National validation of the Nursing Intensive-Care Satisfaction Scale: research protocol

Aim: Validate the Nursing Intensive-Care Satisfaction Scale in ICUs throughout Spain. Identify the improvement strategies recommended by the patients and professionals. Design: Quantitative psychometric methodology and a cross-sectional descriptive correlational design.Methods: The study population will be all patients discharged from 19 participating ICUs in Spain. Consecutive sampling (n= 564). Once discharged from the ICUs, they will receive the questionnaire and then, after 48 hours it will be given to them again to analyse the temporal stability. To validate the questionnaire, the internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) and temporal stability (test-retest) will be analysed. Results: Improve the quality of nursing care by modifying, changing or strengthening behaviours, skills, attitudes or areas for improvement involved in the proces

ACCIONES PARA ABORDAR RIESGOS EN LOS PROCESOS DE UN SISTEMA DE GESTIÓN INTEGRADO (SGI) (ACTIONS TO ADDRESS RISKS IN THE PROCESSES OF INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (IMS))

ResumenPara prevenir posibles eventos futuros que puedan perjudicar a los sistemas de gestión, las organizaciones han optado por identificar, analizar y tratar sus riesgos. El presente trabajo describe el método cualitativo de análisis de riesgos a través de la técnica de matriz de probabilidad e impacto, la cual se basa en evaluar que tan probable es que ocurra el riesgo y que impacto tendría en los procesos que conforman un Sistema de Gestión Integrado (SGI) en caso de que estos se materialicen, este análisis tiene el objetivo de ayudar a la toma de decisiones, al establecimiento de acciones para prevenir los efectos negativos que generen los riesgos detectados en las actividades productivas y a mitigar los daños en el caso de que estos ocurran. Palabras clave: Impacto, mitigar, probabilidad, Sistema de Gestión Integrado (SGI), riesgos.  AbstractTo prevent possible future events that may affect management systems, organizations have chosen to identify, analyze and treat their risks. This paper describes the qualitative method of risk analysis through the probability and impact matrix technique, which is based on evaluating how likely the risk is to occur and what impact it would have on the processes that make up a Integrated Management System (IMS) in case these materialize, this analysis has the objective of helping to make decisions, to establish actions to prevent the negative effects generated by the risks detected in the productive activities and to mitigate the damages in the case of these happening.Keywords: Impact, Integrated Management System (IMS), mitigate, probability, risk

Assessment of the bacterial community structure in shallow and deep sediments of the Perdido Fold Belt region in the Gulf of Mexico

The Mexican region of the Perdido Fold Belt (PFB), in northwestern Gulf of Mexico (GoM), is a geological province with important oil reservoirs that will be subjected to forthcoming oil exploration and extraction activities. To date, little is known about the native microbial communities of this region, and how these change relative to water depth. In this study we assessed the bacterial community structure of surficial sediments by high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene at 11 sites in the PFB, along a water column depth gradient from 20 to 3,700 m, including five shallow (20–600 m) and six deep (2,800–3,700 m) samples. The results indicated that OTUs richness and diversity were higher for shallow sites (OTUs = 2,888.2 ± 567.88; H′ = 9.6 ± 0.85) than for deep sites (OTUs = 1,884.7 ± 464.2; H′ = 7.74 ± 1.02). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) ordination revealed that shallow microbial communities grouped separately from deep samples. Additionally, the shallow sites plotted further from each other on the NMDS whereas samples from the deeper sites (abyssal plains) plotted much more closely to each other. These differences were related to depth, redox potential, sulfur concentration, and grain size (lime and clay), based on the environmental variables fitted with the axis of the NMDS ordination. In addition, differential abundance analysis identified 147 OTUs with significant fold changes among the zones (107 from shallow and 40 from deep sites), which constituted 10 to 40% of the total relative abundances of the microbial communities. The most abundant OTUs with significant fold changes in shallow samples corresponded to Kordiimonadales, Rhodospirillales, Desulfobacterales (Desulfococcus), Syntrophobacterales and Nitrospirales (GOUTA 19, BD2-6, LCP-6), whilst Chromatiales, Oceanospirillales (Amphritea, Alcanivorax), Methylococcales, Flavobacteriales, Alteromonadales (Shewanella, ZD0117) and Rhodobacterales were the better represented taxa in deep samples. Several of the OTUs detected in both deep and shallow sites have been previously related to hydrocarbons consumption. Thus, this metabolism seems to be well represented in the studied sites, and it could abate future hydrocarbon contamination in this ecosystem. The results presented herein, along with biological and physicochemical data, constitute an available reference for further monitoring of the bacterial communities in this economically important region in the GoM

Diastereoselective preparation of (S)-(1,4,4-trimethylpyrrolidin-3-yl)amine, a new chiral 1,2-diamine for thiourea-type organocatalysts

The enantioselective synthesis of the title compound, its conversion into a thiourea-type organocatalyst and the behavior of this organocatalyst in several enantioselective Michael reactions are described

Análisis de sentiminetos de un corpus de redes sociales.

