Development of a Dynamic Goniometer with an Incremental Encoder

Angle dynamic measurements of body joints have become an important parameter to know for sportsmen, physicians and analysts of rehabilitation processes. The development of devices that allows those measurements turns out to be a hard work for biomedical engineers because during the acquisition process the mechanical system usually affects the natural joints movements. Digital goniometers have been constructed using different electronic principles, especially using resistance variations in potentiometers. In this paper we propose the construction of a dynamic goniometer with an incremental encoder using a mechanical transmission between a hinge and a pulley connected to an optical disk. The rotation is detected with an infrared led and a phototransistor. Calculations are done through a microcontroller and finally shown in real time using a liquid crystal display (LCD).La medición dinámica de los ángulos articulares se ha convertido en un parámetro fundamental para deportistas, médicos y analistas de los procesos de rehabilitación. El desarrollo de dispositivos para estas aplicaciones ha presentado retos importantes debido a la imposibilidad de implementar los sistemas mecánicos requeridos para la medición, sin afectar el movimiento natural de las articulaciones. Los goniómetros digitales se han construido a partir de diferentes principios electrónicos, particularmente basados en las variaciones resistivas de potenciómetros. Este trabajo muestra el desarrollo e implementación de un goniómetro dinámico basado en un encoder incremental con un sistema de transmisión mecánico entre una articulación de tipo bisagra y una polea conectada a un disco óptico. La rotación se detecta con un LED infrarrojo y un fototransistor. El cálculo del movimiento angular en la articulación se realiza con un microcontrolador. Finalmente los datos se muestran en tiempo real en una pantalla de cristal líquido (LCD)

Detrital zircon typology and U/Pb geochronology for the Miocene Ladrilleros-Juanchaco sedimentary sequence, Equatorial Pacific (Colombia) : new constraints on provenance and paleogeography in northwestern South America

Typology and internal texture analyses were performed on detrital zircons obtained from the Miocene sandstones of the Ladrilleros-Juanchaco sedimentary sequence (Colombia, Equatorial Pacific). This analysis was complemented with zircon U/Pb dating to identify typology-age associations as indicators of provenance of these sediments. Our results show that zircons with S and P dominant typology have internal structures/zoning that indicate mostly igneous and possibly some metamorphic origins. Morphometric results suggest little transport from source areas. Both typology and U/Pb data point to the Western Cordillera as the main source of the detrital materials of this sedimentary sequence. A paleogeographic reconstruction shows that during Late Miocene times there were significant portions of the Western Cordillera uplifted, eroding away and acting as a fluvio-topographic barrier blocking sediments from the Central Cordillera to reach the Pacific basins. Miocene plutons at the axis of the Western Cordillera were also probably exhumed and played a role as geomorphologically active massifs. This study demonstrates that typologic analysis on detrital zircon grains is a powerful tool as indicator of provenance and paleogeography in complex litho-tectonic areas where overlapping U/Pb signatures can lead to contradictory results

Reliability and validity of body weight and body image perception in children and adolescents from the South American Youth/Child Cardiovascular and Environmental (SAYCARE) Study

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of body weight (BW) and body image (BI) perception reported by parents (in children) and by adolescents in a South American population. Design: Cross-sectional study. BW perception was evaluated by the question, "Do you think you/your child are/is: severely wasted, wasted, normal weight, overweight, obese?" BI perception was evaluated using the Gardner scale. To evaluate reliability, BW and BI perceptions were reported twice, two weeks apart. To evaluate validity, the BW and BI perceptions were compared with WHO BMI Z-scores. Kappa and Kendall's tau-c coefficients were obtained. Setting: Public and private schools and high schools from six countries of South America (Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil). Participants: Children aged 3-10 years (n 635) and adolescents aged 11-17 years (n 400). Results: Reliability of BW perception was fair in children's parents (k=0·337) and substantial in adolescents (k=0·709). Validity of BW perception was slight in children's parents (k=0·176) and fair in adolescents (k=0·268). When evaluating BI, most children were perceived by parents as having lower weight. Reliability of BI perception was slight in children's parents (k=0·124) and moderate in adolescents (k=0·599). Validity of BI perception was poor in children's parents (k=-0·018) and slight in adolescents (k=0·023). Conclusions: Reliability of BW and BI perceptions was higher in adolescents than in children's parents. Validity of BW perception was good among the parents of the children and adolescents with underweight and normal weight

Bacterias solubilizadoras de fosfato y sus potencialidades de uso en la promoción del crecimiento de cultivos de importância económica

La mayoría de los suelos tropicales y subtropicales son deficientes en fósforo biodisponible, por lo que el empleo de bacterias promotoras del crecimiento vegetal, principalmente las solubilizadoras de fosfato, pueden reducir el uso de fertilizantes químicos. El objetivo de este trabajo es ofrecer una panorámica actual acerca de los principales géneros y mecanismos de acción de las bacterias solubilizadoras de fosfatos (BSF), así como analizar su posible empleo en cultivos de importancia económica. La utilización de géneros bacterianos con mayores potencialidades de uso como Pseudomonas y Bacillus unido a aislados promisorios de Azospirillum y Herbaspirilum en cultivos como arroz y café permitiría reducir a largo plazo el uso de productos químicos en la agricultura, así como desarrollar estrategias agronómicas que preserven el medio ambiente. El éxito de estos inoculantes bacterianos depende de la selección de cepas autóctonas eficientes por tipo de suelo, su capacidad de colonizar la rizosfera y de mantener la actividad biológica

Developing a Framework for the Study of Performing Arts Programs for Other-than-artistic Purposes in Conflict Settings

