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Air pollution in central European capital (Budapest) via self-made passive samplers and Sentinel-3B SYN satellite images
No full textThis study is to identify the types of ultra-fine air pollutants present in the local atmosphere. The authors utilize Sentinel-3B SYN satellite images to identify the presence of Aerosol Optical Thickness (T550), and later verify this presence through physical sample collection using self-made passive samplers (SMPSs) at various locations in Budapest ((A) Passenger Cruise Port, (B) Kunsthalle, (C) Szechenyi Lanchid, and (D) Liberty Bridge). The samples obtained from the SMPSs were analyzed by X-ray Diffraction (XRD) to identify the minerals present in ultra-fine phases (e.g. minerals and ultra-fine amorphous). The images from the Sentinel-3B SYN satellite, taken between 2018, 2019 and 2021 allowed us to identify the Aerosol Optical Thickness (T550) at these same locations in Budapest. The SMPS samples revealed the presence of ultra-fine particles containing elements dangerous to human health, such as: As, Cd, Cr, Hg, Pb, Ti, V and Ni. The points analyzed in the Sentinel-3B SYN satellite images showed a 50.89% reduction in T550 levels in the city of Budapest, attributed to the COVID-19 epidemic, which clearly demonstrates the need to reduce pollutants for a better quality of life in this central capital of Europe
Interaction and learning for the development of skills in the training of health professionals
No full textThe central objective was to develop interaction and learning guidelines for the achievement of competencies in the training of health professionals, specifically dental professionals. To reach this achievement, educational models and strategies linked to the teaching process in the area of dentistry were examined; The interactions established in practical clinical training experiences in this area were observed, recorded and analyzed. The research was of an explanatory type, with an interpretative epistemological approach to build meanings from the contributions of key actors and direct and inductive observation in the natural clinical action scenarios of the dentist
Feasibility analysis of offshore wind power projects in the Caribbean Region of Colombia: a case study using FAHP–GIS
No full textPlanning for offshore wind energy projects is intricate due to the consideration of multiple variables in identifying optimal project areas. The primary challenge lies in locating suitable sites, a process that often necessitates extensive feasibility studies spanning several years. The primary goal of this study is to apply the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) to prioritize criteria and sub-criteria, facilitating decision-making in choosing appropriate locations for offshore wind projects in the Colombian Caribbean Sea. The weights derived from FAHP were utilized in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to analyze the physical characteristics of the Caribbean Sea’s surface. This tool plays a critical role in evaluating and selecting sites that fulfill established criteria, providing a database of indicators and map visualizations. Four criteria were defined: technical, environmental, social, and economic, along with fourteen sub-criteria, which were prioritized through FAHP based on expert judgment. The results revealed that the most relevant sub-criteria were protected areas and wind speed. Utilizing the ArcGIS Pro software, five zones meeting the predetermined criteria were identified, defining the most feasible areas for offshore wind farm installation, located in the departments of Guajira, Magdalena, Atlántico and Bolívar. The GIS–FAHP methods proved to be useful for feasibility analysis
HPR76 inequalities of the infant mortality and poverty in Colombia: analysis 1993 vs 2019
No full textEvaluation of the production potential of quorum quenchig enzymes of extremophile bacteria from Antarctica
No full textCell-cell communication mediated by the production of N-acylhomoserine lactone is one of the causes of the production of virulence factors in pathogens and biofouling. Although quorum-quenching is a useful method to disrupt quorum sensing signals, different QQ enzymes are required to block bacterial communication in specific environments. The aim of this study was to determine the QQ enzyme production potential of psychrophilic bacteria isolated from Antarctic marine sediments. This study was divided into three phases: (i) semi-qualitative evaluation of lipolytic activity, (ii) evaluation of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, and (iii) evaluation of β-lactamase activity. In this study, the bacterial strains evaluated presented lipolytic activity and resistance to β-lactam antibiotics (ampicillin and penicillin). In addition, the strains UTB 167 and UTB 170, related to the genus Psychrobacter, presented β-lactamase activity (1.7-3.9 Umol/L), which indicates that their potential to produce QQ enzymes related to the metallo-βlactamases superfamily
Public policy on Territorial Planning: scenario of socio-environmental disputes and defense of the territory
No full textEste artículo ofrece una mirada reflexiva a la política pública de ordenamiento territorial en Puerto Colombia centrándose en el análisis de su implementación en el urbanismo de ‘Ciudad Mallorquín’, el cual implica perspectivas de riesgo territorial y socioambiental. Para alcanzar este propósito, es crucial examinar tanto el proceso de debate y negociación entre los actores involucrados como los posibles efectos territoriales y ambientales del desarrollo urbano, a partir del enfoque de la complejidad, del caos y del extractivismo capitalista. La metodología utilizada en este estudio, se fundamenta en el método hermenéutico y herramientas discursivas a través de la técnica del análisis de contenido, proveniente de las declaraciones de los representantes del grupo promotor del proyecto habitacional en su presentación, las políticas públicas de ordenamiento territorial que interviene en este proceso y la opinión pública evidenciada en noticias de la prensa local que revelan los discursos elaborados en relación con este desarrollo urbanístico. Los resultados y discusión se desarrollaron entre un paralelismo que involucra las tres fuentes de información, sobre las categorías de análisis: Gestión ambiental, Desarrollo económico y social, infraestructura y transporte, gestión del riesgo y cambio climático, y la densidad de población; evidenciando en todo aspecto las restricciones de la planificación urbana para abordar la complejidad de los fenómenos urbanos. Finalmente, se hace un aporte significativo en la identificación de los principales desafíos y oportunidades que enfrenta Puerto Colombia en términos de ordenamiento territorial, lo cual permite expresar sugerencias para el mejoramiento de la implementación de políticas públicas respectivas.This article offers a reflective look at the public policy of territorial planning in Puerto Colombia, focusing on the analysis of its implementation in the urban planning of ‘Ciudad Mallorquín’, which implies perspectives of territorial and socio-environmental risk. To achieve this purpose, it is crucial to examine both the process of debate and negotiation between the actors involved and the possible territorial and environmental effects of urban development, based on the approach of complexity, chaos and capitalist extractivism. The methodology used in this study is based on the hermeneutical method and reflective-discursive tools through the technique of content analysis, coming from the statements of the representatives of the group promoting the housing project in their presentation, the public planning policies territorial that intervenes in this process and public opinion evidenced in news from the local press that reveal the speeches prepared in relation to this urban development. The results and discussion were developed between a parallelism that involves the three sources of information, on the categories of analysis: Environmental management, Economic and social development, infrastructure and transportation, risk management and climate change, and population density; evidencing in every aspect the restrictions of urban planning to address the complexity of urban phenomena. Finally, a significant contribution is made in the identification of the main challenges and opportunities that Puerto Colombia faces in terms of territorial planning, which allows expressing suggestions for improving the implementation of respective public policies
Evaluation of an integrated electric power generation system with natural gas engines operating in dual mode through heat recovery with thermoelectric devices for hydrogen production
No full textIn the present investigation, an environmental, thermal, economic, and social analysis of an integrated system is carried out, which has as its function the production of hydrogen through the recovery of residual thermal energy from exhaust gases. The proposed integrated system consists of a thermoelectric generator and a hydrogen production bench based on the water electrolysis process. For the development of the research, an internal combustion engine fueled with natural gas was used, operating under four load conditions (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). From the environmental assessment, it is demonstrated that the implementation of the integrated system allows a decrease of 12.30%, 6.26%, and 7.90% in CO, CO2, and HC emissions. However, the addition of hydrogen causes a 9.9% increase in NOx emissions. Additionally, the implementation of the integrated system allows a 4.9% decrease in brake specific fuel consumption and a 4.9% increase in engine thermal efficiency. The improvement in engine thermal performance contributes to the 7% reduction in engine operating costs. On the other hand, it demonstrates an 8.7% reduction in the environmental and social impact cost and a 9% reduction in the ecological cost. Additionally, the integrated system minimizes the cost of environmental and social impact, as well as the ecological cost of polluting gases CO, CO2, and HC. The mixture of natural gas and hydrogen allows for a 4.70% and 7.59% increase in pressure and maximum heat release rate. In general, the proposed integrated system is a way to harness the thermal energy of exhaust gases for hydrogen production. In this way, it is possible to obtain an auxiliary fuel that improves the efficiency of the combustion process of the natural gas engine. This allows for minimizing energy losses in self-generation activities in Colombia, achieving better energy management and a reduction in operating costs
