Benchmarking competitivo con cuatro empresas del sector cárnico porcícola.

(Eng) This article is the result of a research of the pork industry. One of the projects was the formulation of the strategic plan for the industry from 2015-2018, whose objective was to design competitive strategies to improve the companies productiv - ity and address competition successfully. Applying an exploratory-descriptive type methodology with a qualitative and quantitative focus and resorting to primary and secondary sources. Tabulation of the results is collected in the competitive profile matrix -CPM-, which allows the graphing of the comparative values for its interpretation in the spider diagram. Performance factors as well as the deficiencies of each one. Organization A has a better performance in: management and environmental protection, a deficient result in: quality management system, logistic distribution, food sustainabil - ity and management; B is successful in: production technology management, brand positioning, productive linkage, competent staff and raw material management, and shows an acceptable result in: management in the reproduction process, environmental management; C is successful in: management in the reproduction process, purchasing logistics, inventory, consumables, environmental management and food sustainability, however, it has flaws in: brand position - ing and management, and acceptable in production technology, quality management, logistic distribution, productive linkage, technical and professional training; finally, D has an excellent performance in: management of reproduction processes, higher in: production technology, food sustainability, productive linkage, technical and professional training of its staff; acceptable in logistic distribution, environmental management, brand positioning and management.(Spa) Este artículo es resultado del trabajo de investigación sobre el sector cárnico porcicola, uno de los proyectos fue la formulación del plan estratégico para el sector, periodo 2015 – 2018, cuyo objetivo era diseñar estrategias competi - tivas para mejorar la productividad de las empresas y enfrentar con éxito la competencia. Se aplicó una metodología de tipo exploratorio – descriptivo, con enfoque cualitativo, cuantitativo y acudiendo a fuentes primarias y secundar - ias. La tabulación de los resultados se recoge en la matriz de perfil competitivo -MPC- , la cual permite graficar los valares de la comparación para su interpretación en diagrama de araña. Se identificaron factores de desempeños y deficiencias. La organización A tiene un mejor rendimiento en: gestión y protección del medio ambiente, un resultado deficiente en: sistema de gestión de calidad, logística de distribución, sustentabilidad alimentaria y la gerencia; la B es exitosa en: manejo de tecnología de producción, posicionamiento de marca, encadenamiento productivo, personal competente y manejo de materias primas, y muestra un resultado aceptable en: gestión del proceso de reproducción, gestión ambiental; la C es exitosa en : gestión proceso de re - producción, logística de compras, inventarios, insumos, gestión ambiental y sustentabilidad alimentaria, pero pre - senta falencia en: posicionamiento de marca y gerencia, aceptable en tecnología de producción, gestión de calidad, logística de distribución, encadenamiento productivo, formación técnica y profesional; finalmente la D tiene un excelente desempeño en: gestión de proceso de reproducción, elevado en: tecnología de producción, sustentabilidad alimentaria, encadenamiento productivo, formación técnica y profesional de su personal; aceptable en logística de distribución, gestión ambiental, posicionamiento de marca y gerencia

Phenotyping common beans for adaptation to drought: protocol for field evaluation

This protocol was provided for the identification of phenotypic differences in drought resistance in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). It is available in both PDF and photo gallery format with the aim of providing visiting students and researchers with a consultation document they can use to answer questions about our in-house methodologies

Efectos de la alteración endocrina durante la gestación: una revisión sistemática

