Saturday, December 27, 2008

Adsorber o absorber ::::: To adsorb or to absorb

Reading a book, it's common to find words which we assume that are synonyms. That's not the case for "adsorb and absorb", they are similar but not equal.

Adsorb refers to an two-dimensional action, because it means to retain something on the surface, for example:
"Heavy metals are adsorbed by the cell", because they're on the surface, on the cell wall.
Absorb refers to an three-dimensional action because it means to get inside something that was out before, for example:
"Heavy metals are absorbed by the cell", because they are inside the cell, they were trapped in the cell.
See too http://buscon.rae.es/dpdI/SrvltConsulta?lema=adsorber


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Al leer un libro, es común encontrar palabras similares y asumimos que son sinónimos. Este no es el caso para "adsorber y absorber", que son similares pero no iguales.

Adsorber se refiere a una acción bidimensional, debido a que significa que se retiene algo en la superficie, por ejemplo:
"Los metales pesados son adsorbidos por la célula", porque están en la superficie, es decir, sobre la pared celular.

Absorber se refiere a una acción tridimensional, pues significa introducir algo que antes estaba afuera, por ejemplo:
"Los metales pesados son absorbidos por la célula", porque están dentro de la célula, fueron atrapados en ella.


Thursday, December 18, 2008

Welcome Back Christian and Gerardo

Christian and Gerardo are back in Torreon after their 5 month research stay at UGA, Athens, USA as a part of USAID-HED funded TIES program. I am sure it must be a great joy to their family. All of us at Bioremlaguna are very happy too to have them back among us. It has to be recorded here that both of them have got their own share of fans at UGA due to their hardwork. We wish both of them and their family all the best for this wonderful christmas and for the incoming New Year.

La otra contaminación :::: The other pollution


No todo es acerca de basura en las calles, derivados de petroleo sobre mares y tierra o emisión de gases invernadero, la emisión de ruido también es un contaminante más en nuestro planeta. El ruido es considerado un contaminante debido a que tiene la capacidad de alterar las condiciones normales del ambiente.Aunque el ruido no se acumula como el resto de contaminantes, este sí provoca diversas enfermedades a las personas y animales expuestos como el estrés y la sordera.
El problema no se limita a las zonas urbanas ni a la contaminación auditiva por medio del aire como vector de las ondas sonoras. El ruido también contamina el agua, y contamina puesto que afecta la calidad de vida de los animales que habitan los mares. En Génova, Italia existe un golfo en el cual es considerado santuario de ballenas, y el ruido de motores y demás artefactos utilizados en la industria marina y petrolera esta interfiriendo con los sonidos de baja frecuencia que utilizan los cetáceos para comunicarse. Así, cada vez más ballenas encallan desorientadas o no pueden encontrar pareja durante su ciclo reproductivo. Una hembra debedría ser capaz de escuchar a 500 Km el sonido de un macho, pero debido a la interferencia sonora, las ballenas han reducido en un 90% el alcance de su canto. El problema es también para los animales como el delfín, que utilizan ondas sonoras como herramienta en la caza de sus presas.



La ONU advierte además que los cambios en el pH del agua marina contribuyen al aumento de la contaminación acústica del océano, ya que el incremento de los niveles de acidez del agua del mar hacen que ésta absorba un diez por ciento menos sonidos de baja frecuencia.

Lee también acerca del tema en:
http://www.ecodigital.com.ar/Noticia.htm
http://weblogs.madrimasd.org/ciencia_marina/archive/2008/12/07/108855.aspx


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Not everything is about garbage on streets, petroleum derivate products above seas and earth or emission of green house effect gases, the noise emission is also one more pollutant in our planet. The noise is considered a pollutant due to is has the possibility to alter the normal conditions of environment. Though the noise doesn't accumulate as the other pollutant agents, it does cause illness to people and animals exposed to it like deafness and stress. The problem doesn't end in urban zones either as a pollutant through air as vector for the soundwave. The noise also pollutes water, and it does because it affects the life quality of animals which inhabit under the sea. In Genoa, Italy exists a gulf which is considered a whale sanctuary, and the noise of motors and other devices utilized in marine and petroleum business is interfering with the low frequency soundwaves that are emitted by cetacean to communicate among themselves. More whales are running aground disoriented or they cannot find partner to reproduce. A female whale should be able to listen at the sound of the male whale at 500 Km along but due to sound interference, whales have seen reduced in a 90% the range of listening. The problem is also for animals like dolphins that use wavesounds to localize its prey.

UN advices that changes in pH of sea water contributes with sound pollution in sea, because the increase in acidity of sea water makes it to absorb 10% less low frequency wave sounds.

Read also about this topic at:
http://www.ecodigital.com.ar/Noticia.htm
http://weblogs.madrimasd.org/ciencia_marina/archive/2008/12/07/108855.aspx

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Trópico de cáncer : : : : Tropic of cancer

This a song I have been listening since several years ago, it is from 1994 year in that Cafe Tacuba launched its CD called Re. It is a kind of ecologist song and I hope you like it as much as I like. Here is the lyric and enjoy it:



Como es que te vas Salvador de la compañia,
How is that Salvador you're leaving the company
si todavia hay mucho verdor.
if there's still a lot of green


Si el progreso es nuestro oficio
if the progress is our profession

y aún queda por ahi mucho indio*
and there are
still around there many indian*
que no sabe lo que es vivir en una ciudad
who don't know what is to live in a city

(como la gente)
(
like people)


Que no ves que eres un puente
You don't know you're a bridge

entre el salvajismo y el modernismo,
among the savagery and the modernism

salvador el ingeniero, salvador de la humanidad.
saviour the engineering, savior of the mankind


Esta muy bien lo que tu piensas
It's very good what you think

pero porque no tu te acuerdas
but why don't you remember

que la nuestra es una civilización muy avanzada
that our civilization is a very advanced one

(como dice la gente)
(as they say)


Que no ves que nuestra mente

You don't see that our mind

no debe tomar en cuenta
doesn't have to take care about

ecologistas, indigenistas, retrogradistas ni humanistas.
ecologists, indigenous studiers, retrogrades either humanists.


Ay mis ingenieros, civilies y asociados
Ay my engineers, civil and associated

no crean que no me duele,
don't think it doesn't hurt me

irme de su lado, pero es que yo pienso,
going from your side, but what I think is,

que ha llegado el tiempo,
the time has arrived

de darle lugar, a los espacios sin cemento,
to give importance, to places with no cement,


Por eso yo ya me voy,
For that reason, I'm leaving

no quiero tener nada que ver
I don't want to have any relation

con esa fea relación de acción, contrucción, destrucción
with that nasty
relation about action, construction, destruction

Como es que te vas Salvador de la compañía

How is that you Salvador are leaving the company

si todavia hay mucho verdor.
if there's still a lot of green.


Ay mis compañeros Petroleros Mexicanos,
Ay my partners Petroleros Mexicanos

no crean que no extraño, el olor a oleo puro,
don't think I don't miss, the pure oil odor

pero es que yo pienso que nosotros los humanos,
but I think we as human beings

no necesitamos, más hidrocarburos
don't need, more hydrocarbons


Por eso yo ya me voy,
For that reason, I'm leaving

no quiero tener nada que ver
I don't want to have any relation

con esa fea relación de acción, contrucción, destrucción...
with that nasty
relation about action, construction, destruction...



*indio. Indio es un adjetivo usado en México para discriminar indigenas que "se supone" son ignorantes.
* indian. Indian is and adjective used in Mexico to discriminate natives who "are supposed" to be ignorants.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Just a small step to become engineers






Last week we celebrate our traditional "quema de batas" or "burn of robe" every year the school of biological sciences makes this big party in honor of the students graduating . It was a lot of fun breaking the piñata, burning the robe, dancing and singing with mariachis. I think we all should feel proud of our school, and realize all the knowledge that we gain. Thanks to all our profesors, our classmates and friends. Now we are about to get into the real world .. lets keep the hard work. Congratulations to Susan, Lucy, and Cheve that are graduating this december, and to my other classmates..we made it guys !!