On the Use of Second Order Neighbors to Escape from Local Optima

Designing efficient local search based algorithms requires to consider the specific properties of the problems. We introduce a simple and effi- cient strategy, the Extended Reach, that escapes from local optima ob- tained from a best improvement local search and apply it to the linear ordering problem (LOP), the traveling salesperson problem (TSP) and the quadratic assignment problem (QAP). This strategy is based on two landscape properties observed in the literature. First, it considers that a local optimum is usually located in the frontier of its own attraction basin, and thus, it is enough to inspect the second order neighbors to reach a (better) solution inside an attraction basin of a better local optimum. Second, taking into account that for the LOP and specific neighborhoods it is possible to discard solutions without the need of being evaluated, we extend this result to the TSP with the 2-opt neighborhood to avoid the unnecessary evaluation of solutions. Efficient ways of evaluating the second order neighbors are also presented, based on the cost differences, reducing significantly the computation cost. Experimental results on ran- dom and benchmark instances show that our strategy, indeed, escapes from local optima despite its simplicity.PID2019-104966GB-I00 AXA Research Fun

Sistemas de agua potable para poblaciones rurales en la región litoral del Ecuador

Este artículo se fundamenta en el trabajo de tesis que he realizado, escogiendo uno de mis proyectos ejecutados en actividades de trabajo en el área rural de la Costa Ecuatoriana. Debo indicar que el proyecto en mención consistió en elaborar un estudio final y realizar la instalación del Sistema de Abastecimiento de Agua Potable para el Recinto San Antonio de Playas, así también, me permito transmitir mi experiencia técnica obtenida en proyectos de agua potable en zonas rurales, que poseen una aplicación práctica y que responde a las necesidades técnicas, económicas, sociales y culturales de la región en mención. Los análisis tanto de la información general en su fase inicial, como los parámetros de diseño para llevar a cabo la ejecución de un proyecto, la desarrollaremos en el siguiente artículo; contribuyendo además, a orientar a los proyectistas, a mejorar la recopilación y manejo de información, para que se garantice una buena ejecución y operación de los sistemas, así como la sostenibilidad de los proyectos

POTENCIAL PRODUCTIVO DE Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, BAJO CONDICIONES DE RIEGO EN MÉXICO

The increase in the national and international demand and low availability of prime materials of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) has generated initiatives to identify surfaces for its cultivation. To define the agroclimate conditions, a database in the *.shp format about soils, climate types, precipitation, temperature and altitude, was analyzed, to locate potential areas with suboptimal and optimal conditions. Based on the methodology used, in México there are more than three millions of hectares in suboptimal condition and more than one million in suboptimal level, so it is feasible to increase the cultivation of stevia in México, particularly in the region of the Pacific, Gulf and to a lesser degree in the Yucatan Peninsula.El aumento en la demanda nacional e internacional y la baja disposición de materia prima de estevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) ha generado iniciativas para identificar superficies para su cultivo. Para definir las condiciones agroclimáticas se analizó una base de datos en formato *.shp sobre suelos, tipos de clima, precipitación, temperatura y altitud, para ubicar áreas potenciales con condiciones subóptimas y óptimas. En base a la metodología utilizada, en México existen más de tres millones de hectáreas en condición óptima y más de un millón en nivel subóptimo, por lo que es factible aumentar en México, sobre todo en la región del Pacífico, Golfo y en menor medida en la Península de Yucatán el cultivo de estevia

LA PRODUCCIÓN DE Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni EN MÉXICO

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana, Bertoni) is a species originally from Paraguay and Brazil, which has been used for centuries as sweetener and as medicinal plant by the Guaraní indigenous people who call it in their native language Ka’a Heê (sweet herb). Although the leaves can be used on their own to sweeten, there are industrial processes used to extract the sweeteners. Currently, the food and pharmaceutical industry has shown great interest in this plant because the sweeteners that it contains do not contribute calories. The intense and marked sweet flavor of stevia is due primarily to chemical compounds called generically steviol glucosides, which are 250 to 300 times sweeter than sucrose. Relevant aspects about its management are explained, with the purpose of guiding producers in MéxicoLa estevia (Stevia rebaudiana, Bertoni) es una especie originaria del Paraguay y Brasil, la cual ha sido usada desde hace siglos como edulcorante y como planta medicinal por los indios guaraníes llamada en su lengua Ka’a Heê (Yerba dulce). Si bien las hojas por sí mismas pueden utilizarse para endulzar, existen procesos industriales para extraer los edulcorantes. Actualmente la industria alimentaria y farmacéutica ha mostrado gran interés en esta planta debido a que los edulcorantes que contiene no aportan calorías. El intenso y marcado sabor dulce de la estevia se debe principalmente a compuestos químicos denominados de forma genérica como glucósidos de esteviol, que son 250 a 300 veces más dulces que la sacarosa. Se anotan aspectos relevantes de su manejo con el fin de orientar a productores de México

GIBRALTAR, SPAIN AND THE UNITED KINGDOM IN THE BREXIT NEGOTIATION: OLD PROBLEMS, NEW SOLUTIONS?

