CAOS Coach 2006 Simulation Team: An Opponent Modelling Approach

Agent technology represents a very interesting new means for analyzing, designing and building complex software systems. Nowadays, agent modelling in multi-agent systems is increasingly becoming more complex and significant. RoboCup Coach Competition is an exciting competition in the RoboCup Soccer League and its main goal is to encourage research in multii-agent modelling. This paper describes a novel method used by the team CAOS (CAOS Coach 2006 Simulation Team) in this competition. The objective of the team is to model successfully the behaviour of a multi-agent system

Tailoring Organic-Organic Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) Microparticles and Fibers with Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes for Reinforced Composites

Polymeric-based microparticles and fibers are tailorable for a wide range of common industrial and biomedical applications, while multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are among the most useful macromolecules based on their outstanding electronic, mechanical, and optical properties at the nanoscale. If one combines these nanostructures with various polymeric precursors, their range of potential applications becomes even greater. One of the simplest and most affordable methods for fabricating micro- and nanostructures is electrospinning. Herein we demonstrate how MWCNTs may be used to produce tailor-made organic-organic poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) microparticles and fibers via electrospinning by studying their structural, vibrational, rheological, and mechanical properties' dependence on their solvent (ethanol (EtOH) or dimethylformamide (DMF)) and resulting morphology. Specifically, we find clear differences in morphologies from perfectly spherical and isolated microparticles to fibers mats, or a combination of fibers with entangled beads, with solvent type and concentration. On the basis of our findings, we propose that the mechanism governing the shape and size of the particles is a competition between the solvent's surface tension, dielectric constant, and viscoelastic properties. We show, based on both our experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, that OH functionalization of the MWCNTs is essential for achieving high PVP coverages and promoting the stability of the resulting PVP/MWCNT nanocomposite. Finally, by fabricating PVP/MWCNT fiber mats, we demonstrate that low concentrations (0.01-0.1 wt %) of MWCNTs led to a qualitative improvement (â250%) in the resulting mechanical properties, i.e., a reinforced composite. These results show how by controlling the solvent's dielectric constant, surface tension, and polymer concentration, one may produce tailor-made polymeric nanomaterials in combination with other organic/inorganic nanoparticles, i.e., silver, gold, or carbon allotropes, for next-generation applications

Un nuevo conjunto de datos para la detección de roya en cultivos de café Colombianos basado en clasificadores

Coffee production is the main agricultural activity in Colombia. More than 350.000 Colombian families depend on coffee harvest. Since coffee rust disease was first reported in the country in 1983, these families have had to face severe consequences. Recently, machine learning approaches have built a dataset for monitoring coffee rust incidence that involves weather conditions and physic crop properties. This background encouraged us to build a dataset for coffee rust detection in Colombian crops through data mining process as Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining (CRISP-DM). In this paper we define a proper data to generate accurate models; once the dataset is built, this is tested using classifiers as: Support Vector Regression, Backpropagation Neural Networks and Regression Trees.La producción de café es la principal actividad agrícola en Colombia. Más de 350.000 familias colombianas dependen de la cosecha de café. En este sentido, la roya fue reportada por primera vez en el país en 1983, y desde entonces estas familias han tenido que enfrentar graves consecuencias. Recientemente, diversos enfoques basados en aprendizaje automático han construido un conjunto de datos para el monitoreo de la incidencia de la roya del café, teniendo en cuenta las condiciones climáticas y las propiedades físicas de los cultivos. Estas investigaciones motivaron la creación de un conjunto de datos para la detección de la roya en cultivos Colombianos a través del proceso de minería de datos CRISP-DM. En este trabajo se definió un conjunto de datos con el objetivo de generar clasificadores precisos; una vez construido el conjunto de datos, fue probado mediante tres clasificadores: Maquinas de vector de regresión, Redes neuronales con propagación hacia atrás y Árboles de regresión

Patterns of Beta Diversity of Vascular Plants and Their Correspondence With Biome Boundaries Across North America

