Contribution of Scanning Electron Microscopy and Associated Analytical Techniques to the Study of Atherosclerotic Disease

Human carotid atheroma has been examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) utilizing both secondary and backscattered electron detectors and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) both at conventional and high voltage. Different cytochemical techniques have been used to map elastic fibers, proteoglycans, calcium, non esterified cholesterol. By immunocytochemistry the distribution of factor VIII related antigen and actin has been studied. With SEM it was possible to detect aspects of carotid plaques not appreciated when using other conventional techniques. With TEM some modifications of the structural and/or functional features of connective tissue macromolecules have been observed. The occurrence of anomalous collagen has been shown. The fine investigation of endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and the intercellular matrix components has supplied information of particular morpho-functional significance, thus allowing the development of new ideas on the complex pathogenetic mechanisms of atherosclerosis and suggesting some important anatomo-clinical correlations

« La base de notre politique, c’est la peur ». La peur et le début du processus d’intégration européenne

La peur est un élément fondamental de la relation entre société et système international, à n’importe quelle période de l’histoire et surtout après les deux guerres mondiales. Elle devient parfois un outil utilisé par les gouvernements, les dictateurs, ou les terroristes pour modifier la perception des autres dans le cadre systémique et elle a incontestablement été utilisée comme ça pendant la guerre froide. La peur a été à la base des motivations qui portaient les gouvernements et les européens à considérer de nouveaux projets pour le continent, capables de gérer la complexité internationale et le nouveau rôle que l’Europe se retrouvait à vivre. Les motivations qui ont donné naissance aux Communautés européennes ont certainement été nombreuses. Il s’agissait de motivations constructives et créatives. Cependant, il est également vrai que la pression du système international, de la guerre froide, du choc total et global entre les deux Europes a constitué le cadre du processus d'intégration européenne. Les peurs, à la fin des années quarante, étaient nombreuses et capables de mettre les citoyens et les gouvernements à genoux. Le but de mon essai est de comprendre dans quelle mesure la peur a influencé le processus d’intégration européenne

A bistable soft gripper with mechanically embedded sensing and actuation for fast closed-loop grasping

Soft robotic grippers are shown to be high effective for grasping unstructured objects with simple sensing and control strategies. However, they are still limited by their speed, sensing capabilities and actuation mechanism. Hence, their usage have been restricted in highly dynamic grasping tasks. This paper presents a soft robotic gripper with tunable bistable properties for sensor-less dynamic grasping. The bistable mechanism allows us to store arbitrarily large strain energy in the soft system which is then released upon contact. The mechanism also provides flexibility on the type of actuation mechanism as the grasping and sensing phase is completely passive. Theoretical background behind the mechanism is presented with finite element analysis to provide insights into design parameters. Finally, we experimentally demonstrate sensor-less dynamic grasping of an unknown object within 0.02 seconds, including the time to sense and actuate

Cell Ultrastructure in Disease

The doctor of today must adopt the \u27cellular way of thinking\u27 in the evaluation of diseases. This ultrastructural outlook provides him with much indispensable information that also serves a practical purpose. A diseased cell organelle is at the basis of every clinical sign and any attempt of therapy must be aimed at that specific point of lesion. We intend, in the light of a long experience, to propose to clinicians a new way of thinking in which a precise correlation between symptoms and sub-microscopic changes of the cell is considered. Many different examples amply justify this proposal. Electron microscopy can contribute by enabling a) identification of structural sub-cellular modifications suitable for the finest differential diagnosis, b) more and more complete understanding of pathogenic pathways of various diseases, c) the establishment of guidelines for precise pharmacological interventions at the molecular level

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The Morphological Computation Principles as a New Paradigm for Robotic Design

A theory, by definition, is a generalization of some phenomenon observations, and a principle is a law or a rule that should be followed as a guideline. Their formalization is a creative process, which faces specific and attested steps. The following sections reproduce this logical flow by expressing the principle of Morphological Computation as a timeline: firstly the observations of this phenomenon in Nature has been reported in relation with some recent theories, afterward it has been linked with the current applications in artificial systems and finally the further applications, challenges and objectives will project this principle into future scenarios

Editorial: Advances in Modeling and Control of Soft Robots

The research leading to these results has received funding from the HUMASOFT project, with reference DPI2016-75330-P, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and from RoboCity2030-DIH-CM, Madrid Robotics Digital Innovation Hub (Robótica aplicada a la mejora de la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos, FaseIV; S2018/NMT-4331), funded by “Programas de Actividades I+D en la Comunidad de Madrid” and cofunded by Structural Funds of the EU

A soft unmanned underwater vehicle with augmented thrust capability

The components which could make Soft Unmanned Underwater Vehicles a winning technology for a range of marine operations are addressed: these include vortex-enhanced thrust, added mass recovery and high degree of compliance of the vehicle. Based on these design criteria and recent advancement in soft-bodied, pulsed-jet thrusters, a new underwater vehicle is developed and tested