Cross-listing, price discovery and the informativeness of the trading process

This paper analyzes the price discovery process of a set of Spanish stocks cross-listed at the NYSE. Our methodology distinguishes between two sources of information asymmetries. Market-specific information that is revealed through the trading process and public disclosures simultaneously revealed to both markets but subject to informed judgments. We compute the information share of the Spanish and U.S. trading activity during the daily 2-hour overlapping interval. Empirical results show that the NYSE contribution to the price discovery process is not negligible. But the NYSE information is basically trade-unrelated

Street food in Palermo: Traditions and market perspectives

Street food protects and promotes the history and tradition of a place. The origin of street foods largely relies on the cultural and natural landscapes that surround the environments where they are prepared and sold. Street food illustrates a culinary heritage that is embedded in the ways of life of people, both residents and visitors. Drawing on a qualitative study, the researchers conducted ten interviews with street food vendors in the city of Palermo (Sicily, Italy) in order to understand this growing phenomenon in urban environments of the Mediterranean, where the street food also brings the customers to ancient times. Results show the strategy of the entrepreneurs as street food vendors and sheds light into the practices and perceptions they have in relation to the street food past, present and future in the context of street food values

Stability of Tilo® tablets formulation obtained from dry extract of Justice pectoralis Jacq.

Justicia pectoralis Jacq., Acanthaceae, is a herb known popularly in Cuba as Tilo and used traditionally as sedative. The development in a solid pharmaceutical (Tablets 100 mg) using dry extract of Justicia pectolaris aqueous extract is of interest for the development of phytomedicines, which uses this active raw material. The aim of the present study was to carry out chemical and biological stability studies to the formulation. A method of coumarin determination by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was used and validated. The stability studies during different periods of time (24 months) showed a stability of the product stored at 32 ± 2 °C, and protected of the light.Justicia pectoralis Jacq., Acanthaceae é uma erva conhecida popularmente em Cuba como Tilo e utilizada tradicionalmente como sedativo. O desenvolvimento de formas farmacêuticas sólidas (comprimido 100 mg) usando extrato aquoso seco de J. pectoralis é de interesse no desenvolvimento de fitoterápicos que empreguem esse princípio ativo. O objetivo do presente estudo foi realizar estudos de estabilidade químicos e biológicos da formulação. Um método de determinação de cumarinas por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência (CLAE) foi usado e devidamente validado. Os estudos de estabilidade durante diferentes períodos de tempo (24 meses) mostraram a estabilidade do produto preservado a 32 ± 2 °C e protegido da luz

Desarrollo y optimización de recubrimientos HVOF base WC-CoCr para aplicaciones aeronáuticas

