Secondary data analysis of lead screening compliance in high-risk children

Introduction. Despite the ban of lead-containing gasoline and paint, childhood lead poisoning remains a public health issue. Furthermore, a Medicaid-eligible child is 8 times more likely to have an elevated blood lead level (EBLL) than a non-Medicaid child, which is the primary reason for the early detection lead screening mandate for ages 12 and 24 months among the Medicaid population. Based on field observations, there was evidence that suggested a screening compliance issue. Objective. The purpose of this study was to analyze blood lead screening compliance in previously lead poisoned Medicaid children and test for an association between timely lead screening and timely childhood immunizations. The mean months between follow-up tests were also examined for a significant difference between the non-compliant and compliant lead screened children. Methods. Access to the surveillance data of all childhood lead poisoned cases in Bexar County was granted by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. A database was constructed and analyzed using descriptive statistics, logistic regression methods and non-parametric tests. Lead screening at 12 months of age was analyzed separately from lead screening at 24 months. The small portion of the population who were also related were included in one analysis and removed from a second analysis to check for significance. Gender, ethnicity, age of home, and having a sibling with an EBLL were ruled out as confounders for the association tests but ethnicity and age of home were adjusted in the nonparametric tests. Results. There was a strong significant association between lead screening compliance at 12 months and childhood immunization compliance, with or without including related children (p<0.00). However, there was no significant association between the two variables at the age of 24 months. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the median of the mean months of follow-up blood tests among the non-compliant and compliant lead screened population for at the 12 month screening group but there was a significant difference at the 24 month screening group (p<0.01). Discussion. Descriptive statistics showed that 61% and 56% of the previously lead poisoned Medicaid population did not receive their 12 and 24 month mandated lead screening on time, respectively. This suggests that their elevated blood lead level may have been diagnosed earlier in their childhood. Furthermore, a child who is compliant with their lead screening at 12 months of age is 2.36 times more likely to also receive their childhood immunizations on time compared to a child who was not compliant with their 12 month screening. Even though there was no statistical significant association found for the 24 month group, the public health significance of a screening compliance issue is no less important. The Texas Medicaid program needs to enforce lead screening compliance because it is evident that there has been no monitoring system in place. Further recommendations include a need for an increased focus on parental education and the importance of taking their children for wellness exams on time.^

Shigellosis in Hidalgo County, Texas 2005--2009: A descriptive study

Shigellosis is a communicable disease harbored primarily by humans. The low infective dose, no vaccine availability, and mild or asymptomatic nature of disease has prevented eradication of Shigella in the United States. In addition, the lack of water and sewage infrastructures which normally contribute to the spread of disease in developing countries, for the most part, is a non-issue in the U.S. making surveillance and risk factor identification important prevention and control measures utilized to reduce the incidence rates of Shigellosis.^ The purpose of this study was to describe the Shigellosis disease burden among the Hidalgo County, Texas population during the 2005-2009 study period and compare these findings with national data available. The potential identification and publication of a health disparity in the form of increased Shigellosis rates among Hidalgo County residents when compared to national rates, especially age-specific rates, are intended to generate public health attention and public health action that will address this issue.^ There were 1,007 confirmed Shigellosis cases reported in Hidalgo County, Texas. An overwhelming majority (79%) of the Shigellosis cases during this time frame occurred in children less than ten years of age. Over the age of 10 through the age of 39, females constituted the majority of cases. Age-specific rates for children four years of age and younger were compared to national rates. The rates for Hidalgo County were higher at 9.2 and 1.8 cases for every one case reported nationally in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The total crude rates of Shigellosis were also higher than the rates available from the Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) of CDC’s Emerging Infections Program from 2005-2009. As a result, compared to the FoodNet surveillance rates, Hidalgo County experienced above average rates of Shigellosis throughout the study period. The majority of cases were identified in young children under the age of ten.^ The information gathered in this analysis could be used to implement and monitor infection control measures such as hand washing education at facilities that tend to the groups identified at higher risk of infection. In addition, the higher burden of disease found in Hidalgo County requires further study to determine if there are factors associated with an increased risk of Shigellosis in this community and other border communities along the U.S.-Mexico border exist.^

