An approach for assessing human health vulnerability and public health interventions to adapt to climate change.

Assessments of the potential human health impacts of climate change are needed to inform the development of adaptation strategies, policies, and measures to lessen projected adverse impacts. We developed methods for country-level assessments to help policy makers make evidence-based decisions to increase resilience to current and future climates, and to provide information for national communications to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The steps in an assessment should include the following: a) determine the scope of the assessment; b) describe the current distribution and burden of climate-sensitive health determinants and outcomes; c) identify and describe current strategies, policies, and measures designed to reduce the burden of climate-sensitive health determinants and outcomes; d) review the health implications of the potential impacts of climate variability and change in other sectors; e) estimate the future potential health impacts using scenarios of future changes in climate, socioeconomic, and other factors; f) synthesize the results; and g) identify additional adaptation policies and measures to reduce potential negative health impacts. Key issues for ensuring that an assessment is informative, timely, and useful include stakeholder involvement, an adequate management structure, and a communication strategy

No superradiance for the scalar field in the BTZ black hole with reflexive boundary conditions

We show that there is no superradiance in the rotating BTZ black hole for vanishing boundary conditions at infinity for the real scalar fieldComment: 9 pages. Accepted for publication in Physical Review D, 201

Prompt photon yield and v2v_2 coefficient from gluon fusion induced by magnetic field in heavy-ion collision

We compute the production of prompt photons and the $v_2$ harmonic coefficient in relativistic heavy-ion collisions induced by gluon fusion in the presence of an intense magnetic field, during the early stages of the reaction. The calculations take into account several parameters which are relevant to the description of the experimental transverse momentum distribution, and elliptic flow for RHIC and LHC energies. The main imput is the strength of the magnetic field which varies in magnitude from 1 to 3 times the pion mass squared, and allows the gluon fusion that otherwise is forbidden in the absence of the field. The high gluon occupation number and the value of the saturation scale also play an important role in our calculation, as well as a flow velocity and geometrical factors. Our results support the idea that the origin of at least some of the photon excess observed in heavy-ion experiments may arise from magnetic field induced processes, and gives a good description of the experimental data.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, conference paper from ISMD 201

Relación del conocimiento del etiquetado “Semáforo Nutricional” en el estado nutricional de adolescentes ecuatorianos/List of labeling knowledge: "Nutritional traffic light" in the nutritional status of Ecuadorian adolescents

El semáforo nutricional (SN) es un tipo de etiquetado de alimentos creado para mejorar la comprensión del contenido de nutrientes (sodio, azúcar y grasa) en los alimentos procesados. En Ecuador, el SN es de uso obligatorio desde el año 2012. Objetivo: Evaluar la relación del conocimiento del etiquetado SN en el estado nutricional de adolescentes ecuatorianos. Métodos: Estudio transversal. Con 599 adolescentes (14- 18 años). Se recopilaron datos antropométricos, actividad física (IPAQ-A) e ingesta alimentaria utilizando 3 encuestas de recordatorio de 24 horas, el conocimiento del SN se evaluó con un cuestionario preparado para este fin: puntuaciones >5 significaron adecuado conocimiento (AC). Las relaciones entre las variables se determinaron mediante prueba t de student, utilizando el software STATA-14. Resultados: 55% de los adolescentes presentaron diagnóstico de sobrepeso, el 28% obesidad, según los indicadores IMC//Edad, el 48% un AC. Los adolescentes que mostraron inadecuado conocimiento evidenciaron medias más altas de IMC//edad, circunferencia de la cintura, circunferencia de la cadera y porcentaje de masa grasa (p<0.001), no se encontró diferencias en la ingesta alimentaria y conocimiento del SN. Conclusiones: El conocimiento del SN puede estar relacionado con el sobrepeso-obesidad en adolescentes, se necesita realizar más estudios para conocer cuál es el impacto de SN sobre el estado nutricional de la población en general. Nutritional traffic light (NT) is a type of food labeling created to improve the understanding of nutrient content (sodium, sugar and fat) in industrialized foods. In Ecuador, the TN is mandatory since 2012. Objective: To evaluate the relationship of NT labeling knowledge in the nutritional status of Ecuadorian adolescents. Methods: cross-sectional study. With 600 teenagers (14-18 years old). Anthropometric data, physical activity (IPAQ-A), and food intake were collected using 3 reminder surveys of 24 hours. Knowledge of NT was assessed with a questionnaire prepared for this purpose: scores> 5 meant adequate knowledge (AK). The relationships between the variables were determined by student’s T-test, using the STATA-14 software. Results: 55% of the adolescents presented a diagnosis of overweight and 28% of the adolescents presented a diagnosis of obesity according to the BMI indicators // age 48% presented a AK. Adolescents who presented inadequate knowledge presented higher means of BMI // age, waist circumference, hip circumference and percentage of fat mass (p <0.001), no differences were found in food intake and NT knowledge. Conclusions: Knowledge of NT may be related to overweight-obesity in adolescents, more studies are needed to establish these associations. Palabras clave: Semáforo nutricional, estado nutricional, adolescentes, Ecuador. Keywords: Nutritional traffic light, nutritional status, adolescents, Ecuador

Neuronal Density in Primary Visual Cortex (17 Visual Area), in Two Species of Octodon

Indexación: ScieloEstudios experimentales demuestran que modificaciones medioambientales pueden producir alteraciones en el desarrollo normal de la corteza cerebral visual y sus conexiones. Por otra parte, es posible que en condiciones naturales, las especies animales hayan desarrollado adaptaciones genéticas a las distintas condiciones de luminosidad en que realizan su actividad. Recientemente, se han observado variaciones significativas en la densidad neuronal cortical del área 17 (área visual primaria), en roedores silvestres con diferentes períodos diarios de actividad y relación filogenética distante (Abrothrix olivaceus y Phyllotis darwini), pero aún no se ha determinado la naturaleza genética o plástica de dichas diferencias. En este trabajo se compararon especies con una mayor cercanía filogenética, para disminuir al máximo la variable taxonómica. Se estudió la corteza visual primaria (área 17), de roedores silvestres nativos, de las especies Octodon degus (n=5) y Octodon bridgesi (n=3), pertenecientes a la Familia Octodontidae, con el propósito de evidenciar cambios a través de la medición de la densidad neuronal, mediante la técnica del disector óptico, en cortes de 40 µm, incluidos en celoidina y teñidos con Nissl. Complementariamente, se realizó una cuantificación de la densidad neuronal de la corteza motora de las especies en estudio. O. degus, que presenta un período de actividad diurna, evidenció una densidad neuronal menor en la corteza visual (34,32 ± 2,51 x 104 neuronas/mm3), que la observada en O. bridgesi (39,55 ± 0,64 x 104 neuronas/mm3), especie de período de actividad nocturna; lo cual fue estadísticamente significativo (t=3,44; p<0,05). Las diferencias encontradas se podrían relacionar con el tipo de condiciones de luminosidad en que se desenvuelven dichas especies, aunque no se puede descartar la influencia de otros factores. SUMMARY: Studies show that environmental modifications can produce profound alterations in the normal development of the visual cortex and its connectivity. For the other hand it is possible that in natural conditions, animal species have developed genetic adaptations to the different conditions of luminance in which they normally behave. Recently have observed significant changes in cortical neuronal density of area 17 (primary visual area), in two sympatric Chilean rodents with different daily activity (Phyllotis darwini and Abrothrix olivaceus), but have not yet determined the genetic nature or plastic such differences. In this paper we compared species with a closer phylogenetic relation so as to minimize the taxonomic variable. We studied the primary visual cortex (area 17) of wild rodents native of the species Octodon degus (n=5) and Octodon bridgesi (n=3), belonging to the Octodontidae family, in order to show changes in the neuronal density, using celloidin-embedded, 40µm-thickness Nissl sections, with the aid of an optical dissector. In addition, we performed a quantification of the neuronal density of the motor cortex of the species under study. O. degus, bearing a crepuscular-diurnal activity pattern, showed a lower neuronal density in the visual cortex (34.32 ± 2.51 x104 neuron/mm3) than that observed in O. bridgesi (39.55 ± 0.64 x104 neuron/mm3), a species that exhibits a nocturnal phase preference, which was statistically significant (t=3.44; p<0.05). These differences might be related to differences in daily activity in two species, but we cannot discount the influence of other factors

Surface currents in the macaronesian region, thirteen years of drifting data

Peer Reviewe