Circulatory and Ventilatory Power: Characterization in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Background:Circulatory power (CP) and ventilatory power (VP) are indices that have been used for the clinical evaluation of patients with heart failure; however, no study has evaluated these indices in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) without heart failure.Objective:To characterize both indices in patients with CAD compared with healthy controls.Methods:Eighty-seven men [CAD group = 42 subjects and healthy control group (CG) = 45 subjects] aged 40–65 years were included. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed on a treadmill and the following parameters were measured: 1) peak oxygen consumption (VO2), 2) peak heart rate (HR), 3) peak blood pressure (BP), 4) peak rate-pressure product (peak systolic HR x peak BP), 5) peak oxygen pulse (peak VO2/peak HR), 6) oxygen uptake efficiency (OUES), 7) carbon dioxide production efficiency (minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production slope), 8) CP (peak VO2 x peak systolic BP) and 9) VP (peak systolic BP/carbon dioxide production efficiency).Results:The CAD group had significantly lower values for peak VO2 (p < 0.001), peak HR (p < 0.001), peak systolic BP (p < 0.001), peak rate-pressure product (p < 0.001), peak oxygen pulse (p = 0.008), OUES (p < 0.001), CP (p < 0.001), and VP (p < 0.001) and significantly higher values for peak diastolic BP (p = 0.004) and carbon dioxide production efficiency (p < 0.001) compared with CG. Stepwise regression analysis showed that CP was influenced by group (R2 = 0.44, p < 0.001) and VP was influenced by both group and number of vessels with stenosis after treatment (interaction effects: R2 = 0.46, p < 0.001).Conclusion:The indices CP and VP were lower in men with CAD than healthy controls.

Self-selection consistent functions

This paper studies collective choice rules whose outcomes consist of a collection of simultaneous decisions, each one of which is the only concern of some group of individuals in society. The need for such rules arises in different contexts, including the establishment of jurisdictions, the location of multiple public facilities, or the election of representative committees. We define a notion of allocation consistency requiring that each partial aspect of the global decision taken by society as a whole should be ratified by the group of agents who are directly concerned with this particular aspect. We investigate the possibility of designing envy-free allocation consistent rules, we also explore whether such rules may also respect the Condorcet criterion.

BOI 2.0: disseny d'una implementació de JPEG 2000

JPEG 2000 és un estàndard de compressió d'imatges que utilitza tècniques estat de l’art basades en la transformada wavelet. Els principals avantatges són la millor compressió, la possibilitat d’operar amb dades comprimides i que es pot comprimir amb i sense pèrdua amb el mateix mètode. BOI és la implementació de JPEG 2000 del Grup de Compressió Interactiva d’Imatges del departament d’Enginyeria de la Informació i les Comunicacions, pensada per entendre, criticar i millorar les tecnologies de JPEG 2000. La nova versió intenta arribar a tots els extrems de l’estàndard on la versió anterior no va arribar.

Avaluació de l'aprofitament de biomassa disponible per a la producció d'energia calorífica al Parc Natural de l'Alt Pirineu

En aquest article es resumeixen els resultats més destacats del projecte dut a terme pel grup Projecte Biomassa. Aquest estudi té per objectiu l’avaluació de la viabilitat energètica, econòmica i ambiental de l’aprofitament de la biomassa forestal com a recurs energètic a les forests d’Arestui, Baiasca, Montenartró i Virós situades dins el Parc Natural de l’Alt Pirineu (PNAP). En el projecte s’ha fet una revisió dels Plans d’Ordenació Forestal (POF’s) de les esmentades forests per tal d’adequar-les als requeriments del PNAP i així obtenir resultats sobre el potencial de biomassa sosteniblement extraïble, sobre el seu potencial energètic i plantejar un escenari d’aprofitament a mode de cas pràctic. A més a més, s’han realitzat també un balanç socioeconòmic, un balanç d’emissions de CO2 i una avaluació d’impacte ambiental per tal de determinar la viabilitat de l’ús de biomassa al PNAP com a recurs energètic. Com a resultat final s’ha obtingut que el procés d’aprofitament de la biomassa per a la producció d’energia calorífica esdevé una opció de futur viable i positiva ja que la implantació del nou procés comporta beneficis a nivell social, econòmic i ambiental.

Detection of micrometastases in sentinel lymph nodes from melanoma patients: direct comparison of multimarker molecular and immunopathological methods.

