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This work focuses on human - robot collaboration as exemplified in modern assembly cells. Assembly with robotic assistance was studied, in order to investigate in quantitative terms the robot contribution in collaboration with the human towards better efficiency and avoidance of musculoskeletal strain. The above were studied, presented and discussed on the basis of a case study concerning collaboration of a human with a virtual robot in assembling a prototype robotic filament winding head. The product consists of a number of mechanical engineering artifacts, such as a frame, axles, wheels, springs etc. The virtual environment was constructed in Unity 3DTM, whilst Leap MotionTM was used to track user’s hands and a Head Mounted Display was exploited for immersion and navigation purposes. Multiple experiments with an audience of mechanical engineering students were conducted. Data collected from the execution of assembly scenarios was processed in order to provide both ergonomic indices and completion time that quantify the human – robot equilibrium in assembly tasks. Such indices can be easily relaced by others, if a different collaboration scenario between human and robot is to be set up.

To inform research on developing or adopting leadership competency frameworks for use in U.S. undergraduate medical education (UME), this scoping review describes the content of U.S. UME leadership curricula, associated competency frameworks, and content delivery.The authors searched PubMed, Embase, and ERIC databases on June 22, 2020. They included English-language studies that described U.S. UME curricula in which the primary end goal was leadership development. They excluded studies published before January 1, 2000. Data were extracted on leadership competency frameworks and curricular content, audience, duration, electivity, selectivity, learning pedagogies, and outcome measures. The curricular content was coded and categorized within the Medical Leadership Competency Framework (MLCF) using the constant comparative method. A repeated search of the literature on May 14, 2021, did not yield any additional studies.Of 1,094 unique studies, 25 studies reporting on 25 curricula met inclusion criteria. The course content of the curricula was organized into 91 distinct themes, most of which could be organized into the first 2 competencies of the MLCF: Demonstrating Personal Qualities and Working With Others. Thirteen curricula (52%) aligned with leadership competency frameworks, and 12 (48%) did not appear to use a framework. Number of participants and target learner level varied widely, as did curricula duration, with fewer than half (n = 12, 48%) spanning more than 1 semester. Most curricula (n = 14, 56%) were elective, and many (n = 16, 64%) offered experiential learning. Most studies (n = 16, 64%) reported outcomes as student perception data.The authors found wide variation in content of U.S. UME leadership development curricula, and few curricula aligned with an established leadership competency framework. The lack of professional consensus on the scope of medical leadership and how it should be taught thwarts effective incorporation of medical leadership training within UME.

Introduction: The high efficacy of atypical antipsychotics (AAP) in treating diverse psychiatric disorders has been partly attributed to their capacity to curb neuroinflammation, a shared aspect of these diseases. These immunomodulatory properties of AAP have lately been explored in the context of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the CNS. Methods: This study aimed to review in vivo studies reporting on the therapeutic effects of AAP both in EAE, the main animal model of MS and in cuprizone-induced demyelination. For that matter we conducted a literature search and a screening process that eventually yielded 8 eligible studies. Results: All studies agreed on the efficiency of AAP to dramatically reduce EAE severity and delay its onset, while suppressing the production of numerous inflammatory cytokines. Clozapine showcased similar yet more intense effects than risperidone, quetiapine and olanzapine, significantly attenuating CD4 T cell infiltration and myeloid cell activation, while upregulating Tregs. Clozapine also downregulated chemokines responsible for the migration of immune cells in the CNS and caused dopamine receptor levels in the brain of EAE mice to rise. Discussion: Taken together, these findings unanimously attest to the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of AAP, suggesting that their therapeutic potential expands beyond their current neuropsychiatric applications. Despite the salutary effects of AAP in MS reported in vivo, a clinical trial of clozapine on MS patients failed to confirm preclinical findings due to low acceptability of AAP and early participant withdrawal. Conclusion: Although preclinical evidence unquestionably supports the multifaceted beneficial properties of AAP in MS, further investigation is required to elucidate the pharmacodynamic profile of these agents and allow for their proper clinical testing on MS patients. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Combining high throughput screening approaches with induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based disease modeling represents a promising unbiased strategy to identify therapies for neurodegenerative disorders. Here we applied high content imaging on iPSC-derived neurons from patients with familial Parkinson’s disease bearing the G209A (p.A53T) α-synuclein (αSyn) mutation and launched a screening campaign on a small kinase inhibitor library. We thus identified the multi-kinase inhibitor BX795 that at a single dose effectively restores disease-associated neurodegenerative phenotypes. Proteomics profiling mapped the molecular pathways underlying the protective effects of BX795, comprising a cohort of 118 protein-mediators of the core biological processes of RNA metabolism, protein synthesis, modification and clearance, and stress response, all linked to the mTORC1 signaling hub. In agreement, expression of human p.A53T-αSyn in neuronal cells affected key components of the mTORC1 pathway resulting in aberrant protein synthesis that was restored in the presence of BX795 with concurrent facilitation of autophagy. Taken together, we have identified a promising small molecule with neuroprotective actions as candidate therapeutic for PD and other protein conformational disorders. © 2022, The Author(s).

