Body Caudal Undulation Measured by Soft Sensors and Emulated by Soft Artificial Muscles.

We propose the use of bio-inspired robotics equipped with soft sensor technologies to gain a better understanding of the mechanics and control of animal movement. Soft robotic systems can be used to generate new hypotheses and uncover fundamental principles underlying animal locomotion and sensory capabilities, which could subsequently be validated using living organisms. Physical models increasingly include lateral body movements, notably back and tail bending, which are necessary for horizontal plane undulation in model systems ranging from fish to amphibians and reptiles.

Heterogeneous sensing in a multifunctional soft sensor for human-robot interfaces.

Soft sensors have been playing a crucial role in detecting different types of physical stimuli to part or the entire body of a robot, analogous to mechanoreceptors or proprioceptors in biology. Most of the currently available soft sensors with compact form factors can detect only a single deformation mode at a time due to the limitation in combining multiple sensing mechanisms in a limited space. However, realizing multiple modalities in a soft sensor without increasing its original form factor is beneficial, because even a single input stimulus to a robot may induce a combination of multiple modes of deformation.

Simultaneous estimation of PD, T , T , T , and ∆B using magnetic resonance fingerprinting with background gradient compensation.

Purpose: This study aims to estimate PD, T , T , T , and B simultaneously using magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) with compensation of the linearly varying background field.

Methods: MRF based on fast imaging with steady-state precession (FISP) and multi-echo spoiled gradient (SPGR) schemes are alternatively used, which encode T and T , respectively. Simulations are performed to determine the appropriate ratio of the FISP and SPGR sections with respect to the T and T accuracy.

Fast B mapping using three consecutive RF pulses and balanced gradients for improved bSSFP imaging.

Purpose: To develop a B mapping during the transient phase of balanced steady state free precession (bSSFP) imaging which can be used for subsequent B inhomogeneity compensation.

Methods: Two images with different flip angles (FA) are acquired using single-shot spiral technique during the transient phase of bSSFP with three consecutive RF pulses and balanced gradients. Under the assumptions that the transmit (B) field varies slowly in spatial domain and T and T relaxation effects are negligible during 2·TR, B was estimated using the two magnitude images and bSSFP data was sequentially acquired.

RF slice profile effects in magnetic resonance fingerprinting.

The radio frequency (RF) slice profile effects on T1 and T2 estimation in magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) are investigated with respect to time-bandwidth product (TBW), flip angle (FA) level and field inhomogeneities. Signal evolutions are generated incorporating the non-ideal slice selective excitation process using Bloch simulation and matched to the original dictionary with and without the non-ideal slice profile taken into account. For validation, phantom and in vivo experiments are performed at 3T.

MultiSlice CAIPIRINHA Using View Angle Tilting Technique (CAIPIVAT).

We aim to focus on improving the performance of slice parallel imaging while simultaneously correcting for spatial shift artifacts related to off-resonance. In multislice controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA), simultaneously excited slices are shifted along the phase-encoding direction by varying the radiofrequency phase for each slice, thereby obtaining virtually shifted coil sensitivity information. Meanwhile, the view angle tilting (VAT) technique provides additional shifts in the readout direction to further spread an image overlap while correcting for field inhomogeneity-induced spatial misregistration using a compensation gradient.

Apicularen A acetate induces cell death via AIF translocation and disrupts the microtubule network by down-regulating tubulin in HM7 human colon cancer cells.

Apicularen A is a novel antitumor agent and strongly induces death in tumor cells. In this study, we synthesized apicularen A acetate, an acetyl derivative of apicularen A, and investigated its antitumor effect and mechanism in HM7 colon cancer cells. Apicularen A acetate induced apoptotic cell death and caspase-3 activation; however, the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk could not prevent this cell death.