The “Peñaflor” type roman imitation pottery and the beginnings of Astigi (Écija, Sevilla)

Al conocimiento que se desprende de la excavación de un amplio sector de la necrópolis occidental de Astigi hay que sumar el hallazgo contextualizado de ajuares de copa y plato producidos en cerámica “Tipo Peñaflor”, que se introducen como elemento partícipe del ritual de enterramiento. Ello nos sirve de excusa para analizar, por un lado, las producciones del taller de Celti y su evolución a partir de los restos exhumados en la Calle Bellidos, mientras que, por el otro, se hará hincapié en el papel de esta especie cerámica a la hora de encuadrar cronológicamente necrópolis en los primeros años de la historia de la colonia.To the data collected from the excavation of a wide area in the west part of the Astigi necropolis, we must add the discovery of cups and saucers sets produced in “Peñaflor” type of ceramic, which were introduced as an active part in the burial rituals. This discovery give us the excuse to analyze from one side; the Celti workshop productions and their evolution from rests found in “Calle Bellidos”, and from another side, allow us to focus on the importance of this ceramic species in the chronological identification of necropolis from the first years in the history of the colony

Coupled-column liquid chromatography method with photochemically induced derivatization for the direct determination of benzoylureas in vegetables

The coupled-column (LC-LC) system, consisting of a first column packed with internal surface reversed phase (ISRP) (50x4.6 mm ID) and a Chrompack C18 (100x4.6 mm ID) as second column, allowed the simultaneous determination of five benzoylurea insecticides in dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) extracts of vegetable samples without any clean-up step. This system was combined with a photochemically induced fluorescence (PIF) post-column derivatization in order to provide strongly fluorescent photoproducts from the non-fluorescent benzoylureas. Limits of detection ranged from 0.21 to 0.98 ug L–1 of pesticide (equivalent to 0.14–0.65 ug kg–1 in vegetable samples) and limits of determination ranged from 4.0 to 10.0 ug L–1 (equivalent to 2.7–6.7 ug kg–1). Linearity of the method was established between 2 and 1800 ug L–1, depending upon the compound. Validation of the total method was performed by randomly analyzing recoveries of four vegetable samples (aubergine, cucumber, green bean, and tomato) spiked at two levels of concentration (10.0 and 33.3 ug kg–1). The combination of the LC-LC system with PIF detection provides a sensitive, selective, and rapid method for the determination of pesticides in vegetable samples at levels lower than the maximum residue levels (MRLs) established for these compounds by Spanish legislation

El extraordinario aumento en los partos por cesárea en Puerto Rico y su impacto sobre la esterilización femenina y la fecundidad

abstract in englishResumen en españo

Diseño de un video tutorial para la mejora del aprendizaje de conceptos y procedimientos difíciles en el Área de Química Analítica

[EN] The study presented here examines the incorporation of a video tutorial as a supplement to learning in an advanced Instrumental Analytical Chemistry course. The video tutorial was based on “matrix effect” problem and it was designed by the instructor using audio narration from Powerpoint in the “screencast” mode. It was uploaded to the courses Web site portal (Blackboard Learn) at the University of Almería. The video has been shown to serve as a suitable learning that prepares students for laboratory more effectively, with an average of 70% more students answering questions correctly after watching the video than after receiving only teaching assistant instruction.[ES] El estudio que se presenta examina la incorporación de un video tutorial como un suplemento para el aprendizaje en un curso avanzado de Química Analítica Instrumental. El video tutorial se basó en el problema del “efecto matriz” y fue diseñado por el profesor utilizando narración de audio a partir de Powerpoint en la modalidad de “screencast”. También fue incorporado en la página Web de las asignaturas (Blackboard Learn) en la Universidad de Almería. El video demostró ser adecuado para preparar a los estudiantes de laboratorio más efectivamente, con un 70% más de estudiantes que respondieron correctamente las cuestiones después de la visualización del video, en comparación a cuando solamente recibieron la explicación del profesor en clase.Parrilla Vázquez, P.; Gil Garcia, M.; Martínez Galera, M.; Martínez Bueno, M. (2017). Diseño de un video tutorial para la mejora del aprendizaje de conceptos y procedimientos difíciles en el Área de Química Analítica. En In-Red 2017. III Congreso Nacional de innovación educativa y de docencia en red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 2-14. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2017.2017.6717OCS21

Application of the Doehlert Design to Optimize the Signal Obtained in Photochemically Induced Fluorescence for the Determination of Eight Phenylureas

