The Clustering of Dark Matter, Haloes & Galaxies

In this thesis I study the spatial distribution of galaxies, haloes and dark matter particlesin the Universe. The subjects investigated are conceptually divided into three areas.One line of research, which is made up of Chapters 2 and 3， is to explore the power and limitations of measurements of the imprint of baryonic acoustic oscillations in the clustering of galaxies. I look at how the appearance of the power spectrum is altered by different effects such as nonlinear evolution or redshift space distortions. In these chapters I also explore the best way to analyse survey data and how well new datasets, from both spectroscopic and photometric surveys, will be able to constrain the dark energy equation of state.In a second strand, I study dark matter haloes and their substructures. In Chapter 4， I look at the dependence of the clustering strength of dark haloes on the concentration of the sample. I was able to go beyond the traditional 2-point statistics to extend previous analyses to higher order statistics thanks to the development of a novel way to extract the higher order bias parameters. In Chapter 5, I then zoomed into smaller scales to study a number of properties of the population of substructures within dark haloes. In particular, I consider the mass distribution of substructures as well as their radial distribution and orientation. I also demonstrate that mergers between substructures do indeed occur, which result from objects that are dynamically or geometrically linked before accretion.In the final line of research, presented in Chapters 6 and 7, I develop ideas about how to add more realism to current theoretical predictions for galaxy clustering, and how it would be possible to use low-resolution dark matter simulations to investigate uncertainties in future observations

The clustering of dark matter, haloes & galaxies

In this thesis I study the spatial distribution of galaxies, haloes and dark matter particles using a suite of state-of-art cosmological N-body simulations of the growth structure in the Universe. The subjects investigated are conceptually divided into three areas. One line of research, which is made up of Chapters 2 and 3, is to explore the power and limitations of measurements of the imprint of baryonic acoustic oscillations in the clustering of galaxies. I look at how the appearance of the power spectrum is altered by different effects such as nonlinear evolution or redshift space distortions. In these chapters I also explore the best way to analyse survey data and how well new datasets, from both spectroscopic and photometric surveys, will be able to constrain the dark energy equation of state. In a second strand, I study dark matter haloes and their substructures. In Chapter 4， I look at the dependence of the clustering strength of dark haloes on the concentration of the sample. I was able to go beyond the traditional 2-point statistics to extend previous analyses to higher order statistics thanks to the development of a novel way to extract the higher order bias parameters. In Chapter 5, I then zoomed into smaller scales to study a number of properties of the population of substructures within dark haloes. In particular, I consider the mass distribution of substructures as well as their radial distribution and orientation. I also demonstrate that mergers between substructures do indeed occur, which result from objects that are dynamically or geometrically linked before accretion. In the final line of research, presented in Chapters 6 and 7, I develop ideas about how to add more realism to current theoretical predictions for galaxy clustering, and how it would be possible to use low-resolution dark matter simulations to investigate uncertainties in future observations

The Lacking Issue: What is Missing from El Rama – Kukra Hill Highway Project

The improvement of road infrastructure in areas of low economic development is one of the mechanisms used to reduce poverty. However, the literature establishes that other conditions or complementary measures are necessary for a correct use of these projects. An example of poor use of road resources is Kukra Hill, where the unequal distribution of benefits originated from the El Rama - Kukra Hill Highway Project affects families with low purchasing power. The conclusions obtained from this research are applicable to the rural sector of other developing countries, making contributions to the study of development projects in favor of the most vulnerable sector of the population

Aproximaciones cualitativas al estudio de obesidad: Nuevas contribuciones a la comprensión de la nutrición humana.

La obesidad se constituye en un problema de salud pública profusamente evidenciado epidemiológica y clínicamente, que tiende a aumentar en diferentes regiones del mundo. Ante esta situación, en el escrito se propone asumir la necesidad de ahondar también en las características cualitativas necesarias para tener una perspectiva completa sobre las dimensiones psicológicas, sociales y culturales de un fenómeno complejo y multicausal, en el marco general e interdisciplinario de la salud y de los estudios de la nutrición humana. De tal modo, se muestra la reciente inclusión de las aproximaciones cualitativas en los estudios sobre alimentación y nutrición humana. Seguidamente, se plantean ejemplos de esta inclusión centrados en la problemática emergente de obesidad y sobrepeso, se enfatiza en el imperativo de avanzar hacia la comprensión de la experiencia humana de la obesidad a partir de la aproximación contextual y del reconocimiento de la vivencia específica de los sujetos en dicha condición. Finalmente, se asume que los estudios cualitativos permiten un acercamiento a nuevos elementos sociales y culturales, favorecen la ampliación del espectro de comprensión habitual del fenómeno y ofrecen contribuciones significativas, tanto para la caracterización de la problemática como para el diseño e implementación de acciones que contribuyan a su resolución, aprovechando la labor interdisciplinar, así como la utilización rigurosa y creativa de metodologías y técnicas propias de los enfoques cualitativos.It has been epidemiologically and clinically demonstrated that obesity constitutes a main public health problem worldwide. This paper poses the need for assuming the qualitative characteristics necessary for a complete perspective regarding the psychological, social and cultural dimensions of such complex phenomenon within a framework of interdisciplinary healthcare and nutritional studies. Including qualitative approaches when studying human nutrition and food specifically focuses on the growing problem of obesity and being overweight and emphasises the need to move towards understanding human obesity from a contextual approach and recognising the specific experience of the obese. It has been assumed that qualitative studies will provide a fresh approach to social and cultural elements, thereby increasing understanding obesity from a medicine-based approach and making a significant contribution to problem characterisation and designing and introducing action aimed at its resolution which has been based on interdisciplinary dialogue and the rigorous and creative use of qualitative approaches' methodologies and techniques

