Modelado numérico del proceso de secado solar de manzanas en el municipio de Nuevo Colón-Boyacá

El secado de frutales caducifolios, como las manzanas, es un proceso en el cual se disminuye la cantidad de humedad contenida dentro del fruto. Además, se busca prolongar el tiempo en el que conserven propiedades organolépticas, físicas y químicas actas para el consumo humano, también este proceso tiene por objeto disminuir los desperdicios y generar una economía rentable en empresas agrícolas productoras de alimentos deshidratados. Según los estándares nacionales, en Colombia se pierde y se desperdicia el 58 % de las frutas y las verduras (6,1 millones de toneladas), mientras que en el mundo el promedio está en 45 % [1]. En Colombia, la región que tiene el mayor nivel de participación en la pérdida nacional es la Centro-oriental (Cundinamarca, Santander, Norte de Santander y Boyacá) con una participación del 1 millón de toneladas entre frutas y verduras. Este proyecto busca realizar una simulación del proceso de transferencia de calor presente en un secador solar de manzanas. En el proceso de secado de frutas intervienen diversas variables físicas, como la temperatura, la velocidad del aire, la humedad de la fruta, el tiempo de secado [12] y para garantizar una calidad óptima en la fruta se deben controlar dichas variables, los fenómenos de transferencia de calor a utilizar son: la convección de calor producida en el aire con los sólidos, la radiación del sol, y la conducción entre los sólidos que componen la estructura de un equipo secador. Existen diversos softwares que facilitan la elaboración de esta simulación como:  Matlab o Python. Finalmente se presentan los resultados de las simulaciones realizadas para que con ellas se pueda continuar con el proceso de diseño del secador. The drying of fruits such as apples is a process in wich the amount of moisture is decreased. Furtheremore this process looks for to prolong the time wich the fruits preserve organolectic, physical and chemical properties for human consumption, this process also aims to reduce waste and generate a profitable economy in agricultural companies producing dehydrated foods. According to national standards, 58 % of fruits and vegetables are lost and wasted in Colombia, while in the world the average is 45 % [1]. In Colombia, the region with the highest level of participation  in the national loss is the Central Eastern (Cundinamarca, Santander, Norte de Santander and Boyacá) with one million tons. This project seeks to simulate the heat transfer process in a solar apple dryer. In the fruit drying process, various physical variables are involved, such as temperature, air velocity, fruit moisture, drying time [12]. In order to guarantee an optimal quality in the fruit, these variables must be controlled, the heat transfer phenomena to be used are: the convection of heat produced in the air with the solids, the radiation of the sun, and the conduction between the solids of the structure of a dryer equipment. There are several software that facilitate the elaboration of this simulation as: Matlab or Python. Finally the results of the simulations are presented. With these results you can continue with the dryer design process

Modelado numérico del proceso de secado solar de manzanas en el municipio de Nuevo Colón-Boyacá

