The increasing burden of cancer represents a substantial problem for Latin America and the Caribbean. Two Lancet Oncology Commissions in 2013 and 2015 highlighted potential interventions that could ...advance cancer care in the region by overcoming existing challenges. Areas requiring improvement included insufficient investment in cancer control, non-universal health coverage, fragmented health systems, inequitable concentration of cancer services, inadequate registries, delays in diagnosis or treatment initiation, and insufficient palliative services. Progress has been made in key areas but remains uneven across the region. An unforeseen challenge, the COVID-19 pandemic, strained all resources, and its negative effect on cancer control is expected to continue for years. In this Series paper, we summarise progress in several aspects of cancer control since 2015, and identify persistent barriers requiring commitment of additional resources to reduce the cancer burden in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In year 2010, the Province of San Juan – Argentina (South America) produced around 81 947 tons of grape pomace, which is a winery waste by-product. Wineries demand a great quantity of power during ...the three months that winemaking time lasts, which involve a high installed electric power. This power is used mainly for refrigerating the must during the fermentation. The control of temperature is crucial in winemaking as the low temperature preserves subtle fruit characters. An alternative for reducing the requirement of power from the utility electric grid is producing it locally, using the residuals generated by the own wineries. The technology for bioenergy conversion proposed to be implemented in this research for electricity generation is the anaerobic digestion of grape pomace. The aim of this research is to develop the thermodynamic equilibrium analysis of grape pomace anaerobic digestion based on the equilibrium constants for predicting the potential production of biogas and its composition. In addition, a dynamic model of a biogas-fuelled microturbine system for distributed generation applications is derived.
► Proposal of power generation from biogas production using residuals of wineries. ► Development of a thermodynamic model of anaerobic digestion for predicting biogas production. ► Design of a model and control scheme of a biogas-fuelled microturbine (MT) system. ► Validation of developments by digital simulations and experimental results. ► Results show that the MT enables to reduce up to 45% of the power requirements of a winery.
Two coastal sites in Gibraltar, Vanguard and Gorham's Caves, located at Governor's Beach on the eastern side of the Rock, are especially relevant to the study of Neanderthals. Vanguard Cave provides ...evidence of marine food supply (mollusks, seal, dolphin, and fish). Further evidence of marine mammal remains was also found in the occupation levels at Gorham's Cave associated with Upper Paleolithic and Mousterian technologies Finlayson C, et al. (2006) Nature 443:850-853. The stratigraphic sequence of Gibraltar sites allows us to compare behaviors and subsistence strategies of Neanderthals during the Middle Paleolithic observed at Vanguard and Gorham's Cave sites. This evidence suggests that such use of marine resources was not a rare behavior and represents focused visits to the coast and estuaries.
To conduct a systematic review of published and unpublished data from research and public health information systems on the prevalence of male-to-male sex in the total male population; as well as ...among men who have sex with men (MSM), data on prevalence of heterosexual activity and heterosexual unions; prevalence of condom use with male and female partners; and prevalence of HIV infection and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Key indicators were defined (a) among men in the general population: prevalence of sex with a man ever and last year; (b) among MSM: prevalence of heterosexual experiences ever and last year; proportion of male-female transgenders; proportion of sex workers; prevalence of HIV and other STIs, condom use in last sexual encounter; consistent condom use with men last year; never used a condom with a man. With help from key informants, study searches were conducted in Pubmed, LILLACS, institutional databases, conference records and other sources. Methodology and quality of information were assessed, and the best data available for 2003-7 were selected. Indicator estimates from each study were used to propose regional estimate ranges.
A total of 83 new entries were entered into the database in addition to the previous 561, totalling 644. Of these, 107 showing 2003-7 data were selected. Many new studies came from sub-Saharan Africa, portraying hidden HIV epidemics among MSM. The most frequently reported estimate was HIV infection, with high estimate ranges in most of the regions, except for Middle East and North Africa and Eastern Europe. The next most frequently reported was lifetime frequency of heterosexual sex, showing that roughly 50% of MSM ever had sex with a woman. The small number of newer studies reporting prevalence of "sex with a man in last 12 months" between 2003 and 2007, did not warrant enough new evidence to revise our 2005 size estimates for MSM populations.
A considerable number of new studies with estimates of relevance to understanding sexual behaviour and HIV among MSM were identified, with an encouraging amount of new data coming from sub-Saharan Africa. However, limitations in the quality, utility and comparability of available information persist. At least three measures could be promoted for use in surveillance and academic studies: standardised indicators for MSM studies; standardised operational definitions of, and instructions to describe, variables; and standardised research designs and data gathering strategies. A prerequisite for this all is intense advocacy to ensure a social climate in which research into such matters is prioritised, resources are made available as needed and the human rights of MSM are respected.
•Paper estimates variation in quality/quantity water due to climate change.•Assesses quality/quantity water impact on the US–Mexico border.•System dynamic model simulates, for a 70-year period, water ...management policies.•Decisions/policies modeled could improve life conditions and prevent social unrest.
The potential impacts of Global Climate Change (GCC) in zones where water is scarce, such as along the US–Mexico border is, and will continue to be, a key concern for the future sustainability of humanity. This paper estimates the variation in quality/quantity water due to climate change and assesses its impact on community development in the US–Mexico border region of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Water Basin. To estimate variation in different water quality parameters, we use a conservative model with most probable scenarios for temperature/precipitation produced by the International Panel on Climate Change. We propose a system dynamics model to understand the complex interaction of factors governing the quantity/quality of water and their effects on social and economic conditions. The model simulates, for a 70-year period, policies and decisions that have the potential to improve conditions and prevent risks that may lead to social unrest and hinder economic development.
