Predicción del desempeño de un usuario en el juego "Kids Play Math"

Con el advenimiento de la era de la información, un gran número de sistemas informáticos cuenta con la posibilidad de almacenar datos a partir de las distintas ejecuciones y generar cierto feedback para luego realizar minerí a de datos sobre los mismos. Un caso particular de esto último son los juegos informáticos aplicados a educación. El presente trabajo involucra la implementación de herramientas que faciliten la predicción del desempeño de un jugador (de 3 a 5 años de edad) basadas en el juego educativo "KPM: Kids Play Math" mediante la aplicación de técnicas de aprendizaje automático para el etiquetado de datos secuenciales. Esto último se realiza en base a la historia de cada jugador y tomando un modelo construido a partir de un conjunto de entrenamiento. En particular, este trabajo ha dado como resultado herramientas novedosas capaces de: (1) generar casos de entrenamiento a partir de logs del juego previamente procesados y (2) procesar nuevos conjuntos de datos con el fin de predecir etiquetas que anticipen el desempeño de un jugador.Trabajo final de carreraSociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Predicción del desempeño de un usuario en el juego "Kids Play Math"

Con el advenimiento de la era de la información, un gran número de sistemas informáticos cuenta con la posibilidad de almacenar datos a partir de las distintas ejecuciones y generar cierto feedback para luego realizar minerí a de datos sobre los mismos. Un caso particular de esto último son los juegos informáticos aplicados a educación. El presente trabajo involucra la implementación de herramientas que faciliten la predicción del desempeño de un jugador (de 3 a 5 años de edad) basadas en el juego educativo "KPM: Kids Play Math" mediante la aplicación de técnicas de aprendizaje automático para el etiquetado de datos secuenciales. Esto último se realiza en base a la historia de cada jugador y tomando un modelo construido a partir de un conjunto de entrenamiento. En particular, este trabajo ha dado como resultado herramientas novedosas capaces de: (1) generar casos de entrenamiento a partir de logs del juego previamente procesados y (2) procesar nuevos conjuntos de datos con el fin de predecir etiquetas que anticipen el desempeño de un jugador.Trabajo final de carreraSociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

An Entropy-Based Approach for Preserving Diversity in Evolutionary Topical Search

Topic-based information retrieval is the process of matching a topic of interest against the resources that are indexed. An approach for retrieving topicrelevant resources is to generate queries that are able to reflect the topic of interest. Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms have demonstrated great potential to deal with the problem of topical query generation. In an evolutionary approach to topic-based information retrieval the topic of interest is used to generate an initial population of queries, which is evolved towards successively better candidate queries. A common problem with such an approach is poor recall due to loss of genetic diversity. This work proposes a novel strategy inspired on the information theoretic notion of entropy to favor population diversity with the aim of attaining good global recall. Preliminary experiments conducted on a large dataset of labeled documents show the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

An Entropy-Based Approach for Preserving Diversity in Evolutionary Topical Search

Topic-based information retrieval is the process of matching a topic of interest against the resources that are indexed. An approach for retrieving topicrelevant resources is to generate queries that are able to reflect the topic of interest. Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms have demonstrated great potential to deal with the problem of topical query generation. In an evolutionary approach to topic-based information retrieval the topic of interest is used to generate an initial population of queries, which is evolved towards successively better candidate queries. A common problem with such an approach is poor recall due to loss of genetic diversity. This work proposes a novel strategy inspired on the information theoretic notion of entropy to favor population diversity with the aim of attaining good global recall. Preliminary experiments conducted on a large dataset of labeled documents show the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Técnicas evolutivas para la extracción automática de conocimiento

Esta línea de investigación propone el diseño, desarrollo y evaluación de técnicas automáticas para extracción de conocimiento, de tal forma que sean capaces de sobrellevar la búsqueda dentro de grandes espacios de información. Para ello se propone, en primera instancia, la resolución de un problema de interés general: el de reformulación automática de consultas. Una resolución automática para este problema podría ser utilizada en diversas aplicaciones, tales como monitorear un tópico de interés, especificar trackers temáticos sobre redes sociales, identificar entidades y relaciones entre entidades en grandes corpus de documentos o recolectar material para portales temáticos. Por sus características (alta dimensionalidad del espacio de búsqueda, carencia de subestructura optima, posibilidad de aprovechamiento de múltiples soluciones) el uso de computación evolutiva parece adecuado para abordar su resolución. Un primer aporte de esta línea dentro del área radica en la consideración de la in- corporación de operadores booleanos y otro tipo de modificadores a las consultas reformuladas y el control de la diversidad, ambos pensados como un mecanismo para lograr mayor expresión en las consultas y, por lo tanto, mayor poder para expresar los conceptos de interés involucrados. El segundo aporte consiste en proponer un marco de evaluación adecuado para la metodología desarrollada y el estudio y comparación con otras técnicas. Por último, el aporte final aborda la aplicación de los métodos desarrollados en dominios específicos tales como bioinformática (e.g. para identificación de interacciones entre entidades biológicas) o redes sociales (e.g. para realizar minería de opiniones mediante trackers temáticos).Eje: Agentes y Sistemas InteligentesRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Compreendendo o processo de viver significado por pacientes submetidos a cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio

OBJECTIVE: To understand the meanings for the process of living, for patients undergoing myocardial revascularization surgery, and to construct an explanatory theoretical model. METHOD: Grounded Theory was used, with data collection undertaken between October 2010 and May 2012, in a health institution which specializes in cardiac surgery, located in the south of Brazil. Thirty-three subjects were interviewed (patients, health care professionals and family members), distributed in four sample groups. Result: The explanatory theoretical model was comprised of 11 categories and the central phenomenon. The specialized service and the cardiac rehabilitation program formed the context, the discovery of the cardiac disease and the feelings experienced during the perioperative period were the cause and intervening conditions in the process of experiencing the myocardial revascularization surgery. The strategies were relying on the family's support, having faith and hope, and participating in the rehabilitation program. This process's main consequences were the confrontation of the changes and the resulting limitations, difficulties and adaptations to the new lifestyle after surgery. CONCLUSION: The process of experiencing the myocardial revascularization surgery constitutes an opportunity for maintaining the patient's life associated with the needs for confronting the significant changes in lifestyle.OBJETIVO: Comprender los significados sobre el proceso de vivir para pacientes sometidos a la cirugía de Revascularización do Miocardio, y construir un modelo teorético explicativo. MÉTODO: se utilizó la Teoría Fundamentada en los datos con colecta realizada de octubre/2010 a la mayo/2012, en una institución de salud referencia en cirugía cardíaca localizada al sur de Brasil. Se entrevistó 33 sujetos (pacientes, profesionales de salud y familiares), distribuidos en 4 grupos de la muestra. RESULTADO: El modelo teorético explicativo fue constituido por 11 categorías y por el fenómeno central. El servicio de referencia y el programa de rehabilitación cardíaca formaron el contexto, el hallazgo de la enfermedad cardíaca y los sentimientos vividos durante período pre-operatorio fueron causa y condiciones interventoras en el proceso de vivir la cirugía de revascularización del miocardio. Las estrategias fueron a contar con apoyo de la familia, tener fe, esperanza y participar del programa de rehabilitación. Las principales consecuencias de este proceso fueron el enfrentamiento de los cambios y consecuentes limitaciones, dificultades y adaptaciones al nuevo estilo de vida después de la cirugía. CONCLUSIÓN: El proceso de vivir la cirugía de revascularización del miocardio se configura como una oportunidad para el mantenimiento de la vida del paciente asociada a las necesidades de enfrentamiento de los significativos cambios en el estilo de vida.OBJETIVO: compreender os significados sobre o processo de viver para pacientes submetidos a cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio, e construir um modelo teórico explicativo. MÉTODO: utilizou-se a Teoria Fundamentada nos Dados, com coleta dos dados realizada de outubro/2010 a maio/2012, numa instituição de saúde referência em cirurgia cardíaca, localizada no Sul do Brasil. Entrevistaram-se 33 sujeitos (pacientes, profissionais de saúde e familiares), distribuídos em 4 grupos amostrais. RESULTADO: o modelo teórico explicativo foi constituído por 11 categorias e pelo fenômeno central. O serviço de referência e o programa de reabilitação cardíaca formaram o contexto, a descoberta da doença cardíaca e os sentimentos vivenciados, durante o período perioeratório, foram causa e condições interventoras no processo de viver a cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio. As estratégias foram contar com apoio da família, ter fé, esperança e participar do programa de reabilitação. As principais consequências desse processo foram o enfrentamento das mudanças e consequentes limitações, dificuldades e adaptações ao novo estilo de vida, após a cirurgia. CONCLUSÃO: o processo de viver a cirurgia de revascularização do miocárdio se configura como oportunidade para a manutenção da vida do paciente, associada às necessidades de enfrentamento das significativas mudanças no estilo de vida

An Entropy-Based Approach for Preserving Diversity in Evolutionary Topical Search

Topic-based information retrieval is the process of matching a topic of interest against the resources that are indexed. An approach for retrieving topicrelevant resources is to generate queries that are able to reflect the topic of interest. Multi-objective Evolutionary Algorithms have demonstrated great potential to deal with the problem of topical query generation. In an evolutionary approach to topic-based information retrieval the topic of interest is used to generate an initial population of queries, which is evolved towards successively better candidate queries. A common problem with such an approach is poor recall due to loss of genetic diversity. This work proposes a novel strategy inspired on the information theoretic notion of entropy to favor population diversity with the aim of attaining good global recall. Preliminary experiments conducted on a large dataset of labeled documents show the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Oral conditions and salivary analysis in HIV-uninfected subjects using preexposure prophylaxis

New prevention strategies have been advocated to control the progression of HIV/AIDS, such as preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential changes in the oral and salivary conditions of HIV-uninfected subjects using PrEP. Subjects were evaluated before beginning the medication (T0), at the first follow-up (T1), and at the second follow-up (T2). Xerostomia, presence of untreated cavitated caries, oral hygiene habits, taste, gingival and plaque index, stimulated salivary flow rate (SSFR), and salivary concentrations of calcium, glucose, urea, and total proteins were evaluated. Data obtained were analyzed using statistical tests (p0.05), except for the salivary calcium concentration, that increased at T2 compared to T1 (p=0.02). There was significant difference between taste and xerostomia at T1 (p=0.017), and the need to drink to swallow at T2 (p=0.015). There was significant correlation between the reported amount of saliva and taste (p=0.039, r=-0.378) at T1. The prolonged use of PrEP seems to be associated with reports of dry mouth and worsening of taste, possibly associated with increased salivary calcium concentration

Cinnamomum zeylanicum Essential Oil Reduces Infestation by Alphitobius diaperinus in Poultry Litter

Background: Even though insecticides are managed and the period of sanitary emptiness in poultry is respected, the elimination of Alphitobius diaperinus may not be successful. The use of essential oils of plant origin presents as a good alternative in the substitution of insecticides with synthetic molecules, since they are easy to obtain, with rapid degradationand without risk of residues for non-target organisms. The main objective of the present study was to examine whether Cinnamomum zeylanicum oil reduces Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) infestations under experimental conditions, without causing toxicity to broilers chicks exposed to treated litter.Materials, Methods & Results: The experimental design was completely randomized, with four replications per treatment. The treatments were as follows: solvent control using the diluent Dimethyl Sulfoxide 5% (oil diluent); chemical control using 5 g/m² cypermethrin; one spray of C. zeylanicum 5% oil; and two sprays of C. zeylanicum 5% oil. Each experimental unit was infested with 150 lesser mealworm adults. At 15 days of the broiler chick’s life, blood was collected for biochemical analysis (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, total protein, albumin, globulin, triglycerides and uric acid), and liver fragments were isolated for histopathological analysis. Using TupeTrap devices, we counted lesser mealworm 40 days after treatment. The treatments did not alter biochemical variables, and did not causehistopathological lesions in liver. The treatments with C. zeylanicum 5% oil with one and two sprays efficiently reduced lesser mealworm infestation compared with solvent control. Cypermethrin treatment had no effect.Discussion: Many of the commercial products present low effectiveness in the control of A. diaperinus, since the target organisms develop resistance to the product. In the present study, we used a higher cypermethrin dose than that recommended by the manufacturer, in order to increase efficacy in the face of possible resistance. Even so, cypermethrin did not efficiently control the organism. The effectiveness of the essential oil of C. zeylanicum tested can be attributed to the compounds found in greater quantity in the oil composition, such as cinnamaldehyde (41.27%), linalool (13.05%) and methyl eugenol (10.87%), characterized as responsible for the action of oil repellency. Monoterpenoid compounds found in essential oils extracted from plants have insecticidal action acting on the central nervous system of insects, which impairs their development, being characterized as neurotoxic compounds. The results found with the essential oil of C. zeylanicum are of great importance, since the control of A. diaperinus is not efficient because this organism has behavior that favors reinfestation in the poultry houses, such as shelter in cracks, in the draperies, below the feeders and in the soil. The biochemical analyzes of the blood can as important tools to assist in the monitoring of broilers health, in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and therefore the results presented are of great importance since they assist in the search for alternative methods for the control of A. diaperinus, where we can affirm that the essential oil of C. zeylanicum does not cause toxicity to broilers. Based on these results we can affirm that essential oil of Cinnamomum zeylanicum, 5%, is an effective substitute for existing commercially-available insecticides.Keywords: alternative control, cinnamon oil, insecticide, lesser mealworm

Effect of irradiation times on the polymerization depth of contemporary fissure sealants with different opacities

The aim of this study was to evaluate the depth of curing of 10 contemporary blue light-activated dental flowable materials at several opacities, influenced by different irradiation times using FT-IR spectroscopy. Fifty-five specimens (n = 5) with a 5-mm diameter and 1-mm thickness of translucent (Opallis Flow T), yellowed (Master Flow A2; Opallis Flow A2; Natural Flow A2; Fluroshield Yellowed), and opaque materials (Master Flow OA2; Natural Flow O; Opallis Flow OA3.5; Opallis Flow OP; Fluroshield White) were obtained at six curing times (10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s) using a high-intensity LED (Coltolux, Coltène/Whaledent). The degree of conversion (DC) (%) was obtained using the Nexus 470 FTIR Spectrometer (Nicolet Instruments, USA). The FTIR-ATR spectra for uncured and cured samples were analyzed using a ZnSe crystal. The top and bottom surfaces of the cured specimens were analyzed to obtain the depth of curing. Two-way ANOVA was used to analyze the data. The highest curing depth was obtained by Natural Flow OA2, while the lowest was shown by Master Flow OA2. The shortest curing time generated similar depths of cure in comparison with the most extensive for Opallis Flow A2 and Fluroshield Yellowed. Therefore, depth of curing, influenced by the irradiation time, was dependent on the materials. Using the Natural Flow OA2 opaque sealant and the 10-s curing time for Opallis Flow A2 and Fluroshield Yellowed may represent alternative approaches to sealing tooth fissures