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Food Security is an issue that will impact everyone by 2050 and it is projected there will be a global crisis unless action is taken. Currently the fall army worm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a new pest to the Sub-Saharan region and the outbreaks over the past two years have been devastating. A promising novel technology is the combination of a pheromone lure from ChemTica Internacional S.A. and yellow long-lasting insecticide treated ZeroFly Screen from Vestergaard SA. To test this technology, we compared the attraction and mortality of traps made of old soda bottles in five different sites of Zambia with maize and wheat crops. Besides the attraction of the pheromone-baited traps we also compared the effect of the colour of the insecticidal net, between black and yellow screens. Our results showed that in all sites there were significant differences in trap catches between lure baited and non-baited traps. A total of 1129 FAW adults were trapped, of which 51.20% were from baited traps with the yellow long-lasting insecticide treated screen, 41.45% from traps baited and the black long-lasting insecticide treated screen and 7.35% from trap without lure or the insecticide treated screen. The trap with yellow insecticide treated screen was able to trap 110 more FAW than the black treated screen and the control. Significant differences were also observed in number of moths caught from each location and district. The highest catches were recorded from wheat crops at Zambia National Service (ZNS) Farm in Chongwe and Chaloshi farm in Chisamba districts, respectively, whilst the lowest catch was recorded in a maize field at Tugama farm in Chilanga district. It was also noticed that the pheromone used is specific to FAW as no other insects were recorded in all the sites. Therefore, the pheromone lure from ChemTica and the yellow long lasting insecticide treated screen from Vestergaard SA can be used in the integrated pest management of FAW in Zambia in both, maize and wheat, these complimentary methods include but are not limited to; the use of Biopesticides – fungal, viral or bacteria based products such as Metarhizium anisopliae or bacteria-based Bacillus thuringiensis that have proven effective against fall armyworm and have been used to control it in the US and Brazil.

Supplementary Information

Las regiones ultraperiféricas de la Unión Europea son territorios específicos que poseen una identidad espacial diferenciadora, que les brinda unas características únicas y permanentes, generadas por su situación geográfica y dimensión. Para solventar estas diferencias – evitando que vayan en detrimento de su economía –, el artículo 299.2 del Tratado de Ámsterdam reconoce la ultraperificidad de las regiones según ciertas características estructurales, estableciendo una base jurídica sólida y estable con el fin de generar un tratamiento acorde a dichas características. En el Tratado sobre el Funcionamiento de la UE (TFUE) de 2007 se refuerza lo recogido en el artículo 299.2 del Tratado de Ámsterdam a través de los artículos 35, 107,349 y 355. Dentro de este trabajo estudiaremos la región de la Macaronesia, en la que encontramos las regiones ultraperiféricas de la Comunidad Autónoma de Canarias (España), las Regiones Autónomas de Madeira y Azores (Portugal); y un estado independiente: la República de Cabo Verde. Igualmente se analizará la evolución de los principales instrumentos tributarios de la Comunidad Autónoma de Canarias, y se realizará una comparación con las Regiones Autónomas de Madeira y Azores y la República de Cabo Verde en el periodo 2007-2020. Con ello queremos determinar el impacto que tiene este escenario concreto en la economía española, así como el efecto resultante de ser regiones especiales en el desarrollo económico local. The outermost regions of the European Union are specific territories that have a differentiating spatial identity, which gives them unique and permanent characteristics, generated by their geographical location and size. To solve these differences - avoiding that they are detrimental to its economy -, Article 299.2 of the Treaty of Amsterdam recognizes the ultra-peripherality of the regions according to certain structural characteristics, establishing a solid and stable legal basis to generate a treatment according to said features. The 2007 Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) reinforces the provisions of article 299.2 of the Treaty of Amsterdam through articles 35, 107, 349 and 355. Within this work we will study the Macaronesia region, in which we find the outermost regions of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (Spain), the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and Azores (Portugal); and an independent state: the Republic of Cape Verde. Likewise, the evolution of the main tax instruments of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands will be analyzed, and a comparison will be made with the Autonomous Regions of Madeira and Azores and the Republic of Cape Verde in the period 2007-2020. With this we want to determine the impact that this specific scenario has on the Spanish economy, as well as the resulting effect of being special regions on local economic development.

