Application of a Natural Language Interface to the Teleoperation of a Mobile Robot

IFAC Intelligent Components for Vehicles, Seville, Spain, 1998This paper describes the application of a natural language interface to the teleoperation of a mobile robot. Natural language communication with robots is a major goal, since it allows for non expert people to communicate with robots in his or her own language. This communication has to be flexible enough to allow the user to control the robot with a minimum knowledge about its details. In order to do this, the user must be able to perform simple operations as well as high level tasks which involve multiple elements of the system. For this ones, an adequate representation of the knowledge about the robot and its environment will allow the creation of a plan of simple actions whose execution will result in the accomplishment of the requested tas

Forecasting Food Price Inflation in Developing Countries with Inflation Targeting Regimes: the Colombian Case

Many developing countries are adopting inflation targeting regimes to guide monetary policy decisions. In such countries the share of food in the consumption basket is high and policy makers often employ total inflation (as opposed to core inflation) to set inflationary targets. Therefore, central banks need to develop reliable models to forecast food inflation. Our literature review suggests that little has been done in the construction of models to forecast short-run food inflation in developing countries. We develop a model to improve short-run food inflation forecasts in Colombia. The model disaggregates food items according to economic theory and employs Flexible Least Squares given the presence of structural changes in the inflation series. We compare the performance of this new model to current models employed by the central bank. Next, we apply econometric methods to combine forecasts from alternative models and test whether such combination outperforms individual models. Our results indicate that forecasts can be improved by classifying food basket items according to unprocessed, processed and food away from home and by employing forecast combination techniques.Food Inflation, Time Series,

AID Induces Double-Strand Breaks at Immunoglobulin Switch Regions and c-MYC Causing Chromosomal Translocations in Yeast THO Mutants

Transcription of the switch (S) regions of immunoglobulin genes in B cells generates stable R-loops that are targeted by Activation Induced Cytidine Deaminase (AID), triggering class switch recombination (CSR), as well as translocations with c-MYC responsible for Burkitt's lymphomas. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, stable R-loops are formed co-transcriptionally in mutants of THO, a conserved nuclear complex involved in mRNP biogenesis. Such R-loops trigger genome instability and facilitate deamination by human AID. To understand the mechanisms that generate genome instability mediated by mRNP biogenesis impairment and by AID, we devised a yeast chromosomal system based on different segments of mammalian S regions and c-MYC for the analysis of chromosomal rearrangements in both wild-type and THO mutants. We demonstrate that AID acts in yeast at heterologous S and c-MYC transcribed sequences leading to double-strand breaks (DSBs) which in turn cause chromosomal translocations via Non-Homologous End Joining (NHEJ). AID–induced translocations were strongly enhanced in yeast THO null mutants, consistent with the idea that AID–mediated DSBs depend on R-loop formation. Our study not only provides new clues to understand the role of mRNP biogenesis in preventing genome rearrangements and the mechanism of AID-mediated genome instability, but also shows that, once uracil residues are produced by AID–mediated deamination, these are processed into DSBs and chromosomal rearrangements by the general and conserved DNA repair functions present from yeast to human cells

Adenovirus core protein V reinforces the capsid and enhances genome release from disrupted particles

Out of the three core proteins in human adenovirus, protein V is believed to connect the inner capsid surface to the outer genome layer. Here, we explored mechanical properties and in vitro disassembly of particles lacking protein V (Ad5-ΔV). Ad5-ΔV particles were softer and less brittle than the wild-type ones (Ad5-wt), but they were more prone to release pentons under mechanical fatigue. In Ad5-ΔV, core components did not readily diffuse out of partially disrupted capsids, and the core appeared more condensed than in Ad5-wt. These observations suggest that instead of condensing the genome, protein V antagonizes the condensing action of the other core proteins. Protein V provides mechanical reinforcement and facilitates genome release by keeping DNA connected to capsid fragments that detach during disruption. This scenario is in line with the location of protein V in the virion and its role in Ad5 cell entryThis work was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (FIS2017-89549-R; “Maria de Maeztu” Program for Units of Excellence in R&D MDM-2014-0377 and FIS2017-90701-REDT) and from the Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSPO RGP0012/2018) to P.J.d.P., as well as grant PID2019-104098GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, cofunded by the Spanish State Research Agency and the European Regional Development Fund to C.S.M. The CNB-CSIC was further supported by a Spanish State Research Agency Severo Ochoa Excellence grant (SEV 2017-0712). C.S.M. is a member of the CSIC funded consortium LifeHub (CSIC grant number: 202120E47). M.H.-P. was a recipient of a Juan de la Cierva postdoctoral contract and currently holds a Ramón y Cajal position (RyC2021-030929-I) funded by the Spanish State Research Agency. M.H.-P. acknowledges funding from Ayudas a Proyectos de I+D para Jóvenes Doctores de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid 2021, SI3/PJI/2021-00216 supported by the Community of Madrid and the University Autónoma de Madrid, and TED2021-129937B-I00 from Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Financial support of the Community of Madrid and the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), financed as part of the Union response to Covid-19 pandemic (VIRMAT-REACT), is also acknowledged. Access to the cryo-EM CNB-CSIC facility was carried out via the CRIOMECORR project (ESFRI-2019-01- CSIC-16). Work in the Greber laboratory was supported by a grant to UFG from Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (Swiss National Science Foundation, 31003A_179256/1). Author contributions: N.M.-G. performed AFM experiments and analyzed the data. M.H.-P. and C.S.M. carried out cryoEM analyses. A.G.-G. and M.B. produced the viral samples and carried out thermostability analyses. U.F.G., C.S.M., and P.J.d.P. designed research. N.M.-G. wrote the manuscript, with input from U.F.G., C.S.M., and P.J.d.P. All authors read and edited the manuscript. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Data and materials availability: The Ad5-ΔV cryo-EM map is deposited at the Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB; www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/emdb) with accession number EMD-15694. All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Material

