An aerial parallel manipulator with shared compliance

Accessing and interacting with difficult to reach surfaces at various orientations is of interest within a variety of industrial contexts. Thus far, the predominant robotic solution to such a problem has been to leverage the maneuverability of a fully actuated, omnidirectional aerial manipulator. Such an approach, however, requires a specialised system with a high relative degree of complexity, thus reducing platform endurance and real-world applicability. The work here presents a new aerial system composed of a parallel manipulator and conventional, underactuated multirotor flying base to demonstrate interaction with vertical and non-vertical surfaces. Our solution enables compliance to external disturbance on both subsystems, the manipulator and flying base, independently with a goal of improved overall system performance when interacting with surfaces. To achieve this behaviour, an admittance control strategy is implemented on various layers of the flying base's dynamics together with torque limits imposed on the manipulator actuators. Experimental evaluations show that the proposed system is compliant to external perturbations while allowing for differing interaction behaviours as compliance parameters of each subsystem are altered. Such capabilities enable an adjustable form of dexterity in completing sensor installation, inspection and aerial physical interaction tasks. A video of our system interacting with various surfaces can be found here: https://youtu.be/38neGb8-lXg

Learning tethered perching for aerial robots

Aerial robots have a wide range of applications, such as collecting data in hard-to-reach areas. This requires the longest possible operation time. However, because currently available commercial batteries have limited specific energy of roughly 300 W h kg -1 , a drone's flight time is a bottleneck for sustainable long-term data collection. Inspired by birds in nature, a possible approach to tackle this challenge is to perch drones on trees, and environmental or man-made structures, to save energy whilst in operation. In this paper, we propose an algorithm to automatically generate trajectories for a drone to perch on a tree branch, using the proposed tethered perching mechanism with a pendulum-like structure. This enables a drone to perform an energy-optimised, controlled 180° flip to safely disarm upside down. To fine-tune a set of reachable trajectories, a soft actor critic-based reinforcement algorithm is used. Our experimental results show the feasibility of the set of trajectories with successful perching. Our findings demonstrate that the proposed approach enables energy-efficient landing for long-term data collection tasks

Antioksidansi i spojevi selenija inhibiraju toksično djelovanje 3,5-dimetilaminofenola na epitelne bubrežne stanice u ljudi

Exposure to alkyl anilines may lead to bladder cancer, which is the second most frequent cancer of the urogenital tract. 3,5-dimethylaniline is highly used in industry. Studies on its primary metabolite 3,5-dimethylaminophenol (3,5-DMAP) showed that this compound causes oxidative stress, changes antioxidant enzyme activities, and leads to death of different mammalian cells. However, there is no in vitro study to show the direct effects of 3,5-DMAP on human bladder and urothelial cells. Selenocompounds are suggested to decrease oxidative stress caused by some chemicals, and selenium supplementation was shown to reduce the risk of bladder cancer. The main aim of this study was to investigate whether selenocompounds organic selenomethionine (SM, 10 μmol/L) or inorganic sodium selenite (SS, 30 nmol/L) could reduce oxidative stress, DNA damage, and apoptosis in UROtsa cells exposed to 3,5-DMAP. 3,5-DMAP caused a dose-dependent increase in intracellular generation of reactive oxygen species, and its dose of 50 μmol/L caused lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and changes in antioxidant enzyme activities in different cellular fractions. The comet assay also showed single-strand DNA breaks induced by the 3,5-DMAP dose of 50 μmol/L, but no changes in double-strand DNA breaks. Apoptosis was also triggered. Both selenocompounds provided partial protection against the cellular toxicity of 3,5-DMAP. Low selenium status along with exposure to alkyl anilines can be a major factor in the development of bladder cancer. More mechanistic studies are needed to specify the role of selenium in bladder cancer.Izloženost alkilnim anilinima može uzrokovati rak mokraćnoga mjehura, koji je drugi po redu po učestalosti raka mokraćnospolnog sustava. 3,5-dimetilanilin često se rabi u industrijskoj proizvodnji, a istraživanja njegova primarnog metabolita, 3,5-dimetilaminofenola (3,5-DMAP), pokazuju da on uzrokuje oksidacijski stres i promjene u aktivnosti antioksidacijskih enzima te u konačnici dovodi do smrti raznih stanica u sisavaca. Dosad, međutim, nije provedeno nijedno istraživanje njegovih izravnih učinaka na epitelne stanice mokraćnoga mjehura i bubrega u ljudi. Za spojeve selenija smatra se da smanjuju oksidacijski stres različitih kemikalija te da dopuna prehrane selenijem smanjuje rizik od raka mokraćnoga mjehura. Primarni je cilj ovoga istraživanja bio utvrditi može li organski spoj selenija selenometionin (SM, 10 μmol/L), odnosno anorganski spoj natrijev selenit (SS, 30 nmol/L], smanjiti oksidacijski stres, oštećenje DNA i apoptozu u UROtsa stanicama izloženima 3,5-dimetilaminofenolu. Jednosatna izloženost stanica 3,5-DMAP-u dovela je do povećanja razina reaktivnih kisikovih spojeva (ROS), lipidne peroksidacije, oksidacije bjelančevina te do promjena u aktivnosti antioksidacijskih enzima u staničnoj citoplazmi i jezgri, ovisno o primijenjenoj dozi. Osim toga, komet-testom su utvrđeni jednolančani, ali ne i dvolančani lomovi DNA. Također, 3,5-DMAP uzrokovao je apoptozu stanica. Oba su spoja selenija pružila djelomičnu zaštitu od njegova toksičnoga djelovanja. Nedostatak selenija pri izloženosti alkilnim anilinskim spojevima stoga može odigrati značajnu ulogu u nastanku raka mokraćnog mjehura. Potrebna su daljnja istraživanja mehanizama djelovanja selenija u njegovu sprječavanju

