ABSTRACT
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV-therapeutic.
Subject(s)
Osteoarthritis , Surgical Flaps , Wrist Joint , Humans , Osteoarthritis/surgery , Wrist Joint/surgery , Surgical Flaps/blood supply , Female , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
Wastewater recycling technologies are developed in areas where the necessity of water resources cannot be satisfied by natural sources. Nevertheless, nowadays trends and European Union Plans show an increasing interest on using these technologies to reduce environmental impacts. This manuscript aims to address the question of the real environmental results of using these technologies and the differences between each specific case using the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. A real case study is analyzed to answer this question: the integral water cycle of a northern of Spain, comparing a traditional water supply system (system I), and an alternative wastewater regeneration plant (system II). System II presents a higher impact for all categories (between 1.2 and 37 times higher), except for land use, where it is reduced by 53 %. These results show a larger impact produced by the alternative system due to higher energy and chemical product consumption. Energy consumption is the main factor causing the highest impact in most of the impact categories for both studied systems, including the one associated to the water resource consumption. It accounts for at least 50 % of the total impact for each system in 7 of the 16 evaluated impact categories. In terms of climate change, energy consumption is not particularly significant in system I, but it is for system II, where it represents around 50 % of that impact. In the categories where the impact is not determined by energy consumption, chemical product consumption and waste and discharge treatment are the most relevant factors. In this sense, this paper highlights the importance of analysing each case specifically and underscores the usefulness of using LCA methodology as a tool to improve decision-making in resource management, with water resources emerging as a crucial focal point.
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this work is to offer a methodology for the introduction and consolidation of social indexes within a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment for the evaluation of large-scale electricity production. This methodology is based on an interrelation of the UNEP subcategories with the global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals, resulting in 9 categories of social impact quantified by 10 indexes. To evaluate the introduction of this methodology in an LCSA a study case is used. It is applied to obtain social indexes for the 2019, 2030 and 2050 Spanish electricity scenarios, which involve different electricity generation and storage technologies: involve coal, natural gas, nuclear, hydropower, wind, solar photovoltaic, concentrated solar, biomass and storage technologies. Within the study case, an environmental life cycle assessment is also conducted, while the impacts of the economic dimension are estimated by the levelized cost of energy. This study reveals that even before important qualitative information is brought to light, as should be done in any decision-making process, there are important gaps that can be filled in terms of quantitative information in an LCSA. To do so, it provides with a methodology to expand the number of social indexes normally used in this type of assessments with the purpose of contributing to decision processes with clarity and transparency. Labour rights, salary differences for the same position, diversity in executive positions, child labour, and R&D expenditure complement the previously used occupational injuries, fatalities due to large accidents, and direct employment. The proposed methodology is applied to a Spanish case study, demonstrating the benefits and disadvantages associated with the modification of the electricity mix. However, it also highlights significant information gaps in availability and transparency that need to be addressed in future research, as part of the path towards standardizing LCSA.
ABSTRACT
This paper explores the boosting ridge (BR) framework in the extreme learning machine (ELM) community and presents a novel model that trains the base learners as a global ensemble. In the context of Extreme Learning Machine single-hidden-layer networks, the nodes in the hidden layer are preconfigured before training, and the optimisation is performed on the weights in the output layer. The previous implementation of the BR ensemble with ELM (BRELM) as base learners fix the nodes in the hidden layer for all the ELMs. The ensemble learning method generates different output layer coefficients by reducing the residual error of the ensemble sequentially as more base learners are added to the ensemble. As in other ensemble methodologies, base learners are selected until fulfilling ensemble criteria such as size or performance. This paper proposes a global learning method in the BR framework, where base learners are not added step by step, but all are calculated in a single step looking for ensemble performance. This method considers (i) the configurations of the hidden layer are different for each base learner, (ii) the base learners are optimised all at once, not sequentially, thus avoiding saturation, and (iii) the ensemble methodology does not have the disadvantage of working with strong classifiers. Various regression and classification benchmark datasets have been selected to compare this method with the original BRELM implementation and other state-of-the-art algorithms. Particularly, 71 datasets for classification and 52 for regression, have been considered using different metrics and analysing different characteristics of the datasets, such as the size, the number of classes or the imbalanced nature of them. Statistical tests indicate the superiority of the proposed method in both regression and classification problems in all experimental scenarios.
Subject(s)
Arthritis, Rheumatoid , Wrist , Humans , Wrist Joint/surgery , Arthritis, Rheumatoid/surgery , Arthrodesis , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to implement protocols that respond to the mental health demands of the population has been demonstrated. The PASMICOR programme started in March 2020, involving a total of 210 requests for treatment. Out of those subjects, the intervention was performed in 53 patients with COVID-19 without history of past psychiatric illness, 57 relatives and 60 health professionals, all of them within the area of Salamanca (Spain). Interventions were carried out by professionals of the public mental health service mostly by telephone. Depending on clinical severity, patients received basic (level I) or complex psychotherapeutic care combined with psychiatric care (level II). The majority of attended subjects were women (76.5%). Anxious-depressive symptoms were predominant, although sadness was more frequent in patients, insomnia in relatives and anxiety and fear in health professionals. 80% of the sample, particularly most of the health professionals, required a high-intensity intervention (level II). Nearly 50% of the people treated were discharged after an average of 5 interventions. Providing early care to COVID-19 patients, relatives and professionals by using community mental health resources can help to reduce the negative impact of crises, such as the pandemic, on the most affected population groups.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , Female , Male , COVID-19/epidemiology , Pandemics , Follow-Up Studies , Mental Health , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
There is evidence that DNA breathing (spontaneous opening of the DNA strands) plays a relevant role in the interactions of DNA with other molecules, and in particular in the transcription process. Therefore, having physical models that can predict these openings is of interest. However, this source of information has not been used before either in transcription start sites (TSSs) or promoter prediction. In this article, one such model is used as an additional information source that, when used by a machine learning (ML) model, improves the results of current methods for the prediction of TSSs. In addition, we provide evidence on the validity of the physical model, as it is able by itself to predict TSSs with high accuracy. This opens an exciting avenue of research at the intersection of statistical mechanics and ML, where ML models in bioinformatics can be improved using physical models of DNA as feature extractors.
Subject(s)
Computational Biology , DNA , Transcription Initiation Site , Promoter Regions, Genetic , Computational Biology/methodsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hip joint reconstruction following intra-articular resection of the femoral head in children is a highly demanding challenge. We aimed to describe the outcomes of hip reconstruction in paediatric patients with a free fibular epiphyso-diaphyseal flap based on both anterior tibial and peroneal vessels within a radius allograft. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Four patients underwent hip reconstruction following this technique between 2013 and 2020 at La Paz University Hospital (Madrid, Spain). The postoperative follow-up period ranged between 12 months and seven years. Two of the patients were diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma and two with osteosarcoma. The median age at the time of surgery was eight years (six to nine). RESULTS: Three patients remained to be disease-free at the time of this study, and one died shortly after surgery, so he was excluded from the reconstruction analysis of results. No postoperative complications requiring reintervention were recorded. Imaging studies (X-ray and MRI) showed three-dimensional growth of the flap and integration of the allograft. Mean leg length discrepancy was 1.3 cm (0 to 2.3). At the last follow-up visit, all patients were able to ambulate. CONCLUSION: For children following oncological resection of the femoral head, reconstruction with a vascularized epiphyso-diaphyseal fibula flap combined with radius allograft is a safe option. This procedure provides encouraging functional results and avoids the complications of previously published techniques or implants.
Subject(s)
Bone Neoplasms , Free Tissue Flaps , Osteosarcoma , Plastic Surgery Procedures , Bone Neoplasms/surgery , Bone Transplantation/methods , Child , Fibula/transplantation , Free Tissue Flaps/surgery , Humans , Male , Osteosarcoma/surgery , Osteotomy , Plastic Surgery Procedures/methods , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Ensembles are a widely implemented approach in the machine learning community and their success is traditionally attributed to the diversity within the ensemble. Most of these approaches foster diversity in the ensemble by data sampling or by modifying the structure of the constituent models. Despite this, there is a family of ensemble models in which diversity is explicitly promoted in the error function of the individuals. The negative correlation learning (NCL) ensemble framework is probably the most well-known algorithm within this group of methods. This article analyzes NCL and reveals that the framework actually minimizes the combination of errors of the individuals of the ensemble instead of minimizing the residuals of the final ensemble. We propose a novel ensemble framework, named global negative correlation learning (GNCL), which focuses on the optimization of the global ensemble instead of the individual fitness of its components. An analytical solution for the parameters of base regressors based on the NCL framework and the global error function proposed is also provided under the assumption of fixed basis functions (although the general framework could also be instantiated for neural networks with nonfixed basis functions). The proposed ensemble framework is evaluated by extensive experiments with regression and classification data sets. Comparisons with other state-of-the-art ensemble methods confirm that GNCL yields the best overall performance.
Subject(s)
Algorithms , Neural Networks, Computer , Humans , Machine LearningABSTRACT
INTRODUCCIÓN: La formación práctica en el grado de Medicina se imparte en los últimos cursos y está determinada por numerosos factores condicionantes, entre ellos, la formación MIR. En general, la evaluación de la formación práctica recibe mucha menos atención que la teórica, su calidad no es evaluada y el profesorado no recibe retroalimentación. El objetivo de nuestro estudio ha sido conocer la valoración que dan los alumnos a la formación práctica de Neumología después de una rotación de 3semanas, con el objetivo de obtener información para el proceso de mejora continua. MÉTODOS: El estudio incluye 2encuestas anónimas realizadas a los alumnos de grado en el mismo curso académico. Una interna, aplicada por el propio Servicio de Neumología y otra externa, por la Unidad de Evaluación de la Calidad Docente de la USAL. RESULTADOS: En la evaluación interna la opinión de los alumnos acerca de la calidad de la formación práctica es alta (8,26) y la utilidad percibida también es elevada (8,23), en una escala de 0 a 10, y no se observan diferencias por el hecho de que tenga lugar en cuarto, quinto o sexto curso. Estos resultados concuerdan con los obtenidos en la evaluación externa, con un valor medio de 4,56 en una escala de 0 a 5. Las preferencias de los alumnos durante su rotación por el servicio son las unidades de hospitalización y consultas, con menor valoración en las áreas técnicas. CONCLUSIONES: La calidad de la docencia práctica es un reto que es necesario evaluar para que los profesores dispongan de la retroalimentación (interna y externa) oportuna. La rotación por los servicios de Neumología constituye una oportunidad para la mejora de la percepción de la especialidad por los alumnos de grado. Es preciso reflexionar acerca de los contenidos de dicha rotación, buscando un equilibrio entre las áreas clínicas y las de técnicas
INTRODUCTION: Practical training for medical students is provided during the final years of study and is determined by several conditioning factors, including the MIR training that students receive simultaneously. In general, practical training evaluation receives much less attention than the theoretical one; its quality is not evaluated, and the professors do not receive feedback. The objective of our study was to determine how students value practical training in pulmonology rated the experience after completing a three-week rotation, in order to apply the information gained toward a process of continual improvement. METHODS: The study included 2anonymous surveys taken by medical students during the same academic year-one internal, prepared by the Department of Pneumology, itself, and another external one, prepared by the Evaluation Unit for Teaching Excellence at the University of Salamanca. RESULTS: On the internal evaluation, student opinions of their practical training ran high (8.26) and the perceived usefulness was also high (8.23), on a scale of 0 to 10 and no differences were noted according to whether the survey was taken during their fourth, fifth, or sixth year of study. These results agree with those obtained in the external evaluation with a mean value of 4.56 on a scale of 0 to 5. Student preferences during their rotation in the department were for hospitalization and consultation units, with the technical areas being lesser valued. CONCLUSIONS: Achieving and maintaining a high quality of practical training is a goal that should be consistently evaluated so that professors may receive feedback (internal and external). Rotations in the Department of Pneumology provide an opportunity to improve the perception that medical students have regarding this specialty. It is imperative to reflect upon the contents of these rotations, seeking a balance between clinical areas and technical areas
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Young Adult , Education, Medical/trends , Educational Measurement/statistics & numerical data , Pulmonary Medicine/education , Students, Medical/statistics & numerical data , Curriculum/trends , Clinical Clerkship/trends , Internship and Residency/statistics & numerical data , Surveys and Questionnaires/statistics & numerical dataABSTRACT
Recognition of the functional sites of genes, such as translation initiation sites, donor and acceptor splice sites and stop codons, is a relevant part of many current problems in bioinformatics. The best approaches use sophisticated classifiers, such as support vector machines. However, with the rapid accumulation of sequence data, methods for combining many sources of evidence are necessary as it is unlikely that a single classifier can solve this problem with the best possible performance. A major issue is that the number of possible models to combine is large and the use of all of these models is impractical. In this paper we present a methodology for combining many sources of information to recognize any functional site using "floating search", a powerful heuristics applicable when the cost of evaluating each solution is high. We present experiments on four functional sites in the human genome, which is used as the target genome, and use another 20 species as sources of evidence. The proposed methodology shows significant improvement over state-of-the-art methods. The results show an advantage of the proposed method and also challenge the standard assumption of using only genomes not very close and not very far from the human to improve the recognition of functional sites.
