Computationally Efficient Convolved Multiple Output Gaussian Processes

Recently there has been an increasing interest in methods that deal with multiple outputs. This has been motivated partly by frameworks like multitask learning, multisensor networks or structured output data. From a Gaussian processes perspective, the problem reduces to specifying an appropriate covariance function that, whilst being positive semi-definite, captures the dependencies between all the data points and across all the outputs. One approach to account for non-trivial correlations between outputs employs convolution processes. Under a latent function interpretation of the convolution transform we establish dependencies between output variables. The main drawbacks of this approach are the associated computational and storage demands. In this paper we address these issues. We present different sparse approximations for dependent output Gaussian processes constructed through the convolution formalism. We exploit the conditional independencies present naturally in the model. This leads to a form of the covariance similar in spirit to the so called PITC and FITC approximations for a single output. We show experimental results with synthetic and real data, in particular, we show results in pollution prediction, school exams score prediction and gene expression data

Definition and composition of motor primitives using latent force models and hidden Markov models

In this work a different probabilistic motor primitive parameterization is proposed using latent force models (LFMs). The sequential composition of different motor primitives is also addressed using hidden Markov models (HMMs) which allows to capture the redundancy over dynamics by using a limited set of hidden primitives. The capability of the proposed model to learn and identify motor primitive occurrences over unseen movement realizations is validated using synthetic and motion capture data

HIV-1 and Alzheimer: a real conection?

La infección por el virus de inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH) causa alteraciones neurológicas que son más graves y frecuentes como consecuenia del envejecimieno de la población. Este daño se asocia a la disfunción neuronal, que patológicamente se caracteriza como una pérdida de sinapsis, acortamiento de neuritas, anormalidades dendríticas, así comon pérdida neuronal. A este respecto, varios estudios han observado un aumento significativo de placas amiloides en cerebros de individuos infectados por el VIH en comparación con controles sanos, así como en individuos VIH positivos que habían estado expuestos a la terapia antirretroviral. En este trabajo se ha investigado el efecto de la combinación del péptido β-amiloide e infección por VIH-1 en diferentes células del sistema nervioso. El pretratamiento de las células gliales y neuronales provoca un incremento en la replicación viral, así como el tratamiento combinado virus y formas de oligómeros y fibrillas producen un incremento en las especies reactivas de oxígeno y de la forma activa de la enzima proapoptótica caspasa-3, en astrocitos. Lo que podría traducirse como un incremento de neurotoxicidad y depositos de β-amiloide en el cerebro infectado.Infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) promotes neurological alterations which are more severe and frequents, due to the aging of the population. This dementia is associated to neuronal disfunction, and is pathologicaly characterized as sinapse lose, dendritic abnormalities and neuronal death. Supporting this, several studies have shown a significant increase of the amyloid plaques in infected HIV brains compared to healthy controls as well as HIV positive individuals which were exposed to antiretroviral therapy. In the present study we have investigated the combined effect of amyloid-β and HIV-1 infection in diferent nervous cells. When we pretreated glial cells and neurons we found an increased viral replication, as well as the combined treatment of HIV and oligomeric and fibrils forms of amyloid-β which produce glial increased levels of oxygen reactive species and the proapoptotic enzyme caspase-3. These observations could be traduced in an increased neurotoxicity and amyloid-β deposits in infected brains

Piezochromic properties of pyridil divinyl anthracene derivatives: a joint Raman and DFT study

Piezochromic materials, which show color changes resulting from external pressure or mechanical grinding, are of great interest from a scientific viewpoint owing to their potential applications as pressure-sensing and optical-recording systems.[1] It has been recently discovered solid-state fluorescence properties and piezochromic luminescence in a family of 9,10-Bis((E)-n-(pyrid-2-yl)vinyl)anthracene, BPnVA (n=2 orto-,3 metha- and 4 para-) compounds, see Figure 1.[2] The crystal structures indicate that the three compounds with varying position of the nitrogen on the external pyridyl exhibit different molecular packing modes. In this work, we aim at providing further insight into the interplay played by the molecular and supramolecular structural changes and the luminescence changes observed under pressure by using a combined experimental-theoretical approach that links Raman spectroscopy with DFT calculations.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

