Machine learning and econometric applications for increasing profitability and efficiency: A case study on sustainable production and trade in agro-based industries

[ES] Se espera que en 2050 la poblaci´on mundial haya alcanzado los 9 000 millones de personas. El crecimiento de la poblaci´on a nivel mundial va a dar lugar a un crecimiento en la demanda de productos de consumo derivados de la agricultura. Es por ello que se espera que la producci´on agr´ıcola incremente alrededor de un 70 % a nivel mundial. Las aplicaciones tecnol´ogicas en agricultura en los ´ultimos a˜nos han permitido aumentar la producci´on y contribuir a la reducci´on de la contaminaci´on, utilizar de forma sostenible los recursos naturales, prever costes, mitigar riesgos e incluso poder anticiparse a una potencial quiebra. En este sentido, uno de los retos de los pr´oximos a˜nos a nivel global es dise˜nar metodolog´ıas que permitan a las empresas del sector agropecuario ser m´as eficientes y sostenibles independientemente del ´ındice de desarrollo tecnol´ogico de la regi´on en la que se encuentren. En esta investigaci´on, tomando como caso de estudio el sector agropecuario, se ha dise˜nado y validado una metodolog´ıa modular que combina algoritmos de aprendizaje autom´atico y modelos econom´etricos orientada a la mejora de la gesti´on de los recursos, permitir a las empresas m´as competitivas y sostenibles para fomentar su inversi´on. Para desarrollar la metodolog´ıa se han llevado a cabo tres experimentos. El primer experimento se ha orientado a medir la eficiencia de recursos a partir de un m´etodo no param´etrico para la estimaci´on de las fronteras de producci´on en el que se han incorporado los costes derivados de las transferencias de datos, permitiendo identificar las fronteras de producci´on m´as ´optimas teniendo en cuenta los costes tecnol´ogicos. Para el segundo experimento se ha dise˜nado un sistema multi-agente para predecir oscilaciones de los precios en los mercados de futuros en productos derivados del sector agropecuario. El sistema multi-agente est´a dise˜nado como un sistema de apoyo a la toma de decisiones en el que los potenciales compradores o vendedores pueden incorporar par´ametros de impacto medioambiental. Finalmente, el ´ultimo experimento consiste en el dise˜no de una metodolog´ıa de razonamiento basado en casos para la recomendaci´on de inversi´on en una empresa. El ´ultimo experimento permite incorporar capital a las empresas del sector agropecuario para invertir en tecnolog´ıa. Adem´as, se ha implementado una mejora sobre tercer experimento en el que se ha podido incrementar el rendimiento del sistema de recomendaci´on de inversiones, en el que en la parte de clasificaci´on se comparan distintas m´etricas de evaluaci´on en las situaciones en los que los datos no est´an balanceados.[EN] By 2050, the world population is expected to reach 9 billion people. Global population growth will lead to an increase in consumer demand for products derived from agriculture. As a result, agricultural production is expected to increase by approximately 70% worldwide. Over the last years, technological applications have made it possible to increase agricultural production and contribute to reduce pollution, the sustainable use of natural resources, cost forecast, risk mitigation and even potential bankruptcy anticipation. In this regard, one of the global, near-future challenges is designing methodologies that enable companies in the agricultural sector to be more efficient and sustainable regardless of the technological development index of the region in which they are located. In this research, taking the agricultural sector as a case study, has been designed and validated a modular methodology that combines machine learning algorithms and econometric models aimed at improving the management of resources, allowing companies to be more competitive and sustainable in order to encourage their investment. To develop the methodology, three experiments were carried out. The first experiment was aimed at measuring resource efficiency based on a non-parametric method for estimating production frontiers in which the costs derived from data transfers were incorporated, making it possible to identify the most optimal production frontiers taking into account technological costs. For the second experiment, a multi-agent system has been designed to predict price variations in futures markets for agricultural products. The multi-agent system is been designed as a decision support system in which potential buyers or sellers can incorporate environmental impact parameters. Finally, the last experiment consists of the design of a case-based reasoning methodology for the recommendation of investment in a company. The last experiment enables the incorporation of investment of capital to companies in the agricultural sector. In addition, to increase the performance of the investment recommender system an improvement has been implemented in the third experiment. This improvement has made it possible for the system’s classification element to compare different evaluation metrics in situations where the data labels are not balanced

