Spanish Initiative for the Automation in Urban Transport: AutoMOST

The progressive automation of transport will imply a new paradigm in mobility, which will profoundly affect people, logistics of goods, as well as other sectors dependent on transport. It is precise within this automation where the development of new driving technologies is going to cause a great impact on the mobility of the near future, and that will have an effect on the economic, natural and social environment. It is therefore a primary issue at the global level, as it is reflected in the work programs of the European Commission in relation to the road transport [1] [2]. Thus, the size impact is caused by the following novelties and advantages: 1) Safety: Accidents reduction caused by human error; 2) Efficiency increase in transportation, both in energy consumption and time; 3) Comfort for users and professionals who will increase their operational availability to execute other more valuable tasks, both for them and enterprises; 4) Social Inclusion: enabling mobility easily for everybody during more time; 5) Accessibility, to get to city centers and other difficult reach places. It should be noted that the economic impact projected for automated driving for the years to come ranges up to €71 bn in 2030, when estimated global market for automated vehicles is 44 million vehicles, as is reflected in document Automated Driving Roadmap by ERTRAC [3], European Road Transport Research Advisory Council (http://www.ertrac.org/uploads/documentsearch/id38/ERTRAC_Automated-Driving-2015.pdf). As background that already anticipates these im-provements, the Advance Driver Assistance System (ADAs) have already showed the safety increase in the last ten years, but always maintain a leading role for the driver. Related to the efficiency increase, automated driving offers great opportunities for those companies where mobility is a key factor in operating costs, and affects the whole value chain. The project opportunity is consistent with ERTRAC vision, especially in applications focused on the urban environment [4], where it is expected a deployment of the technology of high level automation in an immediate future. This is possible by the potential to incorporate smart infrastructure to improve guidance and positioning, as well as lower speed, which eases its progressive deployment. The objective of AutoMOST is developing technologies for the automation of vehicles in urban transport and industrial applications, to increase significantly the efficiency, safety and environmental sustainability. More specifically, AutoMOST will allow the implementation of shared control systems (Dual-Mode) [5] for future automated vehicles that allow the services operate more efficiently and flexibly, in a context of intelligent and connected infrastructures.This work is supported by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) through the CIEN (Consorcios de Investigación Empresarial Nacional) Spanish program. So, the authors would like to thank the CDTI which is a Public Business Entity, answering to the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness in Spain, which fosters the technological development and innovation of Spanish companies. It is the entity that channels the funding and support applications for national and international R&D&I projects of Spanish companies

Towards Risk Estimation in Automated Vehicles Using Fuzzy Logic

As vehicles get increasingly automated, they need to properly evaluate different situations and assess threats at run-time. In this scenario automated vehicles should be able to evaluate risks regarding a dynamic environment in order to take proper decisions and modulate their driving behavior accordingly. In order to avoid collisions, in this work we propose a risk estimator based on fuzzy logic which accounts for risk indicators regarding (1) the state of the driver, (2) the behavior of other vehicles and (3) the weather conditions. A scenario with two vehicles in a car-following situation was analyzed, where the main concern is to avoid rear-end collisions. The goal of the presented approach is to effectively estimate critical states and properly assess risk, based on the indicators chosen.This work was supported by the AMASS project (H2020- ECSEL) with grant agreement number 692474

Does ureteral access sheath have an impact on ureteral injury?

Objective: To present a well-organized review about ureteral access sheath impact on ureteral injury. Materials and Methods: Systemic search on literature was done. Total of 3766 studies observed by two urologists and results were unified. A Prisma diagram was used for eliminating irrelevant studies and at the end of elimination process 28 studies were found eligible for this review. Results: Not only clinical studies but also comparative experimental animal studies show that there is no significant data to claim that ureteral access sheath insertion causes more ureteral injury. Pre-stented patients were found to be at lower risk for ureteral injury. Risk of progression to ureteral injury seems to be low even if ureteral injury occurs with insertion of ureteral access sheath. Conclusion: Summary of studies' results indicate that use of ureteral access sheath doesn't increase ureteral injury. This review may help understanding safety profile of ureteral access sheath on evidence-based level. There is not enough data to make a statement that ureteral access sheath prevents ureteral injury

Gastrointestinal stromal tumour in Meckel's diverticulum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Meckel's Diverticulum is the most commonly encountered congenital anomaly of the small intestine, occurring in approximately 2% of the population. Occasionally Meckel's diverticulum harbors neoplasms.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 65 year old gentleman, presented with a pelvic mass. On exploratory laparotomy, it turned out to be gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) arising from Meckel's diverticulum. Short history and review of literature are discussed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Neoplasms occurring from Meckel's diverticulum, even though rare, should be considered as differential diagnosis of pelvic masses arising from bowel, wherever imaging modalities fail to give a definitive diagnosis.</p

Carteggio D’Annunzio-Bruers

Il carteggio di D’Annunzio con Antonio Bruers, l’amico bibliotecario-archivista del Vittoriale, rappresenta un altro capitolo importante della biografia dannunziana, collocandosi nell’arco temporale che va dal 1921 al 1935, ultimo periodo di vita del Poeta. Al di là dei legami umani che si instaurano tra i due corrispondenti, tema vivo delle lettere è la fruttuosa collaborazione che portò alla nascita e sistemazione della biblioteca dannunziana e del primo nucleo dell’Archivio del Vittoriale degli Italiani; mentre, sullo sfondo, emergono i rapporti ambigui che D’Annunzio manteneva con gli organi ufficiali del Fascismo, come l’Accademia d’Italia, di cui Bruers diventò Vicecancelliere. Bruers però non è solo il fedele esecutore delle volontà del Poeta. Ha tratto dal suo lavoro preziose osservazioni, poi via via raccolte nei saggi memoriali, tracciando così quelle linee di ricerca che sono diventate preziose per la più recente filologia dannunziana. Le continue richieste di favori, prestiti, disbrigo di faccende e commissioni si configurano come un servigio d’amore che Bruers svolge con estremo sacrificio ma volentieri e gratuitamente, pur vedendosi relegato nella posizione di subalternità, visto che con D’Annunzio non si ha mai la sensazione di trattare alla pari, anche nel più semplice scambio di opinioni. Si soggiace alla sua volontà, si obbedisce supinamente, a stento si arriva a un compromesso, si strappa magari una promessa che il più delle volte rimane tradita e delusa: affascinati dalla parola e dal Mito schiacciante, D’Annunzio regge e governa il filo del discorso, ne traccia la linea e ne mantiene la tensione giusta; sa come ricucire gli strappi e come riaccendere negli altri il desiderio di sé. Ancora una volta un carteggio è testimone di questo straordinario gioco di ruolo su carta, su cui si conducono (e si nobilitano) le esistenze di chi ha intrecciato con lui il suo passo

Car Stickiness: Heuristics and Biases in Travel Choice

We conduct a laboratory experiment to investigate the factors determining travel mode choice. Two different scenarios are considered. In the first scenario, subjects have to decide whether to commute by car or by metro. Metro costs are fixed, while car costs are uncertain and determined by the joint effect of casual events and traffic congestion. In the second scenario, subjects have to decide whether to travel by car or by bus, whose costs are determined by a different combination of chance and traffic congestion. Subjects receive feedback information on the actual travel times of both modes. We find that individuals show a marked preference for cars, are inclined to confirm their first choice and exhibit travel mode stickiness. We conclude that travel mode choice is subject to cognitive heuristics and biases leading to robust deviations from rational behaviour