Strategic Analysis to Develop an Internationalization Plan for a Small Construction Company in Guanajuato,Mexico

Nowadays internationalization is no longer a luxury for companies and becomes a necessity in order to survive in the market and ensure its durability over time.This justifies the structure of a internationalization plan(IP)for a small company(SEC),in order to modify its value curve against the competition and guarantee a sustained growth development in new markets.This paper presents a strategic analysis of a small construction company dedicated to the elaboration of finishes for walls,floors,and concrete architecture.A situational analysis was carried out to see what would be the most appropriate international strategy for the company.Tools,such as:(a)SWOT(strengths,weaknesses,opportunities,threats)Analysis,(b)PEST(political,economic,social,and technological)Analysis,(c)Internal Factors Evaluation Matrix(IFE),and(d)External Factors Evaluation Matrix(EFE Assessment Matrix),were used to identify the current standing of the SEC.The canvas model and the competitive profile matrix were used to make the connection with the strategic position of the SEC against the desire of internationalization.Likewise,an analysis of the external factors was carried out showing a significant growth of 4.6%in the specialized sub-sector,as well as a tense business landscape driven by the political situation between Mexico and the United States.

A Value for Games Defined on Graphs

Given a graph g=( V,A ) , we define a space of subgraphs M with the binary operation of union and the unique decomposition property into blocks. This space allows us to discuss a notion of minimal subgraphs (minimal coalitions) that are of interest for the game. Additionally, a partition of the game is defined in terms of the gain of each block, and subsequently, a solution to the game is defined based on distributing to each player (node and edge) present in each block a payment proportional to their contribution to the coalition.

Ageism: Millennial Persistence

This work develops the idea that is possible to affirm that beyond its nuances. Ageism has shown a surprising force of prevalence in western society. Nourished by mythical, empirical, ideological and health elements, it has been enormously successful in imposing an image of vulnerability, decrepitude and illness on older adults. Since 1969, when the first academic article on the subject was published, much has been written on the subject, but little progress has been made in terms of social and state policies and community awareness. When an attempt has been made to propose an alternative to decrepit (Aristotelian as we suggest in this paper) ageism, nothing has emerged but a new kind of ageism that has imposed the supposed need that the older adult “must” be “productive”, “young”, “vigorous”, posing the impossibility, in short, once again, of the older adult living spontaneously as an older adult.

Root Sprouts of Domesticated Phaseolus coccineus L. Overwinter Plants and the Environment at Its Collection Sites

Buds emerge from the roots of domesticated runner bean plants (Phaseolus coccineus L.) as sprouts and give the crop its persistence. This particularity of the species seems to be associated with the environment where the species was cultivated during long time. Data on regrowth traits were recorded on 70 accessions of domesticated P. coccineus after overwintering at a site in the central highlands of Mexico. The characteristics recorded included fresh weight of vegetative regrowth, root length, root crown diameter, and diameter of the main root. Most accessions that sprout the following spring, after the grain harvest of the previous year, come from temperate and semi-cold sites with cambisol and andosol soils in mixed Quercus pine forest and high mountain fir trees. Those that do not sprout are from sites of semiarid temperate climate, haplic phaeozem soil in shrub grasslands with deciduous broadleaved trees, and semiwarm subhumid climate, eutrophic regosol soil in deciduous broadleaved forest. Two types of roots were differentiated: branched and thickened taproots, also associated with a different climate, and the type of soil of the collection sites.

Distribution and Relation of Primes with Tesla Numbers 3, 6, and 9

This work presents a different approach to twin primes, an approach from the perspective of the Tesla numbers and gives a refresh and new observation of twin primes that could lead us to an answer to the Twin Prime Conjecture problem. We expose a peculiar relation between twin primes and the generation of prime numbers with Tesla numbers. Tesla numbers seem to be present in so many domains like time, vibration and frequency [1], and the space between twin primes is not the exception. Let us say that twin primes are more than just prime numbers plus 2 or minus 2, and Tesla numbers are more involved with twin primes than we think, and hopefully, this approach give us a better understanding of the distribution of the twin pairs.

