Arquitecturas de control para robots autónomos móviles didácticos basadas en sistemas embebidos

Un robot es una entidad, física o virtual, artificial. Los modelos físicos por lo general están constituidos por uno o mas sistemas electromecánicos administrados por una arquitectura de control. Los robots autónomos, a su vez, son aquellos que tienen la capacidad percibir información del entorno y actuar en base a la misma, sin supervisión directa de otros interlocutores. Por su parte, los robots móviles son aquellos que tienen la capacidad de moverse en su entorno. Un sistema embebido es un sistema informático diseñado para realizar un grupo de funciones dedicadas y especificas, empleando para ello una combinación de recursos de hardware y de software. Poseen características diferenciales (entre otras: procesamiento concurrente, paralelo y distribuido, robustez, fiabilidad, bajo consumo y bajo costo) que los hace altamente recomendables en la administración y control de robots autónomos móviles (RAM). Este proyecto consta de dos etapas diferenciables: I) organización del Laboratorio de Sistemas Embebidos y Robótica; y II) caracterización de arquitecturas de control basadas en sistemas embebidos para que un RAM pueda desplazarse de forma autónoma evitando colisiones.Eje: Innovación en sistemas de softwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Arquitecturas de control para robots autónomos móviles didácticos basadas en sistemas embebidos

Un robot es una entidad, física o virtual, artificial. Los modelos físicos por lo general están constituidos por uno o mas sistemas electromecánicos administrados por una arquitectura de control. Los robots autónomos, a su vez, son aquellos que tienen la capacidad percibir información del entorno y actuar en base a la misma, sin supervisión directa de otros interlocutores. Por su parte, los robots móviles son aquellos que tienen la capacidad de moverse en su entorno. Un sistema embebido es un sistema informático diseñado para realizar un grupo de funciones dedicadas y especificas, empleando para ello una combinación de recursos de hardware y de software. Poseen características diferenciales (entre otras: procesamiento concurrente, paralelo y distribuido, robustez, fiabilidad, bajo consumo y bajo costo) que los hace altamente recomendables en la administración y control de robots autónomos móviles (RAM). Este proyecto consta de dos etapas diferenciables: I) organización del Laboratorio de Sistemas Embebidos y Robótica; y II) caracterización de arquitecturas de control basadas en sistemas embebidos para que un RAM pueda desplazarse de forma autónoma evitando colisiones.Eje: Innovación en sistemas de softwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Arquitecturas de control para robots autónomos móviles didácticos basadas en sistemas embebidos

Un robot es una entidad, física o virtual, artificial. Los modelos físicos por lo general están constituidos por uno o mas sistemas electromecánicos administrados por una arquitectura de control. Los robots autónomos, a su vez, son aquellos que tienen la capacidad percibir información del entorno y actuar en base a la misma, sin supervisión directa de otros interlocutores. Por su parte, los robots móviles son aquellos que tienen la capacidad de moverse en su entorno. Un sistema embebido es un sistema informático diseñado para realizar un grupo de funciones dedicadas y especificas, empleando para ello una combinación de recursos de hardware y de software. Poseen características diferenciales (entre otras: procesamiento concurrente, paralelo y distribuido, robustez, fiabilidad, bajo consumo y bajo costo) que los hace altamente recomendables en la administración y control de robots autónomos móviles (RAM). Este proyecto consta de dos etapas diferenciables: I) organización del Laboratorio de Sistemas Embebidos y Robótica; y II) caracterización de arquitecturas de control basadas en sistemas embebidos para que un RAM pueda desplazarse de forma autónoma evitando colisiones.Eje: Innovación en sistemas de softwareRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Dislocation Emission around Nanoindentations on a (001) fcc Metal Surface Studied by STM and Atomistic Simulations

We present a combined study by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and atomistic simulations of the emission of dissociated dislocation loops by nanoindentation on a (001) fcc surface. The latter consist of two stacking-fault ribbons bounded by Shockley partials and a stair-rod dislocation. These dissociated loops, which intersect the surface, are shown to originate from loops of interstitial character emitted along the directions and are usually located at hundreds of angstroms away from the indentation point. Simulations reproduce the nucleation and glide of these dislocation loops.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Proxima Centauri b is not a transiting exoplanet

We report Spitzer Space Telescope observations during predicted transits of the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b. As the nearest terrestrial habitable-zone planet we will ever discover, any potential transit of Proxima b would place strong constraints on its radius, bulk density, and atmosphere. Subsequent transmission spectroscopy and secondary-eclipse measurements could then probe the atmospheric chemistry, physical processes, and orbit, including a search for biosignatures. However, our photometric results rule out planetary transits at the 200~ppm level at 4.5$~{\mu}m$, yielding a 3$\sigma$ upper radius limit of 0.4~R_\rm{\oplus} (Earth radii). Previous claims of possible transits from optical ground- and space-based photometry were likely correlated noise in the data from Proxima Centauri's frequent flaring. Follow-up observations should focus on planetary radio emission, phase curves, and direct imaging. Our study indicates dramatically reduced stellar activity at near-to-mid infrared wavelengths, compared to the optical. Proxima b is an ideal target for space-based infrared telescopes, if their instruments can be configured to handle Proxima's brightness.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in MNRA

Use of aequorin-based indicators for monitoring Ca2+ in acidic organelles

Producción CientíficaOver the last years, there is accumulating evidence that acidic organelles can accumulate and release Ca2+ upon cell activation. Hence, reliable recording of Ca2+ dynamics in these compartments is essential for understanding the physiopathological aspects of acidic organelles. Genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators (GECIs) are valuable tools to monitor Ca2+ in specific locations, although their use in acidic compartments is challenging due to the pH sensitivity of most available fluorescent GECIs. By contrast, bioluminescent GECIs have a combination of features (marginal pH sensitivity, low background, no phototoxicity, no photobleaching, high dynamic range and tunable affinity) that render them advantageous to achieve an enhanced signal-to-noise ratio in acidic compartments. This article reviews the use of bioluminescent aequorin-based GECIs targeted to acidic compartments. A need for more measurements in highly acidic compartments is identified.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2020-116086RB-I00 )Junta de Castilla y León (Ref. CLU- 2019-02)Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Reino Unido (BB/T015853/1 y BB/W01551X/1

Structure and Stability of an Amorphous Metal

Using molecular dynamics simulations, with a realistic many-body embedded-atom potential, and a novel method to characterize local order, we study the structure of pure nickel during the rapid quench of the liquid and in the resulting glass. In contrast with previous simulations with pair potentials, we find more crystalline order and fewer icosahedra for slower quenching rates, resulting in a glass less stable against crystallization. It is shown that there is not a specific amorphous structure, only the arrest of the transition from liquid to crystal, resulting in small crystalline clusters immersed in an amorphous matrix with the same structure of the liquid.Comment: 4 pages, 4 ps figs., to appear in Phys. Rev. Let

A framework to develop semiautomated surveillance of surgical site infections: An international multicenter study

Objective: Automated surveillance of healthcare-associated infections reduces workload and improves standardization, but it has not yet been adopted widely. In this study, we assessed the performance and feasibility of an easy implementable framework to develop algorithms for semiautomated surveillance of deep incisional and organ-space surgical site infections (SSIs) after orthopedic, cardiac, and colon surgeries. Design: Retrospective cohort study in multiple countries. Methods: European hospitals were recruited and selected based on the availability of manual SSI surveillance data from 2012 onward (reference standard) and on the ability to extract relevant data from electronic health records. A questionnaire on local manual surveillance and clinical practices was administered to participating hospitals, and the information collected was used to pre-emptively design semiautomated surveillance algorithms standardized for multiple hospitals and for center-specific application. Algorithm sensitivity, positive predictive value, and reduction of manual charts requiring review were calculated. Reasons for misclassification were explored using discrepancy analyses. Results: The study included 3 hospitals, in the Netherlands, France, and Spain. Classification algorithms were developed to indicate procedures with a high probability of SSI. Components concerned microbiology, prolonged length of stay or readmission, and reinterventions. Antibiotics and radiology ordering were optional. In total, 4,770 orthopedic procedures, 5,047 cardiac procedures, and 3,906 colon procedures were analyzed. Across hospitals, standardized algorithm sensitivity ranged between 82% and 100% for orthopedic surgery, between 67% and 100% for cardiac surgery, and between 84% and 100% for colon surgery, with 72%-98% workload reduction. Center-specific algorithms had lower sensitivity. Conclusions: Using this framework, algorithms for semiautomated surveillance of SSI can be successfully developed. The high performance of standardized algorithms holds promise for large-scale standardization

Identification and mitigation of a vibrational telescope systematic with application to spitzer

We observed Proxima Centauri with the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Array Camera five times in 2016 and 2017 to search for transits of Proxima Centauri b. Following standard analysis procedures, we found three asymmetric, transit-like events that are now understood to be vibrational systematics. This systematic is correlated with the width of the point-response function (PRF), which we measure with rotated and nonrotated-Gaussian fits with respect to the detector array. We show that the systematic can be removed with a novel application of an adaptive elliptical-aperture photometry technique, and compare the performance of this technique with fixed and variable circular-aperture photometry, using both BiLinearly Interpolated Subpixel Sensitivity (BLISS) maps and nonbinned Pixel-Level Decorrelation (PLD). With BLISS maps, elliptical photometry results in a lower standard deviation of normalized residuals, and reduced or similar correlated noise when compared to circular apertures. PLD prefers variable, circular apertures, but generally results in more correlated noise than BLISS. This vibrational effect is likely present in other telescopes and Spitzer observations, where correction could improve results. Our elliptical apertures can be applied to any photometry observations, and may be even more effective when applied to more circular PRFs than Spitzer's.The authors acknowledge support from the following: CATA-Basal/Chile PB06 Conicyt and Fondecyt/Chile project #1161218 (J.S.J.). Spanish MINECO programs AYA2016-79245-C03-03-P, ESP2017-87676-C05-02-R (E.R.), ESP2016-80435-C2-2-R (E.P.) and through the “Centre of Excellence Severo Ochoa” award SEV-2017-0709 (P.J.A.,C.R.-L., E.R.). STFC Consolidated Grant ST/P000592/1 (G.A.E.). NASA Planetary Atmospheres Program grant NNX12AI69G and NASA Astrophysics Data Analysis Program grant NNX13AF38G (R.C., J.H., K.M., M.H.). Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) through grant ESP2016-80435-C2-1-R and PGC2018-098153-B-C33 (I.R.)

Revisiting the thiosemicarbazonecopper(II) reaction with glutathione. Activity against colorectal carcinoma cell lines

Thiosemicarbazones (TSCs), and their copper derivatives, have been extensively studied mainly due to the potential applications as antitumor compounds. A part of the biological activity of the TSC-CuII complexes rests on their reactivity against cell reductants, as glutathione (GSH). The present paper describes the structure of the [Cu(PTSC)(ONO2)]n compound (1) (HPTSC =pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone) and its spectroscopic and magnetic properties. ESI studies performed on the reaction of GSH with 1 and the analogous [{Cu (PTSC*)(ONO2)}2] derivative (2, HPTSC* =pyridine-2-carbaldehyde 4N-methylthiosemicarbazone) show the absence of peaks related with TSC-Cu-GSH species. However GSH-Cu ones are detected, in good agreement with the release of CuI ions after reduction in the experimental conditions. The reactivity of 1 and 2 with cytochrome c and myoglobin and their activities against HT-29 and SW-480 colon carcinoma cell lines are compared with those shown by the free HPTSC and HPTSC* ligands.Obra Social “la Caixa” (OSLC-2012-007), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and FEDER funds (CTQ2013-48937-C2-1-P, CTQ2015-70371-REDT, MAT2015-66441-P, BIO2015-67358-C2-2-P), Junta de Castilla y León (BU237U13), Gerencia Regional de Salud, Consejería de Sanidad, Junta de Castilla y León (GRS 1023/A/14), the Basque Government (project IT-779-13