A Semi-parametric Analysis of Technology, with an Application to U.S. Dairy Farms

This article proposes a semi-parametric stochastic frontier model (SPSF) in which components of the technology and of technical efficiency are represented using semi-parametric methods and estimated in a Bayesian framework. The approach is illustrated in an application to US farm data. The analysis shows important scale economies for small and medium herds and constant return to scale for larger herds. With the exception of labor, estimates of marginal products were close to the value expected under profit maximization. Finally, the results suggest important opportunities to increase productivity through reductions in technical inefficiencies.

Factor analysis models for structuring covariance matrices of additive genetic effects: a Bayesian implementation

Multivariate linear models are increasingly important in quantitative genetics. In high dimensional specifications, factor analysis (FA) may provide an avenue for structuring (co)variance matrices, thus reducing the number of parameters needed for describing (co)dispersion. We describe how FA can be used to model genetic effects in the context of a multivariate linear mixed model. An orthogonal common factor structure is used to model genetic effects under Gaussian assumption, so that the marginal likelihood is multivariate normal with a structured genetic (co)variance matrix. Under standard prior assumptions, all fully conditional distributions have closed form, and samples from the joint posterior distribution can be obtained via Gibbs sampling. The model and the algorithm developed for its Bayesian implementation were used to describe five repeated records of milk yield in dairy cattle, and a one common FA model was compared with a standard multiple trait model. The Bayesian Information Criterion favored the FA model

Deep Learning Techniques to Improve the Performance of Olive Oil Classification

The olive oil assessment involves the use of a standardized sensory analysis according to the “panel test” method. However, there is an important interest to design novel strategies based on the use of Gas Chromatography (GC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS), or ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) together with a chemometric data treatment for olive oil classification. It is an essential task in an attempt to get the most robust model over time and, both to avoid fraud in the price and to know whether it is suitable for consumption or not. The aim of this paper is to combine chemical techniques and Deep Learning approaches to automatically classify olive oil samples from two different harvests in their three corresponding classes: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), virgin olive oil (VOO), and lampante olive oil (LOO). Our Deep Learning model is built with 701 samples, which were obtained from two olive oil campaigns (2014–2015 and 2015–2016). The data from the two harvests are built from the selection of specific olive oil markers from the whole spectral fingerprint obtained with GC-IMS method. In order to obtain the best results we have configured the parameters of our model according to the nature of the data. The results obtained show that a deep learning approach applied to data obtained from chemical instrumental techniques is a good method when classifying oil samples in their corresponding categories, with higher success rates than those obtained in previous works.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TIN2017-88209-C2-2-

Atribución mentalista en adultos con discapacidad intelectual

Este estudio pretende conocer cómo es el rendimiento en varias tareas relacionadas con la Teoría de la Mente dentro de la población con discapacidad intelectual. Estas están formadas por tareas de primer y segundo orden y una prueba sobre atribuciones de estados mentales. El trabajo se inicia con una revisión sobre la definición de la Teoría de la mente, los instrumentos que se han empleado en su estudio y qué resultados se han obtenido hasta la fecha en la población con discapacidad intelectual. La muestra se compone de 30 adultos, 15 de ellos con discapacidad intelectual, y 15 niños/as de desarrollo normativo. Entre los resultados que hallan, se ha encontrado, por un lado, que el grupo control adultos realiza más atribuciones de estados mentales y, por otro lado, que existen algunas diferencias de rendimiento en las tareas de primer orden entre el grupo control niños y el grupo de adultos con discapacidad intelectual.This study aims to know the performance of adults with intellectual disability in several tasks related to the Theory of Mind. They consist of tasks of first and second order and mental states attributions test. The work starts with a review to define the Theory of mind, in order to know how it has been studied and what results have been previously obtained. The sample is composed of 30 adults, 15 of them with intellectual disability, and 15 children of normative development. The results obtained, found that the adult control group makes more attributions of mental states and there are some differences in the performance of the first-order false belief tasks between children control group and the clinical group

Diversity begets diversity: Phorophyte and microsite relations of foliicolous lichens in the lowland rain forest at Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve (Veracruz, Mexico)

We analyzed the structure of foliicolous lichen communities in the northernmost lowland forest of the Neotropics, Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station in Veracruz, Mexico, and its dependence on phorophyte and microclimate. Along a 420‐m long transect with 15 equidistant sampling points, within a 10 m radius of each point, we sampled a total 137 phorophytes and 411 leaves. The phorophytes represented 13 species, with diverse leaf traits regarding size, texture, presence of hairs and/or glands, and longevity, including: Astrocaryum mexicanum (Arecaceae), Chamaedorea ernesti‐augustii (Arecaceae), Costus scaber (Costaceae), Guarea glabra (Meliaceae), Heliconia latispatha (Heliconiaceae), Monstera acuminata (Araceae), Myriocarpa longipes (Urticaceae), Piper hispidum (Piperaceae), Poulsenia armata (Moraceae), Pseudolmedia oxyphyllaria (Moraceae), Salacia megistophylla (Celastraceae), Siparuna thecaphora (Siparunaceae) and Syngonium podophyllum (Araceae). NDMS ordination and cluster analysis grouped the phorophytes into hierarchically structured clusters variously correlated with microsite, phorophyte species and foliicolous lichen species richness. Indicator species analysis revealed statistically significant foliicolous lichen species characteristic for terminal clusters and for phorophyte species. We conclude that the principle of “diversity begets diversity” may apply, in that phorophyte diversity influences the diversity of foliicolous lichen communities through the manifestation of subtle phorophyte preferences, best seen in well‐developed communities on leaves with higher longevity. Thus, well‐preserved forest ecosystems, with a higher diversity of suitable phorophytes, will support a higher diversity of foliicolous lichens, a phenomenon that extents to epiphytes in general

La protección jurídica del niño El interés superior del niño en las relaciones paterno filiales

La presente ponencia es producto de la Investigación terminada titulada "Derechos humanos, niñez y adolescencia", del grupo  de Familia, Género y Conflicto y ha sido presentada y expuesta en el PROGRAMA DE MAESTRÍA EN DERECHO DE FAMILIA, de la FACULTAD DE DERECHO de la UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE BUCARAMANGA, los días 16 y 17 de diciembre de 2009

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