Efficacy of Cluster- Based Approach for the revival of Handloom Co-operative Societies in Kerala- with special reference to Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur Districts

one of the key sectors, identified by the Department of Industries Government of Kerala, for the cluster development initiative is Handloom, which gives employment to over over 50,000 people directly. Despite its age old tradition and fame, the performance of the sector vis-à-vis power looms is not very rosy owing to (i) competition from cheap power loom cloth from other states (ii) scarcity of quality yarn (iii) price escalation of yarn, dyes, chemicals and other raw materials (iv) the shrinking market for handlooms in Kerala (v) non-demand based production and inadequacy of new designs and (vi) inefficiencies in the system, particularly in the co-operative sector. Cluster based approach is adopted in the handloom sector with the objective of providing necessary support mechanism to come out of the crisis that the sector faces now. While four cluster schemes are being implemented in Kerala, it is under IHDS-CDP that the State got a sizeable number of clusters benefiting a large number of societies and weavers- 24 handloom clusters, bringing 152 handloom co-operative societies and over 19,800 handloom workers under the Programme. This research attempts to revisit the underlying rationale and context of the new direction and would attempt to broadly analyze the growth trends under the influence of cluster model adopted by the State IHDS-CDP for the revival of handloom sector through a detailed study of the handloom co-operative societies in Kerala. If handloom sector in Kerala can be revived using cluster based approach, it can be easily concluded that cluster is capable of taking the MSME in Kerala to a ‘high growth path.’ The study is aimed at understanding how best clusters emerge as appropriate industrial organization suitable for the current global structure of manufacture

Thermal characterisation of dye-intercalated K-10 montmorillonite ceramics using photoacoustic technique

Thermal diffusivity (TD) measurements were performed on some industrially important dyes – auramine O (AO), malachite green and methylene blue (MB) – adsorbed K-10 montmorillonites using photoacoustic method. The TD value for the dye-adsorbed clay mineral was observed to change with a variation in dye concentration. The contribution of the dye towards TD was also determined. The repeatedly adsorbed samples with MB and AO exhibited a lower TD than the single-adsorbed samples. TD values of sintered MB samples were also obtained experimentally. These sintered samples exhibit a higher TD, although they show a trend similar to that of non-sintered pellets. A variation in dye concentration and sintering temperature can be used for tuning the TD value of the clay mineral to the desired level

Synthesis and Properties of Polyurethanes of Hexamethylene Di-Isocyanate with Multifunctional Chromophores in the Main Chain

Various polyurethanes containing photoactive bis(azo) and bis(o-nitrobenzyl) groups in the main chain were synthesized by polyaddition reactions of diols such as bis(4-hydroxyphenylazo)-2,20-dinitrodiphenylmethane, 4-hydroxy-3-methylphenylazo- 40-hydroxyphenylazo-2,20-dinitrodiphenylmethane and bis(4-hydroxy-3- methylphenylazo)-2,20-dinitrodiphenylmethane with hexamethylene di-isocyanate (HMDI), in dimethyl acetamide (DMAc) in the presence of di-n-butyltin dilaurate (DBTDL) as catalyst. All of them were characterized by IR, UV-vis, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra and also by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC).

Marine Bacteria As Source Of Pigment For Application As Dye In Textile Industry

The textile industry is one amongst the rapidly growing industries world wide, which utilizes enormous amounts of synthetic dyes. Consequently, the effluent from these textile industries poses serious threat to the environment which is often very difficult to treat and dispose. This has become a very grave problem in environment conservation and hence natural pigments have drawn the attention of industry as safe alternative. In this context, in the present study an attempt was made to bioprospect marine bacteria towards isolation of a suitable and ideal pigment that could be used as a natural dye. A marine Serratia sp. BTWJ8 was recognized to synthesize enormous amounts of a prodigiosin-like pigment. The pigment was isolated and characterized for various properties. The pigment was evaluated for application as a dye in the textile industry. Results of the studies indicated that this pigment could be used as a natural dye for imparting red-yellow colour to various grades of textile materials. The colour was observed to be stable after wash performance studies

Isolation, Stabilization and Characterization of Xanthophyll from Marigold Flower- Tagetes Erecta-L

The present paper deals with the chemistry, isolation, separation, characterisation and stabilisation of the Marigold oleoresin and its application as a natural food colorant. Marigold (Tagetes Erecta L), an ornamental plant belonging to the composite family, has a rich source of natural antioxidant-Lutein. A natural pigment, xanthophylls offer an alternative to synthetic dyes as a food colorant, due to its non-toxicity. Chromatographic separations of saponified and unsaponified oleoresin were performed and Trans-Lutein identified as the major constituent. Well-preserved flowers exhibit a high yield of Xanthophyll content (105.19 g/Kg) in contrast to the unpreserved flower sample (54.87 g/Kg), emphasizing the significance of flower preservation in the extraction of xanthophyll. The stability and amount of xanthophyll also increased from 105.19 g/Kg to 226.88 g/Kg on saponification and subsequent purification with Ethylene Dichloride

Design and study of self-assembled functional organic and hybrid systems for biological applications

The focus of self-assembly as a strategy for the synthesis has been confined largely to molecules, because of the importance of manipulating the structure of matter at the molecular scale. We have investigated the influence of temperature and pH, in addition to the concentration of the capping agent used for the formation of the nano-bio conjugates. For example, the formation of the narrower size distribution of the nanoparticles was observed with the increase in the concentration of the protein, which supports the fact that γ-globulin acts both as a controller of nucleation as well as stabiliser. As analyzed through various photophysical, biophysical and microscopic techniques such as TEM, AFM, C-AFM, SEM, DLS, OPM, CD and FTIR, we observed that the initial photoactivation of γ-globulin at pH 12 for 3 h resulted in small protein fibres of ca. Further irradiation for 24 h, led to the formation of selfassembled long fibres of the protein of ca. 5-6 nm and observation of surface plasmon resonance band at around 520 nm with the concomitant quenching of luminescence intensity at 680 nm. The observation of light triggered self-assembly of the protein and its effect on controlling the fate of the anchored nanoparticles can be compared with the naturally occurring process such as photomorphogenesis.Furthermore,our approach offers a way to understand the role played by the self-assembly of the protein in ordering and knock out of the metal nanoparticles and also in the design of nano-biohybrid materials for medicinal and optoelectronic applications. Investigation of the potential applications of NIR absorbing and water soluble squaraine dyes 1-3 for protein labeling and anti-amyloid agents forms the subject matter of the third chapter of the thesis. The study of their interactions with various proteins revealed that 1-3 showed unique interactions towards serum albumins as well as lysozyme. 69%, 71% and 49% in the absorption spectra as well as significant quenching in the fluorescence intensity of the dyes 1-3, respectively. Half-reciprocal analysis of the absorption data and isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) analysis of the titration experiments gave a 1:1 stoichiometry for the complexes formed between the lysozyme and squaraine dyes with association constants (Kass) in the range 104-105 M-1. We have determined the changes in the free energy (ΔG) for the complex formation and the values are found to be -30.78, -32.31 and -28.58 kJmol-1, respectively for the dyes 1, 2 and 3. Furthermore, we have observed a strong induced CD (ICD) signal corresponding to the squaraine chromophore in the case of the halogenated squaraine dyes 2 and 3 at 636 and 637 nm confirming the complex formation in these cases. To understand the nature of interaction of the squaraine dyes 1-3 with lysozyme, we have investigated the interaction of dyes 1-3 with different amino acids. These results indicated that the dyes 1-3 showed significant interactions with cysteine and glutamic acid which are present in the side chains of lysozyme. In addition the temperature dependent studies have revealed that the interaction of the dye and the lysozyme are irreversible. Furthermore, we have investigated the interactions of these NIR dyes 1-3 with β- amyloid fibres derived from lysozyme to evaluate their potential as inhibitors of this biologically important protein aggregation. These β-amyloid fibrils were insoluble protein aggregates that have been associated with a range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob diseases. We have synthesized amyloid fibres from lysozyme through its incubation in acidic solution below pH 4 and by allowing to form amyloid fibres at elevated temperature. To quantify the binding affinities of the squaraine dyes 1-3 with β-amyloids, we have carried out the isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) measurements. The association constants were determined and are found to be 1.2 × 105, 3.6× 105 and 3.2 × 105 M-1 for the dyes, 1-3, respectively. To gain more insights into the amyloid inhibiting nature of the squaraine dyes under investigations, we have carried out thioflavin assay, CD, isothermal titration calorimetry and microscopic analysis. The addition of the dyes 1-3 (5μM) led to the complete quenching in the apparent thioflavin fluorescence, thereby indicating the destabilization of β-amyloid fibres in the presence of the squaraine dyes. Further, the inhibition of the amyloid fibres by the squaraine dyes 1-3, has been evidenced though the DLS, TEM AFM and SAED, wherein we observed the complete destabilization of the amyloid fibre and transformation of the fibre into spherical particles of ca. These results demonstrate the fact that the squaraine dyes 1-3 can act as protein labeling agents as well as the inhibitors of the protein amyloidogenesis. The last chapter of the thesis describes the synthesis and investigation of selfassembly as well as bio-imaging aspects of a few novel tetraphenylethene conjugates 4-6.Expectedly, these conjugates showed significant solvatochromism and exhibited a hypsochromic shift (negative solvatochromism) as the solvent polarity increased, and these observations were justified though theoretical studies employing the B3LYP/6-31g method. We have investigated the self-assembly properties of these D-A conjugates though variation in the percentage of water in acetonitrile solution due to the formation of nanoaggregates. Further the contour map of the observed fluorescence intensity as a function of the fluorescence excitation and emission wavelength confirmed the formation of J-type aggregates in these cases. To have a better understanding of the type of self-assemblies formed from the TPE conjugates 4-6, we have carried out the morphological analysis through various microscopic techniques such as DLS, SEM and TEM. 70%, we observed rod shape architectures having ~ 780 nm in diameter and ~ 12 μM in length as evidenced through TEM and SEM analysis. We have made similar observations with the dodecyl conjugate 5 at ca. 70% and 50% water/acetonitrile mixtures, the aggregates formed from 4 and 5 were found to be highly crystalline and such structures were transformed to amorphous nature as the water fraction was increased to 99%. To evaluate the potential of the conjugate as bio-imaging agents, we have carried out their in vitro cytotoxicity and cellular uptake studies though MTT assay, flow cytometric and confocal laser scanning microscopic techniques. Thus nanoparticle of these conjugates which exhibited efficient emission, large stoke shift, good stability, biocompatibility and excellent cellular imaging properties can have potential applications for tracking cells as well as in cell-based therapies. In summary we have synthesized novel functional organic chromophores and have studied systematic investigation of self-assembly of these synthetic and biological building blocks under a variety of conditions. The investigation of interaction of water soluble NIR squaraine dyes with lysozyme indicates that these dyes can act as the protein labeling agents and the efficiency of inhibition of β-amyloid indicate, thereby their potential as anti-amyloid agents.

Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Hybrid Nanocomposites of TiO2 With Conducting Polymers

A nanocomposite is a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers (nm), or structures having nano-scale repeat distances between the different phases that make up the material. In the broadest sense this definition can include porous media, colloids, gels and copolymers, but is more usually taken to mean the solid combination of a bulk matrix and nano-dimensional phase(s) differing in properties due to dissimilarities in structure and chemistry. The mechanical, electrical, thermal, optical, electrochemical, catalytic properties of the nanocomposite will differ markedly from that of the component materials. Size limits for these effects have been proposed, <5 nm for catalytic activity, <20 nm for making a hard magnetic material soft, <50 nm for refractive index changes, and <100 nm for achieving superparamagnetism, mechanical strengthening or restricting matrix dislocation movement. Conducting polymers have attracted much attention due to high electrical conductivity, ease of preparation, good environmental stability and wide variety of applications in light-emitting, biosensor chemical sensor, separation membrane and electronic devices. The most widely studied conducting polymers are polypyrrole, polyaniline, polythiophene etc. Conducting polymers provide tremendous scope for tuning of their electrical conductivity from semiconducting to metallic region by way of doping and are organic electro chromic materials with chemically active surface. But they are chemically very sensitive and have poor mechanical properties and thus possessing a processibility problem. Nanomaterial shows the presence of more sites for surface reactivity, they possess good mechanical properties and good dispersant too. Thus nanocomposites formed by combining conducting polymers and inorganic oxide nanoparticles possess the good properties of both the constituents and thus enhanced their utility. The properties of such type of nanocomposite are strongly depending on concentration of nanomaterials to be added. Conducting polymer composites is some suitable composition of a conducting polymer with one or more inorganic nanoparticles so that their desirable properties are combined successfully. The composites of core shell metal oxide particles-conducting polymer combine the electrical properties of the polymer shell and the magnetic, optical, electrical or catalytic characteristics of the metal oxide core, which could greatly widen their applicability in the fields of catalysis, electronics and optics. Moreover nanocomposite material composed of conducting polymers & oxides have open more field of application such as drug delivery, conductive paints, rechargeable batteries, toners in photocopying, smart windows, etc.The present work is mainly focussed on the synthesis, characterization and various application studies of conducting polymer modified TiO2 nanocomposites. The conclusions of the present work are outlined below, Mesoporous TiO2 was prepared by the cationic surfactant P123 assisted hydrothermal synthesis route and conducting polymer modified TiO2 nanocomposites were also prepared via the same technique. All the prepared systems show XRD pattern corresponding to anatase phase of TiO2, which means that there is no phase change occurring even after conducting polymer modification. Raman spectroscopy gives supporting evidence for the XRD results. It also confirms the incorporation of the polymer. The mesoporous nature and surface area of the prepared samples were analysed by N2 adsorption desorption studies and the mesoporous ordering can be confirmed by low angle XRD measurementThe morphology of the prepared samples was obtained from both SEM & TEM. The elemental analysis of the samples was performed by EDX analysisThe hybrid composite formation is confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopyAll the prepared samples have been used