Next generation keyboards: The importance of cognitive compatibility

The computer keyboard of today is essentially the same as it has been for many years. Few advances have been made in keyboard design even though computer systems in general have made remarkable progress in improvements. This paper discusses the future of keyboards, their competition and compatibility with voice input systems, and possible special-application intelligent keyboards for controlling complex systems

The historical development and basis of human factors guidelines for automated systems in aeronautical operations

In order to derive general design guidelines for automated systems a study was conducted on the utilization and acceptance of existing automated systems as currently employed in several commercial fields. Four principal study area were investigated by means of structured interviews, and in some cases questionnaires. The study areas were aviation, a both scheduled airline and general commercial aviation; process control and factory applications; office automation; and automation in the power industry. The results of over eighty structured interviews were analyzed and responses categoried as various human factors issues for use by both designers and users of automated equipment. These guidelines address such items as general physical features of automated equipment; personnel orientation, acceptance, and training; and both personnel and system reliability

Disease networks identify specific conditions and pleiotropy influencing multimorbidity in the general population

Multimorbidity is an emerging topic in public health policy because of its increasing prevalence and socio-economic impact. However, the age- and gender-dependent trends of disease associations at fine resolution, and the underlying genetic factors, remain incompletely understood. Here, by analyzing disease networks from electronic medical records of primary health care, we identify key conditions and shared genetic factors influencing multimorbidity. Three types of diseases are outlined: “central”, which include chronic and non-chronic conditions, have higher cumulative risks of disease associations; “community roots” have lower cumulative risks, but inform on continuing clustered disease associations with age; and “seeds of bursts”, which most are chronic, reveal outbreaks of disease associations leading to multimorbidity. The diseases with a major impact on multimorbidity are caused by genes that occupy central positions in the network of human disease genes. Alteration of lipid metabolism connects breast cancer, diabetic neuropathy and nutritional anemia. Evaluation of key disease associations by a genome-wide association study identifies shared genetic factors and further supports causal commonalities between nervous system diseases and nutritional anemias. This study also reveals many shared genetic signals with other diseases. Collectively, our results depict novel population-based multimorbidity patterns, identify key diseases within them, and highlight pleiotropy influencing multimorbidity.Postprint (author's final draft

Estratigrafía secuencial y sedimentologÍa del Jurásico superior del noreste de Albacete

A Sequence Stratigraphic analysis carried out in the Upper Jurassic of the linking area between the Betic and Iberian Ranges (Albacete, SE Spain) has resulted in the identification of two depositional sequences (i.e., Kimmeridgian and Tithonian-Berriasian Sequences). Further division of systems tracts in the lower sequence was based on extensive facies analysis. This analysis also gave new information on the transition from inner to outer areas in the Kimmeridgian ramp. During lowstand systems tract, after a basinwards coastal shift, a deltaic prograding complex is observed in middle ramp areas. At the onset of the transgressive systems tract, flooding of the inner ramp areas was effective and fine grain carbonate deposition progressively covered the outer and middle ramp realms. Sandy and oolitic facies sharply prograded over middle ramp areas during highstand systems tracto During the Tithonian, a fast progradation of the bioclastic-peloidal facies (inner ramp) over the oncolitic- oolitic facies (middle ramp) took place. The comparison between the results reported here to others reached in previous works, allows to state that the overall evolution of the accommodation during the Late Jurassic was similar in the Iberian basin and resulted in a similar distribution of sequences and systems tracts. The driving mechanism creating the accommodation in the basin is interpreted to be related to regional, tectono-eustatic changes. Local differences observed on the facies are controlled by intra-basinal factors. In contrast to other marginal areas of the Iberian basin, which were dominated by high-amplitude oolitic sand-waves and extensive coral growing, marine restriction and larger c1astic input in the Albacete sector reduced the potential coral growing and diminished the effect of storms, as reflected by the lower amplitude of the oolitic bars.El Jurásico superior del noreste de Albacete se organiza en dos secuencias deposicionales que, por correlación con otros dominios de la cuenca Ibérica, se han denominado Kimmeridgiense y Titónico-Berriasiense. El análisis de las facies permite caracterizar el tránsito entre las zonas internas y externas de la rampa Kimmeridgiense, y reconocer tres estadios de evolución: (1) durante el cortejo de bajo nivel del mar tiene lugar la progradación de un complejo deltaico sobre dominios más externos dominados por una sedimentación margosa; (2) el cortejo transgresivo está constituido en las zonas proximales de la rampa por facies margosas y arenosas que pasan lateral y verticalmente a facies micríticas, definiendo un dispositivo retrogradante; (3) durante el cortejo de alto nivel del mar la rampa presentó un dominio sublitoral con sedimentación arenosa y oolítica, un dominio submareal somero con desarrollo de barras oolíticas y arenosas y un dominio externo con sedimentación de fango carbonatado. Durante el Titónico se produce una rápida progradación de las facies dominantemente bioclásticas y peloidales de rampa interna sobre las facies oncolíticas y 00líticas de rampa media. El emplazamiento paleogeográfico particular del sector de Albacete durante el Jurásico superior explica el tipo de facies presentes y sus diferencias respecto a otros dominios marginales de la cuenca Ibérica. Sin embargo, la evolución de la acomodación deducida es similar a la observada en el conjunto de la cuenca Ibérica. Estas observaciones demuestran que la distribución de facies, cortejos sedimentarios y secuencias estuvo controlada tanto por factores de extensión local como regional

