Estrategia task-based learning para la producción oral en inglés por medio de second life® en la Universidad de La Salle

Bogotá (Colombia) : Universidad de La Salle. Facultad de Ciencias de La Educación. Licenciatura en Lengua Castellana, Inglés y Francés

Feeding ecology and life-history strategy of nesting males in a fish with long parental care, Lusitanian toadfish (Halobatrachus didactylus, Batrachoididae)

The Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus, like other batrachoidids, is a benthic fish species with nesting behaviour during the breeding season. During this prolonged period it engages in mating activities and remains in the nest providing parental care. It is not known whether males feed while providing parental care but it is likely that their limited mobility may restrict their diet and influence their fitness. As a consequence, egg cannibalism could occur as a life-history strategy. The aim of the present study is to ascertain the feeding behaviour of nesting males, in comparison to mature non-nesting males, and to identify potential life-history traits related to egg cannibalism. Nest-holders were sampled from artificial nests placed in an intertidal area of the Tagus estuary, only exposed during spring low tides. The diet of nest-holders was compared with that of non-nesting mature males from the same area, captured by otter trawl. The present study demonstrates that despite their constrained mobility nest-holders feed during the breeding season, although in a more opportunistic fashion than non-nesting males. Nest-holders showed a generalist feeding behaviour, with a more heterogeneous diet. Egg cannibalism was not related to male condition, paternity or brood size but showed a higher incidence early in the season when water temperatures were lower. The results suggest a possible seasonal trade-off strategy between care and energy recovery, triggered by environmental factors, where under unfavourable conditions to sustain viable eggs the male may recover energy by eating eggs, thus benefiting future reproductive success, later in the season.

Using health-related quality of life instruments for children with long-term conditions : On the basis of a national quality registry system

Introduction: There has been a continuous development of new technologies in healthcare that are derived from national quality registries. However, this innovation needs to be translated into the workflow of healthcare delivery, to enable children with long-term conditions to get the best support possible to manage their health during everyday life. Since children living with long-term conditions experience different interference levels in their lives, healthcare professionals need to assess the impact of care on children’s day-to-day lives, as a complement to biomedical assessments. Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to explore and describe the use of instruments about health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in outpatient care for children with long-term conditions on the basis of a national quality registry system. Methods: The research was conducted by using comparative, cross-sectional and explorative designs and data collection was performed by using different methods. The questionnaire DISABKIDS Chronic Generic Measure -37 was used as well as semi-structured interviews and video-recordings from consultations. Altogether, 156 children (8–18 years) and nine healthcare professionals participated in the studies. Children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) (n 131) answered the questionnaire DISABKIDS and children with rheumatic diseases, kidney diseases and T1D (n 25) were interviewed after their consultation at the outpatient clinic after the web-DISABKIDS had been used. In total, nine healthcare professionals used the HRQOL instrument as an assessment tool during the encounters which was video-recorded (n 21). Quantitative deductive content analysis was used to describe content in different HRQOL instruments. Statistical inference was used to analyse results from DISABKIDS and qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the interviews and video-recordings. Results: The findings showed that based on a biopsychosocial perspective, both generic and disease-specific instruments should be used to gain a comprehensive evaluation of the child’s HRQOL. The DISABKIDS instrument is applicable when describing different aspects of health concerning children with T1D. When DISABKIDS was used in the encounters, children expressed positive experiences about sharing their results with the healthcare professional. It was discovered that different approaches led to different outcomes for the child when the healthcare professionals were using DISABKIDS during the encounter. When an instructing approach is used, the child’s ability to learn more about their health and how to improve their health is limited. When an inviting or engaging approach is used by the professional, the child may become more involved during the conversations. Conclusions: It could be argued that instruments of HRQOL could be used as a complement to biomedical variables, to promote a biopsychosocial perspective on the child’s health. According to the children in this thesis, feedback on their results after answering to web-DISABKIDS is important, which implies that healthcare professionals need to prioritize time for discussions about results from HRQOL instruments in the encounters. If healthcare professionals involve the child in the discussion of the results of the HRQOL, misinterpreted answers could be corrected during the conversation. Concurrently, this claims that healthcare professionals invite and engage the child.

