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Summary: Background: Surgical care holds significant importance in healthcare, especially in low and middle-income countries, as at least 50% of the 4.2 million deaths within the initial 30 days following surgery take place in these countries. The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery proposed six indicators to enhance surgical care. In Colombia, studies have been made using secondary data. However, strategies to reduce perioperative mortality have not been implemented. This study aims to describe the fourth indicator, perioperative mortality rate (POMR), with primary data in Colombia. Methods: A multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted across 54 centres (hospitals) in Colombia. Each centre selected a 7-day recruitment period between 05/2022 and 01/2023. Inclusion criteria involved patients over 18 years of age undergoing surgical procedures in operating rooms. Data quality was ensured through a verification guideline and statistical analysis using mixed-effects multilevel modelling with a case mix analysis of mortality by procedure-related, patient-related, and hospital-related conditions. Findings: 3807 patients were included with a median age of 48 (IQR 32–64), 80.3% were classified as ASA I or II, and 27% of the procedures had a low-surgical complexity. Leading procedures were Orthopedics (19.2%) and Gynaecology/Obstetrics (17.7%). According to the Clavien–Dindo scale, postoperative complications were distributed in major complications (11.7%, 10.68–12.76) and any complication (31.6%, 30.09–33.07). POMR stood at 1.9% (1.48–2.37), with elective and emergency surgery mortalities at 0.7% (0.40–1.23) and 3% (2.3–3.89) respectively. Interpretation: The POMR was higher than the ratio reported in previous national studies, even when patients had a low–risk profile and low-complexity procedures. The present research represents significant public health progress with valuable insights for national decision-makers to improve the quality of surgical care. Funding: This work was supported by Universidad del Rosario and Fundación Cardioinfantil-Instituto de Cardiología grant number CTO-057-2021, project-ID IV-FGV017.

Los eventos sísmicos pueden causar un daño importante a inmuebles públicos y privados y son vital importancia para la gestión pública. En este contexto, es relevante reconocer los actores y los momentos críticos que experimentan las organizaciones que coordinan las labores de respuesta, rescate, recopilación de datos y deliberación de traslados. En Chile, la toma de decisiones sobre estos procesos involucra a tres ministerios: el Ministerio de Desarrollo Social recopila la información de las personas y las familias afectadas por la emergencia; el Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo catastra información para asignar beneficios transitorios o definitivos de vivienda; y el Ministerio del Interior, quien a través del Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (SENAPRED), planifica y coordina los recursos públicos y privados para gestionar el manejo de la emergencia. Al momento de la crisis se suman otros grupos: voluntarios, unidades de bomberos, carabineros, agrupaciones de la sociedad civil, empresas aseguradoras, entre otros. El artículo explora las complejidades institucionales y técnicas que participan de la primera respuesta luego de un sismo (ej. toma de datos, sistematización, análisis y toma de decisiones).

ABSTRACT The antibacterial activity of 22 thiolato-bridged dinuclear ruthenium(II)-arene compounds was assessed in vitro against Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. None of the compounds efficiently inhibited the growth of the three E. coli strains tested, and only compound 5 exhibited a medium activity against this bacterium [MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) of 25 µM]. However, a significant antibacterial activity was observed against S. pneumoniae, with MIC values ranging from 1.3 to 2.6 µM for compounds 1–3, 5, and 6. Similarly, compounds 2, 5–7, and 20–22 had MIC values ranging from 2.5 to 5 µM against S. aureus. The tested diruthenium compounds have a bactericidal effect significantly faster than that of penicillin. Fluorescence microscopy assays performed on S. aureus using the BODIPY-tagged diruthenium complex 15 showed that this type of metal compound enters the bacteria and does not accumulate in the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria. Cellular internalization was further confirmed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry experiments. The nature of the substituents anchored on the bridging thiols and the compounds molecular weight appears to significantly influence the antibacterial activity. Thus, if overall a decrease of the bactericidal effect with the increase of compounds’ molecular weight is observed, however, the complexes bearing larger benzo-fused lactam substituents had low MIC values. This first antibacterial activity screening demonstrated that the thiolato-diruthenium compounds exhibit promising activity against S. aureus and S. pneumoniae and deserve to be considered for further studies. IMPORTANCE The in vitro assessment of diruthenium(II)-arene compounds against Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus showed a significant antibacterial activity of some compounds against S. pneumoniae, with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 1.3 to 2.6 µM, and a medium activity against E. coli, with MIC of 25 µM. The nature of the substituents anchored on the bridging thiols and the compounds molecular weight appear to significantly influence the antibacterial activity. Fluorescence microscopy showed that these ruthenium compounds enter the bacteria and do not accumulate in the cell wall of gram-positive bacteria. These diruthenium(II)-arene compounds exhibit promising activity against S. aureus and S. pneumoniae and deserve to be considered for further studies, especially the compounds bearing larger benzo-fused lactam substituents.

Examinar una tradición de levantamientos de inspección visual fundamentados en evidencia empírica representa la base para el desarrollo de un asistente digital (App) como instrumento de diagnóstico y valoración de estructuras en albañilería simple durante la post-emergencia sísmica. La integración de los códigos observacionales derivados de esta tradición permitió la calibración y el análisis de las técnicas de levantamiento y medición utilizadas. El asistente aprovecha las tecnologías ampliamente disponibles en la población e integra los conocimientos especializados y las técnicas tradicionales derivadas del levantamiento directo como base analítica para la valoración de los daños. Esta dimensión analítica de la representación del daño es uno de los aspectos críticos que establece las correlaciones entre los códigos visuales y las escalas de valoración del algoritmo que determina el riesgo sísmico y el grado de habitabilidad estructural de las viviendas.

As the climate crisis continues to worsen, there is an increasing demand for scientific evidence from Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (CRVA). We present 12 methodological advancements to the Impact Chain-based CRVA (IC-based CRVA) framework, which combines participatory and data-driven approaches to identify and measure climate risks in complex socio-ecological systems. The advancements improve the framework along five axes, including the existing workflow, stakeholder engagement, uncertainty management, socio-economic scenario modeling, and transboundary climate risk examination. Eleven case studies were conducted and evaluated to produce these advancements. Our paper addresses two key research questions: (a) How can the IC-based CRVA framework be methodologically advanced to produce more accurate and insightful results? and (b) How effectively can the framework be applied in research and policy domains that it was not initially designed for? We propose methodological advancements to capture dynamics between risk factors, to resolve contradictory worldviews, and to maintain consistency between Impact Chains across policy scales. We suggest using scenario-planning techniques and integrating uncertainties via Probability Density Functions and Reverse Geometric Aggregation. Our research examines the applicability of IC-based CRVAs to address transboundary climate risks and integrating macro-economic models to reflect possible future socio-economic exposure. Our findings demonstrate that the modular structure of IC-based CRVA allows for the integration of various methodological advancements, and further advancements are possible to better assess complex climate risks and improve adaptation decision-making.

Las arvenses pueden llegar a interactuar directa o indirectamente con los cultivos, ofreciendo un gran espectro de funciones agronómicas y ecológicas. A razón de ello, esta investigación tuvo como objetivo identificar la diversidad de especies arvenses en plantaciones de Gmelina arborea Roxb. (Melina), de tres, cuatro y cinco años, establecidas en la hacienda “La Evelina” del cantón La Concordia, provincia de Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas. Se aplicó el método de área mínima donde se encontró un total de 32 especies en las 12 unidades de muestreo del sitio de estudio. Se registraron datos cuantitativos y cualitativos tales como: nombres científicos, hábitos, abundancia por especie, así como las coordenadas correspondientes a cada sitio. Para el análisis de diversidad se calcularon parámetros como: abundancia absoluta, también se utilizaron los Índices de Jaccard, Shannon y Simpson y el método de área mínima según Braun Blanquet. Se encontraron 11 595 individuos en 32 especies, de las cuales la más abundante fue: Asystasia gangética. El Índice de Shannon y el Índice de Simpson determinaron una diversidad media en dos sitios de estudio y diversidad baja en un sitio. Finalmente, la ejecución del análisis de diversidad permitió determinar que la comunidad de especies arvenses va a depender del nivel de predominancia de la plantación de Melina, por lo que conforme incrementó su edad, menor fue la cantidad de especies arvenses por unidad de superficie.

