Diseño de un sistema de semaforización electrónico

Abstract. This article is the product of the degree project titled “Design of an electronic traffic light system developed in the Gaseosas Colombianas del Sur company” and was presented and defended in 2010 in the Technology Faculty of the Universidad Distrital Francisco Jose de Caldas. The system consists of two TrafiCam® sensors (vehicle presence sensors), based on video detection technology tested worldwide. It uses a CMOS camera (black and white) and an RS485 or usb communication interface, together with a control system programmed and designed with PSoC (Programmable System on Chip) microcontrollers that adjusts to the needs of the TrafiCams and the requirements for adequate vehicle and pedestrian flow within the company grounds. The most important finding of this research study is that the cameras in the system designed can detect objects (vehicles) that enter the virtual loop, at rest and in movement, in real time.El artículo es producto del proyecto de grado titulado “Diseño de un sistema de semaforización electrónico desarrollado en la empresa de gaseosas Colombiana del Sur” y se sustentó en el 2010 en la Facultad Tecnológica de la Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas. El sistema está conformado por dos sensores TrafiCam® (sensores de presencia vehicular), basados en la tecnología de video detección probada a nivel mundial, que cuenta con una cámara (blanco y negro)CMOS  e interfaz de comunicación por RS485 o USB, junto con un sistema de control programado y diseñado con microcontroladores PSoC (Programable System on Chip) que se adapta a las necesidades de las TrafiCam y los requerimientos para el flujo adecuado de vehículos y peatones dentro de la compañía. El aporte más importante producto de esta investigación es que las cámaras que hacen parte del sistema diseñado tienen la capacidad de detección en tiempo real de objetos (vehículos) en reposo y movimiento que intervengan en el bucle virtual

A simpler way to organize society : response to a risky stimulus is related to the spatial distribution of the individuals within a spider colonial web

Acknowledgments We thank Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) grant (nº 1583297) that supported this work. We also thank all Núcleo de Etologia e Evolução (NuEVo) colleagues that gave insights and precious suggestions to improve the work. We finally thank Rafael Paulino and Sidnei Sampaio for their help during field work.Peer reviewe

An IoT-enabled knee-sleeve for home rehabilitation: a pilot study

In this project, a smart knee sleeve was developed for the purpose of measuring a subject’s knee angle continually. The device is wireless and washable, making it suitable for rehabilitation at home. Two separate methods were incorporated onto a standard knee sleeve: a flexible silicone-based bend sensor and two IMUs. Each approach was evaluated, and testing was conducted on three subjects wearing the knee sleeve, using a reference video motion-tracking method. Squats were used as the exercise protocol for testing. The results showed that the flex sensor performed better for two of the three participants, with an average RMSE of 8.3 degrees, which is comparable to results from related research

Procjena produktivnosti bioreaktora Zymotis sa čvrstim slojem zasnovana na ukupnom volumenu reaktora

In this work a method of analyzing the performance of solid-state fermentation bioreactors is described. The method is used to investigate the optimal value for the spacing between the cooling plates of the Zymotis bioreactor, using simulated fermentation data supplied by a mathematical model. The Zymotis bioreactor has good potential for those solid-state fermentation processes in which the substrate bed must remain static. The current work addresses two design parameters introduced by the presence of the internal heat transfer plates: the width of the heat transfer plate, which is governed by the amount of heat to be removed and the pressure drop of the cooling water, and the spacing between these heat transfer plates. In order to analyze the performance of the bioreactor a productivity term is introduced that takes into account the volume occupied within the bioreactor by the heat transfer plates. As part of this analysis, it is shown that, for logistic growth kinetics, the time at which the biomass reaches 90 % of its maximum possible value is a good estimate of the optimum harvesting time for maximizing productivity. Application of the productivity analysis to the simulated fermentation results suggests that, with typical fast growing fungi ( = 0.324 h–1), the optimal spacing between heat transfer plates is of the order of 6 cm. The general applicability of this approach to evaluate the productivity of solid-state bioreactors is demonstrated.Opisana je metoda analize rada fermentacijskog bioreaktora sa čvrstim slojem. Postupak je primijenjen da bi se ispitala optimalna vrijednost za razmak između ploča za hlađenje u bioreaktoru Zymotis, koristeći simulirane fermentacijske podatke dobivene prema matematičkom modelu. Bioreaktor Zymotis je vrlo prikladan za one fermentacijske procese u čvrstom sloju u kojima supstratni sloj mora ostati statičan. Opisani postupak koristi dva određena parametra uvjetovana prisutnošću internih ploča za prijenos topline. Širina ploča za prijenos topline uvjetovana je količinom topline koju treba uklonitii padom tlaka rashladne vode te razmakom između tih ploča. Da bi se analizirao učinak bioreaktora, uveden je pojam produktivnosti koji uzima u obzir volumen unutar bioreaktora što ga zauzimaju ploče za prijenos topline. Kao dio ove analize pokazalo se da je, prema logistici kinetike rasta, optimalno vrijeme za povećavanje produktivnosti upravo ono kada biomasa postiže 90 % svoje maksimalne moguće vrijednosti

