The effectiveness of a basic exercise intervention to improve strength and balance in women with osteoporosis

Objective: To determine the effects of a simple exercise program on the balance and strength of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Methods: This program was based on low intensity strength and balance exercises, and was carried out with simple, readily available equipment. Sixty five women were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG; n=33, age: 57.4+/-4.8 years) or the control group (CG; n=32, age: 58.8+/-4.5 years). Participants in the EG underwent balance and strength training for 60 min, three times/week for 6 months. Each session consisted of warm-up exercises (10 min), balance training (20 min), strength training (20 min), and cooldown (10 min). Participants from the CG were asked not to modify their usual habits during the course of the study. Static balance was evaluated using the blind monopodal stance static balance test. In contrast, dynamic balance was assessed using the "8-foot up and go" test, whereas the strength of the upper and lower limbs was measured using the "arm curl" and "30 s chair stand" tests, respectively. All these variables were assessed at baseline and upon program completion. Results: The EG showed significant improvements (P<0.001) in static balance (21%), dynamic balance (36%), and in the strength of the upper (80%) and lower (47%) limbs in comparison to the CG after the sixth month. Participants in the CG showed significantly lower values (P<0.001) in the four tests. In addition, a significant inverse relationship between static balance and the strength of the upper (r=-0.390; P=0.001) and lower (r=-0.317; P=0.01) limbs was found. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that a physical exercise program based on balance and strength exercises, carried out with simple and readily available equipment, is capable of significantly improving the strength and balance of women with osteoporosis.The authors would like to express their thanks to Dr JL Balenciaga for his help and collaboration in this study, as well as to all the participants for their commitment to facilitating the research. Acknowledgements are also due to the Basque Government for having provided a predoctoral grant to Izaro Esain, enabling her participation in the present study

Sensorless unbalance correction as an ancillary service for LV 4-Wire/3-Phase power converters

IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (9th. 2017. Cincinnati

Sensorless Unbalance Modelling and Estimation as an Ancillary Service for LV 4-Wire/3-Phase Power Converters

This paper describes a method to provide LV four-wire three-phase power converters with the capability of unbalance estimation as an ancillary service to the main role that they play in the distribution system (distributed generator, energy storage system, drive, etc). Typically, dedicated grid/load current sensors are needed to effectively comply with unbalance compensation tasks, increasing system cost and reducing reliability. This is due to the difficulties that arises in the extraction of the zero and negative voltage components from the voltages at the point of common coupling, such as the inadequate resolution of full-scaled voltage sensors and limited spectral separation. In this paper, the proposed method does not rely on additional sensors to those typically used in VSCs, and in any case, those sensors are limited to the point of connection of the power converter. Impedance estimation only using converter-side current sensors is implemented by adding a high frequency voltage excitation over the fundamental command. A new model approach is proposed for the real-time extraction of system impedance using a complex-valued compact form. Considering the voltage source at that frequency to be unique in the grid, it will be proved the impedance can be estimated and, thus, the resulting negative sequence current which is used for unbalance compensation. For the zero sequence, an especial arrangement of the converter voltage sensors together with a repetitive controller is used

Sistemas cognitivos asociados al proceso de aprendizaje-enseñanza del ingeniero mecánico: machine learning

El Ingeniero Mecánico ha de contar con una serie de Competencias adaptadas al nuevo modelo de Sistema de Producción Inteligente y Flexible, factor crítico de éxito en la Industria de Fabricación actual. El Aprendizaje Automático, o Machine Learning, relacionado con los Sistemas Cognitivos, acomete el Proceso de Enseñanza- Aprendizaje, teniendo en cuenta los Algoritmos necesarios para aprender a partir de la observación de datos. La Minería de Datos Educativos facilita la comprensión adecuada del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje. Resultando ser conveniente a la hora de diseñar experiencias de aprendizaje que se adapten mejor a las demandas actuales en formación para el Grado en Ingeniería Mecánica.The Mechanical Engineer must have competencies adapted to the new model of Intelligent and Flexible Production System, a critical success factor in the current Manufacturing Industry. The Automatic Learning, or Machine Learning, related to the Cognitive Systems, undertakes the Learning Process, taking into account the Algorithms necessary to learn from the observation of data. The Educational Data Mining facilitates the adequate understanding of learning and its environment. What turns out to be convenient in designing learning experiences for the Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Prevalence and Geographic Variations in Asthma Symptoms in Children and Adolescents in Galicia (Spain)

[Resumen] Objetivos. Determinar la prevalencia y variaciones geográficas de síntomas relacionados con asma en niños y adolescentes gallegos. Población y métodos. Estudio transversal según la metodología ISAAC (Internacional Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) mediante cuestionario escrito distribuido en el medio escolar. Se incluyeron 10.371 niños de 6-7 años y 10.372 adolescentes de 13-14 años de todas las Áreas Sanitarias de Galicia. Se analizaron las variaciones geográficas mediante un modelo de regresión logística. Resultados. Las sibilancias en los últimos 12 meses oscilaron en los pequeños, del 11,4 (Santiago) al 15,7% (Vigo) y en los adolescentes del 8,8 (Ourense) al 18,8% (Vigo). Según el género se observó una mayor frecuencia en varones de 6-7 años (p < 0,001) y con tendencia a la significación estadística en las chicas de 13-14 años (p = 0,08). El riesgo (Odds ratio [OR]) de sibilancias en los últimos 12 meses, en el área de mayor prevalencia con respecto a la de menor, fue 1,45 (intervalo de confianza [IC] del 95%: 1,12-1,88) en niños y 2,39 (IC 95%: 1,82-3,13) en adolescentes. La prevalencia de asma estimada para Galicia fue de 13,6% en niños y 12,2% en adolescentes. Conclusiones. La prevalencia de sibilancias en los últimos 12 meses en las diferentes áreas gallegas es sensiblemente superior al resto de ciudades españolas participantes en el ISAAC en los pequeños, siendo muy similar en los adolescentes, salvo en Vigo donde es sensiblemente superior. Encontramos un patrón geográfico muy definido en los adolescentes, siendo mayores las prevalencias en la costa que en el interior.[Abstract] Objectives. To determine the prevalence and geographic variations of the symptoms associated with asthma in Galician children and adolescents. Population and methods. A cross-sectional epidemiological study following ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) methodology, and using a written questionnaire distributed in schools. The study sample included 10,371 6-7 year-old children and 10,372 13-14 year-old adolescents, all of them from Galician Health Areas. A logistic regression model was used to analyse geographic variations. Results. In the 6-7 year-old group, wheezing in the last 12 months varied from 11.4% (Santiago) to 15.7% (Vigo) and in the adolescents varied from 8.8% (Ourense) to 18.8% (Vigo). The distribution by gender showed a predominant significance in 6-7 year-old males (P < .001), and near to be statistically significant in 13-14 year-old females (P = .08). The risk (odds ratio [OR]) of wheezing in the last 12 months in the area with highest prevalence in comparison with the area of lowest prevalence was 1.45 (95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.12-1.88) for children and 2.39 (95% CI, 1.82-3.13) for adolescents. The estimated prevalence of asthma in the Autonomous Community of Galicia was 13.6% in younger children and 12.2% in adolescents. Conclusions. The prevalence of wheezing in the last 12 months in the different areas of Galicia is considerably higher than the rest of Spanish ISAAC cities in the 6-7 years group and very similar in the 13-14 years group, except in Vigo where it is considerably higher. We found a clearly defined geographic pattern in the adolescent group, with higher prevalences in coastal areas than in the interior

Impact of parental smoking on childhood asthma

[Abstract] Objective: To evaluate the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) of the childhood population in this community and its relationship with asthma symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire on children and adolescents in this community. The symptoms "wheezing ever", "current asthma", "severe asthma", and "exercise-induced asthma" were defined by this questionnaire. Parental smoking was classified into four mutually exclusive categories: 1) no parent smokes; 2) only the mother smokes; 3) only the father smokes; and 4) both parents smoke. The odds ratio of the prevalence of asthma symptoms according to ETS exposure was calculated using logistic regression. Results: A total of 10,314 children and 10,453 adolescents were included. Over 51% of the children and adolescents were exposed to ETS at home. ETS is associated with a higher prevalence of asthma symptoms, particularly if the mother or both parents smoke. Conclusion: The prevalence of ETS is still high in this community, although there has been a decreasing tendency in the last 15 years. ETS is associated with higher prevalence of asthma

Exposure to paracetamol and asthma symptoms

Multicenter study[Abstract] Background: Paracetamol is one of the factors that have been associated with the observed increase in asthma prevalence in the last few years. The influence of environmental or genetic factors in this disease may be different in some countries than in others. The purpose of this study was to analyse the relationship between the paracetamol consumption and asthma prevalence in our community. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on more than 20,000 children and adolescents in Galicia, Spain. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood methodology was used to collect the information on asthma symptoms in children, paracetamol consumption, body mass index (BMI), pets in the home, education level of the mother and parental asthma and smoking habits. The influence of paracetamol consumption on the prevalence of asthma symptoms was calculated using logistic regression, adjusted for the other parameters included in the study. Results: After adjusting for gender, BMI, having a cat or dog, maternal education, parental asthma and smoking, in 6- to 7-year-old children, the consumption of paracetamol during the first year of life is associated with asthma [odds ratio (OR) 2.04 (1.79-2.31) for wheezing at some time]. Paracetamol consumption in the previous year leads to a significant increase in the probability of wheezing at some time [OR 3.32 (2.51-4.41)] in young children and adolescents [OR 2.12 (1.68-2.67)]. Conclusions: Paracetamol consumption is associated with a significant increase in asthma symptoms. The effect is greater the more often the drug is taken

Obesity and asthma: an association modified by age

[Abstract] Background. Some studies indicate some causal relationship between obesity and asthma, while others show inconsistent results. Our objective was to evaluate the prevalence of asthma according to obesity in children. Methods. A cross-sectional study, following the ISAAC study methodology, was conducted on two randomly selected groups consisting of 6–7 year-old children (n = 7485) and 13–14 year-old adolescents (n = 8496). The asthma symptoms and potential risk factors were determined from the questionnaire. Overweight and obesity were defined based on the body mass index. Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain adjusted prevalence odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. Results. Obesity was associated with an increase in wheezing ever (OR: 1.35) and exercise-induced asthma (OR: 1.62) in the 6–7 year-old group. No significant relationship was observed in the adolescent population. Conclusion. Obesity was associated with a higher prevalence of asthma in young children, but not in adolescents

Aggregation-induced emission of [3]cumulenes functionalized with heptagon-containing polyphenylenes

This is accepted manuscript, the final published article is available in "García Jiménez, V.; et al. Aggregation-induced emission of [3]cumulenes functionalized with heptagon-containing polyphenylenes. Chemical Communications, online (2018). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C8CC00386FWe report the luminiscence at room temperature by aggregate formation of [3]cumulenes functionalized with propeller-like heptagon-containing polyphenylenes. These endgroups turn on the emission of a [3]cumulene by steric protection and restriction of their intramolecular rotations in the aggregates.European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (ERC-2015 -677023).Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO, Spain – FEDER) (CTQ2015-70283-P, CTQ2014-53598-R, RyC-2013-12943).Fundação para a Ciência e a tecnologia (Portugal, IF/00759/2013, SFRH/BPD/75782/2011,SFRH/BPD/96707/2013,UID/NAN/50024/2013)