Estimating the global temperature change by means of a fuzzy logic model obtained from a simple climate model

Ponencia presentada en: VI Congreso Internacional de la Asociación Española de Climatología celebrado en Tarragona del 8 al 11 de octubre de 2008.[EN]In this work a simple box model of the ocean-atmosphere system is used to asses the response of the simulated global mean temperature to expected changes in the surface thermal forcing at the year 2000, as well as to variations of two key parameters, namely ocean thermal diffusivity and the atmospheric feedback. Such experiments provide the input data needed to build fuzzy logic models that are able to deal with the uncertainties associated to the model parameters. Two fuzzy logic approaches are presented in this article.[ES]En este trabajo se utiliza un modelo de cajas del sistema océano-atmósfera para estudiar la respuesta de la temperatura promedio global a cambios en el forzamiento radiativo y a la variación de dos parámetros importantes del modelo: la difusividad térmica del océano y la sensitividad de la atmósfera (procesos de retroalimentación). A partir de los campos de temperatura obtenidos, se construyen dos modelos basados en lógica difusa

Estimating the global temperature change by means of a fuzzy logic model obtained from IPCC published data

Ponencia presentada en: VI Congreso Internacional de la Asociación Española de Climatología celebrado en Tarragona del 8 al 11 de octubre de 2008.[EN]The long term scenarios (until year 2100) developed by the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate a wide range of future concentration of greenhouse gases and aerosols. It can be inferred from these data that higher temperature increases are directly related with higher emission levels of greenhouse gases and the related increase into the atmosphere. It is also evident that lower temperature increases are related with smaller amounts of emissions and, therefore, with lower greenhouse gases concentrations. In this work simple linguistic rules are extracted from the IPCC reports in a subjective way. These rules describe the relations between the greenhouse gases emissions, their concentrations, the radiative forcing associated with concentrations, and the temperature changes.[ES]Los escenarios de largo plazo (hasta el año 2100) desarrollados por el Panel Intergubernamental de Cambio Climático indican un rango muy amplio en los valores de las futuras concentraciones de gases de invernadero y aerosoles. Basándose en estos datos se puede inferir que los mayores incrementos de temperatura están directamente relacionados con una mayor cantidad de emisiones de gases de invernadero y el concomitante incremento de su concentración en la atmósfera. De igual manera, los menores incrementos de temperatura están relacionados con una menor cantidad de emisiones y, por ende, con menores concentraciones de gases de invernadero. En este trabajo se utilizan reglas lingüísticas simples, extraídas de manera subjetiva de los reportes de IPCC, que describen las relaciones entre las emisiones de gases de invernadero, sus concentraciones, los forzamientos radiativos asociados a estas concentraciones y los cambios de temperatura

Estudio de la arquitectura SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) como plataforma de desarrollo, administración y explotación de aplicaciones basadas en servicios (SaaS)

El propósito de este proyecto es el estudio de la arquitectura SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) en su nivel conceptual y también explorar qué herramientas existen actualmente dentro del campo de los sistemas de información que se basan en este paradigma. Dentro de la arquitectura SOA se prestará especial atención a una parte fundamental de ella, el ESB o Enterprise Service Bus, finalizando el proyecto con un ejemplo de aplicación sobre este componente. Un ESB es una herramienta software que ayuda en el cumplimiento de los requisitos que propone SOA. Entre estos requisitos encontramos la integración de las aplicaciones informáticas, debido a que habitualmente la información fluye a través de varias de ellas, el procesado y transformación de los datos que se intercambian en las aplicaciones, ya que es posible que cada aplicación trabaje con un formato diferente de los datos, el enrutamiento de las comunicaciones entre las diferentes aplicaciones conectadas al ESB, para tener centralizado e identificado el camino que sigue cada uno de los flujos de información, y la coordinación de los diferentes procesos que tienen lugar dentro del ESB

A new HLA-based distributed control architecture for agricultural teams of robots in hybrid applications with real and simulated devices or environments

The control architecture is one of the most important part of agricultural robotics and other robotic systems. Furthermore its importance increases when the system involves a group of heterogeneous robots that should cooperate to achieve a global goal. A new control architecture is introduced in this paper for groups of robots in charge of doing maintenance tasks in agricultural environments. Some important features such as scalability, code reuse, hardware abstraction and data distribution have been considered in the design of the new architecture. Furthermore, coordination and cooperation among the different elements in the system is allowed in the proposed control system. By integrating a network oriented device server Player, Java Agent Development Framework (JADE) and High Level Architecture (HLA), the previous concepts have been considered in the new architecture presented in this paper. HLA can be considered the most important part because it not only allows the data distribution and implicit communication among the parts of the system but also allows to simultaneously operate with simulated and real entities, thus allowing the use of hybrid systems in the development of applications

