Internet and Mobile Technologies for Development: Game-changing Opportunities for Latin America

Recent surveys show that Latin America is home to approximately 10% of the world population and possesses nearly 10% of its wealth. This data alone should be enough to justify the importance of this region. However, nearly 50% of the inhabitants of Latin America live in dire poverty, without access to clean water, adequate housing and education. In other words, they are unable to satisfy their basic human needs and, worse still, they don’t even have the opportunity and freedom to make choices in their own lives. On the other hand, the rules of competition of the digital economy are largely based on knowledge, digital connectivity, and ubiquitous capabilities. Businesses in developed countries find opportunities based on their ability to use the Internet and mobile technologies to reach customers and to achieve transactional efficiency. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that shows that such an understanding of development is too simplistic and does not take into account the specificity of local geographies, cultures and social structures

Estudio de prefactibilidad para el diseño y gestión de un distrito de riego en las veredas Manuel Sur, Manuel Norte,la Tetilla, y la Carreta de los municipios de Agua de Dios y Ricaurte Cundinamarca 2014

Elaborar un proyecto a través del cual se sustente la prefactibilidad para el uso de las aguas del Río Bogotá como fuente hídrica de abastecimiento de agua para el minidistrito de riego de baja escala y dar solución al problema de falta de agua en los Manuales y Comunidades VecinasConsiderando el hecho de que por la Vereda Manuel Norte del Municipio de Agua de Dios, Manuel Sur, La Tetilla y La Carrera del Municipio de Ricaurte hace recorrido el Río Bogotá, surge la oportunidad de viabilizar el diseño de un distrito de riego para irrigar las tierras de uso agrícola como alternativa hidráulica encaminada a aprovechar las aguas de este afluente bajo un esquema ambientalmente sustentable y de esa forma contribuir a dinamizar la producción agrícola y pecuaria de la zona, fortaleciendo la capacidad productiva y competitiva local mediante el aprovechamiento de esta recurso hídrico como insumo en los procesos productivos

Observations on different post-fire bio-engineering interventions and vegetation response in a Pinus canariensis C. Sm. forest

On the Canary Islands, during the 2007 (30 July - 2 August) wildfire, about 18.000 hectares of forest were destroyed. After the event, to avoid erosion, a series of mixed check dams (wooden elements and stones with a core filled with forest residues) were built in the gullies created by the surface runoff. This first study aims to investigate the different responses of vegetation and its recovery after fire, with three different types of structures. We analyzed the performance and evolution of the mixed check dams nine years after their construction and the post-fire response of vegetation with the different types of bio-engineering techniques applied. The effects of the mixed check dams are expressed in terms of plant density, frequency, and cover both in absolute and in relative terms and the same effects were compared with those of the rocks, check dams, wattle fences, and structure in the surrounding areas. Our observations show that fire adaptation in the Canary Islands vegetation (pyrophyte plants), coupled with selected bio-engineering techniques, facilitated resprouting, seeds germination and a quick restoration of the forest ecosystem. The study confirms that simple, nature-based and low cost bio-engineering measures, which use local materials and are consistent with traditional building experiences effectively contribute to site restoration

Node-by-node disassembly of a mutualistic interaction web driven by species introductions

Interaction webs summarize the diverse interactions among species in communities. The addition or loss of particular species and the alteration of key interactions can lead to the disassembly of the entire interaction web, although the nontrophic effects of species loss on interaction webs are poorly understood. We took advantage of ongoing invasions by a suite of exotic species to examine their impact in terms of the disassembly of an interaction web in Patagonia, Argentina. We found that the reduction of one species (a host of a keystone mistletoe species) resulted in diverse indirect effects that led to the disassembly of an interaction web through the loss of the mistletoe, two key seed-dispersers (a marsupial and a bird), and a pollinator (hummingbird). Our results demonstrate that the gains and losses of species are both consequences and drivers of global change that can lead to underappreciated cascading coextinctions through the disruption of mutualisms.Fil: Rodriguez Cabal, Mariano Alberto. University Of Tennessee; Estados Unidos. University Of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Barrios Garcia Moar, Maria Noelia. University Of Tennessee; Estados Unidos. University Of British Columbia; CanadáFil: Amico, Guillermo Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Aizen, Marcelo Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Patagonia Norte. Instituto de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente; ArgentinaFil: Sanders, Nathan J.. University Of Tennessee; Estados Unidos. Natural History Museun Of Copenhague; Dinamarc

