In this paper, we report our theoretical prediction of a boron-rich binary compound, YB6, with Pm3m space group subjected to pressures from 0 to 50 GPa. Calculations of first principles are performed to investigate the elastic, vibrational and electronic structural properties using the Density Functional Theory (DFT) within the plane-wave pseudopotential method based on the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) proposed by Perdew-Wang (PW91). We discuss the structural stability based on elastic constants analysis (C ij ) obtained with static finite strain technique. Bulk (BH), Shear (GH) and Young's modulus (EH) as well as Poisson's ratio (ν), were calculated with the Voigt-Reuss approximation derived from ideal polycrystalline aggregate. Other parameters such as Vickers Hardness (Hv), Pugh's ratio GH/BH, the speed of sound (vm) and Debye temperature (θD) were given by elastic modules. We found that C 11 and C 12 elastic constants and elastic modulus monotonically increase while C 44 decrease as a function of pressure; consequently, the structure is dynamically stable and ductile besides that hardness decreases under pressure. The phonon dispersion curves showed no imaginary phonon frequency in the entire Brillouin Zone (BZ) under pressure, showing stable Pm3m space group. Finally, the density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level decreases with increasing pressure, due to the decrease of the contribution of B 2-p states.

COVID-19 pandemic has changed the normal course of activities around the World. The measures implemented to slow down the spread of the disease and its impact on the health system have also suggested a change in population dynamics. In the educational aspect, the paradigm of the traditional education had to change completely to a remote environment, representing a challenge for students, teachers, and education institutions. In this work we report the students’ response to the actions taken by the faculty of the Chemistry Sciences School of Universidad La Salle México to face online courses ensuring student accompaniment. After the term, a qualitative and quantitative study was performed to the school population using an electronic survey to address the response of students to the applied strategy. Data was analyzed using SPSS® software. 266 responses were obtained, which represents a response rate of 44%. 75.6% of the alumni reported having a good or excellent disposition regarding virtual sessions. Likewise, 48.9% reported adapting appropriately to the remote working modality. Also, 83.5% of students recognize the labor of the teachers by acknowledging that their effort and dedication was excellent or good. Students showed development of soft skills such as self-time and learning management; written, oral and technological communication. These results suggest the advantages perceived by students during the transition to virtual modality,  mostly oriented to self-management of their learning and that could conform the basis for the development of new strategies that can be useful not only for a contingency situation, but also in the structuration and innovation of science programs.

Actions taken to control the propagation of COVID-19 forced most activities to switch into an online environment. Education was no exception. In most of the cases the transition turned out well, and online education proved to be a good alternative to the traditional model. However, in the case of practical courses, the situation is quite different because students do not acquire the abilities they would obtain by practical experience. A project-based learning (PBL) approach has been evaluated at the Chemical Sciences Department of Universidad La Salle Mexico as an alternative to practical courses. Two different experiences are depicted. Their structure and implications are explained, as well as the student and teachers’ appreciation. It was observed that the strategy showed good results, by demonstrating qualitatively that students appropriated the knowledge of the courses, and although students struggled to adapt to the work, they were motivated. PBL was demonstrated to be effective in developing soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem and conflict solving. Although this approach may not substitute for the practical experience, it proved to be a good alternative to instill students with abilities that are necessary in the practical field.

Nowadays, the contamination caused by emerging pollutants is a global concern due to the lack of scientific evidence to demonstrate the risk or toxicity to humans due to the presence of pharmaceutical residues in the environment. This study aimed to identify and describe the disposal practices of unused and unwanted medications, as well as to analyze and identify the most frequent drugs determined on water bodies adjacent to the biggest urban population in Mexico. A two-phase study with an epidemiological and an ecological assessment was performed. The epidemiological phase was carried out with a descriptive cross-sectional study among citizens from Mexico City and the metropolitan area using an electronic survey applied to 719 subjects aimed to assess practices in which pharmaceutical products are disposed. The ecological phase included a review of scientific reports. The results show that nearly 83.5% of those surveyed use inappropriate practices for disposal medicines, the main ones are through the municipal dump or directly in the drain. The ecological approach was carried out by a systematic literature review of original reports published between 2013 to 2023; information about the class of drugs, active substance, environmental compartments, location, and concentration was extracted and presented. Fifty-one different types of pharmaceutical residues were detected in wastewater in Mexico City in the last decade. The results of this study can contribute to the application of public policies for waste management authorities to mitigate the socio-environmental risks due to the inappropriate disposal of medicines.

El proyecto contribuye a impulsar, promover y fortalecer una cultura de la prevención, el cuidado y autocuidado de la población escolar para enfrentar la emergencia sanitaria por el SARS-CoV-2 y planear el sano retorno a los centros de formación. Destaca el papel de la gestión educativa, el trabajo colaborativo y multidisciplinar en colaboración con la comunidad para generar contenidos clave y estrategias que contrarresten las repercusiones en la salud, las familias y la sociedad. El impacto de la pandemia representó que tan solo en la CDMX cerraran 3,037 escuelas de ‘primaria general modalidad escolarizada’ afectando a 805,705 estudiantes. Datos de la UNESCO revelan que aproximadamente 1.600 millones estudiantes se vieron afectados por el cierre de instituciones de enseñanza de distintos niveles educativos en 188 países. Si bien, la modalidad virtual permite dar continuidad a los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje, también ha revelado otras dificultades que es necesario encarar.Para la solución de esta problemática, propusimos analizar las repercusiones en distintos ám-bitos sociales, y en especial en el educativo; los principales planteamientos de organismos nacio-nales e internacionales del sector salud y educacional, así como de expertos para sustentar, dise-ñar, impartir y evaluar un curso-taller en modalidad virtual, centrado en el protocolo de preven-ción y actuación, dirigido a directivos, docentes y personal administrativo de los centros escolares. La propuesta de intervención es con enfoque multidisciplinar, colaboraron académicos de: pe-dagogía, medicina, ciencias de la salud, químico-biológico, nutrición, psicología clínica y social, ciencias de la educación, informática, comunicación, diseño gráfico, gestión del riesgo y seguridad corporativa y sociología. La investigación es exploratoria, descriptiva con diseño de campo y me-todología mixta. Cabe destacar que el curso-taller se impartió en ocho sesiones entre junio y julio del 2021, se potenciaron las plataformas y redes sociales porque los beneficios se expanden a una mayor au-diencia. El material elaborado, los recursos seleccionados y utilizados, permitió la interactividad con los participantes. La transmisión vía streaming tiene la ventaja de quedar videograbado por temáticas. Un indicador de interés sobre la pertinencia de los contenidos impartidos por el grupo multi-disciplinar son las visualizaciones del material que para agosto del 2021 ascendían a 1,013; porque los participantes y audiencia empezaron a difundir por el interés de los tópicos y contenidos. En la última sesión de síntesis, directivos y docentes compartieron los avances de sus protocolos elaborados para sus centros escolares y reconocieron la relevancia de la propuesta que ofrecimos, lo que manifestaron también en la evaluación de satisfacción. A manera de conclusiones, el retorno seguro a clases presenciales requiere de una gestión di-rectiva diligente y de prácticas docentes transformadoras que contemplen medidas para evitar contagios que pongan en riesgo a la población escolar, familia y el entorno social. Al promover y fomentar una cultura de la prevención, el cuidado y autocuidado frente a emergencias sanitarias, con este curso-taller contribuimos a sensibilizar a directivos, docentes y administrativos de la importancia de la previsión, prevención y disponer de instrumentos y estrategias institucionales como son los protocolos, estos permiten actuar y tomar decisiones en beneficio de los colectivos con responsabilidad social. Es importante considerar que los protocolos de prevención y actuación ante emergencias es-colares/sanitarias, empieza desde el hogar, los padres de familia y las figuras parentales juegan un papel fundamentan en la concientización de los niños, niñas y adolescentes de la importancia de desarrollar hábitos de higiene y autocuidado, no solamente cuando se retomen las clases presen-ciales y el retorno sea contundente, sino aun en el hogar y en el traslado hacia el centro escolar y otros espacios sociales. Inculcar la corresponsabilidad en los niños es imprescindible, para su propio cuidado y el de los demás.