Atmospheric neutrinos in ice and measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters

The main goal of the IceCube Deep Core Array is to search for neutrinos of astrophysical origins. Atmospheric neutrinos are commonly considered as a background for these searches. We show that the very high statistics atmospheric neutrino data can be used to obtain precise measurements of the main oscillation parameters.Comment: expanded discussion of systematic uncertainties, 8 pages, 4 figure

Uncovering the Secrets of the Concept of Place in Cognitive Maps Aided by Artificial Intelligence

Uncovering how mental representations acquire, recall, and decode spatial information about relative locations and environmental attributes (cognitive map) involves different challenges. This work is geared towards theoretical discussions on the controversial issue of cognitive scalability for understanding cognitive map emergence from place and grid cells at the intersection between neuroscience and artificial intelligence. In our view, different place maps emerge from parallel and hierarchical neural structures supporting a global cognitive map. The mechanisms sustaining these maps do not only process sensory input but also assign the input to a location. Contentious issues are presented around these concepts and provide concrete suggestions for moving the field forward. We recommend approaching the described challenges guided by AI-based theoretical aspects of encoded place instead of based chiefly on technological aspects to study the brain. SIGNIFICANCE: A formal difference exists between the concepts of spatial representations between experimental neuroscientists and computer scientists and engineers in the so-called neural-based autonomous navigation field. From a neuroscience perspective, we consider the position of an organism’s body to be entirely determined by translational spatial information (e.g., visited places and velocities). An organism predicts where it is at a specific time using continuous or discrete spatial functions embedded into navigation systems. From these functions, we infer that the concept of place has emerged. However, from an engineering standpoint, we represent structured scaffolds of behavioral processes to determine movements from the organism’s current position to some other spatial locations. These scaffolds are certainly affected by the system’s designer. Therefore, the coding of place, in this case, is predetermined. The contrast between emergent cognitive map through inputs versus predefined spatial recognition between two fields creates an inconsistency. Clarifying this tension can inform us on how the brain encodes abstract knowledge to represent spatial positions, which hints at a universal theory of cognition.Fil: Fernandez Leon, Jose Alberto. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. - Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Acosta, Gerardo Gabriel. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tandil. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. - Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Modelado fenomenológico y computacional de la determinación de aceite residual en yacimientos naturalmente fracturados usando trazadores reactivos

84 páginas. Maestría en Ingeniería de Procesos.En este trabajo se realiza el modelado fenomenológico del transporte de trazadores reactivos que es una herramienta comúnmente usada para describir los procesos que subyacen dentro de los yacimientos naturalmente fracturados. Esto con el objetivo de calcular el aceite residual remanente. Se usaron ecuaciones de transporte de masa y ecuaciones de equilibrio locales como punto de partida para el escalamiento de un modelo matemático global. Usando el teorema del promediado volumétrico, se estudiaron los fenómenos a una escala local y se promediaron en todo el sistema a partir de un volumen muestra representativo. Se compararon los modelos propuestos fenomenológicamente con los realizados con el método de escalamiento matemático del promedio volumétrico, llegando a ecuaciones análogas que representan físicamente lo mismo. Los fenómenos de transporte de masa en los dos dominios del sistema para la etapa de inyección del reactivo acetato de etilo, fueron la convección, reacción química y difusión molecular efectiva. En la etapa de reposo, es donde se lleva a cabo el fenómeno de la partición del reactivo A en el aceite residual, la adsorción en la roca, así como la difusión molecular efectiva entre los intersticios de la matriz porosa. En la etapa de salida o producción, las sustancias químicas que comprenden la prueba de trazadores reactivos salen del yacimiento naturalmente fracturado. Se realizó un programa en el software MATLAB, usando el método de diferencias finitas, dividiendo el sistema en dos dominios: la matriz porosa y la fractura. En la simulación se pudieron observar claramente los efectos de cada uno de los mecanismos del modelo propuesto. Así se concluye que los modelos presentados en este trabajo son aceptables para simular el comportamiento del acetato de etilo y el etanol dentro del sistema de estudio.Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (México)

Las mermas y su incidencia en los costos de producción del sector industrial

Las organizaciones del sector industrial abarcan distintos procesos productivos durante la fabricación de un determinado producto; por ello, deben tener un adecuado control, manejo y clasificación de los costos incurridos en la producción. Así mismo, hoy en día este sector es el principal generador de mermas y desperdicios durante sus procesos, puesto que realizan producción en grandes cantidades. Sin embargo, la mayoría de las empresas industriales desconocen el tratamiento y reconocimiento adecuado de las mermas, puesto que muchas veces es difícil identificar de manera exacta si una merma es normal o anormal en los procesos de producción. Por lo tanto, la investigación tiene como propósito analizar la incidencia de las mermas en los procesos productivos. De igual forma, metodológicamente se empleó la revisión de base de datos y fuentes secundarias. Finalmente, la recolección de la información permitirá lograr comprender el concepto de mermas en la producción, para así poder determinar de manera exacta el costo real de los productos fabricados y a la vez llevar un control más eficiente, rentable y preciso de los recursos

Aspects of the syntax of (TP-)Coordination, Across-the-Board extraction and Parasitic Gaps.

