Overcoming over–indebtedness with AI - A case study on the application of AutoML to research

Dissertation presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Data Science and Advanced AnalyticsThis research examines how artificial intelligence may contribute to better understanding and overcoming over-indebtedness in contexts of high poverty risk. This study uses a field database of 1,654 over-indebted households to identify distinguishable clusters and to predict its risk factors. First, unsupervised machine learning generated three overindebtedness clusters: low-income (31.27%), low credit control (37.40%), and crisis-affected households (31.33%). These served as basis for a better understanding on the complex issue that is over-indebtedness. Second, a predictive model was developed to serve as a tool for policymakers and advisory services by streamlining the classification of overindebtedness profiles. On building such model, an AutoML approach was leveraged achieving performant results (92.1% accuracy score). Furthermore, within the AutoML framework, two techniques were employed, leading to a deeper discussion on the benefits and inner workings of such strategy. Ultimately, this research looks to contribute on three fronts: theoretical, by unfolding previously unexplored characteristics on the concept of over-indebtedness; methodological, by proposing AutoML as a powerful research tool accessible to investigators on many backgrounds; and social, by building real-world applications that aim at mitigating over-indebtedness and, consequently, poverty risk

PROPRIEDADES FARMACOLÓGICAS DA Aloe Vera L. NA CICATRIZAÇÃO DE FERIDAS: REVISÃO BIBLIOGRÁFICA

Introduction: Aloe Vera L. is a medicinal plant that presents several biological properties, among them healing activity. The phytotherapy and an alternative of viable treatment with low cost, which have proven therapeutic efficacy and safety. Objective: To analyze the pharmacological properties of aloe vera in wound healing. Methodology: This was based on a systematic review. For the theoretical foundation a search was made in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) where the databases International Literature in Health Sciences (MEDLINE), Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (LILACS) and Nursing Database (BDENF) were indexed. The following descriptors (DesCS) and also Medical Subject Headings (MESH) descriptors were used: ("Babosa" OR "Cicatrization"), ("Aloe vera" AND "Cicatrization"), ("Babosa" AND "Cicatrization"), ("Aloe vera" OR "Cicatrization") and ("Aloe vera" OR "Healing"). Results and Discussion: The pharmacological contributions of medicinal plants in wound healing are rooted in traditional knowledge, especially in the cultures of traditional populations, such as indigenous peoples, who take advantage of what nature has to offer. Conclusion: We conclude that the active ingredients extracted from natural products, such as Aloe vera L need a relatively simple technology, is of easy acquisition that reduces costs, thus representing one more advantage if we compare with other materials.Introducción: Aloe Vera L. es una planta medicinal que presenta varias propiedades biológicas, entre ellas la actividad cicatrizante. La fitoterapia y una alternativa de tratamiento viable con bajo coste, que han demostrado eficacia terapéutica y seguridad. Objetivo: Analizar las propiedades farmacológicas de la babosa (Aloe Vera L.) en la cicatrización de heridas. Metodología: Se basa en una revisión sistemática. Para la fundamentación teórica se utilizó una investigación en la Biblioteca Virtual de Salud (BVS) en la que se indexaron las bases de datos Literatura Internacional en Ciencias de la Salud (MEDLINE), Literatura Latinoamericana y del Caribe en Ciencias de la Salud (LILACS) y Base de Datos de Enfermería (BDENF). Se utilizaron los siguientes descriptores (DesCS) y también los descriptores del Medical Subject Headings (MESH): ("Babosa" O "Cicatrización"), ("Aloe vera" Y "Cicatrización"), ("Babosa" Y "Cicatrización"), ("Aloe vera" O "Cicatrización"), ("Aloe vera" Y "Cicatrización") y ("Aloe vera" O "Curación"). Resultados y discusión: Los aportes farmacológicos de las plantas medicinales en la curación de heridas tienen sus raíces en los conocimientos tradicionales, especialmente en las culturas de las poblaciones tradicionales, como los pueblos indígenas, que hacen uso de lo que la naturaleza tiene disponible. Conclusión: Se concluye que los principios activos extraídos a partir de productos naturales, como el Aloe vera L precisan de una tecnología relativamente sencilla, es de fácil adquisición y disminuyen los costes, representando así una ventaja en comparación con otras materias.Introdução: Aloe Vera L. é uma planta medicinal que apresenta diversas propriedades biológicas, dentre elas atividade cicatrizante. A fitoterapia e uma alternativa de tratamento viável com baixo custo, que possuem eficácia e segurança terapêutica comprovada. Objetivo: Analisar as propriedades farmacológicas da babosa (Aloe Vera L.)  na cicatrização de feridas. Metodologia: Baseou-se em uma revisão bibliográfica de cunho sistemático. Para a fundamentação teórica usou-se uma pesquisa na Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde (BVS) onde estavam indexadas as bases de dados Literatura Internacional em Ciências da Saúde (MEDLINE), Literatura Latino Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde (LILACS) e Base de Dados de Enfermagem (BDENF). Utilizou-se os seguintes descritores: (“Babosa” OR “Cicatrização”), (“Aloe vera” AND “Cicatrização”), (“Babosa” AND “Cicatrizante”), (“Aloe vera” OR “Cicatrizante”), (“Aloe vera” AND “Cicatrization”) e (“Aloe vera” OR “Healing”). Resultados e discussão: As contribuições farmacológicas das plantas medicinais na cicatrização de feridas estão arraigadas no conhecimento tradicional, principalmente nas culturas de populações tradicionais, como as indígenas, que se valem do que a natureza dispõe. Conclusão: Conclui-se que os princípios ativos extraídos a partir de produtos naturais, como a Aloe vera L precisam de uma tecnologia relativamente simples, é de fácil aquisição que diminui os custos, representando assim mais uma vantagem se comparamos com outros materiai

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Les droits disciplinaires des fonctions publiques : « unification », « harmonisation » ou « distanciation ». A propos de la loi du 26 avril 2016 relative à la déontologie et aux droits et obligations des fonctionnaires

The production of tt‾ , W+bb‾ and W+cc‾ is studied in the forward region of proton–proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98±0.02 fb−1 . The W bosons are reconstructed in the decays W→ℓν , where ℓ denotes muon or electron, while the b and c quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions.The production of $t\overline{t}$, $W+b\overline{b}$ and $W+c\overline{c}$ is studied in the forward region of proton-proton collisions collected at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.98 $\pm$ 0.02 \mbox{fb}^{-1}. The $W$ bosons are reconstructed in the decays $W\rightarrow\ell\nu$, where $\ell$ denotes muon or electron, while the $b$ and $c$ quarks are reconstructed as jets. All measured cross-sections are in agreement with next-to-leading-order Standard Model predictions

Height and body-mass index trajectories of school-aged children and adolescents from 1985 to 2019 in 200 countries and territories: a pooled analysis of 2181 population-based studies with 65 million participants

Summary Background Comparable global data on health and nutrition of school-aged children and adolescents are scarce. We aimed to estimate age trajectories and time trends in mean height and mean body-mass index (BMI), which measures weight gain beyond what is expected from height gain, for school-aged children and adolescents. Methods For this pooled analysis, we used a database of cardiometabolic risk factors collated by the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Collaboration. We applied a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends from 1985 to 2019 in mean height and mean BMI in 1-year age groups for ages 5–19 years. The model allowed for non-linear changes over time in mean height and mean BMI and for non-linear changes with age of children and adolescents, including periods of rapid growth during adolescence. Findings We pooled data from 2181 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight in 65 million participants in 200 countries and territories. In 2019, we estimated a difference of 20 cm or higher in mean height of 19-year-old adolescents between countries with the tallest populations (the Netherlands, Montenegro, Estonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina for boys; and the Netherlands, Montenegro, Denmark, and Iceland for girls) and those with the shortest populations (Timor-Leste, Laos, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea for boys; and Guatemala, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste for girls). In the same year, the difference between the highest mean BMI (in Pacific island countries, Kuwait, Bahrain, The Bahamas, Chile, the USA, and New Zealand for both boys and girls and in South Africa for girls) and lowest mean BMI (in India, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Ethiopia, and Chad for boys and girls; and in Japan and Romania for girls) was approximately 9–10 kg/m2. In some countries, children aged 5 years started with healthier height or BMI than the global median and, in some cases, as healthy as the best performing countries, but they became progressively less healthy compared with their comparators as they grew older by not growing as tall (eg, boys in Austria and Barbados, and girls in Belgium and Puerto Rico) or gaining too much weight for their height (eg, girls and boys in Kuwait, Bahrain, Fiji, Jamaica, and Mexico; and girls in South Africa and New Zealand). In other countries, growing children overtook the height of their comparators (eg, Latvia, Czech Republic, Morocco, and Iran) or curbed their weight gain (eg, Italy, France, and Croatia) in late childhood and adolescence. When changes in both height and BMI were considered, girls in South Korea, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and some central Asian countries (eg, Armenia and Azerbaijan), and boys in central and western Europe (eg, Portugal, Denmark, Poland, and Montenegro) had the healthiest changes in anthropometric status over the past 3·5 decades because, compared with children and adolescents in other countries, they had a much larger gain in height than they did in BMI. The unhealthiest changes—gaining too little height, too much weight for their height compared with children in other countries, or both—occurred in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, New Zealand, and the USA for boys and girls; in Malaysia and some Pacific island nations for boys; and in Mexico for girls. Interpretation The height and BMI trajectories over age and time of school-aged children and adolescents are highly variable across countries, which indicates heterogeneous nutritional quality and lifelong health advantages and risks

A social and ecological assessment of tropical land uses at multiple scales: the Sustainable Amazon Network

Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.Keywords: Social–ecological systems, Tropical forests, Land use, Interdisciplinary research, Sustainability, Trade-off

Educomunicação e suas áreas de intervenção: Novos paradigmas para o diálogo intercultural

oai:omp.abpeducom.org.br:publicationFormat/1O material aqui divulgado representa, em essência, a contribuição do VII Encontro Brasileiro de Educomunicação ao V Global MIL Week, da UNESCO, ocorrido na ECA/USP, entre 3 e 5 de novembro de 2016. Estamos diante de um conjunto de 104 papers executivos, com uma média de entre 7 e 10 páginas, cada um. Com este rico e abundante material, chegamos ao sétimo e-book publicado pela ABPEducom, em seus seis primeiros anos de existência. A especificidade desta obra é a de trazer as “Áreas de Intervenção” do campo da Educomunicação, colocando-as a serviço de uma meta essencial ao agir educomunicativo: o diálogo intercultural, trabalhado na linha do tema geral do evento internacional: Media and Information Literacy: New Paradigms for Intercultural Dialogue

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications