The Role of the State, Multinational Oil Companies, International Law & the International Community: Intersection of Human Rights & Environmental Degradation Climate change in the 21st Century caused by Traditional Extractive Practices, The Amazon Rainforest, Indigenous People and Universal Jurisdiction to Resolve the Accountability Issue

Local, national and international conventions that protect indigenous sovereignty and their territories, where many of the resources are extracted from by multinational corporations (MNCs) particularly oil, the number one commodity of the world and cause of climate change, continue to be jeopardized because of the lack of a clear international legal framework that can protect them and potentially hold multinationals accountable for their actions. These practices are causing not only environmental issues to the indigenous and surrounding communities, but climate change is in fact, the real human rights issue of the 21st century and it affects everyone. By using the case of Ecuador vs. Chevron, the Sarayaku, and the Yasunit ITT deal brought up by Rafael Correa, and some other brief examples in California, The Artic and Nigeria, I explore the circumstances under which the international community should intervene in domestic affairs, and what the best mechanism to address violations of human rights stemming from environmental degradation would be. The focus re-directs to the Yasuni ITT because first, this is the most biodiverse area in the world and while being open for oil exploration, it exemplifies that this and other crucial world’s sites must be protected, as they are critical for the equilibrium of the Earth; otherwise, global warming will continue to rise. I connect the role of the state, international law and oil multinationals overlapping with rights of nature and the rights of the indigenous from the Amazon rainforest. I propose that a global intervention response to such violations will be more effective than a domestic one. I demonstrate that law and processes will be more effective if they apply to MNCs as well as states, and provide that the best mechanism to address violations of human rights stemming from environmental degradation would be to apply the principle of universal jurisdiction to such violations, approaching economic advances that cause human rights violations due to environmental issues, as crimes against humanity. This work also fills a gap in the literature in which the relationship of indigenous people with the land and in relation to climate change has been overlooked, under-theorized or approached half-heartedly. States and multinationals must come to terms with the climate change reality and have to act signing an international environmental legally binding agreement to control it and for accountability purposes. The COP21 currently happening must be the year to have this agreement. My work calls for clean and renewable energy, new technologies and innovative sustainable business models and initiatives in the 21st century, away from traditional extractive practices

5to. Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad. Memoria académica

El V Congreso Internacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación para la Sociedad, CITIS 2019, realizado del 6 al 8 de febrero de 2019 y organizado por la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, ofreció a la comunidad académica nacional e internacional una plataforma de comunicación unificada, dirigida a cubrir los problemas teóricos y prácticos de mayor impacto en la sociedad moderna desde la ingeniería. En esta edición, dedicada a los 25 años de vida de la UPS, los ejes temáticos estuvieron relacionados con la aplicación de la ciencia, el desarrollo tecnológico y la innovación en cinco pilares fundamentales de nuestra sociedad: la industria, la movilidad, la sostenibilidad ambiental, la información y las telecomunicaciones. El comité científico estuvo conformado formado por 48 investigadores procedentes de diez países: España, Reino Unido, Italia, Bélgica, México, Venezuela, Colombia, Brasil, Estados Unidos y Ecuador. Fueron recibidas un centenar de contribuciones, de las cuales 39 fueron aprobadas en forma de ponencias y 15 en formato poster. Estas contribuciones fueron presentadas de forma oral ante toda la comunidad académica que se dio cita en el Congreso, quienes desde el aula magna, el auditorio y la sala de usos múltiples de la Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, cumplieron respetuosamente la responsabilidad de representar a toda la sociedad en la revisión, aceptación y validación del conocimiento nuevo que fue presentado en cada exposición por los investigadores. Paralelo a las sesiones técnicas, el Congreso contó con espacios de presentación de posters científicos y cinco workshops en temáticas de vanguardia que cautivaron la atención de nuestros docentes y estudiantes. También en el marco del evento se impartieron un total de ocho conferencias magistrales en temas tan actuales como la gestión del conocimiento en la universidad-ecosistema, los retos y oportunidades de la industria 4.0, los avances de la investigación básica y aplicada en mecatrónica para el estudio de robots de nueva generación, la optimización en ingeniería con técnicas multi-objetivo, el desarrollo de las redes avanzadas en Latinoamérica y los mundos, la contaminación del aire debido al tránsito vehicular, el radón y los riesgos que representa este gas radiactivo para la salud humana, entre otros

