Retirement or no Retirement? The Decision´s Effects on Cognitive Functioning, Well-Being, and Quality of Life

This study addressed the psychological effects on personal well-being and reported quality of life of staying professionally active in late adulthood, and to what extent years of professional inactivity modulates cognitive abilities. Design and Methods: We collected data on 262 elderly adults, 129 of whom were professionally active elderly adults (who voluntarily maintained their professional activity after the age of retirement) and 133 of whom were retired adults, in a set of experimental tasks to measure basic cognitive resources. The study took place during the first quarter of 2020. Results: Active elderly people performed better on cognitive tasks that assessed attention, memory, and solving abilities and also reported more satisfaction with life and their current work. Multiple linear regressions analyses revealed that years of inactivity were associated with lower cognitive performance. Mentally demanding jobs were significantly associated with memory performance, but not with attention and planning. Conclusions: An involuntary separation from professional activity in the beginning of late adulthood may cause a deeper decline of cognitive functions, poorer adaptive adjustment to the aging process, and higher dissatisfaction with the period of life the individual is going through

Multifunctional device for bicycles

This paper aims at designing a "Multifunctional device composed of load support and anti-theft lock for standard bicycles". A previous study has been developed in order to justify and validate the final design of the unmet needs of people in their daily lives, with an emphasis on satisfying those that imply specific savings, whether economic, energy or time. As a result, the use of bicycles as a means of transport in Spain is promoted taking as a frame of reference countries such as the Netherlands or France. This means economic and energy savings (by replacing the car) and an improvement in people's health and quality of life. Following the steps of the design methodology, once the need was detected, an information search was carried out in order to identify and prioritize the design specifications that meet the demands of potential customers. For this reason, various sources were used, The boost to use bicycles has allowed to establish a set of measurements and specifications in the design of the device with a double functionality, the transport of merchandise and an anti-theft system. In addition to meeting the needs of the client, the design must comply with a set of reference regulations both, at the level of security devices and the transport of merchandise at retail. The result of the work has given rise to patent application with prior examination at a national level, in a first phase, and subsequently, at an international level.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Seeing and touching adenovirus: Complementary approaches for understanding assembly and disassembly of a complex virion

Understanding adenovirus assembly and disassembly poses many challenges due to the virion complexity. A distinctive feature of adenoviruses is the large amount of virus-encoded proteins packed together with the dsDNA genome. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures are broadening our understanding of capsid variability along evolution, but little is known about the organization of the non-icosahedral nucleoproteic core and its influence in adenovirus function. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) probes the biomechanics of virus particles, while simultaneously inducing and monitoring their disassembly in real time. Synergistic combination of AFM with EM shows that core proteins play unexpected key roles in maturation and entry, and uncoating dynamics are finely tuned to ensure genome release at the appropriate time and place for successful infectio

Efectos proinflamatorios de los fármacos antirretrovirales inhibidores de la transcriptasa inversa análogos de nucleósido in vitro e in vivo

Los inhibidores de la transcriptasa inversa análogos de nucleós(t)ido (ITIAN) son una familia de fármacos empleados en el tratamiento de la infección por el virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH). Este grupo de antirretrovirales está presente en todas las opciones terapéuticas en combinación con fármacos antirretrovirales de otras familias. La administración de estos compuestos, en particular de abacavir (ABC) y didanosina (ddI), se ha asociado con la aparición de efectos adversos a nivel cardiovascular; sin embargo los mecanismos responsables permanecen sin esclarecer. Empleando modelos in vitro e in vivo, hemos evaluado los efectos de concentraciones clínicamente relevantes de estos antirretrovirales sobre la interacción leucocito-endotelio, la cual es el primer paso en la génesis de las enfermedades cardiovasculares con componente inflamatorio tales como infarto de miocardio, aterosclerosis y trombosis. ABC (fármaco más utilizado de esta familia y análogo de purina), indujo la interacción de leucocitos con el endotelio (venoso y arterial) in vitro e in vivo así como un incremento en la expresión de la molécula de adhesión leucocitaria Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) en neutrófilos y monocitos tanto humanos como de rata. Aunque la expresión de ICAM-1 no se vio modificada por este fármaco, la acumulación leucocitaria inducida por ABC se debe a la interacción Mac-1/ICAM-1, esto se hace evidente por el hecho de que anticuerpos bloqueantes frente a estas moléculas previnieron los diferentes parámetros leucocitarios. Los estudios en los que cada tipo celular (endotelio o leucocitos) fue tratado individualmente indican que el endotelio también posee un papel importante en esta respuesta. Además, a nivel endotelial, ABC promueve la producción de ERO, así como la translocación de NF-κB al núcleo y la pérdida citosólica de su inhibidor IκB-α. Nuestros estudios mostraron una relación estructura-actividad debido al modo en el que los diferentes antirretrovirales actúan: Así, ddI (análogo de purina) reprodujo los efectos tóxicos de ABC, mientras que los análogos de pirimidina lamivudina (3TC), zidovudina (ZDV) y emtricitabina (FTC) o el análogo de nucleótido tenofovir (TDF) no produjeron cambios significativos en ninguno de los parámetros evaluados. Esto sugiere que ABC y ddI están afectando a la ruta de señalización purinérgica y que el ATP está implicado en estos efectos. De este modo, ABC causó tanto un incremento en los niveles de ATP intracelular como una reducción de la expresión de CD73 (enzima responsable de la degradación del ATP) tanto a nivel endotelial como leucocitario. Además, comprobamos el papel del ATP a través de sus receptores P2X7 en el reclutamiento leucocitario inducido por este ITIAN. Por último, la combinación terapéutica ABC/3TC produce el mismo efecto proinflamatorio que ABC. Sin embargo, la alternativa terapéutica FTC/TDF no promueve dichos efectos. En conclusión, el presente trabajo describe el mecanismo proinflamatorio por el cual los ITIAN análogos de purina y más concretamente, ABC, inducen la acumulación leucocitaria previa al desarrollo de patologías cardiovasculares. Además, destaca la importancia de la estructura química de estos fármacos en el desarrollo de estos efectos tóxicos y apoya la asociación clínica entre estos fármacos y las patologías cardiovasculares.Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) are a family of drugs used in the treatment of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. This antiretroviral group is a constant in all therapeutic options in combination with drugs from other antiretroviral families. The administration of these compounds, especially abacavir (ABC) and didanosine (ddI), has been linked with cardiovascular side effects, though the mechanism implicated remains unclear. Using in vitro and in vivo models, we evaluated the effects of clinically relevant concentrations of these antiretroviral drugs on leukocyte-endothelium interactions, which are the first phase in the onset of cardiovascular diseases with an inflammatory component, such as myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis and thrombosis. ABC (the most employed drug of this family and a purine analogue), induced leukocyte-endothelium (venular and arteriolar) interactions in vitro and in vivo, and enhanced the expression of the leukocyte adhesion molecule Mac-1 (CD11b/CD18) on neutrophils and monocytes from both human and rat blood. Although ICAM-1 expression was not modified by ABC, the leukocyte accumulation it induced was mediated by Mac-1/ ICAM-1 interaction; this was evident in the fact that blocking antibodies against these adhesion molecules prevented the different leukocyte parameters. Further studies in which each cellular type (endothelium or leukocyte) was treated individually revealed that the endothelium also played a key role in this response. Moreover, at the endothelial level, ABC was found to promote reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, as well as traslocation of NF-κB to the nucleus and cytosolic degradation of its inhibitor IκB-α. Our studies have highlighted a structure-activity relationship in the way the different antiretroviral drugs work: didanosine (ddI, purine analogue) reproduced the toxic effects of ABC, while the pyrimidine analogues lamivudine (3TC), zidovudine (ZDV) and emtricitabine (FTC) or the nucleotide analogue tenofovir (TDF) did not produce significant changes in either of the parameters evaluated. This suggests that ABC and ddI exert an effect on the purine signalling pathway, and that the ATP molecule is implicated in these effects. In this way, ABC increases intracellular levels of ATP and undermines the expression of CD73 (an enzyme responsible for the degradation of ATP) on the endothelium and on leukocytes. Furthermore, it has been observed that the role of ATP in the leukocyte recruitment induced by this NRTI takes place through its P2X7 receptors. Finally, the therapeutic combination of ABC/3TC produced the same proinflammatory effect than ABC. However, the alternative combination of FTC/TDF did not promote this action. In conclusion, the present study highlights the proinflammatory mechanism by which the purine analogues NRTI, and specifically ABC, induce leukocyte accumulation which precedes the development of cardiovascular diseases. It also highlights the relevance of the chemical structure of these drugs in the genesis of this toxic effect and supports a clinical association between these drugs and cardiovascular pathologies

Apathy and Leukoaraiosis in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's Disease: Multicenter Diagnostic Criteria according to the Latest Studies

AIMS: The aim is to study the prevalence and possible relationship of apathy and leukoaraiosis in cases of cognitive impairment of varying severity in Spain. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, multicenter study involving 109 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and 59 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). RESULTS: The older group with AD had a higher prevalence of leukoaraiosis and apathy, with significant differences compared to the MCI group. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first multicenter study in our country that jointly analyzes the presence of apathy and leukoaraiosis in the institutionalized elderly with varying degrees of cognitive impairment according to the most recent criteria for detecting apathy in dementia

Impact of Dynamic Capabilities on Customer Satisfaction through Digital Transformation in the Automotive Sector

Technology has impacted businesses in different areas, and, consequently, many companies have found it necessary to make changes in their structures and business models to improve customer satisfaction. The objective was to quantify the effect of dynamic capabilities on customer satisfaction, through digital transformation within the automotive sector. A random sample of 42 questionnaires on 127 surveyed industries was collected during the period 2019–2020 in a pre-COVID-19 context. A structural equation model (SEM) in two stages was applied. In the first stage, two reflective models were built. In a second stage, a structural equation model was evaluated. The results obtained in this study showed that the capabilities of sensing, seizing and innovation were suitably grouped in a construct called “Dynamic Capabilities”. A positive influence of Dynamic Capabilities on customer satisfaction was found. Therefore, the companies in this industry should focus on developing dynamic capabilities to improve customer satisfaction. Once the opportunities have been identified, managers take advantage of their potential (seizing) to transform and exploit knowledge in the creation, innovation, process improvement, and definition of strategies to combine new knowledge with that already existing. The digital transformation has contributed to identify the real needs for customers, to contact them and solve their problems, as well as offering products and services by anticipating their needs

Fenómenos de oxidación y crecimiento en el Al(III) y Si(III)

Tesis Univ. Complutense de Madrid, 1979.Fac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEProQuestpu

El gasto regional por funciones: Análisis y clasificación de las ccaa

El objetivo de la financiación autonómica es dotar a las regiones de los recursos para financiar las competencias transferidas, sin embargo, nos parecía que una cuestión que había sido poco tratada por la literatura era el comportamiento del gasto autonómico por funciones, por esta razón el objetivo principal de este trabajo es el análisis de los gastos de las CCA según dicha clasificación, durante el período comprendido entre los años 1989 y 2002. El estudio se estructura en dos partes diferenciadas, aunque complementarias: por una parte se calcula un índice de disimilitud, en concreto el que emplean Sanz y Velázquez (2002) para, en una segunda parte, realizar una clasificación de las CCA de régimen común según la estructura funcional del gasto. El estudio nos permite extraer conclusiones sobre las siguientes cuestiones: qué gastos explican las similitudes entre CCAA , qué regiones se asemejan en cuanto a la composición del gasto, y si en el periodo analizado se ha producido una convergencia de las regiones por tipos de gasto o si, por el contrario, las diferencias han ido aumentando