Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), an Important Fatty Acid in Aging and the Protection of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is a fatty acid essential for the proper development and functioning of the nervous and visual system. DHA is found in significant concentrations in the phospholipids of neuronal membranes. DHA is provided y the mother during the fetal and early infancy life, during pregnancy and through breastfeeding. Given the importance of an adequate supply of the fatty acid to the newborn, it has been suggested DHA supplementation to the mother before and during the pregnancy and also during the breastfeeding period. In the recent years, research from different scientist have established that DHA has an important role in the development of the nervous system, as well as having an important key role in the preservation of this tissue, especially during aging and senescence and in some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. DHA may preserve the integrity and the neuronal viability against different metabolic insults and/or cytotoxic events, among which inflammation and oxidative stress are the most relevant. The neuroprotective effects of DHA in neural tissue are mediated by a metabolic derivative, known as neuroprotectin D-1. This molecule may respond to aggression having anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic and even neuroregenerative effects, which may contribute to preserve the proper neuronal viability as well as the health and function of the nervous system. This review discusses different evidences about the neuroprotective effect of DHA, during aging and against some neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting the important role of the proper nutrition in this protection

La emisión de obligaciones como una alternativa de financiamiento a largo plazo para las empresas

La presente investigación tiene la finalidad de dar conocer como las empresas de los distintos sectores de la economía, pueden obtener recursos monetarios a través de la emisión de obligaciones como una alternativa de financiamiento a largo plazo, mecanismo que permite captar recursos en el mercado de valores, para financiar proyectos de expansión, reestructurar los pasivos, así también reactivar las operaciones productivas, de las empresas con el objetivo de mantenerse y en otros casos ampliar su participación en el mercado dentro de su sector. Se describe como se encuentra estructurado el mercado financiero, en corto y largo plazo, los diferentes instrumentos financieros que se negocian en los diferentes mercados, los tipos inversionistas y cuales constituyen los títulos valores en el largo plazo como una alternativa de financiamiento. La emisión de obligaciones como mecanismo de financiamiento dentro del mercado de valores, en éste proceso intervienen varias instituciones de control y apoyo finalizando con la colocación de títulos valores que permitirán al emisor financiar sus necesidades de capital. Finalmente se realiza un análisis de los emisores, del sector financiero, y no financiero, de los montos negociados, en el período comprendido desde el año 2001 hasta junio del 2004. Y comparación del costo financiero de los emisores en relación con la tasa activa que cobran las instituciones financieras

Multiple Correspondence and Proportional Analysis of Vaccination Rate Among Healthcare Personnel of MINSA

DataProAnalytica is a powerful application for analyzing vaccination data in health care professionals. Through visualizations and multiple correspondence analysis, it uncovers meaningful relationships between variables and categories. The results provide valuable information for improving vaccination strategies. While there are limitations, the potential of DataProAnalytica to improve accuracy and functionality makes it a promising tool for future research and decision making in any other research topic

Transmission of optical communication signals through ring core fiber using perfect vortex beams

Orbital angular momentum can be used to implement high capacity data transmission systems that can be applied for classical and quantum communications. Here we experimentally study the generation and transmission properties of the so-called perfect vortex beams and the Laguerre-Gaussian beams in ring-core optical fibers. Our results show that when using a single preparation stage, the perfect vortex beams present less ring-radius variation that allows coupling of higher optical power into a ring core fiber. These results lead to lower power requirements to establish fiber-based communications links using orbital angular momentum and set the stage for future implementations of high-dimensional quantum communication over space division multiplexing fibers.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figure

Diseño de un algoritmo de decodificación de video hd del standard ISEDB-T/Tb de la televisión digital terrestre a implementarse en Ecuador utilizando USRP (Universal software radio peripheral)

El siguiente proyecto técnico trata sobre el diseño de un algoritmo que permita decodificar la señal de televisión digital terrestre del ISDB-Tb, receptando la señal del espectro radioeléctrico con una antena Yagi UHF la cual captará frecuencias en el rango de 500-600 MHz de la señal ISDB-Tb para ser monitoreadas mediante el NI USRP-2920 que a su vez realiza la decodificación de las señales HD captadas para medir los valores EVM, MER, BER, Potencia y SNR. Cabe considerar que el NI USRP-2920 no soporta la selección de bits para crear la imagen y reproducción de video, debido que utiliza el protocolo H.264 con formato de video MPEG-4 por lo tanto se incorpora un hardware USB HDTV Stick diferente de LabVIEW para poder visualizar la reproducción del video HD. De esta manera para el total funcionamiento del proyecto se asocia el Web Publishing Tool que genera la programación de LabVIEW enlazándolo con los archivos PHP de los 6 canales HD que se encuentran en el rango de 500-600 MHz, con el que se genera un solo archivo HTML por medio del cual se podrá acceder al sitio web de la plataforma del proyecto. El sistema podrá ser utilizado por los operadores de canales de televisión local y el ente Regulador de Telecomunicaciones, ya que esta señal podrá ser monitoreada a través de un sitio web mediante una red LAN, y a su vez también será un factor de motivación para que futuros estudiantes de la carrera de Ingeniería Electrónica del área de Telecomunicaciones tengan noción sobre el equipo usado y así puedan darle nuevas aplicaciones al mismo.The next technical project is about designing an algorithm for decoding the digital terrestrial television ISDB-Tb, receiving signal spectrum with a Yagi antenna which capture UHF frequencies in the range of 500-600 MHz of the ISDB-Tb signal to be monitored by NI USRP-2920 which in turn performs decoding HD signals captured to measure EVM, MER, BER, SNR and power values. It may be considered that the NI USRP-2920 does not support the selection of bits to create the image and video playback, because it uses the H.264 protocol MPEG-4 video so different hardware USB HDTV Stick is incorporated LabVIEW to display HD video playback. Thus for the total operation of the Web Publishing Tool project generating LabVIEW programming by linking files with PHP of 6 HD channels found in 500-600 MHz range is associated, with which it is generated one HTML file through which you can access the web site of the project platform. The system can be used by operators of local television channels and Regulatory Agency for Telecommunications, since this signal can be monitored through a web site via LAN, and in turn it will also be a motivating factor for future students studying Electronic Engineering Telecommunications area have notion about the equipment used and thus can give new applications to it

Motion-Based Object Location on a Smart Image Sensor Using On-Pixel Memory

Object location is a crucial computer vision method often used as a previous stage to object classification. Object-location algorithms require high computational and memory resources, which poses a difficult challenge for portable and low-power devices, even when the algorithm is implemented using dedicated digital hardware. Moving part of the computation to the imager may reduce the memory requirements of the digital post-processor and exploit the parallelism available in the algorithm. This paper presents the architecture of a Smart Imaging Sensor (SIS) that performs object location using pixel-level parallelism. The SIS is based on a custom smart pixel, capable of computing frame differences in the analog domain, and a digital coprocessor that performs morphological operations and connected components to determine the bounding boxes of the detected objects. The smart-pixel array implements on-pixel temporal difference computation using analog memories to detect motion between consecutive frames. Our SIS can operate in two modes: (1) as a conventional image sensor and (2) as a smart sensor which delivers a binary image that highlights the pixels in which movement is detected between consecutive frames and the object bounding boxes. In this paper, we present the design of the smart pixel and evaluate its performance using post-parasitic extraction on a 0.35 µm mixed-signal CMOS process. With a pixel-pitch of 32 µm × 32 µm, we achieved a fill factor of 28%. To evaluate the scalability of the design, we ported the layout to a 0.18 µm process, achieving a fill factor of 74%. On an array of 320×240 smart pixels, the circuit operates at a maximum frame rate of 3846 frames per second. The digital coprocessor was implemented and validated on a Xilinx Artix-7 XC7A35T field-programmable gate array that runs at 125 MHz, locates objects in a video frame in 0.614 µs, and has a power consumption of 58 mW

Face Recognition on a Smart Image Sensor Using Local Gradients

In this paper, we present the architecture of a smart imaging sensor (SIS) for face recognition, based on a custom-design smart pixel capable of computing local spatial gradients in the analog domain, and a digital coprocessor that performs image classification. The SIS uses spatial gradients to compute a lightweight version of local binary patterns (LBP), which we term ringed LBP (RLBP). Our face recognition method, which is based on Ahonen’s algorithm, operates in three stages: (1) it extracts local image features using RLBP, (2) it computes a feature vector using RLBP histograms, (3) it projects the vector onto a subspace that maximizes class separation and classifies the image using a nearest neighbor criterion. We designed the smart pixel using the TSMC 0.35 μm mixed-signal CMOS process, and evaluated its performance using postlayout parasitic extraction. We also designed and implemented the digital coprocessor on a Xilinx XC7Z020 field-programmable gate array. The smart pixel achieves a fill factor of 34% on the 0.35 μm process and 76% on a 0.18 μm process with 32 μm × 32 μm pixels. The pixel array operates at up to 556 frames per second. The digital coprocessor achieves 96.5% classification accuracy on a database of infrared face images, can classify a 150×80-pixel image in 94 μs, and consumes 71 mW of power

A CMOS Image Readout Circuit with On-Chip Defective Pixel Detection and Correction

Images produced by CMOS sensors may contain defective pixels due to noise, manufacturing errors, or device malfunction, which must be detected and corrected at early processing stages in order to produce images that are useful to human users and image-processing or machine-vision algorithms. This paper proposes a defective pixel detection and correction algorithm and its implementation using CMOS analog circuits, which are integrated with the image sensor at the pixel and column levels. During photocurrent integration, the circuit detects defective values in parallel at each pixel using simple arithmetic operations within a neighborhood. At the image-column level, the circuit replaces the defective pixels with the median value of their neighborhood. To validate our approach, we designed a 128×128-pixel imager in a 0.35μm CMOS process, which integrates our defective-pixel detection/correction circuits and processes images at 694 frames per second, according to post-layout simulations. Operating at that frame rate, our proposed algorithm and its CMOS implementation produce better results than current state-of-the-art algorithms: it achieves a Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Image Enhancement Factor (IEF) of 45 dB and 198.4, respectively, in images with 0.5% random defective pixels, and a PSNR of 44.4 dB and IEF of 194.2, respectively, in images with 1.0% random defective pixels

N-3 long-chain PUFA supplementation prevents high fat diet induced mouse liver steatosis and inflammation in relation to PPAR-a upregulation and NF-kB DNA binding abrogation

Artículo de publicación ISIScope: Dietary n-3 long-chain PUFAs (n-3 LCPUFAs) supplementation was studied in an HFD-induced (HFD is high-fat diet) steatosis and inflammation in relation to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR- ) and nuclear factor B (NF- B) signaling. Methods and results: Male C57BL/6J mice received (i) control diet (10% fat, 20% protein, 70% carbohydrate), (ii) control diet plus n-3 LCPUFAs (daily doses of 108 mg/kg body weight of eicosapentaenoic acid plus 92mg/kg body weight of docosahexaenoic acid), (iii) HFD (60% fat, 20% protein, 20% carbohydrate), or (iv) HFD plus n-3 LCPUFAs for 12 wk. PPAR- , tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF- ), and IL-1 mRNA expression, acyl-CoA oxidase 1 (ACOX1), and carnitine-acyl-CoA transferase 1 (CAT-I) protein contents, and NF- B DNA binding activity weremeasured. HFD significantly decreased liver PPAR- , ACOX1, and CAT-I levels with NF- B activation, higher TNF- and IL-1 expression, and steatosis development. These changes were either reduced or normalized to control values in animals subjected to HFD plus n-3 LCPUFAs, with establishment of an inverse association between NF- B activation and PPAR- mRNA expression (r=−0.66, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Data presented indicate that n-3 LCPUFAs supplementation prevents liver steatosis and inflammation induced by HFD, with underlying mechanisms involving enhanced PPAR- signaling and diminished NF- B activation.This work was supported by grant 1110043 from FONDECYT (National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development) to G. T., Chile