El secado de frutales caducifolios, como las manzanas, es un proceso en el cual se disminuye la cantidad de humedad contenida dentro del fruto. Además, se busca prolongar el tiempo en el que conserven propiedades organolépticas, físicas y químicas actas para el consumo humano, también este proceso tiene por objeto disminuir los desperdicios y generar una economía rentable en empresas agrícolas productoras de alimentos deshidratados. Según los estándares nacionales, en Colombia se pierde y se desperdicia el 58 % de las frutas y las verduras (6,1 millones de toneladas), mientras que en el mundo el promedio está en 45 % [1]. En Colombia, la región que tiene el mayor nivel de participación en la pérdida nacional es la Centro-oriental (Cundinamarca, Santander, Norte de Santander y Boyacá) con una participación del 1 millón de toneladas entre frutas y verduras. Este proyecto busca realizar una simulación del proceso de transferencia de calor presente en un secador solar de manzanas. En el proceso de secado de frutas intervienen diversas variables físicas, como la temperatura, la velocidad del aire, la humedad de la fruta, el tiempo de secado [12] y para garantizar una calidad óptima en la fruta se deben controlar dichas variables, los fenómenos de transferencia de calor a utilizar son: la convección de calor producida en el aire con los sólidos, la radiación del sol, y la conducción entre los sólidos que componen la estructura de un equipo secador. Existen diversos softwares que facilitan la elaboración de esta simulación como:  Matlab o Python. Finalmente se presentan los resultados de las simulaciones realizadas para que con ellas se pueda continuar con el proceso de diseño del secador. The drying of fruits such as apples is a process in wich the amount of moisture is decreased. Furtheremore this process looks for to prolong the time wich the fruits preserve organolectic, physical and chemical properties for human consumption, this process also aims to reduce waste and generate a profitable economy in agricultural companies producing dehydrated foods. According to national standards, 58 % of fruits and vegetables are lost and wasted in Colombia, while in the world the average is 45 % [1]. In Colombia, the region with the highest level of participation  in the national loss is the Central Eastern (Cundinamarca, Santander, Norte de Santander and Boyacá) with one million tons. This project seeks to simulate the heat transfer process in a solar apple dryer. In the fruit drying process, various physical variables are involved, such as temperature, air velocity, fruit moisture, drying time [12]. In order to guarantee an optimal quality in the fruit, these variables must be controlled, the heat transfer phenomena to be used are: the convection of heat produced in the air with the solids, the radiation of the sun, and the conduction between the solids of the structure of a dryer equipment. There are several software that facilitate the elaboration of this simulation as: Matlab or Python. Finally the results of the simulations are presented. With these results you can continue with the dryer design process

FRobs_RL: A flexible robotics reinforcement learning library

Reinforcement learning (RL) has become an interesting topic in robotics applications as it can solve complex problems in specific scenarios. The small amount of RL-tools focused on robotics, plus the lack of features such as easy transfer of simulated environments to real hardware, are obstacles to the widespread use of RL in robotic applications. FRobs_RL is a Python library that aims to facilitate the implementation, testing, and deployment of RL algorithms in intelligent robotic applications using robot operating system (ROS), Gazebo, and OpenAI Gym. FRobs_RL provides an Application Programming Interface (API) to simplify the creation of RL environments, where users can import a wide variety of robot models as well as different simulated environments. With the FRobs_RL library, users do not need to be experts in ROS, Gym, or Gazebo to create a realistic RL application. Using the library, we created and tested two environments containing common robotic tasks; one is a reacher task using a robotic manipulator, and the other is a mapless navigation task using a mobile robot. The library is available in GitHub 1

Disordered microbial communities in asthmatic airways.

A rich microbial environment in infancy protects against asthma [1], [2] and infections precipitate asthma exacerbations [3]. We compared the airway microbiota at three levels in adult patients with asthma, the related condition of COPD, and controls. We also studied bronchial lavage from asthmatic children and controls.We identified 5,054 16S rRNA bacterial sequences from 43 subjects, detecting >70% of species present. The bronchial tree was not sterile, and contained a mean of 2,000 bacterial genomes per cm(2) surface sampled. Pathogenic Proteobacteria, particularly Haemophilus spp., were much more frequent in bronchi of adult asthmatics or patients with COPD than controls. We found similar highly significant increases in Proteobacteria in asthmatic children. Conversely, Bacteroidetes, particularly Prevotella spp., were more frequent in controls than adult or child asthmatics or COPD patients.The results show the bronchial tree to contain a characteristic microbiota, and suggest that this microbiota is disturbed in asthmatic airways

Performance and Operation of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

The operation and general performance of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter using cosmic-ray muons are described. These muons were recorded after the closure of the CMS detector in late 2008. The calorimeter is made of lead tungstate crystals and the overall status of the 75848 channels corresponding to the barrel and endcap detectors is reported. The stability of crucial operational parameters, such as high voltage, temperature and electronic noise, is summarised and the performance of the light monitoring system is presented

New horizons for fundamental physics with LISA

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) has the potential to reveal wonders about the fundamental theory of nature at play in the extreme gravity regime, where the gravitational interaction is both strong and dynamical. In this white paper, the Fundamental Physics Working Group of the LISA Consortium summarizes the current topics in fundamental physics where LISA observations of gravitational waves can be expected to provide key input. We provide the briefest of reviews to then delineate avenues for future research directions and to discuss connections between this working group, other working groups and the consortium work package teams. These connections must be developed for LISA to live up to its science potential in these areas

