Leyes, normas sociales y participación política: ¿patrimonio cultural inmaterial?

En este artículo se defiende que diferentes prácticas relacionadas con la participación política, resultantes del ejercicio de los derechos adquiridos por la ciudadanía democrática, podrían considerarse patrimonio inmaterial y deberían reconocerse como tal, con el objetivo de aumentar la resiliencia de los sistemas democráticos y permitir a la ciudadanía ser más consciente de sus propios derechos cívicos y sociales. La argumentación de esta tesis pasa por un breve estado de la cuestión de los debates académicos en torno al patrimonio inmaterial, incluyendo aquellos críticos con las narrativas dominantes; se enumera y se reflexiona sobre las características del patrimonio inmaterial, concluyendo que algunas prácticas de participación política como las elecciones o las manifestaciones cumplen todas las características y requisitos para la consideración de éstas como patrimonio inmaterial. Se concluye que tales prácticas deberían considerarse patrimonio inmaterial en aras de salvaguardar los márgenes de libertad conseguidos por las ciudadanías democráticas contra posibles cambios legislativos derivados del baile de mayorías parlamentarias

Comparación de estrategias MPC basado en índice de mínima varianza

Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a useful tool when controlling processes that handle a large number of input and output variables. This study presents a comparison of different MPC strategies when they are subjected to control process variables directly. The strategies studied are IMC, GPC, MPC-D, MPC-DR, and DMC. Evaluation of the performance of the controlled loop was performed with the filtering and correlation analysis algorithm (FCOR). The methodology proposed is validated in a Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor (CSTR) case study. Discrete predictive control demonstrated the best results in this study.El Control predictivo de modelos (MPC) es una herramienta útil para controlar procesos que manejan un gran número de variables de entrada y salida. Este estudio presenta una comparación de diferentes estrategias de MPC cuando son usadas para controlar directamente variables de proceso. Las estrategias estudiadas son IMC, GPC, MPC-D, MPC-DR y DMC. La evaluación del desempeño del lazo de control se realizó con el algoritmo de análisis de filtrado y correlación (FCOR). La metodología propuesta se valida en un caso de estudio tipo CSTR. El control predictivo discreto demostró los mejores resultados en este estudio

Hysteroscopic findings and intrauterine pathology treatment in Mexican infertile women

Background: Hysteroscopy is a minimally invasive approach in gynecologic surgery and one of the main procedures performed on women undergoing fertility treatments. Intrauterine pathology negatively affects fertility by decreasing endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation success, and its prevalence has been reported between 19% and 62%. The aim of our study was to describe the hysteroscopic findings, prevalence of intrauterine pathology, the instruments used for the treatment of structural lesions in Mexican infertile women; and to compare the relationship of positive findings with the type of infertility. Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted at fertility clinic at a private hospital. Results: We evaluated 191 hysteroscopies; the mean age of women was 35.5+3.2 years and the mean time of infertility 5.7+3.2 years. Primary infertility was the most prevalent (79.1%). In 118 cases (61.8%), uterine cavity abnormalities were diagnosed, the most frequent findings were: polyps (n=51, 26.7%), endometritis (n=30, 15.7%), fibroids (n=15, 7.6 %), synechiae (n=12, 6.5%), and müllerian anomalies (n=10, 5.3%). For structural pathology treatment, cold scissors and bipolar energy were used in 65.5% and 34.5%, respectively. Conclusions: Overall intrauterine pathology prevalence in our study population was 61.8%. Cold scissors and bipolar energy were used for structural lesions treatment. When comparing the relationship of hysteroscopic findings, no statistically significant difference was found in the presence of positive findings, with the type of infertility.

Normative Anthropometric and Physical-Function Scores for Costa Rican Older Adults

