Catalytic Selective Oxidation of ß-O-4 Bond in Phenethoxybenzene as a Lignin Model Using (TBA)5[PMo10V2O40] Nanocatalyst: Optimization of Operational Conditions.

The catalytic oxidation of phenethoxybenzene as a lignin model compound with a ß-O-4 bond was conducted using the Keggin-type polyoxometalate nanocatalyst (TBA)5[PMo10V2O40]. The optimization of the process's operational conditions was carried out using response surface methodology. The statistically significant variables in the process were determined using a fractional factorial design. Based on this selection, a central circumscribed composite experimental design was used to maximize the phenethoxybenzene conversion, varying temperature, reaction time, and catalyst load. The optimal conditions that maximized the phenethoxybenzene conversion were 137 °C, 3.5 h, and 200 mg of catalyst. In addition, under the optimized conditions, the Kraft lignin catalytic depolymerization was carried out to validate the effectiveness of the process. The depolymerization degree was assessed by gel permeation chromatography from which a significant decrease in the molar mass distribution Mw from 7.34 kDa to 1.97 kDa and a reduction in the polydispersity index PDI from 6 to 3 were observed. Furthermore, the successful cleavage of the ß-O-4 bond in the Kraft lignin was verified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the reaction products. These results offer a sustainable alternative to efficiently converting lignin into valuable products.

Validation of the Orgasm Rating Scale in the Context of Masturbation.

BACKGROUND: The Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS) assesses the subjective experience of orgasm. Its psychometric properties have only been examined in the context of sexual intercourse. This study aims to validate the ORS in the context of solitary masturbation. METHODS: A sample of 1,171 men and 1,424 women aged 18-83 years ( M = 40.51, SD = 12.07) completed the ORS in the solitary masturbation context along with other scales to assess sexual attitudes, solitary sexual desire, propensity for sexual arousal/inhibition, and sexual functioning. RESULTS: A four-dimensional structure was confirmed, similar to the homologous version for the context of sexual intercourse. Measures obtained from the ORS were sex and age invariant, exhibited adequate internal consistency, discriminated between people with orgasmic difficulties, and were associated with related variables. CONCLUSIONS: The ORS is a multidimensional measure that provides reliable, valid measures of the subjective experience of orgasm in the context of solitary masturbation.

Typologies of sexual double standard adherence in Spanish population / Tipologías de adhesión al doble estándar sexual en población española

Sexual double standard (SDS) involves evaluating the same sexual behaviors in men and women using different criteria. The support for man-favorable SDS is related to sexual aggression and sexual victimization. Yet to date, studies have not examined the prevalence of SDS adherence. This study aims to identify the prevalence per gender and age of the Spanish population who adheres to the SDS typologies (man-favorable, woman-favorable, egalitarian, ambivalent) by considering sexual freedom and sexual shyness areas. A sample of 2,002 Spanish heterosexual adults (50% men, 50% women), distributed into four age groups (18-25, 26-35, 36-55 and over 55 years old), answered the Sexual Double Standard Scale. The results showed differences in the prevalence of SDS typologies by gender and age. By gender, a higher prevalence of the man-favorable typology was observed in men and a higher prevalence of the egalitarian typology and the woman-favorable typology was observed in women. By age groups, significant differences in man-favorable and woman-favorable typologies were found in both men and women. Based on the evidence of four adherence to SDS typologies, it is recommended studying the relation of these typologies with sexual aggression/victimization to design more efficient programs for prevention and intervention of sexual violence

El doble estándar sexual (DES) consiste en evaluar los mismos comportamientos sexuales en hombres y mujeres usando diferentes criterios. El apoyo al DES favorable al hombre está relacionado con la agresión y la victimización sexual. Sin embargo, hasta la fecha, los estudios no han examinado la prevalencia de la adhesión al DES. Este estudio pretende identificar la prevalencia por género y edad de la población española que se adhiere a las tipologías de DES (favorable al hombre, favorable a la mujer, igualitaria, ambivalente) considerando los ámbitos de la libertad sexual y del recato sexual. Una muestra de 2.002 adultos heterosexuales españoles (50% hombres, 50% mujeres), distribuidos en cuatro grupos de edad (18-25, 26-35, 36-55 y más de 55 años), respondió a la Sexual Double Standard Scale. Los resultados mostraron diferencias en la prevalencia de las tipologías de DES por género y edad. Por género se observó una mayor prevalencia de la tipología favorable al hombre en los hombres y una mayor prevalencia de la tipología igualitaria y la tipología favorable a la mujer en las mujeres. Por grupos de edad se encontraron diferencias significativas en las tipologías favorable al hombre y favorable a la mujer, tanto en hombres como en mujeres. De acuerdo con la evidencia de las cuatro tipologías de adhesión al DES, se recomienda estudiar la relación de estas tipologías con la agresión/victimización sexual para diseñar programas más eficientes de prevención de la violencia sexual e intervención en la misma

Validity evidence and norms of the Spanish versión of the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy.

BACKGROUND: Sexual fantasies are described as thoughts or mental images with sexual content. The Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF) evaluates the positive attitude towards sexual fantasies. The objective of this study was to provide validity evidence of the Spanish version of the HISF and to present its standard scores. METHOD: The sample was composed of 3,458 adults from the general Spanish population (1,641 men; 1,817 women), distributed across age groups (18-34, 35-49, and over 50 years old). RESULTS: The unifactorial structure of the Spanish version of the HISF showed strict measurement invariance across sex, age range, and education level. Positive attitudes towards sexual fantasies significantly correlated with erotophilia, sexual assertiveness, sexual desire, and sexual functioning. Also, the scale was useful for differentiating between individuals with sexual functioning difficulties and individuals with no difficulties. Finally, the standard scores were obtained based on sex and age range. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the HISF is a reliable, valid, and invariant scale for assessing a positive attitude towards sexual fantasies in people with different sociodemographic characteristics.

Invariance of Spanish version of Sexual Double Standard Scale across sex, age, and education level.

BACKGROUND: The Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) is one of the most widely-used scales for evaluating the Sexual Double Standard (SDS) and the Spanish version of the scale displays adequate psychometric properties in the adult Spanish population. The aim of this study is to examine the factorial invariance and differential item functioning (DIF) of the Spanish version according to sex, education level, and age, with the objective of describing and comparing SDS based on these variables. METHOD: A sample of 3,838 heterosexual participants was used (1,908 men and 1,930 women) between the ages of 18 and 90. RESULTS: The results showed that the factorial structure of the SDSS is invariant in terms of sex and education level; with none of these items displaying DIF. Only items 11 and 14 display DIF in terms of age and, therefore, it is recommended that these items be excluded when making comparisons between age ranges. The association of SDSS with sex, education level, and age follows the expected results. CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish version of the SDSS is invariant and, as a consequence, can be used in different types of samples.

Advanced oxidation of real sulfamethoxazole + trimethoprim formulations using different anodes and electrolytes.

A commercial sulfamethoxazole + trimethoprim formulation has been degraded in 0.050 M Na2SO4 at pH 3.0 by electrochemical oxidation with electrogenerated H2O2 (EO-H2O2), electro-Fenton (EF), photoelectro-Fenton with a 6-W UVA lamp (PEF) and solar photoelectro-Fenton (SPEF). The tests were performed in an undivided cell with an IrO2-based, Pt or boron-doped diamond (BDD) anode and an air-diffusion cathode for H2O2 electrogeneration. The anode material had little effect on the accumulated H2O2 concentration. Both drugs always obeyed a pseudo-first-order decay with low apparent rate constant in EO-H2O2. Much higher values were found in EF, PEF and SPEF, showing no difference because the main oxidant was always OH formed from Fenton's reaction between H2O2 and added Fe2+. The solution mineralization increased in the sequence EO-H2O2 < EF < PEF < SPEF regardless of the anode. The IrO2-based and Pt anodes behaved similarly but BDD was always more powerful. In SPEF, similar mineralization profiles were found for all anodes because of the rapid removal of photoactive intermediates by sunlight. About 87% mineralization was obtained as maximum for the powerful SPEF with BDD anode. Addition of Cl- enhanced the decay of both drugs due to their quicker reaction with generated active chlorine, but the formation of persistent chloroderivatives decelerated the mineralization process. Final carboxylic acids like oxalic and oxamic were detected, yielding Fe(III) complexes that remained stable in EF with BDD but were rapidly photolyzed in SPEF with BDD, explaining its superior mineralization ability.

[Validity of Pro Children Project questionnaire for assessing psychosocial factors of fruit and vegetable intake in Mexico]. / Validación del cuestionario Pro Children Project para evaluar factores psicosociales del consumo de fruta y verdura en México.

