Recent Developments on Drivable Area Estimation: A Survey and a Functional Analysis.

Most advanced autonomous driving systems (ADS) today rely on the prior creation of high-definition maps (HD maps). This process is expensive and needs to be performed frequently to keep up with the changing conditions of the road environment. Creating accurate navigation maps online is an alternative to reduce the cost and broaden the current operational design domains (ODD) of modern ADS.

Merit-Based Motion Planning for Autonomous Vehicles in Urban Scenarios.

Safe and adaptable motion planning for autonomous vehicles remains an open problem in urban environments, where the variability of situations and behaviors may become intractable using rule-based approaches. This work proposes a use-case-independent motion planning algorithm that generates a set of possible trajectories and selects the best of them according to a merit function that combines longitudinal comfort, lateral comfort, safety and utility criteria. The system was tested in urban scenarios on simulated and real environments, and the results show that different driving styles can be achieved according to the priorities set in the merit function, always meeting safety and comfort parameters imposed by design.

A Grid-Based Framework for Collective Perception in Autonomous Vehicles.

Today, perception solutions for Automated Vehicles rely on sensors on board the vehicle, which are limited by the line of sight and occlusions caused by any other elements on the road. As an alternative, Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications allow vehicles to cooperate and enhance their perception capabilities. Besides announcing its own presence and intentions, services such as Collective Perception (CPS) aim to share information about perceived objects as a high-level description.

Forced normalization: case series from a Spanish epilepsy unit.

Introduction: Forced normalization is a clinical situation of singular relationship betweenepilepsy and psychosis, in which a patient shows behavioural and psychiatric symptoms coinciding with a reduction or termination of seizures and a total or partial normalization ofelectroencephalogram. Behavioural symptoms (frequently psychosis) or mood disturbances may appear. More information about this phenomenon, risk factors and prognostic variables is needed.

Early Management of Esophageal Leak in Esophageal Atresia: Changing Paradigms.

A leak at the esophageal anastomosis can occur in 10%-20% of cases of esophageal atresia (EA). Thoracoscopic repair is trans-pleural, with the potential development of an empyema. Standard treatment of an anastomotic leak in a stable patient is often nonoperative, which can lead to prolonged parenteral nutrition and hospitalization.

Guidance for clinical neurophysiology examination throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Latin American chapter of the IFCN task force - COVID-19.

On 31st December 2019, China notified the World Health Organization of an outbreak of atypical pneumonia from patients at a local seafood market in Wuhan, Hubei, China, responsible for a new coronavirus called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused COVID-19 disease, which spread rapidly around the world. WHO declared a state of pandemic (11th March, 2020), which has caused more than 1 million infected and more than 110,000 deaths; it was observed that up to 29% of those infected were health care personnel. The main route of transmission of SARS-CoV2 is through respiratory secretions and direct contact with contaminated surfaces and material.

Smart Sensing of Pavement Temperature Based on Low-Cost Sensors and V2I Communications.

Nowadays, the preservation, maintenance, rehabilitation, and improvement of road networks are key issues. Pavement condition is highly affected by environmental factors such as temperature and humidity, hence the importance of building databases enriched with real-time information from monitoring systems that enable the analysis and modeling of the road properties. Information and communication technologies, and specifically wireless sensor networks and computational intelligence methods, are enabling the design of new monitoring systems.

A Comparison of FPGA and GPGPU Designs for Bayesian Occupancy Filters.

Grid-based perception techniques in the automotive sector based on fusing information from different sensors and their robust perceptions of the environment are proliferating in the industry. However, one of the main drawbacks of these techniques is the traditionally prohibitive, high computing performance that is required for embedded automotive systems. In this work, the capabilities of new computing architectures that embed these algorithms are assessed in a real car.

[Characteristics and evolution of patients admitted to a public hospital intensive care unit].

Background: The epidemiology of critical patients in Chile could differ from that reported in international studies.

Aim: To describe the causes of admission and evolution of patients who were admitted to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of a general hospital in Chile in a two-year period (2012-2013).

Patients And Methods: A retrospective study was carried out using the ICU database.

The implementation of an analgesia-based sedation protocol reduced deep sedation and proved to be safe and feasible in patients on mechanical ventilation.

Introduction: Deep sedation in critically ill patients is associated with a longer duration of mechanical ventilation and a prolonged length of stay in the intensive care unit. Several protocols have been used to improve these outcomes. We implement and evaluate an analgesia-based, goal-directed, nurse-driven sedation protocol used to treat critically ill patients who receive mechanical ventilation.

Ultrasonic sensors in urban traffic driving-aid systems.

Currently, vehicles are often equipped with active safety systems to reduce the risk of accidents, most of which occur in urban environments. The most prominent include Antilock Braking Systems (ABS), Traction Control and Stability Control. All these systems use different kinds of sensors to constantly monitor the conditions of the vehicle, and act in an emergency.

Expression and activity of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 enzyme in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue of prepubertal children.

Background: Glucocorticoid excess promotes visceral obesity and cardiovascular disease. Ligand availability to the glucocorticoid receptor is controlled by isoforms of 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) which converts endogenous cortisone to active cortisol.

Aim: To evaluate the expression and activity of 11beta-HSD1 in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SC) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in prepubertal children with normal weight.

[Characteristics and factors associated with mortality in patients receiving mechanical ventilation: first Chilean multicenter study].

Background: The outcome of mechanically ventilated patients can be influenced by factors such as the indication of mechanical ventilation (MV) and ventilator parameters.

Aim: To describe the characteristics of patients receiving MV in Chilean critical care units.

Material And Methods: Prospective cohort of consecutive adult patients admitted to 19 intensive care units (ICU) from 9 Chilean cities who received MV for more than 12 hours between September lst, 2003, and September 28th, 2003.

Early steroid withdrawal in pediatric renal transplant on newer immunosuppressive drugs.

Steroids have been a cornerstone in renal transplant immunosuppression. New immunosuppressive drugs have led to protocols using early steroid withdrawal or complete avoidance. A prospective protocol in 23 pediatric renal transplant (ages 2-14 yr) who received decreasing steroid doses stopping at day 7 post-Tx, FK, and MMF were compared with a CsA, AZT, historically matched steroid-based control group.

[Cyclosporine-induced gingival hyperplasia: report of one case].

Gingival enlargement can be an adverse effect of cyclosporine A and nifedipine use. It has a high relapse rate if the drugs are not discontinued. There is a genetic predisposition to the development of this condition and dental biofilm can also play a role.