Robust Fusion for Bayesian Semantic Mapping

The integration of semantic information in a map allows robots to understand better their environment and make high-level decisions. In the last few years, neural networks have shown enormous progress in their perception capabilities. However, when fusing multiple observations from a neural network in a semantic map, its inherent overconfidence with unknown data gives too much weight to the outliers and decreases the robustness of the resulting map. In this work, we propose a novel robust fusion method to combine multiple Bayesian semantic predictions. Our method uses the uncertainty estimation provided by a Bayesian neural network to calibrate the way in which the measurements are fused. This is done by regularizing the observations to mitigate the problem of overconfident outlier predictions and using the epistemic uncertainty to weigh their influence in the fusion, resulting in a different formulation of the probability distributions. We validate our robust fusion strategy by performing experiments on photo-realistic simulated environments and real scenes. In both cases, we use a network trained on different data to expose the model to varying data distributions. The results show that considering the model's uncertainty and regularizing the probability distribution of the observations distribution results in a better semantic segmentation performance and more robustness to outliers, compared with other methods.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, under review at IEEE IROS 202

O processo ensino-aprendizagem da História do Cinema através de uma estratégia de storytelling e storydoing teatral aplicada ao ambiente universitário

The subjects related to the History usually present difficulties for the students and occasionally they can be tedious to be interpreted as a compilation of dates and names, sometimes when they seem unconnected. In order to invigorate and facilitate the process of meaningful learning of the History of Cinema, the project “Cinema through storytelling and theatre” has been developed within the framework of the subject Filming of the third year of the Degrees in Communication at EADE University of Wales in Malaga. The methodology that has been applied reinforces the work on the theoretical aspects related to the History of Cinema through a dynamics of role playing in which the students interpret, direct and perform audiovisual theatrical texts in which the plot and the characters are centered in personalities relevant to the development of the seventh art. Through a qualitative and quantitative research, the texts used and the students' perceptions about this educational practice that applies storytelling and combines it with storydoing to turn students into protagonists of film learning have been studied. This methodology applied to the teaching of film content has proved effective in transferring the students' theoretical knowledge of the subject in an innovative way while developing cross-cutting skills related to non-verbal communication, public communication, collaborative work and the audiovisual technique.Las asignaturas relacionadas con la Historia suelen presentar dificultades para el alumnado y en ocasiones resultar tediosas por ser interpretadas como una recopilación de fechas y nombres a veces aparentemente inconexos. Con el objetivo de dinamizar y facilitar el proceso de aprendizaje significativo de la Historia del Cine se ha desarrollado el proyecto ‘El cine a través del storytelling y el teatro’ en el marco de la asignatura Realización del tercer curso de los Grados en Comunicación en EADE University of Wales en Málaga. Se ha aplicado una metodología que refuerza el trabajo sobre los aspectos teóricos relacionados con la Historia del Cine a través de una dinámica de role playing en la que el alumnado interpreta, dirige y realiza audiovisualmente textos teatrales en los que la trama y los personajes se centran en personalidades relevantes para el desarrollo del séptimo arte. Mediante una investigación cualitativa y cuantitativa se han estudiado los textos empleados y las percepciones del alumnado sobre esta práctica educativa que aplica el storytelling y lo combina con el storydoing para convertir a los alumnos en protagonistas del aprendizaje sobre cine. Esta metodología aplicada a la enseñanza de contenidos sobre cine se ha revelado efectiva para transferir al alumnado conocimientos teóricos propios de la materia de un modo innovador al tiempo que desarrolla habilidades transversales relacionadas con la comunicación no verbal, la comunicación en público, el trabajo colaborativo y la técnica audiovisual.Os assuntos relacionados com a história costuma apresentar dificuldades para os alunos e por vezes ser interpretado como uma compilação com as datas e nomes aparentemente desconexos. Com o objetivo de melhorar e facilitar o processo de aprendizagem da História do Cinema. Desenvolveu-se o projeto 'Cinema através de storytelling e teatro', no âmbito de curso Filming do terceiro ano do Grau em Comunicação na EADE University of Wales em Málaga. Aplicou-se uma metodologia que reforça o trabalho sobre os aspectos teóricos relacionados com a história do Cinema através de uma dinâmica de role playing em que os alunos interpretam, dirigem e executam textos teatrais audiovisuais nos quais a trama e os personagens enfocam personalidades relevantes para o desenvolvimento da sétima arte. Por meio de pesquisa qualitativa e quantitativa, os textos utilizados e as percepções dos estudantes sobre essa prática educacional, isso se aplica a storytelling e combina com a storydoing para transformar os alunos em protagonistas da aprendizagem de filmes. Esta metodologia aplicada ao ensino o conteúdo cinematográfico revelou-se eficaz na transferência de conhecimentos teóricos do assunto para os alunos de forma inovadora, desenvolvendo competências transversais relacionadas com a comunicação não-verbal, comunicação pública, trabalho colaborativo e técnica audiovisual

Effects of a Mediterranean Diet Intervention on Maternal Stress, Well-Being, and Sleep Quality throughout Gestation-The IMPACT-BCN Trial

Stress and anxiety are frequent occurrences among pregnant women. We aimed to evaluate the effects of a Mediterranean diet intervention during pregnancy on maternal stress, well-being, and sleep quality throughout gestation. In a randomized clinical trial, 1221 high-risk pregnant women were randomly allocated into three groups at 19-23 weeks' gestation: a Mediterranean diet intervention, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program, or usual care. All women who provided self-reported life-style questionnaires to measure their anxiety (State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)), well-being (WHO Five Well Being Index (WHO-5)), and sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI)) at enrollment and at the end of the intervention (34-36 weeks) were included. In a random subgroup of 106 women, the levels of cortisol and related metabolites were also measured. At the end of the intervention (34-36 weeks), participants in the Mediterranean diet group had significantly lower perceived stress and anxiety scores (PSS mean (SE) 15.9 (0.4) vs. 17.0 (0.4), p = 0.035; STAI-anxiety mean (SE) 13.6 (0.4) vs. 15.8 (0.5), p = 0.004) and better sleep quality (PSQI mean 7.0 ± 0.2 SE vs. 7.9 ± 0.2 SE, p = 0.001) compared to usual care. As compared to usual care, women in the Mediterranean diet group also had a more significant increase in their 24 h urinary cortisone/cortisol ratio during gestation (mean 1.7 ± SE 0.1 vs. 1.3 ± SE 0.1, p < 0.001). A Mediterranean diet intervention during pregnancy is associated with a significant reduction in maternal anxiety and stress, and improvements in sleep quality throughout gestation. Keywords: Mediterranean diet; pregnancy; anxiety; well-being; sleep qualit

Neoadjuvant Metformin Added to Systemic Therapy Decreases the Proliferative Capacity of Residual Breast Cancer

The proliferative capacity of residual breast cancer (BC) disease indicates the existence of partial treatment resistance and higher probability of tumor recurrence. We explored the therapeutic potential of adding neoadjuvant metformin as an innovative strategy to decrease the proliferative potential of residual BC cells in patients failing to achieve pathological complete response (pCR) after pre-operative therapy. We performed a prospective analysis involving the intention-to-treat population of the (Metformin and Trastuzumab in Neoadjuvancy) METTEN study, a randomized multicenter phase II trial of women with primary, non-metastatic (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) HER2-positive BC evaluating the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of oral metformin (850 mg twice-daily) for 24 weeks combined with anthracycline/taxane-based chemotherapy and trastuzumab (arm A) or equivalent regimen without metformin (arm B), before surgery. We centrally evaluated the proliferation marker Ki67 on sequential core biopsies using visual assessment (VA) and an (Food and Drug Administration) FDA-cleared automated digital image analysis (ADIA) algorithm. ADIA-based pre-operative values of high Ki67 (>= 20%), but not those from VA, significantly predicted the occurrence of pCR in both arms irrespective of the hormone receptor status (p = 0.024 and 0.120, respectively). Changes in Ki67 in residual tumors of non-pCR patients were significantly higher in the metformin-containing arm (p = 0.025), with half of all patients exhibiting high Ki67 at baseline moving into the low-Ki67 (<20%) category after neoadjuvant treatment. By contrast, no statistically significant changes in Ki67 occurred in residual tumors of the control treatment arm (p = 0.293). There is an urgent need for innovative therapeutic strategies aiming to provide the protective effects of decreasing Ki67 after neoadjuvant treatment even if pCR is not achieved. Metformin would be evaluated as a safe candidate to decrease the aggressiveness of residual disease after neoadjuvant (pre-operative) systemic therapy of BC patients

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Dimethyl fumarate in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) inhibits inflammasome-mediated inflammation and has been proposed as a treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. This randomised, controlled, open-label platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy [RECOVERY]), is assessing multiple treatments in patients hospitalised for COVID-19 (NCT04381936, ISRCTN50189673). In this assessment of DMF performed at 27 UK hospitals, adults were randomly allocated (1:1) to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus DMF. The primary outcome was clinical status on day 5 measured on a seven-point ordinal scale. Secondary outcomes were time to sustained improvement in clinical status, time to discharge, day 5 peripheral blood oxygenation, day 5 C-reactive protein, and improvement in day 10 clinical status. Between 2 March 2021 and 18 November 2021, 713 patients were enroled in the DMF evaluation, of whom 356 were randomly allocated to receive usual care plus DMF, and 357 to usual care alone. 95% of patients received corticosteroids as part of routine care. There was no evidence of a beneficial effect of DMF on clinical status at day 5 (common odds ratio of unfavourable outcome 1.12; 95% CI 0.86-1.47; p = 0.40). There was no significant effect of DMF on any secondary outcome

Una función de precios hedónicos para el vino español de calidad en el año 2000

Diversos estudios que intentan fundamentar la demanda de vino de calidad solamente en función del precio y de la renta han sido incapaces de explicarla de forma plenamente satisfactoria. En este estudio se ha procedido a estimar una función de precios hedónicos relacionando el precio del vino de calidad (con Denominación de Origen) en España con una serie de características vinícolas y/o comerciales, con el fin de analizar qué atributos determinan el precio final del vino y en qué medida lo hace cada uno. Hay seis grupos de atributos que son estadísticamente significativos para explicar las desviaciones de los precios medios de los vinos: 1) valoración de calidad; 2) denominación de origen; 3) variedad/tipo de uva; 4) cosecha de uva; 5) tiempo de fermentación y 6) tamaño del productor. Los resultados muestran que los incrementos del precio se explican por el alto impacto de la calidad; el grado de envejecimiento; la alta consideración de algunas denominaciones de origen (p.e. Tacoronte, Yconden-Daute-Isora, Priorat o Lanzarote), ciertas variedades de uva (p.e. Graciano o Tempranillo peluda), añadas como las de 1968 y 1982 y una dimensión pequeña de la bodega. Por el contrario, explican reducciones del precio la baja calificación, la juventud, el rechazo de determinadas denominaciones de origen (p.e. Calatayud, Méntrida o La Mancha), otras variedades de uva (p.e. Mazuelo) y una dimensión grande de la empresa productora. Se discuten las implicaciones resultantes para el marketing de este producto...Several studies that try to base the quality’s wine demand only in function of price and income have been incapables of explaining it in a totally satisfactory way. In this study we have proceed to estimate an hedonic price function relating the price of the quality’s wine (with Origin’s Denomination) in Spain with a set of commercials and/or wine related characteristics, with the aim of analyse what attributes determine the final price of wine and to what extent they do it. There are six groups of attributes that are statistically significant explaining the deviations from the average prices of the wines: 1) quality’s valoration; 2) Origin’s Denomination; 3) variety/ type of the grape; 4) grape’s vintage; 5) time of fermentation and 6) producer’s size. The results show that the increments in price are explained by the high impact of the quality; the stage of oldness; the high consideration of some Origin’s Denominations (i.e Tacoronte, Yconden-Daute-Isora, Priorat or Lanzarote), certains varieties of grape (i.e. Graciano or Tempranillo Peluda), vintages like the ones of 1968 and 1982 and a little dimension of the cellar. On the other side, the reductions in price are explained by the low calification, the youth, the repulse of some Origin’s Denomination (i.e. Calatayud, Méntrida or La Mancha), other types of grape (i.e. Mazuelo) and a big dimension of the producer. Implications of marketing are discussed