Search

Not only was Digital Transformation (DT) accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but over recent years some companies have already developed actions related to DT. It is well known that DT has many benefits, such as improving business models, making communication channels more efficient and facilitating decision-making. Furthermore, amongst others, one big challenge of DT is to contribute to areas related to sustainability. The objective of this article is to offer an exploratory review of how a small sample of leading Mexican companies have used DT as an enabler to be more efficient in some sustainability-related issues. The companies analyzed in this paper belong to different sectors: communication services, retail, financial, food and beverages, and materials. Through the identification of DT initiatives and implementations across time, a radar chart was constructed in order to identify, as a first approach, those related to sustainability in order to identify evidence of what some companies are doing in this regard. In addition, actions were grouped under the Business Dimensions defined by Deloitte Development LLC in order to emphasize the focus given by the organizations. One of the main conclusions from the evidence is that indeed big companies have a digital strategy agenda but not necessarily related to sustainability, but also that it is collaterally affected positively due to the economies of scale and operational improvements, from DT. This a qualitative primary study that can be reinforced in the future with analytical evidence that can measure impacts, effects, etc., to enrich strategies that relate to both DT and sustainability.

Current molecular methods to characterize microalgae are time-intensive and expensive. Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) may represent a rapid and economical alternative approach. The objectives of this study were to determine whether MALDI-TOF MS can be used to: 1) differentiate microalgae at the species and strain levels and 2) characterize simple microalgal mixtures. A common protein extraction sample preparation method was used to facilitate rapid mass spectrometry-based analysis of 31 microalgae. Each yielded spectra containing between 6 and 56 peaks in the m/z 2,000 to 20,000 range. The taxonomic resolution of this approach appeared higher than that of 18S rDNA sequence analysis. For example, two strains of Scenedesmus acutus differed only by two 18S rDNA nucleotides, but yielded distinct MALDI-TOF mass spectra. Mixtures of two and three microalgae yielded relatively complex spectra that contained peaks associated with members of each mixture. Interestingly, though, mixture-specific peaks were observed at m/z 11,048 and 11,230. Our results suggest that MALDI-TOF MS affords rapid characterization of individual microalgae and simple microalgal mixtures.

Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were observed in the digestive epithelium of fallow deer (Dama dama L) suffering from bovine virus diarrhea/mucosal disease. Similar inclusion bodies were also found in the ruminal epithelium of fallow deer subjected to overfeeding by supplementary food. Inclusion bodies were not found in the upper alimentary mucosa of clinically healthy deer but were frequently found when these tissues were subjected to autolysis. At electron microscopical studies the inclusion bodies were found to consist of granular protein-like material encircled by a single membrane. Such inclusion bodies may constitute a non-specific degenerative cell response which could be elicited by diverse factors including autolysis.