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Electrical energy is an essential factor to achieve the economic and social development of any country. Currently, society's objective is to achieve greater performance in energy consumption, which requires an efficiency increase. One of the factors that directly influences is electrical losses. There are two types of losses: technical and non-technical or commercial losses. A large part of the non-technical losses is due to the ineffectiveness on billing systems and the quality of the measuring instruments. An essential element in energy measurement and billing is the electric meter. Therefore, it is necessary to keep track of income, expenses and use. The objective of the research is to analyze the impact that the meter inventory has on the energy losses of the Manabí Business Unit. This research was developed with a mixed approach, descriptive and correlational in nature and a non-experimental design. During the development of the study, it was found that the income of meters to CNEL EP Manabí Business Unit during the period analyzed has been fluctuating. Therefore, the demands of the population are not met, influencing the increase in electrical losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To ensure the increase in quality and production of dielectric oil at the Sergio Soto Petroleum Refinery, its operation and energy performance must be evaluated to meet its economic importance in the productive chain process in Cuba. Objective: To evaluate the operation and energy performance at the basic oil plant. Materials and Methods: The raw material characteristics were examined using statistical methods. The material balances of the system were analyzed in terms of consumption, quality and energy. The evaluation of the energy performance in the plant quantified heat losses and steam consumption. Profit and production values from 2021 to 2023 were studied. Results and Discussion: The statistical method shows that the raw material meets the established quality. The material balances show that the treatment stage has a higher consumption of materials. Energy losses are high due to the evanescence of recoverable condensate. The cost analysis shows a decrease in production. Conclusions: The evaluation of the R3 cut by means of control charts shows appropriate acidity values and this constitutes an easily accessible tool for decision making in the industry. The highest consumption of materials and water in the oil plant is identified in the treatment stage of the production process. Heat losses constitute 18% of the total thermal power and are due to insufficient insulation, poor operation of steam traps, leaks and recoverable condensate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Con el propósito de analizar las normativas contables sobre pérdidas de cartera de crédito en cooperativas de ahorro y crédito en Ecuador, se realizó un estudio mixto que combinó métodos cuantitativos y cualitativos. La investigación, basada en datos recopilados de 58 cooperativas, reveló que la mayoría utiliza el método de Provisión para Pérdidas Esperadas (PPE) y valora la información histórica para calcular la tasa de incumplimiento esperada. Se destaca la importancia de prácticas contables consistentes y transparencia en la presentación de datos financieros para fortalecer la resiliencia del sistema financiero. Se concluye que las reformas posteriores a la crisis financiera global de 2008, como el Modelo de Pérdidas Esperadas de la Norma IFRS 9, fortalecen la gestión del riesgo crediticio. Para mejorar, se recomienda una mayor adopción de enfoques proactivos y la consideración de datos macroeconómicos, con el objetivo de garantizar la estabilidad financiera y la confianza de los stakeholders en las cooperativas de ahorro y crédito.

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco 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.)

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco 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.)

Introducción: Para garantizar el incremento de calidad y producción de aceite dieléctrico en la Refinería de Petróleo Sergio Soto se debe evaluar su operación y desempeño energético, para cumplir con su importancia económica en el proceso de encadenamiento productivo en Cuba. Objetivo: Evaluar la operación y el desempeño energético en la planta de aceites básicos. Materiales y Métodos: Se examinaron usando métodos estadísticos las características de la materia prima. Se analizaron los balances de materiales del sistema en cuanto a consumos, calidad y energía. La evaluación del desempeño energético en la planta cuantificó las pérdidas de calor y el consumo de vapor. Se estudiaron los valores de ganancias y producción del 2021 al 2023. Resultados y Discusión: El método estadístico evidencia que la materia prima cumple con la calidad establecida. Los balances de materiales demuestran que la etapa de tratamiento posee mayor consumo de materiales. Las pérdidas energéticas son elevadas debido a la evanescencia del condensado recuperable. El análisis de costo evidencia la disminución de la producción. Conclusiones: La evaluación del corte R3 mediante cartas de control muestra valores apropiados de acidez y esta constituye una herramienta de fácil acceso en la toma de decisión en la industria. Los mayores consumos de materiales y agua en planta aceites se identifican en la etapa de tratamiento del proceso de producción. Las pérdidas de calor equivalen al 18% de la potencia térmica total y se deben al insuficiente aislamiento, la deficiente operación de las trampas de vapor, fugas y al condensado recuperable.

