Acte d´investidura del Professor José Antonio Martín Pereda com a Doctor honoris causa de la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Se recogen los discursos pronunciados en el acto de investidura como Doctor Honoris Causa de D. José Antonio Martín Pereda por la Universidad Politécnica de Cataluñ

Telecommuting´s impact in management and communications variables: IT sector case

En este artículo vamos a profundizar en el análisis de las asociaciones existentes entre las diferentes modalidades de teletrabajo que se encuentran en el sector de TIC y las variables relacionadas con la dirección y comunicación. Por un lado, abundaremos en la forma en que se controla el rendimiento de los teletrabajadores, el momento en que se realiza el control y, en este punto, si son los mismos que se aplican a los no teletrabajadores. También, trataremos de conocer las diferencias respecto a la opinión de si la supervisión de los teletrabajadores requiere más tiempo que la de sus compañeros y al grado de autonomía de éstos para tomar decisiones. Por otro, puntualizaremos las posibles diferencias encontradas respecto a la influencia que tiene el teletrabajo sobre algunas de las variables de comunicación y sobre las opiniones relacionadas con la efectividad de las comunicaciones con los teletrabajadores, características de la dirección remota o el modo de entender la labor del supervisor.In this article we are going to deepen in the analysis of the existing associations between the different modalities from telecommuting in the sector of CIT and variables related to the direction and communication patterns. On the one hand, we will abound in the form at that controls the results of telecommuters, the moment in which the control is made and, in this point, if they are the same that they are applied to non-telecommuters. Also, we will try to know the differences with respect to the opinion of if the supervision of telecommuters requires more time than the one of colleagues and the degree of autonomy of them to make decisions. On the other hand, we will emphasize the possible differences found with respect to the influence that has telecommuting on some of the communication variables and the opinions related to the effectiveness of the communications with the teleworkers, characteristics of the remote direction or the way to understand the work of the supervisor

Archegos and Greensill: collapse, reactions and common features

The recent collapse of certain market operators has reopened the debate on the vulnerabilities of non-bank financial intermediation and their implications from the regulatory and supervisory standpoint. This article focuses on Archegos and Greensill whose collapse, although not systemic, highlights the importance of the interconnections between this type of institutions and the banking sector. It describes the circumstances that led to their collapse, the regulations applicable to them and the main reactions of the competent authorities to date. It then discusses some of the common features that can be identified as determinants and that could inform future debate on these cases from a regulatory and supervisory policy perspective

Field-Pulse-Induced Annealing of 2D Colloidal Polycrystals

Funding: This work has been funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Grants No. PID2019- 105343GB-I00 and PID2019-105195RA-I00) and the project EUR2021-122001. Acknowledgments: We thank Andrés González-Banciella and Alba Camino for initial experimentsTwo-dimensional colloidal crystals are of considerable fundamental and practical importance. However, their quality is often low due to the widespread presence of domain walls and defects. In this work, we explored the annealing process undergone by monolayers of superparamagnetic colloids adsorbed onto fluid interfaces in the presence of magnetic field pulses. These systems present the extraordinary peculiarity that both the extent and the character of interparticle interactions can be adjusted at will by simply varying the strength and orientation of the applied field so that the application of field pulses results in a sudden input of energy. Specifically, we have studied the effect of polycrystal size, pulse duration, slope and frequency on the efficiency of the annealing process and found that (i) this strategy is only effective when the polycrystal consists of less than approximately 10 domains; (ii) that the pulse duration should be of the order of magnitude of the time required for the outer particles to travel one diameter during the heating step; (iii) that the quality of larger polycrystals can be slightly improved by applying tilted pulses. The experimental results were corroborated by Brownian dynamics simulations.Depto. de Estructura de la Materia, Física Térmica y ElectrónicaFac. de Ciencias FísicasTRUEMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN)pu

Simulating Microswimmers Under Confinement With Dissipative Particle (Hydro) Dynamics