A descriptive study of comprehensive and categorical services for pregnant and parenting adolescents in West Dallas

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Children and Youth Projects' Adolescent Family Life Program, a comprehensive program serving pregnant and parenting adolescents in the economically disadvantaged area of West Dallas. The underlying question asked is what are the relative contributions of the comprehensive, school-linked Adolescent Family Life (AFL) Program compared with the Maternal Health and Family Planning Program (MHFPP), a categorical provider of family planning and reproductive services, towards meeting the immediate and intermediate term needs of adolescent mothers. Also addressed are the protective effects of participation in the Dallas Independent School District Health Special Program, a segregated school for pregnant adolescents.^ A cohort of 339 West Dallas adolescent mothers who delivered babies during a two-year period, 1986 through 1987, are monitored by linking records from Parkland Hospital, the primary provider to hospital services to indigent women in Dallas, the Dallas Independent School District, and the prenatal care providers, the AFL and MHFP Programs. Information is collected on each teen describing her demographic, fertility, service utilization and educational characteristics.^ The study tests the hypothesis that adolescents receiving services from the comprehensive AFL program will be less likely to have a repeat birth and to discontinue school during the 24 month study period, compared with categorical provider clients. Although the study finds that there are no statistically significant differences in repeat deliveries, using survival analysis, or in school continuation between programs, important findings are revealed about the ethnic differences. Black and Hispanic fertility and educational behaviors are compared, and their implications for program design and evaluation discussed. ^

AN ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF RACE, INCOME, EDUCATION, AND FOOD STAMP PROGRAM PARTICIPATION/NONPARTICIPATION ON THE FOOD AND NUTRIENT CONSUMPTION OF A NORTH FLORIDA URBAN CLINIC POPULATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH A SURVEY OF NUTRITION RELATED HABITS AND ATTITUDES

The relative influence of race, income, education, and Food Stamp Program participation/nonparticipation on the food and nutrient intake of 102 fecund women ages 18-45 years in a Florida urban clinic population was assessed using the technique of multiple regression analysis. Study subgroups were defined by race and Food Stamp Program participation status. Education was found to have the greatest influence on food and nutrient intake. Race was the next most influential factor followed in order by Food Stamp Program participation and income. The combined effect of the four independent variables explained no more than 19 percent of the variance for any of the food and nutrient intake variables. This would indicate that a more complex model of influences is needed if variations in food and nutrient intake are to be fully explained.^ A socioeconomic questionnaire was administered to investigate other factors of influence. The influence of the mother, frequency and type of restaurant dining, and perceptions of food intake and weight were found to be factors deserving further study.^ Dietary data were collected using the 24-hour recall and food frequency checklist. Descriptive dietary findings indicated that iron and calcium were nutrients where adequacy was of concern for all study subgroups. White Food Stamp Program participants had the greatest number of mean nutrient intake values falling below the 1980 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). When Food Stamp Program participants were contrasted to nonparticipants, mean intakes of six nutrients (kilocalories, calcium, iron, vitamin A, thiamin, and riboflavin) were below the 1980 RDA compared to five mean nutrient intakes (kilocalories, calcium, iron, thiamin and riboflavin) for the nonparticipants. Use of the Index of Nutritional Quality (INQ), however, revealed that the quality of the diet of Food Stamp Program participants per 1000 kilocalories was adequate with exception of calcium and iron. Intakes of these nutrients were also not adequate on a 1000 kilocalorie basis for the nonparticipant group. When mean nutrient intakes of the groups were compared using Student's t-test oleicacid intake was the only significant difference found. Being a nonparticipant in the Food Stamp Program was found to be associated with more frequent consumption of cookies, sweet rolls, doughnuts, and honey. The findings of this study contradict the negative image of the Food Stamp Program participant and emphasize the importance of education. ^

DIABETIC RETINOPATHY IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS IN BLACK WOMEN: A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF RISK FACTORS

