Thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment has no positive influence on volatile fatty acids production from sewage sludge

The study compares the potential to produce volatile fatty acids (VFA) from sewage sludge, both raw and thermally pre-treated in two modes of operation. In batch mode, raw sludge at pH 8 obtained the highest maximum VFA yield (0.41 g COD-VFA/g CODfed) whereas pre-treated sludge achieved a lower value (0.27 g COD-VFA/g CODfed). The operation of 5-L continuous reactors showed that thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment (THP) did not have any significant influence on VFA yields, averaging 15.1 % g COD-VFA/g COD with raw sludge and 16.6 % g COD-VFA/g COD with pre-treated one. Microbial community analysis showed that phylum Firmicutes was predominant in both reactors and that the enzymatic profiles involved in VFA production were very similar regardless of the substrate fedThis work is part of the ECOVAL and CIGAT CIRCULAR projects, which are funded by Interreg Sudoe (SOE4/P1/E1104) and by the Xunta de Galicia and Viaqua (IN853C2022/03), respectively. Juan M. Lema belongs to the Galician competitive research group ED431C-2021/37 co-funded by Xunta de Galicia and ERDF (EU)S

Knowledge transfer in higher education institutions focused on entrepreneurial activities of electronic instrumentation

Although society, governments and the business sector are increasingly demanding that Higher Academic Centers translate their innovative potential into products and services that affect society, little is known or done about the entrepreneurial skills that both lecturers and students need in the context of electronic engineering academic degrees. Inevitably, the fact that some teachers lack certain skill sets will have a negative impact on some students’ professional careers. This article demonstrates a range of initiatives in knowledge transfer which have been carried out over more than 30 years by the university research team making the proposal. Such initiatives have allowed the integration of, not only creative thinking, but also other skills differing from traditional teaching and which can help students to successfully compete for jobs requiring higher qualifications. Following the methodology of a case study within the framework of the Polytechnic University School of Vilanova i la Geltrú (EPSEVG) of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), the novelty of the research lies in its focus on the results obtained. In the 1990s, entrepreneurial initiatives encouraged the creation of reference laboratories and the teaching of innovative subjects in the field of virtual instrumentation. Years later, this teaching activity would be complemented by the launch of lines of research/technology transfer. It should be noted that, in its initial stages, this entrepreneurial trajectory was characterized by limited material and human resources, but thanks to the discovery of little-explored areas of activity (niches), opting for working in cooperation networks (sciencetechnology symbiosis), and the entrepreneurial profile of the members of the research team, it has been possible to gain a space in the research/development of marine technologies in the national and European context, as stated in the text. This empirical research has contributed significantly to shaping a new degree in Marine Sciences and Technologies. Likewise, the results of this study reveal that a significant number of electronic engineering students have acquired entrepreneurial skills by engaging in teaching and research and development activities in different Higher Academic Centers.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Precision timing in TDMA - based Wireless Sensor Network through IEEE 1588 standard

This paper proposes an energy-efficient time synchronization scheme for Wireless Sensor Networks(WSNs) based on the IEEE 1588 standard. Although a number of methods have been studied for time synchronization of WSNs, some applications require high precision time synchronization with very low power consumption. This paper presents a reduced implementation of IEEE 1588 precision time protocol (PTP) for WSNs. Within the proposed synchronization approach, a sensor node is synchronized using the timing message generated by a master node synchronized with GPS. This paper also presents experiments to evaluate the performance of the precision time synchronization of a slave-master pair of sensor nodes.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Automated data quality assurance using OGC sensor web enablement frameworks for marine observatories

Postprint (published version

Pulsatile flow in coronary bifurcations for different stenting techniques

The objective of this work is to analyze the local hem odynamic changes caused in a coronary bifurcation by three different stenting techniques: simple stenting of the main vessel, simple stenting of the main vessel with kissing balloon in the side branch and culotte. To carry out this study an idealized geometry of a coronary bifurcation is used, and two bifurcation angles, 45º and 90º, are chosen as representative of the wide variety of re al configurations. In order to quantify the influence of the stenting technique on the local blood flow, both numeri- cal simulations and experimental measurements are performed. First, steady simulations are carried out with the commercial code ANSYS-Fluent, and then, experimental measurements with PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry) obtained in the laboratory are used to validate the numerical simulation. The steady computational simulations show a good overall agreement with the experimental data. Second, pulsatile flow is considered to take into account the tran- sient effects. The time averaged wall shear stress, scillatory shear index and pressure drop obtained numerically are used to compare the behavior of the stenting techniques