In this work we study microwimmers, whether colloids or polymers, embedded in bulk or in confinement. We explicitly consider hydrodynamic interactions and simulate the swimmers via an implementation inspired by the squirmer model. Concerning the surrounding fluid, we employ a Dissipative Particle Dynamics scheme. Differently from the Lattice-Boltzmann technique, on the one side this approach allows us to properly deal not only with hydrodynamics but also with thermal fluctuations. On the other side, this approach enables us to study microwimmers with complex shapes, ranging from spherical colloids to polymers. To start with, we study a simple spherical colloid. We analyze the features of the velocity fields of the surrounding solvent, when the colloid is a pusher, a puller or a neutral swimmer either in bulk or confined in a cylindrical channel. Next, we characterise its dynamical behaviour by computing the mean square displacement and the long time diffusion when the active colloid is in bulk or in a channel (varying its radius) and analyze the orientation autocorrelation function in the latter case. While the three studied squirmer types are characterised by the same bulk diffusion, the cylindrical confinement considerably modulates the diffusion and the orientation autocorrelation function. Finally, we focus our attention on a more complex shape: an active polymer. We first characterise the structural features computing its radius of gyration when in bulk or in cylindrical confinement, and compare to known results obtained without hydrodynamics. Next, we characterise the dynamical behaviour of the active polymer by computing its mean square displacement and the long time diffusion. On the one hand, both diffusion and radius of gyration decrease due to the hydrodynamic interaction when the system is in bulk. On the other hand, the effect of confinement is to decrease the radius of gyration, disturbing the motion of the polymer and thus reducing its diffusion

Association of ferritin elevation and metabolic syndrome in males. Results from the Aragon Workers' Health Study (AWHS)

Context: Ferritin concentration is associated with metabolic syndrome, but the possibility of a nonlinear association has never been explored. Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between serum ferritin levels and the metabolic syndrome in Spanish adult males. Design: This was a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Aragon Workers' Health Study. Setting: Healthy workers from a factory were studied during their annual checkup. Participants: Spanish male adults (n = 3386) between the ages of 19 and 65 years participated. We excluded participants with ferritin > 500 µg/L, ferritin 10 mg/L. Main Outcome Measure: Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the 2009 consensus definition from the Joint Interim Statement of several international societies. Results: Metabolic syndrome prevalence was 27.1%. We found a positive association between elevated iron stores, measured as serum ferritin concentration, and metabolic syndrome and its criteria. Participants within the highest serum ferritin quintile had a higher risk than those in the lowest quintile for central obesity (odds ratio [OR], 1.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.46–2.42), hypertriglyceridemia (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.69–2.74), and metabolic syndrome (OR, 1.92; 95% CI, 1.48–2.49). The association was nonlinear and occurred at serum ferritin concentrations > 100 µg/L (~ 33th percentile). Ferritin was also associated with insulin resistance, measured by homeostatic model assessment–insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (P trend < .001). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that serum ferritin is significantly associated with metabolic syndrome and its criteria (especially central obesity and hypertriglyceridemia), suggesting that ferritin could be an early marker of metabolic damage in the development of metabolic syndrome

Emotional impact on children during home confinement in Spain

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about important changes. On March 14, 2020, a strict home confinement was decreed in Spain. Children did not attend school and were not allowed to leave their homes. The aim of this study was to determine the emotional state of these children, as well as associated factors. Material and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted using an online questionnaire sent by cell phone. This survey includes sociodemographic items and questions concerning the emotional impact of the lockdown. With the questions on emotions, two categories of emotional state were established with the variables fear, irritability, sadness and somatization: those who were less or more emotionally aected. A multivariate logistic model was used to estimate the associations between the variables. Results: A total of 3,890 responses were obtained. The mean age of the children was 6.78 years (range 0 to 16). A score indicating poor emotional state was reported by 40.12%. The multivariate logistic model for poor emotional state was directly associated with having less appetite, sleep disturbances, and with parents’ beliefs that their child will have di culties returning to normal life after lockdown. A better emotional state was associated with being an only child, access to outdoor spaces at home, having pets, and parents informing their children about the pandemic using creative explanations. Conclusions: During strict home confinement, a considerable emotional impact was observed in children as described by their parents. Specific elements were associated with a better or poorer emotional stat

Mechanistic Insights in the Mode of Action of Bifunctional Pyrrolidine-Squaramide-derived Organocatalysts

The modes of catalytic action of three squaramide-derived bifunctional organocatalysts have been investigated using DFT methods. The [5+2] cycloaddition between oxidopyrilium ylides and enals has been used as model reaction. Two primary modes are possible for the different catalysts studied. The preference for one mode over the other is due to the possibility of additional favourable π,π-interactions between the H-bond activated pyrilium ylide and an electron-deficient aromatic ring bonded to a squaramide NH-group. The model can be extended to other reactions catalyzed by the same catalysts such as formal [2+2] cycloadditions between nitroalkenes and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes. The computational results are in excellent concurrence with the available experimental reports on the observed total enantioselectivity and differences in diastereoselectivity depending on the substrate and the reactionThis work was supported by Spanish MINECO Contracts CTQ2013-44367-C2-1-P (to P.M.) and CTQ2014-52107 (to J.L.V.). We also acknowledge the Government of Aragón (Spain) (Group E-10), the Basque Government (Spain) (IT328-10) and Aarhus University (Denmark) for financial support. We acknowledge the Institute of Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems (BIFI) at the University of Zaragoza (Spain) for computer time at clusters Terminus and Memento. D.R.-L. Thanks the Spanish Ministry of Education (MEC) for a predoctoral grant (FPU program)

Comparación de los sistemas de formación en seto y en vaso libre con la variedad de almendro Soleta

El aumento de la demanda de almendra, el desarrollo de nuevas variedades autofértiles y de floración tardía, y el establecimiento de plantaciones en nuevas zonas de regadío han propiciado notables progresos en las técnicas productivas del cultivo del almendro. Una de las más importantes ha sido el aumento de la densidad de plantación, gracias al desarrollo de portainjertos enanizantes. En este trabajo se presenta una comparación entre dos sistemas de formación con la variedad de almendro ‘Soleta’: en seto sobre portainjerto Rootpac-20, frente a la formación en vaso libre sobre portainjerto GF-677. Para ello, se ha realizado un seguimiento, a lo largo de un ciclo vegetativo, de varios parámetros que reflejan el estado clorofílico (fluorescencia y SPAD) y la intercepción lumínica (LAI/fPAR), y se han evaluado otros condicionantes productivos (floración, cuajado y producción) en momentos puntuales del ciclo. Se han observado diferencias entre ambos sistemas en cuanto a peso medio del fruto, producción por volumen de copa y otras características. El grado de eficiencia en el aprovechamiento de los recursos o inputs productivos ha resultado enteramente favorable al nuevo sistema de formación en seto, por lo que su potencial para convertirse en un sistema de referencia en las plantaciones modernas (haciendo uso de cosechadoras cabalgantes similares a las utilizadas para vid y olivo) parece indudable

Comparación de los sistemas de formación en seto y en vaso libre con la variedad de almendro «soleta»

El aumento de la demanda de la almendra, junto con el desarrollo de nuevas variedades autofértiles y de floración tardía, junto al establecimiento de plantaciones en nuevas zonas de regadío, han propiciado notables progresos en las técnicas productivas del cultivo del almendro cada vez más similares a las de las especies de fruta dulce. Una de las más importantes ha sido el aumento de la densidad de plantación, gracias al desarrollo de portainjertos enanizantes. En este trabajo se presenta una comparación entre dos sistemas de formación con la variedad de almendro ‘Soleta’: en seto sobre portainjerto Rootpac®20, frente a la formación en vaso libre sobre portainjerto INRA GF®677. Para ello, se ha realizado un seguimiento, a lo largo de un ciclo vegetativo, de varios parámetros que reflejan el estado clorofílico (fluorescencia y SPAD) y la intercepción lumínica (LAI/fPAR) y se han evaluado otros condicionantes productivos (floración, cuajado y producción) en momentos puntuales del ciclo. Se han observado diferencias entre ambos sistemas en cuanto a peso medio del fruto, producción por volumen de copa y otras características agronómicas. El grado de eficiencia en el aprovechamiento de los recursos o inputs productivos ha resultado favorable al nuevo sistema de formación en seto, por lo que su potencial para convertirse en un sistema de referencia en las plantaciones modernas, mediante el uso de cosechadoras cabalgantes similares a las utilizadas para vid y olivo, parece indudabl