Enhancing the Role of Regional Development Banks

There are a number of important reasons why lending by regional or sub-regional development banks can and should play an important and valuable complementary role in the international development architecture. We look at the specific strengths of multilateral, regional and sub-regional development banks and drawing on the successful experience of the European Investment Bank and the Andean Development Corporation conclude that the time is now for creating new regional development banks and expanding existing ones. Creating new institutions or expanding existing ones will have very clear benefits, as for instance providing regional public goods which are currently undersupplied, such as regional infrastructure. Very large pools of savings and foreign exchange reserves originate in developing countries these days and therefore the potential for a significant expansion of regional or sub-regional development banks, with only or mainly developing country members has grown significantly. At the same time, it may be desirable to create new regional development banks where gaps exist, however too much duplication of services is not desirable.

Perceptual impairment in face identification with poor sleep

Previous studies have shown impaired memory for faces following restricted sleep. However, it is not known whether lack of sleep impairs performance on face identification tasks that do not rely on recognition memory, despite these tasks being more prevalent in security and forensic professions—for example, in photo-ID checks at national borders. Here we tested whether poor sleep affects accuracy on a standard test of face-matching ability that does not place demands on memory: the Glasgow Face-Matching Task (GFMT). In Experiment 1, participants who reported sleep disturbance consistent with insomnia disorder show impaired accuracy on the GFMT when compared with participants reporting normal sleep behaviour. In Experiment 2, we then used a sleep diary method to compare GFMT accuracy in a control group to participants reporting poor sleep on three consecutive nights—and again found lower accuracy scores in the short sleep group. In both experiments, reduced face-matching accuracy in those with poorer sleep was not associated with lower confidence in their decisions, carrying implications for occupational settings where identification errors made with high confidence can have serious outcomes. These results suggest that sleep-related impairments in face memory reflect difficulties in perceptual encoding of identity, and point towards metacognitive impairment in face matching following poor sleep

The Development of a Hybrid Ergonomic Walker for a Patient Suffering from Multiple System Atrophy Cerebellar Type I

Currently, when an individual needs a mobility device, they must settle for walkers and rollators which cater to some of their needs. For some, this is acceptable, but for others these ill-fitted devices pose a threat to their safety as they increase the frequency of falling while walking. For individuals with ataxia, this problem is further exacerbated as they do not possess the needed motor functions to coordinate their movement and appropriately control the device. This brings relevancy to the topic of customizing walkers for certain individuals to ensure their safety. The patient in this project suffers from multiple system atrophy cerebellar type (MSA-C), a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease which results in the shrinking of the portion of the brain directly above the spinal cord. The disease is typically characterized by a lack of coordinated muscle control which affects the individual’s speech, eye movement, gait, and limb co-ordination. As with other forms of ataxia, there is little to no research on devices designed to support individuals with such a disease. The goal of this project is to design a walker suitable for the patient as it has been found that his unique condition cannot be adequately supported by commercially available walkers. The ergonomic walker created is a modification of the U-step walker designed and manufactured by In-Step Mobility Products Corporation. This walker was chosen based on its stable base technology and braking system designed for individuals with limited motor functions. The device was further modified to include an emergency brake system, a sensitive control panel, and a seat tailored to the anthropometric data of the patient. The result was an ergonomic walker designed to ensure the safety of the patient while giving him the confidence to walk independently

Propuesta de Escuela de Música, Danza y Artes Plásticas Sustentable en la ciudad de Sechura - 2020

La presente investigación se basa en la recopilación de datos eficaces para la demanda de los usuarios en Sechura, en este caso abordaremos el proyecto de la escuela de música, danza y artes plásticas con arquitectura sustentable, en la que conlleva a la necesidad de realizar una propuesta de espacios de enseñanza e idóneo para una formación profesional y competente a los usuarios. La propuesta plantea mejorar la calidad de servicios para los usuarios con una infraestructura funcional y moderna que permitirá desarrollar las actividades y servicios que son demandados para el proyecto, además se contara con tecnología necesaria para los espacios determinados del lugar, teniendo una propuesta sustentable el cual es amigable con el medio ambiente , contando de la misma manera con el uso de paneles solares en los talleres de música , danza y artes plásticas y materiales que sean adecuados y menos contaminantes para la ciudad. Al proponer esta escuela en la ciudad de Sechura se buscar ofrecer arquitectura sustentable, en la que integre a la población seguir fortaleciendo su cultura de manera profesional.This research is based on the collection of effective data for user demand in Sechura, in this case we will approach the project of the school of music, dance and plastic arts with sustainable architecture, in which it leads to the need to make a proposal for teaching spaces and ideal for professional and competent training for users. The proposal proposes to improve the quality of services for users with a functional and modern infrastructure that will allow the development of the activities and services that are demanded for the project, In addition, there will be the necessary technology for the specific spaces of the place, having a sustainable proposal which is friendly to the environment, counting in the same way with the use of solar panels in the music, dance and plastic arts workshops and materials that are adequate and less polluting for the city. By proposing this school in the city of Sechura it seeks to offer sustainable architecture, the one that integrates the population to continue strengthening its culture in a professional way.Tesi

