Lithbea, a new domain outside the tree of life

At this time when the development of synthetic biology and artificial intelligence are changing the world around us, philosophers and scientists, first of all, must converge to analyze the present and predict the ethical-social consequences and biological dangers associated with new “living entities” that are not the result of the natural evolutionary process. As synthetic/artificial life forms (xenobots, robots, transgenic organisms, etc.) become more and more abundant and sophisticated, it seems first of all necessary to bring some order to all this new biodiversity, establishing what is alive and what is not, and analyzing the consequences of this incessant creative activity. Here I intend to organize all these human-made entities and clarify their status as living beings or artificial elements, leaving the door open to an uncertain future in which we will be able to see how “the artificial” and “the natural” could merge to originate something different from everything known. Accordingly, I propose the creation of a new domain, Lithbea, which includes all synthetic and artificial entities within a new kingdom called Humade (derived from human-made). I have also included viruses in a new realm, the Viral kingdom, because they were excluded from the classical three-domain tree of life despite playing a fundamental role in the evolution of biodiversity on Earth. Finally, I make a brief comment on the unpredictability of the unknown, the implications of this new landscape of biodiversity, and the uncertain future of all these advancesOpen Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer NatureS

What is life?

Background: Many traditional biological concepts continue to be debated by biologists, scientists and philosophers of science. The specific objective of this brief reflection is to offer an alternative vision to the definition of life taking as a starting point the traits common to all living beings. Results and Conclusions: Thus, I define life as a process that takes place in highly organized organic structures and is characterized by being preprogrammed, interactive, adaptative and evolutionary. If life is the process, living beings are the system in which this process takes place. I also wonder whether viruses can be considered living things or not. Taking as a starting point my definition of life and, of course, on what others have thought about it, I am in favor of considering viruses as living beings. I base this conclusion on the fact that viruses satisfy all the vital characteristics common to all living things and on the role they have played in the evolution of species. Finally, I argue that if there were life elsewhere in the universe, it would be very similar to what we know on this planet because the laws of physics and the composition of matter are universal and because of the principle of the inexorability of lifeS

Customer-oriented risk assessment in Network Utilities

For companies that distribute services such as telecommunications, water, energy, gas, etc., quality perceived by the customers has a strong impact on the fulfillment of financial goals, positively increasing the demand and negatively increasing the risk of customer churn (loss of customers). Failures by these companies may cause customer affection in a massive way, augmenting the intention to leave the company. Therefore, maintenance performance and specifically service reliability has a strong influence on financial goals. This paper proposes a methodology to evaluate the contribution of the maintenance department in economic terms, based on service unreliability by network failures. The developed methodology aims to provide an analysis of failures to facilitate decision making about maintenance (preventive/predictive and corrective) costs versus negative impacts in end-customer invoicing based on the probability of losing customers. Survival analysis of recurrent failures with the General Renewal Process distribution is used for this novel purpose with the intention to be applied as a standard procedure to calculate the expected maintenance financial impact, for a given period of time. Also, geographical areas of coverage are distinguished, enabling the comparison of different technical or management alternatives. Two case studies in a telecommunications services company are presented in order to illustrate the applicability of the methodology

Failure mode prediction and energy forecasting of PV plants to assist dynamic maintenance tasks by ANN based models

In the field of renewable energy, reliability analysis techniques combining the operating time of the system with the observation of operational and environmental conditions, are gaining importance over time. In this paper, reliability models are adapted to incorporate monitoring data on operating assets, as well as information on their environmental conditions, in their calculations. To that end, a logical decision tool based on two artificial neural networks models is presented. This tool allows updating assets reliability analysis according to changes in operational and/or environmental conditions. The proposed tool could easily be automated within a supervisory control and data acquisition system, where reference values and corresponding warnings and alarms could be now dynamically generated using the tool. Thanks to this capability, on-line diagnosis and/or potential asset degradation prediction can be certainly improved. Reliability models in the tool presented are developed according to the available amount of failure data and are used for early detection of degradation in energy production due to power inverter and solar trackers functional failures. Another capability of the tool presented in the paper is to assess the economic risk associated with the system under existing conditions and for a certain period of time. This information can then also be used to trigger preventive maintenance activities

