What goes up: Recent trends in Mexican residential energy use

Energy use in the Mexican residential sector is steadily increasing. Important factors contributing to the increase include changes in the types of housing built, heating, cooling, water-heating equipment and other appliances.     

Saturation, energy consumption, CO2 emission and energy efficiency from urban and rural households appliances in Mexico

Energy usage and energy efficiency are of increasing concern in Mexico, electricity generation principally depends upon fossil fuels. On one hand, the stocks of these fuels have been confirmed to be critically limited. On the other hand, in process of electricity generation by means of these fuels, a number of poisonous by-products adversely affect the conservation of natural eco-system.This paper focuses on estimation of energy consumption, energy savings, reduction of emissions of CO₂ for use of urban and rural household appliances in Mexico between 1996 and 2021.The analysis concentrates on six major energy end uses in the residential sector: refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, TV set, iron and heater.It is estimated that by 2021 there will be a cumulative saving of 22,605 GWh, as a result of the implementation of government programs on energy efficiency that represents a cumulative reduction of CO2 emissions of 15,087 Tg CO2.It means that Mexico can reduce in 5650 MW the generation capacity of national electricity system, which is to avoid burning 40.35 MM barrels of oil.The findings can be useful to policy makers as well as household appliances users.     

A real-time virtual monitoring system of the skin factor for matrix acidizing treatments

It is known that oil well productivity can be correlated with the quantification of the damage to the formation (skin factor) and that oil well stimulation through acidizing treatment may be used to improve the permeability of the well pore and restore oil productivity. Current monitoring systems of the skin factor have focused on acid treatments with a single-phase, in which the determination of skin factor is carried out via simplified models in a closed-form, avoiding the need for a real-time platform. However, the combination of several injected fluids is a common procedure in matrix acidizing treatments, giving rise to the formation of foams and two-phase flow. In this case, the real-time estimation of the skin factor requires robust models whose numerical solution should be synchronized with the dynamics of the matrix acidizing treatment in a real-time platform.This paper presents a real-time virtual monitoring system in the wellbore of an oil field to monitor the evolving skin factor during gelling foam acidizing treatments, in which the estimation of the skin factor is conditioned by real-time constraints. The system performance is evaluated using field data available from the stimulation treatments in oil wells located in southeast Mexico. The output results indicate that the real-time virtual monitoring system can successfully predict the evolution of the skin factor. This information is useful for the control and optimization of matrix acidizing treatment.     

Use of organogel-based emulsions (o/w) as a tool to increase the bioaccessibility of lupeol,curcumin, and quercetin

Lupeol, curcumin, and quercetin are naturally occurring compounds present in plants, with some beneficial health effects. In the present study, organogel-based emulsions (o/w) were obtained from edible oils to increase their bioaccessibility and intestinal permeability. Particle size analysis, rheology test, optical microscopy, in vitro digestibility, and permeability of nutraceuticals by cell culture and UPLC-MS/MS were performed. Particle hydrodynamic diameters obtained in organogel-based emulsions loaded with nutraceuticals were <200 nm, polydispersity index was around 0.25–0.4, and zeta potential was about −19 to −25 mV. Droplets in emulsions presented spherical shapes and adjusted to the Herschel–Bulkley model. Interestingly, bioaccessibility and intestinal permeability of lupeol was increased compared with its crystalline form, opposite to the observed for curcumin and quercetin; therefore, organogel-based emulsions loaded with lupeol have potential for controlled oral delivery of this nutraceutical.     

Analysis of HPV Integrations in Mexican Pre-Tumoral Cervical Lesions Reveal Centromere-Enriched Breakpoints and Abundant Unspecific HPV Regions