In several butterflies, the posterior end of the hindwings resembles a butterfly head when the butterfly is perched with its wings closed. There is evidence that this "false head" (FH) deflects predator attacks towards non-vital parts of the body. If the FH protects from visually oriented predators, its condition in an individual butterfly could provide information about its quality to prospective mates. We tested two hypotheses based on this idea by comparing the probability of mating, duration of copulation and size of the ejaculate received by females of Callophrys xami (Lycaenidae) with an intact FH and those with an ablated FH in a paired experiment. The absence of a FH had no effect on the probability of mating, but females with an ablated FH copulated for longer and received larger ejaculates, which supports the hypothesis that males prefer females with damaged FHs because this reveals the female's ability to deflect attacks. Male or female (or both) cryptic choice could also account for our results, but more studies are needed to test this.

The use of composite indices is widespread in many fields of knowledge but a common problem associated to those type of indices is how to introduce uncertain knowledge on them. One example would be the Impact Chain framework for risk assessment. This methodology has proven to be a robust and effective approach to set up the conceptual framework associated to a given risk allowing to naturally consider the different components that shape that risk. However, the operationalization of the impact chain may not be straightforward, in particular due to the inherent uncertainties associated to the selected indicators and the assigned weights. In this paper, we propose to use a probabilistic framework that would allow to consider uncertain knowledge in the composite indicator computation. Moreover, in the framework of the UNCHAIN project, a web-based tool has been developed to ease the task of implementing that methodology. This web-based application is designed as a multidimensional tool to consider uncertainties in any type of composite indicator, thus, its scope goes beyond the Impact Chain and risk analysis framework. For illustrative purposes, the tool has been applied to a case study on the risk of loss tourist attractiveness due to heat stress conditions on the Balearic island, Spain. This case study is used to show how uncertainties in different components of the impact chain can affect the robustness of the final risk assessment. Also, the tool provides an estimate of the sensitivity of the final risk to each component, which can be used to guide risk mitigation strategies. Finally, a proposal for the validation of the risk assessment is presented.

The sun and sea tourism is key for economy of the southern European countries. This economic sector is expected to be severely affected by climate change due to the projected loss of beaches, loss of thermal comfort, water restrictions or extreme events, among other impacts. Thus, adaptation strategies need to be developed urgently. To do so, it is necessary to first conduct an assessment of the risk of loss of tourism attractiveness to guide the development of such strategies. Furthermore, uncertainties in the different factors are considered into the risk analysis. In this study we analyze the risk of loss of tourism attractiveness due to climate change in the Spanish Mediterranean destinations, in the Western Mediterranean, as a case study. To do so, the Vulnerability Sourcebook methodology is adopted and modified to incorporate the uncertainties in the different elements of the impact chains. The increase in heat stress and the loss of beach availability have been identified as the climate change induced hazards that will affect the most the region attractiveness. Also, the impact chains have been constructed and several climatic and socioeconomic indicators have been considered after a knowledge co-production process with selected stakeholders. The weights assigned to each indicator have been obtained from an analytic hierarchy process based on the results of a consultation with sector experts. The results of the impact chain operationalization have shown that exposure and vulnerability in all the touristic destinations in the region are very similar and that the hazard will largely increase in the next decades, specially under the future scenario SSP585 or the RCP8.5. However, the final risk does not seem to suffer a large increase because of the relatively small weight assigned to the hazard. In other words, the exposure (e.g., typology of the tourists and touristic activities) or the vulnerability (e.g., capacity to put in place adaptation strategies) would be more important than the projected change in the hazard (e.g., heat stress increase or beach reduction). The benefits and limitations of the methodology are discussed and some suggestions for the validation of the assessment are proposed.

Aunque se puede pensar que las técnicas de rehabilitación de estructuras que se consideran históricas son una preocupación reciente en la arquitectura, estudios sobre procesos de intervención llevados a cabo en el pasado permiten comprender que se trata de acciones desarrolladas con frecuencia como solución ante la falta de dinero para la construcción de obras nuevas o ante la necesidad de dar rápidas soluciones de carácter práctico. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar la manera en que a lo largo del siglo XVIII se hicieron varios e importantes trabajos de reconstrucción y reparación estructural en las murallas de Cartagena de Indias, ante los daños causados tanto por los ataques enemigos a la ciudad como por los continuos embates de la naturaleza. Haciendo uso de fuentes primarias (planos e informes originales) se describe la manera en que se ejecutaron obras de este tipo sobre la denominada Muralla Real o frente de la Marina, lo cual contribuye a la comprensión de las formas de conocimiento y las habilidades operativas con que se contaba en ese momento.

