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TwinsMX registry is a national research initiative in Mexico that aims to understand the complex interplay between genetics and environment in shaping physical and mental health traits among the country's population. With a multidisciplinary approach, TwinsMX aims to advance our knowledge of the genetic and environmental mechanisms underlying ethnic variations in complex traits and diseases, including behavioral, psychometric, anthropometric, metabolic, cardiovascular and mental disorders. With information gathered from over 2800 twins, this article updates the prevalence of several complex traits; and describes the advances and novel ideas we have implemented such as magnetic resonance imaging. The future expansion of the TwinsMX registry will enhance our comprehension of the intricate interplay between genetics and environment in shaping health and disease in the Mexican population. Overall, this report describes the progress in the building of a solid database that will allow the study of complex traits in the Mexican population, valuable not only for our consortium, but also for the worldwide scientific community, by providing new insights of understudied genetically admixed populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Chapingo Serie Horticultura is the property of Universidad Autonoma Chapingo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and aims: Hippeastrinae originated in South America and then migrated to North America. Mexico represents a center of diversity of the group and the Mexican Transition Zone concentrates the highest species richness. The aims of this work were to estimate the species richness of Hippeastrinae in Mexico, to analyze the geographic distribution and to identify areas of richness. M&M: A database was created from herbarium specimens, electronic resources, and literature. Using geographic information systems, we estimated the species richness and distribution by state, region and biogeographic province; vegetation type, latitude, longitude and elevation. Additionally, the species richness was analyzed using a grid cell of 50 × 50 km2 . Results: Fourty-five species of Hippeastrinae occur in Mexico. The database integrated 1359 georeferenced records. Hippeastrinae was recorded in 31 states, in all regions, biogeographic provinces and vegetation types. It occurs from 15.9 to 31.8° latitude, from 88.2 to 118.3° longitude and from 0 to 3508 m a.s.l. San Luis Potosí had the greatest species richness and endemism. The Neotropical region host the largest number of species. The Sierra Madre Oriental province harbors the greatest species richness and the richest cells. The group resulted particularly diverse in coniferous and oak forest, xeric shrubland and agriculture-aquaculture farmland. Conclusions: Hippeastrinae exhibit a modern neotropical pattern of richness and distribution. The species richness and endemism were concentrated in the Neotropical region and the Mexican Transition Zone. The Sierra Madre Oriental is a center of diversity of the group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intention of the study is to identify the development of personal skills, as well as the increase of job satisfaction and productivity of the employee, as a result of their participation in high performance teams. Volunteered in the study 139 members of self-managed teams belonging to the Production Area, 39 of Operational Administrative teams, 19 members of Cross-Functional teams and 6 of 6-Sigma Projects, all of them belonging to a company of the Maquiladora Industry in Tijuana, B.C., Mexico. The study indicates that 100% of the members of the Production Area teams and the Operational Administrative teams developed some personal skills or increased their satisfaction or productivity as a result of their participation in some kind of self-managed team. In Cross-Functional teams members, the changes took place in the 94.3% of the cases and in the 97% of the 6-Sigma teams' members. There was also a significant difference found between the results of the four types of self-managed teams studied. This paper provides information to CEOs regarding the importance of the design and the implementation of working programs for self-managed teams; these not only will strengthen the employee achievement of a greater satisfaction and productivity, but will also allow them to develop personal skills.

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Agrícolas is the property of Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agricolas y Pecuarias and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The local population in an agricultural field in Puebla State's sub-urban has been affected by the prolonged drought periods and exceptional precipitation events of 2021, modifying the urban, agricultural, and industrial activities in the region. The main objective is to identify the geohydrology, climatology, geophysical, and geomechanics proxies to understand the new phenomenon that led to the formation of the sinkhole in the non-karstic zone. The results revealed that the sand and silt particles of the volcanic sediments have been removed from the agricultural subsoil probably due to the intense exploitation of groundwater. Moreover, the exploitation strata indicated the existence of organic silt at 15 and 25 m, with high compressibility, less mass volume, and high water saturation conditions. Henceforth, these strata were considered as anomalies with low resistivity that are related to strong fluctuations in the water table that favored the collapse. Results of the void calculation formulation and the correlation with the removal of sediments of erosive susceptibility in the subsoil strata adjacent to the sinkhole demonstrate that the removal of sediments causes the collapse due to removal of finer sediments. The data integration allows us to determine that the sinkhole has been formed because of a combination of factors such as subsoil erosive conditions, extraordinary hydrometeorological events, hydraulic gradient flows, and the intense exploitation of groundwater in the region. Detecting the causes of sinkholes can predict the susceptibility of the territories, elaborate strategies to avoid risk, anticipate response–mitigation actions, and sustain the water safety plans for sustainable public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Baghdad Science Journal is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: this study evaluated burnout symptoms among physicians and nurses before, during and after COVID-19 care. Method: a cross-sectional comparative study in the Pulmonary Care unit of a tertiary-level public hospital. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was used. Results: 280 surveys were distributed across three periods: before (n=80), during (n=105) and after (n=95) COVID-19 care; 172 surveys were returned. The response rates were 57.5%, 64.8% and 61.1%, respectively. The prevalence of severe burnout was 30.4%, 63.2% and 34.5% before, during and after COVID-19 care (p<0.001). Emotional exhaustion (p<0.001) and depersonalization (p=0.002) symptoms were more prevalent among nurses than among physicians. Severe burnout was more prevalent in women, nurses and night shift staff. Conclusion: the high prevalence of burnout doubled in the first peak of hospital admissions and returned to pre-pandemic levels one month after COVID-19 care ended. Burnout varied by gender, shift and occupation, with nurses among the most vulnerable groups. Focus on early assessment and mitigation strategies are required to support nurses not only during crisis but permanently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infant feeding practices are rapidly changing within rural areas in Mexico, including indigenous communities. The aim of this study was to compare infant feeding recommendations between grandmothers and healthcare providers, to better understand the factors that may influence these practices within these communities. This study builds on research that recognizes the legacy of colonization as an ongoing process that impacts the lives of people through many pathways, including the substandard healthcare systems available to them. Methods: Qualitative study based on secondary data analysis from interviews and focus groups guided by a socioecological framework conducted in 2018 in two rural, Indigenous communities in Central Mexico. Participants were purposively selected mothers (n = 25), grandmothers (n = 11), and healthcare providers (n = 24) who offered care to children up to two years of age and/or their mothers. Data were coded and thematically analyzed to contrast the different perspectives of infant feeding recommendations and practices between mother, grandmothers, and healthcare providers. Results: Grandmothers and healthcare providers differed in their beliefs regarding appropriate timing to introduce non-milk foods and duration of breastfeeding. Compared to grandmothers, healthcare providers tended to believe that their recommendations were superior to those from people in the communities and expressed stereotypes reflected in negative attitudes towards mothers who did not follow their recommendations. Grandmothers often passed down advice from previous generations and their own experiences with infant feeding but were also open to learning from healthcare providers through government programs and sharing their knowledge with their daughters and other women. Given the contradictory recommendations from grandmothers and healthcare providers, mothers often were unsure which advice to follow. Conclusions: There are important differences between grandmothers and healthcare providers regarding infant feeding recommendations. Healthcare providers may perceive their recommendations as superior given the neocolonial structures of the medical system. Public health policies are needed to address the different recommendations mothers receive from different sources, by harmonizing them and following an evidence-informed approach. Breastfeeding programs need to value and to seek the participation of grandmothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human body is a complex system maintained in homeostasis thanks to the interactions between multiple physiological regulation systems. When faced with physical or biological perturbations, this system must react by keeping a balance between adaptability and robustness. The SARS-COV-2 virus infection poses an immune system challenge that tests the organism's homeostatic response. Notably, the elderly and men are particularly vulnerable to severe disease, poor outcomes, and death. Mexico seems to have more infected young men than anywhere else. The goal of this study is to determine the differences in the relationships that link physiological variables that characterize the elderly and men, and those that characterize fatal outcomes in young men. To accomplish this, we examined a database of patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 (471 men and 277 women) registered at the "Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán" in March 2020. The sample was stratified by outcome, age, and sex. Physiological networks were built using 67 physiological variables (vital signs, anthropometric, hematic, biochemical, and tomographic variables) recorded upon hospital admission. Individual variables and system behavior were examined by descriptive statistics, differences between groups, principal component analysis, and network analysis. We show how topological network properties, particularly clustering coefficient, become disrupted in disease. Finally, anthropometric, metabolic, inflammatory, and pulmonary cluster interaction characterize the deceased young male group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent evidence suggests that the average effects of microfinance on borrowers is more modest than previously claimed. We carry out an experiment to test whether an intervention designed to increase aspirational hope among borrowers can elevate microfinance impacts. In collaboration with a microfinance lender in Mexico, we produced a documentary featuring successful borrowers within the organization and designed and implemented a hope curriculum rooted in positive psychology (Snyder, 1994), which conceptualizes hope as aspirations, agency, and pathways. Bank officers incorporated this curriculum into their regular weekly meetings with a randomly treated half of 52 women's savings and credit groups with 733 women over the course of one year. We find that the intervention modestly increased indices measuring both aspirational hope and microenterprise performance over this time period. The intervention significantly increased employment and plans to hire new employees. Increases in microenterprise sales and profits were positive but statistically insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Endocrinología, Metabolismo y Nutrición is the property of Publicidad Permanyer SLU and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: As Mexico continues to develop, an epidemiological and nutritional transition has led to an increase in infant formula use in its rural and indigenous communities. Our objective was to determine the social and cultural factors that influence the use of formula in such populations in Central Mexico.Design: Qualitative study using a data collection instrument based on the socio-ecological framework.Setting: Two rural and indigenous communities in Central Mexico.Participants: Mothers, fathers, grandparents and healthcare providers.Results: Breast-feeding was favoured in both communities; however, several cultural traditions hindered exclusive breast-feeding. As these communities became more developed, emerging ideas of modernity led to negative connotations about breast-feeding and many mothers began to view formula as a complement for breast-feeding. Formula was seen as a convenient solution for breast pain, insufficient milk and body image. Healthcare providers promoted the use of formula through their own beliefs, information, communication and conflicts of interest with formula industry representatives. The recent social and economic changes in these communities combined with the increased advertising and availability of breast milk substitutes have facilitated the preference for formula.Conclusions: Women in rural, indigenous communities in Central Mexico are increasingly using formula. Efforts at the policy and institutional levels are needed to protect mothers and their children from the detrimental consequences of unregulated formula promotion and the formula culture that it brings with it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few randomized controlled trials with a midterm follow-up have compared matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT) with microfracture (MFx) for knee cartilage lesions. Purpose: To compare the structural, clinical, and safety outcomes at midterm follow-up of MACT versus MFx for treating symptomatic knee cartilage lesions. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: A total of 48 patients aged between 18 and 50 years, with 1- to 4-cm2 International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) grade III to IV knee chondral lesions, were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the MACT and MFx treatment groups. A sequential prospective evaluation was performed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2 mapping, the MOCART (magnetic resonance observation of cartilage repair tissue) score, second-look arthroscopic surgery, patient-reported outcome measures, the responder rate (based on achieving the minimal clinically important difference for the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score [KOOS] pain and KOOS Sport/Recreation), adverse events, and treatment failure (defined as a reoperation because of symptoms caused by the primary defect and the detachment or absence of >50% of the repaired tissue during revision surgery). Results: Overall, 35 patients (18 MACT and 17 MFx) with a mean chondral lesion size of 1.8 ± 0.8 cm2 (range, 1-4 cm2) were followed up to a mean of 6 years postoperatively (range, 4-9 years). MACT demonstrated significantly better structural outcomes than MFx at 1 to 6 years postoperatively. At final follow-up, the MRI T2 mapping values of the repaired tissue were 37.7 ± 8.5 ms for MACT versus 46.4 ± 8.5 ms for MFx (P =.003), while the MOCART scores were 59.4 ± 17.3 and 42.4 ± 16.3, respectively (P =.006). More than 50% defect filling was seen in 95% of patients at 2 years and 82% at 6 years in the MACT group and in 67% at 2 years and 53% at 6 years in the MFx group. The second-look ICRS scores at 1 year were 10.7 ± 1.3 for MACT and 9.0 ± 1.8 for MFx (P =.001). Both groups showed significant clinical improvements at 6 years postoperatively compared with their preoperative status. Significant differences favoring the MACT group were observed at 2 years on the KOOS Activities of Daily Living (P =.043), at 4 years on all KOOS subscales (except Symptoms; P <.05) and the Tegner scale (P =.008), and at 6 years on the Tegner scale (P =.010). The responder rates at 6 years were 53% and 77% for MFx and MACT, respectively. There were no reported treatment failures after MACT; the failure rate was 8.3% in the MFx group. Neither group had serious adverse events related to treatment. Conclusion: Patients who underwent MACT had better structural outcomes than those who underwent MFx at 1 to 6 years postoperatively. Both groups of patients showed significant clinical improvements at final follow-up compared with their preoperative status. MACT showed superiority at 4 years for the majority of the KOOS subscales and for the Tegner scale at 4 to 6 years. The MACT group also had a higher responder rate and lower failure rate at final follow-up. Registration: NCT01947374 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To identify the factors affecting the demand for berries in Mexican households, as well as the behavior in face of variations in economic income. Design/Methodology/Approach: In order to analyze the demand, microdata were used from the National Income- Expenditure Survey of Households 2018 (Encuesta Nacional Ingreso Gasto de los Hogares, ENIGH) from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática, INEGI), and for its modelling the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) model was used. Results: Because of their Marshallian elasticity, berries are an elastic good (-1.0316), and because of their expenditure elasticity they are a luxury good (1.0691). In terms of crossed Marshallian elasticities, sweet fruits and sugary beverages were identified as substitute goods with elasticity of 0.0013 and 0.0380, respectively, while semi-acid fruits and melons would be complementary goods, with elasticities of -0.0191 and -0.0184, respectively. Study Limitations/Implications: Given that most of the time series of the berries lack disaggregation and sufficient information, it is difficult to analyze each component of the group separately; therefore, it was decided to analyze the group of berries and its relationship with other goods; in addition, the ENIGH database was selected, which provides more information. Conclusions: There are state differences in the response to changes in prices and income with regard to the demand for berries, so that facing a generalized increase in household income consumption would increase much more in the center of the country than in the south-southeast. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ra Ximhai is the property of Universidad Autonoma Indigena de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Yellow rust (YR) or stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striformis f. sp tritici Eriks (Pst), is a major challenge to resistance breeding in wheat. A genome wide association study (GWAS) was performed using 22,415 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and 591 haplotypes to identify genomic regions associated with resistance to YR in a subset panel of 419 pre-breeding lines (PBLs) developed at International Center for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CIMMYT). The 419 PBLs were derived from an initial set of 984 PBLs generated by a three-way crossing scheme (exotic/elite1//elite2) among 25 best elites and 244 exotics (synthetics, landraces) from CIMMYT's germplasm bank. For the study, 419 PBLs were characterized with 22,415 high-quality DArTseq-SNPs and phenotyped for severity of YR disease at five locations in Mexico. A population structure was evident in the panel with three distinct subpopulations, and a genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) decay of 2.5 cM was obtained. Across all five locations, 14 SNPs and 7 haplotype blocks were significantly (P < 0.001) associated with the disease severity explaining 6.0 to 14.1% and 7.9 to 19.9% of variation, respectively. Based on average LD decay of 2.5 cM, identified 14 SNP–trait associations were delimited to seven quantitative trait loci in total. Seven SNPs were part of the two haplotype blocks on chromosome 2A identified in haplotypes-based GWAS. In silico analysis of the identified SNPs showed hits with interesting candidate genes, which are related to pathogenic process or known to regulate induction of genes related to pathogenesis such as those coding for glunolactone oxidase, quinate O-hydroxycinnamoyl transferase, or two-component histidine kinase. The two-component histidine kinase, for example, acts as a sensor in the perception of phytohormones ethylene and cytokinin. Ethylene plays a very important role in regulation of multiple metabolic processes of plants, including induction of defense mechanisms mediated by jasmonate. The SNPs linked to the promising genes identified in the study can be used for marker-assisted selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this single center cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between fructose intake and albuminuria in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This is a single center cross-sectional study. One hundred and forty-three subjects with T2DM were recruited from the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Medicas y Nutricion Salvador Zubiran. The median daily fructose intake was estimated with a prospective food registry during 3 days (2 week-days and one weekend day) and they were divided into low fructose intake (<25 g/day) and high fructose intake (≥ 25 g/day). Complete clinical and biochemical evaluations were performed, including anthropometric variables and a 24-hour urine collection for albuminuria determination. One hundred and thirty-six subjects were analyzed in this study. We found a positive significant association between daily fructose intake and albuminuria (ρ= 0.178, p=0.038) in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Other variables significantly associated with albuminuria were body mass index (BMI) (ρ= 0.170, p=0.048), mean arterial pressure (MAP) (ρ= 0.280, p=0.001), glycated hemoglobin (A1c) (ρ= 0.197, p=0.022), and triglycerides (ρ= 0.219, p=0.010). After adjustment for confounding variables we found a significant and independent association between fructose intake and albuminuria (β= 13.96, p=0.006). We found a statistically significant higher albuminuria (60.8 [12.8-228.5] versus 232.2 [27.2-1273.0] mg/day, p 0.002), glycated hemoglobin (8.6±1.61 versus 9.6±2.1 %), p= 0.003, and uric acid (6.27±1.8 versus 7.2±1.5 mg/dL), p=0.012, in the group of high fructose intake versus the group with low fructose intake, and a statistically significant lower creatinine clearance (76.5±30.98 mL/min versus 94.9±36.8, p=0.014) in the group with high fructose intake versus the group with low fructose intake. In summary we found that a higher fructose intake is associated with greater albuminuria in subjects with T2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To investigate factors associated with insulin adherence in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) attending a tertiary care centre in Mexico City. Material and Methods. Cross-sectional study, including 200 patients. Adherence to insulin therapy was measured with a medication adherence questionnaire. Sociodemographic data and factors related to insulin omission were collected and compared between the nonadherent and adherent groups. Results. We categorized 117 (58.5%) patients as nonadherent and 83 (41.5%) as adherent. Among the adherent, only 22 patients (11%) had excellent adherence to insulin therapy. The following factors were associated with nonadherence: lack of planning of daily activities (46.1%), fear of hypoglycemia (41%), economic factors (15.4%), and number of insulin applications (2.31 versus 1.76 applications per day). Conclusions. In this study, patients with type 2 diabetes attending a tertiary care referral centre showed inadequate adherence to insulin therapy. The principal factors associated with insulin omission were low socioeconomic status, fear of hypoglycemia, and a greater number of insulin applications per day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material and Method. This is a prospective, cross-sectional, and correlational study with a probabilistic sampling in which 150 teenagers from three different high schools from the city of Toluca, Mexico, aged 15–17, were assessed. Objective. To determine if weight, age, and gender have an influence on physical fitness evaluated with the EUROFIT and ALPHA-FITNESS batteries. Results. Women have a higher overweight and obesity rate than men (3 : 1). Adolescents who have normal weight have regular physical fitness (74.9%). When comparing genders we found that men have a higher mean than women in the tests, except for skinfold thickness and waist circumference. Age was only correlated with the plate tapping test (p=0.001). There are significant differences in the standing broad jump test and the Course-Navette of the EUROFIT and ALPHA-FITNESS batteries (p=0.000). Conclusions. It is likely that regular physical activity, and not normal weight, helps generate healthy physical fitness. Male subjects had a higher mean than women, reporting a better physical fitness and more frequent physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the conditional dependence of stock market in Mexico and the United States is studied. Symmetric Joe-Clayton copula is used and conditional probabilities of increases (decreases) in Mexico stock index when there are increases (decreases) in the U.S. stock index are estimated. For the marginal distributions, AR-TGARCH and AR-EGARCH models with a standardized Student's t distribution for innovations are proposed. Empirical results suggest that there is a high degree of conditional dependence in the tails, presenting higher volatility on the upper (right) tail throughout the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented regarding the difference between capillary and venous blood cell counts in adult patients with haematological disease with the use of nonautomated lancet.

Copyright of Estudios Politicos is the property of Facultad de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Since 2000, the city of Chihuahua had a distribution system of treated wastewater for irrigation of green areas and has replaced this water for processes that do not require the consumption of drinking water. This replacement was necessary in order to meet the growing demand for potable water, which has exceeded the current supply of 700 L (184,88 gallons) per second. Nowadays it is necessary to identify and assess the risks to public health and the environment due to the substitution of drinking water by treated wastewater in the last 10 yr. Treated wastewater contains compounds whose effects have not been evaluated when used for irrigation in public green areas. Therefore, it is not known whether there is a danger to the health of park visitors due to exposure and/or inhalation of the emitted gases, accidental ingestion of water, or impact to the environment. The purpose of the research, using an experimental prototype, is to identify the changes from nitrogen present in the treated wastewater to nitrous oxide. The research objective is the generation of data to simulate a regional scale at this stage, which will be analyzed and statistically validated using Minitab and Origin software. The experiment was performed using three different samples to compare water quality: drinking water, treated wastewater, and water with nitrogen-based fertilizer (urea). Prototypes were filled with two types of soil: sand and clay. Each type of water was sprinkled on the prototype, grass was planted in it, and the prototype was equipped with samplers to capture the gas in the root zone. The authors found high emissions of nitrous oxide in the clay-filled lysimeters, and climate and growing conditions of vegetation were the most important factors for producing nitrous oxide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the portrayal in the press of those who committed suicide in the province of Yucatan, Mexico, during the presidency of Porfirio Díaz in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period known as the Porfiriato. The author considers the role of the industrialization and modernization of Mexico in the increased suicide rate. He also describes an attempt by the press to present reasons as to why the suicides were committed, which included depression, alcoholism, illness, and failed romantic relationships.

