2,124 research outputs found
Diseño y propuesta de implementación de un plan de continuidad del negocio aplicable a los hospitales en la ciudad de Bogotá
Trabajo de investigaciónTeniendo en cuenta la competencia en un mundo globalizado y así mismo expuesto día a día a diversas amenazas, se hace prioritario y menester la puesta en marcha de un Plan de Continuidad del Negocio, el cual permita que los procesos críticos de las empresas continúen aun cuando un desastre natural ocurra o en caso de ser víctimas de un ataque perpetrado por el hombre, se ha decidido realizar un estudio de plan de continuidad del negocio en los hospitales de la ciudad de Bogotá, diagnosticando el estado actual y resultados obtenidos en 3
hospitales, identificando los riesgos identificados, probabilidad de ocurrencia e impacto al negocio, clasificados en riesgos tecnológicos, de recurso humano, administrativo y naturales, generando un análisis que concluyó en una propuesta de prototipo de plan de continuidad del negocio para uno de los hospitales objeto de estudio, con el fin de aminorar aquellos riesgos que de acuerdo al estudio requieran atención inmediata y moderada.PregradoIngeniero de Sistema
Detección de ritmo cardiaco mediante vídeo
El objetivo de este trabajo fin de grado es diseñar y desarrollar un algoritmo
que nos permita detectar el ritmo cardíaco mediante el análisis de secuencias de
vídeo, tanto en secuencias naturales en color como en secuencias de máscaras de
segmentación y de profundidad. El uso de estas últimas secuencias permite preservar
la privacidad de la persona monitorizada y trabajar en condiciones de baja o nula
iluminación.
Se ha diseñado e implementado una nueva aproximación, basada en un algoritmo
base fundamentado en el trabajo previo en el que nos apoyamos. Una vez realizado
y validado el algoritmo base sobre secuencias naturales en colores, se ha diseñado y
desarrollado la nueva aproximación: un algoritmo que trabaja sobre secuencias de color,
al igual que el algoritmo base, y que además trabaja sobre secuencias de máscaras
de segmentación y profundidad proporcionadas por la cámara Kinect.
Se ha realizado un análisis del rendimiento de los distintos algoritmos en función
de la distancia de la persona a la cámara con el fin de evaluar la viabilidad de un
posible sistema combinado que utilice el nuevo algoritmo desarrollado.
Para la validación del algoritmo se ha grabado un conjunto de secuencias de vídeo
(dataset), compuesto por secuencias de color, máscaras de segmentación y profundidad,
además de la grabación del ritmo cardíaco medido por un pulsímetro. Con
este dataset se ha podido obtener un completo conjunto de resultados en las distintas
situaciones bajo estudio.The objective of this Final Degree Thesis is to design and develop an algorithm
that allows us to detect the heart rate by analyzing natural color, segmentation masks
and depth video sequences. Using these last kind of sequences allows the preservation
of the privacy of the monitored person and working in conditions of low or no lighting.
A new approach has been designed and implemented, starting from a base algorithm
based on previous work in which we rely. After implementing and validating
the base algorithm on color natural sequences, the new approach has been designed
and developed: an algorithm working on color sequences, as the base algorithm, but
also on masks segmentation and depth sequences provided by the Kinect camera.
We have analyzed the performance of di erent modalities depending on the distance
of the camera to the person in order to assess the feasibility of a possible
combined system using the various modalities supported by the proposed algorithm.
To validate the algorithm, a dataset has been recorded, composed of sequences
natural color, segmentation masks and depth sequences, in addition to recording of
the heart rate measured by a heart rate monitor. Using this dataset a complete set
of results in the di erent situations under study has been obteined
Long-Term tracking with target re-identification
El objetivo de este Trabajo Fin de Máster es mejorar el rendimiento del algoritmo
de seguimiento de objetos PKLTF (Point-based Kanade Lucas Tomasi colour-Filter ).
