Analysis of Marine Sediment of Prehispanic Maya Saltworks 24 and 35 in Paynes Creek National Park, Southern Belize

Through the study of four marine sediment columns taken at two different underwater Classic Maya sites identified as saltworks facilities in southern Belize, this research had the objective of provide some insights on the occupation of these sites and the formation of their archaeological record. The marine sediment studied in this research was composed of partially decomposed plant matter, inorganic minerals, and water in different proportions, with mangrove roots composing the major organic component of the mangrove peat. This research included macroscopic descriptions of the marine sediment, loss-on ignition of 32 samples uniformly distributed throughout the sediment columns to determine the percentage of organic content, and microscopic characterizations of samples throughout the column samples. The results obtained through loss-on ignition suggest clear patterns of organic content distribution throughout the marine sediment columns that, along with macroscopic and microscopic characterizations of the marine sediment, suggest the effects of human activities in the areas where the sediment was collected. Occupation levels at these sites were tentatively identified at 35 cm to 55 cm depth from the modern sea floor at Site 24, and 45 cm to 60 cm at Site 35. Since archaeological artifacts are found at the modern sea floor in these sites, bioturbation was likely an important element in the formation of the archaeological record at both underwater sites

Short-Term Price Forecasting Models Based on Artificial Neural Networks for Intraday Sessions in the Iberian Electricity Market

This paper presents novel intraday session models for price forecasts (ISMPF models) for hourly price forecasting in the six intraday sessions of the Iberian electricity market (MIBEL) and the analysis of mean absolute percentage errors (MAPEs) obtained with suitable combinations of their input variables in order to find the best ISMPF models. Comparisons of errors from different ISMPF models identified the most important variables for forecasting purposes. Similar analyses were applied to determine the best daily session models for price forecasts (DSMPF models) for the day-ahead price forecasting in the daily session of the MIBEL, considering as input variables extensive hourly time series records of recent prices, power demands and power generations in the previous day, forecasts of demand, wind power generation and weather for the day-ahead, and chronological variables. ISMPF models include the input variables of DSMPF models as well as the daily session prices and prices of preceding intraday sessions. The best ISMPF models achieved lower MAPEs for most of the intraday sessions compared to the error of the best DSMPF model; furthermore, such DSMPF error was very close to the lowest limit error for the daily session. The best ISMPF models can be useful for MIBEL agents of the electricity intraday market and the electric energy industry

“Estado nutricional y desarrollo psicomotor en preescolares de 3 años de la institución educativa El Olivar de los Niños. Bellavista- Callao, 2017”

El estudio de investigación "Estado nutricional y Desarrollo psicomotor en preescolares de 3 años de la Institución Educativa “El Olivar de los niños” tiene como Objetivo: Determinar la relación entre estado nutricional y el desarrollo psicomotor en preescolares de 3 años de edad de la Institución Educativa “El Olivar de los niños” Bellavista- Callao 2017. Material y método: tipo de estudio descriptivo, inferencial de corte transversal con un diseño experimental, la población estuvo conformada por 110 niños y la muestra es la misma población. El estado nutricional se evaluó según las tablas de valoración antropométricas de niñas y niños <5 años y el desarrollo psicomotor se evalué con el TPED: (Test Peruano de Evaluación del Desarrollo, del MINSA la cual se evalúa el área de coordinación, motricidad y lenguaje. En estado nutricional predomina el estado normal con 96 preescolares que equivalen a 87.3%, con delgadez se encontró a 1 preescolar que equivale a 0.9%, con sobrepeso se encontró a 7 preescolares que equivalen al 6.4% y con obesidad se encontró a 6 preescolares que equivalen al 5.5%.Trabado de investigacio

Application of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference for wind power short-term forecasting

