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Abstract This study assessed the impact of team offensive variables on goals scored in Spain’s first-division soccer league from 2012–2013 to 2021–2022. A nomothetic multidimensional study was conducted, following the STROBE checklist. From 115 team variables available in the INSTAT database, 57 offensive metrics were selected. The selection was performed independently by five researchers to ensure comprehensive inclusion of relevant metrics. The data included 38 league matches each season, involving 30 teams. The study identified key offensive performance metrics strongly correlated with goals scored. These include shots on target (r = 0.898), chances created (r = 0.871), penalty box entries (r = 0.852), positional attacks with shots (r = 0.818), total shots (r = 0.807), central attacks with shots (r = 0.804), accurate passes (r = 0.760), and efficiency in positional attacks (r = 0.755). The findings underscore the importance of specific offensive metrics in enhancing goal-scoring capabilities. Coaches can improve their team’s offensive performance by focusing on passing accuracy, dribbling, and maximizing scoring chances. Successful teams consistently convert attacks into shots on goal through various situations, including central attacks, flanks, counterattacks, corners, and set pieces. Tactical adjustments based on these insights can optimize offensive effectiveness.

Abstract Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory, debilitating skin disease. HS is difficult‐to‐treat, and a multifaceted treatment approach is recommended to achieve adequate clinical response. A greater understanding of HS treatment could help identify unmet clinical needs. Objectives To evaluate disease characteristics and treatment patterns in a real‐world population of patients with HS in Spain. Methods This retrospective analysis utilised data collected from the Adelphi HS Disease Specific Programme between November 2020 and April 2021. Dermatologists completed patient record forms (PRFs) for consulting HS patients. Outcomes included disease severity, HS clinical signs, quality of life measures, medical treatments and previous surgeries. Results Overall, 53 dermatologists completed 332 PRFs, each representing one patient with HS. Based on physician‐judged disease severity at sampling, 73.8%, 22.9% and 3.3% of patients were classified as mild, moderate or severe, respectively. Overall, patients presented with 2.8±2.7 (mean±SD) HS symptoms, which increased with worsening disease severity. The most frequently reported symptoms were ‘inflammation/redness of HS lesions/abscess’ (45.9%), general pain/discomfort (39.9%) and pain on sitting (32.3%). Overall, patients reported a mean±SD Dermatology Life Quality Index score of 4.7±4.8, which increased with worsening disease severity (mild, 3.9±4.3; moderate, 8.7±5.1; moderate to severe, 9.0±5.1). When asked what effect HS had on everyday activities, a large proportion of patients reported that HS sometimes or greatly affected personal appearance/self‐confidence (66.0%), mood (60.2%), close personal relationships (60.4%), motivation (38.3%), leisure activities (43.0%) and feelings about the future (33.6%). At the time of HS diagnosis, the most frequently prescribed treatment regimens were topicals (70.7%), antibiotics (57.6%) and antiseptics (32.2%). At the time of sampling, the most common treatment regimens were biologics (43.8%), topicals (34.9%) and antibiotics (32.2%). The mean±SD number of surgical interventions was 0.6±0.8; incision and drainage (31.3%), local or limited excision (13.0%), and wide surgical excision of all hair‐bearing skin (9.9%) were the most common surgeries. Conclusions These real‐world data suggest a high disease burden in patients with HS in Spain. Patients received multiple treatments, and a notable proportion underwent surgery. More data are needed to define optimal HS management strategies.

Abstract Background Accurately determining the epidemiology of dermatological diseases such as hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), psoriasis (PsO), chronic urticaria (CU) and/or atopic dermatitis (AD) is challenging due to variations in prevalence and disease severity in the reported literature. Objectives The DERMACLEAR study aims to use natural language processing (NLP) to assess the proportions of patients with HS, PsO, CU and/or AD, and obtain information on patient profiles, patient journeys, and disease and healthcare burden in Spain. Here, the study design and objectives of the DERMACLEAR study are described and the precision of the NLP system used is assessed. Methods This study will retrospectively collect patient information from electronic health records (EHRs) at dermatology departments from seven tertiary hospitals in Spain. The NLP system was developed by IOMED Medical Solutions and was verified internally (IOMED scientific team) and externally (principal investigators of each hospital) to determine its precision in identifying patients with HS, PsO, CU and/or AD. Furthermore, internal verification was performed on other medical variables relevant to the study. Results To date, the DERMACLEAR study has retrospectively collected data from 54,458 patients with HS, PsO, CU and/or AD (HS: 5045; PsO: 32,559; CU: 8397; AD: 12,492). The average precision of the NLP system to identify patients diagnosed with HS, PsO, CU, and/or AD across all hospitals exceeded 95% via external and internal verification. Conclusions Results from the DERMACLEAR study will increase the real‐world evidence of clinical practice, obtaining a large amount of information on patients with the studied diseases. The NLP system used is precise in identifying patients diagnosed with HS, PsO, CU and/or AD, and other medical variables from EHRs, highlighting that it is a valid system to use in the DERMACLEAR study.

