1,097 research outputs found
Chapter Hybrid-Powered Autonomous Robots for Reducing Both Fuel Consumption and Pollution in Precision Agriculture Tasks
Environmental contamination and the resulting climate change are major concerns worldwide. Agricultural vehicles that use fossil fuels emit significant amounts of atmospheric pollutants. Thus, this study investigates techniques to reduce fuel consumption in robotic vehicles used for agricultural tasks and therefore reduce atmospheric emissions from these automated systems. A hybrid energy system for autonomous robots devoted to weed and pest control in agriculture is modeled and evaluated, and its exhaust emissions are compared with those of an internal combustion engine-powered system. Agricultural implements require power for hydraulic pumps and fans; this energy is conventionally provided by power take-off (PTO) systems, which waste substantial amounts of energy. In this work, we examine a solution by designing and assessing a hybrid energy system that omits the alternators from the original vehicle and modifies the agricultural implements to replace the PTO power with electrical power. The hybrid energy system uses the original combustion engine of the tractor in combination with a new electrical energy system based on a hydrogen fuel cell. We analyze and compare the exhaust gases resulting from the use of (1) an internal combustion engine as the single power source and (2) the hybrid energy system. The results demonstrate that the hybrid energy system reduced emissions by up to approximately 50%
Hybrid-Powered Autonomous Robots for Reducing Both Fuel Consumption and Pollution in Precision Agriculture Tasks
Environmental contamination and the resulting climate change are major concerns worldwide. Agricultural vehicles that use fossil fuels emit significant amounts of atmospheric pollutants. Thus, this study investigates techniques to reduce fuel consumption in robotic vehicles used for agricultural tasks and therefore reduce atmospheric emissions from these automated systems. A hybrid energy system for autonomous robots devoted to weed and pest control in agriculture is modeled and evaluated, and its exhaust emissions are compared with those of an internal combustion engine-powered system. Agricultural implements require power for hydraulic pumps and fans; this energy is conventionally provided by power take-off (PTO) systems, which waste substantial amounts of energy. In this work, we examine a solution by designing and assessing a hybrid energy system that omits the alternators from the original vehicle and modifies the agricultural implements to replace the PTO power with electrical power. The hybrid energy system uses the original combustion engine of the tractor in combination with a new electrical energy system based on a hydrogen fuel cell. We analyze and compare the exhaust gases resulting from the use of (1) an internal combustion engine as the single power source and (2) the hybrid energy system. The results demonstrate that the hybrid energy system reduced emissions by up to approximately 50%
Low X-ray Luminosity Galaxy Clusters. III: Weak Lensing Mass Determination at 0.18 z 0.70
This is the third of a series of papers of low X-ray luminosity galaxy
clusters. In this work we present the weak lensing analysis of eight clusters,
based on observations obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph in the
, and passbands. For this purpose, we have developed a pipeline
for the lensing analysis of ground-based images and we have performed tests
applied to simulated data. We have determined the masses of seven galaxy
clusters, six of them measured for the first time. For the four clusters with
availably spectroscopic data, we find a general agreement between the velocity
dispersions obtained via weak lensing assuming a Singular Isothermal Sphere
profile, and those obtained from the redshift distribution of member galaxies.
The correlation between our weak lensing mass determinations and the X-ray
luminosities are suitably fitted by other observations of the
relation and models
Promoting global clinical care and research for children with orthopaedic disabilities through motion analysis technology
Human motion analysis is a tool used to understand orthopaedic disabilities in children and to plan and monitor treatment strategies. It enables clinicians to quantitatively describe rehabilitative progress, plan surgeries, and conduct research. While this technology is prevalent in major academic medical centers, access is lacking in many regions throughout the world. This paper presents a novel approach to offer more accessible technology at greatly reduced cost. Current applications are underway in the Philippines, Mexico, and Colombia. Through international partnerships, improvements in clinical care, medical education, and research have been observed
Interannual variability of the early summer circulation around the Balearic Islands: driving factors and potential effects on the marine ecosystem
Six summer surveys conducted from 2001 to 2005 and in 2012 by the Spanish Institute of
Oceanography (IEO) reveal that the hydrographic early summer scenarios around the Balearic
Islands are related to the winter atmospheric forcing in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.