Subject(s)
Computational Biology/methods , Gene Components/genetics , Genome, Human/genetics , Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods , Algorithms , Base Sequence/genetics , Humans , Models, GeneticABSTRACT
Introducción: La oxigenoterapia crónica domiciliaria (OCD) es un tratamiento que exige una colaboración muy importante por parte de los pacientes debido al elevado número de horas que debe realizarse. Se conoce que existe un elevado nivel de incumplimiento entre los pacientes con OCD. El objetivo de nuestro estudio ha sido valorar el nivel de incumplimiento y la influencia del consumo de tabaco activo sobre el mismo. Material y métodos: Se ha realizado un control en el domicilio de los pacientes utilizando métodos directos e indirectos, tanto para valorar el nivel de cumplimiento como el de consumo de tabaco. Resultados: El nivel de incumplimiento detectado por métodos indirectos es del 22,6%, y por métodos directos es del 66,3%. El consumo de tabaco determinado por métodos indirectos es del 5,8% o del 8% dependiendo del método utilizado y del 16,2% cuando se establece un nivel de CO en aire exhalado ≥ 10 ppm como indicativo de fumador. El grupo de fumadores realiza un número de horas/día de oxigenoterapia significativamente menor (p < 0,001) que los no fumadores. Conclusiones: Existe un elevado nivel de incumplimiento terapéutico y un porcentaje importante de pacientes con OCD continúa fumando. Es preciso vigilar el cumplimiento, insistiendo en la necesidad de realizar bien la OCD, y se debe realizar también un esfuerzo añadido para ayudar a los fumadores con OCD a dejar de fumar, ya que mantener el consumo de tabaco contribuye a un mayor incumplimiento terapéutico
Introduction: Domiciliary oxygen therapy (DOT) is a treatment that requires a high level of cooperation from patients due to the time it takes every day. A high level of non-compliance has been determined among patients receiving DOT. The aim of our study was to assess the level of non-compliance and the influence of active tobacco consumption on compliance. Material and methods: Patients were monitored in the home using direct and indirect methods, to assess both compliance and tobacco consumption. Results: The level of non-compliance detected by indirect methods was 22.6%, and 66.3% by direct methods. Tobacco consumption determined by indirect methods was 5.8%-8%, depending on the method used, and 16.2% when CO in exhaled air ≥ 10ppm was established as an indicator of tobacco use. The group of smokers complied with oxygen therapy for a significantly fewer number of hours per day (P < .001) than non-smokers. Conclusions. There is a high level of therapeutic non-compliance and a significant percentage of patients receiving DOT continue to smoke. Compliance must be monitored, and the correct use of DOT must be emphasized. Additional efforts should also be made to help smokers with DOT to stop smoking, since continued smoking impacts negatively on therapeutic non-compliance
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Oxygen Inhalation Therapy/methods , Home Care Services , Tobacco Use/therapy , Patient Compliance , Treatment Refusal , Cross-Sectional StudiesABSTRACT
No disponible
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Young Adult , Pulmonary Medicine/education , Professional Training , Internship and Residency , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
Objetivo: Conocer la evolución del peso durante un año en fumadores en proceso de deshabituación tabáquica. Los objetivos secundarios son valorar la evolución del peso en función de características propias de los fumadores y del tipo de tratamiento realizado. Pacientes y métodos: Se recogieron los datos de los pacientes que acudieron a la consulta de deshabituación tabáquica entre 2009 y 2015 de forma prospectiva y se realizó un análisis retrospectivo. Las variables analizadas fueron edad, sexo, IMC, cigarrillos/día, índice de paquetes-año (IPA), test de Fagerström, tratamiento recibido, éxito del tratamiento y peso tras 1, 2, 3, 6, y 12 meses. Resultados: Los pacientes experimentaron una ganancia de peso significativa sostenida a lo largo de los 12 meses de seguimiento, con una media de 3,02 kg. Los pacientes que solo recibieron tratamiento conductual ganaron significativamente menos peso que aquellos que recibieron además tratamiento farmacológico. Los pacientes con un menor IMC inicial, un valor alto de IPA y dependencia alta en el test de Fagerström ganaron significativamente más peso. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en cuanto a género, edad o éxito en el tratamiento a los 12 meses. Conclusiones. Los pacientes fumadores que se plantean dejar de fumar presentan un incremento de peso progresivo, que guarda relación con el IMC inicial, con un consumo elevado y prolongado de tabaco y con un índice de dependencia nicotínica elevado. No guarda relación con otras variables que, a priori, parecerían resultar determinantes como la edad, el género o el tratamiento utilizado
Objective: To know the weight gain in smokers after one year of tobacco cessation, as well as the possible influence of different variables in post-cessation weight gain. Methods: Data from the Tobacco Unit of the University Hospital of Salamanca were collected between 2009 and 2015. The variables analyzed were age, gender, BMI, cigarettes per day, packet-year, Fagerström test score, treatment, success of failure of the treatment and weight after 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months. Results: Patients experienced significant weight gain sustained over the 12-month follow-up, with an average of 3.02 kg. Patients who received behavioral therapy alone gained significantly less weight than those who also received drug treatment. Patients with lower initial BMI, a high packet-year, cigarette-day and test Fagerström gained significantly more weight. No significant differences in gender, age or treatment success at 12 months was found. Conclusions: Smokers posed quit smoking show a progressive weight gain, which is related to the initial BMI, a high and prolonged consumption of tobacco, and a high rate of dependency. Not related to other variables, which could seem to be determinants such as age, gender or treatment used
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Middle Aged , Smoking Cessation/statistics & numerical data , Ex-Smokers/statistics & numerical data , Weight Gain/physiology , Tobacco Use Cessation/statistics & numerical data , Smoking Cessation Agents/pharmacokinetics , Tobacco Use Disorder/therapyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Domiciliary oxygen therapy (DOT) is a treatment that requires a high level of cooperation from patients due to the time it takes every day. A high level of non-compliance has been determined among patients receiving DOT. The aim of our study was to assess the level of non-compliance and the influence of active tobacco consumption on compliance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients were monitored in the home using direct and indirect methods, to assess both compliance and tobacco consumption. RESULTS: The level of non-compliance detected by indirect methods was 22.6%, and 66.3% by direct methods. Tobacco consumption determined by indirect methods was 5.8%-8%, depending on the method used, and 16.2% when CO in exhaled air ≥10ppm was established as an indicator of tobacco use. The group of smokers complied with oxygen therapy for a significantly fewer number of hours per day (P<.001) than non-smokers. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high level of therapeutic non-compliance and a significant percentage of patients receiving DOT continue to smoke. Compliance must be monitored, and the correct use of DOT must be emphasized. Additional efforts should also be made to help smokers with DOT to stop smoking, since continued smoking impacts negatively on therapeutic non-compliance.
Subject(s)
Oxygen Inhalation Therapy , Patient Compliance , Tobacco Smoke Pollution , Tobacco Smoking , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Air Pollution, Indoor , Carbon Dioxide/analysis , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Home Care Services , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Oxygen Inhalation Therapy/instrumentation , Patient Compliance/statistics & numerical data , Smoking CessationSubject(s)
Career Choice , Education, Medical, Undergraduate/methods , Pulmonary Medicine , Students, Medical/psychology , Awareness , Female , Humans , Male , Young AdultABSTRACT
The consideration of racial differences in the biology of disease and treatment options is a hallmark of modern medicine. However, this time-honored medical tradition has no scientific basis, and the premise itself, that is, the existence of biological differences between the commonly known races, is false inasmuch as races are only sociocultural constructions. It is time to rid medical research of the highly damaging exercise of searching for supposed racial differences in the biological manifestations of disease. The practice not only condoned but required by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of utilizing racial identification as a demographic characteristic with assumed biological implications is at best badly flawed, and at worst unintentionally contributes to perpetuating the fallacy of natural differences between persons of different skin color, which has been used in the past to advance the cause of racial discrimination.