Artificial Neural Nets with Interaction of Afferents

The aim is to obtain computationally more powerful, neuro physiologically founded, artificial neurons and neural nets. Artificial Neural Nets (ANN) of the Perceptron type evolved from the original proposal by McCulloch an Pitts classical paper [1]. Essentially, they keep the computing structure of a linear machine followed by a non linear operation. The McCulloch-Pitts formal neuron (which was never considered by the author’s to be models of real neurons) consists of the simplest case of a linear computation of the inputs followed by a threshold. Networks of one layer cannot compute anylogical function of the inputs, but only those which are linearly separable. Thus, the simple exclusive OR (contrast detector) function of two inputs requires two layers of formal neuron

Distributed, layered and reliable computing nets to represent neuronal receptive fields

Abstract. Receptive fields of retinal and other sensory neurons show a large variety of spatiotemporal linear and non linear types of responses to local stimuli. In visual neurons, these responses present either asymmetric sensitive zones or center-surround organization. In most cases, the nature of the responses suggests the existence of a kind of distributed computation prior to the integration by the final cell which is evidently supported by the anatomy. We describe a new kind of discrete and continuous filters to model the kind of computations taking place in the receptive fields of retinal cells. To show their performance in the analysis of diferent non-trivial neuron-like structures, we use a computer tool specifically programmed by the authors to that efect. This tool is also extended to study the efect of lesions on the whole performance of our model nets

Control and command systems concepts from early work on a Mars Rover

We recover and develop some robotic systems concepts (on the light of present systems tools) that were originated for an intended Mars Rover in the sixties of the last century at the Instrumentation Laboratory of MIT, where one of the authors was involved. The basic concepts came from the specifications for a type of generalized robot inspired in the structure of the vertebrate nervous systems, where the decision system was based in the structure and function of the Reticular Formation (RF). The vertebrate RF is supposed to commit the whole organism to one among various modes of behavior, so taking the decisions about the present overall task. That is, it is a kind of control and command system. In this concepts updating, the basic idea is that the RF comprises a set of computing units such that each computing module receives information only from a reduced part of the overall, little processed sensory inputs. Each computing unit is capable of both general diagnostics about overall input situations and of specialized diagnostics according to the values of a concrete subset of the input lines. Slave systems to this command and control computer, there are the sensors, the representations of external environment, structures for modeling and planning and finally, the effectors acting in the external world

Dendritic-Like Reliable Computation in Artificial Neurons

Dendritic computation is a term that has been in neuro physiological research for a long time [1]. It is still controversial and far for been clarified within the concepts of both computation and neurophysiology [2], [3]. In any case, it hasnot been integrated neither in a formal computational scheme or structure, nor into formulations of artificial neural nets. Our objective here is to formulate a type of distributed computation that resembles dendritic trees, in such a way that it shows the advantages of neural network distributed computation, mostly the reliability that is shown under the existence of holes (scotomas) in the computing net, without ?blind spots?

Generación de narrativas en museos virtuales

Es innegable que la sociedad se dirige hacia un futuro en el cual los computadores portátiles serán el centro del mismo, desde el desarrollo de la ciencia más compleja hasta el ocio más mundano. La incorporación a la vida diaria de aparatos inteligentes es una realidad contrastable. Esto ha creado nuevos mercados y ofertas, empleándose los últimos avances tecnológicos para poder crear gadgets cada vez más complejos y a su vez dotarlos de nuevos sistemas software para trabajar con ellos. La realidad aumentada es la técnica que permite integrar, empleando un dispositivo físico, una capa de software sobre el mundo que nos rodea, concediendo una interactuación con la misma y consiguiendo “enriquecer” la experiencia del usuario con el entorno. Este proyecto busca desarrollar un software de realidad aumentada que permita al usuario interactuar con el Museo García Santesmases de la Facultad de Informática de forma dinámica, otorgando una experiencia diferente. La aplicación, en forma de juego, sirve para ofrecer al usuario nuevos datos y curiosidades no contenidas en el museo a la vez que le invita a explorarlo buscando un objeto aleatorio. Para ello se hace uso de un mecanismo de pistas que le llevarán desde un objeto inicial hasta el elemento final que se está buscando, haciendo uso de la cámara del soporte físico que se emplee. Mediante la comparación de las imágenes el programa será capaz de reconocer si el usuario ha logrado alcanzar el objeto buscado o si por el contrario se encuentra ante un elemento erróneo que le proporcionará una nueva pista de posición o de cualidad del objeto. El proyecto se ha desarrollado empleando diferentes tecnologías. El software de Vuforia se ha utilizado como motor de realidad aumentada, Unity como motor gráfico sobre el que se despliega la información en el dispositivo móvil y MongoDB como base de datos para almacenar la información referente a los objetos

Phosphorylation-mediated unfolding of a KH domain regulates KSRP localization via 14-3-3 binding

The AU-rich element (ARE)-mediated mRNA-degradation activity of the RNA binding K-homology splicing regulator protein (KSRP) is regulated by phosphorylation of a serine within its N-terminal KH domain (KH1). In the cell, phosphorylation promotes the interaction of KSRP and 14-3-3ζ protein and impairs the ability of KSRP to promote the degradation of its RNA targets. Here we examine the molecular details of this mechanism. We report that phosphorylation leads to the unfolding of the structurally atypical and unstable KH1, creating a site for 14-3-3ζ binding. Using this site, 14-3-3ζ discriminates between phosphorylated and unphosphorylated KH1, driving the nuclear localization of KSRP. 14-3-3ζ –KH1 interaction regulates the mRNA-decay activity of KSRP by sequestering the protein in a separate functional pool. This study demonstrates how an mRNA-degradation pathway is connected to extracellular signaling networks through the reversible unfolding of a protein domain.European Molecular Biology Organization 240-2005Italian CIPE-200

Flora vascular del Parque Futangue, Región de Los Ríos (Chile)

We presented the checklist of the vascular flora of the Futangue Park, a private natural protected area, in the Andean Temperate Region of southern Chile. We recorded 295 species, distributed in 91 families and 165 genera. This park support an important proportion of the flora from temperate forests of southern South America (ca. 40-70%). The 66% of plant species living in the park were native, with an 8% of the flora considered as threatened at national level. A high percentage of endemic species (19%) characterized the flora of the Futangue Park. The species richness was higher than expected based on the knowledge from nearby areas. Also, few and scarce exotic species were found, which also indicates this area is well preserved. Our report contributes to fill the gaps in the knowledge of plant richness and its distribution in the Andes, providing important information for the conservation and management of this and other protected areas.Se presentan los resultados del primer estudio florístico del Parque Futangue, un Área Silvestre Protegida (ASP) de los Bosques Templados del Sur de Sudamérica (BTSS), ubicado en la Cordillera de los Andes (40º 25’ S; 72º 16’ O), próximo al complejo volcánico Puyehue-Cordón del Caulle, Región de Los Ríos. Se identificaron 295 especies, pertenecientes a 91 familias y 165 géneros. Este parque representa una muestra importante de los BTSS (ca. 40-70%). La flora de Futangue se caracteriza por un 66% de las especies de origen nativo, 8% catalogadas con problemas de conservación, con un 19% de especies endémicas de Chile. La riqueza de especies superó lo esperado con respecto a otras áreas silvestres cercanas. La escasa proporción de especies introducidas y la baja cobertura observada de éstas indicarían que Futangue presenta una baja alteración antrópica. Este reporte contribuye a llenar un vacío de registros para la zona y da cuenta de la importancia de mantener actualizado los listados de flora para planes de manejo y conservación en ASP

Forest fire risk assessment in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba: the role of anthropic and meteorological factors

