Estudio experimental de caracterización de profármacos antirretrovirales

El projecte que es presenta a continuació, s’ha realitzat en el departament de Química Analítica de la Facultat de Química de la Universitat de Barcelona (UB). La seva finalitat, és caracteritzar alguns dels fàrmacs antirretrovirals mitjançant valoracions espectrofotométriques. Per portar-ho a terme, prèviament s’ha fet una recerca bibliogràfica sobre diferents aspectes del VIH com el seu cicle reproductiu, on actua cada fàrmac i algunes de les seves propietats. Seguidament, s’ha realitzat una part experimental, on s’han fet valoracions espectrofotométriques per a la determinació dels valors de pKa dels fàrmacs, utilitzant un nou mètode basat en una calibració interna mitjançant dos patrons diferents de valor de pKa conegut, fluorouracil i citarabina Els fàrmacs estudiats amb patró fluorouracil són els següents: • Zalcitabina • Emtricitabina • Tenofovir • Nevirapina I per el patró citarabina són: • Azidotimidina • Estavudina • Nelfinavir Una vegada obtinguts els resultats experimentals, s’han aplicat tractaments quimiomètrics, basats en la resolució multivariant de corbes per mínims quadrats alternats (MCR-ALS), utilitzant el programa informàtic Matlab. Finalment, els càlculs realitzats permeten obtenir els perfils de concentració i els espectres dels fàrmacs, així com calcular els valors de pKa dels mateixos

Competencia informacional de los estudiantes de enfermería del campus Terres de l'Ebre para buscar y seleccionar información académica en internet

Competencia informacional de los estudiantes de enfermería del Campus Terres de l' Ebre para buscar y seleccionar información académica en Internet. RESUMEN: El acceso a las nuevas tecnologías no garantiza, en ningún caso, una competencia informacional suficiente, ¿Se está capacitando a los estudiantes para interrogar, distinguir las fuentes más adecuadas para el asunto que se busque y a diferenciarlas críticamente? El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la competencia informacional en el uso de Internet como fuente de información académica, de estudiantes de enfermería, en la Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Tarragona-España. Se utilizó una metodología mixta, que combina los cuestionarios y la captura en vídeo del proceso de búsqueda de los estudiantes. Los resultados evidencian una formación universitaria escasa y un bajo nivel de implicación del profesorado, frente a un alto uso de la Red como medio de acceso a información académica por parte de los estudiantes y elevada autopercepción sobre su habilidad para utilizar este medio, a pesar de demostrar pobres estrategias de búsqueda y selección de información y la manifestación de importantes problemas relacionados con estos procesos.Nursing students from Campus Terres de l'Ebre informational competence to search and select academic information through Internet.ABSTRACT:Access to new technologies is not enough to ensure the acquisition of a good informational competence. Are we providing our students with a proper training to help them handle all the information they encounter with? The present study attempts to answer empirically to some of these questions and to evaluate the informational competence regarding the use of Internet as a source of academic information for nursing students at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Tarragona, Spain. To carry out this study we made use of a mixed methodology, combining questionnaires and video captures of the search process of students. The results show that there is little training during college education on this subject and a low level of involvement by teachers. This fact contrasts with a high use of the Internet on the student's part as a means of access to academic information and a high self-perception on the student's part regarding their skills and abilities to search. Evidences showed that despite their own beliefs students still demonstrate poor search strategies as well as scarce abilities to search and select information since and that there appeared important issues related to these processes

Assessment of the effects of decision aids about breast cancer screening: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies is to assess the effect of decision aids (DAs) in women aged 50 and below facing the decision to be screened for breast cancer. Setting: Screening for breast cancer. Intervention: DAs aimed to help women make a deliberative choice regarding participation in mammography screening by providing information on the options and outcomes. Eligible studies: We included published original, non-pilot, studies that assess the effect of DAs for breast cancer screening. We excluded the studies that evaluated only participation intention or actual uptake. The studies' risk of bias was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for RCTs and the National Institutes of Health Quality Assessment Tool for non-RCTs. Primary and secondary outcomes: The main outcome measures were informed choice, decisional conflict and/or confidence, and knowledge. Secondary outcomes were values, attitudes, uncertainty and intention to be screened. Results: A total of 607 studies were identified, but only 3 RCTs and 1 before-after study were selected. The use of DAs increased the proportion of women making an informed decision by 14%, 95% CI (2% to 27%) and the proportion of women with adequate knowledge by 12%, 95% CI (7% to 16%). We observed heterogeneity among the studies in confidence in the decision. The meta-analysis of the RCTs showed a significant decrease in confidence in the decision and in intention to be screened. Conclusions: Tools to aid decision making in screening for breast cancer improve knowledge and promote informed decision; however, we found divergent results on decisional conflict and confidence in the decision. Under the current paradigm change, which favours informed choice rather than maximising uptake, more research is necessary for the improvement of DAs

