Insight into synthesis and characterisation of Ga0.9Fe2.1O4 superparamagnetic NPs for biomedical applications.

A Ga3+-substituted spinel magnetite nanoparticles (NPs) with the formula Ga0.9Fe2.1O4 were synthesized using both the one-pot solvothermal decomposition method (TD) and the microwave-assisted heating method (MW). Stable colloidal solutions were obtained by using triethylene glycol, which served as a NPs stabilizer and as a reaction medium in both methods. A narrow size distribution of NPs, below 10 nm, was achieved through selected nucleation and growth. The composition, structure, morphology, and magnetic properties of the NPs were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and magnetic measurements. NPs with the expected spinel structure were obtained in the case of the TD method, while the MW method produced, additionally, an important amount of gallium suboxide. The NPs, especially those prepared by TD, have superparamagnetic behavior with 2.02 µB/f.u. at 300 K and 3.06 µB/f.u. at 4.2 K. For the MW sample these values are 0.5 µB/f.u. and 0.6 µB/f.u. at 300 K and 4.2 K, respectively. The MW prepared sample contains a secondary phase and very small NPs which affects both the dimensional distribution and the magnetic behavior of NPs. The NPs were tested in vitro on amniotic mesenchymal stem cells. It was shown that the cellular metabolism is active in the presence of Ga0.9Fe2.1O4 NPs and preserves an active biocompatible cytoskeleton.

Aproximación al ciberdelincuente desde la perspectiva del control social / Approaching the cybercriminal from a perspective of social control / Abordagem do criminoso cibernético a partir de uma perspectiva de controle social

El presente artículo aporta un acercamiento al ciberdelincuente identificando las características comunes en la personalidad de quienes delinquen en este escenario. Para llevar a cabo la investigación, se tomó una muestra de diecinueve expertos que forman parte de la Dirección de Investigación Criminal e INTERPOL, abordados por entrevista en profundidad. Los datos obtenidos fueron tratados desde un diseño hermenéutico con énfasis en la teoría fundamentada, por medio de tres fases elaboradas en análisis matricial de codificación abierta, selectiva y teórica; a partir de las cuales se establecen algunas de las tácticas del ciberdelincuente desplegadas en el ciberespacio a través de tecnologías de la información y las comunicaciones; su descripción desde el modelo big five y se identifican algunas de sus características como la falta de empatía, escrúpulos, incapacidad para el control de emociones, confianza y capacidad de innovar sus modus operandi(Sánchez y Robles, 2013). Finalmente, desde las teorías del control social se han estudiado el ciberdelito y los actos del ciberdelincuente de una manera formal que vela por encontrar estrategias de control del Estado, según González (2010), o informal, que busca los motivos que conducen a cometer delitos, como lo afirma López (2015), a partir de lo cual, al final, se presentan algunas recomendaciones.

This article provides an approach to cybercriminals by identifying the common characteristics in the personality of those who commit crimes in this scenario. In order to carry out the research, a sample of nineteen experts from the Criminal Investigation Directorate and INTERPOL were interviewed in depth. The data obtained were treated based on a hermeneutic design with emphasis on grounded theory, by means of three phases elaborated in matrix analysis of open, selective and theoretical coding; from which some of the tactics of cybercriminals deployed in cyberspace through information and communication technologies are established; their description based on the big five model and the identification of several of their characteristics such as lack of empathy, scruples, the inability to control emotions, confidence and the ability to innovate their modus operandi (Sánchez y Robles, 2013). Finally, theories of social control have studied cybercrime and the acts of cybercriminals in a formal way that seeks to find strategies to control the State, according to González (2010), or informally, seeking the motives that lead to committing crimes, as stated by López (2015), on the basis of which, at the end, some recommendations are presented.

Este artigo traz uma abordagem sobre os cibercriminosos, identificando as características comuns na personalidade de quem comete crimes nesse cenário. Para a realização da investigação foi recolhida uma amostra de dezanove peritos que integram a Direcção de Investigação Criminal e a INTERPOL, abordados através de entrevista em profundidade. Os dados obtidos foram tratados a partir de um desenho hermenêutico com ênfase na teoria fundamentada, por meio de três fases desenvolvidas em análise matricial de codificação aberta, seletiva e teórica; a partir da qual se estabelecem algumas das táticas cibercriminosas implantadas no ciberespaço através das tecnologias de informação e comunicação; A sua descrição baseia-se no modelo dos big five e são identificadas algumas das suas características, como a falta de empatia, escrúpulos, incapacidade de controlar emoções, confiança e capacidade de inovar o seu modus operandi (Sánchez y Robles, 2013). Por fim, a partir das teorias de controle social, o cibercrime e os atos dos cibercriminosos têm sido estudados de forma formal, que busca encontrar estratégias de controle do Estado, segundo González (2010), ou informalmente, que busca os motivos que levam ao cometimento dos crimes. , conforme afirma López (2015), a partir do qual, ao final, são apresentadas algumas recomendações.

