A branch-and-cut algorithm for the Orienteering Arc Routing Problem

[EN] In arc routing problems, customers are located on arcs, and routes of minimum cost have to be identified. In the Orienteering Arc Routing Problem (OARP),in addition to a set of regular customers that have to be serviced, a set of potential customers is available. From this latter set, customers have to be chosen on the basis of an associated profit. The objective is to find a route servicing the customers which maximize the total profit collected while satisfying a given time limit on the route.In this paper, we describe large families of facet-inducing inequalities for the OARP and present a branch-and-cut algorithm for its solution. The exact algorithm embeds a procedure which builds a heuristic solution to the OARP on the basis of the information provided by the solution of the linear relaxation. Extensive computational experiments over different sets of OARP instances show that the exact algorithm is capable of solving to optimality large instances, with up to 2000 vertices and 14,000 arcs, within 1 h and often within a few minutes.Authors want to thank two anonymous referees for their careful reading of the original paper and their many valuable comments and suggestions that have helped to improve the paper. Angel Corberan, Isaac Plana and Jose M. Sanchis wish to thank the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain (MTM2012-36163-006-02) and the Generalitat Valenciana (project GVPR-OMETE02013-049) for its support.Archetti, C.; Corberán, A.; Plana, I.; Sanchís Llopis, JM.; Speranza, M. (2016). A branch-and-cut algorithm for the Orienteering Arc Routing Problem. Computers & Operations Research. 66:95-104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cor.2015.08.003S951046

Immobilization of γ-Glutamyl Transpeptidase from Equine Kidney for the Synthesis of Kokumi Compounds

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase from equine kidney (ekGGT, E.C. 2.3.2.2) is an intrinsic membrane enzyme which transfers the γ-glutamyl moiety of glutathione to amino acids and peptides, thus producing γ-glutamyl derivatives. An immobilization study of ekGGT was carried out with the aim to develop a robust biocatalyst for the synthesis of γ-glutamyl amino acids which are known as kokumi compounds. Heterofunctional octyl-glyoxyl-agarose resulted in a high immobilization yield and activity recovery (93 % and 88 %, respectively). Immobilized ekGGT retained more than 95 % activity under reaction conditions (Tris-HCl, pH 9, 0.05 M) after 6 days, whereas the residual activity after 6 reaction cycles (18 days) was 85 %. The synthesis of γ-glutamylmethionine catalyzed by octyl-glyoxyl-agarose-ekGGT afforded the product in 42 % yield (101 mg). The immobilized ekGGT was characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The immobilization protocol developed for ekGGT could be of general applicability to membrane proteins

Tethyan versus Iberian extension during the Cretaceous period in the Eastern Iberian Peninsula: insights from magnetic fabrics

This work investigates how anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) recorded the strain related to the Early Cretaceous extensional processes in synrift sediments of the Maestrat basin (eastern Spain). Forty-two sites, distributed throughout the Lower Cretaceous sequence with dominant gentle dips, were sampled. Minerals contributing to the AMS are mainly phyllosilicates. The parallelism between magnetic and sedimentary foliation seems to indicate that a primary (synsedimentary and early diagenetic) magnetic fabric was preserved at 84% of sites. Consequently, preferred orientations of magnetic lineations are interpreted to record the effect of extensional processes coeval with sedimentation and diagenesis during this period. At these 35 sites, two main magnetic lineation orientations are found, delimiting two large domains: a NE–SW orientation prevailing in the NW sector of the basin (parallel to the extension direction of the Iberian basin), and NW–SE to NNW–SSE orientations to the SE (parallel to the extension direction controlling the western Tethys margin). Directional variability demonstrates that the Maestrat basin is located at the boundary between two domains (Iberian and Tethyan) undergoing different plate-scale extensional processes. The subsequent Cenozoic tectonic inversion affected the synsedimentary magnetic fabrics at only a few sites at the borders of the basin, where compressive features are more developed

Neural processing of emotions in traumatized children treated with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy: a hdEEG study

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been proven efficacious in restoring affective regulation in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients. However, its effectiveness on emotion processing in children with complex trauma has yet to be explored. High density Electroencephalography (hdEEG) was used to investigate the effects of EMDR on brain responses to adults\u27 emotions on children with histories of early maltreatment. Ten school-aged children were examined before (T0) and within one month after the conclusion of EMDR (T1). hdEEGs were recorded while children passively viewed angry, afraid, happy, and neutral faces. Clinical scales were administered at the same time. Correlation analyses were performed to detect brain regions whose activity was linked to children\u27s traumatic symptom-related and emotional-adaptive problem scores. In all four conditions, hdEEG showed similar significantly higher activity on the right medial prefrontal and fronto-temporal limbic regions at T0, shifting towards the left medial and superior temporal regions at T1. Moreover, significant correlations were found between clinical scales and the same regions whose activity significantly differed between pre- and post-treatment. These preliminary results demonstrate that, after EMDR, children suffering from complex trauma show increased activity in areas implicated in high-order cognitive processing when passively viewing pictures of emotional expressions. These changes are associated with the decrease of depressive and traumatic symptoms, and with the improvement of emotional-adaptive functioning over time

Análise de uso de padrões de metadados em projetos de pesquisa e desenvolvimento na Embrapa Informática Agropecuária.

A Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa) produz uma grande quantidade de dados como resultado das pesquisa que realiza. Os dados gerados abrangem diferentes domínios: solos, clima, coleções, dados de animais, dados bibliográficos, entre outros. Muitas vezes os projetos trocam ou reúsam a informação produzidas. Apesar disso, muitos deles ainda são armazenados de diferentes formas e usando diferentes formatos, como planilhas, sistemas de banco de dados, papel, entre outros. A necessidade ou possibilidade de integração/compartilhamento de informação entre esses sistemas ou mesmo com outras instituições de pesquisa, desencadeou ações para a incorporação de novas estruturas e conceitos aos sistemas desenvolvidos, no sentido de facilitar a interoperabilidade de dados. Uma abordagem para esse problema é a adoção de padrões de metadados bem estabelecidos para descrição desses dados. Nesse sentindo, a Embrapa Informática Agropecuária estabeleceu um grupo de trabalho cuja missão era identificar a situação de seus projetos de pesquisa quanto à adoção desses padrões. O grupo elaborou um conjunto de perguntas que foram apresentadas à maioria desses projetos, permitindo não apenas identificar a utilização de metadados, mas também descrever as principais observações e recomendações sobre esse tema. Este documento apresenta o trabalho realizado por esse grupo, bem como os resultados obtidos.bitstream/item/57307/1/Livro-BolPesq27-1.pd

Sol–gel-derived photonic structures handling erbium ions luminescence

The sol–gel technique is a very flexible, relatively simple, and low-cost method to fabricate many different innovative photonic structures characterized by specific functionalities. During synthesis, starting from the molecular level, compounds or composites with well controlled composition can be obtained as thin films, powders or monoliths. These materials can be used to prepare such structures as waveguides, photonic crystals, coatings, and bulk glasses including spheres, rings and other geometries exploited in optical resonators fabrication. This article presents some results obtained by the authors in the field of the sol–gel-derived photonic structures. To emphasise the scientific and technological interest in this kind of systems and the versatility of the sol–gel route, the glass-based nano and micrometer scale range systems are discussed. Particularly, the following systems are described: silica–hafnia glass and glass–ceramic planar waveguides, nanosized tetraphosphates, and silica colloidal crystals. The attention is focused on the spectroscopic properties of Er3+-activated materials that due to the light emission can be used in the integrated optics area covering application in sensing, biomedical diagnostic, energy conversion, telecommunication, lighting, and photon management

Abnormalities of sodium handling and of cardiovascular adaptations during high salt diet in patients with mild heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Sodium retention and hormonal activation are fundamental hallmarks in congestive heart failure. The present study was designed to assess the ability of patients with asymptomatic to mildly symptomatic heart failure and no signs or symptoms of congestion to excrete ingested sodium and to identify possible early abnormalities of hormonal and hemodynamic mechanisms related to sodium handling. METHODS AND RESULTS: The effects of a high salt diet (250 mEq/day for 6 days) on hemodynamics, salt-regulating hormones, and renal excretory response were investigated in a balanced study in 12 untreated patients with idiopathic or ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and mild heart failure (NYHA class I-II, ejection fraction < 50%) (HF) and in 12 normal subjects, who had been previously maintained a 100 mEq/day NaCl diet. In normal subjects, high salt diet was associated with significant increases of echocardiographically measured left ventricular end-diastolic volume, ejection fraction, and stroke volume (all P < .001) and with a reduction of total peripheral resistance (P < .001). In addition, plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) levels increased (P < .05), and plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations fell (both P < .001) in normals in response to salt excess. In HF patients, both left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes increased in response to high salt diet, whereas ejection fraction and stroke volume failed to increase, and total peripheral resistance did not change during high salt diet. In addition, plasma ANF levels did not rise in HF in response to salt loading, whereas plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations were as much suppressed as in normals. Although urinary sodium excretions were not significantly different in the two groups, there was a small but systematic reduction of daily sodium excretion in HF, which resulted in a significantly higher cumulative sodium balance in HF than in normals during the high salt diet period (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: These results show a reduced ability to excrete a sodium load and early abnormalities of cardiac and hemodynamic adaptations to salt excess in patients with mild heart failure and no signs or symptoms of congestion

Osteoblasts mediate the adverse effects of glucocorticoids on fuel metabolism

Long-term glucocorticoid treatment is associated with numerous adverse outcomes, including weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes; however, the pathogenesis of these side effects remains obscure. Glucocorticoids also suppress osteoblast function, including osteocalcin synthesis. Osteocalcin is an osteoblast-specific peptide that is reported to be involved in normal murine fuel metabolism. We now demonstrate that osteoblasts play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of glucocorticoid-induced dysmetabolism. Osteoblast-targeted disruption of glucocorticoid signaling significantly attenuated the suppression of osteocalcin synthesis and prevented the development of insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and abnormal weight gain in corticosterone-treated mice. Nearly identical effects were observed in glucocorticoid-treated animals following heterotopic (hepatic) expression of both carboxylated and uncarboxylated osteocalcin through gene therapy, which additionally led to a reduction in hepatic lipid deposition and improved phosphorylation of the insulin receptor. These data suggest that the effects of exogenous high-dose glucocorticoids on insulin target tissues and systemic energy metabolism are mediated, at least in part, through the skeleton.NHMRC Grants 402462 and 63281

Estudo de caso 2 - definição de zonas de manejo, calagem e gessagem em área de produção de soja na Fazenda Indaiá, Campo Mourão, PR.

O presente trabalho propôs uma metodologia de análise do ambiente de produção em um talhão típico de produção de soja e suas possíveis interações com intervenções realizadas na fertilidade do solo por meio de aplicação de diferentes proporções de calcário e gesso, em relação a um tratamento de referência, utilizando uma metodologia de experimentação on-farm e de análise de agrupamento para definição de zonas de manejo