Coberta Experimental

Article de difusió de l'experiment dut a terme a la Coberta de l'edifici Mercé Rodoreda de la Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Aquest experiment, consisteix en la instal·lació i monitorització durant un any de 9 mostres de cobertes verdes, per verificar el seu comportament.There are many advantages which green roofs can provide existing buildings, such as: improved thermal performance, sound insulation, rainfall regulation, etc. Furthermore, they also offer the city itself numerous benefits; reducing the urban heat island effect, maintaining biodiversity and creating new green spaces for the people living and working there. Many of the properties of these green roof solutions have already been extensively studied in laboratories, but there are few experiments in which the behaviour of the various types of green roofs are subjected to real weather conditions, which are as variable as those found in the Mediterranean basin, and specifically in Barcelona, with its intense rainfall, periods of sporadic drought and abrupt temperature changes over short periods of time. For this reason we thought it would be interesting to track the behaviour of different green roof solutions “in situ” over the period of a year, converting the existing building cover into a “living-lab” allowing the verification of a series of parameters and the comparison of the various proposals under real outdoor conditions. This ongoing investigation which started in February 2015, has provided valuable information to both those involved in the project and anyone else who might be interested in such a solution. We would like to thank the initiative of the “Área Metropolitana de Barcelona” (AMB) for supporting environmental research projects in the field of construction, such as the one we are carrying out.Preprin

Co-education today: Reflections from feminist pedagogies to get a depatriarchate curriculum

Presentamos un texto construido desde el aporte metodológico analítico aplicado a obras y documentos legislativos de naturaleza educativa, aparecidos desde el primer tercio del siglo XX. Este análisis es derivado de un proyecto de investigación de naturaleza mixta* que ha tenido como uno de sus objetivos: trazar el recorrido histórico de la coeducación desde un plano teórico y otro más aplicado en el sistema educativo español. Se ha partido de la génesis teórica del término, desde los planteamientos pedagógicos de Margarita Comas (1892-1972) y Lorenzo Luzuriaga (1889-1959) para continuar con el análisis de algunos planes de estudio de la formación docente y los currículum educativos, todo ello realizado desde una perspectiva feminista. Como finali-dad, se pretende saber si se ha proyectado la coeducación en los actuales planes de formación de los profesionales de la educación, herramienta necesaria para trasladar el principio de igualdad como conocimiento científico a estos perfiles docentes, así como en las nuevas iniciativas curriculares que van surgiendo en nuestro país. Apoyándonos en el recorrido histórico por los avances de la coeducación en España, concluimos que la coeducación sigue siendo un reto a conseguir. Por ello, planteamos la propuesta de introducir las pedagogías feministas como campo de acción transformador para la despatriarcalización del currículumThis paper is built from the analytical contribution about legislative works and educational documents, since the first third of the 20th century. This analysis is derived from a research project of mixed nature that has had as a main goal: to draw the co-education historical course from two ways. One way more theoretical and another way more practice applied in the Spanish educational system. We have started from the theoretical genesis of the topic, with the pedagogical approaches of Margarita Comas (1892-1972) and Lorenzo Luzuriaga (1889-1959) and with the analysis of some teacher training programs and some educational curricula, all of this from a feminist point of view. As a final purpose of this paper is to know if the co-education has been projected in the teacher training plans, as well as in the new curricular initiatives that are emerging in our country; all of this is a necessary tool to transfer the equality principle as a scientific knowledge. This paper is supported in the Spanish co-educational historical issues, we conclude that co-education remains an important and actual educative challenge. That is why we propose to introduce feminist pedagogies as challenge to get a depatriarchate curriculu

Estudio experimental de caracterización de profármacos antirretrovirales

El projecte que es presenta a continuació, s’ha realitzat en el departament de Química Analítica de la Facultat de Química de la Universitat de Barcelona (UB). La seva finalitat, és caracteritzar alguns dels fàrmacs antirretrovirals mitjançant valoracions espectrofotométriques. Per portar-ho a terme, prèviament s’ha fet una recerca bibliogràfica sobre diferents aspectes del VIH com el seu cicle reproductiu, on actua cada fàrmac i algunes de les seves propietats. Seguidament, s’ha realitzat una part experimental, on s’han fet valoracions espectrofotométriques per a la determinació dels valors de pKa dels fàrmacs, utilitzant un nou mètode basat en una calibració interna mitjançant dos patrons diferents de valor de pKa conegut, fluorouracil i citarabina Els fàrmacs estudiats amb patró fluorouracil són els següents: • Zalcitabina • Emtricitabina • Tenofovir • Nevirapina I per el patró citarabina són: • Azidotimidina • Estavudina • Nelfinavir Una vegada obtinguts els resultats experimentals, s’han aplicat tractaments quimiomètrics, basats en la resolució multivariant de corbes per mínims quadrats alternats (MCR-ALS), utilitzant el programa informàtic Matlab. Finalment, els càlculs realitzats permeten obtenir els perfils de concentració i els espectres dels fàrmacs, així com calcular els valors de pKa dels mateixos

