48 research outputs found
Color changes in beef meat during pan cooking: kinetics, modeling and application to predict turn over time
The kinetics of heat-induced color changes in beef meat was determined and implemented in a numerical model for doublesided
pan cooking of steak. The CIELab color space was used to obtain the lightness (coordinate L∗ ) and the reddish tone
(coordinate a∗ ) of the cooked meat. L∗ was the CIELab coordinate that contributed the most to the change in the absolute
color. Two response surfaces were found to describe the evolution with time and temperature of both color coordinates, L∗
and a∗ . The model results were successfully verified with experimental data of the two coordinates along the thickness of
the meat for three degrees of cooking. The Root-Mean-Squared Errors (RMSE) for coordinate L∗ were 5.17 (very rare), 2.02
(medium rare) and 3.83 (done), and for coordinate a∗ 1.44 (very rare), 1.26 (medium rare) and 0.89 (done). The applicability
of the model for practical cooking purposes was illustrated by determining the optimum turn over time to achieve a similar
color profile on both sides of the meat. The turn over time depended on the desired degrees of cooking, and were comprised
between one-half and two-thirds of the final cooking time, increasing from very rare cooking degree to done cooking degree
Modeling domestic pancake cooking incorporating the rheological properties of the batter. Application to seven batter recipes
A 2D axisymmetric model for coupled transient heat and mass transfer was developed to simulate pancake cooking on a domestic induction hob. Unlike previous models, the current model considers a variable thermal contact conductance resulting from the crust formation at the bottom of the batter. It aims to take into account the heat transfer phenomena between the pan surface and the batter influenced by the physicochemical changes that the batter undergoes during the cooking process. To quantify the variation of the heat flow that this change in the structure of the batter involves, a normalized relationship between batter viscosity and the temperature was introduced in the model. The performance of seven cereal and legume flour-based batters was evaluated in an experimental setup. The proposed model is capable of adequately predicting the weight loss and the average surface temperature of the batter using parameters related with the rheological properties of the batter and its composition
Combined Genome, Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis in the Diagnosis of Childhood Cerebellar Ataxia
Supplementary Materials: Supplementary Materials can be found at https://www.mdpi.com/1422
-0067/22/6/2990/s1.The project was approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics
Committee of the Andalusian Public Health System in Granada, Spain on Oct. 29, 2015, (project
identification code AP163052016). Data recording, sample collection and all in vitro experiments
were conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines following the Nuremberg Code, Belmont
Report, and the Declaration of Helsinki.Acknowledgments: We are grateful for the support and cooperation of the subjects, as well as
their families.Ataxia in children is a common clinical sign of numerous neurological disorders consisting
of impaired coordination of voluntary muscle movement. Its most common form, cerebellar ataxia,
describes a heterogeneous array of neurologic conditions with uncountable causes broadly divided
as acquired or genetic. Numerous genetic disorders are associated with chronic progressive ataxia,
which complicates clinical management, particularly on the diagnostic stage. Advances in omics
technologies enable improvements in clinical practice and research, so we proposed a multi-omics
approach to aid in the genetic diagnosis and molecular elucidation of an undiagnosed infantile
condition of chronic progressive cerebellar ataxia. Using whole-exome sequencing, RNA-seq, and
untargeted metabolomics, we identified three clinically relevant mutations (rs141471029, rs191582628
and rs398124292) and an altered metabolic profile in our patient. Two POLR1C diagnostic variants
already classified as pathogenic were found, and a diagnosis of hypomyelinating leukodystrophy
was achieved. A mutation on the MMACHC gene, known to be associated with methylmalonic
aciduria and homocystinuria cblC type, was also found. Additionally, preliminary metabolome
analysis revealed alterations in our patient’s amino acid, fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism.
Our findings provided a definitive genetic diagnosis reinforcing the association between POLR1C
mutations and hypomyelinating leukodystrophy and highlighted the relevance of multi-omics
approaches to the disease.Fundación Mutua Madrileña, Spain XIII Call on Research
Grants 2016, reference number AP16305201
Spreadsheet for the simulation of artificial neural networks (ANNs)
La utilización de Redes de Neuronas Artificiales (RNA) en problemas de
predicción de series de tiempo, clasificación y reconocimiento de patrones
ha aumentado considerablemente en los últimos años. Programas informáticos
de matemáticas de propósito general tales como MATLAB, MATHCAD
y aplicaciones estadísticas como SPSS y S-PLUS incorporan herramientas
que permiten implementar RNAs. A esta oferta de software hay
que añadir programas específicos como NeuralWare, EasyNN o Neuron.
