Stability of real parametric polynomial discrete dynamical systems

We extend and improve the existing characterization of the dynamics of general quadratic real polynomial maps with coefficients that depend on a single parameter $\lambda$, and generalize this characterization to cubic real polynomial maps, in a consistent theory that is further generalized to real $m$-th degree real polynomial maps. In essence, we give conditions for the stability of the fixed points of any real polynomial map with real fixed points. In order to do this, we have introduced the concept of Canonical Polynomial Maps which are topologically conjugate to any polynomial map of the same degree with real fixed points. The stability of the fixed points of canonical polynomial maps has been found to depend solely on a special function termed Product Position Function for a given fixed point. The values of this product position determine the stability of the fixed point in question, when it bifurcates, and even when chaos arises, as it passes through what we have termed stability bands. The exact boundary values of these stability bands are yet to be calculated for regions of type greater than one for polynomials of degree higher than three.Comment: 23 pages, 4 figures, now published in Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Societ

Sostenibilidad y arquitectura tradicional: El caso de Moratalla (Murcia, España)

This paper attempts to demonstrate the relationship between sustainability and vernacular architecture, being focused on a specific research carried out in the old part of Moratalla, a town in Murcia (Spain).This study has been possible thanks to the collection of 265 field records with in situ data so that quality and quantity can be measured. All these are distinctive parameters of vernacular architecture of the centre in the Middle Ages, what teaches us an important lesson of how traditional construction is environmentally friendly and sustainable, thus leading to more practical bioclimatic architecture. The current study relies on an agreement between the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) and the town council of the aforementioned town (Moratalla), what gives an idea of its importance. Some recommendations have been included at the end of the paper to be taken into account by municipal legislation so that our building heritage can be preserved and maintained.``El Patrimonio Tradicional o Vernáculo construido es la expresión fundamental de la identidad de una comunidad, de sus relaciones con el territorio y al mismo tiempo, la expresión de la diversidad cultural del mundo (ICOMOS 1999)´´. Este trabajo trata de evidenciar la relación existente entre la Arquitectura Vernácula y los parámetros de sostenibilidad presentes en ella. Se ha elaborado un estudio de caso en el casco antiguo del municipio de Moratalla en la provincia de Murcia (España), con la realización de 265 fichas con datos de campo tomados in situ en las que se trata de extraer con datos cualitativos y cuantitativos la medida de parámetros como: orientación de las calles, orientación de fachadas principales, presencia de huecos de reducida dimensión, relación entre partes opacas y huecos en fachadas, presencia de calles estrechas que propician la sombra, presencia de protecciones solares en huecos, fachadas en colores claros, disposición adaptada a la topografía, muros de gran inercia térmica, enfriamiento evaporativo mediante agua y/o vegetación, presencia de patio interior, construcción mediante materiales locales y sostenibilidad espacial. Todos ellos son parámetros propios de la Arquitectura Vernácula de este centro preindustrial de origen medieval que nos dan una importante lección de cómo las construcción tradicional consideraba estos parámetros ambientales y sostenibles que hoy se busca con la arquitectura bioclimática. Este trabajo se ampara en un convenio de colaboración entre el ayuntamiento de la localidad y la UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia y debe ser referente para el análisis previo a cualquier intervención en este casco viejo. Las conclusiones incluyen una serie de recomendaciones a seguir por la legislación municipal con la intención de conocer, preservar y mantener nuestro patrimonio construido

Improving the geospatial consistency of digital libraries metadata

Consistency is an essential aspect of the quality of metadata. Inconsistent metadata records are harmful: given a themed query, the set of retrieved metadata records would contain descriptions of unrelated or irrelevant resources, and may even not contain some resources considered obvious. This is even worse when the description of the location is inconsistent. Inconsistent spatial descriptions may yield invisible or hidden geographical resources that cannot be retrieved by means of spatially themed queries. Therefore, ensuring spatial consistency should be a primary goal when reusing, sharing and developing georeferenced digital collections. We present a methodology able to detect geospatial inconsistencies in metadata collections based on the combination of spatial ranking, reverse geocoding, geographic knowledge organization systems and information-retrieval techniques. This methodology has been applied to a collection of metadata records describing maps and atlases belonging to the Library of Congress. The proposed approach was able to automatically identify inconsistent metadata records (870 out of 10,575) and propose fixes to most of them (91.5%) These results support the ability of the proposed methodology to assess the impact of spatial inconsistency in the retrievability and visibility of metadata records and improve their spatial consistency

The prognosis of patients hospitalized with a first episode of heart failure, validation of two scores: PREDICE and AHEAD.

Purpose: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic, frequent and disabling condition but with a modifiable course and a large potential for improving. The aim of this study was to validate the two available clinical prediction rules for mortality at one year in patients with primo- hospitalization for decompensated HF: PREDICE and AHEAD. The secondary aim was to evaluate in our setting the changes in the clinical pattern of HF in the last decade in patients hospitalized for a first episode of the disease. Patients and methods: A prospective multicenter cohort study, which included 180 patients hospitalized with “de novo” HF was conducted to validate the PREDICE score. Calibration and discrimination measurements were calculated for the PREDICE model and the PREDICE score (using the validation cohort of the PREDICE) and the AHEAD score (using both the development and the validation cohort of the PREDICE). Results: For the PREDICE models, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.68 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.57–0.79) and the calibration slope 0.65 (95% CI: 0.21–1.20). For the PREDICE score AUC was 0.59 (95% CI: 0.47–0.71) and slope 0.42 (95% CI: −0.20–1.17). For the AHEAD score the AUC was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.62–0.73) and slope 1.38 (95% CI: 0.62–0.73) when used the development cohort of PREDICE and the AUC was 0.58 (95% CI: 0.49–0.67), and slope 0.68 (95% CI: −0.06 to 1.47) when used its validation cohort. Conclusion: The present study shows that the two risk scores available for patients with primo-hospitalization for decompensated HF (PREDICE and AHEAD) are not currently valid for predicting mortality at one-year. In our setting the clinical spectrum of hospitalized patients with new-onset HF has been modified over time. The study underscores the need to validate the prognostic models before clinical implementation.Ministerio de Sanidad PI070945

Mudanças no perfil funcional de pacientes con patologia psiquiátrica resistente submetidos a neurocirurgia funcional estereotáxica

Con el objetivo de evaluar los resultados de la Neurocirugía Funcional Estereotáctica (NFE) sobre el perfil funcional de los pacientes diagnosticados con Patología Psiquiátrica Resistente (PPR), se realizó un diseño pre/post tratamiento. 13 pacientes fueron evaluados ( = 31 ± 8 años): siete mujeres diagnosticadas con algún Trastorno de la Conducta Alimentaria Resistente (TCAR); tres mujeres diagnosticadas con Trastornos Resistentes Obsesivo Compulsivo y Depresivo (TOC y DR) y tres pacientes (dos mujeres y un hombre) diagnosticados con Depresión Resistente (DR). A estos pacientes se les aplicó la Escala de funcionamiento del paciente Eje K, la cual consta de siete subescalas, y una Escala de Evaluación de la Actividad Global (EAG) antes del tratamiento y después de éste (seis meses posteriores a la NFE). Todos los grupos diagnósticos y el total de los pacientes evaluados presentaron cambios clínicos positivos; sin embargo, sólo el grupo de TCAR mostró importantes cambios clínicos de mejoría en el perfil de funcionamiento, siendo esta diferencia estadísticamente significativa (pre Md = 56; post Md = 84; z= - 2.36, p <0.05). Con la evidencia obtenida se observó que la NFE representa una opción terapéutica emergente efectiva orientada a disminuir el sufrimiento de los pacientes con PPR, así como a mejorar el nivel de funcionamiento global y por ende su calidad de vida. Todos los pacientes del estudio presentaban una condición de resistencia a tratamientos convencionales indicados, la cual había sido documentada por un equipo interdisciplinario experto.Con o objetivo de avaliar os resultados da Neurocirurgía Funcional Estereotáxica (NFE) sobre o perfil funcional dos pacientes diagnosticados com Patologia Psiquiátrica Resistente (PPR), realizou-se um desenho pré/pós tratamento. 13 pacientes foram avaliados ( = 31 ± 8 anos): sete mulheres diagnosticadas com algum Transtorno da Conduta Alimentar Resistente (TCAR); três mulheres diagnosticadas com Transtornos Resistentes Obsessivo Compulsivo e Depressivo (TOC e DR) e três pacientes (duas mulheres e um homem) diagnosticados com Depressão Resistente (DR). A estes pacientes foi aplicada a Escala de funcionamento do paciente Eixo K, a qual consta de sete sub-escalas, e uma Escala de Avaliação da Atividade Global (EAG) antes do tratamento e depois dele (seis meses posteriores à NFE). Todos os grupos diagnósticos e o total dos pacientes avaliados apresentaram mudanças clínicas positivas; porém, só o grupo de TCAR mostrou importantes mudanças clínicas de melhoria no perfil de funcionamento, sendo esta diferença estatisticamente significativa (pré Md= 56; pós Md= 84; z= - 2.36, p <0.05). Com a evidência obtida observou-se que a NFE representa uma opção terapêutica emergente efetiva orientada a diminuir o sofrimento dos pacientes com PPR, bem como a melhorar o nível de funcionamento global e portanto sua qualidade de vida. Todos os pacientes do estudo apresentavam uma condição de resistência a tratamentos convencionais indicados, a qual havia sido documentada por uma equipe interdisciplinar de especialistas.In order to evaluate the results of the Stereotactic Functional Neurosurgery (SFN) on the functional profile of patients diagnosed with Resistant Psychiatric Pathology (RPP), a pre / post treatment design was performed. Thirteen patients were assessed ( = 31 ± 8 years): seven women diagnosed with some type of Resistant Eating Disorder (RED); three women diagnosed with Resistant Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Resistant Depression (TOC and RD), and three patients (two women and one man) diagnosed with Resistant Depression (RD). The Patient's Functioning Scale, axis K, consisting of seven subscales, and the Assessment of Global Activity Scale (AGAS) were applied before and after treatment (6 months after FSN). All diagnostic groups and all the patients assessed showed positive clinical changes. However, only the RED group showed important clinical improvement in the performance profile with a statistically significant difference (pre Md = 56, Md = 84 post , z = - 2.36, p <0.05). With the evidence obtained it was noted that SFN represents an effective therapeutic option aimed at reducing the suffering of patients with RPP and improve their overall level of functioning and therefore their quality of life. All patients in the study had a condition indicating resistance to conventional treatments which had been documented by an expert multidisciplinary team

Crystallization of a human galectin-3 variant with two ordered segments in the shortened N-terminal tail

Among members of the family of adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins, galectin-3 (Gal-3) bears a unique modular architecture. A N-terminal tail (NT) consisting of the N-terminal segment (NTS) and nine collagen-like repeats is linked to the canonical lectin domain. In contrast to bivalent protoand tandem-repeat-type galectins, Gal-3 is monomeric in solution, capable to self-associate in the presence of bi-to multivalent ligands, and the NTS is involved in cellular compartmentalization. Since no crystallographic information on Gal-3 beyond the lectin domain is available, we used a shortened variant with NTS and repeats VII-IX. This protein crystallized as tetramers with contacts between the lectin domains. The region from Tyr101 (in repeat IX) to Leu114 (in the CRD) formed a hairpin. The NTS extends the canonical beta-sheet of F1-F5 strands with two new beta-strands on the F face. Together, crystallographic and SAXS data reveal a mode of intramolecular structure building involving the highly flexible Gal-3's NT

Cirugía combinada cardiaca y pulmonar en un paciente con un histoplasmoma

ResumenLa histoplasmosis pulmonar y su diseminación hemática con el desarrollo de una endocarditis sobre la válvula pulmonar son extremadamente infrecuentes. Presentamos un niño de 10 años que, como complicaciones de una histoplasmosis pulmonar, desarrolló una caverna en la base del pulmón derecho que se fistulizó a un vaso sanguíneo pulmonar y que además presentaba vegetaciones en la válvula pulmonar con peligro de causar infartos pulmonares e insuficiencia valvular pulmonar severa, que obligaron a realizar una compleja intervención quirúrgica cardiopulmonar en un solo tiempo, donde se realizó la resección completa del lóbulo inferior del pulmón derecho, se cerró la comunicación interventricular y se reconstruyó la válvula pulmonar con 3 velos de pericardio autólogo. Seis meses después, el paciente está asintomático, con reexpansión de los lóbulos restantes del pulmón derecho, y la ecocardiografía transtorácica muestra un buen funcionamiento de la neoválvula pulmonar construida con el pericardio autólogo.AbstractIsolated pulmonary valve endocarditis is extremely rare in a patient with histoplasmosis. The case is presented of a ten year-old child, who, as complications of histoplasmosis, developed a cavern at the base of the right lung that fistulised into a pulmonary blood vessel, as well as presenting with vegetations in the pulmonary valve. As there was a danger of pulmonary infarctions and sever pulmonary valve insufficiency, a complete resection of the lower right lung lobe was necessary. The interventicular communication was closed and the pulmonary valve was reconstructed with three autologous pericardial flaps. Six months later, the patient is symptomatic, with re-expansion of the remaining right lung lobes, and the trans-thoracic echocardiography showed good functioning of the newly pulmonary valve constructed with autologous pericardial flaps

A review of the implementation of OGC Web Services across Europe

This paper presents the results of an investigation conducted in the spring of 2010 to review the availability across Europe of public Web services conforming to the standard specifications issued by the Open Geospatial Consortium. The descriptive and statistical analysis of 6,544 geospatial network services might provide insight into the current level of implementation of these services in Europe. These services were discovered with the help of a focused crawler able to discover access points to public geospatial network services. This crawler relies on general-purpose search engines for finding seed URLs related with geospatial network services from which begin crawling. The work also identifies potential limitations and data biases derived from the methodology. Nevertheless, this kind of strategy might open up new opportunities to complement SDI implementation assessments when exhaustive, periodic and up to date monitoring is required