Probabilistic localization of gas emission areas with a mobile robot in indoor environments

This work deals with the problem of gas source localization by a mobile robot with gas-sensing capabilities. Particularly, we address the problem for the case of indoor environments, where the presence of obstacles and the possibly complex structure with multiple rooms, inlets and outlets provoke the chaotic dispersion of the gases. Under these challenging conditions, where traditional approaches based on tracking or mathematical modeling of the plume cannot be applied, we propose a two-stage methodology to split the search into coarse and fine localization. Focusing on the broad localization, we contribute with a novel approach to estimate, from a set of sparse observations, the likelihood of different regions in the environment to hold a gas source. Experiments demonstrate that our approach is suitable to locate gas emission sources.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Estimación probabilística de áreas de emisión de gases con un robot móvil mediante la integracion temporal de observaciones de gas y viento

En este trabajo se aborda el uso de un robot m ovil para determinar la posición de una fuente de gas. Específicamente, nos centramos en el caso de entornos complejos, donde la presencia de múltiples habitaciones y obstáculos favorecen una dispersión caótica de los gases, lo cual dificulta en gran medida un modelado matemático del problema. Bajo estas condiciones, proponemos dividir la tarea de localización en dos fases: primero, determinar la zona del entorno donde se encuentra la fuente, y luego, determinar con precisión la localización de la misma dentro de la zona seleccionada. Centrándonos en la primera fase, proponemos el uso de un novedoso enfoque basado en un marco Bayesiano-probabilístico. Nuestro planteamiento se basa en la generación previa de un conjunto de mapas de dispersión de gas (empleando herramientas de simulación), atendiendo a las diferentes zonas del entorno y condiciones de viento. Comparando estos mapas con la información sensorial adquirida por el robot en cada instante de tiempo, derivamos la probabilidad de localización de la fuente, y guiamos el movimiento del robot hacia la dirección de máxima probabilidad. Para validar nuestro enfoque presentamos un total de 36 experimentos en los que un robot móvil localiza una fuente de gas en un entorno compuesto por múltiples habitaciones conexas.Este trabajo está financiado por el proyecto Español MINECO Retos AEROMAIN (DPI2014-5983-C2-1- R) así como por el proyecto AEROARMS (AErial RObotic system integrating multiple ARMS and advanced manipulation capabilities for inspection and maintenance), número de contrato 644271. La tesis de Alejandro Suárez está financiada por el Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte a través del programa FPU.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A Configurable Smart E-Nose for Spatio-Temporal Olfactory Analysis

This paper describes a novel electronic nose (enose) aimed at applications that require knowing not only the gas composition and concentration, but also its temporal and spatial evolution. This is done by capturing additional information related to the chemical substance such as the timestamp and geo-location of the measurements, as well as other physical magnitudes of the environment like temperature and humidity for correcting and interpreting the data. The device has been conceived following a modular architecture as a set of independent smart modules, which are interconnected and controlled through an I2C interface by a central processing unit. Each smart module can identify itself, store settings for autoconfiguration and perform signal pre-processing of the measured variables. Smart module types include: chemical sensors, communication interfaces, batteries, data storage, GPS, temperature and humidity.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Creating maps of VOC odors in urban areas by cycling with a portable e-nose

This work describes an application for monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in urban areas, likely coming from residential waste or the public sewage system. The objective is to obtain a spatial and temporal representation of such odors by means of a gas distribution map, from which valuable information such as the location, or the time-intervals of maximum strength of the nuisance odors can be inferred. The necessary data: chemical, temporal and spatial; is provided by a GPS and a specific e-nose accommodating eight metal oxide (MOX) gas sensors, both mounted on a bicycle. The results of a monitoring campaign carried out in a town in southern Spain are presented. The campaign comprises nine measurement runs distributed along three consecutive days, with a total path of more than 90Km. Fig.1 shows an illustrative example of the data collected during this process, and the generated geo-referenced gas distribution maps. As can be appreciated, the chemical, temporal and spatial data are successfully merged to obtain representative information about the presence of VOCs in the urban area. A deeper analysis comprising the study of the areas showing the higher VOCs concentration, as well as the temporal variability among the different days and hours within the day are also provided.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech.Proyectos de Excelencia de la Junta de Andalucía: TEP08-4016 y TEP2012-53

Un acercamiento al sentimiento del miedo y su incidencia en la reconfiguración de los espacios sociales

Para desarrollar el presente trabajo, se partió del siguiente supuesto, el sentimiento del miedo está influenciando la configuración de los espacios sociales, al presentar construcciones encerradas, privatizando espacios que tradicionalmente habían sido considerados como públicos, como es el caso de calles, parques, jardines, sólo por mencionar algunos. En los espacios cerrados se hace presente fuertes dispositivos de seguridad, que van desde el pago de seguridad policíaca con carácter privada, hasta la construcción de altas murallas, la electrificación de bardas, la constante presencia de rejas en puertas y ventanas, como un sinónimo de seguridad y protección de su persona, familia y pertenencias de posibles ladrones o delincuentes. En torno a este supuesto, giran los argumentos que a continuación se presentan

Epothilone-d rescues cognition and attenuates alzheimer’s disease-like pathology in APP/PS1 mice

AIMS: Cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients has been linked to synaptic damage and neuronal loss. Hyperphosphorylation of tau protein destabilizes microtubules leading to the accumulation of autophagy/vesicular material and the generation of dystrophic neurites, thus contributing to axonal/synaptic dysfunction. In this study, we analyzed the effect of a microtubule-stabilizing compound in the progression of the disease in the hippocampus of APP751SL/PS1M146L transgenic model. METHODS: APP/PS1 mice (3 month-old) were treated with a weekly intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/kg epothilone-D (Epo-D) for 3 months. Vehicle-injected animals were used as controls. Mice were tested on the Morris water maze, Y-maze and object-recognition tasks for memory performance. Abeta, AT8, ubiquitin and synaptic markers levels were analyzed by Western-blots. Hippocampal plaque, synaptic and dystrophic loadings were quantified by image analysis after immunohistochemical stainings. RESULTS: Epo-D treated mice exhibited a significant improvement in the memory tests compared to controls. The rescue of cognitive deficits was associated to a significant reduction in the AD-like hippocampal pathology. Levels of Abeta, APP and ubiquitin were significantly reduced in treated animals. This was paralleled by a decrease in the amyloid burden, and more importantly, in the plaque-associated axonal dystrophy pathology. Finally, synaptic levels were significantly restored in treated animals compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Epo-D treatment promotes synaptic and spatial memory recovery, reduces the accumulation of extracellular Abeta and the associated neuritic pathology in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 model. Therefore, microtubule stabilizing drugs could be considered therapeutical candidates to slow down AD progression. Supported by FIS-PI12/01431 and PI15/00796 (AG),FIS-PI12/01439 and PI15/00957(JV)Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

IGF-1 Regulates the extracellular level of active MMP-2 and promotes Müller glial cell motility

In ischemic proliferative retinopathies, Müller glial cells (MGCs) acquire migratory abilities. However, the mechanisms that regulate this migration remain poorly understood. In addition, proliferative disorders associated with enhanced activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) also involve insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 participation. Therefore, the main interest of this work was to investigate the IGF-1 effect on the extracellular proteolytic activity in MGCs.Methods: Cell culture supernatants and cell lysates of the human MGC line MIO-M1 stimulated with IGF-1 were analyzed for MMP-2 by zymographic and Western blot analysis. The MGCs´ motility was evaluated by scratch wound assay. The MMP-2, β1-integrin, and focal adhesions were detected by confocal microscopy. The localization of active MMPs and actin cytoskeleton were evaluated by in situ zymography.Results: The IGF-1 induced the activation of canonical signaling pathways through the IGF-1R phosphorylation. Culture supernatants showed a relative decrease in the active form of MMP-2, correlating with an increased accumulation of MMP-2 protein in the MGCs´ lysate. The IGF-1 effect on MMP-2 was abolished by an IGF-1R blocking antibody, αIR3, as well as by the PI3-kinase inhibitor, LY294002. The IGF-1 increased the migratory capacity of MGCs, which was blocked by the GM6001 MMP inhibitor, LY294002 and αIR3. Finally, IGF-1 induced the intracellular distribution of MMP-2 toward cellular protrusions and the partial colocalization with β1-integrin and phospo-focal adhesion kinase signals. Gelatinase activity was concentrated along F-actin filaments.Conclusions: Taken together, these data indicate that IGF-1, through its receptor activation, regulates MGCs´ motility by a mechanism that involves the MMP-2 and PI3K signaling pathway.Fil: Lorenc, Valeria Erika. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Jaldín Fincati, Javier Roberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Luna Pinto, Jose Domingo. Departamento de Vítreo-retina, Centro Privado de Ojos R; ArgentinaFil: Chiabrando, Gustavo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Sanchez, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; Argentin

Unseen the other in post-urban utopia. Sensitive bodies II

Modern architecture has resulted an utopia not only possible but, in practice, effective. Post-urban utopia has actually been built along the twentieth century throughout a complex network of operations, including both be- havioral orientation and systemic simplification. All these operations have acted specifically on the human bod- ies, bodies in movement, bodies that inter-act, bodies that observe (see) and are observed (seen), in a seminal cybernetic operation of construction of the urban system. The recent urban utopia is sustained, however, in a progressive unseen of the other, replacing the ideals of transparency of the original modern architecture with a practical communicative opacity. We have developed the concept of sensitive body as a method of research, knowledge, recognition and representation of urban events and processes, even hidden or veiled. Our hypothesis is that by using bodies trained in the representation of emotions, experiences carried out in performative arts, performance or street performance, it is possible to unveil hidden information or just make visible the system of social relations that takes place in the public space

Cultura tributaria y recaudación de la micro empresa en Amazonas 2022.

Las micro empresas del Departamento de Amazonas, tienen un bajo nivel de cultura tributaria. Por tal razón el presente trabajo de investigación se realizó con el objeto de determinar la forma en que la cultura tributaria influye en la recaudación de las micro empresas en Amazonas 2022. Utilizando un diseño no experimental, analizando el año fiscal 2022, para lo cual se analizó la cultura tributaria y la recaudación tributaria. Concluyendo que, el nivel de cultura tributaria de las micro empresas en el Departamento de Amazonas, es muy bajo, superando más del 50% en las siete provincias del Departamento; siendo las más preocupantes la provincia de Rodríguez de Mendoza con un 65.1%, la provincia de Bagua con un 61.1% y la provincia de Luya con 66.%

The Illiquidity of Water Markets: Efficient Institutions for Water Allocation in Southeastern Spain

We investigate the efficiency of a market institution (an auction) relative to a non- market institution (a quota) as a water allocation mechanism in the presence of frictions, by exploring a particular historical institutional change in Mula, Spain. We estimate a structural dynamic model under the auction accounting for the three main features in the empirical setting: intertemporal substitution, liquidity constraints, and seasonality. We use the estimated model to compute the welfare under auctions, quotas, and the highest-valuation allocation. We find that the institutional change in Mula, from auctions to quotas, was welfare improving for the apricot farmers considered