“Raíz”: Sistema de huerto urbano enfocado en la mejora del bienestar emocional de los habitantes de Lima Metropolitana

Las tendencias de urbanización en Lima metropolitana afectan la seguridad humana y la salud mental según la OMS. Asimismo, dos de cada diez peruanos padecen de algún trastorno mental como la ansiedad y depresión según el Ministerio de Salud. Factores como el estrés, caos de la vida urbana y poca interacción con la naturaleza impactan negativamente la salud mental de las personas de NSE A y B de Lima metropolitana. La interacción con la naturaleza es un medio preventivo de enfermedades mentales y una estrategia persuasiva de bienestar emocional y se puede explicar mediante teoría sobre agricultura urbana, psicología ambiental, Slow Design y Design for Behavior Change, demostrando que el cuidado de la naturaleza a través de huertos caseros impacta positivamente en el bienestar humano creando un hábito ecológico y consciente. Iniciativas públicas y privadas buscan generar un vínculo entre las personas y la naturaleza, sin embargo, no consideran las condiciones, limitaciones y necesidades del estilo de vida de los habitantes de Lima metropolitana. Raíz, es un sistema de huerto urbano que mejora el bienestar emocional mediante la interacción con las plantas y cultivos generando empatía con la naturaleza. Se realizaron estudios inductivos, como Sequence Models y Guided Tours; de conceptualización, como un Cultural Probe y un diseño participativo; y, de validación, como entrevistas a profundidad. A tavés de los resultados y la propuesta de diseño, se concluye que Raíz mejora el bienestar emocional de los habitantes de Lima metropolitana al generar un impacto positivo en su calidad de vida reduciendo el estrés y ansiedadUrbanization tendencies in metropolitan Lima affect human security and mental health according to the OMS. Likewise, two out of ten Peruvians suffer from a mental disorder such as anxiety and depression, according to the Ministry of Health. Factors such as stress, the chaos of urban life and poor interaction with nature have a negative impact on the mental health of people from NSE A and B in metropolitan Lima. Interaction with nature is a preventive mean of mental illness and a persuasive strategy of emotional well-being and can be explained through the theory of urban agriculture, environmental psychology, Slow Design and Design for Behavior Change, demonstrating that caring for nature through home gardens have a positive impact on human well-being and creates an ecological and conscious habit. Public and private initiatives seek to generate firm relationships between people and nature, however, without considering conditions, limitations and needs of the lifestyle of metropolitan Lima inhabitants. Raíz is an urban gardening system that improves emotional well-being through interaction with plants and crops, generating empathy with nature. Inductive studies were carried out, such as Sequence Models and Guided Tours; studies of conceptualization, such as a cultural probe and participatory design; and, studies of validation, such as in-depth interviews. In addition to the results and the design proposal, it is concluded that Raíz improves the emotional well-being of the inhabitants of metropolitan Lima by generating a positive impact on their quality of life by reducing stress and anxiet

Polyglycerol Adipate-Grafted Polycaprolactone Nanoparticles as Carriers for the Antimicrobial Compound Usnic Acid

Nanoparticle (NP) drug delivery systems are known to potentially enhance the efficacy of therapeutic agents. As for antimicrobial drugs, therapeutic solutions against drug-resistant microbes are urgently needed due to the worldwide antimicrobial resistance issue. Usnic acid is a widely investigated antimicrobial agent suffering from poor water solubility. In this study, polymer nanoparticles based on polyglycerol adipate (PGA) grafted with polycaprolactone (PCL) were developed as carriers for usnic acid. We demonstrated the potential of the developed systems in ensuring prolonged bactericidal activity against a model bacterial species, Staphylococcus epidermidis. The macromolecular architecture changes produced by PCL grafted from PGA significantly influenced the drug release profile and mechanism. Specifically, by varying the length of PCL arms linked to the PGA backbone, it was possible to tune the drug release from a burst anomalous drug release (high PCL chain length) to a slow diffusion-controlled release (low PCL chain length). The developed nanosystems showed a prolonged antimicrobial activity (up to at least 7 days) which could be used in preventing/treating infections occurring at different body sites, including medical device-related infection and mucosal/skin surface, where Gram-positive bacteria are commonly involved

De novo rational design of a freestanding, supercharged polypeptide, proton-conducting membrane

Proton translocation enables important processes in nature and man-made technologies. However, controlling proton conduction and fabrication of devices exploiting biomaterials remains a challenge. Even more difficult is the design of protein-based bulk materials without any functional starting scaffold for further optimization. Here, we show the rational design of proton-conducting, protein materials exceeding reported proteinaceous systems. The carboxylic acid-rich structures were evolved step by step by exploring various sequences from intrinsically disordered coils over supercharged nanobarrels to hierarchically spider β sheet containing protein-supercharged polypeptide chimeras. The latter material is characterized by interconnected β sheet nanodomains decorated on their surface by carboxylic acid groups, forming self-supportive membranes and allowing for proton conduction in the hydrated state. The membranes showed an extraordinary proton conductivity of 18.5 ± 5 mS/cm at RH = 90%, one magnitude higher than other protein devices. This design paradigm offers great potential for bioprotonic device fabrication interfacing artificial and biological systems

Análise físico-química e sensorial de pães enriquecidos com diferentes proporções de farinha de soja (Glycine max) / Chemical-physical and sensory analysis of breads enriched with different proportions of soybean flour (Glycine max)

Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver pães enriquecidos com 10%, 20% e 30 % de farinha de soja e comparar com uma formulação controle. Após a produção dos pães, foram armazenados para posterior análises de composição centesimal: cinzas, umidade, atividade de água, proteínas (Kjeldahl), lipídeos (Soxleht), seguindo as normas do Instituto Adolfo Lutz. As fibras foram obtidas pelo método de Fibra Detergente Ácida (FDA), conforme o método da Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC). Para análise sensorial realizou-se o teste afetivo da escala hedônica de 9 pontos, com participação de 112 provadores não treinados. Como resultado, os pães enriquecidos com soja apresentaram importante teores de cinzas, lipídeos, proteínas, fibras e teores reduzidos de carboidratos comparados com o controle. Além disso, os pães fortificados apresentaram satisfatórias características sensoriais, destacando-se as formulações enriquecidas com 10% e 20% de farinha de soja, pois obtiveram resultados próximos da formulação controle e despertaram o interesse de compra por parte dos provadores. A partir dos resultados, o presente estudo sugere que a adição de farinha de soja em produtos de panificação pode ser considerada como uma alternativa nutricional sem comprometimento das características sensoriais

Association of kidney disease measures with risk of renal function worsening in patients with type 1 diabetes

Background: Albuminuria has been classically considered a marker of kidney damage progression in diabetic patients and it is routinely assessed to monitor kidney function. However, the role of a mild GFR reduction on the development of stage 653 CKD has been less explored in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the prognostic role of kidney disease measures, namely albuminuria and reduced GFR, on the development of stage 653 CKD in a large cohort of patients affected by T1DM. Methods: A total of 4284 patients affected by T1DM followed-up at 76 diabetes centers participating to the Italian Association of Clinical Diabetologists (Associazione Medici Diabetologi, AMD) initiative constitutes the study population. Urinary albumin excretion (ACR) and estimated GFR (eGFR) were retrieved and analyzed. The incidence of stage 653 CKD (eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) or eGFR reduction > 30% from baseline was evaluated. Results: The mean estimated GFR was 98 \ub1 17 mL/min/1.73m2 and the proportion of patients with albuminuria was 15.3% (n = 654) at baseline. About 8% (n = 337) of patients developed one of the two renal endpoints during the 4-year follow-up period. Age, albuminuria (micro or macro) and baseline eGFR < 90 ml/min/m2 were independent risk factors for stage 653 CKD and renal function worsening. When compared to patients with eGFR > 90 ml/min/1.73m2 and normoalbuminuria, those with albuminuria at baseline had a 1.69 greater risk of reaching stage 3 CKD, while patients with mild eGFR reduction (i.e. eGFR between 90 and 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) show a 3.81 greater risk that rose to 8.24 for those patients with albuminuria and mild eGFR reduction at baseline. Conclusions: Albuminuria and eGFR reduction represent independent risk factors for incident stage 653 CKD in T1DM patients. The simultaneous occurrence of reduced eGFR and albuminuria have a synergistic effect on renal function worsening

La raccolta di terrecotte votive del Museo Civico di Modena

Il contributo analizza la collezione di terrecotte votive di Veio conservate al Museo Civico di Modena e ne propone le schede di dettagli

Offerte metalliche dai contesti sacri del territorio ceretano: verso un approccio di tipo economico

The present research aims to tackle votive religio in the Etruscan world, focusing in particular on the example of Caere, with an approach that takes into consideration the economic aspect that is bound to the votive offering. With this goal in mind, we have studied some classes of metallic objects that were offered in the sanctuaries, e.g. aes rude, coins and bars, always reflecting on their economic value, in addition to their pertinence to the world of the sacred. The premise of this approach is in the observation that such finds, clearly part of a much larger system of offerings, are inevitable carriers of an intrinsic value, due to the kind of material they are made of