A mathematical programming tool for an efficient decision-making on teaching assignment under non-regular time schedules

[EN] In this paper, an optimization tool based on a MILP model to support the teaching assignment process is proposed. It considers not only hierarchical issues among lecturers but also their preferences to teach a particular subject, the non-regular time schedules throughout the academic year, different type of credits, number of groups and other specific characteristics. Besides, it adds restrictions based on the time compatibility among the different subjects, the lecturers' availability, the maximum number of subjects per lecturer, the maximum number of lecturers per subject as well as the maximum and minimum saturation level for each lecturer, all of them in order to increase the teaching quality. Schedules heterogeneity and other features regarding the operation of some universities justify the usefulness of this model since no study that deals with all of them has been found in the literature review. Model validation has been performed with two real data sets collected from one academic year schedule at the Spanish University Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Solano Cutillas, P.; Pérez Perales, D.; Alemany Díaz, MDM. (2022). A mathematical programming tool for an efficient decision-making on teaching assignment under non-regular time schedules. Operational Research. 22(3):2899-2942. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12351-021-00638-12899294222

ESTIMATING ENVIRONMENTAL KUZNETS CURVE: THE IMPACT OF ENVIRONMENTAL TAXES AND ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN CO2 EMISSIONS OF OECD COUNTRIES

The objective of the paper is to estimate the relationship between CO2 emissions per capita, GDP per capita, energy consumption and environmental taxes for OECD countries in the period 1994-2014. To perform the above, we estimated a static and dynamic panel data models. The results show that the Environmental Kuznets Curve is verified for OECD countries, and environmental taxes have a negative impact on CO2 emissions (static model). On the other hand, the consumption of energy from fossil fuels has a positive impact on CO2 emissions. We conclude that while the Environmental Kuznets Curve is met, government plays an important role in improving the environment, because environmental taxes have a negative impact on CO2 emissions

Clase, trabajo y gentrificación: la experiencia del doble desplazamiento de los trabajadores productivos en Sevilla

Gentrification is a socio-spatial process that ousts the working classes from an urban area. In recent years, the process has expanded worldwide and has overlapped with tourism development, contributing to the expulsion of low-income populations from the same urban areas. These dynamics have intensified in central spaces, accelerating the disappearance of productive land uses too. From a class perspective, this article explores the interactions between labour and residential displacement by focusing on the artisan industry workers’ lives, traditionally linked to the historic district of Seville. The paper concludes that both processes follow subtly different but mutually reinforcing paths.La gentrificación es un proceso socioespacial que expulsa a las clases trabajadoras de un área urbana. En los últimos años, el proceso se ha extendido por todo el mundo y se ha solapado con el desarrollo turístico, contribuyendo a la expulsión de la población de bajos ingresos de las mismas zonas. Esta dinámica se ha intensificado en los espacios centrales, acelerando también la desaparición de los usos productivos. Con una perspectiva de clase, este artículo explora las interacciones entre el desplazamiento laboral y el residencial en la vida de los trabajadores de la industria artesana, tradicionalmente vinculada al centro histórico de la ciudad de Sevilla. El artículo concluye que ambos procesos siguen caminos sutilmente distintos pero que se retroalimentan

Relación óptima de metionina+cistina/lisina digestibles en gallinas isa Brown de 34 a 42 semanas de edad.

Los trabajos previos en los que se han estudiado las recomendaciones de metionina+cistina para gallinas ponedoras son muy numerosos, pero los resultados obtenidos presentan una gran variabilidad y, en algunos casos, son contradictorios. Esta variabilidad se explica por las condiciones en las que se ha realizado el estudio, la edad de las gallinas, la genética y el parámetro a optimizar. En este sentido, Novak et al. (2004) observaron que las necesidades totales de metionina+cistina eran mayores para maximizar el peso del huevo que para optimizar la producción de huevos o la eficacia alimenticia. Estas diferencias fueron menos importantes entre las 20 y 43 semanas (8%), que de las 44 a las 63 semanas de edad (16%). Además, las recomendaciones para optimizar la producción y el peso del huevo fueron un 17% y 11% mayores, respectivamente, en el primer periodo con respecto al segundo. Por el contrario, Waldroup y Hellwig (1995) encontraron que las necesidades totales de metionina+cistina para optimizar la producción y masa de huevo fueron más elevadas (12 y 10%, respectivamente) de 51 a 71 semanas de edad que de 25 a 45. Cuando las recomendaciones se expresan en unidades digestibles, el rango de necesidades de metionina+cistina digestibles con respecto a lisina digestible varía desde un 81 a un 107% (81%: Coon and Zhang, 1999; 90%: FEDNA, 2008; 91%: Rostagno et al., 2005; 93%: CVB, 1996; 94%: Bregendahl et al., 2008; 99%: Brumano et al., 2010a; 100%: Cupertino et al., 2009; Brumano et al., 2010a; 101%: Brumano et al., 2010b; 107%: Schmidt et al., 2009). Como consecuencia de esta alta variabilidad, es necesario seguir investigando sobre cuál sería el ratio óptimo metionina+cistina/lisina digestible para optimizar los rendimientos de gallinas ponedoras. Por tanto, el objetivo de este trabajo es determinar las necesidades óptimas de metionina+cistina digestibles con respecto a lisina digestible de gallinas Isa Brown desde las 34 a las 42 semanas de eda

Los aminoácidos azufrados mejoran la eficacia de utilización del pienso.

Las recomendaciones de metronina+ostina obtenidas a partir de diferentes estudios presentan una gran variabilidad, por lo que es necesario investigar cuál es la relación óptima metronina+ostina /lisina digestible para optimizar los rendimientos de gallinas ponedoras

Rifabutin-Loaded Nanostructured Lipid Carriers as a Tool in Oral Anti-Mycobacterial Treatment of Crohn’s Disease

Oral anti-mycobacterial treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD) is limited by the low aqueous solubility of drugs, along with the altered gut conditions of patients, making uncommon their clinical use. Hence, the aim of the present work is focused on the in vitro evaluation of rifabutin (RFB)-loaded Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), in order to solve limitations associated to this therapeutic approach. RFB-loaded NLC were prepared by hot homogenization and characterized in terms of size, polydispersity, surface charge, morphology, thermal stability, and drug payload and release. Permeability across Caco-2 cell monolayers and cytotoxicity and uptake in human macrophages was also determined. NLC obtained were nano-sized, monodisperse, negatively charged, and spheroidal-shaped, showing a suitable drug payload and thermal stability. Furthermore, the permeability profile, macrophage uptake and selective intracellular release of RFB-loaded NLC, guarantee an effective drug dose administration to cells. Outcomes suggest that rifabutin-loaded NLC constitute a promising strategy to improve oral anti-mycobacterial therapy in Crohn’s diseaseThis research was funded by V-A POCTEP Program (0245_IBEROS_1_E) of EU (FEDER), Xunta de Galicia (Competitive Reference Groups, ED431C 2016/008 and ED431C2017/09-FEDER), as well as by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal (under iMED.ULisboa project Pest-UID/DTP/04138/2019)S

Two multi-fragment recombination events resulted in the beta-lactam-resistant serotype 11A-ST6521 related to Spain9V-ST156 pneumococcal clone spreading in south-western Europe, 2008 to 2016

Background: The successful pneumococcal clone Spain(9V)-ST156 (PMEN3) is usually associated with vaccine serotypes 9V and 14. Aim: Our objective was to analyse the increase of a serotype 11A variant of PMEN3 as cause of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in Spain and its spread in south-western Europe. Methods: We conducted a prospective multicentre study of adult IPD in Spain (2008-16). Furthermore, a subset of 61 penicillin-resistant serotype 11A isolates from France, Italy, Portugal and Spain were subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS) and compared with 238 genomes from the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA). Results: Although the incidence of serotype 11A in IPD was stable, a clonal shift was detected from CC62 (penicillin-susceptible) to CC156 (penicillin-resistant). By WGS, three major 11A-CC156 lineages were identified, linked to ST156 (n=5 isolates; France, Italy and Portugal), ST166 (n=4 isolates; France and Portugal) and ST838/6521 (n=52 isolates; France, Portugal and Spain). Acquisition of the capsule allowed to escape vaccine effect. AP200 (11A-ST62) was the donor for ST156 and ST838/6521 but not for ST166. In-depth analysis of ST838/6521 lineage showed two multi-fragment recombination events including four and seven fragments from an 11A-ST62 and an NT-ST344 representative, respectively. Conclusion: The increase in penicillin-resistant serotype 11A IPD in Spain was linked to the spread of a vaccine escape PMEN3 recombinant clone. Several recombination events were observed in PMEN3 acquiring an 11A capsule. The most successful 11A-PMEN3 lineage spreading in south-western Europe appeared after two multi-fragment recombination events with representatives of two major pneumococcal clones (11A-ST62 and NT-ST344)

A Case Study of available methodology for the identification of Vulnerable Ecosystems/Habitats in bottom deep-sea fisheries: Possibilities to apply this method in the NAFO Regulatory Area in order to select Marine Protected Areas

Information is critical to Ecosystem Approach and to research about Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems/Habitats (VME/Hs), fishing impacts on habitats and ad-hoc management measures are high-priority. Therefore, this paper presents the ECOVUL/ARPA Interdisciplinary Approach, a case study of methodology for the identification of VME/Hs in order to advise on conservation measures such as marine protected areas (MPAs). By means of an interactive process involving Conventional Fisheries Science, Geomorphology, Sedimentology and Benthic Ecology, the methodology developed under the ECOVUL/ARPA project, has been useful in order to contribute to define practical criteria to the identification of VME/Hs, to improve the knowledge about VME/Hs distribution and the adverse impacts of bottom trawl fisheries and to produce high quality advice on habitat protection. Applying an interdisciplinary approach, the project identified the deep-water bottom trawl fishery footprint on the Hatton Bank Western slope (NEAFC Regulatory Area), mapped the main fishing grounds and related seabed habitats and studied the interactions between fishing and cold-water corals. This approach was used to suggest, with high level of precision, the spatial limits of an area closed to bottom fishing, as an essential conservation measure to protect the cold-water corals in the framework of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries management. We present here the methods used, the main results obtained and discuss on the utility of this approach and the possibilities to apply it in the NAFO Regulatory Area, with the aim to advise on measures for reducing the interactions of bottom fishing with sensitive high-seas habitats and to contribute to implement the UNGA recommendations about habitat conservation

C-terminal fragments of the amyloid precursor protein in cerebrospinal fluid as potential biomarkers for Alzheimer disease

This study assesses whether C-terminal fragments (CTF) of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) are present in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and their potential as biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease (AD). Immunoprecipitation and simultaneous assay by Western blotting using multiplex fluorescence imaging with specific antibodies against particular domains served to characterize CTFs of APP in human CSF. We demonstrate that APP-CTFs are detectable in human CSF, being the most abundant a 25-kDa fragment, probably resulting from proteolytic processing by η-secretase. The level of the 25-kDa APP-CTF was evaluated in three independent CSF sample sets of patients and controls. The CSF level of this 25-kDa CTF is higher in subjects with autosomal dominant AD linked to PSEN1 mutations, in demented Down syndrome individuals and in sporadic AD subjects compared to age-matched controls. Our data suggest that APP-CTF could be a potential diagnostic biomarker for AD