Grading diabetic retinopathy using transfer learning-based convolutional neural networks
No full textDiabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a disease that affect the retina, consequence of a diabetes complication. An accurate an on time diagnosis could delay severe damage in the eye or vision loss. Currently, the diagnosis is supported by a retinography and visual evaluation by a trained clinician. However, retinography evaluation is a difficult task due to differences in contrast, brightness and the presence of artifacts. In this work we propose a convolutional neural network (CNN) model to detect and grading DR to support the diagnosis from a fundus image. Moreover, we used the transfer learning technique to reuse the first layers from deep neural networks previously trained. We carried out experiments using different convolutional architectures and their performance for DR grading was evaluated on the APTOS database. The VGG-16 was the architecture with higher results, overcoming the other networks and other related works. The best experimentation we obtained reached an accuracy value of 83.52% for DR grading tasks. Experimental results show that the CNN based transfer learning achieve high performance taking the knowledge learning from pretrained network and saving computational time in the training process, which turns out suitable for small dataset as DR medical images
Violence against women in Ecuador: a perspective from social and legal justice
No full textLa violencia contra la mujer en el Ecuador constituye un grave problema que afecta a todo el entorno familiar y social. El objetivo de la presente investigación se fundamentó en, analizar la violencia contra la mujer de acuerdo con la normativa y desde la perspectiva de justicia social, a partir de ahí, se examinó si la ley establecida hacía el combate de este tipo de violencia son propicias y necesarias para precautelar el bienestar integral de la mujer y su entorno. La investigación se direccionó bajo un tipo de estudio cualitativo y método analítico, mientras que, la técnica empleada parar la recolección de las percepciones de los agentes judiciales y sociales fue la entrevista semiestructurada y antropológica. Con los resultados se identificó que, si bien ha habido avances en temas de protección de la mujer, existen muchos temas en los cuales se debe avanzar en pro y respeto de los derechos humanos. Los expertos en la materia, utilizando técnicas de análisis rigurosas, indican que Ecuador aún necesita evolucionar en términos de legislación penal contra la violencia hacia la mujer. En esta línea, el prosperar en temas de protección hacia la violencia contra la mujer es salvaguardar a la sociedad y el entorno familiar al darle un trato justo a esta situación.
Violence against women in Ecuador is a serious problem that affects the entire family and social environment. The objective of this research was based on analyzing violence against women according to the regulations and from the perspective of social justice, from there, it was examined whether the law established to combat this type of violence is conducive and necessary to safeguard the integral well-being of women and their environment. The research was directed under a type of qualitative study and analytical method, while the technique used to collect the perceptions of judicial and social agents was the semi-structured and anthropological interview. With the results it was identified that, although there has been progress in issues of protection of women, there are many issues in which progress must be made in favor of and respect for human rights. Experts in the field, using rigorous analysis techniques, indicate that Ecuador still needs to evolve in terms of criminal legislation against violence towards women. Along these lines, progress in issues of protection against violence against women is safeguarding society and the family environment by giving fair treatment to this situation
Disease X: combating the next pandemic needs the nifty wastewater-based epidemiology tool
No full texthe recent article [1] by Kate Bingham and Tim Hanes is a reminder and a warning that the next pandemic is inevitable, and it can potentially prove to be even more lethal than the last one. As noted by Kate Bingham and Tim Hanes, the flu pandemic in 1918–1919 caused an estimated 50 million deaths globally, and today one of the many viruses circulating have the potential to cause as much destruction internationally, this pathogen being Disease X