Clara Rosalía Álvarez-Chávez

Laboratories are essential spaces within universities as they foster learning through practice and advance academic discovery through research. However, laboratory work involves inherent hazards and risks associated with these activities. To overcome this challenge, the Integrated Health, Safety, Civil Protection, and Environmental Management tool (IHSCE tool) was developed in 2021. Initially designed as a questionnaire of 111 items classified into four subindicators, the tool has since been refined with input from experts and public and private institutions. It was subsequently validated in laboratories from high school institutions, resulting in the current version consisting of 85 items organized into seven subindicators. In this study, the IHSCE tool was applied for the first time in a public university in Mexico to evaluate safety management across 23 teaching and research laboratories. The overall IHSCE score for the university’s laboratories was 5.5 out of 10 possible points, indicating that management practices require significant strengthening across all areas. The subindicator on emergency and safety equipment received particular attention, with an average score of 3.7. These findings underscore the need to implement improvement measures to enhance laboratory safety, protect the university community, and minimize risks to the surrounding environment.

This review explores the eco-friendly synthesis of metallic nanoparticles derived from polysaccharides obtained from agricultural and food industry waste. Initially, it outlines the problem of agri-food waste, highlighting its abundance and the potential to extract valuable polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and pectin. The focus is on green synthesis methods that use these polysaccharides to produce metallic nanoparticles, emphasizing the environmental benefits compared to conventional methods. The article reviews the physicochemical properties of key polysaccharides and details their extraction processes from various agricultural waste. The synthesis of diverse types of metallic nanoparticles, including monometallic (e.g., gold, silver, and platinum), bimetallic (e.g., gold–silver and gold–zinc), and oxide nanoparticles (e.g., zinc oxide and iron oxide), is extensively covered. Additionally, mechanisms of nanoparticle synthesis, such as nucleation, growth, stabilization, and capping, are examined, alongside examples from existing research. The article highlights the applications of these nanoparticles in diverse fields, including food safety, healthcare, agriculture, and environmental protection. It concludes by underscoring the potential of green synthesis to reduce waste and promote sustainable industrial practices and calls for further research to optimize these methods.

El estudio investigó las percepciones de identidad institucional entre docentes/investigadores y estudiantes en un Centro Público de Investigación (CPI) en México durante la pandemia de 2019 a 2022. Utilizando la Teoría de la Identidad Social, se exploró cómo los individuos se categorizan dentro de la institución y cómo esto influye en su sentido de pertenencia y productividad académica. Utilizando un análisis cuantitativo de respuestas de 151 docentes/investigadores y 146 estudiantes, se identificaron percepciones compartidas como satisfacción, lealtad y prestigio, así como visiones distintas, incluyendo el compromiso con el desarrollo regional y la comprensión de la visión institucional. Los docentes/investigadores destacaron factores como Marca, Compromiso y Conocimiento, Áreas de Visión y Oportunidad, mientras que los estudiantes enfatizaron el Compromiso con el Desarrollo Regional. A pesar de las limitaciones en la recolección de datos debido a la pandemia, los hallazgos revelaron una fuerte conexión y satisfacción con el CPI entre ambos grupos.

La agricultura sostenible permite el uso eficiente de los recursos naturales, particularmente del agua. El objetivo de este trabajo fue comparar la huella hídrica del cultivo de lechuga (Lactuca sativa L.) en dos sistemas de producción: acuapónico e hidropónico, para conocer su impacto en los recursos hídricos. Ambos sistemas productivos se establecieron en una casa sombra en el estado de Sonora, México. El experimento se realizó del 20 de mayo al 29 de julio de 2020. La estimación de la HHtotal se calculó mediante la suma de las huellas hídricas azules, consumo de lámina de agua en el desarrollo del cultivo) y de los insumos y materiales utilizados en cada sistema (con base en información de la literatura científica). Los resultados indicaron un peso promedio de lechuga cosechada de 0.056 kg (±0.005 kg) en el sistema acuapónico y de 0.097 kg (±0.007 kg) en el sistema hidropónico. El análisis estadístico se evaluó con la prueba t de student con un nivel de significancia de 5%. Las HHA estimadas fueron 0.2941 y 0.1721 m3 kg-1, las HHtotal fueron 2.6841 m3 kg-1 y de 0.1821 m3 kg-1 para los sistema acuapónico y sistema hidropónico, respectivamente, para 19 plantas en cada sistema. Los valores de las HHtotal fueron elevados ya que representan la suma de las huellas hídricas azules y de la HHinsumos y materiales. Los resultados de esta investigación confirmaron la hipótesis planteada, al registrar una mayor huella hídrica el sistema acuapónico. Sin embargo, es conveniente generar mayor conocimiento en el tema.

Safety in academic laboratories is a significant area of interest due to the different risk factors presented that expose laboratory staff as well as increase the likelihood of accidents. Through 111 items grouped into 4 dimensions, the original IGSSA instrument was proposed to comprehensively evaluate safety and health management along with civil and environmental protection in sciences laboratories at high schools. This study aimed to validate the IGSSA instrument to facilitate that teachers can conduct inspections to evaluate safety regulatory compliance in their science laboratories. The questionnaire content validation methodology included focus groups with representatives of regulatory agencies and cognitive interviews with laboratory teachers. The final IGSSA-LAB v1 instrument comprises a combined indicator, clustering 85 items into 7 dimensions. The instrument has a participatory approach since the inspection should be conducted by the laboratory teachers supporting the compliance with existing regulation. Additionally, it enhances knowledges and strengthens the safety culture and environment protection in high schools.

We developed, validated, and tested a tool in Mexico to assess the management of student and teacher health and safety, environmental protection, and community safety in high school science laboratories. Schools require such an instrument in order to capture and proactively identify opportunities for safety improvement. We developed a checklist by reviewing and adapting different sources. It can be used to evaluate a school’s management approach using a composite indicator, the Health, Safety, Civil, and Environmental Protection Management Indicator: IHSCE. The IHSCE comprises four sub-indicators: (1) health, safety, civil, and environmental policies; (2) management of chemicals; (3) facilities, safety, and emergency equipment; and (4) teacher training. The IHSCE tool was validated and tested in 41 high schools in the state of Sonora (Mexico). The IHSCE sub-indicator rankings ranged from medium to low in the science laboratories of schools in the capital of the state and in regional high schools. However, regional high schools had significantly lower levels in two IHSCE sub-indicators: the facilities, safety, and emergency equipment sub-indicator and the teacher training sub-indicator. The tool consists of a checklist that is flexible and comprehensive. Its use revealed differences in high school science laboratories and identified opportunities for the reduction of health and safety hazards in school facilities and communities and in the surrounding environment.