The use of GIS to evaluate and map extreme maximum and minimum temperatures in Spain

Spanish building legislation has recently changed and now requires an updated and restructured Technical Building Code which is in accordance with European directives. The norm contained in this Code is based on studies of extreme values for climatic elements such as temperature, precipitation and wind. Revised maps of extreme values for climatic elements with a 50-year recurrence interval are required. Here, extreme maximum and minimum temperature maps for Spain are evaluated and mapped by means of geographical information technology. The data are extracted from the historical database held by the Spanish Meteorological Institute. Daily extreme temperatures from 1,181 stations with records going back more than 30 years have been used. The maximum and minimum temperatures are determined as 50-year mean recurrence interval values. To obtain these values, a Gumbel distribution is fitted to the extreme annual values extracted from the database. Spatial interpolation in a regular 5 km×5 km grid of the annual maximum temperature is made by ordinary kriging. Meanwhile, for the annual minimum temperature a residual kriging has been applied due to its strong dependence on altitude

Heart disease risk prediction using deep learning techniques with feature augmentation

[EN] Cardiovascular diseases state as one of the greatest risks of death for the general population. Late detection in heart diseases highly conditions the chances of survival for patients. Age, sex, cholesterol level, sugar level, heart rate, among other factors, are known to have an influence on life-threatening heart problems, but, due to the high amount of variables, it is often difficult for an expert to evaluate each patient taking this information into account. In this manuscript, the authors propose using deep learning methods, combined with feature augmentation techniques for evaluating whether patients are at risk of suffering cardiovascular disease. The results of the proposed methods outperform other state of the art methods by 4.4%, leading to a precision of a 90%, which presents a significant improvement, even more so when it comes to an affliction that affects a large population.SIPublicación en abierto financiada por el Consorcio de Bibliotecas Universitarias de Castilla y León (BUCLE), con cargo al Programa Operativo 2014ES16RFOP009 FEDER 2014-2020 DE CASTILLA Y LEÓN, Actuación:20007-CL - Apoyo Consorcio BUCL

Fat Oxidation during Exercise in People with Spinal Cord Injury, and Protocols Used: A Systematic Review

Background: The aim of this study was to summarize evidence on energy metabolism through peak fat oxidation (PFO) and maximum fat oxidation (Fatmax), as well as to analyze the protocols used in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to examine the main factors related to fat oxidation ability (i.e., age, sex, level of physical activity, and level and degree of injury). Methods: Studies to determine PFO and Fatmax using indirect calorimetry with an arm exercise protocol for SCI patients were included after a systematic search. Other endpoints included study design, sample size, control group, demographic data, level of injury, physical condition, protocol, outcomes measured, and statistical findings. Results: Eight studies (n = 560) were included. The mean value of VO2peak was 1.86 L∙min−1 (range 0.75–2.60 L∙min−1) (lowest value in the tetraplegic subjects). The PFO ranged between 0.06 and 0.30 g∙min−1 (lowest rates: the non-trained subjects with cervical SCI; highest: the tetraplegic subjects). Two types of exercise protocol were found: arm cycle ergometer, and wheelchair propulsion with a computerized ergometer. Five studies used an incremental protocol (2–3 min/stage, different load increments); the rest performed tests of 20 min/stage at three intensities. Conclusion: There are few existing studies measuring fat oxidation in SCI, many of which used small and heterogeneous samples. PFO was lower in SCI subjects when compared with non-injured people performing lower-limb exercise; however, comparing upper-limb exercise, people with SCI showed higher values.This study was funded by the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla La Mancha [PPII-2014-007-A] and the Biomedical Research Networking Center on Frailty and Healthy Aging (CIBERFES), along with FEDER funds from the European Union [CB16/10/00477]. I.R.-G. received a postdoctoral contract from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha “Contratos de investigadores postdoctorales para la excelencia científica en el desarrollo del Plan Propio de I + D + I, cofinanciada por el Fondo Social Europeo” (2021/5937). J.L.-M. received a doctoral contract from the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha “Contratos predoctorales para personal investigador en formación en el marco del Plan Propio de I + D + i, cofinanciada por el Fondo Social Europeo” (2019-PREDUCLM-11385); Plan Propio Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha

La representación de la discapacidad en las imágenes de los libros de texto de Educación Física: ¿inclusión o exclusión?

