Real-time human action recognition using raw depth video-based recurrent neural networks

This work proposes and compare two different approaches for real-time human action recognition (HAR) from raw depth video sequences. Both proposals are based on the convolutional long short-term memory unit, namely ConvLSTM, with differences in the architecture and the long-term learning. The former uses a video-length adaptive input data generator (stateless) whereas the latter explores the stateful ability of general recurrent neural networks but is applied in the particular case of HAR. This stateful property allows the model to accumulate discriminative patterns from previous frames without compromising computer memory. Furthermore, since the proposal uses only depth information, HAR is carried out preserving the privacy of people in the scene, since their identities can not be recognized. Both neural networks have been trained and tested using the large-scale NTU RGB+D dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed models achieve competitive recognition accuracies with lower computational cost compared with state-of-the-art methods and prove that, in the particular case of videos, the rarely-used stateful mode of recurrent neural networks significantly improves the accuracy obtained with the standard mode. The recognition accuracies obtained are 75.26% (CS) and 75.45% (CV) for the stateless model, with an average time consumption per video of 0.21 s, and 80.43% (CS) and 79.91%(CV) with 0.89 s for the stateful one.Agencia Estatal de InvestigaciónUniversidad de Alcal

Diseño interactivo de interfaces gráficas de usuario para Progress

Este proyecto se centra en la creación de una aplicación de escritorio que, mediante tecnologías web, nos permite crear, de manera visual, interfaces gráficas. El proyecto nace de la necesidad de crear interfaces gráficas con un lenguaje que no está muy preparado para ello: Progress. Progress es un lenguaje de programación utilizado para el mantenimiento y uso de bases de datos. Es por ello que la creación de la capa visual con este lenguaje es una tarea tediosa y el resultado es difícil de mantener. En este proyecto hemos desarrollado un programa que nos permite elegir una serie de características que tendrá la interfaz y las variables mostradas en ella con el objetivo de generar el código Progress correspondiente. Además, se crean los componentes visuales que pueden ser arrastrados y movidos a la zona de la pantalla donde finalmente se verán al ejecutar el código Progress. De esta forma, se simplifica mucho la elaboración y modificación de estas pantallas, viendo en todo momento el resultado visual final que tendrá este código al ser ejecutado. También nos permite ver en tiempo real el código Progress que se genera automáticamente con cada acción y guardar este código en un fichero. Los ficheros que se generan con la aplicación pueden ser cargados de nuevo para realizar modificaciones. Enlace a proyecto GitHub

Cyclosporine for the Treatment of HTLV-1-Induced HAM/TSP

HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) remains a challenging disease. Treatment options are scarce, and their safety and efficacy are currently a matter of concern. We present a case report describing our experience using cyclosporine in a patient with early HAM/TSP who started with a gait disturbance at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital (Barcelona) from August 2012 to October 2013. After 62 weeks of treatment, clinical improvement was observed and proviral load diminished. No safety concerns were observed. Cyclosporine seems to be effective in new-onset HAM/TSP or in chronic HAM/TSP that develops a relapse. However, the duration and safety profile of this steroid-sparing therapy remain unknown and should be further investigated

Aplicación del método simplex por medio de un programa en C++, para calcular SWU en el proceso de enriquecimiento del combustible nuclear

The enrichment process of nuclear fuel assemblies, which were used in nuclear power reactors, requires a series of steps, the first of which takes U3O8 as the base material for conversion to UF6 and later enrichment in 235U. Gaseous diffusion is a technology used to produce enriched uranium that involves forcing UF6 gaseous through semi-permeable membranes, causing a slight separation between the 235U containing and 238U containing molecules, the successive repetition of this process leads to enriching the uranium to the desired value, the measure of effort (and associated cost) used in the enrichment process is the Separative Work Unit (SWU). Optimizing the cost of enriching uranium is a complex process in which the amount and cost of SWU and U3O8 feedstock come into play. In this work, an optimization analysis of uranium enrichment will be carried out using the Simplex Method, which is the name used to describe the general approach to the solution of linear programs using pivoting. En el proceso de enriquecimiento de los ensambles de combustible nuclear que se emplearon en los reactores nucleares de potencia, se requiere una serie de pasos, que incluye el proceso de conversión del uranio en su forma mineral U3O8 a UF6 gasificado, para posteriormente iniciar el proceso de enriquecimiento y aumentar el contenido del isótopo 235U. La difusión gaseosa es una tecnología utilizada para el proceso de enriquecimiento que consiste en forzar al gas de UF6 a través de una membrana semi-permeable, esto produce una ligera separación entre las moléculas que contienen 235U y las que contienen 238U, la repetición sucesiva de este proceso lleva a enriquecer el uranio hasta el valor deseado, y la medida del esfuerzo (y costo asociado) usado en el proceso de enriquecimiento es la Unidad de Trabajo Separativo (SWU). Optimizar el costo de enriquecer uranio es un proceso complejo en el que entran en juego la cantidad y costo del SWU y de la materia prima de U3O8. En este trabajo, se llevará a cabo un análisis de optimización de enriquecimiento de uranio mediante el uso del Método Simplex, este es el nombre con que se suele describir el enfoque general a la solución de programas lineales utilizando el pivoteo

3DFCNN: real-time action recognition using 3D deep neural networks with raw depth information

This work describes an end-to-end approach for real-time human action recognition from raw depth image-sequences. The proposal is based on a 3D fully convolutional neural network, named 3DFCNN, which automatically encodes spatio-temporal patterns from raw depth sequences. The described 3D-CNN allows actions classification from the spatial and temporal encoded information of depth sequences. The use of depth data ensures that action recognition is carried out protecting people"s privacy, since their identities can not be recognized from these data. The proposed 3DFCNN has been optimized to reach a good performance in terms of accuracy while working in real-time. Then, it has been evaluated and compared with other state-of-the-art systems in three widely used public datasets with different characteristics, demonstrating that 3DFCNN outperforms all the non-DNNbased state-of-the-art methods with a maximum accuracy of 83.6% and obtains results that are comparable to the DNN-based approaches, while maintaining a much lower computational cost of 1.09 seconds, what significantly increases its applicability in real-world environments.Agencia Estatal de InvestigaciónUniversidad de Alcal

Alkaloids of Pharmacological Importance in <em>Catharanthus roseus</em>

Catharanthus roseus is a plant of the Apocynaceae family. It produces over 120 alkaloids, 70 of which are pharmacologically active. C. roseus produces vinblastine, utilized in treating Hodgkin’s disease; testicular tumors, breast carcinoma, choriocarcinoma, Kaposi sarcoma and Letterer-Siwe disorder. Vincristine is used to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia, lymphosarcoma, lympho-granulomatosis and in solid infant tumors. The preparation process of 1 kg of vincristine has a cost of US$3.5 million, while vinblastine has a cost of US$1 million. Therefore, 530 kg of dry leaves are necessary to produce 1 kg of vincristine and half a ton for getting 1 g of vinblastine. The high cost is due to the low concentrations in the aerial portion. Due to the high market value and its effectiveness in different medical treatments, this chapter deals with the pharmacological application of the C. roseus alkaloids

Origin and driving mechanisms of marine litter in the shelf-incised Motril, Carchuna, and Calahonda canyons (northern Alboran Sea)

Introduction and methodsMarine litter density, distribution and potential sources, and the impact on canyon seafloor habitats were investigated in the Motril, Carchuna and Calahonda canyons, located along the northern margin of the Alboran Sea. During the ALSSOMAR-S2S oceanographic survey carried out in 2019, canyon floor imagery was collected by a Remotely Operated Vehicle along 5 km in the Motril Canyon, 10 km in the Carchuna Canyon, and 3 km in Calahonda Canyon, together with 41 surficial sediment samples. Additionally, coastal uses, maritime traffic and fishing activity data were analyzed. A 50 m resolution multibeam bathymetry served as base map. ResultsIn the Motril and Calahonda canyons, the density of marine litter was low and the material was dispersed, very degraded and partially buried. In contrast, the Carchuna Canyon contained a greater amount and variety of litter. The Carchuna Canyon thalweg exhibited a density of marine litter up to 8.66 items center dot 100 m(-1), and litter hotspots with a density of up to 42 items center dot m(2) are found along the upper reaches of the canyon thalweg. DiscussionLow litter abundances found in the studied canyons most likely reflect low population densities and the absence of direct connections with streams in the nearby coasts. The high shelf incision of the Carchuna Canyon and its proximity to the coastline favor littoral sediment remobilization and capture as well as the formation of gravity flows that transport the marine litter along the thalweg toward the distal termination of the channel. Litter hotspots are favored by the canyon morphology and the occurrence of rocky outcrops. Most debris is of coastal origin and related to beach occupation and agricultural practices in the adjacent coastal plain. A third origin was represented by fishing gear in the study area. Fishing activity may be producing an impact through physical damage to the skeletons of the colonial scleractinians located in the walls of the Carchuna Canyon. In contrast, the Motril and Calahonda canyons can be considered passive systems that have mainly acted as depositional sinks in the recent past, as evidenced by buried marine litter.18-ESMARES2-CIRCA project of the Instituto Español de Oceanografıa; DL57/2016/CP1361/CT0009info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Early high-titer plasma therapy to prevent severe Covid-19 in older adults

