From Imitation to Prediction, Data Compression vs Recurrent Neural Networks for Natural Language Processing

In recent studies [1][13][12] Recurrent Neural Networks were used for generative processes and their surprising performance can be explained by their ability to create good predictions. In addition, data compression is also based on predictions. What the problem comes down to is whether a data compressor could be used to perform as well as recurrent neural networks in natural language processing tasks. If this is possible,then the problem comes down to determining if a compression algorithm is even more intelligent than a neural network in specific tasks related to human language. In our journey we discovered what we think is the fundamental difference between a Data Compression Algorithm and a Recurrent Neural Network

Resolución numérica de problemas evolutivos semilineales sobre dominios irregulares mediante métodos miméticos paralelizables

Este artíulo versa sobre la resolución numérica eficiente de problemas parabólicos semilineales que describen fenómenos de flujo en medios porosos anisótropos. Para la integración en tiempo de tales problemas, proponemos usar un método de pasos fraccionarios linealmente implícito que considere particiones del operador y el término fuente relacionadas con una descomposición del dominio de flujo. La familia de problemas elípticos así obtenida se discretiza en espacio por medio de la técnica del operador-soporte con lo que obtenemos un esquema en diferencias finitas centrado en celdas sobre un mallado rectangular lógico. Debido a las particiones elegidas para el operador y el término fuente, el esquema totalmente discreto resultante involucra conjuntos de sistemas lineales desacoplados que pueden ser resueltos en paralelo. Finalmente, mostramos un ensayo numérico con el fin de ilustrar el comportamiento incondicionalmente convergente del método

Challenges in automatic forest change reporting through land cover mapping

Up-to-date knowledge about changes in forest resources and their spatial distribution is essential for sustainable forest management. Therefore, monitoring of forest evolution is increasingly demanded by national and international agencies to design forestry policies and to track their progress. Annually updated land cover maps based on open access satellite imagery may serve as a primary tool for monitoring forest surface evolution over time. Spatially detailed information about forest change might be obtained by comparing land cover maps over time. This study aims to better understand the processes underlying pixels whose land cover changes from 1 year’s map to the next and to understand why errors occur. In this study, two annual land cover maps were produced using Sentinel-2 images and afterwards they were compared. The comparison was performed in terms of total surface occupied in each map by each of the classes (net comparison) and in terms of spatial agreement, comparing the results pixel to pixel. The study was performed for the entire region of Galicia (in the Northwest of Spain) for the years 2019 and 2020. Land cover maps obtained had overall accuracies of 82 and 85 per cent. Differences in the total surface of change were encountered when performing the net comparison and spatial agreement comparison. The detailed analysis performed in this study helps to better understand the processes underlying the maps’ discrepancies revealing the processes leading to wrongly identified forest changes. Future studies could aim to integrate this knowledge into the monitoring system to improve the ultimate usability of land cover maps to retrieve information about forest changes.Ministerio de Universidades | Ref. FPU19/02054Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019-111581RB-I00Universidade de Vigo/CISUGXunta de Galici

Synthesis, In Silico Studies, Antiprotozoal and Cytotoxic Activities of Quinoline‐Biphenyl Hybrids

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Synthesis, In Silico Studies, Antiprotozoal and Cytotoxic Activities of Quinoline‐Biphenyl Hybrids, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/slct.201903835. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived VersionsThe synthesis, in silico studies, antiprotozoal and cytotoxic activities of eleven quinoline‐biphenyl hybrids are described herein. The structure of the synthesized products was elucidated by a combination of spectrometric analyses. The synthesized compounds were evaluated against Plasmodium falciparum, and amastigotes forms both Leishmania (V) panamensis and Trypanosoma cruzi. Cytotoxicity was evaluated against human U‐937 macrophages. 8‐phenylquinoline (4 a) showed similar activity than meglumine antimoniate and 4‐(quinolin‐8‐yl)phenol (4 b) exhibited an activity similar to that of benznidazole. 8‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl) quinoline (4 k) showed the best activity against P. falciparum. Although these compounds were toxic for mammalian U‐937 cells, however they may still have potential to be considered as candidates for drug development because of their antiparasite activity. Molecular docking was used to determine the in silico inhibition of some of the designed compounds against PfLDH and cruzipain, two important pharmacological targets involved in antiparasitic diseases. All hybrids were docked to the three‐dimensional structures of PfLDH and T. cruzi cruzipain as enzymes using AutoDock Vina. Notably, the docking results showed that the most active compounds 4‐(quinolin‐8‐yl)phenol (4 b, CE50: 11.33 μg/mL for T. cruzi) and 8‐(3,4‐dimethoxyphenyl) quinoline (4 k, CE50: 8.84 μg/mL for P. falciparum) exhibited the highest scoring pose (−7.5 and −7.7 kcal/mol, respectively). This result shows a good correlation between the predicted scores with the experimental data profile, suggesting that these ligands could act as competitive inhibitors of PfLDH or T. cruzi cruzipain enzymes, respectively. Finally, in silico ADME studies of the quinoline hybrids showed that these novel compounds have suitable drug‐like properties, making them potentially promising agents for antiprotozoal therapy

Face recognition using SIFT descriptors and binary PSO with velocity control

In this paper, a strategy for face recognition based on SIFT descriptors of the images involved is presented. In order to reduce the number of false positives and computation time, a selection of the most representative feature descriptors is carried out by applying a variation of the binary PSO method. This version improves its operation by a suitable positioning of the velocity vector. To achieve this, a new modified version of the continuous gBest PSO algorithm is used. The results obtained allow stating that the descriptors can be successfully selected through the strategy proposed solving the problems initially mentioned.Presentado en el XII Workshop Agentes y Sistemas Inteligentes (WASI)Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Mapping feasibility for wood supply: a high-resolution geospatial approach to enhance sustainable forest management in Galicia (NW Spain)

The forest value chain is key to the European transition to a climate-neutral economy. Sustainable forest management is essential for this task. To plan sustainable forest management, it is essential to track forest resources in relation to their feasibility for wood supply. This means considering the constraints that may limit the incorporation of these resources into the forest value chain. Maps adapted to specific regional constraints and to the characteristics of specific forests are essential for performing sustainable forest management at a local scale. This study presents a methodology for the integrated analysis of geospatial data focused on classifying the land and the forest resources of a region according to their feasibility for wood supply. It produces maps of the feasibility for wood supply in an area and of the existing forest resources at a 10 m spatial resolution. This was done by integrating information about the legal and technical constraints present in the area according to decision rules. The land was classified into three classes: favorable, intermediate or unfavorable. Additionally, updated forest-oriented land cover maps were produced to analyze the feasibility for wood supply of the forest resources present in the region. It was found that 42% of the Eucalyptus spp., 48% of the conifers and 30% of the broadleaves in the study area were located in favorable areas. These maps would help in the quest for more sustainable forest management in the region and aid in boosting the competitiveness of the regional forest value chain.Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. PID2019-111581RB-I00Ministerio de Universidades | Ref. FPU19/02054Universidade de Vig

Oromandibular dystonia : a dental approach

Oromandibular dystonia consists of prolonged spasms of contraction of the muscles of the mouth and jaw. Primary idiopathic forms and secondary forms exist. Secondary dystonia develops due to environmental factors; some cases of cranial dystonia after dental procedure have been reported, but the causal relationship between these procedures and dystonia remains unclear. Traumatic situations in the mouth, such as poor aligned dentures or multiple teeth extractions may cause an impairment of proprioception of the oral cavity, leading to subsequent development of dystonia. The clinical characteristics of oromandibular dystonia are classified according to the affected muscles. The muscles involved may be the muscles of mastication, muscles of facial expression, or the muscles of the tongue. At present, there is no known cure for OMD. The mainstay of treatment for most focal dystonia is botulinum toxin injections. It is important for the dentist to be familiar with oromandibular dystonia, as it can develop after dental treatment and is often misdiagnosed as a dental problem

¿Los padres deberían hacerse cargo de tomar decisiones respecto al proceso de vacunación de sus hijos?

6 p.La autora, basándose en el documento “Introducción a la razón práctica de derecho” toma un fragmento de este el cual dice: “De manera sintética se puede resumir la línea de desarrollo pragmático-trascendental, ya que en este grupo de teorías se piensa que la verdad práctica es el resultado de una interacción comunicativa” (A Castaño-Bedoya). Se puede partir en principio en que la decisión de los padres fue demasiado errada, puesto que al no aplicar las respectivas vacunas a la niña a futuro será vulnerable a contraer ciertos tipos de enfermedades, que hasta en el peor de los casos podría ocasionar su muerte. Además, los padres deberían ir más allá en cuanto a lo que ellos creen frente este tema y empezar a creer en la ciencia y saber sobre la necesidad de las vacunas para el bienestar de su hija.Conceptos Trascendencia en el caso Argumentos Bibliografí

Nano-hydroxyapatite for use in bone tissue repair

Bone can be considered as a biological hybrid material composed of organic and inorganic components: collagen and rod-shaped hydroxyapatite (HAP) of 20–50 nm lengths. The synthetic hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2) has been extensively used as a bone substitute material due to its chemical and structural similarities with natural mineral bone. One way to obtain HAP nanoparticles is by using self-assembled amphiphilic molecules as structure directors. This study involves different hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) micellar-block copolymer organized networks. Inorganic precursors were added in sequence to the CTAB-polymer solution, followed by a hydrothermal treatment. The final product was separated from the suspension by filtration and then dried. The X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy pattern of the materials synthesized corresponds to the HAP pattern. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy microphotographs show a fiber network composed by 37 nm length HAP nanorods. After treatment with simulated body fluid (SBF) a layer of HAP nanocrystals grew on the material surface; that is related to the bioactivity of the material. To confirm the samples' biocompatibility, calvarial osteoblasts obtained from neonatal rats were exposed to the material and then, viability and cell adhesion were evaluated. A new method of HAP nanocrystals with similar shape, morphology and chemical characteristics of bone were developed. After SBF immersion, material revealed a spherulitic-like HAP layer that implies a positive physiological response and good bond ability to the host tissue. Therefore, nanomaterials obtained by the proposed synthesis could have a wide range of biomedical applications.Fil: D'elía, Noelia Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Química del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química. Instituto de Química del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Gravina, Noel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Química del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química. Instituto de Química del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Laiuppa, Juan Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Santillán, Graciela Edith. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia; ArgentinaFil: Messina, Paula Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Química del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Química. Instituto de Química del Sur; Argentin