Body-powered variable impedance: An approach to augmenting humans with a passive device by reshaping lifting posture

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (57) ◽  
pp. eabe1243
Author(s):  
Sung-Sik Yun ◽  
Keewon Kim ◽  
Jooeun Ahn ◽  
Kyu-Jin Cho
Keyword(s):  
Human Motion ◽  
Postural Change ◽  
Compression Force ◽  
Kinetic Chain ◽  
Repetitive Lifting ◽  
Risk Of Injury ◽  
The Common ◽  
Squat Lifting ◽  
Human Joints ◽  
First Time

The movement patterns appropriate for exercise and manual labor do not always correspond to what people instinctively choose for better comfort. Without expert guidance, people can even increase the risk of injury by choosing a comfortable posture rather than the appropriate one, notably when lifting objects. Even in situations where squatting is accepted as a desirable lifting strategy, people tend to choose the more comfortable strategy of stooping or semisquatting. The common approach to correcting lifting posture, immobilizing vulnerable joints via fixation, is insufficient for preventing back injuries sustained from repetitive lifting. Instead, when lifting small but heavy objects, the entire kinetic chain should cooperate to achieve a series of squat-lifting patterns. Inspired by the observation that force fields affect the coordination of voluntary human motion, we devised a passive exosuit embedded with a body-powered variable-impedance mechanism. The exosuit adds impedance to the human joints according to how far the wearer’s movement is from the squat-lifting trajectories so that it hinders stooping but facilitates squatting. In an experiment that entailed lifting a small 10-kg box, 10 first-time users changed their voluntary lifting motion closer to squatting on average. Simulation results based on recorded kinematic and kinetic data showed that this postural change reduced the compression force, shear force, and moment on the lumbosacral joint. Our work demonstrates the potential of using an exosuit to help people move in a desirable manner without requiring a complicated, bulky mechanical system.

Peculiarities of the juvenile period of the native Chechen genotypes of willow leaf pear (Pyrus salicifolia Pall.)

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. 32-38
Author(s):  
E. A. Dolmatov ◽  
R. B. Borzayev ◽  
A. N. Shaipov
Keyword(s):  
Chestnut Soil ◽  
Crop Breeding ◽  
Juvenile Period ◽  
Period 2 ◽  
Russian Research Institute ◽  
The Common ◽  
One Year ◽  
First Time ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Creative Cooperation

The results of the study of the duration of the juvenile period of indigenous Chechen willow leaf pear genotypes (Pyrus salicifolia Pall.) are given in connection with the acceleration of the breeding process and the use of selected forms in pear breeding for high precocity. The studies were carried out in 2016-2019 at OOO “Orchards of Chechnya” in accordance with the Agreement on creative cooperation with the Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding. The work was carried out in accordance with generally accepted programs and methods. The objects of the study were one-year and two-year-old pear seedlings obtained from sowing seeds of selected dwarf and low-growing local Chechen forms of willow pear (P. salicifolia Pall.), laying fruit buds on annual growths and seedlings of Caucasian pear (P. caucasica Fed.), 20 500 pcs. of each specie. The aim of the research was to study the potential of precocity of willow pear seedlings and to reveal of selected forms with the greatest degree of this trait. Stratified seeds were sown in the sowing department of the OOO “Orchards of Chechnya” production nursery in April, 2017. The seedlings were grown according to the common technology in dryland conditions on the plot with chestnut soil. The first fl owering of plants was noted in the spring, 2019. As a result of the research, for the first time on a large number of the experimental material it was found that in the off spring of the indigenous Chechen willow leaf pear genotypes, the selection of a little more than 2% of seedlings with a very short juvenile period (2 years) was possible. They are of great interest in accelerating the breeding process and in the selection of new pear varieties with high precocity. 20 willow leaf pear genotypes were selected for the further use in breeding for high precocity and as sources of the trait of short juvenile period.

Mapping the Heart

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 6-8
Author(s):  
Stephen W. Carmichael
Keyword(s):  
Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate ◽  
Adenosine Monophosphate ◽  
G Protein Coupled Receptors ◽  
Receptor Subtypes ◽  
Cardiac Muscle Cells ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Binding Protein ◽  
The Common ◽  
Guanine Nucleotide Binding ◽  
First Time ◽  
G Protein Coupled

Some of the receptors on the surface of cardiac muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) mediate the response of these cells to catecholamines by causing the production of the common second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). An example of such receptors are the β1- and β2-adrenergic receptors (βARs) that are heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptors. Selective stimulation of these two receptor subtypes leads to distinct physiological and pathophysiological responses, but their precise location on the surface of cardiomyocytes has not been correlated with these responses. In an ingenious combination of techniques, Viacheslav Nikolaev, Alexey Moshkov, Alexander Lyon, Michele Miragoli, Pavel Novak, Helen Paur, Martin Lohse, Yuri Korchev, Sian Harding, and Julia Gorelik have mapped the function of these receptors for the first time.

scholarly journals Śaivism after the Śaiva Age: Continuities in the Scriptural Corpus of the Vīramāheśvaras

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 222
Author(s):  
Elaine M. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Common Assumption ◽  
Academic Practice ◽  
The Common ◽  
Popular Work ◽  
First Time

This article makes the case that Vīraśaivism emerged in direct textual continuity with the tantric traditions of the Śaiva Age. In academic practice up through the present day, the study of Śaivism, through Sanskrit sources, and bhakti Hinduism, through the vernacular, are generally treated as distinct disciplines and objects of study. As a result, Vīraśaivism has yet to be systematically approached through a philological analysis of its precursors from earlier Śaiva traditions. With this aim in mind, I begin by documenting for the first time that a thirteenth-century Sanskrit work of what I have called the Vīramāheśvara textual corpus, the Somanāthabhāṣya or Vīramāheśvarācārasāroddhārabhāṣya, was most likely authored by Pālkurikĕ Somanātha, best known for his vernacular Telugu Vīraśaiva literature. Second, I outline the indebtedness of the early Sanskrit and Telugu Vīramāheśvara corpus to a popular work of early lay Śaivism, the Śivadharmaśāstra, with particular attention to the concepts of the jaṅgama and the iṣṭaliṅga. That the Vīramāheśvaras borrowed many of their formative concepts and practices directly from the Śivadharmaśāstra and other works of the Śaiva Age, I argue, belies the common assumption that Vīraśaivism originated as a social and religious revolution.

scholarly journals Genetic characterization at the species and symbiovar level of indigenous rhizobial isolates nodulating Phaseolus vulgaris in Greece

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evdoxia Efstathiadou ◽  
Georgia Ntatsi ◽  
Dimitrios Savvas ◽  
Anastasia P. Tampakaki
Keyword(s):  
Phaseolus Vulgaris ◽  
Common Bean ◽  
Phylogenetic Affiliation ◽  
Rhizobial Inoculation ◽  
Rhizobial Species ◽  
The Common ◽  
First Time ◽  
Of Greece ◽  
Rhizobial Isolates

AbstractPhaseolus vulgaris (L.), commonly known as bean or common bean, is considered a promiscuous legume host since it forms nodules with diverse rhizobial species and symbiovars. Most of the common bean nodulating rhizobia are mainly affiliated to the genus Rhizobium, though strains belonging to Ensifer, Pararhizobium, Mesorhizobium, Bradyrhizobium, and Burkholderia have also been reported. This is the first report on the characterization of bean-nodulating rhizobia at the species and symbiovar level in Greece. The goals of this research were to isolate and characterize rhizobia nodulating local common bean genotypes grown in five different edaphoclimatic regions of Greece with no rhizobial inoculation history. The genetic diversity of the rhizobial isolates was assessed by BOX-PCR and the phylogenetic affiliation was assessed by multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of housekeeping and symbiosis-related genes. A total of fifty fast-growing rhizobial strains were isolated and representative isolates with distinct BOX-PCR fingerpriniting patterns were subjected to phylogenetic analysis. The strains were closely related to R. anhuiense, R. azibense, R. hidalgonense, R. sophoriradicis, and to a putative new genospecies which is provisionally named as Rhizobium sp. I. Most strains belonged to symbiovar phaseoli carrying the α-, γ-a and γ-b alleles of nodC gene, while some of them belonged to symbiovar gallicum. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that strains assigned to R. sophoriradicis and harbored the γ-b allele were found in European soils. All strains were able to re-nodulate their original host, indicating that they are true microsymbionts of common bean.

Healthcare and Terrorism: The Lebanese Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Nooreddine Iskandar ◽  
Tatiana Rahbany ◽  
Ali Shokor
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Common ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background: Due to the common instability caused by political and security issues, Lebanese hospitals have experienced acts of terrorism multiple times. The most recent Beirut Explosion even forced several hospitals to cease operations for the first time in decades—but studies show the preparedness levels for such attacks in similar countries are low. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore the experience of Lebanese hospitals with terrorist attacks. Methods: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders to assess their experience with terrorist bombings. Data was analyzed using the thematic analysis method. Results: The researchers found that Lebanese hospitals vary greatly in their structures and procedures. Those differences are a function of 3 contextual factors: location, culture, and accreditation status. Hospitals found near ‘dangerous zones’ were more likely to be aware and to have better response to such events. A severe lack of communication, unity of command, and collaboration between stakeholders has made the process fragmented. Conclusion: The researchers recommend a larger role for the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in this process, and the creation of a platform where Lebanese organizations can share their experiences to improve preparedness and resilience of the Lebanese healthcare system in the face of terrorism.

scholarly journals Two new reports of thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) from India

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 11312
Author(s):  
R. R. Rachana ◽  
R. Varatharajan
Keyword(s):  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Southern India ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
The Common ◽  
Planting Materials ◽  
The Nilgiris ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Western Ghats

