Combatiendo el prejuicio en personas mayores desde la formación.

The present study analyzes the effectiveness of a procedure of automatic reduction of prejudice, based on the assumption of the perspective of the members of stereotyped groups. Specifically, the evaluation of this cognitive strategy in the elderly population is addressed, and potentially modulating variables between the intervention and its effects on prejudice are considered: personality, values, empathy and attribution. Data were collected from a sample of 58 participants with a mean age of 63 years, in which an intervention based on mental imagery aimed at reducing prejudice was implemented. The results show a moderate effectiveness of the strategy and find interaction with several modulating variables, notably particularly kindness, along with attributional activity and values of benevolence, universalism, self direction and conformity, which modulated the effectiveness of perspective taking. The discussion, in addition to contrasting parallels and divergences with the results of other experiments, suggests some applications in the training of elder people, demonstrating that cognitive self-regulation is considered as a relevant competence in the advanced stages of life, decisive for achieving a satisfactory and inclusive active ageing.El presente estudio analiza la efectividad de un procedimiento de reducción automática del prejuicio, basado en la asunción de la perspectiva de los miembros de grupos estereotipados.Específicamente, se aborda la evaluación de esta estrategia cognitiva en población mayor, y se contemplan variables potencialmente moduladoras entre la intervención y sus efectos sobre el prejuicio: personalidad, valores, empatía y atribución. Se recogieron datos en una muestra de 58 participantes con edad media de 63 años, en la que se implementó una intervención basada en imaginería mental dirigida a la reducción del prejuicio. Los resultados muestran una moderada efectividad de la estrategia y hallan interacción con diversas variables moduladoras. Particularmente fue la amabilidad, junto con la actividad atribucional y los valores de benevolencia, universalismo, autodirección y conformidad, los que intervinieron modulando la eficacia de la toma de perspectiva. La discusión, además de contrastar paralelismos y divergencias con los resultados de otros experimentos, sugiere algunas aplicaciones en la formación de personas mayores, demostrando que la autorregulación cognitiva se plantea como una competencia relevante en los estadios avanzados de la vida, decisiva para lograr un envejecimiento activo, satisfactorio e inclusivo

Evolution of the use of corticosteroids for the treatment of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in Spain between March and November 2020: SEMI-COVID national registry

Objectives: Since the results of the RECOVERY trial, WHO recommendations about the use of corticosteroids (CTs) in COVID-19 have changed. The aim of the study is to analyse the evolutive use of CTs in Spain during the pandemic to assess the potential influence of new recommendations. Material and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, and observational study was conducted on adults hospitalised due to COVID-19 in Spain who were included in the SEMI-COVID- 19 Registry from March to November 2020. Results: CTs were used in 6053 (36.21%) of the included patients. The patients were older (mean (SD)) (69.6 (14.6) vs. 66.0 (16.8) years; p < 0.001), with hypertension (57.0% vs. 47.7%; p < 0.001), obesity (26.4% vs. 19.3%; p < 0.0001), and multimorbidity prevalence (20.6% vs. 16.1%; p < 0.001). These patients had higher values (mean (95% CI)) of C-reactive protein (CRP) (86 (32.7-160) vs. 49.3 (16-109) mg/dL; p < 0.001), ferritin (791 (393-1534) vs. 470 (236- 996) µg/dL; p < 0.001), D dimer (750 (430-1400) vs. 617 (345-1180) µg/dL; p < 0.001), and lower Sp02/Fi02 (266 (91.1) vs. 301 (101); p < 0.001). Since June 2020, there was an increment in the use of CTs (March vs. September; p < 0.001). Overall, 20% did not receive steroids, and 40% received less than 200 mg accumulated prednisone equivalent dose (APED). Severe patients are treated with higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%. Conclusions: Patients with greater comorbidity, severity, and inflammatory markers were those treated with CTs. In severe patients, there is a trend towards the use of higher doses. The mortality benefit was observed in patients with oxygen saturation </=90%