Para ello, se ha diseñado un algoritmo mejorado en función de las carencias que se
han observado en el algoritmo base. Se han propuesto varias mejoras que se han ido
implementando sobre el algoritmo base.
Finalmente algunas de ellas se han incorporado al algoritmo propuesto SAPKLTF
(Scale Adaptive Point-based Kanade Lucas Tomasi colour-Filter ). Estas mejoras implementadas
permiten mejorar el rendimiento frente a los cambios de escala y mantener
el rendimiento en tiempo real. Por último, el algoritmo de seguimiento de
objetos propuesto se ha evaluado frente a una selección representativa de algoritmos
de seguimiento de objetos del Estado del Arte. El nuevo algoritmo de seguimiento de
objetos mejora el rendimiento del algoritmo base en la evaluación comparativa, asi
como su competitividad frente a los del Estado del Arte.The objective of this Master Thesis is to improve the performance of an existing
tracker, called PKLTF (Point-based Kanade Lucas Tomasi colour-Filter). A newly
improved tracker is designed considering the problems that a ect the base tracker.
Several improvements are tested, some of which are integrated into the proposed
version SAPKLTF (Scale Adaptive Point-based Kanade Lucas Tomasi colour-Filter).
These improvements allow to deal with scale changes and maintain the real-time
performance. Finally, the proposed tracking algorithm is evaluated against a representative
selection of trackers of the state-of-the-art. The new tracker improves
the performance of the base tracker in the comparative evaluation, as well as this
competitiveness against the ones for the State-of-the-Art
Impacts of sewage sludges deposition on agricultural soils: Effects upon model soil organisms
During years sewage sludges have been worldwide poured in agricultural soils to enhance vegetal production. The "Landfill 17" located in Gernika-Lumo town (43°19'28.9"N 2°40'30.9"W) received for decades sewage sludges from the local Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) with agricultural purposes. To this WWTP, several pollutants as heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb), PAHs (benzo(a)pyrene among many others) and pesticides (i.e. dieldrin) could have arrived from local industry and be widespread all over the landfill. Soil invertebrates like earthworms and plants are of special interest due to their close contact with the polluted matrix and their potential effects by the presence of pollutants. In this context, the aim of the present work was to determine the health status of landfill soils by evaluating the effects on model soil organisms exerted by long-lasted pollutants after on site deposition of WWTP active sludges. With such a purpose, different standard toxicity tests and cellular level endpoints were performed on lettuce and earthworms. Indeed, germination (EPA 850.4100) and root elongation (EPA 850.4230) tests were carried out in Lactuca sativa, while OECD acute toxicity test (OECD-204), reproduction test (OECD-222) and Calcein-AM viability test with coelomocytes were applied in Eisenia fetida worms. For the exposure, soils collected in the landfield containing low, medium and high concentrations of pollutants were selected, and as reference LUFA 2.3 natural standard soil was chosen. While no differences were shown in the assays with L. sativa, significant differences between sludge exposed groups and control group were recorded with E. fetida, with lower coelomocyte number and viability and higher tissue metal accumulation after 28days of exposure to polluted soils. These results confirmed the impact of contaminants to soil biota even after long periods of time.Basque Government (IT810-13), CTM2017-87766-R from MINECO,
PhytoSUDOE-SOE1/P5/E0189, and Gernika City Hall
Cycle scheduling for in vitro fertilization with oral contraceptive pills versus oral estradiol valerate: a randomized, controlled trial
BACKGROUND: Both oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) and estradiol (E(2)) valerate have been used to schedule gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles and, consequently, laboratory activities. However, there are no studies comparing treatment outcomes directly between these two pretreatment methods. This randomized controlled trial was aimed at finding differences in ongoing pregnancy rates between GnRH antagonist IVF cycles scheduled with OCPs or E(2) valerate. METHODS: Between January and May 2012, one hundred consecutive patients (nonobese, regularly cycling women 18–38 years with normal day 3 hormone levels and <3 previous IVF/ICSI attempts) undergoing IVF with the GnRH antagonist protocol were randomized to either the OCP or E(2) pretreatment arms, with no restrictions such as blocking or stratification. Authors involved in data collection and analysis were blinded to group assignment. Fifty patients received OCP (30 μg ethinyl E(2)/150 μg levonorgestrel) for 12–16 days from day 1 or 2, and stimulation was started 5 days after stopping OCP. Similarly, 50 patients received 4 mg/day oral E(2) valerate from day 20 for 5–12 days, until the day before starting stimulation. RESULTS: Pretreatment with OCP (mean±SD, 14.5±1.7 days) was significantly longer than with E(2) (7.8±1.9 days). Stimulation and embryological characteristics were similar. Ongoing pregnancy rates (46.0% vs. 44.0%; risk difference, –2.0% [95% CI –21.2% to 17.3%]), as well as implantation (43.5% vs. 47.4%), clinical pregnancy (50.0% vs. 48.0%), clinical miscarriage (7.1% vs. 7.7%), and live birth (42.0% vs. 40.0%) rates were comparable between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to directly compare these two methods of cycle scheduling in GnRH antagonist cycles. Our results fail to show statistically significant differences in ongoing pregnancy rates between pretreatment with OCP and E(2) for IVF with the GnRH antagonist protocol. Although the study is limited by its sample size, our results may contribute to a future meta-analysis. An interesting future direction would be to extend our study to women with decreased ovarian reserve, as these are the patients in whom an increase in oocyte yield—due to the hypothetical beneficial effect of steroid pretreatment on follicular synchronization—could more easily be demonstrated. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov http://NCT01501448
Environmental risk assessment of PPP application in European soils and potential ecosystem service losses considering impacts on non-target organisms
The use of Plant Protection Products (PPPs) is leading to high exposure scenarios with potential risk to soil organisms, including non-target species. Assessment of the effects of PPPs on non-target organisms is one of the most important components of environmental risk assessment (ERA) since they play crucial functions in ecosystems, being main driving forces in different soil processes. As part of the framework, EFSA is proposing the use of the ecosystem services approach for setting specific protection goals. In fact, the services provided by soil organisms can be impacted by the misuse of PPPs in agroecosystems. The aim of this work was to assess PPPs potential risk upon ecosystem services along European soils, considering impacts on earthworms and collembola. Four well-known (2 insecticides-esfenvalerate and cyclaniliprole- and 2 fungicides - picoxystrobin and fenamidone-) worst case application (highest recommended application) were studied; exploring approaches for linked observed effects with impacts on ecosystem services, accounting for their mode of action (MoA), predicted exposure, time-course effects in Eisenia fetida and Folsomia sp. and landscape variability. The selected fungicides exerted more effects than insecticides on E. fetida, whereas few effects were reported for both pesticides regarding Folsomia sp. The most impacted ecosystem services after PPP application to crops appeared to be habitat provision, soil formation and retention, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, erosion regulation, soil remediation/waste treatment and pest and disease regulation. The main factors to be taken into account for a correct PPP use management in crops are discussed.This work has been partially funded by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) through the grant NP/EFSA/AFSCO/2016/03. The author Miguel J.G. Santos is employed with the EFSA in the PREV Unit. The author Jose V Tarazona was employed by EFSA until October 2022. The present article is published under the sole responsibility of the au thors and may not be considered as an EFSA scientific output. The po sitions and opinions presented in this article are those of the authors alone and do not represent the views of EFSA.S
Predicting environmental concentrations and the potential risk of Plant Protection Products (PPP) on non-target soil organisms accounting for regional and landscape ecological variability in european soils
