Analysis of smart energy systems and high participation of V2G impact for the ecuadorian 100% renewable energy system by 2050

This research presents a 100% renewable energy (RE) scenario by 2050 with a high share of electric vehicles on the grid (V2G) developed in Ecuador with the support of the EnergyPLAN analysis tool. Hour-by-hour data iterations were performed to determine solutions among various features, including energy storage, V2G connections that spanned the distribution system, and long-term evaluation. The high participation in V2G connections keeps the electrical system available; meanwhile, the high proportions of variable renewable energy are the pillar of the joint electrical system. The layout of the sustainable mobility scenario and the high V2G participation maintain the balance of the electrical system during most of the day, simplifying the storage equipment requirements. Consequently, the influence of V2G systems on storage is a significant result that must be considered in the energy transition that Ecuador is developing in the long term. The stored electricity will not only serve as storage for future grid use. Additionally, the V2G batteries serve as a buffer between generation from diversified renewable sources and the end-use stage.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Human activity recognition from object interaction in domestic scenarios

This paper presents a real time approach to the recognition of human activity based on the interaction between people and objects in domestic settings, specifically in a kitchen. Regarding the procedure, it is based on capturing partial images where the activity takes place using a colour camera, and processing the images to recognize the present objects and their location. For object description and recognition, a histogram on rg chromaticity space has been selected. The interaction with the objects is classified into four types of possible actions; (unchanged, add, remove or move). Activities are defined as recipes, where objects play the role of ingredients, tools or substitutes. Sensed objects and actions are then used to analyze in real time the probability of the human activity performed at a particular moment in a continuous activity sequence.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Human activity recognition from object interaction in domestic scenarios

This work describes the recognition of human activity based on the interaction between people and objects in domestic settings, specifically in a kitchen. In order to achieve the aim of recognizing activity it is necessary to establish a procedure and essential equipment. Regarding the procedure, in a simplified manner, it is based on capturing local images where the activity takes place using a colour camera (RGB), and processing the above mentioned images to recognize the present objects and its location. The interaction with the objects is classified as five types of possible actions (unchanged, add, remove, move and Indeterminate), which are used to analyze the probability of the human activity that is being performed at the moment. As for the technological tools employed, the system works with Ubuntu as general Operating System, ROS (Robot Operating System) as framework, OpenCV (Open Source Computer Vision) for the vision algorithms used, and Python programming language. The development starts with the segmentation using the "difference image" method that obtains the area that the objects take up in the image the recognition of objects is carried out by distinguishing them according to its colour histogram. the positioning is obtained through its centroid, applying the corresponding homography to go from the coordinate system of the image to the coordinates of the real world using comparisons of the historical and the new information of the objects we determine the actions that have been fulfilled as final stage, we filter the relevant objects on the basis of the actions carried out and compare with the objects defined for the accomplishment of every activity the result is the probability of executing each activity

Human Activity Recognition without Vision Tracking

This work describes the recognition of human activity based on the interaction between people and objects in domestic settings, specifically in a kitchen. The difference between this and other proposals is that considers a human activity in a process without vision tracking. Videos are a sequence of photographs. Taking this into account, if you analyze an orderly sequence of images it could be based on the objects present in each scene so that you can understand the possible activity performed. However, it is not enough to consider the objects present in the scene; it is necessary to determine if those objects are employed or not by the humans present. If they are used, it is evident that they are necessary to carry out the activity; if they are not used they would only provide noise to the recognized activity. Therefore, it is necessary to generate a conceptualization of objects in the scene with characteristics (definition of an object, motion detector, object recognition, object position, object action) that allows you to recognize them and to determine the degree of use (unchanged, added, removed, moved, and indeterminate) and influence the possible recognized activity

