Efficiency analysis of Policies against desertification by applying DEA: a case study in the river Guadalentin catchment (Almeria, Spain)

This paper deals about an attempt to evaluate the different policies against desertification carried out during a twenty five year period (1978-2003) in the eight municipalities which compound the river Guadalentín catchment (Murcia, Spain). The approach is based on DEA and the European Environmental Agency indicator studies, the former to measure the efficiency and the second to select the best environmental indicators. The analysis has been reiterated with three different sets of outputs related to the different levels and aspects of the desertification process- from the merely soil losses to the overall desertification process in which population losses are considered. As a result a set of efficiency indexes has been obtained for each municipality, which show clearly the contribution of each action against desertification. These results are very valuable to establish future long term desertification policies in similar territories

Software Defined Radio for processing GNSS signals

GPS satellites are fitted with atomic clocks, in which it relapses the main objective of this project, to recover some of their accuracy and stability on a ground based receiver. This project describes the fundamentals of GPS signals, the assembly of the installation implemented to process them in software and the corresponding experiments. In order to achieve the software processing, a USB DVB-T dongle is connected to an active antenna and to the computer. As mentioned, one of the purposes is also to understand how a GPS can be implemented by software as a the substitution of a big part of the hardware that makes it impenetrable, as they are black boxes of integrated circuits, and expensive. It is known that a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) software-defined open source receiver has already been created by people in Barcelona in “Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya (CTTC)”, a testbed for GNSS signal processing since it can be customized in every way. It has been used at some intermediate steps of the study while executing parallel experiments in the course of understanding how a GPS signal is digitally processed. In the meantime, some experiments have also been performed only employing hardware before implementing them in software, so that the concepts are visually reflected. When realizing software experiments, an interface called GNURadio has been used because of its enormous implementation of signal processing blocks. GNURadio can be used with external RF hardware to create software-defined radios, or without hardware in a simulation-like environment. Nevertheless, various simulations in the GNU (Octave software environment) have also been executed as processing in real time has not been considered a goal. However, to successfully accomplish the demodulation of the navigation data, which will contribute to restore the accuracy and stability of the satellites clocks that have sent it, the carrier frequency needs to be perfectly recovered, being this last point where the final aim of the project falls on.Outgoin

Molecular mechanisms underlying the rate of progeria onset in mtDNA mutator mouse strains

The mtDNA mutator mouse model contains a D257A mutation in the exonuclease domain of the POLG gene, which generates a mouse with an increased number of mtDNA mutations. The mouse shows several characteristics of premature ageing. To date, three mutators with the same POLG mutation have been described in the literature. However, they show remarkable differences in lifespan and the time when the ageing phenotype appears. This study has demonstrated that although the genetic background influences to some degree the ageing phenotype, the main cause of the phenotypical differences exhibited by two of the mutator mice strains is due to the POLG allele expressed (Lar allele versus the Pro allele) and not the nuclear genetic background. In addition, my work has revealed that the Pro allele generates a variant protein product of POLG, and as a result, the mutator mouse with this variant shows a slightly different phenotype than the mutator with the Lar allele. Pro mutator mouse phenotype differences include male fertility, increased lifespan, slower onset of the ageing phenotypes, reduced mutation rate, reduced mitochondrial dysfunction and different replicative activity

Fit for Population Health Service: Assessing the Change in Public Health Competencies of Interprofessional Undergraduate Health Sciences Students

Background. A 2012 IOM report is just one of an increasing number of recommendations to incorporate a population health approach into training of all health professionals. In light of the emphasis on and necessity for all future health professionals to possess core public health competences, a medium sized public University incorporated Introduction to Public Health as a required course in their undergraduate, interprofessional Health Sciences curriculum. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to assess the change in core public health competencies of undergraduate Health Sciences students who completed an Introduction to Public Health course. Methods. The Tier 1 Public Health Professionals Competency Assessment was administered in the online Introduction to Public Health courses for undergraduate Health Sciences students; the pretest was administered during the first week and the posttest during the final week of the 15 week course. Purposive sampling was used to assess how the course increased the student’s acquisition of core public health competencies within the designated eight domains. Results. Results of this study showed an increase in the competency scores of the participants from pre to posttest across all of the eight domains. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that an Introduction to Public Health course can increase the core public health competencies of undergraduate Health Sciences students, and the Public Health Professionals Competency Assessment can be used to assess the acquisition of these competencies with and guide curriculum for future health care providers

Developing Device-Equivalent and Effective Measures of Complex Thinking with an Information Processing Framework and Mobile First Design Principles

Organizations are increasingly offering pre-employment assessments on mobile devices to evaluate candidates. The aim of this study is to investigate whether employing a mobile first responsive web design based on an information processing framework will result in device-equivalent measures of cognitive ability. Tests of numerical and deductive reasoning composed of interactive item types were tested for measurement equivalence across device types. Hypotheses were tested using data collected from paid participants over 3 weeks in 2018. Participants completed the test on both a PC and a mobile device. Paired samples t-tests indicated no mean differences in scores or number of items completed across device type. Additional analyses indicated that these item types demonstrated configural invariance and at least partial metric and scalar invariance across device types. The results of this study provide strong support that mobile first design can yield a valid and reliable test that can be used on any device and for any job level

Viral protein-based nanoparticles (part 2): Pharmaceutical applications

Viral protein nanoparticles (ViP NPs) such as virus-like particles and virosomes are structures halfway between viruses and synthetic nanoparticles. The biological nature of ViP NPs endows them with the biocompatibility, biodegradability, and functional properties that many synthetic nanoparticles lack. At the same time, the absence of a viral genome avoids the safety concerns of viruses. Such characteristics of ViP NPs offer a myriad of opportunities for theirapplication at several points across disease development: from prophylaxis to diagnosis and treatment. ViP NPs present remarkable immunostimulant properties, and thus the vaccination field has benefited the most from these platforms capable of overcoming the limitations of both traditional and subunit vaccines. This was reflected in the marketing authorization of several VLP- and virosome-based vaccines. Besides, ViP NPs inherit the ability of viruses to deliver their cargo to target cells. Because of that, ViP NPs are promising candidates as vectors for drug and gene delivery, and for diagnostic applications. In this review, we analyze the pharmaceutical applications of ViP NPs, describing the products that are commercially available or under clinical evaluation, but also the advances that scientists are making toward the implementation of ViP NPs in other areas of major pharmaceutical interestThis publication is part of the following grants: PID2021–124986OB-I00 (Project “IMMMA”) funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”; AC21_2/00046 (Project “RAIN”) funded by Health Institute Carlos III/MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by “European Union NextGenerationEU/EURONANOMED 3; PID2021–126510NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and “ERDF A way of making Europe”; and ED431G 2019/02 grant funded by Xunta de Galicia. RMC is a recipient of a predoctoral grant from the Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional (FPU20/01525)S

Communication process between the commercial sector of Medellín and China: importer-exporter relationship in toy stores of “el hueco” sector

In this paper you will find a study about the communication process used in the commercial exchanges in Toy Stores of “El Hueco” sector of the city of Medellin with Chinese exporters. To accomplish this aim, the research was focused on a qualitative design, regarding that it was necessary the analysis of the persons and undertakings involved in a negotiation, analyzing the influence of protocols and etiquette when trading with China. Expecting to find a steady process within the companies but, instead of that, the result of the surveys was as diverse as the market itself.INTRODUCTION 10 1. Problem Statement 11 2. Justification 12 3. Objectives 14 3.1. General Objective: 14 3.2. Specific Objectives: 14 4. Theoretical Framework 14 5. State-of-the-art 19 6. Methodology 28 7. Activity chronogram 33 8. Presentation and analysis of results 34 9. Limitations 46 10. Conclusion 46 11. Recommendation 47 12. Bibliography 49PregradoProfesional en Lenguas Moderna

Análisis de la eficiencia de las políticas contra la desertificación llevada a cabo en la cuenca del río Guadalentin mediante Análisis Envolvente de Datos (DEA)

Mediante análisis envolvente de datos (DEA) CCR-input-orientado y DEA con ponderación cruzada se ha analizado la eficiencia de las diversas actuaciones aplicadas en ocho municipios de la cuenca del río Guadalentín, en búsqueda de la mejor política aplicada entre los años 1978 y 2003. Con el análisis CCR-input-orientado se han detectado los municipios claramente ineficientes y las causas de ineficiencia. Mediante el segundo análisis se ha obtenido una valoración de la eficiencia global de cada municipio y se ha podido estudiar la contribución unitaria de cada recurso en cada término municipal

El juego motor como mediador en el aprendizaje de las matemáticas en Educación Infantil.

Este proyecto de innovación pretende ofrecer una alternativa metodológica en la que se utilice el juego motor como recurso pedagógico para promover el aprendizaje de las matemáticas en Educación Infantil. Para argumentar esta propuesta, se ha partido de las evidencias presentadas por distintos autores a partir de una búsqueda bibliográfica en distintas bases de datos. A partir de la literatura y el principio de globalidad, justificamos la incorporación del juego motor como mediador en el aprendizaje globalizado en esta etapa educativa. Los resultados de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado (TFG) apuntan hacia la mejora del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje con el uso del juego motor como recurso pedagógico, favoreciéndose, además, una mejora de la motivación del alumnado para enfrentarse con estos procesos.This innovation project pretends offer a methodologic alternative in which is used motor game as pedagogic resource to promote the mathematical learning in Preschool. To argue this proposal, was based on the evidences presented by different authors from a bibliographic search in different databases. From literature and globality principle, we justify incorporation of motor game as mediator of global learning in this education stage. The results of this Bachelor's Degree Final Project point to the improve of teaching-learning process with the use of motor game as pedagogical resource, favouring, also, a improve of the student’s motivation to face these processes