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Knowing the number of pathogenic microbes in the street foods such as Escherichia coli, coliform, and molds present in street foods around the vicinity of LSPU – SCC was the focused of the study. Determination of the quality of the street foods such as banana cue, kikiam, kwek – kwek, minane, and siomai of which has a high level of safety in the street food around the vicinity of LSPU – SCC were considered. This study utilized the Descriptive research design and the mean in testing and gathering of data. The results reveled that all the street foods tested were safe from E. coli with the mean of ocfu/g and all at lss than 10 cfu/g or 0 count which gathered Satisfactory remarks. However, the findings revealed that the banana cue, minane and siomai were safe from coliform while kwek and kikiam were not with a value of 2800 cfu/g. In addition, all the street foods tested were safe from molds and the total mean of all the microbes present were 987.47 cfu/g which means that the street foods were Unsatisfactory level with 100cfu/g and above count and revealed that only banana cue, minane, and siomai are safe for human consumption while large amount of microbes were found in kikiam, and kwek -kwek which means that they are not safe for human and may cause disease.

Isoprene is the dominant non-methane organic compound emitted to the atmosphere1-3. It drives ozone and aerosol production, modulates atmospheric oxidation and interacts with the global nitrogen cycle4-8. Isoprene emissions are highly uncertain1,9, as is the nonlinear chemistry coupling isoprene and the hydroxyl radical, OH-its primary sink10-13. Here we present global isoprene measurements taken from space using the Cross-track Infrared Sounder. Together with observations of formaldehyde, an isoprene oxidation product, these measurements provide constraints on isoprene emissions and atmospheric oxidation. We find that the isoprene-formaldehyde relationships measured from space are broadly consistent with the current understanding of isoprene-OH chemistry, with no indication of missing OH recycling at low nitrogen oxide concentrations. We analyse these datasets over four global isoprene hotspots in relation to model predictions, and present a quantification of isoprene emissions based directly on satellite measurements of isoprene itself. A major discrepancy emerges over Amazonia, where current underestimates of natural nitrogen oxide emissions bias modelled OH and hence isoprene. Over southern Africa, we find that a prominent isoprene hotspot is missing from bottom-up predictions. A multi-year analysis sheds light on interannual isoprene variability, and suggests the influence of the El Nino/Southern Oscillation.

Inland sources of particulate chloride for atmospheric nitryl chloride (ClNO2) formation remain unknown and unquantified, hindering air quality assessments. Globally each winter, tens of millions of tons of road salt are spread on roadways for deicing. Here, we identify road salt aerosol as the primary chloride aerosol source, accounting for 80–100% of ClNO2 formation, at an inland urban area in the wintertime. This study provides experimental evidence of the connection between road salt and air quality through the production of this important reservoir for nitrogen oxides and chlorine radicals, which significantly impact atmospheric composition and pollutant fates. A numerical model was employed to quantify the contributions of chloride sources to ClNO2 production. The traditional method for simulating ClNO2 considers chloride to be homogeneously distributed across the atmospheric particle population; yet, we show that only a fraction of the particulate surface area contains chloride. Our new single-particle parametrization considers this heterogeneity, dramatically lowering overestimations of ClNO2 levels that have been routinely reported using the prevailing methods. The identification of road salt as a ClNO2 source links this common deicing practice to atmospheric composition and air quality in the urban wintertime environment., Road salt was identified as the primary source of chloride-containing aerosol in the wintertime urban atmosphere. This links deicing practices to air quality via the production of the trace gas ClNO2.

Bromine and chlorine chemistry in the Arctic atmospheric boundary layer has significant impacts on tropospheric ozone depletion and the fates of atmospheric pollutants, including mercury and hydroc...

Recent advances in machine learning have enabled image-based prediction of local tissue pathology in gliomas, but the clinical usefulness of these predictions is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the prognostic ability of imaging-based estimates of cellular density for patients with gliomas, with comparison to the gold standard reference of World Health Organization grading.Data from 1181 (207 grade II, 246 grade III, 728 grade IV) previously untreated patients with gliomas from a single institution were analyzed. A pretrained random forest model estimated voxelwise tumor cellularity using MR imaging data. Maximum cellular density was correlated with the World Health Organization grade and actual survival, correcting for covariates of age and performance status.A maximum estimated cellular density of7681 nuclei/mmImage-based estimation of glioma cellularity is a promising biomarker for predicting survival, approaching the prognostic power of World Health Organization grading, with added values of early availability, low risk, and low cost.

The gut microbiome of Mytilus chilensis was analyzed using a next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach using as target the V6-V8 16S rDNA gene regions. The resident gut bacterial communities were analyzed in individuals collected from two locations, both free-living in natural conditions (Wild Type group, WT) and those found in intensive commercial cultures at a Mussel Farm (MF group) off the Chilean coast. A total of 1.2 M of non-chimeric sequences were detected, belonging to 30 phyla, including Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroides, Tenericutes, and 404 genera taxa. The major fraction of the sequences detected corresponded to Vibrionaceae and Fusobacteriaceae families for MF and WT groups, respectively. The gut microbiome of M. chilensis showed a wide diversity of microorganisms; however, differences were observed depending on the origin of samples, where gut samples from the mussel farm showed a lower number of genera when compared to gut tissue samples collected from the wild type individuals. The dominant bacterial are Vibrio, Psychrilyobacter, Mycoplasma, and Psychromonas, that were present with different relative abundancies among the samples analyzed. This next generation sequencing technique, applied for the first time in Chilean mussel (M. chilensis), showed that the gut is a useful tissue for the study of bacterial communities in this bivalve mollusk. The results obtained in this work provided insights into the composition of the microbiota of M. chilensis, unravelling the great bacterial diversity and the effect of habitat on the bacterial community structure.

