Prevalencia de hipotiroidismo en pacientes mujeres de 20 a 40 años de edad que acudieron al Centro de Salud - El Valle, durante el año 2020

Antecedentes: El hipotiroidismo es una patología conocida desde finales del siglo XV. Causada por diferentes factores como: ausencia o mal funcionamiento de la glándula tiroides, relacionada a la producción de las diferentes hormonas tiroideas, son de vital importancia para el desarrollo físico y mental del individuo. Objetivos: Determinar la prevalencia de hipotiroidismo en mujeres de 20 a 40 años que acudieron al CENTRO DE SALUD EL VALLE. Enero 2020 – diciembre 2020. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo, en mujeres de 20 a 40 años que acudieron al Centro de Salud El Valle en el periodo enero 2020 – diciembre 2020, con perfil tiroideo; en los resultados se utilizaron estadísticos descriptivos: moda, media, desvió estándar, que son variables cuantitativas. De acuerdo con los objetivos de nuestra investigación los datos fueron codificadas, mediante formulario de recolección se utilizó cruce de variables nominales, cualitativas y cuantitativas. Resultados: Se estudiaron 133 resultados de perfil tiroideo en pacientes mujeres, con edad promedio de 33 años; dentro de los estadísticos descriptivos podemos señalar que: 92 (69%) casos presentan hipotiroidismo, un 43,4% se encuentra con obesidad, 92,3% se encuentra en el sector rural, y el 7,7% en la zona urbana. Conclusiones: La prevalencia fue del 69% según el número de casos estudiados, el principal grupo etario fue de 36 – 40 años en su mayoría pertenecientes al área rural. El hipotiroidismo está presente en mayor proporción en mujeres con sobrepeso y obesidad con porcentajes de 37% y 43,4% respectivamente.Background: Hypothyroidism is a pathology known since the end of the XV century. It is caused by different factors such as: absence or malfunction of the thyroid gland, related to the production of the different thyroid hormones, which are of vital importance for the physical and mental development of the individual. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism in women between the ages of 20 and 40 who attended the CENTRO DE SALUD EL VALLE. January 2020 – December 2020. Methodology: A descriptive, retrospective study was carried out in women between 20 and 40 years of age who attended the “Centro de salud el Valle”, the period January 2020 - December 2020, with thyroid profile; descriptive statistics were used in the results: mode, mean, standard deviation, which are quantitative variables. In accordance with the objectives of our research, the data were codified by means of a collection form that used cross-referencing nominal, qualitative and quantitative variables. Results: A total of 133 results of thyroid profile in female patients were studied, with an average age of 33 years; within the descriptive statistics, the 92 (69%) cases present hypothyroidism, 43,4% are obese, 92,3% are in the rural sector, and 7,7% in the urban area. Conclusions: The prevalence was 69% according to the number of cases studied, the main age group was 36 - 40 years old, most of them belonging to rural areas. Hypothyroidism is present in greater proportion in overweight and obese women with percentages of 37% and 43,4% respectively.0000-0002-0398-0943Licenciado en Laboratorio ClínicoCuenc

The Energetic Particle Detector: Energetic particle instrument suite for the Solar Orbiter mission

After decades of observations of solar energetic particles from space-based observatories, relevant questions on particle injection, transport, and acceleration remain open. To address these scientific topics, accurate measurements of the particle properties in the inner heliosphere are needed. In this paper we describe the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), an instrument suite that is part of the scientific payload aboard the Solar Orbiter mission. Solar Orbiter will approach the Sun as close as 0.28 au and will provide extra-ecliptic measurements beyond ∼30° heliographic latitude during the later stages of the mission. The EPD will measure electrons, protons, and heavy ions with high temporal resolution over a wide energy range, from suprathermal energies up to several hundreds of megaelectronvolts/nucleons. For this purpose, EPD is composed of four units: the SupraThermal Electrons and Protons (STEP), the Electron Proton Telescope (EPT), the Suprathermal Ion Spectrograph (SIS), and the High-Energy Telescope (HET) plus the Instrument Control Unit that serves as power and data interface with the spacecraft. The low-energy population of electrons and ions will be covered by STEP and EPT, while the high-energy range will be measured by HET. Elemental and isotopic ion composition measurements will be performed by SIS and HET, allowing full particle identification from a few kiloelectronvolts up to several hundreds of megaelectronvolts/nucleons. Angular information will be provided by the separate look directions from different sensor heads, on the ecliptic plane along the Parker spiral magnetic field both forward and backwards, and out of the ecliptic plane observing both northern and southern hemispheres. The unparalleled observations of EPD will provide key insights into long-open and crucial questions about the processes that govern energetic particles in the inner heliosphere.Ministerio de Economía y CompetitividadAgencia Estatal de Investigació

Characterisation of suprathermal electron pitch-angle distributions: Bidirectional and isotropic periods in solar wind

Context. Suprathermal electron pitch-angle distributions (PADs) contain substantial information about the magnetic topology of the solar wind. Their characterisation and quantification allow us to automatically identify periods showing certain characteristics. Aims. This work presents a robust automatic method for the identification and statistical study of two different types of PADs: bidirectional suprathermal electrons (BDE, often associated with closed magnetic structures) and isotropic (likely corresponding to solar-detached magnetic field lines or highly scattered electrons). Methods. Spherical harmonics were fitted to the observed suprathermal PADs of the 119&-193 eV energy channel of STEREO/SWEA from March 2007 to July 2014, and they were characterised using signal processing analysis in order to identify periods of isotropic and bidirectional PADs. The characterisation has been validated by comparing the results obtained here with those of previous studies. Results. Interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) present longer BDE periods inside the magnetic obstacles. A significant amount of BDE remain after the end of the ICME. Isotropic PADs are found in the sheath of the ICMEs, and at the post-ICME region likely due to the erosion of the magnetic field lines. Both isotropy and BDE are solar-cycle dependent. The isotropy observed by STEREO shows a nearly annual periodicity, which requires further investigation. There is also a correspondence between the number of ICMEs observed and the percentage of time showing BDE. Conclusions. A method to characterise PADs has been presented and applied to the automatic identification of two relevant distributions that are commonly observed in the solar wind, such as BDE and isotropy. Four catalogues (STEREO-A and STEREO-B for isotropic and BDE periods of at least 10 min) based on this identification are provided for future applications.Agencia Estatal de Investigació

The Solar Orbiter Science Activity Plan: translating solar and heliospheric physics questions into action

Solar Orbiter is the first space mission observing the solar plasma both in situ and remotely, from a close distance, in and out of the ecliptic. The ultimate goal is to understand how the Sun produces and controls the heliosphere, filling the Solar System and driving the planetary environments. With six remote-sensing and four in-situ instrument suites, the coordination and planning of the operations are essential to address the following four top-level science questions: (1) What drives the solar wind and where does the coronal magnetic field originate?; (2) How do solar transients drive heliospheric variability?; (3) How do solar eruptions produce energetic particle radiation that fills the heliosphere?; (4) How does the solar dynamo work and drive connections between the Sun and the heliosphere? Maximising the mission"s science return requires considering the characteristics of each orbit, including the relative position of the spacecraft to Earth (a ecting downlink rates), trajectory events (such as gravitational assist manoeuvres), and the phase of the solar activity cycle. Furthermore, since each orbit"s science telemetry will be downloaded over the course of the following orbit, science operations must be planned at mission level, rather than at the level of individual orbits. It is important to explore the way in which those science questions are translated into an actual plan of observations that fits into the mission, thus ensuring that no opportunities are missed. First, the overarching goals are broken down into specific, answerable questions along with the required observations and the so-called Science Activity Plan (SAP) is developed to achieve this. The SAP groups objectives that require similar observations into Solar Orbiter Observing Plans (SOOPs), resulting in a strategic, top-level view of the optimal opportunities for science observations during the mission lifetime. This allows for all four mission goals to be addressed. In this paper, we introduce Solar Orbiter"s SAP through a series of examples and the strategy being followed.Agencia Estatal de Investigació

Mechanism of substrate binding and transport in BASS transporters

The Bile Acid Sodium Symporter (BASS) family transports a wide array of molecules across membranes, including bile acids in humans, and small metabolites in plants. These transporters, many of which are sodium-coupled, have been shown to use an elevator mechanism of transport, but exactly how substrate binding is coupled to sodium ion binding and transport is not clear. Here we solve the crystal structure at 2.3 Å of a transporter from Neisseria Meningitidis (ASBTNM) in complex with pantoate, a potential substrate of ASBTNM. The BASS family is characterised by two helices that cross-over in the centre of the protein in an arrangement that is intricately held together by two sodium ions. We observe that the pantoate binds, specifically, between the N-termini of two of the opposing helices in this cross-over region. During molecular dynamics simulations the pantoate remains in this position when sodium ions are present but is more mobile in their absence. Comparison of structures in the presence and absence of pantoate demonstrates that pantoate elicits a conformational change in one of the cross-over helices. This modifies the interface between the two domains that move relative to one another to elicit the elevator mechanism. These results have implications, not only for ASBTNM but for the BASS family as a whole and indeed other transporters that work through the elevator mechanism

Evidence of a complex structure within the 2013 August 19 coronal mass ejection: Radial and longitudinal evolution in the inner heliosphere

Context. Late on 2013 August 19, a coronal mass ejection (CME) erupted from an active region located near the far-side central meridian from Earth’s perspective. The event and its accompanying shock were remotely observed by the STEREO-A, STEREO-B, and SOHO spacecraft. The interplanetary counterpart (ICME) was intercepted by MESSENGER near 0.3 au and by both STEREO-A and STEREO-B near 1 au, which were separated from each other by 78° in heliolongitude. Aims. The main objective of this study is to follow the radial and longitudinal evolution of the ICME throughout the inner heliosphere and to examine possible scenarios for the different magnetic flux-rope configuration observed on the solar disk and measured in situ at the locations of MESSENGER and STEREO-A, separated by 15° in heliolongitude, and at STEREO-B, which detected the ICME flank. Methods. Solar disk observations are used to estimate the “magnetic flux-rope type”, namely, the magnetic helicity, axis orientation, and axial magnetic field direction of the flux rope. The graduated cylindrical shell model is used to reconstruct the CME in the corona. The analysis of in situ data, specifically the plasma and magnetic field, is used to estimate the global interplanetary shock geometry and to derive the magnetic flux-rope type at different in situ locations, which is compared to the type estimated from solar disk observations. The elliptical cylindrical analytical model is used for the in situ magnetic flux-rope reconstruction. Results. Based on the CME geometry and on the spacecraft configuration, we find that the magnetic flux-rope structure detected at STEREO-B belongs to the same ICME detected at MESSENGER and STEREO-A. The opposite helicity deduced at STEREO-B might be due to that fact that it intercepted one of the legs of the structure far from the flux-rope axis, in contrast to STEREO-A and MESSENGER, which were crossing through the core of the magnetic flux rope. The different flux-rope orientations measured at MESSENGER and STEREO-A probably arise because the two spacecraft measure a curved, highly distorted, and rather complex magnetic flux-rope topology. The ICME may have suffered additional distortion in its evolution in the inner heliosphere, such as the west flank propagating faster than the east flank when arriving near 1 au. Conclusions. This work illustrates how a wide, curved, highly distorted, and rather complex CME showed different orientations as observed on the solar disk and measured in situ at 0.3 au and near 1 au. Furthermore, the work shows how the ambient conditions can significantly affect the expansion and propagation of the CME and ICME, introducing additional irregularities to the already asymmetric eruption. The study also manifests how these complex structures cannot be directly reconstructed with the currently available models and that multi-point analysis is of the utmost importance in such complex events.Agencia Estatal de Investigació

First near-relativistic solar electron events observed by EPD onboard Solar Orbiter

Context. Solar Orbiter, launched in February 2020, started its cruise phase in June 2020, in coincidence with its first perihelion at 0.51 au from the Sun. The in situ instruments onboard, including the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD), operate continuously during the cruise phase enabling the observation of solar energetic particles. Aims. In situ measurements of the first near-relativistic solar electron events observed in July 2020 by EPD are analyzed and the solar origins and the conditions for the interplanetary transport of these particles investigated. Methods. Electron observations from keV energies to the near-relativistic range were combined with the detection of type III radio bursts and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations from multiple spacecraft in order to identify the solar origin of the electron events. Electron anisotropies and timing as well as the plasma and magnetic field environment were evaluated to characterize the interplanetary transport conditions. Results. All electron events were clearly associated with type III radio bursts. EUV jets were also found in association with all of them except one. A diversity of time profiles and pitch-angle distributions was observed. Different source locations and different magnetic connectivity and transport conditions were likely involved. The July 11 event was also detected by Wind, separated 107 degrees in longitude from Solar Orbiter. For the July 22 event, the Suprathermal Electron and Proton sensor of EPD allowed for us to not only resolve multiple electron injections at low energies, but it also provided an exceptionally high pitch-angle resolution of a very anisotropic beam. This, together with radio observations of local Langmuir waves suggest a very good magnetic connection during the July 22 event. This scenario is challenged by a high-frequency occultation of the type III radio burst and a nominally non-direct connection to the source; therefore, magnetic connectivity requires further investigation.Agencia Estatal de Investigació

Herramientas virtuales en el nivel de cumplimiento de tareas autónomas en el bachillerato en la unidad educativa Dr. Luis Célleri Aviles

