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Professionals with knowledge of industrial processes to ensure the best performance of the companies arisen in order to response to the needs of a society that constantly adapts and changes facing nature. This paper intended to show a vision of engineering through a literature review from its birth to what could be in its future; particularly the role of industrial engineering in education, based on articles from authors who have already researched and written on this subject, whose main conclusion is that the Industrial Engineering must be more participative regarding the institutionalism represented by universities, the company with its determining factor in society and the welfare of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Composting is one of the most applied biotechnological alternatives for the treatment and recovery of green waste (GW). However, its transformation is a challenge, due to the physicochemical characteristics of GWs that affect the process time and product quality. This limits the application of this technology in developing countries such as Colombia. This article presents contributions on the advances in GW composting research, based on results of six years of studies carried out by the authors of this paper. Reflections are addressed on: i) the analysis of the physicochemical quality of the substrates, ii) the evaluation of strategies to improve the process and the quality of the product, and iii) the perspectives on the alternatives implemented so far. The results of the investigations show that the strategies at different scales have been effective in reducing process times (between 43 and 67 days), improving the conditions for sanitizing the material (temperature in thermophilic ranges for a longer time -6 additional days-compared to treatments without strategies) and compliance with product quality standards. The reflection proposes new perspectives to continue with the studies of improvement of GW composting, among which issues associated with the use of co-substrates, additives, and bacterial inoculum are addressed, as well as the evaluation of product quality and employment of optimization tools in GW composting. These studies help position GW composting as a suitable option for the management of the lignocellulosic fraction present in municipal solid waste (MSW). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of the software allows us to analyze how difficult to understand, implement and maintain the program can be. The metrics allow us to measure and estimate certain characteristics of the software to make decisions and corrective or preventive actions. The definition of the complexity of the microservices-based applications design is fundamental since it directly affects the performance of the application, development, testing, maintainability, storage (transactions and distributed queries), and the use and consumption of computational resources. In this paper, a cognitive complexity metric is proposed to evaluate the design and granularity of microservices-based applications, which define the required effort, or degree of difficulty to understand the microservices that make up the system. Typical cases were analyzed, which can appear in the design of microservices-based applications, the calculation of cognitive complexity was correct and consistent with the difficulty of understanding, maintaining, and developing a microservice system, therefore it is a viable option for analyzing complexity in microservices-based architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop biomass combustion as a viable renewable energy source it is necessary to improve the furnace efficiency and investigate the potential of agricultural wastes as fuels. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling is a valuable tool to accomplish these objectives, OpenFOAM is a powerful open-source CFD software that has been little used in this type of application. This paper reports the study of combustion in a device of great importance for Colombia, the panela furnace, using a model developed in OpenFOAM. The combustion chamber of a Ward-Cimpa furnace, measuring 2.68 m in width and 3.32 m in height was modeled. This model was validated, by comparing the simulated values of CO and temperature at the furnace exit with data taken from literature, resulting in differences of 13.72 % and 12.23 % respectively. These discrepancies are slightly lower than those reported in other studies about the subject. The model was employed to analyze the effect of the air-flow rate on the combustion performance. The findings indicate that the increase in air-flow causes an increase in combustion activity manifested in higher temperature and CO2 emissions, which could indicate that in common operational conditions, the furnace operates under deficient air conditions and its performance could be improve by using higher air flow rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a mobile application called SIREG, which is part of a bigger concept of a management system called SIREG (for its acronym in Spanish) for digital information management of eradication of illicit crops. Hence, the app is considered as the first step in developing the concept. Specifically, the app supports capturing and sending relevant information about the eradication process. This process is usually manually collected and reported by voice, which can result to errors in the reports. To this end, the main components of the process were identified, such as patrol information, crop characteristics, photographic record, and georeferenced information of the eradicated areas. These components were used to define the application's functionality through modules associated with each component. The implementation was performed on a Trimble TDC100, an Android device with suitable features for challenging field conditions. Preliminary tests show good performance in positioning, with an error rate below 0.3%. The application transparently supports information reporting, allowing traceability of the process and monitoring. Likewise, this is valuable information for decision-makers, such as military commanders or authorities. In addition, this digitized information would provide reliable data on areas affected by the growth of illicit crops, such as forests or protected natural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to present development results a technological solution supported by artificial intelligence (AI), for the company Servicios Amma S.A.S. This technological solution has the function to allow the correlation of the socio-behavioral characteristics of the customer, with the profile of the operational staff. This will provide the detection of patterns and prediction of consumption behaviors for the service that leads