Las escaleras del palacio de Riofrío (Segovia)

Las escaleras del Palacio de Riofrío (Segovia), concebido por el arquitecto tesinés Vigilio Rabaglio para Isabel de Farnesio durante el reinado de Fernando VI, constituyen uno de los espacios barrocos más bellos del panorama arquitectónico español del siglo XVIII. El objetivo de este artículo se centra en las propuestas de escalera que Vigilio Rabaglio presentó a Isabel de Farnesio, sus modelos de inspiración, así como su proceso de construcción y posterior decoración escultórica. Su fallecimiento en 1766 provocó el abandono del proyecto antes finalizarse la decoración interior del palacio.The stairs of the Riofrío Palace (Segovia), designed by Ticino architect Vigilio to Elizabeth Farnese Rabaglio during the reign of Ferdinand VI, are one of the most beautiful baroque spaces of the Spanish architectural panorama of the eighteenth century. The aim of this paper focuses on the knowledge of its imperial staircase, Vigilio Rabaglio proposals submitted to Elizabeth Farnese, their models of inspiration, and its subsequent construction process and sculptural decoration. His death in 1766 caused the abandonment of the project be completed before the interior decoration

Seabird ecology in relation to fisheries

Previous research has hinted at changes in the migratory patterns of seabirds nesting in Scotland, including a decreasing number of Northern Gannets Morus bassanus wintering in the North Sea, and an increase in numbers of Northern Gannets and Great Skuas Stercorarius skua spending the winter off north-western Africa (NWA). Both species show increasing numbers of colonies in northern areas, including Norway and Russia. These seabird species move through the North Sea during autumn migration, and from there search for favourable wintering grounds mainly around Iberia, including the Atlantic coast of Portugal, the Bay of Biscay and the Gulf of Cadiz. By means of historic ring recovery data, provided by the British Trust for Ornithology, it was possible to establish that the number of records of adults of both species are increasing in recent years from NWA coasts, despite having to attend their nests in the colonies and, as a result, having limited time to migrate south. Differences were observed in ring recovery locations between years and months. The number of ring recoveries by month coincides with records from observation points along the coast of Western Europe. However, ring recovery data are limited and potentially biased. Using data loggers, it was possible to establish that both species are diurnal in habits during the entire winter period, showing noticeable differences in the times spent flying during the migration months (September-October) and during the wintering and breeding months (January and March respectively), and to confirm the increasing tendency to winter off NWA in recent years. Analyses of fishing landings, discard rates, and sea surface temperature data, show that food available to Northern Gannets and Great Skuas is increasing in NWA coasts where oceanographic conditions are stable; in contrast in the North Sea fisheries are decreasing and the sea surface is warming. Both species are apparently changing their migratory behaviour in order to face the constant changes in the abundance of food. Given the long life-span of Northern Gannets and Great Skuas, genetic changes can be ruled out of an explanation for the changes in migration behaviour, and the fact that the changes in winter distribution appear to be occurring within one generation of the birds. The winter distribution of Northern Gannets and Great Skuas may be due to an ideal free distribution over a wide range, in response to changes in the distribution of fish and the availability of discards

Oligarquías y poderes concejiles en la Castilla bajomedieval: balance y perspectivas

Producción CientíficaConcejos, poderes municipales, formación de las primeras oligarquías y de las estrategias y mecanismos de dominación... son algunos de los problemas sobre los que tradicionalmente ha girado la historiografía medieval castellana. Sin embargo, y como es bien sabido, no se trata de cuestiones recientes ni mucho menos, tampoco, de temas que hayan gozado de una mínima unanimidad en su tratamiento; al contrario, lejos de ser una novedad, la valoración del municipio en el Antiguo Régimen y el proceso de constitución de las oligarquías han centrado la atención de un gran número de historiadores, que, desde diversas perspectivas, han abordado su estudio desde bien entrado el siglo XIX. [Texto extraído del artículo de Juan Carlos Martín Cea]

Cardiac damage biomarkers and heart rate variability following a 118-km mountain race: relationship with performance and recovery

This study aimed to assess the release of cardiac damage biomarkers jointly with cardiac autonomic modulation after a mountain ultramarathon. Such knowledge and the possible relationship of these markers with race time is of primary interest to establish possible recommendations upon athletes’ recovery and return to training following these competitions. Forty six athletes enrolled in the Penyagolosa Trails CSP115 race (118 km and a total positive elevation of 5439 m) took part in the study. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-TNT) concentrations as well as linear and nonlinear heart rate variability (HRV) were evaluated before and after the race. NT-proBNP and hs-TNT significantly increased post-race; fifty percent of the finishers surpassed the Upper Reference Limit (URL) for hs-TNT while 87% exceeded the URL for NT-proBNP. Overall and vagally-mediated HRV were diminished and cardiac autonomic modulation became less complex and more predictable following the race. More pronounced vagal modulation decreases were associated with higher levels of postexertional NT-proBNP. Moreover, rise in hs-TNT and NT-proBNP was greater among faster runners, while pre-race overall and vagally-mediated HRV were correlated with finishing time. Participation in a 118-km ultratrail induces an acute release of cardiac damage biomarkers and a large alteration of cardiac autonomic modulation. Furthermore, faster runners were those who exhibited a greater rise in those cardiac damage biomarkers. In light of these findings, an appropriate recovery period after ultraendurance races appears prudent and particularly important among better performing athletes. At the same time, HRV analysis is shown as a promising tool to assess athletes’ readiness to perform at their maximum level in an ultraendurance race

Crowdfunding de préstamos para PyMEs en España: Un análisis empírico

El crowdfunding de préstamos está introduciéndose en el mercado español como un producto alternativo de financiación e inversión respaldado por una legislación que brinda transparencia y seguridad jurídica tanto a inversores como a las empresas con necesidades de financiación. El presente artículo analiza el impacto en España del crowdfunding, el binomio rentabilidad-riesgo del producto y los efectos de la diversificación, así como sus ventajas y desventajas respecto a otros vehículos de inversión y financiación. Asimismo, se determinan las variables que explican el coste del capital de los préstamos mediante un modelo de regresión. Los resultados obtenidos permiten prever el inicio de un círculo virtuoso que convierta el crowdfunding en parte de la solución a las ineficiencias del mercado financiero, primordialmente respecto los problemas de financiación y rentabilidad que acarrean las PyMEs y los pequeños ahorradores, y en una nueva herramienta de colaboración público-privada respecto aquellos proyectos que presenten externalidades positivas.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Public-private partnerships for real estate projects: current framework and new trends

Purpose -In the current economic context, caused by the financial crisis which began in 2007 and by the economic downturn that it triggered, the interest in developing projects through public-private partnerships is growing. There is no question that for the world's real estate market the events of recent years represented the greatest crisis since the 1930s and had a devastatingimpact on the availability of public resources. In this scenario, there is a clear need for the establishment of advanced, innovative approaches in order to avoid delays in execution of real estate projects, which are highly capital-intensive, and in orde r to ensure quality and cost-effective service delivery. In view of the above, this paper analyses the framework and the new trends in public-private partnerships, such as the constitution of public-private real estate funds that allow risk allocation on an agreed basis, primarily for the development of projects with positive externalities. Design/methodology/approach - Through data collection, the study analyses the current situation of public-private partnerships in the global real estate industry. It identifies the main forms of collaboration, the legal structure of the partnerships, types of public and private organizations involved, allocation of risks among project stakeholders, the project leadership team, financial contributions, kinds of projects developed, and the key factors for success. Findings – The present framework of advanced and innovative public-private partnerships for real estate projects and the new trends being introduced aim to combine a better allocation of public resources with the competitive approach provided by private participation. Originality/value The limited availability of public resources and the high financial investment required to carry out real estate projects make it imperative to find complex, innovative ways of developing projects of this kind with positive externalities for societyPeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Use of portable devices and confocal Raman spectrometers at different wavelength to obtain the spectral information of the main organic components in tomatoes (Solanum Lycopersicum) fruits

Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit samples, in two ripening stages, ripe (red) and unripe (green), collected from a cultivar in the North of Spain (Barrika, Basque Country), were analyzed directly, without any sample pretreatment, with two different Raman instruments (portable spectrometer coupled to a micro-videocamera and a confocal Raman microscope), using two different laser excitation wavelengths (514 and 785 nm, only for the confocal microscope). The combined use of these laser excitation wavelengths allows obtaining, in a short period of time, the maximum spectral information about the main organic compounds present in this fruit. The major identified components of unripe tomatoes were cutin and cuticular waxes. On the other hand, the main components on ripe tomatoes were carotenes, polyphenoles and polysaccharides. Among the carotenes, it was possible to distinguish the presence of lycopene from b-carotene with the help of both excitation wavelengths, but specially using the 514 nm one, which revealed specific overtones and combination tones of this type of carotene.This work has been financially supported by Research Project S-PE11-UN128 of the Basque Country government. Technical and support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU, MICINN, GV/EJ, ESF) is gratefully acknowledged

Conversación con Julián Casanova: sobre la Historia, los historiadores y la Universidad

A partir del análisis del carácter polisémico de la expresión "Crisis de la Historia" y de matizar el supuesto declive de las grandes corrientes historiográficas del siglo XX, la entrevista reflexiona sobre distintas alternativas historiográficas planteadas en la actualidad -nueva Historia Cultural, emergencia de nuevos temas y sujetos: raza, género, subalternos ... -, indaga sobre la crisis del oficio de historiador dentro de la sociedad y revisa el papel de la Sociología Histórica y su vinculación con la renovación de la Historia Social. Asimismo, se discute sobre la situación de la historiografía en España, los problemas de los historiadores, su relación con el panorama universitario actual en nuestro país y se debaten algunas de sus posibles soluciones.After considering the polysemic nature of the very phrase "the crisis of History" and qualifying the alleged decline of the twentieth century's major historiographical trends, this interview explores the several alternatives that lie open today -the New Cultural History, the rise of new topics and subjects for History (race, gender, subaltern studies ... }- and probes into the crisis surrounding the historian' s job in to-day's society while reviewing at the same time the role of Historical Sociology and its connections with the renewal of Social History. Together with that, this item includes a discussion of present-day historiography in Spain, the main problems that affect its practitioners, its bonds with the University world and the range of possible solutions