This cross-sectional study examines the prevalence of selected potential risk factors by stage of diabetic retinopathy (DR) among Black American women with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) followed at a university diabetes clinic. DR was assessed by ophthalmoscopy and five-field retinography, and graded on counts of microaneurysms, hemorrhages and/or exudates, and presence of proliferative DR. Prevalence of other vascular diseases was assessed from medical records. Potential risk factors included age, known duration of diabetes, type of hypoglycemic treatment, concentrations of random capillary blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, urine protein and fibrinogen, body mass index, and blood pressure. Prevalence of these risk factors is reported for three categories: No DR, mild background DR, severe background or proliferative DR (including surgically treated DR). Duration, age at diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, concentration of urine protein and average blood glucose, hypertension and cardiovascular disease were significantly associated with DR in univariate analysis. The covariance analysis employed stratification on duration, age at diagnosis and therapy of diabetes. The highest DR scores were calculated for those diagnosed before age 45, regardless of duration, therapy, or average blood glucose. Only individuals diagnosed before age 45 had high blood glucose concentrations in all categories of duration. These findings suggest that in this clinic population of Black women, those diagnosed with NIDDm before age 45 who eventually required insulin treatment were at the greatest risk of developing DR and that longterm poor glucose control is a contributing factor. These results suggest that greater emphasis be placed on this subgroup in allocating the limited resources available to improve the quality of glucose regulation, particularly through measures affecting compliance behavior.^ Findings concerning the association of DR with concentration of blood glucose and urine protein, blood pressure/hypertension and weight were compared with those reported from American Indian and Mexican American populations of the Southwestern United States where prevalence of NIDDM, hypertension and obesity is also high. Additional comparative analyses are outlined to substantiate the preliminary finding that there are systematic differences between these ethnic populations. ^

Scientific Production on Open Access : A Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis in the Academic and Scientific Context

This research aims to diachronically analyze the worldwide scientific production on open access, in the academic and scientific context, in order to contribute to knowledge and visualization of its main actors. As a method, bibliographical, descriptive and analytical research was used, with the contribution of bibliometric studies, especially the production indicators, scientific collaboration and indicators of thematic co-occurrence. The Scopus database was used as a source to retrieve the articles on the subject, with a resulting corpus of 1179 articles. Using Bibexcel software, frequency tables were constructed for the variables, and Pajek software was used to visualize the collaboration network and VoSViewer for the construction of the keywords' network. As for the results, the most productive researchers come from countries such as the United States, Canada, France and Spain. Journals with higher impact in the academic community have disseminated the new constructed knowledge. A collaborative network with a few subnets where co-authors are from different countries has been observed. As conclusions, this study allows identifying the themes of debates that mark the development of open access at the international level, and it is possible to state that open access is one of the new emerging and frontier fields of library and information science

Scientific Production on Open Access : A Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis in the Academic and Scientific Context

This research aims to diachronically analyze the worldwide scientific production on open access, in the academic and scientific context, in order to contribute to knowledge and visualization of its main actors. As a method, bibliographical, descriptive and analytical research was used, with the contribution of bibliometric studies, especially the production indicators, scientific collaboration and indicators of thematic co-occurrence. The Scopus database was used as a source to retrieve the articles on the subject, with a resulting corpus of 1179 articles. Using Bibexcel software, frequency tables were constructed for the variables, and Pajek software was used to visualize the collaboration network and VoSViewer for the construction of the keywords' network. As for the results, the most productive researchers come from countries such as the United States, Canada, France and Spain. Journals with higher impact in the academic community have disseminated the new constructed knowledge. A collaborative network with a few subnets where co-authors are from different countries has been observed. As conclusions, this study allows identifying the themes of debates that mark the development of open access at the international level, and it is possible to state that open access is one of the new emerging and frontier fields of library and information science

SADA and DESYRE DSSs descriptive classification criteria (main issues related to DSS's)

Brownfield rehabilitation is an essential step for sustainable land-use planning and management in the European Union. In brownfield regeneration processes, the legacy contamination plays a significant role, firstly because of the persistent contaminants in soil or groundwater which extends the existing hazards and risks well into the future; and secondly, problems from historical contamination are often more difficult to manage than contamination caused by new activities. Due to the complexity associated with the management of brownfield site rehabilitation, Decision Support Systems (DSSs) have been developed to support problem holders and stakeholders in the decision-making process encompassing all phases of the rehabilitation. This paper presents a comparative study between two DSSs, namely SADA (Spatial Analysis and Decision Assistance) and DESYRE (Decision Support System for the Requalification of Contaminated Sites), with the main objective of showing the benefits of using DSSs to introduce and process data and then to disseminate results to different stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. For this purpose, a former car manufacturing plant located in the Brasov area, Central Romania, contaminated chiefly by heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbons, has been selected as a case study to apply the two examined DSSs. Major results presented here concern the analysis of the functionalities of the two DSSs in order to identify similarities, differences and complementarities and, thus, to provide an indication of the most suitable integration options.