We propose here a simple black-hole analog in vehicular-traffic dynamics. The corresponding causal diagram is determined by the propagation of the tail light flashes emitted by a convoy of cars on a highway. In addition to being a new black-hole analog, this illustrates how causal diagrams, so common in general relativity, may be useful in areas as unexpected as vehicular-traffic dynamics., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures

The human cerebral cortex is a uniquely complex structure encompassing an unparalleled diversity of neuronal types and subtypes. These arise during development through a series of evolutionary conserved processes, such as progenitor cell proliferation, migration and differentiation, incorporating human-associated adaptations including a protracted neurogenesis and the emergence of novel highly heterogeneous progenitor populations. Disentangling the unique features of human cortical development involves elucidation of the intricate developmental cell transitions orchestrated by progressive molecular events. Crucially, developmental timing controls the fine balance between cell cycle progression/exit and the neurogenic competence of precursor cells, which undergo morphological transitions coupled to transcriptome-defined temporal states. Recent advances in bulk and single-cell transcriptomic technologies suggest that alongside protein-coding genes, non-coding RNAs exert important regulatory roles in these processes. Interestingly, a considerable number of novel long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have appeared in human and non-human primates suggesting an evolutionary role in shaping cortical development. Here, we present an overview of human cortical development and highlight the marked diversification and complexity of human neuronal progenitors. We further discuss how lncRNAs and miRNAs constitute critical components of the extended epigenetic regulatory network defining intermediate states of progenitors and controlling cell cycle dynamics and fate choices with spatiotemporal precision, during human neurodevelopment.

The Casimir effect realizes the existence of static negative energy densities in quantum field theory. We establish physically reasonable conditions for the non-negativity of the total mass of a Casimir apparatus held in equilibrium in the Minkowski background, irrespective of any condensed matter consideration. Specifically, the dynamical equilibrium requires the presence of additional matter to hold the system apart. As long as this extra matter satisfies the dominant energy condition, the mass of the combined system is positive. Thus, the very same reason why energy cannot travel backwards in time could be the underlying mechanism behind the positivity of the mass. We discuss the takeaways from the Casimir setting to more general circumstances., Published version

International audience; Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by rabies virus (RABV). As rabies advances, patients develop a variety of severe neurological symptoms that inevitably lead to coma and death. Unlike other neurotropic viruses that can induce symptoms of a similar range, RABV-infected post-mortem brains do not show significant signs of inflammation nor the structural damages on neurons. This suggests that the observed neurological symptoms possibly originate from dysfunctions of neurons. However, many aspects of neuronal dysfunctions in the context of RABV infection are only partially understood, and therefore require further investigation. In this study, we used differentiated neurons to characterize the RABV-induced transcriptomic changes at the early time-points of infection. We found that the genes modulated in response to the infection are particularly involved in cell cycle, gene expression, immune response, and neuronal function-associated processes. Comparing a wild-type RABV to a mutant virus harboring altered matrix proteins, we found that the RABV matrix protein plays an important role in the early down-regulation of host genes, of which a significant number is involved in neuronal functions. The kinetics of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) are also different between the wild type and mutant virus datasets. The number of modulated genes remained constant upon wild-type RABV infection up to 24 h post-infection, but dramatically increased in the mutant condition. This result suggests that the intact viral matrix protein is important to control the size of host gene modulation. We then examined the signaling pathways previously studied in relation to the innate immune responses against RABV, and found that these pathways contribute to the changes in neuronal function-associated processes. We further examined a set of regulated genes that could impact neuronal functions collectively, and demonstrated in calcium imaging that indeed the spontaneous activity of neurons is influenced by RABV infection. Overall, our findings suggest that neuronal function-associated genes are modulated by RABV early on, potentially through the viral matrix protein-interacting signaling molecules and their downstream pathways.