Due to the personal and relationship costs associated with attachment anxiety, there has been substantial interest in identifying factors that reduce attachment anxiety over time and buffer attachment anxiety in the moment. We integrated the Attachment Security Enhancement Model (ASEM) and the dependency paradox based in attachment theory to derive novel predictions about how perceived partner support predicts attachment anxiety prospectively (one year later) and concurrently. Newlyweds ( N = 326) reported their perceptions that their partners support their personal goals (i.e., perceived support for independence needs) and their perceptions that their partners provide reassurance/responsiveness (i.e., perceived support for dependence needs). We found that greater perceived support for personal goals predicted decreases in attachment anxiety over one year only among people who also perceived high partner reassurance/responsiveness, consistent with the idea that support for independence is most effective when partners also support dependence needs. We also observed evidence that this pattern was most pronounced among people with higher attachment anxiety. Regarding concurrent links, we found that perceiving greater partner reassurance/responsiveness predicted lower concurrent attachment anxiety, whereas perceived support for independent goals did not. Together, these findings extend the ASEM by highlighting that attachment anxiety declines over time when partners are perceived to support one’s needs for independence and dependence simultaneously.

We report on the development and integration of a cost-effective, open-source software-defined radio (SDR) receiver into a harmonic radar system to study the movement patterns of insect pollinators. A Raspberry Pi along with the SDR collects data to process it and subsequently transfers it wirelessly via an ad-hoc WiFi network to a host computer. This remote access receiver was programmed fully using Python. We describe the SDR system along with preliminary testing of the radar receiver in a laboratory setting.

We investigate the significance of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE, $k$) and its variability in the atmospheric surface layer (ASL), needed in many applications. The statistics of $k$ around its mean state is studied using the probability density function $p(k)$ for ASL flows with significant buoyancy forcing. A nonlinear Langevin equation that preserves $p(k)$ but allows linear relaxation of $k$ to its mean state is suggested and tested using multiple ASL data sets that span various stabilities and surface roughness conditions. Model parameters for the proposed Langevin equation are derived from similarity theory, reproducing measured $p(k)$ with minimal Kullback-Leibler divergence.

A new design of a Differential Mobility Analyzer (DMA) was tested with medium aerosol flow rates ranging from 1.5 to 10 slm and high-density particles. The vacuum-tight construction makes it possible to classify pure metal nanoparticles from production processes. The selectable electrical mobility range is comparable to the TSI Long and Nano DMA and covers the full nanometer scale from 15–600 nm. The Medium Flow-DMA (MF-DMA) is characterized by its transfer function, which was determined by a tandem DMA setup using a SMPS with Long DMA downstream. Silver nanoparticles with a density of 10.49 g cm−3 were used to demonstrate the size-selecting performance of high-density particles. The transfer function was calculated for aerosol to sheath gas flow ratios of 1/10, 1/5, and 1/3 directly from the SMPS data by a new method using modeling approach and comparison to the theory. Sufficiently high resolution was reached by increasing the SMPS scan time of the classified size distribution to 300 s. During the investigation, a broadened transfer function could be attributed to an inhomogeneous flow field resulting from the aerosol inlet design. The aerosol inlet of the MF-DMA was optimized by the number of inlet drillings and the opening of the inlet slit to achieve a more homogeneous flow field. CFD simulations of the MF-DMA also confirmed this. The modification improved the transfer function especially for medium aerosol flow rates above 5 slm. Copyright © 2019 American Association for Aerosol Research

As human encroachment increases in the Amazon rain forest, it is important to determine how anthropogenic emissions of reactive gases affect regional atmospheric chemistry. In the present study, we investigate the extent to which urban air plumes modify the levels of ozone (O3) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the downwind rain forest. The median mixing ratios of the background O3, NOX, and NOX oxidation products (NOZ) were 20 (15 parts per billion on a volume basis, ppbv), 0.6 ppbv (0.6 ppbv), and 1.0 ppbv (0.5 ppbv) during the dry (wet) season at the study site. Compared to the background environment, air plumes from the city of Manaus had enhanced median mixing ratios for O3 and NOZ by 30–50% and 40–90%, respectively. However, the enhancements of NOX in the air plumes were less than 20%, indicating that the majority of NOX was chemically converted to O3 and NOZ during transport. Results from a photochemical model showed that an injection of 8 ppbv of NOX into the rain forest can cause up to 260% and 150% increases in O3 and hydroxyl radical (OH) levels compared to the background conditions, indicating the likely extent that NOX can modify the air quality and oxidative capacity in the Amazon rain forest. Slopes of the O3-temperature linear relationships increased with NOX levels from 3.7 to 6.5 ppbv per degree Kelvin during the dry season and 1.7–5.5 ppbv per degree Kelvin during the wet season. Average rates of change of the slope with respect to NOZ were approximately 1.8 and 2.3 times higher than those with respect to NOX for the dry and wet seasons. One key conclusion of this study is that NOZ substantially contributed to the O3 formation in response to temperature under enhanced NOX conditions in the forested environment.

