An empirical overview of the No Free Lunch Theorem and its effect on Real-World Machine Learning Classification

A sizable amount of research has been done to improve the mechanisms for knowledge extraction such as machine learning classification or regression. Quite unintuitively, the no free lunch (NFL) theorem states that all optimization problem strategies perform equally well when averaged over all possible problems. This fact seems to clash with the effort put forth toward better algorithms. This letter explores empirically the effect of the NFL theorem on some popular machine learning classification techniques over real-world data sets.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A Linear Criterion to sort Color Components in Images

The color and its representation play a basic role in Image Analysis process. Several methods can be beneficial whenever they have a correct representation of wave-length variations used to represent scenes with a camera. A wide variety of spaces and color representations is founded in specialized literature. Each one is useful in concrete circumstances and others may offer redundant color information (for instance, all RGB components are high correlated). This work deals with the task of identifying and sorting which component from several color representations offers the majority of information about the scene. This approach is based on analyzing linear dependences among each color component, by the implementation of a new sorting algorithm based on entropy. The proposal is tested in several outdoor/indoor scenes with different light conditions. Repeatability and stability are tested in order to guarantee its use in several image analysis applications. Finally, the results of this work have been used to enhance an external algorithm to compensate the camera random vibrations.El color y su representación juegan un papel fundamental en el proceso de análisis de imagen. Varios métodos pueden ser beneficiosos siempre que tengan una representación correcta de las variaciones de longitud de onda usadas para representar la escena. Una amplia variedad de espacios y representaciones de color se basa en la literatura especializada. Cada uno de ellos es útil en circunstancias concretas y puede ofrecer información de color redundante (por ejemplo, todos los componentes RGB están altamente correlacionados). En este trabajo se identifica y clasifica cuál componente ofrece la mayor cantidad de información acerca de la escena, a partir de varias representaciones de color. Este enfoque se basa en el análisis de las dependencias lineales entre cada canal y la implementación de un nuevo algoritmo para clasificar los componentes en base a la entropía. La propuesta se pone a prueba en varias escenas al aire libre y en interiores con diferentes condiciones de luz. La repetitividad y la estabilidad son probadas para garantizar su uso en aplicaciones de análisis de imágenes. Finalmente, los resultados de este trabajo son usados para mejorar un algoritmo externo para la compensación de vibraciones

Polymorphisms in the glucocerebrosidase gene and pseudogene urge caution in clinical analysis of Gaucher disease allele c.1448T>C (L444P)

BACKGROUND: Gaucher disease is a potentially severe lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the human glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA). We have developed a multiplexed genetic assay for eight diseases prevalent in the Ashkenazi population: Tay-Sachs, Gaucher type I, Niemann-Pick types A and B, mucolipidosis type IV, familial dysautonomia, Canavan, Bloom syndrome, and Fanconi anemia type C. This assay includes an allelic determination for GBA allele c.1448T>C (L444P). The goal of this study was to clinically evaluate this assay. METHODS: Biotinylated, multiplex PCR products were directly hybridized to capture probes immobilized on fluorescently addressed microspheres. After incubation with streptavidin-conjugated fluorophore, the reactions were analyzed by Luminex IS100. Clinical evaluations were conducted using de-identified patient DNA samples. RESULTS: We evaluated a multiplexed suspension array assay that includes wild-type and mutant genetic determinations for Gaucher disease allele c.1448T>C. Two percent of samples reported to be wild-type by conventional methods were observed to be c.1448T>C heterozygous using our assay. Sequence analysis suggested that this phenomenon was due to co-amplification of the functional gene and a paralogous pseudogene (ΨGBA) due to a polymorphism in the primer-binding site of the latter. Primers for the amplification of this allele were then repositioned to span an upstream deletion in the pseudogene, yielding a much longer amplicon. Although it is widely reported that long amplicons negatively impact amplification or detection efficiency in recently adopted multiplex techniques, this assay design functioned properly and resolved the occurrence of false heterozygosity. CONCLUSION: Although previously available sequence information suggested GBA gene/pseudogene discrimination capabilities with a short amplified product, we identified common single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the pseudogene that required amplification of a larger region for effective discrimination

