Use of the A&HCI to evaluate research in minority language literatures: the case of Catalan and Danish literature

Purpose. The tools for measuring the research impact are of little use in disciplines such as history and literature, which have a strong cultural, linguistic and regional component and often use channels of academic communication in languages other than English. The aim of this article is to provide a methodological contribution to the use of WoS data bases showing that it is nevertheless possible to obtain quantitative information on these disciplines through the A&HCI if a suitable strategy is used. We also wish to stress the need to improve the coverage of citation databases in humanities and the information retrieval tools that they include. The cases of Catalan and Danish literature are used as examples. Methodology. To carry out this research we have created a protocol that could be employed as a general way for the study of any other literature from citations databases. This method consists of complementing the search for subject categories of Catalan and Danish literature as topics in the A&HCI with a list of outstanding authors in each of the two languages. Findings. We identify international trends in Catalan and Danish literature research. We also determine the international visibility of the studies in comparison with those of other literatures. Research into literature in Catalan and Danish literature does not seem to be gaining ground internationally. The results are in agreement with those of previous studies, which proves the efficacy of the proposed method

Assessment of the Performance of Imputation Techniques in Observational Studies with Two Measurements

: In observational studies with two measurements when the measured outcome pertains to a health related quality of life (HRQoL) variable, one motivation of the research may be to determine the potential predictors of the mean change of the outcome of interest. It is very common in such studies for data to be missing, which can bias the results. Different imputation techniques have been proposed to cope with missing data in outcome variables. We compared five analysis approaches (Complete Case, Available Case, K- Nearest Neighbour, Propensity Score, and a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm) to assess their performance when handling missing data at different missingness rates and mechanisms (MCAR, MAR and MNAR). These strategies were applied to a pre-post study of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. We analyzed the relationship of the changes in subjects HRQoL over one year with clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. A simulation study was also performed to illustrate the performance of the imputation methods. Relative and standardized bias was assessed on each scenario. For all missingness mechanisms, not imputing and using MCMC method, both combined with mixed-model analysis, showed lowest standardized bias. Conversely, Propensity Score showed worst bias values. When missingness pattern is MCAR or MAR and rate small, we recommend using mixed models. Nevertheless, when missingness percentage is high, in order to gain sample size and statistical power, MCMC is preferred, although there are no bias differences compared with the mixed models without imputation. For a MNAR scenario, a further sensitivity analysis should be made

Transition metal complex/gold nanoparticle hybrid materials

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are of considerable interest for diverse applications in areas such as medicine, catalysis, and sensing. AuNPs are generally surface-stabilized by organic matrices and coatings, and while the resultant organic compound (OC)/AuNP hybrids have been explored extensively, they are not suitable for certain applications (e.g. those necessitating reversible redox behaviour and/or long excited-state lifetimes), and they often suffer from low photo- and/or thermal stability. Transition metal complex (TMC)/AuNP hybrids have recently come to the fore as they circumvent some of the aforementioned shortcomings with OC/AuNP hybrids. This review summarizes progress thus far in the nascent field of TMC/AuNP hybrids. The structure and composition of extant TMC/AuNP hybrids are briefly reviewed and the range of TMCs employed in the shell of the hybrids are summarized, the onephase, two-phase, and post-nanoparticle-synthesis synthetic methods to TMC/AuNP hybrids are discussed and contrasted, highlighting the advantages of variants of the last-mentioned procedure, and the utility of the various characterization techniques is discussed, emphasizing the need to employ multiple techniques in concert. Applications of TMC/AuNP hybrids in luminescence, electrochemical, and electro-optical sensing are described and critiqued, and their uses and potential in imaging, photodynamic therapy, nonlinear optics, and catalysis are assessed.We thank the Australian Research Council for support of this work (grant no. DP170100408). C.Q. thanks Becas Chile (CONICYT) for financial support in the form of a PhD scholarshi

Una aproximació bibliomètrica a la recerca en literatura catalana

Els autors se centren en la producció d'estudis sobre literatura catalana i ofereixen una anàlisi de les citacions en les publicacions més importants aparegudes entre el 1975 i el 2003. A partir d'aquest còmput, identifica les línies de recerca, els períodes literaris, els autors i les obres amb més presència en la producció bibliogràfica analitzada

Changes in health-related quality of life as a marker in the prognosis in COPD patients

[EN] Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is understood as a complex, heterogeneous and multisystem airway obstructive disease. The association of deterioration in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with mortality and hospitalisation for COPD exacerbation has been explored in general terms. The specific objectives of this study were to determine whether a change in HRQoL is related, over time, to mortality and hospitalisation. Overall, 543 patients were recruited through Galdakao Hospital's five outpatient respiratory clinics. Patients were assessed at baseline, and the end of the first and second year, and were followed up for 3 years. At each assessment, measurements were made of several variables, including HRQoL using the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). The cohort had moderate obstruction (forced expiratory volume in 1 s 55% of the predicted value). SGRQ total, symptoms, activity and impact scores at baseline were 39.2, 44.5, 48.7 and 32.0, respectively. Every 4-point increase in the SGRQ was associated with an increase in the likelihood of death: "symptoms" domain odds ratio 1.04 (95% CI 1.00-1.08); "activity" domain OR 1.12 (95% CI 1.08-1.17) and "impacts" domain OR 1.11 (95% CI 1.06-1.15). The rate of hospitalisations per year was 5% (95% CI 3-8%) to 7% (95% CI 5-10%) higher for each 4-point increase in the separate domains of the SGRQ. Deterioration in HRQoL by 4 points in SGRQ domain scores over 1 year was associated with an increased likelihood of death and hospitalisation.This work was supported by the Spanish Health Research Fund (FIS grant number PI020510), and by funding from the Dept of Health of the Basque Government (grant number 200111002), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MTM2016-74931-P and BCAM Severo Ochoa excellence accreditation SEV-2017-0718), Dept of Education, Linguistic Policy and Culture of the Basque Government (IT1294-19 and BERC 2018-2021), and the University of the Basque Country (COLAB20/01)

EasyComVi: A Tool for the Interactive Learning of Computer Vision in Distance Education

This article presents the EasyComVi Tool, an interactive application developed to facilitate the study of Computer Vision for students enrolled in an Engineering Master degree with a Distance Learning methodology. The main objective of this tool is to enable students in subjects related to Computer Vision with a distance learning methodology, to acquire a better understanding of different concepts about the subject studied in a theoretical way, through its interactive visual illustration, in an autonomous way. This tool offers the students the possibility to visualize the results of applying different image processing operations to various example images selecting the value of a set of input parameters. The usefulness and applicability of the tool has been evaluated by means of a questionnaire disseminated among the students of a subject on Computer Vision in a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering. This paper presents the preliminary results obtained in the study carried out, which are very promising and encourage further research in this work

BODE-Index vs HADO-Score in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Which one to use in general practice?

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) is used to diagnose and establish a prognosis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Using multi-dimensional scores improves this predictive capacity.Two instruments, the BODE-index (<b>B</b>ody mass index, <b>O</b>bstruction, <b>D</b>yspnea, <b>E</b>xercise capacity) and the HADO-score (<b>H</b>ealth, <b>A</b>ctivity, <b>D</b>yspnea, <b>O</b>bstruction), were compared in the prediction of mortality among COPD patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a prospective longitudinal study. During one year (2003 to 2004), 543 consecutively COPD patients were recruited in five outpatient clinics and followed for three years. The endpoints were all-causes and respiratory mortality.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In the multivariate analysis of patients with FEV₁< 50%, no significant differences were observed in all-cause or respiratory mortality across HADO categories, while significant differences were observed between patients with a lower BODE (less severe disease) and those with a higher BODE (greater severity). Among patients with FEV₁≥ 50%, statistically significant differences were observed across HADO categories for all-cause and respiratory mortality, while differences were observed across BODE categories only in all-cause mortality.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HADO-score and BODE-index were good predictors of all-cause and respiratory mortality in the entire cohort. In patients with severe COPD (FEV₁< 50%) the BODE index was a better predictor of mortality whereas in patients with mild or moderate COPD (FEV₁≥ 50%), the HADO-score was as good a predictor of respiratory mortality as the BODE-index. These differences suggest that the HADO-score and BODE-index could be used for different patient populations and at different healthcare levels, but can be used complementarily.</p

Psychosocial approach. Concept and applicability in the professional training of psychology students

The psychosocial approach is a type of theoretical and empirical knowledge – still difficult to define - that links the individual with society. The current trend in professional training seeks to reduce the permanently criticized gap between the academy and social life. The ethical and professional training tends to use knowledge at the service of the communities in which the university is inserted, from a critical perspective that considers the response to the needs of the organizations in which it participates. The objective of this paper is to reflect on the psychosocial approach developed in the Psychology undergraduate program at Universidad del Bío- Bío, through the students' understanding of it and through the evaluation of the implementation of the servicelearning methodology as a form of concrete expression of the psychosocial approach. The general consideration suggests that; first, it is necessary to give greater visibility and practical expression of the approach in professional training, and second, to increase the opportunities for reflection regarding the opportunity it provides, both for personal professional training and for the communities that are favored by the progressive consolidation of the methodology.El enfoque psicosocial es una aproximación teórica y empírica - de aún difícil definición -que vincula al individuo con la sociedad. La tendencia actual en la formación profesional busca disminuir la brecha de relación permanentemente criticada entre la academia y la vida social. La formación ética y profesional propende el uso del conocimiento al servicio de las comunidades en las cuales está inserta la universidad, desde una mirada crítica que contemple la respuesta a las necesidades de las organizaciones en las que se participa. El objetivo del presente trabajo es reflexionar aquí respecto del enfoque psicosocial desarrollado en la Carrera de Psicología de la Universidad del Bío-Bío, a través de la comprensión que tienen los estudiantes de este, y a través de la evaluación de la implementación de la metodología de aprendizajeservicio como una forma de expresión concreta de enfoque. La reflexión, en términos generales, apunta en primer lugar, a que es necesario dar mayor visibilidad y expresión práctica del enfoque psicosocial en la formación profesional y, en segundo lugar, aumentar los espacios de reflexión respecto de la oportunidad – tanto para la formación profesional personal como para las comunidades que se ven favorecidas – de la consolidación progresiva de esta metodología

Exceptionally large two- and three-photon absorption cross-sections by OPV organometalation

Oligo(p-phenylenevinylene)s (OPVs) containing up to 8 PV units and end-functionalized by ruthenium alkynyl groups have been prepared and their nonlinear absorption properties assessed using the Z-scan technique and employing low repetition rate femtosecond pulses. Exceptionally large two-photon absorption (ca. 12 500 GM at 725 nm) and three-photon absorption cross sections (ca. 1.6 × 10⁻⁷⁶ cm⁶s² at 1100 nm) are found for the 8PV-containing example, highlighting the potential of an “organometalation” approach to NLO-efficient organic materialsWe thank the Australian Research Council (ARC), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51432006), the Chinese Government Ministry of Education, the Chinese Government State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (111 Project: B13025), and the National Science Centre of Poland (grant 2013/10/A/ST4/00114) for financial support. M. P. C. thanks the ARC for an Australian Research Fellowship and C. Q. thanks CONICYT (Chile) for a Chile PhD Scholarship Abroad