Presentación del libro ‘Lumbres apagadas’ de Rosaura Álvarez

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El libro «Lumbres apagadas», de la artista y poeta granadina Rosaura Álvarez, será presentado por la profesora del Departamento de Literatura Española de la UGR, Concepción Argente del Castillo, en el Salón de Caballeros XXIV del Palacio de La Madraza, esta tarde a las 20 horas, en un acto organizado por la Cátedra «Federico García Lorca», del Secretariado de Extensión Universitaria de la Universidad de Granada.

Rosaura Álvarez, nacida en Granada, es académica supernumeraria de la Academia de Buenas Letras de Granada. Licenciada en Historia por la UGR y en Ciencias de la Educación, estudia dibujo y pintura. Realiza exposiciones en Granada de 1975 a 1982. Y paralelamente escribe ensayo y poesía y colabora en diversas antologías poéticas de la Universidad de Granada. Algunos de sus poemas han sido musicalizados por Juan Alfonso García.

Es autora de numerosas publicaciones, entre las que cabe citar, «Sobre nueva poesía de mujer en España», Academia de Buenas letras de Granada (Granada, 2003); «Hablo y anochece», Colección Genil (Granada, 1986); «Diálogo de Afrodita» (en tres tiempos), Torremozas (Madrid, 1994); «El vino de las horas», Fundación «Jorge Guillén» (Valladolid, 1998); «Intimidades», Los Cuadernos de Sandua, Cajasur (Córdoba, 2001); «Alter ego», Point de Lunettes (Sevilla, 2008); «Lumbres apagadas», Simancas Ediciones (Dueñas, Palencia, 2012).

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How Machines Are Learning To Make Up their Own Minds

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Mud swirls through water as an undersea robot tries to find the source of a leak from a deep-sea oil well. But something goes wrong: a piece of metal, unseen in the murk, prevents the ‘bot from reaching the damaged area. Unable to complete its objective, the machine gives up.

For machines such as this, which have to operate without orders from their human controllers, dealing with unforeseen circumstances is a problem. The default design solution is to get them to return to base for reprogramming, which costs time and money.

But that is set to change thanks to a team from the Carlos III Universityof Madrid, which is working on how artificial intelligence (AI) can help machines select and prioritize between different tasks, and move on to the next thing on the list if they cannot complete the first.

How could thinking machines help us in the future?

In the case of an undersea robot, that means it might be able to complete other useful tasks on site before resurfacing, says Ángel García Olaya, assistant professor at the university. And the process can have applications in other areas, ranging from logistics to tourism.

The team’s research, which is critical to the creation of artificial entities recognized as being one of the top 10 technology trendsof the next decade, builds on 20 years of work that has been honed by NASAsince 2004 because of its value for the Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers.

These machines follow programs that were originally devised before they travelled into space, and are now updated from earth via radio.

If a rover is unable to complete a task, its programming may allow it to come up with an alternative plan of action, but the plan would need to be verified by a human operator. NASA was keen to find out if it could improve upon this process.

The resulting branch of AI focuses creating a simplified plan of all actions, stripping out most of the variables.

The plan is nonsensical in a practical sense—it may assume you can be in two places at once, for example—but it provides a fair idea of the costs of each action, which can then be used to prioritize them.

It is also between three and seven times faster than looking at each action in detail, which makes it useful for situations where time is at a premium.

However, says García: «Until now this had only been done with plans that had achievable goals. We have added the capacity to use it for goal selection.»

Besides helping underwater robots to come up with a ‘plan B’, the process can help logistics systems to work out the best way to complete a complex schedule of deliveries. One of the team’s early backers was a Spanish company with a large and complex distribution network.

The team’s work has also attracted interest from IActive, a planning technology spinoff of Spain’s University of Granada, which is interested in using AI to develop personalized city guidesthat take into account a user’s interests and create an itinerary for them.

Last but not least, the European Space Agencyis keen to use the process to optimize the number of experiments its satellites can perform.

«We could have this up and running in experimental robots within a year,» says García, «and in submarine robots between one and two years. In areas such as logistics, we could do it now if anyone wants to implement it.»

