Robust Network Reconstruction in Polynomial Time

This paper presents an efficient algorithm for robust network reconstruction of Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) systems in the presence of noise, estimation errors and unmodelled nonlinearities. The method here builds on previous work on robust reconstruction to provide a practical implementation with polynomial computational complexity. Following the same experimental protocol, the algorithm obtains a set of structurally-related candidate solutions spanning every level of sparsity. We prove the existence of a magnitude bound on the noise, which if satisfied, guarantees that one of these structures is the correct solution. A problem-specific model-selection procedure then selects a single solution from this set and provides a measure of confidence in that solution. Extensive simulations quantify the expected performance for different levels of noise and show that significantly more noise can be tolerated in comparison to the original method.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in 51st IEEE Conference on Decision and Contro

Enzymatic Degradation of Plastic Waste: A Review of Microbial Strategies and Future Perspectives

It is said that humans generate 2.01 billion tons of municipal waste every year and this number is projected to explode to a massive 3.40 billion tons annually by the year 2050 (Ellis, 2018). This increase in waste production perfectly underscores a growing reliance on materials that persist in ecosystems long-term. This contamination, generated from large-scale industrial practices to doing your laundry at home, is best exemplified by the proliferation of microplastics throughout the environment. What are microplastics? The first documented use of the term microplastics can be traced to a 1990 publication in the South African Journal of Science article titled “Plastic and other artefacts on South African beaches: Temporal trends in abundance and composition” by Peter G. Ryan. This publication used the term microplastics as a vague all-encompassing term for small broken plastic particles. This definition was refined over time, and today microplastics are more precisely defined as small plastic particles between 5 mm and 100 nm in size. This category is then broken down into primary and secondary microplastics. Primary microplastics are manufactured in their microplastic form often for use as an exfoliating grit in consumer products like face wash and shampoos.1 Secondary microplastics are formed from the recycling and waste processing of larger plastics through physical, chemical, and biological means.2 Today, the leading industries that have been identified as the greatest contributors to microplastic pollution are the textile, laundry, and agricultural industries as well as the wastewater treatment industry. 3–6 The environmental hazards associated with these industries, compounded by domestic activities such as littering, make up the bulk of microplastic generation

Mapping the Americanization of English in Space and Time

As global political preeminence gradually shifted from the United Kingdom to the United States, so did the capacity to culturally influence the rest of the world. In this work, we analyze how the world-wide varieties of written English are evolving. We study both the spatial and temporal variations of vocabulary and spelling of English using a large corpus of geolocated tweets and the Google Books datasets corresponding to books published in the US and the UK. The advantage of our approach is that we can address both standard written language (Google Books) and the more colloquial forms of microblogging messages (Twitter). We find that American English is the dominant form of English outside the UK and that its influence is felt even within the UK borders. Finally, we analyze how this trend has evolved over time and the impact that some cultural events have had in shaping it.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables. Published versio

Estilos de vida em idosas e níveis de atividade física: um estudo piloto

The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) is a standardized measure to estimate habitual practice of physical activities. Because of the specificity of different elderly’s life styles, and, consequently, modes of physical activity, the purpose of this pilot study was to analyze differences among ten regular gym practitioners (fitness group) (68,60±3,57 years of age) and ten Senior University students without gym practice (informal group) (71,30±5,54 years of age). The results showed that energy expenditure doesn’t depend solely on regular and controlled physical activity at a Fitness center, and that functional motor activity, as daily life active transportation and domestic and garden activities, resulted in similar energy expenditure. It’s suggested that programs combining energy expenditure and daily life motor activities is a good solution for quality of life enhancement, and an alternative to more standardized fitness practices.O Questionário Internacional de Atividade Física (IPAQ) é uma medida padronizada para estimar a prática habitual de atividades físicas. A finalidade deste estudo piloto foi analisar as diferenças entre dez praticantes regulares de ginásio (68,60 ± 3,57 anos de idade) e dez estudantes de uma Universidade Sénior sem atividade física formal (grupo informal) (71,30 ± 5,54 anos de idade). Os resultados mostraram que o dispêndio energético não depende unicamente da atividade física regular e controlada num centro de Fitness, e que a atividade motora funcional, como o transporte ativo e as atividades domésticas e de jardim, resultou em gastos energéticos semelhantes. Sugere-se que programas que combinem dispêndio energético e atividades motoras de vida diária são uma boa solução para a valorização da qualidade de vida e uma alternativa a práticas de Fitness mais padronizadas.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Transferência de recursos Fundo a Fundo na Estratégia Saúde da Família no Distrito Federal : uma análise à luz do controle social nos anos de 2012 e 2013

Mestrado (dissertação)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, 2015.Considerada a porta de entrada preferencial do Sistema Único de Saúde, a Atenção Básica em Saúde (ABS) tem na Estratégia Saúde da Família (ESF) o ponto de partida para a estruturação dos sistemas locais de saúde. Em Os recursos para a ESF no DF são insuficientes - o que diz o controle social? Buscou-se, com base nos repasses fundo a fundo ordenados à Secretaria de Estado da Saúde do Distrito Federal nos anos de 2012 e 2013, no Plano de Reorganização da APS, e nos relatórios do Conselho de Saúde do Distrito Federal (CSDF), buscar estabelecer relação de suficiência ou insuficiência entre as metas pretendidas e os recursos executados tendo em vista o financiamento desse nível de assistência.Considered as the preferred gateway to the National Health System, the Primary Health Care (ABS) has in the Family Health Strategy (FHS) the starting point for the structuring of local health systems. In The resources for the ESF in the DF are insufficient - says the social control? We sought, based on the fund to fund transfers ordered the Ministry of Health of the Federal District in the years 2012 and 2013 in the APS Reorganization Plan, and the reports of the Board of Health of the Federal District (CSDF), seek establish sufficiency ratio or failure between the intended goals and the resources implemented in order to finance this level of service

Efficiency of a gearbox lubricated with windmill gear oils

Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Port