Climate change and cancer: an oncology nurse perspective in two Colombian regions.

Given the lack of publications and public policies addressing the relationship between climate change and cancer care in Colombia, we present an exploration of the perspectives and communication practices of a group of nurses from Valle del Cauca and Antioquia. We provide a context based on the available literature on climate change and general health then provide an overview of cancer in the country. Next, we present how oncology nurses have incorporated information about strategies their patients can use to mitigate the effects of climate change on their health. We highlight the centrality of patient-centered communication using a framework from the US National Cancer Institute) and the fundamental role nurses have in patients' experiences throughout their treatment. We conclude with the need to investigate oncology nurse communication practices in other Colombian hospitals, with consideration of culture, cancer stigma, barriers to care and other factors that may influence successful climate change mitigation and to better understand how other Latin American oncology nurses are addressing this serious challenge.

Integrating Sensor Models in Deep Learning Boosts Performance: Application to Monocular Depth Estimation in Warehouse Automation.

Deep learning is the mainstream paradigm in computer vision and machine learning, but performance is usually not as good as expected when used for applications in robot vision. The problem is that robot sensing is inherently active, and often, relevant data is scarce for many application domains. This calls for novel deep learning approaches that can offer a good performance at a lower data consumption cost. We address here monocular depth estimation in warehouse automation with new methods and three different deep architectures. Our results suggest that the incorporation of sensor models and prior knowledge relative to robotic active vision, can consistently improve the results and learning performance from fewer than usual training samples, as compared to standard data-driven deep learning.

Shielding features of seven types on natural quartz.

The shielding features of amethyst, chalcedony, crystal rock, milky, pink, flint, and jasper quartz were calculated. The seven varieties of quartz were collected within the territory of the state of Zacatecas in Mexico. Shielding characteristics include the linear attenuation coefficients, the effective atomic numbers and the mass interaction coefficients for 1 keV to 100 GeV photons. The interaction coefficients were calculated for the coherent scattering, the photoelectric absorption, the Compton scattering, and the pair production occurring in the electric field of the atomic nucleus and the electrons. The linear attenuation coefficients were compared with those of the Portland concrete widely used as radiation shielding. In the low energy region where the photoelectric absorption is dominant the mass interaction coefficients and the total linear attenuation coefficients have three resonances due to the Si, Ca and Fe concentration, these resonances are also noticed in the effective atomic number. For photons below 60 keV the shielding performance of quartz can be used to shield X-ray devices working with less than 60 kV.

CubBonner - A novel passive neutron area monitor.

Responses of a novel passive neutron area monitor, named CubBonner, were calculated. The responses were estimated for sixty monoenergetic neutrons, from 10-9 to 20 MeV, with the MCNP5 code. The CubBonner is a cubic polyethylene moderator and a gold foil as thermal neutron detector. The ambient dose equivalent response was calculated for three cubes (5″, 8″ and 10" side) with the gold foil at the cube's centers. The moderator cube having the best ambient dose equivalent response was used to estimate the neutron fluence and the 197Au(n,γ) responses per history. The ambient dose response per unit mass of gold was compared with the response of the Berthold LB 6411 active neutron area monitor, and the response for the (n,γ) reaction in the gold foil was compared with the evaporation photo neutrons produced in linear accelerators for radiotherapy.

Characterization of six types of Mexican Onyx.

Optical, chemical, and radiation shielding characteristics of 6 types of Mexican onyx from the semi-desert of Zacatecas have been determined. Onyx samples are Yellow, Blue, Brown, Orange, Red and Green. Characterization was carried out using Energy dispersed X-Ray fluorescence, Visible Ultraviolet Spectrometry and Infrared Spectroscopy. With these techniques it was possible to study the chemical, physical and optical characteristics of the Mexican Onyx; from where the elemental composition was obtained, the absorption peaks, the vibrational modes and the optical band gap. As well as the interactions of these materials with radiation was studied. From this last study we obtained the Mass interaction coefficient for the coherent and incoherent dispersion, the photoelectric effect, the Compton scattering and the pair production, in the atomic nucleus and the electron field. For all types of onyx the total mass attenuation coefficients are alike showing a resonance due to K-shell of Ca. Mexican onyx has a good shielding features to photons of energy less than 100 keV because the most probable event is the photoelectric effect.

Nuclear pulse generator embedded in FPGA.

This manuscript presents the design and implementation of an intellectual property core, which acts as a generator of nuclear pulses. The design is embedded in a Field programmable gate array. It is capable of forming pulses with an exponential shape such as those from a radiation detector or Gaussian-shaped pulses such as those provided by a spectroscopy amplifier. Its characteristic is that the amplitude and period of these pulses can be configured by the user through a Virtual instrument generated in graphic language through the LabVIEW development platform. This can greatly reduce the volume, cost and energy consumption in relation to commercial analog nuclear electronics pulse generators.

Doses in eye lens, thyroid, and gonads, due to scattered radiation, during a CT radiodiagnosis study.

X-ray images used for radio-diagnosis are very useful to evaluate the progress of a treatment or to have a better diagnosis. However, during the interaction between the incoming X-ray beam and the body surface, part of the radiation is scattered out reaching other parts of the body delivering an undesirable dose. In this work the dose in eye lenses, thyroid, and gonads of a solid water phantom was measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters, while a Computer Tomography of the torso was obtained. With the measured absorbed dose the effective dose was calculated. Thus, the effective dose in the eye lens, thyroid, and gonads is approximately 57, 214 and 9 µSv respectively. The largest effective dose was on that area located nearest to the region where the radiation is scattered.

Doses in eye lens, thyroid, salivary glands, mammary glands, and gonads, due to radiation scattered in dental orthopantomography.

In the aim to support treatments and diagnostics in Dentistry the most common radiographies are the periapical radiography and the dental panoramic. In the dental panoramic the X-ray beam is addressed into a large zone of the face obtaining the image of the upper and lower jaw. In this procedure part of the X-rays are scattered reaching some other parts of the patient body. In this work the absorbed dose in the eye lens, thyroid, salivary glands, mammary glands, and gonads, was measured in patients undergoing a dental orthopantomography. Measurements were carried out with thermolmuminiscent dosimeters. With the absorbed doses the Effective dose were calculated. The highest dose was obtained in the salivary glands (30.4 µSv) and the lowest dose was obtained in thyroid (3.8 µSv).

FPGA embedded multichannel analyzer.

An multichannel analyzer has been designed, and its performance has been evaluated. The multichannel analyzer is embedded into a Field programmable gate array. The design incudes the virtual instrument in order to hand and to visualize the pulse height spectrum. Two commercially available multichannel analyzers using a NaI(Tl) and HPGe detectors were used to obtain the pulse height spectra of 137Cs, 60Co and 152Eu sources and were compared with the pulse height spectra obtained with the embedded multichannel analyzer, being alike the spectra obtained with the commercial multichannel analyzer. Our design is smaller, low cost and it has options to add other features.

Predictive value of spindle retardance in embryo implantation rate.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the relationship between meiotic spindle characteristics and in vitro fertilization cycle outcome. METHODS: Five hundred sixty-nine oocytes from 86 in vitro fertilization cycles were analyzed for fertilization and subsequent implantation rates. Oocytes were assessed for maturation status. The oocytes and embryos were cultured in sequential and nonsequential media (G Series, Vitrolife, Sweden) and incubated in 6% CO2, 5% O2 at 37 °C. Two hours following oocyte decumulation (38-39 h post-hCG/GnRH administration) and prior to microinjection, the structure of the meiotic spindle was assessed using the Oosight Imaging System (CRI, UK). RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-six oocytes (80.5%) had a visible meiotic spindle, 82 (14.7%) had no meiotic spindle, and 31 (5.5%) were in telophase I. Oocytes exhibiting a meiotic spindle had a significantly higher fertilization rate and a lower rate of abnormal fertilization. Implantation data were obtained for 195 of the embryos transferred. The implantation rate for embryos derived from oocytes with a meiotic spindle was 32.9%, while in embryos originating from oocytes without a meiotic spindle and oocytes in telophase, this value dropped significantly (8.8 and 0%, respectively). To determine the correlation between retardance values and implantation rate for each oocyte, we established four groups, finding a range of retardance values with significantly higher implantation rates (27.5, 21, 29.3, and 53.8%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Meiotic spindle imaging may be a valuable tool for prediction of oocyte quality, and retardance values of meiotic spindles, together with classical morphological classification, can be useful to select embryos with a higher implantation potential.

