Análisis de la demanda en la Parroquia Urbana La Puntilla para la producción y comercialización de un té orgánico a base de guayusa, año 2015

Con el aumento de conocimiento y mayor preocupación mundial por la estética y la salud, las nuevas generaciones están modificando constantemente sus hábitos alimenticios, modificando sus consumos diarios hacia productos más orgánicos y con mayores beneficios a la salud. En la actualidad existe un auge de exportaciones de productos orgánicos a Estados Unidos, Canadá y Europa, tendencia que incrementa anualmente y se esparce al resto del planeta. La amazonia ecuatoriana representa uno de los lugares considerados de mayor interés mundial para el desarrollo de nuevas y exóticas materias primas, mismas que pueden ser utilizadas diferentes mercados, tales como los mercados alimentarios, farmacéuticos y cosmético, sin dejar atrás el importante interés científico. Una de las especies de plantas más sagradas para las naciones indígenas amazónicas del Ecuadores la Guayusa o el Vernáculo de Guayusa, científicamente identificada como Ilex Guayusa Loes. (Ridari) En esta introducción es necesario recalcar que los estudios realizados acerca de La Guayusa son sumamente limitados, al igual que su literatura científica, por este motivo es necesario llevar a cabo una investigación científica de profundidad, con el fin de analizar y evaluar todos los potenciales usos en ámbitos farmacéuticos y actividades biológicas para fines comerciales que poseen esta planta con la finalidad de atribuir o descartar un sinfín de usos medicinales que las comunidades indígenas han otorgado ancestralmente a esta especie. En el año 2013, él Te de Guayusa fue premiado como el mejor producto orgánico en la feria especializada de alimentos y bebidas Summer Fancy Food, también en este año obtuvo la categoría de oro en la categoría de certificación orgánica en los Sofi Awards, misma que premia a todos los productos que participan en la feria más grande de América del Norte. (BIO Comercio Andino, 2013). Actualmente, unas 600 Hectáreas de guayusa son trabajadas por 190 comunidades Shuar en la provincia de Morona Santiago y 2300 campesinos para exportar mensualmente la hoja de guayusa desde hace casi cuatro años. Las hojas salen de las fincas de 2000 pequeños agricultores, que tienen entre tres y 50 árboles de esta planta. Runa compra a los productores la libra de hojas frescas en 35 centavos. La cosecha de la hoja se hace cada tres meses y representa un ingreso adicional para los agricultores, quienes no tienen oportunidades para vender y las exportaciones anuales llegan al millón de dólares al único mercado al que se exporta el Té de la fundación Runa, el cual es los Estados Unidos. (RUNA. ORG, 2013) En el Ecuador crecen el 98% de los árboles de Guayusa existentes, el otro 2% crece en la selva de Colombia (RUNA CLEAN ENERGY, 2012) Motivo por el cual existe una interesante oportunidad de ser el primer competidor Ecuatoriano en la producción de un Té con tantas propiedades y reconocimientos a nivel mundial

Infrasound tones at sensation threshold level elicit measurable Frequency-Following responses

Even barely detectable levels of infrasound are often reported to cause annoyance and complaints. We carefully measured the individual sensation threshold of a pure tone and recorded immediately after the brain's frequency-following response (FFR) at this intensity using the same stimulator. In contrast to 87-Hz tones, 8-Hz tones elicit an FFR already at sensation threshold. Control stimuli with trains of 1-kHz tone pips having the repetition rate of the infrasound tone frequency and sensation threshold intensities evoked no significant FFR. Thus, slow periodicity, causing synchronous activation of auditory nuclei, is not explaining the FFR to low-level infrasound alone

Farmacoalegría

Sección Deptal. de Historia del Arte III (Contemporáneo)Fac. de Bellas ArtesFALSEsubmitte

Medición, Caracterización y Modelamiento del Rango de Frecuencias Asignado a un Servicio Fijo- Móvil (698 - 960MHZ) de la Banda UHF del Espectro Electromagnético en la FIEC, Campus Prosperina

