Clarification of Sugar Cane Juice (Saccharum Officinarum) Through the Use of National Cocoa Muclago (Theobroma Cacao L)

The investigation was carried out at 980 m.s.n. in the San Ramón compound of the El Corazón Parish, Pangua canton, Cotopaxi province, Ecuador. The variables to be evaluated in the sugar cane juice clarification process were the viscosity (20, 25 and 30 cp) and the concentration of Ragnar variety cocoa shell mucilage (0.75, 1.5, and 2.25%), to determine the spectral color and saturation in the sugarcane juice. 10 liters of juice were used in each experimental unit, taking the clarified syrup samples in amber bottles and refrigerating them until further analysis on the colorimeter was conducted. For the statistical evaluation of the results of the saturation percentage, normality tests were performed according to the Shapiro-Wilk statistic; applying the Friedman and Holm test of multiple comparisons, allowed to identify the combination of a1b2 (25 cp * 2.25%) as the best juice clarification treatment, and, managing to establish the descriptive data, thus: spectral color at 576 nm, saturation 46.91%; standard deviation 2.75; median 46.36%; variance 7.6 and a range of 5.43. Keywords: syrup, spectral, flocculant, cachaza. Resumen La investigación se realizó a 980 msnm en el recinto San Ramón de la Parroquia El Corazón, cantón Pangua, provincia Cotopaxi, Ecuador. Las variables a evaluar en el proceso de clarificación de jugo de caña de azúcar fueron la viscosidad (20, 25 y 30 cp) y la concentración de mucílago de cáscara de cacao variedad Ragnar (0,75%, 1,5% y 2,25%), para determinar el color espectral y de saturación en el jugo de caña de azúcar. En cada unidad experimental se usó 10 litros de jugo, tomando las muestras de jarabe clarificado en botellas tipo ámbar y refrigerándolas hasta posterior análisis en el colorímetro. Para la evaluación estadística de los resultados del porcentaje de saturación, se realizaron pruebas de normalidad según el estadístico de Shapiro-Wilk; aplicando el test de Friedman y Holm de comparaciones múltiples, permitieron identificar como mejor tratamiento de clarificación de jugo a la combinación a1b2 (25 cp * 2,25%), y, logrando establecer los datos descriptivos, así: color espectral en 576 nm, saturación 46,91%; desviación estándar 2,75; mediana 46,36%; varianza 7,6 y un rango de 5,43. Palabras clave: jarabe, espectral, floculante, cachaza

Photo-Induced Black Phase Stabilization of CsPbI3 QDs Films

α-CsPbI3 quantum dots (QDs) show outstanding photoelectrical properties that had been harnessed in the fabrication of perovskite QDs solar cells. Nevertheless, the stabilization of the CsPbI3 perovskite cubic phase remains a challenge due to its own thermodynamic and the presence of surface defects. Herein, we report the optimization of the CsPbI3 QDs solar cells, by monitoring the structure, the morphology and the optoelectronic properties after a precise treatment, consisting of the conventional solvent washing with a time limited ultraviolet (UV) exposure combination, during the layer-by-layer deposition. The UV treatment compensates the defects coming from the essential but deleterious washing treatment. The material is stable for 200 h and the PCE improved by the 25% compared with that of the device without UV treatment. The photo-enhanced ion mobility mechanism is discussed as the main process for the CsPbI3 QDs and solar cell stability

Patologías osteomioarticulares del personal de enfermería y su relación con el desempeño laboral

El presente trabajo pretende determinar el grado de incidencia y prevalencia de patologías osteomioarticulares en el personal de enfermería del Hospital Luis Carlos Lagomaggiore. Se intenta concientizar e informar acerca de la importancia que tiene la salud laboral del personal de enfermería, no solo en este nosocomio, sino también en otros a nivel público y privado. También se busca modificar la poca atención que se presta a la salud e integridad del agente de enfermería, ya que es un grupo vulnerable que se enfrenta diariamente a riesgos, no solo a nivel psicofísico, sino con la manipulación de instrumental biomédico y movilización de pacientes entre muchos otros. Es fundamental que la información recabada permita conocer la realidad y encontrar un camino que lleve a solucionar este problema.Fil: Erazo, Sara. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Enfermería..Fil: González, Jorge E. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Enfermería..Fil: Murgo, Juan Pablo. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela de Enfermería.

