In this research, the nanostructured alginate (AL) membranes were prepared with natural bioactive compound, Cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) extract (UT). UT is broadly used as an anti-inflammatory agent and the effect on the treatment of Rheumatism was proved by many scientists. For this reason, we added this bioactive compound in the process of AL membrane formulation to improve the biological activities. 2-dimentional (2-D) and 3-dimentional (3-D) AL membranes were prepared with and without addition of UT extracts. 3-D AL membranes were prepared using ultrasound with high intensity. The wettability of AL membranes depending on the concentration of AL was studied by measuring contact angle and surface energy. Stabilization agent, poloxamer 407, was used to improve the stability of AL nanoemulsion. The effects of UT in 3-D AL membranes were studied by measuring swelling behavior and conta...

Based on the results of a case study in the town of Huazulco, Morelos (Central Mexico), on artisan workshops and small business that are dedicated to produce traditional amaranth sweets, we reflect on the current development of this agro-food chain. Amaranth is an ancestral product that contains a high nutritional value, which in pre-Hispanic times had a high consumption and ritual value, but after the conquest it was limited and keep for centuries a reduced presence. However, in the last decades the area planted with amaranth in the country quadrupled and increased its national and exportation demands. This apogee is related to changes in food patterns and the segmentation of the global agro-food market. The potential impact and benefit of the boom in amaranth production and demand differentiation for peasants, local rooting agro industries and rural communities such as Huazulco in Mexi...

Based on the results of a case study in the town of Huazulco, Morelos (Central Mexico), on artisan workshops and small business that are dedicated to produce traditional amaranth sweets, we reflect on the current development of this agro-food chain. Amaranth is an ancestral product that contains a high nutritional value, which in pre-Hispanic times had a high consumption and ritual value, but after the conquest it was limited and keep for centuries a reduced presence. However, in the last decades the area planted with amaranth in the country quadrupled and increased its national and exportation demands. This apogee is related to changes in food patterns and the segmentation of the global agro-food market. The potential impact and benefit of the boom in amaranth production and demand differentiation for peasants, local rooting agro industries and rural communities such as Huazulco in Mexi...

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo encontrar una posible norma lingüística del castellano hablado en el distrito de Tupe, y describir y analizar, desde la sociolingüística variacionista, la variación de cuatro segmentos consonánticos /ʎ/, /ɾ/, /r/ y /-s/ implosiva y cinco fonemas vocálicos /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/ y /u/ en la variedad del castellano de esta comunidad. En este estudio, aparte de distintos factores internos (lingüísticos), son considerados varios factores externos (socioculturales) como sexo, edad, nivel educativo, grado de integración a la red social, uso del jacaru y tiempo de residencia en la costa. Para realizar la investigación se llevó a cabo trabajo de campo en la comunidad de Tupe en el que se entrevistó a treinta bilingües jacaru-castellano. Se encontró que en esta comunidad se mantienen algunos rasgos característicos de la variedad denominada tra...

Esta investigación tiene como objetivo encontrar una posible norma lingüística del castellano hablado en el distrito de Tupe, y describir y analizar, desde la sociolingüística variacionista, la variación de cuatro segmentos consonánticos /ʎ/, /ɾ/, /r/ y /-s/ implosiva y cinco fonemas vocálicos /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/ y /u/ en la variedad del castellano de esta comunidad. En este estudio, aparte de distintos factores internos (lingüísticos), son considerados varios factores externos (socioculturales) como sexo, edad, nivel educativo, grado de integración a la red social, uso del jacaru y tiempo de residencia en la costa. Para realizar la investigación se llevó a cabo trabajo de campo en la comunidad de Tupe en el que se entrevistó a treinta bilingües jacaru-castellano. Se encontró que en esta comunidad se mantienen algunos rasgos característicos de la variedad denominada tra...