[EN] Plant Protection Products (PPP) raise concerns as their application may cause effects on some soil organisms considered non-target species which could be highly sensitive to some pesticides. The European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA), in collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, has developed guidance and a software tool, Persistence in Soil Analytical Model (PERSAM), for conducting soil exposure assessments. EFSA PPR Panel has published recommendations for the risk assessment of non-target soil organisms. We have used PERSAM for calculating PPPs predicted environmental concentrations (PECs); and used the estimated PEC for assessing potential risks using Toxicity Exposure Ratios (TER) for selected soil organisms and good agricultural practices. Soil characteristics and environmental variables change along a latitudinal axis through the European continent, influencing the availability of PPP, their toxicity upon soil biota, and hence, impacting on the risk characterization. Although PERSAM includes as input geographical information, the in-formation is aggregated and not further detailed in the model outputs. Therefore, there is a need to develop landscape based environmental risk assessment methods addressing regional variability. The objective was to integrate spatially explicit exposure (PECs) and effect data (biological endpoints i.e. LC50, NOEC, etc.) to estimate the risk quotient (TER) of four PPP active substances (esfenvalerate, cyclaniliprole, picoxystrobin, fenamidone) on non-target species accounting European landscape and agricultural variability. The study was focused on the effects produced by the above-mentioned pesticides on two soil organisms: E. fetida earthworms and Folsomia sp. collembolans. After running PERSAM assuming a worst case application of PPPs, PECs in total soil and pore water were obtained for different depths in northern, central and southern European soils. With this data, soil variability and climatic differences among soils divided in three large Euroregions along a latitudinal transect (Northern, Central, Southern Europe) were analysed. Summarising, a trend to accumulate higher PECs and TERs in total soil was observed in the north decreasing towards the south. Higher PECs and TERs could be expected in pore water in southern soils, decreasing towards the north. The risk disparity between pollutant concentrations at different soils compartments should be taken into account for regulatory purposes, as well as the potential landscape variabilities among different Euroregions.This work has been partially funded by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) through the grant NP/EFSA/AFSCO/2016/03. The authors Miguel Santos and Jose V Tarazona are employed with the EFSA in the Pesticides Peer Review and the Scientific Committee and Emerging Risks Units. However, the present article is published under the sole responsibility of the authors and may not be considered as an EFSA scientific output. The positions and opinions presented in this article are those of the authors alone and do not represent the views of EFSA
Innovative in vivo and in vitro bioassays for the establishment of toxicity thresholds of pollutants in sediment quality assessment using polychaetes and their immune cells.
Sediment toxicity testing has become a crucial component for assessing the risks posed by contaminated sediments and for the development of sediment quality assessment strategies. Commonly used organisms for bioassays with estuarine sediments include amphipods, Arenicola marina polychaetes and echinoids. Among the latter, the Sea Urchin Embryo test (SET) is the most widely used. However, one relevant limitation of this bioassay is the unavailability of gametes all year-round, particularly outside the natural spawning seasons. Consequently, the establishment of an appropriate and complementary model organism for a continuous assessment of sediment quality is recommended. A reliable assessment of the hazards resulting from pollutants in sediments or pore water, can be achieved with ecologically relevant species of sediment such as the polychaete Hediste diversicolor, which is widespread in estuaries and has the capacity to accumulate pollutants. The aim of this work was to develop reliable in vivo and in vitro bioassays with H. diversicolor and its coelomocytes (immune cells) to determine the toxicity thresholds of different contaminants bounded to sediments or resuspended into water. Polychaetes were exposed to sublethal concentrations of CuCl2 (in vivo) and a non-invasive method for collection of polychaetes coelomocytes was applied for the in vitro bioassay, exposing cells to a series of