Effects of counter-knife and wood temperature were studied relative to the size distribution of Jack pine strands processed by a strander-canter. Studied factors included the counter-knife angle ...(60°, 75°, 90°, and 105°) and the distance between the edges of the counter-knife and knife (6 mm, 11 mm, and 16 mm). The nominal cutting speed was fixed at 25 m/s. Rotation and feed speeds were adjusted to obtain a target strand length of 102 mm, while the target strand thickness was 0.9 mm. The stranding process was performed under two log temperatures, i.e., -13.4 °C (frozen condition) and 18.6 °C (unfrozen condition). Results showed that the proportion of strands, fines, pin chips, and strands’ width were affected by the counter-knife angle and wood temperature. The proportion of strands and the mean strand width increased as the counter-knife angle decreased, while conversely, the proportion of fines and pin chips decreased. Frozen logs produced narrower strands and more fines and pin chips than unfrozen logs. The highest strand proportion, lowest fines and pin chips proportions, and wider strands were obtained with a counter-knife angle of 60° for frozen wood and 75° for unfrozen wood.
Anticipatory disaster risk reduction (DRR) is an essential human right for the ~1 billion people living in informal settlements who are disproportionately exposed to climate-related hazards due to ...their high vulnerability. Participatory approaches are recognized as being critical for effective and sustainable disaster prevention, mitigation, and preparation through to response, but research on how to coproduce anticipatory DRR with people living and working in informal settlements is scant. Their exclusion is even more pronounced in challenging contexts, such as those characterized by social-political fragility and violence. As a result, a significant portion of the global population is left behind in best practices tied to global DRR ambitions, with DRR actions working neither with nor for the people most at risk. The signal case of urban informal settlements controlled by territorial gangs in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, illustrates the need for new thinking on how to inclusively mitigate, prepare for, and respond to natural hazard-related disasters. Our research examines the coproduction of early warning systems linked with response capacities for floods and landslides through the case study of the international NGO GOAL's work across the city with a focus on nine urban informal settlements with high levels of territorial gang violence. We explore how GOAL navigated informality and violent conflict to support the early warning and response system as an inclusive social process rather than a technical exercise. We identify four cross-cutting strategies employed by GOAL in support of local vulnerability reduction and capacity building based on a local systems approach. This research breaks new ground in identifying how to bridge the gap between knowledge and action in designing inclusive and sustainable early warning and response systems together with the millions of people around the world affected by the intersection of informality, violence, and disaster risks.
Four matched groups of black spruce logs were processed with a chipper-canter at temperatures of 20, 0, -10, and -20 °C. Each log was transformed at two moisture contents (MC, green and air-dried) ...using two cutting widths (CW, 12.7 and 25.4 mm). Mean MC for each CW was assessed from a sample of the obtained chips. Knot characteristics were measured on the cant surfaces after log processing. Chip size was assessed by thickness (Domtar classifier) and width/length (Williams classifier). The results showed that the chip size was significantly affected by the CW and temperature, and in a lesser degree by the chip MC. The weighted mean chip thickness (WCT) increased with the CW. As temperature decreased below 0 °C, WCT and accepts decreased, while proportions of fines and pin chips increased. Chips obtained from green logs were thinner compared to air-dried logs when processed at the coldest temperature (minus 20 °C). The number and size of knots had an important impact on chip size, particularly on WCT. Multiple regressions were developed to predict WCT. Results showed the potential benefits of measuring log temperature and knot features to reduce chip thickness variation during fragmentation and thus improving chip size uniformity.
We present the stellar kinematic maps of a large sample of galaxies from the integral-field spectroscopic survey CALIFA. The sample comprises 300 galaxies displaying a wide range of morphologies ...across the Hubble sequence, from ellipticals to late-type spirals. This dataset allows us to homogeneously extract stellar kinematics up to several effective radii. In this paper, we describe the level of completeness of this subset of galaxies withrespect to the full CALIFA sample, as well as the virtues and limitations of the kinematic extraction compared to other well-known integral-field surveys. In addition, we provide averaged integrated velocity dispersion radial profiles for different galaxy types, which are particularly useful to apply aperture corrections for single aperture measurements or poorly resolved stellar kinematics of high-redshift sources. The work presented in this paper sets the basis for the study of more general properties of galaxies that will be explored in subsequent papers of the survey.
We present the apparent stellar angular momentum over the optical extent of 300 galaxies across the Hubble sequence using integral-field spectroscopic (IFS) data from the CALIFA survey. Adopting the ...same λR parameter previously used to distinguish between slow and fast rotating early-type (elliptical and lenticular) galaxies, we show that spiral galaxies are almost all fast rotators, as expected. Given the extent of our data, we provide relations for λR measured in different apertures (e.g. fractions of the effective radius: 0.5 Re, Re, 2 Re), including conversions to long-slit 1D apertures. Our sample displays a wide range of λRe values, consistent with previous IFS studies. The fastest rotators are dominated by relatively massive and highly star-forming Sb galaxies, which preferentially reside in the main star-forming sequence. These galaxies reach λRe values of ∼0.85, and they are the largest galaxies at a given mass, while also displaying some of the strongest stellar population gradients. Compared to the population of S0 galaxies, our findings suggest that fading may not be the dominant mechanism transforming spirals into lenticulars. Interestingly, we find that λRe decreases for late-type Sc and Sd spiral galaxies, with values that occasionally set them in the slow-rotator regime. While for some of them this can be explained by their irregular morphologies and/or face-on configurations, others are edge-on systems with no signs of significant dust obscuration. The latter are typically at the low-mass end, but this does not explain their location in the classical (V/σ, ε) and (λRe, ε) diagrams. Our initial investigations, based on dynamical models, suggest that these are dynamically hot disks, probably influenced by the observed important fraction of dark matter within Re.
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