Needs and challenges for assessing the environmental impacts of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs).

The potential environmental impact of nanomaterials is a critical concern and the ability to assess these potential impacts is top priority for the progress of sustainable nanotechnology. Risk assessment tools are needed to enable decision makers to rapidly assess the potential risks that may be imposed by engineered nanomaterials (ENMs), particularly when confronted by the reality of limited hazard or exposure data. In this review, we examine a range of available risk assessment frameworks considering the contexts in which different stakeholders may need to assess the potential environmental impacts of ENMs. Assessment frameworks and tools that are suitable for the different decision analysis scenarios are then identified. In addition, we identify the gaps that currently exist between the needs of decision makers, for a range of decision scenarios, and the abilities of present frameworks and tools to meet those needs

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk: Should We Target College Women?

Recent changes by the American Heart Association identify screening guidelines for CVD risk factors for those in their early twenties. Research on CVD has focused on adult populations 40 and over. If risk is identified at an earlier age, then preventative behaviors can be established to prevent the onset and prevalence of CVD. This study was conducted to identify college students’ awareness of early screening for and knowledge of CVD risk factors. Specifically, this study examined differences between men, women, and risk perception. Participants were 403 college students (male = 137; female = 266) between the ages of 18 and 25 that completed a questionnaire measuring knowledge and awareness of CVD risk. Results showed that college students had limited knowledge of CVD risk, specifically signs and symptoms. A majority of the participants identified awareness of early screening guidelines. Women rated cancer as the leading cause of death more frequently than men did. Further results indicated men continue to be more knowledgeable and aware of CVD risk. Practitioners and health educators need to use existing literature and new CVD guidelines in the United States to develop prevention programs and strategies. Prevention strategies and education should be specifically targeted toward young women and adults

Promesas globales y retos regionales de la universidad virtual en América Latina

Internet has revolutionized distance learning, and in Mexico as well as other places in Latin America online higher education presents itself as an opportunity to overcome the limitations of conventional education. The relativization of physical space, the permanent connectivity, the borderless flow of information, and the individualization and personalization of services, appear to designate online university as the future of education. However, this paper critically discusses the idea of the inevitable absorption of conventional higher education by this system. Under the assumption that the reach of online university decreases when it is not treated like an option with requirements of its own, but rather as an online extension of the expectations of conventional education, the evaluation and the work of students and teachers online comes under analysis.Internet ha revolucionado la educación a distancia, y en México como en otros escenarios de Latinoamérica la formación superior en línea se presenta como una oportunidad para superar las limitaciones de la educación presencial. La relativización del espacio, la conectividad permanente, el flujo sin fronteras de información, la individualización y personalización de los servicios, parecerían designar la universidad en línea como el futuro de la educación. No obstante, este ensayo aborda críticamente la idea de la inevitable absorción de la educación superior convencional por este sistema. Según la hipótesis de que los alcances de la universidad a distancia disminuyen al no tratársele como una modalidad con requerimientos propios, sino como extensión en Internet de las expectativas de la formación presencial, se analiza la evaluación y el trabajo de alumnos y docentes en línea

Arquitectura aviaria : entre el ser humano y el ave

Is architecture just for human beings? This uncommon and critical question serves as a tool for understanding what is happening nowadays, and since architecture is key when thinking of a balanced development between inhabitants and nature, it must be understood that human beings are nothing more than another neighbor among millions of other species...¿La arquitectura es solo para seres humanos? Esta pregunta un tanto crítica y diferente a lo tradicional, sirve como una herramienta para comprender lo que está sucediendo en la actualidad, y como la arquitectura es una pieza clave para un desarrollo adecuado con el entorno y sus habitantes, los cuales se debe tener en claro que no son solo seres humanos sino un millar de especies diferentes..

Modelo para predicción de potencia de paneles fotovoltaicos utilizando técnicas de clasificación no supervisada y redes neuronales artificiales

La energía solar fotovoltaica se encuentra en crecimiento debido a que la eficiencia de los paneles ha aumentado y los costos han disminuido en los últimos años. Asimismo, las legislaciones promueven que cada vez sea mayor la capacidad instalada de potencia fotovoltaica. Sin embargo, la naturaleza de la energía solar es intermitente e incontrolable, lo que genera inestabilidad en los sistemas fotovoltaicos que suministran energía a la red. En este proyecto se desarrolla una metodología para el ajuste de un modelo de predicción de potencia fotovoltaica utilizando redes neuronales artificiales a partir de datos tomados en la Universidad del Norte, Puerto Colombia. Se desarrolló un modelo híbrido en el que los datos se clasificaron primero en diferentes tipos de días utilizando k-means clustering. Luego, se desarrollaron modelos de predicción para cada una de las categorías de días. Fue utilizada la validación cruzada de K-Fold para validar los perceptrones multicapa entrenados con retropropagación resiliente. Para los días soleados se logró un nRMSE del 5,48% y para los días nublados de 5,24%. Estos errores son menores al nRMSE de 5.53% del modelo sin clasificación. Estos errores se contrastan con el 17,81% del modelo de persistencia. A su vez, se comprobó que para los datos recolectados no fue posible hallar un modelo de regresión lineal múltiple que cumpliera con los supuestos de validación estadística. Los resultados obtenidos en esta investigación demuestran que la metodología propuesta es de utilidad para disminuir el error de predicción de potencia fotovoltaica.MaestríaMagister en Psicologí

Determinación de la concentración de metales en sedimentos de seis ríos de la provincia Pichincha

There is a wide diversity of contaminants in the environment of which metals are of particular concern due to their high persistence, bioaccumulation and biomagnification potential. In the Pichincha province, Ecuador, the main fluvial courses receive untreated domestic and industrial effluents, therefore the determination of metals in river sediments is of great interest...En el medio ambiente existe una amplia variedad de contaminantes siendo los metales de particular preocupación debido a su alta persistencia, y capacidad de bioacumulación y biomagnificación. En Pichincha, Ecuador, los principales cursos fluviales reciben efluentes domésticos e industriales no tratados, por lo que la determinación de los metales en los sedimentos de los ríos es de gran interés..

What Psychosocial and Physical Characteristics Differentiate Offce Workers Who Develop Standing-Induced Low Back Pain? A Cross-Sectional Study

[Abstract] This study examines demographic, physical and psychosocial factors associated with an increase in low back pain (LBP) during a one-hour standing task. A cross-sectional survey with 40 o ce workers was conducted. The primary outcome was pain severity during a one-hour standing task recorded every 15 min using a 100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Participants were defined as pain developers (PD), if they reported a change in pain of 10 mm from baseline, or non-pain developers (NPD). Physical outcomes included participant-rated and examiner-rated trunk and hip motor control and endurance. Self-report history of LBP, physical activity, psychosocial job characteristics, general health and pain catastrophising were collected. Fourteen participants were PD. Hip abduction, abdominal and spinal muscle endurance was lower for PD (p 0.05). PD had greater self-reported di culty performing active hip abduction and active straight leg raise tests (p 0.04). Those reporting a lifetime, 12 month or 7-day history of LBP (p < 0.05) and lower self-reported physical function (p = 0.01) were more likely to develop LBP during the standing task. In conclusion, a history of LBP, reduced trunk and hip muscle endurance and deficits in lumbopelvic/hip motor control may be important to consider in o ce workers experiencing standing-induced LBP