A Nonparametric Conjugate Prior Distribution for the Maximizing Argument of a Noisy Function

We propose a novel Bayesian approach to solve stochastic optimization problems that involve finding extrema of noisy, nonlinear functions. Previous work has focused on representing possible functions explicitly, which leads to a two-step procedure of first, doing inference over the function space and second, finding the extrema of these functions. Here we skip the representation step and directly model the distribution over extrema. To this end, we devise a non-parametric conjugate prior based on a kernel regressor. The resulting posterior distribution directly captures the uncertainty over the maximum of the unknown function. We illustrate the effectiveness of our model by optimizing a noisy, high-dimensional, non-convex objective function.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Spanish’s experience on improving inspection of sprayers: official manual for ISO 16122 and ISO 16119

Mandatory inspections in Spain are organized following ISO 16122. In order to guarantee a clear and comprehensive inspection’s procedure in all of the official inspection’s workshops, the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture published an official inspection’s manual based on ISO 16122 in order to improve and harmonize the process.Postprint (published version

Prohibició de l'eutanàsia en les gosseres

Treball presentat a la Facultat de Veterinària de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.Treball presentat a l'assignatura de Deontologia i Veterinària Legal (21223

Calidad de la ética en el proceso de afiliación y verificación de los promotores del Programa Pensión 65 de la Unidad Territorial Ancash, 2017

La presente investigación titulada “Calidad de la ética en el proceso de afiliación y verificación de los promotores del Programa Pensión 65 de la Unidad Territorial Ancash, 2017” conforme a la línea de investigación Administración del Talento Humano. El informe tuvo como finalidad determinar la Calidad de la ética en el proceso de afiliación y verificación de los promotores del Programa Pensión 65 de la UT Ancash, 2017. El tipo de estudio fue un diseño No Experimental. La muestra se conformó por los 19 promotores del Programa Pensión 65 de la Unidad Territorial Ancash en el año 2017. Se utilizó la encuesta como técnica y el cuestionario como instrumento para medir la variable, los datos obtenidos se procesaron a través de la estadística descriptiva por medio del programa SPSS versión 22. Los resultados establecieron que el 53% de promotores del Programa Pensión 65 de la Unidad Territorial Ancash evidencio una deficiente calidad de la ética profesional y el 47% una eficiente calidad de la ética profesional, se concluyó en aceptar la hipótesis nula que estableció que no existe un eficiente nivel de la Calidad de la ética en el proceso de afiliación y verificación de los promotores del Programa Pensión 65 de la UT Ancash, 2017

Zapla range, subandean ranges, Jujuy province

The Subandean Ranges (Sierras Subandinas) are placed between the Eastern Cordillera (Cordillera Oriental) to the west and Chaco–pampean Plain to the east, in northwestern Argentina. Stratigraphic and structural studies of this geological province were carried out by Bonarelli (1913, 1921), Baldis et al.(1975), Mingramm et al. (1979), and Ramos (1999), among others. Ancient deposits of the Subandean Ranges correspond to the Proterozoic and Ordovician System, which are restricted to the western part. Silurian–Devonian rocks of wider distribution integrate a thick marine–deltaic succession tapering to the east, which is linked to a foreland basin (Turner, 1967; Ramos, 1999). The Ocloyic unconformity (Turner & Méndez, 1975; Ramos, 1986) separates Lower–Middle Ordovician rocks from Hirnantian and younger deposits (Moya, 1999). The Lower Paleozoic succession is covered by thick marine and continental sequences of Neopaleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic ages. An angular unconformity is present between ancient deposits and Miocene to Quaternary sediments. The Subandean Ranges show wide east–vergence anticlines, limited by thrusts and overthrusts, whose detachment levels are Silurian–Devonian shales (Ramos, 1999). The structural style of this geological province allows for the identification of the Interandean System to the west, and the Subandean System sensu stricto to the east (Ramos, op. cit.). The Interandean System is separated from the Eastern Cordillera by a thrust (principal interandean thrust of Roeder, 1988), which rises Proterozoic and Eopaleozoic sequences over the Subandean System (Ramos, 1999). The Labrado Hill, Zapla and Puesto Viejo ranges, located in the Interandean System, are brachianticlines with Paleozoic rock cores. The Ordovician (pre–Ocloyic) succession (Zanjón, Labrado, Capillas, and Centinela formations) consists of alternating sandstones and shales with calcareous subordinate levels (Harrington, 1957; Monaldi, 1986). The fossil record is usually scarce in these rocks. The Labrado and Capillas formations bear inarticulate brachiopods, conodonts, trilobites (Thysanopyge argentina), and trace fossils (Cruziana and Skolithos ichnofacies), which indicate an Arenig age. The Capillas Formation includes a more diverse fauna ("Brongniartella zaplensis", "Hoekaspis schlagintweiti", Ctenodonta sp., Lingula sp., nautiloids, and ichnites) that is referred to the Llanvirn. The Centinela Formation yields inarticulate brachiopods, trilobites ("Brongniartella zaplensis"), and skolithos (Monaldi et al., 1986). Post–Ocloyica deposits commence in the upper Ashgill (Hirnantian) and evolve during the Silurian and Devonian. They are bounded by the Chánica unconformity (Late Devonian – Early Carboniferous). The Hirnantian Zapla Formation (Schlagintweit, 1943) is made of clastic heterogeneous deposits with subordinate sandstones and shales, and scarce fossils. The record of Dalmanitina subandina allowed to referring this unit to the Hirnantian (Monaldi & Boso, 1987). The glacial or glaci–marine origin attributed to this formation is linked to the presence of striate and facet clasts (cf., Turner, 1964; Boso, 1999). Silurian deposits of the Lipeón Formation overlie Hirnantian or younger units.Fil: Ortega, Gladys del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Museo de Paleontología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Moya, Maria Cristina. Universidad Catolica de Salta. Consejo de Investigaciones; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; ArgentinaFil: Albanesi, Guillermo Luis. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Museo de Paleontología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; Argentin

