Self management programmes for ankylosing spondylitis (protocol)

This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the benefits and harms of self management programmes for people with AS/Axial SpA

Sarcopenia: etiology, clinical consequences, intervention, and assessment

The aging process is associated with loss of muscle mass and strength and decline in physical functioning. The term sarcopenia is primarily defined as low level of muscle mass resulting from age-related muscle loss, but its definition is often broadened to include the underlying cellular processes involved in skeletal muscle loss as well as their clinical manifestations. The underlying cellular changes involve weakening of factors promoting muscle anabolism and increased expression of inflammatory factors and other agents which contribute to skeletal muscle catabolism. At the cellular level, these molecular processes are manifested in a loss of muscle fiber cross-sectional area, loss of innervation, and adaptive changes in the proportions of slow and fast motor units in muscle tissue. Ultimately, these alterations translate to bulk changes in muscle mass, strength, and function which lead to reduced physical performance, disability, increased risk of fall-related injury, and, often, frailty. In this review, we summarize current understanding of the mechanisms underlying sarcopenia and age-related changes in muscle tissue morphology and function. We also discuss the resulting long-term outcomes in terms of loss of function, which causes increased risk of musculoskeletal injuries and other morbidities, leading to frailty and loss of independence

Robotics Education Under COVID-19 Conditions with Educational Modular Robots

The COVID-19 pandemic forces many robotics teachers to rethink their approach to education. Distance rules and the constant threat of a partial or complete lockdown leading to limited access to classroom equipment make it challenging to plan for hands-on education where students experience robotics by experimenting and studying with robotic hardware. On the other hand, this hands-on active learning experience is one of the strengths of robotics education and the ability to handle hardware equipment a substantial learning goal of study programs on robotics. In this paper we present and discuss the approach taken for the course Robotics and Embedded Systems at Maastricht University. The course had been adjusted to meet COVID-19 safety regulations and to allow for a fast seamless transition between onsite education at university and online education where students can work with robotic hardware at home. We share experience, best practice advice as well as educational material to help other teachers benefit from our developments. A key contribution is our custom-made, low-cost, educational modular robotic system for teaching kinematics, locomotion, and PID control that we make publicly available for replication through the website https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/edmo

An Unmanned Aerial Carrier and Anchoring Mechanism for Transporting Companion UAVs

This paper demonstrates an unmanned aerial carrier as well as a new anchoring mechanism for connecting and transporting companion unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Establishing this platform presents unique challenges including the requirements of precise localization of the platform, real-time environment mapping system, robust flight control approach, docking safety mechanism, and reliable anchor system for the companion UAV. To obtain the positioning information, a tightly-coupled visual-inertial optimization based odometry is implemented with a fisheye camera and an inertial measurement unit. A 3D map is updated in real-time using an Octomap framework. A nonlinear position model predictive controller cascaded with a DJI attitude controller is implemented for the flight control. Innovatively, we designed a lightweight anchoring mechanism for safe landing and reliable transportation of the companion UAV. Real-world experiments results suggest that the transportation system is a viab le approach to transport the companion UAV, and that the proposed anchoring mechanism allows for reliable operation