Fuzzy rules model for global warming decision suport

Ponencia presentada en: VI Congreso Internacional de la Asociación Española de Climatología celebrado en Tarragona del 8 al 11 de octubre de 2008.[EN]In this work a simple box model of the ocean-atmosphere is used to asses the response of the coupled system to the projected increase in the amount of carbon dioxide, by varying internal model parameters, within plausible ranges, as well as the thermal forcing associated with the greenhouse gases. The values of temperature increase are used to build fuzzy logic models based on the Fuzzy Inductive Reasoning (FIR) methodology that are able to deal with the uncertainties associated to the box model parameters. FIR is a data driven methodology that uses fuzzy and pattern recognition techniques to infer system models and to predict their future behavior.[ES]En este trabajo se utiliza un modelo simple del sistema océano-atmósfera para obtener valores de temperatura promediados globalmente. En este modelo, la temperatura es una función del calor agregado al sistema, de la sensitividad de la atmósfera y de la difusividad del océano. A partir de los campos de temperatura obtenidos, se construye un modelo basado en lógica difusa, concretamente usando la metodología del Razonamiento Inductivo Difuso (FIR, por las siglas en inglés), el cual es capaz de predecir el cambio de temperatura global con una gran precisión. Sin embargo, el modelo FIR no permite una interpretación suficientemente sencilla de la dinámica del sistema para que sea útil a los tomadores de decisiones

¿Por qué decidimos ser voluntarios?

VIII Jornades de Foment de la Investigació de la FCHS (Any 2002-2003)El voluntariado es un recurso humano que por su importancia como fenómeno social en auge, desde hace ya algunos años, merece su estudio desde la psicología social. Esta destacabilidad del voluntariado se refleja en las leyes, planes e incluso el código ético, creados para su definición dentro de unos parámetros y su equiparación, ya que existen muchos tipos de voluntariado y en muy diversos campos, poniendo límites, así, a la expresión de la conducta de ayuda, prosocial y altruista. Esta investigación es una parte de otra más extensa, y el objeto fundamental del fragmento que aquí se presenta pasa por hallar qué motivos llevan a iniciar el voluntariado en una organización. Concretamente, se ha estudiado el voluntariado en las organizaciones dedicadas a la acogida, rehabilitación y reinserción de drogodependientes, partiendo de una muestra de 52 sujetos, a la que se ha aplicado el “Cuestionario: Perfil del Voluntariado. 2001. Versión 1” Surgen así, como motivos más importantes las circunstancias personales, tales como tener un familiar tratado en la organización o ser uno mismo el que pasó como usuario de la organización y tras la rehabilitación y reinserción decidió hacerse voluntario. Son, por tanto, motivos internos, autocentrados, los más destacables. La importancia de este estudio subyace en su aprovechamiento para el reclutamiento y estrategias de sensibilización de los/las voluntarios/as de una organización. Y, por supuesto, en su profundización en un tema que no ha recibido la atención científica que merece

Determining disinfection efficiency on E. faecalis in saltwater by photolysis of H2O2: Implications for ballast water treatment

Organisms carried with ballast water can find a way that enables them to spread into a new habitat, becoming invasive species. This can generate large impacts threatening the ecosystem and human activities. The effectiveness of microbiological disinfection by UV/H2O2 treatment on Enterococcus faecalis has been evaluated in this study at laboratory scale, in both buffered distilled water (DW) and saltwater (SW). A Collimated Beam Reactor was used to determine optimal H2O2 concentration with DW and a Continuous Flow Reactor was tested with DW and SW. The optimal concentration of hydrogen peroxide found was 5 mg/L. The improvement of adding H2O2 increased efficacy by 28.9% in SW compared with UV alone; while results indicated that water salinity did not induce strong interference in treatment. In addition, re-growth of surviving bacteria was prevented 24 h after the treatment; even an additional one-log inactivation was obtained. The results suggest that the addition of small concentrations of H2O2 leads to an improvement in UV treatment. Finally, the operational costs were estimated for typical cargo vessels; UV/H2O2 treatment was considered to be competitive for ballast water treatment, since it could improve the effectiveness of the process with similar costs per 1000 m3 of treated water: 14 € for UV treatment and 16 € for UV/H2O2 treatmen

Development of a geometrical model for the determination of the average intensity in a flow-through UV-LED reactor and validation with biodosimetry and actinometry

Ultraviolet (UV) treatment is widely used for water disinfection. The recent development and improvement of the light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the UVC range makes them an alternative to the traditional mercury vapor UV lamps in the middle or long term. Determining the UV intensity applied by a reactor is essential for evaluating its efficacy. Although doing so is relatively straightforward in simple laboratory reactors, such as a collimated beam reactor (CBR), its calculation for more complex devices, such as a flow-through reactor (FTR), requires indirect approaches. The objective in this study is determining the UV intensity in FTRs equipped with UV-C LEDs by utilizing indirect approaches such as the geometrical modeling of the intensity distribution, chemical actinom-etry, and biodosimetry using a CBR as a reference. With this method, the inactivation of four bacterial indicators in both the CBR and FTR have also been addressed. The three approaches that were used reported similar values of mean intensity with an average value of 0.86 mW cm-2. Determining the mean intensity enabled calculating the UV doses that were applied to the target water and then determining the inactivation kinetics parameters. The UV dose that was necessary to achieve four-log reductions from the initial bacterial concentration ranged from 5.8 to 17.5 mJ cm-2 depending on the target species. Additionally, the geometrical model developed in this study introduces new possibilities into the optimization of the reactor design

Exposición al humo ambiental de tabaco en locales de hostelería de Barcelona: medición de partículas respirables

ResumenObjetivoMedir la concentración de partículas respirables de tamaño igual o menor que 2,5μm (PM2,5) como marcador del humo ambiental de tabaco (HAT) en locales de hostelería de Barcelona 2 años después de la entrada en vigor de la Ley 28/2005.MétodosSe trata de un estudio descriptivo transversal. La población de estudio fueron 40 locales de la ciudad de Barcelona seleccionados por muestreo de ruta aleatoria con representación de los distintos tipos de regulación existentes tras la aplicación de la Ley (permitido fumar, prohibido fumar y locales con zonas para fumadores y no fumadores). El trabajo de campo se realizó entre octubre y diciembre de 2007. El HAT se cuantificó determinando las PM2,5 con un monitor con fotómetro láser (Side Pack AM 510 Personal Aerosol Monitor). Se realizaron mediciones iniciales de 5 minutos en el exterior del local y de 30 minutos en el interior. Además, se recogieron variables de tipo observacional relacionadas con las características del local y los signos de consumo tabaco.ResultadosLa concentración de PM2,5 en los locales donde se permite fumar es cinco veces más alta que en los que se ha prohibido (182μg/m3 y 34μg/m3, respectivamente), y supera la concentración establecida como perjudicial por la Environmental Protection Agency de Estados Unidos (35μg/m3). En aquellos locales en que se ha prohibido fumar, la concentración de PM2,5 no supera este estándar ni muestra diferencias significativas con la concentración en el exterior del local.ConclusionesDos años después de la entrada en vigor de la Ley de medidas sanitarias frente al tabaquismo, la exposición al HAT en los locales de hostelería donde se permitía fumar seguía siendo muy alta. Esto suponía un importante riesgo para la salud de los trabajadores de este sector.AbstractObjectivesTo quantify the concentration of respirable particles equal to or smaller than 2.5μm (PM2.5) as a marker of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in a sample of hospitality venues in Barcelona 2 years after the Spanish smoking law came into effect.MethodsWe performed a cross-sectional descriptive study from October to December 2007. The study population consisted of 40 hospitality venues in Barcelona selected by a random route sampling, with representation of the different types of smoking regulation included in the law (smoking allowed, smoking ban and venues with smoking areas). SHS levels were quantified by measuring PM2.5 concentrations, which were measured using a laser photometer (Side Pack AM 510 Personal Aerosol Monitor). The measurements were carried out for 5minutes outside the venue and for 30minutes inside the venue. In addition, observational variables related to the characteristics of the venue and signs of tobacco consumption were recorded.ResultsThe concentration of PM2.5 in venues where smoking was still allowed was five times higher than that in venues where smoking was banned (182μg/m3 and 34μg/m3, respectively) and exceeded the concentration established by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as harmful (35μg/m3). However, in venues where smoking was banned, the concentration was lower than the EPA standard and there were no significant differences with the outdoor PM2.5 concentration.ConclusionsTwo years after the introduction of the Spanish smoking law, SHS exposure in venues where smoking was allowed was q still very high, representing a significant health risk for hospitality workers

UV-based technologies for marine water disinfection and the application to ballast water: Does salinity interfere with disinfection processes?

Water contained on ships is employed in the majority of activities on a vessel; therefore, it is necessary to correctly manage through marine water treatments. Among the main water streams generated on vessels, ballast water appears to be an emerging global challenge (especially on cargo ships) due to the transport of invasive species and the significant impact that the ballast water discharge could have on ecosystems and human activities. To avoid this problem, ballast water treatment must be implemented prior to water discharge in accordance with the upcoming Ballast Water Management Convention. Different UV-based treatments (photolytic: UV-C and UV/H2O2, photocatalytic: UV/TiO2), have been compared for seawater disinfection. E. faecalis is proposed as a biodosimeter organism for UV-based treatments and demonstrates good properties for being considered as a Standard Test Organism for seawater. Inactivation rates by means of the UV-based treatments were obtained using a flow-through UV-reactor. Based on the two variables responses that were studied (kinetic rate constant and UV-Dose reductions), both advanced oxidation processes (UV/H2O2 and photocatalysis) were more effective than UV-C treatment. Evaluation of salinity on the processes suggests different responses according to the treatments: major interference on photocatalysis treatment and minimal impact on UV/H2O2