Magnetic Induction Wand Design for Novel Penile Prosthesis​

Uronext LLC designed a novel penile prosthesis made of the shape change alloy nitinol for men who suffer from erectile dysfunction. The optimal way to induce the shape change in the prosthesis is by applying heat through induction heating. Existing induction heaters are too heavy and too powerful to safely and effectively heat the Uronext implanted penile prosthesis. An induction heating wand was made to combat this issue and provide a more appropriate induction heating device. A test bench was designed to test the effectiveness of the wand on the prosthesis

Método para lograr la calidad en las organizaciones

Organizations belonging to industrial and service areas connect the term quality to providing excellent products and services that cover the requirements of their customers. Nevertheless, it is complicated to achieve quality because the requirements of the customers are not well defined, there is not an effective quality system, or there is not a real commitment with the quality of services and products offered. This article developed and implemented a method to help organizations to design and implement a quality management system based on ISO 9000 standards and on the eight quality principles. Its purpose was to introduce and certify this system before the already mentioned standards as well as achieving the quality of products and services offered to their customers. The research shows the method used in the municipality of Naucalpan, Mexico, where, in a five-year period, eight of its departments were certified according to ISO 9001:2000 standards. These departments were managed as independent systems, covering 150 processes, 600 management indicators, and approximately 8500 employees.Las organizaciones del sector industrial y de servicios asocian el término calidad con ofrecer servicios y productos excelentes, que cubran los requerimientos de sus clientes. Pero lograr la calidad es complicado, ya sea por no tener bien definido los requerimientos de sus clientes, no contar con un sistema de calidad efectivo o no tener un compromiso real con la calidad de los productos y servicios que ofrecen. Ante esta problemática, este trabajo consistió en el desarrollo e implantación de un método que ayude a las organizaciones a diseñar e implementar un sistema de gestión de calidad basado en las normas ISO 9000 y en los ocho principios de calidad, a fin de implantar y certificar este sistema ante las normas mencionadas y lograr la calidad de los productos y servicios que ofrecen a sus clientes. La investigación muestra el método que se implantó en el municipio de Naucalpan, estado de México, donde en un periodo de cinco años se certificó ante la norma ISO 9001:2000 a ocho de sus dependencias, las cuales se administran como sistemas independientes y donde se cubrió 150 procesos, 600 indicadores de gestión y alrededor de 8500 empleados

Chk1 requirement for high global rates of replication fork progression during normal vertebrate S phase

Chk1 protein kinase maintains replication fork stability in metazoan cells in response to DNA damage and DNA replication inhibitors. Here, we have employed DNA fiber labeling to quantify, for the first time, the extent to which Chk1 maintains global replication fork rates during normal vertebrate S phase. We report that replication fork rates in Chk1¿/¿ chicken DT40 cells are on average half of those observed with wild-type cells. Similar results were observed if Chk1 was inhibited or depleted in wild-type DT40 cells or HeLa cells by incubation with Chk1 inhibitor or small interfering RNA. In addition, reduced rates of fork extension were observed with permeabilized Chk1¿/¿ cells in vitro. The requirement for Chk1 for high fork rates during normal S phase was not to suppress promiscuous homologous recombination at replication forks, because inhibition of Chk1 similarly slowed fork progression in XRCC3¿/¿ DT40 cells. Rather, we observed an increased number of replication fibers in Chk1¿/¿ cells in which the nascent strand is single-stranded, supporting the idea that slow global fork rates in unperturbed Chk1¿/¿ cells are associated with the accumulation of aberrant replication fork structure

Pharmacological activation of a novel p53-dependent S-phase checkpoint involving CHK-1.

We have recently shown that induction of the p53 tumour suppressor protein by the small-molecule RITA (reactivation of p53 and induction of tumour cell apoptosis; 2,5-bis(5-hydroxymethyl-2-thienyl)furan) inhibits hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in vivo and induces p53-dependent tumour cell apoptosis in normoxia and hypoxia. Here, we demonstrate that RITA activates the canonical ataxia telangiectasia mutated/ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3-related DNA damage response pathway. Interestingly, phosphorylation of checkpoint kinase (CHK)-1 induced in response to RITA was influenced by p53 status. We found that induction of p53, phosphorylated CHK-1 and γH2AX proteins was significantly increased in S-phase. Furthermore, we found that RITA stalled replication fork elongation, prolonged S-phase progression and induced DNA damage in p53 positive cells. Although CHK-1 knockdown did not significantly affect p53-dependent DNA damage or apoptosis induced by RITA, it did block the ability for DNA integrity to be maintained during the immediate response to RITA. These data reveal the existence of a novel p53-dependent S-phase DNA maintenance checkpoint involving CHK-1

Determination of the in vivo structural DNA loop organization in the genomic region of the rat albumin locus by means of a topological approach

Nuclear DNA of metazoans is organized in supercoiled loops anchored to a proteinaceous substructure known as the nuclear matrix (NM). DNA is anchored to the NM by non-coding sequences known as matrix attachment regions (MARs). There are no consensus sequences for identification of MARs and not all potential MARs are actually bound to the NM constituting loop attachment regions (LARs). Fundamental processes of nuclear physiology occur at macromolecular complexes organized on the NM; thus, the topological organization of DNA loops must be important. Here, we describe a general method for determining the structural DNA loop organization in any large genomic region with a known sequence. The method exploits the topological properties of loop DNA attached to the NM and elementary topological principles such as that points in a deformable string (DNA) can be positionally mapped relative to a position-reference invariant (NM), and from such mapping, the configuration of the string in third dimension can be deduced. Therefore, it is possible to determine the specific DNA loop configuration without previous characterization of the LARs involved. We determined in hepatocytes and B-lymphocytes of the rat the DNA loop organization of a genomic region that contains four members of the albumin gene family

Innate Structure of DNA Foci Restricts the Mixing of DNA from Different Chromosome Territories

The distribution of chromatin within the mammalian nucleus is constrained by its organization into chromosome territories (CTs). However, recent studies have suggested that promiscuous intra- and inter-chromosomal interactions play fundamental roles in regulating chromatin function and so might define the spatial integrity of CTs. In order to test the extent of DNA mixing between CTs, DNA foci of individual CTs were labeled in living cells following incorporation of Alexa-488 and Cy-3 conjugated replication precursor analogues during consecutive cell cycles. Uniquely labeled chromatin domains, resolved following random mitotic segregation, were visualized as discrete structures with defined borders. At the level of resolution analysed, evidence for mixing of chromatin from adjacent domains was only apparent within the surface volumes where neighboring CTs touched. However, while less than 1% of the nuclear volume represented domains of inter-chromosomal mixing, the dynamic plasticity of DNA foci within individual CTs allows continual transformation of CT structure so that different domains of chromatin mixing evolve over time. Notably, chromatin mixing at the boundaries of adjacent CTs had little impact on the innate structural properties of DNA foci. However, when TSA was used to alter the extent of histone acetylation changes in chromatin correlated with increased chromatin mixing. We propose that DNA foci maintain a structural integrity that restricts widespread mixing of DNA and discuss how the potential to dynamically remodel genome organization might alter during cell differentiation

Mesa Nacional de Educación Rural. Un escenario para pensar la educación en territorios rurales de Colombia

Una vez celebrado el Cuarto Congreso Nacional de Educación Rural en Bogotá, en 2016, se insistió en acoger las conclusiones a las que se había llegado en las plenarias finales de los congresos anteriores (Manizales, 2004; Villavicencio, 2007; Medellín, 2010)y avanzar en los compromisos y las acciones que requieren algunas de sus reflexiones

Perfil cognitivo en mujeres y hombres diagnosticados con VIH, pacientes de una IPS privada de Santa Marta, Colombia

La presente investigación, se efectúo sobre el constructor de perfil cognitivo, con pacientes con virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH), usando como base teórica el concepto de creencia de Ellis. El cual es definido como características de la actividad del pensamiento causantes de emociones y conductas disfuncionales. Se realizó la investigación en heres salud Ltda. -Ips Privada- de la ciudad de Santa Marta. Participaron en el estudio 44 sujetos, entre ellos 21 mujeres y 23 hombres, de los cuales 11 hombres y 11 mujeres tienen un diagnostico recién de VIH y sujetos con diagnóstico de más de 2 años, 12 hombres y 10 mujeres. Se les aplicó el inventario de creencias irracionales (IBT) de Ellis, con el propósito describir el perfil cognitivo en hombres y mujeres con VIH. Los resultados obtenidos indican altas puntuaciones en normatividad e influencia del pasado. Otras creencias a resaltar son: normatividad, necesidad de aprobación, territorialidad, necesidad de control, autoexigencia, reacción a la frustración y ansiedad por preocupación. El modelo de investigación utilizado fue descriptivo de tipo transaccional

Impact of child labor on academic performance: Evidence from the program ‘‘Edúcame Primero Colombia’’

In this study, the effects of different variables of child labor on academic performance are investigated. To this end, 3302 children participating in the child labor eradication program ‘‘Edúcame Primero Colombia’’ were interviewed. The interview format used for the children’s enrollment into the program was a template from which socioeconomic conditions, academic performance, and child labor variables were evaluated. The academic performance factor was determined using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The data were analyzed through a logistic regression model that took into account children who engaged in a type of labor (n = 921). The results showed that labor conditions, the number of weekly hours dedicated to work, and the presence of work scheduled in the morning negatively affected the academic performance of child laborers. These results show that the relationship between child labor and academic performance is based on the conflict between these two activities. These results do not indicate a linear and simple relationship associated with the recognition of the presence or absence of child labor. This study has implications for the formulation of policies, programs, and interventions for preventing, eradicating, and attenuating the negative effects of child labor on the social and educational development of children.United States Department of Labor DOL-IL-16574-07 5