CONSIDERACIONES CINEMATICAS Y DINAMICAS PARA EL DESARROLLO DE CONTROL A UN SISTEMA DE SUSPENSION

Este articulo esta enfocado en el diseño de un controlador para un sistema de suspensión pasiva, partiendo de las correctas posiciones que debe adoptar un vehículo automotor y generando el modelo matemático que rija el sistema, el controlador diseñado permitirá mejorar las condiciones de confort, seguridad y maniobrabilidad del vehículo, como lo hace actualmente los sistemas de suspensión activa. Se evidenciara los resultados por medio de simulaciones

Analyzing artificial intelligence systems for the prediction of atrial fibrillation from sinus-rhythm ECGs including demographics and feature visualization

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormal heart rhythm, asymptomatic in many cases, that causes several health problems and mortality in population. This retrospective study evaluates the ability of different AI-based models to predict future episodes of AF from electrocardiograms (ECGs) recorded during normal sinus rhythm. Patients are divided into two classes according to AF occurrence or sinus rhythm permanence along their several ECGs registry. In the constrained scenario of balancing the age distributions between classes, our best AI model predicts future episodes of AF with area under the curve (AUC) 0.79 (0.72–0.86). Multiple scenarios and age-sex-specific groups of patients are considered, achieving best performance of prediction for males older than 70 years. These results point out the importance of considering different demographic groups in the analysis of AF prediction, showing considerable performance gaps among them. In addition to the demographic analysis, we apply feature visualization techniques to identify the most important portions of the ECG signals in the task of AF prediction, improving this way the interpretability and understanding of the AI models. These results and the simplicity of recording ECGs during check-ups add feasibility to clinical applications of AI-based modelsGJO, AS-G, LJJ-B received a research grant from the Carlos III Institute of Health under the health Strategy action 2020-2022 with reference PI20/00792. Tis study is also supported partially by projects TRESPASS-ETN (H2020-MSCAITN-2019-860813), PRIMA (H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019-860315), IDEA-FAST (IMI2-2018-15-853981), BIBECA (RTI2018-101248-B-I00 MINECO/FEDER

Echinocandin susceptibility testing of Candida spp. using the EUCAST EDef 7.1 and CLSI M27-A3 standard procedures: Analysis of the influence of Bovine Serum Albumin Supplementation, Storage Time and Drug Lots

