Scaling properties of long-range correlated noisy signals: application to financial markets

Long-range correlation properties of financial stochastic time series y(i) have been, investigated with the main aim to demonstrate the ability of a recently proposed method to extract the scaling parameters of a stochastic series. According to this technique, the Hurst coefficient H is calculated by means of the following function: DMA = root1/N(max)-n(max) Sigma(i=nmax)(Nmax) [y(i) - (y) over tilde (n)(i)](2) where (y) over tilde (n)(i) is the moving average of y(i), defined as 1/n Sigma(k=0)(n-1)y(i-k), n the moving average window and N(max) is the dimension of the stochastic series. The method is called Detrending Moving Average Analysis (DMA) on account of the several analogies with the well-known Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (DFA). The DMA technique has been widely tested on stochastic series with assigned H generated by suitable algorithms. It has been demonstrated that the ability of the proposed technique relies on very general grounds: the function C(n)(i) = y(i) - (y) over tilde (n)(i) generates indeed a sequence of cluster's with power-law distribution of amplitudes and lifetimes. In particular the exponent of the distribution of cluster lifetime varies as the fractal dimension 2 - H of the series, as expected on the basis of the box-counting method. In the present paper we will report on the scaling coefficients of real data series (the BOBL and DAX German future) calculated by the DMA techniqu

Consumer Preferences for Fresh Citrus: Impacts of Demographic and Behavioral Characteristics

Fresh citrus, consumer preference, attitude, cluster analysis, market segmentation, Consumer/Household Economics, Crop Production/Industries, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Marketing, Q13,

Missão Polyedros: um diálogo entre a arte analógica e a digital e o ensino de geometria espacial através de atividades gamificadas

As tecnologias digitais, sobretudo os games, são importantes ferramentas para o estímulo de habilidades e competências artísticas, culturais e curriculares que, quando aliadas ao processo de ensino e aprendizagem, resultam em inúmeros benefícios para alunos e professores de um modo geral. O problema está no fato de que muitos docentes ainda não têm formação adequada para utilizar artefatos digitais, e muitos dos softwares e games educacionais existentes ainda são insuficientes e carentes de interfaces gráficas, funcionalidades, recursos, entre outros parâmetros, quando comparados com os comerciais. O objetivo é de apresentar um estudo sobre o ensino de geometria espacial, através de atividades gamificadas, estabelecendo diálogos entre a arte analógica e a digital, e o ensino de Geometria espacial com alunos do terceiro ano do Ensino Médio de uma escola pública. Dos resultados obtidos, destacam-se o comportamento participativo e o engajamento dos discentes, que se mostraram interessados em compreender o que estava sendo ministrado, graças às mecânicas de jogo empregadas. Os resultados mostraram que, quando aliada à utilização das Tecnologias Digitais da Informação e Comunicação (TDIC) ou a materiais concretos, a gamificação emerge como uma alternativa com grande potencial. Entretanto, por si só, ela não transforma a sala de aula nem garante o sucesso na execução de atividades, razão pela qual é necessária uma boa metodologia e o controle de turma por parte do professor, assim como a colaboração dos alunos para que haja uma aprendizagem tranquila e eficaz.Digital technologies are important tools to motivate artistic, cultural and curricular skills. When added to the teaching and learning process, they result in many benefits for teachers and students. Many teachers, however, still do have not the appropriate instruction to use digital artifacts, and most of the educational software and games are still insufficient and have poor graphical interfaces, resources and others parameters when compared to the commercial ones. The goal of this article is to present a study about spatial geometry’s teaching, through gamified activities, establishing dialogues between analogue and digital arts, in the teaching of third grade high school students from a public school. The results prove the participative behavior and the engagement of students, who have showed interest in understanding what was being taught, thanks to the game mechanics used. The results also show that when allied to Digital Technologies of Information and Comunication (TDIC), or other concrete materials, the gamification process emerges as an alternative with strong potential. However, by itself, it does not transform the classroom nor guarantees the success of the activities. For these reasons, a good methodology and classroom control by the teacher, as well as the collaboration of students, for a quiet and effective learning, is mandatory.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Stage-Based Approach to Therapy in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that features progressive, disabling motor symptoms, such as bradykinesia, rigidity, and resting tremor. Nevertheless, some non-motor symptoms, including depression, REM sleep behavior disorder, and olfactive impairment, are even earlier features of PD. At later stages, apathy, impulse control disorder, neuropsychiatric disturbances, and cognitive impairment can present, and they often become a heavy burden for both patients and caregivers. Indeed, PD increasingly compromises activities of daily life, even though a high variability in clinical presentation can be observed among people affected. Nowadays, symptomatic drugs and non-pharmaceutical treatments represent the best therapeutic options to improve quality of life in PD patients. The aim of the present review is to provide a practical, stage-based guide to pharmacological management of both motor and non-motor symptoms of PD. Furthermore, warning about drug side effects, contraindications, as well as dosage and methods of administration, are highlighted here, to help the physician in yielding the best therapeutic strategies for each symptom and condition in patients with PD

