Search

Fine-grain tactile sensing has recently gained much attention in robotics applications where the manipulation of potentially fragile objects must be provided. This has led to the emergence of electronic skin (e-skin) sensors, usually implemented with conventional frame-based acquisition chains. In addition, prosthetics applications require e-skins with human-level, sub-millimeter spatial resolution. This paper proposes to study two types of spike-based e-skin readout circuits, based on conventional and neuromorphic level crossing architectures. Compared to prior frame-based, coarse spatial resolution readout schemes, a sub-millimeter spiking e-skin scheme is modeled and compared to its frame-based counterpart in terms of power consumption and texture classification accuracy, using a Spiking Neural Network. Our analysis shows that the sparsity-inducing spike-based solutions achieve one order of magnitude lower power consumption while reaching a higher classification accuracy (87.92%) compared to the frame-based readout (74.58%). ispartof: pages:359-363 ispartof: 2022 IEEE Biomedical Circuits and Systems Conference (BioCAS) pages:359-363 ispartof: IEEE Biomedical Circuits and Systems Conference (BioCAS) 2022 location:Taipei, Taiwan date:13 Oct - 15 Oct 2022 status: Published online

Kai-Michael Beeh,1 Piotr Kuna,2 Massimo Corradi,3 Isabelle Viaud,4 Alessandro Guasconi,4 George Georges4 1Insaf Respiratory Research Institute, Wiesbaden, Germany; 2Division of Internal Medicine, Asthma and Allergy, Barlicki University Hospital, Łódź, Poland; 3Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; 4Global Clinical Development, Chiesi Farmaceutici SpA, Parma, ItalyCorrespondence: Kai-Michael BeehInsaf Respiratory Research Institute, Wiesbaden, GermanyTel +49 611 9854347Email k.beeh@insaf-wi.deBackground: Three 52-week studies in COPD have assessed the efficacy and safety of single-inhaler extrafine formulation triple therapy combining beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), formoterol fumarate (FF) and glycopyrronium (G) delivered via pressurized metered-dose inhaler (pMDI). BDP/FF/G is now being developed for delivery via multi-dose dry-powder inhaler (DPI; NEXThaler). This study aimed to demonstrate non-inferiority of BDP/FF/G DPI vs pMDI for lung function.Methods: Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled, three-way cross-over study in patients with COPD and post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) 30– 80% predicted. Patients received BDP/FF/G 100/6/10μg via DPI and pMDI, and BDP/FF 100/6μg via pMDI, all two inhalations twice daily for four weeks, with treatments separated by two-week washout. The two co-primary objectives were to demonstrate non-inferiority between the two BDP/FF/G formulations for FEV1 area under the curve between 0 and 12 hours post-dose (AUC0-12h) normalized by time and trough FEV1 at 24 hours, both on Day 28. EudraCT 2017– 004405-41.Results: Of 449 patients screened, 366 were randomized, with 342 (93.4%) completing all three treatment periods. The primary objectives were met, with changes from baseline in FEV1 AUC0– 12h and trough FEV1 on Day 28 similar for the two BDP/FF/G formulations, and the confidence intervals for the difference lying entirely within the pre-specified non-inferiority criterion (– 50mL): – 20 (– 35, – 6) mL and 3 (– 15, 20) mL for AUC0– 12h and trough FEV1, respectively. BDP/FF/G pMDI and DPI were statistically superior to BDP/FF for these endpoints (p< 0.001). A similar proportion of patients experienced adverse events with each treatment (15.5%, 18.7% and 15.4% with BDP/FF/G DPI and pMDI, and BDP/FF, respectively); the majority were mild or moderate, with few related to treatment.Conclusion: Extrafine BDP/FF/G DPI and pMDI demonstrated similar efficacy and safety in patients with COPD, supporting the DPI formulation as a valid alternative.Keywords: adrenergic beta-2 receptor agonists, muscarinic antagonists, steroids, respiratory function tests, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

International audience; NenuFAR is a new, large low-frequency radio telescope, in construction and commissioning at the Nançay Radioastronomy Observatory, that starts to provide high sensitivity observations in the 10-85 MHz range. NenuFAR’s 1938 dual polarization antennas are connected to a suite of receivers allowing the instrument to operate, simultaneously if needed, in 4 distinct modes : as a standalone beamformer, a standalone imager, a waveform snapshots recorder, and a giant low-frequency station of the LOFAR array. We provide here an overview of the antennas, receivers, data products, operation and scientific context of the instrument.

