Parametric excitation-based inverse bending gait generation

In a gait generation method based on the parametric excitation principle, appropriate motion of the center of mass restores kinetic energy lost by heel strike. The motion is realized by bending and stretching a swing-leg regardless of bending direction. In this paper, we first show that inverse bending restores more mechanical energy than forward bending, and then propose a parametric excitation-based inverse bending gait for a kneed biped robot, which improves gait efficiency of parametric excitation walking

K+-Cl- Cotransporter-3a Up-regulates Na+,K+-ATPase in Lipid Rafts of Gastric Luminal Parietal Cells*

Gastric parietal cells migrate from the luminal to the basal region of the gland and they gradually lose acid secretory activity. So far, distribution and function of K+-Clcotransporters (KCCs) in gastric parietal cells have not been reported. We found that KCC3a but not KCC3b mRNA was highly expressed and KCC3a protein was predominantly expressed in the basolateral membrane of rat gastric parietal cells located in the luminal region of the glands. KCC3a and Na+,K+-ATPase α1-subunit (α1NaK) were co-immunoprecipitated and both of them were highly localized in a lipid raft fraction. The ouabain-sensitive K+-dependent ATP-hydrolyzing activity (Na+,K+-ATPase activity) was significantly inhibited by a KCC inhibitor (DIOA). The stable exogenous expression of KCC3a in LLC-PK1 cells resulted in association of KCC3a with endogenous α1NaK and it recruited α1NaK in lipid rafts, accompanying increases of Na+,K+-ATPase activity and ouabain-sensitive Na+ transport activity which were suppressed by DIOA, while the total expression level of α1NaK in the cells was not significantly altered. On the other hand, the expression of KCC4 induced no association with α1NaK. In conclusion, KCC3a forms a functional complex with α1NaK in the basolateral membrane of luminal parietal cells and it up-regulates α1NaK in lipid rafts, while KCC3a is absent in basal parietal cells

Microflora and Selected Metabolites of Potato Pulp Fermented with an Indonesian Starter Ragi Tapé

When potato pulp was mixed with Indonesian starter ragi tapé and incubated, both lactic acid and ethanol were gradually formed and attained certain concentrations during 2 days of fermentation. Viable counts of fungi in fresh weight matter, yeasts and lactic acid bacteria after fermentation were 105, 107 and 105 CFU/g, respectively. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of the PCR-amplified internal transcribed spacer of 18S–28S rRNA genes detected Amylomyces rouxii-Rhizopus oryzae, Mucor indicus, Candida tropicalis and Saccharomycopsis fibuligera and revealed that Amylomyces rouxii-Rhizopus oryzae dominated throughout the fermentation period. Amylomyces rouxii cannot be discriminated from the lactic acid-accumulating group of Rhizopus oryzae because the amplified sequences of these fungi were shown to be identical. Morphological characteristics were then studied for Rhizopus-like fungi isolated from fermented potato pulp. Those strains that had produced an enormous number of chlamydospores in the aerial and substrate mycelium were identified as Amylomyces rouxii. The microflora of fermented potato pulp was similar to that made from glutinous rice, namely tapé ketan