Pautes de privacitat pels proveïdors de recursos electrònics

Les biblioteques llicencien la informació electrònica en nom dels seus clients i administradors. L'accés a la majoria dels recursos electrònics disponibles a les biblioteques es proporciona a través del world wide web per mitjà de les interfícies dels navegadors. La ràpida evolució del world wide web, com el mecanisme més gran de distribució d'informació, ha fet del web una rica font d'informació per als proveïdors sobre els interessos, comportaments i hàbits dels usuaris. De vegades es dóna el cas de que aquest tipus d'informació és recollida durant la utilització d'un producte web sense el coneixement o permís de l'individu que està utilitzant el producte.

Declaració sobre la perspectiva actual i els usos preferits per a la selecció i adquisició de la informació electrònica. Actualització núm. 1: Nous desenvolupaments en la subscripció de revistes electròniques

Aquesta Declaració afegeix noves perspectives a la primera "Declaració sobre la perspectiva actual i els usos preferits per a la selecció i adquisició de la informació electrònica" de l'ICOLC ("Statement of Current Perspective and Preferred Practices for the Selection and Purchase of Electronic Information") http://www.library.yale.edu/consortiastatement.html. La declaració original ha influït en les polítiques adoptades per consorcis de biblioteques de tot el món, i encara és considerada com una expressió vàlida dels temes importants sobre el desenvolupament de l'accés a la immensa col· lecció de bases de dades electròniques, llibres i revistes disponibles actualment. Des de que la Declaració original va ser redactada el 1998, han sorgit nous desenvolupaments –particularment les que fan referència a revistes electròniques- que tenen el potencial d'estimular o bé de dificultar el creixement de l'accés. Aquesta actualització conté recomanacions en algunes de les àrees més importants d'aquests nous desenvolupaments.

Declaració sobre la perspectiva actual i els usos preferits per a la selecció i adquisició de la informació electrònica. Actualització núm. 2: Política de preus i economia

Cada cop més, els editors d'avui dia actuen a nivell global per proveïr informació electrònica, i és responsabilitat de les biblioteques actuar a nivell global per expressar les seves posicions al mercat pel que fa a les polítiques de preus i altres requisits i condicions relatius a l'adquisició d'informació publicada. Aquest document actualitza les declaracions anteriors de l'ICOLC sobre el context actual de la informació electrònica, el context que desitjem per al futur, i els usos preferits per tal que els consorcis de biblioteques i les seves biblioteques membre puguin assolir els resultats desitjats. En aquesta actualització general, emfatitzem els aspectes referents a l'economia i les polítiques de preus, que han estat una preocupació destacada des de les primeres trobades de l'ICOLC el 1996 i al llarg de les Declaracions que hem fet fins ara.

Declaración sobre la crisis económica global y su impacto en las compras consorciadas (19 de enero de 2009)

Redactada en nombre de los muchos consorcios de bibliotecas de todo el mundo que participan en ICOLC, esta declaración tiene dos propósitos. Tiene la intención de ayudar a los editores y otros proveedores de contenido con los cuales tenemos acceso a los recursos de información electrónica (de ahora en adelante simplemente llamados editores) a entender mejor cómo la actual crisis económica única afecta a la comunidad de la información de todo el mundo. El segundo propósito es sugerir un abanico de propuestas que creemos son de beneficio común para las bibliotecas y los proveedores de servicios de información.

Declaració sobre la crisi econòmica global i el seu impacte en les compres consorciades (14 de juny de 2010)

Redactada en nom dels molts consorcis de biblioteques de tot el món que participen a l'ICOLC, aquesta declaració té dos propòsits. Té la intenció d'ajudar als editors i altres proveïdors de contingut amb els quals tenim accés als recursos d'informació electrònica (d'ara en endavant simplement anomenats editors) a entendre millor com l'actual crisi econòmica única afecta a la comunitat de la informació de tot el món. El segon propòsit és suggerir un ventall de propostes que creiem són de benefici comú per a les biblioteques i els proveïdors de serveis d'informació.

Declaración sobre la crisis económica global y su impacto en las compras consorciadas (14 de junio de 2010)

Redactada en nombre de los muchos consorcios de bibliotecas de todo el mundo que participan en ICOLC, esta declaración tiene dos propósitos. Tiene la intención de ayudar a los editores y otros proveedores de contenido con los cuales tenemos acceso a los recursos de información electrónica (de ahora en adelante simplemente llamados editores) a entender mejor cómo la actual crisis económica única afecta a la comunidad de la información de todo el mundo. El segundo propósito es sugerir un abanico de propuestas que creemos son de beneficio común para las bibliotecas y los proveedores de servicios de información.

Ambulatory gait analysis results after total knee arthroplasty : arguments for mobile or fixed bearing?

Background: Mobile-bearing knee replacements have some theoretical advantages over fixed-bearing devices. However, very few randomized controlled clinical trials have been published to date, and studies showed little clinical and subjective advantages for the mobile-bearing using traditional systems of scoring. The choice of the ideal outcome measure to assess total joint replacement remains a complex issue. However, gait analysis provides objective and quantifying evidences of treatment evaluation. Significant methodological advances are currently made in gait analysis laboratories and ambulatory gait devices are now available. The goal of this study was to provide gait parameters as a new objective method to assess total knee arthroplasty outcome between patients with fixed- and mobile-bearing, using an ambulatory device with minimal sensor configuration. Methods: This randomized controlled double-blind study included to date 31 patients: the gait signatures of 12 patients with mobile-bearing were compared to the gait signatures of 19 patients with fixed-bearing pre-operatively and post-operatively at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Each participant was asked to perform two walking trials of 30m long at his/her preferred speed and to complete a EQ-5D questionnaire, a WOMAC and Knee Society Score (KSS). Lower limbs rotations were measured by four miniature angular rate sensors mounted respectively, on each shank and thigh. Results: Better relative differences between pre-operative and post-operative 3 months and 6 months KSS (122% vs 34% at 3 months, 138% vs 36% at 6 months) and KSS function (154% vs 8% at 3 months, 183% vs 42% at 6 months) scores were observed for the fixed-bearing compared to the mobile-bearing. The same better improvements for fixed-bearing were also found with the range of knee angles (Affected side: 31% vs -5% at 3 months, 47% vs 5% at 6 months), (Unaffected side: 16% vs 5% at 3 months, 15% vs 6% at 6 months) and peak swing speeds of shank (Affected side: 18% vs -2% at 3 months, 30% vs 4% at 6 months), (Unaffected side: 8% vs -3% at 3 months, 7% vs 4% at 6 months). Conclusions: A new method for a portable system for gait analysis has been developed with very encouraging results regarding the objective outcome of total knee arthroplasty using mobile- and fixed-bearings.

Radiation therapy duration influences overall survival in patients with cervical carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This article analyses the influence of treatment duration on survival in patients with invasive carcinoma of the cervix treated by radical radiation therapy. METHOD: Three hundred and sixty patients with FIGO stage IB-IIIB carcinoma of the cervix were treated in Lausanne (Switzerland) with external radiation and brachytherapy as first line therapy. Median therapy duration was 45 days. Patients were classified according to the duration of the therapies, taking 60 days (the 75th percentile) as an arbitrary cut-off. RESULTS: The 5-year survival was 61% (S.E. = 3%) for the therapy duration group of less than 60 days and 53% (S.E. = 7%) for the group of more than 60 days. In terms of univariate hazard ratio (HR), the relative difference between the two groups corresponds to a 50% increase of deaths (HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.03-2.28) for the longer therapy duration group (P = 0.044). In a multivariate analysis, the magnitude of estimated relative hazards for the longer therapies are confirmed though significance was reduced (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = 0.94-2.45, P = 0.084). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that short treatment duration is a factor associated with longer survival in carcinoma of the cervix.

