Measurement of the water vapor permeability of chitosan films: a laboratory experiment on food packaging materials

In recent years, the food industry has been undergoing major changes driven by new social and environmental demands. Nowadays, biodegradable packaging is perceived as the most feasible alternative for food packaging. Great efforts are being devoted to the development of new materials from agro-industrial wastes and byproducts that are opening new alternatives and trends in the biopolymer sector. The aim of this laboratory exercise is to provide a tool to motivate active learning of new technologies and trends in the chemistry of biopolymers. The presented guide introduces to undergraduate students to the basic concepts of polysaccharide-based biopolymers and the characterization of functional properties. This exercise is focused on barrier properties, specifically on water vapor permeability. Chitosan is used as an example of a biopolymeric matrix, and its synthesis and water vapor permeability measurement are described in detail. In addition, a guide for the 3D printing of a temperature-controlled permeability chamber is provided, which will allow the experiment to be carried out in less time as the equilibrium state of the system is not broken when the permeability cup is weighed. It is expected that this exercise and the complementary Supporting Information will be of great interest to biopolymer teaching and research laboratoriesThe authors appreciate the funding support of Xunta de Galicia, within the postdoctoral fellowship granted to Patricia Cazón (ED481B-2021-040)S

Design of a low-cost mobile application for library networks

Se presenta el desarrollo de una aplicación móvil de bajo costo para una red de bibliotecas. Existe una necesidad de aplicaciones que proporcionen servicio a los usuarios de las bibliotecas de acuerdo con los usos actuales,fidelizando a los usuarios y simplificando el acceso recurrente a múltiples sitios web. Se utiliza la Red Valenciana de Lectura Pública como estudio de caso para ilustrar la propuesta. El punto de partida es un proceso analítico relativo a las características de la entidad y los requisitos de la aplicación móvil. Para el desarrollo de la aplicación se comparan diferentes plataformas para la construcción de aplicaciones móviles. A continuación, se evalúa el producto final en relación con la eficiencia y la facilidad de uso. Los resultados indican que la utilización de una aplicación, que integra la información en un único punto, mejora el rendimiento en términos de tiempo de búsqueda y tasa de error. La principal contribución de este trabajo destaca las apps como servicios complementarios a los sitios web para redes de bibliotecas en términos de centralización de información y servicios, y para la fidelización de los usuarios.The development of a low-cost mobile application for a library network is presented. These apps are needed to support the uses made by library users, to improve user loyalty, and to facilitate the recurrent access to multiple websites. The Valencian Public Reading Network is used as a case study to illustrate the approach. The starting point is an analytical process regarding the characteristics of the entity and the requirements of the mobile application. For the development of the application, different platforms for the construction of apps are compared. Then, the final product is evaluated in relation to efficiency and usability. The results indicate that the use of an app, which integrates information from a single point, improves performance in terms of search time and error rate. The main contribution of this work highlights apps as complementary services to websites for library networks in terms of centralisation of information and services

Hypersaline Infusion Protocol through the Portal Vein may Focus Electroporation on Tumor Tissue, but is it really Safe? Preliminary Results

Introduction: Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) is highly dependent on the electrical conductivity of the tissue and the high conductivity of tumor tissue, which leads to a lower field than in the surrounding healthy tissue. Hypersaline Infusion (HI) through the portal vein focuses IRE on scattered liver tumors, by creating a differential conductivity between the different types of tissue. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of the HI protocol on the hepatic and histological biochemical results. Methods: Ten male Sprague Dawley rats were used for HI protocol. Blood samples were collected at pre-, immediately post-, 24-hrs, 72-hrs, 1-week and 3-weeks post-HI. All the animals were sacrificed after one-month follow-up in order to collect histological samples. Results: The mortality rate in this procedure reached 30% (3/10). Only the pH and transaminases at 24-hrs were significantly and directly linked to mortality (p=0.036 and p=0.004, respectively). The three non-surviving animals had a four-time higher AST level at 24-hrs. Natremia normalized at 24-hrs post-HI. Statistically significant differences were found in hepatic necrosis between the non-surviving (n=3) and surviving rats (n=7) (30.67 ± 10.97 vs. 2.86 ± 7.56% respectively, p=0.01). Discussion: HI through the portal system involves a significant risk of possibly lethal cytolysis and acidosis. Therefore, compensatory measures and a reduced saline overload are warranted to improve the survival rates

