Compressed k2-Triples for Full-In-Memory RDF Engines

Current "data deluge" has flooded the Web of Data with very large RDF datasets. They are hosted and queried through SPARQL endpoints which act as nodes of a semantic net built on the principles of the Linked Data project. Although this is a realistic philosophy for global data publishing, its query performance is diminished when the RDF engines (behind the endpoints) manage these huge datasets. Their indexes cannot be fully loaded in main memory, hence these systems need to perform slow disk accesses to solve SPARQL queries. This paper addresses this problem by a compact indexed RDF structure (called k2-triples) applying compact k2-tree structures to the well-known vertical-partitioning technique. It obtains an ultra-compressed representation of large RDF graphs and allows SPARQL queries to be full-in-memory performed without decompression. We show that k2-triples clearly outperforms state-of-the-art compressibility and traditional vertical-partitioning query resolution, remaining very competitive with multi-index solutions.Comment: In Proc. of AMCIS'201

Methotrexate Gold Nanocarriers: Loading and Release Study: Its Activity in Colon and Lung Cancer Cells

In the present study, the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) loaded with methotrexate (MTX) has been carried out in order to obtain controlled size and monodispersed nanocarriers of around 20 nm. The characterization study shows metallic AuNPs with MTX polydispersed on the surface. MTX is linked by the replacement of citrate by the MTX carboxyl group. The drug release profiles show faster MTX release when it is conjugated, which leads to the best control of plasma concentration. Moreover, the enhanced release observed at pH 5 could take advantage of the pH gradients that exist in tumor microenvironments to achieve high local drug concentrations. AuNP–MTX conjugates were tested by flow cytometry against lung (A-549) and colon (HTC-116) cancer cell lines. Results for A-549 showed a weaker dose–response e ect than for colon cancer ones. This could be related to the presence of folate receptors in line HTC-116 in comparison to line A-549, supporting the specific uptake of folate-conjugated AuNP–MTX by folate receptor positive tumor cells. Conjugates exhibited considerably higher cytotoxic e ects compared with the e ects of equal doses of free MTX. Annexin V-PI tests sustained the cell death mechanism of apoptosis, which is normally disabled in cancer cells.Spanish GovernmentJunta de Andalucía P18-RT-419

Global trends in child obesity: Are figures converging?

Childhood obesity has become one of the most serious global health challenges of our time. The combined prevalence of overweight and obesity has rapidly increased worldwide during the last two decades, especially in some developing countries where obesity is reaching levels on a par with some industrialized countries, or even higher. This fast growth has occurred especially in countries in the midst of rapid social-economic transitions. Most international comparisons focus on the adult population while analyses focusing on the child population are more limited. Using the methodology developed by Phillips and Sul, this paper studies the worldwide evolution of children’s body mass index (BMI), overweight and obesity prevalence for a large sample of countries during the period 1975–2016. Our results indicate that the figures for BMI or the prevalence of obesity in different countries do not converge, while the opposite is the case for overweight prevalence in children. Furthermore, there is a non-linear relationship between obesity and income or human capital, indicating that low and middle-income countries require a strong initiative for health policies targeting obesity prevention

Cloudy bag model: convergent perturbation expansion for the nucleon

A previously published bound on the probability of finding n pions in the dressed nucleon in Chew-Low theory is improved. The proof is then extended to the recently derived cloudy-bag-model Hamiltonian. Together with a bound on the average number of pions (0.9±1.0), our result strongly suggests a rapid convergence of the perturbation expansion in the cloudy bag model

Exercise addiction and satisfaction of fitness center users as precursors to the intention of continuing to engage in physical activity

Exercise addiction occurs when a person engages in excessive physical activity until they lose control. Among individuals attending fitness centers, the risk of developing exercise addiction has been estimated to be close to 10%. The objective of this study was to determine whether exercise addiction may be an antecedent of satisfaction with the service received and/or of the intention of continuing to partake in leisure-time physical activity at fitness centers in a direct or indirect manner. A total of 361 individuals (29.05 ± 11.40 years old) who were physically active at Spanish fitness centers were asked to respond to a questionnaire on exercise addiction, satisfaction with the sports service, and their intention to continue to engage in physical activity. A multi-group analysis was conducted to check for differences in relationships by sex. The results show the relationships between addiction, satisfaction, and intention to continue physical activity. The standardized values display differences between men and women, with women exhibiting the highest values for the relationships between addiction and the rest of the constructs. Satisfaction with the sports service is a mediator in the relationship between exercise addiction and intention to engage in leisure-time physical activity

Using the new technologies in claudication patients: CReTe: Claudication patients and telematic register

Objetivo: Presentamos una aplicación informática para teléfonos móviles ideada para el control de sesiones de ejercicio domiciliario en claudicantes. Exponemos también nuestros resultados preliminares. Material y métodos: La aplicación está dise˜nada para teléfonos móviles con sistema operativo Android, tecnología de geolocalización y conexión de datos. Está conectada a una base de datos codificada que preserva el secreto médico. Los datos que se recogen de las sesiones de ejercicio son la fecha, la hora de inicio y de fin, el tiempo dedicado, el número de las paradas realizadas y la velocidad máxima, la velocidad media global y la velocidad entre paradas. Durante el mes de enero de 2014 se reclutó a aquellos pacientes que aceptaran el estudio, poseyeran y entendieran un dispositivo móvil Android con geolocalización y conexión de datos. Los criterios de exclusión del estudio una vez comenzado fueron progresión hacia isquemia arterial crítica, enfermedad intercurrente grave, fallecimiento y ausencia de comunicación con el paciente. Se recogieron las principales morbilidades y los resultados de los cuestionarios de calidad de vida SF36 y EuroQol 5D. Se midió el tiempo de primera consulta y el tiempo dedicado por semana y paciente durante un seguimiento de 28 días. Se calculó el cumplimiento de las sesiones con respecto a las sesiones pactadas con cada paciente, con un mínimo de 2 semanales. Resultados: Un total de 5 pacientes fueron incluidos, con edad media de 59,3 a˜nos (mediana 52; rango 40-80). De ellos 2 se excluyeron, uno por progresión a isquemia crítica y otro por ausencia de comunicación. El tiempo medio dedicado por consulta nueva fue de 29,1 min (mediana 27,5; rango 45-20). El cumplimiento de las sesiones fue del 100% en 2 pacientes y del 63% en otro. El tiempo dedicado en el seguimiento semanal por paciente fue de 1,68 min. Conclusiones: CReTe es una herramienta aplicable a nuestro medio que precisa de estudios mayores para demostrar su utilidad.Objective: The preliminary results are presented on the use of a new application for mobile phones designed to control home exercise sessions in claudication.Materials and methods: The application is designed for Android systems with geolocation tech-nology and Internet connection. It is connected to a database encoded to ensure medical confidentiality. The data collected from the exercise sessions were the date, start time and end time, the time spent, the number of stops made, and the maximum speed, average speed and overall speed between stops. During the month of January 2014 patients who accepted and understood the study, and possessed an Android mobile device with geolocation and data connection, were enrolled. The exclusion criteria, 11 the study started, were progression to arterial ischemia, severe intercurrent illness, non-communication with the patient, and death. Major morbidities and results of quality of life questionnaires SF36 and EuroQol 5 D were collec-ted. Time of first consultation and time spent per week per patient during a 28-day follow-up was recorded. Compliance as regards the agreed sessions was calculated for each patient, with a minimum of 2 weeks.Results: The study included 5 patients with a mean age 59.3 years (median 52; range 40-80). Of these, 2 were excluded, one for progression to critical ischemia and another for non-communication. The average time spent in a new consultation was 29.1 minutes (median 27.5, range 45-20). The compliance with the sessions was 100% in 2 patients, and 63% in another. Time spent in the weekly monitoring per patient was 1.68 minutes.Conclusions: CReTe is an applicable tool in our environment that requires further study to demonstrate its usefulness