Estimation and trends of the absorption refrigeration global market

This study presents the evolution and economic development of the global market for absorption refrigeration systems. The article reviews trends in demand for high and low-power absorption refrigeration systems. High growth potential was found in low-power absorption refrigeration systems in the global market. An important finding is that the most widely installed systems in the world are those of single effect and double effect, due to their cost/benefit ratio. It also reviews the relations and trends of companies that manufacture this technology

Factors involved in the effective perfomance of a Technology Transfer Office (TTO): Case of Cientech

Due to the summit of the transfer of knowledge like source of economic development for the regions and countries, the TTO´s are raised as intermediary structures of out-standing importance inside the Regional Systems of Science, Technology and Innovation, which make possible the transfer of research results to the business sector and the community in general. In the Latin-American context, the emergence of the TTO obeys a very recent dynamics, where his possibilities of action have met limited for determining economic, social and cultural. This fact reveals the need to go deeply into those more relevant factors on which these could establish the bases for the achievement of a few suitable levels of performance from his early phases of operation. Based on the methodology of the case study will examine these factors in CienTech, an TTO of new creation in the Department of Atlántico - Colombia, being the result a synthesis of the most relevant factors that affect in the efficient performance of the TTO of new creation.Debido al auge de la transferencia de conocimiento como fuente de desarrollo económico para las regiones y países, las OTRIs se erigen como estructuras intermediarias de destacada importancia dentro de los Sistemas Regionales de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, que posibilitan la transferencia de los resultados de investigación hacia el tejido empresarial y la comunidad en general. En el contexto latinoamericano, el surgimiento de las OTRIs obedece a una dinámica muy reciente, donde sus posibilidades de actuación se han visto limitadas por condicionantes económicos, sociales y culturales. Este hecho pone de manifiesto la necesidad de ahondar en aquellos factores más relevantes sobre los cuales éstas puedan cimentar las bases para el logro de unos adecuados niveles de desempeño desde sus fases tempranas de operación. En este sentido, este trabajo analiza los factores que inciden positivamente en un adecuado desempeño de OTRIs de nueva creación, aplicando la metodología del estudio del caso a CienTech, una OTRI de nueva creación del Departamento del Atlántico- Colombia, siendo el resultado una síntesis de los factores más relevantes que inciden en el desempeño eficiente de las OTRIs de nueva creación

TiN/Ti/HfO2/TiN memristive devices for neuromorphic computing: from synaptic plasticity to stochastic resonance

We characterize TiN/Ti/HfO2/TiN memristive devices for neuromorphic computing. We analyze different features that allow the devices to mimic biological synapses and present the models to reproduce analytically some of the data measured. In particular, we have measured the spike timing dependent plasticity behavior in our devices and later on we have modeled it. The spike timing dependent plasticity model was implemented as the learning rule of a spiking neural network that was trained to recognize the MNIST dataset. Variability is implemented and its influence on the network recognition accuracy is considered accounting for the number of neurons in the network and the number of training epochs. Finally, stochastic resonance is studied as another synaptic feature. It is shown that this effect is important and greatly depends on the noise statistical characteristics

Gamification for innovation management at organizational level. A state of the art review

En este trabajo se pretende revisar la literatura sobre gamificación y aplicar principios de análisis para sintetizar la investigación existente utilizando preguntas de orientación y un análisis cienciométrico para identificar el comportamiento de las publicaciones a través de los años, mostrando una tendencia creciente en el impacto del concepto gamificación en Científicas revistas desde 2010. Se consultaron las bases de datos tales como Scopus, Springer, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, IEEE y WOS, permitiendo la identificación de autores, publicaciones e instituciones con mayor impacto en la temática a nivel mundial y señalando que América Latina muestra un bajo nivel de producción científica en este tema. La última parte se centra en las líneas de investigación que se persiguen en el ámbito de la gamificación y se hacen sugerencias sobre aquellos aspectos que más se beneficiarían de la investigación futura.This paper aims review the literature on gamification and to apply principles of analysis for synthesize existing research using guiding questions and a scientometric analysis for identifying the behavior of the publications through the years, showing an increasing trend in the impact of the gamification concept in scientifics journals from 2010. Databases such as Scopus, Springer, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, IEEE and WOS were consulted, identifying authors, publications and institutions with greatest impact on thematic at the world. Latin America shows a low scientific production level in this topic. The last part focuses on the lines of research to be pursued in the area of gamification and suggestions are made regarding those aspects which would benefit most from future research

Genome-wide and gene-specific epigenomic platforms for hepatocellular carcinoma biomarker development trials