Resumen La diplopia consiste en la vision de dos imagenes a partir de un unico elemento. Constituye un sintoma prevalente que obedece a multitud de etiologias, comenzando por la miastenia gravis, en el caso de las diplopias fluctuantes, o la oftalmopatia tiroidea en pacientes con enfermedad de Graves. La neuropatia craneal isquemica es una de las causas mas frecuentes, pudiendo afectar a los tres nervios oculomotores. Debemos recordar que la paralisis del III nervio craneal con afectacion pupilar obliga a obtener una secuencia angiografica que descarte la presencia de un aneurisma intracraneal. El VI nervio craneal es especialmente sensible a la hipertension intracraneal y el IV se suele relacionar con traumatismos craneales. La afectacion de estructuras troncoencefalicas origina cuadros complejos, entre los que destaca la oftalmoplejia internuclear, habitualmente de causa isquemica o desmielinizante. Una cuidadosa anamnesis y exploracion permitiran identificar la estructura anatomica afectada y sus posibles etiologias, guiando el abordaje diagnostico y terapeutico. Diplopia is the simultaneous perception of two images of a single object. It's a prevalent symptom caused by a wide range of etiologies, like myasthenia gravis (fluctuating diplopia) or Graves’ disease (thyroid ophthalmopathy). The most common cause of dipoplia is cranial ischemic neuropathy, in which three ocular motor nerves can be involved. A pupil-involving third nerve palsy requires angiography evaluation for the possibility of an intracranial aneurysm. Intracranial hypertension is a frequent cause of sixth nerve palsy. Fourth nerve palsy usually occurs after cranial trauma. The involvement of brain-stem structures causes complex conditions, among which internuclear ophthalmoplegia, usually of ischemic or demyelinating origin, is noteworthy. Diagnostic and therapeutic approach is achieved by detailed anamnesis and thorough physical examination.

Nitrous acid (HONO) plays an important role in the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere during wintertime via photolysis to produce hydroxyl radicals (OH). While it is known that HONO is emitted from the Arctic snowpack, sparse observations of HONO in the midlatitude urban wintertime environment have hindered our understanding of cold-season atmospheric chemistry. In this study, measurements of ambient HONO, particulate nitrite (pN(III); N(III) = NO2(aq)– + HONO(aq) + H2ONO(aq)+), and snow nitrite (sN(III)) were conducted in Kalamazoo, Michigan during January–February 2018. Elevated levels of HONO and particulate nitrite were observed over snow-covered ground, likely due to emissions of HONO from the snowpack, as well as weak turbulent mixing in the atmospheric boundary layer. The noontime peak in HONO of 87 ± 60 (1σ) parts per trillion (ppt) over snow-covered ground suggests photochemical snowpack HONO production, likely in part through snowpack nitrate photolysis, with only a minor contribution from par...

In this paper, a design driven comparison between two 190 kVA industrial three-phase two-level voltage source converter (2L-VSC) designs based in silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) for 690 V grids is presented. These two designs were conceived to have the same nominal power, while switching at reasonable switching speeds and requiring the same case to ambient thermal impedance. Under these conditions, the designs were studied to detect the potential gains and limitations that a pragmatic converter design could feature when using these two technologies regarding cost, efficiency, size and weight. To achieve this, experimentally determined semiconductor characteristics were used to perform simulations, the results of which were then used to design the essential parts of the converter. These designed parts were then corroborated with manufacturers, from which physical characteristics of all designed components were obtained. The results show that the SiC based design presents substantial weight savings and an 11% system cost reduction, while preserving its traditional characteristics such as improved overall efficiency when compared to the silicon based design under the given design requirements and constraints.

The atmospheric multiphase reaction of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) with chloride-containing aerosol particles produces nitryl chloride (ClNO2), which has been observed across the globe. The photolysis of ClNO2 produces chlorine radicals and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which alter pollutant fates and air quality. However, the effects of local meteorology on near-surface ClNO2 production are not yet well understood, as most observational and modeling studies focus on periods of clear conditions. During a field campaign in Kalamazoo, Michigan from January–February 2018, N2O5 and ClNO2 were measured using chemical ionization mass spectrometry, with simultaneous measurements of atmospheric particulate matter and meteorological parameters. We examine the impacts of atmospheric turbulence, precipitation (snow, rain) and fog, and ground cover (snow-covered and bare ground) on the abundances of ClNO2 and N2O5. N2O5 mole ratios were lowest during periods of lower turbulence and were not statistically significantly different between snow-covered and bare ground. In contrast, ClNO2 mole ratios were highest, on average, over snow-covered ground, due to saline snowpack ClNO2 production. Both N2O5 and ClNO2 mole ratios were lowest, on average, during rainfall and fog because of scavenging, with N2O5 scavenging by fog droplets likely contributing to observed increased particulate nitrate concentrations. These observations, specifically those during active precipitation and with snow-covered ground, highlight important processes, including N2O5 and ClNO2 wet scavenging, fog nitrate production, and snowpack ClNO2 production, that govern the variability in observed atmospheric chlorine and nitrogen chemistry and are missed when considering only clear conditions.

In this paper, a design driven comparison between two 190 kVA industrial three-phase two-level voltage source converter (2L-VSC) designs based in silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) for 690 V grids is presented. These two designs were conceived to have the same nominal power, while switching at reasonable switching speeds and requiring the same case to ambient thermal impedance. Under these conditions, the designs were studied to detect the potential gains and limitations that a pragmatic converter design could feature when using these two technologies regarding cost, efficiency, size and weight. To achieve this, experimentally determined semiconductor characteristics were used to perform simulations, the results of which were then used to design the essential parts of the converter. These designed parts were then corroborated with manufacturers, from which physical characteristics of all designed components were obtained. The results show that the SiC based design presents substantial weight savings and an 11% system cost reduction, while preserving its traditional characteristics such as improved overall efficiency when compared to the silicon based design under the given design requirements and constraints.

The human gait is a set of locomotive movements that the human being has refined over time and that allow stable displacement and other vital postures for survival. Current technologies focus on the evaluation of biological signs so that subjects can control their health status. In the present study we propose an intelligent template that senses the plantar pressures, processes and sends the data to a computer or smartphone. The proposed system was tested in 10 healthy women and the maximum and minimum plantar pressures of two specific anatomical points were measured during walking. In addition, the user can know some biological parameters related to gait and weight, such as number of steps, body mass index, calories burned per minute during a normal gait. The proposed system seeks to be a support tool for common people and patients receiving therapies to recover their normal locomotion.

