Analysis of solid state relay solutions based on different semiconductor technologies

This paper provides an analysis on the design, implementation and operation of Bi-Directional Switches (BDS) based on power semiconductor devices intended to replace Electro Mechanical Relays (EMR) in home appliances. Static and dynamic characterizations of test vehicles developed using different power device semiconductor technologies (TRIAC, Super Junction (SJ) MOSFET, IGBT...) are presented. At this time, emerging Gallium Nitride High Electron Mobility Transistors (GaN HEMTs) seem to be very suitable for the mentioned applications. Actually, GaN HEMTs based BDS has demonstrated to be the best solution to replace EMRs, with a high expectation to a significant cost reduction

A hybrid multi-start metaheuristic scheduler for astronomical observations

In this paper, we investigate Astronomical Observations Scheduling which is a type of Multi-Objective Combinatorial Optimization Problem, and detail its specific challenges and requirements and propose the Hybrid Accumulative Planner (HAP), a hybrid multi-start metaheuristic scheduler able to adapt to the different variations and demands of the problem. To illustrate the capabilities of the proposal in a real-world scenario, HAP is tested on the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), and compared with other studies on this subject including an Evolutionary Algorithm (EA) approach. The results show that the proposal outperforms the other methods in the evaluation and achieves better scientific goals than its peers. The consistency of HAP in obtaining better results on the available datasets for Ariel, with various sizes and constraints, demonstrates its competence in scalability and adaptability to different conditions of the problem.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Interference with Clp protease impairs carotenoid accumulation during tomato fruit ripening

Profound metabolic and structural changes are required for fleshy green fruits to ripen and become colorful and tasty. In tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), fruit ripening involves the differentiation of chromoplasts, specialized plastids that accumulate carotenoid pigments such as β-carotene (pro-vitamin A) and lycopene. Here, we explored the role of the plastidial Clp protease in chromoplast development and carotenoid accumulation. Ripening-specific silencing of one of the subunits of the Clp proteolytic complex resulted in β-carotene-enriched fruits that appeared orange instead of red when ripe. Clp-defective fruit displayed aberrant chromoplasts and up-regulated expression of nuclear genes encoding the tomato homologs of Orange (OR) and ClpB3 chaperones, most probably to deal with misfolded and aggregated proteins that could not be degraded by the Clp protease. ClpB3 and OR chaperones protect the carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes deoxyxylulose 5-phosphate synthase and phytoene synthase, respectively, from degradation, whereas OR chaperones additionally promote chromoplast differentiation by preventing the degradation of carotenoids such as β-carotene. We conclude that the Clp protease contributes to the differentiation of chloroplasts into chromoplasts during tomato fruit ripening, acting in co-ordination with specific chaperones that alleviate protein folding stress, promote enzyme stability and accumulation, and prevent carotenoid degradation

Rúbriques per a l'avaluació de competències

Podeu consultar la versió castellana a recurs relacionat.Aquest Quadern és una introducció a l’ús de rúbriques per a l’avaluació dels aprenentatges en l’Educació Superior. Basat en el curs «Elaboració de rúbriques per a l’avaluació de les competències transversals», organitzat per l’Institut de Ciències de l’Educació de la Universitat de Barcelona, ha recollit el resultat de la participació de professorat d’enenyaments diversos de la UB, amb la ánalitat de col·laborar interdisciplinàriament en l’elaboració de rúbriques per avaluar les competències transversals, en primer lloc, i d’elaborar rúbriques sobre les pròpies assignatures en segon lloc.Per tal d’elaborar les rúbriques sobre les competències transversals, s’han definit les competències, s’han establert indicadors i criteris d’avaluació. Considerem que el resultat de l’anàlisi, de les definicions, dels indicadors i de les mateixes rúbriques, no és generalitzable però constitueix un material de primera mà per al desenvolupament i implementació de les rúbriques en l’avaluació de les assignatures a partir dels models oferts

The habituation process in two groups 1 of wild moor macaques (Macaca maura)

When studying animal behavior in the wild, some behaviors may require observation from a relatively short distance. In these cases, habituation is commonly used to ensure that animals do not perceive researchers as a direct threat and do not alter their behavior in their presence. However, habituation can have significant effects on the welfare and conservation of the animals. Studying how non-human primates react to the process of habituation can help to identify the factors that affect habituation, and implement habituation protocols that allow other researchers to speed up the process while maintaining high standards of health and safety for both animals and researchers. In this study, we systematically described the habituation of two groups of wild moor macaques (Macaca maura), an Endangered endemic species of Sulawesi Island (Indonesia), to assess the factors that facilitate habituation and reduce impact on animal behavior during this process. During 7 months, we conducted behavioral observations over 7,872 encounters and an average of 120 days, to monitor how macaque behavior toward researchers changed through time in the two groups under different conditions. We found that both study groups (N= 56, N= 41) became more tolerant to the presence of researchers during the course of the habituation, with occurrence of neutral group responses increasing, and minimum distance to researchers and occurrence of fearful group responses decreasing through time. These changes in behavior were predominant when macaques were in trees, with better visibility conditions, when researchers maintained a longer minimum distance to macaques and, unexpectedly, by the presence of more than one researcher. By identifying these factors, we contribute to designing habituation protocols that decrease the likelihood of fearful responses, and might reduce the stress experienced during this process

Rúbricas para la evaluación de competencias

Podeu consultar la versió catalana a recurs relacionat.[spa] Este cuaderno es una introducción al uso de rúbricas para la evaluación de los aprendizajes en educación superior. Basado en el curso «Elaboración de rúbricas para la evaluación de competencias transversales», organizado por el Institut de Ciències de l’Educació de la Universitat de Barcelona, recoge el resultado de la participación del profesorado de distintas enseñanzas de la UB, con la finalidad de colaborar interdisciplinariamente en la elaboración de rúbricas para evaluar las competencias transversales, en primer lugar, y de elaborar rúbricas sobre las propias asignaturas, en segundo lugar. Para elaborar las rúbricas sobre las competencias transversales, se han definido las competencias y se han establecido indicadores y criterios de evaluación. Consideramos que el resultado del análisis, de las definiciones, de los indicadores y de las propias rúbricas no es generalizable, pero constituye un material de primera mano para el desarrollo e implementación de las rúbricas en la evaluación de las asignaturas a partir de los modelos ofrecidos.[eng] This book is an introduction to the use of rubrics for the evaluation of learnings in Higher Education. Based on the course «How to prepare rubrics for the evaluation of transversal competences», organized by the Institut of Learning Sciences of the University of Barcelona, and it’s the result of the participation of professorship from different departments of the UB, with the purpose of interdisciplinarily collaborating in the preparation of rubrics to evaluate transversal competences and to elaborate rubrics on the own subjects. To make rubrics about transversal competences, we define them and establish indicators and criteria of evaluation. We think that the result of the analysis, definitions, indicators and the own rubrics cannot be generalized, but it’s a firsthand material for the development and implementation of the rubrics in the evaluation of subjects based at offered models

The Evolution of Primate Short-Term Memory.

Short-term memory is implicated in a range of cognitive abilities and is critical for understanding primate cognitive evolution. To investigate the effects of phylogeny, ecology and sociality on short-term memory, we tested the largest and most diverse primate sample to date (421 non-human primates across 41 species) in an experimental delayed-response task. Our results confirm previous findings that longer delays decrease memory performance across species and taxa. Our analyses demonstrate a considerable contribution of phylogeny over ecological and social factors on the distribution of short-term memory performance in primates; closely related species had more similar short-term memory abilities. Overall, individuals in the branch of Hominoidea performed better compared to Cercopithecoidea, who in turn performed above Platyrrhini and Strepsirrhini. Interdependencies between phylogeny and socioecology of a given species presented an obstacle to disentangling the effects of each of these factors on the evolution of short-term memory capacity. However, this study offers an important step forward in understanding the interspecies and individual variation in short-term memory ability by providing the first phylogenetic reconstruction of this trait’s evolutionary history. The dataset constitutes a unique resource for studying the evolution of primate cognition and the role of short-term memory in other cognitive abilities.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Population dynamics and genetic connectivity in recent chimpanzee history

The European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement no. 864203) (to T.M.-B.). BFU2017-86471-P (MINECO/FEDER, UE) (to T.M.-B.). “Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu”, funded by the AEI (CEX2018-000792-M) (to T.M.-B.). Howard Hughes International Early Career (to T.M.-B.). NIH 1R01HG010898-01A1 (to T.M.-B.). Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca and CERCA Program del Departament d’Economia i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya (GRC 2017 SGR 880) (to T.M.-B.). UCL’s Wellcome Trust ISSF3 award 204841/Z/16/Z (to A.M.A. and J.M.S.). Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR-1040) (to M. Llorente). Wellcome Trust Investigator Award 202802/Z/16/Z (to D.A.H.). The Pan African Program: The Cultured Chimpanzee (PanAf) is generously funded by the Max Planck Society, the Max Planck Society Innovation Fund, and the Heinz L. Krekeler Foundation.Knowledge on the population history of endangered species is critical for conservation, but whole-genome data on chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) is geographically sparse. Here, we produced the first non-invasive geolocalized catalog of genomic diversity by capturing chromosome 21 from 828 non-invasive samples collected at 48 sampling sites across Africa. The four recognized subspecies show clear genetic differentiation correlating with known barriers, while previously undescribed genetic exchange suggests that these have been permeable on a local scale. We obtained a detailed reconstruction of population stratification and fine-scale patterns of isolation, migration, and connectivity, including a comprehensive picture of admixture with bonobos (Pan paniscus). Unlike humans, chimpanzees did not experience extended episodes of long-distance migrations, which might have limited cultural transmission. Finally, based on local rare variation, we implement a fine-grained geolocalization approach demonstrating improved precision in determining the origin of confiscated chimpanzees.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe