Raman spectral signatures for the differentiation of benzodiazepine drugs

The identification of benzodiazepine drugs is important in the forensics field because they are used in drugfacilitated crimes. Raman spectroscopy has been proven as a non-invasive, fast and reliable technique highly promising for the analysis of drug products. Until recently, attention has been paid to active ingredients, but the spectral drug product signature has rarely been used in spite of having potential valuable information. In this work, confocal Raman microscopy was used to obtain the spectral signature of the most widely used benzodiazepine products. Firstly, the study aimed at determining appropriate Raman mapping spectra to obtain each benzodiazepine signature with low sampling error. Then, PCA scores and loadings showed that the variability, measured on the variance, among batches of the same benzodiazepine drug was similar to the variability of the spectral signature of the same tablet (or capsule content) and the same batch, mainly attributed to the heterogeneity of such drug products. Interestingly, differentiation among doses of the same active ingredient (AI), benzodiazepine drugs with different AIs manufactured by the same pharmaceutical company, and drugs with the same AI but manufactured by different companies were demonstrated. It is remarkable that for low doses, the active ingredient is almost absent of the spectral signature, but the differentiation is mainly achieved by excipients. As a consequence, the spectral signature obtained by confocal Raman microscopy can be used for discriminating among these benzodiazepine drugs without requiring a clearly identifiable band related to the active ingredient in the corresponding Raman spectra

Academic evaluation, management and satisfaction of clinical practicums among undergraduate students: Software CliPrAS@UB

Aim/objective: To determine the development of competency acquisition, the satisfaction of the agents involved and recording incidents with a digital platform CliPrAS @UB on the Clinical Placements I and II courses in the second and third years of the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. Background: The teaching of clinical practice subjects requires an analysis of the competence evolution, a management structure and an analysis of the satisfaction of the agents involved in the subject. Design: Prospective, analytical, observational cohort study. Methods: The study was carried out in a public university center in Barcelona with 387 students distributed in nine centers of the network of Health Institutions. Results: An increase of 2.32 points was observed in the competence dimensions of Professional Practice and with a reduction in the average score in the skills of care provision, therapeutic communication and professional development of more than 0.08 points. Regarding the seminars, a reduction of the average global score of 0.58 points was observed. Conclusions: The use of the CliPrAS @ UB computer platform has improved the implementation of the mandatory documents, the recording of incidents and the overall satisfaction of the students

Warming rate shapes the thermal tolerance of freshwater phytoplankton.

The impact of global warming on phytoplankton species in freshwater ecosystems could vary depending on their capacity for adapting and acclimating to changes in temperature. To make better predictions under different global warming scenarios, it is crucial to perform long-term experiments where the selection of new genetic variants could occur in addition to potential gene expression changes. Here we aimed to explore the differential evolutionary potential of two freshwater phytoplankton species growing under increasing temperatures, the bloom forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (Kützing) Kützing and the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii P. A. Dang. We performed an evolutionary ratchet experiment lasting over 60 generations to detect the limit of resistance to high temperatures of both species. Populations were initially maintained at 25 ºC and then subjected to a slow (+2 ºC) or to a rapid (+4 ºC) temperature increase. To characterize the increase in thermal tolerance of the derived populations, we compared the growth rate and photosynthetic performance of derived and ancestral populations at control (25 ºC), sublethal and lethal temperatures of ancestral populations. We observed that slow warming facilitates the increase of thermal tolerance of both species. Specifically, the lethal temperature of ancestral populations was only surpassed by derived populations under slow warming conditions. Thermo-tolerant derived strains showed higher photosynthetic capacity than ancestral ones at high temperatures, but at the cost of a limited capacity to dissipate energy via non-photochemical pathways. Our results suggested that the rate of global warming could modulate the thermal tolerance limit and resilience of phytoplanktonic species and alter the primary production and resilience of freshwater ecosystems.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Fernando Huarte Morton (1921-2011): libro homenaje

La figura de Fernando Huarte Morton (1921-2011) tiene un gran significado para el mundo de las bibliotecas, el libro antiguo y la bibliografía española y goza de un profundo respeto, simpatía y admiración para todos aquellos que le conocieron y trataron personalmente. Desarrolló la mayor parte de su carrera profesional en la Biblioteca de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid, de la que fue director entre 1975 y 1986, contribuyendo a su modernización desde varios ámbitos: el reconocimiento institucional; la profesionalización del personal; la centralización de los fondos; la normalización de los procesos y servicios; el inicio de la mecanización del catálogo y la preocupación por el fondo antiguo y por la existencia de un edificio para albergar la gran biblioteca general. Con estas acciones, las bases de la biblioteca del siglo XXI estaban puestas. Es por este motivo, que la Biblioteca de la Universidad Complutense, institución a la que dedicó tantos años de su vida, quiera rendirle un sentido homenaje a través de la publicación de este libro en el que participan muchos de los bibliotecarios que le conocieron y que han querido dar a conocer su profesionalidad como bibliotecario, su rigor científico como estudioso e investigador y su atrayente personalidad llena de sentido del humor y de ironía

