Modelo de atracción estratégica y acompañamiento para universidades

La presente investigación inicia con el objetivo de generar un modelo mercadológico que colabore con la Gestión Estratégica de la Matrícula (G.E.M.), propio de instituciones educativas, así como existen modelos de gestión y mercadológicos en algunas otras industrias. Para ello se realizaron varias actividades de investigación y análisis de la matrícula de las universidades privadas del Área Metropolitana de Guadalajara, información que se publica cada año en la Secretaría de Educación Jalisco, y de manera específica la información de la universidad investigada. También se buscó que la promoción de las universidades, además de distinguirse de otras industrias, se adecúe a los atributos de las instituciones educativas, específicamente universidades, y compatible con el público objetivo que busca. En los análisis se encuentra que las universidades tienen en la mejor posición algún programa educativo o licenciatura y su inscripción es muy diferente a las demás universidades de competencia, de acuerdo con el reporte de alumnos inscritos de estas universidades. Así mismo el número de carreras no se relaciona necesariamente con el número de alumnos totales. En esta primera investigación y de acuerdo con los expertos en materia de la mercadotecnia se hizo un análisis del entorno y un análisis de la competencia de una universidad específica que nos muestra cuáles son los principales elementos para colocar la promoción y la comunicación de las universidades. La parte más importante estriba en cómo los expertos en la gestión de las universidades han generado modelos para cumplir con su misión. Sí, como toda institución además de ser sustentable, su objetivo va más allá de lo comercial, más allá de la generación de utilidades, elementos que sin duda muchas instituciones educativas privadas buscarán, pero hay un objetivo aún más importante y que es para todas las instituciones, el cumplir con la misión, la de formar personas, formar profesionales en los diferentes campos académicos y para la mejora de las industrias, en sus competencias, sus productos, su producción, su atención, sus procesos, sus servicios, etc. Para el caso de las universidades existe la Gestión Estratégica de la Matrícula (G.E.M.), que modela los elementos importantes para llevar a cabo la misión y que requiere, por lo mismo, de un modelo comercial, mercadológico que colabore con esta gestión. El conocimiento de la matrícula particular de cada universidad revelará cómo se deberá generar una estrategia de mercado, así como las que las demás universidades plantean también para generar una estrategia diferenciadora que atraiga a los alumnos compatibles con la ideología de cada universidad.ITESO, A.C

Propiedades texturales y reológicas de organogeles de aceite de soja estructurados con ésteres de poliglicerol y propilenglicol durante el almacenamiento

Organogels have emerged as an alternative to the intake of saturated fats. Organogels of soybean oil (SBO) structured with polyglycerol esters (PGE) or propylene glycol esters (PPGE) at different concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, or 4.0%) were formulated. Both emulsifiers at 4% (w/w) concentrations were able to form solid-like organogels and showed thixotropy and low mechanical resistance when compression forces were applied. However, the SBO/PGE (4%) organogels presented lower values for flow curves and micrographs showed a more organized network compared to the SBO/PPGE at 4%. However, higher flow curve values, larger crystals, and mechanical resistance on compression were observed after a two-month storage period of SBO/PPGE compared to SBO/PGE organogels. Both organogels have the potential to be used for diverse food applications although the SBO/PGE was more stable throughout storage.Los organogeles surgieron como una alternativa a la ingesta de grasas saturadas. Se formularon organogeles de aceite de soja (SBO) estructurados con ésteres de poliglicerol (PGE) o ésteres de propilenglicol (PPGE) a diferentes concentraciones (0,5, 1,0, 2,0, 3,0 y 4,0%). Ambos emulsificantes fueron capaces de formar organogeles sólidos con un 4% (p/p) y mostraron tixotropía y baja resistencia mecánica cuando se aplicaron fuerzas de compresión. Sin embargo, los organogeles SBO/PGE (4%) presentaron valores más bajos de curvas de flujo y las microfotografías mostraron una red más organizada en comparación con el SBO/PPGE al 4%. Sin embargo, se observaron valores de curva de flujo más altos, cristales más grandes y resistencia mecánica a la compresión después de dos meses de almacenamiento en el SBO/PPGE en comparación con los organogeles de SBO/PGE. Ambos organogeles tienen potencial para ser usados en la industria alimentaria aunque el organogel SBO/PGE fue más estable durante almacenamiento

At The End of The World: Transnational Ethnography of Chilotes Migration in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

