Commercial aircraft trajectory optimization using optimal control

The actual air traffic system, based on way points, airways and procedures, is evolving to a new paradigm. This new system will be based on a greater freedom for the airlines to plan their own trajectories allowing more efficient flights. Progresses in this field will bring reduction in fuel consumption with, not only the corresponding economical savings, but also important improvements against environmental impact. In order to compute the optimal trajectory, a typical approach is using optimal control theories. The main goal of this project is the optimization of commercial aircraft trajectories using optimal control. Different methods can be applied to solve the optimal control problem and some of them have been used with positive results in flight optimization. In this analysis, it has been applied Legendre pseudospectral method to discretize the problem which has not been so widely used, but has interesting properties as its fast rate of convergence. The problem definition is joined to a flight plan model which must include multiple elements involved in a flight. Among these elements it must be considered appropriate approaches to the motion of the aircraft with different aerodynamic configurations, the atmosphere, the wind and the corresponding restrictions arising from flight envelope, operational departure and approaching procedures and waypoints. The discretization of the model using Legendre pseudospectral method converts the infinite-dimensional problem into a finite-dimensional one. This allows the transformation into a Non-Linear Programming (NLP) problem which has been solved iteratively from a starting guess using specific software: AMPL and IPOPT. By mean of three introductory problems, the methods have been proved. Finally a particular case study which consists in a realistic fuel-optimizing flight from Madrid Barajas to Berlin Schöenefeld has been implemented and the results have been analysed.Ingeniería Aeroespacia

A dynamic trading rule based on filtered flag pattern recognition for stock market price forecasting

[EN] In this paper we propose and validate a trading rule based on flag pattern recognition, incorporating im- portant innovations with respect to the previous research. Firstly, we propose a dynamic window scheme that allows the stop loss and take profit to be updated on a quarterly basis. In addition, since the flag pat- tern is a trend-following pattern, we have added the EMA indicator to filter trades. This technical analysis indicator is calculated both for 15-min and 1-day timeframes, which enables short and medium terms to be considered simultaneously. We also filter the flags according to the price range on which they are de- veloped and have limited the maximum loss of each trade to 100 points. The proposed methodology was applied to 91,309 intraday observations of the DJIA index, considerably improving the results obtained in the previous proposals and those obtained by the buy & hold strategy, both for profitability and risk, and also after taking into account the transaction costs. These results seem to challenge market efficiency in line with other similar studies, in the specific analysis carried out on the DJIA index and is also limited to the setup considered.The fourth author of this work was partially supported by MINECO, Project MTM2016-75963-P.Arévalo, R.; García, J.; Guijarro, F.; Peris Manguillot, A. (2017). A dynamic trading rule based on filtered flag pattern recognition for stock market price forecasting. Expert Systems with Applications. 81:177-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2017.03.0281771928

The effect of green strategies and eco-innovation on Mexican automotive industry sustainable and financial performance: Sustainable supply chains as a mediating variable

This work focuses on the study of how green strategies (GBS) and eco-innovation (EI) contribute to increasing sustainable and financial performance in the context of the Mexican manufacturing industry, and whether these relationships are mediated by the practices involved in sustainable supply chains (SSCs). This analysis is carried out through an empirical study of a sample of 460 companies in the automotive industry. The results reveal direct positive effects of GBS and EI on performance both, ustainable and financial. In spite of the key role played by SSC, this variable only exerts a mediating effect on the sustainable performance. Nevertheless, although the significant direct effect of sustainable supply chains on financial performance is not verified, there is an indirect effect of supply chains on financial performance through their influence on sustainable development. The findings reveal important implications for managers. They provide rational arguments (increase in performance) that should motivate companies in the Mexican automotive industry to incorporate values, standards, and actions focused on reducing the effects of their activities on the environment. These considerations will lead to a change in behavior which is better aligned with global environmental demands.Cátedra de Emprendimiento Santander-UPCT ; Doctoral studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascaliente

Cleaving of PMMA Microstructured Polymer Optical Fibers with 3- and 4-Ring Hexagonal Cladding Structures

The cleaving of a novel microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF) to obtain an acceptable connectorized fiber end-face is studied. The effect of the blade temperature and the speed of the cutting blade on the end-face is qualitatively assessed. Recently manufactured mPOFs with air-structured 3- and 4-ring hexagonal-like hole cladding structures with outer fiber diameters of around 250 μm are employed. Good quality end-faces can be obtained by cleaving mPOF fibers at room temperature for blade temperatures within the range 60–80 °C and at a low blade speed at 0.5 mm/s. The importance of the blade surface quality is also addressed, being a critical condition for obtaining satisfactory mPOF end-faces after cleaving. From our experiments, up to four fiber cuts with the same razor blade and blade surface can be carried out with acceptable and similar fiber end-face results.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and Comunidad de Madrid under grants RTI2018-094669-B-C32 and P2018/NMT-4326, respectively, and FSE

Phytotoxic Effects of Three Natural Compounds: Pelargonic Acid, Carvacrol, and Cinnamic Aldehyde, against Problematic Weeds in Mediterranean Crops