Standards for European training requirements in interventional neuroradiology: Guidelines by the Division of Neuroradiology/Section of Radiology European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), in cooperation with the Division of Interventional Radiology/UEMS, the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR), and the European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy (ESMINT)

This document sets out standards for training in Interventional Neuroradiology (INR) in Europe. These standards have been developed by a working group of the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) and the European Society of Minimally Invasive Neurological Therapy (ESMINT) on the initiative and under the umbrella of the Division of Neuroradiology/Section of Radiology of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS)

Blood viscosity in patients with diffuse large B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

The aim of the study was to evaluate blood viscosity as possible marker of disease progression in patients with newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Methods: The viscosity of blood samples from 20 patients with newly diagnosed aggressive NHL (stage I, n = 7; stage II, n = 4; stage III, n = 7; stage IV, n = 2) was analyzed using Brookfield DV-II + (USA) machine. Results: Blood viscosity in NHL patients (median: 5.5 ± 1.46 miliPascal) inversely correlated with lactatdehydrogenase (LDH) level, international prognostic index (IPI) score, and stage (p = 0.02, r= –0.51; p = 0.03, r= –0.63; and p = 0.04, r= –0.45, respectively) and positively correlated with hemoglobin level (p = 0.02, r = 0.65)). Conclusion: According to our data, blood viscosity may be considered as a follow up marker in NHL patients along with LDH level or sedimentation rate.Цель: анализ вязкости крови в качестве маркера возможного маркера прогрессии заболевания у больных неходжкинской лимфомой (НХЛ). Методы: вязкость крови 20 пациентов НХЛ (стадия I, = 7; стадия II, = 4; стадия III, = 7; стадия  IV, n = 4) измеряли на приборе Brookfield DV-II + (США). Результаты: вязкость крови больных НХЛ (средняя величина: 5.5 ± 1.46 миллиПаскаль) находилась в обратной корреляции с уровнем лактатдегидрогеназы (ЛДГ), величиной международного прогностического индекса (IPI) и стадией заболевания (p = 0,02, r = –0,51; p = 0,03, r = –0,63; p = 0,04, r = –0,45 соответственно) и в прямой зависимости от уровня гемоглобина (p = 0,02, = 0,65)). Выводы: согласно полученным данным, вязкость крови можно рассматривать в качестве маркера течения заболевания у больных НХЛ наряду с уровнем ЛДГ и показателем скорости оседания эритроцитов

European Multicenter Study for the Evaluation of a Dual-Layer Flow-Diverting Stent for Treatment of Wide-Neck Intracranial Aneurysms: The European Flow-Redirection Intraluminal Device Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endoluminal reconstruction with flow-diverting stents represents a widely accepted technique for the treatment of complex intracranial aneurysms. This European registry study analyzed the initial experience of 15 neurovascular centers with the Flow-Redirection Intraluminal Device (FRED) system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive patients with intracranial aneurysms treated with the FRED between February 2012 and March 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Complications and adverse events, transient and permanent morbidity, mortality, and occlusion rates were evaluated. RESULTS: During the defined study period, 579 aneurysms in 531 patients (median age, 54 years;range, 13-86 years) were treated with the FRED. Seven percent of patients were treated in the acute phase (3 days) of aneurysm rupture. The median aneurysm size was 7.6 mm (range, 1-36.6 mm), and the median neck size 4.5 mm (range, 1-30 mm). Angiographic follow-up of >3 months was available for 516 (89.1%) aneurysms. There was progressive occlusion witnessed with time, with complete occlusion in 18 (20%) aneurysms followed for up to 90 14 days, 141 (82.5%) for 180 +/- 20 days, 116 (91.3%) for 1 year +/- 24 days, and 122 (95.3%) aneurysms followed for >1 year. Transient and permanent morbidity occurred in 3.2% and 0.8% of procedures, respectively. The overall mortality rate was 1.5%. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study in real-world patients demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the FRED for the treatment of intracranial aneurysms. In most cases, treatment with a single FRED resulted in complete angiographic occlusion at 1 year

Nanopore surface coating delivers nanopore size and shape through conductance-based sizing

The performance of nanopore single-molecule sensing elements depends intimately on their physical dimensions and surface chemical properties. These factors underpin the dependence of the nanopore ionic conductance on electrolyte concentration, yet the measured, or modeled, dependence only partially illuminates the details of geometry and surface chemistry. Using the electrolyte-dependent conductance data before and after selective surface functionalization of solid-state nanopores, however, introduces more degrees of freedom and improves the performance of conductance-based nanopore characterizations. Sets of representative nanopore profiles were used to generate conductance data, and the nanopore shape and exact dimensions were identified, through conductance alone, by orders-of-magnitude 3 reductions in the geometry optimization metrics. The optimization framework could similarly be used to evaluate the nanopore surface coating thickness

Differential Muc2 and Muc5ac secretion by stimulated guinea pig tracheal epithelial cells in vitro

BACKGROUND: Mucus overproduction is a characteristic of inflammatory pulmonary diseases including asthma, chronic bronchitis, and cystic fibrosis. Expression of two mucin genes, MUC2 and MUC5AC, and their protein products (mucins), is modulated in certain disease states. Understanding the signaling mechanisms that regulate the production and secretion of these major mucus components may contribute significantly to development of effective therapies to modify their expression in inflamed airways. METHODS: To study the differential expression of Muc2 and Muc5ac, a novel monoclonal antibody recognizing guinea pig Muc2 and a commercially-available antibody against human MUC5AC were optimized for recognition of specific guinea pig mucins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). These antibodies were then used to analyze expression of Muc2 and another mucin subtype (likely Muc5ac) in guinea pig tracheal epithelial (GPTE) cells stimulated with a mixture of pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and interferon- γ (IFN-γ)]. RESULTS: The anti-Muc2 (C4) and anti-MUC5AC (45M1) monoclonal antibodies specifically recognized proteins located in Muc2-dominant small intestinal and Muc5ac-dominant stomach mucosae, respectively, in both Western and ELISA experimental protocols. IHC protocols confirmed that C4 recognizes murine small intestine mucosal proteins while 45M1 does not react. C4 and 45M1 also stained specific epithelial cells in guinea pig lung sections. In the resting state, Muc2 was recognized as a highly expressed intracellular mucin in GPTE cells in vitro. Following cytokine exposure, secretion of Muc2, but not the mucin recognized by the 45M1 antibody (likely Muc5ac), was increased from the GPTE cells, with a concomitant increase in intracellular expression of both mucins. CONCLUSION: Given the tissue specificity in IHC and the differential hybridization to high molecular weight proteins by Western blot, we conclude that the antibodies used in this study can recognize specific mucin subtypes in guinea pig airway epithelium and in proteins from GPTE cells. In addition, Muc2 is highly expressed constitutively, modulated by inflammation, and secreted differentially (as compared to Muc5ac) in GPTE cells. This finding contrasts with expression patterns in the airway epithelium of a variety of mammalian species in which only Muc5ac predominates