A systematic review was carried out to examine the use of robots in early childhood and lower level education. The paper synthesizes the findings of research studies carried out in the last ten years ...and looks at the influence of robots on children and education. Four major factors are examined – the type of studies conducted, the influence of robots on children's behaviour and development, the perception of stakeholders (parents, children and educators) on educational robots, and finally, the reaction of children on robot design or appearance. This review presents the approach taken by researchers in validating their use of robots including non-experimental (mixed-method, anecdotal, cross-sectional, longitudinal, correlational, and case studies) and quasi-experimental (pre- and post-test). The paper also shows that robot's influence on children's skills development could be grouped into four major categories: cognitive, conceptual, language and social (collaborative) skills. Mixed results are shown when it comes to parents' perception of the use of robots in their children's education while design was shown to influence children's perception of the robot's character or capabilities. A total of 27 out of 369 articles were reviewed based on several criteria.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NMLJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
It is a challenging goal in robotics to make a robot grasp like a human being in a cluttered environment. Self-supervised grasp learning is one of the most promising approaches to human-like robotic ...grasp. However, due to inadequate feedback on grasp quality, almost existing self-supervised grasp learning methods are coarse-grained. This paper presents a fine-grained antipodal grasp learning (FAGL) method with augmented learning feedback. First, an indicator called antipodal degree of a grasp (ADG) is designed as a non-increasing monotonous function for the fine-grained evaluation of grasp quality according to the disturbance incurred by a grasp to the surroundings in the image space. Next, we design a restorative sampling strategy to collect antipodal grasp samples and propose a refined affordance network to generate grasp affordance maps for FAGL's decision of grasp policies. Finally, in grasping actual metal workpieces, FAGL outperforms its peers in grasp success rate and ADG in cluttered scenarios by reducing the grasp effects on the surroundings.
Growing evidence suggests the link between gut microbiota and mood regulation. The current study aimed to identify microbiota targets for major depressive disorder (MDD) and mood-related traits in ...Taiwanese samples, while taking into account the influence of dietary patterns. We recruited 36 MDD patients and 37 healthy controls for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We assessed nutrient content using food frequency questionnaire, and mood related phenotypes, including depressive severity, anxiety, and perceived stress. Analysis of composition of microbiomes (ANCOM) models were performed to evaluate microbiota compositions between patients and controls, while adjusted for fat intake% and sequencing platforms. We found 23 taxa (4 phyla, 7 families and 12 genera) to be associated with depression and beta diversity was differed between groups. Phylum Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were overrepresented in MDD patients. At genus level, Bifidobacterium (7%) and Blautia (8%) had relatively high abundance among MDD patients, while Prevotella (16%) had high abundance in controls. Holdemania exhibited moderate correlation with anxiety (r = 0.65) and perceived stress level (r = 0.49) mainly in MDD patients but not controls. Pathway analyses revealed that pentose phosphate and starch and sucrose metabolism processes were important pathways for depression via microbiota functions. In conclusion, our results revealed microbiota targets for depression that are independent of fat intake. It is worthwhile to conduct further studies to replicate the current findings and to integrate with biochemistry and metabolomics data to better understand the functions of identified targets.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This study aimed to examine the association between conduct problems and mood disorders, and to evaluate the mediating roles of personality traits in it. Adult participants (N = 309), for which ...patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD), and controls without major psychiatric history were recruited. Juvenile conduct problem was defined by the items in Composite International Diagnosis Interview. We assessed personality traits of extraversion and neuroticism. Multiple mediation model was performed to investigate the intervening effect of personality traits between juvenile conduct problems and adulthood mood disorders. Participants had on average 2.7 symptoms of conduct problems, and 43.4% had conduct problems. Having more symptoms of conduct problems was associated with a higher likelihood of BD (OR = 1.20). Higher neuroticism was associated with elevated risks of both MDD and BD. There was no direct effect of binary conduct problems on the risk of BD, and showed significant total indirect effect mediated by neuroticism for BD (OR = 1.49; bias-corrected and accelerated 95% CI = 1.10-2.05), but not through extraversion. Conduct problems defined as a continuous variable had a direct effect on the risk of adult MDD (OR = 1.36; bias-corrected and accelerated 95% CI = 1.05-1.76), while had an indirect effect on the risk of BD via the mediation of neuroticism (OR = 1.08; bias-corrected and accelerated 95% CI = 1.02-1.14). Neuroticism mediates between the association of juvenile conduct problems and adult BD. This finding raises our attention to assess personality traits in individuals with juvenile conduct problems for timely intervention strategies of reducing the vulnerability for developing mood disorders.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
This article presents a versatile soft robotic gripper system whereby its fingers can be reconfigured into different poses such as scoop, pinch, and claw. This allows the gripper to efficiently and ...safely handle food samples of different shapes, sizes and stiffness such as uncooked tofu and broccoli floret. The 3D-printed fingers were tested to last up to 25 000 cycles without significant changes in the curvature profile and force output profile. A benchmark experiment was conducted to evaluate the performance of the gripper and state-of-the-art gripping solutions. Capability of versatile soft gripper was optimized by integrating vision and tactile sensing facilities. An object recognition system was developed to identify food samples such as potato, broccoli, and sausage. Position and orientation of food samples were identified and pick-and-place pathway was optimized to achieve the best gripping performance. Flexible tactile sensors were integrated into soft fingers and closed-loop force feedback control system was developed. This allowed the gripper to automatically explore and select the most stable grip pose for different food samples. Integration of vision and force feedback system ensure that objects detected by the system would be firmly gripped. The reconfigurable soft robotic gripper system has been demonstrated to perform high-speed pick-and-place tasks (∼3 s per item) with object recognition system, making it a potential solution to food and grocery supply chain needs.
One major challenge for the design of the rotary machine for electric propulsion aircraft is how to improve its torque output and power density. The objective of this paper is to propose a novel ...external blending-shaped tessellation (EBT) magnet pattern for electromagnetic rotary machine. It can offer several advantages. First, it helps to increase the magnetic flux density in the airgap, and thus the torque output is increased. Second, it enhances the self-shielding effect greatly, and thus the back iron can be removed completely and replaced with low-density materials. Third, the improved torque and the reduced mass may contribute to the high power density as well. The design concept and operating principle of the proposed magnet pattern are presented. Following that, the magnetic field distribution is formulated analytically. Then the torque generation of the machine is modeled mathematically. Subsequently, the numerical simulation is conducted to validate the analytical models. The magnetic flux density and torque output of the proposed magnet pattern are compared with those of conventional magnet arrays. A research prototype with the EBT magnet pattern is developed, and an experimental test platform is constructed. Experiments are conducted on the magnetic flux density and torque output to verify the proposed design and analytical models. The experimental results validate the derived analytical models and the effectiveness of the magnet array in improving the output characteristic. It shows that the output torque generated by the proposed design is larger than that of conventional Halbach arrays by 27 percent.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory condition known for its irreversible destructive impact on the joints. Chondrocytes play a pivotal role in the production and maintenance of the ...cartilage matrix. However, the presence of inflammatory cytokines can hinder chondrocyte proliferation and promote apoptosis. Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a flavonoid, potentially exerts protective effects against various inflammatory diseases. However, its specific role in regulating the nuclear factor E2-associated factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathway in chondrocytes in RA remains unclear. To investigate this, this study used human chondrocytes and Sprague-Dawley rats to construct in vitro and in vivo RA models, respectively. The study findings reveal that cytokines markedly induced oxidative stress, the activation of matrix metalloproteinases, and apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, ISL treatment significantly mitigated these effects. Moreover, Nrf2 or HO-1 inhibitors reversed the protective effects of ISL, attenuated the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-coactivator-1α, and promoted chondrocyte apoptosis. This finding indicates that ISL primarily targets the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in RA chondrocytes. Moreover, ISL treatment led to improved behavior scores, reduced paw thickness, and mitigated joint damage as well as ameliorated oxidative stress in skeletal muscles in an RA rat model. In conclusion, this study highlights the pivotal role of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in the protective effects of ISL and demonstrates the potential of ISL as a treatment option for RA.
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●Isoliquiritigenin ameliorates rheumatoid arthritis via suppressing apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.●Isoliquiritigenin alleviates oxidative stress in rheumatoid arthritis chondrocytes and skeletal muscles.●Isoliquiritigenin treatment led to improved behavior scores, and mitigated joint damage in rat rheumatoid arthritis model.●Isoliquiritigenin protects against rheumatoid arthritis-induced oxidative stress via regulating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Insufficient distance between membranous septum (MS) length and implant depth (ID) may aggravate mechanical compression of the conduction tissue by transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) ...prosthesis. We investigated the implication of MS length measured in the coronal view (coronal MS length) compared with infra-annular MS length from stretched vessel image to predict conduction disturbances following TAVR with CoreValve/Evolut R valves (Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minn).
Among 195 consecutive patients undergoing TAVR with CoreValve/Evolut R valves, we evaluated coronal, infra-annular MS lengths and ID, as well as MS length minus ID (ΔMSID) using pre-TAVR computed tomography and postprocedural angiography.
Within 30 days, 6 (3.1%) required permanent pacemaker implantation and 31 (16.4%) developed left bundle branch block. When taking into account pre- and postprocedural parameters, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed either coronal ΔMSID (odds ratio, 0.80; 95% confidence interval, 0.72-0.89; P < .001; cutoff point, 3.2 mm) or infra-annular ΔMSID (odds ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.76-0.92; P < .001; cutoff point, −0.2 mm) emerged as the only modifiable predictor of conduction disturbances. The area under the curve of coronal ΔMSID and infra-annular ΔMSID for predicting the occurrence of conduction disturbances were comparable (0.717 in coronal ΔMSID vs 0.708 in infra-annular ΔMSID; P = .761), but more patients could be guided by coronal MS length than infra-annular MS length (95.9% vs 87.2%; P = .002).
Preprocedural assessment of MS length should be routinely adopted to determine the optimal ID to mitigate individual patient susceptibility to conduction disturbances after TAVR with self-expanding valves.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a high-risk subtype of ALL in children. There are conflicting data on the incidence and prognosis of Ph-like ALL in adults. ...Patients with newly diagnosed B-cell ALL (B-ALL) who received frontline chemotherapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center underwent gene expression profiling of leukemic cells. Of 148 patients, 33.1% had Ph-like, 31.1% had Ph+, and 35.8% had other B-ALL subtypes (B-other). Within the Ph-like ALL cohort, 61% had cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) overexpression. Patients with Ph-like ALL had significantly worse overall survival (OS), and event-free survival compared with B-other with a 5-year survival of 23% (vs 59% for B-other, P = .006). Sixty-eight percent of patients with Ph-like ALL were of Hispanic ethnicity. The following were associated with inferior OS on multivariable analysis: age (hazard ratio HR, 3.299; P < .001), white blood cell count (HR, 1.910; P = .017), platelet count (HR, 7.437; P = .005), and Ph-like ALL (HR, 1.818; P = .03). Next-generation sequencing of the CRLF2+ group identified mutations in the JAK-STAT and Ras pathway in 85% of patients, and 20% had a CRLF2 mutation. Within the CRLF2+ group, JAK2 mutation was associated with inferior outcomes. Our findings show high frequency of Ph-like ALL in adults, an increased frequency of Ph-like ALL in adults of Hispanic ethnicity, significantly inferior outcomes of adult patients with Ph-like ALL, and significantly worse outcomes in the CRLF2+ subset of Ph-like ALL. Novel strategies are needed to improve the outcome of these patients.
•Approximately 20% to 25% of adults with B-ALL have Ph-like ALL with increased frequency of Ph-like ALL in adults with Hispanic ethnicity.•Adult patients with CRLF2+ ALL have poor long-term outcomes; novel strategies are needed to improve the outcomes.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
With the recent technological advancement in low-cost wireless inertial motion trackers, measuring three-dimensional motion for biomechanics research becomes more facile. However, the methods of ...acceleration modeling in off-the-shelf filters do not hold for all movements in sports activities with significant and long-lasting accelerations. This paper presents a robust algorithm for orientation tracking in the presence of large active accelerations lasting longer than the maximum time the MEMS gyroscopes can solely keep track of the body orientation. We particularly model the uncertainty of active acceleration and take it into explicit account in an extended Kalman filter based orientation estimator for applying measurement updates accurately in dynamic motions such as sports activities. The proposed tracker also estimates the magnetic disturbances by using an uncertainty model to improve the heading estimation. Benchmarking the results with the Vicon Optical as ground truth and the MTw kit with a specific filter for body motion tracking shows the robustness of our method against variations of acceleration in different types of motion. Our tracker performs orientation estimation in real time with fast convergence during acceleration shocks and low root-mean-square error, particularly when experiencing large accelerations in periodic motions.
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