Factores asociados a la incidencia de la automedicación en la comuna cinco Municipio de Popayán Cauca durante Abril-Junio 2010

Tablas, graficas, imágenes, mapasEl presente trabajo muestra la problemática sobre la automedicación que se evidencia en la comuna cinco (5) de la ciudad de Popayán Departamento del Cauca comprendida entre los barrios Avelino Ull, Braceros, El Lago, Berlín, Suizo, Las Ferias, La Campiña, María Oriente, Los Sauces, Santa Mónica, La Floresta, Los Andes, Colgate Palmolive, Alameda, Plateado, El Poblado Alto, Villa Oriente y San Andrés; La implementación de programas en donde se abarque a las comunidades vulnerables con acciones unidas en pro de un solo objetivo, realizando actividades de promoción y prevención. La Promoción son acciones dirigidas a toda la comunidad de las cuales se debe beneficiar todos los ciudadanos sin excepción. Su objetivo es mejorar la salud y proteger a la población de los riesgos biopsicosociales conocidos o de los que se puedan proteger en el tiempo. La prevención es el conjunto de principios y acciones que se toman antes que aparezcan los problemas de salud, con el fin de que se presenten bien en un individuo o en la colectividad; es un proceso dinámico que hace énfasis en las potencialidades del ser humano e involucra todos los elementos relacionados con su mejoramiento. Los establecimientos Farmacéutico son las áreas de atención en salud responsable de las actividades, procedimientos e intervenciones de carácter técnico, científico y administrativo, relacionados con los medicamentos y los dispositivos médicos utilizados en la promoción de la salud y la prevención, diagnóstico, tratamiento y rehabilitación de la enfermedad dirigido por el Tecnólogo en Regencia de Farmacia que garantiza su eficiencia, eficacia y efectividad. El Tecnólogo en Regencia de Farmacia y expertos en el tema, hacen parte del equipo de salud, con posibilidades de ofrecer atención, información y educación a la comunidad sobre el uso adecuado de los medicamentos, administrar las farmacias o droguerías y realizar visitas de promoción de medicamentos. Para realizar esta labor se requiere una preparación profesional en aspectos técnicos, básicos, científicos y humanísticos. Se tiene como finalidad poder presentar los resultados y conclusiones obtenidos, de un estudio que nos permite conocer las actividades de la automedicación de los habitantes de nuestra comunidad, con el fin de implementar un mecanismo de seguimiento y control del uso racional de los medicamentos. Una de las causas que nos lleva a realizar este proyecto es la inadecuada información que tiene el paciente acerca de los medicamentos y que hay una serie de problemas que le siguen debido a esta problemática, ocasionándoles recaídas perjudiciales al paciente, las cuales le pueden causar daños graves al organismo e incluso y seria el caso mas grave la muerte.No Abstrac

Preferred Growth Direction by PbS Nanoplatelets Preserves Perovskite Infrared Light Harvesting for Stable, Reproducible, and Efficient Solar Cells

Formamidinium‐based perovskite solar cells (PSCs) present the maximum theoretical efficiency of the lead perovskite family. However, formamidinium perovskite exhibits significant degradation in air. The surface chemistry of PbS has been used to improve the formamidinium black phase stability. Here, the use of PbS nanoplatelets with (100) preferential crystal orientation is reported, to potentiate the repercussion on the crystal growth of perovskite grains and to improve the stability of the material and consequently of the solar cells. As a result, a vertical growth of perovskite grains, a stable current density of 23 mA cm−2, and a stable incident photon to current efficiency in the infrared region of the spectrum for 4 months is obtained, one of the best stability achievements for planar PSCs. Moreover, a better reproducibility than the control device, by optimizing the PbS concentration in the perovskite matrix, is achieved. These outcomes validate the synergistic use of PbS nanoplatelets to improve formamidinium long‐term stability and performance reproducibility, and pave the way for using metastable perovskite active phases preserving their light harvesting capability

Urbanisation is associated with prevalence of childhood asthma in diverse, small rural communities in Ecuador

BACKGROUND: Studies conducted in transitional communities from Africa and Asia have pointed to the process of urbanisation as being responsible for the increase in asthma prevalence in developing regions. In Latin America, there are few published data available on the potential impact of urbanisation on asthma prevalence. The aim of the present study was to explore how the process of urbanisation may explain differences in asthma prevalence in transitional communities in north-eastern Ecuador. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: An ecological study was conducted in 59 communities in Esmeraldas Province, Ecuador. Indicators of urbanisation were grouped into three indices representing the processes associated with urbanisation: socioeconomic, lifestyle and urban infrastructure. Categorical principal components analysis was used to generate scores for each index and a fourth index--a summary urbanisation index--was derived from the most representative variables in each of the three indices. The authors analysed the associations between community asthma prevalence and the indices, as well as with each indicator variable of every group. The overall prevalence of asthma was 10.1% (range 0-31.4% between communities). Three of the four indices presented significant associations with community asthma prevalence: socioeconomic (r = 0.295, p = 0.023), lifestyle (r = 0.342, p = 0.008) and summary urbanisation index (r = 0.355, p = 0.006). Variables reflecting better socioeconomic status and a more urban lifestyle were associated with greater asthma prevalence. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidence that the prevalence of asthma increases with increasing levels of urbanisation in transitional communities, and factors associated with greater socioeconomic level and changes towards a more urban lifestyle may be particularly important

