Study of the improvement of Cellulose processing using Ionic liquids

En esta tesis se han estudiado los principales aspectos del procesado de celulosa en medio líquido iónico y se ha determinado que los principales problemas asociados son que la elevada higroscopicidad del proceso, la elevada viscosidad y también la dificultad para recuperar el líquido iónico puro y reciclarlo. Se ha determinado experimentalmente la influencia del contenido de agua en la viscosidad de [Amim][Cl] y [Emim][Ac] a 298.15- 373.15 K y para xH2O < 0.35. Durante la estancia en (QUILL) Belfast se sintetizó un nuevo líquido iónico prótico capaz de procesar celulosa en condiciones suaves. Se estudió el uso del CO2 como co-solvente para reducir la viscosidad y favorecer el procesado de celulosa en [Bmim][Cl]. La presencia de CO2 no mejoró el proceso de hidrólisis y la producción de acetato de celulosa en [Bmim][Cl] utilizando anhídrido acético como reactivo acetilante se ve perjudicada por la presencia de CO2.Departamento de Ingeniería Química y Tecnología del Medio AmbienteDoctorado en Ingeniería Química y Ambienta

Psychometric properties of the flourishing scale in a sample of Spanish emerging adults

Flourishing is a recent conceptualization standing for people’s general well-being. It refers to the perception experienced by anyone whose life is going on well. It is a combination of feeling well and working with efficiency (Huppert & So, 2013; Huppert, 2009a; Huppert, 2009b; Keyes, 2002; Ryff & Singer, 1998). An individual who “flourishes” notices his or her life is going on well, learns things with efficiency and works productively. There is a higher possibility he or she would contribute to his or her community. He or she is healthier, has a longer life expectancy, as well as better social relationships (Diener, 2009; Huppert, 2010). Flourishing is synonymous of having a high level of mental well-being; moreover, it accounts for mental health and positive development. The flourishing scale (FS) (Diener et al., 2010), binds the essential components of recent welfare theories together. It is an adequate measure of general well-being. In fact, its major advantages compared with previously existing measures are its briefness and reasonable comprehension, which makes the scale easier to use solitarily or together with other tools. The FS, which is composed by eight items, has good psychometric properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the FS. Spanish university students whose socio-cultural backgrounds differ are the subjects of the research. They come from Euskadi and Andalusia, two regions within Spain. Method The sample was composed by 1502 university students. This number was achieved through collecting two samples, one from the University of Basque Country (65.2% females, average age = 19.95, SD age = 1.97, age range 18-29, N = 747) and the other, from the University of Seville (55.1% females; average age = 20.69, SD age = 2.21, age range 18-29, N = 755). The participants agreed to voluntarily participate in the test session and fulfill the following questionnaires: Socio-demographic Questionnaire; Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2010), the Spanish version of the Ryff’s Scale of Psychological Well-Being, SPWB (Díaz et al., 2006) and the Spanish version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales: DASS-21 (Bados, Solanas & Andrés, 2005 ). Results The reliability analysis and Multigroup Confirmatory Factorial Analysis (MCFA) revealed that the Flourishing Scale shows strong internal consistency. The one-factor structure was invariant across the two samples, according to the results from the original version of the Flourishing Scale (Diener et al. 2010) and other later validations. Results also demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity with PWBS and DASS scales. Discussion According to the results of the study, FS could be appropriate for its use in assessing general wellbeing among emerging adults in Spain. It may be recognised as an alternative instrument in the evaluation of the positive mental health, as well as a complementary tool to estimate young adults’s general health. FS may as well be recognised as a potential tool for prevention and community involvement in the future

Subinspectores de Empleo y Seguridad Social

This case on the work of the Inspection of Labour and Social Security has been raised as a third examination in the call for access to the Body of Labour Inspectors, Scale of Employment and Social Security, 2017 –Resolution of 3 October 2017 (BOE of 9 October)–. Analyses the issues arising from the approach, incorporating the legal basis for the response.El presente caso práctico reproduce el enunciado del supuesto referido a la actividad de la Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social planteado como tercer ejercicio en la convocatoria de la oposición para el ingreso en el Cuerpo de Subinspectores Laborales, Escala de Empleo y Seguridad Social, correspondiente a 2017 –Resolución de 3 de octubre de 2017 (BOE de 9 de octubre)–. En él se efectúa un análisis de las cuestiones derivadas del planteamiento, incorporando la fundamentación jurídica de la respuesta

