Reflexiones de los alumnos de Enfermería sobre el proceso de la muerte

One’s attitude toward and fear of death in the nursing field can determine the quality of care that a dying patient receives, which makes this topic an important one to consider and discuss.It is necessary for one to learn to perceive death as a natural process. Healthcare workers treat dying patients, interpreting the phenomenon of death as well as death itself through their own personal lens and breadth of understanding. Training in thanatology and palliative care is scarcely and irregularly included in regular academic curricula.The objective of this study is to analyze the contributions of 3rd-year nursing students on the subject of palliative care upon writing a reflective journal entry about an article that surrounds a nurse’s view on the process of dying.Phenomenology was used as a methodological instrument which intended to inductively draw up a standardized explanation of the phenomenon of death through the students’ expressed thoughts on the matter.Relating to the attitudes that nurses that work with the terminally ill have towards death, the following facts stand out as impactful: lack of preparation, ineffective coping, and personal fears, values, and beliefs. Additionally, uneasiness associated with the use of life support and the care team’s obstinate insistence on saving what cannot be saved is predominant.The results emphasize a very elevated level of the nurse’s emotional involvement in caring for a dying patient. Specific preparation geared toward a better adaptation in working with terminal patients has been identified as a fundamental pillar for nurses in this line of work. Personal interest and emphasis on occupational excellence also stand out as influential factors.It is very important to analyze the problems regarding this “environment of death” and its impact on nursing students. Qualitative research in this field could be a useful tool in detecting worries and uncertainties surrounding this matter.La actitud y el miedo a la muerte en enfermería pueden condicionar la calidad de cuidados del paciente moribundo, por lo que es importante abordar este tema.Es necesario aprender a percibir la muerte como algo natural. Los sanitarios tratan a los moribundos, interpretan el fenómeno de la muerte y la muerte misma bajo su óptica y entendimiento. La formación en tanatología y los cuidados paliativos se trata de forma escasa o al menos de forma irregular en los planes de estudio.El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar las aportaciones de los alumnos de tercero de enfermería en la asignatura cuidados paliativos a la hora de escribir una reflexión sobre un artículo que trata la visión de una enfermera del proceso de la muerte.Se empleó la fenomenología como instrumento metodológico, con el que se pretendió elaborar inductivamente un marco explicativo del fenómeno estudiado a partir de las expresiones de los estudiantes.En relación a la actitud hacia el trabajo con enfermos terminales y hacia la muerte se pueden resaltar los siguientes datos: escasa preparación, afrontamiento ineficaz, miedos, valores y creencias. Predomina la inquietud relacionada con el encarnizamiento terapéutico y con la actitud obstinada del equipo de salud por salvar lo insalvable.Los resultados ponen de manifiesto un grado muy elevado de implicación emocional de la enfermera en el cuidado del paciente moribundo. Se considera como pilar fundamental una preparación específica para adaptarse mejor al trabajo con los pacientes terminales. Destaca el interés y la preocupación por la excelencia.Es muy importante el analizar los problemas en “entorno de la muerte” en los estudiantes de enfermería. La investigación cualitativa en este campo podría ser una de las herramientas útiles para detectar inquietudes y preocupacione

Hyperspectral image processing for the identification and quantification of lentiviral particles in fluid samples

Optical spectroscopic techniques have been commonly used to detect the presence of biofilm-forming pathogens (bacteria and fungi) in the agro-food industry. Recently, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy revealed that it is also possible to detect the presence of viruses in animal and vegetal tissues. Here we report a platform based on visible and NIR (VNIR) hyperspectral imaging for non-contact, reagent free detection and quantification of laboratory-engineered viral particles in fluid samples (liquid droplets and dry residue) using both partial least square-discriminant analysis and artificial feed-forward neural networks. The detection was successfully achieved in preparations of phosphate buffered solution and artificial saliva, with an equivalent pixel volume of 4 nL and lowest concentration of 800 TU.mu L-1. This method constitutes an innovative approach that could be potentially used at point of care for rapid mass screening of viral infectious diseases and monitoring of the SARS-CoV- 2 pandemic.This research was funded by grants number COV20-00080 and COV20-00173 of the 2020 Emergency Call for Research Projects about the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease of the Institute of Health 'Carlos III', Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and by grant number EQC2019-006240-P of the 2019 Call for Acquisition of Scientific Equipment, FEDER Program, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. This work has been supported by the European Commission through the JRC HUMAINT project. ABR was supported by grant number RTI2018-094465-J funded by the Spanish National Agency of Research. The authors would like to gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the members of the EOD-CBRN Group of the Spanish National Police, whose identities cannot be disclosed, and who are represented here by JMNG. Authors thank continuous support from their institutions

