A comprehensive performance evaluation of different mobile manipulators used as displaceable 3D printers of building elements for the construction industry

The construction industry is currently technologically challenged to incorporate new developments for enhancing the process, such as the use of 3D printing for complex building structures,which is the aim of this brief. To do so, we show a systematic study regarding the usability and performance of mobile manipulators as displaceable 3D printing machinery in construction sites,with emphasis on the three main different existing mobile platforms: the car-like, the unicycleand the omnidirectional (mecanum wheeled), with an UR5 manipulator on them. To evaluate its performance, we propose the printing of the following building elements: helical, square, circular and mesh, with different sizes. As metrics, we consider the total control effort observed in the robots and the total tracking error associated with the energy consumed in the activity to get a more sustainable process. In addition, to further test our work, we constrained the robot workspace thus resemblingreal life construction sites. In general, the statistical results show that the omnidirectional platform presents the best results –lowest tracking error and lowest control effort– for circular, helicoidal and mesh building elements; and car-like platform shows the best results for square-like building element. Then,an innovative performance analysis is achieved for the printing of building elements, with a contribution to the reduction of energy consumptio

Behavior and performance of BIM users in a collaborative work environment

Collaborative work in Building Information Modeling (BIM) projects is frequentlyunderstood as the interaction of modelers in an asynchronous way through modification requests orvia e-mail/telephone. However, alternative work methodologies based on creating a common andsynchronous environment allow solving issues instantaneously during the design process. This studyaimed to analyze the behavior and performance of BIM users with different specialties who weresubjected to an experimental exercise in a collaborative environment. For this purpose, a processwas devised to collect, sort, and select the data from the log files generated by the BIM software.A timeline of the experiment was populated with data on the intensity and types of commands usedby each specialist, which allowed determining behavioral patterns, preferred commands, indicators oftheir experience, further training needs, and possible strategies for improving the team’s performance.In the experiment, the mechanical designer ’s performance was 49% and the rest approximately 64%,with respect to that of the architect. An average rate of 1.66 necessary or auxiliary commands foreach contributory command was detected. The average performance was 200–400 commands perhour, which intensified by the end of the experiment. Further training needs were detected for theplumbing designer to reduce the use of backwards commands. Conversely, the electrical designershowed a positive evolution regarding this aspect during the experiment. The analysis methods heredescribed become useful for the aforementioned purposes. Nevertheless, combinations with methodsfrom existing research might improve the outcomes and therefore the specificity of recommendation

Recent developments and challenges of 3D-printed construction: a review of research fronts

In the last few years, scattered experiences of the application of additive manufacturing in the construction of buildings using 3D printing with robots or automated equipment have emerged around the world. These use a variety of procedures and suggest relevant advantages for the construction industry. In order to identify the different processes and features in development in this field and to guide future research and applications, this article presents a review of the literature on the main aspects involved in the use of 3D printing in the construction sector. The review includes state-of-the-art material mixtures, printing technologies, and potential uses, as well as a novel analysis of building strategies, management systems, and benefits stated about this new approach for construction. It reveals progressive experimentation regarding diverse features, with challenges related to the consolidation of procedures and this technology’s readiness to participate in the building market

