Características del trabajo y salud ocupacional: validación y propuesta de una versión abreviada del Work Design Questionnaire

Interest in the study of work characteristics to explain how an individual's relationship with the work environment can lead to maladaptive responses has taken on renewed importance in the light of increasing concern for the development of healthy organizations and organizational diversity. This study aims to develop a shortened version of the Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ) with a view to facilitating its use and interpretation. The psychometric properties of this shorter questionnaire were tested in a multi-sectoral sample of workers in Spain, with due consideration given to the gender measurement invariance. For this purpose, we applied the questionnaire to a sample of 500 workers and analyzed the relationship between the answers provided to WDQ and specific occupational health variables (satisfaction, well-being and emotional exhaustion). Results showed adequate reliability and criterion-oriented validity for the shortened version of the WDQ, that is, the WDQ18-S, as well as evidence of factorial invariance across gender. We then discuss the results and their implications for the application of the WDQ in further research and the field of occupational health and psychosocial risks prevention.El interés por el estudio de las características del trabajo para explicar cómo la relación de un individuo con el entorno laboral puede conducir a respuestas desadaptativas ha cobrado una importancia renovada a la luz de la creciente preocupación por el desarrollo de organizaciones saludables y por la diversidad organizacional. Este estudio tiene como objetivo desarrollar una versión abreviada del Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ) con el fin de facilitar su uso e interpretación en este contexto. Las propiedades psicométricas de este cuestionario reducido se probaron en una muestra multisectorial de trabajadores en España. Para ello, aplicamos el cuestionario a una muestra de 500 trabajadores y analizamos la relación entre las carácterísiticas del trabajo y las variables seleccionadas de salud ocupacional (satisfacción, bienestar y agotamiento emocional). Los resultados mostraron una fiabilidad y una validez orientada al criterio adecuadas para la versión abreviada del WDQ, esto es, el WDQ18-S, así como evidencia de invarianza factorial de género. Posteriormente se discuten los resultados y sus implicaciones para el uso del WDQ en el ámbito aplicado e investigador de la salud ocupacional y la prevención de riesgos laborales

Satisfacción vital, síntomas depresivos y apoyo social percibido en pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca

This research examined life satisfaction, depressive symptoms and perceived social support in two groups of adults (N = 120; age 40-89 years). The first was formed by stable heart failure (HF) outpatients and the second was a control group of similar age. Perceived social support was the only significant predictor of life satisfaction in the control group but, in the HF group, life satisfaction was associated with more social support and less depressive symptoms. Gender (men > women) was also an important predictor of life satisfaction in both groups, but more significantly in the HF one. All womenreported more depressive symptoms and less life satisfaction than men. Female HR patients also perceived more social support than male patients did. Finally, a partial mediation of depressive symptoms in the association between social support and life satisfaction was found in the HF group.En esta investigación se analizaron la satisfacción vital, los síntomas depresivos y el apoyo social percibido en dos grupos de adultos (N =120; rango = 40-89 años), uno formado por pacientes no hospitalizados con insuficiencia cardiaca (IC) estable y otro control con personas de similar edad. El apoyo social percibido fue el único predictor significativo de la satisfacción vital en el grupo control, mientras que en el grupo con IC, se asociaba con más apoyo social y menos síntomas depresivos. El género fue también un predictor importante de la satisfacción vital (hombres > mujeres), aunque de forma más significativa en el grupo con IC. Todas las mujeres informaban más síntomas depresivos y menos satisfacción vital que los hombres. En el grupo IC, las mujeres también percibían más apoyo social que los varones. Finalmente, se encontró en este grupo que la asociación entre apoyo social y satisfacción vital estaba parcialmente mediada por los síntomas depresivos

Synthesis and complementary self-association of novel lipophilic π-conjugated nucleoside oligomers

The following article appeared in Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry 13.15 (2015): 4506-4513 and may be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c5ob00098j, reproduced by permission of The Royal Society of ChemistryA series of lipophilic nucleosides comprising natural and non-natural bases that are π-conjugated to a short oligophenylene-ethynylene fragment has been synthesized. These bases comprise guanosine, isoguanosine, and 2-aminoadenosine as purine heterocycles, and cytidine, isocytosine and uridine as complementary pyrimidine bases. The hydrogen-bonding dimerization and association processes between complementary bases were also studied by 1H NMR and absorption spectroscopy in order to obtain the relevant association constantsFunding from the European Research Council (ERC-StG 279548) and MINECO (CTQ2011-23659) is gratefully acknowledge

Velocidad de las estrategias de reestructuración de empresas familiares en tiempos de crisis

This paper analyzes how fast do family businesses react to a decline in their financial performance. Turnaround is especially relevant in family businesses due to the importance of non-economic goals. We study the differences between family and non-family businesses in relation to closure and recovery speed, and the role of firm age and size as contingent factors. The empirical research analyzes panel data comprising more than 23,000 declining Spanish firms, over an eleven-year period (2006-2016). Our findings show that family businesses will close earlier than non-family businesses without significant difference between family and non-family businesses recovery speedEste artículo analiza qué tan rápido reaccionan las empresas familiares ante una caída en su desempeño financiero. La recuperación es especialmente relevante en las empresas familiares debido a la importancia de los objetivos no económicos. Estudiamos las diferencias entre empresas familiares y no familiares en relación con el cierre y la velocidad de recuperación, y el papel de la edad y el tamaño de la empresa como factores contingentes. La investigación empírica analiza datos de panel que comprenden más de 23.000 empresas españolas en declive, durante un período de once años (2006-2016). Nuestros hallazgos muestran que las empresas familiares cerrarán antes que las empresas no familiares sin una diferencia significativa entre la velocidad de recuperación de las empresas familiares y no familiare