XXV Curso Monográfico de Psiquiatría Infantil y la Adolescencia: Tópicos de Psicofarmacología Infantil - 2023

El XXV Curso Monográfico de Psiquiatría Infantil y de la Adolescencia, titulado "Tópicos de Psicofarmacología Infantil," fue un evento destacado en el campo de la salud mental infantil y adolescente. Durante tres días en septiembre de 2023, expertos líderes en la materia se reunieron para explorar a fondo la psicofarmacología en este grupo de edad. El evento, dedicado a la memoria del Dr. Francisco Javier Valencia Granados, comenzó con una ceremonia de inauguración en la que participaron autoridades institucionales. Luego, se sucedieron conferencias magistrales que abordaron una amplia variedad de temas cruciales. Estos incluyeron aspectos fundamentales como la neurobioquímica farmacológica y una introducción a la psicofarmacología. El programa se adentró en cuestiones específicas, como el uso de antipsicóticos en paidopsiquiatría, el abordaje de trastornos del aprendizaje, el tratamiento del suicidio desde una perspectiva psicofarmacológica, y la gestión farmacológica del insomnio en niños. Se exploraron temas especializados, como el tratamiento de la esquizofrenia en pacientes infantiles. El segundo día se centró en trastornos emocionales en niños y adolescentes, destacando el tratamiento del trastorno depresivo, los trastornos ansiosos y el espectro autista. Se presentaron enfoques vanguardistas, como el uso de psicodélicos en adolescentes y las novedades en psicofarmacología, como el dextrometorfano y el bupropión. También se discutió el manejo de la epilepsia y la adicción a los videojuegos. El tercer día se enfocó en el tratamiento farmacológico de trastornos pediátricos específicos, como el trastorno bipolar, el déficit de atención e hiperactividad, la enuresis y encopresis, parasomnias, y el abordaje neuropsiquiátrico en pacientes pediátricos con VIH. Se exploraron también trastornos de la conducta alimentaria y la disforia de género. El evento culminó con una reflexión sobre la salud mental en niños y un emotivo tributo al Dr. Francisco Javier

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

XVI International Congress of Control Electronics and Telecommunications: "Techno-scientific considerations for a post-pandemic world intensive in knowledge, innovation and sustainable local development"

Este título, sugestivo por los impactos durante la situación de la Covid 19 en el mundo, y que en Colombia lastimosamente han sido muy críticos, permiten asumir la obligada superación de tensiones sociales, políticas, y económicas; pero sobre todo científicas y tecnológicas. Inicialmente, esto supone la existencia de una capacidad de la sociedad colombiana por recuperar su estado inicial después de que haya cesado la perturbación a la que fue sometida por la catastrófica pandemia, y superar ese anterior estado de cosas ya que se encontraban -y aún se encuentran- muchos problemas locales mal resueltos, medianamente resueltos, y muchos sin resolver: es decir, habrá que rediseñar y fortalecer una probada resiliencia social existente - producto del prolongado conflicto social colombiano superado parcialmente por un proceso de paz exitoso - desde la tecnociencia local; como lo indicaba Markus Brunnermeier - economista alemán y catedrático de economía de la Universidad de Princeton- en su libro The Resilient Society…La cuestión no es preveerlo todo sino poder reaccionar…aprender a recuperarse rápido.This title, suggestive of the impacts during the Covid 19 situation in the world, and which have unfortunately been very critical in Colombia, allows us to assume the obligatory overcoming of social, political, and economic tensions; but above all scientific and technological. Initially, this supposes the existence of a capacity of Colombian society to recover its initial state after the disturbance to which it was subjected by the catastrophic pandemic has ceased, and to overcome that previous state of affairs since it was found -and still is find - many local problems poorly resolved, moderately resolved, and many unresolved: that is, an existing social resilience test will have to be redesigned and strengthened - product of the prolonged Colombian social conflict partially overcome by a successful peace process - from local technoscience; As Markus Brunnermeier - German economist and professor of economics at Princeton University - indicates in his book The Resilient Society...The question is not to foresee everything but to be able to react...learn to recover quickly.Bogot

Estudio de estabilidad acelerado en café verde: una aproximación sensorial

Abstract Introduction: Green coffee i s a product of the world market whose price is determined by its sensory characteristics in the cup; however, these attributes change during storage, turning this stage of the production chain into a crucial stage to guarantee product quality. Objective: In the present work we sought to determine the impact of various storage factors on the sensory and physical quality of Colombian green coffee, under conditions of accelerated and natural stability. Materials and methods: Mature coffee cherries from the same harvest were processed in parallel by two post-harvest methods to obtain washed and semi-washed coffee, and then they were subjected to different storage treatments. Results: It was found that green coffee stored under environmental conditions had the characteristic notes of rest; in addition, density and color parameters changed differently in the two types of coffee. The behavior of green coffee in accelerated storage treatments varied according to the processing methods. For the case of washed coffee, storage with humidity negatively affected sensory attributes and also altered density, the RH % and color parameters L* and b*; for the semi-washed coffee, oxygen was the factor that promoted the greatest sensory changes, also affecting density and color. Conclusions: Different coffee post-harvest processes not only give rise to differences in the profiles of sensory quality but also condition the behavior of green coffee bean during storage.Resumo Introdução: O café verde é um produto do mercado mundial cuj o preço é determinado pelas suas características sensoriais na xícara; no entanto, estes atributos mudam durante o armazenamento, tornando esta etapa da cadeia produtiva em uma etapa crucial para garantir a qualidade do produto. Objetivo: em este trabalho se procura determinar o impacto de diversos fatores de armazenamento na qualidade sensorial e física do café verde colombiano, sob condições de estabilidade acelerada e natural. Materiais e métodos: cerejas maduras do café da mesma colheita foram processadas em paralelo pelos métodos pós-colheita para obter café lavado e semi-lavado, despois someteram-se a diferentes tratamentos de armazenamento. Resultados: o café verde armazenado em condições ambientais apresentou notas próprias de repouso, a densidade e os parâmetros da color mudaram de diferente maneira nos dois tipos de café. O comportamento do café verde em armazenamento acelerado variou em função dos métodos de benefício; no café lavado, o armazenamento com umidade afetou os atributos sensoriais e alterou a densidade, o %HR e os parâmetros da color L* e b*; no café semi-lavado, o oxigénio foi o fator de maior impacto, afetando também a densidade e a color. Conclusões: diferentes processos de pós-colheita do café não só produziriam diferenças nos perfis de qualidade sensorial, mas também condicionam o comportamento do grão de café verde durante o armazenamento.Resumen Introducción: el café verde es un producto del mercado mundial cuyo precio es determinado por sus características sensoriales en taza; sin embargo, estos atributos cambian durante el almacenamiento, convirtiendo esta etapa de la cadena productiva en una etapa crucial para garantizar la calidad del producto. Objetivo: en este trabajo se buscó determinar el impacto de diversos factores de almacenamiento en la calidad sensorial y física del café verde colombiano, bajo condiciones de estabilidad acelerada y natural. Materiales y métodos: cerezas maduras de café de la misma cosecha fueron procesadas en paralelo por dos métodos postcosecha para obtener café lavado y semilavado, después se sometieron a diferentes tratamientos de almacenamiento. Resultados: el café verde almacenado en condiciones ambientales presentó notas propias de reposo, la densidad y los parámetros del color cambiaron de diferente manera en los dos tipos de café. El comportamiento del café verde en almacenamiento acelerado varió en función de los métodos de beneficio; en el café lavado, el almacenamiento con humedad afecto los atributos sensoriales y alteró la densidad, el % HR y los parámetros de color L* y b*; en el café semilavado, el oxígeno fue el factor de mayor impacto, afectando también la densidad y el color. Conclusiones: diferentes métodos de beneficio de café no solo dan lugar a diferencias en los perfiles de la calidad sensorial, sino que también condicionan el comportamiento del grano de café verde durante el almacenamiento

Tópicos selectos de ciencias químicas

La Química es una de las ramas de la ciencia que ha tomado mayor importancia en las últimas décadas. Es imposible no pensar en ella al escuchar los avances milagrosos de fármacos, materiales inteligentes, tecnología nanométrica, computadoras cuánticas o procesos catalíticos, donde la transformación controlada de la materia ha logrado la creación de sustancias con propiedades hechas a medida. En ese sentido, el papel de la Facultad de Química, en la formación de profesionales de dicha área, cobra una importancia superlativa; además del compromiso y la responsabilidad de formar sujetos no sólo con conocimiento, sino desarrollar su conciencia social y ecológica, indispensables para la situación actual y futura.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México

Reduction of cardiac imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Italy. Findings from the IAEA Non-invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Background: In early 2020, COVID-19 massively hit Italy, earlier and harder than any other European country. This caused a series of strict containment measures, aimed at blocking the spread of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was also affected when resources were diverted towards care of COVID-19 patients, including intensive care wards. Aim of the study: The aim is assessing the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac imaging in Italy, compare to the Rest of Europe (RoE) and the World (RoW). Methods: A global survey was conducted in May–June 2020 worldwide, through a questionnaire distributed online. The survey covered three periods: March and April 2020, and March 2019. Data from 52 Italian centres, a subset of the 909 participating centres from 108 countries, were analyzed. Results: In Italy, volumes decreased by 67% in March 2020, compared to March 2019, as opposed to a significantly lower decrease (p &lt; 0.001) in RoE and RoW (41% and 40%, respectively). A further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 summed up to 76% for the North, 77% for the Centre and 86% for the South. When compared to the RoE and RoW, this further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 in Italy was significantly less (p = 0.005), most likely reflecting the earlier effects of the containment measures in Italy, taken earlier than anywhere else in the West. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic massively hit Italy and caused a disruption of healthcare services, including cardiac imaging studies. This raises concern about the medium- and long-term consequences for the high number of patients who were denied timely diagnoses and the subsequent lifesaving therapies and procedures

International Impact of COVID-19 on the Diagnosis of Heart Disease

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely affected diagnosis and treatment of noncommunicable diseases. Its effects on delivery of diagnostic care for cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide, have not been quantified. Objectives: The study sought to assess COVID-19's impact on global cardiovascular diagnostic procedural volumes and safety practices. Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations in cardiovascular procedure volumes and safety practices resulting from COVID-19. Noninvasive and invasive cardiac testing volumes were obtained from participating sites for March and April 2020 and compared with those from March 2019. Availability of personal protective equipment and pandemic-related testing practice changes were ascertained. Results: Surveys were submitted from 909 inpatient and outpatient centers performing cardiac diagnostic procedures, in 108 countries. Procedure volumes decreased 42% from March 2019 to March 2020, and 64% from March 2019 to April 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography decreased by 59%, transesophageal echocardiography 76%, and stress tests 78%, which varied between stress modalities. Coronary angiography (invasive or computed tomography) decreased 55% (p &lt; 0.001 for each procedure). In multivariable regression, significantly greater reduction in procedures occurred for centers in countries with lower gross domestic product. Location in a low-income and lower–middle-income country was associated with an additional 22% reduction in cardiac procedures and less availability of personal protective equipment and telehealth. Conclusions: COVID-19 was associated with a significant and abrupt reduction in cardiovascular diagnostic testing across the globe, especially affecting the world's economically challenged. Further study of cardiovascular outcomes and COVID-19–related changes in care delivery is warranted

Impact of COVID-19 on Diagnostic Cardiac Procedural Volume in Oceania: The IAEA Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Objectives: The INCAPS COVID Oceania study aimed to assess the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac procedure volume provided in the Oceania region. Methods: A retrospective survey was performed comparing procedure volumes within March 2019 (pre-COVID-19) with April 2020 (during first wave of COVID-19 pandemic). Sixty-three (63) health care facilities within Oceania that perform cardiac diagnostic procedures were surveyed, including a mixture of metropolitan and regional, hospital and outpatient, public and private sites, and 846 facilities outside of Oceania. The percentage change in procedure volume was measured between March 2019 and April 2020, compared by test type and by facility. Results: In Oceania, the total cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was reduced by 52.2% from March 2019 to April 2020, compared to a reduction of 75.9% seen in the rest of the world (p&lt;0.001). Within Oceania sites, this reduction varied significantly between procedure types, but not between types of health care facility. All procedure types (other than stress cardiac magnetic resonance [CMR] and positron emission tomography [PET]) saw significant reductions in volume over this time period (p&lt;0.001). In Oceania, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) decreased by 51.6%, transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) by 74.0%, and stress tests by 65% overall, which was more pronounced for stress electrocardiograph (ECG) (81.8%) and stress echocardiography (76.7%) compared to stress single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) (44.3%). Invasive coronary angiography decreased by 36.7% in Oceania. Conclusion: A significant reduction in cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was seen across all facility types in Oceania and was likely a function of recommendations from cardiac societies and directives from government to minimise spread of COVID-19 amongst patients and staff. Longer term evaluation is important to assess for negative patient outcomes which may relate to deferral of usual models of care within cardiology