Resultados de investigación

Background: Positive Youth Development (PYD) has been associated with positive results in the transition to adulthood. Within the 5Cs model of PYD, the Caring dimension has been defined as the ability to feel sympathy and empathy towards others. However, the literature has shown some controversial results on the role of Caring in the psychological adjustment of young people. The aim of this study was to analyze the mediating role of strategies for coping with negative affect (i.e., distraction and depressive rumination) and strategies for coping with positive affect (i.e., dampening and positive rumination) in the relationship between Caring and depressive symptoms. We examined gender differences as well. Methods: A cross-sectional self-report study was carried out in 2021, with a sample of 1,040 young people (75.5% females; Age range = 18 - 28; Mage = 20.47, SD = 3.08), enrolled at 11 universities in Spain. Multiple partial mediation analysis was performed to examine the mediation of responses to positive and negative affect in the relationship between Caring and depression, and a path analysis was developed to integrate gender effects. Results: The results indicated that Caring was positively associated with more depressive symptoms through maladaptive affect responses, i.e., more depressive rumination, more inhibition of positive affect, less distraction and less positive rumination. On the contrary, a more adaptive regulation of the affect was associated with less depression. Gender differences were observed, where women scored higher in Caring, depressive rumination and dampening. Discussion: Some practical implications may be derived from these results. The role of Caring as an expression of sympathy and empathy can have a protective effect on psychological adjustment through the use adaptive skills to manage positive and negative affect. Programs integrating Caring dimension of PYD and emotional regulation skills training should be designed in university context, so that psychological adjustment can be maximized among university students and that the students, especially, females can be able to care for others as well as themselves.

The reduction of energy consumption in buildings requires the development of advanced thermal energy storage (TES) materials. In this work, the feasibility of TES materials to be applied in solar domestic hot water (DHW) collectors was evaluated. These TES materials are composed of bitumen (B) and different concentrations of pentaglycerine (PG), which act as supporting engineering material with high solar radiation absorptivity and solid-to-solid phase change material, respectively. Results indicate that these TES materials show good thermal stability, whereas their consistency improves as PG content increases over the whole temperature range at which a solar DHW collector operates. Interestingly, blend containing 30 wt% PG shows a high heat storage capacity (ca. 50 J/g), suitable thermal cycling reliability and excellent relative enthalpy efficiency (ca. 90 %). In addition, this binder also presents improved thermal properties (thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity). As a result, the heat charge/discharge performance evaluated by indoor thermoregulation tests leads to a Latent Heat Thermoregulation Index (LHTI) higher than those reported for other TES building materials. Therefore, B/PG blends may be considered a promising TES material for improving energy efficiency in solar DHW production.

It is generally recognized that a challenging learning environment with the necessary supports will be stimulating for the student. However, there is a lack of studies that contribute to validate comprehensive models that help teachers to know how to stimulate their students. The objective of this study was to understand the mechanisms that explain the engagement and the positive results of challenging and supportive learning environments. During two academic years, the Sustainable Urban Race (SUR) project was analyzed. In this project, students from secondary schools should design and build an electric vehicle using solar energy. In the present study, an adaptation of the self-system model of motivational development (SSMMD) and a multigroup analysis of structural equations was applied. The data showed a positive association of the challenging and support-enriched context with the students' engagement, being partially mediated by the satisfaction of the competence needs, peer relationships and group autonomy. This study provides a comprehensive approach to develop and assess learning experiences providing inputs that will help teachers and educational managers organize and optimize educational experiences

This research examines sustainable nanocellulose-based lubricants made by dispersing fibrillated and crystalline nanocelluloses in castor oil. The study explores how electric fields and shear forces affect their rheological behavior and microstructure, using advanced microscopy and rheometry techniques. Findings show that lower nanocellulose concentrations form flexible string-like structures responsive to electric fields, while higher concentrations create rigid, entangled networks. Pre-shear intensity influences structural changes, altering the lubricants' mechanical properties under different electric fields.

This work explores the feasibility of using waste cooking oils (WCO) as eco-lubricants. Five WCO from different food facilities were studied. Three of them were fractionated into both lighter and heavier fractions by molecular distillation. A comprehensive chemical characterization (fatty acids distribution, polar compounds and acidity) was carried out on all WCOs and their fractions, which led to set relationships with the oils’ properties (such as viscosity index, low temperature viscous flow behavior, oxidation resistance, etc.). It is worth mentioning the high viscosity index values found in waste cooking oils with both low total polar compounds and acidity level, as well as the benefit which acidity had on their fluidity at low temperature and their lubricity. Moreover, it was also noteworthy that the lighter fractions, merely constituted by free fatty acids (FFA), presented an improved oxidative resistance. The largest OOT enhancement, 12.4%, was found for the light fraction of a non-segregated oil. Moreover, a better thermal stability was shown by the heavier fractions. Finally, both fractions exhibited enhanced friction-reducing capability as compared to their parent WCO. The light fractions from a nonsegregated oil, a fast food restaurant oil and a deep-fried food establishment oil yielded wear reductions of 11.7%, 44.3% and 36.8%, respectively. Therefore, molecular distillation has been proved to be a key strategy to obtain more efficient liquid eco-lubricants.

