Performance optimization in switched reluctance motor drives

In this paper, switched reluctance motors (SRM) are proposed as an alternative for electric power assisted steering (EPAS) applications. A prototype machine has been developed as very attractive design for a steering electric motor, both from a cost and size perspective. A fourphase 8/6 SRM drive is designed for a rack type EPAS which should provide a maximum force of 10 kN. Two-dimension finite element analysis is used to validate the design

Effect of nutrient input frequency on the structure and dynamics of the marine pelagic community: A modeling approach

33 páginas, 9 figuras, 2 tablas.An analysis of the induced changes in both total productivity and community structure as a consequence of different pulsed nutrient inputs has been made by using two different ecosystem modeling tools. One was a modified version of the N-based model proposed by Fasham et al. (1990) for pelagic ecosystems and the other the plankton functional type model by Vichi et al. (2007). Both models lead to higher total biomass production with a pulsed nutrient input compared to a continuous supply, affecting both phytoplankton and zooplankton. Detailed responses are, however, different among plankton groups depending on the frequency of pulsed nutrient input and the complexity of the model. The differences in biomass production were higher for an oscillation period of 150-170 days following a sinusoidal supply pattern. A tidal mixing-induced nutrient supply was also simulated by using both models and a larger biomass increment was observed compared to that obtained with the sinusoidal pattern. Finally, a theoretical application of this approach to the pelagic ecosystem of the North Western Alboran Sea shows a preferential selection of diatoms and larger zooplankton under discontinuous nutrient inputs.This work was funded by the Spanish National Research Program, Project; CTM2005–08142-C03–01. D.M. was supported by the Spanish Postdoc Fellowship Program and E.R. by a grant from the Spanish FPU fellowship.Peer reviewe

Application of genomic and quantitative genetic tools to identify candidate resistance genes for brown rot resistance in peach.

The availability of a complete peach genome assembly and three different peach genome sequences created by our group provide new opportunities for application of genomic data and can improve the power of the classical Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) approaches to identify candidate genes for peach disease resistance. Brown rot caused by Monilinia spp., is the most important fungal disease of stone fruits worldwide. Improved levels of peach fruit rot resistance have been identified in some cultivars and advanced selections developed in the UC Davis and USDA breeding programs. Whole genome sequencing of the Pop-DF parents lead to discovery of high-quality SNP markers for QTL genome scanning in this experimental population. Pop-DF created by crossing a brown rot moderately resistant cultivar 'Dr. Davis' and a brown rot resistant introgression line, 'F8,1-42', derived from an initial almond × peach interspecific hybrid, was evaluated for brown rot resistance in fruit of harvest maturity over three seasons. Using the SNP linkage map of Pop-DF and phenotypic data collected with inoculated fruit, a genome scan for QTL identified several SNP markers associated with brown rot resistance. Two of these QTLs were placed on linkage group 1, covering a large (physical) region on chromosome 1. The genome scan for QTL and SNP effects predicted several candidate genes associated with disease resistance responses in other host-pathogen systems. Two potential candidate genes, ppa011763m and ppa026453m, may be the genes primarily responsible for M. fructicola recognition in peach, activating both PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) responses. Our results provide a foundation for further genetic dissection, marker assisted breeding for brown rot resistance, and development of peach cultivars resistant to brown rot

In-situ Micro-Raman spectroscopic analysis of Handprints in Maltravieso Cave (Cáceres), Spain

TECHNART 2015 − Catania, April 27 - 30, 2015; http://technart2015.lns.infn.it/Peer Reviewe

Low X-Ray Luminosity Galaxy Clusters: Main goals, sample selection, photometric and spectroscopic observations

We present the study of nineteen low X-ray luminosity galaxy clusters (L$_X \sim$ 0.5--45 $\times$ $10^{43}$ erg s$^{-1}$), selected from the ROSAT Position Sensitive Proportional Counters (PSPC) Pointed Observations (Vikhlinin et al. 1998) and the revised version of Mullis et al. (2003) in the redshift range of 0.16 to 0.7. This is the introductory paper of a series presenting the sample selection, photometric and spectroscopic observations and data reduction. Photometric data in different passbands were taken for eight galaxy clusters at Las Campanas Observatory; three clusters at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory; and eight clusters at the Gemini Observatory. Spectroscopic data were collected for only four galaxy clusters using Gemini telescopes. With the photometry, the galaxies were defined based on the star-galaxy separation taking into account photometric parameters. For each galaxy cluster, the catalogues contain the PSF and aperture magnitudes of galaxies within the 90\% completeness limit. They are used together with structural parameters to study the galaxy morphology and to estimate photometric redshifts. With the spectroscopy, the derived galaxy velocity dispersion of our clusters ranged from 507 km~s$^{-1}$ for [VMF98]022 to 775 km~s$^{-1}$ for [VMF98]097 with signs of substructure. Cluster membership has been extensively discussed taking into account spectroscopic and photometric redshift estimates. In this sense, members are the galaxies within a projected radius of 0.75 Mpc from the X-ray mission peak and with cluster centric velocities smaller than the cluster velocity dispersion or 6000 km~s$^{-1}$, respectively. These results will be used in forthcoming papers to study, among the main topics, the red cluster sequence, blue cloud and green populations; the galaxy luminosity function and cluster dynamics.Comment: 13 pages, 6 tables, 9 figures. Uses emulateapj. Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. Some formatting errors fixe

Methodology for the Optimal Design of a Hybrid Charging Station of Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicles Supplied by Renewable Energies and an Energy Storage System

The global energy system is changing, mainly to achieve sustainable transport technologies and clean electrical generation based on renewable sources. Thus, as fuels, electricity and hydrogen are the most promising transport technologies in order to reduce greenhouse emissions. On the other hand, photovoltaic and wind energies, including energy storage, have become the main sources of distributed generation. This study proposes a new optimal-technical sizing method based on the Simulink Design Optimization of a stand-alone microgrid with renewable energy sources and energy storage to provide energy to a wireless power transfer system to charge electric vehicles along a motorway and to a hydrogen charging station for fuel cell-powered buses. The results show that the design system can provide energy for the charging of electric vehicles along the motorway and produce the hydrogen consumed by the fuel cell-buses plus a certain tank reserve. The flexibility of the study allows the analysis of other scenarios, design requirements, configurations or types of microgrids

Comparison of body composition assessment by bioimpedance versus hydrodensitometry in women 38 to 60 years old from Medellin-Colombia

ABSTRACT: Body composition assessment by bioimpedance is non-invasive, inexpensive and portable. Objective: To assess the validity of bioimpedance to estimate fat mass percentage (%FM) in women. Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 50 women, 38 to 60 years old. Hydrodensitometry with simultaneous measurement of the lung residual volume was used as the reference method. The %FM was assessed by the bioimpedance hand-to-feet technique using the equations of Sun and Kotler. A Tanita body composition scale was used to estimate the %FM with the bioimpedance feet-to-feet technique. Results: The %FM estimated by Sun (34,0±4,8) and Kotler (34,4±6,0) were not different (p>0,05) from the %FM obtained by hydrodensitometry (33,3±5,6). The %FM estimated by Tanita differed from the reference method (30,1±5,8, p=0,000). BIA equations and Tanita showed low agreement with hydrodensitometry: Sun (Bland-Altman: -0,73 CI95%: -9,9; 8,4), Kotler (Bland-Altman: -1,1 CI95%: -10,7; 8,5) and Tanita (Bland-Altman: 3,2 CI95%: -5,8; 12,2). Conclusions: In this specific population of women, hand-to-feet bioimpedance with Sun and Kotler equations accurately estimated the %FM of the whole group, but these equations lacked validity to assess the individual %FM. The Tanita body composition scale lacked validity to assess both; individual and group %FM.RESUMEN: La bioimpedancia es un método de estimación de la composición corporal rápido, económico y portátil. Objetivo: comparar la composición corporal obtenida por bioimpedancia e hidrodensitometría en mujeres de Medellín-Colombia. Materiales y métodos: se evaluó el porcentaje de grasa corporal de 50 voluntarias. Se utilizó como método de referencia la hidrodensitometría con medición simultánea del volumen residual pulmonar. Se midió la bioimpedancia mano-pie y se estimó el porcentaje de grasa corporal con las ecuaciones de Kotler y Sun. La bioimpedancia pie-pie se midió con báscula Tanita. El análisis estadístico empleó t-student pareada, error estándar del estimado y prueba Bland-Altman. Resultados: el porcentaje de grasa corporal obtenido por hidrodensitometría fue (33,3±5,6). Sun y Kotler estimaron porcentajes de grasa similares (p>0,05) a la hidrodensitometría (34,0±4,8 y 34,4±6,0, respectivamente). Tanita estimó un porcentaje de grasa diferente al método de referencia (30,1±5,8, p=0,000). La bioimpedancia presentó un bajo grado de acuerdo con la hidrodensitometría: Sun (BlandAltman: -0,73 IC95%: -9,9; 8,4), Kotler (Bland-Altman: -1,1 IC95%: -10,7; 8,5) y Tanita (Bland-Altman: 3,2 IC95%: -5,8; 12,2). Conclusiones: las ecuaciones de Sun y Kotler estiman de forma adecuada el porcentaje de grasa corporal grupal, pero presentan poca concordancia con la hidrodensitometría en la estimación de la composición corporal individual. La báscula Tanita presentó las mayores diferencias con la hidrodensitometría en la estimación del porcentaje de grasa corporal grupal e individual

Ideal cardiovascular health and incident cardiovascular disease among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To investigate the association between ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) metrics and incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Methods: The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases were searched from January 1, 2010 through July 31, 2017, for studies that met the following criteria: (1) prospective studies conducted in adults, (2) with outcome data on CVD incidence and (3) a measure of ideal CVH metrics. Results: Twelve studies (210,443 adults) were included in this analysis. Compared with adults who met 0 to 2 of the ideal CVH metrics (high-risk individuals), a significantly lower hazard for CVD incidence was observed in those who had 3 to 4 points for the ideal CVH metrics (hazard ratio [HR]=0.53; 95% CI, 0.47-0.59) and 5 to 7 points (HR=0.28; 95% CI, 0.23-0.33). Weaker associations were observed in studies with older individuals, suggesting that there is a positive relationship between age and HR. Conclusion: Although meeting 5 to 7 metrics is associated with the lowest hazard for CVD incidence, meeting 3 to 4 metrics still offers an important protective effect for CVD. Therefore, a realistic goal in the general population in the short term could be to promote at least an intermediate ideal CVH profile (3 to 4 metrics)

Memetic Evolutionary Multi-Objective Neural Network Classifier to Predict Graft Survival in Liver Transplant Patients

In liver transplantation, matching donor and recipient is a problem that can be solved using machine learning techniques. In this paper we consider a liver transplant dataset obtained from eleven Spanish hospitals, including the patient survival or the rejection in liver transplantation one year after the surgery. To tackle this problem, we use a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm for training generalized radial basis functions neural networks. The obtained models provided medical experts with a mathematical value to predict survival rates allowing them to come up with a right decision according to the principles of justice, efficiency and equit

Estudio antropométrico de la forma corporal de bailarines adolescentes de ballet

El desempeño técnico artístico de los bailarines exitosos está relacionado a tipos específicos de forma corporal. El objetivo de esta investigación es comparar la forma corporal de bailarines adolescentes de ballet en relación a ejecutantes de danza moderna y folclórica. Se estudiaron bailarines cubanos de la Escuela Nacional de Ballet y de la Escuela de Danza Moderna y Folclórica, con edades comprendidas entre los 15 y 18 años. Se aplicó un protocolo antropométrico de 10 mediciones para estimar el somatotipo antropométrico, utilizándose el método de Carter-Heath. El somatotipo promedio de las estudiantes de ballet fue Ectomórfico Balanceado (2.1-2.6-4.4) y el de las estudiantes de danza moderna y folclórica fue Somatotipo Central (2.5-3.2-3.5); en los varones de ambas especialidades se encontró un somatotipo promedio Meso-Ectomórfico. Las estudiantes de ballet se distribuyeron en siete categorías somatotípicas con las mayores tendencias de clasificación para los somatotipos Ecto-Mesomórfico (37.0%) y Ectomórfico Balanceado (37.0%). Los estudiantes de ballet cuantificaron una tendencia predominante para la categoría Meso-Ectomórfico (63.0%), en una dispersión de cuatro categorías clasificatorias. Se registraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las distribuciones somatotípicas para las estudiantes femeninas y similitudes para los estudiantes varones de ballet y danza moderna y folclórica. Los estudiantes de ballet de ambos sexos registraron distribuciones clasificatorias amplias, idénticas para los varones, que no expresaron una homogeneidad mayor para la forma corporal respecto a los de danza moderna y folclórica. Las dispersiones en frecuencias somatotípicas para los estudiantes de ballet, fundamentalmente las bailarinas, no se corresponden con lo esperado para una población de bailarines de alto nivel técnico-artístico.To be successful in classical ballet performance, it seems dancers must conform to specific morphological standards. The purpose of this research is to compare the human shape of adolescent ballet dancers in relation to modern-folkloric dancers. Cuban dancers from the National Ballet School and the Modern-Folkloric Dance School, aged 15-18 years old, participated in this study. An anthropometric protocol of 10 measurements was applied in order to determine the anthropometric somatotype using the Carter-Heath procedure. The female media somatotype of ballet dancers was Balanced Ectomorfic (2.1-2.6-4.4) and the media somatotype of modern-folkloric dancers was Central (2.5-3.2-3.5); being Ecto-Mesomorfic for male dancers of both disciplines. Female ballet dancers were distributed into seven categories with their main classificatory trends for Meso-Ectomorfic (37.0%) and Balanced Ectomorfic (37.0%) somatotypes. Male ballet dancers showed a high trend for Ecto-Mesomorfic category (63.0%), being distributed into four categories. Statistical differences between female ballet and modern-folkloric dancers were obtained from the comparison of somatotypes distributions; while similitudes were found for male dancers of both disciplines. Male and female ballet dancers registered wide classificatory distributions, identical for males, who didn't show a higher homogeneity for human shape than modern-folkloric dancers. The spread of somatotypic frequencies of ballet dancers, mainly females, didn't correspond with what is expected for a population of dancers of high technical-artistic mastery.Asociación de Antropología Biológica de la República Argentin