Material engineering has always played a defining role in industry by improving materials and tribological properties, increasing lite­ time use and thus ultimately reducing material costs. Over the last two decades, material engineering studies have focused on material design and composition due to the introduction of more restrictive laws in several strategic sectors such as automotive, aeronautical or aerospace industry. Moreover, the increasing environmental and worker safety regulations (JS0-14000 and 2000- 53-CE) on contaminant treatments , e.g. for electrolytic hard chrome (EHC), force companies to develop "clean" alternatives. Thus thermal spray technologies, especially high-velocity oxyl-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying, are now mostly used for that purpose. The present PhD thesis focused on the development and optimization of thermal projection HVOF coatings onto WC-CoCr matrix asan alternative to conventional EHC coatings. Todo so, two different gun-fuel combinations were optimized; the DJH-2600 gun (Sulzer Metco) using gas (hydrogen) as fuel, and the Wokajet-400 system (Sulzer Metco) using liquid (kerosene), the latter having two different configuration guns: STD "Standard" and ST "Small Target" . An additional objective of this investigation was to be able to fulfill the tight requirements enforced by the aeronautical sector. A wide range of experimental assays has been performed to achieve an in-depth characterization of the WC-CoCr coating properties produced under different conditions. First, the thermal and kinetic properties of the HVOF guns have been studied. In particular, the effect of each process onto the speed and temperature of the sprayed particles was determined. Second, the effect of the speed and temperature onto various key properties of the coatings, such as the microstructure, roughness, thickness, porosity, Almen deflection, hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, were evaluated and ranked. Notably all tested HVOF thermal spray coatings presented superior tribological and mechanical performance over conventional EHC coatings. This comprehensive characterization shows for the first time the influence of various key parameters, such as the type of fuel, configuration and stoichiometry of the combustion, thermal-kinetic conditions of the sprayed particles, on the quality of HVOF coatings. lt was demonstrated that in-flight particle temperature and velocity play an important role in the formation of the coating microstructure and have an effect on the coating quality, such as porosity, hardness and wear resistance. The results showed that the kerosene-fuel gun resulted in a greater velocity and a lower temperature of the particles than the hydrogen-fuel one. For both fuels, the amount of porosity and surface roughness tended to decreases with increasing the particle temperature and velocity. Moreover, in the coatings sprayed with the Wokajet-400 gun was observed a tendency to a wear rate reduction with the hardness increase. However, in the coatings sprayed with the DJ-2600 gun, the wear resistance is related to the carbide degradation and particle temperature. Key conclusions from this work highlight that all the HVOF thermal spray coatings tested presented superior tribological and mechanical performance to hard chrome and confirm that HVOF-sprayed WC-CoCr coatings are a reliable alternative to electrolytic hard chrome plating in the industry to coat mechanical components.La ingeniería de materiales siempre ha tenido un rol importante en la industria en la mejora de las propiedades mecánicas y tribológicas de los materiales. Mediante el empleo de recubrimientos o tratamientos superficiales es posible reducir los costes de mantenimiento y prolongar la vida útil de los componentes industriales. En las últimas dos décadas se ha producido un incremento progresivo de los requerimientos que se exigen a dichos componentes en diversos sectores estratégicos, como el aeronáutico, aeroespacial y automovilístico, que junto con la continua evolución de unas directivas medioambientales cada vez más restrictivas, ha impulsado a la industria de la ingeniería de superficies a realizar grandes esfuerzos orientados a la búsqueda de alternativas funcionales y medioambientalmente limpias a procesos más contaminantes como el cromo duro electrolítico (EHC). Entre las múltiples líneas de investigación orientadas a la substitución del EHC destaca el empleo de recubrimientos obtenidos mediante procesos de proyección térmica y, más concretamente, mediante el proceso de proyección térmica HVOF “High Velocity Oxygen Fuel process”. La presente tesis doctoral tiene como principal objetivo el desarrollo y optimización de recubrimientos de proyección térmica HVOF, base WC-CoCr, como alternativa a los recubrimientos EHC. Estos recubrimientos se han obtenido mediante dos pistolas HVOF: una que emplea un gas como combustible (hidrógeno), pistola DJH-2600 (Sulzer Metco), y otra de combustible líquido (queroseno), pistola WokaJet-400 (Sulzer Metco). Esta última dotada de dos configuraciones internas de combustión: STD “Standard” y ST “Small-Target”. Además, un objetivo secundario es que los recubrimientos HVOF desarrollados cumplan las restrictivas normativas aplicadas al sector aeronáutico. En pro de la obtención de estos objetivos, se han efectuado toda una serie de ensayos experimentales orientados a la determinación de diferentes propiedades de los recubrimientos WC-CoCr preparados bajo diferentes condiciones. Así pues, este trabajo queda dividido en dos grandes bloques. En el primer bloque se ha analizado el comportamiento termocinético de las diferentes pistolas HVOF empleadas. En particular, se ha determinado el efecto de cada variable de proyección sobre la velocidad y la temperatura de las partículas proyectadas. En el segundo bloque se ha determinado el efecto de las variables del proceso (temperatura y velocidad) sobre las propiedades de los recubrimientos: microestructura, rugosidad, espesor, porosidad interna, nivel de deflexión Almen, dureza, resistencia al desgaste y resistencia a la corrosión, analizando las interrelaciones existentes entre dichas propiedades. En esta tesis se ha demostrado el papel crucial de la temperatura y la velocidad de las partículas proyectadas en la formación de la microestructura de los recubrimientos, así como en sus propiedades. Los resultados demuestran que la pistola basada en queroseno aporta una mayor velocidad y menor temperatura a las partículas en comparación a la pistola basada en hidrógeno. Para ambos combustibles, la porosidad y la rugosidad disminuyen al aumentar la temperatura y la velocidad de las partículas. Además, en los recubrimientos obtenidos a partir de la pistola Wokajet-400 se observa una tendencia a disminuir la velocidad de desgaste junto a un aumento de la dureza. Sin embargo, en los recubrimientos obtenidos a partir de la pistola DJH-2600, la resistencia al desgaste se relaciona con la mayor degradación térmica de los carburos ocasionada por la mayor temperatura alcanzada por el polvo proyectado. Las principales conclusiones de este trabajo muestran que los recubrimientos obtenidos mediante proyección térmica HVOF poseen mejores propiedades tribológicas y mecánicas que el cromo duro electrolítico y confirma que los recubrimientos WC-CoCr obtenidos pueden considerarse como alternativas reales a nivel industrial a los recubrimientos EHC

Double acid etching treatment of dental implants for enhanced biological properties

Background: The topographical features on the surface of dental implants have been considered as a critical parameter for enhancing the osseointegration of implants. In this work, we proposed a surface obtained by a combination of shot blasting and double acid etching. The double acid etching was hypothesized to increase the submicron topography and hence further stimulate the biological properties of the titanium implant. Methods: The topographical features (surface roughness and real surface area), wettability and surface chemical composition were analyzed. Results: The results showed that the proposed method produced a dual roughness, mainly composed of randomly distributed peaks and valleys with a superimposed nanoroughness, and hence with an increased specific surface area. Despite the fact that the proposed method does not introduce significant chemical changes, this treatment combination slightly increased the amount of titanium available on the surface, reducing potential surface contaminants. Furthermore, the surface showed increased contact angle values demonstrating an enhanced hydrophobicity on the surface. The biological behavior of the implants was then assessed by culturing osteoblast-like cells on the surface, showing enhanced osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and differentiation on the novel surface. Conclusions: Based on these results, the described surface with dual roughness obtained by double acid etching may be a novel route to obtain key features on the surface to enhance the osseointegration of the implant. Our approach is a simple method to obtain a dual roughness that mimics the bone structure modified by osteoclasts and increases surface area, which enhances osseointegration of dental implants.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Desarrollo y optimización de recubrimientos HVOF base WC-CoCr para aplicaciones aeronáuticas

Material engineering has always played a defining role in industry by improving materials and tribological properties, increasing lite­ time use and thus ultimately reducing material costs. Over the last two decades, material engineering studies have focused on material design and composition due to the introduction of more restrictive laws in several strategic sectors such as automotive, aeronautical or aerospace industry. Moreover, the increasing environmental and worker safety regulations (JS0-14000 and 2000- 53-CE) on contaminant treatments , e.g. for electrolytic hard chrome (EHC), force companies to develop "clean" alternatives. Thus thermal spray technologies, especially high-velocity oxyl-fuel (HVOF) thermal spraying, are now mostly used for that purpose. The present PhD thesis focused on the development and optimization of thermal projection HVOF coatings onto WC-CoCr matrix asan alternative to conventional EHC coatings. Todo so, two different gun-fuel combinations were optimized; the DJH-2600 gun (Sulzer Metco) using gas (hydrogen) as fuel, and the Wokajet-400 system (Sulzer Metco) using liquid (kerosene), the latter having two different configuration guns: STD "Standard" and ST "Small Target" . An additional objective of this investigation was to be able to fulfill the tight requirements enforced by the aeronautical sector. A wide range of experimental assays has been performed to achieve an in-depth characterization of the WC-CoCr coating properties produced under different conditions. First, the thermal and kinetic properties of the HVOF guns have been studied. In particular, the effect of each process onto the speed and temperature of the sprayed particles was determined. Second, the effect of the speed and temperature onto various key properties of the coatings, such as the microstructure, roughness, thickness, porosity, Almen deflection, hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, were evaluated and ranked. Notably all tested HVOF thermal spray coatings presented superior tribological and mechanical performance over conventional EHC coatings. This comprehensive characterization shows for the first time the influence of various key parameters, such as the type of fuel, configuration and stoichiometry of the combustion, thermal-kinetic conditions of the sprayed particles, on the quality of HVOF coatings. lt was demonstrated that in-flight particle temperature and velocity play an important role in the formation of the coating microstructure and have an effect on the coating quality, such as porosity, hardness and wear resistance. The results showed that the kerosene-fuel gun resulted in a greater velocity and a lower temperature of the particles than the hydrogen-fuel one. For both fuels, the amount of porosity and surface roughness tended to decreases with increasing the particle temperature and velocity. Moreover, in the coatings sprayed with the Wokajet-400 gun was observed a tendency to a wear rate reduction with the hardness increase. However, in the coatings sprayed with the DJ-2600 gun, the wear resistance is related to the carbide degradation and particle temperature. Key conclusions from this work highlight that all the HVOF thermal spray coatings tested presented superior tribological and mechanical performance to hard chrome and confirm that HVOF-sprayed WC-CoCr coatings are a reliable alternative to electrolytic hard chrome plating in the industry to coat mechanical components.La ingeniería de materiales siempre ha tenido un rol importante en la industria en la mejora de las propiedades mecánicas y tribológicas de los materiales. Mediante el empleo de recubrimientos o tratamientos superficiales es posible reducir los costes de mantenimiento y prolongar la vida útil de los componentes industriales. En las últimas dos décadas se ha producido un incremento progresivo de los requerimientos que se exigen a dichos componentes en diversos sectores estratégicos, como el aeronáutico, aeroespacial y automovilístico, que junto con la continua evolución de unas directivas medioambientales cada vez más restrictivas, ha impulsado a la industria de la ingeniería de superficies a realizar grandes esfuerzos orientados a la búsqueda de alternativas funcionales y medioambientalmente limpias a procesos más contaminantes como el cromo duro electrolítico (EHC). Entre las múltiples líneas de investigación orientadas a la substitución del EHC destaca el empleo de recubrimientos obtenidos mediante procesos de proyección térmica y, más concretamente, mediante el proceso de proyección térmica HVOF “High Velocity Oxygen Fuel process”. La presente tesis doctoral tiene como principal objetivo el desarrollo y optimización de recubrimientos de proyección térmica HVOF, base WC-CoCr, como alternativa a los recubrimientos EHC. Estos recubrimientos se han obtenido mediante dos pistolas HVOF: una que emplea un gas como combustible (hidrógeno), pistola DJH-2600 (Sulzer Metco), y otra de combustible líquido (queroseno), pistola WokaJet-400 (Sulzer Metco). Esta última dotada de dos configuraciones internas de combustión: STD “Standard” y ST “Small-Target”. Además, un objetivo secundario es que los recubrimientos HVOF desarrollados cumplan las restrictivas normativas aplicadas al sector aeronáutico. En pro de la obtención de estos objetivos, se han efectuado toda una serie de ensayos experimentales orientados a la determinación de diferentes propiedades de los recubrimientos WC-CoCr preparados bajo diferentes condiciones. Así pues, este trabajo queda dividido en dos grandes bloques. En el primer bloque se ha analizado el comportamiento termocinético de las diferentes pistolas HVOF empleadas. En particular, se ha determinado el efecto de cada variable de proyección sobre la velocidad y la temperatura de las partículas proyectadas. En el segundo bloque se ha determinado el efecto de las variables del proceso (temperatura y velocidad) sobre las propiedades de los recubrimientos: microestructura, rugosidad, espesor, porosidad interna, nivel de deflexión Almen, dureza, resistencia al desgaste y resistencia a la corrosión, analizando las interrelaciones existentes entre dichas propiedades. En esta tesis se ha demostrado el papel crucial de la temperatura y la velocidad de las partículas proyectadas en la formación de la microestructura de los recubrimientos, así como en sus propiedades. Los resultados demuestran que la pistola basada en queroseno aporta una mayor velocidad y menor temperatura a las partículas en comparación a la pistola basada en hidrógeno. Para ambos combustibles, la porosidad y la rugosidad disminuyen al aumentar la temperatura y la velocidad de las partículas. Además, en los recubrimientos obtenidos a partir de la pistola Wokajet-400 se observa una tendencia a disminuir la velocidad de desgaste junto a un aumento de la dureza. Sin embargo, en los recubrimientos obtenidos a partir de la pistola DJH-2600, la resistencia al desgaste se relaciona con la mayor degradación térmica de los carburos ocasionada por la mayor temperatura alcanzada por el polvo proyectado. Las principales conclusiones de este trabajo muestran que los recubrimientos obtenidos mediante proyección térmica HVOF poseen mejores propiedades tribológicas y mecánicas que el cromo duro electrolítico y confirma que los recubrimientos WC-CoCr obtenidos pueden considerarse como alternativas reales a nivel industrial a los recubrimientos EHC.Postprint (published version

Development of a Guide to Multidimensional Needs Assessment in the Palliative Care Initial Encounter (MAP).

Context Ensuring patient-centered palliative care requires a comprehensive assessment of needs beginning in the initial encounter. However, there is no generally accepted guide for carrying out this multidimensional needs assessment as a first step in palliative intervention. Objectives To develop an expert panel-endorsed interview guide that would enable proactive and systematic Multidimensional needs Assessment in the Palliative care initial encounter (MAP). Methods A preliminary version of the MAP guide was drafted based on a published literature review, published semistructured interviews with 20 patients, 20 family carers, and 20 palliative care professionals, and a nominal group process with palliative care professionals and a representative of the national patient's association. Consensus regarding its content was obtained through a modified Delphi process involving a panel of palliative care physicians from across Spain. Results The published systematic literature review and qualitative study resulted in the identification of 55 needs, which were sorted and grouped by the nominal group. Following the Delphi process, the list of needs was reduced to 47, linked to six domains: Clinical history and medical conditions (n = 8), Physical symptoms (n = 17), Functional and cognitive status (n = 4), Psycho-emotional symptoms (n = 5), Social issues (n = 8), and Spiritual and existential concerns (n = 5). Conclusion MAP is an expert panel-endorsed semi-structured clinical interview guide for the comprehensive, systematic, and proactive initial assessment to efficiently assess multiple domains while adjusting to the needs of each patient. A future study will assess the feasibility of using the MAP guide within the timeframe of the palliative care initial encounter.post-print820 K