118 research outputs found

    CAR FOLLOWING TECHNIQUES: THE ROLE OF THE HUMAN FACTOR RECONSIDERED

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    [EN] Engineering and psychophysiological car following models emerge in the late 1950s (Saifuzzaman & Zheng, 2014). Such models differ in their ground concepts and explanatory mechanisms, but both assume a fundamental tenet: following each other, drivers invariably attempt to couple, keeping safety distance. More recent models focus on the spontaneous emergence of traffic jams that results from the properties of a system of interacting vehicles (i.e., without bottlenecks). In an experimental setting Sugiyama et al., (2008) have successfully recreated the conditions that allow the observation of the typical soliton wave going backwards through several car clusters. When certain speed, density and inter-vehicular distance join, so do traffic jams. Some of us have built upon these and other factors (e.g., wave movement in nature) exploring the mathematical properties of a system with three incognita that also needs three variables to be solved (Melchor & Sánchez, 2014). Two canonical car-following techniques emerge as a consequence: Driving to keep safety Distance (DD) vs Inertia (DI). Also a basic question: can drivers actually understand and follow either way, or do they stick to a basic normative driving behavior? This paper summarizes the results after three experimental studies done with a driving simulator. Several performance measures from individual drivers (accelerations, decelerations, average speed, distance to leader, and so on) were taken. As an overall indicator, results consistently announce in the three studies that DI trips consume less fuel (about 20%) than DD ones.Blanch Micó, MT.; Lucas Alba, A.; Bellés Rivera, T.; Ferruz Gracia, AM.; Melchor-Galán, Ó.; Delgado Pastor, L.; Ruíz Jimenez, F.... (2016). CAR FOLLOWING TECHNIQUES: THE ROLE OF THE HUMAN FACTOR RECONSIDERED. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 851-858. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.3341OCS85185

    Sistema Valladolid de construcción con palets

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    Producción CientíficaSistema de construccion con palets, de mínimo coste, para utilización en construcción tradicional sostenible y en situaciones post desastre para refugios de emergenciaConstrucciones Arquitectónica

    Chronic and acute effects on skin temperature from a sport consisting of repetitive impacts from hitting a ball with the hands

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    Valencian handball consists in hitting the ball with the hands and it may contribute to injury development on the hands. This study aimed to analyze skin temperature asymmetries and recovery after a cold stress test (CST) in professional players of Valencian handball before and after a competition. Thirteen professional athletes and a control group of ten physically active participants were measured. For both groups, infrared images were taken at the baseline condition; later they underwent a thermal stress test (pressing for 2 min with the palm of the hand on a metal plate) and then recovery images were taken. In athletes, the images were also taken after their competition. Athletes at baseline condition presented lower temperatures (p < 0.05) in the dominant hand compared with the non-dominant hand. There were asymmetries in all regions after their match (p < 0.05). After CST, a higher recovery rate was found after the game. The regions with the most significant differences in variation, asymmetries and recovery patterns were the index, middle and ring fingers, and the palm of the dominant hand. Taking into account that lower temperatures and the absence of temperature variation may be the consequence of a vascular adaptation, thermography could be used as a method to prevent injuries in athletes from Valencian handball

    Emotional Processing Profile in Patients with First Episode Schizophrenia:The Influence of Neurocognition

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    This study sought to investigate the influence of neurocognition on the emotional processing profiles of patients with first-episode schizophrenia, using the 4-branch Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) (Perceiving Emotions; Facilitating Emotions; Understanding Emotions and Managing Emotions). A sample of 78 patients with first-episode schizophrenia and a group of 90 non-psychiatric control subjects were included in this work. The initial results showed that patients had lower scores than controls for the "Understanding Emotions" and "Managing Emotions" MSCEIT branches. However, after controlling for neurocognition, the only deficits were found on the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT. This branch can be considered as measuring a more sophisticated level of emotional processing, which may constitute a deficit in itself. In conclusion, patients with first-episode schizophrenia present deficits in social cognition at the highest level that seem to be independent from neurocognition. These findings support the inclusion of the "Managing Emotions" branch of the MSCEIT as part of the MCCB.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI16/00359)Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI19/00766)Comunidad de Madrid (S2017/BMD-3740)Ministry of Health (MOH-000013)4.242 JCR (2020) Q1, 39/167 Medicine, general & internal1.040 SJR (2021) Q1, 438/2489 Medicine (miscellaneous)No data IDR 2020UE

    ICF-Based Disability Survey in a Rural Population of Adults and Older Adults Living in Cinco Villas, Northeastern Spain: Design, Methods and Population Characteristics

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    Background: This article describes the methods of a door-to-door screening survey exploring the distribution of disability and its major determinants in northeastern Spain. This study will set the basis for the development of disability-related services for the rural elderly in northeastern Spain. Methods: The probabilistic sample was composed of 1,354 de facto residents from a population of 12,784 Social Security card holders (age: 6 50 years). Cognitive and disability screenings were conducted (period: June 2008-June 2009). Screening instruments were the MMSE and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule. Participants screened positive for disability underwent an assessment protocol focusing on primary care diagnoses, disability, lifestyle, and social and health service usage. Participants screened positive for cognitive functioning went through in-depth neurological evaluation. Results: The study sample is described. Usable data were available for 1,216 participants. A total of 625 individuals (51.4%) scored within the positive range in the disability screening, while 135 (11.1%) scored within the positive range of the cognitive screening. The proportion of positively screened individuals was higher for women and increased with age. Conclusions: Screening surveys represent a feasible design for examining the distribution of disability and its determinants among the elderly. Data quality may benefit from methodological developments tailored to rural populations with a low education level. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Base

    How does neighbourhood socio-economic status affect the interrelationships between functioning dimensions in first episode of psychosis? A network analysis approach

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    The links between psychosis and socio-economic disadvantage have been widely studied. No previous study has analysed the interrelationships and mutual influences between functioning dimensions in first episode of psychosis (FEP) according to their neighbourhood household income, using a multidimensional and transdiagnostic perspective. 170 patients and 129 controls, participants in an observational study (AGES-CM), comprised the study sample. The WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0) was used to assess functioning, whereas participants' postcodes were used to obtain the average household income for each neighbourhood, collected by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE). Network analyses were conducted with the aim of defining the interrelationships between the different dimensions of functioning according to the neighbourhood household income. Our results show that lower neighbourhood socioeconomic level is associated with lower functioning in patients with FEP. Moreover, our findings suggest that “household responsibilities” plays a central role in the disability of patients who live in low-income neighbourhoods, whereas “dealing with strangers” is the most important node in the network of patients who live in high-income neighbourhoods. These results could help to personalize treatments, by allowing the identification of potential functioning areas to be prioritized in the treatment of FEP according to the patient's neighbourhood characteristic

    The interplay between functioning problems and symptoms in first episode of psychosis: an approach from network analysis

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    The relationship between psychotic symptoms and global measures of functioning has been widely studied. No previous study has assessed so far the interplay between specific clinical symptoms and particular areas of functioning in first-episode psychosis (FEP) using network analysis methods. A total of 191 patients with FEP (age 24.45 ± 6.28 years, 64.9% male) participating in an observational and longitudinal study (AGES-CM) comprised the study sample. Functioning problems were assessed with the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS), whereas the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was used to assess symptom severity. Network analysis were conducted with the aim of analysing the patterns of relationships between the different dimensions of functioning and PANSS symptoms and factors at baseline. According to our results, the most important nodes were “conceptual disorganization”, “emotional withdrawal”, “lack of spontaneity and flow of conversation”, “delusions”, “unusual thought content”, “dealing with strangers” and “poor rapport”. Our findings suggest that these symptoms and functioning dimensions should be prioritized in the clinical assessment and management of patients with FEP. These areas may also become targets of future early intervention strategies, so as to improve quality of life in this populationThis work was supported by the Madrid Regional Government (R&D activities in Biomedicine (grant number S2017/BMD-3740 - AGES-CM 2-CM)) and Structural Funds of the European Union. Ana Izquierdo’s work is supported by the PFIS predoctoral program (FI17/00138) from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Spain) and co-funded by the European Union (ERDF/ESF, "A way to make Europe”/ “Investing in your future”) and The Biomedical Research Foundation of La Princesa University Hospital. Angela Ib´a˜nez thanks the support of CIBERSAM and of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI16/00834 and PI19/01295) co-financed by ERDF Funds from the European Commission. Covadonga M. Díaz-Caneja holds a Juan Rod´es Grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (JR19/00024). Celso Arango was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Instituto de Salud Carlos III (SAM16PE07CP1, PI16/02012, PI19/ 024), co-financed by ERDF Funds from the European Commission, “A way of making Europe”, CIBERSAM. Madrid Regional Government (B2017/BMD-3740 AGES-CM-2), European Union Structural Funds. European Union Seventh Framework Program under grant agreements FP7-4-HEALTH-2009-2.2.1-2-241909 (Project EU-GEI), FP7- HEALTH- 2013-2.2.1-2-603196 (Project PSYSCAN) and FP7- HEALTH-2013- 2.2.1-2-602478 (Project METSY); and European Union H2020 Program under the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking (grant agreement No 115916, Project PRISM, and grant agreement No 777394, Project AIMS-2-TRIALS), Fundaci´on Familia Alonso, Fundaci´on Alicia Koplowitz and Fundaci´on Mutua Madrile˜n