Abstract We perform a classification of all potential supersymmetric R-parity violating signatures at the LHC to address the question: are existing bounds on supersymmetric models robust, or are there still signatures not covered by existing searches, allowing LHC-scale supersymmetry to be hiding? We analyze all possible scenarios with one dominant RPV trilinear coupling at a time, allowing for arbitrary LSPs and mass spectra. We consider direct production of the LSP, as well as production via gauge-cascades, and find 6 different experimental signatures for the LL E ¯ $$ LL\overline{E} $$ -case, 6 for the LQ D ¯ $$ LQ\overline{D} $$ -case, and 5 for the U ¯ $$ \overline{U} $$ D ¯ $$ \overline{D} $$ D ¯ $$ \overline{D} $$ -case; together these provide complete coverage of the RPV-MSSM landscape. This set of signatures is confronted with the existing searches by ATLAS and CMS. We find all signatures have been covered at the LHC, although not at the sensitivity level needed to probe the direct production of all LSP types. For the case of a dominant LL E ¯ $$ LL\overline{E} $$ -operator, we use CheckMATE to quantify the current lower bounds on the supersymmetric masses and find the limits to be comparable to or better than the R-parity conserving case. Our treatment can be easily extended to scenarios with more than one non-zero RPV coupling.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects on speed and agility of including ball driving during resisted sprint training in relation to regular soccer training. Thirty male soccer players (age: 18.10 ± 0.66 years; height: 179 ± 0.06 cm; body mass: 76.22 ± 4.76 kg; systematic practice: 8.6 ± 1.73 years) participated in the study and were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG; n = 18) or a control group (CG; n = 12). The research was conducted during a training camp. The intervention period lasted 6 weeks and during that period all players performed their usual soccer training. However, the EG performed two weekly sessions of a supplementary training of resisted sprints with a ball. Within-group analysis showed significant improvements in 5-m (p = 0.005) and 10-m (p = 0.016) sprint performance; and New multi-change of direction agility test (NMAT; p = 0.002), Illinois (IAT; p = 0.002), T-test (p = 0.003), Arrowhead COD (Arrowhead-R, p = < 0.001; Arrowhead-L, p = < 0.001) test and Zigzag agility test (Zigzag-B; p = 0.006) from pretest to posttest in EG. However, the CG didn't show any significant improvements. Between-groups analysis revealed differences in favor of the EG in Zigzag-B, IAT, Arrowhead-R, Arrowhead-L and NMAT. This study's results support the efficacy of a short-term training program that includes resisted sprints exercises to improve the performance of soccer players.

Abstract Background Connections between habitats are key to a full understanding of anthropic impacts on ecosystems. Freshwater habitats are especially biodiverse, yet depend on exchange with terrestrial habitats. White storks (Ciconia ciconia) are widespread opportunists that often forage in landfills and then visit wetlands, among other habitats. It is well known that white storks ingest contaminants at landfills (such as plastics and antibiotic resistant bacteria), which can be then deposited in other habitats through their faeces and regurgitated pellets. Methods We characterized the role of white storks in habitat connectivity by analyzing GPS data from populations breeding in Germany and wintering from Spain to Morocco. We overlaid GPS tracks on a land-use surface to construct a spatially-explicit network in which nodes were sites, and links were direct flights. We then calculated centrality metrics, identified spatial modules, and quantified overall connections between habitat types. For regional networks in southern Spain and northern Morocco, we built Exponential Random Graph Models (ERGMs) to explain network topologies as a response to node habitat. Results For Spain and Morocco combined, we built a directed spatial network with 114 nodes and 370 valued links. Landfills were the habitat type most connected to others, as measured by direct flights. The relevance of landfills was confirmed in both ERGMs, with significant positive effects of this habitat as a source of flights. In the ERGM for southern Spain, we found significant positive effects of rice fields and salines (solar saltworks) as sinks for flights. By contrast, in the ERGM for northern Morocco, we found a significant positive effect of marshes as a sink for flights. Conclusions These results illustrate how white storks connect landfills with terrestrial and aquatic habitats, some of which are managed for food production. We identified specific interconnected habitat patches across Spain and Morocco that could be used for further studies on biovectoring of pollutants, pathogens and other propagules.

Abstract Machine-learning techniques have become fundamental in high-energy physics and, for new physics searches, it is crucial to know their performance in terms of experimental sensitivity, understood as the statistical significance of the signal-plus-background hypothesis over the background-only one. We present here a simple method that combines the power of current machine-learning techniques to face high-dimensional data with the likelihood-based inference tests used in traditional analyses, which allows us to estimate the sensitivity for both discovery and exclusion limits through a single parameter of interest, the signal strength. Based on supervised learning techniques, it can perform well also with high-dimensional data, when traditional techniques cannot. We apply the method to a toy model first, so we can explore its potential, and then to a LHC study of new physics particles in dijet final states. Considering as the optimal statistical significance the one we would obtain if the true generative functions were known, we show that our method provides a better approximation than the usual naive counting experimental results.

Esta investigación tiene el objetivo de explicar cómo la estructura y el funcionamiento del análisis interaccional del discurso (AID) puede convertirse en una propuesta teórica y metodológica para el estudio del discurso en la investigación social. Esta perspectiva analítica pone el acento en las personas que interactúan discursivamente, haciendo del texto una evidencia de la intención humana al momento de actuar. Asimismo, reconoce un diálogo real, situado, en el que se demuestra la existencia de personas en los eventos; además de asumir que con base en los actos de habla, se pueden generar evaluaciones intencionadas y mediadas ideológicamente, con lo cual se hace patente que detrás del decir hay dinámicas de poder y resistencias. Se concluye que el AID ofrece una alternativa innovadora para identificar el sentido de los textos desde el posicionamiento de sus actores en acción. Este enfoque provoca un cambio de agujas en las lecturas de la realidad social por cuanto devela potenciales tensiones y perspectivas para profundizar en los fenómenos de interés a partir de sus actores y sus circunstancias.

In this paper, we analyse the impact of gender equality in managerial positions on wages and the gender wage gap in 22 European countries. We draw on the employer–employee microdata from the European Structure of Earnings Survey (E-SES) for the year 2018, which allows us to include firm fixed effects in our econometric specifications, thus controlling for both observed and unobserved heterogeneity at the firm level. The analysis is carried out not only at the mean but also across the wage distribution through unconditional quantile regressions. The results on the impact of gender equality in management on wages are mixed. However, we find that gender equality has a predominantly positive effect in the upper part of the wage distribution, and a negative effect in the middle and lower parts. The results on the impact on the gender wage gap show that in many cases, a more gender-equal management reduces the gender wage gap. Furthermore, gender equality in management reduces the gender wage gap mainly in the middle and lower part of the wage distribution.

Recent field data suggest that migratory gulls disperse many rice field weeds by gut passage (endozoochory), most of which are dry fruited and widely assumed to have no long-distance dispersal mechanisms, except via human activity. We investigated this mechanism with a feeding experiment, in which seeds of five common rice field weeds (in order of increasing seed size: Juncus bufonius, Cyperus difformis, Polypogon monspeliensis, Amaranthus retroflexus, and the fleshy-fruited Solanum nigrum) were fed to seven individuals of lesser black-backed gulls Larus fuscus held in captivity. We quantified seed survival after collecting faeces at intervals for 33 h after ingestion, then extracting intact seeds and running germination tests, which were also conducted for control seeds. All five species showed high seed survival after gut passage, of >70%. Gut retention times averaged 2–4 h, but maxima exceeded 23 h for all species. Germinability after gut passage was 16–54%, and gut passage accelerated germination in J. bufonius and S. nigrum, but slowed it down in the other species. All species had lower germinability after gut passage compared to control seeds (likely due to stratification prior to the experiment), but the loss of germinability was higher in smaller seeds. There was no evidence that the different dispersal syndromes assigned to the five species (endozoochory, epizoochory or barochory) had any influence on our results. In contrast, mean gut retention time was strongly and positively related to seed size, likely because small seeds pass more quickly from the gizzard into the intestines. Non-classical endozoochory of dry-fruited seeds by waterbirds is a major but overlooked mechanism for potential long-distance dispersal, and more research into this process is likely essential for effective weed management.

Interleukin 17 (IL-17) is an effector cytokine that plays a key role in the pathogenesis of both psoriasis and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), a condition that is more prevalent and severe in patients with psoriasis. In liver inflammation, IL-17 is mainly produced by CD4+ T (TH17) and CD8+ T cells (Tc17), although numerous other cells (macrophages, natural killer cells, neutrophils and Tγδ cells) also contribute to the production of IL-17. In hepatocytes, IL-17 mediates systemic inflammation and the recruitment of inflammatory cells to the liver, and it is also implicated in the development of fibrosis and insulin resistance. IL-17 levels have been correlated with progression from MAFLD to steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Clinical trials have shown that inhibiting IL-17A in patients with psoriasis could potentially contribute to the improvement of metabolic and liver parameters. A better understanding of the key factors involved in the pathogenesis of these chronic inflammatory processes could potentially lead to more efficient treatment for both psoriasis and MAFLD, and help to develop holistic strategies to improve the management of these patients.

Uno de los problemas a los que se enfrenta la contabilidad es la diversidad de conceptos y representaciones que sobre ella tiene la sociedad. El propósito de este estudio es identificar la representación social que tanto los profesionales de la contaduría pública en ejercicio, como los estudiantes de los últimos semestres de contaduría pública, tienen sobre la contabilidad. El objetivo es comprender lo que entienden por contabilidad, sobre su función y uso práctico de conocimientos como parte de una realidad social. Para lo anterior se hace uso del método de los imaginarios y representaciones a través de la recolección de información y datos, utilizando entrevistas semiestructuradas y un grupo focal; estas abordan 13 preguntas, distribuidas en 3 categorías, que dan cuenta del propósito de la investigación.

