Task scheduling and motion planning for an industrial manipulator

In many robotic industrial applications, a manipulator should move among obstacles and reach a set of task-points in order to perform a pre-defined task. It is quite important as well as very complicated to determine the time-optimum sequence of the task-points visited by the end-effector's tip only once assuring that the manipulator's motion through the successive task-points is collision-free.     

Dysregulation of Plasma miR-146a and miR-155 Expression Profile in Mycosis Fungoides Is Associated with rs2910164 and rs767649 Polymorphisms

Diagnosis of Mycosis Fungoides (MF) may be challenging, due to its polymorphic nature. The use of miRNAs as biomarkers to assist in diagnosis has been investigated, mainly in skin lesion biopsies. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the plasma levels of miR-146a and miR-155 in MF patients and to investigate their association with SNPs of their genes. Plasma miRNAs were quantified by RT-qPCR. Genomic DNA was used for SNPs’ genotyping by Sanger sequencing. Plasma levels of miR-146a and miR-155 were significantly higher in patients vs. controls, in early MF patients vs. controls, and in advanced vs. early MF patients. Both miRNAs’ levels were significantly higher in stage IIB vs. early-stage patients. miR-155 plasma levels were significantly higher in patients with skin tumors or erythroderma. CC genotype (rs2910164 C>G) was significantly more frequent in healthy controls and associated with lower MF risk and lower miR-146a levels. The AA genotype (rs767649 T>A) was significantly more frequent in patients and correlated with increased MF risk and increased miR-155 levels. The combination of GG+AA was only detected in patients and was correlated with higher MF susceptibility. Increased mir-146a and mir-155 plasma levels in MF is an important finding to establish putative noninvasive biomarkers. The presence of SNPs is closely associated with miRs’ expression, and possibly with disease susceptibility.     

Nutritional value and metal content of wild edible mushrooms collected from West Macedonia and Epirus,Greece

Ten wild edible mushroom species (Cantharellus cibarius, Rusula delica var chloroides, Ramaria largentii, Hygrophorus russula, Amanita caesaria, Fistulina hepatica, Boletus aureus, Armillaria tabesceus, A. mellea, Lepista nuda) from West Macedonia and Epirus, regions of Northern Greece, were analysed for their basic composition (moisture, crude protein, crude fat, total carbohydrates and ash) and metal content profile (Mg, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Al, As and Sn). The moisture content of mushrooms varied from 8.66% (L. nuda) to 17.43% (C. cibarius). The dry matter of mushrooms contained 21.57% (C. cibarius) – 34.77% (A. caesaria) proteins, 2.10% (A. mellea) – 6.00% (H. russula) fat, 5.61% (Russula delica) – 9.44% (C. cibarius) ash and 53.33% (H. russula) – 66.87% (A. tabesceus) carbohydrates.     

Arsonoliposome interaction with thiols: effect of pegylation and arsonolipid content of arsonoliposomes on their integrity during incubation in glutathione

Increased toxicity of arsonoliposomes towards cancer cells may be attributed to interaction between arsonolipids and cellular thiols which, would result in reduction of As(V) to the more toxic As(Ill). Cancer cells with high thiol contents may thus be more sensitive to arsonoliposomes, providing that the arsonolipid molecules that are incorporated in the liposome membrane can interact with thiol-containing compounds. For examination of this possibility we investigate the effect of incubating various compositions of arsonoliposomes with glutathione, on their integrity. If glutathione does interact with the As(V) of the arsonolipid headgroup, this should result in an alteration of the arsonoliposome membrane stability. We followed arsonoliposome integrity by measuring the release of vesicle-encapsulated calcein from arsonoliposomes with different lipid compositions, during incubation in glutathione. The results of this study show that the effect of glutathione on arsonoliposome integrity is higher (arsonoliposomes are less stable) when the arsonolipid content of their membranes increases. This indicates that arsonolipid molecules interact with glutathione, and in some cases, depending on the rigidity of their membranes; this interaction leads to a (higher or lower) destabilization of arsonoliposomes. The destabilizing effect of glutathione was higher for arsonoliposomes that were previously found to be less stable during incubation in serum proteins or, in other words, have lower membrane rigidity. In the case of pegylated-arsonoliposomes membrane destabilization was minimal and this may be related to the high stability demonstrated previously for these specific arsonoliposomes, or, it may indicate that pegylation results in prevention (total or partial) of arsonolipid-As interaction with thiols (perhaps because of steric repulsion).     

The 2007 forest fires in the prefecture of Ilia: the views of citizens with regard to the actions taken before,during and after the fires

In 2007, the prefecture of Ilia, Peloponnese, Greece, was struck by very serious fires which were not only the result of extreme weather but also of human omissions and mistakes. This paper examines the views of the citizens of Ilia with regard to the actions of the Fire Department, the municipal authorities, the Forest Service, the citizens and the state, before, during and after the fires.     

Identification of Two Novel Circular RNAs Deriving from BCL2L12 and Investigation of Their Potential Value as a Molecular Signature in Colorectal Cancer

The utility of circular RNAs (circRNAs) as molecular biomarkers has recently emerged. However, only a handful of them have already been studied in colorectal cancer (CRC). The purpose of this study was to identify new circRNAs deriving from BCL2L12, a member of the BCL2 apoptosis-related family, and investigate their potential as biomarkers in CRC. Total RNA extracts from CRC cell lines and tissue samples were reversely transcribed. By combining PCR with divergent primers and nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing, we were able to discover two BCL2L12 circRNAs. Subsequently, bioinformatical tools were used to predict the interactions of these circRNAs with microRNAs (miRNAs) and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs). Following a PCR-based pre-amplification, real-time qPCR was carried out for the quantification of each circRNA in CRC samples and cell lines. Biostatistical analysis was used to assess their potential prognostic value in CRC. Both novel BCL2L12 circRNAs likely interact with particular miRNAs and RBPs. Interestingly, circ-BCL2L12-2 expression is inversely associated with TNM stage, while circ-BCL2L12-1 overexpression is associated with shorter overall survival in CRC, particularly among TNM stage II patients. Overall, we identified two novel BCL2L12 circRNAs, one of which can further stratify TNM stage II patients into two subgroups with substantially distinct prognosis.     

Identifying a distinctive familial frequency band in reaction time fluctuations in ADHD.

Objective: Patients with ADHD are typically more variable in their reaction times (RT) than control children. Signal processing analyses have shown that time series RT data of children with ADHD have a distinctive low frequency periodic structure suggestive of a pattern of occasional spontaneous performance lapses. Here we use a fine-grained analysis of spectral power across a broader frequency range to differentiate the periodic qualities of ADHD time series RT data from (a) 1/frequency noise, and (b) control performance. We also assess the familiality of these frequencies by using a proband-sibling design. Method: Seventy-one children with ADHD, one of their siblings, and 50 control participants completed a simple RT task. Power across the RT frequency spectrum was calculated. The frequencies significantly differentiating the two groups were identified. Familiality was assessed in two ways: first, by comparing probands with their unaffected siblings and controls, and, second, by investigating the siblings of neuropsychologically impaired and unimpaired children with ADHD. Results: Analyses converged to highlight the potential importance of the .20–.26 Hz band in differentiating the periodic structure of ADHD RT time series data from both 1/frequency noise and control performance. This frequency band also showed the strongest evidence of familiality. Conclusions: RT performance of children with ADHD had a distinctive periodic structure. The band identified as most differentiating and familial was at a higher frequency than in most previous reports. This highlights the importance of employing tasks with faster interstimulus intervals that will allow a larger portion of the frequency spectrum to be examined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Role of Interleukins in Recurrent Implantation Failure: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature

Recurrent implantation failure (RIF) is a multifactorial condition affecting 10–15% of in vitro fertilization (IVF) couples. Data suggest that functional dysregulation of the endometrial immune system constitutes one of the main pathophysiological mechanisms leading to RIF. The aim of this article is to provide a thorough presentation and evaluation of the role of interleukins (ILs) in the pathogenesis of RIF. A comprehensive literature screening was performed summarizing current evidence. During implantation, several classes of ILs are secreted by epithelial and stromal endometrial cells, including IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, and the leukemia inhibitory factor. These ILs create a perplexing network that orchestrates both proliferation and maturation of uterine natural killer cells, controls the function of regulatory T and B cells inhibiting the secretion of antifetal antibodies, and supports trophoblast invasion and decidua formation. The existing data indicate associations between ILs and RIF. The extensive analysis performed herein concludes that the dysregulation of the ILs network indeed jeopardizes implantation leading to RIF. This review further proposes a mapping of future research on how to move forward from mere associations to robust molecular data that will allow an accurate profiling of ILs in turn enabling evidence-based consultancy and decision making when addressing RIF patients.