5,189 research outputs found

    Strategies of the Spanish press in the face of the Twitter algorithm change. Analysis of tweets published between 2018-2020

    Get PDF
    Twitter recently celebrated its 15th anniversary. During this period, the platform has gone through several phases, culminating in a record number of subscribers and profits in 2021. Twitter is a household name all over the world and people know what it can or cannot provide, independent of the future growth that it may experience with new investments and updates. This article aims to verify two interrelated hypotheses, namely: the Spanish press already knows how to optimise the social network Twitter, as three decades have elapsed since its launch; and, secondly, the algorithm modification implemented by Twitter in 2018 has triggered a change in the positioning of the headers studied in this social network. In order to demonstrate both, the object of analysis will be conducted by a mixed approach through quantitative statistical processes (which will study the number of impacts and retweets and likes obtained), and inductive qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews. This multidisciplinary approach will provide a more complete and in-depth analysis of the phenomenon. The research focuses on the period between 2018 and 2020, and addresses the participation on Twitter of the four main traditional newspapers (El País, La Vanguardia, ABC and El Mundo) as well as four native digital newspapers (20 Minutos, El Español, elDiario.es and El Huffpost). The analysis comprises more than 1.5 million tweets among the eight chosen newspapers.Twitter acaba de celebrar su decimoquinto aniversario. Durante este periodo, la plataforma ha pasado varias fases que han culminado con un récord de suscriptores y beneficios en 2021. El mundo conoce Twitter y sabe qué es lo que puede o no proporcionar, aparte de las posibilidades de crecimiento que pueda experimentar en caso de potenciales inversiones. En el presente artículo se pretende comprobar dos hipótesis interrelacionadas, a saber: la prensa española en castellano ya sabe cómo optimizar la red social Twitter, por haber transcurrido tres lustros desde su puesta en marcha; y, en segundo lugar, el cambio de algoritmo implementado por Twitter en 2018 que ha desencadenado un cambio de posicionamiento de las cabeceras estudiadas en esta red social. Con el propósito de demostrar ambas, se abordará el objeto de análisis desde un enfoque mixto a través de procesos cuantitativos estadísticos (que estudiarán el número de impactos y de retuits y likes obtenidos), y métodos cualitativos inductivos como entrevistas semiestructuradas a los responsables de redes de los medios involucrados. Esta aproximación mixta proporcionará un análisis más completo y profundo sobre el fenómeno. La investigación se centra en el período comprendido entre 2018 y 2020, y aborda la participación en Twitter de cuatro periódicos tradicionales (El País, La Vanguardia, ABC y El Mundo), así como de cuatro periódicos nativos digitales (20 Minutos, El Español, elDiario.es y El Huffpost). El análisis comprende más de 1,5 millones de tuits entre los ocho periódicos elegidos

    Detection of Pathogenic Leptospires in Water and Soil in Areas Endemic to Leptospirosis in Nicaragua

    Get PDF
    In Nicaragua, there are ideal environmental conditions for leptospirosis. The objective of this investigation was to detect pathogenic and saprophytic leptospires in water and soil samples from leptospirosis-endemic areas in Nicaragua. Seventy-eight water and 42 soil samples were collected from houses and rivers close to confirmed human cases.Leptospiraspp was isolated in Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris (EMJH) culture medium with 5-fluororacil and positive samples were analyzed through PCR for theLipL32gene, specific for pathogenic leptospires (P1 clade). There were 73 positive cultures from 120 samples, however only six of these (5% of all collected samples) were confirmed to be pathogenic, based on the presence of theLipL32gene (P1 clade). Of these six pathogenic isolates, four were from Leon and two from Chinandega. Four pathogenic isolates were obtained from water and two from soil. This study proved the contamination of water and soil with pathogenic leptospires, which represents a potential risk for public health

    CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO SEGÚN LOS ACADÉMICOS ECUATORIANOS - PERCEPCIONES VERSUS HECHOS

    Get PDF
    El cambio climático se ha convertido en uno de los temas principales en las agendas en diferentes países. Los efectos actuales requieren de acciones climáticas efectivas ya establecidas en el Acuerdo de París con el objetivo de reducir las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. Sin embargo, los principales cambios para enfrentar y reducir el cambio climático dependen de las decisiones de cada país y no sólo de los acuerdos mundiales, ya que los impactos y magnitudes varían localmente. Uno de los componentes clave para una mejora efectiva es el papel que el comportamiento de la población puede tener sobre la política nacional y las decisiones posteriores. Por esta razón, el nivel de conciencia y conocimiento sobre el cambio climático es vital. El objetivo de la investigación fue comparar la percepción de los académicos ecuatorianos sobre el cambio climático global y nacional con la evidencia científica y los hechos históricos, y cómo su vulnerabilidad puede afectar a los efectos del cambio climático. Los resultados muestran que los académicos ecuatorianos están conscientes de los hechos ocurridos mundialmente sobre el cambio climático, como la existencia, la gravedad y la responsabilidad de los seres humanos. Sin embargo, hay un conocimiento limitado sobre el origen del problema, ya que el 67,2% cree que este es el primer cambio climático en la historia de la humanidad. Los principales efectos del cambio climático en Ecuador presentan percepciones heterogéneas, como sequías más frecuentes (34,36%) y lluvias escasas pero intensas (21,41%) como sus mayores preocupaciones. En cuanto a las regiones más afectadas en Ecuador, las sierra y los valles interandinos representan el 45,6%, mientras que Galápagos sólo alcanza 1,6% a pesar de ser una insignia ecológica con alta vulnerabilidad climática. Parece que los encuestados carecen de conocimiento sobre la situación en otras regiones y creen que su propio entorno se ve más afectado.//Climate change has become one of the main issues in the countries government agendas. The current effects demand effective climate actions which were set out in the Paris Agreement with the global goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the main changes to face and mitigate climate change depend on each countrys decisions and not only on global agreements as the impacts and its magnitudes vary locally. One of the key components for an effective adaption and mitigation is the role that the behavior of the population may have over national politics and subsequent decisions. For this reason, the level of awareness and knowledge about climate change is vital. . The objective of the current study was to compare the perception of Ecuadorian academics regarding global and national climate change with the scientific evidence and historical facts, and how it may affect their vulnerability to the climate change effects. The results show that Ecuadorian academics are well aware of globally known facts of climate change such as existence, gravity and responsibility of humans. However, there is limited awareness about the origin, since 67.2% believes that this is the first climate change in human history. The main effects of climate change in Ecuador exhibit heterogeneous perceptions, with the more frequent droughts (34.36%) and rarer but more intense rains (21.41%) as their greater concerns. Regarding the regions more affected in Ecuador, highlands and Inter-Andean valleys sum up 45.6% while Galapagos only reaches 1.6% despite being an ecological flagship with high climate vulnerability. It seems that respondents lack knowledge about the situation in other regions, and believe that their own environment is more impacted

    Reusing intravaginal progesterone releasing devices for oestrous synchoronization in ewes

    Get PDF
    In this study, the second use of an intravaginal progesterone-releasing device or controlled intravaginal drug release device (CIDR) was evaluated. After a first use of 11 days, the CIDR was again used for either nine or 12 days with 200 or 300 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) being injected on its removal. Sixty-four ewes were randomly distributed to four treatments (n=16/group): CIDR9+eCG200, CIDR9+eCG300, CIDR12+eCG200, and CIDR12+eCG300. The eCG was administered intramuscularly on withdrawal of the device. Thus, the experiment was a completely randomized design with a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Oestrus presentation did not differ between treatments (P =0.29). However, with the dose of 200 IU of eCG, oestrus presentation tended to increase (P =0.08). The onset and duration of oestrus, percentage of gestation, and return to oestrus did not differ between treatments (P >0.05). Progesterone concentration in serum was greater (P < 0.05) in ewes treated with CIDR12+eCG300. Prolificacy was greatest (1.44) with the CIDR12+eCG300 treatment and was different (P = 0.001) from the treatments CIDR9+eCG200 (1.21) and CIDR9+eCG300 (1.20), but not from the CIDR12+eCG200 treated ewes (1.31). The CIDR12+eCG300 treatement produced the highest percentage of twin births (45.8%) (P =0.001). Leaving the device in place for 12 days increased (P =0.001) the incidence of twin births. Use of the CIDR for a second time synchronized oestrus in ewes successfully with better fertility being obtained when the device was left in place for 12 days, and 300 IU of eCG was injected on its removal. Key words: gonadotropin, progesterone device, synchronizatio