Flourishing during emerging adulthood from a gender perspective

Flourishing is when an individual perceives that their life is going smoothly. It encompasses hedonic and eudaimonic aspects of well-being: feeling good and functioning well. The construct’s correlation with indicators of adjustment and positive development makes it an attractive concept for assessing well-being. Emerging adulthood is a transitional period susceptible to numerous changes that can impact on flourishing. Using a gender-based approach in a sample of 1502 Spanish university students aged between 18 and 29 years, we examined the characteristics of emerging adults most associated with their flourishing. The study included perceived family income, variables related to developmental tasks inherent in this stage, variables that define the period, educational variables and social support variables. A clear distinction between male and female flourishing and its correlates was observed. Flourishing in females was significantly higher than in males. The study variables explained 46% of flourishing in male respondents and 16% in female respondents; the predictors of flourishing differed by gender. These gender differences are discussed, and the recommendation is made for future research to include other variables that successfully explain female flourishing and which shed light on the identified gender gap.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España EDU2013-45687-RMinisterio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España RTI2018-097405-B-I0

Flourishing and social relationships during emerging adulthood in Spain

Archivo descargado de web de Inmaculada Sánchez-Queija http://personal.us.es/queija/index.php?page=actas-y-congresosPsychosocial flourishing is a recent conceptualization of social and psychological well being. Flourishing is a combination of feeling good and working effectively. The person who “flourishes” notices that her/his life is going well, works productively, contribute to the community, is healthier, has a longer life expectancy, and has better social relationships. Social relationships, and particularly perceived friends and family support, as well as romantic relationships, play an important role as predictor of positive development in emerging adulthood. In this way, these social relationships contribute to wellbeing and flourishing in this stage of development. Emerging Adulthood is a period of instability and exploration in which young people will probably have more distanced relationships with their parents than in previous years, and couples will burst into important figures for development. For this reason, it´s necessary to study the influence of family, peer and romantic relationships over the young people positive development. The main goal of this paper is to know if social relationships among emerging adults, in particular, the perceived social support from parents and friends and the quality of romantic relationship, have an effect on the psychological flourishing of a sample of Spanish emerging adults. Method The sample was composed by 278 young adults (197 female), aged range 18 to 29 years. They completed a self-administered questionnaire which included flourishing (Flourishing scale; Diener et al., 2010), family and peer support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support; Zimet et al., 1988) and romantic relationship (Experience of Close Relationship; ECRR, short; Wei et al., 2007). Results Results showed that flourishing of young adults is positively related to the perceived social support of family and friends, and negatively related to the anxiety in romantic relationships. Flourishing was related to sex: women reached higher levels of flourishing than men. Nevertheless, the regression equations revealed that, once included family support, anxiety in romantic relationships and friends support, sex ceased being influential. Thus we may conclude that during emerging adulthood flourishing is closely linked to the social network, in particular, to the family, romantic and friends relationships, in that order. Discussion These first results point out the significance of social relationships for flourishing in emerging adulthood. It is especially important the family role. Family influence remains essential for these years, contributing to flourishing more than peer support and romantic relationships. However, more research with larger samples is necessary to explain the factors determining flourishing during the emerging adulthood in diverse cultural contexts.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España EDU2013-45687-

A longitudinal view of flourishing and family relations during emerging adulthood in Spain

Flourishing is when an individual perceives that their life is going smoothly. It encompasses the hedonic and eudaimonic aspects of well-being: feeling good and functioning well (Huppert & So, 2013; Keyes & Annas, 2009). The correlation of the construct with indicators of adjustment and positive development makes it an attractive concept to assess well-being (Huta & Ryan, 2010; Keyes, 2007; Keyes et al., 2012). Emerging adulthood is a developmental stage that has arisen in western countries as a result of social and economic changes in recent decades. It describes a period that begins in late adolescence and lasts well into the third decade of life (Arnett, 2000). Studies focused on this stage, considered crucial in the determination of people's health and well-being pathways (Chen et al., 2019), have found an association between the adjustment of emerging adults and positive family relationships. It seems that family continues to have a major influence on young people's development (Fingerman & Yahirun, 2016) during emerging adulthood as well. Specifically, positive family relationships are associated with high levels of psychological well-being during the third decade of life (Zupančič et al, 2014). The main objective of this study is to examine the association between flourishing and family variables during emerging adulthood from a gender perspective and using longitudinal analysis. Therefore, this work has two specific goals: first, to examine the stability of the flourishing of emerging adults throughout the initial years (Wave 1) and intermediate years (Wave 2) of emerging adulthood, and second, to analyze whether family relationships were associated with the flourishing of emerging adults. A longitudinal study was carried out at two time points: wave 1 (Mean: 20.31; SD: 2.04) and (three years later) wave 2 (Mean: 23.66; SD: 2.08). The sample comprised 400 emerging adults (268 women) from the Transition to Adulthood in Spain research project (TAE) who completed a questionnaire assessing their perceptions of the quality of their family relationships (parental social support, parental involvement, parental warmth, parental autonomy support, and behavioral and psychological control) and their level of flourishing. The results show the stability of the flourishing between W1 and W2. They also show a statistically significant relationship between flourishing and family variables and interesting gender differences. The crucial role that family also has during emerging adulthood is highly reflected in the results

Longitudinal analysis about flourishing and its predictors during emerging adults from a gender perspective

Flourishing is defined as a combination of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. The objective of this work was to analyze with a longitudinal design and from a gender perspective, which variables are related to flourishing in a sample of emerging adults. The sample was comprised of 400 emerging adults (67% women) who were interviewed at two different points in time: when they were 20.3 years old on average (DT=2.04), and three years later, at the average age of 23.7 (DT= 2,08). The variables studied were: perceived family income; resolution of core developmental tasks (having a job and living independently); The Inventory of the Dimensions of Emerging Adulthood; educational variables (academic commitment and perceived University performance) and social support (from friends, family, and partner). Results showed the differences in the variables which predict flourishing in males and females. Flourishing in males in Wave 2 is related to two W1 variables: the perception of emerging adulthood as an experimentation stage and the priority which youngsters give to their studies. For females, flourishing in W2 is related to two W1 variables: the consideration of this stage as a self-focused stage, and family support. These results vouch for the importance of analyzing gender differences throughout emerging adulthood. Results also highlight the role that educational context and social support provide to well-being during emerging adulthood. More research is needed from a gender perspective to explains the variables related to well-being throughout emerging adulthood, to generate evidence-based intervention programs that facilitate the transition into adult life

Anxiety and parenting behaviors during emerging adulthood: a longitudinal analysis

Emerging adulthood is characterized by changes in close relationships, education, and work. Regarding parent-child relationships, research shows the importance of positive family relationships during emerging adulthood and the role they play in preventing emerging adults’ psychological distress. However, there is a lack of studies focuses on family context using longitudinal analysis. This study examined the stability in emerging adults’ perceptions of parenting behaviors and whether these relationships were associated with emerging adults’ anxiety. A longitudinal study was carried out in Spain: wave 1 (Mean: 20.31; SD: 2.04), wave 2 (Mean: 23.66; SD: 2.08). A total of 400 emerging adults from the Transition to Adulthood in Spain research project completed a survey assessing their perceptions of the quality of their family relationships (parental social support, parental involvement, parental warmth, parental autonomy support and behavioral and psychological control) and their level of anxiety. Results showed that family social support, parental warmth, psychological and behavioral control decrease meanwhile parental involvement and parental autonomy support don’t change over time. Both psychological and behavioral control in W1 were positively associated with emerging adults’ anxiety in W2. The relationship between the rest of parenting behaviors in W1 and emerging adults' anxiety in W2 was negative. These findings suggest the need of developing intervention programs that help parents to adapt their parental behaviors to their children’s needs during this stage. Moreover, this work suggests that longitudinal studies on family functioning are needed to gain a more complete understanding of the impact of the quality of family relationships on emerging adults’ distress

Influence of water concentration in the viscosities and densities of cellulose dissolving ionic liquids. Correlation of viscosity data

Producción CientíficaThe densities and viscosities of aqueous mixtures of two cellulose dissolving ionic liquids: 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate ionic liquids have been experimentally determined for water concentration up to approx. 35% water at atmospheric pressure and temperature range from (298.15 to 373.15) K. Molar excess volumes were calculated, resulting in negative values. Literature viscosity correlations were modified in order to describe the viscosity as a function of temperature and water concentration for both water concentrations lower than xH2O = 0.4 and for all the water concentration range. These modified equations were applied to correlate viscosity of (water + ionic liquid) viscosity data for other 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids as well as for (ethanol + 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate) from literature obtaining a good reproducibility of the data.Junta de Castilla y León VA295U14MINECO proyecto CTQ 2011 – 14825 – E (Program Explora)MINECO contrato FPI BES-2011-046496MINECO programa Ramon y Cajal RYC-2013-1397

Maternal genetic inheritance of red pericarp in the grain of maize

The diversity of colors in the grain of corn is wide, from whites to blacks and including a continuum of various shades of yellows, pinks, reds, purples and blues. The most abundant commercial colors are yellow and white, however other colors have become more important because of the presence of pigments to which are attributed favorable effects as a food. The pigments are also considered natural barriers of the grain against the invasion of pests and diseases in the production fields. The colors of the grain of corn occur in three different parts of the seed: the cover of the grain or pericarp, derived from the maternal tissue, with a diploid genetic content; the endo-sperm, including the aleurone layers that are cells in the grain immediately below the pericarp with a chromosome content of 3n; and the embryo, with a genetic content of 2n. The red color considered in this study is present in the pericarp ignoring possible effects in other tissues of grain and other organs of the plant. In this study, we used materials with colorless or red pericarp, and white or yellow endosperm; with the purpose of describing the type of inheritance of this character in the grain of corn. The results indicated a maternal genetic inheritance with classical complete dominance of the red color of pericarp over the clear or transparent phenotype, where the red color of the grains on ear is determined by the genotype of the mother grain but not by the seed embryo genotypes, which is characterized by uniformity of grain color of the ear. This type of inheritance could be useful in the development of pigmented varieties of higher food quality for humans