Defining human-machine micro-task workflows for constitution making

This paper presents a novel task-oriented approach to crowdsource the drafting of a constitution. By considering micro-tasking as a particular form of crowdsourcing, it defines a workflow-based approach based on Onto2Flow, an ontology that models the basic concepts and roles to represent workflow-definitions. The approach is then applied to a prototype platform for constitution-making where human workers are requested to contribute to a set of tasks. The paper concludes by discussing previous approaches to participatory constitution-making and identifying areas for future work.This work is part-funded by FEDER Funds, by the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) through the COMPETE Programme (Operational Programme for Competitiveness) and by National Funds through the FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-028980 (PTDC/EEI-SII/1386/2012). The work of Nuno Luz is supported by the doctoral grant SFRH/BD/70302/2010. The work of Marta Poblet draws from previous research within the framework of the project “Crowdsourcing: instrumentos semánticos para el desarrollo de la participación y la mediación online” (DER 2012-39492-C02-01) by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Egg Intake during Carbohydrate Restriction Alters Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Inflammation and Cholesterol Homeostasis in Metabolic Syndrome

Egg yolk contains bioactive components that improve plasma inflammatory markers and HDL profiles in metabolic syndrome (MetS) under carbohydrate restriction. We further sought to determine whether egg yolk intake affects peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) inflammation and cholesterol homeostasis in MetS, as HDL and its associated lipid transporter ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) reduce the inflammatory potential of leukocytes through modulation of cellular cholesterol content and distribution. Thirty-seven men and women classified with MetS consumed a moderate carbohydrate-restricted diet (25%–30% of energy) for 12 weeks, in addition to consuming either three whole eggs per day (EGG) or the equivalent amount of yolk-free egg substitute (SUB). Interestingly, lipopolysaccharide-induced PBMC IL-1β and TNFα secretion increased from baseline to week 12 in the SUB group only, despite increases in PBMC toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA expression in the EGG group. Compared to baseline, ABCA1 and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase mRNA expression increased by week 12 in the EGG group only, whereas changes in PBMC total cholesterol positively correlated with changes in lipid raft content. Together, these findings suggest that intake of whole eggs during carbohydrate restriction alters PBMC inflammation and cholesterol homeostasis in MetS

Egg Intake during Carbohydrate Restriction Alters Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Inflammation and Cholesterol Homeostasis in Metabolic Syndrome

Egg yolk contains bioactive components that improve plasma inflammatory markers and HDL profiles in metabolic syndrome (MetS) under carbohydrate restriction. We further sought to determine whether egg yolk intake affects peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) inflammation and cholesterol homeostasis in MetS, as HDL and its associated lipid transporter ATP-binding cassette transporter A1 (ABCA1) reduce the inflammatory potential of leukocytes through modulation of cellular cholesterol content and distribution. Thirty-seven men and women classified with MetS consumed a moderate carbohydrate-restricted diet (25%–30% of energy) for 12 weeks, in addition to consuming either three whole eggs per day (EGG) or the equivalent amount of yolk-free egg substitute (SUB). Interestingly, lipopolysaccharide-induced PBMC IL-1β and TNFα secretion increased from baseline to week 12 in the SUB group only, despite increases in PBMC toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA expression in the EGG group. Compared to baseline, ABCA1 and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase mRNA expression increased by week 12 in the EGG group only, whereas changes in PBMC total cholesterol positively correlated with changes in lipid raft content. Together, these findings suggest that intake of whole eggs during carbohydrate restriction alters PBMC inflammation and cholesterol homeostasis in MetS

Green function approach for scattering quantum walks

In this work a Green function approach for scattering quantum walks is developed. The exact formula has the form of a sum over paths and always can be cast into a closed analytic expression for arbitrary topologies and position dependent quantum amplitudes. By introducing the step and path operators, it is shown how to extract any information about the system from the Green function. The method relevant features are demonstrated by discussing in details an example, a general diamond-shaped graph.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, this article was selected by APS for Virtual Journal of Quantum Information, Vol 11, Iss 11 (2011

Aspectos fitossanitários em olival na Beira Interior Norte e na Beira Interior Sul

Comunicação oral apresentada no 6.º Encontro Nacional de Protecção Integrada que decorreu em Castelo Branco, na Escola Superior Agrária do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, no âmbito do painel sobre o OlivalPara uma análise dos problemas fitossanitários do olival na Beira Interior foram realizados observações e estimativas do risco, em 2002, em quatro olivais na Beira Interior Norte e outros quatro na Beira Interior Sul. Os olivais da Beira Interior Norte ficam localizados nos concelhos de Seia, Pinhel, Guarda e Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo e os da Beira Interior Sul nos concelhos de Penamacor, Fundão, Proença-a-Nova e Vila Velha de Ródão. Os inimigos mais importantes e para que foram feitas estimativas do risco foram: gafa, olho de pavão, mosca-da-azeitona, traça-da-oliveira e cochonilha-negra. Em todos os olivais foram encontrados todos os inimigos avaliados, mas com pouca expressão para o olho de pavão nos olivais da cultivar Galega. Os dados da estimativa do risco são apresentados, assim como o número das intervenções químicas que foram necessárias realizar. São discutidas e comparadas as intervenções realizadas

O SIG como apoio ao ordenamento de florestas naturais.