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Scientists develop a software tool for estimating heart disease risk

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University of Granada researchers have developed a software tool that makes an accurate estimation of the risk that a person has to suffer a heart disease. In addition, this software tool allows the performance of massive risk estimations, i.e. it helps estimating the risk that a specific population group has of suffering a heart condition. The researchers employed a sample including 3 000 patients.
Heart conditions increasingly affect working age population, which can make individuals loss potential years of work and productivity.
Understanding the risk for heart conditions by simultaneously using different equations is a key factor in heart disease prevention, which would reduce health spending in the short and long term.
An Integrated Model
According to the researchers, «during the last decade, the approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention have evolved from isolated interventions on modifiable risk factors to an integral model of intervention strategies based on previous risk quantification and stratification.»
One of the factors enabling this change is the increasing availability of tools for the quantification and stratification of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular disease; these tools evaluate a set of individual characteristics, the so-called risk factors. This is the framework of the study conducted at the University of Granada and recently published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
In the field of epidemiologic studies aimed at predicting cardiovascular risk, a set of mathematical models had been developed in previous studies in the USA. The purpose of these models was to provide an estimation of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular event in the short term, i.e. 5-10 years, by assessing exposure to risk factors. University of Granada researchers used this model in their study.
The researchers performed a comparative study of the behavior of different equations applied to a group of «at-risk» patients referred to an Endocrinology Service from a primary care center in Granada, Spain. Risk factors were obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and lipid profile alterations.
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Scientists develop a software tool for estimating heart disease risk

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University of Granada researchers have developed a software tool that makes an accurate estimation of the risk that a person has to suffer a heart disease. In addition, this software tool allows the performance of massive risk estimations, i.e. it helps estimating the risk that a specific population group has of suffering a heart condition. The researchers employed a sample including 3 000 patients.

Heart conditions increasingly affect working age population, which can make individuals loss potential years of work and productivity.

Understanding the risk for heart conditions by simultaneously using different equations is a key factor in heart disease prevention, which would reduce health spending in the short and long term.

An Integrated Model

According to the researchers, «during the last decade, the approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention have evolved from isolated interventions on modifiable risk factors to an integral model of intervention strategies based on previous risk quantification and stratification.»

One of the factors enabling this change is the increasing availability of tools for the quantification and stratification of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular disease; these tools evaluate a set of individual characteristics, the so-called risk factors. This is the framework of the study conducted at the University of Granada and recently published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

In the field of epidemiologic studies aimed at predicting cardiovascular risk, a set of mathematical models had been developed in previous studies in the USA. The purpose of these models was to provide an estimation of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular event in the short term, i.e. 5-10 years, by assessing exposure to risk factors. University of Granada researchers used this model in their study.

The researchers performed a comparative study of the behavior of different equations applied to a group of «at-risk» patients referred to an Endocrinology Service from a primary care center in Granada, Spain. Risk factors were obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and lipid profile alterations.

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Eating salmon benefits pregnant women and their babies

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University of Granada researchers have proven that eating two servings of salmon reared at a fish farm (enriched with omega-3 fatty acids and only slightly contaminated) a week during pregnancy is beneficial both for the mother and child.

This research study -conducted within the framework of a Project funded by the VI EU Framework Program called The Salmon in Pregnancy Study (SiPS)- reveals that the intake of salmon increases omega-3 fatty acid levels both in the mother and child and improves their antioxidant defenses; the cause is the selenium and retinol content of salmon. In addition, salmon does not alter oxidative stress levels, inflammatory response and vascular homeostasis.

To carry out this study, a randomized sample of pregnant women with low fish intake was selected. The sample was divided into two groups: the control group -which continued with their regular diet- and the Salmon group -which incorporated two servings of «treated» salmon from 20 weeks of gestation until term. The salmon used in this study had been reared in a fish farm under a controlled diet including special ingredients (vegetable oils and food as algae and zooplankton); through this diet, salmon became rich in omega-3 fatty acids and presented high concentrations of antioxidant vitamins -as Vitamins A and E- and selenium; in addition fish contained very low contaminant levels.

Blood and Urine Samples

Blood and urine samples were taken from the two groups, who were also asked to complete a questionnaire of food habits at weeks 20 and 34 of gestation -which would provide information about food intake during the previous 12 weeks. Subsequently, blood and urine samples were taken again at week 38 of gestation and at labor -where also cord blood samples were taken.