Cuando se emplean transformadores monofásicos con derivación central en las redes de distribución, para dar servicio a cargas no lineales, estos suelen estar cargados de forma desigual entre los extremos del devanado secundario, haciendo que circule una corriente por el neutro con un contenido armónico elevado y, que las corrientes que circulan por ambas mitades del devanado secundario, sean distintas en amplitud y forma de onda. Para determinar con mayor precisión la influencia de la distorsión armónica en las pérdidas, se propone un modelo a partir del empleo de factores de pérdidas de distorsión promedio. Este modelo, fue validado mediante un esquema que combina cargas lineales y no lineales, para distintos valores de cargabilidad del transformador, obteniéndose que la diferencia entre las pérdidas calculadas y las medidas en el laboratorio no exceden el 5 % en ninguna de las pruebas realizadas, arrojando un error absoluto medio de 2,04 W.

When single-phase center tapped transformers are used in distribution networks to serve non-linear loads, they are usually loaded unequally between the ends of the secondary winding, causing a current to flow through the neutral with a high harmonic content and, that the currents that circulate through both halves of the secondary winding are different in amplitude and waveform. To determine more precisely the influence of harmonic distortion on losses, a model is proposed using average distortion loss factors. This model was validated using a scheme that combines linear and nonlinear loads, for different loadability values of the transformer, obtaining that the difference between the calculated losses and those measured in the laboratory does not exceed 5% in any of the tests carried out. yielding a mean absolute error of 2,04 W. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study attempts to address the relationship between material waste and change orders in residential building projects implemented in the West Bank in Palestine. The main objectives include: (1) identify the main factors affecting change orders in residential projects, (2) identify the main factors affecting martial waste eon construction sites, (3) address the relationship between change orders and construction material waste, (4) develop prediction model that shows the impact of change orders on material waste. To achieve this, two methods are used: (1) questionnaire survey is conducted to identify the main factors affecting change orders and the major factors of material waste on construction sites. Fourteen (14) factors believed to affect change orders and 15 factors that might affect material waste are investigated in this study. (2) Case study is conducted to address the impact of change orders on material waste. Data collected from 40 residential building projects implemented in the West Bank in Palestine. Regression analysis is used to establish the predictive model that relates the change orders and material waste. Results indicate that the top five factors affecting change orders include: change of project scope by owner, shortage in equipment and materials, change in materials, design mistakes, and change of plans by owner. It also shows that the top five factors affecting material waste are: rework, lack of labors skills, design errors, purchasing materials not complying with specifications, and frequent design changes. The results revealed a strong relationship between number of change orders and construction material waste on site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to define the hydraulic operating parameters of the RC FARM model sprinkler for use in the design of sprinkler irrigation systems, a field evaluation was developed in areas of the Agricultural Engineering Research Institute located in Havana, Cuba. In the evaluation, two sets of nozzles were tested and the procedure that appears in the Cuban Standard NC ISO 8026:2014 was followed. To characterize the performance of the sprinkler, the following indicators were used: Uniformity Coefficient (CU), Statistical Uniformity of Uniformity (CEU), Uniformity of Distribution (UD) and Discharge Efficiency (Ed). The losses produced by evaporation and carryover during the test were evaluated as part of the work. The results show that the sprinkler model RC FARM with nozzle 4, 70 mm + 3, 18 mm is characterized by having a flow of 1697,0 L h-1 and an effective reach radius of 11,28 m while with the nozzle 3,97 mm + 3,18 mm the flow is 1476,0 L h-1 and effective radius of 10,15 m, in both cases for a pressure of 250 kPa. The quality of the water distribution for the evaluated sprinkler is defined as acceptable as having CU values greater than 70%, CEU above 65% and UD and Ed indicators that exceed 55 and 63%, respectively. Evaporation and carryover losses during the test reached values of 11,54% and 10,61%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the month of May 2024, the State of Rio Grande do Sul was hit by a climatic event with high damage and losses, as it was hit by intense rains, flooding, hail, floods, floods, landslides and high-intensity windstorms. In the affected municipalities, agricultural losses occurred in both conventional and organic production. In this sense, this study sought to map organic producers in Rio Grande do Sul and relate them to the municipalities that declared a state of public calamity and emergency in May 2024. The methodology was organized with shapefile files, and the geoprocessing software was ArcGis. The list of organic producers was obtained directly from the MAPA website. The decree used was 57,626 / 2024. In the results, it was found that 78 municipalities were registered in a state of public calamity and 340 municipalities in an emergency situation. Considering all types of certifications, a total of 3,354 owners were found in RS, and of these 79.1% were among those affected. The municipalities that have the largest number of owners are: Viamão, Ipê and Nova Santa Rita. The first two declared an emergency situation and Nova Santa Rita declared a public calamity, all of which are located within the Guaíba hydrographic region. We conclude that family and organic farmers suffered from heavy rains that caused significant losses in the production of several crops. Crops such as soybeans, rice, vegetables, fruits, milk, livestock and vegetable farming were greatly affected and this shows us how difficult this climatic period will be. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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En este trabajo se propone un método para simular transformadores monofásicos empleando el software Simulink/Matlab. El modelo está basado en los parámetros del circuito equivalente del transformador y el diseño de una carga no lineal, que provoca una distorsión armónica elevada de las corrientes, permitiendo evaluar su influencia en las pérdidas de la máquina. A través de las señales de tensión ycorrientes en los devanados del transformador, su procesamiento y el empleo de la Norma ANSI/IEEE Std. C57.110,es posible determinar las pérdidas enel transformador considerando la influencia de la distorsión armónica. El modelo se construye a partir del espectro de las señales de corriente de la carga no lineal y de los parámetros del circuito aquivalente del transformador. Los resultados de las simulaciones permiten estimar las pérdidas debido a la influencia de los armónicos, así como su influencia en la eficiencia y la cargabilidad del transformador.

Las funciones cumplidas por el Directorio de una sociedad se encuentran delimitadas por la diligencia y lealtad que este mantiene con la sociedad. Sin embargo, esta delimitación es generalmente desarrollada a partir de un funcionamiento normal de la sociedad en cuestión, dejando sin definir cuáles serían los deberes u obligaciones exigibles durante una situación de dificultad financiera. Es por ello que el presente artículo explorará cuál debe ser el comportamiento del Directorio al encontrarse en la ‘zona de insolvencia’, partiendo de un análisis de los diferente deberes y obligaciones de los directores que se encuentran tipificados legalmente, y deteniéndose en los distintos posibles supuestos a generarse durante la ‘zona de insolvencia’.

Around half of dairy cows suffer from diseases associated with parturition that affect reproductive efficiency. A total of 2,364 lactations were studied to assess the impact of disease within 21 days postpartum (combined and individually) on culling prior to first service, conception to first service, and pregnancy losses from 35 to 100 days. In healthy cows, culling prior to first service was 4.95% and in sick cows it was 15.95% (OR=6.68; P≤0.0001). Culling was 8.93% in cows with metritis (OR=6.33; P≤0.0001) and 19.12% in cows with ketosis (OR=6.84; P=0.001). In healthy cows, conception rate was 36.16% and in sick cows was 30.12% (OR=0.75; P=0.052). Conception rate was 29.04% in cows with metritis (OR=0.71; P=0.084) and 30.49% in cows with ketosis (OR=0.59; P=0.068). Pregnancy losses in healthy cows were 11.29% and in sick cows were 14.73% (OR=0.77; P=0.54). Diseases associated with parturition combined or metritis and ketosis individually, increased culling prior to first service, decreased conception, but did not affect pregnancy losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Frontières is the property of Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Revue Frontieres 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.)

Copyright of Themis: Revista de Derecho is the property of Themis Asociacion 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.)

Introducción. La pandemia por Covid-19 ha tenido impacto en los diversos contextos de la vida, presentándose pérdidas a nivel personal, social y afectando la salud de las personas. Estas pérdidas: muerte, salud, empleo, economía, socialización, libertad, entre otras, han traído diferentes duelos personales y sociales. Objetivo. El propósito de la investigación fue describir el impacto, las consecuencias y la perspectiva de la pérdida significativa en personas que experimentaron un duelo durante la epidemia de Covid-19, como el contagio, los significados asociados a las pérdidas y la fase de la ruptura psicosocial. Métodos. El instrumento se aplicó mediante formularios de Google y la información se sistematizó en una base de Excel. Se incluyó una población de 99 participantes; 76,76% de ellos perdió al menos un miembro de su familia nuclear debido al coronavirus y 62% reportó haberse contagiado por Covid-19 entre el periodo marzo 2020 a febrero 2021. Se realizó un análisis cuantitativo, con diseño no experimental, de corte transversal y descriptivo. Resultados. Las principales afectaciones en la salud de los participantes contagiados fueron en el área psicológica, principalmente el miedo, la tristeza y la ansiedad. Las pérdidas más sobresalientes en la pandemia fueron muerte, salud, confinamiento y economía en la pandemia, creando situaciones de tristeza, dolor y miedo Conclusiones: La enfermedad por virus SARS-Cov2 ha traído consigo secuelas a corto, mediano y largo plazo, con impactos en la calidad de vida de las personas y su bienestar biopsicosocial.

In this work, a method for simulation of single-phase transformers using the Simulink/Matlab software is proposed. The model is based on the parameters of the equivalent circuit of the transformer and the design of a non-linear load, which causes a high harmonic distortion of the currents, allowing to evaluate the influence of this phenomenon on the losses of the machine. From the voltage and current signals in the transformer windings, their processing and the use of the ANSI/IEEE Std. C57.110 Standard, it is possible to determine the losses in the transformer considering the influence of the harmonic distortion of the current. The model is built from the spectrum of the current signals of the non-linear load and the parameters of the equivalent circuit of the transformer. The results of the simulations allow estimating the losses due to the influence of harmonics, as well as their influence on the efficiency and capability of the transformer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Electrónica de Psicología Iztacala is the property of Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala 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.)

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Copyright of Revista de Ciencias Agricolas is the property of University of Narino, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences 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.)

La economía del Paraguay es altamente dependiente de la producción agrícola, en especial de la soja (Glycine max), por tanto, todo aquello que represente un riesgo para este cultivo es un asunto prioritario para el país. Las fuentes principales de riesgo en la agricultura derivan de los impactos en la producción por el clima, plagas y otros factores en precios y en el contexto institucional y político. La estimación de las pérdidas de los cultivos es fundamental, ya que cuantificar los daños y compararlos con los umbrales económicos permite una adecuada toma de decisiones, determinando si un tratamiento es o no necesario y cuándo; qué se hará el próximo año agrícola, la selección de las variedades, el tipo de manejo que se hará de las enfermedades, entre otros. Considerando que los agentes fúngicos pueden resultar una amenaza para la producción, el objeto de esta revisión fue determinar si existen de manera pública datos para estimar pérdidas a causa de enfermedades fúngicas en soja (G. max). Se concluye que con la información disponible actualmente no es posible determinar estimar las pérdidas y se visualiza la necesidad de generar datos válidos y fidedignos, además de realizar un trabajo coordinado entre productores, industria, gobierno y la academia.

