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Multisystemic inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) is an inflammatory condition temporally associated with COVID-19 in children; nevertheless, the clinical and immunologic spectrum of MIS-C is heterogeneous, and its long-term effects are unknown. During the period of August 2020 to December 2021, a total of 52 MIS-C cases were confirmed in pediatric patients from the Hospital del Niño DIF Hidalgo, diagnosed using criteria from the World Health Organization. All patients had serologic IgG confirmation of SARS-CoV2, the mean age of the patients was 7 years, and 94% of the patients did not have a previous underlying disease. In addition to the presentation of lymphopenia, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia, elevations in D-dimer and ferritin levels were observed in all patients. There was clinical improvement with intravenous gamma globulin and corticosteroid treatment.

This paper proposes a robust identification and control-based on a neural network method for a Twin Rotor Multivariable System (TRMS) using a recursive adaptive training algorithm. The algorithm is based on a recursive least squares approach with an additional steepest descent stage. An Adatine neural network is used for modeling the system, and a robust structure is selected based on a linear auto-regressive structure with exogenous inputs (ARX) related to the estimation error. The identification is performed online and the system is controlled under a polynomial structure by pole placement with a dead-beat strategy. The method is evaluated in terms of estimation and tracking error in the presence of external additive disturbances, parametric disturbances, and sinusoidal reference signals. The Root-Mean Square Error (RMSE) is used to evaluate the estimation performance and the Integral-Time Absolute Error (ITAE) is used to evaluate the tracking performance. As a result, a novel robust controller based on a neural network is designed where the best results are obtained for a training recursive least squares algorithm with an additional steepest descent stage.

This dissertation empirically explores different aspects of the market design in centralized school choice. The first chapter studies the consequences of limited information among school choice participants, and the influence of outside options in application and enrollment decisions. 23% of the Chilean applicants who receive an offer choose to enroll elsewhere, unnecessarily blocking seats that would improve the allocation for 12% of the placed applicants and offer placement to 11% of the non-placed students. Based on a model of the joint decision of school choice and enrollment, I show that imperfect information translates into penalization on the valuation of the schools, affecting application and search behavior and decreasing the probability of enrollment. Concurrently, greater availability of outside options diminishes the incentive for search and lowers the cost of rejecting placement offers. The counterfactual analysis highlights the effect of different information campaigns and the inclusion of outside options in the centralized system, underscoring the importance of after-market design in centralized school choice systems. The second chapter shows that beliefs about admissions chances shape choice outcomes even when the school choice assignment mechanism is strategy proof. Data from a large-scale survey of choice participants in Chile shows that learning about schools is hard, that beliefs about admissions chances guide the decision to stop searching, and that applicants systematically underestimate non-placement risk. We then use RCT and RD research designs to evaluate scaled live feedback policies. 22% of applicants submitting applications where risks of non-placement are high respond to warnings by adding schools to their lists, reducing non-placement risk by 58%. The third chapter evaluates how new information influences families' applications and assignment outcomes in elementary school choice settings. Specifically, using a multi-country RCT based in Tacna, Peru and Manta, Ecuador, we examine the effect of providing personalized information on schooling alternatives and placement risk. We find that applicants who received feedback on placement risk and a suggestion of new schools added more schools to their applications and were more likely to include recommended schools than other alternatives.