INTRODUCTION: The aging population is becoming significantly large in several countries due to improved health conditions and higher life expectancy. For instance, Costa Rican elderly have 17% less mortality at 90 yr. of age than elderly from high-income countries, and in Costa Rica life expectancy is higher for men than for women. In developed countries such as Spain, a large number of sedentary elderly have been found with elevated body fat percentage, which might impact their overall health and quality of life. Although the international scientific literature is extensive, the physical and functional status of Central American elderly is unknown. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to construct normative scores for anthropometric, adiposity and upper-arm strength variables in Costa Rican adults aged 60 to 110 yr. METHODS: Participants were 5494 Costa Rican elderly randomly selected from the Costa Rican National Population Census. These participants were assessed to determine their general health status and to obtain anthropometric, adiposity and hand grip strength measures. RESULTS: Nearly 50% of males and females showed an increased risk of metabolic complications (χ2 = 91.6; p ≤ 0.001). A higher percentage of females (64.5%) had abdominal obesity compared to males (18.6%). Males (39.8%) were more pre-obese than females (37.2%) and also type II obesity was more frequent in males (3.8%) than in females (3.5%). Males had higher body weight (4.4%) than females (3.9%), less type I obesity (13.4%) than women (17.5%) and less type III obesity (1.0%) than females (1.5%). Gender specific percentile-based norms (P10th, P25th, P50th, P75th, and P90th) were derived from data collected for each 10-year age groups (60-69, 70-79, 80-89, 90-99, and ≥100). CONCLUSION: This is the first population-based study in Central America reporting normative scores for anthropometric and physical-function variables in older adults

Effects of cytomegalovirus infection in human neural precursor cells depend on their differentiation state

© 2015, Journal of NeuroVirology, Inc. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital infection in developed countries and a major cause of neurological disability in children. Although CMV can affect multiple organs, the most important sequelae of intrauterine infection are related to lesions of the central nervous system. However, little is known about the pathogenesis and the cellular events responsible for neuronal damage in infants with congenital infection. Some studies have demonstrated that neural precursor cells (NPCs) show the greatest susceptibility to CMV infection in the developing brain. We sought to establish an in vitro model of CMV infection of the developing brain in order to analyze the cellular events associated with invasion by this virus. To this end, we employed two cell lines as a permanent source of NPC, avoiding the continuous use of human fetal tissue, the human SK-N-MC neuroblastoma cell line, and an immortalized cell line of human fetal neural origin, hNS-1. We also investigated the effect of the differentiation stage in relation to the susceptibility of these cell lines by comparing the neuroblastoma cell line with the multipotent cell line hNS-1. We found that the effects of the virus were more severe in the neuroblastoma cell line. Additionally, we induced hNS-1 to differentiate and evaluated the effect of CMV in these differentiated cells. Like SK-N-MC cells, hNS-1-differentiated cells were also susceptible to infection. Viability of differentiated hNS-1 cells decreased after CMV infection in contrast to undifferentiated cells. In addition, differentiated hNS-1 cells showed an extensive cytopathic effect whereas the effect was scarce in undifferentiated cells. We describe some of the effects of CMV in neural stem cells, and our observations suggest that the degree of differentiation is important in the acquisition of susceptibility.CONACYT (CB16782 and #120452), PROMEP (103.5/10/7697), and FAI-UASLP (C12-FAI-03-62.62).Peer Reviewe

Validación de material educativo: estrategia sobre alimentación y actividad física en escuelas mexicanas = Validation of educational material: strategy on food and physical activity in elementary schools in Mexico

Resumen: Introducción. Ante la necesidad de desarrollar materiales educativos que trasmitan mensajes claros y adecuados en salud, se realizó la validación de diversos materiales que apoyan la campaña “Recreo Saludable” que promueve estilos de vida saludable. Objetivo. Validar seis materiales impresos y cinco audiovisuales diseñados para promover una alimentación saludable, el incremento de actividad física y el consumo de agua pura. Material y método. Se seleccionaron por muestreo ocho escuelas primarias. Se realizó un estudio mixto de enfoque cuantitativo centrado en encuestas, y cualitativo fundamentado en entrevistas estructuradas. El análisis cualitativo se hizo con base en el contenido del discurso de los criterios explorados. Para el análisis cuantitativo se estimaron frecuencias con intervalos de confianza de 95%. Resultados. Para los criterios explorados se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados, entendimiento 87%, aceptación 78%, atracción 74%, inducción a la acción 93%, identificación 35%, lo que indica una validación positiva en la mayoría de las categorías. Los datos cualitativos aportaron aproximaciones necesarias para mejorar el contenido y el diseño de los materiales. Conclusión. Los resultados muestran que el material validado fue aceptado por la población e hicieron aportaciones para mejorarlo y con esto poder garantizar, la efectividad y aplicabilidad de estos como recurso pedagógico en estrategias educativas. Palabras clave: estudios de validación, materiales educativos y de divulgación, educación alimentaria y nutricional, actividad motora, educación en salud Abstract: Introduction. Given the need to develop educational materials that convey clear and appropriate messages on health, we performed the validation of various resources promoting healthy lifestyles that support the campaign "Healthy Recess". Objective. To validate six printed materials and five audiovisual ones, designed to promote healthy eating, increased physical activity and consumption of pure water. Material and methods. Eight elementary schools were selected for sampling. A joint study was conducted focused on surveys with a quantitative approach, based on structured qualitative interviews. Qualitative analysis was based on the content of the discourse of the criteria explored. Frequencies with confidence the explored criteria: understanding 87%; accepting 78%; appeal 74%; induction to action 93%; affinity 35%; which indicates a positive validation in most categories. Qualitative data provided necessary approximations to improve the content and layout of the materials. Conclusion. The results show that the validated material was accepted by the population and they contributed to its improvement, thereby ensuring the effectiveness and applicability of these as a pedagogical resource in educational strategies.Keywords: validation studies, educational and outreach materials, food and nutrition education, motor activity, health educatio