Supplementary Information

Document including additional calculations and figures to support some of the results of the main text

Mammal sex allocation research has focused almost exclusively on maternal traits, but it is now apparent that fathers can also influence offspring sex ratios. Parents that produce female offspring under conditions of the intense male–male competition can benefit with greater assurance of maximized grand-parentage. Adaptive adjustment in the sperm sex ratio, for example with an increase in the production of X-chromosome bearing sperm (CBS), is one potential paternal mechanism for achieving female-biased sex ratios. Here, we tested this mechanistic hypothesis by varying the risk of male–male competition that male house mice perceived during development, and quantifying sperm sex ratios at sexual maturity. Our analyses revealed that males exposed to a competitive ‘risk’ produced lower proportions of Y-CBS compared to males that matured under ‘no risk’ of competition. We also explored whether testosterone production was linked to sperm sex ratio variation, but found no evidence to support this. We discuss our findings in relation to the adaptive value of sperm sex ratio adjustments and the role of steroid hormones in socially induced sex allocation.

P-spline models have achieved great popularity both in statistical and in applied research. A possible drawback of P-spline is that they assume a smooth transition of the covariate effect across its whole domain. In some practical applications, however, it is desirable and needed to adapt smoothness locally to the data, and adaptive P-splines have been suggested. Yet, the extra flexibility afforded by adaptive P-spline models is obtained at the cost of a high computational burden, especially in a multidimensional setting. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, the literature lacks proposals for adaptive P-splines in more than two dimensions. Motivated by the need for analysing data derived from experiments conducted to study neurons' activity in the visual cortex, this work presents a novel locally adaptive anisotropic P-spline model in two (e.g., space) and three (space and time) dimensions. Estimation is based on the recently proposed SOP (Separation of Overlapping Precision matrices) method, which provides the speed we look for. The practical performance of the proposal is evaluated through simulations, and comparisons with alternative methods are reported. In addition to the spatio-temporal analysis of the data that motivated this work, we also discuss an application in two dimensions on the absenteeism of workers.

El objetivo principal del proyecto FEMENMAD es la evaluación de las desigualdades de género que se producen en los hogares que sufren pobreza energética en la ciudad de Madrid. A través del uso de la energía es posible una aproximación a la pobreza desde un enfoque alternativo al que habitualmente se utiliza para conocer la realidad de las personas que no disponen capacidad de acceder a los recursos necesarios para desarrollar su vida en condiciones adecuadas. La pobreza energética trata de identificar las situaciones en las que los hogares no pueden pagar la energía que es necesaria para que su vivienda tenga las condiciones adecuadas de habitabilidad.

Humans have greatly benefited from their relationship with donkeys. Different roles that donkeys play in high- and low-income countries are two sides of the same coin. Their draft power is indispensable in low-income countries, and by contrast, their milk in Europe is fetching a premium. New productive niches are controversially being explored, for example, donkey meat and skin (ejiao); both are considered premium products and have increased value of donkeys in many developing regions of the world. New advances in human medicine are starting to consider possibilities of donkey serum and heart valves. Scientists and channels that they use to spread their knowledge directly influence public interest and implementation of welfare practices in domestic species, indirectly affecting their survival. The study's aim was to trace historical registry of www.sciendirect.com directory from 1896 to 2018 to assess trends followed by articles dealing with donkeys. Publications with 22 themes and 114 publications (91 JCR indexed journals) from 56 countries were included. JCR impact index was scored to study influence of publications dealing with donkeys. Chi-square test tested six variables, randomly influenced by the rest. Cramer's V measured strength of association between variables. Statistically significant differences were observed between almost every combination of variables except for year and JCR impact, year and area/topic and country of the corresponding author, and area/topic of submission. JCR impact and journal influences the area of the articles that are published. As some countries are more specialized in certain themes concerning donkey-related sciences, they are more likely to publish.

Model reduction of high-dimensional dynamical systems alleviates computational burdens faced in various tasks from design optimization to model predictive control. One popular model reduction approach is based on projecting the governing equations onto a subspace spanned by basis functions obtained from the compression of a dataset of solution snapshots. However, this method is intrusive since the projection requires access to the system operators. Further, some systems may require special treatment of nonlinearities to ensure computational efficiency or additional modeling to preserve stability. In this work we propose a deep learning-based strategy for nonlinear model reduction that is inspired by projection-based model reduction where the idea is to identify some optimal low-dimensional representation and evolve it in time. Our approach constructs a modular model consisting of a deep convolutional autoencoder and a modified LSTM network. The deep convolutional autoencoder returns a low-dimensional representation in terms of coordinates on some expressive nonlinear data-supporting manifold. The dynamics on this manifold are then modeled by the modified LSTM network in a computationally efficient manner. An offline unsupervised training strategy that exploits the model modularity is also developed. We demonstrate our model on three illustrative examples each highlighting the model's performance in prediction tasks for fluid systems with large parameter-variations and its stability in long-term prediction.

Presentation held in the INVADE Black Sea Workshop 2018 in Varna, Bulgaria

In the UCN�� experiment, ultracold neutrons (UCN) are confined by magnetic fields and the Earth's gravitational field. Field-trapping mitigates the problem of UCN loss on material surfaces, which caused the largest correction in prior neutron experiments using material bottles. However, the neutron dynamics in field traps differ qualitatively from those in material bottles. In the latter case, neutrons bounce off material surfaces with significant diffusivity and the population quickly reaches a static spatial distribution with a density gradient induced by the gravitational potential. In contrast, the field-confined UCN -- whose dynamics can be described by Hamiltonian mechanics -- do not exhibit the stochastic behaviors typical of an ideal gas model as observed in material bottles. In this report, we will describe our efforts to simulate UCN trapping in the UCN�� magneto-gravitational trap. We compare the simulation output to the experimental results to determine the parameters of the neutron detector and the input neutron distribution. The tuned model is then used to understand the phase space evolution of neutrons observed in the UCN�� experiment. We will discuss the implications of chaotic dynamics on controlling the systematic effects, such as spectral cleaning and microphonic heating, for a successful UCN lifetime experiment to reach a 0.01% level of precision., 18 pages, 19 figures

Background Mate finding and recognition in animals evolves during niche adaptation and involves social signals and habitat cues. Drosophila melanogaster and related species are known to be attracted to fermenting fruit for feeding and egg-laying, which poses the question of whether species-specific fly odours contribute to long-range premating communication. Results We have discovered an olfactory channel in D. melanogaster with a dual affinity to sex and food odorants. Female flies release a pheromone, (Z)-4-undecenal (Z4-11Al), that elicits flight attraction in both sexes. Its biosynthetic precursor is the cuticular hydrocarbon (Z,Z)-7,11-heptacosadiene (7,11-HD), which is known to afford reproductive isolation between the sibling species D. melanogaster and D. simulans during courtship. Twin olfactory receptors, Or69aB and Or69aA, are tuned to Z4-11Al and food odorants, respectively. They are co-expressed in the same olfactory sensory neurons, and feed into a neural circuit mediating species-specific, long-range communication; however, the close relative D. simulans, which shares food resources with D. melanogaster, does not respond to Z4-11Al. Conclusion The Or69aA and Or69aB isoforms have adopted dual olfactory traits. The underlying gene yields a collaboration between natural and sexual selection, which has the potential to drive speciation.

We present an analogy between the one dimensional Poisson equation in inhomogeneous media and the Dirac equation in one space dimension with a Lorentz scalar potential for zero energy. We illustrate how the zero energy state in the Jackiw-Rebbi model can be implemented in a simple one dimensional electrostatic setting by using an inhomogeneous electric permittivity and an infinite charged sheet. Our approach provides a novel insight into the Jackiw-Rebbi zero energy state and provides a helpful view in teaching this important quantum field theory model using basic electrostatics., Comment: 4 pages. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1707.06743

In the last years, hospitals in Brazil have made significant investments in adopting and implementing new hospital information system (HIS). Whether these investments will prove beneficial for these organizations depends on the support that will be provided to ensure the effective use of the information systems (IS) implemented and also on the satisfaction of its users. The purpose of this study is to propose a conceptual model, appropriate for the intention to use HIS, by adopting the system, service, and information qualities covered in the Information System Success Model proposed by DeLone and Mclean. In the present study, structural analysis applied to data from a sample of 393 HIS users showed the variables service quality, information quality, system quality and satisfaction to act as antecedents of HIS success. A novel finding of the study was the importance of the user's aptitude with respect to computer moderating the relationships of the model. Managerial implications are provided accordingly. Suggestions for introducing healthcare information system are then provided as well. How to cite this article Nunes GS, Javier MGF. Hospital Information System Satisfaction in Brazil: Background and Moderating Effects. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2014;2(1):1-9.

We give a regularity criterion for a $Q$-tensor system modeling a nematic Liquid Crystal, under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions for the tensor $Q$. Starting of a criterion only imposed on the velocity field ${\bf u}$ two results are proved; the uniqueness of weak solutions and the global in time weak regularity for the time derivative $(\partial_t {\bf u},\partial_t Q)$. This paper extends the work done in [F. Guill��n-Gonz��lez, M.A. Rodr��guez-Bellido \& M.A. Rojas-Medar, Sufficient conditions for regularity and uniqueness of a 3D nematic liquid crystal model, Math. Nachr. 282 (2009), no. 6, 846-867] for a nematic Liquid Crystal model formulated in $({\bf u},{\bf d})$, where ${\bf d}$ denotes the orientation vector of the liquid crystal molecules., 13 pages

Background Filaggrin (FLG) gene mutations, which result in complete or incomplete loss of proFLG/FLG peptides, have been reported as an important predisposing factor for atopic dermatitis (AD) and secondary atopic phenotypes such as atopic asthma. Method The presence of the protein FLG in the skin was evaluated at birth on 12 infants using Raman spectroscopy; these 12 infants were monitored for 1 year to see whether they developed AD. Three different statistical analysis procedures, two of which involved principal component analysis (PCA), were performed on the Raman spectra in order to determine the FLG content. Results The infants who had a lower FLG content, determined using any of the three statistical analysis procedures proposed, were also the ones that clinically developed AD. Conclusion The results suggest that Raman spectroscopy and statistical analysis such as PCA could be used as an early detection procedure for FLG -related AD and as a possible quantitative marker for FLG gene mutations

Background and aims: As part of an RCT in six European sites, the direct mental health care cost for 422 patients with schizophrenia was analysed according to how total and medication costs differed across sites and which variables were likely to predict total or service-specific costs. Method: Service use was recorded continuously during a 12-month follow-up. Prescribed psychotropic medication was recorded at baseline and 12 months later. Service use data were transformed into EURO, log-transformed and analysed using linear regression models. Results: Although samples were homogeneous, large inter-site cost differences were found (annual means ranging from 2958 E in Spain up to 36978 E in Switzerland). Psychopharmacologic costs were much more constant across sites than costs for other services. Total costs were associated more with region or socio-demographic characteristics than with disorder related parameters. Conclusions: The findings confirm remarkable differences in direct costs of patients with schizophrenia across Europe. However, the relative stability of medication costs suggests a need to analyse mechanisms that influence service-specific costs for schizophrenia. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Número de publicación: 2 310 969 Número de solicitud: 200701850, Biotina-soporte poroso, métodos de obtención y usos. Compuesto que comprende biotina unida a un soporte poroso mediante un “linker” (grupo de unión o enlazante) que contiene el grupo 1,2,3-triazol. La invención también se refiere al método de obtención del compuesto y a sus usos para la purificación de avidina y proteínas biotiniladas, así como para el marcaje fluorescente de avidina., Universidad de Granada

Olfaction plays a dominant role in the mate-finding and host selection behaviors of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella), an important pest of apple, pear and walnut orchards. Antennal transcriptome analysis (Bengtsson et al. 2012, Walker et al. 2016) revealed a number of abundantly expressed genes related to the moth olfactory system, including those encoding olfactory receptors (ORs), some of which belong to the putative pheromone receptor (PR) lineage, the co-receptor (CpomOrco) and Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels. Using heterologous expression, in both human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) cells and in Drosophila olfactory sensory neurons, coupled with calcium imaging and electrophysiological recording, respectively, we characterize the basic physiological and pharmacological properties of these receptors and demonstrate that they form functional ionotropic receptor channels. Molecular biological analysis of ORs and TRPs suggests that at least some receptors are expressed as a complex combination of splice-isoforms and their pattern may correlate with the expression of other ion channels.

D2.2 Electromagnetic Study of Behaviour of Plasmonic Units

Sex ratio allocation has important fitness consequences, and theory predicts that parents should adjust offspring sex ratio in cases where the fitness returns of producing male and female offspring vary. The ability of fathers to bias offspring sex ratios has traditionally been dismissed given the expectation of an equal proportion of X and Y-chromosome bearing sperm (CBS) in ejaculates due to segregation of sex chromosomes at meiosis. This expectation has been recently refuted. Here we used Peromyscus leucopus to demonstrate that sex ratio is explained by an exclusive effect of the father, and suggest a likely mechanism by which male-driven sex-ratio bias is attained. We identified a male sperm morphological marker that is associated with the mechanism leading to sex ratio bias; differences among males in the sperm nucleus area (a proxy for the sex chromosome that the sperm contains) explain 22% variation in litter sex ratio. We further show the role played by the sperm nucleus area as a mediator in the relationship between individual genetic variation and sex-ratio bias. Fathers with high levels of genetic variation had ejaculates with a higher proportion of sperm with small nuclei area. This, in turn, led to siring a higher proportion of sons (25% increase in sons per 0.1 decrease in the inbreeding coefficient). Our results reveal a plausible mechanism underlying unexplored male-driven sex-ratio biases. We also discuss why this pattern of paternal bias can be adaptive. This research puts to rest the idea that father contribution to sex ratio variation should be disregarded in vertebrates, and will stimulate research on evolutionary constraints to sex ratios—for example, whether fathers and mothers have divergent, coinciding, or neutral sex allocation interests. Finally, these results offer a potential explanation for those intriguing cases in which there are sex ratio biases, such as in humans.

Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair is currently the subject of intense debate, even though it provides a series of advantages over open surgery and is feasible and safe. Various studies have shown this technique to be as effective as open repair with a lower recurrence rate. Despite the excellent results of laparoscopic repair of ventral hernias, there are numerous controversies associated with this procedure. These controversies concern the indications and contraindications of the procedure, and technical aspects such as how to create the pneumoperitoneum, perform adhesiolysis, manage the hernia sac, and insert and fix the mesh to the anterior abdominal wall. Also controversial are outcome, complications related to postoperative seroma, and which type and size of mesh should be used. The present article aims primarily to address many of these issues, based on the experience of distinct surgeons with expertise in this approach, in order to provide data to establish a consensus on how laparoscopic ventral hernia repair should be performed.

Número de publicación: ES2334756 B1. Número de solicitud: 200901744., La presente invención se refiere a nuevos materiales basados ​​en matrices de polímeros obtenidos a partir de polisacáridos, a los métodos para la obtención del mismo y a los usos de los mismos. Más particularmente, la invención se refiere al uso de dichos materiales basados ​​en almidón, dextrina o ciclodextrinas para el secuestro de contaminantes orgánicos e inorgánicos y para la purificación de agua., The present invention relates to novel materials based on polymer matrices obtained from polysaccharides, to the methods for obtaining same and to the uses thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to the use of said materials based on starch, dextrin or cyclodextrins to sequester organic and inorganic contaminants and for the purification of water., Universidad de Granada

Sex ratio allocation has important fitness consequences, and theory predicts that parents should adjust offspring sex ratio in cases where the fitness returns of producing male and female offspring vary. The ability of fathers to bias offspring sex ratios has traditionally been dismissed given the expectation of an equal proportion of X and Y-chromosome bearing sperm (CBS) in ejaculates due to segregation of sex chromosomes at meiosis. This expectation has been recently refuted. Here we used Peromyscus leucopus to demonstrate that sex ratio is explained by an exclusive effect of the father, and suggest a likely mechanism by which male-driven sex-ratio bias is attained. We identified a male sperm morphological marker that is associated with the mechanism leading to sex ratio bias; differences among males in the sperm nucleus area (a proxy for the sex chromosome that the sperm contains) explain 22% variation in litter sex ratio. We further show the role played by the sperm nucleus area as a mediator in the relationship between individual genetic variation and sex-ratio bias. Fathers with high levels of genetic variation had ejaculates with a higher proportion of sperm with small nuclei area. This, in turn, led to siring a higher proportion of sons (25% increase in sons per 0.1 decrease in the inbreeding coefficient). Our results reveal a plausible mechanism underlying unexplored male-driven sex-ratio biases. We also discuss why this pattern of paternal bias can be adaptive. This research puts to rest the idea that father contribution to sex ratio variation should be disregarded in vertebrates, and will stimulate research on evolutionary constraints to sex ratios—for example, whether fathers and mothers have divergent, coinciding, or neutral sex allocation interests. Finally, these results offer a potential explanation for those intriguing cases in which there are sex ratio biases, such as in humans.

Número de publicación: 2 319 063, Número de solicitud: 200702542, Compuesto de sílica-vinilsulfona, síntesis y usos del mismo. Compuesto que comprende un soporte de silica funcionalizada con grupos vinilsulfona. Además, se refiere a su procedimiento de obtención y sus usos como inmovilizador de biomoléculas, y más concretamente de enzimas tales como invertasa, lactasa, peroxidasa o tiorredoxina h1, y de otras biomoléculas tales como glutatión, nitrosoglutation o biotina., Universidad de Granada

En esta tesis se ha propuesto como objetivo principal confirmar la hipótesis de partida, desde el punto de vista metafórico, EL PUENTE DE FÁBRICA ES UN HOMBRE, mediante el estudio cognitivo y terminológico, para cubrir un vacío en el análisis lingüístico de los puentes de fábrica. Objetivo que se cree cumplido. Se han comprobado, los aspectos de los campos lingüístico-técnicos implicados desde un punto de vista general, hasta demostrar su fusión de manera específica, y, así, confirmar la hipótesis.

Las evidencias del impacto sobre el medio ambiente asociado al funcionamiento de las ciudades hacen que sea urgente proponer medidas que reduzcan este consumo y mejoren la eficiencia del metabolismo urbano. La existencia de límites en la disponibilidad de recursos materiales y energéticos, plantea actualmente un reto importante al ser humano: ¿son posibles otras formas de organización más adecuadas a esta condición de limitación? Para dar respuesta, resulta fundamental conocer cómo interactuarán nuestros sistemas urbanos en un modelo económico de continuo desarrollo, con la población que alojan, y si podrán adaptarse a la capacidad de carga limitada del Planeta, evitando futuras situaciones de colapso anunciadas desde distintos ámbitos científicos. En ese contexto, la tesis formula un método de análisis del alojamiento que, mediante la evaluación a largo plazo, permita proponer medidas de intervención para reducir el consumo de recursos asociado a su funcionamiento. Se parte de un enfoque ecológico para definir el alojamiento como una parte fundamental del sistema urbano, que está compuesto por tres elementos: habitantes, viviendas y recursos naturales; por tanto, para reducir los impactos asociados al alojamiento es necesario tener en cuenta la diferente naturaleza de estos elementos y el carácter dinámico de las relaciones que se producen entre ellos. La Ecología, a través del estudio de los ecosistemas, ha identificado estrategias de supervivencia y adaptación ante los cambios y perturbaciones. La similitud entre los elementos de un ecosistema (población y soporte) y los del alojamiento (habitantes, viviendas y recursos naturales) permite verificar que la aplicación de estas estrategias al alojamiento puede conducir a situaciones más deseables en la relación de los sistemas urbanos con su entorno A partir de esta hipótesis, se propone un método de análisis diacrónico1 o a largo plazo, para conocer la evolución en el tiempo del alojamiento a través de la cuantificación de una serie de indicadores descriptivos de los habitantes, las viviendas y los recursos naturales. La aplicación de este método a un sistema urbano permitiría conocer las características de los elementos del sistema y, para un ámbito temporal de futuro, prever su evolución, identificar escenarios no deseables y proponer medidas de intervención que corrijan anticipadamente estas situaciones y eviten impactos ambientales innecesarios. La validación del método de análisis se realiza mediante la aplicación al caso de Madrid en periodo retrospectivo (de 1940 a 2010) A partir del estudio de la evolución en Madrid de los indicadores seleccionados, se proponen medidas de intervención en el alojamiento basadas en estrategias ecológicas que habrían conducido a una evolución alternativa con un impacto menor sobre el medio ambiente que la situación actual. El método de análisis se aplica con carácter prospectivo definiendo tres escenarios de futuro para Madrid hasta 2100. Para cada uno de ellos se analiza la evolución previsible de los indicadores y se proponen diferentes medidas de intervención que, desde el punto de vista ecológico, conducirían a una situación más adecuada. La tesis concluye en el interés de este método de análisis diacrónico que permite estimar posibilidades en la evolución futura del alojamiento, identificar las necesidades de recursos para responder a las demandas de los habitantes y, desde un enfoque ecológico, definir, cuantificar y evaluar posibles medidas de intervención que reduzcan los impactos ambientales. El método, por tanto, es una herramienta de interés para la toma de decisiones en la intervención en el alojamiento y en la planificación urbana a largo plazo. ABSTRACT Evidence of the impact on the environment associated with the operation of cities make it urgent to propose measures to reduce energy consumption and improve the efficiency of urban metabolism. The limited availability of materials and energy resources currently poses a significant challenge to human beings: are more appropriate forms of organization for this limitation possible? In response, it is essential to know how our urban systems with the population they host will interact in an economic model of continuous development and whether they can adapt to the limited endurance capacity of the planet, thus avoiding future collapse situations which are being announced from different scientific fields. In this context, the thesis puts forward a method of housing analysis that by a long term assessment will enable to propose intervention measures to reduce resource consumption associated with its operation. The thesis is based on an ecological approach to identify housing as a fundamental part of the urban system, which is composed of three elements: inhabitants, homes and natural resources. Therefore, in order to reduce the impacts associated with housing it is necessary to consider the characteristics of these elements and the dynamic nature of the relationships among them. Ecology, through the analysis of ecosystems, has identified strategies for survival and adaptation to changes and disturbances. The similarity between the elements of an ecosystem (population and support) and housing (inhabitants, homes and natural resources) enables to verify that the implementation of these strategies to housing can lead to better situations in the relationship existing between urban systems with their environment. From this hypothesis, a diachronic or long term analysis method is proposed to know the evolution of housing over time through the quantification of a descriptive indicators series of inhabitants, homes and natural resources. The implementation of this method to a urban system would allow better knowledge of the characteristics of these elements and forecast their development, identify undesirable scenarios and propose early intervention measures to correct these situations and avoid unnecessary environmental impacts. The validation of the method of analysis has been proved in the city of Madrid for the years 1940-2010. From the analysis of the evolution of the indicators selected, accommodation intervention measures are proposed based on ecological strategies that would have led to an alternative development having less impact on the environment than that of the current situation. The analysis method is implemented prospectively defining three future scenarios for the city of Madrid until 2100. The likely evolution of the indicators are analyzed for each scenario and various intervention measures that would lead to a better situation from an ecological point of view are proposed. The thesis conclusion states the interest of this diachronic analysis method to estimate potential future developments in the housing field, identify resource requirements to meet the demands of the citizens and, from an ecological approach, define, quantify and assess possible intervention measures to reduce environmental impacts. The method, therefore, is an interesting tool for decision-making process as for the intervention in housing and urban planning in the long term.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the changes in ventilator management over time in patients with neurologic disease at ICU admission and to estimate factors associated with 28-day hospital mortality. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of three prospective, observational, multicenter studies. SETTING: Cohort studies conducted in 2004, 2010, and 2016. PATIENTS: Adult patients who received mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among the 20,929 patients enrolled, we included 4,152 (20%) mechanically ventilated patients due to different neurologic diseases. Hemorrhagic stroke and brain trauma were the most common pathologies associated with the need for mechanical ventilation. Although volume-cycled ventilation remained the preferred ventilation mode, there was a significant (p < 0.001) increment in the use of pressure support ventilation. The proportion of patients receiving a protective lung ventilation strategy was increased over time: 47% in 2004, 63% in 2010, and 65% in 2016 (p < 0.001), as well as the duration of protective ventilation strategies: 406 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2004, 523 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2010, and 585 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2016 (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the length of stay in the ICU, mortality in the ICU, and mortality in hospital from 2004 to 2016. Independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were age greater than 75 years, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II greater than 50, the occurrence of organ dysfunction within first 48 hours after brain injury, and specific neurologic diseases such as hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, and brain trauma. CONCLUSIONS: More lung-protective ventilatory strategies have been implemented over years in neurologic patients with no effect on pulmonary complications or on survival. We found several prognostic factors on mortality such as advanced age, the severity of the disease, organ dysfunctions, and the etiology of neurologic disease.

Esta tesis parte de una reflexión sobre la integración de la construcción industrializada en la arquitectura y el desarrollo sostenible de nuestro planeta y, más concretamente, de la inquietud de querer comparar los diferentes sistemas de construcción industrializados bajo el punto de vista de su sostenibilidad. Supone una introspección en la industrialización sostenible de la construcción en cuanto a la conservación de energía y los recursos naturales, la reutilización de estos recursos y la gestión del ciclo de vida de los materiales y componentes utilizados. Las consideraciones se refieren tanto a aspectos concernientes a los materiales empleados, como a las tecnologías utilizadas, gestión de los edificios y su disposición final, para obtener una mayor eficiencia energética de los edificios y las técnicas de construcción. El estudio se concreta en el desarrollo un marco teórico para la investigación de la sostenibilidad de los sistemas industrializados de fachadas en edificios de vivienda colectiva en España; desarrollando una herramienta que permite, por un lado, guiar a los diferentes agentes en el diseño de sistemas constructivos de fachada con las mejores prácticas de sostenibilidad y, por otro lado, evaluar la sostenibilidad de los sistemas constructivos de una forma objetiva. Por último, se lleva a cabo la evaluación y comparación de once ejemplos de sistemas de fachadas realizados en España en los últimos años. Esto ha permitido emitir juicios críticos soportados por una base fáctica sobre el grado de sostenibilidad de unos sistemas con respecto a otros, realizando un análisis del estado actual del sector de la construcción de fachadas en vivienda colectiva en España, concluyendo en unas directrices que permitan mejorar los sistemas existentes. ABSTRACT The starting point of this thesis is a reflection on the integration of industrialized building and sustainable development concepts. This integration is specifically focused on providing a framework for comparing different systems of industrialized components used in the construction of collective housing, from the point of view of sustainability. Consequently, it involves research on the sustainable industrialization of construction in regards to energy conservation and natural resources, reuse of these resources and life cycle management of materials and components. These considerations refer to both the aspects concerning the materials used, and to the technologies applied to achieve greater energy efficiency in buildings and construction techniques. In tune with this, this thesis puts forward a theoretical framework for the research of sustainability of industrialized façade systems used in collective housing in Spain, leading to the development of a tool for design and assessment that can potentially be applied to any system. This analytical framework is then used to evaluate ten examples of façade systems made in Spain in recent years, therefore providing a factual basis to comparatively determine the degree of sustainability of existing solutions. Moreover, the implementation of this tool also allows to analyse the current state of the sector of façade construction for collective housing in Spain, as well as to propose several guidelines for the improvement of existing systems.

Programa de doctorado: Cáncer: biología y clínica. El cáncer de endometrio es el tumor ginecológico pélvico más frecuente en los países desarrollados. Generalmente se diagnostica en estadios inciales, pero a pesar de su buen pronóstico, aproximadamente el 20% de las pacientes mueren a causa de la enfermedad. Los objetivos planteados han sido estimar la incidencia, la relación con las características clínico-patológicas y moleculares, y con la supervivencia de las pacientes, de las siguientes alteraciones genéticas y epigenéticas: 1) mutaciones en los tractos repetidos del gen EPHB2 y de los genes miembros del sistema de reparación de roturas de la doble cadena de ADN, 2) metilación del promotor de los genes EPHB2, EPHB4, SFRPs y PITX2.