Action Generalization in Humanoid Robots Through Artificial Intelligence With Learning From Demonstration

Mención Internacional en el título de doctorAction Generalization is the ability to adapt an action to different contexts and environments. In humans, this ability is taken for granted. Robots are yet far from achieving the human level of Action Generalization. Current robotic frameworks are limited frameworks that are only able to work in the small range of contexts and environments for which they were programmed. One of the reasons why we do not have a robot in our house yet is because every house is different. In this thesis, two different approaches to improve the Action Generalization capabilities of robots are proposed. First, a study of different methods to improve the performance of the Continuous Goal-Directed Actions framework within highly dynamic real world environments is presented. Continuous Goal-Directed Actions is a Learning from Demonstration framework based on the idea of encoding actions as the effects these actions produce on the environment. No robot kinematic information is required for the encoding of actions. This improves the generalization capabilities of robots by solving the correspondence problem. This problem is related to the execution of the same action with different kinematics. The second approach is the proposition of the Neural Policy Style Transfer framework. The goal of this framework is to achieve Action Generalization by providing the robot the ability to introduce Styles within robotic actions. This allows the robot to adapt one action to different contexts with the introduction of different Styles. Neural Style Transfer was originally proposed as a way to perform Style Transfer between images. Neural Policy Style Transfer proposes the introduction of Neural Style Transfer within robotic actions. The structure of this document was designed with the goal of depicting the continuous research work that this thesis has been. Every time a new approach is proposed, the reasons why this was considered the best new step based on the experimental results obtained are provided. Each approach can be studied separately and, at the same time, they are presented as part of the larger research project from which they are part. Solving the problem of Action Generalization is currently a too ambitious goal for any single research project. The goal of this thesis is to make finding this solution one step closer.Programa de Doctorado en Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y Automática por la Universidad Carlos III de MadridPresidente: Saffiotti Alessandro.- Secretario: Santiago Martínez de la Casa Díaz.- Vocal: Fernando Torres Medin

Developing of the smart textile for energy expenditure monitoring

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Caracterización del sistema attB/attP-[Phi]C31 para la producción de adenovirus gutless

Consultable des del TDXA la portada: Centro de Biotecnología Animal y Terapia GénicaTítol obtingut de la portada digitalitzadaEl Ad es el vector más utilizado en ensayos clínicos con humanos. Para evitar la respuesta inmune celular inducida por los Ad de 1ª y 2ª generación, se han generado los vectores de 3ª generación, también llamados gutless o helper dependientes. Para producir estos vectores se necesitan tres elementos fundamentales: un Ad gutless con un gen terapéutico o marcador de interés; un Ad helper que aporte las proteínas virales necesarias in trans y; una línea celular permisiva para la producción de Ad. Los Ad gutless, al no contener ninguna región viral codificante, no generan respuesta inmune celular y tienen una capacidad de hasta 36 Kpb. Se ha demostrado que la expresión de los genes que incorporan puede durar toda la vida del organismo. Sin embargo, si bien presentan grandes ventajas, su uso en ensayos clínicos con humanos todavía no ha sido viable debido a dos grandes inconvenientes: la contaminación por Ad helper y su producción a gran escala. Para solventar el problema de la contaminación por Ad helper, en este trabajo se propone un nuevo sistema de generación de Ad gutless basado en la recombinasa ?C31-attB/attP. Los Ad helper generados llevan flanqueada su señal ? por las secuencias attB/attP. ?C31 es una recombinasa unidireccional con lo que una vez realizada su función, al escindir la señal de empaquetamiento, evita la reacción inversa. Esta característica supone una ventaja frente a otras recombinasas como Cre ó FLPe. Sorprendentemente, al incorporar la secuencia attB entre el extremo ITR del Ad y su señal de empaquetamiento, los Ad helper generados alargan su ciclo viral hasta las 56-60 horas, sin embargo, ello no afecta la replicación eficiente del genoma viral y la producción de proteínas virales. Asimismo, se ha demostrado que tanto el proceso de empaquetamiento como el de la maduración de la partícula viral están afectados. Se ha observado que la clonación de una segunda señal de empaquetamiento en el extremo 3' normaliza los niveles de producción de los Ad controles, confirmando así que el genoma no queda retenido en ninguna región nuclear. Ensayos de EMSA han mostrado que diferentes proteínas celulares se unen a la secuencia attB y probablemente la unión de una de ellas impida el correcto empaquetamiento del genoma adenoviral. Por todo ello, el empaquetamiento diferencial por tiempo de los Ad helper-attB/attP generados ha sido aprovechado para la producción de Ad gutless acotando su producción a las 36 horas (tiempo en el que un Ad control completa su ciclo viral). Sin embargo, en las producciones de Ad gutless, los niveles de contaminación por Ad helper fueron elevados y éstos aumentaban significativamente en los sucesivos pasos de amplificación. El análisis del extremo 5' del Ad helper confirmó que éste recombinaba con el Ad gutless por la señal de empaquetamiento perdiendo las secuencias de recombinación y así su capacidad de empaquetarse más lentamente. Sin embargo, la inversión de la señal de empaquetamiento supuso la demostración de que este efecto es fácilmente evitable lo que convierte al Ad helper Ad5/FC31.Cre.?R en una buena herramienta para la producción de Ad gutless.Adenovirus is the most used vector in human clinical trials. In order to overcome cellular inmune response evoked by first and second generation adenovirus, third generation, also called gutless or helper-dependent adenovirus have been generated. Gutless adenovirus production needs three basic elements: a gutless adenovirus with a therapeutic or marker gene; a helper adenovirus which provide all viral proteins in trans and; a permisive cell line to produce adenovirus. Gutless adenovirus, without any codificant viral region, don't evoke cellular inmune response and can incorporate DNA inserts up to 36 Kb. It has been reported that the expresion of incorporated genes can last the whole life of the organism. Nevertheless, its use in human clinial trials is not suitable due two important inconvenients: helper adenovirus contamination and up-scale processes. To solve helper adenovirus contamination problem, this present work propose a new adenovirus gutless generation system based on ?C31-attB/attP recombinase. Helper adenovirus generated have flanked its packaging signal (?) by attB/attP sequences. ?C31 is an unidirectional recombinase which avoid reverse reaction. This characteristic is an important advantage in front of other recombinases such as Cre or FLPe. Surprisingly, attB sequence incorporated between Ad-ITR and ? lengthens adenovirus cycle up to 56-60 hours, However, this effect don't affect efficient genome replication or protein shyntesis. Moreover, it has been shown that packaging and maturation processes are affected. It has been observed that the cloning of a second ? in the 3'-ITR normalize production levels in comparison to control adenvovirus, proving adenovirus genome is not trapped in any nuclear region. EMSA assays have shown different cellular proteins interact with attB sequence and likely the interaction of one of this cellular proteins impairs the correct packaging of adenovirus genome. For this reason, differential packaging in time of attB/attP-helper adenovirus generated have been used to produce gutless adenovirus limiting production times at 36 hours (time when control adenovirus finish its viral cycle) . However, in gutless adenovirus productions, helper adenovirus contamination levels were high and they increase significantly in the successive amplification steps. The 5' extreme analysis showed helper and gutless adenovirus recombine by their ? loosing recombination sequences and, in this way, helper adenovirus slow packaging capacity. Nevertheless, the inversion of ? showed this effect can be easily avoided which make Ad5/FC31.Cre.?R helper adenovirus a good tool for gutless adenovirus production

