A Framework for Providing Research Applications as a Service Using the IOME Toolkit

This paper presents a unique, multi-purpose toolkit, enabling researchers to easily develop modelling and analysis applications, which can be run as web services and accessed interactively. The development kit is based on a protocol that uses an XML markup called the "Interactive Object Management Environment Markup Language" (IOME ML). The paper describes the IOME ML and its development kit. We illustrate the capabilities of IOME with two case studies the first case study is based on a medical image processing application (CAIMAN: CAncer IMage ANalysis), offering image analysis tools for life scientists. For the second case study, the Pi-Phi collaboration have developed an inverse imaging method for ‘lensless’ microscopy a demonstrator is introduced for the Pi-Phi project. For both case studies the application is wrapped as a web service and accessed through a web browser. The paper concludes with a review of further developments, including refinements to the mark up language and the development of a service factory, enabling a more scalable service provision model through the dynamic invocation of published simulations as IOME web service applications

Universal Robotic Gripper based on the Jamming of Granular Material

Gripping and holding of objects are key tasks for robotic manipulators. The development of universal grippers able to pick up unfamiliar objects of widely varying shape and surface properties remains, however, challenging. Most current designs are based on the multi-fingered hand, but this approach introduces hardware and software complexities. These include large numbers of controllable joints, the need for force sensing if objects are to be handled securely without crushing them, and the computational overhead to decide how much stress each finger should apply and where. Here we demonstrate a completely different approach to a universal gripper. Individual fingers are replaced by a single mass of granular material that, when pressed onto a target object, flows around it and conforms to its shape. Upon application of a vacuum the granular material contracts and hardens quickly to pinch and hold the object without requiring sensory feedback. We find that volume changes of less than 0.5% suffice to grip objects reliably and hold them with forces exceeding many times their weight. We show that the operating principle is the ability of granular materials to transition between an unjammed, deformable state and a jammed state with solid-like rigidity. We delineate three separate mechanisms, friction, suction and interlocking, that contribute to the gripping force. Using a simple model we relate each of them to the mechanical strength of the jammed state. This opens up new possibilities for the design of simple, yet highly adaptive systems that excel at fast gripping of complex objects.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

The impact of Covid-19 on sports: a mid-way assessment

Editorial on the impact of Covid-19 on spor

Background Radioactivity in the Decorah Fault Region

A known fault site at Decorah, Iowa, was surveyed for indicative variations in surface radioactivity. A portable ionization chamber revealed significant increases in gamma ray intensity at several locations. At one point the radiation level was 70% greater than the background intensity. Measurements repeated one year later verified this pattern. Radiation contours were plotted over an extensive area in the city of Decorah. This map, with other items of supporting evidence, indicated a possible fault strike of approximately N 55° W

Fine Tuning in One-Higgs and Two-Higgs Standard Models

The fine-tuning principles are examined to predict the top-quark and Higgs-boson masses. The modification of the Veltman condition based on the compensation of vacuum energies is developed. It is implemented in the Standard Model and in its minimal extension with two Higgs doublets. The top-quark and Higgs-boson couplings are fitted in the SM for the lowest ultraviolet scale where the fine-tuning can be stable under rescaling. It yields the low-energy values $m_t \simeq 175 GeV; m_H \simeq 210 GeV$.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX, Preprint PITHA-94-23 (July 1993

Non-Overlapping Functions for Pyk2 and FAK in Osteoblasts during Fluid Shear Stress-Induced Mechanotransduction

Mechanotransduction, the process by which cells convert external mechanical stimuli such as fluid shear stress (FSS) into biochemical changes, plays a critical role in maintenance of the skeleton. We have proposed that mechanical stimulation by FSS across the surfaces of bone cells results in formation of unique signaling complexes called mechanosomes that are launched from sites of adhesion with the extracellular matrix and with other bone cells [1]. Deformation of adhesion complexes at the cell membrane ultimately results in alteration of target gene expression. Recently, we reported that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) functions as a part of a mechanosome complex that is required for FSS-induced mechanotransduction in bone cells. This study extends this work to examine the role of a second member of the FAK family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases, proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2), and determine its role during osteoblast mechanotransduction. We use osteoblasts harvested from mice as our model system in this study and compared the contributions of Pyk2 and FAK during FSS induced mechanotransduction in osteoblasts. We exposed Pyk2+/+ and Pyk2−/− primary calvarial osteoblasts to short period of oscillatory fluid flow and analyzed downstream activation of ERK1/2, and expression of c-fos, cyclooxygenase-2 and osteopontin. Unlike FAK, Pyk2 was not required for fluid flow-induced mechanotransduction as there was no significant difference in the response of Pyk2+/+ and Pyk2−/− osteoblasts to short periods of fluid flow (FF). In contrast, and as predicted, FAK−/− osteoblasts were unable to respond to FF. These data indicate that FAK and Pyk2 have distinct, non-redundant functions in launching mechanical signals during osteoblast mechanotransduction. Additionally, we compared two methods of generating FF in both cell types, oscillatory pump method and another orbital platform method. We determined that both methods of generating FF induced similar responses in both primary calvarial osteoblasts and immortalized calvarial osteoblasts

Dual-Labeling Strategies for Nuclear and Fluorescence Molecular Imaging: A Review and Analysis

Molecular imaging is used for the detection of biochemical processes through the development of target-specific contrast agents. Separately, modalities such as nuclear and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging have been shown to non-invasively monitor disease. More recently, merging of these modalities has shown promise owing to their comparable detection sensitivity and benefited from the development of dual-labeled imaging agents. Dual-labeled agents hold promise for whole-body and intraoperative imaging and could bridge the gap between surgical planning and image-guided resection with a single, molecularly targeted agent. In this review, we summarized the literature for dual-labeled antibodies and peptides that have been developed and have highlighted key considerations for incorporating NIRF dyes into nuclear labeling strategies. We also summarized our findings on several commercially available NIRF dyes and offer perspectives for developing a toolkit to select the optimal NIRF dye and radiometal combination for multimodality imaging