Driving Cars by Means of Genetic Algorithms

Proceedings of: 10th International Conference on Parallel Problem Solving From Nature, PPSN 2008. Dortmund, Germany, September 13-17, 2008The techniques and the technologies supporting Automatic Vehicle Guidance are an important issue. Automobile manufacturers view automatic driving as a very interesting product with motivating key features which allow improvement of the safety of the car, reducing emission or fuel consumption or optimizing driver comfort during long journeys. Car racing is an active research field where new advances in aerodynamics, consumption and engine power are critical each season. Our proposal is to research how evolutionary computation techniques can help in this field. As a first goal we want to automatically learn to drive, by means of genetic algorithms, optimizing lap times while driving through three different circuits.Publicad

History of the Spanish Association of Telecommunication Engineers (Asociación Española de Ingenieros de Telecomunicación, AEIT)

The Spanish Association of Telecommunication Engineers (AEIT) is a private non-profit organization that was established 83 years ago. Since it was created, the AEIT has been defending this profession, the telecommunication engineers, and the way engineering has to be done in order to improve quality of communication services, in a direct way, and to develop our society and enhance the economy, in an indirect one. To meet that objective, well prepared professionals who are able to design networks and services were needed. The AEIT has been involved in reaching it. Chronological order will be followed in this paper, completed by some relevant aspects, which will give a general view of all the things that the AEIT has done during its life

"Cuerpo de Telégrafos": First Attempts to Create a Professional Body for Electrical Communications in Spain

The Body of Telegraphists ("Cuerpo de Telegrafos", in Spanish) was established in Spain in 1856 in order to operate the electric telegraph service and later to develop a national-wide telegraph network. The origins of this professional body and the way it was formed with people from the optical telegraphy field of activity will be described. It will also be explained how these people were educated in techniques and methods related to electrical telegraphy. In addition, it will be described how the creation of the Body of Telegraphists caused a conflict with the Body of Civil Engineers, which was the responsible for the development of the optical telegraph network

A linear free-energy relationship for the prediction of metal ion complexing properties in hybrid carbon-based scavengers

The authors thank the Spanish Ministry of Science & Innovation, and the Junta de Andalucia for financial support (grants MAT2009-14185-C02-01, P09-FQM-4765 and a fellowship to A. Penas) and the CPL Carbon Link for the kind donation of carbon samples. The authors also thank CICT of University of Jaen for providing technical facilities.Supplementary information https://www.rsc.org/suppdata/d3/nj/d3nj01000g/d3nj01000g1.pdfA novel and straightforward approach to accurately predict, through direct potentiometric measurements, the complexing properties and adsorption capacity of novel carbon-based hybrid scavengers toward particular metal ions is described. This innovative approach establishes a linear free-energy relationship (LFER) between the complexing properties of the free-complexing function in solution and the complexing retention capacity of the functionalized carbon-based hybrid material (complexing function supported). In particular, we report the first detailed study concerning the metal ion complexing properties, as well as the complexing mechanisms involved in covalently-bonded carbon-supported hyperbranched polyethyleneimines, towards a series of metal ions of environmental and technical interest, such as Mn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Pd2+ and Cr3+. The study based on adsorption isotherm measurements and potentiometric studies of non-bonded hyperbranched polyethyleneimines (HBPEIs) (free in solution) and carbon-supported HBPEI (hybrid material, C-PEI) revealed that bonded HBPEI molecules fully define and control the metal ion complexing abilities of C-PEI, while the carbon structure acts only as a solid support. These results corroborate the prevalence of a reliable linear free-energy relationship (LFER) between the retention capacities of the hybrid material (C-PEI) and the complexing properties of free HBPEI in solution, which supposes a novel approach to easily predict the metal ion complexing properties of carbon-based hybrid materials, through a simple potentiometric titration analysis of the free complexing ligand in solution. This approach has the potential to predict retention capacities of solid materials (actual or proposed) exhibiting surfaces functionalized with HPBEI.Spanish Ministry of Science & InnovationJunta de Andalucia MAT2009-14185-C02-01, P09-FQM-476