The high efficacy of atypical antipsychotics (AAP) in treating diverse psychiatric disorders has been partly attributed to their capacity to curb neuroinflammation, a shared aspect of these diseases. These immunomodulatory properties of AAP have lately been explored in the context of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the CNS.This study aimed to review in vivo studies reporting on the therapeutic effects of AAP both in EAE, the main animal model of MS and in cuprizone-induced demyelination. For that matter we conducted a literature search and a screening process that eventually yielded 8 eligible studies.All studies agreed on the efficiency of AAP to dramatically reduce EAE severity and delay its onset, while suppressing the production of numerous inflammatory cytokines. Clozapine showcased similar yet more intense effects than risperidone, quetiapine and olanzapine, significantly attenuating CD4 T cell infiltration and myeloid cell activation, while upregulating Tregs. Clozapine also downregulated chemokines responsible for the migration of immune cells in the CNS and caused dopamine receptor levels in the brain of EAE mice to rise.Taken together, these findings unanimously attest to the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of AAP, suggesting that their therapeutic potential expands beyond their current neuropsychiatric applications. Despite the salutary effects of AAP in MS reported in vivo, a clinical trial of clozapine on MS patients failed to confirm preclinical findings due to low acceptability of AAP and early participant withdrawal.Although preclinical evidence unquestionably supports the multifaceted beneficial properties of AAP in MS, further investigation is required to elucidate the pharmacodynamic profile of these agents and allow for their proper clinical testing on MS patients.

Shoulder pain is a common and painful patient condition. Unfortunately, diagnostic imaging of shoulder pain in the emergency department (ED) is often limited to radiography. While diagnostic for fractures and dislocations, drawbacks of radiography include time delays and non-diagnostic imaging in the case of rotator cuff pathology. While bedside ultrasound has been incorporated into many procedural and diagnostic applications in the ED, its use for musculoskeletal complaints and specifically shoulder pain is infrequent among ED clinicians. The incorporation of shoulder ultrasound in the ED may improve diagnostic certainty while decreasing time to diagnosis and treatment, yielding patient and health system benefits. Herein, we present the ABSIS (Acromio-clavicular joint, Biceps, Subscapularis, Impingement, Supraspinatus) Protocol for performing bedside ultrasound of the shoulder including the rotator cuff and bony anatomy.

International audience; Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder whereby loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons results in motor dysfunction. Transplantation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into the brain of patients affected by PD is one of the therapeutic approaches that has gained interest to compensate for the degeneration of neurons and improve disease symptoms. However, only a part of transplanted cells can differentiate into mature neurons while the majority remains in undifferentiated state. Here we investigated whether human neuronal precursor cells (hNPCs) derived from iPSCs have an active role in α-synuclein (α-syn) pathology. Our findings demonstrate that α-syn fibrils are taken up by hNPCs and are preferentially localized in lysosomes where they can be degraded. However, α-syn fibrils are also transferred between hNPCs in a cell-to-cell contact dependent manner, and are found in tunneling nanotube (TNT)-like structures. Thus, NPCs can have a dual role in the progression of α-syn pathology, which should be considered in human transplants.

