We describe the design and control of a wearable robotic device powered by pneumatic artificial muscle actuators for use in ankle-foot rehabilitation. The design is inspired by the biological ...musculoskeletal system of the human foot and lower leg, mimicking the morphology and the functionality of the biological muscle-tendon-ligament structure. A key feature of the device is its soft structure that provides active assistance without restricting natural degrees of freedom at the ankle joint. Four pneumatic artificial muscles assist dorsiflexion and plantarflexion as well as inversion and eversion. The prototype is also equipped with various embedded sensors for gait pattern analysis. For the subject tested, the prototype is capable of generating an ankle range of motion of 27° (14° dorsiflexion and 13° plantarflexion). The controllability of the system is experimentally demonstrated using a linear time-invariant (LTI) controller. The controller is found using an identified LTI model of the system, resulting from the interaction of the soft orthotic device with a human leg, and model-based classical control design techniques. The suitability of the proposed control strategy is demonstrated with several angle-reference following experiments.
Schizotypy refers to schizophrenia-like traits below the clinical threshold in the general population. The pathological development of schizophrenia has been postulated to evolve from the initial ...coexistence of 'brain disconnection' and 'brain connectivity compensation' to 'brain connectivity decompensation'.
In this study, we examined the brain connectivity changes associated with schizotypy by combining brain white matter structural connectivity, static and dynamic functional connectivity analysis of diffusion tensor imaging data and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data. A total of 87 participants with a high level of schizotypal traits and 122 control participants completed the experiment. Group differences in whole-brain white matter structural connectivity probability, static mean functional connectivity strength, dynamic functional connectivity variability and stability among 264 brain sub-regions of interests were investigated.
We found that individuals with high schizotypy exhibited increased structural connectivity probability within the task control network and within the default mode network; increased variability and decreased stability of functional connectivity within the default mode network and between the auditory network and the subcortical network; and decreased static mean functional connectivity strength mainly associated with the sensorimotor network, the default mode network and the task control network.
These findings highlight the specific changes in brain connectivity associated with schizotypy and indicate that both decompensatory and compensatory changes in structural connectivity within the default mode network and the task control network in the context of whole-brain functional disconnection may be an important neurobiological correlate in individuals with high schizotypy.
Although perceived obligations to meet the expectations of family, friends, and society can be detrimental to physical health, much research in this area has thus far been conducted exclusively on ...Western samples. Cross-cultural research importantly suggests that positive health can be dependent on whether one engages in modes of being that are sanctioned by one's culture. Specifically, studies show that better health is predicted when people from cultures that value independence are able to exercise their personal autonomy and when people from cultures that value interdependence are able to maintain relational harmony (Kitayama et al., 2010).
Based on these lines of research, as the fulfillment of perceived obligations can facilitate relational harmony but infringe on personal autonomy, we posit that culture will moderate the impact of perceived obligations on health outcomes. To gain further insight, we additionally examined people's goal disengagement tendency as an individual difference that may influence their likelihood of shunning perceived obligations in order to avoid associated stressors.
Drawing from the parallel biomarker projects of Midlife in the United States and Midlife in Japan, we examined the interaction between perceived obligations and goal disengagement tendency on health among American and Japanese middle-aged adults. Health outcomes were indexed by biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein levels) and cardiovascular risk (systolic blood pressure and total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol).
We found that a higher tendency to disengage from stressful social obligations is associated with better health for Americans. In contrast, we found poorer health outcomes amongst Japanese participants who tend to disengage from their perceived obligations.
Our results highlight the importance of examining how perceived obligations influence physical health from a cultural perspective. The current study supports the hypothesis that culturally distinct pathways underlie health outcomes.
•Perceived obligations and biological health risks' associations differ by culture.•Disengaging from stressful obligations is linked to better health for Americans.•Disengaging from stressful obligations is linked to poorer health for the Japanese.•Results reveal culturally distinct pathways underlying health outcomes.
RNA interference is a powerful tool for studying gene function, however, the reproducible generation of RNAi transgenic mice remains a significant limitation. By combining optimized ...fluorescence-coupled miR30-based shRNAs with high efficiency ES cell targeting, we developed a fast, scalable pipeline for the production of shRNA transgenic mice. Using this system, we generated eight tet-regulated shRNA transgenic lines targeting Firefly and Renilla luciferases, Oct4 and tumor suppressors p53, p16INK4a, p19ARF and APC and demonstrate potent gene silencing and GFP-tracked knockdown in a broad range of tissues in vivo. Further, using an shRNA targeting APC, we illustrate how this approach can identify predicted phenotypes and also unknown functions for a well-studied gene. In addition, through regulated gene silencing we validate APC/Wnt and p19ARF as potential therapeutic targets in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma and lung adenocarcinoma, respectively. This system provides a cost-effective and scalable platform for the production of RNAi transgenic mice targeting any mammalian gene.
Display omitted
Display omitted
► shRNA transgenics enable potent and reversible fluorescence-marked gene silencing ► Transgenic mouse production is fast, efficient, and scalable ► “Speedy” ES cells accelerate the evaluation of gene function in mouse models ► Reversible gene suppression can pinpoint pathways for therapeutic intervention
A pressure sensor based on irregular microhump patterns has been proposed and developed. The devices show high sensitivity and broad operating pressure regime while comparing with regular ...micropattern devices. Finite element analysis (FEA) is utilized to confirm the sensing mechanism and predict the performance of the pressure sensor based on the microhump structures. Silicon carbide sandpaper is employed as the mold to develop polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microhump patterns with various sizes. The active layer of the piezoresistive pressure sensor is developed by spin coating PEDOT:PSS on top of the patterned PDMS. The devices show an averaged sensitivity as high as 851 kPa−1, broad operating pressure range (20 kPa), low operating power (100 nW), and fast response speed (6.7 kHz). Owing to their flexible properties, the devices are applied to human body motion sensing and radial artery pulse. These flexible high sensitivity devices show great potential in the next generation of smart sensors for robotics, real‐time health monitoring, and biomedical applications.
Polydimethylsiloxane‐molded irregular microhump structures can be used as a highly sensitive pressure sensor. How to achieve different density and size of microhumps by using silicon carbide sand paper and characterize their response under external loading is described. The irregular structure can extend the loading pressure to higher than 10 kPa without saturation. The devices with excellent stability show promising applications in the fields of biomedical and health monitoring systems.
Abstract
One of the primary objectives of the SPHEREx mission is to understand the origin of molecules such as H
2
O, CO
2
, and other volatile compounds at the early stages of planetary system ...formation. Because the vast majority of these compounds—typically exceeding 95%—exist in the solid phase rather than the gaseous phase in the systems of concern here, the observing strategy planned to characterize them is slightly unusual. Specifically, SPHEREx will target highly obscured sources throughout the Milky Way, and observe the species of concern in absorption against background illumination. SPHEREx spectrophotometry will yield ice column density measurements for millions of obscured Milky Way sources of all ages and types. By correlating those column densities with source ages, the SPHEREx mission will shed light on whether those molecules were formed in situ along with their nascent stellar systems, or whether instead they formed elsewhere and were introduced into those systems after their formation. To that end, this work describes version 7.1 of the SPHEREx target List of ICE
Sources (SPLICES) for the community. It contains 8.6 × 10
6
objects brighter than
W
2 ∼ 12 Vega mag over much of the sky, principally within a broad strip running the length of the Milky Way midplane, but also within high-latitude molecular clouds and even the Magellanic Clouds.
Decline in skeletal muscle cell size (myofiber atrophy) is a key feature of cancer-induced wasting (cachexia). In particular, atrophy of the diaphragm, the major muscle responsible for breathing, is ...an important determinant of cancer-associated mortality. However, therapeutic options are limited. Here, we have used Drosophila transgenic screening to identify muscle-secreted factors (myokines) that act as paracrine regulators of myofiber growth. Subsequent testing in mouse myotubes revealed that mouse Fibcd1 is an evolutionary-conserved myokine that preserves myofiber size via ERK signaling. Local administration of recombinant Fibcd1 (rFibcd1) ameliorates cachexia-induced myofiber atrophy in the diaphragm of mice bearing patient-derived melanoma xenografts and LLC carcinomas. Moreover, rFibcd1 impedes cachexia-associated transcriptional changes in the diaphragm. Fibcd1-induced signaling appears to be muscle selective because rFibcd1 increases ERK activity in myotubes but not in several cancer cell lines tested. We propose that rFibcd1 may help reinstate myofiber size in the diaphragm of patients with cancer cachexia.
Interleukin 17-producing helper T cells (TH 17 cells) have a major role in protection against infections and in mediating autoimmune diseases, yet the mechanisms involved are incompletely understood. ...We found that interleukin 26 (IL-26), a human TH 17 cell-derived cytokine, is a cationic amphipathic protein that kills extracellular bacteria via membrane-pore formation. Furthermore, TH 17 cell-derived IL-26 formed complexes with bacterial DNA and self-DNA released by dying bacteria and host cells. The resulting IL-26-DNA complexes triggered the production of type I interferon by plasmacytoid dendritic cells via activation of Toll-like receptor 9, but independently of the IL-26 receptor. These findings provide insights into the potent antimicrobial and proinflammatory function of TH 17 cells by showing that IL-26 is a natural human antimicrobial that promotes immune sensing of bacterial and host cell death.
Advanced ovarian cancer usually spreads to the visceral adipose tissue of the omentum. However, the omental stromal cell-derived molecular determinants that modulate ovarian cancer growth have not ...been characterized. Here, using next-generation sequencing technology, we identify significantly higher levels of microRNA-21 (miR21) isomiRNAs in exosomes and tissue lysates isolated from cancer-associated adipocytes (CAAs) and fibroblasts (CAFs) than in those from ovarian cancer cells. Functional studies reveal that miR21 is transferred from CAAs or CAFs to the cancer cells, where it suppresses ovarian cancer apoptosis and confers chemoresistance by binding to its direct novel target, APAF1. These data suggest that the malignant phenotype of metastatic ovarian cancer cells can be altered by miR21 delivered by exosomes derived from neighbouring stromal cells in the omental tumour microenvironment, and that inhibiting the transfer of stromal-derived miR21 is an alternative modality in the treatment of metastatic and recurrent ovarian cancer.
•The structure of waxy maize starch during debranching was investigated.•Pullulanase was able to debranch more than 80% waxy maize starch.•Resistant starch content of debranched waxy maize starch was ...greater than 60%.
Pullulanase is able to debranch amylopectin and result in higher resistant starch (RS) content in waxy maize starch. Different levels of pullulanase have been used to debranch waxy maize starch in the literature, but the changes of structure during debranching are unknown. In this study, waxy maize starch (25% solids) was cooked and debranched with different levels of pullulanase. The structure of waxy maize starch during debranching was investigated and the digestibility of the debranched products was measured. When pullulanase activity was increased, more amylopectin was debranched in same debranching time, and the degree of crystallinity and the RS content were increased. With longer debranching time, more linear chains were cleaved and crystallized to B-type crystalline structure at 25 °C. More than 80% of waxy maize starch could be debranched by pullulanase. After the debranched starches were crystallized at 25 °C for 24 h, the RS content was increased to 70.7%.
PDF