[EN] Weeds and herbicides are important stress factors for crops. Weeds are responsible for great losses in crop yields, more than 50% in some crops if left uncontrolled. Herbicides have been used as the main method for weed control since their development after the Second World War. It is necessary to find alternatives to synthetic herbicides that can be incorporated in an Integrated Weed Management Program, to produce crops subjected to less stress in a more sustainable way. In this work, three natural products: pelargonic acid (PA), carvacrol (CV), and cinnamic aldehyde (CA) were evaluated, under greenhouse conditions in postemergence assays, against problematic weeds in Mediterranean cropsAmaranthus retroflexus,Avena fatua,Portulaca oleracea,andErigeron bonariensis, to determine their phytotoxic potential. The three products showed a potent herbicidal activity, reaching high efficacy (plant death) and damage level in all species, being PA the most effective at all doses applied, followed by CA and CV. These products could be good candidates for bioherbicides formulations.This research was funded by SEIPASA.Muñoz, M.; Torres-Pagán, N.; Peiró Barber, RM.; Guijarro, R.; Sánchez-Moreiras, AM.; Verdeguer Sancho, MM. (2020). Phytotoxic Effects of Three Natural Compounds: Pelargonic Acid, Carvacrol, and Cinnamic Aldehyde, against Problematic Weeds in Mediterranean Crops. Agronomy. 10(6):1-20. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10060791S120106Vos, R., & Bellù, L. G. (2019). Global Trends and Challenges to Food and Agriculture into the 21st Century. Sustainable Food and Agriculture, 11-30. doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-812134-4.00002-9Vats, S. (2014). Herbicides: History, Classification and Genetic Manipulation of Plants for Herbicide Resistance. 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Allelopathic activity of essential oil extracts from Artemisia herba-alba Asso. on seed and seedling germination of weed and wheat crops. Acta Scientifica Naturalis, 7(1), 86-97. doi:10.2478/asn-2020-0009Benchaa, S., Hazzit, M., & Abdelkrim, H. (2018). Allelopathic Effect ofEucalyptus citriodoraEssential Oil and Its Potential Use as Bioherbicide. Chemistry & Biodiversity, 15(8), e1800202. doi:10.1002/cbdv.201800202Verdeguer, M., Castañeda, L. G., Torres-Pagan, N., Llorens-Molina, J. A., & Carrubba, A. (2020). Control of Erigeron bonariensis with Thymbra capitata, Mentha piperita, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, and Santolina chamaecyparissus Essential Oils. Molecules, 25(3), 562. doi:10.3390/molecules25030562Scavo, A., Pandino, G., Restuccia, A., & Mauromicale, G. (2020). Leaf extracts of cultivated cardoon as potential bioherbicide. Scientia Horticulturae, 261, 109024. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2019.109024Ma, S., Fu, L., He, S., Lu, X., Wu, Y., Ma, Z., & Zhang, X. (2018). Potent herbicidal activity of Sapindus mukorossi Gaertn. against Avena fatua L. and Amaranthus retroflexus L. Industrial Crops and Products, 122, 1-6. doi:10.1016/j.indcrop.2018.05.046Pacanoski, Z., & Mehmeti, A. (2019). Allelopathic effect of Siberian iris (Iris sibirica) on the early growth of wild oat (Avena fatua) and Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense). Journal of Central European Agriculture, 20(4), 1179-1187. doi:10.5513/jcea01/20.4.2047Bainard, L. D., Isman, M. B., & Upadhyaya, M. K. (2006). Phytotoxicity of clove oil and its primary constituent eugenol and the role of leaf epicuticular wax in the susceptibility to these essential oils. Weed Science, 54(5), 833-837. doi:10.1614/ws-06-039r.1Ahuja, N., Singh, H. P., Batish, D. R., & Kohli, R. K. (2015). Eugenol-inhibited root growth in Avena fatua involves ROS-mediated oxidative damage. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology, 118, 64-70. doi:10.1016/j.pestbp.2014.11.012Vaughn, S. F., & Spencer, G. F. (1993). 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A Multi-Agent System Architecture for Sensor Networks

The design of the control systems for sensor networks presents important challenges. Besides the traditional problems about how to process the sensor data to obtain the target information, engineers need to consider additional aspects such as the heterogeneity and high number of sensors, and the flexibility of these networks regarding topologies and the sensors in them. Although there are partial approaches for resolving these issues, their integration relies on ad hoc solutions requiring important development efforts. In order to provide an effective approach for this integration, this paper proposes an architecture based on the multi-agent system paradigm with a clear separation of concerns. The architecture considers sensors as devices used by an upper layer of manager agents. These agents are able to communicate and negotiate services to achieve the required functionality. Activities are organized according to roles related with the different aspects to integrate, mainly sensor management, data processing, communication and adaptation to changes in the available devices and their capabilities. This organization largely isolates and decouples the data management from the changing network, while encouraging reuse of solutions. The use of the architecture is facilitated by a specific modelling language developed through metamodelling. A case study concerning a generic distributed system for fire fighting illustrates the approach and the comparison with related work

[All]-S,S-dioxide Oligo-Thienylenevinylenes: Synthesis and Structural/Electronic Shapes from Their Molecular Force Fields

Oligo-S,S-dioxothienylenevinylenes have been prepared by transferring oxygen atoms to the sulfur atoms using the HOF·CH3CN complex. Their photophysical properties are presented in comparison with their thio phenevinylene congeners. Together with their vibrational properties and molecular force fields, this study allows for the interpretation of the alteration of aromaticity and inter-ring exocyclic p-conjugation in this series

Elaboración de recursos docentes para la enseñanza presencial y semipresencial en el área de la Ingeniería Química empleando Jupyter Notebook

El objetivo principal de este proyecto es la elaboración de recursos docentes, para estudiantes y profesores, dentro del área de la Ingeniería Química, utilizando el software libre Jupyter Notebook, empleado bajo el lenguaje de programación Python