Detection of Non-Technical Losses in Smart Distribution Networks: a Review

With the advent of smart grids, distribution utilities have initiated a large deployment of smart meters on the premises of the consumers. The enormous amount of data obtained from the consumers and communicated to the utility give new perspectives and possibilities for various analytics-based applications. In this paper the current smart metering-based energy-theft detection schemes are reviewed and discussed according to two main distinctive categories: A) system statebased, and B) arti cial intelligence-based.Comisión Europea FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IT

Nonlinear time-domain macromodeling of OTA circuits

The authors present an accurate nonlinear macromodel of the operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) which is suitable for the transient simulation of OTA-based CMOS analog integrated circuits. As compared to device-level OTA models, the proposed macromodel is advantageous in terms of CPU time. Also, in circuits with many OTAs, it does not have the problems of convergence that the device-level MODEL has. All the macromodel parameters can be calculated from measurements made at the OTA terminals. Experimental results from a 3-μm CMOS OTA prototype as well as simulation results from device-level models are included and compared to simulation results from the macromodel

Characterization of the hyperbolic step of parabolic functions

A classical problem in Complex Dynamics on hyperbolic domains is to characterize the hyperbolic step of parabolic functions. This topic has been studied by several authors, leading to different results and providing characterizations that depend on the behaviour of the iterates of such function. In this work we provide new characterizations in terms of intrinsic properties of the function

Agronomic Potential and Nutritive Value of Promising \u3ci\u3eLeucaena\u3c/i\u3e Species in the Yucatan Peninsula

Two experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the agronomic potential, the nutritive value and the tolerance to psyllid (Heteropsilla cubana) of nine Leucaena species. A randomized block design with four repetitions was used. There were significant (P\u3c 0.01) differences on dry matter production (i.e. leaf and twigs yield ). L. collinsii showed the most promising result, which could be related to its high psyllid tolerance. In a second experiment, the preference indices of Leucaena species was assessed with sixteen male pelibuey sheep in a cafeteria trial. There were significant (P\u3c 0.0001) differences among Leucaena species. L. esculenta paniculata was the species most preferred . There was no relationship between chemical composition (i.e. ADF, NDF, and polyphenols) and preference and psyllid tolerance

Cuatro Edificios de viviendas en Madrid, España

Taking advantage of the change in ordinance for unifamily housing to collective housing, and to make even more use of the land, this complex of blocks adopts a compact shape, freeing the maximum amount of land from construction, to create really useful gardens. Among the four buildings, all six stories, various professional offices and 90 housing quarters are distributed; their programs —of marked zonification— cover areas of 130 to 200 m2. Outside the esthetics achieved deserve mention, based on the careful constructive details rather than shapes with no functional justification.Aprovechando el cambio de ordenación de viviendas unifamiliares a viviendas colectivas y sacar más partido del solar, este conjunto de bloques adopta una configuración compacta, liberando de construcción el máximo de suelo para crear jardines de verdadera utilidad. Entre los cuatro edificios, todos ellos de seis plantas, se distribuyen despachos profesionales y 90 viviendas, cuyos programas —de marcada zonificación—, cubren superficies de 130 a 200 m2. Exteriormente destaca la estética lograda, basada en el cuidado de los detalles constructivos más que en formas sin justificación funcional

Nanoparticles Targeting Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells: Multimodal Carriers for the Treatment of Hematological Diseases

Modern-day hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) therapies, such as gene therapy, modify autologous HSCs prior to re-infusion into myelo-conditioned patients and hold great promise for treatment of hematological disorders. While this approach has been successful in numerous clinical trials, it relies on transplantation of ex vivo modified patient HSCs, which presents several limitations. It is a costly and time-consuming procedure, which includes only few patients so far, and ex vivo culturing negatively impacts on the viability and stem cell-properties of HSCs. If viral vectors are used, this carries the additional risk of insertional mutagenesis. A therapy delivered to HSCs in vivo, with minimal disturbance of the HSC niche, could offer great opportunities for novel treatments that aim to reverse disease symptoms for hematopoietic disorders and could bring safe, effective and affordable genetic therapies to all parts of the world. However, substantial unmet needs exist with respect to the in vivo delivery of therapeutics to HSCs. In the last decade, in particular with the development of gene editing technologies such as CRISPR/Cas9, nanoparticles (NPs) have become an emerging platform to facilitate the manipulation of cells and organs. By employing surface modification strategies, different types of NPs can be designed to target specific tissues and cell types in vivo. HSCs are particularly difficult to target due to the lack of unique cell surface markers that can be utilized for cell-specific delivery of therapeutics, and their shielded localization in the bone marrow (BM). Recent advances in NP technology and genetic engineering have resulted in the development of advanced nanocarriers that can deliver therapeutics and imaging agents to hematopoietic stem- and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in the BM niche. In this review we provide a comprehensive overview of NP-based approaches targeting HSPCs to control and monitor HSPC activity in vitro and in vivo, and we discuss the potential of NPs for the treatment of malignant and non-malignant hematological disorders, with a specific focus on the delivery of gene editing tools