Aplicaciones tecnológicas para la agricultura sostenible: un trinomio

[ES] El intercambio de ideas entre científicos y técnicos, tanto del ámbito académico como empresarial, es fundamental para facilitar el desarrollo de sistemas que puedan satisfacer las demandas de la sociedad actual. La transferencia de tecnología en este campo sigue siendo un reto y, por ello, este tipo de aportaciones se consideran de forma destacada en esta recopilación. Este libro trae debates y publicaciones sobre el desarrollo de técnicas innovadoras de problemas complejos de IoT. El programa técnico se centra tanto en la alta calidad como en la diversidad, con contribuciones en áreas de investigación bien establecidas y en evolución. Específicamente, 10 capítulos fueron presentados a este libro. Los editores alentaron y agradecieron particularmente las contribuciones sobre IA y computación distribuida en aplicaciones de IoT. Los editores agradecen especialmente el apoyo financiero del proyecto “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financiado por Junta de Castilla y León y fondos FEDER.[EN] The exchange of ideas between scientists and technicians, from both academic and business areas, is essential in order to ease the development of systems which can meet the demands of today’s society. Technology transfer in this field is still a challenge and, for that reason, this type of contributions are notably considered in this compilation. This book brings in discussions and publications concerning the development of innovative techniques of IoT complex problems. The technical program focuses both on high quality and diversity, with contributions in well-established and evolving areas of research. Specifically, 10 chapters were submitted to this book. The editors particularly encouraged and welcomed contributions on AI and distributed computing in IoT applications. The editors are specially grateful for the funding supporting by the project “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financed by regional government of Castilla y León and FEDER funds

Estudio sobre las aplicaciones de los Sistemas Multiagentes en la Agricultura

[ES] El intercambio de ideas entre científicos y técnicos, tanto del ámbito académico como empresarial, es fundamental para facilitar el desarrollo de sistemas que puedan satisfacer las demandas de la sociedad actual. La transferencia de tecnología en este campo sigue siendo un reto y, por ello, este tipo de aportaciones se consideran de forma destacada en esta recopilación. Este libro trae debates y publicaciones sobre el desarrollo de técnicas innovadoras de problemas complejos de IoT. El programa técnico se centra tanto en la alta calidad como en la diversidad, con contribuciones en áreas de investigación bien establecidas y en evolución. Específicamente, 10 capítulos fueron presentados a este libro. Los editores alentaron y agradecieron particularmente las contribuciones sobre IA y computación distribuida en aplicaciones de IoT. Los editores agradecen especialmente el apoyo financiero del proyecto “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financiado por Junta de Castilla y León y fondos FEDER.[EN] The exchange of ideas between scientists and technicians, from both academic and business areas, is essential in order to ease the development of systems which can meet the demands of today’s society. Technology transfer in this field is still a challenge and, for that reason, this type of contributions are notably considered in this compilation. This book brings in discussions and publications concerning the development of innovative techniques of IoT complex problems. The technical program focuses both on high quality and diversity, with contributions in well-established and evolving areas of research. Specifically, 10 chapters were submitted to this book. The editors particularly encouraged and welcomed contributions on AI and distributed computing in IoT applications. The editors are specially grateful for the funding supporting by the project “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financed by regional government of Castilla y León and FEDER funds

El big data: oportunidades, casos de uso y retos

[ES] El taller sobre tecnologías de información y comunicación disruptivas para la innovación y la transformación digital, organizado bajo el alcance del proyecto disruptiva, tiene como objetivo discutir los problemas, desafíos y beneficios del uso de tecnologías digitales disruptivas, a saber, Internet de las cosas, Big data, computación en la nube, sistemas multi-agentes, aprendizaje automático, realidad virtual y aumentada, y robótica colaborativa, para apoyar la transformación digital en curso en la sociedad Temas Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Industry 4.0 and digital transformation Internet of Things Cyber-security Collaborative and intelligent robotics Multi-Agent Systems Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems Virtualization and digital twins Predictive maintenance Virtual and augmented reality Big Data and advanced data analytics Edge and cloud computing[EN] The workshop on Disruptive Information and Communication Technologies for Innovation and Digital transformation, organized under the scope of the Disruptive project, aims to discuss problems, challenges and benefits of using disruptive digital technologies, namely Internet of Things, Big data, cloud computing, multi-agent systems, machine learning, virtual and augmented reality, and collaborative robotics, to support the on-going digital transformation in society Topics Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Industry 4.0 and digital transformation Internet of Things Cyber-security Collaborative and intelligent robotics Multi-Agent Systems Industrial Cyber-Physical Systems Virtualization and digital twins Predictive maintenance Virtual and augmented reality Big Data and advanced data analytics Edge and cloud computin