Caliothrips punctipennis (Hood) and the male of Western Flower Thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) have been recorded for the first time from India.  F. occidentalis was collected on the leaves of Erythrina indica from Ooty in the Nilgiris, the Western Ghats, southern India, whereas C. punctipennis was collected from yellow pan traps laid at Great Nicobar, India.  Considering the quarantine importance of the pest F. occidentalis, the report of the male for the first time in India needs attention and concern.  Males are also known to be more effective vectors of tospoviruses than females.  Xerochrysum bracteatum, the Common Golden Everlasting Daisy, is often taken out of Ooty by tourists to other parts of the country.  This along with other planting materials carried by tourists and farmers could aid in the dispersal of F. occidentalis to the temperate regions of northern and southern India, where it is likely to thrive in the congenial climatic conditions prevalent there.  Under these circumstances, it is imperative that quarantine mechanisms within the country are activated and strengthened, to prevent the spread of this notorious pest to the rest of India from the pockets of its occurrence in southern India - particularly the Nilgiris.  The diagnostic characters of both species are discussed. 

scholarly journals Mapping of the autophagosomal degradome identifies IL-7Rα as key cargo in proliferating CD4+ T-cells

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dingxi Zhou ◽  
Mariana Borsa ◽  
Daniel J. Puleston ◽  
Susanne Zellner ◽  
Jesusa Capera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
T Cells ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cd4 T Cells ◽  
Surface Expression ◽  
T Cell Proliferation ◽  
Gamma Chain ◽  
Direct Identification ◽  
The Common ◽  
First Time

CD4+ T cells orchestrate both humoral and cytotoxic immune responses. While it is known that CD4+ T cell proliferation relies on autophagy, direct identification of the autophagosomal cargo involved is still missing. Here, we created a transgenic mouse model, which, for the first time, enables us to directly map the proteinaceous content of autophagosomes in any primary cell by LC3 proximity labelling. IL-7Rα, a cytokine receptor mostly found in naive and memory T cells, was reproducibly detected in autophagosomes of activated CD4+ T cells. Consistently, CD4+ T cells lacking autophagy showed increased IL-7Rα surface expression, while no defect in internalisation was observed. Mechanistically, excessive surface IL-7Rα sequestrates the common gamma chain, impairing the IL-2R assembly and downstream signalling crucial for T cell proliferation. This study provides proof-of-principle that key autophagy substrates can be reliably identified with this model to help mechanistically unravel autophagy's contribution to healthy physiology and disease.

scholarly journals No cell is an island: circulating T cell:monocyte complexes are markers of immune perturbations

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie G. Burel ◽  
Mikhail Pomaznoy ◽  
Cecilia S. Lindestam Arlehamn ◽  
Daniela Weiskopf ◽  
Ricardo da Silva Antunes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Cytometry ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Human Blood ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Complex Frequency ◽  
The Common ◽  
First Time ◽  
High Resolution Microscopy

AbstractOur results highlight for the first time that a significant proportion of cell doublets in flow cytometry, previously believed to be the result of technical artefacts and thus ignored in data acquisition and analysis, are the result of true biological interaction between immune cells. In particular, we show that cell:cell doublets pairing a T cell and a monocyte can be directly isolated from human blood, and high resolution microscopy shows polarized distribution of LFA1/ICAM1 in many doublets, suggesting in vivo formation. Intriguingly, T cell:monocyte complex frequency and phenotype fluctuate with the onset of immune perturbations such as infection or immunization, reflecting expected polarization of immune responses. Overall these data suggest that cell doublets reflecting T cell-monocyte in vivo immune interactions can be detected in human blood and that the common approach in flow cytometry to avoid studying cell:cell complexes should be revisited.

scholarly journals From Driverless Dilemmas to More Practical Common-Sense Tests for Automated Vehicles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian De Freitas ◽  
Bryant Walker Smith ◽  
Andrea Censi ◽  
Luigi Di Lillo ◽  
Sam E. Anthony ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Common Sense ◽  
Autonomous Systems ◽  
Driving Behavior ◽  
Automated Vehicles ◽  
Everyday Lives ◽  
The Common ◽  
High Level ◽  
First Time ◽  
Trolley Dilemmas ◽  
Relevant Component

For the first time in history, automated vehicles (AVs) are being deployed in populated environments. This unprecedented transformation of our everyday lives demands a significant undertaking: endowing complex autonomous systems with ethically acceptable behavior. We outline how one prominent, ethically-relevant component of AVs—driving behavior—is inextricably linked to stakeholders in the technical, regulatory, and social spheres of the field. Whereas humans are presumed (rightly or wrongly) to have the ‘common sense’ to behave ethically in new driving situations beyond a standard driving test, AVs do not (and probably should not) enjoy this presumption. We examine, at a high level, how to test the common sense of an AV. We start by reviewing discussions of ‘driverless dilemmas’, adaptions of the traditional ‘trolley dilemmas’ of philosophy that have sparked discussion on AV ethics but have limited use to the technical and legal spheres. Then, we explain how to substantially change the premises and features of these dilemmas (while preserving their behavioral diagnostic spirit) in order to lay the foundations for a more practical and relevant framework that tests driving common sense as an integral part of road rules testing.

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