Ordenanzas locales, reserva de ley y reservas democráticas: a propósito de la Sentencia del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid de 28 de mayo de 2003

El 28 de mayo de 2003, la Sala Segunda del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid (Sección Segunda), dictó una sentencia en virtud de la cual la Ordenanza sobre conservación, rehabilitación y estado ruinoso de las edificaciones del Ayuntamiento de Madrid1 era declarada nula de pleno derecho por contrariar la reserva de ley, garantizada por los artículos 33, 53.1 y 103.1 de la Constitución. La sentencia se adentra en una de las cuestiones más espinosas que plantea actualmente el Derecho local español: su sistema de fuentes reglamentarias y la incardinación de éste con el resto del ordenamiento jurídico. En el caso de autos se impugnaba una ordenanza urbanística por carecer de la debida habilitación legal, en tanto afectaba al derecho de propiedad y el legislador autonómico aún no se había pronunciado al respecto. Con un espíritu formalista y sin atención alguna hacia las peculiaridades del sistema local, la sentencia declara la invalidez de los artículos 25 a 32 de la ordenanza, aunque con un destacado voto particular del presidente de la sección, en sentido contrario al postulado por la mayoría. En este breve comentario analizaremos los aspectos más problemáticos de la sentencia, y los confrontaremos con las objeciones democráticas que el ordenamiento jurídico y la jurisprudencia del Tribunal Constitucional oponen a las interpretaciones rigoristas como la que muestra el pronunciamiento del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Madrid. En nuestra opinión, el sistema de fuentes local debe ser interpretado a la luz del artículo 140 de la CE y de la impronta participativa que inunda la actuación local, dotando a sus máximos actos generales, en este caso las ordenanzas, de una relación especial con las normas con rango de ley. Esta “relación especial” tiene como consecuencia una flexibilización de la reserva de ley, en reconocimiento del factor democrático que destilan las ordenanzas locales. Aunque una flexibilización nunca debería forzar los términos literales de la Constitución, sí permite evitar lecturas formalistas de las reservas legales. En este caso, la flexibilidad nos exige diferenciar la reserva de ley que se dirige a los municipios, y la reserva de ley que vincula a las administraciones del Estado y las autonómicas, en las que el elemento democrático se diluye y sólo queda, en toda su crudeza, la actuación del gubernaculum

Differences in false recollection according to the cognitive reserve of healthy older people

We present an associative recognition experiment comparing three samples of healthy people (young people, older people with high cognitive reserve [HCR], and older people with low cognitive reserve [LCR], with each sample consisting of 40 people), manipulating stimuli repetition during the study phase. The results show significant differences among the three samples in their overall performance. However, these differences are not due to a different use of familiarity, but rather due to a different way of using recollection: although there are no differences in the hit rates between the HRC and LRC samples, the LCR group makes significantly more recollective false alarms than the HCR group. Moreover, repetition provokes an increase in the recollective false alarms in the LCR group, but this does not occur in the group of young people or in the HCR group. These findings are explained in terms of recollection-based monitoring errors and seem to provide support for the cognitive reserve hypothesis

Ganietophvte morphology of foar subspecies ofAsplenium trichomanes L

HI?RREito, A., PL<AOA, C., PANGUA. E., EScUOERo, A., Rtjn¡o, A. & FAJARON, 5. 1993. MorfoLogía del gametófito de cuatro subespecies de Asplenium trichomanes L. Bol Complaíensrs 18: 67-77 Mediante el cultivo de esporas de Aspleniam tr-ic-homanes L. (subsp. trichomanes. subsp. qucrdr-rr-a/ens DE Meyer. subsp. pachyrac-lris (Christ) Lovis & Reichsl. y subsp. inexpec-tans Lovis) se ha estudiado el desarrollo de los gamelófitts y sus características morfológicas. Exeeplo en la subsp. irrexpeclans y en dos de las cuatro muestras estudiadas de la subsp. ¡racl;yrahis. se forman pelos pluricelulares marginales en una proporción variable de prolalos según el laxon Se analiza la longitud, número de pelos por prolalo y densidad de los mismos y se disci¡te su valor taxonómico, así como el de otros caracteres morfológicos como el margen y la escotadura

Optimized reagents for immunopotency assays on mesenchymal stromal cells for clinical use