Frontline service is one of the most essential factors to determine good public governance in any of its offices. An effective and efficient frontline service requires proficient and knowledgeable staff to be assigned as frontlines. For the reason that they face the clients to assist them according to their needs, frontline jobs really an important factor in the delivery of services. As mentioned, frontline services are assigned to address the clients’ needs first hand. They are required to solve clients concern with their utmost skills in services delivery. Frontline also serves as the face of an agency or office. Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as one of government entity is created under the Executive Branch of the Philippine Government. It is the lead government agency that upholds and implements comprehensive and genuine agrarian reform which actualizes equitable land distribution, ownership, agricultural productivity, and tenurial security for, of, and with the tillers of the land towards the improvement of their quality of life through the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) through Land Tenure Improvement (LTI), Agrarian Justice and Coordinated delivery of essential Support Services to client beneficiaries (dar.gov.ph). Among the abovementioned programs, these all require a good and impressive frontline service. This study is focused on the assessment of the frontline services of the Department of Agrarian Reform Office – Laguna (DARPO-Laguna). There were three main categories or divisions that have been assessed: 1. Legal Services Division, 2. Land Tenure Services Program (LTSP) Division, and 3. General Frontline Services of DARPO-Laguna. Using the self-constructed questionnaire formulated from the DAR Employee Handbook and Service Performance Model (ServPerf Model), the researcher was able to gather data. These data gathered were tabulated and computed using weighted mean, frequency and percentage, and F-Value and p-value computations. There were three hundred seventy-seven (377) respondents in this study randomly selected from the group of farmers, landowners, Non-Government Organizations, Employees, and Researchers. It reveals from this study that, all the division in DARPO-Laguna that has frontline services including the General Frontline Services was with a great extend when assessed by the respondents. All dimensions and aspects included in this study are acceptable, it means that, in general, DARPO-Laguna Frontline Services is doing a good practice however, still necessitates improvement. In addition, the study found out that there are significant differences in respondents’ assessment when grouped according to their types . Based on the results and findings of the study, it is generally recommended that the management of DARPO-Laguna needs to continue its good practices and may opt to further enhance delivery of services to achieve the best clients’ satisfaction.

In this study, we evaluated the effect of land cover, atmospheric subsidence, and advection on the annual dynamics of atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) height from two contrasting sites. The first site is the Walker Branch forest, a deciduous forest of temperate climate, complex topography, and cloudy summers. The second site is the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a site of Mediterranean climate, flat terrain on a local scale, and clear summers. After testing a new algorithm to calculate ABL heights from 915 MHz radar wind profilers, we evaluated a hierarchy of three slab models to recreate the diurnal and annual patterns of ABL growth. We found that the lower ABL heights in the Delta, particularly during late summer, are driven by the combined effects of increased atmospheric subsidence and marine air advection. In both sites, the annual pattern of ABL height was strongly correlated to total daily incoming radiation, and in the Delta, the annual pattern of ABL height closely followed the seasonal patterns of sensible heat flux from a mosaic of different land covers. A land composite of latent and sensible heat fluxes obtained through a meso-network of eddy covariance measurements and the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) mission resulted in higher model skill, thus showing that land cover heterogeneity is an important driver of ABL growth. Model simulations show that in the Delta, restoring agricultural land to wetlands with large open water areas could result in a reduction of ABL height during those months with low subsidence and advection.

The atmospheric boundary layer mediates the exchange of energy, matter, and momentum between the land surface and the free troposphere, integrating a range of physical, chemical, and biological processes and is defined as the lowest layer of the atmosphere (ranging from a few meters to 3 km). In this review, we investigate how continuous, automated observations of the atmospheric boundary layer can enhance the scientific value of co-located eddy covariance measurements of land-atmosphere fluxes of carbon, water, and energy, as are being made at FLUXNET sites worldwide. We highlight four key opportunities to integrate tower-based flux measurements with continuous, long-term atmospheric boundary layer measurements: (1) to interpret surface flux and atmospheric boundary layer exchange dynamics and feedbacks at flux tower sites, (2) to support flux footprint modelling, the interpretation of surface fluxes in heterogeneous and mountainous terrain, and quality control of eddy covariance flux measurements, (3) to support regional-scale modeling and upscaling of surface fluxes to continental scales, and (4) to quantify land-atmosphere coupling and validate its representation in Earth system models. Adding a suite of atmospheric boundary layer measurements to eddy covariance flux tower sites, and supporting the sharing of these data to tower networks, would allow the Earth science community to address new emerging research questions, better interpret ongoing flux tower measurements, and would present novel opportunities for collaborations between FLUXNET scientists and atmospheric and remote sensing scientists.

Knowing the number of pathogenic microbes in the street foods such as Escherichia coli, coliform, and molds present in street foods around the vicinity of LSPU – SCC was the focused of the study. Determination of the quality of the street foods such as banana cue, kikiam, kwek – kwek, minane, and siomai of which has a high level of safety in the street food around the vicinity of LSPU – SCC were considered. This study utilized the Descriptive research design and the mean in testing and gathering of data. The results reveled that all the street foods tested were safe from E. coli with the mean of ocfu/g and all at lss than 10 cfu/g or 0 count which gathered Satisfactory remarks. However, the findings revealed that the banana cue, minane and siomai were safe from coliform while kwek and kikiam were not with a value of 2800 cfu/g. In addition, all the street foods tested were safe from molds and the total mean of all the microbes present were 987.47 cfu/g which means that the street foods were Unsatisfactory level with 100cfu/g and above count and revealed that only banana cue, minane, and siomai are safe for human consumption while large amount of microbes were found in kikiam, and kwek -kwek which means that they are not safe for human and may cause disease. &nbsp

We apply different methods for detection of extreme phenomena (EP) in air-turbulent time series measured in the nocturnal boundary layer above the Amazon forest. The methods used were: (a) a Morlet complex wavelet transform, which is often used in analysis of non-linear application processes. Through the use of the wavelet, it is possible to observe a phase singularity that involves a strong interaction between an extensive range of scales, (b) recurrence plot tests, which were used to identify a sudden change between different stable atmospheric states. (c) statistical analysis of early-warning signals, which verify simultaneous increases in the autocorrelation function and in the variance in the state variable, and (d) analysis of wind speed versus turbulent kinetic energy to identify different turbulent regimes in the stable boundary layer. We found it is adequate to use a threshold to classify the cases of strong turbulence regime, as a result of the occurrence of EP in the tropical atmosphere. All methods used corroborate and indicate synergy between events that culminate in what we classify as EP of the stable boundary layer above the tropical forest.

The explicit coupling at meter and second scales of vegetation's responses to the atmospheric‐boundary layer dynamics drives a dynamic heterogeneity that influences canopy‐top fluxes and cloud formation. Focusing on a representative day during the Amazonian dry season, we investigate the diurnal cycle of energy, moisture and carbon dioxide at the canopy top, and the transition from clear to cloudy conditions. To this end, we compare results from a large‐eddy simulation technique, a high‐resolution global weather model, and a complete observational data set collected during the GoAmazon14/15 campaign. The overall model‐observation comparisons of radiation and canopy‐top fluxes, turbulence, and cloud dynamics are very satisfactory, with all the modeled variables lying within the standard deviation of the monthly aggregated observations. Our analysis indicates that the timing of the change in the daylight carbon exchange, from a sink to a source, remains uncertain and is probably related to the stomata closure caused by the increase in vapor pressure deficit during the afternoon. We demonstrate quantitatively that heat and moisture transport from the subcloud layer into the cloud layer are misrepresented by the global model, yielding low values of specific humidity and thermal instability above the cloud base. Finally, the numerical simulations and observational data are adequate settings for benchmarking more comprehensive studies of plant responses, microphysics, and radiation.

Las emisiones de gases contaminantes a la atmósfera constituyen tanto un problema económico como medioam-biental. En este trabajo se realiza un estudio detallado de las emisiones provocadas por las ramas del sector energético español. Para ello, hemos elaborado para la economía española una Matriz de Contabilidad Social con cuentas ambientales, considerando los seis Gases de Efectos Invernadero que señala el Protocolo de Kioto, y en la que aparece desagregado el sector energético en ocho sectores, incluyendo renovables, con el fin de poder distinguir las emisiones de cada tipo de energía. A partir de esta matriz con cuentas ambientales, se realiza un análisis mediante un modelo multisectorial de tipo lineal, que nos permite obtener las emisiones, tanto directas como indirectas, provoca-das por cada rama del sector energético español. Finalmente se evalúa el impacto que tendría en términos de emisio-nes un cambio en el consumo energético de los hogares a favor de fuentes energéticas renovables. The greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere are an economic and environmental problem. In this work we make a detailed study of the emissions from the branches of the Spanish energy sector. To this end, we have developed for the Spanish economy a Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) with Environmental Accounts, considering the six greenhouse gases that the Kyoto Protocol states. In this SAM, the energy sector appears disaggregated in eight sectors, including renewable branches, in order to distinguish the emissions of each type of energy. The analysis is performed using a linear multisector model applied to the SAM, which allows us to obtain the emissions, both direct and indirect, caused by each branch of the Spanish energy sector. Finally, we evaluate the impact in emissions caused by a shift in the household energy consumption towards renewable energy.

Covid-19 pandemic has originated that a great number of countries’ governments demand universities to teach online classes, presenting a challenge to redesign the courses that had construction site visits included in the curricula. The purpose of this work is to present the successful strategies employed on the teaching of building construction, applied in a third-year civil engineering program of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. The methodology was designed so that one can adapt the pandemic and post-pandemic stages proposing a balanced use of virtual platforms and software for video conferences and laboratories, incorporating tools like Building Information Modeling, Lean construction, among other systems. Given the sanitary emergency, the construction site visits were replaced by virtual visits to construction projects generated with scanner laser technology, photogrammetry, and BIM, generating digital twins that were stored in online platforms. Students toured the construction project virtually and in an interactive manner, and along with the description of the professionals in charge of the project they were able to reach a good level of comprehension of the organization and the construction processes. In addition, students developed the layout plans of the temporary works with BIM models. On the other hand, the course taught to generate and analyze the unit prices and quantity surveying of activities using the BIM methodology with 5D software, developing the project budget. The success of this methodology is shown through the notable quality of papers and evaluations taken, through the results of surveys taken on students--which had an effectiveness rate of 96.4 % --, and on the improvement opportunities determined. This paper presents tools relevant that may be adapted by the academia and practitioners related to building constructions, for virtual or face-to-face learning.

En este trabajo se aborda la evaluación de la política de inventarios máximos y mínimos en cadenas de suministros multinivel. La investigación se realiza con base en la metodología de estudio de caso en una empresa de distribución farmacéutica. Se utiliza el producto con mayor nivel de ventas de la empresa para evaluar la política de inventarios. En este estudio la política de inventarios es evaluada mediante los indicadores de nivel de servicio y rotación de inventarios. Una solución derivada de la teoría es comparada con soluciones óptimas o cercanas a la óptima. Los métodos de optimización incluyen, pero no están limitados a, algoritmos de búsqueda tabú y búsqueda dispersa. Resultados experimentales derivados de las simulaciones de la política de inventarios demuestran que la solución derivada de la teoría garantiza un alto nivel de servicio, pero presenta oportunidades de mejora en términos de la rotación de inventarios.

