Confocal analysis of nervous system architecture in direct-developing juveniles of Neanthes arenaceodentata (Annelida, Nereididae)

Background: Members of Family Nereididae have complex neural morphology exemplary of errant polychaetes and are leading research models in the investigation of annelid nervous systems. However, few studies focus on the development of their nervous system morphology. Such data are particularly relevant today, as nereidids are the subjects of a growing body of "evo-devo" work concerning bilaterian nervous systems, and detailed knowledge of their developing neuroanatomy facilitates the interpretation of gene expression analyses. In addition, new data are needed to resolve discrepancies between classic studies of nereidid neuroanatomy. We present a neuroanatomical overview based on acetylated α-tubulin labeling and confocal microscopy for post-embryonic stages of Neanthes arenaceodentata, a direct-developing nereidid. Results: At hatching (2-3 chaetigers), the nervous system has developed much of the complexity of the adult (large brain, circumesophageal connectives, nerve cords, segmental nerves), and the stomatogastric nervous system is partially formed. By the 5-chaetiger stage, the cephalic appendages and anal cirri are well innervated and have clear connections to the central nervous system. Within one week of hatching (9-chaetigers), cephalic sensory structures (e.g., nuchal organs, Langdon's organs) and brain substructures (e.g., corpora pedunculata, stomatogastric ganglia) are clearly differentiated. Additionally, the segmental-nerve architecture (including interconnections) matches descriptions of other, adult nereidids, and the pharynx has developed longitudinal nerves, nerve rings, and ganglia. All central roots of the stomatogastric nervous system are distinguishable in 12-chaetiger juveniles. Evidence was also found for two previously undescribed peripheral nerve interconnections and aspects of parapodial muscle innervation. Conclusions: N. arenaceodentata has apparently lost all essential trochophore characteristics typical of nereidids. Relative to the polychaete Capitella, brain separation from a distinct epidermis occurs later in N. arenaceodentata, indicating different mechanisms of prostomial development. Our observations of parapodial innervation and the absence of lateral nerves in N. arenaceodentata are similar to a 19th century study of Alitta virens (formerly Nereis/Neanthes virens) but contrast with a more recent study that describes a single parapodial nerve pattern and lateral nerve presence in A. virens and two other genera. The latter study apparently does not account for among-nereidid variation in these major neural features

Investigation and development of an optimization technique for antenna characterization

The goal of this thesis is to reconstruct with a certain level of accuracy the far-field radiation pattern of an antenna from only amplitude near-field measurements The planar configuration was chosen to acquire the amplitude measurements over two scanning planes located few wavelengths away from the antenna aperture. Since the phase is missing in this context, suitable methods have been investigated and developed to reconstruct the phase of the field from the amplitude data. The Fourier Iterative Algorithm has been implemented to reconstruct the phase from the amplitude data but presents the problem of the strong dependence on the initial guess of the field over the antenna aperture. A Global Optimization technique based on a Genetic Algorithm has been developed to find the initial estimation of the field over the antenna aperture which feeds the iterative technique and the effect of using this global optimization on the accuracy of the reconstructed far-field radiation pattern have been investigated. Apart from that, a technique that combines the Genetic Algorithm and the Fourier Iterative Algorithm has been implemented to reconstruct the phase information from the amplitude data. For the Horn antenna as the antenna under test it has been found that, by implementing the Global Optimization as the method to find the initial condition for the Fourier Iterative Algorithm, no enhancement on the accuracy of the far-field is found. On the other hand, by applying the second method that combines the Genetic Algorithm and the Fourier Iterative technique the improvement of the accuracy of the reconstructed radiation pattern is finally obtained in the region of the main lobe and the secondary lobes.Ingeniería de Telecomunicació

