Multivectorial strategy to interpret a resistive behaviour of loads in smart buildings

In Smart buildings, electric loads are affected by an important distortion in the current and voltage waveforms, caused by the increasing proliferation of non linear electronic devices. This paper presents an approach on non sinusoidal power theory based on Geometric Algebra that clearly improves traditional methods in the optimization of apparent power and power factor compensation. An example is included that demonstrates the superiority of this approach compared with traditional methods.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Quantification of rifampicin and rifabutin in plasma of tuberculosis patients by micellar liquid chromatography

A Micellar Liquid Chromatographic method is described to determine Rifampicin and Rifabutin in plasma from Tuberculosis patients. Samples were diluted in mobile phase and then directly injected, avoiding long and tedious extraction steps. The analytes were resolved from the matrix without interferences from endogenous compounds using a mobile phase of sodium dodecyl sulfate 0.15 mol L-1-6%(v/v) 1-pentanol and phosphate buffer at pH 3, running at 1 mL min−1 through a C18 column at 25 °C. Detection was carried out by UV absorbance at 270 nm. Under these conditions, the final chromatographic analysis time was 22 min. The analytical methodology was validated following the FDA 2018 Bioanalytical Method Validation Guidance for Industry. The response of the drugs in plasma was linear in the 0.05-5 μg/mL range, with r2 > 0.9993. Trueness and precision were <14% for both substances. Carry over and matrix effects were negligible. Dilution integrity, robustness and stability were also investigated. Method was reliable, economic, eco-friendly, safe, easy-to-conduct, and with a high sample throughput, thus useful for routine analysis. Finally, the analytical method was used to determine both antituberculosis drugs in incurred plasma samples of Tuberculosis patients

3rd Symposium of Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence 2008

The Symposium on Ubiquitous Computing and Ambient Intelligence (UCAmI) began as a workshop held in 2003 in San Sebastián (Spain) under the Spanish Artificial Intelligence Conference. This event gathered 32 attendees and 18 papers were presented. The second edition, already as a Symposium, took place in Granada (Spain) under the first Spanish Computer Science Conference (CEDI). Later, in 2006, a second workshop was celebrated in Ciudad Real and, in 2007; the second Symposium was organized in Zaragoza by the CEDI conference. Now we continue to work on the organization of this event in Salamanca, a beautiful Spanish city. The European Community and the Sixth and Seventh Framework Programs encourage researchers to explore the generic scope of the AmI vision. In fact, some researchers have a crucial role in this vision. Emile Aarts from Philips describes Ambient Intelligence as "the integration of technology into our environment, so that people can freely and interactively utilize it". This idea agrees with the proposal of Mark Weiser regarding the Ubiquitous Computing paradigm. The UCAmI community tries to join experts around the world in order to promote collaborations and to put into practice studies for involving people into intelligent environments so that the "Everyday Computing" concept can be a reality. The UCAmI technical program includes 40 papers (31 long paper, 6 short paper and 3 doctoral consortium) selected from a submission pool of 56 papers, from 11 different countries

Chemical imaging of phase separated polymer blends by fluorescence microscopy

Blends of poly(vinylacetate) (PVAc) and poly(cyclohexylmethacrylate) (PCHMA) labeled by copolymerization with 4-methacryloylamine-48-nitrostilbene (Sb), with (1-pyrenylmethyl)methacrylate (Py), or with 3-(methacryloylamine)propyl-N-carbazole (Cbz) were prepared by casting dilute solutions in tetrahydrofurane (THF) or chloroform. Films about 10 mm thick were formed. Phase separation in two types of domains is observed by transmission optical microscopy (TOM) and epifluorescence microscopy (EFM): small craters of 1 to 10 mm placed at the polymer–air interface and larger domains, on the scale of 100 mm. The morphology of samples depends on the composition of the polymer blend and on solvent. The green fluorescence of Sb, the violet of Py, or the blue of Cbz provides imaging of the distribution of PCHMA in the different domains and in the matrix. It is thus observed that (i) superficial craters and large domains are formed mainly by PCHMA and (ii) the matrix is composed of PVAc in films cast from THF and it is a blend of the two polymers, homogeneous at the submicrometric scale, for chloroform. The emission intensity of Py, recorded by microfluorescence spectroscopy (MFS), yields a mapping similar to imaging detection. It is remarkable that in films cast from chloroform, the smaller domains are distributed with a 2D hexatic order disrupted by dislocations and disclinations, whereas in films cast from THF, a larger heterogeneity is found, denoting different mechanisms of solvent evaporation.This work was supported by CICYT (Spain) and Brite-Euran (EU) under Grants PB95-0247 and BE-97-4672, respectively

Screening of some banned aromatic amines in textile products from Indian bandhani and gamthi fabric and in human sweat using micellar liquid chromatography

Certain dyes in textile products, which are capable of reductively splitting into carcinogenic aromatic amines, are strictly controlled in many countries. A simple, rapid, sensitive and green chromatographic method has been developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of 4-aminophenol (4-AMP), p-phenylenediamine (p-PPD) and benzidine (BNZ), banned aromatic amines in dyeing clothes and human sweat. The separation was achieved using a micellar mobile phase of 0.1 M SDS, 4% 1- butanol (v/v) buffered to pH 7 with sodium dihydrogen phosphate, flowing under isocratic mode at 1 mL/min through a C18 column. Photodiode array detector was set at 210 nm. Using the above chromatographic conditions, 4-AMP, p-PPD and BNZ were eluted at 3.5 min, 4.7 min. and 5.4 min., respectively, adequately resolved. The method was validated by Standard Practices for Method Validation in Forensic Toxicology guideline for the industry in terms of selectivity, calibration curve, linearity (r2 = 0.999), trueness (relative bias, −3.5 to 7%) precision (relative standard deviation, <8.5%), and robustness of selected compounds. This method was sensitive enough for the routine analysis of aromatic amine in textile material with limit of detection in the (0.01 to 0.04 μg/mL range and limit of quantification (0.03-0.13 μg/mL). The method was successfully applied to dyed clothes and sweat samples. The main advantage of the developed method is the easy extraction step of the analytes from incurred samples without any further cleanup, which reduces per sample analysis cost and the total time of analysis. The developed method could easily replace regular chromatographic technique used for their detection

Implementation of UV rotational Raman channel to improve aerosol retrievals from multiwavelength lidar

Vibrational Raman effect is widely used in atmospheric lidar systems, but rotational Raman present several advantages. We have implemented a new setup in the ultraviolet branch of an existing multiwavelength lidar system to collect signal from rotational Raman lines of Oxygen and Nitrogen. We showed that, with an appropriate filter wavelength selection, the systematic error introduced in the particle optical properties due to temperature dependence was less than 4%. With this new setup, we have been able to retrieve aerosol extinction and backscatter coefficients profiles at 355 nm with 1-h time resolution during daytime and up to 1-min time resolution during nighttime.Grupo de Física de la Atmósfera (RNM119

Bacteriophage Therapy: An Alternative for the Treatment of Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Animals and Animal Models

Staphylococcus aureus causes hospital-acquired (HA), community-acquired (CA) and companion animal and livestock-associated (LA) infections. Molecular epidemiology studies suggest that although host specificity may be associated with specific genetic lineages, recent human-to-animal and animal-to-human transmissions related to mobile genetic elements have been described. Gene transfers include virulence and antibiotic resistance genes, thus making it difficult to control multidrug resistance S. aureus infections. Bacteriophages (phages) and endolysins, the enzymes responsible for bacterial lysis by phages, are alternatives to the use of antibiotics for the control of S. aureus infections. In this work, we review current advances in the development of phage therapy and the study and design of recombinant endolysins to treat S. aureus infections. Preliminary results of bacteriophage isolation based on molecular epidemiology knowledge show that bacteriophages are specific of genetic lineages and that this strategy may be used as an approach to isolate and evaluate new bacteriophages for therapy

Ensinar e aprender português: a digital resource for learning to read and write

In Education, the use of technological resources to support students' teaching and learning is becoming more and more urgent. Teaching and Learning Portuguese [Ensinar e Aprender Português – EAP] is a structured and innovative educational resource, supported by the use of Information and Communication Technologies and based on scientific evidence. It is aimed at students (and teachers) of the four years of primary school. It aims to: i) support the teaching/learning of reading and writing in primary school; ii) signalize, in a timely manner, students at-risk of presenting difficulties in learning to read and write; and iii) support the recovery of learning. This paper will present this digital resource developed for the Portuguese context, based on the Portuguese curriculum and the legislation on inclusive education. It is also anchored in the multilevel approach whose focus on digital transition, on screening tests and monitoring of learning has introduced new challenges in the education system. As it is a digital resource whose activities are self-executable and for which explanatory and corrective feedbacks are provided, it contributes to bridge a gap in terms of digital transition which was particularly visible in a pandemic context such as the one we are going through.In Education, the use of technological resources to support students' teaching and learning is becoming more and more urgent. Teaching and Learning Portuguese [Ensinar e Aprender Português – EAP] is a structured and innovative educational resource, supported by the use of Information and Communication Technologies and based on scientific evidence. It is aimed at students (and teachers) of the four years of primary school. It aims to: i) support the teaching/learning of reading and writing in primary school; ii) signalize, in a timely manner, students at-risk of presenting difficulties in learning to read and write; and iii) support the recovery of learning. This paper will present this digital resource developed for the Portuguese context, based on the Portuguese curriculum and the legislation on inclusive education. It is also anchored in the multilevel approach whose focus on digital transition, on screening tests and monitoring of learning has introduced new challenges in the education system. As it is a digital resource whose activities are self-executable and for which explanatory and corrective feedbacks are provided, it contributes to bridge a gap in terms of digital transition which was particularly visible in a pandemic context such as the one we are going through.This work was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through the FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology) within the framework of the CIEC (Research Center for Child Studies of the University of Minho) projects under the references UIDB/00317/2020 and UIDP/00317/2020

Selecció de novetats editorials de comunicació

Obra col·lectiva biennal, creada per l'Institut de la Comunicació de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (InCom-UAB), l'any 2000. La setena edició, corresponent al bienni 2011-2012, va comptar amb el suport de la Generalitat de Catalunya; el patrocini de Gas Natural Fenosa; la col·laboració científica del Baròmetre de la Comunicació i la Cultura (Fundacc); la subscripció institucional de l'Ajuntament de Barcelona, el Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya i la Societat Catalana de Comunicació (filial de l'Institut d'Estudis Catalans); i la col·laboració acadèmica de l'Observatori de la Comunicació Local (OCL InCom-UAB)/URV/Diputació de Barcelona, l'Observatori de Polítiques de Comunicació (OPC InCom-UAB), i el Portal de la Comunicació (InCom-UAB).En el marc del Grup Internacional d'Estudis sobre Comunicació i Cultura (InCom-UAB), reconegut com a Grup Consolidat de Recerca de la Generalitat de Catalunya per al període 2010-2013 (Referència de concessió 2009 SGR 00615).Aquest capítol aporta una selecció d'obres d'autors vinculats a universitats i institucions catalanes, editades a Catalunya durant els anys 2011 i 2012, elaborada a partir de la base de dades del catàleg de la Biblioteca de Comunicació i Hemeroteca General de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, seguint els criteris acadèmics que el Portal de la Comunicació InCom-UAB (www.portalcomunicacio.cat) utilitza a la seva secció "Novetats editorials". Es tracta d'una relació en la qual es prioritzen les publicacions científiques per davant de les publicacions de caràcter més mediàtic i tècnic