A Management Strategy for Multi-Source Heat Pump Systems

The recent H2020 IDEAS project is oriented to the study of multi-source heat pump systems by investigating their behavior through dynamic simulations and on-field experiments in real small and large-scale prototypes respectively. One of the main aims of the project is the exploitation of available free energy sources, solar, air and ground using the heat pump technology. The key point in the investigated multi-source heat pump system is the optimal management of the renewable sources and the keeping of the ground storage available also in case of undersize of it and in case of buildings with unbalanced thermal load profile. In the last year of the project the algorithm for the control of sources and devices in the IDEAS system has been developed to maximize the use of renewable energies and at the same time to minimize the consumption of auxiliary energy. The present paper shows the details of this part of the project highlighting limits, potential and properties of the management system with a discussion of the results obtained from the on-field experiments. In the last part of the project, the implementation of weather forecast and artificial intelligence in the algorithm is planned

Systemic lupus erythematosus: immunopathogenesis and novel therapeutic targets

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the prototype of autoimmune diseases with multiorgan involvement. SLE presents many genetic and epigenetic associations and the pathogenesis is characterized by a complex network of alterations affecting both adaptative and innate immunity. The disclosure of novel mechanisms of SLE pathogenesis suggested new therapeutic targets, based on interference with the cytokine pathways or on depletion of the immune cells

Crecimiento urbano, planificación del territorio y cambio político : el caso de la Costa Brava

Cet article explore certains problèmes qu'attendent solution dans le developpement urbain de la Costa Brava, une région touristique aussi extraordinaire que vulnérable au point de vue de l'environement. Il fait une brève description de la géographie de la région, et utilise une division de son territoire en zones et una série d'etapes temporelles pour souligner les characteristiques essentielles de son inégal developpement. Il enumère les problèmes les plus importants encore sans solution, et illustre quelques des trade offs entre objectifs qu'ils genèrent. Il montre aussi quelqu'un des obstacles qui maintenant mettent en danger le procés d'élaboration et aplication des plans. Le texte explore l'hypothbse que, malgré l'approbation pendant les dernières années- d'importantes mesures légales orientées à fomenter la démocratisation de l'aménagement du territoire, les insuffisances de la culture politique locale ont fait leur succès seulement partiel. À la Costa Brava, pendant les premières années de démocratie, sculement un group selecte d'agents (dominé par membres des classes bureaucratique et technocratique) ont participé effectivement au procés d'aménagement du territoire, et seulement certains interêts ont réussi à s'articuler d'une façon satisfactoire.This article explores current issues of urban development on the Costa Brava -Spain's highly successful and environmentally sensitive tourist area. It reviews briefly the region's geography, and uses several zones and temporal periods to point out the main features of the area's unequal development patterns. It list current development issues, relates recent legal and political changes to the practice of urban land use planning and considers possibilites for improving planning practice. Throughout, the article explores the hypothesis that, in spite of the approval of the Land Use Planning Law and of important regulations -that integrate both substantive and procedural guarantees into the urban planning process- democratic planning has only had a mixed success so far. During the first years of democracy -and after 40 years of limited political life- effective participation has been dominated by a selected set of actors with membership of the bureaucratic and technocratic classes, while other sectors have not been able to organise for effective political involvement.Este artículo explora algunos de los problemas pendientes en el desarrollo urbanístico de la Costa Brava, una región turística tan extraordinaria como vulnerable desde el punto de vista medioambiental. Incluye una descripción somera de la geografía de la zona, y utiliza una división de su territorio en varias zonas y una serie de etapas temporales para poner de relieve las principales características de su desigual crecimiento urbanístico. Elabora una lista de los problemas urbanísticos pendientes de mayor relevancia, ilustrando algunos de los trade offs entre objetivos que generan. Asimismo, pone de manifiesto algunos de los obstáculos que en la actualidad dificultan el buen funcionamiento del proceso de elaboración y aplicación del planeamiento. A lo largo del texto se explora la hipótesis de que, a pesar de la aprobación -a lo largo de los últimos años- de importantes normas legales orientadas a fomentar la democratización del proceso de diseño, las insuficiencias de la cultura política local han hecho que su éxito sea sólo parcial. En la Costa Brava, a lo largo de los primeros años de democracia, sólo un grupo selecto de agentes (en el que dominan los miembros de las clases burocrática y tecnocrática) ha participado de manera efectiva en el proceso de planeamiento, y sólo algunos intereses han logrado articularse satisfactoriamente.Aquest article explora alguns dels problemes pendents en el desenvolupament urbanístic de la Costa Brava, una regió turística tan extraordinaria com vulnerable des del punt de vista del medi ambient. Inclou una breu descripció de la geografia de la zona, i un seguit d'etapes temporals per posar en relleu les principals característiques del seu desigual creixement urbanístic. Elabora una llista dels problemes urbanístics pendents més rellevants, il·lustrant alguns dels trade offs entre objectius que generen. Així mateix, fa palesos alguns dels obstacles que, ara com ara, dificulten el bon funcionament del procés d'elaboració i aplicació del planejament. Al llarg del text s'explora la hipòtesi que, malgrat l'aprovació -en els darrers anys- d'importants normes legals orientades a afavorir la democratització del procés de disseny, les insuficiències de la cultura política local han fet que el seu èxit sigui tan sols parcial. A la Costa Brava, en els primers anys de democràcia, només un grup selecte d'agents (en el qual dominen els membres de les classes burocràtica i tecnocràtica) ha participat de manera efectiva en el procés de planejament, i només alguns interessos han sabut articular-se satisfactòriament

