On the 2D Dirac oscillator in the presence of vector and scalar potentials in the cosmic string spacetime in the context of spin and pseudospin symmetries

The Dirac equation with both scalar and vector couplings describing the dynamics of a two-dimensional Dirac oscillator in the cosmic string spacetime is considered. We derive the Dirac-Pauli equation and solve it in the limit of the spin and the pseudo-spin symmetries. We analyze the presence of cylindrical symmetric scalar potentials which allows us to provide analytic solutions for the resultant field equation. By using an appropriate ansatz, we find that the radial equation is a biconfluent Heun-like differential equation. The solution of this equation provides us with more than one expression for the energy eigenvalues of the oscillator. We investigate these energies and find that there is a quantum condition between them. We study this condition in detail and find that it requires the fixation of one of the physical parameters involved in the problem. Expressions for the energy of the oscillator are obtained for some values of the quantum number $n$. Some particular cases which lead to known physical systems are also addressed.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figures, matches published versio

Sistema para la construcción automatizada y explotación de taxonomías

[Resumen] Las taxonomías son estructuras de información que ofrecen valor jerárquico en diversas aplicaciones basadas en conocimiento como la comprensión de consultas, la respuesta de preguntas en lenguaje natural y la recomendación personalizada. Sin embargo, a día de hoy, la mayoría de métodos automatizados de construcción de taxonomías son limitados respecto a la poca expresividad que poseen las relaciones entre nodos, lo que provoca que su elaboración se vea supeditada al esfuerzo y coste intensivos, derivados de la construcción manual y la necesidad de conocimiento experto. Este proceso proporciona resultados de suma importancia, pero poco adaptables a los cambios y, raramente completos. De esta situación se deriva la incipiente necesidad de métodos de elaboración de taxonomías automatizados y de calidad, que permitan relaciones de mayor expresividad y ofrezcan más flexibilidad ante cambios. HiExpan es un «framework» de construcción de ontologías que deduce la relación semántica entre nodos de la misma clase a partir de una taxonomía semilla, la cual se irá expandiendo hasta conseguir un resultado convergente, de forma no-supervisada. El objetivo de este proyecto es adaptar, mejorar y ofrecer una forma de plataforma que permita la construcción y explotación de taxonomías de manera sencilla e interactiva, para poder comprobar la utilidad de los resultados obtenidos. Para poder lograr la consecución de los anteriores objetivos se ha adoptado una metodología ágil con ciclos iterativos e incrementales, para adaptarse a las posibles necesidades emergentes durante el desarrollo. De esta forma, se han alcanzado los objetivos en forma de incrementos funcionales cada vez más expresivos, con el apoyo de herramientas para el aseguramiento de la calidad, obteniendo un producto fiable, completo y de interés multidisciplinar, con una diversa aplicabilidad en el ámbito de la Recuperación de la Información, e incluso fuera del mismo.[Abstract] Taxonomies are data structures that offer hierarchical value at diverse knowledge-based applications, such as query understanding, question answering and personalized recommendation. However, the vast majority of automatized methods are, nowadays, limited in means of poor expresivity between nodes, causing the process elaboration to be contigent on intensive effort and cost, derived from manual construction and the need of expert knowledge. This process offers results of great value, but poorly adaptative to change and, rarely complete. This situation derives the incipient need of automatized taxonomy construction methods, that allow more expresive relationships and offer more flexibility for changes. HiExpan is a framework of taxonomy construction that derives the semantic relation between nodes of same semantic class starting from a seed taxonomy, which will be iteratively expanded until having a convergent result, in a non-supervised way. The goal of this proyect is to adapt, improve and offer a platform that allows the construction and exploitation of taxonomies in a easy and interactive way, so its easy to check the usefulness of obtained results. In order to achieve the previous objectives, an agile methodology is adopted, with iterative and incremental cycles, to ensure adaptability to the possible emerging needs during development. This way, each goal is achieved in the form of a functional increment, adquiring more expresivity as it progresses through the iterations, with the help of development tools for the quality assurance, resulting in a reliable, complete product of multidisciplinar interest, with a diverse aplicability whether in the scope of Information Retrieval or elsewhere.Traballo fin de grao (UDC.FIC). Enxeñaría informática. Curso 2020/202