Στα σύγχρονα συστήματα παραγωγής, τα τελευταία χρόνια έχει εμφανιστεί η ανάγκη για συνεργασία Ανθρώπου-Βιομηχανικού Ρομπότ (Α-Ρ) σε κοινό (διαμοιραζόμενο) χώρο εργασίας, για την από κοινού εκτέλεση βιομηχανικών καθηκόντων ή κατεργασιών. Ο σκοπός της συνεργασίας και της συνύπαρξης Α-Ρ κατά την εκτέλεση καθηκόντων που συνήθως εκτελούνται χειρωνακτικά, είναι η βελτίωση της ποιότητας και η αύξηση της παραγωγικότητας, εμπλουτίζοντας τη γνώση, τις δεξιότητες και τις κιναισθητικές δυνατότητες του εργαζόμενου με τη δύναμη, την ακρίβεια και την επαναληψιμότητα των ρομπότ. Στην περίπτωση που εξετάζουμε λοιπόν, αντί να έχουμε αντικατάσταση της ανθρώπινης εργασίας από ρομπότ σε επαναλαμβανόμενα, επικίνδυνα ή χαμηλής προστιθέμενης αξίας καθήκοντα, επιθυμούμε τη συνύπαρξη Α-Ρ και τη συνεργατική υποστήριξη της ανθρώπινης εργασίας και δεξιότητας από το ρομπότ, με αποτέλεσμα την πραγματοποίηση συνολικής εργασίας υψηλής προστιθέμενης αξίας.Μέχρι και σήμερα, τα ανακύπτοντα ζητήματα ασφαλείας αντιμετωπίζονται πρωτίστως με χωρικό ή/και χρονικό διαχωρισμό ανθρώπου και ρομπότ, και, κατ’ αυτό τον τρόπο, κρατούν ακόμα την εφαρμογή της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ ουσιαστικά ανεκμετάλλευτη στη βιομηχανία. Επιπρόσθετα, οι υφιστάμενες τεχνικές ασφαλούς συνεργασίας είναι δομημένες σε μια σειριακή λογική γεγονότων τύπου «σταμάτα-και-προχώρα» (stop-and-go), η οποία είναι αναποτελεσματική, καθώς ενδέχεται να σταματά την παραγωγή, και να ακυρώνει ουσιαστικά τα πλεονεκτήματα της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ.Η παρούσα ερευνητική εργασία διερευνά τεχνικές ασφαλούς συνεργασίας οι οποίες δεν διακόπτουν -κατά το δυνατόν- την ομαλή ροή της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ. Επιπλέον, αναζητά τρόπους γνωστικής διευκόλυνσης και υποστήριξης της αντίληψης της κατάστασης του χρήστη, έτσι ώστε να είναι δυνατή η πρόβλεψη της συμπεριφοράς του ρομπότ. Τέλος, ερευνάται η αποτελεσματικότητα των διαφορετικών τεχνικών ασφαλούς συνεργασίας, αλλά και τα κριτήρια ενεργοποίησης των τεχνικών αυτών, έτσι ώστε να αποφεύγονται πιθανές άσκοπες, ή πρώιμες ενεργοποιήσεις. Προκειμένου να επιτευχθεί η παραπάνω διερεύνηση, προτείνεται η δημιουργία ενός υψηλά-αλληλεπιδραστικού Εικονικού Περιβάλλοντος (ΕΠε), το οποίο λειτουργεί ως πλατφόρμα δοκιμών της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ. Κατά τη διάρκεια της συνεργασίας του με το ρομπότ, ο χρήστης δέχεται ανάδραση με δυναμικά ερεθίσματα (γνωστικά βοηθήματα) σε πραγματικό χρόνο, τα οποία σκοπεύουν να εμπλουτίσουν με πληροφορία την ερευνώμενη συνεργασία. Τέλος, προτείνονται δύο στρατηγικές (τεχνικές) ασφαλούς συνεργασίας: στην πρώτη το ρομπότ επιβραδύνει όταν ανιχνεύεται επερχόμενη σύγκρουση (ανεπιθύμητη επαφή) με τη χρήστη, ενώ στη δεύτερη το ρομπότ υποχωρεί και κατευθύνεται στον τελικό προορισμό με τροποποιημένη τροχιά, έτσι ώστε να αποφύγει τον άνθρωπο.Με βάση τα παραπάνω, στην παρούσα θεώρηση, προέκυψαν τρεις βασικές ερευνητικές προβληματικές. H πρώτη προβληματική έχει δύο σκέλη: αναφέρεται αφενός στην ικανότητα και την αποτελεσματικότητα της μοντελοποίησης της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ από το διαδραστικό ΕΠε, και αφετέρου, στην αποδοχή του ΕΠε από το χρήστη, ως εργαλείου για τη διερεύνηση αυτής της συνεργασίας και για την εκπαίδευση σε αυτήν. H δεύτερη προβληματική αφορά στη χρήση των γνωστικών βοηθημάτων που παρέχονται στο χρήστη, αλλά και στην επίδραση που έχουν αυτά στην αντίληψη του κινδύνου (προσλαμβανόμενη/αντιληπτή ασφάλεια) και στην αντίληψη της κατάστασης. H τρίτη προβληματική αφορά στη χρήση των διαφορετικών στρατηγικών ασφάλειας (επιβράδυνση/υποχώρηση), στην αποδοχή τους από το χρήστη και στην επίδραση που έχουν στην ασφάλεια και στην απόδοση (εύροια) της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ. Ο βραχυπρόθεσμος στόχος της διδακτορικής διατριβής ήταν η δημιουργία ενός Εικονικού Περιβάλλοντος (ΕΠε) υψηλής αλληλεπίδρασης και εμβύθισης, το οποίο θα λειτουργεί ως μια πλατφόρμα πειραματισμού και δοκιμών των τεχνικών αλληλεπίδρασης Α-Ρ και της εύροιας της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ στον εικονικό κόσμο. Ο μεσοπρόθεσμος στόχος είναι η διερεύνηση της επαυξημένης εμπειρίας, της αντίληψης και της συμπεριφοράς του χρήστη στο ΕΠε κατά τη διάρκεια της εικονικής συνεργασίας Α-Ρ. Το διαδραστικό ΕΠε μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί για τη διερεύνηση της αποδοχής και της ασφάλειας της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ, ενισχύοντας την αντίληψη (awareness) του χρήστη όσον αφορά την κίνηση του ρομπότ με τη χρήση πολυαισθητηριακών σημάτων και βοηθημάτων. Τελικά, ο μακροπρόθεσμος στόχος αυτής της έρευνας είναι η διερεύνηση τρόπων ασφαλειοκεντρικού προγραμματισμού της τροχιάς του ρομπότ, με την αξιολόγηση διαφορετικών τεχνικών αποφυγής συγκρούσεων και τη χρήση τεχνικών, μέσα στο ΕΠε, βασισμένων στην αντίληψη της κίνησης και την επικοινωνία της πρόθεσης, τόσο από τον άνθρωπο όσο και από τον ελεγκτή του βιομηχανικού ρομπότ.