for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes, antibiotic, endocrine disruptors and some other organic pollutants. Photocatalytic antibacterial activity studies were also performed using the prepared systemsAll the prepared samples have been used for the photocatalytic degradation of dyes, antibiotic, endocrine disruptors and some other organic pollutants. Photocatalytic antibacterial activity studies were also performed using the prepared systems Polyaniline modified TiO2 nanocomposite systems were found to have good antibacterial activity. Thermal diffusivity studies of the polyaniline modified systems were carried out using thermal lens technique. It is observed that as the amount of polyaniline in the composite increases the thermal diffusivity also increases. The prepared systems can be used as an excellent coolant in various industrial purposes. Nonlinear optical properties (3rd order nonlinearity) of the polyaniline modified systems were studied using Z scan technique. The prepared materials can be used for optical limiting Applications. Lasing studies of polyaniline modified TiO2 systems were carried out and the studies reveal that TiO2 - Polyaniline composite is a potential dye laser gain medium.

Synthese von Azobenzolderivaten zur Darstellung photoschaltbarer, selbstorganisierter Monolagen

Im Vordergrund dieser Arbeit stehen die Synthesen des Azobenzol-4-trichlorsilans sowie des Bis(4-azobenzol)disulfids, ausgehend von einfachen und kommerziell erhältlichen Verbindungen. Moleküle, aus denen sich diese Verbindungen synthetisieren lassen, sind die Iodderivate des Azobenzols, welche über die Kondensation von Benzolaminen (Anilinen) und Nitrosobenzolen dargestellt wurden, aber auch über die altbewährte Azokupplung. Insgesamt wurden 19 neue Azobenzolderivate, das neue [(4-Aminophenyl)ethinyl]ferrocen und das neue Bis[4-(4'-bromazobenzol)]disulfid synthetisiert und charakterisiert. Außerdem wurden 13 neue Kristallstrukturen erzeugt. Mit den synthetisierten Molekülen wurden Substrat-Adsorbat-Systeme gebildet. Als Substrate wurden oberflächenoxidiertes Silizium und Gold gewählt. Die Präparation dieser sogennanten selbstorganisierten Monolagen (SAMs) bzw. der kovalent gebundenen Monolagen im Falle der Trichlorsilylderivate (CAMs) wurde eingehend studiert. Das Azobenzol wurde als photoschaltbare Einheit gewählt, da es bereits Kern zahlreicher Untersuchungen war und als solcher als guter und zuverlässiger Baustein für reversible photoschaltbare Systeme etabliert ist. Zur Charakterisierung Schichten und zur Untersuchung ihres photoresponsiven Verhaltens sowie sowie zur Untersuchung der Schichtbildung selbst wurden mehrere physikalische Messmethoden angewandt. Die Schichtbildung wurde mit SHG (optische Frequenzverdopplung) verfolgt, die fertigen Schichten wurden mit XPS (Röntgen-Photonen-Spektroskopie) und NEXAFS (Nahkanten-Röntgen-Absorptions-Feinstruktur) untersucht, um Orientierung und Ordnung der Moleküle in der Schicht zu ermitteln. Das Schaltverhalten wurde mit Ellipsometrie und durch Messungen des Wasserkontaktwinkels beobachtet. Durch Variation der Endgruppe des Azobenzols ist es möglich, die Oberflächeneigenschaften einstellen gezielt zu können, wie Hydrophobie, Hydrophilie, Komplexierungsverhalten oder elektrische Schaltbarkeit. Dies gelingt durch Gruppen wie N,N-Dimethylamino-, Methoxy-, Ethoxy-, Octyloxy-, Dodecyloxy-, Benzyloxy-, Methyl-, Trifluormethyl-, Pyridyl-, Phenylethinyl- und Ferrocenyl-Restgruppen, um nur eine Auswahl zu nennen. Einerseits wurde Silizium als Substrat gewählt, da es wegen seiner Verwendung in der Halbleiterindustrie ein nicht uninteressantes Substrat darstell und die Möglichkeiten der kovalenten Anbindung von Trichlorsilanen aber auch Trialkoxysilanen auch gut untersucht ist. Andererseits wurden auch Untersuchungen mit Gold als Substrat angestellt, bei dem Thiole und Disulfide die bevorzugten Ankergruppen bilden. Während sich auf Gold sogenannte SAMs bilden, verleiht die kovalente Siloxanbindung den CAMs auf Silizium eine besondere Stabilität.

Biological Photonic Crystals: Diatoms

The aim of this work was to produce a variety of fluorescent diatom cell wall material as a basis for spectroscopic investigations of the influence of the photonic structure on the emission of an incorporated laser dye. This goal was achieved by the method of in vivo-fluorochromation, in which the fluorescence dyes are incorporated by the diatom cells during cell wall formation. Several fluorescent dyes (mostly rhodamines) known as strong laser dyes, were tested for a possible application within this method. The results of this work show that half of the tested rhodamines can be applied for an in vivo-fluorochromation of diatom cells. For a successful incorporation into the diatom cell wall, a relatively low toxicity to diatom cells is necessary. Replacement of the carbon acid function at the carboxyphenyl ring of the rhodamine by a methyl or ethylester function showed to convert a rhodamine of relatively low toxicity to a rhodamine leading to severe lethal effects within the cells. In contrast to their carbon acid forms, which posses a net neutral charge of the molecule, rhodamine esters exhibit a net positive charge. The enhanced toxicological effects seem to be due to an increased accumulation of positive charged rhodamines within the mitochondria, an increased hydrophobicity due to the attachment of an alkyl substituent, an increased retention time of the dyes within the mitochondria and a therefore stronger negative effect on the mitochondrial membrane bound energy processes of the diatom cell. Therefore rhodamines with a positive net charge deriving from a methyl or ethylester function at the carboxy phenyl ring instead of a carbon acid substituent showed not to be suitable for long-term investigations/ biomineralization studies of diatoms. Investigations performed on diatom species of different orders showed that rhodamine 19, rhodamine B, and rhodamine 101 can presumably be successfully applied for in vivo-fluorochromation to all diatom species. The results obtained here can help to find further laser dyes for an in vivo-fluorochromation of diatom cells and therefore for the production of fluorescent nanostructural elements for a detailed optical investigation of the diatom cell wall. First optical measurements performed on in vivo-fluorochromated cell walls did not give any hints concerning the photonic structure of the diatom cell. Cell wall parts with different nanostructural elements were investigated and by comparison of the obtained fluorescence emission spectra, no special features that might derive from photonic structural effects could be observed. Results concerning the concentration dependent shifts within the emission spectra, as well as the decrease of fluorescence intensity of the stained cell wall structures with increasing dye concentration, depict that several effects occurring by interaction of the molecules within the cell wall can have an impact on the technical application of fluorescent cell walls. It can be assumed that the investigation of the photonic crystal behaviour and the possibility to achieve laser action within the diatom cell wall can be hampered by molecular interactions. The results give hints to prevent such obstacles. Comparison of the recent findings and state of the art of in vivo-fluorochromation of diatom cell wall material, make clear that the here presented results are of importance and can offer a considerable contribution to the development and establishment of new biosilification markers, for diatoms as well as for other biosilifying organisms.

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on perylene derivatives

The oil price rises more and more, and the world energy consumption is projected to expand by 50 percent from 2005 to 2030. Nowadays intensive research is focused on the development of alternative energies. Among them, there are dye-sensitized nanocrystalline solar cells (DSSCs) “the third generation solar cells”. The latter have gained attention during the last decade and are currently subject of intense research in the framework of renewable energies as a low-cost photovoltaic. At present DSSCs with ruthenium based dyes exhibit highest efficiencies (ca 11%). The objective of the present work is to fabricate, characterize and improve the performance of DSSCs based on metal free dyes as sensitizers, especially on perylene derivatives. The work begins by a general introduction to the photovoltaics and dye-sensitized solar cells, such as the operating principles and the characteristics of the DSSCs. Chapter 2 and 3 discuss the state of the art of sensitizers used in DSSCs, present the compounds used as sensitizer in the present work and illustrate practical issues of experimental techniques and device preparation. A comparative study of electrolyte-DSSCs based on P1, P4, P7, P8, P9, and P10 are presented in chapter 4. Experimental results show that the dye structure plays a crucial role in the performance of the devices. The dye based on the spiro-concept (bipolar spiro compound) exhibited a higher efficiency than the non-spiro compounds. The presence of tert-butylpyridine as additive in the electrolyte was found to increase the open circuit voltage and simultaneously decrease the efficiency. The presence of lithium ions in the electrolyte increases both output current and the efficiency. The sensitivity of the dye to cations contained in the electrolyte was investigated in the chapter 5. FT-IR and UV-Vis were used to investigate the in-situ coordination of the cation to the adsorbed dye in the working devices. The open-circuit voltage was found to depend on the number of coordination sites in the dye. P1 with most coordination sites has shown the lowest potential drop, opposite to P7, which is less sensitive to cations in the working cells. A strategy to improve the dye adsorption onto the TiO2 surface, and thus the light harvesting efficiency of the photoanode by UV treatment, is presented in chapter 6. The treatment of the TiO2 film with UV light generates hydroxyl groups and renders the TiO2 surface more and more hydrophilic. The treated TiO2 surface reacts readily with the acid anhydride group of the dye that acts as an anchoring group and improves the dye adsorption. The short-circuit current density and the efficiency of the electrolyte-based dye cells was considerably improved by the UV treatment of the TiO2 film. Solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (SSDs) based on spiro-MeOTAD (used as hole transport material) are studied in chapter 7. The efficiency of SSDs was globally found to be lower than that of electrolyte-based solar cells. That was due to poor pore filling of the dye-loaded TiO2 film by the spin-coated spiro-MeOTAD and to the significantly slower charge transport in the spiro-MeOTAD compared to the electrolyte redox mediator. However, the presence of the donor moieties in P1 that are structurally similar to spiro-MeOTAD was found to improve the wettability of the P1-loaded TiO2 film. As a consequence the performance of the P1-based solid-state cells is better compared to the cells based on non-spiro compounds.

Responsive Azobenzene-Containing Polymers and Gels

The photoviscosity effect in aqueous solutions of novel poly(4-methacryloyloxyazobenzene-co-N,N-dimethyl acrylamide) (MOAB-DMA) was demonstrated. The observed significant reduction in the zero-shear viscosity upon UV-irradiation of MOAB-DMA aqueous solutions was due to the dissociation of the interchain azobenzene aggregates. Such phenomena can be advantageously used in photoswitchable fluidic devices and in protein separation. Introduction of enzymatically degradable azo cross-links into Pluronic-PAA microgels allowed for control of swelling due to degradation of the cross-links by azoreductases from the rat intestinal cecum. Dynamic changes in the cross-link density of stimuli-responsive microgels enable novel opportunities for the control of gel swelling, of importance for drug delivery and microgel sensoric applications.

