Using Machine Learning Classifiers to Assist Healthcare-Related Decisions: Classification of Electronic Patient Records

Surveillance Levels (SLs) are categories for medical patients (used in Brazil) that represent different types of medical recommendations. SLs are defined according to risk factors and the medical and developmental history of patients. Each SL is associated with specific educational and clinical measures. The objective of the present paper was to verify computer-aided, automatic assignment of SLs. The present paper proposes a computer-aided approach for automatic recommendation of SLs. The approach is based on the classification of information from patient electronic records. For this purpose, a software architecture composed of three layers was developed. The architecture is formed by a classification layer that includes a linguistic module and machine learning classification modules. The classification layer allows for the use of different classification methods, including the use of preprocessed, normalized language data drawn from the linguistic module. We report the verification and validation of the software architecture in a Brazilian pediatric healthcare institution. The results indicate that selection of attributes can have a great effect on the performance of the system. Nonetheless, our automatic recommendation of surveillance level can still benefit from improvements in processing procedures when the linguistic module is applied prior to classification. Results from our efforts can be applied to different types of medical systems. The results of systems supported by the framework presented in this paper may be used by healthcare and governmental institutions to improve healthcare services in terms of establishing preventive measures and alerting authorities about the possibility of an epidemic.

Alien shrimps in evidence: new records of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 on the coast of So Paulo, southern Brazil (Caridea: Alpheidae)

The occurrence of two alien alpheid shrimps of the genus Athanas Leach, 1814 [in Leach 1813-1814], the Indo-West Pacific A. dimorphus Ortmann, 1894 and the Eastern Atlantic A. nitescens (Leach, 1813 [in Leach 1813-1814]), on the coast of the state of So Paulo, Brazil, is reported. The presence of A. dimorphus extends the range of this species in the western Atlantic farther to the south in Brazil, whereas A. nitescens is reported for the first time in the western Atlantic, representing the second alien alpheid species on this side of the Atlantic and the twenty-first decapod crustacean introduced in Brazil. We provide morphological accounts of the material examined and illustrate the most important diagnostic characters of both species. An overview of the possible mechanisms of their introduction on the coast of So Paulo is also provided.

Description of the female and new records of Triatoma baratai Carcavallo & Jurberg, 2000 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, with a key to the species of the Triatoma matogrossensis subcomplex

Triatoma baratai Carcavallo & Jurberg, 2000, a species similar to Triatoma williami Galvao, Souza & Lima, 1967 and belonging to the T. matogrossensis subcomplex, was described based on a male specimen collected in a sylvatic environment, near a cave, in Bonito county, Bodoquena mountain range, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. In the present work we describe the female of T. baratai, captured in a chicken house, in Nioaque county, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Furthermore, we recorded the occurrence of T. baratai in domiciles and peridomestic environment in another four municipalities (Bodoquena, Bela Vista, Corumba, and Miranda), extending its geographical distribution. Finally, we present a key to the species of the Triatoma matogrossensis subcomplex.

New records of the harlequin frog Atelopus nahumae RUIZ-CARRANZA, ARDILA-ROBAYO & HERNANDEZ-CAMACHO, 1994, in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia), with notes of its distribution (Anura: Bufonidae)

The known distribution of the harlequin frog, Atelopus nahumae RUIZ-CARRANZA, ARDILA-ROBAYO & HERNANDEZ-CAMACHO, 1994, is reported along with three new locality records in the northwestern Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia). In the new localities, observations were made on the frog's mating behavior. This report adds the Cordoba River Basin, another high valley of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, to the known range of A. nahumae. Nevertheless, the general distribution of the species in this region is largely unknown.

Probing neutralino properties in minimal supergravity with bilinear R-parity violation

Supersymmetric models with bilinear R-parity violation can account for the observed neutrino masses and mixing parameters indicated by neutrino oscillation data. We consider minimal supergravity versions of bilinear R-parity violation where the lightest supersymmetric particle is a neutralino. This is unstable, with a large enough decay length to be detected at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We analyze the Large Hadron Collider potential to determine the lightest supersymmetric particle properties, such as mass, lifetime and branching ratios, and discuss their relation to neutrino properties.

Search for Lorentz invariance and CPT violation with muon antineutrinos in the MINOS Near Detector

We have searched for sidereal variations in the rate of antineutrino interactions in the MINOS Near Detector. Using antineutrinos produced by the NuMI beam, we find no statistically significant sidereal modulation in the rate. When this result is placed in the context of the Standard Model Extension theory we are able to place upper limits on the coefficients defining the theory. These limits are used in combination with the results from an earlier analysis of MINOS neutrino data to further constrain the coefficients.

Descriptions of Thereza murutinga sp. nov. and Pristocnemis caipira sp. nov., and new records of Caelopyginae (Opiliones: Laniatores: Gonyleptidae)

Two new species of Caelopyginae are described: Pristocnemis caipira sp. nov. from Parque Nacional da Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and Thereza murutinga sp. nov., from Parati, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Pristocnemis caipira sp. nov. is diagnosed by shallow grooves on the dorsal scutum, a lower number of tarsal segments, presence of a spine on the anal operculum, large, pointed tubercles on the lateral margins of the dorsal scutum, and an absence of white patches on the dorsal scutum. Thereza murutinga sp. nov. is diagnosed by the combination of the following characters: incomplete median longitudinal groove on area III and absent on area II, prosoma much smaller than opisthosoma, and a large white patch covering the prosoma and whole areas of the opisthosomal scutum. A cladistic analysis including the two new species was performed to investigate their relationship within the subfamily. We obtained 927 trees of 185 steps (CI=0.4, RI=0.74), which corroborated the generic assignments of the new species, but infrageneric relationships remained unsolved. In addition, male genitalia of Ampheres luteus (Giltay) and genera Pristocnemis and Thereza are redescribed, new distribution records for Caelopyginae species are presented, and biogeographical implications are discussed.

The Global Paleomonsoon as seen through speleothem records from Asia and the Americas

The regional monsoons of the world have long been viewed as seasonal atmospheric circulation reversal-analogous to a thermally-driven land-sea breeze on a continental scale. This conventional view of monsoons is now being integrated at a global scale and accordingly, a new paradigm has emerged which considers regional monsoons to be manifestations of global-scale seasonal changes in response to overturning of atmospheric circulation in the tropics and subtropics, and henceforth, interactive components of a singular Global Monsoon (GM) system. The paleoclimate community, however, tends to view 'paleomonsoon' (PM), largely in terms of regional circulation phenomena. In the past decade, many high-quality speleothem oxygen isotope (delta O-18) records have been established from the Asian Monsoon and the South American Monsoon regions that primarily reflect changes in the integrated intensities of monsoons on orbital-to-decadal timescales. With the emergence of these high-resolution and absolute-dated records from both sides of the Equator, it is now possible to test a concept of the 'Global-Paleo-Monsoon' (GPM) on a wide-range of timescales. Here we present a comprehensive synthesis of globally-distributed speleothem delta O-18 records and highlight three aspects of the GPM that are comparable to the modern GM: (1) the GPM intensity swings on different timescales; (2) their global extent; and (3) an anti-phased inter-hemispheric relationship between the Asian and South American monsoon systems on a wide range of timescales.

Records of sedimentary dynamics in the continental shelf and upper slope between Aveiro-Espinho (N Portugal)

The sedimentary unconsolidated cover of the Aveiro-Espinho continental shelf and upper slope (NW Portugal) records a complex interplay of processes including wave energy and currents, fluvial input, sediment transport alongshore and cross-shelf, geological and oceanographic processes and sediment sources and sinks. In order to study this record, a set of surface sediment samples was studied. Sediment grain size and composition, as well as the mineralogical composition (by XRD) of the fine (<63 mu m) and clay (<2 mu m) fractions and benthic microfaunal (foraminifera) data were analysed. Cluster analysis applied to the sedimentological data (grain size, sediment composition and mineralogy) allowed the establishment of three main zones corresponding to the: inner-, mid- and outer-shelf/upper slope. On the inner-shelf, the sedimentary coverture is composed of siliciclastic fine to very fine sand, essentially comprising modern (immature) terrigenous particles. The sediment grain size, as well as mineralogical and microfaunal composition, denote the high energetic conditions of this sector in which the alongshore transport of sand is predominantly southward and occurs mostly during the spring-summer oceanographic regime, when the main river providing sediments to this area, the River Douro, undergoes periods of drought. This effect may emphasize the erosive character of this coastal sector at present, since the Ria de Aveiro provides the shelf with few sediments. On the mid-shelf, an alongshore siliciclastic band of coarse sand and gravel can be found between the 40 m and 60 m isobaths. This gravelly deposit includes relic sediments deposited during lower sea-level stands. This structure stays on the surface due to the high bottom energy, which promotes the remobilization of the fine-grained sediments, and/or events of sediments bypassing. Benthic foraminifera density and "Benthic Foraminifera High Productivity" (BFHP) proxy values are in general low, which is consistent with the overall small supply of organic matter to the oceanic bottom in the inner- and mid-shelf. However, the Ria de Aveiro outflow, which delivers organic matter to the shelf, leaves its imprint mainly on the mid-shelf, identifiable by the increase in foraminifera density and BFHP values in front of the lagoon mouth. The higher values of BFHP along the 100 m isobath trace the present position of an oceanic thermal front whose situation may have changed in the last 3/5 ka BP. This zone marks a clear difference in the density, diversity and composition of benthic foraminifera assemblages. Here, in addition, sediment composition changes significantly, giving rise to carbonate-rich fine to medium sand in the deeper sector. The low bottom energy and the small sedimentation rate of the outer-shelf contributed to the preservation of a discontinuous carbonate-rich gravel band, between the 100 m and 140 m isobaths, also related to paleo-littorals, following the transgression that has occurred since the Last Glacial Maximum. The winter oceanographic regime favours the transport of fine grained sediments to the outer-shelf and upper slope. The inner- and mid-shelf, however, have low amounts of this kind of sediment and the Cretacic carbonated complexes Pontal da Galega and Pontal da Cartola, rocky outcrops located at the mid- and outer-shelf, act as morphological barriers to the cross-shelf transport of sediments. Thus a reduced sedimentation rate occurs in these deeper sectors, as indicated by the lower abundance of detrital minerals, which is compensated for the high sedimentary content of biogenic carbonates. The relatively high BFHP and Shannon Index values indicate water column stratification, high supply of organic matter and environmental stability, which provide favourable conditions for a diversified benthic fauna to flourish. These conditions also encourage authigenic chemical changes, favourable to glauconite formation, as well as illite and kaolinite degradation. Benthic foraminifera and clay mineral assemblages also reveal the effect of the internal waves pushing upward, and downslope losses of the sediments on the outer-shelf and upper slope.

A new ant species of Oxyepoecus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae), with the description of Oxyepoecus browni gyne and new records for the genus

We describe a new species of Oxyepoecus Santschi, 1926, Oxyepoecus regularis sp. nov., based on workers and a gyne collected in "Caatinga Arbórea" (Arboreal Shrubland) in Milagres and "Mata Seca" (Dry Forest) in Boa Vista do Tupim, both in the state of Bahia, Brazil. The gyne of Oxyepoecus browni Albuquerque & Brandão, 2004, collected in the same leaf litter ant survey, is also described. In addition, we present new records for Oxyepoecus species in Northeastern Brazil.

Records of migration in the exoplanet configurations

When compared to our Solar System, many exoplanet systems exhibit quite unusual planet configurations; some of these are hot Jupiters, which orbit their central stars with periods of a few days, others are resonant systems composed of two or more planets with commensurable orbital periods. It has been suggested that these configurations can be the result of a migration processes originated by tidal interactions of the planets with disks and central stars. The process known as planet migration occurs due to dissipative forces which affect the planetary semi-major axes and cause the planets to move towards to, or away from, the central star. In this talk, we present possible signatures of planet migration in the distribution of the hot Jupiters and resonant exoplanet pairs. For this task, we develop a semi-analytical model to describe the evolution of the migrating planetary pair, based on the fundamental concepts of conservative and dissipative dynamics of the three-body problem. Our approach is based on an analysis of the energy and the orbital angular momentum exchange between the two-planet system and an external medium; thus no specific kind of dissipative forces needs to be invoked. We show that, under assumption that dissipation is weak and slow, the evolutionary routes of the migrating planets are traced by the stationary solutions of the conservative problem (Birkhoff, Dynamical systems, 1966). The ultimate convergence and the evolution of the system along one of these modes of motion are determined uniquely by the condition that the dissipation rate is sufficiently smaller than the roper frequencies of the system. We show that it is possible to reassemble the starting configurations and migration history of the systems on the basis of their final states, and consequently to constrain the parameters of the physical processes involved.

New records and human parasitism by Ornithodoros mimon (Acari: Argasidae) in Brazil

The bat tick Ornithodoros mimon Kohls, Clifford & Jones is currently known by only few reports in Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina, and the state of São Paulo in southeastern Brazil. Here, we expand the distribution of O. mimon in Brazil to the states of Minas Gerais (southeastern region), Goiás (central-western), Pernambuco, and Rio Grande do Norte (northeastern). Ticks were collected on human dwellings, where there had been repeated complains of tick bites on persons during the night. Tick bites were generally followed by intense inflammatory reactions that lasted for several weeks at the bite site. Bats and opossums were reported to inhabit the attic of the infested houses. In addition, a free-ranging opossum (Didelphis albiventris Lund) trapped in Rio Grande do Norte was found infested by argasid larvae. Based on morphological and/or molecular analysis, all ticks were identified as O. mimon. From one of the sites (Tiradentes, state of Minas Gerais), 20 field-collected nymphs were tested by a battery of polymerase chain reaction protocols targeting tick-borne microorganisms of the genera Babesia, Hepatozoon, Rickettsia, Borrelia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Coxiella; no tick specimen was found infected by any of these microorganism genera. The current study expands northwards the distribution of O. mimon, which has been shown to be very harmful to humans because of the intense inflammatory response that usually occurs after tick bites.