to the identification of opportunities, reduction of dissatisfaction risks, and improvement of the user's service experience. The methodology used in this study is quantitative, therefore, the demographic, social, psychographic, behavioral and lifestyle characteristics of customers and operating personnel of the company, as well as the beneficiary companies, are the variables defined for the development of this research. Additionally, the development of mathematical algorithms will be used to gather information for data correlation and prediction. The results obtained from this research allowed us to develop and program a mobile application and Land Page that allows data entry for the creation of user profiles for customers, employees, and platform administrators. In this way, Servicios Amma S.A.S. will be able to enhance the services it offers with the help of Artificial Intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web and mobile applications (Apps) have gained increasing importance as a method of teaching and learning in medical education due to the widespread use of the internet and smartphones. The aim of this review is to describe three Apps, referenced in scientific articles, that can be used to estimate in advance the radiation dose and/or risk of cancer in medical and dental studies. To accomplish this, a bibliographic search was carried out on PubMed and Scielo, using Spanish and English keywords such as radiation, dose, biological effects, medical education, App, dentistry, and medicine. Sixty one (61) articles were selected for their relevance to the topic proposed, with 50% of them published between 2017 and 2022. The results indicate that the use of Apps in health education environments enhances students' knowledge and assists professionals as quick reference tools. Of the three Apps reviewed (Passport Radiation, CALDose_X, and Dental_Dose), Passport Radiation is the oldest and currently unavailable. All three provide data on equivalent human dose and effective dose, and with the exception of Dental_Dose, an estimate of the risk of cancer in various organs and types of examinations. CALDose_X is the only one that can be configured in two languages (English and Portuguese). Both Apps also display visualizations of organic structures and the irradiation field. CALDose_X must be installed, unlike Dental_Dose. CALDose_X and Dental_Dose have been referenced in at least three scientific papers, demonstrating their acceptance within the academic community. Dental_Dose is devoted to the dental field, while CALDose_X is used in the medical field. In conclusion, CALDose_X and Dental_Dose are valuable and reliable tools for precisely estimating equivalent and effective doses in various organs of the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of the study of the influence of concrete curing in compressive strength in warm-rainy climate. Concrete several specimens were emptied in the laboratory, there were curing by three methods and tested for resistance at the ages of 3,7, 14, 28, 56 and 91 days. Compressive strength in weathering is shown to be associated with environmental factors such as precipitation and temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For road maintenance and rehabilitation, it is important to develop procedures to evaluate pavement condition. Imaging methods can be used to obtain data to analyze a pavement surface. A methodology for crack detection is presented in this paper that is based on image processing techniques and artificial neural networks. The methodology is implemented in four stages: 1. image acquisition, 2. image processing, 3. feature extraction, and 4. classification using an artificial neural network. The methodology was used to detect deterioration in the form of longitudinal cracks, potholes, and alligator cracking. The classification was performed using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network within a (12 14 3) configuration, resulting in an accuracy of 95.56% and a precision of 94.44%. The proposed methodology could be used to help governmental organizations evaluate a road network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to carry out a literature review on the effects of using wood ash as a component in concrete, in order to determine its mechanical properties and behavior. A review of 80 refereed and indexed articles was carried out. The key words were: "concrete and wood ash, replacement of cement with wood ashes, percentages of wood ash in concrete. From this review it is concluded that the use of wood ash provides better physical-mechanical behavior when used in materials such as concrete; however, its adequate percentages range from 5 to 15%, given that in these proportions it has allowed obtaining an increase in relation to the standard concrete of 76% of its compressive strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an alternative methodology to optimally design an electrical distribution system in a real urban area. A medium voltage (MV) network polygon is extracted from the web page of a distribution company (GIS platform), which serves as a comparison pattern. A redesign of the medium voltage network is made to the extracted polygon. Taking as a premise that it is a new urbanization that needs to be provided with electric power, with all the technical requirements imposed by the regulating entity, good power quality and at minimum cost. To achieve this goal, two mathematical optimization models are used. The methodology begins by delimiting the project area in a geo-referenced manner; in this area 36 possible sites are located where the distribution transformers that will provide electricity to the new urbanization can be placed. The first optimization model determines how many transformers will be installed, by means of a minimization objective function, the constraints of the model are: transformer capacity (KVA) and coverage (number of subscribers connected to the low voltage network of each transformer). Once the number of transformers to be installed and their respective geo-referenced optimal locations are determined, the model is run. The second heuristic optimization model, based on graph theory, calculates the mine spanning tree for the connection of the medium voltage electrical network, thus interconnecting the transformers of the project with the minimum distance, thus optimizing the construction cost. These optimization models are implemented and solved with Matlab and LpSolve software. The topology found with the two proposed models is electrically evaluated by running power flows with CYMEDIST software. Finally, the proposed model is evaluated by comparing the electrical parameters obtained with the electrical parameters of the polygon extracted from the GIS system of the distribution company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the