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Sex inequities in liver transplantation (LT) have been documented in several, mostly US-based, studies. Our aim was to describe sex-related differences in access to LT in a system with short waiting times. All adult patients registered in the RETH-Spanish Liver Transplant Registry (2000–2022) for LT were included. Baseline demographics, presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, cause and severity of liver disease, time on the waiting list (WL), access to transplantation, and reasons for removal from the WL were assessed. 14,385 patients were analysed (77% men, 56.2 ± 8.7 years). Model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was reported for 5,475 patients (mean value: 16.6 ± 5.7). Women were less likely to receive a transplant than men (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.63, 0.97) with a trend to a higher risk of exclusion for deterioration (HR 1.17, 95% CI 0.99, 1.38), despite similar disease severity. Women waited longer on the WL (198.6 ± 338.9 vs. 173.3 ± 285.5 days, p < 0.001). Recently, women’s risk of dropout has reduced, concomitantly with shorter WL times. Even in countries with short waiting times, women are disadvantaged in LT. Policies directed at optimizing the whole LT network should be encouraged to guarantee a fair and equal access of all patients to this life saving resource.

The bloom of pelagic Sargassum in the Atlantic Ocean has become increasingly problematic, especially when the algae have beached. A build-up of decaying beached material has damaging effects on coastal ecosystems and tourism industries. While remote sensing offers an effective tool to assess the spatial and temporal patterns of Sargassum over large spatial extents, its use so far has been limited to a broad discrimination of Sargassum species from other macroalgae and floating vegetation. Knowledge on the spatial distribution of decayed material will help to support management strategies and inform targeted removal. In this study, we aim to characterise the spectral response of fresh and decayed Sargassum and identify regions of the spectra that offer the greatest separability for the detection and classification of decayed material. We assessed the spectral response of fresh and decayed Sargassum (1) in situ on the beach and (2) in mesocosm experiments where Sargassum samples were allowed to decay over time. We found a decrease in the magnitude of reflectance, noticeably in the visible region (400–700 nm), for decayed, in contrast to fresh, Sargassum. Separability analyses also showed that most spectral bands with a wavelength > ~540 nm will be capable of discriminating between fresh and decayed material, although the near-infrared region offers the greatest degree of separability. We demonstrate, for the first time, that there are clear differences in the spectral reflectance of fresh and decayed Sargassum with potential application for remote sensing approaches.

Background and Aims: Prognosis after liver transplantation differs between hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arising in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic livers and aetiology is poorly understood. The aim was to investigate differences in mortality after liver transplantation between these patients. Methods: We included patients from the European Liver Transplant Registry transplanted due to HCC from 1990 to November 2016 and compared cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients using propensity score (PS) calibration of Cox regression estimates to adjust for unmeasured confounding. Results: We included 22,787 patients, of whom 96.5% had cirrhosis. In the unadjusted analysis, non-cirrhotic patients had an increased risk of overall mortality with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.37 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.23–1.52). However, the HR approached unity with increasing adjustment and was 1.11 (95% CI 0.99–1.25) when adjusted for unmeasured confounding. Unadjusted, non-cirrhotic patients had an increased risk of HCC-specific mortality (HR 2.62, 95% CI 2.21–3.12). After adjustment for unmeasured confounding, the risk remained significantly increased (HR 1.62, 95% CI 1.31–2.00). Conclusions: Using PS calibration, we showed that HCC in non-cirrhotic liver has similar overall mortality, but higher HCC-specific mortality. This may be a result of a more aggressive cancer form in the non-cirrhotic liver as higher mortality could not be explained by tumour characteristics or other prognostic variables.

The main purpose of this study was to analyze retrospectively the memories of a group of adults with low skills and the relationships between their memories and their physical education teachers during their school time. Ten adults (7 women and three men) participated in this study, aged between 25 and 56 years that declared to be low skilled during their school days. In order to carry out this study, a semi-strutured interview was conducted focusing the attention on obtaining memories of participants in their PE classes during their schoolage, and mainly their perceptions and feelings about their Primary and Secondary PE teachers. Results showed that the memories of behaviors and personality of their PE teachers were more important for participants than the learning from activities that their PE teachers taught. The feelings and emotions about his/her PE teachers were mostly negative, characterized by humiliation, abandonment, lack of help or indifference towards them. For these participants, their PE teachers did not live up to their needs. Knowing these memories had permitted the researchers to know a hidden part of the PE subject that is referred to a sector of the school population that shows low motor competence.

Due to the worldwide negative impact on sport of the COVID-19 pandemic declared by the WHO in 2020, the first aim of this study was to analyze the influence of COVID-19 on performance indicators as a natural experiment, according to the moment in time: pre-COVID, COVID and post-COVID. The second aim was to analyze and ascertain the persistence of the performance indicators (PIs) over the analyzed seasons. To this end, 5320 teams’ match data corresponding to the 2014/2015 to 2020/2021 seasons of the LaLiga (first division of Spanish men’s soccer) were analyzed. All the seasons developed normally except the 2019/2020 season in which there was a three-month hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, representing a natural experiment without spectators. Statistical tests including ANOVA, general multivariate linear analysis with three independent variables (covidtime, venue and result) and an autocorrelation were performed. The results obtained showed that there were significant differences in the PIs regarding the moment in time, the result, the venue, and the pairwise interactions among them. The evolution of the PIs has changed over the years, showing a decrease in the means of most of them, leading to a more passive game with tighter results; differences which could be generated by the change in the rules (from 3 to 5 substitutions), the total or partial absence of spectators, three months of confinement and inactivity, or the accumulation of matches and minutes played by the individual players. The teams’ technical staffs should bear all of these types of situations in mind as the seasons evolve to adapt as quickly as possible to a more effective game style in order to achieve objectives.

In this study, a designed ad hoc questionnaire was constructed and validated to investigate the opinion of coaches about the concept of unfavorable critical moment in futsal, and the coincident use of goalkeeper as an outfield player strategy (5vs4) with that critical moment, which is a decisive step towards theoretical and methodological convergences. A total of 129 coaches belonging to teams of divisions 1st, 2nd and 2nd B participated in the questionnaire, which was validated by the judgment of experts thru calculating the content validity through the Aiken's V coefficient (Aiken, 1980, 1985). The results of the qualitative study revealed the importance that futsal coaches give to the maximum difference of 2 goals, and to the last 8 min of the game as maximum exponents of criticality, also to the importance of the 5th accumulated foul as a precipitant factor of an unfavorable critical moment in maximum equality matches. In addition, coaches manifested that interactive effects of score-line, remaining time and accumulated fouls could be the trigger of unfavorable critical moments, and using the goalkeeper as an outfield player strategy is a common practice to solve these situations. The values obtained in 19 of the 20 items (V> 0.90) attest that the content of the questionnaire is valid to show that the sample of futsal coaches understands the concept of criticality. The implications of the study contribute to a more specific knowledge of the futsal game and at the practical level the possibility of using this information to establish training objectives related to different stress conditions. Resumen A través de la construcción y validación de un cuestionario diseñado ad hoc se trató de investigar el pensamiento del entrenador relacionado con el concepto de momento crítico desfavorable en futsal, y la utilización del portero-jugador (5vs4) coincidente con el momento crítico, como un paso decisivo hacia convergencias teóricas y metodológicas. Un total de 129 entrenadores pertenecientes a equipos de 1ª, 2ª y 2ª B participaron en el cuestionario, que fue validado mediante el juicio de expertos calculando el índice de validez de contenido a través del coeficiente Aiken's V (Aiken,1980, 1985). Los resultados del estudio cualitativo revelan la importancia que otorgan los entrenadores de futsal a la diferencia máxima de 2 goles y a los últimos 8 minutos del partido como máximos exponentes de la criticidad, y a la importancia de la 5ª falta como factor precipitante de un momento crítico desfavorable en partidos de máxima igualdad. Además, muestran acuerdo en que los efectos interactivos de marcador, tiempo y faltas pueden ser el desencadenante de los momentos críticos desfavorables, y que es una práctica común el decidir afrontarlos con la utilización del procedimiento portero como jugador de campo (5vs4). Los valores obtenidos en 19 de los 20 ítems (V> 0.90) atestiguan que el contenido del cuestionario es válido para demostrar que la muestra de entrenadores de futsal entiende el concepto de criticidad. Las implicaciones del estudio aportan la contribución esencial del entrenador para un conocimiento más específico del juego, y a nivel práctico la posibilidad de utilizar esta información para establecer objetivos de entrenamiento relacionados con las diferentes condiciones de estrés.

Abstract Sexual imprinting is the learning of a mate preference by direct observation of the phenotype of another member of the population. Sexual imprinting can be paternal, maternal, or oblique if individuals learn to prefer the phenotypes of their fathers, mothers, or other members of the population, respectively. Which phenotypes are learned can affect trait evolution and speciation rates. “Good genes” models of polygynous systems predict that females should evolve to imprint on their fathers, because paternal imprinting helps females to choose mates that will produce offspring that are both viable and sexy. Sexual imprinting by males has been observed in nature, but a theory for the evolution of sexual imprinting by males does not exist. We developed a good genes model to study the conditions under which sexual imprinting by males or by both sexes can evolve and to ask which sexual imprinting strategies maximize the fitness of the choosy sex. We found that when only males imprint, maternal imprinting is the most advantageous strategy. When both sexes imprint, it is most advantageous for both sexes to use paternal imprinting. Previous theory suggests that, in a given population, either males or females but not both will evolve choosiness in mating. We show how environmental change can lead to the evolution of sexual imprinting behavior by both sexes in the same population.

Integrar les TIC a les aules de Física i Química suposa un gran repte i els factors involucrats són molts i complexos. El problema fonamental rau en com s'utilitzen les TIC per part dels estudiants i, en això, tenen un paper molt important l'escola i l'ús que els professors fan d'elles. Hem realitzat una investigació amb 138 professors de Física i Química per analitzar com utilitzen les TIC en el seu treball d'aula, la percepció que tenen sobre com les utilitzen seus alumnes i les dificultats que sorgeixen en tractar i integrar les TIC en el treball d'aula. Els resultats mostren que les TIC s'utilitzen poc i que el seu ús genera incertesa en molts professors, per el que es pot concloure que cal una formació que faciliti la seva integració a les aules.

Performance analysis in sport is considered a research area that has grown rapidly in the last two decades (O’Donoghue, 2014). One of the most important reasons of this fact is the interest of sport stakeholders (i.e., coaches, players, managers, fans and performance analysist) regarding to improve the training processes and the management and control of competition (O’Donoghue, 2014; O’Donoghue, Holmes, & Robinson, 2017). Accordingly, performance analysis has evolved including different topics and issues to be studied such as: critical moments and perturbations in sport, coaches’ behaviours, performance indicators in sport, injuries incidence and physical analysis, movement analysis during competitions, reliability and validity of sport behaviours, analysis of technique and tactics in sport, normative profilings, analysis of effectiveness of performance analysis or the analysis of referees’ performance (O’Donoghue, 2014).

Resumen El objetivo del presente estudio es analizar la opinión de los entrenadores y expertos sobre la modificación del reglamento en categoría infantil. Para ello se administró el cuestionario de Modificación Reglamentaria de la Competición a un total de 101 entrenadores, y a 14 expertos. Los resultados más significativos señala que: a) el 85.7% de los entrenadores y el 78.6% de los expertos cambiarían alguna regla; b) los entrenadores prohibirían la posibilidad de defender en zona; c) los expertos modificarían la altura de la canasta, disminuirían el tamaño del balón, acercarían la línea de tres puntos, modificarían el sistema de victorias, eliminarían la defensa en zona, y eliminarían el K.O. Todos estos datos, deben servir para realizar una profunda reflexión y futuros estudios, sobre el estado actual del reglamento en la competición infantil, con el objetivo de adaptarlo al joven deportista, y que no sea los niños los que tengan que adaptarse al deporte.AbstractThe aim of this study is to analyze the opinion of the coaches and experts on rule modification in basketball under-14. For this questionnaire was administered to Modify Competition to a total of 101 coaches, and 14 experts. The most significant results indicates that: a) the 85.7% of the coaches and 78.6% of the experts a rule change, b) prohibit coaches the opportunity to defend in zone c) the experts would change the height of the basket, decrease the size of the ball, come close the three point line, victories would change the system, eliminate the zone defense, and eliminate the KO. All these data should be used to make a deep reflection and future studies on the current state of competition regulation in children, with the aim of adapting to the young sport, and not the children who have to adapt to the sport.http://dx.doi.org/10.5232/ricyde2012.02803

La clonación y expresión heteróloga de antígenos de agentes patógenos que afectan humanos y animales, ha demostrado ser una buena alternativa para la obtención de vacunas subunitarias. En este estudio se analiza la expresión estable del gen E que codifica la glicoproteína de envoltura del virus del Oeste del Nilo (VON) en callos embriogénicos de maíz, que fueron transformados mediante biobalística empleando el promotor constitutivo CAMV35S. La expresión del transgen fue determinada mediante RT-PCR en los callos embriogénicos de maíz transformados con la secuencia codificante de la glicoproteína E del VON. Para verificar la expresión de la proteína se realizó un Western blot con extractos de la proteína soluble total (PST) de los callos transformados. De esta manera se identificó una proteína de 68 kDa. Empleando este sistema de expresión se pudo obtener un 0.86 % de PST. En este estudio por primera vez se analiza la expresión de la glicoproteína E del virus del Oeste del Nilo en callos embriogénicos de maíz. Siendo la glicoproteína E del VON la responsable de la inducción de la inmunidad en contra de este virus, esta investigación representa un avance importante en el diseño de un inmunógeno experimental, que permitiría iniciar estudios en animales de laboratorio, con la finalidad de obtener una vacuna prototipo para la prevención y el control de la infección por el VON.

Se sintetizó un catalizador sólido de carácter ácido. El catalizador, que consta de óxido de zirconio y un compuesto de ion sulfato, se preparó variando la temperatura de calcinación, la temperatura de precipitación y la concentración de la fuente de ion sulfato. Las muestras se caracterizaron mediante TGA. XRD, SEM, EDX, FTIR y la acidez se determinó mediante adsorción-desorción con piridina. Los resultados del análisis de TGA muestran la buena resistencia térmica del material. La prueba de XRD establece la existencia de la fase tetragonal y monoclínica y su dependencia con el contenido de ion sulfato sobre la superficie catalítica. Las pruebas de EDX muestran la distribución de los componentes en el catalizador. La acidez determinada fue de 5,46 meq/g. Se especifica y discute la importancia del catalizador; la naturaleza de las especies activas y la relación de las variables involucradas en el tnétodo de preparación. Departamento

This paper presents a study about students’ representations of matter properties. It shows how in order to explain matter discontinuity and intrinsic motion of particles the students frequently use alternative conceptions instead of scientific theories. These conceptions give local consistency centered on the macroscopic perception of matter, while scientific theories give global consistency.

Integrar las TIC en las aulas de Física y Química supone un gran reto y los factores involucrados son muchos y complejos. El problema fundamental radica en cómo se utilizan las TIC por parte de los estudiantes y, en esto, tienen un papel muy importante la escuela y el uso que los profesores hacen de ellas. Hemos realizado una investigación con 138 profesores de Física y Química para analizar cómo utilizan las TIC en su trabajo de aula, la percepción que tienen sobre cómo las utilizan sus alumnos y las dificultades que surgen al tratar e integrar las TIC en el trabajo de aula. Los resultados muestran que las TIC se utilizan poco y que su uso genera incertidumbre en muchos profesores, por lo que se puede concluir que es necesaria una formación que facilite su integración en las aulas.

La discusión permite, en un grupo social, examinar un problema pendiente, un conflicto que amenaza su convivencia y desarrollar de sus actividades, para así intentar formular y avanzar colectivamente hacia una solución. Como práctica social reglada, las sociedades democráticas contemporáneas han difundido ampliamente, en particular en los medios de comunicación, uno de sus géneros: la confrontación de opiniones con la perspectiva y el ánimo de enfrentar los conflictos y encontrarles salidas o soluciones.

Machine learning models are increasingly used in the medical domain to study the association between risk factors and diseases to support practitioners in understanding health outcomes. In this paper, we showcase the use of machine-learned staged tree models for investigating complex asymmetric dependence structures in health data. Staged trees are a specific class of generative, probabilistic graphical models that formally model asymmetric conditional independence and non-regular sample spaces. An investigation of the risk factors in invasive fungal infections demonstrates the insights staged trees provide to support medical decision-making.

The current manuscript aims to verify if the team ability and the players' age influence the distance covered at various speeds and the technical-tactical performance in elite soccer. Physical and technical performance data from all matches in the Spanish LaLiga during the 2018–2019 season were analysed using a computerised tracking system (TRACAB, Chyronhego, New York, USA). Players were categorized into five positional roles: Central Defenders (CD; match observations = 1,179), fullbacks (FB; match observations = 980), Central Midfielders (CM; match observations = 1,000), External Midfielders (EM; match observations = 440), and forwards (F; match observations = 412). The following variables were considered: total distance covered (TD) covered by players, distance covered at high intensity (HIR; >24.0 km · h−1), number of efforts made at high-intensity running (N of HIR), Average Speed (AvSpeed, km · h−1), Offensive Volume (Off Vol): sum of passes, shots, and dribbles executed by the player; Defensive Volume (Def Vol): sum of recoveries, clearances, opponent attack interruptions, and blocked shots executed by the player; and (iii) Game Volume (Game Vol): sum of offensive actions and defensive actions. The variable team quality was established by running an automatic clustering model (two-step) that identified 4 groups of teams: Best teams (ranked from 1st to 6th position), intermediate-higher ranked (from 7th to 11th position), intermediate-lower ranked (from 12th to 15th position), and lower ranked teams (from 16th to 20th position). Generalized linear models were used to analyse differences in players’ match performance according to the team quality, age, and playing position. The main results revealed that: (i) Overall, the team quality affected the performance in all variables (all p

Abstract Uncontrolled bleeding during surgery is associated with high mortality and prolonged hospital stay, necessitating the use of hemostatic agents. Fibrin sealant patches offer an efficient solution to achieve hemostasis and improve patient outcomes in liver resection surgery. We have previously demonstrated the efficacy of a nanostructured fibrin-agarose hydrogel (NFAH). However, for the widespread distribution and commercialization of the product, it is necessary to develop an optimal preservation method that allows for prolonged stability and facilitates storage and distribution. We investigated cryopreservation as a potential method for preserving NFAH using trehalose. Structural changes in cryopreserved NFAH (Cryo-NFAH) were investigated and comparative in vitro and in vivo efficacy and safety studies were performed with freshly prepared NFAH. We also examined the long-term safety of Cryo-NFAH versus TachoSil in a rat partial hepatectomy model, including time to hemostasis, intra-abdominal adhesion, hepatic hematoma, inflammatory factors, histopathological variables, temperature and body weight, hemocompatibility and cytotoxicity. Structural analyses demonstrated that Cryo-NFAH retained most of its macro- and microscopic properties after cryopreservation. Likewise, hemostatic efficacy assays showed no significant differences with fresh NFAH. Safety evaluations indicated that Cryo-NFAH had a similar overall profile to TachoSil up to 40 days post-surgery in rats. In addition, Cryo-NFAH demonstrated superior hemostatic efficacy compared with TachoSil while also demonstrating lower levels of erythrolysis and cytotoxicity than both TachoSil and other commercially available hemostatic agents. These results indicate that Cryo-NFAH is highly effective hemostatic patch with a favorable safety and tolerability profile, supporting its potential for clinical use.