The Nikola Tesla Constant and Its Relation to the Circumference Inscribed in a Square

This research work relates the surface of a square and the area circumscribed by a circle, resulting in a value called Nikola Tesla constant. This constant starts with the calculation of the areas of the square and the inscribed circle, giving a ratio of 9/40 and from which a residual area of the area proportions of the geometric figures described is obtained. Plotting smooth curves, particularly those in round shapes, can be represented efficiently with the use of Nikola Tesla constant, reducing complex mathematical calculus.

Body Composition, Gynecologic-Obstetric Variables, and Prolactin Levels in Patients with Breast Cancer

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine body composition, gynecological, and obstetric data, sex hormones, and prolactin serum levels in pre- (PREW) and postmenopausal women (PMW) with breast cancer (BC) and compare them with a control group (CG) of healthy women. Methodology: BC patients without treatment or use of hormone replacement therapy, or hormonal birth control, and without data of metastasis were included. CG was matched for age, BMI, and menstrual cycle status. FSH, LH, E2, progesterone, testosterone, and prolactin (PRL) were measured using radioimmunoassay kits. Comparisons between BC and CG were made with “t” tests, and with the Mann-Whitney U-test;χ2 test was used to compare the qualitative variables between the groups. Results: Seventy-two patients with BC, and 74 CG women were evaluated. Both groups presented overweight data, BMI (kg/mt2) = 27.21 ± 5.51 vs. 28.40 ± 4.66, p = ns, for BC patients and CG, respectively. In PREW, the age at menarche was later in BC patients compared to the CG (13.3 ± 1.36 years vs. 12.41 ± 1.27 years, p = 0.005). The PMW with BC presented a higher age at menarche and menopause compared to the women of the CG (13.51 ± 1.48 vs. 12.91 ± 1.41, p = 0.09, and 49.03 ± 2.86 vs. 45.5 ± 8.78, p = 0.03, respectively). PRL levels were significantly higher in PMW with BC, in comparison with the CG;median and minimum and maximum values (min-max) were: 14.7 ng/mL (3.6 - 52.7) vs. 5.9 ng/mL (1.9 - 33.3), p = 0.005). A higher percentage of PMW with BC (26.0% vs. 7.1%, χ2 = 5.57, p = 0.01) presented hyperprolactinemia (PRL serum levels > 20 ng/mL), compared to the GC. Conclusions: The higher levels of PRL in PMW with BC compared with CG, suggest a proliferative effect of this hormone in the affected breast tissue. This study demonstrates the need to use biological markers such as PRL to determine the risk of BC in PMW.

The RXTE/PCA 35-Day X-Ray Lightcurve of Hercules X-1

The archival Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) Proportional Counter Array (PCA) observations of HZ Her/Her X-1 are analyzed here. The time periods for Anomalous Low States are refined. The 35-day X-ray lightcurve of Her X-1 is produced using 35-day phases determined with RXTE All-Sky Monitor (ASM) and Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) data, with adjustments based on the RXTE/PCA data. As a result, we constructed the best-phased 35-day lightcurve of Her X-1 with the highest sensitivity. The RXTE/PCA data are separated into 8 different substates of the 35-day cycle: Main High (MH) turn-on, MH, MH decline, Low State (LS) 1, Short High (SH) turn-on, SH, SH decline, and LS2. Orbital lightcurves are created for each substate, and they are compared. Eclipse data are extracted for each substate to determine the changes in eclipse shape with 35-day phase. A scattering corona model is fit to the eclipses for the different 35-day substates: this shows that the corona is present with similar intensity at all 35-day phases. We search for previously reported dips without absorption but find none.

