Guiding the design of superresolution tactile skins with taxel value isolines theory.

Tactile feedback is essential to make robots more agile and effective in unstructured environments. However, high-resolution tactile skins are not widely available; this is due to the large size of robust sensing units and because many units typically lead to fragility in wiring and to high costs. One route toward high-resolution and robust tactile skins involves the embedding of a few sensor units (taxels) into a flexible surface material and the use of signal processing to achieve sensing with superresolution accuracy.

Machine Learning for Haptics: Inferring Multi-Contact Stimulation From Sparse Sensor Configuration.

Robust haptic sensation systems are essential for obtaining dexterous robots. Currently, we have solutions for small surface areas, such as fingers, but affordable and robust techniques for covering large areas of an arbitrary 3D surface are still missing. Here, we introduce a general machine learning framework to infer multi-contact haptic forces on a 3D robot's limb surface from internal deformation measured by only a few physical sensors.

Keratinocyte electrotaxis induced by physiological pulsed direct current electric fields.

Endogenous electric fields (EFs) direct the migration (electrotaxis) of keratinocytes in skin wounds, and the exogenous application of EFs may therefore improve wound healing, but the potential benefits are limited by the side effects of constant direct current (DC) passing through tissues. In contrast, with pulsed DC (characterized by intermittent output), parameters can be adjusted to minimize the adverse effects of electric currents. However, it remains unknown whether pulsed DC can reliably induce keratinocyte electrotaxis.

[Effects of direct current electric field on directional migration and arrangement of dermal fibroblasts in neonatal BALB/c mice and the mechanisms].

Objective: To explore the effects of direct current electric fields on directional migration and arrangement of dermal fibroblasts in neonatal BALB/c mice and the related mechanisms.

Methods: Twelve neonatal BALB/c mice were divided into 4 batches. The skin on the back of 3 neonatal mice in each batch was obtained to culture fibroblasts.

HSP27 phosphorylation protects against endothelial barrier dysfunction under burn serum challenge.

F-actin rearrangement is an early event in burn-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction. HSP27, a target of p38 MAPK/MK2 pathway, plays an important role in actin dynamics through phosphorylation. The question of whether HSP27 participates in burn-related endothelial barrier dysfunction has not been identified yet.

The Galvanotactic Migration of Keratinocytes is Enhanced by Hypoxic Preconditioning.

The endogenous electric field (EF)-directed migration of keratinocytes (galvanotaxis) into wounds is an essential step in wound re-epithelialization. Hypoxia, which occurs immediately after injury, acts as an early stimulus to initiate the healing process; however, the mechanisms for this effect, remain elusive. We show here that the galvanotactic migration of keratinocytes was enhanced by hypoxia preconditioning as a result of the increased directionality rather than the increased motility of keratinocytes.