SAFECAR: A Brain–Computer Interface and intelligent framework to detect drivers’ distractions

As recently reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the high use of intelligent devices such as smartphones, multimedia systems, or billboards causes an increase in distraction and, consequently, fatal accidents while driving. The use of EEG-based Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCIs) has been proposed as a promising way to detect distractions. However, existing solutions are not well suited for driving scenarios. They do not consider complementary data sources, such as contextual data, nor guarantee realistic scenarios with real-time communications between components. This work proposes an automatic framework for detecting distractions using BCIs and a realistic driving simulator. The framework employs different supervised Machine Learning (ML)-based models on classifying the different types of distractions using Electroencephalography (EEG) and contextual driving data collected by car sensors, such as line crossings or objects detection. This framework has been evaluated using a driving scenario without distractions and a similar one where visual and cognitive distractions are generated for ten subjects. The proposed framework achieved 83.9% -score with a binary model and 73% with a multiclass model using EEG, improving 7% in binary classification and 8% in multi-class classification by incorporating contextual driving into the training dataset. Finally, the results were confirmed by a neurophysiological study, which revealed significantly higher voltage in selective attention and multitasking

Beneficial effects of pharmacological treatment in post-stroke dynamic aphasia: a behavioural and neuroimaging study

Introduction : Dynamic Aphasia (DA) is a rare form of language disorder characterized by reduced spontaneous speech with preservation of other language functions. Two types of DA have been described: language-specific type (type I DA) and domain-general type (type II DA). In type I DA, deficits are selective for word and sentence generation, whereas in type II DA impairments affect discourse generation, narrative, fluency, and non-verbal generation tasks. There is little information on the treatment of DA. Although treatment with a cognitive enhancing drug (bromocriptine) improved outcome in previous studies, pharmacological interventions combining two drugs acting on other neurotransmitter systems in DA have not been reported so far. Methods : We report an open-label pharmacological single case study (n = 1) in a male patient with a chronic type I/II DA secondary to an ischemic infarction in the left fronto-opercular and insular regions. After baseline evaluation, the patient received donepezil 5 mg/day (2 months), donepezil 10 mg/day (2 months), donepezil 10 mg/day plus memantine 20 mg/day (4½ months) followed by a washout period (1½ months). No speech-language therapy was used. A comprehensive cognitive and language evaluation was carried out at baseline and at different endpoints. 18FDG-PET was performed at the four timepoints. Results : Donepezil (5 mg/day) significantly improved type I DA features (normalization of verbs generation, p = 0.01), whereas donepezil (10 mg/day) improved some type II features (normalizing spontaneous speech, verbal fluency and improving generation of novel thoughts, p = 0.004), along with improvement of executive-attentional functioning. Combined therapy further enhanced cognitive function, but did not additionally improved DA. 18 FDG-PET revealed significant reductions of perilesional hypometabolic activity mainly after donepezil (10 mg/day) and washout. Discussion : Treatment with donepezil improved language deficits in a patient with chronic post-stroke type I/II DA. Combined therapy (donepezil plus memantine) further enhanced executive-attentional functioning. Beneficial changes were associated with improvements in perilesional metabolic activity. References : Luria AR et al.Acta Neurologica et Psychiatrica (1967). Robinson G et al. Brain (1998). Keywords : Language; patients; single case study; adults; cerebrovascular; behavioural, functional imaging.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Mitigating Communications Threats in Decentralized Federated Learning through Moving Target Defense

The rise of Decentralized Federated Learning (DFL) has enabled the training of machine learning models across federated participants, fostering decentralized model aggregation and reducing dependence on a server. However, this approach introduces unique communication security challenges that have yet to be thoroughly addressed in the literature. These challenges primarily originate from the decentralized nature of the aggregation process, the varied roles and responsibilities of the participants, and the absence of a central authority to oversee and mitigate threats. Addressing these challenges, this paper first delineates a comprehensive threat model, highlighting the potential risks of DFL communications. In response to these identified risks, this work introduces a security module designed for DFL platforms to counter communication-based attacks. The module combines security techniques such as symmetric and asymmetric encryption with Moving Target Defense (MTD) techniques, including random neighbor selection and IP/port switching. The security module is implemented in a DFL platform called Fedstellar, allowing the deployment and monitoring of the federation. A DFL scenario has been deployed, involving eight physical devices implementing three security configurations: (i) a baseline with no security, (ii) an encrypted configuration, and (iii) a configuration integrating both encryption and MTD techniques. The effectiveness of the security module is validated through experiments with the MNIST dataset and eclipse attacks. The results indicated an average F1 score of 95%, with moderate increases in CPU usage (up to 63.2% +-3.5%) and network traffic (230 MB +-15 MB) under the most secure configuration, mitigating the risks posed by eavesdropping or eclipse attacks

