“ESTUDIO DE LA INFLUENCIA DE LA CONCENTRACIÓN Y TIEMPO DE REACCIÓN EN PLASTIFICACIÓN Y BIODEGRADACIÓN DE POLIPROPILENO MODIFICADO CON UN ACEITE DE SOYA”

En el presente trabajo se determinaron las condiciones de plastificación de membrana de polipropileno (PP) usando Aceite de Soya Epoxidado y Acrilatado (ASEA), llevando a cabo una reacción de polimerización por injerto, entre el radical libre del carbono trisustituido del PP y el grupo acrilato del ASEA en presencia de luz ultravioleta. Los parámetros a evaluar fueron; el grado de injerto variando la concentración del ASEA y tiempo de reacción en la radiación de luz UV. El método de polimerización por injerto consistió en preparar una solución de ASEA en Dimetilformamida (DMF) a diferentes concentraciones y variando los tiempos de radiación. Se obtuvo un rendimiento de 366 % en peso de injerto a una concentración de 70% y un tiempo de radiación de 6 horas, a estas condiciones se observó el máximo grado de injerto. La membrana fue caracterizada utilizando espectroscopia de infrarrojo con transformada de Fourier (FT-IR-ATR), Difracción de rayos X de polvos, Microscopía Electrónica de Barrido y Ángulo de Contacto.. Para las pruebas de degradación se analizaron diferentes microorganismos tales como Bacillus Cereus, Pseudomonas, Aspergilus Niger y Rhizopus, durante 60 días. Encontrando que el microorganismo Pseudomona spp produce el mayor porcentaje de degradación a una concentración de 70% y 6 h de radiación UV. En el capítulo 1 y 2 se describe las generalidades de los polímeros, los tipos de polimerización que se llevan a cabo, los diferentes iniciadores de la polimerización, se describe las características del polipropileno y sus tipos. Se mencionan las generalidades de las membranas y su clasificación. Se habla de las membranas poliméricas, los métodos de preparación y la modificación de las mismas. El capítulo 3 detalla el tema de los aceites naturales y sus derivados, las reacciones en las que están involucrados, se habla de las generalidades del Aceite de Soya Epoxidado y Acrilatado, su polimerización y utilidades. El tema de la degradación polimérica se ve reflejado en el capítulo 4, se describen las generalidades de los microorganismos y su clasificación, las características de las bacterias Bacilluous cereus y Pseudomonas SPP, los hongos Aspergilu niger y 12 Rhizopus stolonifer, los factores que afectan la biodegradación y sus mecanismos. Mientras que en el capítulo 5 se toma el tema de las técnicas de caracterización para el análisis de las pruebas. Finalmente, en el capítulo 6 y 7 se muestra la metodología, los resultados y análisis arrojados en las pruebas para la determinación de las condiciones de polimerización por injerto de la ASEA en la MPP a diferentes concentraciones en peso y variando los tiempos de radiación UV, y las pruebas preliminares de biodegradación usando los microorganismos Bacilluous cereus y Pseudomonas SPP, los hongos Aspergilu niger y Rhizopus stolonifer; además de las conclusiones a las que se llegó en el presente trabajo

Tracing out the Northern Tidal Stream of the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheoridal Galaxy

The main aim of this paper is to report two new detections of tidal debris in the northern stream of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy located at 45 arcdeg and 55 arcdeg from the center of galaxy. Our observational approach is based on deep color-magnitude diagrams, that provides accurate distances, surface brightness and the properties of stellar population of the studied region of this tidal stream. The derived distances for these tidal debris wraps are 45 kpc and 54 kpc respectively.We also confirm these detections with numerical simulations of the Sagittarius dwarf plus the Milky Way. The model reproduces the present position and velocity of the Sagittarius main body and presents a long tidal stream formed by tidal interaction with the Milky Way potential. This model is also in good agreement with the available observations of the Sagittarius tidal stream. We also present a method for estimating the shape of the Milky Way halo potential using numerical simulations. From our simulations we obtain an oblateness of the Milky Way dark halo potential of 0.85, using the current database of distances and radial velocities of the Sagittarius tidal stream. The color-magnitude diagram of the apocenter of Sagittarius shows that this region of the stream shares the complex star formation history observed in the main body of the galaxy. We present the first evidence for a gradient in the stellar population along the stream, possibly correlated with its different pericenter passages. (abridged)Comment: 43 pages (including 15 figures; for high resolution color figures, please contact [email protected]). Submitted to Ap

