Assessing the overall perceived quality of the undergraduate students

Purpose - The paper is twofold aimed: (i) defining and validating a scale to assess the quality of the university experienced by students and (ii) analyzing the role of the aforementioned di- mensions and their impact on students’ satisfaction. Methodology/Approach - A survey of 2,557 undergraduate students that finished their degrees in 2013 at universities located in the region of Catalonia has been analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). An exploratory analysis suggests the final dimensions that were confirmed in a confirmatory analysis. The psychometric characteristics of the scale are provided to show reliability and validity of the constructs. An extra model (also using SEM) assesses the impact of these dimensions on overall satisfac- tion. Findings - The quality is a multifactor construct composed by: (i) “syllabus”, which refers to the quality of the learning methods and the coordination efforts through the whole study period; (ii) “skills development”, referring to the skills that students might acquire along their studies and (iii) “services and facilities” of the university. Moreover, the first and third factors act as “enablers” for the second factor one. Nevertheless, only “Syllabus” dimension affects significantly on students’ satisfaction, whereas “services and facilities” do not have a significant role, although they are necessary in order to provide a good service. Research Limitation/implication - Although the sample is large enough to draw robust re- sults, it is limited the Catalonia. The paper provides recommendations for university managers and public administration authorities in order to allocate the available resources. Originality/Value of paper - In an era of global competition, universities are trying to adapt to these new requirements by expanding they academic offer, introducing innovative teaching methods, providing teaching resources to lecturers, and updating the general services of the university among others. All these services will be considered when students evaluate their experience at the university. The paper contributes with an assessment scale for the holistic service provided by the university within the period that the student is in the university. These findings can be applied to help define attractive academic programs and provide useful insights on how the supporting facilities should be designed to allow students take advantage of their learning process at universities.Postprint (published version

Provider Education to Increase Knowledge and Identification of Pressure Injuries in Patients with Dark/Pigmented Skin

Background: Pressure injuries (PIs) represent a significant threat to individual and population health as well as contributing to increased healthcare costs. In patients with dark/pigmented skin, the prevention and early detection of PIs is more difficult, increasing patient risk for adverse outcomes. Provider education for skin assessment in patients with dark or pigmented skin can reduce the incidence of pressure injuries. Purpose: The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) quality improvement project was to educate nurses about proper skin assessment in patients with dark/pigmented skin to determine if knowledge of the topic increases from baseline as a result of education. Methodology: This quality improvement project utilized a quasi-experimental pre-/post-intervention design. Using a sample of nurses working on a medical/surgical floor, baseline knowledge of skin assessment in patients with dark/pigmented skin was evaluated. An educational program delivered via YouTube was provided to all nurses and post-intervention knowledge was assessed. Results: In total N = 15 nurses, with a mean age of 39.6 years (SD 4.87 years) were enrolled in the project. Baseline knowledge scores increased from the pre- (M = 62.4%, SD 3.70) to post-intervention phase (M = 96.3%, SD 2.39). Inferential analysis (a Mann-Whitney U-test) indicated that there was a statistically significant increase in knowledge scores following the educational module U(Nbaseline = 15, Npost-intervention = 15) = 451.22, z = 2.29, p \u3c .002. Conclusions: Nurse education of skin assessments in patients with dark or pigmented skin did increase knowledge of the topic. This is an evidence-based intervention that is aligned with current research, suggesting that the use of education can be effective in practice to help prevent PIs in patients with dark or pigmented skin. Keywords: pressure injury, skin assessment, PI, nurse, education, dark skin, pigmente

Advanced oxidation processes with Uv-H2O2 for nitrification and decolorization of dyehouse wastewater

In this work, a UV/H2O2 system was evaluated using an experimental design 2 level I-optimal response surface design to analyze the effect of temperature, pH, UV lamp power (W), and H2O2 concentration on dye load removal and nitrification from industrial cleaning wastewater. Results showed that the optimum conditions were 80 °C, pH 4, PW-UV 60 W, and H2O2 3.1 Mol*L-1. Removal percentages of 45% for COD, 47.5% color, 87% Fe, 82% Cr and 91% ammonium oxidation to nitrate were achieved. It can be concluded that the effluents treated by this process could be promising for reuse and exploitation in biotechnological tools through microalgae and cyanobacteria

A Novel Prototype Offset Multi Tubular Photoreactor (OMTP) for solar photocatalytic degradation of water contaminants

The design and operation of a new solar photoreactor prototype named Offset Multi Tubular Photoreactor (OMTP) is presented. The OMTP advances over the compound parabolic collector (CPC) photoreactor, which is one of the most efficient design for large-scale solar detoxification of water and wastewater. The OMTP design is based on a simple modification of the common CPC and included a supplementary set of tubes in the space occupied by the axes of intersection of the CPC reflective involutes. This new reactor configuration increased the irradiated reactor volume by 79% and the fluid residence time by up to 1.8-fold in comparison to the CPC, for the same solar irradiated area (footprint). The model parameters used for comparing and scaling the OMPT and CPC were β (reactor volume/total volume), α (area of absorption/total volume), αg (physical area/total volume), degradation efficiency ηα per unit area, and the operating volume. The total solar energy absorbed in the reactors (1.74 m2 footprint) was 15.17 W for the CPC and 21.86 W for the OMTP, which represents an overall gain of 44% for the latter. The performance of the OMTP and CPC were compared at the same value of solar exposure, β of 0.3 with optimal photocatalyst loading of 0.25 g/L titanium dioxide (TiO2 P25). The degradation efficiencies of methylene blue, dichloroacetic acid, 4-chlorophenol (120 ppm initial concentration) in the OMTP were up to 81%, 125%, 118% and 242% higher, respectively, in comparison to the CPC after 8000 J/m2 of accumulated solar energy. The OMTP should outperform the CPC in environmental and renewable energy applications of solar heterogeneous photocatalysis

Dataset on infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction patterns of Mg–Al layered double hydroxides by the electrocoagulation technique

The XRD profiles and FTIR analysis of sludge aggregates, Mg–Al layered double hydroxides, produced during electrocoagulation processes are presented. The data describes the composition of materials (LDH) produced at different operations conditions (atmospheric conditions and Mg2+/Al3+ ratio). The data show the diffraction peaks of (003), (006), (018) and (110) crystal planes for hydrotalcite structure

Synthesis of Mg-Al layered double hydroxides by electrocoagulation

Recently, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have attracted much consideration due to their versatility and easily manipulating properties and their potential applications such as anion exchangers, support of catalysts, flame retardants, biomedical drug delivery. A novel method for the in-situ preparation in situ of LDHs, using electrocoagulation (EC) processes was developed, the EC process was performed under two different conditions, at 5 mA m−2, changing polarity of the electrodes to find out the composition that leads to LDHs generation. The final product was characterized using XRD, BET and FTIR techniques. This method presented the following advantages: (1) Simultaneously LDHs synthesis and wastewater treatment by ion removal; (2) Polarity control allows to manipulate the M2+/M3+ molar ratio, LDHs properties and its potential applications; (3) The method spent less time to carry out the synthesis and; (4) it did not need complicated solid-liquid separation processes

Cyclic behavior of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete beam-column joint

[EN] Ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is a unique class of fiber-reinforced concrete featuring ultra-high compressive strength and ductil e tensile strain hardening behavior, accompanied by multiple narrow cracking. Although many studies have confirmed its superior mechanical and damage tolerance properties under monotonic or blast loading, limited research has been carried out on the cyclic performance of UHPFRC structural members. This paper proposes the use of UHPFRC to improve the cyclic performance of structural elements. An experimental program was carried out on a large number of UHPFRC beam-column joint specimens under a cyclic lateral load. After the cyclic loading test, the following results were obtained: (a) hysterical performance, (b) maximum load, (c) maximum displacement, (d) the maximum energy dissipation (measured by hysteresis cycles), (e) stiffness degradation, (f) the cracking pattern, and (g) the cracking area. The analysis showed that UHPFRC specimens have at least 157% higher energy dissipation than nonfiber conventional reinforced concrete (RC). The initial stiffness of UHPFRC specimens without fibers (NF) was at least 23% higher than the RC specimen. For UHPFRC with fiber, initial stiffness was at least 45% higher than RC specimen.This work was supported by Cementos Argos, Colciencias and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá (Colombia).Sarmiento, PA.; Torres Górriz, B.; Ruiz, DM.; Alvarado Vargas, YA.; Gasch, I.; Machuca, AF. (2019). Cyclic behavior of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete beam-column joint. Structural Concrete. 20(1):348-360. https://doi.org/10.1002/suco.201800025S34836020

Utilización de inmunoreacciones para la detección de Scrapie en Óbex de ovinos provenientes de la XII Región de Chile

