Europe 2020 strategy: a strategy for which type of growth?

This paper constructs an index that synthesizes the eight targets of the EU 2020 Strategy into a one-dimensional target –EU 2020 synthetic target- and the situation of each EU28 Member States (the current 27 Members plus Croatia) in 2011 with respect to them –2011 synthetic situation-. Hence we can measure the distance of each EU Member State synthetic situation in 2011 to the EU 2020 synthetic target. We find that none of the Member States meets the EU 2020 synthetic target, Denmark is the closest and Malta is the furthest to it. In fact we could identify clusters of Member States in terms of the distances to the EU 2020 synthetic target: the North EU region is closer to and the Mediterranean region is further away from it. We extent the distance analysis above by adding three inequality targets -income distribution, female employment and child poverty- and find that all of the Member States increase their distance between their 2011 synthetic inequality-extended situation and the 2020 inequality-extended targeted situation. Finally, we want to analyse each Member State’s relationship between its objective position regarding the EU 2020 synthetic target and its life satisfaction level, inhabitants’ subjective position. Through a multivariate regression methodology, we analyse how much of the total effect of the synthetic index on life satisfaction is direct, and how much is mediated. The mediation analysis shows that a substantial part of the effect of the synthetic index on life satisfaction is mediated by the GDP per capita. These results are in line with recent views in human development and well-being research. That is, the GDP per capita is only a means to achieve socioeconomic progress, not the end

On the validity of the 630 nm Fe I nm lines for the magnetometry of the internetwork quiet Sun

The purpose of this work is to analyze the reliability of the magnetic field strengths inferred from the 630 nm pair of Fe I lines at internetwork quiet Sun regions. Some numerical experiments have been performed that demonstrate the inability of these lines to recover the magnetic field strength in such low flux solar regions. It is shown how different model atmospheres, with magnetic field strengths ranging from few hundred Gauss to kiloGauss, give rise to Stokes profiles that can not be distinguished. The reasons for this degeneracy are discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Understanding Nanopore Window Distortions in the Reversible Molecular Valve Zeolite RHO

Molecular valves are becoming popular for potential biomedical applications. However, little is known concerning their performance in energy and environmental areas. Zeolite RHO shows unique pore deformations upon changes in hydration, cation siting, cation type, or temperature-pressure conditions. By varying the level of distortion of double eight-rings, it is possible to control the adsorption properties, which confer a molecular valve behavior to this material. We have employed interatomic potentials-based simulations to obtain a detailed atomistic view of the structural distortion mechanisms of zeolite RHO, in contrast with the averaged and space group restricted information provided by diffraction studies. We have modeled four aluminosilicate structures, containing Li$^+$, Na$^+$, K$^+$, Ca$^{2+}$, and Sr$^{2+}$ cations. The distortions of the three different zeolite rings are coupled, and the six- and eight-membered rings are largely flexible. A large dependence on the polarizing power of the extra-framework cations and with the loading of water has been found for the minimum aperture of the eight-membered rings that control the nanovalve effect. The calculated energy barriers for moving the cations across the eight-membered rings are very high, which explains the experimentally observed slow kinetics of the phase transition as well as the appearance of metastable phases

The Use of Geostatistics in the Study of Floral Phenology of Vulpia geniculata (L.) Link

Traditionally phenology studies have been focused on changes through time, but there exist many instances in ecological research where it is necessary to interpolate among spatially stratified samples. The combined use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Geostatistics can be an essential tool for spatial analysis in phenological studies. Geostatistics are a family of statistics that describe correlations through space/time and they can be used for both quantifying spatial correlation and interpolating unsampled points. In the present work, estimations based upon Geostatistics and GIS mapping have enabled the construction of spatial models that reflect phenological evolution of Vulpia geniculata (L.) Link throughout the study area during sampling season. Ten sampling points, scattered troughout the city and low mountains in the “Sierra de Córdoba” were chosen to carry out the weekly phenological monitoring during flowering season. The phenological data were interpolated by applying the traditional geostatitical method of Kriging, which was used to ellaborate weekly estimations of V. geniculata phenology in unsampled areas. Finally, the application of Geostatistics and GIS to create phenological maps could be an essential complement in pollen aerobiological studies, given the increased interest in obtaining automatic aerobiological forecasting maps

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the brief Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives among Spanish smokers from the general population

Introduction: The brief version of the Wisconsin Inventory of Smoking Dependence Motives (B-WISDM) is a well-established instrument to measure the multidimensional nature of nicotine dependence. However, no previous research has assessed its psychometric properties in the Spanish context. The aim of the present study was to analyze the factor structure and measurement invariance across gender of this instrument among Spanish smokers from the general population. Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 480 smokers through an online questionnaire including information on tobacco use and several nicotine dependence measures. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to assess the factorial structure of the Spanish B-WISDM, its internal consistency, measurement invariance across gender and convergent validity with the Fagerstr¨om Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) and the Glover-Nilsson Smoking Behavioral Questionnaire (GN-SBQ) scores. Results: Results indicate that the eleven correlated factors solution had a better fit when compared to the other tested models (two correlated factors and two second-order factors with eleven first-order correlated factors solution), remaining such structure invariant across gender. Internal consistency of the scale was high (α =0.950; dimension α values ranged between 0.657 and 0.921). Overall scores and dimensions of the scale significantly and positively correlated with other nicotine dependence measures (except for Social/Environmental Goads and FTND). Conclusions: This is the first version of the B-WISDM validated to assess nicotine dependence with a multidimensional perspective within the Spanish culture. Results show adequate psychometric properties regarding its factor structure and measurement invariance across gender, supporting its utility to evaluate the motives driving tobacco use among Spanish smokers from the general population

Tandem Repeat DNA provides many cytological markers for hybrid zone analysis in two subspecies of the grasshopper chorthippus parallelus

Recent advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) have greatly increased our understanding of non-coding tandem repeat (TR) DNA. Here we show how TR DNA can be useful for the study of hybrid zones (HZ), as it serves as a marker to identify introgression in areas where two biological entities come in contact. We used Illumina libraries to analyse two subspecies of the grasshopper Chorthippus parallelus, which currently form a HZ in the Pyrenees. We retrieved a total of 152 TR sequences, and used fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) to map 77 families in purebred individuals from both subspecies. Our analysis revealed 50 TR families that could serve as markers for analysis of this HZ, using FISH. Differential TR bands were unevenly distributed between chromosomes and subspecies. Some of these TR families yielded FISH bands in only one of the subspecies, suggesting the amplification of these TR families after the geographic separation of the subspecies in the Pleistocene. Our cytological analysis of two TR markers along a transect of the Pyrenean hybrid zone showed asymmetrical introgression of one subspecies into the other, consistent with previous findings using other markers. These results demonstrate the reliability of TR-band markers for hybrid zone studie

Complicaciones en la anestesia general del perro : revisión de 265 casos

Un total de 265 perros fueron anestesiados por diferentes motivos diagnósticos y terapéuticos en los Servicios Clínicos de la Facultad de Veterinaria de Córdoba,siguiendo diversos protocolos anestésicos