Non-centralized Control for Flow-based Distribution Networks: A Game-theoretical Insight

This paper solves a data-driven control problem for a flow-based distribution network with two objectives: a resource allocation and a fair distribution of costs. These objectives represent both cooperation and competition directions. It is proposed a solution that combines either a centralized or distributed cooperative game approach using the Shapley value to determine a proper partitioning of the system and a fair communication cost distribution. On the other hand, a decentralized noncooperative game approach computing the Nash equilibrium is used to achieve the control objective of the resource allocation under a non-complete information topology. Furthermore, an invariant-set property is presented and the closed-loop system stability is analyzed for the non cooperative game approach. Another contribution regarding the cooperative game approach is an alternative way to compute the Shapley value for the proposed specific characteristic function. Unlike the classical cooperative-games approach, which has a limited application due to the combinatorial explosion issues, the alternative method allows calculating the Shapley value in polynomial time and hence can be applied to large-scale problems.Generalitat de Catalunya FI 2014Ministerio de Ciencia y Educación DPI2016-76493-C3-3-RMinisterio de Ciencia y Educación DPI2008-05818Proyecto europeo FP7-ICT DYMASO

Energy Efficiency of Hybrid-Power HetNets: A Population-like Games Approach

In this paper, a distributed control scheme based on population games is proposed. The controller is in charge of dealing with the energy consumption problem in a Heterogeneous Cellular Network (HetNet) powered by hybrid energy sources (grid and renewable energy) while guaranteeing appropriate quality of service (QoS) level at the same time. Unlike the conventional approach in population games, it considers both atomicity and non-anonymity. Simulation results show that the proposed population-games approach reduces grid consumption by up to about 12% compared to the traditional best-signal level association policy.U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research FA9550-17-1-0259Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte DPI2016-76493-C3-3-RMinisterio de Economía y Empresa DPI2017-86918-

Chiral dynamics of p-wave in K^- p and coupled states

We perform an evaluation of the p-wave amplitudes of meson-baryon scattering in the strangeness S=-1 sector starting from the lowest order chiral Lagrangians and introducing explicitly the Sigma^* field with couplings to the meson-baryon states obtained using SU(6) symmetry. The N/D method of unitarization is used, equivalent, in practice, to the use of the Bethe-Salpeter equation with a cut-off. The procedure leaves no freedom for the p-waves once the s-waves are fixed and thus one obtains genuine predictions for the p-wave scattering amplitudes, which are in good agreement with experimental results for differential cross sections, as well as for the width and partial decay widths of the Sigma^*(1385).Comment: LaTeX, 18 pages, 6 figure

The QUIJOTE experiment: project overview and first results

QUIJOTE (Q-U-I JOint TEnerife) is a new polarimeter aimed to characterize the polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background and other Galactic and extragalactic signals at medium and large angular scales in the frequency range 10-40 GHz. The multi-frequency (10-20~GHz) instrument, mounted on the first QUIJOTE telescope, saw first light on November 2012 from the Teide Observatory (2400~m a.s.l). During 2014 the second telescope has been installed at this observatory. A second instrument at 30~GHz will be ready for commissioning at this telescope during summer 2015, and a third additional instrument at 40~GHz is now being developed. These instruments will have nominal sensitivities to detect the B-mode polarization due to the primordial gravitational-wave component if the tensor-to-scalar ratio is larger than r=0.05.Comment: To appear in "Highlights of Spanish Astrophysics VIII", Proceedings of the XI Scientific Meeting of the Spanish Astronomical Society, Teruel, Spain (2014

Short-Term Changes in Respiratory Biomarkers after Swimming in a Chlorinated Pool

