On metric-invariant relativistic transformations under anisotropy in the context of special relativity

In a context of special relativity under anisotropy, Burde recently presented in this journal a new group of coordinate transformations obtained using Lie group techniques from the principles of relativity and correspondence, which show conformal metric invariance. As a consequence, this author argued that conformal invariance is a necessary condition of any anisotropic transformation satisfying those principles, and rejected the adequacy of any transformation obtained from the Lorentz transformation by a coordinate change, e.g. resynchronization such as the [Formula: see text]-Lorentz transformation. This paper argues against these assertions, and presents, as a counterexample, a relativistic generalization of the Tangherlini transformation obtained by the same Lie group method, that satisfies the previous requirements and enjoys the metric invariance property.Xunta de Galicia | Ref. GRC-ED431C 2018/4

Design and psychometric analysis of the COVID-19 prevention, recognition and home-management self-efficacy scale

In order to control the spread of COVID-19, people must adopt preventive behaviours that can affect their day-to-day life. People’s self-efficacy to adopt preventive behaviours to avoid COVID-19 contagion and spread should be studied. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically test the COVID-19 prevention, detection, and home-management self-efficacy scale (COVID-19-SES). We conducted an observational cross-sectional study. Six-hundred and seventy-eight people participated in the study. Data were collected between March and May 2020. The COVID-19-SES’ validity (content, criterion, and construct), reliability (internal consistency and test-retest reliability), and legibility were studied. The COVID-19-SES’ reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.906; intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.754). The COVID-19-SES showed good content validity (scale’s content validity index = 0.92) and good criterion validity when the participants’ results on the COVID-19-SES were compared to their general self-efficacy (r = 0.38; p 0.001). Construct validity analysis revealed that the COVID-19-SES’ three-factor structure explained 52.12% of the variance found and it was congruent with the World Health Organisation’s recommendations to prevent COVID-19 contagion and spread. Legibility analysis showed that the COVID-19-SES is easy to read and understand by laypeople. The COVID-19-SES is a psychometrically robust instrument that allows for a valid and reliable assessment of people’s self-efficacy in preventing, detecting symptoms, and home-managing COVID-19

Scattering of 9Li on 208Pb at energies around the coulomb barrier

5th International Conference FUSION11In order to study the dynamics of 11Li and 9Li beams in a strong electric field at energies around the Coulomb barrier, we measured at the ISACII-TRIUMF Facility the angular distribution of elastic and inelastic scattering of 11Li+208Pb at 24.2 and 29.7 MeV and 9Li+208Pb at 24, 29.5 and 33 MeV laboratory energies. We present here the first determination of the angular distribution of the cross section of 9Li+208Pb. The results are compared with theoretical calculations using the double-folding São Paulo Potential (SPP) for the real part and a for the imaginary part a Woods-Saxon potential. A good overall agreement is obtainedConsejo Interinstitucional de Ciencia y Tecnología FPA2009-07387Consejo Interinstitucional de Ciencia y Tecnología FPA2009-08848Consejo Interinstitucional de Ciencia y Tecnología FPA2010-22131-C02-01Consejo Interinstitucional de Ciencia y Tecnología FPA2009-0765

Play in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Psychometric Properties of a Parent Report Measure ‘My Child’s Play’

Play is essential in childhood, allowing for a positive trend in development and learning. Health professionals need useful tools to assess it, especially in the case of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The aim of this study was to validate and cross-culturally adapt the My Child’s Play questionnaire and to find out if this instrument allows us to differentiate the play of children with neurodevelopmental disorders from the play of children with neurotypical development. A total of 594 parents completed the questionnaire. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, which showed a similar structure to the English version: (1) executive functions; (2) environmental context; (3) play characteristics; and (4) play preferences and interpersonal interactions. The reliability of the analysis was high, both for the whole questionnaire and for the factors it comprises. The results provide evidence of the potential usefulness of the My Child’s Play questionnaire for determining play needs and difficulties of children; moreover, this tool can also be used to plan intervention programs according to the needs of each child and family

Design and psychometric evaluation of the 'Clinical Communication Self-Efficacy Toolkit'

Nursing students experience difficulties when communicating in clinical practice. Their self-efficacy in clinical communication should be explored as part of their competence assessment before they are exposed to real human interactions in the clinical setting. The aim of this study was to design and psychometrically evaluate a toolkit to comprehensively assess nursing students’ self-efficacy in clinical communication. The study followed an observational cross-sectional design. A sample of 365 nursing students participated in the study. The ‘Clinical Communication Self-Efficacy Toolkit’ (CC-SET) was comprised of three tools: the ‘Patient-Centered Communication Self-efficacy Scale’ (PCC-SES), the ‘Patient clinical Information Exchange and interprofessional communication Self-Efficacy Scale’ (PIE-SES), and the ‘Intrapersonal communication and Self-Reflection Self-Efficacy Scale’ (ISR-SES). The tools’ reliability, validity (content, criterion, and construct) and usability were rigorously tested. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the three tools comprising the CC-SET was very high and demonstrated their excellent reliability (PCC-SES = 0.93; PIE-SES = 0.87; ISR-SES = 0.86). The three tools evidenced to have excellent content validity (scales’ content validity index > 0.95) and very good criterion validity. Construct validity analysis demonstrated that the PCC-SES, PIE-SES, and ISR-SES have a clear and theoretically-congruent structure. The CC-SET is a comprehensive toolkit that allows the assessment of nursing students’ self-efficacy in interpersonal, interprofessional, and intrapersonal communication

