The aim of this study was to compare the agreement of the movement demands data during a soccer match (total distance, distance per minute, average speed, maximum speed and distance covered in ...different speed sectors) between an optical tracking system (Mediacoach System) and a GPS device (Wimu Pro). Participants were twenty-six male professional soccer players (age: 21.65 ± 2.03 years; height: 180.00 ± 7.47 cm; weight: 73.81 ± 5.65 kg) from FC Barcelona B, of whom were recorded a total of 759 measurements during 38 official matches in the Spanish second division. The Mediacoach System and the Wimu Pro were compared using the standardized mean bias, standard error of estimate, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), coefficient of variation (%), and the regression equation to estimate data for each variable. In terms of agreement between systems, the magnitude of the ICC was almost perfect (> 0.90-1.00) for all variables analyzed. The coefficient of the variations between devices was close to zero (< 5%) for total distance, distance per minute, average speed, maximum speed, and walking and jogging, and between 9% and 15% for running, intense running, and sprinting at low and at high intensities. It can be observed that, compared to Wimu Pro the Mediacoach System slightly overestimated all the variables analyzed except for average speed, maximum speed, and walking variables. In conclusion, both systems can be used, and the information they provide in the analyzed variables can be interchanged, with the benefits implied for practitioners and researchers.
Melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) is a rare paraneoplastic retinal disorder usually occurring in the context of metastatic melanoma. Patients present with night blindness, photopsias and a ...constriction of the visual field. MAR is an auto-immune disorder characterized by the production of autoantibodies targeting retinal proteins, especially autoantibodies reacting to the cation channel TRPM1 produced in melanocytes and ON-bipolar cells. TRPM1 has at least three different isoforms which vary in the N-terminal region of the protein. In this study, we report the case of three new MAR patients presenting different anti-TRPM1 autoantibodies reacting to the three isoforms of TRPM1 with variable binding affinity. Two sera recognized all isoforms of TRPM1, while one recognized only the two longest isoforms upon immunolocalization studies on overexpressing cells. Similarly, the former two sera reacted with all TRPM1 isoforms on western blot, but an immunoprecipitation enrichment step was necessary to detect all isoforms with the latter serum. In contrast, all sera labelled ON-bipolar cells on Tprm1+/+ but not on Trpm1-/- mouse retina as shown by co-immunolocalization. This confirms that the MAR sera specifically detect TRPM1. Most likely, the anti-TRPM1 autoantibodies of different patients vary in affinity and concentration. In addition, the binding of autoantibodies to TRPM1 may be conformation-dependent, with epitopes being inaccessible in some constructs (truncated polypeptides versus full-length TRPM1) or applications (western blotting versus immunohistochemistry). Therefore, we propose that a combination of different methods should be used to test for the presence of anti-TRPM1 autoantibodies in the sera of MAR patients.
Human healthcare is one of the most important topics for society. It tries to find the correct effective and robust disease detection as soon as possible to patients receipt the appropriate cares. ...Because this detection is often a difficult task, it becomes necessary medicine field searches support from other fields such as statistics and computer science. These disciplines are facing the challenge of exploring new techniques, going beyond the traditional ones. The large number of techniques that are emerging makes it necessary to provide a comprehensive overview that avoids very particular aspects. To this end, we propose a systematic review dealing with the Machine Learning applied to the diagnosis of human diseases. This review focuses on modern techniques related to the development of Machine Learning applied to diagnosis of human diseases in the medical field, in order to discover interesting patterns, making non-trivial predictions and useful in decision-making. In this way, this work can help researchers to discover and, if necessary, determine the applicability of the machine learning techniques in their particular specialties. We provide some examples of the algorithms used in medicine, analysing some trends that are focused on the goal searched, the algorithm used, and the area of applications. We detail the advantages and disadvantages of each technique to help choose the most appropriate in each real-life situation, as several authors have reported. The authors searched Scopus, Journal Citation Reports (JCR), Google Scholar, and MedLine databases from the last decades (from 1980s approximately) up to the present, with English language restrictions, for studies according to the objectives mentioned above. Based on a protocol for data extraction defined and evaluated by all authors using PRISMA methodology, 141 papers were included in this advanced review.
•Technological and phenolic maturities of white and red grapes have been studied.•Methodology for recording and processing hyperespectral images has been developed.•Calibration models have been ...developed from reference and hyperespectral data.•These models present a good potential for a fast screening of these parameters.
Hyperspectral images of intact grapes during ripening were recorded using a near infrared hyperspectral imaging system (900–1700nm). Spectral data have been correlated with grape skin total phenolic concentration, sugar concentration, titratable acidity and pH by modified partial least squares regression (MPLS) using a number of spectral pre-treatments and different sets of calibration. The obtained results (RSQ and SEP, respectively) for the global model of red and white grape samples were: 0.89 and 1.23mgg−1 of grape skin for total phenolic concentration, 0.99 and 1.37 °Brix for sugar concentration, 0.98 and 3.88gL−1 for titratable acidity and for pH 0.94 and 0.12. Moreover, separate calibration models for red and white grape samples were also developed. The obtained results present a good potential for a fast and reasonably inexpensive screening of these parameters in intact grapes and therefore, for a fast control of technological and phenolic maturity.