The researchers found that omega-3 fatty acid concentrations improved when pregnant women who did not frequently eat fish ate two servings of salmon weekly; the same results were obtained for the newborns. Two servings of salmon per week help the mother and her child reach the minimum recommended omega-3 fatty acid intake.

Additionally, the researchers found that the biomarkers for lipid oxidation and oxidative damage to DNA were not affected by the intake of salmon. Thus, researchers concluded that eating two servings of salmon a week during pregnancy does not increase oxidative stress. In fact, selenium and retinol concentrations were increased in pregnant women’s plasma, and selenium concentrations increased in the newborns. This improvement in antioxidant defenses might help prevent and reduce the additional oxidative stress associated with pregnancy.

Finally, eating salmon reared at a fish farm did not negatively affect pregnant women’s antioxidant defenses, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, adipokine and cytokine concentrations and biomarkers for vascular homeostasis in the newborns.

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Software tool accurately estimates risk of heart disease

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University of Granada researchers have developed a software tool that makes an accurate estimation of the risk that a person has to suffer a heart disease. In addition, this software tool allows the performance of massive risk estimations, i.e. it helps estimating the risk that a specific population group has of suffering a heart condition. The researchers employed a sample including 3 000 patients.

Heart conditions increasingly affect working age population, which can make individuals loss potential years of work and productivity.

Understanding the risk for heart conditions by simultaneously using different equations is a key factor in heart disease prevention, which would reduce health spending in the short and long term.

An Integrated Model

According to the researchers, «during the last decade, the approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention have evolved from isolated interventions on modifiable risk factors to an integral model of intervention strategies based on previous risk quantification and stratification.»

One of the factors enabling this change is the increasing availability of tools for the quantification and stratification of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular disease; these tools evaluate a set of individual characteristics, the so-called risk factors. This is the framework of the study conducted at the University of Granada and recently published in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

In the field of epidemiologic studies aimed at predicting cardiovascular risk, a set of mathematical models had been developed in previous studies in the USA. The purpose of these models was to provide an estimation of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular event in the short term, i.e. 5-10 years, by assessing exposure to risk factors. University of Granada researchers used this model in their study.

The researchers performed a comparative study of the behavior of different equations applied to a group of «at-risk» patients referred to an Endocrinology Service from a primary care center in Granada, Spain. Risk factors were obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and lipid profile alterations.

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Beer runners sprint for science

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The Fishtown Beer Runners conclude weekly runs at local bars or members’ houses to test the re-hydration powers of beer.
Spring is here, and as the ground thaws many are dusting off their running shoes, which have sat untouched as hopeful New Year’s resolutions remain unfulfilled. For those looking for some motivation, the Fishtown Beer Runners might have found the incentive that will have people rekindling their workout routines.
Every Thursday at 7 p.m., the group can be seen stretching and setting their watches at 2346 E. Susquehanna Ave. in preparation for a run to a designated tavern or runner’s house where cold craft beers await their arrival.
Founders David April and Eric Fielder said Fishtown Beer Runners was established in December 2007. April said he began running in October 2007 and considered himself a «beer guy» long before he was an active runner.
«Beer running combines two seemingly mutually exclusive activities, and mixing the two brings out the strengths of each,» April said. «Drinking a beer after a long run is simply amazing as your palette is overwhelmed by flavor.»
April said that prior to the group’s inception, he and Fielder had come across an interesting research study conducted by Manuel J. Castillo-Garzon, M.D., at the University of Granada.
The study compared 660 milliliters of beer and water to test the liquids’ re-hydration effects. It was found drinking a beer after a run might have its benefits.
Fishtown Beer Runners’ mission is to, «combine responsible running with responsible drinking in the interest of science.» Every level of runner and beer enthusiast is welcomed with open arms and sweaty foreheads.
The runs are mapped out into several routes varying from one mile to five miles to accommodate every runner, walker and the occasional canine companion.
After conquering the twists and turns of the Philadelphia streets, the runners reach their destination – a local tavern that serves up an array of beers ranging from pale ales to porters and IPAs to pilsners.
April said that craft beers work best for re-hydration. But no matter what the beer of choice is, the runners try to always consume good, quality beer.
Palettes vary from runner to runner, so trying new beers is always encouraged. Runner Mallory Bernstein said she prefers a wheat beer because they are «refreshing and go down easily, especially after a hot run.»
April said it is very common for the trip to the tavern to turn into an «impromptu beer tasting,» as everyone is eager to try what’s available. But he added that the Fishtown Beer Runners are «not beer snobs, just a friendly group of people sharing common interests.»
Although the group has an underlying quest in the name of science, it also provides a safe running environment and motivation to stick with exercising. In April’s opinion, «consistency is the key to running,» and the Fishtown Beer Runners help bring an array of people together to keep it interesting.
«The beer part is more of a social component and a hook that attracts folks who share a love of running and like enjoying a beer or two,» April said. «They enjoy the community and the encouragement that the group offers which is why people come back and why the group is growing – this creates more consistent runners.»
Bernstein, a veteran to the running game, has been a beer runner for three years and said she still finds each week as exciting as the last. As the group gains more membership, she said she looks forward to the new faces she will encounters every Thursday, which has paid off in the past considering she met her husband at her first run with the group.
«It’s great because everyone there already has running and beer in common so friendships form pretty easily,» Bernstein said.
The beer runners’ crowd has expanded in size from its original two members to its current 50 to 70 runners. This crowd can also increase business for local bars during slow Thursday nights.
April said the runners feel that it is extremely important to support local establishments, and the group is often referred to as an instant «stimulus package.»
«We are young, urban professionals that enjoy quality beer and have money to spend on it,» April said.
During the years, the beer runners have become a household name both throughout the neighborhood and around the city, and April said many local bars jump at the opportunity to host their gatherings. The runners’ sweaty presence and dry mouths have frequented the Plough and the Stars – a spacious Irish bar on Second and Chestnut streets.
Marion Ryder, the bar’s owner, said she enjoys when the group runs through, and provides the team with drink specials and a large menu of draft and bottled beers.
«They are a great group of people,» Ryder said. «They provide a great atmosphere and great spirits.»
Although Ryder said she doesn’t fully comprehend the scientific aspect of the group, she is fully aware of the pleasure of the beer-loving, running enthusiasts.
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Farmed salmon benefits pregnant women and babies

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A study performed by scientists at the University of Granada shows that eating two pieces of salmon per week during pregnancy is beneficial to both the mother and the baby.

According to the study, due to the levels of selenium and retinol contained in this type of fish, its consumption can increase the level of omega 3 fatty acids and improve the antioxidant defenses in the mother and in the child. In addition, it does not affect the level of oxidative stress in the body or the inflammatory response and vascular homeostasis.

The authors of this paper, lecturers Cruz Erika García Rodríguez, Ángel Gil Hernández, María Dolores Mesa García and Concepción María Aguilera García, highlight that the salmon must be from fish farms as the fish born in captivity has a higher nutritional content and lower levels of contaminants.

The research study has been conducted within the framework of a Project funded by the VI EU Framework Programme called The Salmon in Pregnancy Study (SiPS).

Researchers took a random sample of pregnant women consuming little fish and divided them into two groups. In the control group, women continued their usual diet while in the other group two weekly servings of this fish were added to their diet from week 20 of their pregnancy until the labour.

This salmon used in the study has been raised in fish farms and fed on a controlled diet, using selected ingredients such as oils and plants (algae and zooplankton), which are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids of vegetable origin. Besides, the feed contained antioxidants vitamins such as A, E, selenium and very low contaminant levels.

With the blood and urine samples taken from the participating women and from the newborns through the cord, scientists were able to show that women that consumed more salmon increased omega-3 fatty acids concentrations in their body and in that of their children.

In addition, scientists determined that the consumption of two servings of salmon during pregnancy does not increase oxidative stress considering the biomarkers of lipid oxidation and of oxidative damage to DNA determined in the study.

Besides, they observed increased levels of selenium and of retinol in pregnant women and of selenium in newborns. This enhancement of antioxidant defenses could be useful in preventing and/or reducing oxidative stress associated with normal pregnancy.

Furthermore, the study determines that fish consumption did not adversely affect the antioxidant defense system or the metabolism of carbohydrates or lipids in pregnant women. Nor did it affect the concentration of adipokine, cytokines or biomarkers of vascular homeostasis in their newborns.

