Background Smart device-based human-robot systems provide a wide range of possibilities to enhance the flexibility and robustness of human-robot interactions. These include navigating mobile robots using a single smartwatch, automated monitoring of vital body functions through smartwatches, and the coordination of multi-robot systems. The utilization...

In normal differentiated cells, most of the genome is densely methylated, except CpG islands near promoters of actively transcribed genes. Maintaining this boundary between unmethylated promoter-associated and adjacent methylated regions is crucial as loss of segregation can lead to disease. Unfortunately, it is not clear where these boundaries are,...

Background Robotic prostheses have the potential to change the lives of millions of lower-limb amputees by providing critical support during legged locomotion. Powered protheses specifically enable complex capabilities including level-ground walking, running, or stair climbing, while also enabling reductions in metabolic cost and improvements in ergonomic...

Cigarette smoking causes a variety of diseases with high morbidities and mortality; however, the addictive properties of nicotine make quitting difficult. Nicotine molecules enter the brain within seconds after use and activate reward pathways, leading to dependence. Despite extensive efforts toward cessation interventions, smoking remains a major public...

The quality of IMPT treatment plans may be drastically diminished by uncertainties such as proton range and patient setup errors. If these uncertainties are not figured into treatment planning, the dose distribution that the patient receives may not be the same as the planned dose distribution. New treatment plans, which include optimized software/programming,...