Título del artículo:

Implementation of safety management systems and health at work (case study in a telecommunications company)

Colombian legislation requires all companies to develop a health and safety at work program in order to preserve, maintain and improve the individual and collective health of workers and avoid work accidents and occupational diseases. The design of a management system focused on safety and health at work that provides safety, care and education to employees must involve audit-based evaluation activities. This leads to programs that reduce work accidents and prevent occupational diseases, and that also optimize the productivity of the company. The process must involve the development of criteria for analyzing the tasks or functions of each person. It is vital to anticipate dangerous or harmful events or incidents, to identify potentially dangerous tasks, and prioritize and apply corrective action. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate a methodology based on ohsas 18001 for the implementation of a management system at a telecommunications company. In the methodological scope, sufficient and necessary information will be gathered to detect the shortcomings of the administrative and management areas that support the proposal on the alternative design. It describes the situation observed and analyse the documents that will support the proposal to carry it out in accordance with the established norms.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Use of organic waste biomass for the design of an electric station

The Colombian countryside is moving forward, among some obstacles is the little use of self-propelled assets in farm activities, the current ones, due to their technical characteristics, don\'t adapt to Colombian\'s geography, therefore, it\'s important to develop technologies that aim to eco-efficiency, taking advantage of Colombia\'s great biomass potential. In this way, it\'s proposed as an initial part of a macro-project that is developed by the Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) that seeks the incorporation of electric utility vehicles and their charging stations in the sowing and harvesting of cocoa. In this work, a physical-chemical characterization of two types of organic substrates (pigs and chickens manure) is done to obtain the methane energy potential for the design of an electrical station. As a relevant result, the sample obtained from the 1 to 3 proportion of pig manure highlight since it achieves a better production of methane in a retention time of approximately 30 days, achieving a daily load of the batteries in an estimated time of 6 hours, it contributes to the management of slow charge cycles according to its control algorithm and to a complete equalization of the 1.980 cells that make up the 6 modules of batteries.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Compression tests performed in reinforced rigid matrix composite varying the reinforcement material

In this work, we investigate the behavior under compression for a nylon-matrix composite, reinforced with Kevlar, fiberglass, and carbon fiber. The composite is produced by additive manufacturing (AM) using fused deposition modeling (FDM). The specimens are printed with the Markforged Mark Two 3D printer, following the ASTM D3410 standard. The tests are performed by changing the reinforcement material, the filling pattern is fixed to a triangular shape, the angle at 0° and we use 12 layers for all the specimens. Kevlar reinforcement shows a non-linear elastic response for the stress-strain curve, whilst carbon fiber and fiberglass reinforcements show linear elastic behavior. Results indicate that the incidence of a particular failure mode is highly dependent on the type of material used in the reinforcement.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Determinants of innovation capacity in medium-sized firms

This paper aims to analyse the determinants of innovation capacity in medium-sized firms. It analyses the following factors: Culture of participative leadership, work climate and well-being, ideation and organization structures, development of know-how, exploitation of external knowledge, regeneration and individual activity. The approach of this study is descriptive quantitative field and not experimental. The project used a data collection questionnaire with 21 items, to a sample of medium-sized companies in Valledupar, Colombia. The results indicate that the determinants of innovation capacity are present in the companies analysed in the study. Additionally, the ANOVA results show that there are significant differences between the culture factor and participative leadership, with the factor of regeneration. Likewise, there are differences between the exploitation of external knowledge and working climate and well-being, ideation and organizational structures, development of know-how, regeneration and individual activity.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Analysis of the biodiesel production yield from waste frying oil

This research sought to produce biodiesel from waste frying oil (WFO) from chicken grills by using chemical transesterification to evaluate quality conditions and the yield of the biodiesel obtained. For this, acid esterification and basic transesterification were applied under the following conditions: Reaction temperature 60°C, catalyst concentration of 1% (m/m) KOH, oil:alcohol 1: 6 molar ratio, and two reaction times (55 and 70min) for the transesterification. The physicochemical properties of the raw material were analyzed (i.e., density, humidity, kinematic viscosity, fatty acid profile, acidity index, peroxides, and saponification) where the WFO showed high contents of oleic acid (42.45%) and palmitic acid (33.52%), which are fundamental for biodiesel production. Chemical transesterification under the conditions of 60°C, 1% KOH, and 70min obtained the best yield by presenting a high conversion percentage (96.15%) and an acid number of 1.33mmKOH/g, according to ASTM D6751 and EN 14214 international standards.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Evaluation of antibacterial activity in essential oils and by-products used in the artisan cosmetic industry

The experimental study allowed us to learn about antibacterial activity in essential oils in Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Myrtle, Orange plants and their by-products used in the industry. Phase 1. Extraction of essential oils through steam distillation. Phase 2. Determination of antibacterial activity through diffusion of the agar disc. Phase 3. Determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration through macrodilution in broth. Phase 4. Product effectiveness tests. The results showed antibacterial activity in eucalyptus and rosemary oils against Escherichia coli at concentrations of 100%, 75% and 50%, whereas for S. aureus only orange and eucalyptus oils were effective at concentrations of 75% and 100%, however, eucalyptus oil was the only one with inhibition against Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 100% concentration. It is concluded that the antibacterial activity found in the EO of orange, eucalyptus, myrtle and their by-products such as myrtle gel opens the door for the development of subsequent studies in the search for its application in the cosmetic industry as a viable alternative to the treatment of skin and gastric system related conditions, given the ability to inhibit the growth of S. aureus and E. coli.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Hydrogen storage in metal hydrides, synthesis and characterization

One of the keys to the implementation of the hydrogen economy is its safe and efficient storage. One of the most promising methods is metal hydrides. In this work, the influence of the mechanical grinding process on the properties of the TiCr 1.1 V 0.9 alloy, specifically the absorption and desorption capacities, and structure of the hydride was studied. The maximum storage capacity was 3.2% wt. at a temperature of 40°C and pressure of 10bars, observing two types of hydrides TiCr 1.8 H 5.3 with a body centred cubic (BCC) structure and TiH 2 with face centred cubic (FCC) structure, which release hydrogen in two temperature ranges.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Determination of the percentage of ethanol produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae from semi-purified glycerin

The percentage of ethanol produced by Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast in semi-purified glycerin at three concentrations (2.8%, 5%, 10%) was determined. Two phases were established: An aerobic phase evaluating temperatures of 20°C and 37°C with an inoculation rate of 4% and 1vvm (volume/volume of medium per minute) and an anaerobic phase at a temperature of 10°C, which were monitored for a period of 36 hours. The main kinetic parameters such as specific growth rate, doubling time and the percentage of ethanol produced by the Winnick technique were determined. The results showed that the best temperature to produce biomass of S. cerevisiae is given around 20°C with concentrations of 1.30x10 8 cells/ml with a maximum peak biomass production at 21 hours, which differ significantly from the other treatments evaluated (Sig. = 0.000). The highest production of ethanol was obtained in the treatment of 20% glycerin and 10% of inoculum of the microorganism (p<0.05) at a temperature of 10°C, corresponding to 176.87mg of ethanol/ml of glycerin. Therefore, the viability of this agroindustry by-product is deduced as an alternative source for the biomass and ethanol production from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Production of biogas from organic solid residues, by the use of biodigester in bench scale

The urban solid waste that is deposited in the open dumps generates great contamination during its decomposition stage since it undergoes different changes due to the action of the microorganisms that the produce CO 2 , CH 4 and other residual gases that affect the environment and health human. The present work aims to evaluate the efficiency of biogas production from organic solid wastes generated in the University Restaurant of the Technology Center of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro through anaerobic digestion in biodigesters at scale bench. During this study an anaerobic digestion test was carried out in a bench scale biodigester for a period of 48 days, prepared with organic solid waste, anaerobic sludge and waste water; being analyzed and controlled different chemical parameters, besides the values of temperature and ph. The test prepared for this project consisted of 6% of total solids consisting of solid wastes, anaerobic sludge and wastewater, resulting in an efficiency of removal of total volatile solids of 55% and the production of approximately 38% CH 4 , 43% CO 2 and 10% H 2 S.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Simulation of the gasification process of palm kernel shell using Aspen PLUS

This research sought to simulate gasification of palm kernel shell (PKS) in stationary state by using Aspen PLUS ® . The model can predict the syngas composition with 1.6% absolute error. Biomass is defined as a non-conventional component from its proximate and ultimate analyses. The gasification process was divided into four stages: Drying, pyrolysis, oxidation, and reduction, simulated in two R-Yield and R-Equil reactors, specified through the physicochemical characterization of the PKS and the chemical reactions in equilibrium intervening in the gasification. Simulation results were validated with experimental results from other investigations with similar operating conditions. Production of H 2 and CO 2 increases by increasing temperature from 700 to 900°C, contrary to what occurs with CO that diminishes at higher temperatures. The steam/biomass (S/B) ratio has a significant effect on the proportion of H 2 in the syngas, given that it diminishes significantly by 20.3% upon increasing the S/B ratio from 1.5 to 2.5, showing the same trend for the CO and CO 2 gases.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Simulation of tar reduction alternatives in the coffee stems gasification process

This work developed a simulation model able to compare three different secondary methods of tar retention that assess the energy consumption, investments and tar concentration of each alternative to clean the syngas produced in the gasification of coffee stems. The alternatives were the installation of a car filter (FC), a heat exchanger (IC) and activated carbon filtering media (FCA). The experiments were carried out in the Power Pallet GEK 20 kW downstream Gasifier and runs of 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 hours of operation. The tar concentration was measured via VOC\'s direct detection equipment and showed values of 23, 18.7, y 222.3ppm for IC, FC and FCA respectively. Estimation errors obtained for the model developed in Aspen Plus ® software for tar concentration were 16.75%, 14.63% and 0.02% for normal operation, FC and IC respectively. An Economic evaluation reported a value of 0.43, 4.06, 0.45 and 4.09$/kw produced for normal operation, FC, IC and FCA respectively. Finally, the analysis of the internal combustion engine thermal efficiency exposed that IC and FC potentially increase the total energy production in 440kwh per year compared to normal operation.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Use of an embedded system with wifi technology for domotic control of conventional environments

The rise of emerging technologies and the emergence of open and free hardware and software trends have allowed the emergence of new embedded system options such as the Nodemcu card based on the esp8266 microcontroller, among many others, which at very low cost allows implement an On/Off control or domotic control for an environment or location that improves its comfort and energy saving conditions as main objectives. Understanding home automation as the system capable of automating a home or building of any kind, which is capable of providing energy management, security, welfare, maintenance and communication services, and which can be integrated by means of wireless networks or Wi-Fi technology, to give a control that provides certain ubiquity, from inside and outside the place through the use of an application or app, provides a huge opportunity to take advantage of current technology adapted to any type of environment or space. This use could be defined as the integration of technology in the intelligent design of a closed area, including conventional training environments or classrooms, which unlike the rest of other locations or modern properties, do not enjoy the same advances with which they enjoy new establishments of offices, banks and hotels that make our daily activities more pleasant. This research will use the quasi-experimental method since with the collaboration of experts through the network and the state of the art consulted, small experiments or tests have been developed using low-cost technology modules, thus checking the functioning of different connections and configurations, which generates the sending and receiving of data, which allows us to give or not advance to the analysis, programming and revision of the behavior of the occupation of an environment, making the focus towards a short-term future of the research quantitative.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Assessing the impact of climate change on agriculture in Norte de Santander, Colombia

Agriculture in the Andean region of Colombia is vulnerable to climate change and warrants the evaluation of its impact on the small agricultural family home to the mountain. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the economic, environmental and social impact of climate change on the agricultural sector of the Bochalema municipality, Norte de Santander Department, using the methodology of the Integrated Relevant Criteria to identify and assess impact in order to provide essential input to support the decisions of local development agencies. This investigation reveals high fragility in the sector and underinvestment in public policies, strategies, plans and programs. Keywords: Agriculture, climate change, assessment, impacts. JEL classification: Q51, Q54.

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Journal of Physics: Conference Series

Título del artículo:

Scientific visibility of colombian universities in researchGate

The paper aims to compare the scientific visibility of Colombian universities based on the ResearchGate indicator (RGScore). The article analyzes the 150 Colombian universities that have a ResearchGate profile of the 305 registered in the National Information System of Higher Education (SNIES). The top 10 universities with the best positions of RGScore are: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad de Antioquia, Universidad de Los Andes, Universidad del Valle, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Universidad del Norte, Universidad de Cartagena, Universidad de la Sabana y Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. These are institutions accredited in High Quality by the Colombian government. Additionally, there is a weak positive correlation between the number of Groups of Research, Technological Development and Innovation classified and recognized by Colciencias per regions and average RGScore of the Universities in each Colombian Department.

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Formacion Universitaria

Título del artículo:

Production of xylitol from non-detoxified acid hydrolizates from sorghum straw by debaryomyces hansenii

The industrial production of xylitol is carried out with the chemical hydrogenation of D-xylose and it is a costly process. An alternative procedure is the fermentation of lignocellulosic residues with yeasts such as Debaryomyces hansenii (Zopf) Lodder and Kreger-van Rij. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the extraction of xylitol from sorghum straw, in detoxified and non-detoxified media. White sorghum straw [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench.], variety RB-Paloma, was hydrolyzed with H2SO4 at 2, 4 and 6 %; solid liquid ratio 1:6, 1:8 and 1:10; all treatments at 120 °C for 80 min. Those hydrolyzed were neutralized and used to evaluate the production of xylitol; culture media contained 30, 40 or 50 g L-1 xylose were inoculated with D. hansenii and incubated at 30 and 35 °C, 150 and 200 RPM for 96 h. In addition, the data were analyzed with ANDEVA and means tests (p ≤ 0.05). The maximum concentration of xylitol in the detoxified media was 28.8 g L-1 (40 g xylose, 35 °C, 200 rpm), and in non-detoxified, the maximum found was 29.23 g L-1 (30 g xylose, 35 °C, 150 rpm). The straw evaluated could be used to obtain xylose with a potential use in media for fermentation, and results also suggest that D. hansenii can metabolize xylose in the presence of acetic acid and furfural.

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Agrociencia

Título del artículo:

The International Polycap Study-3 (TIPS-3): Design, baseline characteristics and challenges in conduct

Background: It is hypothesized that in individuals without clinical cardiovascular disease (CVD), but at increased CVD risk, a 50% to 60% reduction in CVD risk could be achieved using fixed dose combination (FDC) therapy (usually comprised of multiple blood-pressure agents and a statin [with or without aspirin]) in a single “polypill”. However, the impact of a polypill in preventing clinical CV events has not been evaluated in a large randomized controlled trial. Methods: TIPS-3 is a 2x2x2 factorial randomized controlled trial that will examine the effect of a FDC polypill on major CV outcomes in a primary prevention population. This study aims to determine whether the Polycap (comprised of atenolol, ramipril, hydrochlorothiazide, and a statin) reduces CV events in persons without a history of CVD, but who are at least at intermediate CVD risk. Additional interventions in the factorial design of the study will compare the effect of (1) aspirin versus placebo on CV events (and cancer), (2) vitamin D versus placebo on the risk of fractures, and (3) the combined effect of aspirin and the Polycap on CV events. Results: The study has randomized 5713 participants across 9 countries. Mean age of the study population is 63.9 years, and 53% are female. Mean INTERHEART risk score is 16.8, which is consistent with a study population at intermediate CVD risk. Conclusion: Results of the TIP-3 study will be key to determining the appropriateness of FDC therapy as a strategy in the global prevention of CVD.

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American Heart Journal

Título del artículo:

Ventricular Volume Dynamics During the Development of Adult Chronic Communicating Hydrocephalus in a Rodent Model

Introduction: The pathophysiology of normal-pressure hydrocephalus and the correlation with its symptomatology is not well understood. Objective: To monitor and evaluate the enlargement patterns of the ventricular system for each ventricle and its correlation with the presenting symptoms. Methods: Bilateral kaolin injection into the subarachnoid space overlying the cranial convexities was done in 18 adult rats. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on an 11.7-T scanner 15, 60, 90, and 120 days after injection. Volumes of the ventricular system were measured for each ventricle and correlated with biweekly behavioral findings. Results: There was a progressive increase in the ventricular volume for the lateral ventricles since day 15 in the kaolin-injected animals. There was a nonsignificant trend in volume growth for the third ventricle, but its enlargement was synchronous with the lateral ventricles. No significant change for the fourth ventricle. No symptoms were detected in the first 60 days. Association was found between the ventricular volume and locomotor changes. In addition, the odds of locomotor symptoms increased by 3% for every additional cubic millimeter of volume in the left (P < 0.001) and right (P = 0.023) ventricles, and for the total magnetic resonance imaging volume by 1% (P = 0.013). Conclusions: Expansion of the lateral ventricles maintained similar proportions over time, accompanied by a synchronous third ventricular expansion with less proportion and a nonsignificant fourth enlargement. Lateral ventricles enlarged most in those animals that were to develop late locomotor deterioration. Further research using this animal model combined with different radiologic imaging techniques, such as diffusion tensor imaging and perfusion studies, is recommended.

