An Angiosperm species dataset reveals relationships between seed size and two-dimensional shape

Datasets containing information on seed size have been published and are currently available. Nevertheless, there is a lack in the literature of a dataset dedicated to seed shape. We present a preliminary version for a dataset on seed morphology based on a comparison of seed shape with geometric figures. Similarity of the outline of seed images with geometric models is considered as a basis to classify seeds according to the geometric figures they resemble (e.g., ellipse, oval, cardioid). This allows, first, the classification of plant species according to their geometric type of seed, and second, seed shape quantification. For each seed image, the percent of similarity of their outline with a geometric figure can be calculated as a J index. Similarity in absolute terms is considered only when the J index >90. This criterion is important to avoid ambiguity and increase discrimination. The dataset opens the possibility of studying the relationship between seed shape and other variables such as seed size, genome complexity, life form or adaptive responses

Product Origin and Reputation for Quality: the Case of Organic Foods

Replaced with revised version of paper 12/30/09.Agribusiness, Demand and Price Analysis, Industrial Organization,

Compliance with the Municipal Agro-Environmental Legislation in Francisco de Orellana, Ecuador

The Decentralized Autonomous Municipal Government of the Francisco de Orellana canton is made up of the following rural parishes: Alejandro Labaka, Armenia, Dayuma, El Dorado, El Edén, García Moreno, Guayusa, Inés Arango, La Belleza, Nuevo Paraiso, Taracoa and the Urban Parish of El Coca. The Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador (2008) establishes the rights of nature and protects the biodiversity of the Amazon ecosystem. This is complemented by the provisions of the Organic Code of Territorial Organization, Autonomy and Decentralization (2010), the Organic Code of the Environment (2017) and also the Organic Law for the Integrated Planning of the Special Amazon Territorial District (2018). This article reviewed compliance with municipal agro-environmental legislation in the Decentralized Municipal Autonomous Government of the Francisco de Orellana canton. This analysis was based on the publication of the Organic Law for the Integrated Planning of the Special Territorial District of the Amazon in the Official Registry Supplement 245, dated May 21, 2018. A qualitative methodology was used. Data were collected through analysis of public policies, regulations, legislation and ordinances, and interviews with the main actors of the Decentralized Municipal Autonomous Government. The results suggested that the Municipal Government seeks to protect the biodiversity of the Amazon ecosystem by adopting sustainable development and conservation policies, but it is clear that ordinances are needed for agro-environmental education, garbage classification, recycling, organic gardens, and greater integration into municipal agro-environmental projects. Keywords: agriculture, Amazon, environment, biodiversity, municipal, Ecuador. Resumen El Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal del cantón Francisco de Orellana está integrado por las Parroquias Rurales: Alejandro Labaka, Armenia, Dayuma, El Dorado, El Edén, García Moreno, Guayusa, Inés Arango, La Belleza, Nuevo Paraiso, Taracoa y la Parroquia Urbana de El Coca. La Constitución de la República del Ecuador (2008), establece los derechos de la naturaleza y protege la biodiversidad del ecosistema amazónico, esto se complementa con lo establecido en el Código Orgánico de Organización Territorial Autonomía y Descentralización (2010), el Código Orgánico del Ambiente (2017) y ademas la Ley Orgánica para la Planificación Integral de la Circunscripción Territorial Especial Amazónica (2018). Este artículo revisa el cumplimiento de la legislación agroambiental municipal en el Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal del cantón Francisco de Orellana, este análisis se realiza a partir de la publicación de la Ley Orgánica para la Planificación Integral de la Circunscripción Territorial Especial Amazónica en el Registro Oficial Suplemento 245, de fecha 21 de mayo del 2018. La metodología utilizada se basó en un análisis cualitativo usando técnicas y herramientas como la obtención de datos, análisis de las políticas públicas, normativa, legislación, ordenanzas y entrevista con los principales actores del Gobierno Autónomo Descentralizado Municipal del cantón Francisco de Orellana. Los principales resultados sugieren que el Gobierno Municipal busque precautelar la biodiversidad del ecosistema amazónico, adoptando políticas de desarrollo sostenible y de conservación, pero es evidente que son necesarias ordenanzas encaminadas a la educación agroambiental, clasificación de la basura, reciclaje, huertos orgánicos, y una mayor integración en proyectos agroambientales municipales. Palabras clave: agricultura, Amazonía, ambiente, biodiversidad, municipal, Ecuador

Design and Manufacture of Child Prosthesis for Higher Members Below the Elbow Through Reverse Engineering

The objective was to build a prosthesis with its elements such as socket, forearm and hand. The prostheses that are below the elbow generated the motivation for the investigation, being an important factor the correct adaptation of the socket to the stump in a personalized way creating an adjustment due to the vacuum that is generated between these elements, without the need to use a harness. For the design and construction of the prosthesis prototype, a Kinect device was used to obtain a point cloud of the geometric model, the alginate for the manufacture of the mold and plaster that is used to obtain the shape of the hand. The result is an individualized prosthesis design built based on the patient's own dimensions and validated using finite elements; with the purpose of making changes and improvements in the design, to have a prosthesis of easy placement and use. Keywords: prosthesis, socket, stump, finite elements, kinect. Resumen El objetivo fue construir una prótesis con sus elementos como son socket, antebrazo y la mano. Las prótesis que estén por debajo del codo genero la motivación de la investigación, siendo un factor importante la correcta adaptación del socket al muñón de forma personalizada creando un ajuste debido al vacío que se genera entre dichos elementos, sin la necesidad de utilizar un arnés. Para el diseño y construcción del prototipo de prótesis, se utilizó un dispositivo Kinect para la obtención de una nube de puntos del modelo geométrico, el alginato para la fabricación del molde y yeso que es utilizado para la obtención de la forma de la mano. Se presenta como resultado un diseño individualizado de prótesis construida en base a las dimensiones propias del paciente y validado mediante elementos finitos; con el propósito de realizar cambios y mejoras en el diseño, para tener una prótesis de fácil colocación y uso. Palabras claves: prótesis, socket, muñón, elementos finitos, kinect

Compositional analysis of the association between mortality and 24-hour movement behaviour from NHANES

Aims:Previous prospective studies of the association between mortality and physical activity have generally not fully accounted for the interplay between movement behaviours. A compositional data modelling approach accounts for relative scale and co-dependency in time-use data across physical activity behaviours of the 24-hour day. Methods:A prospective analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006 on N = 1468 adults (d = 135 deaths) in ages 50-79 years was undertaken using compositional Cox regression analysis. Daily time spent in sedentary behaviour, light intensity (LIPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was determined from waist-mounted accelerometer data (Actigraph 7164) and supplemented with self-reported sleep data to determine the daily time-use composition. Results:The composition of time spent in sedentary behaviour, LIPA, MVPA and sleep was associated with mortality rate after allowing for age and sex effects (p < 0.001), and remained significant when other lifestyle factors were added (p < 0.001). This was driven primarily by the preponderance of MVPA; however, significant changes are attributable to LIPA relative to sedentary behaviour and sleep, and sedentary behaviour relative to sleep. The final ratio ceased to be statistically significant after incorporating lifestyle factors. The preponderance of MVPA ceased to be statistically significant after incorporating health at outset and physical limitations on movement. Conclusions: An association is inferred between survival rate and the physical activity composition of the day. The MVPA time share is important, but time spent in LIPA relative to sedentary behaviour and sleep is also a significant factor. Increased preponderance of MVPA may have detrimental associations at higher levels of MVPA

Numerical aspects of large-time optimal control of Burgers equation

In this paper, we discuss the efficiency of various numerical methods for the inverse design of the Burgers equation, both in the viscous and in the inviscid case, in long time-horizons. Roughly, the problem consists in, given a final desired target, to identify the initial datum that leads to it along the Burgers dynamics. This constitutes an ill-posed backward problem. We highlight the importance of employing a proper discretization scheme in the numerical approximation of the equation under consideration to obtain an accurate approximation of the optimal control problem. Convergence in the classical sense of numerical analysis does not suffice since numerical schemes can alter the dynamics of the underlying continuous system in long time intervals. As we shall see, this may end up affecting the efficiency on the numerical approximation of the inverse design, that could be polluted by spurious high frequency numerical oscillations. To illustrate this, two well-known numerical schemes are employed: the modified Lax−Friedrichs scheme (MLF) and the Engquist−Osher (EO) one. It is by now well-known that the MLF scheme, as time tends to infinity, leads to asymptotic profiles with an excess of viscosity, while EO captures the correct asymptotic dynamics. We solve the inverse design problem by means of a gradient descent method and show that EO performs robustly, reaching efficiently a good approximation of the minimizer, while MLF shows a very strong sensitivity to the selection of cell and time-step sizes, due to excess of numerical viscosity. The achieved numerical results are confirmed by numerical experiments run with the open source nonlinear optimization package (IPOPT)

Antigen Presentation and Autophagy in Teleost Adaptive Immunity

Infectious diseases are a burden for aquaculture. Antigen processing and presentation (APP) to the immune effector cells that fight pathogens is key in the adaptive immune response. At the core of the adaptive immunity that appeared in lower vertebrates during evolution are the variable genes encoding the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). MHC class I molecules mainly present peptides processed in the cytosol by the proteasome and transported to the cell surface of all cells through secretory compartments. Professional antigen-presenting cells (pAPC) also express MHC class II molecules, which normally present peptides processed from exogenous antigens through lysosomal pathways. Autophagy is an intracellular self-degradation process that is conserved in all eukaryotes and is induced by starvation to contribute to cellular homeostasis. Self-digestion during autophagy mainly occurs by the fusion of autophagosomes, which engulf portions of cytosol and fuse with lysosomes (macroautophagy) or assisted by chaperones (chaperone-mediated autophagy, CMA) that deliver proteins to lysosomes. Thus, during self-degradation, antigens can be processed to be presented by the MHC to immune effector cells, thus, linking autophagy to APP. This review is focused on the essential components of the APP that are conserved in teleost fish and the increasing evidence related to the modulation of APP and autophagy during pathogen infection.Versión del editor2,46