An optimization‐based decision‐support tool for post‐disaster debris operations

Debris generated by disasters can hinder relief efforts and result in devastating economic, environmental, and health problems. In this study, we present a decision‐support tool employing analytical models to assist disaster and waste management officials with decisions regarding collection, transportation, reduction, recycling, and disposal of debris. The tool enables optimizing and balancing the financial and environmental costs, duration of the collection and disposal operations, landfill usage, and the amount of recycled materials. In addition to post‐disaster operational decisions, the tool can also support the challenging task of developing strategic plans for disaster preparedness. We illustrate the applicability and effectiveness of the tool with a disaster scenario based on Hurricane Andrew

Long-Term Dynamics of Bluetongue Virus in Wild Ruminants : relationship with Outbreaks in Livestock in Spain, 2006-2011

Wild and domestic ruminants are susceptible to Bluetongue virus (BTV) infection. Three BTV serotypes (BTV-4, BTV-1 and BTV-8) have been detected in Spain in the last decade. Even though control strategies have been applied to livestock, BTV circulation has been frequently detected in wild ruminant populations in Spain. The aim of the present study is to assess the role for wild ruminants in maintaining BTV after the vaccination programs in livestock in mainland Spain. A total of 931 out 1,914 (48.6%) serum samples, collected from eight different wild ruminant species between 2006 and 2011, were BTV positive by ELISA. In order to detect specific antibodies against BTV-1, BTV-4 and BTV-8, positive sera were also tested by serumneutralisation test (SNT). From the ELISA positive samples that could be tested by SNT (687 out of 931), 292 (42.5%) showed neutralising antibodies against one or two BTV serotypes. For each BTV seroptype, the number of outbreaks in livestock (11,857 outbreaks in total) was modelled with pure autoregressive models and the resulting smoothed values, representing the predicted number of BTV outbreaks in livestock at municipality level, were positively correlated with BTV persistence in wild species. The strength of this relationship significantly decreased as red deer (Cervus elaphus) population abundance increased. In addition, BTV RNA was detected by real time RT-PCR in 32 out of 311 (10.3%) spleen samples from seropositive animals. Although BT outbreaks in livestock have decreased substantially after vaccination campaigns, our results indicated that wild ruminants have been exposed to BTV in territories where outbreaks in domestic animals occurred. The detection of BTV RNA and spatial association between BT outbreaks in livestock and BTV rates in red deer are consistent with the hypothesis of virus circulation and BTV maintenance within Iberian wild ruminant populations

The impact of baseline mindfulness scores on mindfulness-based intervention outcomes : toward personalized mental health interventions

A growing body of evidence has portrayed mindfulness as a useful tool for dealing with a broad range of psychological problems and disorders. This has created the impression that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can be used to treat nearly all psychological difficulties, in all cases. Nonetheless, little research has been done on how individual differences may contribute to intervention outcomes. The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of baseline mindfulness on participants’ outcomes by examining three prior Randomized Controlled Trials that addressed the impact of MBIs on mental health and mindfulness measures. The participants were 164 people, aged between 12 and 45, from both clinical and non-clinical samples. Our findings indicate that at least two thirds of the change produced by these interventions in terms of mindfulness scores can be predicted by the baseline scores of the same variables. We also found that many trajectories are not only strongly influenced by the initial status of the participants, but also by the intervention performed, as attested to by the significant interactions found. These results stress the need to continue doing research in a way that considers the diversity of participants’ trajectories, increasing the room for intervention improvements aligned with a more personalized health care model

Selective G-quadruplex binding by oligoarginine-Ru(dppz) metallopeptides

A set of Ru(II) metallopeptides containing the dppz ligand has been synthesized using SPPS methods. Fluorescence titration studies show that those metallopeptides featuring an octaarginine tail display a large binding preference for DNA G-quadruplex structures over those lacking it, and also that the interplay between the octoarginine functionalization and the ancillary ligand in the complex has an essential role in the recognition process. Furthermore, the oligoarginine metallopeptides are also efficiently internalized, causing cell death with signs of apoptosisFinancial support from the Spanish grants CTQ2015-70698-R, BFU2013-43513-R and SAF2014-56763-R, the Xunta de Galicia Centro Singular de Investigacion de Galicia accreditation 2016–2019.CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials, POCI-01-0145-FEDER007679 (UID/CTM/50011/2013), the UE ERDF and the Fundación AECC (IDEAS197VAZQ-Singulares 2014), are acknowledgedS

