Reducción de pérdidas técnicas de energía empleando compensación. GAMS y algoritmos genéticos

La compensación de potencia reactiva es una de las opciones más empleadas en la reducción de perdidas técnicas en redes de distribución. En este documento se analiza la relevancia de algunos parámetros en el proceso de compensación: Se estudia la importancia del modelo de carga, las pérdidas de transformación y la estrategia de minimización de pérdidas de energía frente a potencia. La compensación se ha planteado como un problema de minimización del costo operativo de red y se ha resuelto empleando GAMS. Para verificar la calidad de la solución se ha implementado también una estrategia que emplea algoritmos genéticos en Matla

Tyrosine Phosphorylation Modulates the Vascular Responses of Mesenteric Arteries from Human Colorectal Tumors

The aim of this study was to analyze whether tyrosine phosphorylation in tumoral arteries may modulate their vascular response. To do this, mesenteric arteries supplying blood flow to colorectal tumors or to normal intestine were obtained during surgery and prepared for isometric tension recording in an organ bath. Increasing tyrosine phosphorylation with the phosphatase inhibitor, sodium orthovanadate produced arterial contraction which was lower in tumoral than in control arteries, whereas it reduced the contraction to noradrenaline in tumoral but not in control arteries and reduced the relaxation to bradykinin in control but not in tumoral arteries. Protein expression of VEGF-A and of the VEGF receptor FLT1 was similar in control and tumoral arteries, but expression of the VEGF receptor KDR was increased in tumoral compared with control arteries. This suggests that tyrosine phosphorylation may produce inhibition of the contraction in tumoral mesenteric arteries, which may increase blood flow to the tumor when tyrosine phosphorylation is increased by stimulation of VEGF receptors

Methylation alterations are not a major cause of PTTG1 misregulation

Background: On its physiological cellular context, PTTG1 controls sister chromatid segregation during mitosis. Within its crosstalk to the cellular arrest machinery, relies a checkpoint of integrity for which gained the over name of securin. PTTG1 was found to promote malignant transformation in 3T3 fibroblasts, and further found to be overexpressed in different tumor types. More recently, PTTG1 has been also related to different processes such as DNA repair and found to trans-activate different cellular pathways involving c-myc, bax or p53, among others. PTTG1 over-expression has been correlated to a worse prognosis in thyroid, lung, colorectal cancer patients, and it can not be excluded that this effect may also occur in other tumor types. Despite the clinical relevance and the increasing molecular characterization of PTTG1, the reason for its up-regulation remains unclear. Method: We analysed PTTG1 differential expression in PC-3, DU-145 and LNCaP tumor cell lines, cultured in the presence of the methyl-transferase inhibitor 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine. We also tested whether the CpG island mapping PTTG1 proximal promoter evidenced a differential methylation pattern in differentiated thyroid cancer biopsies concordant to their PTTG1 immunohistochemistry status. Finally, we performed whole-genome LOH studies using Affymetix 50 K microarray technology and FRET analysis to search for allelic imbalances comprising the PTTG1 locus. Conclusion: Our data suggest that neither methylation alterations nor LOH are involved in PTTG1 over-expression. These data, together with those previously reported, point towards a post-transcriptional level of missregulation associated to PTTG1 over-expression.This project was funded by The Fundación de Investigación Biomédica Mutua Madrileña Automovilista. Neocodex have been partially funded by the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia of Spain (FIT-010000-2004-69, PTQ04-1-0006, PTQ2003-0549, PTQ2003-0546 and PTQ2003-0783). MAJ was also supported by SAF2005- 07713-C03-03 and CS by FIS 06/757

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Educación ciudadana, democracia y participación