The increased integration of wind power into the electric grid, as nowadays occurs in Portugal, poses new challenges due to its intermittency and volatility. Hence, good forecasting tools play a key role in tackling these challenges. In this paper, an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference approach is proposed for short-term wind power forecasting. Results from a real-world case study are presented. A thorough comparison is carried out, taking into account the results obtained with other approaches. Numerical results are presented and conclusions are duly drawn. (C) 2011 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Specific genetic markers for detecting subtypes of dengue virus serotype-2 in isolates from the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Dengue (DEN) is an infectious disease caused by the DEN virus (DENV), which belongs to the <it>Flavivirus </it>genus in the family <it>Flaviviridae</it>. It has a (+) sense RNA genome and is mainly transmitted to humans by the vector mosquito <it>Aedes aegypti</it>. Dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are caused by one of four closely related virus serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4). Epidemiological and evolutionary studies have indicated that host and viral factors are involved in determining disease outcome and have proved the importance of viral genotype in causing severe epidemics. Host immune status and mosquito vectorial capacity are also important influences on the severity of infection. Therefore, an understanding of the relationship between virus variants with altered amino acids and high pathogenicity will provide more information on the molecular epidemiology of DEN. Accordingly, knowledge of the DENV serotypes and genotypes circulating in the latest DEN outbreaks around the world, including Mexico, will contribute to understanding DEN infections.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>1. We obtained 88 isolates of DENV, 27 from Oaxaca and 61 from Veracruz. 2. Of these 88 isolates, 16 were serotype 1; 62 serotype 2; 7 serotype 3; and 2 serotype 4. One isolate had 2 serotypes (DENV-2 and -1). 3. Partial nucleotide sequences of the genes encoding C- prM (14 sequences), the NS3 helicase domain (7 sequences), the NS5 S-adenosyl methionine transferase domain (7 sequences) and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domain (18 sequences) were obtained. Phylogenetic analysis showed that DENV-2 isolates belonged to the Asian/American genotype. In addition, the Asian/American genotype was divided into two clusters, one containing the isolates from 2001 and the other the isolates from 2005–2006 with high bootstrap support of 94%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>DENV-2 was the predominant serotype in the DF and DHF outbreak from 2005 to 2006 in Oaxaca State as well as in the 2006 outbreak in Veracruz State, with the Asian/American genotype prevalent in both states. Interestingly, DENV-1 and DENV-2 were the only serotypes related to DHF cases. In contrast, DENV-3 and DENV-4 were poorly represented according to epidemiological data reported in Mexico. We found that isoleucine was replaced by valine at residue 106 of protein C in the isolates from these 2005–2006 outbreaks and in those from the 1997, 1998 and 2001 outbreaks in the Caribbean islands. We suggested that this amino acid change may be used as a signature for isolates arising in the Caribbean islands and pertaining to the Asian/American genotype. Other amino acid changes are specific for the Asian/American, Asian and American strains.</p

Proyecto para la comercialización de comedores regulables para perros

En el presente proyecto de negocio, se mostrará el desarrollo de nuestro producto ideado para perros, el cual será comercializado por nuestra empresa “Dog Furniture”. El producto en mención es un comedero para perros, el cual tiene como principal característica la regulación de tamaño, el cual se podrá adaptar acorde al tamaño del perro, y permitirá tener una posición cómoda al momento de comer lo cual evitará futuras lesiones por una mala postura. Estamos dirigidos a un nivel socioeconómico A y B con público masculino y femenino entre las edades de 25 a 55 años que se preocupan por el cuidado y bienestar de su mascota; asimismo deben de residir en Lima Metropolitana. Dentro de las finanzas, se ha proyectado un crecimiento de ventas anual de 8% a 5 años, el cual ha sido basado en las diversas fuentes que hemos investigado. Nuestro proyecto tiene una inversión inicial de S/ 44,591, del cual el 85% será financiado por los accionistas y el 15% por terceros. Asimismo, nuestros datos y escenarios se presentan de forma positiva, obteniendo un COK de 10.13% el cual asegura el retorno de la inversión y un WACC de 10.79% que es lo que se requiere para financiar nuestras obligaciones. Por otro lado, obtenemos un VPN FCNI de S/72,603 y un TIR FCNI de 51.09% lo cual asegura la rentabilidad y ganancia para nuestros inversionistas.In this business project, we will show the development of our product designed for dogs, which will be marketed by our company "Dog Furniture". The product in question is a dog feeder, whose main feature is the size regulation, which can be adapted according to the size of the dog, and will allow to have a comfortable position when eating which will prevent future injuries due to a bad posture. We are aimed at a socioeconomic level A and B with male and female public between the ages of 25 to 55 years who are concerned about the care and welfare of your pet; also they must reside in Metropolitan Lima. Within the financials, we have projected an annual sales growth of 8% over 5 years, which has been based on the various sources that we have investigated. Our project has an initial investment of S/. 44,591, of which 85% will be financed by the shareholders and 15% by third parties. Likewise, our data and scenarios are presented in a positive way, obtaining a COK of 10.13% which assures the return on investment and a WACC of 10.79% which is what is required to finance our obligations. On the other hand, we obtain a NPV FCNI of S/72,603 and an IRR FCNI of 51.09% which ensures profitability and profit for our investors.Trabajo de investigació