Desde un punto de vista educativo, el acceso de los estudiantes a estos
programas puede ser difícil dado que no están pensadas como herramientas
didácticas. Por otro lado, las hojas de cálculo como Excel y Gnumeric
incorporan utilidades que permiten implementar RNAs y son de fácil acceso
para los estudiantes. El objetivo de este trabajo es proporcionar un
pequeño tutorial sobre la utilización de Excel para implementar una RNA
que nos permita ajustar los valores de una serie de tiempo correspondiente
a actividad cerebral alfa y que permita al alumno entender el funcionamiento
de estos dispositivos de cálculo.In recent years, the use of Artificial Neural Networks or ANNs has increased
considerably to solve prediction problems in time series, classification
and recognition of patterns. General-purpose mathematical programs such
as MATLAB, MATHCAD and mathematical and statistical programs such as
SPSS and S-PLUS incorporate tools that allow the implementation of ANNs.
In addition to these, specific programs such as NeuralWare, EasyNN, or
Neuron, complete the software offer using ANNs.
From an educational point of view, an aspect that concerns the authors of
this work, student access to these programs can be expensive or, in sorne
case, unadvisable given the few possibilities they provide as didactic instruments.
These programs are usually easy to use but do not facilitate the
understanding of the technique used. On the other hand, spreadsheets like
Excel or Gnumeric incorporate tools that allow all of the necessary calculations
to implement an ANN. These programs are user-friendly to the
point that they are used by university laboratories, as well as psychology,
economic science, and engineering students, to mention a few. This paper
provides a small tutorial on the use of a spreadsheet, specifically Excel, to
implement an ANN to adjust the values of a time series corresponding to
cerebral alpha activity
Materialidad pictórica. Estudio y percepción de la pintura tardogótica en la actualidad
Estudio con carácter científico e interdisciplinar de los estudios físicos, químicos y visuales de los aspectos materiales e históricos de las pinturas tardogóticas en Castilla, y su difusión a través de las redes sociales de forma visual y didáctica
Aerosol radiative forcing efficiency in the UV region over southeastern Mediterranean: VELETA2002 campaign
Atmospheric aerosol effects on spectral global UV irradiance were evaluated during the VELETA2002 field campaign between 8 and 19 July 2002 in southeast Spain. In the first stage, seven UV spectroradiometer and six CIMEL Sun photometer measurements were carried out simultaneously, allowing them to be calibrated and intercompared. The mean ratio obtained for the global irradiance between the spectroradiometers, with regards to a reference instrument, ranges from 0.98 up to 1.04 with standard deviations that oscillate between ±0.01 and ±0.17. In particular, the two spectroradiometers used to obtain the aerosol forcing efficiencies have a ratio of 1.000 ± 0.001. The aerosol optical depth (AOD) obtained with the CIMEL Sun photometers has a standard deviation of lower than ±0.01 for all the channels. Under clear sky conditions, the diurnal aerosol forcing efficiency (DDFe) and fractional diurnal forcing efficiency (DFDFe) was calculated for two Mediterranean stations: Armilla (691 m.a.s.l.) within the boundary layer and Sabinas (2200 m.a.s.l) on the lower limit of the free troposphere and 25 km away from the first station. The DDFe values obtained at Armilla range between _2.72 ± 0.45 W m_2/t380 and _2.88 ± 0.45 W m_2/t440 and between _3.22 ± 0.61 W m_2/t380 and _3.40 ± 0.62 W m_2/t440 at Sabinas station; the DFDFe values range from _8.0 ± 1.4%/t380 to _8.6 ± 1.3%/t440 and _12.0 ± 2.3%/t380 to _12.6 ± 2.3%/t440 at the two stations, respectively. Also, an experimental aerosol transmittance factor, CT, used to obtain UV satellite derived products was found as a result of the dependence of the global irradiance with the AOD, under cloudless conditions. The average aerosol attenuation factor, h, obtained from the CT, is 6 ± 2% under weakly absorbing aerosols, with a negligible spectral dependence.This work was supported by CICYT–MCYT through the coordinated projects CGL2004-05984-C07-05 and CGL2005-03428-C04-02
Cumulative exposure to tacrolimus and incidence of cancer after liver transplantation
