485 research outputs found
Erratum: Correction to: Metal and metalloid concentrations in wild mammals from SW Europe: European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) and badger (Meles meles) (Environmental science and pollution research international (2023) 30 56 (118855-118870))
No full textThe correct family name of the 4th author is Míguez-Santiyán
Revisiting the difference between instrumental and terminal values to predict (stimulating) prosocial behaviours: The transcendental-change profile
No full textWe are grateful to Tamara Ambrona and Belen Lopez-Perez for their helpful comments on the design of the RSVS-11. This research has received financial support from a Spanish Education Ministry grant (PSI2014-53321-P) and the UAM-Fundacion Banco Santander grant (CEAL, 8th call) awarded to the first author
Prognostic Value of Cardiac Troponin I and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Mortality of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients
Full text linkCardiovascular events are the most common cause of death in
hemodialysis patients. Cardiac biomarkers and especially Cardiac troponin I has been used as a prognostic marker in hemodialysis patients and there is some controversies about its value.
For these reasons this study has been done for evaluation of prognostic value of Troponin I and left Ventricular Hypertrophy in mortality of hemodialysis patients.
Methods: This is a prospective descriptive-analytic study, has been done from 2006 -2011 All of new cases whom entered to dialysis center in 2006 studied with measurement of base line
Cardiac Troponin I and left ventricular mass index .Patients fallowed up 5 years later without any specific intervention and survival rate was calculated crudely and in base of Cardiac Troponin I and left ventricular mass index separately after exclusion of non cardiac deaths.
Results: 76 patients followed up 5 years and 35 of them died. Mean age of patients was 57.4 ± 15.6 year. Mean Troponin I (cTnI) in dead patients was 0.92±0.68ng/l and in alive patients was 0.78±0.58ng/l (p=0.39). Mean Left Ventricular Mass in dead patients was 274.9±100.8
g/m2 and in alive patients was 249±77.7 g/m2 (p=0.23). A significant linear correlation was
not founds between cTnI level and Left Ventricular Mass; Age was the most important cofactor of death.
Conclusion: Significant correlation was not founded between cTnI level and Left Ventricular Mass with cardiac mortality .mortality. This may be due to some other factors such as age, quality of control of hypertension and other coexisted diseases, quality of life and home cares.
Age had more important effect on death and this may reflect multiplicity of heath related problems in them
Detective fiction in Cuban society and culture.
No full textPhDThe object of this thesis is to reach towards an understanding of Cuban society through a
study of its detective fiction and more particularly contemporary Cuban society through
the novels of the author and critic, Leonardo Padura Fuentes.
The method has been to trace the development of Cuban detective writing and to
read Padura Fuentes in the light of the work of twentieth century Western European
literary critics and philosophers including Raymond Williams, Antonio Gramsci, Terry
Eagleton, Roland Barthes, Jean Paul Sartre, Michel Foucault, Jean François Lyotard and
Jean Baudrillard in order to gain a better understanding of the social and historical
context from which this genre emerged.
By concentrating on the literary texts, I have explored readings which lead out into
an analysis of the broader philosophical, political and historical issues raised by the
Cuban revolution. Since it deals primarily with modes of deviance and notions of legality
and justice within the context of the modern state, detective fiction is particularly well
suited to this type of investigation. The intention is to show how this is as valid in the
Cuban context as it is in advanced capitalist societies where such research has already
been carried out with some success.
The thesis comprises an introduction, ten chapters and a conclusion. The chapters
are divided into three sections. Chapters 1 to 3 attempt a broad theoretical, historical and
socio-political analysis of the cultural reality within which the Cuban revolutionary
detective genre emerged. Chapters 4 to 6 analyse the Cuban detective narrative from its
inception in the early part of the twentieth century until the emergence of Leonardo
Padura Fuentes as the foremost exponent of the genre in Cuba after 1991. Chapters 7-
10 concentrate upon the work of Leonardo Padura Fuentes, offering a reading of his
detective tetralogy informed by the preceding discussion.
