TIRAMISU European Project: Design and Implementation of Tools for Humanitarian Demining

This paper presents the most relevant results of the work done within the framework of TIRAMISU European project (Toolbox Implementation for Removal of Anti-personnel Mines, Submunitions and UXO), by the Centre for Automation and Robotics CAR (CSIC-UPM). This project has been funded by European Union within the Seventh Framework Programme of R&D. In general, the works carried out during this project, currently in effect, have been the design and development of tools for training in search of landmines and other for locating anti-personnel landmines, such as: design and validation of e-tutors for land impact and non-Technical Survey tools, and landmines identification for training of trainee, who will collaborate in humanitarian demining tasks; design and implementation of a training tool to be used with compact metal detectors; design, implementation and evaluation of an intelligent prodder training tool for close-in detection of buried landmines; development of a semi-autonomous and teleoperated system for search and detection of anti-personnel mines, which consists of a hexapod robot and a scanning manipulator arm, that carries a metal detector at its end-effector.This project has been funded by European Union within the Seventh Framework Programme of R&D.Peer reviewe

Dialektika Konsep Ketuhanan dalam Ritual Lea sose pada Masyarakat Manggarai dan Gereja Katolik

This article aims to dialogue the concept of divinity in Manggarai, Indonesia, with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The concept of God in the Manggarai community has some similarities with the doctrine of God in the Catholic Church, that is, concerning the acknowledgment of God’s existence, involvement, and care. However, there are also matters that are quite different and that are not found in each respective context. On the one hand, the similarities can help those involved in catechesis with fresh understandings. On the other hand, the differences may enrich the outlook into knowledge about the concept of divinity, both in the context of living the Church’s teachings as well as in the context of being member of the cultural community. The results of the dialogue as explored in this article open the possibilities to help decrease the practices of syncretism on matters of faith in the Manggarai Catholic community. The approaches used by the authors to trace the concept of divinity in the two contexts are mainly qualitative with ethnographic and documentation methods. The findings are a mainstay for pastoral agents in determining certain themes for catechesis, especially those related to the concept of Godhead

Dispositivo para la medición automática del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y el procedimiento para su medición y su posterior vaciado autónomo en función de la cantidad de fluido acumulado

Dispositivo para la medición del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y su posterior vaciado autónomo compuesto por un receptor de líquido (1) y un sensor capacitivo (7) y que se caracteriza porque el receptor de líquido (1) tiene en su interior un elemento central móvil (12) con un obturador (13) para controlar el vaciado del líquido. El procedimiento para la medición y vaciado se caracteriza porque se mide el volumen de fluido Vi en el receptor de líquido (1) con un intervalo T1 hasta que Vi > R1 — ɛ, momento en que se interrumpe el cálculo del flujo relativo de líquido Qi y después del cual el elemento central móvil (12) y el obturador (13) empiecen a emerger, por lo que se empieza a vaciar el receptor de líquido (1), y en el momento en el que Vi ≤ ρ, el obturador (13) detiene el vaciado, y se reinicia el procesoPeer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad San Pablo CEUA2 Solicitud de patente sin informe sobre el estado de la técnic

Dispositivo para la medición automática del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y el procedimiento para su medición y su posterior vaciado autónomo en función de la cantidad de fluido acumulado

Dispositivo para la medición del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y su posterior vaciado autónomo compuesto por un receptor de líquido (1) y un sensor capacitivo (7) y que se caracteriza porque el receptor de líquido (1) tiene en su interior un elemento central móvil (12) con un obturador (13) para controlar el vaciado del líquido. El procedimiento para la medición y vaciado se caracteriza porque se mide el volumen de fluido Vi en el receptor de líquido (1) con un intervalo T1 hasta que Vi > R1 — ɛ, momento en que se interrumpe el cálculo del flujo relativo de líquido Qi y después del cual el elemento central móvil (12) y el obturador (13) empiecen a emerger, por lo que se empieza a vaciar el receptor de líquido (1), y en el momento en el que Vi ≤ ρ, el obturador (13) detiene el vaciado, y se reinicia el procesoPeer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad San Pablo CEUB1 Patente sin examen previ

Design of a training tool for improving the use of hand-held detectors in humanitarian demining

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce the design of a training tool intended to improve deminers' technique during close-in detection tasks. Design/methodology/approach - Following an introduction that highlights the impact of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and the importance of training for enhancing the safety and the efficiency of the deminers, this paper considers the utilization of a sensory tracking system to study the skill of the hand-held detector expert operators. With the compiled information, some critical performance variables can be extracted, assessed, and quantified, so that they can be used afterwards as reference values for the training task. In a second stage, the sensory tracking system is used for analysing the trainee skills. The experimentation phase aims to test the effectiveness of the elements that compose the sensory system to track the hand-held detector during the training sessions. Findings - The proposed training tool will be able to evaluate the deminers' efficiency during the scanning tasks and will provide important information for improving their competences. Originality/value - This paper highlights the need of introducing emerging technologies for enhancing the current training techniques for deminers and proposes a sensory tracking system that can be successfully utilised for evaluating trainees' performance with hand-held detectors. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.The authors acknowledge funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007‐2013 TIRAMISU) under Grant Agreement No. 284747 and partial funding under Robocity2030 S‐0505/DPI‐0176 and FORTUNA A1/039883/11 (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo – AECID). Dr Roemi Fernández acknowledges support from CSIC under grant JAE‐DOC. Dr Héctor Montes acknowledges support from Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá and from CSIC under grant JAE‐DOC.Peer Reviewe