Linkage mapping of the Phg-1 and Co-14 genes for resistance to angular leaf spot and anthracnose in the common bean cultivar AND 277

The Andean common bean AND 277 has the Co-14 and the Phg-1 alleles that confer resistance to 21 and eight races, respectively, of the anthracnose (ANT) and angular leaf spot (ALS) pathogens. Because of its broad resistance spectrum, Co-14 is one of the main genes used in ANT resistance breeding. Additionally, Phg-1 is used for resistance to ALS. In this study, we elucidate the inheritance of the resistance of AND 277 to both pathogens using F2 populations from the AND 277 × Rudá and AND 277 × Ouro Negro crosses and F2:3 families from the AND 277 × Ouro Negro cross. Rudá and Ouro Negro are susceptible to all of the above races of both pathogens. Co-segregation analysis revealed that a single dominant gene in AND 277 confers resistance to races 65, 73, and 2047 of the ANT and to race 63-23 of the ALS pathogens. Co-14 and Phg-1 are tightly linked (0.0 cM) on linkage group Pv01. Through synteny mapping between common bean and soybean we also identified two new molecular markers, CV542014450 and TGA1.1570, tagging the Co-14 and Phg-1 loci. These markers are linked at 0.7 and 1.3 cM, respectively, from the Co-14/Phg-1 locus in coupling phase. The analysis of allele segregation in the BAT 93/Jalo EEP558 and California Dark Red Kidney/Yolano recombinant populations revealed that CV542014450 and TGA1.1570 segregated in the expected 1:1 ratio. Due to the physical linkage in cis configuration, Co-14 and Phg-1 are inherited together and can be monitored indirectly with the CV542014450 and TGA1.1570 markers. These results illustrate the rapid discovery of new markers through synteny mapping. These markers will reduce the time and costs associated with the pyramiding of these two disease resistance genes

Calibration of the CMS Drift Tube Chambers and Measurement of the Drift Velocity with Cosmic Rays