Los alteradores endocrinos son contaminantes ambientales, naturales y sintéticos, ubicuos, que pueden mimetizar, bloquear o alterar funciones hormonales. La exposición ambiental a estos contaminantes es prácticamente imposible de evitar debido a que están presentes en el aire, en el agua, en los suelos, en los alimentos, y en muchos de los materiales con los que estamos en contacto diariamente, como los plásticos. La gestación supone una etapa de vulnerabilidad para el feto porque su organismo está en proceso de desarrollo y cualquier alteración puede afectar su salud a corto o largo plazo. Hay cierta evidencia de que estas sustancias alteran procesos de crecimiento y diferenciación de tejidos, producen malformaciones y afectan la duración del embarazo. Hasta el momento se conoce algo de sus efectos en la etiología de la criptorquidia, hipospadias y micropene, abortos espontáneos, partos prematuros y el bajo peso al nacimiento, efectos que serán revisados en este documento que quiere aportar una actualización del conocimiento, concentrándose en la epidemiología ambiental y la literatura relacionada. La dificultad para estudiar este tema por la cantidad de factores que intervienen hace que los resultados existentes no sean concluyentes o incluso contradictorios, por lo que es necesario que se siga investigando Abstract.Endocrine disruptors are ubiquitous natural and synthetic environmental pollutants that can mimic, block or disturb normal hormonal function. Environmental exposure to these pollutants is almost impossible to prevent due to their presence in the air,water, soil, food and in many other materials with which we come in contact daily, such as plastics. Foetuses are vulnerable during pregnancy because their organism is in a developmental stage, and any disruption may affect their health in the short and/or long term. There is some evidence that these substances disrupt tissue differentiation and growth processes, cause birth defects and affect the length of pregnancy. In this review we will focus on environmental epidemiology and related literature in order to update current knowledge based on the actual evidence of the effects of these substances on the aetiology of preterm delivery, miscarriages, low birth weight, malformations, cryptorchidism, hypospadias and micropenis. The difficulty in studying this topic is due to the high number of involved factors, which makes the available results inconclusive or even contradictory. Consequently,further research is necessary

Sowing density effect on common bean leaf area development

Sowing density is a major management factor that affects growth and development of grain crops by modifying the canopy light environment and interplant competition for water and nutrients. While the effects of sowing density and plant architecture on static vegetative and reproductive growth traits have been explored previously in the common bean, few studies have focused on the impacts of sowing density on the dynamics of node addition and leaf area development. We present the results from two sites of field experiments where the effects of sowing densities (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 35 plants m-2) and genotypes with contrasting plant architectures (two each from growth habits I through III) on the dynamics of node addition and leaf area were assessed. Analysis of the phyllochron (°C node-1) indicated genotype and density effects (but no interaction) on the rate of node addition. While significant, these differences amounted to less than two days of growth at either site. In terms of leaf area development, analysis using a power function reflected large differences in the dynamics and final size of individual plant leaf area between the lower density (20 plants m-2) at the growth habit, but not genotype level. These differences in node addition and leaf development dynamics translated to marked differences between growth habits and sowing densities in estimated leaf area indices, and consequently, in the estimated fraction of intercepted light at lower densities

Xenopus laevis and Emerging Amphibian Pathogens in Chile

Amphibians face an extinction crisis with no precedence. Two emerging infectious diseases, ranaviral disease caused by viruses within the genus Ranavirus and chytridiomycosis due to Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), have been linked with amphibian mass mortalities and population declines in many regions of the globe. The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) has been indicated as a vector for the spread of these pathogens. Since the 1970s, this species has been invasive in central Chile. We collected X. laevis and dead native amphibians in Chile between 2011 and 2013. We conducted post-mortem examinations and molecular tests for Ranavirus and Bd. Eight of 187 individuals (4.3 %) tested positive for Ranavirus: seven X. laevis and a giant Chilean frog (Calyptocephallela gayi). All positive cases were from the original area of X. laevis invasion. Bd was found to be more prevalent (14.4 %) and widespread than Ranavirus, and all X. laevis Bd-positive animals presented low to moderate levels of infection. Sequencing of a partial Ranavirus gene revealed 100 % sequence identity with Frog Virus 3. This is the first report of Ranavirus in Chile, and these preliminary results are consistent with a role for X. laevis as an infection reservoir for both Ranavirus and Bd

Effects of MDMA on blood glucose levels and brain glucose metabolism

Purpose This study was designed to assess changes in glucose metabolism in rats administered single or repeated doses of MDMA. Methods Two different experiments were performed: (1) A single-dose study with four groups receiving 20 mg/kg, 40 mg/kg, saline or heat, and (2) a repeated-dose study with two groups receiving three doses, at intervals of 2 h, of 5 mg/kg or saline. Rats were imaged using a dedicated small-animal PET scanner 1 h after single-dose administration or 7 days after repeated doses. Glucose metabolism was measured in 12 cerebral regions of interest. Rectal temperature and blood glucose were monitored. Results Peak body temperature was reached 1 h after MDMA administration. Blood glucose levels decreased significantly after MDMA administration. In the single-dose experiment, brain glucose metabolism showed hyperactivation in cerebellum and hypo-activation in the hippocampus, amygdala and auditory cortex. In the repeated-dose experiment, brain glucose metabolism did not show any significant change at day 7. Conclusion These results are the first to indicate that MDMA has the potential to produce significant hypoglycaemia. In addition, they show that MDMA alters glucose metabolism in components of the motor, limbic and somatosensory systems acutely but not on a long-term basisPublicad

Phenotyping common beans for adaptation to drought: protocol for greenhouse evaluation

This protocol was provided for the identification of phenotypic differences in drought resistance in common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). It is available in both PDF and photo gallery format with the aim of providing visiting students and researchers with a consultation document they can use to answer questions about our in-house methodologies

Chytridiomycosis outbreak in a Chilean giant frog (Calyptocephalella gayi) captive breeding program: genomic characterization and pathological findings

Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife are increasingly associated with animal mortality and species declines, but their source and genetic characterization often remains elusive. Amphibian chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been associated with catastrophic and well-documented amphibian population declines and extinctions at the global scale. We used histology and whole-genome sequencing to describe the lesions caused by, and the genetic variability of, two Bd isolates obtained from a mass mortality event in a captive population of the threatened Chilean giant frog (Calyptocephalella gayi). This was the first time an association between Bd and high mortality had been detected in this charismatic and declining frog species. Pathological examinations revealed that 30 dead metamorphosed frogs presented agnathia or brachygnathia, a condition that is reported for the first time in association with chytridiomycosis. Phylogenomic analyses revealed that Bd isolates (PA1 and PA2) from captive C. gayi group with other Bd isolates (AVS2, AVS4, and AVS7) forming a single highly supported Chilean Bd clade within the global panzootic lineage of Bd (BdGPL). These findings are important to inform the strengthening of biosecurity measures to prevent the impacts of chytridiomycosis in captive breeding programs elsewhere

Synthesis of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in South America: amphibian species under risk and areas to focus research and disease mitigation

Amphibian chytridiomycosis, caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been recognized as the infectious disease causing the most catastrophic loss of biodiversity known to science, with South America being the most impacted region. We tested whether Bd prevalence is distributed among host taxonomy, ecoregion, conservation status and habitat preference in South America. Here we provide a synthesis on the extent of Bd infection across South America based on 21 648 molecular diagnostic assays, roles of certain species in the epidemiology of Bd and explore its association with the reported amphibian catastrophic declines in the region. We show that Bd is widespread, with a continental prevalence of 23.2%. Its occurrence in the region shows a phylogenetic signal and the probability of infection is determined by ecoregion, preferred habitat and extinction risk hosts' traits. The taxa exhibiting highest Bd occurrence were mostly aquatic amphibians, including Ranidae, Telmatobiidae, Hylodidae, Calyptocephalellidae and Pipidae. Surprisingly, families exhibiting unusually low Bd prevalence included species in which lethal chytridiomycosis and population declines have been described (genera Atelopus, Rhinoderma and Eleutherodactylus). Higher than expected prevalence of Bd occurred mainly in amphibians living in association with mountain environments in the Andes and Atlantic forests, reflecting highly favourable Bd habitats in these areas. Invasive amphibian species (e.g. Lithobates catesbeianus and Xenopus laevis) exhibited high Bd prevalence; thus we suggest using these as sentinels to understand their potential role as reservoirs, vectors or spreaders of Bd that can be subjected to management. Our results guide on the prioritization of conservation actions to prevent further biodiversity loss due to chytridiomycosis in the world's most amphibian diverse region