Action recognition and understanding using motor primitives

Abstract — We investigate modeling and recognition of arm manipulation actions of different levels of complexity. To model the process, we are using a combination of discriminative support vector machines and generative hidden Markov models. The experimental evaluation, performed with 10 people, investigates both definition and structure of primitive motions as well as the validity of the modeling approach taken. I

Aproximación al estudio de las sequías en las subcuencas de cabecera de la España peninsular: análisis de correlación entre índices de sequía climáticos e hidrológicos, tipos de vegetación y actividad vegetal.

El presente trabajo final de máster se ha desarrollado con motivo de la beca JAE Intro 2018 realizada en el Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología en Zaragoza (IPE) del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). Se trata de una aproximación al estudio de las sequías en las subcuencas de cabecera de la España peninsular en diferentes períodos según la información disponible a través de un análisis de correlación entre distintos indicadores climáticos e hidrológicos: 1) Índice Estandarizado de Precipitación (SPI); 2) Índice Estandarizado de Precipitación y Evapotranspiración (SPEI); 3) Índice Estandarizado de Caudales (SSI). Además de ello se ha utilizado información de variables auxiliares como el caso de: 1) el Índice de Vegetación de Diferencia Normalizada (NDVI); 2) las coberturas del suelo del Corine Land Cover (CLC) 1990, 2000, 2006 y 2012. Se analiza la interacción entre las sequías climáticas e hidrológicas y sus variaciones espaciales en 214 subcuencas de cabecera de la España peninsular. Además, también se analiza la influencia que presenta la vegetación en la relación entre ambos tipos de sequía. Mediante un análisis de correlación se compara el comportamiento de las sequías en la zona de estudio y se determina la respuesta de los diferentes sistemas naturales a las sequías climáticas e hidrológicas. Se ha relacionado el índice de sequía hidrológica SSI, el índice de vegetación NDVI y las coberturas del suelo del CLC con la variabilidad climática recogida en los índices SPI y SPEI. Con ello se puede determinar el retardo temporal y las escalas temporales óptimas en la evaluación de la relación entre las sequías climáticas y las hidrológicas. Además, el NDVI y las coberturas del CLC se relacionan con el SSI para analizar la posible influencia de la cubierta vegetal en la relación existente entre los índices de sequía climáticos e hidrológicos. <br /

Scutoids are a geometrical solution to three-dimensional packing of epithelia

As animals develop, tissue bending contributes to shape the organs into complex three-dimensional structures. However, the architecture and packing of curved epithelia remains largely unknown. Here we show by means of mathematical modelling that cells in bent epithelia can undergo intercalations along the apico-basal axis. This phenomenon forces cells to have different neighbours in their basal and apical surfaces. As a consequence, epithelial cells adopt a novel shape that we term “scutoid”. The detailed analysis of diverse tissues confirms that generation of apico-basal intercalations between cells is a common feature during morphogenesis. Using biophysical arguments, we propose that scutoids make possible the minimization of the tissue energy and stabilize three-dimensional packing. Hence, we conclude that scutoids are one of nature's solutions to achieve epithelial bending. Our findings pave the way to understand the three-dimensional organization of epithelial organs.España Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología BFU2013-48988-C2-1-P and BFU2016-8079

Polyhydroxyalkanoate production by the plant beneficial rhizobacterium Pseudomonas chlororaphis PCL1606 influences survival and rhizospheric performance

Pseudomonas chlororaphis PCL1606 (PcPCL1606) is a model rhizobacterium used to study beneficial bacterial interactions with the plant rhizosphere. Many of its beneficial phenotypes depend on the production of the antifungal compound 2-hexyl, 5-propyl resorcinol (HPR). Transcriptomic analysis of PcPCL1606 and the dele-tional mutant in HPR production ΔdarB strain, assigned an additional regulatory role to HPR, and allowed the detection of differentially expressed genes during the bacterial interaction with the avocado rhizosphere. Interestingly, the putative genes phaG (PCL1606_46820) and phaI (PCL1606_56560), with a predicted role in polyhydroxyalkanoate biosynthesis, were detected to be under HPR control. Both putative genes were expressed in the HPR-producing wild-type strain, but strongly repressed in the derivative mutant ΔdarB, impaired in HPR production. Thus, a derivative mutant impaired in the phaG gene was constructed, characterized and compared with the wild-type strain PcPCL1606 and with the derivative mutant ΔdarB. The phaG mutant had strongly reduced PHA production by PcPCL1606, and displayed altered phenotypes involved in bacterial survival on the plant roots, such as tolerance to high temperature and hydrogen peroxide, and decreased root survival, in a similar way that the ΔdarB mutant. On the other hand, the phaG mutant does not have altered resistance to desiccation, motility, biofilm formation or adhesion phenotypes, as displayed by the HPR-defective ΔdarB mutant have. Interestingly, the mutant defective in PHA production also lacked a biocontrol phenotype against the soilborne pathogenic fungus Rosellinia necatrix, even when the derivative mutant still produced the antifungal HPR compound, demonstrating that the final biocontrol phenotype of PcPCL1606 first requires bacterial survival and adaptation traits to the soil and rhizosphere environment.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Factors related with nursing students’ health literacy: a cross sectional study

Nursing professionals have a crucial role in promoting health literacy in health services, so it is necessary to ensure health literacy skills in future health professionals.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to examine the health literacy of nursing students and its associated factors.MethodsA cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on 460 nursing students. For data collection, a semi-structured questionnaire was obtained on sociodemographic characteristics, perception and health care, use of the health system and lifestyles. In addition, health literacy was assessed using the European Health Literacy Questionnaire.Results6.1% of the participants had an inadequate level of health literacy and 36.5% problematic. The probability of having sufficient health literacy is directly associated with age; and inversely with smoking, prolonged screen time and living alone (p &amp;lt; 0.05).Conclusion: A large percentage of nursing students need to improve their health literacy skills. It is necessary to integrate a greater number of contents in health literacy in the curriculum of nursing students

Agresiones a profesionales del sector sanitario en España, revisión sistemática

Fundamentos: El incremento de la violencia en el ámbito sanitario en los últimos años ha ocasionado importantes consecuencias sobre la salud de los trabajadores agredidos. Se plantea esta revisión sistemática cuyo objetivo fue actualizar y revisar la literatura científica disponible sobre las agresiones a trabajadores del sector sanitario en España. Métodos: Se llevó a cabo una revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre agresiones al personal del sector sanitario. Se realizaron búsquedas en las siguientes bases de datos: Scielo, Cuidatge, Medline, Cuiden, Scopus, Dialnet, Ibecs, Sciencedirect, Medes, Enfispo, Ibecs, Lilacs, Índices CSIC y Embase. Se incluyeron todos los artículos originales hasta abril de 2019, publicados en inglés o español. Resultados: Se incluyeron 23 estudios. La calidad metodológica de los estudios incluidos fue buena. Las agresiones que se producen tienden a seguir un mismo patrón. Fueron mayormente agresiones verbales, acompañadas en numerosas ocasiones de amenazas. Los pacientes fueron los principales agresores, ejerciendo violencia fundamentalmente hacia médicos y profesionales de enfermería. Las principales causas se debieron a los tiempos de espera y a las demoras, pero pocas veces los hechos fueron denunciados o registrados. Conclusiones: Se observa un incremento en la magnitud del fenómeno en los últimos años. En la mayoría de los casos los agresores son hombres, pero en cambio los profesionales agredidos son mayormente mujeres. La variabilidad en los registros de notificaciones de agresiones y en los cuestionarios utilizados en los diferentes estudios, así como la subjetividad e interpretación de estos hechos, dificulta la comparación entre ellos. Background: The increase in violence in the health sector in recent years has had important consequences on the health of workers who have been attacked. This systematic review is proposed, whose objective was to update and systematically review the available scientific literature on the aggressions against workers in the health sector in Spain. Methods: A systematic review of the literature on aggressions to the health care personnel was carried out. The following database were searched: Scielo, Cuidatge. Medline, Cuiden, Scopus, Dialnet, Ibecs, Sciencedirect. Medes, Enfispo, Ibecs, Lilacs, CSIC and Embase databases. All original articles were included until April 2019, published in English or Spanish. Results: Twenty-three studies were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was good. The aggression that occur tend to follow the same pattern; they are mostly verbal and psychological aggressions, often accompanied by threats. Patients are the main aggressors, to normally doctors and nurses. The main causes are waiting times and delays, rarely the facts are reported or recorded. Conclusions: There is an increase in the magnitude of the phenomenon in recent years, in most cases the aggressors are men, whereas the aggressed professionals are mostly women. The variability in the records of aggression notifications and in the questionnaires used in the different studies, as well as the subjectivity and interpretation of these facts, make comparison between them difficult

Increased p53 gene dosage reduces neointimal thickening induced by mechanical injury but has no effect on native atherosclerosis

This is a pre-copy-editing, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in Cardiovascular Research following peer review. The definitive publisher-authenticated version Cardiovasc Res. 75 (4):803-12. is available online at: http://cardiovascres.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/75/4/803OBJECTIVE: The tumor suppressor p53 regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis, two key processes in the pathogenesis of occlusive vascular disease. Here, we examined the consequences of heightening p53 function on neointimal lesion formation in the setting of atherosclerosis and mechanical injury. METHODS: (1) Immunohistopathological characterization of neointimal lesions in atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E-null mice with normal p53 gene dosage (apoEKO) and carrying a p53 transgene (Super-p53/apoE-KO); (2) molecular studies in macrophages and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) obtained from these mice. RESULTS: The p53 transgene conferred p53 gain-of-function in cultured cells and mice. In vitro, survival of irradiated Super-p53 macrophages and femoral SMCs was reduced, but only Super-p53 SMCs exhibited attenuated proliferation. In vivo, whereas the size of spontaneously formed and diet-induced aortic atheromas was undistinguishable in apoE-KO and Super-p53/apoE-KO mice, the latter exhibited attenuated neointimal thickening in mechanically-injured femoral artery. In both models, neither apoptosis nor cell proliferation were affected by additional p53 gene dosage when examined in established neointimal lesions. However, at 2 days after mechanical injury when neointimal lesions were not formed yet, cell proliferation was significantly attenuated within medial SMCs of Super-p53/apoEKO mice. CONCLUSION: Heightening p53 function has differential effects on in vitro proliferation of macrophages (unaffected) versus SMCs (reduced), and on native atherosclerosis (unaffected) versus mechanically-induced neointimal thickening (reduced) in apoE-KO mice. The protective effect of p53 in mechanically-injured femoral artery coincided with limited medial SMC proliferation at early time points preceding neointima formation, but neither medial nor neointimal cell proliferation was affected in vessels with established occlusive lesions. These findings corroborate p53 gain-of-function as a promising therapeutic strategy to limit post-angioplasty restenosis but not native atherosclerosis.Work financed by grants from Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo/Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Red Temática de Investigación Cooperativa en Enfermedades Cardiovasculares, RECAVA), from the Regional Government of Valencia (GV04B-288) and from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia and the European Regional Development Fund (SAF2004-03057). S.M.S.-G. and J.M.G received salary support from Instituto de Salud Carlos III, and J.J.F. from CSIC-I3P predoctoral fellowship program cosponsored by the European Social Fund.Peer reviewe

Thymol Encapsulated into HP-β-Cyclodextrin as an Alternative to Synthetic Fungicides to Induce Lemon Resistance Against Sour Rot Decay

Consumers demand the use of eco-friendly fungicides to treat fruit and vegetables and governmental authorities have unauthorized the application of chemical antifungals for the efficient control of sour rot. In the present research, the microwave irradiation (MW) method was used to encapsulate thymol into 2-hydroxylpropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and the effect of these HPβ-CD on controlling sour rot in citrus fruit, caused by Geotrichum citri-aurantii, was evaluated. Amounts of 25 and 50 mM of HP-β-CD-thymol were used, and compared with propiconazole, to control the decay of inoculated lemon fruit. The treatments were performed in curative and preventive experiments. The incidence and severity of Geotrichum citri-aurantii in 25 and 50 mM HPβ-CD-thymol-treated fruit were reduced in both experiments. The preventive 50 mM HP-β-CDthymol treatment showed the best effect, reducing the sour rot, respiration rate and fruit weight loss during storage at 20 °C. HP-β-CD-thymol increased polyphenol concentration and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and peroxidase (POD) in lemon peel, and the highest effects were found with the 50-mM dose. In conclusion, the results show that the use of thymol encapsulated by MW into HP-β-CD could be an effective and sustainable tool, a substitute to the synthetic fungicides, for G. citri-auriantii control in citrus fruit.Ciencias de la Alimentació