The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) questionnaire is a brief measure available in Spanish which needs to be validated for the Mexican population. Parents of children from (1) community with typical development (TD) and (2) psychiatric outpatient unit completed the CBCL/1.5-5 and the Mexican/MM-CHAT-version. The study sample consisted of 456 children (age M = 4.46, SD = 1.12), 74.34% TD children and 26.65% with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The MM-CHAT mean score for failed key items was higher for the ASD group compared with the TD group. Internal consistency for the Mexican/M-CHAT version was .76 for total score and .70 for the 6 critical items. Correlations between the MM-CHAT and the CBCL/1.5: PDD and Withdrawn subscales and with ADI-R dimensions: B non verbal) and A were high, and were moderate with ADI-R dimensions B1 (verbal) and C The failure rate of the MM-CHAT between the groups did not reproduce all the critical items found in other studies. Although the instrument has good psychometric properties and can be used for screening purposes in primary settings or busy specialized psychiatric clinics, these results support evidence for cultural differences in item responses, making it difficult to compare M-CHAT results internationally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: There is considerable disagreement on the effects of different soil conditions on the growth of Jatropha curcas L., although different reports agree on some factors, such as a preference for sandy soils over clay soils. This paper presents results on the growth of seedlings of a low-toxic Mexican cultivar in three different soils from the SE of Mexico. The Mexican seeds were sown in soils of different textures: sandy, sandy-loam and clay-loam. The germinated seedlings were monitored during a period of one month. Then, they were uprooted to record below and above ground morphological parameters and dry matter weight. Stem lengths, root collar diameter, length and diameter of the five main roots, number of true leaves and dry matter were analyzed using one-way ANOVA. The soils used were subjected to a chemical analysis to determine soil nutrient contents, which revealed that clay-loam soil had the highest nutrient content, followed by the sandy-loam, while sandy soil presented the lowest values. It was found that seedlings grown in sandy-loam soil were significantly taller than those in clay-loam and sandy substrates (P ≤ 0.05). Root collar diameter, root diameter, number of true leaves and dry matter weight did not present significant differences between plants grown in sandy-loam and clay-loam soils, however they showed significant differences when compared with plants grown in sandy soil. Therefore it can be concluded that development of seedlings in sandy-loam soils was greater, followed by those in clay-loam, while the poorest performance of the seedlings was recorded in sandy soil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad is the property of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Instituto de Biologia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Spatiotemporal fitting by the least squares method is commonly applied to distinguish the mean flow from the tidal current from shipboard ADCP data in coastal ocean. To analyze this technique in a pelagic region of an eastern boundary current system, a 6-yr period of shipboard ADCP data off Baja California is examined. A diverse set of basis functions is studied and a global tidal model is used for comparison purposes. The Gaussian function together with a nodal configuration of one node in the middle and close to the coast of the region is the best option. However, to obtain the optimal solution, the geostrophic flow, which is stronger than the tidal flow and highly variable off Baja California, might be removed prior to fitting the data. In general, the semimajor axis of the tidal ellipse ( M2) is parallel to the coast and the phase speed is poleward and parallel to the coast, in agreement with Kelvin wave dynamics. Because the tides in eastern boundary currents are explained by Kelvin wave dynamics, the use of both the velocity field without geostrophic variability and the Gaussian function in the spatiotemporal fitting by least squares technique is a promising tool for detiding shipboard ADCP data from these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To estimate the incidence of complications, life expectancy and diabetes related mortality in the Mexican diabetic population over the next two decades using data from a nation-wide, population based survey and the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) outcome model Methods: The cohort included all patients with type 2 diabetes evaluated during the National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANut) 2006. ENSANut is a probabilistic multistage stratified survey whose aim was to measure the prevalence of chronic diseases. A total of 47,152 households were visited. Results are shown stratified by gender, time since diagnosis (> or ≤ to 10 years) and age at the time of diagnosis (> or ≤ 40 years). Results: The prevalence of diabetes in our cohort was 14.4%. The predicted 20 year-incidence for chronic complications per 1000 individuals are: ischemic heart disease 112, myocardial infarction 260, heart failure 113, stroke 101, and amputation 62. Furthermore, 539 per 1000 patients will have a diabetes-related premature death. The average life expectancy for the diabetic population is 10.9 years (95%CI 10.7-11.2); this decreases to 8.3 years after adjusting for quality of life (CI95% 8.1-8.5). Male sex and cases diagnosed after age 40 have the highest risk for developing at least one major complication during the next 20 years. Conclusions: Based on the current clinical profile of Mexican patients with diabetes, the burden of disease related complications will be tremendous over the next two decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the first report of an ongoing research to establish a sarcosaprophagous arthropod database in the Coahuilan semidesert. Seven pigs ( Sus scrofa L.) were used as human models to determine succession in an open urban area during the 2007 winter–spring