Risk factors for atopic and non-atopic asthma in a rural area of Ecuador

Background: Asthma has emerged as an important public health problem of urban populations in Latin America. Epidemiological data suggest that a minority of asthma cases in Latin America may be associated with allergic sensitisation and that other mechanisms causing asthma have been overlooked. The aim of the present study was to investigate risk factors for atopic and non-atopic asthma in school-age children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 3960 children aged 6–16 years living in Afro-Ecuadorian rural communities in Esmeraldas province in Ecuador. Allergic diseases and risk factors were assessed by questionnaire and allergic sensitisation by allergen skin prick reactivity. Results: A total of 390 (10.5%) children had wheeze within the previous 12 months, of whom 14.4% had at least one positive skin test. The population-attributable fraction for recent wheeze associated with atopy was 2.4%. Heavy Trichuris trichiura infections were strongly inversely associated with atopic wheeze. Non-atopic wheeze was positively associated with maternal allergic symptoms and sedentarism (watching television (>3 h/day)) but inversely associated with age and birth order. Conclusions: The present study showed a predominance of non-atopic compared with atopic wheeze among schoolchildren living in a poor rural region of tropical Latin America. Distinct risk factors were associated with the two wheeze phenotypes and may indicate different causal mechanisms. Future preventive strategies in such populations may need to be targeted at the causes of non-atopic wheeze

PDR-1/hParkin negatively regulates the phagocytosis of apoptotic cell corpses in Caenorhabditis elegans

Apoptotic cell death is an integral part of cell turnover in many tissues, and proper corpse clearance is vital to maintaining tissue homeostasis in all multicellular organisms. Even in tissues with high cellular turnover, apoptotic cells are rarely seen because of efficient clearance mechanisms in healthy individuals. In Caenorhabditis elegans, two parallel and partly redundant conserved pathways act in cell corpse engulfment. The pathway for cytoskeletal rearrangement requires the small GTPase CED-10 Rac1 acting for an efficient surround of the dead cell. The CED-10 Rac pathway is also required for the proper migration of the distal tip cells (DTCs) during the development of the C. elegans gonad. Parkin, the mammalian homolog of the C. elegans PDR-1, interacts with Rac1 in aged human brain and it is also implicated with actin dynamics and cytoskeletal rearrangements in Parkinsons's disease, suggesting that it might act on engulfment. Our genetic and biochemical studies indicate that PDR-1 inhibits apoptotic cell engulfment and DTC migration by ubiquitylating CED-10 for degradation

Tomato geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase isoform 1 is involved in the stress-triggered production of diterpenes in leaves and strigolactones in roots

Carotenoids are photoprotectant pigments and precursors of hormones such as strigolactones (SL). Carotenoids are produced in plastids from geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP), which is diverted to the carotenoid pathway by phytoene synthase (PSY). In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), three genes encode plastid-targeted GGPP synthases (SlG1 to SlG3) and three genes encode PSY isoforms (PSY1 to PSY3). Here, we investigated the function of SlG1 by generating loss-of-function lines and combining their metabolic and physiological phenotyping with gene co-expression and co-immunoprecipitation analyses. Leaves and fruits of slg1 lines showed a wild-type phenotype in terms of carotenoid accumulation, photosynthesis, and development under normal growth conditions. In response to bacterial infection, however, slg1 leaves produced lower levels of defensive GGPP-derived diterpenoids. In roots, SlG1 was co-expressed with PSY3 and other genes involved in SL production, and slg1 lines grown under phosphate starvation exuded less SLs. However, slg1 plants did not display the branched shoot phenotype observed in other SL-defective mutants. At the protein level, SlG1 physically interacted with the root-specific PSY3 isoform but not with PSY1 and PSY2. Our results confirm specific roles for SlG1 in producing GGPP for defensive diterpenoids in leaves and carotenoid-derived SLs (in combination with PSY3) in roots