Notes on the genus Exostema (Rubiaceae), its limits and sectional subdivision

Based on recent molecular work by Paudyal & al., the generic limits of the Neotropical woody genus Exostema are reassessed with a view of making them more compatible with traditional, morphology-based generic concepts. A wide circumscription is favoured, congruent with Paudyal & al.'s “clade B” (the Exostema-Solenandra-Coutarea-Hintonia group). Thus defined, Exostema is a genus with 40 species and five natural sections and incorporates three generic splits that were proposed by Paudyal & al. To minimise nomenclatural disruption, a proposal to conserve the name Exostema Rich. against Coutarea Aubl. has been presented separately. Two new combinations at sectional rank are proposed

Beta risk en the Chilean pension funds

El presente artículo tiene por objetivo estimar el riesgo beta para los fondos de pensiones administrados por las administradoras de fondos de pensión en Chile para el período comprendido entre los años 2002 y 2012. Se analiza la caracterización, consistencia y estabilidad del riesgo beta de estos fondos, mediante las metodologías de métodos de los mínimos cuadrados, método Blume y método Vasicek. Se concluye que el índice beta es una buena medida para determinar qué tan riesgosa puede ser la inversión, lo que demuestra que los fondos de pensiones tienen un comportamiento más bien defensivo, dada la naturaleza del portafolio de inversión.This article aims to estimate the beta risk of pension funds managed by pension fund managers in Chile for the 2002 - 2012 time period.The characterization, consistency and stability of the beta risk for these funds are analyzed with the help of the minimum squares, Blume and Vasicek methods. The results conclude that the beta index is a good measure to determine how risky can an investment be, which proves that pension funds tend to have a defensive behavior given the nature of the investment portfolios.O presente artigo tem por objetivo estimar o risco beta para os fundosde pensões administrados pelas administradoras de fundos depensão no Chile para o período compreendido entre os anos 2002e 2012. Analisa-se a caracterização, consistência e estabilidade dorisco beta destes fundos, mediante as metodologias de métodosdos mínimos quadrados, método Blume e método Vasicek. Concluiseque o índice beta é uma boa medida para determinar que tãoperigosa pode ser o investimento, o que demonstra que os fundosde pensões têm um comportamento mais bem defensivo, dada anatureza do portfólio de investimento

A roadmap to vocational education and training systems around the world

With young people among the big losers of the recent financial crisis, vocational education and training (VET) is often seen as the silver bullet to the problem of youth joblessness. This paper provides a better understanding of VET around the world, dealing with three types of vocational systems: school-based education, a dual system in which school-based education is combined with firm-based training, and informal training. We first explore the motivation for these different types of training, before summarizing the institutional evidence, highlighting the key elements of each training system and discussing its main implementation strengths and challenges. We subsequently review the evidence on the effectiveness of VET versus general education and between the three VET systems. There are clear indications that VET is a valued alternative beyond the core of general education, while the dual system tends to be more effective than school-based VET. Informal training is effective, however relatively little is known of its relative strengths compared with other forms of vocational education

Las Raices y Tuberculos tropicales como alternativa de producción en Costa Rica

Análisis y ComentariosHace ya unos 3500 años un pintor del aún no descubierto Perú sintetizó la base alimenticia de su cultura. Pintó sobre un tiesto a un hombre que sostiene en su diestra una planta de maíz y en su mano izquierda otra de papa. La llamada ‘vegecultura’ de la yuca y del tiquisque alimentó a nuestros ancestros precolombinos como la papa lo hizo con los indígenas de las zonas altas de Sur América (Fonseca 1992). En nuestros días, la yuca, el camote, los ñames y las aráceas comestibles alimentan regularmente al 70% de la población mundial (Chandra 1984). Este artículo trata de la ‘vegecultura’ costarricense actual, con exclusión deliberada de la papa por su adaptación a ambientes no tropicales y del camote por su poca importancia como cultivo no tradicional de exportación.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Agroalimentarias::Estación Experimental Agrícola Fabio Baudrit Moreno (EEAFBM

