The Political Behavior of the Underrepresented

This dissertation contributes to understanding the political behavior of two underrepresented groups: women and ethnoracial minorities. It explores how these groups' political behavior and beliefs are associated with existent gaps in representation. Each chapter approaches a different aspect concerning this common problem. Chapter 1 inquires about the mechanisms assumed to link descriptive and substantive representation for women. By analyzing the combination of electoral data segregated by gender in Ecuador with census data and the results of an original candidates' survey, I confirm the existence of a `gender affinity vote' and the importance of the type of female candidate for understanding gender gaps in support for women candidates. Chapter 2 presents the results of two survey experiments that study how gender stereotypes affect political behavior at the mass level. It identifies a gendered `issue ownership' based on these stereotypes and tests if counterstereotypical exposures promote more engagement of those underrepresented. The findings suggest that counterstereotypical exposure is not equally effective in promoting participation for both genders. Women do not get more engaged in male-dominated issues when encouraged by other women. Men get more engaged on women's issues when other men encourage them and when the invitee is similar to them. However, the interaction between the two factors has a negative effect, suggesting that seeing someone identical to them creates a dissonance that hinders the direct effects of the two variables. Chapter 3 presents the results of an audit study of US state legislators that explores the existence of a cominority solidarity between Blacks and Latinos. The results show that Latinos are not only the most disadvantaged because White legislators are biased against them, but also because their cominority solidarity towards Blacks is not reciprocated

Thermophysical and flow properties of coconut oil with silica fumed nanoparticles

This work is concerned with the rheological and thermal study of silica fumed dispersed in coconut oil. The dispersed phase behave as a non newtonian fluid during the phase change. The addition of nanoparticles complicates considerably the flow behaviour of the system. Therefore, a very thoughtful study of the flow and thermal properties with temperature when silica particles are added must be carried out.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

HIV testing policies for migrants and ethnic minorities in EU/EFTA Member States.

In the context of an European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) research project, our objective was to describe current recommendations regarding HIV testing and counselling targeting migrants and ethnic minorities in the European Union/European Economic Area/European Free Trade Association (EU/EEA/EFTA) Member States. An on-line survey was conducted among 31 EU/EEA/EFTA Member States. The survey inquired on the existence of specific HIV testing and counselling recommendations or policies for migrants and/or ethnic minorities and the year of their publication. Additionally, we performed a review of national recommendations, guidelines or any other policy documents retrieved from an Internet search through the different countries' competent bodies. Twenty-nine (94%) country representatives responded the survey, and 28 documents from 27 countries were identified. National guidelines on HIV testing are heterogeneous and tailored, according to the epidemiological situation. Twenty-two countries identify migrants and four countries identify ethnic minorities as particularly vulnerable to HIV. Sixteen countries explicitly recommend offering an HIV test to migrants/ethnic minorities. Guidelines especially target people originating from HIV endemic countries, and benefits of HIV early detection are highlighted. HIV testing is not mandatory in any country, but some countries overtly facilitate this practice. Benefits of HIV testing in migrants and ethnic minorities, at both individual and community levels are recognized by many countries. In spite of this, not all countries identify the need to test these groups.European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Spanish Network of HIV/AIDS Research [RIS- RD06/0006] and the Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health [CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública].S

A comparative rheological study of amaranth, wheat and chickpea doughs

Legume flours due to their nutritional benefits (e.g., high levels of proteins, fiber, complex carbohydrates, micronutrients and vitamins) are ideal ingredients for improving the nutritional value of bread and bakery products. Although proteins has a major role in the quality breads, however, few studies related to the evaluation of doughs containing chickpea flour(or other legume flour) alone or blended with other ingredients have been published. This work performs a comparative study of the flow properties of three different flours: wheat, amaranth and chickpea, at two temperatures. The flow curves showed shear-thinning behaviour although amaranth flour presented the higher values of viscosity and wheat flour de lower values. The influence of the protein content in the three doughs was evaluated by means of step- up-stepdown tests and frequency sweeps (Fig. 1). Amaranth flour presented the higher elastic modulus and the wheat flour the lower. This can explain the compactation observed in gluten-free bread. The results of the flow studies are prone to the combination of cereal and legume flours in order to improve the taste and quality of gluten-free breads.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Pembrolizumab as first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC in older adults: A phase II clinical trial evaluating geriatric and quality-of-life outcomes

Objectives: Since specific data on immunotherapy in older adults with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) are scarce, we designed this study to determine the overall survival (OS) at one year of first-line pembrolizumab in patients older than 70 years with aNSCLC expressing PD-L1. Secondary objectives included progression-free survival, disease-specific survival, response rate, tolerability, quality of life (QoL) changes, and geriatric assessments. Materials and methods: A single-arm, open-label, phase II clinical trial was carried out by the Spanish Lung Cancer Group between February 2018 and November 2019 at ten active sites in Spain. We included patients 70 years old and older with histological or cytological documented stage IIIB or IV aNSCLC and PD-L1 expression & GE; 1%. Each subject received 200 mg of intravenous pembrolizumab every three weeks for a maximum of two years. Results: 83 patients were recruited for the study and 74 were finally analysed. Most were male (N = 64, 86.5%) and former smokers (N = 51, 68.9%). 24 patients (32.4%) completed at least one year of treatment, 62 (83.7%) discontinued treatment, and 30 (40.5%) experienced disease progression. The median follow-up of our cohort was 18.0 months [range: 0.1-47.7] and 46 patients (62.2%) died during the period of study. The estimated OS at one year was 61.7% (95% CI: 49.6-71.8%) and the median OS of our cohort was 19.2 months (95% CI: 11.3-25.5). QoL tended to improve throughout the study, although the differences were not statistically significant. The main geriatric scores remained stable, except for a worsening in nutritional status (P = 0.004) and an improvement in frailty (P = 0.028). Conclusion: Our results support treating older adults with aNSCLC expressing PD-L1 with pembrolizumab in monotherapy. The stability of most geriatric scores and the positive trend on the patients' QoL should be highlighted, although our results did not reach statistical significance

Baixem de les tarimes i connectem: recerca en història medieval i innovació docent

We would like to introduce our group of research, [CONTRA TAEDIUM], created by professionals from different fields, that have contributed in this article. Our purpose is to expose our reflections based on our own experiences, not only in research, but also in teaching. We propose new forms of writing history in order to understand the dairy life of the women and men of the past, from birth to death. We would like to point out that interacting all types of sources is essential to understand our history. But, what really makes sense is to bring our students in the historical methodology and involve them in their education. Moreover, it is necessary to design new teaching materials using the new technologies, although it requires team-work and a great, but satisfying, effor

Prosthetic shoulder joint infection by Cutibacterium acnes: does rifampin improve prognosis? a retrospective, multicenter, observational study.

This retrospective, multicenter observational study aimed to describe the outcomes of surgical and medical treatment of C. acnes-related prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and the potential benefit of rifampin-based therapies. Patients with C. acnes-related PJI who were diagnosed and treated between January 2003 and December 2016 were included. We analyzed 44 patients with C. acnes-related PJI (median age, 67.5 years (IQR, 57.3-75.8)); 75% were men. The majority (61.4%) had late chronic infection according to the Tsukayama classification. All patients received surgical treatment, and most antibiotic regimens (43.2%) included β-lactam. Thirty-four patients (87.17%) were cured; five showed relapse. The final outcome (cure vs. relapse) showed a nonsignificant trend toward higher failure frequency among patients with previous prosthesis (OR: 6.89; 95% CI: 0.80-58.90) or prior surgery and infection (OR: 10.67; 95% IC: 1.08-105.28) in the same joint. Patients treated with clindamycin alone had a higher recurrence rate (40.0% vs. 8.8%). Rifampin treatment did not decrease recurrence in patients treated with β-lactams. Prior prosthesis, surgery, or infection in the same joint might be related to recurrence, and rifampin-based combinations do not seem to improve prognosis. Debridement and implant retention appear a safe option for surgical treatment of early PJI

Impact of late presentation of HIV infection on short-, mid- and long-term mortality and causes of death in a multicenter national cohort: 2004–2013

SummaryObjectivesTo analyze the impact of late presentation (LP) on overall mortality and causes of death and describe LP trends and risk factors (2004–2013).MethodsCox models and logistic regression were used to analyze data from a nation-wide cohort in Spain. LP is defined as being diagnosed when CD4 < 350 cells/ml or AIDS.ResultsOf 7165 new HIV diagnoses, 46.9% (CI95%:45.7–48.0) were LP, 240 patients died.First-year mortality was the highest (aHRLP.vs.nLP = 10.3[CI95%:5.5–19.3]); between 1 and 4 years post-diagnosis, aHRLP.vs.nLP = 1.9(1.2–3.0); and >4 years, aHRLP.vs.nLP = 1.5(0.7–3.1).First-year's main cause of death was HIV/AIDS (73%); and malignancies among those surviving >4 years (32%). HIV/AIDS-related deaths were more likely in LP (59.2% vs. 25.0%; p < 0.001). LP declined from 55.9% (2004–05) to 39.4% (2012–13), and reduced in 46.1% in men who have sex with men (MSM) and 37.6% in heterosexual men, but increased in 22.6% in heterosexual women.Factors associated with LP: sex (ORMEN.vs.WOMEN = 1.4[1.2–1.7]); age (OR31–40.vs.<30 = 1.6[1.4–1.8], OR41–50.vs.<30 = 2.2[1.8–2.6], OR>50.vs.<30 = 3.6[2.9–4.4]); behavior (ORInjectedDrugUse.vs.MSM = 2.8[2.0–3.8]; ORHeterosexual.vs.MSM = 2.2[1.7–3.0]); education (ORPrimaryEducation.vs.University = 1.5[1.1–2.0], ORLowerSecondary.vs.University = 1.3[1.1–1.5]); and geographical origin (ORSub-Saharan.vs.Spain = 1.6[1.3–2.0], ORLatin-American.vs.Spain = 1.4[1.2–1.8]).ConclusionsLP is associated with higher mortality, especially short-term- and HIV/AIDS-related mortality. Mid-term-, but not long-term mortality, remained also higher in LP than nLP. LP decreased in MSM and heterosexual men, not in heterosexual women. The groups most affected by LP are low educated, non-Spanish and heterosexual women

Incentivizing the Dynamic Workforce: Learning Contracts in the Gig-Economy

In principal-agent models, a principal offers a contract to an agent to perform a certain task. The agent exerts a level of effort that maximizes her utility. The principal is oblivious to the agent's chosen level of effort, and conditions her wage only on possible outcomes. In this work, we consider a model in which the principal is unaware of the agent's utility and action space. She sequentially offers contracts to identical agents, and observes the resulting outcomes. We present an algorithm for learning the optimal contract under mild assumptions. We bound the number of samples needed for the principal obtain a contract that is within $\epsilon$ of her optimal net profit for every $\epsilon>0$