The Post-Stalin Komsomol and the Soviet Fight for Third World Youth

Based upon evidence from archives in Russia, Georgia, Latvia and Estonia, this article examines the ways in which the USSR’s Communist Youth League (Komsomol) worked to advance the Soviet cause among world youth during the Cold War. These ranged from cultural propaganda through to attempts at political subversion, and played a role not just in fortifying the regime’s international standing but also serving important domestic purposes at the same time

Early onset of heavy rainfall on the northern coast of Ecuador in the aftermath of El Niño 2015/2016

In January 2016, a high-precipitation event (HPE) affected northwestern Ecuador, leading to devastating flooding in the Esmeraldas River Basin. The HPE appeared in the aftermath of the 2015/16 El Niño as an early onset of heavy rainfalls, normally expected in the peak rainy season between March and April. We investigate the local HPE atmospheric setting and the regional “weather-within-climate” characteristics of the growing-season rainfall between December and January using gauge data, satellite imagery, and reanalysis. The unusual convective environment in late January 2016 involved local and synoptic drivers leading the development of a mesoscale convective complex (MCC) during the nighttime of 24th January. The genesis of the MCC was related to an early-arriving thermal weather state and orographic lifting; the Andean ranges acted as both a channel boosting upslope flow and convective updrafts and as a heavy rain divide for inner valleys. The synoptic controls were associated with 1) a southern boundary of the inter-tropical convergence zone, abnormally displaced to 4°N as response to the 2015/16 El Niño where eastward air surges merge upward vertical mass fluxes; 2) the arrival to the Ecuadorian coast of an equatorially propagating Kelvin wave; and 3) a low-mid level moisture influx coming from the Amazon associated with ascent due to changes in the Walker circulation. Lastly, we suggest that the convective environment in late January was also favored by cross-time-scale interference of the very strong El Niño event and a strong and persistent Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) in the central Pacific

Industrialización de la riqueza vegetal: oportunidades sociales y económicas

Las empresas enfrentan un importante desafío es esta economía globalizada, porque para sobrevivir tienen que ofrecer nuevos productos con valor agregado en los mercados internacionales. Para ello se requieren profesionales entrenados en las metodologías para el desarrollo de nuevos productos (DNP), y los egresados universitarios tienen que tener estas habilidades para que puedan contribuir a enfrentar esta situación. J unto con esto se requieren también productos innovadores de la mano con la conservación del medio ambiente y aprovechando al máximo los recursos disponibles, bien sea de la tierra o de transformación tecnológica. Con este proyecto se pretende abrir una ventana de oportunidad para que los alumnos del programa de Ingeniería de Procesos puedan adquirir el entrenamiento necesario para desempeñarse con éxito en el DNP. A demás, los empresarios del campo puedan obtener un valor agregado para sus productos como alternativa en tiempos de precios desfavorables.Companies face a major challenge is this globalized economy, because to survive they have to offer new products with added value in the international market. This requires professionals trained in the methodologies for the development of new products (DNP) and university graduates must have these skills so that they can contribute to deal with this situation. A long with this they also require innovations running by the side of conservation of the environment and the taking of full advantage of available resources, either from land or technological transformation. This project is to open a window of opportunity so that the Process Engineering students can acquire the knowledge needed to perform successfully in the DNP training. A lso field employers can get valueadded products as an alternative in times of unfavourable prices

Towards sustainable industrial development - a systems thinking-based approach

Various critical global issues, including global warming and poverty, have been recognized and identified by the United Nations (UN) as drivers for unsustainability. Consequently, the UN established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim of seeking universal peace and larger freedom by balancing the three dimensions of sustainable development, i.e. economic, social and environmental. A particular attention SDGs pay is in eradicating poverty as this is considered one of the greatest global challenges. Poverty is not only an economic matter as it also has an impact on the social and environmental dimensions. A strategy to tackle poverty is to foster industry development. However, a holistic point of view is necessary by also considering stakeholders otherwise, it becomes a neoliberal solution. Despite the fact that some research has been conducted, e.g. case studies and surveys of sustainable practices, there is a lack of industrial sustainable development as a framework to tackle sustainability issues. Thus, this paper proposes a framework for industrial sustainable development under a socially inclusive approach within the context of the Mexican manufacturing industry. The framework proposal is based on a state-of-the-art literature review conducted in the Web of Science and Scopus databases.N/

High-Dose vs. Low-Dose Dexamethasone in Patients With COVID-19: A Cohort Study in Rural Central America

To compare the clinical outcomes of a low dose dexamethasone strategy vs. a high-dose dexamethasone strategy in hypoxemic COVID-19 patients. A retrospective observational study comparing low-dose (8 mg) and high-dose dexamethasone (24 mg) of COVID-19 patients admitted from September 1, 2020 to October 31, 2020 in a hospital in Honduras. We included 81 patients with confirmed COVID-19 who required oxygen therapy. The mean age was similar between groups (57.49 vs. 56.95 years). There were more male patients in the group of 24 mg (p = 0.01). Besides, patients on the 24 mg dose had more prevalence of hypertension (p = 0.052). More patients in the 24 mg group had a higher rate of invasive mechanical ventilation (15.00% vs. 2.56%, p = 0.058). When evaluating the association between the high dose group and outcomes, we find no significant association with mortality, nosocomial infections, high flow mask, invasive mechanical ventilation, or the need for vasopressors. We find no significant differences in the Kaplan–Meier analysis regarding the survival (log-rank p-value = 0.315). We did not find significant differences between the use of 24 mg and 8 mg of dexamethasone in hypoxemic COVID-19 patients.Revisión por pare

Fostering economic growth, social inclusion & sustainability in Industry 4.0: a systemic approach

The most modern and mature industrial manufacturing revolution is known as Industry 4.0 (I4.0). Technological advance seeks to minimize all sorts of waste, optimizing the firm's performance operations aligning this its competitive advantage. While in developing economies often overlooked the society and environment under the current neoliberalism strategy, whose competitive approach is enforced by the State, with a detriment of local SMEs such as Mexico. Thereby, to lead I4.0 implementation for SMEs, the role of the State for a long-term strategic approach is of utmost importance. The industrial strategy should regard the imminent industrial revolution without leaving behind environmental and social dimensions to implement it, like the Scandinavian economies example. This research proposes the soft systems methodology for dealing with the sustainable complexity context and inclusive industrial development phenomena. Its holistic nature provides useful insights that devise how I4.0 and social inclusion fit into the Mexican context. The theoretical proposal builds upon the social inclusion state-of-the-art in the industry 4.0 and a survey for an affordable I4.0 initiative through a stakeholder system's network communication approach. The inclusive strategy is an effort to align root systems for sustainable development with stakeholders for Mexican SMEs in the manufacturing sector

Nutrient Dependent Cross-Kingdom Interactions: Fungi and Bacteria From an Oligotrophic Desert Oasis

Microbial interactions play a key role in ecosystem functioning, with nutrient availability as an important determinant. Although phylogenetically distant bacteria and fungi commonly co-occur in nature, information on their cross-kingdom interactions under unstable, extreme environments remains poor. Hence, the aims of this work were to evaluate potential in vitro interactions among fungi and bacteria isolated from a phosphorous oligotrophic aquatic system in the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin, Mexico, and to test the nutrients-based shifts. We assessed growth changes in bacteria (Aeromonas and Vibrio) and fungi (Coprinellus micaceus, Cladosporium sp., and Aspergillus niger) on co-cultures in relation to monocultures under diverse nutrient scenarios on Petri dishes. Interactions were explored using a network analysis, and a metabolome profiling for specific taxa. We identified nutrient-dependent patterns, as beneficial interactions dominated in low-nutrients media and antagonistic interactions dominated in rich media. This suggests that cross-kingdom synergistic interactions might favor microbial colonization and growth under low nutrient conditions, representing an adaptive trait to oligotrophic environments. Moreover, our findings agree with the stress-gradient hypothesis, since microbial interactions shifted from competition to cooperation as environmental stress (expressed as low nutrients) increased. At a functional level consistent differences were detected in the production of secondary metabolites, agreeing with plate bioassays. Our results based on culture experiments, provides evidence to understand the complexity of microbial dynamics and survival in phosphorous-depleted environments

Association of rs712 polymorphism in a let-7 microRNA-binding site of KRAS gene with colorectal cancer in a Mexican population

Objective(s): The rs712 polymorphism in a let-7 microRNA-binding site at KRAS gene has been associated with cancer. To examine its association with rs712 polymorphism, we analyzed Mexican individuals with colorectal cancer (CRC) and healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: Genotyping of the rs712 polymorphism was performed by polymerase chain reaction in 281 controls and 336 CRC patients. Results: The observed frequencies of rs712 polymorphism indicated an associated protective factor for CRC (P=0.032). An association between genotype and the disease was evident in: colon localization (allele T, odds ratio (OR) 3.82, 95% confidence Intervals (CI) 2.77-5.28, P=0.0001), node metastasis (genotype TT, OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.45-4.28, P=0.0009), poor differentiation (genotype GT, OR 2.35, 95% CI 1.35-4.1, P=0.0033), and poor chemotherapy response (genotype GT, OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.7-4.24, P=0.0001). Conclusion: Comparison of the data from patients with control group showed that polymorphism of rs712 in KRAS gene was protective factor, which was associated with susceptibility for CRC. However, the genotypes TT and GT of rs712 polymorphism in KRAS could contribute significantly to colon localization, node metastasis, poor differentiation and poor chemotherapy response in CRC patients in this sample population

Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in dogs: is high seroprevalence indicative of a reservoir role?

American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) is a complex disease with a rich diversity of animal host species. This diversity imposes a challenge, since understanding ACL transmission requires the adequate identification of reservoir hosts, those species able to be a source of additional infections. In this study we present results from an ACL cross-sectional serological survey of 51 dogs (Canis familiaris), where we used diagnostic tests that measure dog\u27s exposure to Leishmania spp. parasites. We did our research in Panama, at a village that has undergone significant ecosystem level transformations. We found an ACL seroprevalence of 47% among dogs, and their exposure was positively associated with dog age and abundance of sand fly vectors in the houses of dog owners. Using mathematical models, which were fitted to data on the proportion of positive tests as function of dog age, we estimated a basic reproductive number (R0 ± s.e.) of 1・22 ± 0・09 that indicates the disease is endemically established in the dogs. Nevertheless, this information by itself is insufficient to incriminate dogs as ACL reservoirs, given the inability to find parasites (or their DNA) in seropositive dogs and previously reported failures to experimentally infect vectors feeding on dogs with ACL parasites

Los impactos del cambio climático en Europa: evaluación basada en indicadores. Informe conjunto de la AEMA, CCI y la OMS

Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEpu