An estimation approach for process control based on asymmetric oscillations

[Abstract] An estimation procedure for process control has been developed based on the information obtained from the oscillations that a non-linear element as a simple relay introduces in the feedback loop. Features of the method are: (1) the procedure does not demand a priori process information, (b) non-iterative algorithms are needed to derive the process parameters, (c) only one test is needed, and (d) it allows identifying the process at a user-specified phase lag in the third quadrant. The method is presented for estimation of most common transfer functions found in chemical and process industry: integrators, first-, second- as well as processes with non-minimum-phase dynamics.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; PI2012-31303Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; DPI2014-55932-C2-2-

The importance of export relational exchanges

El objetivo del presente trabajo es doble. En primer lugar, analizar cuáles son los antecedentes de los intercambios relacionales en el ámbito de las exportaciones. Así, estudiaremos el efecto que sobre los mismos ejerce la dependencia del exportador respecto a sus representantes legales en los mercados internacionales y las competencias de la empresa exportadora en el ámbito internacional. En segundo lugar, analizar el efecto que sobre el resultado exportador ejercen las denominadas normas relacionales (cooperación, intercambio de información y flexibilidad). Los resultados del estudio empírico, efectuado sobre una muestra de 150 empresas exportadoras gallegas, confirman que las características empresariales y las competencias internacionales condicionan el clima relacional entre los exportadores y sus distribuidores extranjeros. Además, las normas relacionales se revelan como determinantes esenciales del resultado logrado por la empresa exportadora en los mercados exteriores.The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we analyze the antecedents of the relational exchanges in the export field. Thus, we’ll study the influence of exporter's dependence regarding his foreign agents and exporter’s international competencies in relational exchanges. Second, we examine the influence of some relational norms (cooperation, exchange of information and flexibility) in export performance. The results of the empiric study performed with a sample 150 Galician exporter firms confirm that international competencies have influence over the relationship between exporters and their foreign distributors. Moreover, relational norms are shown as essential determinants of export performance

Adaptation of marketing-mix strategy and characteristics of exporting companies: implications on export performance

El estudio de los antecedentes del resultado exportador es una de las líneas de investigación más prolíferas en la literatura de marketing internacional. Entre los factores analizados por los minvestigadores como posibles determinantes del éxito exportador están las características empresariales y la estrategia de marketing-mix desarrollada por las empresas, aunque no existe un consenso entre los resultados obtenidos. En este sentido, el objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar, mediante la aplicación de un modelo logit sobre una muestra de 150 empresas exportadoras españolas, la influencia que estas variables ejercen sobre el resultado exportador, analizando además si la estrategia de marketing-mix está condicionada por las características de las empresas.The study of the antecedents of export performance is a research line that has been paid a lot of attention in the literature of international marketing. Firm’s characteristics and marketingmix strategy are among the factors analyzed by researchers as possible determinant of export performance, although there is no agreement among the results. In this sense, the objective of the present work is to analyze, by using a logit model with a sample of 150 Spanish exporters, the influence that these variables have over export performance, as well as the influence of firm’s characteristics over marketing-mix strategy

Study of Cr2O3 nanoparticles supported on carbonaceous materials as catalysts for O2 reduction reaction

A series of chromium oxides (Cr2O3) nanoparticles supported on different carbonaceous material, namely: graphene, graphene oxide (GO) and graphite, were synthetized by precipitation of the salt precursors with precipitant (ammonia) and the subsequent thermal treatment. The catalytic activity of these composites and the Cr2O3 nanoparticles have been analysed by Koutecky-Levich (KL) and rotating ring-disc electrode methods and the results have been discussed following a model proposed here, which considers the O2 electrosorption as the rate determining step. Among them, graphite and graphene based composites have better catalytic activities and their behaviours agree with the proposed treatment: logarithm dependent of the intercept and nondependent slopes values of the KL plots with the potential. Cr2O3-graphite shows a mechanism interchanging 4 e-, which has been attributed to a graphite- Cr2O3 nanoparticles interaction. Besides, Cr2O3-graphite-based electrodes have been tested as cathode in a Zn/PVA-KOH/air battery, confirming its good properties to be applied as positive electrode in metal-air batteries.The authors thank the financial support from Fundación Séneca (Región de Murcia, Spain; Ref: 20985/PI/18), Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (PID2019-104272RB-C55/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, CTQ2017-90659-REDT and PID2019-106097 GB/AEI/10.13039/501100011033), MINECO (projects MAT2017-84118-C2-2-R and MAT2017-82252-R) and Banco Santander-UCM (project PR87/19-22613). The authors also acknowledge Victor Galindo Garre for providing R-Studio scripts for data analysis

Efectividad del Design Thinking para la mejora de la calidad y seguridad en el uso de medicamentos en un área integrada de salud

Introducción: En reuniones de grupos focales se concluyó que, dada la situación de integración asistencial y de gestión de la organización, una apuesta por la mejora interna junto con la implantación de nuevas tecnologías podría ser un mensaje que podría conducir al éxito. Esto es, priorizar la mejora en la organización interna a partir de “una mejora de la seguridad de los medicamentos orientada clínicamente a la atención al paciente”. Objetivo: Lograr la participación del Servicio de Farmacia en la mejora de la calidad técnica con una atención innovadora en la atención farmacéutica del paciente. Métodos: En un área integrada de 300 000 habitantes, con tres hospitales y 49 centros de salud, en el Servicio de Farmacia se crearon dos grupos focales para la evaluación de su situación, y a partir de la misma, proponer un despliegue de acciones de mejora. A través del Design Thinking, se realizaron sesiones conjuntas semiestructuradas consensuando el despliegue. Tras la evaluación y puesta en común se propusieron tres líneas estratégicas: 1. Orientación hacia la mejora y certificación de la calidad. 2. Orientación hacia el paciente, abriendo canales más directos de contacto a través de nuevas tecnologías. 3. Mejora en el radar de detección de problemas en el medicamento (generalmente de seguridad), con los facultativos de la EOXI (“La seguridad clínica como un objetivo”)

Validation of an AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average model for the prediction of animal zone temperature in a weaned piglet building

An AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average model was validated for the prediction of temperatures in the animal zone of conventional weaned piglet barn. The validation period covered seven cycles and recorded values at 10-min intervals for 292 days. Average weight was 5.75 ± 0.86 kg at the beginning of the production cycle and 18.41 ± 2.12 kg at the end of the cycle. Mean outdoor air temperatures ranged 6.14 to 17.85 °C with deviations in the range 2.49 °C to 5.24 °C, which involved marked differences in the operation of the ventilation system. The Mean Average Percentage Error was below 4%, with a mean error of ≤1 °C. The Root Mean Square Error was in the range 0.77 °C to 1.19 °C, whereas the coefficient of determination ranged between 0.52 and 0.81. Despite the changes in environmental conditions and in animal weight and management, the accuracy of the model remained stable with low dispersion of values. The model showed good accuracy and reliability covering all the seasons under changing meteorological conditions because it considered the operation of the heating and ventilation systems and changes in animal weight. The residuals obtained from the validation of the seven production cycles were Gaussian distributed, which confirmed the validity of the model. The generated model can be used for more effective environmental control systems that are capable of anticipating events and show a better response, which helps improve energy savings and animal welfareThe authors are grateful to the regional government Xunta de Galicia for funding this research through the “Programme of consolidation and structuring of competitive research units” (GPC2014/072)S

Energy, Production and Environmental Characteristics of a Conventional Weaned Piglet Farm in North West Spain

Postweaning is one of the most sensitive and energy-demanding phases of swine production. The objective of this research was to assess the energy, production and environmental characteristics of a conventional farm with temperature-based environmental control. The selected energy, environmental and production variables were measured on farm, in a high livestock density area of NW Spain, for seven production cycles. The quantification of variables was aimed at obtaining the maximum performance with the lowest possible use of resources, focusing on animal welfare and production efficiency. The Brown–Forsythe, Welch and Games-Howell tests revealed significant differences in terms of temperature, relative humidity and CO2 concentrations among production cycles, and among the critical, postcritical and final periods. Improved humidity management resulted in a 17% reduction of climate control energy, which involved energy savings in the range of 33% to 47% per kg produced at the end of the postweaning cycle. Accordingly, adding humidity as a control variable could result in higher ventilation rates, thereby improving animal welfare, reducing heating energy use and increasing weight gain per unit climate control energy. In addition, the strong correlations found between heating energy and relative humidity (R2 = 0.73) and ventilation energy and CO2 (R2 = 0.99) suggest that these variables could be readily estimated without additional sensor costsThis research has received funding from European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (2007–2013) under the project Control and automation strategies for energy and production efficiency in weaned farms, included in the research and innovation programme for Galicia, PEME I+D SumaS

Disruption of NIPBL/Scc2 in Cornelia de Lange Syndrome provokes cohesin genome-wide redistribution with an impact in the transcriptome

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a rare disease affecting multiple organs and systems during development. Mutations in the cohesin loader, NIPBL/Scc2, were first described and are the most frequent in clinically diagnosed CdLS patients. The molecular mechanisms driving CdLS phenotypes are not understood. In addition to its canonical role in sister chromatid cohesion, cohesin is implicated in the spatial organization of the genome. Here, we investigate the transcriptome of CdLS patient-derived primary fibroblasts and observe the downregulation of genes involved in development and system skeletal organization, providing a link to the developmental alterations and limb abnormalities characteristic of CdLS patients. Genome-wide distribution studies demonstrate a global reduction of NIPBL at the NIPBL-associated high GC content regions in CdLS-derived cells. In addition, cohesin accumulates at NIPBL-occupied sites at CpG islands potentially due to reduced cohesin translocation along chromosomes, and fewer cohesin peaks colocalize with CTCF