Urban Growth and Long-Term Transformations in Spanish Cities Since the Mid-Nineteenth Century: A Methodology to Determine Changes in Urban Density.

The current work models urban growth in the continuous built-up areas of 47 Spanish cities from the mid-nineteenth century through to the present day. We did this by compiling a comprehensive Geographic Information System (GIS) dataset, based on a series of historic maps and aerial images, and then used this to study urban growth and to make spatial comparisons. Our chosen indicator of expansion: population density, was calculated by dividing the total population of each city (based on its municipal area) by its built-up area during each period. Our results revealed four different stages of growth, each of which was characterised by a certain political and economic reality. They showed the clogging up of the walled city, the shaping of the urban ensanches, the maturity of the compact city and the process of metropolisation

Tratamiento de cartografía histórica para el análisis de la forma urbana en Sistemas de Información Geográfica

El estudio histórico de la ciudad está condicionado por la disponibilidad de fuentes de información fiables y accesibles. Es habitual el uso de cartografía histórica cuando se trata de análisis de una o pocas ciudades. Sin embargo, cuando la muestra es elevada, suele recurrirse al análisis de la población urbana, dejando de lado el espacio físico que ocupa la ciudad debido a la dificultad para obtener información. En el presente trabajo se presentan varios métodos de tratamiento de la cartografía histórica a través de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) que permiten mejorar el análisis en muestras pequeñas y la creación de grandes bases de datos históricas, añadiendo una nueva variable al estudio histórico urbano.The historical study of the city is conditioned by the availability of reliable and accessible sources of information. It is habitual to use historical cartography when analysing either one or only a few cities. However, when the sample is larger, it is usual to resort to the analysis of urban population, leaving aside the physical space occupied by the city due to the difficulty in obtaining information. In the present work, we present several methods for treating historical cartography using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) which allow us to improve the analysis in small samples and to create large historical data bases, thereby adding a new variable to studies of urban history.El estudio histórico de la ciudad está condicionado por la disponibilidad de fuentes de información fiables y accesibles. Es habitual el uso de cartografía histórica cuando se trata de análisis de una o pocas ciudades. Sin embargo, cuando la muestra es elevada, suele recurrirse al análisis de la población urbana, dejando de lado el espacio físico que ocupa la ciudad debido a la dificultad para obtener información. En el presente trabajo se presentan varios métodos de tratamiento de la cartografía histórica a través de Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG) que permiten mejorar el análisis en muestras pequeñas y la creación de grandes bases de datos históricas, añadiendo una nueva variable al estudio histórico urbano

The use of digital tools for spatial analysis in population geography

Digital tools, and in particular GIS, have enormously increased the possibilities for analysis in historical geography. In this article, we shall explain how these tools can be used to study the evolution of population density over a significant period. The territorial units used will be municipalities, as they allow detailed territorial analysis. However, research projects that take municipalities as their points of reference tend to be complex because their territorial boundaries have often undergone numerous changes over the course of modern history. The same has occurred, to a greater or lesser degree, in all of the countries in Europe (Bennett, 1989). The countries that have had the most stable municipal boundaries over the past 150 years include France, Italy, and Spain, though the modifications to their boundaries have also been notable. However, like all relevant challenges, these changes also offer us new opportunities, if we are able to cope with them. In this particular case, the challenge will be to achieve the territorial homogenization of the historical municipal series. In other words, when the municipal limits have changed, it will be necessary to adapt the data from the old municipal territories to the new ones. This exercise will have a number of applications. In this article, we present just one of these: the possibility of detecting areas and periods in which, over the course of history, there has been population growth, decline, or stagnation. This will serve as a relevant indicator, or proxy, for organizing research in other fields. For example, in the case of economic history, it is clear that variations in the density of population provide clues for interpreting the territorial distribution of economic activity. We also understand that it will be possible to apply our research about Spain to other countries and that this will make it possible to evaluate the interest and results that we can expect from the homogenized work. We think that, despite its interest, this type of study has, until now, been very rare on account of the methodological difficulties involved. However, these new digital tools in the field of historical GIS, as spatial aggregation and Moran I techniques, have helped to provide solutions to assume this challenge.Partial funding was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Education (CSO2015-65733-P), the EU (Jean Monnet 562390-EPP-1- 2015-1-ES-EPPJMO), and ICREA-Academia

Viabilidad y financiación de un proyecto de empresa de servicios: Happy Hosts, empresa de gestión de alquileres vacacionales

Este trabajo aborda el plan de negocio de Happy Hosts, una empresa dedicada a la gestión de alquileres vacacionales. Tras un análisis del entorno del mercado en el que la empresa va a instalarse, se realiza el plan estratégico de la empresa y se establecen los objetivos a alcanzar. Estos objetivos informarán todas las decisiones tomadas tanto en el ámbito de la planificación financiera como en la de comunicación

Análisis de algunas metodologías activas en el proceso de Enseñanzas y Aprendizaje de Física y Química

Este trabajo recoge de forma resumida las vivencias significativas de un año de formación hacia la docencia en el Máster de Profesorado de Física y Química en la Universidad de Zaragoza. Un proceso de aprendizaje y mejora del propio proceso de Enseñanza y Aprendizaje. Se basa en el análisis y reflexión de un Proyecto de Innovación Docente y un Trabajo Práctico que se estudian desde el punto de vista de un estudiante que ha finalizado el Máster proponiendo mejoras a partir de la introducción de metodologías activas como el trabajo cooperativo, el Flipped Classroom y el aprendizaje por indagación, así como el uso de las TIC. Al mismo tiempo se apuesta por la modelización para la enseñanza de ciencias y se analiza importancia de la detección del conocimiento previo de los alumnos y cómo afectan las ideas alternativas en su aprendizaje. <br /

