Language vitality among school students in Ayutla Mixe

In this paper I will show the results of three tasks for assessing the vitality of Ayutla Mixe (AyMi), a Mixe-Zoque language spoken in Southern Mexico. Particularly, it discusses the vitality among primary and secondary school students. According to the official numbers, as of 2010, there were around 136,736 Mixe speakers in Mexico. However, this number refers to a subgroup of languages as diverse as Romance; the number of speakers for each Mixe language is smaller. Just taking into account the absolute number of speakers can be misleading (Dwyer 2011). Most importantly, the Mexican Government does not have a reliable method for obtaining information about the number of speakers of indigenous languages. Also, it does not say anything regarding the speakers’ proficiency or the domains in which the language is used. As will be shown, taking into account the UNESCO’s nine factors in language vitality (UNESCO 2003), AyMi is endangered. Since intergenerational transmission of the language is not uniform (Grenoble & Whaley 2006), a growing number of families are favoring Spanish over Mixe. AyMi is between the level 6 and 7 on Fishman’s (1991) Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale. This paper focuses on the vitality of the language among primary and secondary school students in order to have a better understanding of the vitality of the language in the “next generation”. The data for this paper comes from three different sources: a questionnaire, a picture elicitation task and a set of instructions and interactions in Mixe. Some methodological issues will be discussed. The number of Spanish monolingual speakers among those kids is higher than the census reports. Many kids learned Spanish in their homes and do not speak Mixe to parents or grand parents. Even those who can speak Mixe only use Spanish to communicate with friends. I discuss the relationship between language assessment, documentation and revitalization, since the vitality of the language should be linked to the production of materials derived from documentation projects. Particularly, it is used to determine whether a monolingual or a bilingual dictionary is needed. One of the reasons why the assessment was focused on students is because schools could be a natural environment where people would use a dictionary. This paper is among the first ones that focus on assessing the vitality of any Mixe language. References Dwyer, Arienne M. 2011. Tools and techniques for endangered-language assessment and revitalization. In Vitality and Viability of Minority Languages. New York: Trace Foundation Lecture Series Proceedings. Fisherman, Joshua. 1991. Reversing Language shift. Clevendon: Multilingual Matters. Grenoble, Lenore & Lindsay Whaley. 2006. Saving Languages. An Introduction to Language Revitalization. Cambridge: CUP. UNESCO Ad Hoc Expert Group on Endangered Languages. 2003. Language vitality and endangerment. Document submitted to the International Expert Meeting on UNESCO Programme Safeguarding of Endangered Languages, Paris, 10-12 March 2003

Relación de los materiales didácticos, contenidos y el entorno inmediato del estudiante en la enseñanza de Lengua y Literatura del 9no grado, turno vespertino, Instituto Nacional Miguel Larreynaga, Matagalpa en el segundo semestre 2016

En el presente estudio se desarrolló el subtema relación de los materiales educativos, contenidos y el entorno inmediato de los estudiantes en la enseñanza de la disciplina de Lengua Y Literatura Hispánica de noveno grado, turno vespertino, Instituto Nacional Miguel Larreynaga, Matagalpa, Segundo Semestre 2016. Estetrabajoseha hechoconel propósito de analizar la relación de los materiales didácticos, contenidos y el entorno inmediato de los estudiantes en la enseñanza de la disciplina de Lengua y Literatura Hispánicas en los estudiantes de 9no grado, turno vespertino, Instituto Nacional Miguel Larreynaga, Matagalpa en el Segundo Semestre del 2016. Hasidodegran importanciala realizaciónde esteestudio,yaque ha permitidoidentificar,determinar, ydescribirla relación de los materiales didácticos, contenidos y el entorno de los estudiantes del Instituto antes mencionado,enbasea esto, proponer materiales didácticos en los que se pueda relacionar los contenidos con el medio en el que ellos se desenvuelven los cualescontribuirán a que se dé una clase dinámica ,donde los estudiantes estén familiarizados y se motiven a aprender . Anteloplanteadoanteriormentey en basealosresultadosobtenidosde losinstrumentosaplicados, se concluyeque se hace muy poco uso de materiales didácticos, casi podríamos decir que no se hace ningún uso de ellos, esto debido a que a veces los docentes por costumbre solo hacemos uso de los libros de texto, folletos, papelografos y los otros recursos los dejamos en el olvid

Comportamiento del monóxido de carbono y el clima en la ciudad de Toluca, de 1995 a 2001

Uno de los gases contaminantes con mayor distribución y concentración en Toluca y su área metropolitana es el monóxido de carbono que, al igual que el dióxido de azufre y el dióxido de carbono, es generado principalmente por la combustión automotriz y, en segundo lugar por el sector industrial. Sin embargo, debido a la activa dinámica de los vientos en la mayor parte del año, estos gases tienden a dispersarse en todo el valle; solamente durante el invierno la concentración y la distribución del monóxido de carbono se encuentran por encima de las normas establecidas en la legislación vigente. Por eso se considera la calidad del aire como satisfactoria, aunque por su combinación con las bajas temperaturas del periodo invernal y la baja humedad del aire, tiende a representar riesgos para la salud humana

Facial Geometry Identification through Fuzzy Patterns with RGBD Sensor

Automatic human facial recognition is an important and complicated task; it is necessary to design algorithms capable of recognizing the constant patterns in the face and to use computing resources efficiently. In this paper we present a novel algorithm to recognize the human face in real time; the systems input is the depth and color data from the Microsoft KinectTM device. The algorithm recognizes patterns/shapes on the point cloud topography. The template of the face is based in facial geometry; the forensic theory classifies the human face with respect to constant patterns: cephalometric points, lines, and areas of the face. The topography, relative position, and symmetry are directly related to the craniometric points. The similarity between a point cloud cluster and a pattern description is measured by a fuzzy pattern theory algorithm. The face identification is composed by two phases: the first phase calculates the face pattern hypothesis of the facial points, configures each point shape, the related location in the areas, and lines of the face. Then, in the second phase, the algorithm performs a search on these face point configurations

Acute-Stress Biomarkers in Three Octopodidae Species After Bottom Trawling

Several Octopodidae species have a great potential for the diversification of worldwide aquaculture. Unfortunately, the lack of stress-related biomarkers in this taxon results an obstacle for its maintenance in conditions where animal welfare is of paramount relevance. In this study, we made a first approach to uncover physiological responses related to fishing capture in Eledone moschata, Eledone cirrhosa, and Octopus vulgaris. Captured octopus from all three species were individually maintained in an aquaculture system onboard of oceanographic vessel in south-western waters of Europe. Haemolymph plasma and muscle were collected in animals at the moment of capture, and recovery was evaluated along a time-course of 48 h in Eledone spp., and 24 h for O. vulgaris. Survival rates of these species captured in spring and autumn were evaluated. Physiological parameters such as plasma pH, total CO2, peroxidase activity, lysozyme, hemocyanin, proteases, pro-phenoloxidase, anti-proteases, free amino acids, lactate and glucose levels, as well as muscle water percentage, free amino acids, lactate, glycogen and glucose values were analyzed. The immune system appears to be compromised in these species due to capture processes, while energy metabolites were mobilized to face the acute-stress situation, but recovery of all described parameters occurs within the first 24 h after capture. Moreover, this situation exerts hydric balance changes, as observed in the muscle water, being these responses depending on the species assessed. In conclusion, three Octopodidae species from south-western waters of Europe have been evaluated for stress-related biomarkers resulting in differentiated mechanisms between species. This study may pave the way to further study the physiology of stress in adult octopuses and develop new methodologies for their growth in aquaculture conditions

Two-compartment mathematical modeling in RF tumor ablation: New insight when irreversible changes in electrical conductivity are considered