Efecto del factor de crecimiento fibroblástico tipo 2 (FGF-2) sobre la capacidad mifratoria de la línea celular A549, proveniente de cáncer de pulmón

"El cáncer de pulmón es uno de los principales problemas de salud pública a nivel mundial, ya que representa ser la primera causa de muerte por cáncer en la población adulta. Las células tumorales provenientes de cáncer de pulmón, sobre-expresan FGF-2, así como su receptor específico, FGFR1, sin conocerse a detalle su participación en la EMT. Por lo que el propósito del presente trabajo, es investigar el efecto que ejerce FGF-2 sobre la capacidad migratoria, como reflejo de la EMT, en las células tumorales de pulmón A549, las cuales son un modelo experimental de carcinoma de células no pequeñas. Ensayos de migración en cámara transwell, muestran que la presencia crónica de FGF-2 exacerba la capacidad migratoria de las células A549, y que este efecto se ve acompañado por cambios en los niveles de expresión del ARNm que codifica 2 para -SMA y MMP-2, los cuales son considerados marcadores moleculares de la EMT. Los resultados iniciales que obtuvimos, muestran la participación del FGF-2 sobre la capacidad metastásicas de las células A549. Esto pudiera en un futuro, proponer al receptor de FGF-2 (FGFR1), como un blanco farmacológico para inhibir la metástasis de cáncer de pulmón"

J-PLUS : detecting and studying extragalactic globular clusters

Context. Extragalactic globular clusters (GCs) are key objects in studies of galactic histories. The advent of wide-field surveys, such as the Javalambre Photometric Local Universe Survey (J-PLUS), offers new possibilities for the study of these systems. Aims. We performed the first study of GCs in J-PLUS to recover information on the history of NGC 1023, taking advantage of wide-field images and 12 filters. Methods. We developed the semiautomatic pipeline GCFinder for detecting GC candidates in J-PLUS images, which can also be adapted to similar surveys. We studied the stellar population properties of a sub-sample of GC candidates using spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting. Results. We found 523 GC candidates in NGC 1023, about 300 of which are new. We identified subpopulations of GC candidates, where age and metallicity distributions have multiple peaks. By comparing our results with the simulations, we report a possible broad age-metallicity relation, supporting the notion that NGC 1023 has experienced accretion events in the past. With a dominating age peak at 1010 yr, we report a correlation between masses and ages that suggests that massive GC candidates are more likely to survive the turbulent history of the host galaxy. Modeling the light of NGC 1023, we find two spiral-like arms and detect a displacement of the galaxy’s photometric center with respect to the outer isophotes and center of GC distribution (~700pc and ~1600pc, respectively), which could be the result of ongoing interactions between NGC 1023 and NGC 1023A. Conclusions. By studying the GC system of NGC 1023 with J-PLUS, we showcase the power of multi-band surveys for these kinds of studies and we find evidence to support the complex accretion history of the host galaxy

60 años de productividad: Enfoques para su estimación en Nicaragua

This research addresses the estimation of total factor productivity for Nicaragua throughout the period 1960-2019 by means of three methods: Solow residual, direct substitution method, and Malmquist index. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that the direct substitution method is more favorable in long series for the Nicaraguan economy given its particular historical evolution and that the contribution of productivity to economic growth averaged 18 %

60 años de productividad: Enfoques para su estimación en Nicaragua

This research addresses the estimation of total factor productivity for Nicaragua throughout the period 1960-2019 by means of three methods: Solow residual, direct substitution method, and Malmquist index. Based on the results obtained, it is concluded that the direct substitution method is more favorable in long series for the Nicaraguan economy given its particular historical evolution and that the contribution of productivity to economic growth averaged 18 %