Emulsifaction of waste cooking oils and fatty acid distillates as diesel engine fuel

The scope of this paper is to analyze the possibilities and feasibilities, as well as the main experimental results reported about the emulsification method applied to waste cooking oils and fatty acid distillates as diesel engine fuels, compared with other commonly used methods. These waste products are obtained in the refining oil industry, food industry and service sector from the frying process, mainly. However, they are a little used as feedstocks to produce biofuels and constitute a potential source of contamination. From the review of the state of arts, significant decreases in exhaust emissions of nitrogen oxides, cylinder pressure, as well as increases of the ignition delay, brake specific fuel consumption, hydrocarbon, smoke opacity, carbon monoxide, particulate matters to emulsified waste cooking oils and fatty acid distillates compared with diesel fuel are reported. In some experiments the emulsified waste cooking oils achieved better performance than neat fatty acid distillates, neat waste cooking oils and their derivates methyl esters

Evaluación cinética de la descomposición térmica de diferentes tipos de biodiesel mediante termogravimetría

El objetivo del presente trabajo fue la evaluación térmica y cinética del proceso de descomposición térmica de tres tipos de biodiésel, así como de una muestra de diésel de referencia. Las muestras analizadas provienen de biodiésel obtenido a partir de aceites de soya, higuereta y remolacha. Los parámetros cinéticos fueron evaluados mediante termogravimetría y se obtuvieron estimados de orden de reacción, factor pre-exponencial de Arrhenius y energía de activación. Para la estimación de estos se utilizaron modelos matemáticos basados en la teoría de Vyazovkin. El criterio de selección de los parámetros cinéticos adecuados en este trabajo se basó en los mejores coeficientes de correlación obtenidos, así como en el estudio del efecto de compensación cinética. Los perfiles termogravimétricos de las muestras de biodiésel y diésel mostraron una descomposición térmica en una sola etapa, con curvas de pérdida de masa y de su primera derivada muy similares para las muestras de biodiésel y distintas al diésel en cuanto a las temperaturas de comienzo y fin de la reacción de descomposición térmica. La energía de activación del diésel osciló entre 41 y 44 kJ · mol–1 y la de las muestras de biodiésel entre 52 y 67 kJ · mol–1. La reacción de descomposición térmica del diésel es de primer orden y en el caso de las muestras de biodiésel es de 1,2. La estabilidad térmica del biodiésel es mayor que el diésel

Design of a System of Internal Control Traceability Merchandise on Distribution Center Pharmaceutical Industry

Este artículo tiene como propósito presentar el diseño de un sistema de trazabilidad de cajas para el control de mercancía, en un centro de distribución del sector farmacéutico, donde actualmente se generan problemas en los despachos a sus clientes, constantes perdidas de cajas en los pedidos y envíos con inconsistencias, generando afectaciones económicas y reputaciones con sus clientes. Para lo anterior, se realizó la identificación de los objetos rastreables (cajas), actores inmersos y descripción del seguimiento interno con mejoras tecnológicas, lecturas de códigos de barras EAN 128 a través de Terminales de Radiofrecuencia (TRF) registrando toda la información de tiempos y cambios de estado en el sistema SISLOG.This article aims to present the design of a system of traceability of boxes to control merchandise in a distribution center in the pharmaceutical sector, which currently problems generated in shipments to customers, constant losses of boxes in orders and shipments inconsistencies, causing economic disruption and reputations with customers. For this, the identification of trackable objects (boxes), players involved and description of the internal follow up with technological improvements, readings EAN bar codes 128 through terminals Radiofrequency (TRF) recording all the time information it was made and state changes in the SISLOG system

Análisis del programa de la asignatura pediatría en el 4º año de la carrera de medicina Analysis of the syllabus of the subject of pediatrics in the 4th academic year of the medicine major

Se realizó un análisis crítico del Programa de la asignatura Pediatría, teniendo en cuenta las nuevas transformaciones que han tenido lugar en la Educación Superior en general y en la Educación Médica en particular, con el fin de sugerir cambios que ayuden a perfeccionar la enseñanza de la Pediatría en nuestro medio. Las respuestas de la Educación Superior en el mundo que se transforma deben guiarse por los criterios que determinan su jerarquía, a saber: pertinencia, calidad e internacionalización. La Universidad alcanzará su excelencia cuando la ciencia, la tecnología y el arte que en ella se desarrollan, formen parte de la cultura de la sociedad como consecuencia de su competencia e interacción. El encargo social de la Universidad es el de formar profesionales competentes, capaces de asimilar los cambios tecnológicos e introducirlos en la práctica social de forma creativa e innovadora; esto exige transformaciones en el proceso de formación del profesional que respondan a la dinámica de cambio cultural del mundo para este nuevo siglo. El Diseño Curricular ha pasado por ciertas etapas y su reevaluación ha determinado que el proceso de perfeccionamiento de la educación superior constituya uno de los retos que se imponen. En general, los procesos educativos actuales, nos han motivado a hacer un análisis crítico del programa para evaluar su transformación en los momentos actuales.Palabras clave: EDUCACIÓN MÉDICA, UNIVERSIDADES, EDUCACIÓN DE POSTGRADOABSTRACT A critical analysis of the Syllabus of the subject of Pediatrics was carried out, considering the new transformations that have taken place in the Higher Education generally and the Medical Education particularly, aimed at suggesting changes which help to perfect the teaching of Pediatrics in our environment. The responses of the Higher Education in the world that is being transformed should follow the criteria that determine their hierarchy, namely, pertinence, quality and internationalization. The university will reach its excellence when the science, technology, and art developed in it take part in the culture of the society as a consequence of its competence and interaction with it. The University's social assignment is to form competent professionals, capable of assimilating the technological changes and introduce them into the social practice in a creative and innovative way; this demands transformations in the process of forming the professional, which respond to the cultural change dynamics of the world for this new century. The Curricular Design has undergone different stages, and its re-evaluation has caused the process of perfecting the higher education to be one of the challenges to be faced, generally, in the current educational processes, which motivates us to critically analyze the syllabus to evaluate its transformation today. Key words: Medical Education, Universities, Postgraduate Educatio

