Two-stage Robust Optimization Approach for Enhanced Community Resilience Under Tornado Hazards

Catastrophic tornadoes cause severe damage and are a threat to human wellbeing, making it critical to determine mitigation strategies to reduce their impact. One such strategy, following recent research, is to retrofit existing structures. To this end, in this article we propose a model that considers a decision-maker (a government agency or a public-private consortium) who seeks to allocate resources to retrofit and recover wood-frame residential structures, to minimize the population dislocation due to an uncertain tornado. In the first stage the decision-maker selects the retrofitting strategies, and in the second stage the recovery decisions are made after observing the tornado. As tornado paths cannot be forecast reliably, we take a worst-case approach to uncertainty where paths are modeled as arbitrary line segments on the plane. Under the assumption that an area is affected if it is sufficiently close to the tornado path, the problem is framed as a two-stage robust optimization problem with a mixed-integer non-linear uncertainty set. We solve this problem by using a decomposition column-and-constraint generation algorithm that solves a two-level integer problem at each iteration. This problem, in turn, is solved by a decomposition branch-and-cut method that exploits the geometry of the uncertainty set. To illustrate the model's applicability, we present a case study based on Joplin, Missouri. Our results show that there can be up to 20 percent reductions in worst-case population dislocation by investing 15 million dollars in retrofitting and recovery; that our approach outperforms other retrofitting policies, and that the model is not over-conservative

Team Rocket Chicago Farmers Market Collectives Research

Presentation displaying research conducted on farmers markets and how they can implement a digital communication strategy to increase customers and keep existing ones

Against mass media trends: Minority growth in cultural globalization

We investigate the collective behavior of a globalized society under the influence of endogenous mass media trends. The mass media trend is a global field corresponding to the statistical mode of the states of the agents in the system. The interaction dynamics is based on Axelrod’s rules for the dissemination of culture. We find situations where the largest minority group, possessing a cultural state different from that of the predominant trend transmitted by the mass media, can grow to almost half of the size of the population. We show that this phenomenon occurs when a critical number of long-range connections are present in the underlying network of interactions. We have numerically characterized four phases on the space of parameters of the system: an ordered phase; a semi-ordered phase where almost half of the population consists of the largest minority in a state different from that of the mass media; a disordered phase; and a chimera-like phase where one large domain coexists with many very small domains

Tendencias y factores del desinterés de los jóvenes de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina hacia el sector agrícola

La historia de la agricultura surgió alrededor de 20 mil y 30 mil años atrás, donde las primeras personas en practicarla fueron mujeres habitantes en distintas partes del globo terráqueo, quienes tenían a cargo el cuidado de sus familias y desde entonces, ha sido uno de los procesos más revolucionarios de la humanidad, pues realizo cambios en nuestra forma de alimentarnos y vivir, modificando la estructura de nuestros territorios, generando las condiciones para la creación de “comunidades y civilizaciones”. En ese sentido, el objetivo de esta investigación es analizar los factores que determinan los niveles de interés en los jóvenes de la Isla San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina en el sector agropecuario.  Los resultados muestran el desinterés de los jóvenes del 10 y 11 grado de los Colegios Flowers Hill y Modelo Adventista, en conocer y aprender el proceso de la agricultura como medio de subsistencia, cultivo de alimentos y crianza de animales en las Islas. Se concluye que este desinterés en el área agropecuaria, se debe a la falta de conocimiento del sector, escasos estudios que fomenten su aprendizaje, además de la falta de recursos para aquellos que quieren emprender o incursionar en la agricultura

Discovery of inward moving magnetic enhancements in sunspot penumbrae

Sunspot penumbrae show a fine structure in continuum intensity that displays considerable dynamics. The magnetic field, in contrast, although also highly structured, has appeared to be relatively static. Here we report the discovery of inward moving magnetic enhancements in the penumbrae of two regular sunspots based on time series of SOHO/MDI magnetograms. Local enhancements of the LOS component of the magnetic field in the inner part of the penumbral region move inward to the umbra-penumbra boundary with a radial speed of about 0.3 km s$^{-1}$. These local inward-moving enhancements of the LOS component of the magnetic fields appear to be relatively common. They are associated with dark structures and tend to display downflows relatively to the penumbral background. Possible explanations are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJ Letter

Bioinspired design of triboceramics: Learning from the anisotropic microfracture response of dental enamel under sliding contact

[EN] In the quest for novel ceramics for tribological applications via bioinspired design, the differences in the fracture modes that arise upon scratching relevant locations of ceramic-like tooth enamel are investigated. It is found that fracture initiates from weak rod-sheath interfaces at relatively low loads, independent of the sliding direction. However, the geometry and propagation of the cracks depends on the orientation of the interfaces relative to the maximum tensile stress: scratching along the occlusal surface propagates approximately sinusoidal cracks, parallel to the sliding direction, while scratching along the cross-section produces straight cracks that propagate normal (scratch parallel to occlusal surface) or parallel (scratch perpendicular to occlusal surface) to the sliding direction. The formation of cracks is hindered in scratching near the enamel-dentine junction. Implications for the microstructural design of triboceramics (bulks and coatings) with improved durability are discussed.The authors wish to thank Dr Florencio Monje Gil for kindly providing tooth specimens from his clinic (CICOM, Centro de Implantologia Cirugia Oral y Maxilofacial, Badajoz, Spain). This study was supported by Junta de Extremadura, Spain, and FEDER/ERDF funds (grants IB16139 and GR18149), and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant PID2019-105377RB-I00). E. P.-C. gratefully acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) under grant FJCI-2015-27228.Sanchez-Gonzalez, E.; Rodriguez-Rojas, F.; Pinilla-Cienfuegos, E.; Borrero-Lopez, O.; Ortiz, AL.; Guiberteau, F. (2020). Bioinspired design of triboceramics: Learning from the anisotropic microfracture response of dental enamel under sliding contact. Ceramics International. 46(18):27983-27989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.07.2922798327989461

Odorant receptor phylogeny confirms conserved channels for sex pheromone and host plant signals in tortricid moths

The search for mates and food is mediated by volatile chemicals. Insects sense food odorants and sex pheromones through odorant receptors (ORs) and pheromone receptors (PRs), which are expressed in olfactory sensory neurons. Molecular phylogenetics of ORs, informed by behavioral and functional data, generates sound hypotheses for the identification of semiochemicals driving olfactory behavior. Studying orthologous receptors and their ligands across taxa affords insights into the role of chemical communication in reproductive isolation and phylogenetic divergence. The female sex pheromone of green budworm mothHedya nubiferana(Lepidoptera, Totricidae) is a blend of two unsaturated acetates, only a blend of both elicits male attraction. Females produce in addition codlemone, which is the sex pheromone of another tortricid, codling mothCydia pomonella. Codlemone also attracts green budworm moth males. Concomitantly, green budworm and codling moth males are attracted to the host plant volatile pear ester. A congruent behavioral response to the same pheromone and plant volatile in two tortricid species suggests co-occurrence of dedicated olfactory channels. In codling moth, one PR is tuned to both compounds, the sex pheromone codlemone and the plant volatile pear ester. Our phylogenetic analysis finds that green budworm moth expresses an orthologous PR gene. Shared ancestry, and high levels of amino acid identity and sequence similarity, in codling and green budworm moth PRs offer an explanation for parallel attraction of both species to the same compounds. A conserved olfactory channel for a sex pheromone and a host plant volatile substantiates the alliance of social and habitat signals in insect chemical communication. Field attraction assays confirm that in silico investigations of ORs afford powerful predictions for an efficient identification of behavior-modifying semiochemicals, for an improved understanding of the mechanisms of host plant attraction in insect herbivores and for the further development of sustainable insect control

COMPORTAMIENTO DE VARROOSIS EN APIARIOS DE GRANMA (2014- 2017)