In this dissertation I investigate aspects of the syntax of sentential coordination, Across-the-Board extraction, and Parasitic Gap constructions, as well as their implications for our understanding of the language faculty. I first argue that the analysis of coordinate and subordinate structures should be unified in terms of their syntax. More specifically, I argue that in coordinate structures in which two TPs are coordinated, non-first conjuncts are adjoined to the vP, as is commonly assumed for adverbial clauses. I also argue against the traditional distinction between coordination and subordination and propose that any differences in the grammatical behavior of these constructions should be reduced to the individual lexical properties of their conjunctions. As in any version of the adjunction analysis of coordination (see Munn 1993), we find a partial redundancy between two different principles of the narrow syntax: the Coordinate Structure Constraint and the Condition on Extraction Domains. I explore this redundancy and argue that the former should not be maintained as a principle of the narrow syntax. I provide further evidence that the syntax does allow extraction from a first conjunct, although it is then ruled out in the semantics by the LF Parallelism Requirement (Hornstein and Nunes 2002). I then revise the LF Parallelism Requirement and argue, based on data from Spanish, that conjuncts require parallelism regarding linear order at PF as well. Finally, I argue that the analysis of Across-the-Board and Parasitic Gap constructions should be unified in terms of Sideward Movement (see Nunes 2001, 2004). I provide further evidence for this approach here based on (the absence of) Weak Crossover, of which I propose a new formulation. I also take the absence of Weak Crossover as the basis for extending the Sideward Movement analysis to other cases of movement.Ph.D.LinguisticsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60674/1/gfthrak_3.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60674/2/gfthrak_2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60674/3/gfthrak_1.pd

3D high definition video coding on a GPU-based heterogeneous system

H.264/MVC is a standard for supporting the sensation of 3D, based on coding from 2 (stereo) to N views. H.264/MVC adopts many coding options inherited from single view H.264/AVC, and thus its complexity is even higher, mainly because the number of processing views is higher. In this manuscript, we aim at an efficient parallelization of the most computationally intensive video encoding module for stereo sequences. In particular, inter prediction and its collaborative execution on a heterogeneous platform. The proposal is based on an efficient dynamic load balancing algorithm and on breaking encoding dependencies. Experimental results demonstrate the proposed algorithm's ability to reduce the encoding time for different stereo high definition sequences. Speed-up values of up to 90× were obtained when compared with the reference encoder on the same platform. Moreover, the proposed algorithm also provides a more energy-efficient approach and hence requires less energy than the sequential reference algorith

Soroprevalência da infecção pelo T. cruzi em doadores de sangue e cardiomiopatia chagásica em pacientes da região carbonífera de Coahuila, México

Context and Objective: Chagas disease is considered a worldwide emerging disease; it is endemic in Mexico and the state of Coahuila and is considered of little relevance. The objective of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. cruzi infection in blood donors and Chagas cardiomyopathy in patients from the coal mining region of Coahuila, Mexico. Design and Setting: Epidemiological, exploratory and prospective study in a general hospital during the period January to June 2011. Methods: We performed laboratory tests ELISA and indirect hemagglutination in three groups of individuals: 1) asymptomatic voluntary blood donors, 2) patients hospitalized in the cardiology department and 3) patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Results: There were three levels of seroprevalence: 0.31% in asymptomatic individuals, 1.25% in cardiac patients and in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy in 21.14%. Conclusions: In spite of having detected autochthonous cases of Chagas disease, its importance to local public health remains to be established as well as the details of the dynamics of transmission so that the study is still in progress.Contexto e Objetivo: A doença de Chagas é mundialmente considerada uma doença emergente, é endêmica no México e no estado de Coahuila e considerada de pouca relevância. O objetivo do estudo foi determinar a soroprevalência da infecção pelo T. cruzi em doadores de sangue e cardiomiopatia chagásica em pacientes da região carbonífera de Coahuila, México. Desenho e Local: Estudo epidemiológico, exploratório e prospectivo em um hospital geral no período de janeiro a junho de 2011. Métodos: Foram realizados testes de laboratório ELISA e hemoglutinação indireta em três grupos de indivíduos: 1) doadores de sangue voluntários assintomáticos, 2) pacientes internados na área de cardiologia e 3) pacientes com cardiomiopatia dilatada. Resultados: Foram achados três níveis de soroprevalência: 0,31% em indivíduos doadores de sangue assintomáticos, 1,25% em pacientes cardiopatas e, em pacientes com cardiomiopatia dilatada 21,14%. Conclusão: Detectamos casos autóctones de doença de Chagas em área considerada não endêmica. Deve ser determinada sua importância na saúde pública regional e local, para estabelecer os detalhes do mecanismo de transmissão. O estudo ainda está em desenvolvimento

Security aspects of SCADA and DCS environments

Abstract SCADA Systems can be seen as a fundamental component in Critical Infrastructures, having an impact in the overall performance of other Critical Infrastructures interconnected. Currently, these systems include in their network designs different types of Information and Communication Technology systems (such as the Internet and wireless technologies), not only to modernize operational processes but also to ensure automation and real-time control. Nonetheless, the use of these new technologies will bring new security challenges, which will have a significant impact on both the business process and home users. Therefore, the main purpose of this Chapter is to address these issues and to analyze the interdependencies of Process Control Systems with ICT systems, to discuss some security aspects and to offer some possible solutions and recommendations