Amanita muscaria, un bolet de conte de fades

Amanita muscaria, un bolet de conte de fades. L'Amanita muscaria (reig bord o matamosques) és un dels bolets més populars i coneguts de tots, gràcies al seu vistós barret de color vermell amb taques blanques, i la seva presència en nombrosos contes de fades i follets. En molts casos s'ha considerat com el prototip de bolet verinós, tot i que no sol produir intoxicacions mortals. El consum d'aquest bolet, conegut ja des de l'antiguitat en diferents cultures i regions, com a enteogen o fong sagrat, en certs rituals, ha anat sempre acompanyat de mites i llegendes. En l'actualitat, el seu consum queda relegat a l'ús com a element decoratiu, com a principi en nombrosos remeis homeopàtics, o com a droga d'abús psicoestimulant. Aquest article revisa els coneixements actuals sobre la biologia, química i toxicologia relatives a aquesta espècie, juntament amb les característiques que la diferencien de la resta d'amanites, d'efectes ben diversos. També recopila algunes de les llegendes i mites que l'envolten, i alguns dels seus usos popularsAmanita muscaria, a fairytale mushroom. Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) is one of the most popular mushrooms, due to its colorful red cap with white spots, and its presence in many fairy tales. In many cases it has been considered as the prototype of poisonous mushroom, although it usually doesn’t cause fatal poisoning. The use of this mushroom, well-known ever since the ancient times in different cultures and regions, as entheogen or sacred fungus, in some rituals, has always been surrounded by myths and legends. Currently, their consumption is relegated to use as a decorative element, as an active ingredient in many homeopathic remedies, or as a psychostimulant abuse drug. In this article, we will review current knowledge on the biology, chemistry and toxicology related to this species, along with the distinctive characteristics of the different species of Amanita, which cause such varied effects. We also will compile some of the legends and myths that surround it and some of their popular uses

Amanita muscaria, un bolet de conte de fades

Amanita muscaria, un bolet de conte de fades. L'Amanita muscaria (reig bord o matamosques) és un dels bolets més populars i coneguts de tots, gràcies al seu vistós barret de color vermell amb taques blanques, i la seva presència en nombrosos contes de fades i follets. En molts casos s'ha considerat com el prototip de bolet verinós, tot i que no sol produir intoxicacions mortals. El consum d'aquest bolet, conegut ja des de l'antiguitat en diferents cultures i regions, com a enteogen o fong sagrat, en certs rituals, ha anat sempre acompanyat de mites i llegendes. En l'actualitat, el seu consum queda relegat a l'ús com a element decoratiu, com a principi en nombrosos remeis homeopàtics, o com a droga d'abús psicoestimulant. Aquest article revisa els coneixements actuals sobre la biologia, química i toxicologia relatives a aquesta espècie, juntament amb les característiques que la diferencien de la resta d'amanites, d'efectes ben diversos. També recopila algunes de les llegendes i mites que l'envolten, i alguns dels seus usos popularsAmanita muscaria, a fairytale mushroom. Amanita muscaria (fly agaric) is one of the most popular mushrooms, due to its colorful red cap with white spots, and its presence in many fairy tales. In many cases it has been considered as the prototype of poisonous mushroom, although it usually doesnt cause fatal poisoning. The use of this mushroom, well-known ever since the ancient times in different cultures and regions, as entheogen or sacred fungus, in some rituals, has always been surrounded by myths and legends. Currently, their consumption is relegated to use as a decorative element, as an active ingredient in many homeopathic remedies, or as a psychostimulant abuse drug. In this article, we will review current knowledge on the biology, chemistry and toxicology related to this species, along with the distinctive characteristics of the different species of Amanita, which cause such varied effects. We also will compile some of the legends and myths that surround it and some of their popular uses