OBJECTIVE: To determine content and construct validity for the Mexican version of Pro Children Project questionnaire for assessing psychosocial factors, related to fruit and vegetable intake in samples of 10-12 year-old schoolchildren. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The questionnaire consisted of 87 items. It was administered to 2084 children in an instrumental study conducted in 2011 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. RESULTS: Kappa statistic resulted in good agreement between experts (kappa=0.69), very good agreement in children (kappa=0.93). Seven factors were obtained that explained 37.87% of the variance in fruit and 48.18% of the variance in vegetable. Cronbach's alpha values were low to moderate (range 0.55 to 0.83). An internal structure of seven first order factors was confirmed in fruits and six linked to vegetables. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire provides sufficient validity for assessing psychosocial factors related to fruit and vegetable intake in 10-12 year old schoolchildren. Finally, implications of the findings in the test adaptation process for assessing psychosocial factors of fruit and vegetable intake and for future research in this instrument are discussed.

Validación del cuestionario Pro Children Project para evaluar factores psicosociales del consumo de fruta y verdura en México / Validity of Pro Children Project questionnaire for assessing psychosocial factors of fruit and vegetable intake in Mexico

Objetivo. Determinar la validez de contenido y de constructo de la versión mexicana del cuestionario Pro Children Project para evaluar factores psicosociales, asociados con el consumo de fruta y verdura en muestras de niños escolares de 10 a 12 años. Material y métodos. Cuestionario de 87 reactivos, aplicado en un estudio instrumental, realizado en 2011 a 2084 niños en Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, México. Resultados. El acuerdo entre expertos fue bueno (Kappa=0.69) y muy bueno entre niños (kappa=0.93). Siete factores explican el 37.87% de la varianza en fruta y el 48.18% en verdura. Los valores alfa de Cronbach fueron de bajos a moderados (0.55-0.83). Se confirma una estructura interna de siete factores de primer orden en fruta y de seis en verdura. Conclusión. El cuestionario provee validez suficiente para la evaluación global de factores psicosociales asociados con el consumo de fruta y verdura en niños escolares de 10 a 12 años. Finalmente, se discuten las implicaciones de los hallazgos en la adaptación del instrumento para su posible aplicación en la evaluación de factores psicosociales del consumo de fruta y verdura y para futuras investigaciones con este instrumento.

Objective. To determine content and construct validity for the Mexican version of Pro Children Project questionnaire for assessing psychosocial factors, related to fruit and vegetable intake in samples of 10-12 year-old schoolchildren. Materials and methods. The questionnaire consisted of 87 items. It was administered to 2084 children in an instrumental study conducted in 2011 in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Results. Kappa statistic resulted in good agreement between experts (kappa=0.69), very good agreement in children (kappa=0.93). Seven factors were obtained that explained 37.87% of the variance in fruit and 48.18% of the variance in vegetable. Cronbach's alpha values were low to moderate (range 0.55 to 0.83). An internal structure of seven first order factors was confirmed in fruits and six linked to vegetables. Conclusion. The questionnaire provides sufficient validity for assessing psychosocial factors related to fruit and vegetable intake in 10-12 year old schoolchildren. Finally, implications of the findings in the test adaptation process for assessing psychosocial factors of fruit and vegetable intake and for future research in this instrument are discussed.

Equivalencia y Baremos del Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness Entre Hombres y Mujeres Españoles / Equivalence and Standard Scores of the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness Across Spanish Men and Women

The purpose of the present study was to analyze the measurement invariance and differential item functioning of the Spanish version of the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness across gender. The sample was composed of 1,600 women and 1,598 men from Spain, with ages ranging from 18 to 84 years old. The Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness showed partial strong invariance for men and women, as items 2, 9, and 13 had different intercept values between groups. The differential item functioning analysis showed that only item 2 ("I feel that I am shy when it comes to sex") flagged moderate uniform differential item functioning. More specifically, women tended to respond "Always" to this item more frequently than did men. Results strongly suggested eliminating those three items (2, 9, and 13), resulting in a final version with 16 items clustered into two dimensions. Standard scores for both Initiation and No Shyness/Refusal reflected traditional sexual scripts for men and women

