Constructive updating/downdating of oblique projectors: a generalization of the Gram-Schmidt process

A generalization of the Gram-Schmidt procedure is achieved by providing equations for updating and downdating oblique projectors. The work is motivated by the problem of adaptive signal representation outside the orthogonal basis setting. The proposed techniques are shown to be relevant to the problem of discriminating signals produced by different phenomena when the order of the signal model needs to be adjusted.Comment: As it will appear in Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical (2007

Measurements design and phenomena discrimination

The construction of measurements suitable for discriminating signal components produced by phenomena of different types is considered. The required measurements should be capable of cancelling out those signal components which are to be ignored when focusing on a phenomenon of interest. Under the hypothesis that the subspaces hosting the signal components produced by each phenomenon are complementary, their discrimination is accomplished by measurements giving rise to the appropriate oblique projector operator. The subspace onto which the operator should project is selected by nonlinear techniques in line with adaptive pursuit strategies

On the truncation of the harmonic oscillator wavepacket

We present an interesting result regarding the implication of truncating the wavepacket of the harmonic oscillator. We show that disregarding the non-significant tails of a function which is the superposition of eigenfunctions of the harmonic oscillator has a remarkable consequence: namely, there exist infinitely many different superpositions giving rise to the same function on the interval. Uniqueness, in the case of a wavepacket, is restored by a postulate of quantum mechanics

Non-additive and Additive Genetic Effects on Extraversion in 3314 Dutch Adolescent Twins and Their Parents.

The influence of non-additive genetic influences on personality traits has been increasingly reported in adult populations. Less is known, however, with respect to younger samples. In this study, we examine additive and non-additive genetic contributions to the personality trait of extraversion in 1,689 Dutch twin pairs, 1,505 mothers and 1,637 fathers of the twins. The twins were on average 15.5 years (range 12-18 years). To increase statistical power to detect non-additive genetic influences, data on extraversion were also collected in parents and simultaneously analyzed. Genetic modeling procedures incorporating age as a potential modifier of heritability showed significant influences of additive (20-23%) and non-additive genetic factors (31-33%) in addition to unshared environment (46-48%) for adolescents and for their parents. The additive genetic component was slightly and positively related to age. No significant sex differences were found for either extraversion means or for the magnitude of the genetic and environmental influences. There was no evidence of non-random mating for extraversion in the parental generation. Results show that in addition to additive genetic influences, extraversion in adolescents is influenced by non-additive genetic factors. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

From cardinal spline wavelet bases to highly coherent dictionaries

Wavelet families arise by scaling and translations of a prototype function, called the mother wavelet. The construction of wavelet bases for cardinal spline spaces is generally carried out within the multi-resolution analysis scheme. Thus, the usual way of increasing the dimension of the multi-resolution subspaces is by augmenting the scaling factor. We show here that, when working on a compact interval, the identical effect can be achieved without changing the wavelet scale but reducing the translation parameter. By such a procedure we generate a redundant frame, called a dictionary, spanning the same spaces as a wavelet basis but with wavelets of broader support. We characterize the correlation of the dictionary elements by measuring their 'coherence' and produce examples illustrating the relevance of highly coherent dictionaries to problems of sparse signal representation

Jóvenes y Adultos en Conflicto Público. Algunas Implicancias en la Salud Comunitaria

El presente trabajo propone algunas lecturas, desde la Psicología social-comunitaria y la Antropología de la política, sobre el conflicto que jóvenxs y adultxs actualizan cotidianamente en el espacio público de barrios pobres del conurbano cordobés. Objetivo. Aportar a la comprensión del conflicto generacional en barrios en situación de pobreza de la ciudad de Córdoba y sus implicancias en términos de salud comunitaria. Metodología. Este desarrollo mixtura la clave etnográfica y la investigación acción aportando a la siguiente pregunta: ¿Cómo operan los conflictos generacionales en la salud comunitaria? La metodología utilizada es de carácter cualitativo basada en la lectura analítica de notas de campo, observación participante, registro de talleres y entrevistas semi estructuradas desarrolladas en cuatro barrios perifericos de la ciudad entre los años 2010 y 2015. Desarrollo. Se presentan reflexiones teórico prácticas surgidas a lo largo de diversos procesos de investigación-acción. Discusión y Conclusiones. Se pone de relieve una serie de discusiones en torno al enfoque político técnico de la acción en salud en al ámbito comunitario y se evidencia como las tramas socio-políticas a nivel comunitario provocan, performan y disponen los conflictos intergeneracionales, afectando las condiciones de salud de lxs jóvenes, entendiendo la salud como una trama cultural, socio-política y afectiva que se vincula con la posibilidad de que se construyan prácticas emancipadoras tendientes a la democratización, a la transformación social, a la des-alienación de los actores situados en su territorio

Hiperuricemia y componentes del síndrome metabólico en niños y adolescentes obesos

ResumenIntroducciónLa hiperuricemia se ha observado como una alteración metabólica adicional en pacientes adultos obesos, pero es poco conocida su magnitud en pacientes pediátricos.ObjetivosAnalizar la asociación entre ácido úrico sérico (AUS) con magnitud de la obesidad general y visceral y con otras mediciones bioquímicas en niños y adolescentes obesos de Santiago, Chile.Sujetos y métodoEn un estudio transversal se evaluaron 770 niños (edades: 6-15 años) de un colegio público de Santiago, Chile, encontrando 227 obesos (29%) (IMC>2 DE, estándares OMS). Se seleccionaron aleatoriamente 90 niños y aceptaron participar 77, sin otras enfermedades crónicas. Se evaluó: peso, talla, perímetro abdominal, adiposidad visceral con ultrasonografía abdominal y mediciones metabólicas: insulinemia, glucemia (HOMA), lípidos séricos, aspartato aminotransferasa, alanina aminotransferasa (ALT) y AUS.ResultadosLas concentraciones de AUS fueron 0,200±0,065mmol/l. El AUS fue mayor en niños con valores de hiperinsulinismo (ajustado según edad): 0,221±0,075 vs 0,183±0,054mmol/l (p<0,01), sin diferencias según HOMA; las diferencias también se observaron según ALT (>vs<26 U/ml): 0,238±0,070 vs 0,178±0,054mmol/l, p<0,001; la regresión logística controlando por sexo, edad e intensidad de la obesidad mostró solo las ALT asociadas a aumento de AUS. No hubo asociación de mayor AUS con magnitud de IMC, adiposidad visceral o hígado graso.ConclusionesLos niños y adolescentes obesos de Santiago, Chile, tienen una uricemia mayor en asociación a un aumento de la actividad de la enzima ALT e hiperinsulinismo. Se justifica analizar uricemia en el estudio de niños obesos y en su seguimiento.AbstractIntroductionHyperuricaemia has been suggested as an additional metabolic factor in adult obese patients, but it has not been sufficiently studied in paediatric.ObjectivesTo assess the relationship between serum uric acid levels (SUAL) with the level of general and visceral obesity, and other biochemical parameters in children and adolescents of Santiago, Chile.Subjects and methodA cross sectional study was conducted on 770 children and adolescents (ages: 6-15 y.) from a public school in Santiago, Chile, of whom 227 (29%) were obese (BMI>2 SD, WHO growth standards). Ninety subjects were randomly selected and 77 with no other chronic disease (41 males) accepted to participate. Data was collected on weight, stature, abdominal circumference (AC), visceral adiposity using ultrasound, and other biochemical measurements including fasting glucose, insulin, serum lipids, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and SUAL.ResultsThe mean SUAL was 0.200±0.065mmol/L, and was increased in children with hyperinsulinism (adjusted by age: 0.221±0.075 vs 0.183±0.054mmol/L; P<.01), with no significant differences according to HOMA. Differences were also found between children with ALT>or<26 U/mL: 0.238±0.070 vs 0.178±0.054mmol/L, P<.001. The logistic regression showed the increased SUAL was only associated with increased ALT. No significant differences were found in general or visceral adiposity measurements or fatty liver.ConclusionsChildren and adolescents from Santiago, Chile have higher uric acid serum uric acid levels as well as an association with increased ALT and insulin. It is demonstrated in this study that uric acid should be measured in obese children and adolescents, and in their follow up

A natureza pode modelar a cidade?

As the environmental question becomes a priority in regional and urban planning, a need to integrate development proposals surges, with instruments for territorial ordering, considering the determinants and sustainability of the natural resources. The Brazilian law, based on the Federal Constitution of 1988, defines territorial ordering as a key point in the development policy, emphasizing environmental preservation. Throughout the last decade, in the Santa Catarina State the programs “Ecologic-Economic Zoning” and “Coast Management” were developed, both programs incorporating this integrated vision of physical and territorial development ordering. With these programs have surged a proposal for occupation and organization for urban and regional spaces for two different and yet important landscapes present in the State: the valleys and the coast. Based on the gradual utilization of urban densities which should be adequate to the vulnerability of the natural resources, new model for the urban spaces and volumes has been proposed. In the present work we discuss the manner how environmental aspects considered in planning actions can shape the city. We propose as well that the territorial planning, once regarding the determinants imposed by the natural environment, can allow a more balanced occupation, interposing sustainable urban spaces with areas of diverse levels of conservation, agriculture areas and specific areas, such as theme parks, ecological parks, coast tourism, etc.Com a consolidação da questão ambiental no planejamento regional e urbano constata-se a necessidade de integrar as propostas de desenvolvimento, com instrumentos de ordenamento territorial que levem em consideração os condicionantes e a sustentabilidade dos recursos naturais. A legislação brasileira, a partir da Constituição Federal de 1988, definiu o ordenamento territorial como parte integrante de toda política de desenvolvimento, com ênfase na preservação do meio ambiente. Na década de 1991-2000, o Estado de Santa Catarina desenvolveu os programas “Zoneamento Ecológico Econômico” e “Gerenciamento Costeiro” que incorpora essa visão integrada de desenvolvimento e ordenamento físico-territorial. Nesses programas surgem propostas de ocupação e organização dos espaços urbanos e regionais para duas unidades paisagísticas muito presentes no Estado: os vales e o litoral. Baseado na utilização gradativa de densidades urbanas adequadas à vulnerabilidade dos recursos naturais surge um novo modelo dos volumes e espaços urbanos. Neste trabalho discutimos como os aspectos ambientais incorporados na elaboração de planos modelam a cidade. Também, o planejamento territorial, ao atender às condicionantes do ambiente natural, possibilitará uma ocupação mais equilibrada, com alternância de espaços urbanizados sustentáveis e áreas de diversos graus de conservação, agrícolas, usos especiais, dentre outras

Assessment of self-adapting local projection-based solvers for laminar and turbulent industrial flows

In this work, we study the performance of some local projection-based solvers in the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of laminar and turbulent flows governed by the incompressible Navier\u2013Stokes Equations (NSE). On one side, we focus on a high-order term-by-term stabilization Finite Element (FE) method that has one level, in the sense that it is defined on a single mesh, and in which the projection-stabilized structure of standard Local Projection Stabilization (LPS) methods is replaced by an interpolation-stabilized structure. The interest of LPS methods is that they ensure a self-adapting high accuracy in laminar regions of turbulent flows, which turns to be of overall optimal high accuracy if the flow is fully laminar. On the other side, we propose a new Reduced Basis (RB) Variational Multi-Scale (VMS)-Smargorinsky turbulence model, based upon an empirical interpolation of the sub-grid eddy viscosity term. This method yields dramatical improvements of the computing time for benchmark flows. An overview about known results from the numerical analysis of the proposed methods is given, by highlighting the used mathematical tools. In the numerical study, we have considered two well known problems with applications in industry: the (3D) turbulent flow in a channel and the (2D/3D) recirculating flow in a lid-driven cavity