Optimal assignment problem on record linkage

We present an application of the Hungarian Method, an optimal assignment graph theory algorithm, to record linkage in order to improve the disclosure risk assessment. We should note that Hungarian Method has O(n^3) complexity; three different methods are presented to reduce its computational cost

Development of Shape-Optimization Tools for the Aerodynamic Design of Turbomachinery Blades

The aim of this work is to develop an automated tool for the optimization of turbomachinery blades founded on an evolutionary strategy. This optimization scheme will serve to deal with supersonic blades cascades for application to Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbines. The blade geometry is defined using parameterization techniques based on B-Splines curves, that allow to have a local control of the shape. The location in space of the control points of the B-Spline curve define the design variables of the optimization problem. In the present work, the performance of the blade shape is assessed by means of fully-turbulent flow simulations performed with a CFD package, in which a look-up table method is applied to ensure an accurate thermodynamic treatment. The solver is set along with the optimization tool to determine the optimal shape of the blade. As only blade-to-blade effects are of interest in this study, quasi-3D calculations are performed, and a single-objective evolutionary strategy is applied to the optimization. As a result, a non-intrusive tool, with no need for gradients definition, is developed. The computational cost is reduced by the use of surrogate models. A Gaussian interpolation scheme (Kriging model) is applied for the estimated n-dimensional function, and a surrogate-based local optimization strategy is proved to yield an accurate way for optimization. In particular, the present optimization scheme has been applied to the re-design of a supersonic stator cascade of an axial-flow turbine. In this design exercise very strong shock waves are generated in the rear blade suction side and shock-boundary layer interaction mechanisms occur. A significant efficiency improvement as a consequence of a more uniform flow at the blade outlet section of the stator is achieved. This is also expected to provide beneficial effects on the design of a subsequent downstream rotor. The method provides an improvement to gradient-based methods and an optimized blade geometry is easily achieved using the genetic algorithm

Extension of the Injected-Absorbed-Current Method applied to DC-DC Converters with Input Filter, Output Post-filter and Feedforward Compensations

In railway applications, it is common to use an LC filter connected between the catenary and the input port of the main converter of the auxiliary and traction systems. In addition, in the auxiliary systems, there is a converter operating as a battery charger, which requires a very low ripple in the output current and output voltage, so a postfilter may be placed at the output port of the converter. This article proposes a step-by-step methodology to extend the injected-absorbed-current (IAC) method in order to obtain transfer functions that consider the effects of the input filter, output postfilter, and some feedforward compensations. The proposed methodology allows reusing the characteristic coefficients of the DC-DC converter model derived from the existing IAC method. One of the advantages of the proposed methodology is that the transfer functions obtained in this article are valid for cases where both, one or none of the filters, are implemented. Finally, for the experimental validation of the proposed methodology, the phase-shifted full-bridge converter was selected as a convenient example. Furthermore, the experimental measurements have been performed on two prototypes.Comment: This work was supported in part by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), in part by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and in part by the State Research Agency through the Research Project: Modeling and Control Strategies for the Stabilization of the Interconnection of Power Electronic Converters CONEXPOT-2 under Grant DPI2017-84572-C2-2-R (AEI/FEDER, UE

Controllable production of Janus ligaments by AC fields in a flow-focusing junction

We report the production of bicomponent Janus filaments of miscible aqueous fluids in a micro- fluidic electro-flow focusing device under the action of an AC electric field. The production of liquid filaments can lead to the generation of microfibers by adding a subsequent process of polymerization. Janus microfi- bers are of paramount importance in biomedical appli- cations such as tissue production on crimped scaffolds. We show that the filament length is a function of the frequency signal, voltage amplitude and of the visco- sity and conductivity of the dispersed phase. In par- ticular, Janus filaments with diameters ∼ 10μm and longer than 1 mm are produced by AC voltages with frequencies below 150 kHz and a viscosity of the dis- persed phase ∼ 10 cP

Los veinte puntos clave de los riegos por aspersión y subarbóreo contra heladas

Los valles patagónicos poseen un clima semidesértico con un período libre de heladas de 209 días. En el año se registra una media de 47 heladas; sin embargo, las otoñales y primaverales son las agronómicamente importantes, con una frecuencia media de 3 a 5 en septiembre y de 1 a 3 en abril. En cuanto a las intensidades de dichas heladas se ha evaluado localmente que en primavera, el 50% son del tipo suave (0ºC a -2ºC) y las restantes de moderadas a fuertes (menores a -2,1ºC). En otoño, el 83% han sido suaves. De acuerdo con las mínimas absolutas medidas desde 1988, se han registrado heladas de hasta -7,7ºC en septiembre (1994), -2,9ºC en octubre (1999) y -2,5ºC en noviembre (1992) y valores de hasta -3,5ºC (1989) durante marzo y abril. La intensidad de una helada está en relación con la temperatura mínima alcanzada y su duración, y los posibles perjuicios son proporcionales a ello. Los daños físicos y económicos son muy importantes porque disminuyen notablemente el rendimiento y retardan la entrada en producción de los cultivos jóvenes. Los métodos activos de control son la tecnología adecuada y más eficiente para atenuar o evitar el efecto de esta adversidad climática sobre los cultivos locales.EEA Alto ValleFil: De Rossi, Rafael Pablo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural Río Colorado; ArgentinaFil: Fernández, Diana. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle. Agencia de Extensión Rural Valle Medio; Argentin

Exogenous proteases from seafood processing waste as functional additives in rainbow trout aquaculture

Previous studies about enzyme additives for salmonids employed commercial proteases from bacteria, but research obtaining such enzymes from other organisms are scarce. We aimed to increase digestive protease activity in Oncorhynchus mykiss, by analysing potential sources of exogenous proteases generated from different seafood processing waste. To date, there is no information regarding the influences that exogenous enzymes have on the activity and integrity of endogenous enzymes in salmonids. The compatibility and interaction between endogenous and exogenous proteases were evaluated through protein hydrolysis and electrophoresis. We also evaluated the capacity of two types of microcapsules (Alginate–Chitosan and Alginate–Chitosan–Bentonite) to protect the protease activity after being exposed to the gastric environment of trout. The seafood wastes had activities around 0.23–2.53 U/ml at 15°C. Among all the exogenous proteases evaluated, P. granulosa's extract showed the best performance, followed by L. santolla's extract. Such extracts increased the protein hydrolysis to equal or higher levels than the commercial protease and did not alter the integrity of trout proteases. The optimal catalytic function at low temperatures of these extracts might be linked to the habitat of these arthropods. Alginate–Chitosan–Bentonite microcapsules are recommended in preference to Alginate–Chitosan capsules for delivery of enzymes in salmonids because they ensure the activity of exogenous proteases for longer in acid pH (6 vs. 4 h). This research promotes a re-evaluation of seafood processing wastes through the production of a potentially functional additive that may improve trout protein digestion.Fil: Rodriguez, Yamila Eliana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Pereira, Nair de Los Angeles. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Laitano, María V.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; ArgentinaFil: Moreno, Pablo. Provincia del Neuquén. Subsecretaría de Producción y Recursos Naturales. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Neuquén; ArgentinaFil: Fernandez Gimenez, Analia Veronica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras; Argentin

Change and predictors of quality of life in institutionalized older adults with dementia

PURPOSE: This study aims to assess the change in and predictive factors of the quality of life (QoL) of institutionalized older adults with dementia over a 20-month period. METHODS: Information was used from a follow-up study conducted over an average period of 19.61 ± 1.93 months on a sample of 274 institutionalized older adults aged 60 or over, diagnosed with dementia. Two linear regression models were built to predict change in the EQ-5D index and the quality of life in Alzheimer's disease (QOL-AD) scale, taking as independent variables: sociodemographic characteristics and measures of functional ability (Barthel Index), depression in dementia (Cornell Scale), number of chronic health problems, cognitive level (MEC, the Spanish Mini-Mental State Examination) and severity of dementia (Clinical Dementia Rating) at baseline. RESULTS: The majority of the participants were women (81.75 %) with an average age of 84.70 ± 6.51 years, single (78.15 %), with severe dementia and moderate functional dependence. There was a significant decrease on the EQ-5D, EQ-VAS and QOL-AD between baseline and follow-up scores. The main predictors of QoL of the institutionalized older adults with dementia were the number of chronic problems and baseline scores of the QoL measures. CONCLUSIONS: A significant decrease in the QoL of institutionalized older adults was observed over a 20-month period. Results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing the number of chronic medical conditions may have a beneficial effect on older adults' QoL.This study was funded by the CIEN Foundation, Carlos III Institute of Health (Ref. PI 017/09). We would like to thank the help provided by V Blaya-Novakova in language editing. The Spanish Research Group on Quality of Life and Aging is formed by: M. J. Forjaz, ENS-ISCIII; P. Martinez-Martin, CNE-ISCIII; F. Rojo-Perez, CCHS-CSIC; G. Fernandez-Mayoralas, CCHS-CSIC; B. Frades, Fundación CIEN-ISCIII; B. Leon-Salas, Fundación CIEN-ISCIII; Marina Avila, Fundación CIEN-ISCIII; M. E. Prieto-Flores, UNED; S. Martin, EULEN; I. Martinez, EULEN; C. Rodriguez-Blazquez, CNE-ISCIII; A. Ayala, ENS-ISCIII

Evaluation of a Planar Reconfigurable Phased Array Antenna Driven by a Multi-Channel Beamforming Module at Ka Band

© 2021 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksIn this paper, a planar active phased array antenna demonstration with linear polarization (LP) at Ka Band (28-30 GHz) is presented. The proof of concept is carried out to evaluate the possible problems that may arise, to analyze possible calibration stages and to assess the viability of the integration of an active system with a Multi-Channel Beamforming Module (MCBM). To fulfill this task an 8times 8-element planar array arranged in column subarrays of 1times 8 elements for 1D beam steering is proposed. The single element consists of a printed circular patch connected to a microstrip feeding line through metallic vias in a multilayered structure. Both the amplitude and phase distributions are performed by a commercial integrated circuit (IC) designed for transmission purposes, from the common port to each of the 8 output ports. Thus, an evaluation of the IC performance is also included within this work. Despite the inherent amplitude and phase feeding errors of the IC, the beam-steering accuracy of the system is reasonable. A nice correspondence between the simulated and measured 8times 8-element array beam steering directions is obtained, with errors below 1° in the steering of the beamThis work was supported in part by the Spanish Government, Ministry of Economy, National Program of Research, Development and Innovation through the Project FUTURE RADIO ’’Radio systems and technologies for high capacity terrestrial and satellite communications in an hyperconnected world’’ under Grant TEC2017-85529-C3-1-R, and in part by the Project JETSTREAM ’’Desarrollo de una antena banda KA embarcada para la prestación de servicios de acceso a Internet por satélite en aviación comercial’’ in collaboration with TELNET Redes Inteligentes S.A. under Grant RTC-2015-3495-