C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, lactate and score apache II in septic patients' prognosis.

Background: APACHE-II IS a score, based on several clinical and analytical measurements within 24 hours of admission in Intensive Care Unit (ICU). C-Reactive Protein (CRP), Lactate and recently Procalcitonin (PCT), also are biomarkers for the assessment of septic patients. The aim of this study was to find out if CRP, lactate and PCT during the first 24 hours from severe sepsis or septic shock onset, improved prediction of the APACHE II in terms of prognosis. Conclusions: CRP improves the prediction of patients with sepsis used in conjunction with the APACHE II score in severe sepsis and, lactate along with the CRP are the best precictors of survival in the cases of septic shock. The PCT did not show any predictive value.

Detection of possible variant forms of hemoglobin in HbA1c measurements by chromatography liquid ion exchange high resolution (HPLC)

Background: The glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is used to help monitor the degree of a diabetic’s hyperglycemia. Security and accuracy of the methods used in its detection are affected by variants forms of Hb or elevations in levels of Fetal Hb (HbF). These interference are the result of a change in the haemoglobin total net charge of the variant due of a substitution of one amino acid in the remaining amino terminal of the beta chain. International Standardization for HbA1c values (NGSP) not include interference assessment as part of the certification program. Therefore, the effect of each variant or the lifting of the HbF on HbA1c result should be examined in each sample depending on the detected variant and the method used for the detection of the same. The objectives were: to describe the possible variants of Hb and their interference in HbA1c measurement by our method, after the implementation of a computer program for their detection. To identify some variants detected by chromatography liquid ion exchange high resolution (HPLC) with DNA molecular sequencing.

Evaluation of two HbA1c point-of-care analyzers.

BACKGROUND Measurement of HbA1c is the most important parameter to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. Different point-of-care devices for HbA1c are available. The aim of this study was to evaluate two point-of-care testing (POCT) analyzers (DCA Vantage from Siemens and Afinion from Axis-Shield). We studied the bias and precision as well as interference from carbamylated hemoglobin. METHODS Bias of the POCT analyzers was obtained by measuring 53 blood samples from diabetic patients with a wide range of HbA1c, 4%-14% (20-130 mmol/mol), and comparing the results with those obtained by the laboratory method: HPLC HA 8160 Menarini. Precision was performed by 20 successive determinations of two samples with low 4.2% (22 mmol/mol) and high 9.5% (80 mmol/mol) HbA1c values. The possible interference from carbamylated hemoglobin was studied using 25 samples from patients with chronic renal failure. RESULTS The means of the differences between measurements performed by each POCT analyzer and the laboratory method (95% confidence interval) were: 0.28% (p<0.005) (0.10-0.44) for DCA and 0.27% (p<0.001) (0.19-0.35) for Afinion. Correlation coefficients were: r=0.973 for DCA, and r=0.991 for Afinion. The mean bias observed by using samples from chronic renal failure patients were 0.2 (range -0.4, 0.4) for DCA and 0.2 (-0.2, 0.5) for Afinion. Imprecision results were: CV=3.1% (high HbA1c) and 2.97% (low HbA1c) for DCA, CV=1.95% (high HbA1c) and 2.66% (low HbA1c) for Afinion. CONCLUSIONS Both POCT analyzers for HbA1c show good correlation with the laboratory method and acceptable precision.

Open minded and open access: introducing NeoBiota, a new peer-reviewed journal of biological invasions

The Editorial presents the focus, scope, policies, and the inaugural issue of NeoBiota, a new open access peer-reviewed journal of biological invasions. The new journal NeoBiota is a continuation of the former NEOBIOTA publication series. The journal will deal with all aspects of invasion biology and impose no restrictions on manuscript size neither on use of color. NeoBiota implies an XML-based editorial workflow and several cutting-edge innovations in publishing and dissemination, such as semantic markup of and enhancements to published texts, data publication, and extensive cross-linking within the journal and to external sources

POKERAN: Juego de poker

La finalidad de este proyecto es la realización de una aplicación para dispositivos Android. El juego va dirigido a toda persona que quiera aprender o simplemente disfrutar del juego del póquer con personas conocidas. Esta aplicación pretende que jugar al póquer sea una práctica sencilla para todo el mundo. Se consigue también que sea el propio sistema el encargado de aplicar las normas y que sin necesidad de conexión a internet sea capaz de jugar con mas personas a la vez en un mismo dispositivo. Se ha escogido este sistema por la gran influencia que tiene y su fácil uso, además de posibilidades y facilidades que ofrece su compatibilidad con un lenguaje consolidado como es Java y XML.

Bases de datos en el contexto de la web semántica

Comparativa sobre sistemas de gestión de bases de datos orientados a la web semántica, tanto nativos como habilitados para esta función.

Plataforma d'exàmens en xarxa

La finalitat del projecte és la de desenvolupar una plataforma que porti a terme tot el procés de realització d'un examen, des de la part de creació fins a l'obtenció de les notes. És una eina multiplataforma i s'ha considerat com un punt molt important l'aspecte de la seguretat. Les principals tecnologies que intervenen en el projecte són per una banda Java per la realització de les aplicacions de la plataforma, XML com a eina per treballar amb les dades dels exàmens, alumnes, resultats i respostes obtingudes, XSLT i XSL-FO per realitzar les transformacions, Java Web Start per desplegar l'examen i SSL per controlar la seguretat.

Plataforma de gestión de datos para gráficos electorales

Plataforma que nos permite generar e incorporar gráficos electorales en la realización de un programa televisivo. Los gráficos son generados en tiempo real obteniendo los datos de la web (preparada para el evento de las elecciones municipales de mayo del 2007) gracias al uso de procesos automáticos que procesan la web extrayendo los resultados y almacenándolos en la base de datos (de la cual se recogen los datos para los gráficos). La plataforma está desarrollada con nuevas tecnologias Flash y XML.

Disseny i desenvolupament d'una plataforma web per l'empresa constructura C.KASA S.L.

El projecte consisteix en realitzar una Web per la empresa constructora C.Kasa S.L., es tracta d'una empresa relativament jove, es va crear la'ny 2005 i l'objectiu es poder aconseguir que la gent conegui més aquesta empresa mitjançant una web apostant per les noves tecnologies com a mitjà de publicitat.

Aplicació web per a la gestió de llicències de la Federació Catalana de Piragüisme

L'objectiu d'aquest treball és el disseny i implementació d'una aplicació web, sota una arquitectura "Model-Vista-Controlador", que permeti la gestió de llicències de la Federació Catalana de Piragüisme de tal manera que se n'obtinguin dues conseqüències: sustitució de l'actual aplicació d'escriptori amb la qual es realitza el control de les llicències, i permetre que els clubs tinguin participació activa sobre el control de les llicències de federat dels seus socis agilitant, d'aquesta manera, les tasques que fins ara realitzava íntegrament la Federació Catalana de Piragüisme.

eRitxi. Gestor de continguts multimèdia pel Grup SEGRE

Aplicatiu web de gestió i millora d'arxius xml per la publicació d'un diari digital multimèdia. Aquesta eina llegeix una estructura xml d'informació i la modifica, afegint arxiu multimèdia i altres opcions de visualització per millorar-ne l'ús com a diari digital multimèdia.

Integración de Google Maps y TSP Solvers para la definición y resolución del TSP

Este trabajo final de carrera presenta la arquitectura e implementación de un entorno web para la descripción y visualización de instancias reales del TSP (Travelling Salesman Problem), a través de Google Maps, y su posterior resoluación mediante tècnicas de optimización combinatoria.

Control de voltaje y temperatura remota mediante motas

Proyecto para la gestión de motas COU2_4 a través de panel en Java y visionado de datos en el panel así como generación de XML con ejemplo de visionado en HTML5.

Web-based Implementation of Winter Maintenance Decision Support System Using GIS and Remote Sensing, May 2005

Winter maintenance, particularly snow removal and the stress of snow removal materials on public structures, is an enormous budgetary burden on municipalities and nongovernmental maintenance organizations in cold climates. Lately, geospatial technologies such as remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), and decision support tools are roviding a valuable tool for planning snow removal operations. A few researchers recently used geospatial technologies to develop winter maintenance tools. However, most of these winter maintenance tools, while having the potential to address some of these information needs, are not typically placed in the hands of planners and other interested stakeholders. Most tools are not constructed with a nontechnical user in mind and lack an easyto-use, easily understood interface. A major goal of this project was to implement a web-based Winter Maintenance Decision Support System (WMDSS) that enhances the capacity of stakeholders (city/county planners, resource managers, transportation personnel, citizens, and policy makers) to evaluate different procedures for managing snow removal assets optimally. This was accomplished by integrating geospatial analytical techniques (GIS and remote sensing), the existing snow removal asset management system, and webbased spatial decision support systems. The web-based system was implemented using the ESRI ArcIMS ActiveX Connector and related web technologies, such as Active Server Pages, JavaScript, HTML, and XML. The expert knowledge on snow removal procedures is gathered and integrated into the system in the form of encoded business rules using Visual Rule Studio. The system developed not only manages the resources but also provides expert advice to assist complex decision making, such as routing, optimal resource allocation, and monitoring live weather information. This system was developed in collaboration with Black Hawk County, IA, the city of Columbia, MO, and the Iowa Department of transportation. This product was also demonstrated for these agencies to improve the usability and applicability of the system.

On the morphological nature of spanish adverbs ending in -mente

The morphological status of adverbs ending in -mente in Spanish (-ly in English) has been the object of many studies and continues to be the subject of debate. The two main proposals regarding the morphology of these adverbs treat them as either compounds or derivatives as the result of suffixation, but bothhypotheses present problems. In this study an analysis will be defended which treats -mente as a phrasal affix (cf. Zwicky 1987, Nevis 1985 and Miller 1992). The notion of phrasal affix has been used to describe clitics which, from a morphological standpoint, are similar to affixes but which, simultaneously manifest characteristics of independent words. The argument for analyzing -mente as a phrasal affix is based on both synchronic and diachronic data, including some similarities with object clitic pronouns.