From car to bike. Marketing and dialogue as a driver of change

The Paris Climate Agreement has sent a key message to the international community regarding the need to increase efforts to move towards a low-carbon economy and help slow climate change, while underpinning global long-term economic growth and sustainable development. COP 21 recognizes the social, economic and environmental value of voluntary mitigation actions and their co-benefits for adaptation, health and sustainable development. In this framework, the PTP Cycle project, running from 2013 to 2016 and funded by the European Commission through the Intelligent Energy Europe program, introduces a non-market approach through voluntary participation in the adoption of sustainable transport modes such as cycling, based on marketing to potential customers through Personalized Travel Plans. The medium-sized city of Burgos (Spain) and the cities of Ljubljana, Riga, Antwerp and London (boroughs of Haringey and Greenwich) developed a new policy instrument (Personalized Travel Plans) in order to increase bike patronage. Beyond potential savings of CO2, the results show that PTP as a form of Active Mobility Consultancy is a suitable instrument to influence modal shift to public transport, walking and cycling, and to address the challenges of climate change, while fostering sustainable transportation by changing mobility behaviour. These results, matching with the state-of-the-art of studies and pilot applications in other countries, allows deriving differentiated results for medium-size and large urban areas

CONTRIBUCIÓN DEL CAPITAL SOCIAL EN LA MICROEMPRESA RURAL

The present study research identified the level of social capital in a small enterprise and its impact in the company itself. In Latin America, the importance of this concept lies in its relevance because diverse disciplines uses it as a reference setting, today it is used not only as part of political science and sociology, but also as part of the organization theory, economics, human behavior and management. It put emphasis in the relationships among people, among organizations and not in the individuals as isolated subjects. One of its advantages is that the social capital can contribute in the analysis of the small local communities from a social perspective and economical development. Because of the nature of the data handled in this study a qualitative design was adopted, and it was used the method case study, selecting for that matter the small enterprise Koolel Kab S. de R.L. Mi. The results of the study show that the origin of enterprise was an initiative of the partners who share the same objectives. It was verified the presence of social capital, which has permitted them to access to new information, to improve its commercialization, to obtain more funds, to develop new products and improve its production and sales. Based on these, we can conclude that social capital has contributed mainly to improve aspects such as learning and knowledge generation, innovation and management processes.Social capital, small enterprise, social development, network, learning, knowledge generation and innovation., Agribusiness,

Differential hypertrophic effects of cardiotrophin-1 on adult cardiomyocytes from normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats

Cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1) produces longitudinal elongation of neonatal cardiomyocytes, but its effects in adult cardiomyocytes are not known. Recent observations indicate that CT-1 may be involved in pressure overload left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). We investigated whether the hypertrophic effects of CT-1 are different in cardiomyocytes isolated from adult normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Hypertrophy was evaluated by planimetry and confocal microscopy, contractile proteins were quantified by Western blotting and real-time RT-PCR, and intracellular pathways were analyzed with specific chemical inhibitors. CT-1 increased c-fos and ANP expression (p<0.01) and cell area (p<0.01) in cardiomyocytes from both rat strains. In Wistar cells, CT-1 augmented cell length (p<0.01) but did not modify either the transverse diameter or cell depth. In SHR cells, CT-1 increased cell length (p<0.05), cell width (p<0.01) and cell depth, augmented the expression of myosin light chain-2v (MLC-2v) and skeletal alpha-actin (p<0.01) and enhanced MLC-2v phosphorylation (p<0.01). The blockade of gp130 or LIFR abolished CT-1-induced growth in the two cell types. All distinct effects observed in cardiomyocytes from SHR were mediated by STAT3. Baseline angiotensinogen expression was higher in SHR cells, and CT-1 induced a 1.7-fold and 3.2-fold increase of angiotensinogen mRNA in cardiomyocytes from Wistar rats and SHR respectively. In addition, AT1 blockade inhibited the specific effects of CT-1 in SHR cells. Finally, ex vivo determinations revealed that adult SHR exhibited enhanced myocardial CT-1 (mRNA and protein, p<0.01), increased cell width (p<0.01) and concentric LVH compared with pre-hypertensive SHR. These findings reveal a specific cell-broadening effect of CT-1 in cardiomyocytes from adult SHR and suggest that the hypertensive phenotype of these cells may influence the hypertrophic effects of CT-1, probably by means of an exaggerated induction of angiotensinogen expression. We suggest that CT-1 might facilitate LVH in genetic hypertension through a cross-talk with the renin-angiotensin system

Fibrosis in hypertensive heart disease: role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system

Structural homogeneity of cardiac tissue is governed by mechanical and humoral factors that regulate cell growth, apoptosis, phenotype, and extracellular matrix turnover. ANGII has endocrine, autocrine, and paracrine properties that influence the behavior of cardiac cells and matrix by AT1 receptor binding. Various paradigms have been suggested, including ANGII-mediated up-regulation of collagen types I and III formation and deposition in cardiac conditions, such as HHD. A growing body of evidence, however, deals with the potential role of aldosterone, either local or systemic, in inducing cardiac fibrosis. Aldosterone might also mediate the profibrotic actions of ANGII. To reduce the risk of heart failure that accompanies HHD, its adverse structural remodeling (eg, myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis) must be targeted for pharmacologic intervention. Cardioprotective agents must reverse not only the exaggerated growth of cardiac cells, but also regress existing abnormalities in fibrillar collagen. Available experimental and clinical data suggest that agents interfering with ACE, the AT1 receptor, or the mineralocorticoid receptor may provide such a cardioprotective effect

Diseño de una herramienta para valorar la adecuación de la estancia hospitalaria en pacientes quirúrgicos (VAEQ)

Dentro de los estudios de adecuación en el ámbito sanitario, la estancia hospitalaria es un elemento de gran interés, no sólo por el aspecto económico (con un coste estimado de 1.051,51 euros por día de hospitalización para servicios quirúrgicos y 573,17 euros para los médicos), sino también, por la posible repercusión clínica de la inadecuación de la estancia, con un aumento de las infecciones nosocomiales y otros eventos adversos en estos pacientes. Además, conlleva una disminución de la satisfacción del paciente y su familia con todo el proceso asistencial. Se estima que existe una tasa de inadecuación en la estancia hospitalaria de alrededor del 30%, variando según los autores desde un 24 % hasta un 76%.De entre las herramientas existentes para medir la adecuación de la estancia hospitalaria (AEP, OBSI, AdeQhos, ISD, etc.), AEP, es la más utilizada. Diseñada en 1981 y actualizada por última vez en 1987, tiene una buena sensibilidad, aunque su especificidad es baja, y no presenta un diseño específico para los pacientes quirúrgicos..

Myocardial fibrosis in arterial hypertension

It is now accepted that, in addition to left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertensive heart disease is characterized by alterations in myocardial structure, leading to loss of tissue homogeneity and pathological remodelling. It is time to recognize that, in hypertensive heart disease, it is not only the quantity but also the quality of the myocardium that is responsible for adverse cardiovascular events. The data reviewed here indicate that, in patients with hypertensive heart disease, myocardial fibrosis predisposes to an enhanced risk for diastolic and/or systolic ventricular dysfunction, symptomatic heart failure, ischaemic heart disease and arrhythmias

Dynamic clustering segmentation applied to load profiles of energy consumption from Spanish customers

[EN] The following article describes the work of dynamic segmentation of daily load profiles throughout years 2008 and 2009, of a representative sample of Spanish residential customers. The technique applied is classification of the energy consumption time series of load profiles by means of dynamic clustering algorithms. The techniques used and analysis performed prove adequate as a fast tool to classify clients according to their energy consumption patterns, as well as to evaluate their overall energy consumption trends at a glance. The segmentation of the energy consumption load profiles is performed, and the results are analyzed and discussed.The works developed in this document have been possible thanks to Iberdrola Distribucion Electrica S.A.U. and the development of the GAD project. The GAD or "Active Demand Management" (in Spanish) project was a project supported by the Spanish Government, and participated by 14 different companies and 14 research centers. It was sponsored by the CDTI (Technological Development Centre of the Ministry of Science and Innovation of Spain), and financed by the INGENIO 2010 program.Benítez Sánchez, IJ.; Quijano-Lopez, A.; Diez, J.; Delgado Espinos, I. (2014). Dynamic clustering segmentation applied to load profiles of energy consumption from Spanish customers. International Journal of Electrical Power & Energy Systems. 55:437-448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijepes.2013.09.022S4374485