Συνεπώς, η διδακτορική διατριβή περιστρέφεται γύρω από τη συνεργασία Ανθρώπου-Ρομπότ (Α-Ρ) στα ρομποτικά συστήματα παραγωγής, την αποτελεσματικότητα, την ασφάλεια και την αποδοχή αυτής της συνεργασίας και τέλος, γύρω από τη διαδραστική Εικονική Πραγματικότητα αφενός ως εργαλείο μελέτης της παραπάνω συνεργασίας, και αφετέρου, η ίδια εγγενώς, ως ερευνητικό πεδίο έρευνας το οποίο αναπαριστά και εμπλουτίζει γνωστικά την αλληλεπίδραση με τον άνθρωπο.Προκειμένου να διερευνηθούν οι ερευνητικές προβληματικές και οι υποθέσεις επίλυσής τους, δημιουργήθηκε το ΕΠε “beWare of the Robot”. Η “beWare of the Robot” είναι μια αυτόνομη (standalone) εφαρμογή που αναπτύχθηκε και συναρμολογήθηκε στο περιβάλλον του Unity 3d™ και η οποία μπορεί να τρέξει σε έναν τυπικό προσωπικό υπολογιστή με λειτουργικό σύστημα Windows™. Το δημιουργηθέν ΕΠε είναι πλήρως πρωτότυπο και έντονα διαδραστικό, ενώ στην εικονική σκηνή χρησιμοποιείται ένα ρεαλιστικό μοντέλο ανθρωποειδούς και το μοντέλο ενός βιομηχανικού ρομποτικού βραχίονα. Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν δύο τύποι τρισδιάστατων διεπαφών αλληλεπίδρασης: (i) κάσκες στερεοσκοπίας (HMDs), ως συσκευές εξόδου τρισδιάστατης απεικόνισης (Z800 3DVisor και Oculus Rift DK2), αλλά και ως συσκευές εισόδου για την αναγνώριση της κίνησης του κεφαλιού και (ii) αισθητήρες αναγνώρισης κίνησης (Microsoft Kinect™) ως τρισδιάστατες συσκευές εισόδου και κιναισθητικού ελέγχου.Ως πεδίο εφαρμογής (υπόθεση εργασίας) επιλέχθηκε η συνεργατική χειροκίνητη στρώση ανθρακοϋφασμάτων (hand lay-up), καθώς είναι ισχυρά αλληλεπιδραστική, απαιτεί μεγάλη εγγύτητα και παράλληλη εργασία Α-Ρ, ενώ μπορούν να προσαρμοστούν σε αυτήν οι συνηθέστεροι τύποι συνεργασίας Α-Ρ (τροφοδοσία, παράδοση τεμαχίου, συγκράτηση, ταυτόχρονη και από κοινού εργασία πάνω στο ίδιο τεμάχιο). Συνολικά αναπτύχθηκαν δύο περιπτώσεις εφαρμογής (use cases). H πρώτη περίπτωση εφαρμογής (εκδόσεις beWare of the Robot v1.0 και v1.5) αναπαριστά τη ρομποτική τροφοδοσία (παράδοση) των ανθρακοϋφασμάτων από έναν πάγκο εναπόθεσης υφασμάτων προς τον άνθρωπο και συνιστά συγχρονισμένο τύπο συνεργασίας με χωρική σύμπτωση Α-Ρ. Η δεύτερη περίπτωση εφαρμογής, (έκδοση beWare of the Robot v2.0) αφορά συνεργατική προετοιμασία του τεμαχίου (αφαίρεση ενός αυτοκόλλητου καλύμματος) και συνεργατική και από κοινού στρώση του ανθρακοϋφάσματος σε ένα καλούπι (ταυτόχρονος και υποβοηθητικός τύπος συνεργασίας Α-Ρ).Για την εκτέλεση των βασικών καθηκόντων της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ στο Εικονικό Περιβάλλον χρησιμοποιείται μεγάλο πλήθος τεχνικών αλληλεπίδρασης. Εξαιτίας της ανίχνευσης κίνησης (tracking) και της χρήσης του ανθρωποειδούς για την αναπαράσταση των καθηκόντων του χρήστη, επιτυγχάνεται αντίστοιχα αμεσότητα και φυσικότητα σε όλα τα γενικά καθήκοντα αλληλεπίδρασης (επιλογή, πλοήγηση, χειρισμός και έλεγχος συστήματος). Επίσης, δημιουργήθηκαν δύο πρωτότυπες μεταφορές αλληλεπίδρασης, αυτές της εικονικής συνεργατικής στρώσης (virtual lay metaphor) και αυτή της εικονικής αφαίρεσης του αυτοκόλλητου καλύμματος (virtual removal metaphor), και μία τεχνική. Η τεχνική «ακολούθησε το χέρι μου» (follow my hand) πραγματοποιείται με τη χρήση ενός εικονικού χεριού (οδηγού/πιλότου) και ενός μοτίβου κίνησης, παράγοντας ένα γνωστικό βοήθημα προσομοίωσης του πραγματικού καθήκοντος στο ΕΠε.Οι δημιουργηθείσες τεχνικές ασφαλούς συνεργασίας μπορούν να κατηγοριοποιηθούν σε παθητικές/προνοητικές (proactive) τεχνικές και ενεργητικές/προσαρμοστικές (adaptive) τεχνικές. Η λογική των προβλεπτικών τεχνικών βασίζεται κυρίως στη χρήση γνωστικών βοηθημάτων (οπτικών και ηχητικών ενδείξεων, νύξεων και συναγερμών) και στοχεύει στην υποστήριξη της επικοινωνίας του χρήστη με το ρομπότ, της επίγνωσης της κατάστασης και της αντίληψης του κινδύνου. Οι προσαρμοστικές (adaptive) τεχνικές ασφαλούς συνεργασίας Α-Ρ που ερευνούμε είναι δύο (i-επιβράδυνση, ii-υποχώρηση), αναφέρονται στην (προσαρμοστική) κινηματική συμπεριφορά του ρομπότ και εστιάζουν στην αποφυγή της επαφής μεταξύ Α-Ρ, χωρίς διακοπή της κίνησης του ρομπότ (αδιάκοπη συνεργασία).Πραγματοποιήθηκαν δύο δοκιμές χρηστών, μία για κάθε περίπτωση εφαρμογής, και χρησιμοποιήθηκαν τόσο υποκειμενικές μετρικές ικανοποίησης των χρηστών (αυτο-αξιολόγηση), όσο και μετρικές απόδοσης της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ (χρόνοι, ταχύτητα ρομπότ, αριθμός συγκρούσεων Α-Ρ). Τα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν έπειτα από στατιστικά τεστ, δείχνουν ότι οι χρησιμοποιούμενες τεχνικές ασφαλούς συνεργασίας (επιβράδυνση/υποχώρηση) είναι όντως αποτελεσματικές και αποδεκτές από τους χρήστες, αλλά επιβαρύνουν την απόδοση της συνεργασίας. Επίσης, συνολικώς θετικά κρίνονται τα αποτελέσματα στις θεματικές ενότητες της αποτελεσματικότητας της μοντελοποίησης της συνεργασίας Α-Ρ, της αποτελεσματικότητας και της αποδοχής του ΕΠε και της εμπλοκής, εμβύθισης και παρουσίας του χρήστη.

