A new HLA-based distributed control architecture for agricultural teams of robots in hybrid applications with real and simulated devices or environments

The control architecture is one of the most important part of agricultural robotics and other robotic systems. Furthermore its importance increases when the system involves a group of heterogeneous robots that should cooperate to achieve a global goal. A new control architecture is introduced in this paper for groups of robots in charge of doing maintenance tasks in agricultural environments. Some important features such as scalability, code reuse, hardware abstraction and data distribution have been considered in the design of the new architecture. Furthermore, coordination and cooperation among the different elements in the system is allowed in the proposed control system. By integrating a network oriented device server Player, Java Agent Development Framework (JADE) and High Level Architecture (HLA), the previous concepts have been considered in the new architecture presented in this paper. HLA can be considered the most important part because it not only allows the data distribution and implicit communication among the parts of the system but also allows to simultaneously operate with simulated and real entities, thus allowing the use of hybrid systems in the development of applications

Influence of Organic Enrichment and Spisula subtruncata (da Costa, 1778) on Oxygen and Nutrient Fluxes in Fine Sand Sediments

[EN] The role of labile organic material and macrofaunal activity in benthic respiration and nutrient regeneration have been tested in sublittoral fine sand sediments from the Gulf of Valencia (northwestern Mediterranean Sea). Three experimental setups were made using benthic chambers. One experiment was performed in-situ through the annual cycle in a well-sorted fine sand community. The remaining experiments were carried out with mesocosms under laboratory conditions: one with different concentrations of organic enrichment (mussel meat and concentrated diatoms culture), and the other adding two different densities of the endofaunal bivalve Spisula subtruncata. Biochemical variables in surface sediment and changes in oxygen consumption and nutrient fluxes throughout incubation period were studied in each experiment. In the in situ incubations, dissolved oxygen (DO) fluxes showed a strong correlation with sedimentary biopolymeric fraction of organic carbon. Organic enrichment in the laboratory experiments was responsible for increased benthic respiration. However, sediment response (expressed as DO uptake and dissolved inorganic nitrogen—DIN—release) between oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions was more intense than between eutrophic and hypertrophic conditions. S. subtruncata abundances close to 400 and 850 ind m−2 also intensified benthic metabolism. DO uptake and DIN production in mesocosms with added fauna were between 60 and 75 % and 65–100 % higher than in the control treatment respectively. The results of these three experiments suggest that the macrobenthic community may increase the benthic respiration by roughly a factor of two in these bottoms, where S. subtruncata is one of the dominant species. Both organic enrichment and macrobenthic community in general, and S. subtruncata in particular, did not seem to have a relevant role in P and Si cycles in these sediments.This research was supported by the Conselleria d'Educacio (Generalitat Valenciana). We are very grateful for the valuable comments of anonymous reviewers on previous version of the manuscript.Sospedra, J.; Falco, S.; Morata, T.; Rodilla, M. (2016). Influence of Organic Enrichment and Spisula subtruncata (da Costa, 1778) on Oxygen and Nutrient Fluxes in Fine Sand Sediments. Estuaries and Coasts. doi:10.1007/s12237-016-0174-1SAller, R.C., and J.Y. Aller. 1998. The effect of biogenic irrigation intensity and solute exchange on diagenetic reaction rates in marine sediments. Journal of Marine Research 56: 905–936.Aminot, A., and M. Chaussepied. 1983. Manuel des analyses chimiques en milieu marin. Brest: Centre National pour l’Exploitation des Oceans.Arnosti, C., and M. Holmer. 2003. 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New Trends in Using Augmented Reality Apps for Smart City Contexts

The idea of virtuality is not new, as research on visualization and simulation dates back to the early use of ink and paper sketches for alternative design comparisons. As technology has advanced so the way of visualizing simulations as well, but the progress is slow due to difficulties in creating workable simulations models and effectively providing them to the users. Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, the evolving technologies that have been haunting the tech industry, receiving excessive attention from the media and colossal growing are redefining the way we interact, communicate and work together. From consumer application to manufacturers these technologies are used in different sectors providing huge benefits through several applications. In this work, we demonstrate the potentials of Augmented Reality techniques in a Smart City (Smart Campus) context. A multiplatform mobile app featuring Augmented Reality capabilities connected to GIS services are developed to evaluate different features such as performance, usability, effectiveness and satisfaction of the Augmented Reality technology in the context of a Smart Campus

Development of an open sensorized platform in a smart agriculture context: A vineyard support system for monitoring mildew disease

In recent years, some official reports, to produce best products regarding quality, quantity and economic conditions, recommend that the farming sector should benefit with new tools and techniques coming from Information and Communications Technology (ICT) realm. In this way, during last decade the deployment of sensing devices has increased considerably in the field of agriculture. This fact has led to a new concept called smart agriculture, and it contemplates activities such as field monitoring, which offer support to make decisions or perform actions, such as irrigation or fertilization. Apart from sensing devices, which use the Internet protocol to transfer data (Internet of Things), there are the so-called crop models, which are able to provide added value over the data provided by the sensors, with the aim of providing recommendations to farmers in decision-making and thus, increase the quality and quantity of their production. In this scenario, the current work uses a low-cost sensorized platform, capable of monitoring meteorological phenomena following the Internet of Things paradigm, with the goal to apply an alert disease model on the cultivation of the vine. The edge computing paradigm is used to achieve this objective; also our work follows some advances from GIScience to increase interoperability. An example of this platform has been deployed in a vineyard parcel located in the municipality of Vilafamés (Castelló Spain)

Multi-Slot BLE Raw Database for Accurate Positioning in Mixed Indoor/Outdoor Environments

The technologies and sensors embedded in smartphones have contributed to the spread of disruptive applications built on top of Location Based Services (LBSs). Among them, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has been widely adopted for proximity and localization, as it is a simple but efficient positioning technology. This article presents a database of received signal strength measurements (RSSIs) on BLE signals in a real positioning system. The system was deployed on two buildings belonging to the campus of the University of Extremadura in Badajoz. the database is divided into three different deployments, changing in each of them the number of measurement points and the configuration of the BLE beacons. the beacons used in this work can broadcast up to six emission slots simultaneously. Fingerprinting positioning experiments are presented in this work using multiple slots, improving positioning accuracy when compared with the traditional single slot approach

Emission estimates of HCFCs and HFCs in California from the 2010 CalNex study

The CalNex 2010 (California Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change) study was designed to evaluate the chemical composition of air masses over key source regions in California. During May to June 2010, air samples were collected on board a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) WP-3D aircraft over the South Coast Air Basin of California (SoCAB) and the Central Valley (CV). This paper analyzes six effective greenhouse gases - chlorodifluoromethane (HCFC-22), 1,1-dichloro-1-fluoroethane (HCFC-141b), 1-chloro-1,1-difluoroethane (HCFC-142b), 2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane (HCFC-124), 1,1,1,2- tetrafluoroethane (HFC-134a), and 1,1-difluoroethane (HFC-152a) - providing the most comprehensive characterization of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) replacement compound emissions in California. Concentrations of measured HCFCs and HFCs are enhanced greatly throughout the SoCAB and CV, with highest levels observed in the SoCAB: 310 ± 92 pptv for HCFC-22, 30.7 ± 18.6 pptv for HCFC-141b, 22.9 ± 2.0 pptv for HCFC-142b, 4.86 ± 2.56 pptv for HCFC-124, 109 ± 46.4 pptv for HFC-134a, and 91.2 ± 63.9 pptv for HFC-152a. Annual emission rates are estimated for all six compounds in the SoCAB using the measured halocarbon to carbon monoxide (CO) mixing ratios and CO emissions inventories. Emission rates of 3.05 ± 0.70 Gg for HCFC-22, 0.27 ± 0.07 Gg for HCFC-141b, 0.06 ± 0.01 Gg for HCFC-142b, 0.11 ± 0.03 Gg for HCFC-124, 1.89 ± 0.43 Gg for HFC-134a, and 1.94 ± 0.45 Gg for HFC-152b for the year 2010 are calculated for the SoCAB. These emissions are extrapolated from the SoCAB region to the state of California using population data. Results from this study provide a baseline emission rate that will help future studies determine if HCFC and HFC mitigation strategies are successful. Key PointsHCFC and HFC emissions are calculated for the year 2010 for the SoCABEmissions are extrapolated to the state of CaliforniaEmissions are calculated using CalNex field measurements © 2013. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved

El estilo educativo de los adultos como indicador de buen pronóstico en el acogimiento familiar

La familia acogedora extensa (aquella que tiene una vinculación con el menor por una relación de parentesco) y la familia acogedora ajena (la que carece de vinculación con el menor) supone un recurso de protección para los menores que no pueden seguir confiados al cuidado de sus progenitores. Uno de los indicadores de buen pronóstico del acogimiento, es el perfil de estilos educativos, partiendo de esta premisa pretendemos comparar, los patrones educativos entre ambos tipos de familias, demostrando así la vulnerabilidad de unas familias frente a otras. La familia extensa es un recurso de elección frente a cualquier otro por varios motivos relativos entre otros al impedimento del desarraigo, sin embargo, los recursos puestos a disposición de unas y otras familias y los requisitos reales o fácticos, difieren sustancialmente, lo que refuerza aún más si cabe la vulnerabilidad de unas familias, que mayoritariamente abuelos, ya tuvieron dificultades en la crianza de sus propios hijos. Veremos como las familias acogedoras extensas, en su mayoría, utilizan como patrón de crianza estilos educativos inadecuados, frente a las familias acogedoras ajenas cuyo patrón educativo es generalmente asertivo o democrático.The extended family (that one with a kinship connection to the minor) and the foster family (that one with no kinship with the minor) are two structures that offer a resource of protection for minors who can’t stay under the care of their parents. One indicator that points out a positive forecast for a particular case of foster care is the educational style that is put into practice. Keeping this in mind, our goal is to compare the educational patterns of both types of families in order to proof the vulnerability of one of those types of families, against the other. The extended family usually comes as a resource for avoiding feelings such as rootlessness. The resources both types of family have are very different, and this strengthens even more the vulnerability of the aforementioned type of family (usually grandparents, who already faced many problems to raise their own children). It is therefore somehow obvious that most extended families use as a pattern for raising their children inappropriate educational styles, in opposition to foster families, that tend to use assertive and democratic educational patterns.peerReviewe

Un nuevo híbrido del género Ophrys L. (Orchidaceae) en el litoral valenciano

[EN] Here we describe a new hybrid of genus Ophrys L. (Orchidaceae) found in Cullera (Valencia): Ophrys x donatiae, which comes from the crossing between Ophrys dianica and O. tenthredinifera, and has intermediate characters. Distribution area and phenology are shared by parental plants.[ES] Se describe un nuevo híbrido del género Ophrys L. (Orchidaceae) encontrado en Cullera (Valencia): Ophrys x donatiae. Es el resultado del cruce entre O. dianica y O. tenthredinifera, mostrando caracteres intermedios. El área de distribución de los parentales y la fenología son coincidentes.Tejedor, P.; Català, S.; Sospedra, J. (2012). Un nuevo híbrido del género Ophrys L. (Orchidaceae) en el litoral valenciano. Flora Montiberica. 51:93-96. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/36441S93965