Response for light scattered in the ocular fundus from double-pass and Hartmann–Shack estimations

Double-pass (DP) and Hartmann--Shack (HS) are complementary techniques based on reflections of light in the ocular fundus that may be used to estimate the optical properties of the human eye. Under conventional data processing, both of these assessment modes provide information on aberrations. In addition, DP data contain the effects of scattering. In the ocular fundus, this phenomenon may arise from the interaction of light with not only the retina, but also deeper layers up to which certain wavelengths may penetrate. In this work, we estimate the response of the ocular fundus to incident light by fitting the deviations between DP and HS estimations using an exponential model. In measurements with negligible intraocular scattering, such differences may be related to the lateral spreading of light that occurs in the ocular fundus due to the diffusive properties of the media at the working wavelength. The proposed model was applied in young healthy eyes to evaluate the performance of scattering in such a population. Besides giving a parameter with information on the ocular fundus, the model contributes to the understanding of the differences between DP and HS estimations.Postprint (author's final draft

Self-assembly and properties of a discrete water-soluble Prussian blue analogue FeII/CoIII cube: confinement of a water molecule in aqueous solution

Novel types of water-soluble anionic cubic cages, K4[{CoIII(Me3-Tacn)}4{FeII(CN)6}4] and Na4[{CoIII(Me3-Tacn)}4{FeII(CN)6}4] (Me3-Tacn = 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane), were prepared by means of a mechanistically designed self-assembly process between [Co(Me3-Tacn)Cl3] and A4[FeII(CN)6] (M = Na or K), consisting of a rate-limiting outer-sphere redox step, followed by a fast substitution/inner-sphere redox reaction sequence. These compounds show remarkable stability in aqueous solution at different pH ranges, displaying neat protonation processes and reversible oxidation with peroxodisulfate to its neutral {FeIII4CoIII4} form. Furthermore, the cages behave as a robust and water-soluble molecular Prussian Blue analogue capable of encapsulating {Na-OH2}+ pairs and K+ cations in aqueous solution, with the cubic structure of the complex being preserved. Substitution of the {Na-OH2}+ pairs by K+ is easily accomplished, and the electrochemical properties of the sodium and potassium salts of the new cages have been found to be dramatically dependent on the encapsulated units

Informed choice in breast cancer screening: the role of education

[spa ] Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de recibir información sobre los beneficios y los efectos adversos del cribado del cáncer de mama en la elección informada, en función del nivel educativo. Método: Análisis secundario de un estudio experimental aleatorizado y controlado, en cuatro programas de cribado en Cataluña˜ y Canarias. Se analizaron 400 mujeres que iban a ser invitadas a participar por primera vez. El grupo de intervención recibió una herramienta informativa que mostraba los beneficios y los efectos adversos del cribado. El grupo control recibió un folleto estándar que recomendaba participar en el cribado. El nivel de estudios se agrupó en dos categorías: bajo y alto. La variable principal fue la elección informada definida como un conocimiento adecuado y la concordancia entre las actitudes y las intenciones. Resultados: La intervención produjo un mayor aumento del conocimiento en las mujeres con nivel educativo alto respecto a las de menor nivel educativo. Entre las mujeres que recibieron la intervención, la elección informada fue casi tres veces superior en las de nivel educativo alto (27% vs. 11%). No se observaron diferencias entre niveles educativos en los grupos de intervención y control en cuanto a conflicto decisional, confianza en la decisión, ansiedad y preocupación por el cáncer de mama. Conclusiones: Una herramienta informativa para el cribado del cáncer de mama tuvo mucho más impacto sobre la elección informada en las mujeres con nivel educativo alto. En aquellas con nivel educativo bajo mejoró la actitud frente al cribado y produjo un aumento en la intención de participar en él. [eng] Conclusions: A decision aid for breast cancer screening had much more impact on informed choice among women with a high educational level. In women with low educational level, the attitude towards screening improved and there was an increase in the intention to be screened. Objective: To evaluate the effect of receiving information about the benefits and harms of breast cancer screening in informed choice, according to educational level. Method: Secondary analysis of a randomized, controlled study, in four screening programs, in Catalonia and the Canary Islands (Spain). We analyzed 400 women who were going to be invited to participate for the first time. The intervention group received a decision aid that showed the benefits and harms of screening. The control group received a standard brochure that recommended participating in the screening program. Educational level was grouped into two categories, low and high. The primary out- come was informed choice defined as adequate knowledge and consistency between attitudes and intentions. Results: The intervention produced a greater increase in knowledge in women with a high educational level compared to those with a lower educational level. Among women who received the intervention, informed choice was almost three times higher in those with a high educational level (27% versus 11%). No differences were observed between educational levels in decisional conflict, confidence in the decision, anxiety and worry about breast cancer, in the intervention and control groups