Duino-Based Learning (DBL) in control engineering courses

© 2019 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting /republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other worksThis document presents a project to develop freely redistributable materials to conduct educational lab projects with MATLAB, Simulink, Arduino and low-cost plants. This work materials introduce the fundamentals of Control Engineering through exercises and videos. Along with all this, the most important steps and issues appeared in the project are explained, so anyone interested on doing a project can have a starting point instead of starting a project from scratch, which most of times this results hard to implementPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Absorbable stent: focus on clinical applications and benefits

Coronary stents have improved very significantly the immediate and long-term results of percutaneous coronary interventions. However, once the vessel has healed, the scaffolding function of the stent is no longer needed, and the presence of a permanent metallic prosthesis poses important disadvantages. This has led to the idea of creating new devices that are able to provide mechanical support for a determined period and then disappear from the vessel, allowing its natural healing and avoiding the risks associated with having a permanent metallic cage, such as stent thrombosis. Absorbable stents currently appear as one of the most promising fields in interventional cardiology. The present article will review the available clinical evidence regarding these devices at present and their future perspectives

Implementación de controladores en Arduino mediante Simulink

En este trabajo se presenta una plataforma ba- sada en MATLAB y Arduino para la realización de prácticas de control digital. El trabajo describe los componentes hardware utilizados, los elemen- tos de MATLAB/Simulink y muestra algunos de los resultados preliminares que se están obtenien- do en las plataformas experimentales de las que se dispone en el departamento de ESAII de la UPCPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Definición de patrones electrocardiográficos para su reconocimiento en una aplicación informática

Aprendizaje de la electrocardiografía para los alumnos de 3º y 4º de Medicina a partir de una biblioteca de electrocardiografía tutelada, creada en un proyecto de innovación y mejora de la calidad docente de 2013. Se trata de detallar los patrones electrocardiográficos reales de todas las alteraciones electrocardiográficas descritas para que puedan ser llevados a una aplicación gráfica de identificación para dispositivos móviles que diagnostique los electrocardiogramas mediante su escaneo

Addressing long-term challenges in energy for sustainable futures by applying Moonshot Thinking

The rapid and exponential changes in our world require the education of engineers who can develop solutions to future and long-term challenges such as climate change. Exploration and innovation methodologies such as Futures Thinking and Moonshot Thinking have the potential to equip engineering students with useful tools and skills to build sustainable futures. To this end, the InnoEnergy MSc Energy for Smart Cities programme at BarcelonaTech (UPC) has developed a challenge-based learning (CBL) course that applies moonshot thinking to tackle major energy problems. This paper presents the methodology refined over three years of implementing the CBL course with second-year Masters's students in Energy Engineering. The course begins by constructing a narrative working future using exploratory tools from the Futures Thinking methodology. Breakthrough technologies are introduced, and their disruptive potential is analysed. Students then define a long-term sustainability and energy problem and use various ideation methodologies to develop a solution. Using technologies such as 3D printing, artificial intelligence and open-source electronic prototyping platforms such as Arduino, they build a minimum viable product (MVP) and develop a business model. Finally, using an agile approach, students must design future iterations and analyse the potential exploitation of their solution. This subject equips students with the necessary skills to address complex energy and sustainability challenges, and the course has proven effective in preparing students to apply their knowledge in practical, real-world settings.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al ClimaObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima::13.2 - Incorporar mesures relatives al canvi climàtic en les polítiques, les estratègies i els plans nacionalsObjectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::13 - Acció per al Clima::13.3 - Millorar l’educació, la conscienciació i la capacitat humana i institucional en relació amb la mitigació del canvi climàtic, l’adaptació a aquest, la reducció dels efectes i l’alerta primerencaPostprint (published version

Midterm outcome of patients with asymptomatic restenosis after coronary balloon angioplasty

AbstractAlthough many patients with restenosis after balloon coronary angioplasty have recurrence of angina, others remain asymptomatic. To assess the clinical implications of asymptomatic coronary restenosis, we analyzed clinical and angiographie characteristics of 277 consecutive patients with restenosis, 133 (48%) of whom were asymptomatic (group I) and 144 (52%) symptomatic (group II). Restenosis was documented 6 to 9 months after the index procedure, or earlier if angina recurred, and was defined as a >50% lumen narrowing (visual estimation). Group I (asymptomatic group) included fewer female (9% vs. 18%, p < 0.05) and hypertensive patients (38% vs. 56%, p < 0.005) and more patients with a previous myocardial infarction (48% vs. 28%, p < 0.05) and single-vessel disease (67% vs. 55%, p < 0.05).Before angioplasty, symptoms had lasted for a shorter period (10 ± 25 vs. 23 ± 42 months, p < 0.001), ischemia after a recent infarction was a more frequent indication (21% vs. 10%, p < 0.05) and total revascularization more frequently obtained (74% vs. 63%, p < 0.05) in group I than in group II patients. Only a normal blood pressure, previous myocardial infarction, singlevessel disease and a shorter duration of symptoms were independent correlates of asymptomatic restenosis. No differences were found in stenosis severity before angioplasty (90% in both groups) or after angioplasty (22% ± 12% vs. 24% ± 16%).By the time of follow-up angiography, group I patients had exercised more (9.8 ± 2.7 vs. 7.7 ± 3 metabolic exercise equivalents (METs), p < 0.05) and had achieved a faster heart rate (140 ± 21 vs. 127 ± 23 beats/min, p < 0.025), and more of them had a negative test result (33% vs. 9%, p < 0.05). Stenosis was less severe in group I patients (79 ± 15% vs. 86 ± 11%, p < 0.05), and 32% of them versus 8% of group II had <75% stenosis. After 17 ± 13 months, 15 asymptomatic patients had recurrence of angina; recurrence was considered related to restenosis in 6 (21%) of 29 patients with exercise-induced ST segment changes, in 4 (9.5%) of 42 without ST changes and in none of the 15 with ST changes and “elective” angioplasty. No group I patient died or was operated on, and only six underwent another angioplasty procedure indicated for angina. By contrast, 6 patients (4%) in group II died, 11 (8%) required surgery and 81 (56%) underwent repeat angioplasty.It is concluded that asymptomatic coronary restenosis is a frequent phenomenon with a good prognosis mainly in patients with a negative exercise test result. Prospective, randomized studies are required to determine the potential role of repeat angioplasty in asymptomatic patients with documented restenosis and evidence of exercise-induced ST segment changes

New and Old Mechanisms Associated with Hypertension in the Elderly

Hypertension is a widely prevalent and important risk factor for cardiovascular diseases that increase with aging. The hallmark of hypertension in the elderly is increased vascular dysfunction. However, the molecular mechanisms by which increased blood pressure leads to vascular injury and impaired endothelial function are not well defined. In the present paper, we will analyze several mechanisms described in the scientific literature involved in hypertension in the elderly as endothelial dysfunction, increased oxygen delivery to tissues, inflammation, cellular apoptosis, and increased concentration of active metabolites. Also, we will focus on new molecular mechanisms involved in hypertension such as telomeres shortening, progenitor cells, circulating microparticles, and epigenetic factors that have appeared as possible causes of hypertension in the elderly. These molecular mechanisms may elucidate different origin for hypertension in the elderly and provide us with new targets for hypertension treatment