Aerial Robotic Solution for Detailed Inspection of Viaducts

The inspection of public infrastructure, such as viaducts and bridges, is crucial for their proper maintenance given the heavy use of many of them. Current inspection techniques are very costly and manual, requiring highly qualified personnel and involving many risks. This article presents a novel solution for the detailed inspection of viaducts using aerial robotic platforms. The system provides a highly automated visual inspection platform that does not rely on GPS and could even fly underneath the infrastructure. Unlike commercially available solutions, our system automatically references the inspection to a global coordinate system usable throughout the lifespan of the infrastructure. In addition, the system includes another aerial platform with a robotic arm to make contact inspections of detected defects, thus providing information that cannot be obtained only with images. Both aerial robotic platforms feature flexibility in the choice of camera or contact measurement sensors as the situation requires. The system was validated by performing inspection flights on real viaducts.Unión Europea H2020-2019-769066Unión Europea H2020-2020- 87154

Effectiveness of a strategy that uses educational games to implement clinical practice guidelines among Spanish residents of family and community medicine (e-EDUCAGUIA project):A clinical trial by clusters

This study was funded by the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias FIS Grant Number PI11/0477 ISCIII.-REDISSEC Proyecto RD12/0001/0012 AND FEDER Funding.Background: Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been developed with the aim of helping health professionals, patients, and caregivers make decisions about their health care, using the best available evidence. In many cases, incorporation of these recommendations into clinical practice also implies a need for changes in routine clinical practice. Using educational games as a strategy for implementing recommendations among health professionals has been demonstrated to be effective in some studies; however, evidence is still scarce. The primary objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of a teaching strategy for the implementation of CPGs using educational games (e-learning EDUCAGUIA) to improve knowledge and skills related to clinical decision-making by residents in family medicine. The primary objective will be evaluated at 1 and 6months after the intervention. The secondary objectives are to identify barriers and facilitators for the use of guidelines by residents of family medicine and to describe the educational strategies used by Spanish teaching units of family and community medicine to encourage implementation of CPGs. Methods/design: We propose a multicenter clinical trial with randomized allocation by clusters of family and community medicine teaching units in Spain. The sample size will be 394 residents (197 in each group), with the teaching units as the randomization unit and the residents comprising the analysis unit. For the intervention, both groups will receive an initial 1-h session on clinical practice guideline use and the usual dissemination strategy by e-mail. The intervention group (e-learning EDUCAGUIA) strategy will consist of educational games with hypothetical clinical scenarios in a virtual environment. The primary outcome will be the score obtained by the residents on evaluation questionnaires for each clinical practice guideline. Other included variables will be the sociodemographic and training variables of the residents and the teaching unit characteristics. The statistical analysis will consist of a descriptive analysis of variables and a baseline comparison of both groups. For the primary outcome analysis, an average score comparison of hypothetical scenario questionnaires between the EDUCAGUIA intervention group and the control group will be performed at 1 and 6months post-intervention, using 95% confidence intervals. A linear multilevel regression will be used to adjust the model. Discussion: The identification of effective teaching strategies will facilitate the incorporation of available knowledge into clinical practice that could eventually improve patient outcomes. The inclusion of information technologies as teaching tools permits greater learning autonomy and allows deeper instructor participation in the monitoring and supervision of residents. The long-term impact of this strategy is unknown; however, because it is aimed at professionals undergoing training and it addresses prevalent health problems, a small effect can be of great relevance. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02210442.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Naturaleza y cultura en Ámerica Latina

