Search results for " Effector"
showing 10 items of 29 documents
FIDO science payload simulating the Athena Payload
2002
[1] The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Field Integrated Development and Operations rover (FIDO) emulates and tests operational rover capabilities for advanced Mars rover missions, such as those originally planned for the Mars Surveyor 2001 Rover and currently planned for the Athena Payload on the Mars Exploration Rovers scheduled for launch in 2003. This paper describes FIDO's science instrument payload, which is fully integrated with rover hardware and software. Remote science teams visualize instrument suite data and generate FIDO commands using the Web Interface for Telescience. FIDO's instrument suite has been used in terrestrial laboratory and field tests to simulate Mars operations, to t…
RNA Transfer by Electroporation into Mature Dendritic Cells Leading to Reactivation of Effector-Memory Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes: A Quantitative Analys…
2005
Previous studies have analyzed transfer of RNA-encoded tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) into immature dendritic cells (DCs) because of their exceptional ability to internalize antigens. Concerns have been raised regarding the use of immature DCs in clinical studies because of their capacity to tolerize T cells. Therefore, we focused on optimizing RNA transfer into mature DCs using the method of electroporation and obtained high protein expression in 90% of mature DCs. Particular emphasis was placed on quantifying RNA transfer. Reconstitution of peptide-MHC (pMHC) ligands on RNA-pulsed DCs was measured with the help of effector-memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for the melanoma-…
Conformable eddy current array delivery
2016
The external surface of stainless steel containers used for the interim storage of nuclear material may be subject to Atmospherically Induced Stress Corrosion Cracking (AISCC). The inspection of such containers poses a significant challenge due to the large quantities involved; therefore, automating the inspection process is of considerable interest. This paper reports upon a proof-of-concept project concerning the automated NDT of a set of test containers containing artificially generated AISCCs. An Eddy current array probe with a conformable padded surface from Eddyfi was used as the NDT sensor and end effector on a KUKA KR5 arc HW robot. A kinematically valid cylindrical raster scan path…
Design and control of a novel 3D casting manipulator
2010
This paper focuses on casting manipulation and presents an innovative mechanism that allows objects placed in a three-dimensional space to be reached with a relatively small robot. Casting manipulation is a technique by which a robotic end-effector is thrown and its ballistic flight is controlled through a tether cable so as to reach a target object. Previous work presented a solution that is viable only when the position of the target object is perfectly known or aligned with the throwing plane. Our work extends the technique by use of a novel mechanical design of the arm, and a suitable control scheme for the flight of the end-effector, which makes it applicable for objects placed at gene…
A Rough-Terrain Casting Robot for the ESA Lunar Robotics Challenge
2009
This paper describes the design and implementation of DAVID, a lunar vehicle developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) Lunar Robotics Challenge, presenting severe terrain negotiation and sample acquisition challenges. We discuss in some detail two of the main innovative aspects of our entry to the challenge, i.e. the locomotion system and the sample acquisition system. Motivated by the challenge specifications, a range of different locomotion systems were considered, among which we chose a simple, rugged and effective wheeled system. We provide an account of the choice of five different types of wheels, which were designed, analyzed and experimentally tested in conditions similar to the…
Increasing the accuracy of untaught robot positions by means of a multi-camera system
2010
We aim to improve the absolute in line positional accuracy of a robot-guided effector to better than 1 mm. We do so using photogrammetric techniques and by relying heavily on simulations to fine tune each parameter and avoid weak configurations. We also use simulations to design an LED calibration object adapted to this application. A test procedure enables us to validate both the simulated results as well as the calibration procedure. The test results exceed expectations by improving the absolute positioning of a robot effector by a factor of 20.
PAUT inspection of complex-shaped composite materials through six DOFs robotic manipulators
2015
The requirement to increase inspection speeds for the non-destructive testing (NDT) of composite aerospace parts is common to many manufacturers. The prevalence of complex curved surfaces in the industry provides significant motivation for the use of six-axis robots for the deployment of NDT probes in these inspections. The IntACom project, developed by TWI Technology Centre (Wales) and supported by a number of major aerospace partners and the Welsh government, has produced a prototype robotic NDT system. The prototype system is capable of inspecting complex-geometry composite components with great time savings. Two six-axis robotic arms deploy end effectors carrying phased array ultrasonic…
Structural and functional diversity of the lectin repertoire in teleost fish: Relevance to innate and adaptive immunity
2011
Protein–carbohydrate interactions mediated by lectins have been recognized as key components of innate immunity in vertebrates and invertebrates, not only for recognition of potential pathogens, but also for participating in downstream effector functions, such as their agglutination, immobilization, and complement-mediated opsonization and killing. More recently, lectins have been identified as critical regulators of mammalian adaptive immune responses. Fish are endowed with virtually all components of the mammalian adaptive immunity, and are equipped with a complex lectin repertoire. In this review, we discuss evidence suggesting that: (a) lectin repertoires in teleost fish are highly dive…
Gene Therapy in Rare Respiratory Diseases: What Have We Learned So Far?
2020
Gene therapy is an alternative therapy in many respiratory diseases with genetic origin and currently without curative treatment. After five decades of progress, many different vectors and gene editing tools for genetic engineering are now available. However, we are still a long way from achieving a safe and efficient approach to gene therapy application in clinical practice. Here, we review three of the most common rare respiratory conditions—cystic fibrosis (CF), alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD)—alongside attempts to develop genetic treatment for these diseases. Since the 1990s, gene augmentation therapy has been applied in multiple clinical tria…
Mechanisms underlying lineage commitment and plasticity of human γδ T cells.
2012
Phenotypic and functional heterogeneity are the hallmarks of effector and memory T cells. Upon antigen stimulation, γδ T cells differentiate into two major types of memory T cells: central memory cells, which patrol the blood and secondary lymphoid organs, and effector memory cells, which migrate to peripheral tissues. γδ T cells display in vitro a certain degree of plasticity in their function that is reminiscent of that which is observed in conventional CD4 T cells. Similar to CD4 T cells, in which a plethora of specialized subsets affect the host response, γδ T cells may readily and rapidly assume distinct Th1-, Th2-, Th17-, T(FH) and T regulatory-like effector functions, suggesting that…