La red de ferrocarriles en el laboratorio

Las redes de transporte se construyen en espacios definidos y limitados por especificidades geográficas y límites geopolíticos. En consecuencia, dichas redes acaban asumiendo asimetrías inevitables, contrarias a los enfoques teóricos y experimentales tradicionales, definidos sobre espacios abstractos y, por tanto, ideales. Motivados por la necesidad de soluciones a un problema real más que por la mencionada crítica a la literatura publicada sobre redes de transporte, centramos nuestra atención en una red de transporte de ferrocarril existente. Concretamente, usamos información del mundo real sobre las características de la demanda de transporte de viajeros y la infraestructura de la red ferroviaria en España para construir un entorno experimental complejo, con el fin de testar la eficiencia de diferentes obligaciones alternativas de provisión de servicios impuestas a los operadores ferroviarios.Transport networks are built in specific, clearly defined locations, constrained by both geographical features and geopolitical parameters. As a consequence, transport networks display inevitable asymmetries that differ from the theoretical and experimental approaches to the matter, which are traditionally set in ideal, abstract spaces. Beyond the much-quoted criticism to literature on transport networks, and aiming to provide solutions to a real problem, this work focuses on a particular, existing railway network. Specifically, actual data concerning the characteristics of both the railway network infrastructure and the demands of passenger transportation in Spain has been gathered in order to build a complex experimental environment where the efficiency of the different obligations imposed to railway operators regarding service provision has been tested.Esta investigación recibió apoyo financiero del NET Institute (NY). El proyecto OPTIRED, financiado por el entonces Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación supuso el punto de partida de este trabajo

When will the lockdown end? Confinement duration forecasts and self-reported life satisfaction in Spain: A longitudinal study

This paper reports results from a longitudinal study on the impact of the lockdown on daily self-reported life satisfaction levels during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. A stable panel (N = 1,131) of adult subjects were surveyed during 84 consecutive days (March 29–June 20, 2020). They were asked to report daily life satisfaction and health state levels. Interestingly, daily life satisfaction increased during the lockdown. At the beginning of the experiment, subjects were asked to guess the end-week of the lockdown, against a possible monetary reward for accurate forecasts. Subjects predicting a longer lockdown period reported a higher average level of daily life satisfaction. Females reported on average lower levels of daily life satisfaction, but exhibited a stronger tendency to report higher levels of life satisfaction, the longer their lockdown forecast. Individual heterogeneity in life satisfaction levels can be partly attributed to personality traits, with neuroticism having a negative effect, while extraversion and agreeableness having a positive effect on daily life satisfaction

Luminescent microbial bioassays and microalgal biosensors as tools for environmental toxicity evaluation

This chapter deals with toxicity bioassays and biosensors based on luminescent microorganisms that report on global toxicity of a sample in such a way that luminescence is reduced or inhibited in the presence of toxic compounds that impair metabolism. Both natural as well as recombinant microorganisms are considered. A detailed description of their main characteristics and environmental applications is reported. A few examples of bioassays for detecting oxidative stress (both bioluminescent and fluorescent bioreporters) are also mentioned and discussed as reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and subsequent oxidative stress if the antioxidant defenses of the cells are surpassed is one of the main mechanisms of toxicity for most pollutants. There is also a section dedicated to microalgal–based biosensors given their ecological relevance as primary producers, their easiness of culture and immobilization in different matrices, ability to acclimate to low nutrients conditions and ubiquity in aquatic environments. The most used toxicity endpoints for this type of biosensors are the alteration of photosynthetic activity (optical and amperometric biosensors) and the inhibition of enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase (APA) or sterases (mostly conductometric biosensors). The main information is shown in tables that include the microorganisms, their main characteristics (reporter gene systems, transducer types for biosensors) and their main environmental applications as well as relevant references. Although some of these bioassays have already been standardized by different international organizations, there are still many which are also promising tools for environmental global toxicity evaluation and should be fully validated and standardized for regulatory purposesThis research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO), grant CTM2016-74927-C2-2-

Parálisis braquial neonatal por parto distócico

Las lesiones traumáticas del recién nacido asociadas a parto distócico son relativamente frecuentes y algunas de ellas potencialmente graves o de mal pronóstico, tanto a corto como a largo plazo. En el presente trabajo se revisan los conceptos y las diferentes lesiones relacionadas con los traumatismos del recién nacido provocados por el parto. Se hace especial hincapié en la patología por fuga extraalveolar de aire (como ejemplo de lesión potencialmente grave y urgente) y en los diversos traumatismos por distocia de parto (describiendo con detalle la parálisis braquial como ejemplo de lesión con mal pronóstico a largo plazo). Así mismo, se repasan los factores de riesgo asociados, las causas y el abordaje médico y quirúrgico de cada una de estas patologías. Finalmente se documentan varias de estas lesiones, a propósito de un caso clínico de una recién nacida atendida en la UCI neonatal del Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa. La paciente, tras un parto distócico, sufrió durante el periodo neonatal precoz un neumotórax y un enfisema subcutáneo grave que fue drenado de manera urgente, con una parálisis braquial que requirió tratamiento quirúrgico diferido varios meses después. Palabras clave: Parto distócico. Parálisis braquial. Fuga extraalveolar de aire

Growth trajectories in children with cleft lip and/or palate

Introduction: the nutritional status and growth of children with cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) can be affected due to feeding difficulties caused by their anatomy and the surgical interventions. Objective: this retrospective longitudinal study aims to analyse the growth trajectories of a cohort of children with CL/P and compare them with a healthy representative cohort of children from Aragon (Spain). Methods: type of cleft, surgical technique and sequelae, and weight, length/height and body mass index (BMI) (weight/height2) at different ages (0-6 years) were recorded. Normalized age- and sex-specific anthropometric Z-scores values were calculated by World Health Organization (WHO) charts. Results: forty-one patients (21 male, 20 female) were finally included: 9.75 % cleft lip (n = 4/41), 41.46 % cleft palate (n = 17/41) and 48.78 % cleft lip and palate (n = 20/41). The worst nutritional status Z-scores were achieved at the age of three months (44.44 % and 50 % had a weight and a BMI lower than -1 Z-score, respectively). Mean weight and BMI Z-scores were both significantly lower than controls at one, three and six months of age, recovering from that moment until the age of one year. Conclusions: the highest nutritional risk in CL/P patients takes place at 3-6 months of age, but nutritional status and growth trajectories get recovered from one year of age compared to their counterparts. Nevertheless, the rate of thin subjects among CL/P patients is higher during childhood

Tipificación de «Arnica montana» L. (Asteraceae)

A lectotype for Arnica montana L. (Asteraceae) is designated from Linnaeus’ original material preserved in the UPS-BURSER herbarium.Se designa un lectótipo para Arnica montana L. (Asteraceae) a partir del material original de Linneo conservado en el herbario UPS-BURSER

Risk-taking and fairness among cocaine-dependent patients in dual diagnoses: Schizophrenia and Anti-Social Personality Disorder

This study reports experimental results from a clinical sample of patients with a cocaine-related disorder and dual diagnosis: Schizophrenia and Anti-Social Personality Disorder. Both types of patients as well as a non-clinical group of students performed two incentivized decision-making tasks. In the first part of the experiment, they performed a lottery-choice task in order to elicit their degree of risk aversion. In the second part, they decided in two modified dictator games aimed at eliciting their aversion to advantageous and disadvantageous inequality. It is found that the Anti-Social Personality Disorder group exhibits no significant differences from the non-clinical sample in either task. However, compared with the students’ sample, subjects from the group with schizophrenia show more risk aversion and exhibit more aversion towards disadvantageous inequality

Toxicity of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles to the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) have been widely studied for different biomedical and environmental applications. In this study we evaluated the toxicity and potential alterations of relevant physiological parameters caused to the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) upon exposure to SPION. The results showed dose-dependent toxicity. A mechanistic study combining flow cytometry and physiological endpoints showed a toxic response consisting of a decrease in metabolic activity, increased oxidative stress and alterations in the mitochondrial membrane potential. Additionally, and due to the light absorption of SPION suspensions, we observed a significant shading effect, causing a marked decrease in photosynthetic activity. In this work, we demonstrated for the first time, the internalization of SPION by endocytosis in C. reinhardtii. These results demonstrated that SPION pose a potential risk for the environment if not managed properlyThis research is supported by CTM2013-45775-C2-1/2-R, CTM2016-74927-C2-1,2-R and MAT2015-71806-R grants from MINEC