Con el objetivo de determinar el comportamiento de varroosis en apiarios en Granma. Se tomaron los datos trimestrales correspondientes a los índices de infestación de varroosis en el período: 2014 al 2017. Se agruparon por años, por trimestre y por zonas (costeras y no costeras), incluyendo en la primera los municipios (Pilón, Niquero, Manzanillo, Media Luna y Campechuela y en la segunda (Bartolomé Masó, Yara, Jiguaní, Cauto Cristo, Buey Arriba, Guisa,Bayamo y Rio Cauto). Los datos se almacenaron en Excel del paquete informático de Microsoft office®. Para el análisis estadístico se realizaron pruebas de ANOVA simple mediante el paquete de STATISTICA2008.No existió diferencia significativa (P>0.05) entre los años evaluados con tasas alrededor del 5%. En el análisis entre trimestre se observó diferencia significativa (P<0.001) y tasas superiores al (5%), en el primer trimestre. La evaluación entre zonas mostró diferencia altamente significativa. Se concluye que las tasas de infestación por Varroa destructor de Apis mellifera en Granma en el periodo 2014-2016 son inferiores al 5 (%) con un pequeño aumentode 5,5% en 2015. Del segundo al cuarto trimestre (2014-2017) se observan tasas inferiores al (5%) a diferencia del primero (7,69%)

Caracterización programas de promoción y prevención en el uso de sustancias psicoactivas en las instituciones educativas adscritas a los udel del i al ix de Villavicencio

TablasEl propósito fundamental de este proyecto, es caracterizar los programas de promoción y prevención del uso de sustancias psicoactivas implementados en las Instituciones Educativas (I.E.), las cuales hacen parte de las Unidades de Desarrollo Educativo Local (UDEL) I al IX de Villavicencio, Meta - Colombia, y así observar su estructura en cuanto al dominio de conceptos, de ser, saber y hacer, su forma de aplicación, intensidad y metodología utilizada. La Investigación es mixta de tipo descriptivo “busca especificar las propiedades, características, y los perfiles importantes de personas, grupos, comunidades o cualquier otro fenómeno que se someta a un análisis” (Danhke, 1989). De igual manera desde la Investigación Acción (IA) que representa el análisis de la realidad desde experiencias de intervención social, con el fin de, “propiciar el cambio social, convertir la realidad y que las personas tomen conciencia de su papel en ese proceso de transformación” (Sandín, 2003).Se seleccionó la muestra de forma intencional, en 60 Instituciones Educativas, de las cuales 55 dieron respuesta a una entrevista semiestructurada. El enfoque teórico que soporta el estudio es ecología humana de Luis Carlos Restrepo; se evidencia la existencia de programas transversales, y específicos, en cuanto al dominio de conceptos, los programas de promoción y prevención presentan información necesaria sobre los efectos de las sustancias psicoactivas, fomentan la autoestima, los sentimientos, la autoconciencia personal, las actitudes, creencias y valores; desarrollan habilidades en los estudiantes; entre ellas, habilidades de rechazo, afectivas, cognitivo-conductuales y actividades que formen seres integrales en el hoy y en el ahora.The main purpose of this project is to characterize and prevention programs to promote the use of psychoactive substances implemented in educational institutions ( IE) , which are part of the Units of Local Educational Development ( UDEL ) I through IX of Villavicencio , Meta - Colombia , and observe its structure in terms of domain concepts of being, knowing and doing , as applicable , intensity and methodology . Research is mixed descriptive “seeks to specify the properties, characteristics, and profiles of key individuals, groups, communities or any other phenomenon that is subject to analysis “(Danhke, 1989). Similarly from the Research Action (IA) representing the analysis of reality from experiences of social intervention, in order to “promote social change reality and make people aware of their role in that process transformation” (Sandin, 2003). Intentionally sampled in 60 educational institutions, 55 of which replied to a semi-structured interview was selected. The theoretical approach that supports the study of human ecology Luis Carlos Restrepo ; there is evidence of cross-cutting programs , and specific domain in terms of concepts, promotion programs and prevention present necessary information on the effects of psychoactive substances , build self-esteem , feelings , personal self-awareness , attitudes , beliefs and values; develop skills in students ; including refusal skills , affective , cognitive and behavioral activities that are integral beings in the present and in the now