Contamination of effluents with chemicals is a serious problem that impacts human health. Methylene blue is a cationic dye found frequently in industrial and urban sewages. In this work, dried ...grinded seeds and peels of nance were used as biosorbents in aqueous solutions at pH 7 and 10 (simulating urban and textile effluents) finding that Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms adequately described the sorption. Adsorption efficiencies were larger than 98% in all cases and slightly lower at pH 7 due to the closeness with the point of zero charge (pzc) of seeds and peels of nance (5.96 and 3.42, respectively). In all cases, Langmuir adsorption was favorable (RLa < 1), and Gibbs free energy of adsorption was negative indicating spontaneity, and since these values were larger than −80 but lower than 0 kJ/mol, the MB removal process was mainly due to physical interactions, a characteristic of physical adsorption. No significant differences were found amongst bulk mass transfer coefficients for the adsorption of both sorbents, indicating that both bioadsorbents had the same hydrodynamic and driving forces as well as depicted similar MB-adsorbent affinities. Interaction of MB with adsorbents was corroborated by FTIR spectroscopy, and the sorption was evidenced by scanning electron microscopy and image analysis which indicated that both adsorbents had fractal structures.
Foodborne diseases are considered a public health challenge worldwide, due to their high morbidity and mortality. Fish is a highly nutritious food and consumed around the world; however, fish is also ...a perishable and an easy-to-contaminate food. The presence of pathogenic microorganisms in fish for human consumption is of high risk to public health. The objective of the present investigation was to carry out the microbiological evaluation of fresh Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) marketed in fillet presentation in the “Juan Escutia” market in Tepic Nayarit, Mexico. The samples collected consisted of fresh fillet from different fish shop in the market. The microbiological analysis was of Aerobic Mesophylls (AM), Mold and Yeasts, Total Coliforms (TC) and Fecal Coliforms (FC), Salmonella spp., and S. aureus. In 100% of the samples they presented AM accounts below what was established in the sanitary regulations, regarding mold the maximum value was 490 CFU / g and yeasts of 540 CFU / g, TC and FC were present in the 16.6% of the samples values above the microbiological limits established in sanitary regulations, while 33.3% of the samples were also outside the microbiological limit for Salmonella spp., and S. aureus. The study showed evidence of the potential health risk in the consumption of these foods sold in this market primarily if it is in raw state.
Key Competencies for Entrepreneurship Robles, Lorena; Zárraga-Rodríguez, Marta
Procedia economics and finance,
2015, 2015-00-00, Letnik:
23
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Nowadaysthe entrepreneurship capacity determinesthe competitiveness of anorganization. Thereforeentrepreneursare considered as avital resource.The objective of thisstudy is to establishwhich are ...thekey individual competenciesthat determine whetheror not a personis an entrepreneur. We have conducted a review of the literature dealing with entrepreneurship to obtain a set of entrepreneurship related individual competencies. Then using the Delphi method we have obtained reliable consensus from a selection of entrepreneurs about the importance of each individual competence that is considered to be linked to entrepreneurship. The study shows thekey competencies at individual levelthat should be developedforbecoming an entrepreneur.Competencies that enable the employees to become anentrepreneur have been identified. It can be useful for any company committed toentrepreneurship and it can also be useful for any educational institution committed to the development of entrepreneurshipcompetencies among its students.
Context: In the ob/ob mice, keeping adiponectin concentrations in the physiological range (through overexpression of this gene in the adipose tissue) results in expansion of fat mass and protection ...against metabolic co-morbidities.
Objective: The aim of the study was to test in humans whether plasma adiponectin levels, similar to those found in lean subjects, are associated with the metabolically healthy obese phenotype.
Design and Setting: A cross-sectional analysis was performed of a cohort of obese and nonobese subjects aged 18–70 yr. A medical history was taken, and glucose, plasma lipids, and total adiponectin were measured.
Participants: We studied 189 men and 527 women. The majority were obese (n = 470, 65.6%). The metabolically healthy obese phenotype was found in 38 men and 133 women. This is defined as a body mass index (BMI) above 30 kg/m2 plus high-density lipoprotein cholesterol of at least 40 mg/dl in the absence of type 2 diabetes and arterial hypertension.
Results: Twenty percent of the cases with a BMI above 40 kg/m2 had adiponectin concentrations above the median value of normal BMI subjects. Adiponectin levels above 12.49 mg/liter in obese women (odds ratio, 3.02; 95% confidence interval, 1.95–4.67; P < 0.001) and above 8.07 mg/liter in obese men (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–4.06; P = 0.01) increased the probability of being metabolically healthy. The association remained significant (β, 0.673 ± 0.205, P < 0.001) in a logistic regression model (r2 = 0.25, P < 0.001) after controlling for the confounding effect of age, insulin, and waist circumference.
Conclusions: Certain obese individuals have adiponectin levels similar to those found in normal BMI subjects; this is associated with the metabolically healthy obese phenotype.
