Acquisition of business intelligence from human experience in route planning

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Enterprise Information Systems on 2015, available online at:http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17517575.2012.759279The logistic sector raises a number of highly challenging problems. Probably one of the most important ones is the shipping planning, i.e., plan the routes that the shippers have to follow to deliver the goods. In this paper we present an AI-based solution that has been designed to help a logistic company to improve its routes planning process. In order to achieve this goal, the solution uses the knowledge acquired by the company drivers to propose optimized routes. Hence, the proposed solution gathers the experience of the drivers, processes it and optimizes the delivery process. The solution uses Data Mining to extract knowledge from the company information systems and prepares it for analysis with a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) algorithm. The CBR obtains critical business intelligence knowledge from the drivers experience that is needed by the planner. The design of the routes is done by a Genetic Algorithm (GA) that, given the processed information, optimizes the routes following several objectives, such as minimize the distance or time. Experimentation shows that the proposed approach is able to find routes that improve, in average, the routes made by the human experts.This work has been partially supported by the SpanishMinistry of Science and Innovation under the projects ABANT (TIN 2010-19872) and by Jobssy.com company under Project FUAM-076913

Clustering avatars behaviours from Virtual Worlds interactions

This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop on Web Intelligence & Communities, http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2189736.2189743Virtual Worlds (VWs) platforms and applications provide a practical implementation of the Metaverse concept. These applications, as highly inmersive and interactive 3D environments, have become very popular in social networks and games domains. The existence of a set of open platforms like OpenSim or OpenCobalt have played a major role in the popularization of this technology and they open new exciting research areas. One of these areas is behaviour analysis. In virtual world, the user (or avatar) can move and interact within an artificial world with a high degree of freedom. The movements and iterations of the avatar can be monitorized, and hence this information can be analysed to obtain interesting behavioural patterns. Usually, only the information related to the avatars conversations (textual chat logs) are directly available for processing. However, these open platforms allow to capture other kind of information like the exact position of an avatar in the VW, what they are looking at (eye-gazing) or which actions they perform inside these worlds. This paper studies how this information, can be extracted, processed and later used by clustering methods to detect behaviour or group formations in the world. To detect the behavioural patterns of the avatars considered, clustering techniques have been used. These techniques, using the correct data preprocessing and modelling, can be used to automatically detect hidden patterns from data.This work has been partly supported by: Spanish Ministry of Science and Education under the project TIN2010-1987

All-inclusive tourism in Dominican Republic. An analysis from the perspective of the tourist demand

All Inclusive System has become a predominant service in sun and beach destinations. In Dominican Republic it is set as the main tourist attraction. The purpose of this research is to analyze the ratings of “all inclusive” international tourists that reach the tourist resort of Puerto Plata. This research is based on the responses obtained from of a questionnaire completed by foreign visitors. The main results show that tourists are a medium-high economic profile highlighting those visitors who choose this destination online. The beaches and ease of entry are the most highly valued

Acoustic modelling of large aftertreatment devices with multimodal incident sound fields

[EN] The influence of multimodal incident sound fields on the acoustic behaviour of large aftertreatment devices (ATD) is analysed in detail. The mode matching method is applied to the compatibility conditions of the three-dimensional (3D) acoustic fields at the device geometric discontinuities, leading to the computation of the complex wave amplitudes in all the subdomains involved and the corresponding transmission loss (TL). To have a realistic model, 3D propagation must be considered in the inlet/outlet ducts and chambers, while 1D wave propagation has to be assumed along the small capillaries of the catalytic converter/particulate filter monoliths of the ATD; therefore, these monoliths can be replaced by plane wave four pole transfer matrices from an acoustical point of view [1]. On the other hand, for large ATD inlet ducts such as those found in heavy-duty and off-road engines, the usual models with plane incident wave excitation are not accurate since the onset of higher order incident modes in the inlet duct is expected for the frequency range of interest. Therefore, a TL variation is likely to occur depending on these modes, similar to the results found in large dissipative silencers [2]. Results are presented for three different multimodal incident sound field hypotheses [3]: equal modal amplitude (EMA), equal modal power (EMP) and equal modal energy density (EMED). A relevant influence on the sound attenuation is found for the test problems considered in the current investigation. References [1] Denia, F. D., Martínez-Casas, J., Carballeira, J., Nadal, E., Fuenmayor, F. J., Computational performance of analytical methods for the acoustic modelling of automotive exhaust devices incorporating monoliths. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 330: 995--1006, 2018. [2] Kirby, R., Lawrie, J. B., A point collocation approach to modelling large dissipative silencers. Journal of Sound and Vibration, 286: 313--339, 2005. [3] Mechel, F. P., Formulas of Acoustics. Berlin, Springer, 2008.The authors gratefully acknowledge Grants PID2020-112886RA-I00 and PID2020-118013RB-C21 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and Project PROMETEO/2021/046 from Generalitat Valenciana.Denia, FD.; Sánchez-Orgaz, EM.; Martínez Casas, J.; Carballeira, J.; Baeza González, LM. (2021). Acoustic modelling of large aftertreatment devices with multimodal incident sound fields. Universitat Politècnica de València. 208-215. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/19055620821

Profundizando en la estenósis aórtica valvular: análisis proteómico del plasma

Comunicaciones a congreso

An Optimal Protocol to Analyze the Rat Spinal Cord Proteome

Since the function of the spinal cord depends on the proteins found there, better defing the normal Spinal Cord Proteome is an important and challenging task. Although brain and cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with different central nervous system (CNS) disorders have been studied, a thorough examination of specific spinal cord proteins and the changes induced by injury or associated to conditions such as neurodegeneration, spasticity and neuropathies has yet to be performed. In the present study, we aimed to describe total protein content in the spinal cord of healthy rats, employing different proteomics tools. Accordingly, we have developed a fast, easy, and reproducible sequential protocol for protein extraction from rat spinal cords. We employed conventional two dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) in different pH ranges (eg. 4–7, 3–11 NL) combined with identification by mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF), as well as first dimension protein separation combined with Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to maximise the benefits of this technology. The value of these techniques is demonstrated here by the identification of several proteins known to be associated with neuroglial structures, neurotransmission, cell survival and nerve growth in the central nervous system. Furthermore this study identified many spinal proteins that have not previously been described in the literature and which may play an important role as either sensitive biomarkers of dysfunction or of recovery after Spinal Cord Injury

Synthesis and characterization of hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on sulphonated polyamideimide and silica

The preparation of hybrid organic–inorganic membrane materials based on a sulphonated polyamideimide resin and silica filler has been studied. The method allows the sol–gel process to proceed in the presence of a high molecular weight polyamideimide, resulting in well dispersed silica nanoparticles (<50 nm) within the polymer matrix with chemical bonding between the organic and inorganic phases. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was used as the silica precursor and the organosilicate networks were bonded to the polymer matrix via a coupling agent aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTrEOS). The structure and properties of these hybrid materials were characterized via a range of techniques including FTIR, TGA, DSC, SEM and contact angle analysis. It was found that the compatibility between organic and inorganic phases has been greatly enhanced by the incorporation of APTrEOS. The thermal stability and hydrophilic properties of hybrid materials have also been significantly improved

Modelado numérico eficiente del comportamiento acústico de silenciadores de escape con material absorbente granular