Psychosocial factors and burnout syndrome in family physicians. Mexico

Objetivo: Determinar la presencia de los factores psicosociales laborales (sociodemográficos y laborales) y su relación con el síndrome de burnout en los médicos de familia que laboran en instituciones de salud. Materiales y Métodos: Para recabar la información necesaria en médicos de familia que laboraban en dos instituciones de salud para población derechohabiente en la zona metropolitana de Guadalajara, México, se utilizó dos cuestionarios: uno con variables sociodemográficas y laborales y el otro con la escala de Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS) para evaluar la presencia del síndrome. Resultados: Participaron 197 médicos, 73 (37,1%) mujeres y 124 (62,9%) hombres. El 92,9% contaba con la especialidad, los demás tenían la licenciatura; sin embargo, en su contrato de trabajo eran considerados como médicos de familia. La prevalencia de burnout en los médicos de familia fue 41,8%. Tanto las asociaciones significativas como aquellas variables sociodemográficas y laborales que se comportaron como factor de riesgo se inclinaron hacia la dimensión “agotamiento emocional”. Conclusiones: Aunque las variables en estudio fueron pocas, las que resultaron relacionadas con el desarrollo del síndrome fueron importantes como para ser vistas desde un nivel preventivo. Así mismo, se sugiere que quienes ya manifiestan signos y síntomas por este síndrome sean derivados para atención médica y/o psicológica y, si el caso lo requiere, brindarle incapacidad, con la finalidad de mejorar el bienestar y la salud del trabajador, así como la calidad de atención y de vida al derechohabiente.Objectives: To determine the presence of labor psychosocial factors (sociodemographic and labor factors) and their relationship with the burnout syndrome among family physicians. Materials and Methods: Two surveys were applied to family physicians who worked in two social security health institutions in the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, Mexico, in order to collect information on sociodemographic and labor variables and assess the presence of the syndrome with the Maslach Burnout Inventory Scale (MBI-HSS). Results: One hundred and ninety-seven physicians participated, 73 (37,1%) women and 124 (62,9%) men; 92,9% had medical specialization and the rest had bachelor’s degree but were considered family physicians according to their labor contract. The prevalence of burnout syndrome among family physicians was 41,8%. Both, the significant associations and sociodemographic and labor variables risk factors tended towards the “emotional exhaustion” dimension. Conclusions: Even that few variables were introduced in this study, those related to the development of the syndrome were important to be considered in a preventive level. We suggest that people with the syndrome signs and symptoms be derived for medical and/or psychological attention, and if required, give them incapacity benefit, with the purpose of improving the worker’s health and well-being as well as improving the social security worker’s life and attention quality

Decentralized Federated Learning: Fundamentals, State-of-the-art, Frameworks, Trends, and Challenges

In the last decade, Federated Learning (FL) has gained relevance in training collaborative models without sharing sensitive data. Since its birth, Centralized FL (CFL) has been the most common approach in the literature, where a central entity creates a global model. However, a centralized approach leads to increased latency due to bottlenecks, heightened vulnerability to system failures, and trustworthiness concerns affecting the entity responsible for the global model creation. Decentralized Federated Learning (DFL) emerged to address these concerns by promoting decentralized model aggregation and minimizing reliance on centralized architectures. However, despite the work done in DFL, the literature has not (i) studied the main aspects differentiating DFL and CFL; (ii) analyzed DFL frameworks to create and evaluate new solutions; and (iii) reviewed application scenarios using DFL. Thus, this article identifies and analyzes the main fundamentals of DFL in terms of federation architectures, topologies, communication mechanisms, security approaches, and key performance indicators. Additionally, the paper at hand explores existing mechanisms to optimize critical DFL fundamentals. Then, the most relevant features of the current DFL frameworks are reviewed and compared. After that, it analyzes the most used DFL application scenarios, identifying solutions based on the fundamentals and frameworks previously defined. Finally, the evolution of existing DFL solutions is studied to provide a list of trends, lessons learned, and open challenges

“Titán” y “Regio”, variedades de pasto Buffel (Pennisetum ciliare) (L.) Link para zonas áridas y semiáridas

Buffel grass (Pennisetum ciliare) is a perennial, native grass to South Africa, from good forage value that adapts well to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. Titan and Regio buffel grass varieties come from collections made in the Central and Northern of Mexico. They were evaluate in arid and semi-arid areas in rainfed and irrigation from 1986 until the record in 2008. The definitive records granted by the National system of inspection and certification of seeds (SNICS), are CEN-001-060608 for Titan and CEN-002-060608 for Regio buffel grass, being these the first varieties registered for this species in Mexico. The average of these varieties yield varies between 2,120 and 2,582 kg MS ha-1 yr-1 under rainfed conditions and 5,180 to 9,160 kg MS ha-1 yr-1 under irrigation conditions. These varieties of grass are tolerant to drought, easy settlement and rapid growth; they are also appealing for livestock, grazing-resistant and tolerant to salinity. Currently, is the specie most used in the rehabilitation and conservation of soil in grassland of arid and semi-arid zones in Mexico.El pasto buffel (Pennisetum ciliare) es una gramínea perenne, originaria de Sud África, de buen valor forrajero que se adapta bien a una amplia gama de suelos y condiciones climáticas. Las variedades de pasto buffel Titán y buffel Regio provienen de colectas realizadas en el centro y norte de México. Fueron evaluadas en zonas áridas y semiáridas, en temporal y riego desde 1986 hasta la obtención del registro en el año 2008. Los registros definitivos otorgados por parte del Sistema Nacional de Inspección y Certificación de Semillas SNICS, son: CEN-001-060608 para buffel Titán y CEN-002-060608 para buffel Regio, siendo éstas, las primeras variedades registradas para esta especie en México. El rendimiento medio de estas variedades oscila entre 2,120 y 2,582 kg MS ha-1 año-1 en condiciones de temporal y entre 5,180 y 9,160 kg MS ha-1 año-1 en condiciones de riego. Estas variedades de pasto son tolerantes a la sequía, de fácil establecimiento y de rápido crecimiento, además, son apetecibles para el ganado, resistentes al pastoreo y tolerantes a salinidad. Actualmente, es la especie más utilizada en la rehabilitación y conservación de suelo en pastizales de zonas áridas y semiáridas en México

HIV-1/HAART-Related Lipodystrophy Syndrome (HALS) Is Associated with Decreased Circulating sTWEAK Levels

Background and Objectives Obesity and HIV-1/HAART-associated lipodystrophy syndrome (HALS) share clinical, pathological and mechanistic features. Tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) is a multifunctional cytokine that plays an important role in obesity and related diseases. We sought to explore the relationship between HALS and circulating levels of soluble (s) TWEAK and its scavenger receptor sCD163. Methods This was a cross-sectional multicenter study of 120 HIV-1-infected patients treated with a stable HAART regimen; 56 with overt HALS and 64 without HALS. Epidemiological and clinical variables were determined. Serum levels of sTWEAK and sCD163 levels were measured by ELISA. Results were analyzed with Student's t-test, Mann-Whitney U and χ2 test. Pearson and Spearman correlation were used to estimate the strength of association between variables. Results Circulating sTWEAK was significantly decreased in HALS patients compared with non-HALS patients (2.81±0.2 vs. 2.94±0.28 pg/mL, p = 0.018). No changes were observed in sCD163 levels in the studied cohorts. On multivariate analysis, a lower log sTWEAK concentration was independently associated with the presence of HALS (OR 0.027, 95% CI 0.001-0.521, p = 0.027). Conclusions HALS is associated with decreased sTWEAK levels

"Navajita Cecilia" Bouteloua gracilis h.b.k (lag.). nueva variedad de pasto para zonas áridas y semiáridas

Blue grama, Bouteloua gracilis H.B.K. (Lag.), can be found practically everywhere in the Chihuahuense desert, comprising nearly all the south-central States of the USA, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico(1), the north-central states of Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas)(2,3) and even the States of Guanajuato, Hidalgo and Querétaro in the centralEl pasto navajita, Bouteloua gracilis H.B.K (Lag.) está distribuido prácticamente en todo el desierto Chihuahuense, que comprende desde los estados sureÅ„,,os de los Estados Unidos de América, Arizona, Texas y Nuevo México(1), los estados del norte centro del paí­s (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Durango, Zacatecas y San Luis Potosí­)(2,3) y hasta la región central de México, delimitada por los estados de Hidalgo, Querétaro y Guanajuato(2,4)

La eficacia del debido proceso en las actuaciones administrativas de Tránsito y Transporte en el Dpto. del Huila (Colombia) 2006 – 2008

La Ley 769 de 2003, es la encargada de la regular el debido proceso en las actuaciones administrativas de Tránsito y Transporte y donde claramente especifica en su artículo 135 el procedimiento que debería continuar cualquier persona cuando sea contraventor de las normas de tránsito y le sea impuesta una orden de comparendo. Por lo tanto, la relevancia de esta orden es una notificación para empezar un proceso especial donde el infractor puede ejercitar sus derechos y controvertir dichas disposiciones. A su vez en el proceso investigativo y al aplicar los instrumentos (encuestas) estos reflejaron que no existe la aplicación de lo fijado por la Ley y lo más importante, es que los actores del proceso no desconocen el procedimiento a seguir.

GAME (Gamificación y Aplicaciones Móviles aplicados a la Educación): Los dispositivos móviles como herramientas para el aprendizaje en la universidad

Memoria ID-0077. Ayudas de la Universidad de Salamanca para la innovación docente, curso 2016-2017.El grupo de trabajo que ha participado en este proyecto de investigación es un grupo multidisciplinar, en el que se han reunido expertos de diferentes áreas relacionadas con la filología, la pedagogía y las nuevas tecnologías, tanto de la Universidad de Salamanca como de la Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED) y de la Universidad Jaume I de Castelló