Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

Communication between individuals is essential to develop, express themselves and live together. The communication process between pediatric dentists must be deepened according to the age of the individual and according to the development of language. The following are tools to help the pediatric dentist establish effective communication bridges in his patient according to the developmental age. To establish effective communication, it is necessary for the professional to use strategies to encode the message in such a way that it is decoded by the developing child. The aim of this research, through an innovative proposal, to provide practical tools for effective communication in the pediatric dentistry consultation, involving the characteristics and evolution of language development while providing particular recommendations according to age, in order to contribute to the behavioral management of the patient. child, whose primary objective is to establish good communication.  

Purpose: Little is known about the antimicrobial potential of mouthwashes in Streptococcus mutans bacteria. The objective of this in vitro study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of infant mouthwashes against those bacteria. Materials and Methods: S. mutans strain was used to perform inhibition zones by agar diffusion test. Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) agar dishes were divided in quadrants: G1 – cetylperidinium chloride (Cepacol Teen®); G2 – xylitol and triclosan (Dentalclean Garfield®); G3 – Malva sylvestris, xylitol (Malvatrikids Jr®) and G4 - phosphate buffer saline (PBS). After adjustment of bacteria, an aliquot of each group was plated on the BHI agar and transferred to an atmosphere at 37ºC for 48 hours to perform the inhibition zones measurements. The data was analyzed by one-way ANOVA for intergroup comparison (α = 0.05). Results: Inhibition zones were verified only to G1 (10.82 ± 2.13) and G3 (12.75 ± 1.04). No significant statistical difference was verified between G1 and G3 (p = 0.287) and G2 and G4 (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: Despite of the beneficial effects of mouthwashes, a combination of xylitol and triclosan was not effective to control S. mutans growth in this in vitro condition. Additional restrictions to regulate the antimicrobial substances selling and further clarification should be provided to population.

The disinfection of water for human consumption gives rise to the formation of by-products highly harmful to health, called Trihalomethanes (THMs). The objective of this study is to determine the presence and concentration of trihalomethanes compounds in the drinking water supplied by the Algarrobos water treatment plant, in the City of David, Province of Chiriquí, Panama, and to evaluate whether these concentrations represent a risk to the human health of consumers of this vital liquid. The determination of trihalomethanes in the water samples was carried out with a gas chromatograph equipped with a DB-624 capillary column (30m x 0.32mm x 1.8µm) coupled to a microelectron capture detector (µ-ECD) high temperature, Ni53. Water samples were collected at 9 strategic points of the distribution network of the Los Algarrobos plant on July 18, 2017, and analyzed in duplicate using the solid phase microextraction technique (HS-SPME) using silica fiber from 1cm long covered with Polydimenthylsiloxane/divinylbenzene (PDMS/DVB) 65μm thick. The concentration range of total trihalomethanes was between 0.01 and 4.15µg/L, with chloroform being the predominant compound with 52.1%, bromodichloromethane with 18.6%, and chlorodibromomethane with 16.4%. and finally, bromoform with 12.9%. The average concentration of trihalomethanes in surface waters was 2.35µg/L. The values of trihalomethanes found are lower than the maximum allowable concentration (80µg/L) established by the EPA for these compounds, so they do not represent a risk with adverse health effects.

The consumption of healthy snacks is growing in Panama; therefore, the present project used the Granex 429 onion as a raw material for the preparation of this type of food.  One of the objectives of the project was to reduce the post-harvest loss of this onion from the Aguadulce region, adding value to it by transforming it into a more elaborated product. The onion was subjected to a dehydration process as an alternative method for prolonged conservation, and was subsequently used in the preparation of chips based on nixtamalized corn flour; two formulations were developed, one with spicy (CP) and one without spicy (SP), to both of which sesame, chia and flaxseed seeds were added, which, according to the literature, contribute to increasing their nutritional value and improving the final texture of the product. Physicochemical analyses such as: moisture test, water activity, lipid and ash content were carried out to ensure the quality of the product developed. Finally, a preference test was carried out with untrained panelists to determine which product was more acceptable. As results, optimal values were obtained in the physicochemical tests to avoid the growth of microorganisms; in addition to a low percentage of humidity, which favors obtaining a better texture and crunchiness in the chip. As for the sensory analysis, no significant preference was obtained for one of the two formulations. In conclusion, this project proposes viable alternatives to solve the shrinkage problem by obtaining a healthy product with attractive characteristics for the consumer.

In the context of dependence on the consumption of fossil fuels, which cause global warming, the world requires clean and sustainable energy. In recent years, great advances have been made in the field of renewable and sustainable energy. Therefore, sustainable energy development is essential to meet the growing demand for energy, while preserving environmental quality and the natural resources needed now and in the future. Likewise, to achieve this sustainability it is necessary to carry out an energy transition focused on the use of renewable energies. Energy sustainable buildings have a crucial role to play in minimizing the environmental impact, since, by making use of solar photovoltaic technology, for example, they are able to generate much or all of the energy that the building requires. This paper aims to design an optimal microgrid that makes use of the solar resource in the Homer pro software, to provide energy sustainability to one of the blocks of the Salesian Polytechnic University - South Campus.  For this purpose, the solar irradiance data of the sector is used, as well as the energy demand data of the specific block. The results obtained make it clear that the option of incorporate solar panels and a battery bank into the microgrid turns out to be the least expensive and at the same time provides a higher degree of sustainability to the building.