Scientific Production on Open Access : A Worldwide Bibliometric Analysis in the Academic and Scientific Context

This research aims to diachronically analyze the worldwide scientific production on open access, in the academic and scientific context, in order to contribute to knowledge and visualization of its main actors. As a method, bibliographical, descriptive and analytical research was used, with the contribution of bibliometric studies, especially the production indicators, scientific collaboration and indicators of thematic co-occurrence. The Scopus database was used as a source to retrieve the articles on the subject, with a resulting corpus of 1179 articles. Using Bibexcel software, frequency tables were constructed for the variables, and Pajek software was used to visualize the collaboration network and VoSViewer for the construction of the keywords' network. As for the results, the most productive researchers come from countries such as the United States, Canada, France and Spain. Journals with higher impact in the academic community have disseminated the new constructed knowledge. A collaborative network with a few subnets where co-authors are from different countries has been observed. As conclusions, this study allows identifying the themes of debates that mark the development of open access at the international level, and it is possible to state that open access is one of the new emerging and frontier fields of library and information science

New perspectives on quantitative textural analysis

Process mineralogy provides the mineralogical information required by geometallurgists to address the inherent variation of geological data. The successful benefitiation of ores mostly depends on the ability of mineral processing to be efficiently adapted to the ore characteristics, being liberation one of the most relevant mineralogical parameters. The liberation characteristics of ores are intimately related to mineral texture. Therefore, the characterization of liberation necessarily requieres the identification and quantification of those textural features with a major bearing on mineral liberation. From this point of view grain size, bonding between mineral grains and intergrowth types are considered as the most influential textural attributes. While the quantification of grain size is a usual output of automated current technologies, information about grain boundaries and intergrowth types is usually descriptive and difficult to quantify to be included in the geometallurgical model. Aiming at the systematic and quantitative analysis of the intergrowth type within mineral particles, a new methodology based on digital image analysis has been developed. In this work, the ability of this methodology to achieve a more complete characterization of liberation is explored by the analysis of chalcopyrite in the rougher concentrate of the Kansanshi copper-gold mine (Zambia). Results obtained show that the method provides valuable textural information to achieve a better understanding of mineral behaviour during concentration processes. The potential of this method is enhanced by the fact that it provides data unavailable by current technologies. This opens up new perspectives on the quantitative analysis of mineral processing performance based on textural attributes.

Análisis cuantitativo y cualitativo de los momentos críticos en baloncesto = Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the critical moments in basketball