El trabajo de investigación presente se lo realizó en la Facultad de Ingeniería en Electrónica y Computación, situada en el Campus Gustavo Galindo, Km 30.5 Vía Perimetral en la ciudad de Guayaquil. Se determinó la ocupación del Espectro Electromagnético para todo el rango asignado (698-960 MHz) de la banda UHF. Con la antena situada en la parte superior del edificio de la FIEC, y el analizador de espectro conectada a dicha antena, se logró obtener las mediciones a lo largo de una semana, desde el lunes 29 de diciembre del 2014 al lunes 5 de enero del 2015. Los datos obtenidos reflejan la potencia de la señal en el rango asignado. Después de la observación y un análisis óptimo se decidió dividir el rango de frecuencias, y se obtuvo que la fracción del espectro que tiene el servicio celular (824–894 MHz) es la única que presenta niveles elevados y cambios en sus potencias. Se obtiene un porcentaje de uso del 0% aproximadamente para frecuencias menores (698–824 MHz), y para frecuencias mayores (894–960 MHz), excepto por una pequeña banda de servicios troncalizados (932–937MHZ) donde el porcentaje de ocupación es mínimo. El servicio celular se divide en banda “Uplink” y “Downlink”, el modelo para la primera banda fue una derivación del modelo de Markov, donde la probabilidad de que exista un nivel elevado de potencia es completamente aleatoria, mientras que para la segunda banda, la probabilidad de que exista un nivel elevado de potencia es del 100%The present research work is done in the area of the FIEC, located in the Campus Gustavo Galindo. The occupation of the electromagnetic spectrum was determined for all the assigned range (698-960 MHz) in the UHF band. With the antenna located in the roof of the building, and connected to the spectrum analyze, it was accomplished obtaining the measurements in one week, since Monday, December 29th of 2014, until Monday, January 5th of 2015. The obtained data show the signal power in the assigned range. After observations and an optimal analysis, it was decided dividing the range of frequencies and it was found that the fraction of the spectrum that has cellular service (824-894 MHz) is the only one that presents high levels and has changes on its power. It is also obtained an approximated 0% for percentage of use for frequencies below (698-824 MHz), and for higher frequencies (894-960 MHz), except for a small band of trunked services (932-937 MHZ) where the occupation percentage is minimal. The cellular service is divided in “Uplink” and “Downlink” band, the model for the first one was a derivation ok Markov’s model, where the probability of existing a high level of power is completely random, while for the second band, the probability of existing a high level of power is 100%

Topical Atropine in the Control of Myopia

Atropine has been used for more than a century to arrest myopia progression. Compelling evidence of its protective effect has been reported in well-designed clinical studies, mainly performed during the last two decades. However, its exact mechanism of action has not been determined. Experimental findings have shown that the mechanism is not related to accommodation, as was thought for decades. A review of the published literature revealed a significant amount of evidence supporting its safety and efficacy at a concentration of 1.0%, and at lower concentrations (as low as 0.01%)

Il-15 enhances the persistence and function of bcma-targeting car-t cells compared to il-2 or il-15/il-7 by limiting car-t cell dysfunction and differentiation

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of B-lymphoid malignancies. For multiple myeloma (MM), B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted CAR-T cells have achieved outstanding complete response rates, but unfortunately, patients often relapse within a year of receiving the therapy. Increased persistence and reduced dysfunction are crucial features that enhance the durability of CAR-T cell responses. One of the factors that influence CAR-T cell in vivo longevity and loss of function, but which has not yet been extensively studied for BCMA-directed CAR-T cells, are the cytokines used during their production. We here compared the impact of IL-2, IL-15 and a combination of IL-15/IL-7 on the phenotype and function of ARI2h, an academic BCMA-directed CAR-T cell that is currently being administered to MM patients. For this study, flow cytometry, in vitro cytotoxicity assays and analysis of cytokine release were performed. In addition, ARI2h cells expanded with IL-2, IL-15, or IL-15/IL-7 were injected into MM tumor-bearing mice to assess their in vivo efficacy. We demonstrated that each of the cytokine conditions was suitable for the expansion of ARI2h cells, with clear in vitro activity. Strikingly, however, IL-15-produced ARI2h cells had improved in vivo efficacy and persistence. When explored further, it was found that IL-15 drove a less-differentiated ARI2h phenotype, ameliorated parameters related to CAR-T cell dysfunction, and lowered the release of cytokines potentially involved in cytokine release syndrome and MM progression. Moreover, we observed that IL-15 was less potent in inducing T cell senescence and DNA damage accumulation, both of which may contribute to an unfavorable CAR-T cell phenotype. These findings show the superiority of IL-15 to IL-2 and IL-15/IL-7 in the quality of anti-BCMA CAR-T cells, particularly their efficacy and persistence, and as such, could improve the duration of responses if applied to the clinical production of CAR-T cells for patients

Experimental Study based on the Implementation of a Regulatory Framework for the Improvement of Cyber Resilience in SMEs

Currently, applying regulations oriented to cybersecurity, cyber resilience is relevant to face the high rates of cyberattacks, which have caused an interruption in the operational processes of organizations, generating an economic loss, and affecting the continuity of their business processes on the web. In this scenario, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the most affected due to their weak technological infrastructure. Given this, this experimental study was developed to implement a regulatory framework for the improvement of cyber resilience; the criteria anticipate, resist, recover and evolve presented significant statistical values of improvement after the application of the experiment. This research contributes to counteract the refusal to use information technologies for business development; Improvement actions were carried out to face threats and computer vulnerabilities to which organizations are exposed when carrying out operations in cyberspace

