A Wireless Sensor Network for Vineyard Monitoring That Uses Image Processing

The first step to detect when a vineyard has any type of deficiency, pest or disease is to observe its stems, its grapes and/or its leaves. To place a sensor in each leaf of every vineyard is obviously not feasible in terms of cost and deployment. We should thus look for new methods to detect these symptoms precisely and economically. In this paper, we present a wireless sensor network where each sensor node takes images from the field and internally uses image processing techniques to detect any unusual status in the leaves. This symptom could be caused by a deficiency, pest, disease or other harmful agent. When it is detected, the sensor node sends a message to a sink node through the wireless sensor network in order to notify the problem to the farmer. The wireless sensor uses the IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n standard, which allows connections from large distances in open air. This paper describes the wireless sensor network design, the wireless sensor deployment, how the node processes the images in order to monitor the vineyard, and the sensor network traffic obtained from a test bed performed in a flat vineyard in Spain. Although the system is not able to distinguish between deficiency, pest, disease or other harmful agents, a symptoms image database and a neuronal network could be added in order learn from the experience and provide an accurate problem diagnosis

An Intelligent Algorithm for Resource Sharing and Self-Management of Wireless-IoT-Gateway

[EN] Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly gaining momentum in the scenario of telecommunications. Conventional networks allow for interactivity and data exchange, but these networks have not been designed for the new features and functions of IoT devices. In this paper, an algorithm is proposed to share common recourse among Things, that is, between different types of smart appliances. This proposal is based on an IoT network with centralized management architecture, controlled by an Artificial Intelligence (AI). The AI controller uses an algorithm which based on machine learning techniques, collecting information on the network through an information protocol. Every smart thing that connects to the network is announces through a protocol message called Function and Service Discovery Protocol (DFSP) over the queued message telemetry transport protocol (MQTT). The proposed algorithm is responsible for discovering and allocating resources in the networks. As a result, using our proposed algorithm in communication system provides the outperform efficiency and availability than that used in conventional communication systems for the integrate IoT devices.This work was supported in part by the "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad'', through the "Convocatoria 2014 Proyectos I+D - Programa Estatal de Investigacion Cientica y Tecnica de Excelencia'' in the "Subprograma Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento'', under Grant TIN2014-57991-C3-1-P and through the "Convocatoria 2017 -Proyectos I+D+I -Programa Estatal de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Innovacion, convocatoria excelencia'' under Grant TIN2017-84802-C2-1-PGonzalez Ramirez, PL.; Taha, M.; Lloret, J.; Tomás Gironés, J. (2019). An Intelligent Algorithm for Resource Sharing and Self-Management of Wireless-IoT-Gateway. IEEE Access. 8:3159-3170. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2960508S31593170

Artificial intelligent system for multimedia services in smart home environments

[EN] Internet of Things (IoT) has introduced new applications and environments. Smart Home provides new ways of communication and service consumption. In addition, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deep learning have improved different services and tasks by automatizing them. In this field, reinforcement learning (RL) provides an unsupervised way to learn from the environment. In this paper, a new intelligent system based on RL and deep learning is proposed for Smart Home environments to guarantee good levels of QoE, focused on multimedia services. This system is aimed to reduce the impact on user experience when the classifying system achieves a low accuracy. The experiments performed show that the deep learning model proposed achieves better accuracy than the KNN algorithm and that the RL system increases the QoE of the user up to 3.8 on a scale of 10.This work has been partially supported by the "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad" in the "Programa Estatal de Fomento de la Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnica de Excelencia, Subprograma Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento" within the project under Grant TIN2017-84802-C2-1-P. This work has also been partially founded by the Universitat Polite`cnica de Vale`ncia through the postdoctoral PAID-10-20 program.Rego Mañez, A.; Gonzalez Ramirez, PL.; Jimenez, JM.; Lloret, J. (2022). Artificial intelligent system for multimedia services in smart home environments. Cluster Computing. 25(3):2085-2105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10586-021-03350-zS2085210525

TEM study of defects versus growth orientations in heavily boron-doped diamond

International audienceHeavy boron-doping layer in diamond can be responsible for the generation of extended defects during the growth processes (Blank et al., Diam. Relat. Mater. 17, 1840 (2008) [1]). As claimed recently (Alegre et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 173103 (2014) [2]), boron pair interactions rather than strain-related misfit seems to be responsible for such dislocation generation. In the present work, electron microscopy observations are used to study the defects induced by heavy boron doping in different growth plane orientations. Facets of pyramidal Hillocks (PHs) and pits provide access to non-conventional growth orientations where boron atoms incorporation is different during growth. TEM analysis on FIB prepared lamellas confirm that also for those growth orientations, the generation of dislocations occurs within the heavily boron-doped diamond layers. Stacking faults (SFs) have been also observed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM). From the invisibility criteria, using weak beam (WB) observation, ½ [1-10] and 1/6 [11-2], Burger vectors have been identified. Their generation behavior confirms the mechanism reported by Alegre et al. where local in-plane strain effects induced at the growing surface of the diamond lattice by the neighboring of several boron atoms cause the generation of such extended defects

Role of geographical provenance in the response of silver fir seedlings to experimental warming and drought

Changes in climate can alter the distribution and population dynamics of tree species by altering their recruitment patterns, especially at range edges. However, geographical patterns of genetic diversity could buffer the negative consequences of changing climate at rear range edges where populations might also harbour individuals with drought-adapted genotypes. Silver fir (Abies alba) reaches its south-western distribution limit in the Spanish Pyrenees, where recent climatic dieback events have disproportionately affected westernmost populations. We hypothesised that silver fir populations from the eastern Pyrenees are less vulnerable to the expected changing climate due to the inclusion of drought-resistant genotypes. We performed an experiment under strictly-controlled conditions simulating projected warming and drought compared with current conditions and analysed physiology, growth and survival of silver fir seedlings collected from eastern and western Pyrenean populations. Genetic analyses separated eastern and western provenances in two different lineages. Climate treatments affected seedling morphology and survival of both lineages in an overall similar way: elevated drought diminished survival and induced a higher biomass allocation to roots. Increased temperature and drought provoked more negative stem water potentials and increased δ13C ratios in leaves. Warming reduced nitrogen concentration and increased soluble sugar content in leaves, whereas drought increased nitrogen concentration. Lineage affected these physiological parameters, with western seedlings being more sensitive to warming and drought increase in terms of δ13C, nitrogen and content of soluble sugars. Our results demonstrate that, in Abies alba, differences in the physiological response of this species to drought are also associated with differences in biogeographical history

Determinación reciente de la colesterolemia en población adulta sana de Pamplona

RESUMEN: Objetivo: Los objetivos del estudio fueron estimar la proporción de la población adulta sana de Pamplona que había determinado recientemente su colesterolemia e identificar los factores asociados a esta determinación. Métodos: Estudio transversal con entrevista personal a 1066 habitantes de Pamplona seleccionados por muestreo de rutas aleatorias. Se estratificó la ciudad en tres áreas urbanas según el nivel socioeconómico (alto, medio, bajo). La participación fue de un 91,8%. Utilizando como variable dependiente la determinación del colesterol total en los últimos 5 años, y como variables independientes la edad, el sexo, el nivel socioeconómico y el hábito tabáquico, se calcularon las odds ratios (OR) univariantes y se ajustó un modelo de regresión logística. Resultados: El 71,2% de la muestra estudiada (IC 95%: 68,3-74,O) se había determinado el colesterol en los últimos cinco años. Los no fumadores conocían más su colesterolemia que los fumadores con una OR ajustada de 1,38 (IC 95%: 1 ,O-1,9); los hombres lo conocían más que las mujeres (OR ajustada de 1,5; IC 95% 1,l-2,O). El conocimiento era menos frecuente en el grupo de edad 30 años. La determinación de la colesterolemia se daba más en los individuos de nivel socioeconómico medio y alto (OR ajustadas 3,2; IC 95% 2,2-4,7 y 1,6; IC 95% 1,l-2,3), respectivamente. Conclusiones: La determinación reciente del colesterol era más frecuente en individuos de mayor edad y en varones. La determinación de la colesterolemia era menos frecuente en algunos grupos con peor perfil de riesgo coronario (menor nivel socioeconómico y fumadores). Estos resultados sugieren la necesidad de intervenciones para mejorar el conocimientoy control de la colesterolemia en adultos sanos

