Balancing effluent quality, economic cost and greenhouse gas emissions during the evaluation of (plant-wide) control/operational strategies in WWTPs

The objective of this paper was to show the potential additional insight that result from adding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to plant performance evaluation criteria, such as effluent quality (EQI) and operational cost (OCI) indices, when evaluating (plant-wide) control/operational strategies in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The proposed GHG evaluation is based on a set of comprehensive dynamic models that estimate the most significant potential on-site and off-site sources of CO2, CH4 and N2O. The study calculates and discusses the changes in EQI, OCI and the emission of GHGs as a consequence of varying the following four process variables: (i) the set point of aeration control in the activated sludge section; (ii) the removal efficiency of total suspended solids (TSS) in the primary clarifier; (iii) the temperature in the anaerobic digester; and (iv) the control of the flow of anaerobic digester supernatants coming from sludge treatment. Based upon the assumptions built into the model structures, simulation results highlight the potential undesirable effects of increased GHG production when carrying out local energy optimization of the aeration system in the activated sludge section and energy recovery from the AD. Although off-site CO2 emissions may decrease, the effect is counterbalanced by increased N2O emissions, especially since N2O has a 300-fold stronger greenhouse effect than CO2. The reported results emphasize the importance and usefulness of using multiple evaluation criteria to compare and evaluate (plant-wide) control strategies in a WWTP for more informed operational decision making

Mejora diagnóstica de hepatopatías de afectación difusa mediante técnicas de inteligencia artificial

The automatic diagnostic discrimination is an application of artificial intelligence techniques that can solve clinical cases based on imaging. Diffuse liver diseases are diseases of wide prominence in the population and insidious course, yet early in its progression. Early and effective diagnosis is necessary because many of these diseases progress to cirrhosis and liver cancer. The usual technique of choice for accurate diagnosis is liver biopsy, an invasive and not without incompatibilities one. It is proposed in this project an alternative non-invasive and free of contraindications method based on liver ultrasonography. The images are digitized and then analyzed using statistical techniques and analysis of texture. The results are validated from the pathology report. Finally, we apply artificial intelligence techniques as Fuzzy k-Means or Support Vector Machines and compare its significance to the analysis Statistics and the report of the clinician. The results show that this technique is significantly valid and a promising alternative as a noninvasive diagnostic chronic liver disease from diffuse involvement. Artificial Intelligence classifying techniques significantly improve the diagnosing discrimination compared to other statistics.

Assembling genes from predicted exons in linear time with dynamic programming

In a number of programs for gene structure prediction in higher eukaryotic genomic sequences, exon prediction is decoupled from gene assembly: a large pool of candidate exons is predicted and scored from features located in the query DNA sequence, and candidate genes are assembled from such a pool as sequences of nonoverlapping frame-compatible exons. Genes are scored as a function of the scores of the assembled exons, and the highest scoring candidate gene is assumed to be the most likely gene encoded by the query DNA sequence. Considering additive gene scoring functions, currently available algorithms to determine such a highest scoring candidate gene run in time proportional to the square of the number of predicted exons. Here, we present an algorithm whose running time grows only linearly with the size of the set of predicted exons. Polynomial algorithms rely on the fact that, while scanning the set of predicted exons, the highest scoring gene ending in a given exon can be obtained by appending the exon to the highest scoring among the highest scoring genes ending at each compatible preceding exon. The algorithm here relies on the simple fact that such highest scoring gene can be stored and updated. This requires scanning the set of predicted exons simultaneously by increasing acceptor and donor position. On the other hand, the algorithm described here does not assume an underlying gene structure model. Indeed, the definition of valid gene structures is externally defined in the so-called Gene Model. The Gene Model specifies simply which gene features are allowed immediately upstream which other gene features in valid gene structures. This allows for great flexibility in formulating the gene identification problem. In particular it allows for multiple-gene two-strand predictions and for considering gene features other than coding exons (such as promoter elements) in valid gene structures.

