Social issues of power harvesting as key enables of WSN in pervasive computing

Pervasive systems have gained popularity and open the door to new applications that will improve the quality of life of the users. Additionally, the implementation of such systems over an infrastructure of Wireless Sensor Networks has been proven to be very powerful. To deal with the WSN problems related to the battery of the elements or nodes that constitute the WSN, Power Harvesting techniques arise as good candidates. With PH each node can extract the energy from the surrounding environment. However, this energy source could not be constant, affecting the continuity and quality of the services provided. This behavior can have a negative impact on the user's perception about the system, which could be perceived as unreliable or faulty. In the current paper, some related works regarding pervasive systems within the home environment are referenced to extrapolate the conclusions and problems to the paradigm of Power Harvesting Pervasive Systems from the user perspective. Besides, the paper speculates about the approach and methods to overcome these potential problems and presents the design trends that could be followed.<br/

The effects of attachment and alliances within the family on student/teacher relationships and disruptive behavior

This study focuses on the effect that attachment status and negative alliances within the family has on disruptive behavior ratings and on the closeness or conflict a child feels with their teacher and the teacher’s subsequent ratings of the severity of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Structural equation modeling was used to determine the impact attachment status, alliances within the family, and disruptive behavior had on the closeness or conflict a teacher felt with their student and the subsequent ratings of the child’s oppositional behavior. Negative alliance in the family was not a strong predictor of a child’s disruptive behavior or Oppositional behavior in the classroom. However, the closeness or conflict that a teacher feels with a student was a stronger predictor of a child’s negative behavior. This indicates that when the teacher feels more closeness to the child, the child’s behavior is rated as less disruptive, and as conflict increases, teachers rate the child’s behavior as more disruptive. This study provides further evidence that a child’s behavior is shaped by a multitude of factors throughout their childhood including their attachment with their caregiver in their first years of development, their experience with negative alliances in the family, and their relationship with their teacher

Phase Transformation Characteristics of High-Temperature Shape Memory Alloy under Tension, Compression, and Bending Actuation Cycling

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are a unique class of intermetallic alloys that can cyclically sustain large deformations and recover a designed geometry through a solid-to-solid phase transformation. SMAs provide favorable actuation energy density properties, making them suitable for engineering applications requiring a significant, repeated, work output. To facilitate the development and validation of an SMA constitutive model considering the evolving anisotropic material response for High-Temperature SMA (HTSMA), uniaxial and pure bending actuation cycling tests on HTSMA specimens are performed by a custom-built testing frames. The phase transformation characteristics for Ni$_{50.3}$TiHf$_{20}$ HTSMA under uniaxial tension/compression and four-point bending actuation cycles are investigated. The experimental results show that the polycrystalline HTSMAs has a strong tension-compression asymmetry under uniaxial actuation cycling loading conditions. Furthermore, the four-point beam bending test shows that there is an intrinsic phenomenon when HTSMAs are subjected to cyclic actuation bending conditions, i.e., the zero-strain neutral axis shifts as a result of the asymmetric tension-compression phase transformations and the asymmetric generation of TRIP strains on different sides of the beam. The conducted experiments provide invaluable information to develop and improve the SMA constitutive model considering tension-compression asymmetry and TRIP strain generation within a unified modeling effort. As future work, additional experiments on other HTSMA components, such as torque tubes and specimens with notches or cutouts, under actuation cycling would provide more comprehensive validation data and component performance for HTSMA-based actuators

Identifikasi Dan Pemanfaatan Tumbuhan Obat Suku Dani Di Kabupaten Jayawijaya Papua

