Luminescence Dating of Beach Dunes and Fluvial Sediments, Nayarit, Mexico

The Pacific coast of the state of Nayarit, Mexico, is dominated by extensive sand dune systems and lagoons. 16 samples from three transects through dunes near the town of Santa Cruz were collected to establish ages of the beach dune ridges and establish a robust chronology, to assist in understanding the depositional rates associated with different phases of the evolution of the strand plain. In addition, three samples were collected from a fluvial terrace on the San Pedro River which enters the Pacific near the southernmost of the dune transects. Quartz grains were extracted from the samples, and analysed using an Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) method to determine stored dose and ages. The samples collected nearest the current coast have produced dates of 1500-1900AD, with samples further from the coast being progressively older, spanning a period of over 2000 years with oldest measured date of 400BC. The dates for the upper samples from the San Pedro River is consistent with the ages of the dunes nearest the coast, with the lower sample date closer to the dates of the older dunes further from the coast, indicating that this fluvial deposit was laid down over the same time period as the dune formation

Nutrición del oso negro (Ursus americanus eremicus) en las serranías del Carmen, Coahuila

RESUMEN Se determinaron los componentes de la dieta del oso negro (Ursus americanus eremicus) en las serranías Maderas del Carmen, Coahuila. También se cuantificó la disponibilidad de los alimentos y su contenido de energía metabolizable. Se calcularon las necesidades energéticas de los osos y se estimó la capacidad de carga para esta especie. Se establecieron seis patrones estacionales de la dieta y se identificaron 28 componentes alimenticios, 92% de materia vegetal y 8% de materia animal. La capacidad de carga estimada para la etapa de máximos requerimientos energéticos de los osos es de 136 ha/ oso o 0.73 osos/km2. ABSTRACT The black bear (Ursus americanus eremicus) diet composition was determined in Maderas del Carmen Coahuila. The availability of the food was determined, as well as its metabolizable energy concentration. Black bear metabolizable energy requirements and carrying capacity were estimated. Six seasonal diet patterns were established. 28 food components were identified. 92% of the diet was vegetation and 8% animal matter. The estimated carrying capacity for Sierra del Carmen, Coahuila during the maximum bear energetic requirement phase is 136 ha/bear or 0.73 bears/km2

Consultoría integral en una empresa de servicios de ingeniería estructural y supervisión e inspección de estructura en el municipio de Guadalajara

ITESO, A.C

Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessments in a Mouse Model of Implant-Related Bone and Joint Staphylococcus aureus Infection.

Osteomyelitis is an infection of the bone, associated with an inflammatory process. Imaging plays an important role in establishing the diagnosis and the most appropriate patient management. However, data are lacking regarding the use of preclinical molecular imaging techniques to assess osteomyelitis progression in experimental models. This study aimed to compare structural and molecular imaging to assess disease progression in a mouse model of implant-related bone and joint infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. In SWISS mice, the right femur was implanted with a resorbable filament impregnated with S. aureus (infected group, n = 10) or sterile culture medium (uninfected group, n = 6). Eight animals (5 infected, 3 uninfected) were analyzed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1, 2, and 3 weeks postintervention, and 8 mice were analyzed with [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) at 48 h and at 1, 2, and 3 weeks postintervention. In infected animals, CT showed bone lesion progression, mainly in the distal epiphysis, although some uninfected animals presented evident bone sequestra at 3 weeks. MRI showed a lesion in the articular area that persisted for 3 weeks in infected animals. This lesion was smaller and less evident in the uninfected group. At 48 h postintervention, FDG-PET showed higher joint uptake in the infected group than in the uninfected group (P = 0.025). Over time, the difference between groups increased. These results indicate that FDG-PET imaging was much more sensitive than MRI and CT for differentiating between infection and inflammation at early stages. FDG-PET clearly distinguished between infection and postsurgical bone healing (in uninfected animals) from 48 h to 3 weeks after implantation. IMPORTANCE Our results encourage future investigations on the utility of the model for testing different therapeutic procedures for osteomyelitis.We thank Yolanda Sierra, Alexandra de Francisco, and María de la Jara Felipe, from the Imaging Laboratory for Small Animals of the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria, Gregorio Marañón, for their excellent work with animal preparation and imaging protocols. Additionally, we thank Daniel Calle, from the Advanced Imaging Unit of CNIC, for his help in imaging postprocessing. This study was partially supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (grants PI20/ 01632 and PT20/00044), cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), A way to make Europe. This work was also supported by the Diagnosis and Treatment Follow-up of Severe Staphylococcal Infections with Anti-Staphylococcal Antibodies and Immune-PET project of the Grant Fundación BBVA a Equipos de Investigación Científica 2018, by the Fundación Ramón Areces, and by Comunidad de Madrid (S2022/BMD-7403 RENIM-CM). The CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN), and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and it is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (grant CEX2020-001041-S, funded by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033).S

Consultoría integral en una empresa de servicios de ingeniería estructural y supervisión e inspección de estructura en el municipio de Guadalajara

ITESO, A.C

Consultoría integral en una empresa de servicios de ingeniería estructural y supervisión e inspección de estructura en el municipio de Guadalajara

Este reporte de consultoría integral en una empresa de servicios de ingeniería estructural y supervisión e inspección de estructura en el municipio de Guadalajara ha sido elaborado por Ricardo Enrique Salinas Quintero, Luis Daniel Muñoz Guerrero, Álvaro Rizzo Martínez, Javier Jiménez Ruiz, Miguel Moreno Morrill, y Karla Nicole Welcomme Delgado, con la dirección de las profesoras Laura Tiburcio Silver y María Elena Ríos Morfín. El documento se estructura por la descripción del proyecto, los aprendizajes, las conclusiones, fuentes consultadas, y lista de anexos. Al efecto, se trabajó con la metodología de la consultoría en MYPE del Centro Universidad Empresa. Las fuentes primarias utilizadas fueron los archivos proporcionados por la empresa, así como las entrevistas y las reuniones con el empresario y los colaboradores. Así mismo también se utilizaron fuentes secundarias como páginas de internet y plataformas de instituciones que ayudaron a complementar la información. Los contenidos principales están integrados por las generalidades y contexto de la empresa, el diagnóstico, el planteamiento estratégico, la propuesta de mejora incluyendo el plan de acción, la implementación, los resultados obtenidos y las recomendaciones finales. Se concluye que las MYPE son empresas que están cruzando una etapa importante en su formación cuando empiezan a caminar por si solas y buscar cursar la etapa de institucionalización que toda organización desea alcanzar. Son empresas que están formadas por trabajadores amateur y empresarios que pusieron todo su tiempo, patrimonio y esfuerzo en crear un nuevo ser que influya en la sociedad y en la vida de todos sus colaboradores.ITESO, A.C

Combining Isotopic Techniques to Assess Historical Sediment Delivery in a Forest Catchment in Central Chile

The purpose of this research was to determine the historical evolution of different sources of sediment by land uses in a forest catchment, through the combination of two isotopic techniques: (i) fallout radionuclides (FRNs) for dating sediment cores and (ii) compound-specific stable isotope (CSSI). Ten 30-cm-deep sediment cores (taken in a meander at the outlet of the forest catchment) were used to reconstruct the sediment delivery history for around 67 years before present (BP), i.e., 2012. Five land uses were considered as potential sources in this analysis: forest roads, pine trees, eucalyptus trees, native forest (buffer or riparian zone), and wheat. Forestry activities incremented the sedimentation rate by about 17% compared to wheat production. Results were consistent with the historical land uses in the catchment. The analysis showed an important sediment contribution of farmland used for wheat from 1945 to about 1974 (~ 20–80%). After the implementation of the public bill, the sediment source changed into the exotic plantations (pine and eucalyptus trees) until present, where harvesting periods were clearly seen as an increment of sediment delivery from the source

Experimental Granulomatous Pulmonary Nocardiosis in BALB/C Mice

Pulmonary nocardiosis is a granulomatous disease with high mortality that affects both immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients. The mechanisms leading to the establishment and progression of the infection are currently unknown. An animal model to study these mechanisms is sorely needed. We report the first in vivo model of granulomatous pulmonary nocardiosis that closely resembles human pathology. BALB/c mice infected intranasally with two different doses of GFP-expressing Nocardia brasiliensis ATCC700358 (NbGFP), develop weight loss and pulmonary granulomas. Mice infected with 109 CFUs progressed towards death within a week while mice infected with 108 CFUs died after five to six months. Histological examination of the lungs revealed that both the higher and lower doses of NbGFP induced granulomas with NbGFP clearly identifiable at the center of the lesions. Mice exposed to 108 CFUs and subsequently to 109 CFUs were not protected against disease severity but had less granulomas suggesting some degree of protection. Attempts to identify a cellular target for the infection were unsuccessful but we found that bacterial microcolonies in the suspension used to infect mice were responsible for the establishment of the disease. Small microcolonies of NbGFP, incompatible with nocardial doubling times starting from unicellular organisms, were identified in the lung as early as six hours after infection. Mice infected with highly purified unicellular preparations of NbGFP did not develop granulomas despite showing weight loss. Finally, intranasal delivery of nocardial microcolonies was enough for mice to develop granulomas with minimal weight loss. Taken together these results show that Nocardia brasiliensis microcolonies are both necessary and sufficient for the development of granulomatous pulmonary nocardiosis in mice

Modifications to the delivery of a gross anatomy course during the COVID-19 pandemic at a Mexican medical school

The Coronavirus disease was declared a pandemic this year, causing an impact on medical education. Following the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations, Universities around the world implemented social distancing and the use of online platforms. Anatomists lead medical students, most of which are part of Generation Z. Different technological tools have been used in the gross anatomy course in combination with face-toface classes, but now are forced to move exclusively online. The Human Anatomy Department in the Medical School of the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León (UANL) implemented asynchronous sessions as a short-term resolution, transformed to synchronous sessions as the pandemic progressed. It is important to consider the adaptability of the student, the near-peer teacher, and academic staff, with the creation of innovative ideas to facilitate the learning for the student and to maintain the quality of the course. Their role in this modality should be assessed, as it may change medical education and the way to teach in the future for the new generation of medical students. Professors’ roles are changing and it is necessary to adapt to new situations