Mejora de la calidad de las medidas de ozono mediante un fotómetro UV de referencia

The Directive 92/72/CE makes reference to the analysis method described in the UNE 77-221:2000 and to the fact that the ozone analyzers shall be calibrated with a UV reference photometer or with a transfer standard.From the need of developing a procedure that assure the quality and the trazability of the measurements in Spain, the Atmospheric Pollution Area has decided to implant a NIST UV reference photometer as ozone national standard.Taking into account the procedures used by EPA and NIST, a verification procedure has been developed consistent in the realization of 6 comparisons of the Transfer Standard versus NIST UV reference photometer in different days; at least 5 different ozone concentrations are analyzed. Each comparison begins and ends always with a concentration of 0 ppb of O3, and from each comparison its regression linear is obtained.Once the 6 comparisons are done, the calibration relationship is obtained and the uncertainty associated with the transfer standard is calculated.Until now, the verifications of 17 transfer standards have been done: 11 of them were UV photometers, 2 were ozone generators and 4 were ozone generators of dilution banks.From the results is concluded that generally the uncertainties of the ozone generators are greater than those of the UV photometers, so being recommended this one like transfer standard.To emphasize that with the utilization of the tranfer standards for the calibration of ozone analyzers, the quality and the trazability of the generated data are guaranteed.La Directiva 92/72/CE hace referencia al método de análisis descrito en la UNE 77-221:2000 y a que los analizadores de ozono se deben calibrar con un fotómetro UV de referencia o con un patrón transferido.De la necesidad de desarrollar un procedimiento que asegure la calidad y la trazabilidad de las mediciones en España, el Área de Contaminación Atmosférica ha decidido implantar un fotómetro UV de referencia NIST como patrón de ozono.Teniendo en cuenta los procedimientos empleados por EPA y NIST, se ha desarrollado un procedimiento de verificación consistente en la realización de 6 comparaciones del Patrón Transferido frente al Fotómetro UV de Referencia NIST, en días diferentes, analizándose, como mínimo, 5 concentraciones de ozono diferentes. Cada comparación se inicia y se finaliza siempre con una concentración de 0 ppb de O3. De cada comparación se obtiene una regresión lineal.Una vez realizadas las 6 comparaciones se obtiene la Recta de calibración y se calcula la incertidumbre asociada al patrón transferido.Se ha realizado la verificación de 17 patrones transferidos de los que 11 son fotómetros UV, 2 son generadores de ozono y 4 son generadores de ozono de bancos de dilución.De los resultados se concluye que las incertidumbres de los generadores de ozono, en general, son mayores que las de los fotómetros UV, recomendándose estos últimos como patrones transferidos.Destacar que mediante la utilización de los patrones transferidos para la calibración de analizadores de ozono se garantiza tanto la calidad como la trazabilidad de los datos generados

Skin picking treatment with the Rothbaum cognitive behavioral therapy protocol : a randomized clinical trial

Introduction: Although behavioral therapies can effectively treat skin picking disorder (SPD), there is no standardized treatment for improving SPD and its comorbidities and there is no group intervention option. This trial aimed to adapt the Rothbaum trichotillomania protocol to SPD (Study 1) and test its efficacy for treating SPD and comorbidities in individual and group formats (Study 2). Methods: The adapted protocol was applied to 16 SPD patients, who were allocated to group or individual treatment (Study 1). Afterwards, 54 patients were randomly allocated to treatment in an individual (n=27) or group format (n=27) (Study 2). In both studies, assessments of SPD severity, anxiety, depression, clinical status and skin lesion severity were performed at baseline and the endpoint. Results: The adapted protocol was feasible in both treatment modalities (Study 1) and led to high SPD remission rates (individual 63%; group 52%), with no significant difference between intervention types (p = 0.4) (Study 2). SPD, anxiety, and depression symptoms and objective patient lesion measures improved after treatment. There was large effect size for SPD symptom improvement in both treatment types (Cohen’s d: group = 0.88; individual = 1.15) (Study 2). Conclusion: The adapted Rothbaum protocol was effective for SPD remission, comorbidities, and skin lesions, both in individual and group formats