Background: The impact of nutritional status and diet composition on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in fish remains largely unknown. To identify biomarkers of interest in nutritional studies, herein we obtained a deep-coverage transcriptome by 454 pyrosequencing of liver and skeletal muscle cDNA normalised libraries from long-term starved gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) and fish fed different diets. Results: After clean-up of high-throughput deep sequencing reads, 699,991 and 555,031 high-quality reads allowed de novo assembly of liver and skeletal muscle sequences, respectively (average length: 374 and 441 bp; total megabases: 262 and 245 Mbp). An additional incremental assembly was completed by integrating data from both tissues (hybrid assembly). Assembly of hybrid, liver and skeletal muscle transcriptomes yielded, respectively, 19,530, 11,545 and 10,599 isotigs (average length: 1330, 1208 and 1390 bp, respectively) that were grouped into 15,954, 10,033 and 9189 isogroups. Following annotation, hybrid transcriptomic data were used to construct an oligonucleotide microarray to analyse nutritional regulation of the expression of 129 genes involved in OXPHOS in S. aurata. Starvation upregulated cytochrome c oxidase components and other key OXPHOS genes in the liver, which exhibited higher sensitive to food deprivation than the skeletal muscle. However, diet composition affected OXPHOS in the skeletal muscle to a greater extent than in the liver: most of genes upregulated under starvation presented higher expression among fish fed a high carbohydrate/low protein diet. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the expression of coenzyme Q-binding protein (COQ10), cytochrome c oxidase subunit 6A2 (COX6A2) and ADP/ATP translocase 3 (SLC25A6) in the liver, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 5B isoform 1 (COX5B1) in the liver and the skeletal muscle, are sensitive markers of the nutritional condition that may be relevant to assess the effect of changes in the feeding regime and diet composition on fish farming.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has continued to be the subject of study since its discovery nearly 40 years ago. Significant advances in research and intake of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have slowed the progression and appearance of the disease symptoms and the incidence of concomitant diseases, which are the leading cause of death in HIV+ persons. However, the prolongation of ART is closely related to chronic degenerative diseases and pathologies caused by oxidative stress (OS) and alterations in lipid metabolism (increased cholesterol levels), both of which are conditions of ART. Therefore, recent research focuses on using natural therapies to diminish the effects of ART and HIV infection: regulating lipid metabolism and reducing OS status. The present review summarizes current information on OS and cholesterol metabolism in HIV+ persons and how the consumption of certain phytochemicals can modulate these. For this purpose, MEDLINE and SCOPUS databases were consulted to identify publications investigating HIV disease and natural therapies and their associated effects.

Many school districts with centralized school choice adopt strategyproof assignment mechanisms to relieve applicants of the need to strategize on the basis of beliefs about their own admissions chances. This paper shows that beliefs about admissions chances shape choice outcomes even when the assignment mechanism is strategyproof by influencing the way applicants search for schools, and that “smart matching platforms” that provide live feedback on admissions chances help applicants search more effectively. Motivated by a model in which applicants engage in costly search for schools and over-optimism can lead to under-search, we use data from a large-scale survey of choice participants in Chile to show that learning about schools is hard, that beliefs about admissions chances guide the decision to stop searching, and that applicants systematically underestimate non-placement risk. We then use RCT and RD research designs to evaluate scaled live feedback policies in the Chilean and New Haven choice systems. 22% of applicants submitting applications where risks of non-placement are high respond to warnings by adding schools to their lists, reducing non-placement risk by 58% and increasing test score value added at the schools where they enroll by 0.10 standard deviations. Reducing the burden of school choice requires not just strategyproofness inside the centralized system, but also choice supports for the strategic decisions that inevitably remain outside of it.

Many school districts with centralized school choice adopt strategyproof assignment mechanisms to relieve applicants of the need to strategize on the basis of beliefs about their own admissions chances. This paper shows that beliefs about admissions chances shape choice outcomes even when the assignment mechanism is strategyproof by influencing the way applicants search for schools, and that “smart matching platforms” that provide live feedback on admissions chances help applicants search more effectively. Motivated by a model in which applicants engage in costly search for schools and over-optimism can lead to under-search, we use data from a large-scale survey of choice participants in Chile to show that learning about schools is hard, that beliefs about admissions chances guide the decision to stop searching, and that applicants systematically underestimate non-placement risk. We then use RCT and RD research designs to evaluate scaled live feedback policies in the Chilean and New Haven choice systems. 22% of applicants submitting applications where risks of non-placement are high respond to warnings by adding schools to their lists, reducing non-placement risk by 58% and increasing test score value added at the schools where they enroll by 0.10 standard deviations. Reducing the strategic burden of school choice requires not just strategyproofness inside the centralized system, but also choice supports for the strategic decisions that inevitably remain outside of it.