Supporting Scientific Research Through Machine and Deep Learning: Fluorescence Microscopy and Operational Intelligence Use Cases

Although the debate of what data science is has a long history and has not reached a complete consensus yet, Data Science can be summarized as the process of learning from data. Guided by the above vision, this thesis presents two independent data science projects developed in the scope of multidisciplinary applied research. The first part analyzes fluorescence microscopy images typically produced in life science experiments, where the objective is to count how many marked neuronal cells are present in each image. Aiming to automate the task for supporting research in the area, we propose a neural network architecture tuned specifically for this use case, cell ResUnet (c-ResUnet), and discuss the impact of alternative training strategies in overcoming particular challenges of our data. The approach provides good results in terms of both detection and counting, showing performance comparable to the interpretation of human operators. As a meaningful addition, we release the pre-trained model and the Fluorescent Neuronal Cells dataset collecting pixel-level annotations of where neuronal cells are located. In this way, we hope to help future research in the area and foster innovative methodologies for tackling similar problems. The second part deals with the problem of distributed data management in the context of LHC experiments, with a focus on supporting ATLAS operations concerning data transfer failures. In particular, we analyze error messages produced by failed transfers and propose a Machine Learning pipeline that leverages the word2vec language model and K-means clustering. This provides groups of similar errors that are presented to human operators as suggestions of potential issues to investigate. The approach is demonstrated on one full day of data, showing promising ability in understanding the message content and providing meaningful groupings, in line with previously reported incidents by human operators.

Development of unsupervised learning methods with applications to life sciences data

Machine Learning makes computers capable of performing tasks typically requiring human intelligence. A domain where it is having a considerable impact is the life sciences, allowing to devise new biological analysis protocols, develop patients’ treatments efficiently and faster, and reduce healthcare costs. This Thesis work presents new Machine Learning methods and pipelines for the life sciences focusing on the unsupervised field. At a methodological level, two methods are presented. The first is an “Ab Initio Local Principal Path” and it is a revised and improved version of a pre-existing algorithm in the manifold learning realm. The second contribution is an improvement over the Import Vector Domain Description (one-class learning) through the Kullback-Leibler divergence. It hybridizes kernel methods to Deep Learning obtaining a scalable solution, an improved probabilistic model, and state-of-the-art performances. Both methods are tested through several experiments, with a central focus on their relevance in life sciences. Results show that they improve the performances achieved by their previous versions. At the applicative level, two pipelines are presented. The first one is for the analysis of RNA-Seq datasets, both transcriptomic and single-cell data, and is aimed at identifying genes that may be involved in biological processes (e.g., the transition of tissues from normal to cancer). In this project, an R package is released on CRAN to make the pipeline accessible to the bioinformatic Community through high-level APIs. The second pipeline is in the drug discovery domain and is useful for identifying druggable pockets, namely regions of a protein with a high probability of accepting a small molecule (a drug). Both these pipelines achieve remarkable results. Lastly, a detour application is developed to identify the strengths/limitations of the “Principal Path” algorithm by analyzing Convolutional Neural Networks induced vector spaces. This application is conducted in the music and visual arts domains.

Open university Brazil’s UNA-SUS Health workers learning continuously throughout their life: a public mission

Apresenta um panorama de uso dos serviços oferecidos pela Universidade Aberta do SUS para profissionais de saúde.

Reasons For Brazilian Women To Switch From Different Contraceptives To Long-acting Reversible Contraceptives.

Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) include the copper-releasing intrauterine device (IUD), the levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) and implants. Despite the high contraceptive efficacy of LARCs, their prevalence of use remains low in many countries. The objective of this study was to assess the main reasons for switching from contraceptive methods requiring daily or monthly compliance to LARC methods within a Brazilian cohort. Women of 18-50 years of age using different contraceptives and wishing to switch to a LARC method answered a questionnaire regarding their motivations for switching from their current contraceptive. Continuation rates were evaluated 1 year after method initiation. Sample size was calculated at 1040 women. Clinical performance was evaluated by life table analysis. The cutoff date for analysis was May 23, 2013. Overall, 1167 women were interviewed; however, after 1 year of use, the medical records of only 1154 women were available for review. The main personal reason for switching, as reported by the women, was fear of becoming pregnant while the main medical reasons were nausea and vomiting and unscheduled bleeding. No pregnancies occurred during LARC use, and the main reasons for discontinuation were expulsion (in the case of the IUD and LNG-IUS) and a decision to undergo surgical sterilization (in the case of the etonogestrel-releasing implant). Continuation rate was ~95.0/100 women/year for the three methods. Most women chose a LARC method for its safety and for practical reasons, and after 1 year of use, most women continued with the method.

Long-term Prospects For The Environmental Profile Of Advanced Sugar Cane Ethanol.