Breve repaso a los enfoques y metodologías de los Sistemas Multiagente

[ES] El intercambio de ideas entre científicos y técnicos, tanto del ámbito académico como empresarial, es fundamental para facilitar el desarrollo de sistemas que puedan satisfacer las demandas de la sociedad actual. La transferencia de tecnología en este campo sigue siendo un reto y, por ello, este tipo de aportaciones se consideran de forma destacada en esta recopilación. Este libro trae debates y publicaciones sobre el desarrollo de técnicas innovadoras de problemas complejos de IoT. El programa técnico se centra tanto en la alta calidad como en la diversidad, con contribuciones en áreas de investigación bien establecidas y en evolución. Específicamente, 10 capítulos fueron presentados a este libro. Los editores alentaron y agradecieron particularmente las contribuciones sobre IA y computación distribuida en aplicaciones de IoT. Los editores agradecen especialmente el apoyo financiero del proyecto “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financiado por Junta de Castilla y León y fondos FEDER.[EN] The exchange of ideas between scientists and technicians, from both academic and business areas, is essential in order to ease the development of systems which can meet the demands of today’s society. Technology transfer in this field is still a challenge and, for that reason, this type of contributions are notably considered in this compilation. This book brings in discussions and publications concerning the development of innovative techniques of IoT complex problems. The technical program focuses both on high quality and diversity, with contributions in well-established and evolving areas of research. Specifically, 10 chapters were submitted to this book. The editors particularly encouraged and welcomed contributions on AI and distributed computing in IoT applications. The editors are specially grateful for the funding supporting by the project “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financed by regional government of Castilla y León and FEDER funds

Ensino de Robótica Móvel através da Realização de um Hackathon em ROS

[ES] El intercambio de ideas entre científicos y técnicos, tanto del ámbito académico como empresarial, es fundamental para facilitar el desarrollo de sistemas que puedan satisfacer las demandas de la sociedad actual. La transferencia de tecnología en este campo sigue siendo un reto y, por ello, este tipo de aportaciones se consideran de forma destacada en esta recopilación. Este libro trae debates y publicaciones sobre el desarrollo de técnicas innovadoras de problemas complejos de IoT. El programa técnico se centra tanto en la alta calidad como en la diversidad, con contribuciones en áreas de investigación bien establecidas y en evolución. Específicamente, 10 capítulos fueron presentados a este libro. Los editores alentaron y agradecieron particularmente las contribuciones sobre IA y computación distribuida en aplicaciones de IoT. Los editores agradecen especialmente el apoyo financiero del proyecto “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financiado por Junta de Castilla y León y fondos FEDER.[EN] The exchange of ideas between scientists and technicians, from both academic and business areas, is essential in order to ease the development of systems which can meet the demands of today’s society. Technology transfer in this field is still a challenge and, for that reason, this type of contributions are notably considered in this compilation. This book brings in discussions and publications concerning the development of innovative techniques of IoT complex problems. The technical program focuses both on high quality and diversity, with contributions in well-established and evolving areas of research. Specifically, 10 chapters were submitted to this book. The editors particularly encouraged and welcomed contributions on AI and distributed computing in IoT applications. The editors are specially grateful for the funding supporting by the project “Virtual-Ledgers-Tecnologías DLT/Blockchain y Cripto-IOT sobre organizaciones virtuales de agentes ligeros y su aplicación en la eficiencia en el transporte de última milla”, ID SA267P18, financed by regional government of Castilla y León and FEDER funds

IV Workshop on Disruptive Information and Communication Technologies for Innovation and Digital Transformation

Producción CientíficaLos nuevos servicios y aplicaciones disruptivas requieren la utilización de redes de comunicaciones de banda ancha. En el segmento de acceso, las redes de acceso ópticas pasivas (PON) se están consolidando como la mejor alternativa para este despliegue dado que las tecnologías de acceso tradicionales (cable coaxial, cobre) ya han dejado de ser capaces de soportar el creciente volumen de tráfico. Sin embargo, el despliegue actual de estas redes PON es muy desigual estando únicamente presentes en las áreas de mayor densidad de población donde el coste por conexión para los operadores se mantiene bajo. En este artículo presentamos una propuesta de política público-privada que permitirá incentivar a los operadores para el despliegue de redes PON en entornos de baja densidad de población (entornos rurales). Para demostrar su eficacia, se presenta un caso de uso en la provincia de Valladolid (Castilla y León, España). Los resultados de este estudio muestran que, gracias a la utilización de la política propuesta, los operadores pueden encontrar atractivo dar un servicio a todos los usuarios y poblaciones que lo deseen.Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional a través del proyecto DISRUPTIVE del Programa Interreg V-A España-Portugal (POCTEP) 2014-2020Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (grants ONOFRE-2: TEC2017-84423-C3-1- P y Go2Edge: RED2018-102585-T)Junta de Castilla y León (project VA231P20

Diagnosis of Genetic White Matter Disorders by Singleton Whole-Exome and Genome Sequencing Using Interactome-Driven Prioritization

Background and Objectives Genetic white matter disorders (GWMD) are of heterogeneous origin, with >100 causal genes identified to date. Classic targeted approaches achieve a molecular diagnosis in only half of all patients. We aimed to determine the clinical utility of singleton whole-exome sequencing and whole-genome sequencing (sWES-WGS) interpreted with a phenotype- and interactome-driven prioritization algorithm to diagnose GWMD while identifying novel phenotypes and candidate genes. Methods A case series of patients of all ages with undiagnosed GWMD despite extensive standard-of-care paraclinical studies were recruited between April 2017 and December 2019 in a collaborative study at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) and neurology units of tertiary Spanish hospitals. We ran sWES and WGS and applied our interactome-prioritization algorithm based on the network expansion of a seed group of GWMD-related genes derived from the Human Phenotype Ontology terms of each patient. Results We evaluated 126 patients (101 children and 25 adults) with ages ranging from 1 month to 74 years. We obtained a first molecular diagnosis by singleton WES in 59% of cases, which increased to 68% after annual reanalysis, and reached 72% after WGS was performed in 16 of the remaining negative cases. We identified variants in 57 different genes among 91 diagnosed cases, with the most frequent being RNASEH2B, EIF2B5, POLR3A, and PLP1, and a dual diagnosis underlying complex phenotypes in 6 families, underscoring the importance of genomic analysis to solve these cases. We discovered 9 candidate genes causing novel diseases and propose additional putative novel candidate genes for yet-to-be discovered GWMD. Discussion Our strategy enables a high diagnostic yield and is a good alternative to trio WES/WGS for GWMD. It shortens the time to diagnosis compared to the classical targeted approach, thus optimizing appropriate management. Furthermore, the interactome-driven prioritization pipeline enables the discovery of novel disease-causing genes and phenotypes, and predicts novel putative candidate genes, shedding light on etiopathogenic mechanisms that are pivotal for myelin generation and maintenance

Efficacy of Budesonide Orodispersible Tablets as Induction Therapy for Eosinophilic Esophagitis in a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Swallowed topical-acting corticosteroids are recommended as first-line therapy for eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Asthma medications not optimized for esophageal delivery are sometimes effective, although given off-label. We performed a randomized, placebo-controlled trial to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of a budesonide orodispersible tablet (BOT), which allows the drug to be delivered to the esophagus in adults with active EoE. METHODS: We performed a double-blind, parallel study of 88 adults with active EoE in Europe. Patients were randomly assigned to groups that received BOT (1 mg twice daily; n = 59) or placebo (n = 29) for 6 weeks. The primary end point was complete remission, based on clinical and histologic factors, including dysphagia and odynophagia severity ≤2 on a scale of 0-10 on each of the 7 days before the end of the double-blind phase and a peak eosinophil count <5 eosinophils/high power field. Patients who did not achieve complete remission at the end of the 6-week double-blind phase were offered 6 weeks of open-label treatment with BOT (1 mg twice daily). RESULTS: At 6 weeks, 58% of patients given BOT were in complete remission compared with no patients given placebo (P < .0001). The secondary end point of histologic remission was achieved by 93% of patients given BOT vs no patients given placebo (P < .0001). After 12 weeks, 85% of patients had achieved remission. Six-week and 12-week BOT administration were safe and well tolerated; 5% of patients who received BOT developed symptomatic, mild candida, which was easily treated with an oral antifungal agent. CONCLUSIONS: In a randomized trial of adults with active EoE, we found that budesonide oral tablets were significantly more effective than placebo in inducing clinical and histologic remission. Eudra-CT number 2014-001485-99; ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT02434029

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group