Vaca Muerta: modelos de financiamiento para su explotación

Vaca Muerta es un recurso de gran relevancia que posee Argentina. Poder explotarlo y aprovecharlo le permitiría al país lograr abastecimiento energético y crecimiento a largo plazo. Para eso, se debe conseguir el financiamiento que se requiere para la explotación de un recurso natural de tal magnitud, y actualmente no está siendo posible obtener ese capital. Dadas las condiciones actuales, se buscó el modelo de financiamiento más apropiado para la explotación de la Cuenca, considerando al Project Finance como una posible solución. La metodología consiste en una investigación cualitativa, análisis documental de la bibliografía relacionada al tema y entrevistas semiestructuradas a expertos en la materia. Se utiliza el Atlas TI para el análisis de datos recolectados sobre estas últimas. Luego de un profundo análisis se llega a la conclusión de que Vaca Muerta debería ser financiada bajo el modelo de financiamiento conocido como Project Finance, por ello se considera fundamental considerar la cuenca como una política de Estado previamente acordada con los distintos sectores políticos. En cuanto a las limitaciones, la ausencia de bibliografía específica, de conocimiento general y la falta de utilización en Latino América de esta metodología, dificultan el proceso de investigación y su posterior aplicación dadas las condiciones actuales del país. El valor de esta investigación se encuentra en exponer al Project Finance como un modelo de financiamiento alternativo, siendo utilizado en el mundo para este tipo de proyectos debido a su gran efectividad.Fil: Fernández de Maussion, Mariano. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina.Fil: Idiart, Santiago Matías. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina.Fil: Ibañez Walter, José Ignacio. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina.Fil: Sanchez Ginipro, María Candelaria. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas; Argentina

Simultaneous analysis of the elastic scattering and breakup channel for the reaction 11 Li + 208 Pb at energies near the Coulomb barrier

We present a detailed analysis of the elastic scattering and breakup channel for the reaction of Li11 on Pb208 at incident laboratory energies of 24.3 and 29.8 MeV, measured at the radioactive ion beam facility of TRIUMF, in Vancouver, Canada. A large yield of Li9 fragments was detected by four charged particle telescopes in a wide angular range. The experimental angular and energy distributions of these Li9 fragments have been compared to coupled-reaction-channel and continuum-discretized coupled-channel calculations. The large production of Li9 fragments at small angles can be explained by considering a direct breakup mechanism, while at medium-large angles a competition between direct breakup and neutron transfer to the continuum of the Pb208 target was observed.Proyecto Nacional (España) PA2009-08848 PA2009-07387 PA2010-22131-C02-01 FPA2009-07653 FPA2012-32443Programa Consolider-Ingenio 2010 (España) CSD2007-0004

Psychometric evaluation and cultural adaptation of the Spanish version of the “Scale for End-of Life Caregiving Appraisal”

Objective: To translate, culturally adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Spanish version of the ‘Scale for End-of Life Caregiving Appraisal’ (SEOLCAS). Methods: Observational cross-sectional study. Convenience sample of 201 informal end-of-life caregivers recruited in a southern Spanish hospital. The reliability of the questionnaire was assessed through its internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) and temporal stability (Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) between test-retest). The content validity index of the items (I-CVI) and the scale (S-CVI/Ave) was calculated. Its criterion validity was explored through performing a linear regression analysis to evaluate the SEOLCAS’ predictive validity. Exploratory factor analysis was used to examine its construct validity. Results: The SEOLCAS’s reliability was very high (Cronbach’s α=0.92). Its content validity was excellent (all items’ content validity index=0.8–1; scale’s validity index=0.88). Evidence of the SEOLCAS’ criterion validity showed that the participants’ scores on the SEOLCAS explained approximately 79.3% of the between-subject variation of their results on the Zarit Burden Interview. Exploratory factor analysis provided evidence of the SEOLCAS’ construct validity. This analysis revealed that two factors (‘internal contingencies’ and ‘external contingencies’) explained 53.77% of the total variance found and reflected the stoic Hispanic attitude towards adversity. Significance of the results: The Spanish version of the ‘Scale for End-of Life Caregiving Appraisal’ has shown to be an easily-applicable, valid, reliable and culturally-appropriate tool to measure the impact of end-of-life care provision on Hispanic informal caregivers. This tool offers healthcare professionals the opportunity to easily explore Hispanic informal end-of-life caregivers’ experiences and discover the type of support they may need (instrumental or emotional) even when there are communicational and organisational constraints

Splicing Factor SLU7 Prevents Oxidative Stress-Mediated Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4α Degradation, Preserving Hepatic Differentiation and Protecting From Liver Damage

Background and Aims: Hepatocellular dedifferentiation is emerging as an important determinant in liver disease progression. Preservation of mature hepatocyte identity relies on a set of key genes, predominantly the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) but also splicing factors like SLU7. How these factors interact and become dysregulated and the impact of their impairment in driving liver disease are not fully understood. Approach and Results: Expression of SLU7 and that of the adult and oncofetal isoforms of HNF4α, driven by its promoter 1 (P1) and P2, respectively, was studied in diseased human and mouse livers. Hepatic function and damage response were analyzed in wild-type and Slu7-haploinsufficient/heterozygous (Slu7) mice undergoing chronic (CCl) and acute (acetaminophen) injury. SLU7 expression was restored in CCl-injured mice using SLU7-expressing adeno-associated viruses (AAV-SLU7). The hepatocellular SLU7 interactome was characterized by mass spectrometry. Reduced SLU7 expression in human and mouse diseased livers correlated with a switch in HNF4α P1 to P2 usage. This response was reproduced in Slu7 mice, which displayed increased sensitivity to chronic and acute liver injury, enhanced oxidative stress, and marked impairment of hepatic functions. AAV-SLU7 infection prevented liver injury and hepatocellular dedifferentiation. Mechanistically we demonstrate a unique role for SLU7 in the preservation of HNF4α1 protein stability through its capacity to protect the liver against oxidative stress. SLU7 is herein identified as a key component of the stress granule proteome, an essential part of the cell’s antioxidant machinery. Conclusions: Our results place SLU7 at the highest level of hepatocellular identity control, identifying SLU7 as a link between stress-protective mechanisms and liver differentiation. These findings emphasize the importance of the preservation of hepatic functions in the protection from liver injury.Supported by MINECO/AEI/FEDER (UE SAF2016-75972-R, PID2019-104265RB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and PID2019-104878RB-100/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), CIBERehd, Fundación La Caixa (HEPACARE), an AECC postdoctoral fellowship (POSTD18014AREC, to M.A.), a Ministerio de Educación FPU fellowship (FPU18/01461, to M.G.R.), a Ministerio de Educación FPI fellowship (BES-2017-079883, to M.R.); a Ramón y Cajal Program contract (RYC2018-024475-1, to M.G.F.B.), the Fundación Eugenio Rodríguez Pascual, the Fundación Mario Losantos, the Fundación M. Torres, and a generous donation from Mr. Eduardo Avila

Splicing factor SLU7 prevents oxidative stress-mediated hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α degradation, preserving hepatic differentiation and protecting from liver damage

Background and Aims: Hepatocellular dedifferentiation is emerging as an important determinant in liver disease progression. Preservation of mature hepatocyte identity relies on a set of key genes, predominantly the transcription factor hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) but also splicing factors like SLU7. How these factors interact and become dysregulated and the impact of their impairment in driving liver disease are not fully understood. Approach and Results: Expression of SLU7 and that of the adult and oncofetal isoforms of HNF4α, driven by its promoter 1 (P1) and P2, respectively, was studied in diseased human and mouse livers. Hepatic function and damage response were analyzed in wild-type and Slu7-haploinsufficient/heterozygous (Slu7+/−) mice undergoing chronic (CCl4) and acute (acetaminophen) injury. SLU7 expression was restored in CCl4-injured mice using SLU7-expressing adeno-associated viruses (AAV-SLU7). The hepatocellular SLU7 interactome was characterized by mass spectrometry. Reduced SLU7 expression in human and mouse diseased livers correlated with a switch in HNF4α P1 to P2 usage. This response was reproduced in Slu7+/− mice, which displayed increased sensitivity to chronic and acute liver injury, enhanced oxidative stress, and marked impairment of hepatic functions. AAV-SLU7 infection prevented liver injury and hepatocellular dedifferentiation. Mechanistically we demonstrate a unique role for SLU7 in the preservation of HNF4α1 protein stability through its capacity to protect the liver against oxidative stress. SLU7 is herein identified as a key component of the stress granule proteome, an essential part of the cell’s antioxidant machinery. Conclusions: Our results place SLU7 at the highest level of hepatocellular identity control, identifying SLU7 as a link between stress-protective mechanisms and liver differentiation. These findings emphasize the importance of the preservation of hepatic functions in the protection from liver injury.Supported by MINECO/AEI/FEDER (UE SAF2016‐75972‐R, PID2019‐104265RB‐I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and PID2019‐104878RB‐100/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), CIBERehd, Fundación La Caixa (HEPACARE), an AECC postdoctoral fellowship (POSTD18014AREC, to M.A.), a Ministerio de Educación FPU fellowship (FPU18/01461, to M.G.R.), a Ministerio de Educación FPI fellowship (BES‐2017‐079883, to M.R.); a Ramón y Cajal Program contract (RYC2018‐024475‐1, to M.G.F.B.), the Fundación Eugenio Rodríguez Pascual, the Fundación Mario Losantos, the Fundación M. Torres, and a generous donation from Mr. Eduardo Avila