Improvements of thermal and mechanical properties of achira starch/chitosan/clay nanocomposite films.

Thermoplastic biofilms were developed from achira starch, chitosan and nanoclays using the solvent-casting method. To obtain the filmogenic solutions, different sonication times (0, 10, 20 and 30 min) were considered in order to evaluate the incidence of this parameter on the chemical and physico-mechanical properties of the bionanocomposite films. The chemical analysis using FTIR spectroscopy showed strong intermolecular interactions between the components with increasing sonication times.

Effect of surfactant content on rheological, thermal, morphological and surface properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS) and polylactic acid (PLA) blends.

Miscibility in biopolymeric blends is a critical process that requires evaluation of the effect of surfactants or coupling agents under conditions similar to processing. Different mixtures in the molten state of plasticized starch and polylactic acid in the presence of a surfactant (Tween 20) at different concentrations were studied. This allowed knowing the rheological, thermal and surface behavior of the mixtures.

Histological Evaluation of Cassava Starch/Chicken Gelatin Membranes.

The use of biopolymers for tissue engineering has recently gained attention due to the need for safer and highly compatible materials. Starch is one of the most used biopolymers for membrane preparation. However, incorporating other polymers into starch membranes introduces improvements, such as better thermal and mechanical resistance and increased water affinity, as we reported in our previous work.

Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care: A guide for nurses.

Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) can be a lifeline for families with children with special needs. This article aims to bring awareness to healthcare professionals who work with families, parents, guardians, and other caregivers about the benefits and availability of PPEC for their patients.

Miscibility study of thermoplastic starch/polylactic acid blends: Thermal and superficial properties.

In this work, the miscibility of blends of thermoplastic Achira Starch (AS) and polylactic acid (PLA) was evaluated, assisted by Pluronic® F127 an amphiphilic triblock copolymer that acts as a surfactant and promotes the reduction of surface tension among AS and PLA in solution by emulsion stabilization. Different formulations of AS/PLA blends were obtained at 75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 containing 0 %, 4 %, and 8 % of Pluronic® F127, and glycerol was used as a plasticizer. Solvent casting was the method used to obtain blended polymeric films, which were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and wettability by contact angle measurements.

Evaluation of the Antimicrobial, Thermal, Mechanical, and Barrier Properties of Corn Starch-Chitosan Biodegradable Films Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals.

Packaging materials play an essential role in the preservation and marketing of food and other products. To improve their conservation capacity, antimicrobial agents that inhibit bacterial growth are used. Biopolymers such as starch and chitosan are a sustainable alternative for the generation of films for packaging that can also serve as a support for preservatives and antimicrobial agents.

Yaws elimination in Ecuador: Findings of a serological survey of children in Esmeraldas province to evaluate interruption of transmission.

Background: The WHO roadmap for neglected tropical diseases includes yaws eradication requiring certification of elimination of transmission in all endemic and formerly endemic countries worldwide. A community-based programme for yaws control was considered to have achieved elimination of the infection in the endemic focus in Ecuador after 1993. We did a serosurvey of children in this focus to provide evidence for interruption of transmission.

Effect of Plasticizer Content on Mechanical and Water Vapor Permeability of Maize Starch/PVOH/Chitosan Composite Films.

Packaging materials based on biodegradable polymers are a viable alternative to replace conventional plastic packaging from fossil origin. The type of plasticizer used in these materials affects their functionality and performance. The effect of different plasticizers such as glycerol (GLY), sorbitol (SOR), and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) in concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 15% (/) on the structural features and functional properties of starch/PVOH/chitosan films was evaluated.

Preparation and Physicochemical Properties of Modified Corn Starch-Chitosan Biodegradable Films.

Starch is a biopolymer with enormous potential for generating new biodegradable packages due to its easy availability and low cost. However, due to its weak functional properties, limitation of its interaction with some hydroxyl groups and evaluation of blends with other polymers are necessary in order to improve its performance. Glycerol-plasticized acetylated corn starch films were developed using the casting method, and the impact of incorporating chitosan (TPS:CH) in various proportions (75:25, 50:50, and 25:75 /) was studied in the present research.

Physical-Mechanical Behavior and Water-Barrier Properties of Biopolymers-Clay Nanocomposites.

The preparation and characterization of biodegradable films based on starch-PVA-nanoclay by solvent casting are reported in this study. The films were prepared with a relation of 3:2 of starch:PVA and nanoclay (0.5, 1.

Effects of Poloxamer Content and Storage Time of Biodegradable Starch-Chitosan Films on Its Thermal, Structural, Mechanical, and Morphological Properties.

Biodegradable packaging prepared from starch is an alternative to fossil-based plastic packaging. However, the properties of starch packaging do not comply with the necessary physicochemical properties to preserve food. Hence, in a previous study, we reported the preparation of a composite polymer material based on starch-chitosan-pluronic F127 that was found to be an adequate alternative packaging material.

Effect of Extrusion Screw Speed and Plasticizer Proportions on the Rheological, Thermal, Mechanical, Morphological and Superficial Properties of PLA.

One of the critical processing parameters-the speed of the extrusion process for plasticized poly (lactic acid) (PLA)-was investigated in the presence of acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC) as plasticizer. The mixtures were obtained by varying the content of plasticizer (ATBC, 10-30% by weight), using a twin screw extruder as a processing medium for which a temperature profile with peak was established that ended at 160 °C, two mixing zones and different screw rotation speeds (60 and 150 rpm). To evaluate the thermo-mechanical properties of the blend and hydrophilicity, the miscibility of the plasticizing and PLA matrix, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), oscillatory rheological analysis, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA), mechanical analysis, as well as the contact angle were tested.

The Effects of Reprocessing and Fiber Treatments on the Properties of Polypropylene-Sugarcane Bagasse Biocomposites.

This study explores the reprocessing behavior of polypropylene-sugarcane bagasse biocomposites using neat and chemically treated bagasse fibers (20 wt.%). Biocomposites were reprocessed 5 times using the extrusion process followed by injection molding.

[I promotori di salute come attori-protagonisti delle cure primarie nel controllo delle malattie comunicabili e non comunicabili e nell' empowerment delle comunità. Esperienza e risultati di lungo periodo in aree marginali in Ecuador dal 1980 al 2018.].

Introduction: Against the increasing recognition of the critical importance of a direct participation of community members to assure effective health care in peripheral areas of Middle and Low Income Countries (MLIC), representative field experiences of their essential role are only occasionally available.

Aims And Methods: We report a narrative, factual documentation of a spectrum of projects covering the basic and specific health needs of the disperse communities in Ecuador, a model MLIC, and discuss the broader implications of the role and performance of HPs over a long period, 1980-2018, in the project activation, implementation and monitoring.

Results: The role of 60 HPs, with the coordination of a small core group of professionals of the Centro de Epidemiologia Comunitaria y Medicina Tropical (CECOMET) is documented through their main achievements which include: infectious diseases and in particular Neglected Tropical Diseases (eradication of onchocerciasis and yaws; virtual elimination of malaria and of strongyloidiasis; identification and control of a new focus of Chagas Disease; control of tuberculosis), mother and child health, reproductive health, hypertension (as model of the emergence of non-transmissible, chronic diseases).

Experimental Data on design, theoretical and correlation of the electronic and optical properties of diethynylphenylthiophene as photovoltaic materials.

The article show the date associated with the work previously reported "Design, theoretical and correlation of the electronic and optical properties of diethynylphenylthiophene as photovoltaic materials", https://doi.org/10.1016/j.

Impact of Social Support on Colorectal Cancer Screening among Adult Hispanics/Latinos: A Randomized Community-based Study in Central Pennsylvania.

In the United States, the five-year survival rate of colorectal cancer for Latinos is lower than it is for White, non-Latinos. Differences in survival are due, in part, to Latinos being diagnosed at a later stage. An ethnic gap in the use of colorectal cancer screening contributes to the difference in survival.

Rheological, Thermal, Superficial, and Morphological Properties of Thermoplastic Achira Starch Modified with Lactic Acid and Oleic Acid.

The modification of achira starch a thermoplastic biopolymer is shown. Glycerol and sorbitol, common plasticizers, were used in the molten state with organic acids such as oleic acid and lactic acid obtaining thermodynamically more stable products. The proportion of starch:plasticizer was 70:30, and the acid agent was added in portions from 3%, 6%, and 9% by weight.

Application of Queuing Theory to Optimize the Triage Process in a Tertiary Emergency Care ("ER") Department.

Context: Time from triage to patient care is usually evaluated, but time elapsed between the arrival of patient to emergency room (ER) and triage (pretriage) is not usually measured.

Aims: The present study evaluates how the application of the queuing (or "waiting line") theory in the triage process can generate effective strategies to improve patient care in the ER.

Settings And Design: A "before-and-after" study was conducted in the ER of the Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, a tertiary emergency care in Bogotá, Colombia.

Community Epidemiology Approach to Parasitic Infection Screening in a Remote Community in Ecuador.

The Awa indigenous people of Ecuador live in remote areas and were included in health programs only recently. The first screening for parasitic infections in the Awa communities was implemented in the context of community epidemiology. During the site visits in each community, the health-care staff collected the samples for stool microscopy and serology for .

Acute Illnesses, Use of Health Services, and Changes in Medication Among Parents After Infant or Child Death.

Background: The death of an infant or child has been described as the most stressful life event, but few reports exist on the effects on parents' physical health in the year after the death.

Objective: To examine acute illnesses, use of health services, and medication changes among parents from 3 racial/ethnic groups 1 to 13 months after the death of an infant or child in the neonatal intensive care unit or pediatric intensive care unit.

Methods: In a longitudinal study, 96 parents (41% black, 32% Hispanic, 27% white) of deceased infants or children were recruited from 4 children's hospitals and death records.

Parents' Wishes for What They Had or Had Not Done and Their Coping After Their Infant's or Child's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit/Pediatric Intensive Care Unit/Emergency Department Death.

This qualitative study asked 70 mothers and 26 fathers 3 open-ended questions on what they wish they had and had not done and on coping 2, 4, 6, and 13 months after their infant's/child's neonatal intensive care unit/pediatric intensive care unit/emergency department death. Mothers wished they spent more time with the child, chosen different treatments, advocated for care changes, and allowed the child his or her wishes. Fathers wished they had spent more time with the child and gotten care earlier.

Parents: Wish I had done, wish I had not done, and coping after child NICU/PICU death.

Background And Purpose: An infant or child death is devastating for parents. This study examined parents' wishes regarding what they had or had not done and how they coped 1-13 months and 2-6 years after the infant's/child's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)/pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) death.

Methods: Qualitative study design using conventional content analysis.

Surviving Siblings' Illnesses, Treatments/Health Services over 13 Months after a Sibling's Death.

Two million children experience sibling death annually and have problems that require clinical intervention although few receive such help. Effects on surviving siblings' mental health has been well documented, however their physical health has not. This study described surviving siblings' illnesses, treatments/health services at 2, 4, 6, and 13 months post-sibling death.