Abstract Canine leishmaniosis is a disease caused by Leishmania infantum, a vector-borne parasite. Due to the zoonotic potential of canine leishmaniosis, infected dogs must be identified. Serological assays are the most common methods for the detection of L. infantum infection in dogs used in veterinary practice. The aim of the study was to assess the performance of a rapid immunochromatographic test (FASTest LEISH®, MEGACOR Diagnostik) for the detection of specific antibodies to that of the L. infantum in dog sera. The results were simultaneously compared using a commercial brand of indirect immunofluorescence antibody test and an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as references. Between the two reference tests, 232 serum samples out of 244, produced concordant results while 12 exhibited discordant results. Of the 232 concordant samples, 121 were classified as L. infantum seropositive, and 111 samples were previously classified as L. infantum seronegative by a combination of the reference assays. All samples that were seropositive by the reference tests were also positive according to the rapid test, and only one sample that was seronegative according to the two reference assays was positive according to the rapid test. Compared with the reference tests, the rapid test sensitivity was 100%, specificity was 99.1%, accuracy was 99.6%, Cohen’s kappa coefficient was 0.99, and the area under receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.995. The FASTest LEISH® is a rapid, qualitative in-clinic test with high sensitivity and specificity.

Los desafíos que plantean a la ética los problemas actuales del desarrollo han dado lugar a la realización de no pocas reuniones especializadas o secciones en congresos y foros internacionales de ética en los últimos años. Esta preocupación ha tenido especial interés en algunos países latinoamericanos, donde tales re-uniones (como las de caracas, febrero 2001 y junio 2003) han profundizando en los aspectos teóricos (B. Kliksberg, 2003) de la ética del desarrollo, en las responsabilidades éticas de los actores sociales(medios de comunicación, empresarios,economistas, universidades, iglesia) y en experiencias, consideradas de avanzada en la religión, en materia educativa, de gestión y de desarrollo social, entre otras

Abstract We update the bounds on R-parity violating supersymmetry originating from meson oscillations in the B d/s 0 and K 0 systems. To this end, we explicitly calculate all corresponding contributions from R-parity violating operators at the one-loop level, thereby completing and correcting existing calculations. We apply our results to the derivation of bounds on R-parity violating couplings, based on up-to-date experimental measurements. In addition, we consider the possibility of cancellations among flavor-changing contributions of various origins, e.g. from multiple R-parity violating couplings or R-parity conserving soft terms. Destructive interferences among new-physics contributions could then open phenomenologically allowed regions, for values of the parameters that are naively excluded when the parameters are varied individually.

We assessed the spatial variation in concentrations of ten metals in faeces of the lesser black-backed gull (LBBG) Larus fuscus wintering at seven localities in South-West Spain. We found high concentrations of metals in gull faeces, with several elements (As, Cu, Mo, Pb, Zn) locally exceeding (by 2 to 11 times) derived Lowest Effect Level (LEL) values. We also found strong spatial variation, related to the main pollution sources associated with the different sites. Faeces from Chipiona Port (Gulf of Cádiz) showed the highest levels of As; Cetina saltpans (Bay of Cádiz) ranked first for Pb, Zn and Mo, which was consistent with historic mining and industrial pollution; Doñana ricefields showed the highest levels of Mn, a highly available element in flooded areas; while landfills ranked first for Cd, Co, Cr, Cu and Ni, potentially associated with electronic waste. Furthermore, we demonstrate how faecal analysis can be used to quantify biovectoring of metals into specific localities, using LBBG movement ecology and census data. At Fuente de Piedra, a shallow, closed-basin lake important for waterbirds, we show that metal inputs by LBBG have increased in recent years, and long-term deposition (e.g., of Pb) may impact aquatic communities and ecological processes in this Ramsar site.

La existencia de elevados y persistentes dé?cits exteriores en un conjunto amplio de países desarrollados a lo largo de las últimas décadas, ha incentivado la aparición de diversos estudios que analizan su sostenibilidad. Una parte importante de estos estudios se instrumenta mediante la aplicación de los denominados tests de raíces unitarias. El presente trabajo tiene por objeto utilizar los citados tests, tomando como referencia el caso español, para contrastar si los dé?cits en el largo plazo son sostenibles o no, permitiendo la presencia de cambio estructural en la tendencia estocástica de la serie de saldo por cuenta corriente, así como en su orden de integración. Asimismo, se contempla la posibilidad de que el saldo tenga un comportamiento no lineal. Sobre la base de esta metodología, se muestra que, a lo largo del periodo considerado (1975-2010), la evidencia es contraria a la hipótesis de sostenibilidad del dé?cit exterior español, a partir de la introducción del euro. La metodología empleada en el trabajo es fácilmente extrapolable al estudio de la sostenibilidad exterior de economías, que presentan dé?cits exteriores persistentes como Grecia, Portugal o los Estados Unidos.

Abstract Background Megakaryopoiesis allows platelet formation, which is necessary for coagulation, also playing an important role in different pathologies. However, this process remains to be fully characterized. C3G, an activator of Rap1 GTPases, is involved in platelet activation and regulates several differentiation processes. Methods We evaluated C3G function in megakaryopoiesis using transgenic mouse models where C3G and C3GΔCat (mutant lacking the GEF domain) transgenes are expressed exclusively in megakaryocytes and platelets. In addition, we used different clones of K562, HEL and DAMI cell lines with overexpression or silencing of C3G or GATA-1. Results We found that C3G participates in the differentiation of immature hematopoietic cells to megakaryocytes. Accordingly, bone marrow cells from transgenic C3G, but not those from transgenic C3GΔCat mice, showed increased expression of the differentiation markers CD41 and CD61, upon thrombopoietin treatment. Furthermore, C3G overexpression increased the number of CD41+ megakaryocytes with high DNA content. These results are supported by data obtained in the different models of megakaryocytic cell lines. In addition, it was uncovered GATA-1 as a positive regulator of C3G expression. Moreover, C3G transgenic megakaryocytes from fresh bone marrow explants showed increased migration from the osteoblastic to the vascular niche and an enhanced ability to form proplatelets. Although the transgenic expression of C3G in platelets did not alter basal platelet counts, it did increase slightly those induced by TPO injection in vivo. Moreover, platelet C3G induced adipogenesis in the bone marrow under pathological conditions. Conclusions All these data indicate that C3G plays a significant role in different steps of megakaryopoiesis, acting through a mechanism dependent on its GEF activity.

The premise behind this paper is that, in order to reach social consensus on climate change, there must be consensus on the media first. This research study focuses on the search for consensus values in the editorial discourses of five proven influential broadsheet newspapers in their context and internationally, such as The Guardian, Le Monde, El País, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and The New York Times. These newspapers have published 535 opinion editorials on climate change over a 14-year period: from the Kyoto Summit in 1997 to the Durban Climate Change Conference in 2011. The methodology involves both frames and quantitative analyses. This research aims to detect the main actors and factors that influence editorial discourse, as politics and economic sources are most likely to be predominant (H1), and draw lines of possible consensus among the different media analysed (H2). The analysis shows how the political and economic connotations in editorial discourses were sometimes to the detriment of scientific and expert discourse, and the differences among countries. However, the research also underscores essential positions in common, such as the acceptance of climate change and its anthropogenic origin, or the criticism of the states’ inability to reach joint solutions to the problem.

Abstract So far the most sophisticated experiments have shown no trace of new physics at the TeV scale. Consequently, new models with unexplored parameter regions are necessary to explain current results, re-examine the existing data, and propose new experiments. In this Letter, we present a modified version of the μνSSM supersymmetric model where a non-Universal extra U(1) gauge symmetry is added in order to restore an effective R-parity that ensures proton stability. We show that anomalies equations cancel without having to add any exotic matter, restricting the charges of the fields under the extra symmetry to a discrete set of values. We find that it is the viability of the model through anomalies cancellation what defines the conditions in which fermions interact with dark matter candidates via the exchange of Z′ bosons. The strict condition of universality violation means that LHC constraints for a Z′ mass do not apply directly to our model, allowing for a yet undiscovered relatively light Z′, as we discuss both in the phenomenological context and in its implications for possible flavour changing neutral currents. Moreover, we explore the possibility of isospin violating dark matter interactions; we observe that this interaction depends, surprisingly, on the Higgs charges under the new symmetry, both limiting the number of possible models and allowing to analyse indirect dark matter searches in the light of well defined, particular scenarios.

Abstract In this work we present a new search strategy for the discovery of staus at the LHC in the context of the minimal supersymmetric standard model. The search profits from the large s-channel b-quark annihilation production of the heavy CP-even and CP-odd Higgs bosons (H/A) which can be attained in regions of tan β ≫ 1 that avoid the stringent H/A → τ + τ − searches via decays into stau pairs. We also focus on regions where the staus branching ratios are dominated by the decays into a tau lepton and the lightest neutralino. Thus the experimental signature consists of final states made up of a tau-lepton pair plus large missing transverse energy. We take advantage of the large stau-pair production cross sections via heavy Higgs boson decays, which are between one or two orders of magnitude larger than the usual electroweak production cross sections for staus. A set of basic cuts allow us to obtain significances of the signal over the SM backgrounds at the discovery level (5 standard deviations) in the next LHC run with a center-of-mass energy of 14 TeV and a total integrated luminosity of only 100 fb−1.

Abstract In this article, we demonstrate that the inclusion of right-handed neutrino superfields in the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) makes it possible to impose universality conditions on the soft supersymmetry-breaking parameters at the Grand Unification scale, alleviating many of the problems of the so-called Constrained NMSSM. We have studied the renormalization group equations of this model, showing that right-handed neutrinos greatly contribute to driving the singlet Higgs mass-squared parameter negative, which makes it considerably easier to satisfy the conditions for radiative electroweak symmetry breaking. The new fields also lead to larger values of the Standard Model Higgs mass, thus making it easier to reproduce the measured value. As a consequence, all bounds from colliders and low-energy observables can be fulfilled in wide areas of the parameter space. However, the relic density in these regions is generally too high requiring some form of late entropy production to dilute the density of the lightest supersymmetric particle.

Abstract It is known that there are AdS vacua obtained from compactifying the SM to 2 or 3 dimensions. The existence of such vacua depends on the value of neutrino masses through the Casimir effect. Using the Weak Gravity Conjecture, it has been recently argued by Ooguri and Vafa that such vacua are incompatible with the SM embedding into a consistent theory of quantum gravity. We study the limits obtained for both the cosmological constant Λ4 and neutrino masses from the absence of such dangerous 3D and 2D SM AdS vacua. One interesting implication is that Λ4 is bounded to be larger than a scale of order m ν 4, as observed experimentally. Interestingly, this is the first argument implying a non-vanishing Λ4 only on the basis of particle physics, with no cosmological input. Conversely, the observed Λ4 implies strong constraints on neutrino masses in the SM and also for some BSM extensions including extra Weyl or Dirac spinors, gravitinos and axions. The upper bounds obtained for neutrino masses imply (for fixed neutrino Yukawa and Λ4) the existence of upper bounds on the EW scale. In the case of massive Majorana neutrinos with a see-saw mechanism associated to a large scale M ≃ 1010 − 14 GeV and Y ν1 ≃ 10−3, one obtains that the EW scale cannot exceed M EW ≲ 102 − 104 GeV. From this point of view, the delicate fine-tuning required to get a small EW scale would be a mirage, since parameters yielding higher EW scales would be in the swampland and would not count as possible consistent theories. This would bring a new perspective into the issue of the EW hierarchy.

La actual crisis de valores que experimenta la sociedad ha conducido al estudio de la responsabilidad social como un método testimonial para la educación del carácter. Esta investigación pretende analizar la percepción que tienen los docentes y no docentes sobre las políticas de responsabilidad social implementadas por una institución de educación en Chile. Para ello se ha utilizado un cuestionario aplicado a funcionarios de un establecimiento de nivel secundario ubicado en la región de Ñuble. Finalmente, se han presentado brechas positivas y negativas entre ambos subgrupos, demostrando que los docentes presentan una percepción favorable en acciones ligadas a ciudadanía y participación.

Quality assessment systems have recently expanded, serving as indicators for the assessment and ranking of higher education institutions worldwide. The growing development of new educational methodologies, like Blended Learning, requires the design and validation of tools that allow for their assessment. The objective of this article is to describe the process of statistically validating a tool designed to assess the educational quality of Blended Learning courses. This paper presents a systematic conceptualization of the educational quality in Blended Learning systems and provides a reliable and valid tool for quality assessment of the design and implementation of combined learning methodologies.

Sustainable Rural Development is essential to maintain active local communities and avoid depopulation and degradation of rural areas. Proper assessment of development in these territories is necessary to improve decision-making and to inform public policy, while ensuring biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services supply. Rural areas include high ecological value systems but the vulnerability of environmental components in development indicators has not been sufficiently pinpointed. The main objective of this work was to propose a new sustainable rural development composite indicator (nSRDI) while considering an environmental dimension indicator based on ecosystem services vulnerability and social and economic dimension indicators established using a sequentially Benefit of the Doubt-Data Envelopment Analysis (BoD-DEA) model. It aimed also to test effects of weighting methods on nSRDI. The composite indicator was applied to 10 regions (comarcas) in the Huesca province, Spain, producing a ranking of regions accordingly. The indicator was further tested through the analysis of the effect of an equal and optimum weighting method on scores and rankings of regions. Results showed substantial differences in nSRDI scores/rankings when vulnerability was added to the process, suggesting that the environmental dimension and the perspective from which it is conceived and applied matters when addressing sustainable rural development.

En un mundo de recursos escasos, el sector de ayuda al desarrollo no sólo tiene que ser eficaz sino eficiente. El objetivo del presente trabajo es evaluar la eficiencia de los principales instrumentos de cooperación internacional al desarrollo, a través de los cuales se materializa la ayuda oficial al desarrollo bilateral española. Sobre una muestra de 72 instrumentos de cooperación internacional al desarrollo en cuatro países prioritarios de dos grandes áreas geográficas para la ayuda española (Ecuador, Guatemala, Marruecos, Mozambique), se analiza su eficiencia por medio del Análisis Envolvente de Datos, tomando en consideración los objetivos logrados y los recursos utilizados. Como muestran los resultados obtenidos, entre los instrumentos evaluados, las ayudas de convocatoria abierta permanente son los más eficientes. Se puede concluir que, conocer los resultados alcanzados por cada instrumento, permite a los financiadores plantear acciones correctoras y servir como criterio de selección ex-ante de futuros instrumentos.

El presente artículo se plantea como un intento de sobrepasar los tradicionales argumentos que se han esbozado al hablar de la propiedad de la tierra en la isla de La Gomera. Partiendo de un minucioso análisis empírico de las fuentes catastrales, hemos sido capaces de finiquitar un discurso idealista y carente de rigor científico, el cual afirma que La Gomera ha sido un territorio de minifundio, factor causante del atraso insular. Por tanto, y al contrario de esa línea de interpretación, con este estudio demostramos que ha sido una minoría, la de los grandes propietarios, el grupo que ha concentrado históricamente el grueso de las tierras en La Gomera.