El artículo muestra hallazgos etnográficos sobre las experiencias migratorias de los chilotes en Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, entre los años 1947-2018. El objetivo de este trabajo es comprender las estrategias creativas que diseñaron los chilotes en sus procesos de asentamiento, asociadas con la formación de comunidades, la resignificación de la noción de hogar y la circulación de mercancías de la nostalgia. El enfoque metodológico siguió la perspectiva de la etnografía multisituada que consistió en el desarrollo de un trabajo de campo entre Chiloé y Ushuaia, recolectando información mediante la revisión de docu- mentos históricos, entrevistas en profundidad y mesas redondas. Los resultados muestran las etapas de asentamiento chilote después del cierre del presidio en 1947 y sus efectos en los procesos de consolidación de la comunidad a mediados de 1990.The article shows etnhographic findings on the migratory experiences of chilotes in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, between the years 1947-2018. The objective of this work is to understand the creative strategies that the chilotes designed in their settlement processes, associated with the formation of communities, the re-signification of the notion of home and the circulation of nostalgia merchandise. The methodological approach followed the perspective of multi-sited ethnography, wich consisted in the development of fieldwork between Chiloé and Ushuaia, collecting information through the review of Historical docu- ments, in-depth interviews and round tables. The results show the stage of chilote settle- ment after the closure of the prisión in 1947 and its effects on the consolidation processes of the community in the middle 1990’s

Rational positioning of 3D printed micro-bricks to realize high-fidelity, multi-functional soft-hard interfaces

peer reviewedLiving organisms have developed design principles, such as functional gradients (FGs), to interface hard materials with soft ones (e.g., bone and tendon). Mimicking such design principles can address the challenges faced when developing engineered constructs with soft-hard interfaces. To date, implementing these FG design principles has been primarily performed by varying the ratio of the hard phase to that of the soft phase. Such design approaches, however, lead to inaccurate mechanical properties within the transition zone. That is due to the highly nonlinear relationship between the material distribution at the microscale and the macroscale mechanical properties. Here, we 3D print micro-bricks from either a soft or a hard phase and study the nonlinear relationship between their arrangements within the transition zone and the resulting macroscale properties. We carry out experiments at the micro- and macroscales as well as finite element simulations at both scales. Based on the obtained results, we develop a co-continuous power-law model relating the arrangement of the micro-bricks to the local mechanical properties of the micro-brick composites. We then use this model to rationally design FGs at the individual micro-brick level and create two types of biomimetic soft-hard constructs, including a specimen modeling bone-ligament junctions in the knee and another modeling the nucleus pulposus-annulus fibrosus interface in intervertebral discs. We show that the implemented FGs drastically enhance the stiffness, strength, and toughness of both types of specimens as compared to non-graded designs. Furthermore, we hypothesize that our soft-hard FGs regulate the behavior of murine preosteoblasts and primary human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hBMSCc). We culture those cells to confirm the effects of soft-hard interfaces on cell morphology as well as on regulating the expression of focal adhesion kinase, subcellular localization, and YAP nuclear translocation of hBMSCs. Taken together, our results pave the way for the rational design of soft-hard interfaces at the micro-brick level and (biomedical) applications of such designs

Time course study of oxidative and nitrosative stress and antioxidant enzymes in K(2)Cr(2)O(7)-induced nephrotoxicity

BACKGROUND: Potassium dichromate (K(2)Cr(2)O(7))-induced nephrotoxicity is associated with oxidative and nitrosative stress. In this study we investigated the relation between the time course of the oxidative and nitrosative stress with kidney damage and alterations in the following antioxidant enzymes: Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu, Zn-SOD), Mn-SOD, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and catalase (CAT). METHODS: Nephrotoxicity was induced in rats by a single injection of K(2)Cr(2)O(7). Groups of animals were sacrificed on days 1,2,3,4,6,8,10, and 12. Nephrotoxicity was evaluated by histological studies and by measuring creatinine clearance, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and urinary excretion of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) and total protein. Oxidative and nitrosative stress were measured by immunohistochemical localization of protein carbonyls and 3-nitrotyrosine, respectively. Cu, Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, and CAT were studied by immunohistochemical localization. The activity of total SOD, CAT, GPx, and GR was also measured as well as serum and kidney content of chromium and urinary excretion of NO(2 )(-)/NO(3)(-). Data were compared by two-way analysis of variance followed by a post hoc test. RESULTS: Serum and kidney chromium content increased reaching the highest value on day 1. Nephrotoxicity was made evident by the decrease in creatinine clearance (days 1–4) and by the increase in serum creatinine (days 1–4), BUN (days 1–6), urinary excretion of NAG (days 1–4), and total protein (day 1–6) and by the structural damage to the proximal tubules (days 1–6). Oxidative and nitrosative stress were clearly evident on days 1–8. Urinary excretion of NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(- )decreased on days 2–6. Mn-SOD and Cu, Zn-SOD, estimated by immunohistochemistry, and total SOD activity remained unchanged. Activity of GPx decreased on days 3–12 and those of GR and CAT on days 2–10. Similar findings were observed by immunohistochemistry of CAT. CONCLUSION: These data show the association between oxidative and nitrosative stress with functional and structural renal damage induced by K(2)Cr(2)O(7). Renal antioxidant enzymes were regulated differentially and were not closely associated with oxidative or nitrosative stress or with kidney damage. In addition, the decrease in the urinary excretion of NO(2)(-)/NO(3)(- )was associated with the renal nitrosative stress suggesting that nitric oxide was derived to the formation of reactive nitrogen species involved in protein nitration

Targeting and retention of HPV16 E7 to the endoplasmic reticulum enhances immune tumour protection

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is where the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules are loaded with epitopes to cause an immune cellular response. Most of the protein antigens are degraded in the cytoplasm to amino acids and few epitopes reach the ER. Antigen targeting of this organelle by Calreticulin (CRT) fusion avoids this degradation and enhances the immune response. We constructed a recombinant adenovirus to express the E7 antigen with an ER-targeting signal peptide (SP) plus an ER retention signal (KDEL sequence). In cell-culture experiments we demonstrated that this new E7 antigen, SP-E7-KDEL, targeted the ER. Infection of mice with this recombinant adenovirus that expresses SP-E7-KDEL showed interferon induction and tumour-protection response, similar to that provided by an adenovirus expressing the E7 antigen fused to CRT. This work demonstrated that just by adding a SP and the KDEL sequence, antigens can be targeted and retained in the ER with a consequent enhancement of immune response and tumour protection. These results will have significant clinical applications

Recent Advances in Prodigiosin as a Bioactive Compound in Nanocomposite Applications

Bionanocomposites based on natural bioactive entities have gained importance due to their abundance; renewable and environmentally benign nature; and outstanding properties with applied perspective. Additionally, their formulation with biological molecules with antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities has been produced nowadays. The present review details the state of the art and the importance of this pyrrolic compound produced by microorganisms, with interest towards Serratia marcescens, including production strategies at a laboratory level and scale-up to bioreactors. Promising results of its biological activity have been reported to date, and the advances and applications in bionanocomposites are the most recent strategy to potentiate and to obtain new carriers for the transport and controlled release of prodigiosin. Prodigiosin, a bioactive secondary metabolite, produced by Serratia marcescens, is an effective proapoptotic agent against bacterial and fungal strains as well as cancer cell lines. Furthermore, this molecule presents antioxidant activity, which makes it ideal for treating wounds and promoting the general improvement of the immune system. Likewise, some of the characteristics of prodigiosin, such as hydrophobicity, limit its use for medical and biotechnological applications; however, this can be overcome by using it as a component of a bionanocomposite. This review focuses on the chemistry and the structure of the bionanocomposites currently developed using biorenewable resources. Moreover, the work illuminates recent developments in pyrrole-based bionanocomposites, with special insight to its application in the medical area.This work was funded by CSIC-Tecnológico de Monterrey under i-Link+program (LINKB20030) for a project entitled “Contaminantes emergentes y prioritarios en las aguas reutilizadas en agricultura: riesgos y efectos en suelos, producción agrícola y entorno ambiental”.Peer reviewe

Safety and effectiveness of CIMAvax-EGF administered in community polyclinics

In spite of the advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapies, lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related death. The epidermal growth factor receptor is an established target for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and its overactivation by the ligands can induce accelerated proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis as well as proinflammatory or immunosuppressive signals. CIMAvax-EGF is an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-depleting immunotherapy that is approved for the treatment of NSCLC patients in Cuba. The study was designed as a phase IV trial to characterize the safety and effectiveness of CIMAvax-EGF in advanced NSCLC patients treated in 119 community polyclinics and 24 hospitals. CIMAvax-EGF treatment consisted of four bi-weekly doses followed by monthly boosters. Overall, 741 NSCLC patients ineligible for further cancer-specific treatment were enrolled. CIMAvax-EGF was safe, and the most common adverse events consisted of mild-to-moderate injection site reactions, fever, chills, tremors, and headache. For patients completing the loading doses, the median survival was 9.9 months. For individuals achieving at least stable disease to the frontline and completing vaccination induction, the median survival was 12 months. Most of the functional activities and symptoms evaluated through the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 questionnaire improved over time. In conclusion, this real-world trial demonstrated that CIMAvax-EGF was safe and effective in patients who were vaccinated in the maintenance scenario. A larger effect was seen in subjects with poor prognosis like those with squamous tumors and high EGF levels. Remarkably, this community-based intervention was very important because it demonstrated the feasibility of treating advanced lung cancer patients with active immunotherapy in primary care institutions. In addition to CIMAvax-EGF, patients received supportive care at the community clinic. Vaccine administration by the family doctors at the polyclinics reduced the patients’ burden on the medical oncology services that continued providing chemotherapy and other complex therapies. We conclude that community polyclinics constitute the optimal scenario for administering those cancer vaccines that are safe and require prolonged maintenance in patients with advanced cancer, despite the continuous deterioration of their general condition.Clinical trial registrationhttps://rpcec.sld.cu/trials/RPCEC00000205-En, identifier RPCEC00000205