BackgroundAcute treatment for distal radius fractures, the most frequent fractures in the pediatric population, represents a challenge to the orthopedic surgeon. Deciding on surgical restoration of the alignment or cast immobilization without reducing the fracture is a complex concern given the remodeling potential of bones in children. In addition, the lack of evidence-based safe boundaries of shortening and angulation, that will not jeopardize upper-extremity functionality in the future, further complicates this decision. ObjectiveThe authors aim to measure functional outcomes, assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Physical Function v2.0 instrument. The authors hypothesize that outcomes will not be worse in children treated with cast immobilization in situ compared with those treated with closed reduction with or without percutaneous fixation. The authors also aim to compare the following as secondary outcomes: ulnar variance and fracture alignment in the sagittal and coronal planes, range of motion, pressure ulcers, pain control, radius osteotomy due to deformity, pseudoarthrosis cure, and remanipulation. MethodsThis is the protocol of a randomized noninferiority trial comparing upper-extremity functionality in children aged 5 to 10 years, after sustaining a distal radius fracture, treated with either cast immobilization in situ or closed reduction with or without fixation in a single orthopedic hospital. Functional follow-up is projected at 6 months, while clinical and radiographic follow-up will occur at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 9 months. ResultsRecruitment commenced in July 2021. As of January 2022, 23 children have been randomized. Authors expect an average of 5 patients to be recruited monthly; therefore, recruitment and analysis should be complete by October 2024. ConclusionsThis experimental design that addresses upper-extremity functionality after cast immobilization in situ in children who have sustained a distal fracture of the radius may yield compelling information that could aid the clinician in deciding on the most suitable orthopedic treatment. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05008029; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05008029 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/34576

Despite the decline in partially (PM10) and fully (PM2.5) inhalable particles observed in recent decades, Santiago in Chile shows high levels of particle and ozone pollution. Attainment plans have emphasized measures aimed at curbing primary and, to some extent, secondary particles, but little attention has been paid to photochemical pollution. Nevertheless, ozone hourly mixing ratios in Eastern Santiago regularly exceed 110 ppbv in summer, and in winter maximum mixing ratios often reach 90 ppbv. Moreover, the sum of ozone and nitrogen dioxide shows an increasing trend of more than 3.5 ppbv per decade at 5 out of 8 stations. This trend is driven by increasing NO2, possibly associated with increasing motorization but also with changes in photochemistry. To estimate the fraction of secondary particles in PM2.5 and due to the lack of long-term speciation data for particles, we use carbon monoxide as a proxy of primary particles and ozone daily maxima as a proxy for secondary particle formation. We find a growing fraction of secondary particles due to an increase in the oxidizing capacity of Santiago’s atmosphere. This stresses the need for new curbing measures to tackle photochemical pollution. This is particularly needed in the context of a changing climate.

El melanoma es el cáncer más letal en la piel. Su localización en la región frontonasal es muy inusual. La mortalidad del melanoma es alta cuando presenta factores de mal pronóstico. Paciente de sexo femenino de 76 años de edad, quien consulta a sala de emergencias por sensación de masa prominente de 7 x 6 cm de diámetro y sangrante hace dos meses. Se expone el caso de un melanoma maligno en localización inusual y con predictores de mal pronóstico para metástasis y mortalidad. Es imperativo realizar mayor investigación correspondiente a la biología molecular y genética del melanoma para lograr comprender este fenómeno.

Quality is an essential element for any company that wants to be recognized successfully; because of this, the companies undergo a certification process under a quality standard such as ISO 9001 that allows them to improve the performance of its operation, differentiate itself from its competitors, achieve a better position in the market and export quickly. In this sense, making and maintaining such certification can be under high pressure over the company, up to become a source of corruption risk, since, in emerging markets, companies may be tempted to perform unethical practices such as falsifying or adulterating documents to maintain their certifications and the benefits derived from it. Besides, considering that the quality management system audit process is based on the verification made by a third party of the documents and records of the company against the quality standard, it becomes necessary to reinforce with technology the audit process to minimize this kind of risk. Given this, a software architecture for a quality management system supported in BPMN and Blockchain technology is proposed to guarantee the integrity and immutability of the system and information, which allows exposing any attempt at fraud and facilitates the audit process's automation.

Este artículo presenta los resultados del proyecto de investigación encaminado a determinar y describir la manera como los tratados de libre comercio suscritos por Colombia con Estados Unidos y Canadá, promueven la creación de prácticas de Responsabilidad Social en las grandes empresas. Para tal efecto se examinaron aspectos fundamentales asociados al Pacto Global de las Naciones Unidas, desde una aproximación cualitativa por parte de las prácticas de las grandes empresas en la ciudad de Barranquilla en cuatro áreas temáticas: derechos humanos, derechos laborales, medio ambiente y lucha anticorrupción.

El objetivo del presente artículo es mostrar cómo se ha incorporado la ética en la teoría de los stakeholders, aportando elementos constructivos a la forma como se hacen los negocios en la actualidad. Los resultados se estructuran en dos secciones. Inicialmente se plasma un análisis conceptual de los stakeholders y la utilidad de su apuesta teórica; luego se enfatiza en la definición de los aportes realizados por la ética de los negocios a tal la teoría. El análisis realizado se basó en la revisión aplicada a las publicaciones consignadas en la base de datos Scopus teniendo en cuenta las palabras clave business ethic y stakeholders; entre los artículos arrojados solo se contemplaron los que incluyeran los criterios business, management and accounting y economics, econometrics and finance. La priorización se hizo a partir del número de publicaciones realizadas por los principales autores y el número de citaciones que tienen estos en la base de datos. En la revisión, se llega a la conclusión de que en la teoría de los stakeholders es fundamental el concepto de la ética basada en la confianza y la cooperación que debe existir entre la empresa o negocio y los stakeholders, así como la responsabilidad de la gerencia por reconocer quiénes son estos últimos y qué puede hacer por ellos desde sus prácticas empresariales.

Abstract: The objective of this work was to evaluate the root system of Conilon coffee (Coffea canephora) and Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) plants in the soil profile, using semivariograms. The evaluations were carried out in an area located in the municipality of Jaguaré, in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The Verdebrás G30/G35 Conilon coffee and the Catuaí Vermelho IAC 44 Arabica coffee cultivars were assessed. Soil monoliths with coffee plant roots were collected at three distances from the trunk in the planting row and at six distances from the trunk between rows, at six depths. The roots were collected and washed and then digitized and processed in the Safira software. The spatial variability of the evaluated attributes was characterized by the geostatistical technique, through semivariograms, using the GS+ 7.0 software. Root surface area, length, and volume were quantified for the two coffee species. Conilon coffee plants have a tendency of showing a root system with a smaller surface area, shorter length, and lower volume by volume of soil, as well as a less discrepant distribution on soil surface and in deeper layers, compared with Arabica coffee.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To assess the relationships between food intake and colorectal cancer risk. METHODS: Systematic review of available prospective studies on dietary intake and colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Twelve out of 15 studies found no significant relationship between vegetable intake and colorectal cancer risk; also, 11 out of 14 studies found no relationship with fruit consumption. Conversely, the combined consumption of vegetables and fruit reduced colorectal cancer risk in three out of six studies, although the relationship was somewhat inconsistent between genders and anatomical localizations. Most studies found no relationship between cancer risk and red meat (15 in 20) or processed meat (seven out of 11) consumption; still, most of the reported relative risks were above unity, suggesting that high consumption of red or processed meat might increase colorectal cancer risk. The consumption of white meat, fish/seafood, dairy products, coffee or tea was mostly unrelated to colorectal cancer risk, although the consumption of smoked or salted fish actually increased risk. CONCLUSIONS: The relationships between dietary intake and colorectal cancer risk might be less important than previously reported. The combined consumption of vegetables and fruit might be protective, whereas excessive consumption of meat or smoked/salted/processed food appears to be deleterious. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new 13C DEPTQ+ NMR experiment, based on the improved DEPTQ experiment, which is designed to unequivocally identify all carbon multiplicities (Cq, CH, CH2, and CH3) in two experiments. Compared to this improved DEPTQ experiment, the DEPTQ+ is shorter and the different evolution delays are designed as spin echoes, which can be tuned to different 1JCH values; this is especially valuable when a large range of 1JCH coupling constants is to be expected. These modifications allow (i) a mutual leveling of the DEPT signal intensities, (ii) a reduction in J cross-talk in the Cq/CH spectrum, and (iii) more consistent and cleaner CH2/CH3 edited spectra. The new DEPTQ+ is expected to be attractive for fast 13C analysis of small-to medium sized molecules, especially in high-throughput laboratories. With concentrated samples and/or by exploiting the high sensitivity of cryogenically cooled 13C NMR probeheads, the efficacy of such investigations may be improved, as it is possible to unequivocally identify all carbon multiplicities, with only one scan, for each of the two independent DEPTQ+ experiments and without loss of quality.

