Knowledge Acquisition by Networks of Interacting Agents in the Presence of Observation Errors

In this work we investigate knowledge acquisition as performed by multiple agents interacting as they infer, under the presence of observation errors, respective models of a complex system. We focus the specific case in which, at each time step, each agent takes into account its current observation as well as the average of the models of its neighbors. The agents are connected by a network of interaction of Erd\H{o}s-Renyi or Barabasi-Albert type. First we investigate situations in which one of the agents has a different probability of observation error (higher or lower). It is shown that the influence of this special agent over the quality of the models inferred by the rest of the network can be substantial, varying linearly with the respective degree of the agent with different estimation error. In case the degree of this agent is taken as a respective fitness parameter, the effect of the different estimation error is even more pronounced, becoming superlinear. To complement our analysis, we provide the analytical solution of the overall behavior of the system. We also investigate the knowledge acquisition dynamic when the agents are grouped into communities. We verify that the inclusion of edges between agents (within a community) having higher probability of observation error promotes the loss of quality in the estimation of the agents in the other communities.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. A working manuscrip

Intrahepatic Colangiocarcinoma

Introdução: o colangiocarcinoma intra-hepático (CCIhp) é um tumor maligno raro, normalmente diagnosticado num estadio avançado. São objectivos deste estudo avaliar os resultados da terapêutica do CCIhp e os factores prognósticos com significado estatístico na sobrevida de doentes com esta entidade nosológica tratados no nosso Serviço. Material e métodos: Vinte e um doentes submetidos a tratamento por CCIhp nos últimos anos, dos quais onze foram operados com intuitos curativos: quatro hepatectomias esquerdas, duas hepatectomias esquerdas alargadas aos segmentos V e VIII, duas hepatectomias direitas, duas bissegmentectomias e uma trissegmentectomia. Resultados: a mortalidade per-operatória foi de 0% e a pós-operatória (três meses) de 6%. As sobrevidas cumulativas aos 5 anos foram de 14% no total da população, 26% nos doentes submetidos a cirurgia com intuitos curativos e 26% para a sobrevida cumulativa livre de doença. Observou-se recidiva tumoral hepática em cinco doentes, a qual ocorreu aos 1,09 ± 0,82 anos (limites: 0,24-2,08). Os factores que influenciaram a sobrevida da globalidade dos doentes foram o tratamento cirúrgico com intuitos curativos (p=0,028), a presença de invasão vascular (p=0,002) e o valor da fosfatase alcalina no momento do diagnóstico (p=0,044). Entre os doentes operados com intuitos curativos, a presença de invasão vascular influenciou a sobrevida global (p=0,025) e a sobrevida livre de doença (p=0,002). Conclusões: A ressecção cirúrgica com intuitos curativos aumentou, de forma estatisticamente significativa, a sobrevida dos doentes com CCIhp. No entanto, sendo o diagnóstico geralmente tardio, apenas uma pequena percentagem destes doentes pode beneficiar deste tratamento.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sistemas agroflorestais agroecológicos em Rondônia: classes de solos e crescimento de espécies florestais.

Sistemas agroflorestais são associações de cultivos anuais com espécies florestais e em alguns casos pastagens e/ou animais, escalonados no tempo e no espaço. Este trabalho teve por objetivo caracterizar alguns sistemas agroflorestais agroecológicos em Rondônia do ponto de vista da classe de solo e crescimento de espécies florestais. Foram visitados 24 sistemas em seis municípios, as áreas georeferenciadas, elaborado mapa de classe de solos e avaliados crescimento em altura e DAP de espécies florestais. Foi verificado que apesar do nível de fertilidade do solo ser considerado suficiente em alguns locais, o crescimento das espécies foi prejudicado pelo espaçamento inadequado. Os sistemas estudados estão situados em sua maioria em Latossolo Vermelho Eutrófico, e apenas um em Cambissolo Háplico Distrófico

Emotional responses to motion sickness in autonomous driving

In future autonomous cars, users, free from the primary task of driving, will have time and space to engage in other activities while traveling, such as reading a book, working on a laptop or watching a movie. Although the option for these activities are one of the great advantages of autonomous cars, this will also likely increase motion sickness (MS) inside the car. MS affects numerous individuals, and it occurs when the information received through the eyes differs from what is perceived by the body and the inner ear. Plus, MS can have an impact on the emotional component of the individuals experiencing it, making the experience of traveling in autonomous cars uncomfortable and difficult. Emotional design studies focus on the emotional response of individuals to a product or service. These studies typically employ self-report scales as assessment tools, such as SAM (Self-Assessment Manikin) and PrEmo (Product Emotion Measurement instrument). We present the first study measuring emotional responses to MS using both SAM and PrEmo scales. In our study, we induced MS by asking participants to watch a highly dynamic video of a first-person car trip. We also asked subjects to answer to SAM and PrEmo before and after the visualization of the video. Our results showed a change in the answers in time, that is, before vs. after the experience of MS. MS significantly altered individuals' emotional responses, worsening their condition. These results support the need for studies that reduce MS to improve the experience and well-being of individuals in autonomous cars.Landscape, Heritage and Territory Laboratory (Lab2PT), Ref. UID/04509/2020, financed by national funds (PIDDAC) through the FCT/MCTES and the European Structural and Investment Funds in the FEDER component, through the Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization Programme (COMPETE 2020) [Project n° 039334; Funding Reference: POCI- 01-0247-FEDER-039334]

Caesalpinioideae (Leguminosae) importantes para o manejo florestal no estado do Pará.

Leguminosae é a terceira família mais numerosa dentre as angiospermas, apresenta potencial econômico amplamente conhecido. Encontra-se dividida em três sub-familias (Caesalpinioideae, Mimosoideae e Papilionoideae). Caesalpinioideae conta com quatro tribos, 171 gêneros e 2.250 espécies. Este trabalho objetivou elaborar a lista das espécies de Caesalpinioideae importantes para o manejo florestal no estado do Pará e indicar suas respectivas áreas de ocorrência nesse Estado. A lista preliminar foi elaborada a partir da lista oficial da SEMA (Secretaria de Estado de Meio Ambiente - PA) inerente às espécies produtoras de madeireira, complementada pela lista do IBAMA, pelas informações de algumas madeireiras do Estado e das amostras de madeira que chegam à Xiloteca da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental para serem identificadas. A seguir, foram consultados os acervos dos herbários IAN, INPA, MG e RB a fim de registrar o local de ocorrência dessas espécies. Com essas informações, construiu-se um banco de dados em Brahms (Botanical Research and Herbarium Management System), onde estão sendo incluídas as coordenadas geográficas a partir do Google Earth. O mapa de ocorrência dos táxons foi construído utilizando DIVA-GIS. Foram encontradas 39 espécies circunscritas em 20 gêneros. Esses resultados indicam a considerável presença dessa subfamília no Estado e, a área de ocorrência dessas espécies, em outros estados da Amazônia, evidencia a representatividade dessa subfamília na região

Conhecendo espécies de plantas da Amazônia: ingá-costela (Inga capitata desv. - Leguminosae).

bitstream/item/102979/1/COM-TEC-243.pd

Gas Chromatography in the Analysis of Compounds Released from Wood into Wine

Wood has been used in alcoholic beverages for centuries, mainly as material for containers used for alcoholic beverages aging. Recently OIV (Organisation International de la Vigne et du Vin) approved the use of chips (Resolution oeno 3/2005) and staves as alternatives for barrels. These practices are being rapidly spread among winemakers. The increased used of these alternatives are mainly related to low investments, similar sensorial results obtained in shorter time, simplicity of use and the possibility of avoiding contamination and offflavours, too-often related to aged or contaminated barrels. Besides oak, other woods are being looked at for enological purposes, such as acacia, cherry, chestnut and mulberry. Their characteristics are commonly compared to oak. In the past, chestnut (Castanea sativa) was widely used in the Mediterranean area, because of its availability and its cheap price. Chestnut wood has higher porosity than oak. Cherry wood (Prunus avium) has high porosity and oxygen permeation, and is usually used for short aging times. Acacia wood (Robinia pseudoacacia) is hard, with low porosity. Mulberry wood (Morus alba and Morus nigra) is tender and elastic, with medium porosity, and is characterized by a low release of compounds. The lack of properties for cooperage is now overcome by their possible use as staves or chips. The aim of this work is to present an overview on volatile and semi-volatile composition of different kind of wood with oenological interest. Within this purpose, this work will be focused on a bibliographic review of the most used chromatographic methods for characterization of volatile and semi-volatile compounds, including also a brief description of the most common reported sample preparation methods for chromatographic analysis

Avaliação genética de procedências e progênies de erva-mate nativa (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) no Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul.

O presente estudo objetivou avaliar a variabilidade genética de procedências e progênies de erva-mate nativa (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil.) em fase inicial de crescimento no município de Aral Moreira ? MS. O teste de procedência e progênie, foi instalado no viveiro de mudas da Fazenda Rancho Esperança localizada no município de Aral Moreira, sob o delineamento de blocos ao acaso com 3 procedências (populações), 25 tratamentos (progênies) de cada uma das procedências, 5 repetições (blocos) e 4 plantas por parcela. Aos 5 meses de idade, as progênies foram avaliadas quanto aos caracteres: a) altura total das plantas, expressas em centímetros; b) diâmetro do coleto, expresso em milímetros; e c) número de lançamentos foliares. Os resultados demonstraram haver variabilidade genética, e as herdabilidades individuais e de médias de progênies obtidas, estimulam o monitoramento continuado das procedências e progênies no campo, com perspectivas de maximizar o ganho genético na seqüência das avaliações

The variability behavior of CoRoT M-giant Stars

For 6 years the Convection, Rotation, and Planetary Transits (CoRoT) space mission has acquired photometric data from more than one hundred thousand point sources towards and directly opposite from the inner and outer regions of the Galaxy. The high temporal resolution of the CoRoT data combined with the wide time span of the observations has enabled the study of short and long time variations in unprecedented detail. From the initial sample of 2534 stars classified as M-giants in the CoRoT databasis, we selected 1428 targets that exhibit well defined variability, using visual inspection. The variability period and amplitude of C1 stars (stars having Teff < 4200 K) were computed using Lomb-Scargle and harmonic fit methods. The trends found in the V-I vs J-K color-color diagram are in agreement with standard empirical calibrations for M-giants. The sources located towards the inner regions of the Galaxy are distributed throughout the diagram while the majority of the stars towards the outer regions of the Galaxy are spread between the calibrations of M-giants and the predicted position for Carbon stars. The stars classified as supergiants follow a different sequence from the one found for giant stars. We also performed a KS test of the period and amplitude of stars towards the inner and outer regions of the Galaxy. We obtained a low probability that the two samples come from the same parent distribution. The observed behavior of the period-amplitude and period-Teff diagrams are, in general, in agreement with those found for Kepler sources and ground based photometry, with pulsation being the dominant cause responsible for the observed modulation. We also conclude that short-time variations on M-Giant stars do not exist orare very rare and the few cases we found are possibly related to biases or background stars.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure