Automatic Configuration of OPC UA for Industrial Internet of Things Environments

This work has been funded partially by the Software Engineering Department of the University of Granada.We would like to acknowledge the participation of Dzmitry Basalai in this research paper for his helping in the elaboration of the prototype carried out in this workSoftware technologies play an increasingly significant role in industrial environments, especially for the adoption of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). In this context, the application of mechanisms for the auto-configuration of industrial systems may be relevant for reducing human errors and costs in terms of time and money, improving the maintenance and the quality control. OPC UA (OLE for Process Control Unified Architecture) systems are usually integrated into an industrial system to provide a standard way for setting a secure and reliable data exchange between industrial devices of multiple vendors and software systems. In this paper, a novel mechanism for the auto-configuration of OPC UA systems is proposed from an initial setup of industrial devices interconnected to a basic Ethernet network. The auto-configuration of the OPC UA is self-managed over the TCP/IP protocol. This mechanism allows automating the configuration process of the OPC UA server automatically from the programmable logic controller (PLC) devices connected to a basic Ethernet network. Once the PLC devices are identified, they exchange information directly with OPC using a Modbus protocol over the same Ethernet network. To test the feasibility of this approach, a case study is prepared and evaluated

5G Mobile Phone Network Introduction in Colombia

This research received support from the AUIP (Iberoamerican University Association for Postgraduate Studies).The authors would like to thank the following members of Ericsson and Nokia Company for their valuable technological support in relation to the deployment of 5G networks in Colombia and Latin America. To Ericsson Company: Fabian Monge, Head of Networks & Managed Services Sales LATAM North—Ericsson, Andrés Quintero Arango, Country Manager Colombia— Ericsson, Camilo Beltrán, RAN Sales Domain Manager—Ericsson, Tatiana Dimian, Technical & Solution Sales Colombia—Ericsson. To Nokia Company: Juan Gabriel Mariño Pedroza, Presales Director & Business Development Colombia—Nokia.The deployment of the 5G mobile network is currently booming, offering commercially available services that improve network performance metrics by minimizing network latency in countries such as the USA, China, and Korea. However, many countries around the world are still in the pilot phase promoted and regulated by government agencies. This is the case in Colombia, where the assignment of the first 5G band is planned for the third quarter of 2021. By analyzing the results of the pilot phase and the roadmap of the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC), we can determine the main issues, which contribute to the deployment of 5G mobile technology as well as the plans to achieve a 5G stand-alone network from 4G networks. This is applicable to other countries in Latin America and the world. Then, our objective is to synthesize and share the most important concepts of 5G mobile technology such as the MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) antenna, RAN (Radio Access Network), C-RAN (Centralised-RAN), and frequency bands, and evaluate the current stage of its introduction in Colombia.AUIP (Iberoamerican University Association for Postgraduate Studies

Radio wave attenuation measurement system based on RSSI for precision agriculture: application to tomato greenhouses

Precision agriculture and smart farming are concepts that are acquiring an important boom due to their relationship with the Internet of Things (IoT), especially in the search for new mechanisms and procedures that allow for sustainable and efficient agriculture to meet future demand from an increasing population. Both concepts require the deployment of sensor networks that monitor agricultural variables for the integration of spatial and temporal agricultural data. This paper presents a system that has been developed to measure the attenuation of radio waves in the 2.4 GHz free band (ISM- Industrial, Scientific and Medical) when propagating inside a tomato greenhouse based on the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and a procedure for using the system to measure RSSI at different distances and heights. The system is based on Zolertia Re-Mote nodes with the Contiki operating system and a Raspberry Pi to record the data obtained. The receiver node records the RSSI at different locations in the greenhouse with the transmitter node and at different heights. In addition, a study of the radio wave attenuation was measured in a tomato greenhouse, and we publish the corresponding obtained dataset in order to share with the research community

Path Loss Determination Using Linear and Cubic Regression Inside a Classic Tomato Greenhouse

The production of tomatoes in greenhouses, in addition to its relevance in nutrition and health, is an activity of the agroindustry with high economic importance in Spain, the first exporter in Europe of this vegetable. The technological updating with precision agriculture, implemented in order to ensure adequate production, leads to a deployment planning of wireless sensors with limited coverage by the attenuation of radio waves in the presence of vegetation. The well-known propagation models FSPL (Free-Space Path Loss), two-ray, COST235,Weissberger, ITU-R (International Telecommunications Union—Radiocommunication Sector), FITU-R (Fitted ITU-R), offer values with an error percentage higher than 30% in the 2.4 GHz band in relation to those measured in field tests. As a substantial improvement, we have developed optimized propagation models, with an error estimate of less than 9% in the worst-case scenario for the later benefit of farmers, consumers and the economic chain in the production of tomatoes.This research received fund by the Ibero-American Postgraduate University Association (AUIP)

Versatile quadrature antenna for precise control of large electron spin ensembles in diamond

We present an easily reproducible inexpensive microwave antenna that can generate a strong and homogeneous magnetic field of arbitrary polarization, which enables fast and coherent control of electron spins over a large volume. Unlike preceding works, we present a resonant antenna that maintains its resonant behaviour regardless of the proximity of other experimental hardware components. This robustness is crucial as it enables, amongst others, using microscope objectives with short working distances to perform wide field imaging/sensing with bulk diamonds. The antenna generates a magnetic field strength of 22.3 A/m for 1 W total driving power, which doubles the power efficiency compared with previously reported patch antenna designs. The magnetic field homogeneity in a volume of $0.3 \text{mm}^3$, $0.5 \text{mm}^3$ and $1 \text{mm}^3$ is within 6\%, 8\% and 13\%, respectively. The antenna has a full width at half maximum bandwidth of $\sim$160 MHz and its resonant frequency can be tuned over a 400 MHz range via four capacitors or varactors. The antenna has been tested and found to remain within safe handling temperatures during continuous-wave operation at 8 W. The files required to reproduce this antenna, which can be built on a standard and affordable double sided PCB, are provided open-source. This work facilitates a robust and versatile piece of instrumentation, being particularly appealing for applications such as high sensitivity magnetometry and wide field imaging/sensing with Nitrogen Vacancy centers

Effect of Hyaluronic Acid and Pluronic-F68 on the Surface Properties of Foam as a Delivery System for Polidocanol in Sclerotherapy

The use of foams to deliver bioactive agents and drugs is increasing in pharmaceutics. One example is the use of foam as a delivery system for polidocanol (POL) in sclerotherapy, with the addition of bioactive compounds to improve the delivery system being a current subject of study. This work shows the influence of two bioactive additives on the structure and stability of POL foam: hyaluronic acid (HA) and Pluronic-F68 (F68). HA is a natural non-surface-active biopolymer present in the extracellular matrix while F68 is a surface-active poloxamer that is biocompatible with plasma-derived fluids. Both additives increase the bulk viscosity of the sample, improving foam stability. However, HA doubled and F68 quadruplicated the foam half lifetime of POL. HA reduced the size and polydispersity of the bubble size distribution and increased the surface elasticity with respect to POL. Both facts have a positive impact in terms of foam stability. F68 also altered bubble structure and increased surface elasticity, again contributing to the enhancement of foam stability. The surface characterization of these systems is important, as in foam sclerotherapy it is crucial to assure the presence of POL at the surface of the bubbles in order to deliver the sclerosant agent in the target vein.Junta de Andalucia NANOFOAM-PI12.2956Instituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government MAT2017-82182-R RTI2018-101309-B-C21Consejeria de Economia, Conocimiento, Empresas y UniversidadEuropean Union (EU) SOMM17/6109/UG

Applications of serum albumins in delivery systems: Differences in interfacial behaviour and interacting abilities with polysaccharides

One of the major applications of SerumAlbumins is their use as delivery systems for lipophilic compounds in biomedicine. Their biomedical application is based on the similarity with Human Serum Albumin (HSA), as a fully biocompatible protein. In general, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) is treated as comparable to its human homologue and used as a model protein for fundamental studies since it is available in high amounts and well understood. This protein can act as a carrier for lipophilic compounds or as protective shell in an emulsion-based vehicle. Polysaccharides are generally included in these formulations in order to increase the stability and/or applicability of the carrier. In this review, themain biomedical applications of Albumins as drug delivery systems are first presented. Secondly, the differences between BSA andHSA are highlighted, exploring the similarities and differences between these proteins and their interaction with polysaccharides, both in solution and adsorbed at interfaces. Finally, the use of Albumins as emulsifiers for emulsion-based delivery systems, concretely as Liquid Lipid Nanocapsules (LLNs), is revised and discussed in terms of the differences encountered in the molecular structure and in the interfacial properties. The specific case of Hyaluronic Acid is considered as a promising additivewith important applications in biomedicine. The literatureworks are thoroughly discussed highlighting similarities and differences between BSA and HSA and their interaction with polysaccharides encountered at different structural levels, hence providing routes to control the optimal design of delivery systems.This work has been funded by the following projects, which are gratefully acknowledged: MAT2017-82182-R and RTI2018-101309-BC21 (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación). The authors also acknowledge “Mancomunidad de los Pueblos de la Alpujarra Granadina” for the funds raised and supplied for this research

Characterisation of youth entrepreneurship in Medellín-Colombia using machine learning

The aim of this paper is to identify profiles of young Colombian entrepreneurs based on data from the “Youth Entrepreneurship” survey developed by the Colombian Youth Secretariat. Our research results show five profiles of entrepreneurs, mainly differentiated by age and entrepreneurial motives, as well as the identification of relevant skills, capacities, and capabilities for entrepreneurship, such as creativity, learning, and leadership. The sample consists of 633 young people aged between 14 and 28 years in Medellín. The data treatment was approached through cluster analysis using the K-means algorithm to obtain information about the underlying nature and structure of the data. These data analysis techniques provide valuable information that can help to better understand the behaviour of Colombian entrepreneurs. They also reveal hidden information in the data. Therefore, one of the advantages of using statistical and artificial intelligence techniques in this type of study is to extract valuable information that might otherwise go unnoticed. The clusters generated show correlations with profiles that can support the design of policies in Colombia to promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem and the creation and development of new businesses through business regulation

5G Mobile Phone Network Introduction in Colombia

The deployment of the 5G mobile network is currently booming, offering commercially available services that improve network performance metrics by minimizing network latency in countries such as the USA, China, and Korea. However, many countries around the world are still in the pilot phase promoted and regulated by government agencies. This is the case in Colombia, where the assignment of the first 5G band is planned for the third quarter of 2021. By analyzing the results of the pilot phase and the roadmap of the Colombian Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC), we can determine the main issues, which contribute to the deployment of 5G mobile technology as well as the plans to achieve a 5G stand-alone network from 4G networks. This is applicable to other countries in Latin America and the world. Then, our objective is to synthesize and share the most important concepts of 5G mobile technology such as the MIMO (multiple input/multiple output) antenna, RAN (Radio Access Network), C-RAN (Centralised-RAN), and frequency bands, and evaluate the current stage of its introduction in Colombia

Monitoring of hepatitis E virus in zoo animals from Spain, 2007–2021

Hepatitis E virus (HEV, family Hepeviridae) is an important emerging and zoonotic pathogen. In recent decades, the number of human cases of zoonotic hepatitis E has increased considerably in industrialized countries and HEV has been detected in an expanding range of mammal species. Although domestic pigs and wild boar are considered the main reservoirs of zoonotic HEV genotypes, the role of other susceptible animals in the epidemiology of the virus is still poorly understood. A large-scale, long-term study was carried out (1) to assess HEV exposure in captive zoo animals in Spain and (2) to determine the dynamics of seropositivity in individuals that were sampled longitudinally during the study period. Between 2007 and 2021, serum samples from 425 zoo animals belonging to 109 animal species (including artiodactyls, carnivores, perissodactyls, proboscideans and rodents) were collected from 11 different zoological parks in Spain. Forty-six of these animals at seven of these zoos were also longitudinally sampled. Anti-HEV antibodies were detected in 36 (8.5%; 95% CI: 5.8–11.1) of 425 sampled zoo animals. Specific antibodies against HEV-3 and HEV-C1 antigens were confirmed in ELISA-positive animals using western blot assay. Two of 46 longitudinally surveyed animals seroconverted during the study period. Seropositivity was significantly higher in carnivores and perissodactyls than in artiodactyls, and also during the period 2012–2016 compared with 2007–2011. HEV RNA was not detected in any of the 262 animals that could be tested by RT-PCR. To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first large-scale, long-term surveillance on HEV in different orders of zoo mammals. Our results indicate exposure to HEV-3 and HEV-C1 in zoo animals in Spain and confirm a widespread but not homogeneous spatiotemporal circulation of HEV in captive species in this country. Further studies are required to determine the role of zoo species, particularly carnivores and perissodactyls, in the epidemiology of HEV and to clarify the origins of infection in zoological parks