Star Products on Coadjoint Orbits

We study properties of a family of algebraic star products defined on coadjoint orbits of semisimple Lie groups. We connect this description with the point of view of differentiable deformations and geometric quantization.Comment: Talk given at the XXIII ICGTMP, Dubna (Russia) August 200

A Comparative Analysis of 2D and 3D Tasks for Virtual Reality Therapies Based on Robotic-Assisted Neurorehabilitation for Post-stroke Patients

Post-stroke neurorehabilitation based on virtual therapies are performed completing repetitive exercises shown in visual electronic devices, whose content represents imaginary or daily life tasks. Currently, there are two ways of visualization of these task. 3D virtual environments are used to get a three dimensional space that represents the real world with a high level of detail, whose realism is determinated by the resolucion and fidelity of the objects of the task. Furthermore, 2D virtual environments are used to represent the tasks with a low degree of realism using techniques of bidimensional graphics. However, the type of visualization can influence the quality of perception of the task, affecting the patient's sensorimotor performance. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate if there were differences in patterns of kinematic movements when post-stroke patients performed a reach task viewing a virtual therapeutic game with two different type of visualization of virtual environment: 2D and 3D. Nine post-stroke patients have participated in the study receiving a virtual therapy assisted by PUPArm rehabilitation robot. Horizontal movements of the upper limb were performed to complete the aim of the tasks, which consist in reaching peripheral or perspective targets depending on the virtual environment shown. Various parameter types such as the maximum speed, reaction time, path length, or initial movement are analyzed from the data acquired objectively by the robotic device to evaluate the influence of the task visualization. At the end of the study, a usability survey was provided to each patient to analysis his/her satisfaction level. For all patients, the movement trajectories were enhanced when they completed the therapy. This fact suggests that patient's motor recovery was increased. Despite of the similarity in majority of the kinematic parameters, differences in reaction time and path length were higher using the 3D task. Regarding the success rates were very similar. In conclusion, the using of 2D environments in virtual therapy may be a more appropriate and comfortable way to perform tasks for upper limb rehabilitation of post-stroke patients, in terms of accuracy in order to effectuate optimal kinematic trajectories

The weather roulette: a game to communicate the usefulness of probabilistic climate predictions

Climate predictions, from three weeks to a decade into the future, can provide invaluable information for climate-sensitive socioeconomic sectors, such as renewable energy, agriculture, or insurance. However, communicating and interpreting these predictions is not straightforward. Barriers hindering user uptake include a terminology gap between climate scientists and users, the difficulties of dealing with probabilistic outcomes for decision-making, and the lower skill of climate predictions compared to the skill of weather forecasts. This paper presents a gaming approach to break communication and understanding barriers through the application of the Weather Roulette conceptual framework. In the game, the player can choose between two forecast options, one that uses ECMWF seasonal predictions against one using climatology-derived probabilities. For each forecast option, the bet is spread proportionally to the predicted probabilities, either in a single year game or a game for the whole period of 33 past years. This paper provides skill maps of forecast quality metrics commonly used by the climate prediction community (e.g., ignorance skill score and ranked probability skill score), which in the game are linked to metrics easily understood by the business sector (e.g., interest rate and return on investment). In a simplified context, we illustrate how in skillful regions the economic benefits of using ECMWF predictions arise in the long term and are higher than using climatology. This paper provides an example of how to convey the usefulness of climate predictions and transfer the knowledge from climate science to potential users. If applied, this approach could provide the basis for a better integration of knowledge about climate anomalies into operational and managerial processes.The research leading to these results has received funding from the EU FP7 Programme under Grant Agreement 308291 (EUPORIAS), the EU H2020 Programme under Grant Agreements 776787 (S2S4E) and 776613 (EUCP), and the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) as part of the CLINSA Project CGL2017-85791-R. It is also part of the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) (Framework Agreement C3S_441_Lot2_CEA), a program being implemented by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) on behalf of the European Commission

mpMRI-US Fusion-Guided Targeted Cryotherapy in Patients with Primary Localized Prostate Cancer: A Prospective Analysis of Oncological and Functional Outcomes.

Targeted therapy (TT) for prostate cancer (PCa) aims to ablate the malignant lesion with an adequate margin of safety in order to obtain similar oncological outcomes, but with less toxicity than radical treatments. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the recurrence rate (RR) in patients with primary localized PCa undergoing mpMRI/US fusion targeted cryotherapy (FTC). A secondary objective was to evaluate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a predictor of recurrences. We designed a prospective single-center single-cohort study. Patients with primary localized PCa, mono or multifocal lesions, PSA 15 ng/mL, and a Gleason score (GS) 4 + 3 undergoing FTC were enrolled. RR was chosen as the primary outcome. Recurrence was defined as the presence of clinically significant prostate cancer in the treated areas. PSA values measured at different times were tested as predictors of recurrence. Continuous variables were assessed with the Bayesian t-test and categorical assessments with the chix-squared test. Univariate and logistic regression assessment were used for predictions. A total of 75 cases were included in the study. Ten subjects developed a recurrence (RR: 15.2%), while fifty-six (84.8%) patients showed a recurrence-free status. A %PSA drop of 31.5% during the first 12 months after treatment predicted a recurrence with a sensitivity of 53.8% and a specificity of 79.2%. A PSA drop of 55.3% 12 months after treatment predicted a recurrence with a sensitivity of 91.7% and a specificity of 51.9%. FTC for primary localized PCa seems to be associated with a low but not negligible percentage of recurrences. Serum PSA levels may have a role indicating RR.post-print644 K

Un trabajo colaborativo y de acompañamiento tutorial: el Plan de Acción Tutorial en la Facultad de Educación

El trabajo que se presenta refleja el trabajo colaborativo de la RED PAT-Educación en la que ha participado el profesorado integrante del Programa de Acción Tutorial (PAT) de la Facultad de Educación, dentro del Programa de REDES de investigación en docencia universitaria del ICE de la Universidad de Alicante. El objetivo del mismo es describir el Programa de acción tutorial (PAT) llevado a cabo durante el curso 2013/2014 en la Facultad de Educación así como analizar el desarrollo del mismo, desde la perspectiva de trabajo colaborativo entre el profesorado tutor participante y la puesta en práctica de un proceso de acompañamiento tutorial hacia el alumnado tutorado. Al mismo tiempo, se ha generado un trabajo conjunto con la inclusión de las TIC tanto para el profesorado tutor como para el alumnado tutorado a través de la creación del blog: http://edupatua.blogspot.com.es/ como recurso didáctico en el desarrollo de las tareas tutoriales, permitiéndonos conocer y analizar las necesidades y demandas del alumnado en este proceso de implementación del PAT. Los resultados obtenidos constatan fortalezas y debilidades que nos hacen reflexionar sobre las posibles propuestas de mejora que favorecerían el proceso de acompañamiento tutorial implementado

Impact of Early Intrapatient Variability of Tacrolimus Concentrations on the Risk of Graft-Versus-Host Disease after Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation Using High-Dose Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide

Tacrolimus (Tac) is a pivotal immunosuppressant agent used to prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Tac is characterized by a narrow therapeutic window and a high inter-patient and intra-patient pharmacokinetic variability (IPV). Although high IPV of Tac concentrations has been associated with adverse post-transplant outcomes following solid organ transplantation, the effects of Tac IPV on alloHSCT recipients have not been determined. Tac IPV was therefore retrospectively evaluated in 128 alloHSCT recipients receiving high-dose post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) and the effects of Tac IPV on the occurrence of acute GVHD (aGVHD) were analyzed. Tac IPV was calculated from pre-dose concentrations (C0) measured during the first month after Tac initiation. The cumulative rates of grades II-IV and grades III-IV aGVHD at day +100 were 22.7% and 7%, respectively. Higher Tac IPV was associated with a greater risk of developing GVHD, with patients having IPV > 50th percentile having significantly higher rates of grades II-IV (34.9% vs. 10.8%; hazard ratio [HR] 3.858, p < 0.001) and grades III-IV (12.7% vs. 1.5%; HR 9.69, p = 0.033) aGVHD than patients having IPV ? 50th percentile. Similarly, patients with IPV > 75th percentile had higher rates of grades II-IV (41.9% vs. 16.5%; HR 3.30, p < 0.001) and grades III-IV (16.1% vs. 4.1%; HR 4.99, p = 0.012) aGVHD than patients with IPV ? 75th percentile. Multivariate analyses showed that high Tac IPV (>50th percentile) was an independent risk factor for grades II-IV (HR 2.99, p = 0.018) and grades III-IV (HR 9.12, p = 0.047) aGVHD. Determination of Tac IPV soon after alloHSCT could be useful in identifying patients at greater risk of aGVHD

El Plan de Acción Tutorial en la Facultad de Educación: trabajo colaborativo y acompañamiento tutorial

El trabajo que se presenta está enmarcado en la RED PAT-Educación en la que participa el profesorado que forma parte del Programa de Acción Tutorial (PAT) de la Facultad de Educación, dentro del Programa de REDES de investigación en docencia universitaria del ICE de la Universidad de Alicante. El objetivo es describir el plan de actuación llevado a cabo entre el profesorado participante y las tareas realizadas con el grupo de alumnado tutorado. La metodología utilizada se ha centrado en el trabajo colaborativo entre el profesorado tutor y las sesiones grupales con el alumnado tutorado, así como la creación del blog: http://edupatua.blogspot.com.es/ como recurso didáctico en el desarrollo de las tareas tutoriales, permitiéndonos conocer y analizar las necesidades y demandas del alumnado en este proceso de acompañamiento y desarrollo del PAT. Los primeros resultados obtenidos muestran una serie de fortalezas y debilidades en la implementación del PAT y las posibles propuestas de mejora que son necesarias abordar para el próximo curso

La acción tutorial para el alumnado con diversidad funcional en la Universidad

Las universidades españolas acometen de manera permanente innovaciones y nuevos retos de acorde a los cambios sociales y educativos. Uno de estos retos es dar respuesta a la diversidad funcional del alumnado existente en las aulas universitarias. Para ello, se están regulando actuaciones que normalicen las tareas académicas de dicho alumnado con la finalidad de hacer efectiva una participación inclusiva. En este trabajo se ha planteado como objetivo analizar las necesidades y demandas del alumnado con diversidad funcional y hacerlas efectivas desde la acción tutorial. Los resultados de las actuaciones implementadas indican que el asesoramiento y acompañamiento que ofrece la acción tutorial ha supuesto una mejora a favor de un mayor conocimiento del alumnado tutorado así como la necesidad de incorporar la variable diversidad funcional en las estrategias metodológicas del profesorado. Asimismo, se perfilan ya los primeros cambios en las propuestas de evaluación programada. Las conclusiones de las actuaciones implementadas justifican la importancia de una actuación reglada desde la acción tutorial que permita llevar a cabo la inclusión educativa del alumnado con diversidad funcional en la universidad

The avoidance of G-CSF and the addition of prophylactic corticosteroids after autologous stem cell transplantation for multiple myeloma patients appeal for the at-home setting to reduce readmission for neutropenic fever

Background Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) remains the standard of care for young multiple myeloma (MM) patients; indeed, at-home ASCT has been positioned as an appropriate therapeutic strategy. However, despite the use of prophylactic antibiotics, neutropenic fever (NF) and hospital readmissions continue to pose as the most important limitations in the outpatient setting. It is possible that the febrile episodes may have a non-infectious etiology, and engraftment syndrome could play a more significant role. The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of both G-CSF withdrawal and the addition of primary prophylaxis with corticosteroids after ASCT. Methods Between January 2002 and August 2018, 111 MM patients conditioned with melphalan were managed at-home beginning +1 day after ASCT. Three groups were established: Group A (n = 33) received standard G-CSF post-ASCT; group B (n = 32) avoided G-CSF post-ASCT; group C (n = 46) avoided G-CSF yet added corticosteroid prophylaxis post-ASCT. Results The incidence of NF among the groups was reduced (64%, 44%, and 24%; P2 (OR 6.1; P = 0.002) and G-CSF avoidance plus corticosteroids (OR 0.1; P60 years (OR 14.6; P = 0.04) and G-CSF avoidance plus corticosteroids (OR 0.07; P = 0.05). Conclusions G-CSF avoidance and corticosteroid prophylaxis post ASCT minimize the incidence of NF in MM patients undergoing at-home ASCT. This approach should be explored in a prospective randomized clinical trial

Small Bowel Enteroscopy - A Joint Clinical Guideline by the Spanish and Portuguese Small-Bowel Study Groups

The present evidence-based guidelines are focused on the use of device-assisted enteroscopy in the management of small-bowel diseases. A panel of experts selected by the Spanish and Portuguese small-bowel study groups reviewed the available evidence focusing on the main indications of this technique, its role in the management algorithm of each indication, and its diagnostic and therapeutic yield. A set of recommendations was issued accordingly.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio