The dimension reduction power of ClustOfVar: application of the variable cluster analysis technique in a mixed data health database

ackground/Objective: Technological evolution is increasingly making real the elements necessary for the daily practice of personalized medicine, an improved vision of health care whose decisions regarding prognosis, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies depend on the patient's various characteristics. This approach leads to the collection and use of information that is broad in extension and complexity, for which dimensionality reduction techniques are imperative, in order to simplify and understand it. This paper aims to show the value of the ClustOfVar technique, a variable clustering technique capable of dealing with mixed data, resulting in data reduction. Through its hierarchical and non-hierarchical approaches, it replaces sample variables with representative synthetic variables. This dimensional reduction can be extended to individuals by applying Ward's method. Methods: The cleaning process of anthropometric, obstetric, vital signs and pubertal status data from 700 participants of the Generation XXI cohort and/or their mothers led to variables being removed (181 down to 105 variables, 82 quantitative and 23 qualitative). Then, the hierarchical technique of the ClustOfVar package was applied, which started by building a hierarchy of variables. The optimal number of clusters was then determined, considering the aggregation level plot and the bootstrap methodology, and each cluster was characterized. The partition into clusters was then tried with the non-hierarchical process. Once the partition was defined, Ward's method was applied, dividing the participants into clusters. We finished with their description according to the synthetic variables. Results: The partition in 8 clusters of variables suggested by the hierarchical technique was chosen, with the first and third cluster being filled mainly by maternal characteristics (relating mainly to menstruation and physical measurements, respectively). While cluster 2 mixes maternal and individual characteristics, cluster 4 contains only patient variables at birth. Cluster 5 is the most diverse, with anthropometric and related measurements of vital signs and blood macromolecules. Cluster 6 has total mass and fat measurements. Finally, cluster 7 is related to pubertal status variables, and cluster 8 includes cholesterol variables. The clustering of individuals results in the creation of specific profiles for each of the 8 clusters of individuals. Conclusions: The ClustOfVar technique accomplishes a data transformation relevant to the dispersion of personalized medicine. However, it lacks the ability to deal with high proportions of missing data and its bootstrap process is very time-consuming.publishe

Anthropometric Indices Based on Waist Circumference as Measures of Adiposity in Children

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of body fat patterns and single measures in assessing body fat and to clarify the use of indices based on waist circumference as measures of adiposity in children. Methods: This study included 2,531 7-year-old children from the Generation XXI birth cohort (Porto, Portugal). Anthropometrics were obtained by trained personnel and whole-body dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were performed. Results: Principal component analysis identified two body fat patterns. Pattern 1 (BMI, fat mass index from tetra-polar bioelectric impedance, and waist-to-height ratio) showed strong correlations with DXA fat mass index (r = 0.85; P < 0.001), and pattern 2 (waist-to-hip, waist-to-thigh, and waist-to-weight ratios) showed moderate correlations with DXA central fat (r = 0.35; P < 0.001). Compared with single measures, body fat patterns showed similar correlations with DXA-derived measures. Conclusions: Compared with single anthropometric indices, body fat patterns seem to add little value for estimating body fat in children. Waist-to-height ratio seems to be a proxy for total fat, while waist-to-hip, waist-to-thigh, and waist-to-weight ratios seem to be proxies for central fat. Further studies should address the predictive ability of waist-to-weight ratio to identify children at risk of developing cardiometabolic disease, as this was the first time describing its potential usefulness.Generation XXI was funded by FEDER through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization and with national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology, FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-021177), under the project PTDC/SAU-EPI/121532/2010 and Unidade de Investigação em Epidemiologia, Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit) (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006862; Ref. UID/DTP/04750/2013). SS received a grant from the Foundation for Science and Technology (SFRH/BD/81123/2011). AO receives funds from the FCT Investigator Programme (IF/01350/2015), with FEDER funds through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Internationalization and national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology, FCT, cofunded by the FCT and the POPH/FSE Program. The funders had no role in the design, analysis, or writing of this article

Sex-Heterogeneity on the Association between Dietary Patterns at 4 Years of Age with Adiposity and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors at 10 Years of Age

Funding: Generation XXI was funded by the Health Operational Programme–Saúde XXI, Community Support Framework III and the Regional Department of Ministry of Health. This study was also supported through FEDER–COMPETE and through national funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology–FCT (Portuguese Ministry of Education and Science) within the project “FOCAcCIa: (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031949), and through a Researcher Contract (Andreia Oliveira IF/01350/2015). It had also support from the Epidemiology Research Unit (EPI-Unit: UIDB/04750/2020; POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006862) and Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR: LA/P/0064/2020).To evaluate the association of dietary patterns (DP) at 4 years with adiposity and cardiometabolic risk factors at 10 years, considering sex-heterogeneity. This prospective analysis included 3823 children enrolled in the population-based birth cohort, Generation XXI (Porto-Portugal, 2005–2006). Diet at 4 years was assessed by FFQ, with three DP being identified: high in energy-dense foods (EDF), intermediate in snacks (snacking), and healthier (reference). BMI at 10 years was considered as the Z-score according to the WHO. Other adiposity indicators—fat mass percentage (FM%), fat mass index (FMI), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR)—were converted to z-scores using the sample’s sex-specific means and standard deviations, as were the cardiometabolic risk factors (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, lipid profile, and insulin resistance). The associations of DP at 4 years with later adiposity or cardiometabolic factors were estimated by linear regression or by multinomial logistic regression models. In fully adjusted models, the EDF DP was significantly positively associated with the BMI (EDF vs. healthier: β = 0.139; 95% CI: 0.031, 0.246, P-interaction = 0.042) and obesity (OR = 2.68; 95% CI 1.55, 4.63, P-interaction = 0.005) only in girls, among whom, it increased insulin (β = 0.165; 95% CI: 0.020, 0.311) and HOMA-IR (β = 0.159; 95% CI: 0.013, 0.306) at 10 years. An EDF DP at 4 years is associated with later adiposity, insulin, and HOMA-IR in girls.publishersversionpublishe

La sociedad civil en las reclamaciones de los derechos sociales. Breves referencias al contexto venezolano

This paper aims to analyze how civil society approaches and manages the issue of the Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights conquest (ESCR) in their respective contexts of action, making special reference to the Venezuelan context. An analysis of the orientation of the claims and protests of various sectors of civil society in Venezuela between the years of 2018 and 2022 is presented under a qualitative approach centered on a phenomenological-hermeneutic paradigm. Some responses to the participation problems in the ESCRD conquest are pointed out. It is concluded that there are currently a set of initiatives in which, civil society develops and which does not seek to question the public policies content of a given government but simply to monitor that government actions and decisions obey to due process and respect constitutional guarantees and fundamental rights widely recognized by the international Community and by the country itselfEl propósito del presente trabajo, es analizar cómo la sociedad civil aborda y gestiona el tema de la conquista de los Derechos Económicos, Sociales, Culturales y Ambientales (DESCA) en sus respectivos contextos de acción, haciendo especial referencia al contexto venezolano. Bajo un enfoque cualitativo centrado en un paradigma fenomenológico-hermenéutico, se presenta un análisis de la orientación de las reclamaciones y protestas de diversos sectores de la sociedad civil en Venezuela entre los años de 2018 y 2022. Se señalan algunas respuestas a los problemas de la participación en la conquista de los DESCA. Se concluye que actualmente existen un conjunto de iniciativas en las cuales, la sociedad civil desarrolla y que no busca cuestionar el contenido de las políticas públicas de determinado gobierno sino simplemente supervisar que las acciones y decisiones gubernamentales se ajustan al debido proceso y respetan las garantías constitucionales y los derechos fundamentales ampliamente reconocidos por la Comunidad internacional y por el propio paí

Civilizar e modernizar: o ensino agrícola no Brasil republicano (1889-1930)

 O trabalho enfoca a constituição de uma rede social de projetos, abrangendo o território nacional, na qual foram incorporadas as representações e ações sociais produzidas, materializadas e transmitidas pelo Ministério da Agricultura, Indústria e Comércio do Brasil, as quais tomaram como tema central as condições sociais no campo. As intervenções eram orientadas para uma modernização, concebida a partir da introdução de princípios científicos nas atividades agropecuárias. Progresso e civilização eram faces de um pretendido Brasil moderno. A constituição e articulação do ensino e pesquisa foram centradas num sistema educacional, abrangendo desde cursos elementares até superior. A análise está centrada no período da 1ª República no Brasil (1889-1930), delineando a diversidade das propostas incorporadas no que poderia ser denominada de uma pedagogia para o campo, a qual foi configurada junto ao governo federal. Foram consultados os relatórios anuais dos ministérios, que eram endereçados ao Presidente da República.Palavras-chave: instituições educacionais, ensino agrícola, Estado.   Abstract This paper focalizes the constitution of a social set of nationwide social projects, indeed a large net of projects, which incorporated the social representations and actions produced, materialized and transmitted by the Brazilian Agricultural, Industry and Commerce Ministry. Main themes were the social conditions on the hinterland. Its interventions were oriented onto a modernization, concerned to the introduction of scientific principies on the agricultural activities. Progress and civilization were the faces of an intended modernized Brazil. The constitution and articulation between teaching and research were centralized on an educational system, offering since elementary until graduate courses. This analysis focalizes the First Republic in Brazil (1889-1930), highlighting the diversity of the incorporated proposals, in a pedagogy for the hinterland, created by the federal government. We consulted the annual proceedings from the ministries, addressed to the republic's president. Keywords: educational institutions, agricultural teaching, State.

Political economy of smart cities and the Human Rights: from corporative technocracy to sensibility

This research presents a critique of smart cities, to conceive a technological city opposed to the corporate colonization of digital networks, to algorithmic governmentality and to surveillance capitalism. Methodologically, it is a literature review with qualitative approach and dialectical procedure. It is concluded that the role of participatory citizen should be resumed through the (re)appropriation of information and communication technologies, creating a city sensitive to social differences. Furthermore, the article proposes that, even though the Internet brings the promise of broadening the means of access to political participation, the reality points to a scenario permeated by the exploitation of personal data and the reduction of the citizen's questioning role to a mere consumer

Altitude and temperature drive anuran community assembly in a Neotropical mountain region

Understanding the spatial variation in species richness and the mechanisms that limit species range sizes along geographical gradients belong to the central research issues in macroecology. Here, we aim to test the topographic and climatic effects on anuran species richness and community composition in mountainous regions in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. We used Individual-Based Rarefaction Curve (interpolation and extrapolation), Generalized Additive Model (GAM), Midpoint method and Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) to analyze the topographic and climatic effects on anuran community composition, richness, and range sizes in a global biodiversity hotspot. Our results showed that altitude and annual mean temperature and temperature seasonality were the main drivers of species altitudinal range sizes and community assembly in mountainous regions. In conclusion, Anuran community richness peaked at intermediate altitudes following thus a hump-shaped pattern and corroborated the Rapoport's altitudinal rule as range sizes increased with altitude in mountainous regions from the Atlantic Forest biome. This study revealed new insights into the patterns and drivers of Neotropical anuran communities. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.Peer reviewe

Study and implementation of a current control for matrix converter and voltage source inverters without capacitor in DC link

Orientador: Ernesto Ruppert FilhoTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de ComputaçãoResumo: A presente tese refere-se a um modelo de controle de corrente para conversores em matriz trifásico para trifásico e inversores fonte de tensão trifásica sem capacitor no elo de corrente continua com o objetivo minimizar e compensar as distorções presentes nas tensões de saída dos conversores de modo a obter correntes elétricas senoidais na carga. Nesses conversores, por não possuírem elementos armazenadores de energia de grandes valores, os desequilíbrios e/ou distorções presentes nas tensões de entrada irão se refletir nas tensões de saída. O modelo de controle de corrente proposto consiste em manter constante o módulo do vetor espacial das correntes de saída do conversor em matriz por meio de um regulador PI que altera dinamicamente a razão cíclica de acionamento das chaves de potência compensando os desequilíbrios e distorções das tensões trifásicas de entrada. O desempenho do controle proposto é validado por meio de simulações executadas no Matlab e em resultados experimentais obtidos no protótipo de um inversor fonte de tensão sem capacitor no elo de corrente continua alimentando uma carga RL trifásicaAbstract: This thesis concern a current control method for three-phase matrix converter and three-phase voltage source inverter without a dc link capacitor in order to mitigate and compensate the distortions present in the output voltages so that the output currents are sinosoidal. In these converters, because of lack of large storage elements, imbalances and/or distortions present in the input voltage will be immediately reflected to the converter output voltages. The proposed current control model forces the magnitude of the output space vector current to be constant through a PI controller that dynamically alters the duty cycle of the power converter switching for compensating the imbalances and distortions from input voltages. The performance of this current control is validated by simulations implemented in Matlab and experimental results on the prototype of a voltage source inverter without a DC link capacitor feeding a three-phase RL loadDoutoradoEnergia EletricaDoutor em Engenharia Elétric

Come To The Mardi Gras

Photograph of Teddy Phillips; Illustration of balloons and party streamershttps://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/cht-sheet-music/9082/thumbnail.jp