Dans les agro-systèmes céréaliers la bonne santé des colonies d’abeilles domestiques et la durabilité économique des exploitations apicoles reposent principalement sur la disponibilité en ressources mellifères à proximité des colonies et sur l’absence de contamination dans leur alimentation ou leur environnement. Cette alimentation en nectar et pollen doit être abondante et diversifiée, à la fois à l’échelle du territoire et disponible tout au long de la saison de février à fin octobre. Une contamination extrêmement faible voire nulle de ces ressources limite le risque de l’exposition de ces insectes à des substances toxiques comme certains pesticides. Sous ces conditions, le territoire est en capacité de régénérer son potentiel de pollinisation, un service écosystèmique nécessaire pour assurer une production durable des cultures et un maintien des espaces semi-naturels. Si l’apiculteur peut lui-même intervenir sur son cheptel et ajuster ses pratiques pour atténuer les facteurs de mortalités et d’affaiblissement d’origine apicole, il ne maîtrise pas directement l’entretien des espaces fonciers. Son emprise sur l’environnement reste donc faible. En effet, la configuration des paysages, la répartition des espèces mellifères et le niveau d’exposition aux pesticides sont fortement dépendants des cultures et des pratiques agricoles gérées par les agriculteurs-cultivateurs. Pour tenter de décrire la situation et l’améliorer en faveur des colonies d’abeilles domestiques et plus généralement des insectes pollinisateurs, tout en visant la durabilité des exploitations agricoles, le projet « DEPHY-Abeille » a été lancé dans le cadre du programme de recherche Ecophyto DEPHY EXPE. Nous nous sommes intéressés à la conciliation d’objectifs multiples de production agricole, apicole et de préservation de la biodiversité d’insectes pollinisateurs, selon les principes de durabilité des systèmes. Avec un réseau de 9 exploitants agricoles volontaires, nous avons testé puis évalué deschangements de pratiques au sein de leurs itinéraires techniques. Ceux-ci visaient à favoriser l’expression de la flore adventice messicole des cultures comme ressource alimentaire complémentaire des insectes pollinisateurs dans les parcelles, tout en répondant aux objectifs Ecophyto de baisse de l’indice de fréquence de traitement (IFT) et à assurer une rentabilité économique pour l’exploitant.

SAbPred is a server that makes predictions of the properties of antibodies focusing on their structures. Antibody informatics tools can help improve our understanding of immune responses to disease and aid in the design and engineering of therapeutic molecules. SAbPred is a single platform containing multiple applications which can: number and align sequences; automatically generate antibody variable fragment homology models; annotate such models with estimated accuracy alongside sequence and structural properties including potential developability issues; predict paratope residues; and predict epitope patches on protein antigens. The server is available at http://opig.stats.ox.ac.uk/webapps/sabpred.

Complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) are antibody loops that make up the antigen binding site. Here, we show that all CDR types have structurally similar loops of different lengths. Based on these findings, we created length-independent canonical classes for the non-H3 CDRs. Our length variable structural clusters show strong sequence patterns suggesting either that they evolved from the same original structure or result from some form of convergence. We find that our length-independent method not only clusters a larger number of CDRs, but also predicts canonical class from sequence better than the standard length-dependent approach. To demonstrate the usefulness of our findings, we predicted cluster membership of CDR-L3 sequences from 3 next-generation sequencing datasets of the antibody repertoire (over 1,000,000 sequences). Using the length-independent clusters, we can structurally classify an additional 135,000 sequences, which represents a ∼20% improvement over the standard approach. This suggests that our length-independent canonical classes might be a highly prevalent feature of antibody space, and could substantially improve our ability to accurately predict the structure of novel CDRs identified by next-generation sequencing.

Motivation Canonical forms of the antibody complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) were first described in 1987 and have been redefined on multiple occasions since. The canonical forms are often used to approximate the antibody binding site shape as they can be predicted from sequence. A rapid predictor would facilitate the annotation of CDR structures in the large amounts of repertoire data now becoming available from next generation sequencing experiments. Results SCALOP annotates CDR canonical forms for antibody sequences, supported by an auto-updating database to capture the latest cluster information. Its accuracy is comparable to that of a standard structural predictor but it is 800 times faster. The auto-updating nature of SCALOP ensures that it always attains the best possible coverage. Availability and implementation SCALOP is available as a web application and for download under a GPLv3 license at opig.stats.ox.ac.uk/webapps/scalop. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

International audience

Computational modelling of antibody structures plays a critical role in therapeutic antibody design. Several antibody modelling pipelines exist, but no freely available methods currently model nanobodies, provide estimates of expected model accuracy, or highlight potential issues with the antibody's experimental development. Here, we describe our automated antibody modelling pipeline, ABodyBuilder, designed to overcome these issues. The algorithm itself follows the standard four steps of template selection, orientation prediction, complementarity-determining region (CDR) loop modelling, and side chain prediction. ABodyBuilder then annotates the 'confidence' of the model as a probability that a component of the antibody (e.g., CDRL3 loop) will be modelled within a root-mean square deviation threshold. It also flags structural motifs on the model that are known to cause issues during in vitro development. ABodyBuilder was tested on four separate datasets, including the 11 antibodies from the Antibody Modelling Assessment-II competition. ABodyBuilder builds models that are of similar quality to other methodologies, with sub-Angstrom predictions for the 'canonical' CDR loops. Its ability to model nanobodies, and rapidly generate models (∼30 seconds per model) widens its potential usage. ABodyBuilder can also help users in decision-making for the development of novel antibodies because it provides model confidence and potential sequence liabilities. ABodyBuilder is freely available at http://opig.stats.ox.ac.uk/webapps/abodybuilder .

Whether well founded or not, perceptions of one’s own HIV risk have been shown by health behavior models to be an important factor in determining individuals’ sexual behavior. Although empirical studies on the determinants of HIV risk perception exist, only a few have focused on adolescents who are not yet sexually active. Using data from nationally- representative surveys of adolescents, we assess the factors associated with HIV risk perception among sexually inactive adolescents in four sub-Saharan African countries at different stages of the HIV/AIDS epidemic (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda). The results show that there is no single influence on adolescents’ HIV risk perception, but rather a range of individual, environmental and community factors such as schooling, knowledge about HIV, regional HIV prevalence and adolescents’ social networks. These results can help better calibrate programs and policies addressing sexual and reproductive health issues among adolescents, a group that is disproportionately affected by new HIV infections. Afr J Reprod Health 2013 (Special Edition); 17[4]: 32-50).Keywords: HIV/AIDS, risk perception, ordered logistic analysis, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda

'Race' for many years has been a major construct of science and society. While its importance as such has not historically been particularly pronounced on a global scale, the emergence of its most forceful architects, the Anglophone countries, to pre-eminence since World War II has significantly extended its geographical range and added to its significance as an idea within commercialized culture as well as within social organization.

In liquid alcohols there are a definite number N hb of H-bonds for a given number N a of molecules. The ratio r f = 1 − ( N hb N a ) can be deduced from the IR spectrometric data of Luck. However the NMR results show that these H-bonds perpetually jump from one partner to another. The chance j non-bonded over time that a given molecule, taking advantage of these jumps, becomes free from H-bonding is equal to r f . This agrees with the vapor pressure data. However, it can be shown that the fraction α OH of the molecules in the ensemble which are completely free from H-bonding, acting neither as donor nor as acceptor is of the order of r f 2 , and thus much smaller than the time fraction j non-bonded . This non-ergodic behaviour can be explained by the fact that only molecules which are completely inserted in a chain, acting at the same time in H-bonding as proton donor and as proton acceptor (fraction α -OH- ) are in full possession of the energy of an H-bond, Δ H h-bond /L. One cannot attribute this energy to all the molecules which form only an H-bond on one side (fractions α -OH and α OH- ) because this would not fit the energy balance. These states have to be considered as transient ones during the life-time of which the energy Δ H h-bond /L passes from the medium to the molecule or vice-versa. As a consequence, in the ensemble, the energy of these states cannot be defined, but this is quite possible in a time schedule, such molecules being then considered during half of their life-time as possessing the energy Δ H h-bond /L, and during the remaining half as free. This means that the ensemble fraction α -OH contributes half to the time fraction j non-bonded , half to the time fraction j bonded . Non-ergodicity will be observed for all the liquid systems where in the ensemble states are found to which the energy of an ephemeral cohesion bond cannot unambiguously be attributed, because they have to be considered as transient forms during the non-negligible life-time of which this energy is transferred from the medium to the molecule or vice-versa. This will be the case for the molecules at the head or at the tail of all open transient chains. In such non-ergodic systems the thermodynamic probability has to be calculated, not on the basis of ensemble fractions, but on the basis of the time fractions during which the energy of the ephemeral bonding can be attributed or not to a given molecule. The use of time fractions for calculating the thermodynamic probability was already proposed by Einstein in 1911. The consequences of the non-ergodicity for the statistical thermodynamics of H-bonding are discussed. The correctness of the non-ergodic thermodynamics of hydrogen bonded liquids, based on time fractions, is demonstrated by the fact that the derived equations allow to predict correctly, without any adjustable parameter, the solubilities of the alkanes in alcohols and in water. Here, the classical theories completely fail.