Temporal variation of chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Cordia curassavica (Jacq) Roemer and Schultes: Boraginaceae / Variación temporal de la composición química y la actividad antimicrobiana del aceite esencial de Cordia curassavica (Jacq) Roemer y Schultes: Boraginaceae

The people of San Rafael Coxcatlán use Cordia curassavica to treat gastrointestinal and respiratory disorders. The aim of this work was to investigate the temporal variation of chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of C. curassavica in two seasons of the year (dry and rainy). The essential oil of aerial parts was obtained by steam distillation, 12 and 17 compounds were identified for dry and rainy seasons respectively by GC-MS. The major component was for the dry season 1,7,7-trimethyl tricyclo (2.2.1.0(2,6)) heptane (20.3 percent), and for the rainy season was germacrene (24.41 percent). The antibacterial activity of essential oils varies temporarily because was active in nine strains in the dry season and four in the wet. The more sensitive strains were Stapahylococcus epidermidis and Vibrio cholera. The essential oil obtained in dry season presented a MIC of 0.75 and 0.125 mg/mL, and for the rainy season a MIC of 1.00 and 0.375 mg/mL respectively. Rhizoctonia solani was the more sensitive fungi strain (IC25 0.1300 mg/mL) in the rainy season. These results show that the chemical composition and biological properties of essential oil of the C. curassavica have temporal variation.

La población de San Rafael para tratar padecimientos gastrointestinales y respiratorios emplean Cordia curassavica. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue investigar la variación temporal de la composición química y la actividad antimicrobiana del aceite esencial de C. curassavica colectada en dos épocas del año (sequía y lluvias). El aceite esencial se obtuvo mediante la técnica de arrastre de vapor y los componentes se identificaron por CG-MS. En la época de secas se detectaron 12 compuestos y 17 en la de lluvias. El principal componente para la época de secas fue el 1,7,7 trimetil triciclo (2.2.1.0(2,6)) heptano (20.3 por ciento) y para la temporada de lluvias fue el germacrano (24.41 por ciento). La actividad antibacteriana del aceite esencial varía temporalmente porque fue activo sobre nueve cepas en la época seca y sobre cuatro cepas en la época lluviosa. Las cepas más sensibles para ambas estaciones fueron Stapahylococcus epidermidis y Vibrio cholerae. En la época de seca, el aceite esencial presentó la concentración mínima inhibitoria (CMI) de 0.75 y 0.125mg/mL, mientras que en la época de lluvias fueron de 1.00 y 0.375 mg/mL respectivamente. La cepa fúngica más sensible fue Rhizoctonia solani (IC25 0.130 mg/mL) en la época de lluvia. Estos resultados muestran que la composición química y las propiedades biológicas de los aceites esenciales de Cordia curassavica varian de acuerdo a la época del año.

Nitrogen and amino acids in nectar modify food selection of nectarivorous bats.