Immunomodulation; Mesenchymal stromal cells; Quality & regulatory complianceImmunomodulació; Cèl·lules estromals mesenquimàtiques; Qualitat i compliment normatiuInmunomodulación; Células estromales mesenquimales; Calidad y cumplimiento normativoMultipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) offer new therapeutic opportunities based on their ability to modulate an imbalanced immune system. Immunomodulatory potency is typically demonstrated in vitro by measuring the presence of surrogate markers (i.e., indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase, IDO; tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1, TNFR1) and/or functional assays in co-cultures (i.e., inhibition of lymphoproliferation, polarization of macrophages). However, the biological variability of reagents used in the latter type of assays leads to unreliable and difficult to reproduce data therefore making cross-comparison between batches difficult, both at the intra- and inter-laboratory levels. Herein, we describe a set of experiments aiming at the definition and validation of reliable biological reagents as a first step towards standardization of a potency assay. This approach is based on the co-culture of Wharton’s jelly (WJ)-derived MSC and cryopreserved pooled peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Altogether, we successfully defined a robust and reproducible immunopotency assay based on previously described methods incorporating substantial improvements such as cryopreservation of multiple vials of pooled peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 5 individual donors that enable a number of tests with same reagents, also reducing waste of PBMC from individual donors and therefore contributing to a more efficient and ethical method to use substances of human origin (SoHO). The new methodology was successfully validated using 11 batches of clinical grade MSC,WJ. Methods described here contribute to minimize PBMC donor variability while reducing costs, streamlining assay setup and convenience and laying the foundations for harmonization of biological reagents usage in standardized immunopotency assays for MSC.Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. This work has been developed in the context of Red Española de Terapias Avanzadas (TERAV, expedient no. RD21/0017/0022) funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) in the context of NextGenerationEU’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and by the Commission for Universities and Research of the Department of Innovation, Universities, and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR 719)

Effect of Cultivar Resistance and Soil Management on Spatial–Temporal Development of Verticillium Wilt of Olive: A Long-Term Study

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahliae, challenges olive cultivation and an Integrated Disease Management (IDM) approach is the best-suited tool to combat it. Since 1998, an IDM strategy in an orchard (called Granon, Spain) of the susceptible cv. Picual was conducted by increasing planting density with moderately resistant cv. Frantoio, chemical weed control, and replanting of dead olives with cv. Frantoio following soil solarization. The Verticillium wilt epidemic in Granon orchard was compared to the epidemic in a non-IDM orchard (called Ancla, Spain) with plowed soil and dead Picual olives replanted with the same cultivar. Field evaluations (2012–2013) showed an incidence and severity of the disease as Picual–Ancla > Picual–Granon > Frantoio–Granon. The spatiotemporal dynamics of the Verticillium epidemics from 1998 to 2010 were monitored with digital images using SIG. The annual tree mortalities were 5.6% for Picual olives in Ancla orchard, and 3.1 and 0.7% for Picual and Frantoio olives in Granon orchard, respectively. There was a negative relationship between the mortality of olive trees (%) by the pathogen and the height (m) above sea level. The annual mortality of cv. Picual olives was positively correlated with spring rainfalls. The Index of Dispersion and beta-binomial distribution showed aggregation of Verticillium-dead olives. In conclusion, this IDM strategy considerably reduced the disease in comparison with traditional agronomic practices

Towards automatic waste containers management in cities via computer vision: containers localization and geo-positioning in city maps

This paper describes the scientific achievements of a collaboration between a research group and the waste management division of a company. While these results might be the basis for several practical or commercial developments, we here focus on a novel scientific contribution: a methodology to automatically generate geo-located waste container maps. It is based on the use of Computer Vision algorithms to detect waste containers and identify their geographic location and dimensions. Algorithms analyze a video sequence and provide an automatic discrimination between images with and without containers. More precisely, two state-of-the-art object detectors based on deep learning techniques have been selected for testing, according to their performance and to their adaptability to an on-board real-time environment: EfficientDet and YOLOv5. Experimental results indicate that the proposed visual model for waste container detection is able to effectively operate with consistent performance disregarding the container type (organic waste, plastic, glass and paper recycling,…) and the city layout, which has been assessed by evaluating it on eleven different Spanish cities that vary in terms of size, climate, urban layout and containers’ appearanceThis work has been supported by URBASER S.A. and the Universidad Autonoma ´ de Madrid under project REVGA of the ”Segunda Edicion ´ del Programa de Fomento de la Transferencia del Conocimiento” cal

LC-MS and Spectrophotometric Approaches for Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds from Peru Cocoa By-Products for Commercial Applications

