Caracterización de materiales (pigmentos y cerámicas) para la conservación del patrimonio cultural y social en ciudad de La Habana / Characterization of materials (pigments and ceramics) for the conservation of cultural and social heritage in the city of Havana

RESUMEN Una de las direcciones de aplicación de la Ciencia de Materiales que realiza el Centro de Aplicaciones Tecnológicas y Desarrollo Nuclear CEADEN es el apoyo mediante un grupo de técnicas físicas a la restauración y el mantenimiento de estructuras y objetos de la ciudad de La Habana, entre otras localidades de Cuba, que poseen interés artístico y social . En el presente trabajo se abordan varias aplicaciones en la caracterización de materiales para contribuir a las actividades de conservación del patrimonio cultural e histórico cubano que se encuentra en La Habana. Se presentan dos ejemplos de análisis por las técnicas de Fluorescencia de Rayos X y Difracción de rayos X de los pigmentos de obras en lienzos y de la paleta de una reconocida artista de la plástica cubana; así como el de tejas cerámicas que fueron utilizadas en la restauración de los techos de la residencia conocida como Casa Verde de 5ta Avenida en el Municipio Playa.

ABSTRACT One of the applications in Materials Science carried out at the Center for Technological Applications and Nuclear Development (CEADEN) is the technical support through several methods used, based on applied Physics for the restoration and maintenance of structures and objects holding artistic and social relevance in Havana city. The aim of this paper is to present two examples of X -ray Fluorescence and Diffraction materials characterization, intended to support conservation and restoration activities of the Cuban cultural and historic heritage: analyzed objects were pottery roof tiles for the restoration of the mansion known as The Green House at 5th Avenue, Miramar, as well as pigments from a Cuban fine artist's canvas and palette.

Contribución a la restauración y el mantenimiento de obras de importancia histórica, cultural y social de la ciudad de La Habana / Contribution to the restoration and maintenance of works of historical, cultural and social importance of the city of Havana

RESUMEN Entre las aplicaciones de la Ciencia e Ingeniería de Materiales que realiza el Centro de Aplicaciones Tecnológicas y Desarrollo Nuclear CEADEN está el apoyo mediante varias técnicas físicas a la restauración y el mantenimiento de estructuras y objetos de la ciudad de La Habana que poseen interés histórico, cultural y social . En el presente trabajo es abordado el campo de la Defectoscopía, en lo cual los Ensayos no destructivos aplicados tributaron a la restauración del patrimonio cultural, a la mejora de instalaciones deportivas de la capital y, en mayor medida, a la seguridad de instalaciones de interés social como son los parques de diversión. En ese sentido se presentan la inspección de estructuras en el marco de la restauración de la Sala Cabildo del Museo de la Ciudad de La Habana en el Palacio de los Capitanes Generales en La Habana Vieja; el diagnóstico de uniones soldadas durante la restauración de la iluminación y la instalación de la pantalla gigante del Estadio Latinoamericano del Cerro y la Inspección realizada sistemáticamente en mantenimiento a elementos críticos de equipos de los parques de diversión.

ABSTRACT Among the applications of Materials Science and Engineering carried out by the Center for Technological Applications and Nuclear Development (CEADEN) / Centro de Aplicaciones Tecnológicas y Desarrollo Nuclear CEADEN is the use of various physical techniques to support the restoration and maintenance of buildings and other work objects of historical, cultural and social interest in Havana city. The field of Defectoscopy is addressed in this paper, where the applied Nondestructive testings also contributed to restore the cultural heritage, to upgrade the structural conditions at an important sport facility in Havana, and in a greater extent, to the safety of facilities of social significance, such as amusement parks. In this regard, three examples are presented: the inspection of structures during the restoration of the City Hall in the Museum of the Havana City at the Palace of Captains General; the welded joints testing during the restoration of the lighting system and the installation of the digital screen at the Latin American Stadium in Cerro municipality; and finally, the inspection systematically performed at maintenance works to critical elements and related devices at amusement parks.

Treatment outcomes of substance abusing males who completed a 90-day residential treatment programme in Barbados

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the post-treatment outcomes of male substance abusers who completed a minimum of 90 days at a residential treatment facility in Barbados. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A sample of 150 male clients who completed 90 days or more of the treatment programme from 2004–2014 was used for the main study. A pilot study was conducted with fifteen subjects to assess the validity and reliability of the Substance Abuse Foundation Evaluation-1 (SAFE-1) questionnaire designed for the study. Correlation coefficients were used to measure the strength of association between variables, and a p-value of0.05 was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: To date, data on 37 respondents were used for analysis. Positive significant relationships emerged between number of days in treatment and length of sobriety, and social support, spiritual health and length of sobriety. There was no significant relationship between drug of choice and length of sobriety, nor between trauma and relapse. Self-referred clients reported longer lengths of sobriety and clients who had more than 20 years of drug use prior to treatment were more likely to stay sober longer after treatment. Clients between three and six years post treatment were more likely to request additional support. CONCLUSIONS: There are specific factors that positively impact length of sobriety after treatment. Thus, substance abuse treatment centres should seek to incorporate these factors into their programming so as to better inform their inpatient and after care services.