By Silvina Corniola

editorial@fis.com

www.fis.com

By Silvina Corniolaeditorial@fis.comwww.fis.com

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Software tool to estimate heart disease risk

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University of Granada researchers have come out with a software tool that makes an accurate estimation of the risk that a person has to suffer a heart disease.

In addition, this software tool allows the performance of massive risk estimations, i.e. it helps estimating the risk that a specific population group has of suffering a heart condition.

Heart conditions increasingly affect working age population, which can make individuals loss potential years of work and productivity.

Understanding the risk for heart conditions by simultaneously using different equations is a key factor in heart disease prevention, which would reduce health spending in the short and long term.

According to the researchers, «during the last decade, the approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention have evolved from isolated interventions on modifiable risk factors to an integral model of intervention strategies based on previous risk quantification and stratification.»

One of the factors enabling this change is the increasing availability of tools for the quantification and stratification of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular disease; these tools evaluate a set of individual characteristics, the so-called risk factors.

This is the framework of the study conducted at the University of Granada, which involved a sample including 3 000 patients.

In the field of epidemiologic studies aimed at predicting cardiovascular risk, a set of mathematical models had been developed in previous studies in the USA.

The purpose of these models was to provide an estimation of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular event in the short term, i.e. 5-10 years, by assessing exposure to risk factors.

University of Granada researchers used this model in their study. The researchers performed a comparative study of the behaviour of different equations applied to a group of «at-risk» patients referred to an Endocrinology Service from a primary care center in Granada, Spain.

Risk factors were obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and lipid profile alterations.

The scientists have published the results of this study in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

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Now, software tool to estimate heart disease risk

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University of Granada researchers have come out with a software tool that makes an accurate estimation of the risk that a person has to suffer a heart disease.

In addition, this software tool allows the performance of massive risk estimations, i.e. it helps estimating the risk that a specific population group has of suffering a heart condition.

Heart conditions increasingly affect working age population, which can make individuals loss potential years of work and productivity.

Understanding the risk for heart conditions by simultaneously using different equations is a key factor in heart disease prevention, which would reduce health spending in the short and long term.

According to the researchers, «during the last decade, the approaches to cardiovascular disease prevention have evolved from isolated interventions on modifiable risk factors to an integral model of intervention strategies based on previous risk quantification and stratification.»

One of the factors enabling this change is the increasing availability of tools for the quantification and stratification of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular disease; these tools evaluate a set of individual characteristics, the so-called risk factors.

This is the framework of the study conducted at the University of Granada, which involved a sample including 3 000 patients.

In the field of epidemiologic studies aimed at predicting cardiovascular risk, a set of mathematical models had been developed in previous studies in the USA.

The purpose of these models was to provide an estimation of the risk of suffering a cardiovascular event in the short term, i.e. 5-10 years, by assessing exposure to risk factors.

University of Granada researchers used this model in their study.
The researchers performed a comparative study of the behaviour of different equations applied to a group of «at-risk» patients referred to an Endocrinology Service from a primary care center in Granada, Spain.

Risk factors were obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and lipid profile alterations.

The scientists have published the results of this study in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

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La Universidad de Granada y la Universidad Toulouse 1 Capitole celebran un encuentro deportivo y cultural

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  • Desde hoy martes, 20 de enero, y hasta el próximo jueves día 22

Desde hoy martes, 20 de enero, y hasta el próximo jueves día 22 tendrá lugar un encuentro deportivo-cultural entre estudiantes de la Universidad de Granada y de la Universidad Toulouse 1 Capitole (Francia).

En el aspecto deportivo, durante estos días se celebrarán encuentros de balonmano, baloncesto, voleibol y tenis, en las modalidades masculina y femenina.

Desde el punto de vista cultural, los estudiantes visitarán la Alhambra, gracias al patrocinio del Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife, además de la Catedral, la Madraza y la Capilla Real.

Gabinete de Comunicación – Secretaría General
UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA
Acera de San Ildefonso, s/n. 18071. Granada (España)
Tel. 958 243063 – 958244278
Correo e. gabcomunicacion@ugr.es
Web: http://canal.ugr.es

Melilla Hoy

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Pág. 18: Las Clínicas Avantdent han firmado un convenio de colaboración con la Universidad de Granada

Descarga por URL: http://sl.ugr.es/01wq

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