Peru is one of the main areas where there are large cocoa crops with special relevance to the economy of this country. In fact, cocoa is a major, economically important, international crop which has been linked to several benefits, such as anti-allergenic, anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-thrombotic, cardioprotective and vasodilatory properties, relating to its bioactive compound content. However, in cocoa industrial processing, several residues or wastes, which are commonly discarded generating a negative impact on the environment, are produced in large amounts. Some of the cocoa by-products, which go underutilized, could be a good source of bioactive compounds with high utility for the development of innovative products in nutraceutical, medical or pharmaceutical industries. For this reason, the aim of this study is to qualitatively determine the phytochemical composition of husk and bean extracts from different cocoa-growing areas and processes from Peru by high performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Furthermore, we aim to evaluate their phenolic and flavan-3-ol contents and antioxidant capacities for the purpose of highlighting the potential of cocoa by-products from these cultivars as functional ingredients. In total, 49 chemical compounds were detected in the analyzed extracts. Comparing both husks and beans, bean extracts were characterized by high content in flavonoids whereas husk extracts had a higher content of phenolic acids. The presence of these compounds together with the bioactivity results suggest that these matrices may be further studied for their revaluation in the development of high added-value products in nutraceutical, medical, and pharmaceutical industries.Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities RTI2018-096724-B-C22Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) BES-2016-076618Ministry of Science, Innovation and UniversitiesAGR274 group 5450University of Granad

Treatment with the senolytics dasatinib/quercetin reduces SARS-CoV-2-related mortality in mice

The enormous societal impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly harsh for some social groups, such as the elderly. Recently, it has been suggested that senescent cells could play a central role in pathogenesis by exacerbating the pro-inflammatory immune response against SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, the selective clearance of senescent cells by senolytic drugs may be useful as a therapy to ameliorate the symptoms of COVID-19 in some cases. Using the established COVID-19 murine model K18-hACE2, we demonstrated that a combination of the senolytics dasatinib and quercetin (D/Q) significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2-related mortality, delayed its onset, and reduced the number of other clinical symptoms. The increase in senescent markers that we detected in the lungs in response to SARS-CoV-2 may be related to the post-COVID-19 sequelae described to date. These results place senescent cells as central targets for the treatment of COVID-19, and make D/Q a new and promising therapeutic too

Effect of a multicomponent exercise program and cognitive stimulation (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) on falls in frail community older persons with high risk of falls: study protocol for a randomized multicenter control trial

Mat complBackground: Falls represent important drivers of intrinsic capacity losses, functional limitations and reduced quality of life in the growing older adult’s population, especially among those presenting with frailty. Despite exercise- and cognitive training-based interventions have shown efectiveness for reducing fall rates, evidence around their puta‑ tive cumulative efects on falls and fall-related complications (such as fractures, reduced quality of life and functional limitations) in frail individuals remains scarce. The main aim of this study is to explore the efectiveness program combining an individualized exercise program and an executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN) compared to usual care in the prevention of falls and fall-related outcomes over a 1-year follow-up. Methods: This study is designed as a four-center randomized clinical trial with a 12-week intervention period and an additional 1-year follow-up. Three hundred twenty frail or pre-frail (≥1 criteria of the Frailty Phenotype) older adults (≥75 years) with high risk of falling (defned by fall history and gait performance) will be recruited in the Falls Units of the participating centers. They will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the intervention group (IG) or the control group (CG). The IG will participate in a home-based intervention combining the individualized Vivifrail multicomponent (aerobic, resistance, gait and balance and fexibility) exercise program and a personalized executive function-based cognitive training (VIVIFRAIL-COGN). The CG group will receive usual care delivered in the Falls Units, including the Otago Exercise Program. Primary outcome will be the incidence of falls (event rate/year) and will be ascertained by self-report during three visits (at baseline, and 6 and 12 weeks) and telephone-based contacts at 6, 9 and 12 months after randomization. Secondarily, efects on measures of physical and cognitive function, quality of life, nutritional, muscle quality and psychological status will be evaluated. Discussion: This trial will provide new evidence about the efectiveness of an individualized multidomain interven‑ tion by studying the efect of additive efects of cognitive training and physical exercise to prevent falls in older frail persons with high risk of falling. Compared to usual care, the combined intervention is expected to show additive efects in the reduction of the incidence of falls and associated adverse outcomes. Trial registration: NCT04911179 02/06/2021. © 2022, The Author(s).The present study is funded by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI20/01546). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, PI20/01546, Alvaro Casas-Herrer

Genistein effect on cognition in prodromal Alzheimer's disease patients : the GENIAL clinical trial

Delaying the transition from minimal cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's dementia is a major concern in Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapeutics. Pathological signs of AD occur years before the onset of clinical dementia. Thus, long-term therapeutic approaches, with safe, minimally invasive, and yet effective substances are recommended. There is a need to develop new drugs to delay Alzheimer's dementia. We have taken a nutritional supplement approach with genistein, a chemically defined polyphenol that acts by multimodal specific mechanisms. Our group previously showed that genistein supplementation is effective to treat the double transgenic (APP/PS1) AD animal model