Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a motoneuron disease caused by loss or mutation in Survival of Motor Neuron 1 (SMN1) gene. Recent studies have shown that selective restoration of SMN protein in astrocytes partially alleviates pathology in an SMA mouse model, suggesting important roles for astrocytes in SMA. Addressing these underlying mechanisms may provide new therapeutic avenues to fight SMA...

This paper presents a shape memory alloy (SMA) ac-tuator aimed to be integrated in the phalanx of a dex-terous micro-gripper. Its original design mechanically decouples motion transmission from force transmission. After a brief discussion on the operating principles of the actuator, the kinematics of the mechanism and its general features are speciied. A thermo-mechanical model of the SMA bers ...

In this paper, a modular microactuator based on shape memory alloy (SMA) actuation to drive the joints of a microgripper is described. Its design is a combination of two SMA actuators installed on the links of a special mechanism : one of them drives the rotation of the joint and the other one produces the necessary force to manipulate objects. An accurate model of the thermo-mechanical behavio...

Two general models with hierarchical and almost degenerate neutrino masses, which are able to explain the solar and atmospheric anomalies are investigated. We show how neutrinoless double beta decay experiments discern Dirac and Majorana natures of neutrinos. The strongest result is, that almost degenerate neutrinos with masses above 0.22 eV combined with the SMA MSW must be Dirac particles. In...

The anatomical variations of the abdominal arteries are important due to its clinical significance. Various types of vascular anomalies are frequently found in human abdominal viscera, during cadaveric dissection and diagnostic radiological imaging. The present report describes a variation in the celiac trunk as found during routine dissection in a 59-year-old male cadaver. The celiac trunk (CT...

The SMN1 and NAIP genes are related to the development of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which is characterized by degeneration of motor neurons leading to progressive muscular weakness and atrophy. The SMN1 gene is homozygously deleted in most SMA patients, and now recognized as a responsible gene for SMA. The NAIP gene is often deleted in the SMA patients with the severest form of SMA, and no...

EARLY RETROPANCREATIC DISSECTION DURING PANCREATICO-DUODENECTOMY TECHNICAL NOTES (ABSTRACT): Background: Pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) is the procedure of choice for malignant tumors of the pancreatic head and periampullary region. During PD, early pancreatic neck division may be inadequate, especially in cases of hepatic artery (HA) anatomic variants, when invasion of the superior mesenteric ar...

This study presents a new approach to control the nonlinear dynamics of an adaptive absorber using shape memory alloy (SMA) element. Shape memory alloys are classified as smart materials that can remember their original shape after deformation. Stress and temperature-induced phase transformations are two typical behaviors of shape memory alloys. Changing the stiffness associated with phase tran...