This paper discusses the process of developing a new framework combining ideas from Community Music (Howell, 2018), Social Psychology (Pettigrew, 1998; Odena, 2018) and Peace Studies (Cabedo-Mas, 2015), aimed at providing a tool for researchers wishing to systematically examine Performing Arts programs for other-than-artistic purposes in conflict settings. The framework could also be a tool for organizers and practitioners wishing to reflect on their work and to position it within the wider conflict recovery context. The process of framework development is ongoing, and is part of the activities of a new network including members from Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Spain and the UK, supported by the AHRC and the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2019-2021) and informed by an international Advisory group. The second part of the paper shares the network’s planned activities and selected aspects of a recent doctorate by one of its members (Rodríguez-Sánchez, 2019). Once the framework is developed, we will consider its illuminating potential within the intercultural, political and socioeconomic complexity of conflict settings

Comparing Electronic Monitoring and human observer collected fishery data in the tropical purse seine operating in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

Electronic Monitory (EM) systems have been proven a valid tool for collecting fishery dependent data. They are being widely used in many fisheries as a complement or alternative to human observers to increase the monitoring coverage of fisheries. However, considering its wide application, following agreed minimum standard, it is important to compare the congruence between the information collected by EM and observers. We compared EM and two sets of different observer data collected on 6 trips of tuna purse seiners in the Eastern and Western and Central Pacific Ocean to analyze the similarity of fishing set type identification, estimation of tuna and bycatch catches between both monitoring systems. Overall EM was a valid tool to estimate the type of fishing set. Retained total catch of tunas by set was estimated by EM as reliable as that by both observer programs and logbook. When comparing the information by set, EM estimation of the main species, such as skipjack and bigeye and the combination of bigeye/yellowfin, was proven to be less accurate but statistically similar to the estimates made by both observers’ programs. EM tended to underestimate the retained catch of skipjack in comparison to both observers estimates and slightly overestimate bigeye and yellowfin, the overestimation being less pronounced for bigeye than for yellowfin. For bycatch species, EM is able to identify main bycatch species as observers do. However, the capability of EM to estimate the same number of bycatch items in comparison to IATTC and WCPFC observers varies greatly by species group. For sharks, which are the main bycatch issue in the FAD purse seine fishery, the overall congruence between EM and observers was high. EM and IATTC observer identified a similar overall number of individual sharks, however, WCPFC observers estimated lower number of shark individuals than the other two monitoring systems when considering all trips together.Versión del edito

La prueba: teoría y práctica

Especialistas de talla mundial discurren en torno al núcleo básico de la administración de la justicia: la prueba, un tema fundamental que —precisamente por su carácter basilar— tiende a ser pasado por alto o a revisarse de manera superficial. En esta obra colectiva, se estudian —desde una perspectiva tanto conceptual como práctica— problemas fundamentales en torno a la prueba, desde diferentes puntos de vista que se soportan en diversas áreas del conocimiento como la filosofía, la epistemología, la psicología, entre otras. Modestia aparte, no es fortuito que en el prólogo del libro Bujosa Vadell declare que “está llamado a ser obra de cabecera para los juristas que, desde la academia y desde el foro, se preocupan por una conducción adecuada de la actividad probatoria”. Así pues, académicos, juristas, abogados litigantes y jueces tienen a su disposición la décima segunda entrega del Grupo de Investigaciones en Derecho Procesal, de la Universidad de Medellín, reconocido mundialmente por su compromiso y dedicación a la hora de coordinar esta ya tradicional serie de libros de investigación en derecho procesal.https://catalogo.udem.edu.co/la-prueba-teoria-y-practica--derecho-procesal-civil.html#.XbdVx-gzbc

Microfluidics on the fly: Inexpensive rapid fabrication of thermally laminated microfluidic devices for live imaging and multimodal perturbations of multicellular systems

Microfluidic devices provide a platform for analyzing both natural and synthetic multicellular systems. Currently, substantial capital investment and expertise are required for creating microfluidic devices using standard soft-lithography. These requirements present barriers to entry for many nontraditional users of microfluidics, including developmental biology laboratories. Therefore, fabrication methodologies that enable rapid device iteration and work “out-of-the-box” can accelerate the integration of microfluidics with developmental biology. Here, we have created and characterized low-cost hybrid polyethylene terephthalate laminate (PETL) microfluidic devices that are suitable for cell and micro-organ culture assays. These devices were validated with mammalian cell lines and the Drosophila wing imaginal disc as a model micro-organ. First, we developed and tested PETLs that are compatible with both long-term cultures and high-resolution imaging of cells and organs. Further, we achieved spatiotemporal control of chemical gradients across the wing discs with a multilayered microfluidic device. Finally, we created a multilayered device that enables controllable mechanical loading of micro-organs. This mechanical actuation assay was used to characterize the response of larval wing discs at different developmental stages. Interestingly, increased deformation of the older wing discs for the same mechanical loading suggests that the compliance of the organ is increased in preparation for subsequent morphogenesis. Together, these results demonstrate the applicability of hybrid PETL devices for biochemical and mechanobiology studies on micro-organs and provide new insights into the mechanics of organ development

A network-specific approach to percolation in networks with bidirectional links

Methods for determining the percolation threshold usually study the behavior of network ensembles and are often restricted to a particular type of probabilistic node/link removal strategy. We propose a network-specific method to determine the connectivity of nodes below the percolation threshold and offer an estimate to the percolation threshold in networks with bidirectional links. Our analysis does not require the assumption that a network belongs to a specific ensemble and can at the same time easily handle arbitrary removal strategies (previously an open problem for undirected networks). In validating our analysis, we find that it predicts the effects of many known complex structures (e.g., degree correlations) and may be used to study both probabilistic and deterministic attacks.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figure