A Vacuum-driven Origami “Magic-ball” Soft Gripper

Soft robotics has yielded numerous examples of soft grippers that utilize compliance to achieve impressive grasping performances with great simplicity, adaptability, and robustness. Designing soft grippers with substantial grasping strength while remaining compliant and gentle is one of the most important challenges in this field. In this paper, we present a light-weight, vacuum-driven soft robotic gripper made of an origami “magic-ball” and a flexible thin membrane. We also describe the design and fabrication method to rapidly manufacture the gripper with different combinations of lowcost materials for diverse applications. Grasping experiments demonstrate that our gripper can lift a large variety of objects, including delicate foods, heavy bottles, and other miscellaneous items. The grasp force on 3D-printed objects is also characterized through mechanical load tests. The results reveal that our soft gripper can produce significant grasp force on various shapes using negative pneumatic pressure (vacuum). This new gripper holds the potential for many practical applications that require safe, strong, and simple graspingUnited States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (award number FA8650-15-C-7548)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (award number 1830901)Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired EngineeringJD.co

Female Sex and Gender in Lung/Sleep Health and Disease. Increased Understanding of Basic Biological, Pathophysiological, and Behavioral Mechanisms Leading to Better Health for Female Patients with Lung Disease

Female sex/gender is an undercharacterized variable in studies related to lung development and disease. Notwithstanding, many aspects of lung and sleep biology and pathobiology are impacted by female sex and female reproductive transitions. These may manifest as differential gene expression or peculiar organ development. Some conditions are more prevalent in women, such as asthma and insomnia, or, in the case of lymphangioleiomyomatosis, are seen almost exclusively in women. In other diseases, presentation differs, such as the higher frequency of exacerbations experienced by women with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or greater cardiac morbidity among women with sleep-disordered breathing. Recent advances in -omics and behavioral science provide an opportunity to specifically address sex-based differences and explore research needs and opportunities that will elucidate biochemical pathways, thus enabling more targeted/personalized therapies. To explore the status of and opportunities for research in this area, the NHLBI, in partnership with the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health and the Office of Rare Diseases Research, convened a workshop of investigators in Bethesda, Maryland on September 18 and 19, 2017. At the workshop, the participants reviewed the current understanding of the biological, behavioral, and clinical implications of female sex and gender on lung and sleep health and disease, and formulated recommendations that address research gaps, with a view to achieving better health outcomes through more precise management of female patients with nonneoplastic lung disease. This report summarizes those discussions

Design of a two-stage multi-state experimental biogas reactor

Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, May, 2020Cataloged from the official PDF of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 23-25).Anaerobic digestion is a process that breaks down waste and other feed materials and produces biogas. A biogas reactor, or anaerobic digester, is designed to conduct anaerobic digestion in a closed environment and to collect the produced biogas. This is an important field of study because biogas is a renewable energy source. If it can be produced more efficiently, it may become a feasible alternative source of green energy. This thesis outlines the design of a lab-scale experimental reactor with a large range of functionality. The design permits many different environmental conditions, allowing anaerobic digestion to be thoroughly studied with one setup.by John J. Stampfli.S.B.S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineerin

Particle Petrogenesis and Speciation of Elements in MSW Incineration Bottom Ashes