Dirección, ensamble y grabación de la tuna UTP

Durante el segundo semestre del año 2019 se llevó a cabo un proceso de dirección, ensamble y grabación de la tuna UTP, donde participaron estudiantes de diferentes carreras, quienes hacen parte de dicho grupo desde hace alguno años, todo esto con el fin de sembrar bases musicales que les permitan a los miembros de dicho grupo a realizar montajes cada vez más exigentes, en dicho proceso se obtuvo una producción y unos arreglos musicales que servirán de evidencia y referente para nuevos montajes además que este proyecto busca que la tuna UTP se destaque como instrumento de cohesión institucional e identidad que apoyan el desarrollo de los estudiantes en sus dimensiones personal, social y profesional. Motivan la creatividad, la imaginación, el autoconocimiento, la identidad, el reconocimiento de talentos y aptitudes

Medición y comparación de los índices de deterioro de dos catalizadores operados con mezclas de etanol-gasolina (E10 y E20)

Este proyecto, surgió como una iniciativa del Grupo de Investigación en Gestión Energética (GENERGÉTICA), adscrito a la Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica de la Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira (UTP) para continuar en el desarrollo de su línea de investigación en Vehículos y Transporte, como un complemento del Proyecto de Investigación Protocolo E20, ejecutado por GENERGÉTICA entre los años 2010-2012 en asocio con Ecopetrol S.A y el Ministerio de Minas y Energía. Para disminuir el impacto negativo sobre la calidad del aire, los vehículos poseen dispositivos que se encargan de reducir las emisiones nocivas, uno de estos componentes es el convertidor catalítico o catalizador. El buen funcionamiento del catalizador en los vehículos representa un factor importante en el proceso de control de emisión de gases para los motores de combustión interna (MCI). Estos gases están conformados por ciertos compuestos que afectan la calidad del aire, estos son: Óxidos de Nitrógeno (NOX), Monóxido de Carbono (CO) e Hidrocarburos no quemados (HC)

Characterization of the materials product of the recycling of pavements with the addition of cement and bitumen in flexible pavements in Bogota city

Este documento expone la idoneidad para el diseño estructural de pavimentos flexibles con la caracterización de los materiales producto del reciclaje de pavimentos con adición de cemento y bitumen, determinando su composición mineralógica que en buena medida determina a su vez sus características físico- mecánicas y la manera de comportarse como materiales para una capa de pavimento y a su vez los beneficios del análisis de las diferentes condiciones de su uso, teniendo en cuenta los diferentes tipos de métodos de reciclaje que existen para pavimentos flexibles. En la búsqueda de darle solución y buen uso a estos materiales se hace necesario evaluar las alternativas del uso de materiales producto del reciclaje de pavimentos flexibles en vías locales en Bogotá y así poder contar con otras alternativas para el mejoramiento y rehabilitación de vías y darle funcionalidad a una carretera específica.This document presents the suitability for the structural design of flexible pavements with the characterization of the materials product of the recycling of pavements with the addition of cement and the bitumen, determining its mineralogical composition that to a large extent determines its mechanical and physical characteristics it way of behavior as materials for a pavement layer and the benefits of the analysis of different conditions of use, taking into account the different types of recycling methods that exist for flexible pavements. In the search to give solution and good use of these materials it is necessary to evaluate the alternatives of use of materials of products of recycling of flexible pavements and local roads in Bogota and thus to be able to count on other alternatives for the improvement and rehabilitation of roads and to give functionality to specific road

AUGMENTED REALITY AND MOBILE SYSTEMS FOR HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS IN SURFACE MINING

U.S. federal laws mandate that mining companies ensure a safe workplace, implement approved training programs, and promptly report work-related injuries. The mining industry\u27s commitment to innovation reflects a history of adopting advancements to enhance environmental sustainability, workplace safety, and overall productivity, while simultaneously reducing operational costs. This thesis proposes the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) technology and digital applications to enhance the surface mining industry, presenting two innovative solutions: an AR Training System and an Operational Digital System. These business solutions have been developed and applied at a surface mine in the southwest of the US, having the potential to improve the mining industry by enhancing safety, training, operational efficiency, and data-driven decision-making, which comprehends a significant step toward a more sustainable, effective, and technologically driven mining sector, contributing to the industry\u27s evolution and growth. The AR Training System leverages Microsoft´s Power Platform and HoloLens 2 capacities to provide operators with immersive and step-by-step training guides in real working conditions for Dozers, Motor Graders, and End Dump trucks. These AR guides combine 3D models, videos, photos, and interactive elements overlapping mining equipment to enhance learning and safety. The system also offers an efficient approach to data collection during operator training, which has the potential to modify the training guides based on user performance. On the other hand, the Operational Digital System addresses the industry\u27s operational challenges. It streamlines the pre-operation inspection process, tracks equipment status, and accelerates defect identification, shift timing, delays, and loaded tonnage. The system offers a holistic approach to mining operation optimization, facilitating data sharing and management among different departments, enhancing collaboration, and expediting maintenance processes