Urban land use cover changes in three developed cities of the United States: San Diego, Denver, and Buffalo.

Using imagery available through Google Earth Pro and a point sampling methodology, changes in land cover for three U.S. cities were assessed, beginning during the Great Recession (2007) and extending through to 2018. The cities were Buffalo (New York), Denver (Colorado), and San Diego (California), and 11 land cover classes were used to characterize each. The novel contributions of this work, and the innovative contributions to science include an analysis of urban land cover change in the years since the Great Recession, and the use of point pattern analysis on sample points that changed from non-developed in 2007 to developed in 2018, to determine whether a spatial pattern of land cover class change was evident. An initial assumption was made that forest cover change in these three cities would be minimal since the Great Recession. In fact, forest cover decreased by less than 1% in all three cities with the greatest decrease in Buffalo. Over the post-recession study period, increases in the developed land classes were evident in all three cities at the expense of grasses, tree cover, and other land classes. Some clustering of new development activities was noticed at a relatively small scale in San Diego, while some dispersion of new developed activities was noticed at a larger scale in Denver. Among other factors, changes in population, economics, and land use are factors that influence land cover change with specific impacts on forest cover, and therefore in the provision of urban forest benefits to the environment and society.

Specialized Nutritious Food Combined With Cash Transfers and Social and Behavior Change Communication to Prevent Stunting Among Children Aged 6 to 23 Months in Pakistan: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: In Pakistan, the prevalence of stunting in children younger than 5 years has remained above global critical levels over the past two decades, with the stunting rate being 40.2% in 2018. Children living in rural areas and in the poorest households suffer the most from stunting across the country-43.2% in rural areas and 51.4% in the lowest wealth quintile. As a continuing public health concern, it is essential that stunting prevention is a national priority in order to ensure human capital development, especially among the poorest households. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study is to determine the effect of a medium quantity of a lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) combined with unconditional cash transfers and social and behavior change communication (SBCC) on reduction of stunting in children aged 6 to 23 months. METHODS: A 5-arm cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted in the district of Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, Pakistan. The intervention packages will be (1) cash only, (2) cash with LNS, (3) cash with SBCC, and (4) cash with SBCC and LNS. The control arm will receive routine standard of care. We will enroll children at 6 months of age and follow up on a monthly basis up to 24 months of age. A total of 2000 children, 400 in each arm, will be enrolled to detect a 20% reduction in the prevalence of stunting among children aged 24 months. Length, weight, food intake, compliance to interventions, morbidities, and other relevant data will be collected at enrollment and on a monthly basis over the period of 18 months. The process evaluation will assess acceptability of the interventions and potential barriers to implementation through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews with the target population and relevant stakeholders. Furthermore, a cost analysis will be conducted to assess the cost-effectiveness of each intervention package. RESULTS: The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Aga Khan University in Pakistan on January 4, 2017. Data collection began in May 2017 and was completed in July 2019. Data analyses are yet to be completed. This study will explore the effectiveness of intervention packages comprised of cash transfers from Benazir Income Support Programme with or without additional LNS and SBCC in preventing childhood stunting. We expect the results to be published in peer-reviewed journals by autumn of 2020. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this trial will provide robust evidence as to which intervention packages can have significant effects on linear growth of children and design effective intervention packages to prevent stunting in children aged 6 to 23 months. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03299218; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03299218. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/19001.

The applicability of recreation-grade GNSS receiver (GPS watch, Suunto Ambit Peak 3) in a forested and an open area compared to a mapping-grade receiver (Trimble Juno T41).

Due to developments in global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and the miniaturization of their components, the usage of Global Positioning System (GPS) is no longer restricted to professional applications, but has become available in various consumer type devices, such as wristwatches. These commercial devices, however, were primarily designed for tracking activities in predominately urban settings and their accuracy has not been tested in forested areas. In this study, we present an assessment of the positional accuracy of a GPS watch (Ambit Peak 3, Suunto, Finland) under different forest cover types, seasons and meteorological conditions within the Whitehall Forest GPS Test Site located in Athens, Georgia, USA. As a standard of comparison, the performance of the GPS watch measurements was juxtaposed to that of a mapping-grade receiver (Juno T41, Trimble Inc., USA). In this study, we analyzed the differences between the determined and control positions using root-mean-square-error (RMSE), along with the distribution of observed positions through the standard deviational ellipse. The results suggest that the seasonal variations contributed to a statistically significant impact on the RMSE values for the GPS watch. However, there were no statistically significant differences in horizontal position accuracy by forest cover-type when using the GPS watch. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in horizontal position accuracy during the leaf-off period between the RMSE values for the GPS watch and those of the mapping-grade receiver. Lastly, the positional accuracies for both types of receivers were found to be weakly, but significantly correlated with fluctuations in air temperature and absolute humidity.

Determinants of infant and young child feeding practices by mothers in two rural districts of Sindh, Pakistan: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices during the first two years of life are important for the growth and development of a child. The aim of this study was to assess IYCF practices and its associated factors in two rural districts of Pakistan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in two rural districts of Sindh province, Pakistan as part of a stunting prevention project between May and August 2014. A standard questionnaire on IYCF practices recommended by World Health Organization was used to collect information from 2013 mothers who had a child aged between 0 and 23 months. RESULTS: Only 49% of mothers initiated breastfeeding within one hour of birth. Thirty-seven percent of mothers exclusively breastfed their infants for six months. Seventy-percent mothers introduced complementary feeding at 6-8 months of age. Eighty-two percent of mothers continued breastfeeding for at least one year and 75% for at least two years of age. IYCF practices were not significantly different for boys and girls in the study area. Being an employed mother (AOR 2.14; 95% CI 1.02, 4.51) was positively associated with the early initiation of breastfeeding. Children who were born at a health facility (AOR 0.65; 95% CI 0.50, 0.84) and were aged six to eleven months (AOR 0.70; 95% CI 0.54, 0.90) were less likely to be have an early initiation of breastfeeding. Mothers aged 25 to 29 years (AOR 1.83; 95% CI 1.05, 3.18), being literate (AOR 1.79; 95% CI 1.15, 2.78), and higher income (AOR 10.6; 95% CI 4.40, 25.30) were more likely to have an improved dietary diversity. Being an employed mother (AOR 2.18; 95% CI 1.77, 4.03) and higher income were more likely to have minimum acceptable diet (AOR 9.7; 95% CI 4.33, 21.71). CONCLUSION: IYCF practices were below the acceptable level and associated with maternal age, maternal illiteracy, unemployment, and poor household wealth status. Emphasis should be given to improve maternal literacy and reduction in poverty to improve IYCF practices.

Quality Management Systems in the Clinical Laboratories in Latin America.

The implementation of management systems in accordance with standards like ISO 9001:2008 (1,2) in the clinical laboratories has conferred and added value of reliability and therefore a very significant input to patient safety. As we know the ISO 9001:2008 (1) a certification standard, and ISO 15189:2012 (2) an accreditation standard, both, at the time have generated institutional memory where they have been implemented, the transformation of culture focused on correct execution, control and following, evidence needed and the importance of register.

Estado nutricional de los ninos y ninas que asistieron al programa de crecimiento y desarrollo en el Hospital San Antonio de Anolaima desde octubre de 1986 a julio de 1987 / Nutritional status of boys and girls that assist to the program of growth and development in Hospital San Antonio, Anolaima, october 1986 to july 1987

Se revisaron 250 historias clinicas de ninos entre 1-5 anos que asistieron al programa de crecimiento y desarrollo del hospital San Antonio de Anolaima (Cundinamarca) desde octubre de 1986 hasta julio de 1987. Se analizaron las variables de edad-peso; edad-talla y peso-talla por sexo. En los ninos se encontro que entre el 20 y el 35% de acuerdo a las medidas antropomedicas esta en riesgo nutricional y al igual que 20-28% de las ninas. El 40% de la poblacion total presento signos universales y circunstanciales y solo el 20% presento signos circunstanciales y/o universales con signos agregados. El 40% no presento signos de D.N.T.