Carbon dynamics and CO2 and CH4 exchange in the mangrove dominated Guayas river delta, Ecuador

Although estuaries are considered important pathways in the global carbon cycle, carbon dynamics in tropical estuaries is relatively understudied. Here, the tidal, seasonal and spatial variability of particulate organic carbon (POC), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4), among other biogeochemical variables related to carbon cycling, were studied in the Guayas river delta (Ecuador) to document the sources, processing and fluxes of these carbon forms. All variables were studied during a semi-diurnal (13 hour) tidal cycle and along river transects at low and high tides, all carried out during one dry and rainy season. POC and total suspended matter (TSM) strongly covaried and peaked at high tidal flow velocities during a tidal cycle and at high river discharge during the rainy season, suggesting that resuspension of bottom sediments and/or surface erosion in the river catchment were a dominant source of particulate matter in the water column. The δ13C of POC, (from ~-22‰ to ~-27‰) showed an increasing contribution of marine phytoplankton to the POC pool as moving downstream along the delta during the dry season. Upstream DIC concentrations (~1200 μmol L-1) were high in the Guayas river delta as compared to other tropical estuarine systems, and the δ13C of DIC revealed a shift from a more phytoplankton dominated source in the dry season and downstream (~-4‰) to a relatively more terrestrial source in the rainy season and upstream (~-12.5‰). Both DIC and its δ13C showed slight but consistent deviations from conservative mixing that hint at inputs of 13C depleted DIC from mineralization along the delta. High values of the partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) observed upstream and in the rainy season (~5250 μatm), associated with O2 undersaturation (~60%) and low δ13CDIC, suggest a strongly heterotrophic system, and resulted in high CO2 efflux to the atmosphere. CH4 concentrations were also higher during the rainy than dry season (93.5±62.5 vs. 61.3±39.5 nmol L-1), but unlike pCO2, showed tidal variations similar to TSM and POC, thus alluding to potential CH4 release from sediments during resuspension events at high tidal flow velocities. This explorative survey revealed complex drivers and biogeochemical processes acting upon various spatio-temporal scales which are necessary to consider for a complete understanding of the carbon biogeochemistry in estuarine systems. Similar surveys on estuarine carbon in data scarce regions are encouraged to constrain uncertainties in coastal zone carbon budgets

Eco-bio-social determinants for house infestation by non-domiciliated Triatoma dimidiata in the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico

Background Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease of major importance in the Americas. Disease prevention is mostly limited to vector control. Integrated interventions targeting ecological, biological and social determinants of vector-borne diseases are increasingly used for improved control. Methodology/principal findings We investigated key factors associated with transient house infestation by T. dimidiata in rural villages in Yucatan, Mexico, using a mixed modeling approach based on initial null-hypothesis testing followed by multimodel inference and averaging on data from 308 houses from three villages. We found that the presence of dogs, chickens and potential refuges, such as rock piles, in the peridomicile as well as the proximity of houses to vegetation at the periphery of the village and to public light sources are major risk factors for infestation. These factors explain most of the intra-village variations in infestation. Conclusions/significance These results underline a process of infestation distinct from that of domiciliated triatomines and may be used for risk stratification of houses for both vector surveillance and control. Combined integrated vector interventions, informed by an Ecohealth perspective, should aim at targeting several of these factors to effectively reduce infestation and provide sustainable vector control