Finding Multiple Solutions in Nonlinear Integer Programming with Algebraic Test-Sets

We explain how to compute all the solutions of a nonlinear integer problem using the algebraic test-sets associated to a suitable linear subproblem. These test-sets are obtained using Gröbner bases. The main advantage of this method, compared to other available alternatives, is its exactness within a quite good efficiency.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad MTM2016-75024-PMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad MTM2016-74983-C2- 1-RJunta de Andalucía P12-FQM-269

Desórdenes de la locomoción, a dos velocidades de paso, en pacientes con fibromialgia

El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar si hay diferencias en las variables espaciotemporales de locomoción entre las pacientes afectadas con fibromialgia (FM) y un grupo de mujeres sanas, analizadas a velocidad confortable y rápida. Se evaluaron a 55 mujeres con FM y 44 sanas. El análisis de la locomoción se realizó con una plataforma de presiones (GaitRite system) y los sujetos realizaron una prueba a velocidad confortable y otra a velocidad rápida. Diferencias significativas (p<0.001) fueron encontradas entre el grupo control y el grupo FM en las variables de velocidad, longitud de paso, cadencia, fase de apoyo monopodal, fase de apoyo bipodal, fase de oscilación y fase de apoyo en las dos condiciones analizadas. No encontramos diferencias significativas entre las pacientes con FM caminando rápido y el grupo control a velocidad confortable, excepto en la cadencia. Los parámetros de locomoción en mujeres con FM están severamente afectados al compararlo con el grupo control, debido a diversos factores como la bradicinesia, la falta de actividad física, el sobrepeso, la fatiga y el dolor, que junto con una menor fuerza isométrica de las extremidades inferiores, pueden ser las responsables de estas alteraciones en la locomoción y en el descenso de la calidad de vida de estas pacientes.The aim of the present study was to determine if there are differences in spatiotemporal parameters among patients affected by fibromyalgia (FM) and healthy subjects, assess at comfortable and quickly speed of locomotion. We studied 55 women with FM and 44 controls. Gait analysis was performed using an instrumented walkway for measurement of the kinematic parameters of gait (GAITRite system), and the subjects was assessment in two conditions, comfortable and fast gait speed. Significant differences (p<0.001) between FM and control groups were found in velocity, stride length, cadence, single support ratio, double support ratio, stance phase ratio, and swing phase ratio at both analysis conditions. There aren’t statistical differences between FM group walking at quick speed and control group walking at comfortable speed, except in cadence variable. Gait parameters of women affected by FM were severely impaired when compared to those of healthy women. Different factors such as lack of physical activity, bradikinesia, overweight, fatigue, and pain together with a lower isometric force in the legs can be responsible for the alterations in gait and poorer life quality of women with FM.Peer Reviewe

Análisis de envejecimiento en paneles sándwich de madera/ Ageing tests study on wood-based sandwich panels

Los paneles sándwich de madera son un producto de creciente aplicación en la edificación de nuestro país. Este ascendente uso del material debe estar acompañado de las garantías necesarias avaladas por un estudio previo de sus prestaciones. Como es preceptivo y entre otros, se evalúa su durabilidad frente a las condiciones climatológicas, clave en los productos derivados de la madera, acorde a la normativa actual definida con tal fin, la Guía ETAG 016. Sin embargo, debido a la clase de uso del material, se ha detectado que dicha normativa tal y como está concebida no es capaz de valorar su envejecimiento adecuadamente. En este trabajo se proponen ensayos alternativos al establecido tras exhaustivos aná- lisis que recrean las condiciones reales de uso y más acordes a los productos de madera. Se concluye que la incorporación de una lámina impermeable, pero permeable al vapor de agua hacia el exterior, como las utilizadas en el montaje, aportan el mejor procedimiento de ensayo. Composite lightweight wood panels are being increasingly used in construction in Spain. Their growing use should be accompanied by necessary guarantees based on studies of their properties. As it is prescriptive and in addition to others tests, in the present work is examinated the durability of these panels when exposed to the climatic conditions, a characteristic of great importance for wood products, according to Guide ETAG 016, the current standard defining the ageing tests to be used. However, due to the use class of this material, there are indications that the testing outlined in this Guide is inappropriate for assessing the ageing of wood-based sandwich panels. Alternative tests are here proposed that recreate rather better the real conditions under which these products are used. Covering the samples in a waterproof sheeting permeable to the outward movement of water vapour, which is in fact used in the installation, provided the best procedure for testing these panels

Biochemical and structural characterization of a novel thermophilic esterase EstD11 provide catalytic insights for the HSL family

19 pags., 12 figs., 2 tabs.A novel esterase, EstD11, has been discovered in a hot spring metagenomic library. It is a thermophilic and thermostable esterase with an optimum temperature of 60°C. A detailed substrate preference analysis of EstD11 was done using a library of chromogenic ester substrate that revealed the broad substrate specificity of EstD11 with significant measurable activity against 16 substrates with varied chain length, steric hindrance, aromaticity and flexibility of the linker between the carboxyl and the alcohol moiety of the ester. The tridimensional structures of EstD11 and the inactive mutant have been determined at atomic resolutions. Structural and bioinformatic analysis, confirm that EstD11 belongs to the family IV, the hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) family, from the α/β-hydrolase superfamily. The canonical α/β-hydrolase domain is completed by a cap domain, composed by two subdomains that can unmask of the active site to allow the substrate to enter. Eight crystallographic complexes were solved with different substrates and reaction products that allowed identification of the hot-spots in the active site underlying the specificity of the protein. Crystallization and/or incubation of EstD11 at high temperature provided unique information on cap dynamics and a first glimpse of enzymatic activity in vivo. Very interestingly, we have discovered a unique Met zipper lining the active site and the cap domains that could be essential in pivotal aspects as thermo-stability and substrate promiscuity in EstD11.We thank the staff from ALBA synchrotron facility (Barcelona, Spain) for support during crystallographic data collection. This work was funded by the UE through the HotDrops Project (FP7- PEOPLE-2012-IAPP, project number 324439). Additionally, this work was supported by the BFU2017-90030-P grant to J.A.H. from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovatio

Key Factors Associated With Pulmonary Sequelae in the Follow-Up of Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients

Introduction: Critical COVID-19 survivors have a high risk of respiratory sequelae. Therefore, we aimed to identify key factors associated with altered lung function and CT scan abnormalities at a follow-up visit in a cohort of critical COVID-19 survivors. Methods: Multicenter ambispective observational study in 52 Spanish intensive care units. Up to 1327 PCR-confirmed critical COVID-19 patients had sociodemographic, anthropometric, comorbidity and lifestyle characteristics collected at hospital admission; clinical and biological parameters throughout hospital stay; and, lung function and CT scan at a follow-up visit. Results: The median [p25–p75] time from discharge to follow-up was 3.57 [2.77–4.92] months. Median age was 60 [53–67] years, 27.8% women. The mean (SD) percentage of predicted diffusing lung capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) at follow-up was 72.02 (18.33)% predicted, with 66% of patients having DLCO < 80% and 24% having DLCO < 60%. CT scan showed persistent pulmonary infiltrates, fibrotic lesions, and emphysema in 33%, 25% and 6% of patients, respectively. Key variables associated with DLCO < 60% were chronic lung disease (CLD) (OR: 1.86 (1.18–2.92)), duration of invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) (OR: 1.56 (1.37–1.77)), age (OR [per-1-SD] (95%CI): 1.39 (1.18–1.63)), urea (OR: 1.16 (0.97–1.39)) and estimated glomerular filtration rate at ICU admission (OR: 0.88 (0.73–1.06)). Bacterial pneumonia (1.62 (1.11–2.35)) and duration of ventilation (NIMV (1.23 (1.06–1.42), IMV (1.21 (1.01–1.45)) and prone positioning (1.17 (0.98–1.39)) were associated with fibrotic lesions. Conclusion: Age and CLD, reflecting patients’ baseline vulnerability, and markers of COVID-19 severity, such as duration of IMV and renal failure, were key factors associated with impaired DLCO and CT abnormalities

Enzymatic equipment of Ascosphaera apis and the development of infection by this fungus in Apis mellifera

The process of infection of honey bee brood by the fungus Ascosphaera apis was initiated by feeding 3rd instar larvae with a known dose of spores. These larvae were extracted from their sealed cells at 2 different times during early postcapping development and processed for SEM. This study was complemented with an analysis of the enzymatic equipment of the fungus, to investigate the mechanism of penetration of the larval cuticle. This analysis was conducted on mycelium isolated from mummies produced in 47 field outbreaks of chalkbrood and on 3 reference strains. There was evidence of enzymes such as N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase in 74.4% of the isolates, which can break down the molecules of N-acetyl-glucosamine. Chitin, the main component of the cuticle, is a polymer composed of these molecules. This enzyme, assisted by a certain pressure from the hyphae, as these fungal elements are generated inside the larval body, may explain how the fungus pierces the cuticle

Desórdenes de la locomoción, a dos velocidades de paso, en pacientes con fibromialgia

El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar si hay diferencias en las variables espaciotemporales de locomoción entre las pacientes afectadas con fibromialgia (FM) y un grupo de mujeres sanas, analizadas a velocidad confortable y rápida. Se evaluaron a 55 mujeres con FM y 44 sanas. El análisis de la locomoción se realizó con una plataforma de presiones (GaitRite system) y los sujetos realizaron una prueba a velocidad confortable y otra a velocidad rápida. Diferencias significativas (p<0.001) fueron encontradas entre el grupo control y el grupo FM en las variables de velocidad, longitud de paso, cadencia, fase de apoyo monopodal, fase de apoyo bipodal, fase de oscilación y fase de apoyo en las dos condiciones analizadas. No encontramos diferencias significativas entre las pacientes con FM caminando rápido y el grupo control a velocidad confortable, excepto en la cadencia. Los parámetros de locomoción en mujeres con FM están severamente afectados al compararlo con el grupo control, debido a diversos factores como la bradicinesia, la falta de actividad física, el sobrepeso, la fatiga y el dolor, que junto con una menor fuerza isométrica de las extremidades inferiores, pueden ser las responsables de estas alteraciones en la locomoción y en el descenso de la calidad de vida de estas pacientes.The aim of the present study was to determine if there are differences in spatiotemporal parameters among patients affected by fibromyalgia (FM) and healthy subjects, assess at comfortable and quickly speed of locomotion. We studied 55 women with FM and 44 controls. Gait analysis was performed using an instrumented walkway for measurement of the kinematic parameters of gait (GAITRite system), and the subjects was assessment in two conditions, comfortable and fast gait speed. Significant differences (p<0.001) between FM and control groups were found in velocity, stride length, cadence, single support ratio, double support ratio, stance phase ratio, and swing phase ratio at both analysis conditions. There aren’t statistical differences between FM group walking at quick speed and control group walking at comfortable speed, except in cadence variable. Gait parameters of women affected by FM were severely impaired when compared to those of healthy women. Different factors such as lack of physical activity, bradikinesia, overweight, fatigue, and pain together with a lower isometric force in the legs can be responsible for the alterations in gait and poorer life quality of women with FM.Peer Reviewe

Exercise, health outcomes, and pædiatric obesity: A systematic review of meta-analyses

Objectives: This study is a systematic review of meta-analyses that have addressed the effects of exercise-based interventions alone and the health outcomes (anthropometric, body composition, cardiometabolic, hepatic, vascular, and cardiorespiratory fitness parameters) in overweight and obese children and adolescents. Design: Systematic review of meta-analysis. Methods: Six electronic sources were searched. The inclusion criteria were: children and/or adolescents classified as overweight or obese, and previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses that included exercise interventions compared to a control group. Standardized mean differences, risk of bias, heterogeneity, and small-study effects were calculated. Subgroup analyses (intervention characteristics) were done. Results: Eighteen meta-analyses met the inclusion criteria. The results showed improvements in some anthropometric and body composition (body mass, BMI, BMI z-score, central obesity, fat mass) and cardiometabolic (TG, fasting glucose, fasting insulin) parameters, and in cardiorespiratory fitness. For the cardiometabolic and vascular parameters, aerobic programs and interventions showed themselves to be effective if they were of four to 12 weeks, or involved a total exercise time of at least 1500 min, or involved sessions of at least 60 min. Conclusions: The study provides indications of the appropriate dose of exercise with which to reduce health problems in the obese young population. © 2018 Sports Medicine Australi