Single-Cell RNA-seq Reveals Profound Alterations in Mechanosensitive Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons with Vitamin E Deficiency.

Ninety percent of Americans consume less than the estimated average requirements of dietary vitamin E (vitE). Severe vitE deficiency due to genetic mutations in the tocopherol transfer protein (TTPA) in humans results in ataxia with vitE deficiency (AVED), with proprioceptive deficits and somatosensory degeneration arising from dorsal root ganglia neurons (DRGNs). Single-cell RNA-sequencing of DRGNs was performed in Ttpa-/- mice, an established model of AVED. In stark contrast to expected changes in proprioceptive neurons, Ttpa-/- DRGNs showed marked upregulation of voltage-gated Ca2+ and K+ channels in mechanosensitive, tyrosine-hydroxylase positive (TH+) DRGNs. The ensuing significant conductance changes resulted in reduced excitability in mechanosensitive Ttpa-/- DRGNs. A highly supplemented vitE diet (600 mg dl-α-tocopheryl acetate/kg diet) prevented the cellular and molecular alterations and improved mechanosensation. VitE deficiency profoundly alters the molecular signature and functional properties of mechanosensitive TH+ DRGN, representing an intriguing shift of the prevailing paradigm from proprioception to mechanical sensation

SVITE: A Spike-Based VITE Neuro-Inspired Robot Controller

This paper presents an implementation of a neuro-inspired algorithm called VITE (Vector Integration To End Point) in FPGA in the spikes domain. VITE aims to generate a non-planned trajectory for reaching tasks in robots. The algorithm has been adapted to work completely in the spike domain under Simulink simulations. The FPGA implementation consists in 4 VITE in parallel for controlling a 4-degree-of-freedom stereo-vision robot. This work represents the main layer of a complex spike-based architecture for robot neuro-inspired reaching tasks in FPGAs. It has been implemented in two Xilinx FPGA families: Virtex-5 and Spartan-6. Resources consumption comparative between both devices is presented. Results obtained for Spartan device could allow controlling complex robotic structures with up to 96 degrees of freedom per FPGA, providing, in parallel, high speed connectivity with other neuromorphic systems sending movement references. An exponential and gamma distribution test over the inter spike interval has been performed to proof the approach to the neural code proposed.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2012-37868-C04-0

In Vitro Antioxidant Activity and In Vivo Topical Efficacy of Lipid Nanoparticles Co-Loading Idebenone and Tocopheryl Acetate

Idebenone (IDE) is a strong antioxidant that has been proposed for the treatment of skin disorders, including skin ageing. Unfavorable physico-chemical properties make IDE a poor skin permeant where effectiveness could be improved by its loading into suitable delivery systems such as solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). In this work, we designed novel IDE-loaded NLC containing tocopheryl acetate (VitE) as a liquid component to obtain a synergic effect between IDE and VitE. The resulting NLC showed small particle sizes (24-42 nm), low polydispersity indices (<0.300), good stability, and were assessed for their in vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo topical effects. IDE-loaded SLN and NLC showed a high antioxidant activity in in vitro assays (DPPH and reducing power method) and provided a similar and significant protection from oxidative stress of fibroblast cells, HS-68, exposed to UV light. After a two-week topical treatment of human volunteers with gels containing IDE-loaded SLN or NLC, a similar increase in skin hydration was observed, while IDE NLC reduced skin pigmentation to a greater extent than IDE SLN. These results suggest that co-loading IDE and VitE into NLC could be a promising strategy to obtain topical formulations with improved photo-protection

Optimization for Sustainable Design through Building Information Modeling

More than thirty years after the definition of the concept of sustainable development, the European Union's Agenda 2030 renews its commitment to protect the Planet and to support the needs of present and future generations. All sectors of human activity have to make their contribution to this significant challenge of our time. Therefore, the construction sector can also make an essential contribution in terms of its impact. In this context, designers are called upon to modify their actions in order to take into account the environmental, social, and economic impacts during the entire life cycle of construction. Therefore, a substantial transformation in the designer's "mentality" is necessary. The digital revolution could be a suitable opportunity for a profound renewal oriented towards sustainability. The new digital technologies and the increased computing power are useful to manage the increasing complexity in current projects and to support collaboration between the many experts involved. The thesis aim is to analyse the current state and identify the signs of change and the cues to imagine possible virtuous complicity between sustainable development goals and the potential of the digital revolution, supported by the operational features of optimization methods. The further intent is to translate the synergy between the three key topics - sustainability, digitization, and optimization - through an operational strategy that can be a concrete demonstration of what is proposed and offered to designers

Challenges of integrated river basin management in the case of a non-perennial river in Djibouti (East Africa)

River basinsWater resource managementNatural disastersFlood water

The VITEWRITE Model of Handwriting Production

This article describes the VITEWRITE model for generating handwriting movements. The model consists of a sequential controller, or motor program, that interacts with a trajectory generator to move a hand with redundant degrees of freedom. The neural trajectory generator is the Vector Integration to Endpoint (VITE) model for synchronous variable-speed control of multijoint movements. VITE properties enable a simple control strategy to generate complex handwritten script if the hand model contains redundant degrees of freedom. The controller launches transient directional commands to independent hand synergies at times when the hand begins to move, or when a velocity peak in the outflow command to a given synergy occurs. The VITE model translates these temporally disjoint synergy commands into smooth curvilinear trajectories among temporally overlapping synergetic movements. Each synergy exhibits a unimodal velocity profile during any stroke, generates letters that are invariant under speed and size rescaling, and enables effortless connection of letter shapes into words. Speed and size rescaling are achieved by scalar GO and GRO signals that express computationally simple volitional commands. Psychophysical data such as the isochrony principle, asymmetric velocity profiles, and the two-thirds power law relating movement curvature and velocity arise as emergent properties of model interactions.Office of Naval Research (N00014-92-J-1309); National Science Foundation (IRI-90-24877, IRI-87-16960); Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-92-J-0225); Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (AFOSR 90-0083

