This paper describes the development of a new biorobotic platform inspired by the lamprey. Design, fabrication and implemented control are all based on biomechanical and neuroscientific findings on this eel-like fish. The lamprey model has been extensively studied and characterized in recent years because it possesses all basic functions and control mechanisms of higher vertebrates, while at the same time having fewer neurons and simplified neural structures. The untethered robot has a flexible body driven by compliant actuators with proprioceptive feedback. It also has binocular vision for vision-based navigation. The platform has been successfully and extensively experimentally tested in aquatic environments, has high energy efficiency and is ready to be used as investigation tool for high level motor tasks.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-3182/7/2/025001 | DOI Listing |
J Relig Ethics
March 2024
Institute of Philosophy at Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Poland) and head of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Ethics at Jagiellonian University, where he leads the project BIOUNCERTAINTY funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant.
A dogma accepted in many ethical, religious, and legal frameworks is that the reasons behind conscientious objection (CO) in healthcare cannot be evaluated or judged by any institution because conscience is individual and autonomous. This paper shows that this background view is mistaken: the requirement to reveal and explain the reasons for conscientious objection in healthcare is ethically justified and legally desirable. Referring to real healthcare cases and legal regulations, this paper argues that these reasons should be evaluated either ex ante or ex post and defends novel conceptual claims that have not been analyzed in the debates on CO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZhongguo Xue Xi Chong Bing Fang Zhi Za Zhi
December 2024
Mongolian Medical College, Inner Mongolia Minzu University; National Medical Products Administration Key Laboratory of Quality Control of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Mongolian Medicine), Tongliao, Inner Mongolia 028043, China.
Scorpion venom is a highly complicated cocktail of bioactive components including mucoproteins, enzymes, lipids, bioactive peptides, and other organic or inorganic molecules. Scorpion venom antimicrobial peptides are a class of small-molecule bioactive peptides extracted from scorpion venoms, which have shown a variety of biological activities, including antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antitumor actions. This review describes the progress of researches on the antiparasitic activities of scorpion venoms and their antimicrobial peptides, so as to provide insights into the research and development of novel antiparasitic agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Parasitol
January 2025
College of Veterinary Medicine, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.
Background: Cryptosporidium spp., Giardia duodenalis, and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are important zoonotic pathogens. In Inner Mongolia, a single pathogen molecular epidemiological survey of these three protozoa was previously conducted on only 176 fecal samples donkeys.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Lett
January 2025
Discovery, InsideOutBio , Charlestown, MA, USA.
This paper is focused on the origins of the contemporary genetic code. A novel explanation is proposed for how the mapping of nucleotides in DNA to amino acids in proteins arose that derives from repeat nucleotide sequences able to form alternative nucleic acid structures (ANS), such as the unusual left-handed Z-DNA, triplex, G-quadruplex and I-motif conformations. The scheme identifies sequence-specific contacts that map ANS repeats to dipeptide polymers (DPS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ R Soc Interface
January 2025
School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Achieving a comprehensive understanding of animal intelligence demands an integrative approach that acknowledges the interplay between an organism's brain, body and environment. Insects, despite their limited computational resources, demonstrate remarkable abilities in navigation. Existing computational models often fall short in faithfully replicating the morphology of real insects and their interactions with the environment, hindering validation and practical application in robotics.
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