Safety and effectiveness of CIMAvax-EGF administered in community polyclinics

In spite of the advances in immunotherapy and targeted therapies, lung cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer-related death. The epidermal growth factor receptor is an established target for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and its overactivation by the ligands can induce accelerated proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis as well as proinflammatory or immunosuppressive signals. CIMAvax-EGF is an epidermal growth factor (EGF)-depleting immunotherapy that is approved for the treatment of NSCLC patients in Cuba. The study was designed as a phase IV trial to characterize the safety and effectiveness of CIMAvax-EGF in advanced NSCLC patients treated in 119 community polyclinics and 24 hospitals. CIMAvax-EGF treatment consisted of four bi-weekly doses followed by monthly boosters. Overall, 741 NSCLC patients ineligible for further cancer-specific treatment were enrolled. CIMAvax-EGF was safe, and the most common adverse events consisted of mild-to-moderate injection site reactions, fever, chills, tremors, and headache. For patients completing the loading doses, the median survival was 9.9 months. For individuals achieving at least stable disease to the frontline and completing vaccination induction, the median survival was 12 months. Most of the functional activities and symptoms evaluated through the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 questionnaire improved over time. In conclusion, this real-world trial demonstrated that CIMAvax-EGF was safe and effective in patients who were vaccinated in the maintenance scenario. A larger effect was seen in subjects with poor prognosis like those with squamous tumors and high EGF levels. Remarkably, this community-based intervention was very important because it demonstrated the feasibility of treating advanced lung cancer patients with active immunotherapy in primary care institutions. In addition to CIMAvax-EGF, patients received supportive care at the community clinic. Vaccine administration by the family doctors at the polyclinics reduced the patients’ burden on the medical oncology services that continued providing chemotherapy and other complex therapies. We conclude that community polyclinics constitute the optimal scenario for administering those cancer vaccines that are safe and require prolonged maintenance in patients with advanced cancer, despite the continuous deterioration of their general condition.Clinical trial registrationhttps://rpcec.sld.cu/trials/RPCEC00000205-En, identifier RPCEC00000205

Treatment with tocilizumab or corticosteroids for COVID-19 patients with hyperinflammatory state: a multicentre cohort study (SAM-COVID-19)

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the association between tocilizumab or corticosteroids and the risk of intubation or death in patients with coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) with a hyperinflammatory state according to clinical and laboratory parameters. Methods: A cohort study was performed in 60 Spanish hospitals including 778 patients with COVID-19 and clinical and laboratory data indicative of a hyperinflammatory state. Treatment was mainly with tocilizumab, an intermediate-high dose of corticosteroids (IHDC), a pulse dose of corticosteroids (PDC), combination therapy, or no treatment. Primary outcome was intubation or death; follow-up was 21 days. Propensity score-adjusted estimations using Cox regression (logistic regression if needed) were calculated. Propensity scores were used as confounders, matching variables and for the inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTWs). Results: In all, 88, 117, 78 and 151 patients treated with tocilizumab, IHDC, PDC, and combination therapy, respectively, were compared with 344 untreated patients. The primary endpoint occurred in 10 (11.4%), 27 (23.1%), 12 (15.4%), 40 (25.6%) and 69 (21.1%), respectively. The IPTW-based hazard ratios (odds ratio for combination therapy) for the primary endpoint were 0.32 (95%CI 0.22-0.47; p < 0.001) for tocilizumab, 0.82 (0.71-1.30; p 0.82) for IHDC, 0.61 (0.43-0.86; p 0.006) for PDC, and 1.17 (0.86-1.58; p 0.30) for combination therapy. Other applications of the propensity score provided similar results, but were not significant for PDC. Tocilizumab was also associated with lower hazard of death alone in IPTW analysis (0.07; 0.02-0.17; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Tocilizumab might be useful in COVID-19 patients with a hyperinflammatory state and should be prioritized for randomized trials in this situatio

Thermal and kinetic evaluation of biodiesel derived from soybean oil and higuereta oil

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the thermal and kinetic behavior of biodiesel derived from soybean and higuereta oils. The thermogravimetric profiles of biodiesels indicated one step associated with decomposition of the ethyl esters. The thermal profiles were compared with reference diesel. Kinetic parameters were obtained by thermal analysis, estimating reaction order, pre-exponential factor and activation energy. For estimation of the kinetic parameters the Coats & Redfern method was used. The selection criterion of best fit was based on the correlation coefficient of the linear regression and the compensation effect of the kinetic parameters