Job profiling: How artificial intelligence supports the management of complexity induced by product variety

Firms and supply chains (SC) increasingly are forced to customise products and optimise processes since today’s markets are, on average, more demanding in terms of both costs and customer satisfaction. Generally, when product variety (PV) increases not only improves sales performance, since products offered better fit customers’ expectations, but also increases the complexity in SC processes management, rising operational costs. For that reason, accurate management of product diversity is a fundamental point for the brands' success, which is why it is going to be investigated in that project. Moreover, firms’ managers apply strategies to mitigate or accommodate this complexity, avoiding the customer satisfaction and cost trade-off to remain competitive and survive. However, we were wondering if it is enough. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged to stay. Digitalisation era, data availability, and the improvement in computing power have boomed AI’s potential in improving systems, controlling processes, and tackling complexity. These strengths are suitable to help managers not only to tackle the complexity arising from PV but also to boost the supply chain performance (SCP

Promoting lab engagement in experimental compressible flow modelling

The present work depicts the development of an experimental equipment that reveals compressible fluid dynamics, while collecting data from an incompressible flow like water in an open-channel. It consists of an extensive theoretical framework followed by a practical analysis, the aim of which was to trigger the hydraulic jump, both normal and oblique, in order to illustrate its hydro-gasdynamic analogy with a shock wave, occurring in supersonic compressible flows. The assembly, called “water table”, arises from the necessity of economical alternatives to expensive supersonic wind tunnels in the experimental study of compressible flows. Thus, a canal based on a Laval nozzle was constructed where water flow could experiment a hydraulic jump. Through its visual and experimental perception, fellow interested could more easily understand the physics and engineering behind this phenomenon. Multiple design alternatives were evaluated considering environmental, economic, functional and aesthetic factors. A low-cost implementation was critical in the design process. The measurements revealed that the geometry of the nozzle and the wedges designed as obstacles to cause obliquity were the most influential elements in the formation of a hydraulic jump in the set-up. Regarding the experimental variables, the upstream and downstream heights had the highest relevance. Therefore, their manipulation and analysis could lead to further educational investigations. This research is a step forward to support students in the understanding of compressible flow principles by providing an in-house experimental set-up. The equipment is an opportunity of carrying out lab measurements, which certainly guides to a major commitment in the fieldPostprint (published version

In-house low-cost water table prototype to practically analyse the modelling compressible flow in a fluid engineering course

The present work studies the hydro-gasdynamic analogy between a shock wave, occurring in supersonic internal or external compressible flows, and a hydraulic jump, a sort of normal shock occurring in open-channel flows. It consists of an extensive theoretical framework followed by a practical analysis, the aim of which was to experimentally trigger the hydraulic jump, both normal and oblique, while using a low-cost designed lab prototype. The assembly development, called ‘water table’, arises from the necessity of economical alternatives to expensive supersonic wind tunnels in the experimental study of compressible fluid dynamics. With this objective in mind, a hydraulic canal based on a Laval nozzle was constructed where water flow could accelerate from subcritical to critical to supercritical regime and then return to subcritical regime through a hydraulic jump. In addition, multiple design alternatives were evaluated considering environmental, economic, functional and aesthetics factors. A low-cost implementation was the critical criterion in the design process. The measurements have revealed that the geometry of the nozzle and the wedges designed as obstacles to cause obliquity are the most significant and influential elements in the formation of a hydraulic jump in the experimental set-up. Regarding the experimental variables, the experiments demonstrate the effect of the upstream and downstream heights of the hydraulic jump in the data collection. This experience is a step forward in supporting students in the understanding of compressible flow and its principles by providing an in-house experimental set-up that promotes active learning, motivation and interest in fluid mechanicsPostprint (author's final draft

Survey of Oomycetes Associated with Root and Crown Rot of Almond in Spain and Pathogenicity of Phytophthora niederhauserii and Phytopythium vexans to `Garnem¿ Rootstock

[EN] From 2018 to 2020, surveys of oomycetes associated with root and crown rot of almond (Prunus dulcis) were conducted on diseased young almond trees in commercial orchards and nurseries in six provinces of Spain. A total of 104 oomycete isolates were obtained from plant and soil samples, which h were identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA. Diverse species belonging to the genera Globisporangium, Phytophthora, Phytopythium and Pythium were found, Phytopythium vexans and Phytophthora niederhauserii being the most frequent. The pathogenicity of these two species to one-year-old almond seedlings of 'Garnem' (P. dulcis x P. persica) rootstock was studied. All seedlings inoculated with Pp. vexans and Ph. niederhauserii isolates showed severe symptoms at the late stage of the pathogenicity test (defoliation, wilting and dieback) and several plants died. Some isolates of Ph. niederhauserii significantly reduced the dry weight of the roots compared with the control, but this effect was not observed in seedlings inoculated with Pp. vexans. These results provide new information about the oomycete species present in almond crops in Spain and highlight the importance of carrying out frequent phytosanitary surveys for a better knowledge of potential risks posed by these soil-borne pathogens.This research study was funded by INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria), Spain, through projects RTA2017-00009-C04-01 and RTA2017-00009-C04-04, and matching funds from the ERDF (European Regional Development Fund) and Grant PID2020-114648RR-C33 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033. Francisco Beluzán was supported by Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo/Subdirección de Capital Humano/Doctorado Becas Chile en el Extranjero/72200145. Xavier Miarnau was supported by the CERCA Program, Generalitat de Catalunya.Beluzán Flores, FJ.; Miarnau, X.; Torguet, L.; Armengol Fortí, J.; Abad Campos, P. (2022). Survey of Oomycetes Associated with Root and Crown Rot of Almond in Spain and Pathogenicity of Phytophthora niederhauserii and Phytopythium vexans to `Garnem¿ Rootstock. Agriculture. 12(2):1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020294S11512

Morphological study of skin cancer lesions through a 3D scanner based on fringe projection and machine learning

Postprint (published version