ENSO Effect on East Asian Tropical Cyclone Landfall via Changes in Tracks and Genesis in a Statistical Model

Improvements on a statistical tropical cyclone (TC) track model in the western North Pacific Ocean are described. The goal of the model is to study the effect of El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on East Asian TC landfall. The model is based on the International Best-Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) database of TC observations for 1945-2007 and employs local regression of TC formation rates and track increments on the Nino-3.4 index and seasonally varying climate parameters. The main improvements are the inclusion of ENSO dependence in the track propagation and accounting for seasonality in both genesis and tracks. A comparison of simulations of the 1945-2007 period with observations concludes that the model updates improve the skill of this model in simulating TCs. Changes in TC genesis and tracks are analyzed separately and cumulatively in simulations of stationary extreme ENSO states. ENSO effects on regional (100-km scale) landfall are attributed to changes in genesis and tracks. The effect of ENSO on genesis is predominantly a shift in genesis location from the southeast in El Nino years to the northwest in La Nina years, resulting in higher landfall rates for the East Asian coast during La Nina. The effect of ENSO on track propagation varies seasonally and spatially. In the peak activity season (July-October), there are significant changes in mean tracks with ENSO. Landfall-rate changes from genesis- and track-ENSO effects in the Philippines cancel out, while coastal segments of Vietnam, China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan show enhanced La Nina-year increases

Empowering Data Dynamic and Indirect Mutual Trust for Distributed Management Storage System

The method establishes associate indirect mutual trusts with the owner and CSP through TTP and permits the data owner to store and update the data integrity to loyal third party. It permits the owner to give permission to access the outsourced data so it ensures that entirely licensed user can transfer data from CSP. In the todays digitalized world organizations turns out a capacity of sensitive information with particular data and private information. The native authority of huge capacity of information is problematic and expensive because the necessities of immense storage competence. Info-owners releases info, area unit considerations relating to confidential, integrity, and access authority of the info. The confidential futures is bounds the owners encryption the info sooner sourced the servers. Verifactory information purity in the C storage, clinician have planned obvious info possession technique to validate the information holds remote scene

CSF/serum matrix metallopeptidase-9 ratio discriminates neuro Behcet from multiple sclerosis

In neuro Behcet disease with multiple sclerosis-like features, diagnosis could be challenging. Here, we studied the cerebrospinal fluid and serum inflammatory profile of 11 neuro Behcet and 21 relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients. Between the soluble factors analyzed (MMP9, TNF, IL6, CXCL13, CXCL10, CXCL8, IFN, IL10, IL17, IL23, and others) we found MMP9 increased in neuro Behcet serum compared to multiple sclerosis and decreased in cerebrospinal fluid. Furthermore, neuro Behcet analysis of circulating natural killer CD56(DIM) subset suggests their potential involvement in increased MMP9 production. We believe that these findings may have a translational utility in clinical practice

A New Procedure for Combining UAV-Based Imagery and Machine Learning in Precision Agriculture

Drone images from an experimental field cropped with sugar beet with a high diffusion of weeds taken from different flying altitudes were used to develop and test a machine learning method for vegetation patch identification. Georeferenced images were combined with a hue-based preprocessing analysis, digital transformation by an image embedder, and evaluation by supervised learning. Specifically, six of the most common machine learning algorithms were applied (i.e., logistic regression, k-nearest neighbors, decision tree, random forest, neural network, and support-vector machine). The proposed method was able to precisely recognize crops and weeds throughout a wide cultivation field, training from single partial images. The information has been designed to be easily integrated into autonomous weed management systems with the aim of reducing the use of water, nutrients, and herbicides for precision agriculture

Online Examination System for University Level Descriptive Examinations

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Vital Sign Monitoring Using FMCW Radar in Various Sleeping Scenarios

Remote monitoring of vital signs for studying sleep is a user-friendly alternative to monitoring with sensors attached to the skin. For instance, remote monitoring can allow unconstrained movement during sleep, whereas detectors requiring a physical contact may detach and interrupt the measurement and affect sleep itself. This study evaluates the performance of a cost-effective frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar in remote monitoring of heart rate and respiration in scenarios resembling a set of normal and abnormal physiological conditions during sleep. We evaluate the vital signs of ten subjects in different lying positions during various tasks. Specifically, we aim for a broad range of both heart and respiration rates to replicate various real-life scenarios and to test the robustness of the selected vital sign extraction methods consisting of fast Fourier transform based cepstral and autocorrelation analyses. As compared to the reference signals obtained using Embla titanium, a certified medical device, we achieved an overall relative mean absolute error of 3.6% (86% correlation) and 9.1% (91% correlation) for the heart rate and respiration rate, respectively. Our results promote radar-based clinical monitoring by showing that the proposed radar technology and signal processing methods accurately capture even such alarming vital signs as minimal respiration. Furthermore, we show that common parameters for heart rate variability can also be accurately extracted from the radar signal, enabling further sleep analyses.publishedVersionPeer reviewe