二硫化钼作为海水淡化材料的研究进展

海水淡化是从丰富的海水资源中提取清洁淡水的技术,是解决淡水资源短缺的重要途径。传统的海水淡化技术在实际应用中已经暴露出高成本、高能耗和低效率等缺点,因此开发海水淡化新兴技术及材料成为研究重点。二硫化钼(MoS_(2))是典型层状过渡金属硫化物,因其化学稳定、吸光能力优异等优点,在海水淡化领域具有极大的应用前景。作为一种高效环保的海水淡化材料,MoS_(2)及其复合材料在改善传统脱盐工艺和发展新兴脱盐技术中已得到广泛研究。本文主要论述和分析MoS_(2)基材料在电容去离子、膜脱盐及太阳能脱盐等海水淡化应用中的研究进展以及在工业化应用中面临的挑战,并展望其今后在脱盐领域的发展方向。

Effect of psychological stress on gastric motility assessed by electrical bio-impedance

AIM:To evaluate gastric motility using electrical bioimpedance(EBI) and gastric changes as a result of stress induced by psychological tests.METHODS:A group of 57 healthy women,aged 40-60 years,was recruited,and a clinical history and physical examination were performed.The women were free from severe anxiety,chronic or acute stress,severe depression,mental diseases and conditions that affect gastric activity.The women were evaluated under fasting conditions,and using a four-electrode configuration,the gastric signals were obtained through a BIOPAC MP-150 system.The volunteers were evaluated using the following paradigm:basal state,recording during the Stroop Test,intermediate resting period,recording during the Raven Test,and a final resting period.We analyzed the relative areas of the frequency spectrum:A1(1-2 cpm),A2(2-4 cpm),A3(4-8 cpm),and A4(8-12 cpm),as well as the median of area A2 + A3.The data were analyzed by an autoregressive method using a Butterworth filter with MatLab and Origin.Analysis of variance(ANOVA) and Friedman ANOVA(for nonparametric variables) were performed;in addition,pairs of groups were compared using the T dependent and Wilcoxon T tests.RESULTS:The results of the main values of area A2 were not significantly different comparing the five steps of the experimental paradigm.Nevertheless,there was a tendency of this A2 region to decrease during the stress tests,with recuperation at the final resting step.When an extended gastric region was considered(1-4 cpm),significant differences with the psychological stress tests were present(F = 3.85,P = 0.005).The A3 region also showed significant changes when the stress psychological tests were administered(F = 7.25,P < 0.001).These differences were influenced by the changes in the adjacent gastric region of A2.The parameter that we proposed in previous studies for the evaluation of gastric motility by electrical bio-impedance(EBI) was the median of the area under the region from 2 to 8 cpm(A2 + A3).The mean values of these frequencies(median of the A2 + A3 area) with the stress test showed significant changes(F = 5.5,P < 0.001).The results of the WilcoxonT test for the A4 area parameter,which is influenced by the breathing response,changed significantly during the Raven stress test(P < 0.05).CONCLUSION:We confirm that the gastric response to acute psychological stress can be evaluated by short-term EBI.

为胃的倒空和活动性评估的电的 bioimpedance 和另外的技术

The aim of this article is to identify non-invasive, inexpensive, highly sensitive and accurate techniques for evaluating and diagnosing gastric diseases. In the case of the stomach, there are highly sensitive and specific methods for assessing gastric motility and emptying (GME). However, these methods are invasive, expensive and/or not technically feasible for all clinicians and patients. We present a summary of the most relevant international information on non-invasive methods and techniques for clinically evaluating GME. We particularly emphasize the potential of gastric electrical bioimpedance (EBI). EBI was initially used mainly in gastric emptying studies and was essentially abandoned in favor of techniques such as electrogastrography and the gold standard, scintigraphy. The current research evaluating the utility of gastric EBI either combines this technique with other frequently used techniques or uses new methods for gastric EBI signal analysis. In this context, we discuss our results and those of other researchers who have worked with gastric EBI. In this review article, we present the following topics: (1) a description of the oldest methods and procedures for evaluating GME; (2) an explanation of the methods currently used to evaluate gastric activity; and (3) a perspective on the newest trends and techniques in clinical and research GME methods. We conclude that gastric EBI is a highly effective non-invasive, easy to use and inexpensive technique for assessing GME.

Gut microbiota:a potential therapeutic target for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease(PD)is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by accumulation ofα-synuclein in neurons of the central nervous system(CNS).The pathogenesis of PD is complex and only partially understood.Initial evidence pointed to the basal ganglia as the source of the motor manifestations of PD,and likely the origin of the pathological process.In the last two decades。

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor plasma levels and premature cognitive impairment/dementia in type 2 diabetes

AIM To assess the relationship of brain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF) with cognitive impairment in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS The study included 40 patients with diabetes mellitus type 2(DM2), 37 patients with chronic kidney disease in hem dialysis hemodialysis therapy(HD) and 40 healthy subjects. BDNF in serum was quantified by ELISA. The Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination was used to evaluate cognitive impairment.RESULTS The patients with DM2 and the patients in HD were categorized into two groups, with cognitive impairment and without cognitive impairment. The levels of BDNF showed significant differences between patients with DM2(43.78 ± 9.05 vs 31.55 ± 10.24, P = 0.005). There were no differences between patients in HD(11.39 ± 8.87 vs 11.11 ± 10.64 P = 0.77); interestingly, ferritin levels were higher in patients with cognitive impairment(1564 ± 1335 vs 664 ± 484 P = 0.001). The comparison of BDNF values, using a Kruskal Wallis test, between patients with DM2, in HD and healthy controls showed statistical differences(P < 0.001).CONCLUSION Low levels of BDNF are associated with cognitive impairment in patients with DM2. The decrease of BDNF occurs early and progressively in patients in HD.

胃肠的道上的职业应力的效果

The aim of this review is to provide a general overview of the relationship between occupational stress and gastrointestinal alterations. The International Labour Organization suggests occupational health includes psychological aspects to achieve mental well-being. However, the definition of health risks for an occupation includes biological, chemical, physical and ergonomic factors but does not address psychological stress or other affective disorders. Nevertheless, multiple investigations have studied occupational stress and its physiological consequences, focusing on specific risk groups and occupations considered stressful. Among the physiological effects of stress, gastrointestinal tract(GIT) alterations are highly prevalent. The relationship between occupational stress and GIT diseases is evident in everyday clinical practice; however, the usual strategy is to attack the effects but not the root of the problem. That is, in clinics, occupational stress is recognized as a source of GIT problems, but employers do not ascribe it enough importance as a risk factor, in general, and for gastrointestinal health, in particular. The identification, stratification, measurement and evaluation of stress and its associated corrective strategies, particularly for occupational stress, are important topics to address in the near future to establish the basis for considering stress as an important risk factor in occupational health.

Metakaolin-Based Geopolymers for Targeted Adsorbents to Heavy Metal Ion Separation

Geopolymer adsorbents were prepared from silica and metakaolin in different Al and Si components and applied for removal of metal ions, Cs+ and Pb2+, from other heavy metal ions mixture. The geopolymer was optimized at Si/Al = 2 as adsorbent, targeting to Cs+ and Pb2+ separation. The binding behavior was well fitted to Langmuir model, which proved that the metakaolin-based geopolymer had multibinding to adsorb ions. The effective adsorption was also observed independent of NaCl concentration for the Cs+ and Pb2+. This meant that the ion adsorption of geopolymers occurred under non-electrostatic mechanism.

Effects of anatomical position on esophageal transit time:A biomagnetic diagnostic technique

AIM: To study the esophageal transit time (ETT) and compare its mean value among three anatomical inclinations of the body; and to analyze the correlation of ETT to body mass index (BMI). METHODS: A biomagnetic technique was implemented to perform this study: (1) The transit time of a magnetic marker (MM) through the esophagus was measured using two fluxgate sensors placed over the chest of 14 healthy subjects; (2) the ETT was assessed in three anatomical positions (at upright, fowler, and supine positions; 90o, 45o and 0o, respectively). RESULTS: ANOVA and Tuckey post-hoc tests demonstrated significant differences between ETT mean of the different positions. The ETT means were 5.2 ± 1.1 s, 6.1 ± 1.5 s, and 23.6 ± 9.2 s for 90o, 45o and 0o, respectively. Pearson correlation results were r = -0.716 and P < 0.001 by subjects' anatomical position, and r = -0.024 and P > 0.05 according the subject's BMI. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that using this biomagnetic technique, it is possible to measure the ETT and the effects of the anatomical position on the ETT.

