Diagnosis of dyslexia with low quality data with genetic fuzzy systems

AbstractFor diagnosing dyslexia in early childhood, children have to solve non-writing based graphical tests. Human experts score these tests, and decide whether the children require further consideration on the basis of their marks.Applying artificial intelligence techniques for automating this scoring is a complex task with multiple sources of uncertainty. On the one hand, there are conflicts, as different experts can assign different scores to the same set of answers. On the other hand, sometimes the experts are not completely confident with their decisions and doubt between different scores. The problem is aggravated because certain symptoms are compatible with more than one disorder. In case of doubt, the experts assign an interval-valued score to the test and ask for further information about the child before diagnosing him.Having said that, exploiting the information in uncertain datasets has been recently acknowledged as a new challenge in genetic fuzzy systems. In this paper we propose using a genetic cooperative–competitive algorithm for designing a linguistically understandable, rule-based classifier that can tackle this problem. This algorithm is part of a web-based, automated pre-screening application that can be used by the parents for detecting those symptoms that advise taking the children to a psychologist for an individual examination

Analysis of Drug and Health Resource Use Before and After COVID-19 Lockdown in a Population Undergoing Treatment for Depression or Anxiety

IntroductionThe arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic modified the functions of Primary Care (PC) teams, which were forced to focus their resources on the diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. The disrupted healthcare of individuals with pre-existing mental disorders (depression or anxiety), as well as the psychological decompensation resulting from the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, may have modified the use of drugs and health resources by these patients. The aim of this study is to determine the changes in these parameters, between the 6 months prior to the lockdown (09/14/2019 to 03/15/2020) and the 6 months following its end (05/03/2020 to 11/04/2020), in a population undergoing active treatment for depression or anxiety, according to the electronic clinical record.Materials and MethodsReal world data observational study of 110,694 individuals aged >16 years suffering from active or undergoing treatment for depression or anxiety according to the electronic medical records of the Aragon Regional Health Service (Spain). Pharmacological variables [daily dose per inhabitant (DHD) dispensed by pharmacies of: anxiolytics, hypnotics/sedatives, and antidepressants] and variables related to the use of healthcare resources (number of primary and specialized healthcare visits) were considered. Student’s T-tests for paired samples were performed to analyze differences between periods (pre–post). The level of significance was established at 5% (p < 0.05).ResultsThe use of anxiolytic drugs increased as compared to its use over the 6 months prior to the lockdown. In contrast, the consumption of antidepressants was found to decrease. The use of health resources continued to be below pre-pandemic levels, 6 months post-lockdown end.ConclusionChanges in the use of health resources could have a negative impact on the parameters of these diseases. The increase in drug use, especially benzodiazepines, may suggest a worsening of the symptoms during the lockdown and in the subsequent months. It is a worrying sign, which points to the growth of this public health problem and the need for its prevention

Analysis of Clinical Parameters, Drug Consumption and Use of Health Resources in a Southern European Population with Alcohol Abuse Disorder during COVID-19 Pandemic

The disruption in healthcare attention to people with alcohol dependence, along with psychological decompensation as a consequence of lockdown derived from the COVID-19 pandemic could have a negative impact on people who suffer from alcohol abuse disorder. Observational real world data pre-post study included 9966 men aged >16 years registered as having the diagnosis of alcohol abuse disorder in the electronic medical records (EMR) of the Aragon Regional Health Service (Spain). Clinical (Glutamate-oxaloacetate -GOT-, Glutamate pyruvate -GPT-, creatinine, glomerular filtration, systolic blood pressure -SBP-, diastolic blood pressure -DBP-, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglycerides, and body mass index -BMI-), pharmacological (dose per inhabitant per day, DHD, of drugs used in addictive disorders, benzodiazepines and antidepressants) and health resource use variables (primary and specialized care) were considered. A Student''s t-test for matched samples was performed to analyze the changes in clinical variables between alcohol abuse disorder patients with and without COVID-19. Only creatinine and LDL showed a significant but clinically irrelevant change six months after the end of the strict lockdown. The total number of DHDs for all drugs included in the study (except for benzodiazepines), decreased. In the same way, the use of health services by these patients also decreased. The impact of COVID-19 among this group of patients has been moderate. The reorganization of health and social services after the declaration of the state of alarm in our country made possible the maintenance of care for this vulnerable population

