A Cooperative Decison Support System for Children's Neurodevelopment Monitoring.

Decision Support Systems can enhance e-Health monitoring and IoT scenarios on the early detection of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. Thus, Ambient Intelligence could support innovative application domains like motor or cognitive impairments? detection at the home environment. The paper describes the design of an innovative cooperative system (Galatea) that supports the refinement process of a Knowledge Base expressed as an OWL ontology. The ontology supports decision-making process and is the core of: (1) a Web-Based Smart System aimed to enhance the screening of language disorders at medical centers and schools by fostering the identification of a developmental disorders before 4 years old of age; (2) a set of child smart care services that use Ambient Intelligent paradigm for early attention of motor impairments in children who are often not diagnosed or treated by health care entities

A supervised cooperative learning system for early detection of language disorders

The Quality of Life of a person may depend on early attention to his neurodevel-opment disorders in childhood. Identification of language disorders under the age of six years old can speed up required diagnosis and/or treatment processes. This paper details the enhancement of a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) aimed to assist pediatricians and language therapists at early identification and re-ferral of language disorders. The system helps to fine tune the Knowledge Base of Language Delays (KBLD) that was already developed and validated in clinical routine with 146 children. Medical experts supported the construction of Gades CDSS by getting scientific consensus from literature and fifteen years of regis-tered use cases of children with language disorders. The current research focuses on an innovative cooperative model that allows the evolution of the KBLD of Gades through the supervised evaluation of the CDSS learnings with experts¿ feedback. The deployment of the resulting system is being assessed under a mul-tidisciplinary team of seven experts from the fields of speech therapist, neonatol-ogy, pediatrics, and neurology

Carm1-arginine methylation of the transcription factor C/EBPα regulates transdifferentiation velocity

Developmental biology; Gene regulation; Transcription factorBiologia del desenvolupament; Regulació gènica; Factor de transcripcióBiología del desarrollo; Regulación génica; Factor de transcripciónHere, we describe how the speed of C/EBPα-induced B cell to macrophage transdifferentiation (BMT) can be regulated, using both mouse and human models. The identification of a mutant of C/EBPα (C/EBPαR35A) that greatly accelerates BMT helped to illuminate the mechanism. Thus, incoming C/EBPα binds to PU.1, an obligate partner expressed in B cells, leading to the release of PU.1 from B cell enhancers, chromatin closing and silencing of the B cell program. Released PU.1 redistributes to macrophage enhancers newly occupied by C/EBPα, causing chromatin opening and activation of macrophage genes. All these steps are accelerated by C/EBPαR35A, initiated by its increased affinity for PU.1. Wild-type C/EBPα is methylated by Carm1 at arginine 35 and the enzyme’s perturbations modulate BMT velocity as predicted from the observations with the mutant. Increasing the proportion of unmethylated C/EBPα in granulocyte/macrophage progenitors by inhibiting Carm1 biases the cell’s differentiation toward macrophages, suggesting that cell fate decision velocity and lineage directionality are closely linked processes.TG was supported by the Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona, the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, (Plan Estatal PID2019-109354GB-100), AGAUR (SGR 006713) and the 4D-Genome European Research Council Synergy grant. KSZ was supported by the NIH grant R01GM36477. We have used ChatGPT to improve parts of the text

Evaluating a web-based clinical decision support system for language disorders screening in a nursery school

Background: Early and effective identification of developmental disorders during childhood remains a critical task for the international community. The second highest prevalence of common developmental disorders in children are language delays, which are frequently the first symptoms of a possible disorder. Objective: This paper evaluates a Web-based Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) whose aim is to enhance the screening of language disorders at a nursery school. The common lack of early diagnosis of language disorders led us to deploy an easy-to-use CDSS in order to evaluate its accuracy in early detection of language pathologies. This CDSS can be used by pediatricians to support the screening of language disorders in primary care. Methods: This paper details the evaluation results of the ?Gades? CDSS at a nursery school with 146 children, 12 educators, and 1 language therapist. The methodology embraces two consecutive phases. The first stage involves the observation of each child?s language abilities, carried out by the educators, to facilitate the evaluation of language acquisition level performed by a language therapist. Next, the same language therapist evaluates the reliability of the observed results. Results: The Gades CDSS was integrated to provide the language therapist with the required clinical information. The validation process showed a global 83.6% (122/146) success rate in language evaluation and a 7% (7/94) rate of non-accepted system decisions within the range of children from 0 to 3 years old. The system helped language therapists to identify new children with potential disorders who required further evaluation. This process will revalidate the CDSS output and allow the enhancement of early detection of language disorders in children. The system does need minor refinement, since the therapists disagreed with some questions from the CDSS knowledge base (KB) and suggested adding a few questions about speech production and pragmatic abilities. The refinement of the KB will address these issues and include the requested improvements, with the support of the experts who took part in the original KB development. Conclusions: This research demonstrated the benefit of a Web-based CDSS to monitor children?s neurodevelopment via the early detection of language delays at a nursery school. Current next steps focus on the design of a model that includes pseudo auto-learning capacity, supervised by experts

