Academic Resilience and Achievement

This study uses narrative analysis to understand the ways in which Mexican university faculty members used their self-motivational resources to persist in an instructional technology training program within adverse work conditions. The methodology included interviews and participant observation. Findings suggest that faculty’s academic resilience was based on faculty’s self-definition as permanent learners and innovators, the perception of instruction as a field of reflection-in-action and systematization, and the caring instructional approach used by training instructors

Do marketing margins change with food scares?: Examining the effects of food recalls and disease outbreaks in the us red meat industry

This paper examines the impact of food scares on marketing margins in the US beef and pork industry. We analyze how market stresses induced by different food recalls and disease outbreaks affect price margins and the extent of price transmission at the slaughter-to-wholesale and wholesale-to-retail levels. We use monthly data for the period 1986–2008. The results indicate that marketing margins are differentially affected by Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recalls and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreaks at different levels of the beef and pork marketing chain, although the effects are generally quite modest. Only BSE discoveries in the United States considerably affect marketing margins in the beef industry, specifically at the wholesale-to-retail level, as well as the extent of price transmission at the bottom of the beef and pork marketing channel. We also find that food safety incidents have minor cross-industry and cross-country effects on marketing margins.marketing margins, price transmission, food recalls, BSE outbreaks, red meat industry,

Generalized hydrodynamics of a dilute finite-sized particles suspension: Dynamic viscosity

We present a mesoscopic hydrodynamic description of the dynamics of colloidal suspensions. We consider the system as a gas of Brownian particles suspended in a Newtonian heat bath subjected to stationary non-equilibrium conditions imposed by a velocity field. Using results already obtained in previous studies in the field by means of a generalized Fokker-Planck equation, we obtain a set of coupled differential equations for the local diffusion current and the evolution of the total stress tensor. We find that the dynamic shear viscosity of the system contains contributions arising from the finite size of the particles.Comment: To appear in Physical Review

Institutional Capacity before the reduction of the disasters risk in Quintana Roo: Hyogo Framework for Action

El problema del riesgo de desastre en entornos urbanos o zonas costeras localizadas en franjas altamente propensas a la acción de fenómenos naturales es una de las temáticas prioritarias en la agenda global (ONU, 2000). La complejidad se presenta, principalmente, desde la perspectiva de la gestión pública para el manejo del riesgo por desastre y en el alcance de un desarrollo equilibrado.Evaluar el riesgo de desastres significa tener en cuenta no solamente el daño físico esperado, las víctimas o pérdidas económicas equivalentes, sino también factores sociales, organizacionales e institucionales. Actualmente, los avances logrados en la gestión del riesgo son diferentes para cada país. En México, tanto a nivel estatal como municipal existe una gran limitación en la información y carencias técnicas por parte de los responsables de estos procesos. El presente artículo tiene la finalidad de conocer la capacidad institucional ante la reducción del riesgo de desastres en el Estado de Quintana Roo aplicando una herramienta de evaluación cualitativa propuesta en el Marco de Acción de Hyogo (MAH)

Relevance of the study of metabolic profiles in sheep and goat flock. Present and future: A review

Current adoption of technical methods of the production systems and the genetic improvement of flocks’ productivity have led to the emergence of the well-known metabolic diseases or diseases linked to production. These disorders affect the health status of the flock, thereby generating strong economic losses in the livestock sector. The solution goes through the assessment of the ration, the characteristics of the facilities, the physiological state and the health of the flock, but also, assessing the health condition which is not always reflected in their body condition or feed intake. In field conditions, metabolic profiles could be considered as possible intermediate monitoring tool between animal production and nutrition, because they are able to express a(n) (im)balance between production requirements and feed intake. This information can be accessed by performing measurements and interpreting different blood parameters in a clinical context. Thus, the aim of this review is to offer current information about biochemical metabolic parameters in small ruminants, covering some influencing aspects related to sampling procedure, management and interpretation of results

Effects of positive end-expiratory pressure on gastric mucosal perfusion in acute respiratory distress syndrome

INTRODUCTION: Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) improves oxygenation and can prevent ventilator-induced lung injury in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Nevertheless, PEEP can also induce detrimental effects by its influence on the cardiovascular system. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of PEEP on gastric mucosal perfusion while applying a protective ventilatory strategy in patients with ARDS. METHODS: Eight patients were included. A pressure–volume curve was traced and ideal PEEP, defined as lower inflection point + 2 cmH(2)O, was determined. Gastric tonometry was measured continuously (Tonocap). After baseline measurements, 10, 15 and 20 cmH(2)O PEEP and ideal PEEP were applied for 30 min each. By the end of each period, hemodynamic, CO(2 )gap (gastric minus arterial partial pressures), and ventilatory measurements were performed. RESULTS: PEEP had no effect on CO(2 )gap (median [range], baseline: 19 [2–30] mmHg; PEEP 10: 19 [0–40] mmHg; PEEP 15: 18 [0–39] mmHg; PEEP 20: 17 [4–39] mmHg; ideal PEEP: 19 [9–39] mmHg; P = 0.18). Cardiac index also remained unchanged (baseline: 4.6 [2.5–6.3] l min(-1 )m(-2); PEEP 10: 4.5 [2.5–6.9] l min(-1 )m(-2); PEEP 15: 4.3 [2–6.8] l min(-1 )m(-2); PEEP 20: 4.7 [2.4–6.2] l min(-1 )m(-2); ideal PEEP: 5.1 [2.1–6.3] l min(-1 )m(-2); P = 0.08). One patient did not complete the protocol because of hypotension. CONCLUSION: PEEP of 10–20 cmH(2)O does not affect gastric mucosal perfusion and is hemodynamically well tolerated in most patients with ARDS, including those receiving adrenergic drugs