MARIBNO project: Structure of the NorthWest Iberian margin: influence of inherited tectonics in the Alpine extension and inversion

X Congreso Geológico de España, 5-7 Julio 2021, Vitoria - GasteizLa zona noroeste de Iberia reúne rasgos geológicos excepcionales relacionados con el desarrollo de un margen continental hiperextendido cerca de un punto triple y la posterior inversión tectónica parcial. Es una zona de gran interés para el estudio del papel de la herencia tectónica y la posterior inversión en márgenes continentales extensionales, pero hay un gran déficit de información. Todo esto sienta las bases del proyecto anfibio MARIBNO (PGC2018-095999-B-I00) donde a lo largo de 2021 y 2022 se adquirirán sísmica marina de reflexión multicanal 2D (~4000 km), sísmica de gran ángulo en 3 transectos tierra-mar (~600 km), batimetría multihaz, grav-mag y sísmica de alta resolución. Se complementará en tierra con adquisición de datos grav-mag y varias campañas de cartografía geológica. Los objetivos se centran en el estudio de la estructura cortical, el control tectónico ejercido por estructuras previas a las etapas alpinas y la cartografía y caracterización de los dominios corticales aunando criterios geológicos y geofísicos.Todo esto sienta las bases del proyecto anfibio MARIBNO (PGC2018-095999-B-I00) donde a lo largo de 2021 y 2022 se adquirirán sísmica marina de reflexión multicanal 2D (~4000 km), sísmica de gran ángulo en 3 transectos tierra-mar (~600 km), batimetría multihaz, grav-mag y sísmica de alta resolución

Libro: Las Ciencias Políticas y Sociales ante Contingencias de Amplio Impacto. Incógnitas y Propuestas

Ciencia Política, Administración Pública, Política y Gobierno, y Políticas Públicas. Licencia Creative Commons License 3.0 Reconocimiento-No Comercial-Sin Obras Derivadas. Usted es libre de copiar, distribuir y comunicar públicamente la obra bajo las condiciones siguientes: Reconocimiento - Debe reconocer los créditos de la obra de la manera especificada por el autor o el licenciador (pero no de una manera que sugiera que tiene su apoyo o apoyan el uso que hace de su obra). No comercial - No puede utilizar esta obra para fines comerciales. Sin obras derivadas - No se puede alterar, transformar o generar una obra derivada a partir de esta obra.Se analizan desde una perspectiva internacional a interdisciplinaria las vertientes, problemas, incógnitas y propuestas ante una nueva realidad o normalidad, resultado y consecuencia de la pandemia que se vive de manera contemporánea, de tal manera que la problematización abordada realimente propuestas, acciones y rutas adecuadas y satisfactorias que permitan la construcción de futuros promisorios.Academia Internacional de Ciencias Político-Administrativas y Estudios de Futuro, A.C. (IAPAS por sus siglas en inglés)

New insights into the genetic etiology of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias

Characterization of the genetic landscape of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADD) provides a unique opportunity for a better understanding of the associated pathophysiological processes. We performed a two-stage genome-wide association study totaling 111,326 clinically diagnosed/'proxy' AD cases and 677,663 controls. We found 75 risk loci, of which 42 were new at the time of analysis. Pathway enrichment analyses confirmed the involvement of amyloid/tau pathways and highlighted microglia implication. Gene prioritization in the new loci identified 31 genes that were suggestive of new genetically associated processes, including the tumor necrosis factor alpha pathway through the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex. We also built a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future AD/dementia or progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD/dementia. The improvement in prediction led to a 1.6- to 1.9-fold increase in AD risk from the lowest to the highest decile, in addition to effects of age and the APOE ε4 allele

Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion