Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Walking Robots and the W Prize [Industry/Research News]

R obots have been demonstrated to walk, crawl, or climb on uneven terrain. But legs and other features that might help to negotiate stairs or stepping stones come at a disadvantage: They rarely compete well with wheels for moving economically on smooth ground. While no obvious principles generally require that economy be traded for agility, the prospective robot designer faces many challenges in combining the two in a single machine. These challenges have been made explicit by the announcement of an award—the W Prize (see Figure 1)—to the first robot able to cross a specified obstacle course with both speed and efi-ciency. Prize author Tad McGeer aims to spur new innovations in robotics and control with this challenge. The challenge was borne out of the experiences of McGeer and others in designing dynamic walking machines.With these machines, walking gaits emerge automatically from the passive, pendulum-like dynamics of the legs. McGeer, inspired by chil-dren's toys of a century before, demonstrated a machine that could walk down a gentle slope with no external control or actuation (McGeer, 1990). With proper design, stability can be achieved through dynamics rather than control. These concepts carry over to more recent, actively-powered machines that walk on the level with unprecedented economy (Collins et al., 2005). Here, minimal actuation aids economy, but also leads to shortcomings in robustness. Existing machines topple easily even from the slightest of perturbations. Active control will prove necessary for robust stability. The W Prize challenge requires this robustness while retaining and even improving on economy. The eventual winner need not dynamically walk nor even have legs, but it will certainly outperform today's state of the art. The W Prize is but one of the developments guided by dynamic walking. It has become a small research community of its own, cutting across disciplines such as nonlinear dynamics , computer science, biomechanics, and even physiology. The latter interest stems from findings that humans harness passive limb dynamics (e.g. Kuo et al., 2005), sharing many of the benefits gained by the walking machines. The W Prize was announced at the First International Dynamic Walking Workshop , held in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA from 4–8 May 2006. There, more than 170 participants from five continents presented not only locomoting robots, but theoretical control algorithms, dynamical principles, and applications to human rehabilitation, including prosthetics and orthotics. They also outlined unsolved problems, many centering on designing for stability …
The effect of lycopene and vitamin E on growth performance, quality and oxidative stability of chicken leg meat

A 2 × 3 factorial design experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of adding lycopene (0 and 75 mg/kg) and vitamin E (0.50 and 100 mg/kg) to the diet of chickens. Moreover, the study investigated growth traits, oxidative stability and chemical composition of leg meat and the vitamin content of meat and liver. The study was conducted using five hundred and forty Ross 308 male broilers that were assigned to one of the six dietary treatments. Significant interactions between lycopene and vitamin E additions affected the body weight of 21-days-old chickens (P = 0.005), the malondialdehyde content in fresh leg meat (P < 0.001) and leg meat stored for 3 days at temperatures of 2.5 to 4°C (P = 0.032), the cholesterol content in leg meat (P < 0.001) and the lycopene content in liver (P = 0.006). The chickens with the highest body weight were fed 75 mg/kg of lycopene and 50 mg/kg of vitamin E. The vitamin E supplement increased the oxida- tive stability of fresh and stored leg muscle (P < 0.001). The lowest mean cholesterol value (3.49 g/kg of dry matter) was found out in the meat from broilers that were fed 75 mg/kg of lycopene in contrast to broilers fed the control treatment without lycopene (3.93 g/kg of dry matter). Dietary vitamin E significantly reduced the fat content (P = 0.033) and increased the ash content of leg meat. The highest lycopene concentration in liver (2.82 mg/kg of dry matter) was in chickens that were fed the highest levels of vitamin E and lycopene in contrast with the control group (0.28 mg/kg of dry matter).
Adenoviral E 1 A modulates inflammatory mediator expression by lung epithelial cells exposed to PM 10

Fujii, Takeshi, James C. Hogg, Naoto Keicho, Renaud Vincent, Stephan F. van Eeden, and Shizu Hayashi. Adenoviral E1A modulates inflammatory mediator expression by lung epithelial cells exposed to PM10. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 284: L290–L297, 2003. First published October 18, 2002; 10.1152/ajplung.00197. 2002. —We examined the hypothesis that ambient particulate matter with a diameter of 10 m (PM10)-induced lung inflammation is amplified by latent adenovirus infection. Inflammatory mediator expression in response to PM10 exposure was compared between adenovirus E1A-transfected A549 alveolar epithelial cells and cells transfected with control plasmid. Messenger RNA was measured by the RNase protection assay and protein by ELISA or immunocytochemistry. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and IL-8 mRNA and protein were increased in E1A-positive cells exposed to 500 g/ml PM10. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA and protein were unchanged in E1A-positive cells but increased in E1A-negative cells after 100 and 500 g/ml PM10 exposure. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays showed increased NFB and decreased specificity protein 1 nuclear binding in E1A-positive cells exposed to PM10. These results indicate that E1A modulates cytokine and adhesion molecule expression in epithelial cells in a manner that could amplify PM10induced lung inflammation. We suggest that this amplified inflammatory response may contribute to the pathogenesis of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease associated with exposure to particulate matter air pollution.
Cell-homologous genes in the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated rhadinovirus human herpesvirus 8: determinants of its pathogenicity?

The epidemiology of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) among patients with AIDS has suggested that a sexually transmitted infectious agent other than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) must be involved in its pathogenesis. KS is about 20,000 times more common in patients with AIDS than in the general population of the United States, and other immunosuppressed groups develop KS approximately 600 times more frequently than the healthy population. During the first decade of the AIDS epidemic, about 20% of homosexual and bisexual patients developed KS, in contrast to about 1% of men with hemophilia. Women were more likely to have KS if their partners were bisexual rather than parenterally infected men (4). This led to a broad search by PCR in patients with KS for the presence of viruses known to affect humans, such as cytomegalovirus (53, 57), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) (29), and BK virus (43). Some of these viruses were found frequently in KS biopsy specimens, but none of them was consistently present (25, 30). A new era of KS research began when Y. Chang, P. S. Moore, and their colleagues (14) detected by representational difference analysis (35) two short DNA fragments from a herpesvirus that was distinct from all previously known herpesviruses. Remarkably, more than 90% of KS tissues obtained from patients with AIDS contained the virus. The viral sequences were not present in biopsy specimens from patients without AIDS but were found in 15% of non-KS tissue DNA from patients with AIDS. The new virus, tentatively termed KS-associated herpesvirus or HHV-8, was soon found to be common in all epidemiological forms of KS (24). Viral DNA is consistently present in AIDS-associated KS lesions (1, 36) and in the vast majority of classical European-Mediterranean KS lesions (1, 18), while it is far less frequent in uninvolved skin of patients with KS and in the various biopsy specimens from Caucasian patients without KS and HIV. AIDS-associated African KS specimens (92%) and non-AIDS-associated KS lesions in Uganda (85%) had the virus (16). Based on PCR, the prevalence of HHV-8 appeared to be high in the general population in Uganda, while searches in non-KS tumors and in normal tissues showed that the virus is rarely detectable in Caucasians. While some lymphomas carry other herpesviruses, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and HHV-6 (22), those specimens did not contain HHV-8 DNA. However, one type of lymphoid tumor, the AIDS-associated body cavity-based lymphoma (BCBL), was positive for HHV-8 DNA by PCR and Southern
Health Insurance Coverage-Enrollment and Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization

Most studies have concluded that good prenatal care plays an essential role in improving birth outcomes, and numerous reports have documented barriers to adequate prenatal care. The relationship between health care insurance eligibility and enrollment procedures and adequacy of prenatal care, however, has not been suitably investigated. This study used data from a statewide representative sample of recently delivered women in South Carolina to assess (1) patterns of health care insurance source and (2) the independent effects of Medicaid enrollment and application procedures on receipt of prenatal care. Health insurance during pregnancy varied by sociodemographic characteristics. Black women's experiences with Medicaid enrollment and application procedures were associated with less than adequate prenatal care. Programmatic efforts and policies should emphasize further improvement in the systems of health care access and delivery to disadvantaged women.
RhoA and ROCK Promote Migration by Limiting Membrane Protrusions*

