319 research outputs found
Evaluation of the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) estuarine-wild from southern Sinaloa and northern Nayarit by microbiological analysis and PCR
Given the incidence of human poisonings attributed
to raw shrimp consumption in southern of Sinaloa
and northern of Nayarit in recent years, white shrimp
(Litopenaeus vannamei) was sampled from three wildestuaries
where it’s been captured and one sample was
taken from a sale center in order to determine the possible
presence of toxigenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus, from May to
December of 2012. Samples were analyzed by Biochemical
test and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), they were
also tested for the specific an toxicological identification,
using molecular oligo nucleotides markers tlh, tdh and trh.
The number of positives results were recorded to a table of
most probable number (MPN).The number of samples positive
for V. parahaemolyticus, weren’t toxigenic and it was
demonstrated that they were below the limit established
in the Mexican Official Standard NOM-242-SSA1-2009. In
conclusion, the present study revealed that consumption of
raw shrimp from the dates and sites sampled did not show
to be a risk for human gastrointestinal diseases
Automating the Procurement of Web Services
As government agencies and business become more dependent on
web services, software solutions to automate their procurement gain importance.
Current approaches for automating the procurement of web services suffer from
an important drawback: neither uncertainty measures nor non-linear, and complex
relations among parameters can be used by providers to specify quality-ofservice
in offers. In this paper, we look deeply into the roots of this drawback
and present a proposal which overcomes it. The key point to achieve this improvement
has been using the constraint programming as a formal basis, since
it endows the model with a very powerful expressiveness. A XML-based implementation
is presented along with some experimental results and comparisons
with other approaches.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC 2000–1106–C02–01Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC2003-02737-C02-01Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología FIT-150100-2001-7
Short-Range Interactions and Decision Tree-Based Protein Contact Map Predictor
In this paper, we focus on protein contact map prediction,
one of the most important intermediate steps of the protein folding prob lem. The objective of this research is to know how short-range interac tions can contribute to a system based on decision trees to learn about
the correlation among the covalent structures of a protein residues. We
propose a solution to predict protein contact maps that combines the
use of decision trees with a new input codification for short-range in teractions. The method’s performance was very satisfactory, improving
the accuracy instead using all information of the protein sequence. For a
globulin data set the method can predict contacts with a maximal accu racy of 43%. The presented predictive model illustrates that short-range
interactions play the predominant role in determining protein structur
A decision tree-based method for protein contact map prediction
In this paper, we focus on protein contact map prediction.
We describe a method where contact maps are predicted using decision
tree-based model. The algorithm includes the subsequence information
between the couple of analyzed amino acids. In order to evaluate the
method generalization capabilities, we carry out an experiment using
173 non-homologous proteins of known structures. Our results indicate
that the method can assign protein contacts with an average accuracy of
0.34, superior to the 0.25 obtained by the FNETCSS method. This shows
that our algorithm improves the accuracy with respect to the methods
compared, especially with the increase of protein lengt
Multi-objective test case prioritization in highly configurable systems: A case study
Test case prioritization schedules test cases for execution in an order that attempts to accelerate the detection of
faults. The order of test cases is determined by prioritization objectives such as covering code or critical components as
rapidly as possible. The importance of this technique has been recognized in the context of Highly-Configurable Systems
(HCSs), where the potentially huge number of configurations makes testing extremely challenging. However, current
approaches for test case prioritization in HCSs suffer from two main limitations. First, the prioritization is usually driven
by a single objective which neglects the potential benefits of combining multiple criteria to guide the detection of faults.
Second, instead of using industry-strength case studies, evaluations are conducted using synthetic data, which provides
no information about the effectiveness of different prioritization objectives. In this paper, we address both limitations
by studying 63 combinations of up to three prioritization objectives in accelerating the detection of faults in the Drupal
framework. Results show that non–functional properties such as the number of changes in the features are more effective
than functional metrics extracted from the configuration model. Results also suggest that multi-objective prioritization
typically results in faster fault detection than mono-objective prioritization.CICYT TIN2012-32273CICYT TIN2015-70560-RJunta de Andalucía P12-TIC- 186
Early Stepdown From Echinocandin to Fluconazole Treatment in Candidemia: A Post Hoc Analysis of Three Cohort Studies
Antifúngic; Candidèmia; DesescaladaAntifúngico; Candidemia; DesescaladaAntifungal; Candidemia; De-escalationBackground
There are no clear criteria for antifungal de-escalation after initial empirical treatments. We hypothesized that early de-escalation (ED) (within 5 days) to fluconazole is safe in fluconazole-susceptible candidemia with controlled source of infection.
Methods
This is a multicenter post hoc study that included consecutive patients from 3 prospective candidemia cohorts (2007–2016). The impact of ED and factors associated with mortality were assessed.
Results
Of 1023 candidemia episodes, 235 met inclusion criteria. Of these, 54 (23%) were classified as the ED group and 181 (77%) were classified as the non-ED group. ED was more common in catheter-related candidemia (51.9% vs 31.5%; P = .006) and episodes caused by Candida parapsilosis, yet it was less frequent in patients in the intensive care unit (24.1% vs 39.2%; P = .043), infections caused by Nakaseomyces glabrata (0% vs 9.9%; P = .016), and candidemia from an unknown source (24.1% vs 47%; P = .003). In the ED and non-ED groups, 30-day mortality was 11.1% and 29.8% (P = .006), respectively. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (odds ratio [OR], 3.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48–10.61), Pitt score > 2 (OR, 4.39; 95% CI, 1.94–9.20), unknown source of candidemia (OR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.14–5.86), candidemia caused by Candida albicans (OR, 3.92; 95% CI, 1.48–10.61), and prior surgery (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.08–0.97) were independent predictors of mortality. Similar results were found when a propensity score for receiving ED was incorporated into the model. ED had no significant impact on mortality (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.16–1.53).
