Visual control system for grip of glasses oriented to assistance robotics

Assistance robotics is presented as a means of improving the quality of life of people with disabilities, an application case is presented in assisted feeding. This paper presents the development of a system based on artificial intelligence techniques, for the grip of a glass, so that it does not slip during its manipulation by means of a robotic arm, as the liquid level varies. A faster R-CNN is used for the detection of the glass and the arm's gripper, and from the data obtained by the network, the mass of the beverage is estimated, and a delta of distance between the gripper and the liquid. These estimated values are used as inputs for a fuzzy system which has as output the torque that the motor that drives the gripper must exert. It was possible to obtain a 97.3% accuracy in the detection of the elements of interest in the environment with the faster R-CNN, and a 76% performance in the grips of the glass through the fuzzy algorithm

Silver-Copper Oxide Heteronanostructures for the Plasmonic-Enhanced Photocatalytic Oxidation of n-Hexane in the Visible-NIR Range

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are recognized as hazardous contributors to air pollution, precursors of multiple secondary byproducts, troposphere aerosols, and recognized contributors to respiratory and cancer-related issues in highly populated areas. Moreover, VOCs present in indoor environments represent a challenging issue that need to be addressed due to its increasing presence in nowadays society. Catalytic oxidation by noble metals represents the most effective but costly solution. The use of photocatalytic oxidation has become one of the most explored alternatives given the green and sustainable advantages of using solar light or low-consumption light emitting devices. Herein, we have tried to address the shortcomings of the most studied photocatalytic systems based on titania (TiO2) with limited response in the UV-range or alternatively the high recombination rates detected in other transition metal-based oxide systems. We have developed a silver-copper oxide heteronanostructure able to combine the plasmonic-enhanced properties of Ag nanostructures with the visible-light driven photoresponse of CuO nanoarchitectures. The entangled Ag-CuO heteronanostructure exhibits a broad absorption towards the visible-near infrared (NIR) range and achieves total photo-oxidation of n-hexane under irradiation with different light-emitting diodes (LEDs) specific wavelengths at temperatures below 180 °C and outperforming its thermal catalytic response or its silver-free CuO illuminated counterpart

Non-oxidative methane conversion in microwave-assisted structured reactors

The main problem to be addressed in the valorization of methane under non-oxidative conditions (MNOC) is to reduce or even avoid coke formation. In this work we report the use of microwave-assisted heating for MNOC. We have developed a system able to heat-up a Mo-ZSM5 catalyst coated on silicon carbide monolith that could operate stable for at least 19¿h at reaction conditions, 700°C. We demonstrate that under MW-heating the selectivity shifts to C2s and benzene. In contrast, the operation under conventional heating (CH) produces more coke and polyaromatics. The selective microwave heating has two effects in this reaction: i) during the activation of the catalyst the formation of the active catalytic species of Mo2C inside the microporous support is different affecting the selectivity and product distribution; ii) a gas-solid temperature gradient is established that prevents the formation of coke from PAHs in the gas phase. The MNOC process under controlled MW heating at high space velocity (3000¿mL/gcat·h) gives a hydrocarbon yield of around 6% with a very low deactivation rate. These results open up new possibilities for process intensification using alternative sources of energy, as is the case of microwaves, for heating structured catalytic reactors

Lattice-gas Monte Carlo study of adsorption in pores

A lattice gas model of adsorption inside cylindrical pores is evaluated with Monte Carlo simulations. The model incorporates two kinds of site: (a line of) ``axial'' sites and surrounding ``cylindrical shell'' sites, in ratio 1:7. The adsorption isotherms are calculated in either the grand canonical or canonical ensembles. At low temperature, there occur quasi-transitions that would be genuine thermodynamic transitions in mean-field theory. Comparison between the exact and mean-field theory results for the heat capacity and adsorption isotherms are provided

Impacts of fungal entomopathogens on survival and immune responses of Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens mosquitoes in the context of native Wolbachia infections

Microbial control of mosquitoes via the use of symbiotic or pathogenic microbes, such as Wolbachia and entomopathogenic fungi, are promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides to tackle the rapid increase in insecticide resistance and vector-borne disease outbreaks. This study evaluated the susceptibility and host responses of two important mosquito vectors, Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens, that naturally carry Wolbachia, to infections by entomopathogenic fungi. Our study indicated that while Wolbachia presence did not provide a protective advantage against entomopathogenic fungal infection, it nevertheless influenced the bacterial / fungal load and the expression of select anti-microbial effectors and phenoloxidase cascade genes in mosquitoes. Furthermore, although host responses from Ae. albopictus and Cx. pipiens were mostly similar, we observed contrasting phenotypes with regards to susceptibility and immune responses to fungal entomopathogenic infection in these two mosquitoes. This study provides new insights into the intricate multipartite interaction between the mosquito host, its native symbiont and pathogenic microbes that might be employed to control mosquito populations

