scholarly journals Bioinspired reorientation strategies for application in micro/nanorobotic control

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-197
Author(s):  
Ali Ghanbari

Abstract Engineers have recently been inspired by swimming methodologies of microorganisms in creating micro-/nanorobots for biomedical applications. Future medicine may be revolutionized by the application of these small machines in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating diseases. Studies over the past decade have often concentrated on propulsion generation. However, there are many other challenges to address before the practical use of robots at the micro-/nanoscale. The control and reorientation ability of such robots remain as some of these challenges. This paper reviews the strategies of swimming microorganisms for reorientation, including tumbling, reverse and flick, direction control of helical-path swimmers, by speed modulation, using complex flagella, and the help of mastigonemes. Then, inspired by direction change in microorganisms, methods for orientation control for microrobots and possible directions for future studies are discussed. Further, the effects of solid boundaries on the swimming trajectories of microorganisms and microrobots are examined. In addition to propulsion systems for artificial microswimmers, swimming microorganisms are promising sources of control methodologies at the micro-/nanoscale.

Author(s):  
Philippe Fragu

The identification, localization and quantification of intracellular chemical elements is an area of scientific endeavour which has not ceased to develop over the past 30 years. Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) microscopy is widely used for elemental localization problems in geochemistry, metallurgy and electronics. Although the first commercial instruments were available in 1968, biological applications have been gradual as investigators have systematically examined the potential source of artefacts inherent in the method and sought to develop strategies for the analysis of soft biological material with a lateral resolution equivalent to that of the light microscope. In 1992, the prospects offered by this technique are even more encouraging as prototypes of new ion probes appear capable of achieving the ultimate goal, namely the quantitative analysis of micron and submicron regions. The purpose of this review is to underline the requirements for biomedical applications of SIMS microscopy.Sample preparation methodology should preserve both the structural and the chemical integrity of the tissue.


Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Ayyoob Sharifi ◽  
Maryam Roosta ◽  
Masoud Javadpoor

As cities are exposed to a portfolio of risks, the concept of resilience has risen to prominence over the past two decades. Consequently, a large volume of research has been published on different aspects of urban resilience. However, urban form resilience is still relatively understudied. As a step toward filling this gap, this study examines resilience of nine selected neighborhoods from Shiraz, an old Iranian city. The selected cases represent three different urban form patterns, namely, traditional, semi-planned, and planned. Different indicators related to the physical configuration of lots, blocks, open and green spaces, and street networks are used to examine resilience of each neighborhood to three major stressors, namely, earthquakes, extreme heat events, and floods. Additionally, a combination of Shannon entropy and the VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizcija I Kaompromisno Resenje in Serbian) method is used to rank the resilience of each neighborhood to each of the three stressors. Results show that, overall, the physical form of the planned neighborhoods is more conducive to urban resilience. In contrast, the urban form of traditional neighborhoods was found to be less resilient. There were, however, some variations depending on the type of stressor considered. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need to consider social and economic factors in future studies of urban form resilience.


Gels ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Traian V. Chirila

Fibroin is a fibrous protein that can be conveniently isolated from the silk cocoons produced by the larvae of Bombyx mori silk moth. In its form as a hydrogel, Bombyx mori silk fibroin (BMSF) has been employed in a variety of biomedical applications. When used as substrates for biomaterial-cells constructs in tissue engineering, the oxygen transport characteristics of the BMSF membranes have proved so far to be adequate. However, over the past three decades the BMSF hydrogels have been proposed episodically as materials for the manufacture of contact lenses, an application that depends on substantially elevated oxygen permeability. This review will show that the literature published on the oxygen permeability of BMSF is both limited and controversial. Additionally, there is no evidence that contact lenses made from BMSF have ever reached commercialization. The existing literature is discussed critically, leading to the conclusion that BMSF hydrogels are unsuitable as materials for contact lenses, while also attempting to explain the scarcity of data regarding the oxygen permeability of BMSF. To the author’s knowledge, this review covers all publications related to the topic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 614-634
Author(s):  
Ayodele T. Odularu ◽  
Peter A. Ajibade

Abstract The aim of this review study was to assess the past significant events on diabetes mellitus, transformations that took place over the years in the medical records of treatment, countries involved, and the researchers who brought about the revolutions. This study used the content analysis to report the existence of diabetes mellitus and the treatments provided by researchers to control it. The focus was mainly on three main types of diabetes (type 1, type 2, and type 3 diabetes). Ethical consideration has also helped to boost diabetic studies globally. The research has a history path from pharmaceuticals of organic-based drugs to metal-based drugs with their nanoparticles in addition to the impacts of nanomedicine, biosensors, and telemedicine. Ongoing and future studies in alternative medicine such as vanadium nanoparticles (metal nanoparticles) are promising.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 18-28
Author(s):  
Shuang Feng ◽  
Jon Stewart

The Chinese stock market is an emerging market that has gained much importance over the past few decades. Because of this, it also serves as a great subject for studying market inefficiencies and anomalies. In this paper we provide a review of evidence regarding the development, efficiency and integration of the Chinese stock market. In particular, we review recent literature in the areas of market segmentation, cross-listings and calendar effects. This provides evidence of market inefficiency in China. We also pose questions that can be answered in future studies.


Gels ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Sihang Liu ◽  
Jingyi Tang ◽  
Fangqin Ji ◽  
Weifeng Lin ◽  
Shengfu Chen

Nonspecific protein adsorption impedes the sustainability of materials in biologically related applications. Such adsorption activates the immune system by quick identification of allogeneic materials and triggers a rejection, resulting in the rapid failure of implant materials and drugs. Antifouling materials have been rapidly developed in the past 20 years, from natural polysaccharides (such as dextran) to synthetic polymers (such as polyethylene glycol, PEG). However, recent studies have shown that traditional antifouling materials, including PEG, still fail to overcome the challenges of a complex human environment. Zwitterionic materials are a class of materials that contain both cationic and anionic groups, with their overall charge being neutral. Compared with PEG materials, zwitterionic materials have much stronger hydration, which is considered the most important factor for antifouling. Among zwitterionic materials, zwitterionic hydrogels have excellent structural stability and controllable regulation capabilities for various biomedical scenarios. Here, we first describe the mechanism and structure of zwitterionic materials. Following the preparation and property of zwitterionic hydrogels, recent advances in zwitterionic hydrogels in various biomedical applications are reviewed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
pp. 1152-1159
Author(s):  
Wael Ibrahim Alsarrani ◽  
Ahmad Jusoh

Purpose: Leadership is an interactive concept that influences our daily lives. A quality concept is an approach and philosophy that leaders use to incorporate the leadership process into the organization successfully. Both concepts have an incremental history, correlation, and discussion. However, the two concepts have not yet been theoretically and empirically integrated. This paper attempts to integrate and discuss leadership and quality to create a single quality leadership style based on the definition of quality gurus and the leadership styles which relate more towards the quality of leadership. Methodology: The study used a systematic literature review to review the past literature related to the field of leadership and quality management. This study provides the constructs from definitions proposed by experts in this field. Each leadership styles have many constructs that may or may not be related to quality. Results: The study proposed a conceptual framework which combined the definitions of quality gurus and the different leadership styles. The finding of this study has contributed to the expansion of theoretical knowledge in the field of quality leadership style. Implications: This paper indicated that the review of the literature regarding what quality gurus define as important relating to leadership. This paper provides the constructs from quality gurus definitions. Novelty: Each leadership styles have many constructs that may or may not be related to quality. Therefore, future studies need to consider what the constructs from those leadership styles are considered effective to quality.


2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-210
Author(s):  
Muhammad Isa Khan ◽  
Aliza Zahoor ◽  
Tahir Iqbal ◽  
Abdul Majid ◽  
Mohsin Ijaz

  Recently, different researchers find nanoparticles as an auspicious alternative to antibacterial agents due to their antibacterial behaviour. This antibacterial behaviour contributes in many biomedical applications including; tissue engineering, drug and gene delivery and, imaging. Furthermore, iron oxide nanoparticle gains much importance due to their magnetic characteristics and wide range of application. Iron oxide nanoparticle (IONPs) have exhibits great potential against bacteria. During the past decade, various routes were developed to synthesize iron oxide nanoparticle with suitable size and composition. This article reviews the recent iron oxide nanoparticle obtained by green synthesis with a focus on their response to antibacterial activities. The iron nanoparticles synthesized by green synthesis method has accumulated a vital attention over the last couple of years due to their unique characteristic as it makes sure environmental friendly, nontoxic and safe reagents.


2016 ◽  
pp. 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malini Suchak ◽  
Michael Piombino ◽  
Kalina Bracco

Colony housing of cats allows shelters to maximize the number of cats housed in limited space. Most research on colony-housed cats examines stress in relation to group size or enclosure size.  While this is important for evaluating welfare, it is equally important to understand how cats are interacting socially in these colonies. We observed 259 adult cats housed in groups of two to eight individuals. Scan samples were used to assess how frequently individual cats were in close proximity to other cats. These data were used to measure individual differences in sociability and patterns of proximity to certain partners. We used information about the past history of the cat, which was collected upon admission to the shelter to identify predictors of time spent in proximity. There was a high degree of inter-individual variability in sociability. Strays tended to spend less time in proximity to other cats, and this effect was most pronounced in females.However, none of the information collected upon admission predicted patterns of proximity to certain partners, or which cats spent time in association witheach other. Future studies should explore the implications of differences in sociability by associating observations of social behavior and stress behaviors.


1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (04) ◽  
pp. 276-285
Author(s):  
Edward Denham

The past thirty years have seen great advances in many areas of the technologies used in naval vessels. Propulsion systems, machinery automation, and information management systems have all undergone revolutionary changes. The bridges of these ships have similarly seen the advent of many new sources of navigational and environmental data. The process of correlating and interpreting all of this information has until now remained very labor-intensive, subject to human error at many stages of the process. In response to this challenge, a suite of new equipment has been developed for distributing, displaying, correlating, and logging shipboard data. This equipment automates most of the low-level, routine tasks involved in navigating a vessel at sea, significantly reducing the stress and workload of bridge personnel. This gives the humans on the bridge more time for doing the job that they do so much better than machines: making decisions. This paper focuses on the key technologies that are used in these new products and the advances in bridge design and automation they make possible. The benefits of these new capabilities to system designers, to shipbuilders, and to ship operators are also explored.


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