RoboToy Demoulding: Robotic Demoulding System for Toy Manufacturing Industry

Industrial environments and product manufacturing processes are currently being automated and robotized. Nowadays, it is common to have robots integrated in the automotive industry, robots palletizing in the food industry and robots performing welding tasks in the metal industry. However, there are many traditional and manual sectors out of date with technology, such as the toy manufacturing industry. This work describes a new robotic system able to perform the demoulding task in a toy manufacturing process, which is a tedious labor-intensive and potentially hazardous task for human operators. The system is composed of specialised machinery about the rotational moulding manufacturing process, cameras, actuators, and a collaborative robot. A vision-based algorithm makes this system capable of handling soft plastic pieces which are deformable and flexible during demoulding. The system reduces the stress and potential injuries to human operators, allowing them to perform other tasks wit h higher dexterity requirements or relocate to other sub-tasks of the process where the physical effort is minor

A new automatic method for demoulding plastic parts using an intelligent robotic system

Nowadays, there are many different industrial processes in which people spend several hours performing tedious and repetitive tasks. Furthermore, most of these processes involve the manipulation of dangerous materials or machinery, such as the toy manufacturing, where people handle ovens with high temperatures and make weary physical effort for a long period of time during the process. In this work, it is presented an automatic and innovative collaborative robotic system that is able to deal with the demoulding task during the manufacturing process of toy dolls. The intelligent robotic system is composed by an UR10e robot with a RealSense RGB-D camera integrated which detects the pieces in the mould using a developed vision-based algorithm and extracts them by means of a custom gripper located and the end of the robot. We introduce a pipeline to perform the demoulding task of different plastic pieces relying in the use of this intelligent robotic system. Finally, to validate this approach, the automatic method has been successfully implemented in a real toy factory providing a novel approach in this traditional manufacturing process. The paper describes the robotic system performance using different forces and velocities, obtaining a success rate of more than 90% in the experimental results.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. This work has been carried out within the scope of an Industrial PhD at AIJU in the context of the SOFTMANBOT Project, with European funding from the Horizon 2022 research programme (G.A 869855). In addition, it has been supported by the UAIND21-06B grant of the University of Alicante

Revalorization of Broccoli By-Products for Cosmetic Uses Using Supercritical Fluid Extraction

The agri-food industry is currently one of themain engines of economic developmentworldwide. The region ofMurcia is a reference area in Europe for the cultivation of fruits and vegetables and produces the bulk of Spanish exports of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica). The processing of fresh produce generates a huge number of by-products that represent an important economic and environmental problem when discarded. In this work, an advanced extraction technique using environmentally friendly solvents was applied to assess the revalorization of broccoli by-products, by performing a comparative analysis with conventional extraction. To achieve this goal, supercritical fluid extraction based on response surface methodology was performed using CO2 and ethanol as solvents. The results obtained showed that the supercritical fluid extracts were rich in -carotene, phenolic compounds, chlorophylls and phytosterols. Moreover, in bioactivity assays, the supercritical fluid extracts exhibited a high antioxidant activity and a cytoprotective effect in a non-tumorigenic keratinocyte cell line exposed to ultraviolet B light. The results indicate that supercritical fluid extracts from broccoli by-products could potentially serve as an ingredient for cosmetic purposes

Chapter Advances on coastal erosion assessment from satellite earth observations: exploring the use of Sentinel products along with very high resolution sensors

This work proposes the use of automatic co-registered satellite images to obtain large, high frequency and highly accurate shorelines time series. High resolution images are used to co-register Landsat and Sentinel-2 images. 90% of the co-registered images presented vertical and horizontal shift lower than 3 m. Satellite derived shorelines presented errors lower than mission’s precision. A discussion is presented on the applicability of those shorelines through an application to Tordera Delta (Spain)

The Co-Poem Project: Didactic Resources and Pedagogical Projection for Musical Education in Primary School

[En] Orally transmitted traditional music constitutes an invaluable intangible legacy for understanding the development of local cultures and observing social dynamics over time. The Co-Poem project aims to make a significant corpus of these musical cultures available to any user in the Medi-terranean basin by creating the I-Folk database, which allows access and consultation through semantic technologies and artificial intelligence, to promote knowledge of this cultural reality and perpetuate its intergenerational transmission. The conceptualization of both resources is ori-ented to the practice of music teaching in primary education. From this point of view, the struc-ture of metadata that musically describes each work and the implementation of access resources to the corpus under study are analyzed from the point of view of the pedagogical function. All these issues are materialized in creation of various educational resources based on the possi-bilities of the I-Folk database to promote meaningful and interactive learning of musical content (melody, rhythm, dance, etc.) based on the defining characteristics of this type of repertoire. Recent interventions and didactic activities in primary schools show that both the I-Folk database and the associated resources and the search and comparative analysis functionalities between repertoires from different territories constitute a tool highly appreciated by teachers and arouses great interest among students. [spa] La música tradicional transmitida oralmente constituye un legado de gran valor para comprender el desarrollo de las culturas locales y observar las dinámicas sociales a lo largo del tiempo. El proyecto Co-Poem pretende poner a disposición de cualquier usuario un corpus significativo de estas culturas musicales en el entorno de la cuenca mediterránea, mediante la creación de la base de datos I-Folk que, a través de tecnologías semánticas e inteligencia artificial, permite el acceso y consulta con el fin de promover el conocimiento de esta realidad cultural y perpetuar su trans-misión intergeneracional. La conceptualización de ambos recursos está orientada a la práctica de la enseñanza de la música en la educación primaria. Desde este punto de vista pedagógico, se analiza la estructura de metadatos que describen musicalmente cada obra y la implementación de recursos de acceso al corpus objeto de estudio. Todas estas cuestiones se materializan en la creación de diversos recursos educativos basados en las posibilidades de la base de datos I-Folk, con la intención de promover el aprendizaje significativo e interactivo de contenidos musicales (melodía, ritmo, danza, etc.) a partir de las características definitorias de este tipo de repertorio. Las intervenciones y actividades didácticas recientes en las escuelas primarias muestran que tanto la base de datos I-Folk y los recursos asociados, como las funcionalidades de búsqueda y análisis comparativo entre repertorios de diferentes territorios, constituyen una herramienta muy apreciada por los docentes y que despierta un gran interés entre los alumnos

Actualización en diagnóstico y manejo de la insuficiencia cardíaca y el edema agudo del pulmón.

El objetivo del presente artículo es actualizar la información de insuficiencia cardiaca y edema agudo de pulmón con particular detalle en los factores precipitantes, diagnóstico y sobre todo su tratamiento, así como el estudio del edema agudo de pulmón que es una manifestación aguda y grave de insuficiencia cardíaca. Actualmente se considera que las enfermedades cardiovasculares son una de las primeras causas de muerte en el mundo y estas como consecuencia misma de las diferentes alteraciones anatómicas y funcionales que llevan a esta condición. La insuficiencia cardiaca es aquella situación en la que el gasto cardiaco no cubre las demandas requeridas por el organismo para su normal proceso metabólico. Los signos y síntomas típicos además de la fracción de eyección del ventrículo izquierdo (FEVI) definen el diagnóstico y determinan la estrategia a seguir. El manejo se realiza en base a los factores precipitantes, medidas generales y tratamiento farmacológico que permitan un gasto cardiaco que cubra las necesidades del organismo. La meta de cualquier terapia será restaurar la FEVI y prevenir complicaciones, entre las aguda y más graves, el edema agudo de pulmón

Consideraciones acerca de la influencia de los juegos educativos en el proceso de aprendizaje de niños comprendidos entre 0 y 5 años de edad

This scientific work presents a synthesis of the results achieved in the development of the research that served as the basis for the writing of this article, in which the influence of educational games is socialized in the learning process of children between 0 and 5 years of age, for the achievement of this purpose, methods of the empirical and theoretical level of scientific research were used, the first to collect the information to complete the programmed objectives, and the theoretical ones to analyze the results achieved and consequently arrive to own conclusions and consequently promote the epistemology that basically surrounds the subject under study. The scientific product that is socialized is feasible, if the role that the game plays as a playful tool is taken account not only for the academic development of the students, but also for their integral formation. In the investigative activity deployed, findings were achieved that, if taken into account by the relevant authorities, could contribute to the elevation of the academic and cultural performance of the students, for which the feasibility of the academic product achieved is asserted, which can be generalized in other institutions of our territory.En esta obra científica se presenta una síntesis de los resultados alcanzados en el desarrollo de la investigación que, sirvió de base a la escritura del presente artículo, en el que se socializa la influencia de los juegos educativos en el proceso de aprendizaje de niños comprendidos entre 0 y 5 años de edad, para el logro de esa finalidad, se utilizaron métodos del nivel empírico y teórico de la investigación científica, los primeros para recopilar la información repara cumplimentar los objetivos programados, y los teóricos para analizar los resultados alcanzados y consecuentemente arribar a conclusiones propias y consecuentemente potenciar la gnoseología que básicamente rodea la temática objeto de estudio. El producto científico que se socializa es factible, sí se tiene en cuenta el papel que desempeña el juego como herramienta lúdica no solo para el desarrollo académico de los educandos, sino también para la formación integral de estos. En la actividad investigativa desplegada se lograron hallazgos que de tenerse en cuenta por las autoridades pertinentes podrían contribuir a la elevación del rendimiento académico y cultural de los estudiantes, por lo que se asevera la factibilidad del producto académico alcanzado, el que puede ser generalizado en otras instituciones de nuestro territorio

A simple immunoassay for extracellular vesicle liquid biopsy in microliters of non-processed plasma

Background: Extracellular vesicles (EVs), released by most cell types, provide an excellent source of biomarkers in biological fluids. However, in order to perform validation studies and screenings of patient samples, it is still necessary to develop general techniques permitting rapid handling of small amounts of biological samples from large numbers of donors. Results: Here we describe a method that, using just a few microliters of patient’s plasma, identifies tumour markers exposed on EVs. Studying physico-chemical properties of EVs in solution, we demonstrate that they behave as stable colloidal suspensions and therefore, in immunocapture assays, many of them are unable to interact with a stationary functionalised surface. Using flocculation methods, like those used to destabilize colloids, we demonstrate that cationic polymers increase EV ζ-potential, diameter, and sedimentation coefficient and thus, allow a more efficient capture on antibody-coated surfaces by both ELISA and bead-assisted flow cytometry. These findings led to optimization of a protocol in microtiter plates allowing effective immunocapture of EVs, directly in plasma without previous ultracentrifugation or other EV enrichment. The method, easily adaptable to any laboratory, has been validated using plasma from lung cancer patients in which the epithelial cell marker EpCAM has been detected on EVs. Conclusions: This optimized high throughput, easy to automate, technology allows screening of large numbers of patients to phenotype tumour markers in circulating EVs, breaking barriers for the validation of proposed EV biomarkers and the discovery of new one

Evaluación de hábitos de consumo alimentario y composición corporal en jugadoras de élite universitarias de fútbol sala

Introducción: El fútbol sala femenino es un deporte de esfuerzo intermitente. Las deportistas necesitan cumplir con las recomendaciones nutricionales para obtener un rendimiento adecuado. El objetivo del presente estudio es describir la ingesta dietética y la composición corporal de un equipo de élite universitario de fútbol sala. Metodología: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal realizado en 14 jugadoras semi-profesionales de fútbol sala. Se calculó la composición corporal mediante el modelo de 4 componentes con las ecuaciones de la Sociedad Española de Medicina del Deporte. Para evaluar los hábitos de consumo alimentario se empleó el cuestionario de frecuencia de consumo alimentario del departamento de Salud Pública de la Universidad Miguel Hernández. El análisis estadístico se realizó con el software SPSS. Todas las variables dependientes tenían distribuciones no normales y se calculó el coeficiente de correlación de Spearman (Rho), siendo el nivel de significancia establecido de 0,05 y 0,01. Resultados: Los valores medios composición corporal observados fueron: 61,69 kg (7,71) kg, talla: 1,64 (0,06) m, porcentaje de masa grasa 12,00 (3,08) % y peso masa muscular 22,03 (3,82) Kg. La clasificación somatotípica de la muestra fue endo-mesomorfo. Respecto a la ingesta dietética. La ingesta dietética se encontraba generalmente por debajo de las recomendaciones de la Guía de la Alimentación Saludable Para Atención Primaria y Colectivos Ciudadanos de Sociedad Española de Nutrición Comunitaria (SENC). Se encontraron correlaciones entre el consumo de algunos alimentos con los valores antropométricos como el consumo de carne y lácteos con un mayor peso de masa muscular (kg). Conclusiones: El consumo alimentario de las jugadoras está por debajo de las recomendaciones en la mayoría de los grupos alimentarios. Es necesario transmitir a las deportistas la importancia de realizar una planificación nutricional adecuada y específica para sus necesidades para poder mantener unos niveles de rendimiento aceptables así como una composición corporal óptima. Financiación: Los autores declaran que no han tenido fuente de financiación

Preventive treatments for breast cancer: recent developments

Breast cancer is a burden for western societies, and an increasing one in emerging economies, because of its high incidence and enormous psychological, social, sanitary and economic costs. However, breast cancer is a preventable disease in a significant proportion. Recent developments in the armamentarium of effective drugs for breast cancer prevention (namely exemestane and anastrozole), the new recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to use preventative drugs in women at high risk as well as updated Guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force and the American Society of Clinical Oncology should give renewed momentum to the pharmacological prevention of breast cancer. In this article we review recent major developments in the field and examine their ongoing repercussion for breast cancer prevention. As a practical example, the potential impact of preventive measures in Spain is evaluated and a course of practical actions is delineated