Avaluació de les característiques dels recobriments dúplex HVOF + PVD

Un dels principals inconvenients que presenten els recobriments PVD (“Physical Vapor Depsition”), és que no es poden dipositar sobre aliatges lleugers degut a la gran diferencia de dureses entre la capa dura superficial dipositada sobre un substrat relativament tou. Aquesta diferencia provoca que sota un esforç temporal on es deformen elàsticament tan el substrat com el recobriment quan es retira l’esforç el substrat recupera la seva forma inicial però el recobriment s’esquerda, aquest fenomen es coneix com l’efecte “pista de gel”. El present treball vol demostrar que depositant una capa intermitja entre el recobriment PVD i el material base es pot evitar aquest fenomen. En aquest TFG la capa intermitja s’ha dipositat mitjançant el procés de projecció tèrmica d’alta velocitat - HVOF (“High Velocity Oxy-Fuel”). S’ha realitzat l’estudi amb diferents combinacions de recobriments dúplex HVOF + PVD sobre diferents substrats, per tal de proposar una possible solució per poder recobrir aliatges lleugers amb recobriments durs PVD. Per realitzar aquesta caracterització s’han dut a terme diferents tipus d’assaigs: assaigs d’adherència (assaigs d’indentació i assaigs Scratch test), assaigs de duresa emprant un ultramicrodurometre, proves de desgast mitjançant un tribòmetre pin-on-disc, anàlisi de gruixos mitjançant microscòpia òptica i electrònica i anàlisi de composició mitjançant SEM-EDX. Els substrats estudiats han estat: acer, alumini, magnesi i titani amb dos tipus de recobriments HVOF (WC-CoCr i CrC-NiCr) i amb tres tipus de recobriments PVD (TiN, TiAlN i DLC). La innovació d’aquest treball ha estat l’amplitud de mostres analitzades, ja que anteriorment aquest tipus de caracterització només s’havia realitzat sobre aliatges de titani + WC-CoCr + TiN/TiNAl. El resultat més important del treball ha estat aconseguir un dels principals objectius d’aquest, és a dir, evitar l’aparició de l’efecte “pista de gel”. Els recobriments conserven les propietats mecàniques a tots els aliatges estudiats. Una conclusió remarcable desprès d’analitzar els resultats és que aquesta tècnica pot ser una possible solució a l’hora de dipositar una capa de PVD sobre un aliatge lleuger. Un altre conclusió a destacar ha de ser la importància de l’operació de polit prèvia al recobriment PVD, ja que ha de presentar una baixa rugositat superficial per poder garantir una adherència òptima entre les dues interfases, efecte que limita la geometria de les peces a recobrir per tal de poder realitzar aquest operació

Evolving Aesthetic Maps for a Real Time Strategy Game

Artículo publicado en congreso SEED'2013 (I Spanish Symposium on Entertainment Computing), Septiembre 2013, Madrid.This paper presents a procedural content generator method that have been able to generate aesthetic maps for a real-time strategy game. The maps has been characterized based on several of their properties in order to de ne a similarity function between scenarios. This function has guided a multi-objective evolution strategy during the process of generating and evolving scenarios that are similar to other aesthetic maps while being di erent to a set of non-aesthetic scenarios. The solutions have been checked using a support-vector machine classi er and a self-organizing map obtaining successful results (generated maps have been classi ed as aesthetic maps)

Soft-glass model for the relaxation kinetics of red blood cells

Treballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2021, Tutors: Marta Gironella-Torrent, Fèlix RitortWe use a soft-glass mechanical (SGM) model to reproduce the experimental force relaxation curves of red blood cells (RBC) measured by laser optical tweezers (LOT). The relaxation experiments consist in applying a deformation step jump and observe how the force, after reaching a maximum, decreases with time. The SGM model has been already successful to reproduce the LOT experimental pulling cycles of erythrocytes. We extend our model to reproduce the experimental relaxation curves if nicely predicts the stationary force of the relaxation in terms of the maximum force achieved immediately after the extension step-jum

The Concept of the Universe in Physical Cosmology

The concept of the universe is used in physical cosmology diferently from the usual meaning of the term, naively considered as the entire reality. Traditionally, thinking about the whole led to logical contradictions. Taking as reference the Kantian antecedent, diferent contemporary philosophical notions of the universe are analysed in the frst part of this paper, including realist and constructivist approaches, as well as a notion of the universe as a physical object. In the second part, the specifc notion from the standard physical cosmology is discussed. Although modelling the universe as a physical system provides a specifc way to defne some global properties, the universe as a whole remains empirically inaccessible. Hence, the discussion about the under-determined global properties depends ultimately on philosophical preferences. Under these circumstances, it is argued that the realist interpretation of such properties becomes problematic because it leads to unstable conclusions. Finally, it is argued that the notion of the universe as conceived in standard cosmology is not necessarily consistent with an approach that considers it to be a physical object.Partial fnancial support for this study was provided by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI, MICIU) under the Project with Reference ESP2017-83921-C2-1-R, co-funded with EU FEDER funds