The perception of security in the international comparative perspective

The author considers security a key value in present societies all around the world due to the general change in values since the end of the 20th century, which is characterized by a certain return to more materialistic values and a reduction of personal and economic security under the globalization. The article provides two different but complementary theoretical frameworks for the sociological study of security. The first theoretical frame was developed in the late 1970’s as a reaction to the excessive optimism generated by the high levels and rates of economic development during the previous years. Within this conceptual frame the author groups 59 countries into seven geo-cultural world regions, and identifies the change in values not only as a reduction of post-materialist values, but also as an increase in desires for greater authority in the future, particularly in more developed societies. In the second theoretical scheme all forms of social organization (political, economic, family, educational, etc.) including value systems, are instruments of adaptation of human societies to their environment. Thus, the main hypothesis here is that values change because of the levels of security in society, both personal and economic security: as security levels rise or decline, values change. The author considers both theoretically and empirically four indexes of security - personal, community, national and total. According to the European surveys data, developed countries seem to feel subjectively more secure than less developed countries, but variation even among countries within the same world geo-cultural region is very wide. On the basis of three sets of variables used to explain the four indexes of security (socio-demographic, attitudinal, national defence and a combination of the previous three) the author shows that the combined set seems to be the most robust to explain all four indexes of security. However, there is a great variation in the levels of the four types of security among the seven geo-cultural world regions, and among the countries within each region. This implies that the country continues to be the most important unit of analysis in international comparisons, which should take into account both subjective and objective measures of security

Socio-Cultural Differences in Social Exclusion

Received 28 April 2018. Accepted 30 May 2018. Published online 1 July 2018.The main object of this research is to describe social exclusion in a comparative world perspective. Social exclusion is a main concern worldwide. Non-desirable social groups as neighbours are used as a proxy measure to answer three questions: who are the most excluded social groups, who are the excluders, and what are the main explanatory variables of social exclusion. Social exclusion, as a multidimensional phenomenon, is defined in relation to concepts such as stigma, discrimination, and prejudice. Social, economic, political and ideological-religious attitudes are used to construct the profile of the excluder. Social exclusion has been measured through three indexes of social exclusion, personal, group and total exclusion, since a main component analysis demonstrated that the degree of social exclusion varied depending on whether the excluded group was more or less based on personal decisions on one’s behaviour taken by the individual. Based on theory and previous research, four main variables have been tested to explain social exclusion: social position, exposure to information, post-materialist values and perception of security. But other explanatory variables were also added to the analysis. EVS and WVS databases (from 1981 to 2014) have been used, though most of the analysis has been based on the last WVS- 6th wave on 59 countries with a total of more than 85,000 interviews

A Comparative Analysis of 2D and 3D Tasks for Virtual Reality Therapies Based on Robotic-Assisted Neurorehabilitation for Post-stroke Patients

Post-stroke neurorehabilitation based on virtual therapies are performed completing repetitive exercises shown in visual electronic devices, whose content represents imaginary or daily life tasks. Currently, there are two ways of visualization of these task. 3D virtual environments are used to get a three dimensional space that represents the real world with a high level of detail, whose realism is determinated by the resolucion and fidelity of the objects of the task. Furthermore, 2D virtual environments are used to represent the tasks with a low degree of realism using techniques of bidimensional graphics. However, the type of visualization can influence the quality of perception of the task, affecting the patient's sensorimotor performance. The purpose of this paper was to evaluate if there were differences in patterns of kinematic movements when post-stroke patients performed a reach task viewing a virtual therapeutic game with two different type of visualization of virtual environment: 2D and 3D. Nine post-stroke patients have participated in the study receiving a virtual therapy assisted by PUPArm rehabilitation robot. Horizontal movements of the upper limb were performed to complete the aim of the tasks, which consist in reaching peripheral or perspective targets depending on the virtual environment shown. Various parameter types such as the maximum speed, reaction time, path length, or initial movement are analyzed from the data acquired objectively by the robotic device to evaluate the influence of the task visualization. At the end of the study, a usability survey was provided to each patient to analysis his/her satisfaction level. For all patients, the movement trajectories were enhanced when they completed the therapy. This fact suggests that patient's motor recovery was increased. Despite of the similarity in majority of the kinematic parameters, differences in reaction time and path length were higher using the 3D task. Regarding the success rates were very similar. In conclusion, the using of 2D environments in virtual therapy may be a more appropriate and comfortable way to perform tasks for upper limb rehabilitation of post-stroke patients, in terms of accuracy in order to effectuate optimal kinematic trajectories

Efecto de la osteotomía medializante de calcáneo sobre tejidos blandos de soporte del arco plantar: un estudio computacional

Medializing calcaneal osteotomy forms part of the treatment options for adult acquired flat foot. The structural correction that is achieved is widely known. However, the effect of this procedure on the soft tissues that support the plantar arch has been little studied, since it is not possible to quantify experimentally the tension and deformation variations generated. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of medializing calcaneal osteotomy on the soft tissue that supports the plantar arch, using a computational model of the human foot designed with a clinical approach. The proposed finite element model was reconstructed from computerized tomography images of a healthy patient. All the bones of the foot, the plantar fascia, cartilages, plantar ligaments and the calcaneus-navicular ligament were included, respecting their anatomical distribution and biomechanical properties. Simulations were performed emulating the monopodal support phase of the human walk of an adult. The effect on each tissue was evaluated according to clinical and biomechanical criteria. The results show that calcaneal osteotomy reduces the tension normally generated on the evaluated tissues, with the effect on the calcaneus-navicular ligament and the plantar fascia being the most notable. The deformation results obtained are consistent with experimental tests and clinical knowledge. The versatility of this model allows the objective assessment of different conditions and supports decision making for the treatment of adult acquired flat foot in middle and advanced stages

Physiological Responses During Hybrid BNCI Control of an Upper-Limb Exoskeleton

When combined with assistive robotic devices, such as wearable robotics, brain/neural-computer interfaces (BNCI) have the potential to restore the capabilities of handicapped people to carry out activities of daily living. To improve applicability of such systems, workload and stress should be reduced to a minimal level. Here, we investigated the user’s physiological reactions during the exhaustive use of the interfaces of a hybrid control interface. Eleven BNCI-naive healthy volunteers participated in the experiments. All participants sat in a comfortable chair in front of a desk and wore a whole-arm exoskeleton as well as wearable devices for monitoring physiological, electroencephalographic (EEG) and electrooculographic (EoG) signals. The experimental protocol consisted of three phases: (i) Set-up, calibration and BNCI training; (ii) Familiarization phase ; and (iii) Experimental phase during which each subject had to perform EEG and EoG tasks. After completing each task, the NASA-TLX questionnaire and self-assessment manikin (SAM) were completed by the user. We found significant differences (p-value < 0.05) in heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance level (SCL) between participants during the use of the two different biosignal modalities (EEG, EoG) of the BNCI. This indicates that EEG control is associated with a higher level of stress (associated with a decrease in HRV) and mental work load (associated with a higher level of SCL) when compared to EoG control. In addition, HRV and SCL modulations correlated with the subject’s workload perception and emotional responses assessed through NASA-TLX questionnaires and SAM

El nicho ecológico de los hominidos del Pleistoceno Medio de Atapuerca.

Sin resume

Development of a robotic device for post-stroke home tele-rehabilitation

This work deals with the complex mechanical design task of converting a large pneumatic rehabilitation robot into an electric and compact system for in-home post-stroke therapies without losing performance. It presents the new HomeRehab robot that supports rehabilitation therapies in three dimensions with an adaptive controller that optimizes patient recovery. A preliminary usability test is also conducted to show that its performance resembles that found in RoboTherapist 2D commercial system designed for hospitals. The mechanical design of a novel and smart twodimensional force sensor at the end-effector is also described

Muslim Integration into Western Cultures: Between Origins and Destinations

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91196/1/j.1467-9248.2012.00951.x.pd

Sobre proyectos de espacios públicos de calidad: estrategias urbanas comparadas

La ciudad compacta, policéntrica y con espacios públicos de calidad constituye un modelo urbano implícito en los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). La Nueva Agenda Urbana promueve la calidad del espacio público como bien común, y por ello es pertinente reconsiderar los parámetros de calidad e investigar su potencial de desarrollo. Este artículo se fundamenta en una reflexión teórica y metodológica sobre la calidad de los espacios públicos, teniendo en cuenta las aportaciones de la tradición urbanística. Con esta perspectiva se han analizado una selección de proyectos de espacio público en el ámbito europeo, lo que ha permitido identificar una serie de parámetros que, posteriormente, se aplican a nueve ejemplos representativos en Madrid, Barcelona y Zaragoza. El objetivo es efectuar evaluaciones sobre la calidad de los espacios públicos y determinar en qué medida están en relación con las condiciones de seguridad, accesibilidad e inclusividad que estos ofrecen. The polycentric, compact city with quality public spaces constitutes an implicit urban model in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The New Urban Agenda promotes the quality of public space as a common good. Therefore, it is pertinent to reconsider the quality parameters and investigate its development potential. This article is based on a theoretical and methodological reflection on the quality of public spaces, taking into account the contributions of the urban tradition. With this perspective, a selection of public space projects in the European sphere has been analyzed. This has made it possible to identify a series of parameters that are subsequently applied to nine representative examples in Madrid, Barcelona and Zaragoza. The objective is to carry out evaluations on the quality of public spaces and determine to what extent they are in relation to the conditions of security, accessibility and inclusivity that they offer

Arquitectura de control multimodal para robótica asistencial

[Resumen] Este documento presenta una arquitectura de control multimodal para robótica de asistencia, la cual trata de tener en cuenta las decisiones del usuario para mejorar en el desempeño de las tareas al mismo tiempo que se implementa un método para minimizar posibles errores en el manejo del robot mediante un control visual. A través de la información proporcionada por el sistema de eyetracking, el usuario será capaz de interactuar con el sistema para seleccionar el objeto deseado, indicar la intención de cogerlo o incluso abortar la ejecución. El sistema incorpora un sistema de tracking 3D para conocer la ubicación de los objetos con respecto al manipulador robótico. Este sistema nos sirve tanto para definir la posición que debe alcanzar el robot, como para corregir las posibles desviaciones durante la ejecución de la trayectoria.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por la Comisión Europea a través del proyecto AIDE: Adaptive Multimodal Interfaces to AssistDisabled People in Daily Activities (Grant agreementno: 645322) y por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad a través del proyecto DPI2015-70415-C2-2-Rhttps://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.978849749808