System dynamics modelling in systems biology and applications in pharmacology

El modelado matemático de sistemas biológicos complejos es uno de los temas clave en la Biología de Sistemas y varios métodos computacionales basados ​​en la simulación computarizada han sido aplicados hasta ahora para determinar el comportamiento de los sistemas no lineales. La Dinamica de Sistemas es una metodología de modelado intuitivo basada en el razonamiento cualitativo por el cual un modelo conceptual se puede describir como un conjunto de relaciones de causa y efecto entre las variables de un sistema. A partir de esta estructura, es posible obtener un conjunto de ecuaciones dinámicas que describan cuantitativamente el comportamiento del sistema. Centrándose en los sistemas farmacológicos, el modelado compartimental a menudo se utiliza para resolver un amplio espectro de problemas relacionados con la distribución de materiales en los sistemas vivos en la investigación, el diagnóstico y la terapia en todo el cuerpo, los órganos y los niveles celulares. En este artículo presentamos la metodología de modelado de Dinámica del Sistema y su aplicación al modelado de un modelo compartimental farmacocinético-farmacodinámico del efecto de profundidad anestésica en pacientes sometidos a intervenciones quirúrgicas, derivando un modelo de simulación en el entorno de simulación orientada a objetos OpenModelica. La Dinamica de Sistemas se puede ver como una herramienta educativa poderosa y fácil de usar y en la enseñanza de Biología de Sistemas.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Satisfaction with the Care Received and the Childbirth and Puerperium Experience in Christian and Muslim Pregnant Women

Over the last three decades, there has been an increase in the population as a result of the migratory flow due to the arrival of migrants to Spain, including young women of childbearing age and with reproductive capacity. This phenomenon has made childbirth assistance an extremely important priority in recent years. The aim of this study was to assess the satisfaction and experience during childbirth and the postpartum period in pregnant women according to their religion after assistance in a tertiary hospital. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 242 women using the validated Spanish version of the Mackey Childbirth Satisfaction Rating Scale (MCSRS) to measure satisfaction with the childbirth experience during the months of January to April 2021. Statistically significant differences were found in the domains of birth satisfaction (p < 0.01), satisfaction with the obstetrician (p < 0.01), and perception of pain during labour (p < 0.01). The Christian group of women scored higher in these three domains as compared to the Muslim group. The rate of breastfeeding at birth was 5.26 times higher among the Muslim group compared to the Christian group (p = 0.02). The experience of childbirth and the puerperium significantly influenced the levels of satisfaction of pregnant women with the process of childbirth in a different way according to the religious culture of the patient

Adaptación y motivación escolar: análisis de la influencia del consumo de medios electrónicos de comunicación por adolescentes

The influence that the use of different electronic media can have in the juvenile population’s school grade performance is a worrisome topic in which discrepancies exist in the results, so that conclusions or definitive agreements are not reached. The objective of this work is to offer an answer to it. The sample consists of adolescents (N = 433) of both sexes from the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, from institutions of secondary education (urban and suburban). The design of descriptive character, tries to correlate success or academic failure —failure of subjects at the end of the school year—as well as the motivation for the study —time that the students dedicate to their academic tasks outside of class— with the use and consumption of different electronic communication media. The results offer the reality of the use and consumption of electronic media by our adolescents, while it impacts in the differential importance of the gender variable and it guides the research to establish the importance of both interpersonal resources to know other adolescents as well as their own economic and educational resources present in the context of family socialization.La influencia que puede tener en el rendimiento escolar de la población juvenil el uso de los distintos medios de comunicación electrónicos es un tema que preocupa y en el que existen discrepancias en los resultados, al mismo tiempo que no se alcanzan conclusiones o acuerdos definitivos. Ofrecer una respuesta a ello es el objetivo del presente trabajo. La muestra son adolescentes (N = 433), de ambos sexos, de la Comunidad Autónoma del Principado de Asturias, procedentes de centros de educación secundaria (urbanos y suburbanos). El diseño, de carácter descriptivo, trata de correlacionar el éxito o fracaso académico —suspensos de asignaturas a final de curso escolar—, así como la motivación para el estudio —tiempo que los escolares dedican a sus tareas académicas fuera del tiempo de clase—, con el uso y consumo de los diferentes medios electrónicos de comunicación. Los resultados ofrecen la realidad del uso y consumo de los medios de comunicación electrónicos por nuestros adolescentes, al mismo tiempo que incide en la importancia diferencial de la variable sexo y orienta la investigación a establecer la importancia tanto de los recursos interpersonales para conocer a otros adolescentes como de los propios económicos y educativos presentes en el contexto de socialización familiar

Responsabilidad y comportamiento antisocial del adolescente como factores asociados al rendimiento escolar

El éxito académico de los adolescentes se relaciona con el tiempo que dedican al estudio, determinado por su grado de responsabilidad, así como por el registro comportamental conflictivo. Por ello, este estudio ha relacionado el rendimiento escolar con el comportamiento antisocial y el nivel de responsabilidad de una muestra de 433 adolescentes asturianos (España) provenientes de diferentes centros educativos públicos. Para ello se han utilizado tres instrumentos de evaluación: un cuestionario que recoge información sobre el rendimiento escolar, un cuestionario de personalidad (Big-Five) y un inventario de conductas antisociales (ICA). Se comprobó que el comportamiento antisocial auto-informado por los adolescentes, y la variable individual de responsabilidad, inciden tanto en la adaptación escolar de nuestros adolescentes como en el interés por dedicar su tiempo al aprendizaje escolar. De igual forma, se analizan implicaciones y se indican futuras directrices para investigar. Palabras clave: Responsabilidad, conducta antisocial, rendimiento escolar, adolescentes.O sucesso escolar dos adolescentes está relacionado ao tempo que gastam em estudo, determinado pelo seu grau de responsabilidade, e pelo registro de comportamento conflituoso. Portanto, este estudo tem vinculado o desempenho escolar ao comportamento anti-social e o nível de responsabilidade de uma amostra de 433 adolescentes em Astúrias (Espanha), de diferentes escolas públicas. Utilizaram-se três instrumentos de avaliação: um questionário que coleta informação sobre o desempenho escolar, um questionário de personalidade (Big Five) e um inventário de comportamento anti-social (ICA). Verificou-se que o comportamento anti-social auto-informado pelos adolescentes e a variável individual de responsabilidade influenciam tanto na adaptação da escola dos adolescentes como no seu interesse para dedicar seu tempo ao aprendizado escolar. Da mesma forma, se discutem as implicações e sinalam-se direções futuras para pesquisa. Palavras-chave: responsabilidade, comportamento anti-social, desempenho escolar, adolescentesThe academic success of teenagers is related to the time that they devote to studying, which in turn is determined by their level of responsibility as well as for their record of troublesome behavior. Thus, this study aims at examining the relationship between school performance, antisocial behavior and level of responsibility in a sample of 433 teenagers from Asturia (Spain) who attended different public educational centers. With this purpose three assessment instruments were used: A questionnaire that gathers information about school performance; a personality questionnaire (Big-Five) and an inventory for antisocial behavior (ICA). Findings showed that the adolescents’ self-informed antisocial behavior and the individual variable of responsibility affect both the school adjustment of our teenagers as well as their interest to devote their time to school learning. The study analyzes the implications of these findings and shows some guidelines for future research in this field Key words: Responsibility, antisocial behavior, school performance, teenager

Dating violence: a bibliographic and bibliometric review

La dinámica de abuso en la edad adolescente y primera juventud facilita la violencia en las relaciones adultas. De ahí la prioridad para desarrollar instrumentos de evaluación que permitan la pronta intervención. Nuestro estudio marca un doble objetivo: realizar un análisis bibliométrico (según la productividad por año, país, idioma, revistas y autores) y un estudio de contenidos (creando un sistema de categorías a partir de las palabras clave de uso más frecuente) de la literatura sobre el tema. Un total de 1.724 artículos, publicados entre 2000 y 2010, incluyeron las palabras clave dating violence y/o intimate partner violence. Se encontró una tendencia ascendente en la productividad anual; un dominio de EE.UU. como país de publicación; el inglés como idioma de elección; una alta presencia de estudios centrados en muestras femeninas; y un alto interés de los autores más prolíficos por las consecuencias de la violencia de pareja sobre las víctimas. Se discuten los resultados.The abusive dynamics during adolescence and early adulthood may foster violence in adult relationships. Hence the priority to develop assessment tools for the early intervention. Our study addresses two objectives: a bibliometric analysis (productivity by year of publication, country, language, source and author ship) and a study of content (creating a system of categories based on the most frequently used keywords, and analyzing the contributions of the most prolific authors) on the literature. We included a total of 1724 articles published between 2000 and 2010 that presented dating violence and/or intimate partner violence among their keyword field. We found an upward trend in yearly productivity; a dominance of U.S as country of publication; English as the language of choice; a high presence of studies focusing on female samples, and a high interest of the most prolific authors for the consequences of the partner violence might have on victims. Results are discussed.Universidad de Oviedo UNOV-12-MB-RENOV-01Ministerio de Sanidad, Política Social e Igualdad SUBIMMU012/00

Validación de la versión corta del Social Roles Questionnaire (SRQ-R) con una muestra adolescente y juvenil española

El desarrollo de herramientas válidas y fiables para la medición de actitudes sexistas/de género en población adolescente y juvenil queda justificada, por ejemplo, por su importancia en programas de prevención de la violencia de pareja. El presente estudio aporta información psicométrica de la versión reducida y adaptada al español del Social Roles Questionnaire (SRQ-R; Baber y Tucker, 2006) obtenida a través de una muestra de 2934 adolescentes y jóvenes (X = 18,7; DT=2,3) escolarizados (niveles medios y universitarios) de ambos sexos (68,7% mujeres, 31,3% varones) provenientes de 5 provincias españolas. Un análisis factorial confirmatorio mostró adecuados índices de ajuste del modelo bifactorial propuesto en el artículo original (RMSEA=0,042, CFI=0,904), el cual contempla una subescala de sexismo tradicional (roles asimétricos entre sexos) y de trascendencia de género (igualdad). Los índices alfa mostraron una aceptable fiabilidad en el factor de sexismo tradicional (0,773), si bien el factor de transcendencia de género obtuvo resultados por debajo de lo aceptable (0,466). De un modo congruente con la literatura, una mayor puntuación en el factor de sexismo tradicional se relacionó con mayor victimización en las relaciones de pareja. Por sexo del respondiente, los varones mostraron mayor nivel de aceptación en el factor de sexismo tradicional, mientras que las mujeres mostraron mayor transcendencia de género. Las ventajas e inconvenientes del SRQ-R son discutida en el artículo.Development of valid and reliable measurement instruments for sexist/gender attitudes in adolescent and young population is fully justified by its importance to intimate partner violence prevention efforts, among others. This paper goes on Spanish translation and adaptation of the short form of Social Roles Questionnaire (SRQ-R; Baber and Tucker, 2006), including psychometric data obtained from 2,934 Spanish adolescent and young adult (X = 18.7; SD=2.3) students (both secondary school and University) of both genders (68.7% female, 31,3% male) from 5 different provinces. Confirmatory factorial analysis showed adequate fit indexes to the original two factors solution (RMSEA=0.042, CFI=0.904), factors which were labeled gender linked (acceptance of traditional gender asymmetry) and gender transcendent (equality between genders). Cronbach’s Alpha obtained (0.733 and 0.446, respectively) showed an acceptable reliability to gender linked factor, while gender transcendent scored poor. In line with previous literature, higher scores on gender linked factor matched higher experience of intimate partner victimization. By gender, males showed higher acceptance to gender linked attitudes, meanwhile females obtained higher mean scores in gender transcendent factor. Advantages and inconveniences of SRQ-R are discussed

Two-phase resonant converter to drive high-power LED lamps

This paper presents the design and modeling of a two-phase resonant converter that drives a LED lamp with a high-frequency pulsed current free of instabilities and flicker efect, fulfilling the recommendations of the IEEE PAR 1789-2015, so that it enables visible light-based communication at a 10 kB/s bit rate. The dynamic study of the converter takes into consideration the efect of the reflected impedance of the output filter on the AC side. In order to evaluate the dynamic response of the converter, a Spice model is defined. A 120 W prototype intended for street lighting applications has been built to validate the analysis and modeling.This work has been sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the EU through the projects CICYT-FEDER-TEC2014-52316-R: “Estimation and Optimal Control for Energy Conversion with Digital Devices, ECOTRENDD” and RTI2018-095138-B-C31: “Power Electronics for the Grid and Industry Applications”

Power source electronic ballast for electrodeless fluorescent lamps

This paper presents the design, control strategy and experimental results of a two-step, power factor correction stage (PFC) and resonant inverter (RI), electronic ballast proposal to supply 150 W electrodeless fluorescent lamps (EFL). The PFC acts as a controlled power source and provides mid and long-term stability to the system, while the stability of the current through the lamp is achieved with the RI. In addition, the power-mode control requires limitation of the output voltage. The dual operation mode of the PFC (voltage source mode and power source mode) enables an e cient soft resonant ignition and the implementation of simple dimming regulation.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the EU through the projects CICYT-FEDER-TEC2014-52316-R: “Estimation and Optimal Control for Energy Conversion with Digital Devices, ECOTRENDD” and RTI2018-095138-B-C31 PEGIA: “Power Electronics for the Grid and Industry Applications”

Pulsed current source with active control of the on-time current for LED lamp driver applications

This paper presents a simplified envelope model to study the dynamics of a phase-controlled resonant converter suitable to drive light emitting diode (LED) lamps. The approximate closed form of the transfer function is obtained from the proposed reduced-order model. The fast dynamics of the resonant converter allows us implementing a pulsed current source with active control of the on-time-current free of instabilities and flicker effect with a type II or integral-single-lead controller. A 120W prototype intended for street lighting applications has been built to validate the study.This work is sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Science and the EU through the project CICYT-FEDER- TEC2011- 23612: “Power conversion with new digital control techniques and soft-saturation magnetic cores”