Social Performance considered within the global performance of Microfinance Institutions: a new approach

[EN] In last years, microfinance has been seen as an effective measure for empowering whole nations or marginalized groups. However, some negative issues especially with respect to over-indebtedness and high interest rates have been discussed as well. In fact, the performance of Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) has traditionally been measured by ratios. Thus, it should be remembered that MFIs are special socially-oriented financial organizations, mainly interested in the economic development of both rural and urban areas, in creating jobs, incorporating women into the labour market and addressing environmental concerns. The activity and performance ratios of these organizations are usually based on a single criterion, generally related to financial aspects or the extent of their outreach, in such a way that the performance measurement can vary according to the criterion selected. This paper proposes a new approach, a multicriteria method based on goal programming that considers not only financial aspects and outreach, but also the social Performance related to the activities of a group of MFIs in Ecuador. Our study shows the weight of the Social Performance dimension on the rankings compared with other dimensions. The practical significance of these results lies in that now it is possible to present a more comprehensive picture of the performance of MFIs. Besides, the methodology chosen can shed some light on the mission drift debate.Cervelló Royo, RE.; Guijarro, F.; Martinez Gomez, VD. (2019). Social Performance considered within the global performance of Microfinance Institutions: a new approach. Operational Research (Online). 19(3):737-755. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12351-017-0360-3S737755193Ahlin C, Lin J, Maio M (2011) Where does Microfinance flourish? Microfinance institution performance in Macroeconomic context. 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Commerce alimentaire et mesures non tarifaires dans la Méditerranée

[Otros] Depuis les dernières décennies, les pays du Sud et de l'Est de la Méditerranée suivent un processus de libéralisation progressive des échanges. Comme conséquence de ce processus, l'importance et l'intérêt des mesures non tarifaires a augmenté. Le but de cet article est de considérer les facteurs sous-jacents pour l'application des mesures non tarifaires au-delà des préoccupations spécifiques en matière de sécurité alimentaire. Pour ce faire, nous examinons l'importance de deux hypothèses qui fournissent une explication aux MNT dans les pays méditerranéens. La première est l'«effet de réputation» ou l'influence du passé historique des notifications sur les refus à la frontière. La deuxième fait référence à l'hypothèse de la politique de substitution ou compromis entre les mesures non tarifaires et les tarifs douaniers. Ces deux points de vue visent à donner une image de la mise en oeuvre et la situation des MNT dans le commerce alimentaire méditerrannéen. Les deux hypothèses suggèrent qu'il existe des facteurs économiques et politiques qui affectent la mise en oeuvre des MNT.[EN] Since the last decades, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean Countries (SEMCs) are following a process of progressive trade liberalization. As a consequence of such process, the significance and interest on Non-Tariff Measures (NTMs) has increased. The aim of this paper is to discuss the underlying factors affecting the implementation of NTMs. NTMs include specific food safety concerns. However, there could also be economic and political reasons affecting the frequency of implementation of food safety measures (border alerts). We thus explore the significance of two hypotheses that provide an explanation of NTMs in Mediterranean countries. The first one is the ¿reputation effect¿ or the influence of past history of notifications on border rejections. The second one refers to the policy substitution hypothesis or the trade-off between NTMs and tariffs. These two approaches intend to give an overview of the implementation of NTMs situation across Mediterranean trade food area. Both suggest that there are economic and political factors affecting NTM implementation.The authors are grateful for the support received from the Universitat Politècnica de València, (PAID-06-12).García Alvarez-Coque, JM.; Tudela Marco, L.; Martinez Gomez, VD. (2015). Mediterranean food trade and Non-Tariff Measures. Options Mediterraneennes. Serie A: Seminaires Mediterraneens. Serie A(111):113-125. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/150319S113125Serie A11

Multi-actor arrangements for farmland management in Eastern Spain

[EN] Farmland abandonment is common in the southern EU countries. This complex phenomenon has a set of interlinked causes and consequences, among the latter the undermining of farmers' cooperatives role as supply aggregators. The paper discusses a multi-actor farmland consolidation model that avoids some of the drawbacks identified by literature to some models of land mobilization, mostly transaction and agency costs. This model consists on a local-based strategy of common land management, led by a cooperative and supported by a set of external agents. As empirical evidences, we show the attitudes of cooperatives' managers surveyed towards common land management and present a case study implementing this multi-actor model. This piece of evidence shows that strengthening social capital is crucial to the success of these social innovation experiences.The authors are grateful for the financial support of Ministry of Science and Innovation/European Regional Development Fund, Spain. Project "Strengthening innovation policy in the agri-food sector" (RTI2018-093791-B-C22). Data of land management practices in agricultural cooperatives were obtained with the support of Catedra de Estructuras Agrarias UPV-Generalitat Valenciana. They are also grateful to the journal editor and the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions which significantly improved this paper.García Alvarez-Coque, JM.; Martinez Gomez, VD.; Tudela-Marco, L. (2021). Multi-actor arrangements for farmland management in Eastern Spain. Land Use Policy. 111:1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2021.1057381911

Genetic variability and structure of an isolated population of Ambystoma altamirani, a mole salamander that lives in the mountains of one of the largest urban areas in the world

Amphibians are globally threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation; species within the order Ambystoma are not the exception, as there are 18 species of mole salamanders in México, of which 16 are endemic and all species are under some national or international status of protection. The mole salamander, Ambystoma altamirani is a microendemic species, which is distributed in central México, within the trans-Mexican volcanic belt, and is one of the most threatened species due to habitat destruction and the introduction of exotic species. Nine microsatellite markers were used to determine the genetic structure, genetic variability, effective population size, presence of bottlenecks and inbreeding coefficient of one population of A. altamirani to generate information which might help to protect and conserve this threatened species. We found two genetic subpopulations with significant level of genetic structure (FST = 0.005) and high levels of genetic variability (Ho = 0.883; He = 0.621); we also found a small population size (Ne = 8.8), the presence of historical (M = 0.486) and recent bottlenecks under IAM and TPM models, with a low, but significant coefficient of inbreeding (FIS = −0.451). This information will help us to raise conservation strategies of this microendemic mole salamander species

Polyphenolic Extract of Barbary-Fig (Opuntia ficus-indica) Syrup: RP–HPLC–ESI–MS Analysis and Determination of Antioxidant, Antimicrobial and Cancer-Cells Cytotoxic Potentials

The traditionally derived syrup of Opuntia ficus-indica fruit is commonly used in homemade confectionery. Herein, the aqueous-acetone extract prepared from the Tunisian O. ficus-indica syrup was investigated. The qualitatively and quantitatively polyphenolic content was analysed using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography–diode array detection (RP-HPLC–DAD) coupled to electrospray ionisation–mass spectrometry (ESI–MS). The extract contained 19.95 ± 2.01 mg phenolics per gram of fresh starting material with isorhamnetin 3-O-robinobioside as the major compound (22.76%). The syrup extract showed strong antioxidant potentials as assessed by both ABTS and DPPH functional methods. It exhibited effective antimicrobial activity, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis with a minimal bactericide concentration (MBC) of 1.3 mg phenolics/ml. Furthermore, at final concentrations in the range of 41.38–186.25 μg polyphenols/ml, the extract decreased human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma and 3T3 fibroblast in vitro cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner compared to non-treated control cells. The observed effects were significantly (P < 0.05) high against cancer lines. Extract concentrations higher than 106.43 μg/ml reduced cancer cells viability to 50–60% 1–3 h post-treatment. Further in vivo insight studies should emphasise and validate the herein obtained results

Big Mosquito Bytes. Ciencia ciudadana y Salud Pública

Comunicación presentada en las II Jornada del Centro Nacional de Epidemiología - 2021.Se expone la aplicación "Mosquito Alert" como proyecto de ciencia ciudadana. La ciencia ciudadana hace referencia a involucrar al público general en actividades de investigación científica. Está herramienta pretende tener una predicción en tiempo real de la interacción mosquito-humano