Software de comunicación para personas con parálisis cerebral

El objetivo de este Trabajo de Fin de Grado es la creación de un software para la comunicación de personas con discapacidad exclusivamente motriz, incluyendo el habla, pero sin tener afectada la cognición; concretamente va dirigido a un niño que padece una parálisis cerebral. Dicho software se ha desarrollado en dos programas separados. El primero es un software de seguimiento de pupila basado en la tecnología de EyeTracking, para lo que se usa un ratón de mirada proporcionado por un programa ya existente. La aportación en este apartado ha sido crear una interfaz, como capa superior, mediante botones que ejecutan las acciones correspondientes a seleccionar el método de comunicación y las opciones correspondientes a cada método que ofrece el sistema. Nuestro niño, Moisés, sufre disponía, lo que implica fluctuación ene el tono muscular, unas veces hipertónico y otras hipotónico en distintas partes de su cuerpo, afectándole a la sujeción de la cabeza. Por ese motivo se ha desarrollado un segundo programa que funciona con ratón y teclado, al cual se le ha añadido un pulsador. Incluye un menú para seleccionar distintas formas de comunicación. Las opciones de este menú se le ofrecen al usuario de forma secuencial ya que solo podrá comunicarse con el sistemas mediante clicks de ratón o pulsaciones de teclado. En España la empresa Vía Libre de la fundación ONCE vende materiales ortopédicos y de comunicación, todos con licencia de uso, como el usado por Stephen Hawking, no asequibles a familias que ya tienen gastos en sillas, adaptadores, y material ortopédico. Este segundo programa ha sido probado y modificado según las principales necesidades de comunicación de Moisés, es de código abierto y puede ser descargable desde https://sourceforge.net/p/clickspeak

An integrative framework to validate the Need-Supportive Teaching Style Scale (NSTSS) in secondary teachers through exploratory structural equation modeling

Grounded in self-determination theory and achievement goal theory, the objective of this study was to validate the Need-Supportive Teaching Style Scale (NSTSS) to evaluate teachers’ perception of their interpersonal styles. Using an adaptation to teachers of the items of the Motivational Climate in Physical Education Scale (MCPES) validated in students, the NSTSS proposed a four-factor structure, made up of task climate support, ego climate support, autonomy support and relatedness support. With a sample of 584 secondary teachers, the results obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and from the exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) supported the four-factor structure for the NSTSS. The results also supported composite reliability, measurement invariance across gender and type of school (public or private), as well as nomological validity (in relation to measures of motivation to teach, engagement at work and burnout at work) of NSTSS ratings. The results are discussed by arguing the importance that creating a scale to evaluate teachers’ perception of their need-supportive teaching styles using an integrative approach may have, discussing theoretical, methodological and practical contributions

Correlation of fatigue with other disease related and psychosocial factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with tocilizumab: ACT-AXIS study

To assess the hypothesis if tocilizumab (TCZ) is effective on disease activity, and also its effect in fatigue and other clinical and psychological disease-related factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with TCZ.A 24-week, multicenter, prospective, observational study in patients with moderate to severe RA receiving TCZ after failure or intolerance to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs or tumor necrosis factor-alpha was conducted.Of the 122 patients included, 85 were evaluable for effectiveness (85% female, 51.9 ± 12.5 years, disease duration 8.7 ± 7.4 years). Mean change in C-reactive protein level from baseline to week 12 was -11.2 ± 4.0 (P < .001). Mean Disease Activity Index score (DAS28) decreased from 5.5 ± 1.0 at baseline to 2.7 ± 1.3 (P < .001) at week 24. Mean change in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy score was -5.4 ± 11.2 points at week 24. Multiple regression analysis showed that the improvement in DAS28, sleep, and depression explained 56% and 47% of fatigue variance at week 12 and 24, respectively.Tocilizumab is effective in reducing disease activity and results in a clinically significant improvement in fatigue, pain, swollen joint count, morning stiffness, sleepiness, depression, and DAS28; the last 3 were specifically identified as factors explaining fatigue variance with the use of TCZ in RA patients

Prognostic impact of neoadjuvant aglepristone treatment in clinicopathological parameters of progesterone receptor-positive canine mammary carcinomas

Embargado hasta 06/02/2044Neoadjuvant treatment of canine mammary carcinomas with the progesterone receptor (PR) antagonist aglepristone has a PR expression-related inhibiting effect on proliferation index (PI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the treatment in the disease-free period (DFP) and overall survival (OS) of canine mammary carcinomas. Fifty female dogs with mammary carcinomas were treated with aglepristone (n = 34) or oil vehicle (n = 16) before surgery (day 15). PR expression and PI were analysed by immunohistochemistry in samples taken at days 1 and 15. Epidemiological and clinicopathological data were assessed. DFP and OS data were retrieved every 4–6 months for at least 24 months after surgery. Aglepristone treatment increased DFP of animals bearing PR+ tumours with size smaller than 3 cm, complex and mixed tumours, with histologic grades I and II, and with PI ≤ 10%. Although further studies are necessary, current evidence points to treatment with aglepristone as useful for the management of canine mammary tumours

Paleoanthropological research of the neandertal fossils from El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain)

RESUMEN: Tras 13 campañas de excavación metódica, y una vez concluidos definitivamente los trabajos de campo en la Galería del Osario de la cueva de El Sidrón (Asturias, España), se presenta una breve evaluación de las investigaciones paleoantropológicas realizadas. Los restos neandertales recuperados ascienden a más de 2550, a los que hay que sumar las 400 piezas de industria lítica musteriense y los muy escasos restos de fauna; asociación que hace de este yacimiento un lugar muy singular. Análisis sedimentológicos, tafonómicos y estructurales del karst aclaran que el depósito fosilífero se encuentra en posición secundaria y procede, por desplazamiento en masa, de una galería/abrigo de un nivel superior. Todas las partes del esqueleto están representadas y se han identificado 13 individuos: 7 adultos (3 masculinos, 4 femeninos), 3 adolescentes (2 masculinos, 1 femenino), 2 juveniles masculinos y un infantil. En la actualidad, la colección de El Sidrón constituye la muestra de neandertales más numerosa y diversa de la Península Ibérica y permite abordar estudios sistémicos sobre el tempo y modo de aparición de los caracteres derivados en el linaje neandertal. El amplio programa de investigación paleobiológica emprendido abarca los diferentes niveles de organización biológica, desde los anatómicos macroscópicos al molecular. En este último destaca especialmente la extracción de secuencias de ADN, con participación de El Sidrón en los proyectos genoma y exoma neandertal, además de la caracterización de los haplotipos de ADN mitocondrial de 12 individuos. Los resultados genéticos, ratificados por datos osteológicos, definen a los neandertales de El Sidrón como un grupo homogéneo, con estrechos lazos familiares entre sus individuos. Finalmente, las numerosas evidencias del tratamiento antrópico de los restos hacen de El Sidrón un ejemplo paradigmático de prácticas de canibalismo entre los neandertales.ABSTRACT: The archaeological project in the Gallery of the Osario of the cave of El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) has recently concluded after 13 field seasons of detailed, methodical excavation. We present here a summary of the lines of research and the paleoanthropological studies carried out to date, as well as a brief perspective of the ongoing investigations. More than 2550 neandertal fossil remains have been recovered from this singular deposit, together with 400 pieces of Mousterian lithic industry, and less than 60 non-human remains. Sedimentological, taphonomic and structural analyses of the karst clarify that this fossil assemblage is in a secondary position and comes by mudflow from a gallery/shelter located in a superior level of the karst. All the skeletal parts are represented, and 13 individuals have been identified: 7 adults (3 males, 4 females), 3 adolescents (2 males, 1 female), 2 male juveniles and an infant. The El Sidrón collection constitutes the most numerous and diverse neandertal sample of the Iberian Peninsula, allowing systemic studies on tempo and modo of ap-pearance of the derived characters in the neandertal lineage. The wide undertaken paleobiological research program includes the study of the different levels of biological organization, from demo-graphic and evolutionary dynamics to molecular aspects. With regard to the latter, the extraction of DNA sequences has played a central role, with the characterization of the mt-DNA haplotype of 12 individuals, and with the inclusion of samples from El Sidrón in the Neandertal Genome and Exome projects. Results from the genetic and osteological studies define El Sidrón neandertals as a homogenous group, with narrow kinship bonds between their individuals. Finally, the numerous evidences of human-induced treatment of the bones make of El Sidrón a paradigmatic example of practices of cannibalism between the neandertals

Near-intrinsic energy resolution for 30-662 keV gamma rays in a high pressure xenon electroluminescent TPC

We present the design, data and results from the NEXT prototype for Double Beta and Dark Matter (NEXT-DBDM) detector, a high-pressure gaseous natural xenon electroluminescent time projection chamber (TPC) that was built at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. It is a prototype of the planned NEXT-100 136Xe neutrino-less double beta decay (0νββ) experiment with the main objectives of demonstrating near-intrinsic energy resolution at energies up to 662 keV and of optimizing the NEXT-100 detector design and operating parameters. Energy resolutions of ∼1% FWHM for 662 keV gamma rays were obtained at 10 and 15 atm and ∼5% FWHM for 30 keV fluorescence xenon X-rays. These results demonstrate that 0.5% FWHM resolutions for the 2459 keV hypothetical neutrino-less double beta decay peak are realizable. This energy resolution is a factor 7-20 better than that of the current leading 0νββ experiments using liquid xenon and thus represents a significant advancement. We present also first results from a track imaging system consisting of 64 silicon photo-multipliers recently installed in NEXT-DBDM that, along with the excellent energy resolution, demonstrates the key functionalities required for the NEXT-100 0νββ searc

Reconstruction of interactions in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector with Pandora

International audienceThe Pandora Software Development Kit and algorithm libraries provide pattern-recognition logic essential to the reconstruction of particle interactions in liquid argon time projection chamber detectors. Pandora is the primary event reconstruction software used at ProtoDUNE-SP, a prototype for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment far detector. ProtoDUNE-SP, located at CERN, is exposed to a charged-particle test beam. This paper gives an overview of the Pandora reconstruction algorithms and how they have been tailored for use at ProtoDUNE-SP. In complex events with numerous cosmic-ray and beam background particles, the simulated reconstruction and identification efficiency for triggered test-beam particles is above 80% for the majority of particle type and beam momentum combinations. Specifically, simulated 1 GeV/$c$ charged pions and protons are correctly reconstructed and identified with efficiencies of 86.1$\pm0.6$% and 84.1$\pm0.6$%, respectively. The efficiencies measured for test-beam data are shown to be within 5% of those predicted by the simulation