Towards AER VITE: building spike gate signal

Neuromorphic engineers aim to mimic the precise and efficient mechanisms of the nervous system to process information using spikes from sensors to actuators. There are many available works that sense and process information in a spike-based way. But there are still several gaps in the actuation and motor control field in a spike-based way. Spike-based Proportional-Integrative-Derivative controllers (PID) are present in the literature. On the other hand, neuro-inspired control models as VITE (Vector Integration To End point) and FLETE (Factorization of muscle Length and muscle Tension) are also present in the literature. This paper presents another step toward the spike implementation of those neuro-inspired models. We present a spike-based ramp multiplier. VITE algorithm generates the way to achieve a final position targeted by a mobile robotic arm. The block presented is used as a gate for the way involved and it also puts the incoming movement on speed with a variable slope profile. Only spikes for information representation were used and the process is in real time. The software simulation based on Simulink and Xilinx System Generator shows the accurate adjust to the traditional processing for short time periods and the hardware tests confirm and extend the previous simulated results for any time. We have implemented the spikes generator, the ramp multiplier and the low pass filter into the Virtex-5 FPGA and connected this with an USB-AER (Address Event Representation) board to monitor the spikes.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TEC2009-10639-C04-0

Relação da violência familiar e a impulsividade em uma mostra de adolescentes mexicanos

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between domestic violence and impulsivity in a sample of Mexican adolescents and to determine whether variables such as gender, parental anxiety and parenting styles affect that relationship. A total of 344 senior high students of the City of Mexico participated in the study, of which 57 reported violence between their parents. Results indicate a low relationship between violence of the parents and their levels of impulsivity, this relationship being mediated by the degree of presence of the adolescent in such episodes of violence. On the other hand, an authoritarian parenting style is mainly associated with high levels of impulsivity, where anxiety is the mediator of such relationship. Results are discussed in terms of the intergenerational transmission of violence.O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar a relação entre a violência familiar e a impulsividade em uma mostra de adolescentes mexicanos, e determinar se variáveis como o gênero, a ansiedade e os estilos parentais de criação afetam essa relação. Participaram um total de 344 alunos de nível médio superior da Cidade do México, dos quais 57 relataram violência entre seus pais. Os resultados indicam uma relação baixa de violência entre os pais e os níveis de impulsividade, sendo esta relação mediada pelo grau de presença do adolescente em tais atos violentos. Por outra parte, um estilo parental autoritário associa-se principalmente com níveis elevados de impulsividade, sendo a ansiedade mediadora dessa relação. Os resultados são discutidos em função da transmissão intergeracional da violência.El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la relación entre la violencia familiar y la impulsividad en una muestra de adolescentes mexicanos, y determinar si variables como el género, la ansiedad y los estilos parentales de crianza afectan dicha relación. Participaron un total de 344 alumnos de nivel medio superior de la Ciudad de México, de los cuales 57 reportaron violencia entre sus padres. Los resultados indican una relación baja de la violencia entre los padres y los niveles de impulsividad, siendo esta relación mediada por el grado de presencia del adolecente en dichos actos violentos. Por otra parte, un estilo parental autoritario se asocia principalmente con niveles elevados de impulsividad, siendo la ansiedad mediadora de dicha relación. Los resultados se discuten en función de la transmisión intergeneracional de la violencia

A Neural Network Model for Cursive Script Production

This article describes a neural network model, called the VITEWRITE model, for generating handwriting movements. The model consists of a sequential controller, or motor program, that interacts with a trajectory generator to move a. hand with redundant degrees of freedom. The neural trajectory generator is the Vector Integration to Endpoint (VITE) model for synchronous variable-speed control of multijoint movements. VITE properties enable a simple control strategy to generate complex handwritten script if the hand model contains redundant degrees of freedom. The proposed controller launches transient directional commands to independent hand synergies at times when the hand begins to move, or when a velocity peak in a given synergy is achieved. The VITE model translates these temporally disjoint synergy commands into smooth curvilinear trajectories among temporally overlapping synergetic movements. The separate "score" of onset times used in most prior models is hereby replaced by a self-scaling activity-released "motor program" that uses few memory resources, enables each synergy to exhibit a unimodal velocity profile during any stroke, generates letters that are invariant under speed and size rescaling, and enables effortless. connection of letter shapes into words. Speed and size rescaling are achieved by scalar GO and GRO signals that express computationally simple volitional commands. Psychophysical data concerning band movements, such as the isochrony principle, asymmetric velocity profiles, and the two-thirds power law relating movement curvature and velocity arise as emergent properties of model interactions.National Science Foundation (IRI 90-24877, IRI 87-16960); Office of Naval Research (N00014-92-J-1309); Air Force Office of Scientific Research (F49620-92-J-0499); Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (90-0083