The Balearic Islands (western Mediterranean Sea) lie at the transition between the southern,
fresher, newly arrived Atlantic Waters (AW) and the northern, saltier, resident AW. The
meridional position of the salinity driven oceanic density front separating the new from the
resident AW is determined by the presence/absence of Western Intermediate Water (WIW) in
the Mallorca and Ibiza channels. When WIW is present in the channels, the oceanic density
front is found either at the south of the islands, or along the Emil Boudot escarpment. In
contrast, when WIW is absent, new AW progresses northwards crossing the Ibiza channel
and/or the Mallorca channel. In this later scenario, the oceanic density front is closer to the
Balearic Islands. A good correspondence exists between standardized winter air temperature
anomaly in the Gulf ofLions and the presence of WIW in the channels. We discuss the use of a
regional climatic index based on these parameters to forecast in a first-order approach the
position of the oceanic front, as it is expected to have high impact on the regional marine
ecosystem.Post-print
Enhancing a de novo enzyme activity by computationally-focused ultra-low-throughput screening
Directed evolution has revolutionized protein engineering. Still, enzyme optimization by random library
screening remains sluggish, in large part due to futile probing of mutations that are catalytically neutral
and/or impair stability and folding. FuncLib is a novel approach which uses phylogenetic analysis and
Rosetta design to rank enzyme variants with multiple mutations, on the basis of predicted stability. Here,
we use it to target the active site region of a minimalist-designed, de novo Kemp eliminase. The
similarity between the Michaelis complex and transition state for the enzymatic reaction makes this
system particularly challenging to optimize. Yet, experimental screening of a small number of active-site
variants at the top of the predicted stability ranking leads to catalytic efficiencies and turnover numbers
( 2 104 M 1 s 1 and 102 s 1) for this anthropogenic reaction that compare favorably to those of
modern natural enzymes. This result illustrates the promise of FuncLib as a powerful tool with which to
speed up directed evolution, even on scaffolds that were not originally evolved for those functions, by
guiding screening to regions of the sequence space that encode stable and catalytically diverse
enzymes. Empirical valence bond calculations reproduce the experimental activation energies for the
optimized eliminases to within 2 kcal mol 1 and indicate that the enhanced activity is linked to better
geometric preorganization of the active site. This raises the possibility of further enhancing the stabilityguidance
of FuncLib by computational predictions of catalytic activity, as a generalized approach for
computational enzyme designKnut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (Wallenberg Academy Fellowship)
2018.0140Human Frontier Science Program
RGP0041/2017FEDER Funds/Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
BIO2015-66426-R
RTI2018-097142-B-100FEDER/Junta de Andalucia - Consejeria de Economia y Conocimiento
E.FQM.113.UGR18Swedish National Infrastructure for computing (SNAC)
2018/2-3
2019/2-
Domestic horses within the Maya biosphere reserve: A possible threat to the Central American tapir (Tapirus bairdii)
The Central American tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is the largest herbivore in the Neotropics classified as “endangered.” It has been proposed that Equine Infectious Anemia virus (EIA) is a disease of horses with potential to lead to further decline of T. bairdii populations. In this study, we used domestic horses as sentinels for EIA in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala. In total, 40 % (13) horses tested were seropositive to EIA. This study may inform wildlife management strategies inside protected areas by considering the threat from incursions of domestic animals inside core areas of natural reserves.El tapir centroamericano (Tapirus bairdii) es el herbívoro más grande del Neotrópico clasificado “en peligro de extinción”. Ha sido propuesto que la Anemia Infecciosa Equina (AIE) es una enfermedad de caballos con potencial de provocar una declinación de las poblaciones de T. bairdii. En este estudio utilizamos caballos domésticos como centinelas para AIE en la Reserva de la Biosfera Maya en Guatemala. En total, el 40 % (13) caballos evaluados fueron seropositivos a AIE. Este estudio puede orientar las estrategias de manejo de áreas protegidas, considerando la amenaza de incursiones de animales domésticos en zonas núcleo de reservas naturales
The body mass index increases the genetic risk scores' ability to predict risk of hepatic damage in European adolescents: The HELENA study
Background
Hepatic disorders are often complex and multifactorial, modulated by genetic and environmental determinants. During the last years, the hepatic disease has been progressively established from early stages in life. The use of genetic risk scores (GRS) to predict the genetic susceptibility to a particular phenotype among youth has gained interest in recent years. Moreover, the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) blood biomarker is often considered as hepatic screening tool, in combination with imaging techniques. The aim of the present study was to develop an ALT-specific GRS to help in the evaluation of hepatic damage risk in European adolescents.
