Coagulation Parameters: An Efficient Measure for Predicting the Prognosis and Clinical Management of Patients with COVID-19

Background. COVID-19 is an ongoing global pandemic. Since the detection of the first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China, the current pandemic has affected more than 25.3 million people worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between coagulation abnormalities and prognosis in a cohort of patients with COVID-19. Methods. We performed a retrospective cohort study of 3581 patients admitted to Hospital La Paz (Madrid, Spain) due to respiratory infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus from the beginning of the current pandemic to 15 July 2020. Results. Of the 3581 study patients, 48.94% were men, and 19.80% were healthcare workers. The median age was 62 years. Compared with the survivors, the non-survivors had lower prothrombin activity (82.5 (Interquartile range-IQR, 67-95) vs. 95.25 (IQR, 87-104) for non-survivors and survivors, respectively; p < 0.001), higher fibrinogen levels (748.5-IQR, 557-960) vs. 572.75 (IQR, 417-758; p < 0.001), and notably higher D-dimer levels (2329-IQR, 1086.12-5670.40) vs. 635.5 (IQR, 325.5-1194.8); p < 0.001). Conclusions. The evaluation of coagulation parameters could be an efficient measure for predicting the prognosis and improving the clinical management of patients with COVID-19

Evaluation of Natural Technological Interfaces for Children with Psychomotor Disabilities

population with disabilities, there is a group that has intellectual, sensory, motor disabilities, or a combination of them. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) defines disability as an umbrella term for impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. It is estimated that over 15 % of the world´s population is afflicted by disability in some form. In Argentina this prevalence reaches 7.1%. When these people want to use any technological device, usually find that its physical interfaces are not accessible. Often they need adaptations, raising costs but accessibility is not totally guaranteed. Current technologies allow "more natural" interfaces, where the feedback is immediate. The application of appropriate technology with natural or intuitive interfaces, allow greater accessibility than adaptations commonly used for the overall development of students with psychomotor disorders. The objective of this work is to facilitate the comprehensive development of students with senso psychomotor disorders attending the Special School Beatriz Martinez A. Allio, through the incorporation and implementation of natural interfaces for working with computers in education, offering teaching a complementary tool for the development of their daily activities. The interfaces of hardware and software implementation are proposed to achieve the overall goal. It is intended to make at least a touch screen and at least one interface with the Kinect camera game console Xbox 360.Fil: Beltramone, D. A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Tula, S. M. Ministerio de Educación de la Provincia de Córdoba. Escuela Especial B. A. Martínez Allio; Argentina.Fil: Rivarola, M. F. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Escuela Kinesiología y Fisioterapia; Argentina.Fil: Hidalgo, M. B. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Tancredi, P. D. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Quinteros Quintana, M. L. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Diaz, J. M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Marcotti, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Ingeniería Biomédica; Argentina.Fil: Atea, J. J. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Electrónica; Argentina.Ingeniería Médic

Eye-to-hand calibration of an industrial robotic arm with structured light 3D cameras

[EN] Computer vision is gaining more and more importance in the world of industrial robotics, since it is necessary to carry out increasingly precise and autonomous tasks, which is why a more exact positioning of the robot is needed. This requires the support of a vision system that is the one that gives the robot precision in its pose, calibrating said system with respect to the robot. This work presents a simple methodology to approach this form of calibration, called hand-eye, using a structured light 3D camera that obtains information from the real world and a six-axis industrial robotic arm. The method uses the RANSAC algorithm for the determination of the planes, which represents a notable reduction in errors, since the coordinates of the points sought come from planes adjusted to thousands of points. This allows the system to always have the ability to obtain a transformation matrix from the coordinates of the camera to the base of the robot. In addition, the proposed method is ideal for making a precision comparison between cameras, due to its simplicity and speed of use. In this study, the resulting error analysis was performed using two dfferent 3D cameras: a basic one (Kinect 360) and an industrial one (Zivid ONE + M).[ES] La visión artificial está cobrando cada día más auge en el mundo de la robótica industrial, ya que es necesario realizar tareas cada vez más precisas y autónomas, por lo que se necesita un posicionamiento del robot más exacto. Para ello se precisa del apoyo de un sistema de visión que sea el que preste al robot precisión en su pose, calibrando dicho sistema con respecto al robot. Este trabajo presenta una metodología sencilla para abordar esta forma de calibración, llamada ojo a mano, empleando una cámara 3D de luz estructurada que obtiene la información del mundo real y un brazo robótico industrial de seis ejes. Esto permite utilizar el algoritmo RANSAC para la determinación de los planos, cuya intersección nos da las coordenadas de los puntos,lo que supone una reducción notable de los errores, ya que las coordenadas proceden de planos ajustados a miles de puntos, lo cual hace que el sistema sea más robusto y capaz de obtener una matriz de transformación de las coordenadas de la cámara a la base del robot, que le permitirá abordar cualquier tarea que precise con una precisión eficiente. Se ha realizado el análisis de errores resultante utilizando dos cámaras 3D diferentes: una básica (Kinect 360) y otra industrial (Zivid ONE+ M).Este trabajo ha sido realizado parcialmente gracias al apoyo del Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017-2020 (AUROVI) EQC2018-005190-P. Fernando M. Quintana agradece al Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España su apoyo a través de la ayuda FPU (FPU18/04321).Diaz-Cano, I.; Quintana, FM.; Galindo, PL.; Morgado-Estevez, A. (2022). Calibración ojo a mano de un brazo robótico industrial con cámaras 3D de luz estructurada. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 19(2):154-163. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2021.16054OJS15416319

¿Puede el principio de lateralidades múltiples mejorar el porcentaje de acierto en el tiro a canasta?

El propósito del presente estudio es determinar si una mecánica de tiro alternativa basada en la lateralidad óculo-manual del sujeto podría incrementar significativamente el porcentaje de acierto en el tiro a canasta en jugadores homogéneos – aquellos cuya lateralidad ocular y manual están en el mismo hemicuerpo lateral –. Para esto, 34 jugadores de baloncesto (24chicos y 10 chicas) en categoría infantil, inscritos todos ellos en categoría Preferente masculino y femenino Federado, realizaron un total de 4600 lanzamientos a canasta desde cinco posiciones diferentes de corta y media distancia - 2300 con cada una de las dos mecánicas propuestas (mecánica tradicional y tiro con rotación de 45º) -. Tras el análisis de datos se hallaron porcentajes de acierto significativamente mayores desde el tiro libre (t(23) =2,917; p = 0,008), los lanzamientos desde el lado izquierdo de la zona (t(23) = 3,621; p = 0,001) y el global de los lanzamientos a canasta (t(23) = 3,980; p = 0,001) con la mecánica de tiro teóricamente idónea. Los resultados obtenidos sustentan que una mecánica de tiro alternativa basada en la lateralidad óculo manual del jugador podría ayudar a los jugadores de baloncesto homogéneos a obtener porcentajes de acierto significativamente superiores

Rotated balance in humans due to repetitive rotational movement

We show how asymmetries in the movement patterns during the process of regaining balance after perturbation from quiet stance can be modeled by a set of coupled vector fields for the derivative with respect to time of the angles between the resultant ground reaction forces and the vertical in the anteroposterior and mediolateral directions. In our model, which is an adaption of the model of Stirling and Zakynthinaki (2004), the critical curve, defining the set of maximum angles one can lean to and still correct to regain balance, can be rotated and skewed so as to model the effects of a repetitive training of a rotational movement pattern. For the purposes of our study a rotation and a skew matrix is applied to the critical curve of the model. We present here a linear stability analysis of the modified model, as well as a fit of the model to experimental data of two characteristic “asymmetric” elite athletes and to a “symmetric” elite athlete for comparison. The new adapted model has many uses not just in sport but also in rehabilitation, as many work place injuries are caused by excessive repetition of unaligned and rotational movement patterns

Thrombotic microangiopathies assessment: mind the complement.

When faced withmicroangiopathic haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and organ dysfunction, clinicians should suspect thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). The endothelial damage that leads to this histological lesion can be triggered by several conditions or diseases, hindering an early diagnosis and aetiological treatment. However, due to systemic involvement in TMA and its lowincidence, an accurate early diagnosis is often troublesome. In the last few decades,major improvements have been made in the pathophysiological knowledge of TMAs such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura [TTP, caused by ADAMTS-13 (a disintegrin andmetalloproteinase with a thrombospondin Type 1motif,member 13) deficiency] and atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS, associated with dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway), together with enhancements in patientmanagement due to newdiagnostic tools and treatments. However, diagnosis of aHUS requires the exclusion of all the other entities that can cause TMA, delaying the introduction of terminal complement blockers, which have shown high efficacy in haemolysis control and especially in avoiding organ damage if used early. Importantly, there is increasing evidence that other forms of TMA could present overactivation of the complement system, worsening their clinical progression. This review addresses the diagnostic and therapeutic approach when there is clinical suspicion of TMA, emphasizing complement evaluation as a potential tool for the inclusive diagnosis of aHUS, as well as for the improvement of current knowledge of its pathophysiological involvement in other TMAs. The development of both new complement activation biomarkers and inhibitory treatments will probably improve themanagement of TMA patients in the near future, reducing response times and improving patient outcomes

The interactions of cyanobacterial cytochrome c(6) and cytochrome f, characterized by NMR

Metallo-eiwitte

Obstacles to compassion-giving among nursing and midwifery managers: an international study

Aim: To explore nursing and midwifery managers’ views regarding obstacles to compassion-giving across country cultures. Background: The benefit of compassionate leadership is being advocated, but despite the fact that healthcare is invariably conducted within culturally diverse workplaces, the interconnection of culture, compassion and leadership is rarely addressed. Furthermore, evidence on how cultural factors hinder the expression of compassion among nursing and midwifery managers is lacking. Methods: Cross-sectional, exploratory, international online survey involving 1 217 participants from 17 countries. Managers’ responses on open-ended questions related to barriers for providing compassion were entered and thematically analysed through NVivo. Results: Three key themes related to compassion-giving obstacles emerged across countries: 1. related to the managers’ personal characteristics and experiences; 2. system-related; 3. staff-related. Conclusions: Obstacles to compassion-giving among managers vary across countries. An understanding of the variations across countries and cultures of what impedes compassion to flourish in healthcare is important. Implications for nursing practice and policy: Nursing mangers should wisely use their power by adopting leadership styles that promote culturally competent and compassionate workplaces with respect for human rights. Policymakers should identify training and mentoring needs to enable the development of managers’ practical wisdom. Appropriate national and international policies should facilitate the establishment of standards and guidelines for compassionate leadership, in the face of distorted organisational cultures and system-related obstacles to compassion-giving

Enactment of compassionate leadership by nursing and midwifery managers: results from an international online survey

Aim To explore the views of an international sample of nursing and midwifery managers concerning attributes that they associate with compassionate management. Method A cross- sectional online survey. Using a snowballing sampling method, 1217 responses were collected from nursing and midwifery managers in 17 countries. A total of complete 933 responses to a question related to which actions and behaviours indicated that a manager was exercising compassionate leadership were analysed for this paper. First, content analysis of the responses was conducted, and second, a relative distribution of the identified themes for the overall sample and for each participating country was calculated. Results Six main themes were identified describing the attributes of a compassionate leader: (1) Virtuous support, (2) Communication, (3) Personal virtues of the manager, (4) Participatory communication, (5) Growth/flourishing/ nurturing and (6) Team cohesion. The first three themes mentioned above collectively accounted for 63% of the responses, and can therefore be considered to be the most important characteristics of compassionate management behaviour. Conclusion The key indicators of compassionate management in nursing and midwifery which were identified emphasise approachability, active and sensitive listening, sympathetic responses to staff members’ difficulties (especially concerning child and other caring responsibilities), active support of and advocacy for the staff team and active problem solving and conflict resolution. While there were differences between the countries’ views on compassionate healthcare management, some themes were widely represented among different countries’ responses, which suggest key indicators of compassionate management that apply across culture