New approaches to the synthesis of pyridinium N-heteroarylaminides

Different substituted pyridinium N-heteroarylaminides have been prepared in one step from N-aminopyridinium iodide and the corresponding heteroaryl halide by two alternative routes. The use of Pd catalysis allowed the easy preparation of products from the less reactive haloheterocycles. The use of water as a solvent in conjunction with microwave heating dramatically diminishes the reaction time without having an adverse effect on reaction yields.Universidad de Alcal

Análisis de la gestión de los residuos municipales generados en un entorno metropolitano utilizando un enfoque multicriterio

In Chapter 1 of the thesis the responsibilities of the main actors involved in the decision-making are identified, listed and described, stressing that there are many actors involved in the decision-making. Also, there is a description of the main stages of municipal waste management and the various management possibilities. In this chapter, the main hypotheses of the thesis have been proposed: the hypothesis that absolute variation of the municipal waste generation cannot be solely due to demographic factors, other aspects such as the social-economic one would have to consider in order to give an explanation; and the hypothesis that the operations of collecting and transporting waste may represent a high percentage of the overall economic costs of the management. Chapter 2 is a bibliographic review of the different methodologies available for decision-making and the commercial software tools based on LCA methodology and specific for waste management. Chapter 3 of this thesis presents the inventory data of the environmental, economic and social criteria, associated with each of the stages involved in the waste management in the municipality of Terrassa. This chapter contains a comprehensive collection of economic, social and environmental data. These data, mainly own-data or literature-data if not available, are geographically associated to the municipality of Terrassa. The data will be used by the tool proposed in this thesis in Chapter 5. Chapter 4 fills a gap regarding the study of the bio-waste fraction composition. Experimental data suggest that the bio-waste composition (the quality of it) depends on socio-economic factors. The study determined the socio-economic variables which affect the quantity of improper materials in the bio-waste fraction. These socio-economic variables are related to the behaviour of society towards the collection of this fraction. Based on these variables, different mathematical models have been proposed. The ultimate aim of these models is to estimate the content of improper materials present in the bio-waste so that this content is taken into account when designing treatment facilities for such fraction. Chapter 5 presents the proposed methodology for building the decision-making tool. A mathematical model for predicting the amount of municipal waste generated has been developed taking into account the socio-economic and demographic criteria. This model allows us to simulate the amount of total waste to manage if the capacity of household consumption and/or the inhabitants varies. This model allows us to see what influence the minimization policies on the waste generation have. In this chapter the sustainability objectives (criteria) are defined (environmental, social and economic criteria). The indicators / sub-indicators (attributes) associated with each of the stages or process units involved in a management model have been defined taking into account the pre-defined objectives. In Chapter 6 different waste management scenarios have been studied and compared. The following management scenarios have been considered: a base scenario (EB), a waste prevention scenario (ERP) and 4 scenarios economic environment dependent (EE), two corresponding to a pre-crisis economic environment and two corresponding to an environment of economic crisis. Finally, chapter 7 presents the main conclusions of the thesis and suggests possible future research.En esta tesis se hace una propuesta metodológica para la construcción de una herramienta de soporte a la toma de decisiones en materia de gestión de residuos municipales utilizando para ello un enfoque multicriterio. Dicha herramienta permitirá a los tomadores de decisiones simular, analizar y comparar distintos escenarios de gestión de residuos municipales atendiendo a aspectos económicos, ambientales y sociales. En el capítulo 1 de la tesis se identifican, enumeran y describen las competencias de los principales agentes implicados en la toma de decisiones en materia de gestión de residuos municipales y se destaca que son muchos los agentes implicados en la toma de decisiones. Así mismo, se hace una descripción de las principales etapas de la gestión de residuos municipales y de las distintas posibilidades existentes. En este capítulo también se plantean las principales hipótesis de la tesis. En el capítulo 2 se hace una revisión bibliográfica de las distintas metodologías existentes para la toma de decisiones en materia de gestión de residuos y de las distintas herramientas software comerciales basadas en metodología de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV). En el capítulo 3 de esta tesis se presentan los datos de inventario correspondientes a los aspectos ambientales, económicos y sociales asociados a cada una de las etapas implicadas en la gestión de residuos del municipio de Terrassa. En este capítulo se hace una exhaustiva recopilación de datos sociales, ambientales y económicos. Estos datos, en su mayoría propios y en su defecto bibliográficos, están geográficamente asociados al municipio en estudio y serán usados por la herramienta propuesta en esta tesis en el capítulo 5. Con el capítulo 4 se cubre un vacío en relación al estudio de la composición de la fracción Orgánica. Los datos experimentales apuntan que la composición de la fracción Orgánica del residuo municipal (la ¿calidad¿ de ésta) depende de factores socio-económicos. En el estudio se determinaron aquellas variables socio-económicas que afectan al contenido de impropios de la fracción Orgánica y por tanto que están relacionadas con el comportamiento de la sociedad para con la recogida selectiva de dicha fracción. En base a esas variables se construyen diversos modelos cuya finalidad última es la de estimar el contenido de impropios presentes en la fracción Orgánica de un residuo municipal, de forma que dicha cantidad sea tenida en cuenta al diseñar las instalaciones de tratamiento de dicha fracción. En el capítulo 5 se expone la propuesta metodológica para la construcción de la herramienta de soporte para la toma de decisiones. Se construye un modelo de predicción de la cantidad de residuos municipales generados en base a criterios socio-económicos y demográficos. Este modelo permite simular la cantidad de residuos totales a gestionar al variar la capacidad de consumo de las familias y/o la población, así como ver la influencia que tiene sobre la cantidad de residuos totales generados la aplicación de distintas políticas de minimización de la generación de residuos. Se Identifican los objetivos (criterios) de sostenibilidad (medioambientales, sociales y económicos). Se definen los indicadores/sub-indicadores (atributos) asociados a cada una de las etapas o unidades de proceso que intervienen en un modelo de gestión, en relación a los objetivos previamente definidos. En el capítulo 6, se estudian y comparan, en base a los criterios e indicadores predefinidos, distintos escenarios de gestión de residuos. Se definen y estudian los siguientes escenarios de gestión: un Escenario Base (EB), un Escenario de Prevención de Residuos (EPR) y 4 escenarios de cambio de Entorno Económico (EE), dos correspondientes a un entorno económico pre-crisis y dos correspondientes a un entorno económico en un entorno de crisis económica. Finalmente en el capítulo 7 se presentan las principales conclusiones de la tesis y se proponen futuras líneas de investigación posibles

Pyridinium N-heteroarylaminides: synthesis of N-heteroaryltetramines based on 1,6-bis(phenoxy)hexane and 1,3-bis(phenoxymethyl)benzene

The synthesis of a set of new N-heteroaryltetramines is reported. A regioselective alkylation on the N-exo nitrogen of pyridinium N-(heteroaryl)aminide with the corresponding tetrabromo compounds, followed by a clean N–N bond reduction of the corresponding tetra-salts, allowed an easy and general method to obtain N,N′,N″,N‴-tetrakis(2-heteroaryl)tetramines.Ministerio de Educación y Cienci

Intervenciones para disminuir el consumo de alcohol en adolescentes: una revisión sistemática

Objective: To synthesize and evaluate the scientific evidence available during the 2006-2016 period regarding interventions that have been made to reduce alcohol consumption among adolescents.Materials and methods: a search was conducted in EBSCO, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo Redalyc and Google academic, delineated to ten years, 61 articles were included that met the inclusion criteria. DeCS and mesh descriptors were used, using words keys for the search of the studies in Spanish and English and the bolean operators AND and OR.Results: the level of evidence found was 2 (3%), 3 (3%), 4 (34.4%) and 5 (55.7%). 8.1% of the RCTs adhered to the CONSORT, 60.6% of the interventions were directed only to adolescents, the application scenario was 59% in school, while 34.4% received the intervention through multimedia elements and / or the Internet, at 74.1 % were given general knowledge about alcohol consumption, 18% mentioned having performed the intervention between 2 and 20 sessions, 31% followed up between 1 and 8 months after giving the treatment; 16.3% gave reinforcements and 95% of the studies showed decreased alcohol consumption among adolescents.Conclusions: Interventions in adolescents regarding alcohol consumption are complex, due to the stage in which the study subject is. Analyzing the general panorama of the interventions over time allows to show the evolution of the approach to this phenomenon of interest for science.Objetivo: Sintetizar y valorar la evidencia científica disponible durante el período 2006-2016 respecto a las intervenciones que se han realizado para disminuir el consumo de alcohol en adolescentes.  Materiales y métodos: Se realizó búsqueda en EBSCO, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo Redalyc y Google académico, delimitada a diez años, se incluyeron 61 artículos que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Se utilizaron descriptores DeCS y mesh, a partir del uso de palabras claves para la búsqueda de los estudios en español e inglés y los operadores boléanos AND y OR.Resultados: El nivel de evidencia encontrado fue 2 (3%), 3 (3%), 4 (34.4%) y 5 (55.7%). El 8.1% de los ECA se apegaron al CONSORT, 60.6% de las intervenciones estuvieron dirigidas solo a adolescentes, el escenario de aplicación fue la escuela en un 59%, mientras que 34.4% recibió la intervención mediante elementos multimedia y/o internet, al 74.1% se le dio conocimientos generales acerca del consumo de alcohol, 18% mencionó haber realizado la intervención entre 2 y 20 sesiones, 31% dio seguimiento entre 1 y 8 meses después de entregar el tratamiento; 16.3% dio refuerzos y el 95% de los estudios arrojaron disminuir con sus intervenciones el consumo de alcohol en los adolescentes. Conclusiones: Las intervenciones en adolescentes respecto al consumo de alcohol son complejas, por la etapa en la que se encuentra el sujeto de estudio. Analizar el panorama general de las intervenciones a través del tiempo permite evidenciar la evolución del abordaje a este fenómeno de interés para la ciencia

Large scale multi-output multi-class classification using Gaussian processes

Multi-output Gaussian processes (MOGPs) can help to improve predictive performance for some output variables, by leveraging the correlation with other output variables. In this paper, our main motivation is to use multiple-output Gaussian processes to exploit correlations between outputs where each output is a multi-class classification problem. MOGPs have been mostly used for multi-output regression. There are some existing works that use MOGPs for other types of outputs, e.g., multi-output binary classification. However, MOGPs for multi-class classification has been less studied. The reason is twofold: 1) when using a softmax function, it is not clear how to scale it beyond the case of a few outputs; 2) most common type of data in multi-class classification problems consists of image data, and MOGPs are not specifically designed to image data. We thus propose a new MOGPs model called Multi-output Gaussian Processes with Augment & Reduce (MOGPs-AR) that can deal with large scale classification and downsized image input data. Large scale classification is achieved by subsampling both training data sets and classes in each output whereas downsized image input data is handled by incorporating a convolutional kernel into the new model. We show empirically that our proposed model outperforms single-output Gaussian processes in terms of different performance metrics and multi-output Gaussian processes in terms of scalability, both in synthetic and in real classification problems. We include an example with the Ommiglot dataset where we showcase the properties of our model

Suzuki reaction on pyridinium N-(5-bromoheteroar-2-yl)aminides

The reactivity of substituted pyridinium N-(2'-azinyl)aminides in Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction is reported. The reaction proceeds in good yield employing Cs2CO3 as base, and producing substitution on the neg. charged moiety. [on SciFinder(R)]We wish to thank the Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT-BQU2001-1508) for financial support, and the Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (MEC) for a studentship (M.J.R.)