La satisfacción del usuario como indicador de calidad en el servicio municipal de deportes. Percepción, análisis y evolución

A longitudinal study will be conducted which can be useful for the benchmarking of future public sports managers. The objectives of this study will be determining the degree of present user satisfaction with communal sports services offered by the city council of Cartagena, analyzing the development of user satisfaction over time, between 1991 and 2015, in order to update quality levels offered by those services and providing a practical example of management that is quality oriented.The global analysis of the dimensions of the survey shows that all resources of the communal sports services determine the quality although some are more important that others concerning the satisfaction of the citizens, the most important part of the organization at both times are the people who provide the service. The data will ensure that decisions will be made to enhance those aspects that were rated the worst by the users and that systems will be applied to secure quality, satisfaction and citizen loyalty to the communal sports services.Abordamos un estudio longitudinal para determinar el grado de satisfacción del usuario con los servicios deportivos municipales del Ayuntamiento de Cartagena, analizar la evolución de la satisfacción a lo largo del tiempo, entre 1991 y 2015, para actualizar los niveles de calidad que ofrecen estos servicios y aportar un caso práctico de gestión orientado a la calidad, que pueda servir al benchmarking de los futuros gestores deportivos públicos.El análisis global de las dimensiones de la encuesta indica que todos los recursos del servicio condicionan la calidad, aunque unos tienen mayor peso que otros en la satisfacción percibida, siendo en ambos periodos, las personas que prestan el servicio lo mejor valorado. Estos datos facilitan la toma de decisiones de mejora sobre los aspectos peor valorados y la aplicación de sistemas para afianzar la calidad, la satisfacción y la fidelización de los ciudadanos al servicio municipal de deportes.

Local root ABA/cytokinin status and aquaporins regulate poplar responses to mild drought stress independently of the ectomycorrhizal fungus Laccaria bicolor

The relatively better performance of mycorrhizal plants subjected to drought stress has commonly been linked to improved root water uptake through the fungal regulation of plant aquaporins and hormones. In this study, we examined the role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in plant water relations and plant hormonal balance under mild drought using split-root seedlings of Populus trichocarpa x deltoides either with or without inoculation with Laccaria bicolor. The root compartments where the drought treatment was applied had higher ABA and lower cytokinin tZR contents, and greater expression of the plant aquaporins PtPIP1;1, PtPIP1;2, PtPIP2;5, and PtPIP2;7. On the other hand, the presence of L. bicolor within the roots down-regulated PtPIP1;4, PtPIP2;3, and PtPIP2;10, and reduced the abundance of PIP2 proteins. In addition, expression of the fungal aquaporins JQ585595 and JQ585596 were positively correlated with root ABA content, while tZR content was positively correlated with PtPIP1;4 and negatively correlated with PtPIP2;7. The results demonstrate a coordinated plant-fungal system that regulates the different mechanisms involved in water uptake in ectomycorrhizal poplar plants

A new lower limb portable exoskeleton for gait assistance in neurological patients: a proof of concept study

Background: Few portable exoskeletons following the assist-as-needed concept have been developed for patients with neurological disorders. Thus, the main objectives of this proof-of-concept study were 1) to explore the safety and feasibility of an exoskeleton for gait rehabilitation in stroke and multiple sclerosis patients, 2) to test different algorithms for gait assistance and measure the resulting gait changes and 3) to evaluate the user's perception of the device. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Five patients were recruited (4 patients with stroke and 1 with multiple sclerosis). A robotic, one-degree-of-freedom, portable lower limb exoskeleton known as the Marsi Active Knee (MAK) was designed. Three control modes (the Zero Force Control mode, Mode 1 and Mode 3) were implemented. Spatiotemporal gait parameters were measured by the 10-m walking test (10MWT), the Gait Assessment and Intervention Tool (G.A.I.T.) and Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment (gait subscale) before and after the trials. A modified QUEST 2.0 questionnaire was administered to determine each participant's opinion about the exoskeleton. The data acquired by the MAK sensors were normalized to a gait cycle, and adverse effects were recorded. Results: The MAK exoskeleton was used successfully without any adverse effects. Better outcomes were obtained in the 10MWT and G.A.I.T. when Mode 3 was applied compared with not wearing the device at all. In 2 participants, Mode 3 worsened the results. Additionally, Mode 3 seemed to improve the 10MWT and G.A.I.T. outcomes to a greater extent than Mode 1. The overall score for the user perception of the device was 2.8 ± 0.4 95% CI. Conclusions: The MAK exoskeleton seems to afford positive preliminary results regarding safety, feasibility, and user acceptance. The efficacy of the MAK should be studied in future studies, and more advanced improvements in safety must be implemented.G. Puyuelo-Quintana has received financial support by the “Doctorado Industrial” grant of Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (reference DI-16- 08731). A. Plaza-Flores and E. Garces-Castellote have received financial support by the “Doctorado Industrial” grant of Comunidad de Madrid (reference IND2017/TIC-7698 and IND2018/TIC-9618, respectively).Peer reviewe