Spanish women athletes’ performance in the Summer Olympic Games history

In this study, an analysis was made of the qualitative and quantitative evolution of the participation and results obtained by the Spanish athletes throughout the Olympic Games, for which their records were compared to those of the men's team from Paris 1900 to Rio 2016. During the study, the growing weight of Spanish women athletes was analysed, resulting in the Women and Sport programme (2007), which seems to have been a determining factor in the improvement of the performance of Spanish women athletes, which surpassed that of the men's team in the last two editions, for the first time in history and in a consecutive manner. The data revealed a growing weight of women, with a historical representation much lower in the Olympic Games (less than 14% until Barcelona 1992) and significantly lower than men from the same (beginning to be more than 30%). This progression has been accompanied by a greater value in the variable weight of the medals, this fact was accentuated in the last editions of London 2012 (65%) and Rio de Janeiro 2016 (60%). It is clear from the results that there is plenty of room for improvement in women's sport. Empowering Spanish female athletes, increasing social and economic recognition, and identifying which are the differential factors that make them more efficient with respect to the male team, can optimize strategies and results in the third sector of sport in Spain

Spanish women athletes’ performance in the Summer Olympic Games history

In this study, an analysis was made of the qualitative and quantitative evolution of the participation and results obtained by the Spanish athletes throughout the Olympic Games, for which their records were compared to those of the men's team from Paris 1900 to Rio 2016. During the study, the growing weight of Spanish women athletes was analysed, resulting in the Women and Sport programme (2007), which seems to have been a determining factor in the improvement of the performance of Spanish women athletes, which surpassed that of the men's team in the last two editions, for the first time in history and in a consecutive manner. The data revealed a growing weight of women, with a historical representation much lower in the Olympic Games (less than 14% until Barcelona 1992) and significantly lower than men from the same (beginning to be more than 30%). This progression has been accompanied by a greater value in the variable weight of the medals, this fact was accentuated in the last editions of London 2012 (65%) and Rio de Janeiro 2016 (60%). It is clear from the results that there is plenty of room for improvement in women's sport. Empowering Spanish female athletes, increasing social and economic recognition, and identifying which are the differential factors that make them more efficient with respect to the male team, can optimize strategies and results in the third sector of sport in Spain

A flexible count data model to fit the wide diversity of expression profiles arising from extensively replicated RNA-seq experiments

Background: High-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) offers unprecedented power to capture the real dynamics of gene expression. Experimental designs with extensive biological replication present a unique opportunity to exploit this feature and distinguish expression profiles with higher resolution. RNA-seq data analysis methods so far have been mostly applied to data sets with few replicates and their default settings try to provide the best performance under this constraint. These methods are based on two well-known count data distributions: the Poisson and the negative binomial. The way to properly calibrate them with large RNA-seq data sets is not trivial for the non-expert bioinformatics user. Results: Here we show that expression profiles produced by extensively-replicated RNA-seq experiments lead to a rich diversity of count data distributions beyond the Poisson and the negative binomial, such as Poisson-Inverse Gaussian or Pólya-Aeppli, which can be captured by a more general family of count data distributions called the Poisson-Tweedie. The flexibility of the Poisson-Tweedie family enables a direct fitting of emerging features of large expression profiles, such as heavy-tails or zero-inflation, without the need to alter a single configuration parameter. We provide a software package for R called tweeDEseq implementing a new test for differential expression based on the Poisson-Tweedie family. Using simulations on synthetic and real RNA-seq data we show that tweeDEseq yields P-values that are equally or more accurate than competing methods under different configuration parameters. By surveying the tiny fraction of sex-specific gene expression changes in human lymphoblastoid cell lines, we also show that tweeDEseq accurately detects differentially expressed genes in a real large RNA-seq data set with improved performance and reproducibility over the previously compared methodologies. Finally, we compared the results with those obtained from microarrays in order to check for reproducibility. Conclusions: RNA-seq data with many replicates leads to a handful of count data distributions which can be accurately estimated with the statistical model illustrated in this paper. This method provides a better fit to the underlying biological variability; this may be critical when comparing groups of RNA-seq samples with markedly different count data distributions. The tweeDEseq package forms part of the Bioconductor project and it is available for download at http://www.bioconductor.or