Understanding why species composition and diversity varies spatially and with environmental variation is a long-standing theme in macroecological research. Numerous hypotheses have been generated to explain species and phylogenetic diversity gradients. Much less attention has been invested in explaining patterns of beta diversity. Biomes boundaries are thought to represent major shifts in abiotic variables accompanied by vegetation patterns and composition as a consequence of long-term interactions between the environment and the diversification and sorting of species. Using North American plant distribution data, phylogenetic information and three functional traits (SLA, seed mass, and plant height), we explicitly tested whether beta diversity is associated with biome boundaries and the extent to which two components of beta diversity—turnover and nestedness—for three dimensions of biodiversity (taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional)—are associated with contrasting environments and linked to different patterns of historical climatic stability. We found that dimensions of vascular plant beta diversity are strongly coupled and vary considerably across North America, with turnover more influential in biomes with higher species richness and greater environmental stability and nestedness more influential in species-poor biomes characterized by high environmental variability. These results can be interpreted to indicate that in harsher climates with less stability explain beta diversity, while in warmer, wetter more stable climates, patterns of endemism associated with speciation processes, as well as local environmental sorting processes, contribute to beta diversity. Similar to prior studies, we conclude that patterns of similarity among communities and biomes reflects biogeographic legacies of how vascular plant diversity arose and was shaped by historical and ecological processes

La concepción de ciencia del docente en formación y su pertinencia con los desafíos actuales

Dada la naturaleza dinámica y evolutiva que ha adquirido en la actualidad el saber científico, y su repercusión directa en la tecnología y la sociedad, surge la inquietud por explorar la visión de ciencia que tienen los docentes en formación de ciencias naturales de Venezuela. Para reflexionar en torno a esto, se realizó una investigación exploratoria de carácter documental y de campo, encontrando que los docentes en formación tienen una sola visión del concepto de ciencia como método sistemático y reduccionista. Investigaciones de esta naturaleza, permiten reflexionar en torno a los cambios que requiere la formación inicial y continua de los futuros docentes, a fin de formar profesionales conscientes del valor y las relaciones entre ciencia, tecnología y sociedad, tendiendo hacia la humanización de la ciencia de acuerdo a los grandes desafíos de la sociedad del milenio

Elizabeth Irene Reiser, By And Through Her Guardian, Richard E. Reiser And Eleanor Reiser v. Richard Lohner And Howard Francis, Medical Doctors, And Provo Obstetrical And Gynecology Clinic, Inc., A Professional Corporation : Brief of Defendants-Respondents

Appeal from a Verdict of the Fourth Judicial District Court of Utah County, State of Utah Honorable James S. Sawaya, Presidin

Afectaciones en la producción de cerdos en una granja comercial en el noreste de México

ESPAÑOL: Al evaluar la productividad de cerdas de una granja comercial en el noreste de México para el número de parto, solamente se presentó un efecto (P< 0.05) sobre el intervalo destetecelo. Se presentó un efecto significativo (P <0.05) de la línea materna sobre el intervalo destete-celo y el intervalo entre partos. El grupo de año influyó sobre el intervalo destetecelo, y se obtuvieron los valores más bajos en los grupos 1992 -1994, 1995-1997 y 2004-2006. En cuanto a la época de servicio, no se encontraron efectos significativos para las variables estudiadas. Con relación a los factores ambientales es importante considerarlos desde el punto de vista reproductivo en este tipo de granja comercial. ENGLISH: In assessing the productivity of sows from a commercial farm in northeastern Mexico for parity number, only the effect on the interval from weaning to estrus was significant (P <0.05). There was a significant effect (P <0.05) in the maternal line on weaning-estrus interval and calving interval. Year group influenced the weaning-estrus interval, obtaining the lowest values in the groups 1992 -1994, 1995-1997, and 2004-2006. As for the time of service, no significant effects were found for the variables studied. With regard to environmental factors it is important to consider them from the point of view in this kind of commercial farms

Response of ceramic microbial fuel cells to direct anodic airflow and novel hydrogel cathodes

© 2019 The Authors The presence of air in the anode chamber of microbial fuel cells (MFCs)might be unavoidable in some applications. This study purposely exposed the anodic biofilm to air for sustained cycles using ceramic cylindrical MFCs. A method for improving oxygen uptake at the cathode by utilising hydrogel was also trialled. MFCs only dropped by 2 mV in response to the influx of air. At higher air-flow rates (up to 1.1 L/h)after 43–45 h, power did eventually decrease because chemical oxygen demand (COD)was being consumed (up to 96% reduction), but recovered immediately with fresh feedstock, highlighting no permanent damage to the biofilm. Two months after the application of hydrogel to the cathode chamber, MFC power increased 182%, due to better contact between cathode and ceramic surface. The results suggest a novel way of improving MFC performance using hydrogels, and demonstrates the robustness of the electro-active biofilm both during and following exposure to air