Guiados por los principios humanitarios

El trabajo de Cáritas Luxemburgo con los refugiados, desplazados internos y migrantes en Colombia, Líbano y Luxemburgo ofrece algunos ejemplos de cómo una organización confesional se puede ver favorecida o desfavorecida por su carácter religioso y de cómo debe adherirse a los estándares humanitarios.

Cooperación humanitaria interreligiosa: una perspectiva luterana

La experiencia de la Federación Luterana Mundial es que una cooperación más cercana entre las organizaciones confesionales de diferentes religiones es posible y beneficiosa.

Una respuesta humanitaria de diversas religiones en la República Centroafricana

La interacción religiosa ha desempeñado un papel clave garantizando que la cohesión social y la mediación entre religiones se mantienen en la agenda internacional en cuanto a la respuesta en la República Centroafricana, en donde la confesión de las personas forma parte integral de su identidad pero también donde se ha manipulado de forma terrible.

Reflexiones sobre la decisión de internamiento en campamentos de la Corte Suprema de Kenia

Los grupos de la sociedad civil han acogido una reciente victoria ante la Corte Suprema de Kenia como un recordatorio del importante papel que el litigio estratégico puede desempeñar en la aplicación y promoción de los derechos de los refugiados.

Mesoporous materials for clean energy technologies

Alternative energy technologies are greatly hindered by significant limitations in materials science. From low activity to poor stability, and from mineral scarcity to high cost, the current materials are not able to cope with the significant challenges of clean energy technologies. However, recent advances in the preparation of nanomaterials, porous solids, and nanostructured solids are providing hope in the race for a better, cleaner energy production. The present contribution critically reviews the development and role of mesoporosity in a wide range of technologies, as this provides for critical improvements in accessibility, the dispersion of the active phase and a higher surface area. Relevant examples of the development of mesoporosity by a wide range of techniques are provided, including the preparation of hierarchical structures with pore systems in different scale ranges. Mesoporosity plays a significant role in catalysis, especially in the most challenging processes where bulky molecules, like those obtained from biomass or highly unreactive species, such as CO2 should be transformed into most valuable products. Furthermore, mesoporous materials also play a significant role as electrodes in fuel and solar cells and in thermoelectric devices, technologies which are benefiting from improved accessibility and a better dispersion of materials with controlled porosity.

Expression and cellular localization of the voltage-gated calcium channel α2δ3 in the rodent retina

High-voltage-activated calcium channels are hetero-oligomeric protein complexes that mediate multiple cellular processes, including the influx of extracellular Ca2+, neurotransmitter release, gene transcription, and synaptic plasticity. These channels consist of a primary α1 pore-forming subunit, which is associated with an extracellular α2δ subunit and an intracellular β auxiliary subunit, which alter the gating properties and trafficking of the calcium channel. The cellular localization of the α2δ3 subunit in the mouse and rat retina is unknown. In this study using RT-PCR, a single band at ∼305 bp corresponding to the predicted size of the α2δ3 subunit fragment was found in mouse and rat retina and brain homogenates. Western blotting of rodent retina and brain homogenates showed a single 123-kDa band. Immunohistochemistry with an affinity-purified antibody to the α2δ3 subunit revealed immunoreactive cell bodies in the ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer and immunoreactive processes in the inner plexiform layer and the outer plexiform layer. α2δ3 immunoreactivity was localized to multiple cell types, including ganglion, amacrine, and bipolar cells and photoreceptors, but not horizontal cells. The expression of the α2δ3 calcium channel subunit to multiple cell types suggests that this subunit participates widely in Ca-channel-mediated signaling in the retina.

Violence against young women attending primary care services in Spain: prevalence and health consequences

Background. There are a significant number of studies assessing the negative health consequences of violence against women. However, a limited number of studies analyse the health consequences of violence committed against young women by different types of aggressors. Objectives. The goal of this study is to assess the prevalence of interpersonal violence against young women in Spain and analyse its impact on the physical and mental health of the victims. Methods. A total of 1076 women aged 18–25 years attending Spanish primary care services were selected. We estimated the prevalence of interpersonal violence and compared the health data and demographic characteristics of abused and non-abused young women, multi-logistic regression models were fitted. The Wald test was used to assess whether there were differences in the negative health consequences of intimate partner (IPV) versus non-IPV. Results. As many as 27.6% young women reported a history of abuse, of whom 42.7% had been assaulted by their partner, 41.1% by someone other than their partner and 16.2% both by their partner and another person. The distribution of social and demographic characteristics was similar for IPV and non-IPV victims. Young abused women were three times more likely to suffer psychological distress and have somatic complaints, and they were four times more likely to use medication as compared to non-abused women. Conclusion. Our results suggest that all forms of violence compromise young women’s health seriously. Including patients’ history of abuse in their health record may help make more informed clinical decisions and provide a more integrated care.

Whole-exome sequencing reveals ZNF408 as a new gene associated with autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa with vitreal alterations

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of progressive inherited retinal dystrophies that cause visual impairment as a result of photoreceptor cell death. RP is heterogeneous, both clinically and genetically making difficult to establish precise genotype–phenotype correlations. In a Spanish family with autosomal recessive RP (arRP), homozygosity mapping and whole-exome sequencing led to the identification of a homozygous mutation (c.358_359delGT; p.Ala122Leufs*2) in the ZNF408 gene. A screening performed in 217 additional unrelated families revealed another homozygous mutation (c.1621C>T; p.Arg541Cys) in an isolated RP case. ZNF408 encodes a transcription factor that harbors 10 predicted C2H2-type fingers thought to be implicated in DNA binding. To elucidate the ZNF408 role in the retina and the pathogenesis of these mutations we have performed different functional studies. By immunohistochemical analysis in healthy human retina, we identified that ZNF408 is expressed in both cone and rod photoreceptors, in a specific type of amacrine and ganglion cells, and in retinal blood vessels. ZNF408 revealed a cytoplasmic localization and a nuclear distribution in areas corresponding with the euchromatin fraction. Immunolocalization studies showed a partial mislocalization of the p.Arg541Cys mutant protein retaining part of the WT protein in the cytoplasm. Our study demonstrates that ZNF408, previously associated with Familial Exudative Vitreoretinopathy (FEVR), is a new gene causing arRP with vitreous condensations supporting the evidence that this protein plays additional functions into the human retina.

Red de Investigación en Sistemas Inteligentes. Evaluación continua mediante controles utilizando Moodle

Esta memoria corresponde al trabajo desarrollado durante el curso 2013-2014 por los componentes de la “Red de Investigación en Sistemas Inteligentes. Evaluación continua mediante controles utilizando Moodle”. Código de Red ICE: 3021. En la asignatura Sistemas Inteligentes del grado en Ingeniería Informática, durante el curso 2013-14, se planteó a los estudiantes un sistema de evaluación continua de la parte teórica consistente en la realización de controles on-line utilizando cuestionarios Moodle. En las normas de evaluación de la asignatura, los controles acumulaban toda la materia impartida hasta la fecha y su peso creciente de cara a la obtención de la nota final. Teníamos especial interés en determinar si el sistema resultaba estimulante para los estudiantes debido a considerar que este aspecto es fundamental en el proceso de aprendizaje. La memoria se organiza de la siguiente forma: se inicia analizando la viabilidad de la evaluación continua y su interés pedagógico en nuestro contexto, seguidamente se presenta la metodología empleada, las características de los cuestionarios Moodle, se aportan los estudios que nos han permitido validar nuestra propuesta, las conclusiones y las recomendaciones que permitirán mejorar los procesos y resultados en el futuro.

Prólogo: Confianza en la movilidad a través de más de una generación

Europa no necesita renunciar a su libertad de circulación sino desarrollar un régimen de movilidad con un mayor control. Así controlaría sus fronteras mucho mejor.

Migrantes, refugiados, historia y precedentes

Hay mucho material sobre otras crisis migratorias anteriores que los legisladores europeos actuales podrían recuperar y aprovechar.

La protección para los refugiados en Europa: ¿Es hora de una gran reforma?

Aunque existen numerosos mitos en torno a la protección de los refugiados que pueden desorientarnos y dificultar la búsqueda de soluciones, también tenemos la posibilidad certera de modificar el cuerpo legislativo de la UE para mejorar sus resultados para los Estados y para los refugiados.

Llegadas a la isla de Lesbos, verano de 2015

Lesbos, cuya población es de 85 000 habitantes, había recibido a más de 85 000 refugiados y migrantes a finales de agosto de 2015.