A novel automata-theoretic approach to timeline-based planning

Timeline-based planning is a well-established approach successfully employed in a number of application domains. A very restricted fragment, featuring only bounded temporal relations and token durations, is expressive enough to capture action-based temporal planning. As for computational complexity, it has been shown to be EXPSPACE-complete when unbounded temporal relations, but only bounded token durations, are allowed. In this paper, we present a novel automata-theoretic characterisation of timeline-based planning where the existence of a plan is shown to be equivalent to the nonemptiness of the language recognised by a nondeterministic finite-state automaton that suitably encodes all the problem constraints (timelines and synchronisation rules). Besides allowing us to restate known complexity results in a fairly natural and compact way, such an alternative characterisation makes it possible to finally establish the exact complexity of the full version of the problem with unbounded temporal relations and token durations, which was still open and turns out to be EXPSPACE-complete. Moreover, the proposed technique is general enough to cope with (infinite) recurrent goals, which received little attention so far, despite being quite common in real-word application scenarios

Treatment of esophageal achalasia in children: Today and tomorrow

Esophageal achalasia (EA) is a rare esophageal motility disorder in children. Laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) represents the treatment of choice in young patients. Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is becoming an alternative to LHM. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and outcomes of POEM vs LHM in treatment of children with EA. Data of pediatric patients with EA, who underwent LHM and POEM from February 2009 to December 2013 in two centers, were collected. Eighteen patients (9 male, mean age: 11.6 years; range: 2-17 years) were included. Nine patients (6 male, mean age: 10.7 years; range: 2-16 years) underwent LHM, and the other 9 (3 males, mean age: 12.2 years; range: 6-17 years) underwent POEM procedure. Mean operation time was shorter in POEM group compared with LHM group (62/149 minutes). Myotomy was longer in POEM group than in LHM group (11/7 cm). One major complication occurred after LHM (esophageal perforation). No clinical and manometric differences were observed between LHM and POEM in follow-up. The incidence of iatrogenic gastroesophageal reflux disease was low (1 patient in both groups). Results of a midterm follow-up show that LHM and POEM are safe and effective treatments also in children. Besides, POEM is a mini-invasive technique with an inferior execution timing compared to LHM. A skilled endoscopic team is mandatory to perform this procedur

Influences of Leaf Area Index estimations on water balance modeling in a Mediterranean semi-arid basin

Abstract. In the present work, the role played by vegetation parameters, necessary to the hydrological distributed modeling, is investigated focusing on the correct use of remote sensing products for the evaluation of hydrological losses in the soil water balance. The research was carried out over a medium-sized river basin in Southern Italy, where the vegetation status is characterised through a data-set of multi-temporal NDVI images. The model adopted uses one layer of vegetation whose status is defined by the Leaf Area Index (LAI), which is often obtained from NDVI images. The inherent problem is that the vegetation heterogeneity – including soil disturbances – has a large influence on the spectral bands and so the relation between LAI and NDVI is not unambiguous. We present a rationale for the basin scale calibration of a non-linear NDVI-LAI regression, based on the comparison between NDVI values and literature LAI estimations of the vegetation cover in recognized landscape elements of the study catchment. Adopting a process-based model (DREAM) with a distributed parameterisation, the influence of different NDVI-LAI regression models on main features of water balance predictions is investigated. The results show a significant sensitivity of the hydrological losses and soil water regime to the alternative LAI estimations. These crucially affects the model performances especially in low-flows simulation and in the identification of the intermittent regime

Evaluation of mechanical and interfacial properties of bio-composites based on poly(lactic acid) with natural cellulose fibers

The circular economy policy and the interest for sustainable material are inducing a constant expansion of the bio-composites market. The opportunity of using natural fibers in bio-based and biodegradable polymeric matrices, derived from industrial and/or agricultural waste, represents a stimulating challenge in the replacement of traditional composites based on fossil sources. The coupling of bioplastics with natural fibers in order to lower costs and promote degradability is one of the primary objectives of research, above all in the packaging and agricultural sectors where large amounts of non-recyclable plastics are generated, inducing a serious problem for plastic disposal and potential accumulation in the environment. Among biopolymers, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the most used compostable, bio-based polymeric matrices, since it exhibits process ability and mechanical properties compatible with a wide range of applications. In this study, two types of cellulosic fibers were processed with PLA in order to obtain bio-composites with different percentages of microfibers (5%, 10%, 20%). The mechanical properties were evaluated (tensile and impact test), and analytical models were applied in order to estimate the adhesion between matrix and fibers and to predict the material's stiffness. Understanding these properties is of particular importance in order to be able to tune and project the final characteristics of bio-composites

Chromosome 1p13 genetic variants antagonize the risk of myocardial infarction associated with high ApoB serum levels

PMCID: PMC3480949This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Age at menarche associated with subsequent educational attainment and risk-taking behaviours: the Pelotas 1982 Birth Cohort.

Background: Earlier age at menarche (AAM), a marker of puberty timing in females, has been associated with a higher likelihood of adolescent risk-taking behaviours and variably associated with educational attainment.Aim: To examine the association between AAM and educational attainment in the Pelotas, Brazil, 1982 Birth Cohort.Subjects and methods: AAM was categorised as Early (7-11 years), Average (12-13 years), or Late (14+ years). Primary outcome: years of education (age 30). Secondary outcomes: risk-taking behaviours, adult income and school grade failure.Results: In adjusted models, compared to Average AAM, Late AAM was associated with 0.64 fewer years of education (95% CI: -1.15, -0.13). Early AAM was associated with earlier age at first sexual intercourse (-0.25 years; 95% CI: -0.39, -0.12), whereas Late AAM was associated with 17% lower adult income (0.83; 95% CI: 0.71, 0.95) and 0.31 years older age at first alcohol consumption (95% CI: 0.10, 0.52).Conclusions: Our findings confirm the association between earlier puberty timing in females and a greater likelihood of risk-taking behaviours in this setting of recent secular changes towards earlier puberty. However, the association between Late AAM and lower education was surprising and may support a psychosocial rather than biological link between puberty timing and educational outcomes

Validation of the Netherlands physical activity questionnaire in Brazilian children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical activity instruments can be subjective or objective. There is a need to assess the reliability of these instruments, especially for researches in children. The aim of this study was to determine the validity of the Netherlands Physical Activity Questionnaire (NPAQ).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Population under study were Brazilian children aged 4 to 11 years old, enrolled in a population-based study. Data collection took place in two distinct moments: 1) application of the NPAQ by face-to-face interviews with mothers' children and 2) utilization of accelerometers by children as the reference method. GT1M Actigraph accelerometer was worn for five consecutive days. Validity analyses were performed by sensitivity and specificity and ROC (Receiver Operator Characteristic) curve.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two hundred and thirty nine children participated in both phases of the study. A total of 73.2% children achieved the recommendation of 60 min/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity. The mean and median of the NPAQ score were 25.5 and 26, respectively. The score ranged from 7 to 35 points. The correlation coefficient between the NPAQ and the time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activities was 0.27. Based on the area under the ROC curve, the median value presented the best indicators of sensitivity (59.4%) and specificity (60.9%), and the area under curve was 0.63. The predictive capacity of the NPAQ to identify active children was high regardless the cut-off point chosen. This capacity was even higher if the score was higher than 30.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Based on sensitivity and specificity values, the NPAQ did not show satisfactory validity. The comparison of the reliability of the NPAQ with other instruments is limited, but correlation coefficients found in this study are similar to others. Physical activity level of children estimated from the NPAQ must be interpreted cautiously, and objective measures such as accelerometers should be encouraged.</p

Stages of change for physical activity in adults from Southern Brazil: a population-based survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is evidence that physical activity (PA) interventions tailored to individual's stages of change (SoC) are more effective in promote behavior change than "one-size-fits-all" interventions. However, only a few researches have investigated these stages towards PA behavior in representative samples of the population. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with the SoC for PA in a probabilistic sample of adults aged 20 years or over.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A population-based survey was undertaken in Pelotas, Southern Brazil, in 2005. An algorithm was applied to evaluate the SoC for PA, and PA was defined as being engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA for at least 20 minutes on three times per week. The covariates collected in the questionnaire were: sex, age, skin color, marital status, education level, economic status, family income, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and self-reported health status. Data analyses were performed through Poisson and multinomial regression, taking the sampling design into account.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Face-to-face interviews were applied to 3136 individuals, corresponding to a response rate of 93.5%. The prevalence across the stages was as follows: 38.3% in precontemplation, 13.0% in contemplation, 19.5% in preparation, 5.2% in action and 24.0% in maintenance. The elderly, married, smokers, and those with lower socioeconomic status were less likely to adopt, initiate and maintain regular PA.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Despite the all benefits of PA, a high proportion of adults from Southern Brazil are physically inactive and do not present intention to engage in regular PA. The profile of those who are inactive but intend to do PA resembles those who are physically active. The findings of the present study can contribute to improve health behaviors and to plan health promotion strategies aimed at increasing the level of PA in the community.</p