This work approaches the emergency landscapes generated by the torrential episode of September 2019 (11-14) in the Valencian Community Region, especially in the Segura River downstream valley. Considering the municipality as spatial analysis unit, a multiple perspective is used to analyse the different scenarios of the episode: (1) the event scenario (based on rainfall indicators, estimated from 5-minutal rain intensity, recorded by the Automatic System of Hydrological Information of Júcar and Segura rivers); (2) the emergency scenario (based on emergency calls data, provided by the Valencian Agency for Security and Emergency Response); (3) the disaster landscape (according to losses reported by the Insurance Consortium and press news) and (4) the hazard map (based on the official Map of Flood Hazards in the Valencian Community). The results show low correlations between emergency calls and rainfall, although highly significant. The main rainfall indicators are average intensity, maximum hourly intensity and accumulated rain. Among the territorial variables, the length of roads, number of inhabitants and municipality area are the most important. The emergency goes through five phases and is changing from a conjunctural type (phases 1 and 2) to a structural one (phases 3 to 5). The Segura River valley behaves differently from the rest of the Valencian Community. The emergency incidences do not correlate significantly with rainfall (despite this area focusing the highest rainfall) and have a strong structural character. The emergency and disaster scenarios are coherent in space. However, emergency and hazard show alarming disparities: 45 % of incidents occur in areas supposedly free of hazard (according to the flood hazard map). The 31.7 % of the emergency calls are concentrated in the second highest hazard level, affecting households and other infrastructures (making evident a deficient land use planning). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducción: Actualmente, muchos animales salen de las áreas silvestres protegidas en busca de recursos, sufriendo conflictos con las personas de áreas cercanas. Objetivo: Evaluar los conflictos entre personas y fauna en la Zona de Amortiguamiento del Parque Internacional La Amistad, Costa Rica. Métodos: Aplicamos entrevistas semiestructuradas y cuestionarios en cinco comunidades. Resultados: Las especies más conflictivas en agricultura fueron Ortalis cinereiceps, Atta cephalotes y Phyllophaga sp.; y en ganadería, Panthera onca, Desmodus rotundus y Canis latrans. Las pérdidas ascienden a US$44000, siendo Tres colinas y Santa María de Brunka las comunidades más afectadas, aunque sus habitantes presentan tanto opiniones positivas como negativas de estos animales. Conclusión: Seis especies causan la mayoría de las pérdidas en la zona, pero los habitantes difieren en cuanto a su percepción.

Construction waste has been described as an activity that use resources but not add up value "non-value adding activities", affecting the workflows and decreased productivity. The implementation of the Lean Construction Philosophy seeks to identify and eliminate construction wastes. Therefore, this paper is a literature review about this important topic with the purpose of identifying the studies that describe, analyze, and classify the wastes in the construction, as well as the effort to quantify and apply tools whose aim is to decrease or eliminate the variability and increase the productivity in the construction sector. For this review it was determined a line time of 20 years, getting in a total of 74 papers where it was done a general analysis considering the next topics: geographical distribution, number of articles for the year, author, source, and investigation methodology. For the analysis about the waste concept and its classification, it was determined a line time of 10 years whit 57 papers. As a result, it stands out the year 2019, the American continent, and Lean Construction Journal with the highest number of publications. When describing the concept of wastes, the most cited authors are Glenn Ballard y Lauri Koskela. Also, about the classification of wastes, most of them refer to the classification made by Taiichi Ohno in 1988 and the tool of the Lean Construction Philosophy most used for reduction or elimination loss is the Value Stream Mapping known by initials VSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hass avocado is a climacteric fruit with high oil content and excellent organoleptic characteristics. The storage conditions (temperature and relative humidity) during transport and ripening are essential to guarantee that the fruit reaches the consumer with the best physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics. The objective of this work was to determine the combined effect of storage temperature during transport under refrigerated conditions and the ripening temperature, on the physicochemical properties of the Hass avocado exported from Valle del Cauca. A factorial design 32 was used, in which the factors corresponded to the storage temperatures (5, 7 and 9 °C) and ripening temperatures (17, 20 and 23 °C). In both cases, the relative humidity was 90 %. The fruits were stored for 20 days to simulate the export process, and the physicochemical properties were measured every 5 days. Subsequently, the fruits were submitted to ripening at 17, 20 and 23 °C until a maturity degree of 5, corresponding to the maturity of consumption. The best handling conditions were achieved at a storage temperature of 7 °C and ripening of 20 °C. The final product presented a homogeneous ripening, without internal defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Las epidemias han acompañado a la humanidad a lo largo de toda su historia y han recibido diversas explicaciones. En Grecia clásica se atribuían a los disgustos entre los dioses; el judeocristianismo las atribuyó a los pecados de la humanidad. Hoy la ciencia da explicaciones claras, pero la humanidad no actúa en consecuencia. El problema es que las pandemias son los únicos eventos que superan a las guerras en pérdidas y, de entre ellas, el 70 % se debe a zoonosis: eso indica que debemos relacionarnos de otra manera con los animales. Si a ello agregamos que nuestro trato hacia ellos ha tenido como consecuencia el aceleramiento del cambio climático, de todas nuestras obligaciones éticas, cambiar nuestra conducta para con los animales es la más urgente. Más allá de la compasión, urge un trato diferente para todos los seres sintientes.

