Accurate and robust image superresolution by neural processing of local image representations

Image superresolution involves the processing of an image sequence to generate a still image with higher resolution. Classical approaches, such as bayesian MAP methods, require iterative minimization procedures, with high computational costs. Recently, the authors proposed a method to tackle this problem, based on the use of a hybrid MLP-PNN architecture. In this paper, we present a novel superresolution method, based on an evolution of this concept, to incorporate the use of local image models. A neural processing stage receives as input the value of model coefficients on local windows. The data dimension-ality is firstly reduced by application of PCA. An MLP, trained on synthetic se-quences with various amounts of noise, estimates the high-resolution image data. The effect of varying the dimension of the network input space is exam-ined, showing a complex, structured behavior. Quantitative results are presented showing the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method

Representing Trauma in American Women’s Literature

[Abstract] This round table aimed at exploring how different female traumatic experiences have found expression through literature. For that purpose, the session began with an introduction to the question of trauma in the field of the humanities. Then the discussion focused on the representation of individual trauma through the poems of Anne Sexton. After that, the debate explored how social trauma was transmitted transgenerationally by analyzing Nora Okja Keller’s novel Comfort Woman. Finally, the work of Arab American women writers served to illustrate the issue of collective trauma caused by September 11, 2001

Relación entre el estilo de aprendizaje y la elección de una carrera en estudiantes de la UJI

Setzenes Jornades de Foment de la Investigació (Any 2011)En esta investigación se estudia si existe relación entre los Estilos de Aprendizaje y la elección de una determinada carrera en la Universidad Jaume I de Castellón. Las carreras que fueron escogidas son los segundos cursos de Administración y Dirección de Empresas, Humanidades, Ingeniería Industrial y Psicología. Se les administró el Cuestionario CHAEA (Cuestionario Honey-Alonso de Estilos de Aprendizaje), a las cuatro carreras escogidas. Los cuatro Estilos de Aprendizaje que se midieron fueron el Activo, Reflexivo, Teórico y Pragmático. Los resultados muestran una gran tendencia en las cuatro titulaciones por el Estilo de Aprendizaje Reflexivo. Los resultados estadísticos indican que no existen diferencias significativas entre los Estilos de Aprendizaje en los alumnos de la Universidad Jaume I

Deamidation of pseudopeptidic molecular hydrogelators and its application to controlled release

Hypothesis The incorporation of a succinic acid-derived moiety in amino acid derivatives would favor an intramolecular catalysis of a deamidation reaction. Such reaction would permit controlled disassembly of molecular hydrogelators and the use of the hydrogels for controlled release of actives. Experimental Low molecular weight hydrogelators containing a succinic acid-derived moiety were prepared by conventional organic synthesis procedures. Hydrogels were examined by electron microscopy and 1H NMR studies were carried out to evaluate the solubility in water of the hydrogelators and the deamidation reaction. Liberation of Rose Bengal entrapped in the hydrogels was monitored by UV–Vis spectroscopy. Findings Molecular hydrogels formed by pseudopeptidic derivatives of l-valine suffer a thermal deamidation reaction, leading to partial disassembly. The succinic acid-derived moiety present in the gelators is responsible of intramolecular catalysis of a deamidation reaction. Such neighboring group effect is reminiscent of biochemical processes such as protein deamidation and self-excision of inteins. It has been found that the thermodynamic equilibrium of the deamidation reaction is regulated by the efficiency of hydrogelation. As a proof of concept, the thermally promoted deamidation is applied to controlled release of Rose Bengal

A genetic toolkit and gene switches to limit Mycoplasma growth for biosafety applications

Mycoplasmas have exceptionally streamlined genomes and are strongly adapted to their many hosts, which provide them with essential nutrients. Owing to their relative genomic simplicity, Mycoplasmas have been used to develop chassis for biotechnological applications. However, the dearth of robust and precise toolkits for genomic manipulation and tight regulation has hindered any substantial advance. Herein we describe the construction of a robust genetic toolkit for M. pneumoniae, and its successful deployment to engineer synthetic gene switches that control and limit Mycoplasma growth, for biosafety containment applications. We found these synthetic gene circuits to be stable and robust in the long-term, in the context of a minimal cell. With this work, we lay a foundation to develop viable and robust biosafety systems to exploit a synthetic Mycoplasma chassis for live attenuated vectors for therapeutic applications

Emotion elicitation during music listening: subjective self-reports, facial expression, and autonomic reactivity

The use of music as emotional stimuli in experimental studies has grown in recent years. However, prior studies have mainly focused on self-reports and central measures, with a few works exploring the time course of psychophysiological correlates. Moreover, most of the previous research has been carried out either from the dimensional or categorical model but not combining both approaches to emotions. This study aimed to investigate subjective and physiological correlates of emotion elicitation through music, following the three-dimensional and the discrete emotion model. A sample of 50 healthy volunteers (25 women) took part in this experiment by listening to 42 film music excerpts (14 pleasant, 14 unpleasant, 14 neutral) presented during 8 s, while peripheral measures were continuously recorded. After music offset, affective dimensions (valence, energy arousal, and tension arousal) as well as discrete emotions (happiness, sadness, tenderness, fear, and anger) were collected using a 9-point scale. Results showed an effect of the music category on subjective and psychophysiological measures. In peripheral physiology, greater electrodermal activity, heart rate acceleration, and zygomatic responses, besides lower corrugator amplitude, were observed for pleasant excerpts in comparison to neutral and unpleasant music, from 2 s after stimulus onset until the end of its duration. Overall, our results add evidence for the efficacy of standardized film music excerpts to evoke powerful emotions in laboratory settings; thus, opening a path to explore interventions based on music in pathologies with underlying emotion deregulatory processes.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

Time, momentum, and energy resolved pump-probe tunneling spectroscopy of two-dimensional electron systems

Real-time probing of electrons can uncover intricate relaxation mechanisms and many-body interactions hidden in strongly correlated materials. While experimenters have used ultrafast optical pump-probe methods in bulk materials, laser heating and insensitivity below the surface prevent their application to encapsulated low-dimensional electron systems at millikelvin temperatures, home to numerous intriguing electronic phases. Here, we introduce time, momentum, and energy resolved pump-probe tunneling spectroscopy (Tr-MERTS). The method allows the injection of electrons at particular energies and observation of their subsequent decay in energy-momentum space. Using Tr-MERTS, we visualize electronic decay processes in Landau levels with lifetimes up to tens of microseconds. Although most observed features agree with simple energy-relaxation, we discover an unexpected splitting in the nonequilibrium energy spectrum in the vicinity of a ferromagnetic state. An exact diagonalization study of the system suggests that the splitting arises from a maximally spin-polarized higher energy state, distinct from a conventional equilibrium skyrmion. Furthermore, we observe time-dependent relaxation of the splitting, which we attribute to single-flipped spins forming topological spin textures. These results establish Tr-MERTS as a powerful tool for studying the dynamics and properties of a two-dimensional electronic system beyond equilibrium

Promoting Circular Economy around Plastic Waste: A New Design of Recycled Plastic Shredder

The development and construction of the plastic shredder presented here is part of the MAREA Plastic project, which aims to be a meeting point between the university community and society, through science and technology. The project’s main goal consists in developing a circular economy environment that reduces both, the input of raw materials and the output of waste, closing the ecological and economic flows of resources. Thereby, this machine becomes essential for the continuation and proper development of such a research and social awareness project. The new version of the plastic shredder entails a solid design that meets the needs and requirements of the task assigned in its working environment, focusing on its design and manufacture from a sustainable point of view, reusing parts of the prototype itself, as well as other disused resources, mostly provided by the University of Malaga. This concept of sustainability even extends to its operation, controlling the consumption of the engine and paying special attention to durability, reliability and, above all, the safety of both, users and the shredder itself. Among other design priorities, the possibility to visualise and perfectly understand how and why the reused plastic passes through the shredder is one of the most important due to the educational purpose of the project towards a younger audience about circular economy. To achieve this, the machine should not only be able to show the process in an illustrative way, but also the interaction with the machine should be simple and fluid, without the need for previous knowledge or experience operating industrial machinery.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Validación de un instrumento de evaluación del comportamiento sexual de personas con discapacidad intelectual para padres (ECS-PA)

The recent normalization of sexuality and sexual rights among people with Intellectual Disability (ID) has led to an increase in the number of initiatives aimed at improving their knowledge and skills through sexual-affective education programs, but these programs require evaluation instruments reliable to identify their needs and may be sensitive to change after the intervention. In this assessment their perceptions must converge, those of the professionals who deal with them and those of their parents to ensure the veracity of the information obtained, but unfortunately we lack valid and reliable psychometric instruments, both self-reported, because in many cases they lack of verbal skills sufficient to express their desires and experiences, as heteroinformed, since the existing ones are fundamentally focused on the study of attitudes towards sexuality of this group. The objective of this work has been to construct and validate a questionnaire to obtain information from parents about the sexuality of people with mild or moderate ID. The instrument consisting of 32 items with different response formats was administered to 118 parents of adults with ID. The Exploratory Factor Analysis and de Confirmatory Factor Analysis offers a structure composed by 3 factors: (F1) Comprehension of the privacy and social rules (13 items), (F2) perception of knowledge about sexuality that your child has (10 items) and (F3) concern for inappropriate sexual behavior (9 items). The model obtained with these four factors presents a good adjustment as shown by the main indicators (Chi2 S-B/df = 1.14, RMSEA = 0.035, CFI = 0.910 y TLI = 0.902). The ECS-PA is shown as an instrument that allows obtaining valid and reliable information about the sexuality of people with mild or moderate ID.La reciente normalización de la sexualidad y de los derechos sexuales entre las personas conDiscapacidad Intelectual (DI) ha hecho que se incremente el número de iniciativas dirigidas a mejorar sus conocimientos y habilidades mediante programas de educación afectivo-sexual pero dichos programas requieren instrumentos de evaluación fiables que permitan identificar sus necesidades y puedan ser sensibles al cambio tras la intervención. En dicha valoración deben confluir sus percepciones, las de los profesionales que se ocupan de ellos y las de sus padres para asegurar la veracidad de la información obtenida, pero lamentablemente carecemos de instrumentos psicométricos válidos y fiables tanto autoinformados, debido a que en muchos casos carecen de habilidades verbales suficientes para expresar sus deseos y vivencias, como heteroinformados, pues los existentes se centran fundamentalmente en el estudio de las actitudes hacia la sexualidad de este colectivo. El objetivo de este trabajo ha sido construir y validar un cuestionario para obtener información de los padres acerca de la sexualidad de las personas con DI leve o moderada. El instrumento fue administrado a 118 padres de personas adultas con DI. Se realizó un Análisis Factorial Exploratorio  seguido de un Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio que ofreció una estructura compuesta de 3 factores: (F1) Comprensión de la privacidad y normas sociales (13 ítems), (F2) percepción de los conocimientos sobre sexualidad que tiene su hijo/a (10 ítems), y (F3) preocupación por un comportamiento sexual inadecuado (9 ítems). El modelo obtenido con estos tres factores presenta un buen ajuste como muestran los principales indicadores (Chi2 S-B/df = 1,14, RMSEA = 0,035, CFI = 0,910 y TLI = 0,902). El ECS-PA se muestra como un instrumento que permite obtener información válida y fiable sobre la sexualidad de las personas con DI leve o moderada.

Motivaciones para el ejercicio físico y su relación con la salud mental y física: un análisis desde el género

Physical exercise is a planned and structured physical activity with a final objective that constitutes a non-communicable diseases preventive tool and a physical and mental health protective factor. Likewise, the motivations for doing exercise are essential and it can be influenced by gender. The purpose of this study is to consider the differences about the motivations of doing exercise based on gender and to analyse the relationship between physical exercise and perceived physical and mental health. To achieve this objective, a sample of 600 young university students (50% men and 50% women), completed the online questionnaire about Lifestyle and Health (Giménez-García and Ballester-Arnal, 2017). The analysis showed significant differences in the regular physical exercise between men (61.7%) and women (45.3%) (Chi 2=16.01; p≤.001). Moreover, gender differences in motivations for doing exercise were observed in all motivations, except for the motivation about “to be thinner” (Chi 2=1.00; p= .317), being men who exceed women for all of them. In relation to the motivations for not doing exercise, there are differences for the motivations “lack of time” (Chi 2=7.72; p= .005), “being short of time” (Chi 2=5.40; p= .020) and “Lack of force of will” (Chi 2=8.26; p= .004), being more relevant for women. Moreover, people who practiceexercisereport better perceived physical (t=7.87; p≤.001)and mental (t=2.31; p= .021) health.Therefore, gender differences about frequency and motivations for doing exercise exist and are related to gender stereotypes. Additionally, people who do greater levels of physical exercise, have a better physical and mental health perception.El ejercicio físico es una actividad física planificada y estructurada con un objetivo final, constituyendo una herramienta preventiva de las enfermedades no transmisibles y un factor protector de la salud física y mental.Asimismo, las motivaciones para realizarlo son fundamentales y pueden verse influidas por el género. El objetivo del estudio es analizar las diferentes motivaciones para hacer ejercicio en función del género, así como observar la relación entre la realización de ejercicio físico y la percepción de salud física y mental. Para ello, una muestra compuesta por un total de 600 jóvenes universitarios (50% hombres y 50% mujeres), cumplimentó el cuestionario online de Estilos de Vida y Salud (Giménez-García y Ballester-Arnal, 2017). Los análisis mostraron diferencias significativas en la realización habitual de ejercicio entre hombres (61.7%) y mujeres (45.3%) (Chi 2=16.01; p≤.001). Asimismo, se observaron diferencias según género en todas las motivaciones para realizar ejercicio, exceptuando el motivo relativo a “estar más delgado/a” (Chi 2=1.00; p= .317), siendo los hombres los que mostraron mayor prevalencia en todos los casos. En relación con las motivaciones para no realizar ejercicio, se observan diferencias en los motivos relativos a la “falta de tiempo” (Chi 2=7.72; p= .005), los “horarios restringidos” (Chi 2=5.40; p= .020) y la “falta de voluntad” (Chi 2=8.26; p= .004), que parece ser más importante en las mujeres, si bien la primera fue la más frecuente en ambos géneros. Además, las personas que practican ejercicio físico muestran una mejor percepción de la salud física (t=7.87; p≤.001) y mental (t=2.31; p=.021). Se concluye que existen diferencias en la frecuencia y motivaciones para realizar ejercicio en función del género, relacionadas con los estereotipos de género. Además, las personas que realizan niveles mayores niveles de ejercicio físico perciben una mejor salud física y mental