The stellar population and the evolutionary state of HII regions and starburst galaxies

RHII and starbursts are both powered by massive stars. They are the main contributors to the heating of the ISM via radiative and mechanical energy. Techniques to derive the stellar content and the evolutionary state of RHIIs and starbursts from their ultraviolet and optical integrated light are reviewed. A prototypical RHII (NGC 604) and nuclear starburst (NGC 7714) are discussed in more detail. The results reveal the necessity of multiwavelength analyses of these objects to estimate their stellar content and their evolutionary state in a consistent way.Comment: Proceedings of the JENAM Conference (Toulouse, September 1999). To be published in New Astronomy Reviews, Editors Daniel Schaerer and Rosa Gonzalez Delgado. 12 pages, 7 figure

Observed-predicted length of stay for an acute psychiatric department, as an indicator of inpatient care inefficiencies. Retrospective case-series study.

BACKGROUND: Length of stay (LOS) is an important indicator of efficiency for inpatient care but it does not achieve an adequate performance if it is not adjusted for the case mix of the patients hospitalized during the period considered. After two similar studies for Internal Medicine and Surgery respectively, the aims of the present study were to search for Length of Stay (LOS) predictors in an acute psychiatric department and to assess the performance of the difference: observed-predicted length of stay, as an indicator of inpatient care inefficiencies. METHODS: Retrospective case-series of patients discharged during 1999 from the Psychiatric Department from General Hospital "Hermanos Ameijeiras" in Havana, Cuba. The 374 eligible medical records were randomly split into two groups of 187 each. We derived the function for estimating the predicted LOS within the first group. Possible predictors were: age; sex; place of residence; diagnosis, use of electroconvulsive therapy; co morbidities; symptoms at admission, medications, marital status, and response to treatment. LOS was the dependent variable. A thorough exam of the patients' records was the basis to assess the capacity of the function for detecting inefficiency problems, within the second group. RESULTS: The function explained 37% of LOS variation. The strongest influence on LOS came from: age (p = 0.002), response to treatment (p < 0.0001), the dummy for personality disorders (p = 0.01), ECT therapy (p = 0.003), factor for sexual and/or eating symptoms (p = 0.003) and factor for psychotic symptoms (p = 0.025). Mean observed LOS is 2 days higher than predicted for the group of records with inefficient care, whereas for the group with acceptable efficiency, observed mean LOS was 4 days lower than predicted. The area under the ROC curve for detecting inefficiencies was 69% CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the importance of possible predictors of LOS, in an acute care Psychiatric department. The proposed indicator can be readily used to detect inefficiencies

Explanatory model of cyberbullying, cybervictimization, aggressiveness, social anxiety, and adaptation to university: a structural equation analysis

The increase in the number of cases of cyberbullying and cybervictimisation among university students and the scarce amount of research on the subject justify the need to analyse its relationship with psychological and social variables to prevent its appearance and impact. The aim of this study was to establish and contrast the fit of an explanatory model on cyberbullying and cybervictimization based on its relationship with aggressiveness, social anxiety and adaptation to university using a structural equations analysis. A total of 1,368 Spanish university students aged 18–49 (M = 21.34; SD = 4.45) completed a battery of questionnaires with the aim of assessing cyberbullying, aggressiveness, social anxiety, and adaptation to university. An adjusted structural equations model was obtained (x2 = 198.53; df = 39; p < .001; CFI = .96; NFI = .96; IFI = .96; RMSEA = .06). Significant relationships are observed, aggressiveness is negatively related to adaptation to university and positively with cybervictimization. A negative relationship has also been observed between cybervictimization and adaptation to university and a positive relationship with cyberbullying. Indirect effects have not been observed between aggressiveness and cyberbullying and between social anxiety and cybervictimization through adaptation to university. Therefore, social anxiety does not act as a mediator in the relationship with adaptation to university. These results suggest the importance of efforts to promote coping strategies management of aggression and empowerment of student adaptation in the university context to prevent cybervictimization and cyberbullying. Contributions and implications of the results are discussed.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature

Antagonism between lipid-derived reactive carbonyls and phenolic compounds in the Strecker degradation of amino acids

25 Páginas: 1 Tabla; 5 FigurasThe Strecker-type degradation of phenylalanine in the presence of 2-pentanal and phenolic compounds was studied to investigate possible interactions that either promote or inhibit the formation of Strecker aldehydes in food products. Phenylacetaldehyde formation was promoted by 2-pentenal and also by o- and p-diphenols, but not by m-diphenols. This is consequence of the ability of phenolic compounds to be converted into reactive carbonyls and produce the Strecker degradation of the amino acid. When 2-pentenal and phenolic compounds were simultaneously present, an antagonism among them was observed. This antagonism is suggested to be a consequence of the ability of phenolic compounds to either react with both 2-pentenal and phenylacetaldehyde, or compete with other carbonyl compounds for the amino acids, a function that is determined by their structure. All these results suggest that carbonyl–phenol reactions may be used to modulate flavor formation produced in food products by lipid-derived reactive carbonyls.We are indebted to José L. Navarro for technical assistance. This study was supported in part by the European Union (FEDER funds) and the Plan Nacional de I + D of the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (project AGL2012-35627).Peer reviewe