SINDICATOS E DIRIGENTES SINDICAIS NA BAHIA DOS ANOS 90: DIAGNÓSTICO E PERSPECTIVAS

O presente trabalho apresenta os principais resultados de uma pesquisa realizada em 1998/99 sobre o sindicalismo na Região Metropolitana de Salvador, Bahia, sob a responsabilidade do Núcleo da Unitrabalho/UFBA e que teve como objetivo analisar o quadro atual dos sindicatos e dos dirigentes sindicais no contexto de amplas transformações no mundo do trabalho, decorrentes do processo de globalização e de reestruturação produtiva em desenvolvimento no país. Foram pesquisados 40 sindicatos localizados na Região Metropolitana de Salvador (RMS). A sistematização das informações permitiu a construção de um Banco de Dados que reúne informações inéditas acerca do perfil dos sindicatos e do perfil dos dirigentes sindicais. Este trabalho apresenta uma primeira análise desses resultados, ainda de caráter preliminar, porém reveladora das principais características que marcam o conjunto das lideranças sindicais da Bahia, tanto no que se refere ao aspecto pessoal e funcional, quanto no que diz respeito, mais particularmente, ao exercício da atividade sindical num contexto extremamente adverso e de crise dos sindicatos, o que permite desvendar os principais problemas, atividades e perspectivas para o movimento sindical urbano em Salvador. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Sindicato, dirigentes sindicais, representação política, Salvador, associativismo. UNIONS AND UNION LEADERS IN BAHIA IN THE 90S: DIAGNOSIS AND PERSPECTIVES This paper presents the main results of a research carried out from 1998 to 1999 on unionism in the metropolitan area of Salvador, Bahia, under the responsibility of the Núcleo da Unitrabalho/UFBA, with the objective of analyzing the present picture of the unions and union leaders in the context of the ample changes within the labor market, which are taking place in the country as a result of the process of globalization and productive restructuring. Forty unions located in the metropolitan area of Salvador (RMS) were surveyed. Systematization of the information allowed the development of a data base which gathers information on the profiles of the unions and their leaders. This paper presents a primary and preliminary analysis of those results, although no less revealing of the main trends of the union leadership in Bahia, both in their personal and functional features, with respect particularly to the union activity in an extremely adverse context, immersed in crisis, allowing the unveiling of the main problems, activities and perspectives of the urban union movement in Salvador. KEYWORDS: Union, unionism, union leaders, globalization, productive restructuring, work world. Publicação Online do Caderno CRH: http://www.cadernocrh.ufba.b

LC–MS/MS Analysis of the Emerging Toxin Pinnatoxin-G and High Levels of Esterified OA Group Toxins in Galician Commercial Mussels

The occurrence of marine harmful algae is increasing worldwide and, therefore, the accumulation of lipophilic marine toxins from harmful phytoplankton represents a food safety threat in the shellfish industry. Galicia, which is a commercially important EU producer of edible bivalve mollusk have been subjected to recurring cases of mussel farm closures, in the last decades. This work aimed to study the toxic profile of commercial mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) in order to establish a potential risk when ingested. For this, a total of 41 samples of mussels farmed in 3 Rías (Ares-Sada, Arousa, and Pontevedra) and purchased in 5 local markets were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Chromatograms showed the presence of okadaic acid (OA), dinophysistoxin-2 (DTX-2), pectenotoxin-2 (PTX-2), azaspiracid-2 (AZA-2), and the emerging toxins 13-desmethyl spirolide C (SPX-13), and pinnatoxin-G (PnTX-G). Quantification of each toxin was determined using their own standard calibration in the range 0.1%–50 ng/mL (R2 > 0.99) and by considering the toxin recovery (62–110%) and the matrix correction (33–211%). Data showed that OA and DTX-2 (especially in the form of esters) are the main risk in Galician mollusks, which was detected in 38 samples (93%) and 3 of them exceeded the legal limit (160 µg/kg), followed by SPX-13 that was detected in 19 samples (46%) in quantities of up to 28.9 µg/kg. Analysis from PTX-2, AZA-2, and PnTX-G showed smaller amounts. Fifteen samples (37%) were positive for PTX-2 (0.7–2.9 µg/kg), 12 samples (29%) for AZA-2 (0.1–1.8 µg/kg), and PnTX-G was detected in 5 mussel samples (12%) (0.4 µg/kg–0.9 µg/kg). This is the first time Galician mollusk was contaminated with PnTX-G. Despite results indicating that this toxin was not a potential risk through the mussel ingestion, it should be considered in the shellfish safety monitoring programs through the LC–MS/MS methods.This research has received funding from the following FEDER co-funded grants. From Conselleria de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia, 2017 GRC GI-1682 (ED431C 2017/01). From CDTI and Technological Funds, supported by Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad, AGL2014-58210-R, AGL2016-78728-R (AEI/FEDER, UE), ISCIII/PI16/01830, RTC-2016-5507-2, and ITC-20161072. From the European Union POCTEP 0161-Nanoeaters -1-E-1, Interreg AlertoxNet EAPA-317-2016, Interreg Agritox EAPA-998-2018, and H2020 778069-EMERTOX. This work was also supported by the program “Juan de la Cierva 2016” from the Spanish Government. Paz Otero is recipient of a Postdoctoral Funding (Ref. IJCI-2016-27774)S

Economia espacial: uma proposta de modelagem econômica por agentes

Neste trabalho busca-se compreender os principais modelos de representação da organização espacial de um conjunto de cidades a partir de suas características e interações econômicas. Identificados e devidamente assimilados estes modelos –ressaltando-se a importância do Core-Periphery de Paul Krugman -, é feita uma análise crítica dos resultados por eles apresentados. Posteriormente, buscamos fazer nossa própria proposta baseada nos conhecimentos adquiridos, bem como nos espaços a serem preenchidos encontrados nos trabalhos estudados

Evaluation of the impact of mild steaming and heat treatment on the concentration of okadaic acid, dinophysistoxin-2 and dinophysistoxin-3 in mussels

This study explores the effect of laboratory and industrial steaming on mussels with toxin concentrations above and below the legal limit. We used mild conditions for steaming, 100 ˝C for 5 min in industrial processing, and up to 20 min in small-scale laboratory steaming. Also, we studied the effect of heat on the toxin concentration of mussels obtained from two different locations and the effect of heat on the levels of dinophysistoxins 3 (DTX3) in both the mussel matrix and in pure form (7-O-palmitoyl okadaic ester and 7-O-palmytoleyl okadaic ester). The results show that the loss of water due to steaming was very small with a maximum of 9.5%, that the toxin content remained unchanged with no concentration effect or increase in toxicity, and that dinophysistoxins 3 was hydrolyzed or degraded to a certain extent under heat treatment. The use of liquid-certified matrix showed a 55% decrease of dinophysistoxins 3 after 10 min steaming, and a 50% reduction in total toxicity after treatment with an autoclave (121 ˝C for 20 min)This work could not have been done without the kind collaboration of Pescados Marcelino. The research leading to these results has received funding from the following FEDER cofunded grants from CDTI and Technological Funds, supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, AGL2012-40185-CO2-01, AGL2014-58210-R, Xunta de Galicia Axencia Galega de Innovación, ITC-20133020 SINTOX, and Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, GRC2013-016; from CDTI under ISIP Programme, Spain, IDI-20130304 APTAFOOD; from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme managed by REA—Research Executive Agency (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement 312184 PHARMASEAS

THE RELATION BETWEEN A DEVELOPMENTAL AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SCREENING TEST USED IN PUBLIC CHILD DAYCARE CENTERS IN BRAZIL

Background: Two developmental screening instruments for infants and young children, the Ages & Stages Questionnaires-Third Edition (ASQ-3) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ:SE), are widely used in the US and internationally. Both tools are sometimes used concurrently but the relation between children’s scores on the two tools is seldom investigated. Methods: The Brazilian versions of ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE, known as the ASQ-BR and ASQ:SE-BR, were used for assessing 13,470 children ages one to four in public child daycare centres in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Four groups were defined according to children’s ages as one, two, three, and four year-olds. Correlation and multiple regression were employed to explore the relation between children’s scores on the ASQ-BR and the ASQ:SE-BR. Results: Results indicated that the domain scores of ASQ-BR, including communication (r = -0.38 to -0.44), gross motor (r = -0.19 to -0.32), fine motor (r = -0.33 to -0.45), problem solving (r = -0.36 to -0.42), and personal-social (r = -0.38 to -0.51) were significantly correlated with ASQ:SE-BR scores. Regression analyses suggested that the communication and personal-social domains were significant predictors of social-emotional scores in most of the age groups. Conclusion: General developmental assessment is suggested to be conducted with social-emotional screening. If the workload is heavy for administers to use both screeners concurrently, social-emotional screening is recommended for children who fail communication or personal-social domains on developmental screening tests

How Safe Is Safe for Marine Toxins Monitoring?

Current regulation for marine toxins requires a monitoring method based on mass spectrometric analysis. This method is pre-targeted, hence after searching for pre-assigned masses, it identifies those compounds that were pre-defined with available calibrants. Therefore, the scope for detecting novel toxins which are not included in the monitoring protocol are very limited. In addition to this, there is a poor comprehension of the toxicity of some marine toxin groups. Also, the validity of the current approach is questioned by the lack of sufficient calibrants, and by the insufficient coverage by current legislation of the toxins reported to be present in shellfish. As an example, tetrodotoxin, palytoxin analogs, or cyclic imines are mentioned as indicators of gaps in the system that require a solid comprehension to assure consumers are protectedThe research leading to these results has received funding from the following FEDER cofunded-grants. From Centro Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial (CDTI), supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, AGL2012-40185-CO2-01, AGL2014-58210-R, and Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, GRC2013-016. From CDTI under ISIP Programme, Spain, IDI-20130304 APTAFOOD. From the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme managed by REA—Research Executive Agency (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement 312184 PHARMASEAS