Analysis of Clinical Parameters, Drug Consumption and Use of Health Resources in a Southern European Population with Diabetes That Did Not Contract COVID-19: A Longitudinal Big Data Study

The lockdown measures imposed to stop the spread of the virus have affected the general population, but particularly people with chronic diseases such as diabetes. An observational real world data pre-post study of 86,615 individuals over the age of 16, having a medical history in the Aragon (Spain) Health Service and diagnosed with diabetes, without COVID-19 infection was undertaken. Clinical, pharmacological and health resource use variables were collected during the six months prior to the onset of the lockdown and during the six months after the lockdown ended. The Student’s t-test was used to analyse differences in means. Our study does not show clinically relevant changes six months following the end of the strict lockdown. The consumption, by these patients, of hypoglycaemic drugs and the use of health resources continue at below pre-pandemic levels, six months later. The interruption in care for these patients and the lifestyle change resulting from the pandemic do not appear to have had a significant impact on the health of the diabetic population

Evolution of Anxiety and Depression in Men during the First Six Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Factors Associated with Worsening of Mental Health: Retrospective Longitudinal Study

Background: The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had a huge impact on the psychological wellbeing of the population, however, few studies have analysed the psychological consequences for the most vulnerable groups, particularly those suffering from depression and anxiety, and specifically in men. The objective of this study is to analyse the changes in a population of men undergoing active treatment for depression or anxiety and factors associated with these changes. Methods: Retrospective, longitudinal and observational study of a population of 28,294 men in northern Spain. The study variables were sociodemographic variables, chronic comorbidities, COVID-19 infection, anxiolytic and antidepressant drug consumption, and use of healthcare resources. These variables were collected from the Primary Health Care electronic records for the two distinct periods (6 months before and 6 months following the end of the lockdown). To compare drug patterns and the use of healthcare resources a paired Student’s T-test was used. To analyse associated factors related to a deterioration of mental disorders, a multivariate logistic regression was performed. Results: In relation to changes in drug patterns, 40% of men saw an increase in at least one Defined Daily Dose (DDD) of their prescribed drugs during the 6 months following lockdown and the number of appointments at health centres and home visits significantly decreased. Factors associated with a deterioration of mental disorders are being under 60 years old, having an income of less than 18,000 euros/year and suffering from more than one comorbidity. Conclusions: The pandemic had a significant impact on men with a previous diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety

A Procedure for Extending Input Selection Algorithms to Low Quality Data in Modelling Problems with Application to the Automatic Grading of Uploaded Assignments

When selecting relevant inputs in modeling problems with low quality data, the ranking of the most informative inputs is also uncertain. In this paper, this issue is addressed through a new procedure that allows the extending of different crisp feature selection algorithms to vague data. The partial knowledge about the ordinal of each feature is modelled by means of a possibility distribution, and a ranking is hereby applied to sort these distributions. It will be shown that this technique makes the most use of the available information in some vague datasets. The approach is demonstrated in a real-world application. In the context of massive online computer science courses, methods are sought for automatically providing the student with a qualification through code metrics. Feature selection methods are used to find the metrics involved in the most meaningful predictions. In this study, 800 source code files, collected and revised by the authors in classroom Computer Science lectures taught between 2013 and 2014, are analyzed with the proposed technique, and the most relevant metrics for the automatic grading task are discussed.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad under Project TIN2011-24302, including funding from the European Regional Development Fund

Sex Differences in Clinical Parameters, Pharmacological and Health-Resource Utilization in a Population With Hypertension Without a Diagnosis of COVID-19

Objectives: Determine the changes in clinical, pharmacological and healthcare resource use parameters, between the 6 months prior to the lockdown and the 6 months following its end, in a population with hypertension who did not have a diagnosis of COVID-19.Methods: Real world data observational study of 245,979 persons aged >16 years with hypertension in Aragon (Spain). Clinical (systolic-diastolic blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), blood creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides and anthropometric measures); pharmacological (diuretics, calcium channel antagonists, and ACE inhibitors); and utilization of healthcare resources were considered. We performed the Student’s T-test for matched samples (quantitative) and the Chi-squared test (qualitative) to analyze differences between periods.Results: SBP, DBP, parameters of renal function and triglycerides displayed a significant, albeit clinically irrelevant, worsening in women. In men only DBP and eGFR showed a worsening, although to a lesser extent than in women. Certain antihypertensive drugs and health-resource utilization remained below pre-pandemic levels across the 6 months post-lockdown.Conclusion: Changes in lifestyles, along with difficulties in access to routine care has not substantially compromised the health and quality of life of patients with hypertension

Substituição e Término Antecipado da Medida Privativa de Liberdade para Adolescentes: Estandartes de Brevidade da Sanção no Direito Comparado e Lições para o Direito Brasileiro

SUBSTITUIÇÃO E TÉRMINO ANTECIPADO DA MEDIDA PRIVATIVA DE LIBERDADE PARA ADOLESCENTES: ESTANDARTES DE BREVIDADE DA SANÇÃO NO DIREITO COMPARADO E LIÇÕES PARA O DIREITO BRASILEIRO  SUBSTITUTION AND EARLY RELEASE FROM LIBERTY-DEPRIVING SOCIO-EDUCATIVE MEASURES FOR ADOLESCENTS: BREVITY STANDARDS FOR SANCTIONS IN COMPARED LAW AND LESSONS FOR THE BRAZILIAN SYSTEM  Jaime Couso Salas*Ana Paula Motta Costa**  RESUMO: Neste artigo realiza-se uma análise da temática da execução de medidas aplicadas adolescentes autores de atos infracionais, a partir do direito comparado, considerando-se a influência que alguns países tiveram no processo de reforma da justiça juvenil na América Latina. Busca-se identificar como foram resolvidas em tais países as tensões, bem como quais critérios que regem o exercício do poder dos tribunais para substituir ou determinar a  saída antecipada das medidas privativas de liberdade durante a execução. Essa temática, no entanto, remete-nos à análise de quais são os objetivos e limites que devem ser considerados na aplicação de sanções, e como relacioná-los com o propósito de sanções penais voltadas a adolescentes, especialmente quanto aos efeitos que os tribunais devem esperam no momento da imposição da sanção, que mais tarde será executada. A prioridade a favor de uma aposta pela inserção social na liberdade e o critério da brevidade da internação, previsto na Convenção Internacional dos Direitos da Criança e da liberdade antecipada concedida o mais rápido possível, assegurada pelas Regras de Beijing, obrigam os países que ratificaram tais documentos internacionais a adotar maiores riscos e apostar mais na possibilidade do adolescente em liberdade. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Adolescentes. Medidas Socioeducativas. Teorias da Pena. Progressão. ABSTRACT: In this article, an analysis is carried out on the thematic of application of socio-educative measures to adolescents who have infringed penal law, based on comparative law and considering the influence that some countries had in the process of reform of the juvenile justice system in Latin America.  The study seeks to identify how tensions were resolved in those countries, as well as what criteria govern the exercise of court power, during the execution of the state-defined sanction, to replace or determine the adolescent’s anticipated release from measures that deprive he or she of his or her liberty.  This theme, however, refers us to the analysis of the objectives and limits that should be considered in the application of these socio-educative sanctions, and how they relate to the purpose of criminal sanctions directed at adolescents, especially in regard to the effects that the courts should expect at the time of definition and imposition of the sanction, which will later be institutionally enforced.  The prioritization of a commitment to the social insertion of adolescents, whilst maintaining their freedom, as well as the criterion of brevity of the internment measure, established in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, together with the possibility for early release granted by the Beijing Rules, oblige countries that have ratified such documents to adopt greater risks, supporting possibilities for the maintenance of adolescent offenders in liberty rather than in institutions. KEYWORDS: Adolescents. Socio-educative Measures. Penalty Theories. Progression.  SUMÁRIO: Introdução. 1 Propósitos de sanções penais para adolescentes e especificidade dos objetivos no momento da execução das medidas socioeducativas. 1.1 Fins das medidas socioeducativas destinadas aos adolescentes: Validade dos efeitos da punição do direito penal geral. 1.2 Ênfase especial na prevenção especial positiva. 1.3 Ênfase particular na prevenção especial positiva na fase de execução das medidas socioeducativas - Necessidade de uma “ponderação diferenciada”. 1.4 O papel limitador que corresponde aos interesses preventivos-gerais (e à ‘seguridade coletiva’), também na fase de execução. 1.5 Necessários sacrifícios aos interesses de preventivo-geral (e de segurança da coletividade), fundados em maior peso relativo da prevenção especial positiva durante a execução. 1.6 Ressocialização e legitimação do estado para uma educação coativa. 2 Questões interpretativas básicas plantadas pela faculdade judicial de substituição e término antecipado das sanções penais de adolescentes. 2.1 Prevenção especial positiva, prevenção geral e retribuição nas decisões sobre substituição. Perspectivas oferecidas pelo direito comparado. 2.2 Critérios preventivo-especiais relevantes para as decisões de substituição e término antecipado de penas. 3 Direito internacional. Considerações Finais. Referências. * Doutor em Direito pela Universidade de Sevilha Espanha. Professor da Universidade Diego Portales, Chile.  ** Doutora em Direito pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUC-RS). Professora dos Programas de Pós-Graduação em Direito da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) e da UniRitter, Rio Grande do Sul.

Programa de salud sobre la detección temprana de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en centros de Atención Primaria.

Introducción: Los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria (TCA) son la tercera enfermedad crónica más frecuente entre la población adolescente. Su prevalencia ha aumentado en las últimas décadas, encontrándose un pico de incidencia en las mujeres entre 13 y 18 años. La detección temprana del problema es el tipo de prevención más eficaz para mejorar el pronóstico de esta enfermedad. Objetivo principal: Elaborar un programa de salud para profesionales sanitarios y de Enfermería de Atención Primaria sobre la detección temprana de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria. Metodología: Se ha realizado una amplia revisión bibliográfica para actualizar el problema de estudio, así como entrevistas a diferentes expertos/as en la materia, y se ha diseñado un programa de salud para Enfermería de Atención Primaria. Desarrollo: El programa consta de 3 sesiones, en las que se ofrece información básica sobre los TCA y se trabajan estrategias como el desarrollo de una correcta relación terapéutica, manejo de recursos y derivación, resolución de casos prácticos y elaboración de check-list para detección temprana de los casos. Conclusión: Debido al aumento de este tipo de trastornos en la población joven se considera importante una mayor formación desde los centros de salud puesto que son, con frecuencia, el primer punto de contacto con los servicios sanitarios en casos de Salud Mental. <br /

Red and blue light differentially impact retrograde signalling and photoprotection in rice

Chloroplast-to-nucleus retrograde signalling (RS) is known to impact plant growth and development. In Arabidopsis, we and others have shown that RS affects seedling establishment by inhibiting deetiolation. In the presence of lincomycin, a chloroplast protein synthesis inhibitor that triggers RS, Arabidopsis light-grown seedlings display partial skotomorphogenesis with undeveloped plastids and closed cotyledons. By contrast, RS in monocotyledonous has been much less studied. Here, we show that emerging rice seedlings exposed to lincomycin do not accumulate chlorophyll but otherwise remain remarkably unaffected. However, by using high red (R) and blue (B) monochromatic lights in combination with lincomycin, we have uncovered a RS inhibition of length and a reduction in the B light-induced declination of the second leaf. Furthermore, we present data showing that seedlings grown in high B and R light display different non-photochemical quenching capacity. Our findings support the view that excess B and R light impact seedling photomorphogenesis differently to photoprotect and optimize the response to high-light stres