Automorphisms of prime order of smooth cubic n-folds

In this paper we give an effective criterion as to when a prime number p is the order of an automorphism of a smooth cubic hypersurface of P^{n+1}, for a fixed n > 1. We also provide a computational method to classify all such hypersurfaces that admit an automorphism of prime order p. In particular, we show that p<2^{n+1} and that any such hypersurface admitting an automorphism of order p>2^n is isomorphic to the Klein n-fold. We apply our method to compute exhaustive lists of automorphism of prime order of smooth cubic threefolds and fourfolds. Finally, we provide an application to the moduli space of principally polarized abelian varieties.Comment: 10 page

Analysis of the Behaviour of Biofuel-Fired Gas Turbine Power Plants

The utilisation of biofuels in gas turbines is a promising alternative to fossil fuels for power generation. It would lead to significant reduction of CO2 emissions using an existing combustion technology, although significant changes seem to be needed and further technological development is necessary. The goal of this work is to perform energy and exergy analyses of the behaviour of gas turbines fired with biogas, ethanol and synthesis gas (bio-syngas), compared with natural gas. The global energy transformation process (i.e. from biomass to electricity) has also been studied. Furthermore, the potential reduction of CO2 emissions attained by the use of biofuels has been determined, considering the restrictions regarding biomass availability. Two different simulation tools have been used to accomplish the aims of this work. The results suggest a high interest and the technical viability of the use of Biomass Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (BIGCC) systems for large scale power generation

Diet and dynamic of the first christians in Algarve during the 13th - 14th AD

Stable isotopes study of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopic systems in bone remains in order to assess diet of a Christian population during the 13th and 14th Centuries AD. The population studied was from a Necropolis excavated in Cacela-a-Velha (Algarve, Portugal) and belonged to the first Christians from the Kingdom of Portugal that settled in the region after the conquest of the Algarve in the first half of the 13th century. This study seeks to provide a better understanding of the food, resources and cultural practices of the already mentioned population, in order to have a wider point of view of the reality lived by this community, and its immediate and regional context during that period of time. Differences were seen among faunal bone collagen samples, making possible to infer distinctions in agricultural practices and trading in the region. The δ13C, δ15N and δ34S results of human bone collagen evidenced a heterogeneous diet in the population that could be caused by social and political factors. The study not only would provide isotopic data that could be used for future studies, but also, it provides a deeper perspective of the Christian societies of medieval Iberian Peninsula, since the data was contrasted and complemented with historical and anthropological information. This could be useful to provide a more complex conceptualization of the medieval Iberian cultures; Dieta e dinâmica dos primeiros cristãos no Algarve durante os séculos XIII e XIV RESUMO: Para avaliar a dieta de uma população cristã dos séculos XIII e XIV d. C. foi realizado o estudo das razões isotópicas em carbono, azoto e enxofre em restos ósseos humanos recuperados de uma Necrópole escavada em Cacela-a-Velha (Algarve, Portugal). Estas populações, consideradas dos primeiros Cristãos do Reino de Portugal, instalaram-se nesta região após a conquista do Algarve durante a primeira metade do século XIII. Com este estudo pretende-se obter informação sobre os hábitos alimentares, utilização de recursos e práticas culturais desta população, com o objectivo de obter uma visão mais alargada da realidade vivida por esta comunidade, do seu contexto quotidiano e regional durante esse período. Foram observadas diferenças nas razões isotópicas no colagénio ósseo da fauna contemporânea aos restos humanos, permitindo reconhecer algumas diferenças nas práticas agrícolas e no comércio da região. Os resultados de δ13C, δ15N e δ34S do colagénio ósseo humano evidenciaram uma dieta heterogénea na população que poderia ser resultante de factores sociais e políticos. O estudo permitiu obter dados isotópicos que poderão ser enquadrados em futuros estudos, mas também, permitiu obter uma perspectiva mais profunda das sociedades cristãs da Península Ibérica medieval, já que os dados foram comparados e complementados com informação histórica e antropológica. Esta informação poderá ser útil para proporcionar uma conceptualização mais complexa das culturas ibéricas medievais