Germline gain‐of‐function MMP11 variant results in an aggressive form of colorectal cancer

Abstract Matrix metalloproteinase-11 (MMP11) is an enzyme with proteolytic activity against matrix and nonmatrix proteins. Although most MMPs are secreted as inactive proenzymes and are later activated extracellularly, MMP11 is activated intracellularly by furin within the constitutive secretory pathway. It is a key factor in physiological tissue remodeling and its alteration may play an important role in the progression of epithelial malignancies and other diseases. TCGA colon and colorectal adenocarcinoma data showed that upregulation of MMP11 expression correlates with tumorigenesis and malignancy. Here, we provide evidence that a germline variant in the MMP11 gene (NM_005940: c.232C>T; p.(Pro78Ser)), identified by whole exome sequencing, can increase the tumorigenic properties of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. P78S is located in the prodomain region, which is responsible for blocking MMP11's protease activity. This variant was detected in the proband and all the cancer-affected family members analyzed, while it was not detected in healthy relatives. In silico analyses predict that P78S could have an impact on the activation of the enzyme. Furthermore, our in vitro analyses show that the expression of P78S in HCT116 cells increases tumor cell invasion and proliferation. In summary, our results show that this variant could modify the structure of the MMP11 prodomain, producing a premature or uncontrolled activation of the enzyme that may contribute to an early CRC onset in these patients. The study of this gene in other CRC cases will provide further information about its role in CRC development, which might improve patient treatment in the future

El miedo a los subordinados. Una teoría de la autoridad, de Kathya Araujo

Como ciudadanos somos testigos de la creciente desconfianza colectiva que se alimenta, tanto a nivel consciente como inconsciente, con respecto a las figuras de poder o autoridad. Lo anterior viene acompañado de una serie de implicancias que abarcan el amplio espectro social dando lugar a fenómenos tales como frustración laboral, altas tasas de fracaso, pauperismo, deserción escolar y, de forma más visible, la marcada abstención en los procesos institucionales de participación ciudadana

Plan de negocio para Alfa S.A

[ES] En primer término se realiza un análisis del entorno que irá acompañado por un análisis de las variables más notables del sector textil hogar español. Estas variables son comparadas con otras de otros países para ver puntos débiles y fuertes. Posteriormente se realiza un plan de negocio tras haber realizado un análisis financiero.Lorca Alamar, Á. (2014). Plan de negocio para Alfa S.A. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/43541.Archivo delegad

Fluorescent DNA Stabilized Silver Nanoclusters as Biosensors

DNA stabilized fluorescent silver nanoclusters are promising materials, of which fluorescent properties can be exploited to develop sensors. Particularly, the presence of a DNA strand in the structure has promoted the development of gene sensors where one part of the sensor is able to recognize the target gene sequence. Moreover, since oligonucleotides can be designed to have binding properties (aptamers) a variety of sensors for proteins and cells have been developed using silver nanoclusters. In this review the applications of this material as sensors of different biomolecules are summarized

Robust unit commitment with dispatchable wind power

The increasing penetration of uncertain generation such as wind and solar in power systems imposes new challenges to the unit commitment (UC) problem, one of the most critical tasks in power systems operations. The two most common approaches to address these challenges — stochastic and robust optimization — have drawbacks that restrict their application to real-world systems. This paper demonstrates that, by considering dispatchable wind and a box uncertainty set for wind availability, a fully adaptive two-stage robust UC formulation, which is typically a bi-level problem with outer mixed-integer program (MIP) and inner bilinear program, can be translated into an equivalent single-level MIP. Experiments on the IEEE 118-bus test system show that computation time, wind curtailment, and operational costs can be significantly reduced in the proposed unified stochastic–robust approach compared to both pure stochastic approach and pure robust approach, including budget of uncertainty.Algorithmic