Local variability of serotinous cones in a Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) stand

The endemic Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) has an effective strategy to counteract fire disturbance in the short term. It has a mixed strategy that combines the presence of serotinous cones and thick barks with the ability to re-sprout from the trunk after a fire, a rare trait in pine species. High frequency of fires in the Canary Islands is related to human action, as natural fires by lightning or vulcan activity have very low frequency; hence, the how and whys of the presence of serotinous cones in the species is still a topic of debate. Previous studies showed that the frequency of serotinous cones varies from stand to stand. Here, we analyzed the presence of serotinous cones at a local scale. We selected a Canary Island pine stand in the transition zone between dry and humid forests in the south of Tenerife. Branches were pruned from 20 trees in order to evaluate the presence of serotinous vs. non-serotinous cones by direct verticile counting on the branches. The opening temperature of serotinous cones was assessed in the laboratory. Percentages of serotinous vs. non-serotinous cones varied from 0 to 93 %, showing high variability between trees. Opening temperatures were very high (above 65 ºC) as compared to other Mediterranean pine species with serotinous cone

Altered expression and activation of signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) in hepatitis C virus infection: in vivo and in vitro studies

BACKGROUND: Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) play a critical role in antiviral defence. STAT3 is also important in cell protection against inflammatory damage. STAT proteins are activated by interferons and by hepatoprotective cytokines of the interleukin 6 superfamily, including cardiotrophin 1. METHODS: We analysed the status of STATs in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected livers and the relationship between expression and activation of STATs and HCV replication in Huh7 cells transfected with HCV genomic replicon. RESULTS: STAT3alpha expression was reduced in HCV infected livers showing an inverse correlation with serum alanine aminotransferase. In patients with HCV infection, nuclear staining for phosphorylated STAT3 was faint in parenchymal cells (although conspicuous in infiltrating leucocytes), in contrast with strong nuclear staining in hepatocytes from control livers. Expression and activation of STAT1 (a factor activated by both interferon (IFN)-alpha and IFN-gamma) were increased in HCV infected livers, particularly in those with high inflammatory activity. Conversely, phosphorylated STAT2 (a factor selectively activated by IFN-alpha) was undetectable in livers with HCV infection, a finding that was associated with marked downregulation of the two functional subunits of the IFN-alpha receptor. HCV replication in Huh7 cells caused STAT3alpha downregulation and blocked STAT3 phosphorylation by either IFN-alpha or cardiotrophin 1. HCV replication in Huh7 cells also inhibited STAT1 and STAT2 activation by IFN-alpha while there was no impairment of STAT1 phosphorylation by the proinflammatory cytokine IFN-gamma. CONCLUSIONS: STAT3 is downregulated in HCV infected livers and in Huh7 cells bearing the full length HCV replicon. HCV replication is associated with impaired Jak-STAT signalling by antiviral and cytoprotective cytokines. These effects may favour viral replication while facilitating the progression of liver diseas

Preventive behavior against SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults according to whether or not they live with children. A combined analysis of the nationwide COSMO-SPAIN and ENE-COVID surveys

Introduction: The protection of children is a major driver of behavior among those in charge of their care. We evaluated whether compliance with preventive measures against SARS-CoV-2 infection among adults living with children was different from that of those not living with them, in 2020. Methods: We used the COSMO-SPAIN (N = 867) and the nationally representative ENE-COVID (N = 29,926) surveys to estimate prevalence of compliance (95% confidence interval). Logistic model based standardization methods were applied to estimate standardized prevalence differences (SPrD) to the overall distribution of age, sex, education, history of COVID-19, and residence of other >60 yrs in the household. Results: We observed that adults living with children more frequently avoided bars (SPrDENE-COVID: 4.2%; 95% CI: 2.3-6.1), crowded places (SPrDCOSMO: 8.0%; 95% CI: 0.6-15.1) and did not use public transportation (SPrDENE-COVID: 4.9%; 95% CI: 3.0-6.7). They were also more worried about work and family conciliation (SPrDCOSMO: 12.2%; 95% CI: 4.8-19.5) and about closure of education centers (SPrDCOSMO: 26.5%; 95% CI: 19.4-33.6). Discussion: In general, adults living with children adopted slightly more frequently social distancing measures.IJ was hosted in the National Center of Epidemiology, thanks to a grant of Women for Africa 6th edition, with the contribution of ENDESA. COSMO-SPAIN was funded by Carlos III Health Institute and ENE-COVID was funded by Spanish Ministry of Health, Carlos III Health Institute, and Spanish National Health System.S