The technique of sentinel lymph node (SLN) dissection is a reliable predictor of metastatic disease in the lymphatic basin draining the primary melanoma. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is emerging as a highly sensitive technique to detect micrometastases in SLNs, but its specificity has been questioned. A prospective SLN study in melanoma patients was undertaken to compare in detail immunopathological versus molecular detection methods. Sentinel lymphadenectomy was performed on 57 patients, with a total of 71 SLNs analysed. SLNs were cut in slices, which were alternatively subjected to parallel multimarker analysis by microscopy (haematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemistry for HMB-45, S100, tyrosinase and Melan-A/MART-1) and RT-PCR (for tyrosinase and Melan-A/MART-1). Metastases were detected by both methods in 23% of the SLNs (28% of the patients). The combined use of Melan-A/MART-1 and tyrosinase amplification increased the sensitivity of PCR detection of microscopically proven micrometastases. Of the 55 immunopathologically negative SLNs, 25 were found to be positive on RT-PCR. Notably, eight of these SLNs contained naevi, all of which were positive for tyrosinase and/or Melan-A/MART-1, as detected at both mRNA and protein level. The remaining 41% of the SLNs were negative on both immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. Analysis of a series of adjacent non-SLNs by RT-PCR confirmed the concept of orderly progression of metastasis. Clinical follow-up showed disease recurrence in 12% of the RT-PCR-positive immunopathology-negative SLNs, indicating that even an extensive immunohistochemical analysis may underestimate the presence of micrometastases. However, molecular analyses, albeit more sensitive, need to be further improved in order to attain acceptable specificity before they can be applied diagnostically.

Solid-phase synthesis and NMR studies of modified oligonucleotides forming triplex helix and of oligonucleopeptides mimicking the topoisomerase I-DNA covalent complex

Report for the scientific sojourn carried out at the Institut de Biologia Molecular de Barcelona of the CSIC –state agency – from april until september 2007. Topoisomerase I is an essential nuclear enzyme that modulates the topological status of DNA, facilitating DNA helix unwinding during replication and transcription. We have prepared the oligonucleotide-peptide conjugate Ac-NLeu-Asn-Tyr(p-3’TTCAGAAGC5’)-LeuC-CONH-(CH2)6-OH as model compound for NMR studies of the Topoisomerase I- DNA complex. Special attention was made on the synthetic aspects for the preparation of this challenging compound especially solid supports and protecting groups. The desired peptide was obtained although we did not achieve the amount of the conjugate needed for NMR studies. Most probably the low yield is due to the intrinsic sensitive to hydrolysis of the phosphate bond between oligonucleotide and tyrosine. We have started the synthesis and the structural characterization of oligonucleotides carrying intercalating compounds. At the present state we have obtained model duplex and quadruplex sequences modified with acridine and NMR studies are underway. In addition to this project we have successfully resolved the structure of a fusion peptide derived from hepatitis C virus envelope synthesized by the group of Dr. Haro and we have synthesized and started the characterization of a modified G-quadruplex.

Drosophila melanogaster dHCF Interacts with both PcG and TrxG Epigenetic Regulators.

Repression and activation of gene transcription involves multiprotein complexes that modify chromatin structure. The integration of these complexes at regulatory sites can be assisted by co-factors that link them to DNA-bound transcriptional regulators. In humans, one such co-factor is the herpes simplex virus host-cell factor 1 (HCF-1), which is implicated in both activation and repression of transcription. We show here that disruption of the gene encoding the Drosophila melanogaster homolog of HCF-1, dHCF, leads to a pleiotropic phenotype involving lethality, sterility, small size, apoptosis, and morphological defects. In Drosophila, repressed and activated transcriptional states of cell fate-determining genes are maintained throughout development by Polycomb Group (PcG) and Trithorax Group (TrxG) genes, respectively. dHCF mutant flies display morphological phenotypes typical of TrxG mutants and dHCF interacts genetically with both PcG and TrxG genes. Thus, dHCF inactivation enhances the mutant phenotypes of the Pc PcG as well as brm and mor TrxG genes, suggesting that dHCF possesses Enhancer of TrxG and PcG (ETP) properties. Additionally, dHCF interacts with the previously established ETP gene skd. These pleiotropic phenotypes are consistent with broad roles for dHCF in both activation and repression of transcription during fly development.

