Learning definite Horn formulas from closure queries

A definite Horn theory is a set of n-dimensional Boolean vectors whose characteristic function is expressible as a definite Horn formula, that is, as conjunction of definite Horn clauses. The class of definite Horn theories is known to be learnable under different query learning settings, such as learning from membership and equivalence queries or learning from entailment. We propose yet a different type of query: the closure query. Closure queries are a natural extension of membership queries and also a variant, appropriate in the context of definite Horn formulas, of the so-called correction queries. We present an algorithm that learns conjunctions of definite Horn clauses in polynomial time, using closure and equivalence queries, and show how it relates to the canonical Guigues–Duquenne basis for implicational systems. We also show how the different query models mentioned relate to each other by either showing full-fledged reductions by means of query simulation (where possible), or by showing their connections in the context of particular algorithms that use them for learning definite Horn formulas.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Production of biomass from short rotation coppice for energy use

Wood energy is the main source of energy for more than two billion people. Over 14 percent of the world’s total primary energy is supplied by biofuels, particularly fuelwood and charcoal according to FAO data. Nowadays, ambitious targets for the use of renewable energy have been set in the European Union and particularly the interest for biomass energy sources has increased. Social and economic scenarios show a constant growth in the demand for woodfuels and it is expected to continue for some decades (Sixto, 2007). To reach these goals, woody energy crops are necessary for assuring the sustainability of the rising biomass sector. In several countries, wood energy plantations are being considered to help in achieving greater energy independence. Wood energy crops are in the development stage in Spain, while in Sweden they already are operational. The goal of this project is to make a comparative study between Sweden and Spain, explaining the current status of the production of biomass for energy use in each country. I will focus on production of biomass from short rotation coppice (SRC). The purpose of this paper is to explain the differences in production of biomass for bioenergy purpose between both countries, analyzing how these have developed, the current situation and the possible future

Utilidad de la pupilometría dinámica en el control de alcoholemia de los conductores

La pupilometría se ha convertido en una herramienta de gran interés en las Ciencias de la Visión. Hasta el momento, solo unos pocos estudios han explorado la relación entre el reflejo pupilar y el consumo de drogas. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la aplicabilidad de la pupilometría dinámica mesópica como método objetivo para la detección de niveles de alcoholemia por encima del límite legal. Se utilizó un diseño de carácter cuasi-experimental, con 19 voluntarios participando en dos condiciones (pre y post ingesta de alcohol). En la sesión con alcohol, los participantes consumieron 27.5 ml de alcohol en intervalos de 60 minutos durante 4 horas. Se llevaron a cabo registros de pupilometría mediante el Power Refractor II, utilizándose cuatro tipos de estimulación lumínica: blanca (5600 K), azul (450 nm), verde (510 nm) y roja (600 nm). El diámetro basal aumentó significativamente a partir de concentraciones de alcohol en aire espirado iguales o mayores de 0.25 mg/l. Además, el valor de la amplitud de constricción para la luz roja también ofreció diferencias significativas entre las dos condiciones. Estos resultados resultan prometedores en la búsqueda de nuevos métodos de detección de niveles de alcoholemia no permitidos al volante. En este estudio se demuestra que el incremento del diámetro basal y la amplitud pupilar pueden ser utilizados como indicador del nivel de consumo de alcohol. Son necesarios más estudios para validar éste y otros métodos de diagnóstico complementarios a las actuales pruebas de alcoholemia y de consumo de sustancias psicotropas

Mejora del clima de convivencia en el aula mediante una metodología de investigación-acción

El propósito de la investigación fue la elaboración de una escala para evaluar la convivencia en el aula mediante una metodología de Investigación-Acción. Se seleccionó una muestra de 21 alumnos pertenecientes al tercer curso de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria del Instituto Ángel Ganivet de la provincia de Granada en el año académico 2013 - 2014. La metodología utilizada fue la de Investigación-Acción, ya que a través de ésta se estudia una situación social concreta con vistas a analizarla y mejorarla. A su vez, la temática elegida fue la convivencia, debido a que es considerada una de las claves para mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza y de la escuela en su globalidad. Los estudiantes diseñaron una escala para evaluar la propia convivencia en el aula, en colaboración con los investigadores, la cual fue posteriormente autoadministrada para detectar las distintas problemáticas y proponer mejoras para solventarlas. Los resultados, en líneas generales, nos muestran que existe una buena convivencia en este grupo. Sin embargo, se ha detectado que los problemas que influyen en una peor convivencia son los relacionados con la interacción profesor-alumno.The purpose of this research was to investigate the elaboration of a scale to evaluate the classroom co-existence by means of an Action-Research methodology. Therefore, a sample of 21 students belonging to third grade of Ángel Ganivet Secondary School of the province of Granada, in the 2013-2014 Academic Year we used for this research. The methodology which was used was Action-Research since one of the aims of the study was for specific social situation situations with the aim of analysing and improving it. The chosen topic for the study was classroom co-existence due to the fact that it is considered as one of the keys to improve the teaching quality and education in general. Students designed a scale to evaluate their own classroom co-existence with the collaboration of investigators which was auto administered later to try to detect the different types of problems and to propose some improvements to try to solve them. The results, in general lines, show us that a good classroom co-existence exists in the group in question. However, it was detected that the problems which influence in worse classroom co-existences are related to teacher-student interaction.Proyecto de Innovación Docente ReiDoCrea. Departamento de Psicología Social. Universidad de Granada

