Sociedad de Gestión de Activos Procedentes de la Reestructuración Bancaria, S.A. (Sareb)

La crisis internacional provocada en 2007, resultado de la globalización financiera, el descontrol y engaños a los mercados, provocó que las economías menos estables cayeran en una importante depresión. Por ello, la confianza en los mercados se redujo al mínimo, los créditos cesaron y las personas bajaron las tasas de consumo. Definitivamente, la crisis más profunda de la historia, con grandes repercusiones en todos los sectores. Por ello, se tomaron medidas, entre las que destaca, lo que nos atañe, la creación de la Sociedad de Gestión de Activos Procedentes de la Reestructuración Bancaria (SAREB), también denominado Banco Malo (Bad Bank), ya que se encargó de adquirir todo los Activos financieros tóxicos y los Activos Inmobiliarios procedentes de las hipotecas impagadas. Con un Plan de Desinversión a lo largo de 15 años, desde 2012 que nace hasta 2027 que se prevé la desinversión totalThe Financial Crisis of 2007, provoke as result as financial globalization, free credits and uncontrollable stock-market, caused the less stable economies to fall into a major depression. Therefore, confidence in the markets was reduced to a mínimum, credits ceased and people lowered their consumption rates. Definitely, the deepest crisis, with great repercussions. Therefore, measures were taken, among wich, what concerns us, the creation of Sociedad de Gestión de Activos Procedentes de la Reestructuración Bancaria (SAREB), also known as Bad Bank, since it was in charge of acquiring all toxic financial assets and real state assets from unpaid mortgages. With a Disinvestment Plan of 15 years, since 2012 it is born until 2027 that total desinvestment is expectedUniversidad de Sevilla. Grado en Administración y Dirección de Empresa

Temporal evolution of acid mine drainage (AMD) leachates from the abandoned tharsis mine (Iberian Pyrite Belt, Spain)

Acid mine drainage (AMD) due to the mining of sulfide deposits is one of the most important causes of water pollution worldwide. Remediation measures, especially in historical abandoned mines, require a deep knowledge of the geochemical characteristics of AMD effluents and metal fluxes, considering their high spatial and temporal evolution, and the existence of point and diffuse sources with a different response to rainfall events. This study investigates the temporal variations and hydrogeochemical processes affecting the composition of main AMD sources from the Tharsis mines (SW Spain), one of most important historical metal mining districts in the world. To address this, a fortnightly-monthly sampling was performed during two years in the main AMD sources and streams within the mine site covering different hydrological conditions. A seasonal pattern was observed linked to hydrological variations; higher pollutant concentrations were observed during the dry season (maximum values of 4,6 g/L of Al, 11,8 g/L of Fe, and 67 g/L of sulfate) and lower ones were observed during the rainy periods. Stream samples exhibited a negative correlation between electrical conductivity (EC) and flow, while positive values were observed in AMD sources, where groundwater fluxes were predominant. High flow also seems to be the main driver of Pb fluxes from AMD sources, as the concentration of Pb in waters increased notably during these events. The precipitation of secondary Fe minerals may limit the mobility of As and V, being retained in the proximity of mine sites. The concentration of Zn in waters seems to be controlled by the original grade in the metal deposit from which the waste is generated, together with the age of these wastes. The pollutant load delivered by the Tharsis mines to the surrounding water courses is very high; e.g., mean of 733 ton/yr of Al or 2757 ton/yr of Fe, deteriorating the streams and reservoirs downstream.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economic and Competitiveness through the projects CGL2016-78783-C2-1-R (SCYRE) and by H2020 European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT RawMaterials) through the projects Modular recovery process services for hydrometallurgy and water treatment (MORECOVERY). C.R Canovas thanks the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation for the Postdoctoral Fellowship granted under application reference RYC2019- 027949-I. F. Macias was funded by the R&D FEDER Andalucía 2014–2020 call through the project RENOVAME (FEDER; UHU-1255729). Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva/CBU

Perspectives and evaluation of teaching by university lecturers as a model of high quality

La universitat actual ha de qüestionar el seu objecte i sentit per adequar-se als nous reptes que la societat global li exigeix. Aquest debat afecta el què, el com i el per a què han de produir-se modificacions del que hi era una tradició, i com afecten aquests canvis als docents investigadors i alumnes, sobretot pel que fa a què han d'aprendre -sentit del coneixement-, en què i com han de modificar la seva pràctica i, consegüentment, quina formació és necessària per a adquirir o millorar les seves competències professionals i les seves qualitats personals. Les directrius emeses per l'European Association of Quality Assurance in Higher Education -ENQA- (2005) són un punt de partida, però insuficients quan en la universitat espanyola falta una carrera professional dels docents investigadors.La Universidad actual tiene que cuestionar su objeto y sentido para adecuarse a los nuevos retos que la sociedad global le exige. Este debate afecta al qué, cómo y para qué deben producirse modificaciones de lo que en ella era una tradición, y cómo afectan estos cambios a los docentes investigadores y alumnos, sobre todo en cuanto a qué deben aprender -sentido del conocimiento-, en qué y cómo han de modificar su práctica y, consecuentemente, qué formación es necesaria para adquirir o mejorar sus competencias profesionales y sus cualidades personales. Las directrices emitidas por la European Association of Quality Assurance in Higher Education -ENQA- (2005) son un punto de partida, pero insuficientes cuando en la universidad española falta una carrera profesional de los docentes investigadores.Universities today must question their objectives and ability to adapt to the new challenges of the global society. Debate centres on how and why universities must be modified, and how changes will affect researchers and students, particularly insofar as learning is concerned, in what areas and in which ways teaching practices should be modified. This leads to the question on what training is necessary to acquire or improve professional competitiveness, as well as the individual's qualities, procedures and resources. The directives issued in 2005 by the European Association of Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) are a beginning, but they are insufficient in the Spanish university system, which lacks a professional career for education researchers

Stereoselective Synthesis and Absolute Configuration Determination of Xylariolide A

The asymmetric synthesis of the antibacterial and antitumoral natural compound xylariolide A (1) and five stereoisomers has been achieved. The strategy is based on the onepot epoxidation/lactonisation or dihydroxylation/lactonisation of the hypothetical biosynthetic intermediate xylarioic A acid (8). The absolute configuration of xylariolide A was thus determined to be 3R,4S,5R,1 R,2 R after the synthesis of 1, two epimers, i.e., 1 -epi-xylariolide A (3) and 2 -epi-xylariolide A (4), and three more diastereoisomers 5–7

On a property of Lorenz curves with monotone elasticity and its application to the study of inequality by using tax data

The Lorenz curve is the most widely used graphical tool for describing and comparing inequality of income distributions. In this paper, we show that the elasticity of this curve is an indicator of the effect, in terms of inequality, of a truncation of the income distribution. As an application, we consider tax returns as equivalent to the truncation from below of a hypothetical income distribution. Then, we replace this hypothetical distribution by the income distribution obtained from a general household survey and use the dual Lorenz curve to anticipate this effect

Potential Role of Insulin Growth-Factor-Binding Protein 2 as Therapeutic Target for Obesity-Related Insulin Resistance

Evidence from observational and in vitro studies suggests that insulin growth-factor-binding protein type 2 (IGFBP2) is a promising protein in non-communicable diseases, such as obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, or type 2 diabetes. Accordingly, great efforts have been carried out to explore the role of IGFBP2 in obesity state and insulin-related diseases, which it is typically found decreased. However, the physiological pathways have not been explored yet, and the relevance of IGFBP2 as an important pathway integrator of metabolic disorders is still unknown. Here, we review and discuss the molecular structure of IGFBP2 as the first element of regulating the expression of IGFBP2. We highlight an update of the association between low serum IGFBP2 and an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and low insulin sensitivity. We hypothesize mechanisms of IGFBP2 on the development of obesity and insulin resistance in an insulin-independent manner, which meant that could be evaluated as a therapeutic target. Finally, we cover the most interesting lifestyle modifications that regulate IGFBP2, since lifestyle factors (diet and/or physical activity) are associated with important variations in serum IGFBP2

Commonalities in the Association between PPARG and Vitamin D Related with Obesity and Carcinogenesis

The PPAR nuclear receptor family has acquired great relevance in the last decade, which is formed by three different isoforms (PPARα, PPARβ/δ, and PPAR ϒ). Those nuclear receptors are members of the steroid receptor superfamily which take part in essential metabolic and life-sustaining actions. Specifically, PPARG has been implicated in the regulation of processes concerning metabolism, inflammation, atherosclerosis, cell differentiation, and proliferation. Thus, a considerable amount of literature has emerged in the last ten years linking PPARG signalling with metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and, more recently, cancer. This review paper, at crossroads of basic sciences, preclinical, and clinical data, intends to analyse the last research concerning PPARG signalling in obesity and cancer. Afterwards, possible links between four interrelated actors will be established: PPARG, the vitamin D/VDR system, obesity, and cancer, opening up the door to further investigation and new hypothesis in this fascinating area of research

Superhydrophobic supported Ag-NPs@ZnO-nanorods with photoactivity in the visible range

In this article we present a new type of 1D nanostructures consisting of supported hollow ZnO nanorods (NRs) decorated with Ag nanoparticles (NPs). The 3D reconstruction by high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) electron tomography reveals that the Ag NPs are distributed along the hollow interior of the ZnO NRs. Supported and vertically aligned Ag-NPs@ZnO-NRs grow at low temperature (135 °C) by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition on heterostructured substrates fabricated by sputtered deposition of silver on flat surfaces of Si wafers, quartz slides or ITO. The growth mechanisms of these structures and their wetting behavior before and after visible light irradiation are critically discussed. The as prepared surfaces are superhydrophobic with water contact angles higher than 150°. These surfaces turn into superhydrophilic with water contact angles lower than 10° after prolonged irradiation under both visible and UV light. The evolution rate of the wetting angle and its dependence on the light characteristics are related to the nanostructure and the presence of silver embedded within the ZnO NRs. ÂEuropean Union NMP3-CT-2006- 032583Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MAT2010-21228, MAT2010-18447, CSD2008-00023Junta de Andalucía P09-TEP-5283, CTS-518

Growth regimes of porous gold thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering at oblique incidence: from compact to columnar microstructures

Growth regimes of gold thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering at oblique angles and low temperatures are studied from both theoretical and experimental points of view. Thin films were deposited in a broad range of experimental conditions by varying the substrate tilt angle and background pressure, and were analyzed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Grazing Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (GISAXS) techniques. Results indicate that the morphological features of the films strongly depend on the experimental conditions, but can be categorized within four generic microstructures, each of them defined by different bulk geometrical patterns and pore percolation depth and connectivity. With the help of a growth model, a microstructure phase diagram has been constructed where the main features of the films are depicted as a function of experimentally controllable quantities, finding a good agreement with the experimental results in all the studied cases.Junta de Andalucía P09-CTS- 5189, TEP5283, P10-FQM-6900Comunidad de Madríd S2009/MAT–1726Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MAT2011-29194-C02-01, CSD2008-00023, MAT2008-06652, MAT2010-21228, MAT2010-1844