Learning-IoT: Methodological Framework for Remote Robotics Teaching

Much has been discussed recently about the implications and strategies adopted by higher education institutions concerning the realization of online practical classes due to COVID-19. Some teaching institutions used virtual meetings to reorganize the lesson plan to continue teaching and assessing the students due to the suspension of face-to-face classes due to this epidemic. Although the most adopted strategy among the courses has been direct communication between students and professors through e-mail, telephone, social networks, and message apps, education lives in a time when transitions seem to occur much faster than in recent decades. For example, online engineering courses, specifically robotics, face difficulty implementing practical activities online because the educational tools available remotely are scarce or very expensive, thus becoming an obstacle to circumvent. Given this, this article presents a methodological strategy for the teaching-learning practices of engineering through Learning-IoT. This is a methodology for teaching robotics using the Internet of Industrial Things (IIoT) concepts. It enables the connection of the student to a Physical Objects Framework proposed in practical online activities and by the project method responsible for stimulating critical thinking. Thus, the initial ergonomic interface test experiments and usability of the proposed methodology demonstrated in the experiments in online practical classes that memorization and decision-making fit new possibilities or functionalities. © 2022 IEEE.

Escape from recognition of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant spike epitopes but overall preservation of T cell immunity

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SARS-COV2 antibody phenotype and immune gene expression in MIS-C

Introduction: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a severe disease that affects a small proportion of children exposed to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Differences in SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses and immune gene expression between SARS-CoV-2-infected children who develop MIS-C and those who do not may provide insight into the mechanism of MIS-C. Objectives: To determine the difference in SARS-CoV2 antibody responses and immune gene expression in children with MIS-C and healthy children with evidence of previous SARS-CoV2 infection. Methods: Healthy children presenting for elective surgery and those with MIS-C were recruited between 22 June 2020 and 5 November 2020 from a single paediatric hospital during the first wave of SARSCoV- 2 in the region. Clinical data, whole blood RNA and serum were collected. Titres of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibody (SAb) and their capacity to perform neutralization, antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and antibody dependant cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) were measured. Whole blood RNA gene expression was measured using multiplex Fluidigm quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) with a panel of 84 immune genes. Principal component analysis was performed to assess for differences in gene expression. A linear regression model was developed with a forward stepwise model selection method to assess which genes associated with Creactive protein (CRP) in MIS-C after controlling for the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR). Results: Twenty-three children with MIS-C and 25 healthy children were recruited. Nine healthy children had detectable SARS-CoV-2 serum antibodies (healthy exposed). No children had preceding clinical disease related to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Comparing children with MIS-C and healthy exposed children showed no difference in SAb binding responses (p=0.372) or ADCC (p=0.992). Increased neutralisation titre (p=0.084) and ADCP (p=0.086) in children with MIS-C was observed although was non-significant. Antibody function or titre did not change over time or with treatment in MIS-C. There was a clear distinction in immune gene expression between healthy children and those with MIS-C. Immune gene expression in MIS-C resolved to become indistinct from healthy children with time. Whole blood immune gene expression associated with an abundance of neutrophils in MIS-C. In a model that accounted for 66% of the variance in CRP (adjusted R2 = 0.66) the expression of IL27 accounted for 64% of the model effect (B=35;p<0.001) followed by NLR (15%, B=6.6, p=0.002) and the expression of MCP2 (11%, B=-14.59, p=0.008). Conclusion: Comparing children infected with SARS-COV-2 from the same time period and region with or without MIS-C provides unique mechanistic insight into the disease. A trend towards higher SAb titres and ADCP implies a distinct humoral immune response to SARSCOV- 2 in children with MIS-C, although further studies are required to validate this observation. The resolution of the abnormal immune gene expression in MIS-C implies a monophasic immune perturbation. The association of IL27 and MCP2 with CRP suggests that these may be important targets in future studies for possible pathogenicity and as potential biomarkers in MIS-C.