The magnitude of postconvulsive leukocytosis mirrors the severity of periconvulsive respiratory compromise : a single center retrospective study

Background: Generalized epileptic convulsions frequently exhibit transient respiratory symptoms and non-infectious leukocytosis. While these peri-ictal effects appear to arise independently from one another, the possibility that they stem from a common ictal pathophysiological response has yet to be explored. We aimed to investigate whether peri-ictal respiratory symptoms and postictal leukocytosis coexist. Methods: We performed a single center retrospective chart review of 446 patients brought to our emergency department between January 1, 2017 and August 23, 2018 for the care of generalized epileptic convulsions with or without status epilepticus. We included 152 patients who were stratified based on the presence (PeCRC+) or absence (PeCRC-) of overt periconvulsive respiratory compromise (PeCRC). In addition, patients were stratified based on the presence or absence of postconvulsive leukocytosis (PoCL), defined as an initial postconvulsive white blood cell (WBC) count ≥ 11,000 cells/mm3. Triage vital signs, and chest x ray (CXR) abnormalities were also examined. Results: Overt PeCRC was observed in 31.6% of patients, 43% of whom required emergent endotracheal intubations. PoCL was observed in 37.5% of patients, and was more likely to occur in PeCRC+ than in PeCRC- patients (79.2 vs. 18.2%; OR = 17.0; 95% CI = 7.2-40.9; p < 0.001). Notably, the magnitude of PoCL was proportional to the severity of PeCRC, as the postconvulsive WBC count demonstrated a negative correlation with triage hemoglobin oxygen saturation (R = -0.22; p < 0.01; CI = -0.48 to -0.07). Moreover, a receiver operating characteristic analysis of the WBC count's performance as predictor of endotracheal intubation reached a significant area under the curve value of 0.81 (95% CI = 0.71-0.90; p < 0.001). Finally, PeCRC+ patients demonstrated frequent CXR abnormalities, and their postconvulsive WBC counts correlated directly with triage heart rate (R = 0.53; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our data support the existence of an ictal pathophysiological response, which induces proportional degrees of PoCL and PeCRC. We suggest this response is at least partially propelled by systemic catecholamines

Relationships Between Chemoreflex Responses, Sleep Quality, and Hematocrit in Andean Men and Women.

Andean highlanders are challenged by chronic hypoxia and many exhibit elevated hematocrit (Hct) and blunted ventilation compared to other high-altitude populations. While many Andeans develop Chronic Mountain Sickness (CMS) and excessive erythrocytosis, Hct varies markedly within Andean men and women and may be driven by individual differences in ventilatory control and/or sleep events which exacerbate hypoxemia. To test this hypothesis, we quantified relationships between resting ventilation and ventilatory chemoreflexes, sleep desaturation, breathing disturbance, and Hct in Andean men and women. Ventilatory measures were made in 109 individuals (n = 63 men; n = 46 women), and sleep measures in 45 of these participants (n = 22 men; n = 23 women). In both men and women, high Hct was associated with low daytime SpO2 (p &lt; 0.001 and p &lt; 0.002, respectively) and decreased sleep SpO2 (mean, nadir, and time &lt;80%; all p &lt; 0.02). In men, high Hct was also associated with increased end-tidal PCO2 (p &lt; 0.009). While ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia did not predict Hct, decreased hypoxic ventilatory responses were associated with lower daytime SpO2 in men (p &lt; 0.01) and women (p &lt; 0.009) and with lower nadir sleep SpO2 in women (p &lt; 0.02). Decreased ventilatory responses to CO2 were associated with more time below 80% SpO2 during sleep in men (p &lt; 0.05). The obstructive apnea index and apnea-hypopnea index also predicted Hct and CMS scores in men after accounting for age, BMI, and SpO2 during sleep. Finally, heart rate response to hypoxia was lower in men with higher Hct (p &lt; 0.0001). These data support the idea that hypoventilation and decreased ventilatory sensitivity to hypoxia are associated with decreased day time and nighttime SpO2 levels that may exacerbate the stimulus for erythropoiesis in Andean men and women. However, interventional and longitudinal studies are required to establish the causal relationships between these associations