Infancia y aprendizaje

Título, resumen y palabras clave también en inglésResumen basado en el de la publicaciónAl leer con sus alumnos en el aula, los profesores pueden usar distintos métodos. Se examina el impacto que ejercen distintas formas de lectura en la comprensión lectora de los alumnos. En la condición de lectura en voz alta los alumnos leen el texto en alto para una audiencia. En la de lectura silenciosa los alumnos leen en voz baja. En la de lectura de seguimiento los alumnos escuchan a un compañero leer mientras ellos disponían del mismo texto. Treinta y seis alumnos de 5º y 6º curso de Educación Primaria leen un texto bajo las tres condiciones y posteriormente se evalúa su comprensión. No se aprecian diferencias de rendimiento entre las condiciones lectura en voz alta y lectura silenciosa. Pero en la comparación el grupo encargado de la lectura de seguimiento rinde peor.Biblioteca del Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional; Calle San Agustín, 5 - 3 planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

Task-Oriented Reading in Primary School. The Ability to Discriminate Relevant Content from Multiple Text of Fourth- and Sixth-Graders

Introducción. La lectura-orientada-a-metas con textos multiples implica usar varios textos para resolver una tarea que nos han asignado. Engloba dos procesos nucleares: comprender los contenidos del texto y discriminar si los distintos contenidos son o no relevantes para la tarea. Exploramos estos dos procesos en alumnado de educación primaria. Método. Solicitamos a 150 alumnos de cuarto curso (9-10 años de edad) y sexto curso (11-12 años de edad) que emplearan tres textos para aprender acerca de una cuestión. Tras usar los textos, les pasamos una prueba de recuerdo, en la cual debían recordar todo lo posible sobre la información relevante para la cuestión, y una prueba de verificación, en la cual debían juzgar inferencias generadas a partir de los contenidos del texto, tanto los relevantes como los irrelevantes, como verdaderos o falsas. Resultados. Los participantes rindieron peor en recuerdo que en verificación. Los de sexto superaron a los de cuarto en recuerdo y, de forma aún más pronunciada, en verificación. Discusión y Conclusiones. Los resultados sugieren, primero, que los alumnos son más capaces de comprender los contenidos de un texto que de discriminar los que son relevantes para una tarea dada y, segundo, que tanto la capacidad de comprender textos como la de discriminar contenido relevante para una tarea dada mejoran a lo largo de los años escolares, si bien la primera parece evolucionar más rápido que la otraIntroduction. Multiple-text task-oriented reading is using several texts to perform an assigned task. It involves two core processes, namely, comprehending text contents and discriminating the text contents that are relevant for the task. We explored these two processes in primary school students. Method. We had 150 students from grades fourth (9-10 years old) and sixth (11-12 years old) use three texts to learn about an assigned question. After using the texts, they took a recall test, which required them to recall as much as possible about the question-relevant information, and a verification test, which required them to judge inferences from the text contents, both question-relevant and question-irrelevant, as true or false. Results. The participants performed worse in recall than in verification. The sixth-graders outperformed the fourth-graders in recall and, more clearly, in verification. Discussion and Conclusion. The results suggest, first, that students are better able to comprehend text contents than to discriminate task-relevant content and, second, that both the ability to comprehend text content and the ability to discriminate task-relevant content improve throughout the school years but the former may develop faster

Grief in children's story books. A systematic integrative review

Background Grieving is an adaptive process in the face of the death of somebody close. Children grieve the loss of a family member or friend and need support from their caregivers and the professionals who care for them during this process. Failure to talk to children about the death of a family member or friend can lead to prolonged grief. Children's story books are one of the resources available for providing this type of support. Objective To provide the nursing professional with information on story books aimed at children from 7 to 11 years of age as a tool to help them understand and cope with grief. Design A systematic integrative review was conducted. Methods A search was performed in the ISBN database of the Ministry of Culture and the University Libraries Network. Data extraction was performed by two coders using a protocol registered in PROSPERO. Results Fifty-six books met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-five percent of the deceased characters were grandparents and 30.4% died due to illness. The most frequent emotion was sadness, (43.3%) and the most repeated coping strategy was remembering the deceased person, (28.7%). The grieving process was depicted in 32.1% of the selected stories. Conclusion The children's books reviewed support understanding and coping with grief. However, some limitations were detected, and therefore it is advisable to accompany the child while reading these books to discuss aspects that have not been addresse

Estudio del proceso de socialización de docentes noveles de educación secundaria en contextos educativos de diferenciación social y cultural : elaboración de un programa de intervención

1. Analizar el proceso de conformación de la identidad profesional de los enseñantes durante sus dos primeros años de ejercicio docente, como interacción entre los contextos particulares de experiencia y la reflexión sobre ésta. Este objetivo nos lleva a indagar sobre la cosmogonía que van construyendo los noveles acerca de la enseñanza; 2. Analizar el proceso de evolución del sistema de creencias sociales y políticas manifestadas por los profesores debutantes durante dicho proceso de socialización, especialmente las relacionadas con la atención educativa a las diferencias de cualquier origen; 3. Experimentar un modelo de formación, que adopta la forma de programa de inducción a la práctica, que contribuya a enriquecer el proceso de reflexión por el que se va generando ese sistema de creencias y, por ende, la identidad profesional de los profesores noveles. Este programa combina varias estrategias formativas de cara a posibilitar una preparación de carácter práctico a los participantes, sobre la base de las condiciones reales de enseñanza en las que ejercen, pero buscando una fundamentación teórica que permita ampliar su comprensión. Estas estrategias son: ponencias, relaciones de mentorazgo, lecturas compartidas y diagnóstico, diseño y experimentación de propuestas de intervención. El análisis de datos ha permitido sistematizar el conjunto de creencias sociales y políticas mantenido por los profesores debutantes al iniciar su carrera profesional, que ofrece dos perfiles claramente diferenciados de profesores, aunque las contradicciones abundan e informan sobre ese proceso generativo de creencias durante el trayecto inicial de su carrera profesional, en el que aún quedan muchos aspectos de la enseñanza que no se han planteado en ningún momento y la investigación les ha obligado a someterlos a reflexión por primera vez.AndalucíaInstituto de Educación Secundaria Ramón Carande; Calle Alfonso Lasso de la Vega, n.4; 41013 Sevilla; Tel. +34955623703; Fax +34955623709; [email protected]

Nitroarene hydrogenation catalysts based on Pd nanoparticles glued with PDA on inorganic supports: Multivariate Curve Resolution as an useful tool to compare the catalytic activity in multi-step reactions

[EN] Two green catalysts based on Pd(0) nanoparticles (Pd NPs) anchored through PDA on porous silica and magnetite have been synthesized using a generalized simple and reproducible "two-step" methodology. Both catalysts were tested for a model reaction, the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol using NaBH4 as the hydrogenating agent, and especially good activity has been achieved in the case of the catalysts containing magnetite as inorganic core (Pd NPs-PDA@Fe3O4). We analyzed the effect associated with the catalyst separation method (centrifugation or magnetically) that affect to the distribution and aggregation degree of the Pd NPs. In addition, we also correlate the final catalyst morphology with the activity and its relationship with the nature of the inorganic supports: porous (UVM-7 type silica) or massive, although on a nanoscale, typical of the Fe3O4 particles used. We have also studied the activity of the catalysts in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes, that follows the Haber multistep mechanism through various intermediates. In order to understand not only the process as a whole, but also the importance of each step and the intermediates involved, we have applied the multivariate curve resolution (MCR) factorial methodology. This approach, that normally is not used in the catalysis works, makes it possible to quantitatively determine the rate limiting step, and allow to extract complete information from a multistep catalytic process.We appreciate the technical support of the SCSIE of the Universitat de Valencia and Electron Microscopy Service of the Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, the Ministerio de Ciencia, Inno- vacion y Universidades and FEDER Spain, grant number RTI2018-100910-B-C44 for funding this research.García Sánchez, E.; Martínez Melero, M.; Úbeda Picot, MÁ.; Pérez Pla, F.; Marcos Martínez, MD.; El Haskouri, J.; Amorós, P. (2021). Nitroarene hydrogenation catalysts based on Pd nanoparticles glued with PDA on inorganic supports: Multivariate Curve Resolution as an useful tool to compare the catalytic activity in multi-step reactions. Applied Catalysis A General. 619:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2021.11812511261

Systematic Determination of Herpesvirus in Free-Ranging Cetaceans Stranded in the Western Mediterranean: Tissue Tropism and Associated Lesions

The monitoring of herpesvirus infection provides useful information when assessing marine mammals’ health. This paper shows the prevalence of herpesvirus infection (80.85%) in 47 cetaceans stranded on the coast of the Valencian Community, Spain. Of the 966 tissues evaluated, 121 tested positive when employing nested-PCR (12.53%). The largest proportion of herpesvirus-positive tissue samples was in the reproductive system, nervous system, and tegument. Herpesvirus was more prevalent in females, juveniles, and calves. More than half the DNA PCR positive tissues contained herpesvirus RNA, indicating the presence of actively replicating virus. This RNA was most frequently found in neonates. Fourteen unique sequences were identified. Most amplified sequences belonged to the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily, but a greater variation was found in Alphaherpesvirinae sequences. This is the first report of systematic herpesvirus DNA and RNA determination in free-ranging cetaceans. Nine (19.14%) were infected with cetacean morbillivirus and all of them (100%) were coinfected with herpesvirus. Lesions similar to those caused by herpesvirus in other species were observed, mainly in the skin, upper digestive tract, genitalia, and central nervous system. Other lesions were also attributable to concomitant etiologies or were nonspecific. It is necessary to investigate the possible role of herpesvirus infection in those cases