In vitro embryo production from ewes at different physiological stages

Alfredo Lorenzo-Torres 대한수의학회 2023 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.24 No.1

Background: The collection of ovaries from slaughterhouses is an important source of oocytes for in vitro embryo production. On the other hand, the physiological stage of slaughtered females varies and influences embryo production. Objectives: The study examined the in vitro efficiency of embryos and demi-embryos from young, non-pregnant adult, and pregnant adult ewes from a local slaughterhouse. Methods: One thousand three hundred ovaries were collected from August to October 2020. The recovered oocytes were matured, fertilized, and cultured at 5% CO2, 38.5°C, and 100% humidity. Embryo bisection was performed in 96 blastocysts (n = 32 per treatment). The demiembryo pairs were incubated for their reconstitution for 12 h. SAS was used for data analysis. Results: The number of oocytes collected from the experimental group of non-pregnant adult ewes was higher (p ≤ 0.007) than those collected from the group of pregnant adult ewes (2.67 ± 0.19 vs. 2.18 ± 0.15 oocytes/group, respectively). The blastocyst rate was higher (p ≤ 0.0001) in the non-pregnant adult group (36.39%) than in the young (17.96%). The ratio of demi-embryos that recovered the blastocoelic cavity was higher (p < 0.05) in the young group (81.25%) than in the pregnant adult group (59.38%). The diameter of the demi-embryos was higher (p < 0.05) in the non-pregnant adult group (186.54 ± 8.70 μm) than those in the young and pregnant adult groups. Conclusions: In conclusion, the in vitro embryo production efficiency was highest when using oocytes from non-pregnant adult ewes under the conditions of this study.

A new species of Tortopsis (Ephemeroptera: Polymitarcyidae) from Mexico

Alfredo Mayorga,Rafael Barba-?lvarez,Yeon Jae Bae 한국응용곤충학회 2023 한국응용곤충학회 학술대회논문집 Vol.2023 No.04

Localize Map Update Mobile App to Enable Construction Sites Monitoring: User-Guided Path Generation for Robot Operation

Alfredo Valenzuela(알프레도 발렌주엘라),Ricardo Ortiz(리카르도 오티즈),Sambridha Bhattarai(샘브리다 버다라이),Jongseong Choi(최종성) 대한기계학회 2023 대한기계학회 춘추학술대회 Vol.2023 No.11

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) offer a promising solution for reconnaissance missions by addressing labor cost, frequency, and subjectivity issues associated with manual procedures. However, dynamic environments like construction sites present challenges for UGV path planning due to constant changes. To enable autonomous monitoring, we developed a mobile app that updates local maps by overlaying images onto a mapping API (e.g., Google Maps). UGV operators can easily draw paths on the updated construction scene using tablets or smartphones, with discrete GPS data guiding the UGV’s controller. In the overlaying procedure, the Homographic relation between the image and map is automatically computed and then projected. We successfully demonstrated the capabilities of the technique utilizing satellite images. The error generation is quantitatively measured and analyzed.

Neoliberalism, Democracy, and Development Policy in Brazil

ALFREDO SAAD FILHO 서울대학교 사회발전연구소 2010 Journal of Asian Sociology Vol.39 No.1

This paper offers a political economy analysis of the two systems of accumulation in the postwar Brazilian economy: import-substituting industrialisation (ISI) and new liberalism, and the industrial policies associated with them. The transition between these two systems of accumulation from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s is reviewed in the light of the country’s key macroeconomic indicators and the political developments which have determined the choice and implementation of economic policy in each period. It is argued that, despite their significant achievements, both ISI and new liberalism were implemented unevenly and inconsistently, and that their shortcomings can be analysed at two levels: internal micro- and macro-economic limitations preventing these development strategies from achieving their stated aims, and external limitations imposed by social conflicts during each period of time. The paper concludes, first, that industrial policies are closely associated with specific state structures, economic constraints, and political configurations which can be analysed only concretely (there can be no general theory of industrial policy, and there is no ‘optimum path’ of accumulation under late development). Second, each system of accumulation is limited by a distinctive set of historically specific economic and political constraints, which set limits to its potential development. Third, and precisely for these reasons, industrial policy is irreducibly political and context-specific.

Southeast Asia and the Prospects for a Social Dialogue in Asia-Europe Relations

( Alfredo C. Robles,Jr ) 한국EU학회 2007 Asia-Pacific Journal of EU Studies Vol.5 No.1

The paper argues that in spite of the recommendations of ASEM Ministers of Labour and Employment made in 2006 for a social dialogue, prospects for an Asia-Europe dialogue on social issue, particularly on the ILO core labor standards, are not very good because the Southeast Asian states do not fulfill one condition required for an international dialogue to take place: they are unwilling to change their positions. Evidence of this can be found in their refusal to change their practices in the face of criticism of non compliance with ILO core labor standards. One reason for their attitude is that a dialogue involving a limited number of participants will demonstrate that contrary to the arguments of opponents of trade sanctions of violations of the labour standards, economic growth does not guarantee enforcement of core labour standards.

Infrastructure Investment, Labor Productivity, and International Competitiveness: The Case of Portugal

Alfredo Marvão Pereira,Rui Manuel Pereira 중앙대학교 경제연구소 2020 Journal of Economic Development Vol.45 No.2

This study analyzes the effects of infrastructure investment on labor productivity at the industry level using a new data set for Portugal. We consider twenty-two sectors and twelve infrastructure assets. We focus on the differential effects on traded and non-traded sectors. We find, first, that investment in national roads have positive effects, particularly large for public services, while the effects of investments in municipal roads are mixed, and investments in highways have mostly benefited non-traded sectors. Second, we find that railroad investments, and, to a lesser extent, airports have gains clearly biased toward non-traded sectors, while the effects of port investments are more muted and mixed. Third, for social infrastructures, the effects tend to be large and again particularly favorable to non-traded sectors. Fourth, for public utilities the effects are in general small, with the exception of telecommunications, which have large positive effects mainly on non-traded sectors. We conclude that infrastructure investments have contributed to the growth of labor productivity but have done so in a way that has benefited mostly non-traded goods sectors. This may be a matter of concern for a small open economy in a currency union and with a development model greatly reliant on exports.

Development of a real-time SYBR Green PCR assay for the rapid detection of Dermatophilus congolensis

Alfredo García,Remigio Martínez,José Manuel Benitez-Medina,David Risco,Waldo Luis García,Joaquín Rey,Juan Manuel Alonso,Javier Hermoso de Mendoza 대한수의학회 2013 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.14 No.4

Methods such as real time (RT)-PCR have not been developed for the rapid detection and diagnosis of Dermatophilus (D.) congolensis infection. In the present study, a D. congolensis-specific SYBR Green RT-PCR assay was evaluated. The detection limit of the RT-PCR assay was 1 pg of DNA per PCR reaction. No cross-reaction with nucleic acids extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus aureus, or Austwickia chelonae was observed. Finally, the RT-PCR assay was used to evaluate clinical samples collected from naturally infected animals with D. congolensis. The results showed that this assay is a fast and reliable method for diagnosing dermatophilosis.

La integración regional de América Latina : sus éxitos y fracasos

Alfredo Sanchez M.(알프레도 산체스 M.) 한국라틴아메리카학회 2005 라틴아메리카연구 Vol.18 No.1

Security and Privacy in Ubiquitous Sensor Networks

( Alfredo J Perez ),( Sherali Zeadally ),( Nafaa Jabeur ) 한국정보처리학회 2018 Journal of information processing systems Vol.14 No.2

The availability of powerful and sensor-enabled mobile and Internet-connected devices have enabled the advent of the ubiquitous sensor network (USN) paradigm. USN provides various types of solutions to the general public in multiple sectors, including environmental monitoring, entertainment, transportation, security, and healthcare. Here, we explore and compare the features of wireless sensor networks and USN. Based on our extensive study, we classify the security- and privacy-related challenges of USNs. We identify and discuss solutions available to address these challenges. Finally, we briefly discuss open challenges for designing more secure and privacy-preserving approaches in next-generation USNs.

Public Investment, Economic Performance and Budgetary Consolidation : VAR Evidence for the First 12 Euro Countries

ALFREDO MARVAO PEREIRA;MARIA DE FATIMA PINHO 경제연구소 2011 Journal of Economic Development Vol.36 No.1

In a period of heightened concern about fiscal consolidation in the euro area, a politically expedient way of controlling the public budget is to cut public investment. A critical question, however, is whether or not political expediency comes at a cost, in terms of both long-term economic performance and future budgetary contention efforts. First, common wisdom suggests that public investments have positive effects on economic performance although the empirical evidence is less clear. Second, it is conceivable that public investment has such strong effects on output that over time it generates enough additional tax revenues to pay for itself. Obviously, it is equally plausible that the effects on output although positive are not strong enough for the public investment to pay for itself. In this paper, we investigate these issues empirically for the first twelve countries in the euro area using a vector auto-regressive approach. We conclude that the euro countries can be gathered in four groups according to the nature of the economic and budgetary impact of public investment. The first group includes Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands, where the economic effects are either negative or positive but very small and, therefore, cuts will be harmless for the economy and effective from a budgetary perspective. The second group includes Finland, Portugal, and Spain, where public investment does not pay for itself and, therefore, cuts are an effective tool of budgetary consolidation although they are harmful for the economy. The third group includes France, Greece, and Ireland where public investment just pays for itself and therefore cuts are not an effective way of achieving long-term budgetary consolidation and are harmful for the economy. Finally, the fourth group includes Germany and Italy, where public investment more than pays for itself and, therefore, cuts are not only harmful for the economy but also counterproductive from a budgetary perspective.