GOS: búsqueda visual de imágenes

No es fácil encontrar aquello que buscamos. Los sistemas de búsqueda automatizados son máquinas que deben interpretar la información introducida por el usuario para ejecutar una petición y recuperar la información deseada. La tarea del “traductor” es esencial en el proceso, por tanto, una buena interfaz de usuario (GUI) es determinante en el éxito de la búsqueda. Os presentamos el GOS (Graphic Object Searcher), una aplicación que utiliza un sistema de búsqueda visual, para recuperar imágenes similares a otra imagen usada como ejemplo en la consulta. La industria del sector audiovisual está especialmente interesada en el desarrollo de este tipo de herramientas de gestión de contenidos que han de facilitar su trabajo diario.Peer Reviewe

Giant enhanced diffusion of gold nanoparticles in optical vortex fields

We study the diffusion of a metal nanoparticle in the nonconservative force field of an optical vortex lattice. Radiation pressure in the vortex array is shown to induce a giant enhancement over the free thermal diffusion. Langevin dynamics simulations show that the diffusion coefficient of (50 nm radius) gold particles at room temperature is enhanced by 2 orders of magnitude at power densities of the order or smaller than those used to trap nanoparticles with optical tweezers

Estudio comparativo de la carrera académica del profesorado en las universidades públicas politécnicas españolas desde una perspectiva de género

La Ley Orgánica 3/2007, de 22 de Marzo1, para la Igualdad efectiva de Mujeres y Hombres, define los planes de igualdad como un conjunto ordenado de medidas adoptadas después de realizar un diagnóstico de situación, tendentes a alcanzar en la empresa la igualdad de trato y de oportunidades entre mujeres y hombres y a eliminar la discriminación por razón de sexo. Posteriormente, en la Resolución de 20 de Mayo de 2011, de la Secretaría de Estado para la Función Pública, se publica el Acuerdo del Consejo de Ministros de 28 de Enero de 2011, por el que se aprueba el I Plan de Igualdad entre mujeres y hombres en la Administración General del Estado y en sus Organismos Públicos2. La Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPCBARCELONATECH), conocedora de los diferentes estudios y análisis nacionales e internacionales que se han llevado a cabo sobre la carrera académica de las mujeres en las universidades, así como de la próxima publicación de un Libro Blanco sobre las diferencias de género en ciencia y tecnología del MICINN [SÁNCHEZ, 2011], desea documentar dichas diferencias en las universidades públicas politécnicas españolas (UPC, UPM, UPV y UPCT) y proporcionar recomendaciones para conseguir minimizarlas. Se analizarán las carreras académicas según sexo, edad, ramas de conocimiento y situación familiar

Scattering forces from the curl of the spin angular momentum of a light field

Light forces on small (Rayleigh) particles are usually described as the sum of two terms: the dipolar or gradient force and the scattering or radiation pressure force. The scattering force is traditionally considered proportional to the Poynting vector, which gives the direction and magnitude of the momentum flow. However, as we will show, there is an additional nonconservative contribution to the scattering force arising in a light field with nonuniform helicity. This force is shown to be proportional to the curl of the spin angular momentum of the light field. The relevance of the spin force is illustrated in the simple case of a 2D field geometry arising in the intersection region of two standing wavesThis work was supported by the Spanish MEC through the Consolider NanoLight (CSD2007-00046), FIS2005-05137 and FIS2006-11170-C02-02 projects, Microseres-CM and by the Spanish-French PICASSO program (HF2007- 0068

Financing conditions in the euro area

For central banks, the monitoring of financing conditions plays a pivotal role in assessing the actual transmission of monetary policy impulses to borrowers. This paper presents in detail some of the indicators and data used by the ECB to assess financing conditions in the euro area. It also shows how these indicators have been used to provide a broad assessment of developments in financing conditions in the euro area in recent years. The ECB’s analysis of financing conditions is dynamic and seeks to reflect underlying changes in the euro area’s financial structure.

A competency model for nurse executives

[EN] BackgroundNurses capable of adequately developing their competencies in the management field are essential for the sustainability of health-care organizations. Such competencies should be included in a model of specific competencies.AimThe aim of this research is to propose a competency model for nurse executives.MethodsThe Delphi method was applied to reach a consensus on the required competencies, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to determine the construct validity and reduce the data set's dimensionality. Consensus was defined based on at least 80% of the experts agreeing with the proposed competencies. For each competency, the development levels were beginner, advanced beginner, competent, highly competent and expert.ResultsFrom among the 51 competencies that were identified to define a model for nurse executives, decision-making, leadership and communication stood out. The PCA indicated the structural validity of the proposed model by saturation of the principal components (Cronbach's α > 0.631).ConclusionNurses wishing to develop their professional careers as nurse executives must first develop the competencies shown in the proposed model. Nurse executives should follow the educational programmes specified in this study, to adapt their knowledge to this role's requirements.S

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in traumatic spinal cord injury: a systematic review

Review[Abstract] Recovery from a traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is challenging due to the limited regenerative capacity of the central nervous system to restore cells, myelin, and neural connections. Cell therapy, particularly with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), holds significant promise for TSCI treatment. This systematic review aims to analyze the efficacy, safety, and therapeutic potential of MSC-based cell therapies in TSCI. A comprehensive search of PUBMED and COCHRANE databases until February 2023 was conducted, combining terms such as "spinal cord injury," "stem cells," "stem cell therapy," "mesenchymal stem cells," and "traumatic spinal cord injury". Among the 53 studies initially identified, 22 (21 clinical trials and 1 case series) were included. Findings from these studies consistently demonstrate improvements in AIS (ASIA Impairment Scale) grades, sensory scores, and, to a lesser extent, motor scores. Meta-analyses further support these positive outcomes. MSC-based therapies have shown short- and medium-term safety, as indicated by the absence of significant adverse events within the studied timeframe. However, caution is required when drawing generalized recommendations due to the limited scientific evidence available. Further research is needed to elucidate the long-term safety and clinical implications of these advancements. Although significant progress has been made, particularly with MSC-based therapies, additional studies exploring other potential future therapies such as gene therapies, neurostimulation techniques, and tissue engineering approaches are essential for a comprehensive understanding of the evolving TSCI treatment landscape.Instituto de Salud Carlos III; PI20/0093

System architecture of a web service for Content-Based Image Retrieval

This paper presents the system architecture of a Content- Based Image Retrieval system implemented as a web service. The proposed solution is composed of two parts, a client run- ning a graphical user interface for query formulation and a server where the search engine explores an image repository. The separation of the user interface and the search engine follows a Service as a Software (SaaS) model, a type of cloud computing design where a single core system is online and available to authorized clients. The proposed architecture follows the REST software architecture and HTTP proto- col for communications, two solutions that combined with metadata coded in RDF, make the proposed system ready for its integration in the semantic web. User queries are formulated by visual examples through a graphical inter- face and content is remotely accessed also through HTTP communication. Visual descriptors and similarity measures implemented in this work are mostly de ned in the MPEG-7 standard, while textual metadata is coded according to the Dublin Core speci cations.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Naphthalene biodegradation under oxygen-limiting conditions: community dynamics and the relevance of biofilm-forming capacity

Toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are frequently released into the environment from anthropogenic sources. PAH remediation strategies focus on biological processes mediated by bacteria. The availability of oxygen in polluted environments is often limited or absent, and only bacteria able to thrive in these conditions can be considered for bioremediation strategies. To identify bacterial strains able to degrade PAHs under oxygen-limiting conditions, we set up enrichment cultures from samples of an oil-polluted aquifer, using either anoxic or microaerophilic condition and with PAHs as the sole carbon source. Despite the presence of a significant community of nitrate-reducing bacteria, the initial community, which was dominated by Betaproteobacteria, was incapable of PAH degradation under strict anoxic conditions, although a clear shift in the structure of the community towards an increase in the Alphaproteobacteria (Sphingomonadaceae), Actinobacteria and an uncultured group of Acidobacteria was observed in the enrichments. In contrast, growth under microaerophilic conditions with naphthalene as the carbon source evidenced the development of a biofilm structure around the naphthalene crystal. The enrichment process selected two co-dominant groups which finally reached 97% of the bacterial communities: Variovorax spp. (54%, Betaproteobacteria) and Starkeya spp. (43%, Xanthobacteraceae). The two dominant populations were able to grow with naphthalene, although only Starkeya was able to reproduce the biofilm structure around the naphthalene crystal. The pathway for naphthalene degradation was identified, which included as essential steps dioxygenases with high affinity for oxygen, showing 99% identity with Xanthobacter polyaromaticivorans dbd cluster for PAH degradation. Our results suggest that the biofilm formation capacity of Starkeya provided a structure to allocate its cells at an appropriate distance from the toxic carbon source.Fil: Martirani Von Abercron, Sophie Marie. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Experimental del Zaidín; EspañaFil: Marín, Patricia. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Experimental del Zaidín; EspañaFil: Solsona Ferraz, Marta. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Experimental del Zaidín; EspañaFil: Castañeda Cataña, Mayra Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Marqués, Silvia. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Estación Experimental del Zaidín; Españ