Topological and Computational Models for Fuzzy Metric Spaces via Domain Theory

This doctoral thesis is devoted to investigate the problem of establishing connections between Domain Theory and the theory of fuzzy metric spaces, in the sense of Kramosil and Michalek, by means of the notion of a formal ball, and then constructing topological and computational models for (complete) fuzzy metric spaces. The antecedents of this research are mainly the well-known articles of A. Edalat and R. Heckmann [A computational model for metric spaces, Theoret- ical Computer Science 193 (1998), 53-73], and R. Heckmann [Approximation of metric spaces by partial metric spaces, Applied Categorical Structures 7 (1999), 71-83], where the authors obtained nice and direct links between Do- main Theory and the theory of metric spaces - two crucial tools in the study of denotational semantics - by using formal balls. Since every metric induces a fuzzy metric (the so-called standard fuzzy metric), the problem of extending Edalat and Heckmann's works to the fuzzy framework arises in a natural way. In our study we essentially propose two di erent approaches. For the rst one, valid for those fuzzy metric spaces whose continuous t-norm is the minimum, we introduce a new notion of fuzzy metric completeness (the so-called standard completeness) that allows us to construct a (topological) model that includes the classical theory as a special case. The second one, valid for those fuzzy metric spaces whose continuous t-norm is greater or equal than the Lukasiewicz t-norm, allows us to construct, among other satisfactory results, a fuzzy quasi-metric on the continuous domain of formal balls whose restriction to the set of maximal elements is isometric to the given fuzzy metric. Thus we obtain a computational model for complete fuzzy metric spaces. We also prove some new xed point theorems in complete fuzzy metric spaces with versions to the intuitionistic case and the ordered case, respec- tively. Finally, we discuss the problem of extending the obtained results to the asymmetric framework.Ricarte Moreno, L. (2013). Topological and Computational Models for Fuzzy Metric Spaces via Domain Theory [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/34670TESI

Nursing protocol for early detection and preventive isolation of transmissible diseases in ICU

INTRODUCTION Isolation precautions are all the techniques and health care given to the infected patient and all the elements around him, as to protect him and nearby people from hospital infections. This protocol has been elaborated with the intention of proportioning a quick, basic help while choosing isolation measures in an ICU. OBJECTIVE The main objective, has been making a nursing isolation protocol for an Intensive Care Unit, that provides the basic information to quickly and efficiently select and put into practice the adequate, necessary isolation measures in the presence of an infectious disease, and as to prevent its contagion to the staff and to the rest of the patients. METHODS In the elaboration of this project, it has been conducted a bibliographic review with different search tools. The most relevant articles and Nursing Clinical Guidelines, as well as different specific isolation protocols, have been selected and used in the elaboration of this project. CONCLUSIONS Following the guidelines of this protocol, it is possible an early detection of patients infected with transmissible diseases based on their symptomatology, allowing to set up the adequate isolation measures for its transmission mechanism, avoiding this way the diseases’ dissemination and decreasing its morbimortality and possible side effects. KEY WORDS Nosocomial infection, transmissible disease, Intensive Care Unit, Isolation Protoco

Centrality anomalies in complex networks as a result of model over-simplification

Tremendous advances have been made in our understanding of the properties and evolution of complex networks. These advances were initially driven by information-poor empirical networks and theoretical analysis of unweighted and undirected graphs. Recently, information-rich empirical data complex networks supported the development of more sophisticated models that include edge directionality and weight properties, and multiple layers. Many studies still focus on unweighted undirected description of networks, prompting an essential question: how to identify when a model is simpler than it must be? Here, we argue that the presence of centrality anomalies in complex networks is a result of model over-simplification. Specifically, we investigate the well-known anomaly in betweenness centrality for transportation networks, according to which highly connected nodes are not necessarily the most central. Using a broad class of network models with weights and spatial constraints and four large data sets of transportation networks, we show that the unweighted projection of the structure of these networks can exhibit a significant fraction of anomalous nodes compared to a random null model. However, the weighted projection of these networks, compared with an appropriated null model, significantly reduces the fraction of anomalies observed, suggesting that centrality anomalies are a symptom of model over-simplification. Because lack of information-rich data is a common challenge when dealing with complex networks and can cause anomalies that misestimate the role of nodes in the system, we argue that sufficiently sophisticated models be used when anomalies are detected.Comment: 14 pages, including 9 figures. APS style. Accepted for publication in New Journal of Physic

Nivel socioeconómico y obesidad infantil: hábitos dietéticos en niños europeos

La alarmante prevalencia de obesidad infantil a nivel global presenta una distribución desigual en los distintos niveles socioeconómicos de la sociedad. En los países industrializados, los grupos socioeconómicamente más desfavorecidos suelen presentar mayor prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad infantil. La evidencia acumulada demuestra que los determinantes de este problema de salud, son complejos e incluyen diversos mecanismos, tales como las condiciones materiales, ocupacionales, psicosociales, conductuales, etc. Dentro de los estilos de vida, la calidad de la dieta también se asocia con el estatus socioeconómico, encontrando habitualmente patrones menos saludables en los grupos más desfavorecidos, predisponiendo a su vez al desarrollo de sobrepeso y obesidad durante el ciclo vital. A nivel general, los objetivos de la presente Tesis Doctoral son: 1) evaluar la asociación entre distintos indicadores socioeconómicos y la prevalencia de sobrepeso y obesidad infantil en niños europeos, 2) analizar la calidad global de la dieta de los niños según el nivel socioeconómico de las familias y 3) evaluar la asociación entre los patrones dietéticos y los cambios en composición corporal, de manera prospectiva. Para la consecución de los objetivos, se evaluaron los resultados obtenidos en los participantes en el estudio IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lyfestyle induced health EFfects In Children and infantS), provenientes de ocho países (Alemania, Bélgica, Chipre, España, Estonia, Hungría, Italia y Suecia). El tamaño de la muestra, en los distintos trabajos presentados, varió entre 8341 y 14426 sujetos, en base al total de participantes con información completa en cada caso. Los resultados del presente trabajo muestran la existencia de un gradiente socioeconómico inverso en la prevalencia de sobrepeso, en cinco de las ocho regiones investigadas (Alemania, Bélgica, España, Estonia y Chipre), mientras que no se encontró gradiente alguno en las otras tres (Chipre, Hungría e Italia). Las variables que mostraron una mayor fortaleza en la asociación entre el nivel socioeconómico y el sobrepeso, fueron el nivel de desarrollo humano de cada región y el nivel de ingresos medio. En segundo lugar, los participantes de familias de menor nivel socioeconómico mostraron hábitos alimentarios menos saludables que sus compañeros de mayor nivel socioeconómico. Esta asociación fue descrita analizando grupos de alimentos de manera individua,l así como patrones dietéticos globales, tanto para el total de la muestra como de manera específica para cada centro de estudio. Los participantes de menor nivel socioeconómico presentaron más frecuentemente perfiles caracterizados por un consumo frecuente de alimentos procesados, ricos en azúcares y grasas, snacks dulces y salados, y refrescos azucarados. Además, dichos perfiles también se caracterizaron por un consumo menos frecuente de frutas, verduras y productos integrales. Por el contrario, los sujetos de mayor nivel socioeconómico mostraron una mayor tendencia a presentar patrones más saludables, con menor frecuencia de consumo de productos de alta densidad energética y mayor frecuencia de consumo de frutas, verduras y productos integrales. Por último, se pudo constatar que los participantes que mostraron patrones dietéticos caracterizados por un consumo frecuente de alimentos procesados, a lo largo del estudio, fueron los que mostraron a su vez cambios antropométricos más desfavorables, con mayor incremento en la masa grasa total y abdominal. Entre las principales limitaciones de la presente Tesis Doctoral, se encuentran las propias del cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo de alimentos utilizado en el estudio IDEFICS. Dicho cuestionario no fue diseñado para valorar la ingesta energética total, sino los grupos de alimentos asociados positiva o negativamente con el sobrepeso y obesidad infantil, de manera que no se pudo obtener información precisa acerca del consumo de energía total. Además, el tamaño de las porciones no fue estimado y la información fue aportada por los padres, disminuyendo la precisión, ya que no se consideró la ingesta de alimentos que no tuvo lugar bajo la supervisión de los padres. Por ello, la información obtenida tiene en cuenta solo aquellas comidas realizadas a lo largo del día bajo supervisión de los padres, variando de un país a otro. La deseabilidad social a la hora de facilitar información sobre los estilos de vida, también puede suponer un sesgo, ya que puede afectar de manera diferencial a los sujetos de distinto estatus socioeconómico o perfil antropométrico. Adicionalmente, el análisis transversal realizado en cuatro de los cinco artículos, supone otra de las limitaciones a tener en cuenta, puesto que no permite determinar relaciones causales. En resumen, los datos obtenidos ponen de manifiesto la mayor vulnerabilidad a la que se encuentran expuestos los niños europeos de bajo nivel socioeconómico, que los lleva a presentar con mayor frecuencia patrones de alimentación desfavorables, que a su vez facilitan el desarrollo de sobrepeso y obesidad. Por tanto, es necesario el desarrollo de estrategias de prevención y promoción de la salud que sean efectivas en dichos subgrupos poblacionales, facilitando el consumo de alimentos saludables, para intentar reducir las desigualdades socioeconómicas en el sobrepeso y obesidad infantil. The alarming global childhood obesity prevalence presents an uneven distribution across socioeconomic segments of the population. In industrialized countries, the most disadvantaged socioeconomic groups present higher rates of obesity. The up-to-date evidence shows a complex interaction between several determinants, such as material and occupational conditions, psychosocial and behavioural factors, etc. Among lifestyle variables, diet quality has been associated with socioeconomic status, with poorer dietary habits in lower socioeconomic groups. This in turn, predispose to overweight development throughout life course. The general aims of the present Doctoral Thesis are: 1) to evaluate the association between several socioeconomic indicators and overweight prevalence in European children, 2) to analyse the children’s diet quality by socioeconomic status and 3) to evaluate the association between dietary patterns and children’s body composition changes prospectively. To full fill these aims, the available data from the IDEFICS (Identification and prevention of Dietary- and lyfestyle induced health EFfects In Children and infantS) study from eight countries (Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Sweden and Spain) were taken into account. The sample size varied throughout the different articles from 8341 to 14426 participants, based on the number of participants with complete information available in each case. The results of the present work show the existence of an inverse socioeconomic gradient on overweight prevalence in five of the eight investigated regions (in Belgium, Estonia, Germany, Spain and Sweden), while in the other three regions (in Cyprus, Hungary and Italy) no association was found. The socioeconomic status-overweight association was best explained by the country-specific human development index and the centre-specific mean income. Second, the participants from families with lower socioeconomic status did show unhealthier dietary habits compared to their better-off counterparts. This association was described for single food groups and for global dietary patterns as well, both in country-specific and global analyses. Lower socioeconomic status was associated with dietary profiles characterized by a more frequent consumption of high-fat high-sugar processed foods, sweet and savoury snacks and soft drinks. In addition, these profiles were also characterized by a less frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables and wholemeal products. On the contrary, higher socioeconomic status was associated with healthier profiles, with less frequent consumption of highenergy density products and with more frequent consumption of fruits, vegetables and wholemeal products. Finally, the results showed that participants characterized by persistently showing dietary patterns with frequent consumption of processed foods presented the most unfavourable changes in fat mass and abdominal fat. The main limitations of the present Doctoral Thesis are the ones related to the food frequency questionnaire applied in the IDEFICS study. This questionnaire was not designed to capture total energy intake or total food intake, but rather to investigate the consumption frequency of food groups positively or negatively associated with obesity. Therefore, no information about total energy intake was obtained. Moreover, portion sizes were not estimated. The information about children’s food intake was provided by the parents, and thus limiting the accuracy of the information about the total amount of foods consumed. The presented information takes into account the meal occasions under parental control, which varies from country to country. Social desirability bias cannot be ruled-out, and can affect the data obtained to a different extent depending on the socioeconomic or anthropometric status of participants. In addition, the cross-sectional design of the first four articles has to be taken into account, as it does not allow drawing causal associations. In conclusion, the obtained results highlight the vulnerability of European children from families with lower socioeconomic status, presenting more frequently unhealthier dietary patterns, which in turn facilitates the overweight and obesity development. Therefore, prevention and health promotion strategies shown to be effective in low socioeconomic groups need to be developed, in order to facilitate the consumption of healthier foods, and subsequently reducing socioeconomic inequalities in children’s overweight and obesity.<br /

The relationship between quantity and level of competition, and cognitive expertise in Spanish tennis players

This work evaluates the relationship between quantity and level of competition, and cognitive expertise. To this end, cognitive expertise has been evaluated in Spanish tennis players (N=150) by means of declarative knowledge (DK) and procedural knowledge (PK) levels. DK and PK were assessed through a specific questionnaire (DK/PK-QT; García-González, Moreno, Moreno, Iglesias, & Del Villar, 2008). ANOVAs showed significant differences in both DK and PK with regard to the quantity of competitions played (F(2, 147)=23.28; p<.001; ηp 2=.24 for DK; F(2,147)=44.52; p<.001; ηp 2=.37 for PK) and with regard to the level of competition (F(2, 147)=20.91; p<.001; ηp 2=.22 for DK; F(2, 147)=37.59; p<.001; ηp 2=.34 for PK). Furthermore, the Spearman’s Rho test showed that DK and PK were strongly correlated to quantity and level of competition. These results suggest that quantity and level of competition could be of central importance for the development of expertise in tennis players. In sport training stages, we recommend coaches to plan participation in competitions (in the short and medium term), so that competitions would provide appropriate and significant experiences in real setting conditions (I.e. they should be ecologically valid). These competitions must be high level ones and sufficiently challenging so as to foster the development of cognitive expertise. Competitive structures (e.g. season competitions), which favor cognitive elements (e.g. DK and PK) and develop expertise in athletes, will also have to be put into practice

The relationship between quantity and level of competition, and cognitive expertise in Spanish tennis players

This work evaluates the relationship between quantity and level of competition, and cognitive expertise. To this end, cognitive expertise has been evaluated in Spanish tennis players (N=150) by means of declarative knowledge (DK) and procedural knowledge (PK) levels. DK and PK were assessed through a specific questionnaire (DK/PK-QT; García-González, Moreno, Moreno, Iglesias, & Del Villar, 2008). ANOVAs showed significant differences in both DK and PK with regard to the quantity of competitions played (F(2, 147)=23.28; p<.001; ηp 2=.24 for DK; F(2,147)=44.52; p<.001; ηp 2=.37 for PK) and with regard to the level of competition (F(2, 147)=20.91; p<.001; ηp 2=.22 for DK; F(2, 147)=37.59; p<.001; ηp 2=.34 for PK). Furthermore, the Spearman’s Rho test showed that DK and PK were strongly correlated to quantity and level of competition. These results suggest that quantity and level of competition could be of central importance for the development of expertise in tennis players. In sport training stages, we recommend coaches to plan participation in competitions (in the short and medium term), so that competitions would provide appropriate and significant experiences in real setting conditions (I.e. they should be ecologically valid). These competitions must be high level ones and sufficiently challenging so as to foster the development of cognitive expertise. Competitive structures (e.g. season competitions), which favor cognitive elements (e.g. DK and PK) and develop expertise in athletes, will also have to be put into practice