Atmospheric turbulence characteristics within and above rain forest canopies are investigated at several sites located in the Amazon region of Brazil. Turbulence data provided by bi- and three-dimensional sonic anemometers, which were deployed at heights ranging from near the forest floor to about 80 m, are analyzed to describe the principal features of atmospheric turbulence, sensible heat flux (H), and components of the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) budget equation. The analyses focused on weak (WW) and strong (SW) wind conditions to achieve the research objectives of evaluating the turbulence structure above and below the rain forest canopy and estimating the degree of coupling between air layers above the forest and deep in the canopy. Turbulence statistical moments show that atmospheric eddies, generated above the canopy, hardly penetrate the region below 0.5h (h is the canopy height). Forest-atmosphere exchanges of heat differ depending on the observed wind regimes. Sensible heat fluxes decrease with canopy depth for SW conditions and are approximately constant with the height for WW above the canopy. Sensible heat flux profiles reveal a transition layer (around 0.6h) which sometimes exchanges heat with the upper and sometimes with the lower forest canopy, depending on time of day and weather conditions. TKE balance results show that during the daytime period in SW conditions the shear production is at least an order of magnitude greater than the buoyancy above the forest canopy. This turbulence, however, is practically all dissipated in the region above 0.5h. Thus, the air layer from the soil surface to 0.5h is largely decoupled from the upper part of the forest canopy. This feature of having the bottom of the canopy mostly decoupled from the air aloft in the dense and tall rain forest can exert control on the residence times and turbulent transport of plant-emitted gases out of the forest canopy.

We make future projections of seasonal precipitation characteristics in southern Florida using a statistical downscaling approach based on Self Organized Maps. Our approach is applied separately to each three-month season: September–November; December–February; March–May; and June–August. We make use of 19 different simulations from the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project, phase 5 (CMIP5) and generate an ensemble of 1500 independent daily precipitation surrogates for each model simulation, yielding a grand ensemble of 28,500 total realizations for each season. The center and moments (25%ile and 75%ile) of this distribution are used to characterize most likely scenarios and their associated uncertainties. This approach is applied to 30-year windows of daily mean precipitation for both the CMIP5 historical simulations (1976–2005) and the CMIP5 future (RCP 4.5) projections. For the latter case, we examine both the “near future” (2021–2050) and “far future” (2071–2100) periods for three scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, and RCP8.5).

Resumen: Introducción y objetivos: El síndrome de Peutz-Jeghers (SPJ) es una enfermedad hereditaria, autosómica dominante caracterizada por la presencia de pólipos hamartomatosos en el tubo digestivo de predominio en el intestino delgado y que se acompañan de lesiones mucocutáneas pigmentadas. Algunas guías proponen la realización de polipectomía con enteroscopio asistido por balones (EAB) cuando los pólipos sean mayores de 10 mm. Las complicaciones en población adulta puede ser tan altas como 6.8%, sin embargo, en población pediátrica hay poca información. Nuestro objetivo es describir la seguridad y eficacia de la polipectomía en un grupo de pacientes pediátricos con SPJ tratados con EAB. Material y métodos: Es un estudio retrospectivo realizado en el Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI entre enero del 2010 y diciembre del 2015. Se incluyó a todos los pacientes pediátricos con SPJ que requirieron EAB y polipectomía. Se excluyeron las polipectomías realizadas con enteroscopia de empuje. Resultados: Se realizaron un total de 35 polipectomías en 4 pacientes (femenino/masculino: 3/1). La edad media de los pacientes fue 13.7 (11-16) años. Se llevaron a cabo 12 enteroscopias, 8 de ellas anterógradas. El enteroscopio monobalón se utilizó en 7 procedimientos y el doble-balón en 5. El tamaño promedio de los pólipos fue de 1.6 cm (1-4 cm). Se presentó una complicación mayor (pancreatitis aguda) en un solo caso (8.3%). No se observaron otras complicaciones mayores. Conclusión: El uso de EAB con polipectomía en niños es un procedimiento seguro y efectivo con complicaciones similares a las reportadas en adultos. Abstract: Introduction and aims: Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited pathology characterized by gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps, predominantly in the small bowel, and pigmented mucocutaneous lesions. Guidelines suggest polypectomy with a balloon-assisted enteroscope when polyps are larger than 10 mm. Complications in adults can be as high as 6.8%, but there is little information on pediatric populations. Our aim was to describe the safety and efficacy of polypectomy in a group of pediatric patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome using balloon-assisted enteroscopy. Materials and methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Médico Nacional Siglo XXI on pediatric patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome that required balloon-assisted enteroscopy and polypectomy within the time frame of January 2010 and December 2015. Patients that underwent polypectomy with a push enteroscope were excluded from the study. Results: A total of 35 polypectomies were performed on 4 patients (female/male: 3/1). The mean age of the patients was 13.7 years (range:11-16). Twelve enteroscopies were carried out, 8 of which were anterograde. A single-balloon enteroscope was used in 7 procedures and a double-balloon enteroscope in 5. The mean size of the polyps was 1.6 cm (range: 1-4 cm). A major complication (acute pancreatitis) presented in only one case (8.3%). No other major complications associated with the procedures were observed. Conclusion: Balloon-assisted enteroscopy with polypectomy in children is a safe and effective procedure, with complications similar to those reported in adults. Palabras clave: Peutz-Jeghers, Enteroscopia, Polipectomía, Niños, Keywords: Peutz-Jeghers, Enteroscopy, Polypectomy, Children