1. Chiropterophilic flowers secrete sugar nectar with low-Nitrogen (N hereafter) content and small amounts of amino acids, which may function to attract animals; nevertheless, the role that micronutrients have on the foraging decisions of Neotropical nectarivorous bats is unknown. 2. We offered the nectar specialist Leptonycteris yerbabueanae and the omnivore Glossophaga soricina pairs of experimental diets mimicking either the N content or the relative abundance of 17 amino acids found in the floral nectar from the main plant species visited by these bats in a tropical dry forest. We addressed the following research questions: (i) Do bats select N-containing or sugar-only nectar differently based on bats' N nutritional status? (ii) Does the presence of N in nectar affect the capacity of bats to discriminate and select other nectar traits such as sugar concentration? and (iii) Are bats able to distinguish among the flavours generated by the amino acid relative abundance present in the nectar from plants they typically encounter in nature? 3. Our results showed that: (i) bats did not consider nectar N content regardless of their N nutritional condition, (ii) the nectar specialist L. yerbabuenae showed a preference for the most concentrated sugar-only nectar but changed to be indifferent when nectar contained N, and (iii) L. yerbabuenae preferred diets without amino acids and preferred the taste of the amino acids present in the nectar of Pachycereus pecten (Cactaceae) over those present in the nectar of Ceiba aesculifolia (Bombacaceae). 4. Our results suggest that regardless of the low concentrations at which N and amino acids are present in floral nectar, their presence affects bats' food selection by interfering with the bats' ability to detect differences in sugar concentrations, and by offering particular flavours that can be perceived and selected by nectarivorous bats. We discuss the ecological implications of the presence of N and amino acids in nectar on bats' foraging decisions.

Fission yeast Ags1 confers the essential septum strength needed for safe gradual cell abscission.

Fungal cytokinesis requires the assembly of a dividing septum wall. In yeast, the septum has to be selectively digested during the critical cell separation process. Fission yeast cell wall α(1-3)glucan is essential, but nothing is known about its localization and function in the cell wall or about cooperation between the α- and ß(1-3)glucan synthases Ags1 and Bgs for cell wall and septum assembly. Here, we generate a physiological Ags1-GFP variant and demonstrate a tight colocalization with Bgs1, suggesting a cooperation in the important early steps of septum construction. Moreover, we define the essential functions of α(1-3)glucan in septation and cell separation. We show that α(1-3)glucan is essential for both secondary septum formation and the primary septum structural strength needed to support the physical forces of the cell turgor pressure during cell separation. Consequently, the absence of Ags1 and therefore α(1-3)glucan generates a special and unique side-explosive cell separation due to an instantaneous primary septum tearing caused by the turgor pressure.

Differential activities of three families of specific beta(1,3)glucan synthase inhibitors in wild-type and resistant strains of fission yeast.

Three specific ß(1,3)glucan synthase (GS) inhibitor families, papulacandins, acidic terpenoids, and echinocandins, have been analyzed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe wild-type and papulacandin-resistant cells and GS activities. Papulacandin and enfumafungin produced similar in vivo effects, different from that of echinocandins. Also, papulacandin was the strongest in vitro GS inhibitor (IC(50) 10(3)-10(4)-fold lower than with enfumafungin or pneumocandin), but caspofungin was by far the most efficient antifungal because of the following. 1) It was the only drug that affected resistant cells (minimal inhibitory concentration close to that of the wild type). 2) It was a strong inhibitor of wild-type GS (IC(50) close to that of papulacandin). 3) It was the best inhibitor of mutant GS. Moreover, caspofungin showed a special effect for two GS inhibition activities, of high and low affinity, separated by 2 log orders, with no increase in inhibition. pbr1-8 and pbr1-6 resistances are due to single substitutions in the essential Bgs4 GS, located close to the resistance hot spot 1 region described in Saccharomyces and Candida Fks mutants. Bgs4(pbr)(1-8) contains the E700V change, four residues N-terminal from hot spot 1 defining a larger resistance hot spot 1-1 of 13 amino acids. Bgs4(pbr)(1-6) contains the W760S substitution, defining a new resistance hot spot 1-2. We observed spontaneous revertants of the spherical pbr1-6 phenotype and found that an additional A914V change is involved in the recovery of the wild-type cell shape, but it maintains the resistance phenotype. A better understanding of the mechanism of action of the antifungals available should help to improve their activity and to identify new antifungal targets.

Suitability of GRIND-based principal properties for the description of molecular similarity and ligand-based virtual screening.