\u3ci\u3eTraumatomutilla\u3c/i\u3e André miscellanea: Revision of the bellica, bifurca, diabolica, and vitelligera species groups, and a new group for the new species \u3ci\u3eT. pilkingtoni\u3c/i\u3e Bartholomay and Williams (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae: Sphaeropthalminae: Dasymutillini)

Five small species groups of Traumatomutilla André, 1901 are revised. A new species, T. pilkingtoni Bartholomay and Williams sp. nov. (Argentina) is described and placed within its own species group. All known species of the bellica, diabolica, vitelligera, and bifurca species groups are redescribed. New synonymies are proposed for T. vitelligera (Gerstaecker, 1874) = Mutilla fascinata Smith, 1879, syn. nov.; = Traumatomutilla comata André, 1906, syn. nov. and for T. bifurca (Klug, 1821) = T. ira Casal, 1969, syn. nov. The lectotypes of Mutilla bifurca Klug, 1821 and Mutilla comata André, 1906 are designated. The hitherto unknown males of T. vitelligera and T. bifurca are diagnosed and described

Slight temperature changes cause rapid transcriptomic responses in Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic trypomastigotes.

BACKGROUND: Severe changes in temperature can affect the behavior and ecology of some infectious agents. Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan that causes Chagas disease. This parasite has high genetic variability and can be divided into six discrete typing units (DTUs). Trypanosoma cruzi also has a complex life-cycle, which includes the process of metacyclogenesis when non-infective epimastigote forms are differentiated into infective metacyclic trypomastigotes (MT). Studies in triatomines have shown that changes in temperature also affect the number and viability of MT.METHODS: The objective of this study was to evaluate how temperature affects the transcriptional profiles of T. cruzi I and II (TcI and TcII) MT by exposing parasites to two temperatures (27°C and 28°C) and comparing those to normal culture conditions at 26°C. Subsequently, RNA-seq was conducted and differentially expressed genes were quantified and associated to metabolic pathways.RESULTS: A statistically significant difference was observed in the number of MT between the temperatures evaluated and the control, TcII DTU was not strongly affected to exposure to high temperatures compared to TcI. Similar results were found when we analyzed gene expression in this DTU, with the greatest number of differentially expressed genes being observed at 28°C, which could indicate a dysregulation of different signaling pathways under this temperature. Chromosome analysis indicated that chromosome 1 harbored the highest number of changes for both DTUs for all thermal treatments. Finally, gene ontology (GO) analyses showed a decrease in the coding RNAs involved in the regulation of processes related to the metabolism of lipids and carbohydrates, the evasion of oxidative stress, and proteolysis and phosphorylation processes, and a decrease in RNAs coding to ribosomal proteins in TcI and TcII, along with an increase in the expression of surface metalloprotease GP63 in TcII.CONCLUSIONS: Slight temperature shifts lead to increased cell death of metacyclic trypomastigotes because of the deregulation of gene expression of different processes essential for the TcI and TcII DTUs of T. cruzi

9-[(E)-2-phenylethenyl]anthracene and 9-[(E)-2-(naphthalen-2-yl)ethenyl]anthracene as traps for singlet oxygen: photosensitized oxidation and photodynamic effect on Leishmania tarentolae parasites

Introducción: El oxígeno singulete es una especie reactiva que se obtiene mediante t r a n s f e r e n c i a e n e r g é t i c a u s a n d o u n fotosensibilizador. Su cuantificación directa requiere de instrumentación costosa, por lo cual es necesario recurrir a métodos indirectos que tengan suficiente selectividad y bajo costo. Estos procedimientos se basan en la interceptación química del oxígeno singulete produciendo una especie que se pueda detectar por métodos analíticos convencionales. En este artículo se describe la utilización del 9-[(E)-2-feniletenil] antraceno 1 (PEA) y del 9-[(E)-2-(naftalen-2-il) etenil]antraceno 2 (NEA), como alternativas viables y económicas para la cuantificación indirecta del oxígeno singulete, en medios acuosos. Su ventaja radica en la fácil detección de la desactivación de su fluorescencia una vez son oxidados por el oxígeno singulete. Materiales y Métodos: Los compuestos se sintetizaron y caracterizaron siguiendo procedimientos previamente reportados. Su capacidad para atrapar oxígeno singulete se determinó siguiendo su oxidación fotosensibilizada en solución de H2O/THF y en parásitos de Leishmania tarentolae, empleando azul de metileno o rosa bengala como fotosensibilizadores. Las muestras experimentales se iluminaron con una lámpara de emisión de luz visible, y se utilizaron métodos espectroscópicos (absorción UV-Vis, fluorescencia, RMN-1H) y espectrometría de masas para monitorear el atrapamiento y fotooxidación. Resultados y Discusión: Las pruebas espectroscópicas demostraron la capacidad que tienen los compuestos PEA 1 y NEA 2 para atrapar oxígeno singulete en solución acuosa y dentro de parásitos de L. tarentolae. Estudios de viabilidad parasitaria demuestran que PEA 1 es citotóxico en la oscuridad y cuando los cultivos son expuestos a la luz, mientras que NEA 2 no es citotóxico en la oscuridad, pero sí lo es cuando el cultivo es expuesto a la luz. En conclusión, los compuestos estudiados pueden servir como sondas para detectar y medir la producción de oxígeno singulete en medio acuoso y potencialmente en cultivos celulares, aunque es recomendable evaluar su actividad citotóxica en la oscuridad y bajo iluminación en estos casos.Introduction: Singlet oxygen is a reactive species obtained via energy transfer using a photosensitizer. Its direct quantification requires expensive instrumentation, so it is necessary to use indirect methods having sufficient selectivity and low cost. These procedures are based on the chemical interception of singlet oxygen producing a species that can be detected using conventional analytical methods. This article describes the utilization of 9-[(E)-2- phenylethenyl]anthracene 1 (PEA) and 9-[(E)-2- (naphtalen-2-yl)ethenyl]anthracene 2 (NEA) as suitable and economic alternatives for the indirect quantification of singlet oxygen in aqueous media. Their advantage is the easy detection of their fluorescence once they are oxidized by singlet oxygen. Materials and Methods: Compounds were synthesized and characterized following procedures previously reported. Their capacity to trap singlet oxygen was determined by monitoring their photosensitized oxidation in either a H2 O/THF solution or within Leishmania tarentolae parasites, utilizing methylene blue or rose bengal as photosensitizers. Experimental samples were illuminated with a lamp emitting visible light, while spectroscopical techniques (absorption, fluorescence, 1 H-NMR) and mass spectrometry were used to monitor trapping and photooxidation. Results and Discussion: Spectroscopical evidence demonstrates that both PEA 1 and NEA 2 are capable of trapping singlet oxygen in both aqueous media and within L. tarentolae parasites. Viability studies demonstrate that PEA 1 is cytotoxic in the dark and when parasite cultures were exposed to light, while NEA 2 does not show dark cytotoxicity, but is toxic when cultures were exposed to light. It can be concluded that both compounds under study may be utilized as probes to detect and quantify the production of singlet oxygen in aqueous media and potentially in cell cultures, although it is recommended to evaluate their cytotoxic activity both in the dark and upon light exposure in these cases

Detecting Mutations in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Pyrazinamidase Gene pncA to Improve Infection Control and Decrease Drug Resistance Rates in Human Immunodeficiency Virus Coinfection.

Hospital infection control measures are crucial to tuberculosis (TB) control strategies within settings caring for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients, as these patients are at heightened risk of developing TB. Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a potent drug that effectively sterilizes persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli. However, PZA resistance associated with mutations in the nicotinamidase/pyrazinamidase coding gene, pncA, is increasing. A total of 794 patient isolates obtained from four sites in Lima, Peru, underwent spoligotyping and drug resistance testing. In one of these sites, the HIV unit of Hospital Dos de Mayo (HDM), an isolation ward for HIV/TB coinfected patients opened during the study as an infection control intervention: circulating genotypes and drug resistance pre- and postintervention were compared. All other sites cared for HIV-negative outpatients: genotypes and drug resistance rates from these sites were compared with those from HDM. HDM patients showed high concordance between multidrug resistance, PZA resistance according to the Wayne method, the two most common genotypes (spoligotype international type [SIT] 42 of the Latino American-Mediterranean (LAM)-9 clade and SIT 53 of the T1 clade), and the two most common pncA mutations (G145A and A403C). These associations were absent among community isolates. The infection control intervention was associated with 58-92% reductions in TB caused by SIT 42 or SIT 53 genotypes (odds ratio [OR] = 0.420, P = 0.003); multidrug-resistant TB (OR = 0.349, P < 0.001); and PZA-resistant TB (OR = 0.076, P < 0.001). In conclusion, pncA mutation typing, with resistance testing and spoligotyping, was useful in identifying a nosocomial TB outbreak and demonstrating its resolution after implementation of infection control measures

Comprehensive Simultaneous Shipboard and Airborne Characterization of Exhaust from a Modern Container Ship at Sea

We report the first joint shipboard and airborne study focused on the chemical composition and water-uptake behavior of particulate ship emissions. The study focuses on emissions from the main propulsion engine of a Post-Panamax class container ship cruising off the central coast of California and burning heavy fuel oil. Shipboard sampling included micro-orifice uniform deposit impactors (MOUDI) with subsequent off-line analysis, whereas airborne measurements involved a number of real-time analyzers to characterize the plume aerosol, aged from a few seconds to over an hour. The mass ratio of particulate organic carbon to sulfate at the base of the ship stack was 0.23 ± 0.03, and increased to 0.30 ± 0.01 in the airborne exhaust plume, with the additional organic mass in the airborne plume being concentrated largely in particles below 100 nm in diameter. The organic to sulfate mass ratio in the exhaust aerosol remained constant during the first hour of plume dilution into the marine boundary layer. The mass spectrum of the organic fraction of the exhaust aerosol strongly resembles that of emissions from other diesel sources and appears to be predominantly hydrocarbon-like organic (HOA) material. Background aerosol which, based on air mass back trajectories, probably consisted of aged ship emissions and marine aerosol, contained a lower organic mass fraction than the fresh plume and had a much more oxidized organic component. A volume-weighted mixing rule is able to accurately predict hygroscopic growth factors in the background aerosol but measured and calculated growth factors do not agree for aerosols in the ship exhaust plume. Calculated CCN concentrations, at supersaturations ranging from 0.1 to 0.33%, agree well with measurements in the ship-exhaust plume. Using size-resolved chemical composition instead of bulk submicrometer composition has little effect on the predicted CCN concentrations because the cutoff diameter for CCN activation is larger than the diameter where the mass fraction of organic aerosol begins to increase significantly. The particle number emission factor estimated from this study is 1.3 × 10^(16) (kg fuel)^(−1), with less than 1/10 of the particles having diameters above 100 nm; 24% of particles (>10 nm in diameter) activate into cloud droplets at 0.3% supersaturation

Microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility assay for the diagnosis of TB.

BACKGROUND: New diagnostic tools are urgently needed to interrupt the transmission of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Rapid, sensitive detection of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in sputum has been demonstrated in proof-of-principle studies of the microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility (MODS) assay, in which broth cultures are examined microscopically to detect characteristic growth. METHODS: In an operational setting in Peru, we investigated the performance of the MODS assay for culture and drug-susceptibility testing in three target groups: unselected patients with suspected tuberculosis, prescreened patients at high risk for tuberculosis or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and unselected hospitalized patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. We compared the MODS assay head-to-head with two reference methods: automated mycobacterial culture and culture on Löwenstein-Jensen medium with the proportion method. RESULTS: Of 3760 sputum samples, 401 (10.7%) yielded cultures positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Sensitivity of detection was 97.8% for MODS culture, 89.0% for automated mycobacterial culture, and 84.0% for Löwenstein-Jensen culture (P<0.001); the median time to culture positivity was 7 days, 13 days, and 26 days, respectively (P<0.001), and the median time to the results of susceptibility tests was 7 days, 22 days, and 68 days, respectively. The incremental benefit of a second MODS culture was minimal, particularly in patients at high risk for tuberculosis or multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Agreement between MODS and the reference standard for susceptibility was 100% for rifampin, 97% for isoniazid, 99% for rifampin and isoniazid (combined results for multidrug resistance), 95% for ethambutol, and 92% for streptomycin (kappa values, 1.0, 0.89, 0.93, 0.71, and 0.72, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A single MODS culture of a sputum sample offers more rapid and sensitive detection of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis than the existing gold-standard methods used