Gossos amb ofici : salvament i seguretat pública /

Treball presentat a l'assignatura de Deontologia i Veterinària Legal (21223

Molecular and Clinical Implications of Somatostatin Receptor Profile and Somatostatin Analogues Treatment in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) incidence has increased by 50% over the last decade. Unfortunately, surgery and adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy are still the mainstream modality of treatment, underscoring the need for alternative therapies. Somatostatin-analogues (SSA) are efficacious and safe treatments for a variety of tumors, but the presence of somatostatin-receptors (SSTs) and pharmacological effects of SSA on OSCC are poorly known. In this study, we demonstrated that SST2 and SST3 levels were significantly higher in OSCC, compared to adjacent healthy control tissues. SST2 expression was associated with less regional metastasis and a lower recurrence rate. Moreover, SST2 was elevated in OSCC and associated with histopathological good prognosis factors, such as high peritumoral inflammation, smaller depth of invasion, and expansive vs. infiltrative front of tumor invasion. Importantly, treatment with different SSA (octreotide, lanreotide, and pasireotide) significantly reduced cell-proliferation in OSCC primary cell cultures. Altogether, this study demonstrated that SST2 is overexpressed in OSCC vs. healthy tissues and could represent a novel prognostic biomarker, since its expression is associated with tumors that show better prognostic factors and less recurrent rate. Moreover, our data unveil clear antitumoral effects of SSAs on OSCC, opening new avenues to explore their potential as targeting therapy to OSCC

MASSIV: Mass Assembly Survey with SINFONI in VVDS. V. The major merger rate of star-forming galaxies at 0.9 < z < 1.8 from IFS-based close pairs

We aim to measure the major merger rate of star-forming galaxies at 0.9 < z <1.8, using close pairs identified from integral field spectroscopy (IFS). We use the velocity field maps obtained with SINFONI/VLT on the MASSIV sample, selected from the star-forming population in the VVDS. We identify physical pairs of galaxies from the measurement of the relative velocity and the projected separation (r_p) of the galaxies in the pair. Using the well constrained selection function of the MASSIV sample we derive the gas-rich major merger fraction (luminosity ratio mu = L_2/L_1 >= 1/4), and, using merger time scales from cosmological simulations, the gas-rich major merger rate at a mean redshift up to z = 1.54. We find a high gas-rich major merger fraction of 20.8+15.2-6.8 %, 20.1+8.0-5.1 % and 22.0+13.7-7.3 % for close pairs with r_p <= 20h^-1 kpc in redshift ranges z = [0.94, 1.06], [1.2, 1.5) and [1.5, 1.8), respectively. This translates into a gas-rich major merger rate of 0.116+0.084-0.038 Gyr^-1, 0.147+0.058-0.037 Gyr^-1 and 0.127+0.079-0.042 Gyr^-1 at z = 1.03, 1.32 and 1.54, respectively. Combining our results with previous studies at z < 1, the gas-rich major merger rate evolves as (1+z)^n, with n = 3.95 +- 0.12, up to z = 1.5. From these results we infer that ~35% of the star-forming galaxies with stellar masses M = 10^10 - 10^10.5 M_Sun have undergone a major merger since z ~ 1.5. We develop a simple model which shows that, assuming that all gas-rich major mergers lead to early-type galaxies, the combined effect of gas-rich and dry mergers is able to explain most of the evolution in the number density of massive early-type galaxies since z ~ 1.5, with our measured gas-rich merger rate accounting for about two-thirds of this evolution.Comment: Published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 24 pages, 30 figures, 2 tables. Appendix with the residual images from GALFIT added. Minor changes with respect to the initial versio

Early Cretaceous charophytes from South Dobrogea (Romania). Biostratigraphy and palaeobiogeography.

Eleven boreholes and one outcrop of the Lower Cretaceous in South Dobrogea (south-eastern Romania) were sampled for charophytes. Twenty species are described and illustrated in two non-marine rock units, the Zăvoaia Member and the Gherghina Formation. The Zăvoaia Member contains a charophyte assemblage dominated by Feistiella bijuescensis, aff. Mesochara harrisii, Nodosoclavator bradleyi, Clavator bilateralis, and Clavator grovesii var. grovesii, indicating a Berriasian age. Other less abundant species include Feistiella sp., Latochara sp., Mesochara dobrogeica sp. nov., Globator maillardii var. nurrensis, Atopochara trivolvis var. micrandra, Clavator grovesii var. discordis, Hemiclavator adnatus, and Hemiclavator neimongolensis var. posticecaptus. The occurrence of G. maillardii var. nurrensis in this assemblage suggests late Berriasian age. The Gherghina Formation is dominated by the species Atopochara trivolvis var. triquetra and Clavator grovesii var. jiuquanensis. Other less abundant species include Sphaerochara andersonii, aff. Mesochara harrisii, Globator maillardii var. trochiliscoides, Globator maillardii var. biutricularis, Clavator harrisii var. reyi, and Clavator ampullaceus var. latibracteatus var. nov. This assemblage indicates a late Barremian-early Aptian age. This study sheds new light on the palaeobiogeographical distribution of Lower Cretaceous charophytes in the Tethyan realm. Well-known western European charophyte species such as F. bijuescensis, S. andersonii, G. maillardii var. trochiliscoides, H. adnatus, and H. neimongolensis var. posticecaptus are herein described for the first time in eastern Europe. Very significantly, this is the first report in Europe of the hitherto North American taxon C. bilateralis, while the species C. ampullaceus has previously been reported only from the Middle East and eastern Africa