UDWDM-PON using low-cost coherent transceivers with limited tunability and heuristic DWA

A new Passive Optical Network (PON) for access, making use of Ultra Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (UDWDM) by densely spacing channels at few GHz, and introducing the “wavelength-to-the-user” concept, is proposed. The key challenge will be developing low-cost coherent transceivers, providing an excellent selectivity while avoiding filters, and furnishing high sensitivity, which will allow high splitting ratios, large number of users and long distance reach. The Optical Distribution Network (ODN) at the outside plant is based on splitters and kept compatible with legacy systems. Optical Network Unit (ONU) designs realized with coherent transceivers using one or two lasers are presented and the corresponding Optical Line Terminal (OLT) architectures are introduced. The ONUs at customer premises own lasers with limited thermal tunability and their wavelengths are randomly distributed in a band. By using heuristic Dynamic Wavelength Assignment (DWA) schemes and extending the original working band, the required optical band is obtained and optimized. In activation processes, ONU acceptances up to 99.9% are achieved. Furthermore, in operation scenario under indoors and also under outdoors environmental conditions, ONU blocking probabilities below 0.1% and ONU availability ratios (OARs) up to 99.9% are demonstrated. The PON is dimensioned according to the number of deployed users and system reach; moreover, power safety and also fiber nonlinearities constraints are evaluated, illustrating the characteristics of the projected network. Finally, the coexistence with legacy networks is discussed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

L'Arquitectura en la narrativa d’Éric Rohmer

El present treball pren com a objecte d'estudi la pel·lícula francesa L'ami de mon amie (Éric Rohmer, 1987) com a punt de partida per a reflexionar sobre les relacions entre l'arquitectura i la narrativa en l'espai fílmic. La decisió d'escollir aquest film es justifica perquè la seva construcció narrativa es pot entendre com una cadena d'interseccions entre espai i relat. Interessa la manera en què la càmera construeix l'espai i com el director utilitza l'arquitectura per a orquestrar la narrativa. Serà des d'aquesta motivació que s'anirà construint aquest treball, partint de l'exercici d'analitzar els espais mitjançant els fotogrames i el dibuix

Medidas internacionales de la reforma fiscal en Estados Unidos

This work analyzes the most important changes of the tax reform that the United States approved on December 2017, making special emphasis on those changes that may have a greater impact on foreign companies with operations in the United States.Este trabajo analiza los cambios más importantes de la reforma fiscal que Estados Unidos aprobó en diciembre del año 2017, con especial atención a aquellos que pueden tener un mayor impacto para las empresas extranjeras con operaciones en Estados Unidos

Impact on clinical practice of the preoperative screening of Covid-19 infection In surgical oncological patients. Prospective Cohort Study

Background In the oncological patient, an COVID-19-Infection, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, a surgical procedure may carry a higher postoperative morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to describe the impact on clinical practice of sequential preoperative screening for COVID-19-infection in deciding whether to proceed or postpone surgery. Methods Prospective, cohort study, based on consecutive patients’ candidates for an oncological surgical intervention. Sequential preoperative screening for COVID-19-infection: two-time medical history (telematic and face-to-face), PCR and chest CT, 48 h before of surgical intervention. COVID-19-infection was considered positive if the patient had a suggestive medical history and/or PCR-positive and/or CT of pneumonia. Results Between April 15th and May 4th, 2020, 179 patients were studied, 97 were male (54%), mean (sd) age 66.7 (13,6). Sequential preoperative screening was performed within 48 h before to surgical intervention. The prevalence of preoperative COVID-19-infection was 4.5%, 95%CI:2.3–8.6% (8 patients). Of the operated patients (171), all had a negative medical history, PCR and chest CT. The complications was 14.8% (I-II) and 2.5% (III-IV). There was no mortality. The hospital stay was 3.1 (sd 2.7) days. In the 8 patients with COVID-19-infection, the medical history was suggestive in all of them, 7 presented PCR-positive and 5 had a chest CT suggestive of pneumonia. The surgical intervention was postponed between 15 and 21 days. Conclusion Preoperative screening for COVID-19-infection using medical history and PCR helped the surgeon to decide whether to go ahead or postpone surgery in oncological patients. The chest CT may be useful in unclear cases

SARDANA: an all-optical access-metro WDM/TDM-PON

A new optical access network, named “Scalable Advanced Ring-based passive Dense Access Network Architecture” (SARDANA), is presented. It transparently integrates WDM metro and TDM PON access technologies, implementing ring protection, 100 km reach and up to 1024 users served at 10 Gb/s, with passive highly-shared infrastructure. The introduced innovations are hybrid ring/tree WDM/TDM Passive Optical Network (PON) architecture; a resilient remote node (RN), which is distantly pumped from the Optical Line Terminal (OLT); and a reflective ONU (Optical Network Unit); as well as an enhanced Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol.Postprint (published version

Regulation and Enforcement of Corporate Social Responsibility in Corporate Nigeria

It is usually assumed that there are sufficient legislations to regulate the Nigerian business community and combat corporate irresponsibility but that the challenge lies in lackadaisical enforcement by regulators. This article queries this assumption and analyses the CSR regulatory landscape in corporate Nigeria. It depicts bleak pictures of weak regulations, faulty legal transplantation of foreign principles, lackadaisical attitude to enforcement, double operational standards of multinational enterprises (MNEs), and incoherence and policy disparity between CSR regulatory provisions in primary legislations on the one hand and their subsidiary laws on the other hand. It argues that the challenge rather borders on faulty and disjointed legislations grossly undermined by fallacious legal transplantation. In the end, the article sets an agenda for the harmonization of the disjointed CSR framework in highlighted primary and subsidiary legislations in line with best international standards

Endoscopic treatment (endoscopic balloon dilation/self-expandable metal stent) vs surgical resection for the treatment of de novo stenosis in Crohn's disease (ENDOCIR study): an open-label, multicentre, randomized trial.

Background: Stenosis is one of the most common complications in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). Endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD) is the treatment of choice for a short stenosis adjacent to the anastomosis from previous surgery. Self-expandable metal stents (SEMS) may be a suitable treatment option for longer stenoses. To date, however, there is no scientific evidence as to whether endoscopic (EBD/SEMS) or surgical treatment is the best approach for de novo or primary stenoses that are less than 10 cm in length. Methods/design: Exploratory study as "proof-of-concept", multicentre, open-label, randomized trial of the treatment of de novo stenosis in the CD; endoscopic treatment (EBD/SEMS) vs surgical resection (SR). The type of endoscopic treatment will initially be with EDB; if a therapeutic failure occurs, then a SEMS will be placed. We estimate 2 years of recruitment and 1 year of follow-up for the assessment of quality of life, costs, complications, and clinical recurrence. After the end of the study, patients will be followed up for 3 years to re-evaluate the variables over the long term. Forty patients with de novo stenosis in CD will be recruited from 15 hospitals in Spain and will be randomly assigned to the endoscopic or surgical treatment groups. The primary aim will be the evaluation of the patient quality of life at 1 year follow-up (% of patients with an increase of 30 points in the 32-item Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ-32). The secondary aim will be evaluation of the clinical recurrence rate, complications, and costs of both treatments at 1-year follow-up. Discussion: The ENDOCIR trial has been designed to determine whether an endoscopic or surgical approach is therapeutically superior in the treatment of de novo stenosis in CD

Proteomic characterization of HIV-modulated membrane receptors, kinases and signaling proteins involved in novel angiogenic pathways

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), hemangioma, and other angioproliferative diseases are highly prevalent in HIV-infected individuals. While KS is etiologically linked to the human herpesvirus-8 (HHV8) infection, HIV-patients without HHV-8 and those infected with unrelated viruses also develop angiopathies. Further, HIV-Tat can activate protein-tyrosine-kinase (PTK-activity) of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor involved in stimulating angiogenic processes. However, Tat by itself or HHV8-genes alone cannot induce angiogenesis <it>in vivo </it>unless specific proteins/enzymes are produced synchronously by different cell-types. We therefore tested a hypothesis that <it>chronic </it>HIV-<it>replication in non-endothelial cells </it>may produce novel factors that provoke angiogenic pathways.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Genome-wide proteins from HIV-infected and uninfected T-lymphocytes were tested by subtractive proteomics analyses at various stages of virus and cell growth <it>in vitro </it>over a period of two years. Several thousand differentially regulated proteins were identified by mass spectrometry (MS) and >200 proteins were confirmed in multiple gels. Each protein was scrutinized extensively by protein-interaction-pathways, bioinformatics, and statistical analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By functional categorization, 31 proteins were identified to be associated with various signaling events involved in angiogenesis. 88% proteins were located in the plasma membrane or extracellular matrix and >90% were found to be essential for regeneration, neovascularization and angiogenic processes during embryonic development.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Chronic HIV-infection of T-cells produces membrane receptor-PTKs, serine-threonine kinases, growth factors, adhesion molecules and many diffusible signaling proteins that have not been previously reported in HIV-infected cells. Each protein has been associated with endothelial cell-growth, morphogenesis, sprouting, microvessel-formation and other biological processes involved in angiogenesis (p = 10^-4to 10^-12). Bioinformatics analyses suggest that overproduction of PTKs and other kinases in HIV-infected cells has <it>suppressed </it>VEGF/VEGFR-PTK expression and promoted <it>VEGFR-independent </it>pathways. This unique mechanism is similar to that observed in neovascularization and angiogenesis during embryogenesis. Validation of clinically relevant proteins by gene-silencing and translational studies <it>in vivo </it>would identify specific targets that can be used for early diagnosis of angiogenic disorders and future development of inhibitors of angiopathies. This is the first comprehensive study to demonstrate that HIV-infection alone, without any co-infection or treatment, can induce numerous "embryonic" proteins and kinases capable of generating novel <it>VEGF-independent </it>angiogenic pathways.</p

Llibre Blanc de la mediació a Catalunya

Projectes científics associats: IDT SGR2009-688; ONTOMEDIA CSO-2008-05536-SOCI, TSI-20501-2008-131; GCC SGR2009-221; GREL SGR2009-357; SGR2009-1328; AT CSD2007-0022; AT COST IC0801Altres ajuts: TSI-20501-2008-131Altres ajuts: COST-IC0801L'estudi que es presenta ara és fruit de gairebé dos anys de treball. Una cartografia completa de les experiències en mediació en tots els àmbits socials, de les escoles als hospitals, de les empreses als nuclis familiars, de la mediació comunitària als conflictes de consum o laborals, de la mediació penal a la mediambiental. També s'hi ha incorporat una anàlisi dels costos de la mediació i de la seva configuració jurídica. La conjunció de les fotografies en relleu i dels estudis més teòrics han fet possible la reflexió ulterior, les interpretacions crítiques i, en darrer terme, les conclusions i les recomanacions, que ens ajudaran a progressar. La mediació permet detenir l'escalada dels conflictes i sostreure'ls de la resolució judicial, per implicar les parts i fer-les protagonistes actives de les solucions a què arribin. Des del Departament de Justícia, ens interessa superar l'excessiva judicialització dels conflictes -insatisfactòria per a tothom- i promoure instruments que facilitin, de manera àgil però amb totes les garanties, la intel·ligència dels problemes i, a partir d'aquí, la fixació de les millors solucions per a les parts implicades, que elles mateixes hauran construït