Classification of red grapes according to their state of ripeness using a low-cost multispectral device

[ES] El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la idoneidad de un sensor multiespectral de bajo costo para la determinación del estado de maduración de uvas tintas. El dispositivo propuesto se basa en un sensor multiespectral, con 18 bandas de detección en el rango entre los 410 y los 940 nm. La recogida de muestras se llevó a cabo en un viñedo comercial situado en Rociana del Condado, Huelva. El dispositivo propuesto se utilizó para adquirir la respuesta espectral de 80 racimos de uva en condiciones de laboratorio. Tras esto, cada una de las muestras fue analizada mediante métodos estándar de laboratorio para obtener indicadores objetivos de su estado de maduración (sólidos solubles totales y acidez). Los 18 valores de reflectancia ofrecidos por el sensor fueron usados como datos de entrada para entrenar redes neuronales artificiales para la clasificación de las muestras de uva en función de los parámetros objetivo. Los resultados obtenidos fueron prometedores, lo cual allana el camino hacia la implementación de un sistema para la monitorización del estado de maduración de uvas asequible para los vinicultores.[EN] The present work aims to evaluate a low-cost multispectral device for non-destructive grape ripening status assessment. The proposed device is based on a multispectral sensor, with a spectral response of 18 channels in a range from 410 to 940 nm. The experimental validation was carried out in a commercial vineyard in Rociana del Condado, Huelva. The proposed device was used to analyze 80 grape samples under laboratory conditions. After being processed with the proposed device the grape samples were analyzed with standard chemical methods to generate ground truth values of ripening status indicators (solid soluble content, and acidity). The 18-reflectance data corresponding to the spectral channels of the employed sensor, were used as input variables for developing artificial neural network models to classify the berries samples based on the mentioned ripeness indicators. The obtained results were promising, which paves the way for the implementation of a portable grape ripening appraisal system affordable for grape growers

Dispositivos Móviles como Guías 3D para el Conocimiento del Patrimonio Arqueológico

[ES] Este trabajo describe una arquitectura cliente servidor que permite mostrar una representación 3D realista del terreno que rodea físicamente al usuario en dispositivos móviles. Sobre esta representación se superpone información georreferenciada de carácter cultural y arqueológico. Aplicando esta arquitectura, hemosconstruido una guía ubicua que permite divulgar y profundizar en el estudio de la organización territorial y las edificaciones defensivas existentes en el “Concejo de Baeza” (España) durante la baja Edad Media. Si bien, la aplicación fácilmente se podría extrapolar a otros periodos y áreas geográficas.[EN] This paper describes a client-server framework that provides users with a realistic 3D representation of the terrain around them on mobile devices. This representation is populated with georeferenced cultural and historic entities. By using this framework, we have built an ubiquitous guide that facilitates the promotion and knowledge of the territorial organization and defensive buildings during the low Middle Ages in the “Council of Baeza”, Spain. However, the proposed tool can be easily expanded to cover any geographic area and historic age.Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente financiado por el Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia del Reino de España y por la Unión Europea (fondos FEDER) mediante el proyecto de investigación TIN2007-67474-C03-03, y por la Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa de la Junta de Andalucía y la Unión Europea (fondos FEDER) mediante los proyectos de investigación P06-TIC-01403 y P07-TIC-02773.Noguera, JM.; Segura Sánchez, RJ.; Ogáyar Anguita, CJ. (2012). Dispositivos Móviles como Guías 3D para el Conocimiento del Patrimonio Arqueológico. Virtual Archaeology Review. 3(6):24-28. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2012.4423OJS242836CAPIN, T. et al. (2008): "The state of the art in mobile graphics research", en: Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE 28 (4) pp. 74-84. doi:10.1109/MCG.2008.83.CASTILLO, J. C. et al. (2010): "El control del Territorio en la Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Baeza. (Jaén). Apuntes desde la Arqueología Espacial", en: Resumen del II Simposio Internacional sobre Castelos, fortificaçones e territorio na Península Ibérica e no Magreb. Óbidos (Portugal).NOGUERA, J. M. et al. (2010): "Navigating large terrains using commodity mobile devices", en Computers & Geosciences (aceptado, pendiente de publicación). doi:DOI:10.1016/j.cageo.2010.08.007.NURMINEN, A. et al. (2008): "Designing interactions for navigation in 3D mobile maps", en: Map-based Mobile Services, Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2008, pp. 198-227.PAJAROLA, R. (1998): "Large scale terrain visualization using the restricted quadtree triangulation", en: VIS '98: Proceedings of the conference on Visualization '98, IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, CA, USA, 1998, pp. 19-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/visual.1998.745280SAMET, H. (1984): "The quadtree and related hierarchical data structures", en ACM Computing Surveys 16 (2), pp 187-260. doi:http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/356924.356930

Assessment of the Skill of Coupled Physical–Biogeochemical Models in the NW Mediterranean

Numerical modeling is a key tool to complement the current physical and biogeochemical observational datasets. It is essential for understanding the role of oceanographic processes on marine food webs and producing climate change projections of variables affecting key ecosystem functions. In this work, we evaluate the horizontalandverticalpatternsoffourstate-of-the-artcoupledphysical–biogeochemical models, three of them already published. Two of the models include data assimilation, physical and/or biological, and two do not. Simulations are compared to the most exhaustive dataset of in situ observations in the North Western Mediterranean, built ad hoc for this work, comprising gliders and conventional CTD surveys and complemented with satellite observations. The analyses are performed both in the whole domain and in four subregions (Catalan Shelf, Ebro Delta, Mallorca Channel, and Ibiza Channel), characterized by a priori divergent primary production dynamics and driving mechanisms. Overall, existing models offer a reasonable representation of physical processes including stratification, surface temperature, and surface currents, but it is shown that relatively small differences among them can lead to large differences in the response of biogeochemical variables. Our results show that all models are able to reproduce the main seasonal patterns of primary production both at the upper layer and at the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM), as well as the differential behavior of the four subregions. However, there are significant discrepancies in the local variabilityoftheintensityofthewintermixing,phytoplanktonblooms,ortheintensityand depth of the DCM. All model runs show markedly contrasting patterns of interannual phytoplankton biomass in all four subregions. This lack of robustness should dissuade end users from using them to fill gaps in time series observations without assessing their appropriateness. Finally, we discuss the usability of these models for different applications in marine ecology, including fishery oceanography

Energy management in residential hydrogen hybridised renewable microgrids. A multi-objective proposal based on fuzzy logic

[ES] Los sistemas de almacenamiento en microrredes basadas en fuentes de energía renovable (FER) son elementos imprescindibles para adecuar la producción a la demanda, de modo que el exceso de energía renovable presente en la red en periodos determinados, pueda ser almacenado y utilizado en situaciones de déficit de producción. Como es sabido, las FER tienen una producción no constante y no continua. Dada la naturaleza multi componente (elementos de producción y almacenamiento de características y dinámicas diferentes) de las microrredes renovables hibridadas con hidrógeno, resulta necesario implementar sistemas de gestión energética (SGE), los cuales son sistemas de control que persiguen obtener las mejores prestaciones de cada elemento para lograr de forma sinérgica un funcionamiento adecuado de la microrred. Este artículo propone, para una microrred renovable hibridada con hidrógeno de uso residencial, un SGE implementado mediante un controlador lógico borroso (CLB) multivariable y multietapa. Se trata de hacer frente a un problema multiobjetivo, con objeto de aumentar el rendimiento de la microrred en términos de eficiencia, costes operativos y vida útil de sus elementos. Para ello, se tendrá en cuenta el balance de potencia de la microrred, el rendimiento y la degradación de sus elementos, así como los costes/beneficios de la energía intercambiada con la red eléctrica principal. Los resultados obtenidos muestran un mejor rendimiento y mayor beneficio económico en comparación con SGE tradicionales basados en modelos o técnicas heurísticas.[EN] Storage systems in microgrids based on renewable energy sources (RES) are essential elements to match production to demand, so that excess renewable energy present in the grid at given periods can be stored and used in situations of production shortfalls. As is well known, RES have a non-constant and non-continuous production. Given the multi-component nature (production and storage elements with different characteristics and dynamics) of hydrogen-hybridised renewable microgrids, which are control systems that seek to obtain the best performance from each element in order to achieve synergistic operation of the microgrid. This article proposes, for a residential hydrogen-hybridised renewable microgrid, an EMS implemented by means of a multivariable and multistage fuzzy logic controller (FLC). The aim is to address a multi-objective problem in order to increase the performance of the microgrid in terms of efficiency, operational costs and lifespan of its elements. This will take into account the power balance of the microgrid, the performance and degradation of its elements, as well as the costs/benefits of the energy hanged with the main grid. The results obtained show a better performance and higher economic benefit compared to traditional EMSs based on models or heuristic techniques

Arqueología Virtual en Dispositivos Móviles. Un Caso Práctico: Patrimonio Defensivo Medieval

[ES] La arqueología virtual es un interesante canal de promoción del patrimonio con fines turísticos. En este trabajo proponemos aplicar técnicas de realidad virtual en dispositivos móviles a fin de aprovechar las ventajas únicas que brindan dichas plataformas: ubiquidad y localización. Primeramente, describimos una arquitectura cliente-servidor capaz de proporcionar mapas 3D realistas en dispositivos móviles en función de la localización del usuario. A continuación, describimos un caso de estudio que consiste en aplicar dicha arquitectura para implementar una guía turística en 3D. El objetivo de esta guía es divulgar y promocionar la organización territorial y las edificaciones defensivas existentes en el “Concejo de Baeza” (España) durante la baja Edad Media. Si bien, la guía se puede extrapolar fácilmente a otros periodos y áreas geográficas.[EN] Virtual archaeology is an interesting way to promote cultural heritage with touristic purposes. This paper proposes to apply virtual reality techniques on mobile devices in order to exploit the unique features provided by these devices: ubiquity and location-awareness. Firstly, we propose a client-server framework that provides realistic 3D maps on mobile devices according to the user’s location. Following, we describe a study case that applies this technology to implement a 3D touristic guide. This guide aims at promoting the territorial organization and defensive buildings during the low Middle Ages in the “Council of Baeza”, Spain. However, the proposed guide can be easily expanded to cover any geographic area and historic age.Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente financiado por la Consejería de Innovación, Ciencia y Empresa de la Junta de Andalucía y la Unión Europea (fondos FEDER) mediante el proyecto de investigación P07-TIC-02773.Noguera, JM.; Gutiérrez, MV.; Castillo, JC.; Segura Sánchez, RJ. (2012). Arqueología Virtual en Dispositivos Móviles. Un Caso Práctico: Patrimonio Defensivo Medieval. Virtual Archaeology Review. 3(7):109-115. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2012.4403OJS10911537BAEZA, U. (2011): "Realidad Virtual para la dinamización de entornos rurales. Un caso práctico: Red Parque Cultural", en Virtual Archaeology Review, Volumen 2, Número 3, Abril 2011, pp. 105-108.CAPIN, T., PULLI, K., AKENINE-MÖLLER, T. (2008): "The state of the art in mobile graphics research", en IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 28 (4) pp. 74-84. doi:10.1109/MCG.2008.83.CASTILLO ARMENTEROS, JC; GUTIÉRREZ CALDERÓN, MV. (2010): "El Control del Territorio en la Comunidad de Villa y Tierra de Baeza (Jaén). Apuntes desde la Arqueología Espacial", en II Simposio Internacional sobre Castelos. Fortificaçoes e territorio na península Iberica e no Magreb. Séculos VI-XVI. Óbidos (Portugal), 2010.GARCÍA FITZ, F. (2008): Las Navas de Tolosa. Editorial Ariel.GUTIÉRREZ CALDERÓN, MV; CASTILLO ARMENTEROS, JC. (2011): "Los sistemas de Información Geográfica como herramienta arqueológica: La aplicación en el Concejo de Villa y Tierra de Baeza en la Baja Edad Media", en I Congreso Internacional "El patrimonio Cultural y Natural como motor de desarrollo: investigación e innovación". Jaén, 2011.INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION (2011): "Measuring the Information Society". ISBN 92-61-13801-2. Disponible en World Wide Web: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/idi/index.html [último acceso: 17-Mayo-2012].JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA (2005): "Modelo Digital del Terreno de Andalucía: Relieve y Orografía a resolución 10 m". Consejería de Obras Públicas y Transportes, Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca, Consejería de Medio Ambiente. DVD.NOGUERA, J.M., SEGURA, R.J., OGÁYAR, C.J., JOAN-ARINYO, R. (2011): "Navigating large terrains using commodity mobile devices", en Computers & Geosciences , Volume 37, Issue 9, September 2011, pp. 1218-1233. doi: 10.1016/j.cageo.2010.08.007.NURMINEN, A. et al. (2008): "Designing interactions for navigation in 3D mobile maps", en Map-based Mobile Services, Lecture Notes in Geoinformation and Cartography, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2008, pp. 198-227.PAJAROLA, R. (1998): "Large scale terrain visualization using the restricted quadtree triangulation", en VIS '98: Proceedings of the conference on Visualization '98, IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, CA, USA, 1998, pp. 19-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/visual.1998.745280RODRIGUEZ MOLINA, J. (1978): El reino de Jaén, en la Baja Edad Media. Aspectos demográficos y económicos. Editorial Universidad de Granada.SAMET, H. (1984): "The quadtree and related hierarchical data structures", en ACM Computing Surveys 16 (2), pp 187-260. doi:http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/356924.356930

Enfermos crónicos domiciliarios: valoración integral físico-cognitiva y caídas durante 3 años de seguimiento

ObjectiveTo assess the physical and cognitive capacity of chronically ill homebound patients, and the falls they suffered during three years of monitoring.DesignDescriptive, longitudinal study.Setting«Raval Nord» Health District, Barcelona.Patients and other participantsAll the 243 homebound chronic patients registered in the home care programme in May 1996 (67% women, average age 84).Measurements and main resultsAfter three years 16% had gone into an old people's home, 9% had moved house and 38% had died. The probability of not continuing in the programme after three years monitoring was related to less autonomy, presence of comorbidity, and worse cognitive capacity (p < 0.05). Of the 90 patients (37%) who remained active in May 1999, 41% showed disorders on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ), with a significant relationship to greater age, less autonomy and the presence of comorbidity. Numerous alterations in analysis (21.6%) and linked illnesses (18.9%) were found in the patients with cognitive deterioration. 42% of the patients active in May'99 had fallen during the monitoring period. 10% of the falls involved fractures. The number of falls was higher when there was visual-auditory loss, consumption of psychiatric drugs or absence of use of orthopaedic aids. There was also a greater probability of falls in patients who only had a part-time carer (p < 0.05).ConclusionsIt is important to assess the autonomy, cognitive capacity and comorbidity of homebound chronic patients when monitoring them. Likewise, cognitive disorders and falls must be properly weighed, as they are common in this class of patient

Enfermos crónicos domiciliarios y consumo de psicofármacos

ObjetivoValorar el consumo de psicofármacos en los pacientes crónicos domiciliarios.DiseñoEstudio longitudinal, descriptivo.EmplazamientoÁrea Básica de Salud Raval Nord de Barcelona.Pacientes u otros participantesTodos los 243 enfermos crónicos domiciliarios registrados en el programa de atención domiciliaria en mayo de 1996. A los 3 años un 16% ha ingresado en una residencia, un 9% se ha trasladado de domicilio, un 38% ha fallecido y un 37% permanecía activo.Mediciones y resultados principalesDe los 90 pacientes que seguían activos, un 40% había consumido algún psicofármaco en mayo de 1999. El 8% de los pacientes que refirió consumir psicofármacos lo hacía por automedicación. El grupo farmacológico más consumido entre los psicofármacos era las benzodiazepinas, en un 64%. El consumo de psicofármacos fue superior en el sexo femenino (45%) y en las personas que vivían solas o en estado de viudedad (50%). El porcentaje de pacientes con consumo de psicofármacos fue superior cuando había peor grado de autonomía según el índice de Katz (67%), déficit cognitivo en el Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) de Pfeiffer (62%) y ante la presencia de comorbilidad (56%) (p < 0,01).ConclusionesExiste un elevado consumo de psicofármacos en los pacientes crónicos domiciliarios, especialmente cuando hay deterioro físico-cognitivo y presencia de comorbilidad.ObjectiveTo assess the consumption of psychiatric drugs by chronic homebound patients.DesignDescriptive, longitudinal study.SettingRaval Nord Health District, Barcelona.Patients and other participantsAll 243 chronically ill homebound patients registered on the home care programme in May 1996. After three years 16% had gone into a home, 9% had moved residence, 38% had died, and 37% remained active.Measurements and main resultsOf the 90 patients still active, 40% took some psychiatric drug in May 1999. 8% of the patients who said they had taken psychiatric drugs did so by self-medication. The most commonly consumed pharmocological group of the psychiatric drugs were benzodiazepines at 64%. Women took more psychiatric drugs (45%), as did persons living alone or who had been bereaved (50%). The proportion of patients taking psychiatric drugs was greater when there was worse autonomy according to the Katz index (67%), a cognitive deficit on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) of Pfeiffer (62%), and in the presence of comorbidity (56%) (p < 0.01).ConclusionsThere is high consumption of psychiatric drugs by chronic homebound patients, especially when there is physical-cognitive deterioration and presence of comorbidity

