Ross procedure: is the root replacement technique superior to the sub-coronary implantation technique? Long-term results.

There is controversy over the use of the Ross procedure with regard to the sub-coronary and root replacement technique and its long-term durability. A systematic review of the literature may provide insight into the outcomes of these two surgical subvariants. A systematic review of reports between 1967 and February 2013 on sub-coronary and root replacement Ross procedures was undertaken. Twenty-four articles were included and divided into (i) sub-coronary technique and (ii) root replacement technique. The 10-year survival rate for a mixed-patient population in the sub-coronary procedure was 87.3% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 79.7-93.4 and 89.1% (95% CI, 85.3-92.1) in the root replacement technique category. For adults, it was 94 vs 95.3% (CI, 88.9-98.1) and in the paediatric series it was 90 vs 92.7% (CI, 86.9-96.0), respectively. Freedom from reoperation at 10 years was, in the mixed population, 83.3% (95% CI, 69.9-93.4) and 93.3% (95% CI, 89.4-95.9) for sub-coronary versus root replacement technique, respectively. In adults, it was 98 vs 91.2% (95% CI, 82.4-295.8), and in the paediatric series 93.3 vs 92.0% (95% CI, 86.1-96.5) for sub-coronary versus root replacement technique, respectively. The Ross procedure arguably has satisfactory results over 5 and 10 years for both adults and children. The results do not support the advantages of the sub-coronary technique over the root replacement technique. Root replacement was of benefit to patients undergoing reoperations on neoaorta and for long-term survival in mixed series.

La legislación como condicionante en la creatividad: perspectiva de género y estereotipos

Entre los varios tópicos que rodean al ámbito publicitario, aquellos relacionados con el tratamiento de género, específicamente al femenino, a través de las representaciones de roles y estereotipos en las que, además, el cuerpo tiene especial relevancia, han determinado que la publicidad sea considerada como uno de los factores que refuerzan y fomentan la discriminación hacia las mujeres. Dentro de los límites que el marco regulador establece para la libertad de expresión y por iniciativas propias del sistema publicitario a través del autocontrol, en las estrategias creativas y en quienes las producen, se han iniciado procesos, llamados a repensar las identidades femeninas y masculinas, pese a ello, existen efluvios que demuestran que el sexismo continua presente en las sociedades en las que la publicidad se desenvuelve, por tanto le dan cabida a ésta y otras formas de comunicación y de procesos y comportamientos sociales

Ab initio absorption spectrum of NiO combining molecular dynamics with the embedded cluster approach in a discrete reaction field

We developed a procedure that combines three complementary computational methodologies to improve the theoretical description of the electronic structure of nickel oxide. The starting point is a Car-Parrinello molecular dynamics simulation to incorporate vibrorotational degrees of freedom into the material model. By means ofcomplete active space self-consistent field second-order perturbation theory (CASPT2) calculations on embedded clusters extracted from the resulting trajectory, we describe localized spectroscopic phenomena on NiO with an efficient treatment of electron correlation. The inclusion of thermal motion into the theoretical description allowsus to study electronic transitions that, otherwise, would be dipole forbidden in the ideal structure and results in a natural reproduction of the band broadening. Moreover, we improved the embedded cluster model by incorporating self-consistently at the complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) level a discrete (or direct) reaction field (DRF) in the cluster surroundings. The DRF approach offers an efficient treatment ofelectric response effects of the crystalline embedding to the electronic transitions localized in the cluster. We offer accurate theoretical estimates of the absorption spectrum and the density of states around the Fermi level of NiO, and a comprehensive explanation of the source of the broadening and the relaxation of the charge transferstates due to the adaptation of the environment

El declive de las organitzaciones terroristas clásicas del siglo XX: el IRA

Desde la firma del llamado Acuerdo de Viernes Santo en abril de 1998, la violencia en Irlanda del Norte ha disminuido considerablemente, pues los principales grupos terroristas han ido abandonando sus respectivas campañas terroristas. No obstante, como se explicará más adelante, otros grupos terroristas, fundamentalmente aquellos escindidos de la principal facción del IRA a lo largo de la última década, siguen manteniendo su actividad terrorista. La intensidad de la misma no tiene parangón con la que mantuvo el IRA desde finales de los años sesenta, a pesar de lo cual esta violencia por parte de los denominados grupos “disidentes” genera una considerable inestabilidad política en la región. El IRA (Irish Republican Army, Ejército Republicano Irlandés) es la organización terrorista responsable del mayor número de víctimas mortales en Europa. Desde el estallido de la violencia en Irlanda del Norte, más de 3600 personas han perdido la vida como consecuencia de la campaña terrorista perpetrada por el IRA y otros grupos terroristas unionistas como la UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) y la UFF (Ulster Freedom Fighters). El IRA ha sido responsable del 60 % de esas muertes, mientras que los grupos unionistas causaron el 28 % de las mismas. Suele atribuirse un 10 % de esas víctimas a las fuerzas y cuerpos de seguridad. En consecuencia, se puede afirmar que el IRA ha sido el responsable del mayor número de víctimas entre la población católica a la que declaraba defender. Este hecho revela cómo uno de los argumentos utilizados por el IRA para justificar su campaña terrorista –la defensa de la población católica y nacionalista- no es coherente con la realidad, pues el terrorismo del IRA no disminuyó la violencia contra dicha población de referencia tanto por parte del IRA como de los otros grupos terroristas.

Determination of vibrational polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities using field-induced coordinates

An analytical set of field-induced coordinates is defined and is used to show that the vibrational degrees of freedom required to completely describe nuclear relaxation polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities is reduced from 3N-6 to a relatively small number. As this number does not depend upon the size of the molecule, the process provides computational advantages. A method is provided to separate anharmonic contributions from harmonic contributions as well as effective mechanical from electrical anharmonicity. The procedures are illustrated by Hartree-Fock calculations, indicating that anharmonicity can be very important

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Communicator, June 1998, Vol. 16, no. 2

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Communicator, Spring 1997, Vol. 15, no. 1

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Communicator, Fall 2000, Vol. 18, no. 2

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Communicator, Spring 2002, Vol. 20, no. 1

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Communicator, Winter 1998, Vol. 16, no. 1

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Communicator, Spring 2003, Vol. 21, no. 1

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Iowa Civil Rights Commission Communicator, Spring-Summer 2001, Vol. 19, no. 1

Newsletter produced by the Iowa Civil Rights Commission

Distributed all-atom simulations of intrinsically unstructured proteins

The Computational Biophysics Group at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (GRIB-UPF) hosts two unique computational resources dedicated to the execution of large scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations: (a) the ACMD molecular-dynamics software, used on standard personal computers with graphical processing units (GPUs); and (b) the GPUGRID. net computing network, supported by users distributed worldwide that volunteer GPUs for biomedical research. We leveraged these resources and developed studies, protocols and open-source software to elucidate energetics and pathways of a number of biomolecular systems, with a special focus on flexible proteins with many degrees of freedom. First, we characterized ion permeation through the bactericidal model protein Gramicidin A conducting one of the largest studies to date with the steered MD biasing methodology. Next, we addressed an open problem in structural biology, the determination of drug-protein association kinetics; we reconstructed the binding free energy, association, and dissaciociation rates of a drug like model system through a spatial decomposition and a Makov-chain analysis. The work was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and become one of the few landmark papers elucidating a ligand-binding pathway. Furthermore, we investigated the unstructured Kinase Inducible Domain (KID), a 28-peptide central to signalling and transcriptional response; the kinetics of this challenging system was modelled with a Markovian approach in collaboration with Frank Noe’s group at the Freie University of Berlin. The impact of the funding includes three peer-reviewed publication on high-impact journals; three more papers under review; four MD analysis components, released as open-source software; MD protocols; didactic material, and code for the hosting group.

El ocio terapéutico y educativo en los centros penitenciarios. Aprenentatge i Servei en el Centre Penitenciari de Lledoners

El Aprendizaje y Servicio (APS) es una propuesta educativa que combina procesos de aprendizaje y de servicio a la comunidad en un solo proyecto. El Aprenentatge i Servei en el Centre Penitenciari de Lledoners nace de la voluntad de estudiantes y docentes de la Facultad de Educación Social y Trabajo Social Pere Tarrés (URL) y del Grupo 33, una Plataforma Ciudadana de Sensibilización y Movilización, formada por más de 7.000 personas de todos los sectores de la sociedad civil, que trabaja para conseguir la reinserción real de las personas privadas de libertad. El proyecto pretende hacer frente al actual modelo de prisiones de Cataluña y promover cambios hacia un modelo rehabilitador.

Transmit diversity vs. spatial multiplexing in modern MIMO systems

A contemporary perspective on the tradeoff between transmit antenna diversity andspatial multiplexing is provided. It is argued that, in the context of most modern wirelesssystems and for the operating points of interest, transmission techniques that utilizeall available spatial degrees of freedom for multiplexing outperform techniques that explicitlysacrifice spatial multiplexing for diversity. In the context of such systems, therefore,there essentially is no decision to be made between transmit antenna diversity and spatialmultiplexing in MIMO communication. Reaching this conclusion, however, requires thatthe channel and some key system features be adequately modeled and that suitable performancemetrics be adopted; failure to do so may bring about starkly different conclusions. Asa specific example, this contrast is illustrated using the 3GPP Long-Term Evolution systemdesign.