An Evaluation System of Robotic End-Effectors for Food Handling.

Owing to Japan's aging society and labor shortages, the food and agricultural industries are facing a significant demand for robotic food handling technologies. Considering the large variety of food products, available robotic end-effectors are limited. Our primary goal is to maximize the applicability of existing end-effectors and efficiently develop novel ones, and therefore, it is necessary to categorize food products and end-effectors from the viewpoint of robotic handling and establish their relationships through an effective evaluation approach. This study proposes a system for evaluating robotic end-effectors to identify appropriate ones and develop new ones. The evaluation system consists of food categorization based on food properties related to robotic handling, categorization of robotic end-effectors based on their grasping principles, a robotic system with visual recognition based on Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) to conduct handling tests, a scoring system for performance evaluation, and a visualization approach for presenting the results and comparisons. Based on food categorization, 14 real food items and their corresponding samples were chosen for handling tests. Seven robotic end-effectors, both commercialized and under development, were selected for evaluation. Using the proposed evaluation system, we quantitatively compared the performance of different end-effectors in handling different food items. We also observed differences in the handling of real food items and samples. The overall performance of an end-effector can be visualized and quantitatively evaluated to demonstrate its versatility in handling various food items.

Hsa_circ_0119412 Contributes to Development of Retinoblastoma by Targeting miR-186-5p/ELK4 Axis.

Increasing evidences indicate the crucial role of circRNAs in tumorigenesis, but little is understood about their molecular mechanism in retinoblastoma (RB). This paper was designed for exploring the circ_0119412 function in cases with RB and the potential mechanism. RT-qPCR was utilized to ascertain circ_0119412 and miR-186-5p levels in RB tissues and cells, and western blotting was used to quantify ELK4 in RB cells. In addition, CCK-8 and scratch assays were carried out for evaluation of cell proliferation and migration, respectively. Apoptosis-related proteins levels (Bax and Bcl-2) were measure by western blotting. Tumor growth in vivo was detected utilizing xenograft tumor experiment. The targeting relationship between circ_0119412, miR-186-5p, and ELK4 was validated using a dual-luciferase reporter assay and an RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assay. In RB tissues and cells, Circ_0119412 and ELK4 expression were upregulated, while miR-186-5p expression was downregulated. In vitro assay revealed that downregulating circ_0119412 accelerated the cell apoptosis of RB cells and slowed down their migration and proliferation, and the in vivo assay indicated that circ_0119412 downregulation reduced the weight and volume of tumor in nude mice. In addition, miR-186-5p interference promoted the malignant behavior of RB cells, while ELK4 silencing showed an opposite trend. Mechanically, circ_0119412 can promote RB malignant phenotypes via miR-186-5p/ELK4 axis. Circ_0119412 was found to be upregulated in RB, and could accelerate the progression of RB via the miR-186-5p/ELK4 axis, indicating circ_0119412 may serve a promising clinical therapeutic target of RB.

Application of High-Photoelasticity Polyurethane to Tactile Sensor for Robot Hands.

We developed a tactile sensor for robot hands that can measure normal force (FZ) and tangential forces (FX and FY) using photoelasticity. This tactile sensor has three photodiodes and three light-emitting diode (LED) white light sources. The sensor is composed of multiple elastic materials, including a highly photoelastic polyurethane sheet, and the sensor can detect both normal and tangential forces through the deformation, ben sding, twisting, and extension of the elastic materials. The force detection utilizes the light scattering resulting from birefringence.

Discovery and computational studies of 2-phenyl-benzoxazole acetamide derivatives as promising P2Y14R antagonists with anti-gout potential.

