Showing papers by "Universidad del Norte, Colombia published in 2012"

MAC Protocols Used by Wireless Sensor Networks and a General Method of Performance Evaluation

Abstract: Many researchers employ IEEE802.15.4 as communication technology for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, medium access control (MAC) layer requirements for communications in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) vary because the network is usually optimized for specific applications. Thus, one particular standard will hardly be suitable for every possible application. Two general categories of MAC techniques exist: contention based and schedule based. This paper explains these two main approaches and includes examples of each one. The paper concludes with a unique performance analysis and comparison of benefits and limitations of each protocol with respect to WSNs.

Respiratory syncytial virus NS1 protein colocalizes with mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein MAVS following infection.

Abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) nonstructural protein 1(NS1) attenuates type-I interferon (IFN) production during RSV infection; however the precise role of RSV NS1 protein in orchestrating the early host-virus interaction during infection is poorly understood. Since NS1 constitutes the first RSV gene transcribed and the production of IFN depends upon RLR (RIG-I-like receptor) signaling, we reasoned that NS1 may interfere with this signaling. Herein, we report that NS1 is localized to mitochondria and binds to mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS). Live-cell imaging of rgRSV-infected A549 human epithelial cells showed that RSV replication and transcription occurs in proximity to mitochondria. NS1 localization to mitochondria was directly visualized by confocal microscopy using a cell-permeable chemical probe for His(6)-NS1. Further, NS1 colocalization with MAVS in A549 cells infected with RSV was shown by confocal laser microscopy and immuno-electron microscopy. NS1 protein is present in the mitochondrial fraction and co-immunoprecipitates with MAVS in total cell lysatesof A549 cells transfected with the plasmid pNS1-Flag. By immunoprecipitation with anti-RIG-I antibody, RSV NS1 was shown to associate with MAVS at an early stage of RSV infection, and to disrupt MAVS interaction with RIG-I (retinoic acid inducible gene) and the downstream IFN antiviral and inflammatory response. Together, these results demonstrate that NS1 binds to MAVS and that this binding inhibits the MAVS-RIG-I interaction required for IFN production.

Early rheumatoid arthritis in Latin America: Low socioeconomic status related to high disease activity at baseline

Abstract: Objective To determine the influence of socioeconomic factors on disease activity in a Latin American (LA) early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) multinational inception cohort at baseline. Methods Clinical evaluation, ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), 4-variable Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (DI), and erosions were recorded in 1,093 patients with early RA (<1 year from onset). Multivariate analyses evaluated influences of sex, age, marital status, education, medical coverage, SES, and ethnicity on HAQ DI, DAS28-ESR, and presence of erosions. Results Ethnicities included 43% Mestizo, 31% Caucasian, 19% African LA, 4% Amerindian, and 3% other. Fifty-eight percent were of low/low-middle SES, 42% had <8 years of education, 21% had no medical coverage, median disease duration was 6 months (25th, 75th percentiles 4, 9 months), median HAQ DI score was 1.25 (25th, 75th percentiles 0.63, 2.00), median DAS28-ESR score was 6.2 (25th, 75th percentiles 4.9, 7.2), and 25% had erosions. Women and Mestizos, African LA, and Amerindians had earlier onset than men or Caucasians (P < 0.01). When adjusted by country, the analysis of covariance model showed that low/low-middle SES, female sex, partial coverage, and older age were associated with worse HAQ DI scores; only low/low-middle SES was associated with higher DAS28 scores. Statistically significant differences were found in HAQ DI and DAS28 scores between countries. When excluding country, low/low-middle SES, female sex, and no coverage were associated with worse HAQ DI and DAS28 scores, whereas separated/divorced/widowed status was associated with worse HAQ DI scores and age was associated with worse DAS28 scores. Logistic regression showed that older age, no coverage, and the Amerindian and other ethnic groups were associated with erosions. Conclusion We compared early RA patients from the main LA ethnic groups. Our findings suggest that low/low-middle SES is important in determining disease activity. A more genetic-related background for erosions is possible.