Automorphisms of prime order of smooth cubic n -folds

In this paper we give an effective criterion as to when a prime number p is the order of an automorphism of a smooth cubic hypersurface of $${\mathbb{P}^{n+1}}$$ , for a fixed n ≥ 2. We also provide a computational method to classify all such hypersurfaces that admit an automorphism of prime order p. In particular, we show that p2 n is isomorphic to the Klein n-fold. We apply our method to compute exhaustive lists of automorphism of prime order of smooth cubic threefolds and fourfolds. Finally, we provide an application to the moduli space of principally polarized abelian varietie

Predicting domain-domain interaction based on domain profiles with feature selection and support vector machines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Protein-protein interaction (PPI) plays essential roles in cellular functions. The cost, time and other limitations associated with the current experimental methods have motivated the development of computational methods for predicting PPIs. As protein interactions generally occur via domains instead of the whole molecules, predicting domain-domain interaction (DDI) is an important step toward PPI prediction. Computational methods developed so far have utilized information from various sources at different levels, from primary sequences, to molecular structures, to evolutionary profiles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this paper, we propose a computational method to predict DDI using support vector machines (SVMs), based on domains represented as interaction profile hidden Markov models (ipHMM) where interacting residues in domains are explicitly modeled according to the three dimensional structural information available at the Protein Data Bank (PDB). Features about the domains are extracted first as the Fisher scores derived from the ipHMM and then selected using singular value decomposition (SVD). Domain pairs are represented by concatenating their selected feature vectors, and classified by a support vector machine trained on these feature vectors. The method is tested by leave-one-out cross validation experiments with a set of interacting protein pairs adopted from the 3DID database. The prediction accuracy has shown significant improvement as compared to <it>InterPreTS </it>(Interaction Prediction through Tertiary Structure), an existing method for PPI prediction that also uses the sequences and complexes of known 3D structure.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We show that domain-domain interaction prediction can be significantly enhanced by exploiting information inherent in the domain profiles via feature selection based on Fisher scores, singular value decomposition and supervised learning based on support vector machines. Datasets and source code are freely available on the web at <url>http://liao.cis.udel.edu/pub/svdsvm</url>. Implemented in Matlab and supported on Linux and MS Windows.</p

Estudio de MinecraftEdu y su aplicación en la construcción de laboratorios basados en la Escuela Lean

Actualmente, las empresas necesitan emplear las Técnicas Lean para lograr grandes mejoras y beneficios, pero para ello es preciso un aprendizaje por parte de sus trabajadores. Comúnmente, este aprendizaje consiste en horas de teoría donde los conceptos son memorizados, pero no asimilados. Por esta razón, se utiliza la Escuela Lean para mejorar el aprendizaje de estas técnicas. La escuela combina el aprendizaje teórico con la aplicación práctica sobre unos productos especialmente preparados para ello, lográndose así un mejor aprendizaje y comprensión de las herramientas. Este trabajo utiliza un videojuego, concretamente Minecraft, para simular el trabajo en la Escuela Lean y poder afianzar los conceptos del mismo modo sin necesidad de un entorno físico, facilitando la labor docente. Además, el entorno de Minecraft es dinámico y permite realizar cambios cuando sean necesarios, lo que le permite adaptarse al proceso de enseñanza de las Técnicas Lean y avanzar de forma paralela.Departamento de Organización de Empresas y Comercialización e Investigación de MercadosMáster en Logístic

Association between childhood obesity, trace elements, and heavy metals: Recent discoveries and future perspectives

Trace elements and heavy metals play pivotal roles in health status by regulating a myriad of vital biological functions. Abnormal metal homeostasis has been linked to a constellation of pathogenic complications, including oxidative stress, inflammatory processes, dyslipidemia, and impaired insulin-mediated metabolism of carbohydrates, thereby increasing the odds of developing childhood obesity and related comorbidities. Herein, we provide a comprehensive revision of recent literature on the association between childhood obesity, trace elements, and heavy metals. Further, we emphasize on the crucial importance of addressing the influence that interindividual variability factors (e.g., sex, age, genetic determinants, concomitance of comorbidities, and environmental factors) may have in modulating the susceptibility to disease development. Altogether, this review article represents a concise guide to better understand the involvement of metals in childhood obesity pathogenesis and discusses future needs with the aim of establishing robust biomarkers in the context of precision medicine