The present study evaluates the effect of dietary glutamate and glutamine supplementation on growth performance, body composition and expression of key enzymes involved in the hepatic metabolism of juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Fish were fed for 52 days with four diets, which were identical in composition except for a 4% supplementation with glutamate (GLU diet), glutamine (GLN diet), carbohydrate (CHO diet) or bovine serum albumin (BSA diet). Glutamate and glutamine supplementation improved feed conversion ratio and protein retention compared to carbohydrate supplementation, and, in the case of glutamate, protein retention was improved over that of fish fed the protein supplemented diet. Feeding CHO and GLU diets resulted in upregulation of glucokinase and lipogenic enzymes compared to fish fed GLN and BSA diets. Consistently, fish fed CHO or GLU diets showed higher triglyceride levels in serum and liver, and feeding the GLU diet resulted in higher body fat content than in fish fed GLN or BSA diets. The liver of fish fed GLN or BSA diets showed increased glutamate dehydrogenase activity in the direction of the glutamate oxidation. In contrast to fish fed the BSA diet, increased glutamate oxidation did not reduce free glutamine and glutamate levels in the liver of fish fed the GLN diet, suggesting that glutamine intake exceeded liver's energy requirements. In conclusion, glutamate supplementation improved hepatic glucose metabolism, whereas supplemented glutamine seems to be preferentially oxidized over amino acids derived from dietary protein, thus promoting higher protein retention in both cases. Our findings indicate that glutamate and glutamine could partly replace dietary protein and that glutamate supplementation could also facilitate protein replacement by carbohydrates in fish feeds.

Existe hoy un diagnostico bastante compartido: el nivel de segregacion escolar en Chile es alto. Las razones que la causan no son consensuadas, y menos de la magnitud de estas. En una aproximacion empırica al problema, se estimo un modelo de eleccion de colegio para la educacion media de Santiago. Se utilizo una estructura de eleccion discreta flexible (latent class logit), que permitio acomodar preferencias acorde a las caracterısticas de las familias, y que considero restricciones en la disponibilidad y seleccion academica. Se encontro que los atributos mas relevantes en la eleccion de colegio (precio, distancia, SIMCE y tipo de ensenanza) eran valorados de forma bastante heterogenea dentro de la poblacion. Familias con mas recursos ponen mayor enfasis en el rendimiento, les es menos costoso viajar, evitan colegios con formacion tecnico profesional, y en los extremos actuan como si valoraran de forma positiva el cobro. Utilizando el modelo para predecir la eleccion de colegio, se calculo la segregacion hipotetica en diferentes contrafactuales, basados en un equilibrio parcial. Los principales resultados indican que el financiamiento compartido es responsable de entre un 10 % y 23 % de la segregacion escolar, mientras que cuan segregada es la ciudad explica entre un 8 % y un 13 %, dependiendo del ındice que se considere. Mas importante es el efecto de la distinta valoracion de los atributos segunnivel de ingreso, al que se le atribuye entre un 41 % y 46 % del total de la segregacion. Decisiones de las familias, y la gran variabilidad en preferencias, son muy relevantes en la configuracion de la segregacion. Polıticas orientadas unicamente a la oferta son insuficientes si se busca mejorar el nivel de integracion.

Contexto: la melatonina fue aislada por primera vez, en 1958, por el dermatólogo Aaron Lerner a partir de una glándulapineal bovina. Para 1970 se descubrió su rol en la regulación del ritmo circadiano y los estados de sueño-vigilia, papel enel cual se han enfocado la mayoría de los estudios clínicos. Su síntesis ocurre a partir del triptófano, a través de procesosde hidroxilación y acetilación, para posteriormente convertirse en melatonina. Desde su descubrimiento, se han planteadomúltiples beneficios biológicos, todos ellos basados en sus efectos como reguladora del estrés oxidativo. Es por ello que losestudios clínicos demuestran que la suplementación de esta hormona, aparte de regular el ritmo circadiano, tiene potenciales efectos en el manejo de enfermedades crónicas no transmisiblesObjetivo: aportar nueva evidencia acerca de los mecanismos fisiológicos y bioquímicos de la melatonina y controvertir su posible uso terapéutico.Metodología: revisión bibliográfica en la base de datos PubMed y Scopus utilizando los términos MeSH: “melatonin”,“circadian clocks”, “circadian rhythm”, “cancer”, “oxidative stress”.Resultados: existe gran evidencia bibliográfica acerca de la historia de la melatonina y sus posibles efectos metabólicos, los cuales van muy de la mano de su rol como reguladora del ritmo circadiano, por medio de los estados sueño-vigilia y luz-oscuridad.Conclusiones: la melatonina puede servir como coadyuvante en el manejo de enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles como cáncer, obesidad, hígado graso, mucositis y en manejo de pacientes críticamente enfermos.