ABSTRACT Since the transition to democracy, Panama has been characterized by its political and economic stability, which was based on a “transistist” consensus. We propose that this economic and political model is a Panamanian translation of what academia has called rentism in other countries. In 2023, however, it showed signs of a possible cracking of this solidity: on the one hand, the pre-electoral year showed strong signs of disarticulation of the party system as it was known; on the other hand, the most massive social protests of the democratic era took place. Indeed, with climate change and mining opportunities, some economic elites seem to be looking for alternatives to the historical economic model. This generates strong social tensions and could render inoperative the existing party system in the country, which existed precisely around this consensus on transitism.

RESUMEN Desde la transición a la democracia, Panamá se ha caracterizado por su estabilidad política y económica, que se basaba en un consenso transitista. Planteamos que este modelo económico y político es una traducción panameña de lo que la aca- demia ha nombrado rentismo en otros países. En 2023 sin embargo, se mostraron señales de posible resquebrajamiento de esta solidez: por un lado, el año preelec- toral mostró fuertes señales de desarticulación del sistema de partidos tal como se conocía; por otro lado, se desarrollaron las protestas sociales más masivas de la era democrática. Efectivamente, con el cambio climático y las oportunidades mineras, algunas élites económicas parecen buscar alternativas al modelo económico histó- rico. Esto genera tensiones sociales fuertes, y podría volver inoperante el sistema de partidos existente en el país, que existía precisamente en torno a este consenso ante el transitismo.

RESUMEN Desde la transición a la democracia, Panamá se ha caracterizado por su estabilidad política y económica, que se basaba en un consenso transitista. Planteamos que este modelo económico y político es una traducción panameña de lo que la aca- demia ha nombrado rentismo en otros países. En 2023 sin embargo, se mostraron señales de posible resquebrajamiento de esta solidez: por un lado, el año preelec- toral mostró fuertes señales de desarticulación del sistema de partidos tal como se conocía; por otro lado, se desarrollaron las protestas sociales más masivas de la era democrática. Efectivamente, con el cambio climático y las oportunidades mineras, algunas élites económicas parecen buscar alternativas al modelo económico histó- rico. Esto genera tensiones sociales fuertes, y podría volver inoperante el sistema de partidos existente en el país, que existía precisamente en torno a este consenso ante el transitismo.

ABSTRACT Since the transition to democracy, Panama has been characterized by its political and economic stability, which was based on a “transistist” consensus. We propose that this economic and political model is a Panamanian translation of what academia has called rentism in other countries. In 2023, however, it showed signs of a possible cracking of this solidity: on the one hand, the pre-electoral year showed strong signs of disarticulation of the party system as it was known; on the other hand, the most massive social protests of the democratic era took place. Indeed, with climate change and mining opportunities, some economic elites seem to be looking for alternatives to the historical economic model. This generates strong social tensions and could render inoperative the existing party system in the country, which existed precisely around this consensus on transitism.

Resumen La comunicación ha sido una constante en el progreso en la sociedad, y la tecnología se ha erigido, desde hace poco, en su vehículo de expansión. La comunidad sorda encuentra limitada su comunicación y requiere engranajes adicionales. Este estudio de diseño no experimental, descriptivo y de enfoque mixto se enfoca en EnSenias, una plataforma on-line para aprender, enseñar, mejorar y usar la lengua de signos panameña, con el fin de explorar su funcionalidad mediante la validación de la misma. El estudio se llevó a cabo en el Instituto Panameño de Habilitación Especial. Para llevarlo a cabo, se recogieron datos de doce grupos focales (57 participantes) y se realizó un análisis mixto. Los resultados del análisis demuestran que EnSenias es necesaria y adecuada para el aprendizaje de esta lengua, su accesibilidad es universal, es útil para aprender y enseñar vocabulario de signos panameños, y también sirve como diccionario y traductor elemental de dicha lengua. Su carácter accesible permite que ciudadanos sordos, hipoacúsicos, oyentes, ciegos, con baja visión, sordociegos y otros puedan conocer la lengua de signos.

Abstract Communication has always been a requiremente for society advancement, and technology has recently become a vehicle for its expansion. The deaf community has found some limitations in this area, and, therefore, requires additional support. This mixed, non-experimental, descriptive study focuses on EnSenias, an online platform that can be used to learn, teach, improve, and use Panamanian sign language, and has as its main purpose to explore its functionality and validity. This study was carried out at the Panamanian Institute for Special Enabling. To carry it out, data were gathered through twelve focus groups (with 57 participants), and analyzed using mixed analysis techniques. The results of the analysis show that EnSenias is necessary and suitable to learn the sign language, provides universal accesibility, is useful to learn and teach sign vocabulary, and serves as an elementary dictionary and translator in sign language. Its affordability allows deaf, hearing-impaired, hearing, blind, short-sighted, and deaf-blind people to learn sign language.

Résumé La communication a toujours été le moteur de la société et la technologie est devenue, récemment, l´un de ses rouages. La communauté sourde est limitée dans sa communication et nécessite des dispositifs supplémentaires. On présente « EnSenias », une plateforme en ligne pour apprendre/enseigner/améliorer/utiliser la langue des signes panaméenne (LSP), étant donné la méconnaissance de cette langue. Elle a été construite au moyen de Recherche-Basée-sur-la-Conception, validée par des analyses mixtes des données recueillies auprès de douze groupes focalisés (57 participants). Cette étude a été menée à l’Instituto Panameño de Habilitación Especial. On montre la nécessité et l’adéquation d’ « EnSenias », son accessibilité universelle, son usage pour apprendre et enseigner le vocabulaire des signes, ainsi que son emploi comme dictionnaire et traducteur élémentaire de la LSP. Son caractère d’accessibilité assure son utilisation de la part de tous les citoyens : sourds, malentendants, entendants, aveugles, malvoyants, sourds-aveugles et tous ceux qui présentent un quelconque handicap ou trouble, afin qu’ils puissent avoir accès à la LSP.

The dichloromethane extract of the root bark of the Panamanian plant Cordia anisophylla J.S. Mill. (Boraginaceae) presented antifungal activity against a susceptible strain of Candida albicans in a bioautography primary screening. The susceptible strain was used to detect minor active compounds that would not have been detected using a classical approach. In order to identify the antimicrobial compounds, the active extract was fractionated by semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography and the fractions were submitted to the antifungal bioassay. This procedure enabled a precise localization of the antifungal compounds directly in the chromatogram of the crude extract and allowed for an efficient, targeted isolation. Four compounds were isolated, one of which is a new natural product. The structures were elucidated using spectroscopic methods. Their antifungal properties were evaluated by determination of the minimum inhibitory quantity and concentration by bioautography and dilution assay against a wild type strain of C. albicans.

As a part of a broad screening of antifungal agents from plant origin, crude extracts from Panamanian plants having related types of constituents displayed significant activities in an agar overlay thin layer chromatography assay against a susceptible strain of Candida albicans. These were the methanolic extract of the leaves of Schefflera systyla and Odontadenia puncticulosa and of the stems of Conostegia speciosa, that are species not previously investigated from a phytochemical viewpoint. For all plants, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) antifungal activity based profiling allowed the rapid localization of antifungal agents that were further obtained by targeted isolation procedure by semi-preparative HPLC or medium pressure liquid chromatography (MPLC) after LC gradient transfer. Different hederagenin saponins and one aglycone were found to be responsible for the antifungal activities of the extracts. Alpha-hederin was the antifungal of S. systyla, pulsatilla saponin D and 3β-O-[β-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→3)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)]-α-L-arabinopyranosylhederagenin of O. puncticulosa and arjunolic acid of C. speciosa. Their minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against planktonic and biofilm cells of C. albicans were determined. Alpha-hederin was the most potent compound with a MIC of 4 µg mL-1. Structurally related compounds (hederagenin, medicagenic acid 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and medicagenic acid) were used as standards and tested for comparison purposes. In order to better estimate the potential of these triterpenoids as antifungal agents, their cytological effects on C. albicans were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and the in vivo activity of alpha-hederin, medicagenic acid 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside and medicagenic acid was evaluated for the first time in the Galleria mellonella larvae model.