This paper describes the methodology applied to obtain a functional prototype of a robotic hand c... more This paper describes the methodology applied to obtain a functional prototype of a robotic hand considering anthropometric characteristics. An analysis by image processing is made from computerized tomographics (CT) to generate a model of the prototype which is then utilized for the development of the analytical study for the synthesis of a four bar sub-mechanism suitable to generate optimal trajectories to grasp objects in a manner such as puntual, palmar, lateral, cylindrical and spherical. In this sense, the scientific and technological relevance obtained from this work is based on the diversity of the device executed movements in addition to its ability to adapt different auxiliary components to perform some function with the amputated trunnion member, so that the system is designed to be applicable as a prosthesis. In this sense, this proposal aims to get a working prototype with versatile features to handle objects with different geometries considering the system functionality...
Seventeen elements, Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, V, and Zn (macroele... more Seventeen elements, Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, V, and Zn (macroelements and trace elements) were investigated by Atomic Spectrometries on a particular wild edible mushroom collected in the central region of Argentina during 2 different years in the same season. The metal content profile in Suillus granulatus samples is given. The found quantities of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, V, and Al were 0.40, 10.84, 0.48, 0.30, 0.57, 4.24, 0.18, and 1.23 g/kg dry weight, respectively. The levels of Li, Cu, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Cr, and Mn were 0.98, 23.02, 22.30, 0.26, 0.16, 1.17, 0.90, and 28.75 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Pb was not detected at the investigated levels. The results indicate that the levels of metals in the analyzed samples are not considered to be a health risk. In order to demonstrate the validity of our method, a recovery study was performed with acceptable results.
Phytopharmaceuticals containing Valerian are used as mild sleep-inducing agents. The elemental co... more Phytopharmaceuticals containing Valerian are used as mild sleep-inducing agents. The elemental composition of 3 different marks of Valeriana officinalis roots commercially available in the Argentinian market, their teas, and a commercial tincture have been studied. The content of Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn was determined in phytopharmaceuticals by flame atomic emission/absorption spectrometry, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, and ultrasonic nebulization coupled to inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Prior to analyses of the samples, a digestion procedure was optimized. The analytical results obtained for Fe, Al, Ca, and V in the solid sample study were within the range 100-1000 mg/kg, and for Mn, Zn, and Pb within the range 10-100 mg/kg. Cadmium was found at levels up to 0.0125 mg/kg.
Thousands and thousands of electronic contents have been developed in e-learning models and platf... more Thousands and thousands of electronic contents have been developed in e-learning models and platforms to support the student learning process. The e-contents are not enough to achieve the chased targets, sometimes despite the contents are complete, well design and correct the students are not able to deal with them to acquire the knowledge presented in them. In this contribution we shall introduce several reflections, suggestions and advices about how should the e-contents be? and propose the use of interactive conceptual maps to support these contents in order to transmit the knowledge to the students and so achieve the target chased by the designers of e-contents for e-learning. Eventually, we shall present the results of an experience developed following this model and its tools that has been carried out in the Management degree to support the students in the subject of Computer Science Applied to Management in the University of Jaén.
ABSTRACT The use of Data Warehouses (DW) in e-learningapplications is very helpful in assessing t... more ABSTRACT The use of Data Warehouses (DW) in e-learningapplications is very helpful in assessing the students fromdifferent points of view. We can take advantage of the use ofa computer based system to get information difficult tomeasure in traditional education. Moreover, a DW systemhelps us to enhance the personalization and contentdistribution. Depending on the user behaviour we canmodify the content or the appearance of the e-learningplatform to achieve the best results. In this paper we presentour work related to the use of integrated DW as part of thee-learning application to help teachers and administrator inthe decision-making process.
In this work we present the case of the implementation of a specific Business Process Outsourcing... more In this work we present the case of the implementation of a specific Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solution for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) related to the active tourism sector. In addition, we show how too complex Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tasks for this kind of enterprise can be externalized. The specific business task contracted to a third-party service provider is the intelligent planning of tourism packages according to the user preferences and characteristics.
