Creating a Micro-Enterprise for the Development and Marketing of a Chili Sauce Based on Sambo Seeds: Market Analysis

The present work was carried out to promote a chili sauce made with the seeds of the sambo fruit – a local variety of pumpkin. Presently, the sauce is consumed only in Ecuador and is prepared using just the fleshy part of the fruit, while the seeds are discarded. The authors of this article see a larger potential application of the fruit in the food industry, as the fruit not only adds a pleasant flavor but is also full of nutrition. They have made a new chili sauce with a base of sambo seeds. The research was carried out using an inductive method, where people were selected at random. Variables such as gender, age, level, and consumption preferences, among others, were analyzed. The study was conducted in Riobamba canton on 164 people, aged 20 and over, considering various aspects. The instrument used was a questionnaire. The results showed that 71.95% of those surveyed consumed chili-based sauces, and 54.88% of them consumed it at least once a week. In addition, 63.41% of them consumed or had consumed sambo seeds, thus denoting that consumers were aware of and were consuming this product. The current research allowed us to innovate the product using correct methods and techniques, and adapt the best use of seeds in the food industry. Keywords: chili, sambo, economic analysis, consumption, commercialization. RESUMEN El presente trabajo se realizó con el objetivo de dar a conocer la aceptación y el beneficio económico de la salsa de ají con adición de semillas del fruto de sambo en el mercado, actualmente su consumo se da en todo el país y se aprovecha únicamente la parte carnosa de la fruta, las semillas son desechadas, por cuanto vemos una potencial aplicación en la industria alimentaria de estas, a más de aportar con sabor agradable aportan nutricionalmente, y se las han adicionado en una salsa de ají, al integrar al mercado una nueva salsa elaborada con este producto icónico además se busca utilizar las semillas de la calabaza local conocida como sambo. Esta investigación se realizó mediante un método inductivo, donde las personas fueron seleccionadas al azar, se analizaron variables como: género, edad, nivel y preferencias de consumo, entre otras. La búsqueda de información fue en el cantón Riobamba, a 164 personas, de 20 años en adelante, considerando varios aspectos; el instrumento aplicado fue cuestionario. Los resultados demuestran que el 71.95% de los How to encuestados consumen salsas elaboradas a base de ají, y de estos 54.88% lo consumen como mínimo una vez a la semana, además que el 63,41% consume o ha consumido semillas de sambo, denotando así que los consumidores conocen y consumen estos productos. La actual investigación nos permitió innovar el producto, utilizando correctamente métodos y técnicas adaptando el mejor uso de las semillas en la industria alimentaria. Palabras Clave: Ají, sambo, semillas, análisis económico, consumo, comercialización

Structure, Configuration And Sizing Of Ni Nanoparticles Generated By Ultrafast Laser Ablation In Different Media

In recent years, nickel nanoparticles (NPs) have increased scientific interest because of their extensive prospects in catalysts, information storage, large-scale batteries and biomedicine. Several works on Ni NPs generation by laser ablation have appeared in the literature in the last years, using different pulsed laser regimes and different media have been published recently. In this work we analyze the characteristics of species, structure (bare core or core-shell), configuration and size distribution of NPs generated by fs pulse laser ablation over a Ni solid target in n-heptane and water. We explore the presence of NiO-Ni core-shell and hollow Ni (or air-Ni) NPs in the colloids obtained. These were experimentally characterized using AFM and TEM microscopy, as well as Optical Extinction Spectroscopy (OES). Extinction spectra were modeled using Mie theory through an appropriate modification of the complex experimental dielectric function, taking into account a size-dependent corrective term for each free and bound electron contribution. Experimental UV-visible-NIR spectra were reproduced considering a size distribution of bare core, hollow and core-shell structures NPs. In both media, Ni NPs shape and size distribution agrees with that derived from TEM and AFM analysis.954

