IoT in education: integration of objects with virtual academic communities

Internet has changed the way people interact and education has not been immune to this change, which has created new forms of interaction between teachers and students that helps to improve the teaching and learning process, and expands the context in which students learn. Moreover, with the integration of objects to the Internet, new possibilities for applications and services in domains such as education are available, where its use can lead to innovations that could facilitate the teaching-learning process. In this paper a new model for integrating objects to Virtual Academic Communities (VAC) is proposed. Tests of the proposed model were performed by the implementation of a case study, and the outcomes show that using IoT provides a more engaging learning environment for students and more data about the learning process to help teachers to enhance their knowledge about the learning pace of their students and their learning difficultie

Evaluación del Bioinsumo de Fique Pulverizado (Furcraea spp) para el Control in vitro de Phytophthora infestans en papa (Solanum tuberosum L)

The objective of this research was evaluating the antifungal activity of spray-dried Fique (Furcraea spp) for in vitro control of Phytophthora infestans in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L). The optimal drying process variables studied were the entry temperature and air velocity of 140 °C and 60 m/s. The product obtained was amended in an agar medium tomato which was placed in petri containers, inoculated with 1.2 cm in diameter of pathogens discs. The optimum treatment inhibited 100% growth of the pathogen. Also, a reduction of water activity of 37.4% was achieved. This allowed increasing its preservation. The results showed that the technique is highly favorable for the conservation of bio-products of fungal properties

Large-scale compartment fires to develop a self-extinction design framework for mass timber—Part 1: Literature review and methodology

Fire safety remains a major challenge for engineered timber buildings. Their combustible nature challenges the design principles of compartmentation and structural integrity beyond burnout, which are inherent to the fire resistance framework. Therefore, self-extinction is critical for the fire-safe design of timber buildings. This paper is the first of a three-part series that seeks to establish the fundamental principles underpinning a design framework for self-extinction of engineered timber. The paper comprises: a literature review introducing the body of work developed at material and compartment scales; and the design of a large-scale testing methodology which isolates the fundamental phenomena to enable the development and validation of the required design framework. Research at the material scale has consolidated engineering principles to quantify self-extinction using external heat flux as a surrogate of the critical mass loss rate, and mass transfer or Damköhler numbers. At the compartment scale, further interdependent, complex phenomena influencing self-extinction occurrence have been demonstrated. Time-dependent phenomena include encapsulation failure, fall-off of charred lamellae and the burning of the movable fuel load, while thermal feedback is time-independent. The design of the testing methodology is described in reference to these fundamental phenomena

Infectious Diseases, Social, Economic and Political Crises, Anthropogenic Disasters and Beyond: Venezuela 2019 – Implications for Public Health and Travel Medicine

During last months, there have been a significant increase in the evidences showing the catastrophic health situation in Venezuela. There are multiple epidemics, increase in emerging and reemerging infectious, tropical and parasitic diseases as consequences of the social, economic and political crises, which would be considered today a clearly anthropogenic disaster. Venezuela is facing in 2019, the worse sanitary conditions, with multiple implications for public health and travel medicine. So far, from a global perspective, this situation will be an impediment for the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDG) in 2030. In this multiauthor review, there is a comprehensive analysis of the situation for infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, their impact in the Americas region, given the migration crisis as well as the comparative status of the SDG 2030. This discussion can provide input for prioritizing emerging health problems and establish a future agenda

Infectious Diseases, Social, Economic and Political Crises, Anthropogenic Disasters and Beyond: Venezuela 2019 – Implications for Public Health and Travel Medicine

During last months, there have been a significant increase in the evidences showing the catastrophic health situation in Venezuela. There are multiple epidemics, increase in emerging and reemerging infectious, tropical and parasitic diseases as consequences of the social, economic and political crises, which would be considered today a clearly anthropogenic disaster. Venezuela is facing in 2019, the worse sanitary conditions, with multiple implications for public health and travel medicine. So far, from a global perspective, this situation will be an impediment for the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDG) in 2030. In this multiauthor review, there is a comprehensive analysis of the situation for infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, their impact in the Americas region, given the migration crisis as well as the comparative status of the SDG 2030. This discussion can provide input for prioritizing emerging health problems and establish a future agenda

A review of angular leaf spot resistance in common bean.

Angular leaf spot (ALS), caused by Pseudocer-cospora griseola, is one of the most devastating diseases of common bean (Phaseolus vulgarisL.) in tropical and subtropical production areas. Breeding for ALS resistance is difficult due to the extensive virulence diversity of P. griseolaand the recurrent appearance of new virulent races. Five major loci, Phg-1 to Phg-5, confer-ring ALS resistance have been named, and markers tightly linked to these loci have been reported. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have also been described, but the validation of some QTLs is still pending. The Phg-1, Phg-4, and Phg-5loci are from common bean cultivars of the Andean gene pool, whereas Phg-2 and Phg-3are from beans of the Mesoamerican gene pool. The reference genome of common bean and high-throughput sequencing technologies are enabling the development of molecular markers closely linked to the Phg loci, more accurate mapping of the resistance loci, and the compar-ison of their genomic positions. The objective of this report is to provide a comprehensive review of ALS resistance in common bean. Further-more, we are reporting three case studies of ALS resistance breeding in Latin America and Africa. This review will serve as a reference for future resistance mapping studies and as a guide for the selection of resistance loci in breeding programs aiming to develop common bean cultivars with durable ALS resistance

Malaria vector species in Colombia: a review

Here we present a comprehensive review of the literature on the vectorial importance of the major Anopheles malaria vectors in Colombia. We provide basic information on the geographical distribution, altitudinal range, immature habitats, adult behaviour, feeding preferences and anthropophily, endophily and infectivity rates. We additionally review information on the life cycle, longevity and population fluctuation of Colombian Anopheles species. Emphasis was placed on the primary vectors that have been epidemiologically incriminated in malaria transmission: Anopheles darlingi, Anopheles albimanus and Anopheles nuneztovari. The role of a selection of local, regional or secondary vectors (e.g., Anopheles pseudopunctipennis and Anopheles neivai) is also discussed. We highlight the importance of combining biological, morphological and molecular data for the correct taxonomical determination of a given species, particularly for members of the species complexes. We likewise emphasise the importance of studying the bionomics of primary and secondary vectors along with an examination of the local conditions affecting the transmission of malaria. The presence and spread of the major vectors and the emergence of secondary species capable of transmitting human Plasmodia are of great interest. When selecting control measures, the anopheline diversity in the region must be considered. Variation in macroclimate conditions over a species' geographical range must be well understood and targeted to plan effective control measures based on the population dynamics of the local Anopheles species