Simple theoretical proposal of the dependence of the deGennes extrapolation parameter with the surface temperature of a superconducting sample

El modelo de Ginzburg - Landau (TDGLM) es una fuerte herramienta ampliamente utilizada para analizar la magnetización de un estado de vórtice simple en una muestra superconductor mesoscópica en presencia de un campo magnético. El algoritmo implementado es aplicado a una geometria cuadrada rodeada de diferentes tipos de materiales (simulados por la longitude de extrapolación de deGennes ). El interior de la muestra se mantiene a una temperatura constante , mientras su frontera permanece a una temperatura  Esta variación de temperatura en la muestra puede ser generada por una onda laser continua inyectada en todos los puntos internos, excepto en una delgada capa en la superficie del material. Encontramos que, el valor de b en , cual imita la curva de magnetización para un respectivo , presenta una dependencia lineal con la temperature. Por lo tanto, aunque dentro del dominio de validez de la TDGLM el parametro  es considerado independiente de la temperature en la vecindad de la temperatura crítica volumétrica y que  depende de la densidad de estados cercal a la superficie, proponemos una dependencia simple de  usando TDGLM.The Time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau model (TDGLM) is a robust tool widely used to analyze the magnetization of the single-vortex state of a mesoscopic superconducting sample in presence of a magnetic field. The algorithm implemented in this work is applied to a square geometry surrounded by different kinds of materials simulated by deGennes extrapolation length . The inside of the sample remains at constant temperature , while its boundary remains at temperature . This temperature variation in the sample can be generated by a continuous laser wave injected into all the internal points, except for a thin surface layer in the boundary of the material. We found that the b value at , which mimics the magnetization curve for a corresponding , presents a linear dependence with the temperature. Therefore, although within the domain of validity TDGLM the parameter  is to be considered temperature-independent in the vicinity of the bulk critical temperature and that  depends on the density of states near the surface, we propose a simple dependence of using a TDGLM

A similarity measure between videos using alignment, graphical and speech features

A novel video similarity measure is proposed by using visual features, alignment distances and speech transcripts. First, video files are represented by a sequence of segments each of which contains colour histograms, starting time, and a set of phonemes. After, textual, alignment and visual features are extracted of these segments. The following step, bipartite matching and statistical features are applied to find correspondences between segments. Finally, a similarity is calculated between videos. Experiments have been carried out and promising results have been obtained.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TIN2009–14378-C02–0

Training Design, Performance Analysis, and Talent Identification—A Systematic Review about the Most Relevant Variables through the Principal Component Analysis in Soccer, Basketball, and Rugby

Since the accelerating development of technology applied to team sports and its subsequent high amount of information available, the need for data mining leads to the use of data reduction techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This systematic review aims to identify determinant variables in soccer, basketball and rugby using exploratory factor analysis for, training design, performance analysis and talent identification. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus) were systematically searched and 34 studies were finally included in the qualitative synthesis. Through PCA, data sets were reduced by 75.07%, and 3.9 ± 2.53 factors were retained that explained 80 ± 0.14% of the total variance. All team sports should be analyzed or trained based on the high level of aerobic capacity combined with adequate levels of power and strength to perform repeated high-intensity actions in a very short time, which differ between team sports. Accelerations and decelerations are mainly significant in soccer, jumps and landings are crucial in basketball, and impacts are primarily identified in rugby. Besides, from these team sports, primary information about different technical/tactical variables was extracted such as (a) soccer: occupied space, ball controls, passes, and shots; (b) basketball: throws, rebounds, and turnovers; or (c) rugby: possession game pace and team formation. Regarding talent identification, both anthropometrics and some physical capacity measures are relevant in soccer and basketball. Although overall, since these variables have been identified in different investigations, further studies should perform PCA on data sets that involve variables from different dimensions (technical, tactical, conditional)

AGAMOS: A graph-based approach to modulo scheduling for clustered microarchitectures

This paper presents AGAMOS, a technique to modulo schedule loops on clustered microarchitectures. The proposed scheme uses a multilevel graph partitioning strategy to distribute the workload among clusters and reduces the number of intercluster communications at the same time. Partitioning is guided by approximate schedules (i.e., pseudoschedules), which take into account all of the constraints that influence the final schedule. To further reduce the number of intercluster communications, heuristics for instruction replication are included. The proposed scheme is evaluated using the SPECfp95 programs. The described scheme outperforms a state-of-the-art scheduler for all programs and different cluster configurations. For some configurations, the speedup obtained when using this new scheme is greater than 40 percent, and for selected programs, performance can be more than doubled.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Using the Social-Local-Mobile App for Smoking Cessation in the SmokeFreeBrain Project: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Smoking is considered the main cause of preventable illness and early deaths worldwide. The treatment usually prescribed to people who wish to quit smoking is a multidisciplinary intervention, combining both psychological advice and pharmacological therapy, since the application of both strategies significantly increases the chance of success in a quit attempt. Objective: We present a study protocol of a 12-month randomized open-label parallel-group trial whose primary objective is to analyze the efficacy and efficiency of usual psychopharmacological therapy plus the Social-Local-Mobile app (intervention group) applied to the smoking cessation process compared with usual psychopharmacological therapy alone (control group). Methods: The target population consists of adult smokers (both male and female) attending the Smoking Cessation Unit at Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, Seville, Spain. Social-Local-Mobile is an innovative intervention based on mobile technologies and their capacity to trigger behavioral changes. The app is a complement to pharmacological therapies to quit smoking by providing personalized motivational messages, physical activity monitoring, lifestyle advice, and distractions (minigames) to help overcome cravings. Usual pharmacological therapy consists of bupropion (Zyntabac 150 mg) or varenicline (Champix 0.5 mg or 1 mg). The main outcomes will be (1) the smoking abstinence rate at 1 year measured by means of exhaled carbon monoxide and urinary cotinine tests, and (2) the result of the cost-effectiveness analysis, which will be expressed in terms of an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio. Secondary outcome measures will be (1) analysis of the safety of pharmacological therapy, (2) analysis of the health-related quality of life of patients, and (3) monitoring of healthy lifestyle and physical exercise habits. Results: Of 548 patients identified using the hospital’s electronic records system, we excluded 308 patients: 188 declined to participate and 120 did not meet the inclusion criteria. A total of 240 patients were enrolled: the control group (n=120) will receive usual psychopharmacological therapy, while the intervention group (n=120) will receive usual psychopharmacological therapy plus the So-Lo-Mo app. The project was approved for funding in June 2015. Enrollment started in October 2016 and was completed in October 2017. Data gathering was completed in November 2018, and data analysis is under way. The first results are expected to be submitted for publication in early 2019. Conclusions: Social networks and mobile technologies influence our daily lives and, therefore, may influence our smoking habits as well. As part of the SmokeFreeBrain H2020 European Commission project, this study aims at elucidating the potential role of these technologies when used as an extra aid to quit smoking

Evaluación de la severidad de la incontinencia urinaria de esfuerzo con estudios urodinámicos: un estudio comparativo para detectar deficiencia intrínseca del esfínter uretral externo

ResumenObjetivoDeterminar la sensibilidad y especificidad del punto de presión de fuga abdominal (ALPP), para evaluar la presencia de deficiencia intrínseca del esfínter (DIE) comparativamente con la presión máxima de cierre uretral (MUCP, por sus siglas en inglés), estableciendo la correlación clínico-urodinámica correspondiente.ResultadosFueron evaluadas 34 pacientes con incontinencia urinaria de esfuerzo (IUE); 17 paciente (50%) fueron diagnosticadas urodinámicamente con DIE por punto de ALPP; 9 tuvieron IUE severa mientras que sólo 2 (5.8%) lo fueron por MUCP, de las cuales una tuvo IUE severa y otra, IUE moderada. Dieciocho pacientes fueron catalogadas clínicamente como IUE severa, de las cuales 17 tuvieron DIE por ALPP entre severa y moderada (94%).ConclusionesLa evaluación urodinámica de la IUE permite establecer de manera clara la fisiopatología de una disfunción del tracto urinario inferior concomitante, con la posibilidad de objetivar la presencia de IUE con el ALPP en al menos 85% de los casos, con una sensibilidad y especificidad para diagnosticar DIE muy superior a la MUCP.AbstractAimsTo determine the sensitivity and specificity of the abdominal leak point pressure (ALPP) in order to comparatively evalúate the presence of intrinsic sphincter deficiency (ISD) with máximum urethral closure pressure (MUCP) and establish the corresponding clinical and urodynamic correlation.ResultsThirty-four patients with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) were evaluated. Seventeen of those patients (50%) were urodynamically diagnosed with ISD through ALPP and 9 of them had severe SUI. Only 2 patients were diagnosed with ISD through MUCP; one of them had severe SUI and the other presented with modérate SUI. Eighteen patients were clinically classified with severe SUI, 17 of whom had moderate to severe ISD diagnosed through ALPP (94%).ConclusionsUrodynamic evaluation of SUI made it possible to clearly establish the pathophysiology of concomitant lower urinary tract dysfunction and to objectify the presence of SUI through ALPP in at least 85% of the cases. ALPP had a much higher sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing ISD than MUCP

Management of risk factors associated with chronic oral lesions in sheep

Oral disorders constitute a significant cause of weight loss in sheep. In a study of disorders of the oral cavity of 36, 033 sheep from 60 meat sheep flocks in Spain, we looked for management risk factors associated with chronic oral lesions. Mandibular and maxillary disorders were assessed as an external manifestation of oral lesions by palpation, searching for tissue swellings, fistulae, or open wounds. The prevalence of flocks containing sheep with jaw disorders was 98.3%, with an average individual prevalence of 5.5%. The majority of lesions were located in in the mid-region of the mandible, and the most relevant risk factor was increasing age. Use of acidic diets based on silage and inclusion of hard foods, such as maize straw or hay, was associated with the occurrence of jaw inflammation. It was concluded that hard diets containing plant material with edges and sharp areas, plus acidic foods including silage, are more likely to cause lesions of the gingiva, enabling entry of pathogens to the oral mucosa that eventually establish locally in bony tissues, usually as mandibular osteomyelitis. It was also observed that mineral supplementation appears to prevent the occurrence of these lesions