The P2Y14 nucleotide receptor, a subtype of P2Y receptors, is implicated in many human inflammatory diseases. Based on the identification of favorable residues of two screening hits in the almost symmetrical P2Y14 binding domain, we describe the structural optimization of previously identified virtual screening hits 6 and 7 that result in the development of P2Y14R antagonists with a novel 2-phenyl-benzoxazole acetamide chemical scaffold. Notably, compound 52 showed potent P2Y14R antagonistic activity (IC50 = 2 nM), and a stronger inhibitory effect on MSU-induced inflammatory in vitro, better than a previously described P2Y14R antagonist PPTN. In vivo evaluation demonstrated that compound 52 also had satisfactory inhibitory activity on the inflammatory response of gout flares in mice. Moreover, P2Y14R antagonist 52 decreased paw swelling and inflammatory cell infiltration through cAMP/NLRP3/GSDMD signaling pathways in MSU-induced acute gouty arthritis mice. The discussions on the binding mechanism that employ MM/GBSA free energy calculations/decompositions also provide some useful clues for further structural designing of compound 52. Taken together, 2-phenyl-benzoxazole acetamide derivative 52 with potent P2Y14R antagonistic activity and in vivo potency could be a promising strategy for gout therapy and deserves further optimization.

Deubiquitinase USP29 correlates RORγt expression and its association with thymoma myasthenia gravis.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the expression of deubiquitylases USP29 in thymomas with myasthenia gravis (MG) and research associated immunological processes. METHODS: 69 MG patients with thymomas, 21 thymoma patients without MG, and 31 healthy controls were classified into three groups (categories): group with MG-associated thymoma (MG-T), group with non-MG-associated thymoma (NMG-T), and group with healthy controls (HC). In thymomas, the mRNA and protein levels of RORγt and USP29 were examined by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR) and western blotting. Th17 cell counts in MG patients with thymomas were investigated by flow cytometry. RESULTS: In MG-related thymomas, the mRNA and protein levels of deubiquitylases USP29 were substantially elevated. USP29 post-transcriptionally regulated RORγt. In MG patients with thymomas, the expression of USP29 was positively linked to the RORγt expression and Th17 cell frequency. CONCLUSION: This work exhibited that the elevated USP29 enhanced RORγt expression, which in turn affected the Th17 cell growth in thymomatous MG. Our data suggest that USP29 might take part in the regulation of RORγt expression and Th17 cell generation and constitute an innovative regulatory function for USP29 in autoimmune disease.

A Scooping-Binding Robotic Gripper for Handling Various Food Products.

Food products are usually difficult to handle for robots because of their large variations in shape, size, softness, and surface conditions. It is ideal to use one robotic gripper to handle as many food products as possible. In this study, a scooping-binding robotic gripper is proposed to achieve this goal. The gripper was constructed using a pneumatic parallel actuator and two identical scooping-binding mechanisms. The mechanism consists of a thin scooping plate and multiple rubber strings for binding. When grasping an object, the mechanisms actively makes contact with the environment for scooping, and the object weight is mainly supported by the scooping plate. The binding strings are responsible for stabilizing the grasping by wrapping around the object. Therefore, the gripper can perform high-speed pick-and-place operations. Contact analysis was conducted using a simple beam model and a finite element model that were experimentally validated. Tension property of the binding string was characterized and an analytical model was established to predict binding force based on object geometry and binding displacement. Finally, handling tests on 20 food items, including products with thin profiles and slippery surfaces, were performed. The scooping-binding gripper succeeded in handling all items with a takt time of approximately 4 s. The gripper showed potential for actual applications in the food industry.

Circular Shell Gripper for Handling Food Products.

Pneumatically driven soft robotic grippers have been extensively studied in recent years. A majority of the grippers, especially those entirely composed of soft materials, can adapt to and handle various objects. However, there are limited studies regarding the realization of arbitrary grasping postures and twisting manipulation. Furthermore, the handling efficiency or the takt time of a handling task has not been investigated frequently. Therefore, this article proposes a circular shell gripper that consists of a rigid external shell and four soft internal air chambers. The soft chambers can be pneumatically inflated, thereby enabling it to grasp an object with a large contact area. The rigid shell allows the gripper to generate a large grasping force, while providing rigidity. This allows it to achieve arbitrary handling postures and twisting manipulations. A finite element model was constructed to simulate the chamber inflation, contact area upon grasping, lifting force, and twisting torque. An analytical model was formulated to quickly predict the lifting force and the twisting torque required to manipulate a known object. The models were validated via experimental tests on the lifting and twisting of a rigid cylinder. The experimental results indicate that the shell gripper can generate a maximum lifting force and twisting torque of 50.97 N and 0.73 Nm, respectively, with an input pressure of 10 kPa. Experimental tests on a variety of food and drink products revealed that the gripper could handle deformable, heavy, and irregularly shaped objects as well as realize arbitrary manipulation posture and twisting motion. The takt time for a pick-and-place task was found to be ∼2-5 s, using an SCARA robot; this time can be further optimized (less than 1 s) by using a parallel robot. However, the gripper was unable to handle low-profile objects, due to the downward pressing force; this was identified as a limitation of the proposed design.

