On the Use of Large Area Tactile Feedback for Contact Data Processing and Robot Control

The progress in microelectronics and embedded systems has recently enabled the realization of devices for robots functionally similar to the human skin, providing large area tactile feedback over the whole robot body. The availability of such kind of systems, commonly referred to as extit{robot skins}, makes possible to measure the contact pressure distribution applied on the robot body over an arbitrary area. Large area tactile systems open new scenarios on contact processing, both for control and cognitive level processing, enabling the interpretation of physical contacts. The contents proposed in this thesis address these topics by proposing techniques exploiting large area tactile feedback for: (i) contact data processing and classification; (ii) robot control

Relations between convergence rates in Schatten p-norms

In quantum estimation theory and quantum tomography, the quantum state obtained by sampling converges to the `true' unknown density matrix under topologies that are different from the natural notion of distance in the space of quantum states, i.e. the trace class norm. In this paper, we address such problem, finding relations between the rates of convergence in the Schatten $p$-norms and in the trace class norm

Quantum Homodyne Tomography as an Informationally Complete Positive Operator Valued Measure

We define a positive operator valued measure $E$ on $[0,2\pi]\times R$ describing the measurement of randomly sampled quadratures in quantum homodyne tomography, and we study its probabilistic properties. Moreover, we give a mathematical analysis of the relation between the description of a state in terms of $E$ and the description provided by its Wigner transform.Comment: 9 page

Acute conversion of patient-derived Duchenne muscular dystrophy iPSC into myotubes reveals constitutive and inducible over-activation of TGFβ-dependent pro-fibrotic signaling

Background In Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), DYSTROPHIN deficiency exposes myofibers to repeated cycles of contraction/degeneration, ultimately leading to muscle loss and replacement by fibrotic tissue. DMD pathology is typically exacerbated by excessive secretion of TGFβ and consequent accumulation of pro-fibrotic components of the extra-cellular matrix (ECM), which in turn impairs compensatory regeneration and complicates the efficacy of therapeutic strategies. It is currently unclear whether DMD skeletal muscle fibers directly contribute to excessive activation of TGFβ. Development of skeletal myofibers from DMD patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), as an “in dish” model of disease, can be exploited to determine the myofiber contribution to pathogenic TGFβ signaling in DMD and might provide a screening platform for the identification of anti-fibrotic interventions in DMD. Methods We describe a rapid and efficient method for the generation of contractile human skeletal muscle cells from DMD patient-derived hiPSC, based on the inducible expression of MyoD and BAF60C (encoded by SMARCD3 gene), using an enhanced version of piggyBac (epB) transposone vectors. DMD iPSC-derived myotubes were tested as an “in dish” disease model and exposed to environmental and mechanical cues that recapitulate salient pathological features of DMD. Results We show that DMD iPSC-derived myotubes exhibit a constitutive activation of TGFβ-SMAD2/3 signaling. High-content screening (HCS)-based quantification of nuclear phosphorylated SMAD2/3 signal revealed that DMD iPSC-derived myotubes also exhibit increased activation of the TGFβ-SMAD2/3 signaling following exposure to either recombinant TGFβ or electrical pacing-induced contraction. Conclusions Acute conversion of DMD patient-derived iPSC into skeletal muscles, by the ectopic expression of MyoD and BAF60C, provides a rapid and reliable protocol for an “in dish” DMD model that recapitulates key pathogenic features of disease pathology, such as the constitutive activation of the TGFβ/SMAD signaling as well as the deregulated response to pathogenic stimuli, e.g., ECM-derived signals or mechanical cues. Thus, this model is suitable for the identification of new therapeutic targets in DMD patient-specific muscles

Contributions of the Simplified Competency Management Model to a Municipal Health Secretariat

Objetivo: apresentar as contribuições do Modelo Simplificado de Gestão por Competências em uma secretaria municipal de saúde. Método: pesquisa de métodos mistos integrados do tipo exploratório-descritivo. Aplicou-se o modelo em município sul-brasileiro, nas etapas documental, questionário, mapeamento de lacunas e proposta educacional. Resultados: na primeira etapa, após levantamento documental, foram descritas 14 competências essenciais gerais e escolhido um questionário com competências essenciais específicas, sendo realizada confirmação de correlação entre elas; na segunda, obteve-se o grau de importância das competências e o grau de expressão da competência no trabalho, após preenchimento dos questionários por 74 gestores da saúde pública municipal; na terceira, adotou-se fórmula para o grau de prioridade de capacitação e sua classificação; a quarta etapa apresentou proposta educacional para o desenvolvimento de uma das competências com maior grau de prioridade. Conclusão: o modelo traz contribuições pela descrição de competências essenciais gerais, após levantamento documental, pela realização da correlação entre um questionário contendo competências essenciais específicas com as competências essenciais gerais, pelo mapeamento de lacunas e pela proposta de trilhas de aprendizagem para o desenvolvimento de competências.Objective: to present the contributions of the Simplified Competency Management Model in a municipal health secretariat. Method: research of integrated mixed methods of exploratory-descriptive type. The model was applied in a southern Brazilian city, in the following stages: documentary, questionnaire, mapping of gaps and educational proposal. Results: in the first stage, after documentary research, a total of 14 general core competences were described and a questionnaire with specific core competences was chosen, with confirmation of correlation among them; in the second stage, the importance and expression competence at work degrees were obtained, after the questionnaires were filled out by 74 municipal public health managers; in the third one, a formula was adopted for the training priority degree and its classification; the fourth stage presented an educational proposal for the development of one of the competences with the highest priority degree. Conclusion: the model brings contributions by describing general core competences, after documentary research; carrying out the correlation between a questionnaire, containing specific core competences with the general ones; by mapping gaps; and by the proposal of learning trails for the development of competences.Objetivo: presentar los aportes del Modelo Simplificado de Gestión por Competencias en una secretaría municipal de salud. Método: investigación de métodos mixtos integrados de tipo exploratorio-descriptivo. El modelo se aplicó en un municipio de la región Sur de Brasil, en las etapas: documental, cuestionario, mapeo de brechas y propuesta educativa. Resultados: en la primera etapa, después de un examen documental, se describieron 14 competencias esenciales generales y se eligió un cuestionario con las competencias esenciales específicas, con la confirmación de la correlación entre ellas; en la segunda, se obtuvo el grado de importancia de las competencias y el grado de expresión de la competencia en el trabajo, después de que los cuestionarios fueron rellenados por 74 gerentes municipales de salud pública; en la tercera, se adoptó una fórmula para el grado de prioridad de capacitación y su clasificación; la cuarta etapa presentó una propuesta educativa para el desarrollo de una de las competencias con mayor grado de prioridad. Conclusión: el modelo trae aportes por la descripción de las competencias esenciales generales, después del examen documental, por la correlación entre un cuestionario que contiene las competencias esenciales específicas con las competencias esenciales generales, por el mapeo de brechas y por la propuesta de itinerarios de aprendizaje para el desarrollo de competencias

Open-aqueduct LOVA, LIAS, iNPH: a comparative clinical-radiological study exploring the "grey zone" between different forms of chronic adulthood hydrocephalus

The definition of chronic adult hydrocephalus encompasses different pathological entities with overlapping characteristics, including long-standing overt ventriculomegaly in adults (LOVA), late-onset idiopathic aqueductal stenosis (LIAS) and idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH). The aim of our study was to identify preoperative clinical and radiological features peculiar of these diseases providing some pathophysiology inferences on these forms of hydrocephalus

Nonuniqueness of phase retrieval for three fractional Fourier transforms

We prove that, regardless of the choice of the angles $\theta_1,\theta_2,\theta_3$, three fractional Fourier transforms $F_{\theta_1}$, $F_{\theta_2}$ and $F_{\theta_3}$ do not solve the phase retrieval problem. That is, there do not exist three angles $\theta_1$, $\theta_2$, $\theta_3$ such that any signal $\psi\in L^2(R)$ could be determined up to a constant phase by knowing only the three intensities $|F_{\theta_1}\psi|^2$, $|F_{\theta_2}\psi|^2$ and $|F_{\theta_3}\psi|^2$. This provides a negative argument against a recent speculation by P. Jaming, who stated that three suitably chosen fractional Fourier transforms are good candidates for phase retrieval in infinite dimension. We recast the question in the language of quantum mechanics, where our result shows that any fixed triple of rotated quadrature observables $Q_{\theta_1}$, $Q_{\theta_2}$ and $Q_{\theta_3}$ is not enough to determine all unknown pure quantum states. The sufficiency of four rotated quadrature observables, or equivalently fractional Fourier transforms, remains an open question

Tat-human immunodeficiency virus-1 induces human monocyte chemotaxis by activation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1.

Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) Tat protein can be released by infected cells and activates mesenchymal cells. Among these, monocytes respond to Tat by migrating into tissues and releasing inflammatory mediators. In the present study, we have examined the molecular mechanism of monocyte activation by Tat, showing that this viral protein signals inside the cells through the tyrosine kinase receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor encoded by fms-like tyrosine kinase gene (VEGFR-1/Flt-1). Subnanomolar concentrations of Tat induced monocyte chemotaxis, which was inhibited by cell preincubation with vascular-endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A). This desensitisation was specific for VEGF-A, because it not was observed with FMLP. In addition, the soluble form of VEGFR-1 specifically inhibited polarization and migration induced by Tat and VEGF-A, thus confirming the common use of this receptor. Binding studies performed at equilibrium by using radiolabeled Tat showed that monocytes expressed a unique class of binding site, with a kd of approximately 0.2 nmol/L. The binding of radiolabeled Tat to monocyte surface and the cross-linking to a protein of 150 kD was inhibited specifically by an excess of cold Tat or VEGF-A. Western blot analysis with an antibody anti-VEGFR-1/Flt-1 performed on monocyte phosphoproteins immunoprecipitated by an monoclonal antibody anti-phosphotyrosine showed that Tat induced a rapid phosphorylation in tyrosine residue of the 150-kD VEGFR-1/Flt-1. Taken together, these results suggest that biologic activities of HIV-1 Tat in human monocytes may, at least in part, be elicited by activation of VEGFR-1/Flt-1