The contribution made by the thesis to knowledge of the subject is to build upon the
work of Seymour Menton and Amelia S. Simpson on the development of the Cuban
detective novel and to provide analyses of the pre-Revolutionary Cuban detective
narrative and the work of Leonardo Padura Fuentes for the first time in the English
language. The thesis concludes that the study of this popular genre in Cuba is of crucial
importance to the scholar who wishes to reach as full an understanding of the social
dynamics within that society as possible. In particular, it proves that Cuban detective
fiction provides a useful barometer of social change which records the shifts in the Cuban
Zeitgeist that have taken place over the past century
The Acute Effects of Whole Body Vibration vs. Jogging on Various Fitness Parameters Using Different Time Intervals
Full text linkTitle:
The Acute Effects of Whole Body Vibration vs. Jogging on Various Fitness
Parameters Using Different Time Intervals
Authors:
Guillermo Perez, Saul Castillo, Gilberto Lopez, Lorenzo Medina, Omar Apodaca, Sonio Garcia, Murat Karabulut
The University of Texas at Brownsville
First Author Classification: Undergraduate
Abstract:
PURPOSE: To compare different warm-up modes (Whole Body Vibration (WBV) and jogging) on different durations (3 or 5 minutes) and their effects on a variety of fitness parameters. METHODS: Twenty-two participants; fourteen males (Mean ± SD age = 23.7 ± 3.9 years; height = 173.4 ± 5.5 cm; weight = 89.4 ± 16.59 kg) and eight females (Mean ± SD age = 23.7 ± 3.4 years; height = 160.6 ± 6.5 cm; weight = 78.6 ± 21.3 kg), performed WBV and jogging warm-ups (3 minute or 5 minute) on four separate days. Upon completion of warm-ups, the subjects performed various fitness test including: three different jump tests (counter movement, static, and drop jump), an agility test with in a hexagon, and finally a flexibility test on a sit and reach box. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine any notable effects for each warm-up with the level of significance set at 0.05. RESULTS: Results show that WBV produced significantly higher values in flexibility compared to jogging. Jogging produced significantly higher power output values than WBV. 3 minute WBV showed no significance in flexibility compared to 3 minute jog. CONCLUSION: Using the WBV for a 5 minute warm-up will result in more flexibility. The 5 minute jogging warm up produced the highest power output. Jogging for 3 minutes provided equal flexibility values compared to WBV, however higher anaerobic power
Simultaneous design of different aircraft departure routes taking community noise exposure events into account
No full textAt many airports, ground track segments may be shared by different departure routes, and the population living underneath these segments is exposed to all aircraft movements which are sent to these routes. This may cause negative community reaction to authorities and policymakers, leading to objections against the expansion of airport and aircraft operations. To take into account this concern in the design of optimal departure routes, a new multi-objective optimization formulation is developed and solved in this study. Besides two conventional objectives, i.e., annoyance and fuel consumption, a new objective is considered in the problem formulation which aims to split a ground track segment shared by two different departure routes into two different parts corresponding to each route. As a consequence, the number of people exposed to all flights operating on these routes is decreased considerably. An optimization problem with three objectives is formed, and solved by a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D). The reliability and applicability of the developed model are demonstrated through a case study at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. The obtained simulation results reveal that the proposed approach can offer solutions which can more effectively balance between the considered objectives.Air Transport & Operation
La prisión preventiva y su aplicación desmedida frente a la presunción de inocencia
Full text linkLa finalidad de esta investigación, es abordar los criterios adoptados por los Jueces, referente a la aplicabilidad desmedida de la institución jurídica de prisión preventiva siendo esto un inicio arbitrario de la prisión efectiva frente al principio constitucional de presunción de inocencia del procesado, en un procedimiento penal. En razón que la privación personal lesiona un derecho constitucional fundamental del imputado, protegido mediante la Carta Suprema del Estado.
En tal sentido el autor advierte que, para evitar la aplicación desmedida y excesiva de la prisión preventiva, se cree conveniente analizar o buscar nuevos mecanismos legales de solución frente a esta realidad que se presenta en los diferentes Juzgados penales del país, a sabiendo que el sujeto que será restringido de su libre albedrio mediante la medida restrictiva individual pudiera ser inocente.The purpose of this investigation is to address the criteria adopted by the Judges, regarding the excessive applicability of the legal institution of preventive detention, this being an arbitrary beginning of effective imprisonment in the face of the constitutional principle of presumption of innocence of the accused, in a criminal procedure. On the grounds that personal deprivation infringes a fundamental constitutional right of the accused, protected by the Supreme Charter of the State, in this regard the author warns that, in order to avoid the excessive and excessive application of pretrial detention, it is considered appropriate to analyze or seek new legal mechanisms for a solution to this reality that arises in the different criminal courts of the country, knowing that the subject who will be restrained from his free will by the individual restraining measure may be innocent
Malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels in canine serum: establishing reference intervals and influencing factors
No full textAuthor contributions:
Perez-Montero B.: Investigation, conceptualization, performing analytical methodology, data curation and writing original draft. Fermin-Rodriguez ML.: Conceptualization, supervision and reviewing original draft. Portero-Fuentes M.: Sample collection, reviewing original draft. Sarquis J.: IFAT methodology application, reviewing original draft. Caceres S.: Serum cortisol quantification, reviewing original drats. Illera del Portal J.C.: Serum cortisol quantification, providing resources. De Juan L.: Project administration, providing resources and reviewing original draft. Miro G.: Project administration, supervision and reviewing original draft. Cruz-Lopez F.: Supervision, data curation, validation of results, writing, reviewing and editing original draftBackground: Mounting evidence suggests that malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) are valuable biomarkers of lipid and nucleic acid oxidation in numerous canine diseases. However, their application in clinical settings is limited due to the absence of reference intervals (RI) and the analytical inconsistencies. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize serum MDA and 8-OHdG concentrations in dogs, to establish assay-specific RI, and to identify biological, haematological and biochemical factors influencing these markers.
Methods: A total of 190 clinically healthy dogs were recruited, including pet dogs, working dogs and shelter dogs. Serum MDA concentration was measured by the Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) assay, while 8-OHdG levels were determined by using a competitive ELISA. RI were established by non-parametric methods. Potential associations between oxidative stress (OS) biomarkers and multiple biological, haematological and biochemical factors were assessed using multivariate regression models.
