Augmented state Kalman filtering for AUV navigation

This paper addresses the problem of estimating the motion of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), while it constructs a visual map (“mosaic ” image) of the ocean floor. The vehicle is equipped with a down-looking camera which is used to compute its motion with respect to the seafloor. As the mosaic increases in size, a systematic bias is introduced in the alignment of the images which form the mosaic. Therefore, this accumulative error produces a drift in the estimation of the position of the vehicle. When the arbitrary trajectory of the AUV crosses over itself, it is possible to reduce this propagation of image alignment errors within the mosaic. A Kalman filter with augmented state is proposed to optimally estimate both the visual map and the vehicle position.

Testing equipment for the improvement of mechanical devices to minimize damage to fruit in commercial packing lines.

Damages -reduced in fruit packing lines is a major cause of grace reduction and quality loos in fresh marks: fruit. Fruit must be treated gently during in sir handling to improve their qualityin order to get a good price in a competitive market. The correct post-hardvest handling in fruit packing lines is a prerequisite to cut down the heavy post-harvest losses. Fruit packing lines must be evaluated, studying their design, the impacts applied to the fruits, the characteristics of the materials, etc. This study establishes the possibility of carrying out modifications and tests in a packing line during a long period of time. For this purpose, an experimental fruit packing line has been designed and located in the Agricultural Engineering Department of the Polythecnic University of Madrid with the aim of improving mechanical devices and fruit handling conditions to minimize damage to fruit. The experimental line consists of several transporting belts, one rollers transporter, one sizer, one elevator, one singularizer, and three trays to receive the calibrated fruit. The line has a length of 6.15 m and a width cf 1.9 m. Movement of the different components is regulated by electric motors with variable velocity electronically controlled. The height of the transfer points is variable and can be easily modified. The experimental line has been calibrated using two instrumented spheres IS 100 (8.8 cm Ø and6.2cm Ø). Average acceleration values obtained in all the transfers of the experimental line lay under 80 g's, although there is big variation for some of them being some values above 100 g's

A new decorin-like tetrapeptide for optimal organization of collagen fibres

Synopsis Decorin interacts with collagen via its protein core and influences collagen fibrillogenesis, thus regulating excessive bundle-like aggregation of collagen. As skin ages, there is lack of functional decorin, which results in disrupted collagen fibres and in a reduction in the tensile strength of the skin. Therefore, a substitute for decorin would make up for the non-functional decorin that is present as we age. Two tetrapeptide sequences have been identified as the specific binding sites of decorin to collagen fibrils. These sequences were engineered to generate new tetrapeptides with improved affinity that would present a decorin-like activity. A focused library of several candidates was synthesized containing only tetrapeptides that mimicked the binding sequences of decorin. The candidates were screened with an in vitro collagen fibrillogenesis assay and the tetrapeptide with International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) name Tripeptide-10 Citrulline achieved the best results. Like decorin, this synthetic tetrapeptide proved, through in vitro tests, to regulate collagen fibrillogenesis and to influence the diameter of collagen fibres, making them thinner and more uniform. Tripeptide-10 Citrulline is a new cosmetic active to target specifically collagen fibre organization. Skin collagen quality is addressed rather than skin collagen quantity. Tripeptide-10 Citrulline ensures uniformity in fibril diameter and increases skin suppleness because of a better cohesion of collagen fibres. Ré sumé La décorine réagit avec le collagène par sa partie protéinique et influence la fibrillogénèse du collagène, régulant ainsi l'agrégation en paquets excessive de ce dernier. Lorsque la peau vieillit, il se produit une perte en décorine fonctionnelle, ce qui provoque une désorganisation des fibres du collagène et une diminution de la force en traction de la peau. Ainsi, un remplaçant de la décorine compenserait la décorine non fonctionnelle qui apparait lorsque nous vieillissons. Deux séquences tétrapeptidiques ont été identifiées comme étant les sites spécifiques de liaison de la décorine aux fibrilles de collagène. Ces séquences ont été reproduites pour générer de nouveaux tétrapeptides avec une affinité améliorée, ce qui conduit à une activité décorine like. Une librairie de plusieurs candidats a été synthétisée, contenant uniquement les tétrapeptides qui simulent les séquences de liaison de la décorine. Les candidats ont été « screenés » au travers d'un test in vitro de fibrillogénèse du collagène et le tétrapeptide présentant le nom INCI Tripeptide-10 Citruline a conduit aux meilleurs résultats. Comme la décorine, ce tétra-peptide synthétique s'est montré capable, au travers de tests in vitro, de réguler la fibrillogénèse du collagène et d'influencer le diamètre des ses fibres, les rendant plus fines et plus uniformes. Correspondence: A. Puig