Evaluación técnica económica de la producción de la codorniz a pequeña escala

Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. Facultad de Zootecnia. Departamento Académico de Producción AnimalEl presente trabajo monográfico tuvo como objetivo presentar la factibilidad de la producción de huevo de codorniz (Cotunix coturnix japonica) a pequeña escala. El trabajo se realizó en el Distrito de Villa María del Triunfo, Provincia y Región Lima. Se evaluó la producción de la codorniz desde el primer día de nacimiento hasta los doce meses de postura. Se logró evaluar unas 1,044 cotupollos de un día de edad y se logró levantar 1,000 codornices de 44 días de edad. Los animales fueron criados en un galpón de 4 m de ancho, 5 m de largo y 2 m de altura, con ventanas laterales, techo inclinado y paredes forradas con arpillera para mantener un mejor control medioambiental en el interior del galpón y manejando iluminación para su mejor crecimiento y madurez sexual. La alimentación tenía 27% proteína y hasta 3,000 Kcal, con un suministro de agua fresca. Las codornices estaban en jaulas con capacidad de 16 a 18 animales. Los parámetros evaluados fueron porcentaje de postura y mortalidad, peso promedio de huevo, costo de producción de 100 huevos y merito económico. El porcentaje de postura fue de 78%, además el de mortalidad de 2.04%. El peso promedio de huevo ascendió a 11.1 gramos. El costo de producción de 100 huevos alcanzó S/. 5.50. El mérito económico obtenido fue de S/. 2.5 por ciento de huevo. La crianza de la codorniz a pequeña escala (1000 hembras) genera un ingreso mensual de S/. 566, lo que aumentaría el ingreso de la canasta básica familiar, y si tomamos el punto de vista del ingreso mínimo a nivel nacional (S/. 750), éste representaría un aumento del 75% de sus ingresos, con sólo disponer unas cuatro horas al día en el cuidado de sus animales.Trabajo de suficiencia profesiona

Population distribution and biomass variability of sardine and anchovy in the Canary current system as simulated by an end-to-end coupled model

Small pelagic fishes as sardine and anchovy account for as much as 20-25% of the world fisheries catch. They are particularly abundant in the four major eastern boundary upwelling ecosystems, where high levels of biological productivity are sustained by the supply of nutrient-rich water from beneath the photic zone. An intrinsic and puzzling feature of small pelagic fish is the large fluctuations of their population, typically occurring at decadal scales. The causes for such fluctuations have been extensively analyzed and discussed in the literature, yet our understanding of the mechanism involved is very limited. End-to-end models are emerging tools useful to test hypothesis for such fish population variability or to gain new insights into the problem. This comprehensive and complex model approach is now becoming possible largely thanks to the present-day computer power. This contribution focuses on the population dynamics of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) in the Canary Current Upwelling Ecosystem. We describe and present the results of an end-to-end coupled model simulation including these two small pelagic species. The end-to-end application includes three model components: the ROMS circulation sub-model, the lower trophic ecosystem sub-model NEMURO, and a recently developed individual-based model for the fish (Rose et al. 2015; Fiechter et al. 2015). The computational grid for the three models covers NW Africa and the Western Iberian Peninsula at a spatial resolution of 12 km. This resolution is sufficient for certain eddy variability to occur in ROMS. Different biological traits were prescribed for anchovy and sardine: temperature optimum, diet preferences, and the onset and duration of the spawning season, among others. A hind-cast simulation of the period 1958-2007 was carried out. Model results reveal a fairly different behavior of sardine and anchovy. Anchovies gather off the northern part of Morocco and the Gulf of Cadiz, whereas sardines appear more scattered across the domain, further offshore, and further south, where upwelling favorable conditions take place year round. Both species exhibit decadal-scale fluctuations in both the location of the center of mass of the population and their biomass abundance; the latter being reasonably correlated with historical landing records.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional del Mar CEIMAR. Campus de Excelencia Andalucía Tec