Malaltia de Parkinson i epilèpsia: criteris d’indicació i tractament quirúrgic

Malaltia de Parkinson; Epilèpsia; TractamentEnfermedad de parkinson; Epilepsia; TratamientoParkinson Disease; Epilepsy; TreatmentInforme d'avaluació sobre el tractament quirúrgic per a la malaltia de Parkinson (MP) i l'epilèpsia. Objectiu general: formular recomanacions de pràctica clínica sobre criteris d’indicació del tractament quirúrgic d’MP i epilèpsia basades en l’evidència científica disponible. Objectius específics: 1. Determinar l’eficàcia, seguretat i eficiència de l’estimulació cerebral profunda (ECP) en el tractament d’MP idiopàtica en pacients amb malaltia de llarga evolució. 2. Determinar l’eficàcia, seguretat i eficiència de les diferents tècniques quirúrgiques en el tractament de l’epilèpsia refractària a tractament farmacològic. 3. Determinar el nombre mínim d’intervencions a realitzar per cada equip multidisciplinari per garantir-ne l’eficiència de la creació de l’equip i la qualitat de la intervenció. 4. Estimar la demanda potencial d’intervencions a realitzar a Catalunya.Report regarding the surgical treatment of Parkinson´s disease (PD) and epilepsy. General objective: to issue clinical practice recommendations regarding criteria for the indication of surgical treatment in PD and epilepsy based on the available scientific evidence. Specific objectives: 1. To determine the efficacy, safety and efficiency of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in the treatment of idiopathic PD in patients with long-lasting disease. 2. To determine the efficacy, safety and efficiency of different surgical techniques in the treatment of epilepsy refractory to drug therapy. 3. To determine the minimum number of interventions to be performed by each multidisciplinary team to ensure the efficiency of the creation of the team and the quality of the intervention. 4. To estimate the potential demand for interventions to be performed in Catalonia.Informe de evaluación sobre el tratamiento quirúrgico para la enfermedad de Parkinson (EP) y la epilepsia. Objetivo general: formular recomendaciones de práctica clínica sobre criterios de indicación del tratamiento quirúrgico de EP y epilepsia basadas en la evidencia científica disponible. Objetivos específicos: 1. Determinar la eficacia, seguridad y eficiencia de la estimulación cerebral profunda (ECP) en el tratamiento de EP idiopática en pacientes con enfermedad de larga evolución. 2. Determinar la eficacia, seguridad y eficiencia de las diferentes técnicas quirúrgicas en el tratamiento de la epilepsia refractaria a tratamiento farmacológico. 3. Determinar el número mínimo de intervenciones a realizar por cada equipo multidisciplinario para garantizar la eficiencia de la creación del equipo y la calidad de la intervención. 4. Estimar la demanda potencial de intervenciones a realizar en Cataluña

Probabilistic functional tractography of the human cortex revisited

In patients with pharmaco-resistant focal epilepsies investigated with intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG), direct electrical stimulations of a cortical region induce cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEP) in distant cerebral cortex, which properties can be used to infer large scale brain connectivity. In 2013, we proposed a new probabilistic functional tractography methodology to study human brain connectivity. We have now been revisiting this method in the F-TRACT project (f-tract.eu) by developing a large multicenter CCEP database of several thousand stimulation runs performed in several hundred patients, and associated processing tools to create a probabilistic atlas of human cortico-cortical connections. Here, we wish to present a snapshot of the methods and data of F-TRACT using a pool of 213 epilepsy patients, all studied by stereo-encephalography with intracerebral depth electrodes. The CCEPs were processed using an automated pipeline with the following consecutive steps: detection of each stimulation run from stimulation artifacts in raw intracranial EEG (iEEG) files, bad channels detection with a machine learning approach, model-based stimulation artifact correction, robust averaging over stimulation pulses. Effective connectivity between the stimulated and recording areas is then inferred from the properties of the first CCEP component, i.e. onset and peak latency, amplitude, duration and integral of the significant part. Finally, group statistics of CCEP features are implemented for each brain parcel explored by iEEG electrodes. The localization (coordinates, white/gray matter relative positioning) of electrode contacts were obtained from imaging data (anatomical MRI or CT scans before and after electrodes implantation). The iEEG contacts were repositioned in different brain parcellations from the segmentation of patients' anatomical MRI or from templates in the MNI coordinate system. The F-TRACT database using the first pool of 213 patients provided connectivity probability values for 95% of possible intrahemispheric and 56% of interhemispheric connections and CCEP features for 78% of intrahemisheric and 14% of interhemispheric connections. In this report, we show some examples of anatomo-functional connectivity matrices, and associated directional maps. We also indicate how CCEP features, especially latencies, are related to spatial distances, and allow estimating the velocity distribution of neuronal signals at a large scale. Finally, we describe the impact on the estimated connectivity of the stimulation charge and of the contact localization according to the white or gray matter. The most relevant maps for the scientific community are available for download on f-tract. eu (David et al., 2017) and will be regularly updated during the following months with the addition of more data in the F-TRACT database. This will provide an unprecedented knowledge on the dynamical properties of large fiber tracts in human.Peer reviewe

A survey of the European Reference Network EpiCARE on clinical practice for selected rare epilepsies

Objective: Clinical care of rare and complex epilepsies is challenging, because evidence-based treatment guidelines are scarce, the experience of many physicians is limited, and interdisciplinary treatment of comorbidities is required. The pathomechanisms of rare epilepsies are, however, increasingly understood, which potentially fosters novel targeted therapies. The objectives of our survey were to obtain an overview of the clinical practice in European tertiary epilepsy centers treating patients with 5 arbitrarily selected rare epilepsies and to get an estimate of potentially available patients for future studies. Methods: Members of the European Reference Network for rare and complex epilepsies (EpiCARE) were invited to participate in a web-based survey on clinical practice of patients with Dravet syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), autoimmune encephalitis, and progressive myoclonic epilepsies including Unverricht Lundborg and Unverricht-like diseases. A consensus-based questionnaire was generated for each disease. Results: Twenty-six of 30 invited epilepsy centers participated. Cohorts were present in most responding centers for TSC (87%), Dravet syndrome (85%), and autoimmune encephalitis (71%). Patients with TSC and Dravet syndrome represented the largest cohorts in these centers. The antiseizure drug treatments were rather consistent across the centers especially with regard to Dravet syndrome, infantile spasms in TSC, and Unverricht Lundborg / Unverricht-like disease. Available, widely used targeted therapies included everolimus in TSC and immunosuppressive therapies in autoimmune encephalitis. Screening for comorbidities was routinely done, but specific treatment protocols were lacking in most centers. Significance: The survey summarizes the current clinical practice for selected rare epilepsies in tertiary European epilepsy centers and demonstrates consistency as well as heterogeneity in the treatment, underscoring the need for controlled trials and recommendations. The survey also provides estimates for potential participants of clinical trials recruited via EpiCARE, emphasizing the great potential of Reference Networks for future studies to evaluate new targeted therapies and to identify novel biomarkers.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Proyecto técnico de reforma integral y refuerzo de estructura de vivienda unifamiliar adosada, Jávea (Alicante)

[ES] El propósito de este trabajo final de grado es el aprovechamiento del potencial socioeconómico que presenta la parcela a atender. Se trata de una reforma completa de vivienda unifamiliar distribuida en planta baja y planta primera, en la que se pretende la eliminación de barreras arquitectónicas mediante un refuerzo estructural, el cual aporta garantía de durabilidad a la vez que versatilidad en la distribución de espacios. Asimismo, se ha querido centrar los esfuerzos en la utilización de materiales sostenibles, naturales y autóctonos de la Comunidad Valenciana, en todas sus aplicaciones: aislamiento, revestimiento, refuerzo estructural. Hablamos de un edificio en segunda línea de mar, a escasos cincuenta metros, respondiendo a la construcción de una casa de pescadores de la época; catalogado como zona de casco antiguo con grandes limitaciones arquitectónicas respecto a su estética exterior, alineación de fachada y tipología de cubiertas. Es así como se pretende integrar la estética tradicional, con métodos constructivos actuales y una materialidad vanguardista.[EN] The purpose of this final degree project is to take advantage of the socio-economic potential of the plot to be addressed. It is a complete reform of a single-family house distributed in first floor and second floor, which aims to eliminate architectural barriers through a structural reinforcement, which provides durability guarantee while versatility in the distribution of spaces. Likewise, efforts have been focused on the use of sustainable, natural and native materials from the Valencian Community, in all its applications: insulation, cladding, structural reinforcement. We are talking about a building on the second line of the sea, just fifty meters away, responding to the construction of a fishermen's house of the time; cataloged as an old town area with great architectural limitations regarding its exterior aesthetics, facade alignment and typology of roofs. This is how we intend to integrate traditional aesthetics with current construction methods and avant-garde materiality.Rocamora Rodrigo, EL. (2021). Proyecto técnico de reforma integral y refuerzo de estructura de vivienda unifamiliar adosada, Jávea (Alicante). Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/175135TFG

A survey of the European Reference Network EpiCARE on clinical practice for selected rare epilepsies

Objective: Clinical care of rare and complex epilepsies is challenging, because evidence-based treatment guidelines are scarce, the experience of many physicians is limited, and interdisciplinary treatment of comorbidities is required. The pathomechanisms of rare epilepsies are, however, increasingly understood, which potentially fosters novel targeted therapies. The objectives of our survey were to obtain an overview of the clinical practice in European tertiary epilepsy centers treating patients with 5 arbitrarily selected rare epilepsies and to get an estimate of potentially available patients for future studies. Methods: Members of the European Reference Network for rare and complex epilepsies (EpiCARE) were invited to participate in a web-based survey on clinical practice of patients with Dravet syndrome, tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), autoimmune encephalitis, and progressive myoclonic epilepsies including Unverricht Lundborg and Unverricht-like diseases. A consensus-based questionnaire was generated for each disease. Results: Twenty-six of 30 invited epilepsy centers participated. Cohorts were present in most responding centers for TSC (87%), Dravet syndrome (85%), and autoimmune encephalitis (71%). Patients with TSC and Dravet syndrome represented the largest cohorts in these centers. The antiseizure drug treatments were rather consistent across the centers especially with regard to Dravet syndrome, infantile spasms in TSC, and Unverricht Lundborg / Unverricht-like disease. Available, widely used targeted therapies included everolimus in TSC and immunosuppressive therapies in autoimmune encephalitis. Screening for comorbidities was routinely done, but specific treatment protocols were lacking in most centers. Significance: The survey summarizes the current clinical practice for selected rare epilepsies in tertiary European epilepsy centers and demonstrates consistency as well as heterogeneity in the treatment, underscoring the need for controlled trials and recommendations. The survey also provides estimates for potential participants of clinical trials recruited via EpiCARE, emphasizing the great potential of Reference Networks for future studies to evaluate new targeted therapies and to identify novel biomarkers

Desentrañando los misterios de la muerte súbita en epilepsia

INTRODUCTION: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the most frequent cause of premature death in epileptic patients. Most SUDEP events occur at night and frequently go unnoticed; the exact pathophysiological mechanisms of this phenomenon therefore remain undetermined. Nevertheless, most cases of SUDEP are attributed to an infrequent yet extremely severe complication of epileptic seizures. DEVELOPMENT: We conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed. Our review article summarises scientific evidence on the classification, pathophysiological mechanisms, risk factors, biomarkers, and prevention of SUDEP. Likewise, we propose new lines of research and critically analyse findings that are relevant to clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: Current knowledge suggests that SUDEP is a heterogeneous phenomenon caused by multiple factors. In most cases, however, SUDEP is thought to be due to postictal cardiorespiratory failure triggered by generalised tonic-clonic seizures and ultimately leading to cardiac arrest. The underlying pathophysiological mechanism involves multiple factors, ranging from genetic predisposition to environmental factors. Risk of SUDEP is higher in young adults with uncontrolled generalised tonic-clonic seizures. However, patients apparently at lower risk may also experience SUDEP. Current research focuses on identifying genetic and neuroimaging biomarkers that may help determine which patients are at high risk for SUDEP. Antiepileptic treatment is the only preventive measure proven effective to date. Night-time monitoring together with early resuscitation may reduce the risk of SUDEP

Prediction error connectivity: A new method for EEG state analysis

Several models have been proposed to explain brain regional and interregional communication, the majority of them using methods that tap the frequency domain, like spectral coherence. Considering brain interareal communication as binary interactions, we describe a novel method devised to predict dynamics and thus highlight abrupt changes marked by unpredictability. Based on a variable-order Markov model algorithm developed in-house for data compression, the prediction error connectivity (PEC) estimates network transitions by calculating error matrices (EMs). We analysed 20 h of EEG signals of virtual networks generated with a neural mass model. Subnetworks changed through time (2 of 5 signals), from normal to normal or pathological states. PEC was superior to spectral coherence in detecting all considered transitions, especially in broad and ripple bands. Subsequently, EMs of real data were classified using a support vector machine in order to capture the transition from interictal to preictal state and calculate seizure risk. A single seizure was randomly selected for training. Through this approach it was possible to establish a threshold that the calculated risk consistently overcame minutes before the events. Using either spectral coherence or PEC we created 1000 models that successfully predicted 6 seizures (100% sensibility), a whole cluster recorded in a patient with hippocampal epilepsy. However, PEC resulted superior to coherence in terms of true seizure free time and amount of false warnings. Indeed, the best PEC model predicted 96% of interictal time (vs. 83% of coherence) of about 20 h of stereo-EEG. This analysis was extended to patients with neo/mesocortical temporal, neocortical frontal, parietal and occipital lobe epilepsy. Again PEC showed high performance, allowing the prediction of 31 events distributed across 10 days with ROC AUCs that reached 98% (average 93 ± 5%) in 6 different patients. Moreover, considering another state transition, PEC could classify and forecast up to 88% (average 85 ± 3%) of the REM phase both in deep and scalp EEG. In conclusion, PEC is a novel approach that relies on pattern analysis in the time-domain. We believe that this method can be successfully employed both for the study of brain connectivity, and also implemented in real-life solutions for seizure detection and prediction