implementation of a manipulation method based on encephalographic signals for the movement of a robotic endoscope holder in a surgical simulator. This simulator consists of three robots, one endoscope holder robot (Hibou robot) and two surgical robots (Lapbot and PA10 robot). The simulation allows performing a cholecystectomy operation, where the removal of a gallbladder is performed using surgical robots while the endoscope holder robot transmits images from inside the patient's abdomen. For the manipulation of the endoscope holder robot in order to focus on different parts of the abdomen, a joystick device is used, but also a natural interface, which allows the user, after training, to move the camera inside the patient's abdomen by means of his thoughts. Tests performed with several users show promising results regarding the manipulation of objects by thought training, and in particular the manipulation of the endoscope camera in laparoscopy operations, which would allow a better management of the whole operation by the surgeon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to study adherence and corrosion wear resistance of biobased polymers derived from epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) deposited on galvanized iron sheets. The adhesion and anticorrosive properties of the pure epoxy resin (ELO) were compared with those that contained bisphenol A (BFA) and carbon black (CB), which were polymerized by oxirane ring opening catalyzed by aluminum triflate (ATf). Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of the different biobased polymers as coatings. To evaluate the performance to the corrosion resistance each coating was tested to adhesion and accelerated weathering within a salt spray chamber. The use of BFA provided greater adhesion than pure ELO coatings. Additionally, the addition of small loads of CB improved the appearance, adhesion, and durability of the coating, thus decreasing the corrosion of the galvanized sheets. Finally, the interactions that occur at the interface between the different polymeric matrices and the substrate surface, which allow improving the corrosion resistance were analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry and artificial intelligence are very important topics that, if we merge them, would generate a very important impact in terms of construction, due to the fact that many tasks and work time would be optimized, however, the human capacity for the management of technology must be taken into account. In this paper the objective is to investigate and obtain a systematic understanding of the importance, challenges and solutions in the different phases of construction offered by artificial intelligence, for this purpose a review of 86 duly indexed articles from the last 7 years between 2015 and 2021 was carried out, which are divided as follows: 39 from ScienceDirect, 24 from Scopus and 23 from EBSCO, documents in which they point out the importance of working artificial intelligence and the construction industry, giving good results in terms of progress, safety, quality and performance in the works, so it can be concluded that the technology optimizes time, costs and efforts in construction so implementing it is a potentially viable alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the uncertainty in production processes, organizations must establish when a variation in cost with respect to a reference estimate is considered acceptable and when corrective, preventive or improvement actions must be taken. Considering tolerable values generates the idea that the cost is not a deterministic parameter, but that it can oscillate in a defined range, so that the estimates that belong to said range are considered normal and those that are outside generate intervention measures by part of decision makers. This paper presents a methodology that allows establishing the tolerance interval. The methodology uses an activity-based costing matrix model that incorporates Monte Carlo simulation to represent the inherent variability in each of the processes. The methodology was applied in a case study in the transportation sector, obtaining as a result the range of control values, which serves as the basis for making tactical and operational decisions within the organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparison of some simulation tools for photovoltaic systems. The analysis was made considering four criteria: historical citations, accessibility, user friendliness and simulation. Each criterion includes aspects which have a score assignation. Finally, a weighing was made to define the computational tool with more advantages. The simulation software with more advantages for photovoltaic system simulation are PVSyst and PV*SOL. Both its interface and the information given in the simulation, made them very complete tools for the analysis of the energy production in this kind of systems. Simulation software are needed for the analysis of the operation of photovoltaic systems. Among the most used are: PVSyst, PV*SOL, SAM and RETScreen. The evaluation of these tools allowed to identify that PV*SOL is the software with more advantages and strengths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the manufacturing industry, it is important to reduce machining deviations as soon as possible to avoid the cost associated with reworks. The definition of mathematical models that predict future failures in the diagnosis of combustion engines associated with errors in machining is a way that helps to save time and money in a process. This paper proposes the analysis and establishment of correlations between the deviations of the machining in cylinder heads and the rejections of an engine cold testing in an automotive manufacturing company. To determine the relationships, a sample of heads and engines was measured in two months, and statistical models were established using inferential statistics. It was possible to establish 77 statistical models that allow predicting which machining of the cylinder heads are contributing to the rejects and therefore adjust the corresponding tools. Due to a large amount of data from the results of the 77 models, this article shows only one model which is one of the most representatives. Using this statistical model, it was possible to know which characteristic of the tool should be adjusted in addition it was also possible to know that the test limits for oil pressure have to be adjusted in the engine cold testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past few decades structural optimization through metaheuristics has gain recognition in the scientific community; non the less, to guarantee good results we require a good selection of metaheuristic's parameters. In this paper we propose a multi-chromosome genetic algorithm with self-adaptive