Virtual acoustics of the Cathedral of Malaga (Spain)

The Catholic Cathedral of Malaga (southern Spain), located in the historical centre, is the most emblematic building of the city. Its construction began in 1528 and was completed in 1782, suffering several interruptions and modifications at the hands of various architects, and hence various architectural styles are superimposed: the interior is Renaissance and the façade is predominantly Baroque. Rectangular in shape, it has three naves of the same height, with the central nave being the widest. In this work, a 3D model of this ecclesiastical space is created in order to carry out an acoustic simulation of its sound field by using the simulation algorithms of CATT Acoustic software implemented in the new TUCT calculation motor (The Universal Cone Tracer). The virtual model created is calibrated through an iterative process of adjustment of reverberation times simulated in such a way that they differ by no more than 5% from those measured. These measured values were obtained from the impulse responses monitored in situ. Likewise, a comparison of the experimental and simulated results of other acoustic parameters in terms of their just noticeable differences (JND) was also carried out, which supports the reliability of the computational acoustic model implemented. This work is the starting point of a multidisciplinary project which aims to incorporate the acoustic aspects within the heritage value of Andalusian cathedral

On Spike-Timing-Dependent-Plasticity, Memristive Devices, and Building a Self-Learning Visual Cortex

In this paper we present a very exciting overlap between emergent nanotechnology and neuroscience, which has been discovered by neuromorphic engineers. Specifically, we are linking one type of memristor nanotechnology devices to the biological synaptic update rule known as spike-time-dependent-plasticity (STDP) found in real biological synapses. Understanding this link allows neuromorphic engineers to develop circuit architectures that use this type of memristors to artificially emulate parts of the visual cortex. We focus on the type of memristors referred to as voltage or flux driven memristors and focus our discussions on a behavioral macro-model for such devices. The implementations result in fully asynchronous architectures with neurons sending their action potentials not only forward but also backward. One critical aspect is to use neurons that generate spikes of specific shapes. We will see how by changing the shapes of the neuron action potential spikes we can tune and manipulate the STDP learning rules for both excitatory and inhibitory synapses. We will see how neurons and memristors can be interconnected to achieve large scale spiking learning systems, that follow a type of multiplicative STDP learning rule. We will briefly extend the architectures to use three-terminal transistors with similar memristive behavior. We will illustrate how a V1 visual cortex layer can assembled and how it is capable of learning to extract orientations from visual data coming from a real artificial CMOS spiking retina observing real life scenes. Finally, we will discuss limitations of currently available memristors. The results presented are based on behavioral simulations and do not take into account non-idealities of devices and interconnects. The aim of this paper is to present, in a tutorial manner, an initial framework for the possible development of fully asynchronous STDP learning neuromorphic architectures exploiting two or three-terminal memristive type devices. All files used for the simulations are made available through the journal web site1

An OPR3-independent pathway uses 4,5-didehydrojasmonate for jasmonate synthesis.

Biosynthesis of the phytohormone jasmonoyl-isoleucine (JA-Ile) requires reduction of the JA precursor 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) by OPDA reductase 3 (OPR3). Previous analyses of the opr3-1 Arabidopsis mutant suggested an OPDA signaling role independent of JA-Ile and its receptor COI1; however, this hypothesis has been challenged because opr3-1 is a conditional allele not completely impaired in JA-Ile biosynthesis. To clarify the role of OPR3 and OPDA in JA-independent defenses, we isolated and characterized a loss-of-function opr3-3 allele. Strikingly, opr3-3 plants remained resistant to necrotrophic pathogens and insect feeding, and activated COI1-dependent JA-mediated gene expression. Analysis of OPDA derivatives identified 4,5-didehydro-JA in wounded wild-type and opr3-3 plants. OPR2 was found to reduce 4,5-didehydro-JA to JA, explaining the accumulation of JA-Ile and activation of JA-Ile-responses in opr3-3 mutants. Our results demonstrate that in the absence of OPR3, OPDA enters the β-oxidation pathway to produce 4,5-ddh-JA as a direct precursor of JA and JA-Ile, thus identifying an OPR3-independent pathway for JA biosynthesis

