Tres arquitecturas neuronales implementadas en la detección y categorización de anomalías en paneles fotovoltaicos

Solar panels are useful and efficient tools. They need to be kept in excellent working condition, but as time goes by, they suffer from external failures manifested in the environment. Therefore, the need for effective monitoring of such systems is highlighted. Neural models are perfect candidates to perform physical damage recognition. In this case, we compare the performance of three artificial neural networks, the multilayer perceptron, the densely connected neural network, and the ResNet-50 network in this identification problem. What is intended to be obtained from this method is the practical demonstration of the use of neural networks to solve real problems.Los paneles solares son herramientas útiles y eficientes. Necesitan mantenerse en excelente estado de funcionamiento, pero a medida que pasa el tiempo, sufren fallos por externos manifestados en el ambiente. Por lo tanto, se resalta la necesidad de hacer un seguimiento efectivo de dichos sistemas. Los modelos neuronales son candidatos perfectos para realizar el reconocimiento de los daños físicos. En este caso, se compara el desempeño de tres redes neuronales artificiales, el perceptrón multicapa, la red neuronal densamente conectada y la red ResNet-50 en este problema de identificación. Lo que se pretende obtener de este método es la demostración práctica del uso de las redes neuronales para solucionar problemas reales

Comparative Study of Contact Repulsion in Control and Mutant Macrophages Using a Novel Interaction Detection

In this paper, a novel method for interaction detection is presented to compare the contact dynamics of macrophages in the Drosophila embryo. The study is carried out by a framework called macrosight, which analyses the movement and interaction of migrating macrophages. The framework incorporates a segmentation and tracking algorithm into analysing the motion characteristics of cells after contact. In this particular study, the interactions between cells is characterised in the case of control embryos and Shot mutants, a candidate protein that is hypothesised to regulate contact dynamics between migrating cells. Statistical significance between control and mutant cells was found when comparing the direction of motion after contact in specific conditions. Such discoveries provide insights for future developments in combining biological experiments with computational analysis

Development of a new method to estimate the incident solar flux on central receivers from deteriorated heliostats

This work proposes a new empirical direct methodology to estimate both the solar flux distribution and intensity on the surface of central receivers. In solar power tower plants with deteriorated heliostats, the numerical simulations to estimate the incident solar flux are not precise. Hence the thermal behaviour of the receivers cannot be determined. In those cases, direct measurement or semi-empirical methodologies are required to characterize the radiant power on the receiver. The new methodology proposed, named "Superposition method", consists in the hourly characterization of the reflected solar beam of each individual heliostat by means of a pyrheliometer, a passive screen, a flux sensor, a camera and digital image analysis. According to the aiming strategy used during receiver operation, each individual solar flux distribution and intensity can be gathered to obtain the total incident radiant power on the solar receiver. This non-real-time method has the advantage of reproducing any solar flux distribution on the receiver at present and past time

Antimicrobial Effect of Silk and Catgut Suture Threads Coated with Biogenic Silver Nanoparticles

Two bionanocomposites based on suture threads, silk-silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and catgut-Ag NPs, were prepared through a green chemistry methodology using Chenopodium ambrosioides (Mexican Epazote) as reducing agent. UV-Vis spectrophotometry (UV-Vis), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), were used for their characterization. UV-Vis confirmed the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Micrographs showed polydisperse, mostly spherical, Ag NPs attached to both suture threads. The bionanocomposites antimicrobial properties were evaluated through cultures and inhibition zones tests. The Chenopodium ambrosioides-assisted synthesized bionanocomposites have proved antibacterial effect against S. aureus and E. coli in both sutures (silk and catgut) and could be potentially useful for oral or periodontal surgery. There was no significant difference statistically in inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus versus Escherichia coli

The bird species diversity in the wintering season is negatively associated with precipitation, tree species diversity and stand density in the Sierra Madre Occidental, Durango, Mexico

Bird migration constitutes a redistribution of bird diversity that radically changes the composition of the bird community worldwide. It comprises about 19% of the world’s bird species. Several studies have indicated that changes in avian community structure and differences in bird richness in different seasons are mainly driven by seasonality and by winter harshness, and that the associated costs increase with the distance involved. Western Mexico is an important wintering area for most passerines that breed in western North America, and that travel long on the long-distance Central and Pacific migration routes. In this study, we examined bird species richness and diversity during the breeding and wintering seasons in the Central Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO), North Durango (Mexico) in relation to i) tree species diversity, ii) tree dimension, iii) forest stand density and site quality, iv) density and dimension of snag trees, and v) various climate variables. The overall aim of the study was to determine how the observed associations between bird species diversity and variables i-v are affected by the season considered (breeding or wintering). The diversity of bird species in the breeding season was not affected by any of the climate and forest stand variables considered. In contrast, bird species diversity in the wintering season was significantly and weakly to moderately associated with climate variables, tree species diversity and stand density, although not with density or dimension of snag trees. Bird species diversity was higher at lower elevations and in drier and warmer locations of the SMO. The association detected is therefore mainly a local migratory phenomenon. | Supporting Information Supporting Information </supplementary-material

Differences in assigning probabilities to coastal inundation hazard estimators: event versus response approaches

This is the accepted version of the following article: Sanuy, M, Jiménez, JA, Ortego, MI, Toimil, A. Differences in assigning probabilities to coastal inundation hazard estimators: Event versus response approaches. J Flood Risk Management. 2020; 13 (Suppl. 1):e12557. https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12557, which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jfr3.12557.Coastal flood risk assessment requires a reliable estimation of the frequency of inundation hazards, that is, characterising the hazard magnitude and assigning a probability of occurrence. In this work we analyse the uncertainty introduced in the assessment associated to the method to assign the probability of occurrence to coastal flood hazards. To this end we have compared the use of two general methods, the response and the event approaches. Different procedures are used to characterise coastal inundation hazards depending on the analysis scale and data availability. Thus, a range of possibilities has been analysed, from simple estimators such as run-up to modelled flood-prone areas. The analysis has been performed for all wave and water level conditions around the Spanish coast. The results show that the differences between the methods are location-dependent, and thus, determined by the exposure to wave and water level conditions. When using the event approach, the run-up or total water level (with good correlation between waves and surge) distributions reasonably approximate those of the response approach with low associated uncertainty. When the assessment aims to output overtopping discharges or inundation maps, observed differences suggest that the event approach would produce misleading conclusions in inundation-related coastal management and decision-making.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Experimental and theoretical assessment of native oxide in the superconducting TaN

In this manuscript, we show through an experimental-computational proof of concept the native oxide formation into superconducting TaN films. First, TaN was synthesized at an ultra-high vacuum system by reactive pulsed laser deposition and characterized in situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The material was also characterized ex situ by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and the four-point probe method. It was detected that TaN contained considerable oxygen impurities (up to 26 %O) even though it was grown in an ultra-high vacuum chamber. Furthermore, the impurified TaN evidence a face-centered cubic crystalline structure only and exhibits superconductivity at 2.99 K. To understand the feasibility of the native oxide in TaN, we study the effect of incorporating different amounts of O atoms in TaN using ab-initio calculations. A thermodynamic stability analysis shows that a TaOxN1-x model increases its stability as oxygen is added, demonstrating that oxygen may always be present in TaN, even when obtained at ultra-high vacuum conditions. All analyzed models exhibit metallic behavior. Charge density difference maps reveal that N and O atoms have a higher charge density redistribution than Ta atoms. The electron localization function maps and line profiles indicate that Ta-O and Ta-N bonds are mainly ionic. As expected, stronger ionic behavior is observed in the Ta-O bonds due to the electronegativity difference between O and N atoms. Recent evidence points to superconductivity in bulk TaO, confirming the asseverations of superconductivity in our samples. The results discussed here highlight the importance of considering native oxide when reporting superconductivity in TaN films since the TaO regions formed in the compound may be key to understanding the different critical temperatures reported in the literature.Comment: 23 pages, 7 figure

Dynamic interaction of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 with moesin and ezrin in a novel endothelial docking structure for adherent leukocytes

Ezrin, radixin, and moesin (ERM) regulate cortical morphogenesis and cell adhesion by connecting membrane adhesion receptors to the actin-based cytoskeleton. We have studied the interaction of moesin and ezrin with the vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 during leukocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration (TEM). VCAM-1 interacted directly with moesin and ezrin in vitro, and all of these molecules colocalized at the apical surface of endothelium. Dynamic assessment of this interaction in living cells showed that both VCAM-1 and moesin were involved in lymphoblast adhesion and spreading on the endothelium, whereas only moesin participated in TEM, following the same distribution pattern as ICAM-1. During leukocyte adhesion in static or under flow conditions, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, and activated moesin and ezrin clustered in an endothelial actin-rich docking structure that anchored and partially embraced the leukocyte containing other cytoskeletal components such as α-actinin, vinculin, and VASP. Phosphoinositides and the Rho/p160 ROCK pathway, which participate in the activation of ERM proteins, were involved in the generation and maintenance of the anchoring structure. These results provide the first characterization of an endothelial docking structure that plays a key role in the firm adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium during inflammation

Expression, regulation and clinical relevance of the ATPase Inhibitory Factor 1 (IF1) in human cancers

Recent findings in colon cancer cells indicate that inhibition of the mitochondrial H(+)-adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase by the ATPase inhibitory factor 1 (IF1) promotes aerobic glycolysis and a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated signal that enhances proliferation and cell survival. Herein, we have studied the expression, biological relevance, mechanism of regulation and potential clinical impact of IF1 in some prevalent human carcinomas. We show that IF1 is highly overexpressed in most (>90%) of the colon (n=64), lung (n=30), breast (n=129) and ovarian (n=10) carcinomas studied as assessed by different approaches in independent cohorts of cancer patients. The expression of IF1 in the corresponding normal tissues is negligible. By contrast, the endometrium, stomach and kidney show high expression of IF1 in the normal tissue revealing subtle differences by carcinogenesis. The overexpression of IF1 also promotes the activation of aerobic glycolysis and a concurrent ROS signal in mitochondria of the lung, breast and ovarian cancer cells mimicking the activity of oligomycin. IF1-mediated ROS signaling activates cell-type specific adaptive responses aimed at preventing death in these cell lines. Remarkably, regulation of IF1 expression in the colon, lung, breast and ovarian carcinomas is exerted at post-transcriptional levels. We demonstrate that IF1 is a short-lived protein (t(1/2) ∼100 min) strongly implicating translation and/or protein stabilization as main drivers of metabolic reprogramming and cell survival in these human cancers. Analysis of tumor expression of IF1 in cohorts of breast and colon cancer patients revealed its relevance as a predictive marker for clinical outcome, emphasizing the high potential of IF1 as therapeutic target