AER Neuro-Inspired interface to Anthropomorphic Robotic Hand

Address-Event-Representation (AER) is a communication protocol for transferring asynchronous events between VLSI chips, originally developed for neuro-inspired processing systems (for example, image processing). Such systems may consist of a complicated hierarchical structure with many chips that transmit data among them in real time, while performing some processing (for example, convolutions). The information transmitted is a sequence of spikes coded using high speed digital buses. These multi-layer and multi-chip AER systems perform actually not only image processing, but also audio processing, filtering, learning, locomotion, etc. This paper present an AER interface for controlling an anthropomorphic robotic hand with a neuro-inspired system.Unión Europea IST-2001-34124 (CAVIAR)Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC-2003-08164-C03-02Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC2000-0406-P4- 0

Integración de un proxy inverso NGINX con un panel de control Virtualmin para crear una plataforma de servicios de hospedaje Web

[ES] La utilización de un proxy inverso es una técnica que permite mejorar prestaciones y reducir la carga de los servidores mientras que se mantiene compatibilidad con los servidores web más populares, como por ejemplo Apache. Virtualmin GPL es un panel de control y gestor de plataformas webs, open source, que permite crear y configurar de forma automática todos los recursos asociados con un hospedaje web basado en el servidor Apache. El objeto de este proyecto es instalar este software en un servidor e integrarlo con NGINX en su modialidad de proxy inverso de forma que se pueda gestionar de forma transparente desde el panel de control Virtualmin. El desarrollo se realizará en máquinas virtuales para tener mayor flexibilidad. Se realizarán inicialmente configuraciones manuales, se afinarán los parámetros de configuración y posteriormente se diseñarán scripts de automatización. Se utilizará el S.O. Linux con distribución CENTOS.[EN] The use of a reverse proxy is a technique that allows you to improve the performance and decrease the servers load while the compatibility with the most popular web servers like Apache is kept. Virtualmin GPL is an open source control panel and hosting manager that allows you to create and configure automatically all resources associated with an Apache based hosting web. The purpose of this project is to install this software on a server and integrate it with NGINX in reverse proxy mode, so it can be managed in a transparent way from Virtualmin. The development has been made on a virtual machine for greater flexibility. Initially the tools have been analyzed and then the automatization scripts that make all the configurations have been designed. All of this was done using CentOS Linux Operating System distribution.Molina Coronado, B. (2015). Integración de un proxy inverso NGINX con un panel de control Virtualmin para crear una plataforma de servicios de hospedaje Web. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/54167.TFG

Litterfall Dynamics and Nutrient Cycling in Mangrove Forests of Southern Everglades, Florida and Terminos Lagoon, Mexico.

The objective of this dissertation was to investigate the processes that control litterfall and nutrient dynamics in two contrasting mangrove ecosystems at the Southeastern (SE) Everglades and Terminos Lagoon. The main objectives were: (a) to determine the spatial and temporal variability of litterfall dynamics, (b) to evaluate the relative importance of nutrient use efficiency as a nutrient conservation mechanism along a natural nutrient gradient, and (c) to assess the relative importance of nutrient resorption on litterfall dynamics. Two hypotheses were tested: (a) mangrove species living in nutrient-poor environments and in nutrient-rich environments do not differ in the efficiency in using nutrients, (b) nutrient resorption and nutrient immobilization do not differ along a natural nutrient gradient. Litterfall rates were lowest in a dwarf mangrove forest at SE Everglades and highest in fringe and riverine forests at Terminos Lagoon. Litterfall dynamics were linked to the local tidal pattern at each study site. Litter turnover rates were higher in areas most influenced by tides and lower in areas less affected by tides. In areas where tides were less frequent litterfall turnover was lower and nutrient immobilization was higher. Laguncularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle were more efficient In resorbing both phosphorus and nitrogen than Avicennia germinans. This pattern was similar at both study regions; however, nutrient resorption was higher at SE Everglades sites and lower at Terminos Lagoon sites. Also, phosphorus resorption was higher than that of nitrogen, indicating that in carbonate environments phosphorus is more limiting than nitrogen. Since nutrient resorption was higher at SE Everglades, dry matter degradation was slower at these sites, relative to Terminos Lagoon. Thus, nutrient resorption plays an important role in controlling the nutrient economy in mangrove forests where phosphorus is limiting. Nutrient resorption was linked to patterns of litterfall dynamics. Thus, in mangrove forests where leaf turnover was high, nutrient conservation was enhanced at the canopy level, while at sites where leaf turnover was low, nutrient immobilization via leaf decomposition became an important mechanism to recycle nutrients

Estimating The Costs And Cost-effectiveness Of Promoting Mammography Screening Among US-based Latinas