[ES] En este trabajo se presenta una técnica numérica precisa y de bajo coste computacional para el análisis del comportamiento acústico de silenciadores de escape con sección transversal arbitraria y material absorbente granular en su interior. Se plantea la utilización de dicho material como una posible alternativa a las tradicionales fibras utilizadas en silenciadores de tipo disipativo. Entre las ventajas de los materiales granulares en la aplicación concreta planteada aquí, cabe destacar la ausencia de su emisión al medio ambiente como consecuencia del arrastre provocado por los gases de escape y la posibilidad de conseguir configuraciones geométricas adaptables a la fuente de ruido mediante un proceso de llenado/vaciado in situ relativamente sencillo. La caracterización acústica del material granular se lleva a cabo mediante la utilización de propiedades como su impedancia y número de onda [1], a partir de las cuales pueden obtenerse la densidad y velocidad del sonido equivalentes, complejas y dependientes de la frecuencia. Con el objetivo de reducir el coste computacional de una formulación completa 3D de EF, se presenta una técnica computacionalmente eficiente basada en un problema de autovalores 2D y el método de ajuste modal, en su versión numérica para contemplar la posibilidad de secciones transversales de geometría arbitraria y propiedades no homogéneas [2, 3]. Para ello, en primer lugar, se resuelve el problema de autovalores y autovectores de la sección transversal mediante un planteamiento 2D de EF. Posteriormente, se acoplan los campos de presión y velocidad acústica en las discontinuidades geométricas mediante ajuste modal. Hallada la solución completa de la ecuación de ondas en el interior del silenciador, se cuantifican sus prestaciones acústicas con distintos niveles de llenado de material absorbente granular. REFERENCIAS [1] P. Cobo and F. Simón, A comparison of impedance models for the inverse estimation of the non-acoustical parameters of granular absorbers , Applied Acoustics, 104, 119-126 (2016). [2] R. Kirby, A comparison between analytic and numerical methods for modelling automotive and dissipative silencers with mean flow , Journal of Sound and Vibration, 325, 565-582 (2009). [3] F. D. Denia, E. M. Sánchez-Orgaz, L. Baeza and R. Kirby, Point collocation scheme in silencers with temperature gradient and mean flow , Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics, 291, 127-141 (2016).Proyecto realizado con la Ayuda Fundación BBVA a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales 2016. La Fundación BBVA no se responsabiliza de las opiniones, comentarios y contenidos incluidos en el proyecto y/o los resultados derivados del mismo, los cuales son total y absoluta responsabilidad de los autoresSánchez Orgaz, EM.; Denia, FD.; Martínez Casas, J.; Baeza González, LM. (2017). Modelado numérico eficiente del comportamiento acústico de silenciadores de escape con material absorbente granular. International Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE). 12-22. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/179954S122

A windows application that supports the teaching of the calculation of fertilizer requirements

En el actual contexto de rápidos e incesantes desarrollos tecnológicos, existe una necesidad creciente de incorporar nuevas herramientas basadas en las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación (TIC) en los procesos de enseñanza-aprendizaje en ingeniería. Este artículo describe las principales características de FertiliCalc, una novedosa aplicación Windows concebida como herramienta de apoyo en la docencia del cálculo de necesidades de nutrientes y fertilizantes de los cultivos. La aplicación permite al usuario determinar las cantidades estacionales requeridas de nitrógeno, potasio y fósforo y la combinación más barata de fertilizantes comerciales para 149 cultivos. Más aún, se han desarrollado versiones de FertiliCalc y videos tutoriales de uso en hasta 25 idiomas, haciendo posible su empleo en diferentes universidades alrededor del mundo y que cualquier estudiante pueda aprender la terminología relacionada en otros idiomas. Las primeras evaluaciones del uso de la aplicación en un curso reducido perteneciente al Grado de Ingeniería Agroalimentaria de la Universidad de Córdoba han revelado mayores tasas de éxito por parte de los estudiantes en el cálculo de las necesidades de fertilizantes en relación a ediciones pasadas del mismo. Se concluye que FertiliCalc representa una prometedora y potente herramienta para la docencia.Under the current context of fast and constant technological developments, there is a major call for the introduction of new tools based on the new available Information and Communication Technologies (TIC) in the processes of teaching-learning in engineering. This article describes the main characteristics of FertiliCalc, a novel Windows application conceived as a support tool for teaching the calculation of nutrient and fertilizer requirements of crops. The application allows the user to calculate the seasonal amounts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous needed and the most cost-effective combination of commercial fertilizers for up to 149 crops. Moreover, versions of FertiliCalc and video tutorials have been developed in up to 25 languages, so that it can be used in different universities across the world and allows students to learn the related terminology in foreign languages. The first assessments of the use of the application in a course belonging to the Degree on Agricultural Engineering of the University of Córdoba revealed a higher success rate among students in the calculation of fertilizer requirements in relation to past editions of that course. It is concluded that FertiliCalc represents a promising and powerful tool for teaching

Bernoulli theorem, minimum specific energy and water wave celerity in open channel flow

One basic principle of fluid mechanics used to resolve practical problems in hydraulic engineering is the Bernoulli theorem along a streamline, deduced from the work-energy form of the Euler equation along a streamline. Some confusion exists about the applicability of the Bernoulli theorem and its generalization to open-channel hydraulics. In the present work, a detailed analysis of the Bernoulli theorem and its extension to flow in open channels are developed. The generalized depth-averaged Bernoulli theorem is proposed and it has been proved that the depth-averaged specific energy reaches a minimum in converging accelerating free surface flow over weirs and flumes. Further, in general, a channel control with minimum specific energy in curvilinear flow is not isolated from water waves, as customary state in open-channel hydraulics