495 research outputs found
The influence of skull shape modularity on internal skull structures: a 3D-Pilot study using bears
In order to capture the phenotypic variation of the internal skull structures, such as
the sinuses or the brain, it is necessary to perform CT scans in a large number of
specimens, which is difficult and expensive. Therefore, while the external morphology of
the mammalian cranium has been the subject of many morphometric studies, the internal
structures of the cranium have been comparatively less studied. Here, we explore how the
variation of external shape reflects the morphology of internal structures. We use the
family Ursidae (Carnivora, Mammalia) as a case study because bears have a wide
variability of cranial morphologies in part associated with different trophic ecologies. To
do this, we digitized a set of landmarks in 3D with a Microscribe G2X from the external
surface of the cranium in a wide sample of bears. Additionally, the crania of seven bear
species were CT-scanned and prepared digitally to visualize the 3D models of the
external cranium morphology and of internal structures. Subsequently, we divided the
landmarks into two modules, splanchnocranium and neurocranium, and we perform a
two-block partial least squares analysis (2B PLS) to explore the intraspecific (static)
morphological changes associated with the covariation between them. These
morphological changes were visualized using the morphing technique with the 3D
models, looking at both the external shape and the internal structures. In addition, we
inferred the volume of the sinuses and of the brain in each hypothetical model. Our
results show that the first two PLS axes are associated externally with changes in the
basicranial angle, face length and cranium height and width. Concerning the internal
structures, there are parallel changes in dorso-ventral and medio-lateral expansion of
sinuses and brain, accompanied by their corresponding changes in volume. In contrast,
the third PLS axis is related to opposite changes in the volume of sinuses and brain.
These preliminary results suggest that the opposite relationship between sinuses and brain
volumes in the bear cranium is not as evident as expected, at least at intraspecific level.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional AndalucÃa Tech
Do vigorous-intensity and moderate-intensity physical activities reduce mortality to the same extent? : a systematic review and meta-analysis
Objective: To examine whether vigorous-intensity physical activity confers additional reductions on all-cause and cause-specific mortality compared with moderate-intensity physical activity. Design: A systematic review (registered in PROSPERO CRD42019138995) and meta-analysis. Data sources: Three electronic databases up to April 14 2020. Eligibility criteria: Inclusion criteria were prospective studies that contained information about (1) moderate-intensity (3–5.9 metabolic equivalent tasks (METs)) and vigorous-intensity (≥6 METs) physical activities and (2) all-cause and/or cause-specific mortality. Exclusion criteria were prospective studies that (1) exclusively recruited diseased patients (eg, hypertensive patients and diabetics) or (2) did not account for total physical activity in their multivariable models (3) or did not adjust or exclude individuals with comorbidities at baseline or (4) used physically inactive participants as reference group. Results: Five studies (seven cohorts using sex-specific results) were pooled into a meta-analysis. For all-cause mortality and controlling by total physical activity, vigorous-intensity physical activity (vs moderate) was not associated with a larger reduction in mortality (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.09). After the exclusion of one study judged with critical risk of bias (Risk Of Bias in Non randomized Studies, ROBINS tool) from meta-analysis, results remained similar (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.12). Due to the limited number of studies, meta-analyses for cancer and cardiovascular mortality were not performed. Conclusions: Prospective studies suggest that, for the same total physical activity, both vigorous-intensity and moderate-intensity physical activities reduce all-cause mortality to the same extent. However, absence of evidence must not be interpreted as evidence of absence due to the existing methodological flaws in the literature
Engineering light emission of two-dimensional materials in both the weak and strong coupling regimes
Kinematic and kinetic patterns related to free-walking in Parkinson's disease
The aim of this study is to compare the properties of free-walking at a natural pace
between mild Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients during the ON-clinical status and two control groups.
In-shoe pressure-sensitive insoles were used to quantify the temporal and force characteristics of a
5-min free-walking in 11 PD patients, in 16 young healthy controls, and in 12 age-matched healthy
controls. Inferential statistics analyses were performed on the kinematic and kinetic parameters
to compare groups’ performances, whereas feature selection analyses and automatic classification
were used to identify the signature of parkinsonian gait and to assess the performance of group
classification, respectively. Compared to healthy subjects, the PD patients’ gait pattern presented
significant differences in kinematic parameters associated with bilateral coordination but not in
kinetics. Specifically, patients showed an increased variability in double support time, greater gait
asymmetry and phase deviation, and also poorer phase coordination. Feature selection analyses
based on the ReliefF algorithm on the differential parameters in PD patients revealed an effect of
the clinical status, especially true in double support time variability and gait asymmetry. Automatic
classification of PD patients, young and senior subjects confirmed that kinematic predictors produced
a slightly better classification performance than kinetic predictors. Overall, classification accuracy of
groups with a linear discriminant model which included the whole set of features (i.e., demographics
and parameters extracted from the sensors) was 64.1
Efectos garrapaticidas de algunos aceites esenciales
Soluciones acuo-etanólicas de aceites esenciales de Lippia (3 quimiotipos), Schinus molle, Tagetes, Lavandina (dos quimiotipos), Hisopo, Romero y Ciprés, fueron sometidas a ensayos in Vitro para evaluar sus efectos sobre le supervivencia y reproducción de las garrapata Rhipicephalus (Boophilus)
microplus. Los aceites de Lippia, Tagetes e Hisopo mostraron buenos niveles de inhibición de la oviposición y de mortalidad superiores al 50%, a una concentración del 1%; no obstante, a concentraciones menores (0.5 y 0.1%) los resultados fueron inferiores. Especialmente activos fueron los aceites de varios quimiotipos de Lippia, que sorpresivamente mantuvieron niveles similares de
actividad, lo cual indica un efecto sinergista o la presencia de una sustancia muy activa a concentraciones muy pequeñasPublishe
Total safety by design: Increased safety and operability of supply chain of inland terminals for containers with dangerous goods
[EN] In recent years, there has been a considerable increase in the international transport of containers with dangerous goods, increasing the risk of seaports and surrounding cities together with the introduction of inherent environmental and security disaster risks. Therefore, there is an increasing interest in seaports that are more socially inclusive, addressing the storage of containers of hazardous goods to safe inland terminals. An appropriate design of inland terminals for containers with dangerous goods (ITDGs) may contribute to the achievement of a sustainable development and the minimization of risks, avoiding disasters such as Tianjin. The objective of this study was the analysis of the criteria used for the design of safe, secure, cost efficient and greener ITDGs by applying the multicriteria decision theory AHP (analytic hierarchy process). Criteria regarding safety and security, environmental care, productivity and information and communication technologies (ICT) have been considered simultaneously into a total performance management system. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Public funding entity: Generalitat Valenciana.Molero Prieto, GD.; Santarremigia Rosaleny, FE.; Aragonés-Beltrán, P.; Pastor-Ferrando, J. (2017). Total safety by design: Increased safety and operability of supply chain of inland terminals for containers with dangerous goods. Safety Science. 100(B):168-182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.10.007S168182100
Multitasking Compensatory Saccadic Training Program for Hemianopia Patients: A New Approach With 3-Dimensional Real-World Objects
Producción CientÃficaPurpose: To examinewhether a noncomputerized multitasking compensatory saccadic
training program (MCSTP) for patients with hemianopia, based on a reading
regimen and eight exercises that recreate everyday visuomotor activities using threedimensional
(3D) real-world objects, improves the visual ability/function, quality of life
(QL), and functional independence (FI).
Methods: The 3D-MCSTP included four in-office visits and two customized homebased
daily training sessions over 12weeks. A quasiexperimental, pretest/posttest study
designwas carried out with an intervention group (IG) (n = 20) and a no-training group
(NTG) (n = 20) matched for age, hemianopia type, and brain injury duration.
Results: The groups were comparable for the main baseline variables and all participants
(n = 40) completed the study. The IGmainly showed significant improvements in
visual-processing speed (57.34% ± 19.28%; P < 0.0001) and visual attention/retention
ability (26.67% ± 19.21%; P < 0.0001), which also were significantly greater (P < 0.05)
than in the NTG. Moreover, the IG showed large effect sizes (Cohen’s d) in 75% of the
totalQL and FI dimensions analyzed; in contrast to the NTGthat showed negligiblemean
effect sizes in 96% of these dimensions.
Conclusions: The customized 3D-MCSTP was associated with a satisfactory response in
the IG for improving complex visual processing, QL, and FI.
Translational Relevance: Neurovisual rehabilitation of patientswith hemianopia seems
more efficient when programs combine in-office visits and customized home-based
training sessions based on real objects and simulating real-life conditions, than no treatment
or previously reported computer-screen approaches, probably because of better
stimulation of patients´ motivation and visual-processing speed brain mechanisms
- …