This research article details all the work related to the use of virtual tools at the level of fulfillment of autonomous tasks in high school. This investigation lasted 5 months and was carried out with the help of the entire educational community that was the object of study; Teachers and students of the Baccalaureate of the Educational Unit Dr. Luis Célleri Avilés of the La Libertad Canton in the province of Santa Elena participated, which corresponds to 1008 students and 45 teachers. The problem that was under discussion was the low level of fulfillment of autonomous tasks. This inconvenience was expected to be solved through the interaction between teacher - student through a virtual platform that has the advantage of promoting autonomous work with the help of didactic resources. Information was obtained through scientific journals with the bibliographic method and pedagogical strategies that were needed for students to complete extra tasks with the help of technology, and thus improve their academic performance, with all this information it was possible to develop the proposal. which was the structuring of a learning environment. In this proposal, a virtual platform in Moodle was selected for all the advantages and resources that can be used for online classes, sending and receiving activities and the follow-up that the teacher can do with their students. After its implementation, the platform was tested and validated by some teachers and students, obtaining a positive and accepted response.Este artículo de investigación detalla todo el trabajo referente al uso de herramientas virtuales en el nivel de cumplimiento de tareas autónomas en el bachillerato. Esta indagación duro 5 meses y se llevó a cabo con la ayuda de toda la comunidad educativa que fue objeto de estudio; participaron docentes y estudiantes del Bachillerato de la Unidad Educativa Dr. Luis Célleri Avilés del Cantón La Libertad en la provincia de Santa Elena, que corresponde a 1008 estudiantes y 45 docentes. El problema que estuvo en discusión era el bajo nivel de cumplimiento de las tareas autónomas. Este inconveniente se esperaba solucionar a través de la interacción entre docente - estudiante mediante una plataforma virtual que tiene ventajas de promover a realizar los trabajos autónomos con la ayuda de recursos didácticos. Se obtuvo información mediante revista científicas con el método bibliográfico y estrategias pedagógicas que se necesitaba para que los estudiantes cumplan con las tareas extra con la ayuda de la tecnología, y de esa manera mejorar su rendimiento académico, con toda esta información fue posible desarrollar la propuesta que fue la estructuración de un entorno de aprendizaje. En esta propuesta se seleccionó una plataforma virtual en Moodle por todas las ventajas y recursos que se pueden utilizar para las clases online, envió y recepción de actividades y el seguimiento que el docente puede hacer a sus estudiantes. Después de su implementación, la plataforma fue probada y validada por algunos docentes y estudiantes, obteniendo una respuesta positiva y aceptada

Polymerase chain reaction on a viral nanoparticle

The field of synthetic biology includes studies that aim to develop new materials and devices from biomolecules. In recent years much work has been carried out using a range of biomolecular chassis including α-helical coiled coils, α-sheet amyloids and even viral particles. In this work we show how hybrid bionanoparticles can be produced from a viral M13 bacteriophage scaffold through conjugation to DNA primers that can template a polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This unprecedented example of a PCR on a virus particle has been studied by flow aligned linear dichroism spectroscopy, which gives information on the structure of the product as well as a new protototype methodology for DNA detection. We propose that this demonstration of PCR on the surface of a bionanoparticle is a useful addition to ways in which hybrid assemblies may be constructed using synthetic biology

The first widespread solar energetic particle event observed by Solar Orbiter on 2020 November 29

Context. On 2020 November 29, the first widespread solar energetic particle (SEP) event of solar cycle 25 was observed at four widely separated locations in the inner (.1 AU) heliosphere. Relativistic electrons as well as protons with energies >50 MeV were observed by Solar Orbiter (SolO), Parker Solar Probe, the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO)-A and multiple near-Earth spacecraft. The SEP event was associated with an M4.4 class X-ray flare and accompanied by a coronal mass ejection and an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wave as well as a type II radio burst and multiple type III radio bursts. Aims. We present multi-spacecraft particle observations and place them in context with source observations from remote sensing instruments and discuss how such observations may further our understanding of particle acceleration and transport in this widespread event. Methods. Velocity dispersion analysis (VDA) and time shift analysis (TSA) were used to infer the particle release times at the Sun. Solar wind plasma and magnetic field measurements were examined to identify structures that influence the properties of the energetic particles such as their intensity. Pitch angle distributions and first-order anisotropies were analyzed in order to characterize the particle propagation in the interplanetary medium. Results. We find that during the 2020 November 29 SEP event, particles spread over more than 230◦ in longitude close to 1 AU. The particle onset delays observed at the different spacecraft are larger as the flare–footpoint angle increases and are consistent with those from previous STEREO observations. Comparing the timing when the EUV wave intersects the estimated magnetic footpoints of each spacecraft with particle release times from TSA and VDA, we conclude that a simple scenario where the particle release is only determined by the EUV wave propagation is unlikely for this event. Observations of anisotropic particle distributions at SolO, Wind, and STEREO-A do not rule out that particles are injected over a wide longitudinal range close to the Sun. However, the low values of the first-order anisotropy observed by near-Earth spacecraft suggest that diffusive propagation processes are likely involved.Agencia Estatal de Investigació