La concreción del XVIII Foro de Estudiantes Latinoamericanos de Antrología y Arqueología: Cultura y naturaleza en América Latina: escenarios para un modelo de desarrollo no civilizatorio, efectuado en Quito desde el 17 al 23 de julio del 2011, se constituyó en un acontecimiento sumamente significativo para la antropología latinoamericana debido a dos motivos. Primero porque coincidió con la emergencia del movimiento universitario estudiantil latinoamericano que expresaba sus tendencias, propuestas y exigencias de cambios tanto de las prácticas académicas como de los patrones civilizatorios que rigen las relaciones actuales. Segundo, porque se inscribía en un contexto de consolidación de las nuevas democracias de los países andinos, de carácter antineoliberal y basadas en los sujetos de derecho entre los cuales se incluye la naturaleza. Estos contextos determinaron que el Foro no ponga en escena certidumbres teóricas o metodológicas, ni se preste al exhibicionismo estéril de los avances disciplinares. Más bien, la convocatoria de la antropología y la arqueología fue apenas un pretexto para hablar, con su lenguaje, de nosotros mismos, de lo que somos, de lo que pensamos, de lo que aspiramos y sentimos sobre nuestra Latinoamérica. Lo que hemos visto, oído y compartido, en realidad, no han sido solamente ideas o conceptos sino opciones y toma de posiciones respecto a múltiples encrucijadas. Posición ante situaciones que amenazan la vida, la justicia y los derechos de todos, un desafío epistemológico todavía en ciernes y que no termina de cuajar aún en nuestras prácticas académicas

Aerial robots for robust contact inspection an manipulation

Performing any type of manual work at height usually involves important risks for the personnel. Besides, these operations are much more costly and timely due to the specialized workers and devices that have to be used, like scaffolds, cranes, or rope access. Additionally, the number of industrial robotic solutions to solve these problems is increasing, but significant drawbacks, like the accessibility to manually deploy the robot at the high location, are still present. Another way of solving most of the working at height problems is the aerial robotic manipulation, being a topic that has been growing strongly in the past few years in the robotic community. Typical tasks for aerial robots are pick-and-place operations. However, aerial manipulators merge the versatility of multirotors with the manipulation capabilities of robotic arms. This dissertation describes, analyzes, and validates two aerial robots designed to perform complex manipulation (first robot) and robust contact inspection operations (second robot). Each one is focused on solving different problems, being the objective of the second one to get closer to a final industrial product. Moreover, as the first one was designed before, it contributed to increasing the knowledge of aerial robotics in order to create a second robot with a high technology readiness level (TRL). The first aerial manipulator presented in this dissertation was a novelty in the world because it was integrating a 6 DoF robotic arm under a multirotor aircraft. The problem of the coupling effects between the aerial vehicle and the manipulator was studied and validated through several experiments. Furthermore, the work with this first robot was awarded the first prize of the Spanish National Congress on R&D in Defense and Security DESEi+d. The second aerial manipulator of the thesis is a novel aerial robotic manipulator that performs physical contact inspection with unique capabilities. It is composed of a robotic vehicle, a six degree-of-freedom (DoF) robotic device, and a robotic end-effector equipped with wheels and inspection sensors. This robot has been validated in refineries in Germany and Spain, a bridge, and a cement plant. Also, the robot has been awarded the EU Innovation Radar Prize 2017. The conclusions, the lessons learned, and the future work to be performed are presented by the end of the dissertation

Los primeros robots manipuladores aéreos

[Resumen] En este artículo se describen los primeros robots manipuladores aéreos dotados con brazos robóticos de seis grados de libertad y capacidades de percepción y planificación que se han desarrollado en el mundo. Estos robots son el resultado del proyecto ARCAS (Aerial Robotics Cooperative Assembly System) coordinado por el primero de los autores y financiado por el Séptimo Programa Marco de la Unión Europea. Los resultados de este proyecto han comenzado a emplearse, entre otros, en el proyecto H2020 AEROARMS y en el español AEROMAIN. El artículo introduce las diferentes plataformas utilizadas en el proyecto y a continuación resume las principales características de los sistemas de control, percepción y planificación desarrollados. Se resume también la integración y validación del sistema.Este trabajo ha sido financiado parcialmente por el Proyecto Europeo del FP7 ARCAS (ICT-2011-287617) y por el H2020 AEROARMS (ICT-23-2014-644271), así como por el proyecto nacional AEROMAIN DPI2014-59383-C2-1-R del Ministerio de Economía y Competitividadhttps://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.978849749808

An integrative look at SARS-CoV-2 (Review)