InfluenzaAviruses are often present in environmental and clinical samples at concentrations below the limit of detection (LOD) of molecular diagnostics. Here we report an integrated microfluidic preconcentration and nucleic amplification system (μFPNAS) which enables both preconcentration of influenza A virus H1N1 (H1N1) and amplification of its viral RNA, thereby lowering LOD for H1N1. H1N1 virus particles were first magnetically preconcentrated using magnetic nanoparticles conjugated with an antibody specific for the virus. Their isolated RNA was amplified to cDNA through thermocycling in a trapezoidal chamber of the μFPNAS. A detection limit as low as 100 TCID50 (50% tissue culture infective dose) in saliva can be obtained within 2 hours. These results suggest that the LOD of molecular diagnostics for virus can be lowered by systematically combining immunomagnetic separation and rev...

Inertial kinetics and kinematics have substantial influences on human biomechanical function. A new algorithm for Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)-based motion tracking is presented in this work. The primary aims of this paper are to combine recent developments in improved biosensor technology with mainstream motion-tracking hardware to measure the overall performance of human movement based on joint axis-angle representations of limb rotation. This work describes an alternative approach to representing three-dimensional rotations using a normalized vector around which an identified joint angle defines the overall rotation, rather than a traditional Euler angle approach. Furthermore, IMUs allow for the direct measurement of joint angular velocities, offering the opportunity to increase the accuracy of instantaneous axis of rotation estimations. Although the axis-angle representation requi...

Este trabajo se llevó a cabo con la ayuda de una subvención del Centro Internacional de Investigaciones para el Desarrollo, Ottawa, Canadá

El motivo del estudio sobre los determinantes de las políticas de bienestar de los gobiernos locales fue demostrar que los factores de comportamiento de los participantes de la política local son recetas efectivas para resolver los problemas de la comunidad. La razón es reconocer la necesidad e importancia de decisiones de política de bienestar que puedan adaptarse a la nueva era y a los cambios ambientales regionales. Como resultado, tratamos de desarrollar indicadores de bienestar productivo que puedan responder activamente a la demanda de cambio para mejorar la calidad de vida de los residentes locales. El desarrollo de estos indicadores significa que se deben hacer esfuerzos para desarrollar conocimientos que puedan construir una infraestructura de bienestar en las zonas rurales en la era global de la convivencia. Por lo tanto, abrió un nuevo capítulo en las provincias y recono...

We investigate the possible causes for inter-model spread in tropical zonal-mean precipitation pattern, which is divided into hemispherically symmetric and anti-symmetric modes via empirical orthogonal function analysis. The symmetric pattern characterizes the leading mode and is tightly related to the seasonal amplitude of maximum precipitation position. The energetic constraints link the symmetric pattern to the seasonal amplitude in cross-equatorial atmospheric energy transport AET0 and the annual-mean equatorial net energy input NEI0. Decomposition of AET0 into the energetics variables indicates that the inter-model spread in symmetric precipitation pattern is correlated with the inter-model spread in clear-sky atmospheric shortwave absorption, which most likely arises due to differences in radiative transfer parameterizations rather than water vapor patterns. Among the components th...

During the transition from high school to on-campus college life, students leave home and start facing enormous life changes, including meeting new people, taking on more responsibilities, being away from the family, and dealing with academic challenges. These changes lead to an elevation of stress and anxiety, affecting students’ health and well-being. With the help of smartphones and their rich collection of sensors, we can continuously moni tor various factors that affect students’ behavioral patterns, such as communication behaviors associated with their health, well-being, and academic success. In this work, we try to assess college students’ communication patterns (in terms of phone call duration and frequency) that vary across various geographical contexts (e.g., dormitories, class buildings, dining halls) during different times (e.g., epochs of a day, days of a week) using ...

¿POR QUÉ LEEMOS, HABLAMOS y estudiamos la literatura coreana? Esta pregunta puede parecer obvia para los coreanos; y es así, pues la literatura coreana siempre ha sido parte de nuestra vida y nuestra cultura, desde sus inicios hasta hoy, de un modo consciente o no. Por tanto, leer, hablar y comprender minuciosamente la literatura coreana es una tarea que se nos impone como una necesidad primordial.

