Modeling time and valuation in structured argumentation frameworks

Temporal Argumentation Frameworks (TAF) represent a recent extension of Dung's abstract argumentation frameworks that consider the temporal availability of arguments. In a TAF, arguments are valid during specific time intervals, called availability intervals, while the attack relation of the framework remains static and permanent in time; thus, in general, when identifying the set of acceptable arguments, the outcome associated with a TAF will vary in time. We introduce an extension of TAF, called Extended Temporal Argumentation Framework (E-TAF), adding the capability of modeling the temporal availability of attacks among arguments, thus modeling special features of arguments varying over time and the possibility that attacks are only available in a given time interval. E-TAF will be enriched by considering Structured Abstract Argumentation, using Dynamic Argumentation Frameworks. The resulting framework, E-TAF∗, provides a suitable model for different time-dependent issues satisfying properties and equivalence results that permit to contrast the expressivity of E-TAF and E-TAF∗ with argumentation based on abstract frameworks. Thus, the main contribution here is to provide an enhanced framework for modeling special features of argumentation varying over time, which are relevant in many real-world situations. The proposal aims at advancing in the integration of time and valuation in the context of argumentation systems as well.Fil: Budan, Maximiliano Celmo David. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologías. Departamento de Matemática; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Lucero, Mauro Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Chesñevar, Carlos Iván. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologías. Departamento de Matemática; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Simari, Guillermo Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; Argentin

A defeasible logic programming with extra meta-level information through labels

Several argument-based formalisms have emerged with application in many areas, such as legal reasoning, intelligent web search, recommender systems, autonomous agents and multi-agent systems. In decision support systems, autonomous agents need to perform epistemic and practical reasoning; the first requiring reasoning about what to believe, and the latter, involving reasoning about what to do reaching decisions and, often, attaching more information to the pieces of knowledge involved. We will introduce an approach in the framework of DeLP called Argumentative Label Algebra (ALA), incorporating labels as a medium to convey meta-level information; through these labels it will represent different features of interest in the reasoning process, such as strength and weight measures, time availability, degree of reliability, etc. The labels associated with arguments will thus be combined and propagated according to argument interactions. This information can be used for different purposes: to carry information for a specific purpose, to determine which argument defeats another, analyzing a feature that is relevant to the domain, and to define an acceptability threshold which will determine if the arguments are strong enough to be accepted. The aim of this work is to improve the ability of representing real-world scenarios in argumentative systems by modeling different arguments attributes through labels.Varios formalismos basados en argumentos han emergido, con aplicaciones en muchas áreas, tales como el razonamiento legal, la búsqueda inteligente en la web, sistemas de recomendación, agentes autónomos y sistemas multi-agente. En los sistemas de soporte a la decisión, los agentes autónomos necesitan realizar razonamiento epistémico y práctico, el primero requiere razonamiento sobre qué creer, y el ´ultimo involucra razonamiento acerca de qué hacer, frecuentemente, agregando más información a las piezas de conocimiento involucradas. Introduciremos una aproximación en el marco de DeLP denominada Álgebra de Etiqueta para Argumentos (AEA), incorporando etiquetas como un medio para transmitir información de meta-nivel. A través de estas etiquetas se puede representar diferentes rasgos de interés en el proceso de razonamiento, tales como las medidas de peso y fuerza, disponibilidad de tiempo, grados de confiabilidad, etc. Las etiquetas asociadas con los argumentos podrán así ser combinadas y propagadas de acuerdo a las interacciones de los argumentos. Esta información puede ser usada para diferentes propósitos: llevar información para un objetivo específico, determinar cuáles argumentos derrotan a otros, analizar un rasgo que es relevante a un dominio, y definir un umbral de aceptabilidad que determinar´a si un argumento es lo suficientemente fuerte como para ser aceptado. El objetivo de este trabajo es mejorar la habilidad de representar escenarios del mundo real en sistemas argumentativos al modelar diferentes atributos de los argumentos a través de las etiquetas.Fil: Budan, Maximiliano Celmo David. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Lucero, Mauro Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Simari, Guillermo Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; Argentin

La fiscalización concejal en el marco de la ley demunicipalidades 27972 en lasmunicipalidades de Platería y Chucuito 2022

En la presente tesis en el campo del Derecho Municipal se desarrolló bajo un modelo jurídico descriptivo, tomando en cuenta los aspectos centrales de la atribución denominada: fiscalización concejal por parte de los regidores y el concejo, por la que se tuvo como objetivo principal: Analizar la trascendencia del concejo municipal en labores de fiscalización enmarcadas dentro de la Ley 27972 en la Municipalidad Distrital de Platería y Chucuito 2022. El Método de la presente investigación presenta un diseño no experimental de corte transversal con enfoque cualitativo por su naturaleza jurídica descriptiva. Los instrumentos utilizados fueron la entrevista estructurada y el análisis normativo, los que nos han permitido recoger toda la información necesaria. Se ha obtenido como Conclusión Principal: Se ha determinado que la trascendencia de la fiscalización concejal en las Municipalidades de Platería y Chucuito es negativa respecto de la labor conferida por la normativa, debido a la falta de conocimiento de las funciones contempladas en la Ley Orgánica de Municipalidades, uno de los factores que se encontró fue la dejadez en el cumplimiento normativo y la poca fiscalización in situ de las obras realizadas por la Municipalidad y que está a su vez recae en el concejo municipal

Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles aimed at improving theranostics

Nowadays, the combination of diagnosis and therapy, known as theranostics, is one of the keys for an optimal treatment for cancer diseases. Theranostics can be significantly improved by incorporating metallic nanoparticles that are specifically delivered and accumulated in cancerous tissue. In this context, precise knowledge about dosimetric effects in nanoparticle-infused tissues as well as the detection and processing of emerging radiation are extremely important issues. In the last years the first studies on theranostic nanomaterials in gel dosimetry have been presented but there is still a broad field of study to explore. Most of gel dosimetric materials are extremely sensible to modifications in their composition, the addition of enhancers, metallic or inorganic charges can alter their stability and dosimetric properties; therefore, thorough studies must be made before the incorporation of any type of modifier. In this work, the synthesis of metallic nanoparticles suitable for gel dosimetry for x-ray applications is presented. A green synthesis process of silver nanoparticles coated with porcine skin gelatin by thermal reduction of silver nitrate is presented. Nanoparticles were obtained and purified for their application in gel dosimetry. Also, nanoparticles size distribution, reaction yield and the preliminar application as theranostic agents were tested in Fricke gel dosimetry in the keV range. The obtained nanoparticles were successfully used in theranostic applications acting as fluorescent agents and dose enhancers in X-ray beam irradiation simultaneously.Fil: Vedelago, José Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Cesar Gerardo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Departamento de Química Orgánica, Córdoba, CONICET, Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada (IPQA), Córdoba; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; ArgentinaFil: Valente, Mauro Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina. Universidad de La Frontera; ChileFil: Mattea, Facundo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Investigación y Desarrollo en Ingeniería de Procesos y Química Aplicada; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Departamento de Química Orgánica; Argentin

Fire regime in a Mexican forest under indigenous resource management.

The Rara´ muri (Tarahumara) people live in the mountains and canyons of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Chihuahua, Mexico. They base their subsistence on multiple-use strategies of their natural resources, including agriculture, pastoralism, and harvesting of native plants and wildlife. Pino Gordo is a Rara´ muri settlement in a remote location where the forest has not been commercially logged. We reconstructed the forest fire regime from firescarred trees, measured the structure of the never-logged forest, and interviewed community members about fire use. Fire occurrence was consistent throughout the 19th and 20th centuries up to our fire scar collection in 2004. This is the least interrupted surface-fire regime reported to date in North America. Studies from other relict sites such as nature reserves in Mexico or the USA have all shown some recent alterations associated with industrialized society. At Pino Gordo, fires recurred frequently at the three study sites, with a composite mean fire interval of 1.9 years (all fires) to 7.6 years (fires scarring 25% or more of samples). Per-sample fire intervals averaged 10–14 years at the three sites. Approximately two-thirds of fires burned in the season of cambial dormancy, probably during the pre-monsoonal drought. Forests were dominated by pines and contained many large living trees and snags, in contrast to two nearby similar forests that have been logged. Community residents reported using fire for many purposes, consistent with previous literature on fire use by indigenous people. Pino Gordo is a valuable example of a continuing frequent-fire regime in a never-harvested forest. The Rara´muri people have actively conserved this forest through their traditional livelihood and management techniques, as opposed to logging the forest, and have also facilitated the fire regime by burning. The data contribute to a better understanding of the interactions of humans who live in pine forests and the fire regimes of these ecosystems, a topic that has been controversial and difficult to assess from historical or paleoecological evidence

Beta Beams

Beta Beams could address the needs of long term neutrino oscillation experiments. They can produce extremely pure neutrino beams through the decays of relativistic radioactive ions. The baseline scenario is described, together with its physics performances. Using a megaton water Cerenkov detector installed under the Frejus, Beta Beams could improve by a factor 200 the present limits on \sin^2{2 \thetaot} and discover leptonic CP violating effects if the CP phase delta would be greater than 30 degree and theta13 greater than 1 degree. These performances can be further improved if a neutrino SuperBeam generated by the SPL 4MW, 2.2 GeV, proton Linac would be fired to the same detector. Innovative ideas on higher and lower energy Beta Beams are also described.Comment: To appear in the proceedings of 21st International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (Neutrino 2004), Paris, France, 14-19 Jun 200

Physics Potential of the SPL Super Beam

Performances of a neutrino beam generated by the CERN SPL proton driver are computed considering a 440 kton water Cerenkov detector at 130 km from the target. $\theta_{13}$ sensitivity down to $1.2^\circ$ and a $\delta$ sensitivity comparable to a Neutrino Factory, for $\theta_{13} \geq 3^\circ$, are within the reach of such a project.Comment: Invited talk at the Nufact02 Workshop, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, July 200

Preventive conservation plan for library buildings in La Plata, Argentina

This summary shows the advances of a project called "Development of building environmental management and continuous monitoring for preventive conservation in UNLP libraries" which is now taking place in the libraries of the National University of La Plata. It is essential to know the hygrothermal condition inside the book deposits, as one of the first preventive measures to become aware of the state of conservation of the books. The aim of the study is to propose a systematic environmental monitoring method to verify compatibility between measured parameters and optimal preservation conditions. Annual monitoring campaign was performed in twelve libraries with diverse results according to the characteristics of the envelope and HVAC systems. It is the first time that a formal monitoring campaign has taken place in these library buildings. We met staff well disposed and eager to achieve better results. We provide a standard report model suitable for the institutions as a decision-making tool, with simultaneous analysis of temperature and relative humidity, according to the local climate.Fil: Diulio, María de la Paz. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo. Laboratorio de Arquitectura y Habitat Sustentable; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Santa Cruz, Mauro Gabriel. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo. Laboratorio de Arquitectura y Habitat Sustentable; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Gomez, Analia Fernanda. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo. Laboratorio de Arquitectura y Habitat Sustentable; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

Partial Root-Zone Drying of Olive (Olea europaea var. "Chetoui") Induces Reduced Yield under Field Conditions

The productivity of olive trees in arid and semi-arid environments is closely linked to irrigation. It is necessary to improve the efficiency of irrigation techniques to optimise the amount of olive fruit produced in relation to the volume of water used. Partial root-zone drying (PRD) is a water saving irrigation technique that theoretically allows the production of a root-to-shoot signal that modifies the physiology of the above-ground parts of the plant; specifically reducing stomatal conductance (gs) and improving water use efficiency (WUE). Partial root-zone drying has been successfully applied under field conditions to woody and non-woody crops; yet the few previous trials with olive trees have produced contrasting results. Thirty year-old olive trees (Olea europaea ‘var. Chetoui’) in a Tunisian grove were exposed to four treatments from May to October for three-years: ‘control’ plants received 100% of the potential evapotranspirative demand (ETc) applied to the whole root-zone; ‘PRD100’ were supplied with an identical volume of water to the control plants alternated between halves of the root-zone every ten-days; ‘PRD50’ were given 50% of ETc to half of the root-system, and; ‘rain-fed’ plants received no supplementary irrigation. Allowing part of the root-zone to dry resulted in reduced vegetative growth and lower yield: PRD100 decreased yield by ~47% during productive years. During the less productive years of the alternate bearing cycle, irrigation had no effect on yield; this suggests that withholding of water during ‘off-years’ may enhance the effectiveness of irrigation over a two-year cycle. The amount and quality of oil within the olive fruit was unaffected by the irrigation treatment. Photosynthesis declined in the PRD50 and rain-fed trees due to greater diffusive limitations and reduced biochemical uptake of CO2. Stomatal conductance and the foliar concentration of abscisic acid (ABA) were not altered by PRD100 irrigation, which may indicate the absence of a hormonal root-to-shoot signal. Rain-fed and PRD50 treatments induced increased stem water potential and increased foliar concentrations of ABA, proline and soluble sugars. The stomata of the olive trees were relatively insensitive to super-ambient increases in [CO2] and higher [ABA]. These characteristics of ‘hydro-passive’ stomatal behaviour indicate that the ‘Chetoui’ variety of olive tree used in this study lacks the physiological responses required for the successful exploitation of PRD techniques to increase yield and water productivity. Alternative irrigation techniques such as partial deficit irrigation may be more suitable for ‘Chetoui’ olive production.This work was supported by the Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca of Italy: PRIN 2010–2011 “PRO-ROOT” and Progetto Premiale 2012 “Aqua”. MH acknowledges funding from a Marie Curie IEF (2010–275626). We are grateful to Dr Mohamed Ghrab (Olive Tree Institute) for technical assistance and scientific discussion. The comments of Georgios Koubouris (Hellenic Agricultural Organization) and two anonymous reviewers significantly improved this manuscript

EVALUATION OF THE ELEMENTAL COMPOSITION OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE BOTTOM ASH: A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR SAMPLE PREPARATION

The disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) to thermochemical treatments promotes the formation of ashes as a by-product, which constitutes an important role in the design and operation of energy recovery plants, as the ash can cause corrosion and fouling problems. In this sense, this work analyzed samples of bottom ashes from combustible fractions (organic matter, plastics, textiles, paper/cardboard/Tetra Pak® and sanitary waste) of MSW in natura from Santo André – SP, Brazil. For this, a new methodology for sample preparation was proposed to evaluate the elemental composition of the bottom ashes, for later analysis by Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The obtained data showed a standard deviation of less than 10%, guaranteeing a greater reliability of the results and corroborating with standard deviations presented in the scientific literature. In addition, the elemental composition of the bottom ash was similar between the different combustible fractions evaluated. Keywords: MSW, Combustible fractions, SEM-EDS