Quiz Games as a model for Information Hiding

We present a general computation model inspired in the notion of information hiding in software engineering. This model has the form of a game which we call quiz game. It allows in a uniform way to prove exponential lower bounds for several complexity problems of elimination theory.Comment: 46 pages, to appear in Journal of Complexit

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in severe mental illness: A timely diagnosis to advance the process of quitting smoking

This study receives founding by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, Instituto Carlos III (FIS PI16/00802).The authors would like to thank M. Osuna, M. Ayora, J. Caballero, P. Zurita, N. Novoa, J. Álvarez, J. Fernández, J. Redondo, M.S. López, I. Caro, F. Valdivia, C. Sádaba, R. Luque, and L. Padilla for their assistance. We also thank the altruistic and generous participation of all the patients in that project.Background. This study has two main objectives: to describe the prevalence of undetected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a clinical sample of smokers with severe mental illness (SMI), and to assess the value of the Tobacco Intensive Motivational Estimated Risk tool, which informs smokers of their respiratory risk and uses brief text messages to reinforce intervention. Method. A multicenter, randomized, open-label, and active-controlled clinical trial, with a 12-month follow-up. Outpatients with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder were randomized either to the experimental group—studied by spirometry and informed of their calculated lung age and degree of obstruction (if any)—or to the active control group, who followed the 5 A’s intervention. Results. The study sample consisted of 160 patients (71.9% SZ), 78.1% of whom completed the 12-month follow-up. Of the patients who completed the spirometry test, 23.9% showed evidence of COPD (77.8% in moderate or severe stages). TIMER was associated with a significant reduction in tobacco use at week 12 and in the long term, 21.9% of patients reduced consumption and 14.6% at least halved it. At week 48, six patients (7.3%) allocated to the experimental group achieved the seven-day smoking abstinence confirmed by CO (primary outcome in terms of efficacy), compared to three (3.8%) in the control group. Conclusion. In this clinical pilot trial, one in four outpatients with an SMI who smoked had undiagnosed COPD. An intensive intervention tool favors the early detection of COPD and maintains its efficacy to quit smoking, compared with the standard 5 A’s intervention.Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness, Instituto Carlos III FIS PI16/0080

Determinación del potencial promotor del crecimiento vegetal de Azotobacter spp. aislados de la rizósfera de malezas en cultivos de maíz (Zea mays L.)

The chemical fertilizer represents for 20 and 30 % of cost the production a crop, used correctly increase productivity and profitability, however, each year increase the among of fertilizer to apply, due to deficiency of soil adsorption and absorption by the plant. Beging maize the third most important crop in Peru, with a significant impact on economic and social activity in 2014, only 40% of the offered maize corresponded of the production nacional. 37 weeds were identified associated with crops of maize from agricultural fields Monsefú districts and Reque, Lambayeque Region, with 68% being dicotyledonous against monocots with 32%. Bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of weeds, getting 305 pure cultures of bacteria, 133 of which (43.7%) were identified as Azotobacter spp. Investigated the biochemical reaction in nitrate reduction, utilization of sucrose, glucose, maltose, mannitol, rhamnose, glycerol and sorbitol. Identifying A. vinelandii (58%), A. paspali (13%), A. armeniacus (8%), A. nigricans (8%) and 13 cultives not the species was identified. With this cultives pure of Azotobacter spp. native was quantified to 36.03 ppm of fixed nitrogen as ammonia; 60.75 ppm of indole acetic acid and 6.06 ppm solubilized phosphorus was also determined the activity antagonistic to Fusarium verticillioides, proteolytic and chitinolytic. 20% of Azotobacter spp. native did not affect the emergence of simple hybrid hard yellow corn 144 agriculture, 33% positively affected and 47% negatively affected. In turn, none Azotobacter spp. affect negatively survival. The potential of the plant growth promoter of Azotobacter spp. isolated from weeds in maize crops in the region of Lambayeque been demonstrated.Los fertilizantes químicos representan entre 20% y 30% de los costos de producción de un cultivo, utilizados correctamente incrementan la productividad y rentabilidad; sin embargo, cada año aumenta la cantidad de fertilizantes por aplicar, debido a la deficiencia de adsorción en el suelo y absorción por la planta. Siendo el maíz el tercer cultivo de importancia en Perú, con un impacto significativo en la actividad económica y social, en el 2014, solo el 40% del maíz ofertado correspondió a la producción nacional. En busca de alternativas para disminuir el uso de fertilizantes químicos se realizan investigaciones con denominadas rizobacterias promotoras del crecimiento vegetal (PGPR, por sus siglas en ingles). Se identificaron 37 malezas en cultivos de maíz procedentes de campos agrícolas de los distritos de Monsefú y Reque, Región Lambayeque, siendo dicotiledóneas predominantes con 68 % con respecto a monocotiledóneas con 32%. Las bacterias se aislaron de la rizósfera de malezas, obteniendo 305 cultivos puros de bacterias, de los cuales 133 cultivos puros (43,7%) se identificaron como Azotobacter spp., investigándose su reacción bioquímica en reducción de nitratos, utilización de sacarosa, glucosa, maltosa, manitol, ramnosa, glicerol y sorbitol, identificándose A. vinelandii (58%), A. paspali (13%), A. armeniacus (8%), A. nigricans (8%) y en 13 cultivos no se identificó la especie. Con los cultivos Azotobacter spp. se cuantificó hasta 36,03 ppm de nitrógeno fijado como amonio; 60,75 ppm de ácido indol acético y 6,06 ppm de fósforo solubilizado, se determinó actividad antagónica contra Fusarium verticillioides, proteolítica y quitinolítica y. El 20% de Azotobacter spp. no afectó la emergencia de maíz amarillo duro hibrido simple AGRI- 144, el 33 % la afectó positivamente y el 47% la afectó negativamente. A su vez, ningún Azotobacter spp. afectó la sobrevivencia. Demostrándose el potencial promotor del crecimiento vegetal de Azotobacter spp. aislados de malezas en cultivos de maíz en la Región de Lambayeque

Assessing the residential sector decarbonization potential of demand-side management resources: A case study of Georgia and the Atlanta metro area

The current energy transition necessitates an integration of demand-side management resources into decarbonization efforts. Recognizing the role that demand-side interventions could play in helping decarbonize Georgia’s residential sector, this study sets out to assess the residential sector decarbonization potential of demand-side management resources via a case study of the metro Atlanta area. A review of American Housing Survey data for the area identified metro Atlanta’s high but inefficient household electrification rates, a pattern that was even more prevalent in low-income households, while a review of Georgia Power’s 2022 Integrated Resource Plan highlighted the missed opportunity for deployment of dispatchable retail demand response programs. Installations of heat pumps and heat pump water heaters in metro Atlanta households with existing electrified space and water heating, but with no installed measures of the mentioned appliances, could abate nearly one megaton of greenhouse gas emissions per year, while implementation of deep energy efficiency retrofits to households with already electrified space and water heating were found to yield significant energy burden reductions for low-income households, e.g., an estimated 5% energy burden reduction for households with a yearly income of $25,000. Additionally, those same households (i.e., ones with electrified space and water heating) were found to cumulatively provide demand savings through DR programs that exceed the capacity of the natural gas combustion turbines with planned power purchase agreements by Georgia Power, while also delivering those services as a lower-cost alternative than the combustion turbine power plants in most of the modeled scenarios.M.S

Anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies are associated with aberrant inflammatory circuits in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases

INTRODUCTION: Anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies are markers for several systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARD). OBJECTIVE: To assess whether anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies are related to abnormalities in inflammatory circuits. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of consecutive outpatients with SARD. Anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies and serum amyloid A protein were measured by ELISA; panels for 18 cytokines and nine chemokines were analyzed on a Luminex reading platform, while high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and complement were measured by nephelometry. RESULTS: Among 167 included patients, 143 had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 16 had primary Sjögren's syndrome and eight had systemic sclerosis; 41 (24%) were positive for anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies. Patients with anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies had higher serum levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, GM-CSF, IL-21, IL-22, hs-CRP and chemokines CCL4, CXCL8, CXCL10 and CXCL12, but lower levels of complement C4. Anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibody titers were positively correlated with IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-21, IL-22, CXCL10, and hs-CRP, and negatively with complements C3 and C4. When only SLE patients were included, no association was identified between anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies and disease activity or organ-specific involvement. CONCLUSIONS: Anti-Ro52/TRIM21 antibodies are associated with aberrant cytokine circuits and elevated levels of angiogenic molecules and neutrophil and monocyte chemoattractants, which suggests an active role for these antibodies in SARD.</p

Improving the accuracy while preserving the interpretability of fuzzy function approximators by means of multi-objective evolutionary algorithms

AbstractThe identification of a model is one of the key issues in the field of fuzzy system modeling and function approximation theory. An important characteristic that distinguishes fuzzy systems from other techniques in this area is their transparency and interpretability. Especially in the construction of a fuzzy system from a set of given training examples, little attention has been paid to the analysis of the trade-off between complexity and accuracy maintaining the interpretability of the final fuzzy system. In this paper a multi-objective evolutionary approach is proposed to determine a Pareto-optimum set of fuzzy systems with different compromises between their accuracy and complexity. In particular, two fundamental and competing objectives concerning fuzzy system modeling are addressed: fuzzy rule parameter optimization and the identification of system structure (i.e. the number of membership functions and fuzzy rules), taking always in mind the transparency of the obtained system. Another key aspect of the algorithm presented in this work is the use of some new expert evolutionary operators, specifically designed for the problem of fuzzy function approximation, that try to avoid the generation of worse solutions in order to accelerate the convergence of the algorithm

Finite difference modelling of rupture propagation with strong velocity-weakening friction

We incorporate rate- and state-dependent friction in explicit finite difference (FD) simulations of mode II dynamic ruptures in elastic media, using the Mimetic Operators Split-Node (MOSN) method, with adjustable order of spatial accuracy (second-, fourth- or mixed-order accurate), including an option that is fourth-order accurate at the fault discontinuity as well as in the elastic volume. At fault points, the rate and state equations combined with the spatially discretized momentum conservation equations form a coupled system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) for slip velocity and state variable. As a consequence of the rapid damping of velocity perturbations due to the direct effect, this system exhibits numerical stiffness that is inversely proportional to velocity squared. Approximate solutions to this velocity-state system are achieved by two different implicit schemes: (i) a fourth-order Rosenbrock integration of the full system using multiple substeps and (ii) low order integrations (backward Euler and trapezoidal) of the velocity equation, time-staggered with analytic integration of the state equation under the approximation of constant slip velocity over the time step. In assessing the numerical schemes, we use three test problems: ruptures with frictional resistance controlled by (i) a slip evolution law with strong velocity-weakening behaviour at high slip rates, representing thermal weakening due to flash heating of microscopic asperity contacts, (ii) the classic (low-velocity) slip evolution law and (iii) the classic aging evolution law. A convergence analysis is carried out using reference solutions from a spectral boundary integral equation method (BIEM) (a method restricted to homogeneous media, with nominal spectral accuracy in space and second-order accuracy in time for smooth solutions). Errors are measured by root-mean-square differences of fault-plane time histories (slip, slip rate, traction and state). MOSN shows essentially the same convergence rates as BIEM: second-order convergence for slip and state-variable misfits, with slower (but at least first-order) convergence for slip rates and tractions. For a given grid spacing, fourth-order MOSN is as accurate as BIEM for all variables except slip-rate. MOSN-Rosenbrock nominally has fourth-order temporal accuracy for the fault-plane velocity-state ODE integration (compared to lower-order accuracy for the other two MOSN schemes) and therefore provides an important theoretical benchmark. However, it is sensitive to details of the elastic calculation scheme and occasionally its adaptive substepping performs poorly, leading to large excursions from the reference solution. In contrast, MOSN-trapezoidal is robust and reliable, much easier to implement than MOSN-Rosenbrock, and in all cases achieves precision as good as the latter without recourse to substepping. MOSN-Euler has the same advantages as MOSN-trapezoidal, except that its nominal first-order temporal accuracy ultimately leads to larger errors in slip and state variable compared with the higher-order MOSN schemes at sufficiently small grid spacings and time step

Comparación de los patrones de huellas de mordedura según forma del cráneo, mediante el análisis morfológico y morfométrico de semiarcadas dentarias de perro doméstico (Canis familiaris)

Forensic science involves the participation of professionals from diverse areas. One of which is forensic odontology; often used to establish the identity of a crime victim or perpetrator, estimate chronological age, and identify bite-marks, among others. In Chile, a professional human odontologist must determine if a bite is human or not. In the case it is caused by dogs, normally, experts are not involved in a search for the perpetrator due to the lack of a database and studies that could lead to the identification of the culprit. Due to the increasing incidence of dog bites resulting in litigation proceedings, the aim of this review is to provide background to support the study and development of forensic veterinary odontology which could provide the scientific evidence valid in the indentification of the agresor by means of studying the bite mark.    Las ciencias forenses involucran la participación de diversas de áreas profesionales. Una de ellas es la odontología forense que se utiliza para establecer la identidad de una víctima o victimario, estimación de edad cronológica, huellas de mordida, entre otros. En Chile, son profesionales odontólogos humanos quienes deben definir si una mordedura es humana o no. En caso de ser provocada por perros, normalmente no se realizan peritajes en busca del agresor debido a la inexistencia de una base de datos y estudios que conduzcan a la identificación del ejemplar involucrado. Dado que cada vez y con mayor frecuencia las mordeduras de perros derivan en procesos de litigación, el objetivo de esta revisión es entregar antecedentes que sirvan de soporte para el estudio y desarrollo de la odontología forense veterinaria, permitiendo entregar evidencia científicamente válida para la identificación y posible individualización del agresor mediante el estudio de huellas de mordeduras.