Repositorio Universidad Europea del Atlántico
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Scalable Comprehensive Automatic Inspection, Cleaning, and Evaluation Mechanism for Large‐Diameter Pipes
No full textCleaning and inspection of pipelines and gun barrels are crucial for ensuring safety and integrity to extend their lifespan. Existing automatic inspection approaches lack high robustness, as well as portability, and have movement restrictions and complexity. This study presents the design and development of a scalable, comprehensive automated inspection, cleaning, and evaluation mechanism (CAICEM) for large-sized pipelines and barrels with diameters in the range of 105 mm–210 mm. The proposed system is divided into electrical and mechanical assemblies that are independently designed, tested, fabricated, integrated, and controlled with industrial grid controllers and processors. These actuators are suitably programmed to provide the desired actions through toggle switches on a simple housing subassembly. The stress analysis and material specifications are obtained using ANSYS to ensure robustness and practicability. Later, on-ground testing and optimization are performed before industrial prototyping. The inspection system of the proposed mechanism includes barrel-mounted and brush-mounted cameras with sensors utilized to keep track of the pipeline deposits and monitor user activity. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed mechanism is cost-effective and achieves the desired objectives with minimum human efforts in the least possible time for both smooth and rifled large-diameter pipes and barrels
Unhealthy Ultra-Processed Food Consumption in Children and Adolescents Living in the Mediterranean Area: The DELICIOUS Project
Full text linkObjectives: This study addressed the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) formulated with excess of energy/fats/sugars (hence deemed as unhealthy) and factors associated with it in children and adolescents living in 5 Mediterranean countries participating to the DELICIOUS (UnDErstanding consumer food choices & promotion of healthy and sustainable Mediterranean diet and LIfestyle in Children and adolescents through behavIOUral change actionS) project.Methods: A total of 2011 parents of children and adolescents (6–17 years) participated in a survey exploring their children’s frequency consumption of unhealthy UPFs and demographic, eating, and lifestyle habits.Results: Most children consumed unhealthy UPFs daily: higher intake was associated with being older and with obesity, as well as higher parental education and younger age. Children eating more frequently out of home and with a higher number of meals were also more likely to consume unhealthier UPF. Moreover, more screen time and a lower healthy lifestyle score were associated with higher unhealthy UPF consumption.Conclusion: consumption of unhealthy UPFs seems to be preeminent in children and adolescents living in the Mediterranean area and associated with an overall unhealthy lifestyle
Enzymatic treatment shapes in vitro digestion pattern of phenolic compounds in mulberry juice
No full textThe health benefits of mulberry fruit are closely associated with its phenolic compounds. However, the effects of enzymatic treatments on the digestion patterns of these compounds in mulberry juice remain largely unknown. This study investigated the impact of pectinase (PE), pectin lyase (PL), and cellulase (CE) on the release of phenolic compounds in whole mulberry juice. The digestion patterns were further evaluated using an in vitro simulated digestion model. The results revealed that PE significantly increased chlorogenic acid content by 77.8 %, PL enhanced cyanidin-3-O-glucoside by 20.5 %, and CE boosted quercetin by 44.5 %. Following in vitro digestion, the phenolic compound levels decreased differently depending on the treatment, while cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside content increased across all groups. In conclusion, the selected enzymes effectively promoted the release of phenolic compounds in mulberry juice. However, during gastrointestinal digestion, the degradation of phenolic compounds surpassed their enhanced release, with effects varying based on the compound's structure
Cross-country analysis of sustainable innovation and female entrepreneurship and their influence on the presence of women in managerial positions
Full text linkDespite the global increase of women in business, there is still a very small proportion of female business leaders, although the distribution varies greatly by region and sector. Considering innovation, in its many forms, as well as female entrepreneurship, both considered as a path towards sustainability, the question arises as to whether this drive for sustainability leads to a greater presence of female CEOs. Current studies predominantly examine the impact of women's presence on a company's economic and financial performance, as well as any potential effects on its innovation strategy. However, the examination of factors that help understand the economic and business context influencing the presence of women in leadership roles is often overlooked. This empirical study fills this gap by exploring the micro and macro context influencing the presence of female CEOs in innovative firms worldwide stressing the influence of female owners. The sample comprises 107,026 companies from manufacturing and service industries in 118 countries, from 2007 to 2023, data obtained from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys. The econometric model applied is logistic regression with clustered standard errors. The study contains six estimations generating strong evidence supporting most of the formulated hypotheses. Findings suggest women CEOs are likely to lead women-owned firms which promote (sustainable) innovation through developing new products for new markets, allocating less investment in R&D, product innovation and business processes, although with some nuances. Other important factors to consider are productivity, sales strategy, firm size, sector, and socio-economic context with a gender focus
The Role of Oxidative Stress in Periodontitis
Full text linkPeriodontitis and noncommunicable diseases share an overall inflammatory state often sustained by concomitant oxidative stress as one of the main processes involved. A huge amount of literature supports such a main pathogenic process, which is also considered the therapeutic target. The attempt to control inflammation by acting on oxidative stress has given largely unsatisfactory results, either as preventive or as treatment approaches. To propose new ideas that will help in this field, the paper reviewed all physiological processes involved in oxidative stress in periodontitis. The discussion considers all of them, considering whether they come from endogenous sources, that is, all the intracellular physiological devices and/or processes that are involved in oxidative stress, such as mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, peroxisomes, autophagy, and aging, or from exogenous sources, that is, the external factors that affect oxidative stress, such as nutrition, physical activity, psychological status, environmental conditions, microbiome, and drugs. The most important conclusion is that all of them should be taken into consideration in future research since we need to address oxidative stress as part of a specific biological and metabolic cellular state in a multicellular organism. To understand the cellular physiology that underlies oxidative stress and consider this point in treating each of our periodontal patients according to a specific oxidative state could be called personalized/precise oxidative stress therapy (POST) and should include the following points: (1) environmental conditions, (2) individual characteristics, and (3) oxidative state of different intracellular organelles
Association between blood cortisol levels and numerical rating scale in prehospital pain assessment
Full text linkBackground
Nowadays, there is no correlation between levels of cortisol and pain in the prehospital setting. The aim of this work was to determine the ability of prehospital cortisol levels to correlate to pain. Cortisol levels were compared with those of the numerical rating scale (NRS).
Methods
This is a prospective observational study looking at adult patients with acute disease managed by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and transferred to the emergency department of two tertiary care hospitals. Epidemiological variables, vital signs, and prehospital blood analysis data were collected. A total of 1516 patients were included, the median age was 67 years (IQR: 51–79; range: 18–103) with 42.7% of females. The primary outcome was pain evaluation by NRS, which was categorized as pain-free (0 points), mild (1–3), moderate (4–6), or severe (≥7). Analysis of variance, correlation, and classification capacity in the form area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curve were used to prospectively evaluate the association of cortisol with NRS.
Results
The median NRS and cortisol level are 1 point (IQR: 0–4) and 282 nmol/L (IQR: 143–433). There are 584 pain-free patients (38.5%), 525 mild (34.6%), 244 moderate (16.1%), and 163 severe pain (10.8%). Cortisol levels in each NRS category result in p < 0.001. The correlation coefficient between the cortisol level and NRS is 0.87 (p < 0.001). The AUC of cortisol to classify patients into each NRS category is 0.882 (95% CI: 0.853–0.910), 0.496 (95% CI: 0.446–0.545), 0.837 (95% CI: 0.803–0.872), and 0.981 (95% CI: 0.970–0.991) for the pain-free, mild, moderate, and severe categories, respectively.
Conclusions
Cortisol levels show similar pain evaluation as NRS, with high-correlation for NRS pain categories, except for mild-pain. Therefore, cortisol evaluation via the EMS could provide information regarding pain status
Socio-economic status, food security and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in five Mediterranean countries: the DELICIOUS project
No full textFood security is a universal need worldwide. This study explored the relationship between food security and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in the context of the DELICIOUS project. A survey involving 2,011 parents of children and adolescents aged 6–17 years was conducted. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was assessed through the KIDMED score. Information regarding the ease of accessing Mediterranean foods, economic allowance, employment and residence was collected. Logistic regressions analyses were performed to test the associations. Individuals living in rural areas and reporting difficulty in obtaining all studied foods were less likely to follow the Mediterranean diet. Higher adherence was associated with a household monthly income higher than €4000. No associations with family status and no differences across countries were found. The progressive shift away from the Mediterranean diet may depend not only on cultural preferences for unhealthier, industrial alternatives but also on family budgets and food accessibility
Nivel de conocimiento sobre el tiburón toro (Carcharhinus leucas) como base para su conservación y gestión medioambiental en la Reserva de la Biósfera Caribe Mexicano
No full textSe presumió una débil sensibilidad en la población local adyacente a la costa del estado de
Quintana Roo (México), sobre la importancia ecológica de la especie Carcharhinus leucas
(tiburón toro) y su vulnerabilidad debido al incremento del urbanismo en la Reserva de la Biósfera
Caribe Mexicano. Para examinarlo, se propuso determinar el nivel de conocimiento sobre la
situación de la especie en varias comunidades humanas de la región costera contigua a la Reserva.
El estudio presentó un diseño de campo no experimental, de corte transversal y de tipo cualitativo
exploratorio. Fueron aplicados cuatro cuestionarios, uno por cada grupo comunitario, los cuales
indicaron niveles de conocimiento alto (gestores: 13), medio (agentes de turismo: 5.8) y bajos
(pescadores: 3) (ciudadanos comunes: 1.85), utilizando un muestreo por conveniencia. Asimismo,
fue develado que existen iniciativas para mejorar el monitoreo del área marina protegida, aunque
escasos estudios sobre la eficacia de las campañas de educación ambiental. Existe una perentoria
necesidad por sensibilizar a las comunidades para mejorar su conocimiento sobre Carcharhinus leucas, y el sentido de compromiso con la gestión medioambiental de la Reserva, esto mediante la formación crítica y continua en términos de protección de la biodiversidad marin
Clinical epidemiology of dengue and COVID-19 co-infection among the residents in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2021-2023: A cross-sectional study
No full textBackground
Co-infection of dengue and COVID-19 has increased the health burden worldwide. We found a significant knowledge gap in epidemiology and risk factors of co-infection in Bangladesh.
Methods
This study included 2458 participants from Dhaka city from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2023. We performed Kruskal-Walli’s test and χ2 test. Multivariable logistic regression was also performed.
Results
Co-infection of dengue and COVID-19 was found among 31% of the participants. Co-prevalence of dengue and COVID-19 was found in higher frequency in Jatrabari (14%), and Motijhil (11%). Severe (65%, p-value 0.001) and very severe (78%, p-value 0.005) symptoms were prevalent among the participants aged >50 years. Long-term illness was prevalent among the participants with co-infection (35%, 95% CI 33%- 36%) and COVID-19 (28%, 95% CI 26%- 30%). Co-infected participants had a higher frequency of heart damage (31.6%, p-value 0.005), brain fog (22%, p-value 0.03), and kidney damage (49.3%, p-value 0.001). Fever (100%) was the most prevalent symptom followed by weakness (89.6%), chills (82.4%), fatigue (81.4%), headache (80.6%), feeling thirsty (76.3%), myalgia (75%), pressure in the chest (69.1%), and shortness of breath (68.3%), respectively. Area of residence (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.96-2.49, p-value 0.01), number of family members (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08-1.87, p-value <0.001), and population density (OR 2.43, 95% CI 2.15-3.01, p-value 0.001) were associated with higher odds of co-infection. We found that coinfected participants had a 4 times higher risk of developing severe health conditions (OR 4.22, 95% CI 4.11-4.67, p-value 0.02).
Conclusions
This is one of the early epidemiologic studies of co-infection of dengue and COVID-19 in Bangladesh
Understanding the reasons to avoid seeking mental health professionals: Validation of the MITOS-MENTAL questionnaire in Peru population
No full textThere is still much resistance, myths, beliefs, and misconceptions regarding the seeking of mental health services for diagnosis and treatment. The objective was to validate an instrument to determine why Peruvian workers would not seek mental health professionals. In an instrumental study, literature was searched, and mental health professionals were asked about the most common reasons for not attending consultations. An expert panel undertook exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA), which were applied to a large population. Descriptive and instrumental statistics were used for the data. The 20 experts gave excellent ratings to the initial questions. In the pilot (250 people), it was confirmed that all questions had saturations >0.40. The item modification technique was also performed, eliminating six questions. With the CFA in 1312 respondents, it was seen that the goodness-of-fit indices were not adequate for three questions, then the index modification technique was used, achieving a satisfactory factorial structure model (χ2 = 61.497; df = 9; p < 0.001; RMR = 0.015; TLI = 0.984; CFI = 0.990, and RMSEA = 0.067). A scale of six questions was validated to measure the most important reasons why Peruvian workers do not want to attend mental health consultations