España y los eurocódigos: la necesidad de converger

España, al igual que el resto de Europa, se encuentra ante un gran reto con la implantación progresiva de la versión definitiva de los Eurocódigos. Paradójicamente, la historicamente euroentusiasta España se encuentra hoy por hoy a la cola de los paises europeos en lo referente a su entusiasmo por los Eurocódigos. Mientras en muchos de los paises de nuestro entorno se abandonarán completamente las normas nacionales, a pesar del euroescepticismo de algunos (vease Reino Unido), España seguirá produciéndolas. Además de las razones políticas y estratégicas claras para que España apueste decididamente por la implantación de los Eurocódigos, en este trabajo se presentan razones técnicas basadas en un estudio comparativo del diseño resultante de varias estructuras, de diversa tipología, diseñadas con la IAP/EHE/RPX y con los Eurocódigos

Professional practice models for nursing: A review of the literature and synthesis of key components

This review aimed to synthesise literature describing the development and/or implementation and/or evaluation of a professional practice model to determine the key model components. A professional practice model depicts nursing values and defines the structures and processes that support nurses to control their own practice and to deliver quality care. A review of English language papers published up to August 2014 identified 51 articles that described 38 professional practice models. Articles were subjected to qualitative analysis to identify the concepts common to all professional practice models. Key elements of professional practice models were theoretical foundation and six common components: leadership; nurses' independent and collaborative practice; environment; nurse development and reward; research/innovation; and patient outcomes. A professional practice model provides the foundations for quality nursing practice. This review is an important resource for nurse leaders who seek to advance their organisation in a journey for excellence through the implementation of a professional practice model. This summary of published professional practice models provides a guide for nurse leaders who seek to develop a professional practice model. The essential elements of a professional practice model; theoretical foundation and six common components, are clearly described. These elements can provide the starting point for nurse leaders' discussions with staff to shape a professional practice model that is meaningful to direct care nurses

Protein Content and Oil Composition of Almond from Moroccan Seedlings: Genetic Diversity, Oil Quality and Geographical Origin

The protein and oil content and the fatty acid profile of the kernels of selected almond genotypes from four different Moroccan regions were determined in order to evaluate the kernel quality of the plant material of these different regions. The ranges of oil content (48.7–64.5 % of kernel DW), oleic (61.8–80.2 % of total oil), linoleic (11.4–27.0 %), palmitic (5.6–7.7 %), stearic (1.3–3.1 %), and palmitoleic (0.4–0.9 %) acid percentages agreed with previous results of other almond genotypes, but the protein content (14.1–35.1 % of kernel DW) showed that some genotypes had higher values than any previously recorded in almond. Some genotypes from mountainous regions showed kernels with very high oil content as well as high and consistent oleic and linoleic ratio, establishing a possible differentiation according to the geographical origin. These differences may allow establishing a geographical denomination for almond products. In terms of genetic diversity, oleic and linoleic acids were confirmed to be the most variable components of almond oil chemical composition among genotypes. Additionally, the genotypes with extreme favorable values, such as high protein content, could be incorporated into an almond breeding program aiming at an increase in kernel quality.Peer ReviewedPrunus amygdalusProtein contentOil contentFatty acidsQualityGenetic resourcesBreedingPublishe

Describing the Essentials of Magnetism and Quality in Home Health

The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine what Home Health nurses perceived to be the Essentials of Magnetism (EOM), the degree to which the EOM exists within each Home Health agency (HHA), and whether there was a relationship between quality HHAs and their scores on the EOM. HHAs were determined to be high or low quality agencies based on their published Home Health Compare results as obtained on the Medicare.gov website. The system research organizing model (SROM) was used as an organizing framework for this study.Research in this study was conducted with two different sets of RNs in two different phases. The first phase of RNs (N = 106) determined what Home Health nurses perceived to be the EOM from the 37-item Dimensions of Magnetism (DOM) instrument. The results showed that 7 of the top 8 EOM items chosen by the Home Health nurses were the same EOM items chosen by acute care nurses in previous studies. A test retest of the top 10 items revealed a high level of reliability (Spearman-Brown correlation of .77).Phase Two RNs (N = 125) determined the degree to which the EOM existed in each HHA and whether there was a significant difference between high and low quality agencies. RNs were given the new 10-item EOM instrument and were asked to rank each of the items based on the degree of its presence in their current work environment. The results showed that low quality agencies had a lower and better mean score (M = 1.40, SD = .34) than did higher quality agencies (M = 1.67, SD = .48). An independent sample t-test was significant t (110.91) = -3.63, p = .00, which is counter to the literature.While the results were not as expected, the high reliability of the instrument suggests that it is a reliable measure of attributes perceived by RNs that allow them to provide quality patient care. Several issues identified with the outcome variables such as time sensitivity and validity may provide some explanation of the results

STUDY ON THE PIGS INFECTED WITH VIRULENT TESCHEN DISEASE VIRUS (KNM STRAIN) WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE

Conventional pigs of 4-week-old were infected with KNM strain of virulent Teschen disease virus by intracerebral (IC), intranasal (IN) and contact (CT) routes. The pigs of the IC group showed a very clear relation among clinical signs, virus multiplication and antibody production. Six days after infection (DAI), half the number of group pigs showed sudden neural disorders, the first multiplicated viral antigens were seen in the brain by the fluorescent antibody (FA) technique and the virus was first isolated from the serum sample. Seven DAI, all pigs examined showed the most abundant fluorescence in the central nervous system (CNS). Rapid decrease of fluorescence in the CNS, except for the thalami, occurredon the days following immediately. The pigs of the IN and the CT groups did not show such clear phases of infection. No neural disorders occurred in the CT group in particular. The pigs showed no fluorescence in the spinal cords, though vacuolated neurons were usually seen in the cords as they were also in the other 2 groups. After the middle stage of infection, all pigs showed fluorescence in the capillary endothelial cells of the brain. The most widespread appearance of fluorescence was commonly seen in the cerebellums. A number of Purkinje's cells of the cerebellums disappeared and the neurons in the spinal cords vacuolated in all pigs in the latter stage of infection. At this time, aggregated fluorescent neurons were often seen in the thalami. Appearance of fluorescence was usually less pronounced in the spinal cords. Abundant nonspecific fluorescent cells were found in the mesenteric lymph nodes and in the intestines. The relation between occurrence of fluorescence and of lesions described by some workers was further discussed