Common polymorphisms in the fat mass and obesity‐associated gene (FTO) have shown strong association with obesity in several populations. In the present study, we explored the association of FTO gene ...polymorphisms with obesity and other biochemical parameters in the Mexican population. We also assessed FTO gene expression levels in adipose tissue of obese and nonobese individuals. The study comprised 788 unrelated Mexican‐Mestizo individuals and 31 subcutaneous fat tissue biopsies from lean and obese women. FTO single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs9939609, rs1421085, and rs17817449 were associated with obesity, particularly with class III obesity, under both additive and dominant models (P = 0.0000004 and 0.000008, respectively). These associations remained significant after adjusting for admixture (P = 0.000003 and 0.00009, respectively). Moreover, risk alleles showed a nominal association with lower insulin levels and homeostasis model assessment of B‐cell function (HOMA‐B), and with higher homeostasis model assessment of insulin sensitivity (HOMA‐S) only in nonobese individuals (P dom = 0.031, 0.023, and 0.049, respectively). FTO mRNA levels were significantly higher in subcutaneous fat tissue of class III obese individuals than in lean individuals (P = 0.043). Risk alleles were significantly associated with higher FTO expression in the class III obesity group (P = 0.047). In conclusion, FTO is a major risk factor for obesity (particularly class III) in the Mexican‐Mestizo population, and is upregulated in subcutaneous fat tissue of obese individuals.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the world radically since 2020. Spain was one of the European countries with the highest incidence during the first wave. As a part of a ...consortium to monitor and study the evolution of the epidemic, we sequenced 2,170 samples, diagnosed mostly before lockdown measures. Here, we identified at least 500 introductions from multiple international sources and documented the early rise of two dominant Spanish epidemic clades (SECs), probably amplified by superspreading events. Both SECs were related closely to the initial Asian variants of SARS-CoV-2 and spread widely across Spain. We inferred a substantial reduction in the effective reproductive number of both SECs due to public-health interventions (R
< 1), also reflected in the replacement of SECs by a new variant over the summer of 2020. In summary, we reveal a notable difference in the initial genetic makeup of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain compared with other European countries and show evidence to support the effectiveness of lockdown measures in controlling virus spread, even for the most successful genetic variants.
La presente investigación estudia a la población de Huaripampa, lugar que está dentro del Área de Influencia Directa de la Compañía Minera Antamina – CMA, con el objetivo de identificar los ...beneficios percibidos por la población de Huaripampa, su relacionamiento con la CMA, así como las formas de organización y las relaciones intracomunitarias de los pobladores desde su percepción, en el periodo 2012-2014. Este estudio ha profundizado en las percepciones de los pobladores, pues consideramos que todo cambio se origina en la sensación de bienestar de la población. Y Huaripampa es un poblado con muchas necesidades de primer orden. La CMA maneja cifras en general alentadoras sobre inversiones y proyectos sociales en su área de influencia directa. Sin embargo, la población no ha percibido el impacto positivo que supuestamente reflejan esas cifras. Además de la observación y la revisión documental, hemos entrevistado a trece pobladores y un funcionario de la CMA, cuyos aportes y opiniones nos han servido para comprender algunos aspectos que podrían ser el origen de la fragilidad de las relaciones entre Huaripampa y la CMA. Nuestros principales hallazgos fueron cuatro: ausencia de beneficios de la CMA en Huaripampa, relaciones tirantes entre los pobladores y la empresa minera a través de sus experiencias, formas de organización no representativas de la población y relaciones intracomunitarias que no contribuyen al desarrollo de la comunidad. Hemos revisado estos hallazgos desde dos enfoques, de desarrollo humano y relaciones comunitarias. Así hemos descubierto que los pobladores no tienen acceso a la información y, en general, no ejercen plenamente su ciudadanía, pues están aislados en una zona con problemas de corrupción y pobreza. A partir del estudio de caso se han elaborado recomendaciones para mejorar la relación de los comuneros con la empresa minera, para que esta pueda promover programas y proyectos de desarrollo en beneficio de la comunidad dentro de un clima favorable y de diálogo. Asimismo, estas sugerencias podrían ser replicadas, con las adaptaciones del caso, en otros lugares con problemáticas de relacionamiento similares.
The ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) R230C variant is associated with low HDL cholesterol levels, obesity, and the metabolic syndrome in Mexican-Mestizos. Because a pivotal role for ABCA1 ...in pancreatic beta-cell function was recently observed in the mouse model, we assessed the association of this variant with type 2 diabetes in this population.
The initial group included 446 unrelated Mexican individuals: 244 with type 2 diabetes aged 20-69 years (121 with onset </=45 years), and 202 nondiabetic control subjects aged >50 years. An independent study group included 242 type 2 diabetic case subjects and 225 control subjects with similar characteristics.
R230C/C230C genotypes were significantly more frequent in type 2 diabetic individuals (24.6%) than in control subjects (11.4%) in the initial study group (OR 2.501; P = 0.001). After stratifying by age at diagnosis, the association was significant only in the early-onset group (age at diagnosis </=45 years) (OR 3.776, P = 3.3 x 10(-6)). Both associations remained significant after adjusting for admixture (P = 0.0008 and P = 8.1 x 10(-6), respectively). Similar trends were observed in the independent study group, and the combined analysis of both populations showed a highly significant association of the R230C variant with type 2 diabetes, particularly with that of early onset (P = 7.6 x 10(-6) and 9.4 x 10(-8), respectively).
The R230C ABCA1 variant is associated with type 2 diabetes, particularly of early onset, in the Mexican-Mestizo population.
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