Nursing, essential to develop an adequate monitoring of the health of the workers and to detect possible pathologies unknown at that moment