Analysis of the impact of the Asset Health Index in a Maintenance Strategy

Hosted by the Johannes Kepler University, Linz, Austria. May 23-24, 2019 - European Safety, Reliability & Data Association (ESReDA)During many years, asset management methodologies used in industry were focused on knowing and analysing the operational control of the daily work and the impact of the maintenance on the availability. Later, the costs turn into the priority, and strategies were focused on assesses a longer lifecycle and optimizing processes and contracts. Finally, recent normative have included concepts as “knowing and managing the risks” and the target is to prioritize the maintenance tasks to the critical assets. However, taking a balanced asset management model for the operational environment, quite a lot of facilities of Oil & Gas sector are reaching the end of their initially estimated lifecycle. New challenges are related to extend the life of the main items of the facilities or at least, to find the optimal replacement moment that guarantees that the maintenance strategy is being optimized. Asset Health Index methodology considers a theoretical lifecycle of an item, in which depending on the proximity to the end of the useful life, the probability of failure increases. But take this theoretical lifecycle as a base, different operation location factors or O&M aspects can modify this period. All these factor are quantified and permit us to calculate a new theoretical profile. This paper is about assess the impact of the AHI into the maintenance strategy optimisation. AHI enables us to compare future alternative cost profiles and assess the impact in the failure probability of the item. As a result, we are able to know the risk that is taken when we enlarge the operation of an item, and the impact in the operational costs

On the role of Prognostics and Health Management in advanced maintenance systems

The advanced use of the Information and Communication Technologies is evolving the way that systems are managed and maintained. A great number of techniques and methods have emerged in the light of these advances allowing to have an accurate and knowledge about the systems’ condition evolution and remaining useful life. The advances are recognized as outcomes of an innovative discipline, nowadays discussed under the term of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM). In order to analyze how maintenance will change by using PHM, a conceptual model is proposed built upon three views. The model highlights: (i) how PHM may impact the definition of maintenance policies; (ii) how PHM fits within the Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and (iii) how PHM can be integrated into Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) programs. The conceptual model is the research finding of this review note and helps to discuss the role of PHM in advanced maintenance systems.EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020, 645733 - Sustain-Owner - H2020-MSCA-RISE-201

Paleontología y ambientes sedimentarios del triásico medio, Muschelkalk, de la cordillera ibérica I : Cuenca y Valencia, España

Las unidades dolomías de Landete (d. L.), areniscas, margas y yesos del Mas (a.m.y.M.) y dolomías y calizas de Cañete (d.c.C.) (Anisiense-parte inferior del Camiense, Triásico mediosuperior) de base a tecbo respectivamente, constituyen la Facies Muscbelkalk al SE. de la Rama Castel1ana de la Cordil1era Ibérica. Este trabajo enfoca el estudio paleontológico y de los medios sedimentarios de las dos unidades carbonatadas (d.L. y d.c.C.). Para el1o, se ban utilizado 10 columnas estratigráficas a lo largo de todo el área de estudio en las cuales se ban diferenciado 9 asociaciones de facies constituidas cada una por una secuencia característica de menos de 2 m. de espesor. Se ba escogido una serie tipo en la que se ban diferenciado 9 tramos constituidos cada uno de el10s por la repetición de una misma secuencia de las anteriormente citadas. Del análisis de estas secuencias han sido diferenciados tres distintos subambientes para cada unidad carbonatada, siendo éstos de bajio, zona protegida poco profunda y rona supramareal «<shoal••, «lagoon» y <<Sabkba», respectivamente) dentro de una rampa somera, y dos episodios en el desarrollo del sistema deposicional, uno primero y corto transgresivo y otro segundo y mayor de carácter regresivo. Posiblemente debido a los efectos de la dolomitización, el registro fósil es en general escaso y mal conservado. El mayor contenido está constituido por moluscos de la clase Bivalvia que refleja una asociación bentónica principalmente compuesta por suspensívoros. Aunque los bivalvos son encontrados en ambas unidades carbonatadas, en la superior (d.c.C.), la diversidad específica es mayor. El análisis tafonómico realizado nos permite identificar algunas asociaciones autóctonas, formadas principalmente por elementos acumulados en ambas unidades. Se define cuantitativamente la «Fauna de Ternel», como el conjunto de bivalvos característicos de las capas terminales del Muscbelkalk carbonatado más alto de la Cordil1era Ibérica; para esta definición, nos basamos principalmente en los bal1azgos de las series de Villora y Henarejos. El conjunto de bivalvos está formado mayoritariamente por inCaunales, seguido de endo y epibisados con una minoria de cementados, y son característicos de diferentes subambientes de la plataforma somera carbonatada.The Muscbelkalk Facies of tbe SE. Iberian Ranges is formed by tbe Landete Dolomites (d.L.), Mas Sandstones, Marls and Gypsum (a.m.y.M) and Cañete Dolomites and Limestone (d.c.C.) Formations. Tbis paper deals on tbe paleontology and sedimentary environments of tbe two carbonatic Formations (d.L. and d.c.C.). Ten sections all over the area have been studied in detail and nine facies associations, each one forroed by sequences less tban 2m. tbick, bave been differenciated. Possibly, due to tbe dolomitization, fossil register is in general considered to be scaree and badly preserved. The analysis of tbe sequences reveals tbree different subenvironments (shoal, lagoon and sabkha). Two episodes can be differenciated for each carbonatic formation during the development of the depositional system: first, a short-lived transgression fol1owed by a longer regresive periodo By far, the most abundant fossils are Molluscs of Bivalvia Class, forming a benthonic association dominated by suspensivores. The bivalves are found in both carbonated units, although in the upper one the faunistic richness and specific diversity are higher. The taphonomic analysis reveals sorne autochtonous assoclatlOns in both formations. The bivalve association found at the last beds of the upper Muschelkalk Facies of the lberian Ranges is known as tbe «Teruel Fauna», well represented in tbe Villora and Henarejos sections. The association consists on endo and epibisate Bivalves and sorne cemented ones, and represents different shallow carbonatic marine subenvironments. A Section·Type has been cboosen and divided into 4 and 5 main levels or parts (for d.L. and d.c.C. respectively). Each of these parts is dominated by the abundance of one of tbe facies [email protected]