In this document, shading models are developed for photovoltaic solar generation systems located in two environments, a rural one, in the Cundiboyacense savanna, and the other one within the con-urban area of the Colombian capital. Both systems consider a typical electrical load for an average home. The photovoltaic generation systems and their components are dimensioned based on this estimation, for which, in this case, there are not considered any battery energy storage system. Shading on the panels is done using SAM, inserting objects of considerable height in both environments. The results of this modeling confirm that indeed, power losses are greater when considering the area of panels affected by shade. Therefore, a comparative simulation case is presented for the two considered environments, including and excluding losses due to the effect of shading, and the respective conclusions for this research are finally written. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dry matter (DM) loss is high in sugarcane silage due to its high content of soluble carbohydrates which favors yeast growth and ethanol production, thus reducing the nutritional value of the preserved forage. Objective: To determine the effect of adding two types of urea at two concentration levels to sugarcane silage on the nutritional value and fermentative characteristics of the silage. Methods: A completely randomized 2×2+1 factorial design was used, based on two types of urea (conventional and protected), two urea concentration (0.5 and 1.0% of the natural matter), and a control (sugarcane silage with no additives). Six replicates were used. The mixture was placed in PVC silos and opened after 60 days. Results: There was no difference in DM content or effluent losses by the addition of urea. In regards to neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and lignin, decreased levels were observed compared to the control, regardless of urea type. Urea type and concentration had an effect on ammoniacal nitrogen content, with higher values for conventional urea, but not affecting the pH. The addition of urea to sugarcane silage reduced gas losses and raised the levels of crude protein, ether extract, and effective degradability. Conclusion: Adding protected or conventional urea at 1% of natural matter at the time of sugarcane ensiling reduces gas losses and improves nutritional composition of the silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. To determine the economic losses resulting from condemnation of affected livers and the presence of Fasciola hepatica in slaughtered cattle in the provinces of Camagüey and Holguín, Cuba. Materials and Methods. This study was based on the results from an anatomo-pathological examination performed at Felipe Fuentes and César Escalante slaughterhouses between January 2012 and December 2018. The losses, which totaled $ 80 312 USD (Holguín) and $ 327 152 USD (Camagüey), were estimated from the number of slaughtered and affected animals throughout the period. Analyses for the comparisons of proportions were made to animals affected by F.hepatica, whereas the economic losses due to liver condemnation were analyzed by Chi-square to determine the existence of significant differences among the proportions. Analysis of means (ANOM) was made to determine the significantly different proportions within the general average. Results. Significant differences (p<0.001) were observed in animals from different slaughterhouses in 11 months, excluding July. Meanwhile, the total losses due to condemnation of affected livers underwent significant differences (p<0.001) in all the months of the evaluation period. Conclusions. The highest values of economic losses and prevalence due to condemnation of livers affected by F.hepatica were observed in the province of Camagüey, which may have been linked to varying climatic conditions. Hence, evaluation of intermediary host dynamics and the larval stages of the trematode in the two provinces studied were recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Se evalúan las prestaciones sismorresistentes de un edificio de uso sanitario proyectado con la normativa española actual. La evaluación ha sido realizada en el marco de una metodología probabilística que provee una base consistente con las incertidumbres del proceso de evaluación. Un prototipo de edificio sanitario sirve como base para discutir una estimación realista de las implicaciones de terremotos raros y ocasionales en edificios de importancia especial. Para este fin, el estudio comprende un análisis dinámico no lineal de la estructura del edificio, la identificación de grupos de prestaciones estructurales y no estructurales, la expresión probabilística de la respuesta de la estructura y la cuantificación de daños y costes de reparación mediante relaciones de fragilidad. Este trabajo revela que las prestaciones sismorresistentes del edificio analizado son inapropiadas en términos de daños, pérdida de funcionalidad y costes de reparación.