El MC en baloncesto es aquel fenómeno relacionado con el juego que presenta unas características particulares determinadas por la idiosincrasia de un equipo y puede afectar a los protagonistas y por ende al devenir del juego. En la presente Tesis se ha estudiado la incidencia del MC en Liga A.C.B. de baloncesto y para su desarrollo en profundidad se ha planteado dos investigaciones una cuantitativa y otra cualitativa cuya metodología se detalla a continuación: La investigación cuantitativa se ha basado en la técnica de estudio del “Performance analysis”, para ello se han estudiado cuatro temporadas de la Liga A.C.B. (del 2007/08 al 2010/11), tal y como refleja en la bibliografía consultada se han tomado como momentos críticos del juego a los últimos cinco minutos de partidos donde la diferencia de puntos fue de seis puntos y todos los Tiempos Extras disputados, de tal manera que se han estudiado 197 momentos críticos. La contextualización del estudio se ha hecho en función de la variables situacionales “game location” (local o visitante), “team quality” (mejores o peores clasificados) y “competition” (fases de LR y Playoff). Para la interpretación de los resultados se han realizado los siguientes análisis descriptivos: 1) Análisis Discriminante, 2) Regresión Lineal Múltiple; y 3) Análisis del Modelo Lineal General Multivariante. La investigación cualitativa se ha basado en la técnica de investigación de la entrevista semiestructurada. Se entrevistaron a 12 entrenadores que militaban en la Liga A.C.B. durante la temporada 2011/12, cuyo objetivo ha sido conocer el punto de vista que tiene el entrenador sobre el concepto del MC y que de esta forma pudiera dar un enfoque más práctico basado en su conocimiento y experiencia acerca de cómo actuar ante el MC en el baloncesto. Los resultados de ambas investigaciones coinciden en señalar la importancia del MC sobre el resultado final del juego. De igual forma, el concepto en sí entraña una gran complejidad por lo que se considera fundamental la visión científica de la observación del juego y la percepción subjetiva que presenta el entrenador ante el fenómeno, para la cual los aspectos psicológicos de sus protagonistas (jugadores y entrenadores) son determinantes. ABSTRACT The Critical Moment (CM) in basketball is a related phenomenon with the game that has particular features determined by the idiosyncrasies of a team and can affect the players and therefore the future of the game. In this Thesis we have studied the impact of CM in the A.C.B. League and from a profound development two investigations have been raised, quantitative and qualitative whose methodology is as follows: The quantitative research is based on the technique of study "Performance analysis", for this we have studied four seasons in the A.C.B. League (2007/08 to 2010/11), and as reflected in the literature the Critical Moments of the games were taken from the last five minutes of games where the point spread was six points and all overtimes disputed, such that 197 critical moments have been studied. The contextualization of the study has been based on the situational variables "game location" (home or away), "team quality" (better or lower classified) and "competition" (LR and Playoff phases). For the interpretation of the results the following descriptive analyzes were performed: 1) Discriminant Analysis, 2) Multiple Linear Regression Analysis; and 3) Analysis of Multivariate General Linear Model. Qualitative research is based on the technique of investigation of a semi-structured interview. 12 coaches who belonged to the A.C.B. League were interviewed in seasons 2011/12, which aimed to determine the point of view that the coach has on the CM concept and thus could give a more practical approach based on their knowledge and experience about how to deal with the CM in basketball. The results of both studies agree on the importance of the CM on the final outcome of the game. Similarly, the concept itself is highly complex so the scientific view of the observation of the game is considered essential as well as the subjective perception the coach presents before the phenomenon, for which the psychological aspects of their characters (players and coaches) are crucial.

Methods for the analysis of multi-scale cell dynamics from fluorescence microscopy images

