A framework for robotic clothing assistance by imitation learning

The recent demographic trend across developed nations shows a dramatic increase in the aging population, fallen fertility rates and a shortage of caregivers. Hence, the demand for service robots to assist with dressing which is an essential Activity of Daily Living (ADL) is increasing rapidly. Robotic Clothing Assistance is a challenging task since the robot has to deal with two demanding tasks simultaneously, (a) non-rigid and highly flexible cloth manipulation and (b) safe human–robot interaction while assisting humans whose posture may vary during the task. On the other hand, humans can deal with these tasks rather easily. In this paper, we propose a framework for robotic clothing assistance by imitation learning from a human demonstration to a compliant dual-arm robot. In this framework, we divide the dressing task into three phases, i.e. reaching phase, arm dressing phase, and body dressing phase. We model the arm dressing phase as a global trajectory modification using Dynamic Movement Primitives (DMP), while we model the body dressing phase toward a local trajectory modification applying Bayesian Gaussian Process Latent Variable Model (BGPLVM). We show that the proposed framework developed towards assisting the elderly is generalizable to various people and successfully performs a sleeveless shirt dressing task. We also present participants feedback on public demonstration at the International Robot Exhibition (iREX) 2017. To our knowledge, this is the first work performing a full dressing of a sleeveless shirt on a human subject with a humanoid robot

Microparticles and their role in coronary artery disease.

Despite significant advances in prevention, medical and interventional management, coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Although the number of people being diagnosed with CAD has plateaued in the western world, it is projected to increase significantly in the developing world reaching epidemic proportions, particularly in South Asia. To better stratify the risk of developing and suffering a cardiovascular event due to CAD, not only plasma biomarkers relating to disease burden but also disease activity in CAD are needed; this will allow targeting of appropriate management to high-risk patients for acute events. Over the last twenty years, data have emerged showing the role of sub-micron vesicles called microparticles (MPs) in the pathogenesis of formation and evolution of atherosclerotic plaques causing either stable angina (SA) or acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Herein we provide an overview of our current knowledge of MP formation, composition and possible mechanisms through which they could be contributing to CAD. We also reviewed currently available methods and their limitations in quantifying MPs and in determining their functional aspects. Role of various treatments ranging from dietary substitutes to oral medicines and intravenous medications to mechanistic procedures such as hemofiltration are elaborated. Although evidence implicating the role of MPs in CAD are mounting large scale prospective studies are still lacking and are the need of the hour prior to establishing the use of MPs as biomarkers for the early detection of CAD and its progression

Reduced Cardiovascular Reserve in Chronic Kidney Failure: A Matched Cohort Study

Background: Patients with chronic kidney failure (CKF) experience impaired functional cardiovascular reserve with reduced oxygen consumption at peak exercise (Vo2peak). No studies have examined whether this is related to impaired cardiovascular compliance as a consequence of loss of adaptive structural alterations, resulting from chronic uremia or hypertension. Study Design: Prospective matched-cohort study. Setting & Participants: We assessed CKF in parallel with patients with essential hypertension but without cardiovascular disease. Patients with CKF were either scheduled for kidney transplantation or transplant waitlisted. 80 patients with CKF and 80 with essential hypertension matched in age, sex, and body mass index were evaluated. 61 patients with CKF (76.3%) were dialysis dependent. Predictor: CKF versus essential hypertension without cardiovascular disease. Measurements & Outcomes: Vo2peak was measured during maximal exercise testing. 2-dimensional echocardiography and arterial applanation tonometry were performed prior to exercise testing. To evaluate for the difference in Vo2peak between study groups, statistically significant predictors of Vo2peak in multiple regression models were additionally assessed by fitting models comprising the interaction term of patient group with the predictor variable of interest. Results: Vo2peak was significantly lower in patients with CKF than those with essential hypertension (18.8 vs 24.5 mL/min·kg; P < 0.001). Independent predictors of Vo2peak for CKF included left ventricular (LV) filling pressure (E/mean e′; unstandardized regression coefficient: change in Vo2peak [in mL/min·kg] per 1-unit change of variable = −5.1) and pulse wave velocity (−4.0); in essential hypertension, these were LV mass index (0.2), LV end-diastolic volume index (0.4), peak heart rate (0.2), and pulse wave velocity (−8.8). The interaction effect of Vo2peak between patient groups with LV mass index (P < 0.001), LV end-diastolic volume index (P < 0.001), and peak heart rate (P < 0.01) were significantly stronger in the hypertension group, whereby higher values led to greater Vo2peak. Limitations: Skeletal muscle strength was not assessed. Conclusion: This study suggests that maladaptive LV changes, as well as blunted chronotropic response, are important mechanistic factors resulting in reduced cardiovascular reserve in patients with CKF, beyond predominantly vascular changes associated with hypertension