A measurement of direct CP violation with the NA48 detector

Ziel des NA48 Experiments ist die Messung der direkten CPVerletzungim System der neutralen Kaonen. NA48 misst gleichzeitig dieZerfaellekurzlebiger und langlebiger Kaonen in zwei geladene undneutralePionen. Der Parameter der direkten CP Verletzung wird durchdasDoppelverhaeltnis der vier Zerfallsraten bestimmt. DasExperiment unddie Analyse sind so gestaltet, dass sich systematischeEffekte imDoppelverhaeltnis der Zerfallsraten prinzipiell aufheben.DieBestimmung unvermeidlicher systematischer Abweichungen nimmteinenHauptteil der Dissertation ein. Fuer diese Analyse wurdendie Datender ersten Strahlzeit 1997 verwendet. Das Ergebnis dieserAnalysefuer den Parameter der direkten CP Verletzung ist (18.3 +/-4.6 +/- 5.8) * 10E-4.

Measurement of branching fractions and CP violation for charmless charged two-body B decays at LHCb

Charmless charged two-body B decays are sensitive probes of the CKM matrix, that parameterize CP violation in the Standard Model (SM), and have the potential to reveal the presence of New Physics. The framework of CP violation within the SM, the role of the CKM matrix, with its basic formalism, and the current experimental status are presented. The theoretical tools commonly used to deal with hadronic B decays and an overview of the phenomenology of charmless two-body B decays are outlined. LHCb is one of the four main experiments operating at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), devoted to the measurement of CP violation and rare decays of charm and beauty hadrons. The LHCb detector is described, focusing on the technologies adopted for each sub-detector and summarizing their performances. The status-of-the-art of the LHCb measurements with charmless two-body B decays is then presented. Using the 37/pb of integrated luminosity collected at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV by LHCb during 2010, the direct CP asymmetries ACP(B0 -> Kpi) = −0.074 +/- 0.033 +/- 0.008 and ACP(Bs -> piK) = 0.15 +/- 0.19 +/- 0.02 are measured. Using 320/pb of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 these measurements are updated to ACP(B0 -> Kpi) = −0.088 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.008 and ACP(Bs -> piK) = 0.27 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.02. In addition, the branching ratios BR(B0 -> K+K-) = (0.13+0.06-0.05 +/- 0.07) x 10^-6 and BR(Bs -> pi+pi-) = (0.98+0.23-0.19 +/- 0.11) x 10^-6 are measured. Finally, using a sample of 370/pb of integrated luminosity collected during 2011, the relative branching ratios BR(B0 -> pi+pi-)/BR(B0 -> Kpi) = 0.262 +/- 0.009 +/- 0.017, (fs/fd)BR(Bs -> K+K-)/BR(B0 -> Kpi)=0.316 +/- 0.009 +/- 0.019, (fs/fd)BR(Bs -> piK)/BR(B0 -> Kpi) = 0.074 +/- 0.006 +/- 0.006 and BR(Lambda_b -> ppi)/BR(Lambda_b -> pK)=0.86 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.05 are determined.

Search for time-integrated cp violation in $d^0 \rightarrow k^+k^-$ and $d^0 \rightarrow \pi^+\pi^-$ decays at lhcb.

The LHCb experiment at the LHC, by exploiting the high production cross section for $c\overline{c}$ quark pairs, offers the possibility to investigate $\mathcal{CP}$ violation in the charm sector with a very high precision.\\ In this thesis a measurement of time-integrated \(\mathcal{CP}\) violation using $D^0\rightarrow~K^+K^-$ and $D^0\rightarrow \pi^+\pi^-$ decays at LHCb is presented. The measured quantity is the difference ($\Delta$) of \(\mathcal{CP}\) asymmetry ($\mathcal{A}_{\mathcal{CP}}$) between the decay rates of $D^0$ and $\overline{D}^0$ mesons into $K^+K^–$ and $\pi^+\pi^-$ pairs.\\ The analysis is performed on 2011 data, collected at \(\sqrt{s}=7\) TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1 fb\(^{-1}\), and 2012 data, collected at \(\sqrt{s}=8\) TeV and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2 fb\(^{-1}\).\\ A complete study of systematic uncertainties is beyond the aim of this thesis. However the most important systematic of the previous analysis has been studied. We find that this systematic uncertainty was due to a statistical fluctuation and then we demonstrate that it is no longer necessary to take into account.\\ By combining the 2011 and 2012 results, the final statistical precision is 0.08\%. When this analysis will be completed and published, this will be the most precise single measurement in the search for $\mathcal{CP}$ violation in the charm sector.