La embriogénesis es el proceso mediante el cual una célula se convierte en un ser un vivo. A lo largo de diferentes etapas de desarrollo, la población de células va proliferando a la vez que el embrión va tomando forma y se configura. Esto es posible gracias a la acción de varios procesos genéticos, bioquímicos y mecánicos que interaccionan y se regulan entre ellos formando un sistema complejo que se organiza a diferentes escalas espaciales y temporales. Este proceso ocurre de manera robusta y reproducible, pero también con cierta variabilidad que permite la diversidad de individuos de una misma especie. La aparición de la microscopía de fluorescencia, posible gracias a proteínas fluorescentes que pueden ser adheridas a las cadenas de expresión de las células, y los avances en la física óptica de los microscopios han permitido observar este proceso de embriogénesis in-vivo y generar secuencias de imágenes tridimensionales de alta resolución espacio-temporal. Estas imágenes permiten el estudio de los procesos de desarrollo embrionario con técnicas de análisis de imagen y de datos, reconstruyendo dichos procesos para crear la representación de un embrión digital. Una de las más actuales problemáticas en este campo es entender los procesos mecánicos, de manera aislada y en interacción con otros factores como la expresión genética, para que el embrión se desarrolle. Debido a la complejidad de estos procesos, estos problemas se afrontan mediante diferentes técnicas y escalas específicas donde, a través de experimentos, pueden hacerse y confrontarse hipótesis, obteniendo conclusiones sobre el funcionamiento de los mecanismos estudiados. Esta tesis doctoral se ha enfocado sobre esta problemática intentando mejorar las metodologías del estado del arte y con un objetivo específico: estudiar patrones de deformación que emergen del movimiento organizado de las células durante diferentes estados del desarrollo del embrión, de manera global o en tejidos concretos. Estudios se han centrado en la mecánica en relación con procesos de señalización o interacciones a nivel celular o de tejido. En este trabajo, se propone un esquema para generalizar el estudio del movimiento y las interacciones mecánicas que se desprenden del mismo a diferentes escalas espaciales y temporales. Esto permitiría no sólo estudios locales, si no estudios sistemáticos de las escalas de interacción mecánica dentro de un embrión. Por tanto, el esquema propuesto obvia las causas de generación de movimiento (fuerzas) y se centra en la cuantificación de la cinemática (deformación y esfuerzos) a partir de imágenes de forma no invasiva. Hoy en día las dificultades experimentales y metodológicas y la complejidad de los sistemas biológicos impiden una descripción mecánica completa de manera sistemática. Sin embargo, patrones de deformación muestran el resultado de diferentes factores mecánicos en interacción con otros elementos dando lugar a una organización mecánica, necesaria para el desarrollo, que puede ser cuantificado a partir de la metodología propuesta en esta tesis. La metodología asume un medio continuo descrito de forma Lagrangiana (en función de las trayectorias de puntos materiales que se mueven en el sistema en lugar de puntos espaciales) de la dinámica del movimiento, estimado a partir de las imágenes mediante métodos de seguimiento de células o de técnicas de registro de imagen. Gracias a este esquema es posible describir la deformación instantánea y acumulada respecto a un estado inicial para cualquier dominio del embrión. La aplicación de esta metodología a imágenes 3D + t del pez zebra sirvió para desvelar estructuras mecánicas que tienden a estabilizarse a lo largo del tiempo en dicho embrión, y que se organizan a una escala semejante al del mapa de diferenciación celular y con indicios de correlación con patrones de expresión genética. También se aplicó la metodología al estudio del tejido amnioserosa de la Drosophila (mosca de la fruta) durante el cierre dorsal, obteniendo indicios de un acoplamiento entre escalas subcelulares, celulares y supracelulares, que genera patrones complejos en respuesta a la fuerza generada por los esqueletos de acto-myosina. En definitiva, esta tesis doctoral propone una estrategia novedosa de análisis de la dinámica celular multi-escala que permite cuantificar patrones de manera inmediata y que además ofrece una representación que reconstruye la evolución de los procesos como los ven las células, en lugar de como son observados desde el microscopio. Esta metodología por tanto permite nuevas formas de análisis y comparación de embriones y tejidos durante la embriogénesis a partir de imágenes in-vivo. ABSTRACT The embryogenesis is the process from which a single cell turns into a living organism. Through several stages of development, the cell population proliferates at the same time the embryo shapes and the organs develop gaining their functionality. This is possible through genetic, biochemical and mechanical factors that are involved in a complex interaction of processes organized in different levels and in different spatio-temporal scales. The embryogenesis, through this complexity, develops in a robust and reproducible way, but allowing variability that makes possible the diversity of living specimens. The advances in physics of microscopes and the appearance of fluorescent proteins that can be attached to expression chains, reporting about structural and functional elements of the cell, have enabled for the in-vivo observation of embryogenesis. The imaging process results in sequences of high spatio-temporal resolution 3D+time data of the embryogenesis as a digital representation of the embryos that can be further analyzed, provided new image processing and data analysis techniques are developed. One of the most relevant and challenging lines of research in the field is the quantification of the mechanical factors and processes involved in the shaping process of the embryo and their interactions with other embryogenesis factors such as genetics. Due to the complexity of the processes, studies have focused on specific problems and scales controlled in the experiments, posing and testing hypothesis to gain new biological insight. However, methodologies are often difficult to be exported to study other biological phenomena or specimens. This PhD Thesis is framed within this paradigm of research and tries to propose a systematic methodology to quantify the emergent deformation patterns from the motion estimated in in-vivo images of embryogenesis. Thanks to this strategy it would be possible to quantify not only local mechanisms, but to discover and characterize the scales of mechanical organization within the embryo. The framework focuses on the quantification of the motion kinematics (deformation and strains), neglecting the causes of the motion (forces), from images in a non-invasive way. Experimental and methodological challenges hamper the quantification of exerted forces and the mechanical properties of tissues. However, a descriptive framework of deformation patterns provides valuable insight about the organization and scales of the mechanical interactions, along the embryo development. Such a characterization would help to improve mechanical models and progressively understand the complexity of embryogenesis. This framework relies on a Lagrangian representation of the cell dynamics system based on the trajectories of points moving along the deformation. This approach of analysis enables the reconstruction of the mechanical patterning as experienced by the cells and tissues. Thus, we can build temporal profiles of deformation along stages of development, comprising both the instantaneous events and the cumulative deformation history. The application of this framework to 3D + time data of zebrafish embryogenesis allowed us to discover mechanical profiles that stabilized through time forming structures that organize in a scale comparable to the map of cell differentiation (fate map), and also suggesting correlation with genetic patterns. The framework was also applied to the analysis of the amnioserosa tissue in the drosophila’s dorsal closure, revealing that the oscillatory contraction triggered by the acto-myosin network organized complexly coupling different scales: local force generation foci, cellular morphology control mechanisms and tissue geometrical constraints. In summary, this PhD Thesis proposes a theoretical framework for the analysis of multi-scale cell dynamics that enables to quantify automatically mechanical patterns and also offers a new representation of the embryo dynamics as experienced by cells instead of how the microscope captures instantaneously the processes. Therefore, this framework enables for new strategies of quantitative analysis and comparison between embryos and tissues during embryogenesis from in-vivo images.