Physical rehabilitation therapies for children present a challenge, and its success-the improvement of the patient's condition-depends on many factors, such as the patient's attitude and motivation, ...the correct execution of the exercises prescribed by the specialist or his progressive recovery during the therapy. With the aim to increase the benefits of these therapies, social humanoid robots with a friendly aspect represent a promising tool not only to boost the interaction with the pediatric patient, but also to assist physicians in their work. To achieve both goals, it is essential to monitor in detail the patient's condition, trying to generate user profile models which enhance the feedback with both the system and the specialist. This paper describes how the project NAOTherapist-a robotic architecture for rehabilitation with social robots-has been upgraded in order to include a monitoring system able to generate user profile models through the interaction with the patient, performing user-adapted therapies. Furthermore, the system has been improved by integrating a machine learning algorithm which recognizes the pose adopted by the patient and by adding a clinical reports generation system based on the QUEST metric.
Several studies have described a perspective among citizens that entails a negative image of public administration or civil servants that persists even after positive encounters and experiences. ...However, this ambivalent attitude has rarely been studied empirically. The authors refer to this attitude as "bureauphobia" and seek to enhance the existing literature through an analysis of its scope and root causes in Spain. The article analyzes two surveys conducted in 2009 and 2010, elaborating two alternative measures of bureauphobia. The results are similar regardless of the survey used and the specific operationalization of the concept: more than 20 percent of each sample exhibits a perspective that combines a negative image of public administration and satisfaction with its performance. A general attitude of distrust stands out among the variables associated with bureauphobia. Substantial regional variation is evident in the extent of the phenomenon.
In order to probe the inside-out formation of the most massive galaxies in the Universe, we have explored the radial (0.1 R 8 kpc) variation of the spectral energy distribution of M87 from UV to IR. ...For this purpose, we have combined high-resolution data in 16 different bands. Our analysis indicate that the age of the stellar population of M87 remains almost unchanged with radius. However, the metallicity (Z/H) profile presents three different zones: the innermost kpc shows a plateau with supersolar metallicity, followed by a decline in metallicity down to 5 kpc and another plateau afterwards. The size of the inner plateau is similar to the expected size (R
e) of an object with the predicted mass of M87 at z = 2. The global Z/H gradient is −0.26 ± 0.10, similar to those found in other nearby massive ellipticals. The observed change in the stellar population of M87 is consistent with a rapid formation of the central part (R 5 kpc) of this galaxy followed by the accretion of the outer regions through the infall of more metal-poor material.
The potential of near-infrared hyperspectral imaging to determine anthocyanins in intact grape has been evaluated. The hyperspectral images of intact grapes during ripening were recorded using a ...near-infrared hyperspectral imaging covering the spectral range between 900 and 1700 nm. Reference values of anthocyanins were obtained by HPLC-DAD. A number of spectral pretreatments and different mask development strategies were studied. Calibrations were performed by modified partial least-squares regression (MPLS) and present a good potential (RSQ of 0.86 and SEP values of 2.62 and 3.05 mg g–1 of grape skin for nonacylated and total anthocyanins, respectively) for a fast and reasonably inexpensive screening of these compounds in intact grapes.
Street lighting installations are an essential service for modern life due to their capability of creating a welcoming feeling at nighttime. Nevertheless, several studies have highlighted that it is ...possible to improve the quality of the light significantly improving the uniformity of the illuminance. The main difficulty arises when trying to improve some of the installation’s characteristics based only on statistical analysis of the light distribution. This paper presents a new algorithm that is able to obtain the overall illuminance uniformity in order to improve this sort of installations. To develop this algorithm it was necessary to perform a detailed study of all the elements which are part of street lighting installations. Because classification is one of the most important tasks in the application areas of artificial neural networks, we compared the performances of six types of training algorithms in a feed forward neural network for analyzing the overall uniformity in outdoor lighting systems. We found that the best algorithm that minimizes the error is “Levenberg-Marquardt back-propagation”, which approximates the desired output of the training pattern. By means of this kind of algorithm, it is possible to help to lighting professionals optimize the quality of street lighting installations.
Government based Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have been criticized for not maximizing environmental effectiveness through appropriate targeting, while instead prioritizing social ...side-objectives. In Mexico, existing literature on how the Payments for Ecosystem Services-Hydrological program (PSA-H) has targeted deforestation and forest degradation shows that both the process of identifying the eligible areas and the choice of the selection criteria for enrolling forest parcels have been under the influence of competing agendas. In the present paper we study the influence of the PSA-H multi-level governance on the environmental effectiveness of the program-the degree to which forest at high risk of deforestation is enrolled- building from a "policyscape" framework. In particular, we combine governance analysis with two distinct applications of the policyscape framework: First, at national level we assess the functional overlap between the PSA-H and other environmental and rural programs with regard to the risk of deforestation. Second, at regional level in the states of Chiapas and Yucatan, we describe the changing policy agenda and the role of technical intermediaries in defining the temporal spatialization of the PSA-H eligible and enrolled areas with regard to key socio-economic criteria. We find that, although at national level the PSA-H program has been described as coping with both social and environmental indicators thanks to successful adaptive management, our analysis show that PSA-H is mainly found in communities where deforestation risk is low and in combination with other environmental programs (protected areas and forest management programs). Such inertia is reinforced at regional level as a result of the eligible areas' characteristics and the behaviour of technical intermediaries, which seek to minimise transaction costs and sources of uncertainty. Our project-specific analysis shows the importance of integrating the governance of a program in the policyscape framework as a way to better systematize complex interactions at different spatial and institutional scales between policies and landscape characteristics.
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