Soaring is a recreational activity and competitive sport where individuals fly un-powered aircraf... more Soaring is a recreational activity and competitive sport where individuals fly un-powered aircrafts known as gliders. Soaring site selection process depends on a number of factors, resulting in a complex decision-making task. It is common for the decision makers to use their subjective judgment and previous experience when selecting the most appropriate place for soaring. In this paper we address the problem of finding and validating the hidden, subjective preferences which arise in the site selection process for soaring. We propose a data mining process using fuzzy logic (Fuzzy SQL language) to discover the knowledge that the travel agencies or tour operators specialized in adventure tourism needs to make decisions about the more suitable activities suggest to their customers. We provide an example showing how to validate an assessment about a customer's preference related to the temperature evolution and the quality of a day for soaring.
Los problemas de Toma de Decisiones en Grupo vienen definidos por la participación de múltiples e... more Los problemas de Toma de Decisiones en Grupo vienen definidos por la participación de múltiples expertos que aportan sus opiniones para encontrar en común la mejor solución a un problema compuesto por un conjunto de alternativas. Una posibilidad, en este tipo de problemas, es establecer un proceso de consenso donde los diferentes expertos acercarán sus posturas antes de alcanzar una solución. Así el proceso de consenso se llevará a cabo mediante una serie de rondas, con el objeto de que los expertos puedan cambiar sus preferencias y así acercar sus opiniones. En ocasiones, puede darse el caso que alguno de los expertos no pudiera participar en alguna ronda o que se incorporasen nuevos expertos al proceso una vez iniciado. En estos casos es necesario establecer algún mecanismo donde las opiniones de los expertos, que no participan en todas las rondas del proceso de consenso, puedan ser recordadas, lo que nos llevará a proponer un modelo de consenso que utilice estructuras de decisión...
Nowadays, there are a lot of websites related to the same topic that offer similar services in In... more Nowadays, there are a lot of websites related to the same topic that offer similar services in Internet and try to attract as many people as possible. The quality of the web services has become a critical factor in the success of these web sites. Different evaluation approaches for different types of web sites have been developed in which the users provide their opinions in a predefined numerical scale to evaluate their services. Nevertheless, the criteria used in these evaluations are related to human perceptions and not all the criteria have the same nature, therefore, the evaluation process is defined in an heterogeneous context. In this contribution, we shall propose a heterogeneous multi-criteria hierarchical evaluation model that is able to deal with aspects assessed in different domains.
Inhibitory neurons dominate the intrinsic circuits in the visual thalamus. Interneurons in the la... more Inhibitory neurons dominate the intrinsic circuits in the visual thalamus. Interneurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus innervate relay cells and each other densely to provide powerful inhibition. The visual sector of the overlying thalamic reticular nucleus receives input from relay cells and supplies feedback inhibition to them in return. Together, these two inhibitory circuits influence all information transmitted from the retina to the primary visual cortex. By contrast, relay cells make few local connections. This review explores the role of thalamic inhibition from the dual perspectives of feature detection and information theory. For example, we describe how inhibition sharpens tuning for spatial and temporal features of the stimulus and how it might enhance image perception. We also discuss how inhibitory circuits help to reduce redundancy in signals sent downstream and, at the same time, are adapted to maximize the amount of information conveyed to the cortex.
It is widely assumed that mosaics of retinal ganglion cells establish the optimal representation ... more It is widely assumed that mosaics of retinal ganglion cells establish the optimal representation of visual space. However, relay cells in the visual thalamus often receive convergent input from several retinal afferents and, in cat, outnumber ganglion cells. To explore how the thalamus transforms the retinal image, we built a model of the retinothalamic circuit using experimental data and simple wiring rules. The model shows how the thalamus might form a resampled map of visual space with the potential to facilitate detection of stimulus position in the presence of sensor noise. Bayesian decoding conducted with the model provides support for this scenario. Despite its benefits, however, resampling introduces image blur, thus impairing edge perception. Whole-cell recordings obtained in vivo suggest that this problem is mitigated by arrangements of excitation and inhibition within the receptive field that effectively boost contrast borders, much like strategies used in digital image p...
ABSTRACT The nearest neighbor approach is one of the most successfully deployed techniques used f... more ABSTRACT The nearest neighbor approach is one of the most successfully deployed techniques used for sensor-based activity recognition. Nevertheless, this approach presents some disadvantages in relation to response time, noise sensitivity and high storage requirements. The response time and storage requirements are closely related to the data size. This notion of data size is an important issue in sensor-based activity recognition given the vast amounts of data produced within smart environments. A wide range of prototype generation algorithms, which are designed for use with the nearest neighbor approach, have been proposed in the literature to reduce the size of the data set. These algorithms build new artificial prototypes, which represent the data, and subsequently lead to an increase in the accuracy of the nearest neighbor approach. In this work, we discuss the use of prototype generation algorithms and their effect on sensor-based activity recognition using the nearest neighbor approach to classify activities, reducing the response time. A range of prototype generation algorithms based on positioning adjustment, which reduce the data size, are evaluated in terms of accuracy and reduction. These approaches have been compared with the normal nearest neighbor approach, achieving similar accuracy and reducing the data size. Analysis of the results attained provide the basis for the use of prototype generation algorithms for sensor-based activity recognition to reduce the overall response time of the nearest neighbor approach.
International Journal of Intelligent Systems, 2015
ABSTRACT Recommender systems aim at filtering large amounts of information for users, providing t... more ABSTRACT Recommender systems aim at filtering large amounts of information for users, providing them with those pieces of information which better meet their preferences or needs. Such systems have been traditionally used in diverse areas, such as e-commerce or tourism. Within this context, group recommender systems address the problem of generating recommendations for groups of users who might have different interests. Although different aggregation processes have been extensively utilized in real-life applications to generate group recommendations, such processes do not guarantee that the list of products recommended to the group reflect a high agreement level among its members' individual preferences. Given the need for considering the added value of obtaining group recommendations under a high agreement level, this paper presents a novel group recommender system methodology that attempts to reach a high level of consensus among individual recommendations of group members. To do this, and inspired by existing group decision-making approaches in the literature, a consensus reaching process is carried out to bring such individual recommendations closer to each other before delivering the group recommendations.
This paper describes the methodology applied to obtain a functional prototype of a robotic hand c... more This paper describes the methodology applied to obtain a functional prototype of a robotic hand considering anthropometric characteristics. An analysis by image processing is made from computerized tomographics (CT) to generate a model of the prototype which is then utilized for the development of the analytical study for the synthesis of a four bar sub-mechanism suitable to generate optimal trajectories to grasp objects in a manner such as puntual, palmar, lateral, cylindrical and spherical. In this sense, the scientific and technological relevance obtained from this work is based on the diversity of the device executed movements in addition to its ability to adapt different auxiliary components to perform some function with the amputated trunnion member, so that the system is designed to be applicable as a prosthesis. In this sense, this proposal aims to get a working prototype with versatile features to handle objects with different geometries considering the system functionality...
Seventeen elements, Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, V, and Zn (macroele... more Seventeen elements, Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, V, and Zn (macroelements and trace elements) were investigated by Atomic Spectrometries on a particular wild edible mushroom collected in the central region of Argentina during 2 different years in the same season. The metal content profile in Suillus granulatus samples is given. The found quantities of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, V, and Al were 0.40, 10.84, 0.48, 0.30, 0.57, 4.24, 0.18, and 1.23 g/kg dry weight, respectively. The levels of Li, Cu, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Cr, and Mn were 0.98, 23.02, 22.30, 0.26, 0.16, 1.17, 0.90, and 28.75 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Pb was not detected at the investigated levels. The results indicate that the levels of metals in the analyzed samples are not considered to be a health risk. In order to demonstrate the validity of our method, a recovery study was performed with acceptable results.
Phytopharmaceuticals containing Valerian are used as mild sleep-inducing agents. The elemental co... more Phytopharmaceuticals containing Valerian are used as mild sleep-inducing agents. The elemental composition of 3 different marks of Valeriana officinalis roots commercially available in the Argentinian market, their teas, and a commercial tincture have been studied. The content of Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn was determined in phytopharmaceuticals by flame atomic emission/absorption spectrometry, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, and ultrasonic nebulization coupled to inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Prior to analyses of the samples, a digestion procedure was optimized. The analytical results obtained for Fe, Al, Ca, and V in the solid sample study were within the range 100-1000 mg/kg, and for Mn, Zn, and Pb within the range 10-100 mg/kg. Cadmium was found at levels up to 0.0125 mg/kg.
Thousands and thousands of electronic contents have been developed in e-learning models and platf... more Thousands and thousands of electronic contents have been developed in e-learning models and platforms to support the student learning process. The e-contents are not enough to achieve the chased targets, sometimes despite the contents are complete, well design and correct the students are not able to deal with them to acquire the knowledge presented in them. In this contribution we shall introduce several reflections, suggestions and advices about how should the e-contents be? and propose the use of interactive conceptual maps to support these contents in order to transmit the knowledge to the students and so achieve the target chased by the designers of e-contents for e-learning. Eventually, we shall present the results of an experience developed following this model and its tools that has been carried out in the Management degree to support the students in the subject of Computer Science Applied to Management in the University of Jaén.
ABSTRACT The use of Data Warehouses (DW) in e-learningapplications is very helpful in assessing t... more ABSTRACT The use of Data Warehouses (DW) in e-learningapplications is very helpful in assessing the students fromdifferent points of view. We can take advantage of the use ofa computer based system to get information difficult tomeasure in traditional education. Moreover, a DW systemhelps us to enhance the personalization and contentdistribution. Depending on the user behaviour we canmodify the content or the appearance of the e-learningplatform to achieve the best results. In this paper we presentour work related to the use of integrated DW as part of thee-learning application to help teachers and administrator inthe decision-making process.
In this work we present the case of the implementation of a specific Business Process Outsourcing... more In this work we present the case of the implementation of a specific Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) solution for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) related to the active tourism sector. In addition, we show how too complex Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tasks for this kind of enterprise can be externalized. The specific business task contracted to a third-party service provider is the intelligent planning of tourism packages according to the user preferences and characteristics.
Soaring is a recreational activity and competitive sport where individuals fly un-powered aircraf... more Soaring is a recreational activity and competitive sport where individuals fly un-powered aircrafts known as gliders. Soaring site selection process depends on a number of factors, resulting in a complex decision-making task. It is common for the decision makers to use their subjective judgment and previous experience when selecting the most appropriate place for soaring. In this paper we address the problem of finding and validating the hidden, subjective preferences which arise in the site selection process for soaring. We propose a data mining process using fuzzy logic (Fuzzy SQL language) to discover the knowledge that the travel agencies or tour operators specialized in adventure tourism needs to make decisions about the more suitable activities suggest to their customers. We provide an example showing how to validate an assessment about a customer's preference related to the temperature evolution and the quality of a day for soaring.
Los problemas de Toma de Decisiones en Grupo vienen definidos por la participación de múltiples e... more Los problemas de Toma de Decisiones en Grupo vienen definidos por la participación de múltiples expertos que aportan sus opiniones para encontrar en común la mejor solución a un problema compuesto por un conjunto de alternativas. Una posibilidad, en este tipo de problemas, es establecer un proceso de consenso donde los diferentes expertos acercarán sus posturas antes de alcanzar una solución. Así el proceso de consenso se llevará a cabo mediante una serie de rondas, con el objeto de que los expertos puedan cambiar sus preferencias y así acercar sus opiniones. En ocasiones, puede darse el caso que alguno de los expertos no pudiera participar en alguna ronda o que se incorporasen nuevos expertos al proceso una vez iniciado. En estos casos es necesario establecer algún mecanismo donde las opiniones de los expertos, que no participan en todas las rondas del proceso de consenso, puedan ser recordadas, lo que nos llevará a proponer un modelo de consenso que utilice estructuras de decisión...
Nowadays, there are a lot of websites related to the same topic that offer similar services in In... more Nowadays, there are a lot of websites related to the same topic that offer similar services in Internet and try to attract as many people as possible. The quality of the web services has become a critical factor in the success of these web sites. Different evaluation approaches for different types of web sites have been developed in which the users provide their opinions in a predefined numerical scale to evaluate their services. Nevertheless, the criteria used in these evaluations are related to human perceptions and not all the criteria have the same nature, therefore, the evaluation process is defined in an heterogeneous context. In this contribution, we shall propose a heterogeneous multi-criteria hierarchical evaluation model that is able to deal with aspects assessed in different domains.
Inhibitory neurons dominate the intrinsic circuits in the visual thalamus. Interneurons in the la... more Inhibitory neurons dominate the intrinsic circuits in the visual thalamus. Interneurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus innervate relay cells and each other densely to provide powerful inhibition. The visual sector of the overlying thalamic reticular nucleus receives input from relay cells and supplies feedback inhibition to them in return. Together, these two inhibitory circuits influence all information transmitted from the retina to the primary visual cortex. By contrast, relay cells make few local connections. This review explores the role of thalamic inhibition from the dual perspectives of feature detection and information theory. For example, we describe how inhibition sharpens tuning for spatial and temporal features of the stimulus and how it might enhance image perception. We also discuss how inhibitory circuits help to reduce redundancy in signals sent downstream and, at the same time, are adapted to maximize the amount of information conveyed to the cortex.
It is widely assumed that mosaics of retinal ganglion cells establish the optimal representation ... more It is widely assumed that mosaics of retinal ganglion cells establish the optimal representation of visual space. However, relay cells in the visual thalamus often receive convergent input from several retinal afferents and, in cat, outnumber ganglion cells. To explore how the thalamus transforms the retinal image, we built a model of the retinothalamic circuit using experimental data and simple wiring rules. The model shows how the thalamus might form a resampled map of visual space with the potential to facilitate detection of stimulus position in the presence of sensor noise. Bayesian decoding conducted with the model provides support for this scenario. Despite its benefits, however, resampling introduces image blur, thus impairing edge perception. Whole-cell recordings obtained in vivo suggest that this problem is mitigated by arrangements of excitation and inhibition within the receptive field that effectively boost contrast borders, much like strategies used in digital image p...
ABSTRACT The nearest neighbor approach is one of the most successfully deployed techniques used f... more ABSTRACT The nearest neighbor approach is one of the most successfully deployed techniques used for sensor-based activity recognition. Nevertheless, this approach presents some disadvantages in relation to response time, noise sensitivity and high storage requirements. The response time and storage requirements are closely related to the data size. This notion of data size is an important issue in sensor-based activity recognition given the vast amounts of data produced within smart environments. A wide range of prototype generation algorithms, which are designed for use with the nearest neighbor approach, have been proposed in the literature to reduce the size of the data set. These algorithms build new artificial prototypes, which represent the data, and subsequently lead to an increase in the accuracy of the nearest neighbor approach. In this work, we discuss the use of prototype generation algorithms and their effect on sensor-based activity recognition using the nearest neighbor approach to classify activities, reducing the response time. A range of prototype generation algorithms based on positioning adjustment, which reduce the data size, are evaluated in terms of accuracy and reduction. These approaches have been compared with the normal nearest neighbor approach, achieving similar accuracy and reducing the data size. Analysis of the results attained provide the basis for the use of prototype generation algorithms for sensor-based activity recognition to reduce the overall response time of the nearest neighbor approach.
International Journal of Intelligent Systems, 2015
ABSTRACT Recommender systems aim at filtering large amounts of information for users, providing t... more ABSTRACT Recommender systems aim at filtering large amounts of information for users, providing them with those pieces of information which better meet their preferences or needs. Such systems have been traditionally used in diverse areas, such as e-commerce or tourism. Within this context, group recommender systems address the problem of generating recommendations for groups of users who might have different interests. Although different aggregation processes have been extensively utilized in real-life applications to generate group recommendations, such processes do not guarantee that the list of products recommended to the group reflect a high agreement level among its members' individual preferences. Given the need for considering the added value of obtaining group recommendations under a high agreement level, this paper presents a novel group recommender system methodology that attempts to reach a high level of consensus among individual recommendations of group members. To do this, and inspired by existing group decision-making approaches in the literature, a consensus reaching process is carried out to bring such individual recommendations closer to each other before delivering the group recommendations.
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Papers by Luis miguel Macera Martinez