Fostering the institutional repository through policies and interoperability with online services: the case of La Plata National University

This article presents the work being done by La Plata National University (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, UNLP) to ensure both the preservation and dissemination of its academic and scientific output. To this end, the university has established a combination of institutional policies, workflows among departments, and services and sofware developments for its programs and projects. Developments focused on importing and exporting metadata between DSpace – the sofware used by the UNLP main repository – and OJS/OCS – used by its Journals Portal and Conferences Portal – and integrating repository assets into the most common content management systems (CMSs) used by institution parties, such as WordPress and Joomla! Te first results of four years of back-and-forth collaboration show an important growth in size, rankings, usage, and the online visibility of the whole university

El área de Recursos Humanos en empresas PYMEs. Caso: Argenprom SRL.

Las PyMEs son organizaciones cuyo empuje se centra en la riqueza de su recurso humano. Cualquier falencia dentro del ambiente laboral es determinante para la salud general de este tipo de organizaciones y, más allá, si estas empresas no funcionan correctamente, esto tiene repercusiones directas en la micro y macroeconomía de un país. Recientemente el Gobierno confirmó que las PyMEs conforman una de las principales fuentes de empleo que aglutina tanto personal profesional calificado como no calificado del país, cuyo desempeño incide en las fluctuaciones del PIB. Esta situación confirma la importancia de investigar en este campo de estudio, y en específico en las estrategias internas que rigen la relación con sus empleados, independientemente de la complejidad y tipo de organización. Procesos gerenciales dirigidos a los trabajadores, tomando como caso a la empresa Argenprom SRL., una organización típica del tipo PyME cuya gestión ofrece oportunidades de estudio dado el “área” de Recursos Humanos (RR.HH.) constituida Por ello, la investigación que se presenta a continuación busca indagar sobre los y a la forma descentralizada de llevar la gestión del Recurso Humano (RH) a través de las diferentes dependencias o departamentos que la componen. Enfocarse en la gestión del RH en PyMEs permitirá evaluar el tipo de área RR.HH., determinar las fortalezas, oportunidades, amenazas y debilidades de esta administración, y analizar el tipo de gestión de RH que emplea en relación a factores como motivación y nivel de compromiso, aspectos que tienen mucho que ver con el conocimiento y cumplimiento de la misión, visión y propósitos de la compañía. Los aportes del trabajo buscan poner en práctica los conocimientos adquiridos a lo largo de la trayectoria académica y más allá, aspiran a consolidarse como una propuesta de puesta en valor al empleado, que sirva a esta y otras PyMEs en situación similar. Desde lo particular, la empresa se beneficiaría de un departamento de RR.HH con pertinencia y una gestión en RH altamente eficiente y competitiva en el marco de un entorno económico cada vez más demandante, con necesidad de organizaciones fuertes que resistan los avatares del entorno económico en el cual se desarrollan

Increased expression of H19/miR-675 is associated with a low fat free mass index in patients with COPD

BackgroundLoss of muscle mass and strength is a significant comorbidity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that limits their quality of life and has prognostic implications but does not affect everyone equally. To identify mechanisms that may contribute to the susceptibility to a low muscle mass, we investigated microRNA (miRNA) expression, methylation status, and regeneration in quadriceps muscle from COPD patients and the effect of miRNAs on myoblast proliferation in vitro. The relationships of miRNA expression with muscle mass and strength was also determined in a group of healthy older men.MethodsWe identified miRNAs associated with a low fat-free mass (FFM) phenotype in a small group of patients with COPD using a PCR screen of 750 miRNAs. The expression of two differentially expressed miRNAs (miR-675 and miR-519a) was determined in an expanded group of COPD patients and their associations with FFM and strength identified. The association of these miRNAs with FFM and strength was also explored in a group of healthy community-dwelling older men. As the expression of the miRNAs associated with FFM could be regulated by methylation, the relative methylation of the H19 ICR was determined. Furthermore, the proportion of myofibres with centralized nuclei, as a marker of muscle regeneration, in the muscle of COPD patients was identified by immunofluorescence.ResultsImprinted miRNAs (miR-675 and from a cluster, C19MC which includes miR-519a) were differentially expressed in the quadriceps of patients with a low fat-free mass index (FFMI) compared to those with a normal FFMI. In larger cohorts, miR-675 and its host gene (H19) were higher in patients with a low FFMI and strength. The association of miR-519a expression with FFMI was present in male patients with severe COPD. Similar associations of miR expression with lean mass and strength were not observed in healthy community dwelling older men participating in the Hertfordshire Sarcopenia Study. Relative methylation of the H19 ICR was reduced in COPD patients with muscle weakness but was not associated with FFM. In vitro, miR-675 inhibited myoblast proliferation and patients with a low FFMI had fewer centralized nuclei suggesting miR-675 represses regeneration.ConclusionsThe data suggest that increased expression of miR-675/H19 and altered methylation of the H19 imprinting control region are associated with a low FFMI in patients with COPD but not in healthy community dwelling older men suggesting that epigenetic control of this loci may contribute to a susceptibility to a low FFMI.<br/

Diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases : nutraceutical interventions related to caloric restriction

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are closely associated and represent a key public health problem worldwide. An excess of adipose tissue, NAFLD, and gut dysbiosis establish a vicious circle that leads to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Caloric restriction (CR) is the most promising nutritional approach capable of improving cardiometabolic health. However, adherence to CR represents a barrier to patients and is the primary cause of therapeutic failure. To overcome this problem, many different nutraceutical strategies have been designed. Based on several data that have shown that CR action is mediated by AMPK/SIRT1 activation, several nutraceutical compounds capable of activating AMPK/SIRT1 signaling have been identified. In this review, we summarize recent data on the possible role of berberine, resveratrol, quercetin, and L-carnitine as CR-related nutrients. Additionally, we discuss the limitations related to the use of these nutrients in the management of T2DM and CVD

Overview of Cellular Transplantation in Diabetes Mellitus: Focus on the Metabolic Outcome

Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease possible to treat via several different therapeutic approaches. Since the advent of insulin in 1922, type 1 diabetes mellitus has become a chronic treatable disease. Nonetheless, type 1 diabetes mellitus can be a devastating disease when the macro- and microangiopathic complications take place after several years of illness. Starting from the eighties, pancreas/islet transplantation has become a potential innovative treatment of diabetes mellitus. The major advantage of pancreas/islet transplantation is the restoration of c-peptide cosecretion along with insulin; the major disadvantage is the need to administer immunosuppressive drugs which are diabetogenic themselves. Islet transplantation is the progenitor of more recent forms of cellular and stem cell therapies which will be reviewed herein. Cellular therapies for diabetes mellitus are still an experimental procedure. Herein we present the actual current achievements and an outlook of close future possible advancements in the area of cellular transplantation for the cure of diabetes mellitus

Editorial for the Special Issue “Effects of COVID-19 on Lifestyle Behaviors in Children with Obesity”

During the last four decades, the prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically worldwide; concomitantly, a progressive rise in the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and other nutrition-related chronic diseases has also been observed in childhood [...]

May the force be with you: why resistance training is essential for subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus without complications

Physical activity, together with diet and pharmacological therapy, represents one of the three cornerstones in type 2 diabetes mellitus treatment and care. The therapeutic appeal of regular physical activity stems from: (i) its non-pharmacological nature; (ii) its beneficial effects on the metabolic risk factors associated with diabetes complications; (iii) its low costs. Evidence accumulated in the last years suggests that aerobic training\u2014endurance training\u2014constitutes a safe modality of intervention, achievable, and effective in diabetes treatment, whenever it is not limited by comorbidities. Aerobic training exerts insulin-mimetic effects and has been shown to lower mortality risk too. Anaerobic, intense physical activity, such as that of strength or power sports disciplines, is not univocally recognized as safe and simple to realize, however, it is important in stimulating energy and glucose metabolism. According to recent evidence, high-intensity training may be prescribed even in the face of cardiovascular diseases, peripheral vascular disease, or osteoarthritis. Some studies have shown resistance training to be more efficient than aerobic exercise in improving glycemic control. This review explores the most up-to-date indications emerging from literature in support of the beneficial effects of strength stimulation and resistance training in patients with type 2 diabetes without complications

Herramienta de validación aplicada a las tareas de gestión de calidad en un repositorio digital

Esta tesina describe el trabajo realizado para la implementación de un aporte a los mecanismos de control de calidad existentes en un Repositorio Institucional. Se parte con el objetivo de desarrollar una herramienta dinámica de validación,que permita a los administradores del repositorio, la posibilidad de implementar ciertas tareas enmarcadas en el ámbito de la preservación de los objetos digitales.El desarrollo de esta herramienta se enmarca en el software DSpace, el sistema de gestión que utiliza el repositorio institucional de la UNLP, el SEDICI. Para realizar el desarrollo se aborda la temática de los lenguajes específicos de dominio, y se realiza un aporte en el diseño y el análisis de un lenguaje específico de dominio (DSL) que reúna los conceptos pertenecientes al dominio de los repositorios gestionados con DSpace. Para esto, se aplican distintos conceptos pertenecientes a esta rama de investigación: metamodelos, arboles AST, sintaxis abstracta y concreta, etc. Después, se describe la implementación desarrolllada a partir del aporte mencionado en el párrafo anterior, y informa acerca de la herramienta de desarrollo escogida para la implementación: el lenguaje de expresiones especificado en la JSR-341. Finalmente, se documenta un caso de uso puntual para el desarrollo realizado: las tareas de curación.Facultad de Informátic

Chrono-communication and cardiometabolic health: The intrinsic relationship and therapeutic nutritional promises

Circadian rhythm, an innate 24-h biological clock, regulates several mammalian physiological activities anticipating daily environmental variations and optimizing available energetic resources. The circadian machinery is a complex neuronal and endocrinological network primarily organized into a central clock, suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and peripheral clocks. Several small molecules generate daily circadian fluctuations ensuring inter-organ communication and coordination between external stimuli, i.e., light, food, and exercise, and body metabolism. As an orchestra, this complex network can be out of tone. Circadian disruption is often associated with obesity development and, above all, with diabetes and cardiovascular disease onset. Moreover, accumulating data highlight a bidirectional relationship between circadian misalignment and cardiometabolic disease severity. Food intake abnormalities, especially timing and composition of meal, are crucial cause of circadian disruption, but evidence from preclinical and clinical studies has shown that food could represent a unique therapeutic approach to promote circadian resynchronization. In this review, we briefly summarize the structure of circadian system and discuss the role playing by different molecules [from leptin to ghrelin, incretins, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15)] to guarantee circadian homeostasis. Based on the recent data, we discuss the innovative nutritional interventions aimed at circadian re-synchronization and, consequently, improvement of cardiometabolic health