The Value of a Statistical Life in the context of Earthquakes: an approach from Prospect Theory

In this article we replicate the method developed by Carthy et al (1999) to obtain the Value of a Statistical Life chaining the estimates from a Contingent Valuation survey on non-fatal injuries and a Relative Utility Loss ratio derived from Lottery Equivalent questions to subjects. The novelty of our work stems from applying this methodology to the context of Earthquakes and introducing non-linear probability weighting to subjects’ responses. Changing the context of the questionnaire should change the values obtained for a Statistical Life as stated in the literature and introducing a probability weighting function should be of interest to potentially remediate previous internal consistency issues regarding the “direct“ and the “indirect method”, two variations that should theoretically give equivalent results but that have yielded way too diverging estimates in previous studies, raising concerns on the validity of the method. Our results show a significant reduction in the divergence of the results from the direct and the indirect method

A recipe for a good clinical pulmonary surfactant

The lives of thousands premature babies have been saved along the last thirty years thanks to the establishment and consolidation of pulmonary surfactant replacement therapies (SRT). It took some time to close the gap between the identification of the biophysical and molecular causes of the high mortality associated with respiratory distress syndrome in very premature babies and the development of a proper therapy. Closing the gap required the elucidation of some key questions defining the structure–function relationships in surfactant as well as the particular role of the different molecular components assembled into the surfactant system. On the other hand, the application of SRT as part of treatments targeting other devastating respiratory pathologies, in babies and adults, is depending on further extensive research still required before enough amounts of good humanized clinical surfactants will be available. This review summarizes our current concepts on the compositional and structural determinants defining pulmonary surfactant activity, the principles behind the development of efficient natural animal-derived or recombinant or synthetic therapeutic surfactants, as well as a the most promising lines of research that are already opening new perspectives in the application of tailored surfactant therapies to treat important yet unresolved respiratory pathologies

Alemania como mercado objetivo en el sector de la energía renovable, caso Green Energy S.A.

El presente Trabajo de Fin de Grado consiste en un análisis teórico-práctico del hipotético proyecto de expansión internacional de la empresa de energía renovable Green Energy en Alemania, incluyendo una explicación teórica del proceso que seguirá la empresa, un análisis de la misma y una presentación del mercado alemán con especial atención de las energías renovables. Para ello me serviré de diversas fuentes de información académicas y divulgativas y expondré datos recogidos de organismos e informes especializados en esta materia, con el objetivo de transmitir al lector los resultados de esta investigación de manera clara y concisa. Por último, en la fase final del documento aportaré mi juicio sobre los aspectos más relevantes presentados en el documento, que deben servir de punto final para el mismo.Universidad de Sevilla. Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresa

Conformational stability of the NH2-Terminal propeptide of the precursor of pulmonary surfactant protein SP-B

Assembly of pulmonary surfactant lipid-protein complexes depends on conformational changes coupled with proteolytic maturation of proSP-B, the precursor of pulmonary surfactant protein B (SP-B), along the surfactant biogenesis pathway in pneumocytes. Conformational destabilization of the N-terminal propeptide of proSP-B (SP-BN) triggers exposure of the mature SP-B domain for insertion into surfactant lipids. We have studied the conformational stability during GdmCl- or urea-promoted unfolding of SP-BN with trp fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopies. Binding of the intermediate states to bis-ANS suggests their molten globule-like character. ΔG0 H2O was ~ 12.7 kJ mol-1 either with urea or GdmCl. None of the thermal transitions of SP-BN detected by CD correspond to protein unfolding. Differential scanning calorimetry of SP-BN evidenced two endothermic peaks involved in oligomer dissociation as confirmed with 2 M urea. Ionic strength was relevant since at 150 mM NaCl, the process originating the endotherm at the highest temperature was irreversible (Tm2 = 108.5°C) with an activation energy of 703.8 kJ mol-1. At 500 mM NaCl the process became reversible (Tm2 = 114.4°C) and data were fitted to the Non-two States model with two subpeaks. No free thiols in the propeptide could be titrated by DTNB with or without 5.7 M GdmCl, indicating disulfide bonds establishment

Kinematic viscosity of therapeutic pulmonary surfactants with added polymers

AbstractThe addition of various polymers to pulmonary surfactants improves surface activity in experiments both in vitro and in vivo. Although the viscosity of surfactants has been investigated, the viscosity of surfactant polymer mixtures has not. In this study, we have measured the viscosities of Survanta and Infasurf with and without the addition of polyethylene glycol, dextran or hyaluronan. The measurements were carried out over a range of surfactant concentrations using two concentrations of polymers at two temperatures. Our results indicate that at lower surfactant concentrations, the addition of any polymers increased the viscosity. However, the addition of polyethylene glycol and dextran to surfactants at clinically used concentrations can substantially lower viscosity. Addition of hyaluronan at clinical surfactant concentrations slightly increased Infasurf viscosity and produced little change in Survanta viscosity. Effects of polymers on viscosity correlate with changes in size and distribution of surfactant aggregates and the apparent free volume of liquid as estimated by light microscopy. Aggregation of surfactant vesicles caused by polymers may therefore not only improve surface activity as previously shown, but may also affect viscosity in ways that could improve surfactant distribution in vivo

Plant virus cell-to-cell movement is not dependent on the transmembrane disposition of its movement protein

The cell-to-cell transport of plant viruses depends on one or more virus-encoded movement proteins (MPs). Some MPs are integral membrane proteins that interact with the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum, but a detailed understanding of the interaction between MPs and biological membranes has been lacking. The cell-to-cell movement of the Prunus necrotic ringspot virus (PNRSV) is facilitated by a single MP of the 30K superfamily. Here, using a myriad of biochemical and biophysical approaches, we show that the PNRSV MP contains only one hydrophobic region (HR) that interacts with the membrane interface, as opposed to being a transmembrane protein. We also show that a proline residue located in the middle of the HR constrains the structural conformation of this region at the membrane interface, and its replacement precludes virus movement

Synthetic Pulmonary Surfactant Preparations: New developments and future trends

Pulmonary surfactant is a lipid-protein complex that coats the interior of the alveoli and enables the lungs to function properly. Upon its synthesis, lung surfactant adsorbs at the interface between the air and the hypophase, a capillary aqueous layer covering the alveoli. By lowering and modulating surface tension during breathing, lung surfactant reduces respiratory work of expansion, and stabilises alveoli against collapse during expiration. Pulmonary surfactant deficiency, or dysfunction, contributes to several respiratory pathologies, such as infant respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) in premature neonates, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in children and adults. The main clinical exogenous surfactants currently in use to treat some of these pathologies are essentially organic extracts obtained from animal lungs. Although very efficient, natural surfactants bear serious defects: i) they could vary in composition from batch to batch; ii) their production involves relatively high costs, and sources are limited; and iii) they carry a potential risk of transmission of animal infectious agents and the possibility of immunological reaction. All these caveats justify the necessity for a highly controlled synthetic material. In the present review the efforts aimed at new surfactant development, including the modification of existing exogenous surfactants by adding molecules that can enhance their activity, and the progress achieved in the production of completely new preparations, are discussed

So well known, so venerated and applauded. The iconography of Guadaloupe in the monastery of San Leandro of Seville

Este artículo estudia y tiene como objetivo presentar el catálogo de pintura Novohispana con la temática guadalupana que se conserva en el monasterio de San Leandro de Sevilla. El estudio está estructurado en diferentes apartados: una introducción, un estudio que relaciona el Nuevo Mundo y el monasterio de San Leandro, el análisis de la iconografía guadalupana y su llegada a Sevilla, así como las obras del cenobio agustiniano.This article studies and aims to present the catalogue of Novohispanic paintings with the theme of Our Lady of Guadalupe that are kept in the monastery of San Leandro in Seville. The study is structured in different sections: an introduction, a study that relates the New World and the monastery of San Leandro, the analysis of the iconography of Guadalupe and its arrival in Seville, as well as the works in the Augustinian monastery

Graphics and P Systems: Experiments with JPLANT

The hand-made graphical representation of the configuration of a P system becomes a hard task when the number of membranes and objects increases. In this paper we present a new software tool, called JPLANT, for computing and representing the evolution of a P system model with membrane creation.We also present some experiments performed with JPLANT and point out new lines for the research in computer graphics with membrane systems.Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia TIN2006-13425Junta de Andalucía TIC-58