La cultura Nórdica Antigua a través de los medios audiovisuales: Vikingos en el ideario colectivo.

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar algunos de los tópicos y falsos históricos más recurrentes sobre la cultura vikinga, y, en qué medida estos han sido propagados por los principales medios de difusión audiovisuales: el cine y las series, en el ideario colectivo.Además, se pretende crear un contexto teórico, para remarcar el proceso de evolución cultural y político que precedió a la era vikinga, con el fin último de entender, el fenómeno vikingo más allá de la “espontaneidad” con el que se presenta en dichos medios.<br /

Mammalogy Notes – Notas Mastozoológicas y su contribución a la mastozoología desde la historia natural

MaNo was founded in 2014, and in its three years of life it has 6 issues published (Figure 1), which include 72 contributions from eight countries, 73.7% in Spanish and 26.3% in English, covering a total of 170 species. As stated since its inception, MaNo has focused on the publication of Scientific Notes, constituting 68% of the contributions, followed by Inventories (19.4%), Editorials (8.3%) and Articles, Correspondences and Memoirs of congress with one contribution each.MaNo fue fundada en el año 2014, y en sus tres años de vida cuenta con 6 números publicados (Figura 1), que incluyen 72 contribuciones de ocho países, 73,7% en español y 26,3% en inglés, cubriendo un total de 170 especies. Como se planteó desde su origen, MaNo se ha enfocado en la publicación de Notas Científicas, constituyendo el 68% de las contribuciones, seguido por Inventarios (19,4%), Editoriales (8,3%) y Artículos, Correspondencias y Memorias de congreso con unacontribución cada uno

Detección de funcionamiento diferencial del ítem en indicadores conductuales de formas paralelas

Background: Despite the crucial importance of the notion of parallel forms within Classical Test Theory, the degree of parallelism between two forms of a test cannot be directly verified due to the unobservable nature of true scores. We intend to overcome some of the limitations of traditional approaches to analyzing parallelism by using the Differential Item Functioning framework. Method: We change the focus on comparison from total test scores to each of the items developed during test construction. We analyze the performance of a single group of individuals on parallel items designed to measure the same behavioral criterion by several DIF techniques. The proposed approach is illustrated with a dataset of 527 participants that responded to the two parallel forms of the Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Scale (Caterino, Gómez-Benito, Balluerka, Amador-Campos, & Stock, 2009). Results: 12 of the 18 items (66.6%) show probability values associated with the Mantel χ2 statistic of less than .01. The standardization procedure shows that half of DIF items favoured Form A and the other half Form B. Conclusions: The “differential functioning of behavioral indicators” (DFBI) can provide unique information on parallelism between pairs of items to complement traditional analysis of equivalence between parallel test forms based on total scores.Antecedentes: a pesar de la importancia crucial del concepto de formas paralelas en la Teoría Clásica de los Tests, el grado de paralelismo entre dos formas paralelas no puede comprobarse directamente debido al carácter inobservable de las puntuaciones verdaderas. Nuestra propuesta pretende superar algunas de las limitaciones de los métodos tradicionales utilizando el esquema del Funcionamiento Diferencial del Item. Método: cambiamos el objeto de la comparación de las puntuaciones totales a cada uno de los ítems individuales. Analizamos las puntuaciones de un único grupo de participantes en ítems paralelos diseñados para medir los mismos criterios comportamentales. Ejemplificamos la propuesta con las respuestas de 527 participantes a las dos formas paralelas de la “Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder Scale” (Caterino, Gómez-Benito, Balluerka, Amador-Campos, & Stock, 2009).Resultados: 12 de los 18 ítems (66,6%) muestran valores de probabilidad asociados con el estadístico Mantel χ2 menores de .01. El procedimiento de Estandarización muestra que la mitad de los ítems con DIF favorecen a la Forma A y la otra mitad a la Forma B. Conclusiones: el procedimiento “differential functioning of behavioral indicators” (DFBI) puede aportar información única sobre el paralelismo entre parejas de ítems complementando el análisis tradicional de la equivalencia de formas paralelas.This study was partially funded by the Andalusia Regional Government under the Excellent Research Fund (Project nº SEJ- 6569, Project nº SEJ-5188), and the Agency for the Management of University and Research Grant of the Government of Catalonia (2014 SGR-1139)

Multiview motion tracking based on a cartesian robot to monitor Caenorhabditis elegans in standard Petri dishes

[EN] Data from manual healthspan assays of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) can be complex to quantify. The first attempts to quantify motor performance were done manually, using the so-called thrashing or body bends assay. Some laboratories have automated these approaches using methods that help substantially to quantify these characteristic movements in small well plates. Even so, it is sometimes difficult to find differences in motor behaviour between strains, and/or between treated vs untreated worms. For this reason, we present here a new automated method that increases the resolution flexibility, in order to capture more movement details in large standard Petri dishes, in such way that those movements are less restricted. This method is based on a Cartesian robot, which enables high-resolution images capture in standard Petri dishes. Several cameras mounted strategically on the robot and working with different fields of view, capture the required C. elegans visual information. We have performed a locomotion-based healthspan experiment with several mutant strains, and we have been able to detect statistically significant differences between two strains that show very similar movement patterns.This work was supported by the research agency of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under Grant RTI2018-094312-B-I00 (European FEDER funds).Puchalt-Rodríguez, JC.; González-Rojo, JF.; Gómez-Escribano, AP.; Vázquez-Manrique, RP.; Sánchez Salmerón, AJ. (2022). Multiview motion tracking based on a cartesian robot to monitor Caenorhabditis elegans in standard Petri dishes. Scientific Reports. 12(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05823-611112

Primeiros registros confirmados do cachorro-vinagre (Carnivora: Canidae) para a Costa Rica

The bush dog, Speothos venaticus, is one of the rarest and less known carnivore species, distributed from Panama to Argentina, with most of the information for the species derived from anecdotal records. To date, there are no previously confirmed evidences for its occurrence in Costa Rica. Here we present the first confirmed records of the bush dog for the country and a new elevational record for the species. During extensive camera-trap surveys in Las Tablas Protected Zone, Talamanca Mountains of Costa Rica, we detected bush dogs in a primary montane forest at 1,500 m. The low frequency among our survey, and the absence of previous records, despite surveys for over 10 years in the area, reinforce the idea of the cryptic behavior of the species and its natural rareness. The species’ distribution may be underestimated.Keywords: camera-trapping, Central America, species of cryptic behavior, distribution.O cachorro-vinagre, Speothos venaticus, é uma das espécies de carnívoros mais rara e menos conhecida, com distribuição do Panamá a Argentina, sendo a maioria das informações derivada de registros informais. Até o momento, não havia registros confirmados para a Costa Rica. No presente trabalho, apresentam-se os primeiros registros confirmados do cachorro-vinagre para a Costa Rica e um novo registro de ocorrência da espécie em altitude elevada. Durante extensivos levantamentos usando armadilhas-fotográficas na Zona Protegida de Las Tablas, nas Montanhas Talamanca da Costa Rica, detectamos o cachorro-vinagre em uma localidade de floresta montana primária a 1.500 m de elevação. A baixa frequência de detecções em nossa pesquisa e a ausência de registros anteriores, apesar dos levantamentos realizados há mais de 10 anos na área, reforçam a ideia do comportamento enigmático e da raridade natural da espécie. Assim, sua distribuição conhecida pode estar subestimada.Palavras-chave: armadilhas-fotográficas, América Central, espécie de hábitos crípticos, distribuição

Breaking the configurational anisotropy in Fe single crystal nanomagnets

In this work, we improve the ability to tailor the switching mechanism in nanomagnets by introducing an additional, highly controlled source of anisotropy: magnetocrystalline anisotropy. We analyze the vortex dynamics in single crystal Fe nanotriangles with different orientations of the crystalline axes. By experimental studies and simulation, we show that the angular dependence of the vortex annihilation field springs from the convolution of the crystalline and configurational anisotropies. In contrast, the remanence and the nucleation field present a much simpler behavior controlled by the existence of a single symmetry axis when shape and crystalline orientation are taken into account