Spherical Layout Implementation using Centroidal Voronoi Tessellations

The 3D tree visualization faces multiple challenges: the election of an appropriate layout, the use of the interactions that make the data exploration easier and a metaphor that helps in the process of information understanding. A good combination of these elements will result in a visualization that effectively conveys the key features of a complex structure or system to a wide range of users and permits the analytical reasoning process. In previous works we presented the Spherical Layout, a technique for 3D tree visualization that provides an excellent base to achieve those key features. The layout was implemented using the TriSphere algorithm, a method that discretized the spheres's surfaces with triangles to achieve a uniform distribution of the nodes. The goal of this work was centered in a new algorithm for the implementation of the Spherical layout; we called it the Weighted Spherical Centroidal Voronoi Tessellations (WSCVT). In this paper we present a detailed description of this new implementation and a comparison with the TriSphere algorithm

Análisis del emprendimiento y la innovación en la economía del Ecuador durante el período 2010-2014

La presente disertación pretende analizar al emprendimiento y a la innovación como mecanismos de contribución para el desarrollo de la economía ecuatoriana durante el período 2010-2014. Se estudiarán los principales indicadores y variables relacionados a estos conceptos y se los adaptará a la realidad del país, generando un análisis más preciso. Esto permitirá determinar y utilizar los principales indicadores y variables que determinan el éxito de proyectos innovadores valorando así su desempeño durante los años de estudio. Para analizar el comportamiento del emprendimiento y de la innovación se definirán diversos conceptos y actividades estratégicas sugeridas por varios autores y organismos especializados para así ponerlos en práctica y redefinir políticas hacia la participación de los actores tanto del sector público, privado y educativo. Uno de los principales aportes de la innovación y el emprendimiento para la economía ecuatoriana surge a través del impulso para el cambio de la matriz productiva, basado en estos conceptos. De igual forma, se demostrará que el intraemprendimiento (práctica eficaz que mantiene y fomenta determinada actividad en el interior de cualquier organización) es otro de los factores primordiales para el desarrollo de las empresas ecuatorianas. Se considera que la inversión en investigación, desarrollo e innovación (I+D+i) son claves para que los proyectos y empresas del Ecuador mejoren sus procesos productivos en términos de eficacia y eficiencia generando así un desarrollo para la economía del país en el largo plazo

Bed symmetry in the fountain confined conical spouted beds with open-sided draft tubes

Bed symmetry has been analysed in fountain confined conical spouted beds operating with fine particles. Thus, vertical particle velocities and the spout shape have been determined in a wide range of spouting air velocities and bed configurations. Bed symmetry is widely accepted in the spouted beds without draft tubes or with nonporous ones, but this is not the case when open-sided draft tubes are used. Thus, radial particle velocity profiles differ depending on the cross-sectional angular plane considered in the open-sided draft tubes. The spout expands preferentially along the tube opened surface, and is wider as spouting air velocity and aperture ratio are increased. The literature correlations proposed for the average spout diameter have been analysed and no one is valid for estimating this parameter in the whole range of spouting air velocities and configurations analysed in these systems operating with fine particles.This work has received funding from Spain's Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2019-107357RB-I00 (AEI/FEDER, UE)), the Basque Gov- ernment (IT1218–19 and KK-2020/00107) and the European Commis- sion (HORIZON H2020-MSCA RISE-2018. Contract No.: 823745). M. Tellabide thanks Spain's Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport for his Ph.D. grant (FPU14/05814). I. Estiati thanks the University of the Basque Country for her postgraduate grant (ESPDOC18/14)

A novel alternative method for pistachio nuts splitting using conical spouted beds

Closed shell pistachio nuts must be split for their commercialisation, which is conducted in processing plants designed on purpose. Given that current industrial processes have limitations, and pistachio is a booming product, new opening mechanisms alternative to the traditional ones are being developed. Thus, thermal processing has recently gained attention, but the high energy consumption required in these processes has boosted the search of new alternatives. To our knowledge, there is no information about the treatment of pistachio nuts in conical spouted beds. Accordingly, we propose a novel alternative method for pistachio nuts splitting by involving the mentioned technology. Hydrodynamic runs have been conducted to ascertain the configurations that lead to stable operation, and therefore are suitable for low temperature batch drying and splitting of pistachio nuts. The results show that a single cycle of wetting, drying and cooling of pistachio nuts allows attaining splitting percentages of up to 35%.This work has received funding from Spain's Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2019-107357RB-I00 (AEI/FEDER, UE) and PLE2021-008062 (European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR)), the European Commission (HORIZON H2020-MSCA RISE-2018, Contract No.: 823745), the Basque Government (IT) and the University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU (US18/18). Xabier Sukunza thanks the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness for his Ph.D. grant (FPU18/04935). Maider Bolaños is grateful for her Ph.D. grant (PIF21/69) from the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

Long-term results of joint arthroplasty with total prosthesis for trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis in patients over 65 years of age

Producción CientíficaTrapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis (TMCOA) is a highly prevalent disease in the older population. Many different types of surgical treatments are possible, depending on the degree of joint involvement, the personal and professional circumstances of the patient and the preferences of the orthopedic surgeon. This paper evaluated the clinical and radiological results of consecutive cohorts of patients over 65 years old treated with total joint arthroplasties (TJA) of the ball and socket type (B&S) for TMCOA, with a minimum of 10 years follow-up. The survival rate (Kaplan–Meier) of the functional prostheses at 10 years was 92.2% (95% CI (89.1%, 96.1%). These functional arthroplasty patients, after 10 years of follow-up, showed little or no pain, good function and good key pinch, without radiological alterations. TJAs of the B&S type are a long lasting, effective and reliable alternative to surgical treatment of TMCOA in patients over 65 years of age, when they are performed with the patient selection criteria and surgical technique described throughout this study.Fundación General de la Universidad de Valladolid (FUNGE-Uva) - (Art. 83 number 061/186301

Microestructura y propiedades mecánicas de fibras cerámicas eutécticas Al2O3/Er3Al5O12/ZrO2 procesadas por fusión zonal por láser.

Se han estudiado las fibras eutécticas Al2O3-Er3Al5O12-ZrO2 procesadas por fusión zonal por láser a distintas velocidades. Con el aumento de la velocidad de procesado se ha observado un refinamiento de la microestructura así como un cambio en la morfología de la misma. Se ha determinado mediante piezoespectroscopía que la fase alúmina se encuentra a compresión como consecuencia de las tensiones residuales que aparecen en la solidificación tras el fundido. El módulo de la componente hidrostática de dichas tensiones residuales se reduce conforme lo hace el tamaño de las fases. Se ha estudiado la dureza, la tenacidad de fractura y la resistencia a la flexión. Las dos primeras magnitudes han resultado independientes del tamaño de las fases, mientras que la resistencia a la flexión aumenta conforme disminuye el tamaño de las mismas. Finalmente, también se ha estudiado la dependencia de la resistencia a la flexión con la temperatura, observándose un comportamiento superplástico a 1700 K para la fibra procesada a mayor velocida

Total knee arthroplasty in octogenarians: Should we still be so restrictive?

Producción CientíficaDemand for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in octogenarians will increase in subsequent years as society ages. We conducted a retrospective observational study in octogenarians operated on with TKA between 2015 and 2019, comparing preoperative and postoperative Knee Society Score (KSS), Knee Society Function Score (KSFS), extension and flexion balance, and radiologic alignment using a paired Student t-test. A chi-squared test was used to correlate mortality with Charlson comorbidities index score and with ASA scale. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to calculate patient survival. In this period 36 patients ≥80 years underwent TKA, with a mean age of 81.6 years. Of these, 24 patients (66.7%) were classified as ASA II and 12 (33.3%) as ASA III. Sixteen patients (44.4%) were Charlson 0, 14 (38.9%) Charlson 1, two (5.6%) Charlson 2, and four (11.1%) Charlson 3. KSS, KSFS, flexion and extension range, and radiologic alignment were statistically significant (p 0.05) was found between mortality and ASA or Charlson score. Seven patients (19.4%) suffered a medical complication and two patients experienced surgical complications. Four patient died (11.1%) during follow-up. The mean patient survival was 67.4 months. Patients ≥80 years achieve clinical improvement after TKA. Comorbidities, not age, are the burden for surgery in older patients

Demethylation of H3K9 and H3K27 Contributes to the Tubular Renal Damage Triggered by Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Loss of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates the unfolded protein response (UPR), restoring correct protein folding. Sustained ER stress exacerbates activation of the major UPR branches (IRE1α/XBP1, PERK/ATF4, ATF6), inducing expression of numerous genes involved in inflammation, cell death, autophagy, and oxidative stress. We investigated whether epigenetic dynamics mediated by histone H3K9 and H3K27 methylation might help to reduce or inhibit the exacerbated and maladaptive UPR triggered in tubular epithelial cells. Epigenetic treatments, specific silencing, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed in human proximal tubular cells subjected to ER stress. Pharmacological blockage of KDM4C and JMJD3 histone demethylases with SD-70 and GSKJ4, respectively, enhanced trimethylation of H3K9 and H3K27 in the ATF4 and XBP1 genes, inhibiting their expression and that of downstream genes. Conversely, specific G9a and EZH2 knockdown revealed increases in ATF4 and XBP1 expression. This is a consequence of the reduced recruitment of G9a and EZH2 histone methylases, diminished H3K9me3 and H3K27me3 levels, and enhanced histone acetylation at the ATF4 and XBP1 promoter region. G9a and EZH2 cooperate to maintain the repressive chromatin structure in both UPR-induced genes, ATF4 and XBP1. Therefore, preserving histone H3K9 and H3K27 methylation could ameliorate the ER stress, and consequently the oxidative stress and the triggered pathological processes that aggravate renal damageThis research was supported by grants from the Plan Nacional de I+D+ I 2013–2016, Spanish Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII) (grant numbers PI19/00184 to B.S.-A. and PI20/00639 to C.L.-L.), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), Plan de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (PCTI) 2021–2023 del Principado de Asturias (grant number IDI-2021-000032 to C.L.-L.), and Red de Investigación Renal RICORS2040 KIDNEY DISEASE (ISCIII): RD21/0005/0002 to M.R.-O. and RD21/0005/0017 to C.L.-L. Sara Borrell’ program (grant number CD20/00042 to R.R.R.-D.), Rio Hortega’program (grant number CM20/00115), and Miguel Servet I´program (grant number CP18/00106 to B.S.-A.) from ISCIII. A.B.F. received a Severo Ochoa Grant (BP20-143) from Programa de Ayudas “Severo Ochoa” para la formación en investigación y docencia del principado de Asturias, Gobierno del Principado de Asturias. P.D.-B. has been supported by Red de Investigación Renal REDINRED, grant number RD16/0009/0020, ISCIII; and M.L.S. by FEDER-PCTI 2018-2020, Gobierno del Principado de Asturias (grant number IDI/2018/000144

Planeamiento estratégico para la Industria Peruana de la Línea Blanca

En el presente documento se elabora el Planeamiento Estratégico y Administrativo de la Industria de electrodomésticos de línea blanca en el Perú. En la actualidad el Perú cuenta con un bajo nivel de producción en esta industria, por ello la baja participación en el mercado local y una casi nula presencia internacional, aspectos en los que los competidores regionales nos llevan una clara ventaja. En este sentido y pese a la condición anteriormente descrita el plan estratégico centra sus esfuerzos en conseguir que en 10 años el Perú se convierta en un referente en Sudamérica en la fabricación de electrodomésticos de línea blanca, como parte del desarrollo industrial en el Perú, de tal manera que su PBI dependa cada vez menos de la explotación y venta de productos primarios, contribuyendo a la industrialización del país. El plan estratégico se centra en tres objetivos de largo plazo, el primero relacionado al crecimiento en las ventas, el segundo relacionado con el mejoramiento del margen y el tercero en la generación de empleo. El plan estratégico parte de una situación actual analizando el entorno y las condiciones internas, identificando oportunidades y amenazas; así como fortalezas y debilidades, definiendo a partir de ellas doce estrategias de las cuales se priorizaron siete, siendo estas principalmente intensivas e integración. Posteriormente mediante un tablero de control se podrá determinar y medir el éxito o fracaso de las mismas para que, según los resultados obtenidos se puedan tomar decisiones que permitan alcanzar los objetivos trazadosThis applied research present the Strategic and Administrative Planning for the white good appliance industry in Peru. Actually Peru has a low level of production in this industry, in this way, we can to see a low internal market share and an almost no international presence, in these issues, the regional competitors, take us an important advantage. In this sense and despite of these conditions, the current strategic plan focuses its efforts on achieving that in the end of the next 10 years, Peru will become a reference in South America in the manufacture of whitegoods appliances, to achieve as a nation less dependence of the exploitation and sale of primary products, contributing in this way to the industrialization of the country. The strategic plan focuses on three long-term objectives, the first of them is related to growth in sales, the second one is related to the improvement the sales margin and finally the generation of employment. The strategic plan starts evaluating the current situation of the industry, analyzing the environment and internal conditions in the White good appliance industry in Peru, in this way we can identify opportunities and threats; As well as strengths and weaknesses, to finally define twelve strategies; from them, seven were prioritized, of which the most important strategies are intensive and defensive type. Later, through a balance score card, it will be possible to determine and measure their success or failure of the implementation of that strategies, in order to reach the outlined goalsTesi