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikas spesies tumbuhan yang berkhasiat sebagai obat dan cara penggunaannya sebagai obat tradisional. Metode penelitian yang digunakan adalah survey eksploratif dan Participatory Rural Appraisal melalui wawancara dengan dukun kampung bersamaan dengan pengambilan sampel dan identifikasi tumbuhan obat di lokasi penelitian. Hasil penelitian identifikasi dan pemanfaatan tumbuhan obat di 9 desa di Kecamatan Asologaima, Kurulu dan Wamena, ditemukan 16 spesies tumbuhan obat dari 12 famili yang dimanfaatkan oleh masyarakat setempat dengan khasiat dan cara penggunaan yang berbeda-beda dan sederhana namun umumnya dengan merebus tumbuhan dan air rebusannya diminum. Penelitian ini dilaksanakan pada bulan September sampai November 2015. Berdasarkan habitusnya yang paling banyak ditemukan adalah semak sedangkan bagian tumbuhan yang banyak digunakan adalah bagian daun.This research aims for identifying plant species which particularly have ability as medicine and can be used as traditional medicine. Research methods used are explorative survey and Participatory Rural Appraisal through interview with a village shaman (or called person who has ability and experience with traditional medicine) followed with sampling and identifying medication plant in research location. Result of identifying research and used of medication plant in 9 villages in Asologaima, Kurulu, and Wamena Districts, found that 16 species of plant medication of 12 family which used by local society with different benefits and the way it is used and simple but commonly with boiled the medication and drink the water. This research held in September to November 2016. Based on the place of habits the most found plants is shrub, meanwhile the most useful part of the plant is lea

SOFIAS – Herramienta para el análisis de ciclo de vida y la calificación ambiental de edificios

This paper describes the development process of a new software tool, called SOFIAS (Software for a Sustainable Architecture), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitivenes. Following CEN/TC 350 standard on environmental assessment of buildings, the tool aims at assisting building professionals on reducing the life-cycle environmental impact through the design of new buildings and the refurbishment of existing ones. In addition, SOFIAS provides a rating system based on the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. This paper explains the innovative aspects of this software, the working methodology and the different type of results that can be obtained using SOFIAS.SOFIAS (Ref. number IPT-2011-0948-380000) project co financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness

Assessment of urban-scale potential for solar PV generation and consumption

The rise of grid electricity price and a growing awareness of climate change is resulting in an increasing number of photovoltaic facilities installed in buildings. Electricity market regulation and climatic conditions, in particular solar radiation, are the main factors that determine the economic viability of a photovoltaic facility. This paper describes a method for evaluating the potential for photovoltaic (PV) production and self-consumption for the building stock of a particular city. A GIS 3D city map is used to calculate solar irradiation. Building-level electricity use is calculated based on building type, geometry and other characteristic inferred from building age, taking the cadastre GIS as main input. The methodology identifies the realistic potential for rooftop photovoltaic installations, as well as the optimum size to be installed from an economic perspective. To represent different regulations that can affect economic viability of PV installations, calculations should adapt for the specific installation conditions and regulatory situation, as for example self-consumption and net metering. The proposed methodology is applied to a case study in Irun (Spain), where results for potential of PV generation and self-consumption for the building stock are presented. The results offer public administration a realistic view of economically viable PV potential for the city and allow to analyse different mechanisms to promote their installations. It also serves for individual electricity consumers to evaluate and optimize new photovoltaic energy facilities. Finally, it serves policy makers to estimate the repercussion of electricity market regulations on the economic viability of PV systems.The work described in this article is partially funded by the PLANHEAT project, Grant Agreement Number 723757, 2016-2019, as part of the call H2020-EE-2016-RIA-IA. This study was also supported by “Irungo Udala - Ayuntamiento de Irun” who collaborated in the data acquisition and funding

Cognitive and motor performance in Congolese children with konzo during 4 years of follow-up: a longitudinal analysis