Peer reviewe

Global, regional, and national life expectancy, all-cause mortality, and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes of death, 1980–2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background Improving survival and extending the longevity of life for all populations requires timely, robust evidence on local mortality levels and trends. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study (GBD 2015) provides a comprehensive assessment of all-cause and cause-specific mortality for 249 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2015. These results informed an in-depth investigation of observed and expected mortality patterns based on sociodemographic measures. Methods We estimated all-cause mortality by age, sex, geography, and year using an improved analytical approach originally developed for GBD 2013 and GBD 2010. Improvements included refinements to the estimation of child and adult mortality and corresponding uncertainty, parameter selection for under-5 mortality synthesis by spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, and sibling history data processing. We also expanded the database of vital registration, survey, and census data to 14 294 geography–year datapoints. For GBD 2015, eight causes, including Ebola virus disease, were added to the previous GBD cause list for mortality. We used six modelling approaches to assess cause-specific mortality, with the Cause of Death Ensemble Model (CODEm) generating estimates for most causes. We used a series of novel analyses to systematically quantify the drivers of trends in mortality across geographies. First, we assessed observed and expected levels and trends of cause-specific mortality as they relate to the Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a summary indicator derived from measures of income per capita, educational attainment, and fertility. Second, we examined factors affecting total mortality patterns through a series of counterfactual scenarios, testing the magnitude by which population growth, population age structures, and epidemiological changes contributed to shifts in mortality. Finally, we attributed changes in life expectancy to changes in cause of death. We documented each step of the GBD 2015 estimation processes, as well as data sources, in accordance with Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER). Findings Globally, life expectancy from birth increased from 61·7 years (95% uncertainty interval 61·4–61·9) in 1980 to 71·8 years (71·5–72·2) in 2015. Several countries in sub-Saharan Africa had very large gains in life expectancy from 2005 to 2015, rebounding from an era of exceedingly high loss of life due to HIV/AIDS. At the same time, many geographies saw life expectancy stagnate or decline, particularly for men and in countries with rising mortality from war or interpersonal violence. From 2005 to 2015, male life expectancy in Syria dropped by 11·3 years (3·7–17·4), to 62·6 years (56·5–70·2). Total deaths increased by 4·1% (2·6–5·6) from 2005 to 2015, rising to 55·8 million (54·9 million to 56·6 million) in 2015, but age-standardised death rates fell by 17·0% (15·8–18·1) during this time, underscoring changes in population growth and shifts in global age structures. The result was similar for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with total deaths from these causes increasing by 14·1% (12·6–16·0) to 39·8 million (39·2 million to 40·5 million) in 2015, whereas age-standardised rates decreased by 13·1% (11·9–14·3). Globally, this mortality pattern emerged for several NCDs, including several types of cancer, ischaemic heart disease, cirrhosis, and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. By contrast, both total deaths and age-standardised death rates due to communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional conditions significantly declined from 2005 to 2015, gains largely attributable to decreases in mortality rates due to HIV/AIDS (42·1%, 39·1–44·6), malaria (43·1%, 34·7–51·8), neonatal preterm birth complications (29·8%, 24·8–34·9), and maternal disorders (29·1%, 19·3–37·1). Progress was slower for several causes, such as lower respiratory infections and nutritional deficiencies, whereas deaths increased for others, including dengue and drug use disorders. Age-standardised death rates due to injuries significantly declined from 2005 to 2015, yet interpersonal violence and war claimed increasingly more lives in some regions, particularly in the Middle East. In 2015, rotaviral enteritis (rotavirus) was the leading cause of under-5 deaths due to diarrhoea (146 000 deaths, 118 000–183 000) and pneumococcal pneumonia was the leading cause of under-5 deaths due to lower respiratory infections (393 000 deaths, 228 000–532 000), although pathogen-specific mortality varied by region. Globally, the effects of population growth, ageing, and changes in age-standardised death rates substantially differed by cause. Our analyses on the expected associations between cause-specific mortality and SDI show the regular shifts in cause of death composition and population age structure with rising SDI. Country patterns of premature mortality (measured as years of life lost [YLLs]) and how they differ from the level expected on the basis of SDI alone revealed distinct but highly heterogeneous patterns by region and country or territory. Ischaemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes were among the leading causes of YLLs in most regions, but in many cases, intraregional results sharply diverged for ratios of observed and expected YLLs based on SDI. Communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional diseases caused the most YLLs throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with observed YLLs far exceeding expected YLLs for countries in which malaria or HIV/AIDS remained the leading causes of early death. Interpretation At the global scale, age-specific mortality has steadily improved over the past 35 years; this pattern of general progress continued in the past decade. Progress has been faster in most countries than expected on the basis of development measured by the SDI. Against this background of progress, some countries have seen falls in life expectancy, and age-standardised death rates for some causes are increasing. Despite progress in reducing age-standardised death rates, population growth and ageing mean that the number of deaths from most non-communicable causes are increasing in most countries, putting increased demands on health systems. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Measurement of the total cross section and ρ -parameter from elastic scattering in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

In a special run of the LHC with β⋆= 2.5 km, proton–proton elastic-scattering events were recorded at s=13 TeV with an integrated luminosity of 340μb-1 using the ALFA subdetector of ATLAS in 2016. The elastic cross section was measured differentially in the Mandelstam t variable in the range from - t= 2.5 · 10 - 4 GeV 2 to - t= 0.46 GeV 2 using 6.9 million elastic-scattering candidates. This paper presents measurements of the total cross section σtot , parameters of the nuclear slope, and the ρ -parameter defined as the ratio of the real part to the imaginary part of the elastic-scattering amplitude in the limit t→ 0 . These parameters are determined from a fit to the differential elastic cross section using the optical theorem and different parameterizations of the t-dependence. The results for σtot and ρ are σtot(pp→X)=104.7±1.1mb,ρ=0.098±0.011. The uncertainty in σtot is dominated by the luminosity measurement, and in ρ by imperfect knowledge of the detector alignment and by modelling of the nuclear amplitude