1,721,013 research outputs found
Influenza del 17B-estradiolo e del progesterone su strips miometriali di agnelle impuberi: modello sperimentale
No full textInfluence of 17β-estradiol and progesterone on myometrial strips of immature lambs: Experimental
No full textAn Object Deformation-Agnostic Framework for Human-Robot Collaborative Transportation
No full textIn this study, an adaptive object deformability-agnostic human-robot collaborative transportation framework is presented. The proposed framework enables to combine the haptic information transferred through the object with the human kinematic information obtained from a motion capture system to generate reactive whole-body motions on a mobile collaborative robot. Furthermore, it allows rotating the objects in an intuitive and accurate way during co-transportation based on an algorithm that detects the human rotation intention using the torso and hand movements. First, we validate the framework with the two extremities of the object deformability range (i.e., purely rigid aluminum rod and highly deformable rope) by utilizing a mobile manipulator which consists of an Omni-directional mobile base and a collaborative robotic arm. Next, its performance is compared with an admittance controller during a co-carry task of a partially deformable object in a 12-subjects user study. Quantitative and qualitative results of this experiment show that the proposed framework can effectively handle the transportation of objects regardless of their deformability and provides intuitive assistance to human partners. Finally, we have demonstrated the potential of our framework in a different scenario, where the human and the robot co-transport a manikin using a deformable sheet. Note to Practitioners - Transportation of objects which requires the cooperation of multiple partners, is a common task in industrial settings such as factories and warehouses. The existing human-robot collaboration solutions for this task have focused only on purely rigid objects, although deformable objects need to be carried frequently in real-world applications. In this paper, we introduce a human-robot collaborative transportation framework that can handle objects with different deformability ranging from purely rigid to highly deformable. In particular, the proposed framework generates whole-body movements on a mobile collaborative robot by combining of the haptic information transmitted through the object and the human motion information obtained from a motion capture system. Moreover, the framework includes an intuitive way to rotate the object during the execution based on human hand and torso motion. The results of the experiments where objects with various deformability characteristics were transported in collaboration with a mobile manipulator demonstrated the high potential of the proposed approach in a laboratory setting. In the future, we plan to employ a less expensive vision-based human motion tracking system instead of the IMU-based system used in this study. With this change, we will be able to eliminate the need for wearable sensors from the framework presented, which would enhance its usability in real-world scenarios
The effect of GnRH on in vitro bovine myometrial activity
No full textThe aim of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the effects of increasing concentrations of GnRH on spontaneous mechanical activity patterns of uterine smooth muscle preparations of cows during the follicular and the luteal phases of the oestrus cycle. Uterine smooth muscle strips from 14 cows in follicular and 9 in luteal phase were collected immediately after slaughter and processed within 60 min from collection. Two strips of the same uterus were mounted in an isolated organ bath with two chambers to evaluate the role of decapeptide GnRH on spontaneous myometrial contractility. After equilibration period at 20 mN resting tension, the mechanical activity of the uterus was recorded for 10 min and the mean contractile force (MCF) was calculated. Then GnRH antagonist (antide) was added to one chamber at fixed concentration (10(-4)mol) and allowed to diffuse in solution and make contact with the strips. Subsequently, GnRH was added to the two baths at the same time at increasing concentration and MCF was recorded for 10 min. The effect of GnRH on spontaneous myometrial activity was evident only in the strips from subjects in follicular phase. Our results are suggestive of the presence of GnRH receptors in bovine myometrial tissue. The involvement of GnRH on uterine contractions at mating can be postulated
Use of a synthetic GnRH analog to induce reproductive activity in Canaries (Serinus canaria)
No full textIn this study, we evaluated the effects of a transcutaneously administered gonadotropin-releasing hormone analog (lecirelin) on the reproductive activity of the canary (Serinus canaria). Two groups of 20 pairs of canaries were treated with increasing concentrations of lecirelin delivered in a cream vehicle; one group was exposed to a natural photoperiod, and the other group received additional photostimulation. Two groups of 10 pairs of canaries served as controls; one group was exposed to an artificially lengthened photoperiod, and the other group was maintained under a natural photoperiod and treated with a nonmedicated cream vehicle. In all canaries treated with lecirelin, the onset of reproductive activity occurred significantly earlier than in either control group.[...
La risposta contrattile intestinale all’istamina nella trota iridea (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792)
No full textAnticipazione dell’attività riproduttiva in Serinus canaria dopo somministrazione di GnRH per via transcutanea. Studio preliminare
No full textIn vitro evaluation of gut contractile response to histamine in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792)
No full textThe contractile response of intestinal strips in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum, 1792) to the administration of histaminewas assessed by means of the organ bath technique. Intestinal strips were isolated from 16 clinically healthy fish and mounted inorgan baths. Histamine was compared with the full agonist serotonin, to evaluate their contractile efficacy and potency. Serotonin eliciteda concentration-related contraction in all examined intestinal strips, whereas histamine induced the contraction only in 14 exemplars.Of these, seven exhibited a concentration-related response. A sigmoidal curve was fitted from data (R2 = 0.55) and its best fit values werecompared with those of serotonin. Interestingly, histamine exhibited the same efficacy (Emax) as serotonin (F-test, p > 0.05), but showedlower potency (by an order of magnitude) (F-test, p < 0.01). Moreover, the effect of the H1 antagonist, pyrilamine, has been tested toexclude aspecific contraction due to other agonists eventually released in situ following histamine administration. Pyrilamine showeda marked concentration-related antagonist action on the contractility induced by histamine with complete contractility antagonism at104 M. The authors suggest that the responses to histamine measured in the present study reflect a less sensitive response to an exogenoussource of histamine, possibly due to bacterial metabolism.[...
Mare Embryonic Resorption and Homocysteine
No full textEarly embryonic death in the mare is one of the main causes of subfertility in horses(Woods et al., 1987). Pregnancy loss in women has been correlated with hyperhomocysteinaemia(Steegers-Theunissem et al., 1997) and seems to be caused by an alterationof placental angiogenesis (Nagai et al., 2001). Hyperhomocysteinaemia isconsidered an important marker of obstetric and gynaecological conditions (Scholland Johnson, 2000).The aim of the present study was to test the levels of homocysteine in maressuffering from embryonic death.[...
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