Background Konzo is an irreversible upper-motor neuron disorder affecting children dependent on bitter cassava for food. The neurocognitive ability of children with konzo over time has yet to be fully documented. Methods We did a longitudinal study in a konzo outbreak zone continuously affected by konzo since 1990, in the district of Kahemba, southern Bandundu Province, Congo. We enrolled children with a record of neurological diagnosis of konzo in Kahemba town. For all study children with konzo enrolled in the final sample for the baseline assessment, a neurological exam was done by neurologists to confirm konzo diagnosis using the 1996 WHO criteria at 2 years and 4 years. In the initial baseline sample for each child with konzo, we attempted to get consent from a comparison child without konzo (1996 WHO criteria) within 2 years of age, from a neighbouring household who met inclusion criteria. The neuropsychological assessments were the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children, second edition (KABC-II), and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, second edition (BOT-2). Findings Data collection occurred between Oct 12, 2011, and Aug 14, 2015, in the town of Kahemba. 123 children from the Congo with konzo and 87 presumably healthy children without konzo from neighbouring households were enrolled. The planned assessments were completed by 76 children with konzo and 82 children without konzo at 2-year follow-up, and by 55 children with konzo and 33 children without konzo at 4-year follow-up. Boys with konzo did worse than those without konzo on the KABC-II Learning (p=0·0424) and on the Mental Processing Index (MPI; p=0·0111) assessments at 2-year follow-up, but girls did not. These differences observed in boys might have been caused by stunting. At 4-year follow-up, the difference in KABC-II MPI score between boys or girls with or without konzo was not significant. Both boys and girls with konzo had lower scores on BOT-2 than children without konzo at both follow-up times (p<0·0001). These differences were not attenuated when controlling for physical growth. Boys with and without konzo declined on BOT-2 fine motor proficiency at 2-year follow-up (boys with konzo p=0·0076; boys without konzo p=0·0224) and KABC-II MPI performance at 2-year follow-up and 4-year follow-up (2 years: boys with konzo p<0·0001, boys without konzo p=0·0213; 4 years: boys with konzo p=0·0256, boys without konzo p=0·10), but that was not the case for the girls with scores remaining stable regardless of konzo status. For boys, increases in urinary thiocyanate concentration was significantly associated with reductions in BOT-2 motor proficiency (p=0·0321), but was not significantly associated in girls and urinary thiocyanate concentration was not associated with KABC-II MPI score for either boys or girls. Interpretation Motor and cognitive performance continues to be significantly impaired in boys with konzo at 2-year follow-up compared with boys without konzo. Because these impairments are associated in part with exposure to poorly processed cassava as measured by urinary thiocyanate, interventions are urgently needed to ensure improved processing of cassava to detoxify this food source

Etanolisis De Aceite De Girasol En Medio Expandido Con Co2 Catalizada Con Lipasa

Se llevó a cabo la etanolisis de aceite de girasol catalizada por lipasa de Pseudomonas cepacia a 40 oC usando dióxido de carbono denso como medio de reacción. En la mezcla de reacción (etanol + aceite de girasol) se disolvió 45% p/p de CO2 a 130 bar de presión. Se estudió el comportamiento cinético a través de muestreo a diferentes períodos de tiempo. Se comparó la reacción de etanolisis en medio expandido con CO2 con la reacción llevada a cabo en un recipiente cerrado herméticamente sin CO2, a presión ambiente, a la misma temperatura, la misma carga de sustratos y la misma cantidad de lipasa inmovilizada que en la primera. En ambos casos, el biocatalizador mostró similar grado de desactivación después de las respectivas reacciones etanólisis. Los datos experimentales obtenidos para las respectivas reacciones se correlacionaron utilizando un modelo cinético simplificado

The opportunity for smart city projects at municipal scale: Implementing a positive energy district in Zorrozaurre

The urgency of climate change is demanding new urban energy transition processes that will be accelerated by the implementation of innovative urban solutions. This paper proposes a three-step methodology to encompass the energy transition in cities. Firstly, the design of urban spaces in accordance to Positive Energy District (PED) concept is defining a very ambitious objective that will lead the development and implementation of innovative urban approaches. Secondly, the implementation of Urban City Labs is proposed for testing and demonstrating urban innovations at real scale as reasonable approach for consolidated urban landscapes. Thirdly, energy transition is demanding new governance mechanisms where top-down and bottom-up perspectives are continually combined and harmonized. ATELIER H2020 is accelerating the demonstration of this methodology at the recently defined PED in Zorrozaurre (Bilbao, Basque Country)