A pluridisciplinary methodology for intregrated management of coastal aquifer - Geological, hydrogeological and economic studies of the Roussillon aquifer (Pyrénées-Orientales, France)

In order to study Mediterranean coastal water management, a pluridisciplinarity approach is developed. Reservoir geology and some of its tools, used in oil prospecting, are applied to build a detailed sedimentary model. The analysis of depositional environments and sedimentary process allows the correlation of pre-existing data (outcrop, borehole, and seismic profile) using Genetic stratigraphy (onshore domain) and seismic stratigraphy (offshore domain). The interpretation results in a better knowledge of the sedimentary geometries following correlations between onshore and offshore domains. It is thus possible to differentiate the coastal groundwater aquifers precisely and to establish their relative connections. At the same time, hydrogeological investigations such as hydrochemistry and geophysical prospecting allow us to elaborate the hydrogeological conceptual model of the case studies. Variable-density flow and solute transport simulations constitute the hydrogeological work. Experimental economy constitutes the third part of this integrated methodology. It assesses the effectiveness of institutional arrangements to cope with aquifer overexploitation. Feed-back from these three fields of research will also authenticate our methodology. This approach applied on Roussillon basin (South-west of French Mediterranean coastline) could be exported to many other coastal area

Uma revisão da literatura Sobre Técnicas de Inteligência Artificial Aplicadas a Redes Inteligentes de Autocura/ A Review of Literature on Artificial Intelligence Techniques Applied to Self-Healing Smart Grids

The development of self-healing in smart grids is an attractive research topic. The application of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for this purpose has been studied recently, and works published in this area show the effectiveness of AI. This article's purpose is to conduct a literature review of research articles published in recent years between 2014 and 2019, with the main theme related directly to self-healing and AI. Compared to the total number of articles published in smart grids, there is a small number of papers with this specific theme, mostly concentrated in Multi-Agent System (MAS). Performing an attribute agreement analysis, it is possible to look for relations between common characteristics of the articles and the chosen AI technique option. The methodology is applicable for educational and research purposes to facilitate the learning and investigation process.

On the phase transitions of graph coloring and independent sets

We study combinatorial indicators related to the characteristic phase transitions associated with coloring a graph optimally and finding a maximum independent set. In particular, we investigate the role of the acyclic orientations of the graph in the hardness of finding the graph's chromatic number and independence number. We provide empirical evidence that, along a sequence of increasingly denser random graphs, the fraction of acyclic orientations that are `shortest' peaks when the chromatic number increases, and that such maxima tend to coincide with locally easiest instances of the problem. Similar evidence is provided concerning the `widest' acyclic orientations and the independence number

Jaws, the Educator

Final report and prototype photo for Project 03 of ME450, Fall 2009 semester.The goal of this project is to produce a larger-than-life sized model of the human jaw for educational use in dental schools and offices. Emphasis is placed on accurate biomechanical motion, rather than anatomic fidelity.Geoffrey Gerstner (Biologic and Materials Sciences, U of M)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86197/1/ME450 Fall2009 Final Report - Project 03 - Jaws, the Educator.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86197/2/ME450 Fall2009 Prototype Photo - Project 03 - Jaws, the Educator.JP

Network conduciveness with application to the graph-coloring and independent-set optimization transitions

We introduce the notion of a network's conduciveness, a probabilistically interpretable measure of how the network's structure allows it to be conducive to roaming agents, in certain conditions, from one portion of the network to another. We exemplify its use through an application to the two problems in combinatorial optimization that, given an undirected graph, ask that its so-called chromatic and independence numbers be found. Though NP-hard, when solved on sequences of expanding random graphs there appear marked transitions at which optimal solutions can be obtained substantially more easily than right before them. We demonstrate that these phenomena can be understood by resorting to the network that represents the solution space of the problems for each graph and examining its conduciveness between the non-optimal solutions and the optimal ones. At the said transitions, this network becomes strikingly more conducive in the direction of the optimal solutions than it was just before them, while at the same time becoming less conducive in the opposite direction. We believe that, besides becoming useful also in other areas in which network theory has a role to play, network conduciveness may become instrumental in helping clarify further issues related to NP-hardness that remain poorly understood

G-CSF Prevents the Progression of Structural Disintegration of White Matter Tracts in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Pilot Trial

Background: The hematopoietic protein Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) has neuroprotective and regenerative properties. The G-CSF receptor is expressed by motoneurons, and G-CSF protects cultured motoneuronal cells from apoptosis. It therefore appears as an attractive and feasible drug candidate for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The current pilot study was performed to determine whether treatment with G-CSF in ALS patients is feasible.Methods: Ten patients with definite ALS were entered into a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Patients received either 10 mu g/kg BW G-CSF or placebo subcutaneously for the first 10 days and from day 20 to 25 of the study. Clinical outcome was assessed by changes in the ALS functional rating scale (ALSFRS), a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery, and by examining hand activities of daily living over the course of the study (100 days). The total number of adverse events (AE) and treatment-related AEs, discontinuation due to treatment-related AEs, laboratory parameters including leukocyte, erythrocyte, and platelet count, as well as vital signs were examined as safety endpoints. Furthermore, we explored potential effects of G-CSF on structural cerebral abnormalities on the basis of voxel-wise statistics of Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), brain volumetry, and voxel-based morphometry.Results: Treatment was well-tolerated. No significant differences were found between groups in clinical tests and brain volumetry from baseline to day 100. However, DTI analysis revealed significant reductions of fractional anisotropy (FA) encompassing diffuse areas of the brain when patients were compared to controls. On longitudinal analysis, the placebo group showed significant greater and more widespread decline in FA than the ALS patients treated with G-CSF.Conclusions: Subcutaneous G-CSF treatment in ALS patients appears as feasible approach. Although exploratory analysis of clinical data showed no significant effect, DTI measurements suggest that the widespread and progressive microstructural neural damage in ALS can be modulated by G-CSF treatment. These findings may carry significant implications for further clinical trials on ALS using growth factors