Arquitectura telemática para la detección precoz de trastornos del lenguaje

La investigación y desarrollo de sistemas telemáticos en e-salud se ha limitado típicamente al despliegue de soluciones centradas en el acceso a la historia clínica electrónica. El presente trabajo aborda la complejidad de diseñar un servicio telemático capaz de ayudar al pediatra de atención primaria en el proceso de decidir si derivar o no a atención especializada a un niño de hasta seis años con posibles trastornos del lenguaje. Con esta finalidad, se ha construido una ontología a partir del análisis sistemático de 21 casos de niños ya diagnosticados y se ha desarrollado una plataforma web que facilita al pediatra su labor de detección precoz. Asimismo, se ha implementado una plataforma web para el especialista que permite validar la efectividad del sistema construido. El proceso de evaluación se ha completado con 21 casos de niños, diferentes de los 21 originales y extendiéndose a 160 niños de una escuela infantil

The trophectoderm acts as a niche for the inner cell mass through C/EBPα-regulated IL-6 signaling

IL-6 has been shown to be required for somatic cell reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). However, how Il6 expression is regulated and whether it plays a role during embryo development remains unknown. Here, we describe that IL-6 is necessary for C/EBPα-enhanced reprogramming of B cells into iPSCs but not for B cell to macrophage transdifferentiation. C/EBPα overexpression activates both Il6 and Il6ra genes in B cells and in PSCs. In embryo development, Cebpa is enriched in the trophectoderm of blastocysts together with Il6, while Il6ra is mostly expressed in the inner cell mass (ICM). In addition, Il6 expression in blastocysts requires Cebpa. Blastocysts secrete IL-6 and neutralization of the cytokine delays the morula to blastocyst transition. The observed requirement of C/EBPα-regulated IL-6 signaling for pluripotency during somatic cell reprogramming thus recapitulates a physiologic mechanism in which the trophectoderm acts as niche for the ICM through the secretion of IL-6.Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Caracterización mineralógica y cronológica de los depósitos arenosos neógenos y cuaternarios del litoral de Huelva. España. (Área: Río Timo-Río Guadalquivir)

12 páginas, 5 figuras, 1 lámina.[ES] En el presente trabajo se estudian los depósitos detríticos de edad neógena y cuaternaria que se extienden a lo largo de una amplia franja litoral, entre las desembocaduras de los ríos Tinto y Guadalquivir. El resultado de los análisis mineralógicos (granulométricos, difracción de rayos X, etc.) y la exoscopía de los granos de cuarzo, permiten separar cuatro «conjuntos sedimentarios» que pueden ayudar a establecer una cronología más detallada. El tramo más bajo de la serie estudiada se corresponde con la «Fm. Arenas de Huelva» (Civis et al., 1985), en la que dominan los feldespatos calco-sódicos sobre los potásicos y la esmectita e ilita sobre la caolinita, en un medio de sedimentación submareal. Suprayacente aflora la «Fm. Arenas de Bonares» (Mayoral y Pendón, 1986-87), de edad pliocuaternaria, que se ha dividido en dos unidades: «UNIDAD INFERIOR», en la que la proporción de feldespatos se mantiene como en los depósitos infrayacentes, pero con predominio de esmectita sobre los demás minerales arcillosos, en un medio de sedimentación de submareal a intermareal, y «UNIDAD SUPERIOR», en la que se produce un cambio en la mineralogía, pasando a predominar los feldespatos potásicos y la caolinita, con desaparición de la esmectita, en un ambiente de sedimentación intermareal. A techo afloran una paraconglomerados, cuya matriz presenta unas características mineralógicas muy similares a la «Unidad superior». El cambio mineralógico, textual, y de ambiente de sedimentación que se produce entre estas dos unidades, se interpreta como una posible variación en los componentes climáticos y geodinámicos de la cuenca en el paso Plioceno/Pleistoceno.[EN] The silt-sandy and sandy deposits dating from the Neogene and the Quaternary have been studied along a wide littoral area, between the mouths of the rivers Tinto and Guadalquivir (Province of Huelva, Spain). Mineralogical analysis (granulometric, X-ray diffraction, etc.) and quartz grain microtextures, allow for the separation of four «sedimentary sets», which in turn can help to stablish a more detailed chronology. The lowest part on the studied series corresponds to the «Fm. Huelva sands» considered to be from the Lower Pliocene (Civis et al., 1987), in which calcium-sodic feldspars dominate over potassic feldspars, and smectite and iHite dominate over kaolinite in a infratidal sedimentation environment. Above, the Plio-Quaternary «Fm. Bonares sands» can be observed. These sands have been divided into two units: The «Lower Unit», in which the feldspar proportion of is similar to that of the lower deposits but in which there is a predominance of smectite over other clay minerals, in an infratidal to intertidal sedimentation environment; and the «Upper Unit» in which the mineralogical proportions change, with potassic feldspars and kaolinite predominating and smectite lacking, in an intertidal sedimentation environment. Upwards in this unit, some paraconglomerates appear in which the mineralogical characteristics of the matrix are similar to those of the «Upper Unit». The mineralogical, textural and environmental change between these two units is interpreted as a possible variation in climatic and geodynamic conditions of the basin during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition.Peer reviewe

El tránsito Plio-Pleistoceno en el extremo occidental de la provincia de Huelva (España): datos petrológicos y mineralogía de arcillas

Peer reviewe

PROCESOS DE EROSION EN TUNEL (PIPING) EN CUENCAS SEDIMENTARIAS DE MURCIA (ESPANA). ESTUDIO PRELIMINAR MEDIANTE DlFRACClON DE RAYOS X Y MICROSCOPIO ELECTRONICO DE BARRIDO

Soil erosion by piping is an important process in the morphological development of semi arid sedimentary basins in south east Spain. Pipes occur throughout the territory in varying degrees of evolution. This work presents a brief summary of the terminology of the process, and outlines which areas have been studied in Spain hitherto, which factors are associated in the genesis and development of piping based on previous work, and the most important environmental factors present in the two study areas chosen - the Mula basin and the Mazarron district. Representative samples from three different depths have been studied in both the neogene and quaternary sedimentary environments. The samples have been studied by particle size analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, and sacanning electron microscopy analysis. The results obtained indicate important differences in porosity, permeability and mineralogy. The proportion of clay is similar, but, nevertheless, the quantities of smectite, illite and chlorite vary substantially between the two deposits. These results, together with the frequency and size of the pores and the grade of cementation between different horizons in the soil profiles, account for the different rates of genesis and evolution of the pipes, which are more active and better developed in the neogene Mula basin. With time their morphologicai o impact is almost identical. The capacity for water movement in the soil at different depths and on the surface, that is the grade of saturation of the soils, favours piping. This is a basic process in the excavation and retreat of many slopes, and also in the routing of surface flow and the formation of gullies.Los procesos de erosión en túnel (piping) tienen gran importancia en el modelado de las cuencas sedimentarias semiáridas del Sureste español. Sus formas resultantes se hallan muy esparcidas y en diverso grado de evolución por todo el territorio. En el presente trabajo, se repasa brevemente la terminología conceptual del proceso, que áreas han sido estudiadas hasta ahora en España, qué factores intervienen en la génesis y desarrollo del piping a la luz de trabajos anteriores y qué rasgos medioambientales más importantes presentan las dos áreas de estudio seleccionadas: Cuenca de Mula y Campo de Mazarrón. Se han estudiado muestras representativas, a tres niveles diferentes, de ambos ambientes sedimentarios, neógeno y cuatemario. A las muestras se le han realizado análisis granulométricos, de difracción de rayos X y microscopía electrónica de barrido (M.E.B.). Los resultados obtenidos indican importantes diferencias de porosidad, permeabilidad y mineralogía. La proporción total de arcillas es similar, sin embargo, las cantidades de esmectitas, illita y clorita varían sustancialmente de uno a otro depósito. Estos resultados, unidos a la frecuencia y tamaño de los poros, y al grado de cementación que presentan los distintos niveles de los perfiles edáficos, condicionan el diferente ritmo en la génesis y evolución de los conductos, mucho más activos y desarrollados en la cuenca neógena de Mula. Con el tiempo, sin embargo, su expresión en el paisaje es casi idéntica. La capacidad de transmisión hidráulica entre los niveles subsuperficiales del suelo y las escorrentías de superficie, es decir, el grado de saturación de los suelos, favorece el proceso de piping. Proceso básico en el excavado y retroceso de muchas laderas, así como en el encajamiento de las escorrentías y formación de cárcavas