Artificial cognitive control system based on the shared circuits model of sociocognitive capacities. A first approach

sharedcircuitmodels is presented in this work. The sharedcircuitsmodelapproach of sociocognitivecapacities recently proposed by Hurley in The sharedcircuitsmodel (SCM): how control, mirroring, and simulation can enable imitation, deliberation, and mindreading. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 31(1) (2008) 1–22 is enriched and improved in this work. A five-layer computational architecture for designing artificialcognitivecontrolsystems is proposed on the basis of a modified sharedcircuitsmodel for emulating sociocognitive experiences such as imitation, deliberation, and mindreading. In order to show the enormous potential of this approach, a simplified implementation is applied to a case study. An artificialcognitivecontrolsystem is applied for controlling force in a manufacturing process that demonstrates the suitability of the suggested approac

Influence of Formate Concentration on the Rheology and Thermal Degradation of Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum solutions have gained increasing interest for their use as environmentally friendly chemicals in the oil industry. Xanthan is compatible with most concentrate brines used for controlling formation damage and fluid loss. Particularly, formate brines reinforce the ordered structure of the biopolymer in solution, gel strength, and the specific gravity of the resulting fluid. In this paper, we studied the effect of thermal aging on the rheological behavior of xanthan solutions as a function of the concentration in potassium formate. Ionic strength below a threshold concentration does not prevent the degradation of the structure of xanthan after being submitted to aging at 165 °C. Aged solutions show an important loss of strength in their mechanical properties, lower pH, and higher content in furfural and hydroxymethylfurfural. Highly concentrated formate brines are necessary to maintain the strength of the rheological properties after exposure to high-temperature environmentsThis research was funded by the EU-FEDER Program, grant numbers P18-RT-4684 and CTQ-2017-89792-

Siwa: A custom RISC-V based system on chip (SOC) for low power medical applications

This work introduces the development of Siwa, a RISC-V RV32I 32-bit based core, intended as a flexible control platform for highly integrated implantable biomedical applications, and implemented on a commercial 0.18 m high voltage (HV) CMOS technology. Simulations show that Siwa can outperform commercial micro-controllers commonly used in the medical industry as control units for implantable devices, with energy requirements below the 50 pJ per clock cycle.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

Siwa: a RISC-V RV32I based micro-controller for implantable medical applications

The design of Siwa1, a compact low power custom system on chip (SoC), targeted for implantable/wearable applications, is reported in this paper. Siwa is based on a RISC-V RV32I architecture. It has a centrally controlled non-pipelined structure, and it includes a control interface for an integrated sensing and stimulation device for biological tissues as well as standard communication interfaces. Siwa was developed from scratch using System Verilog, and implemented in a 180nm CMOS technology; Siwa includes a latch based register file c apable to read and write in one clock cycle with an area 30% smaller and a power consumption 25% lower with respect to an equivalent flip flop implementation; also, it has an estimated average power consumption of 70μW (48pJ/cycle) which is comparable to other micro-controllers commonly used in IMD applications.Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovació

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Thermal and Rheological Properties of Hydrophobic Nanosilica in Sunflower Oil Suspensions at High Pressures

Nowadays, the reduction of the environmental impact associated with the operation of the oil industry is a primary concern. A growing trend is to develop low-toxicity formulations based on biodegradable components. In this sense, vegetable oils structured with nanomaterials could be an alternative to mineral or synthetic oils for sustainable fluid formulations. Hydrophobic fumed silica nanoparticles have the capability to change the rheological behavior of oil in suspensions, providing a large variety of non-Newtonian behaviors over a wide range of temperatures, from shear-thinning to gel-like, depending on the concentration and the nanosilica’s hydrophobicity, that permits the design of fluids with selected characteristic and applications. This work explores the microstructure and the rheological behavior of hydrophobic fumed silica dispersed in a sunflower oil as a function of temperature and pressure. The results suggest that the suspensions of hydrophobic silica in sunflower oil reveals appropriate rheological and thermal properties over a wide range of temperatures and pressures to serve as components of sustainable drilling fluids

Protección renal y hepática por condicionamiento isquémico a distancia en la revascularización miocárdica quirúrgica

Short periods of distant ischemia can limit myocardial damage caused by ischemia/reperfusion.Objectives: To identify the effect of remote ischemic preconditioning in relation to the postoperative behavior of creatinine, glutamic transaminase, puruvic and oxalacetic levels.Method: A quasi-experimental, explanatory, comparative study with historical control was carried out in two groups of 247 patients each; all candidates for coronary artery bypass grafting. A blood-pressure cuff was placed on the right arm in the study group alternating three inflations with three deflations of five minutes at 200 mmHg. This procedure was performed prior to during and after the major ischemic episode caused by the coronary artery impingement.Results: A significant decrease in the values of creatinine, puruvic glutamic transaminase and glutamic oxalacetic transaminase was achieved.Conclusions: Remote ischemic conditioning is an important tool to take into account for renal and hepatic protection in coronary artery bypass grafting.Breves períodos de isquemia a distancia pueden limitar el daño miocárdico producido por la isquemia/reperfusión.Objetivo: Identificar el efecto del condicionamiento isquémico a distancia con fines de protección renal y hepática, relacionado al comportamiento postoperatorio de los niveles de creatinina y transaminasas glutámico-purúvica y glutámico-oxalacética en la revascularización miocárdica quirúrgica.Método: Se realizó un estudio cuasiexperimental, explicativo, comparativo con control histórico, en dos grupos de 247 pacientes cada uno, propuestos para revascularización miocárdica quirúrgica. Se colocó un torniquete en el brazo derecho, en el grupo estudio, alternando 3 insuflaciones (con una presión de 200 mmHg) con 3 desinsuflaciones, durante cinco minutos cada una. Este procedimiento se realizó previo, durante y después de la mayor isquemia inducida, provocada por el pinzamiento de la arteria coronaria. Resultados: Se logró una disminución significativa en los valores de creatinina (p< 0,001), transaminasa glutámico-purúvica (p<0,001) y transaminasa glutámico-oxala-cética (p<0,05).Conclusiones: El condicionamiento isquémico a distancia es una importante herramienta a tener en cuenta para la protección renal y hepática en la revascularización miocárdica quirúrgica