Propuesta de programa de prevención de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria y la obesidad dirigido a profesores de educación física de secundaria

En la actual concepción bio-psico-social, los Trastornos del Comportamiento Alimentario (TCA) y la obesidad están plurideterminados por factores biológicos, psicológicos y socioculturales que actúan como elementos perpetuantes en el tiempo. Se pueden modificar actitudes contraproducentes con un programa de prevención multidisciplinar y disminuir de modo significativo la población con riesgo de obesidad y de padecer un TCA. Para ello, es necesario desarrollar dichos programas de prevención, previos a la atención primaria, y la estrategia para lograrlo es la intervención ante factores de riesgo, integrada en un conjunto de actividades de educación para la salud más global. Esta propuesta educativa pretende brindar a los profesores de Educación Física una revisión bibliográfica sobre la dimensión que desde la cultura occidental se tiene de los Trastornos del Comportamiento Alimentario (TCA) y la obesidad, al tiempo que promueve la reflexión sobre las posibilidades de intervención que ofrece la Educación Física desde el ámbito educativo en cuanto a la prevención de la obesidad, de los TCA, y de las conductas de riesgo. La presente propuesta de proyecto de prevención quiere destacar la función que cumplen docentes, tutores y tutoras, como acompañantes de los estudiantes, su posición privilegiada para conocerlos de cerca y estar así atentos a sus vivencias y la posibilidad de identificar oportunamente conductas no saludables en estudiantes que necesiten ciertas pautas para mejorar su estilo de vida, modificar sus habitos, o ser derivados para una atención especializada. Por ese motivo, en esta propuesta educativa se invita a los docentes y tutores a revisar sus convicciones personales y cuestionar la manera de pensar sobre la belleza física y el cuidado corporal. Esta reflexión junto a las pautas metodológicas permitirá abordar el tema de los TCA y la obesidad con tacto, respeto y la atención necesaria frente a los sentimientos de los y las estudiantes que se encuentran en un periodo de cambios importantes y con interrogantes en torno a su identidad e imagen corporal

FAM-MDR: a flexible family-based multifactor dimensionality reduction technique to detect epistasis using related individuals

We propose a novel multifactor dimensionality reduction method for epistasis detection in small or extended pedigrees, FAM-MDR. It combines features of the Genome-wide Rapid Association using Mixed Model And Regression approach (GRAMMAR) with Model-Based MDR (MB-MDR). We focus on continuous traits, although the method is general and can be used for outcomes of any type, including binary and censored traits. When comparing FAM-MDR with Pedigree-based Generalized MDR (PGMDR), which is a generalization of Multifactor Dimensionality Reduction (MDR) to continuous traits and related individuals, FAM-MDR was found to outperform PGMDR in terms of power, in most of the considered simulated scenarios. Additional simulations revealed that PGMDR does not appropriately deal with multiple testing and consequently gives rise to overly optimistic results. FAM-MDR adequately deals with multiple testing in epistasis screens and is in contrast rather conservative, by construction. Furthermore, simulations show that correcting for lower order (main) effects is of utmost importance when claiming epistasis. As Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a complex phenotype likely influenced by gene-gene interactions, we applied FAM-MDR to examine data on glucose area-under-the-curve (GAUC), an endophenotype of T2DM for which multiple independent genetic associations have been observed, in the Amish Family Diabetes Study (AFDS). This application reveals that FAM-MDR makes more efficient use of the available data than PGMDR and can deal with multi-generational pedigrees more easily. In conclusion, we have validated FAM-MDR and compared it to PGMDR, the current state-of-the-art MDR method for family data, using both simulations and a practical dataset. FAM-MDR is found to outperform PGMDR in that it handles the multiple testing issue more correctly, has increased power, and efficiently uses all available information.

Interaction of Spiral Waves in the Complex Ginzburg-Landau Equation

Solutions of the general cubic complex Ginzburg-Landau equation comprising multiple spiral waves are considered, and laws of motion for the centers are derived. The direction of the motion changes from along the line of centers to perpendicular to the line of centers as the separation increases, with the strength of the interaction algebraic at small separations and exponentially small at large separations. The corresponding asymptotic wave number and frequency are also determined, which evolve slowly as the spirals move

A Secure Cooperative Sensing Protocol for Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive radio networks sense spectrum occupancyand manage themselves to operate in unused bands without disturbing licensed users. Spectrum sensing is more accurate if jointly performed by several reliable nodes. Even though cooperative sensing is an active area of research, the secureauthentication of local sensing reports remains unsolved, thus empowering false results. This paper presents a distributed protocol based on digital signatures and hash functions, and ananalysis of its security features. The system allows determining a final sensing decision from multiple sources in a quick and secure way.

Pilomatrixoma. Review of 205 cases

Aims: To determine the incidence and clinical features of patients diagnosed with pilomatrixoma. Patients and Method: A retrospective analysis was made of 205 cases of pilomatrixoma diagnosed according to clinical and histological criteria, with an evaluation of the incidence, patient age at presentation, gender, lesion location and size, single or multiple presentation, differential diagnosis, histopathological and clinical findings and relapses. Results: Pilomatrixoma was seen to account for 1.04% of all benign skin lesions. It tended to present in pediatric patients- almost 50% corresponding to individuals under 20 years of age- with a slight male predilection (107/98). Approximately 75% of all cases presented as single lesions measuring less than 15 mm in diameter. Multiple presentations were seen in 2.43% of cases. The most frequent locations were the head and orofacial zones (particularly the parotid region), with over 50% of all cases, followed by the upper (23.9%) and lower limbs (12.7%). Only one relapse was documented following simple lesion excision. Conclusions: The frequency of pilomatrixomas was 1.04% of all benign skin lesions- the lesions being predominantly located in the maxillofacial area. Due to the benign features of this disorder, simple removal of the lesion is considered to be the treatment of choice, and is associated with a very low relapse rate.

Concepcions i pràctiques dels professors sobre l’aprenentatge cooperatiu i la inclusió

L’objectiu principal d’aquest projecte és analitzar les diferències i semblances que hi ha entre les concepcions dels professors que treballen fent servir l’aprenentatge cooperatiu a l’aula, les d’aquells que no ho fan i les dels seus alumnes, respecte l’educació inclusiva i l’aprenentatge cooperatiu. També s’analitzarà si el temps que porta un professor treballant cooperativament a l’aula influeix en aquestes concepcions. Per tal de fer això es realitza un estudi de cas múltiple, a través set d’entrevistes a professors i tres focus groups amb alumnes. Aquets subjectes provenen de de tres escoles d’educació primària de Mataró les quals s’han seleccionat en funció del grau d’experiència que tenen aquestes amb l’aprenentatge cooperatiu. Els resultats d’aquests estudi ens mostren algunes línies de treball per analitzar les diferències en les concepcions del professorat i els alumnes en funció del grau en que aquests fan servir l’aprenentatge cooperatiu.

Gram-negative flagella glycosylation

Protein glycosylation had been considered as an eccentricity of a few bacteria. However, through advances in analytical methods and genome sequencing, it is now established that bacteria possess both N-linked and O-linked glycosylation pathways. Both glycosylation pathways can modify multiple proteins, flagellins from Archaea and Eubacteria being one of these. Flagella O-glycosylation has been demonstrated in many polar flagellins from Gram-negative bacteria and in only the Gram-positive genera Clostridium and Listeria. Furthermore, O-glycosylation has also been demonstrated in a limited number of lateral flagellins. In this work, we revised the current advances in flagellar glycosylation from Gram-negative bacteria, focusing on the structural diversity of glycans, the O-linked pathway and the biological function of flagella glycosylation.