Nitrate leaching and soil nitrous oxide emissions diminish with time in a hybrid poplar short-rotation coppice in southern Germany

Hybrid poplar short-rotation coppices (SRC) provide feedstocks for bioenergy production and can be established on lands that are suboptimal for food production. The environmental consequences of deploying this production system on marginal agricultural land need to be evaluated, including the investigation of common management practices i.e., fertilization and irrigation. In this work, we evaluated (1) the soil-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide (N$_{2}$O); (2) the changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks; (3) the gross ammonification and nitrification rates; and (4) the nitrate leaching as affected by the establishment of a hybrid poplar SRC on a marginal agricultural land in southern Germany. Our study covered one 3-year rotation period and 2 years after the first coppicing. We combined field and laboratory experiments with modeling. The soil N$_{2}$O emissions decreased from 2.2 kg N$_{2}$O-N ha$^{-1}$ a$^{-1}$ in the year of SRC establishment to 1.1–1.4 kg N$_{2}$ON ha$^{-1}$ a$^{-1}$ after 4 years. Likewise, nitrate leaching reduced from 13 to 1.5–8 kg N ha$^{-1}$ a$^{-1}$. Tree coppicing induced a brief pulse of soil N$_{2}$O flux and marginal effects on gross N turnover rates. Overall, the N losses diminished within 4 years by 80% without fertilization (irrespective of irrigation) and by 40% when 40–50 kg N ha$^{-1}$ a$^{-1}$ were applied. Enhanced N losses due to fertilization and the minor effect of fertilization and irrigation on tree growth discourage ist use during the first rotation period after SRC establishment. A SOC accrual rate of 0.4 Mg C ha$^{-1}$ a$^{-1}$(uppermost 25 cm, P = 0.2) was observed 5 years after the SRC establishment. Overall, our data suggest that SRC cultivation on marginal agricultural land in the region is a promising option for increasing the share of renewable energy sources due to its net positive environmental effects

Next-generation sequencing in bone marrow failure syndromes and isolated cytopenias: experience of the spanish network on bone marrow failure sundromes

© 2021 the Author(s).Inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFSs) are a group of congenital rare diseases characterized by bone marrow failure, congenital anomalies, high genetic heterogeneity, and predisposition to cancer. Appropriate treatment and cancer surveillance ideally depend on the identification of the mutated gene. A next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel of genes could be 1 initial genetic screening test to be carried out in a comprehensive study of IBMFSs, allowing molecular detection in affected patients. We designed 2 NGS panels of IBMFS genes: version 1 included 129 genes and version 2 involved 145 genes. The cohort included a total of 204 patients with suspected IBMFSs without molecular diagnosis. Capture-based targeted sequencing covered > 99% of the target regions of 145 genes, with more than 20 independent reads. No differences were seen between the 2 versions of the panel. The NGS tool allowed a total of 91 patients to be diagnosed, with an overall molecular diagnostic rate of 44%. Among the 167 patients with classified IBMFSs, 81 patients (48%) were diagnosed. Unclassified IBMFSs involved a total of 37 patients, of whom 9 patients (24%) were diagnosed. The preexisting diagnosis of 6 clinically classified patients (6%) was amended, implying a change of therapy for some of them. Our NGS IBMFS gene panel assay is a useful tool in the molecular diagnosis of IBMFSs and a reasonable option as the first tier genetic test in these disorders

Propuesta de intervención para minimizar la problemática en salud y bienestar de la población masculina en edades entre los 25 y 55 años del departamento del Guaviare

Indagar y conocer sobre la situación en salud en las diversas regiones de Colombia es una tarea fundamental para los profesionales de la salud, ya que ello permite entender y proponer estrategias que desde la participación social comunitaria permitan mitigar y prevenir comorbilidades que resultan letales para la población de no conocerse y tratarse adecuadamente a tiempo; ya que ello influye directamente en la calidad de vida y el bienestar de las personas como señala el objetivo 3 de los ODS, Salud, bienestar y calidad de vida; a partir del cual las instituciones de salud pública a nivel nacional, regional y territorial están obligadas a establecer e implementar acciones y políticas públicas en salud pública para la atención universal en salud desde la prevención y la promoción como principio fundamental.Investigating and knowing about the health situation in the various regions of Colombia is a fundamental task for health professionals, since this allows them to understand and propose strategies that, from community social participation, allow mitigation and prevention of comorbidities that are lethal for the population. of not knowing and treating each other adequately in time; since this directly influences the quality of life and well-being of people, as indicated in objective 3 of the ODS, Health, well-being and quality of life; from which public health institutions at the national, regional and territorial level are obliged to establish and implement public health actions and policies for universal health care based on prevention and promotion as a fundamental principle

