Carbon Materials as Additives to WO3 for an Enhanced Conversion of Simulated Solar Light

We have explored the impact of the incorporation of nanoporous carbons as additives to tungsten oxide on the photocatalytic degradation of two recalcitrant pollutants: rhodamine B (RhB) and phenol, under simulated solar light. For this purpose, WO3/carbon mixtures were prepared using three carbon materials with different properties (in terms of porosity, structural order and surface chemistry). Despite the low carbon content used (2 wt.%), a significant increase in the photocatalytic performance of the semiconductor was observed for all the catalysts. Moreover, the influence of the carbon additive on the performance of the photocatalysts was found to be very different for the two pollutants. Carbon additives of hydrophobic nature increased the photodegradation yield of phenol compared to bare WO3, likely due to the higher affinity and stronger interactions of phenol molecules toward basic nanoporous carbons. Oppositely, the use of acidic carbon additives led to higher RhB conversions due to increased acidity of the WO3/carbon mixtures and the stronger affinity of the pollutant for acidic catalyst’s surfaces. As a result, the photooxidation of RhB is favored by means of a coupled (photosensitized and photocatalytic) degradation mechanism. All these results highlight the importance of favoring the interactions of the pollutant with the catalyst’s surface through a detailed design of the features of the photocatalyst.The authors thank the financial support of the Spanish MINECO (grant CTM2014/56770-R). RC thanks PCTI Asturias for her PhD (BP1231, fondos FEDER) fellowship.Peer reviewe

Boosting the visible-light photoactivity of Bi2WO6 using acidic carbon additives

We have explored the role of the physicohemical properties of carbon materials as additives to bismuth tungstate on its structure, optical properties, and photocatalytic activity for the degradation of rhodamine B under visible light. For this purpose, C/Bi2WO6 hybrid composites were prepared following two different routes: (i) physical mixture of the catalyst components, and (ii) one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of the semiconductor in the presence of the carbon additive. Three carbons with different properties were selected as additives: biomass-derived activated carbon, carbon nanotubes and carbon spheres obtained from polysaccharides. Data has shown the outstanding role of the acidic/basic nature of the carbon additive, and of the synthetic method on the photocatalytic performance of the resulting composites. For a given additive, the degradation rate of RhB is greatly improved for the catalysts prepared through a one-step hydrothermal synthesis, where there is low shielding effect of the carbon matrix. Carbon additives of acidic nature boost the surface acidity of the hybrid photocatalyst, thereby enhancing the photodegradation of RhB under visible light via a coupled mechanism (photosensitization, semiconductor photocatalysis and carbon-photon mediated reactions).The authors thank the financial support of MINECO (grants CTM2011/23378 and CTQ2011/26617) and PCTI Asturias (Fondos Feder 2007-2013, grant PC10-002). RJC thanks PCTI Asturias for her Severo Ochoa fellowshipPeer reviewe

Access to information and degree of community awareness of preventive health measures in the face of covid-19 in Spain

[EN] The COVID-19 pandemic is posing a major health crisis. Spanish legislation establishes the mandatory use of masks and the implementation of hygienic measures such as hand washing and physical distancing. The aim of this study is to describe access to information and the level of community knowledge/adoption about the preventive measures proposed by the Spanish health authorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to analyze the influence of socio-demographic factors in compliance among people over 18 years of age resident in Spain. An observational, descriptive and transversal study was conducted. Data was collected on sociodemographic variables, access to information and the degree of knowledge/adoption about the preventive measures: use of masks, hand hygiene and physical distancing. A total of 1811 people participated. The average age was 45.1 ± 15.1 years, predominantly female (69.3%), from an urban geographical area (74%), with a higher education level of 53.2%. Most of the respondents (57.5%) are or live with people at risk. The main access to information on preventive measures was from secondary sources (49.2%), with television being the main medium; 72.3% think that there are some difficulties in accessing information, while 8.7% of the participants do not consider the use of masks to be useful. As regards the choice of type of mask, the majority of people (44.8%) opt for the surgical variety; 88.5% of respondents believe that the physical distancing established is at least 1.5 m. This study confirmed that socio-demographic factors influence compliance with or the degree of knowledge/adoption of the preventive measures proposed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and has made it possible to ascertain the sectors of the population with the greatest deficiencies in this respect. It shows the importance of implementing health information and education systems in the community, and it is advisable to promote specific programs aimed at men, people living in rural areas and people with a low level of education.S

Phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity among Orobanche cumana Wallr. and O. cernua L. (Orobanchaceae) populations in the Iberian Peninsula

Orobanche cumana is found in the Iberian Peninsula as an allochthonous species parasitizing exclusively sunflower, in contrast to the closely related species Orobanche cernua, which is an autochthonous species that only parasitizes wild Asteraceae hosts. Ten O. cumana populations were collected in the two traditional areas of sunflower broomrape occurrence, the Guadalquivir Valley, Southern Spain (six populations) and Cuenca province, Central Spain (four populations). Twelve O. cernua populations were collected on wild hosts across its natural distribution area in Southeastern Spain. Genetic relationships within and between both sets of populations were studied using a set of 50 robust and co-dominant SSR markers from O. cumana. The results supported the taxonomic separation of the two species and the existence of two distant genetic groups for O. cumana, one in Guadalquivir Valley and another one in Cuenca province. The inter- and intra-population variability was extremely low for O. cumana, whereas the overall genetic diversity was much higher for O. cernua. The genetic structure of O. cumana populations probably reflects a founder effect, with the two genetically distant groups deriving from separate introduction events. The high degree of genetic differentiation observed in O. cernua is mainly explained on the basis of restricted gene flow due to ecological barriers together with the occurrence of a predominantly self-pollinating mating system. Complementary diversity studies on both species in its current distribution area are required for understanding global genetic variability and evolutionary characteristics of the parasitism.The study was partially funded by Fundación Ramón Areces, Madrid, Spain. R. Pineda-Martos was the recipient of a Ph.D. fellowship from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (JAEPre_08_00370).Peer Reviewe

Genetic studies in sunflower broomrape

Much research has been conducted to identify sources of genetic resistance to sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) and to study their mode of inheritance. However, studies on the parasite have been scarce. This manuscript reviews three genetic studies in sunflower broomrape. First, the inheritance of the absence of pigmentation in a natural mutant of this species with yellow plant color phenotype was studied. In a first stage, lines from the unpigmented mutant and a normally pigmented population were developed by several generations of self-pollination. Plants of both lines were crossed and the F1, F2, and F3 generations were evaluated. The results indicated that plant pigmentation is controlled by a partially dominant allele at a single locus. Second, the unpigmented mutant was used to evaluate outcrossing potential of the species. Two experiments in which single unpigmented plants were surrounded by normally pigmented plants were conducted under pot and field conditions. The cross-fertilization rate was estimated as the percentage of F1 hybrids in the progenies of unpigmented plants, which averaged 21.5% in the pot and 28.8% in the field experiment. The results indicated that, under the conditions of this study, the species was not strictly self-pollinated. Finally, the inheritance of avirulence was studied in crosses of plants from lines of O. cumana races E and F, developed by several generations of self-pollination. The F1 and F3 generations were evaluated on the differential line P-1380 carrying the race-E resistance gene Or5. The results suggested that race E avirulence and race F virulence on P-1380 are allelic and controlled by a single locus, which confirmed the gene-for-gene theory for the O. cumana-sunflower interaction.The manuscript reviews research partially funded by Fundación Ramón Areces, Madrid. The contribution of Dr. Enrique Quesada Moraga, entomologist from the University of Córdoba, Spain, to taxonomic classification of pollinators is gratefully acknowledged. R. Pineda-Martos was the recipient of a PhD fellowship from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (JAEPre_08_00370)Peer Reviewe

The State of the Evidence on Blended Finance for Sustainable Development: An Evidence Gap Map

Blended finance, which aims to mobilise private capital towards sustainable development in developing countries (OECD, 2018), is becoming increasingly important for bridging the investment gap for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, little is known about its development impact. This report presents the findings of a systematic search on blended finance studies and evaluations, which are visualised as an evidence gap map (EGM). The EGM presents the resultson a matrix of eight blended finance instruments and 14 sub-effects, which were grouped into four categories of effects: financial additionality, development additionality, market development and sector effects. The search identified 33 publications that met the inclusion criteria, containing 87 individual pieces of evidence. Almost half of the blended finance instruments focused on results-based incentives, with grants and guarantees being the next most numerous. Most of the evidence was found in programme evaluation reports (67%), while (quasi-)experimental evidence was scarce (12%). The comparison with a blended finance database (Convergence, 2020) showed that the increase in the size of the blended finance market from USD 16 billion in 2007 to USD 136 billion in 2018 did not trigger a similar increase in research. A particularly strong mismatch between frequency of use and lack of research was found for insurance, hedging and junior/subordinated capital, and for sector effects in energy and financial services.Blended Finance zielt darauf ab, privates Kapital für die Finanzierung nachhaltiger Entwicklung zu mobilisieren (OECD, 2018) und wird immer wichtiger, um die Investitionslücke für die Erreichung der Nachhaltigkeitsziele (Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs) zu schließen. Bisher ist jedoch wenig über die entwicklungspolitische Wirkung von Blended Finance bekannt. Dieser Bericht stellt die Ergebnisse einer systematischen Suche nach Blended Finance Studien und Evaluierungen vor, die als Evidenzkarte (Evidence Gap Map, EGM) visualisiert sind. Die EGM bildet die Evidenz auf einer Matrix von acht Blended-Finance-Instrumenten und 14 Subeffekten ab, die unter vier Kategorien fallen: finanzielle Additionalität, entwicklungspolitische Additionalität, Marktentwicklung und Sektoreffekte. Die Suche ergab 33 Publikationen, die die Kriterien erfüllten. Diese enthielten 87 Einzelergebnisse (pieces of evidence), von denen sich fast die Hälfte auf das Blended-Finance-Instrument der ergebnisorientierten Anreize bezog, gefolgt von Garantien und Zuschüssen. Die meiste Evidenz stammt aus Programmevaluierungsberichten (67%), während (quasi-)experimentelle Evidenz nur selten vorhanden ist (12%). Der Vergleich mit einer Blended-Finance-Datenbank (Convergence, 2020) zeigte, dass der Anstieg der Größe des Blended Finance Markts seit 2007 nicht mit einem ähnlichen Anstieg an Publikationen einherging. Eine besonders starke Diskrepanz zwischen tatsächlicher Nutzung und mangelnder Evidenz wurde bei Versicherungen, Hedging und nachrangigem/nachrangigem Kapital sowie bei Sektoreffekten in den Bereichen Energie und Finanzdienstleistungen festgestellt

Evidence Gap and Intervention Heat Maps of Climate Change Adaptation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

In the face of the predicted and actual severity of climate change, there has been considerable interest in understanding what does and does not work to increase the ability of human and environmental systems to adapt to changing climate. This paper presents an evidence gap map and examines evidence on adaptation between 2007 and 2018. We analyse evidence related to the effectiveness of adaptation measures. The evidence gap map is derived from systematically and exhaustively reviewing adaptation-related high-quality evidence from evaluation and research in developing countries, from both peer-reviewed and grey literature. The resulting literature was mapped onto a conceptual framework that included the type of intervention, the sector of activity and types of outcome measured. We examined 464 papers in detail. The results show that there is a large share of adaptation-related evidence on agriculture, and within it on the economic returns of technological and nature-based solutions. The main evidence gaps include a scarcity of evidence on adaptation interventions in the water sector, and on measures aimed at reducing exposure to climate events. We also note there is a scarcity of studies that examine social and institutional outcomes of climate-change adaptation interventions. Not surprisingly, there are few studies that use experimental designs. Most studies use quasi-experimental designs and multivariate analyses. An online version of the evidence gap map can be found at: https://egmopenaccess.3ieimpact.org/evidence-maps/adaptegmieu.We alsointroduce an innovation: In international development cooperation, ideally projects/investments should be evidence-based and effective. For countries, donors and development actors, a comparison of the project/investment portfolio with the available evidence in the form of an Intervention Heat Map (IHM) indicates whether the portfolio operates in evidence-rich or evidence-scarce fields. It helps prioritizing the generation of new evidence for climate change adaptation, either through rigorous impact evaluations or through evidence synthesis such as meta-analyses or in-depth reviews. This study provides this systematic overlay of the evidence gap map with the CCA portfolios of the GCF and Germany’s bilateral commitments in international development cooperation (German Cooperation).In concordance with the evidence, the IHM shows that much of the CCA portfolios cover agriculture and the sector relating to society, economy and health and promotes adaptive capacity. However, these projects/investments are also aiming to improve the enabling environment, where there is a lack of evidence, suggesting a possibility to improve upon and generate further evidence in the future. Furthermore, the IHM shows few project/investment interventions in the GCF and German Cooperation portfolios aimed at adoption of CCA and decreasing exposure of shocks and stressors as well as intervention types in the water and land use and built environment sectors, and project/investment interventions related to financial and market mechanismsand built infrastructure and structural interventions. Compared to the evidence, while there is a wealth of information on adoption and some on financial mechanism, these aforementioned limited project/investment interventions are also gaps in evidence. The allocation of funds is balanced among sectors but also seems to more match the nature of the intervention types.The current evidence base on CCA suggests that efforts should be directed towards improving the evidence base in the water sector, which is one of the most important in CCA. Finally, given that the CCA portfolios examined mostly are aimed at outcomes within the enabling environment, evidence regarding these interventions should be improved. This is also the case for other areas where projects/investments are allocated but evidence is lacking.Mit Blick auf das prognostizierte und tatsächliche Ausmaß des Klimawandels ist es von großem Interesse, zu verstehen, welche Maßnahmen die Anpassungsfähigkeit menschlicher und ökologischer Systeme an den Klimawandel erhöhen und welche nicht. In der vorliegenden Studie wird eine Evidence Gap Map (EGM - Karte der Evidenzlücken) erstellt, die anschaulich zeigt, wo Evidenz zur Effektivität von Anpassungsmaßnahmen verfügbar ist und wo Lücken bestehen. Sie ist das Ergebnis einer umfassenden und systematischen Analyse von qualitativ hochwertiger Evidenz zwischen 2007 und 2018. Die Daten stammen aus Evaluierungen und Forschungsarbeiten zu Maßnahmen in Ländern mit niedrigem und mittlerem Einkommen, aus begutachteter sowie aus grauer Literatur. Diese Literaturquellen wurden in einer konzeptionellen Matrix abgebildet, die Interventionstypen, Anpassungssektoren und Kategorien der Wirkungen umfasst. Insgesamt wurden 464 wissenschaftliche Arbeiten im Detail ausgewertet. Dabei wurde deutlich, dass ein Großteil der Evidenzdaten zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel in der Landwirtschaft und hier vor allem zu den wirtschaftlichen Erträgen technologischer und naturbasierter Lösungsansätze zu finden ist. Die zentralen Evidenzlücken zeigen sich vor allem in geringen Erkenntnissen über Anpassungsinterventionen im Wassersektor und über Maßnahmen mit dem Ziel die Exposition gegenüber Klimaereignissen zu verringern. Außerdem gibt es nur eine geringe Anzahl an Studien, die die sozialen und institutionellen Wirkungen von Anpassungsmaßnahmen im Zusammenhang mit dem Klimawandel untersuchen. Erwartungsgemäß setzen nur wenige Untersuchungen experimentelle Designs ein. Die Mehrzahl der Studien arbeitet mit multivariaten Analysen oder quasi-experimentellen Designs. Eine Online-Version der Karte der Evidenzlücken ist verfügbar unter: https://egmopenaccess.3ieim-pact.org/evidence-maps/adaptegmieu. Zusätzlich wird eine Innovation eingeführt: Im Idealfall sollten Projekte/Investitionen in der internationalen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit evidenzbasiert und effektiv gestaltet werden. Ein Vergleich des Projekt-/Investitionsportfolios mit den verfügbaren Evidenzen in Form einer Intervention Heat Map (IHM - Karte der Interventionsmaßnahmen) signalisiert den beteiligten Ländern, Gebern und Entwicklungsakteuren, ob ihr Portfolio in evidenzstarken oder evidenzschwachen Bereichen agiert. Dies unterstützt sie dabei, Prioritäten bei der Generierung neuer Evidenz für Maßnahmen zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel zu setzen, entweder durch wissenschaftliche, rigorose Wirkungsevaluierungen oder durch Evidenzsynthese wie Meta-Analysen oder vertiefende Reviews. Die vorliegende Studie bietet diese systematische Verknüpfung der EGM mit dem Investitionsportfolio des Green Climate Fund (GCF) und dem bilateralen Projektportfolio Deutschlands zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel in der internationalen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Die IHM verdeutlicht übereinstimmend mit den vorliegenden Evidenzdaten, dass viele Projekte/Investitionen der Portfolios zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel den Landwirtschaftsbereich und den Sektor mit gesellschaftlichem, wirtschaftlichem und gesundheitlichem Bezug abdecken und Anpassungsfähigkeiten fördern. Diese Projekte/Investitionen zielen jedoch auch auf die Verbesserung des förderlichen Umfelds ab, wozu bisher Evidenzlücken existieren. Dies weist auf eine künftige Möglichkeit zur Optimierung und Generierung weiterer Evidenzen hin. Darüber hinaus bildet die IHM nur wenige Projekt-/Investitionsmaßnahmen in den Portfolios des GCF und der deutschen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit ab, die auf eine Aufnahme von Anpassungsaktivitäten an den Klimawandel, eine Reduzierung der Exposition gegenüber klimatischen Schocks und Stressoren sowie Interventionen in den Bereichen Wasser- und Landnutzung, sowie bebaute Umgebung ab-zielen. Ebenso wenige richten sich auf Projekte/Investitionen im Rahmen von Finanz- und Marktmechanismen, Infrastrukturmaßnahmen und strukturellen Interventionen. Gemessen am Evidenzumfang gibt es zahlreiche Evidenzen bezüglich der Aufnahme von Anpassungsmaßnahmen und einige zu Finanzmechanismen. Die vorgenannten begrenzten Projekt-/Investitionsmaßnahmen weisen jedoch ebenfalls Evidenzlücken auf. Die Mittelzuweisung ist sektoral ausgewogen, entspricht aber auch mehr den unterschiedlichen Interventionstypen. Der aktuelle Stand der Evidenzbasis zu Anpassungsmaßnahmen an den Klimawandel verdeutlicht, dass diesbezügliche Aktivitäten auf eine Verbesserung der Evidenzlage im Wassersektor, einem zentralen Bereich der Anpassung an den Klimawandel, ausgerichtet werden sollten. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass die untersuchten Portfolios zur Klimawandelanpassung auf Wirkungen im Rahmen eines förderlichen Umfelds ausgerichtet sind, sollte die Evidenzlage bei diesen Interventionen verbessert werden. Dies gilt auch für andere Bereiche, in denen Projekte/Investitionen vergeben werden, für die jedoch keine oder wenige Evidenzen vorliegen