Performance variability in basketball players with intellectual impairment: Ankara World Championships 2013 analysis

The aim of the present study was to identify performance variability in basketball for players with intellectual impairment (II) and to compare it with able-bodied (AB) players. Official game statistics from the 13 games played in the Ankara World II-Basketball Championships (2013) were gathered and descriptive data, variability coefficient (VC), maximum scores and its Z-score were calculated from those players who participated at least 10 minutes per game (N = 46; guards = 10, forwards = 21, centers = 15). Results indicated higher performance variability and lower efficiency in shooting percentages and turnovers in II-players comparing with studies in ABplayers. Differences found between game positions indicated similar roles of guards, forwards and centers in II and AB-players. These findings are relevant to understand how II impact on basketball performance, which is a necessary step to develop specific eligibility systems in II-basketball according to the guidelines of the International Paralympic Committee.

Morphological analysis of the mammalian postcranium: A developmental perspective

The past two decades have greatly improved our knowledge of vertebrate skeletal morphogenesis. It is now clear that bony morphology lacks individual descriptive specification and instead results from an interplay between positional information assigned during early limb bud deployment and its “execution” by highly conserved cellular response programs of derived connective tissue cells (e.g., chondroblasts and osteoblasts). Selection must therefore act on positional information and its apportionment, rather than on more individuated aspects of presumptive adult morphology. We suggest a trait classification system that can help integrate these findings in both functional and phylogenetic examinations of fossil mammals and provide examples from the human fossil record.

Anglicisms and calques in upper social class in pre-revolutionary Cuba (1930–1959): A sociolinguistic analysis

The geographical proximity and socioeconomic dependence on the United States brought about a deep rooted anglicization of the Cuban Spanish lexis and social strata, especially throughout the Neocolonial period (1902–1959). This study is based on the revision of a renowned newspaper of that time, Diario de la Marina, and the corresponding elaboration of a corpus of English-induced loanwords. Diario de la Marina particularly targeted upper social class, and only crónicas sociales (society pages’ columns) and print advertising were revised because of their fully descriptive texts, which encoded the ruling class ideology and consumerism. The findings show that there existed a high number of lexical and cultural anglicisms in the sociolect in question, and that the sociolinguistic anglicization was openly embraced by the upper socioeconomic stratum, entailing a differentiating sign of sophistication and social stratification. Likewise, a number of the anglicisms collected, particularly those related with social events, are unused in contemporary Cuban Spanish, which suggests a major semantic shifting in this sociolect after 1959.