Microgrids views from a geographic information system

Currently, Ecuador advocates a change in the energy matrix, academic centers should develop a strategy that allows them to short and medium-term training specialists give technical responses to this proposal it must create the conditions in college so that future generations be able to link the processes of investment in energy with the territorial space. The Technical University of Manabí (UTM) has proposed a research project funded by the National Secretary of Planning and Development of Ecuador (Senplades), aimed at boosting sustainable energy solutions that are based on the technical philosophy of microgrids with the use of renewable energy sources (RES). In this paper the spatial information related to solar energy potential of the province of Manabí, Ecuador's, managed by a geographic information system (GIS) as an integration tool that provides information on objectives that interact with microgrids shown, also the importance of its use as a management tool projects related to the use of RES and instrumentation aimed at ensuring innovative solutions to support the change of energy matrix from a territorial perspective is exposed

DNA methylation biomarkers of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease

Background: The epigenetic landscape underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not completely understood and the clinical value of the identifed biomarkers is still limited. We aimed to identify diferentially methylated loci associ‑ ated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and assess their validity as predictive and causal biomarkers. Results: We designed a case-control, two-stage, epigenome-wide association study on AMI (ndiscovery=391, nvalidation=204). DNA methylation was assessed using the Infnium MethylationEPIC BeadChip. We performed a fxed efects meta-analysis of the two samples. 34 CpGs were associated with AMI. Only 12 of them were available in two independent cohort studies (n~1800 and n~2500) with incident coronary and cardiovascular disease (CHD and CVD, respectively). The Infnium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip was used in those two studies. Four of the 12 CpGs were validated in association with incident CHD: AHRR-mapping cg05575921, PTCD2-mapping cg25769469, intergenic cg21566642 and MPO-mapping cg04988978. We then assessed whether methylation risk scores based on those CpGs improved the predictive capacity of the Framingham risk function, but they did not. Finally, we aimed to study the causality of those associations using a Mendelian randomization approach but only one of the CpGs had a genetic infuence and therefore the results were not conclusive. Conclusions: We have identifed 34 CpGs related to AMI. These loci highlight the relevance of smoking, lipid metab‑ olism, and infammation in the biological mechanisms related to AMI. Four were additionally associated with incident CHD and CVD but did not provide additional predictive informatio

Las relaciones universidad-empresa: tendencias y desafíos en el marco del Espacio Iberoamericano del conocimiento

[ES] El valor que tiene el conocimiento como factor de desarrollo en las sociedades contemporáneas ha hecho que las relaciones universidadempresa adquieran una especial importancia. Este artículo analiza los principales desafíos que enfrenta el fomento de este tipo de vinculaciones en el marco del Espacio Iberoamericano del Conocimiento y describe algunas recomendaciones generales sobre la orientación de la política pública y el papel que pueden desempeñar las universidades latinoamericanas como agentes de desarrollo regional. Para ello, se repasan previamente los argumentos que se encuentran detrás del fomento de las relaciones universidad-empresa y se discuten las principales barreras a las que se enfrentan dichas relaciones en el contexto específico de Latinoamérica.[EN] : The value of knowledge as a factor of development in contemporary societies has made corporate-university relations acquire a special importance.This article discusses the main challenges facing the promotion of this type of relationship in the framework of the Ibero-American Space of Knowledge and describes some general recommendations on the direction of public policy and the role that can play the latin american universities as agents of regional development.To this end, a review is presented previously to the arguments behind the promotion of corporate-university relations and the main barriers facing those relations in the specific context of Latin America are discussed.[PT] O valor que o conhecimento tem como fator de desenvolvimento nas sociedades contemporâneas tem feito com que as relações universidade-empresa adquiram uma importância especial. Este artigo analisa os principais desafios que enfrenta o fomento deste tipo de vinculações no âmbito do Espaço ibero-americano do Conhecimento e descreve algumas recomendações gerais sobre a orientação da política pública e o papel que as universidades latino-americanas podem desempenhar como agentes de desenvolvimento regional. Para isso, revisam-se previamente os argumentos que se encontram detrás do fomento das relações universidade-empresa e discutem-se as principais barreiras às quais se enfrentam estas relações no contexto específico da América LatinaVega Jurado, JM.; Manjarres Henriquez, LA.; Castro-Martinez, E.; Fernandez De Lucio, I. (2011). Las relaciones universidad-empresa: tendencias y desafíos en el marco del Espacio Iberoamericano del conocimiento. Revista Iberoamericana de Educación. (57):109-124. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/28868S1091245