    Pancreatic steatosis and iron overload increases cardiovascular risk in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

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    ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of pancreatic steatosis and iron overload in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and their correlation with liver histology severity and the risk of cardiometabolic diseases.MethodA prospective, multicenter study including NAFLD patients with biopsy and paired Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was performed. Liver biopsies were evaluated according to NASH Clinical Research Network, hepatic iron storages were scored, and digital pathology quantified the tissue proportionate areas of fat and iron. MRI-biomarkers of fat fraction (PDFF) and iron accumulation (R2*) were obtained from the liver and pancreas. Different metabolic traits were evaluated, cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk was estimated with the atherosclerotic CVD score, and the severity of iron metabolism alteration was determined by grading metabolic hiperferritinemia (MHF). Associations between CVD, histology and MRI were investigated.ResultsIn total, 324 patients were included. MRI-determined pancreatic iron overload and moderate-to severe steatosis were present in 45% and 25%, respectively. Liver and pancreatic MRI-biomarkers showed a weak correlation (r=0.32 for PDFF, r=0.17 for R2*). Pancreatic PDFF increased with hepatic histologic steatosis grades and NASH diagnosis (p&lt;0.001). Prevalence of pancreatic steatosis and iron overload increased with the number of metabolic traits (p&lt;0.001). Liver R2* significantly correlated with MHF (AUC=0.77 [0.72-0.82]). MRI-determined pancreatic steatosis (OR=3.15 [1.63-6.09]), and iron overload (OR=2.39 [1.32-4.37]) were independently associated with high-risk CVD. Histologic diagnosis of NASH and advanced fibrosis were also associated with high-risk CVD.ConclusionPancreatic steatosis and iron overload could be of utility in clinical decision-making and prognostication of NAFLD

    CCS and NH3 emission associated with low-mass young stellar objects

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    In this work we present a sensitive and systematic single-dish survey of CCS emission (complemented with ammonia observations) at 1 cm, toward a sample of low- and intermediate-mass young star forming regions known to harbor water maser emission, made with NASA's 70 m antenna at Robledo de Chavela, Spain. Out of the 40 star forming regions surveyed in the CCS(2_{1}-1_{0}) line, only 6 low-mass sources show CCS emission: one transitional object between pre-stellar and protostellar Class 0 phase (GF9-2), three Class 0 protostars (L1448-IRS3, L1448C, and B1-IRS), a Class I source (L1251A), and a young T Tauri star (NGC2071-North). Since CCS is considered an ``early-time'' (<10E+5 yr) molecule, we explain these results by either proposing a revision of the classification of the age of NGC2071-North and L1251A, or suggesting the possibility that the particular physical conditions and processes of each source affect the destruction/production of the CCS. No statistically significant relationship was found between the presence of CCS and parameters of the molecular outflows and their driving sources. Nevertheless, we found a significant relationship between the detectability of CCS and the ammonia peak intensity (higher in regions with CCS), but not with its integrated intensity. This tendency found may suggest that the narrower ammonia line widths in the less turbulent medium associated with younger cores may compensate for the differences in ammonia peak intensity, rendering differences in integrated intensity negligible. From the CCS detection rate we derive a lifetime of this molecule of ~(0.7-3) x 10E+4 yr in low-mass star forming regions.Comment: 28 pages, 1 figure, 3 tables, to appear in the 2006 May 1 issue of the Astrophysical Journa
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