Helicobacter pylori Is Present at Quantifiable Levels in Raw Vegetables in the Mediterranean Area of Spain

[EN] Vegetables are one of the main foodstuffs consumed in the Mediterranean diet. However, raw vegetables have been associated with relevant foodborne outbreaks worldwide. Accurate knowledge of the microbiological quantitative risks associated with these matrices is crucial in order to define effective control measures, avoiding the survival and dissemination of foodborne pathogens through the different food chain stages. The aim of the present study is the assessment of the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (a unique carcinogenic biological agent recognized to date) on leafy vegetables (spinach, lettuce, and chard) by means of the detection of the specific pathogenicity vacA gene. A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) optimized approach was used to detect H. pylori-positive samples and the concentration of this pathogen (with a limit of detection equal to 10 cells). One hundred raw vegetable samples were acquired in markets corresponding to the Spanish Mediterranean area. Sliced vegetable leaves were homogenized and centrifuged, and DNA was extracted from the homogenates. qPCR results confirmed 20 out of 100 H. pylori-positive samples, with melting temperature (T-m) values in the range of 84.8-86.5 degrees C (T-m vacA H. pylori = 85 degrees C). Amplicons were cut, purified, and sequenced to confirm the homology with the H. pylori vacA gene. A total of 17 out of 100 vegetable samples (12/45 (26.6%) lettuce, 2/21 (9.5%) spinach, and 3/34 (8.8%) chard samples) were finally confirmed as H. pylori-positive. Contamination levels were in the range of 1.5 +/- 0.3 to 2.5 +/- 0.1 log(10) cycles (36-335 CFU/g leafy vegetables). Our results show that H. pylori is detected by qPCR at levels close to infectious doses in fresh vegetables, thus posing a food safety hazard.This research was funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion, Spain, grant number PID2019-105691RB-I00. M. Garcia-Ferrus is the recipient of a PEJ2018-003746A grant from Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Spain. Prof. Pina-Perez is also grateful to the GVA202/031 grant project.García-Ferrús, M.; González Pellicer, A.; Pina-Pérez, MC.; Ferrús Pérez, MA. (2022). Helicobacter pylori Is Present at Quantifiable Levels in Raw Vegetables in the Mediterranean Area of Spain. Agriculture. 12(3):1-7. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture120303391712

Presencia de infección y lesiones mínimas en mama y otros tejidos en ovinos afectados de Maedi-Visna

5 páginas, 2 tablas.--Trabajo presentado al: XL Congreso Nacional y el XVI Congreso Internacional de la Sociedad Española de Ovinotecnia y Caprinotecnia. (Castellón de la Plana, España, 16-18 septiembre 2015).Este trabajo ha sido subvencionado por los proyectos LE361A12-1 y LE314U14 de la Junta de Castilla y León y por una beca FPU del Ministerio de Educación.Peer Reviewe

High-fidelity noncovalent synthesis of hydrogen-bonded macrocyclic assemblies

This is the accepted version of the following article: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 54.23 (2015): 6780-6784, which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201501321A hydrogen-bonded cyclic tetramer is assembled with remarkably high effective molarities from a properly designed dinucleoside monomer. This self-assembled species exhibits an impressive thermodynamic and kinetic stability and is formed with high fidelities within a broad concentration rangeFunding from MINECO (CTQ2011-23659) and the E.U. (ERC-Starting Grant 279548) is gratefully acknowledge

San Pedro Martir observations of microvariability in obscured quasars

Fast brightness variations are a unique tool to probe the innermost regions of active galactic nuclei (AGN). These variations are called microvariability or intra-night variability, and this phenomenon has been monitored in samples of blazars and unobscured AGNs. Detecting optical microvariations in targets hidden by the obscuring torus is a challenging task because the region responsible for the variations is hidden from our sight. However, there have been reports of fast variations in obscured Seyfert galaxies in X-rays, which rises the question whether microvariations can also be detected in obscured AGNs in the optical regime. Because the expected variations are very small and can easily be lost within the noise, the analysis requires a statistical approach. We report the use of a one-way analysis of variance, ANOVA, with which we searched for microvariability. ANOVA was successfully employed in previous studies of unobscured AGNs. As a result, we found microvariable events during three observing blocks: in two we observed the same object (Mrk 477), and in another, J0759+5050. The results on Mrk 477 confirm previous findings. However, since Mrk 477 is quite a peculiar target with hidden broad-line regions, we cannot rule out the possibility that we have serendipitously chosen a target prone to variations.Comment: Research note, 5 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

Soil pH effects on the Toxicity of zinc oxide nanoparticles to soil bacterial communities.

The environmental levels of ZnO nanoparticles (nZnO) are increasing continually given the widespread and expanding applications of this material. Soil pH appears to be one of the key factors affecting the behavior and toxicity of metal nanoparticles in soi