The aim of the present study is to test the ability of a low-cost and portable middle infrared spectrometer based on a linear array of 1 × 128 of PbSe, coupled with a linear variable optical filter in the wavelength range of 3-4.5 μm, for the differentiation of pure chemical substances and quality control of fuels. Potential additives and adulterants for gasoline were tested, considering the alcohols ethanol, n-butanol, n-propanol and n-hexanol as potential additives and methanol and diesel oils as adulterants. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) applied to the scores obtained in the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was conducted to analyze the spectral data and distinguish between the individual components. For the purposes of classifying anonymous samples, the centroid of each pure substance in the canonical variables was calculated, followed by the distance calculated between new samples to such centroids, assigning the individual to the most proximate category. The results demonstrated that the t echnique was able to discriminate between gasoline, diesel oils and the alcohols methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, n-butanol and n-hexanol and that it had the potential to be applied in the fuel industry.

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BACKGROUND: Currently, stroke is one of the main causes of disability in the world. Globally 5 million people acquire permanent disability each year for this cause; up to 30% of affected patients suffer from some type of disability. Early management of the patient can reduce the sequelae derived from the injury. The aim of this study is to find out if there are differences in disabilities derived from strokes, between the cities of Madrid (Spain) and Cuenca (Ecuador), in association with programmed early patient care. METHODS: This is an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicenter study. The sample consisted of 40 patients diagnosed with stroke, 20 from Cuenca, Ecuador, and 20 from Madrid, Spain. Data was obtained from the patient’s medical records. Both groups were compared using Pearson’s Chi-square test (Χ2) for each studied variable. RESULTS: in the Madrid Group 80% of the strokes were ischemic, in the Cuenca Group 90% of the strokes were ischemic, there is not significant association. In both groups the highest percentage of sequelae occurred due to injury of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). There was no significant difference in the percentage of disabilities derived from stroke between the groups, the Madrid Group had a lower rate of derived disabilities (45%), compared to Cuenca Group (76%), but the differences was not significant (p=0.069); however, the association between the death percentage among the groups was statistically significant (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: No significant association was found in terms of etiology, risk factors and clinical characteristics of stroke between the groups. There are no significant differences in the sequelae derived from stroke between the groups, but there is significant difference in terms of death percentage between the groups, with the application of “Código Ictus” type of program.

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