Ordered Landmarks in Planning

Many known planning tasks have inherent constraints concerning the best order in which to achieve the goals. A number of research efforts have been made to detect such constraints and to use them for guiding search, in the hope of speeding up the planning process. We go beyond the previous approaches by considering ordering constraints not only over the (top-level) goals, but also over the sub-goals that will necessarily arise during planning. Landmarks are facts that must be true at some point in every valid solution plan. We extend Koehler and Hoffmann's definition of reasonable orders between top level goals to the more general case of landmarks. We show how landmarks can be found, how their reasonable orders can be approximated, and how this information can be used to decompose a given planning task into several smaller sub-tasks. Our methodology is completely domain- and planner-independent. The implementation demonstrates that the approach can yield significant runtime performance improvements when used as a control loop around state-of-the-art sub-optimal planning systems, as exemplified by FF and LPG

CFD modelling of post-combustion carbon capture with amine solutions in structured packing columns

The scope of the present thesis is the development of a Computational Fluid Dynamics model to describe the multiphase flow inside a structured packing absorber for postcombustion carbon capture. The work focuses mainly on two flow characteristics: the interface tracking and the reactive mass transfer between the gas and the liquid. The interface tracking brings the possibility of studying the liquid maldistribution phenomenon, which strongly affects the mass transfer performance. The development of a user-defined function to account for the reactive mass transfer between phases constitutes the second major concept considered in this thesis. Numerical models found in the literature are divided into three scales due to the current computational capacity: small-, meso- and large-scale. Small-scale has usually dealt with interface tracking in 2D computational domains. Meso-scale has usually been considered to assess the dry pressure drop performance of the packing (considering only the gas phase). Large-scale studies the liquid distribution over the whole column assuming that the structured packing behaves as a porous medium. This thesis focuses on small- and meso-scale. The novelty of this work lies in expanding the capabilities of the aforementioned scales. At small-scale, the interfacial tracking is implemented in a 3D domain, instead of 2D. The user-defined function that describes the reactive mass transfer of CO2 into the aqueous MEA solution is also included to assess the influence of the liquid maldistribution on the mass transfer performance. At the meso-scale, the Volume of Fluid method for interface tracking is included (instead of only the gas phase) to describe flow characteristics such as the liquid hold-up, the interfacial area and the mass transfer. At the theoretical level, this model presents the particularity of including both a mass and a momentum source term in the conservation equations. A comprehensive mathematical development shows the influence of the mass source terms on the momentum equation

Ordered Landmarks in Planning

Many known planning tasks have inherent constraints concerning the best order in which to achieve the goals. A number of research efforts have been made to detect such constraints and to use them for guiding search, in the hope of speeding up the planning process. We go beyond the previous approaches by considering ordering constraints not only over the (top-level) goals, but also over the sub-goals that will necessarily arise during planning. Landmarks are facts that must be true at some point in every valid solution plan. We extend Koehler and Hoffmann's definition of reasonable orders between top level goals to the more general case of landmarks. We show how landmarks can be found, how their reasonable orders can be approximated, and how this information can be used to decompose a given planning task into several smaller sub-tasks. Our methodology is completely domain- and planner-independent. The implementation demonstrates that the approach can yield significant runtime performance improvements when used as a control loop around state-of-the-art sub-optimal planning systems, as exemplified by FF and LPG

Dual Requirement for Yeast hnRNP Nab2p in mRNA poly(A) Tail Length Control and Nuclear Export

Recent studies of mRNA export factors have provided additional evidence for a mechanistic link between mRNA 3′‐end formation and nuclear export. Here, we identify Nab2p as a nuclear poly(A)‐binding protein required for both poly(A) tail length control and nuclear export of mRNA. Loss of NAB2 expression leads to hyperadenylation and nuclear accumulation of poly(A)+ RNA but, in contrast to mRNA export mutants, these defects can be uncoupled in a nab2 mutant strain. Previous studies have implicated the cytoplasmic poly(A) tail‐binding protein Pab1p in poly(A) tail length control during polyadenylation. Although cells are viable in the absence of NAB2 expression when PAB1 is overexpressed, Pab1p fails to resolve the nab2Δ hyperadenylation defect even when Pab1p is tagged with a nuclear localization sequence and targeted to the nucleus. These results indicate that Nab2p is essential for poly(A) tail length control in vivo, and we demonstrate that Nab2p activates polyadenylation, while inhibiting hyperadenylation, in the absence of Pab1p in vitro. We propose that Nab2p provides an important link between the termination of mRNA polyadenylation and nuclear export

Influencia biomecánica de la artroplastia total de rodilla en el apoyo metatarsal