Automated Vision-Based Recognition of Construction Worker Actions for Building Interior Construction Operations Using RGBD Cameras

Abstract: In this paper we present a novel method for reliable recognition of construction workers and their actions using color and depth data from a Microsoft Kinect sensor. Our algorithm is based on machine learning techniques, in which meaningful visual features are extracted based on the estimated body pose of workers. We adopt a bag-of-poses representation for worker actions and combine it with powerful discriminative classifiers to achieve accurate action recognition. The discriminative framework is able to focus on the visual aspects that are distinctive and can detect and recognize actions from different workers. We train and test our algorithm by using 80 videos from four workers involved in five drywall related construction activities. These videos were all collected from drywall construction activities inside of an under construction dining hall facility. The proposed algorithm is further validated by recognizing the actions of a construction worker that was never seen before in the training dataset. Experimental results show that our method achieves an average precision of 85.28 percent. The results reflect the promise of the proposed method for automated assessment of craftsmen productivity, safety, and occupational health at indoor environments.

Cholesterol-Rich Microdomains as Docking Platforms for Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Normal Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Abstract: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the major causes of respiratory infections in children, and it is the main pathogen causing bronchiolitis in infants. The binding and entry mechanism by which RSV infects respiratory epithelial cells has not yet been determined. In this study, the earliest stages of RSV infection in normal human bronchial epithelial cells were probed by tracking virions with fluorescent lipophilic dyes in their membranes. Virions colocalized with cholesterol-containing plasma membrane microdomains, identified by their ability to bind cholera toxin subunit B. Consistent with an important role for cholesterol in RSV infection, cholesterol depletion profoundly inhibited RSV infection, while cholesterol repletion reversed this inhibition. Merger of the outer leaflets of the viral envelope and the cell membrane appeared to be triggered at these sites. Using small-molecule inhibitors, RSV infection was found to be sensitive to Pak1 inhibition, suggesting the requirement of a subsequent step of cytoskeletal reorganization that could involve plasma membrane rearrangements or endocytosis. It appears that RSV entry depends on its ability to dock to cholesterol-rich microdomains (lipid rafts) in the plasma membrane where hemifusion events begin, assisted by a Pak1-dependent process.

Driver behavior classification model based on an intelligent driving diagnosis system

Abstract: This paper considers the problem of characterize the way people drive applied to driver assistance systems and integrated safety systems without using direct driver signals. To make this, is proposed the design of a driver behaviors classifier based on a previous intelligent driving diagnosis system development by us [1]. This, take into account signals that can be acquired by a GPS data logging system: position, velocity, accelerations and steering angle. The classifier proposed, present the structure of an intelligent driver behaviors model based on neural networks and using as inputs statistical transformations of the driving diagnosis time signals: steering profiles, pedals uses, speeding and getting out of the lane and road. The validation of this classifier is developed in two applications: driver identification for security systems and to classify a driver into one of two categories, aggressive and moderate. The proposed approach has been implemented in real environment and its performance tested in simulation runs. Experimental results presented in this paper shows that our intelligent driving diagnosis system is able to classify different kinds of drivers with a high degree of reliability.

A latent discriminative model-based approach for classification of imaginary motor tasks from EEG data.

Abstract: We consider the problem of classification of imaginary motor tasks from electroencephalography (EEG) data for brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) and propose a new approach based on hidden conditional random fields (HCRFs) HCRFs are discriminative graphical models that are attractive for this problem because they (1) exploit the temporal structure of EEG; (2) include latent variables that can be used to model different brain states in the signal; and (3) involve learned statistical models matched to the classification task, avoiding some of the limitations of generative models Our approach involves spatial filtering of the EEG signals and estimation of power spectra based on autoregressive modeling of temporal segments of the EEG signals Given this time–frequency representation, we select certain frequency bands that are known to be associated with execution of motor tasks These selected features constitute the data that are fed to the HCRF, parameters of which are learned from training data Inference algorithms on the HCRFs are used for the classification of motor tasks We experimentally compare this approach to the best performing methods in BCI competition IV as well as a number of more recent methods and observe that our proposed method yields better classification accuracy

Implicit social learning in relation to autistic-like traits.

Abstract: We investigated if variation in autistic traits in the typically-developed population (using the Autism-spectrum Quotient, AQ) influenced implicit learning of social information. In the learning phase, participants repeatedly observed two identities whose gaze and expression conveyed either a pro- or antisocial disposition. These identities were then employed in a gaze-cueing paradigm. Participants made speeded responses to a peripheral target that was spatially pre-cued by a non-predictive gaze direction. The low AQ group (n = 50) showed a smaller gaze-cueing effect for the antisocial than for the prosocial identity. The high AQ group (n = 48) showed equivalent gaze-cueing for both identities. Others’ intentions/dispositions can be learned implicitly and affect subsequent responses to their behavior. This ability is impaired with increasing levels of autistic traits.

The ties that bind: the relationship between caregiver burden and the neuropsychological functioning of TBI survivors.

Abstract: Advances in medical and assistive technology have increased the likelihood of survival following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) Consequently, families frequently must provide care to individuals with TBI Because they are rarely prepared for the associated demanding medical needs and financial burden, family caregivers are at risk for physical and emotional problems, which can negatively influence their individual and family functioning Whereas scholars have examined the influence of survivor functioning on caregiver burden, few have explicitly recognized that caregiver burden also influences survivor functioning Results of a multivariate linear regression suggest that, in a sample of 51 pairs of TBI survivors and their caregivers living in Colombia, survivors receiving care from a family member who reported a higher level of burden had poorer objective neuropsychological functioning than those receiving care from a family member who reported a lower level of burden, after controlling for survivor education and history of occupational therapy Therefore, a family-focused approach might maximize intervention effectiveness, especially for Latin American and Hispanic families, which tend to be characterized by a strong sense of familism The emphasis on family can create problems in a healthcare system that views the individual as the primary unit

Health-related quality of life of individuals with traumatic brain injury in Barranquilla, Colombia.

Abstract: Objective: To assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Barranquilla, Colombia.Participants/methods: Thirty-one individuals with TBI and 61 healthy controls completed the SF-36, a self-report HRQoL measure composed of eight component areas: physical health problems, pain, role limitations due to physical problems or due to emotional problems, emotional well-being, social functioning, energy/fatigue and general health perceptions.Results: The samples were statistically similar with respect to age, gender and education and statistically different with respect to depression, SES, social support and cognition. Compared to healthy controls, individuals with TBI had significantly lower means on all SF-36 sub-scales. However, after adjusting for depression, SES, social support and cognitive performance, significant differences remained on three of the SF-36 sub-scales. Specifically, individuals with TBI had lower adjusted means on Role-Physical (p-value < 0...

Molecular serovar characterization of Leptospira isolates from animals and water in Colombia.

Abstract: Introduction: Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease transmitted directly or indirectly from animals to humans that may result in severe hemorrhagic, hepatic/renal and pulmonary disease. There are 20 known Leptospira species and hundreds of serovars, some of which belong to different species. It is essential to identify pathogenic Leptospira serovars and their potential reservoirs to prepare adequate control strategies. Objective: To characterize the Leptospira serovars isolated from rodents, dogs, pigs and water samplesin Colombia. Materials and methods: Leptospira organisms were isolated and cultured, and pathogenic strains were identified using a polymerase chain-reaction (PCR). Leptospira DNA and Salmonella Braenderup H9812 (molecular weight standard) DNA were cleaved using NotI and subjected to pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE patterns were analyzed based on bacterial strain-typing criteria and Dice coefficients (DCs) between these isolates and over 200 Leptospira organisms isolated from other parts of the world. Results: All of the isolates were pathogenic strains, and five were genetically characterized. The P275 (84% DC) and P282 (95% DC) pig isolates were related to the Leptospira interrogans Pomona serovar; the I15 (DC: 100%) rat isolate was identical to the Leptospira interrogans Icterohameorrhagiae or Copenhageni serovars, while the C67 (64% DC) dog and A42 (60% DC) water isolates were not related (< 73.7% DC) to any of the 200 reference serovars; the closest serovars were the Leptospira noguchii Nicaragua and Orleans serovars, respectively. Conclusion: This was the first molecular characterization of Colombian Leptospira spp isolates; these isolates will be used to develop a Colombian diagnostic panel. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7705/biomedica.v33i0.731

Exposure of the Colombian Caribbean coast, including San Andrés Island, to tropical storms and hurricanes, 1900–2010

Abstract: An analysis of the exposure of the Colombian Caribbean coast to the effect of tropical storms and hurricanes was conducted using historical records from between 1900 and 2010. The Colombian Caribbean coast is approximately 1,760 km long, and the main coastal cities in this important region are Riohacha (RIO), Santa Marta (STA), Barranquilla (BAQ), and Cartagena (CTG). The surface extension of the Colombian Caribbean is almost 590,000 km2. The cumulative number of events was used to determine the exposure and to identify the most vulnerable zones on the continental coast of Colombia and in the country’s insular Caribbean. Although the Colombian Caribbean coast is not registered as a potentially vulnerable zone in international databases, there have been significant events in the region, some of which even hit land. The results show that the island of San Andres (SA) and the Department of Guajira are the zones most likely to be affected by storms in the Colombian Caribbean. Hurricane Joan in October of 1988 has been the most devastating event in the history of hurricanes in Colombian waters.

Periprosthetic breast capsules and immunophenotypes of inflammatory cells.

Abstract: Background Silicone gel-containing breast implants have been widely used for aesthetic and reconstructive mammoplasty. The development of a periprosthetic capsule is considered a local reparative process against the breast implant in which a variety of inflammatory cells may appear. Nevertheless, only few reports have evaluated the immunophenotypes of those inflammatory cells. Herein, we aim to provide more information in this regard evaluating 40 patients with breast implants.

Algebraic aspects of Darboux transformations, quantum integrable systems and supersymmetric quantum mechanics

Abstract: This volume represents the 2010 Jairo Charris Seminar in Algebraic Aspects of Darboux Transformations, Quantum Integrable Systems and Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics, which was held at the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Santa Marta, Colombia. The papers cover the fields of Supersymmetric Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Integrable Systems, from an algebraic point of view. Some results presented in this volume correspond to the analysis of Darboux Transformations in higher order as well as some exceptional orthogonal polynomials. The reader will find an interesting Galois approach to study finite gap potentials. This book is published in cooperation with Instituto de Matematicas y sus Aplicaciones (IMA).

Anticipation of Action Intentions in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract: We investigated whether individuals with a mild form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are influenced by an actor’s gaze direction when anticipating how an observed action will continue in the immediate future. Participants observed a head rotate towards them, while the gaze direction was either leading, or lagging behind, rotation. They also observed identical rotations of a cylinder containing the geometrical equivalent of the gaze manipulation. The control group was influenced by the gaze manipulations for the animate but not the inanimate stimulus. The ASD group did not discriminate between the stimuli, showing a similar influence for both. This suggests that the ASD responses in the animate condition were biased by the low-level directional features of the eyes rather than by the conveyed intentions.

Simple Prognostic Criteria can Definitively Identify Patients who Develop Severe Versus Non-Severe Dengue Disease, or Have Other Febrile Illnesses.

Abstract: Background : Severe dengue disease (SDD) (DHF / DSS: dengue hemorrhagic fever / dengue shock syndrome) results from either primary or secondary dengue virus (DENV) infections, which occur 4 - 6 days after the onset of fever. As yet, there are no definitive clinical or hematological criteria that can specifically identify SDD patients during the early acute febrile-phase of disease (day 0 - 3: less than 72 hours). This study was performed during a SDD (DHF / DSS) epidemic to: 1) identify the DENV serotypes that caused SDD during primary or secondary DENV infections; 2) identify simple clinical and hematological criteria that could significantly discriminate between patients who subsequently developed SDD versus non-SDD (N-SDD), or had a non-DENV fever of unknown origin (FUO) during day 0 - 3 of fever; 3) assess whether DENV serotype co-infections resulted in SDD. Methods : First serum samples, with clinical and hematological criteria, were collected from 100 patients during the early acute febrile-phase (day 0 - 3: less than 72 hours), assessed for DENV or FUO infections by IgM- and IgG-capture ELISAs on paired serum samples and by DENV isolations, and subsequently graded as SDD, N-SDD or FUO patients. Results : In this study: 1) Thirty-three patients had DENV infections, predominantly secondary DENV-2 infections, including each SDD (DHF / DSS) case; 2) Secondary DENV-2 / -3 and DENV-2 / -4 serotype co-infections however resulted in N-SDD; 3) Each patient who subsequently developed SDD, but none of the others, displayed three clinical criteria: abdominal pain, conjunctival injection and veni-puncture bleeding, therefore each of these criteria provided definitively significant prognostic (P less than 0.001) values; 4) Petechia, positive tourniquet tests and hepatomegaly, and neutrophilia or leukopenia also significantly identified those who: a) subsequently developed SDD versus N-SDD, or had a FUO; b) subsequently developed SDD versus N-SDD; c) subsequently developed N-SDD versus FUOs, respectively. Conclusions: This is the first report of simple definitively prognostic criteria for SDD patients, including the first assessment and confirmation of conjunctival injection. The three definitive clinical criteria used alone, or supported by the other four criteria, could be essential for specifically identifying those patients needing prompt hospital-based therapies to lessen or avert SDD, without unnecessary hospitalization of the other patients. doi:10.4021/jocmr694w

