Evaluation of new Electricity Meters

New technologies developed (new ways of energy generation and consumption) are promoting the introduction of improvements at electricity networks. Currently, European legislation is promoting changes in electricity networks of member states. These changes include new technologies to facilitate the introduction of renewable energy sources to the grid and have a more efficient use of energy. Smart grids are able to achieve these objectives. One of the important issues at smart grids is the requirement of having good measures (to be able to control the power grid) and good communication between all the electricity market participants. Smart meters are part of the smart grid technologies and are actually useful to solve this task Smart meters have a lot of features, but the most important is the two-way communication. This really differentiates this meter and electronic meters. This Master Thesis is going to study deeply this communication to understand how it works, by developing an own program able to read the measurements taken by the meter

Automatic Classification of Synthetic Voices for Voice Banking Using Objective Measures

Speech is the most common way of communication among humans. People who cannot communicate through speech due to partial of total loss of the voice can benefit from Alternative and Augmentative Communication devices and Text to Speech technology. One problem of using these technologies is that the included synthetic voices might be impersonal and badly adapted to the user in terms of age, accent or even gender. In this context, the use of synthetic voices from voice banking systems is an attractive alternative. New voices can be obtained applying adaptation techniques using recordings from people with healthy voice (donors) or from the user himself/herself before losing his/her own voice. In this way, the goal is to offer a wide voice catalog to potential users. However, as there is no control over the recording or the adaptation processes, some method to control the final quality of the voice is needed. We present the work developed to automatically select the best synthetic voices using a set of objective measures and a subjective Mean Opinion Score evaluation. A prediction algorithm of the MOS has been build which correlates similarly to the most correlated individual measure.This work has been funded by the Basque Government under the project ref. PIBA 2018-035 and IT-1355-19. This work is part of the project Grant PID 2019-108040RB-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033

Biosensor comprising metal nanoparticles

[ES] La presente invención se refiere a un biosensor donde la detección del analito se realiza de forma visual por el cambio de color en las zonas del soporte en que el analito esté presente producido por las nanopartículas al ser irradiadas con una fuente de luz externa[EN] The present invention discloses a biosensor for visual detection of an analyte, based on the light to heat conversion properties of metal nanoparticles: the analyte is visually detected by the colour change in the support areas (where the analyte is present), produced as a result of the heat generated by the metal nanoparticles where they are irradiated with an external light source. Use of said biosensor in a method for the detection of analytes is also claimed.Peer reviewedUniversidad de Zaragoza, Fundación Agencia Aragonesa para la Investigación y el Desarrollo, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)B1 Patente sin examen previ

Laser treatment of nanoparticulated metal thin films for ceramic tile decoration

This paper presents a new method for the fabrication of metal-like decorative layers on glazed ceramic tiles. It consists of the laser treatment of copper thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation at glancing angles. A thin film of discontinuous copper nanoparticles was electron beam evaporated in an oblique angle configuration onto ceramic tiles and an ample palette of colors obtained by laser treatment both in air and in vacuum. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM and FESEM) along with UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) analysis were used to characterize the differently colored layers. Based on these analyses, color development has been accounted for by a simple model considering surface melting phenomena and different microstructural and chemical transformations of the outmost surface layers of samples.Financial support from the EU (Grant LIFE11/ENV/ES560), Innovaragon (Grant ITA-DGA/ES 1368), DGA (Group T87), MINECO (Projects MAT2013-40852-R and MAT2013-42900-P), and Junta de Andalucia (Projects TEP 8067 and FQM 6900) is gratefully acknowledged. F.R.-G. acknowledges the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation for Grant SFRH/BPD/108581/2015.Peer reviewe

Used Tires as Fuel in Clinker Production: Economic and Environmental Implications

