Inductive Sensor for measuring partial discharges in electrical machines

The research group 'Diagnosis of Electrical Machines and Insulation Materials (DIAMAT) of the University Carlos III of Madrid, has developed an inductive sensor that can detect and measure partial discharge that are characteristic in electrical machines (its analysis allows to estimate the aging degree of the internal insulation)

Speaker Diarization Based on Intensity Channel Contribution

The time delay of arrival (TDOA) between multiple microphones has been used since 2006 as a source of information (localization) to complement the spectral features for speaker diarization. In this paper, we propose a new localization feature, the intensity channel contribution (ICC) based on the relative energy of the signal arriving at each channel compared to the sum of the energy of all the channels. We have demonstrated that by joining the ICC features and the TDOA features, the robustness of the localization features is improved and that the diarization error rate (DER) of the complete system (using localization and spectral features) has been reduced. By using this new localization feature, we have been able to achieve a 5.2% DER relative improvement in our development data, a 3.6% DER relative improvement in the RT07 evaluation data and a 7.9% DER relative improvement in the last year's RT09 evaluation data

Education and sport: relationships, construction and mutual influence

Realizar un análisis y reflexión sobre las relaciones existentes entre educación y deporte, a priori puede parecer una tarea sencilla o fácil, bien porque vivimos en una sociedad en la que se pone de manifiesto el deporte en todas sus dimensiones: cultural, económica, política…; o bien porque el deporte está presente en multitud de actos de nuestra vida cotidiana: ocio, recreación, espectáculo…Pero mucho más lejos de la realidad, se presenta como una tarea ardua, difícil y complicada. Por ello, con este artículo pretendemos profundizar un poco más sobre dichos conceptos y sus relaciones, planteándonos una serie de interrogantes que en principio pueden pasar desapercibidos; pero para nosotros, como docentes de la Educación Física -área curricular que tiene como campo de conocimiento ambos constructos-, hace que replanteemos ciertos planteamientos didácticos. Estas inquietudes nos han llevado a revisar el marco teórico conceptual sobre las relaciones existentes entre educación y deporte; puesto que, sí comulgamos con la filosofía de que el deporte es un fenómeno que está presente en la sociedad, que hay que trabajarlo, enseñarlo y favorecerlo desde las instituciones educativas… La Educación Física es el área idónea para desarrollar este trabajo, favoreciendo así el hecho de considerar el deporte como una actividad fundamental en el desarrollo integral y formación académica de los alumnos durante su etapa escolar.The fact of carrying out an analysis, and a reflection about the relationships between education and sports could be considered as a simple or easy task; either because we live in a society, in which sport is exposed in every its dimensions: cultural, economic, political...; or given the fact that sport is presented in a large group of our lives’ actions: free time, recreation, performance... However, far from the reality, it is displayed as arduous, difficult and complex task. Therefore, this article expects to delve more into those concepts and their connections, considering a series of questions that at the beginning can be seen unnoticed; but for the authors, as teachers of Physical Education – curricular area which is the field of knowledge of both of them – , makes them reflect again certain didactic proposals. These concerns make the writers revise the conceptual theoretical framework about the relationships between education and sport; given that, if they agree on the philosophy that sport is a phenomenon presented in society, which has to be worked, taught and assist it from the educational institutions... Physical Education is the ideal area to develop this work, that way supporting the fact of considering sport as a fundamental activity in the integral development, and the academic education of students during their school years

Design Optimization of the Aeronautical Sheet Hydroforming Process Using the Taguchi Method

The aluminium alloy sheet forming processes forging in rubber pad and diaphragm presses (also known as hydroforming processes) are simple and economical processes adapted to aeronautical production. Typical defects of these processes are elastic recovery, necking, and wrinkling, and they present di culties in control mainly due to property variations of the sheet material that take place during the process. In order to make these processes robust and unresponsive to material variations, a multiobjective optimization methodology based on the Taguchi method is proposed in the present study. The design of experiments and process simulation are combined in the methodology, using the nonlinear finite element method. The properties of sheet material are considered noise factors of the hydroforming process, the objective being to find a combination of the control factors that causes minimal defects to noise factors. The methodology was applied to an AA2024-T3 aluminium alloy sheet of 1 mm thickness stamping process in a diaphragm press. The results allowed us to establish the optimal pressure values, friction coeficient between sheet and block, and friction coeficient between sheet and rubber to reduce the elastic recovery variations and the minimal thickness before noise facts

Modeling and sizing of large PV-diesel hybrid systems without energy storage

This paper describes the modelling of components and control strategies for PV-diesel hybrid systems without energy storage, which have been implemented in an online and free-software simulator of PV systems called SISIFO, which is publicly available at www.sisifo.info. Among other features, this software tool allows the prediction of fuel savings for different sizes and types of PV generators, the comparison of selected control strategies and the evaluation of the spinning reserve requirements in systems with multiple diesel generators operating in parallel

Respuesta al daño al ADN: un ejemplo de acoplamiento entre transcripción y splicing alternativo

El splicing alternativo (AS) explica cómo se obtiene una gran cantidad de proteínas a partir de una cantidad limitada de genes. Este proceso es afectado no sólo por la interacción de proteínas reguladoras del AS con sus secuencias blanco en los pre‐mRNAs sino que, dado que ocurre en íntimo contacto con la maquinaria transcripcional, es también afectado por ésta (acoplamiento transcripción/AS). Interesantemente, un gran número de genes involucrados en apoptosis son regulados por splicing alternativo produciendo mRNAs que codifican para proteínas con funciones antagónicas. Sin embargo poco se sabe sobre la regulación del AS en condiciones de estrés. En esta tesis se ha investigado cómo la respuesta al daño al DNA inducido por la luz UV provoca cambios en los patrones de AS de minigenes transfectados transitoriamente o de genes endógenos como Bcl‐x y caspasa 9. El UV induce la hiperfosforilación del dominio carboxilo terminal (CTD) de la RNA polimerasa II (pol II) y consecuentemente con esto afecta preferencialmente el AS co‐transcripcional. El efecto de UV es sistémico ya que el daño del DNA molde no es necesario y no involucra al factor de transcripción p53 como demostramos al utilizar células que carecen de éste clásico factor de respuesta a estrés. Utilizando la técnica de FRAP, en combinación con polimerasas mutantes en su CTD que imitan no sólo el estado hiperfosforilado sino también los efectos de la luz UV sobre el AS, demostramos que la hiperfosforilación del CTD inhibe la tasa de elongación de la pol II afectando así el acoplamiento entre la transcripción y el AS. Confirmando la relevancia de este mecanismo, la apoptosis inducida por luz UV en células p53‐/‐ es prevenida al revertir el cambio en el AS de Bcl‐x. Para evaluar la generalidad de nuestros resultados utilizamos microarrays de AS y encontramos que la irradiación con UV promueve una mayor proporción de cambios en AS en el grupo de genes donde también ha afectado su transcripción. Estos resultados sugieren que el acoplamiento entre la transcripción y el AS es clave en la respuesta al daño en el DNA.Alternative splicing (AS) explains how a vast protein diversity is achieved with a limited number of genes and its regulation not only depends on the interaction of splicing factors with their target sequences in the pre‐mRNA but is coupled to RNA polymerase II (pol II) transcription. AS seems to play a key role in DNA damage response as suggested by the large number of apoptotic genes that are alternatively spliced, with often antagonistic roles of the isoforms generated. However, little is known about AS regulation in a DNA damage derived stress situation. In this thesis we show that ultraviolet (UV) radiation affects alternative splicing of transfected and endogenous genes like Bcl‐x and caspase 9 (C9). UV light induces the hyperphosphorylation of the carboxy terminal domain of the pol II and by doing so it affects co‐transcriptional AS preferentially. The UV effect is systemic as demonstrated by the fact that the actual damage of the DNA template in cis is not necessary and also p53 independent because it is observed in cells lacking this classic stress response factor. By using the FRAP technique and in combination with mutant polymerases that not only mimic the hyperphosphorylated state of its CTD but also the UV effect on AS, we demonstrated that the UV induced CTD hyperphosphorylation inhibits pol II transcriptional elongation rates which in turn affects AS decisions through its coupling with transcription. Confirming the relevance of this mechanism, apoptosis promoted by UV light in cells lacking p53 is prevented when the change in AS of the apoptotic gene Bcl‐x is reverted. To evaluate the generality of these results and using splicingsensitive microarrays, we found a significant overlap of the subsets of genes changing AS with UV light and those that also downregulate their expression, suggesting that transcription/AS coupling is a key feature of the DNA damage response.Fil:Muñoz, Manuel Javier. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina

Invariancia de escala y formación de patrones en la erosión de superficies

En este trabajo nos centraremos en fenómenos que ocurren fuera del equilibrio, es decir, en sistemas que experimentan de forma espontánea algún tipo de cambio en su estado debido a las condiciones que les impone su entorno y, más concretamente, en el estudio de superficies. El interés en la dinámica de éstas se ha visto incrementado en los últimos años debido a sus múltiples aplicaciones, que se extienden desde la nanotecnología hasta los sistemas biológicos. Además, desde el punto de vista de la Física Estadística, representan ejemplos de fenómenos universales en un amplio rango de escalas que pueden ser estudiados desde una perspectiva general. Para ello, consideraremos el caso particular de una superficie sometida a bombardeo iónico, donde la evolución dinámica de la morfología ocurre a escala submicrométrica, pero que, como veremos en los siguientes capítulos, comparte muchas características con otros fenómenos macroscópicos y fuera del equilibrio como la invariancia de escala, el crecimiento de dominios, las inestabilidades morfológicas o la formación y evolución de patrones, entre otras. Los principales objetivos de esta memoria son: poner de manifiesto los mecanismos físicos necesarios para caracterizar correctamente el proceso de erosión iónica y la formación de estructuras superficiales mediante esta técnica; proponer nuevos modelos teóricos que predigan de forma satisfactoria algunas características generales observadas en estos sistemas; extender estos modelos a otros fenómenos fuera del equilibrio y analizarlos desde el punto de vista de la Mecánica Estadística y las teorías actuales de formación de patrones

Good practice guide for calibrating a hydrophone "in situ" with a non-omnidirectional source at 10 kHz (26-34)

The aim of this paper is to provide the basis for the calibration of a hydrophonePeer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Bacteriophages as an Up-and-Coming Alternative to the Use of Sulfur Dioxide in Winemaking

Certain acetic and lactic acid bacteria are major causes of quality defects in musts and wines, giving rise to defects such as a "vinegary," "sharp, like nail polish-remover" taste or preventing alcoholic and/or malolactic fermentation. Sulfur dioxide is the major tool currently used in the control of these bacteria in wine. The aim of this work was to isolate bacteriophages from musts and wine of different grape varieties that were able to eliminate lactic and acetic acid bacteria spoilages at the laboratory scale. Musts obtained from grape-berries of Vitis vinifera cv. Chardonnay and Moscatel and a red wine made with V. vinifera cv. Tintilla de Rota were used to isolate bacteriophages. Bacteriophages were obtained from each of the musts and the wine and belonged to the order Caudovirals and the family Tectivirals. They were isolated by classical virology methods and identified by electron microscopy. The host bacteria used in the study were lactic acid bacteria of the species Lactobacillus hilgardii, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Oenococcus oeni and the acetic bacteria Acetobacter aceti. A comparative study was performed by adding phage titrations and SO2 to musts and wines, which had been previously inoculated with bacteria, to study the effectiveness of bacteriophages against bacteria. The comparative study showed that some bacteriophages were as effective as sulfur dioxide at low concentration