Localizing Child Protection: Does the Local Council for the Protection of Children Matter?

Child protection pertains to “preventing and responding to violence, exploitation, and abuse against children.” More specifically, it encompasses all processes, policies, programs, interventions, and measures that aim to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation, and abuse against children, with the ultimate goal of ensuring the overall development of children to their fullest potential. The Local Council for the Protection of Children (LCPC) is responsible for planning and spearheading programs for children in the locality with the end in view of making the locality child-friendly. The LCPC matters but its current status in the country does not quite show it. The big challenge is how to convince all local government units to organize their own LCPC and, more importantly, how to encourage them to activate, strengthen, and sustain the already organized LCPCs.children's welfare, Philippines, children's rights, child protection

Proliferation of Street Children: a Threat to the MDGs

The abundance of street children in major cities in the country does not sit well with the country’s commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Street children are everywhere, especially in urban areas. In the context of child protection, street children are among those children in need of special protection (CNSP) because of the risks and hazards they face while on the streets without adult supervision. In particular, they are exposed to violence, sexual abuse and exploitation, STI and/or HIV/AIDS, drug or substance addiction, and accidents. If not properly addressed, the proliferation of street children poses a threat to the attainment of the MDGs.Philippines, street children, child protection

Pitfalls in Targeting

Almost three years after the government launched two hunger-mitigation initiatives--the Food-for-School and Tindahan Natin programs--questions are being raised on whether these programs have adequately met their objectives. Did the programs benefit their intended beneficiaries? How well was the targeting for the programs made? This Policy Notes assesses the targeting rules used for the two programs.Food-for-School Program (FSP), conditional cash transfers, leakage rate, Tindahan Natin Program, hunger mitigation, food price subsidy

Inspecting Maude Variants with GLINTS

[EN] This paper introduces GLINTS, a graphical tool for exploring variant narrowing computations in Maude. The most recent version of Maude, version 2.7.1, provides quite sophisticated unification features, including order-sorted equational unification for convergent theories modulo axioms such as associativity, commutativity, and identity. This novel equational unification relies on built-in generation of the set of variants of a term t, i.e., the canonical form of t sigma for a computed substitution sigma. Variant generation relies on a novel narrowing strategy called folding variant narrowing that opens up new applications in formal reasoning, theorem proving, testing, protocol analysis, and model checking, especially when the theory satisfies the finite variant property, i.e., there is a finite number of most general variants for every term in the theory. However, variant narrowing computations can be extremely involved and are simply presented in text format by Maude, often being too heavy to be debugged or even understood. The GLINTS system provides support for (i) determining whether a given theory satisfies the finite variant property, (ii) thoroughly exploring variant narrowing computations, (iii) automatic checking of node embedding and closedness modulo axioms, and (iv) querying and inspecting selected parts of the variant trees.This work has been partially supported by EU (FEDER) and Spanish MINECO grant TIN 2015-69175-C4-1-R and by Generalitat Valenciana PROMETEO-II/2015/013. Angel Cuenca-Ortega is supported by SENESCYT, Ecuador (scholarship program 2013), and Julia Sapina by FPI-UPV grant SP2013-0083. Santiago Escobar is supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-17-1-0286.Alpuente Frasnedo, M.; Cuenca-Ortega, A.; Escobar Román, S.; Sapiña-Sanchis, J. (2017). Inspecting Maude Variants with GLINTS. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming. 17(5-6):689-707. https://doi.org/10.1017/S147106841700031XS689707175-

Multirate control with incomplete information over Profibus-DP network

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Systems Science on 2014, available online:http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00207721.2013.844286When a process ¿eld bus-decentralized peripherals (Pro¿bus-DP) network is used in an industrial environment, a deterministic behaviour is usually claimed. However, due to some concerns such as bandwidth limitations, lack of synchronisation among different clocks and existence of time-varying delays, a more complex problem must be faced. This problem implies the transmission of irregular and, even, random sequences of incomplete information. The main consequence of this issue is the appearance of different sampling periods at different network devices. In this paper, this aspect is checked by means of a detailed Pro¿bus-DP timescale study. In addition, in order to deal with the different periods, a delay-dependent dual-rate proportional-integral-derivative control is introduced. Stability for the proposed control system is analysed in terms of linear matrix inequalitiesThe authors are grateful to the financial support of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivity [Research Grant TEC2012-31506].Salt Llobregat, JJ.; Casanova Calvo, V.; Cuenca Lacruz, ÁM.; Pizá Fernández, R. (2014). Multirate control with incomplete information over Profibus-DP network. International Journal of Systems Science. 45(7):1589-1605. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207721.2013.844286S15891605457Alves, M., & Tovar, E. (2007). Real-time communications over wired/wireless PROFIBUS networks supporting inter-cell mobility. Computer Networks, 51(11), 2994-3012. doi:10.1016/j.comnet.2007.01.001Boyd, S., El Ghaoui, L., Feron, E., & Balakrishnan, V. (1994). Linear Matrix Inequalities in System and Control Theory. doi:10.1137/1.9781611970777Bucher, R., & Balemi, S. (2006). Rapid controller prototyping with Matlab/Simulink and Linux. Control Engineering Practice, 14(2), 185-192. doi:10.1016/j.conengprac.2004.09.009Casanova, V., & Salt, J. (2003). Multirate control implementation for an integrated communication and control system. Control Engineering Practice, 11(11), 1335-1348. doi:10.1016/s0967-0661(02)00256-3Lee, J., Jung, W., Kang, I., Kim, Y., & Lee, G. (2004). Design of filter to reject motion artifact of pulse oximetry. Computer Standards & Interfaces, 26(3), 241-249. doi:10.1016/s0920-5489(03)00077-1Cuenca, Á., Pizá, R., Salt, J., & Sala, A. (2012). Linear Matrix Inequalities in Multirate Control over Networks. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2012, 1-22. doi:10.1155/2012/768212Cuenca, A., & Salt, J. (2012). RST controller design for a non-uniform multi-rate control system. Journal of Process Control, 22(10), 1865-1877. doi:10.1016/j.jprocont.2012.09.010Cuenca, Á., Salt, J., & Albertos, P. (2006). Implementation of algebraic controllers for non-conventional sampled-data systems. Real-Time Systems, 35(1), 59-89. doi:10.1007/s11241-006-9001-2Halevi, Y., & Ray, A. (1988). Integrated Communication and Control Systems: Part I—Analysis. Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, 110(4), 367-373. doi:10.1115/1.3152698Khargonekar, P., Poolla, K., & Tannenbaum, A. (1985). Robust control of linear time-invariant plants using periodic compensation. IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, 30(11), 1088-1096. doi:10.1109/tac.1985.1103841Lall, S., & Dullerud, G. (2001). An LMI solution to the robust synthesis problem for multi-rate sampled-data systems. Automatica, 37(12), 1909-1922. doi:10.1016/s0005-1098(01)00167-4Lee, I. W. C., & Dash, P. K. (2003). S-transform-based intelligent system for classification of power quality disturbance signals. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 50(4), 800-805. doi:10.1109/tie.2003.814991Lee, C. K., Ron Hui, S. Y., & Henry Shu-Hung Chung. (2002). A 31-level cascade inverter for power applications. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, 49(3), 613-617. doi:10.1109/tie.2002.1005388Performance evaluation of control networks: Ethernet, ControlNet, and DeviceNet. (2001). IEEE Control Systems, 21(1), 66-83. doi:10.1109/37.898793Feng-Li Lian, Moyne, J., & Tilbury, D. (2002). Network design consideration for distributed control systems. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 10(2), 297-307. doi:10.1109/87.987076Lin, J., Fei, S., & Gao, Z. (2013). Control discrete-time switched singular systems with state delays under asynchronous switching. International Journal of Systems Science, 44(6), 1089-1101. doi:10.1080/00207721.2011.652230Liou, L.-W., & Ray, A. (1991). A Stochastic Regulator for Integrated Communication and Control Systems: Part I—Formulation of Control Law. Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control, 113(4), 604-611. doi:10.1115/1.2896464Lorand, C., & Bauer, P. H. (2006). On Synchronization Errors in Networked Feedback Systems. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, 53(10), 2306-2317. doi:10.1109/tcsi.2006.882824Moayedi, M., Foo, Y. K., & Soh, Y. C. (2011). Filtering for networked control systems with single/multiple measurement packets subject to multiple-step measurement delays and multiple packet dropouts. International Journal of Systems Science, 42(3), 335-348. doi:10.1080/00207720903513335Peñarrocha, I., Sanchis, R., & Romero, J. A. (2012). State estimator for multisensor systems with irregular sampling and time-varying delays. International Journal of Systems Science, 43(8), 1441-1453. doi:10.1080/00207721.2011.625482Piza, R., Salt, J., Sala, A., & Cuenca, A. (2014). Hierarchical Triple-Maglev Dual-Rate Control Over a Profibus-DP Network. IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technology, 22(1), 1-12. doi:10.1109/tcst.2012.2222883Ray, A. (1989). Introduction to networking for integrated control systems. 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Geographic mobility and social inequality among Peruvian university students

The purpose of this study was to explore geographic mobility among university students in Peru and to understand how mobility patterns differ by region and by demographic indicators of inequality. The ways that students may be able to move geographically in order to access quality higher education within the educational system can be a driver of equality or inequality, depending on who is able to take advantage. Using data from a university census, we examine how demographic indicators of inequality are related to geographic mobility for university attendance, how prior geographic mobility predicts later mobility for university attendance, and how these relationships differ based on the number and quality of universities in a region. Results show that sociodemographic variables related to social inequality explain a substantial amount of students\u27 postsecondary mobility. However, some of these relationships do not operate in the same way in all of the regions. Depending on the availability of universities and their quality, patterns of association between inequality and geographic mobility change. Implications for higher education policy as well as further research examining geographic mobility and inequality in education are discussed

Cost-effectiveness of upper extremity dry needling in the rehabilitation of patients with stroke

Introduction: Dry needling (DN) has been shown to be effective for the treatment of upper extremity hypertonia in patients with stroke. Purpose: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of DN in patients with stroke. Methods: A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed in a research study conducted at a Spanish public hospital where patients were classified into two groups with or without DN. Hypertonia was measured using the Modified Modified Ashworth Scale (MMAS), and quality of life (QOL) was assessed using the EuroQoL 5-dimension questionnaire. Data regarding the effects and costs of physiotherapy were presented by calculating the mean and 95% confidence interval. The health outcomes were evaluated considering the rate of responders to the treatment based on the MMAS. Spanish preference weights were used to estimate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) were calculated to determine the economic value of DN. Results: Eighty patients with stroke in the subacute stage of recovery were selected to participate in this study. Based on the rate of responders, the ICER of the DN group was very low. Despite the sensitivity analysis performed, the results of the ICUR were not encouraging. Discussion: Cost-effectiveness with responder rate results were favourable for the DN group and were confirmed by the sensitivity analysis according to levels of care. In addition, our findings revealed that 4 weeks of treatment could be more cost-effective than 8 weeks. DN treatment of the upper extremity appears to be cost-effective based on the rate of responders measured using the MMAS scale. © The Author(s) 2021

Assessment of Financial Management Practices of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nasugbu, Batangas

The Small and Medium Enterprises have been identified as important contributors to economic development who are facing a range of challenges which work against their progress, one of which is financial management. This study aimed to assess the financial management practices of small and medium enterprises in Nasugbu, Batangas. The researchers used the descriptive method with a questionnaire as the main instrument in gathering data from 34 respondents. Frequency, percentage, and mean were used as statistical tools in the study, and analysis of variance was used to determine the significant differences between variables. The data gathered were tallied, analyzed and interpreted. The results of the study revealed that majority of the respondents implement financial management practices. Financial management practices such as financial planning, investment, and working capital management are highly applied by small and medium enterprises in Nasugbu, Batangas. It was also revealed that there is a significant difference in the application of financial management practices of small and medium enterprises when they are grouped according to business profile. The outcome of this study may be useful for the entrepreneurs to focus on financial management practices in order to enhance their business performance.

Accelerating urban scale simulations leveraging local spatial 3D structure

[EN] This paper presents a hybrid methodology for accelerating Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations intertwining inferences from deep neural networks (DNN). The strategy leverages the local spatial data of the velocity field to leverage three-dimensional convolutional kernels within DNN. The hybrid workflow is composed of two-step cycles where CFD solvers calculations are utilized to feed predictive models, whose inferences, in turn, accelerate the simulation of the fluid evolution compared with traditional CFD. This approach has proved to reduce 30% time-to-solution in an urban scale study case, which leads to generating massive datasets at a fraction of the cost.Researcher S. Iserte was supported by postdoctoral fellowship APOSTD/2020/026 from GVA-ESF. While researcher A. Macias was supported by predoctoral fellowship FDGENT from GVA. CTE-Power cluster of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and Tirant III cluster of the Servei d'Informatica of the University of Valencia were leveraged in this research. Authors want to thank the anonymous reviewers whose suggestions significantly improved the quality of this manuscript.Iserte, S.; Macías, A.; Martínez-Cuenca, R.; Chiva, S.; Paredes Palacios, R.; Quintana-Ortí, ES. (2022). Accelerating urban scale simulations leveraging local spatial 3D structure. Journal of Computational Science. 62:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocs.2022.1017411116