Study of PM2.5-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and anhydro-sugars in ambient air near two Spanish oil refineries: Covid-19 effects

We report the results from a 12 month-long study of the organic compounds associated to PM2.5 samples collected around two petroleum refineries (4 samples/month/site) in two complex industrial zones reporting atmospheric pollution issues in the past (Estuary of Huelva and Bay of Algeciras, Spain). Sampling campaign was done from March 2020 when a Covid-19 lockdown was established at Spain to March 2021. Concentrations of fine particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and anhydrosugars were separately measured using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and ion chromatography-amperometric detection (IC-PAD). The annual average abundances of PM2.5-bound benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) are 0.024 and 0.013 ng˖m−3 at La Rábida and Puente Mayorga monitoring stations, while both sites have annual average concentrations of levoglucosan in PM2.5 of 14.98 and 9.78 ng˖m−3, respectively. Seasonal variations are observed for concentrations of ƩPAHs and total anhydrosugars in both sampling sites. For PAHs, the highest concentrations averaging c. a. 0.400 (La Rábida) and 0.350 ng m−3 (Puente Mayorga) are reported in cold months during December 2020-Febraury 2021 (post-lockdown period), compared to the lowest levels averaging 0.111 and 0.211 ng˖m−3, respectively, in temperate months from mid-March 2020 to early June 2020 (0.284 and 0.321 ng m−3 on average annually), coinciding with the confinement and relaxation periods in Spain. Similarly, total anhydrosugars show the highest values of 81.80 ng˖m−3 (La Rábida) and 53.52 ng˖m−3 (Puente Mayorga) in winter and lowest values of 2.71 ng˖m−3 and 3.30 ng˖m−3 into the lockdown period (22.51 and 14.09 ng˖m−3 on average annually). Except phenanthrene, PAHs are present in PM2.5 principally as result of motor vehicle exhausts. Levoglucosan, a tracer for biomass burning, peaked in December 2020 and January 2021, during the high residential wood-burning season. In addition, multivariate analysis was used to assess the origin of organic components of PM2.5 samples. The two principal components are characterized by the grouping of heavy PAHs associated to vehicular traffic, and anhydrosugars indicating biomass burning emissions, respectively.

Using the socioecological model to explore barriers to healthcare provision in rural communities in the Philippines

Background: Basic healthcare in the Philippines is provided via rural healthcare clinics (RHC) located in barangays and supervised by provincial health centers. These RHC are the cornerstone of the country's public health system and were designed to promote and prevent disease through basic healthcare services and education. However, RHC became nonfunctional during the COVID pandemic leaving the community without the resources necessary to address the acute problems associated with COVID and chronic conditions. Given the crucial role of RHC in disease prevention and control, identifying barriers to providing its services and programs is warranted. Aims: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore multilevel barriers to the provision of healthcare services and education in RHC. Methods: We used a qualitative approach and the socioecological model as a framework to investigate the multilevel barriers affecting resource access at RHC. Four public health nurses and fifteen community healthcare workers (CHW) from five RHC across the country participated in individual interviews and group discussions. Traditional content analysis was used to examine the data. Results: Findings revealed barriers at the individual (insufficient motivation, incorrect beliefs), interpersonal (insufficient ability of CHW to provide services, and lack of training, unrealistic expectations, and lack of supervision and monitoring of CHW), organizational (excessive workload for CHW, lack of resources, inadequacy of evaluation and monitoring of CHW), community (lack of trust in CHW by people, lack of motivation to seek healthcare, continued belief in traditional healers), and policy (lack of financial support for RHC, lack of an organized system to meet community needs) levels. Conclusion: Examining individual, interpersonal, community, and policy level determinants that affect RHC can inform community-based health promotion interventions for the country's rural communities. Given the multidimensional barriers identified, it is recommended that a comprehensive program be developed and implemented in collaboration with licensed healthcare providers, CHW, district and regional healthcare department representatives, and healthcare policymakers.

Reflections on the role of the professor from the TPACK model perspective during covid-19

Education worldwide has changed dramatically because of the pandemic caused by COVID-19;in this regard, it is necessary to reflect on the teaching process in these times and see the knowledge professors require to achieve a learning teaching process that is appropriate to this new context. To this end, the TPACK (technological pedagogical content knowledge) model was used as a reference for reviewing the knowledge and skills that professors must have, emphasizing on: technological knowledge (TK) and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) since they are important in tele-education. A survey of 25 questions was applied to 381 Ecuadorian professors to obtain their perception of the mastery of the knowledge proposed by TPACK, and the results indicate a perception of high knowledge in the TK and TPK components, which allows to visualize a positive scenario for the correct development of tele-education in Ecuador.

Economic paradigms and corporate culture after the great COVID-19 pandemic: towards a new role of welfare organisations and insurers

Current events have put us in front of new paradigms on which our life and its economic aspects seem to be based: the worldwide spread of contagion from COVID-19 threatens dramatic long-term changes in the economy, lifestyle, and social structures. Valuing virtuous behaviour through the transfer and sharing of risks among several actors allows us to achieve benefits for all. The COVID-19 pandemic leads us to experiment with new forms of public health protection, including through insurance instruments. The role of insurance companies, intrinsically linked with the protection of primary areas such as healthcare and welfare, therefore becomes more critical than ever in terms of securing the protection of people, families, and productive activities. This work endorses the design of a virtuous cycle of investments, which may be implemented starting with insurance companies;such a project would unfold through insurance policies' contractual lines, securitisation schemes, investment policies, and socially responsible corporate strategies.

Higher education in Ecuador in times of COVID 19 within the framework of the TPACK model

Covid-19 has disrupted educational systems, so the objective of the research was to describe the current situation of teachers in Ecuador who carry out tele-education under the lens of the TPACK model (Technological Pedagogical Knowledge of Content) in the context of the confinement due to the pandemic, the study included a specific analysis of technological knowledge (TK) and pedagogical technology (TPK) explained by the model. First, a survey was carried out to know the teacher's perception about the domain of the types of knowledge proposed by TPACK, then a comparative analysis was carried out between the teacher perceptions obtained in the TK and TPK knowledge;and the results of evaluative tests that measured these types of knowledge. The important findings were: The teacher has the necessary TK knowledge for the development of their work, but there is a deficiency in the TPK knowledge.