Limits on P Systems with Proteins and Without Division

In the field of Membrane Computing, computational complexity theory has been widely studied trying to nd frontiers of efficiency by means of syntactic or semantical ingredients. The objective of this is to nd two kinds of systems, one non-efficient and another one, at least, presumably efficient, that is, that can solve NP-complete prob- lems in polynomial time, and adapt a solution of such a problem in the former. If it is possible, then P = NP. Several borderlines have been defi ned, and new characterizations of different types of membrane systems have been published. In this work, a certain type of P system, where proteins act as a supporting element for a rule to be red, is studied. In particular, while division rules, the abstraction of cellular mitosis is forbidden, only problems from class P can be solved, in contrast to the result obtained allowing them.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2017-89842-PNational Natural Science Foundation of China No 6132010600

Narrowing Frontiers of Efficiency with Evolutional Communication Rules and Cell Separation

In the framework of Membrane Computing, several efficient solutions to computationally hard problems have been given. To find new borderlines between families of P systems that can solve them and the ones that cannot is an important way to tackle the P versus NP problem. Adding syntactic and/or semantic ingredients can mean passing from non-efficiency to presumably efficiency. Here, we try to get narrow frontiers, setting the stage to adapt efficient solutions from a family of P systems to another one. In order to do that, a solution to the SAT problem is given by means of a family of tissue P systems with evolutional symport/antiport rules and cell separation with the restriction that both the left-hand side and the right-hand side of the rules have at most two objects.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2017-89842-PNational Natural Science Foundation of China No 6132010600

Neighborhood and community interactions determine the spatial pattern of tropical tree seedling survival

Factors affecting survival and recruitment of 3531 individually mapped seedlings of Myristicaceae were examined over three years in a highly diverse neotropical rain forest, at spatial scales of 1–9 m and 25 ha. We found convincing evidence of a community compensatory trend (CCT) in seedling survival (i.e., more abundant species had higher seedling mortality at the 25-ha scale), which suggests that density-dependent mortality may contribute to the spatial dynamics of seedling recruitment. Unlike previous studies, we demonstrate that the CCT was not caused by differences in microhabitat preferences or life history strategy among the study species. In local neighborhood analyses, the spatial autocorrelation of seedling survival was important at small spatial scales (1–5 m) but decayed rapidly with increasing distance. Relative seedling height had the greatest effect on seedling survival. Conspecific seedling density had a more negative effect on survival than heterospecific seedling density and was stronger and extended farther in rare species than in common species. Taken together, the CCT and neighborhood analyses suggest that seedling mortality is coupled more strongly to the landscape-scale abundance of conspecific large trees in common species and the local density of conspecific seedlings in rare species. We conclude that negative density dependence could promote species coexistence in this rain forest community but that the scale dependence of interactions differs between rare and common species

Co-evolution and co-adaptation in protein networks

AbstractInteracting or functionally related proteins have been repeatedly shown to have similar phylogenetic trees. Two main hypotheses have been proposed to explain this fact. One involves compensatory changes between the two protein families (co-adaptation). The other states that the tree similarity may be an indirect consequence of the involvement of the two proteins in similar cellular process, which in turn would be reflected by similar evolutionary pressure on the corresponding sequences. There are published data supporting both propositions, and currently the available information is compatible with both hypotheses being true, in an scenario in which both sets of forces are shaping the tree similarity at different levels