Deposition reactors for solar grade silicon: a comparative thermal analysis of a Siemens reactor and a fluidized bed reactor

Polysilicon production costs contribute approximately to 25–33% of the overall cost of the solar panels and a similar fraction of the total energy invested in their fabrication. Understanding the energy losses and the behaviour of process temperature is an essential requirement as one moves forward to design and build large scale polysilicon manufacturing plants. In this paper we present thermal models for two processes for poly production, viz., the Siemens process using trichlorosilane (TCS) as precursor and the fluid bed process using silane (monosilane, MS). We validate the models with some experimental measurements on prototype laboratory reactors relating the temperature profiles to product quality. A model sensitivity analysis is also performed, and the effects of some key parameters such as reactor wall emissivity and gas distributor temperature, on temperature distribution and product quality are examined. The information presented in this paper is useful for further understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of both deposition technologies, and will help in optimal temperature profiling of these systems aiming at lowering production costs without compromising the solar cell quality.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Proyectos I

Cada proyecto de inversión genera efectos o impactos de naturaleza diversa, directos, indirectos, externos e intangibles. Estos últimos rebasan con mucho las posibilidades de su medición monetaria y sin embargo no considerarlos resulta muy perjudicial por lo que representan en los estados de ánimo y definitiva satisfacción de la población en estudio. En la evaluación económica pueden existir elementos apreciables por una comunidad como daño o beneficio, ya que, al momento de su evaluación en unidades monetarias, sea imposible o altamente difícil materializarlo. En la economía contemporánea se hacen intentos, por llegar a aproximarse a herramientas de medición que considere los elementos cualitativos, pero siempre dependiente a una apreciación subjetiva de la realidad. Debemos considerar la parte subjetiva o intangible en el proyecto de inversión a fin de poder pronosticar el mejor escenario posible y reducir las amenazas y riesgo, teniendo en cuanta los factores internos y externos que puedan afectar directa o indirectamente al proyecto. Para implementar un proyecto de inversión debemos definir si es un proyecto de inversión privada o es un proyecto de inversión pública ya que la metodología es diferente para los dos casos, en relación a el estado tiene normativas específicas para la aprobación y ejecución de los proyectos de inversión pública. En los proyectos de inversión debemos utilizar herramientas de cálculo matemático que nos permita la determinación ratios financieros

Las ventas y los resultados del ejercicio de la empresa Socopur S.A.C. periodo 2019 - 2021