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la presencia de invarianza de medida y funcionamiento diferencial del ítem de la versión española del Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness en función del sexo. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 1.600 mujeres y 1.598 hombres de España, con edades comprendidas entre los 18 y 84 años. El Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness solo mostró invarianza débil entre hombres y mujeres. El análisis de funcionamiento diferencial del ítem mostró que únicamente el ítem 2 ("Creo que soy tímido en el ámbito sexual") mostró funcionamiento diferencial uniforme moderado. De forma más específica, las mujeres tendieron a responder "Siempre" a este ítem de forma más frecuente que los hombres. Los resultados sugirieron eliminar el ítem 2 resultando en una versión final compuesta por 18 ítems agrupadas en dos dimensiones, con buenos índices de fiabilidad tanto para hombres como para mujeres. Los baremos obtenidos para la escala de Inicio y Ausencia de timidez/Rechazo reflejaron la existencia de roles sexuales tradicionales en hombres y mujeres

Construcción de un índice de riesgo para la infección por el VIH y su relación con la doble moral y el poder diádico en adolescentes / Construction of a risk index of HIV infection and its relation to double morale and dyadic power in adolescents

El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar la relación entre el poder sobre la relación de pareja y la doble moral, y su influencia en la predicción del riesgo de infección de VIH en adolescentes colombianos. La muestra fue de 599 adolescentes (entre 12 y 18 años), de ambos sexos, estudiantes de secundaria de colegios públicos y privados. Para construir el índice de riesgo se utilizaron las siguientes variables (preguntando siempre sobre el período de los últimos 12 meses): Uso consistente del preservativo, número de parejas sexuales, tener relaciones sexuales bajo los efectos de alguna droga, haber utilizado la píldora del día después, e iniciativa en el uso del preservativo. Los predictores fueron el poder en la relación de pareja y la doble moral. Se obtuvo que las mujeres tienen un mayor poder en sus relaciones de pareja y menor adhesión a la doble moral. La baja adherencia a la doble moral se relacionó con un mayor poder en la relación y éste predijo un menor riesgo de infección por VIH (la doble moral no se relacionó di-rectamente con riesgo de infección de VIH). En varones la adherencia a la doble moral predice un mayor riesgo de infección (AU)

The current study aimed to analyze the link between power over couple relationship and double morale, and its influence on the prevention of HIV infection risk in Colombian adolescents. The sample was com-posed of 599 adolescents, males and females aged between 12 and 18 studying in public or private schools. In order to construct the risk index the following variables were used: Consistent condom use, Number of sexual partners, having sexual intercourse under the effects of some drug, Having used the morning-after pill and Self-initiative in condom use. Predictors were power over couple relationship and double morale. Results indicated that women had more power in their couple relationships and lower adherence to double morale. Low adherence to double morale was related to more power in the relationship, which predicted less risk of HIV infection. Double morale was not directly associated with risk of HIV infection. In men, adherence to double morale predicted an enhanced risk of infection (AU)

[Sex differences in criteria and standards of scientific and teaching productivity of Spanish teaching staff]. / Diferencias por sexo en los criterios y estándares de productividad científica y docente en profesores funcionarios en España.

Sex differences in criteria and standards of scientific and teaching productivity of Spanish teaching staff. The aim of this study is to analyze differences in university teachers' opinion about the criteria and standards of scientific and teaching productivity, as well as the minimum number of criteria to be accredited as an Associate Professor or Professor. For this purpose, two representative samples of Spanish university teachers (97% interval confidence and 3% estimation error) were polled. These samples were made up of 960 male and 329 female university teachers. Results show that there are important gender differences. Females show a higher level of demand to achieve accreditation than do males. Thus, females are more demanding in more than 43% of the criteria to be accredited as an Associate Professor and in 54% of the criteria to be accredited as a Professor, compared to males. On the contrary, males only score higher than females in one of the criteria (articles published in the Journal Citation Reports).

Hydroxyapatite coating by sol-gel on Ti-6Al-4V alloy as drug carrier.

In this study Ti-6Al-4V samples were used as substrates and Ca-P layers were deposited using sol-gel technique and covered by spin-coating. The efficiency of hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings as drug carrier was also evaluated by immersion in gentamicin sulphate solution and the release profiles were obtained by cumulative method of the coating samples. Three non-linear mathematical methods were employed in order to discuss a possible mechanism to lead the drug release. Physical chemical techniques showed the presence of the typical absorption bands of calcium phosphates by infrared spectroscopy while X-ray diffraction peaks matched up with hydroxyapatite patterns. Microstructural techniques (SEM, EDS) help to confirm the hydroxyapatite coating by surface aspect and Ca/P ratio (1.64). The best fitting according statistical results explained each stage of the released profiles and correspond to a mixture of short initial burst effect plus drug dissolution with a specific kinetic and the diffusion of the gentamicin solid particles.