A Collaborative Protocol for Private Retrieval of Location-Based Information

Privacy and security are paramount for the proper deployment of location-based services (LBSs). We present a novel protocol based on user collaboration to privately retrieve location-based information from an LBS provider. Our approach neither assumes that users or the LBS can be completely trusted with regard to privacy, nor relies on a trusted third party. In addition, user queries, containing accurate locations, remain unchanged, and the collaborative protocol does not impose any special requirements on the query-response function of the LBS. The protocol is analyzed in terms of privacy, network traffic, and LBS processing overhead. We show that our proposal provides exponential scalability in the probability of guaranteed privacy breach, at the expense of a linear relative network cost.Preprin

Management of Hypnotics in Patients with Insomnia and Heart Failure during Hospitalization: A Systematic Review

Background: Heart failure is a chronic, progressive syndrome of signs and symptoms, which has been associated to a range of comorbidities including insomnia. Acute decompensation of heart failure frequently leads to hospital admission. During hospital admission, long-term pharmacological treatments such as hypnotics can be modified or stopped. Aim: To synthesize the scientific evidence available about the effect of withdrawing hypnotic drugs during hospital admission in patients with decompensated heart failure and insomnia. Method: A systematic review of the literature following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was carried out in the following scientific databases: PubMed, Scopus, Dialnet and Cochrane. Inclusion criteria: studies including a population of adults with heart failure and sleep disorders in treatment with hypnotics and admitted to hospital, studies written in English or Spanish and published until June 2020. Exclusion criteria: studies involving children, patients admitted to intensive care and patients diagnosed with sleep apnea. Results: We identified a total of 265 documents; only nine papers met the selection criteria. The most frequently used drugs for the treatment of insomnia in patients with heart failure were benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine agonists; their secondary effects can alter perceived quality of life and increase the risk of adverse effects. Withdrawal of these drugs during hospital admission could increase the risk of delirium. Future research in this area should evaluate the management of hypnotics during hospital admission in patients with decompensated heart failure. In addition, safe and efficient non-pharmacological alternatives for the treatment of insomnia in this population should be tested and implemented

Sleep quality in patients with heart failure in the spanish population: A cross-sectional study

Background: Heart failure is a major problem in western societies. Sleep Disorders maintain a bidirectional relationship with heart failure, as shown by studies conducted in other countries. This study aims to describe the quality of sleep in Spanish patients with heart failure. Materials and methods: We carried out a cross-sectional study to analyze the quality of sleep in a sample of 203 patients with a diagnosis of heart failure admitted to an Internal Medicine Service. The Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate sleep quality in our sample over a one-month period. Results: 75% of the sample presented sleep disorders. The most common problems included the interruption of sleep (73.5% nocturia and 30% breathing difficulties); 35% had poor sleep efficiency; 33% showed a decrease in daytime performance; 84% had used hypnotics at some point to induce sleep and 35% used them regularly. Conclusions: This is the first study to report on the perceived sleep quality of patients with heart failure in Spain. Self-perception of sleep quality differed from that estimated by the PSQI. The prevalence of the use of sleep-inducing medication was very high. The diurnal dysfunction generated by sleep disorders in a heart failure environment can contribute to the development of self-care and cognitive deterioration problems

Unexpected behavior of irradiated spider silk links conformational freedom to mechanical performance

Silk fibers from Argiope trifasciata and Nephila inaurata orb-web weaving spiders were UV irradiated to modify the molecular weight of the constituent proteins. Fibers were characterized either as forcibly silked or after being subjected to maximum supercontraction. The effect of irradiation on supercontraction was also studied, both in terms of the percentage of supercontraction and the tensile properties exhibited by irradiated and subsequently supercontracted fibers. The effects of UV exposure at the molecular level were assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. It is shown that UV-irradiated fibers show a steady decrease in their main tensile parameters, most notably, tensile strength and strain. The combination of the mechanical and biochemical data suggests that the restricted conformational freedom of the proteins after UV irradiation is critical in the reduction of these properties. Consequently, an adequate topological organization of the protein chains emerges as a critical design principle in the performance of spider silk

Patient profile and management of delirium in older adults hospitalized due to COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 can cause neurologic symptoms, as well as respiratory ones. Older adults are at risk of developing acute delirium in older persons (ADOP). The combination of experiencing respiratory isolation due to COVID-19, as well as other associated risk factors for older adults, may have had an impact on ADOP and ADOP management in the acute hospital setting. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of ADOP in patients admitted to a COVID-19 unit. An observational prospective study on a sample of 108 patients was carried out between November 2020 and May 2021. The following data were collected: sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors for ADOP, management of ADOP, and impact on ADOP on both functional and cognitive deteriora-tion. A 29.6% proportion of older adults admitted to an acute COVID-19 unit presented hyperactive ADOP, mainly during the night. Management of ADOP in our sample involved mainly pharmaco-logical treatment and had a serious impact on hospital stay and both functional and cognitive dete-rioration. Preventive strategies and being accompanied by a relative or a carer may be useful to manage ADOP during hospital admission due to COVID-19