Some Notes about Inference for the Lognormal Diffusion Process with Exogenous Factors

Different versions of the lognormal diffusion process with exogenous factors have been used in recent years to model and study the behavior of phenomena following a given growth curve. In each case considered, the estimation of the model has been addressed, generally by maximum likelihood (ML), as has been the study of several characteristics associated with the type of curve considered. For this process, a unified version of the ML estimation problem is presented, including how to obtain estimation errors and asymptotic confidence intervals for parametric functions when no explicit expression is available for the estimators of the parameters of the model. The Gompertz-type diffusion process is used here to illustrate the application of the methodology.This work was supported in part by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, Spain, under Grants MTM2014-58061-P and MTM2017-85568-P

Inference on an heterocedastic Gompertz tumor growth model

We consider a non homogeneous Gompertz diffusion process whose parameters are modified by generally time-dependent exogenous factors included in the infinitesimal moments. The proposed model is able to describe tumor dynamics under the effect of anti-proliferative and/or cell death-induced therapies. We assume that such therapies can modify also the infinitesimal variance of the diffusion process. An estimation procedure, based on a control group and two treated groups, is proposed to infer the model by estimating the constant parameters and the time-dependent terms. Moreover, several concatenated hypothesis tests are considered in order to confirm or reject the need to include time-dependent functions in the infinitesimal moments. Simulations are provided to evaluate the efficiency of the suggested procedures and to validate the testing hypothesis. Finally, an application to real data is considered

7-Endo selenocyclization reactions on chiral 3-prenyl and 3-cinnamyl-2 hydroxymethylperhydro-1,3-benzoxazine derivatives. A way to enantiopure 1,4-oxazepanes

Producción CientíficaEnantiopure 1,4-oxazepanes derivatives have been prepared by selenocyclofunctionalization of chiral 3-prenyl- and 3-cinnamyl-2-hydroxymethyl-substituted perhydro-1,3-benzoxazine derivatives. The 7-endo-cyclization occurs in high yields and diastereoselection. The regio and stereochemistry of the cyclization products was dependent of the substitution pattern of the double bond, the nature of the hydroxyl group and the experimental conditions.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (CTQ2014-59870-P)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación – Ref. VA064U13)Thanks to Dr. José M. Martín-Álvarez for his assistance in the determination of the X-ray structure

El Mecanismo Tutelar del Sistema Interamericano como Garantía de los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas

This article has as general objective to describe the guardianship decisions of the two organs that protect human rights in the inter-American system. The result is achieved through the development of a qualitative, simple, and legal investigation, which uses the deductive and inductive analytical method, and focuses its analysis on the international practice of the Inter-American Commission and Court, obtaining that both the precautionary and provisional mechanism has been focused on the protection of indigenous people from their rights to life, integrity, freedom, property and free movement, in their individual and collective dimension; in addition, that the requestor adoption of measures is character- ized by being general, specific or concerted.El artículo tiene como objetivo general describir las decisiones tutelares de los dos órganos que protegen los Derechos Humanos en el Sistema Interamericano. El resultado se consigue mediante el desarrollo de una investigación cualitativa, básica y jurídica, que utiliza el método analítico deduc- tivo e inductivo, y centra su análisis en la práctica internacional de la Comisión y Corte Interamericana, obteniendo que tanto el mecanismo cautelar como provisional se ha centrado en la protección a los indígenas de sus Derechos a la Vida, Integridad, Libertad, Propiedad y Libre Circulación, en su dimen- sión individual y colectiva; además, que la solicitud o adopción de medidas se caracterizan por ser generales, específicas o concertadas

Double acid etching treatment of dental implants for enhanced biological properties

Background: The topographical features on the surface of dental implants have been considered as a critical parameter for enhancing the osseointegration of implants. In this work, we proposed a surface obtained by a combination of shot blasting and double acid etching. The double acid etching was hypothesized to increase the submicron topography and hence further stimulate the biological properties of the titanium implant. Methods: The topographical features (surface roughness and real surface area), wettability and surface chemical composition were analyzed. Results: The results showed that the proposed method produced a dual roughness, mainly composed of randomly distributed peaks and valleys with a superimposed nanoroughness, and hence with an increased specific surface area. Despite the fact that the proposed method does not introduce significant chemical changes, this treatment combination slightly increased the amount of titanium available on the surface, reducing potential surface contaminants. Furthermore, the surface showed increased contact angle values demonstrating an enhanced hydrophobicity on the surface. The biological behavior of the implants was then assessed by culturing osteoblast-like cells on the surface, showing enhanced osteoblast adhesion, proliferation and differentiation on the novel surface. Conclusions: Based on these results, the described surface with dual roughness obtained by double acid etching may be a novel route to obtain key features on the surface to enhance the osseointegration of the implant. Our approach is a simple method to obtain a dual roughness that mimics the bone structure modified by osteoclasts and increases surface area, which enhances osseointegration of dental implants.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Modeling the effect of the electrode potential in SERS by electronic structure calculations.

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS), due to the ability of greatly intensify the weak Raman signal of molecules adsorbed to metal surfaces, has proven to be a very useful tool to investigate changes in the electronic structure of metal-molecule surface complex. A deep knowledge of the electronic structure of these metal-molecule hybrid systems is key in electrochemistry, catalysis, plasmonics, molecular electronics, and in the development of selective and ultra-sensitive analytical sensors. The origin of this huge enhancement in SERS is due to two contributions: the electromagnetic (EM), related to surface plasmons, and the chemical mechanism, due to resonant charge transfer (CT) process between the adsorbate and the metal (CTSERS). Unfortunately, the SERS implies very complex phenomena where the molecule and the metal nanoparticle are involved. This fact makes challenging to build realistic theoretical models that take into account both the metal and the molecule at quantum level. We propose a methodology, based on DFT and ab initio electronic calculations, to simulate the effect of the electrode potential on the absorption, on the charge transfer states energies, and on the electronic excitations in metal-molecule hybrid systems from a microscopic point of view. This methodology consists on the prediction of Raman intensities from ab initio calculations of the geometries or the energy gradients at the excited states Franck-Condon point, bringing the possibility to predict the intensities in CTSERS as well as in resonance Raman without the need to know the excited state geometries, not always feasible to compute. The microscopic model adopted to mimic the effect of the interphase electric potential consist in a molecule adsorbed to a linear silver cluster [Agn-Adsorbate]q, were n is the number of silver atoms, and the total charge of the system (q) is zero for n=2 and q=±1 for n=1, 3 and 7.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A Machine Learning Approach to Reveal the NeuroPhenotypes of Autisms

This work was partly supported by the MINECO Under the TEC2015-64718-R Project, the Salvador de Madariaga Mobility Grants 2017 and the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo (Junta de Andalucía, Spain) under the Excellence Project P11-TIC-7103. The study was conducted in association with the National Institute for Health Research Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRC) East of England (EoE). The Project was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Grant No. GO 400061) and European Autism Interventions — a Multicentre Study for Developing New Medications (EU-AIMS); EU-AIMS has received support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking Under Grant Agreement No. 115300, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) and EFPIA companies’ in-kind contribution. During the period of this work, M-CL was supported by the OBrien Scholars Program in the Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, the Academic Scholar Award from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, the Slaight Family Child and Youth Mental Health Innovation Fund, CAMH Foundation, and the Ontario Brain Institute via the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders (POND) Network; MVL was supported by the British Academy, Jesus College Cambridge, Wellcome Trust, and an ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2017-STG; 755816); SB-C was supported by the Autism Research Trust. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health, UK.Although much research has been undertaken, the spatial patterns, developmental course, and sexual dimorphism of brain structure associated with autism remains enigmatic. One of the difficulties in investigating differences between the sexes in autism is the small sample sizes of available imaging datasets with mixed sex. Thus, the majority of the investigations have involved male samples, with females somewhat overlooked. This paper deploys machine learning on partial least squares feature extraction to reveal differences in regional brain structure between individuals with autism and typically developing participants. A four-class classification problem (sex and condition) is specified, with theoretical restrictions based on the evaluation of a novel upper bound in the resubstitution estimate. These conditions were imposed on the classifier complexity and feature space dimension to assure generalizable results from the training set to test samples. Accuracies above 80% on gray and white matter tissues estimated from voxel-based morphometry (VBM) features are obtained in a sample of equal-sized high-functioning male and female adults with and without autism (N=120, n=30/group). The proposed learning machine revealed how autism is modulated by biological sex using a low-dimensional feature space extracted from VBM. In addition, a spatial overlap analysis on reference maps partially corroborated predictions of the “extreme male brain” theory of autism, in sexual dimorphic areas.This work was partly supported by the MINECO Under the TEC2015-64718-R Project, the Salvador de Madariaga Mobility Grants 2017 and the Consejería de Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo (Junta de Andalucía, Spain) under the Excellence Project P11-TIC-7103The Project was supported by the UK Medical Research Council (Grant No. GO 400061) and European Autism Interventions — a Multicentre Study for Developing New Medications (EU-AIMS)EU-AIMS has received support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking Under Grant Agreement No. 115300MVL was supported by the British Academy, Jesus College Cambridge, Wellcome Trust, and an ERC Starting Grant (ERC-2017-STG; 755816

Teoría carteras: aplicación con el oro y los activos numismáticos de oro

Los activos tangibles de colección, son aquellos activos que no están directamente relacionados con la evolución de los mercados financieros. Los activos numismáticos, son activos que pertenecen a los activos tangibles de colección. Estos se llevan estudiando en EEUU, de manera especial, desde la década de los ochenta (Salomon Jr. y Lennox, 1984; Berman y Schulman, 1986; Dickie, Delorme y Humphreys, 1994; Lombra, 2003; Brown 2005), aunque Sharpe ya hablaba de sus bondades en 1963. En España en la década de los noventa se realizaron importantes investigaciones (Coca, 1998; 2001). En este trabajo se realiza un trabajo de Teoría de Carteras con activos numismáticos de oro. El objetivo del trabajo es la construcción de diferentes carteras compuestas por activos numismáticos de oro y el propio metal precioso; con el fin de construir aquella cartera que mejor se adapte al inversor acorde a su perfil inversor y conocer cuál es la Cartera del Mercado. La muestra utilizada son los activos numismáticos de oro emitidos por España, EEUU, Gran Bretaña y Francia desde 1900 a 2008. El periodo de estudio es del 2003 al 2008. La metodología empleada es la Teoría de Carteras (Markowitz, 1952; 1959). Para ello construiremos la Frontera Eficiente y trazaremos la Línea del Mercado de Capitales o CML.Collectible Tangible Assets are those that directly they are not related to the evolution of the Financial Market. Numismatic Assets belongs to Collectible Tangible Assets. These assets have been studying in USA since the eighties (Salomon Jr. y Lennox, 1984; Berman y Schulman, 1986; Dickie, Delorme y Humphreys, 1994; Lombra, 2003; Brown 2005), although Sharpe had talked about his virtues in 1963. Important researches were made in Spain in the nineties (Coca 1998; 2001). In this paper we do a study of Portfolio Theory with Gold Numismatic Assets. Our objective is to build different Gold and Gold Numismatic Asset Portfolios. The purpose is being able to build the best portfolio for the different investors and to know The Market Portfolio. Research sample is composed by gold numismatic assets and the gold. Those assets have been issued by Spain, USA, Great Britain and France from 1900 to 2008. The research period is to 2003‐2008. We use Portfolio Theory methodology (Markowitz, 1952; 1959). For that we build the efficient frontier and we will trace the Capital Market Line, CML

Simulation of multipactor effect trough the individual simulation of electrons

This is an electronic version of the paper presented at the 5th International Workshop on Multipactor, Corona and Passive Intermodulation In Space RF Hardware, held in Noordwijk on 2005In the context of the ESA Program AO 4025 Surface Treatment and Coating, we have developed a simulator called MEST for the prediction of the multipactor effect. The simulator has been developed using a micro level object-oriented approach, where each electron in the simulation is an independent object. This approach differs from other models described in the literature, which are macro level or intermediate, handling electrons in packages rather than individually. MEST works with a simplified model of a waveguide, where a radiofrequency potential is applied to the plates. The space between the plates is assumed to be a vacuum, except for the presence of a number of free electrons. The individual trajectories of all the electrons in the RF field are computed, although no space charge effects are assumed. When electrons collide with the plates, secondary emission of electrons is simulated. The secondary electron emission yield (SEY) is computed with a detailed Monte Carlo model, which has been validated using experimental data. It depends on the surface material (bulk), but also on surface finish properties, such as air contamination, cleanliness or surface treatments. If certain conditions hold, the number of electrons between the plates may increase out of control, until a multipactor discharge occurs and the waveguide becomes unusable. The object of the simulator is to predict the occurrence (or not) of this phenomenon for different surface materials. The simulator has been validated using experimental data from ESTEC (ESA), UAM and TESAT. Several materials have been tested. The results show good agreement with the experimental dat

Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Homeostasis and Systemic Diseases: Hypothesis, Evidences, and Therapeutic Opportunities

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are present in all organs and tissues, playing a well-known function in tissue regeneration. However, there is also evidence indicating a broader role of MSCs in tissue homeostasis. In vivo studies have shown MSC paracrine mechanisms displaying proliferative, immunoregulatory, anti-oxidative, or angiogenic activity. In addition, recent studies also demonstrate that depletion and/or dysfunction of MSCs are associated with several systemic diseases, such as lupus, diabetes, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as with aging and frailty syndrome. In this review, we hypothesize about the role of MSCs as keepers of tissue homeostasis as well as modulators in a variety of inflammatory and degenerative systemic diseases. This scenario opens the possibility for the use of secretome-derived products from MSCs as new therapeutic agents in order to restore tissue homeostasis, instead of the classical paradigm “one disease, one drug”.This study was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI17/02236) to F.J.V., and by Fundación para la Investigación en Células Madre Uterinas (FICEMU) to F.J.V and R.P.-F.S