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We present a novel bioinspired dynamic climbing robot, with a recursive name: ROCR is an oscillating climbing robot. ROCR, pronounced “Rocker,” is a pendular, two-link, serial-chain robot that utilizes alternating handholds and an actuated tail to propel itself upward in a climbing style based on observation of human climbers and brachiating gibbons. ROCR's bioinspired pendular climbing strategy is simple and efficient. In fact, to our knowledge, ROCR is also the first climbing robot that is designed for efficiency. ROCR is a lightweight, flexible, and self-contained robot. This robot is intended for autonomous surveillance and inspection on sheer vertical surfaces. Potential locomotion gait strategies were investigated in simulation using Working Model 2D, and were evaluated on a basis of climbing rate, energy efficiency, and whether stable open-loop climbing was achieved. We identified that the most effective climbing resulted from sinusoidal tail motions. The addition of a body stabilizer reduced the robot's out-of-plane motion at higher frequencies and promoted more reliable gripper attachment. Experimental measurements of the robot showed climbing efficiencies of over 20% and a specific resistance of 5.0, while consuming 27 J/m at a maximum climbing speed of 15.7 cm/s (0.34 body lengths/s) - setting a first benchmark for efficiency of climbing robots. Future work will include further design optimization, integration of more complex gripping mechanisms, and investigating more complex control strategies.

BackgroundNew therapies designed to downregulate the aberrant immune response associated with severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) are being increasingly investigated in different experimental models of ANP. The aim of this study was to test the potential effects of sodium fusidate on the course of severe ANP in rabbits.MethodsANP was induced in 20 rabbits by retrograde injection of 5 per cent chenodeoxycholic acid into the pancreatic duct followed by duct ligation. The rabbits were allocated to pretreatment with intravenous physiological saline or sodium fusidate 80 mg/kg 30 min before the induction of ANP. Levels of serum amylase, lipase, tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α, interleukin (IL) 8, glucose and calcium, and leucocyte count were measured every 3 h for a total of 12 h. At the end of the experiment, ascitic fluid was collected and the pancreatic, lung and kidney tissues were obtained for histological examination.ResultsPretreatment with sodium fusidate reduced the mortality rate from six of ten to three of ten (P < 0·05) and reduced the output of ascitic fluid from 5·2 to 2·0 ml/h (P ConclusionPretreatment with sodium fusidate resulted in a considerable reduction in mortality rate and ascitic fluid output in rabbits with bile-induced ANP, probably by lowering the TNF-α and IL-8 blood levels. However, pretreatment with sodium fusidate did not alter the local or systemic manifestations of ANP. Thus, cytokines other than TNF-α and IL-8 are likely to mediate the local and systemic symptoms of ANP.

We present a novel bio-inspired dynamic climbing robot, with a recursive name: ROCR is an Oscillating Climbing Robot. ROCR is a pendular two-link, serial chain robot that utilizes alternating hand-holds and an actuated tail to propel itself upward in a climbing style based on observation of human climbers and brachiating gibbons. ROCR's bio-inspired oscillating climbing strategy is simple and efficient. This robot is intended for autonomous surveillance and inspection on sheer vertical surfaces. Potential locomotion gait strategies were investigated in simulation using Working Model 2D. Strategy comparisons were drawn on a basis of climbing rate and energy efficiency. Simulation results show the feasibility and relative merits of these climbing gait strategies and compare them to the potential energy gained while climbing. A first generation ROCR design, having physical parameters based on simulation analysis, that utilizes actuated permanent magnet grippers and a geared-motor actuated tail was fabricated. Magnetic grippers are used for this initial prototype to facilitate investigating the robots climbing efficiency. Several climbing gaits which showed promise in simulation were implemented in the prototype. ROCR is a lightweight, flexible, self-contained robot with onboard microcontroller, tilt and acceleration sensing, power supply and wireless communication. We conclude with plans to evolve the simulation and design of the robot and plans for testing the prototype.

L'anesthesie locale de l'incision est largement utilisee pour traiter la douleur post-operatoire. Nous presentons les resultats d'une etude controlee en double aveugle et randomisee, de l'injection de bupivacaine dans l'incision versus un placebo chez 68 enfants ayant subi une appendicectomie. Le produit a l'etude etait infiltre dans le tissu sous-cutane apres fermeture de la plaie (0.5 ml/kg). Les patients avec un poids en-dessous de 40 kg recevaient de la bupivacaine a la concentration de 0.25% et les patients au-dessus de 40 kg avec une concentration de 0.5%. Durant les premieres 24 heures apres la chirurgie, les patients dans le groupe bupivacaine recevaient en moyenne 0.065 mg de morphine/kg et dans le groupe placebo 0.073 mg/kg. Cette difference n'etait pas statistiquement significative. Les patients dans le groupe bupivacaine avaient tendance a souhaiter un soulagement de la douleur pour une periode plus longue en comparaison avec les patients dans le groupe placebo. Neanmoins, la difference n'etait pas significative. En conclusion, l'utilisation d'une infiltration sous-cutanee avec de la bupivacaine dans la plaie apres appendicectomie n'a pas d'effet significatif sur l'utilisation de morphine durant le premier jour post-operatoire.