Log-Gaussian Cox Process in Infinite-Dimensional Spaces.

Política de acceso abierto tomada de: https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/7814This paper introduces new results on doubly stochastic Poisson processes, with log-Gaussian Hilbert-valued random intensity (LGHRI), defined from the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process (O-U process) in Hilbert spaces. Sufficient conditions are derived for the existence of a counting measure on l2, for this type of doubly stochastic Poisson processes. Functional parameter estimation and prediction is achieved from the discrete-time approximation of the Hilbert-valued O-U process by an autoregressive Hilbertian process of order one (ARH(1) process). The results derived are applied to functional prediction of spatiotemporal log-Gaussian Cox processes, and an application to functional disease mapping is developed. The numerical results given, from the conditional simulation study undertaken, are compared to those ones obtained, when the random intensity is assumed to be a spatiotemporal long-range dependence (LRD) log-Gaussian process

Point pattern analysis and classification on compact two-point homogeneous spaces evolving time.

This paper introduces a new modeling framework for the statistical analysis of point patterns on a manifold Md; defined by a connected and compact two-point homogeneous space, including the special case of the sphere. The presented approach is based on temporal Cox processes driven by a L2(Md)-valued log-intensity. Different aggregation schemes on the manifold of the spatiotemporal point-referenced data are implemented in terms of the time-varying discrete Jacobi polynomial transform of the log-risk process. The n-dimensional microscale point pattern evolution in time at different manifold spatial scales is then characterized from such a transform. The simulation study undertaken illustrates the construction of spherical point process models displaying aggregation at low Legendre polynomial transform frequencies (large scale), while regularity is observed at high frequencies (small scale). K-function analysis supports these results under temporal short, intermediate and long range dependence of the log-risk process

Neutron radiobiology studies with a pure cold neutron beam

Data on the radiobiological effects of thermal neutrons are usually obtained from irradiations in a mixed field of neutrons of different energies and gamma rays or from conversion of proton data with similar energies to those created in the neutron capture on nitrogen. Experimental data from irradiations in a pure thermal or cold neutron beam can help to find new values for neutron relative biological effectiveness (RBE) factors, which are useful for BNCT (Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) and radiation protection applications. We present a new experimental setup for radiobiological studies at a cold neutron beam at Institut Laue-Langevin, a beam without fast neutron component and almost no gamma ray contribution. After the irradiation, survival assays are performed to obtain the survival curves. Finally, comparing with a reference photon irradiation, the thermal neutron RBE factors can be calculated. The methodology is outlined at the example of A375 melanoma cells for which new radiobiological data were obtained.We acknowledge financial support for this work from the Fundación Científica de la Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer (AECC) under grant PS16163811PORR, Junta de Andalucía (Andalusian Regional Government), under contract P11-FQM-8229, Spanish MINECO and FEDER funds under contract FIS2015-69941-C2-1-P, the grant agreement ILL-UGR and the founders of the University of Granada Chair Neutrons for Medicine: Spanish Fundación ACS and Capitán Antonio. M.P. acknowledges a grant under the program Becas de Iniciación a la Investigación from the Universidad de Granada (Plan Propio de Investigación). The open access fee was covered by FILL2030, a European Union project within the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement N°731096

Assessment of ventilation rates inside educational buildings in Southwestern Europe: Analysis of implemented strategic measures

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 has highlighted the need to ensure good indoor air quality. Public buildings (educational buildings in particular) have come under the spotlight because students, teachers and staff spend long periods of the day indoors. This study presents a measurement campaign for the assessment of ventilation rate (VR) and ventilation strategies in educational buildings in Southwestern Europe, Portugal and Spain. A representative sample of the teaching spaces of the Azurém Campus (Guimarães, Portugal) and the Fuentenueva Campus (Granada, Spain) have been analyzed. Natural ventilation is the predominant ventilation strategy in these spaces, being the most common strategy in educational buildings in Europe. VR was estimated under different configurations, using the CO2 decay method. Subsequently, the CO2 concentration was estimated according to occupancy and the probability of infection risk was calculated using the Wells-Riley equation. The obtained VR varied between 2.9 and 20.1 air change per hour (ACH) for natural cross ventilation, 2.0 to 5.1 ACH for single-sided ventilation and 1.8 to 3.5 for mechanically ventilated classrooms. Large differences in CO2 concentrations were verified, depending on the analyzed ventilation strategy, ranging from 475 to 3903 ppm for the different scenarios. However, the probability of risk was less than 1% in almost all of the classrooms analyzed. The results obtained from the measurement campaign showed that the selection of an appropriate ventilation strategy can provide sufficient air renewal and maintain a low risk of infection. Ventilation strategies need to be reconsidered as a consequence of the health emergency arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.Antonio J. Aguilar Aguilera and María Luisa de la Hoz Torres wish to thank the support of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain under an FPU grant. This work has been supported by the Consejo General de la Arquitectura T´ecnica (CGATE), the “Junta de Andalucía” (Spain) under project B-TEP-362-UGR18 and the State Research Agency (SRA) of Spain and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) under project PID2019-108761RB-I00. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada / CBUA

Reopening higher education buildings in post-epidemic COVID-19 scenario: monitoring and assessment of indoor environmental quality after implementing ventilation protocols in Spain and Portugal

Post-epidemic protocols have been implemented in public buildings to keep indoor environments safe. However, indoor environmental conditions are affected by this decision, which also affect the occupants of buildings. This fact has major implications in educational buildings, where the satisfaction and learning performance of students may also be affected. This study investigates the impact of post-epidemic protocols on indoor environmental conditions in higher education buildings of one Portuguese and one Spanish university. A sensor monitoring campaign combined with a simultaneous questionnaire was conducted during the reopening of the educational buildings. Results showed that although renewal air protocols were effective and the mean CO2 concentration levels remained low (742 ppm and 519 ppm in Portugal and Spain universities, respectively), students were dissatisfied with the current indoor environmental conditions. Significant differences were also found between the responses of Portuguese and Spanish students. Indeed, Spanish students showed warmer preferences (thermal neutrality = 23.3℃) than Portuguese students (thermal neutrality = 20.7℃). In terms of involved indoor factors, the obtained data showed significant correlations (p < 0.001) between acoustic factors and overall satisfaction in the Portuguese students (ρ = 0.540) and between thermal factors and overall satisfaction in the Spanish students (ρ = 0.522). Therefore, indoor environmental conditions should be improved by keeping spaces safe while minimizing the impact of post-epidemic protocols on student learning performance.The first two authors wish to thank the support of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain, under an FPU grant. This research was funded by the Consejo General de la Arquitectura Técnica (CGATE), and the State Research Agency (AEI) of Spain and European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) under project PID2019-108761RB-I00. Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Granada/CBUA

Indoor acoustic quality of educational buildings in South West Europe: influence of current ventilation strategies

The quality of the classroom environment has a great impact on the physical and mental health of students and teachers. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for new measures and ventilation strategies to be implemented in educational buildings, to ensure indoor air quality in classrooms and to minimise the risk of airborne virus transmission. However, these ventilation protocols can influence the acoustic quality of classrooms and negatively affect students’ speech perception and learning performance. This study presents the results obtained from a field measurement campaign carried out to assess the acoustic characteristics of classrooms of the Fuentenueva Campus (University of Granada) and Azurém Campus (University of Minho). Different ventilation operating scenarios (active and inactive) were assessed to evaluate their impact on the indoor acoustic conditions. The reverberation time (RT), the only parameter used in both countries' regulations to assess acoustic conditions, was found to be higher on both campuses than the RT limits values. Comparison of the measured Speech Transmission Index (STI) and background noise values in the active and inactive ventilation scenario showed a clear variation of the indoor acoustic conditions. The background noise was higher in the active ventilation scenarios (40–57 dBA) than in the inactive ventilation scenarios (34–48 dBA). The average STI values obtained on both campuses for the inactive and active scenarios were 0.54 and 0.51, respectively. In some classrooms an STI difference of 0.1 was found between scenarios. The results obtained in this study provide a broader understanding of the acoustic conditions in university classrooms in Spain and Portugal. The results evidence the need of consider the synergies between the indoor acoustic and air quality conditions to ensure both: the spaces are safe and the acoustic conditions do not interfere with students' learning. The findings show that compliance with the current RT requirements does not ensure that classroom acoustic conditions do not interfere with student performance, and therefore, regulations need to be revised to include additional factors to ensure proper acoustic performance.This publication is part of the I + D + i project PID2019-108761RB-I00, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 . Antonio J. Aguilar wishes to acknowledge the support of the University of Granada under a post-doctoral research contract. María Luisa de la Hoz-Torres wishes to acknowledge the support of the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades of Spain under a Margarita Salas post-doctoral contract funded by the European Union-NextGenerationEU

Decapod crustacean assemblages on trawlable grounds in the northern Alboran Sea and Gulf of Vera

This study analyses the samples collected annually (2012 to 2018) on circalittoral and bathyal soft bottoms (30 to 800 m) by the MEDITS surveys in the northern Alboran Sea (including Alboran Island) and the Gulf of Vera to determine the composition, structure and distribution of decapod crustacean assemblages. A total of 94 decapod crustacean species were identified. Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed depth to be the main factor for distinguishing four main decapod assemblages: the inner shelf (30-100 m depth), outer shelf (101-200 m), upper slope (201-500 m) and middle slope (501-800 m). PERMANOVA analyses revealed further significant depth-related differences between three established geographical sectors of the study area (northern Alboran Sea, Gulf of Vera and Alboran Island). Generalized additive model analyses were used to assess the bathymetrical, geographical and environmental effects on the ecological indices of each assemblage. Results showed that depth and the geographical effect were the main drivers in all cases. Decreases in abundance and increases in species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Pielou’s evenness indices with depth were detected. This study shows the primacy of depth and geographical effect on the distribution of decapod species in the study area, in alignment with findings from other parts of the Mediterranean Sea.Versión del editor1,00

Issues related to the MEDITS reference list of species

The MEDITS survey programme started in 1994 and adopted the basic protocols by the four first partners, just before the first survey. These protocols included the design of the survey, the sampling gear, the information collected, and the management of the data as far as the production of common standardized analyses of the data (Bertrand et al., 2002). The last updating of protocols has been done in 2007 (MEDITS, 2007). According to it, for each species the total weight and number of individuals is recorded. For a reference list of 38 species of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods, the length frequency by sex must be reported, as well as the maturity stage of the gonads. However, two different things should be taken into account. On one hand, for most works performed using MEDITS data (including assessments), the length frequency distributions are used, without taking into account the sex. On the other hand, the period of the surveys is not always coincident with the spawning season for all the species in the MEDITS reference list. This document attempts to be a practical exercise in relation to these topics, using both surveys and commercial data, and gives some proposals to the reference list of specie

Breaking the Mucin Barrier: A New Affinity Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Approach to Unveil Potential Cell Markers and Pathways Altered in Pseudomyxoma Peritonei

Background Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare peritoneal mucinous carcinomatosis with largely unknown underlying molecular mechanisms. Cytoreductive surgery combined with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy is the only therapeutic option; however, despite its use, recurrence with a fatal outcome is common. The lack of molecular characterisation of PMP and other mucinous tumours is mainly due to the physicochemical properties of mucin. Results This manuscript describes the first protocol capable of breaking the mucin barrier and isolating proteins from mucinous tumours. Briefly, mucinous tumour samples were homogenised and subjected to liquid chromatography using two specific columns to reduce mainly glycoproteins, albumins and immunoglobulin G. The protein fractions were then subjected to mass spectrometry analysis and the proteomic profile obtained was analysed using various bioinformatic tools. Thus, we present here the first proteome analysed in PMP and identified a distinct mucin isoform profile in soft compared to hard mucin tumour tissues as well as key biological processes/pathways altered in mucinous tumours. Importantly, this protocol also allowed us to identify MUC13 as a potential tumour cell marker in PMP. Conclusions In sum, our results demonstrate that this protein isolation protocol from mucin will have a high impact, allowing the oncology research community to more rapidly advance in the knowledge of PMP and other mucinous neoplasms, as well as develop new and effective therapeutic strategies