Self-Organizing Maps to Analyze Value Creation in Mergers and Acquisitions in the Telecommunications Sector

A great effort has been made in recent years to refine the study methods that emerged in the 1990s to assess long-term abnormal returns in the stock markets as a way to evaluate the value creation or destruction of merger and acquisition (M&A) in the sector of telecommunications. It is regularly addressed in generic merger and acquisition studies, with a short-term time horizon or just with a qualitative focus. In this work, we use a visual data-mining tool, Self-Organizing-Maps (SOM), to analyze mergers and acquisitions in telecommunications sector. The relationship among variables influencing the M&A was only observed due to the capabilities of the visual neural map method that allow to relate variables, which is not possible with other classical methods. In this work, the relationship obtained with the SOM linking M&A language, M&A cross-border, and size of the acquiring company is an important result

1Gbps full-duplex links for ultra-dense-WDM 6.25GHz frequency slots in optical metro-access networks

1Gbps full-duplex optical links for 6.25GHz ultra dense WDM frequency slots are demonstrated and optimized for cost-effective metro- access networks. The OLT-ONU downlinks are based on 1Gbps Nyquist- DPSK using MZM and single-detector heterodyne reception obtaining a sensitivity of -52dBm. The ONU-OLT uplinks are based on 1Gbps NRZ- DPSK by directly phase modulated DFB and also single-detector heterodyne reception obtaining same sensitivity of -52dBm. The power budget of full-duplex link is 43dB. These proposed links can provide service to 16 (32) users at each 100 (200) GHz WDM channel

En los autos de apelacion, introducidos por D. Joseph de Dios vezino del Lugar de Azara de una multa impuesta contra el dicho por el Dr. D. Jospeh de Pueyo y Garcés como procurador de su hermano Fr. D. Juan Estevan de Pueyo comendador de la encomienda de Barbastro y de dicho lugar de Azara, pendiente en revista en el Real acueerdo, por don Joseph de Pueyo y Garcés y por Don Pedro Escudero y consortes.

Enc. perg.Precede al tít.: una cruz de malta, "Jesus, Maria, y Jos. J. y A." en orla tip.Texto firmado por "Joseph Azara"En p. 22 consta el año 1730.Sign.: A-E2, F1.Letra capital tip.Sello del Instituto y provª. de Huesca. Biblioteca

General Hydrography of the Beagle Channel, a Subantarctic Interoceanic Passage at the Southern Tip of South America

The Beagle Channel (BC) is a long and narrow interoceanic passage (∼270 km long and 1–12 km wide) with west-east orientation and complex bathymetry connecting the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at latitude 55°S. This study is the first integrated assessment of the main oceanographic features of the BC, using recent oceanographic observations from cruises, moored instruments and historical observations. The waters transported into the BC are supplied mainly by the Cape Horn Current, which carries Subantarctic Water (SAAW) at depth (100 m below surface) along the Pacific Patagonian continental shelf break. SAAW enters the continental shelf via a submarine canyon at the western entrance of the BC. The SAAW is diluted by fresh, nutrient depleted (nitrate, phosphate and silicic acid) Estuarine Water (EW) from Cordillera Darwin Ice Field (CDIF) forming modified SAAW (mSAAW). Freshwater inputs from the CDIF generate a two-layer system with a sharp pycnocline which delimits the vertical distribution of phytoplankton fluorescence (PF). Two shallow sills (<70 m) along the BC contribute to EW and mSAAW mixing and the homogenization of the entire water column east of the sills, coherent with Bernoulli aspiration. The central section of the BC, extending ∼100 km toward the east, is filled by a salty (31–32) variety of EW. In winter, this central section is nearly vertically homogeneous with low nutrient concentrations (0.9–1.1 μM PO4 and 7.5–10 μM NO3) and PF. The temporal variability of seawater temperature from 50 to 195 m in the central section of the BC was found to be mostly dominated by the annual and semiannual cycles and influenced by tidal forcing. The middle section of the BC was less influenced by oceanic inputs and its basin-like structure most likely favors retention, which was observed from the weakly stratified water column at the mooring site. Toward the east, the central section bathymetry is disrupted at Mackinlay Strait where another shallow sill separates the middle channel from the shallow eastern entrance that connects to the Atlantic Ocean. In this section, a weakly stratified two-layer system is formed when the eastward surface outflow (salty-EW) flows over a deeper, denser tongue of oceanic mSAAW.Fil: Giesecke Astorga, Claudio Ricardo. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Martín de Nascimento, Jacobo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur. Instituto de Ciencias Polares, Ambientales y Recursos Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Piñones, Andrea. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Höfer, Juan. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso; ChileFil: Garcés Vargas, Jose. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Flores Melo, Elizabeth Ximena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Alarcón, Emilio. Universidad Austral de Chile; ChileFil: Durrieu de Madron, Xavier. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: Bourrin, François. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; FranciaFil: González, Humberto E.. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chil

Cardiac magnetic resonance outperforms echocardiography to predict subsequent implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapies in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients

Altres ajuts: Conselleria de Educación-Generalitat Valenciana (PROMETEO/2021/008); Sociedad Española de Cardiología (Grant SEC/FEC-INVCLI 21/024)Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) are effective as a primary prevention measure of ventricular tachyarrhythmias in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The implications of using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) instead of echocardiography (Echo) to assess LVEF prior to the indication of ICD in this setting are unknown. We evaluated 52 STEMI patients (56.6 ± 11 years, 88.5% male) treated with ICD in primary prevention who underwent echocardiography and CMR prior to ICD implantation. ICD implantation was indicated based on the presence of heart failure and depressed LVEF (≤ 35%) by echocardiography, CMR, or both. Prediction of ICD therapies (ICD-T) during follow-up by echocardiography and CMR before ICD implantation was assessed. Compared to echocardiography, LVEF was lower by cardiac CMR (30.2 ± 9% vs. 37.4 ± 7.6%, p < 0.001). LVEF ≤ 35% was detected in 24 patients (46.2%) by Echo and in 42 (80.7%) by CMR. During a mean follow-up of 6.1 ± 4.2 years, 10 patients received appropriate ICD-T (3.16 ICD-T per 100 person-years): 5 direct shocks to treat very fast ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation, 3 effective antitachycardia pacing (ATP) for treatment of ventricular tachycardia, and 2 ineffective ATP followed by shock to treat ventricular tachycardia. Echo-LVEF ≤ 35% correctly predicted ICD-T in 4/10 (40%) patients and CMR-LVEF ≤ 35% in 10/10 (100%) patients. CMR-LVEF improved on Echo-LVEF for predicting ICD-T (area under the curve: 0.76 vs. 0.48, p = 0.04). In STEMI patients treated with ICD, assessment of LVEF by CMR outperforms Echo-LVEF to predict the subsequent use of appropriate ICD therapies

Circulating tumor cells for the staging of patients with newly diagnosed transplant-eligible multiple myeloma

[Purpose]: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) may show patchy bone marrow (BM) infiltration and extramedullary disease. Notwithstanding, quantification of plasma cells (PCs) continues to be performed in BM since the clinical translation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) remains undefined. [Patients and methods]: CTCs were measured in peripheral blood (PB) of 374 patients with newly diagnosed MM enrolled in the GEM2012MENOS65 and GEM2014MAIN trials. Treatment included bortezomib, lenalidomide, and dexamethasone induction followed by autologous transplant, consolidation, and maintenance. Next-generation flow cytometry was used to evaluate CTCs in PB at diagnosis and measurable residual disease (MRD) in BM throughout treatment. [Results]: CTCs were detected in 92% (344 of 374) of patients with newly diagnosed MM. The correlation between the percentages of CTCs and BM PCs was modest. Increasing logarithmic percentages of CTCs were associated with inferior progression-free survival (PFS). A cutoff of 0.01% CTCs showed an independent prognostic value (hazard ratio: 2.02; 95% CI, 1.3 to 3.1; P = .001) in multivariable PFS analysis including the International Staging System, lactate dehydrogenase levels, and cytogenetics. The combination of the four prognostic factors significantly improved risk stratification. Outcomes according to the percentage of CTCs and depth of response to treatment showed that patients with undetectable CTCs had exceptional PFS regardless of complete remission and MRD status. In all other cases with detectable CTCs, only achieving MRD negativity (and not complete remission) demonstrated a statistically significant increase in PFS. [Conclusion]: Evaluation of CTCs in PB outperformed quantification of BM PCs. The detection of ≥ 0.01% CTCs could be a new risk factor in novel staging systems for patients with transplant-eligible MM.Supported by grants from the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red—Área de Oncología—del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERONC; CB16/12/00369, CB16/12/00400, and CB16/12/00284); Instituto de Salud Carlos III/Subdirección General de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS No. PI19/01451, PI20/00048, and PI21/01816); the Cancer Research UK (C355/A26819); FCAECC and AIRC under the Accelerator Award Program (EDITOR); the ISCIII and FEDER foundations (AC17/00101) together with FCAECC for iMMunocell Transcan-2; the European Research Council (ERC) 2015 Starting Grant (MYELOMANEXT/680200); the CRIS Cancer Foundation (PR_EX_2020-02), the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Black Swan Research Initiative of the International Myeloma Foundation; and the Riney Family Multiple Myeloma Research Program Fund

Machine Learning-Based Analysis in the Management of Iatrogenic Bile Duct Injury During Cholecystectomy: a Nationwide Multicenter Study

Background Iatrogenic bile duct injury (IBDI) is a challenging surgical complication. IBDI management can be guided by artificial intelligence models. Our study identified the factors associated with successful initial repair of IBDI and predicted the success of definitive repair based on patient risk levels. Methods This is a retrospective multi-institution cohort of patients with IBDI after cholecystectomy conducted between 1990 and 2020. We implemented a decision tree analysis to determine the factors that contribute to successful initial repair and developed a risk-scoring model based on the Comprehensive Complication Index. Results We analyzed 748 patients across 22 hospitals. Our decision tree model was 82.8% accurate in predicting the success of the initial repair. Non-type E (p < 0.01), treatment in specialized centers (p < 0.01), and surgical repair (p < 0.001) were associated with better prognosis. The risk-scoring model was 82.3% (79.0-85.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI]) and 71.7% (63.8-78.7%, 95% CI) accurate in predicting success in the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Surgical repair, successful initial repair, and repair between 2 and 6 weeks were associated with better outcomes. Discussion Machine learning algorithms for IBDI are a novel tool may help to improve the decision-making process and guide management of these patients

Circulating tumor cells for comprehensive and multiregional non-invasive genetic characterization of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) patients undergo repetitive bone marrow (BM) aspirates for genetic characterization. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are detectable in peripheral blood (PB) of virtually all MM cases and are prognostic, but their applicability for noninvasive screening has been poorly investigated. Here, we used next-generation flow (NGF) cytometry to isolate matched CTCs and BM tumor cells from 53 patients and compared their genetic profile. In eight cases, tumor cells from extramedullary (EM) plasmacytomas were also sorted and whole-exome sequencing was performed in the three spatially distributed tumor samples. CTCs were detectable by NGF in the PB of all patients with MM. Based on the cancer cell fraction of clonal and subclonal mutations, we found that ~22% of CTCs egressed from a BM (or EM) site distant from the matched BM aspirate. Concordance between BM tumor cells and CTCs was high for chromosome arm-level copy number alterations (≥95%) though not for translocations (39%). All high-risk genetic abnormalities except one t(4;14) were detected in CTCs whenever present in BM tumor cells. Noteworthy, ≥82% mutations present in BM and EM clones were detectable in CTCs. Altogether, these results support CTCs for noninvasive risk-stratification of MM patients based on their numbers and genetic profile.This study was supported by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red—Área de Oncología—del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERONC; CB16/12/00236, CB16/12/00369, CB16/12/00489, and CB16/12/00400); by Cancer Research UK [C355/A26819] and FC AECC and AIRC under the Accelerator Award Program; by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, FCAECC and co-financed by FEDER (ERANET-TRANSCAN-2 iMMunocell AC17/00101); the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and co-financed by FSE (Torres Quevedo fellowship, PTQ-16-08623); the Black Swan Research Initiative of the International Myeloma Foundation; European Research Council (ERC) under the European Commission’s H2020 Framework Programme (MYELOMANEXT, 680200); the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) Award No. 7-916-3-237; the AACR-Millennium Fellowship in Multiple Myeloma Research (15-40-38-PAIV); the Leukemia Research Foundation; and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) under the 2019 Research Fellowship Award

Zoonosis, cambio climático y sociedad

La sociedad contemporánea se enfrenta a uno de los retos más grandes de la historia humana, el calentamiento global, mismo que acarrea enormes consecuencias, tales como los disturbios climáticos, así como los patrones de las enfermedades de origen animal transmisibles al hombre. Precisamente ante este escenario las instituciones educativas de nivel superior deben dar cumplimiento a su responsabilidad y ser las generadoras de alternativas de solución mediante el trabajo especializado de investigación; y para ello, la pesquisa científica es la mejor de las alternativas a nuestro alcance para comprender y encarar estos desafíos.Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México y Ediciones y Gráficos Eón, S.A. de C.V