Polarimetric imaging for the detection of synthetic models of SARS-CoV-2: A proof of concept

Objective: To conduct a proof-of-concept study of the detection of two synthetic models of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using polarimetric imaging. Approach: Two SARS-CoV-2 models were prepared as engineered lentiviruses pseudotyped with the G protein of the vesicular stomatitis virus, and with the characteristic Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Samples were prepared in two biofluids (saline solution and artificial saliva), in four concentrations, and deposited as 5-µL droplets on a supporting plate. The angles of maximal degree of linear polarization (DLP) of light diffusely scattered from dry residues were determined using Mueller polarimetry from87 samples at 405 nm and 514 nm. A polarimetric camera was used for imaging several samples under 380–420 nm illumination at angles similar to those of maximal DLP. Per-pixel image analysis included quantification and combination of polarization feature descriptors in 475 samples. Main results: The angles (from sample surface) of maximal DLP were 3° for 405 nm and 6° for 514 nm. Similar viral particles that differed only in the characteristic spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2, their corresponding negative controls, fluids, and the sample holder were discerned at 10-degree and 15-degree configurations. Significance: Polarimetric imaging in the visible spectrum may help improve fast, non-contact detection and identification of viral particles, and/or other microbes such as tuberculosis, in multiple dry fluid samples simultaneously, particularly when combined with other imaging modalities. Further analysis including realistic concentrations of real SARS-CoV-2 viral particles in relevant human fluids is required. Polarimetric imaging under visible light may contribute to a fast, cost-effective screening of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens when combined with other imaging modalities.12 página

Financiamiento de la educación superior en América Latina Funding higher education in Latin America

El trabajo parte de un panorama general de la situación de la educación superior en América Latina, tanto de su crecimiento cuantitativo como de las políticas públicas más relevantes. En la segunda parte es analizada una de esas políticas, la de financiamiento de las universidades públicas. Para ese trabajo fueran utilizados los datos basados en los estudios de lesalc/UNESCO. Por fin, el texto discute un plan de acción para el establecimiento de una agenda de financiamiento en la educación superior.<br>This work is based on an overview of the situation of higher education in Latin America, both of its quantitative growth and its more relevant public policies. The second part examines one of those policies: that of funding public universities. The work used data based on studies by IESALC/UNESCO. Finally, an action plan is discussed for the establishment of an agenda to fund higher education

Agreement in the assessment of metastatic spine disease using scoring systems

Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

Promoción turística sostenible de la reserva de la biosfera Tajo-Tejo Internacional

Convocatoria proyectos de innovación de Extremadura 2020/2021Se describe un proyecto llevado acabo por varios centros educativos ubicados en la zona de la Reserva de la Biosfera Tajo-Tejo Internacional (RBTTI) que pretendía contribuir a la transformación sostenible del entorno mediante su conocimiento y promoción, implementando las competencias digital, social y ciudadana y la cultura emprendedora mediante metodologías activas como el aprendizaje servicio. Entre los objetivos principales del proyecto destacan: dar a conocer las implicaciones de la RBTTI; diseñar una campaña de promoción de la RBTTI mediante trípticos y vídeos promocionales; conocer la Reserva a través de las principales vías pecuarias y caminos que comunican los pueblos; descubrir los principales elementos socioculturales, históricos y tradicionales de la Reserva; valorar la importancia del territorio para conservar la biodiversidad: paisajes, ecosistemas, fauna y flora representativa; relacionar la trashumancia y las vías pecuarias como rasgos identificativos de la Reserva, vinculándolo con la historia y rasgos culturales de los pueblos y valorar el emprendimiento y la iniciativa personal, el asosiacionismo y creación de redes de cooperación en y entre pueblos como motor de desarrolloExtremaduraES

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved