Additive manufacturing methods using static and mobile robots are being developed for both on-site construction and off-site prefabrication. Here we introduce a method of additive manufacturing, referred to as aerial additive manufacturing (Aerial-AM), that utilizes a team of aerial robots inspired by natural builders such as wasps who use collective building methods. We present a scalable multi-robot three-dimensional (3D) printing and path-planning framework that enables robot tasks and population size to be adapted to variations in print geometry throughout a building mission.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGrowing evidence suggests that environmental disruptors of maternal microbes may have significant detrimental consequences for the developing fetus. Antibiotic exposure during early life can have long-term effects on neurodevelopment in mice and humans. Here we explore whether exposure to low-dose penicillin during only the last week of gestation in mice has long-term effects on offspring behaviour, brain, immune function, and gut microbiota.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurrently, there is keen interest in the development of alternative therapies in the treatment of depression. Given the explosion of research focused on the microbiota-gut-brain axis, consideration has turned to the potential of certain probiotics to improve patient outcomes for those suffering from mood disorders. Here we examine the abilities of a known antidepressant, fluoxetine, and the probiotic JB-1™, to attenuate responses to two established criteria for depressive-like behavior in animal models, the tail suspension test (TST) and the corticosterone response to an acute restraint stressor.
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