Previously, we and others have shown that RhoA and ROCK signaling are required for negatively regulating integrin-mediated adhesion and for tail retraction of migrating leukocytes. This study continues our investigation into the molecular mechanisms underlying RhoA/ROCK-regulated integrin adhesion. We show that inhibition of ROCK up-regulates integrin-mediated adhesion, which is accompanied by both increased phosphotyrosine signaling through Pyk-2 and paxillin and inappropriate membrane protrusions. We provide evidence that inhibition of ROCK induces integrin adhesion by promoting remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Furthermore, we find that ROCK regulates membrane activity through a pathway involving cofilin. Inhibition of RhoA signaling allows the formation of multiple competing lamellipodia that disrupt productive migration of monocytes. Together, our results show that RhoA/ROCK signaling promotes migration by restricting integrin activity and membrane protrusions to the leading edge.
Kainic Acid-Activated Microglia Mediate Increased Excitability of Rat Hippocampal Neurons in vitro and in vivo: Crucial Role of Interleukin-1beta

Objective: It is known that highly activated microglia and the consequent production of inflammatory cytokines were associated with neuroexcitotoxic injuries. The present study was carried out to explore whether interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a proinflammatory cytokine produced in abundance by activated microglia, mediates increased excitability of hippocampal neurons and the related molecular mechanisms. Methods: Primary cultured microglia were activated by kainic acid (KA), and the KA-treated microglial conditioned medium (KA-MCM) was collected. KA-MCM with or without anti-rat IL-1β monoclonal neutralizing antibody was then injected into the rat in the right cerebral ventricle, or primary cultured hippocampal neurons were treated with the above-mentioned KA-MCM. The population spike amplitude changes in the CA3 region were assessed by electrophysiological recording in vivo. Western blot and RT-PCR assay were performed to investigate the expression changes of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit 1 (NMDAR1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression in hippocampal neurons. Results: Primary cultured microglia were significantly activated by KA with increased IL-1β levels. Interestingly, intracerebroventricular administration of KA-MCM to rats resulted in enhancement of population spike amplitude in the CA3 region and in upregulation of NMDAR1 and iNOS expression in the hippocampus, which was partially attenuated by anti-rat IL-1β antibody. Furthermore, the changes in NMDAR1 and iNOS expression in the rat hippocampus were verified by incubation of primary cultured hippocampal neurons with KA-MCM. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that KA-activated microglia mediate increased excitability of hippocampal neurons in vitro and in vivo and that IL-1β may be one of the main causes of this event.
When Does Participatory Democracy Deepen the Quality of Democracy? Lessons from Brazil

Over the past two decades participatory institutions have been initiated throughout the developing world in order to deepen the quality of democracy. Local governments in countries as diverse as Brazil, India, Venezuela, South Africa, and Indonesia have experimented with participatory institutions to promote accountability, create active and knowledgeable citizens, and establish the conditions for achieving social justice. ) The initial body of research on participatory democracy programs has largely extolled the positive benefits of these institutions, highlighting how participatory institutions have been able to produce specific social and political advances that deepen the quality of democracy.2 According to this research, social capital is being generated, citizens are being empowered, and governments are becoming more transparent.3 Despite a rich literature on participatory institutions in democratizing countries, a coherent theoretical explanation to account for where and when these participatory experiences are likely to be successful is still lacking. Institutions as diverse as the World Bank, the United Nations, Brazil's leftist Workers' Party, and India's Communist Party currently promote the adoption of participatory institutions, which means that it is crucial to develop a generalizable theoretical framework that will better explain a wide range of outcomes. The absence of a generalizable theoretical framework to explain the divergent outcomes produced by participatory institutions has methodological and conceptual roots. Methodologically, most studies on participatory institutions are single case studies and have focused on the most successful cases.4 Although these studies have greatly advanced an understanding of how participatory institutions can deepen democracy, their theoretical findings are not generalizable because they select on the dependent variable.5 A significant conceptual problem is that civil society has received the lion's share of scholars' attention while the actions of state officials have been downplayed despite the integral role they play in these participatory processes. 61
omparison of the safety and immunogenicity of an F 59 ®-adjuvanted with a non-adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine n elderly subjects

Aim: Adjuvanted influenza vaccines can overcome the poor antibody response of conventional nonadjuvanted vaccines in the elderly. We evaluated the immunogenicity, safety and clinical effectiveness of an MF59®-adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine (aTIV) compared with a non-adjuvanted vaccine (TIV) in subjects ≥65 years old, with or without co-morbidities. Methods: In 2010–2011, subjects (N = 7082) were randomized to receive one dose of aTIV or TIV. Co-primary objectives were to assess lot-to-lot consistency of aTIV, non-inferiority, superiority and immunogenicity 22 days after vaccination. Clinical effectiveness, reactogenicity and serious adverse events were monitored up to Day 366. Results: The immunological equivalence of three lots of aTIV was demonstrated. aTIV was not only noninferior to TIV but also elicited significantly higher antibody responses at Day 22 than TIV against all homologous and heterologous strains, even in subjects with co-morbidities. Superiority was not establderly lished. Reactogenicity was higher in the aTIV group, but reactions were mild to moderate and transient. Conclusions: aTIV elicited a significantly higher antibody response than TIV, especially against A/H3N2 strains, although superiority by pre-defined criteria was not formally met. The study demonstrates potential immunological benefits of MF59-adjuvanted influenza vaccines for the elderly. This trial was registered with www.clinicaltrials. gov (NCT01162122).
Long-term use of nicotine gum is associated with hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance.

BACKGROUND Insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular risk profile were examined in 20 healthy, nonobese, middle-aged men who were long-term users of nicotine-containing chewing gum and in 20 matched control subjects who did not use nicotine. METHODS AND RESULTS Long-term use of nicotine-containing chewing gum was associated with insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. The degree of insulin sensitivity correlated negatively to the extent of nicotine use measured as plasma cotinine levels. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that nicotine is the major constituent in cigarette smoke that leads to insulin resistance, metabolic abnormalities associated with the insulin resistance syndrome, and increased cardiovascular morbidity. Thus, the use of nicotine replacement therapy during smoking cessation should be transient and limited.
Large delayed plasma creatine kinase changes after stepping exercise

Muscle changes have been examined in 16 normal subjects (eight female) after both a 20‐minute and a prolonged step test. Stepping differs from most exercise tests in that it involves eccentric contractions (negative work) in which the active muscle is lengthened. Plasma creatine kinase (CK), muscle force, contractile properties, and tenderness in the quadriceps were measured for up to 9 days after the exercise. Muscle tenderness was experienced only in the muscles that had performed eccentric contractions (i.e., stepped down). All subjects showed some early rise in CK (<400 IU/liter) but eight (both male and female) showed a much greater response (up to 34,500 IU/liter) which took a long time to reach peak levels (4–5 days after stepping). It is suggested that eccentric contractions involved in this form of exercise result in some particular form of muscle damage which, in susceptible subjects, may initiate changes giving rise to a large delayed release of muscle enzymes.
Pixel noise suppression via SoC management of tapered reset in a 1920/spl times/1080 CMOS image sensor

Correlated double sampling is widely used in imaging arrays to eliminate noise generated when a CCD's sense capacitance or a CMOS sensor's photodiode is reset after signal integration and readout. Instead, we suppress photodiode kTC noise using a SoC implementation for progressive reset; supporting SoC components include a feedback amplifier having elements distributed amongst the pixel and column buffer, a tapered reset clock waveform, and reset timing generator. The reset method does not swell pixel area, compel processing of the correlated reset and signal values, or require additional memory. Theoretical analysis is presented along with experimental results. Integrated in a 1920 by 1080 imager having 5 /spl mu/m by 5 /spl mu/m pixels in 0.25-/spl mu/m CMOS, measured random noise for 5.5-fF detector capacitance is /spl sim/8 e- to 225 MHz video rate with image lag <0.12%. Random noise of /spl sim/30 e- is otherwise predicted and achieved using conventional reset. Sensor S/N ratio with progressive readout is /spl ges/52 dB at 60 Hz and 72 Hz frame rate.
Effect of Radioiodine Therapy on Several Hematological and Immune Parameters in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma

It is also known that RAI treatment can induce an alteration in immune response to thyroid antigens in Graves’ disease (5). Thus it is also possible that thyroid antigens can be released into the circulation after destruction of thyroid cells by RAI in patients with thyroid cancer. Evidence for this comes from our previous study which showed that serum thyroid peroxidase was detectable after RAI treatment in Effect of Radioiodine Therapy on Several Hematological and Immune Parameters in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma
Elevated expression of activins promotes muscle wasting and cachexia

In models of cancer cachexia, inhibiting type IIB activin receptors (ActRIIBs) reverse muscle wasting and prolongs survival, even with continued tumor growth. ActRIIB mediates signaling of numerous TGF‐β proteins; of these, we demonstrate that activins are the most potent negative regulators of muscle mass. To determine whether activin signaling in the absence of tumor‐derived factors induces cachexia, we used recombinant serotype 6 adeno‐associated virus (rAAV6) vectors to increase circulating activin A levels in C57BL/6 mice. While mice injected with control vector gained ~10% of their starting body mass (3.8±0.4 g) over 10 wk, mice injected with increasing doses of rAAV6:activin A exhibited weight loss in a dose‐dependent manner, to a maximum of –12.4% (–4.2±1.1 g). These reductions in body mass in rAAV6:activin‐injected mice correlated inversely with elevated serum activin A levels (7‐ to 24‐fold). Mechanistically, we show that activin A reduces muscle mass and function by stimulating the ActRIIB pathway, leading to deleterious consequences, including increased transcription of atrophy‐related ubiquitin ligases, decreased Akt/mTOR‐mediated protein synthesis, and a profibrotic response. Critically, we demonstrate that the muscle wasting and fibrosis that ensues in response to excessive activin levels is fully reversible. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting activins in cachexia. —Chen, J. L. , Walton, K. L. , Winbanks, C. E. , Murphy, K. T. , Thomson, R. E. , Makanji, Y. , Qian, H. , Lynch, G. S. , Harrison, C. A. , Gregorevic, P. Elevated expression of activins promotes muscle wasting and cachexia. FASEB J. 28, 28–1711 (1723). www.fasebj. org
Noradrenaline Nerve Terminals in Human Cerebral Cortices: First Histochemical Evidence

The cerebral and cerebellar cortices of man are richly provided with varicose noradrenaline nerve terminals, which are visualized by fluorescence histochemistry of brain smears obtained by a new technique. The density of such nerves in human cortices equals that of the rat. The method permits simple and rapid analysis of noradrenergic nerves of the human cortex during routine neurosurgical operations.
Effects of Music on Alzheimer Patients

From a large nursing care facility, 60 elderly patients diagnosed as having Alzheimer disease were randomly separated into three groups of equal size and given tests to measure their mood and mental state. For music Group 1, “Big Band” music from the 1920s and 1930s was played during their daily recreation period while Group 2 were given puzzle exercises during their activity sessions. Members of Group 3 participated in the standard recreational activities of drawing and painting. After six months, the questionnaire was again given to all participants. Analysis of variance showed the individuals in Group 1 were more alert, happier, and had higher recall of past personal history than patients in the other two groups. This suggests that music can be of therapeutic value to Alzheimer patients.