Resumen. El objetivo de la investigación es mostrar cómo se representan las personas con discapacidad en las imágenes de los libros de texto de Educación Física en la etapa de Educación Primaria. El estudio es de tipo empírico, descriptivo y comparativo entre los libros de texto analizados. La muestra recogió 3836 imágenes de libros de texto publicados en España entre los años 2006 y 2013, bajo la Ley Orgánica de Educación (LOE). La técnica de investigación fue el análisis de contenido a través de un sistema de categorías elaborado ad hoc, previa validación y fiabilidad mediante una prueba piloto, una consulta a expertos/as y una prueba intercodificadores. Para el análisis estadístico se utilizó el software SPSS 19.0. Se realizó un análisis univariante y bivariante con la prueba Kolmogorov-Smirnov, la prueba de Levene y el test Ji-Cuadrado de Pearson con un nivel de significación del 5%. Los resultados mostraron que las personas con discapacidad son prácticamente excluidas en dichas imágenes, siendo casi invisible la mujer con discapacidad. A su vez, la persona con discapacidad es de raza blanca, entre niña y joven y con una discapacidad física, principalmente representada en silla de ruedas. La actividad física que aparece en este colectivo se asocia a la práctica deportiva, en un ámbito competitivo y de máximo nivel. Estos resultados están muy alejados de la inclusión de la discapacidad en la sociedad actual y concretamente, en los libros de texto de Educación Física en Primaria, del sistema educativo español. Abstract. The objective of this research is to show how people with disabilities are represented in Physical Education textbooks in use in Primary Education. The study design is empirical, descriptive, and focuses on comparing between the analyzed textbooks. A sample of 3,836 images were collected from textbooks published in Spain between 2006 and 2013, under the Organic Law of Education (LOE). A research technique based on content analysis was employed through a tailor-made system of categories, which was previously tested for validity and reliability in a pilot study, by consulting experts, as well as by intercoder agreement test. The statistical analysis of data was performed using the software SPSS 19.0. Univariate and bivariate analysis with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Levene test and Pearson Chi-Square test were performed, setting the significance level at 5%. Results showed that people with disabilities are mostly excluded in these images, especially impaired women. Disabled people are represented as Caucasian, either children or youth with a physical disability, mostly using wheelchair. Physical activity appearing in this group is associated with sports at a competitive and maximum level. These results are far from the inclusion of disability in today's society and specifically in textbooks of Physical Education in Primary Education within the Spanish educational system

TEDNet: Twin Encoder Decoder Neural Network for 2D Camera and LiDAR Road Detection

[EN] Robust road surface estimation is required for autonomous ground vehicles to navigate safely. Despite it becoming one of the main targets for autonomous mobility researchers in recent years, it is still an open problem in which cameras and LiDAR sensors have demonstrated to be adequate to predict the position, size and shape of the road a vehicle is driving on in different environments. In this work, a novel Convolutional Neural Network model is proposed for the accurate estimation of the roadway surface. Furthermore, an ablation study has been conducted to investigate how different encoding strategies affect model performance, testing 6 slightly different neural network architectures. Our model is based on the use of a Twin Encoder-Decoder Neural Network (TEDNet) for independent camera and LiDAR feature extraction, and has been trained and evaluated on the Kitti-Road dataset. Bird’s Eye View projections of the camera and LiDAR data are used in this model to perform semantic segmentation on whether each pixel belongs to the road surface. The proposed method performs among other state-of-the-art methods and operates at the same frame-rate as the LiDAR and cameras, so it is adequate for its use in real-time applications.SIThis work is partially supported by Universidad de León, under the ”Programa Propio de Investigación de la Universidad de León 2021” grant

Malaria Vaccine Adjuvants: Latest Update and Challenges in Preclinical and Clinical Research

There is no malaria vaccine currently available, and the most advanced candidate has recently reported a modest 30% efficacy against clinical malaria. Although many efforts have been dedicated to achieve this goal, the research was mainly directed to identify antigenic targets. Nevertheless, the latest progresses on understanding how immune system works and the data recovered from vaccination studies have conferred to the vaccine formulation its deserved relevance. Additionally to the antigen nature, the manner in which it is presented (delivery adjuvants) as well as the immunostimulatory effect of the formulation components (immunostimulants) modulates the immune response elicited. Protective immunity against malaria requires the induction of humoral, antibody-dependent cellular inhibition (ADCI) and effector and memory cell responses. This review summarizes the status of adjuvants that have been or are being employed in the malaria vaccine development, focusing on the pharmaceutical and immunological aspects, as well as on their immunization outcomings at clinical and preclinical stages.This project was partially supported by the "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion" (SAF2007-66115), the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) (UFI 11/32), and FEDER funds. E. Mata thanks the Basque Government for a fellowship grant