This work assessed the environmental impacts of the production and use of 1 MJ of hydrous ethanol (E100) in Brazil in prospective scenarios (2020-2030), considering the deployment of technologies currently under development and better agricultural practices. The life cycle assessment technique was employed using the CML method for the life cycle impact assessment and the Monte Carlo method for the uncertainty analysis. Abiotic depletion, global warming, human toxicity, ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation, acidification, and eutrophication were the environmental impacts categories analyzed. Results indicate that the proposed improvements (especially no-til farming-scenarios s2 and s4) would lead to environmental benefits in prospective scenarios compared to the current ethanol production (scenario s0). Combined first and second generation ethanol production (scenarios s3 and s4) would require less agricultural land but would not perform better than the projected first generation ethanol, although the uncertainties are relatively high. The best use of 1 ha of sugar cane was also assessed, considering the displacement of the conventional products by ethanol and electricity. No-til practices combined with the production of first generation ethanol and electricity (scenario s2) would lead to the largest mitigation effects for global warming and abiotic depletion. For the remaining categories, emissions would not be mitigated with the utilization of the sugar cane products. However, this conclusion is sensitive to the displaced electricity sources.

Long-term Follow-up Of Patients With 46,xy Partial Gonadal Dysgenesis Reared As Males.

Background/Aims. Studies on 46,XY partial gonadal dysgenesis (PGD) have focused on molecular, gonadal, genital, and hormone features; little is known about follow-up. Our aim was to analyze long-term outcomes of PGD. Methods. Retrospective longitudinal study conducted at a reference service in Brazil. Ten patients were first evaluated in the 1990s and followed up until the 2010s; follow-up ranged from 13.5 to 19.7 years. All were reared as males and had at least one scrotal testis; two bore NR5A1 mutations. Main outcomes were: associated conditions, pubertal development, and growth. Results. All patients had normal motor development but three presented cognitive impairment; five had various associated conditions. At the end of the prepubertal period, FSH was high or high-normal in 3/6 patients; LH was normal in all. At the last evaluation, FSH was high or high-normal in 8/10; LH was high or high-normal in 5/10; testosterone was decreased in one. Final height in nine cases ranged from -1.57 to 0.80 SDS. All had spontaneous puberty; only one needed androgen therapy. Conclusions. There is good prognosis for growth and spontaneous pubertal development but not for fertility. Though additional studies are required, screening for learning disabilities is advisable.

Pedagogia do esporte : pressupostos para uma teoria da avaliação da aprendizagem = Sport pedagogy: presuppositions for a learning assessment theory

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física

Shelf-life of a 2.5% sodium hypochlorite solution as determined by arrhenius equation

Accelerated stability tests are indicated to assess, within a short time, the degree of chemical degradation that may affect an active substance, either alone or in a formula, under normal storage conditions. This method is based on increased stress conditions to accelerate the rate of chemical degradation. Based on the equation of the straight line obtained as a function of the reaction order (at 50 and 70 ºC) and using Arrhenius equation, the speed of the reaction was calculated for the temperature of 20 ºC (normal storage conditions). This model of accelerated stability test makes it possible to predict the chemical stability of any active substance at any given moment, as long as the method to quantify the chemical substance is available. As an example of the applicability of Arrhenius equation in accelerated stability tests, a 2.5% sodium hypochlorite solution was analyzed due to its chemical instability. Iodometric titration was used to quantify free residual chlorine in the solutions. Based on data obtained keeping this solution at 50 and 70 ºC, using Arrhenius equation and considering 2.0% of free residual chlorine as the minimum acceptable threshold, the shelf-life was equal to 166 days at 20 ºC. This model, however, makes it possible to calculate shelf-life at any other given temperature.

Clinical outcomes of long-acting injectable risperidone in patients with schizophrenia: six-month follow-up from the Electronic Schizophrenia Treatment Adherence Registry in Latin America

Background: Risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) has been shown to be efficacious, improve compliance, and increase long-term retention rate on therapy. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of RLAI on clinical outcome and hospitalization rate in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder enrolled in the electronic Schizophrenia Treatment Adherence Registry in Latin America. Methods: Data were collected at baseline, retrospectively for the 12 months prior to baseline, and prospectively every three months for 24 months. Hospitalization prior to therapy was assessed by a retrospective chart review. Efficacy and functioning were evaluated using Clinical Global Impression of Illness Severity (CGI-S), Personal and Social Performance (PSP), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores. Relapse and treatment were also registered. Results: Patients were recruited in Mexico (n = 53), Brazil (n = 11), and Colombia (n = 15). Sixty-five percent (n = 52) were male, and mean age was 32.9 years. Patients were classified as having schizophrenia (n = 73) or schizoaffective disorder (n = 6). The mean dose of RLAI at six months was 34.1 mg (standard deviation = 10.2 mg). The percentage of hospitalized patients before treatment was 28.2% and 5.1% at six months after initiating RLAI (P < 0.001). Significant changes were registered on CGI-S, GAF, and PSP scores. Conclusions: RLAI was associated with an improvement in clinical symptoms and functioning, and a greater reduction in hospitalization.

Long-acting injectable risperidone in partially adherent and nonadherent patients with schizophrenia

Background: Long-acting injectable antipsychotics may improve medication adherence, thereby improving overall treatment effectiveness. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of risperidone long-acting injection in schizophrenic patients switched from oral antipsychotic medication. Methods: In a 12-month, multicenter, open-label, noncomparative study, symptomatically stable patients on oral antipsychotic medication with poor treatment adherence during the previous 12 months received intramuscular injections of risperidone long-acting injection (25 mg starting dose) every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was the change in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Results: Of the 60 patients who were screened, 53 received at least one injection (safety population), and 51 provided at least one postbaseline assessment. Mean PANSS total scores improved significantly throughout the study and at endpoint. Significant improvements were also observed in Clinical Global Impression of Severity, Personal and Social Performance, and Drug Attitude Inventory scales. Risperidone long-acting injection was safe and well-tolerated. Severity of movement disorders on the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale was reduced significantly. The most frequently reported adverse events were insomnia (22.6%), increased prolactin (17.0%), and weight gain (13.2%). Conclusion: Risperidone long-acting injection was associated with significant symptomatic improvements in stable patients with schizophrenia following a switch from previous antipsychotic medications.

Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells from Humans and Mice Differ in Proliferative Capacity and Genome Stability in Long-Term Cultures

Adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) are among the more attractive adult stem cell options for potential therapeutic applications. Here, we studied and compared the basic biological characteristics of ASCs isolated from humans (hASCs) and mice (mASCs) and maintained in identical culture conditions, which must be examined prior to considering further potential clinical applications. hASCs and mASCs were compared for immunophenotype, differentiation potential, cell growth characteristics, senescence, nuclear morphology, and DNA content. Although both strains of ASCs displayed a similar immunophenotype, the percentage of CD73(+) cells was markedly lower and CD31(+) was higher in mASC than in hASC cultures. The mean population doubling time was 98.08 +/- 6.15 h for hASCs and 52.58 +/- 3.74 h for mASCs. The frequency of nuclear aberrations was noticeably lower in hASCs than in mASCs regardless of the passage number. Moreover, as the cells went through several in vitro passages, mASCs showed changes in DNA content and cell cycle kinetics (frequency of hypodiploid, G0/G1, G2/M, and hyperdiploid cells), whereas all of these parameters remained constant in hASCs. Collectively, these results suggest that mASCs display higher proliferative capacity and are more unstable than hASCs in long-term cultures. These results underscore the need to consider specificities among model systems that may influence outcomes when designing potential human applications.

Cyclic variability of the circumstellar disk of the Be star zeta Tauri I. Long-term monitoring observations

Context. Emission lines formed in decretion disks of Be stars often undergo long-term cyclic variations, especially in the violet-to-red (V/R) ratio of their primary components. The underlying structural and dynamical variations of the disks are only partly understood. From observations of the bright Be-shell star. Tau, the possibly broadest and longest data set illustrating the prototype of this behaviour was compiled from our own and archival observations. It comprises optical and infrared spectra, broad-band polarimetry, and interferometric observations. Aims. The dense, long-time monitoring permits a better separation of repetitive and ephemeral variations. The broad wavelength coverage includes lines formed under different physical conditions, i.e. different locations in the disk, so that the dynamics can be probed throughout much of the disk. Polarimetry and interferometry constrain the spatial structure. All together, the objective is a better understand the dynamics and life cycle of decretion disks. Methods. Standard methods of data acquisition, reduction, and analysis were applied. Results. From 3 V/R cycles between 1997 and 2008, a mean cycle length in Ha of 1400-1430 days was derived. After each minimum in V/R, the shell absorption weakens and splits into two components, leading to 3 emission peaks. This phase may make the strongest contribution to the variability in cycle length. There is no obvious connection between the V/R cycle and the 133-day orbital period of the not otherwise detected companion. V/R curves of different lines are shifted in phase. Lines formed on average closer to the central star are ahead of the others. The shell absorption lines fall into 2 categories differing in line width, ionization/excitation potential, and variability of the equivalent width. They seem to form in separate regions of the disk, probably crossing the line of sight at different times. The interferometry has resolved the continuum and the line emission in Br gamma and HeI 2.06. The phasing of the Br gamma emission shows that the photocenter of the line-emitting region lies within the plane of the disk but is offset from the continuum source. The plane of the disk is constant throughout the observed V/R cycles. The observations lay the foundation for the fully self-consistent, one-armed, disk-oscillation model developed in Paper II.