Cercospora agavicola, causal agent of the gray spot of blue agave (Agave tequilana), is a regulated fungus under official control in states under the Denomination of Origin of Tequila (DOT). This work was carried out in Jalisco, Mexico, the main DOT region, to determine the spatial-temporal epidemic inductivity of the fungus and to develop stochastic models to forecast the gray spot in order to support regional preventive programs. Monthly, from October 2016 to December 2017 the severity, incidence and number of diseased plants were evaluated in 41 plots established in commercial agave plantations of 3-4 years of age selected with weighted risk criteria in Los Altos (20), Valleys (11) and South (10). The regional epidemic inductivity of C. agavicola was heterogeneous with a greater risk for at least nine counties of Los Altos. However, low epidemic rates (0.0008-0.006 units week-1), strong restriction spread (1-4 plants), reduced annual increment of incidence (0-32 plants / 0.5 ha) and no spore capture evidenced the low parasitic fitness and reduced fungus epidemic potential. Consequently, limited predictive capacity was found even with the best goodness of fit models (R2 adj 0.51-0.60). The favorable hours (HFav) of January-April, with respect to infection, was consistent among models, so it can be used as preventive algorithm in SIVEA (www.sivea.org.mx). The regional losses were estimated between 237 thousand US dollars and 98.01 MDD. Cercosporin, a toxin associated with Cercospora genus, may be involved in atypical linear temporal progress and should be integrated in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Latinoamericana de la Papa is the property of Asociacion Latinoamericana de la Papa (ALAP) 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.)

Para Elder el curso de vida “es un campo de investigación emergente”. Según diversos autores, a medida que se envejece se perciben menor cantidad de cambios vitales; los cambios son más valorados como ganancias en todas las etapas, salvo en la gran vejez; si bien las menciones pueden referir a sí mismos o a otros significativos, con el envejecimiento hay más preocupación por sí mismos. En este trabajo nos hemos propuesto ahondar en la producción de proposiciones hipotéticas comparativas de las distintas etapas de la vida, tomando en cuenta no sólo variables temporales, sino diferencias por género para aspectos interpretativos. El trabajo de campo consistió en entrevistas semiestructuradas a 572 personas de ambos sexos, distribuidas en 5 grupos de edad: juventud (20-24 años), adultez joven (35-39 años), adultez mayor (50-54 años), vejez tercera edad (65-69 años) y vejez mayor1 (75-84 años).

Abstract. The harvest is one of the most important activitiesin coffee crops; on the one hand, it provides employmentopportunities for a large group of rural workers and on the other,it supplies mature fruits for the production of high quality coffee.In the present study, a device was designed and evaluated to assistin manual coffee harvesting, called Alfa, which employs a threetoothedblade beater, a DC motor powered by dry batteries anda system for receiving detached fruits. The research proceeded intwo phases; in the first, the device was designed and built; in thesecond, an evaluation was carried out by using traditional manualcollection as a comparison. The evaluations were developed infour locations: three experimental stations of Cenicafé and oneprivate property. The variables studied were: number of fruits lefton the ground after harvest, percentage of immature coffee in theharvested mass and yield. The device presented an operating timeof four days without recharging, a weight less than four kg and anabsence of technical failures; the operators had no problems withits use; and, in addition, it was possible to increase the yield of theoperators by almost 70%; the percentage of immature coffee wasbetween 4.5% and 3% and losses were between one and 19 fruitsper site. / Resumen. La cosecha es una de las actividades más importantesen el cultivo de café; de un lado proporciona empleo a un ampliogrupo de trabajadores rurales y de otro brinda frutos madurosque contribuyen a la obtención de café de alta calidad. En lainvestigación un equipo llamado Alfa fue diseñado y evaluadopara asistir la cosecha manual del café. El equipo consistió de unimpactador de tres paletas dentadas, un motor DC accionado porbaterías secas y un sistema para recibir los frutos desprendidos.La investigación contó con dos fases; en la primera el equipofue diseñado y construido, en la segunda una evaluación fueadelantada empleando como comparación la recolección manualtradicional. Las evaluaciones se realizaron en cuatro localidades,tres centros experimentales de Cenicafé y una finca particular.Las variables en estudio fueron: número de frutos dejados enel suelo luego de la cosecha, porcentaje de frutos verdes en elcafé cosechado y rendimiento. El equipo presentó un tiempo deoperación de 4 días sin recarga, el peso fue inferior a 4 kg y nose presentaron fallas técnicas. Los operarios no manifestaronproblemas con su uso y fue posible incrementar el rendimientode los operarios hasta en 70%, el porcentaje de café verde estuvoentre 4,5 y 3% y pérdidas entre 1 y 19 frutos por sitio.