Predicting Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Catheter Ablation Through Time Variability of P-wave Features

[EN] Nowadays, the first-line therapy for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) is pulmonary vein isolation through catheter ablation. However, the success rate of this procedure is still not as high as desirable. Thus, preoperative prediction of early AF recurrence after ablation is a challenge to select optimal candidates for the intervention. To this end, some promising predictors based on the P-wave in short ECG signals have been proposed in the last years. However, evolution of the P-wave along the time has still not been analyzed. Hence, the present work studies how time variability of two features of the P-wave predicts midterm cryoablation failure. For 45 PAF patients, a standard 12-lead ECG signal was obtained for 5 minutes before ablation. An automatic algorithm was then used to delineate all P-waves in lead II, and duration and amplitude were computed. The resulting time series were characterized by their mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variation (CV). Correlating these measures with ablation outcome, the CV for both parameters obtained the best discrimination between patients. In fact, compared with the mean value, the CV for both features obtained accuracies 10% greater, thus achieving values of 70%. These outcomes entail that time variability of the P-wave can reveal new information about the proarrhythmic condition of the patients, thus improving predictions of ablation failure.Ruiz, A.; Arias, MA.; Puchol, A.; Pachon, MI.; Rieta, JJ.; Alcaraz, R. (2020). Predicting Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence After Catheter Ablation Through Time Variability of P-wave Features. IEEE. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.22489/CinC.2020.366S1

Obesity-induced insulin resistance in human skeletal muscle is characterised by defective activation of p42/p44 MAP kinase

Insulin resistance (IR), an impaired cellular, tissue and whole body response to insulin, is a major pathophysiological defect of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although IR is closely associated with obesity, the identity of the molecular defect(s) underlying obesity-induced IR in skeletal muscle remains controversial; reduced post-receptor signalling of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) adaptor protein and downstream effectors such as protein kinase B (PKB) have previously been implicated. We examined expression and/or activation of a number of components of the insulin-signalling cascade in skeletal muscle of 22 healthy young men (with body mass index (BMI) range, 20–37 kg/m2). Whole body insulin sensitivity (M value) and body composition was determined by the hyperinsulinaemic (40 mU. min−1.m−2.), euglycaemic clamp and by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) respectively. Skeletal muscle (vastus lateralis) biopsies were taken before and after one hour of hyperinsulinaemia and the muscle insulin signalling proteins examined by western blot and immunoprecipitation assay. There was a strong inverse relationship between M-value and BMI. The most striking abnormality was significantly reduced insulin-induced activation of p42/44 MAP kinase, measured by specific assay, in the volunteers with poor insulin sensitivity. However, there was no relationship between individuals' BMI or M-value and protein expression/phosphorylation of IRS1, PKB, or p42/44 MAP kinase protein, under basal or hyperinsulinaemic conditions. In the few individuals with poor insulin sensitivity but preserved p42/44 MAP kinase activation, other signalling defects were evident. These findings implicate defective p42/44 MAP kinase signalling as a potential contributor to obesity-related IR in a non-diabetic population, although clearly multiple signalling defects underlie obesity associated IR

Integrable open-boundary conditions for the supersymmetric t-J model. The quantum group invariant case

We consider integrable open--boundary conditions for the supersymmetric t--J model commuting with the number operator $n$ and $S^{z}$. Four families, each one depending on two arbitrary parameters, are found. We find the relation between Sklyanin's method of constructing open boundary conditions and the one for the quantum group invariant case based on Markov traces. The eigenvalue problem is solved for the new cases by generalizing the Nested Algebraic Bethe ansatz of the quantum group invariant case (which is obtained as a special limit). For the quantum group invariant case the Bethe ansatz states are shown to be highest weights of $spl_{q}(2,1)$.Comment: Latex, 24 pages. Some new comments and references. Final version to appear in Nucl. Phys.

Effects of hamstring-emphasized neuromuscular training on strength and sprinting mechanics in football players

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a neuromuscular training program combining eccentric hamstring muscle strength, plyometrics, and free/resisted sprinting exercises on knee extensor/flexor muscle strength, sprinting performance, and horizontal mechanical properties of sprint running in football (soccer) players. Sixty footballers were randomly assigned to an experimental group (EG) or a control group (CG). Twenty‐seven players completed the EG and 24 players the CG. Both groups performed regular football training while the EG performed also a neuromuscular training during a 7‐week period. The EG showed a small increases in concentric quadriceps strength (ES = 0.38/0.58), a moderate to large increase in concentric (ES = 0.70/0.74) and eccentric (ES = 0.66/0.87) hamstring strength, and a small improvement in 5‐m sprint performance (ES = 0.32). By contrast, the CG presented lower magnitude changes in quadriceps (ES = 0.04/0.29) and hamstring (ES = 0.27/0.34) concentric muscle strength and no changes in hamstring eccentric muscle strength (ES = −0.02/0.11). Thus, in contrast to the CG (ES = −0.27/0.14), the EG showed an almost certain increase in the hamstring/quadriceps strength functional ratio (ES = 0.32/0.75). Moreover, the CG showed small magnitude impairments in sprinting performance (ES = −0.35/−0.11). Horizontal mechanical properties of sprint running remained typically unchanged in both groups. These results indicate that a neuromuscular training program can induce positive hamstring strength and maintain sprinting performance, which might help in preventing hamstring strains in football players.Actividad Física y Deport

Situación de endeudamiento de las organizaciones de gestión de instalaciones deportivas de ocio no competitivo. Un estudio empírico

The management of the debt in sports organizations are determinant variables for the survival of these, the lack of control can affect the proper functioning of an entity. According to the existing data, the organizations that manage golf courses enjoy a good economic situation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to know the status and evolution of the debt of sports companies that participate in the sport of non-competitive golf. For this, a sample of 93 organizations throughout the Spanish territory was selected with an average age of 20,08 years. In order to obtain the data, the economic information of the Iberian Balance Sheet Analysis System of the past decade was used. From the findings obtained in the present study, an increase in the average debt of the organizations of 70,5% follows after a decade. In spite of the good economic health and the increase of its income by exploitation and total of assets in the period of study, we can affirm that the debt of these organizations has increased exponentially between 2005-2015.La gestión de la deuda en las organizaciones deportivas es una variable determinante para la supervivencia de éstas, la falta de control puede afectar al buen funcionamiento de una entidad. Según los datos existentes, las organizaciones que gestionan campos de golf gozan de una buena situación económica. Por ello, el propósito del presente estudio fue conocer el estado y evolución de la deuda de las empresas deportivas que participan en el deporte del golf no competitivo. Para ello, se seleccionó una muestra de 93 organizaciones de todo el territorio Español, con una antigüedad media de 20,08 años. Para la obtención de los datos se utilizó la información económica del Sistema de Análisis de Balances Ibéricos de la pasada década. Los hallazgos obtenidos en el presente estudio nos llevan a conocer que la deuda media de las organizaciones ha aumentado en el 70,5% de los casos después de una década. A pesar de la buena salud económica y al aumento de sus ingresos por explotación y total de activos en el período de estudio, podemos afirmar que la deuda de estas organizaciones ha aumentado exponencialmente entre el 2005-2015

Exact Boundary Critical Exponents and Tunneling Effect in Integrable Models for Quantum Wires

Using the principles of the conformal quantum field theory and the finite size corrections of the energy of the ground and various excited states, we calculate the boundary critical exponents of single- and multicomponent Bethe ansatz soluble models. The boundary critical exponents are given in terms of the dressed charge matrix which has the same form as that of systems with periodic boundary conditions and is uniquely determined by the Bethe ansatz equations. A Luttinger liquid with open boundaries is the effective low-energy theory of these models. As applications of the theory, the Friedel oscillations due to the boundaries and the tunneling conductance through a barrier are also calculated. The tunneling conductance is determined by a nonuniversal boundary exponent which governs its power law dependence on temperature and frequency.Comment: REVTEX, submitted to PR

First modern human settlement recorded in the Iberian hinterland occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions

As the south-westernmost region of Europe, the Iberian Peninsula stands as a key area for understanding the process of modern human dispersal into Eurasia. However, the precise timing, ecological setting and cultural context of this process remains controversial concerning its spatiotemporal distribution within the different regions of the peninsula. While traditional models assumed that the whole Iberian hinterland was avoided by modern humans due to ecological factors until the retreat of the Last Glacial Maximum, recent research has demonstrated that hunter-gatherers entered the Iberian interior at least during Solutrean times. We provide a multi-proxy geoarchaeological, chronometric and paleoecological study on human?environment interactions based on the key site of Peña Capón (Guadalajara, Spain). Results show (1) that this site hosts the oldest modern human presence recorded to date in central Iberia, associated to pre-Solutrean cultural traditions around 26,000 years ago, and (2) that this presence occurred during Heinrich Stadial 2 within harsh environmental conditions. These findings demonstrate that this area of the Iberian hinterland was recurrently occupied regardless of climate and environmental variability, thus challenging the widely accepted hypothesis that ecological risk hampered the human settlement of the Iberian interior highlands since the first arrival of modern humans to Southwest Europe.Tis research was carried out in the context of the ERC MULTIPALEOIBERIA project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC-2018-STG-805478), and the PALEOINTERIOR project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (HAR2017-82483-C3-3-P)

Instrumentation and control of anaerobic digestion processes: a review and some research challenges

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11157-015-9382-6[EN] To enhance energy production from methane or resource recovery from digestate, anaerobic digestion processes require advanced instrumentation and control tools. Over the years, research on these topics has evolved and followed the main fields of application of anaerobic digestion processes: from municipal sewage sludge to liquid mainly industrial then municipal organic fraction of solid waste and agricultural residues. Time constants of the processes have also changed with respect to the treated waste from minutes or hours to weeks or months. Since fast closed loop control is needed for short time constant processes, human operator is now included in the loop when taking decisions to optimize anaerobic digestion plants dealing with complex solid waste over a long retention time. Control objectives have also moved from the regulation of key variables measured online to the prediction of overall process perfor- mance based on global off-line measurements to optimize the feeding of the processes. Additionally, the need for more accurate prediction of methane production and organic matter biodegradation has impacted the complexity of instrumentation and should include a more detailed characterization of the waste (e.g., biochemical fractions like proteins, lipids and carbohydrates)andtheirbioaccessibility andbiodegradability characteristics. However, even if in the literature several methodologies have been developed to determine biodegradability based on organic matter characterization, only a few papers deal with bioaccessibility assessment. In this review, we emphasize the high potential of some promising techniques, such as spectral analysis, and we discuss issues that could appear in the near future concerning control of AD processes.The authors acknowledge the financial support of INRA (the French National Institute for Agricultural Research), the French National Research Agency (ANR) for the "Phycover" project (project ANR-14-CE04-0011) and ADEME for Inter-laboratory assay financial support.Jimenez, J.; Latrille, E.; Harmand, J.; Robles Martínez, Á.; Ferrer Polo, J.; Gaida, D.; Wolf, C.... (2015). Instrumentation and control of anaerobic digestion processes: a review and some research challenges. Reviews in Environmental Science and Biotechnology. 14(4):615-648. doi:10.1007/s11157-015-9382-6S615648144Aceves-Lara CA, Latrille E, Steyer JP (2010) Optimal control of hydrogen production in a continuous anaerobic fermentation bioreactor. 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TESLA Technical Design Report Part III: Physics at an e+e- Linear Collider

The TESLA Technical Design Report Part III: Physics at an e+e- Linear ColliderComment: 192 pages, 131 figures. Some figures have reduced quality. Full quality figures can be obtained from http://tesla.desy.de/tdr. Editors - R.-D. Heuer, D.J. Miller, F. Richard, P.M. Zerwa

Factors related with symptom duration until diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) survival depends mostly on stage at the time of diagnosis. However, symptom duration at diagnosis or treatment have also been considered as predictors of stage and survival. This study was designed to: 1) establish the distinct time-symptom duration intervals; 2) identify factors associated with symptom duration until diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of all incident cases of symptomatic CRC during 2006–2009 (795 incident cases) in 5 Spanish regions. Data were obtained from patients’ interviews and reviews of primary care and hospital clinical records. Measurements: CRC symptoms, symptom perception, trust in the general practitioner (GP), primary care and hospital examinations/visits before diagnosis, type of referral and tumor characteristics at diagnosis. Symptom Diagnosis Interval (SDI) was calculated as time from first CRC symptoms to date of diagnosis. Symptom Treatment Interval (STI) was defined as time from first CRC symptoms until start of treatment. Nonparametric tests were used to compare SDI and STI according to different variables. RESULTS: Symptom to diagnosis interval for CRC was 128 days and symptom treatment interval was 155. No statistically significant differences were observed between colon and rectum cancers. Women experienced longer intervals than men. Symptom presentation such as vomiting or abdominal pain and the presence of obstruction led to shorter diagnostic or treatment intervals. Time elapsed was also shorter in those patients that perceived their first symptom/s as serious, disclosed it to their acquaintances, contacted emergencies services or had trust in their GPs. Primary care and hospital doctor examinations and investigations appeared to be related to time elapsed to diagnosis or treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Results show that gender, symptom perception and help-seeking behaviour are the main patient factors related to interval duration. Health service performance also has a very important role in symptom to diagnosis and treatment interval. If time to diagnosis is to be reduced, interventions and guidelines must be developed to ensure appropriate examination and diagnosis during both primary and hospital care