Heavy metals and nutritional elements analysis on food by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

Motivation:  Food companies are legally responsible of the safety of the food they produce, transport, store or sell in developed countries. In this sense, there is a strict control of pollutants, such as heavy metals, as well as restrictive labeling regulations applicable to food additives. In order to asses an adequate detection of these elements, high-resolution techniques are required and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) seems to be one of the best choice because of its ability to detect concentrations ranging from its detection limit of 1ppt. The objective of this project is the start up and development of this technique for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) determination in fish, crustaceans and cephalopods; sodium (Na) in processed food, meat, dairy  and bakery products; and iron (Fe), which is used in the olive blackening.Methods: ICP-MS used was an ICP Mass Spectrometer ELAN DRC-e Axial Field Technology (Perkin Elmer SCIEX, Waltham). This equipment had a cooler recirculator PolyScience (Nile) coupled and an s10 autosample (Perkin Elmer, Waltham). Food samples were homogenized with a mixer and digested with a Digi-Prep 50/24 digestor with HNO3:HCl 6:1.Results: Previously to this study, results generated by ICP-MS measurements had a great uncertainty associated. Therefore, several test were performed to optimize the method. For instance, procedure for cephalopods homogenization was changed, and results showed better recoveries when sample was frozen and broken up with a mortar. Sample weight was varied depending on sample moisture and fat content; a filtering step was introduced for removal dissolved solids below 0.2%;  2 μg/L of gold (Au) was introduced as a mercury stabilizer. The adequacy of the curve range was made according to legal limits, so concentration of internal standard (Rh) was changed an and its accurate performance was checked. Furthermore, major isotopes and its interfering were studied in order to establish interference correction equations. Finally, a quality control of the results was performed.Conclusions: Sample preparation is crucial for reliable results. Moreover, standardization of all the steps involved in the ICP-MS determination of trace elements and other elements are necessary in order to reduce uncertainty. After this work, additional quality steps are required in order to achieve accreditation of the technique under different international standard guideline

Evaluation of physical-chemical tests using control charts

Nowadays, the market demands are increasing in what respect the quality of the products, their price and theiravailability. To ensure a good participation in the market, companies need the implementation of a good QualityManagement System strengthening it and making it more competitive. Thus, the analytical laboratory must ensurethe quality of their essays to reduce or remove errors and, to prevent them indeed. The accreditation ISO 17025:2005establish the general requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Certifying usedmethods; it makes laboratories to have a work structure perfectly documented so to ensure the quality of theobtained data. The most important element on data collection is the selection of the characteristics in study and thesite identification or control stages. Therefore, control chart (UNE-ISO 7870-1) is an essential tool of statisticalprocess control. It constitutes a graphic exposition of the obtained data, which will allow making a visual evaluationof the method variability. Thereby, the aim of this study is to generate a control chart that represents the datacollected to be analyzed over time. The tests to be studied are carried out on food and water. Nutritional elementssuch as protein, fat, ash, moisture and sugars are determined in foods, which include meats, fish and cereals.Regarding to water, a distinction is made between continental, consumption and wastewater and parameters such asconductivity, pH and turbidity are analyzed. The analysis of reference materials on a regular basis is included in theevaluation of each method. After evaluating the graphics, the results confirmed the stability of all certified assays,assuring the quality of the product and the reliability of the laboratory certified methods

La relación entre deuda pública y privatización: el papel moderador de la ideología política y los ciclos electorales

Using a sample of 25 European countries between 1995 and 2013, this study shows a bidirectional relationship between privatisations and public debt. Firstly, our findings suggest that governments with higherlevels of debt tend to privatise state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to a greater extent than less-indebted governments. Subsequently, the results show that privatisations effectively reduce indebtedness. This meansthat causality between privatisation and public debt should be considered in future studies. In addition, wehave found that such a strategy is used more by right-wing governments, which implies the existence of partisan effects. However, our findings do not support any effect caused by electoral cycles.Utilizando una muestra de 25 países europeos entre 1995 y 2013, este estudio expone una relación bidireccional entre privatizaciones y deuda pública. En primer lugar, nuestros resultados sugieren que los gobiernos con mayores niveles de deuda tienden a privatizar empresas públicas en mayor medida que los gobiernos menos endeudados. Posteriormente, los resultados revelan que las privatizaciones reducen efectivamente el endeudamiento. Esto significa que la causalidad entre privatización y deuda pública debería tenerse en cuenta en futuros estudios. Además, se ha constatado que dicha estrategia es más utilizada por los gobiernos de derechas, lo que implica la existencia de efectos partidistas. Sin embargo, nuestros resultados no apoyan ningún efecto causado por los ciclos electorale

Jesuit Medicine in the Kangxi Court (1662-1722): Imperial Networks and Patronage

This article investigates how “Jesuit medicine” and “Jesuit medical practices” under the Kangxi Emperor’s (r. 1662-1722) patronage of Western Learning functioned within a wider context of multi-ethnic medical practices. Missionaries at the court in general, and those specialized in medicine in particular, became medical interlocutors of European medicine to China and of Chinese medicine to Europe. Practicing medicine in the service of the Kangxi Emperor provided them with an opportunity for personal and even intimate access to the Emperor and his environment. Manchu and Chinese Medical Palace Memorials, the main type of primary sources used for this study, bear witness to the transmission of Jesuit medicine and practice to the Kangxi court. By highlighting the private and confidential nature of these documents and the factional court politics they reflect, it is shown how medicine became one of the fields of Western Learning that was systematically patronized by the Emperor. In addition, this article identifies a number of important actors belonging to a wide network of imperial power and privilege. Power and privilege are especially manifest in cases of the health problems of important officials, officers, and members of the imperial family when the Kangxi Emperor took a personal interest in their illnesses, sometimes even distributing Jesuit medical drugs to them

Nuevos sistemas dador-aceptor ftalocianina-fullereno y ftalocianina-nanotubo: síntesis, caracterización y estudios fotofísicos

Tesis doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Química Orgánica. Fecha de lectura: 29-02-2008Se han sintetizado, caracterizado y estudiado las propiedades fotofísicas de una serie de sistemas ftalocianina-fullereno y ftalocianina-nanotubo que pueden funcionar como sistemas dador-aceptor dentro del campo de la conversión artificial de la energía solar en eléctrica o química

Antoine Thomas, SI como «Paciente» del Emperador Kangxi (R.1662-1722): Un estudio sobre la apropiación de la teriaca en la Corte Imperial

In this article I shall concentrate on Antoine Thomas’ illness and death (July 28, 1709) in Peking. This will serve as a case study to elucidate certain aspects of the role played by Jesuit medicine, i.e. Jesuit physicians and Jesuit drugs, at the court of the Kangxi emperor (r. 1662-1722), the first of the three great rulers of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). As a first step the network of power, as reflected in the so-called medical palace memorials, will be presented in order to arrive at a more comprehensive evaluation of the medical involvement of the Jesuits, as practising physicians, suppliers of foreign drugs and as patients. It will be shown that the circumstances of Thomas’ illness and death must be based on a political and social analysis of the role of court medicine as patronised by the Kangxi emperor. Secondly, the case study of Antoine Thomas will also allow us to reflect on the delocalisation and appropriation of theriac at the Chinese court - one of the foreign drugs in the supply of which Jesuits might have been participated. Last but not least, I shall introduce a number of references in archival documents which throw some additional light on Thomas’ illness and death, and how they were perceived and dealt with in the imperial court.En el presente artículo me centro en la enfermedad y muerte de Antoine Thomas (28 de Julio, 1709) en Beijing. Lo cual servirá como estudio para aclarar ciertos aspectos del papel jugado por la medicina Jesuita, es decir, médicos Jesuitas y medicinas Jesuitas en la corte del emperador Kangxi (r. 1662-1722), el primero de los tres grandes emperadores de la dinastía Qing (1644-1911). Primero se presentará la red de poder, según se ve reflejada en los llamados memoriales de palacio de medicina, para poder llegar a una evaluación más profunda de la involucración médica de los Jesuitas, como médicos practicantes, proveedores de medicamentos extranjeros y como pacientes. Se demostrará que las circunstancias de la enfermedad y muerte de Thomas han de basarse en un análisis político y social del papel de la medicina de corte promovida por el emperador Kangxi. En segundo lugar, el estudio sobre Antoine Thomas también nos permitirá reflexionar sobre la deslocalización y apropiación de la teriaca en la corte china - uno de los medicamentos extranjeros en cuyo suministro posiblemente participaran los Jesuitas. Para terminar, presentaré numerosas referencias en documentos de archivo que arrojarán algo más de luz sobre la enfermedad y muerte de Thomas, y cómo fueron percibidas y tratadas en la corte imperial

Aplicación del ABP en análisis contable

Memoria ID-0002. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2015-2016

Ludificación de las asignaturas de contabilidad en enseñanzas universitarias

Memoria ID-031. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2018-2019

Los entornos colaborativos para la mejora del trabajo en equipo: caso práctico utilizando Sharepoint 2010

Este proyecto fin de carrera tiene como objetivo proporcionar una completa documentación sobre el conjunto de posibilidades que permite un entorno colaborativo como Microsoft SharePoint server 2010. En esta documentación se describen los pasos que deben seguirse para el mejor aprovechamiento de las opciones. También se aporta un ejemplo práctico sobre la utilización de las opciones más representativas de lo que dispone un entorno colaborativo. Puntos más importantes: - Facilitar el aprendizaje a los usuarios del uso de la plataforma Microsoft SharePoint server 2010. - Diseñar, planificar y controlar portales (tanto para la educación como para las empresas). - Verificar el grado de integridad de Microsoft SharePoint server 2010 con la suite ofimática Microsoft Office 2010. - Novedades que aporta la versión 2010 frente a la versión 2007. - Caso práctico en el que se aplica lo detallado en la documentación aportada.Ingeniería Técnica en Informática de Gestió