Remote operation of CeCi social robot

This paper presents a validation methodology for a remote system with its objective focused on a social robot. The research process starts with the customization of an application for smartphones, achieving a simple method of connection and attachment to the robot. This customization allows remote operation of the robot’s movements and an additional level of autonomy for the displacements in previously known locations. One of several teleoperations methods is the direct teleoperations method, which is used in master–slave control mode via a wireless network. Next, the article focuses on proposing a validation methodology for social robot applications design. Under this approach, two tests are performed to validate the designed application. The first one seeks to find the response speed of the communication between the robot and the mobile device wherein 10 devices with different characteristics and capabilities are used. This test is critical since a delay outside the allowable range invalidates the use of the application. The second test measures the application’s usability through a user survey, which allows for determining the preferences that people may have when using this type of application. This second test is essential to consider the overall acceptability of the social robot.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Propuesta metodológica de gestión de proyectos viales para la zona austral del Ecuador

This article addresses the problem of road project management because, the methodology, the lack of planning and the lack of management do not respond to the technical and economic point of view of the project, generating delays in the schedules and cost overruns. It is necessary to understand that the quality of communication routes of a territory is part of an important factor for the development of the country or region, and it is essential to improve the processes that allow their construction, because if the land routes are in good condition, they favor the population that benefits from the mobility of people, goods and services. For this research, the experimental method was used, through an interview with a structured questionnaire to obtain the results required for the formulation of the proposed methodology, which is expected to contribute effectively to the construction companies that adopt it. This was created based on international standards and methodologies management models that are applied worldwide, to correct in time, the inconveniences presented and avoid further delays that generate inconveniences to users and that, in the same way, produce cost overruns. It is also hoped that this study will serve as a guide for future projects, especially road projects and other civil works.El presente trabajo analiza la problemática de la gestión de proyectos viales pues, en numerosas ocasiones la metodología, la falta de planeación y la carencia de gestión no responde al punto de vista técnico y económico del proyecto; generando retrasos en los cronogramas y sobre costos en los mismos. En particular, es necesario comprender que la calidad de vías de comunicación de un territorio son parte de un factor importante para el desarrollo del país o región, y es indispensable mejorar los procesos que permiten su construcción, debido a que; si las vías terrestres presentan un buen estado favorecen a la población que se benefician de la movilidad de personas, bienes y servicios. Para esta investigación se utilizó el método experimental, mediante una entrevista con un cuestionario estructurado con el cual se obtuvieron los resultados requeridos para la formulación de la propuesta metodología que se espera contribuirá de manera eficaz a las empresas constructoras que lo adopten. Esta fue creada basándose en estándares y metodologías internacionales, es decir; modelos de gestión que se aplican a nivel mundial, con el fin de corregir a tiempo los inconvenientes presentados y evitar más retrasos que generan inconvenientes a los usuarios y que de igual manera, produce sobrecostos. Así también se anhela que este estudio sirva como guía para proyectos futuros especialmente en proyectos viales y demás obras civiles

Operación remota de un robot móvil usando un teléfono inteligente

This paper presents an approach to remote control a robot using smartphone. The main idea is to collect data generated by the accelerometer sensor included in the smartphone. The data are the results of moving the smartphone in direction of the axis Y and Z. Such data will be used for training two neural networks that will define the direction of the movement of the mobile robot. The outputs obtained from the neural networks will be processed to compute and plot the trajectory, which is determined by the kinematic model for a tricycle mobile robot.En este artículo se presenta un acercamiento al mando a distancia de un robot móvil que emplea un teléfono inteligente para comandarlo. La idea principal es recolectar los datos generados por el acelerómetro incluido en el teléfono inteligente. Los datos son los resultados de mover el teléfono en la dirección de los ejes Y y Z. Tales datos serán usados para entrenar dos redes neuronales que definirán la dirección del movimiento del robot móvil. Las salidas obtenidas de las redes neuronales serán procesadas para calcular y trazar la trayectoria, que es determinada por el modelo cinemático para un robot móvil tipo triciclo

Chloride Nutrition Regulates development, Water Balance and Drought Resistance in Plants

6 páginas.-- 5 figuras.-- 9 referencias.-- Poster presentado en el XII Luso-Spanish Symposium on Plant Water Relations – Water to Feed the World. 30th of September – 3rd of October (Evora) PortugalCl- is a strange micronutrient since actual Cl- concentration in plants is about two orders of magnitude higher than the content required as essential micronutrient. This accumulation requires a high cost of energy, and since Cl- is a major osmotically active solute in the vacuole, we propose that Cl- plays a role in the regulation of water balance in plants. We show here that, when accumulated to macronutrient levels, Cl- specifically regulates leaf cell elongation and water balance parameters, improving water relations at both the leaf tissue and the whole plant levels, increasing drought resistance in higher plants.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation-FEDER grant AGL2009-08339/AGR.Peer Reviewe

Taxonomic variations in the gut microbiome of gout patients with and without tophi might have a functional impact on urate metabolism

[Objective] To evaluate the taxonomic composition of the gut microbiome in gout patients with and without tophi formation, and predict bacterial functions that might have an impact on urate metabolism.[Methods] Hypervariable V3–V4 regions of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene from fecal samples of gout patients with and without tophi (n = 33 and n = 25, respectively) were sequenced and compared to fecal samples from 53 healthy controls. We explored predictive functional profiles using bioinformatics in order to identify differences in taxonomy and metabolic pathways. [Results] We identified a microbiome characterized by the lowest richness and a higher abundance of Phascolarctobacterium, Bacteroides, Akkermansia, and Ruminococcus_gnavus_group genera in patients with gout without tophi when compared to controls. The Proteobacteria phylum and the Escherichia-Shigella genus were more abundant in patients with tophaceous gout than in controls. Fold change analysis detected nine genera enriched in healthy controls compared to gout groups (Bifidobacterium, Butyricicoccus, Oscillobacter, Ruminococcaceae_UCG_010, Lachnospiraceae_ND2007_group, Haemophilus, Ruminococcus_1, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, and Ruminococcaceae_UGC_013). We found that the core microbiota of both gout groups shared Bacteroides caccae, Bacteroides stercoris ATCC 43183, and Bacteroides coprocola DSM 17136. These bacteria might perform functions linked to one-carbon metabolism, nucleotide binding, amino acid biosynthesis, and purine biosynthesis. Finally, we observed differences in key bacterial enzymes involved in urate synthesis, degradation, and elimination. [Conclusion] Our findings revealed that taxonomic variations in the gut microbiome of gout patients with and without tophi might have a functional impact on urate metabolism.This study was supported by the Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra” and the Grant INF-2016-01-269675 from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT)

Evaluación económica con opciones reales: biorefinería de bioetanol de segunda generación en Veracruz, México

First generation bioethanol production in Mexico could have disadvantages, since some prime materials would come from food crops such as maize and sugarcane, causing instability in prices and market shortage. Second generation bioethanol could be a good solution to have fuels that are less pollutant, in a sustainable manner. The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic feasibility, with real options, of a biorefinery that will produce bioethanol from sugarcane wastes, and which is supposed to be located next to the largest sugar factory in the state of Veracruz. It is estimated that the biorefinery will have an annual capacity of 143 million liters and a total investment for the project of 308 million dollars. The real option of abandoning the project was used, for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years, and traditional evaluation for 30 years. The results indicate that the biorefinery would have a net present value of 27.3 million dollars until year 20, and a net present value of 61.1 million dollars for year 30. The price of bioethanol is the variable that affects most the profitability of a biorefinery of this type.La producción de bioetanol de primera generación en México podría traer inconvenientes, pues algunas materias primas provendrían de cultivos alimenticios como maíz y caña de azúcar, lo que provocaría inestabilidad de precios y desabasto en el mercado. El bioetanol de segunda generación sería una buena solución para tener combustibles menos contaminantes de manera sustentable. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la factibilidad económica, con opciones reales, de una biorefineria que producirá bioetanol a partir de desperdicios de caña de azúcar, se supone que estaría ubicada junto al mayor ingenio de Veracruz. Se estimó que la biorefinería tendrá una capacidad anual de 143 millones de litros y una inversión total del proyecto de 308 millones de dólares. Se empleó la opción real de abandono del proyecto, para 5,10, 15, 20 y 25 años y se hizo la evaluación tradicional para 30 años. Los resultados indican que hasta el año 20 la biorefineria tendría un valor actual neto de 27.3 millones de dólares, y para el año 30 un valor actual neto de 61.1 millones de dólares, el precio del bioetanol es la variable que más afecta a la rentabilidad de una biorefineria de este tipo