Las articulaciones de la extremidad inferior forman una cadena cinemática y tanto desde el punto de vista normal como patológico se influyen mutuamente. El objetivo de nuestro trabajo es analizar las características del apoyo plantar en 100 pacientes subsidiarios de prótesis total de rodilla que presentan trastornos en la alineación del miembro antes y después de la corrección del eje de la extremidad que supone la cirugía. Además se compara el patrón de apoyo metatarsal con sujetos sanos de características antropométricas similares (grupo control).El genu varo preoperatorio se relaciona con un hiperapoyo de la paleta externa y un hipoapoyo de las paletas central e interna del antepié. En cambio el valgo fisiológico conseguido en el postoperatorio se corresponde con un patrón de apoyo metatarsal al año y a los dos años similar al del grupo control con pequeñas variaciones.Peer Reviewe

Development of the MOOSY4 eNose IoT for Sulphur-Based VOC Water Pollution Detection

[EN] In this paper, we describe a new low-cost and portable electronic nose instrument, the Multisensory Odor Olfactory System MOOSY4. This prototype is based on only four metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) gas sensors suitable for IoT technology. The system architecture consists of four stages: data acquisition, data storage, data processing, and user interfacing. The designed eNose was tested with experiment for detection of volatile components in water pollution, as a dimethyl disulphide or dimethyl diselenide or sulphur. Therefore, the results provide evidence that odor information can be recognized with around 86% efficiency, detecting smells unwanted in the water and improving the quality control in bottled water factories.This work was supported by the I+D+i Program of the Generalitat Valenciana, Spain [AICO/2016/046], and the II Program UPV-La Fe [2013/0504].Climent-Martí, E.; Pelegrí Sebastiá, J.; Sogorb Devesa, T.; Talens-Felis, J.; Chilo, J. (2017). Development of the MOOSY4 eNose IoT for Sulphur-Based VOC Water Pollution Detection. Sensors. 17(8):1-10. https://doi.org/10.3390/s17081917S110178Babovic, Z. B., Protic, J., & Milutinovic, V. (2016). Web Performance Evaluation for Internet of Things Applications. IEEE Access, 4, 6974-6992. doi:10.1109/access.2016.2615181Getting Startedhttps://docs.smartcitizen.me/#/start/detailed-specificationsXu, L. D., He, W., & Li, S. (2014). Internet of Things in Industries: A Survey. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics, 10(4), 2233-2243. doi:10.1109/tii.2014.2300753Huang, J., Meng, Y., Gong, X., Liu, Y., & Duan, Q. (2014). A Novel Deployment Scheme for Green Internet of Things. IEEE Internet of Things Journal, 1(2), 196-205. doi:10.1109/jiot.2014.2301819Gardner, J. W., & Bartlett, P. N. (1994). A brief history of electronic noses. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 18(1-3), 210-211. doi:10.1016/0925-4005(94)87085-3Gardner, J. W., & Bartlett, P. N. (1996). Performance definition and standardization of electronic noses. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 33(1-3), 60-67. doi:10.1016/0925-4005(96)01819-9Wilson, A., & Baietto, M. (2009). Applications and Advances in Electronic-Nose Technologies. Sensors, 9(7), 5099-5148. doi:10.3390/s90705099Jia, X.-M., Meng, Q.-H., Jing, Y.-Q., Qi, P.-F., Zeng, M., & Ma, S.-G. (2016). A New Method Combining KECA-LDA With ELM for Classification of Chinese Liquors Using Electronic Nose. IEEE Sensors Journal, 16(22), 8010-8017. doi:10.1109/jsen.2016.2606163Jing, Y.-Q., Meng, Q.-H., Qi, P.-F., Cao, M.-L., Zeng, M., & Ma, S.-G. (2016). A Bioinspired Neural Network for Data Processing in an Electronic Nose. IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 65(10), 2369-2380. doi:10.1109/tim.2016.2578618Fine, G. F., Cavanagh, L. M., Afonja, A., & Binions, R. (2010). Metal Oxide Semi-Conductor Gas Sensors in Environmental Monitoring. Sensors, 10(6), 5469-5502. doi:10.3390/s100605469Santra, S., Guha, P. K., Ali, S. Z., Hiralal, P., Unalan, H. E., Covington, J. A., … Udrea, F. (2010). ZnO nanowires grown on SOI CMOS substrate for ethanol sensing. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 146(2), 559-565. doi:10.1016/j.snb.2010.01.009Wilson, A. (2013). Diverse Applications of Electronic-Nose Technologies in Agriculture and Forestry. Sensors, 13(2), 2295-2348. doi:10.3390/s130202295Lorwongtragool, P., Sowade, E., Watthanawisuth, N., Baumann, R., & Kerdcharoen, T. (2014). A Novel Wearable Electronic Nose for Healthcare Based on Flexible Printed Chemical Sensor Array. Sensors, 14(10), 19700-19712. doi:10.3390/s141019700Son, M., Cho, D., Lim, J. H., Park, J., Hong, S., Ko, H. J., & Park, T. H. (2015). Real-time monitoring of geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol, representative odor compounds in water pollution using bioelectronic nose with human-like performance. Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 74, 199-206. doi:10.1016/j.bios.2015.06.053Gardner, J. W., Shin, H. W., Hines, E. L., & Dow, C. S. (2000). An electronic nose system for monitoring the quality of potable water. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 69(3), 336-341. doi:10.1016/s0925-4005(00)00482-2Goschnick, J., Koronczi, I., Frietsch, M., & Kiselev, I. (2005). Water pollution recognition with the electronic nose KAMINA. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 106(1), 182-186. doi:10.1016/j.snb.2004.05.055Guadayol, M., Cortina, M., Guadayol, J. M., & Caixach, J. (2016). Determination of dimethyl selenide and dimethyl sulphide compounds causing off-flavours in bottled mineral waters. Water Research, 92, 149-155. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2016.01.016Wilson, A. D. (2012). Review of Electronic-nose Technologies and Algorithms to Detect Hazardous Chemicals in the Environment. Procedia Technology, 1, 453-463. doi:10.1016/j.protcy.2012.02.101Becher, C., Kaul, P., Mitrovics, J., & Warmer, J. (2010). The detection of evaporating hazardous material released from moving sources using a gas sensor network. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 146(2), 513-520. doi:10.1016/j.snb.2009.12.030Berrueta, L. A., Alonso-Salces, R. M., & Héberger, K. (2007). Supervised pattern recognition in food analysis. Journal of Chromatography A, 1158(1-2), 196-214. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2007.05.024Lajara, R. J., Perez-Solano, J. J., & Pelegri-Sebastia, J. (2015). A Method for Modeling the Battery State of Charge in Wireless Sensor Networks. IEEE Sensors Journal, 15(2), 1186-1197. doi:10.1109/jsen.2014.2361151Batista, B. L., da Silva, L. R. S., Rocha, B. A., Rodrigues, J. L., Berretta-Silva, A. A., Bonates, T. O., … Barbosa, F. (2012). Multi-element determination in Brazilian honey samples by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and estimation of geographic origin with data mining techniques. Food Research International, 49(1), 209-215. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2012.07.015Benedetti, S., Mannino, S., Sabatini, A. G., & Marcazzan, G. L. (2004). Electronic nose and neural network use for the classification of honey. Apidologie, 35(4), 397-402. doi:10.1051/apido:200402