Novel pulsatile-release microparticles for single-injection vaccination

Many controlled release devices are designed to achieve near zero-order release kinetics, however for some applications, such as vaccination, non-continuous or pulsatile release is desired. Such pulsatile release systems may enable the creation of single-injection vaccines that eliminate the need for subsequent booster immunizations by spontaneously releasing antigen at time points that correspond to normal vaccination regimens. This would be especially important in the developing world where a lack of consistent access to healthcare contributes to approximately 1.5 million vaccine-preventable deaths each year.1 Here we present the fabrication and characterization of biodegradable core-shell microparticles that exhibit pulsatile release kinetics due to their unique structure. These particles are produced using a novel fabrication process that combines soft lithography, picoliter dispensing, optical alignment, and a gentle heat-based sintering step to generate microparticles with a biodegradable polymeric shell surrounding an antigen-filled core. By altering the composition (e.g. copolymer ratio or molecular weight) of the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) shell, particles can be tuned to release discrete pulses of a model antigen at times ranging from four days to two months. This fabrication method is also compatible with sensitive biologics, such as the inactivated polio virus, which retains \u3e80% of its antigenicity after encapsulation. Further, because the shell of the particle is physically separated from the core, these particles can be filled with any aqueous vaccine solution without affecting release kinetics and be easily scaled via massively parallel fabrication. As a result, these particles have exciting potential as single-injection vaccines that fully mimic the antigen presentation profile of traditional bolus injections administered over the course of months or years. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Palaeomagnetic and synchrotron analysis of \u3e1.95 Ma fossil-bearing palaeokarst at Haasgat, South Africa

Palaeomagnetic analysis indicates that Haasgat, a fossil-bearing palaeocave in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, is dominated by reversed magnetic polarity in its oldest, deepest layers and normal polarity in the younger layers. The presence of in-situ Equus specimens suggests an age of less than ~2.3 Ma, while morphological analysis of faunal specimens from the ex-situ assemblage suggests an age greater than 1.8 Ma. Given this faunal age constraint, the older reversed polarity sections most likely date to the beginning of the Matuyama Chron (2.58–1.95 Ma), while the younger normal polarity deposits likely date to the very beginning of the Olduvai Sub-Chron (1.95–1.78 Ma). The occurrence of a magnetic reversal from reversed to normal polarity recorded in the sequence indicates the deposits of the Bridge Section date to ~1.95 Ma. All the in-situ fossil deposits that have been noted are older than the 1.95 Ma reversal, but younger than 2.3 Ma. Haasgat therefore dates to an interesting time period in South African human evolution that saw the last occurrence of two australopith species at ~2.05–2.02 Ma (Sts5 Australopithecus africanus from Sterkfontein Member 4) to ~1.98 Ma ( Australopithecus sediba from Malapa) and the first occurrence of early Homo (Sk847), Paranthropus and the Oldowan within Swartkrans Member 1 between ~2.0 Ma and ~1.8 Ma

Propuesta de modelo de negocio basado en design thinking : coral fashion truck

En la actualidad, las mujeres tienen una mayor relevancia en lo que respecta a la aportación económica en el hogar a partir del creciente empoderamiento de las mismas en el mercado laboral. Además, no solo controlan la mayor cantidad de gastos en lo que respecta a las compras del hogar, sino que son cada vez más independientes y mejor preparadas académicamente hablando que hasta hace unas décadas. Si bien representan un mercado en crecimiento, se plantea la existencia de mujeres que no tienen mayor tiempo para salir de compras con la frecuencia que quisieran lo que se podría traducir en la necesidad de un punto de venta de mayor accesibilidad. Para el desarrollo de la idea de negocio se optó por la creación de una propuesta de modelo de negocio a partir de una investigación orientada a conocer las preferencias de compra del público objetivo potencial y a trabajar con el mismo para co-diseñar la propuesta. Mediante la aplicación del Design Thinking como base metodológica y la utilización de diferentes herramientas de gestión y de estudios cualitativos, se empatizó con el público objetivo potencial para conocer sus preferencias y necesidades y así poder definir un Punto de Vista de la oportunidad encontrada: que las mujeres estudiantes y trabajadoras entre 20 y 27 años que gustan de la moda y tendencias de vestir necesitan de accesorios en todo momento y lugar para verse más femeninas y bonitas ante los ojos de ellas y los demás debido a que se sienten vacías si no los utilizan; sin embargo, al no disponer de mucho tiempo para realizar compras, no llegan a comprar la variedad de accesorios que pueden llegar a adquirir. Con esta definición se procedió a la ideación del modelo de negocio y, después de prototiparlo y evaluarlo, se diseñó a Coral, una marca que ofrece accesorios de vestir en un punto de venta móvil o fashion truck a mujeres de 18 y 27 años que gustan de la moda o tendencias, estudian y trabajan dentro de la zona 6 de Lima Metropolitana y la zona empresarial de San Isidro. Finalmente, mediante la utilización del Business Model Canvas se resumen las estrategias recomendadas a partir del presente estudio para el modelo de negocio propuesto en un Lienzo Estratégico donde se pueden apreciar desde la propuesta de valor hasta la estructura de costes de la potencial organización.Trabajo de suficiencia profesiona

Photocrosslinked Bioreducible Polymeric Nanoparticles for Enhanced Systemic siRNA Delivery as Cancer Therapy

Clinical translation of polymer‐based nanocarriers for systemic delivery of RNA has been limited due to poor colloidal stability in the blood stream and intracellular delivery of the RNA to the cytosol. To address these limitations, this study reports a new strategy incorporating photocrosslinking of bioreducible nanoparticles for improved stability extracellularly and rapid release of RNA intracellularly. In this design, the polymeric nanocarriers contain ester bonds for hydrolytic degradation and disulfide bonds for environmentally triggered small interfering RNA (siRNA) release in the cytosol. These photocrosslinked bioreducible nanoparticles (XbNPs) have a shielded surface charge, reduced adsorption of serum proteins, and enable superior siRNA‐mediated knockdown in both glioma and melanoma cells in high‐serum conditions compared to non‐crosslinked formulations. Mechanistically, XbNPs promote cellular uptake and the presence of secondary and tertiary amines enables efficient endosomal escape. Following systemic administration, XbNPs facilitate targeting of cancer cells and tissue‐mediated siRNA delivery beyond the liver, unlike conventional nanoparticle‐based delivery. These attributes of XbNPs facilitate robust siRNA‐mediated knockdown in vivo in melanoma tumors colonized in the lungs following systemic administration. Thus, biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles, via photocrosslinking, demonstrate extended colloidal stability and efficient delivery of RNA therapeutics under physiological conditions, and thereby potentially advance systemic delivery technologies for nucleic acid‐based therapeutics

Seismic isolation of Advanced LIGO: Review of strategy, instrumentation and performance

The new generation of gravitational waves detectors require unprecedented levels of isolation from seismic noise. This article reviews the seismic isolation strategy and instrumentation developed for the Advanced LIGO observatories. It summarizes over a decade of research on active inertial isolation and shows the performance recently achieved at the Advanced LIGO observatories. The paper emphasizes the scientific and technical challenges of this endeavor and how they have been addressed. An overview of the isolation strategy is given. It combines multiple layers of passive and active inertial isolation to provide suitable rejection of seismic noise at all frequencies. A detailed presentation of the three active platforms that have been developed is given. They are the hydraulic pre-isolator, the single-stage internal isolator and the two-stage internal isolator. The architecture, instrumentation, control scheme and isolation results are presented for each of the three systems. Results show that the seismic isolation sub-system meets Advanced LIGO's stringent requirements and robustly supports the operation of the two detectors.Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave ObservatoryNational Science Foundation (U.S.