Porcion 72

Porcion 72, Hidalgo County, Alamo, Texas.https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/chapseducationalresources/1063/thumbnail.jp

Joyful Transformation

This project is a personal journey into what I have called the “Joyful Transformation process”; a process that integrates personal growth activities, activities to facilitate a connection with creativity and joy, plus spiritual practices. It provides freedom, connection with others, creativity, and a new sense of well-being. The results from this project include my own transformation that manifests in three major areas: greater sense of well-being, greater sense of freedom, and greater connection with others through authenticity, the development of the Joyful Transformation logo, Tool cards, and narratives, which I expect to share and use to help people live a better life

Mental Health Stigma in the Military Context

Predominant military ideology, which perpetuates hegemonic masculinity by purporting emotional and physical discipline at all times, is not conducive to fostering a culture that readily accepts mental health diagnoses resulting in increased stigma and barriers to care. Prevention tactics, institutional changes, military ethos, statistical data on yearly suicide rates by service members, and perceived barriers to care were compiled and analyzed. A review of related scholarship found that particular demographics increase the risk that service members and veterans sustain mental health disorders. Additionally, a service member’s intersecting identities play a role in the compounding levels of mental taxation they face, which is discussed specifically for women and people of color

Unsupervised edge map scoring: a statistical complexity approach

We propose a new Statistical Complexity Measure (SCM) to qualify edge maps without Ground Truth (GT) knowledge. The measure is the product of two indices, an \emph{Equilibrium} index $\mathcal{E}$ obtained by projecting the edge map into a family of edge patterns, and an \emph{Entropy} index $\mathcal{H}$, defined as a function of the Kolmogorov Smirnov (KS) statistic. This new measure can be used for performance characterization which includes: (i)~the specific evaluation of an algorithm (intra-technique process) in order to identify its best parameters, and (ii)~the comparison of different algorithms (inter-technique process) in order to classify them according to their quality. Results made over images of the South Florida and Berkeley databases show that our approach significantly improves over Pratt's Figure of Merit (PFoM) which is the objective reference-based edge map evaluation standard, as it takes into account more features in its evaluation

The biophysical perspective of a middle income economy: Material Flows in Mexico

We analyse natural resource use dynamics in the Mexican economy during the last three decades. Despite low and uneven economic growth, the extraction and use of materials in the Mexican economy has continuously increased during the last 30 years. In this period, population growth rather than economic growth was the main driving force for biophysical growth. In addition, fundamental changes have taken place in the primary sectors, in manufacturing, and in household consumption and these are reflected in an increasing emphasis on the use of fossil fuels and construction materials. Mexico’s economy has been strongly influenced by international trade since the country commenced competing in international markets. In the 1970s, Mexico mainly exported primary resources. This pattern has changed and manufactured goods now have a much greater importance due to a boom in assembling industries. In contrast with other Latin American countries, Mexico has achieved a diversification of production, moving towards technology-intensive products and a better mix in its export portfolio. However, crude oil exports still represent the single most important export good. Mexico’s material consumption is still well below the OECD average but is growing fast and the current resource use patterns may well present serious social and environmental problems to the medium and long term sustainability of Mexico’s economy and community. Information on natural resource use and resource productivity could provide valuable guidance for economic policy planning in Mexico.Natural resources, resource use patterns and dynamics, physical accounting, material flows, resource use efficiency, Mexico

The Biophysical Perspective of a Middle Income Economy: Material Flows in Mexico

In this paper we analyse natural resource use dynamics in the Mexican economy during the last three decades. Despite low and uneven economic growth, the extraction and use of materials in the Mexican economy has continuously increased over the last 30 years. During this time, population growth, rather than economic growth, has been the main driving force for biophysical growth. In addition, a fundamental change in the primary sectors, in manufacturing as well as in household consumption, has taken place and is reflected in an increasing importance of fossil fuel and construction materials use. Mexico’s economy is strongly influenced by international trade since the country has opened up for competition on international markets. In the 1970s, Mexico’s main export was primary resources. This has changed and manufactured goods now have much greater importance due to a boom in assembling industries. Mexico, unlike other Latin American countries, has achieved a diversification of production moving towards technology intensive products and now has a better mix in its export portfolio. However, crude oil exports still represent the single most important export commodity. Mexico’s material consumption is still well bellow the OECD average but is growing fast and the current resource use patterns may well present serious social and environmental problems for the medium and long term sustainability of Mexico’s economy and communities. Information on natural resource use and resource productivity could provide valuable information to guide economic policy planning for Mexico’s future.physical accounting, material flows, resource productivity, Mexico