Oportunidades globales hacia emprendimiento de alto valor en Costa Rica: Fronteras, tecnología, referentes y estrategia

En 2017 y como parte del programa PITS, para el “Diseño de una estrategia país para la formulación y desarrollo de proyectos y empresas de base tecnológica”, se identificó la necesidad de ensayar para el caso de Costa Rica, una redefinición de las actividades económicas de mayor impacto en el país, a partir de las experiencias establecidas por Regina Dugan, ex-directora de investigación del Defence Advanced Research and Projects Agency (DARPA), fundadora y ex-directora del Google Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP). De ese proceso surge un estudio completo realizado por el investigador y consultor Santiago Núñez Corrales y Auge-UCR, en el que se identificaron 40 fronteras de investigación aplicada e innovación de alcance global, en las que el país podría tener una mayor probabilidad de éxito en virtud de sus recursos humanos, naturales y de infraestructura. De la misma forma que un emprendimiento productivo o social busca solucionar un problema con el fin de crear valor, un meta-emprendimiento es un tipo de emprendimiento que se enfoca en crear las herramientas y las condiciones para que otros esfuerzos de emprendimiento sean exitosos. Por ejemplo, emprendimientos que sistematicen mediante herramientas digitales los pasos para administrar el proceso de innovación, o nuevos emprendimientos que provean servicios de consultoría para evaluación de riesgo en mercados internacionales son ejemplos de lo que un meta-emprendimiento puede ser. Al establecer las bases de emprendimientos de base científico-tecnológico para Costa Rica, creemos que es posible no solamente crear nuevas empresas de alto valor agregado en las áreas de interés nacionales descritas por el Plan Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2015-2021, sino que existen campos fértiles para solucionar carencias propias de los procesos de innovación con potencial de éxito internacional.Unidad de Gestión y Transferencia del Conocimiento para la InnovaciónMinisterio de Ciencia, Tecnología y Telecomunicaciones//MICITT/Costa RicaConsejo Nacional para Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas//CONICIT/Costa RicaUniversidad de Costa Rica//UCR/Costa RicaConsejo Nacional de Rectores//CONARE/Costa RicaFundación de la Universidad de Costa Rica para la Investigación//FUNDEVI/Costa RicaBanca para el Desarrollo///Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigació

Ampicillin-Loaded Chitosan Nanoparticles for In Vitro Antimicrobial Screening on Escherichia coli

Purpose: To develop ampicillin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles by modified ionic gelation method for evaluating their antimicrobial activity onto Escherichia coli

Simulación de caída de ceniza del Volcán Irazú aplicando el programa TEPHRA modificado

DOI: 10.12957/geouerj.2013.6912 El presente trabajo utiliza el modelo de Suzuki(Suzuki, 1983)para simular la caída de cenizavolcánica em la versión TEPHRA (Connors, 1991). El programa TEPHRA modificado ESsometido a prueba al simular exitosamente la distribución de ceniza de los eventos eruptivosmejor conocidos em el volcán Irazú, Costa Rica. Adicionalmente, la masa de ceniza acumuladapor 52 simulaciones de diseño concuerda satisfactoriamente con la distribución de lãs isopacas dela ceniza depositada durante elperiodo1963-65 del volcán Irazú y relativamente bien con ladistribución de isopacas de la ceniza depositada durante los últimos 2600 años de actividad. Estasituación justifica la aplicación del programa TEPHRA modificado em la elaboración de mapasde amenaza por caída de ceniza para el Volcán Irazú y otros volcanes em los cuales se tengaapropiada información sobre dirección Del viento y características eruptivas más probables depresentarse em el volcán. Palabras Clave: Caída de ceniza, simulación computacional, mapas de amenaza, TEPHRA,escenarios de riesgo, Volcán Irazú. Abstract This paper uses the Suzuki volcanic ash simulation model (Suzuki, 1983)to simulate volcanicashfall in the tephra versionTEPHRA (Connors, 1991).The modified TEPHRA volcanic ashsimulation program has been used to develop computer simulations of volcanic ashfall producedby Irazú volcano, Costa Rica.The ability of the modified TEPHRA program to simulate volcanicashfalls is tested by reproducing successfully the ash fall distribution ofthe best known eruptiveepisodes from the 1963-1965 active period. Additionally, the mass of accumulated ash during 52simulations agrees very well with the ash isopachs deposited during the 1963-1965 active periodand well with the distribution of ash isopachs deposited during the last 2600 years. We concludethat the modified TEPHRA program is suitable to prepare ash fall hazards maps for Irazú andother volcanoes, on the condition that there is good knowledge of their most likely eruptivecharacteristics and local wind direction. Key words: Ashfall, computer simulations, TEPHRA, hazards maps, risk scenarios, Irazúvolcano

Fourth Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE4)

This report records and discusses the Fourth Workshop on Sustainable Software for Science: Practice and Experiences (WSSSPE4). The report includes a description of the keynote presentation of the workshop, the mission and vision statements that were drafted at the workshop and finalized shortly after it, a set of idea papers, position papers, experience papers, demos, and lightning talks, and a panel discussion. The main part of the report covers the set of working groups that formed during the meeting, and for each, discusses the participants, the objective and goal, and how the objective can be reached, along with contact information for readers who may want to join the group. Finally, we present results from a survey of the workshop attendees

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

A preliminary model for the impact of Research and development in health care expenditure: the case of Costa Rica

This paper describes a simple model for estimating costs in the National Health System in Costa Rica that includes technology-related lag. Model parameters are associated to the system (technical lag, specialist lag and medication lag) and to the patient (severity of illness). Preliminary results suggest that (1) the model follows a GDP estimate within a 1.65% error in a simulated period of 11 years, (2) the model is accurate in accounting for the cost of attention in health services and (3) proposed R&D interventions that concentrate on solving problems related to critical parameters do have a significant effect on final national budget estimates under the assumptions of this model.

Amenaza por caída de ceniza del Volcán Irazú, Valle Central de Costa Rica

Universidad Nacional, Costa RicaInstituto Tecnológico de Costa RicaEscuela de Ciencias Geográfica

LA SIMULACIÓN COMPUTACIONAL COMO HERRAMIENTA PARA EL ORDENAMIENTO TERRITORIAL Y LA GESTIÓN DEL RIESGO: EL CASO DE CAÍDA DE CENIZA PROVENIENTE DEL VOLCÁN IRAZÚ, COSTA RICA

La  posibilidad  de  aplicar  la  simulación  computacional  en  la  predicción  del  comportamiento  de eventos naturales potencialmente desastrosos, la convierte en un instrumento versátil para la elabo-ración de mapas de amenaza. En el caso de las amenazas hidrometeorológicas es común su empleo y en otros campos como la Vulcanología su aplicación es bien conocida. Existen muchos y muy variados modelos, que van desde  extremadamente complejos a muy  simples;  su  selección debe responder a  la necesidad de información, para la toma de decisiones en materia de prevención y mitigación, así como de la disponibilidad de datos y su calidad. Los resultados del modelado deben transformarse a un formato útil para el Ordenamiento Territorial, mediante el empleo de Sistemas de Información Geográfca que faciliten la creación de cartografía digital. En el caso concreto de la creación de mapas de amenaza por caída de ceniza provenientes del Volcán Irazú, un grupo mul-tidisciplinario labora en el desarrollo de una plataforma que permita generar mapas de amenaza, a  partir  de  una  implementación  particular  del modelo  numérico  advección-difusión  de  Suzuki, conocido como NG-TEPHRA, y el SIG ArcMap. Esta experiencia permitirá desarrollar una meto-dología aplicable a cualquier otro volcán de la región

Evaluation of blood pressure measurements in first ambulatory neurological consultations: A missed part of the physical examination?

Objective: To obtain a blood pressure reading is mandatory during either the general or specialized physical examination. This study describes factors associated with the accomplishment of blood pressure measurement in the first neurological consultation. Methods: We studied first ambulatory neurology consultations in a Mexican referral hospital. Demographic characteristics, diagnostic category of referral, final diagnosis and data on physical examination were collected to establish a logistic regression analysis in order to identify factors associated with the accomplishment of blood pressure measurement. Results: Over 8 months 778 outpatients were studied. The most frequent diagnoses for first consultation were headache (26%), epilepsy (14%) and stroke (13%). Only in 39% (n = 301) of the outpatients blood pressure was registered, among them, 30% had normal blood pressure, 43% had 121-139/81-89mmHg, 20% had 140-159/90-99mmHg and 7% had &#8805; 160/100mmHg. The independent factors that favored the practice of BP determination in multivariable analysis were &gt;65 years of age (odds ratio: 2.26; 95% confidence interval: 1.52-3.36) and headache complaint (odds ratio: 1.81, 95% confidence interval: 1.30-2.53). Notably, only 43% of patients with stroke had blood pressure registration, even when these stroke patients had blood pressure readings, they had higher blood pressure than with other diagnoses (p< 0.05). Conclusion: Blood pressure registration was frequently omitted from the first neurological consultation, particularly in outpatients who might need it the most