Disseny, implementació i calibratge d'una plataforma de Gough-Stewart

El present projecte és un estudi sobre un aspecte important en el disseny d'un robot paral·lel. Aquest tipus de robots es diferencien dels més coneguts robots sèrie en que tenen diferents cadenes d'accionaments (anomenades cadenes cinemàtiques, o també conegudes com a “braços” o “potes”) per controlar el seu extrem, anomenat efector final, en oposició a la única cadena cinemàtica que tenen els robots sèrie. En particular, l'objectiu és desenvolupar i aplicar una metodologia per a trobar les posicions d'uns punts característics de la plataforma de Gough-Stewart. Específicament, els punts a trobar del robot són els punts d'ancoratge de les cadenes cinemàtiques tant a la base com a la plataforma, que fa d'efector final. Un objectiu secundari és determinar si és factible l'ús de servo motors de mida i cost reduïts per a la fabricació de robots paral·lels. El motiu per trobar aquests punts correspon a la necessitat de voler fer el calibratge de robots reconfigurables. Un robot del qual es poden canviar els seus elements a mà requereix d'una forma de trobar les posicions dels punts d'ancoratge, ja que, encara que es vulguin col·locar de forma molt específica o marcant les mides en la base o la plataforma del robot, es requereix que la posició sigui coneguda amb exactitud per no augmentar els errors de mesura o de càlcul. Per aconseguir això s'ha desenvolupat un mètode numèric i s'ha construït un prototipus sobre el que s'ha provat aquest mètode. Degut a la complexitat de definir matemàticament la naturalesa dels robots paral·lels i al seu elevat nombre d'incògnites, el càlcul utilitzat és un algorisme iteratiu basat en el mètode de Newton. S'ha fet adoptar diverses postures al robot prototipus per obtenir una quantitat suficient de dades i poder realitzar el càlcul. Aquestes dades llegides són la posició i orientació de l'efector final i s'obtenen per mitjà d'un emissor-receptor magnètic. Un cop amb aquestes dades, el mètode iteratiu avalua una funció a partir d'una aproximació inicial dels resultats, troba la seva matriu jacobiana (basada en les derivades d'aquesta funció) i modifica aquests resultats per apropar-se a uns resultats que avaluïn correctament aquesta funció. Els resultats d'aplicar aquesta metodologia són prou positius. Les posicions trobades són tan properes com ho permet la precisió dels seus elements, ja sigui la del sensor de posicionament per camp magnètic com la dels propis motors. A més, el nombre de postures a adoptar per arribar a aquesta precisió no ha de superar necessàriament el mínim, així com tampoc hi ha problemes en l'elecció dels punts de l'aproximació inicial dels resultats. No obstant, hi ha alguns punts que han resultat ser problemàtics. Per exemple, els motors utilitzats no han resultat ser suficientment precisos per a la tasca necessària i han donat nombrosos problemes a l'hora d'avaluar-la. Una altra limitació ha estat a nivell tecnològic, i és que el fet d'utilitzar una lectura de camp magnètic provoca que els elements metàl·lics propers interfereixin amb aquestes mesures degut als corrents de Foucault induïts pel propi camp sobre el material conductor

The Transformation of Conflicts into Relational Well-Being in Physical Education: GIAM Model

To educate the relational well-being in order to learn to live together in society is one of the main needs of modern physical education (PE). Teachers are in need of pedagogical models to instruct peaceful coexistence and transform possible conflicts into PE. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of a pedagogical model (GIAM model) designed for conflict transformation on the relational well-being of students in obligatory secondary school (ESO in Spain). This study was an empirical research (associative strategy, comparative study using mixed methods). A number of 287 valid students (M = 14.90; SD = 0.66) participated in this study from 4 different secondary schools (SSs): third ESO (SS1 (n = 75); SS3 (n = 45); SS4 (n = 86)) and fourth ESO (SS2 (n = 81)). A sequence of seven learning sessions was conducted, the intervention of the teachers on the GIAM model and the student’s motivational climate perception caused by this learning sequence was analyzed. The teachers who best adapted their intervention to the GIAM model obtained greater significant changes (p < 0.005) in favor of the relational well-being of their students. This research provides scientific evidence and intervention strategies for students to learn how to transform the conflicts, adopting a collaborating style based on reflection-for, -in- and on-motor action

