Legends of the lakes of Wales : thematic classification and analysis.

This paper seeks to collect as many Welsh lake legends as possible, to produce a thematic classification and to analyse each resultant category and subcategory from a historical point of view. The collection of lake stories is substantially based upon several reliable works edited during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which are also the base for more recent volumes. After an a thorough research, I gathered legends about more than forty lakes. The next step was classifying them into three main categories, namely legends of fairies, legends of catastrophes and legends of magic and ghosts. Finally, the analyses of the tales consisted of identifying relevant folklore motifs, trying to fit them into a historical context within the Celtic world. That process opened the way to propose and revise theories about the appearance of such motives and, to a certain extent, the possible origin of each legend and its influence on later Welsh traditions. In conclusion, the research underlines the importance of lake mythology as a contributor to a better understanding of Welsh culture

La utilització dels "serious games" en el tractament dels trastorns mentals : una revisió

Aquest article de revisió analitza l'ús que s'està fent dels anomenats "serious games" en el tractament dels trastorns mentals. La recerca efectuada a les bases de dades Medline i PsycINFO han donat com a resultat la localització de 537 articles que fan referència als "serious games" i als "computer games", dels quals 71 ho fan a la seva aplicació en l'àmbit de la salut i 14 a l'àmbit mes concret dels trastorns mentals. S'han trobat estudis que contemplen tractaments per l'esquizofrènia, el Trastorn per Dèficit d'Atenció i Hiperactivitat (TDAH), el Trastorn per Estrès Posttraumàtic (TEPT), l'autisme, el retard mental i les fòbies. Hi ha resultats encoratjadors en quan a l'eficàcia dels tractaments utilitzant jocs d'ordinador, realitat virtual i realitat augmentada, si bé degut a ser un camp de recerca molt jove es necessita replicar molts estudis per tal de donar validesa científica als resultats provisionals obtinguts.Este artículo de revisión analiza el uso que se está haciendo de los llamados "serious games" en el tratamiento de los trastornos mentales. La investigación efectuada en las bases de datos Medline y PsycINFO han dado como resultado la localización de 537 artículos que hacen referencia a los "serious games" y "computer games", de los cuales 71 lo hacen a su aplicación en el ámbito de la salud y 14 en el ámbito más concreto de los trastornos mentales. Se han encontrado estudios que contemplan tratamientos para la esquizofrenia, el Trastorno por Déficit de Atención e Hiperactividad (TDAH), el Trastorno por Estrés Postraumático (TEPT), el autismo, el retraso mental y las fobias. Hay resultados alentadores en cuanto a la eficacia de los tratamientos utilizando juegos de ordenador, realidad virtual y realidad aumentada, si bien debido a ser un campo de investigación muy joven se necesita replicar muchos estudios para dar validez científica a los resultados provisionales obtenidos.This paper discusses the use being made of the so-called "serious games" in the treatment of mental disorders.This review article discusses the use being made of so-called "serious games" in the treatment of mental disorders

Optical power model of a laser bar diode

This article proposes a modelling method for laser diodes optical output power including its dependency on temperature. The device used for this study is a 40 W Monocrom's diode, with 808 nm wavelength emitted light and with a 19 emitters CS mount laser bar, mounted using the patented Monocrom's clamping method. The aim of this study is to propose a Pspice modelling of the laser diode device, mainly focusing in the optical output power variation with the temperature and allowing its computer simulation. Also to setup a characterization system to obtain the necessary parameters values for the optical model mathematical expressions. Therefore, the article explains the proposed method for the optical output power model generation of the laser bar diode and how its parameters values are obtained, an optical output power measurement setup and its calibration, the obtained Pspice model and its simulation, and the characterization system that allows to obtain the necessary parameters with short rise up time current slopes. Finally, evaluation of results and related conclusions are exposed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Prediction of protein-binding areas by small-world residue networks and application to docking

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protein-protein interactions are involved in most cellular processes, and their detailed physico-chemical and structural characterization is needed in order to understand their function at the molecular level. In-silico docking tools can complement experimental techniques, providing three-dimensional structural models of such interactions at atomic resolution. In several recent studies, protein structures have been modeled as networks (or graphs), where the nodes represent residues and the connecting edges their interactions. From such networks, it is possible to calculate different topology-based values for each of the nodes, and to identify protein regions with high centrality scores, which are known to positively correlate with key functional residues, hot spots, and protein-protein interfaces.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we show that this correlation can be efficiently used for the scoring of rigid-body docking poses. When integrated into the pyDock energy-based docking method, the new combined scoring function significantly improved the results of the individual components as shown on a standard docking benchmark. This improvement was particularly remarkable for specific protein complexes, depending on the shape, size, type, or flexibility of the proteins involved.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The network-based representation of protein structures can be used to identify protein-protein binding regions and to efficiently score docking poses, complementing energy-based approaches.</p

Laser diodes optical output power model

This article proposes a modelling method of laser diodes optical output power, especially for mid-high power diodes working in continuous wave (CW) or quasi continuous wave (QCW) modes, and focusing in the optical output power dependency on temperature and its model implementation in Pspice, targeting its computer simulation. It is commented the theory and related mathematical expressions used in the model, the Pspice program model and the purpose of its different parts, and how mathematical expressions are introduced in it. It is proposed a diodes optical output power response characterization method using an automatic data acquisition system to obtain diodes response curve avoiding temperature effects during the measurements. Implementation example of the modelling and characterization method in a laser diode, model results versus real measurements comparison and related conclusions are exposed.Peer ReviewedPreprin

OverNet: Lightweight Multi-Scale Super-Resolution with Overscaling Network

Super-resolution (SR) has achieved great success due to the development of deep convolutional neural networks (CNNs). However, as the depth and width of the networks increase, CNN-based SR methods have been faced with the challenge of computational complexity in practice. Moreover, most of them train a dedicated model for each target resolution, losing generality and increasing memory requirements. To address these limitations we introduce OverNet, a deep but lightweight convolutional network to solve SISR at arbitrary scale factors with a single model. We make the following contributions: first, we introduce a lightweight recursive feature extractor that enforces efficient reuse of information through a novel recursive structure of skip and dense connections. Second, to maximize the performance of the feature extractor we propose a reconstruction module that generates accurate high-resolution images from overscaled feature maps and can be independently used to improve existing architectures. Third, we introduce a multi-scale loss function to achieve generalization across scales. Through extensive experiments, we demonstrate that our network outperforms previous state-of-the-art results in standard benchmarks while using fewer parameters than previous approaches.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, conference, accepted by WACV202

Supplementation with high-content docosahexaenoic acid triglyceride in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a complex disorder in terms of etiology, clinical presentation, and treatment outcome. Pharmacological and psychological interventions are recommended as primary treatments in ADHD; however, other nonpharmacological intervention such as a dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) has emerged as an attractive option. Purpose: The objective of the present study was to assess whether dietary supplementation with highly concentrated ω-3 docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) triglyceride may improve symptoms in ADHD. Method: A 6-month prospective double-blind placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial was designed in 66 patients with ADHD, aged between 6 and 18 years. Participants in the experimental group received a combination of ω-3 fatty acids (DHA 1,000 mg, eicosapentaenoic acid 90 mg, and docosapentaenoic acid 150 mg). Instruments included d2-test, AULA Nesplora, EDAH scales, and abbreviated Conner's Rating Scale. Results: In the cognitive test, between-group differences were not found, but within-group differences were of a greater magnitude in the DHA group. Between-group differences in favor of the DHA arm were observed in behavioral measures, which were already detected after 3 months of treatment. Results were not changed when adjusted by ADHD medication. Conclusions: This study provides further evidence of the beneficial effect of supplementation with ω-3 DHA in the management of ADHD

Dynamic and Regulated Association of Caveolin with Lipid Bodies: Modulation of Lipid Body Motility and Function by a Dominant Negative Mutant

Caveolins are a crucial component of caveolae but have also been localized to the Golgi complex, and, under some experimental conditions, to lipid bodies (LBs). The physiological relevance and dynamics of LB association remain unclear. We now show that endogenous caveolin-1 and caveolin-2 redistribute to LBs in lipid loaded A431 and FRT cells. Association with LBs is regulated and reversible; removal of fatty acids causes caveolin to rapidly leave the lipid body. We also show by subcellular fractionation, light and electron microscopy that during the first hours of liver regeneration, caveolins show a dramatic redistribution from the cell surface to the newly formed LBs. At later stages of the regeneration process (when LBs are still abundant), the levels of caveolins in LBs decrease dramatically. As a model system to study association of caveolins with LBs we have used brefeldin A (BFA). BFA causes rapid redistribution of endogenous caveolins to LBs and this association was reversed upon BFA washout. Finally, we have used a dominant negative LB-associated caveolin mutant (cavDGV) to study LB formation and to examine its effect on LB function. We now show that the cavDGV mutant inhibits microtubule-dependent LB motility and blocks the reversal of lipid accumulation in LBs