36 research outputs found
Identitats ambivalents: estudi comparatiu de sistemes de classificació social
No full textLa cultura, aquest concepte tan omnipresent i ambigu, s’ha transformat avui en el terreny semàntic del debat científic i polític. La globalització econòmica s’associa amb una progressiva homogeneïtzació cultural mundial, acompanyada tanmateix d’una explosió d’identitats locals, culturals, ètniques o racialitzades. Els pobles indígenes reclamen drets polítics apel·lant a la seva autenticitat ètnica originària. Les migracions transnacionals susciten alarma en els països de destí, els ‘natius’ dels quals temen que els nouvinguts erosionin la seva identitat cultural i la seva cohesió social amb les seves cultures diferents
A probabilistic author-centered model for Twitter discussions
No full textIn a recent work some of the authors have developed an argumentative approach for discovering relevant opinions in Twitter discussions with probabilistic valued relationships. Given a Twitter discussion, the system builds an argument graph where each node denotes a tweet and each edge denotes a criticism relationship between a pair of tweets of the discussion. Relationships between tweets are associated with a probability value, indicating the uncertainty that the relationships hold. In this work we introduce and investigate a natural extension of the representation model, referred as probabilistic author-centered model, in which tweets within a discussion are grouped by authors, in such a way that tweets of a same author describe his/her opinion in the discussion and are rep- resented with a single node in the graph, and criticism relationships denote controversies between opinions of Twitter users in the discussion. In this new model, the interactions between authors can give rise to circular criticism relationships, and the probability of one opinion criticizing another has to be evaluated from the probabilities of criticism among the tweets that compose both opinions.This work was partially funded by the Spanish MICINN Projects TIN2015-71799-C2-1-P and TIN2015-71799-C2-2-PPeer Reviewe
Blood-biomarkers and devices for atrial fibrillation screening: Lessons learned from the AFRICAT (Atrial Fibrillation Research In CATalonia) study
No full textBACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: AFRICAT is a prospective cohort study intending to develop an atrial fibrillation (AF) screening program through the combination of blood markers, rhythm detection devices, and long-term monitoring in our community. In particular, we aimed to validate the use of NT-proBNP, and identify new blood biomarkers associated with AF. Also, we aimed to compare AF detection using various wearables and long-term Holter monitoring. METHODS: 359 subjects aged 65–75 years with hypertension and diabetes were included in two phases: Phase I (n = 100) and Phase II (n = 259). AF diagnosis was performed by baseline 12-lead ECG, 4 weeks of Holter monitoring (Nuubo(TM)), and/or medical history. An aptamer array including 1310 proteins was measured in the blood of 26 patients. Candidates were selected according to p-value, logFC and biological function to be tested in verification and validation phases. Several screening devices were tested and compared: AliveCor, Watch BP, MyDiagnostick and Fibricheck. RESULTS: AF was present in 34 subjects (9.47%). The aptamer array revealed 41 proteins with differential expression in AF individuals. TIMP-2 and ST-2 were the most promising candidates in the verification analysis, but none of them was further validated. NT-proBNP (log-transformed) (OR = 1.934; p<0.001) was the only independent biomarker to detect AF in the whole cohort. Compared to an ECG, WatchBP had the highest sensitivity (84.6%) and AUC (0.895 [0.780–1]), while MyDiagnostick showed the highest specificity (97.10%). CONCLUSION: The inclusion and monitoring of a cohort of primary care patients for AF detection, together with the testing of biomarkers and screening devices provided useful lessons about AF screening in our community. An AF screening strategy using rhythm detection devices and short monitoring periods among high-risk patients with high NT-proBNP levels could be feasible
Early Diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke Incidence in Primary Care: Translating Measurements into Actions—A Retrospective Cohort Study
No full text(1) Background: AF-related strokes will triple by 2060, are associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline, and alone or in combination, will be one of the main health and economic burdens on the European population. The main goal of this paper is to describe the incidence of new AF associated with stroke, cognitive decline and mortality among people at high risk for AF. (2) Methods: Multicenter, observational, retrospective, community-based studies were conducted from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2021. The setting was primary care centers. A total of 40,297 people aged ≥65 years without previous AF or stroke were stratified by AFrisk at 5 years. The main measurements were the overall incidence density/1000 person-years (CI95%) of AF and stroke, prevalence of cognitive decline, and Kaplan–Meier curve. (3) Results: In total, 46.4% women, 77.65 ± 8.46 years old on average showed anAF incidence of 9.9/103/year (CI95% 9.5–10.3), associated with a four-fold higher risk of stroke (CI95% 3.4–4.7), cognitive impairment(OR 1.34 (CI95% 1.1–1.5)), and all-cause mortality (OR 1.14 (CI95% 1.0–1.2)), but there was no significant difference in ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, or peripheral arteriopathy. Unknown AF was diagnosed in 9.4% and of these patients, 21.1% were diagnosed with new stroke. (4) Conclusions: The patients at high AF risk (Q4th) already had an increased cardiovascular risk before they were diagnosed with AF
Machine Learning Approaches to Predict Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Atrial Fibrillation
No full textThe increasing prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and its association with Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE) presents challenges in early identification and treatment. Although existing risk factors, biomarkers, genetic variants, and imaging parameters predict MACE, emerging factors may be more decisive. Artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques (ML) offer a promising avenue for more effective AF evolution prediction. Five ML models were developed to obtain predictors of MACE in AF patients. Two-thirds of the data were used for training, employing diverse approaches and optimizing to minimize prediction errors, while the remaining third was reserved for testing and validation. AdaBoost emerged as the top-performing model (accuracy: 0.9999; recall: 1; F1 score: 0.9997). Noteworthy features influencing predictions included the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), diabetes mellitus, cancer, the Wells scale, and CHA2DS2-VASc, with specific associations identified. Elevated MACE risk was observed, with a CCI score exceeding 2.67 ± 1.31 (p p < 0.001), and an intermediate-risk Wells scale classification. Overall, the AdaBoost ML offers an alternative predictive approach to facilitate the early identification of MACE risk in the assessment of patients with AF
Boxplot distribution of the 3 proteins selected for validation (NT-proBNP, ST-2 and TIMP-2) according to the methodology used for AF diagnosis
No full textPeer reviewe
Top table of the differential expressed proteins between AF and no AF
No full textS1 Table: Top table of the differential expressed proteins between AF and no AF. Results from the discovery study.Results from the discovery study. Proteins selected to be verified in the whole Phase 1 are highlighted in grey. Proteins in bold but not highlighted were already tested in the whole phase 1 as part of a previous published work.Peer reviewe
Architects and the Atomic Age: The AEC and the debate on urban dispersion
No full textAt the dawn of the atomic age the US architectural scene was shocked to the awe and devastation brought by the atomic bomb and was quick to adapt it thinking on city planning. As early as December 1945, Alfred Caldwell was proclaiming in a feature article of the Journal of American Institute of Architects: “Now we have a weapon that makes cities the most dangerous place in the world.” For Caldwell, as well as Hilberseimer and a growing group of advocates, decentralization was the only rational solution to civil defence in the wake of the US bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the following years, this direction for dispersed urbanism was propagated by the mass architectural media of the time and institutionalized through workings between the American Institute of Architects and the US Atomic Energy Commission of 1946, the gubernatorial agency for the promotion and regulation of atomic energy to all facets of US industry. But a counter-argument to urban dispersion was also harbouring among the architectural community, namely by architects such as Josep Lluis Sert, who having taken the lessons of the US CIAM to his heart stood in defense of central city areas and “the historical pattern of towns.” This paper traces the history of this debate on urban dispersion and investigates the connections between administrative, academic, media, and professional bodies that interconnected and conditioned the architectural matters of the time.Urban Desig
Ciencia en el imperio español del siglo XVII: Fray Ignacio Muñoz y sus manifiestos geométricos
No full textThe research describes some of the scientific knowledge that help to build the life trajectory of the Dominican Ignacio Muñoz Pinciano, during his stays in the Philippines, New Spain, and the Court of Philip IV. He is particularly interested in the direct sources of his geometrically based scientific knowledge that have survived to the present day, and whose use by the Dominican is adapted to the needs of maintaining the Spanish empire in the 17th century. The Dominican’s own handwritten documentation and graphic representations provide numerous references to his geometric knowledge that allow us to understand the basis of his scientific knowledge and his unique contribution collected under the title of “geometric manifestos”.La investigación describe alguno de los conocimientos científicos que ayudan a construir la trayectoria vital del dominico Ignacio Muñoz Pinciano, en sus estancias en Filipinas, Nueva España y en la Corte de Felipe IV. Especial interés reviste en las fuentes directas de sus conocimientos científicos de base geométrica que han llegado a nuestros días, y cuya utilización por parte del dominico se adaptan a las necesidades del mantenimiento de imperio español en el siglo XVII. La documentación manuscrita y representaciones gráficas del dominico aportan numerosas referencias sobre su saber geométrico que nos permiten comprender la base de su conocimiento científico y su singular aportación recogido bajo el título de “manifiestos geométricos”
N-Terminal Pro B-Type Natriuretic Peptide's Usefulness for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Detection Among Populations Carrying Cardiovascular Risk Factors
No full textCopyright © 2019 Palà, Bustamante, Clúa-Espuny, Acosta, Gonzalez-Loyola, Ballesta-Ors, Gill, Caballero, Pagola, Pedrote, Muñoz and Montaner[Background]: Atrial fibrillation (AF) systematic screening studies have not shown a clear usefulness in stroke prevention, as AF might present as paroxysmal and asymptomatic. This study aims to determine the usefulness of some blood-biomarkers to identify paroxysmal atrial fibrillation in the context of a screening programme.[Methods]: A total of 100 subjects aged 65–75 years with hypertension and diabetes were randomly selected. AF was assessed by conventional electrocardiogram (ECG) and 4 weeks monitoring with a wearable Holter device (Nuubo™). N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), apolipoprotein CIII (ApoC-III), von Willebrand factor (vWF), ADAMTS13, urokinase plasminogen activator surface receptor (uPAR), and urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) were determined in serum/plasma samples and the levels were compared depending on AF presence and mode of detection.[Results]: The AF prevalence in the studied population was found to be 20%. In seven subjects, AF was only detected after 1 month of Holter monitoring (hAF group). NT-proBNP levels were higher in subjects with AF compared with subjects with no AF (p 95 pg/ml cut-off showed high sensitivity and specificity to detect AF (95%, 66.2%) or hAF (85.72%, 66.2%) and was found to be an independent predictor of AF and hAF in a logistic regression analysis. NT-proBNP correlated with AF burden (r = 0.597, p = 0.024).[Conclusion]: NT-proBNP was elevated in AF cases not identified by ECG; thus, it may be used as a screening biomarker in asymptomatic high-risk populations, with a promising cut-off point of 95 pg/ml that requires further validation.The study received a research grant by Fundació Marató de TV3 in the research call La Marató 2014: malalties del cor. Grant number: 201528-30-31-3. AB was supported by a Juan Rodés research contract (JR16/00008) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. EP has received a predoctoral grant from Vall D’Hebron Institute of Research