El uso del discurso como valoración de experiencias educativas para la creación de posibles alternativas formativas

El siguiente documento se desarrolla con el objetivo de analizar dos propuestas de discurso brindadas por personajes conocedores de temas como liderazgo y emprendimiento, que por medio de sus discursos logran transmitir mensajes que a su vez logran crear recordación en la mente de sus oyentes. Todo este análisis busca generar una conciencia más amplia sobre el efecto que tiene el discurso en la mente de cualquier individuo que está en proceso de aprendizaje y formación académica, para que de esta forma y con base en este análisis se pueda brindar una posible alternativa de formación diferente a la que ya se encuentra actualmente planteada dentro de la facultad de Administración de la Universidad del Rosario; la cual desarrolló un espacio educativo con tintes netamente interactivos denominado “El Sofá”. En “El Sofá”, se invitan dos figuras reconocidas dentro del ámbito empresarial, para que estos a su vez puedan dar a conocer los diferentes conocimientos y experiencias que han adquirido sobre cierto tema en especifico.

Plan de empresa Restaurante Il Mistero

IL MISTERO es un proyecto de plan de empresa que se dedicara a la elaboración y venta especializada de lasañas y otros platos italianos en establecimiento local y a domicilio en la ciudad de Bogotá, específicamente en la localidad de Chapinero, Upz Chico alto, zona que posee potencial económico. Su portafolio de productos está dividido en alimentos y bebidas, siendo alimentos el grupo por el cual obtendrá su mayor ingreso de ventas. Su producto estrella serán las lasañas, con las que contara inicialmente de una oferta de ocho recetas, además de los demás platos como pastas, ensaladas, sopas, y postres. La totalidad de productos son hechos en cocina son elaborados artesanalmente con un enfoque de comida saludable, lo cual significa que no contienen ningún tipo de colorantes o químicos. La operación contara con un local comercial con comedor, pero se estima que una de sus grandes fortalezas será la venta a domicilio, ya que es un producto rápido, fácil de empacar y atractivo para el cliente. Con esto se busca atender tanto al cliente que desea disfrutar un momento en un restaurante, como al que por pereza, comodidad, o gusto prefiere comer en casa u oficina. Para poder desarrollar el proyecto se requerirán recursos por 199,9 millones de pesos para la adquisición de activos fijos y capital del trabajo. Dicha inversión será recuperada al tercer año de operación si todos los presupuestos se cumplen. El aumento de ventas se lograran por medio de la inversión en publicidad y el famoso voz a voz que tanto afecta a los restaurantes. Se espera que desde el inicio del proyecto hasta el año 2 sean crecientes, y en él años 3 se logre una estabilidad en la demanda.

Technical education in England, Germany and France in the nineteenth century: a comparison

Este documento describe el desarrollo de la educación técnica en Inglaterra, Alemania y Francia durante el siglo XIX, contrastando sus similaridades y diferencias. También analiza el papel del Estado en la provisión de educación técnica en estos países. El artículo sugiere que el alto estándar científico y técnico en la enseñanza, contribuyó significativamente para que el país se convirtiera en una potencia económica. Por ejemplo, la creciente superioridad técnica de los alemanes sobre los británicos en actividades como producción química, tinturas, hierro y acero, ha sido atribuida al hecho de que los británicos persistieron en el uso de métodos empíricos que representaban una barrera para alcanzar mejoras y adaptación, mientras que los alemanes desarrollaron un sistema de educación universitario y politécnico con fuertes lazos industriales que le permitían convertirse en la potencia industrial mas grande de Europa al inicio del Siglo XX.

Asma ocupacional en peluquería: una revisión de la literatura

Este artículo pretende realizar una revisión de la literatura vigente acerca del asma ocupacional secundaria a la exposición de los factores de riesgo identificados en peluquería. Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en las bases de datos PubMed y Cochrane de artículos de revistas indexadas con las palabras claves “Asthma occupational, hairdressers, hairdresser, work related asthma”. Aplicando los criterios de selección descritos, se revisaron 26 artículos en total donde se incluían reportes de casos, estudios de prevalencia, incidencia, corte transversa y revisiones, abarcando principalmente los temas de epidemiologia, fisiopatología, diagnóstico y prevención. Se agruparon según la metodología PRISMA para su respectiva comparación. Se concluyó que a pesar de la importancia de esta patología en el sector de peluquería, existen factores asociados como la informalidad del sector, la falta de estudios de investigación originales de cohorte o el desconocimiento de un protocolo claro de diagnóstico en este tipo de trabajadores, que limitan datos concluyentes acerca de la misma. Sin embargo, la mayoría de los autores concluye la relación entre la patología y la labor de peluquería, así falte esclarecer los mecanismos fisiopatológicos relacionados con los alérgenos identificados.