Human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA integration is a crucial event in cervical carcinogenesis. However, scarce studies have focused on studying HPV integration (HPVint) in early-stage cervical lesions. Using HPV capture followed by sequencing, we investigated HPVint in pre-tumor cervical lesions. Employing a novel pipeline, we analyzed reads containing direct evidence of the integration breakpoint. We observed multiple HPV infections in most of the samples (92%) with a median integration rate of 0.06% relative to HPV mapped reads corresponding to two or more sequence breakages. Unlike cancer studies, most integrations events were unique (supported by one read), consistent with the lack of clonal selection. Congruent to other studies, we found that breakpoints could occur, practically, in any part of the viral genome. We noted that L1 had a higher frequency of rupture integration (25%). Based on host genome integration frequencies, we found previously reported integration sites in cancer for genes like FHIT, CSMD1, and LRP1B and putatively many new ones such as those exemplified in CSMD3, ROBO2, and SETD3. Similar host integrations regions and genes were observed in diverse HPV types within many genes and even equivalent integration positions in different samples and HPV types. Interestingly, we noted an enrichment of integrations in most centromeres, suggesting a possible mechanism where HPV exploits this structural machinery to facilitate integration. Supported by previous findings, overall, our analysis provides novel information and insights about HPVint.     

Small‐Molecule Mechanism of Action Studies in Caenorhabditis elegans

A general protocol for exogenous small‐molecule pull‐down experiments with Caenorhabditis elegans is described; it provides a link between small‐molecule screens in worms and existing mutant and RNAi technologies, thereby enabling organismal mechanism of action studies for the natural product clovanemagnolol. Forward chemical genetic screens followed by mechanism of action studies with C. elegans, when coupled with genetic validation of identified targets to reproduce the small molecule's phenotypic effects, provide a unique platform for discovering the biological targets of compounds that affect multicellular processes. First, the use of an immobilized FK506 derivative and soluble competition experiments with optimally prepared soluble C. elegans proteome successfully identified interactions with FK506 binding proteins 1 to 6. This approach was used to determine an unknown mechanism of action for clovanemagnolol, a small molecule that promotes axonal branching in both primary neuronal cultures and in vivo in C. elegans. Following the synthesis of an appropriately functionalized solid‐phase reagent bearing a clovanemagnolol analogue pull‐down experiments employing soluble competition identified kinesin light chain‐1 (KLC‐1), a protein involved in axonal cargo transport, as a putative target. This was corroborated through the use of mutant worms lacking klc‐1 and possessing GFP neuronal labeling, reproducing the axonal branching phenotype induced by the small molecule clovanemagnolol.     

Alternative Design Approach for Plate and Frame Heat Exchangers Using Parameter Plots

The simultaneous design and specification of heat exchangers of the plate-and-frame type is analyzed. A pictorial representation of the design space is used to guide the designer toward the selection of the geometry that best meets the heat duty within the limitations of pressure drop. The design space is represented by a bar plot where the number of thermal plates is plotted for three conditions: (1) for fully meeting the required heat load, (2) for fully absorbing the allowable pressure drop in the cold stream, and (3) for fully absorbing the allowable pressure drop in the hot stream. This type of plot is suitable for representing the design space, given the discrete nature of the plate geometrical characteristics, such as effective plate length and plate width. Applications of the use of bypasses as a design strategy are also presented.     

Effect of storage time on the mechanical and microstructural properties of bigels based on xanthan gum and castor oil

As biphasic systems bigels are formed by hydrogels and organogels. Given their characteristics, they have been studied in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications for bioactives delivery. The rheological characteristics and amount used of the individual structured systems influence the final properties; thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the proportion of castor oil organogel, the concentration of organogelator, and the storage time in the mechanical and microstructural properties of bigeles. Bigels were prepared from structured castor oil organogels with monoacylglycerides at concentrations of 6% (MOG) and 6.5% (HOG) wt/wt, and hydrogels with 2% wt/wt xanthan gum (HG) at three organogel/hydrogel ratios 15 of 85, 30 of 70, and 45 of 55. Bigels were characterized by optical microscopy with polarized light filter, centrifugal stability, texture, and rheology for 60 days. The increase in the proportion of organogel favors the mechanical response (k, G₀, and firmness) of bigels. The high viscosity of castor oil slows down the structuring of organogel droplets, showing an improvement in its mechanical properties after 15 days of its preparation. The increase in the organogelator concentration is significant in the bigels with 30% and 45% proportions of organogel in the rheological tests. By using HOG in the formation of bigels, higher values for G₀ and k were obtained, as well as higher centrifugal stability compared with bigels formed from MOG. The rheological and microstructural behavior of bigels can be modified according to their application by varying the proportions of organogel/hydrogel and the concentration of the organogelator.