The MICs of echinocandins against Candida isolates with fks mutations are higher than those for wild-type (WT) isolates. However, the MIC ranges for susceptible and mutant populations overlap or are poorly separated. It was recently reported that a greater separation could be achieved in the presence of serum. To more fully explore this possibility, we compared the performances of the reference microdilution methods by using standard and bovine serum albumin (BSA)-supplemented growth medium. Anidulafungin, caspofungin, and micafungin MICs were determined according to EUCAST and CLSI methods and with 50% BSA in the medium for 93 clinical isolates, including Candida albicans (20/10 [number of isolates/number of mutants]), C. glabrata (19/10), C. dubliniensis (2/1), C. krusei (16/3), C. parapsilosis (19), and C. tropicalis (19/4) isolates. Stability of the plates was tested after storage at -80°C for 2 and 6 months, and the performance of two different lots of caspofungin was investigated. The addition of BSA to the medium resulted in higher MICs (1 to 9 2-fold dilution steps) for all isolates and compounds. The increases were greatest for anidulafungin and micafungin and, among WT isolates, for C. parapsilosis. The number of very major errors (VMEs) was reduced (24% [20/84 isolates] versus ≤ 7% [6/84 isolates]) using BSA-supplemented EUCAST medium but not using BSA-supplemented CLSI medium (6% versus 9%). MIC results were unchanged after 6 months of storage of test plates. The two lots of caspofungin yielded identical results. Addition of BSA to the EUCAST medium increases the ability to differentiate between WT isolates and isolates harboring resistance mutations.Fil: Arendrup, Maiken Cavling. Statens Serum Institut. Unit of Mycology and Parasitology; DinamarcaFil: Rodriguez Tudela, Juan Luis. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Servicio de Micología; EspañaFil: Park, Steven. UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Public Health Research Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Garcia, Guillermo Manuel. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina. UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Public Health Research Institute; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe; ArgentinaFil: Delmas, Guillaume. UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Public Health Research Institute; Estados UnidosFil: Cuenca Estrella, Manuel. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Servicio de Micología; EspañaFil: Gómez López, Alicia. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Servicio de Micología; EspañaFil: Perlin, David Scott. UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School. Public Health Research Institute; Estados Unido

Nuevos horizontes en cirugía mamaria. Cirugía radioguiada y biopsia selectiva de ganglio centinela

Although needle-wire localization is the most commonly used localization technique for nonpalpable breast lesion biopsy, the technique of radioguided occult lesion localization (ROLL), is becoming increasingly used for open-surgery diagnosis in such cases. Sentinel lymph node biopsy(SLNB) is based on the hypothesis that lymphatic drainage from a tumor reaches the sentinel node(SLN) first and that it can be identified accurately and removed. If SLN exactly reflects the lymph-node status, a negative SLN for metastasis might allow complete axillary lymph node dissection (ALDN) to be avoided

Coinfección de SARS-CoV-2 y Aspergillus sección Fumigati en un paciente inmunocompetente tratado con corticosteroides

Background: Patients with severe viral pneumonia are likely to receive high-dose immunomodulatory drugs to prevent clinical worsening. Aspergillus species have been described as frequent secondary pneumonia agents in severely ill influenza patients receiving steroids. COVID-19 patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are receiving steroids as part of their treatment and they share clinical characteristics with other patients with severe viral pneumonias. COVID-19 patients receiving steroids should be considered a putative risk group of invasive aspergillosis. Case report: We are reporting a SARS-CoV-2/Aspergillus section Fumigati coinfection in an elderly intubated patient with a history of pulmonary embolism treated with corticosteroids. The diagnosis was made following the ad hoc definitions described for patients admitted to ICU with severe influenza, including clinical criteria (fever for 3 days refractory to the appropriate antibiotic therapy, dyspnea, pleural friction rub, worsening of respiratory status despite antibiotic therapy and need of ventilator support), a radiological criterion (pulmonary infiltrate) and a mycological criterion (several positive galactomannan tests on serum with ratio ≥0.5). In addition, Aspergillus section Fumigati DNA was found in serum and blood samples. These tests were positive 4 weeks after the patient was admitted to the ICU. The patient received voriconazole and after two month in ICU his respiratory status improved; he was discharged after 6 weeks of antifungal treatment. Conclusions: Severely ill COVID-19 patients would be considered a new aspergillosis risk group. Galactomannan and Aspergillus DNA detection would be useful methods for Aspergillus infection diagnosis as they allow avoiding the biosafety issues related to these patients.Antecedentes: Los pacientes con neumonía viral grave reciben altas dosis de fármacos inmunomoduladores para prevenir el empeoramiento clínico. Los pacientes con influenza grave que reciben esteroides tienen neumonías secundarias causadas por Aspergillus con una frecuencia relativamente alta. Los pacientes con COVID-19 ingresados en la unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI) reciben dicha medicación como parte de su tratamiento, y comparten con otro tipo de pacientes muchas de las características clínicas de otras neumonías virales graves. Estos pacientes deberían considerarse como un grupo de riesgo de aspergilosis invasiva. Caso clínico: Se presenta un caso de coinfección por SARS-CoV-2 y Aspergillus de la sección Fumigati en un paciente intubado de edad avanzada con antecedentes de embolia pulmonar y tratado con corticosteroides. El diagnóstico siguió las definiciones ad hoc descritas para pacientes ingresados en la UCI con gripe grave. El paciente cumplía varios criterios clínicos (fiebre durante 3 días refractaria al tratamiento antibiótico apropiado, disnea, fricción pleural, empeoramiento del estado respiratorio a pesar del tratamiento antibiótico y la necesidad de soporte respiratorio), el criterio radiológico (infiltrado pulmonar) y un criterio micológico (test de galactomanano positivo en suero, (ratio ≥ 0,5). Además, se detectó ADN de Aspergillus de la sección Fumigati en muestras de suero y sangre del paciente. Estas pruebas fueron positivas 4 semanas después de que el paciente ingresara en la UCI. El paciente recibió tratamiento con voriconazol, y después de 2 meses en la UCI mejoró su estado pulmonar; fue dado de alta después de 6 semanas de tratamiento antifúngico. Conclusiones: Los pacientes gravemente enfermos con COVID-19 deberían considerarse un nuevo grupo de riesgo para la aspergilosis. La detección de galactomanano y ADN de Aspergillus son métodos útiles para el diagnóstico de infección por este hongo al evitar los problemas de bioseguridad en estos pacientesFil: Sasoni, Natalia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Müller, Milton. Sanatorio Adventista del Plata; Argentina. Universidad Adventista del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: Posse, Graciela Raquel. Sanatorio Adventista del Plata; Argentina. Universidad Adventista del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud; ArgentinaFil: González, Jorge. Sanatorio Adventista del Plata; ArgentinaFil: Leonardelli, Florencia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Guillermo Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentin

Evaluation of an Artificial Intelligence web-based software to detect and classify dental structures and treatments in panoramic radiographs

Objectives: To evaluate the diagnostic reliability of a web-based Artificial Intelligence program on the detection and classification of dental structures and treatments present on panoramic radiographs. Methods: A total of 300 orthopantomographies (OPG) were randomly selected for this study. First, the images were visually evaluated by two calibrated operators with radiodiagnosis experience that, after consensus, established the “ground truth”. Operators’ findings on the radiographs were collected and classified as follows: metal restorations (MR), resin-based restorations (RR), endodontic treatment (ET), Crowns (C) and Implants (I). The orthopantomographies were then anonymously uploaded and automatically analyzed by the web-based software (Denti.Ai). Results were then stored, and a statistical analysis was performed by comparing them with the ground truth in terms of Sensitivity (S), Specificity (E), Positive Predictive Value (PPV) Negative Predictive Value (NPV) and its later representation in the area under (AUC) the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curve. Results: Diagnostic metrics obtained for each study variable were as follows: (MR) S=85.48%, E=87.50%, PPV=82.8%, NPV=42.51%, AUC=0.869; (PR) S=41.11%, E=93.30%, PPV=90.24%, NPV=87.50%, AUC=0.672; (ET) S=91.9%, E=100%, PPV=100%, NPV=94.62%, AUC=0.960; (C) S=89.53%, E=95.79%, PPV=89.53%, NPV=95.79%, AUC=0.927; (I) S, E, PPV, NPV=100%, AUC=1.000. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the web-based Artificial intelligence software provides a good performance on the detection of implants, crowns, metal fillings and endodontic treatments, not being so accurate on the classification of dental structures or resin-based restorations. Clinical Significance: General diagnostic and treatment decisions using orthopantomographies can be improved by using web-based artificial intelligence tools, avoiding subjectivity and lapses from the clinician