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Health is worst in Vieques

Submitted on 6 December 2006 - 3:02pm

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

A new study on the health of Vieques residents indicates that they have a 52% more risk of sufferin from Herat diseases, diabetes and cancer than the rest of the Puerto Rican population. The study, according to the Committee Pro-Rescue and Development of Vieques, indicates that the risk in Vieques of dying of cancer is 52% higher than the rest of Puerto Rico, 31% for heart diseases, 17% for diabetes, 149% for AIDS and 10% for hypertension. According to Committee Pro-Rescue and Development of Vieques, “Our condition as an island municipality seems to be an obstacle for the development and improvement of our health system.” Viequenses indicated that transportation difficulties to the “main Island” for treatment, and the cost of lodging and transportation contribute to the patients leaving their treatments incomplete, increases their risk for dying of those diseases.

Puerto Rican engineering students recieve awards

Submitted on 6 December 2006 - 2:40pm

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

Recently the Polytechnic University celebrated the National Conference for Hispanics in Engineering in Puerto Rico, the only conference of its kind nationally, which objective is to emphasize and develop the role of Hispanics in engineering in Puerto Rico and the United States. Representatives of different universities and academic institutions assisted to the activity. There were students from Berkeley, Syracuse University, University of Pennsylvania and Texas Tech University, among others. Undergraduate and graduate technical research awards were handed during the conference. In the undergraduate research category the winners, tied for the first place were Frances Tatis Ríos and Gilberto Vigo Rodríguez, and Giovanni Lleonart Dávila, from the Polytechnic University. Second place in undergraduate level were (also tied) Jorismar Torres and Adrián del Moral Ballesteros, of the University of Puerto Rico, in Mayagüez. In the graduate level category first place went to Fransheska Seijo Montes, who goes to Texas Tech University. Second and third place in graduate level went to Beatriz Méndez and José Castro, respectively, both from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

Amazing microscopes

Submitted on 6 December 2006 - 12:34pm

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

The Center for Microscopy of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez has many microscopes that daily help biologists, chemists, physicists and engineers make their discoveries. Among the Center’s microscopes is a scanning electron microscope and laser confocal microscope. The first one allows magnifications of up to 200,000x and the images are amazingly tridimensional. On the other hand, the second microscope produces two dimensional images and with a lower magnification (100x); but the focus is perfect and the contrast between the brilliant colors of the sample –illuminated by a laser beam- and a black background allow the capture of some of the most beautiful (scientifically valued) images that can be obtained today with any microscope.

Beyond the human eye

Submitted on 6 December 2006 - 12:23pm

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

The Center for Microscopy in the new Biology building of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez houses scientific instruments that allow for the magnified observation of the characteristics and properties of biological and non-biological simples, with an amplification of up to 200,000 times the objects real size. This Center has been supporting the work of researchers in Mayagüez, other academic institutions and the industry for more than 10 years. The Center is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. For appointments and additional information you can call 787-832-4040, extension 3721.

Picture of the Puerto Rican reality

Submitted on 4 December 2006 - 1:46pm

This article is reproduced by CienciaPR with permission from the original source.

The first Environmental Atlas of Puerto Rico is a thematic atlas that integrates with maps, texts, tables and graphics the cause and effect relationship between human activities and the environment in Puerto Rico. Some interesting facts from the book, by Tania del Mar López Marrero and Nancy Villanueva: - The population growth in Puerto Rico in the last 50 years has been of 72%. - In 2000, it was determined that there is an average of two cars per person in the Island. In some municipalities, like Guaynabo, there is a car per person. - In Puerto Rico a square kilometer has an average of 429 people, 3.4 km of roads and 267 cars and in them are sustained an average of 1,139 farm animals. - 98% of the energy sources used in the Island come from non-renewable sources (petroleum, coal and gas) and the dependence on petroleum is high (80%). - Between 1977 and 2001, the percentage of land with high agricultural development potential used for construction was more than double than in land with lesser agricultural potential. - In 2000 approximately 14,900 thousand of tons of solid waste were generated.

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