¿Cómo mide el riesgo el observador imparcial?

Exploramos aquí la conexión entre los conceptos de riesgo e igualdad en el argumento del observador imparcial. La concepción de la justicia que elegiría un observador imparcial se justifica por la pureza del procedimiento de elección. Sin embargo, si modelizamos esta decisión utilizando medidas del riesgo habituales en matemática financiera, veremos cómo el criterio de elección del observador bajo el velo de la ignorancia contiene una preferencia implícita por el grado de desigualdad resultante. Esto nos obliga a reconsiderar la pureza procedimental de la elección

A fair-multicluster approach to clustering of categorical data

In the last few years, the need of preventing classification biases due to race, gender, social status, etc. has increased the interest in designing fair clustering algorithms. The main idea is to ensure that the output of a cluster algorithm is not biased towards or against specific subgroups of the population. There is a growing specialized literature on this topic, dealing with the problem of clustering numerical data bases. Nevertheless, to our knowledge, there are no previous papers devoted to the problem of fair clustering of pure categorical attributes. In this paper, we show that the Multicluster methodology proposed by Santos and Heras (Interdiscip J Inf Knowl Manag 15:227–246, 2020. https://doi.org/10.28945/4643) for clustering categorical data, can be modified in order to increase the fairness of the clusters. Of course, there is a tradeoff between fairness and efficiency, so that an increase in the fairness objective usually leads to a loss of classification efficiency. Yet it is possible to reach a reasonable compromise between these goals, since the methodology proposed by Santos and Heras (2020) can be easily adapted in order to get homogeneous and fair clusters

CRISPR-Mediated Strand Displacement Logic Circuits with Toehold-Free DNA

[EN] DNA nanotechnology, and DNA computing in particular, has grown extensively over the past decade to end with a variety of functional stable structures and dynamic circuits. However, the use as designer elements of regular DNA pieces, perfectly complementary double strands, has remained elusive. Here, we report the exploitation of CRISPR-Cas systems to engineer logic circuits based on isothermal strand displacement that perform with toehold-free double-stranded DNA. We designed and implemented molecular converters for signal detection and amplification, showing good interoperability between enzymatic and nonenzymatic processes. Overall, these results contribute to enlarge the repertoire of substrates and reactions (hardware) for DNA computing.We thank V. Aragones (IBMCP) for her technical assistance on PAGE. The work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness grants BFU2015-66894-P (to GR) and BIO2017-83184-R (to JAD) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities grant PGC2018-101410-B-I00 (to GR); grants cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund.Montagud-Martínez, R.; Heras-Hernández, M.; Goiriz, L.; Rodrigo Tarrega, G.; Daròs, J. (2021). CRISPR-Mediated Strand Displacement Logic Circuits with Toehold-Free DNA. ACS Synthetic Biology. 10(5):950-956. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.0c0064995095610

SpaceQA: Answering Questions about the Design of Space Missions and Space Craft Concepts

We present SpaceQA, to the best of our knowledge the first open-domain QA system in Space mission design. SpaceQA is part of an initiative by the European Space Agency (ESA) to facilitate the access, sharing and reuse of information about Space mission design within the agency and with the public. We adopt a state-of-the-art architecture consisting of a dense retriever and a neural reader and opt for an approach based on transfer learning rather than fine-tuning due to the lack of domain-specific annotated data. Our evaluation on a test set produced by ESA is largely consistent with the results originally reported by the evaluated retrievers and confirms the need of fine tuning for reading comprehension. As of writing this paper, ESA is piloting SpaceQA internally.Comment: In proceedings of the 45th International ACM SIGIR Conference on Research and Development in Information Retrieval (SIGIR 2022

Highly stable and efficient light-emitting electrochemical cells based on cationic iridium complexes bearing arylazole ancillary ligands

A series of bis-cyclometalated iridium(III) complexes of general formula [Ir(ppy)2(N∧N)][PF6] (ppy− = 2-phenylpyridinate; N∧N = 2-(1H-imidazol-2-yl)pyridine (1), 2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole (2), 1-methyl-2-pyridin-2-yl- 1H-benzimidazole (3), 2-(4′-thiazolyl)benzimidazole (4), 1- methyl-2-(4′-thiazolyl)benzimidazole (5)) is reported, and their use as electroluminescent materials in light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) devices is investigated. [2][PF6] and [3][PF6] are orange emitters with intense unstructured emission around 590 nm in acetonitrile solution. [1][PF6], [4][PF6], and [5][PF6] are green weak emitters with structured emission bands peaking around 500 nm. The different photophysical properties are due to the effect that the chemical structure of the ancillary ligand has on the nature of the emitting triplet state. Whereas the benzimidazole unit stabilizes the LUMO and gives rise to a 3MLCT/3LLCT emitting triplet in [2][PF6] and [3][PF6], the presence of the thiazolyl ring produces the opposite effect in [4][PF6] and [5][PF6] and the emitting state has a predominant 3LC character. Complexes with 3MLCT/3LLCT emitting triplets give rise to LEC devices with luminance values 1 order higher than those of complexes with 3LC emitting states. Protecting the imidazole N−H bond with a methyl group, as in complexes [3][PF6] and [5][PF6], shows that the emissive properties become more stable. [3][PF6] leads to outstanding LECs with simultaneously high luminance (904 cd m−2), efficiency (9.15 cd A−1), and stability (lifetime over 2500 h).Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) of Spain (projects CTQ2014- 58812-C2-1-R, MAT2014-55200, CTQ2014-55583-R, CTQ2014-61914-EXP, CTQ2015-71955-REDT, CTQ2015- 70371-REDT, CTQ2015-71154-P, and Unidad de Excelencia Marıá de Maeztu MDM-2015-0538), European Feder funds (CTQ2015-71154-P), Obra Social “la Caixa” (OSLC-2012- 007), Junta de Castilla y León (BU033-U16), and Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo2016/135

Prevalence of Lynch Syndrome among Patients with Newly Diagnosed Endometrial Cancers

Background: Lynch syndrome (LS) is a hereditary condition that increases the risk for endometrial and other cancers. The identification of endometrial cancer (EC) patients with LS has the potential to influence life-saving interventions. We aimed to study the prevalence of LS among EC patients in our population. Methods: Universal screening for LS was applied for a consecutive series EC. Tumor testing using microsatellite instability (MSI), immunohistochemistry (IHC) for mismatch-repair (MMR) protein expression and MLH1-methylation analysis, when required, was used to select LS-suspicious cases. Sequencing of corresponding MMR genes was performed. Results: One hundred and seventy-three EC (average age, 63 years) were screened. Sixty-one patients (35%) had abnormal IHC or MSI results. After MLH1 methylation analysis, 27 cases were considered suspicious of LS. From these, 22 were contacted and referred for genetic counseling. Nineteen pursued genetic testing and eight were diagnosed of LS. Mutations were more frequent in younger patients (<50 yrs). Three cases had either intact IHC or MSS and reinforce the need of implement the EC screening with both techniques. Conclusion: The prevalence of LS among EC patients was 4.6% (8/173); with a predictive frequency of 6.6% in the Spanish population. Universal screening of EC for LS is recommended.This study was supported by Conselleria Sanidad Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (AP/177/10) (http://www.san.gva.es/); Biomedical Research Foundations of the Alicante University Hospital (PI14/2006 and NI02/2011) (http://www.dep19.san.gva.es/); and the Elche University Hospital, Spain (FIBElx-CO11/03) (http://www.dep20.san.gva.es/)

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm frequently shows occult central nervous system involvement at diagnosis and benefits from intrathecal therapy

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare aggressive myeloid neoplasm which shows a high rate of central nervous system (CNS) recurrence and overall survival (OS) of <1 year. Despite this, screening for CNS involvement is not routinely performed at diagnosis and intrathecal (IT) prophylaxis is not regularly administered in BPDCN. Here, we prospectively evaluated 13 consecutive BPDCN patients for the presence of CNS involvement by flow cytometry. Despite none of the patients presented with neurological symptoms, occult CNS involvement was detected in 6/10 cases evaluated at diagnosis and 3/3 studied at relapse/progression. BPDCN patients evaluated at diagnosis received IT treatment -either CNS prophylaxis (n = 4) or active therapy (n = 6)- and all but one remain alive (median follow-up of 20 months). In contrast, all three patients assessed at relapse/progression died. The potential benefit of IT treatment administered early at diagnosis on OS and CNS recurrence-free survival of BPDCN was further confirmed in a retrospective cohort of another 23 BPDCN patients. Our results show that BPDCN patients studied at diagnosis frequently display occult CNS involvement; moreover, they also indicate that treatment of occult CNS disease might lead to a dramatically improved outcome of BPDCN

Las energías renovables y el crecimiento sostenible para la sociedad

Este proyecto es fruto de la colaboración entre las Facultades de Ciencias de la Información y de Ciencias Químicas de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid. El objetivo es desarrollar una estrategia sinérgica y transversal para informar de los conocimientos científicos. La tendencia que muestra el consumo de las TIC y de los canales audiovisuales por parte de la población adolescente y por los estudiantes que acceden a la universidad indica que deben reorientarse las políticas de comunicación. Cualquier otro enfoque quedará obsoleto antes de ser aplicado. El plan está enfocado a elaborar una campaña de comunicación, articulada alrededor de las energías renovables como garantía de un futuro sostenible para la comunidad universitaria complutense. Actualmente existe un déficit en el conocimiento pragmático de lo que supone el uso de fuentes de energía que no respeten el medio ambiente. Consideramos que supone una mejora de la calidad docente la aportación de herramientas de conocimiento adaptadas a las nuevas tecnologías de la información que ya son de uso cotidiano. La innovación y la investigación deben adaptarse a los nuevos lenguajes comunicativos y por este motivo el plan de comunicación - objeto de este proyecto - contempla el uso de una aplicación (“APP”) creada exprofeso, contenidos adecuados a la red social “Instagram” y la edición de una serie de espacios audiovisuales a difundir a través un canal creado en la plataforma “YouTube”

Prevalence of dementia and major dementia subtypes in Spanish populations: A reanalysis of dementia prevalence surveys, 1990-2008

Background This study describes the prevalence of dementia and major dementia subtypes in Spanish elderly. Methods We identified screening surveys, both published and unpublished, in Spanish populations, which fulfilled specific quality criteria and targeted prevalence of dementia in populations aged 70 years and above. Surveys covering 13 geographically different populations were selected (prevalence period: 1990-2008). Authors of original surveys provided methodological details of their studies through a systematic questionnaire and also raw age-specific data. Prevalence data were compared using direct adjustment and logistic regression. Results The reanalyzed study population (aged 70 year and above) was composed of Central and North-Eastern Spanish sub-populations obtained from 9 surveys and totaled 12,232 persons and 1,194 cases of dementia (707 of Alzheimer's disease, 238 of vascular dementia). Results showed high variation in age- and sex-specific prevalence across studies. The reanalyzed prevalence of dementia was significantly higher in women; increased with age, particularly for Alzheimer's disease; and displayed a significant geographical variation among men. Prevalence was lowest in surveys reporting participation below 85%, studies referred to urban-mixed populations and populations diagnosed by psychiatrists. Conclusion Prevalence of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Central and North-Eastern Spain is higher in females, increases with age, and displays considerable geographic variation that may be method-related. People suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Spain may approach 600,000 and 400,000 respectively. However, existing studies may not be completely appropriate to infer prevalence of dementia and its subtypes in Spain until surveys in Southern Spain are conductedFinancial aid was obtained from the Spanish RECSP C03-09, CIEN C03-06 and CIBERNED networks, and from the Pfizer Foundation in particularS