Análisis del impacto ergonômico asociado a la manipulación de cargas en trabajadores de equipos de perforación del sector petrolero / Analysis of the ergonomie impact associated with cargo handling in drilling equipment workers in the oil sector

Resumen El mundo actual y las tendencias de universalización de procesos que se dan a través de la globalización, la apertura de mercados, la internacionalización, la competencia y todas las nuevas situaciones que el desarrollo empresarial trae día a día hacen que los procesos empresariales deban ser más eficientes y eficaces, con lo cual existen riesgos asociados con las actividades que implican un sobre esfuerzo físico y por ende una posible lesión osteomuscular. Objetivo. Analizar las relaciones existentes entre las tareas de impacto negativo y las variables ergonómicas asociadas a la manipulación de cargas, a través del uso de las herramientas de evaluación REBA y RULA de manera que se identifiquen los factores de riesgo por parte de los trabajadores de Drilling & Well Services, especialmente cuñeros y encuelladores de una empresa petrolera. Materiales y métodos. La investigación es de tipo descriptivo, pues representa un análisis experimental que tiene como objetivo establecer las condiciones iniciales y determinar la manera como se manifiesta una determinada circunstancia particular identificando los rasgos característicos de la operación. Resultados. Se evidenciaron actividades como el levantar y posicionar la cuña, trasladar la tubería de perforación, soltar o ajustar las llaves de potencia y ajustar los brazos de los elevadores para cerrarlos y con ello asegurar la tubería de perforación, como las acciones de riesgo más importantes en las operaciones de los cuñeros y operadores.

Abstract The current world and the tendencies of universalization of processes that occur through globalization, the opening of markets, internationalization, competition and all the new situations that business development brings every day make processes must be more efficient and risks, with which there are risks associated with activities that involve physical exertion and therefore a possible musculoskeletal injury. Objective. Analyze the relationships identified between the negative impact tasks and the ergonomic variables associated with cargo handling, by using the REBA and RULA assessment tools so that risk factors are identified by Drilling & Well workers Services, especially wedges and pollsters of an oil company. Materials and methods. The research is descriptive, since it represents an experimental analysis that aims to establish the initial conditions and determine the way in which a particular circumstance is manifested by identifying the characteristic features of the operation. Results. There were activities such as lifting and positioning the wedge, moving the drill pipe, releasing or adjusting the power keys and adjusting the arms of the elevators to close and with it controlling the drill pipe, as the most important risk actions in the operations of the wedges and operators.

Ranging behavior drives parasite richness: A more parsimonious hypothesis.

Parasitism is a ubiquitous interspecific interaction that may play an important role in the evolution of hosts and parasites, molding many aspects of their behavior and ecology. Detecting behavioral changes of hosts infected with parasites is not a straightforward task. Extrapolating from individual-level responses to group-level decision-making is still a much more complex challenge. The ranging behavior of hosts that live in social groups is a good example. Many hypotheses of the cause-effect relationship between this behavior and parasite diversity and load have been proposed. For instance, Brockmeyer et al. [2015, Am. J. Primatol. 77:1036-1048] recently suggested that the richness of protozoan parasites influences the daily path length of free-ranging mandrills. We believe that this explanation for the relationship contains several implicit assumptions. Therefore, we offer an alternative, more parsimonious hypothesis in which daily path length is the driver of parasite richness rather than its consequence. Our hypothesis only assumes that ranging farther exposes animals to a richer parasite diversity. We discuss the data required to test these alternative hypotheses and recall empirical evidence and theoretical modeling results supporting or rejecting their assumptions. We also propose a model of the expected outcomes in terms of species richness, load, intensity of infection, and within-group community similarity of non-lethal environmentally transmitted parasites in social animal groups showing distinct patterns of range use. Am. J. Primatol. 78:923-927, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The interaction between the amoeba Balamuthia mandrillaris and extracellular matrix glycoproteins in vitro.

Balamuthia mandrillaris, a soil amoeba, is the causative agent of Balamuthia granulomatous amoebic encephalitis, a life-threatening brain infection. This amoeba is acquired from contaminated soil and may enter the host through cutaneous lesions or through nasal passages, migrating to the lungs or brain. During invasion, B. mandrillaris has access to components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the host. Therefore, we investigated the interaction of B. mandrillaris with 3 ECM glycoproteins (collagen-I, fibronectin and laminin-1) that are encountered in host connective tissues and at the basal lamina. Using optical microscopy, amoeba association on ECM-coated surfaces was examined. Binding of amoebae on laminin was greater than that on collagen or fibronectin. Laminin-adhered B. mandrillaris exhibited elongated and spread forms, distinctive from those observed for amoebae on a plastic surface. Collagen and fibronectin-adhered B. mandrillaris presented elongated shapes with cellular expansions. Binding to collagen, fibronectin, or laminin was inhibited when amoebae were pre-treated with sialic acid. Treatment with galactose resulted in diminished binding of amoebae on laminin, while mannose increased binding in all coating conditions tested. Dependence of divalent cations on amoeba binding was demonstrated for laminin-amoeba interaction. Collectively, the results indicate that B. mandrillaris recognizes specific glycoproteins of the mammalian extracellular matrix.