Propuesta de mejora integral al proceso de admisión en el área de posgrados de una institución de educación de superior

Ingeniería IndustrialInstitution in study, assumes the academic programs of postgraduates as a contribution to the strengthening of the base of the capacity of the country for the generation and application of knowledge in the fields of science, technology, arts and humanities. To gain access, applicants begin with a registration process through the delivery of documents considered essential requirements. Once realized, they surrender to a process of selection and admission. Consecutively, the results are sent by email along with the registration form. It has been determined that the lead time (time elapsed from receipt of documents until results are sent) should not exceed 25 working days. However, the reality of the process and the effects caused are different, which affects the satisfaction of the applicant who is expected to become a student at the end of the registration process. In this sense, the object of this degree work rests in the presentation of an improvement proposal directed by at reducing the lead time that an applicant must wait for to obtain his or her registration certificate. This will be done by applying a Six Sigma methodology through the collection of data provided by the Postgraduate Department in order to know the historical status of the process in the last 3 academic periods and feed the simulation of the current process through ARENA software; identify possible causes of behavior with the help of statistical tools such as the Ishikawa Diagram, object improvement strategies and define a map of control activities to facilitate the monitoring of the effectiveness of the proposal. In addition, in order to determine how much the cycle time influences the number of enrollees, a design of experiments was carried out. Among the results of the current process, a short-term sigma level of 1.07 and a long-term sigma level of -0.43 were obtained. The concentration of causes is given in the part of methods and therefore, improvement strategies are proposed oriented to this particular aspect. It was also demonstrated that cycle time does affect the number of enrollees.La Institución de Educación Superior en estudio, asume los programas académicos de posgrados como una contribución al fortalecimiento de la base de la capacidad del país para la generación y aplicación de conocimiento en los campos de la ciencia, la tecnología, las artes y las humanidades. Para acceder, los aspirantes inician con un proceso de inscripción a través de la entrega de documentos considerados como requisitos indispensables. Una vez realizada, se someten a un proceso de selección y admisión. Posteriormente, los resultados son enviados mediante un correo electrónico junto con el volante de matrícula. Se ha determinado que el tiempo de ciclo (tiempo transcurrido desde que se reciben los documentos hasta que se envían los resultados) no debe superar los 25 días hábiles. Sin embargo, la realidad del proceso y los efectos ocasionados son diferentes, lo cual repercute en la satisfacción del aspirante que se espera sea convertido en estudiante al finalizar su proceso de matrícula. En este sentido, el propósito de este trabajo de grado recae en la presentación de una propuesta de mejora orientada a la reducción del tiempo de ciclo que debe esperar un aspirante para la obtención de su volante de matrícula. Lo anterior, se llevará a cabo aplicando una metodología Six Sigma mediante la recolección de datos proporcionados por el Departamento de Posgrados con la finalidad de conocer el estado histórico del proceso en los últimos 3 periodos académicos y alimentar la simulación del proceso actual mediante el software ARENA; identificar las posibles causas del comportamiento con la ayuda de herramientas estadísticas como el Diagrama de Ishikawa, plantear estrategias de mejora y definir un mapa de actividades de control que facilite la supervisión de la efectividad de la propuesta. Además, con el objetivo de determinar que tanto influye el tiempo de ciclo con la cantidad de matriculados, se realizó un diseño de experimentos. Entre los resultados del proceso actual se obtuvo un nivel sigma a corto plazo de 1,07 y a largo plazo de -0,43. La concentración de causas se da en la parte de métodos y por lo tanto, se proponen estrategias de mejora orientadas a este aspecto en particular. Asimismo, se demostró que el tiempo de ciclo si afecta la cantidad de matriculados

On Relaxed Conditions of Integral ISS for Multistable Periodic Systems

International audienceA novel characterization of the integral Inputto-State Stability (iISS) property is introduced for multistable systems whose dynamics are periodic with respect to a part of the state. First, the concepts of iISS-Leonov functions and output smooth dissipativity are introduced, then their equivalence to the properties of bounded-energy-bounded-state and global attractiveness of solutions in the absence of disturbances are proven. The proposed approach permits to relax the usual requirements of positive definiteness and periodicity of the iISS-Lyapunov functions. Moreover, the usefulness of the theoretical results is illustrated by a robustness analysis of a nonlinear pendulum with a constant bias input and an unbounded statedependent input coefficient

Prevalencia de factores de riesgo cardiovascular en ingresantes a la Universidad Nacional de la Rioja en el año 2007

Las enfermedades cardiovasculares constituyen la principal causa de muerte de la población adulta en la mayoría de los países. Los factores de riesgo estarían presentes en edades cada vez más tempranas. Se estudió 120 estudiantes de ambos sexos, entre 17 a 21 años de edad, ingresantes a la Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad Nacional de La Rioja en el año 2007. El 35 % no presentó presión sistólica normal. Un 23,5 % posee un Índice de Masa Corporal por arriba de lo normal. Solamente un 19 % de las mujeres realizan alguna actividad física. Un 66,7 % de las mujeres y un 50 % de los hombres poseen niveles de colesterol por arriba de los aceptables y el 74 % de los hombres tienen riesgo cardiovascular moderado a elevado. La prevalencia observada de factores de riesgo cardiovascular representa un toque de atención dada la juventud de la población considerada

Immunometabolism in Obesity

Immunometabolism is a current issue that has shown relevance in recent years, because the way we understand the adipose tissue has shifted from simply being a site of energy storage to a very active endocrine organ, which dysregulation has a major impact on other systems, especially on the immune one. Understanding the molecular basis of the regulation of adipose tissue is essential to look for alternatives in the treatment and prognosis of obesity in future generations. In this regard, it is described that the immune system has great importance in physiological processes of adipose tissue and vice versa. The main objective of this chapter is to describe the relationship between the immune system and metabolism, emphasizing dysregulation when obesity is present. Upon completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to understand the relationship between the immune system and metabolism, in normal and obesity states; also, will identify the chronic state of low-grade inflammation as the main etiological factor of obesity co-morbidities, such as insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis and susceptibility to some kinds of cancer, among others

Supercritical Extraction Process of Allspice Essential Oil

Se presentan los resultados del proceso de extracción de aceite de pimienta utilizando dióxido de carbono supercríticoAllspice essential oil was extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2) in a static process at three different temperatures (308.15, 313.15 and 318.15 K), and four levels of pressure (100, 200, 300 and 360 bar). The amount of oil extracted was measured at intervals of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6h, the most extraction yield reached was of 68.47% at 318.15K, 360 bar and 6h of contact time. In this supercritical extraction process, the distribution coefficient (KD), the mean effective diffusion coefficient (Def), the energy of activation (Ea), the thermodynamic properties (ΔG0, ΔH0 and ΔS0) and the apparent solubility (S) expressed as mass fraction (w/w) were evaluated for the first time. At the equilibrium the experimental apparent solubility data were successfully correlated with the modified Chrastil equation

Effect of calcium supplementation on bone resorption in pregnancy and the early postpartum: a randomized controlled trial in Mexican Women

Abstract Background Calcium needs are physiologically upregulated during pregnancy and lactation to meet demands of the developing fetus and breastfeeding infant. Maternal calcium homeostasis is maintained by hormonal adaptive mechanisms, thus, the role of dietary calcium supplementation in altering maternal responses to fetal-infant demand for calcium is thought to be limited. However, increased calcium absorption is directly related to maternal calcium intake and dietary supplementation has been suggested to prevent transient bone loss associated with childbearing. Methods In a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 670 women in their first trimester of pregnancy to 1,200 mg/day calcium (N = 334) or placebo (N = 336). Subjects were followed through 1-month postpartum and the effect on urinary cross-linked N-telopeptides (NTx) of type I collagen, a specific marker of bone resorption, was evaluated using an intent-to-treat analysis. Women with a baseline and at least one follow-up measurement (N = 563; 84%) were included. Subsequent analyses were conducted stratifying subjects by compliance assessed using pill counts. In random subsets of participants, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) (N = 100) and quantitative ultrasound (QUS) (N = 290) were also measured. Results Calcium was associated with an overall reduction of 15.8% in urinary NTx relative to placebo (p < 0.001). Among those who consumed ≥50%, ≥67%, and ≥75% of pills, respectively, the effect was associated with 17.3%, 21.3%, and 22.1% reductions in bone resorption (all p < 0.001). There was no significant effect of calcium on bone formation measured by BAP. However, by 1-month postpartum, those in the calcium group had significantly lower NTx/BAP ratios than those in the placebo group (p = 0.04) indicating a net reduction in bone loss in the supplement group by the end of follow-up. Among subjects who consumed ≥50% and ≥75% of pills, respectively, calcium was also associated with an increase of 26.3 m/s (p = 0.03) and 59.0 m/s (p = 0.009) in radial SOS relative to placebo by 1-month postpartum. Conclusions Calcium administered during pregnancy and the early postpartum period, to women with intakes around adequacy, was associated with reduced bone resorption and, thus, may constitute a practical intervention to prevent transient skeletal loss associated with childbearing. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT00558623http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110126/1/12937_2014_Article_851.pd

Maternal Blood, Plasma, and Breast Milk Lead: Lactational Transfer and Contribution to Infant Exposure

Background: Human milk is a potential source of lead exposure. Yet lactational transfer of lead from maternal blood into breast milk and its contribution to infant lead burden remains poorly understood. Objectives: We explored the dose–response relationships between maternal blood, plasma, and breast milk to better understand lactational transfer of lead from blood and plasma into milk and, ultimately, to the breastfeeding infant. Methods: We measured lead in 81 maternal blood, plasma, and breast milk samples at 1 month postpartum and in 60 infant blood samples at 3 months of age. Milk-to-plasma (M/P) lead ratios were calculated. Multivariate linear, piecewise, and generalized additive models were used to examine dose–response relationships between blood, plasma, and milk lead levels. Results: Maternal lead levels (mean ± SD) were as follows: blood: 7.7 ± 4.0 μg/dL; plasma: 0.1 ± 0.1 μg/L; milk: 0.8 ± 0.7 μg/L. The average M/P lead ratio was 7.7 (range, 0.6–39.8) with 97% of the ratios being > 1. The dose–response relationship between plasma lead and M/P ratio was nonlinear (empirical distribution function = 6.5, p = 0.0006) with the M/P ratio decreasing by 16.6 and 0.6 per 0.1 μg/L of plasma lead, respectively, below and above 0.1 μg/L plasma lead. Infant blood lead level (3.4 ± 2.2 μg/dL) increased by 1.8 μg/dL per 1 μg/L milk lead (p < 0.0001, R2 = 0.3). Conclusions: The M/P ratio for lead in humans is substantially higher than previously reported, and transfer of lead from plasma to milk may be higher at lower levels of plasma lead. Breast milk is an important determinant of lead burden among breastfeeding infants. Citation: Ettinger AS, Roy A, Amarasiriwardena CJ, Smith DR, Lupoli N, Mercado-García A, Lamadrid-Figueroa H, Tellez-Rojo MM, Hu H, Hernández-Avila M. 2014. Maternal blood, plasma, and breast milk lead: lactational transfer and contribution to infant exposure. Environ Health Perspect 122:87–92; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.130718

Engineered rHDL Nanoparticles as a Suitable Platform for Theranostic Applications

Reconstituted high-density lipoproteins (rHDLs) can transport and specifically release drugs and imaging agents, mediated by the Scavenger Receptor Type B1 (SR-B1) present in a wide variety of tumor cells, providing convenient platforms for developing theranostic systems. Usually, phospholipids or Apo-A1 lipoproteins on the particle surfaces are the motifs used to conjugate molecules for the multifunctional purposes of the rHDL nanoparticles. Cholesterol has been less addressed as a region to bind molecules or functional groups to the rHDL surface. To maximize the efficacy and improve the radiolabeling of rHDL theranostic systems, we synthesized compounds with bifunctional agents covalently linked to cholesterol. This strategy means that the radionuclide was bound to the surface, while the therapeutic agent was encapsulated in the lipophilic core. In this research, HYNIC-S-(CH2)3-S-Cholesterol and DOTA-benzene-p-SC-NH-(CH2)2-NH-Cholesterol derivatives were synthesized to prepare nanoparticles (NPs) of HYNIC-rHDL and DOTA-rHDL, which can subsequently be linked to radionuclides for SPECT/PET imaging or targeted radiotherapy. HYNIC is used to complexing 99mTc and DOTA for labeling molecules with 111, 113mIn, 67, 68Ga, 177Lu, 161Tb, 225Ac, and 64Cu, among others. In vitro studies showed that the NPs of HYNIC-rHDL and DOTA-rHDL maintain specific recognition by SR-B1 and the ability to internalize and release, in the cytosol of cancer cells, the molecules carried in their core. The biodistribution in mice showed a similar behavior between rHDL (without surface modification) and HYNIC-rHDL, while DOTArHDL exhibited a different biodistribution pattern due to the significant reduction in the lipophilicity of the modified cholesterol molecule. Both systems demonstrated characteristics for the development of suitable theranostic platforms for personalized cancer treatment.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT, Mexico), through Grant SEP-CONACyT-CB-2016-01-287217. the financing program for female scientists EDOMEX, Grant Number FICDTEM-2021-015