Design and Validation of a Modular, Backdrivable Ankle Exoskeleton.

Partial-assist ankle exoskeletons have been limited by inherent trade-offs between favorable characteristics including high torque capacity, high control bandwidth, back-drivability, compliance, and low mass. Emerging quasi-direct drive actuators have a rigid transmission with a low gear ratio, enabling inherent backdrivability and compliance with accurate torque and position control. Our existing modular, backdrivable exoskeleton system () uses quasi-direct drive actuators at the hip and/or knee to deliver high assistive torques alongside low dynamic backdrive torques, enabling natural interaction with users with remnant voluntary motion.

Structure-Antitumor Activity Relationships of Aza- and Diaza-Anthracene-2,9,10-Triones and Their Partially Saturated Derivatives.

The 1,8-Diazaanthracene-2,9,10-triones, their 5,8-dihydro derivatives, and 1,8-diazaanthracene-2,7,9,10-tetraones, structurally related to the diazaquinomycin family of natural products, were synthesized in a regioselective fashion employing Diels-Alder strategies. These libraries were studied for their cytotoxicity in a variety of human cancer cell lines in order to establish structure-activity relationships. From the results obtained, we conclude that some representatives of the 1,8-diazaanthracene-2,9,10-trione framework show potent and selective cytotoxicity against solid tumors.

Zinc-Doped Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as a Proton-Activatable Agent for Dose Range Verification in Proton Therapy.

Proton therapy allows the treatment of specific areas and avoids the surrounding tissues. However, this technique has uncertainties in terms of the distal dose fall-off. A promising approach to studying the proton range is the use of nanoparticles as proton-activatable agents that produce detectable signals.

Development and validation of a software application to analyze thermal and kinematic multimodels of Stirling engines.

The work developed presents, for the first time, a tool to analyze all the thermodynamic models used in the study and development of Stirling engines: isothermal, ideal adiabatic and adiabatic with losses, combined adiabatic thermodynamic with finite speed (CAFS), thermodynamic with finite speed (FST), ideal polytropic and polytropic with losses (PSVL), allowing a comparative study of them. This software (ASCE-UMA), designed and implemented in a Matlab GUI® allows to obtain the operating parameters of these engines, calculating the thermodynamic parameters, power output and efficiency. Additionally, the thermodynamic models can be evaluated with different mechanical configurations, for which different drive mechanisms are implemented: Sinusoidal, Alfa Ross yoke types, Alfa Ross V yoke, Beta rhombic type and free piston Stirling engine (FPSE).

Enhanced Antibacterial Activity through Silver Nanoparticles Deposited onto Carboxylated Graphene Oxide Surface.

The strong bactericidal action of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is usually limited by their degree of aggregation. Deposition of AgNPs onto a graphene oxide (GO) surface to generate GO-Ag hybrids has been shown to be an effective method of controlling these aggregation problems. In this sense, a novel carboxylated graphene oxide-silver nanoparticle (GOCOOH-Ag) material has been synthesized, and their antibacterial and biofilm formation inhibitions have been studied.

Enantioselective Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of Aza-CGP37157-Lipoic Acid Hybrids for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.

Hybrids based on an aza-analogue of CGP37157, a mitochondrial Na/Ca exchanger antagonist, and lipoic acid were obtained in order to combine in a single molecule the antioxidant and NRF2 induction properties of lipoic acid and the neuroprotective activity of CGP37157. The four possible enantiomers of the hybrid structure were synthesized by using as the key step a fully diastereoselective reduction induced by Ellman's chiral auxiliary. After computational druggability studies that predicted good ADME profiles and blood-brain permeation for all compounds, the DPPH assay showed moderate oxidant scavenger capacity.

Aromatic Dimer Dehydrogenases from Reduce Monoaromatic Diketones.

Lignin is a potential source of valuable chemicals, but its chemical depolymerization results in a heterogeneous mixture of aromatics and other products. Microbes could valorize depolymerized lignin by converting multiple substrates into one or a small number of products. In this study, we describe the ability of Novosphingobium aromaticivorans to metabolize 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,2-dione (G-diketone), an aromatic Hibbert diketone that is produced during formic acid-catalyzed lignin depolymerization.

Redundancy in aromatic O-demethylation and ring opening reactions in and their impact in the metabolism of plant derived phenolics.

Lignin is a plant heteropolymer composed of phenolic subunits. Because of its heterogeneity and recalcitrance, the development of efficient methods for its valorization still remains an open challenge. One approach to utilize lignin is its chemical deconstruction into mixtures of monomeric phenolic compounds followed by biological funneling into a single product.

The Effects of Beetroot Juice on VOmax and Blood Pressure during Submaximal Exercise.

Beetroot juice (BR) has been shown to reduce blood pressure (BP) at rest and improve several performance parameters during exercise. However, the effect of BR on BP during submaximal exercise has not been investigated and its effects on VOmax are inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of BR on VOmax and BP during submaximal exercise.

Relocation of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialists in the United States.

Objective: To examine patterns in relocation of maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists during the recent 10 years.

Study Design: This descriptive study analyzed the migration of MFM specialists between 2006 and 2016 based on county locations. Year-to-year comparisons of physicians in active clinical practice were performed.

Ontogenetic Changes in the Diet and Head Morphology of an Omnivorous Tropidurid Lizard (Microlophus thoracicus).

Ontogenetic shifts from an insectivorous diet towards an herbivorous one are well known in lizards. Energetic, behavioral and morphological factors have been linked to this pattern, but the latter have received less attention, especially with respect to head morphology. It is known that robust heads are related to stronger bite forces, consequently facilitating the consumption of harder or tougher, more fibrous items such as plants.

Limitation of life support techniques at admission to the intensive care unit: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To determine the frequency of limitations on life support techniques (LLSTs) on admission to intensive care units (ICU), factors associated, and 30-day survival in patients with LLST on ICU admission.

Methods: This prospective observational study included all patients admitted to 39 ICUs in a 45-day period in 2011. We recorded hospitals' characteristics (availability of intermediate care units, usual availability of ICU beds, and financial model) and patients' characteristics (demographics, reason for admission, functional status, risk of death, and LLST on ICU admission (withholding/withdrawing; specific techniques affected)).

CXCR4: A new player in vestibular schwannoma pathogenesis.

Background: CXCR4 is a chemokine receptor that recruits blood stem cells and increases tumor cell growth and invasiveness. We examined CXCR4 expression in vestibular schwannomas (VS) from patients with and without neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) and correlated the levels with the patients' clinical characteristics. The aim was to determine whether CXCR4 can be used as a prognostic marker and as a target for systemic therapy.

Improvement of Scratch and Wear Resistance of Polymers by Fillers Including Nanofillers.

Polymers have lower resistance to scratching and wear than metals. Liquid lubricants work well for metals but not for polymers nor for polymer-based composites (PBCs). We review approaches for improvement of tribological properties of polymers based on inclusion of fillers.

Clinical hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy score of the Iberoamerican Society of Neonatology (Siben): A new proposal for diagnosis and management.

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy is a major complication of perinatal asphyxia, with high morbidity, mortality and neurologic sequelae as cerebral palsy, mostly in poor or developing countries. The difficulty in the diagnosis and management of newborns in these countries is astonishing, thus resulting in unreliable data on this pathology and bad outcomes regarding mortality and incidence of neurologic sequelae. The objective of this article is to present a new clinical diagnostic score to be started in the delivery room and to guide the therapeutic approach, in order to improve these results.

Rheological Characterization of Liquid Polymers Containing Ceramic Nanopowders for Use in Thermoelectric Devices.

We have determined shear viscosities as a function of temperature for several liquid high temperature polymers (HTPs) as potential coatings for solid state thermoelectric generators (TEGs) as well as for TE coolers (TECs). To each HTP we added in turn several ceramic nanopowders: alumina, silica and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The shear rate applied range is from 0.

Using a novel laminar flow unit provided effective total body hypothermia for neonatal hypoxic encephalopathy.

Aim: This was a clinical observational trial on a laminar flow device that provides total body hypothermia for infants with hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE).

Methods: We enrolled infants born at up to 35 weeks of gestation, who presented with HIE within six hours of birth. Total body cooling was achieved using the neonatal laminar flow unit for 72 hours, with continuous rectal temperature servo control, isolation and humidification.

A new technique to identify the location of the mucogingival junction on computer tomographic scans before implant placement.

A new technique is presented to identify the location of mucogingival junction (MGJ) on CT scans before implant placement. This case report describes the step-by-step fabrication of a radiographic template, which when used in conjunction with CT scans enables the clinician to locate the position of MGJ before implant placement and predict the amount of keratinized tissue (KT) that will be present around an implant. Using this technique, the operator can determine whether or not flapless implant surgery may be a treatment option and whether simultaneous soft tissue augmentation will be necessary at the time of implant placement to establish an adequate band of KT.

A laminar flow unit for the care of critically ill newborn infants.

Introduction: Medical and nursing care of newborns is predicated on the delicate control and balance of several vital parameters. Closed incubators and open radiant warmers are the most widely used devices for the care of neonates in intensive care; however, several well-known limitations of these devises have not been resolved. The use of laminar flow is widely used in many fields of medicine, and may have applications in neonatal care.

The modifier effect of the BDNF gene in the phenotype of the WAGRO syndrome.

Individuals who are carriers of deletions of various sizes that cause haploinsufficiency in the contiguous WT1 and PAX6 genes, located on chromosome 11p13 approximately 4 Mb centromeric to the BDNF gene, are susceptible to Wilms tumor, aniridia, mental retardation, genitourinary anomalies and obesity (WAGRO syndrome). The molecular characterization of the wide deletion 11p15.1p12 arr (18676926-36576388) x1 dn in a child with 3 years and 4 months of age only affected by aniridia, predicts not only other serious associated diseases, but also allows us to hypothesize a specific phenotype of mental impairment, conduct alterations and childhood obesity, possibly added to the onset of metabolic alterations.

Biocatalytic reduction of short-chain carboxylic acids into their corresponding alcohols with syngas fermentation.

Short-chain carboxylic acids generated by various mixed- or pure-culture fermentation processes have been considered valuable precursors for production of bioalcohols. While conversion of carboxylic acids into alcohols is routinely performed with catalytic hydrogenation or with strong chemical reducing agents, here, a biological conversion route was explored. The potential of carboxydotrophic bacteria, such as Clostridium ljungdahlii and Clostridium ragsdalei, as biocatalysts for conversion of short-chain carboxylic acids into alcohols, using syngas as a source of electrons and energy is demonstrated.