Comfort constraints evaluation in predictive controller for energy efficiency

[EN] This work reflects the results obtained, through simulation, from the study of the comfort constraints of a Model Predictive Controller (MPC), for the energy management of the centralized air conditioning system of a hotel installation. In order to achieve economic efficiency, the proposed controller is based on a prediction model of the behaviour of the energy consumption of the rooms from the hotel historical records. To satisfy the thermal comfort required by the occupants, a more complete comfort zone model is considered than the one used by (Acosta et al., 2016), in one of the constraints of the optimization problem. This allowed greater energy savings, this being the main contribution of this research. The simulations of the presented scenarios were performed with MATLAB®.[ES] En este trabajo se reflejan los resultados obtenidos, vía simulación, del estudio de las restricciones de confort de un controlador predictivo basado en modelo (MPC) no lineal, para la gestión energética del sistema centralizado de climatización de una instalación hotelera. Con el objetivo de lograr eficiencia económica, el controlador empleado utiliza un modelo de predicción del comportamiento del consumo energético de las habitaciones a partir de los registros históricos del hotel. Para satisfacer el confort térmico requerido por los ocupantes, se considera un modelo de zona de confort más completo, que el modelo utilizado por (Acosta et al., 2016), en una de las restricciones del problema de optimización. Esto permitió un mayor ahorro energético, siendo esta la principal contribución de esta investigación. Las simulaciones de los escenarios presentados fueron realizadas con MATLAB®.Este trabajo ha sido realizado gracias al apoyo del personal de la instalación hotelera que facilitó tanto las mediciones en las habitaciones como los registros históricos de consumo energético. El cuarto autor agradece el apoyo del Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades/FEDER a través del proyecto PGC2018-099312-B-C31; asimismo el apoyo de la Junta de Castilla y León y EU-FEDER (CLU 2017-09).Marchante, G.; Acosta, A.; González, A.; Zamarreño, J.; Álvarez, V. (2021). Evaluación de restricciones de confort en controlador predictivo para la eficiencia energética. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 18(2):150-163. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2020.13937OJS150163182Acosta C. A., González A. I., Zamarreño J.M. and Castelló V., 2008. "A model for energy predictions of a hotel room" 20th European Modeling & Simulation Symposium, (Simulation in Industry). EMSS 2008. Briatico, Italy.Acosta C. A., González A. I., Zamarreño J.M. and Castelló V., 2011. "Modelo para la predicción energética de una instalación hotelera". Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática 8, 309-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riai.2011.09.001Acosta C. A., 2015. "Control Predictivo No Lineal aplicado a la Gestión Energética del Sistema de Climatización Centralizada de las habitaciones de un Inmueble Hotelero", Tesis Doctoral. Instituto Superior Politécnico José Antonio Echeverría, Cuba.Acosta C. A., González A. I., Zamarreño J.M. and Castelló V., 2015. "Controlador Predictivo No Lineal para la Gestión Energética del Sistema Centralizado de Aire Acondicionado de un Inmueble Hotelero". Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática 12, 376-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.riai.2015.07.003Acosta C. A., González A. I., Zamarreño J.M. and Castelló V., 2016. "Energy savings and guaranteed thermal comfort in hotel rooms through nonlinear model predictive controllers". Energy and Buildings 129, 59-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.07.061ASHRAE, 2017. ASHRAE Handbook. Chapter 9, "Thermal Comfort". ASHRAE Handbook Editor.Atthajariyakul S., Leephakpreeda T., 2005. "Neural computing thermal comfort index for HVAC systems". Energy Conversion and Management 46 (15-16), 2553-2565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2004.12.007Auliciems A., Szokolay S. V., 2007. "Thermal Comfort". 2nd ed, Passive and Low Energy Architecture International in association (PLEA), Queensland, 66p.Bogdan M., Walther E., 2017. "Comfort modelling in semi-outdoor spaces". REHVA 54 (1), 23-25. Sitio web: www.rehva.eu.Caballero J. A. y Grossmann I. E., 2007. "Una revisión del estado del arte en optimización". Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática. http://www.revista-riai.org. España, vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 5-23. ISSN: 1697-7912. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1697-7912(07)70188-7Camacho, E.F., Bordons C., 2004. Model Predictive Control, Second edition. Springer-Verlag.Castilla M., Álvarez J.D., Berenguel M., Pérez M., Rodríguez F. and Guzmán J.L., 2010. "Técnicas de control de confort en edificios". Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática 7, 5-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1697-7912(10)70038-8Castilla M., Álvarez J.D., Normey-Rico J.E. and Rodríguez F., 2012. "A nonlinear model based predictive control strategy to maintain thermal comfort inside a bioclimatic building". 20th Mediterranean Conference on Control & Automation (MED). Barcelona. Spain, July 3-6. https://doi.org/10.1109/MED.2012.6265714Chávez F.J. ,2002. "Zona Variable de Confort Térmico", Tesis Doctoral, Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña, Barcelona. Sitio web: https://www.tesisenred.net.Da Silva C. F., Freire R. Z. and Mendes N., 2018. "Optimization Applied to Energy Efficiency and Thermal Comfort of Buildings: Bibliometric Analysis on Techniques and Applications". Thermal Engineering 17 (2), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.5380/reterm.v17i2.64126Deb CH., Alur R., 2010. "The significance of Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) in outdoor thermal comfort studies". International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology 2(7), 2825-2828.Díaz J., Vuelvas J., Ruiz F., Patiño D., 2019. "A Set-Membership approach to short-term electric load forecasting". Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática Industrial, 16(4):467-479. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2019.9819Florez F., Fernández P., Higón J.L., Olivar G. and Taborda J., 2019. "Modeling, Simulation, and Temperature Control of a Thermal Zone with Sliding Modes Strategy". Mathematics 7 (503), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/math7060503Hao H. and Lei C., 2013. "Multi-zone temperature prediction in a commercial building using artificial neural network model". 10th IEEE International Conference on Control and Automation (ICCA) Hangzhou, China, June 12-14.ISO 7730, 2005. "Ergonomics of the thermal environment- Analytical determination and interpretation of thermal comfort using calculation of the PMV and PPD indices and local thermal comfort criteria". INTERNATIONAL STANDARD. Sitio web: www.iso.org.Joodaki H., Tahmasbizadeh H., 2018. "The Impact of Climate on Ecological Design of Semnan City in Iran". Open Journal of Ecology 8, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.4236/oje.2018.81001Keblawi, A., Ghaddar N., Ghali K., 2011. "Model-based optimal supervisory control of chilled ceiling displacement ventilation system". Energy and Buildings 43, 1359-1370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2011.01.021Kotsopoulos S. D., Casalegno F., Cuenin A., 2013. "Personalizing Thermal Comfort in a Prototype Indoor Space". SIMUL: The Fifth International Conference on Advances in System Simulation, 178-186.Lingua C., Becchio C., Bottero M. C., Corgnati S. P., Dell Anna F. and Fabi V., 2019. "Energy and Economic Evaluation of Thermal Comfort. The Case Study of the Hotel Residence L'Orologio". 