Encuesta sobre actitudes hacia la inmigración y los inmigrantes en España (EASIE survey)

[Description of methods used for data collection] The EASIE survey was directed to a vast sample of Spanish nationals residing in Spain (N=2.344); data were collected by a combination of self-administered online questionnaires (CAWI; N=1.965) and telephone interviews (CATI; N=379); the latter were employed for sociodemographic profiles with low Internet use. Fieldwork was conducted by IMOP Insights, a specialized private-sector entity. The survey was approved by the Spanish Research Council’ Ethics Committee (reference nº 127/2020). The CAWI sample was random-selected among members of E-MOP who met required profile characteristics (age group, sex, etc.). E-MOP is a probability-based internet panel run by IMOP Insights. With a view to obtaining the best possible match between sample and the population of study, the CATI sample employed a dual (landline & mobile) sampling frame that sought to compensate internet penetration rates in each age group. Landline participants were selected in two steps: random selection of households based on landline listings, and subsequent quota-based selection of individuals (age & sex), always giving preference to the household member whose profile was worst represented in the sample at the time of call and postponing the interview if that person was temporarily unavailable. Mobile lines were randomly generated from the ranges assigned by the Spanish phone regulator to each mobile operator, automatically discarding inactive lines; the database was checked prior to fieldwork. For the CAWI sample, an average of 3 reminders were sent (maximum 5 contacts, i.e., initial invitation plus 4 reminders). For CATI, selected numbers not contacted at the first attempt were called two more times on average. Average questionnaire duration was 13.6 minutes for CAWI and 19.7 minutes for CATI. For illustrative purposes, the nominal margin of sampling error under the assumption of simple probability sampling for the whole sample (not applicable in this case) would be ±2.1 for p=q=50% and a significance level of 95%.“codebook” and “readme” are English translations of the corresponding Spanish-language documents.[EN] This survey provides detailed information on the Spanish population’s attitudes toward immigration and immigrants, as well as a wide array of potential covariates such as sociodemographic characteristics, perceptions of economic and social context and political attitudes, among others. The survey was fielded in October of 2020, combining self-administered online interviews (CAWI) and telephone interviews (CATI), to a sample of Spanish nationals residing in Spain (N=2,344). This survey was part of the research project “Explaining Placid Attitudes toward Immigrants in Spain (EASIE)”, funded by MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ and by ERDF “A way of making Europe” (CSO2017-87364-R; Principal Investigator: Sebastian Rinken).[ES] Esta encuesta proporciona información detallada sobre las actitudes de la población española hacia el hecho inmigratorio y las personas inmigradas, así como un amplio abanico de variables potencialmente relacionadas con ellas (rasgos sociodemográficos; percepciones del contexto económico y político; actitudes políticas; etc.). La encuesta fue ejecutada en octubre de 2020 mediante una combinación de entrevistas auto-administradas por internet (CAWI) y entrevistas telefónicas (CATI) dirigidas a una amplia muestra de la población residente en España y con nacionalidad española (N=2.344). La encuesta se realizó en el marco del proyecto de investigación “Explicando Actitudes Sosegadas hacia los Inmigrantes en España (EASIE)”, financiado por MCIN/ AEI /10.13039/501100011033/ y por FEDER “Una manera de hacer Europa” (CSO2017-87364-R; investigador principal: Sebastian Rinken).The survey was conducted in the framework of the R+D project entitled “Explaining Placid Attitudes toward Immigrants in Spain” (“Explicando Actitudes Sosegadas hacia los Inmigrantes en España”, acronym EASIE), funded by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033/ and by ERDF “A way of making Europe”, grant number CSO2017-87364-R.EASIE_dataset.csv EASIE_dataset.sav EASIE_codebook_SP.pdf EASIE_codebook_EN.pdf EASIE_readme_SP.pdf EASIE_readme_EN.pdf EASIE survey.pdfPeer reviewe

Healthcare workers hospitalized due to COVID-19 have no higher risk of death than general population. Data from the Spanish SEMI-COVID-19 Registry

Aim To determine whether healthcare workers (HCW) hospitalized in Spain due to COVID-19 have a worse prognosis than non-healthcare workers (NHCW). Methods Observational cohort study based on the SEMI-COVID-19 Registry, a nationwide registry that collects sociodemographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment data on patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in Spain. Patients aged 20-65 years were selected. A multivariate logistic regression model was performed to identify factors associated with mortality. Results As of 22 May 2020, 4393 patients were included, of whom 419 (9.5%) were HCW. Median (interquartile range) age of HCW was 52 (15) years and 62.4% were women. Prevalence of comorbidities and severe radiological findings upon admission were less frequent in HCW. There were no difference in need of respiratory support and admission to intensive care unit, but occurrence of sepsis and in-hospital mortality was lower in HCW (1.7% vs. 3.9%; p = 0.024 and 0.7% vs. 4.8%; p<0.001 respectively). Age, male sex and comorbidity, were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality and healthcare working with lower mortality (OR 0.211, 95%CI 0.067-0.667, p = 0.008). 30-days survival was higher in HCW (0.968 vs. 0.851 p<0.001). Conclusions Hospitalized COVID-19 HCW had fewer comorbidities and a better prognosis than NHCW. Our results suggest that professional exposure to COVID-19 in HCW does not carry more clinical severity nor mortality

