DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A VIRTUAL COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT FOR SCHOOLS AND OFFICES

Aderemi, Adeyemi

Challenges of continuum robots in clinical context: a review

With the maturity of surgical robotic systems based on traditional rigid-link principles, the rate of progress slowed as limits of size and controllable degrees of freedom were reached. Continuum robots came with the potential to deliver a step change in the next generation of medical devices, by providing better access, safer interactions and making new procedures possible. Over the last few years, several continuum robotic systems have been launched commercially and have been increasingly adopted in hospitals. Despite the clear progress achieved, continuum robots still suffer from design complexity hindering their dexterity and scalability. Recent advances in actuation methods have looked to address this issue, offering alternatives to commonly employed approaches. Additionally, continuum structures introduce significant complexity in modelling, sensing, control and fabrication; topics which are of particular focus in the robotics community. It is, therefore, the aim of the presented work to highlight the pertinent areas of active research and to discuss the challenges to be addressed before the potential of continuum robots as medical devices may be fully realised

The Love of Money and Pay Level Satisfaction: Measurement and Functional Equivalence in 29 Geopolitical Entities around the World

Demonstrating the equivalence of constructs is a key requirement for cross-cultural empirical research. The major purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how to assess measurement and functional equivalence or invariance using the 9-item, 3-factor Love of Money Scale (LOMS, a second-order factor model) and the 4-item, 1-factor Pay Level Satisfaction Scale (PLSS, a first-order factor model) across 29 samples in six continents (N = 5973). In step 1, we tested the configural, metric and scalar invariance of the LOMS and 17 samples achieved measurement invariance. In step 2, we applied the same procedures to the PLSS and nine samples achieved measurement invariance. Five samples (Brazil, China, South Africa, Spain and the USA) passed the measurement invariance criteria for both measures. In step 3, we found that for these two measures, common method variance was non-significant. In step 4, we tested the functional equivalence between the Love of Money Scale and Pay Level Satisfaction Scale. We achieved functional equivalence for these two scales in all five samples. The results of this study suggest the critical importance of evaluating and establishing measurement equivalence in cross-cultural studies. Suggestions for remedying measurement non-equivalence are offered

Abstracts from the 8th International Conference on cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications

This work was supported by a restricted research grant of Bayer AG

Analysis of a non‑integer order mathematical model for double strains of dengue and COVID‑19 co‑circulation using an efficient finite‑difference method

An efficient finite difference approach is adopted to analyze the solution of a novel fractional-order mathematical model to control the co-circulation of double strains of dengue and COVID-19. The model is primarily built on a non-integer Caputo fractional derivative. The famous fixed-point theorem developed by Banach is employed to ensure that the solution of the formulated model exists and is ultimately unique. The model is examined for stability around the infection-free equilibrium point analysis, and it was observed that it is stable (asymptotically) when the maximum reproduction number is strictly below unity. Furthermore, global stability analysis of the disease-present equilibrium is conducted via the direct Lyapunov method. The non-standard finite difference (NSFD) approach is adopted to solve the formulated model. Furthermore, numerical experiments on the model reveal that the trajectories of the infected compartments converge to the disease-present equilibrium when the basic reproduction number (R0) is greater than one and disease-free equilibrium when the basic reproduction number is less than one respectively. This convergence is independent of the fractional orders and assumed initial conditions. The paper equally emphasized the outcome of altering the fractional orders, infection and recovery rates on the disease patterns. Similarly, we also remarked the importance of some key control measures to curtail the co-spread of double strains of dengue and COVID-19

A novel mouse model of hindlimb joint contracture with 3D‐printed casts

Stiff joints formed after trauma, surgery or immobilization are frustrating for surgeons, therapists and patients alike. Unfortunately, the study of contracture is limited by available animal model systems, which focus on the utilization of larger mammals and joint trauma. Here we describe a novel mouse-based model system for the generation of joint contracture using 3D-printed clamshell casts. With this model system we are able to generate both reversible and irreversible contractures of the knee and ankle. Four- or 8-month-old female mice were casted for either 2 or 3 weeks before liberation. All groups formed measurable contractures of the knee and ankle. Younger mice immobilized for less time formed reversible contractures of the knee and ankle. We were able to generate irreversible contracture with either longer immobilization time or the utilization of older mice. The contracture formation translated into differences in gait, which were detectable using the DigiGait® analysis system. This novel model system provides a higher throughput, lower cost and more powerful tool in studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms considering the large existing pool of transgenic/knockout murine strains

MicroRNA-425 and microRNA-155 cooperatively regulate atrial natriuretic peptide expression and cGMP production

Aims Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), secreted primarily by atrial cardiomyocytes, decreases blood pressure by raising cyclic 3’,5’-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels and inducing vasorelaxation, natriuresis, and diuresis. Raising the level of ANP has been shown to be an effective treatment for hypertension. To advance the future development of an anti-microRNA (miR) approach to increasing expression of ANP, we investigated the regulation of NPPA expression by two miRs: miR-425 and miR-155. We examined whether miR-425 and miR-155 have an additive effect on the expression and function of ANP. Methods and results Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) were transfected with miR-425, miR-155, or a combination of the two miRs. Two days later, NPPA expression was measured using real time qPCR. Each of the miRs decreased NPPA expression over a wide range of concentrations, with a significant reduction at concentrations as low as 1 nM. The combination of miR-425 and miR-155 reduced NPPA expression to a greater extent than either miR-425 or miR-155 alone. An in vitro assay was developed to study the potential biological significance of the miR-induced decrease in NPPA expression. The cooperative effect of miR-425 and miR-155 on NPPA expression was associated with a significant decrease in cGMP levels. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that miR-425 and miR-155 regulate NPPA expression in a cooperative manner. Targeting both miRNAs with anti-miRs (possibly at submaximal concentrations) might prove to be a more effective strategy to modulate ANP levels, and thus blood pressure, than targeting either miRNA alone

Near-infrared-actuated devices for remotely controlled drug delivery

A reservoir that could be remotely triggered to release a drug would enable the patient or physician to achieve on-demand, reproducible, repeated, and tunable dosing. Such a device would allow precise adjustment of dosage to desired effect, with a consequent minimization of toxicity, and could obviate repeated drug administrations or device implantations, enhancing patient compliance. It should exhibit low off-state leakage to minimize basal effects, and tunable on-state release profiles that could be adjusted from pulsatile to sustained in real time. Despite the clear clinical need for a device that meets these criteria, none has been reported to date to our knowledge. To address this deficiency, we developed an implantable reservoir capped by a nanocomposite membrane whose permeability was modulated by irradiation with a near-infrared laser. Irradiated devices could exhibit sustained on-state drug release for at least 3 h, and could reproducibly deliver short pulses over at least 10 cycles, with an on/off ratio of 30. Devices containing aspart, a fast-acting insulin analog, could achieve glycemic control after s.c. implantation in diabetic rats, with reproducible dosing controlled by the intensity and timing of irradiation over a 2-wk period. These devices can be loaded with a wide range of drug types, and therefore represent a platform technology that might be used to address a wide variety of clinical indications.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM073626)Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Laser Biomedical Research Center (Sanofi Aventis (Firm) Biomedical Innovation Funding Award)National Institutes of Health (U.S.). Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service AwardNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant F32GM096546