Introduction and aims Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is an autosomal dominant inherited pathology characterized by gastrointestinal hamartomatous polyps, predominantly in the small bowel, and pigmented mucocutaneous lesions. Guidelines suggest polypectomy with a balloon-assisted enteroscope when polyps are larger than 10 mm. Complications in adults can be as high as 6.8%, but there is little information on pediatric populations. Our aim was to describe the safety and efficacy of polypectomy in a group of pediatric patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome using balloon-assisted enteroscopy. Materials and methods A retrospective study was conducted at the Hospital de Especialidades del Centro Medico Nacional Siglo XXI on pediatric patients with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome that required balloon-assisted enteroscopy and polypectomy within the time frame of January 2010 and December 2015. Patients that underwent polypectomy with a push enteroscope were excluded from the study. Results A total of 35 polypectomies were performed on 4 patients (female/male: 3/1). The mean age of the patients was 13.7 years (range:11-16). Twelve enteroscopies were carried out, 8 of which were anterograde. A single-balloon enteroscope was used in 7 procedures and a double-balloon enteroscope in 5. The mean size of the polyps was 1.6 cm (range: 1-4 cm). A major complication (acute pancreatitis) presented in only one case (8.3%). No other major complications associated with the procedures were observed. Conclusion Balloon-assisted enteroscopy with polypectomy in children is a safe and effective procedure, with complications similar to those reported in adults.

The Amazon rain forest is a major global isoprene source, but little is known about its seasonal ambient concentration patterns. To investigate the environmental and phenological controls over isoprene seasonality, we measured isoprene mixing ratios, concurrent meteorological data, and leaf area indices from April 2014 to January 2015 above a rain forest in the central Amazon, Brazil. Daytime median isoprene mixing ratios varied throughout the year by a factor of two. The isoprene seasonal pattern was not solely driven by sunlight and temperature. Leaf age and quantity also contributed to the seasonal variations of isoprene concentrations, suggesting leaf phenology was a crucial variable needed to correctly estimate isoprene emissions. A zero-dimensional model incorporating the estimated emissions, atmospheric boundary layer dynamics, and air chemistry was used to assess the contributions of each process on the variability of isoprene. Surface deposition was an important sink mechanism and accounted for 78% of the nighttime loss of isoprene. Also, chemical reactions destroyed isoprene and during 6:00 to 18:00 h local time 56, 77, 69, and 69% of the emitted isoprene was chemically consumed in June, September, December, and January, respectively. Entrainment fluxes from the residual layer contributed 34% to the early-morning above-canopy isoprene mixing ratios. Sensitivity analysis showed that hydroxyl radical (HO) recycling and segregation of isoprene–HO played relatively lesser roles (up to 16%) in regulating ambient isoprene levels. Nitric oxide (NO) levels dominated isoprene chemical reaction pathways associated with consumption and production of HO under low-NO and high volatile organic compound (VOC) conditions. While surface deposition and oxidative processes altered isoprene levels, the relative importance of these factors varied seasonally with leaf phenology playing a more important role.

This work investigates the diurnal and seasonal behavior of the energy balance residual ( E ) that results from the observed difference between available energy and the turbulent fluxes of sensible heat ( H ) and latent heat ( LE ) at the FLUXNET BR-Ma2 site located in the Brazilian central Amazon rainforest. The behavior of E is analyzed by extending the eddy covariance averaging length from 30 min to 4 h and by applying an Information Flow Dynamical Process Network to diagnose processes and conditions affecting E across different seasons. Results show that the seasonal turbulent flux dynamics and the Bowen ratio are primarily driven by net radiation ( R n ), with substantial sub-seasonal variability. The Bowen ratio increased from 0.25 in April to 0.4 at the end of September. Extension of the averaging length from 0.5 (94.6% closure) to 4 h and thus inclusion of longer timescale eddies and mesoscale processes closes the energy balance and lead to an increase in the Bowen ratio, thus highlighting the importance of additional H to E. Information flow analysis reveals that the components of the energy balance explain between 25 and 40% of the total Shannon entropy with higher values during the wet season than the dry season. Dry season information flow from the buoyancy flux to E are 30–50% larger than that from H , indicating the potential importance of buoyancy fluxes to closing E . While the low closure highlights additional sources not captured in the flux data and random measurement errors contributing to E , the findings of the information flow and averaging length analysis are consistent with the impact of mesoscale circulations, which tend to transport more H than LE , on the lack of closure.

Resumen Objetivo Estudiar las causas, el diagnostico, el tratamiento y los resultados de una serie de casos con diplopia binocular. Material y metodo Estudio retrospectivo de pacientes referidos a consulta de diplopia del servicio de oftalmologia durante un ano. La diplopia se clasifico en aguda ≤ 1 mes desde su inicio, subaguda (1-6 meses) y cronica (> 6). La resolucion de la diplopia se considero espontanea si desaparecia sin necesidad de tratamiento, parcial cuando quedaba intermitente y no resolucion espontanea cuando se necesito tratamiento. Se considero buen resultado cuando desaparecia por completo la diplopia con/sin tratamiento o era intermitente sin afectar a la calidad de vida del paciente. Resultados Un total de 60 casos fueron incluidos. La edad media fue 58,65 anos (60% mujeres). El 60% fueron agudas o subagudas. La evolucion media de la diplopia fue 82,97 semanas. La etiologia mas frecuente fue isquemica en el 45%. La paralisis del sexto nervio fue el diagnostico mas frecuente: 38,3%, despues estrabismos descompensados: 30%. Se encontraron lesiones en las pruebas de neuroimagen en un 17,7%. La resolucion espontanea se produjo en un 28,3%. El 53,3% presento un buen resultado con desaparicion de la diplopia al final del estudio. Conclusiones Las causas mas frecuentes de diplopia binocular fueron las paralisis de los nervios craneales, especialmente del vi , seguidas de estrabismos descompensados. Se encontraron lesiones estructurales en las pruebas de imagen en un porcentaje importante. Solo en un tercio de los pacientes la diplopia se resolvio espontaneamente y la mitad tuvo un mal resultado a pesar del tratamiento.

Objective To study the causes, diagnosis and treatment in a case series of binocular diplopia. Material and method A retrospective chart review was performed on patients seen in the Diplopia Unit of a tertiary center during a one-year period. Diplopia was classified as: acute ≤1 month since onset; subacute (1–6 months); and chronic (>6 months). Resolution of diplopia was classified as: spontaneous if it disappeared without treatment, partial if the course was intermittent, and non-spontaneous if treatment was required. It was considered a good outcome when diplopia disappeared completely (with or without treatment), or when diplopia was intermittent without significantly affecting the quality of life. Results A total of 60 cases were included. The mean age was 58.65 years (60% female). An acute or subacute presentation was observed in 60% of the patients. The mean onset of diplopia was 82.97 weeks. The most frequent aetiology was ischemic (45%). The most frequent diagnosis was sixth nerve palsy (38.3%), followed by decompensated strabismus (30%). Neuroimaging showed structural lesions in 17.7% of the patients. There was a spontaneous resolution in 28.3% of the cases, and there was a good outcome with disappearance of the diplopia in 53.3% at the end of the study. Conclusions The most frequent causes of binocular diplopia were cranial nerve palsies, especially the sixth cranial nerve, followed by decompensated strabismus. Structural lesions in imaging tests were more than expected. Only one third of patients had a spontaneous resolution, and half of them did not have a good outcome despite of treatment.

We present a theoretical model, based on a simple model of turbulent diffusion and first-order chemical kinetics, to determine air-parcel residence times and the out-of-canopy export of reactive gases emitted within forest canopies under neutral conditions. Theoretical predictions of the air-parcel residence time are compared to values derived from large-eddy simulation for a range of canopy architectures and turbulence levels under neutral stratification. Median air-parcel residence times range from a few sec in the upper canopy to approximately 30 min near the ground and the distribution of residence times is skewed towards longer times in the lower canopy. While the predicted probability density functions from the theoretical model and large-eddy simulation are in good agreement with each other, the theoretical model requires only information on canopy height and eddy diffusivities inside the canopy. The eddy-diffusivity model developed additionally requires the friction velocity at canopy top and a parametrized profile of the standard deviation of vertical velocity. The theoretical model of air-parcel residence times is extended to include first-order chemical reactions over a range of of Damkohler numbers (Da) characteristic of plant-emitted hydrocarbons. The resulting out-of-canopy export fractions range from near 1 for $$Da =10^{-3}$$ to less than 0.3 at $$Da = 10$$ . These results highlight the necessity for dense and tall forests to include the impacts of air-parcel residence times when calculating the out-of-canopy export fraction for reactive trace gases.

The return of sunlight in the polar spring leads to the production of reactive halogen species from the surface snowpack, significantly altering the chemical composition of the Arctic near-surface atmosphere and the fate of long-range transported pollutants, including mercury. Recent work has shown the initial production of reactive bromine at the Arctic surface snowpack; however, we have limited knowledge of the vertical extent of this chemistry, as well as the lifetime and possible transport of reactive bromine aloft. Here, we present bromine monoxide (BrO) and aerosol particle measurements obtained during the March 2012 BRomine Ozone Mercury EXperiment (BROMEX) near Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK. The airborne differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) measurements provided an unprecedented level of spatial resolution, over 2 orders of magnitude greater than satellite observations and with vertical resolution unable to be achieved by satellite methods, for BrO in the Arctic. This novel method provided quantitative identification of a BrO plume, between 500 m and 1 km aloft, moving at the speed of the air mass. Concurrent aerosol particle measurements suggest that this lofted reactive bromine plume was transported and maintained at elevated levels through heterogeneous reactions on colocated supermicron aerosol particles, independent of surface snowpack bromine chemistry. This chemical transport mechanism explains the large spatial extents often observed for reactive bromine chemistry, which impacts atmospheric composition and pollutant fate across the Arctic region, beyond areas of initial snowpack halogen production. The possibility of BrO enhancements disconnected from the surface potentially contributes to sustaining BrO in the free troposphere and must also be considered in the interpretation of satellite BrO column observations, particularly in the context of the rapidly changing Arctic sea ice and snowpack.

Cardinal fish are commercially valuable species. In the Colombian Caribbean Sea E. occidentalis and E. pandionis occurred in 37and 35% of tows during a research trawl survey (>200 m), respectively and the biology of these vulnerable species is unknown. The aim of this work is to describe the spatial distribution patterns of biomass, size structure and morphometric relationships of E. occidentalis and E. pandionis in deep waters of the Colombian Caribbean Sea. The samples were collected by trawling in depths between 200 and 550 m. No statistical differences were found in size by sexes in both species. In female and male E. occidentalis the growth was isometric, while in female and male E. pandionis it was positive allometric. E. occidentalis occurred mainly in the northern zone of Colombian Caribbean Sea, with highest aggregations off Santa Marta and Riohacha. E. pandionis was distributed in the northern area between Santa Marta and Riohacha and in the southern area between Cartagena and Morrosquillo Gulf. However, before the exploitation of these species is considered, further research is required to determine basic life history traits, such as growth, reproduction, recruitment, and mortality.