Flameless Combustion as an Alternative for Improving the Efficiency of Thermal Systems: State-of-the-Art Review

El aumento de la demanda energética, así como de las emisiones contaminantes ha generado un incremento de la investigación de tecnologías que permitan mitigar ambas problemáticas a nivel mundial. Dentro de las alternativas para mejorar la eficiencia de los procesos térmicos, el régimen de combustión sin llama se presenta como una de las alternativas más promisorias, puesto que permite obtener altos valores del rendimiento térmico mediante el mejoramiento de la transferencia de calor y del proceso de combustión, con la consiguiente reducción de las emisiones contaminantes. Debido a esto, en el presente estudio se realiza una revisión del estado del arte de dicha tecnología, haciendo énfasis en los aspectos fenomenológicos asociados, las principales características del régimen y su estabilidad, pasando por los mecanismos de obtención y la presentación de una serie de estudios, tanto a nivel nacional como internacional, en los que se utilizaron combustibles fósiles y alternativos. La revisión finaliza con la discusión de algunos casos en los cuales se ha implementado el régimen a nivel industrial.The increasing energy demand and polluting emissions have generated a growing number of studies into technologies that can be used to mitigate both problems worldwide. Among the alternatives for improving the efficiency of thermal processes, the flameless combustion regime has been presented as one of the most promising options because it enables high thermal performance by enhancing heat transfer and the combustion process, with the consequent reduction in polluting emissions. For that reason, this article reviews the state of the art of said technology, emphasizing the associated phenomenological aspects, the main characteristics of the regime, its stability, the mechanisms to obtain it, and a series of national and international studies in which fossil and alternative fuels were used. Finally, some cases in which such regime has been implemented at the industrial level are discussed

ESTUDIO NUMÉRICO DEL ESCALADO DE UN SISTEMA DE COMBUSTIÓN SIN LLAMA Y EL EFECTO DEL NÚMERO DE BOQUILLAS DE DESCARGA DE AIRE

En este trabajo se evalúa mediante simulaciones numéricas la obtención y estabilidad del régimen de combustión sin llama para un sistema de calentamiento cuya geometría fue escalada a partir de un prototipo de laboratorio que opera a 40 kW. Adicionalmente se evaluó el efecto de descargar el aire de combustión por dos o cuatro boquillas. Las simulaciones se llevaron a cabo para un cuarto del dominio del sistema para el que se contó con un mallado hexaédrico que cumple con los criterios de malla establecidos para simulaciones de sistemas reactivos, donde se utilizaron modelos apropiados para modelar la turbulencia, la radiación y la combustión. Se encontró que el sistema escalado puede operar bajo el régimen de combustión sin llama de manera estable a potencias entre 200 y 400 kW. La obtención del régimen se de combustión sin llama se mejora significativamente cuando el aire de combustión se descarga por dos boquillas comparado con la descarga por cuatro boquillas, al tener como criterios de estabilidad la uniformidad de la temperatura y de las especies CO y CO2 en la zona de reacción del horno

