A Study of the Combination of Variation Operators in the NSGA-II Algorithm

Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms rely on the use of variation operators as their basic mechanism to carry out the evolutionary process. These operators are usually fixed and applied in the same way during algorithm execution, e.g., the mutation probability in genetic algorithms. This paper analyses whether a more dynamic approach combining different operators with variable application rate along the search process allows to improve the static classical behavior. This way, we explore the combined use of three different operators (simulated binary crossover, differential evolution’s operator, and polynomial mutation) in the NSGA-II algorithm. We have considered two strategies for selecting the operators: random and adaptive. The resulting variants have been tested on a set of 19 complex problems, and our results indicate that both schemes significantly improve the performance of the original NSGA-II algorithm, achieving the random and adaptive variants the best overall results in the bi- and three-objective considered problems, respectively.UNIVERSIDAD DE MÁLAGA. CAMPUS DE EXCELENCIA INTERNACIONAL ANDALUCÍA TEC

In vitro regeneration of Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess: A valuable medicinal tree

Calophyllum brasiliense (Calophyllaceae) is a medicinal tree known mainly for producing calanolides, secondary metabolites against HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. This wild plant is listed as threatened and despite its outstanding medicinal value, no studies have been conducted on its propagation or preservation. This study standardized a procedure for the micropropagation of C. brasiliense with nodal segments from in vitro seedlings. The in vitro seed germination was 48.6%. The nodal explants displayed a high percentage of shoot induction (77.5%), shoots per segment (6.9), nodes per shoot (3.8), leaves per shoot (8.0) and shoot length (4.2 cm) when 0.5 mg L-1 indole-3-butyric acid plus 0.1 mg L-1 thidiazuron were used. Furthermore, maximum shoot rooting (63.5%) and root length (2.2 cm) were recovered using 1.0 mg L-1 indole-3-acetic acid. More than three-quarters of the acclimatized plants (77.5%) grew successfully in pots. Thus, this study developed an in vitro propagation protocol for C. brasiliense that can be used as a potential resource for restoring wild populations or performing phytopharmacological studies.Key words: Seed germination, plant growth regulators, micropropagation, nodal segments, medicinal plants

Towards a Semantic-Aware Collaborative Working Environment

Collaborative Working Environments (CWEs) enable an efficient collaboration between professionals, specially those settled in different locations of a company or stakeholders from different companies. This can be of great help for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as an effective way to share information. However, it can be difficult for SMEs to have access to a fully integrated CWE providing different tools (e.g., videoconferencing, instant messaging, etc.). Currently, they may define a CWE as a combination of heterogeneous and non-integrated tools which are not able to share information between them. An integrated CWE would provide SMEs with the necessary means to collaborate, making information exchange easier.&nbsp