A framework for effective management of condition based maintenance programs in the context of industrial development of E-Maintenance strategies

CBM (Condition Based Maintenance) solutions are increasingly present in industrial systems due to two main circumstances: rapid evolution, without precedents, in the capture and analysis of data and significant cost reduction of supporting technologies. CBM programs in industrial systems can become extremely complex, especially when considering the effective introduction of new capabilities provided by PHM (Prognostics and Health Management) and E-maintenance disciplines. In this scenario, any CBM solution involves the management of numerous technical aspects, that the maintenance manager needs to understand, in order to be implemented properly and effectively, according to the company’s strategy. This paper provides a comprehensive representation of the key components of a generic CBM solution, this is presented using a framework or supporting structure for an effective management of the CBM programs. The concept “symptom of failure”, its corresponding analysis techniques (introduced by ISO 13379-1 and linked with RCM/FMEA analysis), and other international standard for CBM open-software application development (for instance, ISO 13374 and OSA-CBM), are used in the paper for the development of the framework. An original template has been developed, adopting the formal structure of RCM analysis templates, to integrate the information of the PHM techniques used to capture the failure mode behaviour and to manage maintenance. Finally, a case study describes the framework using the referred template.Gobierno de Andalucía P11-TEP-7303 M

On the effect of EU trade preferences evidence for monthly exports of fruit and vegetables from Morocco

This paper analyzes the effect of monthly trade preferences granted to Morocco by the EU in fruit and vegetables. We apply a gravity framework that takes into account the potential endogeneity of preferences in the estimation, as factors like the historical relationships can be behind both trade preferences and trade flows. Overall, our results show that preferences determine positively the trade flows from Morocco to the EU, being the preferential entry price more effective than the ad valorem reduction in tariffs. Interestingly, our results find sectoral differences, as the reduced entry price is still export-restrictive for vegetables. Finally, we find that the fostering effect of trade preferences differs by EU destination country. Hence, our results have policy implications both in future revisions of the Euro-Mediterranean Agreements and in the deepening of the trade liberalization policy undertaken by Morocco.Dans ce travail, nous allons analyser l'effet des préférences commerciales mensuelles accordées au Maroc par l'UE dans le secteur des fruits et légumes. Nous allons appliquer un modèle de gravité qui intègre l'endogénéité potentielle des préférences dans l'estimation, car des facteurs comme les relations historiques peuvent être à l’origine aussi bien des préférences commerciales que des flux commerciaux. Dans l'ensemble, nos résultats indiquent que le système des préférences détermine positivement les flux commerciaux du Maroc vers l'UE dans la mesure où le prix d'entrée préférentiel est plus efficace que la réduction tarifaire ad valorem. Il est à noter qu’il existe des différences sectorielles étant donné que le prix d'entrée réduit est toujours restrictif pour l’exportation des légumes. En plus,l'effet positif des préférences commerciales diffère selon le pays européen de destination. En conclusion, nous estimons que nos résultats ont des implications politiques en vue des futures révisions des accords euro-méditerranéens et du renforcement de la politique de libéralisation du commerce entreprise par le Maroc.The authors wish to thank the participants in the Seminar “Building sustainable agriculture for food security in the Euro-Mediterranean area: Challenges and Policy Options”,in the XIV Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economists, and in the X Congress of the Asociación Española de Economía Agraria for their valuable comments on previous versions of this paper. B. Heid, M. L. Martí and C. Paciello made helpful comments on earlier versions, and an anonymous referee gave valuable insights about the policy implications. V. Martinez-Gomez is grateful for the support received from Generalitat Valenciana (GV/2015/073) and L. Márquez-Ramos gratefully acknowledges the support of Universitat Jaume I and Generalitat Valenciana (P1-1B2013-06; PROMETEOII/ 2014/053)