311 research outputs found
Unique times, unequal mobilities: Daily mobility during the de‐escalation of the COVID‐19 pandemic
European Research Council,
Grant/Award Number: 740113; Consejería de
Economía, Innovación, Ciencia y Empleo,
Junta de Andalucía, Grant/Award Number:
P20_00572; Ministerio de Ciencia e
Innovación de España, Grant/Award Number:
PID2020‐119569GA‐I00; Universidad de
Granada/CBUAScholars have highlighted drastic reductions in daily mobility during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. But what happened when restrictions were relaxed though risk remained ubiquitous? How did patterns of mobility change and how were they structured by socioeconomic resources and social roles? We address these questions using a cross-sectional representative sample (n = 2942) of the population of Andalusia, Spain, after a month and a half of severe lockdown in 2020. We find that older people were the least mobile group and that people living with children and in extended households were less likely to move to take care of others, unlike before the pandemic. Men were more likely to carry out daily mobilities for which women had been traditionally responsible, such as care mobilities. Women were also more likely to be immobile and less likely to commute. Finally, manual and nonqualified workers were more likely to commute, but they were just as likely as any other group to carry out other types of mobility. These results highlight the social character of mobility in a unique context. We emphasize the need to disaggregate daily mobility based on different purposes as well analysing how these are practised by different sociodemographic groups if we want to provide rigorous descriptions of a core component of individuals' daily life.European Research Council (ERC)
European Commission
740113Junta de Andalucia
P20_00572Ministry of Science and Innovation, Spain (MICINN)
Spanish Government
PID2020-119569GA-I00Universidad de Granada/CBU
Non-Invasive Forehead Segmentation in Thermographic Imaging
The temperature of the forehead is known to be highly correlated with the internal body temperature. This area is widely used in thermal comfort systems, lie-detection systems, etc. However, there is a lack of tools to achieve the segmentation of the forehead using thermographic images and non-intrusive methods. In fact, this is usually segmented manually. This work proposes a simple and novel method to segment the forehead region and to extract the average temperature from this area solving this lack of non-user interaction tools. Our method is invariant to the position of the face, and other different morphologies even with the presence of external objects. The results provide an accuracy of 90% compared to the manual segmentation using the coefficient of Jaccard as a metric of similitude. Moreover, due to the simplicity of the proposed method, it can work with real-time constraints at 83 frames per second in embedded systems with low computational resources. Finally, a new dataset of thermal face images is presented, which includes some features which are difficult to find in other sets, such as glasses, beards, moustaches, breathing masks, and different neck rotations and flexions
Wireless Sensor Network Deployment for Monitoring Wildlife Passages
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are being deployed in very diverse application scenarios, including rural and forest environments. In these particular contexts, specimen protection and conservation is a challenge, especially in natural reserves, dangerous locations or hot spots of these reserves (i.e., roads, railways, and other civil infrastructures). This paper proposes and studies a WSN based system for generic target (animal) tracking in the surrounding area of wildlife passages built to establish safe ways for animals to cross transportation infrastructures. In addition, it allows target identification through the use of video sensors connected to strategically deployed nodes. This deployment is designed on the basis of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, but it increases the lifetime of the nodes through an appropriate scheduling. The system has been evaluated for the particular scenario of wildlife monitoring in passages across roads. For this purpose, different schemes have been simulated in order to find the most appropriate network operational parameters. Moreover, a novel prototype, provided with motion detector sensors, has also been developed and its design feasibility demonstrated. Original software modules providing new functionalities have been implemented and included in this prototype. Finally, main performance evaluation results of the whole system are presented and discussed in depth
Processes of urban centralization: Individual factors and metropolitan typologies
La vuelta a la ciudad constituye un fenómeno de gran interés. Algunos individuos y hogares
buscan la centralidad, pese a que la tendencia general continúa siendo la expansión hacia
lo suburbano. Nuestra aportación consiste en conectar los planteamientos de los estudios
sobre comportamiento residencial con las explicaciones de la recuperación de los municipios
centrales para valorar hasta qué punto las teorías explican la realidad de las ciudades
metropolitanas españolas. Para ello, hemos empleado datos del censo de población de 2011
y modelos de regresión logística binaria. Nuestros datos confirman la capacidad explicativa
de las variables descritas en la literatura, pero al mismo tiempo muestran un cierto sesgo:
funcionan mejor en las áreas de gran tamaño que en las menores. No se trata de una mera
cuestión de escala, sino de que las primeras están atravesando una fase de recentralización,
en tanto que en las segundas encontramos un proceso de concentración.El retorn a la ciutat constitueix un fenomen de gran interès. Alguns individus i llars busquen
la centralitat, tot i que la tendència general continua sent l’expansió a espais suburbans. La
nostra aportació consisteix a connectar els plantejaments dels estudis sobre comportament
residencial amb les explicacions de la recuperació dels municipis centrals per valorar fins a
quin punt les teories expliquen la realitat de les ciutats metropolitanes espanyoles. Per tal
de comprovar-ho, hem emprat dades del cens de població de 2011 i models de regressió
logística binària. Les nostres dades confirmen la capacitat explicativa de les variables descrites
en la literatura, però al mateix temps mostren un cert biaix: funcionen millor en les
àrees de grans dimensions que en les petites. No es tracta d’una mera qüestió d’escala, sinó
que les primeres estan travessant una fase de recentralització, mentre que en les segones hi
trobem un procés de concentració.Le retour en ville constitue un phénomène de grand intérêt. Certains individus et ménages
recherchent la centralité, bien que la tendance générale reste l’expansion vers les banlieues.
Notre contribution consiste à relier les approches des études sur le comportement résidentiel
aux explications de la reprise des communes centrales afin d’évaluer dans quelle
mesure les théories expliquent la réalité des métropoles espagnoles. Pour cela, nous avons
utilisé les données du recensement de la population de 2011 et des modèles de régression
logistique binaire. Nos données confirment la capacité explicative des variables décrites dans
la littérature, mais montrent en même temps un certain biais : elles fonctionnent mieux
dans les grandes zones que dans les plus petites. Ce n’est pas une simple question d’échelle.
C’est plutôt que les premiers traversent une phase de recentralisation, tandis que dans les
petites agglomérations, on constate un processus de concentration.The return to the city constitutes a phenomenon of great interest. Some individuals and
households seek centrality, although the general trend continues to be suburbanization.
Our contribution aims to relate studies on residential behavior to those addressing the
recovery of the central urban districts in order to ascertain whether these theories correctly
explain the reality of Spanish metropolitan cities. Data were taken from the 2011 population
census and binary logistic regression models were the main method used. Our models
confirm the explanatory capacity of the variables described in the literature, but at the same
time reveal a certain bias: they work better in large areas than in smaller areas. It is not a
mere question of scale, but rather the former are going through a recentralization phase,
while the latter are in a process of concentration
Kid growth comparison between Murciano-Granadina and crossed Murciano-GranadinaxBoer in a mixed rearing system
[EN] Usually, goat dairy farms have a major problem with the kids they produce for sale, due to their low average daily gain, high feed conversion ratio and poor body conformation, which leads to poor profitability. This paper proposes a solution by crossing the dams not used for replacement with males of a meat breed in a mixed rearing system. The results show that crossbred kids (Murciano-GranadinaxBoer) reached the minimum slaughter weight a week earlier than Murciano-Granadina purebred kids, and that there is a decrease of energy content in milk and in the consumption by the kids as their age increases, which shows the importance of having a concentrated feed that complements their needs to express all the genetic potential for growth observed in the references, especially in the crossing of these two breeds. In addition to this, farms that follow this strategy will also be able to improve their profitability through a higher quantity of milk sold.
In dairy goats, the low average daily gain and the high conversion ratio for milk and concentrate of the kids mean that their sale price does not offset the costs generated. The hypothesis proposes that a crossbreeding of the Murciano-Granadina breed (MG) with the Boer breed (MGxBoer) will improve the profitability of the kids sold. Thus, the effect of two different groups of kids (purebred MG and crossbred MGxBoer) on birth weight (BW), mortality, average daily gain (ADG), the time for minimum slaughter weight (7 kg) and its variation factors were studied. MGxBoer kids had a 27% greater BW than purebred MG kids (2885 +/- 84 g and 2275 +/- 74 g, respectively), similar ADG (156 +/- 6 g and 142 +/- 6 g, respectively) and mortality (18% and 20%, respectively), and reached minimum slaughter weight a week sooner. ADG was less and less as the lactation period progressed due to a lower milk consumption and milk energy value, which highlights the importance of providing a concentrate that will compensate for this reduced energy content. In conclusion, the results show that MGxBoer crossbred kids reached the minimum slaughter weight a week earlier than purebred MG kids, and highlighted the improvement of farm profitability through the increase of milk sold and the need to provide a concentrate feed to enhance the growth of the kids.This research was funded by the project RTA2013-00107 (INIA) with ERDF funds.Fernández Martínez, N.; Palomares Carrasco, JL.; Pérez Baena, I.; Rodríguez Garcia, M.; Peris Ribera, CJ. (2021). Kid growth comparison between Murciano-Granadina and crossed Murciano-GranadinaxBoer in a mixed rearing system. Animals. 11(4):1-9. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11041051S1911
Network-Based Characterization of Blood Large-Scale Coherent Motion in the Healthy Human Aorta With 4D Flow MRI
Aorta humana; Resonancia magnéticaHuman aorta; MRIAorta humana; Ressonància magnèticaObjective: The need for distilling the hemodynamic complexity of aortic flows into clinically relevant quantities resulted in a loss of the information hidden in 4D aortic fluid structures. To reduce information loss, this study proposes a network-based approach to identify and characterize in vivo the large-scale coherent motion of blood in the healthy human aorta. Methods: The quantitative paradigm of the aortic flow as a “social network” was applied on 4D flow MRI acquisitions performed on forty-one healthy volunteers. Correlations between the aortic blood flow rate waveform at the proximal ascending aorta (AAo), assumed as one of the drivers of aortic hemodynamics, and the waveforms of the axial velocity in the whole aorta were used to build “one-to-all” networks. The impact of the driving flow rate waveform and of aortic geometric attributes on the transport of large-scale coherent fluid structures was investigated. Results: The anatomical length of persistence of large-scale coherent motion was the 29.6% of the healthy thoracic aorta length (median value, IQR 23.1%–33.9%). Such length is significantly influenced by the average and peak-to-peak AAo blood flow rate values, suggesting a remarkable inertial effect of the AAo flow rate on the transport of large-scale fluid structures in the distal aorta. Aortic geometric attributes such as curvature, torsion and arch shape did not influence the anatomical length of persistence. Conclusion: The proposed in vivo approach allowed to quantitatively characterize the transport of large-scale fluid structures in the healthy aorta, strengthening the definition of coherent hemodynamic structures and identifying flow inertia rather than geometry as one of its main determinants. Significance: The findings on healthy aortas may be used as reference values to investigate the impact of aortic disease or implanted devices in disrupting/restoring the physiological spatiotemporal coherence of large-scale aortic flow.Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Grant Number: IJC2018-037349-
Effect of the rearing system on financial returns from Murciano-Granadina breed goats
[EN] In dairy goats, the kid rearing system can have critical importance in financial returns. Commonly used criteria for the choice of rearing system are not always clear due to the high number of factors involved. The aim of this study was to quantify all those factors to facilitate decision making. So, the effect of two different kid rearing systems, mixed (MRS) and artificial (ARS), on milk yield, milk composition and somatic cell count (SCC), milk yield loss at weaning for MRS, kid growth and costs of the different traits on the financial returns in Murciano-Granadina breed goats was studied. Twenty-four goats per group were used. In the MRS, goats reared only one kid, which had free access to goat milk 24 h a day and were weaned at week 6 of lactation, whereas kids in the ARS were separated from their mothers at kidding, colostrum and artificially reared. In both systems, dams were machine-milked once a day throughout lactation and the records took place weekly. Potential milk yield was estimated according to the oxytocin method up to week 12 of lactation, and was similar for both rearing systems, although a 12.3 per cent drop in potential milk yield at weaning was observed for MRS. During the first 6 weeks of lactation, marketable milk was lower for dams in MRS compared to those in ARS (72.1 versus 113.0 l), but similar for the rest of the experiment (101.5 versus 99.4 l, respectively). Marketable milk composition and SCC throughout the 12 weeks of lactation were unaffected by the rearing system. Artificial rearing system entailed an increment in production cost of 22.2 € per kid compared to the rearing by MRS. A similar economic return per goat and kid was obtained from ARS and MRS in this experiment, although, due to one herd¿s prolificacy of 1.8, the actual results would be 16.2 € per goat in favour of MRS. The real interest of this experiment may be the possibility of extrapolation to different flocks with diverse levels of milk production, prolificacy and prices and costs for incomes and outputs, to estimate the production system that increases returns. In conclusion, the results showed an increase in the cost of € 22.2 per kid bred in the artificial rearing system, compared to the mixed rearing system, and a final return of 16.2 € per goat in favour of the mixed system.This work was funded by the project RTA2013-00107 (INIA) with FEDER funds.Fernández Martínez, N.; Palomares Carrasco, JL.; Pérez Baena, I.; Rodríguez Garcia, M.; Peris Ribera, CJ. (2019). Effect of the rearing system on financial returns from Murciano-Granadina breed goats. Animal. 13(8):1730-1735. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731118003336S17301735138Silanikove, N., Leitner, G., Merin, U., & Prosser, C. G. (2010). Recent advances in exploiting goat’s milk: Quality, safety and production aspects. 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Improvement of healthy lifestyles and quality of life in a learning community through community health education programmes
En Andalucía se han venido desarrollando durante los últimos años experiencias participativas llevadas a cabo por centros configurados como Comunidades de Aprendizaje que van consiguiendo, paulatinamente, transformar la realidad socioeducativa de la escuela y su entorno, movilizando la aportación cultural y educativa de muchas personas implicadas en la mejora de la educación. En este artículo se mostrará si a través de dichas aportaciones, y llevando a cabo programas de educación comunitaria sobre salud, mejora la calidad de vida de un centro transformado en comunidad de aprendizaje, donde el 84% del alumnado es de etnia gitana, durante el curso 2018/19. La metodología de investigación utilizada responde al enfoque comunicativo crítico, buscando la descripción y/o interpretación de la realidad, y además pretende ayudar a transformar esa realidad. Dicha metodología está basada en el diálogo igualitario entre la comunidad científica y las personas cuya realidad sea objeto de investigación. A través de las entrevistas en profundidad de orientación comunicativa y los grupos de discusión comunicativos se vislumbrará que el alumnado ha mejorado sus hábitos de vida saludables, manifestándose también que lo aprendido en la escuela se encuentra, a menudo, en conflicto con lo que adquieren en su entorno familiar
The Use of Video-Gaming Devices as a Motivation for Learning Embedded Systems Programming
As embedded systems are becoming prevalent in everyday life, many universities are incorporating embedded systems-related courses in their undergraduate curricula. However, it is not easy to motivate students in such courses, since they conceive of embedded systems as bizarre computing elements, different from the personal computers with which they are familiar.
This problem has been overcome at the University of Granada, Spain, by taking advantage of the connection many students have with video games.Spanish CICYT Project SAF2010-20558University of Granada Innovative Teaching Project 04-03-0
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