ISA S88 / Loose Coupling Based Solution for Production Control Software Reusability

A solution for the problem of reusability of software system for batch production systems is proposed. It is based on ISA S88 standard that prescribes the abstraction of elements in the manufacturing system that is equipment, processes and procedures abstraction, required to make a product batch. An easy to apply data scheme, compatible with the standard, is developed for management of production information. In addition to flexibility provided by the S88 standard, software system reusability requires a solution supporting manufacturing equipment reconfigurability. Toward this end a coupling mechanism is developed. A software tool, including these solutions, was developed and validated at laboratory level, using product manufacturing information of an actual plant

Extracting Information about the Rotator Cuff from Magnetic Resonance Images Using Deterministic and Random Techniques

We consider some methods to extract information about the rotator cuff based on magnetic resonance images; the study aims to define an alternative method of display that might facilitate the detection of partial tears in the supraspinatus tendon. Specifically, we are going to use families of ellipsoidal triangular patches to cover the humerus head near the affected area. These patches are going to be textured and displayed with the information of the magnetic resonance images using the trilinear interpolation technique. For the generation of points to texture each patch, we propose a new method that guarantees the uniform distribution of its points using a random statistical method. Its computational cost, defined as the average computing time to generate a fixed number of points, is significantly lower as compared with deterministic and other standard statistical techniques

Modelo de desarrollo local para el sector rural: aplicación a un estudio de caso en puebla, México

La producción de durazno mejorado en Chiautzingo, Puebla, se realiza aproximadamente por 100 productores que disponen de una hectárea cada uno. La presencia de heladas severas ha afectado la producción y el ingreso, por lo que ha recurrido a préstamos del Ayuntamiento para adquirir insumos. El objetivo en este trabajo fue elaborar una propuesta de modelo de desarrollo local, y su aplicación en el caso de la producción de durazno de Chiautzingo. El modelo se formuló con base en cuatro elementos, dos en el contexto rural: ámbito de actuación territorial y, participación social en forma organizada; y otros dos en el contexto institucional: generación de conocimiento y uso de información y, apoyos técnicos y económicos para operar programas y financiar proyectos productivos. La aplicación del modelo se inició en un grupo de 52 productores, donde mediante una acción de acompañamiento, fue posible contribuir en el proceso de organización. Se proporcionó los servicios de investigación, capacitación, asesoría técnica continua, información, tecnología, plantas, insumos, herramienta profesional para poda, equipo de aspersión. Esto se logró mediante la interacción de los productores con personal del Colegio de Postgraduados, Ayuntamiento municipal, Consejo estatal de productores de durazno y la Secretaría de Desarrollo Rural

Uso de ligandos orgánicos en la fitoextracción de plomo por ricino (Ricinus communis L.)

Especies vegetales con alta producción de biomasa pueden ser utilizadas para la remoción de metales mediante la cosecha de la biomasa aérea. Sin embargo, la baja disponibilidad de los metales en el suelo, frecuentemente limitan su absorción y translocación, reduciendo la eficiencia del proceso de fitoextracción. La adición de ligandos orgánicos al suelo constituye una estrategia para aumentar la disponibilidad de los metales. Un experimento en macetas fue llevado a cabo para evaluar la fitoextracción de Pb por Ricino (Ricinus communis L.) mediante la aplicación de EDTA (5.1 mmol.kg-1 de suelo), EDDS (5.1 mmol.kg-1), ácido cítrico (5.1 mmol.kg-1) y extracto de compost (66 mg C.kg-1) a un suelo contaminado con 600 mg.kg-1 de Pb. Dos formas de aplicación fueron ensayadas: a) una única aplicación de las dosis, 7 días antes de la cosecha y b) tres aplicaciones separadas de 1/3 de la dosis, realizadas a los 21, 14 y 7 días antes de la cosecha. Ninguno de los tratamientos disminuyó la biomasa de las plantas respecto del control. El EDTA y EDDS aumentaron significativamente la concentración de Pb en parte aérea y raíz de las plantas con respecto al control, en cambio el ácido cítrico y el extracto de compost no tuvieron efecto sobre la concentración de Pb en las plantas. El EDTA (5.1 mmol.kg-1) aplicado 7 días antes de la cosecha de las plantas fue el tratamiento más efectivo en solubilizar Pb asociado a óxidos de Fe y Mn, carbonatos y materia orgánica, lo cual favoreció la absorción del Pb por las raíces y su translocación a los tejidos aéreos de las plantas. El valor del factor de bioconcentración (1.03) y del factor de translocación (1.73) de Ricino mediante la incorporación de EDTA en una aplicación, muestran la aptitud potencial de esta especie vegetal para ser utilizada en la remediación de suelos contaminados con Pb, siendo aceptable el tiempo que insume el proceso de fitoextracción.Plant species with high biomass production can be used to remove metals through the harvest of aboveground biomass. However, low availability of metals in soil often limits their absorption and translocation, which reduces efficiency in phytoextraction process. The addition of organic ligands to soil is a potential strategy for increasing metal availability. A pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the phytoextraction potential of Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) through the application of EDTA (5.1 mmol.kg-1 of soil), EDDS (5.1 mmol.kg-1), citric acid (5.1 mmol.kg-1) and compost extract (66 mg C.kg-1) to soil contaminated with 600 mg.kg-1 of Pb. The amendments were added 12 months after sowing. Two application forms were tested: a) a single application of the dose 7 days before the harvest and b) three separate applications with 1/3 of the doses on the 21st, 14th and 7th day before harvest. None of the treatments decreased plant biomass. EDDS and EDTA application significantly increased Pb concentration in plant shoot and roots in both application forms compared with control pots whereas citric acid and compost extract had no effects on Pb concentration in plants. EDTA applied 7 days before plant harvest was the most effective treatment in solubilization of Pb associated to oxides of Fe and Mn, carbonates and organic matter, which favored the uptake of Pb from soil by the roots and its translocation to shoot. The value of bioconcentration factor (1.03) and translocation factor (1.73) of Castor bean by adding EDTA in an application showed the potential suitability of Castor bean in soil remediation contaminated with Pb. Furthermore, the time required for phytoextraction process was acceptable

Differential proteomic analysis of the secretome of Irpex lacteus and other white-rot fungi during wheat straw pretreatment

BACKGROUND: Identifying new high-performance enzymes or enzyme complexes to enhance biomass degradation is the key for the development of cost-effective processes for ethanol production. Irpex lacteus is an efficient microorganism for wheat straw pretreatment, yielding easily hydrolysable products with high sugar content. Thus, this fungus was selected to investigate the enzymatic system involved in lignocellulose decay, and its secretome was compared to those from Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Pleurotus ostreatus which produced different degradation patterns when growing on wheat straw. Extracellular enzymes were analyzed through 2D-PAGE, nanoLC/MS-MS, and homology searches against public databases. RESULTS: In wheat straw, I. lacteus secreted proteases, dye-decolorizing and manganese-oxidizing peroxidases, and H(2)O(2) producing-enzymes but also a battery of cellulases and xylanases, excluding those implicated in cellulose and hemicellulose degradation to their monosaccharides, making these sugars poorly available for fungal consumption. In contrast, a significant increase of β-glucosidase production was observed when I. lacteus grew in liquid cultures. P. chrysosporium secreted more enzymes implicated in the total hydrolysis of the polysaccharides and P. ostreatus produced, in proportion, more oxidoreductases. CONCLUSION: The protein pattern secreted during I. lacteus growth in wheat straw plus the differences observed among the different secretomes, justify the fitness of I. lacteus for biopretreatment processes in 2G-ethanol production. Furthermore, all these data give insight into the biological degradation of lignocellulose and suggest new enzyme mixtures interesting for its efficient hydrolysis