period. Arthropods were collected manually and from pitfall traps. Carcass biomass loss, as well as arthropod colonization, was recorded during 71 days postmortem. Five decomposition stages were identified during which most abundant orders were found to be Diptera, Coleoptera, and Hymenoptera. Lucilia sericata (Meigen), Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart), Necrobia rufipes (DeGeer), Dermestes maculatus (DeGeer), Pheidole hyatti Emery, and Pogonomyrmex rugosus Emery stood out as dominant species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The states of Tabasco and Chiapas in Mexico concentrate a great number of important oil installations from which acid emissions have presumably affected various metallic materials and public health in many areas surrounding such installations. The objective of the present study was to determine the affected areas in the south region of Mexico, particularly Tabasco and Chiapas, due to sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions generated from oil installations. For the analysis of the data, three sources were employed: 1) in situ plumb peroxide spark plugs and sulfating plates, 2) SO2 data base registered in six atmospheric monitoring stations and 3) SO2 emission factors combined with an atmospheric dispersion model (ISC3). In accordance to the regulation ISO-9223 for sulfate deposition, the results showed that the maximum corrosion radii of the industrial type (0.04-0.09 mg m-3) were up to 2 km in the southwest (SW) direction from the oil installations; while the maximum corrosion radii of the exceptional type (> 0.09 mg m-3) were found to be 0.7 km in the same SW direction. Apparently, the main local communities nearby the major oil installations were not affected by SO2 concentrations which did not exceed the Mexican environmental legislation (80 μg m-3 annual average; NOM-022-SSA1-1993). However, the values computed with the dispersion model indicated that Reforma-Chiapas was exposed from medium to high SO2 concentrations (> 0.03 ppm). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many arboreal forms of the genus Croton (ca. 800 spp.), amply distributed in the Americas, have latex-producing cells in their bark, which is widely used in traditional medicine to treat skin infections and some forms of cancer. Studies validate its ethnomedicinal use-more than 20 pharmaceutically important secondary metabolites have been reported for its latex and bark - but anatomical and ecological studies are scarce. Given this species' ample distribution, laticifer abundance could be affected by the environment. We tested this for genetically similar trees growing in two types of vegetation in Veracruz, Mexico at sites commonly visited by traditional doctors. We describe the bark anatomy of C. draco, focusing on the laticifers, histochemically characterize the bark and the latex extracted from it, and document differences in laticifer abundance in the two environments. We have also identified another cell type (what we call type B) in the secretory latex system and describe it histochemically and microscopically. The location of bark cells that contain essential oils is reported here for the first time. Given the genetic similarity of the trees at both sites, the between-site variation in the number of laticifers in stem and branch bark appears to be an effect of the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes the impact of exposure to secondhand smoke for subjects who spend time in a discotheque, by comparing within-subject baseline and postexposure urinary cotinine levels. A total of 100 nonsmoking volunteers from a central region of Mexico provided a urine sample before entering a discotheque and another sample an average of 6 hr after the end of exposure. Concentrations of cotinine and its metabolite, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine, were measured in the urine by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. In females the average preexposure level of urinary cotinine was 2.2 ng/ml, and the average postexposure level was significantly higher, at 15.7 ng/ml. In males the average preexposure level of cotinine was 3.7 ng/ml, compared with 49.1 ng/ml in the postexposure assessment. The highest postexposure values were found in men younger than 22 years old with a value of 469.5 ng/ml. Exposure to secondhand smoke is a serious health risk. Our findings are important given that many of our subjects were exposed to substantial amounts of secondhand smoke in discotheques, as evidenced by the high urinary cotinine and 3'-hydroxycotinine concentrations. These findings support the need to prohibit smoking in discotheques to protect nonsmokers' health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wastes were collected (cocoa husk, sugarcane bagasse, sugarcane filter cake and bovine manure) in Tabasco State, México. These were vermicomposted, mixed and pretreated for temperature stabilization. The wastes were then vermicomposted with earthworms of the specie Eisenia andrei. Data were collected 60 days after the earthworms were inoculated. The vermicompost obtained was also chemically characterized. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the survival of earthworms (Sv) in several wastes and to assess the capacity of the earthworms to produce vermicompost (Vp). Waste with high C/N ratio had lower Vp, although the Sv was not affected. The C/N ratio was closely associated with the quality of organic matter (OM); when wastes had high content of nitrogen compounds, the C/N ratio decreased. The integration of cocoa husk in the treatment improved Sv, while the mixture of tilter cake and bovine manure (1:1) was the optimum treatment for Vp. Important changes concerning the chemical characteristics of the vermicompost due to the influence of earthworms were not observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has an estimated prevalence of 3% around the world. Unfortunately, many persons with HCV infection are asymptomatic. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C Virus infection in asymptomatic persons. This study was carried out in a population-based cross-sectional study in the Checkup Unit of University Hospital in Mexico City. Patients with two or more HCV risk factors were studied. Serum specimens from all patients were screened for HCV RNA by qualitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). HCV RNA-positive serum was also screened by quantitative PCR and for HCV genotype. Three hundred asymptomatic people were included, 194 men and 106 women, with a mean age of 46.8+/-11.9. Six (2%) of the 300 people were positive and viremic. The most common risk factors in positive patients were manicures or pedicures with a nonpersonal instrument and more than three sexual partners. We concluded that hepatitis C is frequent in asymptomatic people, and those people are often viremic. In addition, this study suggests that the spectrum of liver disease in asymptomatic and newly diagnosed HCV-positive persons is broad. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

US companies seeking cheaper labor or extraordinary returns have often seen foreign direct investment as a panacea. However, many of these companies founder on the horns of a control dilemma. While raw economic data such as labor rates prove to be true, productivity and decision-making styles are so different that companies fail to maximize their investment returns. This situation is worsened as companies attempt to impose culturally inappropriate home country controls on their foreign investment. This study examines one of the potential sources of failure, escalation of commitment, which occurs when decision-makers over-commit incremental resources to failing investments without reasonable probability of recovery. This behavior has been widely documented in US domestic literature (see , for a summary). However, there is also some evidence that such behavior is culturally bounded ( ). This study extends previous findings on cross-cultural differences in decision-making among managers by comparing the responses of managers in the USA and Mexico to an escalation of commitment exercise. The cross-cultural validity of two US based theories, agency (adverse selection) and framing (prospect theory), is tested. The results indicate that at base Mexican managers were more risk seeking. However managers from the more individualistic USA were significantly more likely than Mexican managers to escalate in the presence of agency (adverse selection) based incentives. Negative framing among managers was universal in escalating commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Holbox Island (with its coastal lagoon, Yalahau Lagoon) located in the littoral zone at the north-eastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, Gulf of Mexico, is a relatively undisturbed ecosystem that is currently under threat from unplanned and intensive urban development. Although other ecosystems in this littoral zone have been studied to determine the basic requirements for sustainable development, little information about Holbox Island exists. Thus far, no data concerning coastal pollution in Yalahau Lagoon have been published. As part of a larger, on-going study, this article reports the results of analyses to determine the temporal and spatial variations of standard physical and chemical parameters and to evaluate the relationships among these parameters. Water and sediment samples collected from 42 stations during two seasons of the year (rainy and dry seasons) were analyzed using standard methods. The results indicate that, in general, the area is relatively undisturbed by human influence. Dissolved oxygen content was lower than 4 ml l[sup -1] and the percentage of oxygen saturation lower than 90%, suggesting that the site supports higher consumption than production of oxygen. Nitrogen is mostly present as ammonium and low concentrations of nitrate; nitrite, and phosphate indicate that eutrophication is not widespread in the area. Sediments are mostly sandy,containing less than 10% organic matter at most stations. The redox potential of sediments was negative for all samples. Water quality at stations in the proximity of boating and dumping activities shows higher degradation than at other stations within the lagoon. These preliminary results provide the opportunity to construct a baseline for coastal water quality,prior to impending urban development, and may serve to determine whether the future natural and development processes have impact on the conditions and health of coastal ecosystems around Holbox Island. In addition, because the area is, as yet, relatively undisturbed, the data reported here allow us to take stock of the extent to which other sites in the Yucatan littoral zone have already been degraded by human development activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents unusual cases of multiple sulfatase deficiency with variable enzymatic deficiency of arylsulfatases A, B and C. Characteristics of symptoms of patients; Presence of olivopontocerebellar atrophy; Absence of mucopolysaccharides in the urine of subjects.

Discusses issues and challenges in the requalification of offshore platforms in Mexico. Requalification process before 1995; Offshore platforms assessment; International issues in requalification of offshore structure; Presence of Hurricane Roxanne in the Bay of Campeche; Evaluation of offshore platforms after Hurricane Roxanne; Transient criteria development.

The article identifies the most serious problems encountered by the U.S. motor carriers in cross-border trade to Mexico. Though the dominant mode of transportation, cross-border trucking is not without its problems. National interests, the necessity of customs clearance, and the less developed transportation system and logistics management practices in Mexico result in disrupted service, excessive handling, time delays, and added costs. An extensive search was conducted to find a directory of U. S. motor carriers doing business with Mexico. The vast majority of the respondent carriers provide nationwide geographic coverage in both the U.S. and Mexico. There is strong interest in the U.S.-Mexico cross-border market as sixty carriers, or about 28 percent of the respondents, expressed intentions of entering this market by 1996. One might expect respondents to be even more satisfied with the Mexican carriers given that the respondents are still in the Mexican market.