Desarrollo social como herramienta de combate a la pobreza urbana

Pensar en la estabilidad de la población es una tarea obligatoria por parte del Estado, por lo que buscar elementos renovados administrativamente hablando es un reto que en los albores del presente siglo no se ha logrado alcanzar, en pos de brindar nuevas rutas para la atención de las demandas y dinámica de la población es que aparece en la mesa el tema de la pobreza, que es el eje sobre el cual las administraciones federales deben girar sus principales acciones para generar estabilidad social. La generación de pensamiento crítico es uno de los elementos inherentes al desarrollo de las ciencias sociales y por lo tanto del proceso de investigación, por ello el presente documento postula la utilización innovadora de los saberes en pos de brindar insumos para ayudar a la toma de decisiones ilustrada por parte de los hacedores de políticas. La concepción de conocimiento compone un proceso dialéctico que busca identificar a los actores necesarios para diseñar acciones públicas más allá de lo paliativo, actores como los municipios que son la base de la administración pública nacional. Desde el punto de vista de la economía, la pobreza se ha definido tradicionalmente como la incapacidad del individuo para generar suficiente ingreso para satisfacer un conjunto de necesidades muy específicas. Sin embargo, en los últimos años existió una apertura conceptual que integró la dimensión subjetiva de la pobreza, lo que considera tanto las condiciones efectivas en que se encuentran los individuos, como la percepción que ellos mismo tienen de la situación. Hablar de pobreza es recocer no solo la carencia de ingresos sino su faceta multidimensional. Es así que, el gobierno desde finales del siglo pasado y todo lo que ha avanzado del S.XXI ha hecho de las políticas el eje central de sus administraciones, es por ello que este apartado hace un seguimiento a las acciones que durante dieciocho años la federación implementó para apoyar a un gran número de población en algún grado de pobreza

Cost-Effectiveness of Robotic vs. Laparoscopic Surgery for Different Surgical Procedures: Protocol for a Prospective, Multicentric Study (ROBOCOSTES)

Cost-effectiveness; Laparoscopic surgery; Multicenter studiesRendibilitat; Cirurgia laparoscòpica; Estudis multicèntricsRentabilidad; Cirugía laparoscópica; Estudios multicéntricosBackground: The studies which address the impact of costs of robotic vs. laparoscopic approach on quality of life (cost-effectiveness studies) are scares in general surgery. Methods: The Spanish national study on cost-effectiveness differences among robotic and laparoscopic surgery (ROBOCOSTES) is designed as a prospective, multicentre, national, observational study. The aim is to determine in which procedures robotic surgery is more cost-effective than laparoscopic surgery. Several surgical operations and patient populations will be evaluated (distal pancreatectomy, gastrectomy, sleeve gastrectomy, inguinal hernioplasty, rectal resection for cancer, Heller cardiomiotomy and Nissen procedure). Discussion: The results of this study will demonstrate which treatment (laparoscopic or robotic) and in which population is more cost-effective. This study will also assess the impact of previous surgical experience on main outcomes.Project PI20/00008, funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by the European Union

Publisher Correction : Pancreatic duct ligation reduces premalignant pancreatic lesions in a Kras model of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in mice

Correction to: Scientific Reports, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-74947-4, published online 27 October 2020 The original version of this Article contained a typographical error in the spelling of the author Patricia Sánchez- Velázquez, which was incorrectly given as Patricia Sánchez Velazquez. Additionally, the author Patricia Sánchez- Velázquez was incorrectly indexed. These errors have now been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the ArticleS

Análisis de las materias de ciencias básicas y su relación entre las ingenierías del tecnológico nacional de México

The basic sciences are considered the scientific support of every engineer, which makes necessary the integral formation in knowledge from times prior to entering engineering careers. The Tecnológico Nacional de México as an Institute that trains 41% most of the country's engineers, with the broadest coverage in engineering careers throughout the Mexican Republic, is the largest institution in Latin America. This document describes the relationship and distribution of the basic science subjects that contribute to the professional training of the various engineering courses taught, the impact they have during their career, taking the Technological Institute of Toluca as a case study, of which there is no a lot of difference with the rest of the sister technological institutes.Las ciencias básicas son consideradas el sustento científico de todo ingeniero, lo que hace necesaria la formación integral en el conocimiento desde tiempos previos al ingreso a las carreras de ingeniería. El Tecnológico Nacional de México como Instituto formador del 41% de los ingenieros del país, con la cobertura más amplia en las carreras de ingeniería a lo largo de la República Mexicana, es la institución de educación superior más grande en América Latina. El presente documento describe la relación y distribución de las materias de ciencias básicas que aportan a la formación profesional de las diversas ingenierías impartidas, el impacto que tienen durante su carrera, tomando como estudio de caso el Instituto Tecnológico de Toluca, del cual, no hay mucha diferencia con el resto de los Institutos tecnológicos hermano