En este texto se han reunido los contenidos de las sesiones plenarias de la Conferencia Internacional sobre Educación Ciudadana, Democracia y Participación, que contó con el apoyo adicional de la UNESCO y de la Agencia de Información de los Estados Unidos, USIS. Cada sección corresponde a una de las mesas en que fueron presentadas las ponencias. La primera parte lleva por título "Ciudadanía, democracia y educación: situación, perspectivas y áreas de intervención". En ella, Juan Carlos Tedesco, director de la Oficina Internacional de la Educación de la UNESCO en Ginebra, analiza los retos que debe en frentar la educación ciudadana en el mundo cambiante de hoy. Esta ponencia tuvo tres comentaristas: Jorge Santistevan de Noriega, Defensor del Pueblo; Cynthia Sanborn, de la Universidad del Pacífico; y Ricardo Morales, de Foro Educativo. Esta primera mesa tenía como objetivo principal sentar las bases teóricas para la discusión de los temas que siguieron, muchos de ellos vinculados a aspectos más específicos de la educación ciudadana. La segunda parte del libro, "Diseño, implementación y evaluación de proyectos de educación ciudadana", contiene dos ponencias. En la primera, Marcia Bernbaum, experta internacional en evaluación de proyectos, da algunas pautas para la elaboración de evaluaciones en educación ciudadana. La segunda presentación, que corresponde a Christopher Sabatini, funcionario del National Endowment for Democracy de los Estados Unidos, describe los métodos y resultados de la evaluación de una serie de programas internacionales de educación ciudadana auspiciados por la USAID en República Dominicana. El énfasis en la evaluación se explica por ser ésta un área que requiere fortalecerse significativamente, si ha de mejorar y perdurar el impacto de las iniciativas de educación ciudadana en curso en nuestro país. Esta sesión no tuvo comentaristas, sino que fue seguida por una discusión abierta con el público. La tercera y cuarta sesiones estuvieron dedicadas a analizar el rol de la educación ciudadana en las escuelas, ámbito en el cual el desprestigio de la tradicional Educación Cívica está dando paso al dise ño y la experimentación de alternativas muy diversas para la formación en valores y comportamientos sociales, y en el cual también se desarrollaron varios de los proyectos auspiciados por DEMPAR. El tema general fue "Escuela y educación en democracia". En la primera mesa participó Erwin Epstein, profesor de la Universidad estatal de Ohio y editor de la revista Comparative Education Review, quien reflexionó sobre las paradojas de la educación pública obligatoria como camino a una sociedad plural y democrática y sobre los efectos que ella puede tener en sociedades en transición. Comentaron e hicieron sus propias reflexiones sobre escuela, educación y valores, Marita Palacios de Tarea y Constantino Carvallo del Colegio Los Reyes Rojos. En la segunda mesa participó Francisco Cajiao, de la Fundación de Estudios Sociales, quien enfocó su presentación en el rol de las escuelas, y principalmente el de los maestros, en la educación ciudadana. Fueron sus comentaristas León Trahtemberg, director del Colegio León Pinelo, y Rolando Andrade, Director Nacional de Formación y Capacitación Docente del Ministerio de Educación. La quinta sesión se llamó "Educación ciudadana para la formación de líderes democráticos". El presentador principal fue Francisco Estévez, de la Fundación IDEAS de Chile. Lo acompañaron Rolando Ames, del Instituto Diálogo y Propuestas, y Luis Bustamante, de la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas. Estévez centró inicialmente su exposición en el impacto que la globalización y la globalidad cultural tendrían sobre la estructura de valores de sociedades en que la trayectoria de la democracia ha sido diferente a la de los países donde ésta se originó históricamente. Procedió luego a la descripción comparada de cómo se forma actualmente para el liderazgo social y político en los Estados Unidos y en los países de América Latina. La siguiente mesa se denominó "La influencia de los medios en la formación de ciudadanía". Reunió a Germán Rey, de la Fundación Social de Colombia; a Rosa María Alfaro, de Calandria; y a Federico Salazar, de América Televisión. El análisis y los comentarios se centraron en el potencial y los límites de los medios en la formación de una opinión pública y en la movilización de una ciudadanía activa y democrática, en estos tiempos postmodernos en los que están vigentes —y compiten— tantos y tan diversos lenguajes y mensajes. Finalmente, para tratar el rol de uno de los más importantes actores en la formación de ciudadanos y en el fortalecimiento de la democracia, la mesa "Rol del Estado en el desarrollo de la educación ciudadana" reunió a tres congresistas de la república: Carlos Ferrero (Nueva Mayoría-Cambio 90), Henry Pease (Unión por el Perú) y Lourdes Flores (Partido Popular Cristiano), representativos de las principales fuerzas políticas del país actualmente en el Parlamento peruano. Esta sesión fue moderada por el periodista Raúl Vargas

El reto en la docencia de la igualdad ante la diversidad

El proyecto presenta iniciativas llevadas a cabo por el equipo investigador encaminadas a incorporar las perspectivas de género y discapacidad en la docencia. Del mismo modo, se señalan algunas actividades incorporadas a la docencia de la asignatura "Políticas Públicas" que se imparte en varias titulaciones, con el objetivo de favorecer la impartición de esta materia en inglés

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on TAVR Activity: A Worldwide Registry

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a considerable impact on the provision of structural heart intervention worldwide. Our objectives were: 1) to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) activity globally; and 2) to determine the differences in the impact according to geographic region and the demographic, development, and economic status of diverse international health care systems. Methods: We developed a multinational registry of global TAVR activity and invited individual TAVR sites to submit TAVR implant data before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the number of TAVR procedures performed monthly from January 2019 to December 2021 was collected. The adaptive measures to maintain TAVR activity by each site were recorded, as was a variety of indices relating to type of health care system and national economic indices. The primary subject of interest was the impact on TAVR activity during each of the pandemic waves (2020 and 2021) compared with the same period pre–COVID-19 (2019). Results: Data were received from 130 centers from 61 countries, with 14 subcontinents and 5 continents participating in the study. Overall, TAVR activity increased by 16.7% (2,337 procedures) between 2018 and 2019 (ie, before the pandemic), but between 2019 and 2020 (ie, first year of the pandemic), there was no significant growth (–0.1%; –10 procedures). In contrast, activity again increased by 18.9% (3,085 procedures) between 2020 and 2021 (ie, second year of the pandemic). During the first pandemic wave, there was a reduction of 18.9% (945 procedures) in TAVR activity among participating sites, while during the second and third waves, there was an increase of 6.7% (489 procedures) and 15.9% (1,042 procedures), respectively. Further analysis and results of this study are ongoing and will be available at the time of the congress. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic initially led to a reduction in the number of patients undergoing TAVR worldwide, although health care systems subsequently adapted, and the number of TAVR recipients continued to grow in subsequent COVID-19 pandemic waves. Categories: STRUCTURAL: Valvular Disease: Aorti

Proyecto para la mejora de la empleabilidad mediante el alineamiento de las competencias de los títulos de la Facultad de Economía y Empresa

Memoria ID-0143. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2016-2017

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality