Gold Ores Related to Shear Zones, West Santa Comba Fervenza Area (Galicia, NW Spain): A Mineralogical Study

Recent research has discovered high-grade Au ores in NNE-SSW trending shear zones in metamorphic proterozoic and palaeozoic terranes, some 40 km NW of Santiago de Compostela (NW Spain). The orebodies are bound to late-stage Hercynian structures, mainly due to brittle deformation, which are superimposed on earlier ductile shear zones, cutting through various catazonal lithologies, including ortho- and paragneisses, amphibolites, eclogites, and granites. Ore mineralogy, alteration, and ore textures define a frame whose main features are common to all prospects in the area. Main minerals are arsenopyrite and pyrite - accompanied by quartz, adularia, sericite, + (tourmaline, chlorite, carbonates, graphite), as main gangue minerals - with subordinate amounts of boulangerite, bismuthinite, kobellite, jamesonite, chalcopyrite, marcasite, galena, sphalerite, rutile, titanite, scheelite, beryl, fluorite, and minor native gold, electrum, native bismuth, fahlore, pyrrhotite, mackinawite, etc., defining a meso-catathermal paragenesis. Detailed microscopic study allows the author to propose a general descriptive scheme of textural classification for this type of ore. Most of the ores fill open spaces or veins, seal cracks or cement breccias; disseminated ores with replacement features related to alteration (mainly silicification, sericitization, and adularization) are also observed. Intensive and repeated cataclasis is a common feature of many ores, suggesting successive events of brittle deformation, hydrothermal flow, and ore precipitation. Gold may be transported and accumulated in any of these events, but tends to be concentrated in later ones. The origin of the gold ores is explained in terms of hydrotherreal discharge, associated with mainly brittle deformation and possibly related to granitic magmas, in the global tectonic frame of crustal evolution of West Galicia. The mineralogical and textural study suggests some criteria which will be of practical value for exploration and for ore processing. Ore grades can be improved by flotation of arsenopyrite. Non-conventional methods, such as pressure or bacterial leaching, may subsequently obtain a residue enriched in gold.

Evaluation of the influence of visual parameters on wave transmission velocity in sawn chestnut timber

Non-destructive, visual evaluation and mechanical testing techniques were used to assess the structural properties of 374 samples of chestnut (Castanea sativa). The principal components method was applied to establish and interpret correlations between variables obtained of modulus of elasticity, bending strength and density. The static modulus of elasticity presented higher correlation values than those obtained using non-destructive methods. Bending strength presented low correlations with the non-destructive parameters, but there was some relation to the different knot ratios defined. The relationship was stronger with the most widely used ratio, CKDR. No significant correlations were observed between any of the variables and density.

Moving Object Detection for Real-Time High-Quality Lightweight Applications on Smart Cameras

Here, a novel and efficient strategy for moving object detection by non-parametric modeling on smart cameras is presented. Whereas the background is modeled using only color information, the foreground model combines color and spatial information. The application of a particle filter allows the update of the spatial information and provides a priori information about the areas to analyze in the following images, enabling an important reduction in the computational requirements and improving the segmentation results

Thermal diffusion profile by NRA of Deuterium implanted in solid breeder blanket materials

This paper studies the relationship between aging, physical changes and the results of non-destructive testing of plywood. 176 pieces of plywood were tested to analyze their actual and estimated density using non-destructive methods (screw withdrawal force and ultrasound wave velocity) during a laboratory aging test. From the results of statistical analysis it can be concluded that there is a strong relationship between the non-destructive measurements carried out, and the decline in the physical properties of the panels due to aging. The authors propose several models to estimate board density. The best results are obtained with ultrasound. A reliable prediction of the degree of deterioration (aging) of board is presented. Breeder blanket materials have to produce tritium from lithium while fulfilling several strict conditions. In particular, when dealing with materials to be applied in fusion reactors, one of the key questions is the study of light ions retention, which can be produced by transmutation reactions and/or introduced by interaction with the plasma. In ceramic breeders the understanding of the hydrogen isotopes behaviour and specially the diffusion of tritium to the surface is crucial. Moreover the evolution of the microstructure during irradiation with energetic ions, neutrons and electrons is complex because of the interaction of a high number of processes.

Evolution and treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency as a risk factor for (cognitive and functional) neurodegenerative diseases in institutionalized elderly = Evolución y tratamiento de la deficiencia de vitamina B12 como factor de riesgo de enfermedades neurodegenerativas (cognitivas y funcionales) en las personas mayores institucionalizadas.

Prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency is very common in elderly people and can reach values as high as 40.5% of the population. It can be the result of the interaction among several factors. Vitamin B12 deficiencies have been associated with neurological, cognitive deterioration, haematological abnormalities and cardiovascular diseases that have an important influence on the health of the elderly and their quality of life. It is necessary to approach the problems arisen from the lack of data relative to them. The main objective of this thesis was to analyse the evolution of vitamin B12 status and related parameters, lipid and haematological profiles and their relationship to health risk factors, and to functional and cognitive status over one year and to determine the effect of an oral supplementation of 500 μg of cyanocobalamin for a short period of 28 days. An additional objective was to analyze the possible effects of medicine intakes on vitamin B status. Three studies were performed: a) a one year longitudinal follow-up with four measure points; b) an intervention study providing an oral liquid supplement of 500 μg of cyanocobalamin for a 28 days period; and c) analysis of the possible effect of medication intake on vitamin B status using the ATC classification of medicines. The participants for these studies were recruited from nursing homes for the elderly in the Region of Madrid. Sixty elders (mean age 84 _ 7y, 19 men and 41 women) were recruited for Study I and 64 elders (mean age 82 _ 7y, 24 men and 40 women) for Study II. For Study III, baseline data from the initially recruited participants of the first two studies were used. An informed consent was obtained from all participants or their mentors. The studies were approved by the Ethical Committee of the University of Granada. Blood samples were obtained at each examination date and were analyzed for serum cobalamin, holoTC, serum and RBC folate and total homocysteine according to laboratory standard procedures. The haematological parameters analyzed were haematocrit, haemoglobin and MCV. For the lipid profile TG, total cholesterol, LDL- and HDLcholesterol were analyzed. Anthropometric measures (BMI, skinfolds [triceps and subscapular], waist girth and waist to hip ratio), functional tests (hand grip, arm and leg strength tests, static balance) and MMSE were obtained or administered by trained personal. The vitamin B12 supplement of Study II was administered with breakfast and the medication intake was taken from the residents’ anamnesis. Data were analyzed by parametric and non-parametric statistics depending on the obtained data. Comparisons were done using the appropriate ANOVAs or non-parametric tests. Pearsons’ partial correlations with the variable “time” as control were used to define the association of the analyzed parameters. XIII The results showed that: A) Over one year, in relationship to vitamin B status, serum cobalamin decreased, serum folate and mean corpuscular volumen increased significantly and total homocysteine concentrations were stable. Regarding blood lipid profile, triglycerides increased and HDL-cholesterol decreased significantly. Regarding selected anthropometric measurements, waist circumference increased significantly. No significant changes were observed for the rest of parameters. B) Prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia was high in the elderly studied, ranging from 60% to 90 % over the year depending on the cut-off used for the classification. LDL-cholesterol values were high, especially among women, and showed a tendency to increase over the year. Results of the balance test showed a deficiency and a tendency to decrease; this indicates that the population studied is at high risk for falls. Lower extremity muscular function was deficient and showed a tendency to decrease. A highly significant relationship was observed between the skinfold of the triceps and blood lipid profile. C) Low cobalamin concentrations correlated significantly with low MMSE scores in the elderly studied. No correlations were observed between vitamin B12 status and functional parameters. D) Regarding vitamin B12 status, holo-transcobalamin seems to be more sensitive for diagnosis; 5-10% of the elderly had a deficiency using serum cobalamin as a criterion, and 45-52% had a deficiency when using serum holotranscobalamin as a criterion. E) 500 μg of cyanocobalamin administered orally during 28 days significantly improved vitamin B12 status and significantly decreased total homocysteine concentrations in institutionalized elderly. No effect of the intervention was observed on functional and cognitive parameters. F) The relative change (%) of improvement of vitamin B12 status was higher when using serum holo-transcobalamin as a criterion than serum cobalamin. G) Antiaenemic drug intake normalized cobalamin, urologic drugs and corticosteroids serum folate, and psychoanaleptics holo-transcobalamin levels. Drugs treating pulmonary obstruction increased total homocysteine concentration significantly. H) The daily mean drug intake was 5.1. Fiftynine percent of the elderly took medication belonging to 5 or more different ATC groups. The most prevalent were psycholeptic (53%), antiacid (53%) and antithrombotic (47%) drugs.

Análisis y clasificación de maderas mediante técnicas no invasivas de baja energía

El estudio de materiales, especialmente biológicos, por medios no destructivos está adquiriendo una importancia creciente tanto en las aplicaciones científicas como industriales. Las ventajas económicas de los métodos no destructivos son múltiples. Existen numerosos procedimientos físicos capaces de extraer información detallada de las superficie de la madera con escaso o nulo tratamiento previo y mínima intrusión en el material. Entre los diversos métodos destacan las técnicas ópticas y las acústicas por su gran versatilidad, relativa sencillez y bajo coste. Esta tesis pretende establecer desde la aplicación de principios simples de física, de medición directa y superficial, a través del desarrollo de los algoritmos de decisión mas adecuados basados en la estadística, unas soluciones tecnológicas simples y en esencia, de coste mínimo, para su posible aplicación en la determinación de la especie y los defectos superficiales de la madera de cada muestra tratando, en la medida de lo posible, no alterar su geometría de trabajo. Los análisis desarrollados han sido los tres siguientes: El primer método óptico utiliza las propiedades de la luz dispersada por la superficie de la madera cuando es iluminada por un laser difuso. Esta dispersión produce un moteado luminoso (speckle) cuyas propiedades estadísticas permiten extraer propiedades muy precisas de la estructura tanto microscópica como macroscópica de la madera. El análisis de las propiedades espectrales de la luz laser dispersada genera ciertos patrones mas o menos regulares relacionados con la estructura anatómica, composición, procesado y textura superficial de la madera bajo estudio que ponen de manifiesto características del material o de la calidad de los procesos a los que ha sido sometido. El uso de este tipo de láseres implica también la posibilidad de realizar monitorizaciones de procesos industriales en tiempo real y a distancia sin interferir con otros sensores. La segunda técnica óptica que emplearemos hace uso del estudio estadístico y matemático de las propiedades de las imágenes digitales obtenidas de la superficie de la madera a través de un sistema de scanner de alta resolución. Después de aislar los detalles mas relevantes de las imágenes, diversos algoritmos de clasificacion automatica se encargan de generar bases de datos con las diversas especies de maderas a las que pertenecían las imágenes, junto con los márgenes de error de tales clasificaciones. Una parte fundamental de las herramientas de clasificacion se basa en el estudio preciso de las bandas de color de las diversas maderas. Finalmente, numerosas técnicas acústicas, tales como el análisis de pulsos por impacto acústico, permiten complementar y afinar los resultados obtenidos con los métodos ópticos descritos, identificando estructuras superficiales y profundas en la madera así como patologías o deformaciones, aspectos de especial utilidad en usos de la madera en estructuras. La utilidad de estas técnicas esta mas que demostrada en el campo industrial aun cuando su aplicación carece de la suficiente expansión debido a sus altos costes y falta de normalización de los procesos, lo cual hace que cada análisis no sea comparable con su teórico equivalente de mercado. En la actualidad gran parte de los esfuerzos de investigación tienden a dar por supuesto que la diferenciación entre especies es un mecanismo de reconocimiento propio del ser humano y concentran las tecnologías en la definición de parámetros físicos (módulos de elasticidad, conductividad eléctrica o acústica, etc.), utilizando aparatos muy costosos y en muchos casos complejos en su aplicación de campo. Abstract The study of materials, especially the biological ones, by non-destructive techniques is becoming increasingly important in both scientific and industrial applications. The economic advantages of non-destructive methods are multiple and clear due to the related costs and resources necessaries. There are many physical processes capable of extracting detailed information on the wood surface with little or no previous treatment and minimal intrusion into the material. Among the various methods stand out acoustic and optical techniques for their great versatility, relative simplicity and low cost. This thesis aims to establish from the application of simple principles of physics, surface direct measurement and through the development of the more appropriate decision algorithms based on statistics, a simple technological solutions with the minimum cost for possible application in determining the species and the wood surface defects of each sample. Looking for a reasonable accuracy without altering their work-location or properties is the main objetive. There are three different work lines: Empirical characterization of wood surfaces by means of iterative autocorrelation of laser speckle patterns: A simple and inexpensive method for the qualitative characterization of wood surfaces is presented. it is based on the iterative autocorrelation of laser speckle patterns produced by diffuse laser illumination of the wood surfaces. The method exploits the high spatial frequency content of speckle images. A similar approach with raw conventional photographs taken with ordinary light would be very difficult. A few iterations of the algorithm are necessary, typically three or four, in order to visualize the most important periodic features of the surface. The processed patterns help in the study of surface parameters, to design new scattering models and to classify the wood species. Fractal-based image enhancement techniques inspired by differential interference contrast microscopy: Differential interference contrast microscopy is a very powerful optical technique for microscopic imaging. Inspired by the physics of this type of microscope, we have developed a series of image processing algorithms aimed at the magnification, noise reduction, contrast enhancement and tissue analysis of biological samples. These algorithms use fractal convolution schemes which provide fast and accurate results with a performance comparable to the best present image enhancement algorithms. These techniques can be used as post processing tools for advanced microscopy or as a means to improve the performance of less expensive visualization instruments. Several examples of the use of these algorithms to visualize microscopic images of raw pine wood samples with a simple desktop scanner are provided. Wood species identification using stress-wave analysis in the audible range: Stress-wave analysis is a powerful and flexible technique to study mechanical properties of many materials. We present a simple technique to obtain information about the species of wood samples using stress-wave sounds in the audible range generated by collision with a small pendulum. Stress-wave analysis has been used for flaw detection and quality control for decades, but its use for material identification and classification is less cited in the literature. Accurate wood species identification is a time consuming task for highly trained human experts. For this reason, the development of cost effective techniques for automatic wood classification is a desirable goal. Our proposed approach is fully non-invasive and non-destructive, reducing significantly the cost and complexity of the identification and classification process.