The Barbados low-dose aspirin in pregnancy (BLASP): a population based trial in a developing country with excess pre eclampsia and perinatal mortality

A large randomised controlled double blind trial (RCT), BLASP was set up in Barbados' one main maternity centre (QEH). Almost all women at 12-32 weeks attending for antenatal booking were eligible in the period July 1992-1994. After consent, entry details were recorded on a computer with random allocation to either a slow-release 75 mg aspirin (A) or a placebo (P). Intention-to-treat analysis, based on the 3,643 randomized pregnant women (1,819 allocated aspirin and 1,824 a placebo), is viewed in context of all other randomised control trials (RCTs). Entry date balanced in A and P for gestational age of 20.2 weeks, average maternal age 24 years, more than half aged 20-29 years and 44 percent primigravidae. Previous obstetric complications were lower than expected at 5 percent. Family histories of diabetes mellitus and hypertension were high (> 33 percent). Compliance was moderate with 36 percent taking allocated tablets for more than 95 percent of the time, but a third for less than 80 percent. There were no serious side effects, and in particular no bleeding. PE rates were low at 2.2 percent in A and 2.5 percent in P, a 13.3 percent odds reduction with wide 95 percent CI showing no significant effect. A tendency in all predefined categories (PE + PIH, etc.) for fewer cases in A (n=203, 11.2 percent) than in P (n=231, 12.7 percent) is not confirmed in an overview of all trials. Antenatal hospital admissions occurred in 34 percent of A and 33 percent of P. There was no difference in very low-birth-weight (<1500 g) but rates were 7 percent in A and 8.3 percent in P for birthweight between 1,500 and 2,499 g. Mean pregnancy duration was virtually identical at 38.7 (SD 3.6) weeks. Stillbirths and neonatal death rates were 2.3 percent and 2 percent, and Caesarean Sections 13.6 and 13.8 percent, in A and P, respectively. It is concluded that in this large RCT conducted in the Caribbean (BLASP), there were no meaningful differences between those allocated aspirin or placebo but event rates were low, perhaps due to the "healthier recruit" effect. In the context of all other published randomised trials, these results confirm that aspirin has little effect on the prevention of PE or PIH or other specified outcomes but is entirely safe (AU)

Running large clinical trials in the Caribbean on major public health problems: examples through low-dose aspirin studies in pregnancy in Barbados and Jamaica - abstract

Advances in the management of individual patients and public health require evidence that the balance of benefit versus risk, and the cost of intervention are in favour of intervention. Since clinical 'common sense' is unreliable and unscientific, it is an inadequate guide. The only reliable way to show effectiveness is to carry out a randomised trial of adequate power and sample size to detect differences in outcome. The methodology is rigorous but simple, and is applied in the study of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and pre-eclampsia (PE) as major sources of morbidity and mortality in the Caribbean. Two double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trials are being conducted in Barbados and in Jamaica to test the hypothesis that low-dose aspirin (75/60 mg), taken once daily to term, can reduce the rates of perinatal mortality and proteinuric PE by 30 percent. Other endpoints include birth weight, pregnancy duration, number of admissions and highest blood pressures. Due to a high PIH prevalence in Barbados, all pregnant women over 12 weeks' gestation (except those with allergy or bleeding) are invited to partiacipate. Over 90 percent of the 4000 births a year in Barbados occur at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and the planned sample size of some 7000 births will require 3 years to collect. In Jamaica, all primiparae in high-risk antenatal clinics in Kingston and St. Andrew are eligible. Two full-time research midwives and a pharmacist run BLASP by entering data onto a dedicated clinic computer which generates randomised blinded aspirin/placebo pack numbers. One further form is completed after delivery. A monitoring group examines the data for safety independently of the steering group. By the end of November, 1993, 2358 women had consented to enter the study in Barbados, and 1691 had delivered with 112 cases of PE, 65 of PIH, 52 with growth delay and 31 perinatal deaths (19/1000). In Jamaica, 5700 women have been entered with 4414 deliveries; there are 34 cases of eclampsia (7.7/1000). If the trials show treatment to be effective, substantial reduction in the costs of antenatal and neonatal care can be expected. On the other hand compliance may be too poor in the long term to justify public health use (AU)

Neurophysiological and neuropsychological evidence for attentional dysfunction in schizophrenia.

The behavior of the P50 wave of the auditory evoked potential in a paired stimulus or conditioning-testing paradigm has been used as a measure of sensory gating disturbance in schizophrenia. Schizophrenics fail to decrement the P50 response to the second stimulus of the pair, so that the ratio of the test to the conditioning amplitude is elevated over normal values. The aim of this study was to compare this neurophysiological measure to neuropsychological measures of attention and memory. As expected, schizophrenics performed worse than controls on most measures. The time to complete a digit cancellation test, a measure of sustained attention, was found to be particularly longer in schizophrenics than in control subjects. Furthermore, the increased time to complete this task correlated with the increased ratio of the amplitude of the test P50 response to the conditioning response in the schizophrenics. Thus, a neurophysiological defect in sensory gating may relate to a disorder in sustained attention in schizophrenia. Although the P50 wave may come from the hippocampus, neuropsychological measures of verbal learning and memory were not correlated with alterations in the P50 ratio.

Gating of auditory response in schizophrenics and normal controls. Effects of recording site and stimulation interval on the P50 wave.

Auditory evoked potentials were recorded using a paired stimulus, conditioning-testing paradigm from 14 schizophrenic patients and 13 normal subjects with no family history of psychotic disorder. Previous studies of the vertex P50 wave using this paradigm have demonstrated a possible sensory gating deficit in schizophrenics, as shown by their failure to diminish the response to a test stimulus presented 500 ms after a conditioning stimulus. Recordings were made at Cz, Fz, C3, T3, C4, and T4, to compare effects at different recording sites with this paradigm. Schizophrenics had significantly poorer sensory gating than normals, with the most significant difference between the groups at Cz. In addition to the 500 ms interval, subjects were also recorded at a conditioning-testing interval of 100 ms. Most schizophrenics showed normal sensory gating at the 100 ms interval, despite their abnormalities at 500 ms. The results indicate that Cz is optimal recording site for this paradigm, and that gating abnormalities in schizophrenic subjects are limited to specific interstimulus intervals.

A community survey of psychological impairment among Anglo- and Mexican Americans and its relationship to service utilization.

Discussions of Mexican American mental health need have been limited to analyses of service utilization statistics, most of which have shown Mexican Americans to use mental health services proportionally less than other racial/ethnic groups. Consequently, Mexican Americans have been viewed as a group having greater unmet mental health needs. Yet, these utilization-based needs assessments make an implicit and untested assumption: that the proportion of the psychologically impaired is comparable across racial/ethnic groups. The purpose of the present investigation was, first, to contribute to a baseline measurement of psychological impairment among Mexican Americans in order to assess what utilization should be for this group and, second, to determine relationships between impairment symptomatology and sociodemographic characteristics which are unique to the Mexican American population. Anglo- and Mexican Americans (n = 515) living in one of three suburban communities in Southern California were selected by way of a random-digit, multistage cluster telephone sampling procedure. Respondents gave responses to a standardized measurement of psychological impairment. Results showed that Anglo- and Mexican Americans did not differ in anxiety, psychosocial dysfunction, and depressive symptoms. Mexican Americans in the three communities, however, were found to use mental health services proportionally less than Anglos. Relationships between age and psychosocial dysfunction symptoms, and between income and anxiety problems were different for Mexican Americans than those for Anglos. Issues related to what constitutes mental health need and the use of self-report measures of impairment to estimate mental health need across culturally diverse groups are discussed.

Emotional support providers and psychological distress among Anglo- and Mexican Americans.

Accumulating evidence from studies investigating the role naturally-occurring emotional support networks play in remediating psychological distress strongly suggests that such networks buffer personal distress and lessen the need for formal mental health care. Research findings also suggest that reliance on emotional support networks varies across ethnic groups. The present study compared emotional support network characteristics of Anglo-Americans to those of Mexican Americans, in addition to examining the relationship between the reliance on specific support providers and psychopathological symptoms for Anglo- and Mexican Americans. Randomly selected adult Anglo- and Mexican Americans (n = 515) living in one of three suburban communities in Southern California provided responses to a standardized measure of psychological impairment and named those persons on whom they depended in time of personal problems. Both Anglo- and English speaking Mexican American (ES MA) respondents reported significantly larger networks and more cumulative contact and reciprocity with network members than did Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans (SS MA) respondents. Anglos and ES MAs named significantly more friends and neighbors as emotional support providers than did SS MAs. SS MAs, on the other hand, more often depended on extended kin and spouses than did the other two subgroups. Professional caregivers accounted for a very small proportion of responses across the subgroups. The number of friends and neighbors as support providers was significantly and positively correlated with problems of social relations in only the SS MA subgroup. Implications of results for community mental health direct and indirect service components are discussed.