The Purmamarca area, eastern cordillera, Jujuy province

The Purmamarca village is placed ca 50 km to northwest of Jujuy City, on the western side of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Tumbaya Department, Jujuy Province (Figure 5). Within the general context of the Quebrada de Humahuaca, it is one of the most picturesque areas of the Argentina for tourism, and was recently declared by UNESCO cultural heritage of the humanity. From a geological point of view, it is a classical locality for the study of lower Paleozoic rocks of the Eastern Cordillera (e.g., Keidel, 1917; Kobayashi, 1936, 1937; Harrington, 1938; De Ferrariis, 1940; Harrington & Leanza, 1957; Ramos et al., 1967; Rao et al., 1994; Tortello, 1996; Tortello & Aceñolaza, 1999). Graywakes, quartzites and slates of the Puncoviscana Formation (Upper Precambrian – Lower Cambrian) constitute the basement of the Eastern Cordillera. Ichnofossils of Vendian/Tommotian age were recorded in this formation by Aceñolaza et al. (1999). These authors described the ichnogenusProtichnites from strata of the Puncoviscana Formation exposed at Purmamarca (Aceñolaza et al., 1999). The dominantly sandstone sequences of the Mesón Group (Lower Cambrian), unconformably overlie the Puncoviscana Formation (Tilcara unconformity) (Turner & Méndez, 1975; Moya, 1999). The Iruya unconformity (Turner, 1960) separates the successions of the Mesón Group from the Lower to Middle Ordovician Santa Victoria Group (Santa Rosita and Acoite formations) (Turner, 1960), and equivalent units.Fil: Ortega, Gladys del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Museo de Paleontología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Albanesi, Guillermo Luis. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Museo de Paleontología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Moya, Maria Cristina. Universidad Catolica de Salta. Consejo de Investigaciones; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta; Argentin

Smart orchard sprayer to adjust pesticide dose to canopy characteristics

Apple scab (Venturia inaequalis) is one of the most endemic diseases that affect apple production worldwide. An accurate management of Plant Protection Products (PPP) together with the use of the latest technologies is one of the objectives of the EU Horizon 2020 OPTIMA project, as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) system. Optimal dose adjustment of PPP in orchards requires an accurate identification of canopy characteristics and a precise sprayer adjustment to distribute the adequate amount of active ingredient and liquid proportionally to the canopy variations. Furthermore, the possibility to use available tools and knowledge to consider the potential variability inside the parcel will lead into a reduction of the amount of PPP, which is a shared objective with the EU Farm to Fork strategy. Within the OPTIMA project a smart orchard sprayer has been developed. The system incorporates 6 ultrasonic sensors (three per side) for canopy characterization. A dedicated program developed using python allows the system to calculate canopy width and canopy density along the row. This information, together with the georeferenced location of the sprayer and the actual forward speed is used to activate the six-solenoid proportional motor-valves controlling the six different spray sections. Information about working pressure and consequently the nozzle flow rate is recorded every 1 s in order to generate the actual application map. The system is based on the adaptation of the Tree Row Volume (TRV) method established by European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO, 2021) with additional information concerning canopy density. The system is linked with development of EDS (Early Detection System) and DSS (Decision Support System) within the OPTIMA project and the aim at the end of the project will be to link all the three technological developments to achieve a holistic smart sprayer.Postprint (published version

Smart orchard sprayer to adjust pesticide dose to canopy characteristics

Apple scab (Venturia inaequalis) is one of the most endemic diseases that affect apple production worldwide. An accurate management of Plant Protection Products (PPP) together with the use of the latest technologies is one of the objectives of the EU Horizon 2020 OPTIMA project, as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) system. Optimal dose adjustment of PPP in orchards requires an accurate identification of canopy characteristics and a precise sprayer adjustment to distribute the adequate amount of active ingredient and liquid proportionally to the canopy variations. Furthermore, the possibility to use available tools and knowledge to consider the potential variability inside the parcel will lead into a reduction of the amount of PPP, which is a shared objective with the EU Farm to Fork strategy. Within the OPTIMA project a smart orchard sprayer has been developed. The system incorporates 6 ultrasonic sensors (three per side) for canopy characterization. A dedicated program developed using python allows the system to calculate canopy width and canopy density along the row. This information, together with the georeferenced location of the sprayer and the actual forward speed is used to activate the six-solenoid proportional motor-valves controlling the six different spray sections. Information about working pressure and consequently the nozzle flow rate is recorded every 1 s in order to generate the actual application map. The system is based on the adaptation of the Tree Row Volume (TRV) method established by European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO, 2021) with additional information concerning canopy density. The system is linked with development of EDS (Early Detection System) and DSS (Decision Support System) within the OPTIMA project and the aim at the end of the project will be to link all the three technological developments to achieve a holistic smart sprayer.PROJECTE HORIZON 2020-OPTIMAPostprint (published version

Hierarchical graph maps for visualization of collaborative recommender systems

In this paper we provide a method that allows the visualization of similarity relationships present between items of collaborative filtering recommender systems, as well as the relative importance of each of these. The objective is to offer visual representations of the recommender system?s set of items and of their relationships; these graphs show us where the most representative information can be found and which items are rated in a more similar way by the recommender system?s community of users. The visual representations achieved take the shape of phylogenetic trees, displaying the numerical similarity and the reliability between each pair of items considered to be similar. As a case study we provide the results obtained using the public database Movielens 1M, which contains 3900 movies

Online oxygen monitoring using integrated inkjet-printed sensors in a liver-on-a-chip system

The demand for real-time monitoring of cell functions and cell conditions has dramatically increased with the emergence of organ-on-a-chip (OOC) systems. However, the incorporation of co-cultures and microfluidic channels in OOC systems increases their biological complexity and therefore makes the analysis and monitoring of analytical parameters inside the device more difficult. In this work, we present an approach to integrate multiple sensors in an extremely thin, porous and delicate membrane inside a liver-on-a-chip device. Specifically, three electrochemical dissolved oxygen (DO) sensors were inkjet-printed along the microfluidic channel allowing local online monitoring of oxygen concentrations. This approach demonstrates the existence of an oxygen gradient up to 17.5% for rat hepatocytes and 32.5% for human hepatocytes along the bottom channel. Such gradients are considered crucial for the appearance of zonation of the liver. Inkjet printing (IJP) was the selected technology as it allows drop on demand material deposition compatible with delicate substrates, as used in this study, which cannot withstand temperatures higher than 130 °C. For the deposition of uniform gold and silver conductive inks on the porous membrane, a primer layer using SU-8 dielectric material was used to seal the porosity of the membrane at defined areas, with the aim of building a uniform sensor device. As a proof-of-concept, experiments with cell cultures of primary human and rat hepatocytes were performed, and oxygen consumption rate was stimulated with carbonyl-cyanide-4-(trifluoromethoxy)phenylhydrazone (FCCP), accelerating the basal respiration of 0.23 ± 0.07 nmol s-1/106 cells up to 5.95 ± 0.67 nmol s-1/106 cells s for rat cells and the basal respiration of 0.17 ± 0.10 nmol s-1/106 cells by up to 10.62 ± 1.15 nmol s-1/106 cells for human cells, with higher oxygen consumption of the cells seeded at the outflow zone. These results demonstrate that the approach of printing sensors inside an OOC has tremendous potential because IJP is a feasible technique for the integration of different sensors for evaluating metabolic activity of cells, and overcomes one of the major challenges still remaining on how to tap the full potential of OOC systems.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft