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Copyright of ESPOCH Congresses: The Ecuadorian Journal of S.T.E.A.M. is the property of Knowledge E DMCC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

One of the serious problems that occur in any productive or operational system is the lack of culture of prevention and safety at work, resulting in occupational accidents that cause serious injuries or even death. This article presents the case of workers from the Drinking Water Company in the area of construction and maintenance of sewage networks. Its objective was to determine the need for training and the design of andragogic methods to strengthen the culture of prevention. This work is an exploratory type research, in which the inductive method of investigation was used. In order to know about Occupational Health and Safety, and the use of safe work rules and procedures, a diagnosis was made, by means of various information gathering techniques, including job analysis. As a result, the establishment of the degree of knowledge and the shortcomings of training were obtained, allowing the production of appropriate themes with the use of andragogic training models which directly imply the establishment of a preventive culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Ortopédica Mexicana is the property of Sociedad Mexicana de Ortopedia, AC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Essential oils are aromatic substances found in different parts of plants, which can be extracted from leaves, stems, flowers and/or roots. These complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, terpenes, alcohols, carbonyl compounds, aromatic aldehydes and phenols, coming from spices and condiments, are increasingly used in the food and pharmaceutical industry. The present work aim was to differentiate the essential oils levels of Guaviduca (Piper carpunya L.) and Sacha Ajo (Mansoa alliacea L.) species, from the Ecuadorian Amazon region from fresh and dry leaves, by means the polyphenolic activity trough Folin-Ciocalteau, also total antioxidant activity according to FRAP (Ferric ion reducing antioxidant Power) and ABTS (2,2-azinobis (3-ethylbenzthiazolin)-6-sulphonic acid). The essential oils extraction method used in this investigation was steam distillation, using reflux with a Clevenger trap in order to separate them, taking advantage that oils are lighter than water. The yield for each the essential oils was determined quantitatively from the wet weight of each aromatic plant. A Simplex-Lattice design was used to determine the measuring points of antioxidant activity (essential oils proportions). Higher values are observed, in all determinations, in the essential oils obtained from fresh samples of guaviduca leaves and Sacha Ajo. This behavior might be due to the active compounds degradation with antioxidant activity and to the loss of essential oils by the evaporation process during drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work where obtained bismuth sulfide thin films, by a simplified formulation, the method used for the synthesis of bismuth sulfide thin films, is denominated chemical bath deposition. It was determined the optical absorption characterization showed a direct bandgap between 1.3eV and 1.6eV. Scanning electron microscopy images are also reported, which shows homogeneity in the morphology of the obtained films, as function of the deposition time. When analyzing the material by transmission electron microscopy technique, it was obtained an interplanar distance of 3.11Å, also characterized by X-ray diffraction obtaining a main signal in 2Î, = 27.3°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the annealing effects on ammonia-free CuxS thin films using Triethanolamine and barium hydroxide as ligand agents by chemical bath deposition method. We synthesize two different samples: one as ground and the other with thermal treatment at 180°C. The X-ray diffraction showed an amorphous nature for both samples. It was established from reflection and transmission measurements that the direct energy band gap obtained was 2.57 eV as ground and 2.52 eV for annealing samples and the indirect energy band gap obtained was 1.365 eV as ground and 0.98 eV for annealing. The morphology was studied by Atomic Force Microscopy, where we obtained roughnesses of 19.128 nm and 23.506 nm for the thin films without and with thermal treatment, respectively; and the cluster sizes, which were between 87 - 200 nm ranges as ground sample and 136 - 247 nm range for annealed sample. The CuS (covellite) with amorphous structure was obtained. The resistivity of ? ≅ 10 - 3 Ω cm was measured using Four Point Method. The chemical element composition was obtained by using XRay Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Complementary characterization of Raman Spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy were carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CdS thin films using Acetylacetone as complexing agent were prepared using the chemical bath deposition method, with bath temperature of 70°C with differences times of reaction. The thin films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), optical absorption spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The XRD measurements showed that the films have hexagonal polycrystalline structure and the crystallites are oriented preferentially with the (002) and (110) planes. The optical absorption measurements shows the presence of direct transition with energy band gap of 2.37 eV and after increased to 2.40 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the role that women play in the family, their imprisonment brings about a stigma in the family, an alteration of roles and attachment problems. These effects worsen for those who have young children while in prison. The purpose of this research is to contrast the differences between men's and women's responses to certain issues related to the time they spent in prison. Specifically, the purpose is to analyze whether time in prison affects the genders in different ways and to analyze any differences in the light of gender role theories. It is of utmost importance to address the fact that it is not that women have different problems than those which can be found in men, but rather that the consequences arising from incarceration for men and for women come on top of those differences already inherent to the genders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the mechanisms that regulate meiosis in the human female fetus as a result of the technical difficulties in obtaining samples. Currently, there is no technique for human fetal oocyte culture that permits the maintenance of fetal ovarian tissue in vitro which allows the progression of meiosis in a reproducible and standardized way. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Humic Acid (HA) is considered as one of the major components that represents a major fraction of dissolved in natural water. Complex mixture of organic compounds on HA lead to the problematic issue for municipal wastewater treatment plants such as undesirable taste, colour to drinking water and fouling in pipe line. The reaction of HA with chlorine during disinfection processes would produce carcinogenic by-products like trihalomethanes. In this study, for the first time, LaFeO3 photocatalyst was successfully synthesized via gel-combustion method using combined glucose/citric acid as chelating agents and was further calcined at 400°C. The photocatalytic activity of samples was investigated by degradation of Humic Acid (HA) in water under visible light irradiation. Results proved that the photocatalytic degradation of HA is dependent on the catalyst dosage, initial concentration of HA, and oxygen availability in the aeration. The photocatalytic degradation also was enhanced by high surface area of synthesized LaFeO3 obtained by amorphous structure. Overall, the percentage removal of HA by varying the catalyst dosage are in the order of 88%, 90%, 98% and 97% for 0.6 g/L, 0.8 g/L, 1.0 g/L, and 1.2 g/L respectively for an irradiation period of 120 minutes. Next, the removal of HA by manipulating its initial concentration are 98%, 90%, 85% and 86% with respect to 10 g/L, 20 g/L, 30 g/L and 40 g/L taken for 120 minutes. Overall, the optimal operational parameters for the removal of HA of catalyst dosage is 1.0 g/L performing at 98%, for initial concentration of HA which was removed efficiently at 97% is 10 g/L and via aeration in this study was about 93%, after 120 min of irradiation times.

Maithe Enriquez¹, David S McKinsey²¹School of Nursing, University of Missouri-Kansas City and Division of Infectious Diseases, Truman Medical Center Hospital Hill, ²School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Kansas and Division of Infectious Diseases, Research Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USAAbstract: Remarkable advances in the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease have been blunted by widespread suboptimal adherence (ie, nonadherence), which has emerged as a major barrier to achieving the primary goal of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy: suppression of HIV viral load. Nonsuppressed HIV viral load is associated with drug resistance, increased morbidity and mortality, and a higher risk of person-to-person HIV transmission. For HIV-infected individuals who are failing HIV treatment due to nonadherence, becoming adherent is a life-saving behavior change. However, overcoming nonadherence is one of the most daunting challenges in the successful management of HIV disease. The purpose of this paper is to provide clinicians with a better understanding of nonadherence to ARV treatment and to review the various factors that have been associated with either adherence or nonadherence. Strategies are presented that may help the nonadherent individual become ready to take HIV medications as prescribed.Keywords: noncompliance, treatment failure, AIDS

The article analyzes the antimicrobial administration habits of veterinary doctors dedicated to small animal clinics in the cities of Pasto and Ipiales, Nariño. It was determined that the prescription of antibiotics is mainly directed towards gastrointestinal diseases. The most commonly used antibiotics are amoxicillin, amoxicillin + clavulanic acid, cephalexin, cefovecin, enrofloxacin, metronidazole, and rifampicin. Additionally, it was found that 48% of the participants prescribe antibiotics without microbiological culture and/or antibiogram results. The study highlights the importance of further exploring the role of prescription in companion animals to address the emerging problem of antimicrobial resistance. [Extracted from the article]

The interesting applications of ultrathin silica films on transition metals drove us to analyze the interactions between them. We selected only sixteen transition metals to observe a pattern and started at a molecular level to understand the principal interactions involved between them. A conformational search and a subsequent optimization of the structures, together with frequency calculations at the MP2/LANL2DZ level of theory for the metals and MP2/6-31G* for the rest of the atoms. The results show that the interactions are favorable with the transition metals we selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work resistance and resistivities of PbS thin films by chemical bath deposition using Polyethylenimine as complexing agent are presented. A series of resistance and resistivity values of thin films obtained at different deposition times of 7, 10 and 13 minutes were evaluated and compared. The obtained films were chemically characterized by X-Ray Photoelectron and Raman spectroscopy confirming the presence of lead and sulfur as PbS. Thickness of the films was measured by ellipsometric spectroscopy; the values were in the range of 80 to 100 nm. Resistivity of the films was measured indirectly using an integrator circuit, the results show that resistivity values vary as a function of the deposition time. PEI films showed a low transmission in the visible range about 2 to 5% and an irregular absorption in the range of 300 to 1050 nm. Roughness of the films was characterized by atomic force microscopy showing values of mean square roughness of 16 nm, presenting different orientation of the clusters and pyramidal shapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multipurpose legume Erythrina edulis Triana has a wide spectrum of uses, ranging from human and animal food until the recovery of degraded soils. The objective of this study was to characterize Erythrina edulis Triana and to obtain protein isolate. Its proximal composition, protein digestibility, protein and amino acid profile were determined in addition to obtaining a protein isolate. The proximal composition was determined according to COVENIN standards, protein digestibility by using a multienzyme complex based on pH change, protein profile in polyacrylamide gels under denaturing conditions and amino acid profile according to the method described by Waters Associates, in addition to obtaining a protein isolated by precipitation at the isoelectric point. It was obtaining as a result of content: 26.66% of crude protein, 1.00% of crude fat, 68.76% of carbohydrates, 4.58% of ash (on a dry basis) and a protein digestibility of 72.70±0.26%. The approximated molecular weight of several proteins varies between 218.78 and 7.08 kDa. An protein isolated 99% was obtained. Based on the results obtained and amino acid profile, it is considered a complete protein product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a purely geometric formulation for two different measures addressed to quantify the entanglement between different parts of a tripartite qubit system. Our approach considers the entanglement-polytope defined by the smallest eigenvalues of the reduced density matrices of the qubit-components. The measures identify global and genuine entanglement, and are respectively associated with the projection and rejection of a given point of the polytope on the corresponding biseparable segments. Solving the so called 'inverse problem', we also discuss a way to force the system to behave in a particular form, which opens the possibility of controlling and manipulating entanglement for practical purposes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We uncover new features on the study of a two-level atom interacting with one of two cavities in a coherent superposition. The James-Cummings model is used to describe the atom-field interaction and to study the effects of quantum indefiniteness on such an interaction. We show that coherent control of the two cavities in an undefined manner allows novel possibilities to manipulate the atomic dynamics on demand which are not achievable in the conventional way. In addition, it is shown that the coherent control of the atom creates highly entangled states of the cavity fields taking a Bell-like or Schrödinger-cat-like state form. Our results are a step forward to understand and harness quantum systems in a coherent control, and open a new research avenue in the study of atom-field interaction exploiting quantum indefiniteness., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Topaz (Al 2 F 1·44 (OH) 0·56 SiO 4 )/corundum (Al 2 O 3 ) composites were prepared by a facile and novel reversible process from the sintering of synthetic topaz and AlF 3 powders, with corundum formed in situ into the topaz matrix. The corundum formation reaction occurs in the temperature range 875-975 °C, from 40 min sintering time, obtaining the topaz- Al 2 F 1·44 (OH) 0·56 SiO 4 /corundum- Al 2 O 3 composites. Although sintering temperature and time increment lead to higher corundum formation in the topaz matrix (78.4 wt % Al 2 O 3 at 975 °C for 60 min), longer residence times give place to corundum percentage decrease due to topaz reconversion. The composites' microstructure is characterized by a rectangular bar with stacked pyramidal ends and polycrystals of hexagonal plates for topaz and corundum, respectively. For the topaz/corundum composites, the maximum density was 3.05 g/cm 3 (17 % porosity) for specimens sintered at 925 °C for 20 min. The glow curves of the topaz/ in situ corundum composite sintered at 975 °C and 0 min dwell time show thermoluminescent peaks between 180 and 250 °C, useful for dosimetric applications. The most helpful peak (at 221 °C) in the topaz/corundum composite's glow curves determined by computational deconvolution is sharp and exhibits the highest thermoluminescent response. Dose-response analysis of the composite (sintered at 975 °C for 0 min) with the best thermoluminescent response revealed two ranges of linear behavior, the first from 2 to 200 mGy, with an adjustment of 99.9 % and the second in the range 5-300 Gy (99.8 % fitting). The thermoluminescent response improvement of the topaz/corundum composites is attributed to the corundum formed in situ during sintering. Fading rate studies of the composite with the best sintering treatment revealed a signal decrease of 4 % after 15 days, which remained constant for up to 30 days, and 8 % after 60 days. The kinetic parameters, kinetics order ( b ), activation energy ( E ), and frequency factor ( s ) determined using the glow peak shape method showed second-order kinetics. The topaz/corundum composite with the best TL response (975 °C, 0 min) presents an effective atomic number (Z eff ) of 11.74. The detection of lower doses (mGy) and the linear response at higher doses (Gy) of beta 90 Sr, together with the other thermoluminescent properties, suggest that the topaz/corundum composites sintered at 975° for 0 min dwell time may find application in radiotherapy, geological dating, and environmental dosimetry., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationshipsthat could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Archaeological research has increasingly focused on studying combustion features as valuable sources of information regarding past technological and cultural aspects. The use of microstratigraphic and biomolecular techniques enables the identification of combustion residues and substrate components, and infer about past fire-related activities and the environments. Our study conducted on a combustion feature (Level N, ∼100 Ka) at the Axlor cave, a Middle Paleolithic site in northern Iberia, exemplifies the interdisciplinary approach to combustion features. Micromorphological features revealed depositional activities associated with occupations such as hearth rake-out and trampling. Through molecular ( n -alkanes, n- alcohols, and n -fatty acids) and isotopic analysis (δ 13 C 16:0 and δ 13 C 18:0 ), we infer the good preservation of organic matter, the contributions of non-ruminant fats, and the dead-wood gathering strategies by Neanderthal groups. By combining microstratigraphic and biomolecular approaches, our study significantly contributes to the advancement of our current understanding of Neanderthal pyrotechnology., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Fenna-Mathews-Olson complexes participate in the photosynthetic process of Sulfur Green Bacteria. These biological subsystems exhibit quantum features which possibly are responsible for their high efficiency; the latter may comprise multipartite entanglement and the apparent tunnelling of the initial quantum state. At first, to study these aspects, a multidisciplinary approach including experimental biology, spectroscopy, physics, and math modelling is required. Then, a global computer modelling analysis is achieved in the computational biology domain. The current work implements the Hierarchical Equations of Motion to numerically solve the open quantum system problem regarding this complex. The time-evolved states obtained with this method are then analysed under several measures of entanglement, some of them already proposed in the literature. However, for the first time, the maximum overlap with respect to the closest separable state is employed. This authentic multipartite entanglement measure provides information on the correlations, not only based on the system bipartitions as in the usual analysis. Our study has led us to note a different view of FMO multipartite entanglement as tiny contributions to the global entanglement suggested by other more basic measurements. Additionally, in another related trend, the initial state, considered as a Förster Resonance Energy Transfer, is tracked using a novel approach, considering how it could be followed under the fidelity measure on all possible permutations of the FMO subsystems through its dynamical evolution by observing the tunnelling in the most probable locations. Both analyses demanded significant computational work, making for a clear example of the complexity required in computational biology.

Background: Cellular entry of SARS-CoV-2 has been shown to rely on angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, whose expression in the testis is among the highest in the body. Additionally, the risk of mortality seems higher among male COVID-19 patients, and though much has been published since the first cases of COVID-19, there remain unanswered questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 impact on testes and potential consequences for reproductive health. We investigated testicular alterations in non-vaccinated deceased COVID-19-patients, the precise location of the virus, its replicative activity, and the immune, vascular, and molecular fluctuations involved in the pathogenesis., Results: We found that SARS-CoV-2 testicular tropism is higher than previously thought and that reliable viral detection in the testis requires sensitive nanosensors or RT-qPCR using a specific methodology. Through an in vitro experiment exposing VERO cells to testicular macerates, we observed viral content in all samples, and the subgenomic RNA's presence reinforced the replicative activity of SARS-CoV-2 in testes of the severe COVID-19 patients. The cellular structures and viral particles, observed by transmission electron microscopy, indicated that macrophages and spermatogonial cells are the main SARS-CoV-2 lodging sites, where new virions form inside the endoplasmic reticulum Golgi intermediate complex. Moreover, we showed infiltrative infected monocytes migrating into the testicular parenchyma. SARS-CoV-2 maintains its replicative and infective abilities long after the patient's infection. Further, we demonstrated high levels of angiotensin II and activated immune cells in the testes of deceased patients. The infected testes show thickening of the tunica propria, germ cell apoptosis, Sertoli cell barrier loss, evident hemorrhage, angiogenesis, Leydig cell inhibition, inflammation, and fibrosis., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that high angiotensin II levels and activation of mast cells and macrophages may be critical for testicular pathogenesis. Importantly, our findings suggest that patients who become critically ill may exhibit severe alterations and harbor the active virus in the testes., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

This qualitative study aims to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted healthcare access for patients with chronic conditions in Ecuador from the patient's perspective. We interviewed 19 patients diagnosed with arterial hypertension or type 2 diabetes in rural and urban areas of Ecuador during August and September 2020. We used the Framework Method to analyse the interview transcripts with ATLAS.Ti 8.4 and organised the ideas discussed using categories from the World Health Organization Commission on the Social Determinants of Health conceptual framework. Reorganization of health services during the pandemic meant that patients with arterial hypertension or diabetes could no longer attend face-to-face appointments for disease follow-up. System failures related to medication supply led to increased out-of-pocket payments, which, together with reduced or absent earnings, and in a context with limited social protection policies, meant that patients frequently went for prolonged periods without medication. Rural health initiatives, support from family and use of traditional medicine were reported as ways to manage their chronic condition during this time. Barriers to disease management disproportionately affected individuals with low socioeconomic positions. Stock shortages, lack of protective labour policies and limited reach of anticipatory policies for health emergencies likely worsened pre-existing health inequities in Ecuador.