KSC-03PD-1525

Science.gov (United States)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. At the airport in San Jose, Costa Rica, the NASA hangar is dedicated. The speaker is Hermann Faith, executive director, Costa Rica-USA (CRUSA) Foundation. At the table are (from left) Dr. Jorge Andres Diaz, head scientiest CARTA mission; Gary Shelton, NASA deployment manager; Dr. Pedro Leon, general director, National Center for Advanced Technology (CENAT); Dr. Rogelio Pardo, minister of science and tchnology; John Danilovioch, U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica; and Lic. Vilma Lopez, subdirector, Civil Aviation (DGAC). NASA KSC has been testing its Aircraft-based Volcanic Emission Mass Spectrometer (AVEMS) in flights over the Turrialba volcano and in the crater, sampling and analyzing fresh volcanic gases in their natural chemical state. The AVEMS system has been developed for use in the Space Shuttle program, to detect toxic gas leaks and emissions in the Shuttles aft compartment and the crew compartment.

Ropajes: Sewing and Fashion Design Courses

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Carlos J. Lebrón Cajigas

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Vilma Martínez is an entrepreneur from Puerto Rico that started a sewing school that kept growing and expanding into related courses and businesses. Those businesses reach several industries such as education, fashion, and entertainment. Besides having to deal with the management of the marketing, operations, human resources, and other functions, she also had to face problems that are particular to family businesses and to new businesses. Even though the economic environment in PR and the industry environment were very difficult, there were also social and demographic factors that helped her sewing school segment to experience significant growth. The growth of the sewing school was also due to the advertising, pricing, and other marketing activities implemented and that kept evolving over time from constant experimentation. Many strategic issues are presented, including relocation, larger facilities, accreditation, and the hiring of non-family employees.

Systematics of the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex (Anura, Hylidae) from Ecuador and Peru

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Ron, Santiago R.; Venegas, Pablo J.; Toral, Eduardo; Morley Read; Diego A. Ortiz; Manzano, Andrea L.

2012-01-01

Abstract We present a new phylogeny, based on DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, for frogs of the genus Osteocephalus with emphasis in the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Genetic, morphologic, and advertisement call data are combined to define species boundaries and describe new species. The phylogeny shows strong support for: (1) a basal position of Osteocephalus taurinus + Osteocephalus oophagus, (2) a clade containing phytotelmata breeding species, and (3) a clade that corresponds to the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Our results document a large proportion of hidden diversity within a set of populations that were previously treated as a single, widely distributed species, Osteocephalus buckleyi. Individuals assignable to Osteocephalus buckleyi formed a paraphyletic group relative to Osteocephalus verruciger and Osteocephalus cabrerai and contained four species, one of which is Osteocephalus buckleyi sensu stricto and three are new. Two of the new species are shared between Ecuador and Peru (Osteocephalus vilmae sp. n. and Osteocephalus cannatellai sp. n.) and one is distributed in the Amazon region of southern Peru (Osteocephalus germani sp. n.) We discuss the difficulties of using morphological characters to define species boundaries and propose a hypothesis to explain them. PMID:23166473

Systematics of the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex (Anura, Hylidae from Ecuador and Peru

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Santiago Ron

2012-10-01

Full Text Available We present a new phylogeny, based on DNA sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, for frogs of the genus Osteocephalus with emphasis in the Osteocephalus buckleyi species complex. Genetic, morphologic, and advertisement call data are combined to define species boundaries and describe new species. The phylogeny shows strong support for: (1 a basal position of O. taurinus + O. oophagus, (2 a clade containing phytotelmata breeding species, and (3 a clade that corresponds to the O. buckleyi species complex. Our results document a large proportion of hidden diversity within a set of populations that were previously treated as a single, widely distributed species, O. buckleyi. Individuals assignable to O. buckleyi formed a paraphyletic group relative to O. verruciger and O. cabrerai and contained four species, one of which is O. buckleyi sensu stricto and three are new. Two of the new species are shared between Ecuador and Peru (O. vilmae sp. n. and O. cannatellai sp. n. and one is distributed in the Amazon region of southern Peru (O. germani sp. n.. We discuss the difficulties of using morphological characters to define species boundaries and propose a hypothesis to explain them.

Revolutionizing gender: Mariela Castro MS, director, National Sex Education Center, Cuba. Interview by Gail Reed.

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Castro, Mariela

2012-04-01

Medicine, social conditions, culture and politics are inextricably bound as determinants of health and wellbeing. In Cuba, perhaps this is nowhere more evident than in the arduous struggle to consider non-discriminatory analysis of gender-sensitive components as fundamental to population health, medical practice and research; national policy; and above all, public consciousness. Among the standard-bearers of this cause is Mariela Castro, psychologist and educator with a master's degree in sexuality, who directs the National Sex Education Center (CENESEX), its journal Sexologia y Sociedad, and the National Commission for Comprehensive Attention to Transsexual People. The Center's work is at the vortex of national polemics on sexuality, approaches to sex education and health, and respect for the human rights of people of differing sexual orientations and gender identities. The daughter of President Raúl Castro and the late Vilma Espín--who, as founder and leader of the Federation of Cuban Women, pioneered the defense of both women and homosexuals--Mariela Castro nevertheless speaks with her own voice in national as well as international debates. MEDICC Review talked with her about the range of issues that link gender to WHO's broad definition of health as the highest level of physical and mental wellbeing.

Solving the Sea-Level Equation in an Explicit Time Differencing Scheme

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Klemann, V.; Hagedoorn, J. M.; Thomas, M.

2016-12-01

In preparation of coupling the solid-earth to an ice-sheet compartment in an earth-system model, the dependency of initial topography on the ice-sheet history and viscosity structure has to be analysed. In this study, we discuss this dependency and how it influences the reconstruction of former sea level during a glacial cycle. The modelling is based on the VILMA code in which the field equations are solved in the time domain applying an explicit time-differencing scheme. The sea-level equation is solved simultaneously in the same explicit scheme as the viscoleastic field equations (Hagedoorn et al., 2007). With the assumption of only small changes, we neglect the iterative solution at each time step as suggested by e.g. Kendall et al. (2005). Nevertheless, the prediction of the initial paleo topography in case of moving coastlines remains to be iterated by repeated integration of the whole load history. The sensitivity study sketched at the beginning is accordingly motivated by the question if the iteration of the paleo topography can be replaced by a predefined one. This study is part of the German paleoclimate modelling initiative PalMod. Lit:Hagedoorn JM, Wolf D, Martinec Z, 2007. An estimate of global mean sea-level rise inferred from tide-gauge measurements using glacial-isostatic models consistent with the relative sea-level record. Pure appl. Geophys. 164: 791-818, doi:10.1007/s00024-007-0186-7Kendall RA, Mitrovica JX, Milne GA, 2005. On post-glacial sea level - II. Numerical formulation and comparative reesults on spherically symmetric models. Geophys. J. Int., 161: 679-706, doi:10.1111/j.365-246.X.2005.02553.x

Pregnancy outcomes associated with Cesarean deliveries in Peruvian public health facilities

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Gonzales GF

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Gustavo F Gonzales,1–2 Vilma L Tapia,2 Alfredo L Fort,3 Ana Pilar Betran31Department of Biological and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Philosophy, 2Instituto de Investigaciones de la Altura, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru; 3Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, SwitzerlandAbstract: A continuous rise in the rate of cesarean deliveries has been reported in many countries over recent decades. This trend has prompted the emergence of a debate on the risks and benefits associated with cesarean section. The present study was designed to estimate cesarean section rates over time during the period between 2000 and 2010 in Peru and to present outcomes for each mode of delivery. This is a secondary analysis of a large database obtained from the Perinatal Information System, which includes 570,997 pregnant women and their babies from 43 Peruvian public health facilities in three geographical regions: coast, highlands, and jungle. Over 10 years, 558,901 women delivered 563,668 infants weighing at least 500 g. The cesarean section rate increased from 25.5% in 2000 to 29.9% in 2010 (26.9% average; P < 0.01. The rate of stillbirths was lower with cesarean than vaginal deliveries (P < 0.01. On the other hand, and as expected, the rates for preterm births, twin pregnancies, and preeclampsia were higher in women who delivered by cesarean section (P < 0.01. More importantly, the rate of maternal mortality was 5.5 times higher in the cesarean section group than in the vaginal delivery group. Data suggest that cesarean sections are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes.Keywords: elective cesarean, emergency cesarean, geographical regions, cesarean rates over time, adverse outcomes, developing country

Differences of statin activity in 2D and 3D pancreatic cancer cell cultures

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Paškevičiūtė M

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Miglė Paškevičiūtė,1 Vilma Petrikaitė1,21Department of Drug Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania; 2Department of Biothermodynamics and Drug Design, Vilnius University Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius, LithuaniaPurpose: To evaluate the anticancer activity of lovastatin (LOVA, mevastatin (MEVA, pitavastatin (PITA, and simvastatin (SIMVA in 2D and 3D models of three human pancreatic cancer cell lines (BxPC-3, MIA PaCa-2, and PANC-1.Methods: The effect of statins on cell viability was estimated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test. The activity of statins in 3D pancreatic cancer cell cultures was examined by measuring the size change of spheroids. The type of cell death was identified by cell staining with Hoechst 33342 and propidium iodide. The activity of statins on the clonogenicity of cancer cells was tested by evaluating the effect on the colony-forming ability of cells.Results: The rank order of the activity of tested statins on cell viability was as follows: PITA > SIMVA > LOVA > MEVA. Among the tested statins, PITA had the greatest effect on cell viability (half maximal effective concentration values after 72 h on BxPC-3, MIA PaCa-2, and PANC-1 cells were 1.4±0.4 µM, 1.0±0.2 µM, and 1.0±0.5 µM, respectively. PITA also showed the strongest effect on tumor spheroid growth. Statins suppressed the colony formation of cancer cells. PITA demonstrated the greatest reduction in colony size and number. Apoptosis and necrosis assay results showed that at lower concentrations statins mostly induced cell death through apoptosis, whereas higher concentrations of compounds activated also necrotic processes.Conclusion: Statins, especially PITA, demonstrate an anticancer activity against pancreatic cancer cell lines BxPC-3, MIA PaCa-2, and PANC-1 in both 2D and 3D models.Keywords: HMG-CoA reductase, cell viability, spheroid, apoptosis

Book Reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christien Klaufus, Book Review Editor

2016-10-01

Full Text Available American Crossings: Border Politics in the Western Hemisphere, edited by Maiah Jaskoski, Arturo C. Sotomayor & Harold A. Trinkunas, 2015; reviewed by Olivier Thomas Kramsch The Remittance Landscape: Spaces of Migration in Rural Mexico and Urban USA, by Sarah Lynn Lopez, 2015; reviewed by Christien Klaufus Latin America’s Emerging Middle Classes; Economic Perspectives, editado por Jeff Dayton-Johnson, 2015; reseñado por Ludolfo Paramio Cities, Business and the Politics of Urban Violence in Latin America, by Eduardo Moncada,2016; reviewed by Gerard Martin Who Counts? The Mathematics of Death and Life after Genocide, by Diane Nelson, 2015; reviewed by Finn Stepputat Owners of the Sidewalk: Security and Survival in the Informal City, by Daniel Goldstein, 2015; reviewed by Griet Steel Beyond Tradition, Beyond Invention: Cosmic Technologies and Creativity in Contemporary Afro-Cuban Religions, edited by Diana Espírito Santo and Anastasios Panagiotopoulos, 2015; reviewed by Ken Chitwood Cuba and the U.S. Empire. A Chronological History, by Jane Franklin, 2016; reviewed by Edgar Göll Haydée Santamaría, Cuban Revolutionary: She Led by Transgression, by Margaret Randall, 2015; Vilma Espín Guillois: el fuego de la libertad, by Yolanda Ferrer Gómez and Carolina Aguilar Ayerra, 2015; reviewed by Dirk Kruijt Revolutionary Ideology and Political Destiny in Mexico, 1928-1934: Lázaro Cárdenas and Adalberto Tejeda, by Eitan Ginzberg, 2015; reviewed by Heather Fowler-Salamini Political Landscapes: Forest, Conservation and Community in Mexico, by Christopher R. Boyer, 2015; reviewed by Mariel Aguilar-Støen A Sentimental Education for the Working Man. The Mexico City Penny Press, 1900-1910, por Robert M. Buffington, 2015; reseñado por Lucas Poy Pesos and Politics: Business, Elites, Foreigners and Government in Mexico, 1854-1940, by Mark Wasserman, 2015; reviewed by Benedicte Bull State Theory and Andean Politics: New Approaches to the Study

Repercusión psicosocial del huracán Wilma en la comunidad del consejo popular Miramar, del municipio Playa Psychosocial repercussion caused by Wilma hurricane in the community of Miramar Popular Council of Playa municipality

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Isis Yvonne Sánchez Gil

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, observacional y retrospectivo, auxiliándonos de diversas técnicas cuanticualitativas (cuestionario y grupos focales con el propósito de describir las afectaciones más frecuentes sufridas por los vecinos del Consejo Popular Miramar, del municipio Playa, víctimas de la penetración del mar que provocó el huracán Wilma en esta localidad costera, e identificar las fortalezas y debilidades que exhibe esta comunidad para enfrentar las nefastas consecuencias derivadas de eventos de tal naturaleza. Predominaron las afectaciones de orden material, seguidas de los daños a la salud mental, entre los que se destacan: las crisis nerviosas o de ansiedad, el estado de ánimo abatido y los trastornos del sueño. Las fortalezas identificadas fueron la voluntad política del Estado y del Gobierno de la localidad, quienes garantizaron una eficaz estructura organizativa para el enfrentamiento de estas situaciones, la existencia de un mapa de riesgo en el municipio en el que se destacan las zonas más sensibles, la efectividad de los medios masivos de comunicación en la difusión de los partes meteorológicos seguidos por todo nuestro pueblo, y entre las amenazas más notorias, el mal estado de los desagües y de viviendas, así como la pobre percepción de riesgo de la población y la insuficiente preparación de vecinos y líderes comunitarios informales.Authors made a retrospective, observational and descriptive study using different quantitative and qualitative techniques (questionnaire and focal groups to describe the more frequent affectations suffered by neighbors of Miramar Popular Council of Playa municipality, victims of sea penetration caused by Vilma hurricane in this coastal locality, and to identify the strengths and weakness exhibiting this community to confront the awful consequences derived from events like this. There was a predominance of affectation of material order, followed by damages to mental

PREFACE: International Conference on Functional Materials and Nanotechnologies (FM&NT2012)

Science.gov (United States)

Sternberg, Andris; Muzikante, Inta; Sarakovskis, Anatolijs; Grinberga, Liga

2012-08-01

, Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, Latvia 8. Maris Springis, Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, Latvia 9. Ilmars Zalite, Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Riga Technical University, Latvia 10. Janis Zicans, Institute of Polymers, Riga Technical University, Latvia Local Committee Liga Grinberga, Anatolijs Sarakovskis, Jurgis Grube, Maris Kundzins, Anastasija Jozepa, Anna Muratova, Raitis Siatkovskis, Andris Fedotovs, Dmitrijs Bocarovs, Sniedze Abele, Mikus Voss, Andris Sivars, Peteris Lesnicenoks, Virginija Liepina. In Memoriam Dr. habil. phys. Inta Muzikante (08.01.1951-15.02.2012) Inta Muzikante Inta was born in Valmiera, a town in the northern part of Latvia. She attended school in Sigulda and high school in Riga. While at the high-school, Inta decided to study natural sciences. After graduating from high-school in 1969 she entered the physics section of the Physics and Mathematics department of University of Latvia and obtained her university degree in 1974. In parallel with University studies, Inta started to work at the Semiconductor Physics Research Lab at the University of Latvia. After graduating she was offered a position at the Physical Energetics institute of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, in the laboratory of Professor Edgars Silinsh, one of the most internationally well known Latvian physicists. Inta started researching electronic and photoelectric processes in organic crystals and thin films. This was a novel field, pioneered both internationally and in Latvia by Profesors E Silinsh, O Neilands and J Freimanis. It could be said that Inta stood at the cradle of this research field and stayed faithful to it all of her life. Her work was very successful and within a few years she advanced from research assistant to researcher and then leading research scientist. Her first scientific topic was studies of the mechanism of charge carrier photogeneration and separation in organic molecular crystals. In 1983 for a work