Quinoa is a highly diverse crop domesticated in the Andean region of South America with broad adaptation to a wide range of marginal environments. Quinoa has garnered interest worldwide due to its nutritional and health benefits. Over the last decade, quinoa production has expanded outside of the Andean region, prompting multiple studies investigating the potential for quinoa cultivation in novel environments. Currently, quinoa is grown in countries spanning five continents, including North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Here, we update the advances of quinoa research in Ecuador across different topics, including (a) current quinoa production situation with a focus on breeding progress, (b) traditional seed production, and (c) the impact of the work of the nongovernment organization “European Committee for Training and Agriculture” with quinoa farmers in Chimborazo province. Additionally, we discuss genetic diversity, primary pests and diseases, actions for adapting quinoa to tropical areas, and recent innovations in quinoa processing in Ecuador. Finally, we report a case study describing a participatory breeding project between Washington State University and the Association of Andean Seed and Nutritional Food Producers Mushuk Yuyay in the province of Cañar.

This experimental in vitro study evaluated the influence of screw length on the mechanical properties of a locking reconstruction plate designed with locking rings inserted into plate holes. Synthetic bone cylinders with 10 mm fracture gap and seven-hole locking reconstruction plates were used. Two groups of bone-plate constructs were assembled: Group 1 – three monocortical screws on each fracture side, Group 2 - three bicortical screws on each fracture side. In each group nine bone-plate constructs were tested until failure, three each in bending, compression and torsion. In each group, 21 bone-plate constructs were tested for failure in fatigue testing, seven each for bending, compression and torsion. In all static testing no significant differences were found between G1 and G2, except ultimate moment in torsion test (G2>G1; P=0.008). Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between groups in axial compression fatigue testing (G1>G2; P

Quantitative analysis of embryonic cell dynamics from large data sets remains a major challenge in the field of developmental biology. Here the authors develop software and a workflow to reconstruct cell lineage trees from 3D time lapse imaging data sets from several developing organisms including zebrafish, tunicates and sea urchins.

La responsabilidad social universitaria (RSU) constituye un desafío para las universidades y plantea el reto de alcanzar estándares que involucren y beneficien a todas las partes interesadas: a los académicos por medio del estudio de los elementos en orden a su adecuado funcionamiento, y al personal de administración y servicios a través del diseño de políticas y estrategias para el fomento y la regulación de la RSU. Aunque la bibliografía relaciona de manera general los procesos de transferencia tecnológica (TT) y la RSU, no se ha profundizado en sus especificidades e implicaciones. Este trabajo tiene como propósito, a partir de una revisión de la bibliografía, definir cómo se puede entender la TT como práctica de RSU, sobre la base de una serie de propuestas de actividades concretas y de las posibilidades de investigación que el tema plantea.

Background: Currently, the technology called Clearfield® is used in the development of crops resistant to herbicides that inhibit the enzyme acetohydroxy acid synthase (AHAS, EC 2.2.1.6). AHAS is the first enzyme of the biosynthetic pathway that produces the branched-chain of the essential amino acids valine, leucine, and isoleucine. Therefore, multiple copies of the AHAS gene might be of interest for breeding programs targeting herbicide resistance. In this work, the characterization of the AHAS gene was accomplished for the Chenopodium quinoa Regalona-Baer cultivar. Cloning, sequencing, and Southern blotting were conducted to determine the number of gene copies. Results: The presence of multiple copies of the AHAS gene as has been shown previously in several other species is described. Six copies of the AHAS gene were confirmed with Southern blot analyses. CqHAS1 and CqAHAS2 variants showed the highest homology with AHAS mRNA sequences found in the NR Database. A third copy, CqAHAS3, shared similar fragments with both CqAHAS1 and CqAHAS2, suggesting duplication through homeologous chromosomes pairing. Conclusions: The presence of multiple copies of the gene AHAS shows that gene duplication is a common feature in polyploid species during evolution. In addition, to our knowledge, this is the first report of the interaction of sub-genomes in quinoa.

This review article discusses the approach to the layout problem of cell manufacturing (LCM) in a descriptive form; considering at first the problem and its variations, then the elements of the mathematical models, subsequently presenting solution methods used; and finally some future perspectives about this topic are considered.

