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The Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) includes comprehensive provisions that aims to foster economic growth. The provision on Tariff Elimination is expected to increase trade between the two countries. A modified Gravity Model was used in order to estimate the impact of Tariff Elimination to Exports of the Philippines to Japan using the weighted average of tariffs imposed by Japan to Philippine Exports. While a Two-Stage Least Squares (TSLS) was utilized to estimate its impact to Economic Development. Using quarterly data from 2001 to 2013, results shows that although the agreement is able to statistically increase exports of the Philippines to Japan, it may not be enough to induce significant Economic Growth to the Philippines.

Recent wide-area surveys have enabled us to study the Milky Way with unprecedented detail. Its inner regions, hidden behind dust and gas, have been partially unveiled with the arrival of near-IR photometric and spectroscopic datasets. Among recent discoveries, there is a population of low-mass globular clusters, known to be missing, especially towards the Galactic bulge. In this work, five new low-luminosity globular clusters located towards the bulge area are presented. They were discovered by searching for groups in the multi-dimensional space of coordinates, colours, and proper motions from the Gaia EDR3 catalogue and later confirmed with deeper VVV survey near-IR photometry. The clusters show well-defined red-giant branches and, in some cases, horizontal branches with their members forming a dynamically coherent structure in proper motion space. Four of them were confirmed by spectroscopic follow-up with the MUSE instrument on the ESO VLT. Photometric parameters were derived, and when available, metallicities, radial velocities and orbits were determined. The new clusters Gran 1 and 5 are bulge globular clusters, while Gran 2, 3, and 4 present halo-like properties. Preliminary orbits indicate that Gran 1 might be related to the Main Progenitor, or the so-called ''low-energy'' group, while Gran 2, 3 and 5 appear to follow the Gaia-Enceladus-Sausage. This study demonstrates that the Gaia proper motions, combined with the spectroscopic follow-up and colour-magnitude diagrams, are required to confirm the nature of cluster candidates towards the inner Galaxy. High stellar crowding and differential extinction may hide other low-luminosity clusters., 15 pages, 11 figures, appendix: 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS. Updated version with the correct orbit transformation applied. Fig. 11 and one sentence in Abstract, one in Sec. 4 and one in Summary were changed

Dispersions of 2D materials were produced by liquid phase exfoliation. Spectral differences are attributed to an increased presence of functional groups, the optical extinction coefficient and band-gap. This methodology allows integration in actuator and piezoelectric devices.

The second cause of disability in Mexico is visual impairment; 26% population is blind. Even though blind people maintain a lower quality’s life than sighted people, there is not enough social interest to develop comprehensive solutions that improve it. Although many voice-activated emerging technologies use artificial intelligence to get human-machine communication through intelligent virtual assistants, such as Alexa, Siri, Google Home, and Cortana, among others, in reality, there have not been developed specific tools just for blind people that help them to improve their independent behavior because they always depend on other people in doing their daily tasks, more even when they need to move around unknown environments for them. This document reports the development of an autonomous mobility system to be operated by blind people. By audio reconstruction, it is possible to dictate, to the blind pedestrian, in real-time, the presence of traffic lights, crosswalks, and information about their current location. This system employs real-time computer vision tools, artificial intelligence, audio playback systems, and location systems, and it improves the independent behavior of blind people because they could move through unknown environments without the assistance of any sighted person, giving them greater independence and consequently increasing their life’s quality.

Adenosine deaminases (ADARs) catalyze the deamination of adenosine to inosine, also known as A-to-I editing, in RNA. Although A-to-I editing occurs widely across animals, and is well studied, new biological roles are still being discovered. Here, we study the role of A-to-I editing in early zebrafish development. We demonstrate that Adar, the zebrafish orthologue of mammalian ADAR1, is essential for establishing the antero-posterior and dorso-ventral axes and patterning. Genome-wide editing discovery revealed pervasive editing in maternal and the earliest zygotic transcripts, the majority of which occurred in the 3’-UTR. Interestingly, transcripts implicated in gastrulation as well as dorso-ventral and antero-posterior patterning were found to contain multiple editing sites. Adar knockdown or overexpression affected gene expression and global editing patterns at 12 hpf, but not earlier. Our study established that RNA editing by Adar is necessary for the earliest steps of embryonic patterning along the zebrafish antero-posterior and dorso-ventral axes.

An advanced plasmonic sensor for high sensitivity measurement of magnetic field is presented. It is based on the combination of a SPR refractometer (doubly-deposited tapered optical fiber) with magnetic fluids used as transducers. The device is compact and robust and has been theoretically analyzed and completely characterized, showing a very good experimental performance. We have studied the dependence of the response of the device with the direction of the field, confirming that, as expected, the sense of the variation of the refractive index is opposite for parallel and perpendicular fields, which is an interesting feature for practical applications. We have also evaluated the dependence on the concentration of the employed magnetic fluid and the influence of the chosen type of ferrofluid. In all these measurements the sensitivity experimentally obtained is amongst the highest reported in the literature for this kind of devices and we have extended the dynamic range. Finally, we have applied a novel, auto-referential, signal processing algorithm to the measurements, showing its possibilities. The obtained experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and the advantages of the application of SPR fiber-optic sensors to magnetic field measurements.

Background: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for the diagnosis of skin diseases has shown promise in experimental settings but has not been yet tested in real-life conditions. Objective: To assess the diagnostic performance and potential clinical utility of a 174-multiclass AI algorithm in a real-life telemedicine setting. Methods: Prospective, diagnostic accuracy study including consecutive patients who submitted images for teledermatology evaluation. The treating dermatologist chose a single image to upload to a web application during teleconsultation. A follow-up reader study including nine healthcare providers (3 dermatologists, 3 dermatology residents and 3 general practitioners) was performed. Results: A total of 340 cases from 281 patients met study inclusion criteria. The mean (SD) age of patients was 33.7 (17.5) years; 63% (n = 177) were female. Exposure to the AI algorithm results was considered useful in 11.8% of visits (n = 40) and the teledermatologist correctly modified the real-time diagnosis in 0.6% (n = 2) of cases. The overall top-1 accuracy of the algorithm (41.2%) was lower than that of the dermatologists (60.1%), residents (57.8%) and general practitioners (49.3%) (all comparisons P

En este trabajo se estudian los factores que indican la prevalencia de un ambiente generalizado de discriminación de género en empresas de servicio en el Oriente del Estado de México, y su posible correlación como causa de baja productividad en las organizaciones. Se diseñó, validó y aplicó un instrumento a una muestra de tamaño óptimo y se realizaron pruebas estadísticas de hipótesis para la proporción de diversas variables que tienen como propósito explicar tres características generales de los sujetos de estudio. Si posee una mentalidad discriminatoria, si ha sido víctima de discriminación de género y cómo ha percibido este fenómeno hacia su persona y hacia terceros, si ha visto afectada su productividad laboral cuando ha sido discriminado o cuando ha presenciado discriminación de género hacia compañeras de trabajo. Se concluye que podría existir una relación entre la discriminación de género hacia la mujer y la productividad laboral en las organizaciones.

The importance of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)-based devices in the field of chemical and biological sensing and the expectations created in terms of sensitivity and resolution impose the necessity of developing an adequate methodology for the processing of the signals obtained and for the evaluation of the performance of the sensing systems. We discuss in depth and clarify the problem of the analysis of data acquiring and processing in SPR fiber sensors, show how in many cases this analysis could and must be improved and propose a new method of SPR curve shaping, apt for sensors encapsulated or inaccesible. We illustrate the use of the method with real experimental examples.

An area of ∼40 km2 located in the northeastern sector of the Deseado Massif is detailed studied, in which Paleozoic metamorphic and Jurassic volcanic rocks crop out. Two genetically linked and compositionally different Jurassic volcanic events of the Chon Aike Silicic LIP are documented by geological mapping and lithofacies and petrographic analyses. The first event was only represented by andesitic lava flows assignable to the intermediate portion of the Bahia Laura Volcanic Complex (Bajo Pobre Formation). The second was represented by the acidic rocks of the Bahia Laura Volcanic Complex (Chon Aike and La Matilde formations) and it was constituted by low-grade and moderate grade ignimbrites, pyroclastic fall deposits (ash tuffs) and several lava bodies (rhyolitic lava domes and lava flows). Firstly, the effusive eruptions dominated during the intermediate magmatic eruptions, whereas the explosives mechanisms dominated during the first stage of the acidic magma extrusion, to end with effusive eruptions of previously degassed magma. According to the morphology of the NNW-elongated lava domes (feeder conduits plugs) and internal measurements carried out on these rhyolitic bodies, fissure conduits are interpreted, which were directly controlled by the Paleozoic inherited structures during the Jurassic extensional tectonic reactivation ascribed to the initial stages of the Gondwana breakup.

We present a new sensor based on the combination of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) with magneto-refractive materials. We use doubly-deposited uniform-waist tapered optical fibers (DLUWTs), that have shown their good performance and versatility as refractometers, and magnetic fluids as transducers to measure magnetic fields in an all-optical-fiber configuration. We experimentally show the feasibility of our approach, by demonstrating the physical principle of the device and characterizing the performance of the sensors, which show very good sensitivity and resolution. In this way, we propose a new field of development for SPR optical fiber sensors to extend the field of application of the plasmonics-based technologies.

The Timepix3 is a photon counting semiconductor detector that enables to simultaneously measure the energy and time of arrival of each incident X- ray photon. These properties, along with the high spatial resolution and high efficiency, due to the CdTe sensor material, can be exploited for several imaging applications, such as X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI).XPCI relies on the phase shift suffered by X-rays when traversing the sample. This study focuses on the free-space propagation XPCI and single mask edge illumination XPCI methods, which are two approaches that are well suited for laboratory implementations.Since both techniques are highly sensitive to charge-sharing, the Timepix3 energy and time information for each photon are used to minimize this effect by using pixel clustering methods. In addition, the performance of both XPCI techniques across a 30kVp source spectrum is studied using the energy-resolving capabilities of the detector. In both cases, the phase contrast and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are assessed as a function of different energy. Finally, it is demonstrated that phase contrast enhancement is feasible with pixel clustering and energy-selection for both XPCI techniques.

6 pags., 10 figs., The authors present the results of the ellipsometric characterization of thin layers of bismuth and aluminum oxide deposited over the waist of a tapered optical fiber by pulsed laser deposition. The characteristics of the deposits are studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry. From the effective thicknesses determined by the ellipsometric characterization, it is shown by simulations that surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) can occur in the fiber device, and it is demonstrated experimentally. These results show the feasibility of employing bismuth as a plasmonic material in SPR fiber sensors based on doubly-deposited uniform-waist tapered optical fibers, which show excellent performance and versatility., This work has been partially funded by Spanish Project (No. RTI2018-096498-B-I00) (MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by Santander-UCM Research Project (Ref. No. PR75/ 18-21568). A. Mariscal acknowledges financial support through No. BES-2013-062593.

While there is evidence of the growing popularity of iPads and other tablets in K–12 education, little is understood about how teachers use these devices in their instruction. This study examines 342 teachers' comfort level with and perception toward iPad use and any changes that occurred over the implementation year. Using a mixed-methods design, this study found significant differences in comfort level by years of teaching and school levels. Female teachers, teachers with 20 years or less of teaching experience, and elementary school teachers were more positive about their perception toward iPad use than the other groups. High school teachers' perception was the lowest overall. Analyses of teacher interviews revealed affordances, challenges, and diverse ways of how teachers used iPads in their instruction. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

This study featured how a lady local politician rose to power as a barangay captain. It aimed to: describe her leadership orientation before she became a barangay captain, analyze the factors of her success stories in political leadership, extrapolate her values based on the problems/challenges met in the barangay, unveil her initiatives to address these problems, and interpolate her enduring vision for the future of the barangay. Through a biographical research design, with purposive sampling, a key female informant named as Lady L was chosen with the sole criteria of being a female Barangay Captain of Cebu City. Interview guides were utilized in the generation of Lady L’s biographic information about her political career.Lady L’s experiences in waiting for the perfect time and working in the private sector destined her to have a successful political career enhanced with passion and family influence. Encountering problems concerning basic education and unwanted migrants in Barangay K did not discourage her choice to run for re-election, because of her dedication to public service. Her ways to reach out and collaborate with welfare groups mitigate the problems of parental neglect and informal settlers in her barangay. The story of Lady L implies that in Cebu City, issues arise as a result of the practice of partisan politics, gender issues have minor bearing, and she envisioned a healthy and welleducated barangay, with an improved wellness and child care development.

We present a new technique for exciting and collecting fluorescence with all-fiber devices, consisting of two different tapered fibers, a microfiber used as illuminating source and a polymer optical fiber where a fluorophore has been deposited and where the fluorescence takes place. We depict the fabrication of the device, characterize its performance and show the feasibility of our approach, the good performance obtained and the possibility of using the flexibility of the illuminating fiber to increase this performance and the compactness of the device.

The following article discusses the recent winner of the Goldman prize, Mapuche leader Alberto Curamil, as a case in the struggle for cultural sustainability in the Region of La Araucanía, mainly in his role as an activist in the defense of Mapuche territory and culture. This important international environmental award was conferred on Curamil for uniting Chileans in preventing the construction of two hydroelectric projects and protecting a river sacred to the Mapuche people, overcoming violent persecution and attacks against him in this activity. This makes it possible to problematize different aspects of cultural sustainability that are key in the region, in particular the issue that arises between the progress of industry and the ancestrality of indigenous peoples. Thus, it is interesting to discuss from this case how these two views can be harmonized in order to achieve cultural sustainability, bearing in mind the intercultural nature of the IX Region. Finally, this communication seeks to analyze the role of the Chilean State and its actions concerning the practices of cultural sustainability like those led by Curamil.

The aim of this article is to propose a critical reflection of the state of teaching sustainability in higher education in Chile. The goal is to broaden the concept of sustainability so as to understand its implication in learning civic and community values, as well as in implementing innovative teaching methodologies linked to the promotion of sustainable values connected to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. In this article, the application of a teaching methodology called Pre-Texts, from Harvard University, is explored in a sociocultural context of Chilean higher education, specifically at the Universidad de La Frontera in Chile’s 9th Region. Evidence is sought about how this methodology is relevant and effective in the teaching of two key pedagogical principles related to sustainability: the importance of community recognition and the collective work and implementation of artistic practices to promote discussion of sustainable principles based on preservation and recycling. Finally, a conclusion will be pursued around the need to implement these and similar teaching practices in higher education to promote greater awareness of the fundamental principles of Sustainable Development.

A novel high-pressure perforation diverter was developed, which is capable of holding pressure differentials of at least 3,750 psi. This diverter was tested in a laboratory model geometry intended to simulate a typical perforation tunnel in an unconventional oil and gas well. This geometry was placed at the bottom of a high-pressure fluid loss cell. Testing was performed at temperatures between 70°F and 180°F at constant pressure. The pressure was incrementally increased from 1,000 psi to 3,750 psi and allowed to equilibrate at each step. The flow rate was monitored through the perforation tunnel as a function of time. There was variation in the flow rate as the pressure was incrementally increased, resulting from the adjustments in the mechanical structure that the diverter forms in the perforation tunnel as a result of the applied pressure. The terminal flow rate was negligible at approximately 3,750 psi. To simulate the removal of the diverter formulation from the perforation tunnel, the perforation tunnel geometry was inverted and constant low flow rates were applied until the diverter was removed. The pressure differential was recorded during this process. The removal data showed that low pressure differentials were required to remove the diverter from the perforation tunnel (25 psi to 200 psi) depending on the shut-in time and the temperature. The salinity of the water affected the performance of the diverter and can be used to fine tune the degree of seal to the perforation. Salinity also helps disaggregate the diverter, facilitating its removal from the well.

The purpose of this literature review is to examine data-based studies published on mobile learning in K–12 from 2007 to the present. In total, 63 studies from 15 refereed journals were selected for analysis. The findings are organized in four themes: (a) comparison studies, (b) nocomparison studies, (c) mobilized learning, and (d) academic content areas. The findings showed research was primarily exploratory in nature and focused on understanding the educational affordances of using mobile devices in instructional practices. Affordances examined in the studies were identified within the contexts of multiple academic disciplines. Additionally, trends were observed, and critical issues to consider for future research are discussed.

La enfermedad de Huntington (EH) es un trastorno neurodegenerativo autosómico dominante que afecta a 1 de cada 10,000 habitantes. Es causada por una expansión inestable del triplete (CAG)n en el primer exón del gen IT-15 ubicado en el cromosoma 4p16.3. Dicha región códifica un dominio poliglutamina en la huntingtina que al estar aumentado promueve neurodegeneración. Este primer estudio descriptivo se enfocó en valorar la expansión del trinucleótido CAG en población ecuatoriana en riesgo con el fin de tener la primera aproximación del estado de la enfermedad en el Ecuador. Se estudió, mediante PCR, PCR anidada y secuenciación automática, a 42 individuos de nueve familias ecuatorianas clínicamente diagnosticadas con EH. Personas resultaron positivas para veinte y ocho la mutación con un promedio de CAG del alelo expandido de 57 ± 7.9 (49-78), siete de los cuales no presentaron aún Corea. El promedio de alelos normales fue de 24 ± 8.4 (15-28). Dos individuos mostraron alelos medianamente expandidos con 32 y 37 repeticiones y un sólo caso resultó ser de novo. Se observó relación inversa entre el número de repeticiones y edad de aparición de los síntomas, existió inestabilidad al paso generacional en 21.4% de los casos con notable inestabilidad por vía paterna en un caso. El diagnóstico genético del gen IT-15 es muy importante, estudios más extensos en las diferentes regiones y etnias del país son necesarios para conocer de mejor manera el comportamiento de la enfermedad de Huntington en el Ecuador.

A review of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) transducers based on tapered fibers that have been developed in the last years is presented. The devices have proved their good performance (specifically, in terms of sensitivity) and their versatility and they are a very good option to be considered as basis for any kind of chemical and biological sensor. The technology has now reached its maturity and here we summarize some of the characteristics of the devices produced.

Indexación: Web of Science We investigated mechanisms involved in the protection of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae by two probiotic candidate yeasts, Debaryornyces hansenii 97 (Dh97) and Yarrowia Iypolitica 242 (YI242), against a Vibrio anguillarum challenge. We determined the effect of different yeast concentrations (10(4)-10(7) CFU/mL) to: (i) protect larvae from the challenge, (ii) reduce the in vivo pathogen concentration and (iii) modulate the innate immune response of the host. To evaluate the role of zebrafish microbiota in protection, the experiments were performed in conventionally raised and germ free larvae. In vitro co-aggregation assays were performed to determine a direct yeast-pathogen interaction. Results showed that both yeasts significantly increased the survival rate of conventionally raised larvae challenged with V. anguillarum. The concentration of yeasts in larvae tended to increase with yeast inoculum, which was more pronounced for Dh97. Better protection was observed with Dh97 at a concentration of 106 CFU/mL compared to 104 CFU/mL. In germ-free conditions V anguillarum reached higher concentrations in larvae and provoked significantly more mortality than in conventional conditions, revealing the protective role of the host microbiota. Interestingly, yeasts were equally (Dh97) or more effective (YI242) in protecting germ-free than conventionally-raised larvae, showing that protection can be exerted only by yeasts and is not necessarily related to modulation of the host microbiota. Although none of the yeasts co aggregated with V anguillarum, they were able to reduce its proliferation in conventionally raised larvae, reduce initial pathogen concentration in germ-free larvae and prevent the upregulation of key components of the inflammatory/anti-inflammatory response (il1b, tnfa, c3, mpx, and il10, respectively). These results show that protection by yeasts of zebrafish larvae challenged with V anguillarum relates to an in vivo anti-pathogen effect, the modulation of the innate immune system, and suggests that yeasts avoid the host-pathogen interaction through mechanisms independent of co-aggregation. This study shows, for the first time, the protective role of zebrafish microbiota against V. anguillarum infection, and reveals mechanisms involved in protection by two non-Saccharomyces yeasts against this pathogen. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fcimb.2016.00127/full

The deep mycoses are uncommon in our setting. These fungal infections occur mainly in immunosuppressed patients or in tropical climates, and include subcutaneous infections and systemic infections. The skin is always involved in the former. In the first part of this review, we describe the main subcutaneous mycoses: sporotrichosis, chromoblastomycosis, mycetoma, phaeohyphomycosis, hyalohyphomycosis, and lacaziosis. Early recognition and treatment is important, as these infections are frequently associated with high morbidity.

In the second part of this review on the deep mycoses, we describe the main systemic mycoses-paracoccidioidomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, mucormycosis, and cryptococcosis-and their cutaneous manifestations. Skin lesions are only occasionally seen in deep systemic mycoses either directly, when the skin is the route of entry for the fungus, or indirectly, when the infection has spread from a deeper focus. These cutaneous signs are often the only clue to the presence of a potentially fatal infection. As with the subcutaneous mycoses, early diagnosis and treatment is important, but in this case, even more so.