FLAT PLATE PULSATING HEAT PIPES WITH DIFFERENT CHANNEL GEOMETRIES FOR HIGH HEAT FLUX APPLICATIONS

The thermal performance of flat plate pulsating heat pipes with differentchannel geometries was performed in this experimental work. The testswere accomplished with two channel profiles, round and grooved. One ofthe channel geometries, located on the evaporator, can be considered novel,consisting of a round channel with two lateral grooves. Diffusion bondingtechnology was used to manufacture the PHPs made of two copper flatplates. Distilled water was used as the working fluid with a filling ratio of50% (17.9 ml) of the total volume. The pulsating heat pipes were tested atone position (vertical) under heat loads from 20 up to 2000 W. Theexperimental results showed that both flat plate pulsating heat pipesoperates successfully for high heat fluxes. The lateral grooves reduced thethermal resistance, being principally efficient in lower loads. Besides that,the novel channel considerably anticipated the operation startup. Therefore,a much better performance was obtained by the grooved channel PHP,which was constructed from a simple, low cost modification of thefabrication process

Biological activity of poriferans extracts from the Colombian Caribbean on Meloidogyne incognita and Spodoptera frugiperda IPLB-SF-21 cell line.

Sinconbiol

X-ray grating interferometry design for the 4D GRAPH-X system

The 4D GRAPH-X (Dynamic GRAting-based PHase contrast x-ray imaging) project aims at developing a prototype of an x-ray grating-based phase-contrast imaging scanner in a laboratory setting, which is based on the Moire single-shot acquisition method in order to be optimized for analysing moving objects (in the specific case, a dynamic thorax phantom), that could evolve into a suitable tool for biomedical applications although it can be extended to other application fields. When designing an x-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer, high visibility and sensitivity are two important figures of merit, strictly related to the performance of the system in obtaining high quality phase contrast and dark-field images. Wave field simulations are performed to optimize the setup specifications and construct a high-resolution and high-sensitivity imaging system. In this work, the design of a dynamic imaging setup using a conventional milli-focus x-ray source is presented. Optimization by wave front simulations leads to a symmetric configuration with 5.25 mu m pitch at third Talbot order and 45 keV design energy. The simulated visibility is about 22%. Results from GATE based Monte Carlo simulations show a 19% transmission percentage of the incoming beam into the detector after passing through all the gratings and the sample. Such results are promising in view of building a system optimized for dynamic imaging

Giyera sa Droga (War on Drugs): An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to the influence of negative word-of-mouth communication to the tourists’ intention to visit the Philippines

War on drugs campaign commenced in the Duterte Administration in 2016. The campaign resulted to worldwide criticisms which spread negative word-of-mouth about the Philippines. The study applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) by Ajzen and Fishbein (1991) to test the negative word-of-mouth (WOM) communication regarding war on drugs to tourists’ intention to visit the Philippines. Structural Equation Modelling was utilized to determine the relationship among the three factors of TPB namely, Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioural Control to tourist intention. The data was collected from 242 foreign passport holders and through an interview conducted with the Department of Tourism (DOT). The result of the study reveals that Attitude does not affect tourist intention to travel. On the other hand, Subjective Norm has the strongest influence on tourist intention followed by Perceived Behavioural Control but does not necessarily affect their decision-making behaviour towards visiting the Philippines regardless of the campaign

XIAP as a Target of New Small Organic Natural Molecules Inducing Human Cancer Cell Death

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is an emerging crucial therapeutic target in cancer. We report on the discovery and characterisation of small organic molecules from Piper genus plants exhibiting XIAP antagonism, namely erioquinol, a quinol substituted in the 4-position with an alkenyl group and the alkenylphenols eriopodols A-C. Another isolated compound was originally identified as gibbilimbol B. Erioquinol was the most potent inhibitor of human cancer cell viability when compared with gibbilimbol B and eriopodol A was listed as intermediate. Gibbilimbol B and eriopodol A induced apoptosis through mitochondrial permeabilisation and caspase activation while erioquinol acted on cell fate via caspase-independent/non-apoptotic mechanisms, likely involving mitochondrial dysfunctions and aberrant generation of reactive oxygen species. In silico modelling and molecular approaches suggested that all molecules inhibit XIAP by binding to XIAP-baculoviral IAP repeat domain. This demonstrates a novel aspect of XIAP as a key determinant of tumour control, at the molecular crossroad of caspase-dependent/independent cell death pathway and indicates molecular aspects to develop tumour-effective XIAP antagonists