AIM The incidence of childhood empyema has been increasing in some developed countries despite the introduction of pneumococcal vaccination. This study aimed to document the incidence, bacterial pathogens, and morbidity/mortality of parapneumonic effusion/empyema in New Zealand. METHODS A prospective study of 102 children

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. We have previously developed a disease-in-a-dish model for familial PD using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from two patients carrying the p.A53T α-synuclein (αSyn) mutation. By directed differentiation, we generated a model that displays disease-relevant phenotypes, including protein aggregation, compromised neurite outgrowth, axonal neuropathology and synaptic defects. Here we investigated the in vivo phenotypes of iPSCs, derived from one patient, after transplantation in a lesion mouse model established by unilateral intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine injection in the immunosuppressed NOD/SCID strain. Immunohistochemistry revealed that despite the disease-related characteristics that mutant cells displayed when maintained up to 70 days in vitro, they could survive and differentiate in vivo over a 12-week period. However, some differences were noted between patient-derived and control grafts, including a significant rise in αSyn immunoreactivity that might signal a first step towards pathology. Moreover, control-derived grafts appeared to integrate better than PD grafts within the host tissue extending projections that formed more contacts with host striatal neurons. Our data suggest that the distinct disease-related characteristics which p.A53T cells develop in vitro, may be attenuated or take longer to emerge in vivo after transplantation within the mouse brain. Further analysis of the phenotypes that patient cells acquire over longer periods of time as well as the use of multiple iPSC clones from different patients should extend our current proof-of-concept study and provide additional evidence for in vivo disease modeling.

This is an edited version of a talk given to the international forum, ‘Marx-XXI, 200 years after the birth of Karl Marx’, 17–19 May 2018, Lomonosov Moscow State University. © 2019 Critique.

“beWare of the Robot” is a custom-designed Virtual Reality application and implemented as a platform for simulating in real-time Human-Robot collaboration in manufacturing tasks. This work reports on its use for investigating two alternative safe collaboration strategies, namely ‘Reduce Speed’ and ‘Move Back’, in the task of handling fabric when building aerospace composite material parts. Both methods are triggered when the distance of the human to the robot falls below a certain threshold. Experimentation was conducted in live tests, taking into account pressure and force thresholds regarding painful transient contact of the robot with the human following ISO/TS 15066:2016. Indices such as mean robot speed, time of collaboration, number and severity of collisions, were recorded in order to assess and ‘tweak’ these methods. Tweaking involved speed reduction factor in ‘Reduce Speed’ and waiting time after completion of stationary tasks in both strategies. Visual cues in terms of graded coloured robot motion volume to indicate varying interference of the human proved ineffective. Beyond statistical assessment of safe collaboration strategies, qualitative assessment was provided by the experiment participants according to acquired experience.

Programming of an industrial robotic arm is demonstrated in this work, so as to adapt the robot’s prescribed movements in order to guarantee safety of the human with whom the robot shares its workspace. The robot must either stop or change trajectory or slow down when it detects a human in its course. The approach is applicable not at robot operating system level but at robot programming level. This is particularly interesting for robots of the previous generation that have not been designed to collaborate with human workforce. A tracking sensor and the robot encoders feed data of the human and robot in real time to the respective digital twin model constructed in an open virtual reality development platform, whereas elementary calculations to determine the required program variant are performed within the virtual environment and a signal is sent to the robot. Communication between the physical and virtual environment are effected via a micro-controller. A simple pick-and-place program in V+ language is used as a demonstrator. The robot program has been parametrically programmed to anticipate such signals and take appropriate action using the corresponding interrupt-type subroutines. Preliminary results proved feasibility of this concept and potential for full scale development and deployment automation.

Industrial robots need to be programmed quickly in order to be practically deployable in the production of small batches. In programming by teaching or demonstration, when most of the program’s content involves handling tasks, gesture recognition or other multimodal interfaces may be exploited. However, when the main task concerns manufacturing processing, typically tracing an edge in seam welding, deburring or cutting, then positioning and orienting the tool to considerable accuracy are required. This can only be achieved, if suitable tracking sensors are used. The current work employs a 6 degree-of-freedom magnetic sensor, but any other equivalent sensor could be used, too. The sensor is attached to a suitable hand-held teaching tool that is constructed in accordance with the real end-effector tool, enabling continuous tracking of its position and orientation interactively. A virtual reality platform records this stream of data in real time, making it possible to exploit it primarily in off-line programming of the robot. In this mode both the robot and the manufacturing cell are virtual, inverse kinematics allowing for calculation of joint coordinates from end-effector coordinates. Collision and clearance checks are also straightforwardly implemented. An edge-tracing application in 3D space was programmed following this paradigm. The resulting curves of the tool tip in the virtual and the real environment were close enough when compared by using photogrammetry. If required, the VR environment also allows for remote on-line programming, without any major modifications.