16th IBPSA International Conference and Exhibition; Roma; Italy, 2507-2514. https://doi.org/10.26868/25222708.2019.210687Ma J., Qin J., Salsbury T. and Xu P., 2012. "Demand reduction in building energy systems based on economic model predictive control". Chemical Engineering Science 67, 92-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2011.07.052MathWorks, 2013. MATLAB® 8.1.0.604 (R2013a). Ayuda de la herramienta de simulación.Menyhárt J., Kalmár F., 2019. "Investigation of Thermal Comfort Responses with Fuzzy Logic". Energies 12(1792), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12091792NC: 220-3, 2009. "Edificaciones-Requisitos de diseño para la eficiencia energética-Parte 3: Sistemas y equipamiento de calefacción, ventilación, y aire acondicionado". Oficina Nacional de Normalización (NC). Sitio web: www.nc.cubaindustria.cu. 2009.Nishi Y., Gagge A. P., 1977. "Effective Temperature Scale Useful for Hypo- and Hyperbaric Environments". Aviation Space and Enviromental Medicine 48(2), 97-107.Olgyay, V., 1998. "Arquitectura y Clima. Manual de Diseño Bioclimático para Arquitectos y Urbanistas". Ed. Gustavo Gili SL, Barcelona, 216 p. ISBN: 978-84-252-1488-2.Ramírez, P., Gregori, E., Comas, S., Castejón E. and Bartolomé E., 1999. "Ergonomía 2, Confort y Estrés Térmico". Tercera Edición, Ediciones UPC, Barcelona, ISBN: 84-8301-318-5. Sitio web: www.edicionsupc.es.Reza M., Bagherzadeh A., Tavousi T., 2013. Assessment of bioclimatic comfort conditions based on Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) using the Raman Model in Iran. Central European Journal of Geosciences 5(1), 53-60. https://doi.org/10.2478/s13533-012-0118-7Rijal H., Humphreys M. A., Nicol J. F., 2016. "Towards an adaptive model for thermal comfort in Japanese offices" 9th Windsor Conference: Making Comfort Relevant, Windsor, UK, 228-242.Rubin A., 1982. "Thermal Comfort in Passive Solar Buildings -- An Annotated Bibliography". NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANDARDS, Washington. Sitio web: https://www.govinfo.gov/app. https://doi.org/10.6028/NBS.IR.82-2585Sabri M., Ahmad S., Hagishima A., Sukri M., 2015. "Thermal comfort and occupant adaptive behaviour in university offices with cooling and free running modes". International Joint Conference SENVAR-INTA-AVAN 2015, Johor; Malasia, 43-52.Salsbury T., Mhaskar P. and Qin S., 2013. "Predictive Control Methods to Improve Energy Efficiency and Reduce Demand in Buildings", Comp. & Chem. Eng. 51, 77-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compchemeng.2012.08.003Tiwari R., Pandey M., Sharma A., 2010. "An Approach to Human Adaptability towards its Built Environment: A Review". Energy and Power Engineering 2, 90-94. https://doi.org/10.4236/epe.2010.22013Valdivia Y., Álvarez M., Gómez J., Hens L. and Vandecasteele C., 2019. "Sanitary hot water production from heat recovery in hotel buildings in Cuba". Ingeniería Energética 40 (3), 234-244. Sitio web: http://rie.cujae.edu.cu/index.php/RIEVega B.G., Bombino O., Cigler J., Oldewurtel F., Rodríguez M. Á., 2013. "Model Predictive Control for a Tropical Island Hotel". Paper ID 975. CLIMA 2013: 11th REHVA World Congress & 8th International Conference on IAQVEC. Czech Republic.Zhai D. 2019. "Modeling and optimization of ACMV Systems for Energy Efficient Smart Buildings". Tesis Doctoral, Nanyang Technological University, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Singapore

