An eco-friendly hybrid urban computing network combining community-based wireless LAN access and wireless sensor networking

Computer-enhanced smart environments, distributed environmental monitoring, wireless communication, energy conservation and sustainable technologies, ubiquitous access to Internet-located data and services, user mobility and innovation as a tool for service differentiation are all significant contemporary research subjects and societal developments. This position paper presents the design of a hybrid municipal network infrastructure that, to a lesser or greater degree, incorporates aspects from each of these topics by integrating a community-based Wi-Fi access network with Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) functionality. The former component provides free wireless Internet connectivity by harvesting the Internet subscriptions of city inhabitants. To minimize session interruptions for mobile clients, this subsystem incorporates technology that achieves (near-)seamless handover between Wi-Fi access points. The WSN component on the other hand renders it feasible to sense physical properties and to realize the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm. This in turn scaffolds the development of value-added end-user applications that are consumable through the community-powered access network. The WSN subsystem invests substantially in ecological considerations by means of a green distributed reasoning framework and sensor middleware that collaboratively aim to minimize the network's global energy consumption. Via the discussion of two illustrative applications that are currently being developed as part of a concrete smart city deployment, we offer a taste of the myriad of innovative digital services in an extensive spectrum of application domains that is unlocked by the proposed platform

A seven-year longitudinal study of the association between neurocognitive function and basic self-disorders in schizophrenia

IntroductionBasic self-disorders (SDs) and neurocognitive impairments are fundamental trait-like aspects of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. There has been little research on the association between SDs and neurocognitive impairments in schizophrenia, and no longitudinal studies have investigated if they are related. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SDs and neurocognitive function in a follow-up study of patients with schizophrenia.MethodsSDs and neurocognition were examined in 35 patients with schizophrenia during their first treatment and 7 years later (mean 7.1, SD 0.42). SDs were examined with the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience (EASE) instrument. The neurocognitive examination included assessments of psychomotor speed, executive- and memory functions.ResultsPoorer executive functions at baseline were significantly associated with more SDs 7 years later and smaller reductions in SDs over time. There were no significant associations between other neurocognitive functions and SDs.DiscussionExecutive functions are important for self-regulation, and impairments in these functions in everyday life may have an impact on the development and/or persistence of SDs

Incertidumbre epistémica y aleatoria en soft metrología: una perspectiva desde el aseguramiento de la validez de los resultados

Context:  In engineering, modeling for risk analysis and ensuring the validity of results in systems that include computational routines requires the analysis of the sources and categories of uncertainty, which, in this context, can be classified as aleatoric and epistemic. Method: A literature review from databases such as Google Scholar, IEEEXplore, and ScienceDirect is presented herein, analyzing trends and approaches related to the concept of uncertainty within the framework of soft metrology, in order to improve our understanding when there are additional restrictions due to the assurance of the validity of the results. Results: This paper presents concepts and comparisons that aid in the understanding of epistemic and random uncertainty in soft metrology measurement processes and the way in which it is related to the assurance of the validity of results within the framework of learning machines. Conclusions: Representation quality in soft metrology systems is constantly influenced by random uncertainty, while epistemic uncertainty exhibits descending dynamics when the fit of the model improves with sufficient training data.Contexto: En ingeniería, el modelado para el análisis de riesgo y confiabilidad de los procesos de medición que incluyen rutinas de cómputo exige el análisis de las fuentes y categorías de la incertidumbre, la cual, en este contexto, puede ser clasificada como aleatoria y epistémica. Método: Se presenta una revisión de la literatura obtenida de bases de datos como Google Scholar, IEEEXplore y ScienceDirect en cuanto a tendencias y enfoques relacionados con el concepto de incertidumbre, en el marco de la soft metrología, a fin de mejorar la comprensión cuando se tienen restricciones adicionales debido al aseguramiento de la validez de los resultados. Resultados: Se exponen conceptos y comparaciones que ayudan a mejorar la comprensión de la incertidumbre epistémica y aleatoria en los procesos de medición de soft metrología y su relación con el aseguramiento de la validez de los resultados, en el marco de las máquinas de aprendizaje. Conclusiones: Se concluye que la calidad en la representación de los sistemas de soft metrología es influenciada de manera constante por la incertidumbre aleatoria, y la incertidumbre epistémica exhibe una dinámica descendente cuanto mejor sea el ajuste del modelo con suficientes datos de entrenamiento

Chromatin from two classes of platyhelminthes display both protist H1 and higher eukaryote core histones

AbstractHistones from the parasitic platyhelminthes, Echinococcus granulosus and Fasciola hepatica, were systematically characterized. Core histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4, which were identified on the basis of amino acid sequencing and mass spectrometry data, showed conserved electrophoretic patterns. Histones H1, identified on the basis of physicochemical properties, amino acid composition and amino acid sequencing, showed divergence, both in their number and electrophoretic mobilities, between the two species and among other organisms. According to these data, core histones but not H1 histones, would be stabilized during evolution at the level of platyhelminthes

Maxillofacial injuries in a group of Brazilian subjects under 18 years of age

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to perform a clinical retrospective analysis of the etiology, incidence and treatment of selected oral and maxillofacial injuries in Brazilian children and adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted during a 14-year period between 1986 and 2000. All patients were admitted to Hospital XV in the city of Curitiba, State of Paraná. Age, gender, monthly distribution, etiology, soft injuries, associated injuries, site of fractures and methods of treatment were reviewed. RESULTS: Of the total of 350 patients of all ages treated for facial injuries, 29.42% were within the age range of the study (0 to 18 years). Mean age was 10.61. Of the patients, 63.1% were male. The most common cause of injury was accidental falls (37.87%), followed by bicycle and motorcycle accidents (21.36%). Of the 103 patients, 88.34% had single injuries. Mandibular fractures were the most common and the condylar region was particularly affected. CONCLUSIONS: Facial trauma is a relatively common occurrence in children. The study indicates that fractures in children and adolescents differ quite considerably from an adult population

El espacio literario dentro de la construcción ficcional de una poética filosófica, desde el método ontológico y fenomenológico. La escritura ficcional divergente de Stanislaw Lem

En la literatura de ciencia ficción se evidencia una base epistemológica y ontológica que plantea la revisión de un espacio literario, como categoría esencial en la configuración de una poética filosófica, dentro de la propuesta narrativa de Stanislaw Lem. Bajo este enfoque, la ciencia ficción se constituye como apuesta estética fundamental para pensar el espacio en la experiencia humana. Es así como los espacios vistos desde esta literatura le permiten al lector establecer nuevos vínculos de significación, para ampliar los enfoques analíticos y críticos de su propia realidad, así como el mundo de referencia