Trust-Region Methods Without Using Derivatives: Worst Case Complexity and the NonSmooth Case

Trust-region methods are a broad class of methods for continuous optimization that found application in a variety of problems and contexts. In particular, they have been studied and applied for problems without using derivatives. The analysis of trust-region derivative-free methods has focused on global convergence, and they have been proven to generate a sequence of iterates converging to stationarity independently of the starting point. Most of such an analysis is carried out in the smooth case, and, moreover, little is known about the complexity or global rate of these methods. In this paper, we start by analyzing the worst case complexity of general trust-region derivative-free methods for smooth functions. For the nonsmooth case, we propose a smoothing approach, for which we prove global convergence and bound the worst case complexity effort. For the special case of nonsmooth functions that result from the composition of smooth and nonsmooth/convex components, we show how to improve the existing results of the literature and make them applicable to the general methodology

Dynamic evolution for risk-neutral densities

Option price data is often used to infer risk-neutral densities for future prices of an underlying asset. Given the prices of a set of options on the same underlying asset with different strikes and maturities, we propose a nonparametric approach for estimating the evolution of the risk-neutral density in time. Our method uses bicubic splines in order to achieve the desired smoothness for the estimation and an optimization model to choose the spline functions that best fit the price data. Semidefinite programming is employed to guarantee the nonnegativity of the densities. We illustrate the process using synthetic option price data generated using log-normal and absolute diffusion processes as well as actual price data for options on the S&P500 index. We also used the risk-neutral densities that we computed to price exotic options and observed that this approach generates prices that closely approximate the market prices of these options.FCT POCI/MAT/59442/2004, PTDC/MAT/64838/2006

A competência profissional dos enfermeiros. Um estudo em hospitais portugueses

Al igual que en otras profesiones, también en enfermería el concepto de competencia ha sido ampliamente discutido, pero aún no se ha llegado a un entendimiento común o a una definición considerada como un elemento clave en la calidad y la seguridad. Por razones que tienen que ver con cuestiones relacionadas con la calidad de la atención y la seguridad de los pacientes, sumada a la escasez mundial de profesionales de enfermería cualificados, el interés por las competencias de los enfermeros ha aumentado. El objetivo principal del estudio es mostrar la relevancia e importancia de las competencias profesionales de la enfermería portuguesa, los objetivos específicos son: conocer el nivel de competencia profesional de la enfermería en Portugal; relacionar las variables socio-demográficas y profesionales con las dimensiones de la escala de competencia de enfermería; identificar el nivel de destrezas profesionales de enfermería en las áreas de desarrollo profesional y necesidades de formación. Desarrolla un estudio de carácter cuantitativo, descriptivo y correlacional, en el caso de una investigación por cuestionario, la muestra consta de 1164 enfermeros y enfermeras. Los principales resultados señalan que los enfermeros y enfermeras portugueses evalúan su competencia en altos niveles de profesionalidad y que diversas variables afectan a esta evaluación.Like other professions, also in nursing the concept of competence has been widely discussed but has not yet reached a common understanding or definition is seen as a key element in quality and safety. For reasons that have to do with issues related to quality of care and patient safety, added to the global shortage of qualified nursing professionals, interest in the competence of nurses has increased. The main objective of the study is to show the relevance and importance of professional skills of Portuguese nurses, the specific objectives are: to know the professional competence level of Portuguese nurses; relate socio-demographic and professional variables with the dimensions of the nurse competence scale; identify the level of professional skills of nurses in the areas of professional development and training needs. It develops a study of quantitative, descriptive and correlational, in the case of an investigation by questionnaire the sample consists of 1164 nurses. The main results is pointed out that the Portuguese nurses assess their competence at high levels of professional competence and that several variables affect this assessment.Tal como noutras profissões, também na Enfermagem o conceito de competência tem sido amplamente discutido, embora ainda não se tenha chegado a um entendimento comum ou uma definição É entendida como um elemento-chave na qualidade e na segurança. Por razões que se prendem com questões relacionadas com a qualidade dos cuidados e a segurança dos pacientes, adicionado à escassez global de profissionais de enfermagem qualificados, o interesse na competencia dos enfermeiros tem aumentado. O objetivo central do estudo é o de mostrar a relevância e a importância das competências profissionais dos enfermeiros portugueses, sendo os objetivos específicos: conhecer o nível de competencia profissional dos enfermeiros portugueses; relacionar variáveis sociodemográficas e profissionais com as dimensões da escala de competência do enfermeiro; identificar o nível de competências profissionais dos enfermeiros nas áreas de desenvolvimento profissional e nas necesidades formativas. Desenvolveuse um estudo de natureza quantitativa, descritivo-correlacional, tratandose de uma investigação por questionário, A amostra é constituída por 1164 enfermeiros. Como resultados principais apontase que os enfermeiros portugueses avaliam a sua competencia em níveis elevados de competência profissional e que várias varáveis influenciam essa avaliação.peerReviewe

Editorial

Neste número da Forum Sociológico avulta o dossiê “Transformação Urbana: Experiências Locais”. Ele resulta do encontro científico internacional com o mesmo nome, que decorreu em Novembro de 2010 na Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. A iniciativa teve como objectivo contribuir para o debate em torno das Dinâmicas Urbanas e do Território, uma das linhas de investigação do Grupo de Trabalho: Mundos Sociais, Trajectórias e Mobilidades do CESNOVA. Reuniram-se ..

Editorial

Neste número da Forum Sociológico avulta o dossiê “Transformação Urbana: Experiências Locais”. Ele resulta do encontro científico internacional com o mesmo nome, que decorreu em Novembro de 2010 na Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa. A iniciativa teve como objectivo contribuir para o debate em torno das Dinâmicas Urbanas e do Território, uma das linhas de investigação do Grupo de Trabalho: Mundos Sociais, Trajectórias e Mobilidades do CESNOVA. Reuniram-se ..

Effect of industrial and domestic ash from biomass combustion, and spent coffee grounds, on soil fertility and plant growth: experiments at field conditions

An experimental study was conducted at field conditions in order to evaluate the effect of application of ash from biomass combustion on some soil fertility characteristics and plant growth. Application of 7.5 Mg ha-1 industrial fly ash (IA), domestic ash (DA), and a 50:50 mix of domestic ash (DA) and spent coffee grounds (SCG) was made in different soil parcels. Lolium perenne seeds were sown and the grown biomass was harvested and quantified after 60 days. Soil samples from each parcel were also collected after that period and characterized. Both soil and grown biomass samples were analyzed for Ca, Mg, Na, K, P, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Al contents. Soil pH was determined before and after amendment. All applications rose significantly soil pH. Domestic ash, whether combined with coffee grounds or not, proved to be efficient at supplying available macronutrients Ca, Mg, K, and P to the soil and also reducing availability of Al (more than industrial ash). However, it inhibited plant growth, even more when combined with spent coffee grounds. As regards to elemental abundance in plant tissue, both domestic ash treatments reduced Ca and enhanced Al contents, unlike industrial ash, which proved less harmful for the load applied in the soil. Hence, it was possible to conclude that application load should be a limiting factor for this management option for the studied materials.publishe

Conversão do cerrado em agricultura no sudoeste da Amazônia: estoques de carbono e fertilidade do solo

Land use change and land management practices can modify soil carbon (C) dynamics and soil fertility. This study evaluated the effect of tillage systems (no-tillage - NT and conventional tillage - CT) on soil C and nutrient stocks in an Oxisol from an Amazonian cerrado following land use change. The study also identified relationships between these stocks and other soil attributes. Carbon, P, K, Ca and Mg stocks, adjusted to the equivalent soil mass in the cerrado (CE), were higher under NT. After adoption of all but one of the NT treatments, C stocks were higher than they were in the other areas we considered. Correlations between C and nutrient stocks showed positive correlations with Ca and Mg under NT due to continuous liming, higher crop residue inputs and lack of soil disturbance, associated with positive correlations with cation exchange capacity (CEC), base saturation and pH. The positive correlation (r = 0.91, p < 0.05) between C stocks and CEC in the CE indicates the important contribution of soil organic matter (SOM) to CEC in tropical soils, although the exchange sites are - under natural conditions - mainly occupied by H and Al. Phosphorus and K stocks showed positive correlations (0.81 and 0.82, respectively) with C stocks in the CE, indicating the direct relationship of P and K with SOM in natural ecosystems. The high spatial variability of P and K fertilizer application may be obscuring these soil nutrient stocks. In this study, the main source of P and K was fertilizer rather than SOM.Mudanças de uso da terra e práticas de manejo modificam a dinâmica do C e a fertilidade do solo. Este estudo avaliou as implicações dos sistemas de cultivo (NT e CT) nos estoques de C e de nutrientes e identificou inter-relações entre estes estoques e outros atributos da fertilidade do solo em Latossolo após a mudança do uso da terra no cerrado amazônico. Os estoques de C e de nutrientes (P, K, Ca e Mg) ajustados pela massa equivalente do solo sob cerrado (CE), foram maiores principalmente sob NT. Após a adoção do NT, exceto em 2NT, os estoques de C foram maiores em relação às demais áreas avaliadas. Correlações entre estoques de C e de nutrientes revelaram algumas correlações positivas com Ca e Mg nas áreas sob NT, devido ao uso continuo de calcário, à maior quantidade de resíduos culturais e ao não revolvimento do solo, associado à correlações positivas com CTC, saturação por bases e pH. A correlação positiva (r = 0,91, p < 0,05) entre estoques de C e CTC em CE indica a importante contribuição da MOS na CTC de solos tropicais, embora os sítios de troca estejam ocupados principalmente por H + Al. Estoques de P e K mostraram correlações positivas com estoques de C em CE (0,81 e 0,82; respectivamente), indicando a alta relação de P e K com a MOS em ecossistemas naturais. A alta variabilidade espacial associada à aplicação de fertilizantes (P e K) no sulco de plantio pode ter mascarado os resultados dos estoques. A principal fonte destes nutrientes para o solo foi o fertilizante aplicado e não a MOS.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)FAPES

Cysteine Boosts Fitness Under Hypoxia-Mimicked Conditions in Ovarian Cancer by Metabolic Reprogramming

Funding Information: Funding. This research was supported by Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e Tecnologia (FCT) (Ph.D. ProRegeM program, Ref: PD/BD/105893/2014; FCT individual Ph.D. fellowship Ref: 2020.06956.BD) and iNOVA4 Health (Project 4 and Project 21). iNOVA4Health-UID/Multi/04462/2013 is a program financially supported by Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e Tecnologia/ Minist?rio da Educa??o e Ci?ncia, through national funds. The authors would like to acknowledge the Instituto Portugu?s de Oncologia de Lisboa Francisco Gentil (IPOLFG) for partially funding the project. Publisher Copyright: © Copyright © 2021 Nunes, Ramos, Santos, Mendes, Silva, Vicente, Pereira, Félix, Gonçalves and Serpa.Among gynecologic malignancies, ovarian cancer is the third most prevalent and the most common cause of death, especially due to diagnosis at an advanced stage together with resistance to therapy. As a solid tumor grows, cancer cells in the microenvironment are exposed to regions of hypoxia, a selective pressure prompting tumor progression and chemoresistance. We have previously shown that cysteine contributes to the adaptation to this hypoxic microenvironment, but the mechanisms by which cysteine protects ovarian cancer cells from hypoxia-induced death are still to be unveiled. Herein, we hypothesized that cysteine contribution relies on cellular metabolism reprogramming and energy production, being cysteine itself a metabolic source. Our results strongly supported a role of xCT symporter in energy production that requires cysteine metabolism instead of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) per se. Cysteine degradation depends on the action of the H2S-synthesizing enzymes cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), and/or 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MpST; together with cysteine aminotransferase, CAT). In normoxia, CBS and CSE inhibition had a mild impact on cysteine-sustained ATP production, pointing out the relevance of CAT + MpST pathway. However, in hypoxia, the concomitant inhibition of CBS and CSE had a stronger impact on ATP synthesis, thus also supporting a role of their hydrogen sulfide and/or cysteine persulfide-synthesizing activity in this stressful condition. However, the relative contributions of each of these enzymes (CBS/CSE/MpST) on cysteine-derived ATP synthesis under hypoxia remains unclear, due to the lack of specific inhibitors. Strikingly, NMR analysis strongly supported a role of cysteine in the whole cellular metabolism rewiring under hypoxia. Additionally, the use of cysteine to supply biosynthesis and bioenergetics was reinforced, bringing cysteine to the plateau of a main carbon sources in cancer. Collectively, this work supports that sulfur and carbon metabolism reprogramming underlies the adaptation to hypoxic microenvironment promoted by cysteine in ovarian cancer.publishersversionpublishe

BIOFOODPACK: Biocomposite packaging for active preservation of food: the project and the progresses

CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679 (FCT UID /CTM /50011/2019) and QOPNA (FCT UID/QUI/00062/2019) are financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and when applicable co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. CN and PF thank FCT for the grants (SFRH/BPD/100627/2014 and IF/00300/2015, respectively). The project M-ERA-NET2/0021/2016 – BIOFOODPACK - Biocomposite Packaging for Active Preservation of Food is acknowledged for funding. This work was also funded by national funds (OE), through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DIVERSIDADE DA FAUNA EDÁFICA INFLUENCIADA PELA ADIÇÃO DE PLANTAS DE COBERTURA E CINZA LEVE DE CALDEIRA AO SOLO.

Resíduos de produção florestal podem ser utilizados na agricultura como material secundário, sem fornecer riscos á rentabilidade. Objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da aplicação de cinza  leve e de plantas de cobertura, sobre a composição da fauna edáfica. O estudo foi implantado na unidade experimental de campo da Unoesc - Xanxerê, no ano de 2016, em um Latossolo Vermelho distrófico. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos casualizados com 4 repetições sendo os tratamentos: pousio, plantas de cobertira + cinza, pousio+cinza, planta de cobertura. Utilizou-se como plantas de cobertura um consórcio entre ervilhaca (40 kg/ha) e aveia (50 kg/ha), semeado em Sistema Plantio Direto na Palha, as adubações foram realizadas conforme análise de solo. Dados submetidos a uma análise descritiva e exploratória seguida de uma análise de variância. Na triagem realizada foram encontrados 4019 indivíduos (ind.), predominando Collembola (2910 ind.) , seguida de Acari (337 ind.) e Diptera (210 ind). Ao todo foram encontradas 19 táxons diferentes, sendo estas: Acari, Araneae, Chilopoda, Coleoptera, Collembola, Diplura, Diptera, Gastropoda, Hemiptera, Hirudineae, Hymenoptera, Isopoda, Oligochaeta, Opiliones, Orthoptera, Pauropoda, Protura, Symphyla, Thysanoptera. A Riqueza e a Abundância dos indivíduos não apresentaram diferença significativa, apresentando uma média de riqueza para pousio (10,00), plantas e cinza (9,75), pousio+cinza (10,75), plantas de cobertura (10,50). A média de Abundânica dos indivíduos foi pousio (174,50), planta e cinza (205,00), pousio+cinza (413,75), planta (211,50)