Correspondencia entre el modelo de estado colombiano y las necesidades del administrado

El artículo presenta un estudio sobre la relación existente entre el modelo de Estado y las necesidades del ciudadano comprendidas dentro de los fines estatales consagrados en los términos de la Constitución Política de Colombia y en el marco de su organización territorial. Del mismo modo, establece como la organización del Estado, en principio, debe obedecer a la adopción de un modelo que permita el cumplimiento de sus fines esenciales, en los términos de la norma superior. El centralismo, el federalismo y el regionalismo como modelos de organización territorial están en estrecha relación con la satisfacción de los intereses de los particulares

Transparency - a relevant ethical value for librarians?

Transparency, one of the features of institutional, business and all manner of (especially public) organizational activities, consists in allowing citizens access to information on in-house governance. As employees of public institutions, librarians should include that value in their codes of ethics and furnish users and society at large with information on their activities. This article investigates the presence of transparency in librarians codes of ethics. Of the 60 codes analyzed, only seven were found to contain such a reference, where it is interpreted to have a dual role or dimension: in providing access to the information generated by libraries themselves and as a vehicle for accessing other institutions information. The near absence of allusions to transparency in codes of ethics is an indication that it is not deemed by the profession to constitute an ethical value of any significance, in light of which the present findings serve as grounds for recommending that codes should be updated to include it.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain) (RTI2018-095187-B-I00)

Biological effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles. Implications at the Bio-Nano interface

Tesis Doctoral inédita leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología. Fecha de lectura: 15-09-2017Esta tesis tiene embargado el acceso al texto completo hasta el 15-03-2019This work has been possible due to the “Formación de Profesorado Universitario” fellowship (FPU 2012 program) of Ministerio de Educación, Gobierno de España (Ref: FPU12/01796), the research projects: CTM2013-45775-C2-1-R and CTM2013-45775-C2-2-R grants from MINECO and the Dirección General de Universidades e Investigación de la Comunidad de Madrid Research Network S2013/MAE-2716

Taxonomic review of the coral Porites colonensis (Scleractinia: Poritidae) in the Colombian Caribbean

Porites colonensis is a coral from the Caribbean Sea; colonies are foliaceous, undulated, and plate-like. Polyps are dark brown or red with small bright white or green centers; Pali are present in corallites and the septal plan is bisymmetrical, conformed by three fused ventral septa, a dorsal solitary septum, and two pairs of lateral septa at each side of the dorso-ventral axis. P. colonensis is similar and can be confused with the smooth varieties of Porites astreoides and Porites branneri. There are three specimens collected from Colombia and previously identified as P. colonensis: one from Golfo de Urabá (Darién ecoregion), other from Islas del Rosario (Coralline Archipelagos ecoregion), and another from an unspecified locality, in addition to one published observation from the Golfo de Urabá without collected specimens. A recent finding of other specimens in the Tayrona National Natural Park (TNNP, Tayrona ecoregion) and the absence of a rigorous taxonomic revision for all specimens collected from Colombia showed that it was necessary to review the presence and distribution of P. colonensis in the Colombian Caribbean. A taxonomic review was done for all specimens collected from Colombia and previously identified as P. colonensis. Then, the morphologic variability of specimens that were confirmed as P. colonensis was described. Only the specimens from TNNP agreed with the holotype description of P. colonensis, while others agreed with flat varieties of P. astreoides. Thus, the presence of P. colonensis is confirmed for the first time for Colombia, but its presence in other Colombian localities outside Tayrona ecoregion could not be demonstrated. This is the only confirmed record of this species for the South American continental shelf. Furthermore, the skeletal characteristics of Colombian P. colonensis corallites showed large variability, exceeding the ranges previously described for the species

COMENTARIOS SOBRE EL ARTÍCULO: “AGENTES RELACIONADOS A INFECCIÓN DE SITIO OPERATORIO EN ADULTOS MAYORES POS OPERADOS EN EL CENTRO MÉDICO NAVAL, 2013 – 2017”: COMMENTS ON THE ARTICLE: “AGENTS RELATED TO INFECTION OF THE OPERATING SITE IN POSTOPERATED MAJOR ADULTS IN THE NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER, 2013 - 2017”

After reading this article with interest published by Hidalgo et al regarding agents related to the surgical site infection (SSI) in elderly between the years 2013 and 2017; we found the consideration of certain relevant determinants related to clinical and surgical aspects. These determinants are useful since they are taken as reference in future research work. Nevertheless, we would like to emphasize the necessity to incorporate some other relevant variables as possible determinants to control such as those related to nutritional status specifically hemoglobin and preoperative albumin levels since in our country this kind of pathologies is common. In different countries, SSI is one of the most deadly and costly complications increasing mortality from 2 to 11 times and the cost to 14.2 million dollars in surgeries4. In Peru, from 15 000 nosocomial infections, 30, 9 % are from an surgical wound5. It is important to know the details of this theme because it contributes to a highly reversible social and economic problem.Tras leer con interés el artículo publicado por Hidalgo et al, referente a los agentes relacionados a infección de sitio operatorio (ISO) en adultos mayores post operados en el centro médico naval entre los años 2013 y2017; encontramos la consideración de ciertos determinantes de relevancia relacionados al aspecto clínico y quirúrgico. Estos determinantes son útiles, ya que pueden ser tomados como referencia en trabajos de investigación a futuro. Sin embargo, nos gustaría enfatizar la necesidad de incorporar algunas otras variables de relevancia como posibles determinantes a controlar, como lo son las relacionadas al estado nutricional, en específico los niveles de hemoglobina y albumina pre operatoria, ya que en nuestro país este tipo de patologías son habituales. La ISO es una de las complicaciones más mortales y costosas en diferentes países, llegando hasta a incrementar la mortalidad de 2 a 11 veces y, aumentando el costo hasta 14,2 millones de dólares en cirugías. En el Perú, de 15 000 infecciones intrahospitalarias, el 30,9% son de sitio operatorio. Es importante conocer los detalles de este tema debido a que constituye un problema social y económico altamente reversible

An easy way to distinguish DNA from protein: an experiment for general chemistry.

We propose a classroom experiment to complement a classroom activity described by Ellis et al. in this Journal. In the Ellis activity students extracted long polymer fibers from the cells of common foods. In this experiment, the identity of the long polymer fibers as either DNA or protein can be determined by doing three accessible, inexpensive, and easy tests. Two of the tests, temperature and the acid-medium effect, are based on the physicochemical properties of DNA (reversible denaturalization), and the third test is a qualitative determination of proteins (absent in DNA). The results of these three tests provide evidence to distinguish the isolated molecule of DNA from proteins that might look like DNA

Estudio de la implementación de la política pública de primera infancia en el colegio Toberín en el periodo 2016-2018

Con el propósito de evidenciar la implementación de la política pública de primera infancia, el documento presenta el caso de estudio para la Institución Educativa Distrital, Colegio Toberín, de la Secretaría de Educación Distrital de Bogotá en el periodo 2016 - 2018. Para esto, se abordan el estudio de los aspectos relacionados con cobertura, salud, nutrición e infraestructura en la institución educativa. En la última etapa del documento, se harán algunas recomendaciones para mejorar el servicio ofrecido a los niños y niñas en el Colegio, y mejorar, así mismo los resultados de la política de primera infancia en la institución.With the purpose of demonstrating the implementation of early childhood public policy, the document presents the case study of the District Educational Institution, Colegio Toberín, of the District Education Secretariat of Bogotá in the period 2016 - 2018. For this, it will be addressed the study of the aspects related to coverage, health, nutrition and infrastructure in the educational institution. In the last stage of the document, some recommendations will be made to improve the service offered to children in the School, likewise to improve the results of early childhood policy in the institution