[EN] This work analyzes how gases emitted during the manufacture of clinker vary in a cement plant using two types of fuel: petroleum coke and unusable tires (UTs). This study is based on a case study using real time data on more than 40 process variables. Gases are analyzed from two points of the production process: from the sintering kiln, where the main focus of emissions to the atmosphere is by chimney, and from the preheater. The variation of CO and NOx depending on the oxygen and fuel type is studied. The SO2 levels are also analyzed and a decrease was observed when using the UTs. The quality of the clinker is compared according to the fuel type. The results are analyzed, on the one hand, by the quality of the clinker, determined by the content of the majority (C3S, alite) and minority (free CaO) phases, and, on the other hand, by the kiln sintering temperature, the most influential parameter in the productive process. It is verified that the clinker quality is maintained regardless of the type of fuel used. Therefore, the use of UTs as fuel could generate important economic and environmental benefits for cement companies.SIThis research was funded by project ULE 2015-T-98 and the research ground of Materials and Geological Engineering (INGEOMAT)

Hipersuperficies isoparamétricas en el espacio hiperbólico complejo CHn

Se presenta la clasificación de las hipersuperficies isoparamétricas del espacio hiperbólico complejo CHn, siguiendo el trabajo realizado en J. C. Díaz-Ramos, M. Domínguez-Vázquez, V. Sanmartín-López, Isoparametric hypersurfaces in complex hyperbolic spaces, Adv. Math. 314 (2017), 756-805.Xunta de GaliciaPrograma de Formación del Profesorado UniversitarioFundación Barrié de la Maz

Density, speed of sound, refractive index and relative permittivity of methanol, propan-1-ol or pentan-1-ol + benzylamine liquid mixtures. Application of the Kirkwood-Fröhlich model

Producción CientíficaDensities (P), speeds of sound (c), relative permittivities at 1 MHz (er) and refractive indices at the sodium D-line (nD) at T = (293.15 K to 303.15 K) and p = 0.1 MPa are reported for binary liquid mixtures alkan-1- ol + benzylamine. Methanol, propan-1-ol and pentan-1-ol are the alkan-1-ols studied in this work. The values of the excess molar volume (VE m), excess isentropic compressibility (jE S ), excess speed of sound (cE), excess refractive index (nE D), excess relative permittivity (eE r ) and its temperature derivative ð@eE r =@TÞp are calculated, and they are adjusted to Redlich-Kister polynomials. The VE m values are negative, indicating a predominance of the solvation between unlike molecules and structural effects. eE r values indicate a positive contribution from the creation of (alkan-1-ol)-benzylamine interactions, and the pos- itive value for the methanol mixture emphasises the importance of solvation. Calculations on excess molar refractions point out to weaker dispersive interactions than in the ideal mixture, which may be explained by the mentioned solvation effects. The Kirkwood-Fröhlich model has been applied to the mix- tures, and the Kirkwood correlation factors suggest an important relative weight, especially in the metha- nol system, of linear-like molecules in the solutions, which is in accordance with the positive contribution of the formed multimers to eE r due to their good effective response to the electric field.Junta de Castilla y León, ( Consejería de Educación - Apoyo a GIR, BDNS: 425389) Project VA100G19Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte ( grant FPU15/05456

Melanogaster coccolobae sp. nov. (Paxillaceae, Boletales), un hongo hipogeo tropical de las áreas urbanas de Quintana Roo, México

Background and Aims: The genus Melanogaster is characterized by its hypogeous to semi hypogeous habit, brownish basidiomata, gel-filled gleba locules, and globose to ellipsoid basidiospores. The genus is distributed in temperate zones, but sequences from Coccoloba root tips and a few basidiome collections have revealed its presence in the tropics. The aim of this article is to describe a new species of Melanogaster based on ecological, molecular, and morphological data. Methods: Specimens were collected in urban vegetation of Quintana Roo in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. For morphological description, the classic protocols for sequestrate fungi were followed. The dried material was deposited in the mycological herbarium “José Castillo Tovar” of the Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria (ITCV) and the herbarium of the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY). Key results: Melanogaster coccolobae is presented as a new species from the urban gardens of Quintana Roo based on ecological, molecular, and morphological evidence. This species is characterized by its hypogeous to semi hypogeous basidioma, greyish orange, brown to reddish brown peridium composed of two layers, sweet smell, subglobose, ellipsoid or piriform basidiospores, and by its mycorrhizal association with Coccoloba spicata. Conclusions: Melanogaster coccolobae is the first species described from the Mexican Caribbean from urban gardens with Coccoloba spicata. More studies about the tropical sequestrate fungi are recommended.Antecedentes y Objetivos: El género Melanogaster se caracteriza por su hábito hipogeo a semi hipogeo, basidiomas parduscos, gleba con lóculos llenos de gel y basidiosporas globosas a elipsoides. El género se distribuye en zonas templadas, pero secuencias de ectomicorrizas de Coccoloba y pocas colecciones de basidiomas han revelado su presencia en los trópicos. El objetivo de este artículo es describir una nueva especie de Melanogaster a partir de datos ecológicos, moleculares y morfológicos. Métodos: Los especímenes fueron recolectados en jardines urbanos de Quintana Roo en la Península de Yucatán, México. Para la descripción morfológica se siguieron los protocolos clásicos para hongos secuestrados. El material se depositó en el herbario micológico “José Castillo Tovar” del Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria (ITCV) y en el herbario de la Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY). Resultados clave: Melanogaster coccolobae se presenta como una nueva especie de los jardines urbanos de Quintana Roo con base en evidencia morfológica, ecológica y molecular. Esta especie se caracteriza por sus basidiomas hipogeos a semi hipogeos, peridio naranja grisáceo, marrón o marrón rojizo, compuesto por dos capas, olor dulce, basidiosporas subglobosas, elipsoides o piriformes y por formar asociación micorrízica con Coccoloba spicata. Conclusiones: Melanogaster coccolobae es la primera especie descrita del Caribe mexicano en jardines urbanos con Coccoloba spicata. Se recomiendan más estudios sobre los hongos secuestrados tropicales

Mitochondrial DNA insertions into nuclear DNA affecting chromosome segregation: Insights for a novel mechanism of immunosenescence in mice

Mitochondrial DNA sequences were found inserted in the nuclear genome of mouse peritoneal T lymphocytes that increased progressively with aging. These insertions were preferentially located at the pericentromeric heterochromatin. In the same individuals, binucleated T-cells with micronuclei showed a significantly increased frequency associated with age. Most of them were positive for centromere sequences, reflecting the loss of chromatids or whole chromosomes. The proliferative capacity of T lymphocytes decreased with age as well as the glutathione reductase activity, whereas the oxidized glutathione and malondialdehyde concentrations exhibited a significant increase. These results may point to a common process that provides insights for a new approach to understanding immunosenescence. We propose a novel mechanism in which mitochondrial fragments, originated by the increased oxidative stress status during aging, accumulate inside the nuclear genome of T lymphocytes in a timedependent way. The primary entrance of mitochondrial fragments at the pericentromeric regions may compromise chromosome segregation, causing genetic loss that leads to micronuclei formation, rendering aneuploid cells with reduced proliferation capacity, one of the hallmark of immunosenescence. Future experiments deciphering the mechanistic basis of this phenomenon are needed

Supramolecular zippers elicit interbilayer adhesion of membranes producing cell death

Background: The fluorescent dye 10-N-nonyl acridine orange (NAO) is widely used as a mitochondrial marker. NAO was reported to have cytotoxic effects in cultured eukaryotic cells when incubated at high concentrations. Although the biochemical response of NAO-induced toxicity has been well identified, the underlying molecular mechanism has not yet been explored in detail. Methods: We use optical techniques, including fluorescence confocal microscopy and lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) both in model membranes built up as giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) and cultured cells. These experiments are complemented with computational studies to unravel the molecular mechanism that makes NAO cytotoxic. Results: We have obtained direct evidence that NAO promotes strong membrane adhesion of negatively charged vesicles. The attractive forces are derived from van der Waals interactions between anti-parallel H-dimers of NAO molecules from opposing bilayers. Semi-empirical calculations have confirmed the supramolecular scenario by which anti-parallel NAO molecules form a zipper of bonds at the contact region. The membrane remodeling effect of NAO, as well as the formation of H-dimers, was also confirmed in cultured fibroblasts, as shown by the ultrastructure alteration of the mitochondrial cristae. Conclusions: We conclude that membrane adhesion induced by NAO stacking accounts for the supramolecular basis of its cytotoxicity. General significance: Mitochondria are a potential target for cancer and gene therapies. The alteration of the mitochondrial structure by membrane remodeling agents able to form supramolecular assemblies via adhesion properties could be envisaged as a new therapeutic strategy