Background: According to projections based on current trends, it can be anticipated that from 2024 onward approximately 70% of all cancer cases will be diagnosed in individuals 65 years and older. Given this complex intersection between population ageing and cancer incidence, it is of great importance to address this issue from a comprehensive care perspective. Here comes the importance of advanced practice nursing into play. However, this figure is still not sufficiently valued in many countries. Its roles are also not clearly defined at the international level. For this reason, a systematic review of the scientific literature was carried out to analyze the impact of advanced practice nursing on the quality of life of older adults with cancer. Methods: Searches were carried out in PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, CINAHL, LILACS, and ScienceDirect databases. They were limited to studies conducted in the last 7 years. Only open-access articles were selected. To analyze the chosen articles and assess their quality, the criteria of the PRISMA and CASPe statement were applied. All authors participated in both the selection of the articles and their analysis. Results: Of the initial 58 articles selected, a total of 10 articles were finally included, as they met the eligibility criteria established after further analysis. The results show a positive relationship between the Advanced Practice Nursing intervention and quality of life in older adults with cancer. Conclusions: Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) plays a key role in the care of older adults with cancer, significantly improving their quality of life and contributing to the comprehensive care of these patients. The findings evidenced in this work support the integration of APNs in cancer care teams to improve patient experience and overall well-being.

Human milk is a crucial source of thyroid hormones, essential for neonatal development. We developed and validated a three-phase hollow-fiber liquid-phase microextraction method, coupled to ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and ion mobility mass spectrometry, to simultaneously quantify eight thyroid hormones, including the chiral forms D-thyroxine and L-thyroxine in human milk. The method showed excellent linearity (R2 > 0.999), low limits of detection (0.7–19.8 μg L−1), and high recoveries (83–114 %). The analysis of 30 human milk samples, revealed that D-thyroxine (115.1–157.5 μg L−1) was more abundant than L-thyroxine (47.9–193.6 μg L−1), and reversed triiodothyronine prevailed over triiodothyronine. This is the first report of chiral forms of thyroxine, diiodotirosine, and thyronine in human milk, with potential implications for lipid metabolism and infant thyroid regulation. These findings highlight the method sensitivity and biological rele­ vance, offering a robust tool for future nutritional and endocrine studies.

Transdisciplinarity and the co-production of knowledge have become fundamental approaches to addressing complex social problems. However, the sustainability of collaborative partnerships remains underexplored from an empirical perspective. This article examines the mechanisms that shape the continuity of collaborative networks in social innovation projects in the field of social services, particularly those linked to community-based welfare systems in Andalusia (Spain). Drawing on a thematic qualitative analysis of 15 social innovation projects and 14 semi-structured interviews with project coordinators, the study explores how diverse actors (universities, public administrations, third-sector organisations, and citizens) mobilise different types of social capital within local social services. The findings reveal that collaboration success depends on a balance between relational enablers (trust and shared experiences) and structural barriers (bureaucracy, work overload, and lack of time). The analysis also shows that participatory methodologies and connections with pre-existing networks are essential for sustaining collaboration after project completion. The article concludes that the sustainability of transdisciplinary social innovation in social services requires moving beyond project management logics and investing in the care of invisible relational structures, with implications for public policies aimed at consolidating trust ecosystems and long-term collective learning.

Heritage education is configured as an ideal framework for the treatment of socio-environmental problems relevant to modern society. To this end, it is essential that teachers can develop proposals in the classroom that promote critical thinking and the eco-social education of their students, based on innovative and experiential methodologies. For this reason, initial teacher training must ensure that future teachers acquire these innovative tools. Thus, the aim of this work is to identify the conceptions of student teachers in initial teacher training regarding gamification as a teaching methodology to address controversial heritage. To achieve this, a questionnaire has been designed with questions about heritage, controversy, and educational gamification, which was given to 235 students (M = 60; F = 175) taking their primary education degrees at different Spanish universities. To guide the design of the research instrument and analyze the results, a system of categories was developed and the SPSS data processing program was used. The first results show that, even though students in initial teacher training think that they do have a predisposition to use gamification to work around controversial heritage in class, they lack the knowledge of methodological strategies and gamified educational activities, which suggests a dearth of training on these issues in the primary education degree courses.