Javier Nava-Gonzalez

Abstract This paper presents an innovative algorithm to estimate the motion parameters of a mobile robot equipped with a radial laser rangefinder. Our method is based on the spa-tial and temporal linearization of the range finction, which leak to a velocity constraint equation for ...

Abstract One of the major disadvantages of the Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) technology as transducer for electronic gas sensing devices (e-noses) is the long recovery period needed after each gas exposure. This severely restricts its usage in applications where the gas concentration may change rapidly, as it is the case of robotic olfaction, where the robot must move at a very low speed, almost incompatible with any practical robot operation. This paper describes the design of a new e-nose which overcomes, to a great ...

The primary objectives of the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) facility are to create a four- dimensional image of crustal deformation in western North America and to characterize the dynamics of this deformation. By illuminating the spatial and temporal patterns of deformation, the PBO facility will shed light on the rheological structure of the crust and lithosphere, the force systems driving deformation, and the nature of strain transients associated with earthquakes, par- ticularly how they affect fault interactions within diffuse continental fault systems. The primary instrument of the PBO will be a network consisting of more than 1000 continuous GPS (CGPS) stations comprised of a backbone array, which will provide a synoptic view of Pacific-North America-Juan de Fuca plate interactions, and several dense clusters of CGPS instruments to be deployed in areas requiring greater spatial and/or temporal resolution. Northwest Baja California (Figure 1) represents an ideal focal point...

Individuals with limited English proficiency experience poor patient-clinician communication. Most studies of language concordance have not measured clinician non-English-language proficiency. To evaluate the accuracy of the self-assessment of non-English-language proficiency by clinicians compared with an oral proficiency interview. Primary care providers (PCPs) in California and Massachusetts. PCPs first completed a self-assessment of non-English-language proficiency using a version of the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) Scale, followed by the Clinician Cultural and Linguistic Assessment (CCLA), a validated oral proficiency interview. We used nonparametric approaches to analyze CCLA scores at each ILR scale level and the correlation between CCLA and ILR scale scores. Sixteen PCPs in California and 51 in Massachusetts participated (n=67). Participants spoke Spanish (79%), followed by Cantonese, Mandarin, French, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. The respondents self-assessed as having "excellent" proficiency 9% of the time, "very…

Abstract: We summarize the R&D activities on a novel semitransparent microstrip sensor to be used on laser-based alignment systems for silicon trackers. The new sensor is used both for particle tracking and laser detection. The aim of this research line is to increase the ...

Several N-nitroso-and N-nitrocarboxamides have been characterized by'H and'3c NMR spectroscopy. These compounds react with ammonia and aliphatic amines to afford mainly carboxamides of general formula RCONH2, RCONHR', or RCONR'R''. N-...

Described in this article are studies of structurally novel [3.2. 0] bicyclic β-lactam ring systems that are isomeric to those of the penicillin, penem, and clavulanic acid families of antibiotics, but which have the lactam functionality arranged in alternative orientations ...

High throughput screening of our small molecule combinatorial library identified a class of benzoylnaphthalenehydrazones with modest affinity for the human glucagon receptor. Optimization of this initial hit through a series of targeted libraries and traditional medicinal chemistry led to ligands with nanomolar affinities. Pharmacological evaluation demonstrated that these ligands were competitive glucagon receptor antagonists. Intravenous administration of a representative benzoylnaphthalenehydrazone into rats attenuated glucagon-stimulated glucose levels.

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway is a central regulator of cell proliferation, migration, tumor growth, survival, angiogenesis and metabolism, contributing to the malignant phenotype of gliomas. Trials using targeted therapeutics against growth factor receptors and downstream signal mediators of the PI3K pathway have demonstrated only modest clinical benefit. Although recent clinical data suggests that malignant gliomas with PTEN are more likely to respond to EGF receptor inhibitors, gliomas have multiple concomitantly activated pathways, making them highly resistant to single-targeted therapy. This review discusses the importance of the PI3K pathway in glioma, the potential role of PTEN status in directing specific therapies, discusses clinical trial development of drug combinations to treat malignant gliomas and offers strategies for trial design that will be necessary to fully understand the successes and failures of current approaches to glioma therapy.

Pericyclic reactions may be the most important class of organic reactions. Certainly, the mechanisms of these reactions have been the subject of the most heated and interesting controversies. Woodward and Hoffmann defined the concept of a pericyclic reac-tion: a concerted reaction in which ...

Ruminal nitrogen degradation and intestinal digestibility (ID) of the undegraded nitrogen of three sunflower meals were determined on three wethers fitted with rumen cannulae and T-type duodenal cannulae using nylon bags. Meals were obtained from semi-dehulled seeds by conventional hexane extraction (samples SD1 and SD2) or from whole seeds by a discontinuous procedure of pressing and hexane extraction (sample W), which causes a superior thermal effect. Therefore, effective degradability of nitrogen for the W sample (0.537) was lower (P < 0.001) than for conventional meals. Between the latter, SD2 had a lower value (P = 0.019) than SD1 (0.776 and 0.812, respectively). ID decreased in all meals (P < 0.001) as the ruminal incubation time (t) increased. This evolution could be described accurately by an exponential curve as ID = s + he(-kit). A method is proposed for estimating the proportion of undegraded ruminal nitrogen digested in the intestines (Di) from 1) the above equation, 2) the undegradable (r) and the insoluble and potentially degradable (b) nitrogen contents of the feed and the degradation rate of the last fraction (k(d)), and 3) the rumen outflow rate of particles (k(p)). The Di value is shown to be: [equation: see text] The percentages of nitrogen from digested feed in the intestines obtained with this method were 15.1, 17.2 and 39.0 for SD1, SD2 and W, respectively. Resulting effective ID values of undegraded nitrogen were 0.804, 0.767 and 0.844. Undigested nitrogen after ruminal and intestinal incubations decreased in linear and quadratic form in all meals as ruminal incubation time increased.

This paper presents an application of a multihierarchical, symbolic model of large-scale space for representing the environment of a robotic wheelchair that has been automated for assistance to mobility impaired people. Rehabilitation robotics has an issue that is not present in mobile robotics: the need for an interface with the human driver. Our hierarchical model demonstrates its suitability to represent

The effective degradability of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA), and the intestinal effective digestibility (IED) of DM and CP of a green forage corn (GC) and its silage (EC) were determined on freeze-dried samples using three rumen and duodenum cannulated wethers. Two rumen incubations with duplicate bags were performed for each feed. Rumen degradation was determined on one series of bags from each incubation. The other series was freeze-dried and used to determine IED using mobile nylon bags. Microbial contamination of rumen incubated residues (determined with 15N techniques) fitted exponential functions, which showed a greater microbial contribution in EC than in GC in the undegradable DM (18.6% vs. 13.5%) and CP (81.7% vs. 69.4%). Degradability was calculated considering the particle rumen outflow rate (k(p): 0.056/h) of the EC (EDp) or additionally the rate of comminution and mixing (kr: 0.130/h) of these particles (EDep). Ensiling increased EDp (9.33%, p < 0.01) or EDcp (5.30%, p = 0.062) of DM and was associated with losses of nitrogen and with large changes in the AA profile. It is necessary to correct the microbial contamination, because it represents 32.0% (GC) and 42.5% (EC) of the undegraded CP when using k(p) and k(c). Ensiling caused higher degradabilities for some AA as well as large differences in the changes due to the rumen fermentation on the AA profile. However, it had only limited effects on the undegraded protein profile. Ensiling also reduced the IED of DM (23.3% vs. 14.6%; p = 0.057). In conclusion, results do not show losses of nutritive value by ensiling corn cut at vitreous grain stage.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The Spanish province of Cadiz has some of the poorest socioeconomic conditions and the highest cardiovascular morbidity and mortality rates in the country. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of ...

Background  Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia is a rare, benign disorder characterized by reddish-brown nodules and plaques in the dermis and the subcutaneous tissues, typically occurring on the neck and head. Surgical excision, corticosteroids, radiotherapy, and other therapies have been used, however, recurrences are common. Treatment with vascular lasers such as pulsed dye laser (PDL) or Nd:YAG seems to be a promising

This study aimed to identify the variables that influence parental treatment decisions after a prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD). The authors reviewed all cases of prenatally diagnosed structural CHD from August 1998 to December 2006 at their center. The following variables were studied as potential predictors of parental intent to treat: maternal age, race, insurance status, obstetric history,

Endoxylanases classified into glycoside hydrolase family 30 subfamily 8 (GH30-8) are known to hydrolyze the hemicellulosic polysaccharide glucuronoxylan (GX) but not arabinoxylan or neutral xylooligosaccharides. This is owing to the specificity of these enzymes for the α-1,2-linked glucuronate (GA) appendage of GX. Limit hydrolysis of this substrate produces a series of aldouronates each containing a single GA substituted on the xylose penultimate to the reducing terminus. In this work, the structural and biochemical characterization of xylanase 30A from Clostridium papyrosolvens (CpXyn30A) is presented. This xylanase possesses a high degree of amino-acid identity to the canonical GH30-8 enzymes, but lacks the hallmark β8-α8 loop region which in part defines the function of this GH30 subfamily and its role in GA recognition. CpXyn30A is shown to have a similarly low activity on all xylan substrates, while hydrolysis of xylohexaose revealed a competing transglycosylation reaction. Th...