Online Learning Algorithm for Time Series Forecasting Suitable for Low Cost Wireless Sensor Networks Nodes

Time series forecasting is an important predictive methodology which can be applied to a wide range of problems. Particularly, forecasting the indoor temperature permits an improved utilization of the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) systems in a home and thus a better energy efficiency. With such purpose the paper describes how to implement an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) algorithm in a low cost system-on-chip to develop an autonomous intelligent wireless sensor network. The present paper uses a Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) to monitor and forecast the indoor temperature in a smart home, based on low resources and cost microcontroller technology as the 8051MCU. An on-line learning approach, based on Back-Propagation (BP) algorithm for ANNs, has been developed for real-time time series learning. It performs the model training with every new data that arrive to the system, without saving enormous quantities of data to create a historical database as usual, i.e., without previous knowledge. Consequently to validate the approach a simulation study through a Bayesian baseline model have been tested in order to compare with a database of a real application aiming to see the performance and accuracy. The core of the paper is a new algorithm, based on the BP one, which has been described in detail, and the challenge was how to implement a computational demanding algorithm in a simple architecture with very few hardware resources.Comment: 28 pages, Published 21 April 2015 at MDPI's journal "Sensors

Assessing heterogeneity in meta-analysis: Q statistic or I2 index?

In meta-analysis, the usual way of assessing whether a set of single studies is homogeneous is by means of the Q test. However, the Q test only informs meta-analysts about the presence versus the absence of heterogeneity, but it does not report on the extent of such heterogeneity. Recently, the I² index has been proposed to quantify the degree of heterogeneity in a meta-analysis. In this article, the performances of the Q test and the confidence interval around the I² index are compared by means of a Monte Carlo simulation. The results show the utility of the I² index as a complement to the Q test, although it has the same problems of power with a small number of studies

Biomechanics of <i>Machaeracanthus</i> pectoral fin spines provide evidence for distinctive spine function and lifestyle among early chondrichthyans

Acanthodians are a major group of Paleaozoic jawed vertebrates that constitute a paraphyletic assemblage of stem-chondrichthyans (Brazeau and Friedman, 2015). Representatives of this group are characterized, among other traits, by the presence of bony spines in front of all paired and median fins except the caudal (Denison, 1979), which has given rise to their colloquial name of 'spiny sharks'. The occurrence of pectoral fin spines is recognized as a potential gnathostome synapomorphy (Miller et al., 2003) or symplesiomorphy (Coates, 2003), being also present in other major groups of Paleaozoic jawed vertebrates, including placoderms (Young, 2010), 'non-acanthodian' chondrichthyans (Miller et al., 2003), and osteichthyans (Zhu et al., 1999). However, this trait was independently lost in the later evolutionary history of these lineages and is absent in most living representatives (Coates, 2003; Miller et al., 2003), with the exception of catfishes (Siluriformes), that acquired pectoral fin spines as an evolutionary reversion (Price et al., 2015). As a consequence, the paucity of living analogsue precludes deriving functional interpretations of those structures and the role that they fulfilled in life remains unclear, despite this having the potential to enrich our understanding on the ecologies and lifestyles of groups of early jawed vertebrates. Machaeracanthus constitutes a genus of acanthodians that ranged from the Late Silurian to the Middle Devonian, which is known from fin spines, scales, and a few endoskeletal remains (Burrow et al., 2010; Botella et al., 2012). The spines of this genus differ from the fin spines of all other acanthodians and sharks in presenting a marked cross-sectional asymmetry and a totally enclosed central canal, which is usually open along the proximal end of the trailing edge in other taxa (Burrow et al., 2010). The description of wear patterns at the tips of pectoral fin spines of Machaeracanthus and their peculiar arrangement in pairs has led some authors to propose that these elements could have been used as 'snow-shoes' to lay on and prevent sinking into the substrate below or even to propel itself along the bottom (Südkamp and Burrow, 2007). Here, we test this hypothesis through beam theory analyses and provide evidence that the biomechanical properties of Machaeracanthus pectoral fin spines are compatible with this interpretation, thus shedding light on the diversity of the functions of these intriguing anatomical structures and the lifestyles of some of the earliest jawed vertebrates

Presencia de la formación en Artes Visuales en los estudios de Grado de Maestro/a de Primaria e Infantil

L’objectiu principal d’aquest estudi és evidenciar l’estructura dels Graus de Mestre d’Educació Primària i d’Infantil. Volem comprovar quina presència tenen les assignatures amb continguts d’Arts Visuals en els estudis de Magisteri a la Comunitat Valenciana. En el món contemporani, cal estudiar i analitzar quina és la situació actual d’aquests estudis per obtenir resultats que ajudin a millorar la formació dels futurs professionals de l’àrea. D’aquesta manera, podran proporcionar una educació de qualitat i seran capaços de comprendre les necessitats dels seus estudiants. Sense aquesta contextualització, realista i fonamentada, és difícil interpretar el paper de l’Educació Artística en la història i evolució d’aquests estudis. Ens interessa demostrar les diferències que s’aprecien entre la formació universitària i l’aplicació en la pràctica a l’escola, és a dir, la gran distància entre els plantejaments polítics de l’Administració i la realitat en el currículum escolar pel que fa a la presència de l’Educació Artística.The main objective of the present study is to evince the structure of the Primary and Early Years Education Teacher Training degrees. We intend to verify the presence of subjects with Visual Arts contents in the Teacher Training studies in the Valencian Community. In our contemporary society, it is necessary to study and analyse the current state of these degrees to obtain results that may help to improve the students’ training as future professionals in this area. Evaluating the initial training that these students receive, we can propose actions to improve their competence in the workplace so they will be able to provide a high-quality education and to understand their students’ needs. Without a realistic and substantiated contextualisation, it is difficult to interpret the role of Arts Education throughout the history and evolution of these degrees. We are interested in demonstrating the differences between university education and application in school practice as there seems to be a great distance between the political approaches of the Administration and the reality regarding the presence of Arts Education in the school curriculum.El objetivo principal del presente estudio es evidenciar la estructura de los Grados de Maestro/a de Educación Primaria y de Infantil. Pretendemos comprobar qué presencia tienen las asignaturas con contenidos de Artes Visuales en los estudios de Magisterio dentro del territorio de la Comunidad Valenciana. En el mundo contemporáneo, se hace necesario estudiar y analizar cuál es la situación actual de estos estudios para obtener resultados que ayuden a mejorar la formación de los futuros profesionales del área. Evaluando la formación inicial que recibe este alumnado, podremos plantear acciones que mejoren su competencia en el mundo laboral. Así, podrán proporcionar una educación de calidad y serán capaces de comprender las necesidades de su alumnado escolar. Sin esta contextualización, realista y fundamentada, es difícil interpretar cuál es el lugar que ha ocupado la Educación Artística en la historia y evolución de estos estudios. Nos interesa demostrar las diferencias que se aprecian, entre la formación universitaria y la aplicación en la práctica de la escuela así como la gran distancia que existe entre los planteamientos políticos de la Administración y la realidad en el currículum escolar en cuanto a la presencia de la Educación Artística

Assessment of the implantation of day-2 human embryos by morphometric nonsubjective parameters

Discuss: You can discuss this article with its authors and with other ASRM members at http:// fertstertforum.com/molinai-implantation-morphometric-nonsubjective/Objective: To demonstrate the usefulness of image analysis in designing objective embryonic morphometric variables. Design: Retrospective study of 214 top-quality day-2 embryo photographs from 50 double-embryo transfers resulting in no pregnancy (group 0) and 57 resulting in twin pregnancy (group 1). Setting: Human reproduction unit. Patient(s): Study of 107 in vitro fertilization intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF ICSI) cycles in women age<36 years with doubleembryo transfer of top-quality embryos. Only the first cycle of IVF ICSI was included. Intervention(s): Standard IVF ICSI protocols. Main Outcome Measure(s): The embryo photographs were analyzed using the ImageJ program. The effects of the embryo variables and the clinical variables on embryo implantation were evaluated using a stepwise dichotomous logistic regression. Result(s): Significant differences were observed, owing to the women's ages, internal perimeter, roundness factor, and zona pellucida thickness. Embryos with smaller internal perimeter, circular shape, and thinner zona pellucida were more likely to implant. Conclusion(s): Morphometric variables lower the subjectivity of the current embryo grading systems. These variables are nonsubjective factors to consider when predicting implantation. Embryo image analysis is an accurate tool that can improve IVF ICSI outcomes and reduce the number of twin pregnancies. (Fertil Steril 2014;102:1022 8. 2014 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.) Key Words: Embryo selection, embryo score, morphological and morphometric embryo variables, images analysis, embryo implantation, embryo grading systemsMolina Botella, MI.; Martinez-Sanchez, JV.; Pertusa, J.; Balasch Parisi, S.; Iniesta, I.; Pellicer, A. (2014). Assessment of the implantation of day-2 human embryos by morphometric nonsubjective parameters. Fertility and Sterility. 102(4):1022-1027. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.06.026S10221027102

Functional assessment of morphological homoplasy in stem-gnathostomes

Osteostraci and Galeaspida are stem-gnathostomes, occupying a key phylogenetic position for resolving the nature of the jawless ancestor from which jawed vertebrates evolved more than 400 million years ago. Both groups are characterized by the presence of rigid headshields that share a number of common morphological traits, in some cases hindering the resolution of their interrelationships and the exact nature of their affinities with jawed vertebrates. Here, we explore the morphological and functional diversity of osteostracan and galeaspid headshields using geometric morphometrics and computational fluid dynamics to constrain the factors that promoted the evolution of their similar morphologies and informing on the ecological scenario under which jawed vertebrates emerged. Phylomorphospace, Mantel analysis and Stayton metrics demonstrate a high degree of homoplasy. Computational fluid dynamics reveals similar hydrodynamic performance among morphologically convergent species, indicating the independent acquisition of the same morphofunctional traits and, potentially, equivalent lifestyles. These results confirm that a number of the characters typically used to infer the evolutionary relationships among galeaspids, osteostracans and jawed vertebrates are convergent in nature, potentially obscuring understanding of the assembly of the gnathostome bodyplan. Ultimately, our results reveal that while the jawless relatives of the earliest jawed vertebrates were ecologically diverse, widespread convergence on the same hydrodynamic adaptations suggests they had reached the limits of their potential ecological diversity—overcome by jawed vertebrates and their later innovations