Reverse-Safe Data Structures for Text Indexing

We introduce the notion of reverse-safe data structures. These are data structures that prevent the reconstruction of the data they encode (i.e., they cannot be easily reversed). A data structure D is called z-reverse-safe when there exist at least z datasets with the same set of answers as the ones stored by D. The main challenge is to ensure that D stores as many answers to useful queries as possible, is constructed efficiently, and has size close to the size of the original dataset it encodes. Given a text of length n and an integer z, we propose an algorithm which constructs a z-reverse-safe data structure that has size O(n) and answers pattern matching queries of length at most d optimally, where d is maximal for any such z-reverse-safe data structure. The construction algorithm takes O(n ω log d) time, where ω is the matrix multiplication exponent. We show that, despite the n ω factor, our engineered implementation takes only a few minutes to finish for million-letter texts. We further show that plugging our method in data analysis applications gives insignificant or no data utility loss. Finally, we show how our technique can be extended to support applications under a realistic adversary model

Evaluation of the population based cancer registry of the municipality of Goiânia, Goiás state, Brazil

Os Registros de Câncer de Base Populacional (RCBP) constituem uma reconhecida ferramenta para vigilância e monitoramento das neoplasias, exercendo um papel fundamental para a Saúde Pública. Aplicar uma metodologia de avaliação permitirá dispor de informações relevantes quanto à qualidade e utilidade desses registros. A metodologia de avaliação aplicada foi baseada nas seguintes publicações: “Diretrizes para Avaliação de Sistemas de Vigilância”, dos Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dos Estados Unidos da América; “Registros de Câncer: Princípios e Métodos” (manuais) e “Comparabilidade e Controle de Qualidade nos Registros de Câncer”, ambas da Agência Internacional para Pesquisa sobre o Câncer (IACR)/Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS); e “Manual de Rotinas e Procedimentos para Registros de Câncer de Base Populacional”, do Instituto Nacional do Câncer do Ministério da Saúde (Inca/MS). O RCBP do Município de Goiânia, Estado de Goiás, Brasil, mostrou-se complexo em sua operacionalização, porém flexível, oportuno, útil e representativo. Os indicadores de qualidade aferidos validam a importância e o papel das informações geradas pelos RCBP enquanto subsídios à implementação de políticas públicas de prevenção e controle do câncer. _______________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTPopulation Based Cancer Registries (RCBP) constitute a recognized tool for cancer surveillance and monitoring, and have a fundamental role in Public Health. The application of an evaluation methodology will generate valuable information with respect to the quality and usefulness of the registries. The applied evaluation methodology was based on the following publications: “Guidelines for Evaluating Surveillance Systems”, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States of America; “Cancer Registry: Principles and Methods” (manuals), and the “Comparability and Quality Control of Cancer Registry”, both of the International Agency for Cancer Research (IACR)/World Health Organization (WHO); and “Routines and Procedures for Population-based Cancer Registrees”, of the National Institute of Cancer of the Ministry of Health of Brazil (Inca/MS). The RCBP of the Municipality of Goiânia, Goiás State, Brazil, showed to be complex in its operationalization, but flexible, timely, useful and representative. The measured quality indicators validate the importance and the role of the information generated by the registry as subsidies for implementation of public prevention and cancer control policies

Conducting EcoHealth research: Basic skills. Report of a training workshop held on 24–25 November 2016

International Development Research Centr

Dynamos and Chemical Mixing in Evolved Stars

In low-mass Red Giant Branch (RGB) and Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars, anomalous mixing must transport material near the hydrogen-burning shell to the convective envelope. Recently, it was suggested that buoyant magnetic flux tubes could supply the necessary transport rate (Busso et al. 2007). The fields are assumed to originate from a dynamo operating in the stellar interior. Here, we show what is required of an $\alpha-\Omega$ dynamo in the envelope of an AGB star to maintain these fields. Differential rotation and rotation drain via turbulent dissipation and Poynting flux, so if shear can be resupplied by convection, then large-scale toroidal field strengths of \left\simeq3\times10^4 G can be sustained at the base of the convection zone.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures. To appear in AIP Proceedings of the IXth Torino Workshop on AGB Nucleosynthesi

In-depth assessment of the public agricultural extension system of Ethiopia and recommendations for improvement:

Eighty-three percent of the population of Ethiopia depends directly on agriculture for their livelihoods, while many others depend on agriculture-related cottage industries such as textiles, leather, and food oil processing. Agriculture contributes about 46.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) (World Bank 2008) and up to 90 percent of total export earnings. As part of the current five-year (2006–2011) Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty (PASDEP), the government is continuing to invest heavily in agriculture. A core part of the government's investment in agriculture is the public agricultural extension system. This study was conducted to assess the strengths and constraints of the public extension system and to provide suggestions on “best fit” solutions and their scale-up opportunities. The review used a variety of analytical tools to develop the overall findings, including extensive field visits to six of nine regions in Ethiopia; interviews with farmer trainees at farmer training centers (FTCs), more than 100 extension personnel, extension experts, nongovernmental organization (NGO) groups, and government representatives; and a literature review on Ethiopian extension. The study assessed strengths and constraints in the field-level extension system, the ATVET system, and the extension institutional environment. The researchers also considered the overall enabling environment within which extension operates. The field-level extension service has a strong foundation of FTCs and trained development agents (DAs) already in place in the field. Roughly 8,489 FTCs have been created throughout Ethiopia, and about 62,764 DAs have been trained in total, with a reported 45,812 staffed on location. Woreda (district) and regional offices are adequately staffed. DAs and woreda staff have strong technical skills and theoretical knowledge, and are generally trained as specialists. Pockets of entrepreneurialism and innovation exist in specific FTCs and woredas. While acknowledging these strengths, the researchers also identified several sets of constraints within the field-level extension system that will require attention. Basic infrastructure and resources at the FTC and woreda level remain a major constraint, particularly in relation to operating funds: the vast majority of FTCs and kebeles do not have operating equipment or inputs to pursue typical extension activities on the demonstration farm. There are major “soft” skill gaps for DAs and subject matter specialists (SMSs) in the FTCs and woredas, and their ability to serve farmers is limited given a lack of practical skills. Finally, the overall field-level system is often limited in its ability to meet farmer needs and demands; mechanisms to make it more farmer-driven and market-oriented would yield greater results. The authors employed a similar approach at the ATVET level to identify strengths and constraints. Strengths at the ATVET level include a strong record of training broad groups of DAs, a strong technical curriculum, and some pockets of innovation and practical training, including linkages to markets and farmers. Constraints include limited success in enabling DAs to gain practical experience, particularly related to their internships at the woreda level; limited linkages to the broader educational system and research system in Ethiopia; and a general lack of resources to effectively transmit the required skill set to DAs. The countrywide enabling environment in which extension operates is critical to extension efforts. Various aspects of the enabling environment were considered, including seed and other inputs, water management, and credit systems, as well as producer groups. Constraints were also assessed, leading to the conclusion that the enabling environment requires strengthening, particularly in the areas of seed and credit, if extension is to achieve its full potential impact.trained development agents (DA), farmer training centers (FTC), ATVET system, Extension, Agriculture,

Gluing Borel-Smith functions and the group of endo-trivial modules

The aim of this paper is to describe the group of endo-trivial modules for a $p$-group $P$, in terms of the obstruction group for the gluing problem of Borel-Smith functions.Comment: (to appear) Bulletin of London Mathematical Societ

Epidemiological Analysis of Penile Neoplasms in Brazil and Its Social Determinants

Introduction: Penile neoplasms, although preventable, are frequent even among young persons. Penile neoplasms have a high risk of not only morbidity and mortality but also important psychosocial repercussions.Objective: To describe the epidemiology of penile neoplasms in Brazil. Method: This was an epidemiological, descriptive and cross-sectional study. Data on all the notified cases of penile neoplasms in Brazil between 1985 and 2015 were obtained from RCPBP/INCA and DATASUS databases.Results: Of 9 625 notified cases of penile neoplasms, a higher proportion of cancer patients was observed among patients aged between 40 and 70 years (63.5%) and among smokers (21%), in Brown and Caucasian patients (80%), those who were married (54.2%), had high alcohol intake levels (16%) and with lower levels of education: illiterate people (21.5%), those with incomplete elementary school education (36.6%) and those with complete elementary school education (10.3%). The lesions were located in the glans (22.6%), prepuce (7.5%) and the penile body (7.5%). Higher mortality rates were observed in the age-group 50 to 80 years and in among patients from the Northeast (31.4%) and Southeast (39.2%) regions of the country.Conclusion: Penile neoplasms, which mainly affect young people that are economically active, are prevalent in Brazil and the majority of patients present with an advanced stage of the disease. They are Brown and Caucasian, married, with poor education and live in the Northeast and Southeast regions of the country

Conducting EcoHealth research: Basic skills. Report of a training workshop held on 26–27 September 2016

International Development Research Centr