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis Presenting as a Ring-Enhancing Lesion on MR imaging: A Case Report and Critical Review.

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare form of venous thromboembolism. The presentation of symptoms is highly variable in this disease. The findings on MRI vary depending on the age of the thrombus within the vessel. We report a 53-year-old male patient with CVT who presented with a sudden-onset grand mal seizure and limb paralysis. Primary MRI presented long T1 long T2 signals, persistent high signals on DWI and ADC maps in the cortex of right frontal lobe. Contrast-enhanced MR detected a lesion with ring-like enhancement in right frontal lobe. His symptoms were significantly improved with anticoagulant therapy of Warfarin. Our findings represent the description of abnormal MRI contrast enhancing tumor-like masses. CVT should be added to the differential diagnosis of supratentorial ring-enhancing lesions.

Challenges and Opportunities in Robotic Food Handling: A Review.

Despite developments in robotics and automation technologies, several challenges need to be addressed to fulfill the high demand for automating various manufacturing processes in the food industry. In our opinion, these challenges can be classified as: the development of robotic end-effectors to cope with large variations of food products with high practicality and low cost, recognition of food products and materials in 3D scenario, better understanding of fundamental information of food products including food categorization and physical properties from the viewpoint of robotic handling. In this review, we first introduce the challenges in robotic food handling and then highlight the advances in robotic end-effectors, food recognition, and fundamental information of food products related to robotic food handling. Finally, future research directions and opportunities are discussed based on an analysis of the challenges and state-of-the-art developments.

Relationship between Photoelasticity of Polyurethane and Dielectric Anisotropy of Diisocyanate, and Application of High-Photoelasticity Polyurethane to Tactile Sensor for Robot Hands.

Eight types of polyurethane were synthesized using seven types of diisocyanate. It was found that the elasto-optical constant depends on the concentration of diisocyanate groups in a unit volume of a polymer and the magnitude of anisotropy of the dielectric constant of diisocyanate groups. It was also found that incident light scattered when bending stress was generated inside photoelastic polyurethanes. A high sensitive tactile sensor for robot hands was devised using one of the developed polyurethanes with high photoelasticity.

Geometry Optimisation of a Hall-Effect-Based Soft Fingertip for Estimating Orientation of Thin Rectangular Objects.

Soft tactile sensors have been applied to robotic grippers for assembly. It is a challenging task to obtain contact information and object orientation using tactile sensors during grasping. Currently, the design of Hall-effect-based tactile sensors to perform such tasks is based on trial and error. We present a method of investigating the optimal geometrical design of a cylindrical soft sensor to increase its sensitivity. The finite element model of a soft fingertip was constructed in Abaqus with two design variables, i.e., hollow radius and magnet position. Then, the model was imported into Isight, with the maximisation of magnet displacement as the objective function. We found that the optimal design was at the boundary of the parameter design space. Four fingertips were fabricated with one intuitive, one optimal, and two optional sets of parameters. Experiments were performed, and object orientation was estimated by utilising linear approximation and a machine learning approach. Good agreements were achieved between optimisation and experiments. The results revealed that the estimated average error in object orientation was decreased by the optimised fingertip design. Furthermore, the 3-axis forces could successfully be estimated based on sensor outputs.

Elevated expression of interleukin-33 in myasthenia gravis patients.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an archetypal autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction. The imbalance of inflammatory cytokines are involved in the pathogenesis of MG. IL-33, a member of the IL-1 family, plays a key immune-modulation role in several autoimmune disease. However, its regulatory role in MG remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that IL-33 expression in the serum of MG patients was significantly increased. We further proved that the serum levels of IL-33 were significantly negative correlated with the expression levels of TSLP. Increased serum IL-33 levels positively correlated with the upregulation of IL-17A levels and the quantitative myasthenia gravis (QMG) score in MG patients. Our findings indicate that IL-33 plays a potent immuno- enhancing role in the pathogenesis of MG by downregulating TSLP, consequently affecting the development of Th17 cells in MG.

Towards patient-specific medializing calcaneal osteotomy for adult flatfoot: a finite element study.

Clinically in medializing calcaneal osteotomy (MCO), foot and ankle surgeons are facing difficulties in choosing appropriate surgical parameters due to the individual differences in deformities among flatfoot patients. Traditional cadaveric studies have provided important information regarding the biomechanical effects of tendons, ligaments, and plantar fascia, but limitations have been reached when dealing with individual differences and tailoring patient-specific surgeries. Therefore, this study aimed at implementing the finite element (FE) method to investigate the effect of different MCO parameters to help foot and ankle surgeons performing patient-specific surgeries. This study constructed FE models of a flatfoot and a healthy foot based on computed tomography (CT) images. After validating the FE models with experimental measurements, differences in plantar stress were compared between two models and a criterion was established for evaluating the performance of surgical simulations. Four MCO parameters were then studied through FE simulations. Results suggested that the transverse angle, ß, and translation distance, d, affected surgical performance. Therefore, special attentions may be recommended when choosing these two parameters clinically. However, the sagittal angle, α, and osteotomy position, p, were found to have less effect on the MCO performance.

Comparison of different soft grippers for lunch box packaging.

Automating the lunch box packaging is a challenging task due to the high deformability and large individual differences in shape and physical property of food materials. Soft robotic grippers showed potentials to perform such tasks. In this paper, we presented four pneumatic soft actuators made of different materials and different fabrication methods and compared their performances through a series of tests. We found that the actuators fabricated by 3D printing showed better linearity and less individual differences, but showed low durability compared to actuators fabricated by traditional casting process. Robotic grippers were assembled using the soft actuators, and grasping tests were performed on soft paper containers filled with food materials. Results suggested that grippers with softer actuators required lower air pressure to lift up the same weight and generated less deformation on the soft container. The actuator made of casting process with Dragon Skin 10 material lifted the most weight among different actuators.

Grasping state estimation of printable soft gripper using electro-conductive yarn.

Automatic handling of many types of food materials are required to realize the automation of production of commercially prepared box lunches. A printable soft gripper was developed for food handling which is simple to produce with a 3D printer. However, the sensing ability of the printable soft gripper was not discussed in previous research. In this paper, a novel method for estimating the grasping state of a printable soft gripper using electro-conductive yarn is presented. Electro-conductive yarn is a conductive material, and the resistance of strings is changed by stretching. It is less expensive than other sensors that can be used for measurement of grasping state. Additionally, it is easy to assemble and disassemble by hand. Electro-conductive yarn is applied to a prototype printable soft gripper, and the proposed estimation method is verified experimentally. From the experimental results, the estimated grasping state from the resistance of the electro-conductive yarn coincides with the actual grasping state of the gripper. Our proposed method of using electro-conductive yarn was successful for estimating the grasping state of a printable soft gripper.

Photoredox-catalysed chloro-, bromo- and trifluoromethylthio-trifluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes with sodium triflinate.

A mild and transition-metal-free protocol is herein presented for chloro-, bromo- and trifluoromethylthiotrifluoromethylation of unactivated alkenes. The easy-handling Langlois reagent, as well as N-halophthalimide and N-trifluoromethylthiosaccharin, is used in this method. In the presence of an organic photoredox catalyst N-methyl-9-mesityl acridinium, a broad range of desired products were afforded in satisfactory yields upon visible-light irradiation via a radical process.

Long-term efficacy and side effects of low-dose tacrolimus for the treatment of Myasthenia Gravis.

The study evaluated the efficacy of low-dose tacrolimus for treating Myasthenia Gravis (MG). Data were collected from 97 patients treated with low-dose tacrolimus from February 2011 to April 2015. Metabolic analysis was performed to determine more accurate tacrolimus dosing and patients were followed-up within clinic every 6 months for up to 4 years. The myasthenia gravis-specific activities of daily living scale was used to assess MG symptoms and their effects on patients' daily activities. All side effects and adverse reactions were thoroughly documented. At the end of follow-up, 6 patients were in complete stable remission, 17 patients were in pharmacological remission, 26 patients were in minimal manifestation status, 32 patients were improved, 2 patients were unchanged, 11 patients had worsening symptoms, and 3 patients died. Side effects were reported and/or observed in 24 patients, of which 7 patients experienced elevated blood glucose, 2 patients developed neoplasms, 3 patients developed gastrointestinal symptoms, 3 showed mild increases in aminotransferases, 3 patients suffered from bone marrow suppression, 2 patients suffered from skin rashes and erythema, and 1 patient required discontinuation of therapy. Transient renal insufficiency was also observed in 1 patient and 3 other patients had minor miscellaneous side effects. This study adds some knowledge on the efficacy and side effects of low-dose tacrolimus in the treatment of MG. Tacrolimus immunotherapy is a valid option for the management of MG, and can be gradually reduced in dose once symptoms are improved until complete withdrawal is achieved.

Aberrant decrease of microRNA19b regulates TSLP expression and contributes to Th17 cells development in myasthenia gravis related thymomas.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease. The imbalance of T helper type 17 cells (Th17) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of thymomatous MG. But the regulatory mechanism for Th17 cell development in MG-related thymoma remains undefined. Here we demonstrated that thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is significantly decreased in thymomas. We also proved that TSLP was post-trancriptionally regulated by microRNA-19b. The expression of microRNA-19b was negatively correlated with the expression of TSLP mRNA and protein in thymomas. This study indicated that the elevation of microRNA-19b suppressed TSLP expression and then influenced T cell development in thymomatous MG.

[The clinical outcomes of thymectomy combined with radiotherapy or cyclophosphamide treatment for myasthenia gravis patients with thymoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of thymectomy in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients with thymoma. METHODS: A total of 178 MG patients with thymectomy between July 2008 and December 2010 were included. All the subjects were received either cyclophosphamide alone or in combination with radiotherapeutic treatment after surgery. The MG absolute and relative clinical scores were used to assess the effectiveness of long-term treatments. Clinical evaluations were conducted before, and at 1 , 6, 12 and 24 months after operation. A comparative analysis on the inter-relationships among MG clinical presentation, WHO histology and Masaoka stage was also conducted. RESULTS: (1) Of the 178 thymoma-patients, 103 were male and 75 were female, with a mean age of (43.7 +/- 12.5)-years old. One hundred and twelve cases were taken cyclophosphamide, and 58 cases with invasive thymoma (stages II , III and IV or WHO type B3 ) were taken cyclophosphamide in combination with radiotherapy. Five patients refused cyclophosphamide or radiotherapy and 3 did not finish treatment. (2) The muscular strength improved obviously in 32.8% (58/177) of the patients after 1 month after thymectomy, and 59.8% (101/169), 69.7% (115/165) and 81.5% (132/162) after 6 months, 1 year and 2 years, respectively with MG score for disease severity decreased significantly with time. (3) No significant differences of the improvement rates were observed in patients within different WHO histology category. However, the rates were much higher in patients with Masaoka stage I (91.4%) and stage I (89.8%) than those in patients with stage III (45.5%) and IV (28.6%) (all P < 0.001) . CONCLUSIONS: The remission rate of MG patients with thymomas increase after thymectomy plus cyclophosphamide or in combination with radiotherapy and reached 81.5% after 2 years. The remission rate is associated with Masaoka stage, but not with WHO histology.

A finite element model of flatfoot (Pes Planus) for improving surgical plan.

Flatfoot is a foot condition caused by the collapse of the medial arch of the foot, and it can result in problems such as severe pain, swelling, abnormal gait, and difficulty walking. Despite being a very common foot deformity, flatfoot is one of the least understood orthopaedic problems, and the opinions regarding its optimal treatment vary widely. In this paper, an FE model of a flatfoot is proposed that is based on CT measurements. Surface meshes of the bones and soft tissue were generated from CT images and then simplified to reduce the node density. A total of 62 ligaments, 9 tendons, and the plantar fascia were modeled manually. Volume meshes of the different components were generated and combined to form the completed flatfoot model. A dynamic FE formulation was derived, and a balanced standing simulation was performed. The model was validated by comparing stress distribution results from the simulation to experimental data.