Rare (Earth) Elements is a cycle of works for solo piano. The cycle was inspired by James Dillon’s Book of Elements (Vol. I-V). The complete cycle will consist of 14 pieces; one for each selected rare (earth) element. The chosen elements are Neodymium, Erbium, Tellurium, Hafnium, Tantalum, Technetium, Indium, Dysprosium, Lanthanium, Cerium, Europium, Terbium, Yttrium and Darmstadtium. These elements were selected due to their special atomic properties that in many cases make them extremely valuable for the development of new technologies, and also because of their scarcity. To date, only 4 works have been completed Yttrium, Technetium, Indium and Tellurium.

Este trabajo presenta la solución mono-objetivo y multi-objetivo del problema de la distribución de planta en celdas de manufactura a través de dos nuevos algoritmos híbridos discretos basados en quimiotaxis de bacterias y en algoritmos genéticos. Los modelos propuestos resuelven simultáneamente los dos inconvenientes que constituyen el problema de la distribución de planta en celdas de manufactura: la formación de las celdas y la distribución de planta intra e inter celdas, considerando el agrupamiento de las celdas y el costo de transporte y manipulación de materiales. El desempeño de las propuestas se evaluó con problemas de prueba de distribución de planta de celdas de manufactura, agente viajero (TSP) y el caso multi-objetivo del problema de las mochilas. Los resultados mono-objetivo se compararon con AG, BFOA y Bacterial-GA, mientras que los resultados multi-objetivo se compararon con los reconocidos algoritmos NSGA2 y SPEA2 en los que se obtuvo un mejor desempeño en los dos casos.

En marzo de 2010 el ingeniero Mariano Ghisays, presidente ejecutivo de SuperBrix, no sólo se preguntaba si llegar al mercado asiático era una opción viable, sino también si ésta emergía en una coyuntura apropiada de la economía y capacidad tecnológica de su empresa, la cual, hasta el momento, no había podido ser copiada. La oportunidad de ingresar a países como China, Corea, India, Malasia y Singapur había sido tenida en cuenta por las directivas algunos años atrás, pero fue pospuesta con el fin de consolidar el mercado americano, lo cual se consiguió después de varios intentos de entrada, luego de afinar su estrategia de inmersión al mismo. Mariano se preguntaba, entonces, ¿de qué manera una mediana empresa del Caribe colombiano, capitalizando su experiencia de entrada en varios mercados internacionales, podría lograr con éxito llegar a estos países asiáticos, en donde los precios, competencia y probabilidad de copia de sus productos representaban un enorme riesgo para la compañía?

Este artículo presenta los primeros avances de un proyecto de investigación encaminado a determinar y describir la manera como los tratados de libre comercio, suscritos por Colombia con Estados Unidos y Canadá, promueven la creación de prácticas de responsabilidad social en las grandes empresas, en particular, las ubicadas en el distrito de Barranquilla, que exportan hacia dichos países. El artículo examina el grado de vinculación legal que existe en los tratados, en términos de explicitud de referencias a prácticas de la responsabilidad social y analiza su contenido a partir de las categorías del principal instrumento internacional de promoción de la responsabilidad social: el Pacto Mundial de la Organización de Naciones Unidas (Global Compact).

Las decisiones humanas suelen implicar costos y beneficios distribuidos en el tiempo. Este artículo revisa el estado actual de la investigación con neuroimagen acerca de la manera en que el cerebro produce decisiones intertemporales. Se propone que mientras resulta poco probable que la neurociencia sea el terreno adecuado para decidir entre los modelos formales propuestos por la economía conductual, los recientes avances en el estudio del cerebro ofrecen la posibilidad de enriquecer dichos modelos incorporando nuevos conocimientos respecto a cómo el cerebro representa magnitudes, atribuye valor, regula conductas orientadas a metas y genera pensamiento prospectivo.

Adaptation is very important in IOT systems, due to their continuously changing environments. Changes may come from different elements of the architecture underlying an IOT system. Existing literature pays special attention to changes in the Service layer using evolution agents or context aware approaches to manage adaptations to said changes. In this paper, we elaborate on eight challenges that developers face when building adaptive IOT systems. Such challenges take into account changes at the Services layer, but also in the Middleware and Physical layers. These challenges serve us as a research agenda to foster IOT technology. As a starting point, we design an architecture to deal with the posited challenges. Various of the architectural components are inspired on a reference architecture, and complemented by new components to manage dynamic adaptations in response to the identified challenges. Preliminary experiments provide an initial insight about the feasibility and/or impact of our adaptive architecture.

Este documento describe una metodología gráfica basada en tecnología de grupos con el fin de definir un nuevo layout para u- na planta industrial de producción. La metodología “círculos tecnológicos de parentesco” fue parte de un sistema de mejora- miento y estandarización de procesos (Lara, 2007) que buscaba optimizar los recursos físicos y minimizar el lead time de los procesos productivos de una planta industrial a través de un nuevo layout. Dicha metodología surge dada la necesidad de in- tegrar el proceso de formación de las celdas de manufactura con la definición del layout de éstas, lo cual se logró mediante la implementación del método ROC (Rank order clustering) (Singh,1996) para la formación de las celdas y el método SLCA (Sin- gle-linkage cluster analysis) (Singh,1996), utilizando el recíproco de los coeficientes de similitud que éste arroja en la construcción de los círculos de parentesco que definen la posición relativa de las máquinas dentro de las celdas. La implementa- ción de esa metodología y el despliegue de tecnología de grupos permitió obtener un layout que representó reducciones del or- den del 51% en las distancias promedio recorridas por las piezas durante su procesamiento y un recorte del 67% en promedio de los tiempos de fabricación —lead times— de los diversos procesos.

En este artículo se propone acentuar la reflexión sobre los valores de la arquitectura del movimiento moderno en Colombia, para, desde la raíz, detener la alteración y destrucción de la herencia edilicia de gran parte del siglo pasado. Mediante dos investigaciones realizadas en Bogotá y en cuatro departamentos circunvecinos, se ilustró, en parte, la dimensión de la pérdida de las obras y, más grave aún, de la tradición moderna.AbstractThis article is a reflection about the values of Modern Movement architecture in Colombia, in order to end the transformation and destruction of the architectural heritage built in the greater part of the 20th century. This process is partially illustrated through a couple of research projects carried out in Bogotá and in four studies of its adjacent provinces; in which is present the loss of good modern buildings and – what is worse – the loss of the modern tradition.

Objetivo: Determinar la prevalencia de la toma de citología vaginal en las estudiantes de los seis primeros semestres de los programas profesionales de la Facultad de Salud de una universidad pública en Cali (Colombia) durante 2007. Materiales y métodos: Estudio descriptivo transversal con estudiantes de los seis primeros semestres de programas en la Facultad de Salud de una universidad pública en Cali a través de una encuesta en la que se determinó la toma de citología vaginal y comportamientos de salud sexual y reproductiva. Resultados: Participaron 180 estudiantes con un promedio de edad de 19,9±2,5 años. 41,7% de las encuestadas se habían realizado citología vaginal; de éstas, el 23,3% se la realizaban cada año. El 84% de las participantes habían reclamado el resultado. El 35,3% habían tenido un compañero sexual, y la edad promedio de inicio de relaciones sexuales fue 16,8±1,5 años. El principal argumento para no realizársela fue la condición de virginidad (40%). Se encontró asociación estadística entre la toma de citología vaginal con edad (p=0,002), el estar casada (p=0,002), el número de relaciones sexuales en el último mes (p

Generalmente, para hallar la fuerza que actúa sobre un cuerpo cargado debido a otro se calcula mediante la relación F = qE, pero ¿que pasaría si no conociéramos las distribuciones de carga? En el presente artículo se pretende dar un método para el cálculo de la fuerza existente entre dos cuerpos cargados tomando únicamente el campo eléctrico que ellos producen. Este método se basa en el tensor electrostático. Adicionalmente, se presenta una aplicación para la fuerza existente entre una carga y un alambre de carga.

Este caso presenta la situación de la empresa QSEG, creada por el Sr. Piña y localizada en la ciudad de Barranquilla - Colombia. La empresa pasó por diferentes etapas, comenzando con la producción de artículos de seguridad industrial, luego el Sr. Piña proyectó su negocio y decidió agregar más líneas de productos y bienes importados, la distribución de productos de consumo de tienda en tienda y de insumos químicos suministrados para plagas y control de vectores (factores) de la contaminación. Debido a problemas familiares relacionados con infidelidad, fallas en las decisiones administrativas importantes, condiciones macroeconómicas difíciles y problemas de salud causados por la situación en su conjunto, la compañía pierde dinamismo y operativa y comercial, lo que lleva a una situación de falta de liquidez financiera que dio lugar a quiebra.