“Living in Trauma 24/7”: A qualitative exploration of factors contributing to secondary traumatic stress and burnout among student services professionals working with marginalized student populations

Higher education professionals are at risk of secondary traumatic stress (STS) as a result of supporting students experiencing trauma, while overwhelming workload, inadequate resources, and unclear role responsibilities may lead to burnout. This study explored contributing factors to STS and burnout and coping efforts among faculty, students, and staff working in a capacity in which they provide non-instructional support to programs or centers focusing on marginalized student populations. Participants (N=56) represented twenty-two U.S. regional universities, and were a subset of respondents to a larger mixed-methods study (n=559). Qualitative responses to three open-ended questions on challenges and coping efforts were analyzed using the Sort and Sift, Think and Sift method. Emerging themes were organized into three categories: 1) role challenges, 2) efforts to cope, 3) desired institutional resources. While personal self-care and social support were cited as beneficial coping mechanisms, participants emphasized these are reactive, rather than proactive, and are insufficient to overcome workload, trauma exposure, and other role challenges, thus contributing to turnover intentions and adverse mental health outcomes. Findings from this study will inform and provide guidance for proactive steps institutions can take to prevent and manage STS and burnout, and allocate resources to empower staff to fulfill role expectations and promote their well-being

La Evolución del Sector Agroforestal Vista a Través del Museo Rural Virtual de la UPM

La sociedad española fue hasta hace pocas décadas una sociedad rural, con más de la mitad de su población viviendo en el medio rural y del medio rural. La rápida evolución social ha provocado que en un corto espacio de tiempo este tipo de vida haya pasado a ser histórico y, dada la importancia que tuvo, es imprescindible conservarlo. El Museo Rural Virtual de la UPM que se expone en el presente trabajo tiene como objetivo mostrar todos aquellos aspectos del mundo rural que hoy en día ya son historia y para ello emplea como instrumento la creación de una base de datos (página web) que contiene información gráfica y textual de diversos aspectos de las formas de vida y de trabajo en el medio rural. En él pueden consultarse elementos relativos a maquinaria agrícola, herramientas y aperos agrícolas, industrias agroalimentarias, maquinarias y elementos riego, arquitectura rural, unidades y útiles de medida, tractores, agrimensura y etnobotánica, así como una recopilación bibliográfica, videoteca y otros documentos y enlaces de interés en los que se ha incorporado información sobre diversos Museos Etnográficos y de Usos y Costumbres

Elaboración de guías docentes atractivas: Formato Web

La Guía Docente supone una herramienta básica del Sistema Europeo de transferencia de créditos para alcanzar el objetivo de “promover la cooperación europea en garantía de calidad mediante el desarrollo de metodologías y criterios comparables” (Declaración de Bolonia). El profesorado responsable de las asignaturas debe diseñarlas como un instrumento al servicio del estudiante, a quien debe ofrecérsele la suficiente información para que conozca qué es lo que debe aprender, cómo se va a desarrollar el proceso de enseñanza‐aprendizaje y cómo va a ser evaluado. La información que se transmite al alumno debe ser clara y concisa. Por ese motivo el Grupo de Innovación Educativa “TIDAFIA” de la UPM está desarrollando guías docentes en formato web con el fin de conseguir estructuras precisas, atractivas y de fácil navegabilidad, más acorde con el objetivo de las Universidades Españolas de potenciar la incorporación de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en el Sistema Universitario Español (UNIVERSITIC 2008

Sex-Specific Relationships of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour with Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Markers in Young Adults

This study aims to analyse sex-specific associations of physical activity and sedentary behaviour with oxidative stress and inflammatory markers in a young-adult population. Sixty participants (21 women, 22.63 ± 4.62 years old) wore a hip accelerometer for 7 consecutive days to estimate their physical activity and sedentarism. Oxidative stress (catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, malondialdehyde, and advanced oxidation protein products) and inflammatory (tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6) markers were measured. Student t-tests and single linear regressions were applied. The women presented higher catalase activity and glutathione concentrations, and lower levels of advanced protein-oxidation products, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6 than the men (p < 0.05). In the men, longer sedentary time was associated with lower catalase activity (β = −0.315, p = 0.04), and longer sedentary breaks and higher physical-activity expenditures were associated with malondialdehyde (β = −0.308, p = 0.04). Vigorous physical activity was related to inflammatory markers in the women (tumour necrosis factor-alpha, β = 0.437, p = 0.02) and men (interleukin−6, β = 0.528, p < 0.01). In conclusion, the women presented a better redox and inflammatory status than the men; however, oxidative-stress markers were associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviours only in the men. In light of this, women could have better protection against the deleterious effect of sedentarism but a worse adaptation to daily physical activity.This work was partly supported by Universidad de Cádiz (grant number PR2016-051 and PR2019-054), by Instituto de Investigación e Innovación Biomédica de Cádiz (LI19/21IN-CO09), and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación) (MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033), grants PID2019-110063RA-I00 and PID2020-120034RA-I00. J.C.-P. is supported by a predoctoral grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación) (grant number FPU19/02326). D.V.-D is funded by the Margarita Salas Postdoctoral Program from European Union Next GenerationEU and University of Cádiz. Partial funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málag

Improvement of the Crystallization Process

En una planta de producción de Heptaflurotalato de potasio KEMET de México se presenta actualmente un problema de rendimiento por cada lote, ya que este es menor de lo esperado el cual se tiene como uno de las metadas de produccion de la empresa. Por tanto, el objetivo es lograr alcanzar la meta de rendieminto por cada lote. Para esto se opta por utilizar herramientas estadisticas asi como tambien un plan avanzado utilizando herramientas de la metodologia six sigma, recopilando los datos historicos del proceso para su analisis, los cuales estaran enfocados en una parte del proceso llamado Cristalización. Dicho parte del proceso es donde se logra observar a detalle el decremento del rendieminto por cada lote, de esta manera utilizando la informacion recopilada se definen cuales son las principales variables que se pueden controlar y/o lo que se requiere para que estas variables entren dentro de los rangos de control; mejorando el rendimiento por cada lote de producción.In a KEMET potassium heptaflurothalate production plant in Mexico, there is currently a yield problem for each batch, as it is lower than expected, which is one of the company's production goals. Therefore, the goal is to achieve the performance target for each batch. For this, it was decided to use statistical tools as well as an advanced plan using six sigma methodology tools, collecting historical data of the process for analysis, which will be focused on a part of the process called Crystallization. This part of the process is where the decrease in performance of each batch can be observed in detail. In this way, based on the information collected, the main variables that can be controlled and/or what is required for said variables to be included are defined in control ranges; improving the performance of each production batch

Microenvironmental hCAP-18/LL-37 promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by activating its cancer stem cell compartment

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Microenvironmental hCAP-18/LL-37 promotes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma by activating its cancer stem cell compartment. Gut 64.12 (2015): 1921-1935 and which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2014-308935OBJECTIVES: The tumour stroma/microenvironment not only provides structural support for tumour development, but more importantly it provides cues to cancer stem cells (CSCs) that regulate their self-renewal and metastatic potential. This is certainly true for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC), where tumour-associated fibroblasts, pancreatic stellate cells and immune cells create an abundant paracrine niche for CSCs via microenvironment-secreted factors. Thus understanding the role that tumour stroma cells play in PDAC development and CSC biology is of utmost importance. DESIGN: Microarray analyses, tumour microarray immunohistochemical assays, in vitro co-culture experiments, recombinant protein treatment approaches and in vivo intervention studies were performed to understand the role that the immunomodulatory cationic antimicrobial peptide 18/LL-37 (hCAP-18/LL-37) plays in PDAC biology. RESULTS: We found that hCAP-18/LL-37 was strongly expressed in the stroma of advanced primary and secondary PDAC tumours and is secreted by immune cells of the stroma (eg, tumour-associated macrophages) in response to tumour growth factor-β1 and particularly CSC-secreted Nodal/ActivinA. Treatment of pancreatic CSCs with recombinant LL-37 increased pluripotency-associated gene expression, self-renewal, invasion and tumourigenicity via formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2)- and P2X purinoceptor 7 receptor (P2X7R)-dependent mechanisms, which could be reversed by inhibiting these receptors. Importantly, in a genetically engineered mouse model of K-Ras-driven pancreatic tumourigenesis, we also showed that tumour formation was inhibited by either reconstituting these mice with bone marrow from cathelicidin-related antimicrobial peptide (ie, murine homologue of hCAP-18/LL-37) knockout mice or by pharmacologically inhibiting FPR2 and P2X7R. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, hCAP-18/LL-37 represents a previously unrecognised PDAC microenvironment factor that plays a critical role in pancreatic CSC-mediated tumourigenesis.CH: ERC Advanced Investigator Grant (Pa-CSC 233460), European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n° 256974 (EPC-TM-NET) and n° 602783 (CAM-PaC), the Subdirección General de Evaluación y Fomento de la Investigación, Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria (PS09/02129 & PI12/02643) and the Programa Nacional de Internacionalización de la I+D, Subprogramma: FCCI 2009 (PLE2009-0105; both Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (es), Spain), BSJr: Rámon y Cajal Merit Award from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Spain and Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) grant from the Cancer Research Institute, NY, NY. MC: La Caixa Predoctoral Fellowshi

Proteasuria: The Link between Physiopathogenesis and Edema Management in Nephrotic Syndrome?

Nephrotic syndrome is a pathology characterized by severe proteinuria, hypoalbuminemia, dyslipidemia, and edema. Edema has classically been associated with an alteration of the forces that govern Starling’s principle. However, some proteins eliminated in excess in the urine (proteasuria) can activate the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), favoring sodium retention and edema. The α- and γ-ENaC subunits are activated by releasing inhibitory segments that favor the probability of channel opening. Some proteases that have been investigated include plasmin, prostasin, transmembrane protease serine 4, cathepsin, and neutrophil elastases. Therapeutic strategies include water and sodium restriction in the diet, appropriate dosing of diuretics (loop, thiazides, or acetazolamide), and in severe cases, mechanical ultrafiltration. Due to the continuous activation of ENaC in nephrotic syndrome, amiloride is an attractive diuretic strategy that has been shown to be effective in some patients with an acceptable safety profile

New perspectives for the design of sustainable bioprocesses for phosphorus recovery from waste

Phosphate rock has long been used for the production of phosphorus based chemicals. However, considering the depletion of the reservoirs and the decrease of the quality of phosphate rocks, a potential market is now emerging for the recovery of phosphate from waste and its reuse for different applications. Notably, phosphate recovery from wastewater could be included in a circular economy approach. This review focuses on the use of microbial systems for phosphorus accumulation and recovery, by considering the actual range of analytical techniques available for the monitoring of phosphorus accumulating organisms, as well as the actual biochemical and metabolic engineering toolbox available for the optimization of bioprocesses. In this context, knowledge gathered from process, system and synthetic biology could potentially lead to innovative process design