1,452 research outputs found
Understanding the impact of line-of-sight in the ergodic spectral efficiency of cellular networks
In this paper we investigate the impact of lineof-sight (LoS) condition in the ergodic spectral efficiency of cellular networks. To achieve this goal, we have considered the kappa-mu shadowed model, which is a general model that provides an excellent fit to a wide set of propagation conditions. To overcome the mathematical complexity of the analysis, we have split the analysis between large and small-scale effects. Building on the proposed framework, we study a number of scenarios that range from heavily-fluctuating LoS to deterministic-LoS. Finally, we shed light on the interplay between fading severity and spectral efficiency by means of the amount of fading.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech
Cooperative tasks between humans and robots in industrial environments
Collaborative tasks between human operators and robotic manipulators can improve the performance and flexibility of industrial environments. Nevertheless, the safety of humans should always be guaranteed and the behaviour of the robots should be modified when a risk of collision may happen. This paper presents the research that the authors have performed in recent years in order to develop a human-robot interaction system which guarantees human safety by precisely tracking the complete body of the human and by activating safety strategies when the distance between them is too small. This paper not only summarizes the techniques which have been implemented in order to develop this system, but it also shows its application in three real human-robot interaction tasks.The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Communityʹs Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007‐2013) under Grant Agreement no. 231640 and the project HANDLE. This research has also been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science through the research project DPI2011‐22766
Safe cooperation between human operators and visually controlled industrial manipulators
Industrial tasks can be improved substantially by making humans and robots collaborate in the same workspace. The main goal of this chapter is the development of a human-robot interaction system which enables this collaboration and guarantees the safety of the human operator. This system is composed of two subsystems: the human tracking system and the robot control system. The human tracking system deals with the precise real-time localization of the human operator in the industrial environment. It is composed of two systems: an inertial motion capture system and an Ultra-WideBand localization system. The robot control system is based on visual servoing. A safety behaviour which stops the normal path tracking of the robot is performed when the robot and the human are too close. This safety behaviour has been implemented through a multi-threaded software architecture in order to share information between both systems. Thereby, the localization measurements obtained by the human tracking system are processed by the robot control system to compute the minimum human-robot distance and determine if the safety behaviour must be activated.Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish Ministry of Education through the projects DPI2005-06222 and DPI2008-02647 and the grant AP2005-1458
Paper-based ZnO self-powered sensors and nanogenerators by plasma technology
Nanogenerators and self-powered nanosensors have shown the potential to power
low-consumption electronics and human-machine interfaces, but their practical
implementation requires reliable, environmentally friendly and scalable,
processes for manufacturing and processing. This article presents a plasma
synthesis approach for the fabrication of piezoelectric nanogenerators (PENGs)
and self-powered sensors on paper substrates. Polycrystalline ZnO nanocolumnar
thin films are deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition on
common paper supports using a microwave electron cyclotron resonance reactor
working at room temperature yielding high growth rates and low structural and
interfacial stresses. Applying Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation, we elucidate the
basic shadowing mechanism behind the characteristic microstructure and porosity
of the ZnO thin films, relating them to an enhanced piezoelectric response to
periodic and random inputs. The piezoelectric devices are assembled by
embedding the ZnO films in PMMA and using Au electrodes in two different
configurations: laterally and vertically contacted devices. We present the
response of the laterally connected devices as a force sensor for low-frequency
events with different answers to the applied force depending on the impedance
circuit, i.e. load values range, a behaviour that is theoretically analyzed.
The vertical devices reach power densities as high as 80 nW/cm2 with a mean
power output of 20 nW/cm2. We analyze their actual-scenario performance by
activation with a fan and handwriting. Overall, this work demonstrates the
advantages of implementing plasma deposition for piezoelectric films to develop
robust, flexible, stretchable, and enhanced-performance nanogenerators and
self-powered piezoelectric sensors compatible with inexpensive and recyclable
supportsComment: 30 pages, 8 figures in main tex
Produzione, mercato e consumi della cerasicoltura spagnola
La crisi di sovrapproduzione di alcune specie tradizionali sta favorendo la crescita del ciliegio, che mostra
un costante incremento delle superfici, favorito dal rinnovamento varietale, dall’aumento dei consumi, dal
miglioramento delle tecnologie di produzione e dalla precocità di maturazione. Tutti fattori che
garantiscono alla Spagna elevata competitività nelle esportazioni verso i Paesi dell’Ue.Colaboración en el blog: Rivista di frutticoltura e di ortofloricoltura. Disponible: http://www.rivistafrutticoltura.it
Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase gene expression is impaired in human liver cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma
Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) is a key enzyme in the methionine and adenine salvage pathways. In mammals, the liver plays a central role in methionine metabolism, and this essential function is lost in the progression from liver cirrhosis to hepatocarcinoma. Deficient MTAP gene expression has been recognized in many transformed cell lines and tissues. In the present work, we have studied the expression of MTAP in human and experimental liver cirrhosis and hepatocarcinoma. We observe that MTAP gene expression is significantly reduced in human hepatocarcinoma tissues and cell lines. Interestingly, MTAP gene expression was also impaired in the liver of CCl4-cirrhotic rats and cirrhotic patients. We provide evidence indicating that epigenetic mechanisms, involving DNA methylation and histone deacetylation, may play a role in the silencing of MTAP gene expression in hepatocarcinoma. Given the recently proposed tumor suppressor activity of MTAP, our observations can be relevant to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of multistep hepatocarcinogenesis
Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase ROF2 modulates intracellular pH homeostasis in Arabidopsis
[EN] Intracellular pH must be kept close to neutrality to be compatible with cellular functions, but the mechanisms of pH homeostasis and the responses to intracellular acidification are mostly unknown. In the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we found that intracellular acid stress generated by weak organic acids at normal external pH induces expression of several chaperone genes, including ROF2, which encodes a peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase of the FK506-binding protein class. Loss of function of ROF2, and especially double mutation of ROF2 and the closely related gene ROF1, results in acid sensitivity. Over-expression of ROF2 confers tolerance to intracellular acidification by increasing proton extrusion from cells. The activation of the plasma membrane proton pump (H+-ATPase) is indirect: over-expression of ROF2 activates K+ uptake, causing depolarization of the plasma membrane, which activates the electrogenic H+ pump. The depolarization of ROF2 over-expressing plants explains their tolerance to toxic cations such as lithium, norspermidine and hygromycin B, whose uptake is driven by the membrane potential. As ROF2 induction and intracellular acidification are common consequences of many stresses, this mechanism of pH homeostasis may be of general importance for stress tolerance.This work was supported by grants BFU2008-00604 from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (Madrid, Spain) and PROMETEO/2010/ 038 of the 'Conselleria de Educacion' (Valencia, Spain). We thank Dr Eugenio Grau (Sequencing Service, Instituto de Biologia Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Valencia, Spain) for sequencing of the various genes, and Dr Vicente Fornes (Instituto de Tecnologia Quimica, Valencia, Spain) for assistance with atomic absorption spectrophotometry. None of the authors has a conflict of interest to declare.Bissoli, G.; Niñoles Rodenes, R.; Fresquet Corrales, S.; Palombieri, S.; Bueso Ródenas, E.; Rubio, L.; Garcia-Sanchez, MJ.... (2012). Peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase ROF2 modulates intracellular pH homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Plant Journal. 70(4):704-716. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2012.04921.xS70471670
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