Resumo

A novel procedure for precise quantification of Schistosoma japonicum eggs in bovine feces

Schistosomiasis japonica is a zoonosis with a number of mammalian species acting as reservoir hosts, including water buffaloes which can contribute up to 75% to human transmission in the People's Republic of China. Determining prevalence and intensity of Schistosoma japonicum in mammalian hosts is important for calculating transmission rates and determining environmental contamination. A new procedure, the formalin-ethyl acetate sedimentation-digestion (FEA-SD) technique, for increased visualization of S. japonicum eggs in bovine feces, is described that is an effective technique for identifying and quantifying S. japonicum eggs in fecal samples from naturally infected Chinese water buffaloes and from carabao (water buffalo) in the Philippines. The procedure involves filtration, sedimentation, potassium hydroxide digestion and centrifugation steps prior to microscopy. Bulk debris, including the dense cellulosic material present in bovine feces, often obscures schistosome eggs with the result that prevalence and infection intensity based on direct visualization cannot be made accurately. This technique removes nearly 70% of debris from the fecal samples and renders the remaining debris translucent. It allows improved microscopic visualization of S. japonicum eggs and provides an accurate quantitative method for the estimation of infection in bovines and other ruminant reservoir hosts. We show that the FEA-SD technique could be of considerable value if applied as a surveillance tool for animal reservoirs of S. japonicum, particularly in areas with low to high infection intensity, or where, following control efforts, there is suspected elimination of schistosomiasis japonica.This work was partially supported by the following grants: The National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (grant No. 2007AA02Z153), and National Science and Technology Major Program (grant Nos. 2009ZX10004-302, 2008ZX10004-011)

Long-oligomer microarray profiling in Neurospora crassa reveals the transcriptional program underlying biochemical and physiological events of conidial germination

To test the inferences of spotted microarray technology against a biochemically well-studied process, we performed transcriptional profiling of conidial germination in the filamentous fungus, Neurospora crassa. We first constructed a 70 base oligomer microarray that assays 3366 predicted genes. To estimate the relative gene expression levels and changes in gene expression during conidial germination, we analyzed a circuit design of competitive hybridizations throughout a time course using a Bayesian analysis of gene expression level. Remarkable consistency of mRNA profiles with previously published northern data was observed. Genes were hierarchically clustered into groups with respect to their expression profiles over the time course of conidial germination. A functional classification database was employed to characterize the global picture of gene expression. Consensus motif searches identified a putative regulatory component associated with genes involved in ribosomal biogenesis. Our transcriptional profiling data correlate well with biochemical and physiological processes associated with conidial germination and will facilitate functional predictions of novel genes in N.crassa and other filamentous ascomycete species. Furthermore, our dataset on conidial germination allowed comparisons to transcriptional mechanisms associated with germination processes of diverse propagules, such as teliospores of the phytopathogenic fungus Ustilago maydis and spores of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum

Anomalous quantum chaotic behavior in nanoelectromechanical structures

It is predicted that for sufficiently strong electron-phonon coupling an anomalous quantum chaotic behavior develops in certain types of suspended electro-mechanical nanostructures, here comprised by a thin cylindrical quantum dot (billiard) on a suspended rectangular dielectric plate. The deformation potential and piezoelectric interactions are considered. As a result of the electron-phonon coupling between the two systems the spectral statistics of the electro-mechanic eigenenergies exhibit an anomalous behavior. If the center of the quantum dot is located at one of the symmetry axes of the rectangular plate, the energy level distributions correspond to the Gaussian Orthogonal Ensemble (GOE), otherwise they belong to the Gaussian Unitary Ensemble (GUE), even though the system is time-reversal invariant.Comment: 4 pages, pdf forma

The classical limit for a class of quantum baker's maps

We show that the class of quantum baker's maps defined by Schack and Caves have the proper classical limit provided the number of momentum bits approaches infinity. This is done by deriving a semi-classical approximation to the coherent-state propagator.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure