Fuzzy Control Strategy for an Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment Process

In this paper, a fuzzy control strategy (FCS) for an anaerobic wastewater treatment process is proposed in order to reject large disturbances on input substrate allowing a high methane production. This strategy is composed of: i) a state observer, which is based on a principal components analysis (PCA) and Takagi-Sugeno (TS) algorithm; it is designed to estimate variables hard to measure: biomass and substrate, ii) proportional-integral (PI) controllers based on a combination of the L/A(logarithm/antilogarithm) and fuzzy approaches; these controllers have variable gains and are designed to regulate bicarbonate in the reactor by two control actions: a base supplying (binc) and dilution rate (D) changes, iii) a TS supervisor which detects the process state, selects and applies the most adequate control action, allowing a smooth switching between open loop and closed loop. Applicability of the proposed structure in a completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) is illustrated via simulations. The obtained results show that the process works in open loop in presence of small disturbances. For large disturbances, the supervisor allows the control actions to be applied avoiding washout; after that, the process returns to open loop operation. In general, the FCS improves the performances of the anaerobic process and is feasible for application in real processes, since the control scheme shows a good compromise between efficiency and complexity

Non-destructive seed detection in mandarins: comparison of automatic threshold methods FLASH and COMSPIRA MRIs

Here, we review different methods for non-destructive horticultural produce size determination, focusing on electronic technologies capable of measuring fruit volume. The usefulness of produce size estimation is justified and a comprehensive classification system of the existing electronic techniques to determine dimensional size is proposed. The different systems identified are compared in terms of their versatility, precision and throughput. There is general agreement in considering that online measurement of axes, perimeter and projected area has now been achieved. Nevertheless, rapid and accurate volume determination of irregular-shaped produce, as needed for density sorting, has only become available in the past few years. An important application of density measurement is soluble solids content (SSC) sorting. If the range of SSC in the batch is narrow and a large number of classes are desired, accurate volume determination becomes important. A good alternative for fruit three-dimensional surface reconstruction, from which volume and surface area can be computed, is the combination of height profiles from a range sensor with a two-dimensional object image boundary from a solid-state camera (brightness image) or from the range sensor itself (intensity image). However, one of the most promising technologies in this field is 3-D multispectral scanning, which combines multispectral data with 3-D surface reconstruction

Facilitating Creativity in Collaborative Work with Computational Intelligence Software

The use of computational intelligence for leveraging social creativity is a relatively new approach that allows organizations to find creative solutions to complex problems in which the interaction between stakeholders is crucial. The creative solutions that come from joint thinking-from the combined knowledge and abilities of people with diverse perspectives-contrast with traditional views of creativity that focus primarily on the individual as the main contributor of creativity. In an effort to support social creativity in organizations, in this paper we present computational intelligence software tools for that aim and an architecture for creating software mashups based on the concept of affinity space. The affinity space defines a digital setting to facilitate specific scenarios in collaborative business environments. The solution presented includes a set of free and open source software tools ranging from newly developed brainstorming applications to an expertise recommender for enhancing social creativity in the enterprise. The current paper addresses software design issues and presents reflections on the research work undertaken in the COLLAGE project between 2012 and 2015

Comparative efficacy between atorvastatin and rosuvastatin in the prevention of cardiovascular disease recurrence

Background: There is no randomized clinical trials with recurrence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) as a major outcome with rosuvastatin. In order to analyze potential differences in the clinical response to atorvastatin and rosuvastatin in secondary ASCVD prevention, we have analyzed the clinical evolution of those subjects of the Dyslipemia Registry of the Spanish Society of Arteriosclerosis (SEA) who at the time of inclusion in the Registry had already suffered an ASCVD. Methods: This observational, retrospective, multicenter, national study was designed to determine potential differences between the use of atorvastatin and rosuvastatin in the ASCVD recurrence. Three different follow-up start-times were performed: time of inclusion in the registry; time of first event if this occurred after 2005, and time of first event without date restriction. Results: Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups. Among atorvastatin or rosuvastatin users, 89 recurrences of ASCVD were recorded (21.9%), of which 85.4% were coronary. At the inclusion of the subject in the registry, 345 participants had not suffered a recurrence yet. These 345 subjects accumulated 1050 person-years in a mean follow-up of 3 years. Event rates were 2.73 (95% CI: 1.63, 4.25) cases/100 person-years and 2.34 (95% CI: 1.17, 4.10) cases/100 person-years in the atorvastatin and rosuvastatin groups, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups independently of the follow-up start-time. Conclusions: This study does not find differences between high doses of rosuvastatin and atorvastatin in the recurrence of ASCVD, and supports their use as clinically equivalent in secondary prevention of ASCVD

Neural Observer Based Hybrid Intelligent Scheme for Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment

Activated sludge wastewater treatment plants have received considerable attention due to their efficiency to eliminate biodegradable pollution and their robustness to reject disturbances. Different control strategies have been proposed, but most of these techniques need sensors to measure process main variables. This paper presents a discrete-time recurrent high order neural observer (RHONO) to estimate substrate and biomass concentrations in an activated sludge wastewater treatment plant. The RHONO is trained on-line with an extended Kalman filter (EKF)-based algorithm. Then this observer is associated with a hybrid intelligent system based on fuzzy logic to control the substrate/biomass concentration ratio using the external recycle flow rate and the injected oxygen as control actions. The intelligent system and neural observer performance is illustrated via simulations

Impact of prematurity and perinatal antibiotics on the developing intestinal microbiota: A functional inference study

The microbial colonization of the neonatal gut provides a critical stimulus for normal maturation and development. This process of early microbiota establishment, known to be affected by several factors, constitutes an important determinant for later health. Methods: We studied the establishment of the microbiota in preterm and full-term infants and the impact of perinatal antibiotics upon this process in premature babies. To this end, 16S rRNA gene sequence-based microbiota assessment was performed at phylum level and functional inference analyses were conducted. Moreover, the levels of the main intestinal microbial metabolites, the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) acetate, propionate and butyrate, were measured by Gas-Chromatography Flame ionization/Mass spectrometry detection. Results: Prematurity affects microbiota composition at phylum level, leading to increases of Proteobacteria and reduction of other intestinal microorganisms. Perinatal antibiotic use further affected the microbiota of the preterm infant. These changes involved a concomitant alteration in the levels of intestinal SCFA. Moreover, functional inference analyses allowed for identifying metabolic pathways potentially affected by prematurity and perinatal antibiotics use. Conclusion: A deficiency or delay in the establishment of normal microbiota function seems to be present in preterm infants. Perinatal antibiotic use, such as intrapartum prophylaxis, affected the early life microbiota establishment in preterm newborns, which may have consequences for later healt

Effect of lipid-lowering treatment in cardiovascular disease prevalence in familial hypercholesterolemia

Background and aims: The impact on heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) health led by high-intensity lipid-lowering therapy (HILLT) is unknown, and the question remains if there is still an unacceptably high residual risk to justify treatment with new lipid-lowering drugs. Methods: This observational, retrospective, multicenter, national study in Spain, whose information was obtained from a national dyslipemia registry, was designed to establish the current prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in HeFH and to define the impact of HILLT on CVD in this population. Odds were estimated using several logistic regression models with progressive adjustment. Results: 1958 HeFH, mean age 49.3 ± 14.3 years, were included in the analysis. At inclusion in the registry, 295 patients (15.1%) had suffered CVD and 164 (55.6%) had suffered the first event before the onset lipid-lowering treatment. Exposition to treatment associated more than ten times lower odds for CVD than in subjects naïve to treatment (OR 0.085, 95% CI 0.063–0.114, p < 0.001). A first CVD event after a mean treatment period of 9.1 ± 7.2 years occurred in 131 out of 1615 (8.1%) HeFH subjects, and 115 (87.8%) of them were on HILLT. Conclusions: Current prevalence of CVD among HeFH is one third of that reported before the statins era. Early initiation and prolonged lipid-lowering treatment was associated with a reduction in CVD. New cases of CVD, in spite of HILLT, appeared mostly among patients accumulating risk factors and probably they may be considered for further lipid-lowering drugs

Symmetry Breakdown in Franckeite: Spontaneous Strain, Rippling, and Interlayer Moire

Franckeite is a naturally occurring layered mineral with a structure composed of alternating stacks of SnS2-like and PbS-like layers. Although this superlattice is composed of a sequence of isotropic two-dimensional layers, it exhibits a spontaneous rippling that makes the material structurally anisotropic. We demonstrate that this rippling comes hand in hand with an inhomogeneous in-plane strain profile and anisotropic electrical, vibrational, and optical properties. We argue that this symmetry breakdown results from a spatial modulation of the van der Waals interaction between layers due to the SnS2-like and PbS-like lattices incommensurability

SSDSS IV MaNGA - Properties of AGN host galaxies

We present here the characterization of the main properties of a sample of 98 AGN host galaxies, both type-II and type-I, in comparison with those of about 2700 non-active galaxies observed by the MaNGA survey. We found that AGN hosts are morphologically early-type or early-spirals. For a given morphology AGN hosts are, in average, more massive, more compact, more central peaked and rather pressurethan rotational-supported systems. We confirm previous results indicating that AGN hosts are located in the intermediate/transition region between star-forming and non-star-forming galaxies (i.e., the so-called green valley), both in the ColorMagnitude and the star formation main sequence diagrams. Taking into account their relative distribution in terms of the stellar metallicity and oxygen gas abundance and a rough estimation of their molecular gas content, we consider that these galaxies are in the process of halting/quenching the star formation, in an actual transition between both groups. The analysis of the radial distributions of the starformation rate, specific star-formation rate, and molecular gas density shows that the quenching happens from inside-out involving both a decrease of the efficiency of the star formation and a deficit of molecular gas. All the intermediate data-products used to derive the results of our analysis are distributed in a database including the spatial distribution and average properties of the stellar populations and ionized gas, published as a Sloan Digital Sky Survey Value Added Catalog being part of the 14th Data Release: http://www.sdss.org/dr14/manga/manga-data/manga-pipe3d-value-added-catalog/Comment: 48 pages, 14 figures, in press in RMxA