Hub ports in Mexico: limitations and opportunities

Includes bibliography

The globalization of the health-care industry: opportunities for the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

The evolution of opportunities for children in Chile, 1990-2006

Includes bibliography

Synthesis and evaluation of diethylethylamine-chitosan for gene delivery: Composition effects on the in vitro transfection efficiency

Chitosan has been indicated as a safe and promising polycation vector for gene delivery. However its low transfection efficiency has been a challenging obstacle for its application. To address this limitation, we synthesized chitosan derivatives which had increasing amounts of diethylethylamine groups (DEAE) attached to the chitosan main chain. The plasmid DNA VR1412 (pDNA), encoding the ß-galactosidase (ß-gal) reporter gene was used to prepare nanoparticles with the chitosan derivatives, and the transfection studies were performed with HeLa cells. By means of dynamic light scattering and zeta potential measurements, it was shown that diethylethylamine-chitosan derivatives (DEAEx-CH) were able to condense DNA into small particles having a surface charge depending on the polymer/DNA ratio (N/P ratio). Nanoparticles prepared with derivatives containing 15 and 25% of DEAE groups (DEAE15-CH and DEAE25-CH) exhibited transfection efficiencies ten times higher than that observed with deacetylated chitosan (CH). For derivatives with higher degrees of substitution (DS), transfection efficiency decreased. The most effective carriers showed low cytotoxicity and good transfection activities at low charge ratios (N/P). Vectors with low DS were easily degraded in the presence of lysozyme at physiological conditions in vitro and the nontoxicity displayed by these vectors opens up new opportunities in the design of DEAE-chitosan-based nanoparticles for gene delivery. © 2013 IOP Publishing Ltd.

The participation of youth in the development process of Latin America: problems and policies regarding labour force insertion, education and employment opportunities

Includes bibliography

Alignment of operations strategy: Exploring the marketing interface

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that can help managers to overcome barriers to alignment of operations strategy at the interface with marketing. Design/methodology/approach - This objective required the application of a procedure based on strategic consensus and a deeper analysis, such that the delimitation of the study in a single case was mandatory. The strategic processes of interfacing involve managerial attributes that are subject to the influence of human aspects and, therefore, the research method used a qualitative approach. The protocol design included the following data sources: interviews, document reviews and researcher observations. The categorisation was made based on the theoretical references, the frequency of observations, common responses and information from documents. Findings - The balance between intra-functional trade-offs, joint research on the competitive context, reflections on the understanding of customer needs and operational performance, and understanding of inter-functional trade-offs were the main factors verified. They effectively support decisions associated with interface processes and promotes the integration of these processes. They can generate inputs that enable managers to achieve an appropriate balance among alternatives in light of various trade-offs. Practical implications - These factors make possible new connections between strategic processes in the context of operations and marketing functions. The formations of these strategies are aligned through a better understanding of both threats and opportunities by means of a joint analysis of the competitive context. The presented findings can be used to develop a clear definition of strategic objectives of operations and a more appropriate treatment of market needs. Originality/value - The findings from the research can be considered as new elements for promoting alignment in the formation process of the operations strategy. Little research to date has examined the operations-marketing strategic interface of companies in the context of strategic consensus. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Brazil's new national policy on solid waste: challenges and opportunities

Brazil, one of the world's largest developing countries, has recently introduced a new solid waste management regulatory policy. This new regulatory policy will have implications for a wide variety of stakeholders and sets the stage for opportunities and lessons to be learned. These issues are discussed in this article. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Structural change and productivity growth 20 years later: old problems, new opportunities. Summary

Includes bibliography

Follow-up to the millennium development goals: opportunities and challenges for national statistical systems

Includes bibliography

Creación de oportunidades de empleo en relación con la mano de obra disponible = Creation of employment opportunities in relation to labour supply

Los documentos del Seminario fueron publicados por UNESCO en 1961 con el título: La urbanización en América Latina/Urbanization in Latin America

Energy resources development opportunities in developing countries, with special reference to Latin America

Includes bibliography

La industria del aluminio de América Latina y el Caribe: opciones tecnológicas y oportunidades para el crecimiento = The aluminium industry of Latin America and the Caribbean: technological options and opportunities for growth

Incluye Bibliografía

Opciones tecnológicas y oportunidades para el desarrollo: un estudio comparativo entre el aluminio y el estaño = Technological options and opportunities for development: a comparative study between aluminium and tin

Incluye Bibliografía

Report of the Meeting on Technological Options and Opportunities for Development: the Aluminium and Tin Industries in Latin America and the Caribbean = Informe de la Reunión sobre Opciones Tecnológicas y Oportunidades para el Desarrollo: las Industrias del Aluminio y el Estaño en América Latina y el Caribe

Contiene discurso de inauguración, presentación y comentario de los documentos presentados y recomendaciones de la reunión en que se trataron las opciones tecnológicas para el desarrollo de las industrias del aluminio en América Latina y el Caribe.

The tin industry of Latin America: technological options and opportunities for growth

Includes bibliography