The speciation of elements in municipal solids waste incineration bottom ash is important with respect to its impact on leaching behavior and to its treatment for utilization or disposal. We used a variety of techniques to identify the speciation of major, minor and trace elements in both intact bottom ash particles as well as bottom ash powders. Petrography and scanning electron microscopy/x-ray microanalysis (SEM/XRM) were used to classify intact particles and identify ash particle petrogenic sequences. Two distinct features were seen. Particles are comprised of about 15% of materials present in the MSW waste feed to the incinerator. The remaining portion of the particle (85%) is melt structure. A typical particle contains waste glass (10%) waste soil minerals such as pyroxenes, SiO2 (quartz), and feldspars (2%), waste metals and metal alloys (2%), and waste organics (1%). Particles are also comprised of slag or melt products, derived from the MSW feed material, that include opaque glass (25%), isotropic glass (20%), schlieren (10%), and spinel-group minerals (magnetite, hercynite, chromite) (10%) and melilite group minerals such as CajAljSiO2 (gehlenite) and MgCa2Si267 (akermanite) (20%) which precipitated out of the melt as it cooled. The paragenic sequence is similar to that described for melelite-bearing, igneous rock systems. The system can best be described petrogenically using the CaO-MgO-AljOj-SiOj-NajO-FeO (CMASNF) system. The melt structure was formed at about 1,200°C. Thermodynamically incompatible phases are present in the ash, making it reactive to aging (oxidation, hydrolysis), weathering, and diagenesis. Increasing the silicon content of the ash could result in the formation of more geochemically stable phases. The residue was ground into powders less than 300 μm in size. Magnetic and density separations were performed to segregate powders for further analysis. The residue is comprised of approximate equal fractions of magnetic, high density; non-magnetic, low density; and non-magnetic, high density material. Isodynamic separation of the non-magnetic fraction was also effective in separating minerals. SEM/XRM of powders fractions in thin section was particularly effective in identifying major minerals in identifiable mineral structures as well as minerals associated with hot spots of minor and trace elements. These minerals include many pyroxenes, quartz, feldspars, and melilite-group minerals as well as many spinels. Lead appears to largely be incorporated in complex silicate melt structures. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) confirmed the presence of minerals seen by petrography and SEM/XRM. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of powder surfaces also documented the presence of many of these minerals. A number of oxides and carbonates were also seen with XPS, reflecting the role of O2(g) and CO2(g) in altering the speciation of the particle exterior surface. XPS is particularly well suited for identifying phases associated with leaching at this surface. Solid phases controlling leaching, as determined with the geochemical thermodynamic code MINTEQA2, are not always the same as ones observed with the above mentioned methods. The role of mineral respeciation and diagenesis in controlling leaching is highlighted. The use of such models in predicting leaching behavior is discussed

Interleukin-10 promoter polymorphisms and atopic asthma in North Indians

Background: IL-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine primarily produced by monocytes and macrophages and plays a key role in asthma. IL10 gene, present in chromosome 1q31-q32, is regulated primarily by transcription and its expression is found to be lower in asthmatics. Earlier studies in diverse populations have identified several promoter polymorphisms. However, no study has been carried out in a genetically untapped large population from the Indian Subcontinent. Objective: To investigate the association of the IL10 promoter polymorphisms and asthma in the North Indian population. Methods: The association study was conducted in a case-control as well as in a family-based design. Polymorphism at -1082 A/G, -819 C/T and -592 C/A nucleotides were genotyped in ethnically matched unrelated patients (N=272), unrelated controls (N=307) and nuclear families (N=164). Results: A suggestive evidence of association was obtained for -1082 A/G polymorphism at the level of alleles and genotypes with asthma in the case-control study (P=0.03). A three-locus haplotype (ATA) was found to be more in asthmatics than in control individuals (P=0.0085). On the other hand, a novel haplotype ATC was found to be more in controls than in asthmatics (P=0.012). These results were further tested in a family-based study. A deviation of transmission was observed for the -1082 A/G polymorphism (P=0.003). The ATA haplotype showed a preferential transmission in asthmatics (P=0.03), while the GCC and a novel ATC haplotype showed preferential non-transmission in asthmatic individuals (P=0.03 and 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: Using both case-control and family studies, we provide suggestive evidence that the ATA haplotype is positively, whereas GCC and a novel ATC haplotypes of IL10 gene are negatively associated with asthma in Indian population. Our results are interesting enough as to intensify further research to elucidate the functional significance of these single-nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes in asthma pathogenesis

ICOS is essential for effective T-helper-cell responses

The outcome of T-cell responses after T-cell encounter with specific antigens is modulated by co-stimulatory signals, which are required for both lymphocyte activation and development of adaptive immunity1-3. ICOS4,5, an inducible co-stimulator with homology to CD28, is expressed on activated, but not resting T cells, and shows T-cell co-stimulatory function in vitro. ICOS binds specifically to its counter-receptor B7RP-1 (refs 5-7), but not to B7-1 or B7-2. Here we provide in vivo genetic evidence that ICOS delivers a co-stimulatory signal that is essential both for efficient interaction between T and B cells and for normal antibody responses to T-cell-dependent antigens. To determine the physiological function of ICOS, we generated and characterized gene-targeted ICOS-deficient mice. In vivo, a lack of ICOS results in severely deficient T-cell-dependent B-cell responses. Germinal centre formation is impaired and immunoglobulin class switching, including production of allergy-mediating IgE, is defective. ICOS-deficient T cells primed in in vivo and restimulated in vitro with specific antigen produce only low levels of interleukin-4, but remain fully competent to produce interferon-γ.link_to_subscribed_fulltex