Reply to `Comment on ``Helmholtz Theorem and the V-Gauge in the Problem of Superluminal and Instantaneous Signals in Classical Electrodynamics" by A. Chubykalo Et Al' by J. A. Heras [FOUND. Phys. Lett. vol. 19(6) p. 579 (2006)]

This is the reply to `COMMENT ON ``HELMHOLTZ THEOREM AND THE V-GAUGE IN THE PROBLEM OF SUPERLUMINAL AND INSTANTANEOUS SIGNALS IN CLASSICAL ELECTRODYNAMICS" BY A. CHUBYKALO ET AL' BY J. A. HERAS [FOUND. PHYS. LETT. vol. 19(6) p. 579 (2006)]Comment: 5 pages, submitted to Foundations of Physic

On the identity of Festuca jubata Lowe (Poaceae) and the description of a new Festuca species in the Azores Islands

The majority of authors consider Festuca jubata Lowe as an endemic species common to Madeira and the Azores. Saint-Yves proposed that F. jubata was an Azorean endemic and described a geovicarious taxon in Madeira: F. filiformis C. Sm. ex Link in Buch ssp. mandonii St.-Yves. We undertook a complete bibliographical revision of the taxonomy, nomenclature, and chorology of F. jubata s.l., and contrasted it with morphological and anatomical studies performed on samples from the Azores and Madeira. Azorean plants usually identified as F. jubata had a character combination distinct from that of those with a Madeiran provenance. Saint-Yves’ proposal of two independent taxa was correct, but he erroneously considered F. jubata as an Azorean endemic because the name F. jubata was based on Madeiran plants. Consequently, F. jubata auct. pl. from the Azores belongs to a new species

On the identity of Festuca jubata Lowe (Poaceae) and the description of a new Festuca species in the Azores Islands

The majority of authors consider Festuca jubata Lowe as an endemic species common to Madeira and the Azores. Saint-Yves proposed that F. jubata was an Azorean endemic and described a geovicarious taxon in Madeira: F. filiformis C. Sm. ex Link in Buch ssp. mandonii St.-Yves. We undertook a complete bibliographical revision of the taxonomy, nomenclature, and chorology of F. jubata s.l., and contrasted it with morphological and anatomical studies performed on samples from the Azores and Madeira. Azorean plants usually identified as F. jubata had a character combination distinct from that of those with a Madeiran provenance. Saint-Yves’ proposal of two independent taxa was correct, but he erroneously considered F. jubata as an Azorean endemic because the name F. jubata was based on Madeiran plants. Consequently, F. jubata auct. pl. from the Azores belongs to a new species

Lateral resistance of plybamboo wall-panels

This paper deals with the experimental and theoretical behavior of plybamboo (kind of plywood made out of bamboo) wall-panels subjected to lateral load. The wall-panels are part of a house design method proposed in the author's PhD thesis for prefabricated social housing in developing countries. Sixteen fullscaled wallpanels with or without window and door openings were tested and their theoretical capacities estimated. Design wind and seismic loads were determined according to the International Building Code 2000. The results showed that all the specimens present ductile behavior adequate for expected wind and seismic loads. The theoretical models for calculating lateral capacities of timber framed walls gave lower values than the experimental ones. The wall-panels sheathed with plybamboo and traditional plywood showed similar behavior and hence, plybamboo could be used as an alternative sheathing material in timber frame construction. Key Words: Shear-Walls, Plybamboo, Timber Framed Walls, Structural Panels, Bamboo Structure

Learning a Battery of COVID-19 Mortality Prediction Models by Multi-objective Optimization

The COVID-19 pandemic is continuously evolving with drastically changing epidemiological situations which are approached with different decisions: from the reduction of fatalities to even the selection of patients with the highest probability of survival in critical clinical situations. Motivated by this, a battery of mortality prediction models with different performances has been developed to assist physicians and hospital managers. Logistic regression, one of the most popular classifiers within the clinical field, has been chosen as the basis for the generation of our models. Whilst a standard logistic regression only learns a single model focusing on improving accuracy, we propose to extend the possibilities of logistic regression by focusing on sensitivity and specificity. Hence, the log-likelihood function, used to calculate the coefficients in the logistic model, is split into two objective functions: one representing the survivors and the other for the deceased class. A multi-objective optimization process is undertaken on both functions in order to find the Pareto set, composed of models not improved by another model in both objective functions simultaneously. The individual optimization of either sensitivity (deceased patients) or specificity (survivors) criteria may be conflicting objectives because the improvement of one can imply the worsening of the other. Nonetheless, this conflict guarantees the output of a battery of diverse prediction models. Furthermore, a specific methodology for the evaluation of the Pareto models is proposed. As a result, a battery of COVID-19 mortality prediction models is obtained to assist physicians in decision-making for specific epidemiological situations.This research is supported by the Basque Government (IT1504- 22, Elkartek) through the BERC 2022–2025 program and BMTF project, and by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities: BCAM Severo Ochoa accreditation SEV-2017-0718 and PID2019-104966GB-I00. Furthermore, the work is also supported by the AXA Research Fund project “Early prognosis of COVID-19 infections via machine learning”

Manifestación del vigor híbrido en el sorgo de grano, Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench.