Land-Use Change and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in an Urbanizing Area of South India: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Land-use changes in city fringes due to urbanization can lead to a reduction of greenspace that may reduce its associated health benefits. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the association between changes in residential surrounding built-up land use and cardiometabolic risk factors in an urbanizing peri-urban area of south India and explored the mediating roles of air pollution, physical activity, and stress in these associations. METHODS: We analyzed data on 6,039 adults from the third follow-up of the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parent Study (APCAPS) cohort (2010-2012). We generated trajectories of change in residential surrounding built-up land use (buffer areas) from 1995-2009 (stable, slow increase, fast increase) using remote sensing data and image classification methods. We estimated associations between built-up land use trajectories and natural log-transformed blood pressure, waist circumference, triglycerides, fasting glucose, and non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol using linear mixed models. We accounted for multiple mediators and the multilevel structure of the data in mediation analyses. RESULTS: We observed positive associations between a fast increase in built-up land use within 300m of the home and all cardiometabolic risk factors. Compared with participants with stable trajectories, those with the largest increase in built-up land use had 1.5% (95% CI: 0.1, 2.9) higher systolic blood pressure, 2.4% (95% CI: 0.6, 4.3) higher diastolic blood pressure, 2.1% (95% CI: 0.5, 3.8) higher waist circumference, and 1.6% (95% CI: -0.6, 3.8) higher fasting glucose in fully adjusted models. Associations were positive, but not statistically significant, for triglycerides, fasting glucose, and non-HDL cholesterol. Physical activity and ambient particulate matter ≤2.5μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) partially mediated the estimated associations. Associations between fast build-up and all cardiometabolic risk factors except non-HDL cholesterol were stronger in women than men. DISCUSSION: Increases in built-up land use surrounding residences were consistently associated with higher levels of cardiometabolic risk factors. Our findings support the need for better integration of health considerations in urban planning in rapidly urbanizing settings. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5445

Outdoor residential noise exposure and sleep in preadolescents from two European birth cohorts

Objective : To examine whether outdoor residential exposure to annual average road traffic and multiple (i.e., road traffic, railway, aircraft, industry) noise levels is related with preadolescents' sleep using maternal-reported and wrist-actigraphy data in two European birth cohorts. Methods : This cross-sectional study used data of 1245 preadolescents from the Dutch Generation R Study and 232 from the Spanish INMA-Sabadell cohort with a mean age of 12.3 years old. We used noise maps to assess average outdoor road traffic and multiple noise levels (day-evening-night noise indicator, LDEN) at each child's residential address for the year before the sleep assessment. Sleep disturbances were reported by mothers through the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and objectively recorded using GeneActiv wrist-actigraphy during seven subsequent days. Linear and Poisson regression models adjusted for several potential confounding variables were performed. Results : The mean (SD) exposure to road traffic noise was 53.2 dB (7.3) in the Generation R Study and 61.3 dB (5.9) in the INMA-Sabadell cohort. Exposure to road traffic was related with reduced total sleep time and longer wake after sleep onset (e.g. −3.62 min (95%CI -6.87; −0.37) and 6.88 min (95%CI 1.15; 12.61) per an increase of 10 dB in road traffic noise, respectively) collected by wrist-actigraphy. We observed no association between road traffic exposure and maternal-reported sleep disturbances. Results were similar for multiple noise exposure. Conclusions : These findings indicate that sleep may be compromised for preadolescents living in areas highly exposed to outdoor residential noise. Future studies using longitudinal designs to further explore these associations during the different stages of sleep development across childhood and adolescence are warranted. Also, wrist-actigraphy measurements which provide more accurate information and may be complementary to the parental- and self-reported data should be considered

Environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts

Background: Environmental noise exposure is increasing but limited research has been done on the association with emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms in children. Objective: To analyze the association between prenatal and childhood environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and ADHD-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts. Methods: We included 534 children from the Spanish INMA-Sabadell Project and 7424 from the Dutch Generation R Study. Average 24 h noise exposure at the participants’ home address during pregnancy and childhood periods were estimated using EU maps from road traffic noise and total noise (road, aircraft, railway, and industry). Symptom outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Child Behavioral Checklist, ADHD Criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition List, and Conner's Parent Rating Scale-Revised at 4, 7 and 9 years (INMA-Sabadell cohort) and 18 months, 3, 5, and 9 years (Generation R Study). Adjusted linear mixed models of prenatal and repeated childhood noise exposure with repeated symptom outcomes were run separately by cohort and overall estimates were combined with random-effects meta-analysis. Results: Average prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure levels were 61.3 (SD 6.1) and 61.7 (SD 5.8) for INMA-Sabadell and 54.6 (SD 7.9) and 51.6 (SD 7.1) for Generation R, respectively. Prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure were not associated with emotional, aggressive, or ADHD-related symptoms. No heterogeneity was observed between cohorts and results were comparable for total noise exposure. Conclusions: No association was observed between prenatal or childhood road traffic or total noise exposure and symptom outcomes in children. Future studies should include a more comprehensive noise exposure assessment considering noise sensitivity and noise exposure at different settings such as work for pregnant women and school for children