Voluntary Transparency in Spanish University Libraries

The research reported here aimed to ascertain the degree of transparency exhibited by Spanish public university libraries based on their active public disclosure practice. Transparency was measured by applying the TransPa_BA tool to the transparency- related information published by the country's 50 public university libraries on their websites. The tool addresses 21 indicators grouped under eight areas, used in this study to measure university libraries' public disclosure performance. The data collected were scored pursuant to the provisions of Spanish Act 19/2013 of 9 December on Transparency, Access to Public Information and Good Governance as adapted to university libraries, as well as in terms of other factors scantly developed in or omitted from the Act. The indicators and their respective parameters (content, form, accessibility, reusability, dating and updating or validity) constitute guidelines enabling libraries to enhance transparency and accountability by reporting their activities and practice in key areas to society in general and their stakeholders in particular. The objective is to help such institutions operate more transparently, for the information afforded by the indicators is deemed relevant to their activity while also monitoring their performance. The findings show that university libraries, which have become more transparent over time, are more transparent than other information units (national public libraries and historic and university archives). Some were nonetheless found to have room for improvement. On the grounds of their scores, these libraries can be classified under three headings: transparent, translucent or opaque. The parameters where good practices were most frequently identified included service usage rules and regulations, user charters and the annual report.This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities under project RTI2018-095187-B-100

Nanoplastic toxicity towards freshwater organisms

The fragmentation of plastic litter into smaller fragments, known as microplastics and nanoplastics, as well as their toxicity and environmental distribution have become issues of high concern. Furthermore, the popularization of bioplastics as a greener substitute of conventional plastics represents a challenge for the scientific community in view of the limited information concerning their potential environmental impact. Here, we systematically review the recent knowledge on the environmental fate and toxicity of nanoplastics in freshwater environments, discuss the results obtained thus far, and identify several knowledge gaps. The sources and environmental behaviors of nanoplastics are presented considering in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies with a focus on real exposure scenarios. Their effects on organisms are classified based on their impact on primary producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers. This review covers the main results published in the last four years, including all relevant experimental details and highlighting the most sensitive toxicity endpoints assessed in every study. We also include more recent results on the potential environmental impact of biodegradable plastics, a type of material belonging to the category of bioplastics for which there are still scarce data. This review identifies a need to perform studies using secondary nanoplastics rather than synthetic commercial materials as well as to include other polymers apart from polystyrene. There is also an urgent need to assess the possible risk of nanoplastics at environmentally realistic concentrations using sublethal endpoints and long-term assay

Luminescent microbial bioassays and microalgal biosensors as tools for environmental toxicity evaluation

This chapter deals with toxicity bioassays and biosensors based on luminescent microorganisms that report on global toxicity of a sample in such a way that luminescence is reduced or inhibited in the presence of toxic compounds that impair metabolism. Both natural as well as recombinant microorganisms are considered. A detailed description of their main characteristics and environmental applications is reported. A few examples of bioassays for detecting oxidative stress (both bioluminescent and fluorescent bioreporters) are also mentioned and discussed as reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and subsequent oxidative stress if the antioxidant defenses of the cells are surpassed is one of the main mechanisms of toxicity for most pollutants. There is also a section dedicated to microalgal–based biosensors given their ecological relevance as primary producers, their easiness of culture and immobilization in different matrices, ability to acclimate to low nutrients conditions and ubiquity in aquatic environments. The most used toxicity endpoints for this type of biosensors are the alteration of photosynthetic activity (optical and amperometric biosensors) and the inhibition of enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase (APA) or sterases (mostly conductometric biosensors). The main information is shown in tables that include the microorganisms, their main characteristics (reporter gene systems, transducer types for biosensors) and their main environmental applications as well as relevant references. Although some of these bioassays have already been standardized by different international organizations, there are still many which are also promising tools for environmental global toxicity evaluation and should be fully validated and standardized for regulatory purposesThis research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), grant CTM2016-74927-C2-2-