The purinergic P2X7 receptor as a potential drug target to combat neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) represent a huge social burden, particularly in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in which all proposed treatments investigated in murine models have failed during clinical trials (CTs). Thus, novel therapeutic strategies remain crucial. Neuroinflammation is a common pathogenic feature of NDDs. As purinergic P2X7 receptors (P2X7Rs) are gatekeepers of inflammation, they could be developed as drug targets for NDDs. Herein, we review this challenging hypothesis and comment on the numerous studies that have investigated P2X7Rs, emphasizing their molecular structure and functions, as well as their role in inflammation. Then, we elaborate on research undertaken in the field of medicinal chemistry to determine potential P2X7R antagonists. Subsequently, we review the state of neuroinflammation and P2X7R expression in the brain, in animal models and patients suffering from AD, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, and retinal degeneration. Next, we summarize the in vivo studies testing the hypothesis that by mitigating neuroinflammation, P2X7R blockers afford neuroprotection, increasing neuroplasticity and neuronal repair in animal models of NDDs. Finally, we reviewed previous and ongoing CTs investigating compounds directed toward targets associated with NDDs; we propose that CTs with P2X7R antagonists should be initiated. Despite the high expectations for putative P2X7Rs antagonists in various central nervous system diseases, the field is moving forward at a relatively slow pace, presumably due to the complexity of P2X7Rs. A better pharmacological approach to combat NDDs would be a dual strategy, combining P2X7R antagonism with drugs targeting a selective pathway in a given NDD.The authors would like to acknowledge the support received from the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under Maria Sklodowska‐Curie (Grant Agreement No. 766124). The authors would also like to thank the support received from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO, Spain; Grant No. SAF2016‐78892R to Luis Gandía and Antonio G. García) and Fundación Teófilo Hernando

Características farmacognósticas de las hojas de Capparis avicennifolia

A study was realized farmacognóstico of the leaves of Capparis avicennifolia, where the macromorphologic characteristics decided initially, and the parameters physical-chemist of the control of quality of the raw drug fell like: percentage of moisture, total ashes, extractives substances in ethanol 70º, foreign organic matter, foreing inorganic matter were determined initially. According to the Norms Branches For Crude Drugs, of the MINSAP,which values obtained averages whose obtained values averages, they were inside the permissible range. When being made tamizaje phytochemical according to the phytochemical march of Miranda Migdalia, there was demonstrated the presence of alkaloids, tannins, flavonoides, bitter principles, oil and fats, resins, catequinas, triterpenos and steroids, antocianidinas and amino acids.Se realizó un estudio farmacognóstico de las hojas de Capparis avicennifolia, donde se determinaron inicialmente las características macromorfológicas, los parámetros físico químicos del control de calidad de la droga cruda tales como: porcentaje de humedad residual, cenizas totales, cenizas insolubles en ácido, cenizas solubles en agua, sustancias solubles en etanol 70º; materia extraña, materia inorgánica extraña; según las Normas Ramales Para Drogas Crudas del MINSAP; cuyos valores promedios obtenidos, se encontraron dentro del rango permisible. Se realizó el tamizaje fitoquímico; según la marcha fitoquímica de Miranda Migdalia, donde se evidenció la presencia de alcaloides, taninos, flavonoides, principios amargos, aceite y grasas, resinas, catequinas, triterpenos y esteroides, antocianidinas y aminoácidos

An application of mathematical models to select the optimal alternative for an integral plan to desertification and erosion control (Chaco Area – Salta Province – Argentina)

Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) is concerned with identifying the values, uncertainties and other issues relevant in a given decision, its rationality, and the resulting optimal decision. These decisions are difficult because the complexity of the system or because of determining the optimal situation or behaviour. This work will illustrate how MCDA is applied in practice to a complex problem to resolve such us soil erosion and degradation. Desertification is a global problem and recently it has been studied in several forums as ONU that literally says: <i>"Desertification has a very high incidence in the environmental and food security, socioeconomic stability and world sustained development"</i>. Desertification is the soil quality loss and one of FAO's most important preoccupations as hunger in the world is increasing. Multiple factors are involved of diverse nature related to: natural phenomena (water and wind erosion), human activities linked to soil and water management, and others not related to the former. In the whole world this problem exists, but its effects and solutions are different. It is necessary to take into account economical, environmental, cultural and sociological criteria. A multi-criteria model to select among different alternatives to prepare an integral plan to ameliorate or/and solve this problem in each area has been elaborated taking in account eight criteria and five alternatives. Six sub zones have been established following previous studies and in each one the initial matrix and weights have been defined to apply on different criteria. Three multicriteria decision methods have been used for the different sub zones: ELECTRE, PROMETHEE and AHP. The results show a high level of consistency among the three different multicriteria methods despite the complexity of the system studied. The methods are fully described for La Estrella sub zone, indicating election of weights, Initial Matrixes, algorithms used for PROMETHEE, and the Graph of Expert Choice showing the AHP results. A brief schema of the actions recommended for each of the six different sub zones is discussed