Exposure to outdoor residential noise during pregnancy, embryonic size, fetal growth, and birth outcomes

INTRODUCTION: Previous literature suggested that noise exposure during pregnancy was not associated with adverse birth outcomes. However, no studies evaluated the association between noise exposure and embryonic and fetal growth, or mutually assessed other urban environmental exposures such as traffic-related air pollution or natural spaces. METHODS: We included 7947 pregnant women from the Generation R Study, the Netherlands. We estimated total (road traffic, aircraft, railway, and industry), road traffic, and railway noise at the participants' home addresses during pregnancy using environmental noise maps. We estimated traffic-related air pollution using land-use regression models, greenness within a 300 m buffer using the normalized difference vegetation index, and distance to blue spaces using topographical maps at the home addresses. Embryonic size (crown-rump length) and fetal growth parameters (head circumference, femur length, and estimated fetal weight) were measured by ultrasound at several gestational ages. Information on neonatal anthropometrics at birth (head circumference, length, and weight) and adverse birth outcomes (preterm birth, low birth weight, and small for gestational age) were retrieved from medical records. RESULTS: Higher total noise exposure during pregnancy was associated with larger crown-rump length (0.07 SDS [95%CI 0.00 to 0.14]). No association was found with fetal growth parameters, neonatal anthropometrics, and adverse birth outcomes. Similar results were observed for road traffic noise exposure, while railway noise exposure was not associated with any of the outcomes. Traffic-related air pollution was not associated with crown-rump length. Total noise exposure mediated 15% of the association between exposure to greenness and smaller crown-rump length. No association was observed between distance to blue spaces and total noise exposure. CONCLUSION: Exposure to outdoor residential noise during pregnancy was associated with larger embryonic size. Moreover, a reduction of total noise exposure during pregnancy partially mediated the association between exposure to greenness and smaller embryonic size. Additional research is warranted to confirm and further understand these novel findings

Outdoor residential noise exposure and sleep in preadolescents from two European birth cohorts

Objective: To examine whether outdoor residential exposure to annual average road traffic and multiple (i.e., road traffic, railway, aircraft, industry) noise levels is related with preadolescents' sleep using maternal-reported and wrist-actigraphy data in two European birth cohorts. Methods: This cross-sectional study used data of 1245 preadolescents from the Dutch Generation R Study and 232 from the Spanish INMA-Sabadell cohort with a mean age of 12.3 years old. We used noise maps to assess average outdoor road traffic and multiple noise levels (day-evening-night noise indicator, LDEN) at each child's residential address for the year before the sleep assessment. Sleep disturbances were reported by mothers through the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and objectively recorded using GeneActiv wrist-actigraphy during seven subsequent days. Linear and Poisson regression models adjusted for several potential confounding variables were performed. Results: The mean (SD) exposure to road traffic noise was 53.2 dB (7.3) in the Generation R Study and 61.3 dB (5.9) in the INMA-Sabadell cohort. Exposure to road traffic was related with reduced total sleep time and longer wake after sleep onset (e.g. -3.62 min (95%CI -6.87; -0.37) and 6.88 min (95%CI 1.15; 12.61) per an increase of 10 dB in road traffic noise, respectively) collected by wrist-actigraphy. We observed no association between road traffic exposure and maternal-reported sleep disturbances. Results were similar for multiple noise exposure. Conclusions: These findings indicate that sleep may be compromised for preadolescents living in areas highly exposed to outdoor residential noise. Future studies using longitudinal designs to further explore these associations during the different stages of sleep development across childhood and adolescence are warranted. Also, wrist-actigraphy measurements which provide more accurate information and may be complementary to the parental- and self-reported data should be considered

Air pollution exposure during pregnancy and childhood, cognitive function, and emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents

Background: Exposure to air pollution may impact neurodevelopment during childhood, but current evidence on the association with cognitive function and mental health is inconclusive and primarily focusses on young children. Therefore, we aim to study the association of exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and childhood, with cognitive function and emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents. Methods: We used data from 5170 participants of a birth cohort in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Concentrations of fourteen air pollutants at participant's home addresses were estimated during pregnancy and childhood, using land use regression models. We included four cognitive domains (processing speed, working memory, fluid reasoning and verbal intelligence quotient (IQ)) and an estimated full-scale IQ. Internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems were self- and parent-reported. We used linear regression models to assess the association of each air pollutant, with cognitive function and emotional and behavioral problems, adjusting for socioeconomic status and lifestyle characteristics. Then, we performed multipollutant analyses using the Deletion/Substitution/Addition (DSA) algorithm. Results: Air pollution exposure was not associated with full-scale IQ, working memory, or processing speed. Higher exposure to few air pollutants was associated with higher fluid reasoning and verbal IQ scores (e.g. 0.22 points of fluid reasoning (95%CI 0.00; 0.44) per 1 μg/m3 increase in organic carbon during pregnancy). Higher exposure to some air pollutants was also associated with less internalizing, externalizing, and attention problems (e.g. -0.27 internalizing problems (95% CI -0.52; -0.02) per each 5 ng/m3 increase in copper during pregnancy). Conclusions: Higher exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and childhood was not associated with lower cognitive function or more emotional and behavioral problems in adolescents. Based on previous literature and biological plausibility, the observed protective associations are probably explained by negative residual confounding, selection bias, or chance and do not represent a causal relationship

Environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts

Background: Environmental noise exposure is increasing but limited research has been done on the association with emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms in children. Objective: To analyze the association between prenatal and childhood environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and ADHD-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts. Methods: We included 534 children from the Spanish INMA-Sabadell Project and 7424 from the Dutch Generation R Study. Average 24 h noise exposure at the participants' home address during pregnancy and childhood periods were estimated using EU maps from road traffic noise and total noise (road, aircraft, railway, and industry). Symptom outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Child Behavioral Checklist, ADHD Criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition List, and Conner's Parent Rating Scale-Revised at 4, 7 and 9 years (INMA-Sabadell cohort) and 18 months, 3, 5, and 9 years (Generation R Study). Adjusted linear mixed models of prenatal and repeated childhood noise exposure with repeated symptom outcomes were run separately by cohort and overall estimates were combined with random-effects meta-analysis. Results: Average prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure levels were 61.3 (SD 6.1) and 61.7 (SD 5.8) for INMA-Sabadell and 54.6 (SD 7.9) and 51.6 (SD 7.1) for Generation R, respectively. Prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure were not associated with emotional, aggressive, or ADHD-related symptoms. No heterogeneity was observed between cohorts and results were comparable for total noise exposure. Conclusions: No association was observed between prenatal or childhood road traffic or total noise exposure and symptom outcomes in children. Future studies should include a more comprehensive noise exposure assessment considering noise sensitivity and noise exposure at different settings such as work for pregnant women and school for children.Background: Environmental noise exposure is increasing but limited research has been done on the association with emotional, aggressive, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-related symptoms in children. Objective: To analyze the association between prenatal and childhood environmental noise exposure and emotional, aggressive, and ADHD-related symptoms in children from two European birth cohorts. Methods: We included 534 children from the Spanish INMA-Sabadell Project and 7424 from the Dutch Generation R Study. Average 24 h noise exposure at the participants' home address during pregnancy and childhood periods were estimated using EU maps from road traffic noise and total noise (road, aircraft, railway, and industry). Symptom outcomes were assessed using validated questionnaires: Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Child Behavioral Checklist, ADHD Criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition List, and Conner's Parent Rating Scale-Revised at 4, 7 and 9 years (INMA-Sabadell cohort) and 18 months, 3, 5, and 9 years (Generation R Study). Adjusted linear mixed models of prenatal and repeated childhood noise exposure with repeated symptom outcomes were run separately by cohort and overall estimates were combined with random-effects meta-analysis. Results: Average prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure levels were 61.3 (SD 6.1) and 61.7 (SD 5.8) for INMA-Sabadell and 54.6 (SD 7.9) and 51.6 (SD 7.1) for Generation R, respectively. Prenatal and childhood road traffic noise exposure were not associated with emotional, aggressive, or ADHD-related symptoms. No heterogeneity was observed between cohorts and results were comparable for total noise exposure. Conclusions: No association was observed between prenatal or childhood road traffic or total noise exposure and symptom outcomes in children. Future studies should include a more comprehensive noise exposure assessment considering noise sensitivity and noise exposure at different settings such as work for pregnant women and school for children