The information provided by the alignment-independent GRid Independent Descriptors (GRIND) can be condensed by the application of principal component analysis, obtaining a small number of principal properties (GRIND-PP), which is more suitable for describing molecular similarity. The objective of the present study is to optimize diverse parameters involved in the obtention of the GRIND-PP and validate their suitability for applications, requiring a biologically relevant description of the molecular similarity. With this aim, GRIND-PP computed with a collection of diverse settings were used to carry out ligand-based virtual screening (LBVS) on standard conditions. The quality of the results obtained was remarkable and comparable with other LBVS methods, and their detailed statistical analysis allowed to identify the method settings more determinant for the quality of the results and their optimum. Remarkably, some of these optimum settings differ significantly from those used in previously published applications, revealing their unexplored potential. Their applicability in large compound database was also explored by comparing the equivalence of the results obtained using either computed or projected principal properties. In general, the results of the study confirm the suitability of the GRIND-PP for practical applications and provide useful hints about how they should be computed for obtaining optimum results.

Slt2 and Rim101 contribute independently to the correct assembly of the chitin ring at the budding yeast neck in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the simultaneous absence of Slt2 and Rim101 prevents growth in nonosmotically stabilized media (F. Castrejon et al., Eukaryot. Cell 5:507-517, 2006). The double mutant slt2Delta rim101Delta displays altered chitin rings, together with a significant reduction in the overall levels of chitin. Cultures of this mutant lyse upon transfer to nonosmotically stabilized media, mostly through the bud, and such lysis is partially prevented by deletion of the chitinase gene (CTS1). Growth of the slt2Delta rim101Delta double mutant was restored by the overexpression of the GFA1 or CCT7 genes, which code for two biologically unrelated proteins. Further characterization of the mutant and its suppressors indicated that both Slt2 and Rim101 were independently required for the correct assembly of the septum machinery and that their concomitant absence reduced Chs3 accumulation at the neck, leading to lower levels of chitin. GFA1 overexpression, as well as the addition of glucosamine to the growth medium, specifically suppressed the growth defects by activating chitin synthesis at the neck and restoring the normal assembly of the chitin ring. In contrast, overexpression of CCT7, a Cct chaperonin subunit, alleviated the defect in the septum machinery without affecting chitin synthesis. Both suppressors thus act by reducing neck fragility through different mechanisms and allow growth in nonstabilized media. This work reports new roles for Slt2 and Rim101 in septum formation in budding yeast and confirms the homeostatic role of the chitin ring in the maintenance of neck integrity during cell division.

Representaciones sociales de la salud y de la enfermedad en pacientes hospitalizados de Bucaramanga y Florida Blanca, Colombia / Social representations of health and illness in hospitalized patients at Bucaramanga and Floridablanca cities (Colombia)

El presente estudio tuvo como propósito establecer las categorías de actitud, estilo de afrontamiento, valores, creencias, intenciones de acción y comportamientos, que constituyen las representaciones sociales de la salud y la enfermedad, en un grupo de pacientes hospitalizados de las poblaciones de Bucaramanga y Floridablanca (Colombia). El grupo estuvo conformado por 200 participantes seleccionados por conveniencia. Los criterios de inclusión sólo se asociaron a la capacidad de comprensión lectora y de escritura. No hubo factores limitantes de edad, sexo, nivel educativo u otro tipo de variable sociodemográfica o de estado médico en los sujetos. El estudio siguió un diseño de correlación transversal. El procedimiento incluyó la aplicación de ocho instrumentos tipo escala a los participantes, en ocho centros de atención de salud (hospitales, clínicas, EPS). Se llevaron a cabo las correlaciones para la extracción de componentes de las variables analizadas a través de rotación “varimax” mediante el programa SPSS, versión 11.1. Los hallazgos muestran formas de afrontamiento de búsqueda de ayuda médica y reflexión vital, estereotipos hacia quien se halla enfermo, basados en una condición de disminución biopsicosocial, actitudes de fortaleza, emociones de optimismo acompañadas de miedo y culpa, atribuciones a la enfermedad como la pobreza y el estilo de vida, formas de control científicas acompañadas de la fe religiosa, valores de dedicación y disciplina para superar la enfermedad y formas de cuidado basadas en dieta saludable y ejercicio. Se concluye que el grupo de pacientes hospitalizados examinado experimenta, juzga y maneja la salud y la enfermedad con representaciones comunes en su mayor parte, siguiendo la lógica cotidiana del sentido común pero de orientación saludable y proactiva.

Development and validation of AMANDA, a new algorithm for selecting highly relevant regions in Molecular Interaction Fields.

Descriptors based on Molecular Interaction Fields (MIF) are highly suitable for drug discovery, but their size (thousands of variables) often limits their application in practice. Here we describe a simple and fast computational method that extracts from a MIF a handful of highly informative points (hot spots) which summarize the most relevant information. The method was specifically developed for drug discovery, is fast, and does not require human supervision, being suitable for its application on very large series of compounds. The quality of the results has been tested by running the method on the ligand structure of a large number of ligand-receptor complexes and then comparing the position of the selected hot spots with actual atoms of the receptor. As an additional test, the hot spots obtained with the novel method were used to obtain GRIND-like molecular descriptors which were compared with the original GRIND. In both cases the results show that the novel method is highly suitable for describing ligand-receptor interactions and compares favorably with other state-of-the-art methods.

The (1,3)beta-D-glucan synthase subunit Bgs1p is responsible for the fission yeast primary septum formation.

Cytokinesis is a crucial event in the cell cycle of all living cells. In fungal cells, it requires co-ordinated contraction of an actomyosin ring and synthesis of both plasmatic membrane and a septum structure that will constitute the new cell wall end. Schizosaccharomyces pombe contains four essential putative (1,3)beta-d-glucan synthase catalytic subunits, Bgs1p to Bgs4p. Here we examined the function of Bgs1p in septation by studying the lethal phenotypes of bgs1(+) shut-off and bgs1Delta cells and demonstrated that Bgs1p is responsible and essential for linear (1,3)beta-d-glucan and primary septum formation. bgs1(+) shut-off generates a more than 300-fold Bgs1p reduction, but the septa still present large amounts of disorganized linear (1,3)beta-d-glucan and partial primary septa. Conversely, both structures are absent in bgs1Delta cells, where there is no Bgs1p. The septum analysis of bgs1(+)-repressed cells indicates that linear (1,3)beta-d-glucan is necessary but not sufficient for primary septum formation. Linear (1,3)beta-d-glucan is the polysaccharide that specifically interacts with the fluorochrome Calcofluor white in fission yeast. We also show that in the absence of Bgs1p abnormal septa are formed, but the cells cannot separate and eventually die.

Chitin synthase III requires Chs4p-dependent translocation of Chs3p into the plasma membrane.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Chs4p is required for chitin synthase III (CSIII) activity and hence for chitin synthesis. This protein is transported in vesicles in a polarized fashion independently of the other Chs proteins. Its association with membranes depends not only on prenylation, but also on its interaction with other proteins, mainly Chs3p, which is the catalytic subunit of CSIII and is able to properly direct Chs4p to the bud neck in the absence of prenylation. Chs4p is present in functionally limiting amounts and its overexpression increases Chs3p accumulation at the plasma membrane with a concomitant increase in chitin synthesis. In the absence of Chs4p, Chs3p is delivered to the plasma membrane but fails to accumulate there because it is rapidly endocytosed and accumulates in intracellular vesicles. A blockade of endocytosis stops Chs3p internalization, triggering a significant increase in chitin synthesis. This blockade is independent of Chs4p function, allowing the accumulation of Chs3p at the plasma membrane even in the chs4Delta mutant. However, the absence of Chs4p renders CSIII functionally inactive, independently of Chs3p accumulation at the plasma membrane. Chs4p thus promotes Chs3p translocation into the plasma membrane in a stable and active form. Proper CSIII turnover is maintained through the endocytic internalization of Chs3p.