El Brexit viene plagado de retos e incertidumbres. Algunos de ellos atañen directamente a Gibraltar, cuya población y autoridades están siendo testigos, no sin cierto temor, de un proceso que podría desposeerles de su privilegiado y singular régimen en Europa. El establecimiento de las bases de la futura relación de Gibraltar con la UE requerirá de acuerdos separados entre la UE y Reino Unido, que deberán contar, en todo caso, con el visto bueno previo de España. En este trabajo se analiza el régimen transitorio acordado para Gibraltar hasta la salida definitiva del Reino Unido de la Unión Europea a la par que se propone un nuevo modelo jurídico internacional y europeo para Gibraltar, capaz de asentar las bases sobre las que resolver de manera definitiva la controversia territorial a medio-largo plazo.The Brexit comes full of challenges and uncertainties. Some of them directly concern Gibraltar, whose population and authorities are witnessing, not without some fear, a process that could dispossess them of their privileged and unique regime in Europe. The establishment of the foundations of the future relationship of Gibraltar with the EU will require separate agreements between the EU and the United Kingdom, which must, in any case, have the prior approval of Spain. This paper analyzes the transitional regime agreed for Gibraltar until the definitive departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, while proposing a new international and European legal model for Gibraltar, capable of laying the foundations on which to resolve definitively the medium-long term territorial controversy

Herpetofauna en dos sitios en el municipio de Soto la Marina, Tamaulipas, México

We conducted a herpetofaunal study from November 2009 to July 2010 on the ranches El Herradero and San Jose de los Leones, both in the municipality of Soto la Marina, in the centraleastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, northeastern Mexico. Their location corresponds to a peninsula surrounded by the Laguna Madre. The objectives were to conduct a herpetological inventory and to determine the distribution of the species in the plant communities and the status of each species following the criteria of the NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010. The information will be useful in delineating an area to set aside for conservation easement for the species. We followed the transect method described by Campbell & Christman (1982). We recorded 17 species: one anuran, one crocodile, six turtles, three lizards and six snakes. Of these, eight are new records for the municipality of Soto la Marina, 10 species are at risk, six are of special concern, three are threatened, and one is endangered. The ranches contain 34.69% of the herpetofauna species present in the municipality.Se realizó un estudio herpetofaunístico en los ranchos El Herradero y San José de los Leones ambos ubicados en el municipio de Soto la Marina, en la porción central-oriental del estado de Tamaulipas al Noreste de México. Estos predios se ubican en una forma de península rodeada por agua perteneciente a la Laguna Madre. Los objetivos fueron: realizar un inventario herpetológico, determinar la asociación de la herpetofauna con las comunidades vegetales y determinar el estatus de cada una de las especies de acuerdo a la NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010. Lo anterior con la finalidad de que el área ocupada por los ranchos sea para establecer sitios de conservación como servidumbre ecológica de especies. Se siguió el muestreo de transectos descrito por Campbell & Christman (1982). El estudio se realizó desde noviembre de 2009 hasta julio de 2010. Se registraron 17 especies: un anuro, seis tortugas, un cocodrilo, tres lagartijas y seis serpientes. De estos, ocho son nuevos reportes para el municipio de Soto la Marina, y de acuerdo con la NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010 se reportaron 10 especies donde seis se encuentran Sujetas a Protección Especial, tres se encuentran Amenazadas y una en Peligro de Extinción. Los ranchos cuentan con 34.69% de las especies de herpetofauna presente en el municipio

Distributional and Ecological Notes on the Halfbeaks of Eastern Gulf of Mexico, with a Provisional Key for Their Identification

Several fishes of the halfbeak genus Hyporhamphus occurring in the Mexican Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea have been misidentified or confused in the literature. Most of it has centered around the taxonomic status of H. unifasciatus (including its synonym H. roberti), which is shown to comprise a complex of three species, H. unifasciatus, the recently described H. meeki, from the western Atlantic region, and an undescribed species from the eastern Pacific Ocean. Another eastern Mexico halfbeak is the freshwater form H. mexicanus. Using Banford and Collette (1993), we examined specimens from collections at UANL, UNAM, IPN, and ECOCH and have clarified the Mexican distribution of these species. We here report additional Mexican records of H. meeki, previously known only from United States waters and from the coast of Yucatán, clarify the distribution of H. unifasciatus, and provide the first marine record of the freshwater species H. mexicanus. A distribution map and keys for identification of the eastern Mexican species are provided

Assessing Child-to-Parent Violence With the Child-to-Parent Violence Questionnaire, Parents’ Version (CPV-Q-P): Factor Structure, Prevalence, and Reasons

Child-to-parent violence has dramatically risen in the last decade, becoming a concerning issue in many countries, so research on this issue has also increased. However, most of the studies on this topic have been conducted with samples of adolescents, and very few with samples of parents. In addition, the variety of assessment instruments does not reflect the elements of this type of violence. Thus, the current study was aimed to examine the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Child-to-parent Violence Questionnaire, parents’ version (CPV-Q-P), in a sample of Spanish parents of adolescents. Moreover, the prevalence rates of the different types of violence and the reasons for violence were also examined. A total of 1,012 Spanish parents of adolescents aged between 12 and 17 years old (55.1% mothers, 44.9% fathers) were assessed using the CPV-Q-P. Data indicated a matrix of four factors with 14 items, assessing psychological violence, physical violence, financial violence, and control/domain over parents, and two factors with 8 items capturing the reasons for child-to-parent violence (instrumental and reactive), with adequate psychometric properties. The more frequent type of violence was control and domain over parents, followed by psychological, financial, and physical violence, with no significant differences between mothers and fathers. Otherwise, instrumental reasons were more frequent than reactive types, with no differences between mothers and fathers. The CPV-Q-P is a useful instrument to assess child-to-parent violence from the parents’ perspective in both professional and research settings.This work is part of the Project “Parents battered by their children: a study from the victim’s perspective”, funded by the Institute of Giennenses Studies of Jaén Provincial Council, Spain, Projects 2018 (Instituto de Estudios Giennenses de la Diputación Provincial de Jaén, Proyectos 2018)