Atlas electrónico de registros retinográficos y tomográficos: cribado, derivación, diagnóstico diferencial y seguimiento de afecciones retinianas Parte IV: Retinopatía del Prematuro

El objetivo de este proyecto es continuar con el Atlas retinográfico iniciado en las convocatorias anteriores con imágenes obtenidas con los principales y novedosos instrumentos utilizados en la actualidad para el diagnóstico de patologías retinianas. El Atlas presenta, además de las imágenes, una detallada descripción de los criterios cribado. Esta cuarta parte se centra en el diagnóstico por imagen de la retinopatía del prematuro, que se define como una vitreorretinopatía fibro y vasoproliferativa periférica que acontece en los recién nacidos inmaduros, generalmente sometidos a oxigenoterapia. El Atlas está constituido por una extensa relación de retinografías (fotografías del fondo de ojo–retina) y tomografías de coherencia óptica (imágenes de cortes histológicos de la retina en vivo), exponiendo casos reales de patologías comunes y poco comunes. Constituye una herramienta con triple función: por un lado, será un elemento didáctico para el aprendizaje de patologías retinianas y el método de diagnóstico por imagen; en segundo lugar, puede utilizarse para realizar autoevaluaciones y, en tercer lugar, constituye una completa base de datos de casos clínicos. En definitiva, se trata de una herramienta muy económica y de gran utilidad para un amplio grupo de profesionales sanitarios expertos y especialistas en sistema visual

Ectopic overexpression of the cell wall invertase gene CIN1 leads to dehydration avoidance in tomato

Drought stress conditions modify source–sink relations, thereby influencing plant growth, adaptive responses, and consequently crop yield. Invertases are key metabolic enzymes regulating sink activity through the hydrolytic cleavage of sucrose into hexose monomers, thus playing a crucial role in plant growth and development. However, the physiological role of invertases during adaptation to abiotic stress conditions is not yet fully understood. Here it is shown that plant adaptation to drought stress can be markedly improved in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) by overexpression of the cell wall invertase (cwInv) gene CIN1 from Chenopodium rubrum. CIN1 overexpression limited stomatal conductance under normal watering regimes, leading to reduced water consumption during the drought period, while photosynthetic activity was maintained. This caused a strong increase in water use efficiency (up to 50%), markedly improving water stress adaptation through an efficient physiological strategy of dehydration avoidance. Drought stress strongly reduced cwInv activity and induced its proteinaceous inhibitor in the leaves of the wild-type plants. However, the CIN1-overexpressing plants registered 3- to 6-fold higher cwInv activity in all analysed conditions. Surprisingly, the enhanced invertase activity did not result in increased hexose concentrations due to the activation of the metabolic carbohydrate fluxes, as reflected by the maintenance of the activity of key enzymes of primary metabolism and increased levels of sugar-phosphate intermediates under water deprivation. The induced sink metabolism in the leaves explained the maintenance of photosynthetic activity, delayed senescence, and increased source activity under drought stress. Moreover, CIN1 plants also presented a better control of production of reactive oxygen species and sustained membrane protection. Those metabolic changes conferred by CIN1 overexpression were accompanied by increases in the concentrations of the senescence-delaying hormone trans-zeatin and decreases in the senescence-inducing ethylene precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the leaves. Thus, cwInv critically functions at the integration point of metabolic, hormonal, and stress signals, providing a novel strategy to overcome drought-induced limitations to crop yield, without negatively affecting plant fitness under optimal growth conditions.FPA and co-workers are funded by the Spanish MICINN-FEDER (projects AT2009-0038 and AGL2011-27996) and the European Commission (ROOTOPOWER Contract # 289365). TR and FPA were jointly funded by the Spanish–Austrian bilateral project AT2009-0038. AA was supported by post-doctoral fellowships from the Fundación Séneca (Comunidad Autónoma de la Región de Murcia) and the FWF (Austrian Science Fund), and currently by the JAE DOC Programme

How to measure, report and verify soil carbon change to realize the potential of soil carbon sequestration for atmospheric greenhouse gas removal

Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd There is growing international interest in better managing soils to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) content to contribute to climate change mitigation, to enhance resilience to climate change and to underpin food security, through initiatives such as international ‘4p1000’ initiative and the FAO\u27s Global assessment of SOC sequestration potential (GSOCseq) programme. Since SOC content of soils cannot be easily measured, a key barrier to implementing programmes to increase SOC at large scale, is the need for credible and reliable measurement/monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) platforms, both for national reporting and for emissions trading. Without such platforms, investments could be considered risky. In this paper, we review methods and challenges of measuring SOC change directly in soils, before examining some recent novel developments that show promise for quantifying SOC. We describe how repeat soil surveys are used to estimate changes in SOC over time, and how long-term experiments and space-for-time substitution sites can serve as sources of knowledge and can be used to test models, and as potential benchmark sites in global frameworks to estimate SOC change. We briefly consider models that can be used to simulate and project change in SOC and examine the MRV platforms for SOC change already in use in various countries/regions. In the final section, we bring together the various components described in this review, to describe a new vision for a global framework for MRV of SOC change, to support national and international initiatives seeking to effect change in the way we manage our soils