Scrapie is an neurodegenerative and infectious disease that affects sheep and goats. The purpose of this study is to compare both tecniques, ELISA and IHC, to determine the application factibility giving the conditions of the laboratory in the country. To develop this assay, fourty obex samples were taken from sheep of the XII Region of Chile and were processed for both techniques ELISA and IHC. The results showed 100% of the samples negative for Scrapie, using both diagnostic methods. Based in obtained and previously reported results, ELISA technique can be recommended to use in massive screening, since yields reliable and rapid test results and IHC is a confirmatory technique. Both techniques are necessary in the creation of current epidemiological surveillance programs in Chile. ELISA and IHC are easily performed given the current laboratories conditions of the Chilean country.    El Scrapie es una enfermedad infecciosa neurodegenerativa que afecta a ovinos y caprinos. Dada la importancia que tiene esta enfermedad es que se desarrolló este estudio enmarcado en la comparación de la técnica de ELISA y la de inmunohistoquímica en el diagnóstico de Scrapie, para determinar la factibilidad de aplicarlas en las condiciones de laboratorio país. Para ello se procesaron 40 muestras de óbex de ovinos en duplicado, provenientes de la XII Región de Chile, las cuales fueron sometidas paralelamente a la técnica de ELISA e IHQ. Como resultados se obtuvo un 100% de muestras negativas a Scrapie, sometidas a ambos métodos diagnósticos. Con los valores informados previamente y los obtenidos en esta investigación, es posible recomendar el ELISA como una técnica utilizable en muestreos masivos, ya que aporta resultados confiables de manera más rápida. La IHQ corresponde a una técnica confirmatoria y que ambas, son necesarias en la creación de programas de vigilancia epidemiológica activa en Chile, siendo factibles de realizar en las actuales condiciones de laboratorio país.  

Production and Sensory Evaluation of Novel Cheeses Made with Prebiotic Substances: Inulin and Oligofructose

In recent years, the processing and consumption of functional foods worldwide have greatly increased. These foods benefit the body functions which improve consumers’ health and also reduce the risk factors that cause the onset of disease. Furthermore, prebiotic substances favor the multiplication of beneficial intestinal bacteria rather than harmful ones. The purpose of this study was to conduct the sensory evaluation of two functional cheeses containing inulin and oligofructose as a distinctive ingredient, including testing a cheese made with conventional ingredients, called control cheese. Affective type tests, which measured the degree of liking or disliking, were conducted using a verbal 7-point hedonic scale. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 57 untrained judges were selected. This study is a quantitative, analytic and experimental-cross design. Statistical analysis of the data was performed by ANOVA with repeated measures. The results show a similar average degree of liking for the three cheeses, above 5 on the scale or “like”. By analyzing the critical level and the result of the Mauchly’s sphericity test, it is concluded that there is no statistically significant difference in the degree of liking for the three cheeses. Therefore, the addition of prebiotics to artisanal cheeses achieves to satisfy consumers and provide them benefits superior to those provided by traditional foods.Fil: Machuca, Laura Marcela. Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata. Secretaria de Politicas del Conocimiento. Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas (sede Goya); ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Yamila E.. Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata. Secretaria de Politicas del Conocimiento. Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas (sede Goya); ArgentinaFil: Guastavino Meneguini, Daniela E.. Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata. Secretaria de Politicas del Conocimiento. Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas (sede Goya); ArgentinaFil: Bruzzo, Maria E.. Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata. Secretaria de Politicas del Conocimiento. Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas (sede Goya); ArgentinaFil: Acuña Ojeda, María F.. Universidad de la Cuenca del Plata. Secretaria de Politicas del Conocimiento. Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas (sede Goya); ArgentinaFil: Murguia, Marcelo Cesar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Santa Fe. Instituto de Desarrollo Tecnológico Para la Industria Química (i); Argentin

A Systematic Literature Review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide groundwork for an emerging theory of supply chain robustness – which has been conceptualized as a dimension of supply chain resilience – through reviewing and synthesizing related yet disconnected studies. The paper develops a formal definition of supply chain robustness to build a framework that captures the dimensions, antecedents and moderators of the construct as discussed in the literature. Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply a systematic literature review approach. In order to reduce researcher bias, they involve a team of academics, librarians and managers. Findings – The paper (1) provides a formal definition of supply chain robustness, (2) builds a theoretical framework of supply chain robustness that augments both causal and descriptive knowledge, (3) shows how findings in this review support practice and (4) reveals methodological insights on the use of journal rankings in reviews. Research limitations/implications – At this stage, managers may benefit from seeing these relationships as clues derived from the literature. The paper is fundamentally a call for researchers to conduct quantitative testing of such relationships to derive more reliable understanding and practical applications. Practical implications – Rather than presenting empirical findings, this paper reveals to managers that visibility, risk management orientation and reduced network complexity have been the main predictive antecedents of supply chain robustness (as discussed in the academic literature). This provides a potentially important signal as to where to invest resources. Originality/value – The study is the first to develop a formal definition of supply chain robustness and to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding the construct