parameters, to optimize steel trusses in a threedimensional space. The design variable are the sections assign to each truss element of the structure. The optimization objective is the minimize the weight of the structure, considering the displacement y maximum stress as constrains. The propose algorithm was applied to the optimization of two trusses, obtaining designs that had a 35% less weight than the initial designs and comparable to results obtained in other papers. However, the adaptation of the parameters allows a more robust optimization process when analyzing different types of trusses and eliminates the initial runs of the optimization algorithm required to calibrate the initial parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we review several works that compare blockchain platforms. For each one, we present the comparison criteria and its emphasis. Additionally, we compared two of the most popular blockchain platforms: Bitcoin and Hyperledger Fabric. With regard to the analyzed works, none of them emphasize on the similarities and differences regarding the flow of a transaction, a complex process in Hyperledger Fabric due to the number of concepts and components involved. To facilitate the comparison, we show the flow of a transaction in both platforms. The analyzed works also do not compare the functions of the components of each platform, for example, of the nodes and their different types, nor do they detail the structure of the blocks. Finally, an effort was made to establish a common vocabulary between the two platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe the design, development, and testing of a question-answering chatbot to inform COVID-19 at Cali town. The chatbot is based on the model of natural language processing, and it is capable of holding a question-and-answer conversation about the pandemic. This document presents the sources of information to solve information needs in the Cali town's risk scenery from March to December 2020; Based on the sources of information, a corpus with 636 sentences was built. Three models were trained bases on the corpus. The models were trained incremental prototyping: A baseline model that responds to general questions, cases, active cases, and deaths at a geographic point of an area or region of interest (BC), the baseline model, zones and news, decrees or regulations generated by the Government during the risk situation (BCN) and the final model that responds the previous items and to frequently asked questions (BFAQ). A satisfaction survey of the prototype was developed to evaluate the chatbot, and the models were evaluated by metrics of PLN precision, coverage, and F-measure. The analysis and results showed that the final model (BFAQS) showed values upper 88% in the three measurements., besides, the BFACS held 1480 conversations, with an average conversation engagement of 4.12 minutes. Furthermore, the survey results show that 87% would use the chatbot again to obtain information about COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper presents the research carried out by Banco Caja Social, in relation to its own digital transformation process. The article documents the methodology applied in the project named Ruta transformadora, and the results obtained to date. The methodology presented is based on strategic definitions for each of the specific objectives presented by the Bank. An initial diagnosis of each of the objectives was made, researching both about the Banking sector in Colombia, and making a bibliographic review of the current state of Banking. Subsequently, the characteristics, implementations, and decisions to implement were raised, to rethink the Institution's Operational Model, aligning it with the ultimate purpose of the organization. Therefore, the approach of this model intends to allow access and inclusion of financial value propositions that are relevant and pertinent for the popular sectors. In addition, it was possible to identify the importance of implementing a Multichannel Strategy to achieve the general objective of the Banco Caja Social. Consequently, it was concluded that the Bank's IT, based on its operating model, should focus on the following aspects: enhance customer management capabilities, automate business processes, and promote the incorporation of a multi-channel management strategy. The advance of the General Objective of the Bank is currently at 62%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the two-machine permutation flowshop problem with deterioration. The objectives are minimizing the makespan and the average tardiness. Jobs have a baseline process time in each machine and have a due date. The actual time to process a job depends on the machine performance level at the start of each job, which is a function of the previously processed jobs and their wear/deterioration effect on the machine. The article proposes multiple heuristics and a comprehensive set of experiments. The results indicate that as a group, the heuristics generate solutions that are very close to the optimal for both criteria. Furthermore, no heuristic approach is dominant for all experimental conditions, thus heuristic selection to solve practical problems should be based on the specific problem characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the empirical evidence of common growth patterns in total publications by year and the scaling exponents () associated with this growth behavior. Furthermore, research activities seem to show increasing returns to scale, and the research networks related to these knowledge generation activities appear to show economies of scale. This paper discusses whether the behavior of efficiency Colombian university institutions resemble the behavior of living organisms. Thus, the efficiency name as total publications by sizes institution, is associated to the scaling coefficients. In addition, this work provides the building blocks for a quantitative model, in which, the observed scalability emerge from the capacity to attract Ph.D. students or create new links to carried out research activities in networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, samples of pure ZnO were prepared through solid-state chemical reaction, and optical spectral properties were investigated at low temperature. It was found that the strong broad band emission was shifted to the blue side with increase of temperature. It is tentatively attributed to the change of local electric field from electric dipoles, orientation of which is sensitive to temperature. The ultraviolet sharp lines observed at low temperatures are assigned to bound excitons and their phonon replicas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the research carried out regarding the management of waste (known in this case as sludge and grease) from the treatment of industrial and domestic wastewater from companies located in the industrial zone of Cali, urban and peri-urban area, and free trade zone. municipality of Palmira and Yumbo. Two stages were developed whose objectives were respectively: 1) to identify the generators of sludge and grease, and 2) to demonstrate the management practices by the managers (companies that provide the service of maintenance, collection and / or treatment of waste generated). At the end of these stages, the flow of these wastes was elaborated in the study area. This allowed us to obtain a compilation of data that describes the way in which the management of this type of waste occurs to generate a vision of the problem in the Valle del Cauca, as a basis for future research on providing technical solutions for handling these. For the year 2014, around 921 industries were found in the study area, of which 85 had wastewater treatment systems (therefore, they are waste generators). On the other hand, 85 waste managers were identified. In this research, 22 industries accepted to participate as well as 5 waste managers. The approximate volume of mud and grease generated by these companies is 367.89 ton / month. Of this amount, only 158.7 ton / month (43%) is used as a soil conditioner, fertilizer, humus or for the substitution of raw materials. In spite of some of the sludge is used, in conclusion, it was identified that environmental policies are required that encourage these alternatives to reduce the impacts on the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a new method for remote homology detection called remote-3DD. The proposed method combines predicted contact maps and distributions of the interaction matrices. Predicted contact maps approximate the 3D shape of a protein based on its primary structure. On the other hand, an interaction matrix allows representing a protein by using the physicochemical properties of its amino acids. The remote-3DD method is proposed as a strategy to improve the accuracy of the remote-C3D method, which uses contact maps alone. In this paper, we hypothesize that we can improve the accuracy of the remote-C3D method by including physicochemical properties. The results show that the accuracy of the remote-3DD method is higher than the accuracy of the composition-based methods and in some cases comparable with the accuracy of the profilebased methods. In addition, the results also show that the remote-3DD method achieves higher accuracy values than the remote-C3D method when considering the same number of models and size of submatrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the knowledge transfer mechanisms and strategic knowledge management in occupational safety and health (OSH) companies. The main authors consulted for the study were Davenport(6), Molina, and Marsal(8). The research is descriptive, non-experimental, cross-sectional and with field design. Results indicate that the spontaneous transference is present through personal meetings, and formal transference is mainly characterized by counselling. We found weaknesses in the strategic analysis and objectives definitions for the strategic knowledge management in the studied organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the theory and methodology for the adjustment of the negative sequence current protection function (PF) ANSI 46 of a synchronous generator with poles and poles, for a multifunctional relay SIEMENS 7UM62 that uses for its logic of decision the curve of time of heating allowed of the machine before the increase of the magnitude of negative sequence Also the consequences and the damages that can be caused by the excess of current of negative sequence circulating by the stator of the generator are explained. In addition, its functional diagram is illustrated by identifying its input signals: data (settings), analog and binary signals; It also describes in detail its decision process and exit signals. This logical diagram was divided into 3 sub-diagrams to identify the causes that originate their outputs: alarms, startup, firing or blocking, this way of illustrating the process by stages allows greater clarity, since the explanation process is more didactic than the one presented by the manufacturer in the manual. As an example of an illustration, the calculations of the adjustment criteria of the ANSI 46 PF applied to a salient pole generator from Unit 1 of the Salvajina Hydroelectric Plant are presented in detail. This protection function protects the machine by heating load imbalance and asymmetric faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two new methods that address the multi-class superfamily prediction problem are presented. In the multi-class superfamily recognition problem each amino acid sequence has to be classified into one of the known structural classes (i.e., superfamilies). Most of the strategies that have been proposed to predict superfamilies are based on using the binary classifiers that detect remote homologs. The remote homology detection problem is about finding a classifier that is able to separate remote homologs from non-remote homologs. The current methods for multi-class superfamily recognition take the outputs of the binary classifier (i.e., the scores) for each SCOP superfamily in the data set and build a classification model (i.e., multi-class classifier). Unlike the current methods, which represent a protein considering the amino acids composition, in this research we use the number of times that 3D models enriched with physicochemical properties occur in both its predicted contact map and its interaction matrix. We hypothesize that including both 3D information and physicochemical properties might have an impact in the accuracy obtained during the superfamily prediction. In this paper, we present two new strategies for predicting superfamilies that use 3D models enriched with physicochemical properties, the single-MCS and the hierarchical- MCS methods, which reach an accuracy percentage of 74% and 76% on the SCOP 1.53 data set, respectively. In addition, tests on the SCOP 1.55 and the SCOP 1.61 are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new method for remote protein homology detection called remote-3DP, is presented. The remote-3DP method is based on both predicted 3D information and physiochemical properties of amino acids. The remote-3DP method considers only 10 structural models to represent a protein and to distinguish between remote homologues and non-remote homologues in 54 SCOP families. The low dimensionality of the protein representation allows us to use different classification techniques and discover which one works better for each SCOP family. In this paper, we show that including a physicochemical property along with predicted 3D information into a local structural element, actually improves the accuracy in remote homology detection. The highest ROC score for a set of models that includes 3D information and the Hydropathy index reaches 0.953 on the SCOP 1.53 dataset. In addition, a model that ensembles the outputs of 10 physicochemical properties is built to make a consensus decision. The consensus strategy reaches a ROC score of 0.963 on the SCOP 1.53 dataset, surpassing the current methods based on sequence composition which accuracy range from 0.87 to 0.92. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a control methodology to improve the transient performance and power efficiency of a refrigeration system that uses a variable-speed compressor. The control objective is to maintain the compartment temperature at the desired setpoint, despite varying heat load conditions or disturbances. A model of the refrigeration system was obtained. The variables of interest were the compartment temperature, the evaporator superheat temperature, and the speed of the variable-speed compressor. By using simulations and real tests of the refrigeration system, it was found that a conventional implementation of a closed-loop controller causes a phenomenon known as windup, which leads to variable-speed compressor saturation and diminishes the transient performance of the refrigeration system and increases power consumption. Additionally, the evaporator superheat temperature was not significantly affected by the speed of the variable compressor, so the only option for improving the coefficient of performance of the refrigeration system was reducing the power consumption of the variable-speed compressor. An anti-windup topology for the closed-loop controller was proposed to prevent variable-speed compressor saturation. Simulations and tests of the refrigeration system showed an important improvement of the transient performance and power efficiency of the refrigeration system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the effect of pH and agitation time (Agt) on combustible recovery and ash rejection for a Colombian bituminous coal sample from Cerrejón (La Guajira), using a Selective Hydrophobic Coagulation process. A 22 factorial central composite experimental design was used, varying the pH and the agitation time as entry variables. The sample was processes in a specially built coagulation cell. The results show that the selectivity of the process is highest in a pH range of 4 to 10, with ash rejection values above of 70%. The statistical analysis showed that pH is a variable that has a significant effect (95% confidence level) in the selective hydrophobic coagulation process, while the agitation time has no significance effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The uphill time-trial is a cycling race in which there is at least one mountain pass or a combination of low and high gradient sections. Usually, climbing cyclists achieve good results in uphill time-trials; however, in addition to the cyclist's ability, the race strategy is also important for achieving good results. As part of the race strategy, the selection of the type of bicycle is important. The time-trial bicycles usually reduce aerodynamic drag while the traditional road bicycles are lighter. Taking into account the road gradient profile of the race, as part of the bicycle selection strategy, the cyclist can change the type of bicycle during the race to take advantage of each one in specific sections of the route. This paper presents a methodology for planning the bicycle change strategy for some ideal routes with simplified road gradient profiles. An optimization problem is stated to minimize the race time and to find the location on the route where the bicycle change must be done. The methodology is applied to three simplified road profiles to define if the bicycle change strategy is beneficial when different cyclist' power output levels are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we show the results of a ray launching tool for channel estimation in indoor scenario and compare it with measurements in a DVB-T system, using a Vector Network Analyzer used to obtain the Root Mean Square Delay Spread (RMS-DS), obtained from S12 parameter. We use a 10mW transmitter and make measurements in 39 different points in the scenario. Also we show the empirical adjustments made in the constitutive parameters, in order to improve the Delay Spread results. We show that this kind of ray based tools are very sensitive to the number of interactions considered in the model and also to the values of the constitutive parameters of the different elements in the scenario. For the low frequencies used for this work, we found also that some external elements can influence the results and must be considered for indoor simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the process for determining the attachment factor in an upflow gravel filter in layers UGFL. The study was carried out in a pilot filter fed with natural water for influent turbidity between 15-70 NTU and operating with three filter velocities (vf) applying the trajectory theory model approach looking at total suspended solids and particle size removal. In a UGFL sedimentation represents the main particle removal mechanism but the findings clearly show that attachment and flow velocities also have a significant role. Progressive reduction of smaller particles with small media size along the filter height was observed. Single collector efficiencies increased with decreasing vf. Attachment factors for each gravel size calculated by the model were highest for gravel size of 6.4 mm for vf 0.75 and 1.0 m/h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we propose an approach to the neuromotor language of the transfemoral amputee user. We do this by identifying the user's intention from the perception of both internal and external manifestations (to be explained into a next section) of Fixed Action Patterns (FAPs, by making use of artificial proprioception and exteroception of the prosthesis. The formalization of a General Expression of the Rhythmic Gesture, generation procedures for artificial FAPs, and a Response Algorithm for Gestures Development are presented. By identifying the user's intention through proprioceptive and exteroceptive information, the prosthesis discriminates between repertories of artificial FAPs and chooses the most suitable one to meet the users's requirements. Experimental data of tests carried out in healthy and amputee individuals showed high performance on identification (97.06 % of true identifications) of the user's intention and good tracking of gestures such as gait, walking up stairs, down stairs, up hill and down hill, independently of the speed of execution of the gesture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to present a methodology designed to develop a driving cycle to model traffic in the Pereira city in Colombia. Under the scope of this pilot work, four different gasoline passenger cars furnished with real time datalogging equipment were used to collect speed-time data under actual traffic along Pereira urban area. The speed-acceleration characteristics were analyzed, and target driving parameters were defined and evaluated. The designed method for building the driving cycle was then applied. As a result, a simple driving schedule for analyzing propulsion, fuel consumption rate, and emission control strategies of automobiles under Pereira downtown conditions has been proposed. Under the scope of the same project, was also studied the utility of the engine specific data collected during the vehicle operation for the purposes of engine performance assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Calcium phosphates are ceramics materials used in the manufacture of bone substitutes, due to their composition which is similar to the bones, they are bioactive, osteoconductivity and works in favor of forming porous structures, allowing vascularization and cell adhesion; furthermore they stand out for their biocompatibility. They are currently employed in the replacement of bone tissue in several clinical applications such as bone cements and fillers. Within this paper, nanoparticles of different calcium phosphates were obtained and characterized by two methods reported in the literature, centrifugation and hydrothermal treatment from precipitation reaction. The powders were characterized by XRD and FE-SEM. The results prove that both methods are suitable for the obtaining of nanoparticles of calcium phosphates, which is verified in the micrographs obtained where different morphologies are observed. Particles in nanoscale for most powders obtained have average diameter between 44.98 and 82.21 nm and average length between 123.91 and 151.48 nm. Diffractograms by both methods show the presence of calcium phosphates with different potential applications in bone tissue engineering, for the hydrothermal method was found that the temperature and time are major factors during stabilizing of phases. From this study it was concluded that both synthesis methods are suitable for obtaining nanoparticles and stabilization of different phases of calcium phosphate, being protocols 1, 3 and 4 the most suitable for biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present a methodological approach to obtain the cost-benefit impact at environmental and socioeconomic level, related to the integration of Advanced Measurement Infrastructure into utilities and their residential customers. The methodology used to quantify the costs and benefits of implementing such technology was established by the European Union and adjusted to the local context. It is worth highlighting that this methodology can be used to evaluate any kind of Smart Grid project. The socioeconomic benefits estimated in this research were related to job creation, energy consumption decrease, reduction of non-technical losses, and the reduction of CO2 emissions. An economic analysis using the net present value is presented here for assessing the impact caused by smart metering implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principles and some applications of the digital lensless holographic microscopy (DLHM) to study the microworld are shown in this paper. The recording and reconstruction processes of the DLHM are analyzed to study its lateral resolution power. The effect of the spatial coherence in the study of a section of the head of a Drosophila melanogaster fly are presented. DLHM is applied to study dwynamic and static colloidal systems as a proof of the capability of achieving micrometer spatial lateral resolution without the use of lenses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology for the identification of high spatial density mode shapes of a dynamical system under harmonic excitation that use information from a mobile sensor. The methodology is verified numerically and experimentally with uniform simply supported beams under sinusoidal excitation. High correlation is found between the theoretical and the numerically identified mode shapes in the simulations. High correlation is also obtained between the operational mode shape identified using a traditional modal identification approach and the one using the proposed methodology during the experimental validation. The methodology minimizes errors in the identification process due to the influence of the non-resonant modes and it is robust to uncertainties in the initial identification of the natural frequencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of a study pursuing the evaluation of the CO2 emissions behavior by fossil fuel combustion from the agricultural equipment used during the land sequence preparation and pre-harvest activities in a sugarcane crop corresponding to a sugar mill of the Valle del Cauca state, as a local study case. A simulation model from the system dynamics point of view was developed as a research methodology. The main results reveal that the land sequence preparation activities represent 73% of the total CO2 emissions in respect of the pre-harvest activities considered in this study, like the fertilization and the weed control. Through some sensitivity analyses by considering a complete conversion from commercial to organic area for the next 25 years, it is not possible to observe significant changes in the cumulative levels of CO2 emissions (decrease of 2.3%). However, changing the land sequence preparation from "conventional" to "light 3", these emissions reduced up to 22.65%. Thus, we obtained a carbon footprint of 70,103.8 t of CO2-eq and a level of cost savings of 64% compared to the diesel fuel. Finally, this research shows that the adoption of specific agricultural practices by agro-ecological zones represents an opportunity to reduce the long-term CO2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment (domestic, storm water, landfill leachate, acid drainage mine) has increase since the mid 90's. This paper presented the results of the study at pilot scale of constructed wetland (CW) for landfill leachate (LL) treatment planted with polycultures of tropical species Gynerium sagittatum (Gs), Colocasia esculenta (Ce) and Heliconia psittacorum (He). The CW cells were operated during 7 months at continuous gravity flow (Q=0.5 m³ d-1). Three CWs were divided into three sections, and each section (5.98 m2) was seeded with 36 cuttings of each species. The other unit was planted randomly. The final distribution of plants in the CW cells was: CW-I (He- Ce-Gs), CW-II (randomly), CW-III (Ce-Gs-He) and CW-IV (Gs-He-Ce). All CW cells received pre-treated LL from a high-rate anaerobic pond (BLAAT®) operating as primary treatment. Influent and effluent from each CW cell