    Optical spectroscopy of EX Lupi during quiescence and outburst: Infall, wind, and dynamics in the accretion flow

    Full text link
    We explore the accretion mechanisms in EX Lupi, prototype of EXor variables, during its quiescence and outburst phases. We analyse high-resolution optical spectra taken before, during, and after its 2008 outburst. In quiescence and outburst, the star presents many permitted emission lines, including typical CTTS lines and numerous neutral and ionized metallic lines. During the outburst, the number of emission lines increases to over a thousand, with narrow plus broad component structure (NC+BC). The BC profile is highly variable on short timescales (24-72h). An active chromosphere can explain the metallic lines in quiescence and the outburst NC. The dynamics of the BC line profiles suggest an origin in a hot, dense, non-axisymmetric, and non-uniform accretion column that suffers velocity variations along the line-of-sight on timescales of days. Assuming Keplerian rotation, the emitting region would be located at ~0.1-0.2 AU, consistent with the inner disk rim, but the velocity profiles of the lines reveal a combination of rotation and infall. Line ratios of ions and neutrals can be reproduced with a temperature of T~6500 K for electron densities of a few times 1012^{12}cm3^{-3} in the line-emitting region. The data confirm that the 2008 outburst was an episode of increased accretion, albeit much stronger than previous EX Lupi and typical EXors outbursts. The line profiles are consistent with the infall/rotation of a non-axisymmetric structure that could be produced by clumpy accretion during the outburst phase. A strong inner disk wind appears in the epochs of higher accretion. The rapid recovery of the system after the outburst and the similarity between the pre-outburst and post-outburst states suggest that the accretion channels are similar during the whole period, and only the accretion rate varies, providing a superb environment for studying the accretion processes.Comment: 15 pages plus 26 pages online material, accepted by A&

    Working the approach to nature of children in Early Childhood Education Degree. Crucial in today's society

    Get PDF
    Los niños y niñas de la sociedad actual se encuentran alejados de entornos naturales y están necesitados de contacto con la naturaleza, lo que puede ser el motivo de distintos síntomas como estrés o ansiedad. Existen investigaciones que muestran que el contacto con la naturaleza es beneficioso para el desarrollo de los infantes además de fomentar una actitud más pro-ambiental. En este trabajo se pretende concienciar al alumnado del Grado de Educación Infantil de dichos beneficios mediante la ejecución de una serie de actividades centradas en el uso de los parques urbanos como recurso para el acercamiento a la naturaleza de los niños y las niñas de la etapa de infantil. Es necesario que tanto universidad, escuela y familia fomenten el uso y disfrute de estos espacios.Children in today's society are far from natural environments and in need of contact with nature, which may be why various symptoms such as stress or anxiety. There is research showing that contact with nature is beneficial to the development of infants in addition to encouraging a more pro-environmental attitude. This paper aims to educate the students of the Degree in Early Childhood Education of those benefits by implementing a series of activities focused on the use of urban parks as a resource for the approach to the nature of children. It is necessary that university, school and family encourage the use and enjoyment of these spaces

    Comprehensive analysis of the 9p21 region in neuroblastoma suggests a role for genes mapping to 9p21–23 in the biology of favourable stage 4 tumours

    Get PDF
    Chromosome 9p21 is frequently deleted in many cancers. Previous reports have indicated that 9p21 LOH is an uncommon finding in neuroblastoma (NB), a tumour of childhood. We have performed an extensive analysis of 9p21 and genes located in this region (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A – CDKN2A/p16INK4a, CDKN2A/p14ARF, CDKN2B/p15INK4b, MTAP, interferon α and β cluster). LOH was detected in 16.4% of 177 NB. The SRO was identified between markers D9S1751 and D9S254, at 9p21–23, a region telomeric to the CDKN2A and MTAP genes. A significantly better overall and progression-free survival was detected in stage 4 patients displaying 9p21–23 LOH. Hemizygous deletion of the region harbouring the CDKN2A and CDKN2B loci was identified in two tumours by means of fluorescent in situ hybridisation and MTAP was present by immunostaining in all but one tumour analysed. The transcriptional profile of tumours with 9p21–23 LOH was compared to that of NB displaying normal 9p21–23 status by means of oligonucleotide microarrays. Four of the 363 probe sets downregulated in tumours with 9p21–23 LOH were encoded by genes mapping to 9p22–24. The only well-characterised transcript among them was nuclear factor I-B3. Our results suggest a role for genes located telomeric of 9p21 in good risk NB

    Detección de movimiento en tiempo real utilizando flujo óptico

    Get PDF
    This paper shows the implementation the optical flow algorithms and feature extraction for recognition and objects detection in real time with a sequence of images. The algorithms used are optical flow, SIFT and SURF. It was conducted a study on the influence of changes in the ambient lighting of the scene examine the functioning and performance of each proposed algorithms. During illumination changes was found that the points of interest between two consecutive images is reduced because detection algorithms are not similar patterns and levels of intensity are different. The experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm is functional in scenes where the brightness is constant and not less than 1 Lux, it provides a useful tool for surveillance systems and mobil robot.Se muestra la implementación de algoritmos de flujo óptico y extracción de características para el reconocimiento y detección de objetos en tiempo real de una secuencia de imágenes. Se implementaron algoritmos de flujo óptico y de detección de características SIFT, SURF y un estudio sobre la influencia de los cambios de iluminación en el ambiente de la escena analizando el funcionamiento y desempeño. Durante los cambios de iluminación se encontró que los puntos de interés entre dos imágenes consecutivas se reducen debido a que los algoritmos de detección no encuentran patrones similares y todos los niveles de intensidad son diferentes. Los resultados experimentales muestran que el algoritmo propuesto es funcional en escenas donde la luminosidad es constante y no es inferior a 1 Lux, se entrega una herramienta útil para sistemas de vigilancia y robótica móvil

    Differential expression of genes mapping to recurrently abnormal chromosomal regions characterize neuroblastic tumours with distinct ploidy status

    Get PDF
    <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neuroblastic tumours (NBTs) represent a heterogeneous spectrum of neoplastic diseases associated with multiple genetic alterations. Structural and numerical chromosomal changes are frequent and are predictive parameters of NBTs outcome. We performed a comparative analysis of the biological entities constituted by NBTs with different ploidy status.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Gene expression profiling of 49 diagnostic primary NBTs with ploidy data was performed using oligonucleotide microarray. Further analyses using Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (Q-PCR); array-Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH); and Fluorescent <it>in situ </it>Hybridization (FISH) were performed to investigate the correlation between aneuploidy, chromosomal changes and gene expression profiles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Gene expression profiling of 49 primary near-triploid and near-diploid/tetraploid NBTs revealed distinct expression profiles associated with each NBT subgroup. A statistically significant portion of genes mapped to 1p36 (<it>P </it>= 0.01) and 17p13-q21 (<it>P </it>< 0.0001), described as recurrently altered in NBTs. Over 90% of these genes showed higher expression in near-triploid NBTs and the majority are involved in cell differentiation pathways. Specific chromosomal abnormalities observed in NBTs, 1p loss, 17q and whole chromosome 17 gains, were reflected in the gene expression profiles. Comparison between gene copy number and expression levels suggests that differential expression might be only partly dependent on gene copy number. Intratumoural clonal heterogeneity was observed in all NBTs, with marked interclonal variability in near-diploid/tetraploid tumours.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>NBTs with different cellular DNA content display distinct transcriptional profiles with a significant portion of differentially expressed genes mapping to specific chromosomal regions known to be associated with outcome. Furthermore, our results demonstrate that these specific genetic abnormalities are highly heterogeneous in all NBTs, and suggest that NBTs with different ploidy status may result from different mechanisms of aneuploidy driving tumourigenesis.</p
    corecore