Diseño y desarrollo de un gadget de e-health basado en bluetooth low energy y compatible con dispositivos móviles inteligentes Android

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo diseñar un sistema que permita monitorizar el ritmo cardíaco, utilizando un circuito diseñado especialmente para acondicionar dicha señal, y apoyándose en un SoC (System on Chip) para hacer la lectura de la señal, la recopilación de datos y el envío de los datos al Smartphone, y una aplicación de Android para monitorizarlos. Por tanto, se plantean los siguientes objetivos para realizar el sistema propuesto: • Estudiar y elegir entre los diferentes métodos utilizados para la medición del pulso cardíaco, seleccionar el sensor y componentes necesarios para la utilización del método. • Seleccionar una placa de desarrollo para implementar el protocolo Bluetooth Low Energy a través de un sistema de tipo SoC. • Diseñar la electrónica de acondicionamiento necesaria para incorporar el sensor al sistema. • Estudiar el diseño de aplicaciones con protocolo BLE en sistemas SoC. • Estudiar la arquitectura de Android para implementar una aplicación sobre un dispositivo móvil inteligente. • Realizar las pruebas de funcionamiento necesarias para validar la arquitectura propuesta.Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería IndustrialUniversidad Politécnica de Cartagen

(S)TEM structural and compositional nanoanalyses of chemically synthesized glutathione-shelled nanoparticles

This work is focused on the characterization by transmission and scanning–transmission electron microscopy-related techniques of core–shell nanoparticles synthesized via chemical methods. Diferent semiconducting, pure metallic or oxide materials have been utilized as the core (cadmium telluride, gold, magnetite, or magnetite covered with gold) of the nanoparticle, while they have been, in all cases, functionalized by a thin amorphous glutathione layer, with the goal of using the nanoparticles in biomedical applications such as biomarkers, and computerized tomography and image magnetic resonance contrast agents. The results show that it is possible to visualize the glutathione layer using spectroscopic and imaging techniques, associated with electron microscopy (such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images), that this layer is present at the surfaces of all observed nanoparticles, and that it is no thicker than a few nanometers. Electron microscopy also revealed that the nanoparticles core is crystalline and, in average, around 5-nm size.Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness MAT2015-67354-R (Program “Plan I+D+i”, subprogram “Retos”)Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture Grants ICARO-173873Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture Grants FPU16-0438

Dispositivo y método para la medición de ácido ascórbico y antocianos en zumos

Número de publicación: 2 728 448 Número de solicitud: 201930555Dispositivo y método para la medición de ácido ascórbico y antocianos en zumos. Un dispositivo y un método para la medición de ácidoascórbico y antocianos en zumos que comprende un sensor (1) amperométrico que comprende un primer electrodo de trabajo (3) y un segundo electrodo de trabajo (4); unos medios electrónicos de captura y procesado de datos (6, 7, 8, 9); una interfaz gráfica de gestión y/o configuración (10); y donde el primer electrodo de trabajo (3) no está tratado con ascorbatooxidasa y un segundo electrodo de trabajo (4) que está tratado con ascorbato oxidasa; y donde los medios electrónicos (6, 7, 8, 9) están configurados para estimular el sensor (1) según un rango de tensiones predefinido en función del tipo de zumo seleccionado por un usuario en la interfaz gráfica de gestión y/o configuración (10), y obtener simultáneamente la lectura de corriente debida a la oxidación del zumo estudiado.Universidad Politécnica de Cartagen

Modelo gerencial para el fortalecimiento de la "Granja Avicola el Progreso" del municipio de Silvania