Regularization for sparsity in statistical analysis and machine learning

Pragmatism is the leading motivation of regularization. We can understand regularization as a modification of the maximum-likelihood estimator so that a reasonable answer could be given in an unstable or ill-posed situation. To mention some typical examples, this happens when fitting parametric or non-parametric models with more parameters than data or when estimating large covariance matrices. Regularization is usually used, in addition, to improve the bias-variance tradeoff of an estimation. Then, the definition of regularization is quite general, and, although the introduction of a penalty is probably the most popular type, it is just one out of multiple forms of regularization. In this dissertation, we focus on the applications of regularization for obtaining sparse or parsimonious representations, where only a subset of the inputs is used. A particular form of regularization, L1-regularization, plays a key role for reaching sparsity. Most of the contributions presented here revolve around L1-regularization, although other forms of regularization are explored (also pursuing sparsity in some sense). In addition to present a compact review of L1-regularization and its applications in statistical and machine learning, we devise methodology for regression, supervised classification and structure induction of graphical models. Within the regression paradigm, we focus on kernel smoothing learning, proposing techniques for kernel design that are suitable for high dimensional settings and sparse regression functions. We also present an application of regularized regression techniques for modeling the response of biological neurons. Supervised classification advances deal, on the one hand, with the application of regularization for obtaining a na¨ıve Bayes classifier and, on the other hand, with a novel algorithm for brain-computer interface design that uses group regularization in an efficient manner. Finally, we present a heuristic for inducing structures of Gaussian Bayesian networks using L1-regularization as a filter. El pragmatismo es la principal motivación de la regularización. Podemos entender la regularización como una modificación del estimador de máxima verosimilitud, de tal manera que se pueda dar una respuesta cuando la configuración del problema es inestable. A modo de ejemplo, podemos mencionar el ajuste de modelos paramétricos o no paramétricos cuando hay más parámetros que casos en el conjunto de datos, o la estimación de grandes matrices de covarianzas. Se suele recurrir a la regularización, además, para mejorar el compromiso sesgo-varianza en una estimación. Por tanto, la definición de regularización es muy general y, aunque la introducción de una función de penalización es probablemente el método más popular, éste es sólo uno de entre varias posibilidades. En esta tesis se ha trabajado en aplicaciones de regularización para obtener representaciones dispersas, donde sólo se usa un subconjunto de las entradas. En particular, la regularización L1 juega un papel clave en la búsqueda de dicha dispersión. La mayor parte de las contribuciones presentadas en la tesis giran alrededor de la regularización L1, aunque también se exploran otras formas de regularización (que igualmente persiguen un modelo disperso). Además de presentar una revisión de la regularización L1 y sus aplicaciones en estadística y aprendizaje de máquina, se ha desarrollado metodología para regresión, clasificación supervisada y aprendizaje de estructura en modelos gráficos. Dentro de la regresión, se ha trabajado principalmente en métodos de regresión local, proponiendo técnicas de diseño del kernel que sean adecuadas a configuraciones de alta dimensionalidad y funciones de regresión dispersas. También se presenta una aplicación de las técnicas de regresión regularizada para modelar la respuesta de neuronas reales. Los avances en clasificación supervisada tratan, por una parte, con el uso de regularización para obtener un clasificador naive Bayes y, por otra parte, con el desarrollo de un algoritmo que usa regularización por grupos de una manera eficiente y que se ha aplicado al diseño de interfaces cerebromáquina. Finalmente, se presenta una heurística para inducir la estructura de redes Bayesianas Gaussianas usando regularización L1 a modo de filtro.

Quantity and degree assessment in an RDF.based semantic language

This paper introduces a semantic language developed with the objective to be used in a semantic analyzer based on linguistic and world knowledge. Linguistic knowledge is provided by a Combinatorial Dictionary and several sets of rules. Extra-linguistic information is stored in an Ontology. The meaning of the text is represented by means of a series of RDF-type triples of the form predicate (subject, object). Semantic analyzer is one of the options of the multifunctional ETAP-3 linguistic processor. The analyzer can be used for Information Extraction and Question Answering. We describe semantic representation of expressions that provide an assessment of the number of objects involved and/or give a quantitative evaluation of different types of attributes. We focus on the following aspects: 1) parametric and non-parametric attributes; 2) gradable and non-gradable attributes; 3) ontological representation of different classes of attributes; 4) absolute and relative quantitative assessment; 5) punctual and interval quantitative assessment; 6) intervals with precise and fuzzy boundaries

Compatibilidad de Orius laevigatus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) y Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter)(Hemiptera: Miridae), depredadores importantes en cultivos hortícolas protegidos, con nuevas barreras físicas selectivas y modernos plaguicidas

La nueva legislación en materia fitosanitaria se dirige hacia una Gestión Integrada de Plagas (GIP). Estos programas dan preferencia a aquellos métodos más respetuosos y sostenibles con el medio ambiente, siendo piezas claves en ellos el control biológico, el físico y otros de carácter no químico. Sin embargo, el uso de insecticidas selectivos es a veces necesario para el adecuado manejo de plagas en cultivos hortícolas. Por ello, el objetivo general de este estudio es aportar conocimientos para mejorar el control de plagas en cultivos hortícolas, mediante la integración de tres estrategias de lucha: biológica, física y química. Una parte de este trabajo ha consistido en el estudio de los posibles efectos que mallas tratadas con insecticida (bifentrin) pudieran provocar mediante diferentes ensayos de laboratorio, invernadero y campo, en los enemigos naturales Orius laevigatus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) (depredador de trips), Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) (depredador de mosca blanca y Tuta absoluta (Meirick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)), y otros agentes de biocontrol comúnmente usados en cultivos hortícolas protegidos. Este tipo de mallas se han empleado con éxito en entomología médica para controlar mosquitos vectores de la malaria, y actualmente se está trabajando en su desarrollo para uso agrícola como método de exclusión, y método directo de control de plagas. En los ensayos realizados en laboratorio, O. laevigatus y N. tenuis no fueron capaces de detectar la presencia de bifentrin en el ensayo de preferencia. Además, no se produjo mortalidad a corto plazo (72 horas) en ambos chinches depredadores. Por el contrario, se registró una elevada mortalidad cuando se expusieron por contacto a la malla tratada durante 72 horas en cajas de dimensiones reducidas (10 cm de diámetro X 3 cm de altura). En ensayos llevados a cabo bajo condiciones más reales de exposición, en un invernadero experimental con jaulas de 25 X 25 X 60 cm de altura, no se produjo ningún efecto en la mortalidad a corto plazo (72 horas) o en los parámetros reproductivos de O. laevigatus y N. tenuis. Finalmente, en ensayos de campo realizados en túneles semi-comerciales (8 m de largo X 6,5 m de ancho X 2,6 m de altura), ni las condiciones ambientales [temperatura, humedad relativa, radiación ultravioleta (UV) y fotosintéticamente activa (PAR)], ni los enemigos naturales, se vieron afectados por la presencia de la malla tratada con bifentrin en el cultivo. Sin embargo, los resultados no fueron concluyentes, debido al bajo establecimiento de los agentes de biocontrol liberados. Por lo tanto, más estudios son necesarios en invernaderos comerciales para confirmar los resultados preliminares de compatibilidad. Además, en este trabajo se han evaluado los efectos letales (mortalidad) y subletales (parámetros reproductivos) de seis modernos insecticidas sobre los chinches depredadores O. laevigatus y N. tenuis, mediante ensayos de laboratorio y persistencia. Los ensayos se realizaron por contacto residual, aplicando los insecticidas a la dosis máxima de campo sobre placas de cristal (laboratorio) o plantas (persistencia). Los productos fitosanitarios se seleccionaron por representar a un grupo de modernos plaguicidas con modos de acción en principio más selectivos para los enemigos naturales que antiguos plaguicidas como organoclorados, oroganofosforados o carbamatos, y por su uso frecuente en cultivos hortícolas donde O. laevigatus y N. tenuis están presentes. Todos ellos están incluidos o en proceso de inclusión en la lista comunitaria de sustancias activas para uso agrícola, Anexo I de la Directiva 91/414/CEE: abamectina y emamectina (avermectinas neurotóxicas, activadoras del canal del cloro), deltametrina (piretroide neurotóxico, modulador del canal del sodio, control positivo), flubendiamida (neurotóxico, modulador del receptor de rianodina), spinosad (naturalito neurotóxico, agonistas/antagonistas del receptor de nicotínico acetilcolina) y spiromesifen (inhibidor de la acetil CoA carboxilasa). El estudio mostró que O. laevigatus fue más susceptible a los insecticidas que N. tenuis. Además, los resultados revelaron que flubendiamida y spiromesifen fueron compatibles con los dos enemigos naturales estudiados, y por tanto se podrían usar en programas de GIP. Por el contrario, los insecticidas abamectina, deltametrina, emamectina y spinosad no fueron selectivos para ninguno de los chinches depredadores. Sin embargo, los estudios de persistencia demostraron que a pesar de que estos insecticidas no proporcionaron selectividad fisiológica, pueden proporcionar selectividad ecológica en algunos casos. Abamectina, deltametrina, emamectina y spinosad podrían ser compatibles con N. tenuis si el enemigo natural es introducido en el cultivo 4 días después de su aplicación. En el caso de O. laevigatus, abamectina, deltametrina y spinosad se clasificaron como persistentes, por lo tanto es necesario completar el estudio con experimentos de semi-campo y campo que determinen si es posible su uso conjunto en programas de GIP. Por otro lado, emamectina podría ser compatible con O. laevigatus si el enemigo natural es introducido en el cultivo 7 días después de su aplicación. Por último, se ha comprobado la selectividad de tres insecticidas aceleradores de la muda (MACs) (metoxifenocida, tebufenocida y RH-5849) sobre O. laevigatus y N. tenuis. Además de realizar estudios para evaluar la toxicidad en laboratorio de los insecticidas por contacto residual e ingestión (principal modo de acción de los MAC´s), se extrajo RNA de los insectos y con el cDNA obtenido se secuenció y clonó el dominio de unión al ligando (LBD) del receptor de ecdisona correspondiente a O. laevigatus (OlEcR-LBD) y N. tenuis (NtEcR-LBD). Posteriormente, se obtuvo la configuración en tres dimensiones del LBD y se estudió el acoplamiento de las moléculas de los tres insecticidas en la cavidad que forman las 12 α-hélices que constituyen el EcR-LBD. En el caso de N. tenuis se debe mencionar que no fue posible la obtención de la secuencia completa del LBD. Sin embargo, se obtuvo una secuencia parcial (hélice 6-hélice 11), que mostró una alta conservación de aminoácidos con respecto a la obtenida en O. laevigatus. Los ensayos de toxicidad mostraron que metoxifenocida, tebufenocida y RH-5849 no produjeron ningún efecto nocivo en ambos depredadores. Además, los estudios de modelado por homología y acoplamiento molecular llevados a cabo con O. laevigatus, también indicaron que los MACs no produjeron ningún efecto deletéreo en este enemigo natural. Por lo tanto, estos compuestos pueden ser aplicados de manera segura en programas de GIP en los cuales O. laevigatus y N. tenuis estén presentes. ABSTRACT The new pesticide legislation on pest control is aimed at integrated pest management (IPM). These programs are based on the most environmentally sustainable approaches, where biological, physical control and other non-chemical methods are the cornerstone. However, selective pesticides are often required for pest management on horticultural crops. Therefore, the main goal of this study is to provide knowledge to improve pest control on horticultural crops through the integration of three strategies: biological, physical and chemical. Firstly, the effects of insecticide treated nets (bifenthrin) were evaluated in different laboratory, greenhouse and field experiments on the natural enemies Orius laevigatus (Fieber) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) (predator of thrips), Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Miridae) (predator of whiteflies and Tuta absoluta (Meirick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)), and other biocontrol agents commonly used on protected horticultural crops. These types of nets have been successfully used in medical entomology to control mosquito malaria vectors, and work is currently being done on their use as exclusion barriers and as a direct method of pest control in agriculture. In experiments made under laboratory conditions, O. laevigatus and N. tenuis were not able to detect the presence of bifenthrin in a dual-choice test. Furthermore, no shortterm mortality (72 hours) was recorded on both predatory bugs. In contrast, a high mortality rate was found when they were exposed by contact to the bifenthrin-treated net for 72 hours in small cages (10 cm diameter X 3 cm high). In assays carried out under more realistic conditions of exposure, in an experimental greenhouse with cages of 25 X 25 X 60 cm high, short-term mortality (72 hours) and reproductive parameters were not affected. Lastly, in field experiments carried out in semi-commercial tunnels (8 m long X 6.5 m width X 2.6 m high), neither environmental conditions [temperature, relative humidity, ultraviolet (UV) and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)] nor natural enemies were affected by the presence of the bifenthrin-treated net on the crop. However, results were not conclusive, mainly due to a low settlement of the released biocontrol agents, and further studies are needed in commercial greenhouses to confirm our preliminary results of compatibility. Secondly, the lethal (mortality) and sublethal effects (reproductive parameters) of six modern pesticides on the predatory bugs O. laevigatus and N. tenuis has been evaluated through laboratory and persistence experiments. Trials were carried out by residual contact, applying the insecticides to the maximum field recommended concentration on glass plates (laboratory) or plants (persistence). Insecticides were chosen as representatives of modern pesticides with a more selective mode of action on natural enemies than organochlorine, organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides. Moreover, they were also chosen because of their frequent use on horticultural crops where O. laevigatus and N. tenuis are present. All of them have been included or have been requested for inclusion in the community list of active substances on the agricultural market, Annex I of the European Directive 91/414/EEC: abamectin and emamectin (neurotoxic avermectins, chloride channel activators), deltamethrin (neutotoxic pyrethroid, sodium channel modulator, positive commercial standard), flubendiamide (neurotoxic, rianodine receptor modulator), spinosad (neurotoxic naturalyte, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor allosteric activator) and spiromesifen (inhibitors of acetyl CoA carboxylase). The study showed that O. laevigatus was more susceptible to all the studied pesticides than N. tenuis. In addition, the research results indicated no impact of flubendiamide and spiromesifen on the two natural enemies studied under laboratory conditions. Consequently, both pesticides are candidates to be included in IPM programmes where these biocontrol agents are present. On the other hand, abamectin, deltamethrin, emamectin and spinosad were not selective for both predatory bugs in laboratory experiments. However, persistence test demonstrated that in spite of the lack of physiological selectivity, these pesticides can provide ecological selectivity in some cases. Abamectin, deltamethrin, emamectin and spinosad could be compatible with N. tenuis if the mirid bug is released 4 days after the insecticide treatment on the crop. With regard to O. laevigatus, abamectin, deltamethrin and spinosad were classified as persistent in our assays, thus the study should be completed with semi-field and field experiments in order to ascertain their possible joint use in IPM programs. In contrast, emamectin could be compatible with O. laevigatus if the pirate bug is released 7 days after the insecticide treatment on the crop. Finally, the selectivity of three moulting accelerating compounds (MACs) (methoxyfenozide, tebufenozide and RH-5849) has also been evaluated on O. laevigatus and N. tenuis. In addition to laboratory experiments to evaluate the toxicity of the insecticides by residual contact and ingestion, molecular approaches were used as well. RNA of both insects was isolated, cDNA was subsequently synthesized and the complete sequence of the ligand binding domain (LBD) of the ecdysone receptor of O. laevigatus (OlEcR-LBD) and N. tenuis (NtEcR-LBD) were determined. Afterwards, the three dimensional structure of LBD was constructed. Finally, the docking of the insecticide molecules in the cavity delineated by the 12 α-helix that composed the EcRLBD was performed. In the case of N. tenuis, it should be noted that in spite of intensive efforts, we did not manage to complete the sequence for the LBD.However, a partial sequence of the LBD was obtained (helix 6-helix 11), and a strong conservation between the amino acids of N. tenuis and O. laevigatus was observed. Results showed no biological activity of methoxyfenozide, tebufenozide and RH-5849, on both predatory bugs. Moreover, modeling of the OlEcR-LBD and docking experiments also suggested that MACs were devoid of any deleterious effect on O. laevigatus. Therefore, our results indicate that these compounds could be safely applied in IPM programs in which O. laevigatus and N. tenuis are present.

Mejora de la eficacia de Penicillium oxalicum como agente de biocontrol en enfermedades de plantas hortícolas

Actualmente, la reducción de materias activas (UE) y la implantación de la nueva Directiva comunitaria 2009/128/ que establece el marco de actuación para conseguir un uso sostenible de los plaguicidas químicos y la preferencia de uso de métodos biológicos, físicos y otros no químicos, obliga a buscar métodos de control menos perjudiciales para el medio ambiente. El control biológico (CB) de enfermedades vegetales empleando agentes de control biológico (ACB) se percibe como una alternativa más segura y con menor impacto ambiental, bien solos o bien como parte de una estrategia de control integrado. El aislado 212 de Penicillium oxalicum (PO212) (ATCC 201888) fue aislado originalmente de la micoflora del suelo en España y ha demostrado ser un eficaz ACB frente a la marchitez vascular del tomate. Una vez identificado y caracterizado el ACB se inició el periodo de desarrollo del mismo poniendo a punto un método de producción en masa de sus conidias. Tras lo cual se inició el proceso de formulación del ACB deshidratando las conidias para su preservación durante un período de tiempo mayor mediante lecho fluido. Finalmente, se han desarrollado algunos formulados que contienen de forma individual diferentes aditivos que han alargado su viabilidad, estabilidad y facilitado su manejo y aplicación. Sin embargo, es necesario seguir trabajando en la mejora de su eficacia de biocontrol. El primer objetivo de esta Tesis se ha centrado en el estudio de la interacción ACB-patógeno-huésped que permita la actuación de P.oxalicum en diferentes patosistemas. Uno de los primeros puntos que se abordan dentro de este objetivo es el desarrollo de nuevas FORMULACIONES del ACB que incrementen su eficacia frente a la marchitez vascular del tomate. Las conidias formuladas de PO212 se obtuvieron por la adición conjunta de distintos aditivos (mojantes, adherentes o estabilizantes) en dos momentos diferentes del proceso de producción/secado: i) antes del proceso de producción (en la bolsa de fermentación) en el momento de la inoculación de las bolsas de fermentación con conidias de PO212 o ii) antes del secado en el momento de la resuspensión de las conidias tras su centrifugación. De las 22 nuevas formulaciones desarrolladas y evaluadas en plantas de tomate en ensayos en invernadero, seis de ellas (FOR22, FOR25, FOR32, FOR35, FOR36 y FOR37) mejoran significativamente (P=0,05) el control de la marchitez vascular del tomate con respecto al obtenido con las conidias secas de P.oxalicum sin aditivos (CSPO) o con el fungicida Bavistin. Los formulados que mejoran la eficacia de las conidias secas sin aditivos son aquellos que contienen como humectantes alginato sódico en fermentación, seguido de aquellos que contienen glicerol como estabilizante en fermentación, y metil celulosa y leche desnatada como adherentes antes del secado. Además, el control de la marchitez vascular del tomate por parte de los formulados de P. oxalicum está relacionado con la fecha de inicio de la enfermedad. Otra forma de continuar mejorando la eficacia de biocontrol es mejorar la materia activa mediante la SELECCIÓN DE NUEVAS CEPAS de P. oxalicum, las cuales podrían tener diferentes niveles de eficacia. De entre las 28 nuevas cepas de P. oxalicum ensayadas en cámara de cultivo, sólo el aislado PO15 muestra el mismo nivel de eficacia que PO212 (62-67% de control) frente a la marchitez vascular del tomate en casos de alta presión de enfermedad. Mientras que, en casos de baja presión de enfermedad todas las cepas de P. oxalicum y sus mezclas demuestran ser eficaces. Finalmente, se estudia ampliar el rango de actuación de este ACB a OTROS HUÉSPEDES Y OTROS PATÓGENOS Y DIFERENTES GRADOS DE VIRULENCIA. En ensayos de eficacia de P. oxalicum frente a aislados de diferente agresividad de Verticillium spp. y Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici en plantas de tomate en cámaras de cultivo, se demuestra que la eficacia de PO212 está negativamente correlacionada con el nivel de enfermedad causada por F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici pero que no hay ningún efecto diferencial en la reducción de la incidencia ni de la gravedad según la virulencia de los aislados. Sin embargo, en los ensayos realizados con V. dahliae, PO212 causa una mayor reducción de la enfermedad en las plantas inoculadas con aislados de virulencia media. La eficacia de PO212 también era mayor frente a aislados de virulencia media alta de F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis y F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum, en plantas de melón y sandía, respectivamente. En ambos huéspedes se demuestra que la dosis óptima de aplicación del ACB es de 107 conidias de PO212 g-1 de suelo de semillero, aplicada 7 días antes del trasplante. Además, entre 2 y 4 nuevas aplicaciones de PO212 a la raíces de las plantas mediante un riego al terreno de asiento mejoran la eficacia de biocontrol. La eficacia de PO212 no se limita a hongos patógenos vasculares como los citados anteriormente, sino también a otros patógenos como: Phytophthora cactorum, Globodera pallida y G. rostochiensis. PO212 reduce significativamente los síntomas (50%) causados por P. cactorum en plantas de vivero de fresa, tras la aplicación del ACB por inmersión de las raíces antes de su trasplante al suelo de viveros comerciales. Por otra parte, la exposición de los quistes de Globodera pallida y G. rostochiensis (nematodos del quiste de la patata) a las conidias de P. oxalicum, en ensayos in vitro o en microcosmos de suelo, reduce significativamente la capacidad de eclosión de los huevos. Para G. pallida esta reducción es mayor cuando se emplean exudados de raíz de patata del cv. 'Monalisa', que exudados de raíz del cv. 'Desirée'. No hay una reducción significativa en la tasa de eclosión con exudados de raíz de tomate del cv. 'San Pedro'. Para G. rostochiensis la reducción en la tasa de eclosión de los huevos se obtiene con exudados de la raíz de patata del cv. 'Desirée'. El tratamiento con P. oxalicum reduce también significativamente el número de quistes de G. pallida en macetas. Con el fin de optimizar la aplicación práctica de P. oxalicum cepa 212 como tratamiento biológico del suelo, es esencial entender cómo el entorno físico influye en la capacidad de colonización, crecimiento y supervivencia del mismo, así como el posible riesgo que puede suponer su aplicación sobre el resto de los microorganismos del ecosistema. Por ello en este segundo objetivo de esta tesis se estudia la interacción del ACB con el medio ambiente en el cual se aplica. Dentro de este objetivo se evalúa la INFLUENCIA DE LA TEMPERATURA, DISPONIBILIDAD DE AGUA Y PROPIEDADES FÍSICO-QUÍMICAS DE LOS SUELOS (POROSIDAD, TEXTURA, DENSIDAD...) SOBRE LA SUPERVIVENCIA Y EL CRECIMIENTO DE PO212 en condiciones controladas elaborando modelos que permitan predecir el impacto de cada factor ambiental en la supervivencia y crecimiento de P. oxalicum y conocer su capacidad para crecer y sobrevivir en diferentes ambientes. En las muestras de suelo se cuantifica: i) la supervivencia de Penicillium spp. usando el recuento del número de unidades formadoras de colonias en un medio de cultivo semi-selectivo y ii) el crecimiento (biomasa) de PO212 mediante PCR en tiempo real. En los resultados obtenidos se demuestra que P. oxalicum crece y sobrevive mejor en condiciones de sequía independientemente de la temperatura y del tipo de suelo. Si comparamos tipos de suelo P. oxalicum crece y sobrevive en mayor medida en suelos areno-arcillosos con un bajo contenido en materia orgánica, un mayor pH y una menor disponibilidad de fósforo y nitrógeno. La supervivencia y el crecimiento de P. oxalicum se correlaciona de forma negativa con la disponibilidad de agua y de forma positiva con el contenido de materia orgánica. Sólo la supervivencia se correlaciona también positivamente con el pH. Por otro lado se realizan ensayos en suelos de huertos comerciales con diferentes propiedades físico-químicas y diferentes condiciones ambientales para ESTUDIAR EL ESTABLECIMIENTO, SUPERVIVENCIA Y DISPERSIÓN VERTICAL Y MOVILIDAD HORIZONTAL DE PO212. P. oxalicum 212 puede persistir y sobrevivir en esos suelos al menos un año después de su liberación pero a niveles similares a los de otras especies de Penicillium indígenas presentes en los mismos suelos naturales. Además, P. oxalicum 212 muestra una dispersión vertical y movilidad horizontal muy limitada en los diferentes tipos de suelo evaluados. La introducción de P. oxalicum en un ambiente natural no sólo implica su actuación sobre el microorganismo diana, el patógeno, si no también sobre otros microorganismos indígenas. Para EVALUAR EL EFECTO DE LA APLICACIÓN DE P. oxalicum SOBRE LAS POBLACIONES FÚNGICAS INDIGENAS PRESENTES EN EL SUELO de dos huertos comerciales, se analizan mediante electroforesis en gradiente desnaturalizante de poliacrilamida (DGGE) muestras de dichos suelos a dos profundidades (5 y 10 cm) y a cuatro fechas desde la aplicación de P. oxalicum 212 (0, 75, 180 y 365 días). El análisis de la DGGE muestra que las diferencias entre las poblaciones fúngicas se deben significativamente a la fecha de muestreo y son independientes del tratamiento aplicado y de la profundidad a la que se tomen las muestras. Luego, la aplicación del ACB no afecta a la población fúngica de los dos suelos analizados. El análisis de las secuencias de la DGGE confirma los resultados anteriores y permiten identificar la presencia del ACB en los suelos. La presencia de P. oxalicum en el suelo se encuentra especialmente relacionada con factores ambientales como la humedad. Por tanto, podemos concluir que Penicillium oxalicum cepa 212 puede considerarse un óptimo Agente de Control Biológico (ACB), puesto que es ecológicamente competitivo, eficaz para combatir un amplio espectro de enfermedades y no supone un riesgo para el resto de microorganismos fúngicos no diana presentes en el lugar de aplicación. ABSTRACT Currently, reduction of active (EU) and the implementation of the new EU Directive 2009/128 which establishing the framework for action to achieve the sustainable use of chemical pesticides and preference of use of biological, physical and other non-chemical methods, forces to look for control methods less harmful to the environment. Biological control (CB) of plant diseases using biological control agents (BCA) is perceived as a safer alternative and with less environmental impact, either alone or as part of an integrated control strategy. The isolate 212 of Penicillium oxalicum (PO212) (ATCC 201888) was originally isolated from the soil mycoflora in Spain. P. oxalicum is a promising biological control agent for Fusarium wilt and other tomato diseases. Once identified and characterized the BCA, was developed a mass production method of conidia by solid-state fermentation. After determined the process of obtaining a formulated product of the BCA by drying of product by fluid-bed drying, it enables the preservation of the inoculum over a long period of time. Finally, some formulations of dried P. oxalicum conidia have been developed which contain one different additive that have improved their viability, stability and facilitated its handling and application. However, further work is needed to improve biocontrol efficacy. The first objective of this thesis has focused on the study of the interaction BCA- pathogen-host, to allow P.oxalicum to work in different pathosystems. The first point to be addressed in this objective is the development of new FORMULATIONS of BCA which increase their effectiveness against vascular wilt of tomato. PO212 conidial formulations were obtained by the joint addition of various additives (wetting agents, adhesives or stabilizers) at two different points of the production-drying process: i) to substrate in the fermentation bags before the production process, and (ii) to conidial paste obtained after production but before drying. Of the 22 new formulations developed and evaluated in tomato plants in greenhouse tests, six of them (FOR22 , FOR25 , FOR32 , FOR35 , FOR36 and FOR3) improved significantly (P = 0.05) the biocontrol efficacy against tomato wilt with respect to that obtained with dried P.oxalicum conidia without additives (CSPO) or the fungicide Bavistin. The formulations that improve the efficiency of dried conidia without additives are those containing as humectants sodium alginate in the fermentation bags, followed by those containing glycerol as a stabilizer in the fermentation bags, and methylcellulose and skimmed milk as adherents before drying. Moreover, control of vascular wilt of tomatoes by PO212 conidial formulations is related to the date of disease onset. Another way to further improve the effectiveness of biocontrol is to improve the active substance by SELECTION OF NEW STRAINS of P. oxalicum, which may have different levels of effectiveness. Of the 28 new strains of P. oxalicum tested in a culture chamber, only PO15 isolate shows the same effectiveness that PO212 (62-67 % of control) against tomato vascular wilt in cases of high disease pressure. Whereas in cases of low disease pressure all strains of P. oxalicum and its mixtures effective. Finally, we study extend the range of action of this BCA TO OTHER GUESTS AND OTHER PATHOGENS AND DIFFERENT DEGREES OF VIRULENCE. In efficacy trials of P. oxalicum against isolates of different aggressiveness of Verticillium spp. and Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici in tomato plants in growth chambers, shows that the efficiency of PO212 is negatively correlated with the level of disease caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. There is not differential effect in reducing the incidence or severity depending on the virulence of isolates. However, PO212 cause a greater reduction of disease in plants inoculated with virulent isolates media of V. dahlia. PO212 efficacy was also higher against isolates of high and average virulence of F. oxysporum f. sp. melonis and F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum in melon and watermelon plants, respectively. In both hosts the optimum dose of the BCA application is 107 conidia PO212 g-1 soil, applied on seedlings 7 days before transplantation into the field. Moreover, the reapplication of PO212 (2-4 times) to the roots by irrigation into the field improve efficiency of biocontrol. The efficacy of PO212 is not limited to vascular pathogens as those mentioned above, but also other pathogens such as Oomycetes (Phytophthora cactorum) and nematodes (Globodera pallida and G. rostochiensis). PO212 significantly reduces symptoms (50 %) caused by P. cactorum in strawberry nursery plants after application of BCA by dipping the roots before transplanting to soil in commercial nurseries. Moreover, the exposure of G. pallida and G. rostochiensis cysts to the conidia of P. oxalicum, in in vitro assays or in soil microcosms significantly reduces hatchability of eggs. The reduction in the rate of G. pallida juveniles hatching was greatest when root diffusates from the `Monalisa´ potato cultivar were used, followed by root diffusates from the `Désirée´ potato cultivar. However, no significant reduction in the rate of G. pallida juveniles hatching was found when root diffusates from the ‘San Pedro” tomato cultivar were used. For G. rostochiensis reduction in the juveniles hatching is obtained from the root diffusates 'Desirée' potato cultivar. Treatment with P. oxalicum also significantly reduces the number of cysts of G. pallida in pots. In order to optimize the practical application of P. oxalicum strain 212 as a biological soil treatment, it is essential to understand how the physical environment influences the BCA colonization, survival and growth, and the possible risk that can cause its application on other microorganisms in the ecosystem of performance. Therefore, the second objective of this thesis is the interaction of the BCA with the environment in which it is applied. Within this objective is evaluated the INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE, WATER AVAILABILITY AND PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SOILS (POROSITY, TEXTURE, DENSITY...) ON SURVIVAL AND GROWTH OF PO212 under controlled conditions to develop models for predicting the environmental impact of each factor on survival and growth of P. oxalicum and to know their ability to grow and survive in different environments. Two parameters are evaluated in the soil samples: i) the survival of Penicillium spp. by counting the number of colony forming units in semi-selective medium and ii) growth (biomass) of PO212 by real-time PCR. P. oxalicum grows and survives better in drought conditions regardless of temperature and soil type. P. oxalicum grows and survives more in sandy loam soils with low organic matter content, higher pH and lower availability of phosphorus and nitrogen. Survival and growth of P. oxalicum negatively correlates with the availability of water and positively with the organic content. Only survival also correlated positively with pH. Moreover, trials are carried out into commercial orchards soils with different physic-chemical properties and different environmental conditions TO STUDY THE ESTABLISHMENT, SURVIVAL, VERTICAL DISPERSION AND HORIZONTAL SPREAD OF PO212. P. oxalicum 212 can persist and survive at very low levels in soil one year after its release. The size of the PO212 population after its release into the tested natural soils is similar to that of indigenous Penicillium spp. Furthermore, the vertical dispersion and horizontal spread of PO212 is limited in different soil types. The introduction of P. oxalicum in a natural environment not only involves their action on the target organism, the pathogen, but also on other indigenous microorganisms. TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF P. oxalicum APPLICATION ON SOIL INDIGENOUS FUNGAL COMMUNITIES in two commercial orchards, soil samples are analyzed by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis polyacrylamide (DGGE). Samples are taken from soil at two depths (5 and 10 cm) and four dates from the application of P. oxalicum 212 (0, 75, 180 and 365 days). DGGE analysis shows that differences are observed between sampling dates and are independent of the treatment of P. oxalicum applied and the depth. BCA application does not affect the fungal population of the two soil analyzed. Sequence analysis of the DGGE bands confirms previous findings and to identify the presence of BCA on soils. The presence of P. oxalicum in soil is especially related to environmental factors such as humidity. Therefore, we conclude that the 212 of strain Penicillium oxalicum can be considered an optimum BCA, since it is environmentally competitive and effective against a broad spectrum of diseases and does not have any negative effect on soil non-target fungi communities.

Nonparametric generalized belief propagation based on pseudo-junction tree for cooperative localization in wireless networks

Non-parametric belief propagation (NBP) is a well-known message passing method for cooperative localization in wireless networks. However, due to the over-counting problem in the networks with loops, NBP’s convergence is not guaranteed, and its estimates are typically less accurate. One solution for this problem is non-parametric generalized belief propagation based on junction tree. However, this method is intractable in large-scale networks due to the high-complexity of the junction tree formation, and the high-dimensionality of the particles. Therefore, in this article, we propose the non-parametric generalized belief propagation based on pseudo-junction tree (NGBP-PJT). The main difference comparing with the standard method is the formation of pseudo-junction tree, which represents the approximated junction tree based on thin graph. In addition, in order to decrease the number of high-dimensional particles, we use more informative importance density function, and reduce the dimensionality of the messages. As by-product, we also propose NBP based on thin graph (NBP-TG), a cheaper variant of NBP, which runs on the same graph as NGBP-PJT. According to our simulation and experimental results, NGBP-PJT method outperforms NBP and NBP-TG in terms of accuracy, computational, and communication cost in reasonably sized networks.

PUE attack detection in CWSNs using anomaly detection techniques

Cognitive wireless sensor network (CWSN) is a new paradigm, integrating cognitive features in traditional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) to mitigate important problems such as spectrum occupancy. Security in cognitive wireless sensor networks is an important problem since these kinds of networks manage critical applications and data. The specific constraints of WSN make the problem even more critical, and effective solutions have not yet been implemented. Primary user emulation (PUE) attack is the most studied specific attack deriving from new cognitive features. This work discusses a new approach, based on anomaly behavior detection and collaboration, to detect the primary user emulation attack in CWSN scenarios. Two non-parametric algorithms, suitable for low-resource networks like CWSNs, have been used in this work: the cumulative sum and data clustering algorithms. The comparison is based on some characteristics such as detection delay, learning time, scalability, resources, and scenario dependency. The algorithms have been tested using a cognitive simulator that provides important results in this area. Both algorithms have shown to be valid in order to detect PUE attacks, reaching a detection rate of 99% and less than 1% of false positives using collaboration.

Moving object detection strategy for augmented-reality applications in a GPGPU by using CUDA

A spatial-color-based non-parametric background-foreground modeling strategy in a GPGPU by using CUDA is proposed. This strategy is suitable for augmented-reality applications, providing real-time high-quality results in a great variety of scenarios.

Moving object detection for real-time augmented reality applications in a GPGPU

The last generation of consumer electronic devices is endowed with Augmented Reality (AR) tools. These tools require moving object detection strategies, which should be fast and efficient, to carry out higher level object analysis tasks. We propose a lightweight spatio-temporal-based non-parametric background-foreground modeling strategy in a General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU), which provides real-time high-quality results in a great variety of scenarios and is suitable for AR applications.

Caracterización no destructiva del proceso de curado en materiales cementicios

La calidad del hormigón prefabricado se determina mediante ensayos de rotura a compresión en probetas transcurridos los 28 días de curado, según establece la EHE-08. Sin embargo, en la plantas de prefabricados es necesario además saber cuándo el hormigón está listo para ser procesado (destensado, cortado, trasladado), por lo que es necesario hacer ensayos de resistencia a la compresión entre las 48 y 72 horas, este tiempo se determina a partir de la experiencia previa adquirida y depende de las condiciones de cada planta. Si las probetas no han alcanzado el valor establecido, normalmente debido a un cambio en las condiciones climatológicas o en los materiales utilizados como el tipo de cemento o agregados, la solución adoptada suele ser dejar curar el material más horas en la pista para que alcance la resistencia necesaria para ser procesado. Si sigue sin alcanzarla, lo cual sucede muy ocasionalmente, se intenta analizar cuál ha sido el motivo, pudiéndose tirar toda la producción de ese día si se comprueba que ha sido un fallo en la fabricación de la línea, y no un fallo de la probeta. Por tanto, esta metodología de control de calidad, basada en técnicas destructivas, supone dos tipos de problemas, costes y representatividad. Los métodos no destructivos que más se han aplicado para caracterizar el proceso de curado del hormigón son los ultrasónicos y la medida de la temperatura como se recoge en la bibliografía consultada. Hay diferentes modelos que permiten establecer una relación entre la temperatura y el tiempo de curado para estimar la resistencia a compresión del material, y entre la velocidad de propagación ultrasónica y la resistencia. Aunque estas relaciones no son generales, se han obtenido muy buenos resultados, ejemplo de ello es el modelo basado en la temperatura, Maturity Method, que forma parte de la norma de la ASTM C 1074 y en el mercado hay disponibles equipos comerciales (maturity meters) para medir el curado del hormigón. Además, es posible diseñar sistemas de medida de estos dos parámetros económicos y robustos; por lo cual es viable la realización de una metodología para el control de calidad del curado que pueda ser implantado en las plantas de producción de prefabricado. En este trabajo se ha desarrollado una metodología que permite estimar la resistencia a la compresión del hormigón durante el curado, la cual consta de un procedimiento para el control de calidad del prefabricado y un sistema inalámbrico de sensores para la medida de la temperatura y la velocidad ultrasónica. El procedimiento para el control de calidad permite realizar una predicción de la resistencia a compresión a partir de un modelo basado en la temperatura de curado y otros dos basados en la velocidad, método de tiempo equivalente y método lineal. El sistema inalámbrico de sensores desarrollado, WilTempUS, integra en el mismo dispositivo sensores de temperatura, humedad relativa y ultrasonidos. La validación experimental se ha realizado mediante monitorizaciones en probetas y en las líneas de prefabricados. Los resultados obtenidos con los modelos de estimación y el sistema de medida desarrollado muestran que es posible predecir la resistencia en prefabricados de hormigón en planta con errores comparables a los aceptables por norma en los ensayos de resistencia a compresión en probetas. ABSTRACT Precast concrete quality is determined by compression tests breakage on specimens after 28 days of curing, as established EHE-08. However, in the precast plants is also necessary to know when the concrete is ready to be processed (slack, cut, moved), so it is necessary to test the compressive strength between 48 and 72 hours. This time is determined from prior experience and depends on the conditions of each plant. If the samples have not reached the set value, usually due to changes in the weather conditions or in the materials used as for example the type of cement or aggregates, the solution usually adopted is to cure the material on track during more time to reach the required strength for processing. If the material still does not reach this strength, which happens very occasionally, the reason of this behavior is analyzed , being able to throw the entire production of that day if there was a failure in the manufacturing line, not a failure of the specimen. Therefore, this method of quality control, using destructive techniques, involves two kinds of problems, costs and representativeness. The most used non-destructive methods to characterize the curing process of concrete are those based on ultrasonic and temperature measurement as stated in the literature. There are different models to establish a relationship between temperature and the curing time to estimate the compressive strength of the material, and between the ultrasonic propagation velocity and the compressive strength. Although these relationships are not general, they have been very successful, for example the Maturity Method is based on the temperature measurements. This method is part of the standards established in ASTM C 1074 and there are commercial equipments available (maturity meters) in the market to measure the concrete curing. Furthermore, it is possible to design inexpensive and robust systems to measure ultrasounds and temperature. Therefore is feasible to determine a method for quality control of curing to be implanted in the precast production plants. In this work, it has been developed a methodology which allows to estimate the compressive strength of concrete during its curing process. This methodology consists of a procedure for quality control of the precast concrete and a wireless sensor network to measure the temperature and ultrasonic velocity. The procedure for quality control allows to predict the compressive strength using a model based on the curing temperature and two other models based on ultrasonic velocity, the equivalent time method and the lineal one. The wireless sensor network, WilTempUS, integrates is the same device temperature, relative humidity and ultrasonic sensors. The experimental validation has been carried out in cubic specimens and in the production plants. The results obtained with the estimation models and the measurement system developed in this thesis show that it is possible to predict the strength in precast concrete plants with errors within the limits of the standards for testing compressive strength specimens.