Multi-sensor system using plastic optical fibers for intrinsically safe level measurements

A system for measuring liquid level in multiple tanks using optical fibe technology has been developed. Oil fiel service industry or any sector requiring liquid level measurements in flammabl atmospheres can be benefite from this intrinsically safe technology. The device used a single lens for the emitting and receiving fibe and it is based on amplitude variations as a function of the liquid distance and not in time of fligh or phase detection. Being the firs fiber-opti liquid level sensor with those characteristics for long ranges (>200 cm). A simple model to describe their behavior has been derived and tested on two prototypes. A Monte-Carlo method is used to fi the experimental data and obtain the model parameters. High accuracy between experimental data and fitte curve is obtained. The prototypes have a good linearity, better than 1.5% FS (full scale). Sensor heads are made of plastic optical fiber (POF) that are easy to handle, flexible and economical. They are excited by 650 nm lasers, housed in ST-connectors to obtain compact and rough prototypes. Optical multiplexing is used to increase the measuring safety area. Frequency division multiplexing is used to address each sensor head. A discussion about the influenc of tilts and aberrations is also included.Publicad

Evaluation of Presence in Virtual Environments: Haptic Vest and User's Haptic Skills

This paper presents the integration of a haptic vest with a multimodal virtual environment, consisting of video, audio, and haptic feedback, with the main objective of determining how users, who interact with the virtual environment, benefit from tactile and thermal stimuli provided by the haptic vest. Some experiments are performed using a game application of a train station after an explosion. The participants of this experiment have to move inside the environment, while receiving several stimuli to check if any improvement in presence or realism in that environment is reflected on the vest. This is done by comparing the experimental results with those similar scenarios, obtained without haptic feedback. These experiments are carried out by three groups of participants who are classified on the basis of their experience in haptics and virtual reality devices. Some differences among the groups have been found, which can be related to the levels of realism and synchronization of all the elements in the multimodal environment that fulfill the expectations and maximum satisfaction level. According to the participants in the experiment, two different levels of requirements are to be defined by the system to comply with the expectations of professional and conventional users

Impacto de las neuronas espejo en la empatía a través del “storytelling”

This paper reports documentary research on the impact of storytelling in mirror neuron upgrowth regarding empathy in the primary educational context. The study aimed at exploring the relationship between mirror neurons and behavior to explain how storytelling might contribute to developing empathy by describing the main elements encompassed within emotions developmental theory. The state of the art was the basis to compare and analyze how different relations emerge from empathy and mirror neurons. Evidence showed that mirror neurons were linked to the process of empathy-building strengthening students' understanding of other people's feelings. Also, through storytelling, literature must be introduced at an early age not only to develop thinking skills but also abstract aspects related to behavior. In sum, empathy is a skill that needs to be promoted to prepare primary students to create a peaceful and respectful environment in which they become aware of emotional intelligence to face daily challenges.Esta investigación de tipo documental reportó el impacto de la técnica de “Storytelling” en el desarrollo de las neuronas espejo con respecto a la empatía en el contexto de la educación primaria. Este estudio buscó explorar la relación entre las neuronas espejo y el comportamiento para explicar cómo la técnica de “Storytelling” contribuye a su desarrollo mediante la descripción de los elementos principales incluidos en la teoría del desarrollo de las emociones. El estado del arte fue la base para comparar y analizar las diferentes relaciones emergentes entre la empatía y las neuronas espejo. La evidencia mostró que las neuronas espejo están relacionadas al proceso de construcción de la empatía, fortaleciendo la comprensión de los estudiantes respecto a los sentimientos de otras personas. También mediante el “Storytelling”, la literatura debe ser introducida en edades tempranas no solo para desarrollar habilidades de pensamiento sino habilidades abstractas relacionadas al comportamiento. En suma, la empatía es una habilidad que necesita ser promovida para preparar a los estudiantes de primaria a crear un entorno de paz y respeto en el cual ellos tomen consciencia de la inteligencia emocional para enfrentar los retos del día a día

Optical design for MEGARA: a multi-object spectrograph for the GTC

MEGARA is a multi-object spectrograph project for the 10.4m Gran Telescopio Canarias with medium to high resolution: R ~ 5600 - 17000. The instrument operates in three modes that cover different sky areas and that can run simultaneously: (1) the compact mode through a large central Integral Field Unit with minimum fiber pitch, covering a field of view on sky of 12 arcsec × 14 arcsec, (2) the sparse mode with fibers covering 1 arcmin × 1arcmin in three pointings and (3) the dispersed mode with a grid of nearly 100 robotics positioners able to place 7-fiber minibundles over a large field of view of 3.5 arcmin × 3.5 arcmin. The spectrograph is composed by a pseudo-slit, where the fibers are placed simulating a long slit; a slit shutter is placed just behind the pseudo-slit, a collimator, a 162mm pupil where the volume phase holographic gratings are placed, and the camera with the detector. Here we describe the spectrograph optical rationale, the conceptual optical design and the expected system performance

