A Practical Approach to Adaptive Sliding Mode Control

José Antonio González,Antonio Barreiro,Sebastián Dormido 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2019 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.17 No.10

This paper is concerned with the development of a practical approach to the design of adaptive sliding mode controllers. The objective is to define an adaptive control law that presents some desired advantages such as non overestimation of the disturbance input, cancellation of the chattering phenomenon, zero overshooting response, avoid control saturation and simplicity of algorithm tuning. In this practical approach a solution is provided thatuses both, adaptive sliding surfaces and adaptive control gains so the proposed controller is able to manage input disturbances with bounded derivatives.

Prospective study analyzing risk factors and characteristics of healthcare-associated infections in a Urology ward

José Medina-Polo,Raquel Sopeña-Sutil,Raúl Benítez-Sala,Alba Lara-Isla,Manuel Alonso-Isa,Javier Gil-Moradillo,Juan Justo-Quintas,Esther García-Rojo,Daniel Antonio González-Padilla,Juan Bautista Passas- 대한비뇨의학회 2017 Investigative and Clinical Urology Vol.58 No.1

Purpose: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in urological patients have special features due to specific risk factors. Our objective was to evaluate the characteristics and risk factors for HAIs in patients hospitalized in a Urology ward. Materials and Methods: We evaluated prospectively, from 2012 to 2015, the incidence, types and risk factor for HAIs, microbiological and resistance patterns. Results: The incidence of HAIs was 6.3%. The most common types were urinary infections (70.5%) and surgical site infections (22.1%). Univariate analysis showed an increased risk of HAIs among patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification system III–IV (odds ratio [OR], 1.39; p<0.001), immunosuppression (OR, 1.80; p=0.013), previous urinary infection (OR, 4.46; p<0,001), and urinary catheter before admission (OR, 1.74; p<0.001). The surgical procedures with the highest incidence of HAIs were radical cystectomy (54.2%) and renal surgery (8.7%). The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Escherichia coli (25.1%), Enterococcus spp. (17.5%), Klebsiella spp. (13.5%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.3%). Enterococcus sp was the most common microorganism after radical cystectomy and in surgical site infections, E. coli showed resistance rates of 53.5% for fluoroquinolones, 9.3% for amikacin. The percentage of extended-spectrum betalactamase producing E. coli was 24.7%. Klebsiella spp. showed resistance rates of 47.8% for fluoroquinolones, 7.1% for amikacin and 4.3% for carbapenems. Enterococcus spp showed resistance rates of 1.7% for vancomycin and; P. aeruginosa of 33.3% for carbapenems and 26.2% for amikacin. Conclusions: Comorbidities, previous urinary infections, and urinary catheter are risk factors for HAIs. The microorganisms most commonly isolated were E. coli, Enterococcus and P. aeruginosa. Prospective monitoring may decrease the incidence of infections.

Properties of Thermoplastic Corn Starch Based Green Composites Reinforced with Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) Straw Particles Obtained by Thermal Compression

José Antonio Silva-Guzmán,Raúl Rodríguez Anda,Francisco Javier Fuentes-Talavera,Ricardo Manríquez-González,María Guadalupe Lomelí-Ramírez 한국섬유공학회 2018 Fibers and polymers Vol.19 No.9

Currently, greater environmental awareness promotes research and development advances in biodegradable materials; they represent an alternative that decreases the environmental impact caused by traditional synthetic plastics. This study consists of the development and characterization of thermoplastic corn starch-based composites, reinforced with barley straw particles made by thermal compression. The study materials were prepared by using three particle concentrations (5, 10, and 15 %), while the matrix (0 %) was used as a reference. A mechanical evaluation of all samples was carried out, as well as that of their water absorption properties. They were also characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and flammability tests. The inclusion of straw in the thermoplastic matrix increased water absorption and quickened carbon formation, although it also increased its tensile strength (7 MPa) and the Young’s modulus of activity (MOE) (420 MPa) with a 15 % reinforcement. The FTIR analysis highlights the presence of a carbonyl signal (1720 cm-1) caused by a thermal breakdown (caramelization) linked to barley particles. Moreover, X-ray diffraction demonstrated a VA-type crystallinity pattern (anhydrous) within the biocomposites and an increase of the crystallinity index, through incorporating barley particles in the thermoplastic corn starch-based matrix.

Nematicidal Effect of Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) Extracts Against Haemonchus contortus

Jesús Antonio Pineda-Alegría,José E Sánchez,Elsa Ventura-Zapata,Manases González-Cortazar,Liliana Aguilar-Marcelino 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.9

During the previous decades, the indiscriminate use of anthelmintics for the control of gastrointestinal nematodes has generated anthelmintic resistance in different parts of the world. It is necessary to search for new sustainable control alternatives, such as the use of extracts from plants and edible mushrooms. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the nematicidal activity of extracts and fractions of the edible mushroom Lentinula edodes against Haemonchus contortus eggs and infective larvae. The basidiomata of L. edodes ECS-401 were provided by the Tropical Fungi Laboratory of El Colegio de la Frontera Sur and were extracted with ethyl acetate, methanol, and water. Fractionation of the most active extract was carried out by open column chromatography. The bioassays were performed in 96-well microtiter plates using 100 eggs/larvae, a final volume of 100 μL, and different concentrations of extracts/fractions (n = 4). Bioassay readings were taken at 48 h for egg hatching inhibition (EHI) and at 24, 48 and 72 h for larval mortality (LM). The ethyl acetate extract exhibited the highest percentage of EHI (100%). For the LM bioassay, the aqueous extract was the most active (69%), but its fractions did not show larvicidal activity. The chemical profile of the aqueous extract was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, which showed the presence of phenols, flavonoids, and terpenes. L. edodes extracts showed ovicidal and/or larvicidal activity.

In Vitro and In Vivo Nematicide Effect of Extract Fractions of Pleurotus djamor Against Haemonchus contortus

Manases González-Cortázar,José E Sánchez,Magaly Huicochea-Medina,Victor M Hernández-Velázquez,Pedro Mendoza-de-Gives,Alejandro Zamilpa,Ma Eugenia López-Arellano,Jesús Antonio Pineda-Alegría,Liliana Ag 한국식품영양과학회 2021 Journal of medicinal food Vol.24 No.3

Sheep haemonchosis is a disease that causes anemia, diarrhea, weight loss, low production, and even death of young animals. This represents a negative economic impact on the livestock sector. For decades, chemicals have been used to control this parasitic disease; however, cases of anthelmintic resistance have increased around the world. For this reason, the search for control alternatives is necessary. Several studies have shown that edible mushrooms of Pleurotus genus have different medicinal properties, including nematicidal activity. In this study, the chromatographic fractionation of the hydroalcoholic extract of fruiting bodies Pleurotus djamor was carried out to identify and isolate the metabolites responsible for nematicidal activity. From the fractionation of the extract, the fraction PdR2 and the subfraction PdB were obtained, which were evaluated against Haemonchus contortus under in vitro conditions. The nematicidal effect of the fraction PdB in gerbils infected artificially with H. contortus was evaluated. Finally, the analysis of the PdB fraction by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance was carried out. The results showed that the PdB had 100% of egg hatching inhibition from 5 mg/mL. Regarding larvicidal activity, it presented >97.2% from 24 h to 20 mg/mL. The in vivo evaluation of the PdB fraction showed a reduction of H. contortus larvae of 92.56%. The compounds present in this fraction were the mixture of allitol and an unidentified terpene in a ratio of 9:1. The PdB fraction is a potential alternative for the control of H. contortus, where allitol and a terpene could be responsible for nematicidal activity.

