Bacteriófagos no tratamento de feridas

As infecções bacterianas, particularmente as causadas por bactérias resistentes aos antibióticos, permanecem a principal causa de morte entre pacientes hospitalizados com queimaduras e feridas. Para além da terapêutica sistémica, um elemento-chave na gestão de feridas infectadas é a aplicação local de antimicrobianos eficazes. Os bacteriófagos (ou fagos) têm demonstrado um elevado potencial de cura no tratamento de feridas infectadas com estirpes bacterianas resistentes aos antibióticos.Bacterial infections, particularly the ones caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria, remain as the main cause of death among hospitalized patients with burns and ulcers. Besides systemic therapy, a key element on wound management is the local application of effective antimicrobial agents. Bacteriophages (or phages) have been shown as promising candidates (used alone or as complementary to antibiotic therapy) to target antibiotic-resistant bacteria on wound treatment

Macroeconomic effects of Federal Reserve forward guidance

A large output gap accompanied by stable inflation close to its target calls for further monetary accommodation, but the zero lower bound on interest rates has robbed the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the usual tool for its provision. We examine how public statements of FOMC intentions - forward guidance - can substitute for lower rates at the zero bound. We distinguish between Odyssean forward guidance, which publicly commits the FOMC to a future action, and Delphic forward guidance, which merely forecasts macroeconomic performance and likely monetary policy actions. Others have shown how forward guidance that commits the central bank to keeping rates at zero for longer than conditions would otherwise warrant can provide monetary easing, if the public trusts it. We empirically characterize the responses of asset prices and private macroeconomic forecasts to FOMC forward guidance, both before and since the recent financial crisis. Our results show that the FOMC has extensive experience successfully telegraphing its intended adjustments to evolving conditions, so communication difficulties do not present an insurmountable barrier to Odyssean forward guidance. Using an estimated dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model, we investigate how pairing such guidance with bright-line rules for launching rate increases can mitigate risks to the Federal Reserve's price stability mandate

Bioreduction of Solid Rocket Motors for Planetary Protection

Solid rocket propulsion systems have been used for in-space applications including planetary exploration missions for many years. Current NASA science lander projects require solid rocket propulsion systems to touchdown on the surface of potentially life-supporting planets and moons. A critical requirement of these missions is the prevention of accidental transportation of Earth's microbes to these environments. This mission requirement places an increased importance on the ability to reduce the biological burden that may be on board the solid propulsion systems and potentially deposited in a habitable environment. Some traditional interplanetary spacecraft decontamination operations could reduce the reliability of the solid propulsion system, indicating a need for new decontamination procedures. New techniques for biological burden reduction are being studied and may become the method of choice to ensure adequate reduction has been achieved. These techniques include biocidal elimination through chemical agents already present within the motor and cellular disruption due to assembly and operational environments induced in the motor. Recent investigations into the effectiveness of these techniques have generated promising experimental results. These techniques and current experimental results will be presented

The Chicago Fed DSGE Model

The Chicago Fed dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model is used for policy analysis and forecasting at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. This article describes its specification and estimation, its dynamic characteristics and how it is used to forecast the US economy. In many respects the model resembles other medium scale New Keynesian frameworks, but there are several features which distinguish it: the monetary policy rule includes forward guidance, productivity is driven by neutral and investment specific technical change, multiple price indices identify in ation and there is a financial accelerator mechanism

Repurposing the Electron Transfer Reactant Phenazine Methosulfate (PMS) for the Apoptotic Elimination of Malignant Melanoma Cells through Induction of Lethal Oxidative and Mitochondriotoxic Stress

Redox-directed pharmacophores have shown potential for the apoptotic elimination of cancer cells through chemotherapeutic induction of oxidative stress. Phenazine methosulfate (PMS), a N-alkylphenazinium cation-based redox cycler, is used widely as an electron transfer reactant coupling NAD(P)H generation to the reduction of tetrazolium salts in biochemical cell viability assays. Here, we have explored feasibility of repurposing the redox cycler PMS as a superoxide generating chemotherapeutic for the pro-oxidant induction of cancer cell apoptosis. In a panel of malignant human melanoma cells (A375, G361, LOX), low micromolar concentrations of PMS (1-10 μM, 24 h) displayed pronounced apoptogenicity as detected by annexin V-ITC/propidium iodide flow cytometry, and PMS-induced cell death was suppressed by antioxidant (NAC) or pan-caspase inhibitor (zVAD-fmk) cotreatment. Gene expression array analysis in A375 melanoma cells (PMS, 10 µM; 6 h) revealed transcriptional upregulation of heat shock (HSPA6, HSPA1A), oxidative (HMOX1) and genotoxic (EGR1, GADD45A) stress responses, confirmed by immunoblot detection demonstrating upregulation of redox regulators (NRF2, HO-1, HSP70) and modulation of pro- (BAX, PUMA) and anti-apoptotic factors (Bcl-2, Mcl-1). PMS-induced oxidative stress and glutathione depletion preceded induction of apoptotic cell death. Furthermore, the mitochondrial origin of PMS-induced superoxide production was substantiated by MitoSOX-Red live cell fluorescence imaging, and PMS-induced mitochondriotoxicity (as evidenced by diminished transmembrane potential and oxygen consumption rate) was observable at early time points. After demonstrating NADPH-driven (SOD-suppressible) superoxide radical anion generation by PMS employing a chemical NBT reduction assay, PMS-induction of oxidative genotoxic stress was substantiated by quantitative Comet analysis that confirmed the introduction of formamido-pyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg)-sensitive oxidative DNA lesions in A375 melanoma cells. Taken together, these data suggest feasibility of repurposing the biochemical reactant PMS as an experimental pro-oxidant targeting mitochondrial integrity and redox homeostasis for the apoptotic elimination of malignant melanoma cells.National Institutes of Health [1R01CA229418, 1R03CA230949, ES007091, ES006694]; National Institutes of Health (Arizona Cancer Center Support Grant) [CA023074]Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Multiphoton radiative recombination of electron assisted by laser field

In the presence of an intensive laser field the radiative recombination of the continuum electron into an atomic bound state generally is accompanied by absorption or emission of several laser quanta. The spectrum of emitted photons represents an equidistant pattern with the spacing equal to the laser frequency. The distribution of intensities in this spectrum is studied employing the Keldysh-type approximation, i.e. neglecting interaction of the impact electron with the atomic core in the initial continuum state. Within the adiabatic approximation the scale of emitted photon frequencies is subdivided into classically allowed and classically forbidden domains. The highest intensities correspond to emission frequencies close to the edges of classically allowed domain. The total cross section of electron recombination summed over all emitted photon channels exhibits negligible dependence on the laser field intensity.Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures (Figs.2-5 have "a" and "b" parts), Phys.Rev.A accepted for publication. Fig.2b is presented correctl

The first indigenous universities in Bolivia, Guarani Indigenous University and People of Low Lands

La investigación se ha abordado desde el método etnográfico, a través de diferentes técnicas de recogida de datos, centradas principalmente en la entrevista en profundidad, la encuesta y la observación participante. El proceso ha tenido dos fases claramente diferenciadas: la primera, conformando las bases y los principios de organización y fundamentación académica y filosófica; y la segunda, con el inicio de la actividad académica. En la primera fase, se consultó a todos los miembros de la comisión, formada por 63 representantes de los diferentes pueblos indígenas, 36 investigadores externos, 18 ponentes externos (de origen indígena) y 5 miembros del Ministerio de Educación y Culturas. En la segunda fase, ya iniciados los estudios universitarios, se entrevistó a un total de quince personas. El análisis de los resultados permitió extraer once conclusiones significativas y relevantes en la construcción de la universidad.The research has been approached from the ethnographic method, through different techniques for collecting data, focused mainly on in-depth interviews, surveys, and the participant observation. The process has had two clearly differentiated phases: the first, forming the fundamentals and principles of organization and basis (academic and philosophical) and the second, at the start of academic activity. In the first phase, all the members of the commission were consulted, formed by 63 representatives of different indigenous peoples, 36 external researchers, 18 external speakers (of indigenous origin) and 5 members of the Ministry of Education and Culture. In the second phase, 15 people with university studies already started were interviewed. The analysis of the results allowed 11 significant and relevant conclusions to be drawn concerning the construction of the university.- Grupo de investigación Antropología y Filosofía (SEJ-126). Universidad de Granada. - Área de Antropología Social. Universidad de Jaén. - Laborarorio de Antropología Social y Cultural (HUM-472). Universidad de Almería. - Departamento de Filosofía II. Universidad de Granada

Forward Guidance and Macroeconomic Outcomes since the Financial Crisis

This paper studies the effects of FOMC forward guidance. We begin by using high frequency identification and direct measures of FOMC private information to show that puzzling responses of private sector forecasts to movements in federal funds futures rates on FOMC announcement days can be attributed entirely to Delphic forward guidance. However a large fraction of futures rates' variability on announcement days remains unexplained, leaving open the possibility that the FOMC has successfully communicated Odyssean guidance. We then examine whether the FOMC used Odyssean guidance to improve macroeconomic outcomes since the financial crisis. To this end we use an estimated medium-scale New Keynesian model to perform a counterfactual experiment for the period 2009q1{2014q4, in which we assume the FOMC did not employ any Odyssean guidance and instead followed its reaction function from before the crisis as closely as possible while respecting the effective lower bound. We find that a purely rule-based policy would have delivered a shallower recession and kept inflation closer to target in the years immediately following the crisis than FOMC forward guidance did in practice. However starting toward the end of 2011, after the Fed's introduction of "calendar-based" communications, the FOMC's Odyssean guidance appears to have boosted real activity and moved inflation closer to target. We show that our results do not reflect Del Negro, Giannoni, and Patterson (2015)'s forward guidance puzzle

Recomendaciones para la evaluación en entornos virtuales

Los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje que tienen lugar en entornos virtuales ponen tanto a enseñantes como estudiantes, frente a nuevos desafíos y a una revisión de las formas de enseñar, aprender y evaluar. La enseñanza a través de aulas virtuales requiere explicar conceptos en forma clara, proponer la realización de prácticas de aprendizaje que promuevan la participación, promover conversaciones, dar indicaciones sobre cómo abordar la bibliografía, evaluar tareas que exijan la construcción de una respuesta elaborada. Sin embargo, el escaso tiempo que se ha tenido en este tiempo de pandemia para “virtualizar” los contenidos, las prácticas de aprendizaje, el diálogo y el ambiente de la clase, llevan a tener ciertos recaudos en la puesta en marcha de esta modalidad de enseñanza a través de soportes digitales.Fil: Castillo, B. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Asesoría Pedagógica; Argentina.Fil: Tessio Conca, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Asesoría Pedagógica; Argentina.Fil: Rezzónico, M. S. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Asesoría Pedagógica; Argentina.Fil: Allende Posse, M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Asesoría Pedagógica; Argentina.Fil: Justiniano, M. S. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Odontología. Asesoría Pedagógica; Argentina