Cellular Trafficking of Single and Multistage Vectors

Nanomedicine is an innovative field of science which has recently generated many drug delivery platforms with exciting results. The great potential of these strategies rely on the unique characteristics of the devices at the nano-scale in terms of long time circulation in the blood stream, selective accumulation at the lesions sites, increased solubility in aqueous solutions, etc. Herein we report on a new drug delivery system known as a multistage system which is comprised of non-spherical, mesoporous silicon particles loaded with second stage nanoparticles. The rationally designed particle shape, the possibility to modulate the surface properties and the degree of porosity allow these carriers to be optimized for vascular targeting and to overcome the numerous biological barriers found in drug delivery. In this study we investigated the intra and inter cellular trafficking of the multistage system in endothelial cells bringing evidence of its bio-compatibility as well as its ability to perform multiple intra and inter cellular tasks. Once internalized in cells, the multi-particle construct is able to dissociate, localizing in different subcellular compartments which can be targeted for exocytosis. In particular the second stage nanoparticles were found to be secreted in microvesicles which can act as mediators of transfer of particles across the endothelium and between different endothelial and cancer cells

Dynamic Human Robot Interaction Framework Using Deep Learning and Robot Operating System (ROS): a practical approach

Trying to explain to a robot what to do is a difficult undertaking, and only specific types of people have been able to do so far, such as programmers or operators who have learned how to use controllers to communicate with a robot. My internship's goal was to create and develop a framework that would make that easier. The system uses deep learning techniques to recognize a set of hand gestures, both static and dynamic. Then, based on the gesture, it sends a command to a robot. To be as generic as feasible, the communication is implemented using Robot Operating System (ROS). Furthermore, users can add new recognizable gestures and link them to new robot actions; a finite state automaton enforces the users' input verification and correct action sequence. Finally, the users can create and utilize a macro to describe a sequence of actions performable by a robot

VEICOLO RIUTILIZZABILE A BASSA SPINTA PER MISSIONI LUNARI BASATO SULLA STAZIONE SPAZIALE INTERNAZIONALE

Il lavoro svolto definisce un veicolo a bassa spinta destinato a trasportare un carico scientifico in orbita lunare. Il veicolo è capace di rientrare in orbita bassa e attraccare alla Stazione Spaziale Internazionale, dove viene ripristinato. In questo studio si definisce una strategia di missione e si dimensiona il veicolo

Motion primitive based random planning for loco-manipulation tasks

Several advanced control laws are available for complex robotic systems such as humanoid robots and mobile manipulators. Controls are usually developed for locomotion or for manipulation purposes. Resulting motions are usually executed sequentially and the potentiality of the robotic platform is not fully exploited. In this work we consider the problem of loco-manipulation planning for a robot with given parametrized control laws known as primitives. Such primitives, may have not been designed to be executed simultaneously and by composing them instability may easily arise. With the proposed approach, primitives combination that guarantee stability of the system are obtained resulting in complex whole-body behavior. A formal definition of motion primitives is provided and a random sampling approach on a manifold with limited dimension is investigated. Probabilistic completeness and asymptotic optimality are also proved. The proposed approach is tested both on a mobile manipulator and on the humanoid robot Walk-Man, performing loco-manipulation tasks

A comparison of ready-to-use systems for evaluating the microbiological quality of acidic fruit juices using non-pasteurized orange juice as an experimental model

Several alternative analytical methods are currently available for the rapid microbiological testing of food. Due to their many advantages, particularly their convenience of use, the popularity of ready-to-use systems for the enumeration of hygiene indicator microorganisms is increasing. However, the ability of these systems to enumerate stressed microorganisms, such as those that may be found growing in acidic foods, is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Petrifilm and SimPlate plates for the enumeration of total aerobes and fungi (yeasts and molds) in acidic fruit juices, using non-pasteurized orange juice as an experimental model. The samples were analyzed before and after neutralization of pH, and the results were compared with those obtained using conventional procedures, i.e. pour-plates containing Standard Methods Agar, acidified potato dextrose agar, or dichloran-glycerol agar. The results obtained with Petrifilm and SimPlate for counts of mesophilic aerobes as well as for yeast and mold correlated well with those obtained using conventional procedures. Although no statistically significant differences were observed between counts of non-neutralized and neutralized samples (α ≤ 0.05), better correlation indexes were observed in the neutralized samples. Both Petrifilm and SimPlate proved to be good alternative methods for testing the microbiological quality of acidic fruit juices. [Int Microbiol 2005; 8(1):49-53

Clasificación de lagos someros pampeanos mediante imágenes Landsat TM

Under normal hydro-meteorological conditions, lagoons cover up to 2,000,000 of the pampas territory, distributed in more than 2,000 permanent lacunar bodies. They contribute significantly to the life quality of their inhabitants and they constitute a potential source of environmental, economic and recreational resources. Several studies in different lagoons in different temporal periods have been developed in the province of Buenos Aires. They responded in an optimum way to the original goals, but they are barely valid when looking for dynamic spatial and temporal patterns in the lagoons, involving the use of the support basin. The use of remote sensors has proved effective in collecting the information needed to evaluate the quality of water bodies, to allow the search of temporal and spatial patterns, and to link lagoon water quality data with the characteristics of land use. We propose a proce dure for previously normalized satelital image analysis that will allow a classification of the lagoons based on their optical properties, conditioned by the contents of suspended inorganic solid matter and algal biomass. The results will be compared to samples in the field and spatially extrapolated. They will be used to propose alternative management methods jointly with some local decision makers.Under normal hydro-meteorological conditions, lagoons cover up to 2,000,000 of the pampas territory, distributed in more than 2,000 permanent lacunar bodies. They contribute significantly to the life quality of their inhabitants and they constitute a potential source of environmental, economic and recreational resources. Several studies in different lagoons in different temporal periods have been developed in the province of Buenos Aires. They responded in an optimum way to the original goals, but they are barely valid when looking for dynamic spatial and temporal patterns in the lagoons, involving the use of the support basin. The use of remote sensors has proved effective in collecting the information needed to evaluate the quality of water bodies, to allow the search of temporal and spatial patterns, and to link lagoon water quality data with the characteristics of land use. We propose a proce dure for previously normalized satelital image analysis that will allow a classification of the lagoons based on their optical properties, conditioned by the contents of suspended inorganic solid matter and algal biomass. The results will be compared to samples in the field and spatially extrapolated. They will be used to propose alternative management methods jointly with some local decision makers

Plataforma IoT para el desarrollo de una intervención electrónica colaborativa

En el presente trabajo de fin de grado se muestra la colaboración realizada con la bailarina y coreógrafa Julia Zaccagnini y el Laboratorio de Danza y Nuevos Medios (DANM) del festival de danza en paisajes urbanos Trayectos. Se realiza con el objetivo de preparar un espectáculo de baile fruto de la colaboración entre danza y tecnología electrónica para el festival Trayectos 2019.La intervención electrónica para la colaboración ha consistido en desarrollar un módulo inalámbrico con comunicación WiFi, capaz de detectar movimientos y activar diferentes actuadores según su programación. Se decidió que el diseño del hardware del módulo fuera objeto del TFG de Claudia Gonzalo y el diseño del firmware fuera objeto de este TFG. El desarrollo de la coreografía evoluciona en paralelo al desarrollo electrónico en clave de colaboración entre artista y tecnólogo. Para posibilitarla se establece una metodología que es considerada una parte capital en este TFG.Debido a las circunstancias, el módulo desarrollado por Claudia no iba a estar listo para el festival y se tuvo que elaborar un plan de contingencia que consistía en un prototipo con menos funcionalidades, pero acorde a las necesidades principales.A partir del festival, valorando la versatilidad del prototipo, se completa el sistema desarrollando un paquete de firmware que explore todas sus potencialidades tanto de sensorización como de comunicación. Para facilitar su programación se ha desarrollado una librería en lenguaje C/C++ y se han programado diferentes posibles casos de uso.<br /

Developing an augmented reality based training demonstrator for manufacturing cherry pickers

This paper presents an Augmented Reality (AR) demonstrator to test its feasibility with enhancing the training process, improving learning time and error rate. The application environment was a manufacturer of cherry pickers. The demonstrator focused on covering the assembly of hydraulic hoses to the relative valve; the choice was driven by Company needs. Requirements led to the choice of Microsoft HoloLens as hardware, while Unity and Vuforia were used as software. The demonstrator provides sequential instructions through texts, images and animations. Results showed improvements when introducing AR for error rates and for the average assembly times

Aplicación de un modelo de red neuronal para la clasificación de sistemas lacunares pampeanos

The pampean shallow lakes present different distributions in their trophic chains, the latter being cause and consequence of the state of the lacunar systems. In order to determine how each of the measured variables —climatic, edaphic, morphometric, physicochemical and biological— in contributes to the general state of the lake, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is built. The ANN is capable of processing a large number of variables and returning a classification that will allow determining it’s the trophic state. The information from satellite images is one of the input variables. Hence, on a first stage, the construction of a ANN model is intended to obtain a weight for each one of the visible specter bands and near infrared bands from LANDSAT and to pick the most representative value that the image returns. This value will be used as input to the ANN that will be then trained to return a classification of the shallow lakes according to the three observed patterns in the relation between phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish and their link with to nutrient abundance and watershed management.Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET) - Instituto de Limnología "Dr. Raul A. Ringuelet" (ILPLA

Aplicación de un modelo de red neuronal para la clasificación de sistemas lacunares pampeanos

The pampean shallow lakes present different distributions in their trophic chains, the latter being cause and consequence of the state of the lacunar systems. In order to determine how each of the measured variables —climatic, edaphic, morphometric, physicochemical and biological— in contributes to the general state of the lake, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is built. The ANN is capable of processing a large number of variables and returning a classification that will allow determining it’s the trophic state. The information from satellite images is one of the input variables. Hence, on a first stage, the construction of a ANN model is intended to obtain a weight for each one of the visible specter bands and near infrared bands from LANDSAT and to pick the most representative value that the image returns. This value will be used as input to the ANN that will be then trained to return a classification of the shallow lakes according to the three observed patterns in the relation between phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish and their link with to nutrient abundance and watershed management.The pampean shallow lakes present different distributions in their trophic&nbsp;chains, the latter being cause and consequence of the state of the lacunar systems. In order to determine how each of the measured variables —climatic,&nbsp;edaphic, morphometric, physicochemical and biological— in contributes to&nbsp;the general state of the lake, an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model is built.&nbsp;The ANN is capable of processing a large number of variables and returning a&nbsp;classification that will allow determining it’s the trophic state. The information&nbsp;from satellite images is one of the input variables. Hence, on a first stage, the&nbsp;construction of a ANN model is intended to obtain a weight for each one of the&nbsp;visible specter bands and near infrared bands from LANDSAT and to pick the&nbsp;most representative value that the image returns. This value will be used as&nbsp;input to the ANN that will be then trained to return a classification of the&nbsp;shallow lakes according to the three observed patterns in the relation between&nbsp;phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish and their link with to nutrient abundance&nbsp;and watershed management