Real-time simulation of surgery by Proper Generalized Decomposition techniques

La simulación quirúrgica por ordenador en tiempo real se ha convertido en una alternativa muy atractiva a los simuladores quirúrgicos tradicionales. Entre otras ventajas, los simuladores por ordenador consiguen ahorros importantes de tiempo y de costes de mantenimiento, y permiten que los estudiantes practiquen sus habilidades quirúrgicas en un entorno seguro tantas veces como sea necesario. Sin embargo, a pesar de las capacidades de los ordenadores actuales, la cirugía computacional sigue siendo un campo de investigación exigente. Uno de sus mayores retos es la alta velocidad a la que se tienen que resolver complejos problemas de mecánica de medios continuos para que los interfaces hápticos puedan proporcionar un sentido del tacto realista (en general, se necesitan velocidades de respuesta de 500-1000 Hz).Esta tesis presenta algunos métodos numéricos novedosos para la simulación interactiva de dos procedimientos quirúrgicos habituales: el corte y el rasgado (o desgarro) de tejidos blandos. El marco común de los métodos presentados es el uso de la Descomposición Propia Generalizada (PGD en inglés) para la generación de vademécums computacionales, esto es, metasoluciones generales de problemas paramétricos de altas dimensiones que se pueden evaluar a velocidades de respuesta compatibles con entornos hápticos.En el caso del corte, los vademécums computacionales se utilizan de forma conjunta con técnicas basadas en XFEM, mientras que la carga de cálculo se distribuye entre una etapa off-line (previa a la ejecución interactiva) y otra on-line (en tiempo de ejecución). Durante la fase off-line, para el órgano en cuestión se precalculan tanto un vademécum computacional para cualquier posición de una carga, como los desplazamientos producidos por un conjunto de cortes. Así, durante la etapa on-line, los resultados precalculados se combinan de la forma más adecuada para obtener en tiempo real la respuesta a las acciones dirigidas por el usuario. En cuanto al rasgado, a partir de una ecuación paramétrica basada en mecánica del daño continuo, se obtiene un vademécum computacional. La complejidad del modelo se reduce mediante técnicas de Descomposición Ortogonal Propia (POD en inglés), y el vademécum se incorpora a una formulación incremental explícita que se puede interpretar como una especie de integrador temporal.A modo de ejemplo, el método para el corte se aplica a la simulación de un procedimiento quirúrgico refractivo de la córnea conocido como queratotomía radial, mientras que el método para el rasgado se centra en la simulación de la colecistectomía laparoscópica (la extirpación de la vesícula biliar mediante laparoscopia). En ambos casos, los métodos implementados ofrecen excelentes resultados en términos de velocidades de respuesta y producen simulaciones muy realistas desde los puntos de vista visual y háptico.The real-time computer-based simulation of surgery has proven to be an appealing alternative to traditional surgical simulators. Amongst other advantages, computer-based simulators provide considerable savings on time and maintenance costs, and allow trainees to practice their surgical skills in a safe environment as often as necessary. However, in spite of the current computer capabilities, computational surgery continues to be a challenging field of research. One of its major issues is the high speed at which complex problems in continuum mechanics have to be solved so that haptic interfaces can render a realistic sense of touch (generally, feedback rates of 500–1 000 Hz are required). This thesis introduces some novel numerical methods for the interactive simulation of two usual surgical procedures: cutting and tearing of soft tissues. The common framework of the presented methods is the use of the Proper Generalised Decomposition (PGD) for the generation of computational vademecums, i. e. general meta-solutions of parametric high-dimensional problems that can be evaluated at feedback rates compatible with haptic environments. In the case of cutting, computational vademecums are used jointly with XFEM-based techniques, and the computing workload is distributed into an off-line and an on-line stage. During the off-line stage, both a computational vademecum for any position of a load and the displacements produced by a set of cuts are pre-computed for the organ under consideration. Thus, during the on-line stage, the pre-computed results are properly combined together to obtain in real-time the response to the actions driven by the user. Concerning tearing, a computational vademecum is obtained from a parametric equation based on continuum damage mechanics. The complexity of the model is reduced by Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) techniques, and the vademecum is incorporated into an explicit incremental formulation that can be viewed as a sort of time integrator. By way of example, the cutting method is applied to the simulation of a corneal refractive surgical procedure known as radial keratotomy, whereas the tearing method focuses on the simulation of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (i. e. the removal of the gallbladder). In both cases, the implemented methods offer excellent performances in terms of feedback rates, and produce.<br /

Guideline for constructing nutrient balance in historical agricultural systemes (and its application to three case-studies in southern Spain)