End of life, death and dying in neonatal intensive care units in Latin America.

Abstract: Aim: Most analyses of end of life decisions in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) have come from Europe ⁄ English-speaking countries. Would decisions be different in Latin American NICUs? Therefore, we aim to evaluate the approach to dying infants ⁄ families in NICUs in Latin America. Methods: Multinational descriptive study of all deaths in babies born at >22 weeks in eight NICUs in five Latin American countries. Deaths were categorized as: (i) no Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) or life support offered; (ii) life support initiated but do not resuscitate (DNR) orders written or no CPR provided; (iii) full life support and CPR; and (iv) unclassifiable. Results: There were 100 deaths, 81% in >27 weeks. Seventeen infants received no CPR ⁄ life support at birth, 10 died in DR and seven in NICU. There were 27 infants in group 2, 54 in group three and two in group 4. No baby had care withdrawn or care withdrawn ⁄ CPR withheld. Thirty-two infants had ‘do not resuscitate’ order. Decisions without parents’ involvement in 15%, both parents present at death 24% and sedatives ⁄ narcotics documented 14%. Conclusions: Latin American NICUs differ from those in Northern Europe ⁄ Englishspeaking countries. More deaths are accompanied by full life support and CPR. DNR orders are rare. Withdrawal of life support is virtually non-existent. Latin American’s doctors are more likely to make decisions without the objections of family about withholding life-sustaining treatment.

Automated Visual Recognition of Construction Equipment Actions Using Spatio-Temporal Features and Multiple Binary Support Vector Machines

Abstract: Video recording of construction operations provides an understandable data that could be used to analyze and improve construction performance Despite the benefits, manual stopwatch study of previously recorded videos can be laborintensive, may suffer from biases of the observers, and impractical after substantial period of observations To address these limitations, this paper presents a new visionbased method for automated action recognition of construction equipment from different camera viewpoints This is particularly a challenging task as construction equipment can be partially occluded and they usually come in wide variety of sizes and appearances The scale and pose of the equipment action can also significantly vary based on the camera configurations In the proposed method, first a video is represented as a collection of spatio-temporal features by extracting space-time interest points and describing each feature with a histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) The algorithm automatically learns the probability distributions of the spatiotemporal features and action categories using a multiple binary Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier This strategy handles noisy feature points arisen from typical dynamic backgrounds Given a novel video sequence, the multiple binary SVM classifier recognizes and localizes multiple equipment actions in long and dynamic video sequences containing multiple equipment actions We have exhaustively tested our algorithm on 1,200 videos from earthmoving operations Results with average accuracy of 85% across all categories of equipment actions reflect the promise of the proposed method for automated performance monitoring

Factors associated with depression and burden in Spanish speaking caregivers of individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Abstract: Objective: To determine which factors are highly associated with burden and depression in a group of caregivers of persons with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in Colombia, South America. Design: Prospective. Participants: Fifty-one pairs of individuals with TBI and their caregivers from two major cities in Colombia completed a comprehensive psychosocial evaluation that included information related to patient and caregiver sociodemographic factors, patient factors, and caregiver estimation of patient neurobehavioral functioning. Outcome measures: Caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview) and caregiver depression (PHQ-9). Results: Generalized linear models revealed that patient language problems and caregiver perception of patient functioning on six neurobehavioral domains were related to caregiver burden. Caregiver socioeconomic status and caregiver perception of patient functioning on six neurobehavioral domains were related to caregiver depression. These variables were then selected as candidates for the multiple regression models, which were fit separately for caregiver depression and burden, and revealed that caregivers' perception of patient depression was the only factor associated with both caregiver burden and depression. Conclusion: Caregivers' perception of patient depression was the single best predictor of both caregiver burden and depression. Implications for treatment based on these preliminary findings are discussed.

Matlock: A location obfuscation technique for accuracy-restricted applications

Abstract: Location-based information systems (LBIS) have shown growth in the last years thanks to the popularization of cheap GPS-enabled mobile devices with connectivity to the Internet. At the same time, users have made their locations more available than ever, representing a major privacy problem, as attackers could easily determine their victims' common paths or actual locations. As a result, some techniques have been designed to protect the users' private information while allowing Location Based Service systems (LBS) to continue growing. Location obfuscation is a technique that alters, substitutes, or generalizes the real location of the users to protect them against malicious attacks. Moreover, there are activities that require a high level of accuracy while also maintaining the protection of the location, such as fleet management or transportation of valuables. In this work, a light-weight and fully reversible location obfuscation technique named Matlock is presented. Matlock, based on matrix obfuscation, requires low computation per operation and hides the location in both spatial and temporal dimensions. The performance evaluation shows how this technique alters the location of paths from different geographical regions, produces a non-morphologically similar path to the original path, and generates increasing distance functions between the original and the obfuscated paths, which together should reduce the probability of using estimation techniques to perform deobfuscation of the information.

Afrontamiento en crisis familiares: El caso del divorcio cuando se tienen hijos adolescentes

Abstract: Resumen Objetivo: Describir las estrategias de afrontamiento familiar frente al divorcio como crisis no normativa en familias con hijos adolescentes de la ciudad de Barranquilla (Colombia). Materiales y metodos: Estudio descriptivo, en el que se analizaron 43 familias con hijos adolescentes. El instrumento utilizado fue la Escala F COPES (escala de evaluacion perso- nal del funcionamiento familiar en situaciones de crisis) de McCubbin, Larsen y Olson. Resultados: En todas estas familias se hizo evidente la tendencia a recurrir al apoyo social como principal estrategia de afrontamiento ante la crisis, seguida por la reestructu- racion. La estrategia menos utilizada fue la movilizacion, seguida por la evaluacion pasiva y el apoyo espiritual. Conclusiones: Las familias en proceso de separacion privilegian el apoyo social como es- trategia principal en sus vidas. Se corroboro que los miembros de estas acuden a parientes, amigos y personas con dificultades similares para sentirse seguros y apoyados en medio de la crisis. Sin embargo, todos sus miembros utilizan estrategias tanto externas como internas para afrontar la crisis. Palabras clave: Estrategias de afrontamiento, crisis no normativa, divorcio, ado- lescencia. Abstract Objective: To describe the family coping strategies with the divorce as a non-normative crisis. Materials and method: Descriptive study, with an intentional selection of a sample of 43 families with teenagers’ children. The instrument was the F-COPES scale (Family- Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale) from McCubbin, Larsen y Olson. Results: It was a familial tendency to use the social support as the main coping strategy in a moment of crisis, followed by Reframing. The least used strategy was Mobilizing the family to accept help, followed by the passive appraisal and spiritual support. Conclusions: Families going through a divorce or separation process give a special place to the social support. Their members used to appeal to external family, friends and people in the same condition, looking for feelings of safety and support in the middle of the crisis. Nevertheless, they use internal and external strategies to cope with the crisis. Keywords: Coping strategies, non-normative crisis, divorce, adolescence.

Male facial anthropometry and attractiveness.

Abstract: The symmetry and masculinity of the face are often considered important elements of male facial attractiveness. However, facial preferences are rarely studied on natural faces. We studied the effect of these traits and facial metric parameters on facial attractiveness in Spanish and Colombian raters. In total, 13 metric and 11 asymmetry parameters from natural, unmanipulated frontal face photographs of 50 Spanish men were measured with the USIA semiautomatic anthropometric software. All raters (women and men) were asked to rank these images as potential long-term partners for females. In both sexes, facial attractiveness was negatively associated with facial masculinity, and preference was not associated with facial symmetry. In Spanish raters, both sexes preferred male traits that were larger in the right side of the face, which may reflect a human tendency to prefer a certain degree of facial asymmetry. We did not find such preference in Colombian raters, but they did show stronger preference for facial...