On being unpredictable and winning.

In theory, it can be strategically advantageous for competitors to make themselves unpredictable to their opponents, for example, by variably mixing hostility and friendliness. Empirically, it remains open whether and how competitors make themselves unpredictable, why they do so, and how this conditions conflict dynamics and outcomes. We examine these questions in interactive attacker-defender contests, in which attackers invest to capture resources held and defended by their opponent.

Study of Rayleigh waves interaction with a spherical ball in contact with a plane surface for the development of new NDT method for ball bearings.

The monitoring of the integrity of the spherical balls inside a ball bearing can be challenging, as it needs to be disassembled in order to access every element of the structure. In this paper, an ultrasonic method is used to directly interrogate the spherical solids. The interaction wave-solid lets us extract material related information.

Five centuries of Cirsium ehrenbergii Sch. Bip. (Asteraceae) in Mexico, from Huitzquilitl to Cardo Santo: History, ethnomedicine, pharmacology and chemistry.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Several medicinal plants, including the endemic herb Cirsum ehrenbergii (Asteraceae), have been documented in manuscripts, medical and botanical books written in Mexico since the XVI century until the present. This unique circumstance is a real window in the time that allows to investigate historical and contemporary ethnopharmacological knowledge.

Aim Of The Study: To examine the persistence, disappearance, and transformation of ethnomedicinal knowledge of C.

Effectiveness of preventive onabotulinumtoxin A injections for migraine headaches is dependent on the circadian time of administration.

We have previously shown that quarterly preventive onabotulinumtoxin A (BTA) injections administered to diurnally active patients for chronic migraines (CM) associate with increased discomfort when performed in the morning. The purpose of this study was to further examine if the effectiveness of preventive BTA injections depends on the procedure's circadian timing. A total of 90 diurnally active patients with a medical history of CM and undergoing BTA injection therapy were enrolled in the study.

FINDRISC Modified for Latin America as a Screening Tool for Persons with Impaired Glucose Metabolism in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela.

Objective: The Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) includes anthropometric, metabolic, and lifestyle factors that predict type 2 diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to evaluate the FINDRISC modified for Latin America (LA-FINDRISC) as a screening tool for persons with impaired glucose metabolism in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela.

Methods: Subjects aged between 18 and 70 years of both sexes without known diabetes were invited to participate.

Accuracy of coded excitation methods for measuring the time of flight: Application to ultrasonic characterization of wood samples.

Ultrasound computed tomography (USCT) using the transmission mode is a way to detect and assess the extent of decay in wood structures. The resolution of the ultrasonic image is closely related to the different anatomical features of wood. The complexity of the wave propagation process generates complex signals consisting of several wave packets with different signatures.

Hot utilitarianism and cold deontology: Insights from a response patterns approach to sacrificial and real world dilemmas.

Research on moral judgment with moral dilemmas suggests that "utilitarian" responses (UR) to sacrificial high-conflict dilemmas are due to decreased harm aversion, not only in individuals with clinical conditions, but also in healthy participants with high scores in antisocial personality traits. We investigated the patterns of responses to different dilemma types in healthy participants and present evidence that some URs to sacrificial dilemmas are morally motivated, as indicated by their empathic concern (EC) or primary psychopathy (PP) scores. In study 1 (N = 230) we tested students with four categories of sacrificial dilemmas featuring innocent victims.

Opthalmological sequelae due to paintball injuries: Case studies.

Objective: Describe the ophthalmological sequelae of patients diagnosed with blunt eye injury by paintball.

Material And Methods: There were a total 14 cases with a diagnosis of blunt trauma by paintball were treated at the ophthalmology emergency department of the Barraquer Clinic in Bogotá, Colombia. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination with their respective controls according to their outcome.

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Ageratina deltoidea.

The chemical study of Ageratina deltoidea afforded grandiflorenic acid (1), ent-kaurenoic acid (2), and eight benzylbenzoates (3 - 10), two of them, 3,5-dimethoxybenzyl 2,3,6-trimethoxybenzoate (5) and 4-(β-d-glucopyranosyloxy)-3-hydroxybenzyl 2,6-dimethoxybenzoate (9), described for the first time. In addition, the new sesquiterpene lactone deltoidin C (13), together with the known 11 and 12, the phenolic compounds: ayanin, 2,6-dimethoxybenzoic acid, methyl 3,4-dihydroxycinnamate, chlorogenic acid, and 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid were also isolated. The structures of these compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods and chemical reactions.

Hypoxia decreases creatine uptake in cardiomyocytes, while creatine supplementation enhances HIF activation.

Creatine (Cr), phosphocreatine (PCr), and creatine kinases (CK) comprise an energy shuttle linking ATP production in mitochondria with cellular consumption sites. Myocytes cannot synthesize Cr: these cells depend on uptake across the cell membrane by a specialized creatine transporter (CrT) to maintain intracellular Cr levels. Hypoxia interferes with energy metabolism, including the activity of the creatine energy shuttle, and therefore affects intracellular ATP and PCr levels.

Experimental ultrasonic characterization of polyester-based materials for cultural heritage applications.

For several years, the Réunion des musées nationaux - Grand-Palais has produced polyester resin reproductions in order to replace marble sculptures that have weakened by outdoor exposure. These objects are made of a complex multilayered polyester composite material including reinforcements to ensure the mechanical strength of the final structure and mineral fillers that allow to imitate the original aesthetics. However, the final structure also weakens because of constant outdoor exposure and ageing.

Zinc deficiency primes the lung for ventilator-induced injury.

Mechanical ventilation is necessary to support patients with acute lung injury, but also exacerbates injury through mechanical stress-activated signaling pathways. We show that stretch applied to cultured human cells, and to mouse lungs in vivo, induces robust expression of metallothionein, a potent antioxidant and cytoprotective molecule critical for cellular zinc homeostasis. Furthermore, genetic deficiency of murine metallothionein genes exacerbated lung injury caused by high tidal volume mechanical ventilation, identifying an adaptive role for these genes in limiting lung injury.

Assessment of factors associated with functional status in 60 years-old and older adults in Bogotá, Colombia.

Introduction: Functional impairment produces a wide range of negative effects such as difficulty in mobility, social isolation, decreased quality of life, disability and institutionalization. Thus, functional status measurement is a marker of social wellbeing.

Objective: To determine and characterize the socio-demographic factors and health conditions related to functional impairment in older adults in Bogotá, Colombia.

Terpenoids from Melampodium perfoliatum.

The phytochemical study of the aerial parts of Melampodium perfoliatum afforded six melampolides (1, 3, 5-8), a eudesmanolide (9), two diterpene lactones (10, 11), and two ent-kaurane derivatives (12, 13), together with the known melampodin (2) and polymatin A (4). The structures of the compounds were elucidated by physical data analysis and chemical reactions. Compounds 2, 4, 5, and 10 exhibited dose-dependent anti-inflammatory activity on the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced ear edema model, with ID values of 1.

Aqueous-Vortex Derivation: A Preliminary Study on Rabbits.

Purpose Of The Study: The purpose of the study was to determine the feasibility of establishing a derivation between the anterior chamber (AC) and a vortex vein to lower the intraocular pressure (IOP).

Materials And Methods: A derivation between the AC and a vortex vein was performed in 1 eye of 16 albino rabbits, whereas the other eye was kept as the control. Derivations were performed using a Teflon tube with an external diameter of 0.

Self-reported vaccination in the elderly: SABE Bogota study, Colombia.

Objectives: To determine the frequency of vaccination in older adults within the city of Bogotá and to estimate the association with sociodemographic and health factors.

Methods: This is a secondary data analysis from the SABE-Bogotá Study, a cross-sectional population-based study that included a total of 2,000 persons aged 60 years. Weighted percentages for self-reported vaccination [influenza, pneumococcal, tetanus] were determined.

Edentulism and dental prostheses in the elderly: impact on quality of life measured with EuroQol--visual analog scale (EQ-VAS).

The objective of this study was to measure the impact of edentulism and dental prostheses on quality of life (QOL) in older adults in Bogota, Colombia. Edentulism is a frequent condition in older adults and has great impact on their QOL. No epidemiological data are currently available on edentulism among older adults in Colombia.

Increased yield of endothelial cells from peripheral blood for cell therapies and tissue engineering.

Aim: Peripheral blood-derived endothelial cells (pBD-ECs) are an attractive tool for cell therapies and tissue engineering, but have been limited by their low isolation yield. We increase pBD-EC yield via administration of the chemokine receptor type 4 antagonist AMD3100, as well as via a diluted whole blood incubation (DWBI).

Materials & Methods: Porcine pBD-ECs were isolated using AMD3100 and DWBI and tested for EC markers, acetylated LDL uptake, growth kinetics, metabolic activity, flow-mediated nitric oxide production and seeded onto titanium tubes implanted into vessels of pigs.

[Hearing disorders in elderly people, associated factors and quality of life: SABE Study, Bogotá, Colombia].

Introduction: The aging of the population is a universal epidemiological phenomenon which is not unfamiliar to us and is accompanied by a marked increase of life expectancy. Age-dependent comorbidities, such as hearing disorders, are more prevalent and affect the quality of life in a noticeable manner.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of hearing disorders, of the associated factors and their impact on the quality of life of older adults in Bogota.

Nutritional assessment and factors associated to malnutrition in older adults: a cross-sectional study in Bogotá, Colombia.

Objective: To determine the nutritional status and factors associated to malnutrition in older adults.

Method: Data come from the SABE Bogotá study (Health, Well-Being, and Aging), a cross-sectional survey conducted in Bogotá, Colombia, in 2012 in community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older. Using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), we evaluated the nutritional status and factors associated to malnutrition in this population with regression models.

Sesquiterpenoids from Pittocaulon filare.

The phytochemical study of Pittocaulon filare afforded three oplopanes (1-3), a eudesmane (6), and three oplopane glucosides (7-9), one of them reported as its acetyl derivative (7a), together with several known compounds. The structures of the compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis and chemical reactions. The anti-inflammatory activity of compounds 1-5 was determined using the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ear edema model, and the effect of compounds 1-4 on the recruitment of neutrophils was evaluated using the myeloperoxidase test.