Empowerment Evaluation in Spain: The Critical Friend Role in Working with Rural Communities

Rural communities in Cuenca (Spain) are characterized by a great social dislocation, mostly due to the low population density in these areas. In this way, the existence of groups of citizens able to be active agents of their development process is a critical aspect for any community-based development process in this Spanish region. The Institute of Community Development of Cuenca (IDC) has been working with this type of groups for the last 30 years focusing on the organizational empowerment of the rural communities. Main tools in this process have been the empowerment evaluation approach and the critical friend role when helping the groups to achieve their objectives and reinforcing them. This chapter analyses the empowerment process and how the critical friend role is nourished by the facilitator figure

Mass transfer kinetics of CO2 and eugenol in the supercritical impregnation of polyamide fibers: Experimental data and modeling

In this work, mass transfer kinetics of CO2 and eugenol into polyamide 6 (PA6) fibers under supercritical conditions were investigated in the context of the development of a functional dental floss for dental care applications using scCO2-assisted impregnation. The sorption kinetics was evaluated at different temperature (40 and 60 °C) and pressure conditions (10 and 12 MPa), measuring the total amount of CO2 and eugenol incorporated in PA6 fibers after certain time intervals (from 30 min to 4 h). Equilibrium sorption was determined for all operation conditions, obtaining the highest values at low CO2 density. Diffusion coefficients of CO2 and eugenol under different process conditions were estimated fitting the experimental data with analytical solutions of the second Fick's law. In addition, thermal behavior of eugenol-loaded PA6 fibers impregnated at different time intervals was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), observing only small changes in the polymer crystallinity during the high-pressure process.Fil: Mosquera, José E.. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Goñi, Maria Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Martini, Raquel Evangelina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Gañan, Nicolas Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; Argentin

Amphimermis enzoni n. sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) parasitizing damselflies and dragonflies in Argentina

A mermithid nematode was found parasitizing nymphs of dragonflies and damselflies. The host specimens were collected from the stream Cajaravilla, Magdalena, Buenos Aires state, Argentina. In this work, we described Amphimermis enzoni n. sp., a nematode new to science. Nematodes were identified through morphological and molecular methods. The combination of the following characters separates A. enzoni n. sp. from other members of the genus Amphimermis Steiner: long and S-shaped vagina, twisted spicules for proximal 34% of their length, untwisted for 12%, again twisted for 30%, and untwisted for the last 24%; genital papillae arranged in three rows, medial row marginally longer than sub-medial rows; medial row bifurcated immediately anterior and posterior to cloaca, with 111 genital papillae (73 pre-anals and 38 post-anals). The sequences of 18S rDNA regions from A. enzoni formed a well-supported monophyletic clade with two GenBank sequences of Amphimermis spp. (EF617354 and EF617355) with 0.63 to 1.26% divergence and two Mermithidae spp. (LC512371 and LC512370) with 0.63 to 1.1% divergence, respectively. To our knowledge, this is the first example of mermithid infection in nymphs of dragonflies and damselflies for South America.Fil: Rusconi, José Matías. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Di Battista, Cristian Matias. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Instituto de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Balcazar, Dario Emmanuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Rosales, Matias Nicolas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Achinelly, Maria Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentin

Patients' experience while transitioning from the intensive care unit to a ward

Background: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients can experience emotional distress and post-traumatic stress disorder when they leave the ICU, also referred to as post-intensive care syndrome. A deeper understanding of what patients go through and what they need while they are transitioning from the ICU to the general ward may provide input on how to strengthen patient-centred care and, ultimately, contribute to a positive experience. Aim: To describe the patients' experience while transitioning from the ICU to a general ward. Design: A descriptive qualitative study. Method: Data were gathered through in-depth interviews and analysed using a qualitative content analysis. The qualitative study was reported in accordance with the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research guidelines. Findings: Forty-eight interviews were conducted. Impact on emotional well-being emerged as a main theme, comprising four categories with six subcategories. Conclusion: Transition from the ICU can be a shock for the patient, leading to the emergence of a need for information, and an impact on emotional well-being that has to be planned for carefully and addressed prior to, during, and following transition from the ICU to the general ward. Relevance to clinical practice: It is essential that nurses understand patients' experiences during transfer, identifying needs and concerns to be able to develop and implement new practices such as ICU Liaison Nurse or Nurse Outreach for the follow-up of these patients, the inclusion of a consultant mental health nurse, and the application of patient empowerment during ICU discharge

Postnatal Persistent Infection with Classical Swine Fever Virus and Its Immunological Implications