Route Towards a Label-free Optical Waveguide Sensing Platform Based on Lossy Mode Resonances

According to recent market studies of the North American company Allied Market Research, the field of photonic sensors is an emerging strategic field for the following years and it is expected to garner $18 billion by 2021. The integration of micro and nanofabrication technologies in the field of sensors has allowed the development of new technological concepts such as lab-on-a-chip, which have achieved extraordinary advances in terms of detection and applicability, for example in the field of biosensors. This continuous development has allowed that equipment consisting of many complex devices that occupied a whole room a few years ago, at present it is possible to handle them in the palm of the hand; that formerly long duration processes are carried out in a matter of milliseconds and that a technology previously dedicated solely to military or scientific uses is available to the vast majority of consumers. The adequate combination of micro and nanostructured coatings with optical fiber sensors has permitted us to develop novel sensing technologies, such as the first experimental demonstration of lossy mode resonances (LMRs) for sensing applications, with more than one hundred citations and related publications in high rank journals and top conferences. In fact, fiber optic LMR-based devices have been proven as devices with one of the highest sensitivity for refractometric applications. Refractive index sensitivity is an indirect and simple indicator of how sensitive the device is to chemical and biological species, topic where this proposal is focused. Consequently, the utilization of these devices for chemical and biosensing applications is a clear opportunity that could open novel and interesting research lines and applications as well as simplify current analytical methodologies. As a result, on the basis of our previous experience with LMR based sensors to attain very high sensitivities, the objective of this paper is presenting the route for the development of label-free optical waveguide sensing platform based on LMRs that enable to explore the limits of this technology for bio-chemosensing applications

Fission yeast Cdc14-like phosphatase Flp1/Clp1 modulates the transcriptional response to oxidative stress

[EN]Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are an important source of cellular damage. When ROS intracellular levels increase, oxidative stress takes place affecting DNA stability and metabolic functions. To prevent these effects, stress-activated protein kinases (SAPKs) delay cell cycle progression and induce a transcriptional response that activates antioxidant mechanisms ensuring cell adaptation and survival. Fission yeast Cdc14-like phosphatase Flp1 (also known as Clp1) has a well-established role in cell cycle regulation. Moreover, Flp1 contributes to checkpoint activation during replication stress. Here, we show that Flp1 has a role in fine-tuning the cellular oxidative stress response. Rad24-dependent nucleolar release of Flp1 in response to oxidative stress conditions plays a role in the cellular transcriptional response. Thus, Flp1 ablation increases the transcriptional response to oxidative stress, in both intensity and duration, upregulating Atf1/Pcr1 transcription factors and, consequently, genes such as ctt1+, hsp9+, gpd1+ and pyp2+. Remarkably, we found that Flp1 interacts with the Atf1/Pcr1 complex with Pcr1 acting as a direct substrate. Our results provide evidence that Flp1 modulates the oxidative stress response by limiting the Atf1/Pcr1-mediated transcription

Polyurethane/acrylic hybrid dispersions containing phosphorus reactive flame retardants as transparent coatings for wood

Phosphorus modified polyurethane/acrylic hybrid dispersions were prepared for flame retardant transparent wood coatings. The polymerisation was carried out in three steps. In the first one, the polyurethane was synthesised using an acrylic monomer as solvent. The second step involved water addition that promoted the phase inversion and lastly, acrylic part was polymerised. The phosphorous compounds were covalently linked to polyurethane using a phosphorylated polyol and to the acrylic phase using an acrylic phosphate. Polymerisation was monitored by FTIR and NMR and the molar mass of the hybrids was measured by AF4 and SEC. The effects of the phosphorus in fire-retardant properties were analysed by thermogravimetry and pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry. The introduction of phosphorus did not produce significant changes in the polymerisation process but promoted the cross-linking of the coatings. The coated wood samples maintained the transparency and good properties with the introduction of phosphorus and presented a slight reduction in the Peak Heat Release Rate measured by cone calorimeter. The action of phosphorus as a fire retardant was effective as it gave rise to significant reduction of the CO and CO2 peaks.The funding received from University of the Basque Country (GIU19/077, predoctoral grant of M. Puyadena and postdoctoral grant of M. Cobos) and the Basque Government (IT1313-19, PIBA20/16) is gratefully acknowledged. Technical and human support provided by SGIker is also sincerely acknowledged (UPV/EHU/ERDF, EU)