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World Neurosurgery

Título del artículo:

Tobacco waste ash: a promising supplementary cementitious material

According to the European Cement Association, CEMBUREAU, in 2015, the global cement production was 4.6 billion tons. Traditional cement production emits approximately 1 ton of CO2 per ton of cement, which represents almost 80% of the total CO2 emissions of concrete and approximately 6% of the world’s emissions. Among supplementary cementitious materials, the use of agro-waste ash emerges due to its reduced CO2 emissions, chloride diffusion, and materials cost, in addition to its greater compressive strength. In Colombia, the disposal of agro-wastes, such as tobacco waste, is an environmental and economic concern. In this study, ash obtained from tobacco waste (TWA) was studied as a sustainable partial replacement for cement in hydraulic concrete. The TWA was reduced to a particle size of less than 75 μm and was characterized by X-ray florescence. A central composite design was used to study the influence of the ash replacement percentage of cement and the water/binder (w/b) ratio on the compressive strength at 28 days. The results show that it is possible to replace 10% of the cement with TWA using a 0.5 w/b ratio and obtain a 51% higher compressive strength than the control mixture at 28 days. Moreover, the experimental results demonstrated an improvement of 86% in the 7-day compressive strength when TWA was used.

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International Journal of Energy and Environmental Engineering

Título del artículo:

Association of dairy intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 21 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study

Background: Dietary guidelines recommend minimising consumption of whole-fat dairy products, as they are a source of saturated fats and presumed to adversely affect blood lipids and increase cardiovascular disease and mortality. Evidence for this contention is sparse and few data for the effects of dairy consumption on health are available from low-income and middle-income countries. Therefore, we aimed to assess the associations between total dairy and specific types of dairy products with mortality and major cardiovascular disease. Methods: The Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study is a large multinational cohort study of individuals aged 35–70 years enrolled from 21 countries in five continents. Dietary intakes of dairy products for 136 384 individuals were recorded using country-specific validated food frequency questionnaires. Dairy products comprised milk, yoghurt, and cheese. We further grouped these foods into whole-fat and low-fat dairy. The primary outcome was the composite of mortality or major cardiovascular events (defined as death from cardiovascular causes, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure). Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using multivariable Cox frailty models with random intercepts to account for clustering of participants by centre. Findings: Between Jan 1, 2003, and July 14, 2018, we recorded 10 567 composite events (deaths [n=6796] or major cardiovascular events [n=5855]) during the 9·1 years of follow-up. Higher intake of total dairy (>2 servings per day compared with no intake) was associated with a lower risk of the composite outcome (HR 0·84, 95% CI 0·75–0·94; ptrend=0·0004), total mortality (0·83, 0·72–0·96; ptrend=0·0052), non-cardiovascular mortality (0·86, 0·72–1·02; ptrend=0·046), cardiovascular mortality (0·77, 0·58–1·01; ptrend=0·029), major cardiovascular disease (0·78, 0·67–0·90; ptrend=0·0001), and stroke (0·66, 0·53–0·82; ptrend=0·0003). No significant association with myocardial infarction was observed (HR 0·89, 95% CI 0·71–1·11; ptrend=0·163). Higher intake (>1 serving vs no intake) of milk (HR 0·90, 95% CI 0·82–0·99; ptrend=0·0529) and yogurt (0·86, 0·75–0·99; ptrend=0·0051) was associated with lower risk of the composite outcome, whereas cheese intake was not significantly associated with the composite outcome (0·88, 0·76–1·02; ptrend=0·1399). Butter intake was low and was not significantly associated with clinical outcomes (HR 1·09, 95% CI 0·90–1·33; ptrend=0·4113). Interpretation: Dairy consumption was associated with lower risk of mortality and major cardiovascular disease events in a diverse multinational cohort. Funding: Full funding sources are listed at the end of the paper (see Acknowledgments).

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The Lancet

Título del artículo:

In Reply to the Letter to the Editor Regarding “Evidences in Neurological Surgery and a Cutting Edge Classification of the Trigeminocardiac Reflex: A Systematic Review”

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

World Neurosurgery

Título del artículo:

Factorial structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 as a depression screening instrument for university students in Cartagena, Colombia

Previous studies on the factorial structure of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) have yielded divergent results, and there is no consensus on which factorial structure provides a more adequate fit. In Colombia, no precise method to estimate the factorial structure of the PHQ-9 has been used. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the factorial structure of the PHQ-9 as a depression screening tool in university students of Colombia from a model of two factors previously studied. The PHQ-9 was applied to 550 health science university students. A factorial confirmatory analysis was carried out using a structural equations model and invariance analysis. The model with one somatic factor and one non-somatic factor, achieved a better fit with invariance by gender. The PHQ-9 used as a depression screening tool used in university students in Cartagena revealed two factors, one somatic and one non-somatic with measurement invariance by gender.

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Psychiatry Research

Título del artículo:

Drying of Yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) as a potentialfood product for international commercialization

This paper describes the drying process conditions with the objective to minimise the negative effect over the final quality of the dry Yacon (mallanthus sonchifolius) for international commercialization. Yacon is a tuberous root that grows throughout the Andean mountains in different South American countries. During the last years the interest for this product has been increasing and researchers have collected information that indicates the great potential of yacon. The product cultivation has been promoted over the past few years, due to the health benefits found after consumption. This agricultural product contains FOS (Fructo Oligo Sacarides) of low molecular weight, which is used as alternative sweeteners and, due to the small amount of calories is also attractive and good for overweight and diabetic people. Due to the outstanding importance of its health properties, this studied was carried out to achieve the best parameters of the drying process. For this paper, an experiment was performed considering two factors of the drying process: thickness of the layer (2cm, 4cm and 6cm) and temperature (60°C, 70°C and 80°C), with measurements of the physicochemical properties in fresh, before drying and after the drying process, with three replicates for each combination of levels.

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IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering

Título del artículo:

Toxic activity, molecular modeling and docking simulations of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry11 toxin variants obtained via DNA shuffling

The Cry11 family belongs to a large group of δ-endotoxins that share three distinct structural domains. Among the dipteran-active toxins referred to as three-domain Cry11 toxins, the Cry11Aa protein from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) has been the most extensively studied. Despite the potential of Bti as an effective biological control agent, the understanding of Cry11 toxins remains incomplete. In this study, five Cry11 variants obtained via DNA shuffling displayed toxic activity against Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus. Three of these Cry11 variants (8, 23, and 79) were characterized via 3D modeling and analysis of docking with ALP1. The relevant mutations in these variants, such as deletions, insertions and point mutations, are discussed in relation to their structural domains, toxic activities and toxin-receptor interactions. Importantly, deletion of the N-terminal segment in domain I was not associated with any change in toxic activity, and domain III exhibited higher sequence variability than domains I and II. Variant 8 exhibited up to 3.78- and 6.09-fold higher toxicity to A. aegypti than Cry11Bb and Cry11Aa, respectively. Importantly, variant 79 showed an α-helix conformation at the C-terminus and formed crystals retaining toxic activity. These findings indicate that five Cry11 variants were preferentially reassembled from the cry11Aa gene during DNA shuffling. The mutations described in loop 2 and loop 3 of domain II provide valuable information regarding the activity of Cry11 toxins against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus larvae and reveal new insights into the application of directed evolution strategies to study the genetic variability of specific domains in cry11 family genes.

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

Frontiers in Microbiology

Título del artículo:

Effect of kinesiotaping on quadriceps strength in healthy subjects

Introduction: The application of kinesiotaping has been commonly used for the treatment and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders. In addition, it has been recognized its neurostimulatory mechanisms that could increase muscle strength; the evidence shown for this effect is not conclusive though. Objective: To evaluate the effect of Kinesiotaping (KT) with and without tension on the muscular strength and endurance of the quadriceps in healthy subjects. Methods: An experimental study was conducted randomized into two intervention groups, one application of tension KT and one without tension. The strength measurements were performed before and after application of therapeutic tape. Results: No found changes on muscle strength and the endurance of group without tension, however, the strength on group with tension after application of the tape decreased (pre KT: 25 kg / f vs post KT: 23.18 kg/f; p<0,05. Conclusion: KT facilitation technique applied on the quadriceps, it does not increase muscle strength and endurance. This suggests that there should be applied with objectives to improve these capabilities in healthy subjects.

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Revista Cubana de Investigaciones Biomedicas

Título del artículo:

Innovative culture in companies contractors of the carbon exploitation mines in Colombia

The features and types of innovative culture in contractors of mining companies at Cesar Department, in Colombia is studied and analyzed. The research is of quantitative and descriptive type. The results indicate that the predominant feature in the characteristics of the dominant organization is the conception of the company as an extended family. With respect to the management of personnel, the promotion of teamwork, consensus and participation predominates among companies. Also, the predominant feature of the organizational link, is the conception of the company as a space characterized by loyalty, commitment and mutual trust. On the other hand, in the feature of success criteria, companies promote the development of human resources.

Acerca de la revista donde se publicó este artículo:

Informacion Tecnologica