The purpose of this paper is to provide interested researchers with a simple tool to evaluate the efficacy of different methods of fertility replenishment that have accompanied and made possible the contemporary agriculture. We propose a nutrient balance model created especially to be applied to the past. In the first part of this working paper each term in the balance is defined and specified the information the user must input into the model. The second part of this paper reports on the application of this methodology based on the balances of nutrients to the evolution of Andalusian agriculture since the mid 18th Century. The nutrient balances show the effects of agrarian growth in an environmentally limited context, offering reasonable doubt regarding the medium and long-term stability of certain forms of cultivation. The balances show that in the last decades of the 19th Century, productive intensification had reached its ceiling, with livestock numbers levelling off or clearly declining. The deficits of nutrients even began to exceed the fertilisation capacity of the available livestock. The intensification applied in unfertilised rotations and crops had to be sustained through the extraction of soil reserves.Soil fertility management, Nutrient balances, Past organic agricultures, Agrarian growth, Socio-ecological transition, Agricultural change

Los frentes de investigación dominantes en marketing

En este trabajo se pretende identificar las principales corrientes o frentes de investigación que en el pasado reciente (1992-2002) han definido el área científica del marketing. A diferencia de otras propuestas de sistematización, en este estudio se ha utilizado un método empírico mediante el análisis de las referencias bibliográficas de los artículos publicados en algunas de las principales revistas de nuestro campo de estudio

Los frentes de investigación dominantes en Marketing

En este trabajo se pretende identificar las principales corrientes o frentes de investigación que en el pasado reciente (1992-2002) han definido el área científica del marketing. A diferencia de otras propuestas de sistematización, en este estudio se ha utilizado un método empírico mediante el análisis de las referencias bibliográficas de los artículos publicados en algunas de las principales revistas de nuestro campo de estudio

Sustainable Financing as a Mechanism to Increase Private Participation in the Development of Infrastructure Systems in the Water Sector

This work addresses the problem of the coverage gap in the water sector in Colombia and how the creation of an eco-innovative financing mechanism aligned with Sustainable Development Objectives (particularly objectives 6 and 9) can encourage the private sector’s involvement, boosting the development of a sustainable infrastructure to help bridge the coverage gap. Therefore, this project’s primary objective is based on making a methodological contribution that encourages lenders to promote the development of sustainable infrastructure and the capture of financial value, as measured by the Financial Capture Value Theory, by financing water infrastructure systems with a special focus on Colombia. To create and validate the methodological proposal, it was necessary to clarify the theoretical concepts of financial eco-innovations; therefore, the main elements of sustainable financing from the financial eco-innovation perspective as a strategy to develop sustainable infrastructure were analyzed. In addition, a detailed study of the current state-of-art Colombia’s water sector and the private involvement through Public-Private Partnerships, which enabled identification of the main elements, characteristics and investment needs in the sector, was conducted. In this way, this research proposes a methodology of sustainable financing as a mechanism to increase the private participation in the development of infrastructure systems in the Colombian water sector using a mezzanine-type debt mechanism (incorporating the Water Criteria of the Climate Bonds Standard). The methodology is validated by being implemented in a project in Colombia’s water sector.Doctorad

Electrothermoplasmonic flow in gold nanoparticles suspensions: nonlinear dependence of flow velocity on aggregate concentration

Efficient mixing and pumping of liquids at the microscale is a technology that is still to be optimized. The combination of an AC electric field with a small temperature gradient leads to a strong electrothermal flow that can be used for multiple purposes. Combining simulations and experiments, an analysis of the performance of electrothermal flow is provided when the temperature gradient is generated by illuminating plasmonic nanoparticles in suspension with a near-resonance laser. Fluid flow is measured by tracking the velocity of fluorescent tracer microparticles in suspension as a function of the electric field, laser power, and concentration of plasmonic particles. Among other results, a non-linear relationship is found between the velocity of the fluid and particle concentration, which is justified in terms of multiple scattering-absorption events, involving aggregates of nanoparticles, that lead to enhanced absorption when the concentration is raised. Simulations provide a description of the phenomenon that is compatible with experiments and constitute a way to understand and estimate the absorption and scattering cross-sections of both dispersed particles and/or aggregates. A comparison of experiments and simulations suggests that there is some aggregation of the gold nanoparticles by forming clusters of about 2–7 particles, but no information about their structure can be obtained without further theoretical and experimental developments. This nonlinear behavior could be useful to get very high ETP velocities by inducing some controlled aggregation of the particles.This research has been supported by Consejería de Universidad, Investigación e Innovación de la Junta de Andalucía and FEDER, “Una manera de hacer Europa”/Projects P18-FR-3583 and FQM-410-UGR18, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades through Project EQC2018-004693-P, and Grant PID2021-127427NB-I00/ MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER,UE. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga/CBUA