Itinerari d'educació ambiental i sensorial de Sant Pere del Burgal

El Parc Natural de l’Alt Pirineu (PNAP) va ser creat l’any 2003. Actualment, el parc està desenvolupant una xarxa d’itineraris d’Educació Ambiental (EA). L’Ecomuseu de la Vall d’Àneu (EVA) ofereix rutes guiades al sender del Monestir de Sant Pere del Burgal, ja senyalitzat i equipat pel PNAP, en estar inscrit al seu àmbit territorial. Es tracta d’un sender de fàcil accés i recorregut, molt ample al primer tram tot oferint una gran varietat d’aspectes d’interès. L’objectiu principal del present projecte és plantejar un itinerari d’EA sensorial adaptat als col·lectius amb mobilitat reduïda i persones invidents. Amb aquesta finalitat es desenvolupen continguts i materials didàctics i es determinen les accions que els articularan. En un primer moment s'ha analitzat la viabilitat de l’itinerari aplicant el protocol de valoració dissenyat pel grup Edukamb. La puntuació obtinguda és de 74 punts sobre 100, corroborant la idoneïtat del seu recorregut pels visitants. En el disseny de l’itinerari, s’han determinat els elements i processos d’interès a l’entorn, s’han proposat quatre parades sensorials i una pasarel·la de fusta al primer tram i quatre parades de component antropològica i la instal·lació d’una corda perimetral al segon tram. Finalment també, la instal·lació de maquetes tridimensionals tàctils, una descriptiva dels aspectes i les parades de l’itinerari a l’inici del camí i una arquitectònica de l’entorn del monestir en arrivar al mateix. S’han proposat millores en la senyalització present, alternatives i complements al material pedagògic considerat al projecte i el disseny de protocols de valoració per itineraris adaptats a tot tipus de col·lectius.

Anti-tumor necrosis factor drug survival in axial spondyloarthritis is independent of the classification criteria.

To compare the impact of meeting specific classification criteria [modified New York (mNY), European Spondyloarthropathy Study Group (ESSG), and Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) criteria] on anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drug retention, and to determine predictive factors of better drug survival. All patients fulfilling the ESSG criteria for axial spondyloarthritis (SpA) with available data on the axial ASAS and mNY criteria, and who had received at least one anti-TNF treatment were retrospectively retrieved in a single academic institution in Switzerland. Drug retention was computed using survival analysis (Kaplan-Meier), adjusted for potential confounders. Of the 137 patients classified as having axial SpA using the ESSG criteria, 112 also met the ASAS axial SpA criteria, and 77 fulfilled the mNY criteria. Drug retention rates at 12 and 24 months for the first biologic therapy were not significantly different between the diagnostic groups. Only the small ASAS non-classified axial SpA group (25 patients) showed a nonsignificant trend toward shorter drug survival. Elevated CRP level, but not the presence of bone marrow edema on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, was associated with significantly better drug retention (OR 7.9, ICR 4-14). In this cohort, anti-TNF drug survival was independent of the classification criteria. Elevated CRP level, but not positive MRI, was associated with better drug retention.

Aplicació per a la creació de guies d'avaluació de competències als treballs de final d'estudis

Aquest projecte neix per facilitar l’ús de la “Guia per a l’avaluació de competències als treballs de final de grau i màster a les enginyeries” elaborada per un grup de professors de sis universitats públiques catalanes, de tres titulacions d’Enginyeria (Enginyeria Informàtica, Enginyeria de Telecomunicacions i Enginyeria Química). Per facilitar l'ús de la Guia s’ha implementat aquesta aplicació web que permet definir de forma senzilla i efectiva els procediments per a realitzar l'avaluació de competències en els Treballs de Fi de Grau (TFG) i de Fi de Màster (TFM).

Territorial autonomy and self-determination conflicts: opportunity and willingness cases from Bolivia, Niger, and Thailand

The paradox of autonomy is about whether self-rule accommodates or exacerbates armed conflict. This study attempts to unpack the puzzle examining the effectiveness of territorial autonomy as a state response to self-determination conflicts throughout the world. It challenges the conflict-inducing features of autonomy arguing that territorial autonomy can mitigate armed conflict by channeling group grievances into peaceful forms of protest. Thus, this study aims at arriving at a comprehensive theory that identifies which factors are responsible for violent escalation of conflicts grounded in self-determination demands. By using the concepts of opportunity structures and willingness dimension, this study shows that conflict escalation only takes place when minorities with greater bargaining power vis-à-vis the center, in contexts of high levels of economic inequality within dyad, are mobilized around autonomy and separatist demands.

