Human observers and automated assessment of dynamic emotional facial expressions: KDEF-dyn database validation

Most experimental studies of facial expression processing have used static stimuli (photographs), yet facial expressions in daily life are generally dynamic. In its original photographic format, the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces (KDEF) has been frequently utilized. In the current study, we validate a dynamic version of this database, the KDEF-dyn. To this end, we applied animation between neutral and emotional expressions (happy, sad, angry, fearful, disgusted, and surprised; 1,033-ms unfolding) to 40 KDEF models, with morphing software. Ninety-six human observers categorized the expressions of the resulting 240 video-clip stimuli, and automated face analysis assessed the evidence for 6 expressions and 20 facial action units (AUs) at 31 intensities. Low-level image properties (luminance, signal-to-noise ratio, etc.) and other purely perceptual factors (e.g., size, unfolding speed) were controlled. Human recognition performance (accuracy, efficiency, and confusions) patterns were consistent with prior research using static and other dynamic expressions. Automated assessment of expressions and AUs was sensitive to intensity manipulations. Significant correlations emerged between human observers' categorization and automated classification. The KDEF-dyn database aims to provide a balance between experimental control and ecological validity for research on emotional facial expression processing. The stimuli and the validation data are available to the scientific community

Discovery of an emitting ring in the seyfert 1 galaxy UCM 2329+2500

We analyze a rather interesting galaxy discovered during the UCM survey for new Hα emission-line galaxies. The new galaxy UCM 2329+2500 presents a compact core that hosts a Seyfert 1 nucleus. The spectrum of the Seyfert nucleus presents broad components (FWHM=8000 km s^-1) and asymmetric profiles at the Balmer lines showing a secondary peak more apparent on the Hβ line and also observed in the Hα deblended line. Only traces of profile variability have been detected during spectroscopic observations at four different dates spanning 29 months. Eight kpc away from the nucleus, a ring-like structure that surrounds the core is observed. A long slit spectrum at PA 45° has revealed emission lines coming from both sides of the ring. The emission detected is prominent at a condensation observed on the red image. Star formation is the most plausible explanation. A high obscuration is also observed. All this information is coherent with a galactic encounter scenario

Observations of a complete sample of Hα emission-line galaxies. Long-slit spectroscopy of galaxies in UCM lists 1 and 2

Spectroscopic observations for the full sample of Her emission-line galaxy candidates (ELGs) from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid objective-prism survey Lists 1 and 2 have been obtained in order to investigate fully the properties of the survey constituents as well as the selection characteristics and completeness limits of the survey itself. The spectroscopic data include redshifts, line fluxes, equivalent widths, emission-line ratios, optical reddening estimates and synthesized color indexes. We find that 74% of the objects in this sample do exhibit emission Lines. We compare our observational data, with parameters given in the published survey lists in order to assess the usefulness of the latter. The different emission-line galaxies have been classified according to their spectra in several groups. Gray-scale images of the CCD spectra near the main emission lines, spatial profiles at the continuum and the Line for [OIII] λ5007 and Hα lines, as well as plots of the coadded spectra of selected galaxies are presented, and a number of peculiar objects are described

Cepas del género Penicillium aisladas en Cataluña

En el presente trabajo intentamos la clasificación de 133 cepas pertenecientes a 37 especies del género Penicillium Link, aisladas en Cataluña, así como la descripción macro y microscópica de todas ellas para su posible inclusión en un índice de la flora micológica de nuestro país

The soil seed bank role in mountainous heathland ecosystems after fire and inorganic nitrogen fertilization

Artículo incluido en el número especial: The Soil Seed Bank and Its Importance in Burnt Zones Recuperation Strategies[EN] Calluna vulgaris-dominated heathlands are a priority habitat type in Annex I of the Habitats Directive (92/43/ECC, habitat code 4060). In the Iberian Peninsula, the landscape of the Cantabrian Mountain range has great heterogeneity due to human management during the last 10,000 years. Another factor that can affect these communities is the increase in human-induced atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. During the last century, there has been a dramatic increase in N deposition rates. For all these reasons, it is important to know the regeneration dynamics of the heathlands in the context of the disturbances that these communities currently face (i.e., N deposition, fire, and decrease in sheep grazing) in the Cantabrian Mountain range. In this study, we characterized the plant species composition and soil seed bank after prescribed burning in three heathlands on their southern distribution limit in Spain, to gain insights into regenerative capacity and conservation of these communities. The results obtained suggest that the post-burn soil seed bank could restore Calluna-dominated vegetation in these habitats, indicating that the restoration potential from the soil seed bank after wildfires of these habitats is high. Our results also suggest that, in the short term after burning, the main characteristic species such as Calluna and Erica are recovered, which is fundamental to maintain the heathland community structure.S

Utilización inadecuada de un servicio de urgencias hospitalario. Una evaluación con criterios explícitos

ResumenFundamentoExiste un crecimiento del número de visitas en los servicios de urgencias hospitalarios (SUH) con una elevada proporción de utilización inapropiada. Los métodos empleados para identificar el uso inadecuado basados en criterios implícitos limitan las comparaciones entre hospitales. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer la proporción de visitas inadecuadas en un SUH y sus factores asociados, utilizando un método objetivo.Material y métodoSe utilizó un instrumento basado en criterios explícitos e independientes del diagnóstico para identificar las visitas inapropiadas en una muestra aleatoria de 1.845 pacientes mayores de 14 años que acudieron a los servicios médicos de un SUH, y se analizaron los factores asociados a la demanda inadecuada.ResultadosLa proporción de urgencias inadecuadas fue del 26,8% (495/1.845). En el análisis bivariante la menor edad, la ausencia de patología asociada, las visitas espontáneas y determinados grupos diagnósticos (enfermedades de la piel, músculo-esqueléticas, mentales y sintamos mal definidos) se asociaron a una mayor proporción de uso inadecuado del SUH. Al ajustar las variables mediante regresión logística, la edad, la patología asociada, las consultas espontáneas y los grupos diagnósticos, mantuvieron la asociación con el uso inadecuado, pero otras variables como el ser mujer y la llegada al SUH fuera del turno de noche también se asociaron a una mayor utilización inadecuada.ConclusionesAl menos la cuarta parte de las visitas realizadas en los servicios médicos de los SUH no requieren atención urgente. La inadecuación de las visitas se asocia a características del paciente y el proceso asistido.SummaryBackgroundSeveral studies have shown a growth in the number of visits to accident and emergency (A&E) hospital departments with a high proportion of inappropriate utilization. Methods to identify improper use based on implicit criteria limit the comparisons between hospitals. The aim of this study is to know the proportion of inappropriate attendance's in an A&E department and their associated factors, using a method with objective criteria.MethodsAn instrument based on diagnosis-independent explicit criteria was used to identify inappropriate visits in a random sample of 1845 14-year-old greater patients attended to A&E medical services, and the factors associated with improper demand were analysed.ResultsThe proportion of inappropriate attendance's was of the 26,8% (495/1.845). The unadjusted analysis show that the smaller age, absence of comorbidity, spontaneous visit and some diagnostic groups (diseases of the skin, muscle-skeletal, mental, and bad defined symptoms) were associated to a greater proportion of improper use. Upon adjusting the variables through logistics regression, the age, associated pathology, the spontaneous attendance's and diagnostic groups, maintained the association with improper use, but other variables as woman gender, and night hours were also associated to inappropriate utilization.ConclusionsAt least the fourth part of the attendance's in the A&E medical services do not require urgent attention. Inappropriate utilization is associated to characteristic of the patient and the attended process

Helios 3198 solar simulator adaptation for the characterization of LCPV prototypes

This paper covers the adaptation and experimental verification that has been carried out to the Helios 3198 solar simulator to use it in the characterization of a LCPV prototype. The challenge is to deal with the diffuse light that can distort the measurement of a LCPV prototype because of the larger acceptance angle. A deflector chamber for the flash lamp has been designed and implemented to capture this diffuse light. The experimental verification has proven the reliability of the solution, demonstrating that the inclusion of this element in the equipment is not modifying the spatial uniformity and the angular distribution of the light at the receiver plane. Therefore, this work demonstrates that the Helios 3198 solar simulator, including a deflector chamber for the lamp, can be used for the characterization of a LCPV prototype

Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Characterization of Resistance Mechanisms of Corynebacterium urealyticum Clinical Isolates

Corynebacterium urealyticum is a non-diphtherial urease-producing clinically relevant corynebacterial, most frequently involved in urinary tract infections. Most of the C. urealyticum clinical isolates are frequently resistant to several antibiotics. We investigated the susceptibility of 40 C. urealyticum isolated in our institution during the period 2005-2017 to eight compounds representative of the main clinically relevant classes of antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the Epsilometer test. Resistance genes were searched by PCR. All strains were susceptible to vancomycin whereas linezolid and rifampicin also showed good activity (MICs90 = 1 and 0.4 mg/L, respectively). Almost all isolates (39/40, 97.5%) were multidrug resistant. The highest resistance rate was observed for ampicillin (100%), followed by erythromycin (95%) and levofloxacin (95%). Ampicillin resistance was associated with the presence of the blaA gene, encoding a class A ?-lactamase. The two rifampicin-resistant strains showed point mutations driving amino acid replacements in conserved residues of RNA polymerase subunit ? (RpoB). Tetracycline resistance was due to an efflux-mediated mechanism. Thirty-nine PFGE patterns were identified among the 40 C. urealyticum, indicating that they were not clonally related, but producing sporadic infections. These findings raise the need of maintaining surveillance strategies among this multidrug resistant pathogen.This research was funded by Plan Nacional de I+D+i 2013-2016 and Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Subdirección General de Redes y Centros de Investigación Cooperativa, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Network for Research in Infectious Diseases (REIPI) D16/0016/0007 and RD16/0016/0008), and co-financed by European Development Regional Fund “A way to achieve Europe”, Operative program Intelligent Growth 2014-2020

Properties of UCM 2303+1702, a new seyfert 2 galaxy

The galaxy UCM 2303 + 1702, not previously known, was identified during the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) objective-prism survey. The optical spectrum displays emission lines with a blueward asymmetry. Forbidden lines cover a wide range of ionization exhibiting full width at half maximum (FWHM) unusually broad. An analysis of ionization range and the emission line ratios measured in the spectrum leads to a Seyfert 2 classification. The contour map of isophotes of the CCD image shows an Sbc-Sc+ spiral, nearly face-on, in disagreement with previous works reporting an anticorrelation between the [0_III] line width and the Hubble morphological type in Seyfert parent galaxies. High quality IRAS coadded data have been used to study the far-infrared properties

4D monitoring of active sinkholes with a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS): A Case study in the evaporite karst of the Ebro Valley, NE Spain

This work explores, for the first time, the application of a Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) and a comparison of point clouds in the 4D monitoring of active sinkholes. The approach is tested in three highly-active sinkholes related to the dissolution of salt-bearing evaporites overlain by unconsolidated alluvium. The sinkholes are located in urbanized areas and have caused severe damage to critical infrastructure (flood-control dike, a major highway). The 3D displacement models derived from the comparison of point clouds with exceptionally high spatial resolution allow complex spatial and temporal subsidence patterns within one of the sinkholes to be resolved. Detected changes in the subsidence activity (e.g., sinkhole expansion, translation of the maximum subsidence zone, development of incipient secondary collapses) are related to potential controlling factors such as floods, water table changes or remedial measures. In contrast, with detailed mapping and high-precision leveling, the displacement models, covering a relatively short time span of around 6 months, do not capture the subtle subsidence (< 0.6-1 cm) that affects the marginal zones of the sinkholes, precluding precise mapping of the edges of the subsidence areas. However, the performance of TLS can be adversely affected by some methodological limitations and local conditions: (1) limited accuracy in large investigation areas that require the acquisition of a high number of scans, increasing the registration error; (2) surface changes unrelated to sinkhole activity (e.g., vegetation, loose material); (3) traffic-related vibrations and wind blast that affect the stability of the scanner