MicroRNAs Sequencing for Understanding the Genetic Regulation of Plant Genomes

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding RNAs that play important regulatory roles in animals and plants by targeting mRNAs for cleavage or translational repression. Small RNAs are classified into different types by their biogenesis and mode of action, such as miRNAs, siRNAs, piRNAs, and snoRNAs. In the case of miRNAs, this specific type regulates gene expression in plants and animals by targeting mRNAs for cleavage and translational repression, respectively. Diverse miRNAs regulate plant development, metabolism, and responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. The identification of miRNAs has been accomplished in diverse species, organs and developmental or diverse biotic and abiotic stress conditions. Novel massive sequencing techniques and further bioinformatics analysis have allowed the identification of hundreds of miRNAs in Arabidopsis thaliana, Oryza sativa, Malus domestica, Zea mays, Solanum lycopersicum, and other plants. Functional characterization of a given miRNA in a specific biological context has shown their role in the fine-tuning mechanisms of posttranscriptional gene regulation. In this chapter, besides making a summary of genome-wide miRNA profiling in plants, we describe how gain and loss of function approaches influence plant phenotypes that affect development, physiology or stress responses, pointing to miRNAs as effective tools for the generation of new plant phenotypes that improve plant productivity and conservation

Detection of Quantitative Trait Loci Controlling the Content of Phenolic Compounds in an Asian Plum (Prunus salicina L.) F1 Population

Consumption of fresh fruit is known to protect against non-communicable diseases due to the fruit's content in compounds with an antioxidant capacity, among them is polyphenols. Asian plums (Prunus salicina L.) accumulate more than 40 phenolic compounds, with a remarkable diversity in their profiles, depending on the variety and environmental conditions. Although candidate genes have been indicated to control this trait, the loci controlling its phenotypic variation have not yet been defined in this species. The aim of this work was to identify the quantitative trait Loci (QTL) controlling the phenolic compounds content in the Asian plum skin and flesh. Using UHPLC-DAD-Orbitrap-MS, we determined that cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-rutinoside are the main anthocyanins in Asian plums. Other anthocyanins found to a lesser extent were tentatively identified as cyanidin bound to different sugar and procyanidin moieties. Then we phenotyped fruits of 92 and 80 F1 seedlings from the cross (98 Ang) for two harvest seasons. We used HPLC-DAD to quantify single anthocyanin and spectrophotometric techniques to determine the total content of phenols, flavonoids, procyanidins, and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP). To determine the phenotype-genotype association of phenolic compounds content, phenotypic values (adjusted by linear mixed-effects models), genotypic data and linkage maps were analyzed with the multiple QTL model (MQM) approach. We found a total of 21 significant trait-marker associations: 13 QTLs segregating from “98.99” and 8 QTLs from “Angeleno.” From these associations, 8 corresponded to phenolic compound content in the flesh and 13 in the skin. Phenotype variance was explained by the detected loci, ranging from 12.4 to 27.1%. The identified loci are related to the content of cyanidin-3-glucoside (LG4), cyanidin-3-rutinoside (LG4), total flavonoids and procyanidins (LG5 and LG8), and minor anthocyanin compounds (LG3 and LG4). These results will help improve the efficiency of breeding programs for the generation of Asian plum varieties with high phenolic compound content.This work has been funded by the National Agency of Research and Development (ANID), Chile: Fondecyt start into Research No. 11150662, Fondecyt Regular No. 1191446, and FONDEF Project IT17I0069 Sweet Pekeetah: un modelo tecnológico-comercial para una nueva variedad chilena de fruta; BB and CS-A were supported by BECAS DE DOCTORADO NACIONAL/2020 No. 21200330 and 21191605, respectively. The work of JS was supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain through Juan de la Cierva incorporation contract (IJC2018-036623-I