BackgroundIncreased prevalence of depression has been observed among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlated with the elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines and the overall deregulation of monoaminergic neurotransmitters that these patients exhibit. Antidepressants have proved effective not only in treating depression comorbid to MS, but also in alleviating numerous MS symptoms and even minimizing stress-related relapses. Therefore, these agents could prospectively prove beneficial as a complementary MS therapy.ObjectiveThis review aims at illustrating the underlying mechanisms involved in the beneficial clinical effects of antidepressants observed in MS patients.MethodsThrough a literature search we screened and comparatively assessed papers on the effects of antidepressant use both in vitro and in vivo MS models, taking into account a number of inclusion and exclusion criteria.ResultsIn vitro studies indicated that antidepressants promote neural and glial cell viability and differentiation, reduce proinflammatory cytokines and exert neuroprotective activity by eliminating axonal loss. In vivo studies confirmed that antidepressants delayed disease onset and alleviated symptoms in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most prevalent animal model of MS. Further, antidepressant agents suppressed inflammation and restrained demyelination by decreasing immune cell infiltration of the CNS.ConclusionAntidepressants were efficient in tackling numerous aspects of disease pathophysiology both in vitro and in vivo models. Given that several antidepressants have already proved effective in clinical trials on MS patients, the inclusion of such agents in the therapeutic arsenal of MS should be seriously considered, following an individualized approach to minimize the adverse events of antidepressants in MS patients.

Background: Increased prevalence of depression has been observed among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and correlated with the elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines and the overall deregulation of monoaminergic neurotransmitters that these patients exhibit. Antidepressants have proved effective not only in treating depression comorbid to MS, but also in alleviating numerous MS symptoms and even minimizing stress-related relapses. Therefore, these agents could prospectively prove beneficial as a complementary MS therapy. Objective: This review aims at illustrating the underlying mechanisms involved in the beneficial clinical effects of antidepressants observed in MS patients. Methods: Through a literature search we screened and comparatively assessed papers on the effects of antidepressant use both in vitro and in vivo MS models, taking into account a number of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: In vitro studies indicated that antidepressants promote neural and glial cell viability and differentiation, reduce proinflammatory cytokines and exert neuroprotective activity by eliminating axonal loss. In vivo studies confirmed that antidepressants delayed disease onset and alleviated symptoms in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most prevalent animal model of MS. Further, antidepressant agents suppressed inflammation and restrained demyelination by decreasing immune cell infiltration of the CNS. Conclusion: Antidepressants were efficient in tackling numerous aspects of disease pathophysiology both in vitro and in vivo models. Given that several antidepressants have already proved effective in clinical trials on MS patients, the inclusion of such agents in the therapeutic arsenal of MS should be seriously considered, following an individualized approach to minimize the adverse events of antidepressants in MS patients. © Copyright © 2021 Stamoula, Siafis, Dardalas, Ainatzoglou, Matsas, Athanasiadis, Sardeli, Stamoulas and Papazisis.

Pathogens able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) induce long-term neurological sequelae and death. Understanding how neurotropic pathogens bypass this strong physiological barrier is a prerequisite to devise therapeutic strategies. Here we propose an innovative model of infection in the developing Drosophila brain, combining whole brain explants with in vivo systemic infection. We find that several mammalian pathogens are able to cross the Drosophila BBB, including Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Amongst GBS surface components, lipoproteins, and in particular the B leucine-rich Blr, are important for BBB crossing and virulence in Drosophila. Further, we identify (V)LDL receptor LpR2, expressed in the BBB, as a host receptor for Blr, allowing GBS translocation through endocytosis. Finally, we show that Blr is required for BBB crossing and pathogenicity in a murine model of infection. Our results demonstrate the potential of Drosophila for studying BBB crossing by pathogens and identify a new mechanism by which pathogens exploit the machinery of host barriers to generate brain infection., Bacterial and fungal pathogens that cross the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) can cause severe disease. Here, Benmimoun et al. develop a model to study BBB crossing in the developing Drosophila brain and discover Group B Streptococcus factors important for BBB crossing and virulence, one of which, a lipoprotein, they confirm in mice.