El análisis de sentimientos de textos en las redes sociales se ha convertido en un área de investigación cada vez más relevante debido a la influencia que las opiniones expresadas tienen en potenciales usuarios. De acuerdo con una clasificación conceptual de sentimientos y basándonos en un corpus de diversos dominios comerciales, hemos trabajado en la confección de reglas que permitan la clasificación de dichos textos según el sentimiento expresado con respecto a una marca, empresa o producto. Con la ayuda de una base de datos de colocaciones (Badele3000) y un gestor de corpus (Calíope) se han creado 200 reglas en español que han puesto de manifiesto algunas consideraciones a tener en cuenta en la siguiente fase del trabajo

Generation of a novel three-dimensional scaffold-based model of the bovine endometrium

Bovine in vitro endometrial models that resemble tissue function in vivo are needed to study infertility, long-term uterine alterations induced by pathogens and impact of endocrine disruptor chemicals on reproductive function and other reproductive system complications that cause high economic losses in livestock species. The present study aimed to generate an innovative, reproducible, and functional 3D scaffold-based model of the bovine endometrium structurally robust for long term-culture. We developed a multicellular model containing both endometrial epithelial and stromal cells. Epithelial cells organized to form a luminal-like epithelial layer on the surface of the scaffold. Stromal cells produced their own extracellular matrix forming a stable subepithelial compartment that physiologically resembles the normal endometrium. Both cell types released prostaglandin E2 and prostaglandin F2α following a treatment with oxytocin and arachidonic acid. Additionally signal pathways mediating oxytocin and arachidonic acid stimulation of prostaglandin synthesis were analyzed by real time PCR (RT-PCR). Oxytocin receptor (OXTR), prostaglandin E2 receptor 2 (EP2), prostaglandin E2 receptor 4 (EP4), prostaglandin F receptor (PTGFR), prostaglandin E synthase (PTGES), PGF-synthase (PGFS) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX-2) expression was detected in both control and treatment groups, however, only significant changes in abundance of OXTR mRNA transcripts were found. The results obtained by this study are a step forward in bovine in vitro culture technology. This 3D scaffold-based model provides a platform to study regulatory mechanisms involved in endometrial physiology and can set the basis for a broader tool for designing and testing novel therapeutic strategies for recurrent uterine pathologies

Remote sensing mediante LIDAR en la UPC

Peer Reviewe

Predicting the onset and persistence of episodes of depression in primary health care. The predictD-Spain study: Methodology

Background: The effects of putative risk factors on the onset and/or persistence of depression remain unclear. We aim to develop comprehensive models to predict the onset and persistence of episodes of depression in primary care. Here we explain the general methodology of the predictD-Spain study and evaluate the reliability of the questionnaires used. Methods: This is a prospective cohort study. A systematic random sample of general practice attendees aged 18 to 75 has been recruited in seven Spanish provinces. Depression is being measured with the CIDI at baseline, and at 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. A set of individual, environmental, genetic, professional and organizational risk factors are to be assessed at each follow-up point. In a separate reliability study, a proportional random sample of 401 participants completed the test-retest (251 researcher-administered and 150 self-administered) between October 2005 and February 2006. We have also checked 118,398 items for data entry from a random sample of 480 patients stratified by province. Results: All items and questionnaires had good test-retest reliability for both methods of administration, except for the use of recreational drugs over the previous six months. Cronbach's alphas were good and their factorial analyses coherent for the three scales evaluated (social support from family and friends, dissatisfaction with paid work, and dissatisfaction with unpaid work). There were 191 (0.16%) data entry errors. Conclusion: The items and questionnaires were reliable and data quality control was excellent. When we eventually obtain our risk index for the onset and persistence of depression, we will be able to determine the individual risk of each patient evaluated in primary health car