Validation of Ti(III) as a reducing agent in the Chemiluminescent determination of nitrate and nitrite in seawater

Titanium (III) trichloride is validated here for the quantitative conversion of all nitrate plus nitrite in seawater to nitric oxide gas, thereby providing an alternative to the typically used reducing agent, ferrous ammonium sulfate plus ammonium molybdate, in the chemiluminescent detection of nitrate plus nitrite at the nanomolar level. We find that both Fe(II)+Mo(VI) and Ti(III) methods yield identical results for standards and seawater samples over a validated concentration range of 1 to 1000 nM, and are both in agreement with traditional colorimetric results. Benefits of the Ti(III) reduction chemistry are: simpler preparation, decreased ammonium contamination in a laboratory that measures low-level nutrients, 30% reduction of the sulfuric acid catalyst, and a higher sample through-put. Most importantly, though, this work can be considered the first step on a path toward a much-needed, direct measurement of dissolved organic nitrogen concentrations, as has already been achieved for dissolved organic carbon

Taxonomic and Environmental Variability in the Elemental Composition and Stoichiometry of Individual Dinoflagellate and Diatom Cells from the NW Mediterranean Sea

Here we present, for the first time, the elemental concentration, including C, N and O, of single phytoplankton cells collected from the sea. Plankton elemental concentration and stoichiometry are key variables in phytoplankton ecophysiology and ocean biogeochemistry, and are used to link cells and ecosystems. However, most field studies rely on bulk techniques that overestimate carbon and nitrogen because the samples include organic matter other than plankton organisms. Here we used X-ray microanalysis (XRMA), a technique that, unlike bulk analyses, gives simultaneous quotas of C, N, O, Mg, Si, P, and S, in single-cell organisms that can be collected directly from the sea. We analysed the elemental composition of dinoflagellates and diatoms (largely Chaetoceros spp.) collected from different sites of the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean Sea). As expected, a lower C content is found in our cells compared to historical values of cultured cells. Our results indicate that, except for Si and O in diatoms, the mass of all elements is not a constant fraction of cell volume but rather decreases with increasing cell volume. Also, diatoms are significantly less dense in all the measured elements, except Si, compared to dinoflagellates. The N:P ratio of both groups is higher than the Redfield ratio, as it is the N:P nutrient ratio in deep NW Mediterranean Sea waters (N:P = 20–23). The results suggest that the P requirement is highest for bacterioplankton, followed by dinoflagellates, and lowest for diatoms, giving them a clear ecological advantage in P-limited environments like the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, the P concentration of cells of the same genera but growing under different nutrient conditions was the same, suggesting that the P quota of these cells is at a critical level. Our results indicate that XRMA is an accurate technique to determine single cell elemental quotas and derived conversion factors used to understand and model ocean biogeochemical cycles

Differences in the signaling pathways of α1A- and α1B-adrenoceptors are related to different endosomal targeting

Aims: To compare the constitutive and agonist-dependent endosomal trafficking of α1A- and α1B-adrenoceptors (ARs) and to establish if the internalization pattern determines the signaling pathways of each subtype. Methods: Using CypHer5 technology and VSV-G epitope tagged α1A- and α1B-ARs stably and transiently expressed in HEK 293 cells, we analyzed by confocal microscopy the constitutive and agonist-induced internalization of each subtype, and the temporal relationship between agonist induced internalization and the increase in intracellular calcium (determined by FLUO-3 flouorescence), or the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAP kinases (determined by Western blot). Results and Conclusions: Constitutive as well as agonist-induced trafficking of α1A and α1B ARs maintain two different endosomal pools of receptors: one located close to the plasma membrane and the other deeper into the cytosol. Each subtype exhibited specific characteristics of internalization and distribution between these pools that determines their signaling pathways: α1A-ARs, when located in the plasma membrane, signal through calcium and ERK1/2 pathways but, when translocated to deeper endosomes, through a mechanism sensitive to β-arrestin and concanavalin A, continue signaling through ERK1/2 and also activate the p38 pathway. α1B-ARs signal through calcium and ERK1/2 only when located in the membrane and the signals disappear after endocytosis and by disruption of the membrane lipid rafts by methyl-β-cyclodextrin