On the Lebesgue measure of Li-Yorke pairs for interval maps

We investigate the prevalence of Li-Yorke pairs for $C^2$ and $C^3$ multimodal maps $f$ with non-flat critical points. We show that every measurable scrambled set has zero Lebesgue measure and that all strongly wandering sets have zero Lebesgue measure, as does the set of pairs of asymptotic (but not asymptotically periodic) points. If $f$ is topologically mixing and has no Cantor attractor, then typical (w.r.t. two-dimensional Lebesgue measure) pairs are Li-Yorke; if additionally $f$ admits an absolutely continuous invariant probability measure (acip), then typical pairs have a dense orbit for $f \times f$. These results make use of so-called nice neighborhoods of the critical set of general multimodal maps, and hence uniformly expanding Markov induced maps, the existence of either is proved in this paper as well. For the setting where $f$ has a Cantor attractor, we present a trichotomy explaining when the set of Li-Yorke pairs and distal pairs have positive two-dimensional Lebesgue measure.Comment: 41 pages, 3 figure

Diffusion of e-health innovations in 'post-conflict' settings: a qualitative study on the personal experiences of health workers.

BACKGROUND: Technological innovations have the potential to strengthen human resources for health and improve access and quality of care in challenging 'post-conflict' contexts. However, analyses on the adoption of technology for health (that is, 'e-health') and whether and how e-health can strengthen a health workforce in these settings have been limited so far. This study explores the personal experiences of health workers using e-health innovations in selected post-conflict situations. METHODS: This study had a cross-sectional qualitative design. Telephone interviews were conducted with 12 health workers, from a variety of cadres and stages in their careers, from four post-conflict settings (Liberia, West Bank and Gaza, Sierra Leone and Somaliland) in 2012. Everett Roger's diffusion of innovation-decision model (that is, knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, contemplation) guided the thematic analysis. RESULTS: All health workers interviewed held positive perceptions of e-health, related to their beliefs that e-health can help them to access information and communicate with other health workers. However, understanding of the scope of e-health was generally limited, and often based on innovations that health workers have been introduced through by their international partners. Health workers reported a range of engagement with e-health innovations, mostly for communication (for example, email) and educational purposes (for example, online learning platforms). Poor, unreliable and unaffordable Internet was a commonly mentioned barrier to e-health use. Scaling-up existing e-health partnerships and innovations were suggested starting points to increase e-health innovation dissemination. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study showed ICT based e-health innovations can relieve information and communication needs of health workers in post-conflict settings. However, more efforts and investments, preferably driven by healthcare workers within the post-conflict context, are needed to make e-health more widespread and sustainable. Increased awareness is necessary among health professionals, even among current e-health users, and physical and financial access barriers need to be addressed. Future e-health initiatives are likely to increase their impact if based on perceived health information needs of intended users

Design of a Customized Neck Orthosis for FDM Manufacturing with a New Sustainable Bio-composite

The interest in developing customized external orthopaedic devices, thanks to the advent of Additive Manufacturing (AM), has grown in recent years. Greater attention was focused on upper limb casts, while applications to other body’s parts, such as the neck, were less investigated. In this paper the computer aided design (CAD) modelling, assessment and 3D printing with fused deposition modelling (FDM) of a customized neck orthosis are reported. The modelling, based on anatomic data of a volunteer subject, was aimed to obtain a lightweight, ventilated, hygienic and comfortable orthosis compared to the produced medical devices generally used for neck injuries. CAD models with different geometrical patterns, introduced for lightening and improving breathability, were considered, specifically, a honeycomb pattern and an elliptical holes pattern. These models were structurally assessed by means of finite elements analysis (FEA). Furthermore, an innovative composite material was considered for 3D printing. The material, Hemp Bio-Plastic® (HBP), composed by polylactic acid (PLA) and hemp shives, offers different advantages including lightweight, improved superficial finish and antibacterial properties. The results obtained in terms of design methodology and manufacturing by 3D printing of a prototype have shown the feasibility to develop customized cervical orthoses, with potentially improved performance with respect to cervical collars available on the market also thanks to the use of the innovative composite material