CuCl2 and AgNPs concentrations. Same reference toxicants were used to expose Paracentrotus lividus following the SET (ICES N 51; Beiras et al., 2012) and obtained toxicity thresholds were compared between the two species. In vivo exposure of polychaetes to high concentrations of Cu produced weight loss and histopathological alterations. After in vitro approaches, a significant decrease in coelomocytes viability was recorded for both toxicants, in a monotonic dose-response curve, at very short-exposure times (2h). The toxicity thresholds obtained with polychaetes were in line with the ones obtained with the SET, concluding that their sensitivity is similar. In conclusion, in vivo and in vitro bioassays developed with H. diversicolor are accurate toxicity screenings of pollutants that could be bounded to sediments or dissolved in the pore water, and may complement the SET outside the spawning period of the echinoderms. The bioassays herein developed could be applied not only to establish the toxicity thresholds of individual compounds or mixtures, but also to assess the toxicity of field collected sediments.The authors thank Basque Government (Grant to Consolidated Research Groups; IT1302-19, IT1213-19) and Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SEAdimenTOX project, CTM 2017-87766-R)
Sedimentuen toxikotasunaren azterketa integrala ekologikoki adierazgarriak diren espezieak erabiliz
Euskal kostaldean eta, nagusiki, estuarioetan, sedimentu ugari aurkitzen ditugu, egungo zein iraganeko giza jardueren eraginez substantzia toxiko ugari metatzen dituztenak. Horrek ingurumen-arazoak dakartza, eta sedimentu horiek modu egokian kudeatzera bultzatu behar gaitu. Horretarako, kutsatzaileok sedimentuetan duten portaera ulertu behar da, bai eta sedimentuen karakterizazio sakona egin ere. Gaur egunean indarrean dagoen legediak zenbait gidalerro eskaintzen dituen arren, hainbat lanek gidalerro horien mugak agerian utzi dituzte. Bereziki garrantzitsua da ohiko neurketa kimikoak sedimentuetan bizi diren organismoen ikerketekin uztartzea. Izan ere, haietan burutzen diren entseguek informazio oso baliagarria eskain dezakete sedimentuen toxikotasunaren eta, beraz, haien kudeaketa-beharraren inguruan. Entsegu horietarako erabiltzen diren bizidunek sedimentuan bizitzea eta han funtzio ekologiko garrantzitsua izatea komeni da. Horien artean Hediste diversicolor poliketoa dugu, sedimentuen kutsaduraren ebaluaziorako eta bioentsegu zehatz eta fidagarriak burutzeko morganismo aproposa dena. Horiez gain, in vitro teknika egokiak eta sentikorrak garatu dira espezie honetan, eta horrela esperimentazioan erabiltzen diren bizidunen kopurua mugatu egiten da. Beraz, gure sedimentuetan metatutako kutsatzaileen maila altuek izan ditzaketen arriskuen ebaluazio fidagarria lor daiteke, baldin eta analisi kimikoak eta ekologikoki adierazgarriak diren espezieetan gertatutako efektuak (analisi ekotoxikologikoak) integratzen badira.; In the Basque coast and mainly in estuaries, sediment deposition and accumulation occurs. It is noteworthy that different human activities have influenced on sediments that have undergone important inputs of different toxic substances over the years and even today. Since polluted sediments could pose a risk for the environment, we should proceed properly for an accurate environmental management. For that, firstly it is necessary to study and understand the behavior of pollutants in sediments and then to carry out characterization of sediments. Although the legislation currently in force provides certain guidelines, several works have revealed the limitations of these policies. Therefore, in addition to conventional chemical measurements, organisms living in estuarine sediments and tests performed in them can provide very useful information on sediment toxicity (and thus future use and management). Mainly, if these sentinel organisms are ecologically relevant species that inhabit those niches. Among organisms living in sediment, the polychaete Hediste diversicolor has been used for sediment toxicity assessment using bioassays. Moreover, in vitro techniques have been described in this species as very useful tools, limiting the number of organisms used in experiments and showing them as sensitive tools. Therefore, a reliable assessment of the hazards resulting from high levels of pollutants in sediments can be achieved, after integrating chemical analysis and effects measured in ecologically relevant species (ecotoxicological analysis)
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