Time-resolved spectroscopy of two-dimensional systems: from the conventional method to a novel cavity-enhanced solution

The work presented in this dissertation is dedicated to the characterization of the excited state dynamics of thin films through time-resolved spectroscopy, with emphasis on developing a methodology that is able to resolve weak transient absorption signals from optically thin films. With this aim, the conventional transient absorption spectroscopy method is first utilized to characterize semiconducting monolayers and organic nanosheet semiconductors. Although these are physically thin, they present relatively strong transient absorption signals of a few mOD (units of optical density), which allows to characterize their excited state dynamics with the conventional machinery, not needing further signal enhancements or complex noise-minimizing techniques. Nonetheless, the former does not represent the reality of detecting the transient photoexcited dynamics of few-layered systems. For this reason, the last chapter of this thesis introduces a new approach for the sensitive detection of two-dimensional samples with marginal molecular extinction coefficients: A novel methodology that multiplies the interaction length of the light with the sample, designated cavity ring-down transient absorption spectroscopy (CRD-TAS). Being at the present time in the midst of its development, the prospect efficiency and working capabilities of the novel CRD-TAS technique are hereby evaluated, and the strategies for further improvements are discussed

Anxiety and fear related to coronavirus disease 2019 assessment in the Spanish population: A cross-sectional study

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide, compromising the responsiveness of governments and states and thus generating anxiety and fear at the population level. Objective: To assess the level of anxiety and fear of coronavirus disease 2019 in a Spanish adult population group. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study, using the anxiety and fear of COVID-19 assessment scale (AMICO, for its acronym in Spanish). The sample was composed of 1038 subjects. Univariate and bivariate statistical analyses were performed, after analysis of normality in the data distribution. Categorical regression analyses were also executed. Findings: The total sample size was 1036 subjects, 56.3% was made up of females, with a mean age of 48.11 years (SD=15.13). The mean score obtained on the AMICO scale was 5.54 points (SD=1.83), with a score range between 1.22 and 10. Bivariate analysis only demonstrated statistically significant differences in the mean score of the scale and the variables: sex, marital status, work area and academic level. The executed categorical regression analysis revealed an R2 value of 0.75 and a significance of p=0.00. Conclusions: The results obtained show that the Spanish population presents moderate anxiety levels to coronavirus disease 2019. Women, married, with primary and/or secondary education level, and working in the public transport, services and/or hospitality sectors are more likely to have high levels of fear and anxiety. Application to Practice: These results could be used for therapeutic and preventive psychological interventions, and also to plan new research under sex perspective and observing the socio-economic environment

Construcción y validación de una escala de evaluación del nivel de competencia en la interacción de cuidado para estudiantes de Grado en Enfermería

Las recomendaciones del Espacio Común Europeo de Educación Superior destacan la necesidad de adecuar los títulos de Grado a la adquisición de competencias, y el uso de métodos adecuados, como las rúbricas de evaluación, para la evaluación de dicha adquisición. Por otro lado, la competencia en la relación enfermera-paciente, integrada en el currículo del estudiante que obtiene el Grado en Enfermería, se convierte así en objeto de evaluación. El objetivo del presente estudio fue la construcción y validación de una escala de evaluación del nivel de competencia en la relación enfermera-paciente para estudiantes de Grado en Enfermería de la Universidad de Sevilla, a partir del cuestionario “Caring Nurse-Patient Interactions Scale (CNPI)” de 70 ítems. Además, se estudió la posible relación entre el nivel de competencia en la relación enfermera-paciente y el nivel en habilidades sociales. Para ello, se llevó a cabo un estudio observacional de validación clinimétrica, durante el año 2016, en tres fases. En la primera, se desarrolló un proceso de traducción y adaptación cultural del cuestionario CNPI, mediante el método de traducción-retro traducción, por un panel de expertos. En la segunda fase, se realizó un estudio piloto sobre una muestra estudiantes de 4º curso de Grado en Enfermería de la Universidad de Sevilla. En la tercera, se procedió al análisis de constructo, de criterio, –mediante el uso de un cuestionario elegido como “gold standard”- y consistencia interna mediante un estudio de campo. Para ello, se llevó a cabo un análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE), análisis factorial confirmatorio (AFC), y método de regresión de mínimos cuadrados parciales (PLS). Se correlacionaron también las puntuaciones del cuestionario creado con las obtenidas en otro cuestionario que mide competencia en habilidades sociales, obtenidas por los mismos sujetos de la muestra de estudio. Los resultados ofrecieron una versión traducida al español, que se sometió a estudio piloto sobre una muestra de estudiantes de 4º curso de Grado en Enfermería de la Universidad de Sevilla. El análisis factorial exploratorio obtuvo una versión reducida de 28 ítems, con una estructura dimensional de 8 factores y un 63% varianza explicada. La misma se utilizó sobre una muestra de 332 sujetos para el estudio de campo. El AFE aplicado sobre estos nuevos datos redujo el número de factores a 5, aunque el AFC no obtuvo resultados satisfactorios. Por ello, teniendo en cuenta criterios teóricos y fundamentales, se construyó un modelo de senderos que relacionan los 5 constructos. Sobre el mismo, se ejecutó el método de regresión de mínimos cuadrados parciales que ofreció valores de fiabilidad aceptables, óptima validez discriminante y tamaños de efecto excelentes. Se validó así una estructura de 5 constructos y 16 ítems, y se nombró el cuestionario como “Nursing Interactions in Caring _ Competence Assessment (NIC_CA)”. No se obtuvo correlación entre el cuestionario NIC_CA y el cuestionario elegido como “gold standard”, por lo que la validez de criterio no pudo ser estudiada; no obstante, se confeccionó un baremo de niveles de competencia a partir de los valores de la mediana y los percentiles. Tampoco se encontró convergencia entre las puntuaciones del cuestionario NIC_CA y las del cuestionario que valoraba competencia en habilidades sociales. En resumen, esta investigación aporta un cuestionario fiable y válido, para medir el nivel de competencia en la relación enfermera-paciente de los estudiantes de 4º curso de Grado en Enfermería. Futuros estudios deberían estudiar la validez de criterio, aportando datos de sensibilidad y especificidad, así como contemplar la perspectiva de género en la conceptualización y ejecución de las conductas y actitudes que caracterizan la relación enfermera-paciente.The competence acquirement is described in the European Higher Education area recommendations, and Universities should adapt their programs to get this standard using appropriate instruments, like the evaluation rubric. In addition, the nurse-patient relationship competence acquirement, as a specific competence in Nursing Degree programs, becomes an object to be evaluated. The objective of this study was the validation of a tool which measures the nurse-patient interaction competence in nursing students, based on Caring Nurse Patient Interaction Scale (CNPI)- 70 items and Jean Watson’s model. A clinimetric validation study was conducted in three phases. First, the translation and cultural adjustment of the CNPI questionnaire was developed, using the translation-back translation method, by a panel of experts. Secondly, a pilot study was carried out on a sample of last-year Nursing Degree students at the University of Seville. Thirdly one, we achieved the analysis construct, criteria and internal consistency analysis. Furthermore, exploratory factorial analysis (EFA), confirmatory factorial analysis (CFA), and partial least squares (PLS) method were performed. The scores of the created questionnaire were also correlated with those obtained in another questionnaire that measures social skill competence, obtained by the same subjects of the study sample. Data were collected in 2016 from a sample of students belonging to the six teaching centres of the University of Seville. Permissions were requested, and all participants signed an informed consent. A Spanish version of the CNPI Scale was obtained and tested in a pilot study on a sample of 74 students. Using EFA, a reduced version of 28 items was made, with a dimensional structure of 8 factors and 63% explained variance. The scale reliability was α of 0. 94, ranging between 0. 62 and 0. 87 in its dimensions. This reduced version was tested again on a sample of 332 subjects. 80% were women, with an average age of 24 years. The CFA applied on these new data reduced the number of factors to 5, although the CFA did not obtain satisfactory results. Therefore, taking into account theoretical and fundamental criteria, a model of paths was built, demonstrating a lineal relationship among the 5 constructs. So, the PLS method was used, which offered, among others, a value of SRMR <0. 08, acceptable reliability values (α Cronbach, composite reliability, and mean extracted variance), demonstrating discriminant validity (HTMT <0. 85) and effect sizes of the related constructs (named factors in EFA and CFA). A structure of 5 constructs and 16 items was validated, and the questionnaire was named “Nursing Interactions in Caring - Competence Assessment (NIC_CA)". No correlation was obtained between the NIC_CA questionnaire and the questionnaire chosen as “gold standard", so the criterion validity could not be studied; however, it was made a scale of competence levels using the median and percentiles values. There was also no convergence between the scores of the NIC_CA questionnaire and those of the questionnaire that assessed social skill competence. In summary, this research provides a reliable and valid questionnaire to measure the nurse-patient competence in Nursing Degree students. There is no correlation between nurse-patient competence and social skill competence, so this is not related with higher levels of nurse-patient relationship competence or vice versa. Future researches should study the criterion validity, providing data on sensitivity and specificity, as well as consider the gender perspective in the conceptualization and execution of the behaviours and attitudes that characterize the nurse-patient relationship

Optical tweezers in complex samples

Treballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2016, Tutors: Estela Martín Badosa, Mario Montes UsateguiThe increasing interest in using optical tweezers to study biological samples reveals a need to experiment with irregular objects, since some bacteria and cellular organisms have ellipsoidal or cylindrical shapes. The aim of this project is to study how non-spherical particles respond to optical trapping, specifcally using two traps to hold them, instead of one. A Matlab simulation is frst performed in order to foresee the behavior of the trapped particle and the force exerted on it, and compare these results with the subsequently data obtained in the Optical Trapping Laborator

Relación entre violencia y depresión en mujeres migrantes a través de las experiencias en los servicios de atención

Based on ethnographic work with undocumented immigrant women who developed depressive episodes due to various forms of violence, this article recovers the women’s experience of care in the clinic space of their host country. Through therapeutic itineraries of care, the article focuses on the case studies of two women of Mexican origin in New York City to describe, based on their experience, the communication and the encounter between the doctor and patient; the expectations of migrant women regarding mental health care services; and the explanatory models of depression of both the patients and the treating physicians. This analysis seeks to contribute to the knowledge regarding ways of treating the mental health problems of undocumented women in contexts of violence.A partir del trabajo etnográfico con mujeres inmigrantes indocumentadas que desarrollaron episodios depresivos a causa de diversas formas de violencia, se recupera su experiencia sobre la atención que recibieron en el espacio clínico del país de acogida. A través de itinerarios terapéuticos de atención, el trabajo se centra en los estudios de caso de dos mujeres de origen mexicano en la ciudad de New York, para describir, con base en su experiencia, la comunicación y el encuentro entre médico y paciente; las expectativas de las migrantes en relación con los servicios de atención en salud mental; y los modelos explicativos sobre la depresión por parte de los pacientes y los médicos tratantes. Con lo anterior, buscamos contribuir al conocimiento sobre las formas de atención de los problemas de salud mental de mujeres indocumentadas en contextos de violencia

A new conceptualization of the nurse–patient relationship construct as caring interaction

The journey through the history of nursing, and its philosophical and political influences of the moment, contextualizes the interest that arose about the nurse–patient relationship after World War II. The concept has always been defined as a relationship but, from a phenomenological approach based on a historical, philosophical, psychological and sociological cosmology, it is possible to re‐conceptualize it as ‘caring interaction’. Under the vision of aesthetics and sociopoetics, the object of nursing care is the most delicate, vulnerable and unrepeatable raw material: the person, whose feelings and reciprocity, which must be considered. In addition, it involves the adoption of the socio‐critical paradigm, as it considers the importance of actively involving the person, not just patient anymore, or their family in the nursing cares, optimizing the reciprocity inherent to this interactivity. In short, our philosophical and epistemological approach to the concept of nurse–patient relationship proposes a new conceptualization of it as a caring interaction

Understanding the nurse-patient relationship: A predictive approach to caring interaction

Background: Caring nurse-patient interaction has been linked to improvements in patient health outcomes, empowerment, and security. Aim: To design a predictive model of caring interaction, based on the development of the Nursing Inter- actions in Caring _ Competence Assessment for Nursing Professionals (NIC_CA-Prof) tool. Methods: A cross-sectional psychometric study was carried out. Descriptive data analysis and exploratory factor analysis were performed. To design the predictive model, partial least squares regression analysis was used in consistent mode. Findings: The sample consisted of 544 nurses with a mean age of 45.9 years old (Standard Deviation = 10.7 years). Exploratory factor analysis yielded 19 items and four factors. A predictive model of four linearly related composites was validated: basic nursing care, therapeutic relationship, problem management, and adaptation. Conclusions: The predictive model provides a visual depiction of the linear and temporal development of the phases of caring interaction, showing the effect of one phase on the next.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva / CBU

Predictive validity of the INTEGRARE scale in identifying the risk of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in acute care hospital settings

Background: Hospital-acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) are prevalent around the world and are an indicator of care quality. Numerous instruments are available to predict their appearance, but few evaluate predictive val idity. No instruments based on Nursing Outcomes Classification indicators have been found, despite these in dicators reflecting the patient’s condition. The aim of the study was to analyse the predictive validity of the INTEGRARE scale in preventing the risk of HAPUs. Methods: A multicentre prospective observational cohort study design was used. 1,004 patients from 11 public hospitals in Andalusia (Spain) were recruited between February 2015 and October 2017. Participants were aged over 18 and had been admitted to medical and surgical units, with a predicted stay exceeding 48 h. Predictive validity was checked using a multivariate logistic regression model and a receiver operating characteristic curve, with development of pressure ulcers during the hospital stay as the dependent variable. Results: The INTEGRARE scale obtained an area under the curve of 0.886 (95% CI = 0.85–0.923). Within the 30- point range, the optimal cut-off value is 23 points with a sensitivity of 80.8% and a specificity of 80%. The odds ratio was 16.86 (95% CI = 8.54–33.28). Among the patient variables, age was significant, while among the hospital variables, the type of unit and the Nurse Staffing Level (NSL) were significant. Conclusions: The INTEGRARE scale has robust predictive validity when patients are admitted to medical and surgical inpatient units. Patients with a higher risk of developing HAPUs are in surgical units, are elderly, and have an NSL exceeding 10.4

Estudi GPGPU dedicat al processament de neuroimatges

La tecnologia GPGPU permet paral∙lelitzar càlculs executant operacions aritmètiques en els múltiples processadors de que disposen els xips gràfics. S'ha fet servir l'entorn de desenvolupament CUDA de la companyia NVIDIA, que actualment és la solució GPGPU més avançada del mercat. L'algorisme de neuroimatge implementat pertany a un estudi VBM desenvolupat amb l'eina SPM. Es tracta concretament del procés de segmentació d'imatges de ressonància magnètica cerebrals, en els diferents teixits dels quals es composa el cervell: matèria blanca, matèria grisa i líquid cefaloraquidi. S'han implementat models en els llenguatges Matlab, C i CUDA, i s'ha fet un estudi comparatiu per plataformes hardware diferents.La tecnología GPGPU permite paralelizar cálculos ejecutando operaciones aritméticas en los múltiples procesadores de que disponen los chips gráficos. Se ha utilizado el entorno de desarrollo CUDA de la compañía NVIDIA, que actualmente es la solución GPGPU más avanzada del mercado. El algoritmo de neuroimagen implementado pertenece a un estudio VBM desarrollado con la herramienta SPM. Se trata específicamente del proceso de segmentación de imágenes de resonancia magnética cerebrales, en los diferentes tejidos de los que se compone el cerebro: materia blanca, materia gris y líquido cefalorraquídeo. Se han implementado modelos en los lenguajes Matlab, C y CUDA, y se ha hecho un estudio comparativo para plataformas hardware diferentes.GPGPU technology allows parallelization of calculations executing arithmetic operations in any of the multiple processors that graphic chips have. The environment used for development is CUDA from NVIDIA, which is currently the most advanced solution available. The neuroimage algorithm implemented is part of a VBM study developed with the SPM tool. Therefore, the goal of this project is the process of segmentation of neural magnetic resonances into the different tissues the brain is composed of: white matter, grey matter and cefalorraquid liquid. Different models have been implemented in Matlab, C and CUDA, and finally, a comparative study between different hardware platforms