Modern administration postulates that higher sales do not necessarily imply growth in profits, but rather proper cost management. The objective of this doctoral thesis is to establish the existence of a relationship between sales and the results of the year of the company SOCOPUR SAC., corresponding to the year series between 2019 and 2021; that is, one year before the pandemic, another during the pandemic, and the last one after the pandemic. The type of research is Quantitative - Correlational and has a Non-Experimental design. It is concluded that there is a direct relationship between the sales and the operating results of the company during the years, since the Correlation Coefficient was r = 0.986347411; and the Determination Coefficient was R2 = 0.972881216. Sales had a variable behavior throughout the 36 months covered by the study, with July 2020 being the month in which the highest value was recorded, amounting to S/. 4,584,933.00; thanks to the gradual reopening of the economy after the closure of March of the same year. The most sold products were Tires and Tubes, having invoiced the amount of S/. 24,815,935.44 (23.15%); followed by Gears and Transmission Chains with S/. 16,598,119.83 (15.49%); and in third place Spare of Motorcycle with S/. 13,742,85.49 (12.82%); adding the three groups 51.46% of sales. The results of the operation were also variable.La administración moderna postula que las mayores ventas no necesariamente implican un crecimiento de las utilidades, sino de la adecuada gestión de los costos. El objetivo de la presente tesis doctoral es establecer la existencia de relación entre las ventas y los resultados del ejercicio de la empresa SOCOPUR SAC., correspondiente a la serie de año comprendidas entre el 2019 y el 2021; es decir un año antes de la pandemia, otro durante la pandemia, y el último después de la pandemia. El tipo de investigación es Cuantitativa - Correlacional y posee un diseño No Experimental. Se concluye que existe una relación directa entre las ventas y los resultados de operación de la empresa durante los años antes citados, ya que el Coeficiente de Correlación fue r = 0.986347411; y el Coeficiente de Determinación fue R2 = 0.972881216. Las ventas tuvieron un comportamiento variable a lo largo de los 36 meses que abarca el estudio, siendo julio del 2020 el mes en que se registró el mayor valor ascendiendo a S/. 4,584,933.00; gracias a la reapertura gradual de la economía después del cierre de marzo del mismo año. Los productos más vendidos fueron Llantas y Cámaras, habiéndose facturado el monto de S/. 24,815,935.44 (23.15%); seguido de Engranajes y Cadenas de Transmisión con S/. 6,598,119.83 (15.49%); y en tercer lugar Repuestos Para Motocicletas con S/. 13,742,85.49 (12.82%); sumando los tres grupos el 51.46% de las ventas. Los resultados de operación también fueron variables.A administração moderna postula que vendas maiores não implicam necessariamente em crescimento de lucros, mas sim em gestão adequada de custos. O objetivo desta tese de doutorado é estabelecer a existência de uma relação entre as vendas e os resultados do ano da empresa SOCOPUR SAC., correspondente à série de anos entre 2019 e 2021; ou seja, um ano antes da pandemia, outro durante a pandemia e o último após a pandemia. O tipo de pesquisa é Quantitativo - Correlacional e tem um desenho Não Experimental. Conclui-se que existe uma relação direta entre as vendas e os resultados operacionais da empresa nos anos citados, pois o Coeficiente de Correlação foi r = 0,986347411; e o Coeficiente de Determinação foi R2 = 0,972881216. As vendas tiveram um comportamento variável ao longo dos 36 meses abrangidos pelo estudo, sendo julho de 2020 o mês em que se registou o valor mais elevado, ascendendo a S/. 4.584.933,00; graças à reabertura gradual da economia após o fechamento de março do mesmo ano. Os produtos mais vendidos foram Pneus e Câmaras, tendo faturado o valor de S/. 24.815.935,44 (23,15%); seguido por Engrenagens e Correntes de Transmissão com S/. 16.598.119,83 (15,49%); e em terceiro lugar Repuestos Para Motocicletas com S/. 13.742.85,49 (12,82%); somando os três grupos 51,46% das vendas. Os resultados da operação também foram variáveis

The Iron abundance in Galactic Planetary Nebulae

We constrain the iron abundance in a sample of 33 low-ionization Galactic planetary nebulae (PNe) using [Fe III] lines and correcting for the contribution of higher ionization states with ionization correction factors (ICFs) that take into account uncertainties in the atomic data. We find very low iron abundances in all the objects, suggesting that more than 90% of their iron atoms are condensed onto dust grains. This number is based on the solar iron abundance and implies a lower limit on the dust-to-gas mass ratio, due solely to iron, of M_dust/M_gas>1.3x10^{-3} for our sample. The depletion factors of different PNe cover about two orders of magnitude, probably reflecting differences in the formation, growth, or destruction of their dust grains. However, we do not find any systematic difference between the gaseous iron abundances calculated for C-rich and O-rich PNe, suggesting similar iron depletion efficiencies in both environments. The iron abundances of our sample PNe are similar to those derived following the same procedure for a group of 10 Galactic H II regions. These high depletion factors argue for high depletion efficiencies of refractory elements onto dust grains both in molecular clouds and AGB stars, and low dust destruction efficiencies both in interstellar and circumstellar ionized gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 15 pages, 4 Postscript figures, corrected typos, Tables 2 and 3 correcte