were analysed for total and filtered COD weekly and heavy metal (HM) (Cd, Pb and Hg) fortnightly. Flowering, stem length, Chlorophyll and photosynthetic rates in plants were measured fortnightly. The removal efficiencies were good; with better performances in CW-IV (60-90%) for all parameters, indicating that plant distribution may affect the removal capacity of CW cells. All plants presented a good physiological response and constant growth along the research period. The native plants thus demonstrated their suitability for phytoremediation of LL and all could be categorized as HM accumulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The range of application of the methods of angular spectrum and Fresnel-Fraunhofer transform to compute numerical diffraction is evaluated via the basic optics concepts of Babinet's principle and Frenel's zones number. Conventionally, such limit is determined by assessing the correct sampling of the impulse response of the free space for each method as it evolves from the aperture to infinity. In this paper we make combined use of Babinet's principle and Fresnel's zones number to determine the phase that an optical wave field must exhibit after being propagated a given distance; the deviation of the phase of the optical field from the forecasted value is the metric utilized for testing the validity of the propagation method. The results show that the limit of application of the methods angular spectrum and Fresnel- Fraunhofer transform must be revisited. We propose a new limit that accounts for the number of pixels utilized for the correct sampling of a phase jump. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of rainfall information with high spatial resolution is of fundamental importance in many applications in the field of water resources. Commonly, the rainfall data in developing countries are obtained by rain gauge stations. However, many studies show that traditional measures based on rain gauge stations may not reflect the spatial variation of rainfall effectively. Although satellite data have been widely used around the world, when applied to local regions the spatial resolution of these products is too coarse. In this paper, an approach to identify a downscaling method through geostatistical regionalization to improve water resources models with short spatial and temporal scales and with limited rainfall data is presented. Three different models were applied: Cokriging, Inverse Distance Weight (IDW) and Kriging. Statistical parameters such as mean absolute error (MAE) and root mean square error (RMSE) were computed. A cross-validation process showed a better fit for most of the stations using the Cokriging method. The regionalization results were quite comparable with the rain gauge stations data. Although the model outcomes did not improve remarkably, the contribution of this approach may have the potential to provide useful rainfall data at spatial scales shorter than the present resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design and implementation of a mechatronic device to facilitate learning of Braille literacy system, aimed primarily at children between 4 and 8 years, taking into account physical and functional aspects that guarantee comfort, motivation, permanence and accessibility Braille language. The device communicates wirelessly with a computer and it is integrated with software that serves as a tutor, telling the user that the character is being studied by an audible signal, evaluating what he writes emitting a sound of right or wrong and showing on the monitor for support staff / teacher supervises learning. The functionality of the equipment was validated visually impaired children [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of crowds in soccer stadia produce dynamic loads which can in turn induce changes to the dynamic properties of the structural system and cause vibrations that exceed admissible comfort levels. The South Grandstand of the Pascual Guerrero Olympic Stadium in Cali, Colombia, has been the traditional stand for the rowdiest groups of fans during the soccer season, making it ideal for studies on human-structure interaction and structural reliability. This paper describes the analysis of the structural reliability of the grandstand using serviceability limit states recommended in international standards. The methodology included the characterization of the dynamic response of the structure during several soccer matches, the formulation of the load functions for people jumping, simulations of the location of spectators in the stand using fuzzy logic and the incorporation of this information in a finite element model that was updated with experimental results. Structural reliability indexes were obtained for the response of the grandstand to anthropic loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cauca River is the main surface water source in Valle del Cauca. In the past 25 years, it has registered important flows causing floods as the ones that occurred between 2010 and 2011, whose effects passed in economic losses for the region. The aim of this paper is to carry out a hydrological analysis of historical floods of the Cauca River. The methodology was structured in three stages to identify the most influential hydro-meteorological factors: i) General description of the basin to identify the main characteristics; (ii) Analysis of the frequency of maximum events, applying probability distribution functions to series of precipitation and maximum daily flows; and iii) The hydrological characterization of floods that occurred after the Salvajina dam was constructed (1988-2011). As a result, it was identified that the most influential factor causing floods is the precipitations associated with the cool phase of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), La Niña; it significantly affects the river's flow volume, and its tributaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper was studied the adsorption of Hg(II) by using lignocellulosic residual biomass from bagasse palm and yam peels, which were chemically treated with citric acid. The concentrations of Hg(II) ions in the supernatant were analyzed by the formation of the Hg(CNS)4-2 complex, which was measured through the absorption in the ultraviolet region (281nm). It was determined that the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups present in the chemically modified biomaterials have a huge contribution in the adsorption process. We estimated a maximum capacity of adsorption about 385,80 and 356,86mg/g for citric acid treated yam peels and bagasse palm, respectively. It was also determined that the Elovich kinetic model and the Freundlich isotherm model were the best to describe the adsorption process of Hg(II) onto both biomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]