[EN] The objective was to explore variations of temperature distribution and coagulation zone size computed by a two-compartment radiofrequency ablation (RFA) model when including simultaneously reversible changes in the tissue electrical conductivity (sigma) due to temperature and irreversible changes due to thermal coagulation. Two-compartment (tumor and healthy tissue) models were built and simulated. Reversible change of sigma was modeled by a piecewise function characterized by increments of +1.5%/degrees C up to 100 degrees C, and a 100 times smaller value from 100 degrees C onwards. Irreversible changes of sigma were modeled using an Arrhenius model. We assumed that both tumor and healthy tissue had a different initial sigma value (as suggested by the experimental data in the literature) and tended towards a common value as thermal damage progressed (necrotized tissue). We modeled a constant impedance protocol based on 90 V pulses voltage and three tumor diameters (2, 3 and 4 cm). Computer simulations showed that the differences between both models were only 0.1 and 0.2 cm for axial and transverse diameters, respectively, and this small difference was reflected in the similar temperature distributions computed by both models. In view of the available experimental data on changes of electrical conductivity in tumors and healthy tissue during heating, our results suggest that irreversible changes in electrical conductivity do not have a significant impact on coagulation zone size in two-compartment RFA models.This work was supported by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT, Mexico) through a scholarship grant to Dora Luz Castro-Lopez, CVU registration No 446604; and by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades under "Programma Estatal de I+D+i Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad", Grant No "RTI2018-094357-B-C21".Castro-López, DL.; Trujillo Guillen, M.; Berjano, E.; Romero-Mendez, R. (2020). Two-compartment mathematical modeling in RF tumor ablation: New insight when irreversible changes in electrical conductivity are considered. Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering. 17(6):7980-7993. https://doi.org/10.3934/mbe.2020405S798079931762. D. Haemmerich, L. Chachati, A. S. Wright, D. M. Mahvi, F. T. Lee Jr, J. G. Webster, Hepatic radiofrequency ablation with internally cooled probes: Effect of coolant temperature on lesion size, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., 50 (2003), 493-500.4. Z. Liu, S. M. Lobo, S. Humphries, C. Horkan, S. A. Solazzo, A. U. Hines-Peralta, et al., Radiofrequency tumor ablation: insight into improved efficacy using computer modeling, AJR Am. J. Roentgenol., 184 (2005), 1347-1352.5. S. M. Lobo, Z. J. Liu, N. C. Yu, S. Humphries, M. Ahmed, E. R. Cosman, et al., RF tumour ablation: computer simulation and mathematical modelling of the effects of electrical and thermal conductivity, Int. J. Hyperth., 21 (2005), 199-213.9. D. Haemmerich, D. J. Schutt, RF ablation at low frequencies for targeted tumor heating: In vitro and computational modeling results, IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., 58 (2011), 404-410.17. M. Pop, A. Molckovsky, L. Chin, M. C. Kolios, M. A. Jewett, M. D. Sherar, Changes in dielectric properties at 460 kHz of kidney and fat during heating: importance for radio-frequency thermal therapy, Phys. Med. Biol., 48 (2003), 2509-2525.18. U. Zurbuchen, C. Holmer, K. S. Lehmann, T. Stein, A. Roggan, C. Seifarth, et al., Determination of the temperature-dependent electric conductivity of liver tissue ex vivo and in vivo: Importance for therapy planning for the radiofrequency ablation of liver tumours, Int. J. Hyperth., 26 (2010), 26-33.19. E. G. Macchi, M. Gallati, G. Braschi, E. Persi, Dielectric properties of RF heated ex vivo porcine liver tissue at 480 kHz: measurements and simulations, J. Phys. D Appl. Phys., 47 (2014), 485401.21. E. Ewertowska, R. Quesada, A. Radosevic, A. Andaluz, X. Moll, F. G. Arnas, et al., A clinically oriented computer model for radiofrequency ablation of hepatic tissue with internally cooled wet electrode, Int. J. Hyperth., 35 (2019), 194-204.30. M. Qiu, A. Singh, D. Wang, J. Qu, M. Swihart, H. Zhang, P. N. Prasad, Biocompatible and biodegradable inorganic nanostructures for nanomedicine: Silicon and black phosphorus, Nano Today, 25 (2019), 135-155.33. A. Andreozzi, L. Brunese, M. Iasielllo, C. Tucci, G. P. Vanoli, Modeling heat transfer in tumors: A review of thermal therapies, Ann. Biomed. Eng., 47 (2019), 676-693

Scaling-up climate services with users in Latin America

Latin America farmers are highly vulnerable to climate variability, with crop losses observed throughout the region on a virtually annual basis. For instance, as indicated by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Food Program (WFP), the 2014–2017 drought conditions in Central America affected over 3.5 million people in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. At the same time, local stakeholders and farmers generally have limited access to existing climate and forecast information, do not have sufficient capacities to understand the climate information and/or mechanisms to relate this information to the impact that climate variations can generate at a local level. This precludes the translation of information into actionable knowledge, and therefore into action. In this study, we describe a process through which scientists and strategic partners have co-developed, tested and scaled out an approach to assess, co-produce, translate and transfer climate information to enable agricultural decision making –the Local Technical Agroclimatic Committees (LTAC). LTACs allow open and clear dialogues about climate variations at multiple timescales, how these can affect crops, and the design of measures to reduce crop loss, particularly providing agronomic recommendations to farmers. We systematically describe the process of evidence generation, creation, partner engagement, scaling up, and monitoring of the approach throughout Latin America. Currently, 35 LTACs exist in 9 Latin American countries, engaging more than 250 public and private institutions, increasing the resilience and food security of an estimated 330,000 farmers, and potentially transforming how Latin American farmers manage climate risk. The study illustrates changes in institutional and farmers' capacities to co-produce, translate and use climate information and explores how better climate and crop prediction models can effectively underpin this process. We show how strategic alliances with farmer organizations, national public, and private and regional climate outlook forums help deliver improved and accurate climate information to users. Finally, we document how LTACs and their integration with other local-scale processes have led to changes in farmers’ management practices to take better advantage of good climatic conditions or avoid losses