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations (UN) are independent international institutions with overlapping interests in the field of international peace and security. The ICC and the UN have a mutually cooperative yet independently functioning relationship, even though the ICC was originally conceived as a judicial body closely related to the UN and working in association with the UN Security Council. The interrelationship between the ICC and the Security Council was an issue of rigorous debate in the negotiation processes and preparatory commission of the ICC Statute. The travaux préparatoires of the ICC Statute show that the drafters acknowledged the primary role of the Security Council in determining threats or breaches of the peace and acts of aggression. This is reflected in the ICC Statute where the Security Council maintains two distinct powers in the function...

InfluenzaAviruses are often present in environmental and clinical samples at concentrations below the limit of detection (LOD) of molecular diagnostics. Here we report an integrated microfluidic preconcentration and nucleic amplification system (?FPNAS) which enables both preconcentration of influenza A virus H1N1 (H1N1) and amplification of its viral RNA, thereby lowering LOD for H1N1. H1N1 virus particles were first magnetically preconcentrated using magnetic nanoparticles conjugated with an antibody specific for the virus. Their isolated RNA was amplified to cDNA through thermocycling in a trapezoidal chamber of the ?FPNAS. A detection limit as low as 100 TCID50 (50% tissue culture infective dose) in saliva can be obtained within 2 hours. These results suggest that the LOD of molecular diagnostics for virus can be lowered by systematically combining immunomagnetic separation and rever...

Enzyme-mediated in situ functionalization of cotton fibers was studied using laccase. Caffeic acid and morin were used as reactive phenolic substrates for laccase and further employed to the modification of fiber surfaces. Laccase-mediated oxidation and polymerization reactions of caffeic acid were monitored by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. During the wetting process, initial cationization of fiber surfaces using poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) followed by enzymatic treatment with phenolic substrates resulted ineffective polymer grafting evidenced by high color stability. Changes of fiber surface properties by polymer grafting, such as morphology and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, were tested using scanning electron microscopy and gravimetric absorption tests. An acceptable level of color resistance to washing stress was obtained on caffeic acid treated samples, and a high l...

Chitosan is obtained from alkaline deacetylation of chitin, and acetamide groups are transformed into primary amino groups during the deacetylation. The diverse biological activities of chitosan and its derivatives are extensively studied that allows to widening the application fields in various sectors especially in biomedical science. The biological properties of chitosan are strongly depending on the solubility in water and other solvents. Deacetylation degree (DDA) and molecular weight (MW) are the most decisive parameters on the bioactivities since the primary amino groups are the key functional groups of chitosan where permits to interact with other molecules. Higher DDA and lower MW of chitosan and chitosan derivatives demonstrated higher antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer capacities. Therefore, the chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) with a low polymerization degree are recei...

The economy of the Asia-Pacific region has registered one of the highest growth rates and this trend is expected to continue. As a result, passenger and cargo traffic has also increased, causing most of the airports and ports to become congested. This has generated the need for the State to invest in new infrastructure that can meet current demand, but the construction of new ports and airports generates a series of challenges, including financing, ownership, administration and regulation; all this in a globalized context, of economic liberalization and integration. The problems presented by the operation and investment in infrastructure, their causes and the possible ways of solving them are reviewed, at the same time that two policy options are presented: planning mechanisms and market mechanisms. Different options for introducing the market mechanism into infrastructure are examined, ...

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Se presentan los hallazgos de la investigación sobre la organización de una cuadrilla de cortadores cañeros indígenas popolocas de Puebla, que acuden a la zafra en Morelos. Se analiza la importancia de las estrategias familiares de reproducción social, en la adaptación de estos trabajadores migrantes temporales a condiciones de trabajo y de vida adversas. Es importante considerar los diferentes factores culturales del grupo para su análisis. Además, ha sido revelador el papel del intermediario laboral tradicional y líder de la cuadrilla, en la representación de los intereses de los trabajadores a su cargo, lo que hace posible la reproducción de su identidad cultural.