Tamarind (Tamarindus indica linn.) and Sweet Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.Moench): their Potential Utilization in Phytotherapy

The use of botanical extracts and essential oil in skin care has been increasing due to greater demand on the part of consumers to use natural ingredients. Tamarind and Sweet Sorghum really have   big potentials  for reaching the public and showcasing its benefits , thus this study could encourage growers to raise more Tamarind and Sweet Sorghum in their areas not only as  food but as a raw material in the production of natural products which are for health and wellness. Both Tamarind and Sweet Sorghum possess skin healing effect which may be attributed to their biologically active components. Tamarind  possess to have bioflavonoids and alkaloids which occur in its leaves, pulp and bark. The bark contains  tannin which are recommended for treatments of inflammation, ulceration and skin disease. Tamarind has  Tartaric acid that makes it possible for tamarind to works wonders on oily skin with pimples and on sun-damaged.  Sweet Sorghum on the other hand contains emulsion, a substance that can give a moisturizing effect on the skin. the majestic phytochemistry of Tamarind and Sweet Sorghum encouraged the researcher  to produce and test  the acceptability, efficacy and safety of different skin care products that are commonly needed by the community. The Tamarind Leaves soap was proven to be highly acceptable in terms of its color, odor, texture, hardness and overall appearance. Both the Tamarind soap and the Sweet Sorghum soap were safe and free from insoluble soap and fatty acid soap. The percent reduction of acne in using Tamarind soap, Sweet Sorghum and Commercial soap have similar effect on the tenth and twelve days of use. The initial means of the treatments ranges from 10.00 pustule to 2.00 pustule. After 12 days of treatment the mean decrease is zero or equivalent to 100% decrease in the number of acne. The result of this study maybe explained with the result on antibacterial property test ( against Staphylococcus A.) of Tamarind soap and Sweet Sorghum Soap. Tamarind soap with 8% extract was found to be most effective in reduction of pimples. The Tamarind shower gel and Sweet Sorghum shower gels were effective against Staphylococcus Aurous. Tamarind Bark Ointment was an effective anti – inflammatory agent particularly on swelling and redness as well as for wound healing. Tamarind scrub salt, shower gel  and liniment  were also highly acceptable and found to be safe and effective. Result on the acceptability of Sweet Sorghum natural products are comparable to the acceptability of Tamarind natural products.  The development of technology for the Production of Natural  Products from Tamarind and Sweet Sorghum is timely, considering the growing consciousness of consumers on safe, organic and healthy natural products. Likewise, this product diversification scheme can promote multi-uses and competitive of the Tamarind and Sweet Sorghum

How adenomyosis changes throughout pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study

Objective To study how adenomyosis changes during pregnancy and to possibly correlate these changes to maternal and fetal outcomes. Methods Retrospective exploratory cohort study including 254 women with a pre-conceptional/first-trimester scan to document adenomyosis and known obstetric outcome. If visible, adenomyosis signs were documented in each trimester and postpartum. Mann-Whitney U tests or chi(2) tests were used for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Results A globular uterus was reported in 79% (n = 52) of women with adenomyosis in the first trimester, in 38% (n = 20) and 2% (n = 1) of women in the second and third trimesters, respectively, and postpartum in 77% (n = 34) of women. Asymmetrical thickening (n = 20, 30%) and cysts (n = 15, 23%) were only visible in 1st trimester. Adenomyosis was associated with miscarriage (odds ratio [OR] 5.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.4-14.9, P < 0.001) also in normal conception only (OR 5.1, 95% CI 1.8-14.2, P = 0.002) or adjusting for maternal age (adjusted OR 5.9, 95% CI 2.3-15.2, P < 0.001). Gestational age at delivery was lower in adenomyosis (P = 0.004); the cesarean section rate was higher than in controls (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.8, P = 0.007) also adjusting for age (adjusted OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.06-4.08, P = 0.035). Conclusions Signs of adenomyosis were visible but progressively disappeared in pregnancy; adenomyosis was associated with an increased risk of early miscarriage. Prospective studies are needed to confirm our results

A spatial model of cognitive distance in cities

Spatial cognition is fundamental to the behaviour and activity of humans in urban space. Humans perceive their environments with systematic biases and errors, and act upon these perceptions, which in turn form urban patterns of activity. These perceptions are influenced by a multitude of factors, many of them relating to the static urban form. Yet much of geographic analysis ignores the influence of urban form, instead referring most commonly to the Euclidean arrangement of space. In this paper, we propose a novel spatial modelling framework for estimating cognitive distance in urban space. This framework is constructed from a wealth of research describing the effect of environmental factors on distance estimation, and produces a quantitative estimate of the effect based on standard GIS data. Unlike other cost measures, the cognitive distance estimate integrates systematically observed distortions and biases in spatial cognition. As a proof-of-concept, the framework is implemented for 26 cities worldwide using open data, producing a novel comparative measure of ‘cognitive accessibility’. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential of this approach in analysing and modelling urban systems, and outlines areas for further research

Perception of urban subdivisions in pedestrian movement simulation

The perception of urban subdivisions, deriving from regionalisation processes and the identification of separating elements (barriers), has proven to dynamically shape peoples’ cognitive representations of space and route choice behaviour in cities. However, existing Agent-Based Models (ABMs) for pedestrian simulation have not accounted for these particular cognitive mapping processes. The aim of this paper is to explore the behaviour of pedestrian agents endowed with knowledge about urban subdivisions. Drawing from literature in spatial cognition, we adapted a region-based route choice model, which contemplates a high- and a local planning level, and advanced a barrier-based route choice model, wherein the influence of separating elements is manipulated. Finally, we combined these two approaches in a region-barrier based model. The patterns emerging from the movement of agents employing such approaches were examined in the city centres of London and Paris. The introduction of regions in the routing mechanisms reduced the unbalanced concentration of agents across the street network brought up by the widely employed least cumulative angular change model (-.08 Gini coefficient). The inclusion of barriers further raised the dispersal of the agents through secondary roads, while leading agents to walk along waterfronts and across parks; it also yielded a more regular usage of pedestrian roads. Moreover, the region- and the region-barrier based routes showed deviation ratio values from the road distance shortest path (region-based: 1.18 London, 1.16 Paris, region-barrier based: 1.43 London, 1.33 Paris) consistent with empirical observations from pedestrian behaviour research. A further evaluation of the model with macro-level observational data may enhance the understanding of pedestrian dynamics and help tuning the interplay amongst urban salient elements at the agent level. Yet, we consider the movement flows arising from our current implementation insightful for assessing the distribution of pedestrians and testing possible interventions for the design of legible and walkable spaces