In-Hospital Post-Operative Infection after Heart Transplantation: Epidemiology, Clinical Management, and Outcome

Observational study[Abstract] Background: Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after heart transplantation (HT). Little information about its importance in the immediate post-operative period is available. The aim of this study was to analyze the characteristics, incidence, and outcomes of in-hospital post-operative infections after HT. Methods: We conducted an observational, single-center study based on 677 adults who underwent HT from 1991 to 2015 and who survived the surgical intervention. In-hospital post-operative infections were identified retrospectively according to the medical finding in the clinical records. Results: Over a mean hospital stay of 24.5 days, 239 patients (35.3%) developed 348 episodes of infection (2 episodes per 100 patient-days). The most common sources of infection were those related to invasive procedures (respiratory infections, 115 [33%]; urinary tract infections, 47 [13.5%]; bacteremia, 42 [12.1%]; surgical site infections, 25 [7.2%]), in addition to abdominal focus (33, 9.5%). Enterobacteriaceae (76, 21.8%) and gram-positive cocci (58, 16.7%) were the predominant germs, although opportunistic infections were not infrequent (69, 19.8%). Ninety-five septic episodes were detected with a mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score of 9.5 ± 5.3 points, with hemodynamic failure being the most severe organ dysfunction and renal dysfunction the most frequent one. Management included broad-spectrum antibiotics in 48.8% of episodes and surgical management in 13.8%. The overall antimicrobial success rate was 96.3%. Higher in-hospital mortality was observed among infected patients (15.1% vs. 10.3%), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.067). The one-year survival and events were not different between patients suffering from a post-operative infection and those who did not. Conclusions: In-hospital infections were frequent in the post-operative period after HT and were associated with a poor short-term outcome. Patients who survived sepsis had a similar one-year morbidity and mortality compared with patients who did not develop an infection

The Relationship between Therapeutic Alliance and Quality of Care in Patients with Advanced Cancer in Spain

The therapeutic alliance is an important factor in successful cancer treatment, particularly for those with advanced cancer. This study aims to determine how the therapeutic alliance relates to prognostic preferences and satisfaction with the physician and medical care among patients with advanced cancer. We conducted a cross-sectional study to explore the therapeutic relationship, trust, satisfaction with healthcare, and prognostic preferences among 946 patients with advanced cancer at 15 tertiary hospitals in Spain. Participants completed questionnaires with self reported measures. Most were male, aged > 65 years, with bronchopulmonary (29%) or colorectal (16%) tumors and metastatic disease at diagnosis. Results revealed that 84% of patients had a good therapeutic alliance. Collaborative and affective bond was positively associated with a preference to know the prognosis and satisfaction with care and decision. There was no difference in a therapeutic alliance based on clinical or sociodemographic factors. The therapeutic alliance between patient and physician is essential for successful treatment outcomes and better overall satisfaction. Therefore, it is vital for healthcare providers to focus on establishing and maintaining a strong relationship with their patients. To achieve this, transparency and care should be prioritized, as well as respect for the preferences of patients regarding the prognosis of their illness