eDiab: A System for Monitoring, Assisting and Educating People with Diabetes

In this paper, a system developed for monitoring, assisting and educating people with diabetes, named eDiab, is described. A central node (PDA or mobile phone) is used at the patient’s side for the transmission of medical information, health advices, alarms, reminders, etc. The software is adapted to blind users by using a screen reader called Mobile Speak Pocket/Phone. The glucose sensor is connected to the central node through wireless links (Zigbee/Bluetooth) and the communication between the central node and the server is established with a GPRS/GSM connection. Finally, a subsystem for health education (which sends medical information and advice like treatment reminder), still under development, is briefly described.Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología TIC2003- 08164-C03-0

Paleocene seismic facies in the continental margin of Uruguay (South America)

In this contribution seismic facies of the Paleocene sequence are characterized in offshore basins of Uruguay through the study of a 2D seismic database. Seven seismic horizons were identified, limiting six sedimentary intervals with different characteristics. Hence, the complexity of the Paleocene sequence is greater than suggested by other studies. Seismic facies located in the basis of the sequence can be interpreted as sandy deposits related to the action of both turbidity and bottom currents. The identification of these deposits agrees with the expected Cretaceous source rocks, in addition to the importance of the overlying Paleocene shales as a regional seal. The results of this work open interesting exploratory perspectives in the continental margin of Uruguay

Propagation of Rayleighs waves in cracked media

Este trabajo está enfocado a la obtención de resultados numéricos que permitan la detección y caracterización de grietas sub-superficiales en sólidos mediante la incidencia de ondas elásticas de Rayleigh. Los resultados se obtienen a partir de ecuaciones integrales de frontera, que pertenecen al campo de la elastodinámica. Una vez que se aplican las condiciones de frontera se obtiene un sistema de ecuaciones integrales del tipo Fredholm de segunda especie y orden cero, el cual es resuelto mediante eliminación gaussiana. El método que se emplea para la discretización de dichas ecuaciones es conocido como «método indirecto de elementos frontera», el cual puede ser visto como una derivación del teorema clásico de Somigliana. A partir de los análisis realizados en el dominio de la frecuencia emergen picos de resonancia que permiten inferir la presencia de grietas mediante los cocientes espectrales. Se analizaron varios modelos de medios agrietados donde se pretende evidenciar la gran utilidad que presenta el uso de los cocientes espectrales para identificar grietas. Se estudiaron los efectos de la orientación y la localización de las grietas. Los resultados obtenidos presentan buena concordancia con los publicados previamente.This work is focused on the finding of numerical results for detection and characterization of sub-surface cracks in solids under the incidence of Rayleighs elastic waves. The results are obtained from boundary integral equations, which belong to the field of dynamics of elasticity. Once applied the boundary conditions, a system of Fredholms integral equations of second kind and zero order is obtained, which is solved using Gaussian elimination. The method that is used for the solution of such integral equations is known as the Indirect Boundary Element Method, which can be seen as a derivation of the Somiglianas classic theorem. On the basis of the analysis made in the frequency domain, resonance peaks emerge and allow us to infer the presence of cracks through the spectral ratios. Several models of cracked media were analyzed, where analyses reveal the great utility that displays the use of spectral ratios to identify cracks. We studied the effects of orientation and location of cracks. The results show good agreement with the previously published.Peer Reviewe

Automated detection of microaneurysms by using region growing and fuzzy artmap neural network

Objective: To assess whether the methodological changes of this new algorithm improves the results of a previously presented strategy. Methods: We enhance the image and filter out the green channel of the digital color retinog- raphy. Multitolerance thresholding was applied to obtain candidate points and make a seed growing region by varying intensities. We took 15 characteristics from each region to train a fuzzy Artmap neural network using 42 retinal photographs. This network was then applied in the study of 11 good quality retinal photographs included in the diabetic retinopathy early detection screening program, with initial stages of retinopathy, obtained with the Topcon NW200 non-mydriatic retinal camera. Results: Two experienced ophthalmologists detected 52 microaneurysms in 11 images. The algorithm detected 39 microaneurysms and 3752 more regions, confirming 38 microa- neurysm and 135 false positives. The sensitivity is improved compared to the previous algorithm, from 60.53% to 73.08%. False positives have dropped from 41.8 to 12.27 per image. Conclusions: The new algorithm is better than the previous one, but there is still room for improvement, especially in the initial determination of seed

Gelsilox: a novel strategy for the study of dynamics alteration in the thiol redox proteome

Comunicaciones a congreso

The Calar Alto Lunar Occultation Program: Update and New Results

We present an update of the lunar occultation program which is routinely carried out in the near-IR at the Calar Alto Observatory. A total of 350 events were recorded since our last report (Fors et al. 2004, A&A, 419, 285). In the course of eight runs we have observed, among others, late-type giants, T-Tauri stars, and infrared sources. Noteworthy was a passage of the Moon close to the galactic center, which produced a large number of events during just a few hours in July 2004. Results include the determinations of the angular diameter of RZ Ari, and the projected separations and brightness ratios for one triple and 13 binary stars, almost all of which representing first time detections. Projected separations range from 0farcs09 to 0farcs007. We provide a quantitative analysis of the performance achieved in our observations in terms of angular resolution and sensitivity, which reach about 0farcs003 and K ≈8.5 mag, respectively. We also present a statistical discussion of our sample, and in particular of the frequency of detection of binaries among field stars

Telescope Fabra ROA Montsec: a new robotic wide-field Baker-Nunn facility

A Baker–Nunn Camera (BNC), originally installed at the Real Instituto y Observatorio de la Armada (ROA) in 1958, was refurbished and robotized. The new facility, called Telescope Fabra ROA Montsec (TFRM), was installed at the Observatori Astronòmic del Montsec (OAdM). The process of refurbishment is described in detail. Most of the steps of the refurbishment project were accomplished by purchasing commercial components, which involve little posterior engineering assembling work. The TFRM is a 0.5 m aperture f/0.96 optically modified BNC, which offers a unique combination of instrumental specifications: fully robotic and remote operation, wide field of view (4°.4 × 4°.4), moderate limiting magnitude (V ∼ 19.5 mag), ability of tracking at arbitrary right ascension (α) and declination (δ) rates, as well as opening and closing CCD shutter at will during an exposure. Nearly all kinds of image survey programs can benefit from those specifications. Apart from other less time-consuming programs, since the beginning of science TFRM operations we have been conducting two specific and distinct surveys: super-Earths transiting around M-type dwarfs stars, and geostationary debris in the context of Space Situational Awareness/Space Surveillance and Tracking (SSA/SST) programs. Preliminary results for both cases will be shown

Signatures of the sources in the gravitational waves of a perturbed Schwarzschild black hole

The explicit form of perturbation equation for the $\Psi_4$ Weyl scalar, containing the matter source terms, is derived for general type D spacetimes. It is described in detail the particular case of the Schwarzschild spacetime using in-going penetrating coordinates. As a practical application, we focused on the emission of gravitational waves when a black hole is perturbed by a surrounding dust-like fluid matter. The symmetries of the spacetime and the simplicity of the matter source allow, by means of a spherical harmonic decomposition, to study the problem by means of a one dimensional numerical code.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

Detección Automática de Microaneurismas en Retinografías para Diagnóstico Precoz de Retinopatía Diabética

En este trabajo presentamos un prototipo de herramienta de detección automática de microaneurismas (MA) en retinografías en color. Este algoritmo evoluciona a partir de trabajos anteriores como la detección de microcalcificaciones en mamografías [1] o la detección de MA en angiografías fluoresceínicas (AF) [2][3]. El método para la detección automática de MA se divide en cinco partes: preprocesado de la retinografía, algoritmo de detección basado en la umbralización del error de predicción lineal en 2D, crecimiento de regiones, selección de características, y clasificación de los candidatos mediante una red neuronal del tipo Fuzzy ARTMAP. En total disponemos de 30 imágenes con 421 MA diagnosticados, de los cuales 101 se han utilizado para la clasificación. El algoritmo detecta correctamente 78 MA, presentando una sensibilidad del 77.23% y una media de 19.25 falsos positivos por imagen.Ministerio de Sanidad PI07/90379Ministerio de Sanidad PI07/9037

Nuevo Algoritmo para el Cálculo de la Relación Disco ÓpticoExcavación Basado en Distancias de Color

En este trabajo se presenta una nueva herramienta automática de diagnóstico asistido por computador (CAD) para programas de rastreo masivo de glaucoma mediante el cálculo de la relación de aspecto entre la excavación de la cabeza del nervio óptico y el disco óptico (Cup to Disk Ratio, CDR). El algoritmo combina métodos morfológicos, basados en intensidad y multitolerancia, junto a las técnicas de contornos activos y clustering o agrupación K-means adaptada a la percepción humana al trabajar sobre el espacio de color CIE L* a * b * haciendo uso de la distancia de color avanzada CIE94. Los resultados se han comparado con la segmentación manual a cargo de especialistas, demostrando la bondad del método. A su vez, se ha comprobado la mejora que supone la adaptación del algoritmo a la percepción humana comparando los resultados obtenidos con los que se alcanzarían con la distancia de color Euclídea