A balanced scorecard for assessing a strategic plan in a clinical laboratory

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a tool for strategic management that is used in many companies and organizations worldwide, both in the public and private sector. With this purpose it has also been used in healthcare organizations and institutions but there are not many studies on the implementation of BSC methodology in the day-to-day clinical laboratory. This review shows the strategy for the development of a BSC, which includes theoretical perspective objectives, as well as some indicators and goals with which the monitoring and quantitative measurement of the achievements of a strategic plan in a clinical laboratory can be done. Moreover, the results of the indicators allow the prioritization of the initiatives to be implemented each year. The methodology for the development of the proposed BSC includes the following steps: definition of theoretical objectives of each of the perspectives most used in the management of a clinical laboratory (customers, financial, internal processes and learning) taking into account the vision and the organizational model of the laboratory; creation of a strategic map of perspective objectives; definition of the relevant indicators to follow up on the objectives in a quantitative manner and establishment of the goals. Whether or not the laboratory is a reference laboratory, in which specific and infrequent analysis and health population programs are performed, is another fact to take into account. In this review a BSC for a reference clinical laboratory of the Spanish public sector is shown

ESTUDIO DE LA INFLUENCIA DE LA POLARIZACIÓN ANÓDICA Y CATÓDICA SOBRE EL COMPORTAMIENTO ELECTROQUÍMICO DE NÍQUEL, CROMO Y ACEROS INOXIDABLES EN LiBr

Las máquinas de absorción de bromuro de litio trabajan en condiciones de elevadas concentraciones de LiBr y temperatura que favorecen la corrosión de los materiales que constituyen dichas máquinas y la evolución de hidrógeno como consecuencia de la reacción catódica asociada a la corrosión, con la consiguiente pérdida de eficiencia. Los objetivos fundamentales de la presente Tesis Doctoral que tiene por título "Estudio de la influencia de la polarización anódica y catódica sobre el comportamiento electroquímico de níquel, cromo y aceros inoxidables en LiBr" son estudiar el comportamiento frente a la corrosión, de níquel, cromo, un acero inoxidable austenítico (con base níquel) y un acero inoxidable dúplex en una disolución concentrada de LiBr de 992 g/l en un rango de temperaturas de 25 a 75 ºC y estudiar la reacción de evolución del hidrógeno (REH) sobre cada uno de los materiales en dichas condiciones. Por otra parte se estudia la influencia que la reacción de generación de hidrógeno tiene sobre el comportamiento electroquímico de los materiales en LiBr. Todo ello se ha llevado a cabo mediante el uso de técnicas electroquímicas, como son las medidas de potencial a circuito abierto, las curvas de polarización o la espectroscopía de impedancia electroquímica entre otras. Este estudio permitirá establecer criterios de selección de materiales que posean buenas propiedades para su empleo en las máquinas de absorción. Para completar los resultados obtenidos mediante las técnicas electroquímicas, se ha llevado a cabo el análisis morfológico de la superficie de los materiales estudiados a través de la adquisición de imágenes en tiempo real de los mismos de forma simultánea al registro de la señal electroquímica. Este análisis permite visualizar los cambios que tienen lugar sobre la superficie del electrodo ensayado como consecuencia de la corrosión. En base a los resultados obtenidos se puede concluir que todos los materiales estudiados poseen buen comportamiento frente aGuiñón Pina, V. (2011). ESTUDIO DE LA INFLUENCIA DE LA POLARIZACIÓN ANÓDICA Y CATÓDICA SOBRE EL COMPORTAMIENTO ELECTROQUÍMICO DE NÍQUEL, CROMO Y ACEROS INOXIDABLES EN LiBr [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/14015Palanci

Efecto del protocolo de refrigeración y de congelación sobre la calidad del semen criocongelado de machos cabríos

