Phylogeny of the ant genus Aphaenogaster (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Iberian Peninsula, with the description of a new species

A phylogenetic tree of the Iberian Aphaenogaster species - except for A. splendida (Roger) - and a key to the worker caste of all Iberian Aphaenogaster species are proposed. The position of A. striativentris Forel and A. cardenai Espadaler is discussed, stating the possibility that this second species may belong to a new, undescribed genus. Aphaenogaster ulibeli n. sp. is described from the Iberian Peninsula. Its closest relatives are A. gibbosa (Latreille) and A. striativentris. Its habitat seems to be restricted to caducifolia forests in the Western Central Massif.

Exploring EU food safety notifications on Agro-food imports: Are Mediterranean partner countries discriminated?

[EN] Limited capacity to comply with standards and controls has constrained the trade opportunities generated by bilateral agreements and preferences given to developing countries such as those belonging to the Mediterranean region. Specifically, in this paper we focus on the implementation of a specific type of Non-Tariff Measures that includes food safety concerns by the European Union. This is carried out through exploring some of the influencing factors on food standard enforcement in the EU, which is a major importer of agro-food products from developing countries. The issue at stake emerges on the possible rationale behind the border notifications on food imports -which can be the result of the management of specific risks- but beyond that by considering the reputation of the product or of the country of origin. We explore the hypothesis that the past border notifications affect current notifications, in other words, they affect current decisions on the implementation of food standards by the EU. Methodologically, notifications are extracted from those reported on the Rapid Alert System for Feed and Food (RASFF), and count data models are used to account for the over-dispersion existing in them. The results of the paper support the hypothesis that previous food notifications may slightly affect current notifications; nevertheless this effect seems to be less relevant for products of interest for Mediterranean Partner Countries. Hence, we cannot identify a pro or anti Mediterranean bias in the way that food safety controls are implemented at the EU borders.The authors wish to thank Josep Domènech and Lorena Tudela for helpful insights and assistance in implementing the algorithm for the transformation of RASFF data into computable data. The authors acknowledge the support received from the projects AGL2012–39793-C03–02, funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain) and the Univeristat Politècnica de València (PAID 06-12).Taghouti, I.; Martinez Gómez, VD.; García Alvarez-Coque, JM. (2015). Exploring EU food safety notifications on Agro-food imports: Are Mediterranean partner countries discriminated?. International Journal of Food and Agricultural Economics. 3(2):15-29. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/102162S15293

La agenda oculta de la igualdad de género en el desarrollo

Este artículo analiza los procesos de implantación de la igualdad de género en la Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo como expresión de la agenda oculta de la colonialidad. La hipótesis plantea que en el trasfondo de estos procesos se encierra un anhelo homogenizador por el cual las metas de Occidente se postulan como las metas del mundo. El objetivo es presentar un panorama general de la discusión teórica a partir de la revisión de las teorías críticas del feminismo moderno, del postcolonialismo y de algunos hallazgos de la antropología feminista. Las principales conclusiones plantean que los procesos de inclusión de la igualdad de género en el desarrollo son una forma de institucionalizar subrepticiamente los principios del feminismo occidental moderno en detrimento de los feminismos subalternos. This article analyzes the processes of implementation of gender equality in International Development Cooperation as an expression of the hidden agenda of coloniality. The hypothesis states that in the background of these processes hides a homogenizer desire by which the goals of the West Society appear as the goals of the world. The aim is to present a general overview of the theoretical discussion based on the review of modern feminist critical theories, postcolonial theories and some discoveries of feminist anthropology. The main findings suggest that the processes of gender equality inclusion in development are surreptitious ways of institutionalize the modern Western feminism principles at the expense of subaltern feminisms

Medidas sanitarias y fitosanitarias en las importaciones agroalimentarias de la Unión Europea: los efectos reputación a lo largo del tiempo

[EN] The EU’s Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed provides information on sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) notifications. With a set of data from the 1998-2013 period, we test the hypothesis that past notifications can determine current notifications. This is the “reputation effect”, meaning that inspectors may tend to target products or countries with previous SPS problems. We analyze the scope of the reputation effect over time. We used two count data models to estimate the distribution of current notifications. In line with previous literature, our findings indicate that reputation does affect current EU notifications. Furthermore, we identify some relevant exporter countries for which reputation is long-lasting.[ES] El sistema de alerta rápida para alimentos de la UE informa sobre notificaciones sanitarias y fitosanitarias. Con datos del periodo 1998-2013, se comprueba la hipótesis de si notificaciones pasadas afectan a las notificaciones presentes. Se trata del efecto reputación, que implica que los inspectores pue-den dirigir sus inspecciones a productos o países que hayan tenido previamente problemas sanitarios y fi-tosanitarios; también se analiza el alcance temporal de la reputación. Se utilizan dos modelos de recuento para estimar la distribución de las notificaciones actuales. Los resultados muestran que la reputación in-fluye en las notificaciones actuales de la UE. Además, se identifican varios exportadores relevantes para los que la reputación tiene un efecto duraderoThe authors are grateful for the comments of two anonymous referees on a previous draft of this paper. V. Martinez-Gomez and L. Marti acknowledge the financial support of the Generalitat Valenciana, project GV/2015/073.Taghouti, I.; Martinez Gómez, VD.; Marti, L. (2017). Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures in agri-food imports from the European Union: Reputation effects over time. Economía Agraria y Recursos Naturales - Agricultural and Resource Economics. 16(2):69-88. https://doi.org/10.7201/earn.2016.02.03SWORD698816

Bronchiectasis-COPD Overlap Syndrome: Role of Peripheral Eosinophil Count and Inhaled Corticosteroid Treatment

Both chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchiectasis are highly prevalent diseases. In both cases, inhaled corticosteroids (ICs) are associated with a decrease in exacerbations in patients with a high peripheral blood eosinophil count (BEC), but it is still not known what occurs in bronchiectasis-COPD overlap syndrome (BCOS). The present study aimed to assess the effect of ICs on various outcomes in patients with BCOS, according to BEC values. We undertook a post-hoc analysis of a cohort of 201 GOLD II-IV COPD patients with a long-term follow-up (median 74 [IQR: 40-106] months). All participants underwent computerized tomography and 115 (57.2%) had confirmed BCOS. A standardized clinical protocol was followed and two sputum samples were collected at each medical visit (every 3-6 months), whenever possible. During follow-up, there were 68 deaths (59.1%), and the mean rate of exacerbations and hospitalizations per year was 1.42 (1.2) and 0.57 (0.83), respectively. A total of 44.3% of the patients presented at least one pneumonic episode per year. The mean value of eosinophils was 402 (112) eosinophils/mu L, with 27 (23.5%), 63 (54.8%), and 25 patients (21.7%) presenting, respectively, less than 100, 101-300, and more than 300 eosinophils/mu L. A total of 84 patients (73.1%) took ICs. The higher the BEC, the higher the annual rate of exacerbations and hospitalizations. Patients with less than 100 eosinophils/mu L presented more infectious events (incident exacerbations, pneumonic episodes, and chronic bronchial infection via pathogenic bacteria). Only those patients with eosinophilia (>300 eosinophils/mu L) treated with ICs decreased the number (1.77 (1.2) vs. 1.08 (0.6), p < 0.001) and the severity (0.67 (0.8) vs. 0.35 (0.5), p = 0.011) of exacerbations, without any changes in the other infectious outcomes or mortality. In conclusion, ICs treatment in patients with BCOS with increased BEC decreased the number and severity of incident exacerbations without any negative influence on other infectious outcomes (incidence of pneumonia or chronic bronchial infection)

Patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) of COVID-19 telerehabilitation: Prospective pilot program

Telemedicine is proving to be a useful tool in the telemonitoring of respiratory patients and telerehabilitation programs. The use of telemedicine has been proposed by the main medical societies because of the limited resources and the healthcare workers infection risk in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The aim of this pilot program is to evaluate the feasibility of COVID-19 telerehabilitation program from the hospital to the home with clinical, functional and patient satisfaction outcomes. Rehabilitation was initiated in the hospital by a physiotherapist and complemented by Estoi (a mobile application), which was continued at home with telemonitoring and messaging with the medical team. Patients' habitual use of smartphones was not queried for inclusion. Sixteen patients were consecutively enrolled, 47% women with a mean age of 63 years old. 50% of patients completed >= 15 rehabilitation sessions. In total, 88% of patients referred that the mobile application incentive them to do more physical therapy, and 63% would choose telerehabilitation instead of center-based rehabilitation for new rehabilitation programs. Patient satisfaction (0-10) for the mobile application was 8.4 and 8.9 for the telerehabilitation program. Beginning telerehabilitation in the hospital could increase the efficacy and efficiency of physical therapy, which is safe for patients and healthcare workers. Following at home, this telerehabilitation program seems to encourage and empower patients who have reported high satisfaction. Further randomized studies with larger numbers of patients and multicenter studies are required to evaluate these results

Agreement and clinical comparison between a new swept-source optical coherence tomography-based optical biometer and an optical low-coherence reflectometry biometer

Purpose To compare measurements taken using a swept-source optical coherence tomography-based optical biometer (IOLmaster 700) and an optical low-coherence reflectometry biometer (Lenstar 900), and to determine the clinical impacts of differences in their measurements on intraocular lens (IOL) power predictions. Methods Eighty eyes of 80 patients scheduled to undergo cataract surgery were examined with both biometers. The measurements made using each device were axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), aqueous depth (AQD), lens thickness (LT), mean keratometry (MK), white-to-white distance (WTW), and pupil diameter (PD). Holladay 2 and SRK/T formulas were used to calculate IOL power. Differences in measurement between the two biometers were determined using the paired t-test. Agreement was assessed through intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland–Altman plots. Results Mean patient age was 76.3±6.8 years (range 59–89). Using the Lenstar, AL and PD could not be measured in 12.5 and 5.25% of eyes, respectively, while IOLMaster 700 took all measurements in all eyes. The variables CCT, AQD, LT, and MK varied significantly between the two biometers. According to ICCs, correlation between measurements made with both devices was excellent except for WTW and PD. Using the SRK/T formula, IOL power prediction based on the data from the two devices were statistically different, but differences were not clinically significant. Conclusions No clinically relevant differences were detected between the biometers in terms of their measurements and IOL power predictions. Using the IOLMaster 700, it was easier to obtain biometric measurements in eyes with less transparent ocular media or longer AL

Effect of pharmacological pupil dilation on measurements and iol power calculation made using the new swept-source optical coherence tomography-based optical biometer

Purpose: to determine whether pupil dilation affects biometric measurements and intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation made using the new swept-source optical coherence tomography-based optical biometer (IOLMaster 700©; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany). Procedures: eighty-one eyes of 81 patients evaluated for cataract surgery were prospectively examined using the IOLMaster 700© before and after pupil dilation with tropicamide 1%. The measurements made were: axial length (AL), central corneal thickness (CCT), aqueous chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), mean keratometry (MK), white-to-white distance (WTW) and pupil diameter (PD). Holladay II and SRK/T formulas were used to calculate IOL power. Agreement between measurement modes (with and without dilation) was assessed through intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Results: mean patient age was 75.17 ± 7.54 years (range: 57–92). Of the variables determined, CCT, ACD, LT and WTW varied significantly according to pupil dilation. Excellent intraobserver correlation was observed between measurements made before and after pupil dilation. Mean IOL power calculation using the Holladay 2 and SRK/T formulas were unmodified by pupil dilation. Conclusions: the use of pupil dilation produces statistical yet not clinically significant differences in some IOLMaster 700© measurements. However, it does not affect mean IOL power calculation

La agricultura y el espacio EuroMediterráneo: recursos, competitividad y políticas

[ES] El artículo estudia diversos elementos del sector agrario mediterráneo con el fin de valorar la competitividad agraria de los países del sur y este del Mediterráneo, y si esta supone una amenaza para las agriculturas mediterráneas de la Unión Europea. Concluye que la apertura comercial europea ha mejorado la competitividad de las explotaciones del sur mejor insertadas en las cadenas de valor agroexportadoras, y que una mayor liberalización tendrá efectos limitados en la agricultura de la Unión Europea. Con todo, la liberalización debería acompañarse con políticas de desarrollo agrario, rural y territorial, tanto en el norte como en el sur del Mediterráneo.Jordan Galduf, JM.; García Alvarez-Coque, JM.; Martinez Gomez, VD. (2011). La agricultura y el espacio EuroMediterráneo: recursos, competitividad y políticas. Información Comercial Española (ICE). Revista de Economía. (861):11-28. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/29826S112886

Implementación y configuración bajo nethserver solucionando necesidades especificas con GNU/Linux

Este articulo es presentado para demostrar a través de una serie de imágenes la instalación y configuración de GNU/Linux Nethserver, siendo este un sistema operativo una base para disponer de los servicios de infraestructura IT. Se realiza una configuración previa de Nethserver y red, para el desarrollo de distintas temáticas que manejan temas como DHCP, DNS y Controlador de dominio, Proxy, Cortafuegos, File Server y Print Server, y por ultimo VPN. En la ejecución de estos temas se instalaron y configuraron aplicaciones fundamentales para el desarrollo de estas y se obtuvieron resultados favorables entorno a lo solicitado; de esta manera dejando en evidencia unos breves escritos los cuales detallan paso a paso el desarrollo.This article is presented to demonstrate through a series of images the installation and configuration of GNU/Linux Nethserver, this being an operating system that is the basis for having IT infrastructure services. A prior configuration of Nethserver and network is carried out, for the development of different themes that handle topics such as DHCP, DNS and Domain Controller, Proxy, Firewall, File Server and Print Server, and finally VPN. In the execution of these topics, fundamental applications for their development were installed and configured and favorable results were obtained in the requested environment; in this way revealing some brief writings which detail the development step by step