BACKGROUND: Therapies to interrupt the progression of early coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) remain elusive. Among them, convalescent plasma administered to hospitalized patients has been unsuccessful, perhaps because antibodies should be administered earlier in the course of illness. METHODS We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of convalescent plasma with high IgG titers against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in older adult patients within 72 hours after the onset of mild Covid-19 symptoms. The primary end point was severe respiratory disease, defined as a respiratory rate of 30 breaths per minute or more, an oxygen saturation of less than 93% while the patient was breathing ambient air, or both. The trial was stopped early at 76% of its projected sample size because cases of Covid-19 in the trial region decreased considerably and steady enrollment of trial patients became virtually impossible. RESULTS A total of 160 patients underwent randomization. In the intention-to-treat population, severe respiratory disease developed in 13 of 80 patients (16%) who received convalescent plasma and 25 of 80 patients (31%) who received placebo (relative risk, 0.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.29 to 0.94; P = 0.03), with a relative risk reduction of 48%. A modified intention-to-treat analysis that excluded 6 patients who had a primary end-point event before infusion of convalescent plasma or placebo showed a larger effect size (relative risk, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.81). No solicited adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS Early administration of high-titer convalescent plasma against SARS-CoV-2 to mildly ill infected older adults reduced the progression of Covid-19. (Funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Fundación INFANT Pandemic Fund; Dirección de Sangre y Medicina Transfusional del Ministerio de Salud number, PAEPCC19, Plataforma de Registro Informatizado de Investigaciones en Salud number, 1421, and ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04479163.).Fil: Libster, Romina Paula. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Pérez Marc, Gonzalo. Hospital Militar Central, Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Wappner, Diego. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Coviello, Silvina Andrea. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Bianchi, Alejandra. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Braem, Virginia. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Esteban, Ignacio. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Caballero, Mauricio Tomás. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Wood, Cristian. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Berrueta, Mabel. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Rondan, Aníbal. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Lescano, Gabriela Mariel. Hospital Dr. Carlos Bocalandro; ArgentinaFil: Cruz, Pablo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Ritou, Yvonne. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Fernández Viña, Valeria Silvina. Hospital Simplemente Evita; ArgentinaFil: Álvarez Paggi, Damián Jorge. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Esperante, Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires. Fundación Instituto Leloir. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Ferreti, Adrián. Hospital Dr. Carlos Bocalandro; ArgentinaFil: Ofman, Gaston. University of Oklahoma; Estados UnidosFil: Ciganda, Álvaro. Gobierno de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Hospital Interzonal Especializado de Agudos y Cronicos San Juan de Dios.; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez, Rocío. Hospital Simplemente Evita; ArgentinaFil: Lantos, Jorge. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Valentini, Ricardo. No especifíca;Fil: Itcovici, Nicolás. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Hintze, Alejandra. No especifíca;Fil: Oyarvide, M. Laura. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Etchegaray, Candela. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Neira, Alejandra. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; ArgentinaFil: Name, Ivonne. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; ArgentinaFil: Alfonso, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Swiss Medical Group; ArgentinaFil: López Castelo, Rocío. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Caruso, Gisela. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Rapelius, Sofía. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Alvez, Fernando. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Etchenique, Federico. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Dimase, Federico. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Alvarez, Darío. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Aranda, Sofía S.. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Sánchez Yanotti, Clara Inés. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: De Luca, Julián. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Jares Baglivo, Sofía. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Laudanno, Sofía. Fundación Hematológica Sarmiento; ArgentinaFil: Nowogrodzki, Florencia. Swiss Medical Group; ArgentinaFil: Larrea, Ramiro. Hospital Municipal San Isidro; ArgentinaFil: Silveyra, María. Hospital Militar Central; ArgentinaFil: Leberzstein, Gabriel. No especifíca;Fil: Debonis, Alejandra. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Molinos, Juan. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: González, Miguel. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Perez, Eduardo. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Kreplak, Nicolás. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Pastor Argüello, Susana. Fundación para la Investigación en Infectología Infantil; ArgentinaFil: Gibbons, Luz. Hospital Municipal de San Isidro; ArgentinaFil: Althabe, Fernando. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria; ArgentinaFil: Bergel, Eduardo. Sanatorio Sagrado Corazón; ArgentinaFil: Polack, Fernando Pedro. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Ministerio de Salud; Argentin

Effects of intubation timing in patients with COVID-19 throughout the four waves of the pandemic : a matched analysis

The primary aim of our study was to investigate the association between intubation timing and hospital mortality in critically ill patients with COVID-19-associated respiratory failure. We also analysed both the impact of such timing throughout the first four pandemic waves and the influence of prior non-invasive respiratory support on outcomes. This is a secondary analysis of a multicentre, observational and prospective cohort study that included all consecutive patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19 from across 58 Spanish intensive care units (ICU) participating in the CIBERESUCICOVID project. The study period was between 29 February 2020 and 31 August 2021. Early intubation was defined as that occurring within the first 24 h of intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to achieve balance across baseline variables between the early intubation cohort and those patients who were intubated after the first 24 h of ICU admission. Differences in outcomes between early and delayed intubation were also assessed. We performed sensitivity analyses to consider a different timepoint (48 h from ICU admission) for early and delayed intubation. Of the 2725 patients who received invasive mechanical ventilation, a total of 614 matched patients were included in the analysis (307 for each group). In the unmatched population, there were no differences in mortality between the early and delayed groups. After PS matching, patients with delayed intubation presented higher hospital mortality (27.3% versus 37.1%, p =0.01), ICU mortality (25.7% versus 36.1%, p=0.007) and 90-day mortality (30.9% versus 40.2%, p=0.02) when compared to the early intubation group. Very similar findings were observed when we used a 48-hour timepoint for early or delayed intubation. The use of early intubation decreased after the first wave of the pandemic (72%, 49%, 46% and 45% in the first, second, third and fourth wave, respectively; first versus second, third and fourth waves p<0.001). In both the main and sensitivity analyses, hospital mortality was lower in patients receiving high-flow nasal cannula (n=294) who were intubated earlier. The subgroup of patients undergoing NIV (n=214) before intubation showed higher mortality when delayed intubation was set as that occurring after 48 h from ICU admission, but not when after 24 h. In patients with COVID-19 requiring invasive mechanical ventilation, delayed intubation was associated with a higher risk of hospital mortality. The use of early intubation significantly decreased throughout the course of the pandemic. Benefits of such an approach occurred more notably in patients who had received high-flow nasal cannul

Effect of viral storm in patients admitted to intensive care units with severe COVID-19 in Spain: a multicentre, prospective, cohort study

Background: The contribution of the virus to the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate associations between viral RNA load in plasma and host response, complications, and deaths in critically ill patients with COVID-19. Methods: We did a prospective cohort study across 23 hospitals in Spain. We included patients aged 18 years or older with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection who were admitted to an intensive care unit between March 16, 2020, and Feb 27, 2021. RNA of the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid region 1 (N1) was quantified in plasma samples collected from patients in the first 48 h following admission, using digital PCR. Patients were grouped on the basis of N1 quantity: VIR-N1-Zero ([removed]2747 N1 copies per mL). The primary outcome was all-cause death within 90 days after admission. We evaluated odds ratios (ORs) for the primary outcome between groups using a logistic regression analysis. Findings: 1068 patients met the inclusion criteria, of whom 117 had insufficient plasma samples and 115 had key information missing. 836 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 403 (48%) were in the VIR-N1-Low group, 283 (34%) were in the VIR-N1-Storm group, and 150 (18%) were in the VIR-N1-Zero group. Overall, patients in the VIR-N1-Storm group had the most severe disease: 266 (94%) of 283 patients received invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), 116 (41%) developed acute kidney injury, 180 (65%) had secondary infections, and 148 (52%) died within 90 days. Patients in the VIR-N1-Zero group had the least severe disease: 81 (54%) of 150 received IMV, 34 (23%) developed acute kidney injury, 47 (32%) had secondary infections, and 26 (17%) died within 90 days (OR for death 0·30, 95% CI 0·16–0·55; p<0·0001, compared with the VIR-N1-Storm group). 106 (26%) of 403 patients in the VIR-N1-Low group died within 90 days (OR for death 0·39, 95% CI 0·26–0·57; p[removed]11 página