Creemos necesario trabajar las competencias interculturales y emocionales en la formación del profesorado, ya que las consideramos en continua revisión debido a su complejidad y a los nuevos planteamientos pedagógicos de nuestros tiempos; de este modo, consideramos que las competencias emocionales y las interculturales deben estar presentes en cualquier reflexión educativa que se interese por el desarrollo de las personas. Por otra parte, nuestras sociedades son cada vez más complejas y culturalmente más plurales lo que, sin duda, debe llevarnos a reflexionar sobre la necesidad de articular competencias que mejoren las relaciones de convivencia que nos ayuden a la construcción de una ciudadanía plural y democrática.

El objetivo de este trabajo realizado sobre pequeñas organizaciones sin fines de lucro españolas dedicadas a la prestación de servicios a personas con discapacidad, es analizar como el diseño organizativo -en concreto, la delegación y los sistemas de recompensas extrínsecas e intrínsecas- influye sobre la transferencia de conocimiento entre sus empleados. Utilizando información de 105 organizaciones, obtenida por medio de un cuestionario postal, se contrastó el modelo estructural aplicando la técnica de mínimos cuadrados parciales. Los resultados muestran que la delegación conlleva una mayor utilización de recompensas y éstas, a su vez, favorecen la transmisión de conocimiento. Se puede concluir que, debido a la carencia de conocimiento técnico, los directivos de estas organizaciones no lucrativas deben delegar derechos de decisión en empleados cualificados y utilizar en mayor medida recompensas, tanto intrínsecas como extrínsecas, especialmente, las intrínsecas, para motivar a los empleados a que se transmitan conocimiento eficientemente

OBJETIVO: Determinar la concentración de plomo en la sangre de niños y mujeres, en periodo de lactancia o embarazadas, de la comunidad de San Ignacio, Fresnillo, en Zacatecas, así como en matrices de suelo, plantas, ceniza y barro vidriado, para determinar la exposición que genera una empresa recicladora de metales. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: El estudio se realizó de diciembre de 2004 al mes de abril de 2005. El Pb en sangre se midió por voltamperometría de redisolución anódica, mientras que se utilizó energía dispersa de fluorescencia por rayos X para las otras matrices. RESULTADOS: Con base en los criterios de la Norma Oficial Mexicana (NOM) se encontró que 90% de los menores está en la categoría I, 5% se encuentra en la categoría II y el otro 5% se ubica en la categoría III. El suelo de los terrenos aledaños a la recicladora tiene en promedio 4 940 µg/g, en un intervalo de 73 a 84 238 µg/g. Las mayores concentraciones se localizan en los puntos más cercanos a la empresa. El suelo de San Ignacio tiene en promedio 109 µg/g. Se encontraron valores altos en el barro vidriado y la concentración del Pb en las plantas es superior a los 300 µg/g. CONCLUSIONES: A pesar de que la mayoría de los niños analizados presenta niveles de plomo en sangre que la Norma Mexicana señala como aceptables, varios estudios indican que existen efectos nocivos aun a concentraciones bajas. Los terrenos aledaños a la empresa están contaminados, y en esa medida los alimentos que ahí se producen, al ser consumidos, son una fuente de contaminación, que se agudiza con el uso de barro vidriado.OBJECTIVE:To determine the lead concentration in the blood of children and nursing or pregnant women from San Ignacio, Fresnillo, in Zacatecas, Mexico as well as in soil, plants, ash and lead-glazed pottery, in order to determine exposure due to a metal-recycling facility. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was carried out from December 2004 to April 2005. Lead in blood was measured with anodic stripping voltammetry, while dispersive energy X-ray fluorescence was used in the other matrices. RESULTS: Based upon the criteria outlined in the Official Mexican Standards, 90% of the children was identified as category I, 5% as category II and another 5% as category III. The soil in the land near the facility contained from 73 to 84 238 µg/g, with an average of 4940 µg/g. Larger lead concentrations were found on sites located closer to the facility. San Ignacio's soil contained, on average, 109 µg/g. High lead levels were found in glazed pottery and the concentration in agricultural crops was greater than 300 µg/g. CONCLUSIONS: Although the majority of children in San Ignacio have blood lead concentrations considered to be acceptable according to the Official Mexican Standards, several studies indicate that deleterious effects on children's health exist even at low concentrations. The land around the metal recycling facility is contaminated with lead, and to that extent, the crops that are produced there, once ingested, are a source of contamination, which is compounded by the use of glazed pottery.

Los desafíos que plantean a la ética los problemas actuales del desarrollo han dado lugar a la realización de no pocas reuniones especializadas o secciones en congresos y foros internacionales de ética en los últimos años. Esta preocupación ha tenido especial interés en algunos países latinoamericanos, donde tales re-uniones (como las de caracas, febrero 2001 y junio 2003) han profundizando en los aspectos teóricos (B. Kliksberg, 2003) de la ética del desarrollo, en las responsabilidades éticas de los actores sociales(medios de comunicación, empresarios,economistas, universidades, iglesia) y en experiencias, consideradas de avanzada en la religión, en materia educativa, de gestión y de desarrollo social, entre otras.

INTRODUCTION Crambescins and crambescidins are guanidine alkaloids first reported in the early 90s. They are produced by the red encrusting marine sponge Crambe crambe widely distributed in the Western Mediterranean Sea but also in the Macaronesian archipelagos (Berlinck et al., 1990;Berlinck et al., 1993). There are few studies about the biological activity of these compounds and their pharmaceutical potential, mainly due to difficulties to obtain large quantities of pure compounds (Jares-Erijman et al., 1993). An antagonistic activity of crambescidin 816 (Cramb816) on voltage-sensitive calcium channels, higher than the one elicited by the selective blocker of L-type Ca+2 channels, nifedipine (NIF) has been reported (Berlinck et al., 1993). Moreover, several representative compounds of the crambescin family (norcrambescinA2, crambescinC1 and crambescinA2) partially blocked voltage gated potassium channels and Crambescin C1 (CrambC1) and Cramb816 partially blocked voltage gated Na+ channels (Martin et al., 2013). Furthermore, we pharmacologically isolated the two main fractions of neuronal high voltage activated (HVA) Ca+2 channels in cortical neurons and described that Cav1 or L-type calcium channels are the main target for Cramb816 in cortical neurons (Martin et al., 2013). In the present study, the effect of Cramb816 and CrambC on neuronal viability as well as the effect of Cramb816 in cytosolic calcium concentration was evaluated in order to get an approach of the possible mechanism by which Cramb816 is cytotoxic in cortical neurons. MATERIAL AND METHODS Primary cultures of cortical neurons. Primary cortical neurons were prepared from Swiss mice embryos (E15-18) as previously described (Martin et al., 2013). The cell suspension was seeded in 18 mm glass coverslips precoated with poly-D-lysine and incubated in 12 multiwell plates for 4-7 days in vitro in a humidified 5 % CO2/95 % air atmosphere at 37 ºC. Determination of cellular viability. Cell viability was assessed by the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) test, in cultures grown in 96 well plates and exposed to different concentrations of C816 or CrambC1 for 24 h. Saponin was used as cellular death control. After the exposure time, cells were rinsed and incubated for 60 min with a solution of MTT dissolved in Locke’s buffer. After washing off excess MTT, cells were disaggregated with 5% SDS and the absorbance of the colored formazan salt was measured at 595 nM in a spectrophotometer plate reader. Measurement of cytosolic free Ca+2. Cell cultures of 7 days seeded onto 18-mm glass coverslips were washed twice with cold Locke’s buffer. Cells were loaded with the calcium sensitive dye Fura-2 AM (0.5 μM) for 8 min at 37ºC in Locke’s buffer containing 0.1% bovine serum albumin (BSA). After incubation, the loaded cells were washed three times with cold Locke’s buffer. The glass coverslips were inserted into a thermostated chamber at 37ºC and cells were viewed with a Nikon Diaphot 200 microscope, equipped with epifluorescence optics. The excitation wavelengths for Fura-2 AM were 340 and 380 nm, and emission was collected at 505 nm. The experiments were performed in triplicate. Toxins and drugs used. Cramb816 and CrambC were extracted and isolated from the Mediterranean sponge Crambe crambe (Bondu et al., 2012). Nifedipine (NIF) and D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid (APV) were purchased from Sigma- Aldrich and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (CNQX) was from Tocris. The final concentration of NIF, Cramb816 and CrambC solvent (DMSO), was less than 0.01%. APV and CNQX were solved in H2O. Statistical Analysis. All data are expressed as means ± SEM of n determinations. Statistical comparison was by paired Student’s t test. P-values

Acute vestibular deficit as the first sign of leukemia is extremely rare. The literature shows some cases of sudden hearing loss accompanied by instability and associated with hyperviscosity syndrome. We present the case of a patient who presents a harmonic vestibular deficit of the right ear. The complementary studies revealed an abnormally high level of leukocytes. A peripheral blood cytogenetic analysis is performed due to a high suspicion of leukemia, and the results show BCR/ABL fusion gene with a cut point in the M-BCR region, which confirms the diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia. In this case we detail the importance of taking hematological disorders into consideration in the differential diagnosis of patients with otoneurological symptoms, and we also review the etiopathogenic mechanisms, symptoms, diagnosis, and therapeutic options for chronic myeloid leukemia with sudden hearing loss and vertigo.

El presente número de TELOS abre un espacio para el debate académico sobre las ideas y las prácticas vigentes en la sociedad actual, consideradas desde perspectivas convergentes que responden a búsquedas e investigaciones históricas, educativas, éticas, culturales, jurídicas y organizacionales. Ellas evidencian que el pensamiento actual mira al ser humano primordialmente desde su futuro:se pregunta por la posibilidad misma de este futuro y por sus características,expresadas radicalmente por dos interrogantes formuladas a finales del siglo XX; ¿podrá sobrevivir el hombre? ¿podremos vivir juntos?