It is well established that trans-placental transmission of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) during mid-gestation can lead to persistently infected offspring. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability of CSFV to induce viral persistence upon early postnatal infection. Two litters of 10 piglets each were infected intranasally on the day of birth with low and moderate virulence CSFV isolates, respectively. During six weeks after postnatal infection, most of the piglets remained clinically healthy, despite persistent high virus titres in the serum. Importantly, these animals were unable to mount any detectable humoral and cellular immune response. At necropsy, the most prominent gross pathological lesion was a severe thymus atrophy. Four weeks after infection, PBMCs from the persistently infected seronegative piglets were unresponsive to both, specific CSFV and non-specific PHA stimulation in terms of IFN-gamma-producing cells. These results suggested the development of a state of immunosuppression in these postnatally persistently infected pigs. However, IL-10 was undetectable in the sera of the persistently infected animals. Interestingly, CSFV-stimulated PBMCs from the persistently infected piglets produced IL-10. Nevertheless, despite the addition of the anti-IL-10 antibody in the PBMC culture from persistently infected piglets, the response of the IFN-gamma producing cells was not restored. Therefore, other factors than IL-10 may be involved in the general suppression of the T-cell responses upon CSFV and mitogen activation. Interestingly, bone marrow immature granulocytes were increased and targeted by the virus in persistently infected piglets. Taken together, we provided the first data demonstrating the feasibility of CSFV in generating a postnatal persistent disease, which has not been shown for other members of the Pestivirus genus yet. Since serological methods are routinely used in CSFV surveillance, persistently infected pigs might go unnoticed. In addition to the epidemiological and economic significance of persistent CSFV infection, this model could be useful for understanding the mechanisms of viral persistence.This research was supported by grant AGL2012-38343 from Spanish government. Author who received the funding: Llilianne Ganges (LG). S. Muñoz-González received predoctoral fellowship FI-DGR 2014 from AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya

Single-Ion Conducting Polymer Nanoparticles as Functional Fillers for Solid Electrolytes in Lithium Metal Batteries

[EN]Composite solid electrolytes including inorganic nanoparticles or nanofibers which improve the performance of polymer electrolytes due to their superior mechanical, ionic conductivity, or lithium transference number are actively being researched for applications in lithium metal batteries. However, inorganic nanoparticles present limitations such as tedious surface functionalization and agglomeration issues and poor homogeneity at high concentrations in polymer matrixes. In this work, we report on polymer nanoparticles with a lithium sulfonamide surface functionality (LiPNP) for application as electrolytes in lithium metal batteries. The particles are prepared by semibatch emulsion polymerization, an easily up-scalable technique. LiPNPs are used to prepare two different families of particle-reinforced solid electrolytes. When mixed with poly(ethylene oxide) and lithium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (LiTFSI/PEO), the particles invoke a significant stiffening effect (E' > 106 Pa vs 105 Pa at 80 °C) while the membranes retain high ionic conductivity (sigma = 6.6 * 10-4 S cm-1). Preliminary testing in LiFePO4 lithium metal cells showed promising performance of the PEO nanocomposite electrolytes. By mixing the particles with propylene carbonate without any additional salt, we obtain true single-ion conducting gel electrolytes, as the lithium sulfonamide surface functionalities are the only sources of lithium ions in the system. The gel electrolytes are mechanically robust (up to G' = 106 Pa) and show ionic conductivity up to 10-4 S cm-1. Finally, the PC nanocomposite electrolytes were tested in symmetrical lithium cells. Our findings suggest that all-polymer nanoparticles could represent a new building block material for solid-state lithium metal battery applications.L.P. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska–Curie grant agreement no. 797295. P.S. has been funded by the SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation) under project number P2FRP2_191846. J.R.L. and D.M. acknowledge the funding by the Basque Government (IT99-16). V.B. acknowledges support from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy under contract no. DE-AC05-00OR22725. A.S. acknowledges financial support for dielectric measurements and data discussions by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division

The GRSS standard for GNSS-reflectometry

In February 2019 a Project Authorization Request was approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standards Association with the title “Standard for Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) Data and Metadata Content”. A Working Group has been assembled to draft this standard with the purpose of unifying and documenting GNSS-R measurements, calibration procedures, and product level definitions. The Working Group (http://www.grss-ieee.org/community/technical-committees/standards-or-earth-observations/) includes members, collaborators, and contributors from academia, international space agencies, and private industry. In a recent face-to-face meeting held during the ARSI+KEO 2019 Conference, the need was recognized to develop a standard with a wide range of operations, providing procedure guidelines independently of constraints imposed by current limitations on geophysical parameters retrieval algorithms. As such, this effort aims to establish the fundamentals of a potential virtual network of satellites providing inter-comparable data to the scientific community.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Análisis de variables en la impregnación supercrítica de un bioactivo natural en partículas de celulosa microcristalina

En este trabajo se estudió el efecto de las variables experimentales involucradas en el proceso de impregnación supercrítica de carvona, un monoterpeno con actividad biológica, en partículas de celulosa microcristalina. Las variables estudiadas fueron la densidad de CO2 (278-600 kg m-3), la temperatura (40-60°C), la relación de masa carvona:polímero (0,5-1) y el modo de despresurización (frío-caliente). Los porcentajes de impregnación obtenidos estuvieron comprendidos entre 0,6-3,6 %p/p. El uso de etanol como cosolvente (2 %p/p) permitió incrementar el rendimiento a 10 %p/p. La cristalinidad del polímero no se modificó a causa del proceso, aunque, en presencia de cosolvente, se observó un ligero hinchamiento y una progresiva exposición de las fibras internas de la celulosa. La liberación de carvona en saliva artificial fue más lenta en comparación a una mezcla física, indicando que su incorporación en el polímero fue más profunda en las muestras impregnadas utilizando fluidos supercríticos.Fil: Machado, Noelia Daiana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Mosquera, José. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Martini, Raquel Evangelina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Goñi, Maria Laura. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaFil: Gañan, Nicolas Alberto. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto de Ciencias y Tecnología de los Alimentos; ArgentinaXV Simposio Argentino de PolímerosBahía BlancaArgentinaConsejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería QuímicaUniversidad Nacional del Su