36 páginas, 3 figuras, 5 tablas.[BACKGROUND]: Swimming in chlorinated pools involves exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) and has been associated with impaired respiratory health.[OBJECTIVES]: We evaluated short-term changes in several respiratory biomarkers to explore mechanisms of potential lung damage related to swimming pool exposure.[METHODS]: We measured lung function and biomarkers of airway inflammation (fractional exhaled nitric oxide –FeNO- and 8 cytokines and 1 growth factor (VEGF) in exhaled breath condensate), oxidative stress (8-isoprostane in exhaled breath condensate), and lung permeability (surfactant protein D -SPD- and the Clara cell secretory protein -CC16- in serum) in 48 healthy non-smoking adults before and after swimming for 40 min in a chlorinated indoor swimming pool. We measured trihalomethanes in exhaled breath as a marker of individual exposure to DBPs. Energy expenditure during swimming, atopy and CC16 genotype (rs3741240) was also determined.[RESULTS]: Median serum CC16 levels increased from 6.01 to 6.21 μg/L (average increase 3.3%, paired Wilcoxon test p = 0.03), regardless of atopic status and CC16 genotype. This increase was explained both by energy expenditure and different markers of DBP exposure in multivariate models. FeNO was unchanged overall but tended to decrease among atopics. We found no significant changes in lung function, SP-D, 8-isoprostane, 8 cytokines and VEGF.[CONCLUSIONS]: A slight increase in serum CC16, a marker of lung epithelium permeability, was detected in healthy adults after swimming in an indoor chlorinated pool. Exercise and DBP exposure explained this association, without involving inflammatory mechanisms. Further research is needed to confirm the results, establish the clinical relevance of short-term serum CC16 changes, and evaluate the long-term health impacts.Work funded by the projects SAF2005-07643-C03-01; CP06/00341; CP01/3058; SAF2007-62719, FISCP06/00341 and FI06/00651.Peer reviewe

On the Influence of VOCs on New Particle Growth in a Continental-Mediterranean Region

[Abstract] A field campaign has been performed in the Madrid region to study the VOC influence in the growth of new particles in ambient air. A number of instruments have been deployed to characterize the main pollutant gases and particle properties and composition. The measurements were performed simultaneously at three sites (rural, urban background and urban traffic influenced) in the period 1–17 July 2019. The sites: Tres Cantos (rural), CIEMAT (urban background) and Leganés (urban traffic) were located within the Madrid airshed. Particle size distributions, mass concentrations at fractions PM10, PM2.5 and PM1, black carbon, VOCs species and gaseous pollutants (NOx and O3) were obtained in the sites. Some supplementary measurements were obtained in at least one of the sites: meteorological parameters, non-refractory submicron aerosol species and vertical profiles of aerosol optical properties. It has been observed that the new particle formation (NPF) events, nucleation and subsequent growth, happened at a regional scale, although differently among the sites. In the rural site, fewer events than expected were observed because of the high temperatures that affected the BVOC emissions. In the urban background site, the highest number of events was reached. In this station, it is common to receive air masses from the nearby forest and from the urban area, producing a mix of conditions with high BVOC and AVOC concentrations. In the urban traffic site, several NPF cases appeared, being a site dominated by AVOCs. Among the BVOCs measured in the three stations, the most common were α-Pinene and Limonene. Among the AVOCs measured, aromatics and linear hydrocarbon compounds for C10 and above were found. The linear group was found to be predominant during the NPF event days in the urban background site. This work provides new insights about the aerosol-forming precursors and growth of new particles in the Madrid region.This research has been partially funded by the CRISOL Project (CGL2017-85344-R MINECO/AEI/FEDER, UE), OASIS project (PID2021-127885OB-I00 fund by MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by 'ERDF A way of making Europe') and by the TIGAS-CM project (Madrid Regional Government Y2018/EMT-5177)Comunidad de Madrid; Y2018/EMT-517

On exact solutions for quintessential (inflationary) cosmological models with exponential potentials

We first study dark energy models with a minimally-coupled scalar field and exponential potentials, admitting exact solutions for the cosmological equations: actually, it turns out that for this class of potentials the Einstein field equations exhibit alternative Lagrangians, and are completely integrable and separable (i.e. it is possible to integrate the system analytically, at least by quadratures). We analyze such solutions, especially discussing when they are compatible with a late time quintessential expansion of the universe. As a further issue, we discuss how such quintessential scalar fields can be connected to the inflationary phase, building up, for this class of potentials, a quintessential inflationary scenario: actually, it turns out that the transition from inflation toward late-time exponential quintessential tail admits a kination period, which is an indispensable ingredient of this kind of theoretical models. All such considerations have also been done by including radiation into the model.Comment: Revtex4, 10 figure

A meta-analysis and a functional study support the influence of mtDNA variant m.16519C on the risk of rapid progression of knee osteoarthritis

[Abstract] Objectives: To identify mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genetic variants associated with the risk of rapid progression of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to characterise their functional significance using a cellular model of transmitochondrial cybrids. Methods: Three prospective cohorts contributed participants. The osteoarthritis initiative (OAI) included 1095 subjects, the Cohort Hip and Cohort Knee included 373 and 326 came from the PROspective Cohort of Osteoarthritis from A Coruña. mtDNA variants were screened in an initial subset of 450 subjects from the OAI by in-depth sequencing of mtDNA. A meta-analysis of the three cohorts was performed. A model of cybrids was constructed to study the functional consequences of harbouring the risk mtDNA variant by assessing: mtDNA copy number, mitochondrial biosynthesis, mitochondrial fission and fusion, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress, autophagy and a whole transcriptome analysis by RNA-sequencing. Results: mtDNA variant m.16519C is over-represented in rapid progressors (combined OR 1.546; 95% CI 1.163 to 2.054; p=0.0027). Cybrids with this variant show increased mtDNA copy number and decreased mitochondrial biosynthesis; they produce higher amounts of mitochondrial ROS, are less resistant to oxidative stress, show a lower expression of the mitochondrial fission-related gene fission mitochondrial 1 and an impairment of autophagic flux. In addition, its presence modulates the transcriptome of cybrids, especially in terms of inflammation, where interleukin 6 emerges as one of the most differentially expressed genes. Conclusions: The presence of the mtDNA variant m.16519C increases the risk of rapid progression of knee OA. Among the most modulated biological processes associated with this variant, inflammation and negative regulation of cellular process stand out. The design of therapies based on the maintenance of mitochondrial function is recommended

The status of the Quijote multi-frequency instrument

The QUIJOTE-CMB project has been described in previous publications. Here we present the current status of the QUIJOTE multi-frequency instrument (MFI) with five separate polarimeters (providing 5 independent sky pixels): two which operate at 10-14 GHz, two which operate at 16-20 GHz, and a central polarimeter at 30 GHz. The optical arrangement includes 5 conical corrugated feedhorns staring into a dual reflector crossed-draconian system, which provides optimal cross-polarization properties (designed to be < -35 dB) and symmetric beams. Each horn feeds a novel cryogenic on-axis rotating polar modulator which can rotate at a speed of up to 1 Hz. The science driver for this first instrument is the characterization of the galactic emission. The polarimeters use the polar modulator to derive linear polar parameters Q, U and I and switch out various systematics. The detection system provides optimum sensitivity through 2 correlated and 2 total power channels. The system is calibrated using bright polarized celestial sources and through a secondary calibration source and antenna. The acquisition system, telescope control and housekeeping are all linked through a real-time gigabit Ethernet network. All communication, power and helium gas are passed through a central rotary joint. The time stamp is synchronized to a GPS time signal. The acquisition software is based on PLCs written in Beckhoffs TwinCat and ethercat. The user interface is written in LABVIEW. The status of the QUIJOTE MFI will be presented including pre-commissioning results and laboratory testing

Caracterización meteorológica del episodio de alta contaminación en Madrid durante la navidad de 2016

Ponencia presentada en: XXXV Jornadas Científicas de la AME y el XIX Encuentro Hispano Luso de Meteorología celebrado en León, del 5 al 7 de marzo de 2018.En este trabajo se presenta un estudio de la influencia de las condiciones sinópticas y de la altura de la capa de mezcla sobre las condiciones de la calidad del aire en la ciudad de Madrid, analizando un episodio de alta concentración de NO2 que tuvo lugar del 26 al 30 de diciembre de 2016.Este estudio ha sido financiado mediante el Proyecto TECNAIRE-CM (S2013/MAE-2972) gracias a la Dirección General de Universidades e investigación de la Comunidad de Madrid