Adolescents' use of the Internet is becoming a matter of great concern for different sectors of s... more Adolescents' use of the Internet is becoming a matter of great concern for different sectors of society. The psychological and behavioural consequences of problematic Internet use in young people demands quick and effective answers. One of the major challenges in this context is the development of empirically validated tools, which would facilitate early detection and screening for potential risk cases. This is precisely the aim of this paper. Based on a sample of 1,709 secondaryschool students from Galicia (a region in northern Spain) aged 11 to 17 (M = 13.74, SD = 1.43), the analysis carried out permitted us to present a brief and simple tool (with just 11 items). It has substantial theoretical support, since both the existing background information and the views of experts from the academic and professional spheres were taken into account in the course of its development. The scale is adapted to the Spanish cultural context and to the language of young people. It has satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of reliability of the scores (α = .82), evidence of its internal structure (tested via a Confirmatory Factorial Analysis), sensitivity (81%), and specificity (82.6%). Moreover, its use enables the gradation of adolescents on a risk or problematic Internet use continuum. In our view, all of this lends it enormous applied potential in both the educational and clinical contexts.
Problematic Internet use in adolescents has become an issue of concern for a growing number of re... more Problematic Internet use in adolescents has become an issue of concern for a growing number of researchers and institutions over the past years. Behavioural problems, social isolation, school failure and family problems are some of the consequences of psychological and behavioural impact on teenagers. Taking into account the interest that this issue has generated at many levels, the aim of this paper is to develop a screening tool for early detection of problematic Internet use in teenagers. A survey of Compulsory Secondary School students from Galicia involving a total of 2,339 individuals was carried out. The results obtained allow (1) gauging the magnitude of the problem, establishing the risk levels among the adolescents, and (2) presenting a new, simple and short screening instrument. The present scale has sufficient theoretical and empirical support, including good psychometric properties (a = .83; specificity = .81; sensitivity = .80; ROC curve = .90), making it an interestin...
Dunaliella salina and D. bardawil are well-known microalgae accumulating high levels of β-caroten... more Dunaliella salina and D. bardawil are well-known microalgae accumulating high levels of β-carotene under growth-limiting conditions. In both taxa, this pigment is primarily composed of the isomers 9-cis and all-trans. The 9-cis β-carotene occurs only in natural sources and is the most attractive from a commercial point of view. The conditions that enhance the preferred accumulation of 9-cis β-carotene in D. salina are controversial and they have not been well established yet. This study examined the effect of salinity on the quantity and quality of total carotenoids and β-carotene isomers accumulated by D. salina (strain CONC-007) and D. bardawil (strain ATCC 30861) grown in two media with different nutritional compositions (PES and ART) and at salt concentrations of 1M, 2M and 3M NaCl. Total carotenoids were determined by spectrophotometry and βcarotene isomers, by HPLC. The highest carotenoid contents per cell were obtained at 2M NaCl in both taxa. In both media, an increase of the 9-cis/all-trans β-carotene ratio was observed in D. bardawil when the salt concentration increased, with a maximum value of 2.6 (in ART medium at 3M NaCl). In D. salina this ratio did not exhibit the same pattern, and the salt concentrations for maximal ratios were different in both media. The highest ratio obtained for this strain was 4.3 (in ART medium at 2M NaCl).
The carotenogenic microalga Dunaliella salina is cultivated as a natural source of β-carotene. Th... more The carotenogenic microalga Dunaliella salina is cultivated as a natural source of β-carotene. The 9-cis isomer of β-carotene is found only in natural sources having commercial advantages over the all-trans isomer due to its high liposolubility and antioxidant power. High irradiance appears to stimulate specifically all-trans β-carotene accumulation in D. salina, whereas low temperature apparently elicits α-carotene and 9-cis βcarotene production. We studied the effect of temperature and irradiance on the growth and the carotenogenesis of three Chilean (CONC-001, CONC-006 and CONC-007) and four non-Chilean (from Mexico, China, Australia and Israel) strains of D. salina cultivated under two photon flux densities (40 and 110 µmol photons. m-2. s-1) and two temperatures (15 and 26ºC). The Chilean strain CONC-001 and all of the non-Chilean strains exhibited the highest growth rates and the maximum cell densities, whereas the Chilean strains CONC-006 and CONC-007 showed the lowest values in both parameters. The Australian strain showed the highest accumulation of total carotenoids per unit volume (40.7 mg. L-1), whereas the Chilean strains CONC-006 and CONC-007, the only ones isolated from Andean environments, yielded the highest amounts of carotenoids per cell (61.1 and 92.4 pg. cell-1 , respectively). Temperature was found to be more effective than irradiance in changing the qualitative and quantitative carotenoids composition. The Chilean strains accumulated 3.5-fold more α-carotene than the non-Chilean strains when exposed to 15ºC and, unlike the non-Chilean strains, also accumulated this pigment at 26ºC. The 9-cis/all-trans β-carotene ratio was > 1.0 in all treatments for all strains, and the values were not greatly influenced by either temperature or photon flux density. Physiological and biotechnological implications of these results are discussed.
Introducción. La rápida transición del medio rural a la adopción de hábitos alimenticios de zonas... more Introducción. La rápida transición del medio rural a la adopción de hábitos alimenticios de zonas urbanas, el sedentarismo, las dificultades de acceso a la salud, ponen a la población en mayor riesgo de desarrollo de diabetes, sin embargo, son pocos los estudios que se enfocan en este fenómeno a nivel rural. Conocer el riesgo permite identificar las áreas problemáticas y revertir la situación a través de modelos de atención para esta población. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir los factores de riesgo presentes en una comunidad rural de Guanajuato. Material y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, observacional, transversal; muestra no probabilística de 164 personas sin diabetes, se calculó con Epidat 3.1, intervalo de confianza al 95%, precisión del 3%; se aplicó el Cuestionario de Factores de Riesgo para la Diabetes Mellitus. Para la colecta se hizo un recorrido de casa por casa hasta completar la muestra, para el análisis estadístico se utilizó la chi cuadrada y cálculo de odds rat...
Adolescents' use of the Internet is becoming a matter of great concern for different sectors of s... more Adolescents' use of the Internet is becoming a matter of great concern for different sectors of society. The psychological and behavioural consequences of problematic Internet use in young people demands quick and effective answers. One of the major challenges in this context is the development of empirically validated tools, which would facilitate early detection and screening for potential risk cases. This is precisely the aim of this paper. Based on a sample of 1,709 secondaryschool students from Galicia (a region in northern Spain) aged 11 to 17 (M = 13.74, SD = 1.43), the analysis carried out permitted us to present a brief and simple tool (with just 11 items). It has substantial theoretical support, since both the existing background information and the views of experts from the academic and professional spheres were taken into account in the course of its development. The scale is adapted to the Spanish cultural context and to the language of young people. It has satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of reliability of the scores (α = .82), evidence of its internal structure (tested via a Confirmatory Factorial Analysis), sensitivity (81%), and specificity (82.6%). Moreover, its use enables the gradation of adolescents on a risk or problematic Internet use continuum. In our view, all of this lends it enormous applied potential in both the educational and clinical contexts.
Problematic Internet use in adolescents has become an issue of concern for a growing number of re... more Problematic Internet use in adolescents has become an issue of concern for a growing number of researchers and institutions over the past years. Behavioural problems, social isolation, school failure and family problems are some of the consequences of psychological and behavioural impact on teenagers. Taking into account the interest that this issue has generated at many levels, the aim of this paper is to develop a screening tool for early detection of problematic Internet use in teenagers. A survey of Compulsory Secondary School students from Galicia involving a total of 2,339 individuals was carried out. The results obtained allow (1) gauging the magnitude of the problem, establishing the risk levels among the adolescents, and (2) presenting a new, simple and short screening instrument. The present scale has sufficient theoretical and empirical support, including good psychometric properties (a = .83; specificity = .81; sensitivity = .80; ROC curve = .90), making it an interestin...
Dunaliella salina and D. bardawil are well-known microalgae accumulating high levels of β-caroten... more Dunaliella salina and D. bardawil are well-known microalgae accumulating high levels of β-carotene under growth-limiting conditions. In both taxa, this pigment is primarily composed of the isomers 9-cis and all-trans. The 9-cis β-carotene occurs only in natural sources and is the most attractive from a commercial point of view. The conditions that enhance the preferred accumulation of 9-cis β-carotene in D. salina are controversial and they have not been well established yet. This study examined the effect of salinity on the quantity and quality of total carotenoids and β-carotene isomers accumulated by D. salina (strain CONC-007) and D. bardawil (strain ATCC 30861) grown in two media with different nutritional compositions (PES and ART) and at salt concentrations of 1M, 2M and 3M NaCl. Total carotenoids were determined by spectrophotometry and βcarotene isomers, by HPLC. The highest carotenoid contents per cell were obtained at 2M NaCl in both taxa. In both media, an increase of the 9-cis/all-trans β-carotene ratio was observed in D. bardawil when the salt concentration increased, with a maximum value of 2.6 (in ART medium at 3M NaCl). In D. salina this ratio did not exhibit the same pattern, and the salt concentrations for maximal ratios were different in both media. The highest ratio obtained for this strain was 4.3 (in ART medium at 2M NaCl).
The carotenogenic microalga Dunaliella salina is cultivated as a natural source of β-carotene. Th... more The carotenogenic microalga Dunaliella salina is cultivated as a natural source of β-carotene. The 9-cis isomer of β-carotene is found only in natural sources having commercial advantages over the all-trans isomer due to its high liposolubility and antioxidant power. High irradiance appears to stimulate specifically all-trans β-carotene accumulation in D. salina, whereas low temperature apparently elicits α-carotene and 9-cis βcarotene production. We studied the effect of temperature and irradiance on the growth and the carotenogenesis of three Chilean (CONC-001, CONC-006 and CONC-007) and four non-Chilean (from Mexico, China, Australia and Israel) strains of D. salina cultivated under two photon flux densities (40 and 110 µmol photons. m-2. s-1) and two temperatures (15 and 26ºC). The Chilean strain CONC-001 and all of the non-Chilean strains exhibited the highest growth rates and the maximum cell densities, whereas the Chilean strains CONC-006 and CONC-007 showed the lowest values in both parameters. The Australian strain showed the highest accumulation of total carotenoids per unit volume (40.7 mg. L-1), whereas the Chilean strains CONC-006 and CONC-007, the only ones isolated from Andean environments, yielded the highest amounts of carotenoids per cell (61.1 and 92.4 pg. cell-1 , respectively). Temperature was found to be more effective than irradiance in changing the qualitative and quantitative carotenoids composition. The Chilean strains accumulated 3.5-fold more α-carotene than the non-Chilean strains when exposed to 15ºC and, unlike the non-Chilean strains, also accumulated this pigment at 26ºC. The 9-cis/all-trans β-carotene ratio was > 1.0 in all treatments for all strains, and the values were not greatly influenced by either temperature or photon flux density. Physiological and biotechnological implications of these results are discussed.
Introducción. La rápida transición del medio rural a la adopción de hábitos alimenticios de zonas... more Introducción. La rápida transición del medio rural a la adopción de hábitos alimenticios de zonas urbanas, el sedentarismo, las dificultades de acceso a la salud, ponen a la población en mayor riesgo de desarrollo de diabetes, sin embargo, son pocos los estudios que se enfocan en este fenómeno a nivel rural. Conocer el riesgo permite identificar las áreas problemáticas y revertir la situación a través de modelos de atención para esta población. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir los factores de riesgo presentes en una comunidad rural de Guanajuato. Material y Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, observacional, transversal; muestra no probabilística de 164 personas sin diabetes, se calculó con Epidat 3.1, intervalo de confianza al 95%, precisión del 3%; se aplicó el Cuestionario de Factores de Riesgo para la Diabetes Mellitus. Para la colecta se hizo un recorrido de casa por casa hasta completar la muestra, para el análisis estadístico se utilizó la chi cuadrada y cálculo de odds rat...
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