Results: RI for serum MDA (1.85-14.51 µM) and 8-OHdG (0.06-0.75 ng/mL) were established in the reference population (144 and 143 dogs, respectively). The multivariate regression model for MDA revealed a positive association with total cholesterol concentration, and a negative association with monocyte count. 8-OHdG level was positively associated with urea concentration. Notably, both models also revealed a significant association between MDA and 8-OHdG. Biological factors, including the age and size of the animals, did not exert a significant influence on the results.
Conclusions: This is the first study to establish serum RI for MDA and 8-OHdG in a large and diverse canine population. Additionally, the multivariate regression models identified relevant haematological and biochemical, but not biological factors that should be considered when interpreting the results. These findings could significantly enhance the application of MDA and 8-OHdG as biomarkers in clinical settings, and promote further exploration of their value in canine diseasesDepto. de Medicina y Cirugía AnimalDepto. de FisiologíaDepto. de Sanidad AnimalFac. de VeterinariaCentro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET)TRUEpu
Towards Corrective Deep Imitation Learning in Data Intensive Environments: Helping robots to learn faster by leveraging human knowledge
No full textInteractive imitation learning refers to learning methods where a human teacher interacts with an agent during the learning process providing feedback to improve its behaviour. This type of learning may be preferable with respect to reinforcement learning techniques when dealing with real-world problems. This fact is especially true in the case of robotic applications where reinforcement learning may be unfeasible as there are long training times and reward functions can be hard to shape/compute.The present thesis focuses on interactive learning with corrective feedback and, in particular, in the framework Deep Corrective Advice Communicated by Humans (D-COACH), which has successfully shown to be advantageous in terms of training time and data efficiency. D-COACH, a supervised learning method whose policy is represented by an artificial neural network, incorporates a replay buffer where samples of states and corresponding labels gathered by the agent's policy from human feedback are stored and replayed. However, this causes conflicts between the data in the buffer because samples collected by older versions of the policy may be contradictory and could deteriorate the performance of the current policy. In order to reduce this issue, the current implementation of D-COACH uses a first-in-first-out buffer with limited size, as the older the sample is, the more likely it is to deteriorate the performance of the learner. Nonetheless, this limitation propitiates catastrophic forgetting, an inherent tendency of neural networks to forget what they have already learnt, and that can be mitigated by replaying information gathered during all the stages of the problem. Therefore, D-COACH suffers from a trade-off between reducing conflicting data and avoiding catastrophic forgetting. The fact that D-COACH limits the size of its buffer automatically restricts the types of problems that it can solve, given that, if the problem is too complex (i.e. it requires large amounts of data), it simply will not be able to remember everything.If we want to utilise a buffer to train data intensive tasks with corrective feedback, a new method is needed to solve the problem of using information gathered by older versions of the policy. We propose an improved version of D-COACH, which we call Batch Deep COACH (BD-COACH, pronounced “be the coach”). BD-COACH incorporates a human model module that learns the feedback from the teacher and that can be employed to make corrections gathered by older versions of the policy still useful for batch updating the current version of the policy.To compare the performance of BD-COACH with respect to D-COACH, three simulated experiments were done using the open-source Meta-World benchmark, which is based on MuJoCo and OpenAI gym. Moreover, to validate the proposed method in a real setup, two planar manipulation tasks were solved using a seven degrees of freedom KUKA robot arm.Furthermore, we present an analysis between on-policy and off-policy methods both in the fields of reinforcement learning and in imitation learning. We believe there is an interesting simile between this classification and the problem of correctly implementing a replay buffer when learning from corrective feedback.Mechanical Engineering | Biomechanical Design - BioRobotic
A framework for artificial intelligence in cancer research and precision oncology
Full text linkArtificial intelligence; Precision oncologyIntel·ligència artificial; Oncologia de precisióInteligencia artificial; Oncología de precisiónR.P.L. is supported by LaCaixa Foundation, a CRIS Foundation Talent Award (TALENT19-05), the FERO Foundation, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Investigacion en Salud (PI18/01395 and PI21/01019), the Prostate Cancer Foundation (18YOUN19) and the Asociación Española Contra el Cancer (AECC) (PRYCO211023SERR, funding C.M.). J.N.K. is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Health (DEEP LIVER, ZMVI1-2520DAT111) and the Max-Eder-Program of the German Cancer Aid (grant #70113864), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (PEARL, 01KD2104C; CAMINO, 01EO2101; SWAG, 01KD2215A; TRANSFORM LIVER, 031L0312A; TANGERINE, 01KT2302 through ERA-NET Transcan), the German Academic Exchange Service (SECAI, 57616814), the German Federal Joint Committee (Transplant.KI, 01VSF21048) the European Union’s Horizon Europe and innovation program (ODELIA, 101057091; GENIAL, 101096312) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR, NIHR213331) Leeds Biomedical Research Centre. JSR-F is funded in part by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a Susan G Komen Leadership grant, an NIH/NCI P50 CA247749 01 grant, and an NIH/NCI grant No. P30CA008748. The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health and Social Care
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