Aplicación móvil de sistemas de localización automática de vehículos sensible al contexto

Se estudiará la problemática de las aplicaciones móviles aplicándolas en un caso particular, el de un sistema de localización automática de vehículos (AVL) que permite monitorear la posición exacta de vehículos en movimiento sobre mapas digitales, explorando los problemas pertinentes relacionados con el desarrollo de aplicaciones sensibles al contexto diseñándola para el uso en entornos dinámicos, donde los vehículos particupantes se desplazan por dicho mapa. El sistema se definirá abstrayendo los diferentes subsistemas que lo componen y las tecnologías necesarias de manera de obtener una simulación basada en las decisiones de diseño. El prototipo será descompuesto en servicios independientes obteniendo como resultado módulos pequeños. Las comunicaciones inalámbricas son otra característica clave para el sistema que permite la conexión con fuentes de datos distantes, por lo que serán investigadas.Tesis digitalizada en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración de la Biblioteca de la Facultad de Informática (UNLP).Facultad de Informátic

Neptume ; no-discharge energy-efficient prototype for the treatment of urban municipal effluent

NEPTUME is an R&I project funded by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST), dealing with the treatment of raw municipal effluent to produce quality second class water for irrigation (and other) purposes. This paper presents an innovative two-stage process which uses the combination of a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) coupled with a Membrane Bioreactor Filtration (MBR) incorporating the benefits of both processes. This setup produces a very high quality disinfected second class treated sewage effluent (TSE) (COD<100mg/l, TSS<10mg/l, NH4-N<5mg/l). Furthermore, TSE is further polished through either a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system or Phytoremediation. The relative treatment performance of the various stages is assessed, compared to Conventional Activated Sludge (CAS) method of treatment and related to energy use as well as overall consumer perception.Bajada New Energy, Bitmac ltd., Econetique, Energy Investment, JMV Vibro Blocks, Solar Engineering.peer-reviewe

Aplicación móvil de sistemas de localización automática de vehículos sensible al contexto

Se estudiará la problemática de las aplicaciones móviles aplicándolas en un caso particular, el de un sistema de localización automática de vehículos (AVL) que permite monitorear la posición exacta de vehículos en movimiento sobre mapas digitales, explorando los problemas pertinentes relacionados con el desarrollo de aplicaciones sensibles al contexto diseñándola para el uso en entornos dinámicos, donde los vehículos particupantes se desplazan por dicho mapa. El sistema se definirá abstrayendo los diferentes subsistemas que lo componen y las tecnologías necesarias de manera de obtener una simulación basada en las decisiones de diseño. El prototipo será descompuesto en servicios independientes obteniendo como resultado módulos pequeños. Las comunicaciones inalámbricas son otra característica clave para el sistema que permite la conexión con fuentes de datos distantes, por lo que serán investigadas.Tesis digitalizada en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración de la Biblioteca de la Facultad de Informática (UNLP).Facultad de Informátic

The new brewhouse, Mriehel : environmental control through natural ventilation and shading devices

Beers are as much the product of their environment as the output of a process. The new Farsons Brewhouse works as a protective shell accommodating the various building services whilst simultaneously assisting the environmental control of the interiors through two primary strategies: natural ventilation in the brewhalls and shading devices in the office building. Based on a simulated model, results showed that the induced air flow reduces the temperature by 10.7 °C and 8.5 °C in the lower and upper brewhalls respectively during the summer months. Whilst the ventilation system works successfully during most of the time, air changes drop when wind forces create a higher pressure outside of the building, as a result reverse flow occurs. The office building adopts a different design strategy; it incorporates various passive measures with the main feature being an expanded aluminium shading mesh. Monitoring of the internal temperatures before and after the mesh is installed shows that the introduction of shading reduces the peak temperatures in summer whilst maintaining a well lit internal environment. A simulated energy analysis of the building shows a potential reduction in energy consumption of 24% when compared to the same building with typical construction materials. The study concludes that by introducing moderate insulation, shading and night time ventilation internal temperatures are reduced effectively. On the other hand, the type of double glazing has to be carefully weighed, so as to avoid counter-productive results given the mild climate of Malta.Alternative Technologies Ltd., Energy Investment Ltd, JMV Vibro Blocks Ltd., Solar Engineering Ltd. and Solar Solutions Ltd.peer-reviewe

Effects of continuous positive airway pressure on comprehensive geriatric assessment and cognitive function in elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) can lead to cognitive impairment and depression affecting memory, attention, and executive functions. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment seems to be able to revert changes in brain networks and neuropsychological tests correlated to OSAS. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a 6-month treatment with CPAP on functional, humoral and cognitive parameters in a cohort of elderly OSAS patients with several comorbidities. We enrolled 360 elderly patients suffering from moderate to severe OSAS and indication for nocturnal CPAP. At baseline the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) revealed a borderline Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score that improved after 6-month treatment with CPAP (25.3 +/- 1.6 vs 26 +/- 1.5; p &lt; 0.0001), as well as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) showed a mild improvement (24.4 +/- 2.3 vs 26.2 +/- 1.7; p &lt; 0.0001). Moreover, functionality activities increased after treatment, as documented by a short physical performance battery (SPPB) (6.3 +/- 1.5 vs 6.9 +/- 1.4; p &lt; 0.0001). Reduction of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) from 6.0 +/- 2.5 to 4.6 +/- 2.2 (p &lt; 0.0001) was also detected. Changes of homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), sleep-time spent with saturation below 90% (TC90), peripheral arterial oxyhaemoglobin saturation (SpO(2)), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), contributed, respectively, to 27.9%, 9.0%, 2.8%, 2.3%, 1.7% and 0.9% of MMSE variability for a total of 44.6% of MMSE variations. GDS score changes were due to the improvement of AHI, ODI and TC90, respectively, for 19.2%, 4.9%, 4.2% of the GDS variability, cumulative responsible for 28.3% of GDS modifications. The present real-world study shows that CPAP treatment is able to improve cognition and depressive symptoms in OSAS elderly patients

Efectos de cadmio en compuestos fenolicos totales y flavonoides de Euglena gracilis

In the present study the production of phenolic acids and flavonoid compounds by E. gracilis exposed to two cadmium concentrations (0.02 and 0.14 mM) was evaluated using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that E. gracilis exposed to 0.02 mM Cd+2 increased significantly the total content of phenolic compounds (798.46 ± 12.61 ?g GA/g) and total flavonoids (241.34 ± 47.63 ?g QE/g) with respect to the control (137.34 ± 19.80 ?g QE/g DW and 549.00 ± 8.57 ?g GA/g DW, respectively). However, no significant increase in the total content of phenolic compounds (568.54 ± 17.42 ?g GA/g DW) and total flavonoids (141.11 ± 9.36 ?g QE/g DW) were observed in E. gracilis exposed to 0.14 mM Cd+2. Further research is necessary to determine the specific role of flavonoids in E. gracilis exposed to high concentrations of Cd+2.En el presente estudio la producción de compuestos fenolicos y flavonoides producidos por E. gracilis expuesto a dos concentraciones de cadmio fue evaluado usando cromatografía liquida de alta precisión (HPLC). Los resultados mostraron que 0.02 mM de Cd+2 incrementaba significativamente el contenido total de compuestos fenolicos (798.46 ± 12.61 ?g GA/g) y flavonoides (241.34 ± 47.63 ?g QE/g) con respecto al control (137.34 ± 19.80 ?g QE/g DW y 549.00 ± 8.57 ?g GA/g DW) respectivamente. Sin embargo, incrementos no significativos en el contenido de compuestos fenolicos (568.54 ± 17.42 ?g GA/g DW) y flavonoides totales (141.11 ± 9.36 ?g QE/g DW) fueron observados en E. gracilis expuestas a 0.14 mM de Cd+2. Futuros estudios son necesarios para determinar la función especifica de los flavonoides en E. gracilis expuesto a altas concentraciones de Cd+2

Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation for Relapsed/Refractory B Cell Lymphomas: Results of a Multicenter Phase II Prospective Trial including Rituximab in the Reduced-Intensity Conditioning Regimen.

The treatment of patients with refractory/relapsed B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is evolving because of the availability of novel drugs. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) can be curative, but its morbidity and mortality remain a matter of concern. We conducted a multicenter prospective phase II trial to evaluate the benefit of including only 1 dose of rituximab in the conditioning regimen before alloSCT. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival. The study enrolled 121 patients with relapsed/refractory B cell lymphomas. The conditioning regimen consisted of thiotepa, cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, and rituximab (500\u2009mg/m2). Rabbit antithymocyte globulin was administered only in case of unrelated donors. Sixty-seven (55%) and 54 (45%) patients received grafts from related and unrelated donors, respectively. The crude cumulative incidence (CCI) of nonrelapse mortality (NRM) was 21% at 3 years. The CCIs of chronic graft-verus-host disease (GVHD) at 3 years were 54% and 31% in recipients of matched sibling and unrelated grafts, respectively. At a median follow-up of 41 months, the estimated 3-year progression-free and overall survival were 50% and 61%, respectively. Long-term outcome was also evaluated with the composite endpoint of GVHD-free and relapse-free survival (GRFS). This is the first work evaluating the GRFS in a prospective trial of lymphoma patients: the 1-year and 3-year GRFS were 40% and 34%, respectively. AlloSCT can cure a fraction of patients with rather low NRM and an encouraging PFS and GRFS