Sorgo-sorgos - Sorghum bicolo

Polarità commerciali in Lombardia: tendenze evolutive e geografie a supporto della governance territoriale

Il settore della distribuzione commerciale in Italia è segnato negli ultimi anni da una serie di trasformazioni che hanno influenzato l’assetto del mercato nazionale. Il sistema d’offerta risultante non è omogeneamente distribuito nel territorio e uno degli elementi caratterizzanti è la presenza di “polarità commerciali” che si differenziano per dinamismo, attrattività e rilevanza degli impatti a scala sovralocale. L’obiettivo di questo contributo è quello di evidenziare l’insieme degli “effetti territoriali” delle Grandi Strutture di Vendita (GSV) con un approfondimento particolare per le “polarità commerciali pianificate”, usando come caso di studio il contesto regionale della Lombardia anche attraverso gli esiti di alcune recenti esperienze di ricerca curate dal Laboratorio Urb&Com del Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Architettura e Studi Urbani. Per farlo sono stati elaborati dati complessi relativi alle polarità pianificate e alla loro competizione per il presidio del mercato lombardo, identificando le pratiche insediative ricorrenti di queste strutture e i processi di adattamento al conteste regionale di strategie globali sviluppate dagli operatori. Questo approfondimento si è dimostrato un fertile campo di esplorazione, che ha permesso (a.) di definire una metodologia originale di studio delle Grandi Strutture di Vendita e, al contempo, (b.) di elaborare un quadro originale ed aggiornato della situazione lombarda, contributo di conoscenza utile a supportare le future politiche regionali sul tema e le programmazioni settoriali ad esso collegate (attività economiche, mobilità, lavoro, territorio, ecc.).Over the last two decades, the retail sector in Italy suffered a set of transformations that changed the national market. The resulting retail network is not homogeneously distributed over the national space and the presence of a variety of "retail polarities" – different in dynamism, appeal to users and spatial impacts – marks the offer. This contribution is aimed at focusing the impacts of the Grandi Strutture di Vendita (GSV), a typology of retail structures defined by Italian law that gathers together shopping malls, retail parks and large specialty stores. These are intended as "planned retail polarities" because developers need local and regional authorizations in their settlement process. Using the Lombardy Region as a case study and presenting the outcomes of a recent research developed by Urb&Com Lab research team, we propose a reading of several global trends, a new map of these structures and a critical interpretation of these information. Results of this exploration allowed us (a.) to define an original methodology to study GSVs and, at the same time, (b.) to provide an original and updated map of regional situation. This map could contribute to future regional policies on this topic and, more in general, to integrate the current sectoral view on retail to a wider regional agenda (that involve economy, mobility, labor market, sustainability, etc.)

Effect of ultrasound transducer design on the acoustically-assisted supercritical fluid extraction of antioxidants from oregano

[EN] Power ultrasound is applied in food technology to intensify extraction processes, due to the phenomena ultrasonic energy induces in the medium, enhancing mass transfer. The purpose of this work was the acoustic characterization of four transducers of different geometries and the evaluation of their performance in the ultrasonically assisted supercritical fluid extraction of antioxidants from oregano. The transducers differed in the amount of energy transmitted into the medium. Designs varied from the base model (T1), a larger cylindrical headmass (T2), a stepped circular section sonotrode (T3) and a multiplate configuration (T4). The highest nominal power density provided according to the calorimetric method was for T4 (151.6 +/- 7.1 W/L). The T2 produced a more uniform acoustic field and a higher acoustic pressure (150.6 +/- 20.5 kPa). Both parameters had an impact on total phenolics and antioxidants extraction with CO2 under supercritical conditions (35 MPa, 35 degrees C, 2.3% ethanol as co-solvent). T4 and T2 were equally efficient (4.0 +/- 0.2 and 4.2 +/- 0.2 mg GA/g) for phenolic extraction, and with respect to antioxidant capacity, the best performance was that of T4 (26.4 +/- 1.1 mu mol TE/g). Of the antioxidant compounds extracted, flavones and flavanones were identified. Therefore, transducer geometry influenced the amount and distribution of energy transmitted into the medium, thus determining the efficiency of the extraction process.This work was supported by the PROMETEOII\2014\005 project financed by the Generalitat Valenciana (Conselleria d'Educacio, Cultura i Esport, Valencia, Spain).Santos-Zea, L.; Antunes-Ricardo, M.; Gutierrez-Uribe, J.; Garcia-Perez, J.; Benedito Fort, JJ. (2018). Effect of ultrasound transducer design on the acoustically-assisted supercritical fluid extraction of antioxidants from oregano. Ultrasonics Sonochemistry. 47:47-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ultsonch.2018.04.019S47564