SARS‑CoV‑2 is a newly discovered member of the betacoronaviruses and the etiological agent of the disease COVID‑19. SARS‑CoV‑2 is responsible for the worldwide pandemic which has been taking place in 2020, and is causing a markedly higher number of infections and deaths compared to previous coronaviruses, such as SARS‑CoV or MERS‑CoV. Based on updated scientific literature, the present review compiles the most relevant knowledge of SARS‑CoV‑2, COVID‑19 and the clinical and typical responses that patients have exhibited against this virus, discussing current and future therapies, and proposing strategies with which to combat the disease and prevent a further global threat. The aggressiveness of SARS‑CoV‑2 arises from its capacity to infect, and spread easily and rapidly through its tight interaction with the human angiotensin‑converting enzyme 2 (ACE‑2) receptor. While not all patients respond in a similar manner and may even be asymptomatic, a wide range of manifestations associated with COVID‑19 have been described, particularly in vulnerable population groups, such as the elderly or individuals with other underlying conditions. The proper function of the immune system plays a key role in an individual's favorable response to SARS‑CoV‑2 infection. A hyperactivated response, on the contrary, could account for the more severe cases of COVID‑19, and this may finally lead to respiratory insufficiency and other complications, such as thrombotic or thromboembolic events. The development of novel therapies and vaccines designed to control and regulate a proper immune system response will be key to clinical management, prevention measures and effective population screening to attenuate the transmission of this novel RNA virus

Anáfora: revista literaria de humanidades

19 páginas ; ilustracionesColección HumanidadesEl segundo número de Anáfora, se reúnen sonetos creados por los estudiantes del cuarto semestre, generados en la materia de Literatura II, como parte del ejercicio creativo a partir de la teoría revisada en clase. Por otro lado, también se integran pinturas creadas por los jóvenes, realizadas en el taller de dibujo y pintura

Reporte de las cláusulas de derecho internacional y política exterior de las constituciones Latinoamericanas 2021: Guía didáctica sobre la implementación, incorporación, eficacia y desarrollo del derecho internacional en las constituciones de América Latina

El reporte 2021 realizado por los estudiantes del curso “constitución, convencionalidad y derecho internacional” del pregrado en Derecho de la Facultad de Jurisprudencia de la Universidad del Rosario, presenta el estudio de la relación entre la constitución y el derecho internacional, a través de las cláusulas constitucionales de veintiséis (26) países de América Latina, especialmente en lo que respecta a su cláusula de supremacía constitucional; seguido de un ejemplo analizado de una cláusula en su correspondiente constitución que desarrolle la noción de “constitución internacional” y “constitución exterior”. Igualmente, el reporte presenta dos listados que enumeran el total de los artículos de la constitución que hacen referencia expresa al derecho internacional, y todas aquellas clausulas relevantes para las relaciones internacionales que desarrollen conceptos de política exterior en la constitución de cada Estado

Evolution over Time of Ventilatory Management and Outcome of Patients with Neurologic Disease∗

OBJECTIVES: To describe the changes in ventilator management over time in patients with neurologic disease at ICU admission and to estimate factors associated with 28-day hospital mortality. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of three prospective, observational, multicenter studies. SETTING: Cohort studies conducted in 2004, 2010, and 2016. PATIENTS: Adult patients who received mechanical ventilation for more than 12 hours. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among the 20,929 patients enrolled, we included 4,152 (20%) mechanically ventilated patients due to different neurologic diseases. Hemorrhagic stroke and brain trauma were the most common pathologies associated with the need for mechanical ventilation. Although volume-cycled ventilation remained the preferred ventilation mode, there was a significant (p < 0.001) increment in the use of pressure support ventilation. The proportion of patients receiving a protective lung ventilation strategy was increased over time: 47% in 2004, 63% in 2010, and 65% in 2016 (p < 0.001), as well as the duration of protective ventilation strategies: 406 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2004, 523 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2010, and 585 days per 1,000 mechanical ventilation days in 2016 (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the length of stay in the ICU, mortality in the ICU, and mortality in hospital from 2004 to 2016. Independent risk factors for 28-day mortality were age greater than 75 years, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II greater than 50, the occurrence of organ dysfunction within first 48 hours after brain injury, and specific neurologic diseases such as hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, and brain trauma. CONCLUSIONS: More lung-protective ventilatory strategies have been implemented over years in neurologic patients with no effect on pulmonary complications or on survival. We found several prognostic factors on mortality such as advanced age, the severity of the disease, organ dysfunctions, and the etiology of neurologic disease