Sound absorption properties of aluminum sponges manufactured by infiltration process

In this paper, the sound absorption properties of aluminum sponges manufactured by infiltration process have been studied. The results show that the sound absorption factor α changes in function of pore size. Additionally, the sound absorption factor α was sensitive to the frequency range measured and it was depending of the thickness sample. It was found that the interconnected porosity plays an important role increasing the sound absorption properties of the aluminum sponges studie

ZnO on rice husk: a sustainable photocatalyst for urban air purification

A cost-effective and sustainable De-NOx photocatalyst is prepared usingzinc acetate and rice husk. ZnO@SiO2samples are obtained from the calcination of a homogenised precursor mixture at 600 C. ZnO nanoparticles (70 –180 nm) grow aggregated in spheres and well dispersed (40 –53 m2g-1surface area) covering the silicon skeleton. The corresponding band gap for ZnO@SiO2photocatalysts was estimated at3.1 –3.2 eV. When the samples are irradiated by sunlight in anitrogen oxide atmosphere the NO HNO2NO2NO3-photochemical oxidation takes place. In comparison to unsupported ZnO and TiO2-P25, ZnO@SiO2samples exhibit high NOXremoval values (70 %) and outstanding selectivity (> 90%), the latter related to the sensitivity of zinc oxide towards NO2gas. This new photocatalyst is easily recyclable and reusabl

White light supercontinuum generation in a Y-shaped microstructured tapered fiber pumped at 1064 nm

We report the generation of supercontinuum in a Ge-doped Y-shape tapered fiber pumped at 1064 nm in the ns pump regime. The taper was designed to have long taper transitions and a taper waist with a core diameter of 0.9 μm. The large air-filling fraction and diameter of the air-hole microstructure reduces the confinement loss at long wavelengths so, enabling the extension of the spectrum to longer wavelengths. Along the taper transition the zero-dispersion wavelength decreases as the diameter of the taper becomes smaller. The spectral components generated along the taper transition pump the taper waist, enhancing the generation of short wavelengths. A flat spectrum spanning from 420 nm to 1850 nm is reported

User profiling in web interfaces adaptivity

[ES] La Web se ha convertido en un modelo de computación ampliamente aceptado, que está provocando una migración de los sistemas de información tradicionales a este nuevo contexto. Un claro ejemplo de esta situación ocurre en los sistemas de comercio electrónico, que aprovechan las facilidades de interactivas de la Web para el desarrollo de su actividad. En esta nueva ola de aplicaciones Web nos encontramos con nuevos retos, habida cuenta de las mayores prestaciones en cuanto a funcionalidad e interacción que el usuario exige en el software. Los contenidos, tradicionalmente estáticos, que conformaban la Web, se ven ahora sustituidos por contenidos generados dinámicamente, que favorecen la naturaleza evolutiva y cambiante propia de estos sistemas. Relacionado con esto, comienzan a surgir los servicios personalizados, que intentan mostrar a los usuarios aquella información en la que están más interesados, utilizando para ello el conocimiento que le permite inferir al sistema como adaptarse automáticamente al usuario, esto es, se cuenta con un perfil de cada usuario del sistema. En el presente trabajo se va a hacer una introducción a las técnicas de creación y gestión de perfiles de usuario, con el claro propósito de aplicarlas en un contexto personalizado y adaptativo de comercio electrónico. [EN] Web systems are a widely accepted computation model, which is causing a migration of the traditional information system to this context. E-Commerce systems are a representative example of this situation; these ones take advantage of the interactive facilities of the Web system to develop their activities. This new trend of Web applications introduce new challenges, which are derived from the growth of the users’ functionality and interaction requirements. The traditionally static information contents, which formed the Web, are now substituted by contents generated on the fly, which promote the evolutionary and changeable nature of the Web systems. Related to this situation, personalized Web services appear that try to offer the most interesting data for each particular user. In order to achieve this goal, these systems use the needed knowledge to infer how they will be able to adapt themselves to the users’ preferences. This means that the system has a profile of each user. In this paper we are going to introduce to the profile creation and management techniques, with the aim of applying them in personalized and adaptive e-commerce context