Validity and Reliability of an Inertial Device for Measuring Dynamic Weight-Bearing Ankle Dorsiflexion

A decrease in ankle dorsiflexion causes changes in biomechanics, and different instruments have been used for ankle dorsiflexion testing under static conditions. Consequently, the industry of inertial sensors has developed easy-to-use devices, which measure dynamic ankle dorsiflexion and provide additional parameters such as velocity, acceleration, or movement deviation. Therefore, the aims of this study were to analyze the concurrent validity and test-retest reliability of an inertial device for measuring dynamic weight-bearing ankle dorsiflexion. Sixteen participants were tested using an inertial device (WIMU) and a digital inclinometer. Ankle dorsiflexion from left and right ankle repetitions was used for validity analysis, whereas test-retest reliability was analyzed by comparing measurements from the first and second days. The standard error of the measurement (SEM) between the instruments was very low for both ankle measurements (SEM 0.05) even though a significant systematic bias (~1.77°) was found for the right ankle (d = 0.79). R2 was very close to 1 in the left and right ankles (R2 = 0.85–0.89) as well as the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC > 0.95). Test-retest reliability analysis showed that systematic bias was below 1° for both instruments, even though a systematic bias (~1.50°) with small effect size was found in the right ankle (d = 0.49) with WIMU. The ICC was very close to 1 and the coefficient of variation (CV) was lower than 4% in both instruments. Thus, WIMU is a valid and reliable inertial device for measuring dynamic weight-bearing ankle dorsiflexion

Cartografía de incendios forestales en Paraguay mediante imágenes AQUA-MODIS

Uno de los principales problemas ambientales que se plantean actualmente a nivel mundial es la pérdida de los recursos\ud forestales ocasionada por el fuego. La gran extensión y dificultad de acceso a muchas de las zonas afectadas, especialmente en zonas tropicales, hace difícil la cuantificación del daño que provocan los incendios forestales. La cartografía operativa de las áreas quemadas requiere disponer de métodos fiables y rápidos que permitan obtener resultados en un margen relativamente corto de tiempo y a una escala espacial y temporal adecuada para la gestión del fenómeno. La teledetección desde satélite supone una técnica adecuada para esta finalidad ya que proporciona datos de la superficie terrestre con una cobertura espacial y temporal suficientemente detallada y ofrece información espectral apropiada para la cartografía de áreas quemadas. En este trabajo se aborda el uso de imágenes\ud procedentes del sensor AQUA-MODIS para la cartografía de áreas afectadas por incendios forestales en Paraguay. Se propone una metodología que combina productos MODIS con distintas resoluciones espaciales (500 y 250 metros) y espectrales (7 y 2 bandas) con el propósito de mejorar la capacidad de discriminación y delimitación de las zonas afectadas por incendios forestales en un ámbito tropical. La metodología propuesta nos permitió discriminar todos los incendios ocurridos en la zona de estudio con tamaño igual o superior a 150 hectáreas. La capacidad\ud de discriminación resultó aceptable (en torno a los 60 %) para los incendios entre 100 y 125 hectáreas, en cambio demostró ser mas limitada para los incendios inferiores a 100 hectáreas.One of the major environmental problems facing the world today is the loss of forest resources caused by fire. The large size and difficulty of access to many affected areas, especially in tropical areas, make difficult to quantify the damage caused by forest fires. Operational mapping of burned areas requires the availability of reliable and rapid\ud methods that can produce results in a relatively short time range and a spatial and temporal scale appropriate to the management of the phenomenon. Satellite remote sensing is a suitable technique for this purpose as it provides\ud data on the Earth's surface with enough spatial and temporal coverage and provides detailed spectral information suitable for mapping burned areas. This paper discusses the use of images from the AQUA-MODIS sensor\ud for mapping areas affected by forest fires in Paraguay. It propose a methodology that combines MODIS products with\ud different spatial (500 and 250 meters) and spectral (7 and 2 bands) resolutions for the purpose of improving the capacity of discrimination and delimitation of areas affected by forest fires in a tropical area. The proposed methodology allowed us to discriminate all fires in the study area with size equal to or greater than 150 hectares. The discrimination capacity was acceptable (around 60%) for fires between 100 and 125 hectares, however proved to be more limited for fires less than 100 hectares

Flavonoid and Antioxidant Capacity of Propolis Prediction Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy

[EN] The use of propolis as a dietary supplement or as an ingredient in different food products is increasing, due to its antioxidant and bactericidal properties. These nutritional properties directly depend on its phenolic composition. For this reason, this study analysed the total contents of flavones and flavonols, flavanones and dihydroflavonols, and the antioxidant capacity by using the methods of ABTS and linoleic acid/β-carotene in 99 samples of propolis from Spain and Chile. A rapid method was developed for quantifying these parameters in raw propolis using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy with a remote reflectance fibre-optic probe applied directly to the ground-up sample. The models developed allow for the determination of the total flavones and flavonols (0–183 mg quercetin/g propolis and 0–72 mg rutin/g propolis), of the total flavanones and dihydroflavonols (9–109 mg pinocembrin/g propolis extract), and of its antioxidant capacity by the ABTS method based on the reduction of the 2.2-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation(0–3212.6 nmol Trolox/mg of propolis) and of linoleic acid/β-carotene (22–86% inhibition). The NIR spectroscopy models were applied in external validation to different samples of the calibration group, which led to the conclusion that the methods developed provide significantly identical data to the initial chemical data of reference

Finite sample behavior of two step estimators in selection models

The problem of specification errors in sample selection models has received considerable attention both theoretically and empirically. However, very few is known about the finite sample behavior of two step estimators. In this paper we investigate by simulations both bias and finite sample distribution of these estimators when ignoring heteroskedasticity in the sample selection mechanism. It turns out that under conditions traditionally faced by practitioners, the misspecified parametric two step estimator (Heckman, 1979) performs better, in finite sample sizes, than the robust semiparametric one (Ahn and Powell, 1993). Moreover, under very general conditions, we show that the asymptotic bias of the parametric two step estimator is linear in the covariance between the sample selection and the participation equation.The first two authors wish to thank the Dirección General de Enseñanza Superior, research project PB96-C05-03 for its financial support. The third author acknowledges financial support from the DGICYT, research project PB94-0602

Graphene oxide electrodeposited electrode enhances start-up and selective enrichment of exoelectrogens in bioelectrochemical systems

15 p.This study seeks to assess the impact that the anodic electrodeposition of graphene oxide (GO) has on the start-up process and on the development of microbial communities on the anode of BESs. The GO electrodeposited electrodes were characterised in abiotic conditions to verify the extent of the modifcation and were then transferred to a bioelectrochemical reactor. Results showed that the modifed electrode allowed for a reduced start-up time compared to the control electrode. After three months, high throughput sequencing was performed, revealing that electrochemically reduced graphene oxide acts as a selective agent toward exoelectrogenic bacteria as Geobacter. Overall, this study shows that GO modifed electrodes enhance bioflm build up in BES. This research was possible thanks to the financial support of the ‘Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad’ project ref: CTQ2015-68925-R, cofinanced by FEDER funds. Ana Sotres thanks the regional ‘Junta de Castilla y León’ for the postdoctoral contract associated with project ref: LE060U16, cofinanced by FEDER fundsS

Application for Decision-Making on Mild Cognitive Impairments

Presented at the 4th XoveTIC Conference, A Coruña, Spain, 7–8 October 2021.[Abstract] Life expectancy in Western countries is increasing. The fact that humans are living longer lives presents new challenges to people’s quality of life. Some of the problems that most affect older people are the problems associated with cognitive impairment. The development of a tool that helps psychologists to carry out different types of tests is the main objective of this work. To this end, an interdisciplinary group of psychologists and engineers have joined forces to create a tool that generates a series of standardised metrics to guide clinicians and help them make decisions about a patient’s cognitive impairment

Upper body motor function and swallowing impairments and its association in survivors of head and neck cancer: A cross-sectional study

Background Upper body motor function and swallowing may be affected after curative treatment for head and neck cancer. The aims of this study are to compare maximum mouth opening (MMO), temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD), cervical and shoulder active range of motion (AROM) and strength, and swallowing difficulty between survivors of head and neck cancer (sHNC) and healthy matched controls (HMC) and to examine the correlations between these outcomes in sHNC. Methods Thirty-two sHNC and 32 HMC participated on the study. MMO, TMD, cervical and shoulder AROM, cervical and shoulder strength, the SPADI shoulder pain and disability indices, the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) score, swallowing difficulty as determined using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and the location of disturbances in swallowing, were recorded. Results MMO and cervical and shoulder AROM and strength were significantly lower in sHNC, whereas FAI, SPADI score, EAT-10 and VAS were higher. The MMO, TMD, cervical and shoulder AROM, and cervical shoulder strength values showed significant correlations (some direct, others inverse) with one another. Swallowing difficulty was inversely associated with the MMO, cervical AROM and shoulder strength. Conclusion Compared with controls, sHNC present smaller MMO, lower cervical and shoulder AROM, lower cervical and shoulder strength and higher perception of TMD, shoulder pain and disability and swallowing difficulty. sHNC suffer impaired swallowing related to lower MMO, presence of TMD, cervical AROM and shoulder strength values. Improving these variables via physiotherapy may reduce the difficulty in swallowing experienced by some sHNC.Fondos Estructurales de la Union Europea (FEDER)Unit of Excellence on Exercise and Health (UCEES), University of Granad