Democratization, policies of access and daily life

El trabajo reflexiona sobre experiencias de reconocimiento de la televisión digital y de sus contenidos en contextos populares urbanos jujeños, en términos de irrupción pero también de continuidades. Se trata de intersecciones que permiten comprender parte de los complejos procesos vinculados a los usos sociales de la televisión y de las tecnologías. El artículo releva y analiza procesos de constitución material y simbólica de prácticas, en relación con el acceso y con el reconocimiento de contenidos audiovisuales vinculados a la TV digital y a las políticas públicas que la fomentan. A partir de la articulación de dos estrategias, se presentan acercamientos a las experiencias de audiencias, para vincularlos, a su vez, mediante una discusión más amplia en torno a la construcción de la hegemonía.In this work we propose to think about experiences of the recognition of digital television and its content in popular urban contexts in Jujuy, taking into account continuities as much as discontinuities in this process. We explore the intersections that allow to understand part of the complex processes associated with social television applications and technologies. We propose to expose and analyse processes and symbolic and material forms of practices related to access and recognition of audio-visual contents linked to digital TV and the public policies that promote it. From the articulation of two strategies they present approximations to the experiences of hearings, to link them, in turn, with this number of this journal by means of a more wide discussion concerning the construction of the hegemony.Sección Avances de InvestigaciónFacultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Socia

Democratization, policies of access and daily life

El trabajo reflexiona sobre experiencias de reconocimiento de la televisión digital y de sus contenidos en contextos populares urbanos jujeños, en términos de irrupción pero también de continuidades. Se trata de intersecciones que permiten comprender parte de los complejos procesos vinculados a los usos sociales de la televisión y de las tecnologías. El artículo releva y analiza procesos de constitución material y simbólica de prácticas, en relación con el acceso y con el reconocimiento de contenidos audiovisuales vinculados a la TV digital y a las políticas públicas que la fomentan. A partir de la articulación de dos estrategias, se presentan acercamientos a las experiencias de audiencias, para vincularlos, a su vez, mediante una discusión más amplia en torno a la construcción de la hegemonía.In this work we propose to think about experiences of the recognition of digital television and its content in popular urban contexts in Jujuy, taking into account continuities as much as discontinuities in this process. We explore the intersections that allow to understand part of the complex processes associated with social television applications and technologies. We propose to expose and analyse processes and symbolic and material forms of practices related to access and recognition of audio-visual contents linked to digital TV and the public policies that promote it. From the articulation of two strategies they present approximations to the experiences of hearings, to link them, in turn, with this number of this journal by means of a more wide discussion concerning the construction of the hegemony.Sección Avances de InvestigaciónFacultad de Periodismo y Comunicación Socia

MEGARA Optical design: the new integral field unit and multi-object spectrograph for the GTC 10m telescope

We describe the optical design of MEGARA, the future optical Integral Field Unit (IFU) and Multi-Object Spectrograph (MOS) for the 10.4-m Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC). MEGARA is being built by a Consortium of public research institutions led by the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM, Spain) that also includes INAOE (Mexico), IAA-CSIC (Spain) and UPM (Spain)

Analysis of maternal polymorphisms in arsenic (+3 oxidation state)-methyltransferase AS3MT and fetal sex in relation to arsenic metabolism and infant birth outcomes: Implications for risk analysis

Arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) is the key enzyme in the metabolism of inorganic arsenic (iAs). Polymorphisms of AS3MT influence adverse health effects in adults, but little is known about their role in iAs metabolism in pregnant women and infants. The relationships between seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in AS3MT and urinary concentrations of iAs and its methylated metabolites were assessed in mother-infant pairs of the Biomarkers of Exposure to ARsenic (BEAR) cohort. Maternal alleles for five of the seven SNPs (rs7085104, rs3740400, rs3740393, rs3740390, and rs1046778) were associated with urinary concentrations of iAs metabolites, and alleles for one SNP (rs3740393) were associated with birth outcomes/measures. These associations were strongly dependent upon the male sex of the fetus but independent of fetal genotype for AS3MT. These data highlight a potential sex-dependence of the relationships among maternal genotype, iAs metabolism and infant health outcomes