Effects of metoclopramide on gastric motility measured by short-term bio-impedance

AIM:To analyze the accuracy of short-term bio-impedance as a means of measuring gastric motility.METHODS: We evaluated differences in the short-term electrical bio-impedance signal from the gastric region in the following conditions: (1) fasting state, (2) after the administration of metoclopramide (a drug that induces an increase in gastric motility) and (3) after food ingestion in 23 healthy volunteers. We record-ed the real component of the electrical impedance signal from the gastric region for 1000 s. We performed a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on this data and then compared the signal among the fasting, medicated, and postprandial conditions using the median of the area under the curve, the relative area under the curve and the main peak activity.RESULTS: The median of the area under the curve of the frequency range in the region between 2-8 cycles per minute (cpm) decreased from 4.7 cpm in the fasting condition to 4.0 cpm in the medicated state (t=3.32, P=0.004). This concurred with the decrease seen in the relative area under the FFT curve in the region from 4 to 8 cpm from 38.3% to 26.6% (t=2.81, P=0.012) and the increase in area in the region from 2 to 4 cpm from 22.4% to 27.7%, respectively (t=-2.5, P=0.022). Finally the main peak position also decreased in the region from 2 to 8 cpm. Main peak activity in the fasting state was 4.72 cpm and declined to 3.45 cpm in the medicated state (t=2.47, P=0.025). There was a decrease from the fasting state to the postprandial state at 3.02 cpm (t=4.0, P=0.0013). CONCLUSION: Short-term electrical bio-impedance can assess gastric motility changes in individuals experiencing gastric stress by analyzing the area medians and relative areas under the FFT curve.

Indoor INS/UWB-based Human Localization With Missing Data Utilizing Predictive UFIR Filtering

A combined algorithm for the loosely fused ultra wide band(UWB)and inertial navigation system(INS)-based measurements is designed under the indoor human navigation conditions with missing data.The scheme proposed fuses the INS-and UWB-derived positions via a data fusion filter.Since the UWB signal is prone to drift in indoor environments and its outage highly affects the integrated scheme reliability,we also consider the missing data problem in UWB measurements.To overcome this problem,the loosely-coupled INS/UWB-integrated scheme is augmented with a prediction option based on the predictive unbiased finite impulse response(UFIR)fusion filter.We show experimentally that,the standard UFIR fusion filter has higher robustness than the Kalman filter.It is also shown that the predictive UFIR fusion filter is able to produce an acceptable navigation accuracy under temporary missing UWB-data.

Food and Nutritional Insecurity before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Households of Women Belonging to a Social Program

Introduction: According to the National Health and Nutrition Survey, the Mexican households in 2018 had food insecurity at 55.5% while in 2012 it was 70%. Food insecurity is a global health problem and now with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has increased. Objective: To compare the levels of food and nutritional insecurity in women’s households from two Social Impulse Centers of the Secretary for Human Social Development (SEDESHU) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A comparative and cross-sectional study was carried out in 41 women participating in a nutritional intervention program in two social promotion centers. Food security was measured with the Latin American and Caribbean Food Security Scale (ELCSA), comparing it in a period from January to April 2020: before and during the health contingency. Socio-economic and demographic variables were also measured, as well as access to water during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: Food insecurity levels during the COVID-19 contingency were found to have increased by more than 60% (from 31.7% to 93%);the main risk factors associated with unemployment and access to healthy food. The COVID-19 contingency reflects impacts on households, but because women participated in the nutritional intervention program, it could influence by observing that, at least, the use of food was adequate since apparently food waste was minimal. Conclusions: The implementation of an educational nutrition program can be a strategy in the face of contingencies or extraordinary situations. In this way, the negative impact could be less in the population that does not have any type of food education.