In search of a technological solution to take advantage of the reduction of onions of the Granex 429 variety, which is cultivated in the central provinces, specifically in the district of Natá, the use of this as raw material in a food product with added value was implemented. To develop an innovative product in the market, profitable and without greater complexity for the producers of Nata, the onion jam was elaborated, to which pieces of apple and pineapple were added, and thus obtained two products. Physicochemical tests were carried out for both products: viscosity, water activity (Aw), pH, fiber, ash and °Brix; whose results will be detailed in this article. In addition, a sensory panel was carried out, based on a 5-point hedonic test, with 60 participants of different ages and sex, to find out which product is most accepted by consumers in general. Innovation within food engineering is a crucial point in our growth as professionals, which is why we are motivated to carry out different creative ideas and new products, also applying the knowledge acquired for the analysis of these products; These analyzes range from physicochemical analyzes to sensory and market analyses, which in the future provide us with a real result of the behavior of the product in all the aspects.

Para las industrias es de mucha importancia conocer las características tanto de la materia prima como la de sus productos terminados, por eso es necesario contar con técnicas que les faciliten este análisis en un tiempo rápido, de manera no invasiva y confiable. Por ello, en este trabajo estudiamos la aplicación de un método de espectroscopía acústica sobre muestras líquidas, las cuales se les hace pasar una energía de excitación producidas por un barrido de ondas sonoras que van desde los 20Hz hasta los 20KHz, y luego la respuesta del sistema a dicha excitación es captada y procesada para su posterior análisis. La respuesta se muestra gráficamente en un espectro de resonancia, donde las bandas formadas brindan información sobre las características de la muestra que se está analizando. Para llevar a cabo dicho experimento, se construyó un equipo el cual cuenta con materiales adecuados para la acústica, y diseñado de tal forma que siempre tenga las mismas condiciones en cada prueba que se haga. Se usó un software para evaluar la respuesta acústica del sistema. El equipo se probó con distintas sustancias como agua, Alcohol al 70% y 95% para poder ver diferencias entre sustancias, obteniendo muy buenos resultados y consistencia en los mismos. Se puede ver las diferencias en los corrimientos de las bandas de resonancia entre el agua, el alcohol al 70%, y el alcohol al 95%. Estos resultados nos comprueban que es posible aplicar esta técnica para evaluar las propiedades de alimentos líquidos.

The use of conventional sources in electricity production is causing environmental impacts that will be significant shortly due to greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, governments and regulatory bodies of the countries are willing to make the energy transition and opt for renewable technologies, which minimize emissions of these gasses. In the coming years in Ecuador, the installation of distributed generation systems for self-supply synchronized with the distribution network is planned under the Ecuadorian regulatory framework. This manuscript aims to segment regulated consumers in the residential sector to distinguish possible safe candidates to make investments in distributed generation systems. For this purpose, a profitability analysis model is assumed that calculates the Internal Rate of Return and Benefit-Cost Ratio indices, considering: 1) the user's energy consumption categories, 2) the regulated cost of energy, 3) projected production, and 4) tax incentives, for six scenarios in the short and medium term. Numerical results of the proposed system model demonstrate that users with high consumption categories have the best profitability indexes, and users with low consumption categories reveal unfavorable indexes. This fact allows segmenting the market and providing alternatives at the public policy level to ensure investments in these systems.

In this investigation, the ecological footprint of a residential building, located in the province of Herrera, Panama, was evaluated through its carbon footprint and water footprint. This research was carried out with the objective of finding critical factors in which new low-consumption strategies would be implemented and the footprints found would be reduced. To carry out this work, simulation softwares such as DesignBuilder and Revit were used to find the building´s energy and water performance, correspondingly. Results showed that implementing strategies such as using new construction materials and using an efficient air conditioning system, creates a 57.0% decrease in the carbon footprint. At the same time, strategies such as installing efficient water devices, efficient irrigation techniques, use of rainwater and greywater create a 53.8% decrease in the current building´s water footprint. Finally, it was concluded that factors such as the level of insulation in the building enclosures and the use of the air conditioning system are the cause of the high level of carbon footprint in the building and are critical points on which the evaluated strategies cause a greater impact. It was also concluded that due to Panama’s great hydric potential, the use of rainwater and implementation of new technologies in water devices are the low consumption strategies that have the greatest impact on the water footprint of buildings.

In the search to improve different aspects of life; Accessing healthy and increasingly natural foods, as well as forming alternative trading systems, is necessary for sustainable development. During the 2020-2021 agricultural period, national onion production reached 484,255 quintals, an increase of 54.3% compared to the previous period (2019-2020), according to figures from the Directorate of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agricultural Development in Panama. This work aims to develop a viable proposal for an innovative product, concentrated bases, using Panamanian onion production. For the development of these concentrated bases, the formulation, the design of the process, the definition of physicochemical parameters, the elaboration of the nutritional labelling, the sensory analysis and the marketing proposal were carried out. The results show us that the preferred concentrated bases by the sensory panel were the smoked onion and garlic concentrated base and the Panamanian sauce (sofrito) concentrated base. Regarding the physicochemical parameters, there is a difference in the results of pH, Aw, °Brix and viscosity, this for the concentrated base of smoked onion and garlic and the concentrated base of Panamanian sofrito, this due to the inclusion of tomato paste and achiote to the concentrated base of Panamanian sofrito. In conclusion, the use of onion as the main ingredient will improve the sensory level, due to the use of transformations associated with the smoking process.