Towards a self-deploying and gliding robot

Strategies for hybrid locomotion such as jumping and gliding are used in nature by many different animals for traveling over rough terrain. This combination of locomotion modes also allows small robots to overcome relatively large obstacles at a minimal energetic cost compared to wheeled or flying robots. In this chapter we describe the development of a novel palm sized robot of 10\,g that is able to autonomously deploy itself from ground or walls, open its wings, recover in midair and subsequently perform goal- directed gliding. In particular, we focus on the subsystems that will in the future be integrated such as a 1.5\,g microglider that can perform phototaxis; a 4.5\,g, bat-inspired, wing folding mechanism that can unfold in only 50\,ms; and a locust-inspired, 7\,g robot that can jump more than 27 times its own height. We also review the relevance of jumping and gliding for living and robotic systems and we highlight future directions for the realization of a fully integrated robot

Influence of environmental temperature on the physiological, endocrine, and immune responses in livestock exposed to a provocative immune challenge

Although livestock experience many stressors throughout their life, one of the most commonly experienced, and most difficult to control, is stress caused by fluctuations in environmental temperatures that extend beyond the thermoneutral (TN) zone for an animal. In swine, cold stress has long been recognized as a main cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. A possible explanation for this increased morbidity and mortality may be related to their inability to generate a febrile response. Previously, we reported that the acute phase immune response, including the generation of fever, after exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS; Escherichia coli O111: B4; Sigma-Aldrich, St Louis, MO, USA) is substantially altered in neonatal pigs maintained in a cold environment (ie, 18°C). Neonatal pigs that were maintained in a cold environment and administered LPS experienced a period of hypothermia coupled with altered endocrine and proinflammatory cytokine responses that could prove detrimental. In cattle, we previously reported differences in the acute phase immune response of two diverse breeds of Bos taurus cattle (Angus and Romosinuano) when maintained under TN conditions and exposed to LPS. More recently we have reported that differences in the stress and immune responses of Angus and Romosinuano heifers varies, depending on whether the cattle were housed at either TN or heat stress air temperatures. Our data clearly show that even intermittent periods of heat stress similar to that experienced in production environments can have significant effects on the stress and innate immune responses of cattle. Understanding the effect of thermal stress on livestock is critical to developing and implementing alternative management practices to improve their overall health and well-being

Intervertebral disc regeneration: Influence of growth factors on differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC)

Introduction: One common cause of disability in modern society is low back pain. The main reason for this pain is the degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD), particular of the nucleus pulposus (NP). For an early degeneration stage cell-based therapy would be a minimal invasive method of treatment. Therefore, adequate cells are needed. As the usage of NP cells is limited because of their insufficient amount or vitality, a promising alternative is the application of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Objective: To investigate the potential of various growth factors to induce the differentiation of hMSCs into NP cells and thereby to obtain an alternative cell source for the treatment of IVD degeneration. Methods: hMSC-TERT were cultivated three-dimensionally in a hydrogel for 21 days to form NP cells. Cell survival and proliferation were determined using SybrGreen/propidium iodide double staining and the WST-test. To investigate the ability of several growth factors to differentiate hMSCs into NP cells, fluorescence immunostaining of NP-specific marker proteins (e.g. chondroadherin (CHAD) and the recently discovered cytokeratin 19 [1]) was performed. Results: Following the procedure described above, cells are able to maintain their viability and proliferation capacity throughout the cultivation time. By using a previously established immunofluorescence protocol, we could indicate the ability of three different growth factors to differentiate hMSCs into NP-like cells. Conclusion: The expression of several marker proteins in all differentiation experiments indicates the ability of IGF-1, FGF-2 and PDGF-BB to differentiate hMSCs into NP-like cells apart from the usually applied TGF-β3. Furthermore, our findings preclude the application of Cytokeratin 19 as a specific marker protein for NP cells [1]. Further experiments have to be done to find real specific NP marker proteins to indisputable verify the differentiation of hMSCs into NP cells. If so, application of the mentioned three growth factors would possibly be an option to obtain sufficient NP cells for minimal invasive IVD regeneration