Abstract This work describes the optimization of a photochemically induced method for the detection of eight phenylureas has been developed by response surface methodology (RSM). These pesticides do not show native fluorescence but they were photolyzed into strongly fluorescent photoproducts under UV irradiation. The effect of the main variables affecting the yield of the photoderivatization reaction, and hence the fluorescence intensity, such as solvent, UV irradiation time and pH were optimized for each pesticide. A Doehlert design was applied in order to obtain maximum intensity fluorescence using response surface methodology. In general, a maximum was found for all pesticides using MeOH as organic solvent, except for diuron, whereas the effect of pH and irradiation time was different, according to each pesticide. Finally, the addition of β-cyclodextrin upon the photochemically induced fluorescence intensity was investigate. The fluorescence intensity was only improved for monolinuron at a concentration of 4×10 −3 M of β-cyclodextrin

SAlBi educa (Tailored Nutrition App for Improving Dietary Habits): Initial Evaluation of Usability

In recent years, the use of applications to improve dietary habits has increased. Although numerous nutrition apps are available on the market, only few have been developed by health and nutrition professionals based on scientific evidence and subsequently tested to prove their usability. The main objective of this study was to design, develop, and evaluate the usability of a tailored nutrition application to be used to promote healthy eating habits. In order to decide app design and content, three focus groups took place with fifteen professionals from primary healthcare, nutrition, and food science and computer science, as well as expert users. For the general and feedback message design, a reference model based on the scientific literature was developed. To address the multi-perspective approach of users' and external healthcare professionals' feedback, a one-day pilot testing with potential users and healthcare professionals was conducted with four focus groups. To evaluate the relevance and potential usability of the app a 1-month pilot test was conducted in a real-life environment. A total of 42 volunteers participated in the one-day pilot testing, and 39 potential users participated in the 1-month pilot test. The SAlBi educa app developed includes an online dietary record, a self-monitoring tool to evaluate dietary patterns, general and feedback messages, and examples of traditional Mediterranean recipes. The usability study showed that volunteers think that SAlBi educa is pleasant (59%) and easy to learn to use (94%). Over 84% of the volunteers declared that the nutritional messages were clear and useful. Volunteers stated that general and tailored recommendations, as well as self-monitoring, were SAlBi educa's most motivating and useful features. SAlBi educa is an innovative, user-friendly nutritional education tool with the potential to engage and help individuals to follow dietary habits based on the Mediterranean model.Junta de Andalucía PIN-0050-201

Short-Term Pilot Study to Evaluate the Impact of Salbi Educa Nutrition App in Macronutrients Intake and Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet: Randomized Controlled Trial

Promoting a healthy diet is a relevant strategy for preventing non-communicable diseases. This study aims to evaluate the impact of an innovative tool, the SAlBi educa nutrition app, in primary healthcare dietary counseling to improve dietary profiles as well as adherence to the Mediterranean diet. A multi-center randomized control trial comprising 104 participants was performed. Both control (n = 49) and intervention (n = 55) groups attended four once-weekly sessions focusing on healthy eating habits and physical activity, over one month. As well as attending the meetings, the intervention group used the app, which provides self-monitoring and tailored dietary advice based on the Mediterranean diet model. In a second intervention (one arm trial), the potential of SAlBi educa was evaluated for three months during the COVID-19 pandemic. At 4 weeks, the intervention group had significantly increased their carbohydrate intake (7.7% (95% CI: 0.16 to 15.2)) and decreased their total fat intake (−5.7% (95% CI: −10.4 to −1.15)) compared to the control group. Significant differences were also found for carbohydrates (3.5% (95% CI: −1.0 to 5.8)), total fats (−5.9% (95% CI: −8.9 to −3.0)), fruits and vegetables (266.3 g/day (95% CI: 130.0 to 402.6)), legumes (7.7g/day (95% CI: 0.2 to 15.1)), starchy foods (36.4 g/day (95% CI: 1.1 to 71.7)), red meat (−17.5 g/day (95% CI: −34.0 to −1.1)), and processed meat (−6.6 g/day (95% CI: −13.1 to −0.1)) intakes during the COVID-19 pandemic. SAlBi educa is a useful tool to support nutrition counseling in primary healthcare, including in special situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Trial registration: ISRCTN57186362.Consejería de Salud y Familia, Junta de Andalucía (Innovative Project in Health) grant number PIN-0050-2018

The evolution of the ventilatory ratio is a prognostic factor in mechanically ventilated COVID-19 ARDS patients

Background: Mortality due to COVID-19 is high, especially in patients requiring mechanical ventilation. The purpose of the study is to investigate associations between mortality and variables measured during the first three days of mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19 intubated at ICU admission. Methods: Multicenter, observational, cohort study includes consecutive patients with COVID-19 admitted to 44 Spanish ICUs between February 25 and July 31, 2020, who required intubation at ICU admission and mechanical ventilation for more than three days. We collected demographic and clinical data prior to admission; information about clinical evolution at days 1 and 3 of mechanical ventilation; and outcomes. Results: Of the 2,095 patients with COVID-19 admitted to the ICU, 1,118 (53.3%) were intubated at day 1 and remained under mechanical ventilation at day three. From days 1 to 3, PaO2/FiO2 increased from 115.6 [80.0-171.2] to 180.0 [135.4-227.9] mmHg and the ventilatory ratio from 1.73 [1.33-2.25] to 1.96 [1.61-2.40]. In-hospital mortality was 38.7%. A higher increase between ICU admission and day 3 in the ventilatory ratio (OR 1.04 [CI 1.01-1.07], p = 0.030) and creatinine levels (OR 1.05 [CI 1.01-1.09], p = 0.005) and a lower increase in platelet counts (OR 0.96 [CI 0.93-1.00], p = 0.037) were independently associated with a higher risk of death. No association between mortality and the PaO2/FiO2 variation was observed (OR 0.99 [CI 0.95 to 1.02], p = 0.47). Conclusions: Higher ventilatory ratio and its increase at day 3 is associated with mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving mechanical ventilation at ICU admission. No association was found in the PaO2/FiO2 variation

Effectiveness of an intervention for improving drug prescription in primary care patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy:Study protocol of a cluster randomized clinical trial (Multi-PAP project)

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias ISCIII (Grant Numbers PI15/00276, PI15/00572, PI15/00996), REDISSEC (Project Numbers RD12/0001/0012, RD16/0001/0005), and the European Regional Development Fund ("A way to build Europe").Background: Multimorbidity is associated with negative effects both on people's health and on healthcare systems. A key problem linked to multimorbidity is polypharmacy, which in turn is associated with increased risk of partly preventable adverse effects, including mortality. The Ariadne principles describe a model of care based on a thorough assessment of diseases, treatments (and potential interactions), clinical status, context and preferences of patients with multimorbidity, with the aim of prioritizing and sharing realistic treatment goals that guide an individualized management. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that implements the Ariadne principles in a population of young-old patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy. The intervention seeks to improve the appropriateness of prescribing in primary care (PC), as measured by the medication appropriateness index (MAI) score at 6 and 12months, as compared with usual care. Methods/Design: Design:pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial. Unit of randomization: family physician (FP). Unit of analysis: patient. Scope: PC health centres in three autonomous communities: Aragon, Madrid, and Andalusia (Spain). Population: patients aged 65-74years with multimorbidity (≥3 chronic diseases) and polypharmacy (≥5 drugs prescribed in ≥3months). Sample size: n=400 (200 per study arm). Intervention: complex intervention based on the implementation of the Ariadne principles with two components: (1) FP training and (2) FP-patient interview. Outcomes: MAI score, health services use, quality of life (Euroqol 5D-5L), pharmacotherapy and adherence to treatment (Morisky-Green, Haynes-Sackett), and clinical and socio-demographic variables. Statistical analysis: primary outcome is the difference in MAI score between T0 and T1 and corresponding 95% confidence interval. Adjustment for confounding factors will be performed by multilevel analysis. All analyses will be carried out in accordance with the intention-to-treat principle. Discussion: It is essential to provide evidence concerning interventions on PC patients with polypharmacy and multimorbidity, conducted in the context of routine clinical practice, and involving young-old patients with significant potential for preventing negative health outcomes. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02866799Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Sensitivity of the Cherenkov Telescope Array for probing cosmology and fundamental physics with gamma-ray propagation

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the new-generation ground-based observatory for $\gamma$-ray astronomy, provides unique capabilities to address significant open questions in astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. We study some of the salient areas of $\gamma$-ray cosmology that can be explored as part of the Key Science Projects of CTA, through simulated observations of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and of their relativistic jets. Observations of AGN with CTA will enable a measurement of $\gamma$-ray absorption on the extragalactic background light with a statistical uncertainty below 15% up to a redshift $z=2$ and to constrain or detect $\gamma$-ray halos up to intergalactic-magnetic-field strengths of at least 0.3pG. Extragalactic observations with CTA also show promising potential to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. The best limits on Lorentz invariance violation from $\gamma$-ray astronomy will be improved by a factor of at least two to three. CTA will also probe the parameter space in which axion-like particles could constitute a significant fraction, if not all, of dark matter. We conclude on the synergies between CTA and other upcoming facilities that will foster the growth of $\gamma$-ray cosmology