Methods
A total of 972 adolescents (51.3% females), aged 12.5–17.5 years, from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study were included in the analyses. The sample incorporated adolescents in all body mass index (BMI) categories and was divided considering healthy/unhealthy ALT levels, using sex-specific cut-off points. From 1212 a priori ALT-related single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) extracted from candidate gene selection, a first screening of 234 SNPs univariately associated was established, selecting seven significant SNPs (p < .05) in the multivariate model. An unweighted GRS (uGRS) was developed by summing the number of reference alleles, and a weighted GRS (wGRS), by multiplying each allele to its estimated coefficient.
Results
The uGRS and wGRS were significantly associated with ALT (p < .001). The area under curve was obtained integrating BMI as clinical factor, improving the predictive ability for uGRS (.7039) and wGRS (.7035), using 10-fold internal cross-validation.
Conclusions
Considering BMI status, both GRSs could contribute as complementary tools to help in the early diagnosis of hepatic damage risk in European adolescents
Analysis of candidates for interacting galaxy clusters: I. A1204 and A2029/A2033
Merging galaxy clusters allow for the study of different mass components, dark and baryonic, separately. Also, their occurrence enables to test the ΛCDM scenario, which can be used to put constraints on the selfinteracting cross-section of the dark-matter particle. It is necessary to perform a homogeneous analysis of these systems. Hence, based on a recently presented sample of candidates for interacting galaxy clusters, we present the analysis of two of these cataloged systems. In this work, the first of a series devoted to characterizing galaxy clusters in merger processes, we perform a weak lensing analysis of clusters A1204 and A2029/2033 to derive the total masses of each identified interacting structure together with a dynamical study based on a two-body model. We also describe the gas and the mass distributions in the field through a lensing and an X-ray analysis. This is the first of a series of works which will analyze these type of system in order to characterize them. Neither merging cluster candidate shows evidence of having had a recent merger event. Nevertheless, there is dynamicalevidence that these systems could be interacting or could interact in the future. It is necessary to include more constraints in order to improve the methodology of classifying merging galaxy clusters.Characterization of these clusters is important in order to properly understand the nature of these systems and their connection withdynamical studies.Fil: Gonzalez, Elizabeth Johana. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; ArgentinaFil: de Los Rios, Martín Emilio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Oio, Gabriel Andrés. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Hernández Lang, Daniel. Universidad de La Serena; ChileFil: AguirreTagliaferro, Tania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Dominguez Romero, Mariano Javier de Leon. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Nilo Castellon, Jose Luis Emilio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de la Serena; ChileFil: Cuevas L., H.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Valotto, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba. Instituto de Astronomía Teórica y Experimental; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Observatorio Astronómico de Córdoba; Argentin
Development of a Genetic Risk Score to predict the risk of overweight and obesity in European adolescents from the HELENA study
Obesity is the result of interactions between genes and environmental factors. Since monogenic
etiology is only known in some obesity-related genes, a genetic risk score (GRS) could be useful
to determine the genetic predisposition to obesity. Therefore, the aim of our study was to build a
GRS able to predict genetic predisposition to overweight and obesity in European adolescents. A
total of 1069 adolescents (51.3% female), aged 11–19 years participating in the Healthy Lifestyle in
Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence (HELENA) cross-sectional study were genotyped. The sample
was divided in non-overweight (non-OW) and overweight/obesity (OW/OB). From 611 single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) available, a first screening of 104 SNPs univariately associated with
obesity (p < 0.20) was established selecting 21 significant SNPs (p < 0.05) in the multivariate model.
Unweighted GRS (uGRS) was calculated by summing the number of risk alleles and weighted GRS
(wGRS) by multiplying the risk alleles to each estimated coefficient. The area under curve (AUC) was
calculated in uGRS (0.723) and wGRS (0.734) using tenfold internal cross-validation. Both uGRS and
wGRS were significantly associated with body mass index (BMI) (p < .001). Both GRSs could potentially
be considered as useful genetic tools to evaluate individual’s predisposition to overweight/obesity in
European adolescents.European Commission
FOOD-CT-2005-007034HELENA projectSpanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
RYC-2010-05957
RYC2011-09011Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERObn)Iberus Talent Pre-doctoral fellowships under the European Union
801586Instituto de Salud Carlos III
CB15/0004
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