Anti-idiotype antibodies in cancer treatment

Anti-idiotype antibodies (anti-Id Abs) are antibodies to idiotopes that are located in the variable region, including the antigen binding site, of another antibody. When the last is the case, these anti-Id Abs can act as surrogates of the original antigen. The capability of anti-Id Abs to modulate the immune response has been the basis for the development of anti-Id vaccines against different antigens, including tumor-associated antigens. Over the years, its use in cancer has been demonstrated as effective and promising.Fil: Alonso, Daniel Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vázquez, Ana María. No especifíca;Fil: Alonso, Daniel Fernando. Universidad Nacional de Quilmes. Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología. Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Macías, Amparo. No especifíca

La Reserva "Zona de Huelva"

Los recientes descubrimientos de Neves Corvo y Gaviao en Portugal, y los de Tintillo, Arroyo de los Frailes, Masa Valverde, Aguas Teñidas Este y Migollas, en España, han puesto de manifiesto la potencialidad minera aún existente en la Faja Piritica Ibérica y abren nuevas perspectivas de investigación en áreas ocupadas por sedimentos del Culm, por volcanitas, por recubrimientos terciarios e, incluso, por materiales devónicos cuando éstos cabalgan sobre el Complejo Volcánico-Sedimentario Los descubrimientos de Masa Valverde, Aguas Teñidas y Migollas, en el caso español, son consecuencia directa de las actuaciones de las empresas mineras a las que, por Orden de 30 de marzo de 1982 (B.O.E. 19-5-82), se adjudicó la investigación de las áreas de determinados bloques en que la Administración había dividido la Reserva del Estado «Zona de Huelva»

Método de instalación del film plástico de cubierta para invernaderos

Número de publicación: ES2362831 A1 (13.07.2011) También publicado como: ES2362831 B2 (30.05.2012 Número de Solicitud: Consulta de Expedientes OEPM (C.E.O.) P200803151(10.10.2008)Método de instalación del film plástico de cubierta para invernaderos. La presente invención pretende aumentar la seguridad laboral en las labores de renovación del film plástico con su mecanización. El método contempla el empleo simultáneo de una plataforma y un equipo cambiador de plástico. La plataforma portará un rodillo devanador (1) donde se dispondrá la bobina de film plástico (2) y otro superior (3) que facilitará el devanado y desplegado del film. Como base de trabajo se empleará el equipo cambiador, que se adaptará perfectamente a la fisonomía de cubierta, de tal forma que se podrá emplear como base de apoyo para efectuar el conjunto de las labores que implica la renovación del film plástico, previas, de extendido y, posteriores, de tensado y fijación a la estructura metálica.Universidad de Almerí

Equipo para disposición del plástico de cubierta de invernaderos

Número de publicación: ES2362767 A1 (13.07.2011) También publicado como: ES2362767 B2 (30.05.2012 Número de Solicitud: Consulta de Expedientes OEPM (C.E.O.) P200802891(03.10.2008)Equipo para disposición del plástico de cubierta de invernaderos. Este mecaniza las labores de disposición del film de plástico de cubierta de invernaderos multitúnel. Comprende el uso coordinado de una plataforma (P) y un equipo cambiador (EC). La plataforma (P) está provista de un sistema devanador-desplegador que abastece de film plástico al equipo cambiador (EC), empleándose para la extensión, tensado y fijación del plástico. La plataforma (P) se compone de un doble bastidor rectangular (1) articulado linealmente en su zona central mediante barras extensibles con mecanismo de bloqueo (2).A la estructura base, se acopla un torno devanador inferior (10), un torno devanador-desplegador superior (5) y, en ambos laterales, escaleras fijas (6), polipastos (7), barandillas de seguridad desmontables (8) y barandillas de seguridad fijas (9). El equipo cambiador (EC) se compone de un doble pórtico curvo (11) enlazado mediante peldañeado (12), que descansa sobre parejas de ruedas de rodadura (14).Universidad de Almerí

Applications and Trends in Social Robotics

The study has received funding from two projects: Development of social robots to help seniors with cognitive impairment (ROBSEN), financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy; and RoboCity2030-IIICM, funded by the Comunidad de Madrid and co-financed by the European Union Structural Funds

Changes in behavioural and physiological parameters associated with Taenia pisiformis infection in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that may improve early detection of sick rabbits

[EN] The purpose of the present experiment was to describe rabbits' early behavioral responses to illness, and its relation with physiological changes to help improve early detection of infection, particularly those induced by Taenia pisiformis in rabbits. Twenty adult female New Zealand rabbits were randomly allocated in two groups, to determine whether changes in behavior and some physiological parameters can be induced in rabbits after a T. pisiformis infection. Infected animals were orally inoculated with 3,000 eggs of T. pisiformis, while controls only received saline solution. Behavioral activity was recorded daily from 19:00 to 21:00 h starting two days before infection. Mate choice and rank status were assessed, and blood samples were collected at -2, 7, 14 and 25 days post infection (dpi) for hematological and hepatic function determinations. All animals were observed for clinical signs every other day from the beginning of the experiment and euthanized 25 dpi after last sampling. Infected animals spent more (P0.05) were observed in the time spent at the feeder, rank status or mate choice. Leucocyte and lymphocyte concentrations increased (P<0.05) while heterophil counts decreased in infected rabbits as the experiment progressed. Furthermore, infected animals had larger concentrations of alkaline phosphatase as soon as 7 dpi. No clinical signs of the disease were detected. Necropsy findings corroborate hepatic lesions and presence of the parasite in all infected animals. It was concluded that an infection with 3,000 eggs of T. pisiformis induced changes in behavioral patterns, supported by some changes in hematological and hepatic parameters that could improve early detection of illness, regardless of clinical signs.Authors are very grateful to Dr. Sarah Chaplin for her help editing this manuscript and to PROMEP and CONACyT for financial support. We also want to thank the Canine Control Centre at Tlahuac County in Mexico City for allowing us to sample dogs in order to obtain the parasites used in this research.Betancourt-Alonso, M.; Orihuela, A.; Aguirre, V.; Vázquez, R.; Flores-Pérez, F. (2011). Changes in behavioural and physiological parameters associated with Taenia pisiformis infection in rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) that may improve early detection of sick rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 19(1):21-30. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2011.801SWORD213019

User localization during human-robot interaction

This paper presents a user localization system based on the fusion of visual information and sound source localization, implemented on a social robot called Maggie. One of the main requisites to obtain a natural interaction between human-human and human-robot is an adequate spatial situation between the interlocutors, that is, to be orientated and situated at the right distance during the conversation in order to have a satisfactory communicative process. Our social robot uses a complete multimodal dialog system which manages the user-robot interaction during the communicative process. One of its main components is the presented user localization system. To determine the most suitable allocation of the robot in relation to the user, a proxemic study of the human-robot interaction is required, which is described in this paper. The study has been made with two groups of users: children, aged between 8 and 17, and adults. Finally, at the end of the paper, experimental results with the proposed multimodal dialog system are presented.The authors gratefully acknowledge the funds provided by the Spanish Government through the project “A new approach to social robotics” (AROS), of MICINN (Ministry of Science and Innovation)

Resultados a largo plazo del tratamiento de las fracturas de rótula mediante hemipatelectomia

Han sido revisadas retrospectivamente 48 fracturas de rótula tratadas mediante hemipatelectomía, con un seguimiento medio de 14,6 años. Para la valoración se han seguido criterios clínicos, radiológicos, subjetivos y de potencia del aparato extensor. El rango de movilidad de la extremidad intervenida es del 89%, la potencia del aparato extensor de 83% y la medición de la circunferencia del muslo del 97%, tomando como referencia la extremidad no intervenida. Encontramos un 45% de resultados excelentes, 39,58% de buenos resultados, 10,41% de resultados regulares y 4,16% de malos resultados. Existe una relación estadísticamente significativa entre el tipo de fractura, la edad de los pacientes, la existencia de patología previa en la rodilla, las lesiones asociadas a la fractura rotuliana por el traumatismo y el resultado final obtenido. A la vista de estos resultados podemos concluir que la hemipatelectomía es una técnica eficaz y segura para el tratamiento de algunos tipos de fracturas de rótula.A retrospective stydy was made of 48 patellar fractures who were threated with a hemipatellectomy. The mean time of follow-up was 14,6 years. The results were assessed with use of clinical, radiological, subjective and isokinetic quadriceps strength-testing criteria. The mean active range of motion was 89%, the strength of quadriceps was 83% and the circumference of the thigh was 97% of these measurements in the contralateral extremity. The over-all results was rated as excellent in 45,83%, dood in 39,58%, fair in 10,41% and poor in 4,16%. There was a significant statistical correlation between the type of fracture, the previous patology in the knee, the associated lesions caused by trauma and the outcome. The results of this study indicate that hemipatellectomy can be an effective and secure treatment for selected patellar fractures

Multimodal Fusion as Communicative Acts during Human-Robot Interaction

Research on dialog systems is a very active area in social robotics. During the last two decades, these systems have evolved from those based only on speech recognition and synthesis to the current and modern systems, which include new components and multimodality. By multimodal dialogue we mean the interchange of information among several interlocutors, not just using their voice as the mean of transmission but also all the available channels such as gestures, facial expressions, touch, sounds, etc. These channels add information to the message to be transmitted in every dialogue turn. The dialogue manager (IDiM) is one of the components of the robotic dialog system (RDS) and is in charge of managing the dialogue flow during the conversational turns. In order to do that, it is necessary to coherently treat the inputs and outputs of information that flow by different communication channels: audio, vision, radio frequency, touch, etc. In our approach, this multichannel input of information is temporarily fused into communicative acts (CAs). Each CA groups the information that flows through the different input channels into the same pack, transmitting a unique message or global idea. Therefore, this temporary fusion of information allows the IDiM to abstract from the channels used during the interaction, focusing only on the message, not on the way it is transmitted. This article presents the whole RDS and the description of how the multimodal fusion of information is made as CAs. Finally, several scenarios where the multimodal dialogue is used are presented.Comunidad de Madri

Vision-based people detection using depth information for social robots: an experimental evaluation

Robots are starting to be applied in areas which involve sharing space with humans. In particular, social robots and people will coexist closely because the former are intended to interact with the latter. In this context, it is crucial that robots are aware of the presence of people around them. Traditionally, people detection has been performed using a flow of two-dimensional images. However, in nature, animals' sight perceives their surroundings using color and depth information. In this work, we present new people detectors that make use of the data provided by depth sensors and red-green-blue images to deal with the characteristics of human-robot interaction scenarios. These people detectors are based on previous works using two-dimensional images and existing people detectors from different areas. The disparity of the input and output data used by these types of algorithms usually complicates their integration into robot control architectures. We propose a common interface that can be used by any people detector, resulting in numerous advantages. Several people detectors using depth information and the common interface have been implemented and evaluated. The results show a great diversity among the different algorithms. Each one has a particular domain of use, which is reflected in the results. A clever combination of several algorithms appears as a promising solution to achieve a flexible, reliable people detector.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The research leading to these results has received funding from the projects Development of social robots to help seniors with cognitive impairment (ROBSEN), funded by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad, and RoboCity2030-III-CM, funded by Comunidad de Madrid and cofunded by Structural Funds of the EU