Ponencia presentada en: XXXV Jornadas Científicas de la AME y el XIX Encuentro Hispano Luso de Meteorología celebrado en León, del 5 al 7 de marzo de 2018.An accurate evaluation of forests fire risks was performed for the province of Ciego de Ávila, which is located in the central part of Cuba (Fig. 1). This province highlights because of socioeconomic activities like agriculture, but also for having an important natural protected area named ‘‘Gran Humedal del Norte’’; one of the most important ecosystems in the country. A government authority’s instruction is to planning and preparing the country against natural disasters; hence, the aim of this study is to identify the risk of forest fire in each one of the ten municipalities of the province. To do it was implemented the methodological guidelines proposed by the Risk Assessment Group of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environmental Sciences (CITMA). This methodology is based on the calculus of two variables: hazard and vulnerability, to finally obtain the risk. The hazard level is calculated based on the susceptibility and the frequency of forest fires. The frequency is obtained like the number of times a box (depends on the map scale) is affected by a fire, while the susceptibility depends on the type of vegetation, the slope of the terrain, a water stress index, the human factor and storms lightning. In the other hand, the total vulnerability is a function of the kind of factors exposed to forest fires. The following vulnerability classifications were considered in this study: Structural (evaluates the degree of exposure of homes, facilities and technical networks); Non Structural (evaluates the degree of exposure of the vegetation cover according to the surface covered and the dangerousness of the combustible material); Functional (evaluates the preparation of the territory and the capacity of response of the professional firefighters and of other entities or organisms, in case of occurrence of fires in rural areas); Social (evaluates the exposed population and their perception about this disaster); Economic (evaluates the economic losses in the forestry sector, beekeeping, livestock, and the implementation of the disaster reduction budget) and Ecological (evaluates the protection and conservation of biodiversity in exposed areas). The work was performed at seasonal scale, for the dry (November – April) and rainy season (May – October) along the period 2008 – 2014. This range of years was selected because of the major information regarding forest fires occurrence. The methodology here utilized considered the climatological water stress conditions and wind direction for every season. Taking into account that dry conditions and drought episodes may increase the occurrence of forest fires we also decided to utilize the Standardized Precipitation & Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) to diagnose the state of the drought every month during the period of study. This index has the ability to diagnose at different temporal scales the water balance conditions but also considers the role of temperature through its influence on potential evapotranspiration. A precise analysis was also performed to investigate the direction and velocity of the predominant wind and the sea breeze regime; in order to support the mitigation plans

Caracterización biopsicosocial de niños menores de 5 años con retardo en el neurodesarrollo

Introducción: actualmente existe un gran número de niños con retardo del neurodesarrollo, lo que constituye un significativo problema de salud de repercusión social. Objetivo: describir las características biopsicosociales que presentan los niños menores de 5 años con trastornos en el neurodesarrollo. Material y Métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional, descriptivo de corte transversal en el Policlínico Reina, Municipio Centro Habana, entre marzo de 2011 y febrero de 2012. El universo fue de 62 infantes que cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión y exclusión y sus padres dieron el. Para la recogida de la información se utilizaron las historias clínicas de los niños con retardo en el neurodesarrollo evaluados por el Programa de Atención temprana de la Habana Vieja, y se les aplicó a los padres una encuesta que incluyó variables biopsicosociales. Resultados: se evidenció que el antecedente prenatal de mayor relevancia fue la hipertensión arterial materna (22,58 %) y la asfixia intraparto (29,03 %) como antecedente natal más frecuente. Fue notable la presencia de trastornos del lenguaje en 16.12% de los pacientes. Resultó el área mental la más afectada (56.45%); no obstante, el área motora presentó dificultades en 43.56%. Conclusiones: predominaron en el estudio las madres de 18 a 35 años, amas de casa, con nivel de escolaridad alto y convivencia en pareja; con nivel económico y condiciones de la vivienda no adecuados. Prevalecieron los hábitos tóxicos en los padres y la conducta emocional de estos fue la aceptación. El afrontamiento de los padres al retardo del neurodesarrollo fue positivo. Palabras clave: neurodesarrollo, variables biopsicosociales, afrontamiento. </p