Highly Luminescent Transparent Cs2AgxNa1−xBiyIn1−yCl6 Perovskite Films Produced by Single-Source Vacuum Deposition

Thermal deposition of halide perovskites as a universal and scalable route to transparent thin films becomes highly challenging in the case of lead-free double perovskites, requiring the evaporation dynamics of multiple metal halide sources to be balanced or a single-phase precursor preliminary synthesized to achieve a reliable control over the composition and the phase of the final films. In the present Letter, the feasibility of the single-source vacuum deposition of microcrystalline Cs2AgxNa1-xBiyIn1-yCl6 double perovskites into corresponding transparent nanocrystalline films while preserving the bulk spectral and structural properties is shown. The perovskite films produced from the most emissive powders with x = 0.40 and y = 0.01 revealed a photoluminescence quantum yield of 85%, highlighting thermal evaporation as a promising approach to functional perovskite-based optical materials

e-Tourism: a tourist recommendation and planning application

e-Tourism is a tourist recommendation and planning application to assist users on the organization of a leisure and tourist agenda. First, a recommender system offers the user a list of the city places that are likely of interest to the user. This list takes into account the user demographic classification, the user likes in former trips and the preferences for the current visit. Second, a planning module schedules the list of recommended places according to their temporal characteristics as well as the user restrictions; that is the planning system determines how and when to realize the recommended activities. Having the list of recommended activities organized as an agenda (i.e. an executable plan), is a relevant characteristic that most recommender systems lack.This work has been partially funded by Consolider Ingenio 2010 CSD2007-00022 project, by the Spanish Government MICINN TIN2008-6701-C03-01 project and by the Valencian Government GVPRE/2008/384 project. We thank J. Benton for having provided us with the system Sapa to execute our experiments.Sebastiá Tarín, L.; García García, I.; Onaindia De La Rivaherrera, E.; Gúzman Álvarez, CA. (2009). e-Tourism: a tourist recommendation and planning application. International Journal on Artificial Intelligence Tools. 18(5):717-738. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0218213009000378S71773818