Diseñar un Modelo Gerencial para el fortalecimiento de la “Granja Avícola El Progreso” ubicada en el municipio de Silvania (Cundinamarca), con el fin de contribuir a mejorar la capacidad competitiva y la productividad de ésta.El trabajo denominado Modelo Gerencial para el fortalecimiento de la “Granja Avícola el Progreso” del municipio de Silvania, se centró en la necesidad de mejorar su competitividad y productividad, ya que presenta falencias en el contexto organizacional, que conllevaba pérdidas de tiempo y de recursos. Se planteó como objetivo diseñar un Modelo Gerencial para el fortalecimiento de la “Granja Avícola l Progreso” ubicada en el municipio de Silvania (Departamento de Cundinamarca), con el fin de contribuir al mejoramiento de su capacidad competitiva y su productividad .Para su desarrollo metodológico, se determinó un enfoque cualitativo con un tipo de investigación no experimental, transversal descriptiva; y los instrumentos para la recolección fueron la entrevista y las matrices Perfil de la Capacidad Interna (PCI), y, Perfil de Oportunidades y Amenazas (POAM), que se aplicaron a los trece (13) empleados de la granja, distribuidos en tres áreas: Administrativa, Técnica y Operativa. Como resultado se planteó un modelo gerencial que abarcólos elementos: legales, recursos humanos, capacitación, plataforma estratégica, plan de producción, plan de compras y plan de comunicaciones, y se llegó a la conclusión de que los diferentes aspectos evaluados afectan la existencia y posibilidades de éxito de la Granja Avícola “el Progreso”, desestimando el propósito misional de proveer huevo a la comunidad de Silvania de excelente calidad y a buen que beneficie la economía familiar, y adicionalmente, contribuir a la industrialización del sector; producto de la baja capacidad técnica con que cuenta y el desaprovechamiento de las oportunidades que le brinda el entorno.The work called the Gerencial Model for the strengthening of the "Poultry Farm Progreso" of the municipality of Silvania, focused on the need to improve the competitiveness and productivity of the farm, as it presents shortcomings in the organizational context leading to loss of time and Resources. S; The objective was to design a Management Model for the strengthening of the "Poultry Farm" Progreso, located in the municipality of Silvania (Cundinamarca department), in order to contribute to improving its competitiveness and productivity, For this purpose, a qualitative approach with a type of Non-Experimental, Transversal Descriptive research, whose instruments for the collection were the interview and the PCI matrix, Internal Capacity Profile (PCI), and Opportunities and Threats Profile (POAM) Were applied to the thirteen (13) employees of the farm, distributed in three areas: Administrative, Technical and Operative. As result, a managerial model was proposed that covered the following elements: legal, human resources, training, strategic platform, production plan, procurement plan and communications plan, and it was concluded that the different aspects evaluated affect the existence And the possibility of success of the "Progreso" Poultry Farm, rejecting the missionary purpose of providing eggs to the community of Silvania of excellent quality and good that benefits the family economy, and additionally contribute to the industrialization of the sector; Product of the low technical capacity that counts and the waste of the opportunities offered by the environmen

External validation of a prognostic model based on total tumor load of sentinel lymph node for early breast cancer patients

Background: A prognostic model based on the results of molecular analysis of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) is needed to replace the information that staging the entire axilla provided. The aim of the study is to conduct an external validation of a previously developed model for the prediction of 5-year DFS in a group of breast cancer patients that had undergone SLN biopsy assessed by the One Step Nucleic Acid Amplification (OSNA) method. Methods: We collected retrospective data of 889 patients with breast cancer, who had not received systemic treatment before surgery, and who underwent SLN biopsy and evaluation of all SLN by OSNA. The discrimination ability of the model was assessed by the area under the ROC curve (AUC ROC), and its calibration by comparing 5-years DFS Kaplan–Meier estimates in quartile groups of model predicted probabilities (MPP). Results: The AUC ROC ranged from 0.78 (at 2 years) to 0.73 (at 5 years) in the training set, and from 0.78 to 0.71, respectively, in the validation set. The MPP allowed to distinguish four groups of patients with heterogeneous DFS (log-rank test p < 0.0001). In the highest risk group, the HR were 6.04 [95% CI 2.70, 13.48] in the training set and 4.79 [2.310, 9.93] in the validation set. Conclusions: The model for the prediction of 5-year DFS was successfully validated using the most stringent form of validation, in centers different from those involved in the development of the model. The external validation of the model confirms its utility for the prediction of 5-year DFS and the usefulness of the TTL value as a prognostic variable.This study was supported by Sysmex España S.L

Estímulo del trabajo autónomo en el aprendizaje práctico de la Histología: una experiencia transversal en Ciencias de la salud

El estudio microscópico de tejidos y órganos constituye un aspecto muy importante del aprendizaje de la histología, pero no siempre se dispone de suficientes colecciones de muestras, sobre todo humanas, para que el alumnado pueda disponer de ellas de forma presencial durante las prácticas. Por ello, el portal virtual digital slidebox (DSB) permite al profesorado generar una colección de preparaciones histológicas virtuales, de manera que los estudiantes tienen acceso "online" a estas muestras y pueden visualizarlas a la misma escala que ofrece la observación directa del microscopio óptico, e incluso mayor. Para la realización de cada práctica en sus horas presenciales el alumno dispone previamente de un guión con los objetivos que debe cumplir al realizar la observación de cada preparación histológica. Al final de cada práctica presencial los objetivos son explicados por el alumno, y evaluados por el profesor, realizando una puesta en común. Una vez realizada la práctica, y en horario no presencial, el alumnado tiene la posibilidad de completar este trabajo usando el portal virtual DSB. Con las imágenes digitales captadas el alumno realiza su portafolio de prácticas incorporando dichas imágenes y rotulándolas. Al final del curso se realiza un examen práctico global y la evaluación final del portafolio

Estrategias docentes para la adaptación de la docencia en Ciencias Jurídicas al entorno on line y semipresencial

The health situation caused by COVID-19 has forced Spanish universities to adopt tools and measures aimed at adapting e-learning education. The teaching of legal subjects was initially at a disadvantage, as it usually made use of traditional methodologies. To solve this problem, a group of lecturers from the UA and the UMH have designed and implemented a series of strategies and methodologies in order to adapt teaching to the virtual environment in a satisfactory manner. The present work gathers and exposes the experiences deployed during the academic year 2020/2021 in certain subjects in the legal field. The analysis of these experiences shows that the current catalogue of technological tools and methodologies makes it possible to achieve the aforementioned objective of adapting to the virtual environment. However, there are a series of factors beyond the control of the teaching staff and which require the commitment of the rest of the members of the university community.La situación sanitaria provocada por la COVID-19 ha forzado a las universidades españolas a adoptar herramientas y medidas orientadas a una adaptación de la enseñanza e-learning. La docencia en materias jurídicas partía de una situación inicial de desventaja al hacer uso habitualmente de metodologías de carácter tradicional. Para solventar este problema, un grupo de profesoras y profesores de la UA y la UMH ha diseñado e implementado una serie de estrategias y metodologías docentes con el fin de adaptar la enseñanza al entorno virtual de manera satisfactoria. El presente trabajo recoge y expone las experiencias docentes desplegadas durante el curso académico 2020/2021 en determinadas asignaturas del ámbito jurídico. Del análisis de estas experiencias se deriva que el catálogo actual de herramientas tecnológicas y metodologías docentes permite alcanzar el citado objetivo de adaptación al entorno virtual. No obstante, existen una serie de factores que escapan al control del profesorado y que requieren el compromiso del resto de miembros de la comunidad universitaria

Superficial Characteristics and Functionalization Effectiveness of Non-Toxic Glutathione-Capped Magnetic, Fluorescent, Metallic and Hybrid Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

An optimal design of nanoparticles suitable for biomedical applications requires proper functionalization, a key step in the synthesis of such nanoparticles, not only for subsequent crosslinking to biological targets and to avoid cytotoxicity, but also to endow these materials with colloidal stability. In this sense, a reliable characterization of the effectiveness of the functionalization process would, therefore, be crucial for subsequent bioconjugations. In this work, we have analyzed glutathione as a means to functionalize four of the most widely used nanoparticles in biomedicine, one of which is a hybrid gold-magnetic-iron-oxide nanoparticle synthetized by a simple and novel method that we propose in this article. We have analyzed the colloidal characteristics that the glutathione capping provides to the different nanoparticles and, using information on the Z-potential, we have deduced the chemical group used by glutathione to link to the nanoparticle core. We have used electron microscopy for further structural and chemical characterization of the nanoparticles. Finally, we have evaluated nanoparticle cytotoxicity, studying cell viability after incubation with different concentrations of nanoparticles, showing their suitability for biomedical applications

Early detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection cases or outbreaks at nursing homes by targeted wastewater tracking

Objectives Near-source tracking of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the sewage drains serving particular buildings may allow rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection cases or local outbreaks. In this pilot study, we investigated whether this was the case for nursing homes (NH). Methods The study involved five NH (from A to E) affiliated to the Clínico-Malvarrosa Health Department, Valencia (Spain). These were nursing or mixed nursing/care homes of different sizes, altogether providing care for 472 residents attended by a staff of 309. Near-source sewage samples were screened for presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by RT-qPCR at least 5 days per week during the study period. SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing in nasopharyngeal swabs from residents and staff was performed with the TaqPath COVID-19 Combo Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Massachusetts, USA). Results SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in wastewater samples from four of the five NH. SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were documented in three of these four NH. Of the two NH without SARS-CoV-2 infection cases, no SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in sewer samples from one facility, while it was repeatedly detected in samples from the other. Presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sewage preceded identification of isolated cases among residents or staff or outbreak declaration in two NH, with lag times ranging from 5 to 19 days. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that intermittent or persistent detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in NH sewers can provide an early warning of subsequent individual cases or outbreaks in these facilities.N

High content and dispersion of Gd in bimodal porous silica: T2 contrast agents under ultra-high magnetic fields

Silica-based UVM-7-type bimodal mesoporous materials with high gadolinium content (∞ ≥ Si/Gd ≥ 13) have been synthesized through a one-pot surfactant-assisted procedure from hydroalcoholic solution using a cationic surfactant as template, and starting from atrane complexes of Gd and Si as inorganic precursors. The novel synthetic pathway developed in the study preserves the UVM-7-type architecture while optimizing the dispersion of the Gd-guest species at the nanoscale and even at atomic level. It has been determined that the number of Gd atoms forming clusters is always less than 10. The behaviour under exposure to ultra-high magnetic fields reveals a significant increase in the transversal relaxivity value when compared with related materials in the bibliography. Their activity as T2 instead of T1 contrast agents is discussed and explained considering the high Gd-dispersion and concentration, nature of the materials as well as due to the high magnetic fields used, typical of MRM studies. The absence of toxicity has been confirmed in preliminary cell cultures “in vitro” and the degradation of the solids studied under biological conditions. Results suggest that the atrane route could be a suitable synthesis approach for the preparation of Gd containing contrast agents