Analysing Edge Computing Devices for the Deployment of Embedded AI

In recent years, more and more devices are connected to the network, generating an overwhelming amount of data. This term that is booming today is known as the Internet of Things. In order to deal with these data close to the source, the term Edge Computing arises. The main objective is to address the limitations of cloud processing and satisfy the growing demand for applications and services that require low latency, greater efficiency and real-time response capabilities. Furthermore, it is essential to underscore the intrinsic connection between artificial intelligence and edge computing within the context of our study. This integral relationship not only addresses the challenges posed by data proliferation but also propels a transformative wave of innovation, shaping a new era of data processing capabilities at the network’s edge. Edge devices can perform real-time data analysis and make autonomous decisions without relying on constant connectivity to the cloud. This article aims at analysing and comparing Edge Computing devices when artificial intelligence algorithms are deployed on them. To this end, a detailed experiment involving various edge devices, models and metrics is conducted. In addition, we will observe how artificial intelligence accelerators such as Tensor Processing Unit behave. This analysis seeks to respond to the choice of a device that best suits the necessary AI requirements. As a summary, in general terms, the Jetson Nano provides the best performance when only CPU is used. Nevertheless the utilisation of a TPU drastically enhances the results.This work was partially financed by the Basque Government through their Elkartek program (SONETO project, ref. KK-2023/00038)

Potencial del Gas de Lutita (Shale gas)en el norte de España en el tránsito a energíascon menor huella de carbono

El cambio del paradigma energético a fuentes con menor huella de carbono, así como el desarrollo de las tecnologías y técnicas para su extracción, han colocado al gas de lutita en el punto de mira como recurso menos contaminante, abundante en el norte de España, y capaz de suplir en gran medida las necesidades actuales de abastecimiento energético que requiere el país. Sin embargo, existe una importante carencia de información integrada sobre el tema, con respecto a lo geológico, lo económico, lo ambiental y lo social. Como consecuencia de todo ello, se ha desarrollado una fuerte oposición pública que ha paralizado la exploración y la posible explotación de dicho recurso. Los cambios que exige el futuro en la búsqueda de fuentes de energía menos contaminantes y la necesidad de adquirir una posición estratégica en el sector energético, hacenineludible permitir la investigación y exploración de este recurso en España. Por ello, este trabajo pretende mostrar el panorama actual que rodea al gas natural en un contexto de “tránsito” a energías menos agresivas con el medio ambiente, cómo se realiza su extracción (gas de lutita) y, como debería llevarse a cabo en España con los problemas que ello conllevaría, así como analizar la respuesta y preocupación de la ciudadanía frente a el desarrollo de esta tecnología

Oil Production by Pyrolysis of Real Plastic Waste

The aim of this paper is for the production of oils processed in refineries to come from the pyrolysis of real waste from the high plastic content rejected by the recycling industry of the Basque Country (Spain). Concretely, the rejected waste streams were collected from (1) a light packaging waste sorting plant, (2) the paper recycling industry, and (3) a waste treatment plant of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The influence of pre-treatments (mechanical separation operations) and temperature on the yield and quality of the liquid fraction were evaluated. In order to study the pre-treatment effect, the samples were pyrolyzed at 460 °C for 1 h. As pre-treatments concentrate on the suitable fraction for pyrolysis and reduce the undesirable materials (metals, PVC, PET, inorganics, cellulosic materials), they improve the yield to liquid products and considerably reduce the halogen content. The sample with the highest polyolefin content achieved the highest liquid yield (70.6 wt.% at 460 °C) and the lowest chlorine content (160 ppm) among the investigated samples and, therefore, was the most suitable liquid to use as refinery feedstock. The effect of temperature on the pyrolysis of this sample was studied in the range of 430–490 °C. As the temperature increased the liquid yield increased and solid yield decreased, indicating that the conversion was maximized. At 490 °C, the pyrolysis oil with the highest calorific value (44.3 MJ kg−1) and paraffinic content (65% area), the lowest chlorine content (128 ppm) and more than 50 wt.% of diesel was obtained.This research was funded by the Basque Government through the project with reference KK-2020/00107 (ELKARTEK program) and through the support of the SUPREN group (GIC10/31, GIC15/13, S-PE13UN126 (SAI13/190))

Estado del conocimiento en la explotación del Gas de Lutita (Shale Gas) y su potencial geológico en el Norte de España

El cambio del paradigma energético a fuentes con menor huella de carbono, así como el desarrollo de las tecnologías y técnicas de extracción, han colocado al gas de lutita en el punto de mira como recurso menos contaminante, abundante en el norte de España, y capaz de suplir en gran medida las necesidades actuales de abastecimiento energético que requiere el país. Sin embargo, existe una importante carencia de información integrada sobre el tema, con respecto a lo geológico, lo económico, lo ambiental y lo social, y como consecuencia de ello, se ha desarrollado una fuerte oposición pública que ha paralizado la exploración y la posible explotación de dicho recurso. Para formar parte del progreso, es necesario comenzar permitiendo la investigación y exploración de este recurso en España. Por ello, este artículo pretende mostrar el panorama actual que rodea al gas natural en un contexto transitorio a energías menos agresivas con el medio ambiente, cómo funciona la extracción de dicha fuente (gas de lutita), y como debería llevarse a cabo en España con los problemas que ello conllevaría, así como analizar la respuesta y preocupación de la ciudadanía frente a este desarrollo

Analysis of the effect of the “double insularity” condition on the equity in the utilisation of public health care services: the case of the Canary Islands

El objetivo de esta investigación consiste en analizar si la condición de “doble insularidad”, es decir, de residir en una de las cinco islas pequeñas no capitalinas de Canarias, afecta a la equidad en la utilización de los distintos servicios sanitarios pú- blicos. Con base en los datos individuales de la Encuesta de Salud de Canarias 2004 con 4.320 participantes, se estimó un modelo binomial negativo inflado de ceros (ZINB) para cada uno de los cuatro servicios estudiados (servicios de medicina general, de especialista, de urgencias y hospitalizaciones), controlando por el área de residencia y también por la necesidad sanitaria y por características demográficas y socioeconómicas medidas a nivel individual. Los resultados evidencian que, en general, la condición de “doble insularidad” representa una limitación en la utilización de servicios sanitarios públicos, perjudicando a los registrados en las islas no capitalinas.The aim of this paper is to test whether the condition of “double insularity”, -i.e. being resident in one of the five small islands of the seven Canary Islands- has any effect on equity in the utilisation of public health care services. Data on 4.320 participants from the 2004 Canary Health Survey were considered for this analysis. A zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) model was estimated for each of the four health services analysed (general practice services, specialist services, emergency services and hospitalisations), controlling for area of residence, for health care need and for socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, measured at the individual level. The results show evidence that, in general, the “double insularity” condition represents a limitation in the utilisation of public health care services, therefore to the detriment of the residents in the small islands

Exploring genetic factors involved in huntington disease age of onset. E2F2 as a new potential modifier gene

Age of onset (AO) of Huntington disease (HD) is mainly determined by the length of the CAG repeat expansion (CAGexp) in exon 1 of the HTT gene. Additional genetic variation has been suggested to contribute to AO, although the mechanism by which it could affect AO is presently unknown. The aim of this study is to explore the contribution of candidate genetic factors to HD AO in order to gain insight into the pathogenic mechanisms underlying this disorder. For that purpose, two AO definitions were used: the earliest age with unequivocal signs of HD (earliest AO or eAO), and the first motor symptoms age (motor AO or mAO). Multiple linear regression analyses were performed between genetic variation within 20 candidate genes and eAO or mAO, using DNA and clinical information of 253 HD patients from REGISTRY project. Gene expression analyses were carried out by RT-qPCR with an independent sample of 35 HD patients from Basque Country Hospitals. We found suggestive association signals between HD eAO and/or mAO and genetic variation within the E2F2, ATF7IP, GRIN2A, GRIN2B, LINC01559, HIP1 and GRIK2 genes. Among them, the most significant was the association between eAO and rs2742976, mapping to the promoter region of E2F2 transcription factor. Furthermore, rs2742976 T allele patient carriers exhibited significantly lower lymphocyte E2F2 gene expression, suggesting a possible implication of E2F2-dependent transcriptional activity in HD pathogenesis. Thus, E2F2 emerges as a new potential HD AO modifier factor

An interdisciplinary design of an interactive cultural heritage visit for in-situ, mixed reality and affective experiences

Interactive technologies, such as mixed-reality and natural interactions with avatars, can enhance cultural heritage and the experience of visiting a museum. In this paper, we present the design rationale of an interactive experience for a cultural heritage place in the church of Roncesvalles at the beginning of Camino de Santiago. We followed a participatory design with a multidisciplinary team which resulted in the design of a spatial augmented reality system that employs 3D projection mapping and a conversational agent acting as the storyteller. Multiple features were identified as desirable for an interactive experience: interdisciplinary design team; in-situ; mixed reality; interactive digital storytelling; avatar; tangible objects; gestures; emotions and groups. The findings from a workshop are presented for guiding other interactive cultural heritage experiences. © 2022 by the authors.This research was funded by the R & D projects of the Government of Navarra under grant agreement No 0011-1365-2021-000063

Assessment of a surface-active ionic liquid formulation for EOR applications: Experimental and simulation studies

This study aims to assess a surfactant blend for enhanced oil recovery from carbonate rocks. Due to the abundance of these reservoirs, their profitable exploitation would ensure our petrochemical needs are met, and maintain current quality of life. The objective of this work is to increase the technology readiness level of our previous proposal based on the use of a blend of pure sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate and the surface-active ionic liquid cocosalkylpentaethoximethyl ammonium methylsulfate. To that aim, the method was adapted for its application with a commercially available petrochemical surfactant (RECOLAS103, a mixture of lineal alkyl benzene sulfonates), and reservoir simulations were carried out to evaluate its effectiveness. Phase behavior, stability, dynamic interfacial tension, adsorption and core flooding were the experimental tests carried out. An optimized formulation consisting of 1 wt% of blend (40 wt% RECOLAS103) in synthetic sea water was found stable and able to reduce water-oil interfacial tension down to 0.02 mN/m. The dynamic blend adsorption in carbonate rocks was found to be 0.60 mg/grock, a promising value for the application. Core flooding tests were conducted at 25 and 120 °C and additional oil recoveries achieved ranged from 10.2 to 12.7% of the original oil in place, the lowest production obtained at the highest temperature. This work offers an advance in the application of surfactants for EOR in carbonate reservoirs, since it improves previous proposals that show stability or high adsorption problems. Moreover, a chemical injection optimization was also carried out by simulation with the CMG-STARS software. Results point to the possibility of reaching higher oil recoveries than those obtained experimentally if the extraction method is optimizedS

Impact of the home confinement related to covid-19 on the device-assessed physical activity and sedentary aatterns of spanish older adults

The main objective of this study was to device-assess the levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour patterns of older adults during the situation prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, home confinement, and phase-0 of the deescalation. We also aimed to analyse the effectiveness of an unsupervised home-based exercise routine to counteract the potential increase in sedentary behaviour during the periods within the pandemic. A total of 18 noninstitutionalized older adults(78:4 ± 6:0 y.), members of the Spanish cohort of the EXERNET-Elder 3.0 project, participated in the study. They were recommended to perform an exercise prescription based on resistance, balance, and aerobic exercises during the pandemic. Wrist triaxial accelerometers (ActiGraph GT9X) were used to assess the percentage of sedentary time, physical activity, sedentary bouts and breaks of sedentary time. An ANOVA for repeated measures was performed to analyse the differences between the three different periods. During home quarantine, older adults spent more time in sedentary behaviours (71:6 ± 5:3%) in comparison with either the situation prior to the pandemic (65:5 ± 6:7%) or the ending of isolation (67:7 ± 7:1%) (all p < 0:05). Moreover, participants performed less bouts of physical activity and with a shorter duration during home quarantine (both p < 0:05). Additionally, no differences in the physical activity behaviours were found between the situation prior to the pandemic and the phase-0 of deescalation. According to our results, the home confinement could negatively affect health due to increased sedentary lifestyle and the reduction of physical activity. Therefore, our unsupervised exercise program does not seem to be a completely effective strategy at least in this period