Paving the Way for a Real-Time Context-Aware Predictive Architecture

Internet of Things society generates and needs to consume huge amounts of data in a demanding context-aware scenario. Such exponentially growing data sources require the use of novel processing methodologies, technologies and tools to facilitate data processing in order to detect and prevent situations of interest for the users in their particular context. To solve this issue, we propose an architecture which making use of emerging technologies and cloud platforms can process huge amounts of heterogeneous data and promptly alert users of relevant situations for a particular domain according to their context. Last, but not least, we will provide a graphical tool for domain experts to easily model, automatically generate code and deploy the situations to be detected and the actions to be taken in consequence. The proposal will be evaluated through a real case study related to air quality monitoring and lung diseases in collaboration with a doctor specialist on lung diseases of a public hospital

Cord serum cotinine as a biomarker of fetal exposure to cigarette smoke at the end of pregnancy.

This study investigated the association between biomarkers of fetal exposure to cigarette smoke at the end of pregnancy, cotinine in cord serum and in maternal and newborn urine samples, and quantitative measurement of smoking intake and exposure evaluated by maternal self-reported questionnaire. Study subjects were 429 mothers and their newborns from a hospital in Barcelona, Spain. A questionnaire including smoking habits was completed in the third trimester of pregnancy and on the day of delivery. Cotinine concentration in cord serum was associated with daily exposure to nicotine in nonsmokers and with daily nicotine intake in smokers. The geometric mean of cotinine concentration in cord serum statistically discriminated between newborns from nonexposed and exposed nonsmoking mothers, and between these two classes and smokers, and furthermore was able to differentiate levels of exposure to tobacco smoke and levels of intake stratified in tertiles. Urinary cotinine levels in newborns from nonsmoking mothers exposed to more than 4 mg nicotine daily were statistically different from levels in two other categories of exposure. Cotinine concentration in urine from newborns and from mothers did not differentiate between exposure and nonexposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in nonsmoking mothers. Cord serum cotinine appeared to be the most adequate biomarker of fetal exposure to smoking at the end of pregnancy, distinguishing not only active smoking from passive smoking, but also exposure to ETS from nonexposure

Lateral impact sensor for measuring firmness of fruits in an experimental packing line.

Different parameters are used to quantify the maturity of fruits at or near harvest (shape, color, flesh texture and internal composition). Flesh firmness is a critical handling parameter for fruits such as peach, pear and apple. Results of previous studies conducted by different researchers have shown that impact techniques can be used to evaluate firmness of fruits. A prototype impact system for firmness sorting of fruits was developed by Chen and Ruiz-Altisent (Chen et al, 1996). This sensor was mounted and tested successfully on a 3 m section of a commercial conveyor belt (Chen et al, 1998). This is a further development of the on-line impact system for firmness sorting of fruits. The design of the sensor has been improved and it has been mounted on a experimental fruit packing line (Ortiz-Cañavate et al 1999)

Reflectance Confocal Microscopy and Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy in the Early Detection of Melanoma in Changing Lesions during Long-term Follow-up of Very High-risk Patients

Electrical impedance spectroscopy has clinical relevance in diagnosing malignancy in melanocytic lesions. Sixty-eight lesions with changes during digital follow-up of patients at very high risk of developing melanoma were prospectively included in this study from February to December 2016. Electrical impedance spectroscopy and reflectance confocal microscopy were performed to evaluate their performance in this subset of difficult lesions. Forty-six lesions were considered suspicious on reflectance confocal microscopy and were excised, 19 were diagnosed as melanoma. Fifteen melanomas were detected by electrical impedance spectroscopy, while 4 received a score lower than 4, which suggested no malignancy. The addition of reflectance confocal microscopy improves accuracy while maintaining the same sensitivity. In the case of electrical impedance spectroscopy scores <4, lesions exhibiting changes in follow-up may need short-term monitoring or excision if dermoscopy shows criteria for melanoma. Results of electrical impedance spectroscopy in this subset of very early lesions should be carefully considered due to the risk of false negatives