Smith Predictor Sliding Mode Closed-loop Glucose Controller in Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetic patients depend on external insulin delivery to keep their blood glucose within near-normal ranges. In this work, two robust closed-loop controllers for blood glucose regulation are developed to prevent the life-threatening hypoglycemia, as well as to avoid extended hyperglycemia. The proposed controllers are designed by using the sliding mode control technique in a Smith predictor structure. To improve meal disturbance rejection, a simple feedforward controller is added to inject meal-time insulin bolus. Simulations scenarios were used to test the controllers, and showed the controllers ability to maintain the glucose levels within the safe limits in the presence of errors in measurements, modeling and meal estimation

Shoulder pathology: estimating dominant upper-limb activity using 3D kinematic sensors.

Introduction. Quantification of daily upper-limb activity is a key determinant in evaluation of shoulder surgery. For a number of shoulder diseases, problem in performing daily activities have been expressed in terms of upper-limb usage and non-usage. Many instruments measure upper-limb movement but do not focus on the differentiations between the use of left or right shoulder. Several methods have been used to measure it using only accelerometers, pressure sensors or video-based analysis. However, there is no standard or widely used objective measure for upper-limb movement. We report here on an objective method to measure the movement of upper-limb and we examined the use of 3D accelerometers and 3D gyroscopes for that purpose. Methods. We studied 8 subjects with unilateral pathological shoulder (8 rotator cuff disease: 53 years old ± 8) and compared them to 18 control subjects (10 right handed, 8 left handed: 32 years old ± 8, younger than the patient group to be almost sure they don_t have any unrecognized shoulder pathology). The Simple Shoulder Test (SST) and Disabilities of the Arm and Shoulder Score (DASH) questionnaires were completed by each subject. Two modules with 3 miniature capacitive gyroscopes and 3 miniature accelerometers were fixed by a patch on the dorsal side of the distal humerus, and one module with 3 gyroscopes and 3 accelerometers were fixed on the thorax. The subject wore the system during one day (8 hours), at home or wherever he/she went. We used a technique based on the 3D acceleration and the 3D angular velocities from the modules attached on the humerus. Results. As expected, we observed that for the stand and sit postures the right side is more used than the left side for a healthy right-handed person(idem on the left side for a healthy left-handed person). Subjects used their dominant upper-limb 18% more than the non-dominant upper-limb. The measurements on patients in daily life have shown that the patient has used more his non affected and non dominant side during daily activity if the dominant side = affected shoulder. If the dominant side affected shoulder, the difference can be showed only during walking period. Discussion-Conclusion. The technique developed and used allowed the quantification of the difference between dominant and non dominant side, affected and unaffected upper-limb activity. These results were encouraging for future evaluation of patients with shoulder injuries, before and after surgery. The feasibility and patient acceptability of the method using body fixed sensors for ambulatory evaluation of upper limbs kinematics was shown.

Manipulador robótico con visión artificial

En los tiempos que corren la robótica forma uno de los pilares más importantes en la industria y una gran noticia para los ingenieros es la referente a las ventas de estos, ya que en 2013, unos 179.000 robots industriales se vendieron en todo el mundo, de nuevo un máximo histórico y un 12% más que en 2012 según datos de la IFR (International Federation of Robotics). Junto a esta noticia, la robótica colaborativa entra en juego en el momento que los robots y los seres humanos deben compartir el lugar de trabajo sin que nos veamos excluidos por las maquinas, por lo tanto lo que se intenta es que los robots mejoren la calidad del trabajo al hacerse cargo de los trabajos peligrosos, tediosos y sucios que no son posibles o seguros para los seres humanos. Otro concepto muy importante y directamente relacionado con lo anterior que está muy en boga y se escucha desde hace relativamente poco tiempo es el de la fabrica del futuro o “Factory Of The Future” la cual intenta que los operarios y los robots encuentren la sintonía en el entorno laboral y que los robots se consideren como maquinaria colaborativa y no como sustitutiva, considerándose como uno de los grandes nichos productivos en plena expansión. Dejando a un lado estos conceptos técnicos que nunca debemos olvidar si nuestra carrera profesional va enfocada en este ámbito industrial, el tema central de este proyecto está basado, como no podía ser de otro modo, en la robótica, que junto con la visión artificial, el resultado de esta fusión, ha dado un manipulador robótico al que se le ha dotado de cierta “inteligencia”. Se ha planteado un sencillo pero posible proceso de producción el cual es capaz de almacenar piezas de diferente forma y color de una forma autónoma solamente guiado por la imagen capturada con una webcam integrada en el equipo. El sistema consiste en una estructura soporte delimitada por una zona de trabajo en la cual se superponen unas piezas diseñadas al efecto las cuales deben ser almacenadas en su lugar correspondiente por el manipulador robótico. Dicho manipulador de cinemática paralela está basado en la tecnología de cables, comandado por cuatro motores que le dan tres grados de libertad (±X, ±Y, ±Z) donde el efector se encuentra suspendido sobre la zona de trabajo moviéndose de forma que es capaz de identificar las características de las piezas en situación, color y forma para ser almacenadas de una forma ordenada según unas premisas iníciales.