Human cytomegalovirus immediate-early 1 protein rewires upstream STAT3 to downstream STAT1 signaling switching an IL6-type to an IFNγ-like response

MN and CP were supported by the Wellcome Trust (www.wellcome.ac.uk) Institutional Strategic Support Fund and CP was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (PA 815/2-1; www.dfg.de).The human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) major immediate-early 1 protein (IE1) is best known for activating transcription to facilitate viral replication. Here we present transcriptome data indicating that IE1 is as significant a repressor as it is an activator of host gene expression. Human cells induced to express IE1 exhibit global repression of IL6- and oncostatin M-responsive STAT3 target genes. This repression is followed by STAT1 phosphorylation and activation of STAT1 target genes normally induced by IFNγ. The observed repression and subsequent activation are both mediated through the same region (amino acids 410 to 445) in the C-terminal domain of IE1, and this region serves as a binding site for STAT3. Depletion of STAT3 phenocopies the STAT1-dependent IFNγ-like response to IE1. In contrast, depletion of the IL6 receptor (IL6ST) or the STAT kinase JAK1 prevents this response. Accordingly, treatment with IL6 leads to prolonged STAT1 instead of STAT3 activation in wild-type IE1 expressing cells, but not in cells expressing a mutant protein (IE1dl410-420) deficient for STAT3 binding. A very similar STAT1-directed response to IL6 is also present in cells infected with a wild-type or revertant hCMV, but not an IE1dl410-420 mutant virus, and this response results in restricted viral replication. We conclude that IE1 is sufficient and necessary to rewire upstream IL6-type to downstream IFNγ-like signaling, two pathways linked to opposing actions, resulting in repressed STAT3- and activated STAT1-responsive genes. These findings relate transcriptional repressor and activator functions of IE1 and suggest unexpected outcomes relevant to viral pathogenesis in response to cytokines or growth factors that signal through the IL6ST-JAK1-STAT3 axis in hCMV-infected cells. Our results also reveal that IE1, a protein considered to be a key activator of the hCMV productive cycle, has an unanticipated role in tempering viral replication.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Quantitative mapping of soil salinity using the DUALEM-21S instrument and EM inversion software

To generate baseline data for the purpose of monitoring the efficacy of remediation of a degraded landscape, we demonstrate a method for 3-dimensional mapping of electrical conductivity of saturated soil paste extract (ECe) across a study field in central Haryana, India. This is achieved by establishing a linear relationship between calculated true electrical conductivity (σ) and laboratory measured ECe at various depths (0–0.3, 0.3–0.6, 0.6–0.9, and 0.9–1.2 m). We estimate σ by inverting DUALEM-21S apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) data using a quasi-3-dimensional inversion algorithm (EM4Soil-V302). The best linear relationship (ECe = −11.814 + 0.043 × σ) was achieved using full solution (FS), S1 inversion algorithm, and a damping factor (λ) of 0.6 that had a large coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.84). A cross-validation technique was used to validate the model, and given the high accuracy (RMSE = 8.31 dS m−1), small bias (mean error = −0.0628 dS m−1), large R2 = 0.82, and Lin's concordance (0.93), between measured and predicted ECe, we were well able to predict the ECe distribution at all the four depths. However, the predictions made in the topsoil (0–0.3 m) at a few locations were poor due to limited data availability in areas where ECa changed rapidly. In this regard, improvements in prediction can be achieved by collection of ECa in more closely spaced transects, particularly in areas where ECa varies over short spatial scales. Also, equivalent results can be achieved using smaller combinations of ECa data (i.e., DAULEM-1S, DUALEM-2S), although with some loss in precision, bias, and concordance

Topical phenylbutyrate antagonizes NF-κB signaling and resolves corneal inflammation

Chronic inflammation of the immune privileged cornea originating from viral or nonviral conditions results in significant vision loss. Topical corticosteroids are the common treatments for corneal inflammation, but the drugs cause serious and potentially blinding side effects in the long term. Therefore, new standalone and/or synergistic anti-inflammatory therapies with lower side effects are desperately needed. Here, we show that the aromatic fatty acid phenylbutyrate (PBA) acts as a potent inhibitor of inflammation in preclinical ocular-inflammation models. PBA prevents the transcription as well as translation of pro-inflammatory cytokines by LPS and poly(I:C) via persistent inhibition of NF-κB signaling. PBA quickens the resolution of ocular inflammation in mice by decreasing corneal thickness and immune cell infiltration. More importantly, PBA can synergize with the dexamethasone to antagonize NF-κB signaling at lower drug concentrations. Our results demonstrate that PBA therapy exerts previously unreported anti-inflammatory effects in the eye and facilitates corneal healing during persistent inflammation. © 2022 The AuthorsOpen access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

Reducing time to angiography and hospital stay for patients with high-risk non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome: retrospective analysis of a paramedic-activated direct access pathway

Objective: To assess whether a novel ‘direct access pathway’ (DAP) for the management of high-risk nonST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTEACS) is safe, results in ‘shorter time to intervention and shorter admission times’. This pathway was developed locally to enable London Ambulance Service to rapidly transfer suspected high-risk NSTEACS from the community to our regional heart attack centre for consideration of early angiography. Methods: This is a retrospective case–control analysis of 289 patients comparing patients with high-risk NSTEACS admitted via DAP with age-matched controls from the standard pan-London high-risk ACS pathway (PLP) and the conventional pathway (CP). The primary end point of the study was time from admission to coronary angiography/intervention. Secondary end point was total length of hospital stay. Results: Over a period of 43 months, 101 patients were admitted by DAP, 109 matched patients by PLP and 79 matched patients through CP. Median times from admission to coronary angiography for DAP, PLP and CP were 2.8 (1.5–9), 16.6 (6–50) and 60 (33–116) hours, respectively ( p<0.001). Median length of hospital stay for DAP and PLP was similar at 3.0 (2.0–5.0) days in comparison to 5 (3–7) days for CP ( p<0.001). Conclusions: DAP resulted in a significant reduction in time to angiography for patients with high-risk NSTEACS when compared to existing pathways. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/6/6/e010428.full.pdf This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-01042

Duodenal Adenocarcinoma in a Patient with Partial Intestinal Malrotation

Background: Small bowel cancers, specifically duodenal cancer, occur at very low rates but require aggressive surgical resection when diagnosed. An even rarer finding is the presence of intestinal malrotation. Case Presentation: We present the unique case of a patient with both duodenal cancer and partial intestinal malrotation undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy. We discuss the challenges faced and techniques used to successfully perform a surgical resection in this circumstance. Conclusion: Understanding of intestinal malrotation and review of the imaging is crucial in preparing for a resection of a duodenal tumor in a patient with this condition

GRAHP TOP model for supplier selection in Supply Chain: A hybrid MCDM approach

Decision makers of various disciplines are facing challenges because of vast availability of options in the real world. Even though each and every decision made by a decision maker is being done with a great knowledge and conscience, the decision maker needs suitable support to choose the most favorable option to acquire great results in an agile environment. Supplier selection is imperative for an efficient supply chain management. Many industries are in need of effective decision making tools which aids them in valuable supplier selection. This paper proposes a model using Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) tools viz., Grey Relational Analysis (GRA), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). GRA is used to shortlist the criteria from the available options, while AHP is used to assign weights to the criteria. The final supplier in the selection process is obtained using TOPSIS. The proposed GRA-AHP-TOPSIS model (GRAHP TOP) is used to analyze and formulate the important criteria and the applicability of the model is tested on a case of a small scale industry located in South India