The Relationship between PM2.5 and Health Vulnerability in Argentina in 2010

This study aimed to further explore the concept of health vulnerability in Argentina, including environmental pollution in 2010. To this end, we developed a geo-referenced database of PM2.5 concentrations and emissions data from the national emissions inventory to analyze possible correlations with the demographic, activity, education, and health data from the 2010 national census. In addition, to provide a more complete picture of health vulnerability in Argentina, an extended index (SVI + PM2.5) was constructed and mapped, including PM concentration. We obtained data for annual PM2.5 values emissions and air concentrations in Argentina from public sources (GEEA-AEIv3.0M for emissions and the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group V5.GL.03 dataset for surface PM2.5). We evaluated health vulnerability using the “Sanitary Vulnerability Index” (SVI). PM2.5 emissions are concentrated in urban and intensive agricultural areas of Argentina. PM2.5 air concentrations were acceptable (≤10 µg/m3) in only 15% of the Argentinean territory. The newly developed SVI + PM2.5 index showed that exposure to particulate material significantly increases the vulnerability shown by SVI in almost all census blocks. These results indicate that the new SVI + PM2.5 index might help identify populations that are at risk because of social issues or air pollution.Fil: Bullo, Manuela. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Lakkis, Gabriela. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; Argentina. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional; ArgentinaFil: Pustilnik, Martin. Universidad Nacional de Hurlingham; ArgentinaFil: Bonfiglio, Juan Ignacio. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Di Pasquale, Ricardo. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez, Luciana Marisol. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Gonzalez Alemán, Gabriela. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Lamas, María Cristina. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; ArgentinaFil: Salvia, Hector Agustin. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Langsam, Martín. No especifíca;Fil: Olego, Tomás Alberto. No especifíca;Fil: Starosta, Valentín. No especifíca;Fil: Perez Lloret, Santiago. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Design and implementation of a prototype of the entity Control Element (CE) of the Architecture ForCES

[EN] This paper presents the designed an implementation of a prototype with the Forwarding and Control Element Separation (ForCES) Architecture. That is to say, which allows each of the elements to be improved separately and then interconnected through the ForCES protocol, even in remote locations. The Control Element (CE) is the logical entity that is part of the control plane and is responsible for managing Forwarding Elements (FE) of the data plane. The ForCES architecture allows you to see these two elements (the CE and the FE through the ForCES protocol) as a single Network Element (NE), even if they are located in remote sites each. To demonstrate this principle, a network testbed scenario was implemented, based on two Local Area Networks (LAN). The LAN 1, for the CEs and the LAN 2 for the FEs, once communicated through the ForCES protocol, the different LFBs configurations of the ARP, SNMP, RIP protocols were used to demonstrate their operation.Martínez Cordero, S.; Gonzalez Ramirez, PL.; Lloret, J.; Trujillo Arboleda, LC. (2017). Design and implementation of a prototype of the entity Control Element (CE) of the Architecture ForCES. Network Protocols and Algorithms. 9(3-4):1-30. https://doi.org/10.5296/npa.v9i3-4.12433S13093-

Design and Implementation of ForCES Protocol

[EN] This paper proposes the design and implementation of the ForCES protocol, specifically FP logical point of the ForCES architecture, which is strictly the communication between the CE (Control Element) and the FE (Forwarding Element). It is a flexible and reprogrammable architecture that is established within the specifications issued and defined by the ForCES working group, and consists of elaboration of a protocol that carries information between both elements. In order to comprobate the correct functioning of the implemented the ForCES protocol, is we provide a network testbed scenario, which consist an application client-server. Each device has equipped with the application which based on Java language, that allows the researcher to be able to compare the typical functionality of a conventional router with a router based in architecture ForCES. It allows taking advantage of the benefits of this architecture to reprogram different and new functionalities.Gonzalez Ramirez, PL.; Lloret, J.; Martínez Cordero, S.; Trujillo Arboleda, LC. (2017). Design and Implementation of ForCES Protocol. Network Protocols and Algorithms. 9(1-2):1-27. https://doi.org/10.5296/npa.v9i1-2.10943S12791-

Systematic review of the safety and efficacy of foam sclerotherapy for venous disease of the lower limbs

Background: Foam sclerotherapy is a potential treatment for lower limb venous disease. Methods: A systematic review, with no restriction on study design, to assess the safety and efficacy of foam sclerotherapy. Results: 69 studies were included. For serious adverse events including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, the median event rates were less than 1%. Median rate for visual disturbance was 1.4%. Median rates for some other adverse events were more common, including headache (4.2%), thrombophlebitis (4.7%), matting/skin staining/pigmentation (17.8%) and pain at the site of injection (25.6%). Median rate for complete occlusion of treated veins was 87.0% and for recurrence or development of new veins was 8.1%. Evidence from meta-analysis for complete occlusion suggests that foam sclerotherapy is associated with a lower rate compared with surgery (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.10) and a higher rate compared with liquid sclerotherapy (RR 1.39, 95% CI 0.91 to 2.11). However, there was substantial heterogeneity across the studies in the meta-analysis. Conclusion: Serious adverse events were rare. There is insufficient evidence to reliably compare the effectiveness of foam sclerotherapy with other minimally invasive therapies or surgery. Evidence from high quality randomised controlled trials is required.This manuscript is based on a systematic review commissioned and funded by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) through its Interventional Procedures Programme. The Health Services Research Unit is supported by a core grant from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Executive Health Department