An Overview of Urbanization in Ecuador under FUAs Definition [WP]

This paper analyzes the urbanization of Ecuador in the period 1950 – 2010 under the Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) definition. When Ecuadorian FUAs population evolution over time is explored, it is possible to observe that the urbanization of Ecuador had its peak between 1960 and 1980. Moreover, the highest increase of population in recent decades is mostly driven by the urban growth of small FUAs. In addition, the analysis suggests that the FUAs in Ecuador are in line with the size and structure of the FUAs of a similar developing country, Colombia, and the whole OECD sample of FUAs. Finally, it is pointed that the population of Ecuador is concentrated in the FUAs of metropolitan size (1.5 million of inhabitants or more), which are below the average of the metropolitan areas of the OEC

An approximation to household overcrowding: evidence from Ecuador

This paper addresses the household overcrowding problem. To do so, a binary choice model with logit specification is constructed. The cross section data used in the empirical analysis comes from Ecuador which is a developing South American country. Although, household overcrowding has more incidence in developing countries, it also takes place in developed economies. The findings of the research suggest that a set of variables related to the head of the household like his/her gender, age, and level of education affect the probability of being under overcrowding situation in the household. Furthermore, the regime of tenancy under which the household is living in the dwelling also influences the probability of being in overcrowding situation

Measuring Overcrowding in Households with Children: Official vs. Actual Thresholds in the Ecuadorian Case

This paper reports research into the official (more than three people per bedroom, ppb) compared to the actual classification of household overcrowding using a developing country as a case of study. In this respect, the aim of this paper is two-fold. Firstly, using the official Ecuadorian household overcrowding threshold, we explore the association between household overcrowding and a well-being variable. Secondly, we identify and compare whether this official threshold corresponds to the actual level at which the well-being variable seems to be affected. To do so, we use a probit regression in which our well-being variable, young children's respiratory health, depends on household overcrowding. We find that overcrowding is positively associated with the incidence of respiratory diseases in children at a level of α=1%. Always using the official classification of overcrowding (3 ppb), marginal effect analysis indicates that, for two hypothetical households with at least one 0- to 5-year-old child with average values in terms of the other estimates, the predicted probability of having a child with a respiratory disease is 0.0022 greater for an overcrowded household than in one that is not. With respect to our second objective, we find that the threshold at which household density starts to affect the incidence of respiratory disease in children is 1.33 ppb, which is significantly lower than the official classification of over 3 ppb. In conclusion, the Ecuadorian government and other authorities that have established their household overcrowding classification arbitrarily should re-evaluate their official criteria, setting a threshold at which household density starts to deteriorate the health outputs of the household members. In fact, it may be useful to discuss and incorporate a refined definition of overcrowding, which could include other considerations than just density (e.g., an age limit for children for sharing a bedroom and gender separation), taking the restrictions of a developing country into account, in this case. Moreover, an official classification that reflects the social reality allows accurate policies, goals and strategies to be established to improve household overcrowding

Clinical utility of vitamin D in the treatment of idiopathic chronic lymphopenia: a possible intervention

Aim: To open the possibility of using vitamin D in cases of idiopathic lymphopenia. Background: In addition to its participation in the homeostasis of calcium and phosphorus, vitamin D has immunomodulatory mechanisms, so, its deficiency, apart from being associated with bone abnormalities, accompanies the development of certain autoimmune diseases. Case Description: It is a case of leukopenia associated with idiopathic lymphopenia of four years of evolution, in a 51-year-old woman, with history of hemithyroidectomy and osteopenia in the lumbar spine. Management initially consisted in supplementation with calcium and ibandronic acid. However, in the presence of hypercalciuria, vitamin D deficiency was suspected, so its serum levels were quantified, confirming the deficiency, then calcitriol was added to the treatment. Five months after the first dose of calcitriol, the leukocytes and lymphocytes levels were within normal range. Conclusion: There are many therapeutic schemes to treat vitamin D deficiency, however, nowadays no cases have been reported confirming the positive effect on lymphocytes count after vitamin D supplementation. Clinical significance: Until now, cases of idiopathic lymphopenia have not been given any specific therapeutic alternative, and vitamin D could have a positive effect if there is an autoimmune component, and perhaps even offer a greater spectrum of benefits

Exploring factors influencing domestic violence: a comprehensive study on intrafamily dynamics

IntroductionThis econometric analysis investigates the nexus between household factors and domestic violence. By considering diverse variables encompassing mood, depression, health consciousness, social media engagement, household chores, density, and religious affiliation, the study aims to comprehend the underlying dynamics influencing domestic violence.MethodsEmploying econometric techniques, this study examined a range of household-related variables for their potential associations with levels of violence within households. Data on mood, depression, health consciousness, social media usage, household chores, density, and religious affiliation were collected and subjected to rigorous statistical analysis.ResultsThe findings of this study unveil notable relationships between the aforementioned variables and levels of violence within households. Positive mood emerges as a mitigating factor, displaying a negative correlation with violence. Conversely, depression positively correlates with violence, indicating an elevated propensity for conflict. Increased health consciousness is linked with diminished violence, while engagement with social media demonstrates a moderating influence. Reduction in the time allocated to household chores corresponds with lower violence levels. Household density, however, exhibits a positive association with violence. The effects of religious affiliation on violence manifest diversely, contingent upon household position and gender.DiscussionThe outcomes of this research offer critical insights for policymakers and practitioners working on formulating strategies for preventing and intervening in instances of domestic violence. The findings emphasize the importance of considering various household factors when designing effective interventions. Strategies to bolster positive mood, alleviate depression, encourage health consciousness, and regulate social media use could potentially contribute to reducing domestic violence. Additionally, the nuanced role of religious affiliation underscores the need for tailored approaches based on household dynamics, positioning, and gender

Continuity between Neuroticism and its maladaptive variant: a correlational study

La última versión del DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) ha generado un importante debate en el campo de los trastornos de personalidad al proponer un modelo dimensional que se aleja de la perspectiva categorial de las ediciones previas. Este nuevo modelo, planteado conforme el Modelo de los Cinco Factores (Five Factor Model - FFM), asume que para cada dominio de la personalidad normal es posible reconocer un polo desadaptativo (Widiger, Gore, Crego, Rojas, y Oltmanns, 2016; Widiger y Mullins-Sweatt, 2009). Gran parte de los esfuerzos actuales se centran en aportar evidencias empíricas sobre la continuidad entre los rasgos de personalidad normal y desadaptativa estudiando la relación de los diferentes instrumentos normativos desarrollados para la medición de estos constructos (e.g. Griffin y Samuel, 2014; Quilty, Ayearst, Chmielewski, Pollock y Bagby, 2013; Wright y Simms, 2014; Balsis, Ruchensky y Busch, 2017). En particular ha despertado interés el espectro del dominio Neuroticismo por su utilidad en el ámbito clínico-epidemiológico al asociarse con múltiples problemas de salud y trastornos mentales (Widiger y Oltmanns, 2017). Desde la perspectiva normal, el Neuroticismo se caracteriza por la tendencia a sentir emociones negativas tales como preocupaciones, enojo, sentimientos de inseguridad, insatisfacción consigo mismo y/o con el contexto, lo cual genera conflictos en sus vínculos interpersonales (McCrae y Costa, 2010). Su variante desadaptativa, la Afectividad Negativa, se define como la vivencia de experiencias frecuentes e intensas de una amplia gama de emociones negativas. También incluye conductas de autolesión y vínculos interpersonales con marcada dependencia (APA, 2013). En este trabajo se propone como objetivo obtener evidencias empíricas locales de la continuidad existente entre las dimensiones del Neuroticismo del FFM y su variante desadaptativa la Afectividad Negativa. Se han empleado diversas estrategias metodológicas para verificar este supuesto de continuidad, como análisis factoriales (Wright y Simms, 2014) y la Teoría de Respuesta al Ítem (Balsis, Ruchensky, y Busch, 2017). Dado el carácter preliminar de este estudio aquí se plantea analizar las correlaciones entre las escalas, estrategia que ha sido seguida por numerosos autores (e.g. Griffin y Samuel, 2014; Quilty et al. 2013).The latest version of the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013) has produced remarkable debate in the field of personality disorders by offering a dimensional model that diverge from the categorical perspective of previous editions. This new model, based on the Five Factor Model (FFM), assumes that it is posible to recognize a maladaptive pole for each domain of the normal personality (Widiger, Gore, Crego, Rojas, & Oltmanns, 2016; Widiger & Mullins-Sweatt, 2009). Much of the current effort focuses on providing empirical evidence of the continuity between normal and maladaptive personality traits by studying the relationship of the different normative instruments developed to measure these constructs (e.g. Griffin & Samuel, 2014; Quilty, Ayearst, Chmielewski, Pollock & Bagby, 2013; Wright & Simms, 2014; Balsis, Ruchensky & Busch, 2017). Specifically, the spectrum of the Neuroticism domain has aroused interest due to its usefulness in the clinical-epidemiological field when associated with multiple health problems and mental disorders (Widiger & Oltmanns, 2017). From the normal perspective, Neuroticism is characterized by the tendency to feel negative emotions such as worries, anger, feelings of insecurity, dissatisfaction with oneself and/or with the context, which generates conflicts in their interpersonal ties (McCrae & Costa, 2010). Its maladaptive variant, Negative Affectivity, is defined as the experience of frequent and intense experiences of a wide range of negative emotions. It also includes behaviors of self-injury and interpersonal bonds with marked dependence (APA, 2013). In this work it is proposed as objective to obtain local empirical evidences of the existing continuity between the dimensions of the Neuroticism of the FFM and its un-adaptive variant the Negative Affectivity. Several methodological strategies have been used to verify this assumption of continuity, such as factorial analyses (Wright & Simms, 2014) and the Item Response Theory (Balsis, Ruchensky, & Busch, 2017). Given the preliminary nature of this study, and following the strategies implemented by numerous authors, it is proposed here to analyses the correlations between the scales (e.g. Griffin & Samuel, 2014; Quilty et al. 2013).Facultad de Psicologí

Techno‐environmental analysis of the use of green hydrogen for cogeneration from the gasification of wood and fuel cell

This paper aims to evaluate the use of wood biomass in a gasifier integrated with a fuel cell system as a low carbon technology. Experimental information of the wood is provided by the literature. The syngas is purified by using pressure swing adsorption (PSA) in order to obtain H2 with 99.99% purity. Using 132 kg/h of wood, it is possible to generate 10.57 kg/h of H2 that is used in a tubular solid oxide fuel cell (TSOFC). Then, the TSOFC generates 197.92 kW. The heat generated in the fuel cell produces 60 kg/h of steam that is needed in the gasifier. The net efficiency of the integrated system considering only the electric power generated in the TSOFC is 27.2%, which is lower than a gas turbine with the same capacity where the efficiency is around 33.1%. It is concluded that there is great potential for cogeneration with low carbon emission by using wood biomass in rural areas of developing countries e.g., with a carbon intensity of 98.35 kgCO2/MWh when compared with those of natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) without and with CO2 capture i.e., 331 kgCO2/MWh and 40 kgCO2/MWh, respectively. This is an alternative technology for places where biomass is abundant and where it is difficult to get electricity from the grid due to limits in geographical location

Thermo-fluid study of the upc race-track microtron cooling system

The cooling system of the race-track microtron (RTM), which is under construction at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), has been simulated by means of a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software. The hydraulic and thermal performance of the system for various operation conditions has been studied. Firstly, the hydraulic model has been validated by comparison with experimental measurements at different flow rates. Then, the cooling fluid temperatures and the pressure losses of the system have been determined and the capacity of the current design to remove the generated heat at nominal power has been confirmed. Finally, the maximum and average wall temperatures and heat transfer coefficients inside the accelerating structure have been calculated. These results have allowed us to localize sections of the cooling system with a low convection due to detached flows where, therefore, a risk of zones of high temperatures exists. An optimization of the cooling circuit with the aim to reduce such high temperature zones has been proposed.Postprint (published version

Epidermal Barrier Function and Skin Homeostasis in Atopic Dermatitis: The Impact of Age

We would like to thank all the individuals who generously shared their time to participate in this research. The results of this study are part of the PhD work of Trinidad Montero-Vilchez.Skin is damaged in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Age is also believed to have a negative effect on epidermal barrier function. The aim of this study was to investigate skin barrier function changes with age in AD patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 162 participants, 81 AD patients and 81 healthy volunteers. Skin barrier function parameters, such as transepidermal water loss (TEWL), erythema, temperature, stratum corneum hydration (SCH), pH, and elasticity, were evaluated. Healthy volunteers were evaluated on the volar forearm. AD patients were measured on two regions: on an eczematous lesion on the volar forearm and on a non-involved area 5 cm from the affected area. TEWL was lower on healthy skin than uninvolved AD skin (9.98 vs. 25.51 g center dot m(-2)center dot h(-1), p < 0.001) and AD eczematous lesions (9.98 vs. 28.38 g center dot m(-2)center dot h(-1), p < 0.001). SCH was lower on AD eczematous lesions than uninvolved AD skin (24.23 vs. 39.36 AU, p < 0.001) and healthy skin (24.23 vs. 44.36 AU, p < 0.001). Elasticity was lower on AD eczematous lesions than uninvolved AD skin (0.69 vs. 0.74, p = 0.038) and healthy skin (0.69 vs. 0.77, p = 0.014). A negative correlation was found between age and elasticity in all the population (r = -0.383, p < 0.001). This correlation was stronger in AD patients (r = -0.494, p < 0.001) than in controls (r = -0.266, p = 0.092). After conducting a linear regression model in AD patients adjusted by age, sex, and SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), it was found that elasticity was impaired by an increasing age (beta = -0.004, p < 0.001) and a higher SCORAD (beta = -0.003, p < 0.001). The skin barrier function is impaired by age and AD, reflected mainly in poor elasticity values in older AD patients

SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA detection using the novel CoVradar device associated with the CoVreader smartphone app

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi. org/10.1016/j.bios.2023.115268The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for innovative approaches to its diagnosis. Here we present CoVradar, a novel and simple colorimetric method that combines nucleic acid analysis with dynamic chemical labeling (DCL) technology and the Spin-Tube device to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva samples. The assay includes a fragmentation step to increase the number of RNA templates for analysis, using abasic peptide nucleic acid probes (DGL probes) immobilized to nylon membranes in a specific dot pattern to capture RNA fragments. Duplexes are formed by labeling complementary RNA fragments with biotinylated SMART bases, which act as templates for DCL. Signals are generated by recognizing biotin with streptavidin alkaline phosphatase and incubating with a chromogenic substrate to produce a blue precipitate. CoVradar results are analysed by CoVreader, a smartphone-based image processing system that can display and interpret the blotch pattern. CoVradar and CoVreader provide a unique molecular assay capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA without the need for extraction, preamplification, or pre-labeling steps, offering advantages in terms of time (similar to 3 h/test), cost (similar to epsilon 1/test manufacturing cost) and simplicity (does not require large equipment). This solution is also promising for developing assays for other infectious diseases.FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Economia y Conocimiento CV20-77741, A-FQM-760-UGR20, PID 2019-110987RB-I00, PID 2019-103938RB-I00Spanish MCIN/AEI P18-RT-2961, P18-TP-4160FEDER/Junta de Andalucia-Consejeria de Salud y Familias PIP-0232-2021European CommissionMCIN/AEI PTQ 2020-011388, IJC 2020-043307-IEuropean Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR PTQ 2020-011388, IJC 2020-043307-