Association between television viewing and obesity in Peruvian women

OBJECTIVE: To assess the association between frequency of television viewing, overweight and obesity in a nationally representative sample of Peruvian women. METHODS: Secondary analysis of the Demographic and Health Survey 2008 including women aged from 15 to 49 years old. The outcome variables were obesity (body mass index >30 kg/m²) and overweight (body mass index >25 butOBJETIVO: Evaluar la asociación entre frecuencia de ver televisión, sobrepeso y obesidad en una muestra representativa de mujeres peruanas a nivel nacional. MÉTODOS: Análisis secundario de la Encuesta Nacional Demográfica y de Salud Familiar incluyendo mujeres de 15 a 49 años. Las variables resultados fueron obesidad (índice de masa corporal >30 kg/m²) y sobrepeso (>25 pesoOBJETIVO: Analisar a associação entre frequência de assistir televisão com sobrepeso e obesidade em uma amostra representativa de mulheres peruanas em nível nacional. MÉTODOS: Análise secundária da Pesquisa Nacional Demográfica e de Saúde Familiar incluindo 27.712 mulheres de 15 a 49 anos em 2008. As variáveis-desfecho foram obesidade (índice de massa corporal >; 30 kg/m2) e sobrepeso (entre 25 e 30 kg/m2); a variável de exposição foi a frequência de assistir televisão (nunca, ocasionalmente, quase todos os dias). Foi utilizada regressão logística para amostras complexas, ajustada por potenciais confundidores. Os resultados foram apresentados como odds ratios ajustados (ORa) com seus respectivos intervalos de 95% de confiança. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de sobrepeso foi de 34,7% (IC95% 33,8;35,7) e de obesidade, 14,3% (IC95% 13,6;5,1). Mulheres que assistiam televisão ocasionalmente e quase todos os dias tiveram maior probabilidade de ter obesidade em comparação às que não assistiam: ORa = 1,7 (IC95% 1,3;2,3) e ORa 2,6 (IC95% 2,0;3,5), respectivamente. A magnitude da associação foi menor para o sobrepeso: ORa 1,2 (IC95% 1,3;2,3) e ORa 1,6 (IC95% 1,1;1,4), respectivamente. A associação foi mais forte na área urbana. CONCLUSÕES: A frequência de assistir televisão esteve associada à apresentar obesidade e sobrepeso entre mulheres peruanas, e a força da associação variou de acordo com a área de residência. Estes achados podem auxiliar estratégias de prevenção da obesidade no contexto peruano

Factors associated with consumption of fruits and vegetables among Community Kitchens customers in Lima, Peru.

Community Kitchens (CKs) are one of the main food providers to low-income families in Peru and may encourage healthier diets. We aimed to determine the prevalence of fruit and vegetable consumption and associated sociodemographic and behavioral factors among CKs customers. A cross-sectional study enrolling customers of 48 CKs in two areas of Lima, Peru, was performed. The self-reported amount of fruits and vegetables consumed (< 5 vs. ? 5 servings/day) was the outcome. The exposures were grouped in sociodemographic variables (i.e. age, gender, education level, etc.), and self-reported intention to change eating- and exercise-related habits in the last four weeks just prior to the interview. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated using Poisson regression. Data from 422 subjects were analyzed, 328 females (77.9%), mean age 43.7 (± 14.5) years. Only 36 (8.5%; 95% CI 5.9%-11.2%) customers reported consuming ? 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. This pattern was 4-fold more likely among those with higher levels of education (? 12 vs. < 7 years), and 64% less common for migrants relative to non-migrants. In terms of intentions to change habits, those who reported having tried to reduce sugar consumption or to eat more fruits were up to 90% more likely to meet the ? 5 servings/day target. A substantial gap in the consumption of ? 5 servings of fruits and vegetables/day was found among CKs customers that does not appear to be dependent on familial income. The profiles reported in this study can inform appropriate strategies to increase healthier eating in this population

Aproximación Proteómica al síndrome de apneas-hipopneas del sueño

Comunicaciones a congreso

The OTELO survey. A case study of [O III]4959,5007 emitters at <z> = 0.83

The OTELO survey is a very deep, blind exploration of a selected region of the Extended Groth Strip and is designed for finding emission-line sources (ELSs). The survey design, observations, data reduction, astrometry, and photometry, as well as the correlation with ancillary data used to obtain a final catalogue, including photo-z estimates and a preliminary selection of ELS, were described in a previous contribution. Here, we aim to determine the main properties and luminosity function (LF) of the [O III] ELS sample of OTELO as a scientific demonstration of its capabilities, advantages, and complementarity with respect to other surveys. The selection and analysis procedures of ELS candidates obtained using tunable filter (TF) pseudo-spectra are described. We performed simulations in the parameter space of the survey to obtain emission-line detection probabilities. Relevant characteristics of [O III] emitters and the LF([O III]), including the main selection biases and uncertainties, are presented. A total of 184 sources were confirmed as [O III] emitters at a mean redshift z=0.83. The minimum detectable line flux and equivalent width (EW) in this ELS sample are $\sim$5 $\times$ 10$^{-19}$ erg s$^{-1}$ cm$^{2}$ and $\sim$6 \AA, respectively. We are able to constrain the faint-end slope ($\alpha = -1.03\pm0.08$) of the observed LF([O III]) at z=0.83. This LF reaches values that are approximately ten times lower than those from other surveys. The vast majority (84\%) of the morphologically classified [O III] ELSs are disc-like sources, and 87\% of this sample is comprised of galaxies with stellar masses of M$_\star$ $<$ 10$^{10}$ M$_{\odot}$.Comment: v1: 16 pages, 6 figures. Accepted in Astronomy \& Astrophysics. v2: Author added in metadat

Agreement Between Cardiovascular Disease Risk Scores in Resource-Limited Settings: Evidence from 5 Peruvian Sites.

It is unclear how well currently available risk scores predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in low-income and middle-income countries. We aim to compare the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Pooled Cohort risk equations (ACC/AHA model) with 6 other CVD risk tools to assess the concordance of predicted CVD risk in a random sample from 5 geographically diverse Peruvian populations. We used data from 2 Peruvian, age and sex-matched, population-based studies across 5 geographical sites. The ACC/AHA model were compared with 6 other CVD risk prediction tools: laboratory Framingham risk score for CVD, non-laboratory Framingham risk score for CVD, Reynolds risk score, systematic coronary risk evaluation, World Health Organization risk charts, and the Lancet chronic diseases risk charts. Main outcome was in agreement with predicted CVD risk using Lin's concordance correlation coefficient. Two thousand one hundred and eighty-three subjects, mean age 54.3 (SD ± 5.6) years, were included in the analysis. Overall, we found poor agreement between different scores when compared with ACC/AHA model. When each of the risk scores was used with cut-offs specified in guidelines, ACC/AHA model depicted the highest proportion of people at high CVD risk predicted at 10 years, with a prevalence of 29.0% (95% confidence interval, 26.9-31.0%), whereas prevalence with World Health Organization risk charts was 0.6% (95% confidence interval, 0.2-8.6%). In conclusion, poor concordance between current CVD risk scores demonstrates the uncertainty of choosing any of them for public health and clinical interventions in Latin American populations. There is a need to improve the evidence base of risk scores for CVD in low-income and middle-income countries

A modular toolbox for gRNA-Cas9 genome engineering in plants based on the GoldenBraid standard

[EN] Background: The efficiency, versatility and multiplexing capacity of RNA-guided genome engineering using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology enables a variety of applications in plants, ranging from gene editing to the construction of transcriptional gene circuits, many of which depend on the technical ability to compose and transfer complex synthetic instructions into the plant cell. The engineering principles of standardization and modularity applied to DNA cloning are impacting plant genetic engineering, by increasing multigene assembly efficiency and by fostering the exchange of well-defined physical DNA parts with precise functional information. Results: Here we describe the adaptation of the RNA-guided Cas9 system to GoldenBraid (GB), a modular DNA con¿ struction framework being increasingly used in Plant Synthetic Biology. In this work, the genetic elements required for CRISPRs-based editing and transcriptional regulation were adapted to GB, and a workflow for gRNAs construction was designed and optimized. New software tools specific for CRISPRs assembly were created and incorporated to the public GB resources site. Conclusions: The functionality and the efficiency of gRNA¿Cas9 GB tools were demonstrated in Nicotiana benthamiana using transient expression assays both for gene targeted mutations and for transcriptional regulation. The availability of gRNA¿Cas9 GB toolbox will facilitate the application of CRISPR/Cas9 technology to plant genome engineeringThis work has been funded by Grant BIO2013-42193-R from Plan Nacional I + D of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Vazquez-Vilar M. is a recipient of a Junta de Ampliacion de Estudios fellowship. Bernabe-Orts J.M. is a recipient of a FPI fellowship. We want to thank Nicola J. 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