Leakage isolation using pressure sensitivity analysis in water distribution networks: Application to the Barcelona case study

Leaks are present to some extent in all water-distribution systems. This paper proposes a leakage localisation method based on the pressure measurements and pressure sensitivity analysis of nodes in a network. The sensitivity analysis using analytical tools is not a trivial job in a real network because the huge non-explicit non-línear systems of equation that describe its dynamics. Simulations of the network in presence and absence of leakage may provide an approximation of this sensitivity. This matrix is binarised using a threshold independent of the node. The binary matrix is assumed as a signature matrix for leakages. However, there is a trade-off between the resolution of the leakage isolation procedure and the number of available pressure sensors. In order to maximise the isolability with a reasonable number of sensors, an optimal sensor placement methodology, based on genetic algorithms, is also proposed. This methodology has been developed for Barcelona Network using Piccolo simulator. The sensor placement and the leakage detection and localization methodologies are applied to district management areas (DMA).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Uso sostenible del agua en la producción de cultivos ecológicos

Comunicación presentada al XXXVII Congreso Nacional de Riegos, celebrado en Don Benito del 4 al 6 de Junio de 2019 y organizada por la Asociación Española de Riegos y Drenajes y la Universidad de ExtremaduraDebido al exponencial crecimiento de la población mundial, la agricultura tendrá que asumir el reto de incrementar un 50% la producción de alimentos para el año 2050. En Andalucía, donde se prevé un escenario climático especialmente desfavorable, será imprescindible una buena gestión de los recursos, más aún en el sector de la producción ecológica donde tanto productores como consumidores están especialmente concienciados con el uso sostenible de los recursos empleados en el proceso de producción, siendo el uso del agua uno de los que más preocupa. De ahí la necesidad de implantar sistemas de riego de precisión que permitan un uso sostenible del agua y su posterior valoración mediante la Huella del agua, indicador estandarizado que permite además evaluar su trazabilidad. Para ello se han implantado ensayos en 4 cultivos ecológicos distintos donde se han instalado diferentes sensores para la monitorización del uso del agua que, junto con los datos de las estaciones agroclimáticas más cercanas, características hidráulicas de la red de riego, tipo de suelo y características de la plantación, permiten determinar las necesidades hídricas del cultivo y realizar una recomendación de riego diaria. Para facilitar la implantación del riego de precisión y asegurar la transferencia de esta tecnología, se creará una plataforma web y una aplicación móvil donde el agricultor tendrá acceso a la información registrada en campo y a la huella del agua de su producto calculada según la norma ISO14046

Why disease ecology needs life-history theory: a host perspective.

When facing an emerging infectious disease of conservation concern, we often have little information on the nature of the host-parasite interaction to inform management decisions. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the life-history strategies of host species can be predictive of individual- and population-level responses to infectious disease, even without detailed knowledge on the specifics of the host-parasite interaction. Here, we argue that a deeper integration of life-history theory into disease ecology is timely and necessary to improve our capacity to understand, predict and mitigate the impact of endemic and emerging infectious diseases in wild populations. Using wild vertebrates as an example, we show that host life-history characteristics influence host responses to parasitism at different levels of organisation, from individuals to communities. We also highlight knowledge gaps and future directions for the study of life-history and host responses to parasitism. We conclude by illustrating how this theoretical insight can inform the monitoring and control of infectious diseases in wildlife

Why disease ecology needs life-history theory: a host perspective

When facing an emerging infectious disease of conservation concern, we often have little information on the nature of the host-parasite interaction to inform management decisions. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the life-history strategies of host species can be predictive of individual- and population-level responses to infectious disease, even without detailed knowledge on the specifics of the host-parasite interaction. Here, we argue that a deeper integration of life-history theory into disease ecology is timely and necessary to improve our capacity to understand, predict and mitigate the impact of endemic and emerging infectious diseases in wild populations. Using wild vertebrates as an example, we show that host life-history characteristics influence host responses to parasitism at different levels of organisation, from individuals to communities. We also highlight knowledge gaps and future directions for the study of life-history and host responses to parasitism. We conclude by illustrating how this theoretical insight can inform the monitoring and control of infectious diseases in wildlife

Use of ICT to implement precision irrigation systems in woody crops

Debido al crecimiento exponencial de la población mundial, la agricultura tendrá que asumir el reto de incrementar hasta un 50% la producción de alimentos para el año 2050 para abastecer a dicha población. En Andalucía, donde se prevé un escenario climático muy desfavorable, será especialmente necesario optimizar la gestión de los recursos hídricos, cuya escasez se ha convertido en uno de los problemas ambientales globales más relevantes y complejos. Desde este punto de vista, la digitalización del sector agrícola a través de la implantación de tecnologías de vanguardia permite optimizar el uso del agua. La información recogida en el campo a través de sensores y transmitida mediante tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TICs) es clave para implantar sistemas de riego de precisión que permitan conocer con exactitud las necesidades de agua de los cultivos y aplicar la cantidad óptima de agua en el momento adecuado. El objetivo de este trabajo es implementar un sistema de riego de precisión en cultivos leñosos mediante el análisis e integración de los datos de sensores instalados en campo y datos climáticos. Para ello se han establecido parcelas piloto en la que se han instalado distintos sensores que controlan la aplicación de agua al cultivo: sondas de contenido volumétrico de humedad de suelo y contadores de riego. Cada parcela piloto cuenta con un contador de pulsos instalado en el ramal de riego y dos sensores de humedad instalados a distintas profundidades, dependiente del tipo de suelo y las características del cultivo. Se ha creado un modelo que analiza los datos que proporcionan sensores instalados en campo junto con información característica del cultivo (marco de plantación y diámetro de copa) e información climática, tanto histórica como predictiva (Red de Estaciones Agroclimáticas de la Junta de Andalucía, AEMET Open Data y eltiempo.es), para estimar la evapotranspiración del cultivo y la evolución de humedad en el suelo en los próximos 7 días. Para la programación de riego, el modelo usa como base la metodología de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para Agricultura y la Alimentación (FAO). Cuando el contenido de agua en el suelo es inferior al nivel de agotamiento permisible es necesario regar. Este balance de agua en el suelo se recalcula diariamente en función de los datos actualizados de las sondas de humedad de suelo y las predicciones climáticas. Estas predicciones, junto con información característica del sector y la red de riego (caudal nominal de los emisores, distancia entre emisores y superficie del sector de riego) y la información de dotación de agua de la campaña, servirán para proporcionar una programación de riego precisa para una semana

Advanced monitoring of an industrial process integrating several sources of information through a data warehouse

This paper presents a methodology and architecture for the advanced monitoring of an industrial process integrating several sources of information using a data warehouse (DW) that include as metadata datamart to cross technical ubications and equipments with the information given by the existing monitoring systems and the time dimension. The advanced monitoring includes functionalities that allow to diagnose faulty components and to prognose faulty situations when a problem occurs in the production process. A real car painting process is used for illustration purposes.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

XPO1 Gene Therapy Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction in Rats with Chronic Induced Myocardial Infarction

Transcriptomic signature of XPO1 was highly expressed and inversely related to left ventricular function in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients. We hypothesized that treatment with AAV9-shXPO1 attenuates left ventricular dysfunction and remodeling in a myocardial infarction rat model. We induced myocardial infarction by coronary ligation in Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 10), which received AAV9-shXPO1 (n = 5) or placebo AAV9-scramble (n = 5) treatment. Serial echocardiographic assessment was performed throughout the study. After myocardial infarction, AAV9-shXPO1-treated rats showed partial recovery of left ventricular fractional shortening (16.8 +/- 2.8 vs 24.6 +/- 4.1%, P < 0.05) and a maintained left ventricular dimension (6.17 +/- 0.95 vs 4.70 +/- 0.93 mm, P < 0.05), which was not observed in non-treated rats. Furthermore, lower levels of EXP-1 (P < 0.05) and lower collagen fibers and fibrosis in cardiac tissue were observed. However, no differences were found in the IL-6 or TNFR1 plasma levels of the myocardium of AAV9-shXPO1 rats. AAV9-shXPO1 administration attenuates cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in rats after myocardial infarction, producing the gene silencing of XPO1

A mitochondria-targeted mass spectrometry probe to detect glyoxals: implications for diabetes

The glycation of protein and nucleic acids that occurs as a consequence of hyperglycaemia disrupts cell function and contributes to many pathologies, including those associated with diabetes and aging. Intracellular glycation occurs following the generation of the reactive 1,2-dicarbonyls methylglyoxal and glyoxal and disruption to mitochondrial function is associated with hyperglycemia. However, the contribution of these reactive dicarbonyls to mitochondrial damage in pathology is unclear due to uncertainties about their levels within mitochondria in cells and in vivo. To address this we have developed a mitochondria-targeted reagent (MitoG) designed to assess the levels of mitochondrial dicarbonyls within cells. MitoG comprises a lipophilic triphenylphosphonium cationic function, which directs the molecules to mitochondria within cells and an o-phenylenediamine moiety that reacts with dicarbonyls to give distinctive and stable products. The extent of accumulation of these diagnostic heterocyclic products can be readily and sensitively quantified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), enabling changes to be determined. Using the MitoG-based analysis we assessed the formation of methylglyoxal and glyoxal in response to hyperglycaemia in cells in culture and in the Akita mouse model of diabetes in vivo. These findings indicated that the levels of methylglyoxal and glyoxal within mitochondria increase during hyperglycaemia in both cells and in vivo, suggesting that they can contribute to the pathological mitochondrial dysfunction that occurs in diabetes and aging

A new regulatory mechanism of protein phosphatase 2A activity via SET in acute myeloid leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy. Although novel emerging drugs are available, the overall prognosis remains poor and new therapeutic approaches are required. PP2A phosphatase is a key regulator of cell homeostasis and is recurrently inactivated in AML. The anticancer activity of several PP2A-activating drugs (e.g., FTY720) depends on their interaction with the SET oncoprotein, an endogenous PP2A inhibitor that is overexpressed in 30% of AML cases. Elucidation of SET regulatory mechanisms may therefore provide novel targeted therapies for SET-overexpressing AMLs. Here, we show that upregulation of protein kinase p38 beta is a common event in AML. We provide evidence that p38 beta potentiates SET-mediated PP2A inactivation by two mechanisms: facilitating SET cytoplasmic translocation through CK2 phosphorylation, and directly binding to and stabilizing the SET protein. We demonstrate the importance of this new regulatory mechanism in primary AML cells from patients and in zebrafish xenograft models. Accordingly, combination of the CK2 inhibitor CX-4945, which retains SET in the nucleus, and FTY720, which disrupts the SET-PP2A binding in the cytoplasm, significantly reduces the viability and migration of AML cells. In conclusion, we show that the p38 beta/CK2/SET axis represents a new potential therapeutic pathway in AML patients with SET-dependent PP2A inactivation