8 research outputs found
Design of Soft, Modular Appendages for a Bio-inspired Multi-Legged Terrestrial Robot
Soft robots have the ability to adapt to their environment, which makes them
suitable for use in disaster areas and agricultural fields, where their
mobility is constrained by complex terrain. One of the main challenges in
developing soft terrestrial robots is that the robot must be soft enough to
adapt to its environment, but also rigid enough to exert the required force on
the ground to locomote. In this paper, we report a pneumatically driven, soft
modular appendage made of silicone for a terrestrial robot capable of
generating specific mechanical movement to locomote and transport loads in the
desired direction. This two-segmented soft appendage uses actuation in between
the joint and the lower segment of the appendage to ensure adequate rigidity to
exert the required force to locomote. A prototype of a soft-rigid-bodied
tethered physical robot was developed and two sets of experiments were carried
out in both air and underwater environments to assess its performance. The
experimental results address the effectiveness of the soft appendage to
generate adequate force to navigate through various environments and our design
method offers a simple, low-cost, and efficient way to develop terradynamically
capable soft appendages that can be used in a variety of locomotion
applications
Forests for the New Millennium - MAKING FORESTS WORK FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE
THE WAYS IN WHICH FORESTS ARE PERCEIVED AND USED HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY OVER RECENT YEARS. FORESTS ARE NO LONGER SEEN SIMPLY AS A SOURCE OF TIMBER, BUT AS COMPLEX ECOSYSTEMS WHICH SUSTAIN LIVELIHOODS AND PROVIDE A RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES. IT IS NOW WIDELY RECOGNISED THAT FORESTS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION.Forest, economics, livelihoods
Des ForĂȘts pour le Nouveau MillĂ©naire - DES FORĂTS Ă GĂRER DANS LâINTĂRĂT DES GENS ET DE LA NATURE
LA FAĂON DONT LES FORĂTS SONT PERĂUES ET LEURS UTILISATIONS ONT BEAUCOUP CHANGĂ AU COURS DES DERNIĂRES ANNĂES. LES FORĂTS NE SONT PLUS CONSIDĂRĂES COMME ĂTANT UNIQUEMENT DES SOURCES DE BOIS MAIS DES ĂCOSYSTĂMES COMPLEXES QUI PERMETTENT Ă DES COMMUNAUTĂS DE SE DĂVELOPPER ET OFFRENT TOUTE UNE GAMME DE PRODUITS ET DE SERVICES ENVIRONNEMENTAUX. ON RECONNAĂT AUJOURDâHUI QUE LES FORĂTS PEUVENT CONTRIBUER AU DĂVELOPPEMENT RURAL ET Ă LA LUTTE CONTRE LA PAUVRETĂ.ForĂȘt, Ă©conomie
Bosques para el Nuevo Milenio - BOSQUES QUE BENEFICIEN A LA GENTE Y SUSTENTEN LA NATURALEZA
LAS MANERAS DE PERCIBIR Y USAR LOS BOSQUES HAN CAMBIADO DRAMĂTICAMENTE DURANTE LOS ĂLTIMOS AĂOS. YA NO SE CONSIDERA MĂS A LOS BOSQUES SĂLO COMO UNA FUENTE DE MADERA, SINO COMO ECOSISTEMAS COMPLEJOS QUE SUSTENTAN LAS FORMAS DE VIDA HUMANA Y SUMINISTRAN UNA GAMA DE PRODUCTOS Y SERVICIOS AMBIENTALES. AHORA ES AMPLIAMENTE RECONOCIDO QUE LOS BOSQUES PUEDEN CONTRIBUIR AL DESARROLLO RURAL Y AYUDAN A ALIVIAR LA POBREZA.Forest, economics, livelihoods
Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease
Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1ÎČ, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1ÎČ innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.
Antiinflammatory therapy with canakinumab for atherosclerotic disease
BACKGROUND: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1ÎČ, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P=0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P=0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P=0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P=0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P=0.31). CONCLUSIONS: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1ÎČ innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. Copyright © 2017 Massachusetts Medical Society