A Robust Underactuated Synchronizer for a Five-dimensional Hyperchaotic System: Applications for Secure Communication

Juan Carlos González Gómez,Kevin Herman Muraro Gularte,José Alfredo Ruiz Vargas,Rogério Rodrigues dos Santos,José Antonio Ruz Hernández 제어·로봇·시스템학회 2023 International Journal of Control, Automation, and Vol.21 No.9

This paper presents the synchronization of a class of hyperchaotic systems using a robust underactuated approach. The proposed scheme guarantees the convergence in finite time of the slave system trajectories to the master system based on Lyapunov theory. The main novelty of the method is its simplicity resulting from the underactuated strategy and its robustness due to the presence of disturbances in the stability analysis. Simulations are presented to show the performance of the proposed method and its advantages compared with another recent study in the literature. In addition, a secure communication example is considered to illustrate the simple application of the synchronizer.

Benchmarking anthropomorphic hands through grasping simulations

Llop-Harillo Immaculada,Iserte José L,Pérez-González Antonio 한국CDE학회 2022 Journal of computational design and engineering Vol.9 No.2

In recent decades, the design of anthropomorphic hands has been developed greatly improving both cosmesis and functionality. Experimentation, simulation, and combined approaches have been used in the literature to assess the effect of design alternatives (DAs) on the final performance of artificial hands. However, establishing standard benchmarks for grasping and manipulation is a need recognized among the robotics community. Experimental approaches are costly, time consuming, and inconvenient in early design stages. Alternatively, computer simulation with the adaptation of metrics based on experimental benchmarks for anthropomorphic hands could be useful to evaluate and rank DAs. The aim of this study is to compare the anthropomorphism of the grasps performed with 28 DAs of the IMMA hand, developed by the authors, using either (i) the brute-force approach and grasp quality metrics proposed in previous works or (ii) a new simulation benchmark approach. The new methodology involves the generation of efficient grasp hypotheses and the definition of a new metric to assess stability and human likeness for the most frequently used grasp types in activities of daily living, pulp pinch and cylindrical grip, adapting the experimental Anthropomorphic Hand Assessment Protocol to the simulation environment. This new simulation benchmark, in contrast to the other approach, resulted in anthropomorphic and more realistic grasps for the expected use of the objects. Despite the inherent limitations of a simulation analysis, the benchmark proposed provides interesting results for selecting optimal DAs in order to perform stable and anthropomorphic grasps.

Bioelectronics-on-a-chip for cardio myoblast proliferation enhancement using electric field stimulation

Ángel Aragón,María Cebro-Márquez,Eliseo Perez,Antonio Pazos,Ricardo Lage,José Ramón González-Juanatey,Isabel Moscoso,Carmen Bao-Varela,Daniel Nieto 한국생체재료학회 2020 생체재료학회지 Vol.24 No.3

Background: Cardio myoblast generation from conventional approaches is laborious and time-consuming. We present a bioelectronics on-a-chip for stimulating cells cardio myoblast proliferation during culture. Method: The bioelectronics chip fabrication methodology involves two different process. In the first step, an aluminum layer of 200 nm is deposited over a soda-lime glass substrate using physical vapor deposition and selectively removed using a Q-switched Nd:YVO4 laser to create the electric tracks. To perform the experiments, we developed a biochip composed of a cell culture chamber fabricated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with a glass coverslip or a cell culture dish placed over the electric circuit tracks. By using such a glass cover slip or cell culture dish we avoid any toxic reactions caused by electrodes in the culture or may be degraded by electrochemical reactions with the cell medium, which is crucial to determine the effective cell-device coupling. Results: The chip was used to study the effect of electric field stimulation of Rat ventricular cardiomyoblasts cells (H9c2). Results shows a remarkable increase in the number of H9c2 cells for the stimulated samples, where after 72 h the cell density double the cell density of control samples. Conclusions: Cell proliferation of Rat ventricular cardiomyoblasts cells (H9c2) using the bioelectronics-on-a-chip was enhanced upon the electrical stimulation. The dependence on the geometrical characteristics of the electric circuit on the peak value and homogeneity of the electric field generated are analyzed and proper parameters to ensure a homogeneous electric field at the cell culture chamber are obtained. It can also be observed a high dependence of the electric field on the geometry of the electrostimulator circuit tracks and envisage the potential applications on electrophysiology studies, monitoring and modulate cellular behavior through the application of electric fields.