La crioconservación del semen caprino desempeña un papel crucial en los programas de cría y conservación animal. Sin embargo, durante el proceso de congelación y descongelación, la calidad del semen puede ser afectada debido a la sensibilidad de los espermatozoides a las bajas temperaturas y a los cambios en la estructura celular. En este estudio, evaluamos los efectos de diferentes protocolos de enfriamiento y congelación sobre la calidad del semen caprino congelado-descongelado algunos que usan infraestructuras más sofisticadas y otros más sencillas. En concreto, se trataba de determinar el protocolo óptimo de enfriamiento y congelación del semen caprino que permitiera obtener la máxima calidad del semen descongelado. Las muestras de semen se sometieron a enfriamiento a 4 °C a velocidad constante en un baño de agua programable o a velocidad variable en un vaso de precipitados y se congelaron utilizando un congelador programable o un método que utilizó una caja de porexpán con pajuelas suspendidas 3 cm sobre nitrógeno líquido. Posteriormente, el semen congelado se descongeló y se evaluó su calidad mediante el análisis de semen asistido por ordenador (CASA) y la integridad de la membrana mediante citometría. Los resultados del análisis estadístico no mostraron diferencias significativas entre los tratamientos. Esto indica que, en este estudio en particular, los diferentes protocolos de enfriamiento y congelación no tuvieron un impacto significativo en la calidad del semen descongelado por lo que puede usarse cualquiera de ellos en función de la disponibilidad de medios y equipamiento en cada laboratorio. Con los diferentes protocolos estudiados, se obtiene una calidad in vitro similar del semen, lo que permite su uso en la creación de bancos de recursos genéticos para conservar la diversidad genética en las poblaciones caprinas. Sin embargo, se requieren investigaciones adicionales para determinar si la fertilidad in vivo también es similar entre los distintos protocolos.The cryopreservation of goat semen plays a crucial role in animal breeding and conservation programs. However, during the freezing and thawing process, the quality of the semen can be affected due to the sensitivity of spermatozoa to low temperatures and changes in cellular structure. In this study, we evaluated the effects of different cooling and freezing protocols on the quality of frozen-thawed goat semen, some using more sophisticated infrastructures and others using simpler methods. Specifically, the aim was to determine the optimal protocol for cooling and freezing goat semen that would result in the highest quality of thawed semen. The semen samples were subjected to cooling at a constant speed in a programmable water bath at 4°C or at a variable speed in a beaker, and then frozen using a programmable freezer or a method involving a Styrofoam box with straws suspended 3 cm above liquid nitrogen. Subsequently, the frozen semen was thawed, and its quality was evaluated using computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) and membrane integrity assessment by cytometry. The results of the statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the treatments. This indicates that, in this particular study, the different cooling and freezing protocols did not have a significant impact on the quality of the thawed semen, and thus any of them can be used depending on the availability of resources and equipment in each laboratory. With the different protocols studied, similar in vitro semen quality is obtained, enabling its use in the creation of genetic resource banks to conserve genetic diversity in goat populations. However, further research is needed to determine if in vivo fertility is also similar among the different protocols.Biotecnologí

El teorema de Stone-Weierstrass y su aplicación a las redes neuronales

Treball Final de Grau en Matemàtica Computacional. Codi: MT1030. Curs: 2019/2020En este documento se detalla tanto la estancia en pr´acticas en la empresa de Francesc Alted como el desarrollo te´orico del teorema de Stone-Weierstrass y su aplicaci´on a las redes neuronales para aproximar funciones continuas. En la primera parte del escrito se describe la estancia en pr´acticas. Mi labor en la empresa fue desarrollar una nueva versi´on de la librer´ıa Caterva, cuya funci´on es preprocesar los datos antes de que sean tratados por el compresor Blosc, particion´andolos para que la extracci´on de una parte de los datos comprimidos sea m´as r´apida. La nueva funcionalidad que a˜nad´ı a esta librer´ıa fue la de crear subparticiones que agilizaran a´un m´as la descompresi´on. En la segunda parte, correspondiente al desarrollo te´orico del TFG, se da una demostraci´on del teorema de Stone-Weierstrass que utiliza propiedades matem´aticas elementales. Adem´as, se usa el teorema para comprobar que algunas redes neuronales aproximan a las funciones continuas

Influence of pH on the electrochemical behaviour of a duplex stainless steel in highly concentrated LiBr solutions

[EN] The objective is to study the influence of pH on the corrosion and passive behaviour of duplex stainless steels (DSS) using potentiodynamic measurements, potentiostatic tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). DSS are spontaneously passive in heavy brine LiBr solutions. Under potentiostatic conditions at applied anodic potentials within the passive domain an equivalent circuit with two time constants is the most suitable model to describe the corrosion mechanism in the interface electrolyte/passive film/metal. pH modifies the electrochemical properties of the passivity of the alloy in a 992. g/L LiBr solution reducing its resistance with the applied potentialWe wish to express our gratitude to MCYT (CTQ2009-07518), to Feder and to Dr. M. Asunción Jaime for her translation assistanceGuiñón Pina, V.; Igual Muñoz, AN.; García Antón, J. (2011). Influence of pH on the electrochemical behaviour of a duplex stainless steel in highly concentrated LiBr solutions. Corrosion Science. 53(2):575-581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2010.09.066S57558153