Conclusions
Early de-escalation is a safe strategy in patients with candidemia caused by fluconazole-susceptible strains with controlled source of bloodstream infection and hemodynamic stability. These results are important to apply antifungal stewardship strategies.This research forms part of an activity that has received funding from EIT Health. EIT Health is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union that receives support from the European Union´s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program. This study has been cofunded by the European Regional Development Fund. E. M.-G. (PI18/01061), P. P.-A. (“Rio Hortega” contract CM18/00132), M. F.-R. (“Miguel Servet” contract CP18/00073), and C. G.-V. (FIS PI18/01061) have received research grants from the Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo, Instituto de Salud Carlos III
The impact of a web-based lifestyle educational program (‘Living Better’) Reintervention on hypertensive overweight or obese patients
‘Living Better’, a self-administered web-based intervention, designed to facilitate lifestyle changes, has already shown positive short-and medium-term health benefits in patients with an obesity–hypertension phenotype. The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the long-term (3-year) evolution of a group of hypertensive overweight or obese patients who had already followed the ‘Living Better’ program; (2) to analyze the effects of completing this program a second time (reintervention) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quasi-experimental design was used. We recruited 29 individuals from the 105 who had participated in our first study. We assessed and compared their systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP), body mass index (BMI), eating behavior, and physical activity (PA) level (reported as METs-min/week), at Time 0 (first intervention follow-up), Time 1 (before the reintervention), and Time 2 (post-reintervention). Our results showed significant improvements between Time 1 and Time 2 in SBP (-4.7 (-8.7 to -0.7); p = 0.017), DBP (-3.5 (-6.2 to -0.8); p = 0.009), BMI (-0.7 (-1.0 to -0.4); p 0.24). Implementation of the ‘Living Better’ program maintained positive long-term (3-year) health benefits in patients with an obesity–hypertension phenotype. Moreover, a reintervention with this program during the COVID-19 pandemic produced significant improvements in blood pressure, BMI, eating behavior, and PA. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland
Structure of the Collision Zone Between the Nazca Ridge and the Peruvian Convergent Margin: Geodynamic and Seismotectonic Implications
We study the structure and tectonics of the collision zone between the Nazca Ridge (NR) and the Peruvian margin constrained by seismic, gravimetric, bathymetric, and natural seismological data. The NR was formed in an on-ridge setting, and it is characterized by a smooth and broad shallow seafloor (swell) with an estimated buoyancy flux of ~7 Mg/s. The seismic results show that the NR hosts an oceanic lower crust 10–14 km thick with velocities of 7.2–7.5 km/s suggesting intrusion of magmatic material from the hot spot plume to the oceanic plate. Our results show evidence for subduction erosion in the frontal part of the margin likely enhanced by the collision of the NR. The ridge-trench collision zone correlates with the presence of a prominent normal scarp, a narrow continental slope, and (uplifted) shelf. In contrast, adjacent of the collision zone, the slope does not present a topographic scarp and the continental slope and shelf become wider and deeper. Geophysical and geodetic evidence indicate that the collision zone is characterized by low seismic coupling at the plate interface. This is consistent with vigorous subduction erosion enhanced by the subducting NR causing abrasion and increase of fluid pore pressure at the interplate contact. Furthermore, the NR has behaved as a barrier for rupture propagation of megathrust earthquakes (e.g., 1746 Mw 8.6 and 1942 Mw 8.1 events). In contrast, for moderate earthquakes (e.g., 1996 Mw 7.7 and 2011 Mw 6.9 events), the NR has behaved as a seismic asperity nucleating at depths >20 km
The imprint of global climate cycles in the Fuentillejo maar-lake record during the last 50 ka cal BP (central Spain)
We have analysed the geochemical (element analysis), mineralogical and sedimentary facies to characterize the sedimentary record in Fuentillejo maar-lake in the central Spanish volcanic field of Campo de Calatrava and thus be able to reconstruct the cyclicity of the sedimentary and paleoclimatic processes involved. The upper 20 m of core FUENT-1 show variations in clastic input and water chemistry in the lake throughout the last 50 ka cal BP. Being a closed system, the water level in this maar-lake depends primarily on the balance between precipitation and evaporatio
An Hybrid, Qos-Aware Discovery of Semantic Web Services Using Constraint Programming
Most Semantic Web Services discovery approaches are not
well suited when using complex relational, arithmetic and logical expressions,
because they are usually based on Description Logics. Moreover,
these kind of expressions usually appear when discovery is performed including
Quality-of-Service conditions. In this work, we present an hybrid
discovery process for Semantic Web Services that takes care of QoS conditions.
Our approach splits discovery into stages, using different engines
in each one, depending on its search nature. This architecture is extensible
and loosely coupled, allowing the addition of discovery engines at
will. In order to perform QoS-aware discovery, we propose a stage that
uses Constraint Programming, that allows to use complex QoS conditions
within discovery queries. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain the
optimal offer that fulfills a given demand using this approach.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología TIN2006-0047
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