Expression of heat shock protein genes in Simmental cattle exposed to heat stress

Guzmán Luis Felipe,Martínez-Velázquez Guillermo,Villaseñor-González Fernando,Vega-Murillo Vicente Eliezer,Palacios-Fránquez José Antonio,Ríos-Utrera Ángel,Montaño-Bermúdez Moisés 아세아·태평양축산학회 2023 Animal Bioscience Vol.36 No.5

Objective: In tropical, subtropical and arid zones, heat stress is the main cause of productivity reduction in cattle. When climate stressors occur, animals become thermal adapted through differential expression of some genes, including heat shock proteins (HSP) family. The aim of this study was to determine levels of expression of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 genes in Simmental cattle raised in tropical environments of Mexico. Methods: In this study, expression of HSP60, HSP70, and HSP90 genes was analyzed in 116 Simmental cattle from three farms with tropical climate located in western Mexico. Animals were sampled twice a day, in the morning and noon. Gene expression was evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction using probes marked with fluorescence. The MIXED procedure of SAS with repeated measures was used for all statistical analysis. Results: HSP60 gene expression differences were found for sex (p = 0.0349). HSP70 gene differences were detected for sampling hour (p = 0.0042), farm (p<0.0001), sex (p = 0.0476), and the interaction sampling hour×farm (p = 0.0002). Gene expression differences for HSP90 were observed for farm (p<0.0001) and year (p = 0.0521). HSP70 gene showed to be a better marker of heat stress than HSP60 and HSP90 genes. Conclusion: Expression of HSP70 gene in Simmental herds of the tropical region of western México was different during early morning and noon, but the expression of the HSP60 and HSP90 genes was similar. Identification of resilient animals to heat stress will be useful in the genetic improvement of the Simmental breed.

Acute toxicity of aqueous extract of Ambrosia arborescens Mill. on biochemical and histopathological parameters in rats

Silva-Correa Carmen R.,Villarreal-La Torre Víctor E.,González-Siccha Anabel D.,Cruzado-Razco José L.,González-Blas María V.,Sagástegui-Guarniz William Antonio,Calderón-Peña Abhel A.,Aspajo-Villalaz Ci 한국독성학회 2022 Toxicological Research Vol.38 No.2

Medicinal plants play an important role in the management of various diseases, so their use has become widespread. However, in some cases the population uses plant species regardless of the toxicity they may possess. The objective of this study was to evaluate the acute toxicity of aqueous extract from the leaves of Ambrosia arborescens Mill. on the biochemical and histopathological parameters of albino Holtzman rats. To do this, the leaves of A. arborescens were collected in the province of Julcan, La Libertad Region—Peru. OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) guideline 423 was conducted, forming experimental groups of 10 animals each one (5 males and 5 females): Group I (Control), which received 2 mL physiological saline solution (SSF 0.9%), Groups II and III (A. arborescens-300 and A. arborescens-2000), which were given the aqueous extract leaves of A. arborescens in a single dose of 300 and 2000 mg/kg/day, respectively. On the 14th day of exposure, biochemical (creatinine, ALT and AST) and histopathological parameters were measured. The results show that the aqueous extract of A. arborescens at the dose of 2000 mg/kg produces an increase in biochemical parameters which is related to histopathological analysis of liver and renal tissue with mild congestion. The study concludes that the aqueous extract leaves of A. arborescens has a LD50 greater than 2000 mg/kg and produces mild congestion in kidneys and liver, but showed no significant toxicological changes in the other albino Holtzman rats organs.