The majority of the epigenomic reports in hepatocellular carcinoma have focused on identifying novel differentially methylated drivers or passengers of the oncogenic process. Few reports have considered the technologies in place for clinical translation of newly identified biomarkers. The aim of this study was to identify epigenomic technologies that need only a small number of samples to discriminate HCC from non-HCC tissue, a basic requirement for biomarker development trials. To assess that potential, we used quantitative Methylation Specific PCR, oligonucleotide tiling arrays, and Methylation BeadChip assays. Concurrent global DNA hypomethylation, gene-specific hypermethylation, and chromatin alterations were observed as a hallmark of HCC. A global loss of promoter methylation was observed in HCC with the Illumina BeadChip assays and the Nimblegen oligonucleotide arrays. HCC samples had lower median methylation peak scores and a reduced number of significant promoter-wide methylated probes. Promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A, SSBP2, and B4GALT1 quantified by qMSP had a sensitivity ranging from 38% to 52%, a specificity of 100%, and an AUC from 0.58 to 0.75. A panel combining these genes with HCC risk factors had a sensitivity of 87%, a specificity of 100%, and an AUC of 0.91

Complete Vision-Based Traffic Sign Recognition Supported by an I2V Communication System

This paper presents a complete traffic sign recognition system based on vision sensor onboard a moving vehicle which detects and recognizes up to one hundred of the most important road signs, including circular and triangular signs. A restricted Hough transform is used as detection method from the information extracted in contour images, while the proposed recognition system is based on Support Vector Machines (SVM). A novel solution to the problem of discarding detected signs that do not pertain to the host road is proposed. For that purpose infrastructure-to-vehicle (I2V) communication and a stereo vision sensor are used. Furthermore, the outputs provided by the vision sensor and the data supplied by the CAN Bus and a GPS sensor are combined to obtain the global position of the detected traffic signs, which is used to identify a traffic sign in the I2V communication. This paper presents plenty of tests in real driving conditions, both day and night, in which an average detection rate over 95% and an average recognition rate around 93% were obtained with an average runtime of 35 ms that allows real-time performance

Conservation of the endemic dwarf carnivores of Cozumel Island, Mexico.

Cozumel Island, Mexico, harbours two endemic species of dwarf procyonids: the Pygmy Raccoon Procyon pygmaeus and the Dwarf Coati Nasua nelsoni. Both species are Critically Endangered, and are among the world&rsquo;s most threatened Carnivora. Here we summarise the research we have been conducting on their ecology, evolution, genetics, and conservation. We also summarise the conservation initiatives we have been undertaking and promoting in order to advance the conservation of these unique species and their habitats. This effort illustrates the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in conservation science and action in maximising effectiveness. Nevertheless, the precarious status of the species make it imperative to continue and expand the work we have carried out in Cozumel to prevent two imminent global extinctions.<br /

Establishing What Constitutes a Healthy Human Gut Microbiome: State of the Science, Regulatory Considerations, and Future Directions.

On December 17, 2018, the North American branch of the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI North America) convened a workshop "Can We Begin to Define a Healthy Gut Microbiome Through Quantifiable Characteristics?" with &gt;40 invited academic, government, and industry experts in Washington, DC. The workshop objectives were to 1) develop a collective expert assessment of the state of the evidence on the human gut microbiome and associated human health benefits, 2) see if there was sufficient evidence to establish measurable gut microbiome characteristics that could serve as indicators of "health," 3) identify short- and long-term research needs to fully characterize healthy gut microbiome-host relationships, and 4) publish the findings. Conclusions were as follows: 1) mechanistic links of specific changes in gut microbiome structure with function or markers of human health are not yet established; 2) it is not established if dysbiosis is a cause, consequence, or both of changes in human gut epithelial function and disease; 3) microbiome communities are highly individualized, show a high degree of interindividual variation to perturbation, and tend to be stable over years; 4) the complexity of microbiome-host interactions requires a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research agenda to elucidate relationships between gut microbiome and host health; 5) biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators of host function and pathogenic processes based on the microbiome need to be determined and validated, along with normal ranges, using approaches similar to those used to establish biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators based on host metabolic phenotypes; 6) future studies measuring responses to an exposure or intervention need to combine validated microbiome-related biomarkers and/or surrogate indicators with multiomics characterization of the microbiome; and 7) because static genetic sampling misses important short- and long-term microbiome-related dynamic changes to host health, future studies must be powered to account for inter- and intraindividual variation and should use repeated measures within individuals