Cancer is the leading cause of death after liver transplantation (LT). This multicenter case–control nested study aimed to evaluate the effect of maintenance immunosuppression on post-LT malignancy. The eligible cohort included 2495 LT patients who received tacrolimus-based immunosuppression. After 13 922 person/years follow-up, 425 patients (19.7%) developed malignancy (cases) and were matched with 425 controls by propensity score based on age, gender, smoking habit, etiology of liver disease, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) before LT. The independent predictors of post-LT malignancy were older age (HR = 1.06 [95% CI 1.05–1.07]; p < .001), male sex (HR = 1.50 [95% CI 1.14–1.99]), smoking habit (HR = 1.96 [95% CI 1.42–2.66]), and alcoholic liver disease (HR = 1.53 [95% CI 1.19–1.97]). In selected cases and controls (n = 850), the immunosuppression protocol was similar (p = .51). An increased cumulative exposure to tacrolimus (CET), calculated by the area under curve of trough concentrations, was the only immunosuppression-related predictor of post-LT malignancy after controlling for clinical features and baseline HCC (CET at 3 months p = .001 and CET at 12 months p = .004). This effect was consistent for de novo malignancy (after excluding HCC recurrence) and for internal neoplasms (after excluding non-melanoma skin cancer). Therefore, tacrolimus minimization, as monitored by CET, is the key to modulate immunosuppression in order to prevent cancer after LT
Correction : Chaparro et al. Incidence, Clinical Characteristics and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Spain: Large-Scale Epidemiological Study. J. Clin. Med. 2021, 10, 2885
The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [...]
Incidence, Clinical Characteristics and Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Spain : Large-Scale Epidemiological Study
(1) Aims: To assess the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Spain, to describe the main epidemiological and clinical characteristics at diagnosis and the evolution of the disease, and to explore the use of drug treatments. (2) Methods: Prospective, population-based nationwide registry. Adult patients diagnosed with IBD-Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or IBD unclassified (IBD-U)-during 2017 in Spain were included and were followed-up for 1 year. (3) Results: We identified 3611 incident cases of IBD diagnosed during 2017 in 108 hospitals covering over 22 million inhabitants. The overall incidence (cases/100,000 person-years) was 16 for IBD, 7.5 for CD, 8 for UC, and 0.5 for IBD-U; 53% of patients were male and median age was 43 years (interquartile range = 31-56 years). During a median 12-month follow-up, 34% of patients were treated with systemic steroids, 25% with immunomodulators, 15% with biologics and 5.6% underwent surgery. The percentage of patients under these treatments was significantly higher in CD than UC and IBD-U. Use of systemic steroids and biologics was significantly higher in hospitals with high resources. In total, 28% of patients were hospitalized (35% CD and 22% UC patients, p < 0.01). (4) Conclusion: The incidence of IBD in Spain is rather high and similar to that reported in Northern Europe. IBD patients require substantial therapeutic resources, which are greater in CD and in hospitals with high resources, and much higher than previously reported. One third of patients are hospitalized in the first year after diagnosis and a relevant proportion undergo surgery
Heterogeneity in Response to MCT and Psychoeducation : A Feasibility Study Using Latent Class Mixed Models in First-Episode Psychosis
Metacognitive training (MCT) is an effective treatment for psychosis. Longitudinal trajectories of treatment response are unknown but could point to strategies to maximize treatment efficacy during the first episodes. This work aims to explore the possible benefit of using latent class mixed models (LCMMs) to understand how treatment response differs between metacognitive training and psychoeducation. We conducted LCMMs in 28 patients that received MCT and 34 patients that received psychoeducation. We found that MCT is effective in improving cognitive insight in all patients but that these effects wane at follow-up. In contrast, psychoeducation does not improve cognitive insight, and may increase self-certainty in a group of patients. These results suggest that LCMMs are valuable tools that can aid in treatment prescription and in predicting response to specific treatments