Datos agregados para corregir los sesgos de no respuesta y de cobertura en encuestas

En las últimas décadas la incidencia creciente de los sesgos de no respuesta y cobertura en las encuestas han puesto en entredicho la capacidad de inferir los resultados a la población. Una forma extendida de corregir los sesgos de no respuesta y cobertura en las encuestas es el uso de ponderaciones que equilibran la muestra final de entrevistados. La construcción de ponderaciones requiere información auxiliar, totales poblacionales que estén disponibles para los que responden y para los que no cooperan. En este trabajo, a partir de simulaciones estadísticas, se comprueba la capacidad de la información agregada para corregir el sesgo de no respuesta. Para ello se comparan el ajuste con datos individuales y el sistema de datos agregados, dando como resultado que el uso de datos agregados puede ser útil si se cumplen tres requisitos: 1) la variable estimada está agrupada, 2) la variable estimada y la auxiliar están correlacionadas y 3) la probabilidad de completar la encuesta está relacionada con la variable auxiliar.In the last decades the effect of nonresponse and coverage bias in surveys have questioned the ability of inferring the results to the population. An extended procedure used to correct nonresponse and coverage problems is the use of weights to balance the sample of respondents. However auxiliary information available for respondents and nonrespondents is required to compute weights. In this paper statistical simulations are used to test the potential of aggregate data to correct nonresponse bias. This research compares individual data adjustments to the use of auxiliary aggregate data. The results show the use of aggregate data can improve survey representativity if three requirements are met: 1) the dependent variable is grouped, 2) the dependent and auxiliary variables are correlated and 3) the auxiliary variable is correlated with response propensities

Human Rights and Social Movements: a Participatory Experience at the University

Este artículo recoge una serie de una serie de reflexiones teóricas y prácticas, relacionadas con la necesidad de aprender en una sociedad globalizada sobre Derechos Humanos. Reto que ha de ir ligado a un compromiso de acción que debe desarrollarse en cualquiera de las esferas sociales (movimientos, asociaciones, ONG’s, etc.) que tenemos a nuestro alcance. Asumimos que en el contexto del proceso de enseñanza y aprendizaje en el contexto universitario, el tema de los Derechos Humanos es una asignatura pendiente a la que ha de dar respuesta la Universidad como institución al servicio de la sociedad y promotora del desarrollo de la justicia social. La enseñanza y el aprendizaje de estos derechos no consiste sólo en darlos a conocer, sino en asimilarlos, asumirlos e integrarlos en el proceso formativo personal, posibilitando que las personas sientan responsabilidad por su desarrollo. Para fomentar la participación social es importante motivarlas desde las emociones, para que sean capaces de implicarse en las circunstancias políticas, sociales y culturales de la sociedad civil. En este trabajo, y con el fin de fundamentar empíricamente nuestro planteamiento, describimos el desarrollo de una experiencia universitaria de participación socioeducativa que nos permite valorar el papel de los movimientos sociales en nuestro actual contexto sociocultural.This paper introduces some theoretical and practical considerations related to the need to learn on Human Rights in a global society. It is a challenge that has to be linked to a commitment to action to be developed in any of the social domains (movements, associations, ONGs, etc.) that we have at our disposal. We assume that teaching and learning on human rights in the university context is a pending issue which must be responded by the University as institution at the service of the society and responsible of promoting the development of social justice. The teaching and learning of these rights is not just about making them known, but to assimilate them, accept them and integrate them into the staff training process. It is important to motivate the social participation of the people from emotions, with the objective of engaging them in the political, social and cultural aspects of civil society. This paper demonstrates empirically the development of a socio-educational participation experience in the University allowing assessing the role of the social movements in our current social and cultural context

Datos administrativos agregados y estimación a partir de muestras no probabilísticas

In the last two decades survey research has faced two main challenges: the spread of online research using non-probability samples and the general drop of response rates. In this scenario complex adjustments are needed to preserve the inference process. These adjustments require auxiliary information, this is variables available for the whole population. In this paper I test the use of aggregate administrative data at municipality level to adjust estimates from two web panel surveys promoted by the Spanish Association for Media Research (AIMC). Results show that the administrative variables are unable of tackling the bias of the survey estimates.En los últimos años, la investigación con encuestas ha estado marcada por el uso más frecuente de muestras no probabilísticas fruto de la expansión de internet y la caída sostenida de las tasas de respuesta. Para garantizar el proceso de inferencia cada vez son necesarios ajustes más complejos para los que se precisan variables auxiliares, es decir, información acerca de toda la población. En este trabajo se comprueba el potencial de los datos administrativos agregados a nivel de municipio para ajustar dos encuestas provenientes de un panel de internautas, el panel AIMC-Q, promovido por la Asociación Española para la Investigación de los Medios de Comunicación (AIMC). Los resultados muestran que la capacidad de las variables administrativas agregadas para reducir el sesgo de las estimaciones es mínima

Influencia de variables individuales y grupales en la actitud de los investigadores españoles hacia la transferencia de conocimiento y la cooperación con empresas y administraciones públicas

National and supranational governments have promoted knowledge transfer policies for the generation of socio-economic impacts by intersectional cooperation. However, there is a lack of understanding regarding the mechanisms that generate the attitudes conducive that lead to such transfer. From the responses of 851 leaders of Spanish research groups in four regions ?Andalucía, Canarias, Madrid and País Vasco? three logistic regression models have been generated in order to measure the influence of individual and group variables on the more or less proactive attitude of the researchers towards cooperation with non-academic partners ?businesses and public administrations?. Our results refine the hypothesis of the “virtuous circle” regarding knowledge transfer, giving a negative role to previous collaboration with public administrations. Discipline and age have not been significant factores in this model, while academic achievements and motivation have played a less prominent role than expected.Gobiernos nacionales y supranacionales han fomentado políticas orientadas a la producción de nuevos conocimientos que den lugar a impactos socioeconómicos mediante la cooperación intersectorial. Sin embargo, es mucho aún lo que se desconoce acerca de los mecanismos que generan actitudes proclives a dicha transferencia. A partir de las respuestas de 851 investigadores, a la cabeza de sus grupos de investigación en diferentes centros públicos de investigación de Andalucía, Canarias, Madrid y País Vasco, se han generado tres modelos de regresión logística en los que se comprueba la influencia de variables individuales y grupales en la actitud más o menos proclive de los investigadores a la cooperación con agentes no académicos ?empresas y administraciones públicas?. Nuestros resultados matizan la hipótesis del “círculo virtuoso” otorgando un papel negativo a la cooperación previa con las administraciones públicas. La disciplina científica y la edad no se han mostrado significativas dentro del modelo, mientras que los méritos académicos y las motivaciones han tenido un papel menos destacado de lo esperable

Luminescent cis-Bis(bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) Complexes with 1,2-Azolylamidino Ligands: Photophysical, Electrochemical Studies, and Photocatalytic Oxidation of Thioethers

Producción CientíficaNew 1,2-azolylamidino complexes cis-[Ru(bipy)2(NH═C(R)az*-κ2N,N)](OTf)2 (R = Me, Ph; az* = pz, indz, dmpz) are synthesized via chloride abstraction after a subsequent base-catalyzed coupling of a nitrile with the previously coordinated 1,2-azole. The synthetic procedure allows the easy obtainment of complexes having different electronic and steric 1,2-azoylamidino ligands. All of the compounds have been characterized by 1H, 13C, and 15N NMR and IR spectroscopy and by monocrystal X-ray diffraction. Photophysical studies support their phosphorescence, whereas their electrochemistry reveals reversible RuII/RuIII oxidations between +1.13 and +1.25 V (vs SCE). The complexes have been successfully used as catalysts in the photooxidation of different thioethers, the complex cis-[Ru(bipy)2(NH═C(Me)dmpz-κ2N,N)]2+ showing better catalytic performance in comparison to that of [Ru(bipy)3]2+. Moreover, the significant catalytic performance of the dimethylpyrazolylamidino complex is applied to the preparation of the drug modafinil, which is obtained using ambient oxygen as an oxidant. Finally, mechanistic assays suggest that the oxidation reaction follows a photoredox route via oxygen radical anion formation.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (grants PGC2018- 099470-B-I00 and RTI2018-095038-B-I00)Junta de Castilla y León (grant VA130618)Junta de Castilla y León - Fondo Social Europeo (project BU263P18

Methods and restrictions to increase the volume of resonant rectangular-section haloscopes for detecting dark matter axions

Haloscopes are resonant cavities that serve as detectors of dark matter axions when they are immersed in a strong static magnetic field. In order to increase the volume and improve space compatibility with dipole or solenoid magnets for axion searches, various haloscope design techniques for rectangular geometries are discussed in this study. The volume limits of two types of haloscopes are explored: those based on single cavities and those based on multicavities. In both cases, possibilities for increasing the volume of long and/or tall structures are presented. For multicavities, 1D geometries are explored to optimise the space in the magnets. Also, 2D and 3D geometries are introduced as a first step in laying the foundations for the development of these kinds of topologies. The results prove the usefulness of the developed methods, evidencing the ample room for improvement in rectangular haloscope designs nowadays. A factor of three orders of magnitude improvement in volume compared with a single cavity based on the WR-90 standard waveguide is obtained with the design of a long and tall single cavity. Similar procedures have been applied for long and tall multicavities. Experimental measurements are shown for prototypes based on tall multicavities and 2D structures, demonstrating the feasibility of using these types of geometries to increase the volume of real haloscopes.This work was performed within the RADES group. We thank our colleagues for their support. In addition, this work has been funded by the grant PID2019-108122GB-C33, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. JMGB thanks the grant FPI BES-2017-079787, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ESF Investing in your future”. Also, this project has received partial funding through the European Research Council under grant ERC-2018-StG-802836 (AxScale)

Multi-scale stamps for real-time classification of alert streams

In recent years, automatic classifiers of image cutouts (also called "stamps") have shown to be key for fast supernova discovery. The upcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory will distribute about ten million alerts with their respective stamps each night, which it is expected to enable the discovery of approximately one million supernovae each year. A growing source of confusion for these classifiers is the presence of satellite glints, sequences of point-like-sources produced by rotating satellites or debris. The currently planned Rubin stamps will have a size smaller than the typical separation between these point sources. Thus, a larger field of view image stamp could enable the automatic identification of these sources. However, the distribution of larger field of view stamps would be limited by network bandwidth restrictions. We evaluate the impact of using image stamps of different angular sizes and resolutions for the fast classification of events (AGNs, asteroids, bogus, satellites, SNe, and variable stars), using available data from the Zwicky Transient Facility survey. We compare four scenarios: three with the same number of pixels (small field of view with high resolution, large field of view with low resolution, and a proposed multi-scale strategy) and a scenario with the full ZTF stamp that has a larger field of view and higher resolution. Our multi-scale proposal outperforms all the scenarios, with a macro f1-score of 87.39. We encourage Rubin and its Science Collaborations to consider the benefits of implementing multi-scale stamps as a possible update to the alert specification.Comment: Submitted to ApJ

A promising novel formulation for articular cartilage regeneration: Preclinical evaluation of a treatment that produces SOX9 overexpression in human synovial fluid cells

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disorder of synovial joints, in which there is progressive softening and disintegration of the articular cartilage. OA is the most common form of arthritis, and is the primary cause of disability and impaired quality of life in the elderly. Despite considerable medical necessity, no treatment has yet been proven to act as a disease‑modifying agent that may halt or reverse the structural progression of OA. The replacement of the joint with a prosthesis appears to be the best option in the advanced stages of the disease. A formulation (BIOF2) for cartilage regeneration has been recently developed. The present study evaluated the effects of BIOF2 on gene expression in human cell cultures, followed by efficacy trials in three OA animal models. Human synovial fluid cells that were exposed to the formulation exhibited increased transcription factor SOX‑9 (SOX9; chondrogenic factor) expression, and decreased mimecan (mineralization inducer) and macrophage‑stimulating protein receptor (osteoclastogenic factor) expression. The intra‑articular application of BIOF2 in the animal models significantly increased cartilage thickness from 12 to 31% at 28 days, compared with articular cartilage treated with saline solution. The articular area and number of chondrocytes additionally increased significantly, maintaining an unaltered chondrocyte/mm2 proportion. Evaluation of the histological architecture additionally displayed a decrease in the grade of articular damage in the groups treated with BIOF2. In conclusion, BIOF2 has proven to be effective for treating OA in animal models, most likely due to SOX9 overexpression in articular cells

Penetrance of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Genotype-Positive Relatives

BACKGROUND Disease penetrance in genotype -positive (G+) relatives of families with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and the characteristics associated with DCM onset in these individuals are unknown. OBJECTIVES This study sought to determine the penetrance of new DCM diagnosis in G+ relatives and to identify factors associated with DCM development. METHODS The authors evaluated 779 G+ patients (age 35.8 +/- 17.3 years; 459 [59%] females; 367 [47%] with variants in TTN ) without DCM followed at 25 Spanish centers. RESULTS After a median follow-up of 37.1 months (Q1 -Q3: 16.3-63.8 months), 85 individuals (10.9%) developed DCM (incidence rate of 2.9 per 100 person -years; 95% CI: 2.3-3.5 per 100 person -years). DCM penetrance and age at DCM onset was different according to underlying gene group (log -rank P = 0.015 and P <0.01, respectively). In a multivariable model excluding CMR parameters, independent predictors of DCM development were: older age (HR per 1 -year increase: 1.02; 95% CI: 1.0-1.04), an abnormal electrocardiogram (HR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.38-3.29); presence of variants in motor sarcomeric genes (HR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.05-3.50); lower left ventricular ejection fraction (HR per 1% increase: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.82-0.90) and larger left ventricular end -diastolic diameter (HR per 1 -mm increase: 1.10; 95% CI: 1.06-1.13). Multivariable analysis in individuals with cardiac magnetic resonance and late gadolinium enhancement assessment (n = 360, 45%) identi fied late gadolinium enhancement as an additional independent predictor of DCM development (HR: 2.52; 95% CI: 1.43-4.45). CONCLUSIONS Following a first negative screening, approximately 11% of G+ relatives developed DCM during a median follow-up of 3 years. Older age, an abnormal electrocardiogram, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, increased left ventricular end -diastolic diameter, motor sarcomeric genetic variants, and late gadolinium enhancement are associated with a higher risk of developing DCM. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2024;83:1640 -1651) (c) 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation. This is an open access article under the CC BY -NC -ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)