Pourbaix diagrams for titanium in concentrated aqueous lithium bromide solutions at 25 ºC

Pourbaix diagrams (electrode potential-pH diagrams) for Ti–Br−–H2O system at 25 °C in the absence and presence of titanium hydrides were developed in 400, 700, 850, and 992 g/L LiBr solutions. The diagrams were compared with the simple Ti–H2O system at 25 °C. Comparison of the simple Ti–H2O system with the diagrams of the Ti–Br−–H2O system at 25 °C showed that the titanium solubility range in the acid, neutral, and weak alkaline areas of the diagrams extended slightly to both higher pH values and potentials with increasing bromide ion activity and decreasing water activity.The authors acknowledge the MICINN (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Convention No. CTQ2009-07518) and FEDER (Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional) for the support of this work, Dr. M. Asuncion Jaime for her translation assistance, and Antonio Juncos for his assistance in plotting the diagrams.Muñoz Portero, MJ.; García Antón, J.; Guiñón Segura, JL.; Leiva García, R. (2011). Pourbaix diagrams for titanium in concentrated aqueous lithium bromide solutions at 25 ºC. Corrosion Science. 53(4):1440-1450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2011.01.013S1440145053

Analytical performance assessment and improvement by means of the Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA)

Introduction: Laboratories minimize risks through quality control but analytical errors still occur. Risk management can improve the quality of processes and increase patient safety. This study aims to use the failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) to assess the analytical performance and measure the effectiveness of the risk mitigation actions implemented. Materials and methods: The measurands to be included in the study were selected based on the measurement errors obtained by participating in an External Quality Assessment (EQA) Scheme. These EQA results were used to perform an FMEA of the year 2017, providing a risk priority number that was converted into a Sigma value (σFMEA). A root-cause analysis was done when σFMEA was lower than 3. Once the causes were determined, corrective measures were implemented. An FMEA of 2018 was carried out to verify the effectiveness of the actions taken. Results: The FMEA of 2017 showed that alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and sodium (Na) presented a σFMEA of less than 3. The FMEA of 2018 revealed that none of the measurands presented a σFMEA below 3 and that σFMEA for ALP and Na had increased. Conclusions: Failure mode and effect analysis is a useful tool to assess the analytical performance, solve problems and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken. Moreover, the proposed methodology allows to standardize the scoring of the scales, as well as the evaluation and prioritization of risks

Impact of collaborative nursing care on the recovery process of mental health day hospital users: a mixed-methods study protocol

Introduction: Very few collaborative nursing care interventions have been studied and shown to be effective in the context of the paradigm shift towards recovery in mental health nursing. Understanding the changes produced in the recovery process of people with mental health problems can contribute to the design and implementation of new methodologies to offer effective and person-centred care. Methods and analysis: This is a mixed-methods study, which is structured in three phases. In phase one (baseline) and phase three (follow-up), quantitative data will be collected from patients at a mental health day hospitals based on a two-armed, parallel-design, non-randomised trial. In phase two, two groups will be established: an intervention group in which the intervention based on collaborative nursing care will be carried out through the codesign and implementation of activities through Participatory Action Research, and a control group in which the usual care dynamics will be continued. All the users of three mental health day hospitals who agree to participate in the study will be studied consecutively until the necessary sample size is reached. The outcomes used to evaluate the impact of the intervention will be the stage of the recovery process, the quality of the therapeutic relationship and the patient's level of positive mental health. Ethics and dissemination: This study has been approved by the institutional review board of the reference hospital, FIDMAG Hermanas Hospitalarias (PR-2020-10) in July 2020. All participants will be able to voluntarily withdraw from the study at any time. For this reason, users will be given a sheet with all the precise information about the study to be carried out and written consent will be requested. Preliminary and final results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international congresses