Coocurrencia de trastornos de personalidad en pacientes con trastornos de ansiedad

The co-occurrence between personality disorders and anxiety disorders may have important implications. Multiple diagnoses can give us an idea of the severity of the disorder, functioning impairment and prognosis. The aim of this study was two-fold, to analyze the co-occurrence between personality disorders and anxiety disorders, and to identify personality disorder profiles in different anxiety disorders. A total of 31 patients with anxiety disorders participated in the study. They were divided into four groups: specific phobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety and panic with or without the presence of agoraphobia. The assessment instruments used were The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory II and the Anxiety Disorders Interview according to the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The specific phobia group presented lower scores on the different scales and lower frequency of personality disorders. On the contrary, the generalized anxiety group had a higher rate of multiple diagnoses of personality disorders. Higher scores were observed in the schizoid, dependent, self-defeating, avoidant and compulsive scales. Each anxiety disorder presented a profile of personality disorders. Co-occurrence between disorders may help to understand the success or failure of a treatment, so the systematic evaluation of pathological personality in the clinical setting is recommended.    La coocurrencia entre los trastornos de personalidad y los trastornos de ansiedad puede tener implicaciones importantes. Los diagnósticos múltiples nos pueden dar idea de la gravedad de la alteración, el deterioro del funcionamiento y el pronóstico. El objetivo de este estudio fue doble, analizar la coocurrencia entre trastornos de personalidad y trastornos de ansiedad, e identificar perfiles de trastornos de personalidad en los diferentes trastornos de ansiedad. En este estudio participaron 31 pacientes con trastornos de ansiedad, distribuidos en cuatro grupos: fobia específica, fobia social, ansiedad generalizada y pánico, con y sin presencia de agorafobia. Los instrumentos de evaluación utilizados fueron El Inventario Clínico Multiaxial de Millon II y la Entrevista para los Trastornos de Ansiedad según el Manual diagnóstico y estadístico de los trastornos mentales IV. El grupo de fobia específica presenta puntuaciones más bajas en las distintas escalas y menor frecuencia de trastornos de personalidad. Por el contrario, el grupo de ansiedad generalizada presenta mayor tasa de diagnósticos múltiples de trastornos de personalidad. Las puntuaciones más altas se observan en las escalas esquizoide, dependiente, autodestructiva, evitativa y compulsiva. Cada trastorno de ansiedad presenta un perfil de trastornos de personalidad. Tener en cuenta la coocurrencia entre trastornos puede ayudar a comprender el éxito o no de un tratamiento, por lo que la evaluación sistemática de la personalidad patológica en el ámbito clínico es recomendable.&nbsp

Stabilization of Nanoparticles Produced by Hydrogenation of Palladium–N-Heterocyclic Carbene Complexes on the Surface of Graphene and Implications in Catalysis

Palladium nanoparticles (NPs) have been obtained by decomposition of well-defined palladium complexes noncovalently anchored onto the surface of reduced graphene oxide. Morphological analysis by microscopy showed the presence of small palladium NPs homogeneously distributed on the support. Characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed that palladium NPs contain Pd(2+) and Pd(0) oxidation states and the presence of N-heterocyclic carbene and bromo ligands. The catalytic properties of the NPs with and without the support have been evaluated in the hydrogenation of alkynes. Supported palladium NPs showed increased activity versus the nonsupported ones and could be recycled up to 10 times without the loss of catalytic activity. The composition of the palladium NPs is different for each catalytic cycle indicating a dynamic process and the formation of different catalytic active species. On the contrary, the unsupported palladium NPs showed limited activity caused by decomposition and could not be recycled. The role of the support has been investigated. The results indicate that the support influences the stability of palladium NPs

Prevention and control strategies against the appearance of post intensive care syndrome in critically ill patients and their families. A narrative review.

Trabajo fin de grado en EnfermeríaIntroducción: El síndrome Post-UCI se define como un conjunto de afecciones físicas, cognitivas o mentales a consecuencia de sobrevivir a una enfermedad crítica y persiste más allá del episodio agudo. Su elevada tasa de prevalencia junto con el impacto negativo generado en la calidad de vida de los supervivientes y familiares, así como en los costes sanitarios, implica la necesidad de la implantación de estrategias de prevención efectivas multidisciplinares, en que las que la enfermera ejerce un papel fundamental. Objetivo: Identificar las estrategias de prevención frente al Síndrome Post Uci en el paciente crítico ingresado en UCI. Metodología: Se realiza una revisión narrativa mediante una búsqueda bibliográfica en las bases de datos PubMed, Cinahl, Cuiden, Dialnet, Cochrane Library y Scopus. La estrategia de búsqueda se realiza a través del empleo de lenguaje controlado o lenguaje libre y los operadores booleanos “AND” y “OR”. Los filtros que se aplicaron para limitar la búsqueda fueron: año de publicación desde 2012 hasta la actualidad e idioma inglés, castellano, portugués, italiano y francés. Se escogieron 154 documentos para lectura completa, de los que finalmente se seleccionaron 27 para la revisión, exponiendo los resultados en tres unidades de análisis: En el ámbito de la salud mental expondremos el síndrome de estrés postraumático, en el contexto cognitivo analizaremos el deliro y, por último, respecto al físico hablaremos sobre la debilidad neuromuscular adquirida. Conclusiones: Es necesario un abordaje preventivo sobre las 3 áreas afectadas que de manera directa afectan al Síndrome Post-UCI. Destacamos la necesidad de unificar y estandarizar las estrategias preventivas, así como mayor evidencia científica que dé respuesta a las lagunas existentes en el Síndrome Post-UCI.Introduction: Post Intensive Care Syndrome is defined as a set of physical, cognitive or mental conditions resulting from surviving a critical illness and persisting beyond the acute episode. Its high prevalence rate together with the negative impact on the quality of life of survivors and their families, as well as on healthcare costs, implies the need to implement effective multidisciplinary prevention strategies, in which nurses play a fundamental role. Objective: To identify the strategies for prevention of Post-ICU Syndrome in critical patients admitted to the ICU. Methodology: A narrative review was carried out by means of a bibliographic search in the databases PubMed, Cinahl, Cuiden, Dialnet, Cochrane Library and Scopus. The search strategy was carried out using controlled language or free language and the Boolean operators "AND" and "OR". The filters applied to limit the search were: year of publication from 2012 to the present and language: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and French. 154 documents were chosen for full reading, of which 27 were finally analysed for the review, exposing the results in three units of analysis: in the mental health field we will expose post-traumatic stress syndrome, in the cognitive context we will analyze delirium and, finally, regarding the physical impairment we will talk about acquired weakness. Conclusions: A preventive approach to the three affected areas that directly affect PICS is necessary. We highlight the need to unify and standardize preventive strategies, as well as the need for more scientific evidence to address the existing gaps in post-ICU syndrome

Alginate-Agarose Hydrogels Improve the In Vitro Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells in Chondrocytes. A Histological Study

[EN] Matrix-assisted autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) has shown promising results for cartilage repair, combining cultured chondrocytes and hydrogels, including alginate. The ability of chondrocytes for MACI is limited by different factors including donor site morbidity, dedifferentiation, limited lifespan or poor proliferation in vitro. Mesenchymal stem cells could represent an alternative for cartilage regeneration. In this study, we propose a MACI scaffold consisting of a mixed alginate-agarose hydrogel in combination with human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs), suitable for cartilage regeneration. Scaffolds were characterized according to their rheological properties, and their histomorphometric and molecular biology results. Agarose significantly improved the biomechanical behavior of the alginate scaffolds. Large scaffolds were manufactured, and a homogeneous distribution of cells was observed within them. Although primary chondrocytes showed a greater capacity for chondrogenic differentiation, hDPSCs cultured in the scaffolds formed large aggregates of cells, acquired a rounded morphology and expressed high amounts of type II collagen and aggrecan. Cells cultured in the scaffolds expressed not only chondral matrix-related genes, but also remodeling proteins and chondrocyte differentiation factors. The degree of differentiation of cells was proportional to the number and size of the cell aggregates that were formed in the hydrogels.This work was funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of the Spanish Government (PID2019-106099RB-C42, MM) and by the Generalitat Valenciana, Spain (PROMETEO/2020/069, CC). CIBER-BBN and CIBER-ER are financed by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, with assistance of the European Regional Development Fund.Oliver-Ferrándiz, M.; Milián, L.; Sancho-Tello, M.; Martín De Llano, JJ.; Gisbert-Roca, F.; Martínez-Ramos, C.; Carda, C.... (2021). Alginate-Agarose Hydrogels Improve the In Vitro Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells in Chondrocytes. A Histological Study. Biomedicines. 9(7):1-22. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines9070834S1229