ESTUDIO NUMÉRICO DEL EFECTO DE LA PRESIÓN ATMOSFÉRICA SOBRE LA TRANSFERENCIA DE CALOR EN HORNOS DE ALTA TEMPERATURA

En este trabajo se evalúa mediante simulaciones CFD un horno de calentamiento con el objetivo de estudiar el efecto que tiene la presión atmosférica sobre la trasferencia de calor hacia la carga. El sistema fue evaluado para las presiones del nivel del mar y de la ciudad de Bogotá. Los flujos másicos de aire y combustible fueron corregidos para mantener la potencia y el factor de aireación igual para los dos casos, debido a que estos varían con la presión. Se encontró que el calentamiento de la carga se afectó poco por el cambio en la presión, sin embargo, la forma en que fluye el calor hacía la carga si varia, teniendo que la radiación de los gases aporta un 34% de la energía total que llega a la carga a una presión de 1 atm, mientras que a una presión de 0.74 atm, pasa a aportar un 24%

Disease networks identify specific conditions and pleiotropy influencing multimorbidity in the general population

Multimorbidity is an emerging topic in public health policy because of its increasing prevalence and socio-economic impact. However, the age- and gender-dependent trends of disease associations at fine resolution, and the underlying genetic factors, remain incompletely understood. Here, by analyzing disease networks from electronic medical records of primary health care, we identify key conditions and shared genetic factors influencing multimorbidity. Three types of diseases are outlined: "central", which include chronic and non-chronic conditions, have higher cumulative risks of disease associations; "community roots" have lower cumulative risks, but inform on continuing clustered disease associations with age; and "seeds of bursts", which most are chronic, reveal outbreaks of disease associations leading to multimorbidity. The diseases with a major impact on multimorbidity are caused by genes that occupy central positions in the network of human disease genes. Alteration of lipid metabolism connects breast cancer, diabetic neuropathy and nutritional anemia. Evaluation of key disease associations by a genome-wide association study identifies shared genetic factors and further supports causal commonalities between nervous system diseases and nutritional anemias. This study also reveals many shared genetic signals with other diseases. Collectively, our results depict novel population-based multimorbidity patterns, identify key diseases within them, and highlight pleiotropy influencing multimorbidity

ANÁLISIS DEL EFECTO DE OPERAR UN REACTOR DE METANACIÓN EN CARGAS DIFERENTES DE LAS DE DISEÑO EN UN PROCESO P2G

En este trabajo se realizó el análisis del efecto operar un reactor de metanación bajo diferentes condiciones de flujo de reactivos. Para ello, se realizaron simulaciones numéricas utilizando el software Aspen Plus con una cinética química del tipo Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson (LHHW). Se determinaron los parámetros óptimos de diseño (diámetro y masa del catalizador) del reactor basado en el flujo de hidrógeno producido por un electrolizador que consume 4,8 kWe (0,747 mol H2/min), y se evaluó el efecto de trabajar con el mismo reactor, pero con un flujo de H2 proveniente de un proceso de 15 kWe (2,25 mol H2/min), alimentándose con una relación estequiométrica de CO2 (H2:CO2=4:1). Los resultados muestran que el diámetro más adecuado es de 50 mm para la condición de diseño; el uso de diámetros mayores reduce la caída de presión, pero aumenta costos y perjudica la transferencia de calor. Por último, cuando se trabaja el reactor a una condición de flujo superior a la de operación, se genera una disminución de la eficiencia de conversión debido al bajo tiempo de residencia, lo cual repercute en la eficiencia energética del proceso

Roads of the Caribbean: regional analysis from Environmental Impact Assessments in Colombia

The road infrastructure produces several impacts on the environment. In the Colombian Caribbean region, the growing road infrastructure threatens systems equilibrium in diverse and not well-known ways. Despite the several administrative tools available in Colombian legislation to manage every project impact, the big picture of the interconnected regional ecosystems falls out of scope. To study the large-scale problems in landscape, we analyzed eight Environmental Impact Studies of road construction projects in the region. We did a scientific and institutional literature review to shed light on the possible unseen problems and future challenges. Results suggest that Environmental Impact Assessments for each project focus on construction processes, ignore accumulative and residual effects, and use typified measures to cover a broad set of impacts. We offer recommendations from an integrated analysis perspective for future projects to understand landscape and water systems alteration at the regional scale