Density-functional study of defects in two-dimensional circular nematic nanocavities

We use density--functional theory to study the structure of two-dimensional defects inside a circular nematic nanocavity. The density, nematic order parameter, and director fields, as well as the defect core energy and core radius, are obtained in a thermodynamically consistent way for defects with topological charge $k=+1$ (with radial and tangential symmetries) and $k=+1/2$. An independent calculation of the fluid elastic constants, within the same theory, allows us to connect with the local free--energy density predicted by elastic theory, which in turn provides a criterion to define a defect core boundary and a defect core free energy for the two types of defects. The radial and tangential defects turn out to have very different properties, a feature that a previous Maier--Saupe theory could not account for due to the simplified nature of the interactions --which caused all elastic constants to be equal. In the case with two $k=+1/2$ defects in the cavity, the elastic r\'egime cannot be reached due to the small radii of the cavities considered, but some trends can already be obtained.Comment: 9 figures. Accepted for publication in liquid crystal

Innovation and marketing: keys for competitiveness in family firms

Innovation is a strategic element of competitiveness; however, levels of innovation in Spain do not show the internalization of this premise in business practice. This paper discusses innovation in family firms with the intention to identify both barriers and facilitators, and factor analysis is applied to measure the weight of each component. The main finding is that the most common innovation in this type of business structure is related to marketing, which reflects the need to seek synergy and collaboration between the two as a means of organizational development. Finally, the article lists the components that determine the levels of innovation to further develop a proposal with practical implications for strategic decisions within family firms.

Cartography of Landscape Dynamics in Central Spain

Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y EvoluciónFac. de Ciencias BiológicasTRUEMinisterio de Educación y Ciencia (MEC)pu

Properties of patchy colloidal particles close to a surface: a Monte Carlo and density functional study

We investigate the behavior of a patchy particle model close to a hard-wall via Monte Carlo simulation and density functional theory (DFT). Two DFT approaches, based on the homogeneous and inhomogeneous versions of Wertheim's first order perturbation theory for the association free energy are used. We evaluate, by simulation and theory, the equilibrium bulk phase diagram of the fluid and analyze the surface properties for two isochores, one of which is close to the liquid side of the gas-liquid coexistence curve. We find that the density profile near the wall crosses over from a typical high-temperature adsorption profile to a low-temperature desorption one, for the isochore close to coexistence. We relate this behavior to the properties of the bulk network liquid and find that the theoretical descriptions are reasonably accurate in this regime. At very low temperatures, however, an almost fully bonded network is formed, and the simulations reveal a second adsorption regime which is not captured by DFT. We trace this failure to the neglect of orientational correlations of the particles, which are found to exhibit surface induced orientational order in this regime

Changes in the Physicochemical and Nutritional Parameters of Picual and Arbequina Olive Oils during Frying

Deep fat frying is an important cooking process in Mediterranean countries. Olive oil is a very convenient fat to use for this culinary purpose. The chemical composition of olive oils differs from edible oils in terms of fatty acid and antioxidant compounds that gives olive oil its greater stability. The aim of this work was to describe the stability of Picual and Arbequina olive oil during deep frying of frozen potatoes in comparison with high oleic sunflower oil. Changes in different physicochemical and nutritional parameters were studied during frying. Picual olive oil had a higher stability in comparison with high oleic sunflower oil and Arbequina olive oil. Picual olive oil is very suitable for frying because it is able to undergo the greatest number of frying cycles without exceeding the limits allowed by regulations. This behavior is due to its phenolic content, the lower loss in tocopherol and better stability. Practical Applications: The information gained from this research could be very appropriate for consumers and for the industry to know which variety of olive oil is more suitable for frying longer frying cycles without exceeding the limits allowed by regulation and remain in good quality

Closer to or further from the new normal? business approach through social media analysis

The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to radical change in all social and economic spheres and, even today, the scope of the pandemic cannot be detailed. This unprecedent situation is challenging the global world but particularly for business. The packages of measures internationally imposed as restrictions on commercial activity, isolation and social distancing mean that business should face a transformation in order to survive in each stage of the crisis. For this purpose, a content analysis with an initial dataset with 2,610 tweets of the most representative Spanish entrepreneurial organizations was carried out in key periods of the pandemic. The findings highlight that there are collective concerns with emotional burden in the business sector that encourage action despite confusion and uncertainty. Generalized distrust of policies led business organizations to insist on innovation and adaptation as the best tools to overcome the economic effect of the crisis.This work was supported by the Operative Programme FEDER Andalucía 2014-2020 under grant number UMA18-FEDERJA-148 (Junta de Andalucía/Universidad de Málaga) and Funding for Open Access Charge: Universidad de Málaga/CBU

COVID-19 study on sccientific articles in health communication: A science mapping analysis in Web of Science.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause a collapse in the health systems and economies of many countries around the world, after 2 years of struggle and with the number of cases still growing exponentially. Health communication has become as essential and necessary for control of the pandemic as epidemiology. This bibliometric analysis identifies existing contributions, jointly studying health communication and the pandemic in scientific journals indexed. A systematic search of the Web of Science was performed, using keywords related to COVID-19 and health communication. Data extracted included the type of study, journal, number of citations, number of authors, country of publication, and study content. As the number of scientific investigations has grown, it is necessary to delve into the areas in which the most impactful publications have been generated. The results show that the scientific community has been quick to react by generating an extraordinary volume of publications. This review provides a comprehensive mapping of contributions to date, showing how research approaches have evolved in parallel with the pandemic. In 2020, concepts related to mental health, mass communication, misinformation and communication risk were more used. In 2021, vaccination, infodemic, risk perception, social distancing and telemedicine were the most prevalent keywords. By highlighting the main topics, authors, manuscripts and journals since the origin of COVID-19, the authors hope to disseminate information that can help researchers to identify subsisting knowledge gaps and a number of future research opportunities.This research was funded by Programa Operativo FEDER Andalucía 2014–2020, grant number UMA18-FEDERJA-148’ and the APC was funded by Universidad de Málaga/CBUA

Multiline operation from a single plasmon-assisted laser

The demonstration of plasmon-assisted lasing by associating optical gain media with plasmonic nanostructures has led to a new generation of nanophotonic devices with unprecedented performances. However, despite the variety of designs demonstrated so far, the operation of these systems is in most cases limited to a single output wavelength, and some reports on multiline emission refer to mixing single nanolasers with the subsequent limitation in compactness. Here, we show multiline operation from a single plasmon-assisted nonlinear solid-state laser on which a linear chain of Ag nanoparticles is deposited. The system provides lasing at 1.08 μm, which is self-converted to the visible range through different parametric frequency-mixing processes generated at metal-dielectric interfaces. Near infrared and simultaneously green and tunable blue radiation with a subwavelength confinement in the direction perpendicular to the nanoparticle chain, are obtained at room temperature in CW regime. The results demonstrate the possibility of multifunctional operation from a single plasmon-assisted laser and offer new avenues for the development of highly integrable sources of coherent radiationThis work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under Projects MAT201343301-R, MAT2015-66128-R and MAT2016-76106-R and by Comunidad de Madrid under Grant S2013/MIT-274

Brand’s communications in Covid-19. Social role during and after lockdown

The paper aims to identify the narrative communicative resources and messages spread by brands within the background of a global pandemic. This study compares two samples of advertising spots broadcast in Spain: one during the COVID-19 lockdown period and the other selected from the last de-escalation phase of the health crisis. A content analysis of a compendium of 125 commercials was proposed. The main finding is the social function adopted during lockdown in order to encourage the population with positive and resilient messages while during the de-escalation the brands recover their traditional commercial role and, do not even reflect reality with the persistence of the outbreak in the images and discourse. In fact, it showed a first phase focused on branding and a second phase when the population was urged to consume. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown a clear need for brands to adapt to an environment that has dramatically changed overnight. Practical Implications The paper includes implications for brands for sharing common support for emotional and psychological well-being in health crisis. This social function could improve their reputation and positioning globally.This work was supported by Junta de Andalucía Programme PAIDI under grant number PY20_00407 (Junta de Andalucía/Universidad de Málaga) and Funding for Open Access Charge: Universidad de Málaga /CBUA