M-Banking: Oportunidades y barreras para el desarrollo de servicios financieros a través de tecnologías móviles en América Latina y el Caribe

El presente trabajo parte de la constatación de dos hechos: por un lado, una gran parte de la población de América Latina carece de acceso a servicios financieros y bancarios, pese a que existe una considerable demanda potencial, en parte por problemas de falta de penetración de la infraestructura en zonas rurales; por otro lado, la telefonía móvil, como tecnología más pujante en la región, ha alcanzado una profundidad y una llegada a zonas remotas que hubiera sido impensable hace unos años. La confluencia de estos dos hechos ofrece una oportunidad clara para desarrollar nuevas formas de acercar los servicios financieros a la población utilizando tecnologías móviles

Servicios financieros a través de tecnologías móviles: Metodología de análisis de entorno

El presente trabajo parte de la constatación de dos hechos: por un lado, una gran parte de la población de América Latina carece de acceso a servicios financieros y bancarios, pese a que existe una considerable demanda potencial, en parte por problemas de falta de penetración de la infraestructura en zonas rurales; por otro lado, la telefonía móvil, como tecnología más pujante en la región, ha alcanzado una profundidad y una llegada a zonas remotas que hubiera sido impensable hace unos años. La confluencia de estos dos hechos ofrece una oportunidad clara para desarrollar nuevas formas de acercar los servicios financieros a la población utilizando tecnologías móviles. El propósito de este documento es presentar la metodología empleada para su replicación de cara a la realización de estudios similares en otros países

Potential of land use activities to offset road traffic greenhouse gas emissions in Central Spain

The transport sector is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases, adding in Spain near a quarter of the total national emissions, the majority in road transport. Therefore, road contribution to climate change should be mitigated to achieve the proposed goals in the fight against climate change. Policies and strategies suggest several preventive mitigation options, but have paid little attention to compensatory mitigation. We have conducted a theoretical case study in a Spanish province, Segovia, estimating the carbon dioxide emissions in the road network between 2015 and 2050, and analysing different compensation possibilities through conservation agriculture, agroforestry, afforestation and hedgerow plantation. We have calculated carbon sequestration in the reference period and costs per tonne for each option, estimating the budget range of offsetting road carbon emission, and funding possibilities, especially through fuel taxes. The paper demonstrates that offsetting carbon emissions produced by roads in this area is technically possible and highly desirable, unifying carbon sequestration, biodiversity improvement and rural development. The main challenge is funding, which depends largely on the political will and the awareness of the citizens

Towards an Integrated Environmental Compensation Scheme in Spain: Linking Biodiversity and Carbon Offsets

Biodiversity offsets and carbon markets are both environmental compensation schemes, which have much in common despite their different origins and development. They need active markets to succeed with actual offer and demand, which are currently practically non-existent in Spain. The inclusion of land use and forestry activities in greenhouse gas accounting could encourage carbon sinks, stimulating the development of carbon markets. Conservation banking was incorporated into Spanish legislation in the 2013 Environmental Assessment Act, as a tool for biodiversity offsets, but the current situation is hindering its development. Combining carbon and biodiversity offsets in a global compensation scheme would provide great opportunities: ecologically, creating and protecting habitats and species; socially, creating employment and deriving financial resources to rural areas; climatically, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration levels; and politically, contributing to the compliance of GHG emission targets. Conservation banking is an appropriate candidate for this integration in Spain, as long as it is regulated flexibly, and different bank models are allowed that are able to integrate forest and agriculture production, conservation and compensation

Correction: Effect of curcuminoids and curcumin derivate products on thioredoxin-glutathione reductase from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci. Evidence suggesting a curcumin oxidation product as a suitable inhibitor.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220098.]

Effect of curcuminoids and curcumin derivate products on thioredoxin-glutathione reductase from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci. Evidence suggesting a curcumin oxidation product as a suitable inhibitor.

Curcuma is a traditional ingredient of some Eastern cuisines, and the spice is heralded for its antitumoral and antiparasitic properties. In this report, we examine the effect of the curcuminoides which include curcumin, demethoxycurcumin (DMC) and bis-demethoxycurcumin (BDMC), as well as curcumin degradation products on thioredoxin glutathione reductase from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci Results revealed that both DMC and BDMC were inhibitors of TGR activity in the micromolar concentration range. By contrast, the inhibitory ability of curcumin was a time-dependent process. Kinetic and spectroscopical evidence suggests that an intermediary compound of curcumin oxidation, probably spiroepoxide, is responsible. Preincubation of curcumin in the presence of NADPH, but not glutathione disulfide (GSSG), resulted in the loss of its inhibitory ability, suggesting a reductive stabilizing effect. Similarly, preincubation of curcumin with sulfhydryl compounds fully protected the enzyme from inhibition. Degradation products were tested for their inhibitory potential, and 4-vinylguaiacol was the best inhibitor (IC50 = 12.9 μM), followed by feruloylmethane (IC50 = 122 μM), vanillin (IC50 = 127 μM), and ferulic aldehyde (IC50 = 180 μM). The acid derivatives ferulic acid (IC50 = 465 μM) and vanillic acid (IC50 = 657 μM) were poor inhibitors. On the other hand, results from docking analysis revealed a common binding site on the enzyme for all the compounds, albeit interacting with different amino acid residues. Dissociation constants obtained from the docking were in accord with the inhibitory efficiency of the curcumin degradation products

Non-invasive electromechanical assessment during atrial fibrillation identifies underlying atrial myopathy alterations with early prognostic value.

Electromechanical characterization during atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a significant gap in the understanding of AF-related atrial myopathy. This study reports mechanistic insights into the electromechanical remodeling process associated with AF progression and further demonstrates its prognostic value in the clinic. In pigs, sequential electromechanical assessment during AF progression shows a progressive decrease in mechanical activity and early dissociation from its electrical counterpart. Atrial tissue samples from animals with AF reveal an abnormal increase in cardiomyocytes death and alterations in calcium handling proteins. High-throughput quantitative proteomics and immunoblotting analyses at different stages of AF progression identify downregulation of contractile proteins and progressive increase in atrial fibrosis. Moreover, advanced optical mapping techniques, applied to whole heart preparations during AF, demonstrate that AF-related remodeling decreases the frequency threshold for dissociation between transmembrane voltage signals and intracellular calcium transients compared to healthy controls. Single cell simulations of human atrial cardiomyocytes also confirm the experimental results. In patients, non-invasive assessment of the atrial electromechanical relationship further demonstrate that atrial electromechanical dissociation is an early prognostic indicator for acute and long-term rhythm control.This work was supported by the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement#965286. The study was also supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN) (PID2019- 109329RB-I00 and PGC2018-097019-B-I00) funded by MCIN / AEI / 10.13039/501100011033, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria grant PRB3) (PT17/0019/0003- ISCIII-SGEFI / ERDF, ProteoRed), the Fundación Interhospitalaria para la Investigación Cardiovascular, the Fundación Salud 2000 and by “la Caixa” Banking Foundation (project code HR17-00247). The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (CEX2020- 001041-S funded by MICIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). We also thank Asunción Conde and Sergey Mironov for their support on monitoring database quality and advice in ECG signal processing, respectively.S

Non-invasive electromechanical assessment during atrial fibrillation identifies underlying atrial myopathy alterations with early prognostic value

Electromechanical characterization during atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a significant gap in the understanding of AF-related atrial myopathy. This study reports mechanistic insights into the electromechanical remodeling process associated with AF progression and further demonstrates its prognostic value in the clinic. In pigs, sequential electromechanical assessment during AF progression shows a progressive decrease in mechanical activity and early dissociation from its electrical counterpart. Atrial tissue samples from animals with AF reveal an abnormal increase in cardiomyocytes death and alterations in calcium handling proteins. High-throughput quantitative proteomics and immunoblotting analyses at different stages of AF progression identify downregulation of contractile proteins and progressive increase in atrial fibrosis. Moreover, advanced optical mapping techniques, applied to whole heart preparations during AF, demonstrate that AF-related remodeling decreases the frequency threshold for dissociation between transmembrane voltage signals and intracellular calcium transients compared to healthy controls. Single cell simulations of human atrial cardiomyocytes also confirm the experimental results. In patients, non-invasive assessment of the atrial electromechanical relationship further demonstrate that atrial electromechanical dissociation is an early prognostic indicator for acute and long-term rhythm control. Electromechanical characterization during atrial fibrillation (AF) remains a significant gap in the understanding of AF-related atrial myopathy. Here, the authors use non-invasive atrial electromechanical assessment during AF to identify early remodeling changes associated with underlying myopathy, which in the clinic decrease the probability of acute and mid-term successful rhythm control