If the Unites States sneezes, does the world need paracetamol?

There is an old saying that states that “If the United States sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold”. Against this background, it is argued that some countries, especifically China, can “decouple” from the US economy and sustain strong growth in the face of a US slowdown. In this paper we analyze the extent to which the US economy affects international business fluctuations across countries. A multivariate nonlinear LSTAR model is estimated for the GDP cyclical component of China, France, Germany, the UK and the USA. This nonlinear framework allows the business cycles asymmetries to be captured properly in order to identify the synchronization behavior across countries. Our results suggest that there is a relevant influence from the US cycle, since it acts as a source of international business cycle synchronization. However, spillovers from US cycle fluctuations to China are rather modest.Business Cycle, nonlinearities, synchronization, decoupling

New Evidence on the Role of Regional Clusters and Convergence in China (1952-2008)

A new panel method is applied to the case of Chinese provinces to analyze the existence of club convergence in terms of per capita income, labor productivity, capital intensity, and total factor productivity from 1952 to 2008. The advantage of this approach is that it takes into account the heterogeneity of Chinese regions in a nonlinear time-varying framework, where more attention is paid to the spatial dimension. This time-varying approach outperforms other methods used in the relevant literature for an economy in transition, such as China, that has undergone a significant transformation over the period under consideration. Our results indicate that Chinese regions have converged into clubs. However, it is observed that Heilongjiang is diverging in terms of labor productivity and capital intensity, while Liaoning and Guizhou display similar patterns in terms of labor productivity, and Shanxi and Hebei in terms of capital intensity. These results indicate that specific economic packages need to be implemented in the clusters that were identified, with special attention to those regions that show a divergence behavior, in order to guarantee the sustainability and equality of regional growth.Endogenous Unit Root Test, Club Convergence, Chinese regions

The future of coffee and cocoa agroforestry in a warmer Mesoamerica

Climate change threatens cofee production and the livelihoods of thousands of families in Mesoamerica that depend on it. Replacing cofee with cocoa and integrating trees in combined agroforestry systems to ameliorate abiotic stress are among the proposed alternatives to overcome this challenge. These two alternatives do not consider the vulnerability of cocoa and tree species commonly used in agroforestry plantations to future climate conditions. We assessed the suitability of these alternatives by identifying the potential changes in the distribution of cofee, cocoa and the 100 most common agroforestry trees found in Mesoamerica. Here we show that cocoa could potentially become an alternative in most of cofee vulnerable areas. Agroforestry with currently preferred tree species is highly vulnerable to future climate change. Transforming agroforestry systems by changing tree species composition may be the best approach to adapt most of the cofee and cocoa production areas. Our results stress the urgency for land use planning considering climate change efects and to assess new combinations of agroforestry species in cofee and cocoa plantations in Mesoamerica

Applications of Deep Learning in Financial Intermediation: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract In finance, an infinite amount of datais generated daily, which is important for decision-making in the business world. Consequently, there is a need to create models that help to process and interpret this data. Deep learning has demonstrated important advances in the processing of large amounts of data, and for this reason, the objective of this systematic review of literature corresponds to the search for applications, deep learning model and techniques that were used to solve problems in the financial area. For this purpose, out of 346 articles found, 20 were selected that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria corresponding to the research questions. Among the most common applications, models, and techniques were: prediction in market actions, sales forecasting, detection of fraud risks and tax evasion; with respect to the models, convolutional neural networks CNN and recurrent neural networks RNN were among the most executed; the ReLu and Sigmoid techniques turned out to be the most used in these models.   Keywords: deep learning, finance, machine learning, Convolutional Neural Network CNN, Recurrent Neural Network RN

Keeping watch over Colombia’s slumbering volcanoes

The Volcanological and Seismological Observatories of Manizales, Pasto and Popayan (Colombian Geological Survey) monitor and study the active volcanoes of Colombia using seismological, geodetic, geochemical and other techniques. Since 2009, permanent GNSS stations have been installed to complement classical geodetic measurements (e.g., tilt, EDM). At the moment, there are a total of 20 GNSS stations installed at Nevado del Ruiz, Cerro Machín, Puracé and Galeras volcanoes. Nevado del Ruiz has remained the most dynamic of the active Colombian volcanoes since its tragic eruption of 13 November 1985. The most significant deformation occurred between 2007 and 2012, when inflation, associated with magma migration and several small to moderate explosive eruptions in 2012 (VEI less or equal to 3), was observed. Galeras has experienced more than 25 moderate Vulcanian eruptions (VEI less or equal to 3) since 1989. In particular, the deformation network detected significant signals associated with magma migration and the extrusion of lava domes in 1991, 2005, 2008 and 2012. Puracé volcano has been the site of more than 10 minor eruptive episodes (VEI=2) in the past century, most recently in 1977. Monitoring of this volcano started in 1994. Unrest at Puracé since that time has been characterized by significant increases in seismic activity but with little or no deformation. We employ GAMIT/GLOBK to process GPS data from the monitoring network with support from the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (U.S. Geological Survey). Additionally, differential processing is carried out using the commercial package Trimble 4D Control. Preliminary results for 2012 show no significant deformation at Puracé and Galeras volcanoes. On the other hand, the time series from Nevado del Ruiz shows a minor inflation (2-4 cm/yr) associated with the eruptive activity of 2012

Textiles from the Seventeenth-Century Privy at the Cross Street Back Lot Site

A variety of textiles came from the excavation of a 17th century privy behind the Nanny House site on Cross Street, Boston, Massachusetts. The largest group of fragments is silk fabrics and ribbons, valuable since cloths of this fine fiber have not survived in other 17th-century New England archaeological sites. Comparison of the fine wool textiles from Boston with coarse wool fabrics used by the Mashantucket Pequot Indians in Connecticut and Narragansen Indians in Rhode Island reveal distinct differences in quality. Fabrics made from a combination of silk and wool, cotton, or linen show the variety of mixtures that were available for those who could afford them. Negative pseudomorphs of cotton and bast fibers preserved evidence of cellulosic products in a mineralized form previously unreported in New England. The family that lived at this site used high quality labrics with expensive weaves, mixtures, and fancy trims representing fashionable 17th-century dress

Reporte de caso: quemadura de la vía aérea

ResumenLa quemadura de la vía aérea, consecuencia de encender un tubo endotraqueal con electrocauterio, presenta escasa incidencia, pero puede provocar lesiones graves o incluso la muerte. Se presenta un caso de un incendio causado por rotura del tubo endotraqueal secundario a contacto con electrocauterio durante una resección de tumor facial. En este caso las causas primarias de fuego fueron el oxígeno a FiO2 no mínima empleado para la ventilación, y la electrocauterización de alta potencia utilizada para la resección y el control de la hemorragia. En este reporte se nombran los métodos de prevención de un incendio de las vías respiratorias y el tratamiento de urgencia cuando se produce. A pesar de su baja incidencia, anestesiólogos y cirujanos deben tener un tratamiento de urgencia de incendios de vía aérea en mente y estar al tanto de los métodos de prevención.AbstractAlthough the incidence of airway burns that occur when the endotracheal tube is ignited by the electrocautery is low, it is right to assume that the resulting injuries may be severe and even fatal. A case is presented of fire caused by the rupture of an endotracheal tube secondary to contact with the electrocautery during the resection of a facial tumor. In this case, the primary sources of fire were oxygen at a non-minimal FiO2 used for ventilation, and the high-powered electrocautery used for resection and bleeding control. This report will cover the methods for preventing airway fires and the emergency treatment should they happen. Despite the low incidence, both anesthesiologists as well as surgeons must have in mind an emergency treatment of airway fires and must have knowledge of preventive methods

Diseño y Simulación Mecánica de un Actuador Hidráulico Rotativo Sumergible Para Aplicación en Hidroterapia/Design and Mechanical Simulation of a Submersible Rotary Hydraulic Actuator for Hydrotherapy Application

El presente trabajo demuestra el proceso en la investigación inicial para el desarrollo de un actuador giratorio hidráulico para fines terapéuticos. El dispositivo se basa en la necesidad de un aparato motor aplicable a la rehabilitación de lesiones de rodilla, con la capacidad de ser usado en la hidroterapia, para lo cual se realiza una revisión bibliográfica y se define el comportamiento del actuador en función a los fenómenos de presión y flujo, definiendo así las funciones para el par y la velocidad del actuador. En una primera etapa, se presenta un modelo simplificado del actuador, para luego simular el comportamiento mecánico de los componentes con la ayuda de un software de análisis de elementos finitos. Concluyendo con la validación de los elementos principales del actuador, llamados eje y aleta, sometidos a los parámetros delimitados para la aplicación, dejando la base de un modelo del mecanismo útil para el cálculo de la dinámica del sistema como siguiente paso de la investigación. The present work demonstrates the process in the research and development of a hydraulic rotary actuator for therapeutic purposes. The device is based on the need for a motor apparatus applicable to the rehabilitation of knee injuries, with the ability to be used in hydrotherapy, for which a literature review is performed and the behavior of the actuator is defined depending on the pressure and flow phenomena, thus defining the functions for the torque and speed of the actuator. In the first stage, a simplified model of the actuator is presented, to proceed to simulate the mechanical behavior of the components with the help of finite element analysis software. Concluding with the validation of the main elements of the actuator, called axis and fin, subject to the parameters defined for the application, leaving the basis of a model of the mechanism useful for calculating the dynamics of the system as the next step of the investigation. Palabras claves: Actuador rotatorio, Simulación, Diseño, Mecánica hidráulica. Keywords: Rotary actuator, Simulation, Design, Hydraulic Mechanics

Construction and characterization of a partial binary bacterial artificial chromosome (BIBAC) of Agave tequilana var. azul (2X) and its application for gene identification

The structure and organization of the genome of Agave is still unknown. To provide a genomic tool for searching sequences of the genus, we built and characterized a binary (BIBAC2) genomic library of Agave tequilana  Weber var. azul. Clones of the library had an average insert size of 170 Kb. The frequency of inserts with  internal Not I sites was 30% and only 5% of the library showed organelle contamination. The library was  assessed using probes with high homology to repeated regions (retroelements and rDNA regions), genes  involved in the resistance to diseases (NBS-LRR) and genes related to late embryogenesis (LEA).  Recombinant clones that hybridized with each of the probes were identified. Our results indicate that the  obtained genomic library is suitable for the identification of sequences of interest, for genetic mapping and for studies of gene regulation and expression.Key words: Binary bacterial artificial chromosome (BIBAC), Agave tequilana, genome, clones

Reduced lipoperoxidation in high-performance athletes with mental retardation by a mixed protocol based on exercise and supplementation

Individuals with mental retardation generally present high levels of oxidative stress. Further it is widely accepted that high physical performance may be associated to oxidative damage. The present study was undertaken to ascertain the influence of a mixed protocol based on regular exercise and antioxidant supplementation in lipoperoxidation in athletes with mental retardation. Fifty-five high-performance athletes with mental retardation from Special Olympics volunteered for this study (21.6±1.8 years-old). Fourty were randomly included in experimental group to perform a 6-weeks protocol, including exercise (low-moderate intensity aerobic exercise before breakfast 3 times per week) and supplementation (1g ascorbic acid + 400 UI α-tocopherol 6 times per week). Control group included 15 age, sex, trained and BMI-matched athletes with mental retardation who did not perform the mixed protocol. Written informed consent was obtained. The protocol was approved by an institutional ethic committee. Plasmatic (please first define the abbreviation) MDA were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorimetric detection as described elsewhere, 72-hours before starting the protocol (pre-test) and after its ending (post-test). When compared to baseline MDA levels were decreased significantly after our 6-weeks protocol (0.50±0.12 vs 0.36±0.09 μmol·l-1; p\u3c0.05). No changes were reported in controls. It was concluded that a 6-weeks mixed protocol improved significantly lipoperoxidation in athletes with mental retardation. Further studies on this topic are highly required