Intervalos de referência para elementos menores e traço em cabelo humano para a população da cidade do Rio de Janeiro - Brasil

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used for the determination of twenty minor and trace elements in hair samples from an urban population group (N = 1775), aiming at the establishment of reliable hair reference intervals. Statistical evaluation of the data with respect to age, sex and anatomic region was performed by multivariant analysis and according to recommendations of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC). The results show that mainly age and anatomic region (scalp or pubis) influence significantly the concentration of several elements. Comparison of the here calculated reference intervals with those previously published and used by clinical laboratories for this population showed larger discrepancies and the need for an urgent revision of these data.

Congenital upper limb defects in Finland 1993-2005

Background: Interest in limb defects has grown after the thalidomide tragedy in the 1960s. As a result, congenital malformation registries, monitoring changes in birthprevalence and defect patterns, have been established in several countries. However, there are only a few true population based studies on birth prevalence of upper limb defects. The burden of hospital care among these children, specifically in terms of the number of admissions and total time spent in hospital, is also unknown. Aims and Methods: This study is based on information gathered from the Finnish Register of Congenital malformations (FRM) and the Finnish Hospital Discharge Register (FHDR). A total of 417 children born between 1993 and 2005 with an upper limb defect were gathered from the FRM. The upper limb defects were classified using the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand -classification that enables comparison with previous and future studies. Birth and live birth prevalence, sex and side distribution, frequency of associated anomalies as well as the proportion of perinatal and infant deaths according to the different subtypes were calculated. The number of hospital admissions, days spent in hospital, number and type of surgical operations were collected from the FHDR. Special features of two subgroups, radial ray defects (RRD) and constriction band syndrome (CBS), were explored. Results: Upper limb defects were observed in 417 of 753 342 consecutive births and in 392 of 750 461 live births. Birth prevalence was 5.5 per 10 000 births and 5.2 per 10 000 live births. Multiple anomalies or a known syndrome was found in 250 cases (60%). Perinatal mortality was 139 per 1000 births and infant mortality 135 per 1000 live births (overall Finnish perinatal mortality <5 per 1000 births and infant mortality 3.7 per 1000 live births). Altogether, 138 infants had RRD and 120 (87%) of these had either a known syndrome or multiple major anomalies. The proportion of perinatal deaths in RRD group was 29% (40/138) and infant deaths 35% (43/123). Fifty-one children had CBS in upper limbs. Fifteen of these (29%) had other major anomalies associated with constriction rings. The number of hospital admissions per year of children with congenital upper limb defects was 11-fold and the time spent in hospital 13-fold as compared with the general paediatric population. Conclusions: Birth prevalence of congenital upper limb defects was 5.5 per 10 000 births and 5.2 per 10 000 live births. RRD was especially associated with other major anomalies and high mortality. Nearly one third of the children with CBS also had other major anomalies suggesting different aetiologies inside the group. The annual burden of hospital care of children with congenital upper limb defects was at least 11-fold as compared with the general paediatric population.