Francisco Ortiz - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Francisco Ortiz

World-class universities have usually been recognized for their intellectual contributions, and k... more World-class universities have usually been recognized for their intellectual contributions, and key ones are the products of the research (publications, patents, innovations, technology developments, spin-offs, etc.) they perform, and the impact these products have on the technological and economic development of regions of influence. After a literature review process and the review of how research activities with undergraduate students are promoted and coordinated in top ranked universities, the authors suggest three different approaches a university can follow for integrating research-based learning into the undergraduate curriculum: the stand alone approach, the attachment approach and the inserted approach. In the inserted approach an undergraduate student is interested in doing research out of her/his personal interest and the university supports these students by integrating them into research groups.

Artificial Intelligence and Applications, 2005

Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Pattern Recognition, Vol 4, 2004

This paper deals with the use of vector-connected filters for eliminating Gaussian noise in colou... more This paper deals with the use of vector-connected filters for eliminating Gaussian noise in colour images. This class of morphological filters suppresses noise but preserves the contours of the objects. We impose a total order between pixels for morphological processing. Once the HSI space has been adapted, we employ it in the lexicographical order. As such, all of the morphological operations are vectorial. After having defined the vectorial geodesic operators, they are then employed to eliminate Gaussian noise.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2005

A new method for obtaining the optimal path to robot navigation in 2-D environments is presented ... more A new method for obtaining the optimal path to robot navigation in 2-D environments is presented in this paper. To obtain the optimal path we use mathematical morphology in binary worlds and the geodesic distance. The navigation algorithm is based on the search for a path of minimum cost by using the wave-front of the geodesic distance of the mathematical

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2004

This paper describes a laboratory equipped for the teaching of realtime systems. The laboratory h... more This paper describes a laboratory equipped for the teaching of realtime systems. The laboratory has been built around a Digital Model Railroad Platform and it allows the development of different control applications for educational purposes. Because of the platform is a limited resource and the students can not test their programs simultaneously, a railroad platform simulator has been developed. The programming language used to codify the simulator has been Ada and the design and implementation of the system is described in this work. Ada is also selected in order to allow the students to carry out their practical exercises during the course 1 .

Journal of pineal research, 2015

Mucositis is a common and distressing side effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy that has potent... more Mucositis is a common and distressing side effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy that has potentially severe consequences, and no treatment is available. The purpose of this study was to analyze the molecular pathways involved in the development of oral mucositis and to evaluate whether melatonin can prevent this pathology. The tongue of male Wistar rats was subjected to irradiation (X-ray YXLON Y.Tu 320-D03 irradiator; the animals received a dose of 7.5 Gy/day for 5 days). Rats were treated with 45 mg/day melatonin or vehicle for 21 days postirradiation, either by local application into their mouths (melatonin gel) or by subcutaneous injection. A connection between reactive oxygen species, generating mitochondria and the NLRP3 (NLR-related protein 3 nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat containing receptor-related protein 3) inflammasome, has been reported in mucositis. Here, we show that mitochondrial oxidative stress, bioenergetic impairment and subsequent NLRP3 inflamma...

Life sciences, Jan 15, 2015

Previous data showed that melatonin maintains liver mitochondrial homeostasis during sepsis, but ... more Previous data showed that melatonin maintains liver mitochondrial homeostasis during sepsis, but neither the mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction nor the target of melatonin are known. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial respiration in isolated mouse liver mitochondria with different substrate combinations (glutamate/malate, glutamate/malate/sucinate or succinate/rotenone) to identify mitochondrial defects and melatonin targets during sepsis. Other bioenergetic parameters including a + a3, b, and c + c1 content, mitochondrial mass, and mitochondrial supercomplexes formation were analyzed. Mitochondrial function was assessed during experimental sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in livers of 3 mo. C57BL/6 mice at early and late phases of sepsis, i.e., at 8 and 24 h after sepsis induction. Septic mice showed mitochondrial injury with a decrease in state 3, respiratory control rate, mitochondrial mass, and cytochrome b and c + c1 content, which was prevented by ...

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2005

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease, 2014

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency (MIM 607426) causes a mitochondrial syndrome with variability in ... more Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency (MIM 607426) causes a mitochondrial syndrome with variability in the clinical presentations. Patients with CoQ10 deficiency show inconsistent responses to oral ubiquinone-10 supplementation, with the highest percentage of unsuccessful results in patients with neurological symptoms (encephalopathy, cerebellar ataxia or multisystemic disease). Failure in the ubiquinone-10 treatment may be the result of its poor absorption and bioavailability, which may be improved by using different pharmacological formulations. In a mouse model (Coq9(X/X)) of mitochondrial encephalopathy due to CoQ deficiency, we have evaluated oral supplementation with water-soluble formulations of reduced (ubiquinol-10) and oxidized (ubiquinone-10) forms of CoQ10. Our results show that CoQ10 was increased in all tissues after supplementation with ubiquinone-10 or ubiquinol-10, with the tissue levels of CoQ10 with ubiquinol-10 being higher than with ubiquinone-10. Moreover, only ubiquinol-10 was able to increase the levels of CoQ10 in mitochondria from cerebrum of Coq9(X/X) mice. Consequently, ubiquinol-10 was more efficient than ubiquinone-10 in increasing the animal body weight and CoQ-dependent respiratory chain complex activities, and reducing the vacuolization, astrogliosis and oxidative damage in diencephalon, septum-striatum and, to a lesser extent, in brainstem. These results suggest that water-soluble formulations of ubiquinol-10 may improve the efficacy of CoQ10 therapy in primary and secondary CoQ10 deficiencies, other mitochondrial diseases and neurodegenerative diseases.

Bioinspiration and Robotics Walking and Climbing Robots, 2007

Proceedings of the 2005, American Control Conference, 2005., 2005

This paper presents a new approach to diagnose faults in electrical systems based on probabilisti... more This paper presents a new approach to diagnose faults in electrical systems based on probabilistic modelling and machine learning techniques. Our framework consist of two phases: an approximated diagnosis on the first phase and a refined diagnosis on the second phase. On the first phase the system behavior is modelled with a Dynamic Bayesian Network that generates a subset of most likely faulty components. In this phase the structure and parameters of the Dynamic Bayesian Network are learned off-line from raw data (discrete and continuous). On the second phase a Particle Filter algorithm is used to monitor suspicious components and extract the faulty components. The feasibility of this approach has been tested in a simulation environment using several interconnected electrical machines.

Proceedings of the 25th …, 2007

Google, Inc. (search). ...

FEBS Journal, 2007

Sepsis-induced multiple organ failure is the major cause of mortality in critically ill patients,... more Sepsis-induced multiple organ failure is the major cause of mortality in critically ill patients, and its incidence is rising [1]. The heart and cardiovascular sys-tems are seriously affected during sepsis . Although myocardial impairment in sepsis has been extensively studied, its etiology remains unclear . Some reports

Robotica, 2006

1 . Teleoperated robots are used to perform tasks that human operators cannot carry out because o... more 1 . Teleoperated robots are used to perform tasks that human operators cannot carry out because of the nature of the tasks themselves or the hostile nature of the working environment. Though many control architectures have been defined for developing these kinds of systems reusing common components, none has attained all its objectives because of the high variability of system behaviors.

Robotica, 2010

Hull cleaning before repainting is a key operation in the 8 maintenance of ships. For more than a... more Hull cleaning before repainting is a key operation in the 8 maintenance of ships. For more than a decade, a means to 9 improve this operation has been sought through robotization 10 and the use of different techniques such as grit blasting and 11 ultra high pressure water jetting. Despite this, it continues to 12 be standard practice in shipyards that this process is carried 13 out manually. This paper presents a family of robots that 14 aims to offer important improvements to the process as well 15 as satisfying, to a great extent, all the operative requirements 16 of efficiency, security, and respect for the environment that 17 shipyards nowadays demand. It is described the family of 18 devices with emphasis on the mechanical design. This set 19 consists of two vertical robotic towers and a robot climber. 20 In addition, it is shown the control architecture of the global 21 system. Finally, operative results are presented together with 22 a comparison between the performance achieved in shipyards 23 through the use of these robots and those obtained with a 24 manual process.