Structural behavior of Ni-Mn-(In, Sn) Heusler melt spun ribbons

In present contribution we discuss the structural properties of the austenite and martensite phases that form in as-spun ribbons of some selected compositions of the ternary system Ni50Mn50-x(In,Sn)x, their characteristic crystallographic texture and the effect of vacuum annealing. X-Ray diffraction analysis showed that in all the cases austenite crystallized in an ordered cubic L21-type structure. For thermally annealed samples diffraction lines becomes narrower in comparison with those of as-quenched samples, cell parameters tend reduce and crystallographic texture is preserved and improved. Furthermore, the structure and the martensitic temperature transformation can significantly differ from that of bulk alloys. Thus, materials with different structure, magnetoelastic behavior and transformation temperatures can be produced by melt spinning controlling starting composition and quenching conditions. In textured ribbons, the columnar, almost 1-dimensional, shape of the grains makes structural changes more difficult than in bulk materials (3-dimensional shape), thus explaining the differences observed in their structure and temperature magnitudes involved

Expanded use of a fast photography technique to characterize laser-induced plasma plumes

Expanded use of fast photography is proposed to characterize laser ablation plasma plumes by the analysis of a set of photographs by means of appropriate mathematical algorithms. The laser ablation plasma plumes studied were generated by ablation of both a multicomponent target of the nominal composition Ni50Mn37Sn13 and a highly pure Cu target (Cu) using a Q-switched Nd-YAG laser system:The experiments were conducted under different background argon pressures. Several photograph parameters such as intensity per unit time of exposure for a pixel, mean intensity per pixel per unit time of exposure, integrated intensity and cross correlation were studied. The intensity per unit time of exposure allowed for identification of the fast component of the triple structure of the expanding plasma into the background gas (that travels at a speed close to the one measured in vacuum). This parameter together with the use of cross correlation enabled the identification of regions of the expanded plasma plume with higher and lower similarities in their optical emission behavior. The mean intensity per pixel per unit time of exposure can be used as a measurement of the amount of light emitted by the plume as a function of time

The Effect of Step-Like Martensitic Transformation on the Magnetic Entropy Change of Ni\u3csub\u3e40.6\u3c/sub\u3eCo\u3csub\u3e8.5\u3c/sub\u3eMn\u3csub\u3e40.9\u3c/sub\u3eSn\u3csub\u3e10\u3c/sub\u3e Unidirectional Crystal Growth with the Bridgman-Stockbarger Technique

We report a step-like martensitic transformation and its effect on magnetocaloric properties in Ni40.6Co8.5Mn40.9Sn10 unidirectional crystal grown using the Bridgman-Stockbarger technique followed by vacuum annealing at 1173 K for 72 h. This alloy undergoes successive first-order phase transitions which are attributed to the monotonic compositional variation along the crystal growth direction; the latter results in the increase of the full-width at half-maximum of the magnetic entropy change as a function of temperature (δTFWHM). For a magnetic field change of 2 and 5 T, the maximum magnetic entropy change are 9.7 and 16.0 J kg-1 K-1 with an extended δTFWHM of 11 and 23 K, respectively. The average hysteresis loss for a field change of 2 T is 19 J kg-1 reducing the refrigerant capacity by 17%

On the correct estimation of the magnetic entropy change across the magneto-structural transition from the Maxwell relation: Study of MnCoGeBx alloy ribbons

An accurate calculation of the different magnetocaloric-related magnitudes derived from the temperature dependence of the magnetic entropy change in materials exhibiting first-order magnetocaloric effect is imperative to correctly estimate the true potential of a specific material for refrigeration purposes. In this contribution, we present a meticulous study of two different thermal procedures to measure the set of isothermal magnetization curves from which the total field induced magnetic entropy change, ΔST, is calculated using the adequate Maxwell relation. If the accurate determination of ΔST for any temperature is pursued the thermal and magnetic history of the materials must be taken into account, and then, the unidirectional measurement of reversible isothermal magnetization curves after a thermal cycle is required. The analysis was conducted on MnCoGeB0.01 alloy ribbons that show a giant ΔST at the coupled magneto-structural transition, from a ferromagnetic (TiNiSi-type) phase to a paramagnetic (NiIn2-type) one, owing to the concomitant abrupt magnetization change. We suggest that the conclusions reached can be applicable to any other system displaying magnetocaloric effect originated at a first-order phase transition