The haptic perception of spatial orientations

This review examines the isotropy of the perception of spatial orientations in the haptic system. It shows the existence of an oblique effect (i.e., a better perception of vertical and horizontal orientations than oblique orientations) in a spatial plane intrinsic to the haptic system, determined by the gravitational cues and the cognitive resources and defined in a subjective frame of reference. Similar results are observed from infancy to adulthood. In 3D space, the haptic processing of orientations is also anisotropic and seems to use both egocentric and allocentric cues. Taken together, these results revealed that the haptic oblique effect occurs when the sensory motor traces associated with exploratory movement are represented more abstractly at a cognitive level

Microneedle delivery of autoantigen for immunotherapy in type 1 diabetes

Antigen specific immunotherapy mediated via the sustained generation of regulatory T cells arguably represents the ideal therapeutic approach to preventing beta cell destruction in type 1 diabetes. However, there is a need to enhance the efficacy of this approach to achieve disease modification in man. Previous studies suggest that prolonged expression of self-antigen in skin in a non-inflammatory context is beneficial for tolerance induction. We therefore sought to develop a dry-coated microneedle (MN) delivery system and combine it with topical steroid to minimise local inflammation and promote prolonged antigen presentation in the skin. Here we show that a combination of surface-modified MNs coated with appropriate solvent systems can deliver therapeutically relevant quantities of peptide to mouse and human skin even with hydrophobic peptides. Compared to conventional “wet” intradermal (ID) administration, “dry” peptide delivered via MNs was retained for longer in the skin and whilst topical hydration of the skin with vehicle or steroid accelerated loss of ID-delivered peptide from the skin, MN delivery of peptide was unaffected. Furthermore, MN delivery resulted in enhanced presentation of antigen to T cells in skin draining lymph nodes (LNs) both 3 and 10 days after administration. Repeated administration of islet antigen peptide via MN was effective at reducing antigen-specific T cell proliferation in the pancreatic LN, although topical steroid therapy did not enhance this. Taken together, these data show auto-antigenic peptide delivery into skin using coated MNs results in prolonged retention and enhanced antigen presentation compared to conventional ID delivery and this approach may have potential in individuals identified as being at a high risk of developing type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases

The Search for Resilience Weak Spots in Automotive Mixed-Signal Circuits

This paper presents the search for and resulting effects of resilience weak spots in a commercial Local Interconnect Network (LIN) transceiver. Industrial reliability simulations based on aging of devices have been used to locate these weak spots. The objective is to improve the resilience of the circuit during its design and validation phase after determination of the weak spots. In the case of our target chip, this complete cycle was successfully completed. Finally a new simulation principle is being proposed in order to automate the search for weak spots to speed-up and strengthen this search. It enables at an early design stage to take appropriate counter measures to improve resilience

A Novel Protocol For Rapid Deployment Of Heart Rate Data Storage Tags In Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Thunnus Thynnus Reveals Cardiac Responses To Temperature And Feeding

The Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT) is a highly prized species of large pelagic fish. Studies of their environmental physiology may improve understanding and management of their populations, but this is difficult for mature adults because of their large size. Biologging of heart rate holds promise in investigating physiological responses to environmental conditions in free-swimming fishes but it is very challenging to anaesthetise large ABFT for invasive surgery to place a tag in the body cavity near to the heart. We describe a novel method for rapid deployment of a commercially available heart rate tag (HR-tag) on ABFT, using an atraumatic trocar to implant it in the musculature associated with the cleithrum. We performed three sequential experiments to show that the tagging method 1) is consistently repeatable and reliable; 2) can be used successfully on commercial fishing boats and does not seem to affect fish survival, and 3) is effective for long-term deployments. In experiment 3, a tag logged heart rate over 80 days on a 60-kg ABFT held in a farm cage. The logged data showed that heart rate was sensitive to prevailing seasonal temperature and feeding events. At low temperatures, there were clear responses to feeding but these all disappeared above a threshold temperature of 25.5 °C. Overall, the results show that our method is simple, rapid and repeatable, and can be used for long term experiments to investigate physiological responses by large ABFT to environmental conditions