Dynamics of agglomeration and competition in the hotel industry: a geographically weighted regression analysis based on an analytical hierarchy process and geographic information systems (GIS) data

Research background: The effects of locating next to other establishments of equivalent activi-ty is a decision with serious and far-reaching implications, not only from the point of view of location decisions but also with regard to competitive strategy, pricing, or promotion deci-sions. The literature provides evidence of the negative effects of being proximate to competi-tors (erosion of market share), but there are also benefits associated with the increased attrac-tion of demand (attraction effect). This phenomenon is of particular interest in the case of hospitality, where hotel concentrations can be found around certain tourism resources, and is a crucial factor in hoteliers' decisions as they evaluate these contradictory effects. Purpose of the article: Drawing from the relevance that the confrontation between agglomera-tion and competition has in the hotel industry, our study aims to examine if this confrontation can be driven by geographical location and how both vertical and horizontal differentiation factors can unbalance it.Methods: Based on the use of geographical information systems and the estimation of a geo-graphically weighted regression model with a wide dataset that includes 3,153 European hotels located in Spain, France and the United Kingdom. Findings & value added: We extend agglomeration and competition theoretical bodies related to location decisions by providing new findings about their simultaneous effect. Specifically, this study contributes to filling the gap regarding their combined effects on pricing and the conditions under which one prevails over the other. Results show that the role of geographical location and a hotel’s online reputation are more decisive differentiation factors than hotel category when explaining the asymmetry of the effects of agglomeration and competition

Barley-ß-glucans reduce systemic inflammation, renal injury and aortic calcification through ADAM17 and neutral-sphingomyelinase2 inhibition

In chronic kidney disease (CKD), hyperphosphatemia-induced inflammation aggravates vascular calcification (VC) by increasing vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) osteogenic differentiation, ADAM17-induced renal and vascular injury, and TNFα-induction of neutral-sphingomyelinase2 (nSMase2) to release pro-calcifying exosomes. This study examined anti-inflammatory β-glucans efficacy at attenuating systemic inflammation in health, and renal and vascular injury favoring VC in hyperphosphatemic CKD. In healthy adults, dietary barley β-glucans (Bβglucans) reduced leukocyte superoxide production, inflammatory ADAM17, TNFα, nSMase2, and pro-aging/pro-inflammatory STING (Stimulator of interferon genes) gene expression without decreasing circulating inflammatory cytokines, except for γ-interferon. In hyperphosphatemic rat CKD, dietary Bβglucans reduced renal and aortic ADAM17-driven inflammation attenuating CKD-progression (higher GFR and lower serum creatinine, proteinuria, kidney inflammatory infiltration and nSMase2), and TNFα-driven increases in aortic nSMase2 and calcium deposition without improving mineral homeostasis. In VSMC, Bβglucans prevented LPS- or uremic serum-induced rapid increases in ADAM17, TNFα and nSMase2, and reduced the 13-fold higher calcium deposition induced by prolonged calcifying conditions by inhibiting osteogenic differentiation and increases in nSMase2 through Dectin1-independent actions involving Bβglucans internalization. Thus, dietary Bβglucans inhibit leukocyte superoxide production and leukocyte, renal and aortic ADAM17- and nSMase2 gene expression attenuating systemic inflammation in health, and renal injury and aortic calcification despite hyperphosphatemia in CKD.A grant to A.S.D. and M.J.M. from IRBLleida and Agrotecnio Research collaborative projects from the Consell Social at Lleida University supported initial work, Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-funded by European Union (ERDF/FEDER) (FIS PI11/00259, PI14/01452, PI17/02181), Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación 2013–2017 y 2018–2022 del Principado de Asturias (GRUPIN14-028, IDI-2018-000152), RedInRen from ISCIII (ISCIII-RETIC REDINREN RD16/0009). Investigator support included: NC-L by GRUPIN14-028 and IDI-2018-000152, LM-A by GRUPIN14-028, SP by FICYT; MVA and PV by Educational Grant 2 A/2015 from ERA-EDTA CKD-MBD Working Group; PV and AC by ERA-EDTA fellowships 2011 and 2012; JR-C by MINECO (“Juan de la Cierva” program, FJCI-2015-23849); A.S.D. by Asociación Investigación de Fisiología Aplicada. A.S.D. and M.J.M. are members of the Campus Iberus (Ebro Valley Campus of International Excellence)

Fibrosis in chronic kidney disease: Pathogenesis and consequences

Fibrosis is a process characterized by an excessive accumulation of the extracellular matrix as a response to different types of tissue injuries, which leads to organ dysfunction. The process can be initiated by multiple and different stimuli and pathogenic factors which trigger the cascade of reparation converging in molecular signals responsible of initiating and driving fibrosis. Though fibrosis can play a defensive role, in several circumstances at a certain stage, it can progressively become an uncontrolled irreversible and self-maintained process, named pathological fibrosis. Several systems, molecules and responses involved in the pathogenesis of the pathological fibrosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) will be discussed in this review, putting special attention on inflammation, renin-angiotensin system (RAS), parathyroid hormone (PTH), fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), Klotho, microRNAs (miRs), and the vitamin D hormonal system. All of them are key factors of the core and regulatory pathways which drive fibrosis, having a great negative kidney and cardiac impact in CKD

Monitor de área pasivo para neutrones

La relevancia de la presencia de neutrones en los LINACs para radioterapia ha sido establecida en los reportes 79 y 102 de la NCRP1. La medición de la contribución de la dosis y su distribución en el paciente es importante para evaluar el riesgo de la inducción de tumores secundarios2. Para medir el espectro de neutrones o cualquier magnitud dosimétrica asociada, dentro de las salas de radioterapia con LINACs se debe usar un sistema pasivo3. En este trabajo se presenta el diseño de un monitor de área para neutrones con detector pasivo, así como su desempeño en un LINAC de 15 MV

Sex bias in diagnostic delay in bronchiectasis: An analysis of the Spanish Historical Registry of Bronchiectasis

Diagnostic delay is common in most respiratory diseases, particularly in bronchiectasis. However, sex bias in diagnostic delay has not been studied to date. Objective: Assessment of diagnostic delay in bronchiectasis by sex. Methods: The Spanish Historical Registry of Bronchiectasis recruited adults diagnosed with bronchiectasis from 2002 to 2011 in 36 centres in Spain. From a total of 2113 patients registered we studied 2099, of whom 1125 (53.6%) were women. Results: No differences were found for sex or age (61.0 ± 20.6, p = 0.88) or for localization of bronchiectasis (p = 0.31). Bronchiectasis of unknown aetiology and secondary to asthma, childhood infections and tuberculosis was more common in women (all ps 2 years). Independent factors associated with this sex bias were age at onset of symptoms, smoking history, daily expectoration and reduced lung function

Preventing and addressing the stress reactions of health care workers caring for patients with COVID-19: Development of a digital platform (Be + against COVID)

Background: COVID-19 became a major public health concern in March 2020. Due to the high rate of hospitalizations for COVID-19 in a short time, health care workers and other involved staff are subjected to a large workload and high emotional distress. Objective: The objective of this study is to develop a digital tool to provide support resources that might prevent and consider acute stress reactions in health care workers and other support staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The contents of the digital platform were created through an evidence-based review and consensus conference. The website was built using the Google Blogger tool. The Android version of the app was developed in the Java and XML languages using Android Studio version 3.6, and the iOS version was developed in the Swift language using Xcode version 11.5. The app was evaluated externally by the Andalusian Agency for Healthcare Quality. Results: We detected the needs and pressing situations of frontline health care workers, and then, we proposed a serial of recommendations and support resources to address them. These resources were redesigned using the feedback received. A website in three different languages (Spanish, English, and Portuguese) and a mobile app were developed with these contents, and the AppSaludable Quality Seal was granted to the app. A specific self-report scale to measure acute stress and additional tools were included to support the health care workforce. This instrument has been used in several Latin American countries and has been adapted considering cultural differences. The resources section of the website was the most visited with 18, 516 out of 68, 913 (26.9%) visits, and the “Self-Report Acute Stress Scale” was the most visited resource with 6468 out of 18, 516 (34.9%) visits. Conclusions: The Be + against COVID platform (website and app) was developed and launched to offer a pool of recommendations and support resources, which were specifically designed to protect the psychological well-being and the work morale of health care workers. This is an original initiative different from the usual psychological assistance hotlines

Vitamin D treatment prevents uremia-induced reductions in aortic microRNA-145 attenuating osteogenic differentiation despite hyperphosphatemia

In chronic kidney disease, systemic inflammation and high serum phosphate (P) promote the de-differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) to osteoblast-like cells, increasing the propensity for medial calcification and cardiovascular mortality. Vascular microRNA-145 (miR-145) content is essential to maintain VSMC contractile phenotype. Because vitamin D induces aortic miR-145, uremia and high serum P reduce it and miR-145 directly targets osteogenic osterix in osteoblasts, this study evaluated a potential causal link between vascular miR-145 reductions and osterix-driven osteogenic differentiation and its counter-regulation by vitamin D. Studies in aortic rings from normal rats and in the rat aortic VSMC line A7r5 exposed to calcifying conditions corroborated that miR-145 reductions were associated with decreases in contractile markers and increases in osteogenic differentiation and calcium (Ca) deposition. Furthermore, miR-145 silencing enhanced Ca deposition in A7r5 cells exposed to calcifying conditions, while miR-145 overexpression attenuated it, partly through increasing α-actin levels and reducing osterix-driven osteogenic differentiation. In mice, 14 weeks after the induction of renal mass reduction, both aortic miR-145 and α-actin mRNA decreased by 80% without significant elevations in osterix or Ca deposition. Vitamin D treatment from week 8 to 14 fully prevented the reductions in aortic miR-145 and attenuated by 50% the decreases in α-actin, despite uremia-induced hyperphosphatemia. In conclusion, vitamin D was able to prevent the reductions in aortic miR-145 and α-actin content induced by uremia, reducing the alterations in vascular contractility and osteogenic differentiation despite hyperphosphatemia

Transportability of non-target arthropod field data for the use in environmental risk assessment of genetically modified maize in Northern Mexico

In country, non-target arthropod (NTA) field evaluations are required to comply with the regulatory process for cultivation of genetically modified (GM) maize in Mexico. Two sets of field trials, Experimental Phase and Pilot Phase, were conducted to identify any potential harm of insect-protected and glyphosate-tolerant maize (MON89Ø34-3 × MON-88Ø17-3 and MON-89Ø34-3 × MON-ØØ6Ø3-6) and glyphosatetolerant maize (MON-ØØ6Ø3-6) to local NTAs compared to conventional maize. NTA abundance data were collected at 32 sites, providing high geographic and environmental diversity within maize production areas from four ecological regions (ecoregions) in northern Mexico. The most abundant herbivorous taxa collected included field crickets, corn flea beetles, rootworm beetles, cornsilk flies, aphids, leafhoppers, plant bugs and thrips while the most abundant beneficial taxa captured were soil mites, spiders, predatory ground beetles, rove beetles, springtails (Collembola), predatory earwigs, ladybird beetles, syrphid flies, tachinid flies, minute pirate bugs, parasitic wasps and lacewings. Across the taxa analysed, no statistically significant differences in abundance were detected between GM maize and the conventional maize control for 69 of the 74 comparisons (93.2%) indicating thatthe single or stacked insect-protected and herbicide-tolerant GM traits generally exert no marked adverse effects on the arthropod populations compared with conventional maize. The distribution of taxa observed in this study provides evidence that irrespective of variations in overall biodiversity of a given ecoregion, important herbivore, predatory and parasitic arthropod taxa within the commercial maize agroecosystem are highly similar indicating that relevant data generated in one ecoregion can be transportable for the risk assessment of the same or similar GM crop in another ecoregion