A test of Suchey-Brooks (pubic symphysis) and Buckberry-Chamberlain (auricular surface) methods on an identified Spanish sample: paleodemographic implications

Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology studies depend critically on the accuracy and reliability of age-estimation techniques. In this study we have evaluated two age-estimation methods for adults based on the pubic symphysis (Suchey-Brooks) and the auricular surface (Buckberry-Chamberlain) in a current sample of 139 individuals (67 women and 72 men) from Madrid in order to verify the accuracy of both methods applied to a sample of innominate bones from the central Iberian Peninsula. Based on the overall results of this study, the Buckberry-Chamberlain method seems to be the method that provides better estimates in terms of accuracy (percentage of hits) and absolute difference to the chronological age taking into account the total sample. The percentage of hits and mean absolute difference of the Buckberry-Chamberlain and Suchey-Brooks methods are 97.3% and 11.24 years, and 85.7% and 14.38 years, respectively. However, this apparently greater applicability of the Buckberry-Chamberlain method is mainly due to the broad age ranges provided. Results indicated that Suchey-Brooks method is more appropriate for populations with a majority of young individuals, whereas Buckberry-Chamberlain method is recommended for populations with a higher percentage of individuals in the range 60-70 years. These different age estimation methodologies significantly influence the resulting demographic profile, consequently affecting the biological characteristics reconstruction of the samples in which they are applied.

Determinación del volumen gástrico residual: en busca de la mejor evidencia

Introducción: La determinación del volumen gástrico residual es una práctica frecuente en pacientes críticos, pero hay falta de consenso acerca de la conveniencia de reintroducir o desechar el contenido gástrico aspirado (CGA). Objetivo: Determinar el grado de evidencia científica acerca de la eficacia de 2 intervenciones-reintroducción/rechazo- del CGA en pacientes críticos. Material y métodos: Revisión sistemática de la evidencia disponible acerca de la conveniencia de reintroducir o desechar el CGA. Proceso: a) establecimiento de los criterios de inclusión/exclusión; b) determinación de la estrategia de búsqueda (palabras clave e itinerarios); c) vaciado de las bases de datos: MEDLINE, CINAHL, CUIDEN, IME, SCIELO y COCHRANE. Búsqueda por método indirecto y vaciado manual de índices; d) lectura crítica independiente y contrastada, utilizando la plantilla CASPe, y e) contraste de resultados del análisis crítico. Resultados: Los itinerarios de búsqueda generan más de 800 referencias que, una vez depuradas, permiten seleccionar 54. Después de su lectura, sólo 4 se centran realmente en cuestiones relacionadas con la reintroducción/rechazo del CGA: 2 revisiones, un estudio observacional y un ECA de muestra pequeña. La heterogeneidad de estos estudios no permite emplear técnicas de metaanálisis. Por ello se analizan por separado los resultados de cada estudio. Mediante este proceso se obtiene un resultado final que demuestra un bajo grado de evidencia científica. Conclusiones: Hay escasa evidencia científica acerca de la conveniencia, la seguridad y los beneficios de ambas intervenciones. Es difícil establecer un protocolo de cuidados, por lo que se planteó realizar un estudio experimental para establecer las indicaciones y contraindicaciones de ambas intervenciones.

To return or to discard? Randomised trial on gastric residual volume management

Background: The control of gastric residual volume (GRV) is a common nursing intervention in intensive care; however the literature shows a wide variation in clinical practice regarding the management of GRV, potentially affecting patients" clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of returning or discarding GRV, on gastric emptying delays and feeding, electrolyte and comfort outcomes in critically ill patients. Method: A randomised, prospective, clinical trial design was used to study 125 critically ill patients, assigned to the return or the discard group. Main outcome measure was delayed gastric emptying. Feeding outcomes were determined measuring intolerance indicators, feeding delays and feeding potential complications. Fluid and electrolyte measures included serum potassium, glycaemia control and fluid balance. Discomfort was identified by significant changes in vital signs. Results: Patients in both groups presented similar mean GRV with no significant differences found (p=0.111), but participants in the intervention arm showed a lower incidence and severity of delayed gastric emptying episodes (p=0.001). No significant differences were found for the rest of outcome measurements, except for hyperglycaemia. Conclusions: The results of this study support the recommendation to reintroduce gastric content aspirated to improve GRV management without increasing the risk for potential complications.

Fast and Rigorous Computation of Gene and Pathway Scores from SNP-Based Summary Statistics.

Integrating single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) p-values from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) across genes and pathways is a strategy to improve statistical power and gain biological insight. Here, we present Pascal (Pathway scoring algorithm), a powerful tool for computing gene and pathway scores from SNP-phenotype association summary statistics. For gene score computation, we implemented analytic and efficient numerical solutions to calculate test statistics. We examined in particular the sum and the maximum of chi-squared statistics, which measure the strongest and the average association signals per gene, respectively. For pathway scoring, we use a modified Fisher method, which offers not only significant power improvement over more traditional enrichment strategies, but also eliminates the problem of arbitrary threshold selection inherent in any binary membership based pathway enrichment approach. We demonstrate the marked increase in power by analyzing summary statistics from dozens of large meta-studies for various traits. Our extensive testing indicates that our method not only excels in rigorous type I error control, but also results in more biologically meaningful discoveries.

Landslide detection and monitoring capability of boat-based mobile laser scanning along Dieppe coastal cliffs, Normandy

Integrated in a wide research assessing destabilizing and triggering factors to model cliff dynamic along the Dieppe's shoreline in High Normandy, this study aims at testing boat-based mobile LiDAR capabilities by scanning 3D point clouds of the unstable coastal cliffs. Two acquisition campaigns were performed in September 2012 and September 2013, scanning (1) a 30-km-long shoreline and (2) the same test cliffs in different environmental conditions and device settings. The potentials of collected data for 3D modelling, change detection and landslide monitoring were afterward assessed. By scanning during favourable meteorological and marine conditions and close to the coast, mobile LiDAR devices are able to quickly scan a long shoreline with median point spacing up to 10cm. The acquired data are then sufficiently detailed to map geomorphological features smaller than 0.5m2. Furthermore, our capability to detect rockfalls and erosion deposits (>m3) is confirmed, since using the classical approach of computing differences between sequential acquisitions reveals many cliff collapses between Pourville and Quiberville and only sparse changes between Dieppe and Belleville-sur-Mer. These different change rates result from different rockfall susceptibilities. Finally, we also confirmed the capability of the boat-based mobile LiDAR technique to monitor single large changes, characterizing the Dieppe landslide geometry with two main active scarps, retrogression up to 40m and about 100,000m3 of eroded materials.

Change points detection in crime-related time series: an on-line fuzzy approach based on a shape space representation

The extension of traditional data mining methods to time series has been effectively applied to a wide range of domains such as finance, econometrics, biology, security, and medicine. Many existing mining methods deal with the task of change points detection, but very few provide a flexible approach. Querying specific change points with linguistic variables is particularly useful in crime analysis, where intuitive, understandable, and appropriate detection of changes can significantly improve the allocation of resources for timely and concise operations. In this paper, we propose an on-line method for detecting and querying change points in crime-related time series with the use of a meaningful representation and a fuzzy inference system. Change points detection is based on a shape space representation, and linguistic terms describing geometric properties of the change points are used to express queries, offering the advantage of intuitiveness and flexibility. An empirical evaluation is first conducted on a crime data set to confirm the validity of the proposed method and then on a financial data set to test its general applicability. A comparison to a similar change-point detection algorithm and a sensitivity analysis are also conducted. Results show that the method is able to accurately detect change points at very low computational costs. More broadly, the detection of specific change points within time series of virtually any domain is made more intuitive and more understandable, even for experts not related to data mining.

The practical application of e-Portfolio at the Open University of Catalonia : assessment of competence based learning

The paper presents the results of the piloting or pilot test in a virtual classroom. This e-portfolio was carried out in the 2005-2006 academic year, with students of the Doctorate in Information Society, at the Open University of Catalonia. The electronic portfolio is a strategy for competence based assessment. This experience shows the types of e-portfolios, where students show their work without interactions, and apply the competence-based learning theories in an interactive portfolio system. The real process of learning is developed in the competency based system, the portfolio not only is a basic bio document, has become a real space for learning with competence model. The paper brings out new ideas and possibilities: the competence-based learning promotes closer relationships between universities and companies and redesigns the pedagogic act.

General Equilibrium Long-Run Determinants for Spanish FDI: A Spatial Panel Data Approach

While general equilibrium theories of trade stress the role of third-country effects, little work has been done in the empirical foreign direct investment (FDI) literature to test such spatial linkages. This paper aims to provide further insights into long-run determinants of Spanish FDI by considering not only bilateral but also spatially weighted third-country determinants. The few studies carried out so far have focused on FDI flows in a limited number of countries. However, Spanish FDI outflows have risen dramatically since 1995 and today account for a substantial part of global FDI. Therefore, we estimate recently developed Spatial Panel Data models by Maximum Likelihood (ML) procedures for Spanish outflows (1993-2004) to top-50 host countries. After controlling for unobservable effects, we find that spatial interdependence matters and provide evidence consistent with New Economic Geography (NEG) theories of agglomeration, mainly due to complex (vertical) FDI motivations. Spatial Error Models estimations also provide illuminating results regarding the transmission mechanism of shocks.

Little evidence for association between the TGFBR1*6A variant and colorectal cancer: a family-based association study on non-syndromic family members from Australia and Spain.

Genome-wide linkage studies have identified the 9q22 chromosomal region as linked with colorectal cancer (CRC) predisposition. A candidate gene in this region is transforming growth factor beta receptor 1 (TGFBR1). Investigation of TGFBR1 has focused on the common genetic variant rs11466445, a short exonic deletion of nine base pairs which results in truncation of a stretch of nine alanine residues to six alanine residues in the gene product. While the six alanine (*6A) allele has been reported to be associated with increased risk of CRC in some population based study groups this association remains the subject of robust debate. To date, reports have been limited to population-based case-control association studies, or case-control studies of CRC families selecting one affected individual per family. No study has yet taken advantage of all the genetic information provided by multiplex CRC families. Methods: We have tested for an association between rs11466445 and risk of CRC using several family-based statistical tests in a new study group comprising members of non-syndromic high risk CRC families sourced from three familial cancer centres, two in Australia and one in Spain. Results: We report a finding of a nominally significant result using the pedigree-based association test approach (PBAT; p = 0.028), while other family-based tests were non-significant, but with a p-value < 0.10 in each instance. These other tests included the Generalised Disequilibrium Test (GDT; p = 0.085), parent of origin GDT Generalised Disequilibrium Test (GDT-PO; p = 0.081) and empirical Family-Based Association Test (FBAT; p = 0.096, additive model). Related-person case-control testing using the 'More Powerful' Quasi-Likelihood Score Test did not provide any evidence for association (M-QL5; p = 0.41). Conclusions: After conservatively taking into account considerations for multiple hypothesis testing, we find little evidence for an association between the TGFBR1*6A allele and CRC risk in these families. The weak support for an increase in risk in CRC predisposed families is in agreement with recent meta-analyses of case-control studies, which estimate only a modest increase in sporadic CRC risk among 6*A allele carriers.

Different Plasma Markers of Inflammation Are Influenced by Immune Recovery and cART Composition or Intensification in Treated HIV Infected Individuals

Abstract Background HIV-1 infection increases plasma levels of inflammatory markers. Combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) does not restore inflammatory markers to normal levels. Since intensification of cART with raltegravir reduced CD8 T-cell activation in the Discor-Ral and IntegRal studies, we have evaluated the effect of raltegravir intensification on several soluble inflammation markers in these studies. Methods Longitudinal plasma samples (0–48 weeks) from the IntegRal (n = 67, 22 control and 45 intensified individuals) and the Discor-Ral studies (44 individuals with CD4 T-cell counts<350 cells/µl, 14 control and 30 intensified) were assayed for 25 markers. Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, Spearman test and linear mixed models were used for analysis. Results At baseline, different inflammatory markers were strongly associated with HCV co-infection, lower CD4 counts and with cART regimens (being higher in PI-treated individuals), but poorly correlated with detection of markers of residual viral replication. Although raltegravir intensification reduced inflammation in individuals with lower CD4 T-cell counts, no effect of intensification was observed on plasma markers of inflammation in a global analysis. An association was found, however, between reductions in immune activation and plasma levels of the coagulation marker D-dimer, which exclusively decreased in intensified patients on protease inhibitor (PI)-based cART regimens (P = 0.040). Conclusions The inflammatory profile in treated HIV-infected individuals showed a complex association with HCV co-infection, the levels of CD4 T cells and the cART regimen. Raltegravir intensification specifically reduced D-dimer levels in PI-treated patients, highlighting the link between cART composition and residual viral replication; however, raltegravir had little effect on other inflammatory markers.

Multicointegration, polynomial cointegration and I(2) cointegration with structural breaks. An application to the sustainability of the US external deficit

In this paper we model the multicointegration relation, allowing for one structural break. Since multicointegration is a particular case of polynomial or I(2) cointegration, our proposal can also be applied in these cases. The paper proposes the use of a residualbased Dickey-Fuller class of statistic that accounts for one known or unknown structural break. Finite sample performance of the proposed statistic is investigated by using Monte Carlo simulations, which reveals that the statistic shows good properties in terms of empirical size and power. We complete the study with an empirical application of the sustainability of the US external deficit. Contrary to existing evidence, the consideration of one structural break leads to conclude in favour of the sustainability of the US external deficit.

Panel Data Stochastic Convergence Analysis of the Mexican Regions

The stochastic convergence amongst Mexican Federal entities is analyzed in panel data framework. The joint consideration of cross-section dependence and multiple structural breaks is required to ensure that the statistical inference is based on statistics with good statistical properties. Once these features are accounted for, evidence in favour of stochastic convergence is found. Since stochastic convergence is a necessary, yet insufficient condition for convergence as predicted by economic growth models, the paper also investigates whether-convergence process has taken place. We found that the Mexican states have followed either heterogeneous convergence patterns or divergence process throughout the analyzed period.

Position sensorless electrically excited synchronous motor drive for industrial use based on direct flux linkage and torque control

Synchronous machines with an AC converter are used mainly in large drives, for example in ship propulsion drives as well as in rolling mill drives in steel industry. These motors are used because of their high efficiency, high overload capacity and good performance in the field weakening area. Present day drives for electrically excited synchronous motors are equipped with position sensors. Most drives for electrically excited synchronous motors will be equipped with position sensors also in future. This kind of drives with good dynamics are mainly used in metal industry. Drives without a position sensor can be used e.g. in ship propulsion and in large pump and blower drives. Nowadays, these drives are equipped with a position sensor, too. The tendency is to avoid a position sensor if possible, since a sensor reduces the reliability of the drive and increases costs (latter is not very significant for large drives). A new control technique for a synchronous motor drive is a combination of the Direct Flux Linkage Control (DFLC) based on a voltage model and a supervising method (e.g. current model). This combination is called Direct Torque Control method (DTC). In the case of the position sensorless drive, the DTC can be implemented by using other supervising methods that keep the stator flux linkage origin centered. In this thesis, a method for the observation of the drift of the real stator flux linkage in the DTC drive is introduced. It is also shown how this method can be used as a supervising method that keeps the stator flux linkage origin centered in the case of the DTC. In the position sensorless case, a synchronous motor can be started up with the DTC control, when a method for the determination of the initial rotor position presented in this thesis is used. The load characteristics of such a drive are not very good at low rotational speeds. Furthermore, continuous operation at a zero speed and at a low rotational speed is not possible, which is partly due to the problems related to the flux linkage estimate. For operation in a low speed area, a stator current control method based on the DFLC modulator (DMCQ is presented. With the DMCC, it is possible to start up and operate a synchronous motor at a zero speed and at low rotational speeds in general. The DMCC is necessary in situations where high torque (e.g. nominal torque) is required at the starting moment, or if the motor runs several seconds at a zero speed or at a low speed range (up to 2 Hz). The behaviour of the described methods is shown with test results. The test results are presented for the direct flux linkage and torque controlled test drive system with a 14.5 kVA, four pole salient pole synchronous motor with a damper winding and electric excitation. The static accuracy of the drive is verified by measuring the torque in a static load operation, and the dynamics of the drive is proven in load transient tests. The performance of the drive concept presented in this work is sufficient e.g. for ship propulsion and for large pump drives. Furthermore, the developed methods are almost independent of the machine parameters.

Incorporação de CuSO4 residual em argamassa, como método de disposição final

Residual CuSO4 was incorporated into the mass utilized for cement preparation. To a cement mass with 1:0.5:5 of cement, lime and sand to 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00% of residual CuSO4 were added. The sulfate was mixed separately with lime and water to induce metal precipitation. The hardened test bodies were submerged in Milli-Q water for three months. No Cu was detected in the water by Atomic Absorption Spectrometry. The best proportion for mechanical resistance and porosity is 0.50%. The cement is adequate for non-structural objects.

Assessing functional relations in single-case designs: Quantitative proposals in the context of the evidence-based movement

In the context of the evidence-based practices movement, the emphasis on computing effect sizes and combining them via meta-analysis does not preclude the demonstration of functional relations. For the latter aim, we propose to augment the visual analysis to add consistency to the decisions made on the existence of a functional relation without losing sight of the need for a methodological evaluation of what stimuli and reinforcement or punishment are used to control the behavior. Four options for quantification are reviewed, illustrated, and tested with simulated data. These quantifications include comparing the projected baseline with the actual treatment measurements, on the basis of either parametric or nonparametric statistics. The simulated data used to test the quantifications include nine data patterns in terms of the presence and type of effect and comprising ABAB and multiple baseline designs. Although none of the techniques is completely flawless in terms of detecting a functional relation only when it is present but not when it is absent, an option based on projecting split-middle trend and considering data variability as in exploratory data analysis proves to be the best performer for most data patterns. We suggest that the information on whether a functional relation has been demonstrated should be included in meta-analyses. It is also possible to use as a weight the inverse of the data variability measure used in the quantification for assessing the functional relation. We offer an easy to use code for open-source software for implementing some of the quantifications.