Purpose: We characterize the costs and cost-effectiveness of a community health worker (CHW)-based intervention to promote screening mammography among US-based non-adherent Latinas. Methods: The parent study was a randomized controlled trial for 536 Latinas aged 42-74 years old who had sought care within a safety net health center in Western Washington. Participants were block-randomized within clinic to the control arm (usual care) or intervention arm (CHW-led motivational interviewing intervention). We used the perspective of the organization implementing promotional activities to characterize costs and cost-effectiveness. Cost data were categorized as program set-up and maintenance (initial training, booster/annual training) program implementation (administrative activities, intervention delivery); and, overhead/miscellaneous expenses. Cost-effectiveness was calculated as the incremental cost of screening for each additional woman screened between the intervention and control arms. Results: The respective costs per participant for standard care and the intervention arm were $69.96 and$300.99. There were no study arm differences in 1-year QALYs among women who completed a 12-month follow-up survey (intervention= 0.8827, standard care = 0.8841). Most costs pertained to program implementation and administrative activities specifically. The incremental cost per additional woman screened was $2,595.32. Conclusions: Our findings are within the ranges of costs and cost-effectiveness for other CHW programs to promote screening mammography among underserved populations. Our strong study design and focus on non-adherent women provides important strengths to this body of work, especially give implementation and dissemination science efforts regarding CHW-based health promotion for health disparity populations

Estudio de los sensores táctiles artificiales aplicados a la robótica de agarre

En este Artículo se muestra un estudio comparativo del sistema sensorial humano y de su aplicación a un sistema de agarre robot, mediante las diferentes tipos de sensores artificiales y su respuesta a diversos estímulos externos. Se muestra una solución a partir de superficies táctiles artificiales, formadas por sensores piezorresistivos

A neural model of hand grip formation during reach to grasp

In this paper, we investigate the spatio temporal dynamics of hand pre-shaping during prehension through a biologically plausible neural network model. It is proposed that the hand grip formation in prehension con be understood in terms of basic motor programs that can be resealed both spatially and temporally to accommodate different task demands. The model assumes a timing coordinative role to propioceptive reafferent information generated by the reaching component of the movement, moidiiig the need of a pre-organized firnctional temporal structure for the timing of prehension as some previous models have proposed. Predictions of the model in both Normal and Altered initial hand aperture conditions match key kinematic features present in human data. The differences between the proposed model and previous models predictions are used to tiy to identifi the majorprinciples underlying prehensile behavior

Efficient Concept Drift Handling for Batch Android Malware Detection Models

The rapidly evolving nature of Android apps poses a significant challenge to static batch machine learning algorithms employed in malware detection systems, as they quickly become obsolete. Despite this challenge, the existing literature pays limited attention to addressing this issue, with many advanced Android malware detection approaches, such as Drebin, DroidDet and MaMaDroid, relying on static models. In this work, we show how retraining techniques are able to maintain detector capabilities over time. Particularly, we analyze the effect of two aspects in the efficiency and performance of the detectors: 1) the frequency with which the models are retrained, and 2) the data used for retraining. In the first experiment, we compare periodic retraining with a more advanced concept drift detection method that triggers retraining only when necessary. In the second experiment, we analyze sampling methods to reduce the amount of data used to retrain models. Specifically, we compare fixed sized windows of recent data and state-of-the-art active learning methods that select those apps that help keep the training dataset small but diverse. Our experiments show that concept drift detection and sample selection mechanisms result in very efficient retraining strategies which can be successfully used to maintain the performance of the static Android malware state-of-the-art detectors in changing environments.Comment: 18 page

A new neural architecture based on ART and AVITE models for anticipatory sensory-motor coordination in robotics

In this paper a novel sensory-motor neural controller applied to robotic systems for reaching and tracking targets is proposed. It is based on how the human system projects the sensorial stimulus over the motor joints, sending motor commands to each articulation and avoiding, in most phases of the movement, the feedback of the visual information. In this way, the proposed neural architecture autonomously generates a learning cells structure based on the adaptive resonance theory, together with a neural mapping of the sensory-motor coordinate systems in each cell of the arm workspace. It permits a fast openloop control based on propioceptive information of a robot and a precise grasping position in each cell by mapping 3D spatial positions over redundant joints. The proposed architecture has been trained, implemented and tested in a visuo-motor robotic platform. Robustness, precision and velocity characteristics have been validated.This work was supported in part by the SENECA Fundation (Spain) PCMC75/ 00078/FS/02, and the Spanish Science & Technology Ministry (MCYT) under TIC 2003-08164-C03-03 research project

La Influencia de los Productos Hidrofugantes en la Succión del Ladrillo Cerámico Cara Vista

Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Cerámica y Vidrio

Control de agarre y posicionamiento en una plataforma robot con sensores táctiles

En este artículo se presenta una plataforma formada por un brazo robot de 5 grados de libertad y una pinza robot de 1 sólo grado de libertad, con superficies táctiles. Este sistema obtiene, en tiempo real, las distribuciones de presión cuando un objeto ha sido agarrado, produciendo una realimentación del control de la posición y fuerza