Requirements Engineering, 2009

Teleoperated systems for ship hull maintenance (TOS) are robotic systems for ship maintenance tas... more Teleoperated systems for ship hull maintenance (TOS) are robotic systems for ship maintenance tasks, such as cleaning or painting a ship’s hull. The product line paradigm has recently been applied to TOS, and a TOS reference architecture has thus been designed. However, TOS requirements specifications have not been developed in any rigorous way with reuse in mind. We therefore believe

Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 2012

Naja haje envenomation is one of the leading causes of death due to snakebite. Antiserum therapy ... more Naja haje envenomation is one of the leading causes of death due to snakebite. Antiserum therapy sometimes fails to provide enough protection against venom toxicity. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of melatonin against N. haje venom in rats. The animals were injected with venom (0.25 mg/kg) and/or melatonin (10 mg/kg) and compared with vehicle-treated rats. There was oxidative/nitrosative damage and apoptosis in the liver, heart, and kidneys of venom-injected rats. Melatonin counteracted the increased lipoperoxidation and nitric oxide, prevented decreased glutathione peroxidase and reductase activity, reduced the glutathione disulfide/glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratio, and maintained the GSH pool. Furthermore, melatonin administration was associated with a reduction of apoptosis, which was increased in venom-injected rats. Overall, these results suggest that melatonin mitigates oxidative/nitrosative stress in venom-induced cardio-hepato-renal injury in rats. Our results suggest that melatonin treatment may ameliorate some of the effects of N. haje envenomation.

Real-Time Imaging, 2002

T his paper presents an algorithm for automatic neural image analysis in immunostained vertebrate... more T his paper presents an algorithm for automatic neural image analysis in immunostained vertebrate retinas. We present a useful tool for cell quantification avoiding the losst of information of traditional binary techniques in automatic recognition of images. The application is based on the extension of the mathematical morphology to colour images. In qthe paper, we define the basics and more complex morphological operations to vectorial image processing. We propose and demonstrate a colour image reconstruction by geodesic transformations. In addition, we adapt the morphological segmentation of greyscale image to the segmentation of multispectral images of retinas of monkeys.

Journal of Pineal Research, 2007

Journal of Pineal Research, 2009

World-class universities have usually been recognized for their intellectual contributions, and k... more World-class universities have usually been recognized for their intellectual contributions, and key ones are the products of the research (publications, patents, innovations, technology developments, spin-offs, etc.) they perform, and the impact these products have on the technological and economic development of regions of influence. After a literature review process and the review of how research activities with undergraduate students are promoted and coordinated in top ranked universities, the authors suggest three different approaches a university can follow for integrating research-based learning into the undergraduate curriculum: the stand alone approach, the attachment approach and the inserted approach. In the inserted approach an undergraduate student is interested in doing research out of her/his personal interest and the university supports these students by integrating them into research groups.

Artificial Intelligence and Applications, 2005

Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Pattern Recognition, Vol 4, 2004

This paper deals with the use of vector-connected filters for eliminating Gaussian noise in colou... more This paper deals with the use of vector-connected filters for eliminating Gaussian noise in colour images. This class of morphological filters suppresses noise but preserves the contours of the objects. We impose a total order between pixels for morphological processing. Once the HSI space has been adapted, we employ it in the lexicographical order. As such, all of the morphological operations are vectorial. After having defined the vectorial geodesic operators, they are then employed to eliminate Gaussian noise.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2005

A new method for obtaining the optimal path to robot navigation in 2-D environments is presented ... more A new method for obtaining the optimal path to robot navigation in 2-D environments is presented in this paper. To obtain the optimal path we use mathematical morphology in binary worlds and the geodesic distance. The navigation algorithm is based on the search for a path of minimum cost by using the wave-front of the geodesic distance of the mathematical

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2004

This paper describes a laboratory equipped for the teaching of realtime systems. The laboratory h... more This paper describes a laboratory equipped for the teaching of realtime systems. The laboratory has been built around a Digital Model Railroad Platform and it allows the development of different control applications for educational purposes. Because of the platform is a limited resource and the students can not test their programs simultaneously, a railroad platform simulator has been developed. The programming language used to codify the simulator has been Ada and the design and implementation of the system is described in this work. Ada is also selected in order to allow the students to carry out their practical exercises during the course 1 .

Journal of pineal research, 2015

Mucositis is a common and distressing side effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy that has potent... more Mucositis is a common and distressing side effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy that has potentially severe consequences, and no treatment is available. The purpose of this study was to analyze the molecular pathways involved in the development of oral mucositis and to evaluate whether melatonin can prevent this pathology. The tongue of male Wistar rats was subjected to irradiation (X-ray YXLON Y.Tu 320-D03 irradiator; the animals received a dose of 7.5 Gy/day for 5 days). Rats were treated with 45 mg/day melatonin or vehicle for 21 days postirradiation, either by local application into their mouths (melatonin gel) or by subcutaneous injection. A connection between reactive oxygen species, generating mitochondria and the NLRP3 (NLR-related protein 3 nucleotide-binding domain leucine-rich repeat containing receptor-related protein 3) inflammasome, has been reported in mucositis. Here, we show that mitochondrial oxidative stress, bioenergetic impairment and subsequent NLRP3 inflamma...

Life sciences, Jan 15, 2015

Previous data showed that melatonin maintains liver mitochondrial homeostasis during sepsis, but ... more Previous data showed that melatonin maintains liver mitochondrial homeostasis during sepsis, but neither the mechanisms underlying mitochondrial dysfunction nor the target of melatonin are known. Here, we analyzed mitochondrial respiration in isolated mouse liver mitochondria with different substrate combinations (glutamate/malate, glutamate/malate/sucinate or succinate/rotenone) to identify mitochondrial defects and melatonin targets during sepsis. Other bioenergetic parameters including a + a3, b, and c + c1 content, mitochondrial mass, and mitochondrial supercomplexes formation were analyzed. Mitochondrial function was assessed during experimental sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in livers of 3 mo. C57BL/6 mice at early and late phases of sepsis, i.e., at 8 and 24 h after sepsis induction. Septic mice showed mitochondrial injury with a decrease in state 3, respiratory control rate, mitochondrial mass, and cytochrome b and c + c1 content, which was prevented by ...

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2005

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease, 2014

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency (MIM 607426) causes a mitochondrial syndrome with variability in ... more Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) deficiency (MIM 607426) causes a mitochondrial syndrome with variability in the clinical presentations. Patients with CoQ10 deficiency show inconsistent responses to oral ubiquinone-10 supplementation, with the highest percentage of unsuccessful results in patients with neurological symptoms (encephalopathy, cerebellar ataxia or multisystemic disease). Failure in the ubiquinone-10 treatment may be the result of its poor absorption and bioavailability, which may be improved by using different pharmacological formulations. In a mouse model (Coq9(X/X)) of mitochondrial encephalopathy due to CoQ deficiency, we have evaluated oral supplementation with water-soluble formulations of reduced (ubiquinol-10) and oxidized (ubiquinone-10) forms of CoQ10. Our results show that CoQ10 was increased in all tissues after supplementation with ubiquinone-10 or ubiquinol-10, with the tissue levels of CoQ10 with ubiquinol-10 being higher than with ubiquinone-10. Moreover, only ubiquinol-10 was able to increase the levels of CoQ10 in mitochondria from cerebrum of Coq9(X/X) mice. Consequently, ubiquinol-10 was more efficient than ubiquinone-10 in increasing the animal body weight and CoQ-dependent respiratory chain complex activities, and reducing the vacuolization, astrogliosis and oxidative damage in diencephalon, septum-striatum and, to a lesser extent, in brainstem. These results suggest that water-soluble formulations of ubiquinol-10 may improve the efficacy of CoQ10 therapy in primary and secondary CoQ10 deficiencies, other mitochondrial diseases and neurodegenerative diseases.

Bioinspiration and Robotics Walking and Climbing Robots, 2007

Proceedings of the 2005, American Control Conference, 2005., 2005

This paper presents a new approach to diagnose faults in electrical systems based on probabilisti... more This paper presents a new approach to diagnose faults in electrical systems based on probabilistic modelling and machine learning techniques. Our framework consist of two phases: an approximated diagnosis on the first phase and a refined diagnosis on the second phase. On the first phase the system behavior is modelled with a Dynamic Bayesian Network that generates a subset of most likely faulty components. In this phase the structure and parameters of the Dynamic Bayesian Network are learned off-line from raw data (discrete and continuous). On the second phase a Particle Filter algorithm is used to monitor suspicious components and extract the faulty components. The feasibility of this approach has been tested in a simulation environment using several interconnected electrical machines.

Proceedings of the 25th …, 2007

Google, Inc. (search). ...

FEBS Journal, 2007

Sepsis-induced multiple organ failure is the major cause of mortality in critically ill patients,... more Sepsis-induced multiple organ failure is the major cause of mortality in critically ill patients, and its incidence is rising [1]. The heart and cardiovascular sys-tems are seriously affected during sepsis . Although myocardial impairment in sepsis has been extensively studied, its etiology remains unclear . Some reports

Robotica, 2006

1 . Teleoperated robots are used to perform tasks that human operators cannot carry out because o... more 1 . Teleoperated robots are used to perform tasks that human operators cannot carry out because of the nature of the tasks themselves or the hostile nature of the working environment. Though many control architectures have been defined for developing these kinds of systems reusing common components, none has attained all its objectives because of the high variability of system behaviors.

Robotica, 2010

Hull cleaning before repainting is a key operation in the 8 maintenance of ships. For more than a... more Hull cleaning before repainting is a key operation in the 8 maintenance of ships. For more than a decade, a means to 9 improve this operation has been sought through robotization 10 and the use of different techniques such as grit blasting and 11 ultra high pressure water jetting. Despite this, it continues to 12 be standard practice in shipyards that this process is carried 13 out manually. This paper presents a family of robots that 14 aims to offer important improvements to the process as well 15 as satisfying, to a great extent, all the operative requirements 16 of efficiency, security, and respect for the environment that 17 shipyards nowadays demand. It is described the family of 18 devices with emphasis on the mechanical design. This set 19 consists of two vertical robotic towers and a robot climber. 20 In addition, it is shown the control architecture of the global 21 system. Finally, operative results are presented together with 22 a comparison between the performance achieved in shipyards 23 through the use of these robots and those obtained with a 24 manual process.

Requirements Engineering, 2009

Teleoperated systems for ship hull maintenance (TOS) are robotic systems for ship maintenance tas... more Teleoperated systems for ship hull maintenance (TOS) are robotic systems for ship maintenance tasks, such as cleaning or painting a ship’s hull. The product line paradigm has recently been applied to TOS, and a TOS reference architecture has thus been designed. However, TOS requirements specifications have not been developed in any rigorous way with reuse in mind. We therefore believe

Reproduction in Domestic Animals, 2012

Naja haje envenomation is one of the leading causes of death due to snakebite. Antiserum therapy ... more Naja haje envenomation is one of the leading causes of death due to snakebite. Antiserum therapy sometimes fails to provide enough protection against venom toxicity. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of melatonin against N. haje venom in rats. The animals were injected with venom (0.25 mg/kg) and/or melatonin (10 mg/kg) and compared with vehicle-treated rats. There was oxidative/nitrosative damage and apoptosis in the liver, heart, and kidneys of venom-injected rats. Melatonin counteracted the increased lipoperoxidation and nitric oxide, prevented decreased glutathione peroxidase and reductase activity, reduced the glutathione disulfide/glutathione (GSSG/GSH) ratio, and maintained the GSH pool. Furthermore, melatonin administration was associated with a reduction of apoptosis, which was increased in venom-injected rats. Overall, these results suggest that melatonin mitigates oxidative/nitrosative stress in venom-induced cardio-hepato-renal injury in rats. Our results suggest that melatonin treatment may ameliorate some of the effects of N. haje envenomation.

Real-Time Imaging, 2002

T his paper presents an algorithm for automatic neural image analysis in immunostained vertebrate... more T his paper presents an algorithm for automatic neural image analysis in immunostained vertebrate retinas. We present a useful tool for cell quantification avoiding the losst of information of traditional binary techniques in automatic recognition of images. The application is based on the extension of the mathematical morphology to colour images. In qthe paper, we define the basics and more complex morphological operations to vectorial image processing. We propose and demonstrate a colour image reconstruction by geodesic transformations. In addition, we adapt the morphological segmentation of greyscale image to the segmentation of multispectral images of retinas of monkeys.

Journal of Pineal Research, 2007

Journal of Pineal Research, 2009