Cybernetics, Fuzziness and Scientific Revolutions

Settimo Termini ​pioneered along with Aldo de Luca the concept of fuzziness measures in the sixties. Today he is a Full Professor of Theoretical Computer Science at the University of Palermo and an affiliated researcher at the European Center for Soft Computing, Mieres (Asturias), Spain. He has directed from 2002 to 2009 the Istituto di Cibernetica "Eduardo Caianiello" of CNR (National Research Council) in Italy. Among his scientific interests, the introduction and formal development of the theory of (entropy) measures of fuzziness; an analysis in innovative terms of the notion of vague predicate as it appears and is used in Information Sciences, Cybernetics and AI. Recently he has been interested also in the connections between scientific research and economic development and the conceptual foundations of Fuzzy Sets and Soft Computing. He is Fellow of the International Fuzzy Systems Association and of the Accademia Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti of Palermo. In 2015 he will be 70, and we want to celebrate his birthday with the Soft Computing community with this interview where he discusses history of Cybernetics. The interview was conducted in Italian and translated by the authors

Preliminary test to characterize the soundscape of the Plaza Mayor in Madrid

This paper is a first step of a research about the analysis of the richness of the existing sounds in the Plaza Mayor, due to the old and traditional shops and bars under its porticoes together with the huge daily affluence of people. In this paper we study the sound preferences of the salesmen and bar tenders at those traditional shops. These sound preferences include particular sounds, time of occurrence and date of specific annoying and pleasant sounds perceived at the square and the shops surrounding it. To carry out this study, several noise level measurements and socio-acoustic surveys were held. We will also try to correlate sound preferences and annoyance with noise levels of specific events existing at this particular square

Chromatographic Properties of Different Methyl—Phenyl (1:1) Substituted Silicone Stationary Phases for Open-Tubular Gas Chromatography

The influence of different configurations of silicones having 50% methyl and 50% phenyl substitution on chromatographic properties, such as polarity and thermal stability, has been systematically investigated. Polysiloxanes composed of dimethyl and diphenyl units show very low levels of column bleed at temperatures up to 370°C, while polymers having methyl—phenyl substitution show severe bleeding at this temperature. The polarity of the latter polymers, as reflected by Kováts indices, is higher than for the polymers composed by dimethyl—diphenyl unit

Field-based tests for the assessment of physical fitness in children and adolescents practicing sport: A systematic review within the ESA program

High levels of physical fitness (PF) can positively affect both health and cognitive function, thus monitoring its levels in youth can help increase health and quality of life in adult populations later on. This systematic review aims to identify PF field-based tests used in young European populations practicing sport to find tools that are adequate for the considered target involving a new battery within the Enriched Sport Activities (ESA) project. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement was followed. In the 83 identified articles, the main tests used were: vertical/horizontal jumps (for muscular strength/power); push-ups, running at maximum effort, sit-ups (for muscular strength/endurance); multistage non-intermittent and intermittent tests (for aerobic endurance); sit and reach (for flexibility); sprinting and agility T-tests (for speed and agility, respectively); 10 x 5 m shuttle run (SR) (for both speed and agility). Few studies assessed coordination, reaction time, power, and balance. Although the selected tests are widely used and validated, they do not determine all PF aspects and do not reflect sport-specific features. A final decision was made for the inclusion of the following tests: standing broad jump, seated medicine ball throw, 20 m SR test, 30 m sprint, Illinois test, and a new test, i.e., the crunning test, to assess different skill-related components at once. The use of this combination of tests allows for the assessment of all PF components and can help planning eective training programs and cultivate sporting talent

Light interception principally drives the understory response to boxelder invasion in riparian forests

Since several decades, American boxelder (Acer negundo) is replacing white willow (Salix alba) riparian forests along southern European rivers. This study aims to evaluate the consequences of boxelder invasion on understory community in riparian areas. We determined the understory species richness, composition and biomass in boxelder and white willow stands located in three riparian forests, representative of three rivers with distinct hydrological regimes. We investigated correlation of these variables to soil moisture and particle size, main soil nutrient stocks, potential nitrification and denitrification, tree canopy cover and photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) at the ground level. A greenhouse experiment was then conducted to identify the causal factors responsible for changes in the understory. The effect of soil type, PAR level and water level on the growth and the biomass production of Urtica dioica were examined. A lower plant species richness and biomass, and a modification of community composition were observed for boxelder understory in all sites, regardless of their environmental characteristics. The strongest modification that follows boxelder invasion was the decline in U. dioica, the dominant species of the white willow forest understory. These differences were mainly correlated with a lower incident PAR under boxelder canopy. The greenhouse experiment identified PAR level as the main factor responsible for the changes in U. dioica stem number and biomass. Our results indicate that adult boxelder acts as an ecosystem engineer that decreases light availability. The opportunistic invasion by boxelder leads to important understory changes, which could alter riparian ecosystem functioning

Present and Future of the Chinese Labour Market

ISSN: 2039-1439 a stampa ISSN: 2039-1447 on lin

How is the adequacy of micronutrient intake assessed across Europe? A systematic literature review

EURopean micronutrient RECommendations Aligned is a network of excellence funded by the European commission, and established to address the problem of differences between countries in micronutrient recommendations as well as to understand how nutritional information including requirements and adequacy of intake is processed among different population groups. The aims of the present paper were to review the methods used for the adequacy assessment of the intake of six micronutrients of public health concern (vitamin A, folate, vitamin B12, Fe, Zn and iodine) in non-European and European nutrition surveys carried out on the apparently healthy population and to compare in particular the adequacy across surveys for folate intake. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify nutrition surveys that assessed micronutrient intake adequacy. The search yielded 9049 records, out of which 337 were eligible for the selected micronutrients. The majority (83·9%) of the European surveys compared the adequacy of the nutrient intake against the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA); only a few surveys (8·0%) used the estimated average requirement cut-point method, while none of them used the probability approach. The comparison of folate inadequacy across eight countries revealed that about 25% of the adult female population had inadequate intakes when judged against the different recommendations used by the respective investigators, but nearly 75% had inadequate intakes when compared against the estimated average requirement cut-point value of 320μg/d. The present review showed that different methods were applied across Europe to estimate the adequacy of micronutrient intake, which led to different prevalence estimates of micronutrient inadequac