Isolation of Beauveria bassiana Pr-11 from Andean orthopterans and its effectiveness against Chagas disease vectors in Peru

[eng] Chagas disease is endemic to the Americas and is transmitted by blood-feeding kissing bugs. We evaluated the insecticidal potential of a fungus (Beauveria bassiana strain Pr-11) against Triatoma infestans, an important vector in South America. This fungal species was isolated from a locust (Schistocerca piceifrons) that inhabits the Central Andes region of Peru. Ten days post inoculation, this strain induced high insect mortality (97%) at low fungal concentrations (2 × 107 conidia/ml) at 70% relative humidity. The Pr-11 strain outperformed reference strain CCBLE-216 B. bassiana, provided by the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture. Our results are consistent with previous reports on the virulence of this fungal strain against other insect pests. This is the first study to evaluate an orthopteran-isolated B. bassiana to control Chagas disease vectors. We conclude that strain Beauveria bassiana Pr-11 is effective against Triatoma infestans, resulting in a promising tool to control Chagas disease in Peru and may be used in integrated vector control programs

Application of the Factorial Design and Finite Element Methods to Optimize the Solidification of Cu-5wt%Zn Alloy in a Sand Mold

In the study reported in this work, two-dimensional numerical simulations were accomplish for the solidification of the Cu-5 wt %Zn alloy in industrial greensand. The latent heat release during the solidification using different mathematical models was incorporated. In order to accomplish this work, the finite elements technique and the ANSYS software program were used. The thermo-physical properties of the alloy Cu-5 wt %Zn were considered temperature-dependent, while for sand were considered constant. In addition, a full three-level Box-Behnken factorial design has been employed in order to investigate the effect of the three factors on the casting process, namely initial temperature of the mold, the convection in the external mold and the latent heat release during the phase change. The results of the heat transfer shown throughout the 2D system, such as thermal flow, thermal gradient and the cooling curves at various points of the cast metal/mold were determined. It was verified that the mold temperature and the mathematical model of the latent heat realease are the most important parameters in the solidification process

Improved functionalization of oleic acid-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for biomedical applications

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles can providemultiple benefits for biomedical applications in aqueous environments such asmagnetic separation or magnetic resonance imaging. To increase the colloidal stability and allow subsequent reactions, the introduction of hydrophilic functional groups onto the particles’ surface is essential. During this process, the original coating is exchanged by preferably covalently bonded ligands such as trialkoxysilanes. The duration of the silane exchange reaction, which commonly takes more than 24 h, is an important drawback for this approach. In this paper, we present a novel method, which introduces ultrasonication as an energy source to dramatically accelerate this process, resulting in high-quality waterdispersible nanoparticles around 10 nmin size. To prove the generic character, different functional groups were introduced on the surface including polyethylene glycol chains, carboxylic acid, amine, and thiol groups. Their colloidal stability in various aqueous buffer solutions as well as human plasma and serum was investigated to allow implementation in biomedical and sensing applications.status: publishe

The influence of workload, employee silence and trust in management on work outcomes among Australian allied health workers during COVID‐19

Little research has been undertaken on one of the largest and, arguably, critical workforces in the health sector—Allied Health (AH) professionals. These professionals encompass a diverse range of healthcare experts, including radiographers, psychotherapists, and occupational therapists (excluding doctors, nurses, and paramedics), and they are frequently deployed in hospital settings as part of multidisciplinary teams. As such this research explores the impact on workload on this highly integrated group and their ability to work effectively. Through an online survey with both closed and open-ended questions, this study investigates the impact of increased workload on employee silence and its potential adverse effects on engagement and the intention to leave of this critical workforce - allied health professionals. The survey sample consisted of 1160 participants, including radiographers, psychotherapists, and occupational therapists, with 334 participants providing comments in the open-ended questions. We discovered that trust in management significantly moderates the detrimental effects of workloads on these variables, particularly the intention to leave. The findings of this research contribute to the human resource management (HRM) literature in two significant ways. First, our study enhances the employee silence literature by addressing issues under management's purview for control and change. Second, it advances our understanding of protective resources that can mitigate the negative consequences of workloads on employee silence, thereby bolstering engagement and retention intentions. It is important for an HRM audience as we argue that perceived workload expectations impact employee voice systems negatively where there is an erosion of trust with management. However, by building trust through open communication and feedback, HRM can decrease AH professionals' intention to leave

Propuesta de un plan de negocios para la creaci?n de un centro integral de neuro rehabilitaci?n rob?tica en Lima

El presente estudio eval?a la viabilidad comercial, operativa y econ?mica para la creaci?n de un centro de rehabilitaci?n neurol?gica que utilice herramientas tecnol?gicas validadas a nivel mundial como los exoesqueletos, realidad virtual, sensores inerciales, entre otros; donde se brinde servicio de rehabilitaci?n integral a pacientes neurol?gicos. La evaluaci?n del tama?o real del mercado a la que se dirigir? la propuesta se ha realizado principalmente a trav?s de la b?squeda de estad?stica de enfermedad neurol?gica incapacitante relacionada a los servicios a ofertar, encuestas dirigidas a los potenciales clientes y entrevista a expertos. De los resultados estad?sticos se obtuvo que existe un gran porcentaje de la poblaci?n con capacidad de pago por el servicio que se propone y que requeire nuestro servicio. El modelo no s?lo se apalanca en una variable tecnol?gica o de especializaci?n, se da un valor agregado y diferencial para el cliente, pues mediante el servicio ofrecido se puede lograr la rehabilitaci?n integral del paciente en menos n?mero de sesiones y con un resultado final mejor que mediante las t?cnicas de rehabilitaci?n convencional, lo que genera al final un ahorro de recursos y de tiempo tanto al paciente y a sus familiares. La evaluaci?n econ?mica del plan de negocio en funci?n a las variables anteriormente descritas y explicadas muestran una tasa de retorno econ?mico de 22.21%, un periodo de recuperaci?n de casi 54 meses, un COK de 11% y un WACC de 5.59%

Application of the factorial design and finite element methods to optimize the solidification of Cu-5wt%Zn alloy in a sand mold

In the study reported in this work, two-dimensional numerical simulations were accomplish for the solidification of the Cu-5wt%Zn alloy in industrial greensand. The latent heat release during the solidification using different mathematical models was incorporated. In order to accomplish this work, the finite elements technique and the ANSYS software program were used. The thermo-physical properties of the alloy Cu-5wt%Zn were considered temperature-dependent, while for sand were considered constant. In addition, a full three-level Box-Behnken factorial design has been employed in order to investigate the effect of the three factors on the casting process, namely initial temperature of the mold, the convection in the external mold and the latent heat release during the phase change. The results of the heat transfer shown throughout the 2D system, such as thermal flow, thermal gradient and the cooling curves at various points of the cast metal/mold were determined. It was verified that the mold temperature and the mathematical model of the latent heat realease are the most important parameters in the solidification process.31323424

Enfermedades en hortalizas

En el presente, hemos considerado las enfermedades que afectan a las hortalizas por grupos de familia, tratando de compendiar aquellas identificadas en nuestro medio por diversos investigadores aunados a experiencias propias. El texto comprende una breve descripción de las enfermedades, sus síntomas y medidas correctivas a tomar, pretendiendo con esto, ayudar a identificarlos