Ampliació i extensió en l'ús del portafolis digital en l'avaluació de l'alumnat

El treball realitzat amb l’ajuda MQD2006 està relacionat amb l’ús de portafolis electrònics en un context universitari. Els objectius que ens havíem traçat, eren: 1)Dissenyar una versió beta del portafolis digital desenvolupat adhoc pel grup 2)Implementar una metodologia avaluativa basada en el portafolis digital desenvolupat 3)Generar portafolis digitals com a model de bones pràctiques d’avaluació de l’alumnat 4)Recollir dades sobre el seu funcionament en relació a l’alumnat A més dels anteriors objectius, relacionats amb els aspectes pedagògics freuit de la implementació i ús dels portafolis digitals, hi ha dos objectius relacionats amb aspectes didàctics. Aquests són: 5) Anàlisi dels canvis en la metodologia didàctica i en els continguts curriculars 6) Anàlisi de criteris de sostenibilitat de la utilització continuada del portafolis digital. Almenys 5 d’aquests 6 objectius s’han complert de manera completa, i un (el nombre cinc) ha quedat solament esbossat. Per altra banda, alguns resultats inesperats s’han produït en aquests dos anys i es poden afegir a aquesta llista inicial: 7) Expansió i difusió de l’experiència cap a altres universitats. 8) Possibilitat de plantejar un projecte d’investigació bàsica sobre les conseqüències de l’ús de portafolis en la docència universitària basada en l’EEES. La Memòria seguirà de prop aquests objectius, si bé es distribuiran d’una manera diferent. Com a resultats i conclusions hem pogut veure que l’eina ha estat ben valorada en quant a la metodologia d’ús proposada, en quant al propi seguiment de l’aprenentatge i per una autoavaluació continuada. Hem vist una millora en les reflexions dels estudiants fent servir un diàleg on-line entre professor-estudiant. D’altra banda, hem detectat que es requereix millorar la seva usabilitat, un ús continuat més llarg i algunes recomanacions encarades al treball docent del professorat i no tant de l’eina.

Disseny d'un "museu virtual" per una sala d'exposicions mitjançant OpenGL

Aquest projecte tracta del disseny i implementació d’una aplicació gràfica que permeti visualitzar diferents exposicions de quadres que es realitzin a la sala d’exposicions de la Hemeroteca General de la UAB, gestionada pel col·lectiu “Cultura en Viu”. La utilitat ha sigut desenvolupada mitjançant la llibreria gràfica OpenGL i Microsoft Visual Studio. L’aplicació generada és també una eina de creació i manipulació d’exposicions al servei del usuari.

Productivity and human capital: a business-level analysis

This paper aims to analyse the impact of human capital on business productivity, focusing the analysis on the possible effect of the complementarity that exists between human capital and new production technologies, particularly advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) for the specific case of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Catalonia. Additionally, following the theory of skill-biased technological change, the paper analyses whether technological change produces bias exclusively in the skills required for managers, or whether the bias extends to the skills required of production staff. With this objective, we have compared the possible existence of complementarity between AMTs and the level of human capital for different occupational groups. The results confirm the complementary relationship between human capital and new production technologies. The results by occupational group confirm that to maximise the productivity of new technologies, skilled staff are needed both in management and production, with managers and professionals as well as skilled operatives playing a vital role. Keywords: human capital, process technologies, complementarity, business productivity. (JEL D24, J24, O30).

Corpus Christianorum Series Apocryphorum. Une collection au profil original, portée par un projet de recherche collectif

(Résumé de l'ouvrage) In 1953 the first fascicle of the first volume of the Corpus Christianorum was published. Now, fifty years later, this series has established itself as one of the great scientific enterprises in the field of patristic and medieval studies. We offer this birthday-present to ourselves, our old and new collaborators and our friends as a celebration of what has been achieved, as a survey of where we currently stand and as an insight into our future. The book opens with an essay on fifty years of the Corpus Christianorum. It tells the story of how the enterprise started as an ambitious yet limited project and how it developed into what it is today: a conglomerate of many different research projects located in different places all over the world. The second part presents a florilegium of patristic and medieval texts, all of which have been edited in the series, some only recently, others long ago. The selection has been made by a group of scholars representing the variety of interests reflected in the subseries of the Corpus Christianorum. At the end of the volume an Onomasticon has been added. It gives a complete survey of all the text-editions published to date. This "mini-clavis" will make it easier to find one's way in the library of the Corpus Christianorum.