Kinematic Synthesis for 3D Signatures

© 2022 IEEE.  Personal use of this material is permitted.  Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.This paper proposes a method to generate the synthetic kinematic of signatures in 3D. The analysis of 3D signatures is becoming a hot topic due to the irruption of commercial off-the-shelf devices for easy acquisition of 3D movements. However, the novelty of this technology reveals the scarce publicly available signatures in 3D, which hinder their development. A solution is the synthesis of Signatures in 3D. As a first step, this paper synthesizes the kinematics of 3D signatures based on the Kinematic Theory of Rapid Movements and its associated Sigma-Lognormal model in 3D. To evaluate the method, we regenerate signature databases with synthetic speed profiles in all genuine and forgeries found in two 3D signature databases. Then, we analyze the similarities in the performance of a signature verifier when real and synthetic signatures are used in random and skilled forgeries experiments.This study was funded by the Spanish government’s MIMECO PID2019-109099RB-C41 research project and European Union FEDER program/funds, the CajaCanaria and la Caixa bank grant 2019SP19, and NSERC grant RGPIN-2015-06409

Hate speech and social acceptance of migrants in Europe: Analysis of tweets with geolocation

Hate speech against vulnerable groups is acknowledged as a serious problem for integration and respect for the social diversity existing within the territory of the European Union. The growth of this type of discourse has been supported by the expansion of social media, which have been proven to act as a mechanism for the propagation of crimes against targets such as migrants and refugees, one of the main affected groups. That is why we have conducted the first European study of the social acceptance of migrants and refugees by studying the presence of hate speech. The research is based on the perspective of the theories of intergroup contact and mediated intergroup contact. The methodology includes large-scale longitudinal analysis (2015-2020) of online hate speech on Twitter (N=847,978) and its contrast with existing official indicators. The results suggest that personal intergroup contact is positively correlated with the support of the local population towards migrants and refugees but mediated intergroup contact is not correlated with hate speech on Twitter. We found evidence that those regions where the support for foreigners was higher, there was a lower level of hate speech on Twitter. This is an advance in the study of hate speech by territories and can help in the formulation of action strategies

Hate speech and social acceptance of migrants in Europe: analysis of tweets with geolocation // Discurso de odio y aceptación social hacia migrantes en Europa: análisis de tuits con geolocalización

Hate speech against vulnerable groups is acknowledged as a serious problem for integration and respect for the social diversity existing within the territory of the European Union. The growth of this type of discourse has been supported by the expansion of social media, which have been proven to act as a mechanism for the propagation of crimes against targets such as migrants and refugees, one of the main affected groups. That is why we have conducted the first European study of the social acceptance of migrants and refugees by studying the presence of hate speech. The research is based on the perspective of the theories of intergroup contact and mediated intergroup contact. The methodology includes large-scale longitudinal analysis (2015-2020) of online hate speech on Twitter (N=847,978) and its contrast with existing official indicators. The results suggest that personal intergroup contact is positively correlated with the support of the local population towards migrants and refugees but mediated intergroup contact is not correlated with hate speech on Twitter. We found evidence that those regions where the support for foreigners was higher, there was a lower level of hate speech on Twitter. This is an advance in the study of hate speech by territories and can help in the formulation of action strategies

Diseñar una propuesta para el mejoramiento del proceso de selección de personal en la empresa Camposanto Metropolitano de la Arquidiócesis de Cali

Anexo A. Diseño de la Muestra- Gráficas, Anexo B. TabulaciónEste trabajo de investigación se realizó con el fin de conocer y evaluar el proceso de selección de personal en la empresa Camposanto Metropolitano de la Arquidiócesis de Cali, para lo cual se realizará una propuesta de fortalecimiento. Partiendo de la revisión de la política de gestión humana CSM-PO-GH-001, el proceso de selección y contratación de personal CSM-PR-GH-002 y los formatos asociados al procedimiento que pertenecen a la empresa, se realizó una encuesta de forma aleatoria a 50 empleados de las diferentes áreas de la empresa, con el fin de conocer si ellos tienen conocimiento de cómo pueden acceder a las vacantes laborales que se generan dentro de la compañía y si han participado en un proceso de selección interna, si tienen conocimiento de que los empleados activos tengan prioridad para cubrir las vacantes y si conocen cuánto tiempo dura el proceso de selección. De acuerdo con los resultados obtenidos, se evidencia que actualmente la empresa no ha implementado algunos recursos tecnológicos para fortalecer el proceso de selección de personal que permiten simplificar los procedimientos. Con base a lo anterior se propone buscar las herramientas tecnológicas que permitan formar una base de datos de oferentes calificados para cubrir las vacantes en la organización, realizar las pruebas psicotécnicas de forma virtual y presentar unas recomendaciones para que se definan los tipos de convocatorias que aplican para cubrir las vacantes.This research work was carried out in order to know and evaluate the process of selection of personnel in the company Camposanto Metropolitano of the Archdiocese of Cali, for which a proposal of strengthening will be made. Based on the review of the human management policy CSM-PO-GH-001, the procedure for selection and hiring of personnel CSM-PR-GH-002 and the formats associated with the procedure that belong to the company, a random survey was conducted among 50 employees from different areas of the company, in order to know if they are aware of how they can access the job vacancies that are generated within the company and if they have participated in an internal selection process, if they are aware that active employees have priority to fill the vacancies and if they know how long the selection process lasts. According to the results obtained, it is evident that currently the company has not implemented some technological resources to strengthen the personnel selection process that allow to simplify the procedures. Based on the above, it is proposed to look for technological tools that allow the formation of a database of qualified offerers to cover the vacancies in the organization, to carry out the psycho-technical tests in a virtual way and to present some recommendations so that the types of calls that apply to cover the vacancies are defined

Effect of a Blend of Zingiber officinale Roscoe and Bixa orellana L. Herbal Supplement on the Recovery of Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness Induced by Unaccustomed Eccentric Resistance Training: A Randomized, Triple-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

[EN] Background: There is an increasing interest in the use of eccentric muscle exercise to improve physical condition, especially with regards to its health-related benefits. However, it is known that unaccustomed eccentric exercise causes muscle damage and delayed pain, commonly defined as “delayed onset muscle soreness” (DOMS). The efficacy of herbal preparations in subjects suffering from DOMS has been reported in a few previous studies with small or moderate outcome measures related to muscle recovery. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of a polyherbal mixture containing whole Zingiber officinale Roscoe and Bixa orellana L., powders called ReWin(d), in young male athletes suffering from DOMS induced by a 1 h session of plyometric exercises.Methods: Thirty-three young male athletes participated in this randomized, Triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial: 17 of them assigned to the ReWin(d) group and 16 of them to the placebo group. Creatine kinase (CK) was measured as a muscle damage marker, pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), muscle performance was measured through half-squat exercise (HS) monitored with an accelerometer (Encoder), and heart rate variability (HRV) was monitored for 5 min with the subjects in the supine position. All determinations were performed before and after the eccentric session and 24, 48, and 72 h after the session.Results: The eccentric exercise session caused an increase in CK at 24 and 48 h after exercise intervention in both groups (p < 0.001). There was no interaction between groups regarding muscle damage. The pain increased after the training session in both groups (p < 0.001), and a significant interaction was observed between groups at 48 h after exercise (p = 0.004). Lower limb muscular power showed a significant interaction between groups 24 h after exercise (p = 0.049); the placebo group showed a reduction in muscle power compared to the ReWin(d) group. The LF/HF ratio decreased significantly at 72 h after exercise in the herbal group but not in the placebo group.Conclusion: The herbal supplement maintained the maximum power of the lower limbs and attenuated muscle pain.SIThis work was supported by the Natural Origin grant and conducted in the Universidad Europea de Madrid, Spai

Outcome of Enterococcus faecalis infective endocardits according to the length of antibiotic therapy: Prelininary data from a cohort of 78 patients.

Background International guidelines recommend 4 weeks of treatment with ampicillin plus gentamicin (A+G) for uncomplicated native valve Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis (EFIE) and 6 weeks in the remaining cases. Ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (A+C) is always recommended for at least 6w, with no available studies assessing its suitability for 4w. We aimed to investigate differences in the outcome of EFIE according to the duration (4 versus 6 weeks) of antibiotic treatment (A+G or A+C). Methods Retrospective analysis from a prospectively collected cohort of 78 EFIE patients treated with either A+G or A+C. Results 32 cases (41%) were treated with A+G (9 for 4w, 28%) and 46 (59%) with A+C (14 for 4w, 30%). No significant differences were found in 1-year mortality according to the type of treatment (31% and 24% in A+G and A+C, respectively; P = 0.646) or duration (26% and 27% at 4 and 6w, respectively; P = 0.863). Relapses were more frequent among survivors treated for 4w than in those treated for 6w (3/18 [17%] at 4w and 1/41 [2%] at 6w; P = 0.045). Three out of 4 (75%) relapses occurred in cirrhotic patients. Conclusions A 4-week course of antibiotic treatment might not be suitable neither for A+G nor A+C for treating uncomplicated native valve EFIE

Influence of Diagnostic Delay on Survival Rates for Patients with Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer affects men and women alike. Sometimes, due to clinical-pathological factors, the absence of symptoms or the failure to conduct screening tests, its diagnosis may be delayed. However, it has not been conclusively shown that such a delay, especially when attributable to the health system, affects survival. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the overall survival rate of patients with a delayed diagnosis of colorectal cancer. This observational, prospective, multicenter study was conducted at 22 public hospitals located in nine Spanish provinces. For this analysis, 1688 patients with complete information in essential variables were included. The association between diagnostic delay and overall survival at five years, stratified according to tumor location, was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Hazard ratios for this association were estimated using multivariable Cox regression models. The diagnostic delay ≥ 30 days was presented in 944 patients. The presence of a diagnostic delay of more than 30 days was not associated with a worse prognosis, contrary to a delay of less than 30 days (HR: 0.76, 0.64-0.90). In the multivariate analysis, a short delay maintained its predictive value (HR: 0.80, 0.66-0.98) regardless of age, BMI, Charlson index or TNM stage. A diagnostic delay of less than 30 days is an independent factor for short survival in patients with CRC. This association may arise because the clinical management of tumors with severe clinical characteristics and with a poorer prognosis are generally conducted more quickly.This study was supported by public grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI09/90397, PS09/00314, PS09/00746, PI09/90453, PI09/00910, PI09/90460, PI09/90490, PI13/01692, PI13/00013, PI18/01181, PI18/01589, PS0900805 & PI0900441) and was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.S

Influence of depression on survival of colorectal cancer patients drawn from a large prospective cohort

Objective The prevalence of depressive symptoms immediately after the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is high and has important implications both psychologically and on the course of the disease. The aim of this study is to analyse the association between depressive symptoms and CRC survival at 5 years after diagnosis. Methods This multicentre, prospective, observational cohort study was conducted on a sample of 2602 patients with CRC who completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D) at 5 years of follow-up. Survival was analysed using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox regression models. Results According to our analysis, the prevalence of depressive symptoms after a CRC diagnosis was 23.8%. The Cox regression analysis identified depression as an independent risk factor for survival (HR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.21–1.8), a finding which persisted after adjusting for sex (female: HR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.51–0.76), age (>70 years: HR = 3.78; 95% CI: 1.94–7.36), need for help (yes: HR = 1.43; 95% CI: 1.17–1.74), provision of social assistance (yes: HR = 1.46; 95% CI: 1.16–1.82), tumour size (T3–T4: HR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.22–1.99), nodule staging (N1–N2: HR = 2.46; 95% CI: 2.04–2.96), and diagnosis during a screening test (yes: HR = 0.71; 95% CI: 0.55–0.91). Conclusions There is a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients diagnosed with CRC. These symptoms were negatively associated with the survival rate independently of other clinical variables. Therefore, patients diagnosed with CRC should be screened for depressive symptoms to ensure appropriate treatment can be provided.Funding for open Access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA. This study was supported by public grant from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI09/90397, PS09/00314, PS09/00746, PI09/90460, PI/0990490, PI13/01692, PI13/00013, PI18/01181, Pi18/01589) and was co-funded by the European Regional Development fund

HACEK infective endocarditis: epidemiology, clinical features outcome: A case-control study

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to describe the epidemiology, microbiological and clinical features of a population sample of 17 patients with HACEK-IE and to compare them with matched control patients with IE caused by Viridans group Streptococci (VGS-IE). METHODS: Description of definite (14; 82.2%) and possible (3; 17.6%) HACEK-IE included in the 'Infective Endocarditis Hospital Clínic of Barcelona' (IE-HCB) database between 1979 and 2016. Furthermore, a retrospective case-control analysis was performed, matching each case to three VGS-IE controls registered in the same database during the same period of time. RESULTS: Seventeen out of 1,209 IE cases (1.3%, 95%CI 0.69-1.91) were due to HACEK group. The most frequent isolated HACEK species were Aggregatibacter spp (11; 64.7%). Intracardiac vegetations were present in 70.6% of cases. Left heart failure (LHF) was present in 29.4% of cases. Ten patients (58.8%) required in-hospital surgery and none died during hospitalization. In the case-control analysis, there was a trend toward larger vegetations in the HACEK-IE group (median (IRQ) size=11.5 (10.0-20.0) mm vs 9.0 (7.0-13.0) mm; p=0.068). Clinical manifestations, echocardiographic findings, LHF rate, systemic emboli and other complications were all comparable (p >0.05). In-hospital surgery and mortality were similar for both groups. One-year mortality was lower for HACEK-IE (1/17 vs. to 6/48, p=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: HACEK-IE represented 1.3% of all IE cases. Clinical features and outcome were comparable with the VGS-IE control group. Despite the trend to

Effectiveness of vancomycin plus cloxacillin compared with vancomycin, cloxacillin and daptomycin single therapies in the treatment of methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus in a rabbit model of experimental endocarditis

Objectives: To investigate if the addition of cloxacillin to vancomycin enhances the activity of both monotherapies for treating MSSA and MRSA experimental endocarditis (EE) in rabbits. Methods: Vancomycin plus cloxacillin was compared with the respective monotherapies and daptomycin. In vitro time-kill studies were performed using standard (105 cfu) and high (108 cfu) inocula of five MRSA, one glycopeptide-intermediate (GISA) and five MSSA strains. One MSSA (MSSA-678) and one MRSA (MRSA-277) strain were selected to be used in the in vivo model. A human-like pharmacokinetics model was applied and the equivalents of cloxacillin 2 g/4 h IV and daptomycin 6 mg/kg/day IV were administered. To optimize vancomycin activity, dosage was adjusted to achieve an AUC/MIC ≥400. Results: Daptomycin sterilized significantly more vegetations than cloxacillin (13/13, 100% versus 9/15, 60%; P = 0.02) and showed a trend of better activity than vancomycin (10/14, 71%; P = 0.09) and vancomycin plus cloxacillin (10/14, 71%; P = 0.09) against MSSA-678. Addition of cloxacillin to vancomycin (13/15, 87%) was significantly more effective than vancomycin (8/16, 50%; P = 0.05) and showed similar activity to daptomycin (13/18, 72%; P = 0.6) against MRSA-277. In all treatment arms, the bacterial isolates recovered from vegetations were re-tested and showed the same daptomycin susceptibility as the original strains. Conclusions: Vancomycin plus cloxacillin proved synergistic and bactericidal activity against MRSA. Daptomycin was the most efficacious option against MSSA and similar to vancomycin plus cloxacillin against MRSA. In settings with high MRSA prevalence, vancomycin plus cloxacillin might be a good alternative for empirical therapy of S. aureus IE