Shifting Bordering and Rescue Practices in the Central Mediterranean Sea, October 2013–October 2015

This counter‐mapping project illustrates the areas of intervention of different operations geared toward rescue and enforcement between 2013 and 2015, including the Italian Navy's “Mare Nostrum” search and rescue mission, the EU border agency Frontex's “Triton” enforcement operation, the humanitarian interventions of commercial vessels, and the action of civil‐society rescue vessels such as those operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF—Doctors Without Borders). The project offers a spatial understanding of the Mediterranean border‐scape, the practices of rescue and enforcement that occur within it, and the risk of sea‐crossing at this particular moment. Through these maps, the Central Mediterranean Sea emerges as a striking laboratory from which novel legal arrangements, surveillance technologies, and institutional assemblages converge

Shifting Bordering and Rescue Practices in the Central Mediterranean Sea, October 2013-October 2015

This counter‐mapping project illustrates the areas of intervention of different operations geared toward rescue and enforcement between 2013 and 2015, including the Italian Navy's “Mare Nostrum” search and rescue mission, the EU border agency Frontex's “Triton” enforcement operation, the humanitarian interventions of commercial vessels, and the action of civil‐society rescue vessels such as those operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF—Doctors Without Borders). The project offers a spatial understanding of the Mediterranean border‐scape, the practices of rescue and enforcement that occur within it, and the risk of sea‐crossing at this particular moment. Through these maps, the Central Mediterranean Sea emerges as a striking laboratory from which novel legal arrangements, surveillance technologies, and institutional assemblages converge

Ciclist’s torque observer in electric power assisted bicycles

[ES] En este trabajo se propone un observador para estimar el par efectuado por un ciclista en el eje trasero de una bicicleta eléctrica cuya información es utilizada para aplicar una estrategia de asistencia al pedaleo que cumple con la normativa europea. Para ello, en primer lugar, se obtiene el modelo dinámico longitudinal de la bicicleta incluyendo la carga resistente. A partir de este modelo se propone un observador para la estimación del par del ciclista utilizando las mediciones disponibles en el control del motor eléctrico, donde la velocidad es estimada a partir de un algoritmo PLL. De esta manera, la estrategia de asistencia se puede aplicar sin la necesidad de sensores de par ni de posición/velocidad. Por último, para validar el observador propuesto, se presentan resultados experimentales utilizando una bicicleta eléctrica rodado 26 conducida por dos conductores de diferente peso.[EN] An observer to estimate the torque made by a cyclist on the rear axle of an electric bicycle is proposed in this work. The observer’s information is used to apply an electric assistance strategy complying with european regulations. For that purpose, the dynamic longitudinal model of the bicycle including the resistant load is obtained. Then, the observer to estimate the cyclist’s torque is presented. This observer is based on the dynamic model of the bicycle and the measurements used for the control of the electric motor, where the speed is estimated from a PLL algorithm. Therefore the assistance strategy can be applied without the need of torque and speed sensors. Finally, to validate the proposed observer, experimental results are presented using an electric bicycle driven by two drivers with different weight.Este trabajo fue financiado por la Universidad Nacional de R´ıo Cuarto, FONCyT-ANPCyT (Subsidio PICT-2014∼2760) y CONICET (Subsidio PIP 2014-2016 GI 11220130100517CO).González, G.; Aligia, D.; Pezzani, C.; De Angelo, C. (2020). Observador del par ejercido por el ciclista en bicicletas eléctricas con asistencia al pedaleo. Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática industrial. 17(4):380-389. https://doi.org/10.4995/riai.2020.12923OJS380389174Aligia, D., González, G., Pezzani, C., Escudero, C., De Angelo, C., 2019. Identificación del modelo de carga y de las potencias involucradas en una bici- cleta eléctrica. In: Reunión de Trabajo en Procesamiento de la Información y Control - RPIC.Apte, A. A., Joshi, V. A., Walambe, R. A., Godbole, A. A., 2016. Speed con- trol of PMSM using disturbance observer. IFAC-PapersOnLine 49 (1), 308-313, 4th IFAC Conference on Advances in Control and Optimization of Dynamical Systems ACODS 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2016.03.071European Standards, E., 2017. BS EN 15194:2017 - Cycles - electrically power assisted cycles - EPAC bicycles.Hsu, R. C., Liu, C., Chan, D., Aug 2012. A reinforcement-learning-based assisted power management with QoR provisioning for human-electric hybrid bicycle. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics 59 (8), 3350-3359. https://doi.org/10.1109/TIE.2011.2141092IEA, 2019. Oil information overview - statistics. Tech. rep., International Energy Agency.Kai, Z., Dejun, Y., July 2017. A control approach adaptive to load and road slope for electric power assisted bicycle. In: 2017 36th Chinese Control Conference (CCC). pp. 3414-3418. https://doi.org/10.23919/ChiCC.2017.8027887Kooijman, J., Schwab, A., Meijaard, J. P., 2008. Experimental validation of a model of an uncontrolled bicycle. Multibody System Dynamics 19 (1-2), 115-132. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11044-007-9050-xKosuge, K., Yabushita, H., Hirata, Y., Nov 2004. Load-free control of power- assisted cycle. In: IEEE Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. TExCRA Technical Exhibition Based. pp. 111-112.Krause, P., Wasynczuk, O., Sudhoff, S., 2013. Analysis of electric machinery. IEEE PRESS. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118524336Li, T., Yang, Q., Ren, B., Tu, X., July 2018. A torque sensor-less speed control method of electric assisted bicycle. In: 2018 37th Chinese Control Conference (CCC). pp. 3705-3709. https://doi.org/10.23919/ChiCC.2018.8484181Mira Torregrosa, M. E., 2016. Environmental evaluation and effectiveness of electric-assist bicycle for a local transportation. Master's thesis, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería del Diseño.Nakao, M., Ohnishi, K., Miyachi, K., March 1987. A robust decentralized joint control based on interference estimation. In: Proceedings. 1987 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Vol. 4. pp. 326-331. https://doi.org/10.1109/ROBOT.1987.1087996Parker, A. A., 2011. In europe 250 Watt PEDELECS reduce pollution and improve the safety and mobility of young and elderly riders. In: Australasian Transport Research Forum 2011 Proceedings. pp. 28-30.Sankaranarayanan, V., Ravichandran, S., May 2015. Torque sensorless control of a human-electric hybrid bicycle. In: 2015 International Conference on Industrial Instrumentation and Control (ICIC). pp. 806-810. https://doi.org/10.1109/IIC.2015.7150852Wen-Hua Chen, Ballance, D. J., Gawthrop, P. J., O'Reilly, J., Aug 2000. A non- linear disturbance observer for robotic manipulators. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics 47 (4), 932-938. https://doi.org/10.1109/41.857974Yongchang Zhang, Jiali Liu, May 2016. An improved Q-PLL to overcome the speed reversal problems in sensorless PMSM drive. In: 2016 IEEE 8th Inter- national Power Electronics and Motion Control Conference (IPEMC-ECCE Asia). pp. 1884-1888. https://doi.org/10.1109/IPEMC.2016.7512582Zhao, Y., Wei, C., Zhang, Z., Qiao, W., Dec 2013. A review on position/speed sensorless control for permanent-magnet synchronous machine-based wind energy conversion systems. IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics 1 (4), 203-216. https://doi.org/10.1109/JESTPE.2013.228057

Parasitosis intestinales y factores ambientales en una población rural de Argentina, 2002-2003

We evaluate the prevalence of intestinal parasites in 504 people and the degree of association between environmental variables and parasites found in population, soil and water in a rural area of Argentina during 2002-2003. A structured survey was used to evaluate the environmental variables and fecal-human, soil and water samples were analyzed. The prevalence of parasites was 45.4%. Most prevalent protozoa were Blastocystis hominis (27.2%) and Giardia lamblia (6.9%), while the most prevalent helminth was Ascaris lumbricoides (3.8%). The analyzed environmental variables showing association (p < 0.05) with presence of parasites in population were: cardboard-tin or wooden house, dirt floor, home or communal water pump, faucet outside the house or public faucet and cesspool or latrine. Parasite forms were found in 82.3% of the soil samples and in 84.2% of the water samples. In both samples we found parasites that were also found in people. In this study we have found deficient sanitary conditions associated with presence of parasites in population and we have evidenced that contaminated soil and water were the source of these parasites.Hemos evaluado la prevalencia de parásitos intestinales en 504 personas y el grado de asociación entre las variables ambientales y los parásitos intestinales hallados en la población, el suelo y el agua de una zona rural de Argentina durante 2002-2003. Se utilizó una encuesta estructurada para relevar las variables ambientales y se examinaron muestras fecales humanas, de agua y de suelo. La prevalencia parasitaria fue de 45,4%. Los protozoos prevalentes fueron Blastocystis hominis (27,2%) y Giardia lamblia (6,9%), mientras que el helminto mas prevalente fue Ascaris lumbricoides (3,8%). Las variables ambientales analizadas que mostraron asociación (p < 0,05) con la presencia de parásitos en la población fueron: casa de cartón-chapa o de madera con piso de tierra, bomba de agua domiciliaria o comunitaria, canilla fuera de la casa o pública y pozo ciego o letrina. Elementos parasitarios fueron hallados en el 82,3% de las muestras de suelo y en el 84,2% de las muestras de agua. En ambas muestras fueron hallados parásitos que también se encontraron en las personas. En este trabajo hemos hallado deficientes condiciones sanitarias asociadas con la presencia de parásitos en las personas y hemos evidenciado que el suelo y el agua contaminada fueron la fuente de esos parasitos

Related factors to human toxocariasis in a rural community of Argentina

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between toxocariasis frequency and demographic, environmental, sanitary variables, eosinophylia, and other intestinal parasites in a rural population of Argentina. Serological examination of 100 individuals was carried out by using ELISA technique for the detection of antitoxocara antibodies. Eosinophiles in peripheral blood, presence of intestinal parasites, and demographic, environmental, and socio-cultural data were evaluated. Eighty-one feces samples of dogs belonging to the studied people were analyzed to detect eggs of Toxocara canis. Thirty of them were from 30 dogs and 51 were pools from dog feces. Samples of dirt from around the homes (n: 47) and from public park (n: 4) were taken. To determine the associations, the X2 and Fisher tests were used. The seroprevalence was 23%. Eosinophilia in peripheral blood was detected in 86.95% seropositive individuals and in 37.66% seronegative individuals (p < 0.001, OR = 11.03). Of the 23 people with positive serology, 69.56% had at least one intestinal parasite. All individuals with positive serology had dogs in their homes. Among the dog owners there was a significant association between the presence of anti-toxocara antibodies and home flooding. Eggs of T. canis were detected in the feces of 5/81 dogs and three of these dogs belonged to individuals with positive serology. Eggs of Toxocara spp. were found in 41.17% of the dirt samples, eight of which came from the area surrounding the homes of individuals with positive serology (p = 0.032; OR = 4.36). Taking into account all the variables influencing the frequency of toxocariasis in this population, the implementation of Public Health programs specifically focused on anti-parasitic treatment of dogs is recommended

Biological effects of EF24, a curcumin derivative, alone or combined with mitotane in adrenocortical tumor cell lines

Background: Curcumin has numerous properties and is used in many preclinical conditions, including cancer. It has low bioavailability, while its derivative EF24 shows enhanced solubility. However, its effects have never been explored in adrenocortical tumor cell models. The efficacy of EF24 alone or combined with mitotane (reference drug for adrenocortical cancer) was evaluated in two adrenocortical tumor cell lines, SW13 and H295R. Method and Results: EF24 reduced cell viability with an IC50 (half maximal inhibitory concentration) of 6.5 \ub1 2.4 \ub5M and 4.9 \ub1 2.8 \ub5M for SW13 and H295R cells, respectively. Combination index (EF24 associated with mitotane) suggested an additivity effect in both cell lines. Cell cycle analysis revealed an increase in subG0/G1 phase, while motility assay showed a decrease in migratory cell capacity, and similarly, clonogenic assay indicated that EF24 could reduce colony numbers. Furthermore, Wnt/\u3b2-catenin, NF-\u3baB, MAPK, and PI3k/Akt pathways were modulated by Western blot analysis when treating cells with EF24 alone or combined with mitotane. In addition, intracellular reactive oxygen species levels increased in both cell lines. Conclusion: This work analyzed EF24 in adrenocortical tumor cell lines for the first time. These results suggest that EF24 could potentially impact on adrenocortical tumors, laying the foundation for further research in animal models

Anticancer Effects of Wild Mountain Mentha longifolia Extract in Adrenocortical Tumor Cell Models

Mint [Mentha longifolia (L.) Hudson] is an aromatic plant that belongs to Lamiaceae family. It is traditionally used as herbal tea in Europe, Australia and North Africa and shows numerous pharmacological effects, such as spasmolytic, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-hemolytic. Recently, its antiproliferative role has been suggested in a small number of tumor cell models, but no data are available on adrenocortical carcinoma, a malignancy with a survival rate at 5 years of 20%\u201330% which frequently metastasize. This work aimed to study the effects of Mentha longifolia L. crude extract (ME) on two adrenocortical tumor cell models (H295R and SW13 cells). Chemical composition of ME was assessed by gas-chromatography/mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy analysis. Brine shrimp lethality assay showed ME effects at >0.5 \ub5g/\ub5l (p 0.5 \ub5g/\ub5l, p 0.5 \ub5g/\ub5l, p < 0.05), while Wright staining demonstrated the presence of both necrotic and apoptotic cells. Cell cycle analysis showed a strong increase in subG0/G1 phase, related to cell death. Furthermore, MAPK and PI3k/Akt pathways were modulated by Western blot analysis when treating cells with ME alone or combined with mitotane. The crude methanolic extract of wild mountain mint can decrease cell viability, vitality and survival of adrenocortical tumor cell models, in particular of SW13 cells. These data show the potential anticancer effects of ME, still more work is needed to corroborate these findings

Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis: an emerging mycosis difficult to diagnose but curable: Case report and review of the literature

Background: Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis (GIB) is a rare mycosis affecting almost exclusively immunocompetent subjects. Methods: We describe a case of GIB caused by Basidiobolus ranarum in a 25-year-old Italian immunocompetent man resident in Ireland who presented a 2-month history of epigastric pain. Suspecting colon cancer he underwent a right hemicolectomy subsequently leading to a diagnosis of GIB by means of molecular biology. After surgery a 9-month therapy with itraconazole was employed with a good outcome. A review of medical literature regarding GIB cases published in the period 1964\u20132017 is presented. Results: One-hundred and two cases of GIB were included in this analysis. The disease was observed predominantly in male gender (74.5%) and children (41.2%). Abdominal pain was the single most common complaint (86.3%) followed by fever (40.2%) and evidence of an abdominal mass (30.4%). Peripheral blood eosinophilia was detected in 85.7% of cases. Most of the patients were diagnosed in Saudi Arabia (37.2%) followed by USA (21.6%) and Iran (20.6%). Surgery plus antifungal therapy was employed in the majority of patients (77.5%). An unfavourable outcome was documented globally in 18.6% of patients. Conclusions: GIB seems to be an emerging intestinal mycosis among immunocompetent patients living in the Middle East and Arizona

Experiencias de estudiantes voluntarios en PROCOPIN (Programa de Control de las Parasitosis Intestinales y Nutrición)

En Argentina, la frecuencia de parasitosis intestinales en asentamientos precarios varía entre 60–70%. Los parásitos producen anemia, desnutrición proteica-energética y diarreas graves, entre otras. Estas patologías suelen ser de evolución crónica, y van deteriorando lentamente al individuo parasitado, de tal manera que no percibe la afectación de su organismo hasta que se llega a un estado irreversible. Como estudiantes voluntarios integrantes de PROCOPIN, este proyecto nos forma y nos entrena para lograr un reconocimiento “en terreno” de las enfermedades parasitarias que conocemos por los libros. El programa es sistemático y secuenciado, orientado a un diagnóstico situacional y a una posterior intervención que revierta la realidad desfavorable de diversas comunidades.Facultad de Ciencias Médica

Anemia en escolares de una comunidad suburbana de La Plata

Las alteraciones nutricionales reconocen causas que abarcan desde factores ambientales y productivos hasta la influencia de la enfermedad e inadecuaciones en la ingesta, que conducen a la malnutrición y sus consecuencias. La Sociedad Argentina de Pediatría define anemia como la “disminución de la masa de glóbulos rojos o de la concentración de hemoglobina por debajo del segundo desvío Standard respecto de la media para edad y sexo. La anemia por deficiencia de hierro es la deficiencia nutricional más común en el mundo. A pesar de tratarse de un problema común durante la niñez, e incluso la adolescencia; las principales investigaciones en nuestro país se han realizado en niños menores de 2 años de edad y en embarazadas.Facultad de Ciencias Médica